Boxing News Thread
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Gamboa-Beltran Jr. could land on Pacquiao-Marquez card
Unbeaten former featherweight titleholder Yuriorkis Gamboa could face Mexican junior lightweight Miguel Beltran Jr. on the undercard of an HBO-Pay Per View televised main event featuring eight-division title-winner Manny Pacquiao in his fourth bout opposite four-division belt-winner Juan Manuel Marquez on Dec. 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In June, Gamboa (21-0, 16 knockouts) was bought out of the remainder of his contract with Top Rank by rapper-turned-promoter, 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson), allowing the former Cuban Olympic gold medalist to separate from the organization.
Gamboa has not been in the ring since September, when he decisioned current WBC featherweight beltholder Daniel Ponce de Leon.
Beltran (28-1, 17 KOs) is coming off a split-decision victory over Puerto Rican Roman "Rocky" Martinez (25-2-1, 16 KOs) on the undercard of a unanimous decision by RING middleweight champion Sergio Martinez that dethroned WBC titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who dropped Martinez in the 12th round.
Top Rank CEO, Bob Arum, informed RingTV.com that 50 Cent is working with Top Rank President Todd duBoef.
"That is accurate, and 50 Cent will be talking tomorrow to Todd. It would be very likely that Gamboa is going to be on the card as long as we're working with 50 Cent, who is working with Gamboa," said Arum.
"Obviously, they're talking about him going on the card and fighting this Mexican kid who had the great fight with Rocky Martinez, Beltran."
In June, Gamboa (21-0, 16 knockouts) was bought out of the remainder of his contract with Top Rank by rapper-turned-promoter, 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson), allowing the former Cuban Olympic gold medalist to separate from the organization.
Gamboa has not been in the ring since September, when he decisioned current WBC featherweight beltholder Daniel Ponce de Leon.
Beltran (28-1, 17 KOs) is coming off a split-decision victory over Puerto Rican Roman "Rocky" Martinez (25-2-1, 16 KOs) on the undercard of a unanimous decision by RING middleweight champion Sergio Martinez that dethroned WBC titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who dropped Martinez in the 12th round.
Top Rank CEO, Bob Arum, informed RingTV.com that 50 Cent is working with Top Rank President Todd duBoef.
"That is accurate, and 50 Cent will be talking tomorrow to Todd. It would be very likely that Gamboa is going to be on the card as long as we're working with 50 Cent, who is working with Gamboa," said Arum.
"Obviously, they're talking about him going on the card and fighting this Mexican kid who had the great fight with Rocky Martinez, Beltran."
Props:
heyzel
ZAB JUDAH: "I TAKE 0'S...DANNY GARCIA, I FEEL LIKE EATING DONUTS AT THE TOP OF JANUARY"
By Ben Thompson | October 24, 2012
"When Zab Judah and Danny Garcia go at it, it's going to be Brooklyn versus Philly. The same thing as the Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. That's a big rivalry in football. We're going to have Danny Garcia and Zab Judah the big rivalry in boxing. New York City, Barclays, we back...Danny Garcia is a fighter; Zab Judah is a fighter. Our obligation is to go in there and win, you know what I'm sayin'. That makes two competitive people. Danny Garcia is a young kid. He's undefeated, you know what I'm sayin'. He's hungry. Zab Judah is known for eating donuts all day. I eat donuts. Anybody come out here with a donut, I eat it. I take it. Lucas Matthysse, ask him! I take 0's. Vernon Paris, ask him! I eat 'em. I take 'em away, so Danny Garcia, I feel like eating donuts at the top of January," stated former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah, who talked about a potential January showdown with unified jr. welterweight champion Danny Garcia. Check it out!
BT: What's up Supah?
ZJ: I'm still in New York, working out and shit; out in Brooklyn with all my peoples.
BT: No doubt. So talk to me about the Barclays Center. I know you were in the building this past Saturday to enjoy the first boxing event to be held there. What was that experience like?
ZJ: You know what? I feel like the arena was built for me, you know what I'm sayin'? I live in Las Vegas, but I feel like the city is calling me back. They said, "Okay, Zab likes Las Vegas arenas and big, fancy, nice arenas? We're going to build one for him right here in the middle of Brooklyn so he can come home and represent for us like he's supposed to." Now, I'm home! I'm home, baby! I'm back!
BT: Were you kind of surpised that they didn't try to get you in the card, being that your one of the biggest names to come out of Brooklyn?
ZJ: Well, you know what? At the end of the day, business is business, you know what I'm sayin'? Zab Judah had prior obligations to go on with Lamont Peterson. It turned out that it didn't happen. On my part, I was engaged in doing my own thing. But the top of the year...I look at Saturday night, you know what I'm sayin', congratulations to all of the fighters. Number one, congratulations to my boy Kid Chocolate. Brooklyn, we did it again. We got another world champion, you know what I'm sayin', in Kid Chocolate right there. Big shout out to him. Big shout out to Luis Collazo; the whole Brooklyn, Danny Jacobs, the whole Brooklyn squad that went in there and represented. I respect them for that. To me, that was a soft opening. When I fight, that's going to be the hard, grand opening. All them boys gonna be back on the card with me again and we're going to kick the doors open and knock the hinges off of that bitch. We're gonna sell out to the top of the capacity it can get. We're going to have everybody in there that's supposed to be in there. Brooklyn gonna come out the Brooklyn way. When Zab Judah and Danny Garcia go at it, it's going to be Brooklyn versus Philly. The same thing as the Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. That's a big rivalry in football. We're going to have Danny Garcia and Zab Judah the big rivalry in boxing. New York City, Barclays, we back!
BT: What happened with the Lamont Peterson situation?
ZJ: I mean, there were some things we couldn't get correct under the circumstances, you know what I'm sayin'. We couldn't put together a couple of dead presidents and it didn't want to come together under the right situation, so the fight wasn't able to happen. But, you know, good luck to Lamont Peterson and his career and his future. That's my homie before boxing and all of that. I wish him and Kendall Holt well if they fight. I'm going to go out and do me and down the line, we don't know what life calls for.
BT: Well it might be a blessing in disguise, because it looks like you may get a chance to fight for multiple titles instead, and in your hometown.
ZJ: Oh yeah! You know what? It was my dream, you know what I'm sayin. My dream is to unify the jr. welterweight division. I unified the welterweight division, you know what I'm sayin. I was the undisputed welterweight champion of the world. I'm telling you right now as we speak, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, it's not even Halloween yet, and I'm telling you by next year, Zab Judah will be the undisputed jr. welterweight champion of the world.
BT: You got a chance to see Danny Garcia up close and personal on Saturday night. What are your thoughts on him and how a fight between you two would play out?
ZJ: I mean, listen man, boxing is a rivalry. Golden Boy Promotions, they are business people. They believe in selling out arenas. That's their job, to sell out the Barclays Center. Danny Garcia is a fighter; Zab Judah is a fighter. Our obligation is to go in there and win, you know what I'm sayin'. That makes two competitive people. Danny Garcia is a young kid. He's undefeated, you know what I'm sayin'. He's hungry. Zab Judah is known for eating donuts all day. I eat donuts. Anybody come out here with a donut, I eat it. I take it. Lucas Matthysse, ask him! I take 0's. Vernon Paris, ask him! I eat 'em. I take 'em away, so Danny Garcia, I feel like eating donuts at the top of January.
BT: Amir Khan was supposed to be his toughest challenge to date, but he took care of him pretty easily. Would you say you're a more dangerous opponent than Amir Khan turned out to be for him?
ZJ: You know what? I don't put no pedestal on myself. I let the public decide that, you know what I'm sayin'. Let them decide. My only thing is that I just gotta be champ. That's it. I'm gonna win and I'm gonna win in great fashion, you know what I'm sayin'. I'm just excited coming to the Barclays Center just to bring people together and come out and have a great night. That's all I pray for. I pray for both of our health and that we go in there and come out the same way that both fighters went in there, you know what I'm sayin'. I just pray more for the victory for myself. That's it.
BT: I saw you were at the Showtime offices the other day. I'm sure it's not 100%, but is it pretty much looking like that's going to be the next fight then?
ZJ: Well the best thing I got going for me, Zab Judah, right now is I got a network [Showtime] and I got an arena [Barclays Center], so I'm ready to rock and roll (laughing).
BT: You're still a free agent still, right?
ZJ: Yeah, I'm signed to myself. I mean, you know what I'm sayin'. I answer to myself, you know. I ask myself a question and then I answer it (laughing). I love it. I mean, it goes like this, man. When you're dealing with people sometimes, people can mess you over, you know what I'm sayin'. I know one thing about myself is I'm not going to jip myself (laughing). It feels good to be representing myself because I know I'm not going to play myself, you know what I'm sayin'. No way. I'm just focused on going in there, having a good time, and making Super Judah Promotions everything that Top Rank, Golden Boy, Don King Promotions, Main Events, you know, Prize Fight, every promotional company that I've worked with, just take everything that I've learned and put it all in one and make SJP the hottest thing on the block.
BT: Do you think people have constantly underestimated you throughout your career and maybe that's why they're always quick to write you off before being forced to say that you're back time and time again?
ZJ: I mean, you know what? I'm going to give them the best that I've got. Listen, I don't live my life for people. I live my life for the Lord. The Lord know I ain't perfect. I'm far from perfect. I make mistakes, but I try to do the right thing, you know what I'm sayin'. When you're living like that and you're living for that, you don't worry about what people say about you. You find out in life, it's hit or miss, you know what I'm sayin'. When you win, they your friends. Win you lose, they're not. You're only as good as your last performance. I've learned that in boxing. I lost to Amir Khan and they were talking all that smack. I came back in March and knocked out Vernon Paris, and Zab's back (laughing). You know what I mean? I mean, you know, it's people; it's opinionated. If you worry about what someone's opinion is or you base your life on what somebody else thinks about you, I mean, that's not my life. We're not living like that, you know what I mean?
BT: No doubt. So are they talking about doing that fight in January 2013?
ZJ: Yeah, we looking at January 2013.
BT: That's wassup. Well give me some closing thoughts before I let you get out of here.
ZJ: I'm happy and very excited. I'm on my way to Vegas to get back to work, you know what I'm sayin'. I just plan on holding my city down. There was a reason why I tattooed Brooklyn across my back. Now it all plays out. I got Brooklyn on my back so I'm ready. Now we got an arena, we got a network, and we're ready to go. Follow me on Twitter S @Super Judah. Follow me on Facebook at ZabdielJudah.
BT: You don't have an Instagram account (laughing)?
ZJ: Yeah, yeah. And my Instagram is ZabJudah.
By Ben Thompson | October 24, 2012
"When Zab Judah and Danny Garcia go at it, it's going to be Brooklyn versus Philly. The same thing as the Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. That's a big rivalry in football. We're going to have Danny Garcia and Zab Judah the big rivalry in boxing. New York City, Barclays, we back...Danny Garcia is a fighter; Zab Judah is a fighter. Our obligation is to go in there and win, you know what I'm sayin'. That makes two competitive people. Danny Garcia is a young kid. He's undefeated, you know what I'm sayin'. He's hungry. Zab Judah is known for eating donuts all day. I eat donuts. Anybody come out here with a donut, I eat it. I take it. Lucas Matthysse, ask him! I take 0's. Vernon Paris, ask him! I eat 'em. I take 'em away, so Danny Garcia, I feel like eating donuts at the top of January," stated former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah, who talked about a potential January showdown with unified jr. welterweight champion Danny Garcia. Check it out!
BT: What's up Supah?
ZJ: I'm still in New York, working out and shit; out in Brooklyn with all my peoples.
BT: No doubt. So talk to me about the Barclays Center. I know you were in the building this past Saturday to enjoy the first boxing event to be held there. What was that experience like?
ZJ: You know what? I feel like the arena was built for me, you know what I'm sayin'? I live in Las Vegas, but I feel like the city is calling me back. They said, "Okay, Zab likes Las Vegas arenas and big, fancy, nice arenas? We're going to build one for him right here in the middle of Brooklyn so he can come home and represent for us like he's supposed to." Now, I'm home! I'm home, baby! I'm back!
BT: Were you kind of surpised that they didn't try to get you in the card, being that your one of the biggest names to come out of Brooklyn?
ZJ: Well, you know what? At the end of the day, business is business, you know what I'm sayin'? Zab Judah had prior obligations to go on with Lamont Peterson. It turned out that it didn't happen. On my part, I was engaged in doing my own thing. But the top of the year...I look at Saturday night, you know what I'm sayin', congratulations to all of the fighters. Number one, congratulations to my boy Kid Chocolate. Brooklyn, we did it again. We got another world champion, you know what I'm sayin', in Kid Chocolate right there. Big shout out to him. Big shout out to Luis Collazo; the whole Brooklyn, Danny Jacobs, the whole Brooklyn squad that went in there and represented. I respect them for that. To me, that was a soft opening. When I fight, that's going to be the hard, grand opening. All them boys gonna be back on the card with me again and we're going to kick the doors open and knock the hinges off of that bitch. We're gonna sell out to the top of the capacity it can get. We're going to have everybody in there that's supposed to be in there. Brooklyn gonna come out the Brooklyn way. When Zab Judah and Danny Garcia go at it, it's going to be Brooklyn versus Philly. The same thing as the Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. That's a big rivalry in football. We're going to have Danny Garcia and Zab Judah the big rivalry in boxing. New York City, Barclays, we back!
BT: What happened with the Lamont Peterson situation?
ZJ: I mean, there were some things we couldn't get correct under the circumstances, you know what I'm sayin'. We couldn't put together a couple of dead presidents and it didn't want to come together under the right situation, so the fight wasn't able to happen. But, you know, good luck to Lamont Peterson and his career and his future. That's my homie before boxing and all of that. I wish him and Kendall Holt well if they fight. I'm going to go out and do me and down the line, we don't know what life calls for.
BT: Well it might be a blessing in disguise, because it looks like you may get a chance to fight for multiple titles instead, and in your hometown.
ZJ: Oh yeah! You know what? It was my dream, you know what I'm sayin. My dream is to unify the jr. welterweight division. I unified the welterweight division, you know what I'm sayin. I was the undisputed welterweight champion of the world. I'm telling you right now as we speak, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, it's not even Halloween yet, and I'm telling you by next year, Zab Judah will be the undisputed jr. welterweight champion of the world.
BT: You got a chance to see Danny Garcia up close and personal on Saturday night. What are your thoughts on him and how a fight between you two would play out?
ZJ: I mean, listen man, boxing is a rivalry. Golden Boy Promotions, they are business people. They believe in selling out arenas. That's their job, to sell out the Barclays Center. Danny Garcia is a fighter; Zab Judah is a fighter. Our obligation is to go in there and win, you know what I'm sayin'. That makes two competitive people. Danny Garcia is a young kid. He's undefeated, you know what I'm sayin'. He's hungry. Zab Judah is known for eating donuts all day. I eat donuts. Anybody come out here with a donut, I eat it. I take it. Lucas Matthysse, ask him! I take 0's. Vernon Paris, ask him! I eat 'em. I take 'em away, so Danny Garcia, I feel like eating donuts at the top of January.
BT: Amir Khan was supposed to be his toughest challenge to date, but he took care of him pretty easily. Would you say you're a more dangerous opponent than Amir Khan turned out to be for him?
ZJ: You know what? I don't put no pedestal on myself. I let the public decide that, you know what I'm sayin'. Let them decide. My only thing is that I just gotta be champ. That's it. I'm gonna win and I'm gonna win in great fashion, you know what I'm sayin'. I'm just excited coming to the Barclays Center just to bring people together and come out and have a great night. That's all I pray for. I pray for both of our health and that we go in there and come out the same way that both fighters went in there, you know what I'm sayin'. I just pray more for the victory for myself. That's it.
BT: I saw you were at the Showtime offices the other day. I'm sure it's not 100%, but is it pretty much looking like that's going to be the next fight then?
ZJ: Well the best thing I got going for me, Zab Judah, right now is I got a network [Showtime] and I got an arena [Barclays Center], so I'm ready to rock and roll (laughing).
BT: You're still a free agent still, right?
ZJ: Yeah, I'm signed to myself. I mean, you know what I'm sayin'. I answer to myself, you know. I ask myself a question and then I answer it (laughing). I love it. I mean, it goes like this, man. When you're dealing with people sometimes, people can mess you over, you know what I'm sayin'. I know one thing about myself is I'm not going to jip myself (laughing). It feels good to be representing myself because I know I'm not going to play myself, you know what I'm sayin'. No way. I'm just focused on going in there, having a good time, and making Super Judah Promotions everything that Top Rank, Golden Boy, Don King Promotions, Main Events, you know, Prize Fight, every promotional company that I've worked with, just take everything that I've learned and put it all in one and make SJP the hottest thing on the block.
BT: Do you think people have constantly underestimated you throughout your career and maybe that's why they're always quick to write you off before being forced to say that you're back time and time again?
ZJ: I mean, you know what? I'm going to give them the best that I've got. Listen, I don't live my life for people. I live my life for the Lord. The Lord know I ain't perfect. I'm far from perfect. I make mistakes, but I try to do the right thing, you know what I'm sayin'. When you're living like that and you're living for that, you don't worry about what people say about you. You find out in life, it's hit or miss, you know what I'm sayin'. When you win, they your friends. Win you lose, they're not. You're only as good as your last performance. I've learned that in boxing. I lost to Amir Khan and they were talking all that smack. I came back in March and knocked out Vernon Paris, and Zab's back (laughing). You know what I mean? I mean, you know, it's people; it's opinionated. If you worry about what someone's opinion is or you base your life on what somebody else thinks about you, I mean, that's not my life. We're not living like that, you know what I mean?
BT: No doubt. So are they talking about doing that fight in January 2013?
ZJ: Yeah, we looking at January 2013.
BT: That's wassup. Well give me some closing thoughts before I let you get out of here.
ZJ: I'm happy and very excited. I'm on my way to Vegas to get back to work, you know what I'm sayin'. I just plan on holding my city down. There was a reason why I tattooed Brooklyn across my back. Now it all plays out. I got Brooklyn on my back so I'm ready. Now we got an arena, we got a network, and we're ready to go. Follow me on Twitter S @Super Judah. Follow me on Facebook at ZabdielJudah.
BT: You don't have an Instagram account (laughing)?
ZJ: Yeah, yeah. And my Instagram is ZabJudah.
Floyd Mayweather Jr's Return to Boxing? Golden Boy confirms "constant communication"
By Johnny Benz, Doghouse Boxing (Oct 24, 2012)
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Floyd 'Money' Mayweather Jr.
By Johnny Benz, Doghouse Boxing. There hasn't been much noise coming from the Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr's corner these days. Can't say I blame him. After serving a prison stint this summer, he's doing some partying, gambling and having an all out good time (according to his twitter updates). Recently however, Richard Schaefer, the CEO for Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions confirmed his team is constantly communicating with Mayweather.
Quoted by the LA Times in regards to recently communicating with Mayweather, Schaefer described it as "constant communication".
Unfortunately that is all Schaefer had to say. Schaefer declined to reveal any fight plans they may have in store for Mayweather.
Mayweather Jr., hasn't fought since the Cino de Mayo weekend earlier this year in Vegas where he defeated Miguel Cotto with a unanimous decision. It has been reported that we probably won't see Mayweather back in the ring until next year's Cinco de Mayo.
By Johnny Benz, Doghouse Boxing (Oct 24, 2012)
-
Floyd 'Money' Mayweather Jr.
By Johnny Benz, Doghouse Boxing. There hasn't been much noise coming from the Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr's corner these days. Can't say I blame him. After serving a prison stint this summer, he's doing some partying, gambling and having an all out good time (according to his twitter updates). Recently however, Richard Schaefer, the CEO for Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions confirmed his team is constantly communicating with Mayweather.
Quoted by the LA Times in regards to recently communicating with Mayweather, Schaefer described it as "constant communication".
Unfortunately that is all Schaefer had to say. Schaefer declined to reveal any fight plans they may have in store for Mayweather.
Mayweather Jr., hasn't fought since the Cino de Mayo weekend earlier this year in Vegas where he defeated Miguel Cotto with a unanimous decision. It has been reported that we probably won't see Mayweather back in the ring until next year's Cinco de Mayo.
HBO remains ratings king, getting more bang for its buck than rival Showtime
By Kevin Iole | Boxing – 6 hours ago
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Showtime hit a peak of 729,000 viewers to see Erik Morales get knocked out by Danny Garcia (AP)The good news for boxing fans is that there are more, and better, fights on television than there have been for years. Despite its proliferation on cable, boxing largely remains the domain of the premium cable networks, HBO and Showtime, because they still spend the most money and thus should at least theoretically land the best fights.
Steve Cunningham and Tomasz Adamek in 2008 (AP)NBC is going to televise a card on the over-the-air broadcast network on Dec. 22, when it shows a compelling rematch between Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham. Their 2008 bout was a brutal slugfest which Adamek won via split decision.
The ratings for that show will tell much about whether boxing truly is on an uptick, because it will show whether more than just the hard core fans tuned in. It's a good fight offered for free on network television and that should, one would assume, attract a few casual fans or non-fans who happen to find it while channel surfing.
But ratings at both HBO and Showtime are strong, and the quality of the matches is better than they have been in several years. Showtime Sports general manager Stephen Espinoza told BoxingScene.com his network's ratings are up 15 percent in 2012 over the 2011 levels.
Showtime reached 1.036 million viewers for the Sept. 15 bout between Canelo Alvarez and Josesito Lopez, despite going against an HBO Pay-Per-View show headlined by Sergio Martinez against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
On Saturday, Showtime did 528,000 viewers for its quadruple header from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., that featured a Danny Garcia knockout of Erik Morales. The ratings were undoubtedly helped by the pre-fight controversy surrounding Morales' positive drug test, but Espinoza told BoxingScene it showed Garcia is becoming an attraction.
Erik Morales is a huge name but this was obviously a rematch of a very interesting fight. If we look at our number one and number two, Canelo and Victor Ortiz are much more household names than Danny Garcia - and the fact that he was in the main event and it drew those kind of numbers it was a real testament to the type of attention that this event got and the attractive [nature] of this matchup.
The Garcia-Morales main event peaked at 729,000 viewers, which is a solid number. But it doesn't look so good in comparison to a couple of recent HBO cards, which not only far outdrew the Showtime quadruple header, but which also were far less expensive.
Gennady Golovkin (AP)Showtime reportedly paid a whopping $4 million license fee to Golden Boy for the Brooklyn show on Saturday. But despite the price, the card delivered nowhere near the number of viewers that HBO's tripleheader on Sept. 29 did or that its doubleheader did on Oct. 13.
HBO reportedly paid a license fee of $500,000 for the Sept. 29 tripleheader in Ledyard, Conn., featuring a main event of Edwin Rodriguez against Jason Escalera. That show averaged 784,000 viewers and peaked at 904,000 for around 12 percent of the price of the Showtime card.
The HBO license fee for the Oct. 13 doubleheader at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles was reportedly $1.7 million. That card, which included the Fight of the Year leader Brandon Rios against Mike Alvarado in the opener and Nonito Donaire against Toshiaki Nishioka in the main event, attracted 835,000 viewers. So, for a combined $2.2 million, HBO got two shows, including one of the best fights of the 21st century, and paid a reported $1.8 million less than Showtime.
Significantly, the HBO card on Oct. 13 was head-to-head against Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Yankees and the Tigers . That game, which lasted five hours and 15 minutes and went 12 innings, delivered a massive 6.8 million viewers to TBS. It was TBS' highest-rated playoff game of the year. It stands to reason the Rios-Alvarado/Donaire-Nishioka card would have been even higher rated were it not for the stiff competition it faced. There was no similar competition either for HBO on the Rodriguez-Escalera show or for Showtime on the Garcia-Morales card.
HBO, thus, has a clear advantage over Showtime in boxing this year, despite Showtime's impressive ratings increase.
The viewers, though, are the winners, and ultimately it's going to help both boxing and its promoters. What is happening, almost imperceptibly, is that new stars are being created. Fighters like Alvarez, Lopez, Garcia and Lucas Matthysse on Showtime and Rios, Alvarado, Chavez, Adrien Broner, Gennady Golovkin and Andre Ward on HBO are developing solid fan followings.
Manny Pacquiao hasn't fought live on HBO since 2005 (AP)Boxing for far too long had relied on Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, but they've fought exclusively on pay-per-view since 2006. Mayweather's last appearance on HBO was when he defeated Sharmba Mitchell on Nov. 19, 2005 in Portland, Ore. Since then, Mayweather has fought eight times, all on pay-per-view. Pacquiao last fought on HBO on Sept. 10, 2005, when he fought Hector Velasquez in Los Angeles.
Their failure to fight at least occasionally on HBO or Showtime, like Oscar De La Hoya would occasionally do, undoubtedly hurt ratings on the premium cable channels.
HBO was also long to blame for paying bloated license fees for fights on the network that made it difficult to make other bouts. When the license fees are out of whack with the ratings the fighters deliver, it makes it far harder to acquire compelling content.
New HBO Sports president Ken Hershman deserves much credit for holding the line on price. He allowed both Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan to go over to Showtime to fight rather than pay what he felt were inflated fees. Cotto is going to fight Austin Trout on Dec. 1 and Khan will meet Carlos Molina on Dec. 15, both on Showtime. Whether Showtime gets value for its output remains to be seen, but Hershman has delivered solid numbers so far in 2012 for HBO. That proves that money alone isn't the key to making good fights fans want to see.
Competition is fierce, both between HBO and Showtime and between Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, boxing's dominant promoters. That's good for the consumer, who should get better choice as a result.
By the way, ratings numbers are from Nielsen Media Research. And it should be noted that HBO is in 29 million homes, while Showtime is in 21 million.
By Kevin Iole | Boxing – 6 hours ago
Showtime hit a peak of 729,000 viewers to see Erik Morales get knocked out by Danny Garcia (AP)The good news for boxing fans is that there are more, and better, fights on television than there have been for years. Despite its proliferation on cable, boxing largely remains the domain of the premium cable networks, HBO and Showtime, because they still spend the most money and thus should at least theoretically land the best fights.
Steve Cunningham and Tomasz Adamek in 2008 (AP)NBC is going to televise a card on the over-the-air broadcast network on Dec. 22, when it shows a compelling rematch between Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham. Their 2008 bout was a brutal slugfest which Adamek won via split decision.
The ratings for that show will tell much about whether boxing truly is on an uptick, because it will show whether more than just the hard core fans tuned in. It's a good fight offered for free on network television and that should, one would assume, attract a few casual fans or non-fans who happen to find it while channel surfing.
But ratings at both HBO and Showtime are strong, and the quality of the matches is better than they have been in several years. Showtime Sports general manager Stephen Espinoza told BoxingScene.com his network's ratings are up 15 percent in 2012 over the 2011 levels.
Showtime reached 1.036 million viewers for the Sept. 15 bout between Canelo Alvarez and Josesito Lopez, despite going against an HBO Pay-Per-View show headlined by Sergio Martinez against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
On Saturday, Showtime did 528,000 viewers for its quadruple header from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., that featured a Danny Garcia knockout of Erik Morales. The ratings were undoubtedly helped by the pre-fight controversy surrounding Morales' positive drug test, but Espinoza told BoxingScene it showed Garcia is becoming an attraction.
Erik Morales is a huge name but this was obviously a rematch of a very interesting fight. If we look at our number one and number two, Canelo and Victor Ortiz are much more household names than Danny Garcia - and the fact that he was in the main event and it drew those kind of numbers it was a real testament to the type of attention that this event got and the attractive [nature] of this matchup.
The Garcia-Morales main event peaked at 729,000 viewers, which is a solid number. But it doesn't look so good in comparison to a couple of recent HBO cards, which not only far outdrew the Showtime quadruple header, but which also were far less expensive.
Gennady Golovkin (AP)Showtime reportedly paid a whopping $4 million license fee to Golden Boy for the Brooklyn show on Saturday. But despite the price, the card delivered nowhere near the number of viewers that HBO's tripleheader on Sept. 29 did or that its doubleheader did on Oct. 13.
HBO reportedly paid a license fee of $500,000 for the Sept. 29 tripleheader in Ledyard, Conn., featuring a main event of Edwin Rodriguez against Jason Escalera. That show averaged 784,000 viewers and peaked at 904,000 for around 12 percent of the price of the Showtime card.
The HBO license fee for the Oct. 13 doubleheader at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles was reportedly $1.7 million. That card, which included the Fight of the Year leader Brandon Rios against Mike Alvarado in the opener and Nonito Donaire against Toshiaki Nishioka in the main event, attracted 835,000 viewers. So, for a combined $2.2 million, HBO got two shows, including one of the best fights of the 21st century, and paid a reported $1.8 million less than Showtime.
Significantly, the HBO card on Oct. 13 was head-to-head against Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Yankees and the Tigers . That game, which lasted five hours and 15 minutes and went 12 innings, delivered a massive 6.8 million viewers to TBS. It was TBS' highest-rated playoff game of the year. It stands to reason the Rios-Alvarado/Donaire-Nishioka card would have been even higher rated were it not for the stiff competition it faced. There was no similar competition either for HBO on the Rodriguez-Escalera show or for Showtime on the Garcia-Morales card.
HBO, thus, has a clear advantage over Showtime in boxing this year, despite Showtime's impressive ratings increase.
The viewers, though, are the winners, and ultimately it's going to help both boxing and its promoters. What is happening, almost imperceptibly, is that new stars are being created. Fighters like Alvarez, Lopez, Garcia and Lucas Matthysse on Showtime and Rios, Alvarado, Chavez, Adrien Broner, Gennady Golovkin and Andre Ward on HBO are developing solid fan followings.
Manny Pacquiao hasn't fought live on HBO since 2005 (AP)Boxing for far too long had relied on Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, but they've fought exclusively on pay-per-view since 2006. Mayweather's last appearance on HBO was when he defeated Sharmba Mitchell on Nov. 19, 2005 in Portland, Ore. Since then, Mayweather has fought eight times, all on pay-per-view. Pacquiao last fought on HBO on Sept. 10, 2005, when he fought Hector Velasquez in Los Angeles.
Their failure to fight at least occasionally on HBO or Showtime, like Oscar De La Hoya would occasionally do, undoubtedly hurt ratings on the premium cable channels.
HBO was also long to blame for paying bloated license fees for fights on the network that made it difficult to make other bouts. When the license fees are out of whack with the ratings the fighters deliver, it makes it far harder to acquire compelling content.
New HBO Sports president Ken Hershman deserves much credit for holding the line on price. He allowed both Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan to go over to Showtime to fight rather than pay what he felt were inflated fees. Cotto is going to fight Austin Trout on Dec. 1 and Khan will meet Carlos Molina on Dec. 15, both on Showtime. Whether Showtime gets value for its output remains to be seen, but Hershman has delivered solid numbers so far in 2012 for HBO. That proves that money alone isn't the key to making good fights fans want to see.
Competition is fierce, both between HBO and Showtime and between Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, boxing's dominant promoters. That's good for the consumer, who should get better choice as a result.
By the way, ratings numbers are from Nielsen Media Research. And it should be noted that HBO is in 29 million homes, while Showtime is in 21 million.
Donaire says Arce asking too much
By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - Nonito Donaire Jr. thinks that his long-awaited matchup with Jorge Arce isn’t happening because the Mexican camp is asking for a lot of money.
“He’s not afraid. He’s a veteran. Definitely, it’s the money. ,” the reigning WBO super-bantamweight champion told yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate.
Donaire said he was supposed to fight the stone-faced Mexican when he was still at 112 lb, 115 lb and 118 lb, and now that he’s the champion at 122 lb.
“Definitely our fight is not pushing through because they’re demanding a lot of money. Well, it’s not my decision because I already have a minimum fee. I have a set price.
“But they want more. For them I’m the biggest money out there,” said Donaire, who earned at least $750,000 for the Nishioka fight, and should get much more for his next one.
Donaire Jr. is giving his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, two weeks to set the stage for an explosive Dec. 15 matchup with Arce.
Otherwise, he’ll just sit it out the rest of the year.
“If they don’t give us a definite answer in two weeks I will go the route of resting,” said Donaire, who had planned to rest until talks about the Arce fight came up anew.
It was even reported a couple of days ago that Arum is all set to announce the fight.
But Donaire said there’s nothing concrete. He said he wants it known in two weeks if the Arce fight is on because he needs to prepare himself, set up camp and get the sparring partners.
“For now nothing is sure. I haven’t seen any contract. It’s been all talk. I haven’t talked to Bob as to when, who and where it’s going to be,” he said.
The sensational Filipino champion came to the forum with his wife Rachel. They both sounded excited with the Arce fight which should be his first pay-per-view outing.
“It’s being talked about. I’m excited for it. But for now if it doesn’t happen, it’s okay. I’m going to rest,” said Donaire, who suffered a deep cut on his left knuckle during the Nishioka fight.
Donaire is now the biggest star in the 122 lb division, and because of this Arce is asking for a lot of money.
Arce said he’s only asking for what he feels “the fight is worth.”
There are other big fights to be made for Donaire, including Abner Mares, Guillermo Rigondaeux or Anselmo Moreno.
But December is only for Arce.
Donaire said he’s willing to take on Arce in Mexico City, even if he feels he will be at a “disadvantage” entering the lion’s den.
“Maybe if it’s in Mexico he might not ask for a lot of money,” he said.
By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - Nonito Donaire Jr. thinks that his long-awaited matchup with Jorge Arce isn’t happening because the Mexican camp is asking for a lot of money.
“He’s not afraid. He’s a veteran. Definitely, it’s the money. ,” the reigning WBO super-bantamweight champion told yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate.
Donaire said he was supposed to fight the stone-faced Mexican when he was still at 112 lb, 115 lb and 118 lb, and now that he’s the champion at 122 lb.
“Definitely our fight is not pushing through because they’re demanding a lot of money. Well, it’s not my decision because I already have a minimum fee. I have a set price.
“But they want more. For them I’m the biggest money out there,” said Donaire, who earned at least $750,000 for the Nishioka fight, and should get much more for his next one.
Donaire Jr. is giving his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, two weeks to set the stage for an explosive Dec. 15 matchup with Arce.
Otherwise, he’ll just sit it out the rest of the year.
“If they don’t give us a definite answer in two weeks I will go the route of resting,” said Donaire, who had planned to rest until talks about the Arce fight came up anew.
It was even reported a couple of days ago that Arum is all set to announce the fight.
But Donaire said there’s nothing concrete. He said he wants it known in two weeks if the Arce fight is on because he needs to prepare himself, set up camp and get the sparring partners.
“For now nothing is sure. I haven’t seen any contract. It’s been all talk. I haven’t talked to Bob as to when, who and where it’s going to be,” he said.
The sensational Filipino champion came to the forum with his wife Rachel. They both sounded excited with the Arce fight which should be his first pay-per-view outing.
“It’s being talked about. I’m excited for it. But for now if it doesn’t happen, it’s okay. I’m going to rest,” said Donaire, who suffered a deep cut on his left knuckle during the Nishioka fight.
Donaire is now the biggest star in the 122 lb division, and because of this Arce is asking for a lot of money.
Arce said he’s only asking for what he feels “the fight is worth.”
There are other big fights to be made for Donaire, including Abner Mares, Guillermo Rigondaeux or Anselmo Moreno.
But December is only for Arce.
Donaire said he’s willing to take on Arce in Mexico City, even if he feels he will be at a “disadvantage” entering the lion’s den.
“Maybe if it’s in Mexico he might not ask for a lot of money,” he said.
Cunningham: Kell Brook will have to fight Alexander in U.S
October 24th, 2012 | Post Comment
Alexander Brook Alexander vs. Brook kell brook devon alexander By Scott Gilfoid: Well, it looks like Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn’s dream of getting IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander (24-1, 13 KO’s) over to the UK to fight his guy Kell Brook (29-0, 19 KO’s) isn’t going to be happening. Alexander’s trainer Kevin Cunningham shot that idea down straight away, saying it’s not going to happen.
Cunningham told Fighthype.com “The only way it happens [Brook-Alexander fight] is if it’s in the U.S, because there’s no how we will go overseas.”
There it is. I guess Hearn is going to have to live with it now because Cunningham has spoken and he speaks for his fighter 25-year-old Alexander. There goes any sliver of a chance that Brook ever had of winning the fight because he’s not going to stand a chance at beating Alexander in his home city of Saint Louis, Missouri. I hate to say it but the only way Brook can beat Alexander in Saint Louis is by KO, and that’s not going to happen because Alexander has an excellent chin.
Let’s pretend for a second that Brook actually did fight well enough to deserve a decision against Brook in Saint Louis. I don’t think Brook will win even under those circumstances. We saw how Lucas Matthysse and Andriy Kotelnik went home losers when they fought Alexander in his hometown despite fighting well enough to win. So, I don’t see Brook being any different. He’s not going to win this fight by a decision in my view, and he’s not going to KO Alexander.
Hearn needs to recognize that Brook will be taking a loss against Alexander if he chooses to fight him and perhaps decide it might not be such a good idea to take that fight. It’s too bad because Hearn made a major blunder by turning down a title shot for Brook against WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley that would have put Brook on course for a big money fight against Manny Pacquiao had he beaten Bradley. But instead Hearn chose to take the fight against little known Hecto Saldivia to become the mandatory for the IBF 147 pound strap, which is now in the possession of Alexander.
Bradley would have been a winnable fight for Brook, but I can’t say the same thing about the Alexander fight. Brook won’t win that fight, not in the U.S, and then he’ll have nothing to show for all that hard work except a big fat loss. It’s too bad I wasn’t Brook’s promoter because I would have seen all these moves well head a time and chose not to waste time fighting Saldivia because it was painfully obvious that Alexander was going to beat Randall Bailey, and that would mean that Brook would then have to fight Alexander in Saint Louis if he wanted to try and win his IBF title.
Brook can’t beat Alexander over there, so Hearn really fixed Brook’s wagon real nice, didn’t he. Okay, there is a way out of this mess for Brook and Hearn and that’s by Brook opting not to take the fight with Alexander, and instead look to see if they can still set up the Bradley fight. It’s worth a try. Bradley will probably tell Brook and Hearn to get lost, but oh well it’s worth a try.
October 24th, 2012 | Post Comment
Alexander Brook Alexander vs. Brook kell brook devon alexander By Scott Gilfoid: Well, it looks like Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn’s dream of getting IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander (24-1, 13 KO’s) over to the UK to fight his guy Kell Brook (29-0, 19 KO’s) isn’t going to be happening. Alexander’s trainer Kevin Cunningham shot that idea down straight away, saying it’s not going to happen.
Cunningham told Fighthype.com “The only way it happens [Brook-Alexander fight] is if it’s in the U.S, because there’s no how we will go overseas.”
There it is. I guess Hearn is going to have to live with it now because Cunningham has spoken and he speaks for his fighter 25-year-old Alexander. There goes any sliver of a chance that Brook ever had of winning the fight because he’s not going to stand a chance at beating Alexander in his home city of Saint Louis, Missouri. I hate to say it but the only way Brook can beat Alexander in Saint Louis is by KO, and that’s not going to happen because Alexander has an excellent chin.
Let’s pretend for a second that Brook actually did fight well enough to deserve a decision against Brook in Saint Louis. I don’t think Brook will win even under those circumstances. We saw how Lucas Matthysse and Andriy Kotelnik went home losers when they fought Alexander in his hometown despite fighting well enough to win. So, I don’t see Brook being any different. He’s not going to win this fight by a decision in my view, and he’s not going to KO Alexander.
Hearn needs to recognize that Brook will be taking a loss against Alexander if he chooses to fight him and perhaps decide it might not be such a good idea to take that fight. It’s too bad because Hearn made a major blunder by turning down a title shot for Brook against WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley that would have put Brook on course for a big money fight against Manny Pacquiao had he beaten Bradley. But instead Hearn chose to take the fight against little known Hecto Saldivia to become the mandatory for the IBF 147 pound strap, which is now in the possession of Alexander.
Bradley would have been a winnable fight for Brook, but I can’t say the same thing about the Alexander fight. Brook won’t win that fight, not in the U.S, and then he’ll have nothing to show for all that hard work except a big fat loss. It’s too bad I wasn’t Brook’s promoter because I would have seen all these moves well head a time and chose not to waste time fighting Saldivia because it was painfully obvious that Alexander was going to beat Randall Bailey, and that would mean that Brook would then have to fight Alexander in Saint Louis if he wanted to try and win his IBF title.
Brook can’t beat Alexander over there, so Hearn really fixed Brook’s wagon real nice, didn’t he. Okay, there is a way out of this mess for Brook and Hearn and that’s by Brook opting not to take the fight with Alexander, and instead look to see if they can still set up the Bradley fight. It’s worth a try. Bradley will probably tell Brook and Hearn to get lost, but oh well it’s worth a try.
Pacquiao-Marquez to fight for WBO ‘Champion of the decade’ belt on 12/8
October 24th, 2012 | Post Comment
Pacquiao Marquez Pacquiao vs. Marquez manny pacquiao juan manuel marquez By Chris Williams: With no strap on the line for the December 8th fight between Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) and Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s), the World Boxing Organization has decided to slide on in by creating a new made up strap for Pacquiao and Marquez to fight for called the “WBO Champion of the decade” belt when they meet up at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is pretty sad. Two guys fighting for a newly created strap by one of the sanctioning bodies. I wonder if there’s a sanctioning fee included with this?
According to Philboxing.com, the WBO came up with this brilliant idea at the WBO’s 25th Silver Jubilee convention last Tuesday. The WBO voted on creating this special strap and it was voted in favor unanimously of having the belt bestowed upon the winner of the Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4 bout.
I don’t know about you but this sure does seem like the WBO is trying to get in good with Pacquiao and Marquez. My guess is Pacquiao is the one they’re trying to get in good with because he’s a lot younger than the 39-year-old Marquez and he’s the huge moneymaker in terms of pay per view and gate attraction.
This is kind of off putting to see the WBO creating straps like ‘Fighter of the decade,’ because it ignores great fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr, who unlike Pacquiao, is undefeated and has been dominating everyone he’s faced. Mayweather hasn’t lost a fight, which is more than I can say about the Filipino Pacquiao. Mayweather easily beat Marquez in 2009 by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision, which is more than I can say about Pacquiao, who has won two controversial decisions over Marquez to go along with an equally controversial 12 round draw. Boxing fans believe that Pacquiao deserved to lose all three fights to Marquez.
I don’t see how Pacquiao can be included any kind of fight for the WBO Fighter of the Decade strap when he’s not been a great fighter during that time. Besides all the controversial fights that Pacquiao has been involved in there’s been the catchweight handicap fights where Pacquiao has been given the advantage of fighting at a catchweight for titles at 147 and 154. And Marquez shouldn’t be included in a fighter of the decade fight because he was beaten badly by Mayweather, and he does have the losses to Pacquiao during the decade. If you want to be technical about it, those losses, as controversial as they were, should disqualify Marquez for fighting for any kind of fighter of the decade strap in my view.
October 24th, 2012 | Post Comment
Pacquiao Marquez Pacquiao vs. Marquez manny pacquiao juan manuel marquez By Chris Williams: With no strap on the line for the December 8th fight between Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) and Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s), the World Boxing Organization has decided to slide on in by creating a new made up strap for Pacquiao and Marquez to fight for called the “WBO Champion of the decade” belt when they meet up at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is pretty sad. Two guys fighting for a newly created strap by one of the sanctioning bodies. I wonder if there’s a sanctioning fee included with this?
According to Philboxing.com, the WBO came up with this brilliant idea at the WBO’s 25th Silver Jubilee convention last Tuesday. The WBO voted on creating this special strap and it was voted in favor unanimously of having the belt bestowed upon the winner of the Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4 bout.
I don’t know about you but this sure does seem like the WBO is trying to get in good with Pacquiao and Marquez. My guess is Pacquiao is the one they’re trying to get in good with because he’s a lot younger than the 39-year-old Marquez and he’s the huge moneymaker in terms of pay per view and gate attraction.
This is kind of off putting to see the WBO creating straps like ‘Fighter of the decade,’ because it ignores great fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr, who unlike Pacquiao, is undefeated and has been dominating everyone he’s faced. Mayweather hasn’t lost a fight, which is more than I can say about the Filipino Pacquiao. Mayweather easily beat Marquez in 2009 by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision, which is more than I can say about Pacquiao, who has won two controversial decisions over Marquez to go along with an equally controversial 12 round draw. Boxing fans believe that Pacquiao deserved to lose all three fights to Marquez.
I don’t see how Pacquiao can be included any kind of fight for the WBO Fighter of the Decade strap when he’s not been a great fighter during that time. Besides all the controversial fights that Pacquiao has been involved in there’s been the catchweight handicap fights where Pacquiao has been given the advantage of fighting at a catchweight for titles at 147 and 154. And Marquez shouldn’t be included in a fighter of the decade fight because he was beaten badly by Mayweather, and he does have the losses to Pacquiao during the decade. If you want to be technical about it, those losses, as controversial as they were, should disqualify Marquez for fighting for any kind of fighter of the decade strap in my view.
damn
EMANUEL STEWARD PASSES AWAY
By Ben Thompson | October 25, 2012
Sadly, FightHype.com has been informed that famed Hall of Fame trainer and HBO analyst Emanuel Steward has passed away. The 68-year-old had been dealing with health problems for the past couple of months. He was in the hospital reportedly recovering after surgery to treat diverticulitis. Jonathan Banks, who has worked with Steward and was tabbed to replace him during his absense from the corner of Wladimir Klitschko, confirmed the news via Twitter when he wrote, "He's gone but NEVER!! will be forgotten. You fought a good fight you finished your course. With tears i'm saying.. R.I.P. Emanuel steward."
The Kronk Gym founder is best known for guiding Detroit boxers Thomas Hearns and Hilmer Kenty to world titles, as well as his work with heavyweight champions Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko. He has also trained a number of current and former world champions, including Wladimir Klitschko, Miguel Cotto, Cornelius Bundrage, and Oscar De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield, Wilfred Benitez, Prince Naseem Hamed, and John David Jackson to name a few. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
EMANUEL STEWARD PASSES AWAY
By Ben Thompson | October 25, 2012
Sadly, FightHype.com has been informed that famed Hall of Fame trainer and HBO analyst Emanuel Steward has passed away. The 68-year-old had been dealing with health problems for the past couple of months. He was in the hospital reportedly recovering after surgery to treat diverticulitis. Jonathan Banks, who has worked with Steward and was tabbed to replace him during his absense from the corner of Wladimir Klitschko, confirmed the news via Twitter when he wrote, "He's gone but NEVER!! will be forgotten. You fought a good fight you finished your course. With tears i'm saying.. R.I.P. Emanuel steward."
The Kronk Gym founder is best known for guiding Detroit boxers Thomas Hearns and Hilmer Kenty to world titles, as well as his work with heavyweight champions Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko. He has also trained a number of current and former world champions, including Wladimir Klitschko, Miguel Cotto, Cornelius Bundrage, and Oscar De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield, Wilfred Benitez, Prince Naseem Hamed, and John David Jackson to name a few. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
Wow.
RIP.
I admit I have been a critic of his commentating, but he seemed like a good human being and one of the best trainers in the world.
Boxing lost one of its best.
RIP.
I admit I have been a critic of his commentating, but he seemed like a good human being and one of the best trainers in the world.
Boxing lost one of its best.
Props:
JLMACN
his sister is saying he's still alive, but she's been lying to the press this whole time he's been sick so I don't know what to believe. Klitschko, jim lampley and tons of other people who are close with him saying he's dead, but his sister says he's not. Not sure what his sister's angle is if he really is dead. strange.
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