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BOXING.....now and tomorrow
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Posted by: Big Smoothy
^ Yeah, Foreman. Thanks.
How did he die?
Posted by: TJ Cline
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Originally Posted by Mr_Snafu
^ Yeah, Foreman. Thanks.
How did he die?
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Thirty Fifth Anniversary Of The Death Of Rocky Marciano
01.09.04 - By B. R. Bearden: Thirty-five years ago on August 31st, 1969, at 9 PM, a light plane tried to land in bad weather at a small airport outside Newton, Iowa. The pilot, Glenn Belz, had only 231 total hours of flying time, with only 35 hours at night. A weather briefing had warned of stormy skies over Iowa, with a low ceiling. Belz was not instrument rated. Inexperienced, probably confused and frightened by the bad visibility, he tried to drop below the low hanging clouds to find the runway. He came out of the clouds two miles short of the runway and much too close to the ground. A witness said it appeared the pilot tried to gain altitude at the last moment but it was too late. Belz was less than one hundred feet off the ground when his plane struck a lone oak tree in the center of a cornfield, hit the ground, and slid for 235 feet before coming to a stop as a tangled wreck near a drainage ditch.
The passenger in the rear seat was 22 year old Frankie Farrell, son of Italian mobster Louis Fratto. In the front passenger seat was the former heavyweight champion of the world, Rocky Marciano, who would have been 46 years old the next day. All three were killed instantly.
The National Transportation Safety Board report said, "The pilot attempted operation exceeding his experience and ability level, continued visual flight rules under adverse weather conditions, and experienced spatial disorientation in the last moments of the flight."
Thirty-five years since his death, forty-eight years since he retired undefeated, Rocky Marciano remains the only champion to finish his career with a perfect record in over 100 years of gloved boxing. For those who don’t know much of Marciano other than the opinions of debaters boxing forums, first know that he didn’t "just" retire undefeated. There was more substance to him as a fighter than his perfect record.
For example, Marciano was named Ring magazine Fighter of the Year three times; in 1952, 1954, and 1955. Rocky also fought the Fight of the Year three times; in 1952 VS Walcott, in 1953 VS Roland LaStarza, and in 1954 VS Ezzard Charles. And he was honored with Round of the Year twice; in 1951 when he KO’d Louis in the 8th and in 1952 when he put away Walcott in the 13th round.
Such selections were not based on weight class but on performance, during a boxing era that was rich in talent; Sugar Ray Robinson was active, as were Sandy Saddler, Willie Pep, Archie Moore, Kid Gavilan, Carmen Basilio, Joey Maxim, Randy Turpin, and other great fighters. In such an era, and among such competition, Rocky had to win more impressively than other men also bound for the Hall of Fame. And it wasn’t latter day boxing fans he had to impress; it was sports writers whose perspective was ringside.
He excelled in an era of high achievers.
One need only go through the writings of the time, the old newspapers and magazines, the words set to paper hours after the event to get a feel of his impact on the boxing world. It was not a time of bogus titles and "champions" standing in the ring with a half dozen belts draped over their shoulders like confetti, and worth about as much. The champions had to fight the contenders, and there weren’t a baker’s dozen Top Ten lists from which to pick and chose the least dangerous opponent. It was a time of better math, when there could be only one number one contender, one number two, and so-forth and so-on in a logic so simple and pure it boggles the mind we don’t accept it today.
Rocky Marciano wasn’t "one" of the heavyweight champions of his time; he was THE heavyweight champion of his time. Undisputed, with no worthy challenger left unfought, he hung up his gloves and walked away from the crown with his perfect record intact at 49-0-0. It still stands unbroken to this day.
Rest in peace, Champ.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Sharkies Machine: Unfinished Business For Floyd Mayweather Jr
By Frank Gonzalez Jr. November 20th, 2005 - Saturday night in Portland, Floyd Mayweather Jr. made his debut at 147-pounds as he took on the old, but still respectable, Sharmba Mitchell, who at this point in his career, had little chance of beating the man who many consider the best “pound-for-pound” fighter in the sport.
To his credit, Mitchell gave a game effort and even scored a few good combinations that excited the crowd, and at times, surprised Mayweather. Mayweather was the more dramatic puncher and the better defender. In the third round, Floyd landed a right to Mitchell’s face that put him down. Mitchell got up and continued to give his best effort to keep things competitive. Though Floyd was clearly the superior fighter, he often resorted to questionable tactics, like using his forearms and elbows to push Mitchell away from him.
Throughout the fight, Floyd was landing the better shots, and in the sixth, Mayweather landed a piercing shot to the body that saw Mitchell stagger back, then drop to a knee. Mitchell was up at the count of nine but referee Richard Steele, waved him out. Mayweather was the winner by KO 6.
Mitchell protested the stoppage, but that’s the way it goes when you’re in with a guy whose name is bigger than yours. The bigger the Star—the friendlier the referee.
Mayweather was as humble as ever after all was said and done, giving thanks to the holy trio of God, Brand Jordan and Nike. Then Floyd said he wants to fight De La Hoya, Winky Wright and Zab Judah. I didn’t hear him say anything about wanting to fight Ricky Hatton, Kostya Tszyu, Miguel Cotto or even Carlos Maussa. That’s disappointing, as it appears Floyd is going to
leap frog over yet another division, without having cleaned it out. If he’s the best p4p, why doesn’t he prove it by actually beating all the best guys in his division before moving up to the next weight class? That’s like getting a diploma for excelling in math even though you never proved yourself in science, language arts or history. Floyd’s got some unfinished business at Welterweight. I know we would all like to see him fight the likes of Hatton or Cotto. Those fights would be a huge draw at the box office too.
During a preflight interview, HBO’s Larry Merchant asked Floyd some tough questions about whom Mayweather says he wants to fight vs. whom he usually ends up fighting. According to Merchant, Floyd is asking for too much of the purse money to ever enable those big name fights to be signed. Floyd never really answered the questions.
Mayweather has legitimately made his bones by beating top guys in various weight classes, like Genaro Hernandez, Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo (once), Jesus Chaves, DeMarcus Corley and Arturo Gatti. Floyd has owned the WBC Super Featherweight, WBC Lightweight and WBC Jr. Welterweight Titles. Why has he not fought for the IBF, WBA or WBO Titles? Curious.
Why take a chance against the energetic IBF Champion, Ricky Hatton or deal with the hard-hitting, former unified Champion Kostya Tszyu, when you don’t have to? When Floyd fought unranked Henry Bruselles earlier this year, the buzz in the air was that it was a prelude to his facing Bruselles’ sparring partner, WBO Champ, Miguel Cotto. I guess not.
Champions should only be matched against other Champions with the intent of rendering ONE true Champion in their respective divisions. Floyd fighting Sharmba Mitchell at 147 instead of Cotto, Maussa, Hatton or Tszyu at 140 does not represent the best challenge for the man currently touted as boxing’s best fighter. Jumping to 147 without beating the best at 140 leaves too many questions unanswered.
If Floyd is serious about fighting Zab Judah, then he should be realistic about the money arrangements during contract negotiations so that the fight can be made. No proud Champion is going to accept a third of the purse because his opponents name is Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In the interest of fairness, Floyd should have to face at least two top contenders in the 147-pound division to at least earn his way to fight either of the Champions, Antonio Margarito or Zab Judah. A top quality boxer like Cory Spinks comes to mind as a solid place to start. Then, Antonio Margarito would be a great prelude to a fight against Zab, who currently owns three of the four major Titles. If Floyd fights and beats those guys it would lend credibility to the notion that he IS the best
pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Until then, it remains a popular speculation.
As it stands, Floyd has some serious unfinished business at 140.
Posted by: Big Smoothy
Appreciate the Marciano information, Foreman.
Posted by: aceshigh
how about one of these write ups on a real heavyweight ,,,,james toney
Posted by: TJ Cline
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Originally Posted by aceshigh
how about one of these write ups on a real heavyweight ,,,,james toney
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Toney deserves respect for canceling Calloway fight!
21.11.05 - By Izyaslav “Slava” Koza: Just like its always fun to predict the winner of a given fight, it’s also fun, as a fan, to get what you want. A little while back, I wrote an article attacking James “lights out” Toney for electing to fight the punching bag to the heavyweight stars in Rob Calloway. As a boxing fan, it is great to see that James Toney and his promoters see the value of not looking for a Calloway fight and rather trying to fight a more worthy opponent.
It was really frustrating to see such a great talent as James Toney waste his time with a guy like Rob Calloway. I have no hate for Rob Calloway, but as a fan, it's just not a fight I care about, and I think many other fans would agree with me. I see Calloway’s side of it, in that he wanted the payday and the chance at Toney, and I am sure he thought he would win, but what about Toney’s side of it. James Toney can potentially get a title fight against new WBC champion Hasim Rahman (a guy who destroyed Calloway easily, by the way) and, therefore, is looking out for his best interest, just like Calloway is looking out for his. Both fighters want to do what is best for them, but for the sake of the sport, fans would rather watch Rahman-Toney than Toney vs. Calloway.
James Toney is not a young man anymore, and like it or not, the frequency of injuries relative to the number he had in his career, is a telling sign of age. Just as with Bernard Hopkins, fans want to see those great fighters who are still competing to go out with a bang in their last few bouts, not spend a whole training camp preparing to fight a fighter perceived to be very limited. Not that James Toney really trains a whole lot by his own admission, (not that he needs to, based on the way he performs), but still, time has never been kind, and the risk is too great.
It’s really a sign of great character if James Toney makes the Rahman fight come off. Were it not for the steroid issue, James might have backed up his words back in July, when he wanted to get at Byrd, but still, such is life. I sincerely hope the Rahman-Toney fight happens, and I will be cheering for the foul-mouthed legend if that bout does get signed. Not that I have anything against Rahman, but Toney’s irreverent ranting and belittling of his opponents is so funny that I would enjoy watching him have a verbal sparring session before a real fight with many (or any) of today’s top heavies.
Posted by: aceshigh
toney rahman would be good,,,,,,,,,,,waht is david tua up too lately????and when does ibeabuchi get out of the pen?????????
Posted by: TJ Cline
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Originally Posted by aceshigh
toney rahman would be good,,,,,,,,,,,waht is david tua up too lately????and when does ibeabuchi get out of the pen?????????
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The Strange Case of Ike Ibeabuchi
By Paul Barker
03.09 - It was the American Dream, gone horribly, horribly wrong. A young boy slugs his way out of a third world ghetto and into the pro boxing stratosphere, only to fall victim to mental illness, depravity, and what some have labeled "demonic possession." No, I'm not talking about Mike Tyson, though you certainly could be forgiven for thinking so. I speak not of Mike but of Ike - Ike "The President" Ibeabuchi.
As a boy in Nigeria, Ike was exposed to boxing, but he was also exposed to poverty, crime, hopelessness, and a glaring lack of education. In 1993 he was able to immigrate with his mother to Dallas, Texas, where it did not take him long to hook up with the House of Champions Gym and former welterweight star Curtis Cokes. Cokes saw potential in the sizable young heavyweight, and was proven right when Ike became a Golden Gloves champion in the space of a year.
Ike turned pro shortly thereafter, impressing everyone with his strength, hand speed, and out-and-out skill. He never lost a contest, and within three years was challenging David "The Terminator" Tua for the WBC International Heavyweight Title.
This highly anticipated clash of undefeated heavies did not disappoint. In fact, it set a record for the number of punches thrown in a heavyweight fight. Against all odds, Ibeabuchi triumphed by majority decision. It should have been his finest hour, not the beginning of the end.
Yet, clearly, Ike was never the same after this fight. Had he taken too many of Tua's heavy left hooks to the head? Or, as some folks claim, had one specific shot -administered by Tua at some point in the middle rounds - done the damage? For the first time ever, Ike was complaining of head pain after a bout. A MRI scan, however, revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
Whether or not the epic slugfest with Tua was to blame, Ike Ibeabuchi was fast becoming unglued. In a pathetic incident of what we now call "air rage," cops had to forcibly detain the incensed pugilist. He began to make ludicrous monetary demands of his promoters. He was tormented by demons visible only to his mother and himself. Much of his lunacy was reserved for his hapless sparring partners; one's head was split open, another almost had his leg broken.
A few months after the Tua fight, Ike abducted the son of a former girlfriend, threw him into his car, and drove straight into a concrete pillar, permanently injuring the poor boy. This atrocity earned Ike a paltry two months behind bars, but he was forced to pay an undisclosed amount of money to the boy's mother.
Incredibly, Ibeabuchi was permitted to continue boxing, where his madness seemed to work for him. He tore apart journeymen Tim Ray and Everton Davis, and became the first (and, so far, the only) man to stop "Rapid Fire" Chris Byrd. One thunderous left hook in the fifth round had Byrd down twice, and a subsequent barrage of power punches prompted the referee to put an end to the fight.
A few months later, Ike summoned a lap dancer to his hotel room at The Mirage in Las Vegas. The girl insisted on a cash payment up front, which enraged Ike to the extent that he forced her into a closet and raped her. The 6'2", 245 lb fighter brilliantly sought to evade capture by hiding in the bathroom; a few strategically directed shots of police-issue pepper spray managed to "flush" him out of there.
Ibeabuchi was subsequently sentenced to a whole heap of jail time for this misdeed, although rumors are circulating that various lawyers - who just happen to be fight fans - are working pro bono for his early release. They are reasonably confident that he will be out in six months to a year, despite his being anything but a model prisoner.
Ibeabuchi's life story and Tyson's read the same. Both boxers A) grew up more or less destitute B) rose to dizzying heights as heavyweight bangers with finesse C) drove their autos into inert objects D) allegedly assaulted several women E) cited mental illness as the reason for their idiotic hijinks and, F) spent most of their respective primes behind bars. It remains to be seen, of course, whether Ibeabuchi can mount as effective a comeback as his counterpart. At twenty-nine years of age, time has certainly not run out on him.
Just how good was Ike Ibeabuchi? As a boxer, that is. Well, let's see… In 1997 he stood toe-to-toe with one of the most powerful punchers in heavyweight history, and emerged utterly victorious in the eyes of the judges. In 1999, he ensnared and summarily obliterated the slickest little stinker in heavyweight history. At the time he was being led from the Mirage in handcuffs, he was the number two heavyweight in the eyes of the IBF, and had just wrangled a three-fight deal with HBO for well over a million smackeroos. His boxing record is every bit as impressive as his prison record: 20 - 0, with 15 KO's.
Strange though this saga certainly has been (and it ain't over yet), I feel like renaming the article "The TRAGIC case of Ike Ibeabuchi." It's been tragic for Ike, and perhaps infinitely more tragic for the heavyweight division.
Posted by: TJ Cline
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Originally Posted by aceshigh
toney rahman would be good,,,,,,,,,,,waht is david tua up too lately????and when does ibeabuchi get out of the pen?????????
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Former heavyweight contender Ike Ibeabuchi has received an unfavorable decision from the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners.
The board announced Tuesday morning Ibeabuchi would not be released from Lovelock Correctional Center in northern Nevada, where the native Nigerian is serving five to 30 years for attempted sexual assault and battery with intent to commit a crime.
Ibeabuchi won't be eligible for parole again until December 2007, with his next hearing scheduled for the preceding August. Three years was the maximum the parole board could make Ibeabuchi wait.
Had Ibeabuchi been granted parole he would have been released Dec. 12 and likely deported. He possibly could have resumed his career this autumn through a work furlough.
Many boxing observers thought the 31-year-old powder keg could have dominated the miserable heavyweight ranks after a few months of intense training and a string of tuneup bouts.
more here
http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxin...denied-parole/
Posted by: aceshigh
thanx for that foreman,,,,,i reckon he would have dominated ,,ive got him ko,ing bird on tape he was one power packed motherfucker
Posted by: TJ Cline
Tyson - Tarver: Does Mike Have Enough Left To Destroy Antonio?
21.11.05 - By Dan Mocci: Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion Antonio Tarver’s foray into the heavyweight division may go beyond his headlining performance in Rocky VI. Tarver, cast as Rocky Balboa opponent “Mason Dixon”, is reportedly entertaining a real heavyweight clash with former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Tyson himself has reportedly alerted the British media that he has contacted Tarver regarding the potential match-up. The bout could take place at the end of 2006—provided the former heavyweight champion turned public speaker/ vodka pitchman wraps up his world tour that has taken him to the former USSR, the UK, and a Brazilian police station.
As of now, the bout is pure speculation. However, considering Tyson’s debt to Uncle Sam and Tarver’s age (36) the need for both fighters to cash in makes this story worth keeping an eye on.
It may be smart to stuff $50 in an envelope, label it “Tyson-Tarver Pay- Per-View”, and put it away for a cold Saturday night in the winter of 2006…
…or if you don’t want to wait a year you can just buy yourself a ticket to the circus. Take a moment and imagine the freak show that could lie ahead. Imagine Tyson, coming off back-to- back losses, and the somewhat slowing loud-mouthed Tarver in the same press conference. At least the “Magic Man” won’t be able to use the same Roy Jones banter that we’ve had crammed down our throats and become accustomed to over the past two years. Tyson, much calmer these days unless photographed while dancing in a Brazilian nightclub, would probably realize the need to revert to the dark days of his press conferences that featured an average of three to five death threats—not mention the promise to snack on one of his opponents kids. Clips of Tyson’s recent outings, minus the first round of the Danny Williams fight, won’t prove to be much use in promoting this one as legitimate competition. Somehow, I don’t think vintage footage of the once unstoppable “Kid Dynamite” clobbering Frank Bruno or Michael Spinks will provide an accurate depiction of the fighter Mike currently is. Throw in the fact that Tarver looked aged in final round in his win over Glen Johnson and in spots against a very reluctant Roy Jones, and the fight itself is a recipe for disaster.
Nonetheless, one shouldn’t blame Tyson for taking the fight. He needs the cash and he doesn’t need to be knocked out in the process of collecting it. Tarver would most likely stay at arms length and try to win a decision, without tasting Tyson’s famous power. Therefore, Tyson probably wouldn’t taste the canvas in this one. (He may even catch up to Tarver late if he paces himself correctly.) Plus, the legion of individuals that “will never pay for another Tyson fight” will most likely open the wallets for one more…and one more…and one more Tyson fight after that. The trademark of his recent decline has been his inability to withstand the power of today’s super-sized heavyweights after the second or third round. His world class power and is in tact, but his head movement and stamina is gone. Pushing 40, the ex-champ is a mere undersized heavyweight with little defensive reflexes and no desire to fight for any reason other than money. He hasn’t had a good training camp in years and the degenerative foot condition he has developed mixed with a bad back (and lack of the “stomach to do this anymore” ) ensure that another camp wouldn’t be anything different. Nonetheless, Tyson has all the right reasons to take this match. He needs the money, it’s a safe bout as far as getting knocked out, and he knows that we’ll cough up the dough for at least one more freak show.
If Tyson can’t be blamed for taking the fight, than Tarver certainly can. Like Tyson, who lost over $300 million of his earned money, Tarver has had financial woes and just climbed out of bankruptcy in recent years. The sport is prizefighting and the 36 year old champ deserves a big payday. He should and could certainly get a few nice paydays…by fighting a rubber match with Glen Johnson or the winner of Jeff Lacy versus Joe Calzaghe for the unified 168-lb. title. Tarver could stop at 190 and fight cruiserweight Jean-Marc Mormeck. If he wants to go the Roy Jones route and win a piece of the Heavyweight title, he can fight the feather fisted but extremely crafty IBF Champion Chris Byrd. A bout with the brash James Toney would feature two highly skilled fighters and charismatic superstars. The problem with those fights is that Tarver may possibly lose to each one of those guys. He’s shown signs of late round slippage, and each of the above named gentlemen is known for providing pressure down the stretch. With Tyson, Tarver most likely feels he can follow Roy Jones’ blueprint used to outpoint heavyweight John Ruiz. Though, Tarver’s speed and reflexes are a fraction of those still found in the Jones arsenal back when he fought Ruiz.
If this fight moves beyond speculation and come to fruition Tarver will embracing everything he despised about the boxing business. Tarver criticized Jones for not facing him when he was the deserved and legitimate number one contender to Roy’s throne. Meanwhile, Glen Johnson has earned himself a rematch and even Eric Harding’s recent performances indicate that a rubber match is worth watching. Paul Briggs would prove to be a legitimate challenge as well. A battle with fellow Floridian Jeff Lacy would be great for the sport of boxing.
Right now his fight is just a lot of talk, hype, and speculation. Still, one of the potential combatants has little choice. Tyson, for all of his faults, seems sincere in his desire to repay his debts. He knows that it it’ll take a lot of paid speeches or companies willing to take on an ex-con as a pitchman to equal the money he can generate from another comeback fight. Tarver does have choices and, as rarely seen in boxing, can actually control his legacy. The Hollywood actor/Mike Tyson route may net him more money. Yet, fighting any of the above mentioned names would still be nice for the bank account and will allow Tarver to be seen as a man who beat some of the best and fought all of the best.
Tyson and Tarver should meet face-to-face…in Canastota as members of the Hall of Fame. If the Mike Tyson is going to roll on than that is his business and we’ll probably keep watching. At this stage, Antonio Tarver is still a real fighter, as Tyson once was, and should fight real fighters. He should cement his legacy as more that the man who beat a faded Roy Jones.
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Posted by: TJ Cline
If this fight ever happens, Tarver will easily dominate Tyson. Tysons career was over 7 years ago......this side show might be fun, but I bet its just another sad and humiliating defeat of Mike.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Time Tunnel: Old Time Fighters Vs. Today's Fighters
by B. R. Bearden
19.08 - In boxing discussions often the argument rises over current boxers versus the fighters of the past. Are today's fighters better, as some claim, because of superior diets and training techniques? Is a modern, air-conditioned gym with snazzy training equipment more able to turn out a quality fighter than a dingy old New York gym of the past?
Are there fighters of the modern time who were comparably as good as those of nostalgic memory? Yes, there are. Maybe not as good as, say, Sugar Ray Robinson, but Whitaker, Hopkins, and a younger Holyfield would match up favorably against many of the old Hall of Famers. Even Roy Jones shows skills equal to most of the greats, though he lacks a great heart to match. Lennox Lewis, when he's on his game, could hold his own and even defeat many of the former heavyweight champions.
But overall, it is my opinion (for all that's worth), that across the board the fighters of today aren't the equal of their predecessors. For every argument there is a counter, and for every advantage there is the disadvantage.
We are told modern nutritional standards are so high that the men of the past were suffering under malnutrition by comparison. So we are told. But any health expert will tell you that today's young people don't eat as they should. They consume far more sugar than the kids of the 1930s, at least ten times as much. We have soft drink machines in our schools so the children won't have to suffer through a glass of milk. They sit around and play their Dreamcasts during the hours their grandparents would have been outside running, riding bicycles, swimming, or any of the many other activities that were exercise as fun. Despite the "availability" of better diets, the truth is the average American teen isn't as physically fit as his grandparents. The same probably holds true in every industrialized nation. And while a young person today doesn't have to contend with polio and other dangers of his grandparents, that's due to medical advances and not to any willingness to exercise. Yet, this is the pool from which our boxing talent is drawn.
I have actually heard it argued that Jack Dempsey was so badly nourished he wouldn't be competitive at all today. All those hard years of riding the rails and living from meal to meal made him weaker than today's super fed giants. And this from people who purport to know boxing. A solidly muscled fighting machine of 6'1" and 195 pounds would fold up under the power of one of today's hulking 6'5", 240 pound mountains of muscle, steroids, and excess body fat. So they say. And a bullet from a World War I rifle would just bounce off the chest of today's super athlete, too.
I don't want to be labeled as someone completely lost in the past, but that' s often where the answers are. (Ask any pathologist, archeologist, medical researcher, or historian) But I find it hard to believe the leather tough killer who beat 6'6" Jess Willard within seconds of death wouldn't have at least a little bit of a chance against one of the big clinchers of today.
As a tribute to the miracle nutrition of today we do have a 6' 5" heavyweight champion and a top contender at 6' 6". Lennox Lewis is a very good fighter, weak chin aside. And Klitschko appears to be good, though his big test is still to come. And if you could name ten other fighters of that size and skill, you would have an argument that better nutrition has created an era of great super-sized heavyweights.
If there was positive truth to Max Kellerman's oft used line, "These aren't your father's heavyweights" it would be a quick and easy list to make. Lewis and Klitschko are good; the rest are just big. I say "positive truth" because I'm not disputing the statement is true; just not in the way Max meant it. These aren't my father's heavyweights. My father would have changed the channel rather than watch Ruiz wrestle Kirk Johnson or Lewis clinch with Holyfield. As a kid I watched with him Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Quarry. If it had been today's heavyweights on the tube, we'd have been watching "Bonanza" instead.
I did a post on RSB (the newsgroup rec.sport.boxing for those who are uninitiated to the finer points of debate and insult the newsgroups offer) in which I argued that it was mostly a myth that today's heavies are so much bigger than those of the past. I took the top ten list from a 1975 Ring
magazine and compared the men there with the top ten in Ring today. I found, and showed, that the average height of a top ten heavy in 2002 was ½ inch above that of 1975, and the reach was actually 1 inch less! When Lewis retires, the modern "super-sized" heavyweights of the top ten will actually fall below those of 1975. Quick question; would Holmes really be out-classed today? Foreman? Ali? For the slow of foot, the answers out of the teacher's copy are "no, no, and hell no".
And when your three biggest draws in the heavyweight division (Lewis, Holyfield, and Tyson) are all pushing 40 years old, it's hard to convince the skeptic that the superior diets and training techniques of today have created a class of fighter Dempsey, Louis, and Ali would have trouble competing against. Young Jack, Joe, and Muhammad did very well against the aging champions and ex-champions they faced (other than Joe's loss to Schmelling) and they did very well against bigger men. In fact, none of those three ever had problems with a man because of size. And if we are in the era of a new breed of bigger, stronger heavyweight, then where are the young lions of that pride? The big men put in against Lewis, such as Grant and Golota, remind one more of the inept giants put in against Jack Johnson than the high velocity fighters of Ali's era. The truth is, many of the men over six and a half foot tall and 240 pounds are more in the class of the Great White Hopes of Johnson's era than in the class of "super heavyweights".
But what of all the great new training techniques? What techniques? The number one method to condition a fighter for a long fight is running. It's hardly a new technique. Early Neanderthal used the same method to avoid becoming a meal for a cave bear or saber toothed cat.
Gene Tunney ran; I've seen pictures of him running. I'm sure Dempsey did a little running, and Benney Leonard, and Joe Louis. I know for a fact Rocky Marciano ran every day of his 8 year career, even on Christmas morning. This training method wasn't discovered to train Zab Judah, folks. The old timers knew that a 5-10 mile run every day was the best way to avoid gasping for
oxygen by round three. Many of today's fighters still don't know it, apparently.
What equipment is in the gyms of today that an old time fighter or trainer wouldn't know how to use? They still use the heavy bag, the speed bag, those catcher's mitts the trainers wear as they teach their fighters to punch in combination. None of that is new. What mainstay of the training equipment used by Joe Louis has been scrapped because of newer, better modern equipment? That would be "none".
Maybe Louis didn't have a Bow Flex machine for his workouts, but I've never heard that shortcoming as an excuse for his knockout at the hands of Max Schmelling. And it sure wasn't because Joe didn't have modern vitamins or a sports-medicine expert on hand during his training. He lost because of a flaw in his technique and nothing available to a modern fighter would have availed him.
Let us not forget, either, that it is only in the unlimited heavyweight division that we see a physical difference in fighters. Look at the other classes and the men there don't appear any more physical than their forefathers. The disparity in size between heavyweights doesn't translate down to middleweights, for example. A one hundred and sixty-five pound fighter is the same size in 2002 as he was in 1952. All this reference to "fast twitch muscles" doesn't mean the panther quick fighters of yore didn't have them; they just hadn't bothered to come up with a catchy name for them.
Does anyone doubt that could we bring Sugar Ray Robinson to today's arena, at his peak, he wouldn't whip everyone across at least three weight divisions? If Rocky Marciano was brought forward, and forced into the cruiser weight division because he was "a small heavyweight", would Jirov be champion for long? Would Ezzard Charles or Billy Conn look as inept against Roy Jones Jr. as do the lesser fighters he feasts upon every Pay-Per-View? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, you need to watch films of these guys. And remember, just because they're black and white films doesn't mean the guys in them weren't full color in real life.
And least we forget, the old-timers did something the modern fighters skimp on; they fought, and they fought often. You can only advance someone so far with a wonder diet and modern weight training equipment. It's in the ring that one learns what really works and what doesn't. And in that category today's fighters are so far behind we're not comparing apples and oranges; we're comparing apples and grapes.
There are many old sayings; "you learn by doing", "practice makes perfect", and "experience is the best teacher". An expert carpenter isn't the guy who' s read all the books and worked on carpentry techniques in a vocational school shop; it's the guy who's built 100 houses. The logic of that should be indisputable.
So what of a comparison between a 23 year old champion who's had 25 fights and defends his title twice a year for upteen million dollars versus the old timer who had 100 fights before he fought for the title, then defended it every other month for five years? Be sure to sweep up the sawdust when you finish your two week bookshelf project with the ban saw and then we'll ride out to the housing area and you can watch them frame up a house in a day.
Anyone who feels the urge to argue the point, consider this; if you're in an airplane and one of the engines fall off, who has the best chance of getting you to the ground alive? The pilot who's logged over 2000 hours under real adversity or the fellow who's spent 100 hours in one of the best high tech simulators money can buy? If you picked Joe-Video Game, I hope you brought a parachute.
When a young man of 22 becomes champion after 20 or so fights, no matter how much natural talent he was born with, he can't possibly have seen in actual combat everything an opponent can throw at him. Sadly, the champions of today often gain their first of many belts at a young age before they've even hit their prime, then go into semi-retirement. You have highly regarded champions with flaws that were overcome by Sugar Ray Robinson and Archie Moore before they ever made the top ten. The flaw that allowed ex-champion Max Schmelling to knock out contender Joe Louis in 11 rounds was gone two years later when Joe the champion dropped Max in the first round. He learned before he became champion, as it should be. He didn't get a half dozen ABC belts while still trying to learn the proper way to throw a left hook.
Take a look at the records of the old time greats. While the modern top contender or champion is putting in a couple fights a year, those guys were fighting on a regular basis. AFTER he won the featherweight title the first time from Willie Pep, Sandy Saddler went on to fight 67 more bouts.
Willie Pep fought 242 times, Archie Moore 218, Robinson 202, Benny Leonard 212, yet people will, with a straight face, claim that the so-called "Pound-for-pound" guys today with their 20-25 fight careers would be too much for those old time guys.
I've heard the supporters of the "superior fighters of today" concede that IF some of the old timers were brought to modern times, AND trained as fighters trained today AND could have grown up with the benefits of modern nutrition they would be able to fight competitively against currentfighters. I think they have it backwards. IF today's fighters were taken back in time and had to fight more often, in more competitive matches, and IF the #1 contender they were matched against really was the ONLY #1 contender in that un-watered down weight class, they'd be much better than they are.
As Darth Vader warned in "Star Wars", "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed."
I might para-phrase that to add, "The ability to destroy an over-hyped Top Ten contender today is insignificant next to the ability needed to challenge a Sugar Ray Robinson or Joe Louis."
Posted by: min0 lee
Posted by: TJ Cline
Keep your gay filth is open chat bitch!!
Posted by: TJ Cline
Lacy vs Calzaghe on Showtime - March 4 in Manchester
NEW YORK (Nov. 21, 2005) – March 10, 1986… SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING was born when “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler defeated John “The Beast” Mugabi in a spectacular and unforgettable 11th-round knockout in Las Vegas. On March 4, 2006, SHOWTIME will deliver a special 20th anniversary gift to fans and continue its legacy as “America’s No. 1 Boxing Network” with the most meaningful world title unification fight of the decade. Undefeated, hard-hitting super middleweight world champions Jeff “Left Hook’’ Lacy (International Boxing Federation) and Joe Calzaghe (World Boxing Organization) will finally meet in a 12-round showdown to determine once and for all the best in the division.
The much anticipated match up, being promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, in association with Frank Warren’s Sport Network, will air LIVE on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast) from the MEN Arena in Manchester, England.
One of today’s best and most feared pound-for-pound fighters, the exciting Lacy (21-0, 17 KOs), of St. Petersburg, Fla., will make the fifth defense of the belt he won with an impressive eighth-round TKO over Syd Vanderpool Oct. 2, 2004, on SHOWTIME. The first 2000 U.S. Olympian to capture a world title, Lacy, 28, is coming off of a devastating second-round TKO over top-5 contender Scott Pemberton (Nov. 5 on SHOWTIME)..
“I only want the fights the fans want, and it looks like Calzaghe feels the same way,” said Lacy, who has notched 16 of his 21 wins on SHOWTIME. “Two undefeated world champions unifying the title will be like when Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns unified the welterweight title.
“I am coming to get you, Joe! I am coming to get you!"
Calzaghe (40-0, 31 KOs), of Newbridge, Wales, by way of Hammersmith, England, is the longest reigning world champion in boxing. Since winning the title on Oct. 11, 1997, he has successfully defended it 17 times. Southpaw Calzaghe, 32, has not lost a bout since starting his amateur career at 13.
“It has been my dream to unify the titles ever since I won the WBO crown against Chris Eubank eight years ago,” Calzaghe said. “This fight against Lacy is one that can secure my legacy. I saw Lacy's last fight against Pemberton, and it was impressive, but, against me, he is going to be in with the hardest hitting super middleweight out there.”
“Calzaghe’s dream of unifying the titles is just that – a dream,” Lacy said. “Unfortunately for him, he will be facing his worst nightmare.’’
Lacy and Calzaghe were expected to fight Nov. 5 on SHOWTIME, but the match fell through after Calzaghe fractured his left hand in a Sept. 10 defense against Evans Ashira.
America’s No. 1 Boxing Network, SHOWTIME will celebrate its 20th anniversary all year long by showcasing the best match ups in the sport on the first Saturday of every month.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein will call the action from ringside on March 4, with Jim Gray serving as roving reporter. The producer of the SHOWTIME telecast will be David Dinkins, Jr., with Bob Dunphy directing.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Heavyweight Face-off 1985 vs 2005: Which era is worse??
12.08.05 - By Barry Green: Last weekend I was at an all-to-rare British barbecue, the regularity of biting into a piece of uncooked chicken followed by the cry of “I think this needs a couple more minutes” was somewhat appealing after the week of rain we had. As many beers were quaffed and steak kebabs devoured, the conversation invariably ended up talking the usual subjects: sports and sex (men) or shopping and kids (women). As a member of the inferior sex I was naturally drawn to the former.
After getting to grips with the current English soccer scene, mainly discussing how last season’s Liverpool team is the football equivalent of Leon Spinks- meager talent but in the right place at the right time, the chat soon turned to boxing; and in particular heavyweight boxing. I agreed with the ensemble that the current scene might just be the worst in living memory, even worse than those mid-eighties doldrums.
The next day I awoke to ponder two things: 1. Does too much red meat really contribute to bowel cancer? 2. Whether today’s scene really is as bad than the best-forgotten days of Berbick, Tubbs and Page et al? 2005 vs. 1985- which is worse?
To compare and contrast I have taken the current Ring magazine ratings and compared them with the Top Ten of August 1985, taken from its sister publication KO. No longer does Larry Holmes posses the best jab in heavyweight history, Pinklon Thomas is actually looking the goods and Tim Witherspoon is an inconsistent then as Hasim Rahman is now. What is worrying is that from December 1982 to August ‘85, EIGHT of the top ten contenders are the same. The only changes were Tony Tubbs and Carl Williams for Gerry Cooney and Renaldo Snipes. In some cases this could show the quality of those fighters but in reality it merely proved the dearth of top class heavyweights around this time. Fortunately by winter of ‘88, only three
would remain- Witherspoon, Dokes and Williams.
Fair play to the ‘Spoon mind (who appeared throughout and would still be ranked in the top ten as late as 1997) for showing some longevity. So, here I have pitted each contender and ‘champion’ against one another just for a bit of fun...and perhaps a few discussions and debates of your own. Yep, I know that 1975 vs. 1995 would be much more thrilling but this is a tad more relevant and ties itself in with Chris Acosta’s fine article below. Anyway, here’s my ‘tuppence’ worth. Remember these are the fights from exactly 20 years ago- August 1985 vs. Today. I shouldn’t have to remind you that Holmes is not the same version that beat Ali, Norton and Shavers. Got that? Ok, then let battle commence...
NO. 1: Larry Holmes vs. Vitali Klitschko
I recognize these two fighters as the best of their division during their respective tenures, even though Holmes is listed as Number One in August 1985 as opposed to champion. This month, Holmes is 48-0, one away from Rocky Marciano’s legendary record. He goes into this fight after receiving a razor-thin decision against Carl ‘The Truth’ Williams. If truth be known, Holmes is ready to be taken at this point in time, his 36-year old body does not move around so well anymore, his jab lacks the spark that not only scored points but controlled entire fights long enough until he let loose with his impressive right hand. That right-hand is still powerful but when an opening arises he cannot exploit it- thus negating its importance.
What good is power if one cannot land their shots? Larry had recently encountered some trouble with really tall guys and the giant Ukrainian is even bigger still. Vitali would use his strength and underrated boxing skills to score enough points in this bout even if he does lack Holmes’ class. The judges, who don’t want Holmes to equal the Rock’s record, do not give him any of the close rounds, favoring the aggressor in a fight that generally disappoints. In a KO interview in late ‘83 Holmes was quoted as saying: “Nobody will beat me for another two years,“ as if sensing his reign was coming to an end, which, prophetically it did against Michael Spinks at the year‘s end.
The Holmes that lost to Spinks would have lost to Klitschko. Don’t believe me? Then watch the aforementioned Williams fight to see how the Easton Assassin’s skills had eroded. Klitschko is not as smooth as The Truth but is a much better heavyweight all-round and it would have been he that proved to be Larry’s ‘black cloud‘ if they had met at this stage of Holmes‘ career. Even so, the verdict is split.
Result: Klitschko (Split Decision) If this fight had taken place any time before 1985, Holmes is a comfortable winner (even the 1991/92 version of Holmes was almost improvement on this tired version). However, Larry was fading fast and was about to be taken by any decent heavyweight, as Spinks would prove the following month. Thus, ending one of the greatest reigns in heavyweight history. Afterwards a bitter Holmes would say: “Klitschko couldn‘t carry Scott Le Doux’s jockstrap.”
No. 2: Pinklon Thomas vs. Chris Byrd
Perhaps the best of the forgotten class of the 1980s, Thomas had a division-best jab around this time, as was considered a very dangerous opponent for an ageing Larry Holmes. Byrd, meanwhile, has been the recipient of some major gifts in the past year or two and appears to be running on borrowed time. This chess match would be a one strictly for connoisseurs who
enjoy the finer points of professional boxing. Thomas would initiate the action with rapid combinations and doubling up of the jab. Byrd’s main success would be in making Pinklon miss but would not attack enough to capitalize on the brief opportunities he is offered. Byrd, recovering from a flash knockdown at the midway stage would rally late but a fading Thomas hangs on to receive the nod in a surprisingly competitive contest.
Result: Thomas (Unanimous Decision) While Byrd is cute, his offence cannot match that of Thomas- Pinklon was a better boxer than a lot give him credit for. Here, the jab is key- and Thomas has the more effective weapon.
No. 3: Tony Tubbs vs. John Ruiz
This fight, labeled ‘The Bore at the Shore’ is for the undisputed Dull-But-Effective championship of the world. Tubbs’ nickname of TNT has to be boxing history’s biggest misnomer this side of feather-fisted Herol ‘Bomber’ Graham. Ruiz on the other hand fits his moniker exactly. “The Quiet Man” has been putting people to sleep for years with his awful jab, grab and wrestle style. Put your mortgage on this one going the distance. At this time Tubbs was undefeated and a lot quicker than his rotund shape suggested.
He also had recently annexed the WBA crown from the head of Greg Page. After 12-rounds, the judges require smelling salts, but when they come-to, the verdict is split. One votes for the aggression of Ruiz, the other likes TNT’s ring generalship. The third judge is yours truly. I have never liked Ruiz’ style and often find it hard to give any close round to him. Tubbs’s flashier work earns the close rounds in my book and he gets the nod- just.
Result: Tubbs (Split Decision) Tubbs was a smooth boxer when at his best, especially when robbed against Riddick Bowe in the twilight of his career. Back in 1985 he was undefeated until losing his ‘0’ later that year when fighting Tim Witherspoon, but would have kept it if he had faced Ruiz instead.
No. 4: Tim Witherspoon vs. Hasim Rahman
This battle of the right hands is possibly the toughest one to call. Both fighters had their moments and flattered to deceive on many others. Rahman could be the most overrated heavyweight out there at this moment, after all, his best win other than the Lewis upset was a TKO over Corrie Sanders five years ago. In fairness though, ‘The Rock’ would be a difficult opponent for most when he’s on song. This result would hinge on which of the fighters was up for it the most, both could be perform lackadaisically on many an occasion.
The feeling here is that Witherspoon is the more talented fighter and, having never being floored at this juncture of his career, would welcome an exchange of right-hand power. The deciding factor being that ‘Terrible’ Tim has the better chin, therefore a trade off may be beneficial. Although his right will not score a KO, it does enough damage floor Rahman twice late-on. Thus swinging the bout in the ‘Terrible’ one’s favor, enabling him to eke out a close decision.
Result: Witherspoon (Majority Decision) A very evenly matched contest with two of the fight game’s enigmas. Just how good are/were they? Nobody still really knows. Witherspoon has the better chin- that is the only real difference in winning this contest.
No. 5: Carl Williams vs. James Toney
Former middleweight king Toney is perhaps the most talented fighter on display here (following the recent demise of Larry Holmes) he has a plethora of skills and has a chance against anybody in the division. Williams’ is coming off a narrow defeat to Holmes in which he displayed fine boxing skills and a penetrating jab, but his chin was a question mark at that time- a question that would definitely be answered by Toney. Williams’ tall and rangy style gives him an early lead but as the bout progresses Toney is warming up nicely.
In the second half of the fight “Lights Out” steps into third gear and uses all his ring savvy to take control of Williams with the full repertoire of his arsenal, therefore testing and exposing The Truth’s chin. Williams is down late in the 8th but saved by the bell. Coming out for the 9th, Toney realizes his foe has not recovered in time and rains down blows on his quarry, forcing the referee’s intervention.
Result: Toney (TKO 9) Despite his advancing years, Toney could still enjoy a decent tenure as a major heavyweight player. His defense is the best in the division and can open up whenever the mood takes him...as Williams would discover. At the post-fight press conference Toney calls out a challenge to Vitali Klitschko saying “You European fighters, y’all bums.”
No: 6: Trevor Berbick vs. Monte Barrett
Berbick was a half-decent heavy back in his day, unless he was fighting a murderous puncher that is. Whether the Canadian would enter the ring in adequate condition or not was another thing all together. Almost ALL the heavies from ‘85 had motivation problems it appeared. Berbick was nearly as inconsistent as any of his peers but had been in with many of the top boys at this stage in his career- Ali, Holmes, Tate- and it would be his experience only that gives him a slight edge down the home straight against another of boxing‘s surprise packages.
Barrett’s deserved win over the much hyped Dominic Quinn has given him an unusually high ranking but a split-verdict over a badly faded Tim Witherspoon does not bode well here and he also lacks Berbick‘s impressive body strength, which would be a prominent factor in a messy contest such as this. Although Barrett gives his all and is still punching at the final bell, it is Berbick’s that claims the decision.
Result: Berbick (Unanimous Decision) Berbick would eventually claim the WBA trinket in early ‘86 (mind you, is there anybody that didn’t win it?) but would soon lose it in spectacular fashion later that year some guy from Brooklyn.
No. 7: Greg Page vs. Lamon Brewster
Page was the ‘can’t miss kid’ that missed. Bags of natural talent, fantastic amateur career...no discipline. Even Muhammad Ali tipped his fellow Kentuckian for great things- before he signed with Don King! Brewster is the opposite, the plucky underdog who never gives up and is finally earning some filthy lucre as reward for his perseverance. Page’s burgeoning weight, lack of effort and wasted talent virtually give this fight to Brewster, who basically just had to turn up to win. Forget his gift decision against Kali Meehan, the Brewster that survived an early hammering against Wladimir Klitschko and butchered Andrew Golota. He has come on leaps and bounds over this past year- he really is up for this.
Nicknamed ‘Relentless’, Lamon uses his moniker to good effect by turning this into a survival of the fittest- a contest Page would rarely win. It’s a sad state of affairs when natural talents throw away their god-given skills and Greg Page could write a book on the subject. A real Page turner it would be too. Sorry! I’ll get my coat.
Result: Brewster (Unanimous Decision) How can a man who lost a decision to Clifford Etienne turn his fortunes around so quickly? Brewster’s story thus far is a classic Rocky tale that boxing plucks up more often than any other sport. At his best Page would be too skilled to lose to a limited boxer like this. One problem- he was never at his best! Page is the classic example of what Don King can do to fighters if their face doesn’t fit.
No. 8: Gerrie Coetzee vs. Calvin Brock
The talking point in this proverbial crossroads fight is whether Coetzee’s ‘Bionic Hand’ will hold up or not after umpteen fractures and operations. The South African was constantly plagued with such problems to his money punch, but when it was good it possessed feared knockout power. Coetzee had some good wins on his resume: he iced Spinks (Leon) in one, held Pinky Thomas to a draw and stopped Michael Dokes to claim the WBA title in 1983. This was counterbalanced by decision losses to John Tate (fair) and Renaldo Snipes (robbed) and KO defeats to Mike Weaver and Greg Page. Brock is an unknown quantity but is coming along nicely as not only a fighter but a banker and a tap dancer (his hero is Gregory Hines.) Calvin Brock has been called a jack of all trades but can he master this one? Time will tell but here the Boxing Banker would be too wary of Coetzee’s big shots to perform any sufficient damage. However, his boxing smarts and the stealing of rounds would do enough to impress many an aficionado. The South African wins fewer rounds but the ones he does are bigger and at the finale it is honors even. After 12 eventful stanzas, one judge votes for Brock, the other scores dead level. It is again left to me and I chicken out and call it a draw. The Nevada State Commission then bans me from ever judging a bit fight again due to excessive celebrity watching: “Oooh look, there’s Tootsie and Popeye Doyle”.
Result: Majority Draw. In 1986 Coetzee would be eliminated from title contention when he was destroyed by Frank Bruno less than three minutes. Before that he decisioned James Tillis, so he still had some skills left in him. Brock is largely untested at this time (McCline is no longer a threat, in my opinion) but he has a bright future ahead of him and has shown fine boxing skills in the past. At this present moment in time the jury is still deliberating.
No. 9: Mike Dokes vs. Samuel Peter
Easily the most exciting contest featured here. The Dokes of 1985, despite his cocaine addiction, was still a live contender and would throw everything at Peter in a fight reminiscent of Dokes’ slugathon with Evander Holyfield in ‘88. Dokes, shaking off his Columbian Flu from the previous night’s party, opens the fight much like he did with Mike Weaver- by throwing bombs. A strategy that worked then and has worked many times for various fighters when faced with obscenely big hitters (Quarry against Shavers, Hagler vs. Hearns being two prime examples). Dynamite’s tactics bring him early success as the Nigerian Nightmare is shaken and stunned, partly by Dokes’ blinding speed and partly by surprise. However, as Dokes has no real killer power, Peter would gladly slug it out with him and eventually his brute strength would show through. After the initial brawl Dokes, realizing his punches can’t hurt Peter, decides to use his impressive hand speed and box his way out of trouble. At the halfway stage Dokes is narrowly ahead on all three scorecards. Sensing a long fight, Peter opens up in the seventh causing Dokes to stumble across the ring and is hit hard into the body, causing him to double over, limbs akimbo. The Nigerian then unloads a fusillade of blows that renders his opponent helpless against the ropes, despite having a dependable chin, the sheer volume of punches sends Dynamite down for a standing-eight count. When the action resumes, Peter is all over Dokes like a bad case of impetigo, eventually flooring him for the full count.
Result: Peter (KO 7) A thriller from the first bell, Dokes was in the midst of a successful comeback at the end of 1985, one which culminated in his heavyweight ‘Fight of the Decade’ match with Holyfield. Indeed, Dokes would receive a shot for the title in 1993- a 1st round loss to Riddick Bowe. But at his peak was a pretty good fighter. Peter, meanwhile would see this fight as a stepping stone to his eliminator with Wladimir Klitshcko later this year. A fight I think he can win.
No. 10: Mike Weaver vs. Wladimir Klitschko
Of all the fighters listed it’s the younger Klitschko that divides most opinions. He’s either the most underrated heavyweight in the Top 10 or the most overrated, depending on which side your bread‘s buttered. Some questions that are still in the air- How weak is his chin? Will it crack the next time it’s tickled? Hard to say, but maybe Wlad has a ‘Ken Norton’ type beard? The type that is comfortable taking major shots off great boxers (Ali, Holmes) but when facing huge-hitting heavyweights (Foreman, Shavers and even Cooney) it was usually “canvas time”. Weaver at his peak would only need to land once and the fight would most likely be over. However, this version of ‘Hercules’ had just been KO’d by Pinklon Thomas and was fighting only for paydays. Here, Klitschko would turn into the reincarnation of Joe Bugner and box very cautiously knowing that he has to avoid Weaver’s massive hooks. He would stay out of range enough to make Weaver miss consistently and the muscle-bound ex-champion would be spent by the end. His corner halting the contest while their man was on his stool between rounds suffering from exhaustion and swollen around the eyes.
Result: Klitschko (TKO 11) This fight would be Weaver-John Tate all over again...sans the 15th round. ‘Baby Brother’ would get back into contention after this win. But sooner or later, that fragile chin will again be tested- then it will be Goodnight Kiev.
Final Score: 2005: 5 wins, 1985: 4 wins, 1 even
I actually surprised myself when I realized that the Class of 2005 had the slight edge, although I admit to the cop-out on Coetzee-Brock. In the end, the determination of the current crop overcame the problems that the class of 1985 were suffering from- an ageing champion, contenders and ex-champions with drug, weight and motivation problems (especially the Don King promoted fighters). What is worrying is that many of the ’85 school probably would have beaten the present-day fighters if they were at their respective bests: Holmes was a far superior fighter to Vitali, Page was easily more talented than Brewster, maybe Coetzee would have been too seasoned for Brock, and even Mike Weaver would only have to land on Wlad’s chin once to render the Ukranian prostrate.
It could have easily been 8 to 2 in favor of the old boys as some fights were too close to score. Perhaps I have been a little kind to the ‘05 brigade, but some are not yet at their best and they unquestionably have more desire than their predecessors. Hopefully, that is what may see some of them carve a name for themselves in this division and put an end to the malaise that is damaging boxing’s premier weight class. Boxing needs the heavyweights like Laurel needs Hardy, like Mick Jagger needs Keith Richards, like the chicken that needs a couple more minutes on the barbecue. Klitschko is a decent enough heavyweight, Peter- a great banger and if James Toney can put his recent positive drugs test behind him then maybe in 20 years we’ll still be using the Class of ’85 as a barometer of poor heavyweights rather than the Class 0f 2005.
Posted by: TJ Cline
WBC
Hasim Rahman
1. Sinan Samil Sam
2. Oleg Maskaev
3. Wladimir Klitschko
4. Oliver McCall
5. James Toney
6. Ray Austin
7. Samuel Peter
8. Juan Carlos Gomez
9. Calvin Brock
10. Nicolay Valouev
11. Larry Donald
12. David Tua
13. Monte Barrett
14. Audley Harrison
15. Luan Krasniqi
Posted by: TJ Cline
WBA
John Ruiz
1. Nicolay Valuev
2. Not Rated
3. Wladimir Klitschko
4. Ray Austin
5. Calvin Brock
6. Larry Donald
7. Monte Barrett
8. DaVaryl Williamson
9. Samuel Peter
10. Sinan Samil Sam
11. Juan Carlos Gomez
12. Owen Beck
13. Donnell Holmes
14. Oliver McCall
15. Ruslan Chagrev
Posted by: TJ Cline
IBF
Chris Byrd
1. Wladimir Klitschko
2. Ray Austin
3. Calvin Brock
4. James Toney
5. Monte Barrett
6. Samuel Peter
7. DaVarryl Williamson
8. Jameel McCline
9. Sergei Lyakovich
10. Luan Krasniqi
11. Lance Whitaker
12. Paolo Vidoz
13. Audley Harrison
14. Sultan Ibragimov
15. Vladimir Virchis
Posted by: TJ Cline
WBO
Lamon Brewster
1. Wladimir Klitschko
2. James Toney
3. Luan Krasniqi
4. Samuel Peter
5. Sultan Ibragimov
6. Calvin Brock
7. Sinan Samil Sam
8. Lance Whitaker
9. Ruslan Chagaev
10. Vladimir Virchis
11. Alexander Dimitrenko
12. Matt Skelton
13. Shannon Briggs
14. David Tua
15. Audley Harrison
Posted by: TJ Cline
FIGHTNEWS
1. Lamon Brewster
2. Hasim Rahman
3. Chris Byrd
4. Wladimir Klitschko
5. James Toney
6. John Ruiz
7. Samuel Peter
8. Nicolay Valuev
9. Calvin Brock
10. Luan Krasniqi
11. Sergei Lyakovich
12. Monte Barrett
13. Sultan Ibragimov
14. Ruslan Chagaev
15. Paolo Vidoz
16. Audley Harrison
Posted by: TJ Cline
Teddy Atlas lashes out!
Tuesday, November 22 2005
ESPN boxing commentator Teddy Atlas has ripped congress, Nevada governor Keny Guinn and a NSAC medical panel on boxer safety. Speaking to the Las Vegas Sun, the opinionated boxing analyst railed against U.S. House of Representatives in Washington who recently shot down Atlas' pet project, a national boxing commission. "They're always voting it down because nobody cares about this sport. If you want to say there are racial overtones to it, go ahead and say that because I believe it." Regarding Guinn's removal of respected fight doctor Flip Homansky from the Nevada State Athletic Commission in favor of a campaign contributor, Atlas said he was sick and tired of "cronies who are appointed because of politics" and commented that "replacing Flip Homansky on the commission wasn't a mistake, it was a travesty." Regarding the NSAC's 'Advisory Committee on Boxer Health and Safety,' which was appointed to study boxer safety in the wake of two ring deaths in Las Vegas in 2005, Atlas told the paper, "It's another joke. Boxing has a lot of jokes, except when somebody gets killed. Then it's not a joke."
Posted by: TJ Cline
The Teddy Dinner!
November 22, 2005
On Thursday November 17th, world renown boxing trainer and ESPN 2 Fight analyst Teddy Atlas put his best foot forward to continue walking in the righteous path of his late, great father. With the Premise of knocking out world poverty, Atlas played host to the ninth annual Dr. Theodore Atlas Foundation Dinner at the Hilton Garden, in Bloomfield, Staten Island.
Traditionally each dinner is held on the Thursday one-week prior to Thanksgiving. The money that is generated from the event is used to assist many individuals that are in need as well as provide special services for them. Since its inception, the foundation has been able to give in excess of $1,000,000.00 to worthy causes.
This fight goes way beyond ending world hunger. Health care is provided, clothes are handed out and even Scholarships and Grants for college students are accessible under the pretense that they meet the academic requirements. This is why the "Teddy Dinner" is one of the most anticipated fundraisers of the entire year.
The fight to help those that are less fortunate than others is more important than any championship fight will ever be. Quite frankly, it's the toughest. A fight of such magnitude and implication could never be fought alone. Mr. Atlas had the right idea in mind by bringing a couple of his friends along.
His list of friends included those from the world of sports and entertainment combined. The list of who's who featured: tennis great John McEnroe, former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, television star Chris Noth of HBO's Sex in the City and NBC's Law and Order, NY Jets standouts Greg Buttle and Marty Lyons, broadcasters Bob Papa, the radio voice of the New York Giants from WFAN Radio, former Friday Night Fights analyst and current ESPN-1050 radio host Max Kellerman, and one half of WFAN's dynamic duo of Mike and The Mad Dog, Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo were all in attendance. So as the holidays draw upon us we should look at everything in perspective. Remember hindsight is 20-20. By thinking of someone else or putting that person before you, your playing you're part to knockout world poverty once and for all. No matter how bad you might think you have it, there is always someone else doing a lot worse. Happy Holidays!!
So as the holidays draw upon us we should look at everything in perspective. Remember hindsight is 20-20. By thinking of someone else or putting that person before you, your playing you're part to knockout world poverty once and for all. No matter how bad you might think you have it, there is always someone else doing a lot worse.
Happy Holidays!!
Posted by: TJ Cline
Alan Minter vs. Marvin Hagler: A Blast From The Past
23.11.05 - By Richard Hulse: The late summer of 1980. While walking through a London railway station, I noticed a billboard for a range of fashionable men's clothes. The picture was of a young man, dressed in a sharp suit. He smiled confidently out at the onlooker. The punning logo was 'The Cool Taste of Minter.' A few weeks later, it was autumn, and that young boxer had lost his world middleweight title to a rampaging Marvin Hagler.
I've always been intrigued by Alan Minter's brief championship reign. Not because I believe he was an exceptional talent, although I do think he had underrated ability. Maybe because it illustrates once again how quickly a good fighter can plummet out of the sunlight, down into the shadows that losers know so well. Hard to recall now, but for six months after winning the title in Las Vegas, Minter was the toast of English sport.
After seeing him on TV, a friend turned to me and said, 'This guy's bigger than boxing in this country.' And so it seemed. He was 28 years old, handsome, a happily married family man; almost the David Beckham of the British fight game.
He'd lost matches on cut eyes, on several occasions in situations where he looked set to win, but those defeats seemed behind him now. He was seasoned and capable. His claim to the undisputed middleweight crown had been reinforced by a comprehensive outboxing of the man he'd taken the title from, the rough and tough Vito Antuofermo. Even some Americans who'd questioned his first win over Antuofermo – it had been a split decision - were now beginning to admit the Englishman could fight a bit.
A headline from the USA's Boxing Illustrated announced, 'Minter Proves his Title is no Fluke.'
Moreover, the future looked bright. The contenders, for the most part, were decent but not formidable. Wilford Scypion, Loucif Hamani, Fulgencio Obelmejias, all of them might well have ended up challenging Minter at some point, but he would have been odds on to beat them. After a promising early career start, Scypion was showing he wasn't a big occasion fighter. Obelmejias was a lanky Venezuelan who went on to challenge Hagler in two fights, but who gave the impression of being one of those somewhat protected fighters that the WBA occasionally liked to promote from South America. And Hamani had been cleanly outpointed by Minter in the 1972 Olympics. So, with a little luck, the Englishman seemed set to make several defences before someone finally got to him.
But although it wasn't formidable in depth, the division did have one exceptional package of talent, all of it compressed into the compact frame of one man. The autumn was bringing with it a shaven headed black southpaw from Brockton, Massachusetts. Marvin Hagler was Minter's mandatory challenger.
There was controversy before the match. Minter said he wouldn't let a black man take his title, but insisted later that it was his mouth moving before his brain was in gear. This explanation is, I believe, generally accepted. In the seventies a lot of white English people were less sensitive on racial issues, and Minter wouldn't have been what we'd now call politically correct. One of his best friends during that period was Billy Knight, a black fighter who once challenged for Minter's British title, and who also invited Minter to his wedding. That doesn't suggest he had any problems with Minter's attitude.
Minter had fast hands, a crisp punch and a good chin. But he was also a little tight in the upper body, with a straight up stance. Nor was he adept at slipping punches. Add that to his fragile facial tissue, and the odds weren't good against a hard and accurate puncher like Hagler. Yet curiously, many people, including promoter Mickey Duff, felt Minter would win, that Hagler wasn't quite as tough as he seemed, that in fact he might well choke if pressure was applied. The theory stemmed from the fact that Antuofermo had held the bald-headed one to a draw in 1979, mainly by dragging him into the trenches.
'Do you think Alan Minter is the toughest opponent you've faced?' asked one commentator when Hagler arrived in London. Hagler was hardly the man to say 'yes' to that. 'I've fought better,' was the baleful reply. 'We'll see where he fits in when I get him in the ring.'
Fight night. Wembley Arena under the spotlights. Hagler seemed muscular but short of stature. Minter towered over him, unshaven, and looking mean-eyed. The light glinted on the brass of a Royal Marines band, as they filed out of the ring.
Minter began by aggressively throwing combinations, but before long, Hagler's jab was finding his face, and by the end of the first round, the Englishman was already cut. In the second, Hagler was continuing to land and Minter was trying to slug his way out of trouble. He jarred the American with a right hook, but Hagler immediately counterattacked with a blizzard of heavy punches, whilst bobbing and weaving around Minter's own shots. By the third, Hagler had ripped open Minter's eyebrows, and the Englishman was recoiling from the onslaught. The referee's arms were up in the air. It was over, and within seconds, Hagler himself had to be rescued as drunken fans pelted the ring with plastic bottles, in a still-notorious example of English boxing hooliganism. Minter, head partially covered with a towel, stared at his cornermen, his face shaken and bewildered. He didn't even know there'd been a riot until someone told him in his dressing room. 'Were they after me?' he asked.
Minter returned to the ring the next year, insisting that his tactics had been wrong. He'd tried to wage war instead of boxing calmly. There was some truth in that, but only some. A more measured approach might have resulted in a longer fight, but it was impossible to see how Minter could have prevailed. Probably in his heart of hearts, the ex-champion knew that. Hagler simply had too much of everything. However, a good win over fringe contender Earnie Singletary paved the way for a gruelling split decision loss in Las Vegas to the up and coming Mustafa Hamsho. Minter landed plenty of jabs and rocked the Syrian in the fifth, but couldn't stave off Hamsho's sheer physical insistence in the later rounds. Finally a concussive defeat to countryman Tony Sibson ended his career.
In 2005, Minter reflected on his time in boxing, acknowledging that post-Hagler, he had lost much of his appetite for the game. He also sportingly paid tribute to Hagler's greatness as a champion.
That billboard in the railway station? It didn't stay long. Within a week or so of Minter's loss, it had been taken down. But it did last long enough for some wag to take a felt tip and draw in a Frankenstein-style latticework of black scar tissue over the smiling face.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Hopkins vs Taylor 2: Bernard Hopkins Conference Call Transcript
23.11.05 - On the line we have Bernard Hopkins. And I would like to turn the floor over to Ms. Kelly Swanson.
KELLY SWANSON: Hello, everybody. Welcome back. Thank you for being patient. And as the operator, mentioned, we are on the call today with Bernard Hopkins as well as Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions, who is co-promoting the event with DiBella Entertainment. Again, we have Taylor Hopkins II, No Respect December 3rd, but 12 days away at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and available live on HBO Pay Per View beginning at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. At this time I’d like to turn the call over to Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, PRESIDENT, GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS: Thank you very much, Kelly. Thank you very much to all the press who is listening. We greatly appreciate on behalf of Bernard Hopkins and myself..
This fight here is probably the most anticipated middleweight fight or any fight in the history of boxing. And the reason why is because the first fight was so controversial. To this date people are talking about how the fight was so controversial.
And to give you an indication on how well this fight is doing, tickets are going extremely well at the Mandalay Bay, which will be live from the Mandalay Bay December 3rd, live on HBO Pay Per View for the retail price of $49.95. Tickets start at $800, $600, $400, $200 and $100. The preview show we had on HBO right after the Floyd Mayweather fight on Saturday was the highest preview show ever in the history of boxing. So, that’s a great indication that this fight is very anticipated by the boxing fans.
And now let me turn over the mike to your champion, a legend in the sport of probably the best middleweight ever in the history, Bernard Hopkins.
BERNARD HOPKINS, BOXER: I’m glad everybody’s on. I’m willing and open to answer any questions.
OPERATOR: Thank you.
Once again, ladies and gentlemen, that’s star one on your touch-tone phone to ask a question.
Your first question is coming from William Trillo of Boxing2005.com.
WILLIAM TRILLO, BOXING2005.COM: Good day, Bernard. It’s a beautiful day in Southern California. How are you?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Hey, man, it’s great. Great, man. You’re not too far from me. It’s beautiful up here in Big Bear. It isn’t snowing, so it’s great.
WILLIAM TRILLO: I know, man. You couldn’t be here at a more beautiful time.
Listen, obviously you know that Jermain just had a conference call before. And I hit him with the question – I was up speaking with you last week. I asked him about if he gets hurt and he turns around that you’re not going to pull no punches and he might get smacked in the back of the head. Jermain’s response to that was, “I give him 100 percent permission if I do that, to smack me in the back of the head.” I thought I’d pass that along to you and get your comments on that.
BERNARD HOPKINS: I mean, if he turns his back I think the referee is going to make sure that he gets warned or maybe a point because that’s a sign of a retreat. He already has that type of mentality in him because he already showed it without being like prepped to even say what he would do the next time or not.
But I tell you this fight here is the most anticipated fight and it’s going to be the most fight that people are going to remember for a long, long time. I’m glad to be the last chapter of a book that’s been open from the beginning and now is going to end this year with the boxing world waiting for the next year to come in for big fights from the boxing community or from the premiere fighters today.
So, I’m glad to end the year on this magnitude of the last pay per view fight of 2005, the most anticipated fight of 2005. And I’m glad to be a part of that and to let people know enjoy their holidays and then get ready for next year, because there’s a lot of great boxers that can carry the baton that goes through the remaining of the years to come.
So, whatever Jermain Taylor brings to the table Bernard Hopkins is going to make sure that it backfires on himself.
WILLIAM TRILLO: I tell you one of the things I asked Jermain what he was going to bring to the table – he’s been saying that he learned a lot from his last fight and he learned a lot from his last fight. And I asked him, “OK, we know you learned a lot. What’s the most important lesson you learned?” And he said that he has no time to take any break. He can’t take a round off. He can’t relax at any point during the fight. He claims that when he did relax during that last fight that’s when the head butt ensued and that’s when the trouble started. So, this time there will be no relaxation on his behalf.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Well, that’s what he says now. It’s a difference between relaxing and getting tired and getting hit with right hands upside your head. I mean, Jermain Taylor’s in very, very denial mentality right now. I mean, people are not stupid. People are smart. They’ve been watching boxing. There’s a difference between relaxing and breathing and holding and grabbing and turning your back. The man was tired.
I think people respect you more when you say, “Man, I’m in there with Bernard Hopkins.” It’s not embarrassed to get tired. Bernard fights one round like the last four rounds. He’s going to be energized. Bernard never got tired in a fight.
So, it’s not embarrassed. He thinks it is. He think he’s got the – I’ve been hearing a lot of things about this guy. He don’t have enough sense to understand that should he give a little credit to a 20 defense or 21 defense athlete that just happens to be a person that will go down in history as one of the top four or five middleweights of all time, don’t I – shouldn’t I get a little bit of respect from why he didn’t do the things he did with William Joppy or any other person he fought that wasn’t on my caliber? And that’s his downfall.
I hope he come in confident. I hope he come in not as nervous as he was. See, being nervous and being edgy and being new to the game of this magnitude of fight the first time that saves him. You know, uncontrolled energy in certain situations prevent certain situations from being knocked out.
So, I’m hoping he believes that I’m not a big puncher. I hope he believes that he can just go and do what he wants to do. And he’s been there the first time, so it’s going to be a walk in the park. Well, that’s great because he’s already left something that made him survive. That got him through. He’s not intelligent to understand that.
So, I’m going to sit back and let him run his mouth and being an impersonator of who he thinks he is a champion and then let the world witness it December 3rd. December 3rd is definitely going to be the execution day and they’re going to see – the world’s going to see me rectify the system’s problem. And then Jermain Taylor is going to beg for a rematch and he won’t get one. That’s what’s going to be the deal, because I’m undefeated on rematches. They know my history. I destroy guys the second time around. What makes Jermain Taylor different?
WILLIAM TRILLO: I just like the …
BERNARD HOPKINS: I destroy – I destroy – I destroy guys with their careers is in limbo the second time. Don’t believe me. Go on the computer and look up my jacket.
WILLIAM TRILLO: Like your last fight, Bernard, you laid out a game plan the first fight, you let everybody know, and you laid out a game plan this time. And we’re really looking forward to seeing that.
KELLY SWANSON: Thank you, William.
WILLIAM TRILLO: OK, take care.
KELLY SWANSON: Operator, let’s move on, please.
OPERATOR: Thank you.
Your next question is coming from Kevin Iole of “Las Vegas Review”.
KEVIN IOLE, “LAS VEGAS REVIEW”: Hi, Bernard. How are you?
BERNARD HOPKINS: All right, Kevin. How you doing, man?
KEVIN IOLE: Good. I wasn’t sure if we were on a William Trillo conference call or Bernard Hopkins call.
KELLY SWANSON: Sorry about that, Kev.
KEVIN IOLE: Hey, I wanted to ask you a couple questions.
Number one, why did you fire Bouie?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Who said I fired Bouie?
KEVIN IOLE: Bouie.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Where did you read that at?
KEVIN IOLE: Bernard, Fernandez’s column in today’s paper.
BERNARD HOPKINS: No, I didn’t. It doesn’t say anything about firing Bouie in that paper. It don’t have anything. I don’t fire – why would I fire – I wouldn’t even fire Bouie at all. I didn’t fire Bouie at all. I’m in great hands with Nazim Richardson. And I don’t believe the paper said I fired him.
KEVIN IOLE: Well, he said …
BERNARD HOPKINS: Unless I’m missing something, Kelly, the paper said I fire Bouie?
KELLY SWANSON: No, it didn’t say that.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Wait a minute. You said something. I want to make sure we don’t elaborate on it because it’s about Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins fight. We’re going to get off this in seconds.
Did anything there say something about me firing him, Kelly?
KELLY SWANSON: No, I don’t.
KEVIN IOLE: I was …
BERNARD HOPKINS: Kelly, did anything say about firing?
KELLY SWANSON: No, I did not read that.
BERNARD HOPKINS: OK. Can the next – can we talk about the Jermain Taylor fight?
KEVIN IOLE: This is about Jermain, Bernard, because …
BERNARD HOPKINS: No, no, no. I’m fighting Jermain Taylor and Jermain Taylor is fighting Bernard Hopkins. This isn’t about – people are coming – you know, people are coming to see this fight December 3rd. They’re not coming to see Nazim Richardson fight, who’s the trainer, Bouie Fisher, Pat Burns, Lou DiBella. They come to see two athletes. And that’s not – and let’s not depreciate the value of a big fight that boxing desperately needs. You understand?
I don’t have no problem after December 3rd. We can talk all day long about any little thing you want to talk about and take a side if you want to take a side. It’s good journalism for some. But this fight cannot be watered down. It cannot be disrespected by any of the allegations or anything that nobody really know the true deal. I can’t get into gossip. I can’t get into none of that. I just want to be clear I didn’t fire nobody. But I want to be clear that December 3rd is the fight that is on my mind. And there’s no other distractions or any other conversations that’s not dealing with that. Let’s not disrespect this call.
This call – not that you’re trying to do this, but let’s – and this is for anybody else that’s listening. This call is about Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins, big super fight that boxing has been thirsty and desperately something to talk about like a rifle. And I think that we should respect that whether who’s wrong or right about any other incident or any other issues or allegations or rumors about anything. This is about Jermain.
One thing we know isn’t a rumor. Come two weeks Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor will set the record straight with No Respect at the Mandalay Bay. That’s very important. And if we can – let’s stick to what’s really important, and it’s the fight, this Bernard Hopkins fight and Jermain Taylor or Jermain Taylor fighting Bernard Hopkins.
KEVIN IOLE: Well, Bernard, I appreciate your point of view. And I was …
BERNARD HOPKINS: Thank you, man. Thanks.
KEVIN IOLE: … asking about the fight because I feel like whoever’s training has an impact on the fight. And if Jermain fired Pat Burns don’t you think that will be significant?
BERNARD HOPKINS: I think it will be significant if I had somebody that haven’t been with me for over nine years. I think that it’d be significant if I had somebody with me that haven’t been – that have been energized bunny in my camp, and that’s Nazim Richardson. I mean, I love Bouie like a father. And this fight is dedicated to Bouie. Bouie sent me at seven years old. It reminds me of the Eddie Fletcher (ph) situation when he hired – I can’t remember the guy’s name, but he’s a trainer now, the African American guy, Phil Torrence.
Like a fighter, sometimes things happen and sometimes you have to do what you have to do, I mean, whether it’s Bouie, whether it’s me or with anybody else. But my energize and my trainer are physical attributes and also it’s a reflection of Bouie, who’s been told – taught by many trainers out of Philadelphia. I’m in great hands. You – matter of fact, you will see a Bernard Hopkins that you’re going to be – you thought I looked young July 16th by not getting tired and finishing strong in the championship rounds, which most writers forgot about, the championships rounds, which is most important in 12 round fights of this magnitude.
You understand? It’s going to be a lot of questions as how great I look come December 3rd. And I am in great hands, had a great camp, and couldn’t train at a better place. The weather’s nice. I didn’t have to pack up for no storm. I didn’t have to leave no hurricane. I didn’t have to leave no floods. I didn’t have to vacate to another city or state. I’ve been up here in this high altitude chopping wood in Oscar’s facility. It’s been great here. I’m not going to let any negativity, anybody plant any distractions other than I got to execute Jermain Taylor December 3rd.
And then after that the press conference we can talk about anything if I got the time. I want to deal with my family because I haven’t seen them in seven weeks. Then we can talk. But other than that, man, I’m not trying to be ignorant. I’m not trying to be sarcastic. But let’s not take away from this great, great fight from a preview show after the Mayweather fight, done the highest ratings ever. That – to me, that shows that the world is interested and the world can’t wait.
The boxing world can’t wait to come to this fight. You’re going to see the Michael Jordans of the world. You’re going to see the rappers. You’re going to see the actresses and the actors. I’m pretty sure nobody’s going to recognize other than people want to recognize that either Bouie or Dale he’s not there, but they will recognize Bernard Hopkins when he’s in that ring. They want to recognize me when I’m in that ring handling my business.
KEVIN IOLE: Bernard, I wish you good luck. I just want to make sure I did not say anything negative about Nazim. And I have respect for Nazim. And I just want to clear that up.
BERNARD HOPKINS: No problem, because I want to – because I don’t want people to think Nazim – I’m glad you did that and I appreciate that, man. And we can talk our biggest about anything else after I take care of my business.
But Nazim is a world respected guy that haven’t been out there. And I’m in great hands and he’s been the energy in the gym for the last nine or 10 years that he’s been with me. He’s been the guy holding the pads. He’s been the guy that looked at Trinidad’s hands and say that his hands being taped illegally. Bouie got that credit, but we aren’t caring about big you and small Is. But Nazim is not an ego fanatic, an ego freak. He kept his mouth shut. He didn’t step out of there and stay like that. I got a lot of respect for him. He’s seen me since I was an amateur. I’m in great hands.
What they should worry about is that now that he’s in a position to be able to add onto the house and tweak the engine – I say tweak the engine, not take the engine out. It’s going to be – December 3rd is going to be an eye opener. They’re going to look at my birth certificate after this fight.
KEVIN IOLE: Good luck.
KELLY SWANSON: Thanks, Kevin.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Thank you.
OPERATOR: Thank you.
Your next question is coming from Chuck Johnson of “USA TODAY”.
CHUCK JOHNSON, “USA TODAY”: How you doing, Bernard?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Hey, Chuck. How you doing, man?
CHUCK JOHNSON: All right. All right.
You had the title for such a long time, Bernard. I was just wondering how has it felt like – felt for you the past four months not having that title attached to Bernard Hopkins’ name?
BERNARD HOPKINS: You know, great question, but it doesn’t – to me and my personality and knowing that if you can deal with victory you can deal with defeat. But when you honestly know – like any relationship that you was the person that done the right thing, then you can’t look at yourself as being a failure.
And then when you got guys like – I’m going to put you on the spot – yourself and other media who witness the fight and say honestly, “Look, man, I’m not a big fan of the hood and all that stuff, but I had you winning,” that makes it even better for me to be able to say to myself in the mirror – I’m not talking about asking my publicist and doing what Jermain is doing and getting prepped to be able to convince himself as months went on that maybe I am the champion because I happen to have the belts. No, just because you got the belts doesn’t mean that you actually earned the belts. This is boxing.
I can look in the mirror honestly and honestly say with 90 percent of the people in the world that witnessed the fight, boxing fans hard-core or not hard-core, can say, “Man, I’m a Jermain Taylor fan, but your bull got robbed.”
So, it’s – to me, I don’t need a situation of having trophies to justify whether I’m a champion or not. See, I think because of the situation I became more of a people’s champion. The belts is for the popping glitter and the show. But when you’ve been a fighter like Bernard Hopkins who battle any topic whether it’s politically correct or not, get respect for at least standing up, for all the things that I’ve stood up for, people get to saying to themselves, “Wait a minute, he wasn’t as paranoid as he was saying. He knew they was out to get him.” That sort of made me a – that sort of made me into some people – like somebody that predicts something and was adamant about it and it happened in front of the world’s eye.
And now the boomerang effect was people embrace more. People are interested in my story more now. And they’re more eager now for me to get him back. As they will say to me, “You got to get him back. You got to get him back,” whether I’m in New York, whether I’m in Philadelphia, whether I’m in Vegas, whether I’m in – anywhere I go and I’m recognized, which is a lot now, to be honest with you, is that they remember. “You got to get him this time.” “Well, I got him last time.” “I know you did, but you got to make sure you get him this time and not leave it up to the judges.”
Because people listened to me for years and years and people listened to other people for years and years about me and about my character and about this and about that. And then they see it as he is growing and manifests in front of them. The question comes back three, four, five years ago that’s not even physically related to anything else in the ring, but it leads to my history and what will be said about me when I’m gone. It’s not only that I had 20 defenses or 21 or 22 defenses. And not only had the belt for over 10 years, but it will be other things that will be documented attached to that. And that will be the things that have happened and that I’ve done outside the ring.
When they mention Muhammad Ali they just don’t mention his fight game. They mention the war. They mention that at that time in the ‘60s he became a Muslim, which is – which was another strike against you. So, I mean, Bill Russell – he has a legacy of it in bouncing a basketball. Jim Brown he has another legacy without giving the ball and running through the line. Only a few athletes can come across in certain times of decades and centuries to be able to have something else other than being a good athlete attached to them. Everybody can’t say that, man.
And I’m not saying it now. I’m just saying when it’s all said and done I’m pretty sure the conversation about Bernard Hopkins won’t just be about the 20 defenses he has.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Strategically speaking, Bernard, what’s going to be different this time for you in this fight?
BERNARD HOPKINS: What’s going to be different to Jermain Taylor or what’s going to be different …
CHUCK JOHNSON: No. No, as …
BERNARD HOPKINS: … with me?
CHUCK JOHNSON: … far as your strategy and what you plan to do covering this fight?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Well, a strategy isn’t a strategy if you unveil it. Hannibal didn’t tell the Italian people he was coming through the ocean on his …
CHUCK JOHNSON: OK. So, you have strategy, but you’re not – you don’t plan to unveil it?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Well, who unveils their strategy?
CHUCK JOHNSON: No, I got you. I got you.
BERNARD HOPKINS: I mean, that’s wrong, man. I just don’t understand why people – not to get on you, brother, but let me tell you something. When people – anybody on this phone can be in this conversation of what is your strategy. I tell you what, without saying there’s a strategy I know one strategy better not be once you go through the scorecards.
Based on if I got any other blueprint to use, but with the judge and what the scoring was at least for the last round that was the outcome of us even fighting again. I know one thing, that it shouldn’t be even a secret that I must execute. Bottom line, I must execute. I must execute.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Well, let me …
BERNARD HOPKINS: I don’t want to have to go in a – I would – I don’t want to have to go in a ring knowing in the back of my mind – and I don’t think any fighter should, but it is what it is.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Well, let me ask this, Bernard. Jermain says that he thinks – Taylor says he thinks you brought your A game last fight. Was that your A game?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Was that my A game?
CHUCK JOHNSON: Yes. I mean, were you at the top of – did you do what you planned to do in that fight in terms of what you set out to do?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Yes. I was the matador. Were you at the press conference in Vegas?
CHUCK JOHNSON: Yes.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Did you see when I had the towel and I had Oscar and he had the horns?
CHUCK JOHNSON: Yes.
BERNARD HOPKINS: All right. Hold on, man, you asked me – now, you gave me a slow ball in the major league now.
CHUCK JOHNSON: I got you.
BERNARD HOPKINS: And I got everybody on bases calling a grand slam right out the park, right.
CHUCK JOHNSON: OK.
BERNARD HOPKINS: All right.
When I was up on the podium you see me with a towel in my hand.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Right.
BERNARD HOPKINS: You know what I revealed to you all? You know what a matador do? You ever see the matador and the bull? When’s the last time you ever see the matador be aggressive and run toward the bull? Don’t the bull normally runs the matador? Well, that’s what I told you all.
My plan was the absolutely plan that was carried out. The matador versus the bull. The young bull is going to come out. He even got the trademark of a bull. He wipes his feet on the canvas. Didn’t you see the bull flaming out his nose and he takes his feet and he’s ready to charge?
CHUCK JOHNSON: Yes.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Yes. I know. See, I know. I’m going to keep on explaining to you.
So, the bull continue to charge and charge and charge until the bull got tired. When the bull got tired the execution voltage was short. Stayed there in 300 volts. I gave 150 volts and it wasn’t enough. So, I will execute him this time.
CHUCK JOHNSON: OK. And …
BERNARD HOPKINS: The first fight was the matador and the bull. And you can’t – and nobody out there cannot say, “Well, Bernard, you’re saying that now, but you didn’t say that then. You said you were going to do this, you were going to do that.” I said it’s going to be the matador and the bull. And anybody who know the strategy of a matador it’s to wear the bull out, tire the bull out, and then kill the bull.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Well, you definitely said that. But what I’m asking, Bernard, is this time around – I mean, OK, you mentioned about the matador and the bull. Was that strategy effective?
BERNARD HOPKINS: The matador and the bull …
CHUCK JOHNSON: Is that the same thing?
BERNARD HOPKINS: The …
CHUCK JOHNSON: Is that the same thing we’re going to see?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Hell no.
CHUCK JOHNSON: OK.
BERNARD HOPKINS: If the matador and the bull come out this time I might as well pack up and leave now because I’m not going to get show (ph).
CHUCK JOHNSON: Right. OK. Appreciate it, Bernard.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Thanks.
KELLY SWANSON: OK.
OPERATOR: Thank you.
Your next question is coming from Robert Morales of “Los Angeles News”.
ROBERT MORALES, “LOS ANGELES NEWS”: Hey, Bernard, how you doing, man?
BERNARD HOPKINS: I’m doing all right.
ROBERT MORALES: Hey, you know, I had a long talk with Brother Nazim the other day when we were up in Big Bear.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Yes, he’s right here. Yes.
ROBERT MORALES: And he – how you doing, Brother Nazim.
BERNARD HOPKINS: He said how you doing?
ROBERT MORALES: All right, man.
He mentioned something. And, of course, as you know, I had you winning the fight 116-112, so personally I don’t really think you needed to change anything. But as Brother Nazim pointed out, he says is Mario Andretti goes around the track and he’s a second off is he going to re-haul everything. And I thought that was a pretty profound statement.
Do you really think that you really need to make any changes at all or just go out there and be Bernard Hopkins?
BERNARD HOPKINS: I need to be Bernard Hopkins. I need to be Bernard Hopkins. The only thing need to be changed is when you get Jermain Taylor hurt it’s easy to raise your hand in victory without any speculations of wrongdoing when the guy’s snoring on his back. I mean, you know and everybody on this phone call know that’s the easy way – the easy way – to know a clear victory.
The only thing about that tweak, like Mario Andretti like he said about the race car, my Brother Nazim, you don’t overhaul the engine. You just tweak it a little bit. Well, that’s the only thing that’s missing that I didn’t do the second fight. And I’m not going to change my game.
See, they want to send a subliminal message certain writers or certain people, and I’m not saying they’re wrong about this. But they mentally try to think that I’m going to feed into it and fight a different fight that work in Jermain Taylor’s best interests. But I’m going to do the same thing that was so easy for me to last time, but when I get him hurt, and this is a quote, when he gets hurt because he’s going to get hurt – he says he wasn’t. Told everybody probably on this phone, “He never hurt me. He never hurt me.” He hasn’t watched the tape yet. When I get him hurt he’s going out. That’s the only thing that need to be tweaked. That’s that engine. That’s that engine about tweaking and the little things here and there. That’s that tweaking that Brother Nazim was talking about. That’s the tweaking.
When I get him hurt, whatever round, Jermain Taylor’s going to be finished. The fight’s over.
ROBERT MORALES: Bernard, can I ask you one question about Brother Nazim’s son, Rock Allen?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Yes, he’s here too.
ROBERT MORALES: You know, I interviewed Rock for about 15 minutes after we got done with you the other day. And he talked about how you’ve been kind of like a mentor, you and a couple other guys. And, of course, Rock is from Philadelphia, but he hasn’t been running the streets. What are some of the things of someone who did run the streets as well as Brother Nazim – what are some of the things that you have told him to kind of make sure that he doesn’t get involved in the wrong situation?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Not only him, but my nephew that you met also, Demetrius Hopkins. He’s fighting on the card, I believe, for the USBA championship December 3rd. He and Rock – and I can name a couple of them, but let me deal with Rock.
I let them know by my experience that’s the best credibility that I have with young adults. And once I open my mouth my credibility speaks for itself because they know where I came from. And I let them know that it’s like one bad move. It’s like playing chess. One bad move the chess game is over. One bad move in your life decisions your career’s over. In the worst case scenario, the very worst case scenario, your life can be over.
And I continue to say that. But the most important thing I’ve said it – now they’re going to watch who said it and see if they walk the same path, do the same thing. We get up 5:30 in the morning and it’s freezing cold here in Big Bear. Guess who’s running beside me? Rock Allen. I got to keep up with him. That helps me to keep up with anybody else that’s in the ring that got to keep up with me. I let them know what I experienced so they won’t have to experience it. And when he trained with me he’s probably with been packy (ph).
And, let me tell you something, man, when they look at Bernard Hopkins I inspire fighters from afar that’s in my presence, whether it’s Andre Ward calling me constantly, whether Zab Judah, whether it’s Rock Allen, because others can say things about you that might not be as nice as what they know about you, but when they see the success of what I stood and what I’ve stood up for and what I’ve done in my personal life it’s very hard to convert a person to think different about you when they see different. It’s very hard. I’m not saying it’s not possible, but it’s very hard to take something that’s in your face that’s what it is from someone else that want to make it something else. And that’s why it keeps me on my game and it keeps me focused, because I know that Rock is watching Bernard Hopkins.
He’s watching the way I train. He’s watching what I eat. He know I don’t drink. I don’t like alcohol in my food when they cook it.
So, these things that he learned when years go by and I got to be sitting ringside watching him fight, I played – not asking for anything. Don’t owe me anything. But if I played a small fraction of his success years from now, then it was a job well done. And that’s what I try to tell everybody I come across through. That experience – decisions have to be made positively and correctly.
ROBERT MORALES: Hey, I appreciate that, man.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Thanks.
ROBERT MORALES: Hey, one just last thing real quickly. The story that was referred to earlier just mentioned that there were many issues between you and Bouie. Is that something you will discuss after the fight, Bernard?
BERNARD HOPKINS: No.
ROBERT MORALES: I know you don’t want to talk about it now, so I don’t want to …
BERNARD HOPKINS: No problem.
ROBERT MORALES: … bring up the …
BERNARD HOPKINS: No problem. No problem.
ROBERT MORALES: All right. Thanks, man.
BERNARD HOPKINS: No problem.
OPERATOR: Thank you.
Your next question is coming from Bernard Fernandez of “Philadelphia Daily News”.
BERNARD FERNANDEZ, “PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS”: Hey, Bernard.
BERNARD HOPKINS: All right. How you doing, Bernard?
BERNARD FERNANDEZ: Obviously people refer to this fight as reasonably close. And one thing that both you and Jermain Taylor are saying is that you’ve got to put exclamation points to it. He’s saying that if he doesn’t knock you out he’s going to win every round. You’re saying you’re going to knock him out. Obviously the whole thing – the whole issue of judges and scoring and that sort of thing you both want to take that out of the equation and, like I said, put an exclamation point. How much does that affect the respect to strategies that – does that mean that you’re going to have to come out faster and assert yourself earlier?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Well, I think that Jermain Taylor saying that is kind of like contradicting when he got the gift, when he got the fight. I think – Jermain Taylor know that the only thing he has to do is not get knocked down and he’ll win. He’s trying to put himself at my level, but then again you can look at it another way and say that, no, he didn’t win.
Well, you can look at the fight tape and look at his demeanor and you look at him wanting a rematch. As soon as the fight was over and the idiot didn’t understand that he won the fight.
So, to me it’s very contradictive of say he cannot leave it up to the judge when in fact the judge helped him. The situation helped him be where he’s at today.
And, see, as far as I’m concerned he’s an ungrateful human being. Here I give him an opportunity, then to have to fight him, could’ve fought Manny, Moe and Jack and went on about my business. But since he was the only middleweight of curiosity or danger, you might say, or a threat, they would say, and he was HBO’s or whoever air appearing, then fine. Bernard has never ducked nobody. I give you an opportunity to make millions for your family. But instead you forgot about that.
And so, now I’ve got to spank you. So, it isn’t Jermain Taylor who has to do this and do this. The man don’t know – the man is confused and don’t know that – well, he do know. He’s telling the truth indirectly because he – well, I got to knock him out. I can’t leave it up to the judges, because he knows he didn’t win. When you’ve got to walk the street of Arkansas and you got to go to New York and get booed at a fight crowd when they say the new undisputed champion – and this is real factual stuff – get booed everywhere he goes, and then – I’d be upset too, Bernard.
I’ll be saying this is what you’re saying right now that he said. I got to do this because he has a character and a heart coming to being an athlete. We all have that. And you – see, no, you don’t deserve anything, especially in this situation. You want to rectify it. You want to come with your aim game next time. So, you’d better tell them, “See, I told you I can get him,” and clean it up. I’m expecting him to think that way. I’m expecting him to try to fight that way.
Great. Buckle up, because the world is going to see one of a hell of a fight because it lives up to everybody what they’re talking about because I damned sure can’t fight by myself. Don’t make me look like a bully, Jermain. People call me that. But don’t make me look like a bully. It’s easy – if I can talk a fight I’d be 100 and oh. I’d have 100 wins and no losses and 100 knockouts. But, unfortunately, you’ve got to fight in this business.
So, whatever Jermain Taylor says is fine. I’m going to the ring knowing that I’m defending for the twenty-second time. I’m not in denial. As far as I’m concerned I’m defending the peoples’ belt because that’s what they named me, the peoples’ champion. So, I’m not going in there. He can go first in the right. He can go second. He can do the first press conference on the phone. I can do the second or third. He can carry a promotion if he know how. Let him do all this.
Enjoy your 90 days in the sun. You’re going to make history. You’re going to make history like Rock Myer (ph) did with Linux Lewis (ph) the second time. You’re going to make history like Leon Spinx did with Mohammad Ali Get ready for history, Jermain Taylor, because you’re going to make history. You had your 90 days. It’s up. I’m coming to get your car, coming to repossess your car. Time is up.
BERNARD FERNANDEZ: OK, thanks.
OPERATOR: Thank you.
Your next question is coming from Ant Evans (ph) of “Second Bout”.
ANT EVANS (ph), “SECOND BOUT”: Hey, Bernard.
BERNARD HOPKINS: How you doing ?
ANT EVANS (ph): Good.
You talked a lot about how you gained on Jermain, how (ph) you were piling on those right hands in the later rounds. But what I wanted to ask you was how badly hurt were you in the second round when you kind of went against the ropes?
BERNARD HOPKINS: I wasn’t hurt at all. I mean, I don’t know if you watched the tape at all. The thing was off balance. I think my foot got tangled up and it was forearm or a half punch or a half forearm back of the neck. And I went up against the ropes and spinned on the ropes and then the fight started. But I never got hurt in that fight. And I think that if anybody watched the fight realized that I never got hurt.
Now, I don’t think I ever got hit decently enough for Jermain Taylor. He couldn’t touch me. He couldn’t touch me with a half full right, man. But I don’t think Jermain Taylor honestly that he think people who have TVs can say he never was hurt when I was fighting him.
But, no, I was in totally control of every situation other than our feet tangling up in an exchange and half his forehand or his left hand or right hand …
ANT EVANS (ph): Yes, it’s the right hand.
BERNARD HOPKINS: … yes, caught the back of my hand or the back of my neck or the back of my head. But I was absolutely – matter of fact, I think the fight started immediately after that. I think I spinned off the ropes and next thing you know we go on about our business fighting. But never staggered, never stayed against the rope. Matter of fact, I don’t think Jermain Taylor got that close to me to do damage right after the stumble against the ropes.
ANT EVANS (ph): When you really start you taking it through him in the last four rounds, obviously the way they – Taylor spins it …
BERNARD HOPKINS: I think four rounds might be all right with you, but I think it started in round six or seventh to eighth. I think in between there was rounds leading up to that, definitely not the last four rounds.
ANT EVANS (ph): Sure. OK. Then well just to say the second half of the fight when you really start your piling on the pressure …
BERNARD HOPKINS: I think it’s best to say the championship rounds of the fight?
ANT EVANS (ph): Well, that’s the last two rounds, but if you want to say the second half that’s cool with me. But the …
BERNARD HOPKINS: OK.
ANT EVANS (ph): … way they’re kind of trying to spin it is that you did so little in the early part of the round and that’s why you had more energy. What’s your kind of take on it?
BERNARD HOPKINS: I did less than the earlier rounds because I wanted more energy?
ANT EVANS (ph): Yes. They’re saying the reason a 40-year-old had more energy than a 26-year-old is because the 40-year-old wasn’t doing that much early on.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Well, why wouldn’t a young guy make me do more? I understand your question, but I can’t understand the response they want from me. It’s not confusion. It’s telling me the reason I didn’t fight the first four, five or six rounds is because I wouldn’t have the energy to fight in the later rounds, OK. If that’s the case, then why did the young guy that’s 14 years younger just track this senior citizen down and whip my ass?
I mean, I’m kind of – I almost sound confused. I’m just trying to see what this leads to. I mean, I’m old. I am 40. Starting an engine takes a while to start up. But he’s 26 and you’re telling me that you let a senior citizen in boxing avoid you for half of the fight and that would make me have energy. Well, then my strategy worked then.
ANT EVANS (ph): Well, I guess so. Don’t shoot the messenger, but I’m just telling you what …
BERNARD HOPKINS: No, I’m not – I think I just knocked that out the ballpark. It doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, you’re so young and you’re so energized, he’s got so much juice. You can’t – and we’re not fighting in a football field. We happen to be fighting in a 16 bout ring. So, you can’t go out the door. Isn’t no backdoor to go out and come back in the ring. It isn’t wrestling.
So, it isn’t my fault that this young lion, strong and quick and a great drag (ph) that I took from him. I broke him down, man. The matador. Didn’t I tell you about I was the matador the last fight versus the bull? I gave you all the blueprint. I can’t give it to you now, but I gave it to you then. And he still didn’t get it.
So, I got to keep reminding you all that the first fight was just the way it was planned to be, the matador with the bull. The bull will get tired trying to catch the matador swinging wild, turning his back, looking amateurish, getting popped with right hands, getting popped with left hands, getting staggered, holding, turning his back, already exposed that it doesn’t look for him in the second fight.
See, if this conversation would be about, “Bernard, you got knocked out. Why are you taking this fight? You’re 40-years-old. The young guy just overpowers you with youth, speed and energy,” you all can’t say that on this phone. Everybody that’s listening cannot say that on this phone. Then this will be what you call a denial situation I’ll be talking about. But you all didn’t see that. You all didn’t see me become old. You all didn’t see me tired like Jermain was holding on and grabbing.
So, that – out of the window that promotion of the first fight is out of the window about this old stuff, old versus new. Now the topic is the reason I couldn’t – the reason he survived is he’s so old he don’t fight the first five rounds so he has energy in the last round. Like that’s – well, do something about it then.
Your question to Jermain Taylor is what you’re going to do. OK, do something about it then. Well, I’m going to make him fight this time. OK. I bet you, you won’t.
ANT EVANS (ph): OK.
BERNARD HOPKINS: I bet he’s going to try to preserve himself because he don’t have the gas tank. He don’t have the gas tank. He’s a heavy arm swinger that if he don’t connect he’s going to get tired. He’s like a upgraded Rile Lyles (ph), heavy handed, but if he can’t hit you and the fight goes into the deep water he’s looking for the rafters. He’s looking for the rafters, man. I got this guy’s blueprint. I know everything about Jermain Taylor. I got this guy down pat. He’s a frontrunner.
So, let the bull ride off some steam. I’m not changing anything. It was a call 20, 25 minutes about anything different. No, other than knocking him out. I’m not going to say my strategy was perfect. When you get to grabbing and you get to holding, buckle up. That’s all I got to say to you. Buckle up and watch him go down. Timber.
ANT EVANS (ph): OK. One final question because I really don’t want to be disrespectful. But just could you clarify …
BERNARD HOPKINS: Hold up. If you really want to be disrespectful, then don’t ask questions because you can’t warn me first that it’s going to be something that might be disrespectful, even if it’s a thought of something disrespectful. Don’t even say it.
ANT EVANS (ph): OK.
BERNARD HOPKINS: But I appreciate you giving me the warning. But when you use the word “something disrespectful” and pre warn me, then I advise you don’t even say it then. Just go on to another question. Basically just say, “OK, thanks, Bernard, and I’ll see you in Vegas, man. Have a good day.”
ANT EVANS (ph): No. I missed the first part of the call. I just wanted to know if you addressed the whole Bouie situation.
KELLY SWANSON: OK. He already addressed that. So, we’ll go onto the next question, please.
OPERATOR: Thank you.
Your next question is coming from Chris Givens of “Arkansas Democrat”.
CHRIS GIVENS, “ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT”: Hi, Bernard. Thanks for taking the time for this call with us.
BERNARD HOPKINS: No problem. How the Razorbacks doing out there?
CHRIS GIVENS: Not so good.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Yes? Well, get used to it. December 30 won’t be so good either.
CHRIS GIVENS: Wanted to try to reconcile something – a couple things you said during this call. Earlier you asked about – and you just mentioned that your strategy and “USA TODAY” asked if the matador and the bull was coming back out. And you said, “Hell no. If that happens I might as well pack it in because I won’t get the decision.” But then you say you’re really not going to – you’re just going to tweak your strategy a little bit. So, I guess what I’m trying to understand is if your strategy from last time you said, “Hell no, won’t come out,” but then you’re just going to tweak it a little bit.
BERNARD HOPKINS: The tweak is I’m not going to take a chance on letting the judges beat Bernard Hopkins like they did the first time. That’s the tweaking. If you add that into the strategy that’s why I didn’t say this or didn’t say that. And you might say it was contradicting or this or that, that I gave it up, then I didn’t give it up. It goes back to that engine. It goes back to Nazim Richardson making a statement that was so profound about Mario Andretti, about the racetrack driver. You don’t take that – overhaul the engine. You tweak this and you tweak that. And I just told you the tweaking is there’s no secret.
I know what I’m going in that right what I know now, about a blueprint of July 16th. And Jermain Taylor must get beat up and must get knocked out. That – I’m being honest with you. It might seem cocky, but I believe I can’t win unless that happens. That just – I’m not the only fighter in the world who haven’t made that statement if you’ve been following boxing. I’m not the only fighter in the world that ever made a bold and profound statement that way. I had made that statement with the other fights, and I prevailed, one that was Trinidad, one that was Oscar De La Hoya, my partner, one with a few other people in my career that I remember when the stakes were high. And I knew what situation I was at.
So, that’s no secret what I know what I got to do. Jermain Taylor obviously don’t feel that way because he got a gift the first time. But I happen to be in a different situation, fortunately or unfortunately, where I feel that I can say what I just said without any excuses of fairness. I’m being honest and I’m being straight up how I feel. I shouldn’t feel this way. I should feel like if I go in the ring – and most people think I won. Most writers believe I won that’s credible that’s well-known writers that’s been watching fights for years. But one person says no or two persons says no, then I’m not going to apologize for thinking like this. I know now – going back in that situation I know now what I’m up against.
This time I’m prepared. I’m prepared this particular time. See, I know going in what it is.
CHRIS GIVENS: OK. And the next thing – and I certainly understand and respect your desire to keep all the attention on the fight and what’s happening in the ring, which I agree with your stance on that. So, my question is in regards to specifically in the ring.
Bouie has mentioned that he believed that you did not follow his instruction the last time. This is in the column that was out today by Mr. Fernandez. He said that you did not follow his instruction in the last fight. That’s the reason that you lost, that you believe you could just show up and knock that kid out. Do you agree with that statement? And was that your intention just to show up and knock him out?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Well, to show up means that – I don’t know what definition is behind that. I mean, you can wake up out of bed – I’m a pro’s pro. Just show up – I never underestimate nobody. And if I underestimated anybody Jermain Taylor would have beat Bernard Hopkins.
So, just to show up and think you’re going to knock – I trained hard for that fight. God knows just like in his fight up in Big Bear up in this high altitude, I trained very hard. That’s never been a question about me and my heart and my trainer ethics.
I don’t take anybody lightly, man. I would have stayed home in Delaware if I walked in there and thought that I – Jermain Taylor is a threat to anybody. Any fighter that steps in this right, man, can take your life in that right, just like I can take his. I’m going to prepare myself mentally and physically that kept me in this game so long not to underestimate nobody, to not think that way. But I can’t stop somebody else’s opinion for thinking what they think. It’s just – if that’s – I’m not going to entertain that.
I’m just going to say that when Jermain Taylor falls I just hope that the people that’s listening on this phone give Brother Nazim, who’s been with me who got lost in this shuffle in this camp because he’s a guy that’s been sort of 50 to 60 percent of this strategy. He’s been the youth of this thing. He holds the pads. He holds the bags. He comes up with the movements. Bouie’s 70-years-old. He can’t hold pads or it’ll knock his arm off.
I just hope that they don’t shy away from giving the man that. Been with me just as long as anybody else. Give him his pops, especially when you see this Bernard Hopkins December 3rd. That’s all I’m asking for, because I can’t win it by myself. Everything is a team and a team effort. And my team is here other than Bouie Fisher. This fight is for Bouie. Nothing’s going to change. I have no ill wills with Bouie. Bouie’s a millionaire because of me, a multimillionaire because of me – multimillionaire.
December 3rd is going to be one of the best performance I put on close to the Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya fights.
CHRIS GIVENS: Bernard, there’s the last question I have for you. Before the last fight, especially in Vegas, a lot of talk was on your legacy and a lot was on what you had done in the past. It seems like you’re directing a lot of attention this time onto specifically Jermain Taylor. Is there more emotion directed towards Jermain this fight than last fight simply because of the situation with what happened on July 16th than perhaps there was before?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Yes and no. This fight here – and it’s a good question. This fight here is controlled emotions, because emotions can get you killed. Emotions can get you life in the penitentiary. Emotions can make you make reckless decisions.
So, it’s not emotional motivation. It’s a situation that I exposed for many years. Now that I exposed the irrepeat (ph) behavior of the system, there’s two people, two entities, that will lose December 3rd.
Some of the system that’s not in core with the modern day world of the old day of boxing politics should be long gone from the game to build credibility back up. The major sponsors and the major ABCs and the Wide World of Sports of yesterday have abandoned boxing for reasons of good for their sake. I’m going to knock out two people or two entities that night.
So, this is a motivation of Bernard Hopkins again taking on the big powers of system. What else been different in my career other than that, if you’ve been following me? If you’re Johnny By Late coming on now, then you don’t have no idea what I’m talking about. But that’s one thing that most people in this phone understand that follow me. They’re really honest about themselves. Bernard Hopkins as the guy, the champion, the fight July 16th that they watched at best a robbery would have been a draw. A rape was to give it to Jermain Taylor.
I honestly believe that a great percentage of the people on the phone waiting to talk to me right now, my fans or not, like me or not, they’re honest with themselves. They know that I’m accurate about this statement. So, now that that’s over with and now that it is what it is and it’s two weeks and counting or less than two weeks and counting and Jermain Taylor had his day with the formal president, has his day with this and teamed up with a fake Elvis because he’s a fake champion – so you got two fake people understand each other demeanors or personalities.
So, now that he had his fun, OK, now it’s time to get back to reality. And they’ll find a way to try to downplay his demise. They will say he’s young again and it’s a great experience. But I’m prepared for that because it isn’t going to mean nothing. Action speaks louder than words.
I’m undefeated in rematches. Roy Jones didn’t fight me again for a reason. And I’m not picking on Roy. He’s my friend now. We got mad respect for each other now. Roy understood. He’s a smart man. I want to go back to that land field again. Do you think Pat Burns and them want to take this fight again back to back? They’d rather fight Manny, Moe and Jack. He said it at the last press conference. He’d rather fight Joe or somebody in Baton Rouge, Louisiana somewhere. Do you want to walk through that land field again? And I’ll take four fights out of this guy. Sit back and watch, Arkansas.
So your Razorbacks aren’t doing too good? It’s not a bad sign. It’s not a good sign – excuse me. It’s not a good sign.
CHRIS GIVENS: Well, I don’t think that one has too whole lot to do with the other, but I appreciate your …
BERNARD HOPKINS: It has a lot to do with the other. Sports teams.
KELLY SWANSON: Next question.
CHRIS GIVENS: Good luck, Jermain – thank – Bernard. Thank you.
OPERATOR: Thank you.
Your next question is coming from Marc Abrams of 15rounds.com.
MARC ABRAMS, 15ROUNDS.COM: Hey, Bernard.
He’s gone on record. He said that you have no speed, no power. Not so much your comments to that thing. How would you assess his speed and his power?
BERNARD HOPKINS: Well, he sure let me hit him as much as I can. As far as my speed, well, I guess I’ve done enough to survive whatever he was throwing at me the first fight. So, I have no speed and I have now power. Then how did I outpoint him on a copy box that they put up there in HBO after the fight? How did I out – does this man have a TV or he’s one of them Amish people that don’t have TVs or electric? And I’m not picking on Amish. I mean, some of them – they are – some are converting to Americanize. But does this guy actually understand that when they did a copy box up there and they say who threw so many punches, who outlanded? I mean, I don’t know if he – I don’t know if this guy looks at – I didn’t make the stats up.
I’m surprised he didn’t tell you I can fight. Matter of fact, I can’t do anything. Just say he’s right. What the hell with it. Why entertain that ignorance? I got here because of my looks.
MARC ABRAMS: How would you assess his speed and his power as compared to some of the …
BERNARD HOPKINS: Average. Average.
I’m telling you, the hardest punch I fought was Antwon Echols, man. I’m telling you, man. And I fought him twice. The hardest punch I fought was Antwon Echols. Jermain Taylor’s an arm puncher. He’s a clobbing puncher, sort of like Foreman was. He’s not a sharp, snappy puncher. I’ve been in all kinds of styles and seen them all. I don’t know everything about boxing, but I know more than what people might give me credit for. I don’t see anything spectacular, not excluding that he don’t have talent. But I don’t see anything spectacular. Maybe boxing is so much on the downside right now that we’re gravitating and grabbing anything that we can that looks like they have a little bit of something different.
He doesn’t do anything that I haven’t seen in my 18 plus year career, to be frank with you, honestly. And that’s giving him respect. I’ve seen it all. I’ve been in there with the best. I’ve been with Roy Jones, Jr. early in his career. I’ve been in there with the Trinidads, the Oscar De La Hoyas, the Robert Allens, the John David Jacksons, the Segundo Mercados, the – I mean, I could name a few other good names that you might remember of old. I just happen to be a senior citizen, so it’s like I’m going way back 20 years from now. But I’ve seen it all. So, I mean, it’s nothing that I’m in awe about.
KELLY SWANSON: OK. You all set, sir?
MARC ABRAMS: Yes, thank you. Good luck, Bernard.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Thank you.
KELLY SWANSON: OK.
OPERATOR: Thank you.
I’d like to turn back the floor to Kelly Swanson for any closing remarks.
KELLY SWANSON: OK. Bernard, do you want to say anything else or we’re good to go?
BERNARD HOPKINS: I’m fine.
KELLY SWANSON: Thank you, everybody, for participating. And we will see you next week at the site. Thank you.
Bye-bye. Thank you, Oscar, if you’re still on. Bye-bye. Bye, Bernard.
BERNARD HOPKINS: Bye.
KELLY SWANSON: Thanks.
OPERATOR: Thank you.
This does conclude today’s conference call. Please disconnect your lines at this time, and have a wonderful day.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Vargas - Mosley Finally Meet On February 25
24.11.05 - They are two of the premier boxers of this generation, superstars who transcended the sport and competed in some of the most memorable bouts in recent years. But the timing was never right for these two multiple world titleholders to meet. UNTIL NOW!
On Saturday, February 25th, "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas and "Sugar" Shane Mosley will finally clash in a highly-anticipated 12 round junior middleweight showdown at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vargas vs. Mosley – “Showdown” is presented by Main Events and Golden Boy Promotions and will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9pm ET / 6pm PT.
For the winner, another world title opportunity will be in the offing. For the loser, it’s a long road back.
“I know ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley and Fernando Vargas very well, probably better than I really want to,” laughed Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya, who has fought Mosley twice and Vargas once. “They are both tremendous warriors who will not leave the ring without having giving their all for themselves and their fans. It’s rare to see fighters like this these days, and I know that February 25th is going to be a great day to be a fight fan.”
"This is as exciting an event as you can get in boxing," said Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events. "Not only do you have two of the sport's biggest names, but you have quite a 'Round Robin' circle. Mosley defeated De La Hoya and De La Hoya beat Vargas, while Vargas beat Wright and Wright defeated Mosley. This is an intriguing, evenly-matched showdown."
“We are excited to kick off the 2006 boxing calendar with this sensational event,” said Richard Sturm, president of entertainment and sports for MGM MIRAGE. “Vargas and Mosley are spectacular fighters and will provide an electric atmosphere for the Mandalay Bay fans.”
"Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley have faced every big challenge, and now they're finally facing each other," said Mark Taffet, HBO Senior VP of Sports Operations & Pay-Per-View. "Boxing fans will truly appreciate this matchup of stars."
Vargas (27-2, 23 KO’s) is one of the sport’s most popular boxers thanks to his “ferocious” style and extraordinary courage. The 27-year-old Oxnard, CA native earned himself a spot among boxing’s top fighters when he pounded out victories over former world champion Ike Quartey and The Ring magazine’s #2 ranked “Pound-For-Pound” boxer Ronald “Winky” Wright. A two-time world champion, Vargas earned boxing stardom by virtue of his two “Fight of the Year” clashes. In 2000, Vargas squared off against Felix Trinidad in one of the years most action packed events and in 2002 he faced rival Oscar de la Hoya. The two bouts together received over 1.5 million pay-per-view buys. “El Feroz” has won his last four bouts.
Three-time world champion Shane Mosley (41-4, 35 KO’s) has spent the majority of the past six-plus years unanimously rated among the sport’s top-10 “Pound-For-Pound” fighters. The 33-year-old Pomona, Calif. native twice defeated future Hall of Fame fighter Oscar de la Hoya—the only boxer to ever do so—after dominating the lightweight division by successfully defending his crown eight times. Their first fight in 2000 ended in an all out battle with Mosley rallying to win a split decision. In their second bout in 2003 Mosley landed on top again scoring a unanimous decision over the Golden Boy.
Posted by: TJ Cline
This fight is a pay-per-view event...........what a joke!!! More boxers who are destroying the sport by choosing to isolate themselves from the general public.
Number one.....who gives a shit about these two??? These guys are not of the elite anymore. Pathetic!
Posted by: TJ Cline
Lacy vs. Calzaghe NY press conference photos
29..11.05 - All photos: TOM CASINO / SHOWTIME - Talented, unbeaten, hard-hitting, exciting world super middleweight champions Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy (left) and Joe Calzaghe show off their belts after a press conference Tuesday in New York. America’s No. 1 Boxing Network, SHOWTIME will celebrate its 20th anniversary on March 4, 2006, when Lacy (International Boxing Federation/International Boxing Organization champion) and Calzaghe (World Boxing Organization champion) collide in the main event on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.
The most significant unification world title bout in years will air live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast) from the MEN Arena in Manchester, England. The highly anticipated, long-awaited match up is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, in association with Frank Warren’s Sport Network..
Posted by: TJ Cline
Has Boxing Lost It's Social Relevance?
27.11.05 - By Troy Ondrizek: Since boxing became mainstream during the first Roosevelt presidency. Boxing and its champions have influenced American culture. The primary division that helped America mature over the past one hundred years is the glamour division of boxing, or better known as the heavyweight division. However, several fighters from every division have helped mold us as a society. For every major advancement in our train of thought and heroics in sports and life started with boxing and spread to baseball, football, and our collective culture as a whole. Before there was Jackie Robinson and his breaking of the "Color Barrier," there was Jack Johnson who did it first. Before George W. Bush battled terrorism, Joe Louis conquered pure evil.
Before Michael Moore struggled against the war in Iraq, Muhammad Ali said he had no quarrel. Before Jose Conseco and Raphael Palmeiro got in trouble for steroids, there was Vitali Klitschko. Before there was Terri Schiavo there was Emiliano Valdez. Boxers have fought many physical battles inside the ring, and fought our figurative social battles out it.
Boxing has always mirrored America's mental progression and helped guide it along. Our current times have seen this guidance end, and I wonder when it happened and if boxing will ever be socially significant again?
Boxing's marriage with our society started when boxing received its first true star in Jack Johnson. The "Galveston Giant" became World Heavyweight Champion in 1908. This achievement by Johnson was a huge slap in the face to American society. Johnson had the audacity to become champion by overcoming his seemingly crippling weakness of being an inferior race of human being, and being well, black. Johnson was the first black man to break into the great white man's infrastructure of sports greatness. Johnson wasn't a fluke either. He kept beating every white man sent to stop him for nearly seven years. Johnson might have been the first black man to crack into white society, but he had no dreams of opening the floodgates of sports desegregation. Johnson was in it for himself, and was very content sticking it to the man by beating their fighters, and sleeping with their women.
After Johnson the next social revolutionist was Joe Louis. The "Brown Bomber" arguably the best heavyweight to ever lace up the gloves. Louis helped ignite the fire of pride in America during a time of depression. As the world was on the cusp of war against the ultimate in tyranny, Louis stood up for freedom and democracy. In the summer of 1938, Nazi Germany sent their immortal son, Max Schmeling to America to fight another inferior black man, in their eyes, of whom Schmeling had already defeated. Max was not part of the Nazi party himself, but as he came to fight, he represented Hitler and hate to the world. Louis carried the strength of the country upon his shoulders and ushered out Schmeling and Hitler's supremacy in a matter of two minutes and four seconds. Louis emboldened the country with confidence and pride that carried over into the war effort.
As WWII was a popular war in our society, because we had a definitive enemy and were fighting to save the world, literally. Vietnam came along, and Americans were confused about who and why we should be fighting these hated communist. As a nation was torn between patriotism and social responsibility, a young man named Cassius Clay forged himself into American folk lure. The Olympic Gold medallist took on the marginally popular champion Sonny Liston in February of 1964. America developed a loud conscience that day in Miami. The young Clay defeated Liston in seven rounds and declared himself the greatest afterwards. The next day during the post fight conference, we were introduced to Muhammad X, then later Muhammad Ali.
Ali was the new face of The Nation of Islam, and he terrified white America. His words and arrogance struck fear into society and strength into young blacks, Ali stated, "I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me." He spoke out against the maligned war, his brashness made many angry, but the truth he spoke gave to speechless a loud and provocative voice. Ali refused to be drafted on the grounds he had no quarrel with the Vietcong. Ali was most outspoken man of his time on social change. Ali was jailed for refusing to fight in Vietnam, and lost three crucial years of his career.
After Ali, heavyweight champions didn't have so much responsibility to carry. There were no segregation issues, the war was over, and America needed only to worry about the gas prices. Larry Holmes then entered the championship realm. Holmes wasn't outspoken like Ali, he didn't battle our government. He wasn't the collective thought of the nation. In fact he was the beginning of the end for what we came to expect from socially relevant public figures. Holmes didn't fight communism in the ring, the one true enemy of the country at the time. That was in part to the evils of capitalism and the refusal of communist fighters to turn pro. Holmes was a quiet champion when the country was led by "The Great Communicator," there was no need for him to speak for us. Holmes had one battle for social equality. In the summer of 1982, the great white hope stepped into the ring to take back the heavyweight crown. Holmes for the only time had to battle more than just another fighter. He fought prejudice like a champion for one night. He knew for this one moment what it were like to be Johnson, Louis, and Ali. Poor Gerry Cooney didn't have a chance. That was the last time that the Heavyweight championship stood more than just holding a belt.
Since the departure of Holmes as champion, there have only been two men that were true undisputed champions, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. Tyson was the exact opposite of what a champion stood for. He was convicted of rape, bit another fighter's ear off, and proclaimed his taste for eating children. He was a freak show when most other champions would try to uplift society, and sociological thought. Lewis was a better citizen, but proved to be just as useless to the plight of his fellow man during his reign. Granted there wasn't as much for these men to stand for, but they never went out of their way to help the unfortunate of any kind.
Boxing has always helped poor and broken individuals to find guidance in their life. Boxing accomplished this at all times of its existence, whether or not there was a champion with social reform on his agenda. Stories of homeless and extremely poor fighters making a decent living off of boxing, riddles the landscape of personalities in the sport. Men and women who were in jail and boxing turned around their lives are great stories that are told time and again. However, these stories are becoming fewer and fewer. With basketball and football replacing boxing as ways to beat poverty, boxing is losing many strong hardworking characters. There are fighters destroying credibility for the sport. For every story of a reformed Bernard Hopkins, there is a Clifford Etienne.
I understand that there seemingly isn't as much to stand up for these days. Fighters could use their celebrity to bring awareness to the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Or they could stand out against the war in Iraq, or maybe even against the injustices against Northern Korea and China's citizens. Anything at all would be acceptable; Lamon Brewster and Chris Byrd proclaim their Christianity, but fail to fight against world hunger or any social change anywhere. These fighters are in the game to make money, and that's seems to be it. They announce their desire to be remembered as great champions. They fight to forge legacies that fans will talk about for ages. However, it is not the just the fighters that held claims to be champions that we talk about, or fighters with just impressive records. We still talk about Johnson, and Louis, and Ali, because of what they meant to our culture as well as to what they accomplished inside of the ring. If a person thinks only of themselves, then they will be the only person thinking of them.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Experts Contemplate: Taylor-Hopkins II
30.11.05 - By Scoop Malinowski / Boxinginsider.com: Various boxing insiders were asked who they think will win the return engagement of future Hall of Fame all-time Middleweight great Bernard Hopkins and the young up & coming heir apparent Jermain Taylor.
Bobby Joe Young (the only man to defeat Aaron Pryor as a professional): "I like Bernard Hopkins. He's a very smooth fighter. He has a lot of knowledge. He has good ring generalship. So, in the late rounds I see him prevailing."
Junior Jones (former Bantamweight champion): "Hopkins. I think he's going to look at the tape and be like, Damn, I almost had this guy at the end, and I didn't press too much. I think he's going to come back and knock him out."
Johnny Bos (matchmaker/adviser): "I like Hopkins. I thought Taylor won the first fight. Because 95% of the time, I'll go with the guy that finished the fight stronger the first time."
Omar Sheika: "It's going to be tough. I believe the first fight was very close. I think Hopkins had him out the last three or four rounds. I believe Taylor's going to have a lot more confidence coming around the second time. It's going to be interesting. I believe they're both going to let their hands go more. The first fight wasn't what we expected. They both held back. They both respected each other. This time I think they're both gonna let it hang out more. And not show any respect for each other. But it's a hard fight to pick because I think the first fight could have gone either way, Hopkins won the later rounds, Taylor won the early rounds. It depends. Hopkins is a fighter with a lot of experience. Taylor is a young fighter, but he showed a lot of wildness in the first fight, a lot more immaturity. It's tough with Hopkins, he's a very experienced fighter."
Iran Barkley (former supermiddleweight, light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion): "I like Hopkins. He's the more experienced fighter."
Ice John Scully (former world title challenger and current trainer): "I think Bernard realizes the huge mistake he made last time by letting Jermain jump out to that big early lead. Motivation is a powerful tool and after going unbeaten for twelve years I think Bernard realizes that losing is not something he finds easy to live with again. He always talks about history and his legacy and if there was ever a time to do something truly Hall of Fame worthy it is now. Maybe it's a certain amount of wishful thinking on my part but I could see Bernard allowing this fight to be more of a dogfight than he did last time and his superior conditioning can come into play more than it did last time - he started to get to Jermain late in the first fight but didn't do enough damage early on to dent Taylor enough when it counted. I think this one could end up being an exciting fight that Bernard wills his way to victory in over 12 full rounds."
Shelly Finkel (manager): "I think it's a really hard fight to call. But if I analyze everything that happened in the first fight, I would go with Taylor. The reason is, Taylor I think was nervous in the first fight. And that pressure built up. And that's what made him tired in the later rounds. Hopefully, in his mind, he's overcome that and the question on Hopkins, at the age he is now, is he gonna be able to start earlier? And that's the question mark to me. So I'll go with Taylor in a very close fight."
Frank Warren (promoter): "Taylor. I fancied Taylor the first time. I just think he's the young guy. I think Bernard had his day. And Hopkins is a great professional, but is Hopkins gonna get any better? I don't think so. Taylor will though. Taylor is a young kid who knows what he's got in front of him."
LeRoy Neiman (artist): "I think Taylor will. I'm looking forward to talking to Hopkins and seeing him. Taylor's all right but he does not strike me as being a great fighter...Hopkins may (win) because he's so well conditioned, he just won't let that guy win. It's going to be a head fight. The smartest guy who wants to win the most will win the fight. This is not Pernell Whitaker. Pernell Whitaker never really went in to win, but he didn't have to win that much."
Jeff Lacy: "I'm gonna go with Taylor. I think in the first fight he was still skeptical about getting in with a guy that he really didn't too much know about yet, being in the ring and dancing with the man they call pound for pound, it takes...Hopkins got to Taylor a little bit in the first fight. I think Taylor is going to go out and really explore his strengths and win a real good fight this time."
Joe Calzaghe: "Because Taylor won the fight once - though I didn't see it -and he's the upcoming fighter, you have to maybe just slightly give him the favorite. Too difficult to say. Hopkins, he's always training, always fit, I respect him a lot for his age to be fighting. It's probably still a 50-50 fight. If I have to bet on one maybe just through youth with maybe the confidence he'll have from the first fight. And he's only going to improve. I think Hopkins will not improve. Taylor's going to improve. Maybe just edge it to Taylor. Hopkins has shown in the past that he's a great fighter and anything can happen."
My two cents: Conventional wisdom would say Taylor is the correct pick. But this is Bernard Hopkins we're talking about. One of the most unconventional and extraordinary, most dedicated, most hard-working and intelligent champions boxing fans have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. If anyone is capable of adding new tricks to his arsenal at the age of 40, it's the unpredictable Bernard Hopkins. I think he's going to stun people with a few surprises on Saturday night. Taylor will be better and more comfortable for this fight, but I believe Hopkins will too. Ex may have lost the first half of the horse race last time, but he won when it counted most - in the home stretch. I believe Hopkins learned some things about Taylor and will show his superiority again on Saturday night.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Joe Calzaghe, Jeff Lacy Conference Call Transcript
November 30, 2005 - Photo: Tom Casino /Showtime - Question: Do you have any opening statements?
Calzaghe: I have been champion for eight years. Finally, I get a fighter who shows ambition and wants to fight for the titles. So, this fight was not hard to make. This is my destiny. I have been waiting for this moment. I have always said good things come to those who wait. A lot of people think I am going to get beat in this fight, but I have waited so long for this and I cannot wait for the time to come. I am excited, and I think it will be the fight of the year.
Lacy: It is going to be a great fight. I am excited and eager. I am at a loss for words. I am just ready to fight. Too bad we still have to wait months for everybody to see this great fight. I am coming over to his hometown to take what is mine. Look out..
Question: Joe, are you 100 percent now?
Calzaghe: Yeah. Obviously, three months ago, I fractured my metacarpal bone in my last fight, which was pretty bad. But my hand is going to be 100 percent come fight night.
Question: With all the negative things that people have said about you, how does that motivate you toward this fight, and what are your feelings about those comments?
Calzaghe: This is a money fight for me, and for me to leave a legacy in the middleweight division. I am fighting the best. As far as being injured, in hindsight, nobody knows what is going to happen in the ring.
Question: How much have the comments from people, and the things that were written and said bothered you?
Calzaghe: I have been boxing since the age of nine, and so it does hurt when you need to compete with people slapping you off and saying different things. But if anything, that just motivates me even more.
Question: Jeff, you are willing to travel into another country where the other guy is a clear hometown favorite. What does that say about you?
Lacy: My dream is to unify the two middleweight divisions and that is what I wanted to do. I have never turned my back on a dream. My dream was to make it to the Olympics and I did that. If I had to go over there, then I will let everybody know that I was willing to go anywhere. And if Calzaghe would have come over here, we would have fought here. But it so happened that the fight was made in England.
Question: Joe, how do you deal with Lacy’s style? What will be your strategy?
Calzaghe: Fortunately, Lacy has a very aggressive style. He comes in, looks to come forward and pull big shots. I probably prefer the negative fighters you saw go on the back foot. At the end of the day, we are two (Lacy and I) aggressive fighters, and both like to be on the offensive. It just makes for a great fight, and it is great for boxing. To unify the title is just great for the middleweight division. I have a lot of respect for Lacy for coming to the U.K. to fight. It will probably be the best fight in the middleweight division.
Question: Is there any other fighter that you fought that could be compared to Lacy?
Calzaghe: I beat Omar Sheika a lot easier than Lacy did. He beat Robin Reid a lot easier than I did. Every fighter is different at the end of the day. Who beat one person does not mean anything. Come that particular day, we will both be in great shape. Regardless of where the fight is made, the best fighter will win the fight.
Question: Why do you think you are the underdog in this fight? In Los Angeles, people seem to think that Lacy is the favorite.
Calzaghe: It is one of those fights where everyone has a different point of view. That makes for a great fight.
Question: Jeff, how do you deal with Calzaghe’s southpaw stance?
Lacy: You would be amazed on my speed and punching ability. I think my way through a fight. That is one of the things that a lot of fighters do not do. I have no difficulty with Calzaghe being a southpaw. My very first fighter that I learned in my very first days of starting amateur fighting was Winky Wright. No one really compares to his speed and his ability.
Question: Do you not agree that before you move up to the light heavyweight division, the best thing for boxing, for you and for Joe Calzaghe is to unify the super middleweight division?
Lacy: Yes, and that is why this fight was still capable of happening. I never said I would not ever fight Calzaghe. We were supposed to fight before and he fought in September because he did not want to wait. That is just boxing. So that is the only thing I am looking forward to.
Question: Are you nervous at all about the fight going to a decision? If so, are you going to be looking for an early knockout?
Lacy: No, I think that is why we have the referees and judges to really play the third man of this fight. I would never take this fight if SHOWTIME was not involved. If it was off television, sorry, the boxing fans would have to wait until SHOWTIME came aboard.
Question: Joe, do you think you are ever going to travel to America to fight? If not, do you think that will hurt your legacy with boxing fans?
Calzaghe: You can never say never. At the end of the day, I would like to come to America and fight one time. It is always a possibility.
Question: Jeff, in anticipation for the biggest fight of your career, does the amount of pressure that Calzaghe puts on fighters present a challenge to you?
Lacy: I think the two styles are very similar. Calzaghe comes with pressure. I come with pressure. We both are fighters that are willing and ready to fight.
Question: Joe, does Lacy’s style present a reckless abandonment on his part trying to egg you on into that particular way of fighting?
Calzaghe: We both have experience as amateurs. We have been all over the world, boxed hundreds of fighters as amateurs and professionals. In the end of the day, it will be who the best fighter is on March 4. That is basically what it comes down to.
Question: Can you put in perspective what this fight means to you and the potential legacy that you hope to leave behind once it is all said and done?
Calzaghe: After winning the world title, this is the most important fight in my career. I have been waiting for this for eight years. But at the end of the day, this means everything to me because this is what I can call my career defining fight that I have been looking for.
Question: What did you think about Lacy’s performances over the last two fights?
Calzaghe: They (both performances) were impressive – his overall punching power and so on. At the end of the day, I am not Robin Reid, and I am not Scott Pemberton. It will be a totally different fight. We both have to be at our best on March 4. This is a big test.
Question: Do you think your experience plays a huge factor in fighting a guy who is still kind of young within the professional sport?
Calzaghe: I am not sure. Obviously, in the ring, you have good fights and you have bad fights. You get injured in fights. It is all valuable experience. I have been in the fights and all sorts of things happen.
Question: Jeff, how do you keep focused and ready for a fight that is three to four months away?
Lacy: When you saw me look dull is when I had an injury and I was not able to do anything in the gym. I was not able to run and do things like that. When I broke my hand, it was the same thing. So, I am still in shape from the Pemberton fight. I am not that far away from being at my best. When I start up with training, it will be all focused on Calzaghe and the March 4 fight. So, I do not think this layoff is going to hurt me. a
Question: With every fight, you always go in with a ton of confidence and assuredness in your ability. Do you have that same confidence when you approach Calzaghe? Is there any nervousness?
Lacy: With this fight getting closer and closer everyday, it has really taken me to another level. For Calzaghe to be over here (United States) doing a press conference in New York, it just really opened my eyes to how excited I am about this fight going down, and how much closer we are. It really raised my eyebrows that this fight is going to happen. So I can say this is the most excited I have been in my boxing career.
Question: Jeff and Joe, how do you prepare for a fight that starts at 2 a.m., and have you ever had any fight that has come close to starting that late?
Lacy: Well, that is late for me being over in the U.K., but I am still fighting at 10 p.m. in the United States. So, it is not me who has to adjust. It is Calzaghe because he is fighting at 2 a.m. in the morning. Best of luck to him. So, I do not want to get on the U.K. time zone. I am going to stay on United States time.
Calzaghe: I will adjust by changing my sleeping patterns, training later and getting myself adjusted to that.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Why Hopkins Will NOT Win in The Rematch
29.11.05 - By Goran Dragosavac: It is not because of the absence of Hopkins' trainer Bouie Fisher, it is not because of Hopkins age (now, 40-years-old) - it is for the simple reason that Bernard Hopkins does not have mental advantage over his opponent, any more. Few fighters in history of boxing have exploited the mental dimension of the fighting as much as Bernard Hopkins did. And that simple fact really compensated for a lack of punching venom in his boxing arsenal.
I was never Hopkins's biggest fan, yet I still respected him for the way he was able to unsettle his opponents in and out of the ring. After all, boxing is mental as much as a physical game. In his first fight against Jermain Taylor, Taylor was surprisingly gun-shy. He gave Hopkins too much respect and too little of his fire power. His jabs, and combinations were somewhat lacking, and yet, in my opinion, he was the better fighter on that night, while Hopkins did just enough to lose the fight, mostly due to his lack of aggression.
Well, I really believe that Taylor will do far better this time, especially if he starts putting pressure on Hopkins from the opening bell. And Hopkins knows that this time, Taylor will come on strong - that's why he signaled to Taylor in his last press conference - "I am chopping the wood, so, I dare you to test my endurance." Well, I believe his endurance will be tested, and I would be very surprised if this fight turns to be yet another typical Hopkins, chess-match fight.
I would expect Taylor to bring it on, and really show no respect. He knows he can take the best of Hopkins, however it remains to be seen whether Hopkins can take the best of Taylor. If he fights up-tempo, aggressively and on inside, while relentlessly throwing jabs, crosses and uppercuts, almost in Ricky Hatton style - it will be very difficult for Bernard Hopkins to stay in there with him. If Hopkins couldn't win the first time around, when he had the mental edge over his younger, and somewhat unnerved opponent, then this time around, it will be one long road to victory and one short road to the loss.
I predict a unanimous decision or a stoppage for Jermain Taylor. 
Dream on dummy 
Posted by: TJ Cline
Jes One Mo Time... Bernard Hopkins’ Quest to Regain the Crown
29.11.05 - By Kevin Kincade: Much has been made of Bernard Hopkins’s behavior since he lost his title to Jermain Taylor. He has gone to court to try to get the decision overturned based on Duane Ford’s scoring of the final round; has repeatedly badmouthed the new champion, and, in general, has behaved as the quintessential sore loser. Big Deal. Did you really expect anything else?
Bernard Hopkins has had to fight for every ounce of respect he’s garnered over the last 17 plus years. After being released from prison, he decided to stay straight and become a fighter…then he lost his pro debut. As any former convict can tell you, reintegrating back into society is anything but easy…Battle # 1 for Mr. Hopkins. He lost his first fight and had that much further to climb to establish himself….Battle # 2. Can you imagine the amount of determination it must have taken to become not only a successful prize fighter; but a championship contender from those beginnings? The school of hard knocks and the world of hard socks molded hard man in Bernard Hopkins. To rise from his origins to the pinnacle of his success, it could have been no other way.
If the struggle to get to the top wasn’t hard enough, when he finally arrived, he had to deal with the fact that nobody gave a damn. All of his life, at least during his professional boxing career, his soul was screaming and fighting for all who would listen, “I AM SOMEBODY!!” Then, when he finally reached the top of his game and captured the belt…..nothing. Nobody cared, nobody knew who he was. They (we) were too busy lauding over Roy Jones Jr., James Toney, or any other fighter HBO or SHOWTIME decided to groom into a star. Bernard Hopkins was the invisible champion until, at 36….an age when most fighters are retiring, or should….he knocked a star from the sky. Only after he stopped Felix Trinidad did he receive any recognition for his ring accomplishments. Go ahead…..Tell me I’m wrong.
Finally! Everybody knew his name, knew who he was, recognized all the men he’d beaten and how well he’d learned his craft. He was being mentioned alongside the sport’s immortals: the Marvin Haglers, the Sugar Ray Robinsons, the Carlos Monzons……OH, it was a long time coming; but it came!! And just when it looked like the Hopkins fairy tale, American Dream, or any other applicable cliché you want to use, was about to play itself out and he’d (here’s another) ride off into the sunset with his 21st successful defense against the “heir apparent”, something went awry on the way to Happily Ever After….the kid won.
Think about that. Here’s a hard luck kid who’s done time, lost his first fight, fought in obscurity AS A WORLD CHAMPION for Years, manages himself because he trusts No One….why should he?!…and now, all that he’s worked so hard for is taken away by three old men sitting ring side. Did you really expect him to be gracious? He had the kid reeling in the last round and dominated the three rounds before that….isn’t the champion supposed to get the benefit of the doubt in a close contest?? Not where Bernard Hopkins is concerned…No Sir! Nothing’s ever come to him easy in his entire life, so you bet your ass he’s gonna fight and complain and sue and whatever else he can do…..’cause he can take care of himself and needs no one!!
So, now what? What’s gonna happen on December 3rd? Will the king regain his throne and take back what was “stolen” from him? Will Bernard finally get his long awaited happy ending? If he does, only Hopkins would benefit from it….which is exactly the way he’d have it. Surely he doesn’t need to regain the belt to be considered an all-time great. He’s already accomplished that with his significant ring accomplishments. Twenty successful defenses is nothing to sneeze at. Hagler didn’t do it. Monzon didn’t do it. Robinson sure didn’t do it. Great as he was, he still had to lose the belt four times to win it five. Ketchel didn’t do it, nor did Greb nor Walker nor anyone else….Only Hopkins. So, why come back to win the title only to retire right after the fight, or so we think? In a word, Pride. Bernard wants to leave it in our minds that he was without a doubt, the best of our time and have even the future title-holders compared to him with old pundits saying things like, “Yeah, he’s good; but he couldn’t have beat Hopkins. Damn, he was great!” If Hopkins regains the belt, even if Taylor should go on to win it later after Bernard calls it a career, people are still going to remember Bernard besting him….some would say twice, regardless of the official decision of the first bout. Immortality, that’s what Hopkins wants…..his respect; and he’s going out to get it.
Will he succeed? That, truthfully, is anybody’s guess. From the last fight, we can ascertain he waited too long to put any kind of real pressure on the kid and fell victim to the Marquis of Queensbury’s rules. Taylor won more of the early rounds, close though they were, regardless of Hopkins’ thorough dominance over the last 4. Four rounds do not win a twelve round fight without knockdowns. It’s simple math. And while it could be argued that Bernard won more of the first eight than he was given credit for, he left too much room for doubt. If B-Hop wants to regain his precious title, he’s going to have to widen the distance between he and Taylor in the eyes of the judges. But, at 40, can he set the kind of pace required to do that? Taylor may have been the more exhausted of the two at the conclusion of the first bout; but I submit that was due more to nerves than any pressure Hopkins was applying. Taylor won’t be nervous for this one. If anything, the kid is going to come out looking to prove himself and prove those who thought Hopkins won the first one wrong. That’s not good news for old Bernard.
Taylor showed and educated jab in the first bout and superior strength, so Bernard won’t be able to wrestle him around the ring. Most of Hopkins success was found on the inside in the clinches and one would suspect that he will attempt to utilize that style more in the rematch early on to wear the kid out; but odds are Taylor will be expecting such a tactic. The primary difference between the two is obviously the age and experience factors. Both, I believe, will come into the rematch looking to prove something and trying harder to win than in the previous bout. The advantage, to my way of thinking, would go with Taylor. He’s younger, faster, stronger, and is bound to have learned more in the first fight with Hopkins than he learned in all of his previous contests. We have not seen the best of Jermain Taylor; but there is little doubt that Hopkins has anything left with which to surprise us. We’ve seen everything that Hopkins can do in the ring….and can’t do. More importantly….So has Taylor.
The hopes of HBO reside on the shoulders of Taylor, who they see as the future of the division….at least until he moves up. Hopkins is just another former champion wanting to hang on to the glory he tasted for oh so few years; a former king not wanting to give up his throne and not wanting to fade back into obscurity. He knows he cannot hold onto it forever; he recognizes his mortality. However, recognition of the ultimate truth does not keep any of us from daring to dream and longing for the impossible. And for those, like Hopkins, who have tasted gold, know better than any how hard it is to let go….especially Bernard, who fought so hard for the recognition he’d longed for his whole life.
Jes One Mo Time, jes one mo time: that is the lament of every former champion with very few exceptions. Ali had to come back. Robinson didn’t leave until years after he should. Holmes, Foreman, Charles….the list goes on and on. Glory is a difficult addiction to give up and the withdrawal has cost many a pugilist their health. It’s a shame that Bernard has taken the avenue he has since losing his championship; but there’s only so much that can be expected of a man who has experienced so much negativity, who has had to fight so hard for so long, daring to trust no one. Bernard Hopkins will go out kicking and screaming all the way; but I suspect he will go out, none the less, win or lose after this one. Don’t be surprised if his demeanor following the rematch with Taylor reminds you of another great middleweight after his final bout…..a guy by the name of Hagler. Maybe he’ll also follow the Marvelous One’s example of staying out and ignoring the call of “Jes One Mo’ Time”. For one, I hope so.
Posted by: aceshigh
hopkins is great he is gonna smash this kid into submission next time,,,,these articles are great foreman
Posted by: aceshigh
vargas vs mosely would be a good fught none the less,,,,,,,,lacy will flog calzahge,,,,lacy is great
Posted by: aceshigh
any news on david tua,s plans???????????,,,or has he eaten himself to death???????/
Posted by: TJ Cline
Quote:
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Originally Posted by aceshigh
any news on david tua,s plans???????????,,,or has he eaten himself to death???????/
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2006-01-28 Calvin Brock vs David Tua
Posted by: aceshigh
havnt heard alot about beock whatsw he like??????????????
Posted by: TJ Cline
Quote:
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Originally Posted by aceshigh
havnt heard alot about beock whatsw he like??????????????
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Calvin Brock
Sex Male
Nationality US American
Alias The Boxing Banker
Birth Name Calvin Vance Brock
Global ID US-NC-032493
Federal ID NC060501
Hometown Charlotte, NC, USA
Birthplace Charlotte, NC, USA
Rated at Heavyweight
World Rank 9 / 1086
Date of Birth 1975-01-22
Age 30
Reach 77”
Stance Orthodox
Height 6' 1½
Trainer Tom Yankello
Manager Jim Thomas
W 27 (21 ko's) | L 0 | D 0 | Total 27
his most notable wins
2005-04-23 218 Jameel McCline 265 31-4-3
W UD 10 10
2005-01-21 226 Clifford Etienne 223 29-2-2
W TKO 3 10
Posted by: aceshigh
he was born 10 days after me
Posted by: TJ Cline
Q & A with Jeff Lacy
30.11.05 - By Travis Marks: Eastsideboxing.com recently sat down with undefeated IBF and IBO super middleweight champion Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy at a press conference held in Gallagher’s Steakhouse for his unification bout with WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe. Lacy, coming off of a two round demolition of fifth ranked contender Scott Pemberton, is eager to get in the ring March 4, 2006 to prove who the best super middleweight is. Lacy let us in on his thoughts about this upcoming career defining fight.
Eastsideboxing.com: Jeff, How excited are you about this fight?
Jeff Lacy: Very excited, I’m amped for this fight. I’m eager that the fight is finally going down. The fight was originally scheduled for November 5th but it was postponed because of Joe’s hand injury. I wasn’t real sure that he really wanted the fight at the time but it means a lot for him to come to America to do the press conference. It sets things off and now it’s a downhill battle for this upcoming fight.
ESB: In the back of your mind are you still a little leery of this fight actually happening?
Lacy: I am a very positive guy; I see that the guy took the time to come over here so I am going to stay on a positive note. It would devastate me if it was postponed again. Because it’s a fight that everybody is talking about, it’s a fight that everybody wants to see. And for it to be happening now means a lot especially with him taking the initiative to come to America to do the press conference. This is a positive step. If things change I will be devastated
ESB: What do you think about him as a boxer?
Lacy: He is a great fighter; he has had 17 successful defenses of his title. He has been champion since 1997. Joe is a great combination fighter who comes forward. This is a fight with two guys who will be coming forward and it will make for a remarkable TV fight.
ESB: What possible difficulties do you see in this fight?
Lacy: I am a very positive person. I’m going in thinking about what I will do and not what he is going to do. Only thing I’m thinking about is that bell ringing, that’s the only difficulty I’m thinking about. As long as this fight goes down and he’s in that other corner I’ll be fine.
ESB: Do you run the risk of being over-confident because of the perception that he is reluctant to fight you?
Lacy: No, not at all. When he gets in the ring it shows me that he’s willing to win, it doesn’t matter. People will say what they say but when he gets in the ring it will let me know that he’s coming for my titles. I’m fighting to retain my title and to gain titles. The main thing is me staying undefeated. The thing that I fear is losing my undefeated record. I want to stay undefeated.
ESB: Many great athletes talk about a moment in time when things clicked in their minds where they finally figured things out. Has that happened to you yet? If so when?
Lacy: Yes, it’s starting to happen for me. There is a big difference in the type of fights I’ve been fighting recently than the ones I fought at the beginning of my professional career. Up until I won my title I had guys in there that were determined but when they got hit they were in survival mode. That worked against me a little bit because I couldn’t show all of my boxing ability and my skills because there would be only one guy in the ring trying to win. Since I won my world title things changed. Every time I’m defending my world title my opponents are coming to try to take something that I have. They also see the money, the dollars signs if they beat me. That’s the difference in me fighting before I won my title and now. There is more of a challenge and that’s what I like. I feel like I’m getting stronger and stronger. I feel more relaxed. This is a fight where two guys are going to be in there that are determined. It’s going to take me to a next level. All of my boxing skills will be on display. This fight gives me goose bumps every time I think about it. I kid you not, I’m not saying this just for the press. I’m saying this because of what I feel inside, this is what I am about, this type of fight.
ESB: You got “buzzed” in the fight with Omar Sheika, what are you working on to keep that from happening and what did you learn about yourself in that fight?
Lacy: It’s going to happen. That’s going to happen but it’s all about coming back from it. It’s about weathering the storm and coming out on top. I’m not the type of fighter that if you hit me with a great shot then it’s done for me or everything is going to go downhill. I’m going to look for a way to get around it, look for a way to weather the storm and to come out of there with something explosive when I feel I’m ready.
ESB: Your trademark is obviously the left hook, but that right uppercut is quite deadly, without giving away your game plan, what do you think will be the key to this fight?
Lacy: I think that being that he is a southpaw the right hand will come into play a lot. I also think my left hook will also play a major role. You can hit southpaws with lead right hands and they circle around and they don’t expect their opponent’s left hand to be strong and it’s easy to land a lead left hook to as southpaw as well------------but I seriously think it will be the body shots.
ESB: If you happen to unify these titles will you stay at supper middleweight to rule or would you really move up to fight Tarver?
Lacy: It depends on what the fans want to see. I have called out Antonio Tarver and it’s been known that he doesn’t want to take the fight so right now my focus is on Joe Calzaghe and what happens after that we will see.
ESB: Quick question, do you know Allan Green the guy that knocked out Jaidon Codrington? He called you after the fight, is he going to have to wait on you or are you not going to pay attention to him?
Lacy: (laughing) If you go at everybody that calls you out…Basically Allan Green is like me when I started out. Young fighters want to fight the best. I had to pay my dues and he will have to pay his. When he makes a big name for himself and people know a little more about him and that money sounds right we’ll get in the ring and square off. But just by him calling me out is great because he put my name out on national TV.
ESB: Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
Lacy: This is a great fight to start out the year. I am really looking forward to this fight very much. This is going to be the first fight of my era. I think I’ll go to a new level after this fight. This is where it all starts.
Posted by: TJ Cline
SHOWTIME: Judah vs Baldomir, Mormeck vs O Neill Bell on Jan.7
28.11.05 - The first Saturday of every month belongs to SHOWTIME, and 2006 promises to be no different for America's No. 1 boxing network, now in its 20th year on the air. Following a spectacular 2005, the network that consistently offers fans the best match-ups in boxing begins the New Year with an exciting world championship doubleheader Saturday, Jan. 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING twinbill will be promoted by Don King and take place at a site to be determined..
In the main event, two reigning cruiserweight champions will collide when World Boxing Association/World Boxing Council (WBA/WBC) champion Jean-Marc Mormeck faces his International Boxing Federation (IBF) counterpart, O'Neil "Supernova" Bell, in a world title unification bout. In the co-feature, one of the world's best pound-for-pound boxers, undisputed welterweight champion Zab "Super" Judah will defend his WBC 147-pound crown against mandatory challenger and No. 1 contender, Carlos Baldomir.
The Mormeck-Bell bout is the division's third enthralling match-up in nine months on SHOWTIME. On April 2, 2005, Mormeck retained his WBA title and captured the WBC belt with an impressive 12-round unanimous decision over defending WBC titlist Wayne Braithwaite. By winning the first world title unification bout since 1988, Mormeck became France's first boxer in any weight division to become a unified world champion. The other division showdown again featured Braithwaite, this time in a dramatic 4th round TKO over Guillermo Jones (Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio -- Sept. 3).
The winner of Mormeck-Bell will become the division's first undisputed champion since Evander Holyfield defeated Carlos DeLeon in 1988 on SHOWTIME, and just the second since the division was created in 1980.
"My goal is to be the unified cruiserweight champion," Mormeck said. "I want to fight the best so I can prove I belong with the sport's elite champions. Bell is good, but I am better. I am very confident of victory. I will make Bell regret he ever signed a contract to fight me."
Mormeck (31-2, 21 KOs), of Rosny-sous-Bois, France, by way of Point-a-Pitre, Guadalupe, France, has won 28 consecutive fights. By upending defending champion Virgil Hill to capture the WBA title on Feb. 23, 2002, Mormeck joined Anaclet Wamba, Taoufik Belbouli and Fabrice Tiozzo as the only boxers from France to win a cruiserweight world title.
In his last start, Mormeck retained his WBA title a fourth time and won the first world cruiserweight unification match since Holyfield-DeLeon by outpointing the previously undefeated Braithwaite 116-110, 115-111 and 114-112 in Worcester, Mass. The strong, muscular Mormeck scored the bout's lone knockdown in the seventh round with an overhand right. Mormeck seemed to hurt the smaller, quicker Braithwaite with every punch he landed.
"I asked for the fight against Braithwaite because I always knew I was stronger than him, just like I know I will be stronger than Bell," said Mormeck, who has not lost since June 1997. "That was a very important victory, but I was not surprised I handled Braithwaite so easily.
"I have always been famous in France, so there was just a little change there for me after winning. But to win on such a national stage as SHOWTIME was great. It got me more recognition in the United States. I hope to live in the States one of these days."
Bell (25-1-1, 23 KOs), of Atlanta, by way of Montego Bay, Jamaica, has not been defeated since April 1998 and is unbeaten in his last 25 starts (24-0-1). This will be the second defense of the then-vacant IBF title he won with a 12-round decision over Dale Brown by the scores 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 on May 20, 2005, in Hollywood, Fla.
In his lone defense and last outing, the hard-punching Bell rang up Sebastian Rothman, knocking him out in the 11th round of what had been a very tight fight on Aug. 26 in Hollywood, Fla.
"I spoke to Jean-Marc in France by phone and told him he can bid adieu to his titles," Bell said. "Mormeck needs to be ready to face the most devastating fighter in the sport.
"This fight is going to be a banger. Mormeck had better be ready. I feel blessed and honored to get such an opportunity. It has been a long time coming, and a life-long childhood dream of mine to fight in a unification world title fight. I always wanted to fight for a world title, but this is the ultimate.
"This is just the kind of match-up that will bring notoriety to the cruiserweight division, and especially to the winner. Boxing has always been about challenges and fighting the dangerous guys. I am ready to fight Mormeck now."
Bell has the most unusual training schedule in perhaps the history of boxing. Each day, the IBF champion does what he wants, when he wants, and that includes jogging, swimming, meditation and "intense sparring and intense body work."
"After I sign to fight," Bell said, "I begin purifying my system by ridding myself of all toxins, including negative influences. Everything I do is predicated on maximizing my intensity. If I am too intense, I might get caught with a shot from my opponent because I am too tight. If I lack intensity, I am also put myself at risk of making a mistake that could cost me.
Bell is no longer nicknamed "Give Him Hell." "I changed before my last fight," he said. "I did some research and there was nothing good about the word 'hell,' so I totally disassociated myself from it."
Judah (34-2, 1 NC, 25 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., stamped himself as one of boxing's most talented fighters when he captured the world's undisputed 147-pound championship with a ninth-round TKO over defending champion Cory Spinks on Feb. 5, 2005, in St. Louis.
Before 22,370 fans and millions more watching on SHOWTIME, Judah ruined the homecoming of Spinks and turned the tables on the defending titleholder with perhaps a career-best outing. He dropped Spinks with a big left hand at around the two-minute mark of the ninth round. A groggy Spinks got to his feet to beat the count, but Judah continued to land punches and the referee stopped the bout at 2:49. After eight completed rounds of a grudge rematch between the world-class, major league southpaws, Judah was ahead by the scores 79-73, 77-75 and 78 apiece.
A former two-time world champion at 140 pounds, Judah retained his undisputed title in his last start when he scored three knockdowns en route to registering an easy third-round TKO over Cosme Rivera on May 14, 2005, in Las Vegas.
Judah, who won the WBO junior welterweight crown with a 12-round decision over DeMarcus Corley on July 12, 2003, captured the vacant IBF crown with a fourth-round knockout over Jan Bergman on Feb. 12, 2000. After five successful defenses, he suffered his first defeat and lost his IBF crown when Kostya Tszyu captured the undisputed 140-pound crown with a second-round TKO on Nov. 3, 2001, on SHOWTIME.
"I do not know a whole lot about Baldomir except that he is from Argentina and he did what he had to do to earn the mandatory shot," Judah said. "So, I respect him for that. I know enough not to take these kinds of guys lightly. Mandatory challenges are always good fights.
"Everybody knows me. They know I want the biggest fights against the so-called biggest names. But no one has the courage to sign the contract."
Baldomir (41-9-6, 12 KOs), of Los Angeles, by way of Santa Fe, Argentina, is much better than his record indicates. After going 24-9-4 during the first six years of his career, Baldomir has gone 17-0-2 since.
A winner of five in a row, Baldomir earned the right to challenge Judah by taking a unanimous 12-round decision (116-112 twice and 116-113) over Miguel Angel Rodriguez in a WBC elimination bout on May 21, 2005, in Chicago.
"The turning point in my career came when I won the WBC International welterweight title in 1999," Baldomir said. "Winning that fight gave me the confidence that I needed. After that, I totally rededicated myself to being the best I could be. That is when I decided that I wanted to become a world champion."
Baldomir was born in the same hometown as legendary middleweight champion, Carlos Monzon, and his famed trainer, Amilcar Brusa.
"Monzon was a hero where we lived, and all the young boys wanted to grow up like him," Baldomir said. "I was no different. It was all because of Monzon that any of us started to box."
Baldomir, who also is trained by Brusa, says his dream will come true on Jan. 7.
"This is better than a Cinderella story," Baldomir said. "I have waited such a long time. There have been so many bumps along the way. But now my time has come and I am ready. Everybody is in for a big surprise.
"I am going to beat Judah and shock the world. It does not matter what Judah tries, I plan to go forward and do whatever it takes to win. I have waited a lifetime for this. I hope Judah takes me lightly. It will just make my job easier."
Posted by: TJ Cline
ESB Exclusive Interview: Shadeed Suluki Speaks on Lamon Brewster
01.12.05 - By Geoff McKay: Author’s note: Recently, I conducted an interview with WBO world heavyweight Champion, Lamon Brewster.
Mr. Brewster was upset about some comments that had been made about him after an earlier nterview he conducted with East Side Boxing.
This second interview was supposed to clear the air, and set right any misunderstandings that might have arisen from the first interview. What was that saying about the best laid plans of mice and men? Anyway, during the second interview with Lamon, we touched on, among other things, his performance against Kali Meehan, and some of the things he felt had contributed to a less than perfect showing.
One of the factors he mentioned was infighting in his training camp, and that perhaps his trainer at the time, Shadeed Suluki, had let his "ego get in the way."
Shortly after the second interview was run, East Side Boxing was contacted by Mr. Suluki. He had a different version of events and wanted to be interviewed, so that he could share his side of the story. I contacted Mr. Suluki and spoke to him at length about Lamon’s preparation for Brewster.
After that conversation I again contacted Mr. Brewster and discussed the situation with him. I suggested to both men that perhaps it would be better to settle this between themselves, without going public. However, they both agreed that this was most likely not going to happen, and that it was only fair that both sides of the story be heard. So, without further adieu, here is my conversation with Shadeed Suluki, Lamon Brewster’s trainer for both the Wladimir Klitschko, and the Kali Meehan fights;
ESB: Hello Mr. Suluki. You read an interview I conducted with Lamon Brewster here on East Side Boxing, and did not like some of the comments that he made. Can you elaborate for us?
SS: Actually, you know, about what happened in camp. There was some statements made, that there were a lot of problems, which there was, a lot of problems. What really caught my attention is that it appeared to…, the way I read the article is that I had a problem with my ego, you know, and that wasn’t correct. I’ve been in boxing for quite some time, and I’ve been around camps, I’ve been involved in other camps, and they were successful camps. There is a way to run a camp and there is a way not to run a camp, and our camp going into that fight with Kali Meehan was pretty much a disaster because we had too many chiefs and not enough Indians. I wasn’t allowed to do my job; I had too many people interfering in the training. Going into the camp we had boxed with Kali Meehan, we had him as a sparring partner. Right there we knew how to deal with him. Lamon is a strong puncher and has good technique, but you don’t stand on the outside with a guy 6’6” and try to box him, you aggressively box him, and that was my strategy going into camp, but others thought that he should box him and stay away from him.
ESB: Who were the “others” that disagreed with you?
SS: It wasn’t really the camp, it was just certain members in the camp, and I’m going to say it, one was his father, another was a close friend of his that had been with him for quite some time, which neither one had ever fought before, never really had anything to do with boxing until Lamon got involved with boxing. I guess his father felt that since it was his son he could sit there and dictate how things should be run, and how people should do their jobs.
ESB: What was Lamon’s reaction to this situation?
SS: I think he was caught up in the middle of an emotional standpoint of, you know, this is my dad, and you’re my coach, you know, trying to please his father, and it became a problem, I saw it. When the problem really started, is you know, I tried to tolerate his father, I tried to tolerate and get along with Mark, and his father, but, one evening, his father pulled me to the side, after I had stopped over to the house, and wanted to sit down and talk to me, which we did, but I think he went a little to far to tell me what I should be teaching his son.
I politely told him, you know his father was very good with dealing with guns, he knew everything you could know about a gun and how to make bullets, so I told him, if I wanted to know anything about making bullets or guns, then I would come to him, but when it came to boxing would he please step aside and let me do my job.
That seem to have offended him, and that’s when the problem came in when Lamon speaks of people wasn’t speaking to one another in camp, it was really his father wasn’t speaking to me because whenever I came to the gym or I would see him I would speak. You know, I’m a man, he’s a man, and, you know, I’m not going to kiss anyone’s ass.
ESB: Did you face the same issues when you prepared for Wladimir Klitschko?
SS: That was not our first training camp actually, when we fought Klitschko, that was our second training camp. I was in training camp with Lamon when we were scheduled to fight Corrie Sanders, and then two weeks before we were scheduled to go to Germany the fight fell through. So we pulled camp and went home, and then the fight came up with Klitschko. So I had not just come to camp, like he said I was new, no I had been there, and then I had been around Lamon for quite some time, because Bill Slayton was my trainer in the 70’s. I was with Bill when he first opened the Broadway Gym in 1977-78, so I was no stranger to Lamon, you know, as the way he put it, was like, I was new coming in.
I knew Lamon when he was in amateurs. The Klitschko camp went pretty smooth. I was allowed to do my job. And another thing that bothers me with Lamon, he doesn’t give credit where credit is due. It was a team; it wasn’t just “I”. He used the word “I” a lot, and I thing that is so unfair to everyone around him, especially to myself. I’m the head coach, and I had a big input in the way that he fought Klitschko. It was my strategy to make him gunned, not to let him rest, to keep scooting up in his face, and I felt that the first five rounds was going to be hard, but then we would get him in the stretch.
ESB: As you watched the fight unfold, did you feel your plan was working?
SS: I was alarmed when he got knocked down, when he got hurt, but then if you notice, if you look at the tape, he looked in the corner and winked at us and nodded like, “I’m okay”. I still was alarmed, because I know that Klitschko is a good puncher and he’s a sharpshooter. I knew we were going to be under the gun for the first five rounds, but watching tapes on Klitschko, I noticed that when he fought at his pace, he still got tired past four rounds.
I figured that we were going to keep the pressure on him, and keep gunning, and we would probably get him in the later rounds. If you watch the tape, Lamon hit him with a couple of good body shots that helped him to get tired, and that was our plan. The plan that we came up with, we were going to make him fight hard, harder than he ever had, and back him up because European fighter they had a problem a lot of times with backing up, they would always sit back on that right leg, so that’s what I came up with. We sat down, we watched tapes, and put the plan together, and we worked it, so it went according to plan really.
ESB: If there was a rematch, do you feel the result would be the same?
SS: I think we put together a formula then, it was a really how to beat Klitschko. I feel that if Lamon used the same formula, even in that fight there were some things that I wanted him to do that he didn’t do, but he hadn’t fought in a long time, so he was a little rusty, but now that he has been fighting regularly, and if he would go in there with the same plan that we put together, I see him destroying him (Klitschko).
ESB: How did you and Lamon part ways after the Meehan fight?
SS: Let me tell you what I did. The last two and a half weeks of camp, it was fine, everything was fine, he was executing, he was doing some of the thing that I really was wrestling with him to do, he was doing it. And so going to the fight, we were fine. In the fight I was shocked when he started trying to box, because if you review the fight you will hear me say at one point, that, okay, you have established the man can hit you now let’s go to work. I was really shocked and disappointed at the way he fought.
After the fight I was just really down because he had such a poor showing, and it wasn’t the way that I wanted him to fight. I felt that he should have been a lot more aggressive, and went after Kali, and I feel that he would have showed, he would have shined. But there we go having the problem that we were having in camp, so I’m saying, hey, you got to sit on the outside of Kali, stay away from his right hand, box him, and I’m like, stay away from him? How do you stay away from a 6’6” guy that going to stay on the outside and your 6’1”, so you’ve got to go get him.
Lamon is very good and going and getting a person, but he just shuts down sometimes. After the fight, I went directly home and I called a friend, and I got the tape, and I said, "Let me see what went wrong." I just wanted to see, you know, sit back and watch it, and I did, by myself, I watched it. He didn’t listen. I heard the commentators saying “Suluki is giving him the right instructions, but he’s not listening”. That made me feel a lot better, so that Monday, I decided, I talked it over with the family, that I was going to resign. They felt it was the best thing because I was having so many problems in camp.
So I called Simon, his manager that Monday evening, and got in touch with him and told him that, “hey, I think I’m going to resign.” We talked about it and he said he understood. He said to call Lamon.
So I called Lamon the next day and I told him I would no longer be with him, and he was disappointed, and he didn’t want to hear that. He said “man, I thought you were with me”, and I said, “Man, we need to sit down and talk, so why don’t we sit down and talk over dinner, just you and me.
So we met, at a little café, you know, and we sat down and talked, and I told him how I felt, and he disagreed. He said, “You know what, it’s not your fault. You had a good night, I had a bad night.” And he said, “I’m going to do something that I should have done with Bill Slayton, because when I lost to Etienne, that wasn’t Bill’s strategy the way I fought, and Bill felt the same as you and Bill kind of pulled away, but I didn’t speak up for Bill. I just let my career go on and my career just went crazy. But you had a good night, I had a bad night, and you said you would be with me, you know, so man, you can’t just leave.”
I said, “Under those terms but we need to talk about what was happening in camp, we can’t have the same type of camp.” He said, “Don’t worry about it, it’s already in the motion of being taken care of, we won’t have that problem again”. And so we left on that, we embraced and hugged and left. And so then he came to the gym a few times, and then I started hearing rumors that he was looking for another trainer.
And then on one occasion I talked with him, I asked him, and he said, “Oh no”, you know, he wasn’t and then I found out he was with Jessie Reid, so it’s like, fine, because I had initially resigned anyway. And then another thing, when he was getting ready to go to Germany, I had not talked to Lamon because I felt that he had made a decision to go with Jessie and I had initially resigned so I wished him well, and a lot of people used to come up to me and ask me if I was angry and I would say no, that I had resigned and they found that funny. They were like, “how could you have the heavyweight champion and you resigned, or you just pulled away like that”, and I said it’s easy for me. It was between Lamon and I, and I felt that it should have just been left alone.
The week before he went to Germany, I got a call from him, when he was in Vegas, and we talked, you know, hey how you doing, I’m fine, how you been, everything’s fine, and then I got a call the next couple of days, he said “We’re breaking camp, I’m coming in on a Friday, I would like to sit down and talk with you”. I said “really?” He said, “Yeah, I’ve got a tape of this guy that I’m fighting, and I would like for you to sit down with me and watch it, and tell me what you think”. I thought that was unusual, you know, okay, you’re with Jessie now, why are you calling me? Then I said, “Okay Lamon, when you get in town, when you have some free time and I have some free time we’ll sit down”.
And so we made contact, we didn’t live that far from one another, and so we sat down and watched the tape and then he started asking me “What should I do Shadeed?” And it was unusual, your getting ready to leave the next day, getting ready to go to Germany and you’re asking me what should I do?
ESB: If Lamon asked you to resume duties as his trainer, what would your response be?
SS: You know, after reading the article that he did with you, I am really surprised because, you know, I felt we had put things behind us and we were friends. I’m not looking to be his trainer, just friends. You know like he used the terms that he has to eat, he has to support his family. I do this for a living as well. Things that people say, if they are not true, it can hurt me.
ESB: How did you hear about the interview?
SS: A friend called me, he said “Hey man, there’s this article, check this out, it’s a long article, but listen to this”, and he read it. He said, “Hey man this is crazy”. After he called there were several other people called me and said, “Hey man what’s wrong with this guy? This guy is all up in your face smiling then he’s trying to tear you down.” Really, I was going to leave it alone, again, but my family and friends said, “No, this dude is throwing mud on you and it shouldn’t be, so you need to speak up.”
ESB: Is there anything you wanted to say in closing Shadeed?
SS: Well, you know what; I wish that I didn’t have to do this. I was pushed in the corner, and you know, I had to come out. I thought it was behind us, whatever happened in camp should have stayed in camp. It was over; he had moved on, I had moved on, why are we still talking about it? When you asked the question about the problem in camp, he should have left it alone. He brought up some old stuff, and then he wasn’t truthful with it. It would have been different if he was telling the truth but he wasn’t telling the truth. I don’t think it left me any choice.
ESB: Thank you for the interview Shadeed.
SS: Thank you.
Final Thought: It is never pleasant to witness a long time friendship being damaged or destroyed. Perhaps part of the blame lies with me for not being more careful in the questions that I asked. I can tell you that I do not enjoy this type of journalism, it is not the reason I got involved in boxing writing, and I struggled for several days with whether or not to release this interview. The last thing I wanted to become was the “Jerry Springer” of boxing writing. In the end it seemed unfair that we should hear one voice, and not the other.
During my subsequent discussion with Lamon, he addressed a few of the issues brought up by Shadeed. On not sharing enough credit for the Wladimir win, he said that the original strategy was not all that effective. On the issue of his father, he stated that his father is very protective of him, and is only trying to act in his best interest. On the differing views of training camp, Lamon said that he accepts the fact that everyone sees things differently.
Shadeed himself said that he didn’t really want to come forward with his story, but in the end felt that he was backed into a corner, and had no choice. I asked him if he felt Lamon’s comments had damaged his reputation and he said they probably hadn’t, but I got a strong impression that Shadeed was worried about what effect comments coming from a world champion might have.
A limitation of written interviews is that it is very difficult to convey the passion in a person’s voice when they are speaking. It was very clear during this interview that Shadeed has a tremendous passion for the sport, and takes a great deal of pride in his work. I hope that both he and Lamon are able to put this episode behind them for good, and continue on with their careers. On a positive note both men sincerely wished each other the best for the future.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Bernard Hopkins and Jermaine Taylor – Repeat or Revenge?
01.12.05 - By Fadi Khawaja: The rematch between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo taught me one thing - initial meetings between fighters do not give us all the answers. Most boxing writers thought Corrales would elect to box en route to a unanimous decision. He went ten rounds on the inside, surely he could go twelve on the outside. Their line of thought was Corrales was the more versatile fighter and when boxing in the first fight found success. What the rematch showed is fighters do not always learn from their mistakes as Corrales was on the brink of disaster the first time round yet chose to plough forward again the rematch. It also showed us do not take any fighter for granted. Castillo made huge changes that were unexpected but evident from the start. In the eyes of this writer the fight was won by the changes Castillo made.
In the Bernard Hopkins and Jermaine Taylor fight we are presented with the same similarities. The fight is quite easy to read; Hopkins fought a very slow fight for the first two thirds of the fight then turned it on.
People who thought Taylor won gave him the first two thirds of the fight because he was trying to make the fight. People who thought Hopkins won did so because they thought Taylor was fighting Hopkins fight and thus gave Hopkins some early rounds, which coupled with the last third of the fight which was definitive for Hopkins, earned him the decision.
The rematch is simple right? Hopkins turns it on early and cruises to the finish line or does what some think he should have done the first time and stops him. Wrong! This fight holds a huge number of variables that need to be considered.
Firstly, Hopkins is an old man. This is not an opinion; this is a fact as he has admitted. His line of thought is one of a pugilist specialist; if his opponent is not going to make him fight at a high pace then he is going fight a slow strategic fight. When a fighter gets old they cannot sustain the pace they once did, Hopkins is no different. Hopkins has been fighting measured fights since his fight with Robert Allen. He fights slow for two thirds of the fight then turns it on. Against an Allen, Eastman or De La Hoya he can get the wins, against Taylor, a big, strong, powerful, fast fighter he was out done. Hopkins carried on like a man possessed until thirty eight years of age. Since the William Joppy fight however he has become human but knows the game so well that he is pulling the wool over peoples eyes. Some fans do not want to admit it but it is the truth. Allen says his power has decreased, there are visible signs of slowing and the paces of his fights have fallen badly. Hopkins does not mind fighting at such a pace because he is a clever fighter and knows it is in his best interests. For Hopkins to come out and set a scorching pace against Taylor would for me be a miracle. The Hopkins of the Johnson fight could do it and win, present day Hopkins does seem to be able to.
Secondly, Taylor is a man now. Before the first bout there were clear signs of respect from Taylor to Hopkins. The rematch is aptly named “No Respect”. I do not see any signs of the stuttering Taylor of old. His choice of words has taken a turn for the spiteful in his bid to unsettle Hopkins and show he has matured. One of two things happened in the first fight; Taylor has bad stamina or he let nervous energy get to him. To my knowledge he stays in good shape, trains hard and they say his coach Pat Burns is a conditioning freak. His reason of tiring late may well have been nervous energy. I myself find this plausible. People who have been in such a situation (maybe not on such a big stage) can attest to nervous energy being draining.
The first two points tell us Hopkins might not be able to fight twelve hard rounds at his best where as Taylor might be.
Technically I was expecting Hopkins to expose Taylors major flaws. I thought Taylors low left and the carrying of the right hand away from the chin would be asking for Hopkins trademark lunging left hooks and lead rights. I thought Hopkins would parry his jab and manhandle him on the inside. Hopkins did expose these flaws but he simply could not do it for twelve rounds. For the rounds where he fought like I thought he would, he won but it was too late. Taylor showed a wide variety of intangibles. Firstly, Hopkins punch could stun him but not put him away thus showing a certain degree of chin. Secondly, Taylor showed formerly unknown strength in the clinch which did not allow Hopkins to dictate one of his best areas – the inside. Thirdly, Taylors power was evident as he stunned Hopkins in the second round with a right hand, left hook albeit with the right hand landing behind Hopkins head. Fourthly, Taylor showed heart in the face of adversity as he got cut, tired and lost four or five rounds in a row.
So Hopkins and Taylor have many variables going into their fight. Do not think for a moment this is a straight forward fight. It is all there for Taylor to win and easier than the first time. However he may follow in Corrales footsteps and use his brawn and not his brains. Taylor seems high on not giving Hopkins any respect but it could be his undoing. Hopkins has not got the same type of fight ending power as Castillo so he is going to need to dig deep and go to the well.
I was once a Taylor admirer but I like skilled fighters who improve. Taylor does not seem content on going down this path. He has a lot of talent but is failing to take note of the finer side of the sport. I think only Roy Jones managed to maintain a technically flawed style of fighting for a long period of time. I maintain what I once said years ago, if Taylor can master the game like Hopkins we have got a pugilistic demon. At the moment he is being very successful with much of what he was born with. He was born tall, strong, fast, with good reflexes and a natural aptitude for punching hard and these were key areas in him beating Hopkins. He did display some skill in cutting off the ring and using that ram rod jab but why stop when he could do more.
So will Hopkins muster one last hurrah or is Taylor going to complete the changing of the guard. A win for Hopkins seals his legacy; a win for Taylor pits him as an immediate candidate for greatness as a fight with Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright awaits, If Wright can get past Sam Soliman.
As mentioned in the beginning, this fight has a lot of variables. One of those variables is I have read this all wrong. It is a possibility and that is what makes boxing brilliant.
NOTE: The first time I went with Hopkins, this time I am going to go with him again. I like to pick the guy who in my eyes is the underdog. Hopkins knows his legacy is on the line. I expect him to fight like it is.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo 3 Official For Feb 4 On Showtime
02.12.05 - Jose Luis Castillo and Diego “Chico” Corrales are ready to do it again on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006. The world’s most talented and courageous lightweights will collide in an eagerly awaited rubber match to decide once and for all the No. 1 135-pound fighter on the planet. The 12-round bout, co-promoted by Top Rank, Inc., and Gary Shaw Productions, LLC will air LIVE on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). A site will be announced in the near future..
Castillo-Corrales III gives world class fights in 2006, will open with a world cruiserweight title unification bout on Saturday, Jan. 7 (Jean-Marc Mormeck vs. O’Neil Bell). A month after Castillo-Corrales III, SHOWTIME will offer the long-awaited world super middleweight title unification showdown between undefeated champions Jeff Lacy (International Boxing Federation and International Boxing Organization) and Joe Calzaghe (World Boxing Organization) on March 4.
Showtime Sports & Event Programming General Manager Ken Hershman said, “We are thrilled to be able to bring Corrales-Castillo III -- the most highly-anticipated rubber match of recent memory -- to our subscribers live on Showtime on Feb. 4. This epic trilogy, combined with Mormeck vs. Bell on Jan. 7 and Lacy vs. Calzaghe on March 4, is definitive proof that Showtime will continue its reign in 2006 as ‘America's Number One Boxing Network.’ ’’
When it comes to highly anticipated trilogies, who needs “The Godfather,” “Star Wars,” “Back to the Future,” “Indiana Jones” or “Lord of the Rings” when you have “The War to Settle the Score on Feb. 4!” The third fight in the legendary series will co-star Corrales, the exciting, hard-hitting World Boxing Council (WBC) champion, and Castillo, the powerful, explosive, former two-time WBC titleholder.
Corrales (40-3, 33 KOs) won the historic first bout against Castillo – and the 2005 Fight of the Year -- when he dramatically rallied from the brink of near-certain defeat to score two knockdowns and register a memorable 10th-round TKO to unify the title and capture the WBC lightweight belt on May 7, 2005.
Castillo (53-7, 47 KOs) won the brief, but brutal sequel five months later with an impressive and sudden fourth-round knockout. Despite losing the Oct. 8 rematch, Corrales came away with both his world title belts when Castillo failed to make the 135-pound limit and one of his camp members was caught trying to tamper with the scale at the weigh-in.
“When he didn't make weight (Castillo tipped the scales at 138½ pounds), I had two options,” Corrales said. “The first was to call off the fight entirely. The second was to allow Castillo to weigh in at 147 pounds on the day of the fight and proceed with the match.
“I chose the second option because people deserve to see a fighter do his job. If this fight did not happen, it would have been bad for boxing. I respect the game, and they knew I would not let it be battered or bruised by a big card being canceled. I could have said, ‘I am not going to fight,’ but I had an obligation to the fans.
“But the past is past. I opened up and Castillo caught me with a great shot. I have no excuses. I do not want to take credit away from his win.
“Now, we have each won once. I cannot wait until Feb. 4.’’
Said Castillo: “I said after the last fight that if they wanted to make this like the ‘Rocky’ movie series, I did not care. I will fight Corrales five or six times.
“(After the knockdown) I knew Corrales was not getting up. I told everyone I would knock him out before the seventh round. His style is perfect for me. He likes to fight inside, and that is what I do best.
“I was very happy to win, but also sad because I could not make weight. I let the people down, but I got my vindication by knocking out Corrales.
Corrales, of Sacramento, Calif., captured the WBO 135-pound crown with a 10th-round TKO over defending champion Acelino Freitas Aug. 7, 2004, on SHOWTIME. A two-time world champion at 130 pounds, Corrales won the vacant WBO belt with a 12-round split decision over Joel Casamayor March 6, 2004, on SHOWTIME. Corrales won his first world title with a seventh-round TKO over defending IBF Robert Garcia Oct. 23, 1999, on SHOWTIME.
Castillo, of Sonora, Mexico, won the WBC 135-pound belt the first time with a 12-round majority decision over Steve Johnston on June 17, 2000. Following three successful defenses, he lost the title and a subsequent rematch to unbeaten Floyd Mayweather in April and December of 2002. Castillo regained the WBC belt with a 12-round unanimous decision over Juan Lazcano on June 5, 2004.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Why The Wright Fight For Taylor Is All Wrong
04.12.05 - by T.K. Stewart: Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to have a boring night in Las Vegas. If you doubt that, ask those who were in the Mandalay Bay Events Center last night to witness the second Jermain Taylor versus Bernard Hopkins Middleweight Championship affair. Heck, for that matter, ask the ones who saw the first one last July across the street at the MGM Grand. Everyone knows what happens in boxing when you match two counterpunchers together and give them something to fight for - a whole lot of nothing. Perhaps the loudest cheer of the night from the crowd was when ring announcer Michael Buffer thankfully announced the beginning of the twelfth and final round..
The chatter now is all about Jermain Taylor and who he will face next now that he has rid himself of a rare Philadelphia albatross called Bernard Hopkins. Taylor’s future is one of promise and optimism. He’s described as the only professional sports franchise in Arkansas. Taylor is young, cleans up good, has a pretty wife and a new baby, looks as good in Armani as he does Everlast and says, “I’m taking on all comers. Just call me up baby! We’ll fight whoever”.
The boxing intelligentsia – now there’s an oxymoron – is calling for Taylor put his title belts on the line against Ronald “Winky” Wright. A former long reigning 154-pound champion, Wright had toiled away somewhere between anonymity and Luxembourg while he plied his trade in Europe for a number of years. When Winky finally got his chance against some well-known opposition he systematically dismantled Shane Mosley twice and exiled him from the 154-pound division. The spanking that Wright administered to Felix Trinidad earlier this year was so stinging that it forced Trinidad and his father/trainer to reconsider their employment in the fight game. Those two are now living out their golden years in Puerto Rico.
The general consensus by those that suffered through the viewing of both Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins fights is that youth was served and that Taylor has supplanted Hopkins. In the interests of the public good most generally agree and hope that there will not be a third fight. About a trilogy, HBO’s newest employee Max Kellerman summed it up best, “There is probably a public demand to never watch it again. These were awful fights.”
All logic and sense would dictate that the fight for promoters to pursue is the champion Taylor against the top rated contender – in this case Winky Wright. However, this is boxing and this is no time to adopt logic and sensibility. A Taylor versus Wright match-up, in all likelihood, would be a fight as painful to the eyes and as challenging to sleeping pill sales as the twenty-four rounds of Taylor versus Hopkins ultimately proved to be. Wright has a conservative style with a tight defense and lukewarm punching power. Besides that he’s a lefty, and you know what Duke told Apollo Creed about Rocky Balboa in particular southpaws in general, “They’re all wrong”. From Taylor’s standpoint a fight against Winky Wright presents high risk with low reward. That Wright’s style and manner of fighting has never caused fight fans to jump from their seats in fits of passion should be enough to disqualify him from the Jermain Taylor sweepstakes straight away. Wright has a small, unidentifiable fan base and has never sold many tickets on his own as a headliner. As part of a boxing promotion he’s typically more hindrance than help. Winky Wright is a nice guy, but we all know where they usually finish. Incidentally, next up for Wright is a December 10th bout against the unknown but highly rated middleweight contender Sam “King” Soliman at the Mohegan Sun Casino. In another marketing and promotional blunder characteristic of the manner in which Wright has usually been sold to the public: It’s a native Floridian against an Australian, in the cold Connecticut woods two weeks before Christmas. Who will have the time to attend or the money to buy a ticket at this time of the year?
Jermain Taylor is certainly obliged now to an easy homecoming title defense in his native Arkansas and no matter the opponent he’s guaranteed a standing room only crowd . The support for Taylor in Arkansas is at a furious boil everywhere from Hot Springs to Little Rock. Many say that Taylor has the potential to be a crossover sports star and that he has tremendous untapped Madison Avenue marketing promise. Winky Wright is certainly not a part of any career marketing plans that Taylor’s brain trust are now beginning to plot. Emmanuel Steward, the wise boxing sage from Detroit exasperatingly said it best about a potential Jermain Taylor versus Wright fight, “Winky Wright is going to be a very difficult fight. I mean even though that is the logical person I don’t really get too excited about the fight. I think it’s going to be another fight similar to what we saw tonight - a technical fight. When you have fights where if one person can just land one punch in that round he’ll probably win the round - those are not the type of fights that I like to watch”.
Another boring night in Vegas.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Hopkins Loses Another Decision To Taylor! - I want to see fight # 3
03.12.05 - By Izyaslav "Slava" Koza: I can't help but disagree with both Bob Costas and Max Kellerman in their assertion that another fight with Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor is not a public interest. Basically the truth of the matter is I spent every second of this fight either upright, standing and pacing in front of my tv, or running to the bathroom to take a whiz. It may sound gross but the amount of anxiety I feel during a potentially good and nerve racking fight, may be judged, by the number of times I run to the bathroom. Its possible that may seem weird but I am willing to bet a lot of fans who share my sentiment go through something like this as well. If you're a smoker I am willing to bet the cigarettes smoked count for your personal compubox is much higher then during a Ruiz fight. No, it wasn't Morales Barrerra, or Corrales-Castillo, but it was still exciting and exhilarating to see who could out maneuver which fighter.
The first thing we should consider is that Hopkins is a forty year old. Now, overall, his ability has not diminished but his work rate has. In a sense, he is starting to show signs of age, but he is such a brilliant tactician, that if he chooses to keep fighting, he will still be effective. Guys who depend on a high volume of punches would not be able to maintain the same game plan into their early forties, but since Hopkins doesn't, he can still bust up Taylor's face. For Taylor's part, he paced himself better this fight and had a little more left towards the end, which is why he got the decision, again.
As with the first fight, I feel giving either fighter the win is unfair. I had a tremendously difficult time to score this fight and after the first 4 rounds, I abandoned even trying. The first three rounds were impossible to give to either fighter. The first was definitely a draw, where both guys had one single unsuccessful lunge each and did nothing but pose for the rest of the round. That is not to say that it was bad as they were both trying to connect with a single punch that would give them the three minutes, neither did, in my opinion. The next two rounds had Taylor letting his hands go a bit more, but not landing anything wholly significant. It would have been his round had it not been for the cleaner punches that Hopkins landed. To be fair to both guys, it is utterly impossible to give either fighter the round. Hopkins wasn't aggressive enough, while Taylor wasn't effective enough. The fourth was the first I gave to Taylor, yet even then, I could see that it wasn't fair to commit giving either guy the round as the amount of pressure that it would have on the result would be too great.
I have always had an understanding of how hard it is for judges to score fights, especially considering that they have no instant replay or multiple angles but this fight confirmed it. However, at the same time, that does not excuse the fact that, as in the first fight, this fight should have probably been a draw. If you give Taylor all the benefits of the doubt because he is swinging, then it only matters who swings more. In that case, Jose Castillo should have gotten the nod against Floyd Mayweather, and Vasili Jirov should have gotten the points win against James Toney. It's not just a swing fight game, and to make the excuse for a judge that he only has a few seconds to make a decision, is not fair. I strongly feel that in order to be fair judges should have the ability to look at replays of rounds, or portions of rounds, and not have to make decisions like this. Were a judge to have an assistant, or a sanctioning body official, who he can confer with to hold off his scoring a round until he checks a punch in a particular round, then that might alleviate scoring biases whether they are intentional or not.
In a fight like this, yes, Taylor is the younger guy and he can swing, and let his hands go more, and since Hopkins agrees to that format he should pay, but I still don't think its fair, overall. A fight should be judged more carefully and from more angles then the judge usually has. If Judges have to sit away from the crowd up in a booth, where they can see the ring better, then so be it, but anything where the results are more consistent and less arguable.
Still, though, getting back on point, like I said previously, I feel Hopkins - Taylor III would still be a fun sell. I would buy it and watch it much the same way. Bernard Hopkins is a legend in the sport and the more we see of him in the twilight of his career, the better it is for us. Jermain Taylor, for his part, on paper, has two wins against Bernard, so technically he does not need a third fight. Still, I feel that if he is serious about getting better, there is no way to get better as a fighter then to get the better of a guy like Bernard Hopkins. Win or lose, in a third fight, Hopkins will leave the sport, and Taylor will most likely take over the middleweight division. It will happen regardless of a third fight, but if Taylor can get in twelve more rounds with a guy like Hopkins, I feel it will positively serve him as a fighter. Especially if he takes a fight that he doesn't need to take, because he probably feels he has proven himself the better man over Hopkins throughout the course of twelve rounds. I don't feel that is entirely so, but I can't deny his ability, which is why I crave to see a third fight. I truly believe that regardless of what the judges say, there needs to be closure to this conflict not a scorecards passing of the torch.
Undercard action
Quartey - Bojorquez
It's difficult to assess the performance of Ike "Bazooka" Quartey. On the one hand, his hand-speed and connect percentage were phenomenal, as well as his ability to take punches and return fire. On the other hand, maybe Carlos Bojorquez just isn't a guy who is good enough to gauge how much Quartey has left. He had a lot of heart, that is without question, yet as the rounds wore on, he connected less and less and ate more and more.
The stoppage is a difficult issue for me. On the one hand, Bojorquez was eating a lot of clean punches, on the other, he was still moving forward and still throwing. I see why the fight was stopped, but as a fan, I would have wanted him to get his forty seconds to finish it out. No, not because I wanted to see blood or see him get hurt, but because I think his effort should have been rewarded with a points loss, not a TKO stoppage. I know the overriding concern is of the Leavander Johnson variety, but still some of these men are warriors. We may feel it is our fault if something happens to them, but they won¨ˆt have any regrets if they are hurt or maybe die in the ring. There is no shame in quitting and a lot of fighters better than Bojorquez have done it because they have families and know in their hearts there is nothing they can do but I feel he wanted to at least finish the fight. The guy reminds somewhat of Wayne Maculough. When all is said and done, Wayne was in tears when they stopped his fight with Larios, and not because he lost but rather due to the fact that he could not say to his kids "I was never stopped in my career." The other side is, of course, without being halted, he might die and not have any kids, but people in general just don't have as much say as who lives and dies, no matter how many precautions are taken. It may not mean much to us, but to Bojorquez, saying that he went the full distance with Ike Quartey, might be another defining moment. I just feel that if he wanted to keep going then he should have been given the chance.
Larios - Vazquez
It looks like Freddie Roach got revenge for Wayne Macullough, as his fighter, Israel Vazquez won on a technicality against the "Pocket Rocket"s' conqueror, Oscar "Chololo" Larios.
Really the issue here is that Vazquez did a great job in attacking early and got the benefit of this, as Larios tried to fight with him and soon realized he was no match for Vazquez's power, as he picked himself up off the canvas. Credit to Larios for not losing his cool and getting on his bike to begin boxing which made the fight very competitive, as Larios was winning from the outside, while Vazquez tried to get inside where he was the better man. It would have been very interesting to see how the fight would have played out but the result took that away from us.
A punch somewhat similar to the one Lennox Lewis landed on Vitali Klitschko, again showed the deficiency of certain boxing rules. Vazquez landed a right inside, that connected at such an angle that the stitching of the thumb of the glove raked Larios's eye, viciously, and caused a huge gash, thereby causing a TKO win for Vazquez. The problem with this is that the same could have very easily happened to Vazquez, and although Larios was congratulating him I am sure that going into the fight, he would not have wanted to lose that way. For that matter, I am sure Vazquez would not have wanted to end up with a huge gash and a TKO loss as well because of it.
Really, the nature of the cut and what caused it should have been evaluated. One option should have been a, "no contest" because I see punches like this as no different than head-butts. It's not the impact or frequency of the punch but rather how it lands and should not affect one fighter negatively. Either that or the gloves that are used should be designed differently so they cannot cause such turning point damage in fights. Either way, there should definitely be a rematch, just like there should have been one with Klitschko and Lewis, which is another debate altogether, because all we can say from what went on is that this result was simply inconclusive.
Posted by: aceshigh
i want some fights on dvd or on tape,,,,,,if anyone can lemme know if they have em,,,,,,lennox lewis vs david tua,,,,,,,,,mike tyson vs holyfeild 1,,,,,oscar de la hoya vs ike quartey,,,,,roy jones vs bernard hopkins,,,,,,,
Posted by: TJ Cline
Quote:
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Originally Posted by aceshigh
i want some fights on dvd or on tape,,,,,,if anyone can lemme know if they have em,,,,,,lennox lewis vs david tua,,,,,,,,,mike tyson vs holyfeild 1,,,,,oscar de la hoya vs ike quartey,,,,,roy jones vs bernard hopkins,,,,,,,
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This the site I coppy most of these articles from...
It is a fun boxing site and has good links to all kinds of boxing shit....there is one or two links to Boxing DVD's that are mix and match.....so you can name the fights you want and they will put it on DVD for you.
http://www.eastsideboxing.com/
Posted by: TJ Cline
Boxing 2, Hopkins 0
By Aaron Jones
Fightbeat.com Staff Writer
Leaders change…societies…language. Boxing doesn’t…It’s the same-ol’-same-ol’.
It’ll break your heart.
Taylor-Hopkins II: All the pieces were in place: a biased crowd, announcing shills, and a close decision in the balance.
Again, the judges got it wrong. What else is new?
In 1985, Larry Holmes fought Michael Spinks for the heavyweight championship. Holmes lost a unanimous decision that still smells. Two of the judges were Dave Moretti and Harold Lederman.
In ‘87, Marvelous Marvin Hagler duked-it-out with Sugar Ray Leonard for the undisputed middleweight title. Moretti had it 7-5 for Ray, tipping it for Sugar.
Each time, the aging champion, who couldn’t be reined in by the establishment, bowed to the current PC darling.
Hopkins was the better man in this fight. He lost .The same people scored it. Coincidence? Sure, there’ve been back-to-back Lotto winners.
Moretti and Lederman gave Taylor 7 rounds. They must’ve studied with the same judge that awarded Gold to the Korean over Jones in the Olympics.
A hard look at judging is the first step to fixing the sport.
When scoring a round, judges have four things to consider: Who landed the cleaner, more effective punches? Who was the more affective aggressor? Who had the better defense? And, who was the better ring general?
In a bout of this magnitude, the unspoken can be telling: Who was the bigger crowd pleaser? Who’ll make the fat cats fatter? Who won’t rock the boat?
Jim Lampley and Lederman force-feed us the HBO agenda. Nobody bites the hand that feeds him.
Bad decisions are ruining a sport already doubled over with body blows
As long as HBO hold the rights to many of boxing’s best, It’ll continue. They should change their slogan from, “Boxing After Dark’ to “Boxing in the Shadows” Truth is a defense in any court.
As for Hopkins, he needs to retire.
Not because he can’t compete; he’s no longer the king. Like Hagler, he’ll fade away.
It’s Taylor and Jeff Lacy time. The king is dead. Long live the king!
It’s a cruel business.
A character in “Death of a Salesman” said,’When I walked out of the jungle, I was 21. And, by God I was Rich!’
Hopkins could boast the same at 41, and leave the game with the same rancor as Hagler.
This scenarios been written over an over again. Boxing’s like Vegas, play long enough, you lose . The odds are always with the house.
Foreman note
Harold Lederman also scored Ali vs Norton lll 8-7 for Ali.......this fight wasnt even close, I scored it 11-4 for Norton.....Ali looked old and slow in this fight and was so bad that it should have been stopped.
Posted by: aceshigh
hahahahahahhahahahahahaahahahaahahahahah how funny is your sig
Posted by: aceshigh
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by ForemanRules
This the site I coppy most of these articles from...
It is a fun boxing site and has good links to all kinds of boxing shit....there is one or two links to Boxing DVD's that are mix and match.....so you can name the fights you want and they will put it on DVD for you.
http://www.eastsideboxing.com/ |
cheers foreman your not an asshole after all jk
Posted by: TJ Cline
The Time Tunnel: "No Mas" - Twenty Five years on, a look back at Leonard v Duran II
08.12.05 - By James Slater: It was one of Sugar Ray Leonard's sweetest nights. Not only did he gain revenge for his first loss as a pro, but he did so in a manner that was totally unthinkable at the time. Indeed it still seems unbelievable all these years later, when one watches the fight on tape.
Leonard's face was practically everywhere by 1980, he had become America's darling by capturing gold at the '76 Olympics in Montreal and the ascension to world title honours was swift in coming. Only three years later he defeated Wilfred Benitez to take the WBC welterweight title, but then he signed to fight a man who was the antithesis of his very being..
Roberto Duran, "Hands of Stone" as he was known, had come up the hard way. A street fighting hard man from Panama who the word tough could have been invented for is the man who famously is reported to have KO'd a horse with a single blow! Now he was in the opposing corner from the charming, loveable kid from America.
Duran made no bones about the fact that he disliked Leonard, going so far as to graphically insult him and his wife Juanita with some vulgar finger gestures. Ray was shocked, he later admitted, and his game plan was to be seriously compromised. Duran had succeeded in what he'd set out to do. Now firmly under Leonard's skin, battle commenced.
Leonard's machismo got the better of him and he stood and fought with Roberto. Big mistake. The silky skills Ray had would have served him much better but he fought with his heart not his head. Fifteen rounds later his title was gone. "Hands of Stone" now held the welterweight championship.
Even as his victory was being announced Duran was still raging. He completely refused to give Leonard any respect as the previously undefeated star tried to shake hands. Duran was at his nastiest indeed on this night. A true giant already, Duran had now reached the pinnacle of his illustrious career, capturing his second world title.
But then came the rematch.
What happened five months later, in New Orleans, no one could have possibly predicted. Beforehand most experts expected a repeat of the first fight. Duran was too strong and experienced, they argued, and once again Leonard would be sucked into a brawl and manhandled to defeat. The first encounter was tagged "The Brawl in Montreal" but the second fight would come to be known as something else, a tagline that would become infamous in boxing history.
The fight started off pretty much uneventfully (at least compared with what was to come) with Leonard using a little more movement than before and Duran again advancing, concentrating all his efforts on cutting off the ring. But then, in an audacious change of tactics, Leonard began show boating. This wasn't merely a case of playing to the crowd or buying time, this was a carefully thought out strategy. In a display of absolute boxing genius, akin to Ali's rope-a-dope, where again seemingly foolish tactics were employed that shocked and amazed by being successful, Ray Leonard defeated Roberto Duran.
Knowing he couldn't out tough him Leonard had to get inside Roberto's head. He out psyched him by taking a huge gamble. Duran was suddenly faced with something he had never even dreamt he would ever encounter; an opponent who was literally playing with him. Ray dropped his hands, made faces, threw bolo punches and generally made Duran look silly. No one had ever dared do this to Duran before. The fact that Leonard had the nerve to try something like this was bad enough but the crowd was now laughing at Duran and cheering on his tormentor. Duran's guts sank, his brain started blowing fuses left, right and centre. He simply could not take this. No man had ever done anything to hurt him like this, he could take the punches but not the humiliation.
He threw up his hands and muttered the now unforgettable words, "No Mas." The fight was over. At first no one, not even Leonard or referee Octavio Meyran, were certain what was happening. Leonard thought it was a ploy by Duran and threw some more punches before Meyran, finally realising that Duran was indeed serious and wanted out, signalled the finish.
The crowd was stunned. Larry Holmes, doing commentary seemed in a daze and said, to no one in particular, "I don't understand this, I don't understand this." He wasn't the only one. Quizzical expressions abounded and although Sugar Ray had just regained his welterweight title, this wasn't the headline that would be dominating the articles written by any of the reporters at ringside. What Duran had just done seemed next to impossible. Such a great warrior meekly quitting in ring centre was an incredibly hard act to fathom. Immediately the questions started.
Why had Duran quit?
He wasn't hurt, he hadn't been wobbled. In fact it had been quite close on the score cards at the time of the bizarre finish, one judge only having Leonard up by a solitary point. Duran initially claimed stomach cramps were the reason he'd been unable to go on but no one was satisfied with this lame excuse.
In fact Duran has said many things regarding the "No Mas" fight that certainly seem to indicate how much the fight still bothers him to this day and how he has tried to cope in living with it. For example, this year, Roberto claimed he never actually said "No Mas" after all. He said that there is no way Howard Cosell, who first publicised the mutterings of Duran, could possibly have heard what he said, all that way on the other side of the ring. One could argue Duran may have some credibility with this claim but the second statement he made this year is thoroughly outlandish. Duran told Sports Illustrated that he quit on purpose because he knew he wasn't in top shape but that he would be in the rubber match! Is Roberto serious when he says such things or is it indeed proof of how deeply Ray Leonard's ring actions penetrated his psyche, the memory of which continues to haunt him? I suspect the latter.
After the bout, however, Leonard's unprecedented boxing skills did get the credit they deserved as slowly but surely it sank in how he had simply out psyched a bully. It wasn't all plaudits for Ray though. He was to be angry for some time due to the glory of his victory being over shadowed by all the attention being focused on Duran's surrender and not on his having made him do so. To some Leonard hadn't really beaten Duran, Roberto had simply taken the easy way out and quit. But taking this attitude is also to take the easy way out. What Leonard did fully deserves to be placed up there with Ali's great win over Foreman as a display of one off boxing genius.
A rubber match the following year would no doubt have pleased many but unfortunately it would be nine long years before these two met again. Duran was shattered by what had happened and he lost a lot of fans due to his actions. He had to deal with the ignominy of having his house sprayed with insulting graffiti, put there by former supporters who felt betrayed by their one time hero.
Roberto did regroup in time, going on to relieve Davey Moore of his light middleweight belt in 1983 and winning his fourth world title in 1989 by out pointing Iran Barkley for the middleweight title. This win earned Duran a third go at Leonard for Ray's super middleweight championship. By then though both men were only imitators of what they'd once been and a dull bout dragged on to the echo of boos for twelve rounds. Leonard won a wide points victory. It was a sad end to the super fights of the '80's that Leonard and Duran, along with Thomas Hearns and Marvellous Marvin Hagler had exhilarated us with.
After "No Mas" Sugar Ray unified the welterweight titles with another great win, this one over "The Hitman", Thomas Hearns. He had been forced to retire due to retina trouble shortly thereafter only to come back, of course, in 1987 and cement his greatness with a stunning upset of Marvellous Marvin.
Yet both he and Duran couldn't go out on top and only after humbling defeats at the hands of Terry Norris and Hector Camacho did Sugar Ray finally retire. Duran soldiered on throughout the '90's and into the next decade before a car crash forced him to hang 'em up too. Both men rightfully have unique places in boxing history but despite all the other heights they aspired to in their careers, the image one has when their names are mentioned together is that shocking night twenty five years ago when the great Duran was made to say "No Mas" by the even greater
Leonard.
Posted by: TJ Cline
The Cruiserweight Division Finds Itself
08.12.05 - By Troy Ondrizek: Much like the artsy nerd type adolescents who played Dungeons and Dragons, and listened to Culture Club, the cruiserweight division has found it difficult to be accepted by many. As the proverbial red-headed step child of boxing’s weight classes, the cruiserweight division has had only a handful of legitimate champions, and far fewer pugilistic greats. Largely ignored since it’s inception in 1980, this maligned division has never caught on with fights fans, partly because of it being sandwiched between two highly touted divisions being the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight, also because great fighters just seem to ignore the division as well, being that it doesn’t offer the same fiscal opportunities as the aforementioned divisions. It took some time for the division to hold any legitimacy, but it did so in the mid to late eighties with quality fighters like Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Carlos De Leon, and most notably Evander Holyfield..
Holyfield is largely regarded as the best cruiserweight ever to fight. He even brought recognition to himself and cruiserweights everywhere when he unified the division under his control in April of 1988. However as soon as he gave the division an identity, he sent it into obscurity three months later fighting as a heavyweight. He left the division into the state it finds itself today. People complain about when Lennox Lewis retired that he left the heavyweight division in shambles, without a true champion. Even now, fans of the heavyweight division writhe in agony about there being no unified champion. For nearly two and half years they have been in limbo waiting for a champion to emerge. Well if they only knew what it is like to be a fan of the cruiserweight division, for over seventeen years, there still has been no unified champion, no one grabbing the division by the reigns leading it into a prosperous and bright future. Now there has been some quality champions like Juan Carlos Gomez, and Vassiliy Jirov, or even the long time champ Johnny Nelson. Gomez and Jirov have followed the yellow brick road made of money into the heavyweight division, while Nelson has held onto his belt for a bazillion years, never trying to unify. In fact every good fighter in the division with the exception of Nelson; has pursued greener pastures in the higher weight class. You know the saying, the grass is always greener on the other side, well, in regards to the cruiserweight division, and it’s true. Until now that is.
Finally, we as fans have something precious to us within our grasp, a unified champion. It’s like we finally have shed our Goth like cloak of nerdom, and have forgotten to words to Karma Chameleon. For on January seventh history literally will be made as the division finds itself in a position to crown its first unified champion since Evander Holyfield. Jean Marc Mormeck, the WBC, and WBA cruiserweight champion; squares off against the controversial IBF champion O’Neil Bell. Mormeck is the overwhelming favorite to demolish Bell’s claims at being a champion. Mormeck is coming off his impressive victory over formerly undefeated champion Wayne Braithwaite. Bell is coming off a successful defense against Sebastian Rothmann, and a disputed victory over Dale Brown to capture the title. This much anticipated fight is seventeen years in the making. This fight highlights a division that has a multitude of good fighters waiting for a shot at the winner. Fighters like Guillermo Jones, Wayne Braithwaite, Steve Cunningham, David Haye, and so many more, are just fighting exciting challenging affairs to climb the mountain of cruiserweight greatness. Much like the heavyweight division there is a debate over who the top ten rated fighters should be in the cruiserweights, unlike the heavies though, it because of a surplus good fighters trying to establish themselves as players in the division. The sheer quantity of talent is alarming, for I don’t know what to expect. What great fighter will emerge from the masses? Now the heavyweight division is envious for two reasons, one, their debate over top ten fighters is because there are only five or six good fighters in the division, so they spend their time trying to rationalize several other fighters being ranked, and two, because the cruiserweight division will know who its true unified champion will be. The heavyweights will be soul searching for years. This bliss will last as long as the winner and the other good fighters don’t bolt and try to fill the vacant positions of good fighters in the heavyweight division, like so many other fighters have done.
Posted by: BillsFan4life
2 exellent fights coming up that i'm sure gonna be watching
Manny Pacquiao vs Erik Morales II
If it becomes a brawl Manny will take it, if Morales keeps it a technical fight for most of the fight like last, he wins.
diego corrales vs JL Castillo III
Will Be a great fight hopefully without controversy. Its a toss up. But i'm leaning more to Castillo cuz in both fights he had busted up corrales more and corrales is fighting castillo's style. only if corrales changes up he will win. But both will come out winners cuz fans know these guys are warriors and will surely pay to see them fight.
Posted by: KentDog
The delayed broadcast of Taylor v Hopkins 2 is tomorrow night on HBO.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Upcoming fight schedule
Dec. 10
At Uncasville, Conn. (HBO), Winky Wright vs. Sam Soliman, 12 rounds, middleweights
Dec. 17
At Berlin, Germany, John Ruiz vs. Nicolay Valuev, 12 rounds, for Ruiz's WBA heavyweight title; Paolo Vidoz vs. Cengiz Koc, 12, for Vidoz's European heavyweight title
Jan. 3, 2006
At Osaka, Japan, Masamori Tokuyama vs. Jose Navarro, 12 rounds, for Tokuyama's WBC junior bantamweight title
Jan. 7
At TBA (Showtime), Jean-Marc Mormeck vs. O'Neil Bell, 12 rounds, unification for Mormeck's WBC/WBA and Bell's IBF titles
Jan. 21
At TBA (HBO PPV), Erik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao, rematch, 12 rounds, junior lightweights
Jan. 28
At Atlantic City, N.J., Arturo Gatti vs. Thomas Damgaard, 12 rounds, welterweights
Posted by: TJ Cline
ESPN Classic
Dec. 9 1952 Middleweight Bout
Boxing
Jake Lamotta vs Eugene Hairston - II 8:00 pm to
9:00 pm
Dec. 10 1952 Middleweight Bout
Boxing
Jake Lamotta vs Eugene Hairston - II 12:00 am to
1:00 am
Dec. 10 Floyd Patterson's Greatest Hits - Volume I
Boxing
Floyd Patterson vs Various Boxers 10:00 pm to
11:00 pm
Dec. 11 1965 World Heavyweight Title Bout
Boxing
Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston - II
Lewiston, ME, USA 10:00 pm to
10:30 pm
Dec. 11 1975 World Heavyweight Title Bout
Boxing
Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier - III
Quezon City, , Philippines 10:30 pm to
12:00 am
Dec. 12 1965 World Heavyweight Title Bout
Boxing
Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston - II
Lewiston, ME, USA 5:00 am to
5:30 am
Dec. 12 1957 Heavyweight Championship Bout
Boxing
Floyd Patterson vs Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson II 8:00 pm to
9:00 pm
Dec. 13 1957 Heavyweight Championship Bout
Boxing
Floyd Patterson vs Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson II 12:00 am to
1:00 am
Dec. 13 1961 World Welterweight Title Bout
Boxing
Emile Griffith vs Benny Paret - II
New York, NY, USA 8:00 pm to
9:00 pm
Dec. 14 1961 World Welterweight Title Bout
Boxing
Emile Griffith vs Benny Paret - II
New York, NY, USA 12:00 am to
1:00 am
Dec. 14 1957 World Middleweight Title Bout
Boxing
Sugar Ray Robinson vs Carmen Basilio - I
Bronx, NY, USA 8:00 pm to
8:30 pm
Dec. 14 1958 World Middleweight Title Bout
Boxing
Carmen Basilio vs Sugar Ray Robinson - II
Chicago, IL, USA 8:30 pm to
9:00 pm
Dec. 15 195
7 World Middleweight Title Bout
Boxing
Sugar Ray Robinson vs Carmen Basilio - I
Bronx, NY, USA 12:00 am to
12:30 am
Dec. 15 1958 World Middleweight Title Bout
Boxing
Carmen Basilio vs Sugar Ray Robinson - II
Chicago, IL, USA 12:30 am to
1:00 am
Dec. 15 1972 World Heavyweight Title
Boxing
Joe Frazier vs Ron Stander
Omaha, NE, USA 8:00 pm to
8:30 pm
Dec. 15 Joe Louis vs. Rocky Marciano
Boxing
10/26/51
New York, NY, USA 8:30 pm to
9:00 pm
Dec. 16 1972 World Heavyweight Title
Boxing
Joe Frazier vs Ron Stander
Omaha, NE, USA 12:00 am to
12:30 am
Dec. 16 Joe Louis vs. Rocky Marciano
Boxing
10/26/51
New York, NY, USA 12:30 am to
1:00 am
Dec. 16 Rocky Marciano vs. Roland Lastarza - II
Boxing
09/24/53
New York, NY, USA 8:00 pm to
9:00 pm
Posted by: TJ Cline
Quote:
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Originally Posted by KentDog
The delayed broadcast of Taylor v Hopkins 2 is tomorrow night on HBO.
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If you watch it, score it round per round and post your final decision on the winner here..
Posted by: TJ Cline
Cheers and Jeers: The Good, The Bad, and The Really Bad
09.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: Cheers to…Floyd Mayweather for finally inking a deal to fight Zab Judah. This showdown will finally answer some looming questions about how good Mayweather really is, and should prove to be the best, and most lucrative, way to simultaneously satisfy his critics and his fans.
Jeers to…Floyd Mayweather for leaving behind unfinished business with Ricky Hatton at 140-pounds. Floyd’s layover in the junior-welterweight division was too short, and everyone wanted to see if the guy who was wobbled by DeMarcus Corley could withstand “The Hitman’s” brutal, nonstop assault. It looks like the world will never know, as the chances are slim that Mayweather will drop back down in class.
Cheers to…Jean-Marc Mormeck and O’Neil Bell for putting it all on-the-line and signing to unify the usually fractured and ailing cruiserweight division. This fight should be the first classic the class has seen since a prime Evander Holyfield was slugging it out with Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
Jeers to…Don King for keeping Roman Karmazin out of commission for five-months and then pitting him against a highly-overrated Alejandro Garcia. Yes, it is a unification match, but titles don’t make a fighter, and Karmazin’s career is marked by wasted time. He needs big fights against top-opposition. Karmazin wanted to wage war with Ricardo Mayorga, but I think King wouldn’t risk derailing the big-dollar fiasco that is yet to come between Mayorga and Oscar De La Hoya in May 2006.
Cheers to…Ike Quartey for coming back stronger than anyone expected after a five-year layoff. At his best, “Bazooka” was a terrific fighter who was a credit to the sport in every sense. He looked surprisingly sharp in his wins over Verno Philips and, most recently, Carlos Bojorquez. It is great to have Ike back, and I wish him the very best of luck as he punches his way through the 11th hour of his career. Quartey vs. Vargas II anyone?
Jeers to…James Toney for dropping out of his scheduled fight with Rob Calloway the moment he sniffed at the crack at an alphabet strap. Wasn’t it Toney who said that he was not defined by titles, and would not be deterred from his chosen path by them either? Time is of the essence for the aging “Lights Out,” but at this point, considering his aversion to conditioning, staying busy is the best way to stay ready for a title shot.
Cheers to…John Duddy for coming along nicely and avoiding the pitfalls of being a highly-touted, super-popular prospect. He is not fighting punching bags to give himself the chance to show off for his boosters. And he is not jumping up in class too fast to cash in on the public’s expectations that he will someday rule the division. I expect big things from Duddy, and from his countryman Matthew Macklin. A battle between these rugged, hard-punching Irish middleweight prospects would make a great show.
Cheers to…Marco Antonio Barerra for making his play to be the first Mexican fighter to hold world titles in four weight-classes. His title fight with Jesus Chavez in March will be his first as a lightweight.
Jeers to…Marco Antonio Barrera for making his first fight at lightweight against the dangerous, heavy-handed Jesus Chavez. Did “The Baby Faced Assassin” learn nothing from watching his rival Erik Morales get smoked by Zahir Raheem when he attempted the same feat? It seems clear to me that neither Barrera nor Morales have any business fighting at 135-pounds, but if Marco is bent on making history he should test the waters before he dives in headlong.Cheers and Jeers: The Good, The Bad, and The Really Bad
09.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: Cheers to…Floyd Mayweather for finally inking a deal to fight Zab Judah. This showdown will finally answer some looming questions about how good Mayweather really is, and should prove to be the best, and most lucrative, way to simultaneously satisfy his critics and his fans.
Jeers to…Floyd Mayweather for leaving behind unfinished business with Ricky Hatton at 140-pounds. Floyd’s layover in the junior-welterweight division was too short, and everyone wanted to see if the guy who was wobbled by DeMarcus Corley could withstand “The Hitman’s” brutal, nonstop assault. It looks like the world will never know, as the chances are slim that Mayweather will drop back down in class.
Cheers to…Jean-Marc Mormeck and O’Neil Bell for putting it all on-the-line and signing to unify the usually fractured and ailing cruiserweight division. This fight should be the first classic the class has seen since a prime Evander Holyfield was slugging it out with Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
Jeers to…Don King for keeping Roman Karmazin out of commission for five-months and then pitting him against a highly-overrated Alejandro Garcia. Yes, it is a unification match, but titles don’t make a fighter, and Karmazin’s career is marked by wasted time. He needs big fights against top-opposition. Karmazin wanted to wage war with Ricardo Mayorga, but I think King wouldn’t risk derailing the big-dollar fiasco that is yet to come between Mayorga and Oscar De La Hoya in May 2006.
Cheers to…Ike Quartey for coming back stronger than anyone expected after a five-year layoff. At his best, “Bazooka” was a terrific fighter who was a credit to the sport in every sense. He looked surprisingly sharp in his wins over Verno Philips and, most recently, Carlos Bojorquez. It is great to have Ike back, and I wish him the very best of luck as he punches his way through the 11th hour of his career. Quartey vs. Vargas II anyone?
Jeers to…James Toney for dropping out of his scheduled fight with Rob Calloway the moment he sniffed at the crack at an alphabet strap. Wasn’t it Toney who said that he was not defined by titles, and would not be deterred from his chosen path by them either? Time is of the essence for the aging “Lights Out,” but at this point, considering his aversion to conditioning, staying busy is the best way to stay ready for a title shot.
Cheers to…John Duddy for coming along nicely and avoiding the pitfalls of being a highly-touted, super-popular prospect. He is not fighting punching bags to give himself the chance to show off for his boosters. And he is not jumping up in class too fast to cash in on the public’s expectations that he will someday rule the division. I expect big things from Duddy, and from his countryman Matthew Macklin. A battle between these rugged, hard-punching Irish middleweight prospects would make a great show.
Cheers to…Marco Antonio Barerra for making his play to be the first Mexican fighter to hold world titles in four weight-classes. His title fight with Jesus Chavez in March will be his first as a lightweight.
Jeers to…Marco Antonio Barrera for making his first fight at lightweight against the dangerous, heavy-handed Jesus Chavez. Did “The Baby Faced Assassin” learn nothing from watching his rival Erik Morales get smoked by Zahir Raheem when he attempted the same feat? It seems clear to me that neither Barrera nor Morales have any business fighting at 135-pounds, but if Marco is bent on making history he should test the waters before he dives in headlong.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Ruiz - Valuev not to be televised in the US
09.12.05 - By Geoffrey Ciani: On December 17, WBA heavyweight champion, John Ruiz, will travel to the Max Schmelling Arena in Berlin, Germany, in order to defend his title against “The Beast from the East”, Nicolay Valuev. Sadly for boxing fans in the United States, this bout will not be televised.
This is nothing short of disgraceful. After all, this is a heavyweight title fight we’re talking about here, and the American boxing audience won’t even be able to watch it. Frankly, I cannot remember the last time a heavyweight championship bout wasn’t televised in the U.S. Has the state of the heavyweight division sunk so low that we’ve reached the point where fans are no longer afforded the opportunity to watch title fights? This is ridiculous!
OK, I know this is a John Ruiz fight and that Ruiz fights are typically known for their infamous lack of excitement. However, this fight is actually somewhat intriguing because Ruiz is facing an undefeated challenger who’s compiled a record of 42-0 – and he happens to be seven feet tall and somewhere in the vicinity of 330 pounds. That in itself warrants a level of circus-like curiosity.
Ruiz’s championship reign has had more lives than most cats. Ruiz has a knack for holding onto his title even when he should have lost it. First off, there was the dubious draw against Evander Holyfield in the finale of the most unmemorable trilogy in boxing history. Then there was his DQ victory over Kirk Johnson; Johnson had promised to enter the ring looking like Muhammad Ali. Instead, he wound up looking like Andrew Golota because he couldn’t keep his punches above the belt-line. This was followed-up by his embarrassing loss to former middleweight champion, Roy Jones, Jr.
One would have thought that the loss to Jones was the end of the line for Ruiz; however, one would have been wrong! Just before Jones vacated the title he had just won, Ruiz was inexplicably given the opportunity to fight for the interim championship against former champion Hasim Rahman. In what may very well have been the most boring boxing match I’ve ever seen, “The Quiet Man” out-hustled Rahman for a unanimous decision. Following this, Jones vacated the WBA strap, and Ruiz was reinstated as the WBA champ. This was followed up by a snoozer against Oquendo which had more clinches than punches thrown.
After that, Ruiz was soundly defeated by Andrew Golota, but once again, Ruiz somehow managed to hold onto his title due to the awful decision that robbed Golota of his first championship. Following his gift victory against Golota, Ruiz would once again lose to another former middleweight champion, James Toney.
This loss gave him the unique distinction of being the only heavyweight champion to twice lose his title to former middleweights. (Are you listening, Bernard Hopkins?) That is, until Toney was caught cheating when he tested positive for steroids, which enabled Ruiz to once again be reinstated as WBA champion.
It’s actually almost comical that someone as bad as Ruiz has managed to stay in the championship spot-light for so long. Somehow or another, he always seems to remain in the mix of things, be it bad decisions, vacated championships, disqualifications, or his opponent testing positive for steroids. Lest we forget, this is the same man who was annihilated by David Tua in a mere 19 seconds back in 1997.
Valuez poses an interesting challenge for Ruiz’s ugly jab-and-grab style. Largely an unknown commodity in the U.S., Valuev holds victories over Gerard “The Jedi” Nobles, Clifford “The Black Rhino” Etienne, and most recently, Larry “The Legend” Donald. 31 of his 42 victories have come via way of knockout, and aside from the somewhat controversial decision over Donald, Valuev has looked impressive for the most part – especially when one considers his enormous size.
Will Ruiz by able to hug his way to victory against his gigantic opponent? Will he be able to find some new and unusual way to once again keep hold of the title he really doesn’t deserve to have in the first place? Call me crazy, but I actually have a strange suspicion that “The Quiet Man” is going to slay “The Beast from the East” somehow or another. Furthermore, I suspect this will actually be an entertaining bout, at least as far as Ruiz fights are concerned.
Unfortunately, like the rest of the fight fans living in the States, I won’t have an opportunity to watch this fight. This is an absolute disgrace! It’s BS of the highest order!
Posted by: TJ Cline
Winky prefers to speak softly, carry a big fist
Wright is unflappable and polite to a fault . . . unless you're Vargas.
By JOHN C. COTEY, Times Staff Writer
Published December 9, 2005
UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Trainer Dan Birmingham has seen Winky Wright mad. Really mad.
He has seen Wright contentious leading up to a fight, edgy in the locker room beforehand, ready to step into the ring and rip an opponent's head off.
Just not recently.
"To be truthful, Winky doesn't really get worked up. He's pretty much friendly with everyone," Birmingham said.
The next time Wright fights someone he genuinely dislikes and does not respect, it will be the first time since, oh, 1999.
Then, it was Fernando Vargas, the world champion. Wright was the unknown.
In the buildup to that fight, Wright developed something he hasn't had for anyone since - a strong distaste.
"Wink can only take so much," Birmingham said, "and they overdid it."
It only got worse after that. The decision was hotly contested. Vargas went on to fame and riches while denying Wright a rematch that was clamored for.
Now on the comeback trail, Wright is asked about giving Vargas the rematch, and the answer is always two words, the first one unprintable and second "Vargas."
* * *
Hearing Wright swear about any fighter is such a rare occurrence, it provides a jolt for those who only know him as the easygoing unruffled fighter who would rather bask in the fans' adulation and shake hands than engage in a verbal fight with an opponent.
While other fighters live for the staredowns and weigh-in confrontations and news conference blowups that help build up a fight, Wright often looks like he can barely keep a straight face.
When Felix Trinidad gave Wright a catcher's mask before their May fight, Wright put it on and smiled for the cameras. Usually such "gifts" end up elsewhere.
Trying to hit Wright is the hardest thing in the sport. Trying to rile him isn't far behind.
"To me, this is a business," Wright said. "All those other guys, if that's what they feel they need to do, then they can do that. But I don't need to do all that."
At the final news conference before Saturday's fight, Wright walked up to Sam Soliman and shook hands, then sat a few feet away. Typically, fighters are divided by a lecturn. Afterward, they are asked to face off for photos.
Thursday's faceoff never happened. They stood next to each other, smiled and looked as if they were getting ready to go have a beer.
It was a typical Winky Wright news conference.
Uneventful. Just like promoter Gary Shaw says he likes it.
"As a promoter, I wouldn't want to get my guys talking trash," he said. "It's good for the WWF, but it doesn't mean anything. In boxing, you can be the baddest man on the planet but if can't back it up, it doesn't mean a ... thing."
* * *
If you can appreciate Wright's style in the ring, then it is easy to appreciate it outside as well.
The general perception, however, is the angrier the fighter, the better chance for a knockout. The more contentious the buildup, the more blood that will be spilled.
"A mean streak is an asset publicly as well as in the ring," HBO announcer Jim Lampley said. "And I always say that while all my respect goes to the nice fighters, the Jermain Taylors, the Marco-Antonio Barreras the Lennox Lewises - you just have to respect them more - the public likes to see menace. When Taylor fought (Bernard) Hopkins last week, the house was definitely a Hopkins crowd. He and his vaunted street cred got over. The darker side of Bernard Hopkins helped sell that fight. Ray Leonard had the thickest mean streak I've ever seen. It sells."
Wright's mean streak is apparently carefully concealed. He was remarkably friendly in his fights with Shane Mosley, the two touching gloves every time one came close to landing a low or illegal blow. Those at ringside were struck by the respect shown in the ring, and even Birmingham had to bark to Wright in between rounds that "you can be friends after the fight."
Wright has done the same with every fighter he has taken on recently. Some say that kindness is what is keeping him from delivering any knockouts (just one since 1999), though it may be more accurate to blame that on his defensive style.
But Birmingham said his fighter's easy-going nature belies a toughness that many don't see. Wright grew up in one of Washington's toughest neighborhoods, and Birmingham says south St. Petersburg, where Wright moved as a teenager, was no picnic.
You want tough, his fighter is it.
"But Winky is a master boxer," Birmingham said. "He doesn't need to talk all that stuff and get in there and try to knock people out. Trust me, they feel that right jab.
"He makes people look bad inside the ring, he doesn't need to do it at a news conference."
Posted by: TJ Cline
Top dogs keep dodging Wright
Friday, December 9, 2005
By KEITH IDEC
HERALD NEWS
This isn't where Ronald "Winky" Wright belongs.
After finally becoming more marketable through impressive points victories over favored stars "Sugar" Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad, the St. Petersburg, Fla., fighter deserves as many meaningful megafights as he can cram into a calendar year. But the sharp southpaw was so good against Mosley and so completely dominant against the heavy-handed Trinidad, well, he might've been too good for his own good. Such high-profile fighters as Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins and Fernando Vargas were already avoiding him, thus they weren't exactly eager to fight Wright following those three terrific victories.
So here he is, one of top two pound-for-pound boxers in the world, preparing for a fight against an anonymous Australian on Saturday night (10 p.m.; HBO). Sam Soliman hasn't lost in more than four years, but he has never fought an elite-level boxer, much less beaten one. Wright (49-3, 25 KOs), who last lost six years ago, is an 8-1 favorite, according to one online sports book, entering their 12-round fight in Uncasville, Conn.
"It's not the same (as before) because now they don't want to fight me and people know that they're scared of me," Wright, 34, said. "Before, it was just me saying that they were scared of me. Now I've got people behind me saying to them, 'Well, you aren't fighting Winky. You're scared of Winky.' So it's different. So I'm glad to be in the situation that I'm in now."
Wright, who is promoted by Wayne's Gary Shaw, is appreciative because he made nearly $10 million combined for the two Mosley fights and the Trinidad thrashing on pay-per-view. And if Wright overcomes Soliman (31-7, 12 KOs), he'll become the mandatory challenger for the winner of an International Boxing Federation middleweight title fight on Saturday night in Leipzig, Germany. Nigeria's Kingsley Ikeke (23-1, 13 KOs) will box unbeaten Armenian Arthur Abraham (18-0, 16 KOs) there for the IBF belt (see below).
What Wright wants, of course, is another pay-per-view showdown with undisputed middleweight champ Jermain Taylor (25-0, 17 KOs). But Lou DiBella, Taylor's promoter, has already said that Wright will have to wait until later in 2006 because DiBella believes Taylor deserves a less challenging fight in the spring following back-to-back taxing fights against Hopkins (46-4-1, 32 KOs, 1 NC). Taylor would love fight before his hometown fans in Little Rock, Ark., again as well, so he'll probably box a less imposing opponent there in March or April.
That could force Wright to take a second consecutive clunker just to stay busy. The former junior middleweight champ always trains hard, but admits he fought down to the level of opposition in unanimous points victories over Chicago's Angel Hernandez (26-6, 16 KOs) and Denver's Juan Carlos Candelo (26-8-3, 18 KOs) in 2003. He hasn't faced a potential trap fight since then because his last three bouts have come against Mosley (41-4, 35 KOs, 1 NC) and Trinidad (42-2, 35 KOs).
"I know how Sam feels about trying to get a big fight," Wright said, "and no one would give it to him, because I was in that same predicament. It's an honor for me to be able to give him the same chance that Shane Mosley gave me. He deserves it. You know he's going to fight me to win. For me, I need a big fight. I need a fight that can get me excited, and coming off of the fights with Mosley and Trinidad, it's kind of hard to look forward to somebody who isn't of the same caliber."
Wright won't dismiss Soliman's chances, though.
"I want to win and I have (had) to train as hard for Sam as I did for Mosley and Trinidad," Wright said. "I can't afford to lose any fights."
A big British showdown
The tension between undefeated Audley Harrison and Danny Williams was so thick Thursday, Williams refused to sit at the dais during a press conference in London. They'll meet there Saturday night in the biggest British heavyweight fight since Lennox Lewis technically knocked out Frank Bruno in the seventh round 12 years ago in Cardiff, Wales. Despite that Vitali Klitschko whipped Williams (33-4, 28 KOs) a year ago in Las Vegas, the strong, talented fighter from Brixton, England, should provide Harrison (19-0, 14 KOs) with the toughest test of his five-year professional career.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Harrison has been brought along slowly since winning a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics, but believes he'll handle Williams with relative ease.
"The only way for Danny to win is if he catches me with a lucky punch," Harrison, 34, said. "Other than that, I will use my abilities to win on points or put my punches together and take him out.
"After Saturday night, I think I will be able to stop trying to convince people that they can and should believe in me, and my abilities as a future heavyweight champion. I'm pretty sure this will be all the convincing they need."
Klitschko (35-2, 34 KOs) clobbered Williams, but he proved he could respond to punishment after absorbing a beating in his previous fight, a career-changing victory over Mike Tyson 17 months ago. Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs, 2 NC) wobbled Williams several times early in that fight, but Williams withstood Tyson's onslaught to knock out Tyson in the fourth round and score a huge upset in Louisville, Ky. The 32-year-old contender believes that has braced him for anything Harrison has to offer.
"This is the first time I just want to get in the ring and really beat someone up," Williams said. "Audley Harrison is a good technical boxer, with some beautiful, fast shots for a big man. But I don't think he has the biggest heart or great stamina. Never seen him take a big shot from a good puncher, either. That's still the 'if' factor."
Posted by: TJ Cline
Winky Wright Picks Up 50th Win With Unanimous Decision Over IBF # 1 Sam Soliman
UNCASVILLE, CT (December 10, 2005) -- Fighting off the lingering effects of a severe week-long chest and head cold and a spirited battle by the IBF's top-rated middleweight contender, two time world champion and WBC/WBA No. 1 middleweight contender WINKY WRIGHT won a decisive unanimous decision over Sam Soliman Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Wright, 50-3 (25 KOs), from St. Petersburg, FL, collected a milestone 50th victory while snapping Soliman's three-year, 19-bout winning streak on scores of 117-110, 115-112 and 115-113 in the WBC-sanctioned title elimination bout. It was the 11th consecutive victory for Wright going back to the disputed majority decision loss to Fernando Vargas in 1999. Promoted by Winky Promotions, in association with Gary Shaw Productions, the fight was televised live on HBO.
Wright, who was also rated No. 3 by the IBF going into the fight, now the legitimate undisputed No. 1 middleweight contender and mandatory challenger, immediately sent out a message to middleweight champion Jermain Taylor.
"I want Jermain next. I want him as soon as possible," said Wright. "It's time Jermain. It's time you served your mandatory sentence. The top-two pay-per-view stars of 2005 are also the two best fighters in the middleweight division -- me and Jermain. The fight is a natural. This is the fight the fans want most. Act like a champion and fight me. Don't let your promoter's lack of confidence in your abilities influence your reign as champion."
Soliman, 31-8 (12 KOs), from Australia, proved he was a legitimate No. 1 contender, throwing an astounding 1260 punches, though only 14% actually landed, compared to Wright, who connected on 46% of the 652 punches he threw.
"I felt it was a close fight until the end," said Soliman. "I don't agree with the margin of victory some of the judges scored it or with the decision. I felt it could have gone either way. On thing we have in common, we fight anyone, anywhere, anytime. He's from the old school in that way.
"Sam gave me a great fight," continued Wright. He takes a helluva shot. I hit him with some great body shots and just as he was about to go down, he would recover quickly. It was amazing. I didn't think the fight was close. A lot of his shots were wide and I blocked most of them. The cold made it difficult to breathe through my nose and I was clearing my nose after every round.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Wright wins unanimous decision vs. Soliman
UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Drawn into a slugfest, Winky Wright survived to set himself up for a potential big payday.
Wright fought fire with fire with the frenetic Sam Soliman before posting a unanimous decision in a middleweight clash Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The judges scored the bout 117-110, 115-112 and 115-113 in favor of Wright, who has not lost since 1999.
With the win, Wright (50-3, 25 KOs) cleared himself for a presumed bout with undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, who won his rematch with Bernard Hopkins a week ago.
Normally a reserved combatant who picks his moments, Wright -- who coasted to a win over former welterweight superstar Felix Trinidad in May -- was not afforded an easy tune-up against Soliman (31-8).
The 32-year-old Australian's unorthodox style barely allowed Wright any room to breathe as he threw nearly twice the number of punches -- while landing 32 percent fewer. According to statistics kept by televising network HBO, Soliman threw a remarkable 1,260 punches, 333 were jabs, of which he caught Wright only 10 times.
Once the initial shock at his opponent's action wore off, Wright gained control through the middle rounds, scoring a strong combination in the fourth and finally stunning his opponent in the ninth.
The top-ranked IBF contender entering the night, Soliman was knocked to the ropes by another combination and appeared to stagger. In keeping with his ferocious and inspiring style, Soliman was flailing again within seconds but stumbled into the ropes in the 10th when Wright landed a total of 24 power punches.
By the time the two finished a wildly active bout, the crowd was on its feet, most in appreciation of Soliman, who had won 19 straight bouts and took home a few supporters Saturday.
The one-time undisputed light middleweight champion, Wright was left with significant swelling in his second career middleweight bout but never appeared significantly hurt as Soliman's pace deprived him of power.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Promoter says Byrd is hindering unification efforts
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Boxing promoter Don King says in a lawsuit that his desire to unify four major heavyweight boxing titles in a television tournament was spoiled by IBF champion Chris Byrd.
In the suit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, King said Byrd owes him at least $1 million for breach of contract and not less than $3 million for interfering with King's business prospects.
King said the 35-year-old boxer disrupted his plan to unify the titles by refusing to participate in a tournament the promoter hoped would air on HBO or Showtime.
Four different organizations -- the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Organization, the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Association -- all have heavyweight champions.
The lawsuit accuses Byrd of refusing to participate in a bout last spring or in March 2006 against Vitali Klitschko, a Ukrainian boxer who was the WBC champion until he retired last month.
Patrick English, a lawyer for Byrd, said the allegations were not true.
"Never accept anything that Don King says as true," English said. "We see this as a grandstand play. That's all it is."
In October, Byrd defeated another of King's boxers, DaVarryl Williamson. King's lawsuit is the continuation of a contract quarrel between Byrd and King. In 2004, Byrd sued King, contending that the promoter must live up to a contract that guaranteed Byrd $2.5 million for each title defense.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Judge releases Rahman from contract with King
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
Promoter Don King's iron grip on the four heavyweight title belts took a huge hit Friday when a U.S. bankruptcy judge invalidated Hasim Rahman's promotional contract with King and allowed Rahman to sign with rival promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.
Rahman, who was elevated from interim titlist to full WBC titleholder upon Vitali Klitschko's knee injury and subsequent retirement, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Oct. 4, citing debts of more than $5 million (including $2.1 million to the IRS).
King still promotes the three other titleholders -- Chris Byrd, John Ruiz and Lamon Brewster -- although his hold on Byrd is tenuous because they are fighting in court.
Despite a strong objection from King, Nevada District U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Bruce A. Markell threw out Rahman's contract with King and validated a proposed contract with Top Rank that was before the court.
“ We succeeded in everything we wanted to do before the court. It was a knockout for Hasim Rahman. ”
— Steve Nelson, Rahman's manager
"They prevailed. Top Rank has the contract. But be careful what you wish for," King attorney Judd Burstein told ESPN.com on Friday night. "Don King will still be one of Rahman's largest creditors, and we will file another motion with the court next week asking that a significant portion of his purse [for an upcoming fight with James Toney] be held by the bankruptcy court."
Rahman manager Steve Nelson said that Rahman got what he hoped for -- to be separated from King, with whom he has had a poor relationship in recent years, and to be with Arum.
"We succeeded in everything we wanted to do before the court," Nelson said. "It was a knockout for Hasim Rahman. The two big issues were that the court officially rejected the Don King contract. That was expected. The battle was going to be Don's objection to us completing a new agreement with Top Rank. We recommended a new promoter for Rock, which we had to get court approval for. The result is that Hasim Rahman is now promoted by Top Rank and that he can go on with his career and prove he is the best heavyweight in the world. Top Rank is back in the heavyweight business."
In addition, Nelson said that Rahman, 33, beat King on two other issues: Markell refused to assign Rahman's managerial contract to Monarch Sports, which is run by Carl King, Don King's stepson; and King's request to have a trustee oversee Rahman's finances was denied.
"Don is very upset, I'm very upset. I don't understand why this happened," Burstein said. "That's the court's decision, but Don is very unhappy."
Markell, taking into account the fact that Rahman preferred to be with Top Rank over King, decided that the offer from Top Rank was better and instructed him to take it.
Top Rank was one of Rahman's 20 or so creditors. Part of the deal is that the $150,000 debt, from an advance Top Rank gave Rahman prior to the Nov. 12 fight with Klitschko being canceled, will be forgiven.
King's deal with Rahman, according to Burstein and Nelson, called for a $500,000 minimum purse per bout but with no element of profit sharing. King had also offered $3.5 million for a mandatory defense against Toney, a fight that is expected to happen around March.
Arum, who signed Rahman through 2009, promised a minimum purse of $1.65 million per bout against 70 percent of the profits from any promotion. If Rahman loses to Toney, he will still get a minimum purse of $500,000.
In addition, Top Rank will give Rahman a $500,000 advance so he can operate during bankruptcy.
Much to King's surprise, and to the surprise of the boxing industry, Top Rank beat King for the right to promote Klitschko-Rahman at a purse bid, putting the company back in the heavyweight business in a serious way for the first time since the heyday of George Foreman's 1990s comeback.
"When I made that bid on Klitschko-Rahman, it was because they were the two most recognized names in the division," said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank and Arum's stepson. "Now Klitschko is retired and Rahman is the most recognized name in the division, and he has a title. When we were promoting the Klitschko-Rahman fight, the heavyweights got back into our blood. Now, we just want to make good, old heavyweight fights."
It was during the promotion for the Klitschko fight that Rahman and Top Rank got to know each other. Nelson said he and Rahman wanted to be with Top Rank, in part, because of how well they were treated.
"Top Rank treated us like gentlemen and with total professionalism," Nelson said. "There will be disagreements, but they will be normal disagreements. With Don it was emotion and vilification. When there were differences, they were dealt with irrationally. If there is a disagreement now, we don't anticipate being hit with a lawsuit, which is kind of where the final straw came from with Don.
"When we said we wouldn't accept what Don wanted after the Klitschko purse bid, we tried to negotiate with him. He wanted 50 percent of Rock's purse. There was no negotiation. When we said no, they filed suit the next day, and the day after that Rock filed for bankruptcy. We don't anticipate that kind of relationship with Top Rank. Top Rank is excited about being back in the heavyweight business. I think they're looking forward to promoting Rock. We have a promoter who cares and wants us to win. Don didn't care because he had both sides of the fight all the time."
DuBoef said King made a serious strategic error in going so hard after Rahman's purse for the Klitschko fight.
"He made Rahman a free agent by forcing him into bankruptcy," duBoef said. "I wasn't poaching on King's fighter. There was an asset in bankruptcy and we felt we could maximize the revenue for ourselves and for Rahman. Simple as that."
Nelson said the main reason they wanted to leave King was because they felt certain demands in the King contract were unfair.
"One of the biggest problems that we had with the Don King contract is the fact that they wanted us to waive all of our rights to seek relief on prior breaches of contract," Nelson said. "Going back as far as the second Lennox Lewis fight [in 2001], there were still open issues. So that was an issue that was insurmountable. We also have with Top Rank a profit-sharing deal. We have 70 percent and they have 30 percent. King didn't offer any sort of profit sharing. King did offer us $3.5 million for the Toney fight but we're taking the position that we will do better under the Top Rank profit-sharing deal."
King could still gain the rights to promote Rahman-Toney at a purse bid, which has been called for Dec. 20 in Cancun, Mexico, where Rahman will also receive his title belt.
A purse bid is called for when the two sides are unable to make a deal for a mandatory fight. The promoter offering the most money for the bout wins the right to promote it.
Usually, a mandatory fight gives 75 percent of the money to the champion and 25 percent to the challenger. However, the WBC ruled this week that Rahman-Toney would be a 60-40 split. Rahman (41-5-1, 33 KOs) had asked for the traditional 75-25 split and Toney, co-promoted by King and Dan Goossen, asked for a 50-50 split.
"If Arum wins the purse bid, he won't take a piece of the purse," Nelson said. "And we think in the long run Top Rank can generate more revenue for us than Don King can."
This isn't the first time Rahman has switched promoters under a hail of controversy.
After knocking out Lewis to win the title in 2001, he left promoter Cedric Kushner to sign with King, who wooed him with a duffel bag full of cash.
Nelson said nothing like that would happen again.
"This," Nelson said, "is the promotional contract that will take Rock to the end of his career."
Posted by: KentDog
Hopkins v Taylor 2 was really close. I read the article you posted on a possible III, but I don't know if I agree that it would sell. I definately agree it would be a good fight to watch, but Taylor already has the first two. Whoever said the two fights were boring is an idiot.
The fight was close, and you have to admire how Hopkins dodged Taylor coming in every time, but I think it should have either been a draw or Taylor by one. I definitely don't have Hopkins winning by as much as you do Foreman (you gave rounds 7-12 to Hopkins). However, the judges DID give Taylor points on aggressiveness (no question about that), which may or may not have been fair.
Wright v Solomon was ridiculous. I didn't even pay that close attention to the entire thing after the first four rounds since it was so boring. I know a lot of people have Winky up there as #2 pound for pound fighter out there, but damn, I can't help but get the feeling he is just a cheap ass fighter. Like if you were playing against him in Street Fighter, he would have on block the whole time. I guess I just don't like him. He beat Trinidad >=(.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Quote:
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Originally Posted by KentDog
Hopkins v Taylor 2 was really close. I read the article you posted on a possible III, but I don't know if I agree that it would sell. I definately agree it would be a good fight to watch, but Taylor already has the first two. Whoever said the two fights were boring is an idiot.
The fight was close, and you have to admire how Hopkins dodged Taylor coming in every time, but I think it should have either been a draw or Taylor by one. I definitely don't have Hopkins winning by as much as you do Foreman (you gave rounds 7-12 to Hopkins). However, the judges DID give Taylor points on aggressiveness (no question about that), which may or may not have been fair.
Wright v Solomon was ridiculous. I didn't even pay that close attention to the entire thing after the first four rounds since it was so boring. I know a lot of people have Winky up there as #2 pound for pound fighter out there, but damn, I can't help but get the feeling he is just a cheap ass fighter. Like if you were playing against him in Street Fighter, he would have on block the whole time. I guess I just don't like him. He beat Trinidad >=(.
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Ok lets break this down one by one.....
1. Taylor vs Hopkins one and two.......very close fights......the second fight I think Hopkins was better.....but in a close fight you give it to the champ.....esp with no knock downs and when the guy has held the title for 10 years. But I would say it's one win each.......Hopkins was robbed, but he lost to a 25-26 year old when he was 40-41 so he should have known better and retired a year or two ago.
2. Ronald Wright....I have watched about 8 of his fights and he is the man! Styles make fights and the Solomon fight made him look mortal, but you can't judge a fighter by one fight. I agree that Wright looked slow and lazy in that fight but he won easily ( I scored it 116 to 112 )..... Wright destroyed: Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley 2x, and was robbed in the Fernando Vargas fight.....plus every fighter is running from him.....Winkey is old already at 34 but he still is good enough that Floyd Mayweather Jr is talking shit and then running away like a bitch....and Floyd is the greatest fighter who has ever lived at 130-147lbs IMO
Bottom line: Hopkins was a typical arrogant idiot for not retiring two years ago, and Wright is/was the best at 154-160 for the last 5 years.....If Taylor fights him in the next year then Winky will prove it.
Posted by: KentDog
Mayweather would need to increase weight yet again if he were to fight Winky Wright. I don't believe Wright would be willing to drop weight class to fight Mayweather, especially if he wants to take the Middleweight title by fighting Taylor. And I believe I read something from Taylor's group saying they weren't interested in fighting Wright next year after the Wright-Solomon fight. It's understandable since that fight would be high risk, low reward for Taylor.
And what's the deal with Solomon's weigh-in? How was he a pound less day of fight than first weigh in? Does this guy not dry out? Does he even belong in the middleweight division? Wright weighed 12.5 pounds more than Solomon during the fight. 
Posted by: TJ Cline
Undefeated But Rarely Undisputed
15.12.05 - By Joseph Carlo Russo: In today's era of boxing there are numerous fighters surfacing the sport boasting unblemished records. Some of the most notable are Floyd Mayweather, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto. All three of these fighters are undefeated, but still their statuses are not undisputed. To the non-boxing fan, an unblemished record may seem an extraordinary feat, but to your everyday fight fan he will not blink an eye at such a property. Thus, the debating spectrum continues to roar over who the best junior welterweight in boxing is.
When this question arises all the top three junior welterweights stake legitimate claims to being the best 140.
Although Floyd Mayweather has only had one fight at 140, and fought at welter last week, let's keep him at 140 just for argument's sake. He is unquestionably the number one pound for pound fighter in the world with his most notable accomplishments coming at lightweight. His decimation of Diego Corrales and two decision wins over Jose Luis Castillo were the shining moments in Floyd's career. In addition, he's beaten tough customers in Jesus Chavez, Emanuel Augustus, Carlos Hernandez, Angel Manfredy, and Genaro Hernandez. Then in his one and only junior welterweight appearance, though Arturo Gatti wasn't the most challenging opponent for him, Floyd truly demonstrated his top notch, upper echelon abilities in this fight, silencing any critics and skeptics, one being myself.
Even though Floyd Mayweather is number one pound for pound, he cannot be number one at 140 unless he fights Ricky Hatton. If Floyd is so preoccupied with money and bling, then maybe he ought to watch a Ricky Hatton fight and calculate the bling that would be involved in Manchester. If he fights Judah that will be fair and good, Judah is a spectacular fighter, but the fact of the matter is, Judah/Mayweather just doesn't have the nice ring that Hatton/Mayweather does.
Hatton/Mayweather has all the elements for a true superfight that would attract even non-boxing fans perhaps. Both fighters are undefeated, both fighters are young and in their primes, both are coming off superb wins at 140. And of course, we cannot overlook, be it right or wrong one of the most attractive qualities about this fight, England vs. America, but more essentially black vs. white. There is no getting around, we are all intrigued by this.
Miguel Cotto, also undefeated like Hatton and Mayweather poses the least serious threat to these men's records and reputations. But he is undefeated and he is 140, so we must allot him his respective place in the argument. Miguel Cotto is a solid prospect with a great arsenal of punches as he has 21 KO's on 25 wins. He has beaten game contenders in Ricardo Torres, Mohammed Abdullaev, Demarcus Corley, Kelson Pinto, and Carlos Maussa all by knockout.
The only missing link in the Cotto package is his chin. But I will say this, he may not have a good chin, but he has good legs that keep him on his feet. In his last outing with Ricardo Torres, Cotto was stunned many times but he found a way out and did everything he had to in order to stay in it. Through scurrying around the ring and moving frantically Cotto kept Torres off balance and regained his composure to pull out the seventh round knockout. Cotto has to get serious really soon if he wants to be a champion. DeLaHoya is not a good answer when asked who he wants to fight.
As Ricky Hatton is the only man who beat the man he deserves the most legitimate claim at being the best 140. Granted, Kostya Tszyu was old and was probably on his way out anyway, but he was the champion, and to become the champion you have to beat the champion. Ricky Hatton did just that in a fight that most, including myself, predicted that he would just become another victim to the "Thunder From Down Under." Unifying the titles in a fight with Maussa was a fair decision seeing as he was coming off a superfight and a fight with Cotto or Mayweather was probably out of the question. So, why not take Maussa's belt? If Ricky hadn't, someone else would've. And, frankly, I'd rather have Hatton take the belt than anyone else because he is a true warrior and a class act.
Ricky never gives a lackluster performance and always comes to fight. He is also the only one who is really pushing to become a true, undisputed champion as the "Hitman" takes aim at Floyd Mayweather next. Ironically, if there is any out of the three that doesn't need the other two to secure his legacy it's Ricky Hatton. The man can build a legendary career fighting tomato cans in England in football stadiums encompassing 60,000 at a time and he'll become wealthier than Mayweather and Cotto combined. But, he chooses to put his career on the line against Tszyu, and he chooses to put his career on the line against Mayweather in 2006. Not fighting Mayweather after fighting Tszyu was a perfectly legitimate choice by Hatton. There's no reason he should have to take two superfights in one year. He did well in saving Mayweather for 2006.
Part of the problem in the junior-welterweight situation is the sheltering and the over-protecting of undefeated fighters. Undefeated does not equal great. It can, if a fighter is undefeated against the best competition. But, undefeated, in itself, does not automatically imply greatness. Fighters must discard this sense of undefeated immortality and focus on the ultimate goal of fighting the best, beating the best, and being the best, even if that means accepting a loss.
In addition, fighters sometimes forget what boxing is meant to be, which is sports entertainment. It should not simply be a job for a fighter that he pursues at his own pace and will depending on his mood and bank account. Fighters have an obligation to fans and to the sports entertainment industry.
Can we imagine if the NFC and AFC champion football teams decided not to partake in the superbowl this year because both teams were undefeated and just weren't up to it? No, we cannot, because such is irrational, implausible, unacceptable, and downright disgraceful. Boxing should not be any different. So, let's hope that it is this mentality that is lingering on and perhaps haunting the minds of the top three junior welterweights that will result in the gems of matchups that we are all awaiting!
Posted by: TJ Cline
Ruiz has lost again
Posted by: TJ Cline
Valuev Wins WBA Heavyweight Title: Ruiz Only Has Himself To Blame For The Loss
18.12.05 - By Karen Belford: On Saturday night in Berlin, Germany, the 7 ft Russian heavyweight Nikolay Valuev (43-0, 31 KO’s) won by split decision to earn the WBA heavyweight title over John Ruiz, much to the disappointment to the German fans, who mostly booed the decision. For Ruiz, it seemed as if he had the deck stacked against him from the very beginning of the fight, simply by making the decision to come over and fight in Germany, which is Valuev’s new home town. Never the less, the fight was close from start to finish, and the decision essentially could have gone either way, no matter how many people feel that Ruiz was robbed by the ultimate decision. During the first half of the fight, it was mostly Ruiz (42-6-1) who dominated the action, using his hand speed, combinations, and surprisingly, superior power, to snap back Valuev’s head again and again. To a certain extent, Valuev looked horrible in the early going, mostly due to his slow punches, which lacked any real power to do any kind of damage. However, Ruiz appeared to tire by round six, as his punches became viewer and his attacks became more infrequent. Valuev, although still not doing much other than jabbing, took command of the fight with the use of his long reach and chopping right hand, that would catch the smaller Ruiz as he rushed in to trade. The judges scores were: 114-114, 116-114, 116-113, both for Valuev. I scored it 116-114 for Valuev, who I feel, won the fight largly based on his excellent jab.
After the decision was announced, an angry Ruiz, feeling wronged, stormed out of the ring without giving any interviews. In the meantime, his manager, Norman Stone, snatched the WBA belt from Valuev, and then walked around the ring, with the belt raised overhead, shouting at the German crowd. It looked bad, a kind of an in your face attitude, almost as if he were shaming the judges for their scores. However, after a moment, the shock wore off and one of Valuev’s cornerman rushed in and began to wrestle with Stone, before tagging with him with a overhand right that knocked Stone back against the ropes. At that point, Security rushed in and restrained Stone, and took the belt forcefully from his desperate, clutching grip. It was as if a toy was being taken from an angry, grieving child. The entire episode was like comedy at the finest. No, I'm not kidding you. This really happened, and sadly, it made the whole fight seeming boring in comparison. Stone was then escorted out of the ring by Security for his own protection, not that he really needed it.
Neither fighter was ever really hurt during the bout. However, Valuev landed a big right hand in the 5th round that knocked Ruiz back against the ropes. Valuev did nothing to follow up with this, however. I think he would have liked to have, but being that his reflexes and reaction time was so slow, mainly due to his huge size, that by the time he started to move forward, Ruiz was already gone. That to me, was the most disappointing thing about Valuev, the fact that his punches were so painfully slow and weak, which looked odd, coming from such a physically imposing fighter. Just from looking at him, you would think he could knock someone through a wall, but the fact of the matter is, he punches about as hard as a light heavyweight fighter, perhaps even weaker than that. I doubt at his age, 32, Valuev will be able to improve on his power by much, but he needs to try, for his sake. Perhaps he can learn to hold and hit, or punch to the back of the head. These appear to be some of the more popular punches that are now being used in the heavyweight division.
I know Ruiz isn’t too happy about this loss, but he only has himself to blame. If he had pressed the action more in rounds six through twelve, he would have won the fight easily, in my opinion. However, Ruiz seemed to be content to fight in flurries, staying on the outside for the most part, eating a lot of jabs thrown by Valuev, before rushing in and landing several shots. Ruiz would take five to six stiff jabs to the face, before coming in and landing one or two punches. From the way I see it, you just can’t ignore all the jabs that Ruiz was taking to the face while staying on the outside. The jabs did a lot of damage to Ruiz’s face, causing it to redden, swell and his right eye to badly bruise. It wasn't a pretty sight by the end of the fight. At the same time, the constant jabs accumulated points for Valuev, who seemed to be putting on a clinic as he machine gunned Ruiz’s face over and over, using his piston like left hand.
For Valuev, he showed the same vulnerabilities, mainly lack of any real defense, that he did in his last fight against American, Larry Donald, who he also defeated by split decision. Whenever Ruiz would work his way inside punching range, he would land combinations that would land clean, as if he were punching a heavy bag without any defense rather than a real fighter. This is something that Valuev is going to have to work on if he intends on holding on to his heavyweight title for any length of time. If Valuev can’t decisively beat the offensively weaker heavyweight punchers like Larry Donald and John Ruiz, what will happen when he meets up with the most powerful fighters in the division, such as Wladimir Klitschko, Lamon Brewster, Samuel Peter or Hasim Rahman? To be honest, I wouldn’t like his chances with any of them, nor do I think he would beat the craftier heavyweights, Chris Byrd, James Toney or Monte Barrett.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Giant Valuev makes boxing history
Nikolay Valuev became the tallest and heaviest champion in boxing history with a controversial points win over WBA heavyweight holder John Ruiz.
The 114-114, 116-113, 116-114 decision was met by jeers and Ruiz's coach Norman Stone grabbed the belt and yelled insults at the Valuev camp.
Ruiz, who sprinted into the ring, picked off the lumbering Russian easily and cut him below the left eye.
Valuev rocked Ruiz with a left in the eighth and edged the final round.
Many of the sell-out 10,000 crowd in the Max-Schmeling arena in Berlin thought Ruiz, the defending champion, had done enough to retain his title and keep alive his dream of a unification fight with Hasim Rahman.
Both men tired towards the end of the fight, but Ruiz caught Valuev with a left in the final round and the Russian was warned for holding.
The big man saved up a right-left combination, however, wobbling Ruiz with 90 seconds remaining, and that just swung the decision in his favour.
"I had to wait 12 years for this and now it has happened," the 32-year-old Valuev said. "It's fantastic."
Promoter Don King said that he would take the Russian, known as the Beast from the East, to America for his next fight.
"He's ready and we want America to know that he's coming," King said.
Ruiz was far from satisfied with the outcome and said: "Boxing is the only sport where you can get robbed without a gun.
"My promoter Don King should do his job and get a rematch."
Meanwhile, the legendary Muhammad Ali received a major German peace prize for his work with the United Nations promoting civil rights.
Ali, now 63, collected the Otto Hahn peace medal in Berlin and then watched his daughter Laila win on the undercard of the Ruiz-Valuev contest.
Courtesy BBC
Posted by: TJ Cline
Toney, Rahman Brawl In Cancun
20.12.05 - A first-person account provided to Don King Productions by World Boxing Council Executive Secretary Mauricio Sulaiman: A brawl broke out between World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Hasim "The Rock" Rahman and WBC mandatory challenger James "Lights Out" Toney Monday night at the Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa in Mexico. Rahman and Toney were joining other boxing luminaries and members of the media attending a welcoming cocktail party for the WBC's "Crowning of the Champions" event set for Tuesday afternoon.
Toney was being interviewed by Television Azteca in the hotel lobby with many members of the media surrounding him. He was in the process of explaining that he had made a spur-of-the-moment decision after arriving in Cancun yesterday to marry his fiancée Angie at the hotel's pool on Tuesday morning. Rahman stumbled across his mandatory challenger when he arrived in the hotel lobby at about 6:15 p.m. while the television interview was taking place..
The bliss of Toney's pending nuptials was interrupted when he realized Rahman has just arrived. After the two prizefighters made eye contact, a war of words erupted. The verbal assaults escalated into a full-fledged brawl soon thereafter that took many people and over 15 minutes to quell while hotel guests and staff members looked on in stunned disbelief.
Unannounced fisticuffs are a rare occurrence at this posh resort. Ironically, this world famous tropical paradise is just now recovering from blows sustained by Hurricane Wilma. World Boxing Council Executive Secretary Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed that neither boxer sustained serious injury.
Rahman, Toney, former WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, boxer Oleg Maskaev, promoter Don King, boxing manager Carl King, promoter Dan Goossen, Todd duBoef from Top Rank, WBC President Jose Sulaiman, his son Mauricio, Rahman's manager Steve Nelson, and many others have made the holiday trek to be present for the coronation of Rahman as the WBC heavyweight champion and Klitschko as champion emeritus.
Just imagine what a delight it will be for the lucky WBC official who receives the assignment of explaining what happened to the hotel's general manager on Tuesday morning as the circus that is world championship boxing makes another stop on the globe.
Posted by: SuperFlex
Quote:
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Originally Posted by ForemanRules
This thread is for boxing news, perdictions, history, upcoming fights or what ever else you want to talk about in the boxing world.
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I honestly don't follow sports very much any more. Just a few teams... Life keeps me and my interest pretty busy elsewhere. So bare with me in asking who is the current heavy weight champ?
Posted by: SuperFlex
Rahman. Got it...
Posted by: TJ Cline
Quote:
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Originally Posted by SuperFlex
Rahman. Got it...
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There is no champ right now, these are the 4 belt holders.
Chris Byrd
Nikolay Valuev
Lamon Brewster
Hasim Rahman
Posted by: SuperFlex
Quote:
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Originally Posted by ForemanRules
There is no champ right now, these are the 4 belt holders.
Chris Byrd
Nikolay Valuev
Lamon Brewster
Hasim Rahman
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I've heard of Byrd and Hasim but not the other guys. Thanks Foreman. I didn't even know there could be no champ...
Posted by: SuperFlex
Quote:
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Originally Posted by ForemanRules
Ruiz - Valuev not to be televised in the US
09.12.05 - By Geoffrey Ciani: On December 17, WBA heavyweight champion, John Ruiz, will travel to the Max Schmelling Arena in Berlin, Germany, in order to defend his title against “The Beast from the East”, Nicolay Valuev. Sadly for boxing fans in the United States, this bout will not be televised.
This is nothing short of disgraceful. After all, this is a heavyweight title fight we’re talking about here, and the American boxing audience won’t even be able to watch it. Frankly, I cannot remember the last time a heavyweight championship bout wasn’t televised in the U.S. Has the state of the heavyweight division sunk so low that we’ve reached the point where fans are no longer afforded the opportunity to watch title fights? This is ridiculous!
OK, I know this is a John Ruiz fight and that Ruiz fights are typically known for their infamous lack of excitement. However, this fight is actually somewhat intriguing because Ruiz is facing an undefeated challenger who’s compiled a record of 42-0 – and he happens to be seven feet tall and somewhere in the vicinity of 330 pounds. That in itself warrants a level of circus-like curiosity.
Ruiz’s championship reign has had more lives than most cats. Ruiz has a knack for holding onto his title even when he should have lost it. First off, there was the dubious draw against Evander Holyfield in the finale of the most unmemorable trilogy in boxing history. Then there was his DQ victory over Kirk Johnson; Johnson had promised to enter the ring looking like Muhammad Ali. Instead, he wound up looking like Andrew Golota because he couldn’t keep his punches above the belt-line. This was followed-up by his embarrassing loss to former middleweight champion, Roy Jones, Jr.
One would have thought that the loss to Jones was the end of the line for Ruiz; however, one would have been wrong! Just before Jones vacated the title he had just won, Ruiz was inexplicably given the opportunity to fight for the interim championship against former champion Hasim Rahman. In what may very well have been the most boring boxing match I’ve ever seen, “The Quiet Man” out-hustled Rahman for a unanimous decision. Following this, Jones vacated the WBA strap, and Ruiz was reinstated as the WBA champ. This was followed up by a snoozer against Oquendo which had more clinches than punches thrown.
After that, Ruiz was soundly defeated by Andrew Golota, but once again, Ruiz somehow managed to hold onto his title due to the awful decision that robbed Golota of his first championship. Following his gift victory against Golota, Ruiz would once again lose to another former middleweight champion, James Toney.
This loss gave him the unique distinction of being the only heavyweight champion to twice lose his title to former middleweights. (Are you listening, Bernard Hopkins?) That is, until Toney was caught cheating when he tested positive for steroids, which enabled Ruiz to once again be reinstated as WBA champion.
It’s actually almost comical that someone as bad as Ruiz has managed to stay in the championship spot-light for so long. Somehow or another, he always seems to remain in the mix of things, be it bad decisions, vacated championships, disqualifications, or his opponent testing positive for steroids. Lest we forget, this is the same man who was annihilated by David Tua in a mere 19 seconds back in 1997.
Valuez poses an interesting challenge for Ruiz’s ugly jab-and-grab style. Largely an unknown commodity in the U.S., Valuev holds victories over Gerard “The Jedi” Nobles, Clifford “The Black Rhino” Etienne, and most recently, Larry “The Legend” Donald. 31 of his 42 victories have come via way of knockout, and aside from the somewhat controversial decision over Donald, Valuev has looked impressive for the most part – especially when one considers his enormous size.
Will Ruiz by able to hug his way to victory against his gigantic opponent? Will he be able to find some new and unusual way to once again keep hold of the title he really doesn’t deserve to have in the first place? Call me crazy, but I actually have a strange suspicion that “The Quiet Man” is going to slay “The Beast from the East” somehow or another. Furthermore, I suspect this will actually be an entertaining bout, at least as far as Ruiz fights are concerned.
Unfortunately, like the rest of the fight fans living in the States, I won’t have an opportunity to watch this fight. This is an absolute disgrace! It’s BS of the highest order!
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That is a big boy...
Posted by: aceshigh
hahahahaha toney scrappin with rahman at a resort good stuff,,,,,ruiz lost again what a pussy!!!!!!! toney is keeping heavyweight boxin alive ,,,what a character
Posted by: KentDog
Roy Jones Jr. v Benard Hopkins II on March 11, 2006
Posted by: TJ Cline
Quote:
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Originally Posted by KentDog
Roy Jones Jr. v Benard Hopkins II on March 11, 2006
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Is that a real fight???? that would be the fight of the year for me.
Edit....I found a article on it
Posted by: TJ Cline
A long-awaited rematch will unfold March 11
Ever since Roy Jones' unanimous decision victory against Bernard Hopkins for a vacant middleweight title in 1993, there has been high interest in a rematch, and on a few occasions it was close to being solidified.
Now, 12 years later, they've finally made a deal.
Bernard Hopkins
Getty Images/Jed Jacobsohn
Hopkins, who lost to Jermain Taylor again on Dec. 3, needs to regain "Executioner" form by March.
Jones and Hopkins agreed Friday morning to a March 11 rematch on HBO PPV, representatives of both fighters told ESPN.com.
"I think it's very exciting. Bernard is very happy about it and so is Roy. It's fantastic," said Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, which promotes Hopkins.
"We have a deal," said Jones' adviser Brad Jacobs. "I have Richard's word that Hopkins is in. and Roy told me, 'Let's go.' Everybody reviewed what was on the table and were able to agree to it."
The deal was fairly easy to make relative to other major fights because the sides didn't bicker over the money, quickly agreeing to a 50-50 deal.
Schaefer said no site has been secured yet but that there is interest from venues in Atlanta, Memphis, Chicago and Washington (where the 1993 fight took place).
Hopkins, who was considering retirement after his second consecutive close decision loss to Jermain Taylor on Dec. 3, initially asked for a 60-40 revenue split with Jones. But Hopkins backed off in recent days, telling ESPN.com that he had spoke personally with Jones and decided that he "would do it 50-50 across the board because this fight is for history."
The fight will match two of the era's biggest stars in a 12-round light heavyweight fight that amounts to a farewell bout for both of them.
"The way we look at it is that it really is the final chapter," Schaefer said. "That might just be the name of the fight because I think both guys are tremendous legends, and each one wants to end his career with a win. It's funny that 12 years ago they fought each other and their careers after that fight took much different paths, yet they still both became legends. And here they are closing their careers against each other. I think it's a fitting end to their respective careers."
Hopkins, who turns 41 in January, promised his late mother, Shirley, before she died that he would not fight past 40, although he will put that date off by several weeks to get in his finale with Jones.
Hopkins (46-4-1, 32 KOs) lost a unanimous decision to Jones in 1993 -- all three judges scored it 116-112. But after Jones moved up in weight, Hopkins eventually claimed the middleweight title. He ruled the division for more than a decade, making a division-record 20 defenses, including knockout victories against Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya, until two close decision losses to Taylor this year.
Jones (49-4, 38 KOs), who turns 37 on Jan. 16, is a former middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion. For a decade he was considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, an nearly untouchable fighter with blazing speed and power. But he has slipped recently, losing three consecutive fights, including two by knockout.
In his last fight on Oct. 1, he lost a decision in his rubber match with light heavyweight king Antonio Tarver, but said afterward that he wanted at least one more fight.
"I think it's a perfect fight for both guys," Jacobs said. "You have Hopkins, who is a legend in the middleweight division, and the same is true of Roy in the light heavyweight division. He owns the win over Hopkins and it's the right fight for both guys at this time."
Hopkins would have preferred to fight Tarver in order "to do what Sugar Ray Robinson fell one round short of, and that's win the light heavyweight title." However, Tarver is well over 200 pounds now while he is filming the movie "Rocky Balboa," and probably wouldn't be able to get into light heavyweight fighting shape by March.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/box...dan&id=2269975
Posted by: TJ Cline
Joe Mesi given the green light to fight again
21.12.05 - By Troy Ondrizek: Joe Mesi was an up and coming contender. Mesi was undefeated with victories over other contenders Monte Barrett and Davarryl Williamson. Barrett had given him some trouble be he overcame it and won. Joe was now in the ring with former Cruiserweight king Vassiliy Jirov. Jirov caught Joe with an accidental punch to the back of Joe’s head. Joe went on the win the fight, but he seemingly lost the war to become champion. Afterwards Joe had an abnormal CT scan of the brain.
Mesi was subsequently suspended from fighting. After twenty-two months of fight fans speculating what-if and it’s sad what happened to Joe, Joe as always won this battle too. Two days ago a judge rules that you can’t suspend a fighter who no longer has a license. So Joe is able to fight again. I caught up with Joe to talk about the turn of events, and how he will progress in his boxing career.
Troy: First off, Joe, I would like to congratulate you on being reinstated as a fighter
Joe Mesi: “Thank you. It’s been a war the last twenty-two months. It’s a tug of war. I tell you what. The hearing was very much that way. It was back and forth, I was optimistic, but at times I didn’t think it would go our way. I felt that way for the last twenty-two months. Ultimately you can’t suspend a fighter who isn’t even licensed here. Constitutionally that’s not the way to go.”
Troy: Did you expect your fans to be ecstatic about your return to the ring?
Joe Mesi: “I am excited. I want to become the fighter I was. I feel with at least twelve weeks or so I can get back into shape. I need to put the gloves on, and step into the ring. I need to lift more weights and do my running again. I am a very exciting fighter to watch. I bring excitement to the heavyweight division. I bring knockouts, I bring in fans, I fill arenas, I bring in money. People want to see me fight, because I am an exciting fighter to watch. The division needs someone like me, as exciting as me. I don’t feel there is anyone out there today in this boring division that is like me.”
Troy: With Davarryl Williamson and Monte Barrett getting title shots recently, do you think that once back in shape you should have a shot soon?
Joe Mesi: “I think so. I proved myself in the past as one of the best fighters. I have not lost any fights. I have not lost my skills either. I want to take three or four fights in 2006 to get me ready to be a champion, but I definitely can become champion. It’s something I am willing to work for and accomplish.”
Troy: Out of the four champions, who do you think is the best match-up for you to become champion?
Joe Mesi: I am always willing to fight the best, and I think Rahman right now is the best. I fought him in the amateurs. It would be a good fight. I don’t know anything about the new WBA champion, except that he’s tall. I’ll fight Ruiz, Chris Byrd is a smart fighter, but is getting old. Like I said, I’ll fight anybody. My quest is to become heavyweight champion.
Troy: Is there any contender or fighter you want to call out right now?
Joe Mesi: “Right Now?”
Troy: Yes.
Joe Mesi: “No, I mean I’ll fight anybody. I am a good fighter. There is no one that stands out. I mean, I’m afraid of nobody. I’ve been fighting for years. When I was growing up I was never afraid to fight anybody. I never have avoided a fight or fighter. I’ve fought the best, and I want to continue to fight the best.”
Troy: With the division in Don King’s control, do you see him as a roadblock to you being champion?
Joe Mesi: “Gosh, it’s possible. I’ve spoken to Don in the past. We were at the house and talked. Right now I’m an independent, but if I need to work with him I will. I will always consider my options when he offers a contract. Right now it’s not a problem.”
Troy: Now that you’ve had time to reflect since the Jirov fight. Do you feel you’ve grown as a man and a fighter?
Joe Mesi: “I do. You know it’s after the most difficult fights you learn the most about yourself. It was a tough fight. I had an excellent ninth round. It was tough afterwards. Being held out was tough. I knew I was healthy and that’s why I fought it. I’ve matured indeed. I feel like I grew up a lot. I am still young though. I haven’t fought in twenty-two months. I feel like I’m thirty-two going on twenty-six. I’m a better fighter because of it too.”
Troy: In closing, is there anything you want to say to your fans?
Joe Mesi: “It’s been a long road. I know I fight with just as a much determination in the ring as out of it. I feel I had the right to fight. We as boxers have rights, and we don’t deserve to have our rights violated. I felt I was healthy enough to fight. Otherwise I wouldn’t have made this argument. My determination in and out of the ring has helped me. I just want to thank my fans for the support, and ask them to continue supporting me in my life and in boxing. Thank you.”
Troy: Once again, I thank you for your time and wish you well in your career and continued health.
Joe Mesi: “Thank you Troy, you have a good one.”
Now that Joe has been reinstated, he has some catching up to do. A twenty-two month lay off is difficult to overcome, but Joe kept himself in shape and seems more focused than ever in his career. He will become a force again in the division. He stills holds an undefeated record that includes some quality opponents. Give Joe a year or so and he will prove to us his worthiness of being a champion. If David Tua and Shannon Briggs can grab headlines and receive notoriety for their comebacks. Imagine what a young determined fighter like Mesi can accomplish. Once again I would like to thank Joe for taking time out to talk to me. I personally expect big things from him.
Posted by: KentDog
I can't wait to see Jones v Hopkins 2. There had been some speculation about the fight on a boxing forum I had read but no one really thought it would go down, including me. It should be interesting as I presume Hopkins is going to go up in weight to fight Jones at light heavyweight div. I wonder how his speed will be at 174. I'm a little surprised that the purse split is going to be 50-50 (I read he initially asked for a 60-40 split), since Hopkins probably wants this fight more as it will be a redemption fight for him. Would be an awesome win to go out with for either fighters. Personally, I would really like to see Roy win this one, and not by decision. He's still faster. Hopefully he will not do too much running around this fight.
Posted by: TJ Cline
I hate to say it but Roy might win....both are overly defensive and Roy is better at it.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Tackie Continues Comeback-Is Campos Next?
23.12.05 - By John Way: With his recent Technical Decision win over Roberto Valenzuela, Ben Tackie has punched (pun intended) his way back in serious junior welterweight contention. By defeating the murderous punching Valenzuela-who has 31 knockouts in 35 wins-Tackie finally seems to have adapted to his newly found style of cautious boxing, featuring a more conservative punch output, crafty footwork, and judicious use of the jab. With the help of his new trainer, John David Jackson, Tackie has put together a four fight unbeaten streak against a steadily increasing level of opposition-a tread which hopefully will continue into the new year. Very seldom is it that fighter achieve great things solely on grit and determination alone: think Greg Haugen, Jim Braddock, or Vito Antoufermo.
Ben "Wonder" Tackie is one of those precious few. Gifted with the stamina of a marathon runner, and the chin of your average tugboat, he has long graced the world championship scene despite having little in the way of punching power or deft boxing stills.. Of Tackie's five losses, four have come against excellent world champions. Heady stuff for a guy who tends to leave his jab in the locker room on a regular basis!
Tackie first impressed hardcore boxing fans by easily taking the shine out of Golden Johnson, who had previously lived up to his first name by crunching Juan Lazcano in three rounds. In his next fight, Ben produced perhaps the best win of his career by flattening former champion Roberto "Grandpa" Garcia with one punch. The Garcia win cemented Ben's place in boxing history when it was dubbed the best knockout of the year in 2000 by Ring Magazine. The uncharacteristic display of crunch in his punch continued when "Wonder" looked absolutely wonderful in knocking out another former champion, Freddie Pendelton in a single round.
By this point in his career, Tackie had acquired quite a reputation as a volume puncher, often throwing upwards of 100 blows per round, so naturally, anticipation was thick when he was matched with human windmill, "Sucra" Ray Olivera. Those fans who saw the Tackie-Olivera fight will never forget the spectacle they witnessed as the two granite jawed punching machines beat each other bloody with barrage after barrage of fistic ferocity. When the smoke cleared from the scene, the final compubox count was at 2,729 punches over the span of the fight, the third highest total ever recorded. It was unreal.
After an easy five round win over wicked hitting prospect Teddy Reid, Tackie had his socks boxed off by Kostya Tsyu, hardly winning a single minute in the whole fight. When two more decision losses-to Sharmba Mitchell and Ricky Hatton respectively-followed, it seemed that Tackie's rocket had flared out, perhaps for good.
Losing three fights in a row, even to world rated opposition, is a humbling experience, and for a time, it seemed that Tackie would hang up his gloves for better or for worse. After over a year out of the ring, he finally embarked on a comeback scoring a second round knockout over badly matched Jonathan Nelson, before making his televised return against a slightly better opponent, Edwin Algarin. After chasing his terrified rival all around the ring for several rounds, Tackie suddenly stopped trying for the knockout, content to allow his victim to escape. With his once fiery fighting style looking badly labored, many hardcore fans begged for the former title challenger to quit the sport in the wake of his pedestrian victory.
Oblivious to the critics, Tackie continued to work on his craft, and stepped up the competition level again, this time facing Noberto Bravo, coincidentally the first man to beat Tackie's soft chinned countryman, Justin Juuko. The two aging warriors battled long and hard for ten rounds in a fight that was evenly matched from start to finish, though most viewers thought Tackie had done enough to nick the win. In the end, the judges disagreed, scoring a contentious majority draw.
Though he wasn't losing his comeback fights, it became clear that if Tackie failed to produce against Valenzuela, it would be the proverbial third strike. With his back to the wall, "Wonder" produced his best performance since his win against Reid over four years ago. With renewed vigor, the former title challenger bullied his rival around the ring, scoring with uncharacteristically accurate shots, and though he failed to produce a knockout, it was clear that an accidental head butt saved Valenzula from the indignity of being stopped, when the fight went to the scorecards after five rounds. With this impressive showing, Tackie has resurrected himself as a viable threat to the welterweight elite, though he'll likely take a few interim fights before facing an opponent rated in the top twenty.
The perfect opponent for Ben at this point in his career would be fringe contending journeyman Francisco Campos to further determine how much he has left in his tank. Having battled elite men like Juan Urango, Cesar Bazan, Paul Spadafora, and Carlos Quintana, the hard-nosed Campos would serve as a perfect measuring stick for Tackie's continued progress, and perhaps most importantly, he would pose a legitimate threat to the former title challenger. Comments and questions are welcome below.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Taylor-Wright showdown in the works
By Chuck Johnson, USA TODAY
One of the most anticipated bouts in the coming year is Jermain Taylor's mandatory defense against Ronald "Winky" Wright for the undisputed middleweight title. It's going to happen, but the question still is when.
Ronald "Winky" Wright, left, is in line to fight Jermain Taylor for the middleweight championship. Ronald "Winky" Wright, left, is in line to fight Jermain Taylor for the middleweight championship.
AP photos
Lou DiBella, Taylor's promoter, plans to meet next week with Gary Shaw, the promoter for Wright, in response to a directive from one of the major sanctioning bodies that negotiations for a Taylor-Wright title fight begin immediately.
"We're going to go over the possibilities, and I have a good feeling we'll be able to work something out," DiBella said Thursday. "I've spoken with HBO already, and I agree with them that it's not a pay-per-view fight right now. It needs to be built up. And even if it's not a pay-per-view fight, HBO would have to put up extraordinary licensing fees. The fight is not as big as it needs to be right now. It needs time to grow."
Earlier this week, WBC President Jose Sulaiman ordered the Taylor and Wright camps to begin negotiations for the mandatory title defense. If no agreement is reached, a purse offer (open to the highest bid by any promoter) will be held Jan. 20 in Mexico City, and Taylor will be guaranteed a 60-40 split of the prize money.
DiBella reiterated his plans for a Taylor homecoming fight in Little Rock against a lesser foe before taking on Wright's mandatory challenge sometime next year.
DiBella said it only makes sense for Taylor to fight an easier opponent after two tough fights against Bernard Hopkins, including a unanimous decision in the rematch two weeks ago.
"Jermain is coming off two pay-per-view fights against a guy who's the hardest to hit and the hardest to look good against," DiBella said. "Now we're supposed to take the next guy in line in that category? They would put me in the promoter's hall of shame if I did that."
Last Saturday, Wright entrenched himself as the top contender with a unanimous decision against Sam Soliman, and immediately revved up his campaign for a shot at Taylor's crown.
"Everyone knows that after every fight, I have always asked for another big fight," Wright said. "No breathers for me. I only want the biggest fights against the best fighters because I am a competitor and I believe a champion should act like a champion. Now we are going to see who the best middleweight really is, Jermain Taylor or me."
The jury is still out on Taylor after two close fights against Hopkins, but fight fans also expected more from Wright in his win against the awkward Australian Soliman, leaving some to doubt whether the Taylor-Wright fight has reached its ultimate marquee value.
"Certainly, Winky's performance did not make it bigger," DiBella said. "But we're not giving up the WBC belt, so we're going to try to get something done. If Gary (Shaw) and I can come up with a game plan for some time next year, I'm sure the WBC will accommodate us. At this point, I'm not foreclosing any possibility."
Posted by: TJ Cline
Mesi's medical suspension lifted
LAS VEGAS - Boxer Joe Mesi's lengthy battle to return to the ring came to a happy conclusion Monday when a Nevada state judge overturned the medical suspension that had kept the unbeaten Town of Tonawanda heavyweight sidelined for nearly two years.
"It's a great Christmas present," Mesi said after 8th Judicial District Judge Douglas Herndon rendered his decision.
Mesi, suspended since March 2004 because of brain bleeds, is now free to apply for a boxing license in any state. He still must meet the health standards of state commissions and would meet resistance in many states, including New York.
He had been banned from fighting anywhere in the United States under federal law that forces all states to honor a medical suspension.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Mesi after he suffered multiple brain bleeds during his last bout. Mesi narrowly beat Vassiliy Jirov but was knocked down three times in the final two rounds.
Mesi, 32, sued the commission after it unanimously denied his reinstatement at hearings in Las Vegas in April and June.
Herndon's ruling was based on his belief a suspension cannot last longer than an active license. Boxing licenses in Nevada expire Dec. 31 of the year they're issued.
"The jurisdiction of the Nevada State Athletic Commission over Mr. Mesi is based upon him having a license to box in this state during the calendar year 2004," Herndon said. "If that license expires at the end of the year, their jurisdiction expires. I can't see how the suspension can outlive their jurisdiction over him."
The point wasn't even discussed during the nearly two-hour hearing in which Mesi's lead attorney, noted constitutional specialist Paul Cambria, argued the commission had violated Mesi's right to due process.
Herndon validated the Nevada State Athletic Commission's handling of the suspension but couldn't find a reason to maintain it if Mesi didn't even have a license.
"Our point still is that the suspension should stay until he's fit for further competition," said Nevada chief deputy attorney general Keith Kizer. "But the judge was clear in why he made the decision he did.
"Mr. Mesi still hasn't established he is fit to fight again, and I'm confident other states will take that into consideration when he applies."
Mesi said he will begin training after Christmas but said there is no timetable for when his next bout will be. He is 29-0 with 25 knockouts and became the World Boxing Council's top-rated contender shortly after he beat Jirov.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Hope to see Mesi get Knocked the fu-k out soon
Posted by: TJ Cline
James Toney vs Hasim Rahman
2006-03-18
Posted by: TJ Cline
I pick...........................
Posted by: TJ Cline
James to win by decision
Posted by: TJ Cline
James is the master of the ring
Posted by: TJ Cline
Hasim is lazy and has no heart
Posted by: TJ Cline
Both are mid 30's
Posted by: TJ Cline
I have never placed a bet on a fight
Posted by: TJ Cline
But if the odds are for Rock I will bet against him
Posted by: TJ Cline
Jeff Lacy: Everything You Ever Wanted In a Prizefighter
28.12.05 - By Joseph Carlo Russo: Amidst the recent signing of the Jeff Lacy/Joe Calzaghe superfight to be held at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester on March 4th fight fans not only in the United States but abroad as well have been raving about this potential diamond of a bout. This bout is any fight fan, promoter, or matchmaker's dream as it features two great fighters at a good weight from rival soils, both possessing the exciting styles that we all salivate over.
As the super middleweight division went previously unnoticed in the United States Jeff Lacy has done well for putting it back on the map. From his intimidating physique to his devastating style Jeff Lacy is a fight fan's dream. Since he exploded onto the boxing scene on February 2, 2001 Jeff Lacy has racked up 21 victories to no losses, with 17 jaw-dropping knockouts. His style demonstrates remnants of Mike Tyson and Marvin Hagler but his heart is no one else's but his own.
One of Jeff Lacy's most appealing traits as a fighter is his heart and determination. Outside of the ring he is humble, modest, and well spoken, but stepping into the ring with Jeffrey Scott Lacy is like entering the lion's den.
Jeff Lacy possesses a relentless style sure to take asses out of seats when he connects. Although his nickname is "Left Hook," Lacy is nothing short of a complete and polished fighter as he carries a full line of punches. In the ring he has taken guys out with straight rights, left hooks, uppercuts, body shots etc. But he has also been known to take guys out mentally at the pre-fight press conference with his Herculean physique. Recently, Lacy has shown flashes of solid defense as well.
In his past couple of fights Jeff Lacy was presented with worthy challenges in Scott "The Sandman" Pemberton and Robin "The Grim Reaper" Reid. But by the end of each fight Lacy had proved both these mens' nicknames invalid. On August 6th, Lacy handed Reid his first taste of the canvas as he demolished the highly regarded Englishman in eight rounds. Scott Pemberton was expected to give Lacy a bit more of a run for his money as it was the freeswinging New Englander's last shot. But, Lacy clearly had other plans as he decimated the lanky "Sandman" in only two rounds.
As spectacular a fighter as Jeff Lacy is, I believe some of his best traits lie not only in his physical abilities but in his mental attitude. Since exploding onto the boxing scene in 2001 Jeff Lacy has stayed active and stayed busy. He seeks only the best available fight and when he can't get it he doesn't stall, he takes the next best available fight, which is exactly what fighters should and must do if they want to be noticed. This year Lacy has fought a solid three game opponents. After each win, he has called out Joe Calzaghe, and in his last outing threw Tarver in there as well.
With Joe Calzaghe reluctant to fight him Lacy made sure to take out any necessary contenders to force the superfight. But in beating contenders, Lacy not only defeats them, he devastates them. Be it not a distinguishing quality in talent between boxers and punchers, but the truth is everybody loves the knockouts and everybody notices the knockouts. Jeff Lacy understands this as he has worked himself up into being one of the best finishers in the game. When he smells blood he knows how to capitalize. This attribute is essential in a prospect, especially in a division like super middleweight.
Unlike Floyd Mayweather Jeff Lacy refrains from complaining about being popular, being pay-per-view, getting paid more than his opponents etc. Just like a fighter should do, Jeff Lacy prefers to just fight and take care of business. He understands that beating Joe Calzaghe in England will be his last trip abroad making so that everybody will have to come to him after that. This is a very healthy attitude for a fighter. Zab Judah demonstrated this mentality when he accepted a small sum of money to rematch Cory Spinks in St. Louis, knowing he would win and paving the way for himself to be the undisputed welterweight champion.
Humble outside the ring, brutal inside the ring Jeff Lacy has taken the boxing scene by storm. It is fighters like Jeff who will be the ones to return boxing to its glorious roots. With left hooks, right crosses, liver punches, and uppercuts Jeff Lacy continues to stake his claim as one of boxing's finest with his upcoming superfight with Joe Calzaghe on March 4th. At 28 years old, hopefully the best is yet to come for Jeff Lacy as he has shown himself to be everything you ever wanted in a prizefighter.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Joe Louis, Jack Johnson & The Issue Of Race
28.12.05 - By Khalid Mohamed: Any issue to do about race is always sensitive and understandable, but when you talk bout the likes of Louis and Johnson, race is a factor. What I've got to say isn’t to insult or offend, but just to put my point across. Now, don't get me wrong, Joe Louis is one of my favorite boxers ever. His speed, power, combinations and skill won me over a long time ago, yet I always kept thinking of one thing: why was Louis so... well... domesticated? It's a nasty word, I know, but he seemed to be perfect for what white America wanted him to be, which got me thinking about Jack Johnson and his reign as champ and how it directly effected Louis.
Joe Louis and Jack Johnson were two men who defined an era but were remembered out of the ring for totally different reasons; Johnson, the drinking, gambling, womanizing speed freak, who gloated over his hurt opponents and broke taboos just to piss off white America, while Louis was the quiet, docile, bible reading kid, who stayed away from white women and served his country in the ring (against Schmeling) and in the army during WWII.
Louis' promoters created an image of the perfect anti-Johnson 'Negro' to popularize him to the white population, even though, in reality, he also lived the high life. Yet taking notice of all the mistakes Jack Johnson made, his promoters gave out this image that Louis was the total opposite of Johnson.
Johnson's was everything that 1900's white America feared - a big, powerful black man, who was rich, had relationships with white women, and was downright disobedient to the powers that be. In other words, white America’s worst nightmare. This created terms like, 'Unforgivable Blackness,' and the search for the “Great White Hope.” Yet Johnson’s up bringing does have a lot to do about of why he was so hostile to the establishment, considering that his parents were former slaves. He was one of six children, who lived in the south where lynching was a common place event, and all of the Black person’s experiences with white people growing up, was mostly negative. You can see why he resented the establishment. Let me make this clear, I’m not making excuses for the things he did, but you have to understand how he grew up and how his environment influenced him.
Personally, I don't like Johnson's high living ways, and how he gloated over fallen opponents. Frankly, that's just not my style, yet I still respect the man. Back in an era when lynching was common and non-whites were seen as inferior, he literally took on the whole of America and won, then gave them the finger.
Shortly before the Jeffries-Johnson fight, the ring side band played "All c***s look alike to me.'' At the same time, Jeffries said coming into the fight, "I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro.'' All the while, the crowd were chanting "Kill the n****r,'' yet what does Johnson do? He beats the crap out of Jeffries, while at the same time, laughing! No matter your opinion on Johnson, you have to respect that.
However, Joe Louis was the total opposite in character; He was mostly quiet, friendly, never seen rocking the boat and humble in victory or defeat.
The fans loved Louis. However, in my opinion, white America never truly saw him as, saw him as “All American” hero. There are loads of accounts of his skill in the ring being referred to as ''Speed of the jungle'', ''Jungle frenzy'' and so on. To add insult to injury, he was famously not allowed into the White House. Instead, he met with President Franklin Roosevelt on the White House lawn, shortly before he took on Schmeling.
However, race did play a big role in Louis's image. For example, his nickname displayed it front and center for everyone to see, “The Brown Bomber.”
Louis did in a positive way promote the idea of black Heavyweight champs, yet in a way, we can look back and say ''you sold out'.' However, back then, there wasn't any other alternative. To be sure, you either did what the establishment wanted or you wouldn't be allowed to get a title shot, it’s that simple.
In my opinion, Johnson stained the image of black Heavyweight boxing for a long period of time, doing harm to the possible emergence of major black fights by ducking many of the other black fighters. This is also a point a lot of people forget or try to raise when talking about Jack Dempsey. However, to try and blame Johnson’s actions for single handily bringing black boxing down, is naive, especially when the likes of Greb, Ketchel and Sullivan lived it up, gambling, womanizing, drinking and so on. They were seen as playboys and as real man, yet when Johnson did the same thing, he was seen as evil and a disgrace to his race. No doubt,, there are double standards when talking about Johnson's behavior compared to other past white champions.
Johnson was black and was king of the most prestigious title in sport - the Heavyweight title of the world – which was good enough for most. However, they white media just used Johnson's actions against him as proof of his evil ways. From what I see, you can't blame Johnson for white America's racism against him. It's like blaming a battered wife for being abused instead of the abuser.
As we all know, the hunt for the ''Great white hope,'' initially failed and the only way to get rid of Johnson's grip on the title was to charge him of for violating the “Mann Act” for transporting his fiancé, and future wife, Lucille Cameron across state lines. It was not prostitution, as many people say, considering that it was his future wife. Another point people try to say is that Johnson disgraced his race by is actions. Again, this is debatable. A large portion of the Black people saw Johnson as a hero, liking him for his attitude and his refusal of “not knowing his place” and doing everything that he shouldn't in terms of social customs when dealing with white people, yet still getting away with it. One of the popular poems during this time showed the pride that the Blacks felt towards Johnson’s victory over a white: ''O my Lord, What a morning, O my Lord, What a feeling, When Jack Johnson Turned Jim Jeffries' Snow-white face to the ceiling.”
To understand the environment of Johnson's reign as champ and the racism of a large number of white America, just listen to the creator of Ring Magazine and Johnson fan Nat Fleischer, who wrote, "It seemed that a White Race cult had suddenly come into existence that took the stand that only a Caucasian heavyweight could hold the championship- a ridiculous situation." In 1915, the search for the Great white hope was answered when Jess Williard, a huge 6’6” white man, knocked out an old and out of shape Johnson in the scorching heat of the Cuban sun.
Louis had to be what white America wanted their Heavyweight 'Negro' to be; Mainly quiet, obedient, god-fearing and loyal to the establishment, after Johnson won the title, there were race riots around the country. There was no way white America was going to have another “Johnson-like” fighter as Heavyweight champ. To be sure, there were other black champions before Johnson, such as Gans, Dixon and 'Barbados' Joe Walcott, and even bare knuckle champions, like Richmond and Molyneaux. However, in 1900's, America, the Heavyweight Champion of the world had an aura to it, and being Heavyweight champion was the closest thing that the average Joe from the growing cities of the US or newly conquered west can get to being a king; If you were the heavyweight champion, you got nation wide fame, fortune, glory and there was no way a 'lesser race' would beat a white fighter and be Heavyweight champion.
With the changing moral opinions of the nation, Louis did help change the opinion's of many about black champions and without Louis, I doubt that there would have been a black heavyweight champion until the late 50's to early 60's. He proved that the skill in the ring counts more than the color of there skin. Louis might have been 'domesticated' to an extent, yet he truly opened the door for black champions and now is remembered as not just one of the greatest boxers ever, but also one of the most popular champions ever. For his part, Jack Johnson is still controversial and his legacy is still being debated to this day.
Jack Johnson Top 1-3 of all time......fuck this racist author and his opinions
Posted by: TJ Cline
The Appeal of Hopkins-Jones II
25.12.05 - By Dino Alvarado: It might be 12 years too late for some, but for others, the rematch between Roy Jones Jr. (49-4, 38 KO's) and Bernard Hopkins (46-4, 32 KO'S) will be a historic occasion that can't be missed. To the naked eye, this may seem confusing. Why pay $50 for what will most likely be a boring fight between two washed-up boxers? It's simple; history.
Hopkins and Jones have each gone such different paths since their first match on May 22, 1993. Roy Jones Jr. won the fight and built on that momentum by defeating top boxers such as James Toney and Mike McMallum. Jones went on to become the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world for ten years, and was one of the few boxers in recent memory to have crossover appeal; that is, his popularity went beyond the sport. Having won a championship in four different weight classes, he seemed untouchable. The dream ended the day he fought Antonio Tarver.
Despite winning the first match, it was the first time in his career the decision was somewhat disputed; his invincibility was gone. It only got worse after three straight losses; two of them to Tarver and one to Glen Johnson. Nowadays, people question whether Jones really dared to be great, and his legacy is hanging on the ropes.
Hopkins, meanwhile, grew to elite status the hard way. Even after 13 consecutive title defenses in the middleweight division, no one gave him a chance against the then-undefeated Felix Trinidad. He responded with a dominating knockout victory. Only then did the general public take notice, and building on his newly-found fame, he went on to defeat Oscar De La Hoya three years later in one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport. With that win, he established himself as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, a title he earned mainly due to Roy Jones's shocking loss to Tarver four months later. Since then, things haven't gone quite as well. After a less-than-convincing win over Howard Eastman, he followed that performance with two straight losses to the new king of the middleweight division, Jermain Taylor. Now the question is whether Hopkins truly is a legend or whether he took advantage of a weak middleweight era. After all, the best natural middleweight he has fought is Taylor, and he lost both times.
Not only is this a match between two future hall-of-famers, but they also make ideal rivals. Jones gained the vote of sympathy from the 1988 Olympics after representing the United States in boxing and unfairly losing in the finals; some would say he gained more popularity losing than he would've had he won the Gold Medal. Hopkins, on the other hand, spent 56 months in prison for armed robbery as a youth and became the anti-marketable fighter. Over the years, Hopkins seemed to grow jealous of Jones's celebrity standing and always demanded a rematch for their first bout in 1993. That fight gave Jones all the confidence he needed to become a legend, but that didn't stop Bernard from getting there himself.
This fight is actually a toss-up to call; Hopkins may seem to have the upper hand at this point, but he's moving up 15 pounds to make this a light-heavyweight bout. Will the extra weight have a negative effect on him? Actually, the most important question is, who has the heart to retire on top? Who has more desire to end their career on their terms? It will be a farewell bout for both boxers. History is at stake on March 11, and if you ask me, that's worth $50 anytime.
Posted by: TJ Cline
2005 - The Year in Review, plus Year-End Awards - Part 1
29.12.05 - By Paul Ruby: 2005 was a year like many others in boxing, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It was a year that was predictable at times and unpredictable at others; it was a year that engendered satisfaction and frustration in equal measure. There were times that remind us why we love this sport, but there were also decisions that show us how agonizing it can be.
At heavyweight, 2005 gave us the same phenomenon we have been seeing since Lennox Lewis’ retirement - past-their-prime fighters being recycled into title shot after title shot while younger, hungry fights are left standing outside the fire. As has become standard practice, each major sanctioning body has a different champion and the division is largely devoid of excitement. Still, the landscape looks better than it did a year ago - John Ruiz has been defeated twice, people have largely stopped listening to Chris Byrd’s unrealistic self-evaluations, and a series of exciting young fighters are on the doorstep of becoming household names.
Fights I would love to see in 2006 include Calvin Brock against Danny Williams, Samuel Peter against Kirk Johnson, and Joe Mesi against Sultan Ibragimov, with the winner of each getting a title shot. Though the heavyweight division remains full of problems, the forecast appears much brighter than it did one year ago. For what it’s worth, I like James Toney to put on a clinic against Hasim Rahman in March. I am disappointed by Vitali Klitschko’s retirement, but I would not be at all surprised to see him make a return to the ring in the next 18 months.
The Cruiserweight and Light Heavyweight divisions have experienced no major changes in 2005. Jean-Marc Mormeck surprised many by defeating Wayne Braithwaite in April. Personally, I was more surprised by Braithwaite’s laissez-faire style in the ring and lack of a game-plan than I was by Mormeck’s hard-charging and aggressive style. Mormeck is set to take on O’Neill Bell in two week’s time. Bell has looked both spectacular and pedestrian in recent fights, so there’s little way to predict which version will show up. Even if the best Bell is in the ring with Mormeck, I still favor the Frenchman because his volume will let him win close rounds and his ability to cut off the ring and close distance quickly will help neutralize Bell’s jab and straight left, his best punch.
At 175, there were few surprises at the top of the division - in Antonio Tarver/ Glen Johnson rematch, Tarver won the fight because he determination and dedication caught up to his talent. Tarver went on to defeat Roy Jones in an unspectacular bout four months later. Two things do, however, warrant mention - the great war waged between Paul Briggs and Tomasz Adamek in Chicago and the class shown by Glen Johnson in looking to the referee and calling for him to stop the fight when he could tell his opponent in September, George Jones, could no longer defend himself.
At Super Middleweight and Middleweight, the focus is almost entirely on the future. The Super Middleweight division features many exciting fighters with contrasting styles from across the globe. Obviously, the biggest fight on the horizon is Jeff Lacy and Joe Calzaghe, set for March 4th. Lacy deserves credit for his willingness to travel across the Atlantic to make this fight happen. Additionally, Mikkel Kessler and Marcus Beyer should dispose of their opponents in January and set the stage for bigger fights in the middle of the year. Hungry young bucks like Chad Dawson, Librado Andrade, and Jackson Chanet will each to try to show they are for real in the coming year.
At Middleweight, Jermain Taylor has established himself as the division’s champion by taking one close decision and one debatable decision over aging Bernard Hopkins. Taylor looked like the fresher and more aggressive fighter in their second bout, but he still must fix some technical flaws before he can reach his full potential. Namely, he spreads his legs so far that he gives up his height and he has difficulty transitioning between offense and defense. In spite of those flaws, he was able to take it to the Executioner. Winky Wright and his snoozer of a style are also on display at Middleweight. Frankly, I’d rather watch paint dry than Wright fight, but I’m the first to admit he’s got formidable skills. Arthur Abraham and Felix Sturm present tough matches to anyone in the division and Sam Soliman is willing and able to put on a good show against any opponent thrown at him.
Posted by: TJ Cline
2005 - The Year in Review, plus Year-End Awards - Part 2
29.12.05 - By Paul Ruby: Like at Heavyweight, the Light Middleweight division is largely full of past-their-prime fighters who remain household names despite diminishing skills. Personally, I can’t blame guys like Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas, Vernon Forrest, and Ricardo Mayorga for trying to make as much money as possible with as little risk. Their legacies are virtually set and, if the buying public is ignorant or nostalgic enough to let them line their pockets even further, then you cannot fault them for taking the opportunity to make a couple million dollars.
The 154-pound division is one of the strangest in boxing right now. Daniel Santos and Kassim Ouma lost to Sergiy Dzinziruk and Roman Karmazin, respectively, and virtually no one forecasted either result. Karmazin looked technically sound and strong as an ox against Ouma, but he had never looked close to the that good beforehand, and he has yet to fight since.
I personally felt Dzinziruk was merely a mandatory opponent that would be summarily dispatched in a boring decision by the Puerto Rican southpaw, but that turned out false when the Ukranian matched and exceeded Santos’ above-average height, skill, and strength. Karmazin faces Alejandro ‘Terra’ Garcia, who had a great year, in February and it appears the winner will ultimately square off with either Fernando Vargas or Shane Mosley down the road.
The big name fights in the division are, of course, Vargas/Mosley and Oscar de la Hoya against Ricardo Mayorga. Oscar de la Hoya’s patience and skill will let him butcher Mayorga any day of the week - this is a classic low risk, mammoth reward fight for de la Hoya. On the other hand, Vargas/Mosley is a tough call. Vargas has made a major stylistic change and now focuses on throwing fewer punches per round while protecting himself better than he did in the past.
Given his natural size advantage over Mosley, this new style may actually benefit him. Mosley is no longer the combination-throwing dynamo he was at lightweight years ago. He no longer attacks the body with conviction and, too often, throws just one punch at a time. If Mosley takes chances, he should win this fight because his reflexes are sharper than Vargas’. Still, I tend to favor Vargas because of his size, style, and Mosley’s unwillingness to take risks in his recent fights.
The Welterweight division is heating up perhaps quicker than any other in boxing. Zab Judah, Floyd Mayweather, and Antonio Margarito are already there and Arturo Gatti, Miguel Cotto, and possibly Kostya Tszyu could wind up there before 2006 is over. That said, 2005 was not a great year for the 147 pound division. The only major fight of the year was Zab Judah’s late knockout of Cory Spinks in a fight that turned out to be a lot better than many anticipated. The other major events were Antonio Margarito’s demolition of prospect Kermit Cintron and the arrival of Floyd Mayweather onto the scene. The coming year should provide answers to many questions, but biggest question in my mind is: ‘when is somebody going to give Antonio Margarito a shot?’ He’s held the WBO belt for almost half a decade, and no high-profile fighter appears willing to sign a contract to fight him. In terms of self-interest, I cannot fault any of them - I believe Margarito is the class of the division and can beat anyone at 147 or below.
My biggest hope for the division in 2006 is that another fighter in their prime will be willing to fight Margarito, because I truly believe he is among the best natural fighters in the sport today. I’ll end the welterweight discussion by admitting that I’m actually pretty surprised the fight between Judah and Mayweather has been finalized given both men’s history of unrealistic purse demands that ignore the realities of business and sports. Still, it is an exciting fight that I believe will catapult Mayweather closer to the stardom he craves. I like Mayweather to win by a knockout within seven rounds. Mayweather’s talent and desire far exceed those of Judah, who I believe has been vastly over-rated for years. Judah is a fine fighter and deserving champion, but he is not a fighter that should be considered among the elite of the sport based on accomplishments or talent.
Posted by: TJ Cline
2005 - The Year in Review, plus Year- End Awards - Part 3
30.12.05 - By Paul Ruby: For the last half decade, the 140 pound division has hosted some of boxing’s most elite talents, as well as some of the true class acts of the sport - guys like Arturo Gatti, Kostya Tszyu, and my pick for Fighter of the Year, Ricky Hatton. The potential arrival of fighters like Acelino Freitas, Juan Lazcano, and Jose Luis Castillo from Lightweight as well as up-and-comers like Carlos Maussa and Miguel Cotto make for countless potentially interesting fights. The past year marked a changing of the guard when Hatton took out Tszyu in June. At this time, it appears that Hatton is the class of the field, with Tszyu still not far behind. Hatton the followed that victory with Carlos Maussa, the unorthodox Colombian fresh of a TKO of once highly-touted Vivian Harris.
At the moment, it appears Hatton is taking a much-deserved breather, but I hope that all would take a moment to track his career and progress during the last few years.
Every step of the way, critics have doubted him, and each time he has proven them wrong. He has kept fighting and winning his fights convincingly and, in doing so, has established himself among the great fighters and sportsmen in boxing today. His victory over Tszyu should also do nothing to diminish Tszyu’s record over the last decade as one of the boxing’s greatest fighters as well as one of the sport’s best representatives to the public. There is also buzz within the last week that Hatton may sign with Golden Boy Promotions. The BBC reports that this is only speculation with nothing yet finalized, but this should come as pleasing news to American fight fans who know that Hatton has not fought on this side of the pond since 2000.
The greatest fight of this young millennium was waged in 2005 at Lightweight between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo. Though controversy surrounds their second fight, the quality of their first fight should not be overshadowed even for a second. The first bout in May was waged at a higher quality on both ends than any other fights in recent memory. Let’s all hope the 3rd installment in February sees both fighters make weight and go to war with even footing like they did the first time around.
The Lightweight division also saw one of the upsets of the year when Zahir Raheem outpointed Erik Morales. Morales’ frame may not be able to truly handle 135 pounds and he is poised to return to 130, but nothing should be taken away from Raheem’s accomplishment. Unfortunately, Raheem has done little to capitalize on this huge win; he has not fought since. Personally, I would love to see Raheem face off against a true Lightweight like Acelino Freitas, provided Freitas chooses to stay at 135.
The Super Featherweight division may have more star power than any other in boxing. The division features Marco Antonio Barrera, Manny Pacquaio, and Erik Morales. Each of those fighters has shown a willingness to challenge himself with other elite boxers, and that is an attribute far too few fighters today possess. Each of the above men is a throwback to a forgotten era when fighters truly sought to succeed not only financially, but also wanted to show the world that they truly are the best around. The division has everything - savvy veterans, elusive southpaws like Yodsanan 3-K Battery, hard-charging volume punchers like Robbie Peden, and a pair of unknown fighters from South and Central America that appear capable of defeating anyone on the right night in Jorge Barrios and Vicente Mosquera.
In 2006, Morales and Pacquiao are set to square off and Barrera is taking on another past-his-prime opponent on pay-per-view. Neither Barrios nor Mosquera are currently signed to fight (because each has fought within the last three weeks), so I truly hope the one of them is given a shot against Barrera or one of the other higher-profile fighters in the division.
At Featherweight, the class of the field is Juan Manuel Marquez. Unfortunately, Marquez’ trainer and manager, Nacho Beristain, has made some questionable decisions recently in guiding Marquez’ career. Marquez is signed to fight Chris John, an unknown Indonesian who is probably the biggest threat to Marquez in the division, for virtually no money. Marquez is chalked to make just over $30,000, so I tend to question whyhe is not only taking the risk, but also going to Indonesia to do so. Prospect Joan Guzman recently won an eliminator for a WBO title shot, but it remains to be seen whether a title bout can be made with Scott Harrison. I love Guzman, but I do not like this fight at all for him. I think he lacks the big-fight experience needed to really compete with Harrison. Additionally, though both fighters stand about 5'7, Harrison is enormous for a featherweight while Guzman probably should still be at 122; still, the latter has been working with Roger Mayweather of late and Mayweather’s ability to teach defense and a two-handed attack should prove useful to Guzman.
Two American prospects are coming off set-backs at 126 in Rocky Juarez and Robert Guerrero. To be honest, I have never been terribly high on either of them, but I believe Juarez will ultimately have a much better career than Guerrero, and I like the steps he’s taken since his loss to Humberto Soto.
Some of the best fighters in the sport and best fights of the year took place below featherweight. Sadly, these divisions are largely ignored by all but the most hardcore of fans. In an attempt to cater to all, I’ll quickly run through names to look for in each division. At Super Bantamweight, Oscar Larios and Israel Vasquez are the class of the field; they’ve fought thrice, with Vasquez taking two. Beyond the two of them, the best fighter in the division is Mayhar Monshipour, an Iranian based out of France, and southpaw Celestino Caballero.
Still, no fighter in the division can compare with the likes of Larios and Vasquez. At Bantamweight, Rafael Marquez is probably the best fighter at that weight since Carlos Zarate, 25 years ago. Still, there are other very good - and possibly great - fighters in the division. Jhonny Gonzales is an exciting fighter with a 17 fight win streak set to take on Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson in February. I would prefer to see Marquez challenge himself by moving up in weight, but a fight with Gonzales during 2006 would almost certainly prove an entertaining affair.
Posted by: TJ Cline
2005 - The Year in Review, plus Year- End Awards - Part 4
30.12.05 - By Paul Ruby: At Super Flyweight, the two top fighters are probably Martin Castillo and Jose Navarro. Castillo is managed by Frank Espinoza, who also manages Israel Vasquez, while Navarro is best known for being the victim of the year’s most despicable robbery in his fight against Katsushige Kawashima of Japan. Navarro is now set to return to Japan to face Kawashima’s conqueror, Masamori Tokuyama; let’s hope this trip turns out better for him than the last. Martin Castillo is slated for face Alexander Munoz in late January. Unfortunately, the two have already fought with Castillo’s skill basically neutralizing Munoz’ power for the duration of the fight. Personally, I’d prefer to see Castillo in with Fernando Montiel or Rosendo Alvarez, but those are fight that will have to wait for another day.
The Flyweight division is probably boxing’s most competitive division below 130 pounds, where at least four fighters can legitimately claim to be the division’s best - Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Lorenzo Parra, Vic Darchinyan, and Jorge Arce. Among them, Arce is the probably the strongest and most complete fighter. Wonjongkam has toiled in Asia, and is on the back end of his career. Darchinyan has fewer fights than Parra, but each has faced only a few top-15 quality opponents.
Comparing the two, I think the Aussie Darchinyan has more promise. He is more powerful and he is a disciplined product of Jeff Fenech’s training. Head-to-head, I would favor Darchinyan, who I believe is second only to Arce. Arce made a name for himself this year against another Australian, Hussein Hussein. The two waged a great war on the Morales-Pacquaio undercard and then Arce demolished Hussein in the rematch months later. Arce had a good a 2005 as anyone in the sport. I sincerely wish that people would take more notice of the smaller fighters in this game because their talent is on par with the larger fighters, and often exceeds it.
American fight fans can cheer for two of the top Light Flyweights in the world in Brian Viloria and Will Grigsby. Viloria is the 2000 Olympian trained by Freddie Roach. He captured the WBC 108-pound title with a sensational knockout of Eric Ortiz on the Morales/Raheem undercard. The public was high on Viloria when he first turned pro, but lost interest after he failed to produce knockouts. His victory over Ortiz shows that Viloria has power and will probably be more of a force at 108 than he could have been at 112. He’s now set to face former Strawweight kingpin Jose Aguirre in February.
In his last two fights, Aguirre has been knocked out and quit, so hopefully Viloria can provide some excitement. The other American in the fray is Minnesotan Will Grigsby. Grigsby has been a professional for 17 years, but has fought only 23 times. Despite inactivity and managerial problems, Grigsby has precision punching skills that rival almost anyone in the sport. Grigsby lacks big power, but shocked many in beating Victor Burgos on the Wright/Trinidad undercard. Grigsby faces 19-1-1 Ulises Solis next week in what should prove to be an interesting fight that should feature Grigsby boxing circles around his younger foe. Remember, the only fighters Grigsby has ever lost to are the inimitable Finito Lopez and Michael Carbajal. Of course, Grigby turns 36 in three months, and that is positively ancient for a fighter at 108. The best fighter in the division, however, is probably Roberto Vasquez, a 22 year old Panamanian who can do it all. Vasquez took part in a fight with Beibis Mendoza in April that many thought was an early frontrunner for fight of the year until Corrales/Castillo.
Posted by: KentDog
Hey foreman, I got bad news. It seems the Jones v Hopkins 2 fight has been called off. Thought I should post as soon as I found out since we were both looking forward to this fight. I wonder what Roy is going to do now; I was pretty certain he would retire after this fight.
Hopkins-Jones unravels!
The proposed March 11 light heavyweight fight between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. has fallen apart. An verbal agreement to split the pot 50/50 unraveled in negotiations over the "finer points" involved in what was to be an HBO-PPV telecast. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer will meet with Hopkins and HBO in New York City at the end of the month to discuss 'The Executioner's' future options. "I have to wait until our meeting before I know for sure, but there's probably a 70-30 chance he'd take a high-profile fight," Schaefer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "But there's always that possibility we could go to Philly and have a 'Thank You, Philadelphia,' thing there that would be a celebration of his career."
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Hopkins, meanwhile, will appear today on ESPN Hollywood (ESPN2 6pm EST/ 3pm PST). The future Hall-of-Famer will tour the headquarters of IceLink Watch in Los Angeles, California. An estimated 70% of the hip-hop jewelry on the market is crafted by the company. The show will replay at 12am ET/9pm PT.
Thursday, January 12 2006
Posted by: KentDog
This was new to me... DiBella just going to give up Taylor's title by ducking the mandatory defense?
Shaw: The fight's off!
January 10, 2006
By Karl Freitag
"Lou DiBella called everybody yesterday and told them that the fight's off, so the fight's off," Gary Shaw, promoter of WBC #1 ranked Winky Wright told Fightnews.com today. "I don't know if there's going to be a purse bid [the WBC has a purse bid scheduled for January 30]. He says he's not going. He said the fight's off. If the fight's off and he's not going, then Jermain Taylor would lose his title."
If Taylor is stripped of his WBC belt, Wright would fight the highest available contender for the vacant title. At the moment WBC #2 is Felix Sturm, but Sturm is slated to challenge Maselino Masoe for the vacant WBA "regular" title. #3 is Kelly Pavlik, Sam Soliman is #4 and Ike Quartey (also promoted by DiBella) is #5. Taylor would still have his WBA super champion title and the WBO belt.
Shaw confirmed that HBO's top offer of $5 million but stated he could make the fight happen. "We'll give Jermain the $4 million, see if they'll take it. They won't take it. I'll give Jermain $4,050,000 -- $50,000 more." Shaw said he could make the economics work with the site fee and the international TV rights in addition to the HBO money.
DiBella made an offer to Wright for $3 million, but Shaw is seeking parity. "If you look at it, Winky could say, 'I beat Shane Mosley twice and shut out Trinidad, I think this is 60/40 my way. I was fighting as a pro, undefeated when Jermain was an amateur.' He's smart enough to know that this is a true 50/50 fight. One of these guys is not bigger than the other.
Shaw added, "Lou's got his ego on the line. I think he's hurting Jermain because no matter what, until he goes through Winky Wright he will not be considered the best middleweight in the world. I don't care if he goes to some men's clothing store to get ten more belts. It's about [Jermain], if he goes through Winky Wright there's no question, he's the single best middleweight in the world."
With Pacquiao-Morales, Corrales-Castillo and Lacy-Calzaghe, Shaw is involved in many of the big fights taking place in early 2005. "I'm not a one trick pony," he commented. "DiBella's a one trick pony. Maybe he's afraid to fight Winky because if he loses Jermain, he has nothing else. What's he have? That's where he's coming from. But, to call everybody and say that the fight is off. This isn't when he ran HBO giving out 80 million dollars. Now he's trying to make a dollar. That's not how you conduct yourself. That's like if you talk to someone and you're in the middle of negotiations and all of s sudden you just blow, I mean, why? What do you achieve? You take it all the way until you realize there's an impasse and at that impasse is when you say 'obviously we can't do this deal,' and both sides move on. What he did was amateur hour."
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Taylor-Wright talks break down!
By Karl Freitag
Talks between the camps of middleweight champion Jermain Taylor and top challenger Winky Wright have reached an impasse. "They asked for 50% of the money and 50% of the control. That is not happening," Taylor's promoter Lou DiBella told Fightnews.com. "I made them an incredibly fair deal which is better than they would get in a purse bid with the WBC. HBO offered $5 million total and wouldn't come up a dollar. I offered Winky $3 million. I'm taking the risk on the site, too. I am not giving them 50% control.....There's no further room to negotiate because we know what the numbers are. We both have our positions. I hold no animosity toward Winky, Gary Shaw (Wright's promoter) or Jim Wilkes (Wright's manager). They have to do what's in their fighter's best interest. I have to do what's in my fighter's best interest."
Monday, January 9 2006
Posted by: TJ Cline
That sucks......I bet they both got so greedy and fought over top billing...
They bioth just need to give it up......both are too old now.
Posted by: KentDog
Yeah, it's sad that greed so often ruins the sport. Neither fighters have much left in them, it would have been a great going out fight. B-Hop will have at least one more fight, while Roy is already filthy rich and has no huge incentive to fight any more unless approached with something good (big money fight). He seems to have a pretty steady job at Ringside.
Posted by: TJ Cline
ESB Exclusive Interview: James Toney
15.01.06 - By
Travis Marks: For close to fifteen years the mercurial James “Lights Out” Toney has entertained the public. Whether be in or out the ring, Toney has a way of capturing a crowd. On May 10, 1991 Toney arrived into stardom following his upset knockout win over then pound for pound dynamo Michael “Second To” Nunn. Toney, trailing in the fight all night stopped Nunn in the eleventh round and in the process became the IBF Middleweight champion. Following that win Toney went on to fight and defeat a virtual who’s who in the Middleweight and Super Middleweight. Mike McCallum, Iron Barkley, Reggie Johnson, and “Prince” Charles Williams are opponents who were conquered by “Lights Out.” During that time span Toney revealed that he was not only a super talent in the ring; he also had the gift of gab. His pre and post fight interviews were always entertaining..
Toney’s career hit a snag when he lost his IBF Super Middleweight championship to an undefeated Roy Jones Jr. by unanimous decision. He followed up that loss by dropping a decision to Montell Griffin in his debut fight at Light Heavyweight. Following that defeat Toney returned to his winning ways but his dedication was not there like it once was as he was often out of shape for fights. Rock bottom came when he lost to little known Drake Thadski by majority decision in May 1997. Toney fought once more and then took a two year break to sort things out.
After fighting for a few years in obscurity, James Toney returned to prominence when he captured the IBF Cruiserweight title on April 26, 2004 from Vassiliy Jirov in one of the great bouts of the new millennium. Toney made a successful move to Heavyweight following that win by knocking out former great Evander Holyfield.
Toney captured Heavyweight gold by defeating then WBA champion John Ruiz. His victory was short-lived when he was stripped of his title for testing positive for steroids. James did not let that stop him. He continued his winning ways and was rewarded when the WBC made him the mandatory challenger for their version of the Heavyweight title.
Eastsideboxing.com recently caught up with the former three time and three division champion James Toney. At a press conference held in the fabulous Tavern on the Green in New York’s Central Park it was formally announced that Toney will be challenging WBC Heavyweight champion Hasim “The Rock” Rahman for his title on March 18th, 2006 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Rahman became champion when former champion Vitali Klitchsko vacated the title by retiring due to a debilitating knee injury. Toney filled us in on his thoughts about this upcoming bout, his run-in with Rahman and also reflects on his career.
Eastsideboxing.com: James, How excited are you about this fight?
James Toney: (Answering before the question is fully asked in an extremely animated manner) I’m excited! I’m excited because it’s finally happening. It took a while to get here. I never thought it would happen. We kept on waiting for the fake champ Vitali Klitchsko and that never happen, so then after he bailed out “Rock” (Hasim Rahman) was good enough to go ahead and save the fight. He didn’t really want to fight me but he had to fight me. I give him credit for sticking to his word.
ESB: What style problems does he present to you?
JT: None at all. There is nothing new here. I see stuff like this everyday. I have been preparing for this all my life. Since day one in boxing, being in the Kronk Gym (Emanuel Steward’s famed boxing gym located in Detroit, Michigan), and the Johnson recreation center, I have been prepared. I have been in with all the best fighters in the world, from middleweight to heavyweight and I have destroyed every single one of them.
ESB: What do you think about him as a fighter?
JT: He’s a good fighter but like I said, he’s not on my level. And I’m going to show him that come March 18th.
ESB: Tell us something about the altercation that happened between the two of you.
JT: (Becoming very animated and also raising his voice) Let’s get something straight right now, he did not slap me! I wouldn’t let my momma slap me and get away with it. He did not slap me! What it was was that me and my wife were down in Cancun having a good time. Everybody was around me, when he (Rahman) came out nobody was paying him attention so he said “The Champ is here.” I looked around, “Oh you’re talking about me.” Next thing you know he pushes me and I push him back. With four hotel security guards holding me back, two had my legs and two had my arms, he tried to slap me. I swung back like this (leaning his upper body back) he nicked me on my lip and cut me. That’s where the supposed slap came from. That’s some real bullshit. If he really wanted to get at me he could have got at me. Like I said, I don’t have bodyguards for me, I do have bodyguards with me but the bodyguards are for those motherf**kers. Period!
ESB: Why have you been able to do the same things at heavyweight that you were able to do at middleweight?
JT: I’m a natural born fighter. Look at my tapes; I haven’t deviated too much from when I first started. I still fight in the pocket; I rather stay in the pocket. That let’s you know who the fighter is. And you see when I get hit (smiling) I smile at the guy and let him know that shit aint do nothing.
ESB: Have you ever been hurt in a fight?
JT: Yeah, I’ve been hurt before. But you know what? When you get hurt, you don’t leave a notice. You don’t go ahead and run like this (moving back and panicking) that’s when people know you’re hurt. And when you are violently hurt that’s when you start dancing, you do like Roy Jones (doing a dance mocking Roy Jones, the onlookers burst into uncontrollable laughter)
ESB: Who hurt you? Merqui Sosa?
JT: Sosa hurt me! Iran Barkley hurt me also. When Iran hit me, I swear to God to this day, when that motherf**ker hit me dog, I felt that shit for two weeks. But like I said, I was going to let him know. It’s a mind game; your mind gets you to through things.
ESB: What’s keeps you going in boxing?
JT: I love boxing. I love to fight. I have fun fighting. I love to fight.
ESB: Who would you like to fight if you’re successful against Rahman?
JT: Whoever you people (the press) want me to fight, that’s who I’ll fight. I don’t want ya’ll to put me in there with anybody who’s a “Great White Hope.” I don’t want any of those. I want a legitimate challenge. That’s why I’m fighting Rahman, he’s a legitimate challenge.
ESB: Can a fight with Chris Byrd happen?
JT: (Raising his voice and initially addressing his entourage) You hear this shit? The Chris Byrd fight was suppose to happen the night before the Superbowl…in Detroit. But you know what, he did that shit in his last fight, everything got cut off. He killed himself. And anyway, I hope you send this message to Chris Byrd: Quit having your wife talk for you, Piggie Smalls. His wife’s name is Piggie Smalls Byrd.
ESB: Let me ask you one last question. Are you still the King in Madden? Because I know my Madden game is thorough and no one is beating me.
JT: (Getting excited) I got a challenge! When do you want to do this?
ESB: Whenever, we can play today if you want to.
JT: I have to leave today. Fight week bring your ass down to Atlantic City. Who do you use?
ESB: I use the Lions. With Joey Harrington.
JT: You use the Lions? I’ll smoke your ass! By the way go get my new boxing game “Lights Out versus the Legends”, it comes out in February. You’ll see James Toney fighting Joe Louis, all the way down to Jersey Joe Walcott.
ESB: Is there anything you like to say in closing?
JT: Travis, I’m going to kick your ass come March in Madden. Cause you can’t see me in Madden, can’t nobody see me in Madden. You’ve got a lot of talk out there, bring your ass and bring the cash.
Eastsideboxing.com would like to thank James Toney for granting us an interview. We would also like to wish him the best of luck on March 18th as he attempts to capture the WBC Heavyweight championship belt from Hasim Rahman.
Posted by: aceshigh
james toney is the only decent personality guy in boxing right now
Posted by: TJ Cline
Defending Boxing - a Counterpunch Aimed at The Sport’s Haters
20.01.06 - By James Slater: I consider the sport of boxing to be unique in its ability to thrill and reward its fans. I also feel there is so much more depth to the sport than many people choose, or are able, to recognise. Some see boxing as a mindless and brutal spectacle with two men simply attempting to knock each other senseless. These people are missing a whole lot! Yes, boxing is a tough sport and, at times, fights can be brutal, but at the same time the talent on display can be a thing of beauty. The fight game is still referred to as “The sweet science”, and the object in the ring is to hit and not be hit. Boxers are capable of putting on a mesmerising and complex ballet of subtle movement to avoid oncoming blows and this is what I would point out were anyone to question my use of the word beautiful.
Boxing can also be likened to physical chess, where the mind of a boxer is tested to its limits in terms of thinking ahead and anticipating his opponent’s next move. Surely then, this sport is not one for the mindless stereotypes that its critics would have us believe. Superbly gifted maestros of the manly art of self defence such as; Jack Johnson, Benny Leonard, Willie Pep and Pernell Whitaker, to name only a few of the pugilists who appeared almost impossible to lay a glove on when at their peak, force anyone not suffering from being biased or ignorant to admit that the skill level involved in boxing far outweighs the one of brutality. Clearly boxing is not a sport for dummies. It is a sport where nothing other than the sharpest of minds will succeed. The discipline and sacrifice that is also necessary in becoming a fine professional fighter is another factor deserving of great respect.
I hope by now I have given a good argument to disagree with the wrongly held view by some that boxing only serves a purpose to mindless thugs and savages. But along with the talent that fighters possess, we must also admire the way boxing provides a way out for so many who would not have had a chance were it not available. Boxing does far more positive than negative. A life of crime has been avoided by so many youngsters, who, without the discipline and guidance provided to them through trained aggression may well have been tempted to stray down the wrong path. This is understood by all people connected to the sport. It’s a crying shame the “Let’s ban boxing” brigade cannot see how mistaken their contempt for the sport is. If they could see this then they would be aware of just how unforgivable a wrong it would be to take it away, and along with it what might have been THEIR only chance in life had they not been born into such fortunate circumstances, where their time is seemingly taxed by nothing more than complaining.
I want to say I truly love the sport of boxing. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be writing this article. I love it with a genuine passion and have done for years now. I’m sure, I KNOW, I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. Why? Because boxing is a sport like no other and boxers are athletes like no other. It is the toughest sport to participate in and I believe the toughest to be a fan of; you really have to love it. What do I mean? Well, to me its simple really. Boxing requires hard work and loyalty to be a fan (as you read on you will see that I wasn’t suffering from being biased as I wrote this article, I also acknowledge the bad points that boxing, as with all other sports, has. ) and I mean a real fan; someone who will sit through all the prelim bouts, who will watch all the boxing they can and who will read everything on the sport they can. We are guys who know the difference between a standing eight count and a mandatory eight count! Hard work? Yeah, what other sport has all the bullshit attached to it that boxing has? You know what I mean; the bad decisions, the politics-the match ups that never get made, the governing bodies (the alphabet soup gang), the corruption and the incompetents, e.g. commentators that seem to know nothing about what they’re watching. Commentators and “experts” who you simply wonder how they ever got their (privileged) jobs in the first place.
No other sport has all the above and many more ills that I could list, but I wont waffle on any more, you get my point. Boxing has a lot of excess baggage it has to contend with. And we fans have to contend with it too ; it’s the hardest sport to like, to be loyal to, therefore it MUST be the most rewarding. Why else would we stay with it? I liken it to a tough marriage, it takes hard work, effort and love to make it work, but when it does it’s simply the greatest! No other sport is as rewarding, no other sport is as personal either; it’s just man against man in a squared circle. Period.There’s no team support, there’s no backup, there’s nowhere to hide. They’re on their own in the ring, and we fans understand and appreciate this. We respect the raw courage needed from the fighters because we see it up close - ringside! It’s almost like we’re in there, we’re with our boxer, it’s personal! You really get your payback with this great sport, boxers give one hundred percent in that ring.
There is nothing quite like a big world title fight, the heart really does start pounding. Boxing can require endurance to simply observe. It can be exhausting, yet at the end you’re invigorated because you have been involved; it was raw, it was powerful, it was real!
Yes, the men and women who list boxing as nothing more than a barbaric and brutal sport are missing a whole lot. I almost feel sorry for them! Almost.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Reclaiming lost glory, which Morales will turn up on Saturday night?
20.10.06 -
Andy Meacock: I wrote an article last September after Erik Morales lost to Zahir Raheem. In my article, I speculated on the possible reasons that Morales looked so bad that night against Raheem. At the time I mentioned a few possible reasons such as a bad match up of styles, long-term fatigue and that I felt Morales was not suited for the 135lp division.
I do still believe that Erik Morales is slowing down. This is understandable when you consider his rough style of fighting and the level of opposition he has faced. All athletes reach a point when their peak has passed and I do feel that Morales is perhaps just past that peak.
Now all of this speculation over Morales will be answered on Saturday when he competes in possibly the most important fight of his great career, the rematch with Manny Pacquiao. The first fight between the two in March last year was a true classic and Morales won a close points decision.
Comparing Morales’ last two opponents, Pacquiao and Raheem, is like comparing night and day. In Pacquiao, you have an aggressive fighter who loves to fight on the front foot and throws punches with explosive power. Raheem on the other hand is very slick and prefers to box rather than just trade. So on that basis it is impossible to really judge Morales as his two fights were against very different opponents..
What other factors are involved in this fight?
The Gloves
After losing the first fight, Pacquiao complained a great deal about the fact he was forced to use Winning gloves, rather than his preferred choice of Reyes gloves. Now for those who don’t know the difference between the gloves I’ll briefly explain. Reyes gloves are generally considered to be ‘punchers’ gloves. Winning gloves are generally considered to provide more protection to the hand and in theory there is less chance of suffering hand injuries. Both types of gloves weigh the same. It’ll be interesting as both men will be wearing Reyes gloves on Saturday as opposed to Winning gloves last year.
Preparation
Another complaint that Pacquiao had after the first encounter was to do with his preparation. People like Freddy Roach complained that they were not given suitable accommodation and this may have affected Pacquiao’s mental and physical energy that night. This seems hard to believe when you consider the importance of a fight between the two but if it is true then it is a valid excuse.
New Trainer
Erik Morales on the other hand has made some notable changes since losing to Raheem last year. He decided to drop his father and trainer Jose Morales in exchange for José Luis “Maestro” López. This is a bold move for Morales to make when you consider the importance of this fight but I’m sure in Morales’ mind he knew he needed to shake things up. If the fight gets tough it will be interesting to see how the two communicate.
Psychology
The big question for me is how Morales will react to his last fight against Raheem. Morales has lost two of his last three fights. His losses were against top quality opponents but the fact remains that he lost those fights. A man as a proud as Morales will be finding those losses very difficult to stomach and it will be interesting to see just what kind of mental state he brings to the ring on Saturday. I think Morales is the type of fighter who could be so much better if he didn’t get so involved emotionally in fighting. He’ll need to maintain clarity of thought if he is to defeat Pacquiao on Saturday.
So what will happen come Saturday night?
This all depends really on what Morales brings to the ring. The frustrating thing about Morales is that he makes fights harder than they need to be. Morales does have the ability to box when he wants to but more often than not he will allow his macho pride to get him involved in a war.
I like Pacquiao for the entertainment he brings to boxing but I do feel that he is limited on a technical level and relies too much on his power. The way Morales won the first fight was by pressuring Pacquiao and making him fight on the back foot. I think Morales will need to adopt a similar set of tactics this time around.
The implications if they lose?
I think if Pacquiao loses then it’s not the end of the world for him as he still has a big rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera to look forward to. I think if Morales was to lose then it would possibly be the end of his career as I can’t see any other fights out there for him at this stage of his career should he lose again.
In closing, I like Morales to win another close fight by decision or maybe a late stoppage. I think Morales understands the importance of this fight and will be prepared to employ similar tactics to what he used in the first fight. I expect him to press the fight from the start, use his weigh advantage and keep Pacquiao on the back foot. Whatever happens, it should be another classic…
Posted by: TJ Cline
Results From Las Vegas: Pac KOs Morales
Manny Pacquiao W TKO 10 Erik Morales
Posted by: TJ Cline
HBO Presents Exclusive Delay Broadcast of Morales-Pacquiao 2
22.01.06 - It's a special edition of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING when HBO Sports presents the exclusive delay broadcast of the highly anticipated super featherweight showdown ERIK MORALES VS. MANNY PACQUIAO 2, airing SATURDAY, JAN. 28 at 9:45 p.m. ET/ 6:45 p.m. PT, on HBO. The HBO Sports broadcast team, which was ringside for the live event, will call all the action. Morales vs. Pacquaio 2 was contested on Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.. The scheduled 12-round super featherweight showdown was originally seen live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
The exclusive HBO replay will be paired with the live welterweight showdown between Arturo Gatti and Thomas Damgaard from Atlantic City. It marks the first World Championship Boxing telecast of 2006 on HBO, the network’s 34th of televising the sweet science.
The replay of Morales vs. Pacquaio 2 and the Gatti-Damgaard fight will also be presented on HBO2 on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 10:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 11:45 p.m. Those times are ET/PT.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Pound for Pound Top Ten
22.01.06 -
By Aaron King
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (140)
Pretty Boy received a forced lesson in humility – set up for the biggest payday of his career, only to see it go down the drain when Zab Judah inexplicably lost to Carlos Baldomir. The fight’s still on, but with much less zip. Thanks Zab.
2. Winky Wright (160)
Fight with Jermain Taylor seems in peril, although it will happen sooner or later. He wants 50-50, and by all means, he shouldn’t get it. In the meantime, he has little room to move after a tougher-than-expected win over Sam Soliman..
3. Marco Antonio Barrera (130)
Has a date set for March 25 against lightweight titlist Jesus Chavez or perhaps even Jorge Barrios. Word is that it won’t be a pay-per-view. Either matchup is a doozy.
4. Jermain Taylor (160)
Victory over Bernard Hopkins in the rematch was by no means convincing or dominating, but there is no disputing who kingpin at middleweight is. Because of that, he should get at least 60% against Wright. That isn’t happening and neither is the fight for the time being.
5. Ricky Hatton (140)
Scored a solid 10th round knockout over tough ex-title holder Carlos Maussa. Hopefully now he can make some big things happen in a very talented section of the boxing landscape. The consensus Fighter of the Year may come to the U.S. after being signed by one of the plethora of promoters who are courting him.
6. Manny Pacquiao (130)
Pacquiao’s victory over Erik Morales was dominant enough that he may deserve to be higher than six. Some have said that Morales is a shot fighter, but he didn’t seem that way through the first five rounds. Pacquiao just beat him up and took the flames from the usually fiery Morales.
7. Jose Luis Castillo (135)
The third (possibly not final) meeting against Diego Corrales is postponed for late Spring, early Summer in (my mother’s hometown) El Paso, Texas. Chico’s rib injury may be a blessing in disguise, especially for Corrales, giving both men more time to recover from the torrent pace of their series, which would have been three fights in nine months.
8. Antonio Tarver (175)
Despite having some excellent fights on the table, a third match with Glenn Johnson or a date with Taylor, he’ll probably elect to stay at heavyweight after his portrayal of Mason “The Line” Dixon for the upcoming Rocky movie.
9. Rafael Marquez (118)
Great TKO win over a tough Silence Mabuza, but there is little chance that we will see Marquez at bantamweight much longer.
10. Juan Manuel Marquez (126)
Being relegated to the number 10 spot is by no means Marquez’s fault. His manager Nacho Beristain has done anything but manage his ultra-talented fighter. After his upcoming fight against Chris John in his homeland of Indonesia, hopefully Marquez can get a fight with Pacquiao. At 31, he’s running out of time.
Next in line (in alphabetical order): Ivan Calderon, Joe Calzaghe, Martin Castillo, Diego Corrales, Bernard Hopkins, Glenn Johnson, Jeff Lacy, Antonio Margarito
On another note, I have to say a word about my hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. I have obligations to tend to today, but nobody should expect to pull me from the television today. My prediction, the “Steel Curtain” shuts down the Denver running game and forces Jake Plummer to make mistakes. Pittsburgh wins 27-17 and goes to Detroit.
Posted by: TJ Cline
ERIK GETS “PAC’D IN”
22.01.06 - By
Wray Edwards: Philippine superstar Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao engineered sweet revenge tonight for his UD loss to Erik Morales last March. With superior punching power, a better chin and tighter conditioning, the twenty-seven year old slugger was just too much for the aging Mexican. As the song goes, “What a difference a day makes…twenty-four little hours.” In this example it was ten months. Teenagers often refer to those over thirty as “OLD”. In the case of Super Featherweight boxers they have a point. Morales is perilously close to the big Three-O and it was obvious. Additionally, a case might be made that fifty-two professional boxing matches have taken their toll to make it an old thirty for Erik.
Even though Manny is on a similar pace, his physiology seems more suited to the rigors of the sport. He is shockingly tough. Marquez hit Pacquiao so hard a worm-hole formed around his head threatening to warp him into a parallel universe. All that did was cause Manny to try harder. What happened in this fight appeared to be a minor changing of the guard at 130. Though the Pacster showed his usual balance problems, he obviously had a new arrow in his quiver: the straight right which Morales ate like Doritos all night long..
ROUND ONE was a bit of “talking over old times” for the two. They danced around and threw a few as their bodies warmed to the task.
ROUND TWO saw Manny throw a withering left which sent Erik staggering back, grasping at the ropes with his right glove to keep from going down. That punch was a harbinger of doom for Morales. It was almost good enough to send him to the cloth…and would have been pretty much a first for Erik. Manny had served notice that he was going to be much more of a challenge this time.
ROUNDS THREE, FOUR AND FIVE were back-and-forth as attrition was the name of the game. Manny dominated the moving ahead action while Erik demonstrated more of a counter-punching response. The author usually considers that when a boxer shakes his head after getting tagged, it is a sign that he has been stung rather than a valid denial of effect. In this fight one must consider that when Pacquiao said no in this way, he was not bluffing. Manny’s inventory of punches and head movement were markedly improved. Freddy Roach’s training is most likely the source of Manny’s increased use of uppercuts, drubbing combos and focus.
ROUND SIX was surely a ten/eighter for Pacquiao, and proof positive that he was rising above Erik in stamina and power. At 2:07 Manny launched a seven punch combo of which four found the mark. The word “drubbing” really applies here. Besides classical combos, Manny would often just pummel Morales with seven or eight “whacky-smackies” which not only looked spiffy, but served more of a purpose to dither Morales than hurt him.
1:06 Manny throws a right lead followed by a straight left which folds Erik’s chin right down to his chest, then a ¾ right uppercut twisting Morales’ head to the right, then, as Erik retreats a right flick lead followed by another left which misses. Somewhere in there or shortly before Pacquiao has badly broken Erik’s nose. It looks like a sack of pebbles.
Just before the bell Manny gets Erik in the corner, catches him with a glancing right cross, then what looks like (bad camera angle) a pretty good body shot then a really strong right cross and a glancing left hook just behind Morale’s left ear. Erik staggers back grabbing for the rope and bumping into referee Bayless. But for the rope and Bayless he might have gone down. The look on his face was one of fear.
ROUND SEVEN – 2:24 Morales catches Manny with a crisp left then 2:18 Erick leads left putting Manny against the ropes. Manny fights off and wins the last two minutes of the round. Morales’ legs are starting to go, big time. He is complaining about them to his corner after this round. At this point in the fight it became a contest between focus (Pacquiao) and desperation (Morales). In cameras and Boxing “focus” is square one.
ROUND EIGHT…Erik rallied at the end but too late to get the ten. In his corner his legs are being desperately rubbed. Steward (the other Manny in the building) thinks this is bad news and bad practice.
ROUND NINE was the tee-off round. During the last two minutes the two went toe-to-toe and just banged with all they had. Manny had more…more power, more speed, more accuracy more legs and energized determination. In fact, IMO, the punishment Morales absorbed in the ninth was no less than the most telling damage of the fight and, for him, the sentence had already been handed down.
It read: “You will be taken to a place of Manny Pacquiao’s choosing, and there you will be beaten about the head and shoulders until you will fall to the floor to be judged unable to continue”.
This verdict must have clearly registered in Erik’s mind, as he backed away from combat for the last seven seconds of the round with a look of resignation. He returned to his corner to be administered the last rights with water and coagulant. Across the ring Freddy is telling Manny “He’s all done…he’s all done.” How true. Erik is ready for the fork.
ROUND TEN. The witnesses, the press and the state officials have all taken their positions to observe the Coup de Gras. 2:05 Manny doubles Erik with a right body shot. 2:03 more of the same with lefts and rights. 2:02 Erik against the ropes takes a tremendous right to the face and weaves desperately around attempting to avoid the inevitable.
0:56 Erik reaches for a right cross falling off-balance to his left. Manny throws a right which misses going over Morales’ shoulder then, 0:55 with Morales stumbling to his left Manny drives a left shot at the right side of Erik’s head just above the ear. The punch bolos Erik’s head and he whirls to his right and falls to his knees, 0:53. 0:40 Kenny finishes his eight count and asks if Morales is OK. Morales nods yes, and steps ahead to meet his breaker.
0:35 Manny reaches a long right which falls just short, followed by a huge left that drives Erik back. 0:33 Manny throws a straight right which makes pretty good contact followed by a looping, overhand left which brings the horsehair packed Reyes into heavy contact with Erik’s face. 0:32 Pac drops a chopping left to Erik’s right cheek followed by a glancing left as Morales begins to fall. 0:30 Kenny puts his left paw on Erik’s left scapula to hold him down and waves Manny off.
0:28 Bayless sinks to his knees to pray over Morales fallen body. Meanwhile Shelly Finkle lavishes Manny with congratulations. It’s good to see Shelly flying high again. He is an aces guy.
The story of Round Ten was outlined in Round Nine. With increasing power shots Manny was beginning to pull away. With a fifty or sixty hit edge in power shots he was just too much for Morales.
So what’s next for the Pacster? Everybody is touting a fight with Barrera. Sounds OK, but a warm up V Jorge Barrios, who has been playing local hero in Argentina since his WBO title capture from Mike Anchondo last April, might be interesting. Then his contest with Barrera would have the added cache of unification (assuming he won). If Barrios really wants to strut his stuff, why not rumble with Manny? Besides, when was the last big fight between Argentina and the Philippines?
As for Morales, thirty is getting pretty long in the tooth for SF’s. Surely he has enough bucks. Maybe he might want to join Barrera in law. Then he could continue in a profession which is also combative, and just as profitable. Morales had better get some better advice before he considers fighting again. Tonight was a reality check for him.
“Men occasionally stumble on the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.” - Winston Churchill
Maybe it’s time to try something else Erik. Thanks for the memories. See you at the fights.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Ultimate Fighting Championship Announces 4 More Bouts for February 4 card
Las Vegas, NV - With a total of nine fights on the card, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) today announced the remaining four bouts for UFC 57: LIDDELL vs. COUTURE 3 taking place at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas Saturday, February 4, 2006.
Leading up to the blockbuster battle between Liddell and Couture are four action-packed matchups between Elvis "The King of Rock-n-Roll" Sinosic and Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara; Gilbert "El Peligro" Aldana vs. Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello; Jeff "Snowman" Monson vs. "The Iron Lion" Brandon Lee Hinkle and "Iron" Mike Whitehead vs. Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine.
UFC 57: LIDDELL vs. COUTURE 3, which sold out in less than five weeks, is also available live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer's Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $39.95 (Canadian).
Elvis Sinosic (6-8-2) 6'2"/205 lbs., fighting out of Sydney, Australia, is known for his slick jiu-jitsu skills. He shocked the world in his UFC debut when he submitted the No. 1 light heavyweight contender Jeremy Horn (triangle armbar) in the first round. He has fought the best fighters around including Frank Shamrock, Evan Tanner, "Babalu" Sobral and Tito Ortiz. At UFC 55 he fought Forrest Griffin, hurting him early in the round, before he lost by TKO at 3:22 of the first round. Sinosic showed that his striking can be as dangerous as his submissions, and will combine those skills against Sakara for a real light heavyweight battle.
Alessio Sakara (13-3-0-1 No contest) 6'0"/205 lbs., fighting out of Rome, Italy, recently held the IBF junior world championship. Though he is deadly with his hands, he has trained extensively in wrestling and jiu-jitsu to become a complete fighter. He made his UFC debut at UFC 55 against Ron Faircloth, making a strong impression before he took a low blow from which he could not recover. The fight was ruled a no-contest, and now a disappointed Sakara wants to score his first UFC victory over Sinosic.
Gilbert Aldana (5-0-0 / 5 KOs) 6'1"/245 lbs., fighting out of Chandler, Ariz., has a perfect record with all of his wins by knockout, including his first MMA fight which ended in three seconds. He has the ability to knockout opponents standing or on the ground, and has proved his MMA skills in a series of smaller competitions. He is ready to make his UFC debut and continue his winning streak, this time in a heavyweight fight against Paul Buentello.
Paul Buentello (19-9-0) 6'2"/235 lbs., fighting out of San Jose, Calif., made an impressive UFC debut by knocking out Justin Eilers at UFC 51. He earned his nickname with his nonstop attempts to finish his fights by the quickest means possible. While he is known for his explosive standup skills, Buentello has worked hard on becoming a well-rounded fighter, which he displayed in his submission win over Kevin Jordan at UFC 53. At UFC 55 he took a big step up in his career and attempted to take the heavyweight title from Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski. When the bell rang, Buentello got caught immediately by a huge right hand that ended the fight. Now Buentello is ready to go back inside the Octagon(tm) and work his way back up the heavyweight rankings, starting with a win over Aldana.
Jeff Monson (21-5) 5'9"/240 lbs., fighting out of Olympia, Wash., is a world champion submission grappler who trains with the American Top Team. He is most well known for his strength and his wrestling skills, but he has concentrated on his boxing skills and is looking for a strong knockout over Hinkle.
Branden Lee Hinkle (14-6) 6'2"/235 lbs., fighting out of Weirton, West Virginia, is an NCAA Division II National Wrestling Champion and U.S. National Freestyle All-American. He possesses heavy hands and loves to break up his opponent with vicious ground and pound tactics. Hinkle feels his athletic ability will ensure a victory over Monson and carry him far in the heavyweight division.
Mike Whitehead (9-5) 6'1"/205 lbs., fighting out of Salt Lake City, Utah, was the unofficial team captain on the Team Hughes during The Ultimate Fighter(tm) Season 2. He would constantly encourage and push his teammates and many of them looked up to him as a big brother. When it came time for him to fight, it was against Rashad Evans (winner of the Season 2 finale). He went all three rounds with Evans, but suffered a mental meltdown and appeared lethargic to his teammates. What no one knew was that Whitehead was ailing from a major staph infection that affected his energy level. Now he is looking forward to making his UFC pay-per-view debut, and plans to take out Jardine to show everyone he is a true fighter.
Keith Jardine (10-2-1) 6'2"/205 lbs., fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mex., is a black belt in Gaidojutsu under Greg Jackson. He is equally comfortable grappling or striking, and showed excellent kicking ability in The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 finale against Kerry Schall, who he stopped with leg kicks in the second round. Jardine has dropped weight to enter the light heavyweight division, where he feels he can truly excel, starting with a win over Whitehead.
About The Ultimate Fighting Championship®
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand is the world's leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the UFC® organization produces approximately eight live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution, UFC fight programs are distributed throughout the world including broadcast on WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo in the United Kingdom. Zuffa, LLC licenses the distribution of its fight show DVDs through Studioworks Entertainment, a Ventura Distribution company. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit
www.ufc.com.
Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, The Octagon(tm) and the eight-sided cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Will Age, Cigars, and Flab Finally Catch Up With James Toney?
27.01.06 - By
Craig Parrish: It has happened time and time again in Boxing. A great Fighter, with years of superb performances under his belt, takes a long layoff between fights. He is getting up in years, has slowed a bit, but still comes out and dominates opponents through desire, skill, and experience. No, he’s not the fighter that he once was, but he is still competitive. After the layoff, a fight is set. The Fighter, realizing that he is out of shape, hits his training regiment hard. But this time, the pounds don’t come off as quickly.
The workouts and sparring are harder to perform and harder to recover from. And worst of all, the snap in the punches is not there and the combinations are difficult to put together. He gets winded easy. And he gets frustrated. Slowly, the thoughts enter his mind “It’s okay. I’m a better fighter. I’ll just beat him with skill. Nothing to worry about. I don’t need to kill myself with this. I am the best. No problem.”
James Toney is a magnificent fighter. He is more technically skilled and savvy than any current Heavyweight out there. He is also 38 years old, borderline obese, and a cigar smoker. So far, his superior skills have carried him through his Heavyweight bouts, although they have been against outclassed opponents for the most part. On Saturday, March 18th at Boardwalk Hall, Toney will face his toughest Heavyweight challenge yet when he takes on newly crowned WBC Champ Hasim Rahman.
Although Rahman has had a checkered career as a fighter and inherited the WBC strap when Vitali Klitschko retired, he must be considered the larger threats to Toney’s Championship run so far, given his last few perfomances. Toney easily bested John Ruiz earlier for the WBA belt but was stripped when he tested positive for steroids. Add Ruiz to the previously mentioned outclassed opponents. Given the fact that Ruiz has beaten Rahman, will he be anymore of a challenge for Toney? Again, solely based on Rahman’s recent pummeling of Kali Meehan, I would say yes if for no other reason than Rahman seems to be inspired. So it’s Toney vs. Rahman. James is getting another shot. Looking at the track records of the fighters, Toney would seem to be the logical choice to win this fight on points, unless Rahman can land one of the “Lennox Lewis special” punches.
But will this be the fight that the age and weight catch up with Toney? James has not been in shape for any of his recent fights, but again won on skill. Look at Evander Holyfield. In his fairly recent fight with Larry Donald, Holyfield looked like the same magnificent physical specimen he has always been. But he appeared to be ready to drop at any moment, not from punches, but from sheer exhaustion. Although his skills have been slipping for years, it was almost as if someone flipped a switch and Evander had aged 10 years overnight. No combinations. Single punches with no power. Evander even admitted afterward that he knew what to do, he could see the openings, but his body simply wouldn’t respond in time to what his brain was telling it to do. By the time he reacted, it was too late. And this was from a man, although a few years older than Toney, seemed to be extremely fit.
Everyone always throws out the George Foreman example when discussing aging Heavyweights. Yes, Foreman won it at 45 but George is also rather a freak on nature. He is certainly the exception, not the rule. Toney does not have nearly the devastating knockout power of George. George was slow as molasses but could stand there and take a beating, bide his time, and wait to unload. Toney does not really have this option. His game is based on skill, speed, and reaction time. At 38 and vastly overweight, will the physical ability still be there after this passage of time? We will see.
James Toney is a breath of fresh air in a stagnant division. One must admire his single-minded determination and respect is due given what he’s done, especially as he is not a true Heavyweight. But the clock is ticking. Hopefully James can win his title legitimately and with no controversy, before someone flips the switch and the game is over.
Posted by: topolo
gay
Posted by: TJ Cline
Quote:
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Originally Posted by topolo
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Yes you are
Posted by: TJ Cline
Gatti wins by TKO in the 11 th
Posted by: TJ Cline
Gatti Stops Damgaard in 11th Round!
29.01.06 - By
Tim Neilson: As soon as the opening bell sounded, it was immediately apparent that Damgaard was no where near as good as his 37-0 record would seemingly indicate, as he was methodically taken apart by Arturo Gatti in stopping him in the 11th round TKO in a work-man like fashion on Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall at Atlantic City. For all the talk about Gatti (40-7, 31 KOs) being an over-the-hill fighter based on his humbling destruction by Floyd Mayweather on June 25, 2005, this proved that he is still a major player in the boxing world, perhaps even still champion quality material if matched carefully against the right fighter. Along the way, Gatti injured his right hand, although it hardly slowed him down enough to matter, considering even with only one good hand, he had the slow punching Damgaard badly outmatched and looking like an amateur.
I honestly believe if this fight had occurred 5 or 6 years ago, Damgaard would have stood an excellent chance at defeating Gatti, perhaps even knocking him out in the process. However, his reflexes looked shot, leaving him with the hand speed of a much older man than his 34 years would indicate.
Time and time again in this bout, Gatti was able to dig to the body and shoot uppercuts to the head, all before the slow moving Damgaard even seemed to physiclly register what was even happening to him. It looked, at least to me, like Damgaard had no business taking the fight in the first place and perhaps would have been better off if had continued fighting in the relative safety of his native Denmark, where the opposition is a little more tamer.
For the most part, I liked what I saw of Gatti tonight, yet his performance was a little misleading due to the poor showing from Damgaard, who I personally do not consider to be in the top 15 of the best welterweights. It was a good victory for Gatti, but I don’t like his chances if he were to meet up with one of the better welterweights, who I feel would slice and dice him to pieces, much like Mayweather did.
Despite injuring his hand in the 4th round, Gatti had little trouble dominating Damgaard for most of the rounds, leading up to the point where he finally took him out in the 11th round.
With this victory, Gatti can move forward to a possible future match with Ricky Hatton from the UK, one that would be an action pack crowd pleaser for however long it lasts.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Sharkies Machine: Gatti Goes Welter and Damgaard Suffers His First Loss
January 30th, 2006 - By
Frank Gonzalez Jr. Jersey City’s Arturo Gatti (40-7, 30 KO’s) faced unbeaten Thomas Damgaard (31-1, 27 KO’s) of Denmark Saturday night in Atlantic City and gave the fans another good show. This was the first time Damgaard fought outside of Europe and Arturo Gatti has to be the toughest opponent he ever faced. Damgaard’s last opponent was Bruno Sakabunda, who had a record of 1-6. Gatti’s last opponent was none other than possibly the best boxer in the sport, Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was 34-0 going into the fight.
It was a tough fight for both men and both showed a lot of heart and grit for eleven rounds. Damgaard was relentless in his close range attacks and Gatti had the better footwork and firepower.
Damgaard got off to a slow start, watching Gatti rack up the points, doing most of the punching, often times, to the body of the Dane, who kept his guard too high, leaving his body open. By the second round, Damgaard landed a few clean shots and began to press the action. Gatti boxed with discipline and put the first two rounds in the bank.
Gatti switched from conventional to southpaw often enough to throw Damgaard off his rhythm but Damgaard showed his quality by landing the more effective punches in the third round, initiated by a series of clean shots that rocked Arturo.
The fourth round was action packed as Damgaard stirred things to a brawl. Gatti took the bait and received more than he gave. Though Gatti landed a big right at the bell that staggered Damgaard, it was too little to win the round.
There were a few close rounds that I scored for Damgaard because he may not have looked so pretty but he was effective at dictating the pace and terms with his inside attack, where he often peppered Gatti with short-range punches that met the mark.
Damgaard’s strategy was to get Gatti into close quarters and force a brawl. At times, that strategy was effective. The roar of the crowd often steered Gatti towards doing what made him famous, brawling back and forth. Damgaard, who is tough as nails, exploited that when he could. Damgaard’s workmanlike approach wasn’t very stylish but was effective enough to win rounds three to five by landing the cleaner punches. He battered Gatti with voluminous punches that had to be softer than they looked since Gatti, a known bleeder, never saw his own blood in the fight.
Gatti’s trainer (Buddy McGirt) was quick to remind him to relax, use his speed, stay outside and use his jab to set up his power punches.
The sixth round was where the tide turned. Gatti spent a lot of time fighting out of the southpaw stance and making things complicated for Damgaard, who still managed to do well but saw Gatti coming on stronger. Though both did about equal damage, it became clear that the momentum had shifted in Gatti’s favor.
In the seventh, Gatti retook the momentum as he landed a right hand that shook Damgaard but also left Gatti shaking his hand in pain. Gatti’s mobility and ring generalship proved handy as both fighters were a bit slower as the seventh came to a close.
Damgaard landed some good punches in the eighth and Gatti was doing a lot of missing. Both showed a lot of grit but Damgaard’s blood stained face looked a lot worse for wear by this point.
Damgaard pressed Gatti into the ropes early in the ninth round and wailed on him. That got Gatti excited and he retaliated with a barrage of punches that got the crowd onto their feet. Gatti landed some good body shots and kept throwing both hands in spite of the pain. It was a valiant effort by Gatti, who drew still more blood from Damgaard’s already puffed up, bloodied face.
In the tenth, Damgaard continued to press aggressively, forcing Gatti to back up and move out of range. At one point, Damgaard landed a few clean shots and Gatti looked to be losing the round but suddenly, in classic Arturo Gatti fashion, Gatti came on strong, throwing hard combinations of rights and lefts without regard for the pain. After Gatti’s onslaught,
Damgaard’s face looked like a puss filled pimple about to burst. After the bell, his corner man asked him if he wanted to continue. Damgaard didn’t look too enthusiastic.
Early in the eleventh, Damgaard took to dirty tactics, and held Gatti’s head with his right hand and hammered him with his left. The referee, Lindsey Page, who had warned Damgaard a few times prior, stopped the action to take a point for the infraction. When action resumed, Gatti landed a big right hand that put Damgaard on Queer Street as his legs wobbled beneath him. The ref stepped between them and stopped the fight. Though Damgaard was staggering, bleeding and looking like a ragamuffin, I thought the stoppage was premature. The time was 2:54, with just six seconds left in the round. With everything favoring Arturo Gatti, like the HBO announce team, the crowded arena of Gatti fans and the American referee, that stoppage seemed unfair.
In his return to the 147-pound division, Gatti was the winner by TKO 11. The prize was marginal, the IBA Welterweight Title. The question is, can Gatti make any real noise in a division that features the likes of Antonio Margarito (the man nobody wants to fight), Floyd Mayweather, Carlos Baldomir (who just beat Zab Judah), Luis Collazo, Cory Spinks, Kermit Cintron, Shane Mosley and Joel Julio to name a few? I say, “Hell yeah! Why not?” Gatti still has a few fights in him and has consistently improved his boxing skills under Buddy McGirt. He may not have what it takes to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. but Gatti does have two-fisted power, huge heart and a tremendous ability to sell tickets so, why not? At least with Arturo Gatti, you always get your money’s worth.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Ouma Stops Mora in 8th Round!
27.01.06 - By Shon Macklin: Tonight, Junior Middleweight Kassim Ouma stopped Francisco Mora in the 8th round at the Desert Diamond Casino in Sahuarito, Arizona. The referee saw enough after a straight left hand thrown by Ouma put Mora down for the second time of the evening in the 8th. The first knockdown came in the second round, after an onslaught of punches shook Mora’s head violently, eventually staggering the fighter who refused to go down after the barrage of punches. Unfortunately for Mora, his legs could not keep him up and started to fold under the pressure.. Francisco held on to Ouma’s left arm as he fell and never let go of Kassim. However, his knee did touch the canvas and it was evident that he was in fact knocked down, despite his efforts to stay erect.
While the fight continued through the rounds, Ouma maintained an aggressive pace and pulled away from Mora on the score cards as the rounds progressed. Kassim Ouma’s precise punching and combinations were very impressive throughout the bout. He looked calm and relaxed at put punches right on the mark and seemed to have hurt Mora repeatedly for most of the action. After the sixth round round, Francisco Mora was not competitive at all, although he managed to land two of his best right hands of the night, and a left hand that sent sweat flying off of Ouma’s cranium in the 7th round.
Yet, Kassim Ouma just kept punching and continued to distance himself from Mora with excellent jabs and straight left hands. By the 8th round, ir seemed like it was only a matter of time before this fight would come to a halt, and it finally did when a well placed left cross thrown by Ouma was the coupe de grace, as Mora went crashing down to the canvas. He hesitantly got up, however, the referee continued to count to eight, not being satisfied with Mora’s valiant efforts and called the fight off. Kassim Ouma improves his record to 23-2-1.
ESPN aired two other fights with young Olympic prospect, Welterweight Rock Allen, who knocked out Mike Walker 2:22 in the first round. Allen put Walker down twice with vicious punches to the head and body and he couldn't get up after the second knockdown. Rock Allen improves his record to 5-0.
Another Olympian Lightweight, Vicente Escobedo wins over Jesus Perez via sixth round stoppage. Perez seemed to unravel in the sixth round, which caused his corner to step into the ring, forcing the referee to disqualify Perez, giving Escobedo the knockout victory. Vincente Escobedo improves his record to 9-0.
Wayne McCullough served as Guest Analyst with in studio Brian Kenny. Where they both talked about the Manny Pacquiao , Erik Morales fight, including McCullough’s bout with Naseem Hamed.
Ringside guest included former undisputed middleweight champion, Bernard Hopkins, who still claims that Jermain Taylor did not beat him. But moved on to discuss his future endeavors besides promoting fights, which is why he was there firstly, to support one of his fighters, Kassim Ouma.
He mentioned that he would be interested in a match with Roy Jones , but Roy may be looking to fight the winner of the Jeff Lacy, Joe Calzaghe, however. If this is the case , Hopkins said he would be looking to fight Antonio Tarver at Light Heavyweight.
Posted by: KentDog
I don't know how many more fights Gatti can survive with his right hand injury. I believe he said in his post-fight interview that it has been happening in all his recent fights. And Damgaard looked like shit in my opinion. I don't know why Tim Neilson thinks he could have defeated Gatti 5 or 6 years ago when Gatti didn't have his hand problem (which probably occurred after breaking them in the last two Ward fights in 2002), which I believe affected Gatti's side of the fight last night. Did HBO really say that Damgaard was ranked #5 in the world of welterweights?
Posted by: KentDog
Boxing Buzz on fightnews.com had this for January 27th:
Quote:
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By the way, "The Executioner" says his rematch with Roy Jones Jr. is a "done deal" for June, and that it will be his last fight.
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Posted by: KentDog
Boxing Buzz for the 27th also had this to say:
Quote:
Buzz: Jones, Showtime, Famoso
Roy Jones Jr., who was recently let go by HBO, was spotted yesterday having lunch with SHOWTIME executives Mark Greenberg and Ken Hershman at The Palm restaurant across the street from the Showtime headquarters in New York City.
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More Jones: Longtime Jones advisor Brad Jacobs has reportedly been replaced by former Evander Holyfield advisor Jim Thomas.
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My question is this... why exactly was Roy Jones let go by HBO? And does this mean as a Ringside commentator or as an HBO fighter? I can understand if it were the latter because he has lost his last three fights, but come on, I think Roy Jones is still a big money maker with at least one fight left. Great ringside commentator too.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Quote:
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Originally Posted by KentDog
Boxing Buzz for the 27th also had this to say:
My question is this... why exactly was Roy Jones let go by HBO? And does this mean as a Ringside commentator or as an HBO fighter? I can understand if it were the latter because he has lost his last three fights, but come on, I think Roy Jones is still a big money maker with at least one fight left. Great ringside commentator too.
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http://www.hbo.com/boxing/commentators/lampley.shtml
He is not listed as a commentator anymore...or as a fighter
http://www.hbo.com/boxing/fighters/
Posted by: TJ Cline
Mosley v DeLa Hoya II - A Look Back At “Redemption”, “Sugar” Shane’s Last Great Win
29.01.06 - By
James Slater: Quite remarkably, Shane Mosley’s hand has been raised on only three occasions in his last eight fights. He lost back to back against Vernon Forrest, of course, then engaged in a no-contest, before getting the nod over De La Hoya in their rematch. He then lost back to back again, this time to Winky wright. This means then, with no disrespect aimed towards either David Estrada or Jose Luis Cruz, that the debatable decision Shane was given over Oscar was his last truly meaningful victory. The question is, how much does he have left?
As he approaches his intriguing crossroads fight with Fernando Vargas, scheduled for February 25th, this is a question a lot of potential pay-per-view customers are no doubt asking themselves. As for Vargas, he too has some serious miles on his clock and the query as to what’s left in the tank is as relevant to him as it is to Shane.
The fact that both men are somewhat past their best could lead to a barnburner of a fight on the 25th. I suspect this possibility alone will have enough fans tuning in.
How fully is “Sugar” Shane still deserving of his prestigious nickname? Back in September 2003, when he entered the ring for his second bout with “The Golden Boy” his fighting prowess was in need of a major boost. He finds himself in the same position now. Against De La Hoya, he managed to get what he needed, albeit controversially. The question is, was this performance the last great one in his career? In this article I look back at “Sugar” Shane’s odds defying return to the top.
“Let’s get ready to rumble!” reverberated around the packed out MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the atmosphere was absolutely palpable. The tension and excitement was almost unbearable. Both boxers looked composed and ready to fight though and the moment of truth was only seconds away.
The start was cautious, unlike in their first fight, and not many punches were landed by either man. There were evidently some nerves between the two and, with so much riding on the outcome, neither fighter was willing to start anywhere near recklessly. De La Hoya probably just edged the round. The crowd, me included ( I was fortunate to have been in attendance), had settled down now and was thoroughly engrossed. It was certainly shaping up as a much more tactical affair than before, and this suited Oscar who put his second round in the bank. His jab was fast and accurate and was effective at breaking Mosley’s rhythm.
The first real drama occurred in round four when De La Hoya was cut from an accidental head butt and the doctor was called in to examine the damage. Blood trickled down his face from the cut on the side of his right eye but, fortunately, it wasn’t
severe enough to stop the fight. This appeared to energise Oscar and he again won the round. I now had him winning the match four rounds to nil. Although only a third of the fight had been completed, I had the feeling this was going to be De La Hoya’s night. Mosley was looking frustrated at the limited success he’d been having while counter punching and Oscar was
completely dictating the pace. In fact, going into the second half of the bout I hadn’t given Shane a single round. It looked as though Oscar was going to get the redemption.
But of course, no one knows what the judges are looking for, some like aggression and Mosley did start backing De La Hoya up somewhat in the seventh and eighth rounds. Also, some people had concerns regarding Oscar’s stamina and felt that maybe he would fade in the last three or four rounds.
It wasn’t a great action fight but I found it thoroughly absorbing and felt De La Hoya was putting on a superb display of boxing skill. The people in the seats around me agreed that Mosley was trailing behind and felt he couldn’t win without a KO, or at the very least two or three knockdowns to secure him some 10-8 rounds. Neither of these looked likely.
The ninth was the most thrilling and hard fought of the match though. Mosley, sensing he was way behind, came out and put everything into his punches, he gritted his teeth and put out a tremendous effort to win his best round of the night. Oscar did look tired at the end of the session and it looked as though he would have to endure a spirited late effort from a
desperate Mosley. This indeed was the case and Shane enjoyed an advantage in the last nine minutes. De La Hoya was still fighting in effective spurts, however, it wasn’t a repeat of the Trinidad fight, and I thought the tenth had been pretty much even. A big left crashed into the side of De La Hoya’s head in the eleventh but he took it well and came back with a decent right hand. Going into the twelfth and final round I had Oscar winning by seven rounds to three with one even.
So, barring a dramatic last round stoppage forced by Shane, I felt Oscar would retain his titles. It was a good effort from both men in the last three minutes but I thought Shane did enough to win them. However, my scoring counted for absolutely nothing and we all waited nervously for the official announcement. Once again we were in for a shock. All three judges
had Mosley ahead by the same scores of 115-113. He was the winner and new champion by unanimous decision. There were some boos as well as cheers but most of the people I saw had quizzed looks on their faces, like they weren’t quite sure what had just happened. From my vantage point I felt Oscar had won by a fairly wide margin but not even one judge had him in front. I really was quite stunned.
As Mosley was being hoisted up onto the shoulders of one of his corner men, I made my way down to the ringside in the hope of maybe hearing some of the expert’s opinions. George Foreman, who, along with Larry Merchant and Jim Lampley, had been doing commentary for HBO, was actually asking some in the crowd who they felt had won. So maybe he wasn’t quite sure what the fair decision should have been either. Jim Lampley, I overheard, definitely felt Oscar had been robbed, he referred to the alarm and urgency that Shane’s father and trainer Jack had displayed while in the corner between rounds. He had seemed to think that his son was way behind. It looked as though this one would go down as another controversy. There were many fans that felt Shane had won by a big margin too though, so maybe it was a case of take your pick.
Which, to my mind, is exactly what the Mosley v Vargas fight is. Whoever loses has nowhere to go, whereas the winner will find himself right back in title contention. It is a very tough fight to pick but, if forced, I would lean slightly towards Mosley. If he does win he will have rejuvenated his career one more time. Perhaps not to the level it was after his win back in September 2003, but enough to earn him one more chance at validating his nickname before he’s through.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Hearns vs. Duran - Still “The Hitman’s” Greatest Hit - Over Twenty Years Later
Posted by: TJ Cline
01.02.06 - By James Slater: This weekend Thomas Hearns will engage in the second bout of his latest comeback. He may well win, and he may well do so by KO. But surely, at his advanced age, the comeback is destined not to go very far. Tommy’s great days were back in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s and the fighting prowess he had in his possession then will remain a thing of the past, to be seen only when one slides a tape of “The Hitman’s” career highlights into the VCR. Which brings me to the subject of this piece - THE performance of Hearns’ great career.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Tommy’s finest win was achieved while fighting at his best weight and this produced his finest KO. He never lost as a light middleweight and those who saw his complete destruction of Roberto Duran were witness to a flawless fighting machine. On the day of this fight, in June 1984, A boxing legend reached his very peak. This KO victory was the quintessential Thomas Hearns!
Posted by: TJ Cline
The late, great Chuck Hull informed us that Tommy wanted to be known as “The Motor City Cobra” no longer, he was returning as Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns! In the opposite corner stood Duran, “Hands of stone”, as his nickname proclaimed, and after the introductions were done an intense stare down ensued.
Posted by: TJ Cline
In his previous fight Roberto had gone the full fifteen rounds with Marvellous Marvin Hagler, losing a close decision. His fight record was an incredible 77 wins with only five defeats. He had never been KO’d and the only man to ever floor him was Esteban De Jesus, back in Roberto’s lightweight days. (Duran was beaten inside the distance, in the infamous “No Mas” fight with Ray Leonard, but he was never floored in this bout) He was as tough as they come and as he stood face to face with Hearns he wore the familiar snarl he used to intimidate opponents. He showed no fear, making the developments to come all the more shocking.
Posted by: TJ Cline
They came out at the opening bell and in a show of mutual respect touched gloves. A surprise after the intensity of the stare down. Duran tried to get to Hearns’ body but he was soon in trouble. He was backed up to the ropes as Hearns fired in some fast rights and uppercuts. Roberto was cut with less than two minutes gone and then, with less than thirty seconds to go, a crushing right hand to the side of the head dumped him on the canvas. Tommy was looking absolutely awesome and he tore into Duran as soon as the action resumed. He let loose with an array of super fast punches and decked “Hands of stone” for a second time, with a left on this occasion. Duran was still beckoning Hearns in just prior to this but he looked to be doing so purely on instinct, he was being slaughtered! The bell rang, saving Roberto from the ultimate humiliation of a first round KO loss. He was so groggy he walked to the wrong corner! There was no way he could come back from this. Hearns had predicted a quick win and he was living up to his word. Duran’s reputation meant absolutely nothing to him, such was his complete belief in the lethalness of his hands.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Round two started and again they touched gloves. Hearns then went back to what he was doing in the first round and the end came with brutally swift efficiency. Forced to the ropes again, Duran tried his best to fight back but it was a helpless cause. Then the punch landed. THE punch of Hearns’ career. A right hand blow that was nothing short of chilling. A perfectly
timed and delivered sledgehammer thudded into Duran’s head and he pitched forwards and crashed face down on the mat. He was totally out. This punch may well have been the most perfect right hand ever thrown. It produced a KO that would grace any boxer’s highlight reel. This remarkable example of his adeptness at destruction sent shockwaves through the boxing world and from then on all fighters, whether light middleweights, or fully fledged middleweights, would have to be aware of the fact that if they made one mistake while in the ring with Tommy, it could be the end of them.
Posted by: TJ Cline
And Tommy, of course, went on to fight an epic with one of the greatest ever middleweights in Marvellous Marvin Hagler, the following year. Surely, EVERYONE who calls themselves a boxing fan will know everything about this incredible fight already!
Posted by: TJ Cline
As for Duran, he was to stage a remarkable comeback in 1989, with a great win over middleweight champ Iran Barkley. And right throughout the rest of his long fighting days he was never again to be knocked cold in the fashion he had been by Hearns. Up until his very last fight, in 2001, he was never again counted out. He was stopped, yes, by Pat Lawler - TKO 6 and by William Joppy - TKO 3, when an old man, way past his best. But he was never subject to the treatment he received from Thomas Hearns back in June of ’84.
Posted by: TJ Cline
The KO Tommy scored over Duran was truly one for the ages. This is the moment the historians, along with Hearns’ many fans, produce as evidence of his all-time-greatness. He never looked better, before or after. He’s certainly not going to come close to doing so now and, hopefully, the comeback will soon end.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Indeed, if anyone wishes to see “The Hitman” score a great KO these days, then they must do so via their fight film library. In this regard, Hearns’ fans will never be let down!
Posted by: TJ Cline
Gutsy Kenny Weldon and The Truth About Boxing Today
Posted by: TJ Cline
02.02.06 - BY MIKE CASEY: Praise be to Kenny Weldon for telling some harsh truths about the state of boxing today. In a recent letter to Houston Boxing Scene, Kenny outlined some of his major concerns about lax boxing commissions and the alarming ease with which managers, trainers and boxers can now obtain licenses. He also took a well justified shot at the many odious creeps and so-called boxing fans who constantly cheapen this great sport of ours with their trash talk and foul-mouthed rants.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Hats off too to our mutual friend Jim Amato for immediately picking up on Kenny’s missive and syndicating it on Amato Boxing, a rare and welcome haven for genuine boxing people who don’t labour under the tiresome delusion that a fight fan has to prove his credentials by spouting the industrial language of a Tony Soprano or, for that matter, a James Toney. For the benefit of those of you who weren’t around at the time, Kenny Weldon was a good class featherweight of the seventies who notched 42 wins in his 50 pro fights in a ten-year career. He currently owns the Galena Park Boxing Academy in Houston and doesn’t care for much of what he sees in the greater boxing world beyond.
Posted by: TJ Cline
“Fans and boxing people alike evidently do not realise the state of disgrace we have all achieved around the world,” says Kenny. “It’s not just that we are no longer producing the world class talent we once did, the opponent has unified forces against us. The Bin Laden of boxing has become the boxing commissions. They now allow just anyone to train and/or manage boxers. Even our amateur boxing coaches must take a clinic on safety, fundamentals and all aspects of the sport and pass it before they are allowed to work a boxer’s corner or run a boxing club.
Posted by: TJ Cline
“The professional boxing commissions do none of this. I have met more professional managers, matchmakers and trainers in the past five years who knew as much about the sport they represent as Abraham Lincoln knew about space flight.”
Posted by: TJ Cline
Sentiments
Posted by: TJ Cline
I agree whole-heartedly with Kenny Weldon’s sentiments and I share his frustrations for one simple reason: I love boxing with all my heart. I have loved it since I was a young boy in the sixties and will continue to love it until the day I die, whatever its faults and whatever cancers try to ravage it and eat it away. I love my fighters as well as my fights and genuinely care about their welfare. It saddens me greatly when I hear of old fighters losing their money and the minds, even though their misfortunes are often self-inflicted.
Posted by: TJ Cline
I always feel the need to set out my stall in this way before discussing current issues, since the unfortunately haughty term of ‘boxing historian’ implies that I only have time for what has gone before. Not guilty. As a boy, I was thrilled by the ring exploits of the young Muhammad Ali, Dick Tiger, Bob Foster, Joey Giardello, Emile Griffith, Carlos Ortiz, Vicente Saldivar and the wonderful Eder Jofre. Eager to know as much as I could about boxing’s rich history, I would also plunder my father’s vast collection of old magazines to read about the likes of Sam Langford, Jack Dempsey, Stanley Ketchell and Harry Greb.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Today I derive no less pleasure from the skills and fighting hearts of Floyd Mayweather, Ricky Hatton, Arturo Gatti, Winky Wright, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and that whirlwind of a fighting man, Manny Pacquiao.
I have nothing against the fighters of today. I have everything against the increasingly gauche and tacky circus in which they are required to parade their wares.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Whatever made boxing want to be like wrestling? In my youth, the two sports went hand in hand and more or less shared space in all the popular magazines. Even The Ring magazine carried a wrestling section for years, until the boxing fans persuaded the editors to get rid of it. Followers of the sweet science didn’t wish to be associated with a long devalued sister sport which had degenerated into a synthetic and largely pre-arranged farce. Wrestling was about guys in silly masks and silly trunks making overblown entries to the ring and trading cheap and badly acted insults with their opponents. God forbid that boxing should ever go that way. Ho-hum.
Posted by: TJ Cline
I don’t entirely blame today’s boxing fans for lapping up all this hokum. It is all they have ever known. But those who aren’t just passing through really should take the time and trouble to dig below the surface and compare what we have now to what we had in comparatively recent times.
Posted by: TJ Cline
One doesn’t have to travel back to the year dot to uncover the former glory. In fact we can stop the clock in 1969, when man landed on the moon and folks in general weren’t entirely boring. Just recently I re-visited that memorable fight between Joe Frazier and Jerry Quarry at Madison Square Garden, which offers emphatic proof for me that the excitement and sense of anticipation in that era was far greater than it is today, simply for being more restrained and considerably more dignified.
The presentational aspect of modern boxing might seem to be a cosmetic and somewhat trite issue compared to its larger and more significant warts, but much of our present troubles have sprung from the depressing drop in general standards.
Watching Frazier and Quarry limber up, the first thing that struck me was the vastness of the ring. That was because it wasn’t filled with irrelevant people. The boxers and seconds were in their corners and only moved a step further when referee Arthur Mercante motioned them to join him. Mercante was brief in his reminder of the rules and finished by saying a simple, “Take care.”
Posted by: TJ Cline
That was it. The fight was on. Two fighters who were lean and mean, quietly menacing but well behaved, went to war. There was nothing in their pre-fight demeanour that besmirched the sport or incited the crowd. When Jimmy Ellis, Frazier’s rival champion at that time, was invited up to the ring, he shook hands with Joe and wished him well. There was no brawl, no tantrums, none of the drivel we have to endure today.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Johnny Addie, one of the great ring announcers, did his bit sparingly and with class as he told us all we ever want to know: hometown of each fighter, colour of trunks, weights. End of story. Addie never felt the urge to linger forever in mid-ring in the hope of stealing the spotlight and becoming a ‘star’. Nor did he mangle the names of the contestants. Joe Frazier wasn’t ‘Joe Fraaazuuh’ and Jerry Quarry wasn’t ‘Jerreee Quarreee’.
Posted by: TJ Cline
The nearest comparison we have to Johnny Addie now is Jimmy Lennon Jnr, whose old man wasn’t too shabby as a ring announcer either. Everyone else, it seems, is now addicted to the dreadful drug of holding on to a fighter’s name in the way that dear old Roy Orbison applied his enviable grip to a high note.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Michael Buffer, I would be the first to admit, is wholly professional in his attitude and certainly chills the blood with his famous cry of, “Let’s get ready to rumble!” But is it good for boxing? Is it really appropriate to a sport which the traditionalists amongst us still like to refer to as the noble art?
Posted by: TJ Cline
Here in Britain, we have some real beauts. One announcer manages to add an ‘a’ to just about every word he says. Hence, we get “Ladies and gentlemena, we come to the main eventa of the eveninga.”
Posted by: TJ Cline
Another clown recently achieved the seemingly impossible by turning an old pro called Ernie Smith into ‘Oonie Smeetha’. African fighters, many of whom have never stepped outside London, are patronisingly announced in doom-laden tones that conjure up images of spear-throwing cannibals.
Posted by: TJ Cline
The fighters themselves are in no way blameless for enabling the circus to flourish and expand its range of tasteless products for the brain-dead and the transient tribe of dilettantes who now seem to constitute the target audience of the controlling bodies and the major media moguls.
Posted by: TJ Cline
The ring attire of many fighters today is no longer harmlessly amusing or original. It is gaudy and downright ridiculous.
What is so offensive about dignity and class? Frazier and Quarry looked like the real fighters they were when they clashed on that hot summer night at the Garden. They were superbly trained, tight as racehorses and looked deadly serious and manly in every way.
Posted by: TJ Cline
A fighter does not look dignified when he is wearing a pair of trunks that extend from just below his nipples to his calves. He does not look macho when he is wearing a creation that can only be described as a skirt. At best he looks like a pimp, at worst he looks like a half-hearted transvestite. One of Mike Tyson’s redeeming features was that he never engaged in that kind of nonsense.
Posted by: TJ Cline
NFL players must adhere to strict rules when taking to the gridiron. They are permitted to grow beards and wear their hair any length they wish, as is any man’s right unless the circumstances are exceptional. What players cannot do is to disrespect their uniforms. Even their shirts must be tucked in at all tmes. Is it too much to ask that we have at least some form of dress code in boxing?
Posted by: TJ Cline
On the subject of bad taste, Kenny Weldon has some pertinent observations on the crass comments and needlessly foul language now found on too many boxing websites. Quite rightly, he comments, “As for you guys on the websites talking trash and using language that wouldn’t be allowed in a New York bar, please have a little respect for the game and listen to the old guys. Your lack of knowledge and your bravado is totally inconsiderate of the sweet science and the people who made this sport the best sport in the world.”
Posted by: TJ Cline
For me, this is a very important point and one that needs to be urgently addressed. Never in my life have I been guilty of patronising new converts to the sport who know little about it. We are all ignorant when we first start out, and there is nothing more off-putting than being put down by a smart guy who thinks he knows it all. What I have no time for is the language of the gutter that comes with so many of the new breed. It is surely not impossible for even the barely literate to pen a few sentences without boring the rest of us with their knowledge of choicest Anglo-Saxon. Do they think this is the way that most genuine boxing people normally converse? It isn’t. It is the way that schoolboys talk when they discover profanity for the first time and cannot wait to try it out.
Posted by: TJ Cline
When I recently wrote an article on Carlos Monzon, a member of this site took issue with my points of view. He did so fairly and politely. For exercising this democratic right, he was promptly dismissed as ‘a clueless c***’ by the next contributor. Charming. Nothing like a good, intellectual debate, eh?
Posted by: TJ Cline
Another persistent pest, who fails to see the crashing irony of his user name, even managed to soil the obituary of boxing writer Jack Fiske with two utterly inane and infantile observations.
Posted by: TJ Cline
On more than one occasion, I have seen one fighter or another being described as ‘a piece of s****’ by idiots who have probably never had a fight in their entire lives. That is a downright cowardly and offensive thing to say about any fighting man, whatever his level of talent.
Posted by: TJ Cline
What do these masked wonders do in their everyday lives? Are they all timid librarians and filing clerks who suddenly get brave at night under the cloak of anonymity? More to the point, why are they tolerated? Have the rest of us softened to the extent that our primary objective is not to offend the offenders?
Posted by: TJ Cline
Corners
Posted by: TJ Cline
Kenny Weldon quite rightly laments the increasing invasion of the sport by self-styled managers and trainers. A fighter’s corner should be a place of calm and reason, especially in a crisis. How many times now do we see three guys shouting different instructions at a troubled fighter in a scene of utter chaos? When a boxer is reeling from one of Jose Luis Castillo’s Sunday best, a meaningless cry of, “You da man!” isn’t going to do that much for his self-belief. When Kevin Rooney was working the young Mike Tyson’s corner, the sense of serenity was almost palpable. Jack Blackburn, Eddie Futch, Yancy Durham and Gil Clancy were great and knowledgeable trainers who knew exactly how to motivate their fighters and moderate the corner.
Posted by: TJ Cline
When George Foreman deprived Joe Frazier of his title in Kingston, Big George’s corner was a sanctuary in all the bedlam. Small wonder, since it was inhabited by Dick Sadler, Archie Moore and Sandy Saddler. Prior to the fateful second round, Foreman rose from his stool with one quiet and simple instruction in his ear: “Drop that hammer on him, George.”
It is so important that the good men of today like Freddie Roach, Buddy McGirt and Teddy Atlas continue to prevail and multiply their numbers.
Posted by: TJ Cline
There are certainly plenty of great trainers around. Last week I had the pleasure of watching one of the best in Johnny Eames, of London’s TKO Gym, who was outstanding in helping his lightweight charge Graham Earl upset the odds and outpoint the dangerous, world ranked Russian, Yuri Romanov. Earl had to work hard for his victory and suffered some very uncomfortable moments along the way, but not once did Eames get flustered or raise his voice. Urging his fighter to take deep breaths, Johnny issued his instructions with firmness and great calm. Earl knew exactly where he stood at all times and was a willing student.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Eames even handed out the occasional admonishment with a nice balance of authority and good humour. After Romanov had dangerously found the mark in a torrid ninth round with some solid rights, Eames said to Earl, “What did I tell you about that right?” Earl nodded and there the matter rested. In a nutshell, Johnny’s performance was a master class from a master trainer.
Posted by: TJ Cline
It was matched by an excellent refereeing job by the consistently able Richie Davies, who rules the ring with the minimum of fuss and with a rod of iron. When Romanov’s corner became too vociferous, Davies stopped the action briefly and barked, “You do that again, I’ll throw you out of the hall.” It was no coincidence that the fight itself was superb and a terrific advert for the game.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Strive
Posted by: TJ Cline
So much is still great and uplifting about professional boxing. More than ever before, I believe we need to stand up for the good side of the old game whilst having the courage to face down and condemn its ugly sister. We cannot simply ignore the gaping cracks in the road in the misguided belief that acknowledging their existence would be aiding the abolitionists. Like a clever computer virus, the ugliness has become depressingly diversified as it courses through boxing’s bloodstream. The behaviour of the politically motivated world boxing organisations is frequently appalling and has been so for years.
When you know the game well, you know the terrible things that go on, many of which you cannot report unless you are wealthy enough to employ some seriously heavyweight lawyers. When Bert Sugar was editing The Ring, he courageously ran stories on the grubby machinations of the game’s ruling bodies, but who does so with any consistency now? Even the television networks shy away from controversy. Teddy Atlas does the best he can, but other ex-fighters who guest as commentators are swiftly hushed up if they should so much as suggest that a judge is either blind or plain bent for producing a scorecard that defies belief.
Posted by: TJ Cline
The alphabet soup boys cry foul and call their lawyers at the mere mention of the word ‘corrupt’, yet any supposedly independent boxing body is corrupt from the first time it produces a set of world rankings that are not based on merit alone.
The team members of the International Boxing Organization (IBO) are proud of being the only sanctioning body that boasts a computerised and objective rating system, yet as one observer noted, “Unfortunately they don’t seem to consult their ratings when assigning championships.” Why? Would the IBO care to explain that to us?
Posted by: TJ Cline
How easy is it to form a world boxing authority? Well, Pat O’Grady managed the feat as far back as 1981 when his son Sean was stripped of the WBA lightweight title. Pat invented the World Athletic Association – quite possibly during his lunch break – and appointed Sean as lightweight champion. Sean’s first defence was against Hawaiian hitter Andrew Ganigan, who knocked him out in two rounds. An unhappy ending for the O’Gradys, but a very disturbing point had been made.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Few things now make sense to sensible boxing folk, as the bully boys continue to get their way and tear and twist at every tradition. The evidence of their destruction hits us between the eyes from every direction.
Posted by: TJ Cline
The number of weight divisions (seventeen) is absurd, and the number of champions no less so. This senseless proliferation has left us with a depressingly low depth of talent and has unrealistically prolonged the careers of many fighters who really aren’t that exceptional and never were. Nearly every fight now has to be for some kind of championship, however worthless. Nothing seems to scare promoters more than staging a good old-fashioned ten rounds non-title bout.
Posted by: TJ Cline
In the eighties, the classic championship limit of fifteen rounds was abandoned by those who apparently care for the health of boxers, following a couple of high profile ring fatalities in Johnny Owen and Deuk Koo Kim. Johnny was knocked out in the twelfth round by Lupe Pintor, while Kim was KO’d in the fourteenth by Ray Mancini.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Has that measure helped to protect boxers? Of course it hasn’t. Preliminary boys are now fighting gruelling twelve rounders after only six or seven fights because there is always some meaningless title up for grabs. They simply aren’t given sufficient time to accustom themselves to eight and ten round fights and adapt to the longer distances. Many burn out long before they should. The great fighters find a way of plugging such holes in their education and flourishing on any given playing field, but these missing links can prove costly for lesser boxers who need more time to learn the ropes and progress.
We repeatedly hear of boxers approaching ‘must win’ fights. Why must they win? With all those titles sloshing around, there is always another chance just down the road. The obsessive ‘0’ on a prospect’s record has assumed ridiculous importance. Even an educational defeat is deemed a minor disaster. Too much pressure is placed on young fighters to thrill and please, to the point where any tactical game plan goes immediately out of the window. All the time, I see skilful boxers with significant height and reach advantages becoming locked in punishing wars of attrition at close quarters.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Why are we so outraged when fighters are a few pounds over the limit at the weigh-in? With the luxury of twenty-four hours to spare, they are only going to feast at the local burger bar and come into the ring massively overweight anyway. I do chuckle when commentators behold a featherweight and innocently exclaim, “My word, he looks like a welter from the waist up!”
Posted by: TJ Cline
Stop
Posted by: TJ Cline
It is not impossible, even at this late stage, to stop all this rot. What does seem impossible is the task of stopping the good people of boxing from warring amongst each other instead of attacking the criminals. As Kenny Weldon observes, “We cannot agree on anything.”
Posted by: TJ Cline
In the United States, the biggest boxing fish in the sea, a rescue act is especially urgent. If we are ever to move forward and cut out the cancerous growths, we need to commit once and for all to a definitive solution, even if it means inheriting one problem for every two we solve.
Posted by: TJ Cline
The greatest brains in the game, and there are a great many of them, need to form their own round table and hammer something out. Camelot won’t come out of it, because boxing can never be that and we wouldn’t want it to be. The sport can never afford to lose its roguish, outlaw charm or its glorious mix of characters. Its anarchic nature is as appealing as it is frustrating, one of the curious qualities that so shiningly sets it apart.
Posted by: TJ Cline
That is why, in my view, federal control of boxing in America is an eternal Catch-22 proposition. Apart from the usual few good men, today’s politicians can often be as distasteful and dishonest as the people they are paid to throw in jail. The one thing we do not need is better regulated corruption by way of political appointments and politically motivated policy decisions, leaving us with nothing more than a sanitised and bureaucratic façade.
Posted by: TJ Cline
How I fervently wish that I could offer an all-embracing solution to boxing’s problems. To my constant exasperation, I am unable to do so. The multi-layered composition of the disease is too challenging a conundrum for this humble writer and most others. That is why the great thinkers and the genuine lovers of boxing must come together, see eye to eye and start fighting the good fight.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Boxing will never be stopped or expunged, for the simple reason that men will always fight. Prostitution will similarly endure because certain people will always sell their bodies. But do we really want our great game to be compared to an old whore?
Posted by: TJ Cline
The enemy forces should not be underestimated. They learn quickly and know all the management mind games and tricks. Like rust, they never sleep. They are the blue-sky democrats who secretly despise democracy, free speech and fair play. Blue-sky thinking does not permit bad things to be said about bad situations. Speak up, and you are shouted down and labelled an extremist. A pox on them all. Do not let them win!
Posted by: wetnwild
This is such a cool thread, Did you catch the fight last week, 
Posted by: TJ Cline
Castillo/Reyes Weigh-In
03.02.06 - Photos: TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME: Jose Luis Castillo (left) and Rolando Reyes each tipped scales at 138 pounds Friday for their 12-round fight Saturday on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
Edner Cherry (left) weighed 131 1/2 pounds while defending NABF champion Jose Armando Santa Cruz weighed 133 1/2 pounds for their NABF lightweight title bout in the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature.
In a pair of excellent 12-rounders Saturday on SHOWTIME former two-time WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo faces Rolando Reyes in a 12-round lightweight bout and Jose Armando Santa Cruz defends his NABF 135-pound title against Edner Cherry..
The fights are on Sat on ShowTime
Damn these guys are ugly!!
Posted by: TJ Cline
<H1 class=style2 align=left><H1 class=style2 align=left>The Ten Greatest Fights Ever Held In The Greatest Ever Place - Las Vegas!
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Posted by: TJ Cline
05.02.06 - By James Slater: Being at a big fight is a truly incredible experience, I have been lucky enough to attend quite a few big fights and there really is no comparison to watching on television, although this too is a great experience. Madison Square Garden is for many the greatest venue to attend a fight, the place is just soaked in tradition and atmosphere and it is a very special place for both the fighters and the fans.
Posted by: TJ Cline
Many legendary boxers have fought here and quite a few had their pro-debut in the Garden, men like George Foreman and Evander Holyfield to name just two. The greatest night for most at the Garden though was the first epic fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971. This was the first time two undefeated heavyweight champions ever fought one another. It was indeed an historic event and fittingly it took place in such a venue.
Posted by: TJ Cline
For me though, the best place to attend a fight, the most exciting, the most glitzy and just the plain most fun has to be Las Vegas - Fight Town as it is commonly known. I love the place and so do the fighters that box there, Vegas was a virtual second home to such ring greats as Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler, although the marvellous one wasn’t quite so keen on the judging that he received there! The Mandalay Bay and the MGM Grand are the two most frequently used venues for the big fights in Vegas these days, both great venues, they are two beautiful hotels and they have excellent boxing arenas.
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BOXING.....now and tomorrow
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