09 Boxing Thread:: 12/12 Diaz.vs.Malignaggi HBO/Bradley.vs.Peterson Showtime

[proshares]

Let's see how JMM adjusts to 140 first before we start saying he'll murk Paulie.

 

[proshares]

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Saturday at Bern, Switzerland​

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Heavyweight
Vitali Klitschko W12 Kevin Johnson
Retains a heavyweight title
Scores: 120-108 (twice), 119-109
​

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Klitschko, 39-2, 37 KOs; Johnson, 22-1-1, 9 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Talk about dominance. Klitschko wiped out Johnson in a fight so one-sided that it's hard see how the judges gave the mouthy American even a single round. Like his younger brother and fellow heavyweight titleholder, Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali just keeps ripping through contenders in one-sided bouts. The division is the Klitschkos with everyone else way behind.

Johnson, who was very untested for a title challenger, predicted a knockout before the fight and talked about how important it was to bring a heavyweight title back to the United States. But he was all talk. The 30-year-old Atlanta resident didn't try to do anything other than survive in front of 17,000 mostly Klitschko fans.

Johnson was futile. How pathetic was he? Klitschko was as busy as ever, landing 298 of a whopping 1,013 punches (29 percent), which is tremendous output for a heavyweight. But Johnson was miserable, landing just 65 of his 332 punches (20 percent). Even more woeful was that Johnson landed a mere five of 54 power shots (defined by CompuBox as anything other than a jab), the worst power-punch performance in the 25-year history of CompuBox tracking fights. About the only positive thing you can say about Johnson is that he heard the final bell. He is only the second fighter to last the distance with Klitschko. The other was Timo Hoffmann in a virtual shutout loss for the vacant European title in 2000. Klitschko, meanwhile, threw 749 jabs, a CompuBox heavyweight record. But you didn't need stats to see how dominant Klitschko was.

Klitschko, 38, made his third defense since returning from a nearly four-year injury-induced retirement in October 2008. The Ukraine native and Los Angeles resident has scarcely lost a round in his four comeback fights, battering quality opponents Samuel Peter to win a title, Juan Carlos Gomez, Cristobal Arreola and now Johnson. Klitschko was fighting just 77 days after pummeling Arreola in a 10th-round TKO victory. Who will beat Klitschko? It doesn't look as though there is anyone on the horizon who would even pose a threat other than his brother, and they won't fight each other for obvious reasons. Klitschko figures to return around April, but good luck finding a opponent who won't be a significant underdog.
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Saturday at Chicago​

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Junior welterweight
Paulie Malignaggi W12 Juan Diaz
Scores: 116-111 (three times)
​

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Malignaggi, 27-3, 5 KOs; Diaz, 35-3, 17 KOs
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Rafael's remark: We all know what happened in August when former unified lightweight titlist Diaz moved up and faced Malignaggi in Houston, Diaz's hometown. Malignaggi, a former junior welterweight titlist, got the shaft in what many viewed as a blatant hometown decision. The fight was close, but what really had people upset was the unconscionable 118-110 scorecard turned in by Gale Van Hoy, the lone Texas judge on the panel. New York's Malignaggi, 29, said all along in the lead-up that he wouldn't get a fair shake in Texas, which has seen numerous dubious scorecards throughout the years. So when he got the short end of the stick and one scorecard was so absurd (and the 116-112 card for Diaz wasn't so great either), Malignaggi melted down in his postfight interview and cried corruption.

The controversy led to the rematch, but one that would take place on neutral territory. This time, Malignaggi outboxed Diaz even more thoroughly than he did the first time, and this time he got the decision that he deserved. Who'da thunk it? Three scorecards on the money at a time when we have seen so many bad ones. Malignaggi, with quicker hands and feet, was busier than Diaz and stayed in the middle of the ring, which worked to his advantage as the boxer. He made the shorter Diaz, 26, miss many shots while landing his own. He cut Diaz over the left eye in the second round and shockingly rocked him with a right uppercut in the sixth round.

Malignaggi has very little power and was apparently so shocked that he hurt Diaz that he didn't follow up on it. Instead, he showboated, and Diaz made it out of the round. But he clearly was losing. All you had to do was listen to trainer Ronnie Shields between rounds. He was worried, and with good reason. Meanwhile, over in Malignaggi's corner the instructions were to simply keep doing what he was doing, which was boxing the hell out of Diaz. In the 10th round, Malignaggi was credited with a knockdown when a cuffing right hand behind the head made Diaz stumble. Referee Geno Rodriguez, who did an otherwise excellent job, ruled it a knockdown, apparently believing that Diaz's glove had touched the canvas. Even if it did, it shouldn't have been ruled a knockdown because Malignaggi did not land a legitimate punch. This would be a perfect place to expand replay use in boxing, but at least the knockdown didn't impact the final score. Diaz was already in a deep hole, but he carried the final two rounds to make the final tallies a little closer.
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Welterweight
Victor Ortiz TKO7 Antonio Diaz
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Ortiz, 25-2-1, 20 KOs; Diaz, 46-6-1, 29 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Ortiz, ESPN.com's 2008 prospect of the year, was on the cusp of big things when he was matched with Marcos Maidana for an interim junior welterweight title in June in a headline fight on HBO at Los Angeles' Staples Center. It was a great fight with Maidana getting knocked down in the first and second rounds while Ortiz was dropped in the first and sixth rounds. However, after Ortiz, 22, went down for the second time, he quit. Then he dug himself a deeper hole when he admitted to quitting and said he had no problem with it in his postfight interview. With that, many doubted Ortiz's future because despite obvious talent and charisma, he didn't show heart, which is something fight fans demand.

Now on the comeback trail and trying to erase that terrible night, Ortiz, of Oxnard, Calif., was facing a friend in Diaz, 33, a former two-time welterweight title challenger (he lost to Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito) who has seen better days. As expected, Ortiz dominated the slower, less-skilled Diaz, of Coachella, Calif., but didn't look great. He looked tentative, perhaps still thinking about the June fight. Ortiz took a strong shot in the third round but didn't miss a beat in returning fire with a right hand to the chin that dropped Diaz. In the fifth round, Ortiz cut Diaz on the left eyelid, which got much worse in the sixth round. With blood pouring down his face, the fight was called off one second into the seventh round with Diaz on his stool.

Diaz, who ended a three-year retirement in 2008, saw his four-fight winning streak end. Ortiz could be back on HBO in March; he's been mentioned as a possible title challenger for Amir Khan. Ortiz's handlers would be crazy to make that fight right now, because he's not ready. What Ortiz needs is an off-TV fight or two to get his confidence back. If he is matched with Khan, it means his people are cashing him in.
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Junior middleweight
Erislandy Lara W10 Luciano Perez
Scores: 100-90, 99-91 (twice)​

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Lara, 9-0, 5 KOs; Perez, 17-10-1, 15 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Facing the toughest opponent of his pro career, Lara, 26, a 2005 world amateur champion and Cuban defector, took apart Perez, who was born in Mexico and lives in Chicago, in his first scheduled 10-round bout. Lara, who is with Golden Boy, is moving very quickly. Don't be surprised to see him in a title bout in 2010, according to co-manager Shelly Finkel.

In other notable results from the undercard: New York-based Dominican junior lightweight prospect Argenis Mendez (15-1, 9 KOs) rolled to a lopsided unanimous decision over Kenya's Morris Chule (11-9-2, 8 KOs) on scores of 80-72 (twice) and 78-74. Former junior welterweight titlist Randall Bailey (40-7, 35 KOs), who moved up to welterweight for his first fight since being stopped in the 11th round of a junior welterweight title bout by Juan Urango in August, dropped Germaine Sanders (27-8, 17 KOs) three times (in the first, second and fifth rounds) en route to a 79-70, 78-71, 77-72 decision victory. Junior middleweight Ronald Hearns (23-1, 18 KOs), the son of all-time great Thomas Hearns, stopped Shadrack Kipruto (18-14-2, 10 KOs) in the sixth round for his second victory in a row since a shocking ninth-round knockout loss to Harry Joe Yorgey in March. And faded former heavyweight contender Dominick Guinn (32-6-1, 21 KOs) took a six-round decision from Charles Davis (19-18-2, 4 KOs) on scores of 60-54 and 58-56 (twice).
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Saturday at Rancho Mirage, Calif.​

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Junior welterweight
Timothy Bradley Jr. W12 Lamont Peterson
Retains a junior welterweight title
Scores: 120-107, 119-108, 118-110
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Bradley Jr., 25-0, 11 KOs; Peterson, 27-1, 13 KOs
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Rafael's remark: As good as Bradley has been since claiming a world title on the road in England against Junior Witter in May 2008, he really came into his own with this brilliant performance against Peterson, one of his former amateur roommates and pals. Going in, it was viewed by most as a toss-up fight between two excellent young fighters. But Bradley, 26 and fighting just a few miles from his native Palm Springs, thoroughly beat Washington's Peterson, 25, in an exciting but one-sided fight to retain his title for the fourth time. With Manny Pacquiao leaving the 140-pound division, Bradley has now established himself as the best at the weight with victories against Witter, Kendall Holt and Peterson, not to mention a dominant performance against Nate Campbell. That win was changed to a no-contest because of a head butt that opened a fight-ending cut over Campbell's eye in the third round.

Bradley and Peterson were in tremendous physical condition, but Bradley had too much of everything for him. He was fast, controlled the ring, landed combinations, used his jab well, worked the body and landed some very hard right hands. A looping right hand that landed high on Peterson's head dropped him in the third round, even though he wasn't badly hurt by the blow. But it put Peterson, who entered as the interim titleholder by virtue of a seventh-round TKO of France's Willy Blain in April, in an deeper hole on the scorecards. He never came close to climbing out of that hole.

Peterson was fighting by far his most notable opponent and needs more experience against quality competition, but there's no reason to think he can't eventually win a title. Bradley, although No. 1 in a deep division, does not have any big-money fights in the immediate future. The biggest name in the division is probably Ricky Hatton, but the former champ is likely headed to a match with Juan Manuel Marquez and would have zero interest in tangling with Bradley. Beyond Hatton, there are no economic rainmakers. Bradley will just have to keep lining 'em up and beating them so eventually maybe he can become the division's money man.
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Junior bantamweight
Vic Darchinyan KO2 Tomas Rojas
Retains unified junior bantamweight titles​

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Darchinyan, 33-2-1, 27 KOs; Rojas, 31-12-1, 22 KOs
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Rafael's remark: In July, Australia's Darchinyan, a former flyweight titlist and reigning junior bantamweight champion, attempted to win a bantamweight title when he challenged then-titleholder Joseph King Kong Agbeko. It didn't work out, as Agbeko hammered Darchinyan for a unanimous decision. So Darchinyan, 33, returned to the 115-pound division where he is champ to defend his belts against one of his mandatory challengers and a fellow southpaw, interim titlist Rojas of Mexico.

Rojas, 29, doesn't have a great record, but he was a live underdog in this fight. His record is better than what it appears, and he got off to a hot start. He outpunched Darchinyan in the first round, winning it on two of the three judges' scorecards, and appeared on his way to winning the second round as well. However, Darchinyan is one of the biggest punchers in boxing, pound-for-pound, and he dropped the hammer. He missed with two wild left hands -- what else is new? -- landed a left to the side of Rojas' head and then landed the left squarely on the chin that Rojas leaned into. He went down on his back, halfway under the bottom ring rope, where referee Raul Caiz Jr. counted him out. It was a stunningly quick change in momentum, as Darchinyan went from looking like he might be in a tough fight to scoring a brilliant one-punch knockout.

Darchinyan, who has held at least one junior bantamweight belt since August 2008, is now eyeing revenge for his flyweight title loss to Nonito Donaire, who knocked him stiff in the fifth round in July 2007 and now has moved up to junior bantamweight as well. Donaire has an interim title and is Darchinyan's mandatory challenger, so Darchinyan's promoter, Gary Shaw, hopes to press the issue and make the fight. Donaire is slated to fight Gerson Guerrero on Feb. 13, but after that, a Donaire-Darchinyan rematch has a nice ring to it.
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Friday at Montreal​

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Light heavyweight
Jean Pascal W12 Adrian Diaconu
Retains a light heavyweight title
Scores: 118-110, 117-111 (twice)​

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Pascal, 25-1, 16 KOs; Diaconu, 26-2, 15 KOs
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Rafael's remark: When Montreal-based Pascal, originally from Haiti, and Diaconu, a native of Romania, met in June in one of the biggest fights in Canadian history, they waged a brutal battle that Pascal won via unanimous decision to retain his title for the first time. Pascal followed with an easy mandatory defense against former titlist Silvio Branco in September to set up the much-anticipated rematch. Pascal, using his speed advantage and better overall boxing skills, retained the title in another good fight, although it was not as action-packed as the first one. However, it still had plenty of drama as Pascal, 27, fought having dislocated his right shoulder three times during the bout, only to have cornerman Russ Anber pop it back into place. He fought the final two rounds basically using just one arm in a very gritty performance.

Diaconu, 31, was not happy with the decision. Perhaps it could have been a round or two closer, but Pascal won the fight. Diaconu needs to spend a quiet evening watching the video and being honest with himself. The victory sets up Pascal for a possible spring showdown with interim titlist Chad Dawson, whose team has said it's willing to go to Canada for the fight, which would draw a big crowd.
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Light heavyweight
Eric Lucas KO4 Ramon Pedro Moyano
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Lucas, 39-7-3, 15 KOs; Moyano, 27-9-3, 15 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Lucas, a beloved figure in his hometown of Montreal, returned to the ring after a nearly four-year retirement to stop Argentina's Moyano, 37, the son of Hall of Fame great Carlos Monzon. Lucas had failed in super middleweight and light heavyweight title shots before securing a vacant super middleweight belt by stopping Glenn Catley in 2001. Lucas made three defenses before losing it to Markus Beyer in 2003. In 2006, Lucas got another title shot, but Mikkel Kessler dominated him en route to a 10th-round knockout, after which Lucas retired before making the comeback. Lucas, 38, dominated the action with a stiff jab until dropping Moyano for the count with a left hook. This wasn't a one-fight comeback, as Lucas plans to keep fighting in 2010.
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Middleweight
David Lemieux KO2 Delray Raines
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Lemieux, 20-0, 20 KOs; Raines, 17-7, 12 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Lemieux, 21, is one of Canada's most heralded prospects, and he did nothing to dissuade that notion with this impressive performance against Raines, 23, of Paris, Ark. Lemieux nearly destroyed Raines in the first round. He dropped him with a left uppercut and hook and badly battered him for most of the round. In the second round, Lemieux dropped him early with a left hook and then finished him with nine seconds left in the round with, you guessed it, another nasty left hand. Lemieux is a fine prospect.
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Friday at Johannesburg​

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Welterweight
Jan Zaveck TKO3 Isaac Hlatshwayo
Wins a welterweight title​

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Zaveck, 28-1, 16 KOs; Hlatshwayo, 29-2-1, 10 KOs
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Rafael's remark: South Africa's Hlatshwayo got way more than he bargained for in what was supposed to be a gimme first title defense of the vacant belt he won on Aug. 1 in a rematch with Delvin Rodriguez on Rodriguez's turf in Connecticut. Many new titleholders grab an easy defense at home. Hlatshwayo, 32, didn't get anything close to easy, as Zaveck, 33, of Slovenia, pulled the upset in impressive fashion. Zaveck has a great looking record, but when you examine it, you'll see that he had never beaten anyone remotely considered a contender. And the one time he stepped up in competition to face a halfway decent opponent, Rafal Jackiewicz outpointed him in a November 2008 European title fight. But Zaveck, who won his third in a row, took it to Hlatshwayo. He rattled him with a combination in the opening seconds, then scored a knockdown in the second round and two more in the third before American referee Kenny Chevalier called it off. Hlatshwayo's only previous loss came in 2006 to future junior welterweight titlist Kendall Holt.
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Friday at Sacramento​

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Heavyweight
Nagy Aguilera TKO1 Oleg Maskaev
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Records: Aguilera, 15-2, 10 KOs; Maskaev, 36-7, 27 KOs
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Rafael's remark: The virtually unknown Aguilera, 23, of the Dominican Republic, scored a sensational knockout of Maskaev, 40, in an upset. Maskaev, a former titleholder fighting in his adopted hometown, had won two bouts in a row since losing his belt to Samuel Peter via sixth-round knockout in March 2008. He was facing Aguilera as a tune-up for a title-elimination bout with Ray Austin, with the winner due to receive a mandatory shot against Vitali Klitschko. That's out the window now, as Maskaev couldn't last two minutes.

Maskaev's biggest weakness has always been his chin, and Aguilera exploited it big-time. He staggered Maskaev with a left hook and knocked him down with another left hook. During the follow-up attack, Aguilera landed several more shots, including another left on the chin that dropped Maskaev against the ropes. Although he popped up on instinct, he was gone, and referee Lou Moret called off the fight. We can all thank Aguilera from saving the boxing world from a Maskaev-Austin eliminator, because neither deserves a title shot. Maskaev may fight on, but it would appear his days as a potential title challenger are finished. Aguilera? Would be interested in seeing him again.
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[sir rob a lot]

Timmy

My dude will be on everyone's P4P list this time next year!

 

[japanair21]

I didn't really like Bradley before this past weekends fight, but he made me a believer, the guy gritted out a good fight against a good boxer anddominated.

 

[jaygunna]

yea he fought hard. I always worry about guys with no punching power tho. being in punishing 12 round fights gonna take its toll real quick

 

[bigmike23]

According to WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, there is a preliminary agreement in place to face WBA champion David Haye in a unification bout in 2010. Klitschko and Haye was set to meet in September but the British fighter withdrew and instead took a fight with 7'2 Nikolai Valuev. Klitschko instead fought and stopped Chris Arreola. Last weekend Klitschko won an easy twelve round decision over Kevin Johnson.

"In the near future I plan to fight Haye and take the title," Ukrainian daily Fakty quoted Klitschko as saying. "The preliminary agreement has already been reached."

Haye must first defeat WBA mandatory John Ruiz in the first quarter of 2010. Klitschko has been rumored to be interested in a fight with Valuev to pass the time. It would mark the first time where Klitschko would step in the ring as the smaller man

 

[stringer bell 32]

Is it time for

Fighter of the Year

Fight of the Year

Prospect of the Year

 

[proshares]

Nothing really going on the rest of the year so yea.

 

[gunna get it]

Fight of the Year

http://www.ringtv.com/gallery/520/bloody_exchange_williamsmartinez/#4688http://www.ringtv.com/gallery/520/bloody_exchange_williamsmartinez/#4690



Sergio Williams vs Paul Williams - was the best most physical fight I saw all yr

Fighter of the Year



Manny Pacquaio - no one else is even in the running.

Prospect of the year

Rico Ramos
(everyone gonna pick Landy but I like Ramos ALOT)


2011 Wishlist
- Mosely/Berto Winner vs Pacman/PBF Winner
- Paul Williams fighting at 147 to face those winners
- Chad Dawson vs Lucien Bute
- JMM vs Edwin Valero
- Joshua Clottey vs
- Antonio Margarito never gets reinstated
- HBO to do a 140lb Super 6 type Tourney
- David Haye defeats the Russians
- King Arthur vs kelly Pavlik
- Nonito vs Vic rematch
- B Hop vs Adamek
.

 

[japanair21]

- David Haye defeats the Russians

- Mosely/Berto Winner vs Pacman/PBF Winner


PBF/Pac would not fight Berto, not enough $.

 

[gunna get it]

If he beat Shane, HBO would throw all kinda money into it. Berto is HBOs baby boy

I dont think he will beat shane but crazier things have happened

 

[scott frost]

GUNNA GET IT wrote:


2011 Wishlist
- David Haye defeats the Russians

Would like to also see:

Jean Pascal v. Lucian Bute
Tomasz Adamek v. Steve Cunningham II
Kelly Pavlik v. Paul Williams
Amir Kahn v. Ricky Hatton
Jermaine Taylor retire
James Kirkland get out of prison

 

[japanair21]

Am I the only one who likes Wlad and Vitali?

 

[proshares]

FOTY: Ortiz/Maidana.
Fighter OTY: Pacquiao.
POTY: Rigondeaux.

FOTY will probably change.

My wishlist for the new year:

- Dawson down to 168.
- Cloud to show some promise at 175.
- Dirrell to step up to his competition and stop @!%*$!% running and holding.
- Bute/Pavlik/PW to all fight each other.
- Bika/Green.
- Pavlik/Abraham or Kessler or Froch.
- Martinez/Dzindziruk and Angulo/Cintron rematch.
- BJ Flores to fight someone of significance or get the hell out of my screen.
- Mosley/Clottey and Cotto/Berto because you know PBF is not fighting any of them.
- Collazo to get another title shot.
- I agree w/a 140 tourney but w/8 fighters. Bradley, Holt, Maidana, Khan, Alexander, Paulie, Urango, Peterson.
- JMM/Hatton would rather see Valero/Katsidis.
- How about a 135 tourney? Valero, Katsidis, Soto, Salgado, Linares, Martinez? None of those matchups will go the distance.
- I look for big things from Robert Guerrero either at 130 or 135 and hopefully Linares can recover and become a star.
- Luevano to spoil JML's run for blatantly ducking Caballero and Mtagwa to KO Gamboa.
- Perez/Agbeko 2. If Perez's wins let him fight Hasegawa. Outside of Linares, I want to see Hasegawa come to the US and fight.

 

[eagle 0n]

Originally Posted by Scott Frost

Tomasz Adamek v. Steve Cunningham II

Would love to see this again.

What's going on with USS Steve anyway? He had a quiet 2009, I think he only had one fight...

 

[yungmatt]

Id like to see Valero stop catchin cases so he could fight in the U.S.

 

[proshares]

Steve looking like he's going to fight Matt Godfrey for the alphabet belt Adamek vacated.

 

[proshares]

Khan-Malignaggi has nice ring to it at 140

Thursday, December 17, 2009 | Print Entry

The junior welterweight division is hot. It's loaded with a variety of interesting, exciting and marketable fighters and matchups. At the top there's titleholder Timothy Bradley, who looked awesome defending his title last week in dismantling Lamont Peterson, another quality young contender who should be back in the hunt before too long.

There's also young American titleholder Devon Alexander, who has skills, speed, a bright smile and a brighter future. From England, you have fast and powerful titleholder Amir Khan, a tremendous talent who has looked very good in recent fights, including a 76-second destruction of Dmitriy Salita in his first defense on Dec. 5. Khan is the linchpin of the division because he brings the most money, by far, because of his big following in England.

There is also slick former titleholder Paulie Malignaggi, who is already back in the gym doing some light training after a decisive decision win against Juan Diaz in their Dec. 12 rematch.

Add in titleholder Juan Urango, big puncher Marcos Maidana, former titlist Kendall Holt, prospect Victor Ortiz and the old guard of Ricky Hatton (the former champ with perhaps a big fight or two left), Nate Campbell and lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez, who likely will fight at junior welterweight against Hatton in the spring, and you have a stacked division that should produce several good fights over the next couple of years.

One of the biggest fights at 140 pounds (or, in defense to Khan, 10 stone), would be Khan against Malignaggi next year at New York's Madison Square Garden. Khan has said repeatedly that he intends to fight in the United States in 2010 and Malignaggi promoter Lou DiBella hopes to make the match.

"We want that fight. Paulie wants a big fight," DiBella told me this week. "It would be an unbelievable event for Kahn's American debut. It's perfectly conceived of because of the personalities, styles and geography. Khan wants to fight here. Paulie is a New Yorker and is as hot as he's been. I have no doubt the fight does 15,000 people at the Garden. They both can fight and they both can talk and promote."

DiBella said the fight has come up in his conversations with HBO, which hopes to put Khan on for the second time on March 6 from England as part of a split-site doubleheader with Alexander defending his belt from a venue in the U.S.

"It is not lost on HBO how big Khan coming to America and fighting Paulie in New York would be," DiBella said.

He should know about such matters. After all, it was DiBella, when he used to run HBO's boxing franchise, who engineered a similar scenario in 1997. That's when he signed England's Naseem Hamed to an HBO contract and brought him to Madison Square Garden to defend his featherweight title against New Yorker Kevin Kelley, who talks almost as much and as fast as Malignaggi. Hamed-Kelley was a great promotion and turned out to be one of the best fights of the 1990s. Hamed won via fourth-round knockout and launched himself to stardom in the United States.

"A Khan fight with Paulie is the same type of situation. You have a young British star coming here to challenge the more established American and to see if he can create star power in this country in one night," DiBella said. "After a fight between Khan and Paulie, one of those guys comes out of the fight a huge star. It's a terrific matchup. There will be the threat of Khan's power and of Paulie's speed, which I think a bit exceeds Khan's. Freddie Roach [Khan trainer] says Khan will fight him but he knows it ain't an easy fight.

"I love the Khan fight for Paulie. It reminds me so much of the set up with Hamed and Kelley, but Paulie is fresher than Kelley was. It has the making of a really big event if we can put it together."

I couldn't agree more. And the best part? It's only one possibility in a hot division that boasts so many exciting possible fights.

 

[eagle 0n]

Just got the new ESPNmag issue with Quadtrine Hill on the cover.

They're talking bout manufacturing Heavyweight boxers outta former NFL/CFB players and other athletes. Dunno bout that, like the old heads at the gym say,"you can't play boxing". We'll see.

...

 

[sir rob a lot]

Fight of the year: JMM/Diaz (I thought this should be hands down the pick)

Fighter of the year: PacMan

Prospect of the Year: Landy (Fam went to work in 2009)

2010 Wish List:

Andre Ward goes undefeated
Cotto KO's Margarito
Roy Jones Jr. Retires
PBF KO's Pac
Green/Bika
JuanMa/Gamboa

 

[scott frost]

There is no more satisfying image than Mosley leaving Margarito crumpled on the canvas.

Edit:

CNNSI's best fights of the decade:

10.) Margarito v. Cotto - July 26, 2008

9.) Vazquez v. Marquez II - August 4, 2007

8.) Sithchatchawal v. Monshipour - March 18, 2006
[h2]

7.) Juan Manuel Marquez v. Pac-Man - May 8, 2004

6.) Vazquez v. Marquez III - March 1, 2008

5.) Pac-Man v. Morales I - March 19, 2005

4.) Tito Trinidad v. Fernando Vargas - December 2, 2000

3.) Morales v. Barrera I - February 19, 2000

2.) Thunder Gatti v. Irish Mickey Ward - May 18, 2002

RIP Thunder....

1.) Chico Corrales v. Castillo I - May 7, 2005

RIP Chico....

[/h2]

 

[proshares]

[h4]Pavlik out to salvage rocky '09[/h4]

By Dan Rafael
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Chris Farina/Top RankA pesky staph infection nearly put Kelly Pavlik down for the count for good.

You ever just have one of those days? Well, Kelly Pavlik is having one of those years.

The middleweight champ began 2009 in fine fashion, rebounding from his October 2008 loss to Bernard Hopkins in a nontitle light heavyweight bout by easily dispatching Marco Antonio Rubio in February for his second defense.

Then things went downhill.

"It's been a long year for me, very frustrating because of a series of setbacks," Pavlik said.

There was a contract dispute with Top Rank, his promoter since he turned pro in 2000, and the most famous staph infection in boxing, one Pavlik had in a finger on his left hand that caused all kinds of problems.

[h4]Pavlik-Espino[/h4]
TV lineup for Top Rank's split-site pay-per-view card Saturday night (9 ET) from Youngstown State University's Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio, and Arena Itson in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico:

• Middleweights: Kelly Pavlik (35-1, 31 KOs) vs. Miguel Espino (20-2-1, 9 KOs), 12 rounds, for Pavlik's title
• Junior middleweight: Vanes Martirosyan (25-0, 16 KOs) vs. Willie Lee (17-5, 11 KOs), 12 rounds
  From Mexico
• Bantamweights: Neomar Cermeno (18-0, 10 KOs) vs. Alejandro Valdez (22-3-2, 16 KOs), 12 rounds, for Cermeno's interim title
• Lightweights: Humberto Soto (49-7-2, 32 KOs) vs. Jesus Chavez (44-6, 30 KOs), 10 rounds

The contract issues were worked out, but the infection and ensuing damage it did to Pavlik's hand lingered for months. It landed him in the hospital in serious condition, necessitated two surgeries to repair a damaged tendon and forced him to twice withdraw from a much anticipated fight with Paul Williams, first in October and then from the rescheduled Dec. 5 bout.

"He's endured a lot since his last title defense," Top Rank's Todd duBoef said. "To come back from his staph infection and the life-threatening complications he suffered due to his allergic reaction to the antibiotic prescribed is the stuff of legends."

Throughout his recuperation, Pavlik was the target of harsh criticism by fight fans and the Williams camp, which accused him of ducking Williams, and he endured endless rumors about aspects of his personal life that supposedly caused the layoff.

"It has been crazy, the hand -- we have worked through that and it's in the past," Pavlik said. "The problem with the hand was time-consuming. People wanted to fight and everything was supposed to get done. After the first surgery we thought we would be ready to go. After I got the stitches out, it opened up again and the $@$* started coming out and it got worse. Finally we were on a new antibiotic and that wasn't doing the job so we went back in and did another surgery and after that everything was fine. The infection eventually went away with new antibiotics. After it went away we got a new reaction from the antibiotics. That put me in the hospital for four days with a very serious problem.

"At the end of the day we had two major surgeries within two months of each other and the tendons were coming out of the hand. So we had irritation and stiffness and I had therapy to get movement back in the finger. We wanted to fight, that is the main thing. We told the [Williams] people to push the fight back [again]."

The Williams camp, understandably, refused and moved on. Williams instead faced Sergio Martinez on Dec. 5 in Atlantic City, N.J., and won a close decision in a fight of the year candidate.

Pavlik (35-1, 31 KOs) also moved on and now he's ready to fight again to at least try to end a forgettable year on a high note after the longest layoff of his career.

He'll return home to Youngstown, Ohio, and face big underdog Miguel Espino (20-2-1, 9 KOs), best known for a stint on the first season of "The Contender," on Saturday night (Top Rank PPV, 9 ET, $39.95) at the Beeghly Center on the campus of Youngstown State University.

"Now I'm back. I feel great," said Pavlik, who was supposed to fight Williams instead of Hopkins last year but didn't because the Williams side increased its demands after Top Rank thought it had a deal. "I have a huge hunger to get back into the ring. On Saturday night it will be bombs away. Two fighters who only go forward. My strategy is simple. I will be leading with double and triple jabs to keep him on his toes. Once I land a big shot, it's going to be a whole new ballgame. Winning is not enough. I need to be dominant and I need to be impressive. I know what the mission is and I have every intention of completing it."

Although Pavlik's hand feels better, he still can't fully bend his finger, but it's not stopping him from going through with the fight, even though he compressed a typical eight-week training camp into five.

"The only thing with the hand right now is I can't bend it the whole way, but I would say it is at 100 percent," Pavlik said. "At first, we were wearing 18-ounce gloves just to make sure it would be safe and the last couple of times went down to the regular size. The hand is feeling good, there is no pain and everything is fine."

Pavlik is resigned to the fact that there will be those who believe he simply ducked the dangerous Williams.

"That doesn't bother me because some people know absolutely nothing about boxing," Pavlik said. "They don't know how the sport works. It doesn't bother me that much. The thing is, we had to fight, and against Espino, the kid has a great heart, a good chin and he's always in great shape so you can't overlook anyone like that. This will be his first shot at a world title and his only shot, so you know he's going to make the best of it. So our thing was we were told we had to defend the title. We had to make that fight so I wouldn't get stripped of my title. So the people that said he is now fighting two weeks later [from the Dec. 5 date meant for the Williams fight], they don't understand the story and have no idea what was behind it."

Arum is more perturbed by those who cry that Pavlik ducked Williams than Pavlik is.

"It really makes me want to cry because people like that saying what they say -- that they have absolutely no factual basis for what they are saying," Arum said. "We knew what Kelly went through physically and how close he was to not making it at all, not just to fight, but not making it at all, and to have those statements made. Like the genius [George Peterson] that trains Williams, claiming that Kelly was faking the injury. When I hear that, I feel so embarrassed for the sport. I'm 78, and I've put my whole life into this sport, and to hear morons like that talk when they have no basis for what they are saying really makes me sad."

It's that kind of harsh rhetoric between the camps, and the Williams demand for a 50-50 deal now, that makes an eventual Pavlik-Williams bout appear doomed.

"Sure, Kelly will fight Williams under the right circumstances, and if these people act like gentleman instead of the thugs that they are," Arum said. "I am angry. I am angry at this Peterson guy about shooting his mouth off about things he doesn't know about."

If Pavlik gets past Espino, Arum said their target for Pavlik's next fight in April or May would be against middleweight titleholder Felix Sturm, whom Top Rank is talking to, or a possible move up to super middleweight to challenge titlist Lucian Bute of Canada.

Espino, sounding confident, isn't worried about Pavlik's team making future plans.

"I know I'm considered an underdog. That doesn't bother me. It never has," Espino said. "I've been training to win this fight. I've been training to become a world champion. My trainer, John Bray, and I have not wasted one moment of training camp. It's a tough fight, perhaps the toughest I've ever had. But I have full confidence in my abilities. If Kelly has chosen to take me lightly, he's made a big mistake."

Jack Loew, Pavlik's trainer, said they haven't taken Espino lightly at all.

"We expect nothing but the best out of Miguel Espino," Loew said. "We are giving this kid an opportunity of a lifetime, a fight that could change his life like it did for us against Jermain [Taylor]. So we expect the best and we're not taking this kid lightly."

Loew added that he's not too concerned about Pavlik's surgically repaired finger.

"The snap in Kelly's punches is back," he said. "Over the past seven days of training, Kelly has returned to his world championship form. Kelly is ready to drop Espino more times than Tiger Woods' trousers."

[h4]Green-Hopkins Down Under?[/h4]

Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty ImagesWith Roy Jones aside, Danny Green is ready to move on to bigger things -- like Bernard Hopkins.

Promoter Gary Shaw is now serving as an adviser to Australian cruiserweight Danny Green, who stopped Roy Jones in the first round earlier this month, and they are trying to make a fight between Green and light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins in Australia in April, Shaw told ESPN.com.

They met this week with Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, who represents Hopkins, in Los Angeles in an attempt to make the fight. Shaw said HBO has told him it's willing to travel to Australia to cover the fight, which Shaw said he'd do on a Sunday afternoon Australian time to allow for it to take place in prime time in the U.S. on a Saturday night. Shaw said he made Schaefer an offer during the meeting.

"Richard was cordial and said he would speak to Hopkins and get back to us. We are currently waiting," said Shaw, who hooked up with Green through junior bantamweight champ Vic Darchinyan, a close friend of Green's whom Shaw promotes. "We also don't have the rights fee number from HBO yet, which is the missing piece of the puzzle. My understanding is that Bernard is ready, willing and able to do the fight, but Richard said he has other options, including [super middleweight titlist] Lucian Bute."

Bute was very impressive in his knockout of Librado Andrade on HBO last month, and his handlers met with HBO this week to talk about his next fight. Shaw said if Green-Hopkins happens, it would probably take place at a catch weight around 185 pounds.

[h4]QUICK HITS[/h4]

Cotto

• Top Rank's Bob Arum is laying the groundwork for the return of former welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto. Arum said he hopes Cotto will return in June in New York on the eve of the annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade, a weekend Cotto has regularly fought on. One possibility, Arum said, would be for Cotto to move up to junior middleweight and challenge New York's Yuri Foreman for his belt. Foreman outpointed Puerto Rico's Daniel Santos on Nov. 14 to win the title on the undercard of Cotto's 12th-round knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao. "Yuri is going to come back and defend his title in March. We're figuring that out now," Arum said. "Then the June fight might be Yuri against Cotto, who would step up to 154." Another possibility for Cotto if he doesn't face Foreman, or perhaps a re-licensed Antonio Margarito in a rematch, is Kermit Cintron, a former welterweight titlist who is also Puerto Rican. Arum said he has spoken to Lou DiBella, Cintron's promoter. Said DiBella: "It's a logical fight for Madison Square Garden on the weekend of the Puerto Rican parade. Bob and I had a legitimate conversation about the fight. Bob and Cotto have other options, but Cintron is certainly on the radar screen."

Solis

• Now that former heavyweight titleholder Oleg Maskaev, who was knocked out in the first round last week by Nagy Aguilera in a supposed tune-up fight, has blown his chance for a title eliminator against Ray Austin, the match could be Austin against Odlanier Solis, a Cuban defector and 2004 Olympic gold medalist, for the right to become Vitali Klitschko's mandatory challenger. Carl Moretti of Top Rank, which co-promotes Solis with Arena, said they've "had discussions with the WBC about that. That's what we're working on. We hope to put on that fight in the first quarter [of 201." If the fight is approved, and Top Rank and Arena can't make a deal with Austin promoter Don King, it would go to a purse bid. "[Solis] is the only heavyweight today who can be a real threat to either of the Klitschkos," Arena's Ahmet Öner said. "I hope that he will get the chance to get his hands on the brothers."

Campbell

• Golden Boy made its signing of former unified lightweight titlist Nate Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KOs) official Thursday. Golden Boy bought out Campbell's contract from Don King, from whom Campbell, 37, had been trying to break for more than a year. Terms were not announced. "I am really excited to become a part of the Golden Boy Promotions team," said Campbell, who will campaign at junior welterweight. "I am confident that Golden Boy will be able to help me to achieve everything that I am still looking to accomplish in my career and I couldn't be happier." Said Golden Boy's Oscar De La Hoya: "Nate Campbell has already shown that he has everything it takes to be a great champion. He has battled some of boxing's greatest fighters and is ready to make a run at another world title in 2010." Top Rank this week won a purse bid to promote a title eliminator between Campbell and ex-titlist Kendall Holt with a bid of $35,500. The bout, which would produce a mandatory challenger for Juan Urango, won't happen, however. Moretti said Golden Boy informed Top Rank that it had other plans for Campbell, who stood to earn only $14,200 (40 percent of the bid as the lower-rated contender). Holt will fight the next leading contender in the IBF rankings.

John

• Although there was talk of a fight between junior lightweight titlist Robert Guerrero (25-1-1, 17 KOs) and featherweight titleholder Chris John (43-0-2, 22 KOs), both of whom are with Golden Boy, it's off the table for now. Guerrero manager Shelly Finkel said they'd like the fight and spoke to Golden Boy about it for the spring, and HBO is interested in it as a "Boxing After Dark" headliner as part of its deal guaranteeing Golden Boy dates. But the John camp isn't interested. "I did receive a offer from [Golden Boy matchmaker] Eric Gomez in October to fight Robert Guerrero and I replied to him that Chris will take a long and well-deserved vacation and he will come back sometime in April or May, and we never spoke again about that particular fight," Sampson Lewkowicz, John's adviser, told ESPN.com. "There is absolutely no reason to move up to 130 because all of the big names are in the featherweight division and there is no reason to relinquish his title to fight Guerrero."

Pascal

• Light heavyweight titlist Jean Pascal, who dislocated his right shoulder three times during last week's title defense against Adrian Diaconu in their rematch in Montreal, suffered a fracture, according to promoter Yvon Michel. The injury first happened in the third round, but also came out of joint in the fifth and 10th. Each time, one of Pascal's cornermen popped it back into place and he was able to finish the fight. Pascal had arthroscopic surgery this week and will need about six weeks of rehabilitation before training, Michel said. "The doctors are saying he could be back for a fight in May," Michel said. "Our target date is June." The injury pushes back the mandatory fight between Pascal and interim titlist Chad Dawson until at least June. They had hoped to go as soon as April.

Mosley

• HBO will continue its annual tradition of showcasing its top fights of the year for five consecutive nights starting on Dec. 26. Each night at 11 ET/PT "Boxing's Best" will feature one of the most significant fights that HBO televised in 2009. The schedule: Dec. 26 (Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez); Dec. 27 (Shane Mosley-Antonio Margarito); Dec. 28 (Andre Berto-Luis Collazo); Dec. 29 (Marquez-Juan Diaz); Dec. 30 (Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto following by Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez). The schedule had already been set before Williams and Martinez waged a sensational fight on Dec. 5, so HBO added it to the "Boxing's Best" lineup.

Tua

• Heavyweight David Tua (50-3-1, 43 KOs), who was due to fight in Atlantic City, N.J., on Feb. 6, has withdrawn from the bout, promoter Cedric Kushner announced. Tua said he pulled out because of an unspecified family issue. "I was really looking forward to coming to America after the holidays, but due to this significant family matter I simply have to remain in New Zealand and continue my preparation for my March 27 event here." Tua is scheduled to face Friday Ahunanya on that date.

Estrada

• Promising super middleweight Shawn Estrada, a 2008 U.S. Olympian who injured his right hand sparring while preparing for a Nov. 28 bout, which was called off, had surgery at UCLA Medical Center. The surgery involved repairing a ruptured tendon on Estrada's right ring finger. "The doctors basically told us by doing surgery the injury should never re-occur or be a problem again. He should be ready to return to the ring in three months," said Eric Scholnick, who co-manages Estrada (6-0, 6 KOs). Estrada hasn't fought since May because of various injuries. He was also scheduled to fight on the September Vitali Klitschko-Cris Arreola undercard but had to withdraw. "I had some bad luck with injuries this year," Estrada said. "I am confident that I will remain healthy in 2010 and continue to fulfill my goal as a world class professional."

Froch

• Mick Hennessy, promoter for super middleweight titlist Carl Froch, announced that Froch's April 17 title defense against former titleholder Mikkel Kessler would take place in Kessler's native Denmark in Group Stage 2 of Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic. Froch had the homefield advantage for his first bout of the six-man tournament when he won a split decision against American Andre Dirrell on Oct. 17. Now, he's headed to Kessler's turf. Froch also defended his title in the United States against Jermain Taylor in April. "Carl's been outstanding over the last 12 months," Hennessy said. "He's had three massive fights in a row against Jean Pascal to win the title, a sensational knockout against Jermain Taylor in the U.S. to retain [champion] and then opening his Super Six account by handing Andre Dirrell his first defeat. He's shown the kind of mental and physical toughness in those fights that I don't think any other British fighter in recent times has possessed."

[h4]QUOTABLE[/h4]

Holmes

"I knew that I couldn't beat Mike Tyson. But again, Don King calls. I was off two years with my band, traveling around with Kool and the Gang, the Temptations, singing ding ding ding, you know? And drinking them Budweisers and stuff like that. And [a] knock on the door, Don King, 3 o'clock in the morning. 'Larry, open the door.' [I said], 'Well, what are you doing, man?' [King said], 'I want you to fight Mike Tyson.' [I said], 'You must be crazy. I can't beat Mike Tyson. I ain't did nothing for two years.' [King said], 'It's $3.5 million dollars.' I said, 'Well, come on in.' He said, 'But you got two months to get ready for the fight.' I have two months? I said, 'Man, two months?' He said, 'Well, you have $3.5 million.' And I said, 'I can't beat Mike Tyson in two months, man.' [King said], 'Here is $500,000 cash.' I said, 'OK.'" -- Hall of Fame former heavyweight champ Larry Holmes, recounting how his fourth-round knockout loss to Mike Tyson in 1988 came about during an interview airing on the Yes Network's "Centerstage."

 

[proshares]

Any of yall see this ShoBox with Shaun Porter? Dudes father is the spitting image of Jaime Foxx in Ray but picture him w/o the glasses.

 

[bigmike23]

Murray Wilson, manager of WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman, says his fighter is very interested in a fight with Miguel Cotto next June. Top Rank promotes both fighters and one of the leading possible options for Cotto's return is a jump in weight to 154-pounds for a title fight with Foreman. Wilson said Foreman, a New York native, has no problem with a Cotto clash in Madison Square Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade.

The fight could have a revenge factor. Foreman beat Cotto's friend, fellow Puerto Rican Daniel Santos, for the title. Foreman is being considered for a spot on the Mayweather-Pacquiao undercard on March 13 but he would rather take a fight with Cotto in June.

"It's a fight that both Yuri and Miguel want," said Wilson to Primera Hora. "It would be a good opportunity for Miguel to become world champion again and, of course, it would mean great exposure for Yuri."

"We prefer to wait until June to fight Cotto instead of fighting in March. A fight against Miguel in New York would be ideal for both. Yuri has a good fan base in Brooklyn, so we're very interested."

 

[sjsneakerheadiii]

My man Omar.

Am I the only one pulling for Espino tonight???

I lost respect for this dude Pavlik.