[h4]QUICK HITS[/h4]
Clottey
• With Antonio Margarito poised to vacate his slice of the welterweight title in favor of a big-money July 26 fight against titleholder Miguel Cotto, Margarito's mandatory challenger, Joshua Clottey, will fight for the vacant belt. HBO plans to televise the Aug. 2 bout on a Top Rank-promoted "Boxing After Dark" card. Top Rank's Bob Arum told ESPN.com that former titleholders Zab Judah and Luis Collazo top the list of Clottey's potential opponents. They are both among the IBF's leading available contenders. Judah is recovering from an arm injury that forced cancellation of his May 31 fight with Shane Mosley, but he'll be fine by August. His representatives have already been in touch with Top Rank and are interested in the fight. Collazo adviser/trainer Nirmal Lorick told ESPN.com they're also interested. "If the money is right, we're in," Lorick said. "Put Clottey and Luis together, you get a great fight. They're the spoilers that nobody wants to fight."
Hatton
• Junior welterweight champ Ricky Hatton, preparing to fight Juan Lazcano May 24 (Versus, 3:30 p.m. ET), is getting over a chest infection that forced him to ease up in camp for a few days and take antibiotics. But Hatton said he's fine and will go through with the fight in his hometown of Manchester, England, where a crowd of 55,000 is expected. "I have had a little bit of a chest infection," he said. "Coughing a lot. I had to take my foot off the gas for a couple of days, but I'm OK. The media made it look a lot worse than it was." It will be Hatton's first fight since Floyd Mayweather knocked him out Dec. 8 in a welterweight championship fight.
Malignaggi
• One of the outcomes of Anschutz Entertainment Group's purchase of a substantial stake in Golden Boy Promotions last week is that some of Golden Boy's bigger fights will land at one of the dozens of arenas AEG controls around the world. During a conference call detailing the deal, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer talked about the proposed fall fight between Hatton (recently signed by Golden Boy) and Paulie Malignaggi, assuming both win on a May 24 doubleheader. Schaefer said he'd like to bring the fight to the new Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. "Prudential Center is a first-class venue and it deserves to have a big boxing event," Schaefer said. "One of the fights which would be perfect for the arena would be Hatton and Malignaggi. It's a fight we'll definitely talk to AEG about doing at Prudential Center. Obviously, there are other venues interested in that fight. Every venue in the world is interested in Ricky Hatton, but this is a fight I can see landing at Prudential Center."
Lee
• Despite suffering a seventh-round TKO upset loss to Brian Vera on March 21, middleweight prospect Andy Lee (15-1, 12 KOs) is still in demand by promoters looking to sign the 2004 Olympian from Ireland. Trainer/manager Emanuel Steward told ESPN.com he is reviewing a long-standing offer from Top Rank, as well as offers from Golden Boy and Lou DiBella. "We don't know what we're going to do yet," Steward said. "They've all made offers. I left it alone for a minute [after the loss], but we'll try to make a decision by Memorial Day." Top Rank had hoped to put Lee on the June 7 Kelly Pavlik-Gary Lockett undercard, but Lee is medically suspended because of a cut suffered against Vera. Instead, Steward said Lee would return July 19 in his hometown of Limerick, Ireland, regardless of which promoter they select.
Solis
• Junior flyweight titlist Ulises "Archie" Solis, who was supposed to defend his title against Glenn Donaire in Saturday night's Top Rank "Latin Fury" PPV card (9 ET) in Aguascalientes, Mexico, has been scratched because of illness. Top Rank spokesman Lee Samuels said Solis was hospitalized last week with pneumonia. He said Solis is OK but was taken off the card as a precaution. His brother, featherweight contender Jorge Solis, has been added to the pay-per-view and will face Miguel Roman. Jorge Arce (48-4-1, 37 KOs) faces Thailand's Devid Lookmahanak (18-0, 9 KOs) in a junior bantamweight eliminator in the main event. Also on the telecast: lightweight Humberto Gutierrez (22-0-1, 17 KOs) vs. Guadalupe Rosales (25-2, 17 KOs) and junior lightweight Brandon Rios (16-0, 10 KOs) vs. Ricardo Dominguez (23-2-2, 15 KOs). Time permitting, lightweight Omar Chavez (9-0, 7 KOs), the son of Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., will also make the PPV.
Adamek
• Poland's Tomasz Adamek (34-1, 23 KOs), a former light heavyweight titleholder and the mandatory challenger for cruiserweight beltholder Steve Cunningham, will stay busy July 11 in Chicago, where the large Polish community has previously shown tremendous support for him. According to Main Event, he's slated to fight Gary Gomez (18-9-1, 7 KOs) on "Friday Night Fights" (ESPN2). Cunningham's mandatory defense is not due until Sept. 29.
Casamayor
• The WBO ordered a May 27 purse bid for the bout between titleholder Nate Campbell and Ring magazine world champion Joel Casamayor. The minimum bid is $150,000 for registered promoters. Negotiations had not gotten very far, so the Campbell side requested the purse bid. It's a fight wanted by Campbell, who won three belts from Juan Diaz on March 8. Casamayor handed Campbell his first loss in 2003. Casamayor, however, is more likely to face Diaz in September. "Whether or not [a purse bid] results in Joel actually signing the bout agreement, well, we will have to see what happens with that," said Terry Trekas, Campbell's co-promoter with Don King. "My guess is he won't, but this is the process we have to go through."
Solis
• Cuban prospect Odlanier Solis (9-0, 6 KOs), who won the 2004 Olympic heavyweight gold medal before defecting in late 2006 and turning pro 13 months ago, has been scratched from Saturday's untelevised HBO undercard because of a visa issue. However, his handlers plan on keeping him busy. He's scheduled to face onetime contender Francois Botha on May 30 in Spain. They were supposed to meet in December, but Botha (45-4-2, 28 KOs) withdrew. "Botha still has a very good name," Solis, 28, said. "His only problem will be that I don't care much about names. I'm looking forward to finally meeting him in the ring, though." If Solis takes care of Botha and his visa problem is solved, he'll fight again on June 27 (ESPN2).
Fenech
• Although they've both already been retired long enough to be elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Jeff Fenech, who turns 44 on May 28, and Azumah Nelson, 49, will meet for the third time on June 24 in Fenech's native Australia, where it will be on pay-per-view. Fenech (28-3-1, 21 KOs), who now trains fighters, hasn't boxed since 1996. Nelson (39-5-2, 28 KOs) hasn't fought since 1998. The fierce rivals battled to a controversial draw in June 1991 in Las Vegas, with Nelson retaining his junior lightweight title. In March 1992, they met again in Australia, and Nelson scored an eighth-round TKO. All these years later, they'll meet at welterweight.
[h4]Quotable[/h4]
Diaz
"Manny Pacquiao has beaten many great fighters, especially Mexicans like Morales, Barrera, Marquez, Larios and Solis. That's why they call him 'The Mexicutioner.' I will shock the world and beat Pacquiao at his own game, power for power. He's a great champion but he's fighting in my division -- lightweight. I have worked too hard for this world title and I will not give it up to him." -- Lightweight titleholder David Diaz, on his June 28 HBO PPV showdown in Las Vegas with Pacquiao, the junior lightweight world champion.
- What do you think of Clottey-Mosley for the belt?
- I can't wait to see Paulie fight Hatton for some reason.
- Get outta here with David Diaz.
- What do you think of Clottey-Mosley for the belt?
Sugar Shane Whups Clottey
- I can't wait to see Paulie fight Hatton for some reason.
Hatton in a clutch and grab fest with the easy W
- Get outta here with David Diaz.
Same thing I said....
Please God if you care about us boxing fans, please make the Nate/Joel Fight ASAP...
I need to see that FIGHT l;ike yesterday.
- What do you think of Clottey-Mosley for the belt?
Would rather see Clottey/Collazo.
- I can't wait to see Paulie fight Hatton for some reason.
Paulie boxes his way to a split decision. Ya'll sleepin' on my man, Paulie.
- Get outta here with David Diaz.
I want to be nice and give him a chance because of the whole "You're in my division" speech, which is true BUT...it's DavidDiaz.He beat a faded Erik Morales.
@ Nate thinkin' 80/20 split. Respect to him but I think that onewin has him thinkin' he's bigger than he really is. I'm still gonna catch flack for this but I still say that had it not been for the cut, Juanwould've been on his way to the decision.
Originally Posted by LESGodSonC0
@ Nate thinkin' 80/20 split. Respect to him but I think that one win has him thinkin' he's bigger than he really is. I'm still gonna catch flack for this but I still say that had it not been for the cut, Juan would've been on his way to the decision.
You have Katsidis. Ha, you'd only let that fight happen if he were allowed to keep that helmet on.
NAAATEEEEEEEE
[Biggie] I been in this game for years, its made me an animal ...[/Biggie]
Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT
why is son on the stool all puzzled
He actin like he aint know he was just in a fight
