Andriy Kotelnik turned down the fight. So did Kaizer Mabuza. But junior welterweight contender Lamont Peterson, the third (and perhaps most dangerous) choice, jumped at the chance to fight Victor Ortiz when Golden Boy made the offer.
Although the sides have not finalized all of the terms (including the purse), Barry Hunter -- Peterson's manager, trainer and father figure -- said they have verbally committed to taking the fight.
The bout is slated to be the co-feature on the Dec. 11 HBO "World Championship Boxing" card headlined by junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan defending against interim titlist Marcos Maidana, giving the network a doubleheader in one of the deepest and most exciting weight classes in boxing.
"We agreed to take the fight," Peterson said. "Do we want the fight? Yes, we do. Do we want it on HBO for that date? Yes we do. If we can agree on the purse and everything else, then it's a go. But this is a fight we want and a fight we're very confident about.
[h4]Rafael's Boxing Blog[/h4]
Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog.
"It should be very, very entertaining. I've known Victor since he was a [junior Olympian]. I had forgotten he was a southpaw, but we have lots of southpaws to work with in the gym, like [middleweight prospect] Fernando Guerrero."
Kotelnik, a former titleholder who gave titlist Devon Alexander a rough night in a close fight in August, was HBO's first choice. However, promoter Don King and Golden Boy couldn't make a deal. According to Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, the reason was over money as well as Kotelnik's desire to move up in weight. Schaefer said South African promoter Branco Milenkovic, who promotes Mabuza, turned it down because Mabuza looms as a mandatory title challenger and he has designs on putting his title bout in South Africa.
But even as a third choice, Peterson (28-1, 14 KOs), 26, is a quality contender. His only loss was a decision to Timothy Bradley Jr. in a title challenge last December. Peterson rebounded to knock out Damian Fuller in April.
"I think it's a very evenly matched fight, a very dangerous fight for both guys," Schaefer said. "This is the kind of fight the fight fans and networks want to see. I think HBO is holding Golden Boy to higher standards than other promoters by basically making us make this match for an undercard. I would have never gotten away with [Celestino] Caballero versus Jason Litzau."
Caballero-Litzau, a junior lightweight match, is scheduled for HBO's Nov. 27 WCB undercard.
"If I ask to do a fight like that, they would say no, but that's life," Schaefer said. "Ortiz and Peterson is a great matchup. It's an evenly matched fight. It's another test for Victor and it's a chance for Peterson as well. A win by Peterson puts him right back in the mix. A win for Victor solidifies the fact that he is considered with Khan, Maidana, Alexander and Bradley, in whatever order you want to put them, among the top 140-pounders."
The 23-year-old Ortiz (28-2-1, 22 KOs) has won four fights in a row since a TKO loss to Maidana in June 2009. In his last fight, he pummeled former titlist Vivian Harris into a third-round knockout.
• Former three-division champ Erik Morales' next fight is slated for Dec. 18 at a soccer stadium in his hometown of Tijuana, Mexico, against former junior lightweight titlist Jorge Barrios (50-4-1, 35 KOs) of Argentina, according to Golden Boy (which promotes Barrios and is close to Morales). Barrios would represent Morales' most significant opponent since he ended a 2½-year retirement in March. During his comeback, Morales (50-6, 35 KOs) outpointed Jose Alfaro in a March welterweight fight and knocked out Willie Limond in the sixth round at 143 pounds on Sept. 11. The fight with Barrios would be contracted at 138 pounds as Morales makes his way down to lightweight, where he could eventually challenge champion Juan Manuel Marquez (if Marquez defeats Michael Katsidis on Nov. 27). Barrios returned from an 11-month layoff to easily outpoint Wilson Alcorro over 10 rounds on Oct. 1 in a lightweight fight.
• Lightweight John Molina, who has been ill with flu-like symptoms since last week, has withdrawn from a fight with Raymundo Beltran that was scheduled to headline on ESPN2's Veterans Day "Salute to America's Heroes" special Nov. 8 from the military base in Jacksonville, N.C. "He's been out of commission for four or five days," promoter Dan Goossen told ESPN.com. "The last thing he wanted to do was not take this fight. It was a good showcase for him coming off such a big win against Hank Lundy [an 11th-round knockout in July], so it's a disappointment." The new main event will match junior featherweight prospect Rico Ramos (17-0, 9 KOs) in his toughest test yet against experienced veteran Heriberto Ruiz (44-9-2, 26 KOs). "It's a very, very tough fight," Goossen said. "Rico is going to have to dig down deep, and with a victory, he catapults himself to the top of the line under the champions." Super middleweight Shawn Estrada (9-0, 9 KOs), a 2008 U.S. Olympian, opens the show against Tony Hirsch (12-3-1, 6 KOs).
• HBO's four-part "24/7 Pacquiao/Margarito," which will cover the buildup to the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito fight on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, premieres Saturday night at 10:30 ET. In the opening episode, Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), the newly elected congressman from the Philippines, opens camp in Baguio City, Philippines, following the media tour. Meantime, Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) opens camp in Oxnard, Calif., after receiving a license in Texas following a denial in California because of his involvement in a hand-wrap scandal. The second episode debuts Oct. 30 at 10:30 p.m. ET, the third premieres Nov. 6 (10:45 p.m. ET) and the final episode airs Nov. 12 (9:30 p.m. ET). All four episodes are scheduled for multiple replays and will be available on HBO On Demand.
• Junior lightweight prospect Luis Franco, a 2004 Cuban Olympian, signed with promoter Gary Shaw. Franco (7-0, 5 KOs) had more than 400 amateur bouts and owns two amateur wins against Cuban national teammate Yuriorkis Gamboa, a featherweight titlist and 2004 Olympic gold medalist. Franco, 28, defected to the United States in June 2009 and made his pro debut the following month. "Luis has an outstanding amateur pedigree and he is incredibly talented," Shaw said. "I think he has the potential to be a force at 126, 130 and 135 pounds, and I'm looking forward to helping him prove it." Franco is managed by Henry Foster, who is best known for managing former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson. Franco's trainer is Orlando Cuellar, who also trains Johnson. "We're pleased to be with Gary's team. He has the ability to promote Luis on a variety of television platforms, which will get him the national exposure needed to become a major attraction," Foster said. "Luis has terrific hand speed and ring generalship, which will make him a sure contender for a world title in 2011."
• Paul Spadafora (44-0-1, 18 KOs), who held a lightweight belt from 1999 to 2003 before giving it up to move up in weight, returns Nov. 20 at the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Conn., promoter Mike Acri announced. Spadafora, 35, will face an opponent to be determined in a scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout. In March, Spadafora stopped Ivan Fiorletta in the eighth round in his third fight in 10 months as he continued his comeback following a layoff of more than two years, much of which was spent in prison.
[h3]Quotable[/h3]
"He jumped twice. One time he signed to fight Wladimir and came up with some injury, and we never received the medical proof of this injury. The second time, he says he wants to fight against me, we agree and he refused to sign the exact same contract he had to fight Wladimir, and he jumped to fight [Nikolai] Valuev. My personal opinion is that he is smart enough to know that if he fights a Klitschko, he loses the fight and his title, and maybe his life -- and he doesn't want to do that. He's world champion only by talking." -- heavyweight titlist Vitali Klitschko, on titleholder David Haye, who has talked trash about fighting one of the Klitschko brothers for years, but won't sign a contract.
• Vitali Klitschko is a class act and he showed it when, according to his handlers, he visited Shannon Briggs in the hospital in Hamburg, Germany, on Monday. Briggs, of course, was there recovering from the beating Vitali gave him on Saturday that resulted in a variety of injuries -- a broken orbital bone, broken nose and torn biceps.
Although Briggs was utterly outclassed and had his head handed to him for virtually every moment of a fight he never deserved, he does deserve credit for showing an incredible amount of bravery to take the beating he took from Klitschko and not go down.
Unfortunately, referee Ian John-Lewis and Briggs' trainers, Herman Caicedo and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, also showed a lot of bravery, which is easy to do, I guess, when you're not the one being ruthlessly assaulted. All three of them should be ashamed of themselves for letting Briggs take that kind of punishment without stopping the fight.
That was the kind of beating that can cause problems later in life. Briggs insisted that stopping the fight was not an option for the trainers, but that is their job, even if it makes the fighter unhappy. They simply didn't do their job.
• I read some recent quotes from David "The Ducker" Haye, and he said he would retire by age 31, which he turns next October. Sure he will. The only way that happens is if he fights Wladimir Klitschko or Vitali and is pounded into retirement.
• I love that ESPN3.com picked up the Klitschko-Briggs and Lucian Bute-Jesse Brinkley fights last week.
• Who else isn't looking forward to Antonio Tarver's next heavyweight fight?
• Was told Pernell Whitaker is out as trainer for Paul Spadafora. Can't say I am all that surprised.
• I must say I am mildly intrigued by the idea of Zsolt Erdei coming to the United States and looking for a significant fight. Just wish he would have done it about six years ago.
• Even if Tavoris Cloud is not going to be facing a top-tier opponent on Don King's Dec. 17 card in Miami, I am happy to see Cloud more active than the once-a-year fighting schedule he's been keeping.
• Props to Showtime for moving the Jean Pascal-Bernard Hopkins fights off pay-per-view and onto the network when a few dollars became available after some other bouts fell through. But I do hope Showtime finds a way to give viewers more than just one televised fight. And, by the way, anyone who counts out Hopkins, despite the fact that he is 45 and not what he once was, is insane.
• However you look at it, the Super Six no longer fits its name. Showtime has used eight total fighters (the original six and three replacements) and now is down to five participants. Don't expect Showtime to change the name, though. Just pretend this is like the Big 10, when it didn't have 10 teams.
• Paging Juan Urango.
• So Alexander Povetkin has scrapped plans to fight Oct. 30, which was just two weeks after his last fight. I am just shocked.
• I thought prospect Shawn Porter looked pretty good last week on "ShoBox" taking out Hector Munoz, but even moving down to welterweight, I don't think Porter has all that much pop in his punches.
• Happy birthday to a trio of Golden Boy folks: Nicole "NTW" Becerra, the pound-for-pound queen of executive assistants, who celebrated her big day Monday, and top execs Richard Schaefer and Dave "The Itsk" Itskowitch, who do it up next week.
• DVD pick of the week: Since Floyd Mayweather Jr. is now essentially a part-time fighter, I decided to delve into the archive to watch him in one of the most entertaining fights of his career. It seems like yesterday, but I was at Cobo Hall in Detroit to cover the fight a decade ago, Oct. 21, 2000, when Mayweather, then the junior lightweight champion, faced showman Emanuel Burton (who later changed his last name to Augustus) in a lightweight nontitle bout on HBO's now-defunct "KO Nation" series. Mayweather was coming off a seven-month layoff, the longest of his career at that point, because of a contract snit with HBO. He was a bit rusty and Augustus gave him easily the toughest fight of his career to that point. It was a more physical fight than Mayweather was used to. Burton even bloodied Mayweather's nose. But he hung in there. Finally, with Burton bleeding from the nose, mouth and ear, Burton's corner threw in the towel to give Mayweather a ninth-round TKO victory.
2010 Official Boxing Thread: Soto/Antillon, 2010 Fight of the Year.
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
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Ahhh...ya'll excited to see my boy, eh? Thought I was the only one still vouching for Zab...
::Waits for Bigmike and his "Bum Judah" comments::
Dude looks focused, and IMO...with his talent, he rules the 140 LB division with Bradley being the exception. That counter left uppercut would put Khan in a coma...
::Waits for Bigmike and his "Bum Judah" comments::
Dude looks focused, and IMO...with his talent, he rules the 140 LB division with Bradley being the exception. That counter left uppercut would put Khan in a coma...
Good to hear Pavlik hasn't given up altogether...
Former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik's comeback starts with Brian Vera, but a win could lead to a super middleweight title fight against Lucian Bute in the fight after that.
Pavlik promoter Top Rank and his co-manager, Cameron Dunkin, are in talks with Bute promoter InterBox about a possible showdown between them in March.
After Bute knocked out Jesse Brinkley in a mandatory defense last week, InterBox promoter Jean Bedard talked about the possible fight with Pavlik at the post-fight news conference.
Top Rank's Carl Moretti told ESPN.com that he has spoken to Bedard three times about the fight and could talk to him again in more detail if Bedard comes to Dallas for the Nov. 13 card at Cowboys Stadium. Manny Pacquiao fights Antonio Margarito in the main event of the HBO PPV card, but Pavlik faces Brian Vera (17-5, 11 KOs) on the undercard in his first fight since losing the middleweight title via bloody decision to Sergio Martinez in April.
Pavlik meets Vera at 164 pounds and has not yet decided if he will return to middleweight or seek a super middleweight title shot.
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"They want to see if we can put a Pavlik fight with Bute together for next year," Moretti said of InterBox. "But Pavlik still has to decide if he wants to stay at 160 or go to 168. But first we gotta win the fight Nov. 13 and see how Kelly feels, and then go from there. But if you're looking at 168, you're going to look at the best attraction and one of the biggest names out there in Bute."
For his part, Pavlik isn't looking past Vera.
"This is life and death for me as a fighter. I must win," Pavlik said. "The future is now."
If Bute-Pavlik happens, Moretti said Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) wouldn't necessarily have to go to Montreal for the fight. Bute draws big crowds there and generates substantial money, but Moretti said Bedard told him "they want to fight in America and they'd consider fighting Kelly in America. I don't think the fight would have to go to Canada."
Venues in New York and Atlantic City, N.J., would be in play if Bute decided to come to the United States.
Dunkin called the fight "very doable," but acknowledged its danger.
"Bute is a good technician, he can really punch with that left hand to the body and he's very quick and very smart," Dunkin said. "He's a good fighter, man. Kelly would have to absolutely be at his best. I've been talking to [InterBox agent] Don Majeski about it and I've talked to Kelly and [co-manager and father] Mike [Pavlik] and [trainer] Jack Loew about it. Everybody is very open to the fight."
However, Dunkin said the fight is no guarantee if Pavlik beats Vera. He said Pavlik still very much wants to reclaim his middleweight title.
"I think in Kelly's heart he wants to be middleweight champion again," Dunkin said. "I think he feels like he let himself and everybody else down when he lost to Martinez. In his heart he feels he should have never lost that fight and I think he really wants that belt back. After that, he's very game to fight at 168. He really respects Bute and all the good guys up there."
Dunkin said the outcome of the Nov. 20 Martinez-Paul Williams rematch could have a big bearing on what Pavlik does next year.
"If Martinez beats Williams and it's another sensational fight don't you think HBO would buy the [Martinez-Pavlik] rematch, especially if Kelly looks good with Vera," he said. "And if Williams beats Martinez, Kelly would gladly fight Williams."
Pavlik-Williams was made and postponed multiple times before eventually being canceled.
"I definitely think Kelly wants Bute down the road, but I think he wants the middleweight championship again, but it's not up to him," Dunkin said. "It's up to the other fighters and the television network, but if he had his druthers I think definitely he would want to fight the winner of Martinez-Williams. If it's too hard to make, I know Kelly will say, 'let's go to 168 and fight Bute.' But those are the only fights, Bute and the winner [of Martinez-Williams II]."
Whomever Pavlik fights after Vera, Loew expects him to win another world title.
"No disrespect intended to the card because it's a terrific show to be associated with, but fighting on an undercard is not where we want to be," Loew said of the Nov. 13 card. "Kelly has been a headliner since he won the middleweight title three years ago. We dug this hole and now it's time to climb out of it and Brian Vera is not going to prevent Kelly from becoming a two-time world champion."
• Light heavyweight titleholders Beibut Shumenov (10-1, 6 KOs) and Jürgen Brähmer (36-2, 29 KOs) are close to finalizing a unification bout, promoters Dan Goossen and Universum told ESPN.com. "We're discussing it with them," said Goossen, who promotes Shumenov. "It's an intriguing fight anytime you have two champions fighting one another." Shumenov, 27, who now lives in Las Vegas, was a 2004 Olympian for Kazakhstan before turning pro in 2007. He claimed his belt with a controversial split decision against Gabriel Campillo in their January rematch in Las Vegas and defended it in July, surviving a first-round knockdown in a dominant decision against Vyacheslav Uzelkov. Brahmer, 32, of Germany, has made two title defenses. Goossen wouldn't say when the fight would take place -- other than that they were trying to get it done before the end of the year -- or where they wanted to stage the fight. Shumenov has moved very quickly as a pro and unifying titles in his 12th pro fight is just an extension of that aggressive schedule, Goossen said. "This ties into how Beibut started his career, doing things you didn't think possible by fighting fights people didn't think he should be fighting so soon," Goossen said. "This is just the next step. A victory puts him right there as the man to beat with two titles."
• Light heavyweight titlist Tavoris Cloud (21-0, 18 KOs) continues training for his Dec. 17 title defense in Miami, but his handlers are still looking for an opponent after Otis Griffin declined the match, trainer Al Bonanni told ESPN.com. "Otis is out," he said. "We'll have an opponent shortly." Bonanni said his understanding was that Griffin would try to fight an eliminator for the No. 1 position to get a mandatory against Cloud. So why wouldn't Griffin just take the title bout now instead of having to win an eliminator to get the same match down the road? "He's gonna lose one way or the other and he'll get more money as the mandatory," Bonanni said. Bonanni said Yusaf Mack is also out as a possible opponent. Based on the IBF's rankings, Mack could wind up facing Griffin in the eliminator. Heavyweights Odlanier Solis and Ray Austin meet in the main event of the Don King-promoted card at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. The Solis-Austin winner gets a mandatory title shot against Vitali Klitschko.
• Featherweight titlist Chris John's twice-postponed defense against Argentina's Fernando Saucedo (38-4-3, 1 KO) is scheduled for Dec. 1 in Jakarta, Indonesia, John's home country after Sampson Lewkowicz, John's adviser, paid a visit to WBA headquarters in Panama City this week to make the request for the optional defense in person. The WBA, which granted the request, had ordered John, the organization's so-called "super champion" to begin negotiations with Yuriorkis Gamboa, who holds the "regular" title. However, John (43-0-2, 22 KOs) already had signed for the fight with Saucedo. It was postponed twice, first because John suffered a shoulder injury and then because of a rib injury, and the Dec. 1 date was inside the time frame in which the WBA wanted him to face Gamboa. As part of the deal for getting the OK for the optional defense, if John wins, he must begin immediate negotiations with Gamboa with the fight due to take place by April 19. If they can't make a deal a purse bid would be a 55-45 split in John's favor. John-Gamboa is a fight HBO and Showtime probably would be interested in and both sides are interested in making it. "Chris John would love to fight Gamboa," said Lewkowicz, who has a poor relationship with Ahmet Öner of Arena-Box, Gamboa's co-promoter with Top Rank. "It will be a tough negotiation. If we don't get a 55-45 then we are going to purse bid, and I would love take Gamboa to Indonesia for the fight." Top Rank's Carl Moretti said their side is also interested and he is talking to HBO about a date for Gamboa's next bout. If it's against John, great. "As long as it makes sense, we're interested," Moretti said. "But if Chris John wants the moon, he should ask NASA, not Top Rank."
• The IBF has ordered a four-man box-off to find the next mandatory challenger for heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. Initially, it called for Denis Boytsov to face Jean-Marc Mormeck in one semifinal and Alexander Dimitrenko to meet Jonathon Banks in the other semifinal. The winners would meet to earn a shot at Klitschko. However, Dimitrenko and Boytsov have declined to participate. The IBF went down its rankings and Eddie Chambers accepted the fight with Mormeck. A purse bid is scheduled for Tuesday, but Mormeck may also decline to participate because of a potential fight against former champ Hasim Rahman that is under. If Mormeck looks elsewhere, the IBF would go further down its rankings. Klitschko brutally knocked out Chambers in the 12th round in March in a mandatory fight.
• Lightweight Anthony Peterson has returned to the gym for the first time since his disappointing seventh-round disqualification loss to Brandon Rios on Sept. 11. Peterson (30-1, 20 KOs), who had been knocked down in the fifth round and was trailing widely on all three scorecards in a fight he was favored to win, was DQ'd by referee Russell Mora for repeated low blows in the title eliminator on HBO. Barry Hunter, Peterson's manager/trainer and father figure, still can't understand why Peterson continued to hit Rios below the belt. "Anthony just totally abandoned the plan in the second or third round," Hunter said. "Rios was mechanical and had no lateral movement. No disrespect to him, but it should have been an easy fight for Anthony with the plan we had." So what about the low blows, more than one of which appeared to be purposeful? "One of them could have been," Hunter said. "I think he got so caught up in the fight and that he had been knocked down that he pushed the panic button early. He was still in the fight and there was time to get back in it, but I think psychologically he just broke down. For whatever reason, I don't know. He said after he got hit, all the planning went out of the window. He said [the low blows] weren't intentional. For me personally, I was sitting right there, and I think one of them could have been intentional out of frustration."
• Super middleweight prospect Edwin Rodriguez is taking his "ShoBox" main event against James McGirt Jr. so seriously that he's traveled halfway around the world to get ready. Rodriguez (16-0, 12 KOs) has been in Sydney, Australia, since last week working as a sparring partner for Daniel Geale (23-1, 14 KOs). Rodriguez is prepping for McGirt (22-2-1, 11 KOs) on Nov. 5 in Fargo, N.D., and Geale is getting ready for to fight former junior middleweight titlist Roman Karmazin in a middleweight title eliminator Oct. 31 in Sydney. "It's a real step up in class for Edwin," said Larry Army, Rodriguez's manager. "McGirt is a seasoned veteran whose list of 25 opponents features only three with losing records. We're thrilled to be fighting in the main event on 'ShoBox.' McGirt's tough but I don't know how long he'll be able to stand up to Edwin's vicious body attack. This fight makes perfect sense. There's a lot at stake for both fighters: James needs a big win, Edwin needs a defining victory. Edwin's being treated like a king in Australia. He told me that he's never been treated as well in his life. In addition to the valuable experience he's gained by sparring with Geale, Edwin working every day with two good southpaws will really help to get him ready for McGirt, too."
• Featherweight Mikey Garcia, one of Top Rank's top rising contenders, returns Dec. 11 to headline "Top Rank Live" (Fox Deportes) against an opponent to be determined in Mexico, manager Cameron Dunkin told ESPN.com. Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs), 22, stopped Cornelius Lock in the 11th round in his last fight in August in a title elimination bout to become Yuriorkis Gamboa's mandatory challenger. But with a title fight still several months away at the earliest, Top Rank and Dunkin want to keep Garcia busy.
• Former junior welterweight title challenger Dmitriy Salita (31-1-1, 16 KO) faces former junior lightweight titlist Mike Anchondo (30-3, 19 KO) on Dec. 16 in New York. Salita, blown out in 76 seconds by 140-pound titlist Amir Khan in December, bounced back with an eight-round decision against Franklin Gonzalez on Sept. 1. Anchondo was knocked out in the fourth round by Freddy Hernandez on Sept. 17. Salita and trainer Nirmal Lorick have spent part of the training camp in Detroit working with Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward. "Emanuel Steward's experience is providing me with a great deal of boxing education, while working with world champions and top prospects," Salita said.
[h3]Quotables[/h3]
"I don't see a legend in the ring. I see a piece of meat, and I'm a hungry dog. This is my time. I belong with the elite boxers. To be the best in the world, you have to face the best. Bernard Hopkins is a legend." -- light heavyweight champ Jean Pascal, during this week's media tour promoting his fight against former champ Bernard Hopkins on Dec. 18 (Showtime).
"I understand that this fight is win or go home for me. There's really no tomorrow for me unless I take this fight and I take it impressively and I take it aggressively. My career ends [if I lose]." -- former light heavyweight champ Hopkins, who is 45, on his title shot against Pascal.
"If the typhoon didn't get Manny, the 'Tornado' will." -- trainer Robert Garcia, comparing his man, Antonio Margarito, to the typhoon sweeping the Philippines as Manny Pacquiao is prepares for their fight on Nov. 13.
Australian lightweight star Michael Katsidis will go through with his fight against world champion Juan Manuel Marquez as planned, despite the death of his older brother, Stathi Katsidis, on Tuesday.
Katsidis (27-2, 22 KOs), an interim titleholder, said Thursday that he would indeed challenge Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Nov. 27. The fight will be televised on HBO.
[h4]Rafael's Boxing Blog[/h4]
Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog.
"The fight will go on! I will do this for Stathi, my family and myself," Katsidis, who is training in Thailand, said in a prepared statement.
"The moment I walked in for a grueling sparing session after hearing the news of his death earlier that day, my trainer, Brendon Smith, shook my hand and said to me, 'You are about to take the bravest step of your life.' We nodded, smiled and went to work. I worked as I have never done before. He is with me and will be all the way. I am happy about this.
"I have never experienced anything like I felt that day. Stathi is inside me! We will fight this fight together. I know this is what he wants."
Stathi Katsidis, one of the top thoroughbred horse racing jockeys in Australia, was found dead in his Brisbane home on Tuesday at age 31. He was found by his girlfriend Melissa Jackson, who is also the mother of their 4-year-old son.
The cause of death has not been determined, although he had a history of drug and alcohol problems, including a positive test for ecstasy in 2008, and a prior drunk driving arrest, according to Australian media reports.
"I have lost my closest friend, my inspiration in life, my one and only brother," Michael Katsidis said. "This is something I could never imagine, but for some reason I feel his life is not a loss. My brother is me! We live our lives through each other. We dedicate our triumphs to one another and share the challenges we face in life.
"I would like to thank everyone for their well wishes and prayers for my brother, my family and myself. God bless."
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I think/ hope Zab has 1 more run in him
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Next month, Juan Manuel "Juanma" Lopez is going to have two major champions from Puerto Rico's past by his side. He will defend the WBO featherweight crown against Rafael Marquez on November 6 in Las Vegas. Lopez, a 4-1 betting favorite in some areas, will have Puerto Rican legends Félix 'Tito' Trinidad and Wilfredo 'Bazooka' Gómez by his side. They will be with him at the weigh-in and walk with him to the ring on the night of the fight.
"For me it will be a historic moment. It's a very big moment in my life that 'Tito' and Gomez will come with me to the weigh-in and then to the ring. It will be something great," Lopez told Carlito Narvarez.
He's still going down, though.
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Ive always hated zab for being such a slacker... son is one of the most talented dudes ive ever seen.
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Any of y'all excited about 24/7 tonight?
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Being this a sneaker forum... did anyone else notice Pacman wearing Reebok Zigs during his training? Isn't he with Nike?
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It wasn't Pacquiao, it was Buboy.
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I knew 24-7 was going to make me sympathize with that cheating bastard Margarito. Damn you HBO. Damn you.
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watched it again. You're correct.
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Pac better not play around in the ropes or Marg will finish him with uppercuts
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pacquiao seems a lot goofy in this 24/7 compared to his earlier ones..
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Pac better not play around in the ropes or Marg will finish him with uppercuts
He better listen to Roach about not throwin just one shotManny talkin about "Timing" ROach looked at him like he was crazy hahahahaha
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My opinion, though...if Mayweather isn't in the title, there shouldn't be 24/7.
Random thought...I still refuse to believe that these two (Floyd/Manny) won't fight. There's still too much involved for them not to...
Well, it's that time of year again -- time to cast my ballot for this year's candidates for the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y.
I've been doing it for close to a decade as a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, and I take it seriously.
Like other members of the BWAA, I vote in the "modern" category, which is for fighters who had their last bout no earlier than 1943. I don't vote in the categories for observers, nonparticipants, pioneers and old-timers. They are voted on by the Hall of Fame's board of directors and historians selected by the Hall. One of the observers on this year's ballot is HBO broadcaster Jim Lampley, the best blow-by-blow announcer in boxing history. He should be a slam dunk in his first year on the ballot.
Ballots are due by Nov. 1, with results being announced Dec. 7 and the induction ceremony, part of a full weekend of fun, scheduled for June 12.
This year 45 names are on the ballot for modern fighters. Electors can vote for up to 10. Only three will be elected, although in the event of a tie, there could be more. I voted for five fighters this year, although I'm quite convinced that the only three newcomers to the ballot will be those ultimately elected to the Hall. I voted for each of them, which was a no-brainer: Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Kostya Tszyu.
Tyson, the youngest heavyweight champion in history at age 20, certainly had his issues outside the ring and squandered all kinds of talent by not always taking advantage of the gifts he had. Still, he is a surefire Hall of Famer. He will get in because he was the most exciting, dynamic, charismatic champion the sport has seen since Muhammad Ali. He was the undisputed champion, knocked guys dead, fought with a ferocity that we miss so much in today's heavyweight division and transcended boxing.
Although Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) had two title reigns, he'll get in on the destructiveness of his first reign. That stretch began in November 1986, when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round in unforgettable style; it ended in February 1990, when James "Buster" Douglas knocked him out in the 10th round in the biggest upset in sports history this side of the 1980 U.S. hockey team beating the Russians in the Winter Olympics. Tyson's best wins during his nine defenses are probably his first-round blowout of Hall of Famer Michael Spinks and fourth-round knockout of Hall of Famer Larry Holmes, who was past his prime when they met.
What Tyson did after his first reign -- good (picking up a couple more belts) or bad (biting Evander Holyfield's ears) -- doesn't much matter.
Many regard Chavez (107-6-2, 86 KOs) as the best fighter in the history of Mexico, a nation that has produced many great fighters. Voting for Chavez was as easy a vote as I've ever cast. He was a three-division champion (junior lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight) during his 25-year career and was considered one of the top fighters in the world, pound-for-pound, for many years.
Chavez's list of notable victims is long and impressive, including: Roger Mayweather (twice), Edwin Rosario, Meldrick Taylor (twice, the first being perhaps his greatest win), Hector Camacho Sr., Juan Laporte, Rocky Lockridge and Jose Luis Ramirez.
There also was no question I would vote for Tszyu (31-2, 25 KOs), the Russian-born, Australia-based former undisputed junior welterweight champ. Tszyu had two title reigns but made his HOF case with his second reign, from 1999 to 2005, during which he made eight defenses (six by knockout). He unified three major titles before losing to Ricky Hatton in what turned out to be Tszyu's final fight.
During his 13-year career, Tszyu beat numerous contenders and titleholders, including when he delivered a second-round knockout of a prime Zab Judah to become undisputed champ in 2001. But he also beat such notable opponents as Jake Rodriguez, Diosbelys Hurtado, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, a faded Chavez, Sharmba Mitchell (twice) and a faded James Leija. Tszyu was a force at 140 pounds. No question he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
The two others I voted for are guys I've been voting for in recent years: former featherweight champion Naseem Hamed and former junior flyweight champion Myung-Woo Yuh.
Hamed (36-1, 31 KOs), England's flashy and monster-punching "Prince," fought for only 10 years (1992 to 2002) and lost his biggest fight -- a clear decision in his showdown with Marco Antonio Barrera in 2001. Hamed fought just once more before retiring.
But what an exciting, accomplished 10 years they were. It's unfortunate that many allow the loss to Barrera, a future Hall of Famer in his own right, to obscure Hamed's otherwise distinguished career.
Hamed was long considered the best featherweight in the world, was ranked on the pound-for-pound list and, in an era of watered down titles and four major belts, should have held all four simultaneously. (Boxing's politics worked against that achievement.) He defeated alphabet titleholders Steve Robinson (TKO, Tom Johnson (TKO
Hamed's American debut against former champ Kevin Kelley (KO4) at Madison Square Garden in 1997, which coincided with Hamed's signing a big HBO contract, was one of the most exciting fights of the decade. He also beat notable foes and former titleholders Wayne McCullough, Paul Ingle, Vuyani Bungu and Manuel Medina.
South Korea's Yuh (38-1, 14 KOs) fought from 1982 to 1993, twice held versions of the junior flyweight title, went 7-1 against other titleholders and retired at age 29. He made a division-record 17 defenses during his first reign, which lasted six years, before losing to Hiroki Ioka via split decision. But Yuh regained the title in the immediate rematch, made one defense and then retired.
I voted for Yuh and countryman Jung-Koo Chang, who also was a junior flyweight champion, last year. They are arguably the two best fighters to come out of South Korea. It surprised me that Chang was voted in but not Yuh. They were contemporaries, and it makes no sense that one is in and the other isn't, even if they both deserve points off for never having fought each other.
Great read IMO.
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Kostya Tszyu was a beast
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Originally Posted by LESGodSonC0
"Coach put my hand wraps in my hands, I'm gonna close my eyes."
I was laughin' when I heard him say that. Margarito is full of @@%%. Saying he never knew about them. You get no sympathy from me.
It's about time there is some boxing on TV. October was dead.
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Tonio looked to be working extra hard in the gym and sparring in a sauna suit wow , Manny seemed to be all over the place not like his usual camp and he was getting touched up in sparring .
Manny will have to be in and out and use movment to win this fight . If he stands in there or get pused to the ropes Tonio's size and punch output will get him .
on a side note : Anybody wann get beat in the abs with some sticks for 3min ? lmao that had to hurt like hell
Manny will have to be in and out and use movment to win this fight . If he stands in there or get pused to the ropes Tonio's size and punch output will get him .
on a side note : Anybody wann get beat in the abs with some sticks for 3min ? lmao that had to hurt like hell
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Originally Posted by Proshares
one of my favorites.
It killed me when the ref in England let Hatton hold all night and punish him inside. When he quit on his stool, I knew it was close to the end for him.
At least he beat Zab, though.
Same here.. It was a shame that fight ended his career/had most people gassed about Hatton bum #**.
Havent seen a Tsyzu in a minute before I caught his fight with Sharmba a few weeks ago on classic... He DESTROYED him
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There may be some truth to the way things are going in each camp but this is also a hype show and they pick and choose what they want to show in order to create drama since afterall the goal is generate extra PPV sales and that isn't going to happen by showing the underdog looking hopeless. I mean they didn't show us this either:
I think during the Mayweather-Marquez series a friend of mine was like "Is Mayweather even training for this fight?" when from everything I've heard, Mayweather is a machine in the gym.
And yea, I'd like give the stick to the stomach thing a try...don't know if I could make it for 3 minutes, though
LOS ANGELES -- When Manny Pacquiao finally made his way past the autograph hounds and the process server to climb the rickety staircase to the Wild Card Gym, he was met by dozens of fans, fellow fighters, reporters and even a television star, all wanting a moment before his workout.
Hollywood is jam-packed with distractions for the world's top pound-for-pound boxer -- and the Pacman isn't even a congressman in this country.
Trainer Freddie Roach says Pacquiao is having the worst training camp of his career heading into his Nov. 13 meeting with Antonio Margarito in Texas.
In the five months since he won a congressional seat in his native Philippines, boxing has lost some of its urgency for Pacquiao. Roach can even cite physical evidence their careers have been hurt by politics.
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AP Photo/Jae C. HongManny Pacquiao is training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles for his match with Antonio Margarito, when he's not distracted by senatorial duties.
"He has a foot problem, and that's because he wears dress shoes too much," Roach said, referring to the nagging left heel injury that has slowed Pacquiao's running.
Although Roach thinks he'll have no problem putting together a speed-based game plan to beat the bigger Margarito, he's worried about Pacquiao's ability to execute it. The fighter who flawlessly teamed with boxing's most respected trainer to forge a 12-fight winning streak just doesn't have the same focus, or even the same drive.
"At two in the morning, I'm walking around Baguio pulling my hair out, saying, 'What do I have to do?'" Roach said, referring to the Filipino city where they trained before returning to Los Angeles last weekend.
"I know his mind is off the fight. I know his mind is somewhere else, and that's because of politics. If there are no more challenges out there after this fight, this could be it. If Floyd (Mayweather Jr.) doesn't come to the table, I don't know what's going to challenge him. He loves his other job, and he might be done with this one."
Roach hopes the move stateside will help, although the hubbub Wednesday at the open workout suggested otherwise.
After Pacquiao apparently was served with papers in an envelope on the way into the gym, he quickly got his hands wrapped before walking slowly around the ring in the Wild Card's stifling heat, patiently answering questions from dozens of reporters. Perhaps after greeting actor Jeremy Piven, Pacquiao would be ready to train.
"I've been under pressure and tough conditions before," Pacquiao said. "The training is going good, but the problem is aside from training, there's lots of stuff to do. ... I'm thinking about (retirement), but I can still fight. I think I'll do a few more."
The mob scene in L.A. is a sea of tranquility compared to home, where the 31-year-old spends at least part of each day as the Honorable Emmanuel D. Pacquiao, freshman congressman from the Sarangani province. Although he's formally excused from legislative duties during training, he still takes regular phone calls from his staff, sometimes even in the middle of workouts.
And for the first time in his career with Roach, Pacquiao took a day off from training to travel to Manila for a meeting with President Benigno Aquino III, although Pacquiao claims he got in a workout there.
"Even if it was the worst training camp we ever had, he never missed a day before," Roach said.
Pacquiao has suggested he'll make it up to Roach by proposing a bill to grant Filipino citizenship to the trainer, who says he has never voted in an American election.
"I'd still vote for Manny if I'm a citizen," Roach said, laughing.
In his spare time, Pacquiao also has a wife and four kids, gestating careers in singing and acting, and a variety of business interests including a greater marketing push for his Nike apparel.
Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, acknowledges his fighter's life has become ridiculously complicated, but doesn't share Roach's pessimism.
"These things would be distractions to any other fighter or any other human being," Arum said. "Not Manny. He has the ability to multitask like nobody else I've ever seen. He doesn't let distractions affect his performance. I've seen him go from meetings all day to a workout, and then he'll wash up and eat and go to band rehearsal."
Arum also promotes Margarito and has an interest in talking up the fight, but even he can't discount Pacquiao's fearsome abilities.
"If Manny is trained and is in good condition, because of his skill set, he should be able to handle Margarito," Arum said. "He's just different than anybody else fighting today. The only guy who comes close to those abilities is Floyd."
Pacquiao won't stop politicking even on this continent: He's headed to Las Vegas on Friday for a quick campaign stop in support of Harry Reid, the Democratic senator and combat sports advocate in a tight race with Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle.
Yet Pacquiao claims he has plenty of time to get his mind and body right to face Margarito, the hard-punching Mexican with a 5-inch height advantage. The fight is at a 150-pound catch weight, but the winner will get a 154-pound title, which would be a belt in Pacquiao's eighth weight class.
"I have to win this fight to prove I can move to a higher division easily," Pacquiao said. "That's my role, to fight bigger men."
And bigger obstacles at every turn.
Unified bantamweight titlist Fernando Montiel, who injured his right leg in a dirt bike accident on Oct. 10, returned to his father's Los Mochis, Mexico, gym to train a little bit ahead of schedule on Tuesday.
Montiel suffered several bad cuts and bruises and had a bone fragment removed from knee, but he did not have a fracture. He was originally supposed to be sidelined for three weeks.
The accident caused Montiel to withdraw from a November bout that was in the works, but now he likely will defend his belts in December.
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Zanfer PromotionsUnified bantamweight titlist Fernando Montiel had a bone fragment removed from his knee after a dirt bike accident Oct. 10.
"I feel excellent," Montiel said. "The doctor has released me to train and said my right leg is doing well. I responded very well to the treatment and I have no doubt that I will get into rhythm in very little time. I will be ready to defend my title in December."
Fernando Beltran's Zanfer Promotions, which co-promotes Montiel with Top Rank, said he could face Mexican countryman Alejandro Valdez (22-4-3, 16 KOs) in a rematch.
They fought to a highly controversial third-round technical draw in a September 2009 nontitle bout.
"I know there was some controversy involved in that fight and the Valdez people have been asking for a rematch since that fight happened," Montiel said. "I am willing to give him the rematch, or I will fight whoever Zanfer wants me to fight. But if it's the rematch, I have no doubt I will beat him."
In the action-packed fight, Valdez was knocked down in the first round but also opened a terrible cut over Montiel's left eye, which referee Jesus Salcedo ruled to have been caused by a head butt, even though video replays clearly showed it was caused by a punch. In the second round, Valdez knocked down Montiel, who was bleeding badly from the cut.
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Salcedo did not give Valdez a chance to finish Montiel, instead walking him over to a corner to see the doctor so he could have his cut examined. Valdez continued to pound Montiel in the third round and his eye was nearly closed before the fight was stopped and declared a technical draw after much confusion in the ring.
If Montiel (42-2-2, 33 KOs) fights in December, he would have to win to preserve a lucrative fight planned against former flyweight titlist Nonito Donaire scheduled for Feb. 19 on HBO. Donaire (24-1, 16 KOs) has an interim bout he must win against former bantamweight titlist Wladimir Sidorenko on Dec. 4. That fight is part of Top Rank's "In Harm's Way" pay-per-view in Anaheim, Calif.
Montiel has won titles in three weight classes from flyweight to bantamweight. He claimed a bantamweight belt in 2009 and has made three defenses, including stopping Japan's Hozumi Hasegawa in the fourth round in April to unify to two titles.
Light heavyweight titlist Tavoris Cloud will make his second defense against Fulgencio Zuniga on Dec. 17 with an eye toward bigger fights in the future.
The fight, signed Tuesday and approved by the IBF, will take place on the Don King-promoted card at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. In the main event, 2004 Cuban Olympic gold medalist Odlanier Solis (16-0, 12 KOs) and former title challenger Ray Austin (28-4-4, 18 KOs) meet in a heavyweight title elimination match with the winner becoming the next mandatory challenger for titleholder Vitali Klitschko.
"I'm not familiar with Zuniga, but my prediction is we gonna win the fight," Cloud told ESPN.com on Tuesday. "All I heard about the fighter is he a tough fighter, been in some title fights and he comes to fight. We taking him serious like any other fight."
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Fightwire.comUndefeated IBF light heavyweight titleholder Tavoris Cloud (21-0, 18 KOs), left, will face Fulgencio Zuniga (24-4-1, 21 KOs) on Dec. 17.
Cloud's trainer, Al Bonanni, told ESPN.com that Zuniga, who who will move up from super middleweight for the fight got the shot after others turned it down, including Otis Griffin and Yusaf Mack.
"Those other guys turned it down. They demanded a lot of money, but Don King made a very fair offer," Bonanni said. "Zuniga took the fight. He was offered the fight and stepped up to the plate. He has a big guarantee with Don if he wins. This is a tougher fight in my opinion than if we fought Otis Griffin anyway. Zuniga is a proven veteran. He's nothing to be sneezed at and we are training as such."
Zuniga (24-4-1, 21 KOs), 33, of Colombia, is an experienced fighter with punching power, although he'll be at a size disadvantage. Three of his losses have come in world title bouts. He dropped a decision to Daniel Santos in a 2003 junior middleweight title bout. In 2008, he lost a decision to Denis Inkin fighting for a vacant super middleweight belt. And in March 2009, Lucian Bute stopped him in the fourth round of a super middleweight title defense.
Zuniga's other loss came in 2005 when Kelly Pavlik, six fights before he won the middleweight championship, stopped him in the ninth round.
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"We tried everyone in the light heavyweight division [in the IBF rankings] who was available and there were no takers," Bonanni said. "We're training for Zuniga and we'll be ready to go at it on Dec. 17. I'm very happy Cloud is fighting. We want to stay busy."
Cloud has had long stretches of inactivity. From August 2008 to this past August, he only fought three times, although he claimed a vacant title with a decision against Clinton Woods in August 2009.
Cloud (21-0, 18 KOs), 28, of Tallahassee, Fla., made his first defense on HBO on Aug. 7, taking a close decision against former champion Glen Johnson in a slugfest.
"Everything's coming together now," Cloud said. "I had promotional problems in the past [before signing with King] and all of that has been taken care of. It's good to be right back in the ring. I've been rusty as a nail when I've fought and I'm still performing on a world class level. It is good to be back in the ring before the year is out."
Cloud's goal is to take care of Zuniga and then look for a major fight in the division. He mentioned lineal champion Jean Pascal, fellow titleholders Beibut Shumenov and Jürgen Brahmer and top contenders Chad Dawson and Nathan Cleverly.
"After I take Zuniga out, I'm looking for any of those guys, wherever," Cloud said. "Pascal, Dawson. Shumenov? We will knock him out in [his home country of] Kazakhstan or wherever he want to meet at. Cleverly, Brahmer. Tell them all to put the money up. I'll come to their hometown and knock them out."
