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Thats right. Ol girl is the baddest. Almost forgot about her. Somethin about his plain jane that caught my dilerious eye tho.
2010 Official Boxing Thread: Soto/Antillon, 2010 Fight of the Year.
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
- Start date
Thats right. Ol girl is the baddest. Almost forgot about her. Somethin about his plain jane that caught my dilerious eye tho.
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Bobby, I'm glad you got love for my dude Robert Guerrero (One of my HS wrestling coaches grew up with Ghost with in Gilroy).
Good fighter, got a bad rap for that Yordan fight I think and his SD loss is pretty debatable. Family oriented and a good overall person. Nothing to not like about him.
Donaire's opponent for his next fight failed an eye exam so they're looking for replacements.
And take this for what it's worth:
PaulMalignaggi
Everyone, Khan hasagreed to fight me on may 15th in new york at the MSG Theater. Werewaiting for the financial part to get done. less than 20 seconds ago from web
Donaire's opponent for his next fight failed an eye exam so they're looking for replacements.
And take this for what it's worth:
PaulMalignaggi
Everyone, Khan hasagreed to fight me on may 15th in new york at the MSG Theater. Werewaiting for the financial part to get done. less than 20 seconds ago from web
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i really don't remember a good undercard during any pac fights
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Pacquiao-Clottey undercard is missing punch
Thursday, February 11, 2010 | Print Entry
Between the 27 inches of snow that pummeled Northern Virginia on Saturday and the additional foot that crushed us Wednesday -- not to mention the bitter cold and extreme winds -- there hasn't been much to do but think about boxing even more than I usually do (which is scary).
Nobody around these parts can even leave the house, especially considering that my entire neighborhood was never even plowed out after the Saturday storm.
I grew up in upstate New York, where we were used to terrible winters, but this has been incredible even by those standards. Put it this way: We are Ricky Hatton. The weather is Manny Pacquiao.
So I'm going a little stir-crazy. Everything is closed. The roads are in ruins. The mail has been canceled. My wife has had two snow days (so far). Fortunately, we're stocked with supplies and toilet paper and have not lost power.
Seemed like a good time for this week's random thoughts …
• One of the fights being considered by Top Rank for the March 13 Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey pay-per-view undercard -- now that it looks like the return of Antonio Margarito to face Carson Jones in the co-feature is probably off, because Margarito may not be licensed (good!) -- is Humberto Soto against David Diaz, possibly for a vacant lightweight belt. At the risk of being given the finger again by Top Rank's Bob Arum, the fight is an atrocity. First, I don't think it will be very competitive, considering how badly faded Diaz is. Also, the notion that the WBC possibly would sanction it for a world title is ridiculous, considering that after Pacquiao laid waste to Diaz in June 2008, he has fought just once, a life-and-death majority decision against the totally shot Jesus Chavez six months ago. The entire undercard, as presently constructed, is pathetic, which has become the norm for Arum's major pay-per-views. Here's what you probably will get for your hard-earned money besides the main event: Soto-Diaz, the totally shot Jose Luis Castillo against Alfonso Gomez and John Duddy-Michael Medina. At least there's a silver lining: No Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (suspended) or Yuri Foreman-Daniel Santos.
• I've heard from multiple sources involved in Showtime's Super Six tournament that it's quite likely that the April 17 Group Stage 2 bouts -- Andre Ward defending his super middleweight title against Allan Green in Oakland and Carl Froch defending his title against Mikkel Kessler in Europe -- will be moved to a new date because of some sort of logistical issue involving Kessler-Froch. If that happens, I can't say I'll be disappointed because it means boxing fans will avoid an HBO-Showtime conflict. HBO has its own excellent split-site card planned for that night with middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik due to defend against junior middleweight titlist Sergio Martinez in Atlantic City and super middleweight titleholder Lucian Bute defending his belt against Edison Miranda in Montreal. So if Showtime needs to move to another date, it actually will work out better for fans.
• Like most fight fans, I would love to see Pavlik fight Paul Williams, but it's not happening right now. It's not because Pavlik is afraid to fight him, as some folks like to wrongly suggest. It's math. Williams and his team want a 50-50 deal, and that's not happening, nor should it. So I'm fine with Pavlik-Martinez, which is also a first-class fight. Williams, meanwhile, still has no opponent for his May 8 HBO date. His promoter, Dan Goossen, is talking to promoter Lou DiBella about a junior middleweight fight with Kermit Cintron and has talked to Don King about a welterweight fight with Luis Collazo. Williams and his team say he can still make 147 pounds, and a fight with Collazo at the weight would prove that, but what is the point? I like Collazo as much as anyone, but he has virtually no shot against Williams.
• Been hearing that DiBella proposed a card to HBO of Amir Khan-Paulie Malignaggi and Andre Berto's return against Zab Judah for April 10 at Madison Square Garden, which DiBella has on hold. With an eye on fighting at junior welterweight, Judah turned it down, so DiBella would like to instead match Berto with former titlist Carlos Quintana. The Garden loves the card, I am told. I love it too. However, HBO isn't jumping up and down for the show. For some reason, HBO seems to prefer Berto-Malignaggi. The Khan-Malignaggi fight is still possible, especially with Golden Boy having so many problems putting a Khan-Juan Manuel Marquez fight to bed. But if Golden Boy, Khan's promoter, does Khan-Malignaggi it wants the fight on its card in Las Vegas on May 15. But we all know that if that fight happens, it belongs in New York.
• I had to laugh at this quote from Freddie Roach, when discussing the Pacquiao-Clottey fight: "This is going to be the Super Bowl of boxing." Pacquiao's trainer is dead wrong. The fight is more like the conference championship. The Super Bowl of boxing is Pacquiao, if he wins, fighting the winner of the May 1 Shane Mosley-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.
• There are some out there who are gullible enough (or just dumb enough) to believe the gibberish being bandied about in cyberspace that HBO concocted a plan under which it agreed to televise the Marcos Maidana-Victor Cayo fight as long as the winner didn't press his mandatory with junior welterweight titlist Khan for the rest of the year. Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous in your life? Now, Golden Boy -- with the OK from Khan and interim titlist Maidana -- has a plan under which both men will fight a couple of times to help build the commercial value of their potential fight. That's boxing business as usual. I have no real complaint about that, other than that if they're going to avoid the mandatory fight, the one unwilling to make it immediately ought to be stripped of his piece of the title. But since the reprehensible WBA is not pressing the issue -- shocking, right? -- it is what it is. But to think HBO orchestrated a deal to prevent the fight from happening this year just goes to show you how little some people actually understand the business.
• I want to bid a fond farewell to "Rich Marotta's Neutral Corner," which is leaving the Southern California radio airwaves after more than 11 years. The last edition is Sunday morning, the victim of Marotta's own success. Marotta, a longtime friend and one of the classiest guys in the business, is now the color commentator on the new "Top Rank Live" series. The three cards per month are on Saturday nights, leaving Marotta unable to do the show live on Sunday mornings because of the heavy travel demands. Mailing it in with a taped show, in which he could not discuss the previous night's results, is not Marotta's style, so he has decided to end the show. It was one of the few places on radio in the nation with intelligent boxing discussion and a dependable lineup of interviews with all the sport's top newsmakers. I'm proud to say I was even a guest many times.
• Speaking of "Top Rank Live," the new Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports en Espanol series is off to a great start. I just hope Top Rank keeps it up, because the first few cards have been very good overall, including Vanes Martirosyan-Kassim Ouma, Jorge Arce winning a vacant junior bantamweight title against Angky Angkota and a sensational performance from Brandon Rios in stopping Jorge Teron. We're seeing toss-up action fights on a regular basis, and there are more scheduled. So far, I'm loving it.
• I love the idea of a Tim Bradley-Edwin Valero fight as much as anyone, but I seriously doubt it will happen.
• I dig the proposed Tomasz Adamek-Cristobal Arreola April 24 HBO fight, but I can't figure out why Adamek would want to go to California for the fight -- which is where it's being planned -- when the bigger gate would be in Newark, N.J., where Adamek draws huge crowds. If he could draw more than 10,000 to the Prudential Center for a fight with Jason Estrada last week, imagine the gate he could do with Arreola, who is better known than Estrada but not a proven ticket-seller in So Cal.
• Paging Joel Casamayor.
• I'm sure I speak for all boxing fans when I wish the very best for Casey Guerrero, the seriously ill wife of junior lightweight titlist Robert Guerrero, who understandably withdrew from a March 27 HBO fight with Michael Katsidis to be at his wife's bedside.
• Top Rank signed brothers Lamont and Anthony Peterson with great fanfare in 2008. I scratch my head wondering why in the world Top Rank, which knows how to sell tickets and how to build a fighter in his hometown, has not only never come to Washington, D.C. -- their hometown and a city dying for some top-level boxing -- but never even seriously considered it. It's baffling.
• Happy birthday to my good pal, Larry Merchant. The HBO commentator turned 79 on Thursday. He's the greatest boxing television analyst ever. And before that, he was one of America's foremost sports columnists.
• DVD pick of the week: It's not too often that HBO features little guys -- meaning fighters below junior featherweight -- but when it does, we usually see something pretty interesting. Such was the case when I went back to Feb. 15, 2003, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. That's where two of the best bantamweights of the era, Tim Austin and Rafael Marquez, tangled for the title. Austin had defended the title nine times and was considered a top-10 pound-for-pound fighter. Marquez was the top contender, but known better for being the younger brother of Juan Manuel. The fight turned out to be a good scrap, although Austin seemed in control and was ahead on all three scorecards as they went to the eighth round. But that's when Marquez, blessed with great power for a small guy, took it to Austin and knocked him out for the upset. I remember it well, partly because it happened to be the first fight I watched after getting engaged earlier that day.
[h6]Christopher (Linz, Austria)[/h6]
I have recently read in an interview that Glen Johnson is considering a fight with Tavoris Cloud in March, how realistic is this due to the fact that Glen fought a week ago?
[h6]Dan Rafael
(12:25 PM)
[/h6]
Very realistic, although it could wind up in mid-April on the Berto HBO undercard.
[h6]Bob (PA)[/h6]
Any word on the undercard for may/mosley?
[h6]Dan Rafael
(12:27 PM)
[/h6]
Danny Jacobs is likely. Saul Alvarez will be on according to Golden Boy and could possible face Matthew Hatton.
[h6]Bert (Minneapolis)[/h6]
Looks like Mrs. Holyfield can take Evander's shots better than Buster Douglas could...
[h6]Dan Rafael
(12:46 PM)
[/h6]
Ouch.
[h6]Dan Rafael
(12:53 PM)
[/h6]
Courtesy of the Bat E-mail: The Super Six bouts are moving to April 24. Froch-Kessler will be in Herning, Denmark. It has not been announced what date Ward-Green will be on.
[h6]Manny (CT)[/h6]
Who wil Juan M. Marquez fight next since he opted out of Amir Khan fight?
[h6]Dan Rafael
(1:24 PM)
[/h6]
Possibly a rematch with Juan Diaz.
[h6]Dan Rafael
(1:47 PM)
[/h6]
Have been told that Steve Cunnigham vs, Matt Godfrey (for the vacant IBF cruiser title) will be March 26 on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights! Tremendous main event! Taking the place of Cloud, obviously.
[h6]Dan Rafael
(2:38 PM)
[/h6]
I asked Gary Shaw about a possible Bradley-Judah fight and Gary in our IM chat said the following just now: Judah only talking smack. He was offered very good money, but seems to want a tune up and is talking smack. If he wants a tune up, he should go see an auto mechanic. So we continue the search for all these great fighters at 140 who don't want to really fight the No. 1 guy but want to walk around saying they are champions or want to hand pick opponents.
[h6]Dan Rafael
(2:42 PM)
[/h6]
Gary just hit me back and says Funeka end of the deal is done for the rematch with Guzman and he is waiting on Golden Boy to confirm the fight for March 27 HBO card.
[h6]Luke (LA)[/h6]
Dd Shaw say when Sergei Dzinziruk will make his US debut?
[h6]Dan Rafael
(2:44 PM)
[/h6]
I just IM'd him to ask and he responded that he is meeting with Artie Peolullo (his co-promoter) next week and that they will talk about it. He is hoping for April or May.
[h4][/h4][h4]Donaire trying to focus on here and now[/h4]
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
Archive
AP Photo/Aaron FavilaNonito Donaire, right, knows the hardest aspect of Saturday's fight will be not looking past it.
Whether Nonito Donaire faces Gerson Guerrero or last-minute substitute Manuel Vargas, it doesn't really matter. The "Filipino Flash" is supposed to win. He knows it. Manager Cameron Dunkin knows it, and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum knows it.
They all know that if Donaire takes care of Vargas, an opponent only secured Wednesday after Guerrero failed a prefight eye exam, the door for a series of important fights will likely be open.
[h4]"Latin Fury 13/Pinoy Power 3"[/h4]
TV lineup for Top Rank's pay-per-view card Saturday night (9 ET, $39.95) from the Las Vegas Hilton:
Junior bantamweights: Nonito Donaire (22-1, 14 KOs) versus Manuel Vargas (26-4-1, 11 KOs), 12 rounds, for Donaire's interim title
Bantamweights: Fernando Montiel (39-2-2, 29 KOs) versus Ciso Morales (14-0, 8 KOs), 12 rounds, for Montiel's title
Bantamweights: Eric Morel (41-2, 21 KOs) versus Gerry Penalosa (54-7, 34 KOs), 12 rounds, title eliminator
Featherweights: Mario Santiago (21-1-1, 14 KOs) versus Bernabe Concepcion (29-2-1, 17 KOs), 10 rounds
Donaire, a regular on the pound-for-pound list, will defend his interim junior bantamweight title against Mexico's Vargas on Saturday night (Top Rank PPV, 9 ET, $39.95) at the Las Vegas Hilton in the main event of "Latin Fury 13/Pinoy Power 3."
Despite the fact that few expect Donaire (22-1, 14 KOs) to have any serious issues with Vargas (26-4-1, 11 KOs), he's trying not to get too far ahead of himself.
"That's the hardest part for a fighter, not looking ahead," Donaire said. "It's a lot of pressure on your shoulders. This fight is a gate for my future fights. I have to fight this fight first before I get those bigger names. This is where I've seen fighters stumble and not get their biggest fight. I try to stay focused as much as I can. When I train, though, I get the vision of fighting those other guys and it's hard to focus on this guy.
"I'm not purposely looking ahead, but part of my mind and body is so excited about those other fights that it's hard not to. So this fight is sort of like the motivation. I trained so hard because I don't want to stumble."
Those "other fights" Donaire is talking about include a rematch with unified division champion Vic Darchinyan, whom Donaire knocked out in a 2007 flyweight title fight; Jorge Arce, the charismatic action star who claimed a title a couple of weeks ago; and bantamweight titleholder Fernando Montiel, who defends his belt against Ciso Morales in one of the televised undercard bouts.
"I definitely want to fight those guys, especially Arce and Darchinyan," said Donaire, who is friends with Arce. "It's now or never because my body is feeling the pain of cutting down weight and it's doing more harm than good. I am concentrating on making the weight more than on being in shape, so it's now or never. If those guys want to step up, fine, but we have to schedule it. I want it on paper that we'll make it happen. Boxing is a short life span. I want to reach my potential. If I stay at 115 for a while, it will limit me from where I want to be."
Where he'd like to be is eventually at featherweight, where he says Israel Vazquez has called him out.
"What I want from Darchinyan is the two belts he holds. From Arce, I want the belt he holds," Donaire said. "I don't really want to wait for an opportunity that will take a long time to happen. I want to do those fights, Montiel at 118 and then you have Vazquez. Let's go."
Said Dunkin, "Nonito is 26. He wants the high-profile fights. It's just a matter of putting them together. He's ready to make the move."
Donaire iced Darchinyan with one massive punch in the fifth round to score the upset. A rematch has been talked about since. Now that Darchinyan is the champion at the heavier weight and Donaire is technically his mandatory challenger, it makes all the sense in the world.
"I'm in favor of that rematch," Arum said.
Darchinyan has a Showtime fight on March 6 against Rodrigo Guerrero, but after that his camp is as ready as he is to make the fight.
"I'm on record saying that we're ready to sit down and negotiate that fight on March 7," said Gary Shaw, Darchinyan's promoter.
"Gary said that he could do it in August on Showtime," Dunkin said. "In fact, Darchinyan is fighting [March 6] because he wants to stay on schedule with Donaire."
Arce was beaten down by Darchinyan over 11 lopsided rounds in February 2009. It looked like that might be the end of Arce, who won his next fight but then lost a clear decision to Simphiwe Nongqayi for a vacant belt in September. However, Arce remained alive for another significant fight when he soundly defeated Angky Angkota to claim a vacant belt last month. An Arce-Donaire bout is easy to make because they are both promoted by Top Rank.
"To me, I love Jorge Arce and I only can see one way the Donaire fight ends, which is not so good for Arce," Arum said. "But if [co-promoter] Fernando [Beltran] and Arce want to do it, I would go along, but it wouldn't make me happy."
Donaire wants to fight both guys.
"I would love the rematch with Darchinyan. I want to make it happen," he said. "Everyone wants it. I dissected his style and he hasn't changed. I am ready for it. I'm trying to go after his two belts. But for me, it doesn't matter what order it is. If I get Darchinyan, then I want Arce next. If I get Arce, then I want Darchinyan next. That's what I want to make happen. And then I am ready to move up to 118 and take on Montiel. I think that's the best scenario. If I get past Montiel, I am ready for 122 right away."
While at ringside Saturday, Dunkin will be watching Montiel closely in anticipation of a possible fight with Donaire.
"The Arce and Darchinyan fights are doable, but Montiel is for sure," he said. "I would think that will happen, and I will be watching Montiel closely. That's a terrific fight when Nonito gets to 118."
Arum, who also promotes Montiel, said it's a fight he would also like to make.
"Donaire is a terrific fighter, a terrific talent," Arum said. "He says he is going to go all the way up to featherweight, which means a helluva lot of good matches for him."
The smaller fights, like Donaire-Vargas, are often money-losers for Top Rank, which makes it all the more important to get the higher-profile matches made.
"All you can do is just keep going," Arum said. "You keep him busy and hope you get lightning in a bottle. Other than Showtime, which has showcased Darchinyan, there is really no market for these little guys in America, which is sad because they are very good fighters. So what we have to do is resort to our own devices and do these pay-per-views which can showcase them, and hopefully do enough revenue to pay for it. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. It's a lot of work, not a lot of reward. But these kids deserve a chance."
With a win, it looks like Donaire will get his.
[h4]Jones-Hopkins II undercard[/h4]
AP Photo/Danny MoloshokIs it that time again? Sergio Mora, right, who hasn't fought since 2008, may finally have a match.
Golden Boy and Square Ring are working on the televised undercard for the Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones Jr. pay-per-view April 3, and a few fights are under discussion, all of which would match a Golden Boy fighter against a Square Ring boxer.
Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz told ESPN.com that one of the bouts being discussed is former junior middleweight titlist Sergio Mora against "The Haitian Sensation" Daniel Edouard (22-2-2, 13 KOs).
Mora (21-1-1, 5 KOs), who was supposed to fight Jan. 30 on the Shane Mosley-Andre Berto undercard before the show was canceled, hasn't fought since losing his title via decision in a rematch with the late Vernon Forrest in September 2008. Edouard, who is on a four-fight winning streak, probably is best known for being knocked out by Jermain Taylor in three rounds in 2005 in the fight before Taylor beat Hopkins to become undisputed middleweight champ.
"We like that fight," Cameron Dunkin, Mora's manager, told ESPN.com. "It's a tough fight, a hard fight, but Sergio is ready and wants a good opponent and wants to be on pay-per-view."
Another bout being discussed would match junior lightweight titlist Rocky Juarez (28-5-1, 20 KOs) against Jason Litzau (26-2, 21 KOs).
Golden Boy, which promotes Mora and Juarez, wants to make both fights. Square Ring CEO John Wirt said he wasn't necessarily interested in either bout.
Another fight Wirt said was being discussed would match Ukrainian light heavyweight Ismayl Sillakh (11-0, 10 KOs), a standout amateur who signed Wednesday with Square Ring, and Golden Boy's Enrique Ornelas (29-6, 19 KOs), who dropped a lopsided decision to Hopkins in December.
Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com.
[h4]QUICK HITS[/h4]
Khan
• With Juan Manuel Marquez declining to face junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan and upset about Golden Boy's perceived favoritism toward Khan, talks for a Khan-Paulie Malignaggi bout on May 15 have reignited. If the bout is finalized, it would take place at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York. Although Golden Boy, which recently signed Khan, hoped to have the Brit make his American debut in Las Vegas, it's now willing to go to New York, Malignaggi's hometown and the location his promoter, Lou DiBella, wants the fight to be held. "It makes sense to be in New York," Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz told ESPN.com. "For the people in the U.K., it's a five-hour flight versus a 10-hour flight to Vegas. Naseem Hamed's first fight in America was in the Garden, and then he moved over to Vegas. Ricky Hatton fought on the East Coast before he fought in Vegas. So Khan can go to beat Malignaggi in his hometown and then fight in Vegas." Junior welterweights Nate Campbell and Victor Ortiz would meet in the HBO co-feature. Marquez was upset by comments from Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer about Khan's future, as if a win against Marquez was a foregone conclusion. He also turned it down because trainer Nacho Beristain was against it, Diaz said. "Our job is to offer the biggest fights to these guys, which we did, and he decided not to take it," Diaz said. "It was history in the making, because Marquez could have become the first Mexican to win titles in four divisions."
Berto
• DiBella continues to work on the next fight for welterweight titlist Andre Berto. There was serious discussion about Berto defending against former junior welterweight titlist Malignaggi, but with it looking more and more like he'll wind up facing Khan, Berto's April 10 HBO bout could come against former titleholder Carlos Quintana, whom DiBella also promotes. There's a good chance, according to DiBella, that the bout, originally discussed for Madison Square Garden, could move to the Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area. A possible HBO co-feature: light heavyweight titlist Tavoris Cloud making his first defense against mandatory challenger and former champ Glen Johnson, who knocked out Yusaf Mack in the fifth round in a Feb. 5 title eliminator.
Funeka
• With Robert Guerrero out of his March 27 lightweight fight against Michael Katsidis because of his wife's serious illness, interim junior welterweight titlist Marcos Maidana's defense against Victor Cayo moves up to main event status on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" card at a site to be determined. The new co-feature isn't set yet, but the leading possibility is a rematch between Ali Funeka and Joan Guzman, who would meet for a vacant lightweight belt. Katsidis was offered Funeka, but he turned it down. Funeka pummeled Guzman when they met for the vacant belt on HBO in November, but it was ruled a draw in one of the most controversial decisions of 2009. Guzman's side is willing to take the fight. Gary Shaw, who co-promotes South Africa's Funeka, said he was waiting to hear back from Funeka's manager about accepting the bout. Funeka-Guzman II became possible when Rolando Reyes declined to face Funeka because he didn't want to go to South Africa under the terms of Branco Sports' winning purse bid. Once Reyes declined, the IBF moved to its next available contender, which was Guzman.
Linares
• Former featherweight and junior lightweight titlist Jorge Linares (27-1, 18 KOs) is making his comeback. Shockingly knocked out in the first round by Juan Carlos Salgado in October in Japan, Linares lost his 130-pound title. A few weeks before the fight, Linares had signed a deal for Golden Boy to promote him along with Japan's Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions. A win over Salgado would have launched him into a major fight in the United States. Now he's taking it slowly. He'll fight March 27 in his native Venezuela, Golden Boy matchmaker Diaz told ESPN.com. He said they've offered the fight to former titlist Carlos Hernandez and are waiting to hear back.
Klitschko
• Heavyweight titleholder Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs) is in talks for a late-May optional defense against former titleholder Nikolai Valuev (50-2, 34 KOs). Shelly Finkel, Klitschko's adviser, told ESPN.com he has been in talks with Valuev co-promoter Don King for the fight. However, they are far apart on the money, with King asking for a $4 million package for the bout and the Klitschko side offering about half that. "There's dialogue, but mostly Don calls and talks and I listen," Finkel said. "We'd like to make the fight, but he's got to be reasonable."
Spadafora
• Former lightweight titlist Paul Spadafora (43-0-1, 17 KOs) continues his comeback against Italy's Ivan Fiorletta (24-5-2, 7 KOs) on March 12 in Fort Lauderdale in a 10-round welterweight bout. The fight will be Spadafora's third in nine months after a layoff of more than two years, much of which he spent incarcerated. Spadafora, 34, who is trained by Hall of Famer and former four-division champion Pernell Whitaker, made eight defenses during his 1999-2003 title reign.
• Featherweight Miguel Angel "Mikey" Garcia (19-0, 16 KOs), one of Top Rank's most highly regarded prospects, can move a step closer to a mandatory title shot against Cristobal Cruz if he wins his next bout. Top Rank matchmaker Brad "Abdul" Goodman told ESPN.com he was working to finalize a title eliminator for him, possibly against Eduardo Escobedo (27-3, 19 KOs). The fight would headline a "Top Rank Live" (FSN) card in April. Goodman said welterweight Mike Alvarado (26-0, 18 KOs) will also return in April in a "Top Rank Live" opening bout. Alvarado hasn't fought since May 2009 because he was incarcerated until a few months ago.
Kessler
• Former super middleweight titlist Mikkel Kessler has moved his training camp from Copenhagen to Berlin as he continues training for his April 17 Super Six World Boxing Classic fight with titleholder Carl Froch, which is slated to take place in Kessler's native Denmark. The bout will be televised in the United States on same-day tape along with live coverage of titleholder Andre Ward's Super Six fight against Allan Green. Kessler lost his title to Ward in November and is trying to bounce back. Since the loss, Kessler fired trainer Ricard Olsen and replaced him with longtime assistant Jimmy Montoya. "I really had a bad night against Andre Ward, but I had a good rest, analyzed everything with my team and now I am ready for Froch," Kessler said. "I have just started my preparation with my new coach, Jimmy Montoya. Things have been going really well. I feel very hungry without a world title and I will take the WBC belt from Froch."
• Famed trainer and manager Lou Duva is going to be the subject of a feature film by producer John Edmonds Kozma. "We've seen a lot of great films about fighters in the past. Whether about real-life legends like Jake LaMotta or Muhammad Ali, or fictional characters like Rocky Balboa, Hollywood has always focused on the guy in the ring," Kozma said in announcing his plans. "I thought it would be a great slant on the genre if we told the story through the eyes of someone who lived through it and observed it for over 80 years. Lou's literally a walking history book and has a million colorful tales to tell." Duva, 87, was 10 when he first boxed as an amateur in 1932. During his career, Duva has worked with such stars as Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor and many others. The release of the film is tentatively set for early 2010.
[h4]QUOTABLE[/h4]
Hopkins
"My statement is simple. This fight is very important to me because it is personal. We have 17-plus years of on-and-off history. I can't speak for Roy, but my name is 'The Executioner.' I execute. I am going for his head. It is important to get the knockout. There is a financial incentive. I want to finally close a chapter personally. This is a 17-year rivalry. I am going to kick his %+%." -- Bernard Hopkins, at a news conference this week announcing his rematch with Roy Jones Jr. on April 3, 17 years after Jones beat him, and noting that if the winner of the bout scores a knockout, it will be worth an additional 10 percent of the revenue
[h4]QUOTABLE[/h4]
Jones
"I only hit with one hand last time. I've got two hands now. With two hands, I'm going to beat the hell out of this old man." -- Jones, at the news conference, predicting a win against Hopkins, whom he beat the first time despite a hand injury.
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- Jul 22, 2005
I kinda like the undercard.
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- Apr 4, 2003
i stand corrected
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Any of my boxing heads gonna make it out to the Pac/Clottey fight???
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- Dec 26, 2007
I'm looking forward to BHop Vs. Roy JR.
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- Jul 23, 2007
you're the only human alive looking forward to that fight
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TCERDA wrote:
Thats right. Ol girl is the baddest. Almost forgot about her. Somethin about his plain jane that caught my dilerious eye tho.
not bad
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- Jul 23, 2007
My link just died. who got one . Nonito is up
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http://atdhe.net/7207/watch-top-rank-ppv-boxing
BONG! tune in....
this is a BLOW OUT.
Vargas is outclassed.
sdf;adsfk O MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
VIC DONT WANT IT!
BONG! tune in....
this is a BLOW OUT.
Vargas is outclassed.
sdf;adsfk O MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
VIC DONT WANT IT!
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- Apr 4, 2003
Bernabe Concepcion got a gift.. .JuanMa gonna demolish him if they fight
Ciso Morales
Go back to Bohol...
Fernando Montiel ducked my boy Michael Domingo and hand picked Ciso Morales who has 14 fights prior to this
Penalosa... was tough watching him struggle to get to Morel. Time to hang it up
Nonito
Poetry in motion. Vargas is a former straw-weight. Total mismatch, but took the fight as a last minute replacement. Props to this dude for stepping not only to a bigger fighter, but someone who's in the top 10 LB for LB.
Gorres
Good to see my boy healthy.
Can't wait for Nonito to shut Vic up or even Montiel
Ciso Morales
Fernando Montiel ducked my boy Michael Domingo and hand picked Ciso Morales who has 14 fights prior to this
Penalosa... was tough watching him struggle to get to Morel. Time to hang it up
Nonito
Gorres
Can't wait for Nonito to shut Vic up or even Montiel
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What the hell was yall watching?
They need to get Donaire/Vic set up ASAP.
[h2]No Margarito return on Pacquiao card[/h2]
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
Archive
Top Rank has scrapped its plan for disgracedformer welterweight titlist Antonio Margarito to make his comebackMarch 13 as the co-feature on the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clotteypay-per-view undercard at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Lastmonth, Top Rank signed Carson Jones to a contract to face Margarito ina planned 10-round bout at 155 pounds, pending Margarito being licensedin Texas. That fight has been canceled, Jones manager Bobby Dobbs toldESPN.com.
"[Top Rank] said the fight is off. It's dead. I didn'task exactly why," said Dobbs, who said Top Rank told him not worryabout Margarito being licensed when they signed the contract. "I don'tknow if Texas made a public announcement or just told Top Rank, butMargarito isn't going to get a license and he's not going to fightCarson at this time. I don't care about the specifics of why, I justknow he's not fighting.
Margarito
"We're heartbroken. Carson has been training for five week for thefight and didn't even get any training expenses for it," Dobbs said."He was trying to get in the best possible shape for a fight that isn'tgoing to happen now."
Although Top Rank did not mentionMargarito, it announced on Friday that Humberto Soto and David Diazwould meet for a vacant lightweight belt in the March 13 co-feature.
Top Rank president Todd duBoef said the company had no comment regarding the change in plans or on Margarito.
Beforethe new fight was announced, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum told ESPN.comthat he would put Soto-Diaz on the card "if it looks like we're havingproblems" with Margarito's license. Arum also said before Soto-Diaz wasannounced that if Margarito wasn't licensed in Texas, he would likelymake his comeback on a May 8 pay-per-view card Top Rank is planning inMexico, which is under no obligation to recognize punishments handedout by regulators in the United States.
However, if Margaritofights in Mexico while under a revocation in the U.S., it couldseverely impact his ability to be relicensed in America, becauseregulators would not look kindly on a fighter who went around a U.S.revocation.
In one of boxing's most significant scandals inrecent years, Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs) had his license revoked by theCalifornia State Athletic Commission last February for attempting tofight Shane Mosley with illegal pads coated in a plaster-like substancethat were placed inside his hand wraps.
Mosley trainer NaazimRichardson objected to how Margarito's hands had been wrapped. And whenthe commission cut off his gloves minutes before he was to walk to thering for the Jan. 24, 2009 fight, the illegal inserts, which hadescaped notice of the commission inspector overseeing the hand-wrappingprocess, were discovered.
Margarito's hands were re-wrapped andMosley dominated him before knocking him out in the 10th round to win awelterweight championship at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Ata hearing a few weeks later, the California commission voted 7-0 torevoke the licenses of Margarito and trainer Javier Capetillo.Margarito pleaded ignorance and Capetillo said the illegal pads musthave been used by accident, but few believed either explanation.
Thevote effectively barred Margarito and Capetillo from boxing in theUnited States, because commissions honor revocations and suspensionsdoled out by other jurisdictions. Both were eligible to reapply forlicenses after one year, which Margarito did in Texas in advance of thepossible March 13 fight.
The Association of Boxing Commissions,a national non-profit organization that represents state and NativeAmerican tribal boxing commissions, acknowledged in a Jan. 29 letter toTexas regulator Dickie Cole of the state's combative sports division,which is overseen by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation,that Texas was within its rights to license Margarito now that theterms of his revocation has expired.
However, in the letterfrom ABC president Tim Lueckenhoff, he added that there should be apublic hearing regarding Margarito's request for a license in Texas andthat the "the ABC Board of Directors also opined that Mr. Margaritoshould not be licensed at this time due to the seriousness of theviolations surrounding the revocation of Mr. Margarito's license by theCSAC."
Margarito could not be reached for comment.
AlthoughTop Rank no longer plans to put Margarito on the Pacquiao-Clottey card,his license application is still pending in Texas, Susan Stanford, thepublic information office for the Texas Department of Licensing andRegulation, told ESPN.com.
"The status of Mr. Margarito'sapplication is that it is still under review," Stanford said. "Thatmeans we are reviewing it to see if it's complete or not, and if weneed more information.
"He is revoked in the state of California.We will review the application and the applicable state and federallaws. In this case, the federal law with the Muhammad Ali Act is thatall regulating states will honor suspensions and revocations in otherregulating states."
Stanford said Texas made no assurances to Top Rank or anyone else that Margarito would be licensed if he applied.
"Thatwas their prerogative to file the application," she said, adding thathis past behavior in California would be taken into consideration whenhis application is reviewed.
Dobbs said Top Rank promised himthat if Margarito-Jones didn't happen because of a licensing issue,that it would at least give Jones a spot on the untelevised undercardagainst another opponent. However, Dobbs said Top Rank is now balkingat that promise.
Jones (24-7-1, 15 KOs), who notched an upsetthird-round knockout victory against previously unbeaten Tyrone Brunsonon Dec. 4, was due to make a career-high $50,000 purse to fightMargarito.
"Now, we'll just see what's out there," Dobbs said."He's in great shape and we have nowhere to go. I'm hoping one of thesemiracle phone calls come through like happens in boxing and we getsomething."
Dan Rafael is ESPN.com's boxing writer.
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Penalosa/Morel was a close fight... Gerry's style of being hit in his forearms though he's blocking shots is a dis-advantage for him in the judges eyes.
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- Jun 30, 2007
New Fight Camp 360 just came on
And..I kinda wish that Arum would showcase Donaire on one of Pac's undercards.
And..I kinda wish that Arum would showcase Donaire on one of Pac's undercards.
[h2]
[/h2][h2]Foreman-Cotto either June 5 or June 12[/h2]
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Jewish boxing champion Yuri Foreman hopes to defend his title at Yankee Stadium in June -- unless a bar mitzvah gets in the way.
The 154-pound champion would fight former welterweight titleholder Miguel Cotto on June 5 at the ballpark in the Bronx, promoter Bob Arum told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Arum has been hoping to bring a fight to Yankee Stadium for years.
Foreman
"The Yankees want to make a deal, we know we can make a deal, they're just working through a problem at Yankee Stadium," Arum said. "But you wouldn't believe it if I told you."
He's not kidding.
"They've leased out some lounges for this bar mitzvah and part of the deal was for a half hour or so, they could use the big screen in center field to show pictures and all that sort of stuff," Arum said, laughing. "Obviously you can't do that if there's fights going on."
Ramping up the irony, Foreman is studying to become a rabbi.
Arum said he's hopeful that something can be worked out, perhaps by giving the families holding the bar mitzvah credentials for the fight. If the conflict can't be resolved, Foreman would defend his WBA junior middleweight belt on June 12 at Madison Square Garden -- the eve of the annual Puerto Rican Day parade in New York City.
Top Rank president Todd duBoef has said that he has the arena, where Cotto has fought some of his most thrilling bouts, on hold for that date.
Either way, the fight on a midsummer Saturday night creates another logistical problem. The Jewish sabbath does not officially end until sundown.
"Because of the sabbath ending late, we would announce that the main event would not start until after 11:30 p.m.," said Arum, himself a devout Jew. "There's a lot of great things we would have to do around it."
Foreman, a New York-based native of Belarus, would be making the first defense of the title he won from Daniel Santos on the undercard of Cotto's loss to Manny Pacquiao last fall.
While he doesn't have tremendous name recognition, Foreman (28-0) does have substantial backing from the large Jewish population that makes up the New York metropolitan area.
"The magnitude of this event cannot be overstated," said Foreman's confidant, Dovid Efune. "It may be the biggest Jewish sporting event of all time, certainly since David fought Goliath."
While the logistics of holding a fight in Yankee Stadium are unclear, Arum hasn't shied away from staging fights in massive venues. He promoted the final bout at the old Yankee Stadium across the street when Muhammad Ali fought Ken Norton on Sept. 28, 1976, a fight remembered more for the chaos caused by a police strike than anything else.
On March 13, Arum is taking Pacquiao's title defense against Joshua Clottey to the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium just outside Dallas. The facility will be configured for about 40,000 fans, although Top Rank is hopeful that up to 70,000 show up the night of the fight.
Arum has approached the Yankees several times over the past 30 years about staging another event at the stadium, but George Steinbrenner and club brass had always been tepid about erecting a ring and seating on the immaculate infield grass. Scheduling also created problems because a fight would have to be staged when the team is on the road.
All of those concerns seem to be washing away as the new leadership of Hal and Hank Steinbrenner work to maximize revenue from the luxurious ballpark.
Last September, a makeshift dais was set up along the first base line for a news conference to announce the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, which was ultimately held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost joked at the time that Arum should bring a fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to the stadium.
The cast of characters may be different, but Trost could be getting his wish for a fight.
"I'm very excited to defend my title in New York, which is the Jewish capital of the Diaspora," Foreman said in a statement. "Having the fight in Yankee Stadium would be the icing on the cake, so please God it is finalized."
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
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when the hell is the press conference for the PBF VS mosley going to happen?
