2010 Official Boxing Thread: Soto/Antillon, 2010 Fight of the Year.

[crazy dav0]

did anyone really expect a good fight? ... Hop is world class actor though

 

[proshares]

Originally Posted by MayhemMonkey000

Originally Posted by xxxoverridexxx

as of late, boxing has just been on a downfall

they should take cue from UFC and put a few big fights on a card. This fight was disgusting and made me think very different of Hopkins. And to hear he wants to fight Haye. Is he serious? After that tonight? Dude couldn't find Larry Merchant and Lederman in a triple threat match.

The UFC pretty much has a monolopy on the MMA world right now, it's easy for them to put on fights when one org has all the fighters. There's too many boxing promoters out right now that multiple big fights on one card isn't going to happen.

Yea and boxing promoters can make so much more money for themselves by not putting multiple big fights on one card.

Glad to see Guerrero is coming back and glad to hear his wife is doing better.  I wanna see him fight Katsidis still.

 

[zichardruniga]

man if ghost fights jmm or diaz he'll be a ghost for reals

 

[proshares]

feather fist Diaz is gonna make him a ghost? They fight the same style and Guerrero packs more of a punch. He couldn't leave a mark on Malignaggi's face and Paulie welts up really easily.

I'm a big Guerrero fan and would root for him in both fights.

 

[gunna get it]

Mannnnnnn I dont even wanna hear about Ghost until he fights Yordan.

 

[proshares]

They won't fight again. Guerrero is already moved up to 135 Yordan is stuck at 126.

 

[eddiee21]

Just watched the RJJ vs Bhop fight.

These guys need to retire and do a sitcom show together.

 

[xxxoverridexxx]

Originally Posted by Proshares

Originally Posted by MayhemMonkey000

Originally Posted by xxxoverridexxx

as of late, boxing has just been on a downfall

they should take cue from UFC and put a few big fights on a card. This fight was disgusting and made me think very different of Hopkins. And to hear he wants to fight Haye. Is he serious? After that tonight? Dude couldn't find Larry Merchant and Lederman in a triple threat match.

The UFC pretty much has a monolopy on the MMA world right now, it's easy for them to put on fights when one org has all the fighters. There's too many boxing promoters out right now that multiple big fights on one card isn't going to happen.

Yea and boxing promoters can make so much more money for themselves by not putting multiple big fights on one card.

Glad to see Guerrero is coming back and glad to hear his wife is doing better.  I wanna see him fight Katsidis still.

but apparently they arent. 

The only two major ppv draws right now in the game are Mayweather and Pacq. If you eliminate them two, you are stuck with nothing really.

In order to save this sport, promoters need to work together. I first got into boxing about 5 years ago. I always told myself id never watch but i did. And then after a few years I then slowly started watching UFC. Something I always told myself I wouldn't watch and I did.

I have not seen one good fight in boxing in a long time and I watch thoe super six, friday day night fights, all the hbo fights. With UFC, I see a *#*!%%#%.

Ppl gotta wake up because this sport is heading in the wrong direction. That Hopkins Jones fight should have never have been done at this point in time and if it is done ti should have an undercard for some other fight. Hopkins made himself look horrible. Wants to fight Haye next? !+$%. 

Hopkins vs your infant child

Hopkins in 12 by decision
  

 

[zichardruniga]

ghost is softer than sharmon tissues, jmm or diaz would destroy him

 

[cincoseisdos]

Originally Posted by zichardruniga

ghost is softer than sharmon tissues, jmm or diaz would destroy him

 

[scott frost]

 @ "sharmon"

Any links to David Haye's destruction of The Quiet Man?  May that be the last time we have to hear from Ruiz.

 

[eagle 0n]

@Scott Frost



There's about 6 parts, just follow the links.

 

[proshares]

I was going to leave the "sharmon" comment alone...

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Saturday at Las Vegas​

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Light heavyweight
Bernard Hopkins W12 Roy Jones Jr.
Scores: 118-109, 117-110 (twice)​

[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: Hopkins, 51-5-1, 32 KOs; Jones, 54-7, 40 KOs
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Rafael's remark: The promoters, Golden Boy and Square Ring, have done everyone a favor by advertising the fact that there will be no replay of this pay-per-view main event. Good. Let this one go into the dustbin of history never to be seen again. It should be buried forever.





Hopkins and Jones, two all-time great former champions, were meeting in a rematch 17 years after they first met as rising contenders in 1993. On that night in Washington, D.C., Jones outboxed Hopkins to win a vacant middleweight belt. We all know what happened next. Jones became the pound-for-pound king not long after, and he was -- hands down -- the greatest fighter of his era. He would win titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight, and dazzle for years while barely losing a round. Hopkins also would blossom, just a little later. He would win the middleweight title after Jones left the division and rack up a division-record 20 defenses before eventually moving up and claiming the light heavyweight championship. All along, their sides talked about a rematch, but it never came to pass until it was much, much, much too late. When they finally agreed to this abomination, Jones was 41, totally shot and coming off a first-round knockout loss to Danny Green. Hopkins was 45, and while he still was regarded as one of the top few fighters in the world, there were few clamoring for a rematch.





Yet they went ahead with it, and few gave a damn. The media coverage and fan reaction were overwhelmingly negative, and only 6,792 people showed up at Mandalay Bay to watch the fight, despite the availability of deeply discounted or even free tickets. Those who stayed away from the arena (or blew off the pay-per-view, as most probably did) made the right call. It was a horrible fight in which neither man did a whole lot other than pose, feint and foul. Hopkins has more left than Jones, but he's fading quickly. Jones has nothing left. All he could muster were some blatant shots behind the head, two of which caused Hopkins to go to the mat in pain in the sixth and eighth rounds. The first resulted in a Jones point deduction, but it hardly mattered because he was so far behind. In the end, the whole thing was just a sad and pathetic mess. It was that way from the reaction to the fight being made to the virtually empty media center during fight week to the thousands of empty seats to the woeful fight itself. After the fight, Hopkins collapsed in his dressing room as a result of continuing problems from the blows behind his head. He had to be taken to the hospital, where he stayed overnight for observation, but he was released Sunday. Jones also had to go to the hospital as a precaution. Hopkins said he'd like a shot at heavyweight titlist David Haye, which is about the worst idea in the history of the world. Jones said he would think about what he wanted to do next. They both should retire. There is nothing left for either to do and no fight that the public would give a damn about. It's over. Everyone seems to know it except them.
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Junior lightweight
Jason Litzau Tech. Dec. 7 Rocky Juarez
Scores: 68-65, 67-66 (twice)​

[tr][td]Records: Litzau, 27-2, 21 KOs; Juarez, 28-6-1, 20 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Many expected this bout to be the best fight of the night, but it turned out to be a dud. It was a monotonous affair until Litzau, with severe swelling under his left eye, could not continue after the seventh round. Referee Jay Nady ruled the damage had been caused by a sixth-round accidental head butt and sent it to the scorecards for the technical decision. Juarez, 29, of Houston, disputed that it came from a head butt, insisting that it was caused by a punch. Whatever caused it, Litzau came up with the biggest win of his career, and Juarez suffered a terrible setback. Litzau, 26, of St. Paul, Minn., had been knocked out in the eighth round by then-featherweight titleholder Robert Guerrero in 2008 but now has won four in a row and is in the title hunt in a thin 130-pound weight class. For Juarez, who knows where he goes now. He has become a career bridesmaid, a good guy and a good fighter who just can't get over the hump. At least before, he had lost only to elite fighters, going 0-5-1 in world title bouts at featherweight and junior lightweight with losses to Marco Antonio Barrera (twice), Juan Manuel Marquez, Humberto Soto and Chris John, plus a draw against John that he should have lost. Litzau is not in their class, so this is a bad loss, even if Juarez disputes how the injury was caused. The bottom line is it is a defeat and one in which Juarez, who simply does not throw enough punches, didn't look very good as he fell to 3-5-1 in his last bouts and lost his second in a row.
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Middleweight
Sergio Mora TKO7 Calvin Green

​

[tr][td]Records: Mora, 22-1-1, 6 KOs; Green, 21-5-1, 13 KOs
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Rafael's remark: For a guy who had been out of the ring for 19 months, in part because of fight cancellations and a change of promoters, Mora looked very sharp as he hammered the game Green in the best fight on a lackluster pay-per-view card. Mora and Green did their part to entertain as they waged a fierce, albeit one-sided, slugfest. Mora was the winner of the first season of "The Contender" reality series in 2005 and is a former junior middleweight titleholder after beating the late Vernon Forrest in 2008. However, a weight-drained Mora, 29, of Los Angeles, lost the rematch three months later and hadn't fought since. He signed with manager Cameron Dunkin and then with promoter Golden Boy in December, and was due to return in January on the Shane Mosley-Andre Berto undercard, but that fight was canceled. So Mora had to wait until the Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones card for his comeback. Mora said it took him a few rounds to shake off some of the rust, but he looked good against a willing combatant in Green, who took a ton of punches but also got in a few of his own, including a shot that opened a cut over Mora's left eye in the first round. It didn't seem to bother Mora, who kept firing, giving Green, 32, of Baytown, Texas, angles and ripping him with body and head shots. Finally, referee Russell Mora had seen enough of Green having his head knocked all over the place and stepped in to stop the fight at 1:50 of the seventh round -- even though there hadn't been a single significant punch to cause the stoppage. But it was a good stoppage and a fine performance from "The Latin Snake."
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Light heavyweight
Ismayl Sillakh TKO2 Daniel Judah
​

[tr][td]Records: Sillakh, 12-0, 11 KOs; Judah, 23-5-3, 10 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Sillakh was a standout amateur in Ukraine and now lives in California. Manager Ivaylo Gotzev had been looking for a promoter to sign with and had Sillakh fighting on various shows before signing recently with Roy Jones' Square Ring. In his first fight for the company, Sillakh, 25, a 2005 world amateur silver medalist, took a solid step up in competition against the experienced Judah and blew him away with shocking ease. Judah, 32, brother of former welterweight champ Zab Judah, had been stopped only once previously and had lost distance fights against top contenders such as Glen Johnson (in his last fight), Yusaf Mack and Eric Harding. Sillakh, however, won the first round and then dropped him twice for the knockout 49 seconds into the second. Sillakh fired nice straight punches and worked upstairs and downstairs to dismantle Judah. Gotzev believes Sillakh is ready for a serious test and hopes to move him quickly, which the confident Sillakh is all for. Judah, of Brooklyn, N.Y., dropped his second in a row and fourth in his past six.
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Junior welterweight
Frankie Gomez TKO3 Clayvonne Howard

​

[tr][td]Records: Gomez, 1-0, 1 KO; Howard, 2-4, 1 KO
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Rafael's remark: Perhaps Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer was overstating it a little, but he called Gomez the most significant signing in the history of the company. Gomez, 18, of East Los Angeles, was a heralded amateur who won a 2009 U.S. national title and a silver medal at the amateur world championships in Milan, Italy, in September when he still was only 17. He was the only American to reach the finals at the worlds, and instead of remaining amateur and gunning for an Olympic medal at the 2012 London Games, Gomez took a fat contract from Golden Boy in February and made his pro debut. He looked sharp and fast and fought aggressively as he battered Howard, 25, of Palm Beach, Fla., for most of the fight until referee Joe Cortes stopped it with 15 seconds left in the third round. It was the first time Howard had been stopped. For Gomez, it's just the start of a career that many believe will include world titles and stardom. There are flaws to work on -- he needs to tuck his chin better, for one thing -- but all in all, nice start for the youngster. Golden Boy will keep him busy, and we're looking forward to watching.
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Saturday at Manchester, England​

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Heavyweight
David Haye TKO9 John Ruiz
Retains a heavyweight title​

[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: Haye, 24-1, 22 KOs; Ruiz, 44-9-1, 30 KOs
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Rafael's remark: As bad as England's Haye looked in winning his title from Nikolai Valuev in November, when he escaped with a majority decision win in a dreadful fight, that's how good the 29-year-old looked making his first defense against mandatory challenger Ruiz. Haye was very fast, sharp and powerful in an excellent performance as he became only the second man to stop two-time titleholder Ruiz, whose only other knockout loss was the 19-second destruction at the hands of David Tua all the way back in 1996.





In front of a loud crowd of more than 20,000, Haye dropped Ruiz four times -- twice in the first round, in the fifth round and in the sixth round before trainer Miguel Diaz, working with Ruiz, 38, for the second fight, waved the white towel in surrender after Ruiz took a series of hellacious right hands in the ninth round. Haye took control of the fight immediately, flooring Ruiz early in the opening round with a beautiful jab-straight right-hand-right combination that sent Ruiz to his backside. The second knockdown came moments later when Haye landed a right hand followed by another right to the back of Ruiz's head, for which referee Guillermo Perez Pineda deducted a point. Haye, the former world cruiserweight champion, continued his domination of a legitimate heavyweight contender until the stoppage, which Ruiz did not protest. Haye gave Ruiz angles, frustrated him with his speed and hammered him with his power. Haye, however, really needs to get the rabbit punching under control. He hit Ruiz several times behind the head, which is dangerous.





With Ruiz out of the way, Haye has to give Valuev a rematch, but not necessarily in the next fight. The door could be open for a major heavyweight championship fight between Haye and Wladimir Klitschko, who have tried to make a deal before. Haye backed out shortly before the fight last summer, claiming an injury nobody believed. Now, maybe the fight can happen, and if it does, it will be huge.





Ruiz, meanwhile, might have seen his career end. There was no controversy with this outcome like there had been with some previous bouts, which was what helped Ruiz keep getting title shots and title eliminators. If this is the end, Ruiz -- no matter what anyone thought of his often agonizing, unentertaining style -- can go out knowing he left it all in the ring against Haye. He didn't run or spend the entire fighting clutching and grabbing. He tried to mix it up but was simply outgunned by a faster, younger, fresher and better man. Ruiz, whose family is from Puerto Rico, was usually awful to watch, but nobody can take away the fact that he was the first Hispanic heavyweight titleholder after beating Evander Holyfield in a 2001 rematch and he never ducked any of the top fighters during his 18-year career.




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Saturday at Corpus Christi, Texas ​

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Featherweight
Miguel Angel "Mikey" Garcia TKO1 Tomas Villa
​

[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: Garcia, 21-0, 18 KOs; Villa, 22-7-4,14 KOs

​

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Rafael's remark: Mark it down: Garcia is going to win a world title. It's a matter of when, not if. Just 22, Garcia, of Oxnard, Calif., is blossoming before our eyes. The brother of former junior lightweight titleholder Robert Garcia (who is also his trainer) blew away the usually durable Villa, 26, of Midland, Texas, in stunningly easy fashion. He landed his punches with precision, and Villa never knew what hit him. Garcia scored two knockdowns with flush punches, and although Villa got to his feet, he had a vacant look in his eyes when referee Laurence Cole called it off just 67 seconds into the bout on "Top Rank Live." Garcia is a stud.
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Welterweight
Mike Alvarado KO2 Lenin Arroyo
​

[tr][td]Records: Alvarado, 27-0, 19 KOs; Arroyo, 20-12-1, 4 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Welcome back, Mike! Alvarado was one of Top Rank's rising prospects when he violated his probation last year and wound up incarcerated for five months of an 18-month sentence before being released. He came out in December and made his comeback after 11 months out of the ring in very impressive fashion. Alvarado, 29, of Denver, was sharp and simply destroyed Miami's Arroyo, 30, who is a journeyman to be sure but had never been stopped, including against big-punching hot prospect Mike Jones last summer. Alvarado easily dominated the first round and then pounded Arroyo out in the second round, hammering him with combinations and effective uppercuts. Arroyo, who lost his fifth in a row, was cut over his eye and finally went down under an accumulation of punches before referee Lee Rogers stopped it 42 seconds into the round.
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Junior middleweight
Omar Henry KO2 Orphuis Waite

​

[tr][td]Records: Henry, 9-0, 8 KOs; Waite, 5-1-1, 3 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Rafael's remark: For the second consecutive fight, Houston-based Chicago native Henry, 23, handed a previously unbeaten opponent his first loss. This time, the victim was Chicago's Waite, 28, who owned an amateur win against Henry but fell to his power punching in the pros. Henry has been a knockout machine in the early going of his pro career, many of them being of the highlight-reel variety. Henry, who attends junior college, fought just three weeks ago, notching a first-round knockout. Waite made it to the second round before Henry finished him -- his first knockout to come outside the first round.
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Friday at Uncasville, Conn. ​

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Welterweight
Delvin Rodriguez W12 Mike Arnaoutis
Scores: 119-108, 118-109, 117-110​

[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: Rodriguez, 25-4-2, 14 KOs; Arnaoutis, 22-5-2, 10 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Rafael's remark: This was a must-win fight for both guys. Rodriguez, 29, a native of the Dominican Republic living in Danbury, Conn., was coming in off back-to-back losses. In August, he dropped a split-decision for a vacant title to Isaac Hlatshwayo in their rematch. He then went to Poland in November, losing a highly controversial decision to Rafal Jackiewicz in a title eliminator. Greece native Arnaoutis, 30, a former junior welterweight title challenger living in Queens, N.Y., was moving up in weight after losing a controversial split decision to Tim Coleman in December. The fight began slowly, but Rodriguez, with a good jab, was in control in the early rounds of the "Friday Night Fights" main event. Rodriguez was far busier than Arnaoutis throughout the bout as he pressed the action more than the counter-puncher. The action heated up over the last few rounds and, in the 11th, a Rodriguez right hand opened a nasty cut over Arnaoutis' left eye to punctuate his clear victory. The punch statistics tell the tale: Rodriguez landed 143 of 902 punches while Arnaoutis landed just 77 of 395 blows. The win put Rodriguez back on track to another potential title bout or title eliminator, while Arnaoutis dropped his second in a row and third in his past four.
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Junior middleweight
Demetrius Andrade W6 Geoffrey Spruiell
Scores: 60-54 (three times)​

[tr][td]Records: Andrade, 10-0, 7 KOs; Spruiell, 8-9, 2 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Rafael's remark: The result of this fight was obvious when the contract was signed. Andrade, 22, of Providence, R.I., was a decorated amateur who won a 2007 world amateur championship and was on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team in Beijing. Spruiell, 36, was a journeyman who came into the bout having lost three of his past four fights, including one of them by second-round knockout. In other words, this was supposed to be an Andrade blowout. But somebody forgot to tell Spruiell, of Pueblo, Colo., that he was there to be road kill. Although he lost every round to the bigger, faster and better Andrade, Spruiell was game and gave it his all, which is all you can really ask for. Andrade remains a top prospect but a work in progress. Co-promoters Joe DeGuardia and Artie Pelullo, are moving him very slowly. He has feasted on woeful opposition, and there doesn't seem to be any desire yet to step the kid up. So we might see a few more of these sort of pure mismatches. What do they prove? No idea. It's fine if they want to keep matching Andrade so softly, but if that is the case, maybe it's time that his bouts aren't part of ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" and are instead relegated to off-TV status.
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Friday at Las Vegas​

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Junior middleweight
Erislandy Lara W10 Danny Perez
Scores: 99-91 (three times)​

[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: Lara, 11-0, 6 KOs; Perez, 34-7, 17 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Rafael's remark: Lara, a 2005 world amateur champion, is one of many recent Cuban defectors to arrive in the United States with pro aspirations. He would have been a heavy favorite to medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics but defected ahead of the Games. Now signed with Golden Boy and handled by managers Shelly Finkel and Luis DeCubas Jr., Lara is one of the top Cuban prospects and was picked to headline Golden Boy's first "ShoBox" card on Showtime. Lara, 26, who is based in Miami, boxed circles around Perez, 33, of Carlsbad, Calif., thoroughly dominating. Every round was essentially the same, as Lara, now trained by Ronnie Shields, just did his thing while the outclassed Perez followed him around the ring with no particular plan or ability to get to him. The only interesting aspect of the fight was how any of the judges could have given Perez a single round. It would have been nice to see the quicker Lara pick up the pace a little at some point and actually try for a knockout or at least try to make the fight a bit more entertaining than the snoozefest it was. Whatever you think of Lara's entertainment value, the guy is a superb technician. His handlers think he's ready to fight a serious opponent now or even challenge for a world title, but nobody is going to give him a chance just yet, and why should they? He's still unknown, and he brings no real money to the table. Most likely, they'll have to get him into a mandatory situation or overpay one of the titleholders to get into the ring with him. Perez, who lost twice to Antonio Margarito -- once in a 2002 welterweight title bout and in a 1999 bout in which he knocked Margarito down -- dropped his second in a row.
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Junior lightweight
Carlos Velasquez KO4 Ira Terry
​

[tr][td]Records: Velasquez, 12-0, 10 KOs; Terry, 24-3, 14 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Rafael's remark: Velasquez, 25, half of Puerto Rico's talented fighting twin brothers, returned from a nine-month layoff caused by a tendon injury in his hand to face late replacement Terry, 23, of Memphis. Terry filled in for Alejandro Perez, who pulled out five days before the fight because of his own hand injury. Velasquez looked rusty for the first round-plus before he found his rhythm and took it to Terry. He viciously attacked Terry's body and rocked him with combinations throughout the third round. Early in the fourth, he was pounding him again before landing a hard straight right hand that dropped Terry face first. He rolled over onto his back and was eventually counted out by referee Jay Nady 20 seconds into the round. Velasquez is a good-looking prospect who only needs more activity.
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Heavyweight
Deontay Wilder TKO1 Ty Cobb

​

[tr][td]Records: Wilder, 9-0, 9 KOs; Cobb, 7-2, 6 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Rafael's remark: Wilder is a work in progress to be sure, but utter mismatches like this don't seem to do him any good. Wilder, 24, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., needed a mere 33 seconds to wipe out Cobb, 34, the son of former heavyweight contender Randall "Tex" Cobb. One thing is for sure -- the son does not take a punch like his old man. They messed around with some jabs for a few seconds until Wilder unloaded a left hook that knocked Cobb flat on his back. He beat the count but staggered backward, and referee Jay Nady properly called it off. Wilder, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist -- America's only boxing medalist in Beijing -- scored his eighth consecutive first-round knockout after being taken into the second round in his pro debut. While Wilder's record is being padded, his level of competition has not improved one iota. He could have waxed Cobb, 35, of Amarillo, Texas, in his pro debut. Not sure what the point is. Wilder's handlers at Golden Boy and manager Shelly Finkel are not rushing him, which is a good thing, but there is such a thing as a small step up. Wilder is an imposing physical specimen at 6-foot-7 who is on a strength program to add weight to his 215-pound frame. One thing that was nice to see was that he scored the knockout with his left hand. Wilder's right is his money punch, but trainer Mark Breland is obviously working in the gym to make him a two-handed fighter. According to Finkel, Wilder might fight again in May but he is already scheduled for a fight June 12 in Alabama on a show that marks the first pro card in his home state since the recent creation of a state boxing commission (which was done in part so Wilder could fight at home).
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Welterweight
Cleotis Pendarvis TKO5 Hector Sanchez
​

[tr][td]Records: Pendarvis, 11-2-1, 4 KOs; Sanchez, 18-1, 8 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Rafael's remark: In the upset of the night, Pendarvis, 23, of Los Angeles, scored an out-of-nowhere knockout of Puerto Rico's Sanchez, 23, one of Golden Boy's prospects. Sanchez was fighting for the first time in a year since he outpointed former junior welterweight titlist DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley and was winning easily. He dropped Pendarvis twice in the first round, first with a body shot and later with a left to the temple. It was surprising to see Pendarvis survive the second round, considering how shaken up he was from the knockdowns, but Sanchez couldn't get rid of him. Still, he was cruising to the win when Pendarvis backed Sanchez near the ropes and cracked him with a right hand. Sanchez staggered to his feet but was wobbly, and referee Russell Mora called it off as Sanchez protested.
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[scott frost]

Eagle, much appreciated.

 

[eagle 0n]

Shane got tatt'd up

24/7 this Sat + B.A.D.

 

[dako akong otin]

Thanks for the link Eagle..
Shane's tats are pretty dope.

 

[proshares]

You think?  I dunno, look kinda lame to me.

This dude is ridiculous

Margarito won't apologize for wraps

LOS ANGELES -- Antonio Margarito became a welterweight champion by refusing to back down in the ring. He apparently sees no reason to start now, even when it might benefit his tarnished career.

Margarito defiantly claimed both innocence and ignorance when he finally spoke at length Tuesday about the glove-loading scandal early last year that led to the revocation of his California boxing license and a 16-month ring absence, which will end next month in Mexico.

Speaking vigorously in rapid-fire Spanish, Margarito said he sees no reason to apologize for the illegal hand wraps that led to his yearlong suspension because he never knew his former trainer, Javier Capetillo, was breaking any rules by using forbidden substances in the wraps.

"All these people that say things about me don't know me, don't know my history," Margarito said through a translator at the downtown Millennium Biltmore Hotel. "The way I box has always been clean. Nobody has a clear idea what happened that night, and now I'm going to show who I am."

Margarito repeatedly claimed he knew nothing about any irregular gauze pads inserted into his hand wraps for his fight against Sugar Shane Mosley in January 2009, and his camp has debated the very illegality of the substances. When Mosley's trainer objected to Capetillo's wraps, officials discovered the pads, which apparently were loaded with a substance resembling plaster.

Margarito's license subsequently was revoked for at least one year by the California State Athletic Commission, preventing him from fighting anywhere in the U.S.

If Margarito was simply acting in the famed downtown hotel where the Academy Awards were held for much of the 1930s and early 1940s, he gave a convincing performance.

"I didn't know what was on my hands," Margarito said. "I never had to deal with any of these things before, and now you're telling me I have to deal with it every time?"

Yet Margarito also said he didn't believe Capetillo intended to put illegal substances on his hands. The fighter's camp has suggested Capetillo accidentally used an old gauze pad that previously had been used in training.

Margarito has been roundly criticized by fans and fighters alike, with former opponents Miguel Cotto and Kermit Cintron both saying they wouldn't be surprised if Margarito had used loaded gloves when he beat them. Oscar De La Hoya also said Margarito shouldn't be allowed to return so quickly, a stance that prompted Margarito to suggest, "If [De La Hoya] wants to prove something to me, let's get in the ring and prove something."

"Every opponent can say that now," Margarito added. "Maybe even the fighters I fought in the amateurs are going to come up and say it."

Margarito is known for a heedless, headfirst fighting style in which he doesn't mind taking a punch to land two. His toughness led to wins over Cotto, Cintron and Joshua Clottey while establishing him as a fan favorite in Mexico, where the California-born fighter has lived in Tijuana since his infancy.

Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs) will fight Roberto Garcia (28-2, 21 KOs) in Aguascalientes, Mexico, on May 8. Within the following 48 hours, he plans to apply for a license in the state of his next fight, likely Texas.

"The biggest thing fighting in Mexico is for my father to see me fight for the first time as a professional," Margarito said of his father, who lives in Tijuana.

Promoter Bob Arum also is interested in matching Margarito against Manny Pacquiao if the pound-for-pound champion can't make a deal with Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Mosley, who will meet May 1 in Las Vegas. Top Rank filed an application in Texas to put Margarito on the undercard of Pacquiao's victory over Joshua Clottey in Cowboys Stadium last month, but Arum said he ran out of time to massage its approval.

"I don't think he has lost any fans," Arum said of Margarito. "I've been trained at the best law school in the country ... and one of the principles I've learned is you don't deprive a man of his livelihood without a shred of evidence. That is just wrong, and that is something I'll fight against as long as I'm able."

If Mosley beats Mayweather next month, he might not be able to fight Pacquiao immediately if Mayweather exercises a rematch clause, perhaps opening an opportunity for Pacquiao-Margarito.

Margarito eventually acknowledged the last-minute brouhaha might have affected his performance at Staples Center against Mosley, who stopped Margarito in the ninth round to claim the WBA title.

"I just worried about the time," Margarito said. "All I wanted was to get ready to fight. I never got a chance to really settle in and get ready for the fight. I had a bad night. I was not at my best. It happens in boxing."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Hopkins-Jones lives down to expectations

Your weekly random thoughts …
• I'm still in a little bit of a depression in the aftermath of the Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones Jr. rematch last week. What a foul fight week and a sad, sad scene in Las Vegas, where Mandalay Bay felt more like a funeral home than a big-fight site.

I went because it's my job to cover boxing and out of respect for Hopkins and Jones, all-time greats who I have covered for years. I wanted to see, for better or worse, how their rivalry would end. It turned out to be worse, with a week that ended appropriately, I guess, when my flight home on Sunday was delayed for more than two hours. (Hey, at least I had the upgrade.)

Although I didn't particularly like the idea of the rematch at this stage of their careers, especially after Jones got blown out in one round by Danny Green in December, duty called. I felt like a pool reporter during the week because there were no other mainstream reporters or columnists there until a few guys showed up the day before the fight. Had the fight taken place a few years ago, it would have been a huge event. Instead, it was a disaster in every conceivable way.

Wednesday's final news conference was pathetic. There were a few cameras and no other legitimate media members whom I noticed. The way these things work following the formal program is for the cameras to occupy one fighter while the Internet and print guys talk to the other guy. In this case, a couple of cameras went over to Jones and I went to Hopkins. These things are usually like a cattle call. But when I walked up to Hopkins, I was alone. An exclusive at a news conference? Never seen anything like it before. It was odd. Even Hopkins seemed a little surprised.

The media center had the look of a big fight all the way down to the requisite banners, but inside, it was desolate, almost spooky-empty. Other than a few people working for the promoters and distributor HBO PPV, the place was a morgue. I could have laid down in the middle of the floor and nobody would have come close to touching me.

On Thursday morning, I attended the undercard news conference. It made the main-event news conference look like a megafight. I counted 28 people there besides those on the dais, and most of them were related to the promotion. I think there were two cameras. As each promoter or fighter came to the microphone, I kept asking myself, "Who are these people talking to?"

And on fight night, the arena never filled up, never had an electric feel -- even with tons of free or deeply discounted tickets available. Ultimately, the Hopkins-Jones main event, for which I had very low expectations, turned out to be worse than expected.

Jones proved that he has absolutely nothing left. Hopkins has more left, but not much. They both ended up in the hospital after a foul-filled abomination (one, by the way, that referee Tony Weeks did a tremendous job of handling).

There was an abject rejection of the event by fans and media, and Jones and Hopkins have only themselves to blame, because it was their own egos and greed that prevented the fight from happening when people would have actually given a damn.

The pay-per-view, up against the Final Four and on Easter weekend, most likely tanked. Those I've talked to behind the scenes tell me it likely will do a little more than 100,000 buys. If that's the case, Jones won't make a dime because of the horrific deal structure he agreed to, one that gives the Hopkins side the first $3.5 million of revenue after expenses.

There may not be even a "first" $3.5 million, but at least Hopkins got a guarantee from Golden Boy of $750,000, which is the figure that was on his Nevada bout contract.

Jones' bout contract listed no purse because of the deal structure. It is maybe the single worst business deal I've ever seen a fighter make, other than when Hasim Rahman turned down something like $16 million and multiple guaranteed comeback fights from HBO for the Lennox Lewis rematch to instead sign with Don King -- and still wound up fighting a court-ordered rematch with Lewis for less money.

After Hopkins-Jones mercifully ended, it seemed only appropriate that there was no postfight news conference for the main event, since both guys were in the hospital.

What else was there to say?

• Here's something I think the Fight Freaks will find pretty interesting: I heard from multiple sources that junior welterweight titlist Tim Bradley will not face Luis Carlos Abregu in a nontitle welterweight bout June 19 on HBO. Instead, I'm told the sides are busy at work trying to make a Bradley title defense against the exciting Marcos Maidana, who looked great on HBO two weeks ago. That's a tremendous fight in boxing's deepest division. Let's hope they can get it done.

• Had a chance to talk to Antonio Tarver last Friday in Vegas, where I attended the "ShoBox" card Tarver was working as a broadcaster (at which he has become very good). Tarver predicted a Hopkins win and said he wanted a rematch with him next. Thankfully, you can't always get what you want.

• There were three positives about the Hopkins-Jones card: 1) I thought Sergio Mora looked very good, especially considering he hadn't fought for 19 months; 2) I thought light heavyweight prospect Ismayl Sillakh showed promise; 3) it's always fun to see a heralded prospect -- Frankie Gomez in this case -- make his professional debut. It gives you hope for the future.

• Memo to Demetrius Andrade: Tell me I'm the best!

• If Joan Guzman signed to fight Jose Luis Castillo at welterweight, would they both weigh in as middleweights?

• Who throws fewer punches? Arthur Abraham, Joshua Clottey or Rocky Juarez?

• I'm still getting comments from dopes who believe Andre Dirrell was acting when he was hit by Abraham while on the canvas after slipping in the 11th round of their Super Six fight. Even Super Six participants Mikkel Kessler and Allan Green have said they thought he was acting. First off, why in the world would Dirrell act? He was winning the fight easily and didn't need a DQ to get the victory. And maybe you missed the postfight coverage in which Dirrell was clearly out of it and the Michigan ringside doctor was concerned about a brain bleed. That is not a joking matter. Fortunately, Dirrell is OK, but fighters and supposed fight fans who question him should be ashamed of themselves.

• It was disappointing to hear Joe Calzaghe's admission that he has used cocaine since his retirement in part because he was having a hard time dealing with his career being over. You know it's just a matter of time until he fights again, especially with Golden Boy so interested in promoting another fight for him.

• I've never been a fan of watching John Ruiz fight, although on a personal level I've always liked the guy. Despite the massive criticism heaped on him by fans and media for his often unwatchable style, he usually has been a good sport about it. And at least when it came down to what was likely his last title opportunity, which came last week against David Haye, Ruiz fought like a man. Although he suffered four knockdowns and was eventually stopped in the ninth round, he put up the best fight he could and didn't hold the whole fight. If he retires, which is possible, he's got nothing to be ashamed of. Against all odds, he won two heavyweight belts, fought several major fights and made good money. I think Ruiz got more out of less talent than just about any fighter I've ever covered, and I mean that as a compliment.

• I was impressed with the way Haye fought Ruiz, but I still believe he would lose to either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko.

• Hopefully, Edwin Valero will get his life under control before something really bad happens.

• In case you missed it (and if you care), former heavyweight champ Rahman, fighting for the first time since he was destroyed by Wladimir Klitschko in December 2008, scored a first-round knockout of Clinton Boldridge (9-16-1) in Kansas City, Mo., on March 26. How could that sick mismatch have been approved? The 43-year-old Boldridge has been stopped in all of his losses. The match was tantamount to consumer fraud if you bought a ticket. Now Rahman, whom I ran into at Hopkins-Jones, said he may fight old rival David Tua for the third time this summer. This is what the heavyweight division has come to.

• Way to go, Duke! I've been a Duke basketball fan since the mid-1980s, so Monday night was special to see the Blue Devils and coach Mike Krzyzewski rack up national title No. 4 against an outstanding Butler team. That was a truly great game and it was sweet to watch Duke win the title in a season in which it was not expected. Can't wait to go shopping for my national championship hat.

• DVD pick of the week: Got a disc from a friend of mine of a fight he promised would be worth watching. He was right. It was Oct. 19, 1985, in Monte Carlo, where Chicago's Lee Roy Murphy made the second defense of his cruiserweight belt against Zambia's Chisanda Mutti. Damn, what a fight! The fighters slugged it out in a terrific battle, but the ending was what makes it a classic. In a scene almost identical to the conclusion of "Rocky II," they both connected with hard shots in the 12th round (the bout was scheduled for 15) and went down on a legitimate double knockdown. Referee Larry Hazzard was counting them both, but Murphy made it to his feet while Mutti was counted out.

 

3. David Haye (24-1)

In his first defense, England's Haye drew more than 20,000 to watch him drop former titleholder John Ruiz four times en route to an impressive ninth-round TKO victory on April 3. Bring on one of the Klitschko brothers next -- and this time, no backing out once there is a deal, like Haye did the past two times.
Next: TBA.


5. Samuel Peter (34-3)

For a change, Peter was in sensational condition as he destroyed Nagy Aguilera, who was coming off a first-round upset knockout of ex-titlist Oleg Maskaev, in two rounds in a March 12 title eliminator. The win puts Peter in the hunt for a shot at Wladimir Klitschko, who owns a 2005 points win against Peter despite being knocked down three times.
Next: TBA.


8. Ruslan Chagaev (25-1-1)

Chagaev is ready to return after taking a beating from Wladimir Klitschko in a title bout last summer. He'll face Australia's Kali Meehan (35-3) in a title eliminator after Chagaev's handlers at Universum made a deal with Meehan promoter Don King for the mandatory fight.
Next: May 22 vs. Meehan.


1. Steve Cunningham (22-2)

Cunningham was supposed to face Matt Godfrey for a vacant belt March 26 on ESPN2. Ultimately, the bout was canceled when Godfrey refused to take the fight after it had been off for two days and then immediately rescheduled. Cunningham, finally free from promoter Don King after the expiration of his contract March 28, likely will face Troy Ross for the vacant belt instead.
Next: TBA.


6. Tavoris Cloud (20-0)

There's a chance Cloud's overdue mandatory defense against Glen Johnson could come in early August on the HBO undercard of junior welterweight titleholder Devon Alexander's next bout.
Next: TBA vs. Johnson.


4. Andre Dirrell (19-1)

In his second bout of the Super Six tournament, Dirrell rebounded from a split-decision loss to Froch and was masterful for 10-plus rounds against Arthur Abraham on March 27. He had easily outboxed a surprisingly passive Abraham and knocked him down for the first time in his career before Abraham was properly disqualified in the 11th round for crushing Dirrell with a blow while Dirrell was down after a slip to the canvas. Hopefully, Dirrell can recover physically and mentally from the heinous foul.
Next: TBA vs. Ward.


7. Arthur Abraham (31-1)

Abraham was barely throwing any punches, had been knocked down for the first time in his career and was on his way to a lopsided decision loss when he blatantly hit Dirrell while he was down in a corner after having slipped during the 11th round of their March 27 Super Six fight. The result was a well-deserved Abraham disqualification.
Next: TBA vs. Froch.


10. Sakio Bika (28-3-2)

Bika is set to face Jesse Brinkley (35-5) on ESPN2 in Quebec City, Quebec. The winner becomes the mandatory challenger for the winner of Bute-Miranda, after InterBox won the purse bid for the title eliminator.
Next: May 28 vs. Brinkley.


9. Winky Wright (51-5-1)

The former undisputed junior middleweight champ has gone almost a year without a fight, but he could face former junior middleweight titlist Sergio Mora on a July 10 pay-per-view card headlined by a rematch between lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez and former titlist Juan Diaz.
Next: TBA.


2. Sergei Dzinziruk (36-0)

The titleholder from Ukraine, who recently signed a co-promotional agreement with American promoters Artie Pelullo and Gary Shaw, is headed for the United States and will defend his title on "ShoBox" against Sherzod Husanov (14-0-1) of Uzbekistan.
Next: May 14 vs. Husanov


4. Kermit Cintron (32-2-1)

The former welterweight titlist will face Paul Williams on HBO. What a tremendous opportunity for Cintron against a significant opponent. Should be a pretty good fight.
Next: May 8 vs. Williams.

5. Alfredo "Perro" Angulo (17-1)

The always entertaining Angulo will be back on HBO against Joel "Love Child" Julio (35-3) on the undercard of heavyweight Cristobal Arreola's fight with Tomasz Adamek.
Next: April 24 vs. Julio.


4. Miguel Cotto (34-2)

In preparation for a move up to junior middleweight and a challenge of titleholder Yuri Foreman at Yankee Stadium, Cotto fired inexperienced trainer Joe Santiago and hired Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward. Who knows if Cotto can ever regain his old form, but whatever he has left, the great Steward will get the most out of him.


6. Luis Collazo (30-4)

Collazo could find himself traveling to Europe to face Selcuk Aydin for a vacant interim title after Aydin's promoter won the purse bid.
Next: TBA.


2. Devon Alexander (20-0)

Alexander looked spectacular knocking out Juan Urango in the eighth round to unify titles on March 6 in his HBO debut. The sky is the limit for the rising St. Louis star, who probably will return to fight in his hometown in early August. If HBO has its way, he'll face either Zab Judah or Marcos Maidana.
Next: TBA.


2. Edwin Valero (27-0)

Venezuela's Valero stopped Antonio DeMarco in the ninth round Feb. 6 to retain a belt, but he gave it up in anticipation of moving up in weight. However, we probably won't see Valero for awhile. He has serious problems in his native Venezuela, where he allegedly severely beat his wife, admitted to an alcohol problem and was sent to a psychiatric hospital for six months by a judge.
Next: TBA.


5. Joel Casamayor (37-4-1)

The 38-year-old former two-division champ ended a 14-month layoff by outpointing journeyman Jason Davis in a November welterweight bout, and it doesn't look as though he'll be returning to lightweight. There has been some talk of a junior welterweight bout between Casamayor and former 140-pound titlist Vivian Harris.
Next: TBA.


8. Humberto Soto (51-7-2)

Soto's first title defense of the vacant belt he won March 13 against Diaz will come in his hometown of Los Mochis, Mexico, against Ricardo Dominguez (31-5-2) on "Top Rank Live." According to Top Rank's Bob Arum, if Soto wins, his mandatory defense against Anthony Peterson will come July 24 on an HBO card headlined by featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Next: May 15 vs. Dominguez.


1. Robert Guerrero (25-1-1)

With his wife seriously ill, Guerrero withdrew from a March 27 HBO fight against interim lightweight titlist Michael Katsidis and vacated his junior lightweight belt. Now that his wife is doing better, Guerrero will return at lightweight to headline the first card on the return of Telefutura's "Solo Boxeo Tecate" against Roberto Arrieta (34-15-4).
Next: April 30 vs. Arrieta.


2. Juan Manuel Lopez (28-0)

According to Top Rank's Bob Arum, Lopez's first featherweight title defense will be July 10 on Showtime in his native Puerto Rico. Likely opponent: Bernabe Concepcion of the Philippines, who defeated Mario Santiago in a de facto box-off for the title shot.
Next: TBA.


10. Daniel Ponce De Leon (38-2)

The big puncher from Mexico has won four fights in a row, including a third-round knockout of Orlando Cruz in February, since Juan Manuel Lopez knocked him out to claim a junior featherweight title in June 2008. Ponce De Leon is close to a title shot in his new weight class.
Next: TBA.


1. Celestino Caballero (33-2)


Thanks to Tavoris Cloud pulling out of a light heavyweight title defense on the Andre Berto-Carlos Quintana HBO undercard, Caballero will get a long-awaited opportunity on the network. The junior featherweight titlist is moving up to featherweight and will challenge very tough Daud Yordan (25-0) for a vacant interim belt. The winner will be in position to make a major fight with Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Next: April 10 vs. Yordan.


1. Hozumi Hasegawa (28-2)


It was surprising the fight was made, but hard-core fans should be tickled that Japan's Hasegawa will face Fernando Montiel in a quasi-unification fight. If Hasegawa wins, he will not claim Montiel's title because Japanese regulators do not recognize the WBO belt that Montiel holds. However, if Montiel wins, he would add Hasegawa's WBC title. But who cares about all that? It's just a darn good fight.

Next: April 30 vs. Montiel.


2. Nonito Donaire (23-1)

Donaire blew away outgunned and smaller late substitute Manuel Vargas in three rounds on Feb. 13 to set up a bigger fight this summer. Top Rank (Donaire's promoter) and Gary Shaw (who promotes Darchinyan) are in talks to finalize an Aug. 7 rematch on Showtime.
Next: TBA.

 

[sir rob a lot]

xxxoverridexxx wrote:

---

I have not seen one good fight in boxing in a long time and I watch thoe super six, friday day night fights, all the hbo fights.

Get the F outta here and don't ever come back into this thread! You don't follow boxing.  2009 was a GREAT year in our sport and that Antonio Escelante FNF bout was EPIC.  But if a good fight MUST include mounts... then you're right boxing hasn't had much...

Maidana/Timmy? LETS GET IT!!!!

 Shane is trying too hard with them tats.

 

[scott frost]

Shane with the mid-life crisis tats.

 

[mextra45]

I wonder why Shane got the Aztec /Olemec warrior tatts just seems weird you waited til you where 38 to get inked up .

Bradley -Maidana thats should be fun

 

[proshares]

Some more BS

[h3]

[h3]WBC bullies trying to shaft Alexanderhttp://espn.go.com/sports/boxing/bl...id/5064230/wbc-bullies-trying-shaft-alexander[/h3]
April, 7, 2010
Apr 7

3:27

PM ET


The WBC and its president-for-life, Jose Sulaiman, are nothing more than a bunch of greedy bullies whose recent actions illustrate my longstanding assessment to a tee.





As for the bullying nature of the organization, the WBC seems to think it runs boxing and that it can call the shots -- that it can force any fighter in its rankings or a holder of one its titles to bow down and kiss the ring whenever Sulaiman snaps his greedy little fingers.





Recently, Sulaiman sent a letter via e-mail to unified junior welterweight titleholder Devon Alexander. Copied on the letter, which I got a copy of, were WBC executive Mauricio Sulaiman (Jose's son and chief excuse maker), Don King (Alexander's promoter), and Dana Jamison (King's top lieutenant).





Was it a letter congratulating Alexander on his outstanding knockout win against Juan Urango to unify titles March 6? No.





Was it a letter complimenting Alexander for being a role model, a credit to boxing and one of the most humble, respectful young men you will ever meet? Nope.





Instead it was a letter threatening Alexander's status as WBC 140-pound titleholder. Alexander's transgression? He had the audacity to say that he would like to face WBO titleholder Timothy Bradley Jr., whom many regard as the best junior welterweight in the world not named Devon Alexander.





In his letter, Sulaiman wrote, "I read today in the papers that you want to fight Timothy Bradley for the WBO championship. I appreciate the information and I kindly ask you to immediately present the resignation to the WBC championship, as it seems that our organization is not up to your stature as a boxer. The WBC green and gold belt has been the dream of many boxers in the world, but apparently it is not yours. I will be waiting for your resignation and may you have good luck in your fight."





Have you ever read something so arrogant and, frankly, delusional in your life? Let me see if I have this straight: Alexander, one of the finest fighters in the world, wants to fight another top fighter and Sulaiman takes offense? Let me tell you what I take offense to: that Sulaiman tarnishes boxing on almost a daily basis with his nonsense and by regularly forcing terrible mandatory fights and working against great matchups, like a Bradley-Alexander fight would be. Who the hell does he think he is?





Kevin Cunningham, Alexander's manager and underrated trainer, was about as stunned as I was when he read the garbage from Sulaiman.





"Devon is calling out Bradley because Bradley and Devon are considered the two best junior welterweights in the world and because that's the fight fans want to see to determine who is the best junior welterweight in the world," said Cunningham, who was disgusted by the letter and said Alexander has no intention of giving up his title.





If the WBC wants the belt back, it will have to strip Alexander and then prepare for a lawsuit. I actually hope the WBC goes for it and strips Alexander, because he would win his lawsuit and hopefully put the miserable organization out of business once and for all.





The Sulaimans did not respond to a request through their publicist for a comment.





"I've never heard of anything like this in my 45 years of living -- that a sanctioning body would want to strip its champion because he wants to fight of the best fighters out there," Cunningham said. "It's not like we are trying to avoid a mandatory. We have no problem making our mandatory when it is due. To get a letter like this is insane. How do you tell a guy to resign his title when he did nothing wrong? This sanctioning body is asking the kid to resign his title because he said he wants to fight the best guys out there? Are you [expletive] kidding me?"





I wish Sulaiman was.





Now onto the topic of the WBC's blatant and unending greed. I laughed out loud when I read a missive from Sulaiman expressing "concern" for the way sanctioning bodies use interim titles "when they should be used strictly when a champion leaves a title inactive for medical or legal problems."





The WBC, of course, is historically the worst offender in the business this side of the WBA when it comes to approving interim belts for no apparent reason. However, Sulaiman forgot to mention that he is responsible for the WBC's insane reliance on interim belts as a revenue stream.





In any event, Sulaiman said he would recommend to his puppet group of WBC governors at the annual convention in November that they institute the WBC "silver title," which would be a "substitution of an interim championship that does not represent a real title, when it is approved only for a fight without real significance."





In other words, every fight should have some dumb belt attached to it because he thinks it somehow helps the sport. Of course, the real reason is so Sulaiman can use the fees to line the WBC coffers and his own bank account because there are too many promoters, managers and fighters out there who want to keep Sulaiman happy, so they go along with what is, in essence, extortion.





I loved how Sulaiman tried to justify the invention of another bogus title by saying "ways must be found to keep the interest of boxing fans in the world, who are depending on reform that the WBC has been doing for three decades."





What an absolute joke. The WBC, with so many reprehensible rulings, worthless forced mandatory fights and numerous approved mismatches, is responsible for much of boxing's downfall over the past two decades. Adding a silver belt, like it tried to add the diamond belt for catch weight fights, is more of the same old money grab.





Here's an idea for Sulaiman, one which I will give him for free and not charge a sanction fee: How about he strip Alexander, offer him a silver belt replacement and then crawl under a rock.

[/h3]

 

[proshares]

Back forces Rigondeaux to withdraw


Junior featherweight Guillermo Rigondeaux, a two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist who defected last year and is one of boxing's top prospects, injured his back and withdrew Wednesday from his fight on Saturday night.

Rigondeaux (5-0, 4 KOs) was scheduled to face experienced Reynaldo Lopez (30-7-3, 21 KOs) of Colombia at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., on the undercard of the Andre Berto-Carlos Quintana welterweight title bout. HBO, which is televising, was slated to air highlights of Rigondeaux's bout, which is unusual for a fighter with so little pro experience.

However, Rigondeaux, citing a sore back after some rough sparring with a welterweight, pulled out, show promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN.com.

"He said he hurt his back. What can I tell you? He pulled out," DiBella said.

However, Rigondeaux (5-0, 4 KOs) is also changing trainers, which may be part of the reason for his withdrawal, although his promoter, Luis DeCubas, said the injury was legitimate.

There was a lot of hype surrounding Rigondeaux's pairing with trainer Freddie Roach last summer. After working out with Rigondeaux for the first time, Roach compared the feeling he got working with him to the way he felt when he first worked out with Manny Pacquiao, who went on to become the pound-for-pound king. But now Rigondeaux and Roach have split, DeCubas told ESPN.com.

"His feeling is he's a two-time gold medal winner and he went all the way out there and felt there were too many fighters in the gym," DeCubas said of Roach's Wild Card gym in Hollywood, Calif. "Nobody was picking him up in the morning to run and he felt he should have been sparring with lighter guys, not 150-pounders. He wasn't getting enough attention from Freddie. He's very disappointed."

Roach, however, was unhappy with Rigondeaux's conditioning and didn't want him to fight Saturday, according to a source close to the trainer.

DeCubas said Rigondeaux is back in Miami, where he is based, looking for a trainer.

Dan Rafael is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

 

[bigmike23]

good move by him, he needs a trainer to help him 1 on 1. roach has a million people in that gym and only helps manny 1 on 1

 

[scott frost]

Was reading that boxing roundtable article on cnnsi.com and it made mention of Nonito v. Vic on August 7 being close to a done deal.

 

[bigmike23]

BoxingScene.com has been advised by several strong sources that an agreement was reached for Timothy Bradley (25-0, 11KOS) to defend his WBO junior welterweight title against Marcos Maidana (28-1, 27KOs), the WBA's interim-champion, on June 19 with HBO televising. The venue is being finalized and should be revealed in the next couple of days.

Bradley was originally scheduled to make his HBO debut against Luis Carlos Abregu in a welterweight contest, and Maidana appeared to be on course for a showdown with WBC champion Devon Alexander in August. Golden Boy Promotions and Bradley's promoter Gary Shaw were unavailable for comment.