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

[bigmike23]

if PW doesnt fight Sergio... then give me Sergio VS cotto at 154

 

[bigmike23]

TEAM MAYWEATHER STATEMENT
Leonard Ellerbe, Advisor, Floyd Mayweather
“Here are the facts. Al Haymon, Richard Schaefer and myself speak to each other on a regular basis and the truth is no negotiations have ever taken place nor was there ever a deal agreed upon by Team Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao on November 13. Either Ross Greenburg or Bob Arum is not telling the truth, but history tells us who is lying.

 

[bigmike23]

The most significant news to come out of Bob Arum’s bizarre 3-in-the-morning conference call on Saturday, that essentially announced nothing, was when Arum confirmed what many in the boxing industry suspected was already occurring: As best he can, he’s going to keep all of his fights in-house.

That means he isn’t going to match Manny Pacquiao, his star attraction, against Timothy Bradley, who is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, or Paul Williams, who is with Goossen Tutor Promotions. Both are ranked in the pound-for-pound Top 10 and have combined to win 65 of the 66 professional matches they have fought.

More From Kevin Iole

• Boxing's superfight highly unlikely in 2010 Jul 17, 2010
• Bradley battles way to top Jul 13, 2010

No matter, though, Arum said in his middle-of-the-night conference call to report nothing. There will be, he insisted, “no free rides

 

[bigmike23]

DP

YUKU SUCKS

 

[proshares]

1. Chad Dawson (29-0)

In preparation for his HBO showdown with titleholder Jean Pascal in Montreal, Dawson apparently is already in terrific condition. At a mandatory weigh-in 30 days before the fight, Dawson was 177 pounds -- just two above the limit when he could have weighed as much as 192½ under the WBC's rules. As he does for all of his fights, Dawson is clearly taking this one seriously. Pascal wasn't far off at 181 pounds.
Next: Aug. 14 vs. Pascal


4. Alfredo "Perro" Angulo (19-1)

Angulo, whose only loss is to Cintron, destroyed former titleholder Joachim Alcine in the first round in an impressive performance on HBO on July 17. There's a little chatter about a possible shot at middleweight champ Sergio Martinez coming next, although a fight with Miguel Cotto sounds like a lot more fun, doesn't it?
Next: TBA


1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0)

Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, said negotiations for a fight with Manny Pacquiao never took place, which is the opposite of what Pacquiao's camp said. The fighter needs to come out publicly and address the situation, because right now he looks like the one ducking and dodging Pacquiao.
Next: TBA


4. Marcos Maidana (28-1)

Argentina's big-punching Maidana looked great knocking out Victor Cayo on HBO on March 27, but issues with his management messed up a planned summer fight with Bradley. Maidana, who seemingly has worked out the issues, plans to return to defend his belt at home in Argentina against former titlist DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley (37-13-1).
Next: Aug. 28 vs. Corley

 

[proshares]

I'm not entirely sure what to make of the whole Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. negotiations/non-negotiations thing. All I do know is that I have lost sleep over it, which is what a 3 a.m. Saturday conference call with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum will do.

Arum has insisted over and over that he was negotiating a deal with Mayweather adviser Al Haymon, with whom he has a horrific relationship, using HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg as an intermediary. Arum swears by it. He said it to me before the conference call. He said it on the conference call to the world media. He said it to me and others in separate interviews after the call.

Arum has a long history of playing fast and loose with the truth, which is nothing new to anyone who follows or covers boxing. But this would be an all-time whopper. If he is lying, it means he not only threw Greenburg under the bus, it means Arum was the bus driver.

Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's other adviser and the one who speaks for him publicly -- because Haymon fears the media more than Mayweather apparently fears Pacquiao -- insists no negotiations ever took place.

Ellerbe put out a statement, the only official word we've heard from Team Mayweather during this whole childish saga. The statement read, "Here are the facts. Al Haymon, Richard Schaefer and myself speak to each other on a regular basis, and the truth is no negotiations have ever taken place nor was there ever a deal agreed upon by Team Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao on November 13. Either Ross Greenburg or Bob Arum is not telling the truth, but history tells us who is lying."

I've known Ellerbe for a long time. As far as I can tell, he's not the lying type, although he still owes me dinner.

I don't know who to believe in this case.

It seems almost inconceivable that throughout the past couple of months, when it appeared negotiations were taking place, that nobody from the Mayweather side would simply shoot it down when asked about it point blank.

Hey, if Mayweather wasn't interested in the November fight, for whatever reason, so be it. But come clean instead of holding the boxing world hostage again. Don't lead everybody on and get fans' hopes up. Mayweather doesn't owe boxing anything, but he does owes all of us who have put millions in his pocket by buying his pay-per-views at least a little common courtesy.

Schaefer, the Golden Boy CEO who has promoted Mayweather's last several fights, has been one of the chief game players if there really were no talks, because he absolutely made it seem clear that talks were going on, time and again. Why else would he talk about a so-called "gag order" in discussing negotiations publicly?

I'd ask him about it and he'd say stuff like, "talking about the negotiations isn't going to help get the fight made, so I'm not going to talk about them." He'd say stuff like, "Come on, stop asking me about the negotiations. You know I am not going to talk about them."

This happened multiple times per week during the past couple of months. I'd call him, not even about Mayweather, and he would say "no comment" and start laughing before I could even ask him anything, because the whole thing had become so ridiculous. But make no mistake: He absolutely led all of us to believe there were discussions taking place, and that was before Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya went on national television a couple of weeks ago and said the fight was indeed close to being made.

So when De La Hoya is out there acknowledging talks and Schaefer is using phrases like "the negotiations" or "talk about them," he very clearly implied that talks were ongoing, even if he didn't want to get in to specifics. But why play games? If they weren't going on, then Schaefer was as disingenious as Arum, if Arum is lying.

And why would Ellerbe wait until three days after Arum's insane conference call (which Ellerbe contends was to announce that the deadline had passed for negotiations that were nonexistent)? Isn't that like closing the barn door after the horse ran away?

By putting out a statement after the fact, Ellerbe strains the credibility of the remarks, because the Mayweather camp could have nipped this in the bud two months ago instead of playing us all for chumps.

Ellerbe also called out Greenburg in his statement, saying that either he or Arum was lying. The reason is because Arum said Greenburg had steadfastly reported back to him his coversations with Haymon about the deal while Greenburg was supposedly delivering Arum's messages to Haymon.

Greenburg knows the truth. Unless Greenburg was lying to Arum about having discussions with Haymon, Greenburg knows if he was an intermediary for real talks. Yet Greenburg won't speak up, declining comment to me through e-mail and then again through HBO spokesman Ray Stallone.

Is Greenburg really going to sit there and allow Arum to continually put him at the center of a massive controversy? Will he remain silent while Ellerbe publicly questions his integrity? Greenburg doesn't have to divulge secret details, but why not address it? Either Greenburg was negotiating a deal as an intermediary or he wasn't. The Pacquiao and Mayweather camps have spoken. Now it would be nice to know what Greenburg knows, and who is telling the truth.

 

[proshares]

Your weekly random thoughts …

• This is becoming the year that will be known more for the big fights that aren't happening than the ones that are, which is depressing.

Obviously, we can start with the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. mess. It is ridiculous that the fight is not happening this year, after all the water already under the bridge. Instead, it appears as though Mayweather will sit out (and hopefully use his time off to take care of his tax bills) while Pacquiao will fight Nov. 13. Unfortunately, it looks like he will be in a fight few really want to see, against Antonio Margarito or a rematch with Miguel Cotto. How can Pacquiao even get up for either of those fights? How can trainer Freddie Roach? How can fight fans? How can the media? Whichever side you blame, it's a travesty that Pacquiao-Mayweather has not been made yet.

But beyond that, there are other fights fans and media want to see that aren't being made.

Where is Wladimir Klitschko-"Ducker" David Haye? Klitschko is ready, willing and able, but Haye, after two years of calling him out, is probably off watching his favorite movie: "The Invisible Man," of course. He is simply avoiding Klitschko and his brother, Vitali Klitschko, at all costs.

Andre Berto and Shane Mosley agreed to fight in January, but it was called off at the last minute because of Berto's family tragedy in the earthquake in Haiti. Ultimately, Mosley fought Mayweather and lost, but a lot of folks would still like to see Berto tested against him. Yet when the fight got close again for the fall, it fell apart over greed. What do we get in its place? Berto has nothing locked in for the fall, or anything even close, and Mosley is fighting Sergio Mora, on pay-per-view no less, in a fight there is zero public demand for.

I'm still hopeful that we'll see Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez II, but the Williams side isn't making it easy, even though HBO is pressing as hard as it can. The Williams camp keeps insisting Williams will go down to welterweight for some phantom big fight that doesn't exist. From what I'm told, the only way Williams will consider Martinez is if he gets more than 50 percent of the money, which he doesn't deserve. It sounds more like his side just doesn't want the fight.

Top Rank's Bob Arum and Gary Shaw can't work out the Nonito Donaire-Vic Darchinyan rematch either.

Sure, we'll probably eventually get major fights between Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander at junior welterweight and the featherweight summit meeting between Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa as long as they all continue to win, but neither of those bouts will happen this year.

At least we have Showtime's Super Six tournament to provide us with the high-quality Andre Ward-Andre Dirrell matchup on Sept. 25 and the Aug. 14 HBO fight between light heavyweight titlist Jean Pascal and Chad Dawson, which is a very underrated matchup. But there are simply too many important fights that the fans want to see that are not being made.

• While we aren't getting Donaire-Darchinyan II, at least we might get Fernando Montiel against Donaire in the fall. The prelims are over. Donaire smashed Hernan Marquez two weeks ago. Last week, Montiel retained his bantamweight belts with a crushing knockout of Rafael Concepcion. Now I want to see them fight each other, and I hope Top Rank isn't just playing games when it says it's trying to make the fight. It's a darn good one.

• You know what I look forward to? Sunday, May 8, 2011; say about noon PT. That, hopefully, is when I'll be settling into my seat for the flight home from Las Vegas (with the upgrade) after the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight the night before. And then all this madness will finally be over.

• I was sent a hilarious e-mail that contained a post from the ESPN.com boxing message board in which the writer listed the top five people who didn't know about the Pacquiao-Mayweather negotiations. I'm still cracking up. Drum roll, please …

1. Amish people
2. The Taliban forces
3. Buddhist monks
4. Nuns
5. Leonard Ellerbe

• I watched the video of cruiserweight contender Danny Green's 29-second knockout of Paul Briggs from Wednesday in Perth, Australia, and it was the worst tank job I've seen since Bruce Seldon laid down against Mike Tyson without getting hit by a legitimate punch in 1996. Briggs -- who went the distance in two brutal wars with Tomasz Adamek -- literally did not get hit with a punch, yet went to his knees and stayed down for 10 after being grazed by a lazy jab. It was absolutely pathetic. According to Australian media reports, Briggs checked out fine at the hospital afterward. Media reports also said there was an unusual amount of betting action on Green winning by first-round knockout. If you're going to throw a fight, wouldn't you at least at make look decent?

• HBO has been heavily criticized in some quarters -- including by me -- for paying Golden Boy $750,000 for the Victor Ortiz-Nate Campbell fight May 15. To me, it was akin to the Pentagon spending $5,000 for a toilet seat, especially since Golden Boy paid less than half of the total to the fighters. But HBO, which is not responsible for negotiating purses with the fighters -- that's between the fighters, their managers and promoters -- believes it was money well-spent. Going into the fight, HBO expected the combination of a high-quality main event between Amir Khan and Paulie Malignaggi in New York with an undercard featuring Ortiz -- who has a following on the West Coast -- against a name opponent such as Campbell to translate into a big night for the network. Based on the outcome, HBO was right, because Ortiz-Campbell delivered the third-highest rating for a bout this year (so far) on HBO. I was told that it generated a 2.9 rating, ranking it a sliver higher than the 2.8 generated by the much more expensive Martinez-Kelly Pavlik fight in April. The only fights to beat Ortiz-Campbell so far this year? The Khan-Malignaggi main event, which did a 3.0 and Cotto-Yuri Foreman from Yankee Stadium, which did slightly higher.

• Keepin' it real: As thrilled as I was when Golden Boy brought boxing back to Telefutura in April with the unyielding support of Tecate, the most important sponsor in boxing, the fights have routinely been weak so far. Week after week, it's a prospect wiping out an opponent with almost no chance to win. It's getting old and boring. Can I get some competitive fights, please?

• Does Celestino Caballero have a fall date yet?

• Alfredo "Perro" Angulo might not be the most refined fighter who ever lived, but he's one of the top five or so most exciting fighters on the planet to watch. His destruction of Joachim Alcine was most impressive. I thought it was a dangerous fight, although I figured Angulo would stop him in the mid-rounds. I never expected a first-round devastation. I would absolutely love to see him challenge Cotto.

• Swing and a miss by HBO during Saturday's Bradley-Luis Carlos Abregu telecast, during which several of the top junior welterweights were mentioned prominently. However, Zab Judah wasn't one of them, which was stunning. Judah, the former undisputed welterweight champion and two-time junior welterweight titlist, had scored a highlight-reel knockout of Jose Armando Santa Cruz the previous night on ESPN2 in his return to the junior welterweight division. To not even mention Judah while discussing the division in detail was a terrible oversight.

• David Tua is done after that woeful performance in a lucky draw against Monte Barrett. I don't want to hear about any more "comebacks" from Tua. It's over.

• Chris John might as well start walking under ladders and crossing the paths of black cats. His luck can't get any worse after having a third significant medical issue -- dengue fever, shoulder injury, broken rib -- since late last year, two of which forced him to call off a fight. Maybe he should invest some of his purse money in a plastic bubble?

• Condolences to British promoter Frank Warren on the sudden death of his younger brother Mark Warren, 42, who died this week when he fell from a fourth-floor window and died from head injuries.

• Happy birthday to promoter Artie Pelullo, who celebrates the big day July 28. Undoubtedly, he'll do so with a cigar and a martini.

• DVD pick of the week: Believe it or not, I had never seen this fight in its entirety until this week, when a friend sent it along with some other goodies. So I settled in and watched the HBO replay of Sugar Ray Leonard's controversial draw with Thomas Hearns from June 12, 1989, outdoors at Las Vegas' famed Caesars Palace, the same site of their epic first welterweight unification showdown won by Leonard almost eight years earlier. This time they were fighting for Leonard's super middleweight belt, and Leonard was a 3-1 favorite. But Hearns, who was 30, dropped the 33-year-old Leonard in the third and 11th rounds and seemed to be on his way to a decision win in an excellent fight until Leonard, with a big surge in the final round, pulled out a split draw that is debatable to this day. You don't hear a lot about this fight when folks talk about the great 1980s matchups between Leonard, Hearns, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, but it was a helluva fight.

  

Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko's long overdue mandatory defense against Alexander Povetkin, scheduled for Sept. 11 in Germany, is off and Klitschko instead is making plans to face former titleholder Samuel Peter in a rematch on the same day, Klitschko manager Bernd Boente said Thursday.

The fight with Povetkin, who has been training in New Jersey, unraveled when he failed to attend Monday's announcement in Germany. Instead, Klitschko went through with the news conference and mocked Povetkin's absence by using a life-size cardboard cutout of him in his place and saying he was unsure if Povetkin would go through with a fight that had already been agreed to.

Povetkin's camp claimed the fighter had a sinus problem and would be unable to fly for 10 days. However, it is common knowledge in boxing circles that there has been a difference of opinion within the Povetkin camp about the fight; his promoters at Sauerland Event have pushed the bout but Povetkin's management and trainer Teddy Atlas wanting to delay it, believing the fighter wasn't ready to face the No. 1 heavyweight in the world. Atlas is also the ringside analyst for ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights."

K2 Promotions, Klitschko's company, complained to the IBF about Povetkin missing the press conference because it had won the promotional rights to the fight with a purse bid of $8.313 million. With so much money on the line, K2 needed him there to promote the fight, which was to take place at the 55,000-seat Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt.

The IBF sided with Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs) and ordered him to begin negotiating with the next available contender, Peter. The former titleholder knocked Klitschko down three times but lost a decision in their 2005 title elimination fight in Atlantic City, N.J.

"The IBF ruled that Povetkin had violated its rules by failing to come to the press conference this past Monday," John Hornewer, Klitschko's attorney, told ESPN.com. "The IBF had told him he needed to attend based on his duty to provide reasonable promotional support to fight and he didn't get on the plane. Then the next day, he went to the doctor to get a doctor's excuse. The IBF has instructed us to begin negotiating with the next available contender."

Despite the doctor's note, the Klitschko camp noted that Povetkin (19-0, 14 KOs) was out and about last weekend, attending boxing cards in Newark, N.J., and Atlantic City.

"They were told beforehand that they had to be at the press conference to help promote the event," Boente said. "That was their obligation after the purse bid."

Klitschko was upset, saying at the press conference, "I am very disappointed that Povetkin did not show up. For two weeks, we have tried to force him to come. He could have shown that he is ready to fight me. It's the first time in my entire career that my opponent did not come to the press conference."

Sauerland Event did not respond to e-mails for comment and Atlas did not return a phone message.

K2 Promotions and ESPN are in talks for Klitschko's fight to air live in the United States on ESPN3.com with a replay to be seen on one of the television networks within a couple of days after the fight, according to Boente and the network.

For more than two years Povetkin, the 2004 Russian Olympic gold medalist, has been the mandatory challenger for Klitschko. However, the fight had already fallen through twice, first because of a foot injury to Povetkin and about a year later because of an shoulder injury to Klitschko.

Now, it's off for the third time with Povetkin giving up a $2,078,250 purse and Klitschko's camp now negotiating with Top Rank, Peter's promoter.

Top Rank president Todd duBoef told ESPN.com that talks were under way and that he expected they would make a deal "pretty quickly."

"Wladimir felt honestly that Povetkin would not show up because Teddy Atlas kept telling people he didn't think he was ready for the fight, so Wladimir was concerned," Boente said. "He wants to fight Sept. 11 and we appreciate the IBF making a decision quickly so we can save the date, because if Wladimir wins in September, he wants to come back and fight for a third time this year in December."

The rematch with Peter (34-3, 27 KOs) is an intriguing one because of their first fight. Klitschko was only in his third fight since being knocked out by Lamon Brewster in a title bout a year earlier and there were many questions about his toughness and how he would react when opposing a fearsome puncher such as Peter.

Peter floored Klitschko three times, but Klitschko kept himself together and won every round in which he didn't go down to take the decision and earn the IBF mandatory title shot. Seven months later, Klitschko knocked out Chris Byrd to win the belt and has held it since.

"Wladimir and myself think the Peter fight is a great matchup," Boente said. "It's a rematch of a good fight. There are a lot of people more interested in that fight than the Povetkin fight."

Peter is already training in Big Bear, Calif., and manager Ivaylo Gotzev said they are eager for another opportunity against Klitschko, especially after Peter had such a poor performance when he lost his version of the title in an eighth-round TKO loss to Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir's brother, in Germany in 2008.

"The IBF has done the right thing and we are negotiating a deal. I expect it to go a lot smoother and a lot quicker than the previous negotiation Klitschko had with Povetkin because we actually want the fight," Gotzev said. "This is a very big fight for the German population and we're going to make it a very big fight for the heavyweight fans around the world.

"You have an exciting matchup that has already proven to be a competitive one. I still get people asking me how Samuel lost when he knocked the guy down three times. We are going to finish what we started in September 2005. This year, it will be a September to remember."

After losing a decision to Eddie Chambers following his loss to Vitali Klitschko, Peter has won four fights in a row, all by knockout, including a second-round knockout of Nagy Aguilera in an elimination bout in March.

 

[bigmike23]

Over the weekend, Ricardo Mayorga tried to force a release from promoter Don King, taking advantage of the fact that King needs his signature to release a one million dollar security deposit in a Florida court.

That one million Don King put placed with the court to prevent Mayorga from taking part in an M M A match. But Mayorga failed to get his freedom from King, much less compensation for the missed fight and feel that a ring return will be complicated because the promoter said he would only release him if someone buys his contract for $300,000.

"Don King has failed me by not getting me a fight in almost two years, because Shane Mosley has fought since he beat me at the last second. But he won't give me my freedom and no compensation for not allowing me to take part in the M M A event," Mayorga said from Miami. "I can fight with Miguel Cotto, with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., but the problem is Don King. King wants 70 percent, and leaves 30 to the fighter and that is why nobody does business with him. "

"Don King is not the number one promoter in the United States. They are Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya with Golden Boy, and other promoters, because nobody wants to work with Don, much less the television networks and therefore we see now why his fights take place in Germany.

According to Mayorga, Don King offered him a fight, but the offer did not meet his expectation. Mayorga said King offered him a fight with Mexican Alfredo "Perro" Angulo, but only offered him $ 80,000.

"Because of my status as a former champion, a man who always puts on a show, I should earn at least $500,000," Mayorga concluded.

 

[scott frost]

Povetkin out of the fight w/Klitchsko in September.

 

[mfr3shm]

Why would Manny fight Cotto again or Margarito that makes no sense at all if Bob Arum wants Manny to win his 8th title in a different weight class put Manny against Sergio Martinez at 154 that would be a real fight, but Bob Arum doesn't want to negotiate with other promoters.

 

[proshares]

Sergio gave up his 154 belt I think if they make it 155 his middleweight belts would be on the line.

 

[shaunhillftw49]

Why is Don King alive

 

[gunna get it]

Originally Posted by Proshares

Sergio gave up his 154 belt I think if they make it 155 his middleweight belts would be on the line.

So Manny will get a chance at 2 titles at weightlimits that  his opponents, bound by contract, wont be allowed to fight at

 

[bigmike23]

been watching old fights all day

-lewis is lucky Vitali Klitschko got cut so bad because he was going to take a Major L that fight.

-DLH was done when he fought gatti. he was letting that slow bum nail him with shots before he took him out.

-i still want to cry watching lewis own poor iron mike

-PBF should be in jail for what he did to Gatti and Diego

-JMM has to kick himself every day for going down 3 times in the 1st round VS manny.

 

[jus3]

 

[proshares]

Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT

Originally Posted by Proshares

Sergio gave up his 154 belt I think if they make it 155 his middleweight belts would be on the line.

So Manny will get a chance at 2 titles at weightlimits that  his opponents, bound by contract, wont be allowed to fight at

   Well Sergio is willing to come down to 155 to fight Angulo so it's not that bad.  Don't forget, if that fight does happen, Manny wins the Ring belt too

.

 

[proshares]

[h4]

[h4]Jacobs fighting for more than just a belt[/h4]

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
Archive

Chris Cozzone/Fightwireimages.com Turning heads: Daniel Jacobs' fighting style has the boxing world buzzing.

Daniel Jacobs, the 2009 ESPN.com prospect of the year, was an elite amateur but just missed making the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

Making the Olympic squad was a dream for the 23-year-old New Yorker, who is one of the best prospects to come out of the Big Apple in years and hails from the same Brooklyn neighborhood that has produced many fighters, including former heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe.

After his amateur disappointment, Jacobs turned pro at the end of 2007 and now, three years later, he's set to face Russia's Dmitry Pirog at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay on July 31 (HBO PPV, $49.95).

The fight with Pirog is of "big significance" to Jacobs, and not just because he's fighting for a vacant middleweight belt -- one of the belts that a sanctioning organization stripped from lineal champion Sergio Martinez. Jacobs (20-0, 17 KOs) also views the fight against Pirog (16-0, 13 KOs) as his personal Olympics.

"I didn't have a chance to make the 2008 Olympic team," Jacobs said. "When you think about the Olympics, you think about USA versus Russia. You don't think about anybody else other than the Russians. And Dmitry is probably the top, if not one of the top Russian fighters out there, and I'm probably the top middleweight American fighter. So to me, this is my Olympics and this is my gold medal that I never had an opportunity to win, as well as the [opportunity to win the] WBO belt.

"This is going to be a stellar fight because I know I'm hungry. I'm pretty sure he's hungry. He's training hard, and two undefeated fighters who are young and in their prime, it just makes for a great fight. I'm excited and ready to put my skills against his and see the outcome."

In the main event, lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez defends against former titlist Juan Diaz in a rematch of the 2009 fight of the year Marquez won via ninth-round knockout. The loaded undercard also features former two-division titleholders Robert Guerrero and Joel Casamayor in a junior welterweight bout and former two-division titlist Jorge Linares against Rocky Juarez in a lightweight fight.

Jacobs' ascension has been fast. He fought 12 times in 2008 and five more times in 2009 before a hand injury in an August win against Ishe Smith put him on the shelf for the rest of the year. Jacobs returned in March and has scored early knockouts in his two fights heading into the title bout. The title shot has arrived quicker than he expected.

"When you think of somebody turning pro, you think about that long road that they have to go to get to that championship level," Jacobs said. "With the team I have behind me, [manager] Al Haymon and Golden Boy, pushing me and getting me the right fights and moving me up the ladder accordingly, I think everything has been going great, and I'm happy and I'm grateful, and I just have to dominate and take advantage of the opportunity."

Jacobs been watching videos of Pirog, whose most notable victory was a 2009 decision against Kofi Jantuah.

"Not only do I watch tapes of Dmitry and watch the YouTube clips, but I dream about this guy," Jacobs said. "I go to sleep thinking about this guy. This guy is all I think about, and this victory is all I think about. So the analysis that I get of seeing him fight is that he's a very crafty fighter.

"He's not the average European fighter. He takes little bits and pieces of American fighters and he added to his arsenal, which is amazing. His hand speed is average, but his footwork is pretty good. His head movement is average, but he's a great fighter and he throws tons of punches. I can't give you my game plan, because then I'd have to kill you, but we have a game plan."

A pro since 2006, Pirog is making his American debut at age 30.

"I have a lot of respect for my opponent, who is also a great fighter," Pirog said through translator Vadim Kornilov. "I really want to get to July 31 because I've fought in Europe and I feel, in America, the fans are a lot more like fans should be and they understand boxing a lot better. I'm going to enjoy the fight a lot more in America.

"I've been looking forward to a fight in America because I think the fans will always appreciate good boxing from both of the boxers participating. I'm hoping to have a good fight, have a good time, and make sure the fans enjoy it from both myself and Danny Jacobs."

A world title bout is a long way from where he started.

"The way I got into boxing is very interesting," Pirog said. "When I was really young, I was actually a chess player. But I wasn't getting enough activity, so I decided to join a sport. I went to a local gym. I was going there initially to play soccer, but I went into a boxing gym. I tried it and I really liked it, and it just stuck to me, and I was boxing from then on."

[h4]Martinez-Angulo?[/h4]

Naoki Fukuda Alfredo Angulo, right, is angling toward a fight with Sergio Martinez.

With Paul Williams balking at an Oct. 2 rematch with Sergio Martinez -- unless he gets more than 50 percent of the money -- Lou DiBella, Martinez's promoter, is looking at alternatives for the middleweight champion in case Williams doesn't come around.

One of the fights DiBella is looking at is against Alfredo "Perro" Angulo, the junior middleweight contender who looked spectacular last week knocking out ex-titlist Joachim Alcine in the first round. DiBella said he and Gary Shaw, Angulo's promoter, are talking about the fight, for which Martinez would drop to about 155 pounds to defend his title against Angulo.

"We believe that's a bigger attraction than any of the other fights that have been discussed for both of us," DiBella said. "Sergio bulked up [to middleweight] for the Kelly Pavlik fight and there are not a lot of fighters he would go down to 155 for, but Angulo is one of them."

HBO continues to press for Martinez-Williams II, but DiBella said he can't make Williams take the fight, nor does he think any less than 50-50 is fair. So even though HBO won't commit yet to Martinez-Angulo, DiBella said he'd shop it to Showtime if HBO passed.

"Gary and I aren't worried about finding a home for Martinez against Angulo," DiBella said. "HBO wants Martinez to fight Williams, but I'm not having any network tell me there is only one fight I can negotiate. Angulo wants to fight a big name. Sergio is one of the big names. Sergio enjoys watching Angulo fight and feels it can't help but be a good fight. Sergio would rather give a kid who's a warrior like Angulo a shot at him than somebody else."

Shaw and Angulo love the fight, but Shaw isn't getting too excited. He thinks HBO may still finalize Martinez-Williams II and won't move forward with serious talks with DiBella until the network tells him the fight is dead.

DiBella also told ESPN.com that he received a call from Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer asking if he was interested in matching Martinez with former undisputed junior middleweight champ Winky Wright in the fall.

"I don't think HBO would be interested in that fight, but right now I don't have a deal for Sergio for any fight, so I am not foreclosing any possibility," DiBella said. "I'll listen to anything right now."

[h4]Pavlik-Chavez fading fast[/h4]

Jared Wickerham/Getty ImagesKelly Pavlik, above, is having trouble finding someone to climb into the ring with him.

Although Top Rank's Bob Arum announced with fanfare two weeks ago his intentions to match former middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the fight has been moved to the back burner.

First, the date Arum had in mind for the fight at Cowboys Stadium, Dec. 4, had a conflict with a college football game. Then Chavez's inner circle had second thoughts about matching the still-relatively untested Chavez, a cash cow for co-promoters Top Rank and Fernando Beltran, with Pavlik.

"They're not going to do the fight," Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's co-manager, told ESPN.com. "It won't take place until it's good for Chavez and I don't think that will ever happen. They're going to wait until they're 100 percent sure their guy wins the fight, and that won't ever happen. So Top Rank will dangle the Chavez carrot to Kelly and me for who knows how long, but they don't have anything for us."

Dunkin said Arum told him he could explore getting Pavlik a fight on his own.

"When Bob says that to you, that ought to tell you what they've got for us, which is nothing," Dunkin said.

There was a possible Oct. 15 fight for Pavlik on the InterBox-promoted undercard of Lucian Bute's super middleweight title defense against Jesse Brinkley in Montreal, but Dunkin said they declined because the $100,000 purse was a pittance compared to what Pavlik has been earning.

Top Rank's Carl Moretti said Pavlik-Chavez isn't dead, but that they wanted to look at Chavez in his Sept. 11 fight, which could come against Pawel Wolak, and "reassess things after that. Everyone thinks Chavez needs to another fight with [trainer] Freddie Roach so they can re-evaluate where he is before we talk about Pavlik."

Chavez and Roach have been together for one fight, a June 26 win against John Duddy.

[/h4]

  

[h4]

[h4]QUICK HITS[/h4]

Bradley

• Among the potential major fights at junior welterweight, a Timothy Bradley-Devon Alexander showdown is on top of HBO's wish list for Jan. 29. Gary Shaw, Bradley's promoter, said he's already far down the road in talks with HBO. Alexander, of course, needs to beat Andreas Kotelnik on HBO next week. Shaw said the deal would get done with the network making separate agreements with him for Bradley and with Alexander promoter Don King. "This is one of those deals where they'll pay Devon's side what they'll pay and pay our side what they'll pay and Don and I will split everything else. I'm not dealing with King on money. The easiest way to make this fights is for HBO to deal with each of us independently." Shaw added, however, that if he got a call from Golden Boy for Bradley to face Amir Khan or Marcos Maidana at the end of the year, he would consider an interim fight. "I would want to do the fight and still do the Devon fight in January," Shaw said, assuming a Bradley victory if there is an interim bout. "To me the beauty is that it's a throwback to the old days when guys fought often and they fought names often," Shaw said. "The fans are the real winners. If there is anything that would get Timmy the notoriety he wants, that's it. You beat Maidana or Khan in the fall and then you beat Alexander in January and I think you're right there for a Mayweather or Pacquiao kind of fight."

Khan

• HBO is holding Dec. 11 for Khan's next fight. The junior welterweight titlist will be in Las Vegas for the Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz rematch on July 31, and if Marquez wins, Golden Boy is hoping to match him and Khan, a fight both boxers are interested in. However, Khan is also interested in facing Bradley, who named Khan as an opponent he'd like to fight after he dispatched Luis Carlos Abregu in his HBO debut on Saturday. Khan answered Bradley right back, saying on his Twitter page, "I'll fight Tim Bradley. It's the first time he's called me out. I'm going to Vegas and I'll talk to Golden Boy. I would love the fight. Good style for me. I'm fighting Timothy Bradley next. I'm gonna tell Golden Boy. Let's see if they want it for real. Talk is cheap."

Calderon

• Junior flyweight titlist Giovani Segura's plans have changed. Instead of defending his belt against Manuel Vargas on "Top Rank Live" in his native Mexico on Aug. 7, Top Rank's Carl Moretti said the company made a deal for Segura, who lives in Southern California, to instead head to Puerto Rico for a unification fight against Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon on Aug. 28 (Integrated Sports PPV, $39.95). The match, which will take place in Calderon's hometown of Guaynabo, is the ultimate contrast of styles and one of the most significant fights that could be made the small weight divisions. The 28-year-old Segura (24-1-1, 20 KOs), who will be making his fourth defense, is a brawler and puncher. Calderon (34-0-1, 6 KOs), 35, making his seventh defense, is one of the purest boxers of the past decade. News conferences are scheduled for next week in Los Angeles and Puerto Rico.

Barrera

• Although Top Rank plans to match lightweight titlist Humberto Soto against Marco Antonio Barrera late this year or early next year, both will have interim bouts in Mexico. Soto is slated to headline "Top Rank Live" (FS en Espanol) Sept. 4 against Urbano Antillon (28-1, 20 KOs), who has won two in a row since his upset ninth-round knockout loss to Miguel Acosta in an interim title bout in July '09. "How could it not be a good fight," Top Rank's Moretti said. "It's in Mexico with two Mexicans. It's a great fight for 'Top Rank Live.'" Barrera, meanwhile, is scheduled to face former titleholder David Diaz on Sept. 15 (Mexican Independence Day). Moretti said if Barrera wins he'd likely face the winner of Soto-Antillon for the title next.

Judah

• Former two-time junior welterweight titlist and former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah returned to the 140-pound division last week to crush Jose Armando Santa Cruz in the third round on "Friday Night Fights" in Newark, N.J., and Judah promoter Main Events is already working on his next fight for Oct. 2, which would also be at the Prudential Center. The card will go forward whether Main Events has a television deal or not, Main Events' Kathy Duva said. She told ESPN.com that she spoke with HBO this week to let the network know that Judah would be willing to fight anyone at 140 that HBO wanted him to. HBO is heavily involved in the division. The response, Duva said was that HBO "would prefer to wait and see what the future holds."

Jones

• Welterweight prospect Mike Jones, who impressively knocked out Irving Garcia in five rounds on "ShoBox" on July 9, could return in September to face Lanardo Tyner, according to promoter Russell Peltz. Tyner scored an upset knockout of Antwone Smith on the undercard, ruining a much-discussed match between Jones and Smith. Now, Tyner may get the fight Jones instead. Peltz said there is also a possibility that Jones could also return Oct. 2 on the undercard of Judah's next fight. However, Main Events' Duva said that in order afford to have Jones on the card, she needs a network to put up money for the show. If he isn't on that card, Jones could headline "Top Rank Live" in Atlantic City on Oct. 2.

Adamek

• Heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek's fight with former title challenger Michael Grant (46-3, 34 KOs) at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., will be available as a $29.95 Integrated Sports pay-per-view. Adamek (41-1, 27 KO), the former cruiserweight champ and light heavyweight titlist, is angling for an eventual title fight with one of the Klitschko brothers and is using Grant as a way to gauge how he will do with a tall fighter. Grant is 6-foot-7, similar in height to the Klitschkos. Adamek, who draws big crowds in Newark from the area's heavy Polish population, has another reason he wants to fight Grant. "By beating Grant I will have chance to avenge Andrew Golota, my countryman who lost to Michael," said Adamek, who also beat Golota. Also on the card: junior middleweight Joel "Love Child" Julio (35-4, 31 KOs).

• Junior featherweight titlist Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. made his first title defense at home in Puerto Rico by knocking out Zsolt Bedak in the 10th round on May 29. For his second defense, promoter Tuto Zabala plans to bring Vazquez to his second home in Kissimmee, Fla., the Orlando suburb where Vazquez has fought 13 times on the regular Telemundo-televised cards Zabala promotes. Zabala said he is making plans for Vazquez to fight at the Silver Spurs Arena on Oct. 16 against an opponent to be determined. Zabala said the fight would headline a pay-per-view card. "He already drew good crowd and good pay-per-view numbers [for the first defense in Puerto Rico]," Zabala said. "It's time to bring him to his second home."

Gamboa

• The featherweight unification fight between Yuriorkis Gamboa and Elio Rojas, scheduled for Sept. 11 on HBO, will take place at The Palms resort in Las Vegas, Top Rank's Carl Moretti told ESPN.com. The co-feature pits Anthony Peterson against Brandon Rios in a lightweight title eliminator with the winner getting a mandatory shot at Miguel Acosta. •  Former super middleweight titlist Carl Froch opens his 10-week training camp in Sheffield, England, on Monday to prepare for his Super Six World Boxing Classic fight with Arthur Abraham on Oct. 2 (Showtime) in Monaco. Froch and Abraham are both coming off their first career losses in the tournament and looking to advance to the semifinals. •  Junior middleweight prospect Erislandy Lara (12-0, 7 KOs), the Cuban defector and 2005 world amateur champion, headlines "Friday Night Fights" (ESPN2) on Aug. 18. No opponent yet. Another Cuban amateur star, light heavyweight Yordanis Despaigne (6-0, 4 KOs), is in the co-feature.

[h4]QUOTABLE[/h4]

Green
"Paul Briggs isn't getting paid a cent. He dogged it. My chihuahua Rocky has got bigger balls than him." -- angry Australian cruiserweight contender and promoter Danny Green, speaking to the equally irate crowd while still in the ring Wednesday moments after his 29-second knockout win against countryman Briggs, in which he went down for the count without being hit by a noticeable punch.

[/h4]

 

[scott frost]

Arum giving up on the Ghost......

There was a possible Oct. 15 fight for Pavlik on the InterBox-promoted undercard of Lucian Bute's super middleweight title defense against Jesse Brinkley in Montreal, but Dunkin said they declined because the $100,000 purse was a pittance compared to what Pavlik has been earning.

Pavlik's management should be ashamed of themselves.  Was on top of the boxing world, white, could have cleaned out the middleweight division but fought Hopkins instead. 

 

[proshares]

[h6]J in FLA (Cocoa, FL)[/h6]


Is Kahn / Bradley actually possible for the fall or is it just talk?
[h6]Dan Rafael
  (12:08 PM)
[/h6]


Glad you asked. JUST got breaking news from the Bat Email. Gary Shaw said he spoke to Richard Schaefer last night about that exact fight for the fall. They talked over some ideas and possible financials from what Gary said.

 

[tcerda]

Originally Posted by Scott Frost

Arum giving up on the Ghost......

There was a possible Oct. 15 fight for Pavlik on the InterBox-promoted undercard of Lucian Bute's super middleweight title defense against Jesse Brinkley in Montreal, but Dunkin said they declined because the $100,000 purse was a pittance compared to what Pavlik has been earning.

Pavlik's management should be ashamed of themselves.  Was on top of the boxing world, white, could have cleaned out the middleweight division but fought Hopkins instead. 

this

 

[itz rolli]

turrble.

 

[shaunhillftw49]

I don't wanna @#$* with Danny Green. Dude looked ready to kill

 

[dapper d]

That was the worst dive I have ever seen...

I was reading the ESPN chat Wrap and all they were talking about was a Cotto, Berto fight...

With how the rest of the fight schedule is looking and no Mayweather and Manny every fight fan needs to petition for this fight...LIKE NOW

 

[el producto79]

Rico Ramos on FNF

 

[shaunhillftw49]

Margarito to KO manny Nov 13th