2011 Official Boxing Thread: 12/30 Jermain Taylor + Andre Dirrell return on ShoBox.

[stringer bell 32]

 

[stringer bell 32]

 

[proshares]

The four-city media tour to promote pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao's welterweight title defense against Shane Mosley kicks off Feb. 10 in Los Angeles, followed by stops on Feb. 12 in Las Vegas, Feb. 14 in New York and Feb. 15 in Washington, D.C.

But while the tour details are being finalized, Top Rank is also working on the Showtime PPV undercard, which could include a rematch of the 2010 ESPN.com fight of the year, the return of former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and a Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry title bout.

The card is scheduled for May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The co-feature in the works would match lightweight titlist Humberto Soto (54-7-2, 32 KOs) against Urbano Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs) in a rematch of their epic Dec. 4 slugfest, which Soto won via tight unanimous decision.

[h4]Rafael's Boxing Blog[/h4]

Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog.

"There's no paperwork done yet, but the sides are aware of it and have [verbally agreed to the rematch]," Top Rank's Carl Moretti told ESPN.com Thursday. "We've talked to both sides and the camps are both up for the date and we're trying to get it closed up."

Antillon suffered a nose injury in the fight with Soto, but is expected to be ready to go in May, Moretti said.

Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) has not fought since losing the middleweight championship to Sergio Martinez last April. He pulled out of a comeback fight scheduled for Nov. 13 on Pacquiao's last undercard and checked into an alcohol rehabilitation clinic for the second time. He spent two months at the Betty Ford Center before coming out in early January.

"He's itchin' to fight," Moretti said.

Moretti said Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler will visit Pavlik on Tuesday in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, "to see if everything is in order."

As soon as Pavlik came out of rehab, Top Rank chief Bob Arum promised Pavlik a spot on the Pacquiao-Mosley undercard if he wanted to fight and was ready.

"All indications are that Kelly would like to take advantage of that," Moretti said, adding that there has been no discussion yet of a specific opponent.

Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's co-manager, said Pavlik is planning to fight on the card.

"The idea is that is he going to fight on May 7," Dunkin told ESPN.com. "We're just taking it one step at a time, but he's scheduled. He's terrific. He's working out and very happy, spending time with his family. Everything is wonderful right now."

Although Pavlik has gone back and forth about whether he would remain at middleweight or move up to super middleweight, Dunkin said he is moving up to the 168-pound super middleweight division.

"I would think he will fight at 168 or 169 pounds," Dunkin said. "He says he wants to be a super middleweight now. There's no way he can go back the other way [to 16. He realized he is just too big."

When Moretti is in Puerto Rico for a press conference on Tuesday to formally announce featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez's April 16 fight with Orlando Salido, he said he is going to meet with promoter Tuto Zabala Jr., who promotes Puerto Rican junior featherweight titlist Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (20-0-1, 17 KOs).

Moretti said he and Zabala will try to close the deal that they have been working on to match Vazquez in a title defense against Mexico's Jorge Arce (56-6-2, 43 KOs), a former flyweight and junior bantamweight titlist. Part of that deal could be Top Rank coming aboard as Vazquez's co-promoter.

LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. won't face trial until at least April on a misdemeanor charge in a November scuffle with a security guard outside Mayweather's Las Vegas home.

The 33-year-old boxer wasn't in court Thursday while a judge agreed to postpone trial until April 25.

That'll be after a March 10 evidence hearing on an unrelated felony domestic violence case that could get the undefeated prizefighter 34 years in prison.

The misdemeanor case stems from allegations that Mayweather poked a 21-year-old homeowners association guard in the face during an argument about parking tickets.

Mayweather's attorneys have denied wrongdoing on his behalf.

Mayweather is one of boxing's richest and most recognizable figures, but he has been dogged in recent years by allegations of violence at home and at Las Vegas clubs.

http://twitter.com/danrafaelespn

http://twitter.com/danrafaelespn

@danrafaelespn Kevin Cunningham, Devon Alexander's trainer/manager, said they will be ready to face Marco Maidana this summer if Maidana wants it. #boxing

@danrafaelespn The offer to Lamont Peterson to fight @amirkingkhan has been increaded to $300,000 I am told. No word yet from Peterson camp. #boxin

@danrafaelespn Although Juan Manuel Marquez-Erik Morales is being heavily discussed & debated the fight ISN'T done yet & it might not get done. Stay tuned.

 

[proshares]

The four-city media tour to promote pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao's welterweight title defense against Shane Mosley kicks off Feb. 10 in Los Angeles, followed by stops on Feb. 12 in Las Vegas, Feb. 14 in New York and Feb. 15 in Washington, D.C.

But while the tour details are being finalized, Top Rank is also working on the Showtime PPV undercard, which could include a rematch of the 2010 ESPN.com fight of the year, the return of former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and a Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry title bout.

The card is scheduled for May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The co-feature in the works would match lightweight titlist Humberto Soto (54-7-2, 32 KOs) against Urbano Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs) in a rematch of their epic Dec. 4 slugfest, which Soto won via tight unanimous decision.

[h4]Rafael's Boxing Blog[/h4]

Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog.

"There's no paperwork done yet, but the sides are aware of it and have [verbally agreed to the rematch]," Top Rank's Carl Moretti told ESPN.com Thursday. "We've talked to both sides and the camps are both up for the date and we're trying to get it closed up."

Antillon suffered a nose injury in the fight with Soto, but is expected to be ready to go in May, Moretti said.

Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) has not fought since losing the middleweight championship to Sergio Martinez last April. He pulled out of a comeback fight scheduled for Nov. 13 on Pacquiao's last undercard and checked into an alcohol rehabilitation clinic for the second time. He spent two months at the Betty Ford Center before coming out in early January.

"He's itchin' to fight," Moretti said.

Moretti said Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler will visit Pavlik on Tuesday in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, "to see if everything is in order."

As soon as Pavlik came out of rehab, Top Rank chief Bob Arum promised Pavlik a spot on the Pacquiao-Mosley undercard if he wanted to fight and was ready.

"All indications are that Kelly would like to take advantage of that," Moretti said, adding that there has been no discussion yet of a specific opponent.

Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's co-manager, said Pavlik is planning to fight on the card.

"The idea is that is he going to fight on May 7," Dunkin told ESPN.com. "We're just taking it one step at a time, but he's scheduled. He's terrific. He's working out and very happy, spending time with his family. Everything is wonderful right now."

Although Pavlik has gone back and forth about whether he would remain at middleweight or move up to super middleweight, Dunkin said he is moving up to the 168-pound super middleweight division.

"I would think he will fight at 168 or 169 pounds," Dunkin said. "He says he wants to be a super middleweight now. There's no way he can go back the other way [to 16. He realized he is just too big."

When Moretti is in Puerto Rico for a press conference on Tuesday to formally announce featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez's April 16 fight with Orlando Salido, he said he is going to meet with promoter Tuto Zabala Jr., who promotes Puerto Rican junior featherweight titlist Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (20-0-1, 17 KOs).

Moretti said he and Zabala will try to close the deal that they have been working on to match Vazquez in a title defense against Mexico's Jorge Arce (56-6-2, 43 KOs), a former flyweight and junior bantamweight titlist. Part of that deal could be Top Rank coming aboard as Vazquez's co-promoter.

LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. won't face trial until at least April on a misdemeanor charge in a November scuffle with a security guard outside Mayweather's Las Vegas home.

The 33-year-old boxer wasn't in court Thursday while a judge agreed to postpone trial until April 25.

That'll be after a March 10 evidence hearing on an unrelated felony domestic violence case that could get the undefeated prizefighter 34 years in prison.

The misdemeanor case stems from allegations that Mayweather poked a 21-year-old homeowners association guard in the face during an argument about parking tickets.

Mayweather's attorneys have denied wrongdoing on his behalf.

Mayweather is one of boxing's richest and most recognizable figures, but he has been dogged in recent years by allegations of violence at home and at Las Vegas clubs.

http://twitter.com/danrafaelespn

http://twitter.com/danrafaelespn

@danrafaelespn Kevin Cunningham, Devon Alexander's trainer/manager, said they will be ready to face Marco Maidana this summer if Maidana wants it. #boxing

@danrafaelespn The offer to Lamont Peterson to fight @amirkingkhan has been increaded to $300,000 I am told. No word yet from Peterson camp. #boxin

@danrafaelespn Although Juan Manuel Marquez-Erik Morales is being heavily discussed & debated the fight ISN'T done yet & it might not get done. Stay tuned.

 

[proshares]

Gary Shaw, the co-promoter of junior welterweight champ Timothy Bradley Jr., told ESPN.com that the target date for Bradley to meet titleholder Amir Khan in a unification bout is July 30, although it does not figure to be that easy.

Khan first has to win an April 16 interim fight in his native England, although he does not yet have an opponent as he and his team have been going through name after name -- but nobody has been willing to accept the fight for the frugal figures Khan is offering.

Finalizing Bradley-Khan, even if Khan wins his interim bout, likely will still be difficult. Bradley's contract with Shaw expires in June, according to Cameron Dunkin, Bradley's co-manager. They have made it clear they have no intention of re-signing with Shaw. There is likely a gray area in the contract about whether Shaw has matching rights.

[h4]Heavy Hitting Boxing Podcast[/h4]
Sergio Mora says he's prepared for upset-minded Brian Vera on "Friday Night Fights."

More Podcasts »





Also, Khan's three-fight deal with Golden Boy is up after the April 16 fight, although Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com that he and the Khan camp are discussing a new two-fight deal. If they reach an agreement, Schaefer said they would throw out the last fight of the existing deal and replace it with a new one that would include better terms for the April bout with the second fight being in July -- ideally against Bradley.

Khan, meantime, still needs an opponent for April for a fight on that will be televised on HBO in the United States and on Sky Box Office pay-per-view in England.

The one opponent willing to take the fight for relatively short money is Breidis Prescott, who knocked Khan out in the first round in his only loss in 2008. However, he has not been offered the fight, despite a media blitz by the fighter and his co-promoters Leon Margules and Lou DiBella.

One of Khan's original targets was American Lamont Peterson, who fought a to draw with Victor Ortiz on Dec. 11 in Las Vegas on the undercard of Khan's dramatic decision victory against Marcos Maidana.

Peterson rejected multiple offers, including for $200,000 and was eliminated from contention. However, the sides rekindled talks this week and Peterson was offered $300,000. They continue talking.

Another name being mentioned, among several, is former titlist Junior Witter of England. Witter (37-3-2, 22 KOs), who held a belt from 2006 to 2008, is coming out of retirement. He lost his title to Bradley and later quit after eight rounds against Devon Alexander in a fight for a vacant title in August 2009.

"My manager, John Ingle, spoke to me about the Khan offer. I'm up for this 100 percent. It would be an opportunity too good to turn down fighting for a world title again," Witter said.

Witter is scheduled for his comeback fight Feb. 19 in Canada. It remains to be seen, however, whether HBO and Sky would accept Witter as an opponent.
[h3]Losers bracket: Alexander-Maidana[/h3]

AP Photo/Carlos OsorioHold tight, Devon Alexander: You'll be back in the thick of things in no time.

Although Devon Alexander lost his junior welterweight belt via 10th-round technical decision to Timothy Bradley Jr. in their unification bout last Saturday in a disappointing performance at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., Alexander and manager/trainer Kevin Cunningham have begun thinking about his next fight.

Alexander, who is owed a $1.25 million comeback fight by HBO, would like to fight Marcos Maidana, the free-swinging big puncher from Argentina, who lost a dramatic fight to titleholder Amir Khan via unanimous decision in December.

All along, HBO's master plan was to match Khan with Maidana and Bradley with Alexander and then have the winners meet and the losers meet in an unofficial junior welterweight tournament. Bradley-Khan is in discussion as long as Khan wins an April 16 defense in England.

Alexander and Cunningham are on board with the plan, especially after Maidana called Alexander out in the wake of his loss to Bradley.

"Team Alexander has no problem with fighting Maidana next. The fight draws 12,000 to 15,000 in The Lou," Cunningham told ESPN.com, referring to St. Louis, Alexander's [and Cunningham's] hometown. "We will be ready for Maidana in June or July. Maidana is the meanest SOB in boxing. Huge fight in St. Louis."
[h3]Franco and Kayode featured on 'ShoBox'[/h3]

Robert James Hughes/Fightwireimages.comIt's showtime for Lateef Kayode, left, who takes center stage on "ShoBox: The New Generation."

Lightweight prospect Archie Ray Marquez is having stomach problems, which forced him to withdraw from his fight against Marvin Quintero, according to promoter Gary Shaw. The bout was supposed to open a tripleheader on "ShoBox: The New Generation" on Friday night (Showtime, 11 ET/PT) at the Chumash Resort Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif.

The other two bouts will go on as scheduled with featherweight Luis Franco (8-0, 5 KOs), a former Cuban Olympian, facing Leonilo Miranda (32-2, 30 KOs) in the main event and Los Angeles-based Nigerian cruiserweight prospect Lateef "Power" Kayode (15-0, 14 KOs) meeting Tampa's Nicholas Iannuzzi (16-1, 9 KOs).

Franco, who defected from Cuba in 2009, is moving quickly in the pros, which is fine with him.

"I'd like to fight all the top guns in my weight class," said Franco, 28. "Line them up one by one. I'm waiting for the call. If any of them have what it takes to call out my name and challenge me, I'll be ready. I want the top guns in this division. I'm looking to get a world title victory in 2011. We're on the right path right now. We just need to keep on winning."

Kayode, an intriguing and powerful prospect, went the four-round distance in his 2008 pro debut and then knocked out his next 14 consecutive opponents. He said his knockout streak is in the back of his mind.

"I know the fans love it and I know Showtime loves it, but I'm not going to let that affect what I do in the ring," Kayode said.

Promoter Gary Shaw told ESPN.com that German promoter Sauerland Event inquired about Kayode's availability to challenge titlist Marco Huck for his title in March, but they turned it down because Kayode had this week's fight scheduled and is not yet ready for a fighter on Huck's level.
[h3]Super Bowl fight card[/h3]

hris Cozzone/Fightwireimages.comSergio Mora helps kick off Super Bowl weekend tonight with a barnburner on "Friday Night Fights."

Former junior middleweight titlist Sergio Mora, who also won the first season of "The Contender," and Brian Vera, who boxed on a later season of the reality series, square off in the main event of this week's "Friday Night Fights" (ESPN2, 9 ET) at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

The card is there to piggyback on the Sunday's Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers, who will play at nearby Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

It will be the first fight for Mora (22-1-2, 6 KOs) since his lackluster draw in September against Shane Mosley. Vera (17-5, 11 KOs) has not fought since a decision loss to Maksym Bursak in Ukraine in September. Vera was supposed to fight former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in November on the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard at Cowboys Stadium before Pavlik withdrew a couple of weeks before the bout.

"I know Brian Vera's a tough, tough fighter, that's for sure," Mora said. "I'm going to put this guy in the category of a hard-nosed, come-forward, hit-me-with-all-you-got Jake LaMotta-type fighter. He's going to put the pressure on me. There will be blood. Vera is a fan-friendly-style fighter and he's fighting in his hometown on a huge weekend, so it should be a nice battle of machismo."

Also on the card, junior middleweight prospect Charles Hatley (14-0, 11 KOs), 22, of Dallas, faces Chris Chatman (9-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Hatley, who was an alternate on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, is coming off of a unanimous decision against fan-favorite tough guy Emanuel Augustus in his previous fight. In another undercard fight, 2008 U.S. Olympian Luis Yanez (4-0, 0 KOs) fights Joseph Rios (8-5-1, 3 KOs) in a scheduled-round junior bantamweight bout.

• Brooklyn, N.Y., middleweight Daniel Jacobs (21-1, 18 KOs), the 2009 ESPN.com prospect of the year, has relocated to Los Angeles to train under the guidance of Freddie Roach. Jacobs began training with Roach this week. They will have their first fight together March 5 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Jacobs' fight is on the untelevised part of the HBO card headlined by junior middleweight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the 2010 ESPN.com prospect of the year, against Matthew Hatton. Jacobs, who turned 24 on Thursday, is on the comeback trail after being knocked out by Dmitry Pirog in a July upset fighting for a vacant middleweight belt. Jacobs made his return Dec. 18, knocking out Jessie Orta in the fifth round on the Jean Pascal-Bernard Hopkins undercard in Quebec City.

• Welterweight contender Mike Jones (23-0, 18 KOs), who is from Philadelphia, has gone away to train for his fights over the past couple of years. For the rematch against Jesus Soto-Karass (24-5-3, 16 KOs) on Feb. 19 (HBO) at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Jones has trained at home and taken advantage of the snowy conditions. "Shoveling snow at home has been an excellent workout for my arms," Jones said. "I'm glad I stayed home for training this time. I focus better. I don't drink, smoke or go out so there's no problem with distractions at home. It's soothing being home. Plus, the snow workouts have made me stronger." On Nov. 13, Jones won a majority 10-round decision against Soto-Karass on the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It was an action-packed fight with a debatable decision, so they are meeting again, this time in a scheduled 12-round bout that opens the HBO telecast headlined by unified bantamweight titleholder Fernando Montiel against Nonito Donaire.

• 2008 British Olympic bronze medalist David Price (8-0, 6 KOs) will serve as a sparring partner for heavyweight contender Odlanier Solis to help him prepare for his March 19 title shot against Vitali Klitschko. Price is 6-foot-8, similar to Klitschko, so this is the second time one of his opponents has sought his services. He also sparred with Alberto Sosnowski before he faced Klitschko. "It is wonderful experience for David to be in such an environment," said Frank Maloney, Price's promoter. "He can also gauge how far he is from that level when he gets rounds with these type of fighters. It will be interesting to see what opinion he forms of Solis because a lot of people believe he is the man to break [the Klitschko family] monopoly. The Klitschkos might not be the greatest to watch, but they are effective and David is the nearest thing we have to them. It is only a matter of time before he is like the Klitschko brothers and the most dominant force in the heavyweight division." Before Price heads to camp with Solis, he fights Osborne Machimana Feb. 5.

• Although former three-time middleweight titlist William Joppy (39-7-2, 30 KOs) announced his retirement after a sixth-round knockout loss to light heavyweight titlist Beibut Shumenov in his native Kazakhstan on Jan. 10, a fight Joppy took on a few days' notice, the retirement did not stick for even a month. Joppy, 40, will face Corey Cummings (17-4-1, 13 KOs) on March 12 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., on the undercard of a show headlined by former "Contender" star Jimmy Lange (34-4-2, 24 KOs) against Jimmy Holmes (19-1, 10 KOs). Joppy, of Washington, D.C., will face Baltimore's Cummings in a rematch of a 10-round majority draw in November.

• Welterweight Alfonso Gomez and junior middleweight Vanes Martirosyan are scheduled to fight opponents to be determined on "Top Rank Live" (Fox Deportes/Fox Sports Net) on March 19, according to Top Rank matchmaker Brad "Abdul" Goodman. Gomez was due to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Dec. 4, but withdrew a week before the fight because of an arm injury. Martirosyan has not fought since June, when he outpointed Joe Greene at Yankee Stadium on the Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman undercard.

• Showtime announced that the final and consolation match of its four-man bantamweight tournament will take place April 23 at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. A news conference is scheduled for Tuesday at the venue. Ghana's Joseph Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) defends his title in the final against Abner Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs) of Los Angeles, while former titleholder Yonnhy Perez (20-1-1, 14 KOs) of Colombia fights former junior bantamweight champ Vic Darchinyan (35-3-1, 27 KOs) of Australia in the consolation match.

• Fledgling premium cable network Epix is interested in boxing, which helped dramatically increase subscriptions for HBO and Showtime when they got involved in their early years. According to a source with knowledge of the proposal, Epix has made an offer for heavyweight titleholder Vitali Klitschko's March 19 defense against Odlanier Solis. Epix CEO Mark Greenberg was a longtime executive at Showtime and involved in overseeing its boxing franchise. … Heavyweight titlist David Haye is due to defend his title May 21 in England against an opponent to be determined, Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. Schaefer said the Haye camp and British regulators were reviewing the medical records of mandatory challenger Ruslan Chagaev, who has hepatitis B, to see if they will license him to fight there. … A big April 8 tripleheader in Tokyo featuring three Japanese titleholders was announced this week. Hozumi Hasegawa will face Mexico's Johnny Gonzalez in a mandatory featherweight title bout, junior featherweight titlist Toshiaki Nishioka fights Argentina's Mauricio Munoz and junior lightweight beltholder Takahiro Ao meets Humberto Gutierrez of Mexico. … A spring fight in the works for ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" would pit former junior welterweight titlist Kendall Holt against former two-time lightweight titleholder Julio Diaz. Both won their fights on the Timothy Bradley Jr.-Devon Alexander undercard Saturday. … Saturday's "Top Rank Live" card on Fox Deportes/Fox Sports Net has a special start time of 9 p.m. ET this week. Francisco Sierra (23-3, 21 KOs) faces Dyah Davis (18-2, 9 KOs) in the 10-round junior middleweight main event. … Top Rank signed El Paso, Texas, junior middleweight Abraham "Abie" Han (12-0, 10 KOs), Top Rank's Carl Moretti told ESPN.com. "The unique thing, other than being a Korean-American, is his punching power is with both hands," Moretti said. "Usually it's a great hook, or right hand."
[h3]Quotable[/h3]
"I said throughout fight week and after the fight, I am done calling people out. I am the people's champion and I want to hear from the fans on whom they would like me to fight next. They're buying the tickets and the premium channel subscriptions. They're entitled to have a say in this. Let my promoters know on twitter @GaryShawBoxing and @thompsonboxing]. Let HBO know [@hboboxing]." -- unified junior welterweight champ Timothy Bradley Jr., after his unification victory against Devon Alexander on Saturday night.

 

[proshares]

Gary Shaw, the co-promoter of junior welterweight champ Timothy Bradley Jr., told ESPN.com that the target date for Bradley to meet titleholder Amir Khan in a unification bout is July 30, although it does not figure to be that easy.

Khan first has to win an April 16 interim fight in his native England, although he does not yet have an opponent as he and his team have been going through name after name -- but nobody has been willing to accept the fight for the frugal figures Khan is offering.

Finalizing Bradley-Khan, even if Khan wins his interim bout, likely will still be difficult. Bradley's contract with Shaw expires in June, according to Cameron Dunkin, Bradley's co-manager. They have made it clear they have no intention of re-signing with Shaw. There is likely a gray area in the contract about whether Shaw has matching rights.

[h4]Heavy Hitting Boxing Podcast[/h4]
Sergio Mora says he's prepared for upset-minded Brian Vera on "Friday Night Fights."

More Podcasts »





Also, Khan's three-fight deal with Golden Boy is up after the April 16 fight, although Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com that he and the Khan camp are discussing a new two-fight deal. If they reach an agreement, Schaefer said they would throw out the last fight of the existing deal and replace it with a new one that would include better terms for the April bout with the second fight being in July -- ideally against Bradley.

Khan, meantime, still needs an opponent for April for a fight on that will be televised on HBO in the United States and on Sky Box Office pay-per-view in England.

The one opponent willing to take the fight for relatively short money is Breidis Prescott, who knocked Khan out in the first round in his only loss in 2008. However, he has not been offered the fight, despite a media blitz by the fighter and his co-promoters Leon Margules and Lou DiBella.

One of Khan's original targets was American Lamont Peterson, who fought a to draw with Victor Ortiz on Dec. 11 in Las Vegas on the undercard of Khan's dramatic decision victory against Marcos Maidana.

Peterson rejected multiple offers, including for $200,000 and was eliminated from contention. However, the sides rekindled talks this week and Peterson was offered $300,000. They continue talking.

Another name being mentioned, among several, is former titlist Junior Witter of England. Witter (37-3-2, 22 KOs), who held a belt from 2006 to 2008, is coming out of retirement. He lost his title to Bradley and later quit after eight rounds against Devon Alexander in a fight for a vacant title in August 2009.

"My manager, John Ingle, spoke to me about the Khan offer. I'm up for this 100 percent. It would be an opportunity too good to turn down fighting for a world title again," Witter said.

Witter is scheduled for his comeback fight Feb. 19 in Canada. It remains to be seen, however, whether HBO and Sky would accept Witter as an opponent.
[h3]Losers bracket: Alexander-Maidana[/h3]

AP Photo/Carlos OsorioHold tight, Devon Alexander: You'll be back in the thick of things in no time.

Although Devon Alexander lost his junior welterweight belt via 10th-round technical decision to Timothy Bradley Jr. in their unification bout last Saturday in a disappointing performance at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., Alexander and manager/trainer Kevin Cunningham have begun thinking about his next fight.

Alexander, who is owed a $1.25 million comeback fight by HBO, would like to fight Marcos Maidana, the free-swinging big puncher from Argentina, who lost a dramatic fight to titleholder Amir Khan via unanimous decision in December.

All along, HBO's master plan was to match Khan with Maidana and Bradley with Alexander and then have the winners meet and the losers meet in an unofficial junior welterweight tournament. Bradley-Khan is in discussion as long as Khan wins an April 16 defense in England.

Alexander and Cunningham are on board with the plan, especially after Maidana called Alexander out in the wake of his loss to Bradley.

"Team Alexander has no problem with fighting Maidana next. The fight draws 12,000 to 15,000 in The Lou," Cunningham told ESPN.com, referring to St. Louis, Alexander's [and Cunningham's] hometown. "We will be ready for Maidana in June or July. Maidana is the meanest SOB in boxing. Huge fight in St. Louis."
[h3]Franco and Kayode featured on 'ShoBox'[/h3]

Robert James Hughes/Fightwireimages.comIt's showtime for Lateef Kayode, left, who takes center stage on "ShoBox: The New Generation."

Lightweight prospect Archie Ray Marquez is having stomach problems, which forced him to withdraw from his fight against Marvin Quintero, according to promoter Gary Shaw. The bout was supposed to open a tripleheader on "ShoBox: The New Generation" on Friday night (Showtime, 11 ET/PT) at the Chumash Resort Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif.

The other two bouts will go on as scheduled with featherweight Luis Franco (8-0, 5 KOs), a former Cuban Olympian, facing Leonilo Miranda (32-2, 30 KOs) in the main event and Los Angeles-based Nigerian cruiserweight prospect Lateef "Power" Kayode (15-0, 14 KOs) meeting Tampa's Nicholas Iannuzzi (16-1, 9 KOs).

Franco, who defected from Cuba in 2009, is moving quickly in the pros, which is fine with him.

"I'd like to fight all the top guns in my weight class," said Franco, 28. "Line them up one by one. I'm waiting for the call. If any of them have what it takes to call out my name and challenge me, I'll be ready. I want the top guns in this division. I'm looking to get a world title victory in 2011. We're on the right path right now. We just need to keep on winning."

Kayode, an intriguing and powerful prospect, went the four-round distance in his 2008 pro debut and then knocked out his next 14 consecutive opponents. He said his knockout streak is in the back of his mind.

"I know the fans love it and I know Showtime loves it, but I'm not going to let that affect what I do in the ring," Kayode said.

Promoter Gary Shaw told ESPN.com that German promoter Sauerland Event inquired about Kayode's availability to challenge titlist Marco Huck for his title in March, but they turned it down because Kayode had this week's fight scheduled and is not yet ready for a fighter on Huck's level.
[h3]Super Bowl fight card[/h3]

hris Cozzone/Fightwireimages.comSergio Mora helps kick off Super Bowl weekend tonight with a barnburner on "Friday Night Fights."

Former junior middleweight titlist Sergio Mora, who also won the first season of "The Contender," and Brian Vera, who boxed on a later season of the reality series, square off in the main event of this week's "Friday Night Fights" (ESPN2, 9 ET) at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

The card is there to piggyback on the Sunday's Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers, who will play at nearby Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

It will be the first fight for Mora (22-1-2, 6 KOs) since his lackluster draw in September against Shane Mosley. Vera (17-5, 11 KOs) has not fought since a decision loss to Maksym Bursak in Ukraine in September. Vera was supposed to fight former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in November on the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard at Cowboys Stadium before Pavlik withdrew a couple of weeks before the bout.

"I know Brian Vera's a tough, tough fighter, that's for sure," Mora said. "I'm going to put this guy in the category of a hard-nosed, come-forward, hit-me-with-all-you-got Jake LaMotta-type fighter. He's going to put the pressure on me. There will be blood. Vera is a fan-friendly-style fighter and he's fighting in his hometown on a huge weekend, so it should be a nice battle of machismo."

Also on the card, junior middleweight prospect Charles Hatley (14-0, 11 KOs), 22, of Dallas, faces Chris Chatman (9-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Hatley, who was an alternate on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, is coming off of a unanimous decision against fan-favorite tough guy Emanuel Augustus in his previous fight. In another undercard fight, 2008 U.S. Olympian Luis Yanez (4-0, 0 KOs) fights Joseph Rios (8-5-1, 3 KOs) in a scheduled-round junior bantamweight bout.

• Brooklyn, N.Y., middleweight Daniel Jacobs (21-1, 18 KOs), the 2009 ESPN.com prospect of the year, has relocated to Los Angeles to train under the guidance of Freddie Roach. Jacobs began training with Roach this week. They will have their first fight together March 5 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Jacobs' fight is on the untelevised part of the HBO card headlined by junior middleweight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the 2010 ESPN.com prospect of the year, against Matthew Hatton. Jacobs, who turned 24 on Thursday, is on the comeback trail after being knocked out by Dmitry Pirog in a July upset fighting for a vacant middleweight belt. Jacobs made his return Dec. 18, knocking out Jessie Orta in the fifth round on the Jean Pascal-Bernard Hopkins undercard in Quebec City.

• Welterweight contender Mike Jones (23-0, 18 KOs), who is from Philadelphia, has gone away to train for his fights over the past couple of years. For the rematch against Jesus Soto-Karass (24-5-3, 16 KOs) on Feb. 19 (HBO) at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Jones has trained at home and taken advantage of the snowy conditions. "Shoveling snow at home has been an excellent workout for my arms," Jones said. "I'm glad I stayed home for training this time. I focus better. I don't drink, smoke or go out so there's no problem with distractions at home. It's soothing being home. Plus, the snow workouts have made me stronger." On Nov. 13, Jones won a majority 10-round decision against Soto-Karass on the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It was an action-packed fight with a debatable decision, so they are meeting again, this time in a scheduled 12-round bout that opens the HBO telecast headlined by unified bantamweight titleholder Fernando Montiel against Nonito Donaire.

• 2008 British Olympic bronze medalist David Price (8-0, 6 KOs) will serve as a sparring partner for heavyweight contender Odlanier Solis to help him prepare for his March 19 title shot against Vitali Klitschko. Price is 6-foot-8, similar to Klitschko, so this is the second time one of his opponents has sought his services. He also sparred with Alberto Sosnowski before he faced Klitschko. "It is wonderful experience for David to be in such an environment," said Frank Maloney, Price's promoter. "He can also gauge how far he is from that level when he gets rounds with these type of fighters. It will be interesting to see what opinion he forms of Solis because a lot of people believe he is the man to break [the Klitschko family] monopoly. The Klitschkos might not be the greatest to watch, but they are effective and David is the nearest thing we have to them. It is only a matter of time before he is like the Klitschko brothers and the most dominant force in the heavyweight division." Before Price heads to camp with Solis, he fights Osborne Machimana Feb. 5.

• Although former three-time middleweight titlist William Joppy (39-7-2, 30 KOs) announced his retirement after a sixth-round knockout loss to light heavyweight titlist Beibut Shumenov in his native Kazakhstan on Jan. 10, a fight Joppy took on a few days' notice, the retirement did not stick for even a month. Joppy, 40, will face Corey Cummings (17-4-1, 13 KOs) on March 12 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., on the undercard of a show headlined by former "Contender" star Jimmy Lange (34-4-2, 24 KOs) against Jimmy Holmes (19-1, 10 KOs). Joppy, of Washington, D.C., will face Baltimore's Cummings in a rematch of a 10-round majority draw in November.

• Welterweight Alfonso Gomez and junior middleweight Vanes Martirosyan are scheduled to fight opponents to be determined on "Top Rank Live" (Fox Deportes/Fox Sports Net) on March 19, according to Top Rank matchmaker Brad "Abdul" Goodman. Gomez was due to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Dec. 4, but withdrew a week before the fight because of an arm injury. Martirosyan has not fought since June, when he outpointed Joe Greene at Yankee Stadium on the Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman undercard.

• Showtime announced that the final and consolation match of its four-man bantamweight tournament will take place April 23 at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. A news conference is scheduled for Tuesday at the venue. Ghana's Joseph Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) defends his title in the final against Abner Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs) of Los Angeles, while former titleholder Yonnhy Perez (20-1-1, 14 KOs) of Colombia fights former junior bantamweight champ Vic Darchinyan (35-3-1, 27 KOs) of Australia in the consolation match.

• Fledgling premium cable network Epix is interested in boxing, which helped dramatically increase subscriptions for HBO and Showtime when they got involved in their early years. According to a source with knowledge of the proposal, Epix has made an offer for heavyweight titleholder Vitali Klitschko's March 19 defense against Odlanier Solis. Epix CEO Mark Greenberg was a longtime executive at Showtime and involved in overseeing its boxing franchise. … Heavyweight titlist David Haye is due to defend his title May 21 in England against an opponent to be determined, Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. Schaefer said the Haye camp and British regulators were reviewing the medical records of mandatory challenger Ruslan Chagaev, who has hepatitis B, to see if they will license him to fight there. … A big April 8 tripleheader in Tokyo featuring three Japanese titleholders was announced this week. Hozumi Hasegawa will face Mexico's Johnny Gonzalez in a mandatory featherweight title bout, junior featherweight titlist Toshiaki Nishioka fights Argentina's Mauricio Munoz and junior lightweight beltholder Takahiro Ao meets Humberto Gutierrez of Mexico. … A spring fight in the works for ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" would pit former junior welterweight titlist Kendall Holt against former two-time lightweight titleholder Julio Diaz. Both won their fights on the Timothy Bradley Jr.-Devon Alexander undercard Saturday. … Saturday's "Top Rank Live" card on Fox Deportes/Fox Sports Net has a special start time of 9 p.m. ET this week. Francisco Sierra (23-3, 21 KOs) faces Dyah Davis (18-2, 9 KOs) in the 10-round junior middleweight main event. … Top Rank signed El Paso, Texas, junior middleweight Abraham "Abie" Han (12-0, 10 KOs), Top Rank's Carl Moretti told ESPN.com. "The unique thing, other than being a Korean-American, is his punching power is with both hands," Moretti said. "Usually it's a great hook, or right hand."
[h3]Quotable[/h3]
"I said throughout fight week and after the fight, I am done calling people out. I am the people's champion and I want to hear from the fans on whom they would like me to fight next. They're buying the tickets and the premium channel subscriptions. They're entitled to have a say in this. Let my promoters know on twitter @GaryShawBoxing and @thompsonboxing]. Let HBO know [@hboboxing]." -- unified junior welterweight champ Timothy Bradley Jr., after his unification victory against Devon Alexander on Saturday night.

 

[proshares]

Ortiz/Berto close to being done at 147. Same day as Khan.

 

[proshares]

Ortiz/Berto close to being done at 147. Same day as Khan.

 

[scott frost]

{Alonzo} The **%*'s chess, it ain't checkers.{Alonzo}

 

[scott frost]

{Alonzo} The **%*'s chess, it ain't checkers.{Alonzo}

 

[dako akong otin]

nonito doing bagwork and impersonations

 

[dako akong otin]

nonito doing bagwork and impersonations

 

[yoppa guevara]

Originally Posted by Proshares

Ortiz/Berto close to being done at 147. Same day as Khan.

does Ortiz have any fights at 147? idk how his power or chin will hold on. Wouldn't mind seeing him try to avenge the maidana embarrasment

 

[yoppa guevara]

Originally Posted by Proshares

Ortiz/Berto close to being done at 147. Same day as Khan.

does Ortiz have any fights at 147? idk how his power or chin will hold on. Wouldn't mind seeing him try to avenge the maidana embarrasment

 

[gunna get it]

here u go Dako




I f with Nonito.

I hope he does work vs Montiel. he gonna need to be on his A game

 

[gunna get it]

here u go Dako




I f with Nonito.

I hope he does work vs Montiel. he gonna need to be on his A game

 

[dako akong otin]

thanks for the embed Gunna...  i was confused because in the preview, it seemed to work 

Anyway, my boy Z Gorres is pretty much back to normal from his accident ... except he's fat as hell, lol..  and he's fought both Montiel and Darchinyan.  So he was saying that Montiel is a harder puncher than Darchinyan because Darchinyan's punches are telegraphed.  Montiel is smart too, and has a way better chin than Vic, and has a higher tolerance for pain.  Vic is weak in the body, Montiel is not...  so he pretty much meant that Nonito should expect to be in a war.  

 

[dako akong otin]

thanks for the embed Gunna...  i was confused because in the preview, it seemed to work 

Anyway, my boy Z Gorres is pretty much back to normal from his accident ... except he's fat as hell, lol..  and he's fought both Montiel and Darchinyan.  So he was saying that Montiel is a harder puncher than Darchinyan because Darchinyan's punches are telegraphed.  Montiel is smart too, and has a way better chin than Vic, and has a higher tolerance for pain.  Vic is weak in the body, Montiel is not...  so he pretty much meant that Nonito should expect to be in a war.  

 

[gunna get it]

Yea Montiel seems to be Flash's toughest opponent to date.

this could either be a quick KO or a War that requires a rematch

 

[gunna get it]

Yea Montiel seems to be Flash's toughest opponent to date.

this could either be a quick KO or a War that requires a rematch

 

[jagshemash]

Eh, I've seen Montiel fight a fight a few times and I haven't really been that impressed.  If I recall he was clearly losing to Hasagawa before he landed that big punch.  I got Donaire in this one.  

 

[jagshemash]

Eh, I've seen Montiel fight a fight a few times and I haven't really been that impressed.  If I recall he was clearly losing to Hasagawa before he landed that big punch.  I got Donaire in this one.  

 

[cafinest23]

Flash is ill dude has been a beast for awhile hopefully he starts to develop some shine stateside by the ordinary boxing fans. JMM and Gamboa needs to happen ASAP

 

[cafinest23]

Flash is ill dude has been a beast for awhile hopefully he starts to develop some shine stateside by the ordinary boxing fans. JMM and Gamboa needs to happen ASAP

 

[proshares]

Pretty funny

I don't know why I do it, but month after month I subject myself to reading the new batch of divisional rankings put out by the WBC.

As I have written many times before, the rankings have very little to do with reality in boxing, only the fantasy world of El Presidente for life Jose Sulaiman and his puppet board of governors.

Last fall, I wrote a blog outlining only the most glaring lunacy in the rankings. Months have passed, so it's time to shine a light on the newest absurdity in the rankings, which infected my inbox Tuesday.

About the only good thing I have to say about them is that, thankfully, Evander Holyfield is not ranked in the heavyweight division. Beyond that? It's bad. Let's take a look at the most rancid aspects:

• At heavyweight, Cristobal Arreola is ranked No. 3, one spot ahead of Tomasz Adamek. The problem? Adamek beat Arreola head-to-head without controversy less than a year ago, and they've both won two fights against similar caliber competition since then. Apparently, beating a guy has no actual bearing on where you rank in relation to the man you've beaten.

• Also at heavyweight, Ray Austin has lingered near the top of the rankings seemingly forever without ever actually beating a legitimate top opponent (and after getting knocked out in two rounds in a blowout by Wladimir Klitschko, who was defending another organization's belt). Austin had been fraudulently ranked No. 1 before a clear loss to Odlanier Solis in a December title eliminator. I figured at last we'd be done with him threatening the top spot. Alas, he still ranks fifth. Maybe he has pictures of someone at the WBC? Realistically, he probably doesn't belong in the top 20.

• Super middleweight is a toxic disaster. Kelly Pavlik, the former middleweight champion who hasn't fought since losing his title last April (and recently spending two months as an in-patient at an alcohol rehabilitation facility) is suddenly the No. 1 contender at 168 pounds. So he is coming off a loss and has yet to fight as a bona fide super middleweight, but he is the No. 1 contender? Sure, whatever El Presidente says.

• If Pavlik's No. 1 status doesn't make you sick enough, just look over the rest of the 168-pound rankings. One of the more incredible rankings is Arthur Abraham at No. 3. That is mind-blowing. Abraham, who was a fine middleweight titlist in another organization, moved up to super middleweight and knocked out another blown-up middleweight, former champ Jermain Taylor, in October 2009 in the Super Six tournament. Since then, Abraham has suffered two one-sided losses in the tournament, to Andre Dirrell and Carl Froch. Yet, miraculously, he ranks ahead of Glen Johnson, who is fifth and coming off a big knockout of Allan Green in the Super Six?

• At middleweight, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is the No. 1 contender. Simply put, it's one of the most laughable rankings in boxing history. Just peruse Chavez's padded and protected record for 10 seconds and you get the idea. Meanwhile, Sergio Martinez, the real middleweight champ, was stripped by the odious WBC and named "champion emeritus," which makes no sense whatsoever because he is active and will fight March 12.

• At junior welterweight, a child plucking names out of a hat could probably come up with a better set of ratings than the outlandish WBC has. For starters, Erik Morales, the long-faded three-division champion (122 pounds, 126 and 130) is somehow, some way the No. 1 contender. This is more horrible than just about anything else in the entire set of rankings (even worse than Chavez's ranking, in fact). It's not credible in any way, shape or form. Of course, Morales' long-standing relationship with El Presidente, and the fact that the Mexico City-based WBC has always favored Mexican fighters, can't be overlooked. For perspective, keep in mind that Morales, who has won three lesser fights since ending a 2½-year retirement (and only one in the 140-pound division), ranks ahead of recently deposed titleholder Devon Alexander (No. 2), Victor Ortiz (No.

and Lamont Peterson (No. 21, who fought to a draw with Ortiz in December).

• You want more lunacy? At bantamweight, Vic Darchinyan has a 1-2 record. He is coming off a loss to Abner Mares and also lost to Joseph Agbeko for another organization's belt in July 2009. His lone win at 118 pounds was against journeyman Eric Barcelona (he of 17 losses). For that undistinguished record, the WBC ranks Darchinyan third. Ranked fourth? Nonito Donaire, who owns a pulverizing knockout of Darchinyan (granted, at flyweight) and is coming off a sensational knockout of well-respected former titleholder Wladimir Sidorenko. It simply makes no sense.

• At junior middleweight, Antonio Margarito, who had his face broken in a shutout loss to Manny Pacquiao in a November title fight he never remotely deserved in the first place, ranks fifth. This is despite the fact he was tortured by Pacquiao and still has never scored a win of note in the division. Pacquiao has notified the WBC that he has no plans to defend his 154-pound trinket, so the WBC had no real choice but to vacate the belt on Tuesday. All I can say is that it warms my heart to know that El Presidente and his puppet board of governors won't be involved in Pacquiao's May 7 fight with Shane Mosley and, therefore, will not receive a sanctioning fee.

Month after month, the WBC's rankings are a joke, which is sad because they significantly impact the fights we see. I guess I'd feel a little better if maybe the WBC would just send silver belts, interim titles and emeritus trinkets to Fight Freaks everywhere -- for a small sanctioning fee, of course.