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Ward has said he's earned to "have options" after enduring the Super Six. He thinks Bute shouldn't be handed a shot at him. I'm not saying I agree with Ward, but I somewhat understand his logic.
Official 2012 Boxing Thread: JMM/Manny IV - FOTY.
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
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The only thing I don't understand about Ward saying he has options is that who else is out there at 168 besides Bute? You've fought all the good fighters in that division except Bute and Dirrell. I would expect him to move up to light heavyweight or move down to middleweight.
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Watched the replay of Pavlick vs Jaco.....didn't really know what happened. Jaco basically quit after being knocked down in the second.
that May 5 card is looking very tempting to order
that May 5 card is looking very tempting to order
I completely disagree with him. Bute was shafted by not getting an invite to the Super Six and promised a shot at the winner if he kept winning. Now he's gotta beat the #3 guy in the division to get a shot? It's not Bute's fault he wasn't invited or that the tourney dragged on for almost 3 years or 168 is thin after the guys invited. Ward is dumb for that IMO. You have momentum and building a fan base outside of Oakland, why not take the fight and keep rolling. Bute wouldn't be getting handed anything. He's earned it by staying busy and racking up the wins while the Super Six was draggig out.
Fights from this past weekend.
Spoiler [+]
Saturday at San Antonio
Kelly Pavlik TKO2 Aaron Jaco
Super middleweight
Records: Pavlik (38-2, 33 KOs); Jaco (15-3, 5 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The comeback is under way for Pavlik, and so far, so good for the former middleweight world champion, who looked sharp in his first fight in 10 months and just his second bout since losing the title to Sergio Martinez via bloody decision in April 2010. Granted, Pavlik, who turns 30 on Wednesday, was not facing a very threatening opponent in Jaco, but he looked very strong nonetheless.
Pavlik, as we all know, has battled alcohol abuse that landed him in rehab. He has had issues with his promoter, Top Rank, after blowing off a Showtime fight this past summer by dropping out a few days ahead of time without giving a legitimate reason. There also was a DUI arrest. But he appears to have things under control. At least for now. He left his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, where he is a huge fish in a tiny pond, and split with career-long trainer Jack Loew to relocate to Oxnard, Calif., and begin training with Robert Garcia. This was their first fight together, and Pavlik did everything Garcia, Top Rank and manager Cameron Dunkin could have asked for.
He looked in tremendous shape and was powerful with his left hand while not even needing to employ the destructive right hand that has been his calling card. Jaco, 35, of Sarasota, Fla., never stood a chance. Pavlik rocked him early in the first round with a left hook, and it seemed to be only a matter of time before he got rid of Jaco. Late in the first round, Pavlik dropped Jaco with a solid left hook to the chin. Jaco buckled and went down to a knee on a delayed reaction, but he was up by eight. Pavlik continued to show patience in the second round but dropped Jaco again with a clean left hook. Jaco was in far worse trouble from this knockdown, although he was up quickly. He used the ring ropes to help him make it to his feet by three, but he was shaky and did not want to continue. Referee Jon Schorle can clearly be heard on the audio after he had called it off 45 seconds into the round saying, "I said, 'How you doing?' He said, 'I'm done.'" Jaco, now 2-3 in his past five bouts, was taking a massive step up in competition and fighting for only the second time since 2006.
Afterward, Pavlik was pleased with his performance, saying, "I was calm, relaxed, had good energy, bounce -- everything was working. I thought he was looking for a right hand, so I got him with my left. I feel good, and I am back." Garcia was happy with what he saw, as well: "The plan was to stay calm, work off the jab, then get to work. Kelly did everything at a high level." Jaco also gave Pavlik credit: "Game plans are great until you get punched. I never felt power like that. He is a great fighter and a great man. I don't hate him, and he doesn't hate me. It was too much power for me to handle."
Pavlik's next fight could headline an ESPN "Friday Night Fights" card in Las Vegas on June 8, the night before the big Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Jr. HBO PPV card that Top Rank is promoting. Assuming Pavlik's next fight is indeed on "Friday Night Fights," it surely will be easier for fight fans to find after the absolute disaster of the television for this card. Top Rank originally announced that Pavlik would be on a "Top Rank Live" card (its series that has moved from Fox Deportes to Azteca America this year) but that Pavlik's fight would not be part of the broadcast. The week of the fight, however, Top Rank said Pavlik would open the telecast at the behest of Azteca America. Then there was confusion over the start time. Top Rank said that it would begin live at 9 p.m. ET but that some markets would air it on one-hour delay at 10 p.m. ET. However, when it came to fight time, Azteca America did not show the card. Instead, it carried live coverage of a club card from Mexico with no sign of the Pavlik fight to be seen. Apparently, the fight did air in Mexico, so at least it wound up on YouTube. Top Rank seriously needs to iron out its "Top Rank Live" situation. Many fans wanted to see Pavlik's return and wound up with nothing but wasted time waiting around for it on Azteca America.
In the main event, Garcia-trained featherweight Evgeny Gradovich (13-0, 7 KOs) of Russia stopped Frankie Leal (17-6-3, 10 KOs) of Mexico in the 10th round of an action fight. Leal left on a stretcher for precautionary reasons.
Saturday at Cancun, Mexico
Sergio "Yeyo" Thompson TKO2 Jorge Linares
Lightweight
Title eliminator
Records: Thompson (22-2, 20 KOs); Linares (31-3, 20 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This will go down as one of the worst decisions ever in terms of a fighter taking a so-called "tuneup" fight before a far more significant bout that was already set. Perhaps it was not as a bad as the all-timer, in which Tommy Morrison, who had an $8 million deal done to challenge Lennox Lewis for the heavyweight championship, took a "tuneup" fight against Michael Bentt and got waxed in the first round in 1993. But this is pretty close as Linares blew a July 7 money fight on Showtime to challenge lightweight titlist Antonio DeMarco in a rematch by getting stopped inside two rounds in a poor performance that puts his career as a serious fighter in jeopardy after he lost his second bout in a row by knockout and got severely cut for the second fight in a row.
In October, Linares faced Mexico's DeMarco for a vacant lightweight belt on the Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson HBO PPV undercard at Staples Center in Los Angeles. For most of the fight, Linares was having his way with DeMarco. He was quicker and is superior in terms of talent. But Linares got cut, and DeMarco makes up for whatever he lacks in technique with a huge heart. He never stopped going at Linares, whose face was covered in blood. Linares was running out of gas and eventually was stopped in the 11th round in one of the biggest upsets of 2011. A rematch was ordered, but with the caveat that DeMarco would be permitted to take an interim defense first, which he did on March 17, knocking out Miguel Roman in a dominant performance. Linares, however, also opted for an interim bout and Golden Boy matched with Mexico's Thompson, 26, who has a glossy record compiled against mostly woeful or novice opponents.
The first round was competitive and exciting. Thompson landed several solid shots that pushed Linares back and marked up the area around his left eye. But Linares also rocked Thompson with a left hook near the end of the round.
After a cautious start to the second round, Thompson nailed Linares with a right hand that rocked him and sent him into the ropes. Thompson went for the knockout and unloaded more than a dozen punches, several of which missed. But several also landed, and Linares emerged from the frenzy with blood streaming from a cut over his left eye.
Thompson then rocked Linares, a former featherweight and junior lightweight titlist, again with another overhand right. He continued to unload on Linares, finally sending him to the canvas under a hail of punches. Linares took most of the count from referee Bill Clancy on one knee, but he got to his feet as blood streamed down his face and chest. Clancy called timeout and brought Linares to the corner for the ringside doctor to examine the cut. The doctor looked at the cut briefly and instructed Clancy to call off the fight, which he did at 2 minutes, 27 seconds as Thompson scored the huge upset victory.
Linares, 26, of Venezuela but based in Los Angeles with trainer Freddie Roach, has tons of talent, but he simply cannot take a punch and he cuts way too easily. Both deficiencies came to the forefront against Thompson in a fight that landed on Fox Deportes thanks to a deal between the network and Golden Boy Promotions. You have to wonder where Linares goes from here. The talent is undeniable, but he has no chin. His other loss was also by knockout, a first-round stoppage by Juan Carlos Salgado in a 2009 junior lightweight title fight, and there are many stories of him being knocked out in the gym in sparring. Technically, this loss was because of the cut (which needed approximately 22 stitches to close, according to Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz), but Linares looked finished after the knockdown anyway.
Thompson now becomes DeMarco's mandatory challenger, but it remains to be seen what Showtime will do with the July 7 date. It is hard to imagine it would buy DeMarco-Thompson, and there is no way it would put Linares, who has become a major disappointment, on in a main event after this debacle.
Saturday at Kiel, Germany
Arthur Abraham W12 Piotr Wilczewski
Super middleweight
Scores: 119-108, 118-109 (twice)
Records: Abraham (34-3, 27 KOs); Wilczewski (30-3, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Abraham, 32, of Germany and a former feared middleweight titlist, is now simply trying to make his way in the super middleweight division. He moved up to the weight class to enter Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament in 2009 and scored a massive 12th-round knockout of Jermain Taylor in the opening stage. Then it was all downhill. Abraham was utterly outclassed in tournament fights against Andre Dirrell, Carl Froch and Andre Ward, sending his stock into the sewer. Now he has two wins in a row after the disastrous tournament, a shaky fifth-round knockout of Pablo Natalio Farias in January and this lopsided decision against former European champion Wilczewski, 32, of Poland. The fight drew a sellout crowd of about 6,000 and, according to promoter Sauerland Event, drew more than 7 million television viewers on German network ARD, a testament to Abraham's enduring popularity despite his terrible showing in the Super Six.
The biggest thing for Abraham was that he was more aggressive than he has been. The reason he was so awful in the Super Six, and why he looked bad against Farias, is that he would rarely let his hands go. He was just way, way too passive. But he threw more punches against Wilczewski, and it made a big difference. He pressured him throughout the fight, but Wilczewski also turned in a spirited effort despite the lopsided scores. Wilczewski was the victim of an uncalled-for point deduction in the seventh round, which referee Manuel Maritxalar took, it seemed, because Wilczewski spun behind Abraham as they were breaking from a clinch. That was a ridiculous call, although it had no bearing on the outcome. Abraham was in control, but he came closest to getting a knockout in the 11th round, when he hurt Wilczewski, battered him around the ring for part of the round and had him on shaky legs as it came to an end.
Abraham was pleased with his performance, saying afterward, "He was a tough opponent who could really take a lot of shots. I tried to go for the KO but couldn't knock him out. But this was a good fight for me, the kind of fight I need to become world champion again. I am satisfied and will now keep up the hard work to accomplish my goal of winning the world title again."
Sauerland Event, Abraham's promoter, claim that Abraham is next in line for the winner of the upcoming super middleweight title bout between belt holder Robert Stieglitz of Germany and mandatory challenger George Groves of England. If Stieglitz beats Groves, a match with Abraham would be a major fight in Germany.
Saturday at Los Cabos, Mexico
Hugo Ruiz TKO8 Yonfrez Parejo
Bantamweight
Retains an interim bantamweight title
Records: Ruiz (30-1, 27 KOs); Parejo (11-1-1, 4 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Ruiz, 25, of Mexico, originally was supposed to face John Mark Apolinario of the Philippines, but he dropped out and was replaced on short notice by Parejo, 25, of Venezuela. It made no difference to Ruiz, who powered his way to a third defense of one of those unfortunate interim belts the WBA hands out like Halloween candy. In any event, Ruiz is a fine fighter and took Parejo apart to hand him his first defeat. Ruiz scored knockdowns in the second and seventh rounds of a dominant showing before referee Roberto Ramirez Sr. intervened at 1 minute, 12 seconds of the eighth round. It would be nice if the WBA would understand that having multiple titleholders in the same division is a horrible thing for boxing. In the bantamweight division, it crowned three titleholders: Anselmo Moreno, Koki Kameda and Ruiz. It ought to, at the very least, order Kameda and Ruiz to fight. It won't, though, and the mess will carry on.
Friday at Mashantucket, Conn.
Hank Lundy W10 Dannie Williams
Lightweight
Scores: 98-91, 97-92 (twice)
Records: Lundy (22-1-1, 11 KOs); Williams (21-2, 17 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Lundy, 28, of Philadelphia, and Williams, 26, of St. Louis, talked a lot of trash heading into this intriguing "Friday Night Fights" main event -- perhaps the best on paper so far this season -- and it was Lundy who backed up his words. He has been a staple on "Friday Night Fights" in recent years and turned in one of his best performances. It looked as if Lundy might have a rough night when Williams, who has excellent power, nailed him on the side of the head with a left hook in the first round and Lundy was forced to put his glove down on the mat to steady himself for a knockdown. But that was basically the only bump in the road for Lundy, who otherwise cruised to a very solid victory, his fourth in a row since his July 2010 fight with John Molina, which Lundy was winning easily when he got knocked out in the 11th round. There was one moment in the third round when Lundy and Williams simultaneously landed hard left hooks to rock each other briefly. But, overall, Lundy controlled less experienced Williams with a snappy jab and often followed it with a right hand. He did it over and over, and it resulted in the clear victory in what was an entertaining fight. Lundy is vulnerable -- he's been knocked down multiple times -- and, although he can box, he also mixes it up sometimes even though that makes his fights tougher. But that is why he is interesting to watch. That, combined with the good run he is on since the lone defeat to Molina, means he ought to strongly be considered for a more significant fight on HBO or Showtime the next time there's a lightweight fight of consequence being discussed. Lundy deserves a shot.
Kelly Pavlik TKO2 Aaron Jaco
Super middleweight
Records: Pavlik (38-2, 33 KOs); Jaco (15-3, 5 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The comeback is under way for Pavlik, and so far, so good for the former middleweight world champion, who looked sharp in his first fight in 10 months and just his second bout since losing the title to Sergio Martinez via bloody decision in April 2010. Granted, Pavlik, who turns 30 on Wednesday, was not facing a very threatening opponent in Jaco, but he looked very strong nonetheless.
Pavlik, as we all know, has battled alcohol abuse that landed him in rehab. He has had issues with his promoter, Top Rank, after blowing off a Showtime fight this past summer by dropping out a few days ahead of time without giving a legitimate reason. There also was a DUI arrest. But he appears to have things under control. At least for now. He left his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, where he is a huge fish in a tiny pond, and split with career-long trainer Jack Loew to relocate to Oxnard, Calif., and begin training with Robert Garcia. This was their first fight together, and Pavlik did everything Garcia, Top Rank and manager Cameron Dunkin could have asked for.
He looked in tremendous shape and was powerful with his left hand while not even needing to employ the destructive right hand that has been his calling card. Jaco, 35, of Sarasota, Fla., never stood a chance. Pavlik rocked him early in the first round with a left hook, and it seemed to be only a matter of time before he got rid of Jaco. Late in the first round, Pavlik dropped Jaco with a solid left hook to the chin. Jaco buckled and went down to a knee on a delayed reaction, but he was up by eight. Pavlik continued to show patience in the second round but dropped Jaco again with a clean left hook. Jaco was in far worse trouble from this knockdown, although he was up quickly. He used the ring ropes to help him make it to his feet by three, but he was shaky and did not want to continue. Referee Jon Schorle can clearly be heard on the audio after he had called it off 45 seconds into the round saying, "I said, 'How you doing?' He said, 'I'm done.'" Jaco, now 2-3 in his past five bouts, was taking a massive step up in competition and fighting for only the second time since 2006.
Afterward, Pavlik was pleased with his performance, saying, "I was calm, relaxed, had good energy, bounce -- everything was working. I thought he was looking for a right hand, so I got him with my left. I feel good, and I am back." Garcia was happy with what he saw, as well: "The plan was to stay calm, work off the jab, then get to work. Kelly did everything at a high level." Jaco also gave Pavlik credit: "Game plans are great until you get punched. I never felt power like that. He is a great fighter and a great man. I don't hate him, and he doesn't hate me. It was too much power for me to handle."
Pavlik's next fight could headline an ESPN "Friday Night Fights" card in Las Vegas on June 8, the night before the big Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Jr. HBO PPV card that Top Rank is promoting. Assuming Pavlik's next fight is indeed on "Friday Night Fights," it surely will be easier for fight fans to find after the absolute disaster of the television for this card. Top Rank originally announced that Pavlik would be on a "Top Rank Live" card (its series that has moved from Fox Deportes to Azteca America this year) but that Pavlik's fight would not be part of the broadcast. The week of the fight, however, Top Rank said Pavlik would open the telecast at the behest of Azteca America. Then there was confusion over the start time. Top Rank said that it would begin live at 9 p.m. ET but that some markets would air it on one-hour delay at 10 p.m. ET. However, when it came to fight time, Azteca America did not show the card. Instead, it carried live coverage of a club card from Mexico with no sign of the Pavlik fight to be seen. Apparently, the fight did air in Mexico, so at least it wound up on YouTube. Top Rank seriously needs to iron out its "Top Rank Live" situation. Many fans wanted to see Pavlik's return and wound up with nothing but wasted time waiting around for it on Azteca America.
In the main event, Garcia-trained featherweight Evgeny Gradovich (13-0, 7 KOs) of Russia stopped Frankie Leal (17-6-3, 10 KOs) of Mexico in the 10th round of an action fight. Leal left on a stretcher for precautionary reasons.
Saturday at Cancun, Mexico
Sergio "Yeyo" Thompson TKO2 Jorge Linares
Lightweight
Title eliminator
Records: Thompson (22-2, 20 KOs); Linares (31-3, 20 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This will go down as one of the worst decisions ever in terms of a fighter taking a so-called "tuneup" fight before a far more significant bout that was already set. Perhaps it was not as a bad as the all-timer, in which Tommy Morrison, who had an $8 million deal done to challenge Lennox Lewis for the heavyweight championship, took a "tuneup" fight against Michael Bentt and got waxed in the first round in 1993. But this is pretty close as Linares blew a July 7 money fight on Showtime to challenge lightweight titlist Antonio DeMarco in a rematch by getting stopped inside two rounds in a poor performance that puts his career as a serious fighter in jeopardy after he lost his second bout in a row by knockout and got severely cut for the second fight in a row.
In October, Linares faced Mexico's DeMarco for a vacant lightweight belt on the Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson HBO PPV undercard at Staples Center in Los Angeles. For most of the fight, Linares was having his way with DeMarco. He was quicker and is superior in terms of talent. But Linares got cut, and DeMarco makes up for whatever he lacks in technique with a huge heart. He never stopped going at Linares, whose face was covered in blood. Linares was running out of gas and eventually was stopped in the 11th round in one of the biggest upsets of 2011. A rematch was ordered, but with the caveat that DeMarco would be permitted to take an interim defense first, which he did on March 17, knocking out Miguel Roman in a dominant performance. Linares, however, also opted for an interim bout and Golden Boy matched with Mexico's Thompson, 26, who has a glossy record compiled against mostly woeful or novice opponents.
The first round was competitive and exciting. Thompson landed several solid shots that pushed Linares back and marked up the area around his left eye. But Linares also rocked Thompson with a left hook near the end of the round.
After a cautious start to the second round, Thompson nailed Linares with a right hand that rocked him and sent him into the ropes. Thompson went for the knockout and unloaded more than a dozen punches, several of which missed. But several also landed, and Linares emerged from the frenzy with blood streaming from a cut over his left eye.
Thompson then rocked Linares, a former featherweight and junior lightweight titlist, again with another overhand right. He continued to unload on Linares, finally sending him to the canvas under a hail of punches. Linares took most of the count from referee Bill Clancy on one knee, but he got to his feet as blood streamed down his face and chest. Clancy called timeout and brought Linares to the corner for the ringside doctor to examine the cut. The doctor looked at the cut briefly and instructed Clancy to call off the fight, which he did at 2 minutes, 27 seconds as Thompson scored the huge upset victory.
Linares, 26, of Venezuela but based in Los Angeles with trainer Freddie Roach, has tons of talent, but he simply cannot take a punch and he cuts way too easily. Both deficiencies came to the forefront against Thompson in a fight that landed on Fox Deportes thanks to a deal between the network and Golden Boy Promotions. You have to wonder where Linares goes from here. The talent is undeniable, but he has no chin. His other loss was also by knockout, a first-round stoppage by Juan Carlos Salgado in a 2009 junior lightweight title fight, and there are many stories of him being knocked out in the gym in sparring. Technically, this loss was because of the cut (which needed approximately 22 stitches to close, according to Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz), but Linares looked finished after the knockdown anyway.
Thompson now becomes DeMarco's mandatory challenger, but it remains to be seen what Showtime will do with the July 7 date. It is hard to imagine it would buy DeMarco-Thompson, and there is no way it would put Linares, who has become a major disappointment, on in a main event after this debacle.
Saturday at Kiel, Germany
Arthur Abraham W12 Piotr Wilczewski
Super middleweight
Scores: 119-108, 118-109 (twice)
Records: Abraham (34-3, 27 KOs); Wilczewski (30-3, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Abraham, 32, of Germany and a former feared middleweight titlist, is now simply trying to make his way in the super middleweight division. He moved up to the weight class to enter Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament in 2009 and scored a massive 12th-round knockout of Jermain Taylor in the opening stage. Then it was all downhill. Abraham was utterly outclassed in tournament fights against Andre Dirrell, Carl Froch and Andre Ward, sending his stock into the sewer. Now he has two wins in a row after the disastrous tournament, a shaky fifth-round knockout of Pablo Natalio Farias in January and this lopsided decision against former European champion Wilczewski, 32, of Poland. The fight drew a sellout crowd of about 6,000 and, according to promoter Sauerland Event, drew more than 7 million television viewers on German network ARD, a testament to Abraham's enduring popularity despite his terrible showing in the Super Six.
The biggest thing for Abraham was that he was more aggressive than he has been. The reason he was so awful in the Super Six, and why he looked bad against Farias, is that he would rarely let his hands go. He was just way, way too passive. But he threw more punches against Wilczewski, and it made a big difference. He pressured him throughout the fight, but Wilczewski also turned in a spirited effort despite the lopsided scores. Wilczewski was the victim of an uncalled-for point deduction in the seventh round, which referee Manuel Maritxalar took, it seemed, because Wilczewski spun behind Abraham as they were breaking from a clinch. That was a ridiculous call, although it had no bearing on the outcome. Abraham was in control, but he came closest to getting a knockout in the 11th round, when he hurt Wilczewski, battered him around the ring for part of the round and had him on shaky legs as it came to an end.
Abraham was pleased with his performance, saying afterward, "He was a tough opponent who could really take a lot of shots. I tried to go for the KO but couldn't knock him out. But this was a good fight for me, the kind of fight I need to become world champion again. I am satisfied and will now keep up the hard work to accomplish my goal of winning the world title again."
Sauerland Event, Abraham's promoter, claim that Abraham is next in line for the winner of the upcoming super middleweight title bout between belt holder Robert Stieglitz of Germany and mandatory challenger George Groves of England. If Stieglitz beats Groves, a match with Abraham would be a major fight in Germany.
Saturday at Los Cabos, Mexico
Hugo Ruiz TKO8 Yonfrez Parejo
Bantamweight
Retains an interim bantamweight title
Records: Ruiz (30-1, 27 KOs); Parejo (11-1-1, 4 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Ruiz, 25, of Mexico, originally was supposed to face John Mark Apolinario of the Philippines, but he dropped out and was replaced on short notice by Parejo, 25, of Venezuela. It made no difference to Ruiz, who powered his way to a third defense of one of those unfortunate interim belts the WBA hands out like Halloween candy. In any event, Ruiz is a fine fighter and took Parejo apart to hand him his first defeat. Ruiz scored knockdowns in the second and seventh rounds of a dominant showing before referee Roberto Ramirez Sr. intervened at 1 minute, 12 seconds of the eighth round. It would be nice if the WBA would understand that having multiple titleholders in the same division is a horrible thing for boxing. In the bantamweight division, it crowned three titleholders: Anselmo Moreno, Koki Kameda and Ruiz. It ought to, at the very least, order Kameda and Ruiz to fight. It won't, though, and the mess will carry on.
Friday at Mashantucket, Conn.
Hank Lundy W10 Dannie Williams
Lightweight
Scores: 98-91, 97-92 (twice)
Records: Lundy (22-1-1, 11 KOs); Williams (21-2, 17 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Lundy, 28, of Philadelphia, and Williams, 26, of St. Louis, talked a lot of trash heading into this intriguing "Friday Night Fights" main event -- perhaps the best on paper so far this season -- and it was Lundy who backed up his words. He has been a staple on "Friday Night Fights" in recent years and turned in one of his best performances. It looked as if Lundy might have a rough night when Williams, who has excellent power, nailed him on the side of the head with a left hook in the first round and Lundy was forced to put his glove down on the mat to steady himself for a knockdown. But that was basically the only bump in the road for Lundy, who otherwise cruised to a very solid victory, his fourth in a row since his July 2010 fight with John Molina, which Lundy was winning easily when he got knocked out in the 11th round. There was one moment in the third round when Lundy and Williams simultaneously landed hard left hooks to rock each other briefly. But, overall, Lundy controlled less experienced Williams with a snappy jab and often followed it with a right hand. He did it over and over, and it resulted in the clear victory in what was an entertaining fight. Lundy is vulnerable -- he's been knocked down multiple times -- and, although he can box, he also mixes it up sometimes even though that makes his fights tougher. But that is why he is interesting to watch. That, combined with the good run he is on since the lone defeat to Molina, means he ought to strongly be considered for a more significant fight on HBO or Showtime the next time there's a lightweight fight of consequence being discussed. Lundy deserves a shot.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Been down this road before but @loudibella told me he's close to a deal with Arum for Chavez Jr. to face @AndyLeeBoxing on June 16. #boxing
about 19 hours ago
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
RT @EPIXsports: Fight fans! Froch vs. Bute is coming to @EPIXsports Saturday, May 26th! #Boxing
about 12 hours ago
Been down this road before but @loudibella told me he's close to a deal with Arum for Chavez Jr. to face @AndyLeeBoxing on June 16. #boxing
about 19 hours ago
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
RT @EPIXsports: Fight fans! Froch vs. Bute is coming to @EPIXsports Saturday, May 26th! #Boxing
about 12 hours ago
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Per Ward's twitter, he said that Bute declined an invite to Super Six. If that's true, I can see why Ward feels that Bute needs to fight a Froch to get in with him.
Like I said, I totally agree that Ward should fight Bute. That's the biggest fight of the division & arguably the biggest bout in the sport outside of Mayweather-Pacquiao. But I also understand Ward's view that's after being locked into a tournament for 3 years, he's finally earned to have "options."
Don't forget Ward was hurt. He couldn't make a fight in May. & if Bute wanted to stay busy, so be it. I think Ward-Bute will go down in October.
Like I said, I totally agree that Ward should fight Bute. That's the biggest fight of the division & arguably the biggest bout in the sport outside of Mayweather-Pacquiao. But I also understand Ward's view that's after being locked into a tournament for 3 years, he's finally earned to have "options."
Don't forget Ward was hurt. He couldn't make a fight in May. & if Bute wanted to stay busy, so be it. I think Ward-Bute will go down in October.
Nah man, Ward is incorrect on that one. I'll find the ESPN article, he wasn't invited and they didn't try to keep him on the network while they were negotiating the terms of the Super Six. That's why he went to HBO for the Andrade rematch and the Miranda fight.
JCC Jr and Andy Lee is signed for June 16th in Texas. Get ready for another God awful decision.
JCC Jr and Andy Lee is signed for June 16th in Texas. Get ready for another God awful decision.
Chavez-Lee finalized.
Spoiler [+]
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will defend his middleweight title against Andy Lee on June 16 on HBO's "World Championship Boxing" at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, both camps said Tuesday after agreeing to terms.
Contracts are not signed yet, but both sides said they are confident the deal will be finalized. Adding intrigue to the fight is that Chavez promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank and Lou DiBella, Lee's promoter, are also working on a deal under which the winner of Chavez-Lee would challenge lineal middleweight champion Sergio Martinez -- who is promoted by DiBella -- in September.
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I've taken my swipes at the kid, so I'm giving the kid props for taking the fight. That's the kind of fight a champion takes.
Contracts are not signed yet, but both sides said they are confident the deal will be finalized. Adding intrigue to the fight is that Chavez promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank and Lou DiBella, Lee's promoter, are also working on a deal under which the winner of Chavez-Lee would challenge lineal middleweight champion Sergio Martinez -- who is promoted by DiBella -- in September.
“
I've taken my swipes at the kid, so I'm giving the kid props for taking the fight. That's the kind of fight a champion takes.
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That better not be PPV.
Wow Puerto Rico has suspended Juan Manuel Lopez for a year
Also, face off Cotto/Floyd tonite in 5 minuteson HBO
Wow Puerto Rico has suspended Juan Manuel Lopez for a year
Also, face off Cotto/Floyd tonite in 5 minuteson HBO
Pascal/Cloud in the works?
Spoiler [+]
There's a fight on the drawing board that I'm excited about that has gotten closer to reality over the past few days: a light heavyweight bout between titleholder Tavoris Cloud and former champion Jean Pascal.
They are two of the best in the division, and the fight shapes up as a crowd pleaser. Their styles complement each other, and the fact that the bout would take place in Quebec -- either Montreal or Quebec City -- where Pascal is a popular draw, means that there would be an electric atmosphere.
The fight has been discussed on and off for awhile, but it's closer than ever now. On Tuesday, I spoke to Yvon Michel, Pascal's promoter, who said it was close to being done for this summer.
"We are very close to finalizing the deal," Michel said. "There's nothing in writing yet, but I spent the last few days in Florida meeting with [Cloud's promoter] Don King, and we are very close."
Michel said Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KOs) is on board for the fight and that the minor shoulder injury the fighter suffered last month while playing a friendly game of ice hockey wouldn't be an issue.
"Pascal's shoulder is perfect," Michel said. "He is already in training."
I also spoke to Al Bonanni, Cloud's trainer and King's matchmaker, on Tuesday. Bonanni said Cloud's side has approved the fight.
"Don advised me that he had some sort of a deal between Yvon and Don, and Cloud is coming down [to King's office in Deerfield Beach, Fla.] from Tallahassee [on Wednesday] to firm things up," Bonanni said. "But we basically have an agreement with Don. Cloud wants to fight Pascal.
"As far as we're concerned, we have deal. Me, Cloud, my uncle [Jerry Attardi, Cloud's manager] and Don are one big happy family. We're on board."
There are still two important things that need to be dealt with before the fight can be signed, but both should be able to be worked out.
First, King needs to get the IBF to approve an exception for Cloud's mandatory defense against Karo Murat. That shouldn't be too great an issue given King's close relationship with the organization.
Also, a U.S. television deal still needs to be finalized. There was some initial interest from HBO, which has fallen off, according to Michel. He said Showtime is interested and is in talks with he and King about the fight, which the network confirmed to me.
"I believe everybody is on board, except we have nothing in writing yet -- but I don't see any deal breakers," Michel said. "We still have a couple of little things to finalize."
Michel would like to get the fight set for late June or early July, but Showtime is eyeing it for Aug. 4 or 11. I'm sure that can be worked out.
Pascal hasn't fought since last May, when he lost the legitimate championship to Bernard Hopkins. An extra few weeks should be no big deal considering how long Pascal already has been off.
Cloud (24-0, 19 KOs), who is accustomed to long layoffs, has no issue waiting until August. He fought Feb. 18, winning a controversial split decision against Gabriel Campillo. In a perfect world, he would give Campillo an immediate rematch, because Campillo deserves it. This is not a perfect world, so I'm happy to see Cloud-Pascal as an alternative. A six-month layoff for Cloud is minor compared to his down time between fights in recent years.
"I'd like the fight in July," Bonanni said, "but if it‘s in August, that's fine by us."
Fine by me, too. Hopefully, the promoters and Showtime will get all the details worked out and we'll have a hot fight during a hot summer.
They are two of the best in the division, and the fight shapes up as a crowd pleaser. Their styles complement each other, and the fact that the bout would take place in Quebec -- either Montreal or Quebec City -- where Pascal is a popular draw, means that there would be an electric atmosphere.
The fight has been discussed on and off for awhile, but it's closer than ever now. On Tuesday, I spoke to Yvon Michel, Pascal's promoter, who said it was close to being done for this summer.
"We are very close to finalizing the deal," Michel said. "There's nothing in writing yet, but I spent the last few days in Florida meeting with [Cloud's promoter] Don King, and we are very close."
Michel said Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KOs) is on board for the fight and that the minor shoulder injury the fighter suffered last month while playing a friendly game of ice hockey wouldn't be an issue.
"Pascal's shoulder is perfect," Michel said. "He is already in training."
I also spoke to Al Bonanni, Cloud's trainer and King's matchmaker, on Tuesday. Bonanni said Cloud's side has approved the fight.
"Don advised me that he had some sort of a deal between Yvon and Don, and Cloud is coming down [to King's office in Deerfield Beach, Fla.] from Tallahassee [on Wednesday] to firm things up," Bonanni said. "But we basically have an agreement with Don. Cloud wants to fight Pascal.
"As far as we're concerned, we have deal. Me, Cloud, my uncle [Jerry Attardi, Cloud's manager] and Don are one big happy family. We're on board."
There are still two important things that need to be dealt with before the fight can be signed, but both should be able to be worked out.
First, King needs to get the IBF to approve an exception for Cloud's mandatory defense against Karo Murat. That shouldn't be too great an issue given King's close relationship with the organization.
Also, a U.S. television deal still needs to be finalized. There was some initial interest from HBO, which has fallen off, according to Michel. He said Showtime is interested and is in talks with he and King about the fight, which the network confirmed to me.
"I believe everybody is on board, except we have nothing in writing yet -- but I don't see any deal breakers," Michel said. "We still have a couple of little things to finalize."
Michel would like to get the fight set for late June or early July, but Showtime is eyeing it for Aug. 4 or 11. I'm sure that can be worked out.
Pascal hasn't fought since last May, when he lost the legitimate championship to Bernard Hopkins. An extra few weeks should be no big deal considering how long Pascal already has been off.
Cloud (24-0, 19 KOs), who is accustomed to long layoffs, has no issue waiting until August. He fought Feb. 18, winning a controversial split decision against Gabriel Campillo. In a perfect world, he would give Campillo an immediate rematch, because Campillo deserves it. This is not a perfect world, so I'm happy to see Cloud-Pascal as an alternative. A six-month layoff for Cloud is minor compared to his down time between fights in recent years.
"I'd like the fight in July," Bonanni said, "but if it‘s in August, that's fine by us."
Fine by me, too. Hopefully, the promoters and Showtime will get all the details worked out and we'll have a hot fight during a hot summer.
aepps20
Supporter
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Andy Lee is a solid fighter. I think he'll do well but no way he wins in Texas. Junior will enter the ring at about 190 pounds and the Texas commission will "forget" to drug test him after the fight again.
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Maidana with Garcia
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How are we to watch Froch v. Bute?
I'm praying Lee busts his #%@ but he gets hit a lot too and doesn't protect his body. It'll be an undeserved UD for JCC Jr. Great news that Maidana is going with Garcia
EPIX.com bud, just go to the site the day/time it starts and click on the link. Might have to sign up for the free trial, though. Unless your cable company offers the channel.
EPIX.com bud, just go to the site the day/time it starts and click on the link. Might have to sign up for the free trial, though. Unless your cable company offers the channel.
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Originally Posted by Proshares
I'm praying Lee busts his #%@ but he gets hit a lot too and doesn't protect his body. It'll be an undeserved UD for JCC Jr. Great news that Maidana is going with Garcia
EPIX.com bud, just go to the site the day/time it starts and click on the link. Might have to sign up for the free trial, though. Unless your cable company offers the channel.
You're letting your hate get in the way of acknowledging Chavez is a better boxer, and Lee is good but not on Chavez level imo.
I think he'll work the body enough to gas Lee out and just tee off on him late, let's see if Lee makes it though the exchanges
But even with a clean unanimous win , detractors will claim robbery or call Lee a bum ala Mafredo.
Just my opinion, which is clearly unpopular
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JCCjr is going to Brutalize Andy Lee's Body
I don't disagree with that but that's if Jr makes it inside or through the rounds to do it. He's facing a guy with a legit left hand and Jr has no idea how to defend against that. It's why they've waited so long to put him in with a southpaw.
SH, I've said after his last couple fights that he looks better. But it's not that much of a leap to go from struggling hard against tomato cans to finally beating them like you should if you get what I'm saying. They're about the same level to me, maybe Jr a slightly better overall fighter. If he wins fair and square, I won't take it away from him. But let's not act like Texas has been the high standard for officiating and scorecards the last few years. I just watched Molina hold Kirkland's hand for 10 rounds and not get one warning.
SH, I've said after his last couple fights that he looks better. But it's not that much of a leap to go from struggling hard against tomato cans to finally beating them like you should if you get what I'm saying. They're about the same level to me, maybe Jr a slightly better overall fighter. If he wins fair and square, I won't take it away from him. But let's not act like Texas has been the high standard for officiating and scorecards the last few years. I just watched Molina hold Kirkland's hand for 10 rounds and not get one warning.
aepps20
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I like how Andy maintains distance and I think his southpaw stance will be difficult for Junior.
News.
Spoiler [+]
Brandon Rios was all set to face former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa for a vacant lightweight belt on April 14 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
It was a major HBO fight that had boxing fans buzzing. Rios and Gamboa were both slated to make by far their biggest paydays, while the winner would be poised to launch himself to stardom.
So on March 5, Rios, from Oxnard, Calif., excitedly showed up at a hotel in Miami -- Gamboa's hometown -- where Top Rank had scheduled a news conference to kick off its promotion for the fight. But Gamboa never showed up, ultimately pulled out of the fight and is now being sued by Top Rank for breach of contract.
Rios did, however, have a memorable confrontation at the news conference, even if it wasn't with the fighter he expected. Miami resident and Cuba native Richard Abril, who holds an interim lightweight belt, was on hand. Rios didn't know who he was, but Abril confronted him. It eventually led to a match between them.
[+] Enlarge
Chris Farina/Top RankIn Miami, Brandon Rios waited for a rival who never showed -- but then ran into a new one in Richard Abril.
Top Rank had no intention of canceling the card even after Gamboa bailed. Instead, it vowed to find Rios a new opponent. And when HBO decided not to air an alternative fight with Rios, Top Rank shifted the card to a Top Rank-produced, HBO-distributed pay-per-view show.
Instead of fighting Gamboa, Rios will face Abril on April 14 (9 p.m., $44.95) for the vacant belt that was stripped from Rios for failing to make weight for a Dec. 3 defense against John Murray, whom he wound up knocking out in the 11th round.
In Gamboa's absence, Rios and Abril kicked off their own promotion with the news conference confrontation, before they even knew they would be fighting.
"I went there because the press conference was supposed to be with Gamboa," Rios said. "All the sudden, this guy came in. I guessed he was a friend of Gamboa, [who] didn't show up, so I was already mad and heated up and everything. Abril started talking smack, so I assumed it was his friend. He came up to me and said, 'I want to fight you.'
"I said, 'Who are you? You look like an average guy on the street with a tuxedo on.' He kept running his mouth, saying, 'I am the champion and you are nothing.' I said, 'You are the champion and you want to fight me? There is my manager right there, Cameron Dunkin.' Then he told me to talk to him in Spanish because he didn't know what I was saying. I said, 'If you don't know what I'm saying, then get the f--- out of here.' Then we got face-to-face, and he pushed me. I will never forget that he pushed me. A man never forgets that."
And the fight was born. Soon after it was clear that Gamboa was out, Top Rank made a deal with Abril's promoter, Dream Team Promotions.
Rios said it was not hard for him to switch gears from focusing on Gamboa to Abril, even though neither the fight nor his purse is nearly as big.
"I am a fighter, I'm a warrior," Rios said. "It's my job, and I love my job. I love to fight. Whoever they put in front of me in the ring -- I don't care who it is -- I'll be ready. That is what I train for. If anything changes, I am ready. It doesn't matter to me. If it is Gamboa, Abril or Mike Tyson, it doesn't matter. I'll fight them."
But that doesn't mean Rios has forgotten that Gamboa stood him up, even though he said he isn't compelled to seek the fight in the future.
"It is not unfinished business, because we never fought," Rios said. "He called my name out. I showed up in Miami. I have nothing to prove. He didn't show up. I have nothing to prove to this guy. I didn't mention his name once. He said he wanted to fight me, Manny Pacquiao, this guy, that guy, and when it came down to it, he was nowhere to be found. He is a coward."
After Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) fights Abril (17-2-1, 8 KOs) in Las Vegas, the telecast will shift to the new Mexico City Arena, where Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KOs), unable to land a fourth fight with welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao, will meet Sergey Fedchenko (30-1, 13 KOs) of Ukraine, for a vacant interim junior welterweight belt in the pay-per-view main event.
The other televised bouts will precede Rios-Abril in Las Vegas: junior welterweight contender Mike Alvarado (32-0, 23 KOs) against Mauricio Herrera (18-1, 7 KOs) and lightweight Mercito Gesta (24-0-1, 12 KOs) against Oscar Cuero (15-7, 12 KOs).
[h3]Bute-Froch on Epix in U.S.[/h3]
Although the Lucian Bute-Carl Froch super middleweight title bout is one of the most significant fights on the boxing schedule, Showtime didn't want the fight and even allowed Bute, whom it has under contract, a one-fight out to take it elsewhere. Also showing no interest was HBO, which has a full spring schedule and wasn't particularly interested in helping build up Bute for Showtime.
[+] Enlarge
Scott Heavey/Getty ImagesCarl Froch and Lucian Bute will play to a U.S. audience after all when they fight May 26 in Nottingham, England.
But premium network Epix was interested from the start, and this week it landed exclusive U.S. broadcast rights to the May 26 bout that will take place in Nottingham, England, Froch's hometown. Epix will televise the fight live and offer a live stream on EpixHD.com. As has become custom, Epix also will simulcast the fight on the jumbotron in New York's Times Square.
Bute (30-0, 24 KOs), a native of Romania who has fought mostly in his adopted hometown of Montreal, recently became a Canadian citizen. For his first bout since -- his 10th title defense -- Bute, who has been criticized in some quarters for defending his title only in Quebec, is leaving the comforts of home to fight in Froch's hometown.
"I am very pleased that boxing fans in the United States won't miss this war between Carl Froch and me," Bute said.
Froch (28-2, 20 KOs), a former two-time super middleweight titlist, will be facing Bute in his first fight since losing a decision to Andre Ward in a title-unification bout in Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic final in December.
Said Froch: "I'm thrilled that Epix has taken on my fight with Lucian. I have a lot of fans across the pond, and it is important that they get to see this fight live. It's going to be a great atmosphere in my hometown on the night because it's been so long since I've boxed there, and I think people will be impressed at the noise and passion my fans show when they turn out in force. Along with the class inside the ring on the night, it's going to be a must-see event."
[h3]Cleverly wants shot at Hopkins[/h3]
Light heavyweight titlist Nathan Cleverly of Wales will defend his belt against Robin Krasniqi on April 28 in London. On the same night, champion Bernard Hopkins will defend the lineal title against Chad Dawson in their rematch in Atlantic City, N.J.
Cleverly would like a crack at Hopkins should they both win, and promoters Frank Warren (Cleverly) and Richard Schaefer (Hopkins) recently discussed a possible fight. Schaefer was in England recently to announce Golden Boy's output deal with BoxNation, the all-boxing subscription network in England that Warren is heavily involved in.
[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.
"I've talked to Bernard about Nathan, and he said, 'Look, I'm used to fighting younger guys. Just keep bringing them on.' I went with Frank through some numbers. Now I'll have to go to Bernard and we'll go through some numbers.
"If the numbers which Frank has outlined to me hold true, I think there's a good chance the fight could take place in the U.K., absolutely. We don't want to jinx anything. Bernard has a very difficult fight ahead of him against Chad Dawson, who's a young, hungry fighter, so let's see what happens. But definitely, if everything goes well, I would very much like to make that fight."
Cleverly, who is 25 -- meaning he's 22 years younger than Hopkins -- has wanted the fight since Hopkins defeated Jean Pascal last May in their rematch to become the oldest fighter in boxing history to win a title.
"I leave all the business down to [Warren]," Cleverly said. "I'll fight anyone he puts in front of me, and it's my job to keep winning. It would be a dream to get Hopkins, and I'm really buzzing with all the talk about fighting him. But the reality is, I'm fighting Krasniqi first, which is a very tough fight, and if anything goes wrong, then a fight against Hopkins will be out of the window. It's a crucial title defense for me, and I've got to be at my best on the night against Krasniqi. I've got to win and win it in style to prove that I'm ready to challenge a great like Hopkins."
[h3]Taylor training to continue comeback[/h3]
As former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor prepares for the second fight of his comeback from a layoff of nearly two years, trainer Pat Burns likes what he sees from his pupil.
"I couldn't be happier with the way Jermain has been looking," Burns said. "He hardly took any time off after the last fight -- only about a week -- and he showed up in camp at 170 pounds. He was already in shape, so we didn't have to kill ourselves to make the weight; we were able to spend our time just focusing on his training and fine-tuning some things. We are three weeks out from the fight, and Jermain is already in tremendous shape -- as good, if not better than when I had him fighting [and beating Bernard] Hopkins [in 2005]."
[+] Enlarge
Tom Casino/ShowtimeJermain Taylor easily handled Jessie Nicklow in his first comeback fight, and trainer Pat Burns is talking up Taylor ahead of his next bout, on April 20.
In October 2009, Taylor (29-4-1, 18 KOs) suffered a head injury in a 12th-round knockout loss to Arthur Abraham in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. He then stepped away from boxing for a long rest. But on Dec. 30, he launched his comeback by stopping Jessie Nicklow in the eighth round. On April 20, he will face Caleb Truax (18-0-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight bout at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss.
"Jermain is pretty close to where he needs to be," Burns said. "We are very focused going into this fight, as we know how important a fight this is for him. I am looking for Jermain to pick up where he left off in the later rounds of his last fight, and go out there and put on an impressive performance. We are not underestimating this kid by any means. There is no sense in looking down the road until we take care of the challenge that is standing right in front of us. That being said, the things Jermain has been doing in this camp are absolutely unbelievable, and I know he is going to impress a lot of people on April 20."
Taylor said he came back because he wants to win another world title.
"This fight is another step toward regaining my championship," Taylor said. "My body feels great. I know what it takes and what I have to do to become champion again, but first I need to take this kid's zero. I was praying the other day and God told me to go in there and kick this kid's butt, and that's exactly what I plan on doing."
[h3]Lundy wants DeMarco[/h3]
Philadelphia lightweight contender Hank Lundy (22-1-1, 11 KOs) dominated Dannie Williams in an entertaining bout on last week's "Friday Night Fights." The next night, Jorge Linares got dropped and stopped on a cut in the second round of a shocking upset loss to Sergio Thompson in what was supposed to be a tuneup fight.
With a win, Linares would have been set to challenge lightweight titlist Antonio DeMarco (27-2-1, 20 KOs) in a July 7 Showtime main event. But Linares lost and blew the fight, and now Lundy wants to step in.
"He's tailor-made for me," Lundy said of Mexico's DeMarco. "I need that fight. I want that fight. He stands right in front of you and makes a lot of mistakes. I'm not going to run my mouth, but that's the fight I want."
The victory was Lundy's fourth in a row, and many believe he deserves a title shot now.
"Everybody's talking about all these other guys fighting for the title, but I should be fighting for it," he said. "I'm next in line. I've put in more work than anybody. They should make these champions start fighting the top contenders or else strip them of their titles. I've never run from any fighter. I think the champs should do the same. Fight me! At the end of the day, it's going to be an %$$ whupping."
[+] Enlarge
Jeff Curry/US PresswireOn Aug. 18, Devon Alexander again will headline on Showtime, although his opponent still must be determined.
[h3]Quick hits[/h3]
• Former unified junior welterweight titlist Devon Alexander (23-1, 13 KOs), who made a smashing welterweight debut with a virtual shutout decision against Marcos Maidana on Feb. 25, will return Aug. 18 in a Showtime main event, Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. The opponent and venue have not yet been determined.
"We're working on that and discussing some names, but I have nothing to report," Schaefer said. "We have narrowed down a list of opponents with Showtime and people in mind we are discussing. [Showtime Sports boss] Stephen [Espinoza] is very interested in the 147-pound weight class, and they were interested in getting Devon Alexander a fight on Showtime. He is one of the best-known names in the division."
There was talk about Alexander facing English contender Kell Brook (27-0, 18 KOs). Brook's camp asked whether Alexander would come to England to fight Brook on July 7, when he is scheduled to fight in his hometown of Sheffield. Alexander's camp countered by asking whether Brook would come to the United States to fight Alexander on Aug. 18. Neither side was interested in switching dates.
• The rematch between former welterweight titleholders Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs) and Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KOs), originally scheduled for Feb. 11 but postponed to June 23 because of Berto's torn left biceps, will be at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Schaefer told ESPN.com. "We have the site set now, and we are working on the date for the press conference and the on-sale date for tickets," he said.
The fight was originally slated to be in Las Vegas, but when the date changed Schaefer said he wanted to move the fight -- a rematch of one of 2011's most action-packed bouts -- because of the heavy boxing schedule in Las Vegas in the late spring and early summer.
Schaefer said that AEG, which owns Staples Center and a minority stake in Golden Boy, has agreed to promote the fight in Los Angeles. That includes billboards advertising the fight and promotional materials being used at Lakers and Clippers games and during events at the Nokia Theater and at the Regal movie theaters at the L.A. Live complex that sits across the street from Staples Center.
"I think that's important to market the fight," Schaefer said. "You have those assets, and it's important to put them in play."
In the opening bout of the telecast on Showtime, junior welterweight contenders Humberto Soto (57-7-2, 34 KOs) and Lucas Matthysse (30-2, 28 KOs) will meet, assuming Soto makes it through a tuneup fight on Saturday.
• Soto, a former junior lightweight and junior lightweight titlist from Mexico, will face Claudinei Lacerda (14-2, 10 KOs) of Brazil in his tuneup fight on Saturday night in Cancun, Mexico. The bout will air in the United States live on Fox Deportes (10 ET). Golden Boy, which promotes Soto, has been working with Fox Deportes to air some of the Mexico-based cards it is involved in, such as last week's Sergio Thompson-Jorge Linares card.
"It is important that these fighters and fights we do from Mexico are shown in the United States on a regular basis," Golden Boy's Schaefer said. "Fox showing them is very good for the fighters and for boxing fans."
In Saturday's main event, former junior flyweight titlist Edgar Sosa (44-7, 27 KOs) will face Wilbert Uicab (33-6-1, 18 KOs) in an all-Mexican flyweight elimination bout that will move the winner closer to a shot at world titlist Sonny Boy Jaro. "My wish is to become world champion once again," Sosa said. "Uicab is a very powerful rival who is always throwing punches, and those kinds of fighters I like."
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AP Photo/Isaac BrekkenDmitry Pirog will put his middleweight title on the line against Nobuhiro Ishida, who engineered last year's biggest upset.
• Middleweight titlist Dmitry Pirog (19-0, 14 KOs), making his third title defense, will face Nobuhiro Ishida (24-7-2, 9 KOs) on May 1 in Moscow, in Pirog's native Russia, promoter Artie Pelullo told ESPN.com. Pirog is slated to face Daniel Geale in a 160-pound unification fight on Aug. 25 on HBO, but he first must defeat Japan's Ishida, who is coming off a shutout decision loss to Paul Williams on Feb. 18.
Ishida is known for his stunning first-round knockout of heavily favored James Kirkland in a junior middleweight fight that rated as the biggest upset of 2011. Pelullo said he made a deal with Ishida's promoter, Golden Boy, and that the contracts are signed. He said the deal is contingent on an official sanction from the WBO. "The agreement is predicated on the WBO putting Ishida in the rankings, which we have requested and we think will happen, because he qualifies," Pelullo said.
• Last week former undisputed junior middleweight champion Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs) signed his contract to fight middleweight contender "Kid Chocolate" Peter Quillin (26-0, 20 KOs) on May 26, and now so has Quillin, Golden Boy's Schaefer told ESPN.com. They will meet on Showtime on the televised undercard of the cruiserweight fight between former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (29-6, 20 KOs) and Lateef Kayode (18-0, 12 KOs). Wright is coming back after a three-year layoff following a lopsided decision loss to Paul Williams in April 2009, while Quillin is looking for a win against the biggest name of his career. The site for the card is not yet set, although Schaefer said he and Al Haymon, adviser to Tarver and Quillin, would talk about it next week.
• Featherweight titlist Orlando Salido (38-11-2, 26 KOs), who is coming off a 10th-round knockout of Juan Manuel Lopez in their March 10 rematch and has knocked him out twice in Puerto Rico, has no plans to sit around waiting for a bigger fight to materialize. Sean Gibbons, Salido's manager, told ESPN.com that Salido likely will defend his title in his hometown of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico, in July. There is no opponent yet, but Gibbons said that after that bout, Salido and his team are "hoping for a big fight."
• Junior lightweight titlist Adrien Broner (23-0, 19 KOs) is due to make his second title defense May 19 on HBO on the Lamont Peterson-Amir Khan undercard, but Golden Boy (Broner's promoter) and the network are having a hard time coming up with an opponent. The one name in a very thin 130-pound division that has been discussed is Monty Meza Clay (32-3, 21 KOs), who has a deal with Golden Boy for the fight, pending network approval -- which is no slam dunk. Meza Clay has won four fights in a row, but he suffered back-to-back losses at featherweight in 2009 -- a decision to Fernando Beltran Jr. and a fifth-round knockout loss to Jorge Solis in a title eliminator. He would also have a 5-inch disadvantage against the 5-foot-7 Broner.
Golden Boy wants to match Broner with contender Vicente Escobedo, but two things prevent that fight from happening May 19: There isn't a big enough budget to make the fight as the HBO opener because nearly all of the money is going to the main event; also, Escobedo wants one more fight -- probably May 12 on Telefutura -- before he thinks he will be ready for Broner this summer, when Broner is expected to headline an HBO "Boxing After Dark" card.
• Cruiserweight titlist Marco Huck (34-2, 25 KOs) and interim titleholder Ola Afolabi (19-2-3, 9 KOs) this week announced their May 5 rematch, set for Erfurt, Germany. Huck, returning to cruiserweight after losing a highly controversial majority decision to heavyweight titlist Alexander Povetkin on Feb. 25, will meet Afolabi in a mandatory fight 2½ years after outpointing him in their first title bout.
"I have waited for this fight for the last 2½ years," said Afolabi, who will train with renowned German trainer Fritz Sdunek. "Huck has done everything possible to avoid fighting me again. He even moved to heavyweight to delay this fight. This time, I will not leave any doubt."
Sdunek also trains heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, who, with brother Wladimir Klitschko, owns K2 Promotions, which promotes Afolabi. That gave Huck an opportunity to take a swipe at the Klitschkos. "The Klitschkos should refrain from sending over their employees, and take me on themselves," he said.
Also on the Sauerland Event card, super middleweight titlist Robert Stieglitz (41-2, 23 KOs) will make his mandatory defense against George Groves (14-0, 11 KOs), and Alexander Dimitrenko (32-1, 21 KOs) and Kubrat Pulev (15-0, 7 KOs) meet for the vacant European heavyweight title.
• Although heavyweight contender Cristobal Arreola (35-2, 30 KOs) is the favorite to land a fall title shot against Wladimir Klitschko -- if Klitschko defeats Tony Thompson on July 7 -- he will fight at least one more time before that potential fight takes place, promoter Dan Goossen told ESPN.com. Arreola, who fought five times in 2011 -- the busiest schedule of a heavyweight contender -- scored a first-round knockout of Eric Molina on Feb. 18. The regular activity has been good for Arreola to help him stay in shape. "We're going to get him back out there in May or June at the latest," Goossen said.
There had been conversations about Arreola returning to Mexico, where he fought in November in his first pro fight in the country where his parents are from, but Goossen said he will instead fight in the United States. The promoter said California or Texas are likely spots. "There is nothing concrete yet, but right now we are working on some things and on getting him back on television and doing it in the United States."
• Besides the fights it airs, HBO has also developed several shows to complement them, from "24/7" to "Face Off" to "2 Days" to "Ring Life." Now HBO is unveiling another show called "Portrait of a Fighter." The debut edition, which runs 13 minutes, will profile junior middleweight titlist Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KOs) and debut April 12 (9:15 p.m. ET/PT). The show promises an in-depth look at the background of the 21-year-old Mexican star, who is preparing to defend his title against former champion Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs) on May 5. There will be numerous replays on HBO and HBO2, and the show also will be available on HBO On Demand.
[h3]Quotable[/h3]
Marquez
"I considered retiring because everybody knows I want to fight Manny again and that I won the last fight, and I feel very angry about that decision."
-- Juan Manuel Marquez, who is preparing for an April 14 pay-per-view fight against Sergey Fedchenko, on his feelings after his controversial loss to welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao in November and his inability to get a fourth fight with him
"Malignaggi is nothing special. I know how to fight him. I plan to expose his weaknesses during the fight. I'm going to make sure that Malignaggi remembers my name for a long time. What he says does not bother me at all. I smile when I hear most of the stuff he says. I'm not a talker. I am a boxer, and I'll show my skills in the ring. I am very calm and focused on my fight on April 29. Paulie is already talking about defending his title in Brooklyn, but I am still the champion. He needs to take the title from me. He should start thinking about retiring, not defending the title, after he fights me."
-- Welterweight titlist Vyacheslav Senchenko, on Paulie Malignaggi, whom he will face April 29 in Donetsk, Ukraine
It was a major HBO fight that had boxing fans buzzing. Rios and Gamboa were both slated to make by far their biggest paydays, while the winner would be poised to launch himself to stardom.
So on March 5, Rios, from Oxnard, Calif., excitedly showed up at a hotel in Miami -- Gamboa's hometown -- where Top Rank had scheduled a news conference to kick off its promotion for the fight. But Gamboa never showed up, ultimately pulled out of the fight and is now being sued by Top Rank for breach of contract.
Rios did, however, have a memorable confrontation at the news conference, even if it wasn't with the fighter he expected. Miami resident and Cuba native Richard Abril, who holds an interim lightweight belt, was on hand. Rios didn't know who he was, but Abril confronted him. It eventually led to a match between them.
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Chris Farina/Top RankIn Miami, Brandon Rios waited for a rival who never showed -- but then ran into a new one in Richard Abril.
Top Rank had no intention of canceling the card even after Gamboa bailed. Instead, it vowed to find Rios a new opponent. And when HBO decided not to air an alternative fight with Rios, Top Rank shifted the card to a Top Rank-produced, HBO-distributed pay-per-view show.
Instead of fighting Gamboa, Rios will face Abril on April 14 (9 p.m., $44.95) for the vacant belt that was stripped from Rios for failing to make weight for a Dec. 3 defense against John Murray, whom he wound up knocking out in the 11th round.
In Gamboa's absence, Rios and Abril kicked off their own promotion with the news conference confrontation, before they even knew they would be fighting.
"I went there because the press conference was supposed to be with Gamboa," Rios said. "All the sudden, this guy came in. I guessed he was a friend of Gamboa, [who] didn't show up, so I was already mad and heated up and everything. Abril started talking smack, so I assumed it was his friend. He came up to me and said, 'I want to fight you.'
"I said, 'Who are you? You look like an average guy on the street with a tuxedo on.' He kept running his mouth, saying, 'I am the champion and you are nothing.' I said, 'You are the champion and you want to fight me? There is my manager right there, Cameron Dunkin.' Then he told me to talk to him in Spanish because he didn't know what I was saying. I said, 'If you don't know what I'm saying, then get the f--- out of here.' Then we got face-to-face, and he pushed me. I will never forget that he pushed me. A man never forgets that."
And the fight was born. Soon after it was clear that Gamboa was out, Top Rank made a deal with Abril's promoter, Dream Team Promotions.
Rios said it was not hard for him to switch gears from focusing on Gamboa to Abril, even though neither the fight nor his purse is nearly as big.
"I am a fighter, I'm a warrior," Rios said. "It's my job, and I love my job. I love to fight. Whoever they put in front of me in the ring -- I don't care who it is -- I'll be ready. That is what I train for. If anything changes, I am ready. It doesn't matter to me. If it is Gamboa, Abril or Mike Tyson, it doesn't matter. I'll fight them."
But that doesn't mean Rios has forgotten that Gamboa stood him up, even though he said he isn't compelled to seek the fight in the future.
"It is not unfinished business, because we never fought," Rios said. "He called my name out. I showed up in Miami. I have nothing to prove. He didn't show up. I have nothing to prove to this guy. I didn't mention his name once. He said he wanted to fight me, Manny Pacquiao, this guy, that guy, and when it came down to it, he was nowhere to be found. He is a coward."
After Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) fights Abril (17-2-1, 8 KOs) in Las Vegas, the telecast will shift to the new Mexico City Arena, where Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KOs), unable to land a fourth fight with welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao, will meet Sergey Fedchenko (30-1, 13 KOs) of Ukraine, for a vacant interim junior welterweight belt in the pay-per-view main event.
The other televised bouts will precede Rios-Abril in Las Vegas: junior welterweight contender Mike Alvarado (32-0, 23 KOs) against Mauricio Herrera (18-1, 7 KOs) and lightweight Mercito Gesta (24-0-1, 12 KOs) against Oscar Cuero (15-7, 12 KOs).
[h3]Bute-Froch on Epix in U.S.[/h3]
Although the Lucian Bute-Carl Froch super middleweight title bout is one of the most significant fights on the boxing schedule, Showtime didn't want the fight and even allowed Bute, whom it has under contract, a one-fight out to take it elsewhere. Also showing no interest was HBO, which has a full spring schedule and wasn't particularly interested in helping build up Bute for Showtime.
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Scott Heavey/Getty ImagesCarl Froch and Lucian Bute will play to a U.S. audience after all when they fight May 26 in Nottingham, England.
But premium network Epix was interested from the start, and this week it landed exclusive U.S. broadcast rights to the May 26 bout that will take place in Nottingham, England, Froch's hometown. Epix will televise the fight live and offer a live stream on EpixHD.com. As has become custom, Epix also will simulcast the fight on the jumbotron in New York's Times Square.
Bute (30-0, 24 KOs), a native of Romania who has fought mostly in his adopted hometown of Montreal, recently became a Canadian citizen. For his first bout since -- his 10th title defense -- Bute, who has been criticized in some quarters for defending his title only in Quebec, is leaving the comforts of home to fight in Froch's hometown.
"I am very pleased that boxing fans in the United States won't miss this war between Carl Froch and me," Bute said.
Froch (28-2, 20 KOs), a former two-time super middleweight titlist, will be facing Bute in his first fight since losing a decision to Andre Ward in a title-unification bout in Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic final in December.
Said Froch: "I'm thrilled that Epix has taken on my fight with Lucian. I have a lot of fans across the pond, and it is important that they get to see this fight live. It's going to be a great atmosphere in my hometown on the night because it's been so long since I've boxed there, and I think people will be impressed at the noise and passion my fans show when they turn out in force. Along with the class inside the ring on the night, it's going to be a must-see event."
[h3]Cleverly wants shot at Hopkins[/h3]
Light heavyweight titlist Nathan Cleverly of Wales will defend his belt against Robin Krasniqi on April 28 in London. On the same night, champion Bernard Hopkins will defend the lineal title against Chad Dawson in their rematch in Atlantic City, N.J.
Cleverly would like a crack at Hopkins should they both win, and promoters Frank Warren (Cleverly) and Richard Schaefer (Hopkins) recently discussed a possible fight. Schaefer was in England recently to announce Golden Boy's output deal with BoxNation, the all-boxing subscription network in England that Warren is heavily involved in.
[h4]Rafael's boxing blog[/h4]
"I've talked to Bernard about Nathan, and he said, 'Look, I'm used to fighting younger guys. Just keep bringing them on.' I went with Frank through some numbers. Now I'll have to go to Bernard and we'll go through some numbers.
"If the numbers which Frank has outlined to me hold true, I think there's a good chance the fight could take place in the U.K., absolutely. We don't want to jinx anything. Bernard has a very difficult fight ahead of him against Chad Dawson, who's a young, hungry fighter, so let's see what happens. But definitely, if everything goes well, I would very much like to make that fight."
Cleverly, who is 25 -- meaning he's 22 years younger than Hopkins -- has wanted the fight since Hopkins defeated Jean Pascal last May in their rematch to become the oldest fighter in boxing history to win a title.
"I leave all the business down to [Warren]," Cleverly said. "I'll fight anyone he puts in front of me, and it's my job to keep winning. It would be a dream to get Hopkins, and I'm really buzzing with all the talk about fighting him. But the reality is, I'm fighting Krasniqi first, which is a very tough fight, and if anything goes wrong, then a fight against Hopkins will be out of the window. It's a crucial title defense for me, and I've got to be at my best on the night against Krasniqi. I've got to win and win it in style to prove that I'm ready to challenge a great like Hopkins."
[h3]Taylor training to continue comeback[/h3]
As former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor prepares for the second fight of his comeback from a layoff of nearly two years, trainer Pat Burns likes what he sees from his pupil.
"I couldn't be happier with the way Jermain has been looking," Burns said. "He hardly took any time off after the last fight -- only about a week -- and he showed up in camp at 170 pounds. He was already in shape, so we didn't have to kill ourselves to make the weight; we were able to spend our time just focusing on his training and fine-tuning some things. We are three weeks out from the fight, and Jermain is already in tremendous shape -- as good, if not better than when I had him fighting [and beating Bernard] Hopkins [in 2005]."
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Tom Casino/ShowtimeJermain Taylor easily handled Jessie Nicklow in his first comeback fight, and trainer Pat Burns is talking up Taylor ahead of his next bout, on April 20.
In October 2009, Taylor (29-4-1, 18 KOs) suffered a head injury in a 12th-round knockout loss to Arthur Abraham in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. He then stepped away from boxing for a long rest. But on Dec. 30, he launched his comeback by stopping Jessie Nicklow in the eighth round. On April 20, he will face Caleb Truax (18-0-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight bout at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss.
"Jermain is pretty close to where he needs to be," Burns said. "We are very focused going into this fight, as we know how important a fight this is for him. I am looking for Jermain to pick up where he left off in the later rounds of his last fight, and go out there and put on an impressive performance. We are not underestimating this kid by any means. There is no sense in looking down the road until we take care of the challenge that is standing right in front of us. That being said, the things Jermain has been doing in this camp are absolutely unbelievable, and I know he is going to impress a lot of people on April 20."
Taylor said he came back because he wants to win another world title.
"This fight is another step toward regaining my championship," Taylor said. "My body feels great. I know what it takes and what I have to do to become champion again, but first I need to take this kid's zero. I was praying the other day and God told me to go in there and kick this kid's butt, and that's exactly what I plan on doing."
[h3]Lundy wants DeMarco[/h3]
Philadelphia lightweight contender Hank Lundy (22-1-1, 11 KOs) dominated Dannie Williams in an entertaining bout on last week's "Friday Night Fights." The next night, Jorge Linares got dropped and stopped on a cut in the second round of a shocking upset loss to Sergio Thompson in what was supposed to be a tuneup fight.
With a win, Linares would have been set to challenge lightweight titlist Antonio DeMarco (27-2-1, 20 KOs) in a July 7 Showtime main event. But Linares lost and blew the fight, and now Lundy wants to step in.
"He's tailor-made for me," Lundy said of Mexico's DeMarco. "I need that fight. I want that fight. He stands right in front of you and makes a lot of mistakes. I'm not going to run my mouth, but that's the fight I want."
The victory was Lundy's fourth in a row, and many believe he deserves a title shot now.
"Everybody's talking about all these other guys fighting for the title, but I should be fighting for it," he said. "I'm next in line. I've put in more work than anybody. They should make these champions start fighting the top contenders or else strip them of their titles. I've never run from any fighter. I think the champs should do the same. Fight me! At the end of the day, it's going to be an %$$ whupping."
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Jeff Curry/US PresswireOn Aug. 18, Devon Alexander again will headline on Showtime, although his opponent still must be determined.
[h3]Quick hits[/h3]
• Former unified junior welterweight titlist Devon Alexander (23-1, 13 KOs), who made a smashing welterweight debut with a virtual shutout decision against Marcos Maidana on Feb. 25, will return Aug. 18 in a Showtime main event, Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. The opponent and venue have not yet been determined.
"We're working on that and discussing some names, but I have nothing to report," Schaefer said. "We have narrowed down a list of opponents with Showtime and people in mind we are discussing. [Showtime Sports boss] Stephen [Espinoza] is very interested in the 147-pound weight class, and they were interested in getting Devon Alexander a fight on Showtime. He is one of the best-known names in the division."
There was talk about Alexander facing English contender Kell Brook (27-0, 18 KOs). Brook's camp asked whether Alexander would come to England to fight Brook on July 7, when he is scheduled to fight in his hometown of Sheffield. Alexander's camp countered by asking whether Brook would come to the United States to fight Alexander on Aug. 18. Neither side was interested in switching dates.
• The rematch between former welterweight titleholders Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs) and Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KOs), originally scheduled for Feb. 11 but postponed to June 23 because of Berto's torn left biceps, will be at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Schaefer told ESPN.com. "We have the site set now, and we are working on the date for the press conference and the on-sale date for tickets," he said.
The fight was originally slated to be in Las Vegas, but when the date changed Schaefer said he wanted to move the fight -- a rematch of one of 2011's most action-packed bouts -- because of the heavy boxing schedule in Las Vegas in the late spring and early summer.
Schaefer said that AEG, which owns Staples Center and a minority stake in Golden Boy, has agreed to promote the fight in Los Angeles. That includes billboards advertising the fight and promotional materials being used at Lakers and Clippers games and during events at the Nokia Theater and at the Regal movie theaters at the L.A. Live complex that sits across the street from Staples Center.
"I think that's important to market the fight," Schaefer said. "You have those assets, and it's important to put them in play."
In the opening bout of the telecast on Showtime, junior welterweight contenders Humberto Soto (57-7-2, 34 KOs) and Lucas Matthysse (30-2, 28 KOs) will meet, assuming Soto makes it through a tuneup fight on Saturday.
• Soto, a former junior lightweight and junior lightweight titlist from Mexico, will face Claudinei Lacerda (14-2, 10 KOs) of Brazil in his tuneup fight on Saturday night in Cancun, Mexico. The bout will air in the United States live on Fox Deportes (10 ET). Golden Boy, which promotes Soto, has been working with Fox Deportes to air some of the Mexico-based cards it is involved in, such as last week's Sergio Thompson-Jorge Linares card.
"It is important that these fighters and fights we do from Mexico are shown in the United States on a regular basis," Golden Boy's Schaefer said. "Fox showing them is very good for the fighters and for boxing fans."
In Saturday's main event, former junior flyweight titlist Edgar Sosa (44-7, 27 KOs) will face Wilbert Uicab (33-6-1, 18 KOs) in an all-Mexican flyweight elimination bout that will move the winner closer to a shot at world titlist Sonny Boy Jaro. "My wish is to become world champion once again," Sosa said. "Uicab is a very powerful rival who is always throwing punches, and those kinds of fighters I like."
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AP Photo/Isaac BrekkenDmitry Pirog will put his middleweight title on the line against Nobuhiro Ishida, who engineered last year's biggest upset.
• Middleweight titlist Dmitry Pirog (19-0, 14 KOs), making his third title defense, will face Nobuhiro Ishida (24-7-2, 9 KOs) on May 1 in Moscow, in Pirog's native Russia, promoter Artie Pelullo told ESPN.com. Pirog is slated to face Daniel Geale in a 160-pound unification fight on Aug. 25 on HBO, but he first must defeat Japan's Ishida, who is coming off a shutout decision loss to Paul Williams on Feb. 18.
Ishida is known for his stunning first-round knockout of heavily favored James Kirkland in a junior middleweight fight that rated as the biggest upset of 2011. Pelullo said he made a deal with Ishida's promoter, Golden Boy, and that the contracts are signed. He said the deal is contingent on an official sanction from the WBO. "The agreement is predicated on the WBO putting Ishida in the rankings, which we have requested and we think will happen, because he qualifies," Pelullo said.
• Last week former undisputed junior middleweight champion Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs) signed his contract to fight middleweight contender "Kid Chocolate" Peter Quillin (26-0, 20 KOs) on May 26, and now so has Quillin, Golden Boy's Schaefer told ESPN.com. They will meet on Showtime on the televised undercard of the cruiserweight fight between former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (29-6, 20 KOs) and Lateef Kayode (18-0, 12 KOs). Wright is coming back after a three-year layoff following a lopsided decision loss to Paul Williams in April 2009, while Quillin is looking for a win against the biggest name of his career. The site for the card is not yet set, although Schaefer said he and Al Haymon, adviser to Tarver and Quillin, would talk about it next week.
• Featherweight titlist Orlando Salido (38-11-2, 26 KOs), who is coming off a 10th-round knockout of Juan Manuel Lopez in their March 10 rematch and has knocked him out twice in Puerto Rico, has no plans to sit around waiting for a bigger fight to materialize. Sean Gibbons, Salido's manager, told ESPN.com that Salido likely will defend his title in his hometown of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico, in July. There is no opponent yet, but Gibbons said that after that bout, Salido and his team are "hoping for a big fight."
• Junior lightweight titlist Adrien Broner (23-0, 19 KOs) is due to make his second title defense May 19 on HBO on the Lamont Peterson-Amir Khan undercard, but Golden Boy (Broner's promoter) and the network are having a hard time coming up with an opponent. The one name in a very thin 130-pound division that has been discussed is Monty Meza Clay (32-3, 21 KOs), who has a deal with Golden Boy for the fight, pending network approval -- which is no slam dunk. Meza Clay has won four fights in a row, but he suffered back-to-back losses at featherweight in 2009 -- a decision to Fernando Beltran Jr. and a fifth-round knockout loss to Jorge Solis in a title eliminator. He would also have a 5-inch disadvantage against the 5-foot-7 Broner.
Golden Boy wants to match Broner with contender Vicente Escobedo, but two things prevent that fight from happening May 19: There isn't a big enough budget to make the fight as the HBO opener because nearly all of the money is going to the main event; also, Escobedo wants one more fight -- probably May 12 on Telefutura -- before he thinks he will be ready for Broner this summer, when Broner is expected to headline an HBO "Boxing After Dark" card.
• Cruiserweight titlist Marco Huck (34-2, 25 KOs) and interim titleholder Ola Afolabi (19-2-3, 9 KOs) this week announced their May 5 rematch, set for Erfurt, Germany. Huck, returning to cruiserweight after losing a highly controversial majority decision to heavyweight titlist Alexander Povetkin on Feb. 25, will meet Afolabi in a mandatory fight 2½ years after outpointing him in their first title bout.
"I have waited for this fight for the last 2½ years," said Afolabi, who will train with renowned German trainer Fritz Sdunek. "Huck has done everything possible to avoid fighting me again. He even moved to heavyweight to delay this fight. This time, I will not leave any doubt."
Sdunek also trains heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, who, with brother Wladimir Klitschko, owns K2 Promotions, which promotes Afolabi. That gave Huck an opportunity to take a swipe at the Klitschkos. "The Klitschkos should refrain from sending over their employees, and take me on themselves," he said.
Also on the Sauerland Event card, super middleweight titlist Robert Stieglitz (41-2, 23 KOs) will make his mandatory defense against George Groves (14-0, 11 KOs), and Alexander Dimitrenko (32-1, 21 KOs) and Kubrat Pulev (15-0, 7 KOs) meet for the vacant European heavyweight title.
• Although heavyweight contender Cristobal Arreola (35-2, 30 KOs) is the favorite to land a fall title shot against Wladimir Klitschko -- if Klitschko defeats Tony Thompson on July 7 -- he will fight at least one more time before that potential fight takes place, promoter Dan Goossen told ESPN.com. Arreola, who fought five times in 2011 -- the busiest schedule of a heavyweight contender -- scored a first-round knockout of Eric Molina on Feb. 18. The regular activity has been good for Arreola to help him stay in shape. "We're going to get him back out there in May or June at the latest," Goossen said.
There had been conversations about Arreola returning to Mexico, where he fought in November in his first pro fight in the country where his parents are from, but Goossen said he will instead fight in the United States. The promoter said California or Texas are likely spots. "There is nothing concrete yet, but right now we are working on some things and on getting him back on television and doing it in the United States."
• Besides the fights it airs, HBO has also developed several shows to complement them, from "24/7" to "Face Off" to "2 Days" to "Ring Life." Now HBO is unveiling another show called "Portrait of a Fighter." The debut edition, which runs 13 minutes, will profile junior middleweight titlist Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KOs) and debut April 12 (9:15 p.m. ET/PT). The show promises an in-depth look at the background of the 21-year-old Mexican star, who is preparing to defend his title against former champion Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs) on May 5. There will be numerous replays on HBO and HBO2, and the show also will be available on HBO On Demand.
[h3]Quotable[/h3]
Marquez
"I considered retiring because everybody knows I want to fight Manny again and that I won the last fight, and I feel very angry about that decision."
-- Juan Manuel Marquez, who is preparing for an April 14 pay-per-view fight against Sergey Fedchenko, on his feelings after his controversial loss to welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao in November and his inability to get a fourth fight with him
"Malignaggi is nothing special. I know how to fight him. I plan to expose his weaknesses during the fight. I'm going to make sure that Malignaggi remembers my name for a long time. What he says does not bother me at all. I smile when I hear most of the stuff he says. I'm not a talker. I am a boxer, and I'll show my skills in the ring. I am very calm and focused on my fight on April 29. Paulie is already talking about defending his title in Brooklyn, but I am still the champion. He needs to take the title from me. He should start thinking about retiring, not defending the title, after he fights me."
-- Welterweight titlist Vyacheslav Senchenko, on Paulie Malignaggi, whom he will face April 29 in Donetsk, Ukraine
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[h1]
[/h1][h1]Ward hunting big names at super middleweight, light heavyweight[/h1]
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...4/10/ward-bute-froch/index.html#ixzz1rfF4oh3p
[/h1][h1]Ward hunting big names at super middleweight, light heavyweight[/h1]
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...4/10/ward-bute-froch/index.html#ixzz1rfF4oh3p
Spoiler [+]
When the Lucian Bute-Carl Froch fight was announced last week, one question immediately jumped to mind.
Where you at, Andre Ward?
You remember Ward, right? Super Six winner, top 168-pounder in the world, No. 6 in SI.com's pound-for-pound ratings? Just beat the bejesus out of Froch in December to stake his claim to the top of the super middleweight division?
Yeah, that Andre Ward.
Turns out, Ward has been busy. He is planning to return to the ring June 2 -- opponent TBA -- at Oracle Arena in his hometown of Oakland. The broken left hand he suffered before the fight with Froch has healed, and he is finally ready to go. His wife is expecting his fourth child, a boy, in mid-June and he wants to fight before he is born.
He's been planning for the future, too. Ward and his team have been negotiating a lucrative deal with HBO for a fall date. Showtime has the right to match any offer Ward gets, though HBO with its big budget could price them out.
Let's see, what else? He's pretty miffed at Bute. Turns out Ward and Bute were negotiating a two-fight deal before Bute signed on to face Froch. The plan, according to Ward, was to co-headline a card in Oakland in May or June before squaring off in an anticipated showdown in the fall in Las Vegas.
"I was disappointed," Ward said. "Bute and his promoter were screaming and yelling that I was ducking them, then they go and make a two-fight deal with Froch where if he loses, he takes Froch back to Canada? I didn't understand that. I was never ducking him, I just wanted to build up the fight. I was coming off two years of grueling fights and I felt he needed to fight someone. But ducking him? Come on. He wants belts, I have three belts over here if he wants to fight for a belt."
So who does Ward want to fight? Well, let's go down the list. Bernard Hopkins?
"I think Bernard has already said a fight with me doesn't interest him," Ward said. "And it doesn't interest me. Now if the fight was in demand and the networks wanted it, maybe. But I want to fight the guys that are in my era. As great as Bernard is, you beat Bernard, you don't get much credit because of his age. So he's not on my short list."
OK, what about Sergio Martinez?
"That fight interests me," Ward said. "I just don't know how far [in weight] I can get down. It's not easy to make 168 pounds but it's not extremely hard either. I don't know if I can make the right catch weight. But that's a fight fans clamor about."
Alright, so how low can you go?
"I'm not saying," Ward said with a laugh. "If I did, I would be negotiating against myself."
(For the record, I called Martinez's promoter, Lou DiBella, and asked him about a Martinez-Ward catch weight fight. He was succinct: No.)
Well, Andre, what about Anthony Dirrell, the mandatory challenger for your WBC belt?
"That's a good matchup," Ward said. "But to be perfectly honest with you I don't have a lot of interest. I consider Anthony a good fighter, a brother. But the networks won't be interested."
Ward made one thing clear in our conversation: He's a TV fighter now. He loves his belts but he is willing to give them up if a network won't buy the opponent.
"I'll be like Bernard or Floyd [Mayweather] and win them back," Ward said.
Anything else?
"People ask me on the street or on Twitter when I'm coming back," Ward said. "Well, I'm coming. I want Bute but I'm ready for any big fight at 168 or 175 pounds."
Well then. I guess I got my answer.
Where you at, Andre Ward?
You remember Ward, right? Super Six winner, top 168-pounder in the world, No. 6 in SI.com's pound-for-pound ratings? Just beat the bejesus out of Froch in December to stake his claim to the top of the super middleweight division?
Yeah, that Andre Ward.
Turns out, Ward has been busy. He is planning to return to the ring June 2 -- opponent TBA -- at Oracle Arena in his hometown of Oakland. The broken left hand he suffered before the fight with Froch has healed, and he is finally ready to go. His wife is expecting his fourth child, a boy, in mid-June and he wants to fight before he is born.
He's been planning for the future, too. Ward and his team have been negotiating a lucrative deal with HBO for a fall date. Showtime has the right to match any offer Ward gets, though HBO with its big budget could price them out.
Let's see, what else? He's pretty miffed at Bute. Turns out Ward and Bute were negotiating a two-fight deal before Bute signed on to face Froch. The plan, according to Ward, was to co-headline a card in Oakland in May or June before squaring off in an anticipated showdown in the fall in Las Vegas.
"I was disappointed," Ward said. "Bute and his promoter were screaming and yelling that I was ducking them, then they go and make a two-fight deal with Froch where if he loses, he takes Froch back to Canada? I didn't understand that. I was never ducking him, I just wanted to build up the fight. I was coming off two years of grueling fights and I felt he needed to fight someone. But ducking him? Come on. He wants belts, I have three belts over here if he wants to fight for a belt."
So who does Ward want to fight? Well, let's go down the list. Bernard Hopkins?
"I think Bernard has already said a fight with me doesn't interest him," Ward said. "And it doesn't interest me. Now if the fight was in demand and the networks wanted it, maybe. But I want to fight the guys that are in my era. As great as Bernard is, you beat Bernard, you don't get much credit because of his age. So he's not on my short list."
OK, what about Sergio Martinez?
"That fight interests me," Ward said. "I just don't know how far [in weight] I can get down. It's not easy to make 168 pounds but it's not extremely hard either. I don't know if I can make the right catch weight. But that's a fight fans clamor about."
Alright, so how low can you go?
"I'm not saying," Ward said with a laugh. "If I did, I would be negotiating against myself."
(For the record, I called Martinez's promoter, Lou DiBella, and asked him about a Martinez-Ward catch weight fight. He was succinct: No.)
Well, Andre, what about Anthony Dirrell, the mandatory challenger for your WBC belt?
"That's a good matchup," Ward said. "But to be perfectly honest with you I don't have a lot of interest. I consider Anthony a good fighter, a brother. But the networks won't be interested."
Ward made one thing clear in our conversation: He's a TV fighter now. He loves his belts but he is willing to give them up if a network won't buy the opponent.
"I'll be like Bernard or Floyd [Mayweather] and win them back," Ward said.
Anything else?
"People ask me on the street or on Twitter when I'm coming back," Ward said. "Well, I'm coming. I want Bute but I'm ready for any big fight at 168 or 175 pounds."
Well then. I guess I got my answer.
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Would love to see Ward -Martinez
