Official 2012 Boxing Thread: JMM/Manny IV - FOTY.

I was really impressed by how Dawson was able to keep his composure after the cut
 
Dawson in my opinion is another Victor Ortiz. All of the physical gifts, but lacks the mental ability to be a great fighter. Dawson, a quick athletic southpaw with good hand speed and decent power when he sits on his punches, should easily mop the light heavyweight division.
 
Originally Posted by CAFinest23

Originally Posted by Marvin Hagler

Originally Posted by CAFinest23

114-114? He's done judging.

Dawson wants to fight Andre Ward? What about Cloud? Lol

Cloud's fighting Pascal.

I know but he needs to fight light heavyweights not a super middleweight.

Why?
Dawson is only an inch taller than Ward and he said he would go down to 168.
 
Originally Posted by CAFinest23

Dawson in my opinion is another Victor Ortiz. All of the physical gifts, but lacks the mental ability to be a great fighter. Dawson, a quick athletic southpaw with good hand speed and decent power when he sits on his punches, should easily mop the light heavyweight division.

Dawson has way more talent, skill, athleticism, and size advantages than Ortiz. Let's not compare the two. Ortiz actually has some killer instinct, he's just not very smart at times. Dawson has little to none.
 
and Ward beats every Light Heavyweight except for Dawson. I don't understand why everyone is saying he's calling out a smaller opponent? Ward is probably bigger than Hopkins and Pascal.
 
Has anyone ever been to a weigh-in in Vegas for a big fight before??

I'm going to Vegas this coming weekend for the fight and wouldn't mind checking out the weigh-in with my pops.

If anyone has been, what time did you lineup??
 
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Paulie.
 
I suspect Paulie is on that "stuff". He looks fuller and is packing more power. Either that or that guy he KO'd is softer than tissue. 
 
Nah, I think it's just the move to 147. They stopped it because the kid's eye was disgusting, Smoger stopped it
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Originally Posted by SJSneakerheadIII

Has anyone ever been to a weigh-in in Vegas for a big fight before??

I'm going to Vegas this coming weekend for the fight and wouldn't mind checking out the weigh-in with my pops.

If anyone has been, what time did you lineup??


You dont really have to line up. If you want to sit close then you should probably go early, but if you just want to be there for the actually weigh you can go at like 2:15 or 2:30 (the actual weigh in is at 3). I used to go but they are kind of boring IMO
 
Originally Posted by mco85

Originally Posted by SJSneakerheadIII

Has anyone ever been to a weigh-in in Vegas for a big fight before??

I'm going to Vegas this coming weekend for the fight and wouldn't mind checking out the weigh-in with my pops.

If anyone has been, what time did you lineup??


You dont really have to line up. If you want to sit close then you should probably go early, but if you just want to be there for the actually weigh you can go at like 2:15 or 2:30 (the actual weigh in is at 3). I used to go but they are kind of boring IMO


Unless you're into loud music and social events, then it's not for you. Also I would go with people you know to make it more fun!

If you want really good seats, you gotta come in early... ACTUAL weigh in is about 3:30ish pm and that's after the under cards. You still gotta line up outside the arena then find your seats without getting squashed through the doors. So i'd say get in line by 10ish.
 
If Mosley doesn't purely stay defensive, then yes. People don't give him a chance because he lost to the top 2 boxers and looked poor vs Mora (but he won that fight and Mora is a tricky opponent). He is still the only dude to truly TKO Margarito ( a big feat). He needs to put pressure because Canelo often has slow starts like vs Gomez and Citron and he's still young and learning. i think Alvarez dominates and wins by decision, but Mosley could definitely make it interesting if he starts unlike his last few fights.
 
I've always been a fan of Mosley but his style of fighting recently plays right into Canelo's hand. He's not going to jab to set up the big right hand, and he not going to take advantage of his feet being faster and box. I hope he does win, but I know deep down his chances of winning are pretty low.

Gambino finally did another real fight prediction! He's funny as hell. His hate of pactards runs deep.
 
Weekend wrap up.

Spoiler [+]
A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:


Sunday at Donetsk, Ukraine

Paulie Malignaggi TKO9 Vyacheslav Senchenko
Welterweight
Wins a welterweight title
Records: Malignaggi (31-4, 7 KOs); Senchenko (32-1, 21 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Malignaggi was the mandatory challenger for Senchenko but was initially uneasy about going to his hometown in the Ukraine for the fight. In fact, Malignaggi was willing to take less money for a fight with Robert Guerrero on the May 5 Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto pay-per-view undercard in a nontitle bout rather than go overseas. But Guerrero turned down the fight and eventually Malignaggi grew more and more satisfied with the deal to face Senchenko and took the fight, in part because Golden Boy, according to company CEO Richard Schaefer, did not take its promotional percentage on the deal, instead giving all of the money to Malignaggi, 31, the former junior welterweight titlist from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Going to Ukraine -- for a fight seen in the United States on Integrated Sports PPV -- turned out to be the right move for Malignaggi, who turned perhaps the best performance of his career to become a two-division titleholder under the difficult circumstances of fighting where the deck would clearly be stacked against him. To win, it seemed as though Malignaggi, given his very modest knockout percentage, was going to have to get a decision on enemy turf. But he did not leave it in the hands of the judges as he won his fourth consecutive fight since losing a junior welterweight title bout via 11th-round knockout to Amir Khan and then moving up in weight in late 2010.

Malignaggi was quicker than Senchenko, more active and in tremendous condition. Although Senchenko, 35, a 2000 Ukrainian Olympian making his fourth title defense -- but first against an opponent with a name of any kind -- landed some crisp right hands, he was not throwing in combination the way Malignaggi was. Malignaggi did not try to run either. Instead, he stood his ground and fought, resulting in some exciting exchanges, especially in the sixth round. That is when Senchenko's left eye, which had been a bit damaged early in the fight, really began to swell. Malignaggi targeted the eye with his punches and it was closing rapidly in the seventh round. It was a swollen, purple, cut mess. By the eighth round it was pretty obvious that Senchenko could not see out of it. As Malignaggi continued to aim for the eye, in the ninth round, it was getting worse and worse until referee Steve Smoger stepped in and stopped the fight at 1 minute, 46 seconds due to the damage around Senchenko's eye. Malignaggi got the upset knockout and did not have to worry about what the judges were seeing.

Golden Boy has plans for Malignaggi now. It's possible he could defend his new belt against Golden Boy stablemate Devon Alexander on Showtime on Aug. 18 (just talk so soon after Malignaggi's big win). Golden Boy also has a deal with the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which opens in the fall, to put on a monthly boxing card. The first event is supposed to be Oct. 20 and Malignaggi and Golden Boy want him to be in the first main event of the new arena. There are exciting times ahead for Malignaggi, a relentless self-promoter and talker but also a pretty darn good fighter.



Saturday at Atlantic City, N.J.

Chad Dawson W12 Bernard Hopkins
Light heavyweight
Wins world light heavyweight title
Scores: 117-111 (twice), 114-114
Records: Dawson (31-1, 17 KOs); Hopkins (52-6-2, 32 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: All the talk at the post-fight news conference from the fighters and their promoters was about what "a great fight" this was. Talk about blowing smoke up you know where. As expected, it was a horrible fight. Dawson and Hopkins, of course, are both enormously talented but when you mesh their styles together it is just a mess. There was sporadic action at best, a lot of clinching, mauling and fouling. There was not nearly enough punching. In other words, it was a typical Hopkins fight. And a typical Dawson fight.

Dawson, 29, of New Haven, Conn., did what he had to do, however, to turn back Hopkins, the 47-year-old Philadelphia legend who was stymied by a man almost 20 years younger than him. Dawson, a southpaw, is also bigger, stronger and faster than Hopkins and he imposed himself just enough on the future Hall of Famer to win going away -- except in the case of the judge Luis Rivera, whose 114-114 scorecard was sheer lunacy. At least Dawson threw some combinations here and there and landed some solid straight left hands. Hopkins' offense usually consisted of a jab or a right hand and then rushing to tie Dawson up. On this night, there would be no big upset to shock people with from Hopkins the way he had accomplished against Felix Trinidad, Antonio Tarver, Kelly Pavlik and even Jean Pascal in their rematch.

When Hopkins and Dawson met last October at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the fight appeared to going the way this one went -- with Dawson in command in a terrible fight. That one, however, ended prematurely when Dawson, frustrated by Hopkins' holding, threw him to the mat. Hopkins injured his shoulder, resulting in an eventual no decision. Unfortunately, that meant a rematch, which this time at least was held in a place that made sense, Boardwalk Hall, where 7,705 (mostly rooting for Hopkins) turned out for a forgettable fight in what could perhaps be the final bout in Hopkins' great 24-year career. He's done it all, including make a middleweight division-record 20 defenses, become undisputed champ at 160 pounds and win the light heavyweight title twice. He did it most recently last May, going to Canada and outpointing Pascal in their rematch to become the oldest fighter (at 46) to win a world title. What else Hopkins could hope to accomplish at 47 and beyond remains to be seen, but Hopkins did leave the door open for a possible return -- even though he'll probably be hard-pressed to find an American network willing to pay good money for another of his fights. With this loss, his HBO contract came to an end. There won't be another one. If this is the end of the line for Hopkins, the International Boxing Hall of Fame will come calling in five years.

Dawson, meantime, suffered cuts over both eyes thanks to the Hopkins' typical head butting. According to Gary Shaw, Dawson's promoter, Dawson needed seven stitches in one eye and five in the other. But as Dawson said after the fight, if he could make it through 12 tough rounds with Hopkins, he would survive anything. But good luck to him finding a big fight. He has no fan base and few will rush to fight such a difficult opponent. Dawson called out for a fight with super middleweight champ Andre Ward, saying he would go down to 168 pounds for the match. But that would be just as awful as the fight with Hopkins. Talk about styles that would not mesh well. Ideally, Dawson would fight the winner of the proposed summer bout between titlist Tavoris Cloud and former champ Pascal, who handed Dawson his only loss via 11th-round technical decision in 2010.

Seth Mitchell TKO3 Chazz Witherspoon
Heavyweight
Records: Mitchell (25-0-1, 19 KOs); Witherspoon (30-3, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This is why fight fans love heavyweight fights! Mitchell and Witherspoon both said in the build up to their showdown that they were coming to rumble and they lived up to their word in a sensational, see-saw shootout that saw Mitchell, America's top heavyweight prospect, walk through fire to score the most notable victory of his career in thrilling fashion.

A former Michigan State linebacker whose NFL dreams ended with a knee injury, Mitchell, 29, of Brandywine, Md., has been talked about as a future possible opponent by heavyweight champion brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. He is absolutely not ready for that kind of fight -- if anyone ever truly can be against those guys -- but he did show one very significant attribute that all heavyweights worth a damn need: the heart and desire to take a shot and come back when hurt. He did just that after a very rocky first round in which it looked like he might not even survive the opening three minutes.

Witherspoon, 30, of Paulsboro, N.J., a cousin of former two-time heavyweight titlist Tim Witherspoon, badly rocked Mitchell with a series of right hands. Mitchell's legs were betraying him and he was very shaky after eating several big shots. Witherspoon, however, could not finish him off and it proved to be very unfortunate for him. Mitchell recovered from the worst round of his career to get himself together in the second round. At that point, he began to attack Witherspoon with a brutal body attack. He also rocked him with a right to the head in what was a very exciting back-and-forth round. Unlike Mitchell, Witherspoon never tried to go to the body when it was there for him and in the third round, Mitchell caught him with a great left hook to the chin. Witherspoon went down and was in trouble. It was another round of all-out action until Mitchell began to hammer Witherspoon, who could take it no more. He wilted into the ropes and referee Randy Neumann began to give him a count since the ropes were holding him up. But Neumann didn't get far, realizing that Witherspoon was done, and he called it off at 2 minutes, 31 seconds.

It was a short fight but a memorable battle. Witherspoon, in his first fight with trainer Virgil Hunter, just can't hack it at the top of the division with all of his losses coming when he has stepped up -- Mitchell and to former title challenger Cristobal Arreola and Tony Thompson. Mitchell, who also scored an exciting knockout against Timur Ibragimov in December, is still raw and still not a top-10 contender, but he showed he is an exciting fighter with a big heart -- which is just what the heavyweight division desperately needs.

He does desperately need to tighten up his defense, but he is going to eventually get a big fight if he keeps winning. Golden Boy might bring him back on a June 30 Showtime card it is planning for Washington, D.C., Mitchell's home region. But whenever Mitchell next fights, one opponent Golden Boy is talking about for him is former title challenger Michael Grant, a guy who was once in the same position as Mitchell as America's next great heavyweight hope. It didn't quite work out for Grant. Will it for Mitchell? Whatever happens with him it is going to be fun to watch it unfold.



Saturday at Cancun, Mexico

Jhonny Gonzalez W12 Elio Rojas
Featherweight
Retains a featherweight title
Scores: 117-111, 116-112, 116-111
Records: Gonzalez (52-7, 45 KOs); Rojas (23-2, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gonzalez just keeps rolling along. The always-entertaining former two-time bantamweight titlist made his fourth featherweight title defense in workmanlike fashion against a quality opponent in Rojas, a former titleholder who lost the belt only because he was stripped due to inactivity while recovering from an injury. Gonzalez ended up winning the belt, but Rojas was promised a mandatory shot when he was healthy. So Rojas, 29, a native of the Dominican Republic based in New York, won a tune-up fight in September and got his shot against Gonzalez, 30, on his turf in Mexico.

On paper, Rojas figured to give him a stern test. Instead Gonzalez made it look fairly easy. Although Gonzalez is known for his tremendous power, Rojas was never in danger of being knocked out, but Gonzalez was also never in any danger of losing control of the fight, which aired on Fox Deportes in the United States as part of Golden Boy's new output deal with the network. The fight was competitive for the first several rounds, but Gonzalez took over in the second half. Because the WBC's terrible open scoring was in use, the scores were announced after the fourth round, and Gonzalez had the lead one card (39-37) with the other two even (38-38). By the time the scores were announced again after the eighth round, Gonzalez was control (78-75, 77-75, 77-75). With Gonzalez cruising along, he padded his lead in the 10th round when he dropped Rojas with a left hook to the body.

Since being stopped in the third round of a 2009 junior featherweight title challenge against Toshiaki Nishioka, Gonzalez has been on quite a roll. He won his 12th consecutive fight. But if there is any consolation for Rojas, he is the first man to go the distance with Gonzalez during his winning streak.

Juan Carlos Salgado W12 Martin Honorio
Junior lightweight
Retains a junior lightweight title
Scores: 114-112 (twice), 113-113
Records: Salgado (25-1-1, 16 KOs); Honorio (32-7-1, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Salgado, 27, scored a pair of knockdowns but had a tough fight on his hands against Mexican countryman Honorio, 32, who was in trouble but never gave up in the crowd-pleasing battle. Salgado, who was making his third title defense (a mandatory), dropped Honorio in the second round with a solid jab and dropped him again in the third round with a left uppercut, but Honorio hung there to make it an interesting fight. He landed some right hands and also opened a cut over Salgado's left eye with an accidental head butt in the sixth round. Salgado, with blood streaming down the side of his face, was fading down the stretch and Honorio, whose only previous world title bout ended in a first-round knockout loss to then-featherweight titleholder Robert Guerrero in 2007, never stopped charging at him. However, Salgado's two early knockdowns helped him preserve the tight victory.



Saturday at Pomona, Calif.

Roman Gonzalez TKO4 Ramon Garcia
Junior flyweight
Retains a junior flyweight title
Records: Gonzalez (32-0, 27 KOs); Garcia (16-4-1, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: For three rounds, it was a fairly competitive fight but then Gonzalez, 24, of Nicaragua -- one of the best pound-for-pound punchers in boxing -- did his usual damage. They were winging away at each other when Gonzalez, who was mentored early in his career by the late, great Alexis Arguello, nailed Garcia with a right uppercut, which dropped him awkwardly. He got to a knee, took his time and rose at the count of eight and seemed OK. Gonzalez swarmed him and had him immediately in retreat. A few seconds later, Gonzalez connected with a nasty right hand and dropped him chest first as referee Raul Caiz Jr. immediately waived it off at 2 minutes, 9 seconds. Gonzalez, a former strawweight titlist, was fighting in the United States for the second time as he made his fifth defense. He is one of the more exciting fighters in the sport. Small in stature, yes, but not in entertainment value. Garcia, 29-year-old southpaw from Mexico, is a former junior flyweight titlist who has lost three of his last four bouts -- all four of which were world or interim title bouts.



Friday at Austin, Texas

Denis Grachev TKO8 Ismayl Sillakh
Light heavyweight
Records: Grachev (12-0-1, 8 KOs); Sillakh (17-1, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Make no mistake: This is a major upset. Sillakh, 27, of Ukraine but living in Los Angeles, was a standout amateur (302-16), was inching his way to a mandatory title shot and had a lot of buzz from fans and media. Now, it's all down the drain after a stunning loss in a fight he had totally dominated.

Sillakh landed a clean right hand to drop Grachev to a knee in the third round and was using his long reach, hand speed and movement through the first seven rounds to befuddle Grachev. But Grachev, 29, a native of Russia who moved to San Diego about five years ago, never stopped trying to press the action. Although he could have made things easier on himself if he had used a jab instead of trying to just walk right into Sillakh, he kept throwing his right hand. Eventually Grachev, a four-time Russian amateur kickboxing champion and two-time world kickboxing champion, found an opening for the right in the eighth round and Sillakh, whose chin has always been rumored to be brittle, paid the price. Grachev landed a clean right hand and sent Sillakh into the ropes. Grachev followed him and unloaded some 18 blows, including a finishing right that dropped Sillakh along the ropes as referee Rocky Burke was jumping in to stop the fight at 2 minutes, 18 seconds. Way behind, Grachev showed tremendous perseverance to rally for the knockout as Sillakh wilted under the immense pressure of the finishing flurry.

Javier Fortuna TKO1 Yuandale Evans
Junior lightweight
Records: Fortuna (19-0, 14 KOs); Evans (16-1, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Fortuna, a 22-year-old south from the Dominican Republic, is a dynamic prospect with tremendous power and speed. Yes, he is reckless, but that is one of the things that makes him so exciting. Fortuna, who fights in the same stable as middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, has scored some highlight-reel knockouts in his young career and added another one with a crushing stoppage of Evans, 23, of East Cleveland, Ohio. Ninety seconds into the fight, Fortuna staggered Evans with a left hand to the head and then heavily floored him with another left hand to the head and a right hand on top of the head as he was falling to the mat. Evans barely made it to his feet and was unsteady but allowed to continue. Fortuna was all over him. He trapped him on the ropes, tagged with a few shots and then hammered him with another left hand to drop him again, this time face first, as referee Mark Calo-Oy stepped in at 2 minutes, 2 seconds. Both prospects gambled by taking this fight and laying their unbeaten records on the line. Fortuna came though, however, in a major way. He is definitely a guy to keep an eye on.



Friday at Miami, Okla.

Thomas Oosthuizen W10 Marcus Johnson
Super middleweight
Scores: 98-91 (three times)
Records: Oosthuizen (19-0-1, 13 KOs); Johnson (21-2, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Oosthuizen, 24, of South Africa, is rising contender who makes exciting fights and probably is not too far from a title shot. This main event on Showtime's "ShoBox: The New Generation" was no different than Oosthuizen's usual fights in terms of entertainment value. Fighting the United States for only the second time -- but it will become more regular now that he is co-promoted by Lou DiBella -- Oosthuizen, a southpaw nicknamed "Tommy Gun," got a solid test from Johnson, 26, of Houston, a former amateur standout whose 2008 Olympic bid ended one fight short when he lost to Andre Ward. Johnson started extremely fast, pressuring the 6-foot-4 Oosthuizen like crazy. But Oosthuizen, making his American television debut, took it in stride. As the fight progressed, Oosthuizen increased his punch output as Johnson began to fade a bit. By the middle rounds, Oosthuizen was in total control of the fast-paced fight. In the eighth round, Oosthuizen dropped Johnson to a knee with a right hand to the body but Johnson did not appear badly hurt. Even though the scores were lopsided, Johnson fought his rear end off to make each round competitive, even if he wasn't winning them. Hopefully, Oosthuizen will be back on TV soon. He's a pleasure to watch. Johnson dropped to 1-2 in his last three bouts, having also taken his first loss on "ShoBox," a lopsided decision to Dyah Davis in April 2011.

Luis Orlando Del Valle W10 Christopher Martin
Junior featherweight
Scores: 100-90, 98-91, 97-92
Records: Del Valle (16-0, 11 KOs); Martin (23-2-3, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This was a very good fight, despite the lopsided scores, although Martin certainly deserved a better fate than to have a judge score the fight a shutout. That was ridiculous. Still, Del Valle, 25, a native of Puerto Rico living who was also a three-time New York Golden Gloves champion and a national Golden Gloves champ, scored the by far the best win of his four-year pro career. The kid looks like a guy who will go on to win a world title. He did a very good job outpointing Martin, 25, of Chula Vista, Calif., who had the edge in pro experience and had scored an upset against blue chip prospect Chris Avalos in 2010 and also beat prospect Charles Huerta in last May. Del Valle got off to a strong start and put rounds in the bank but Martin can box really well. He used a good jab to cause Del Valle some issues in a fast-paced fight. Martin was boxing well in the seventh round when Del Valle caught him with a big left hook -- his best punch -- to score a heavy knockdown. It was the first time Martin had been down in his career and although he was badly buzzed, he survived more than half the round as Del Valle went for the knockout. There were a lot of exciting exchanges in the later rounds, but Del Valle, the harder hitter, seemed to have the edge when they were punching it out. No shame for Martin in losing this one as he dropped to 0-2-1 in his last three fights. For Del Valle, one of several outstanding Puerto Rican prospects, it seems like only a matter of time until he wins a world title.

Jose Pedraza W8 Gil Garcia
Junior lightweight
Scores: 80-71 (twice), 79-72
Records: Pedraza (8-0, 6 KOs); Garcia (5-3-1, 1 KO)
Rafael's remarks: Pedraza, 22, is perhaps the most heralded prospect out of Puerto Rico since Miguel Cotto turned pro following the 2000 Olympics. Pedraza was a 2008 Olympian and 2009 silver medalist at the amateur world championships. Now he is on his way up the professional ladder and looking good. Although "The Sniper" was pushed the eight-round distance for the first time, he dominated and surely learned some valuable lessons. Garcia, 25, of Houston, came to fight and was game even if overmatched. He showed a good chin, too, because Pedraza tagged him -- a lot, landing 60 percent of his punches (281 of 471). He staggered Garcia with a flurry in the fifth round and referee Vic Drakulich inexplicably ruled a knockdown. To the naked eye it was clear Garcia had not touched his gloves to the canvas and on video replay it also showed he did not touch the mat nor did the ropes hold him up -- because he never touched the ropes. The call turned out not to matter in the final scoring because Pedraza was so dominant. To make matters worse for Garcia, Pedraza opened a cut over his left eye in the sixth round.
 
Originally Posted by ShaunHillFTW49

If Mosley doesn't purely stay defensive, then yes. People don't give him a chance because he lost to the top 2 boxers and looked poor vs Mora (but he won that fight and Mora is a tricky opponent). He is still the only dude to truly TKO Margarito ( a big feat). He needs to put pressure because Canelo often has slow starts like vs Gomez and Citron and he's still young and learning. i think Alvarez dominates and wins by decision, but Mosley could definitely make it interesting if he starts unlike his last few fights.


its not even because he lost its HOW he lost. he was slow,didnt move around the ring well and didnt throw enough anymore.
 
Yea he hurt PBF early and then stopped doing anything, got hit by one clean punch by Manny and ran away for the rest of the fight and the Mora fight shouldn't even matter because they both fight ugly/terrible styles. He barely threw any punches against pillow fisted Mora.
 
I hope Shane gets knocked out. I paid good money to go see the Pac vs Mosley fight and this dude was more interested in shaking hands than fighting. Im not a Canelo fan but I hope he beats the hell out of Mosley
 
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