Wladimir Klitschko & Alexander Povetkin agree to terms

Wladimir Klitschko & Alexander Povetkin agree to terms for a heavyweight title unification in a battle between two former heavyweight gold medalists.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8257813-wladimir-klitscho-alexander-povetkin-agree-to-terms

Wladimir Klitschko & Alexander Povetkin agree to terms

Wladimir Klitschko & Alexander Povetkin agree to terms for a heavyweight title unification in a battle between two former heavyweight gold medalists.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8257813-wladimir-klitscho-alexander-povetkin-agree-to-terms

Thomas Oosthuizen's draw a "massive setback"

Discussion of Thomas Oosthuizen's draw with Brandon Gonzales and what it means to his career.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8257671-thomas-oosthuizens-draw-a-massive-setback

Zaurbek Baysangurov withdraws from fight

Abel Sanchez gives the reasons why Zaurbek Baysangurov had to withdraw from his fight with Demetrius Andrade.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8257645-reasons-for-zaurbek-baysangurovs-withdrawal-from-demetrius-andrade-fight

Solomon Egberime willing to face Thomas Dulorme

Solomon Egberime discusses his willingness to step in for Paul Spadafora against Thomas Dulorme.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8257623-solomon-egberime-willing-to-face-thomas-dulorme

Amir Khan : "Mayweather will beat Canelo"

Amir Khan discusses his future pairing with Devon Alexander and his thoughts on the Mayweather-Alvarez fight

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8257579-amir-khan-mayweather-will-beat-canelo

Brandon Rios : "I'm not Ricky Hatton. I'm not Miguel Cotto"

Brandon Rios downplays the level of Manny Pacquiao's competition.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8257475-brandon-rios-im-not-ricky-hatton-im-not-miguel-cotto

Frankie Gavin passes test against Denton Vassell

British welterweight prospect Frankie Gavin discusses his victory of Denton Vassell and talks about what's next.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8257297-frankie-gavin-passes-toughest-test-against-denton-vassell

Frankie Gavin passes test against Denton Vassell

British welterweight prospect Frankie Gavin discusses his victory of Denton Vassell and talks about what's next.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8257297-frankie-gavin-passes-toughest-test-against-denton-vassell

Carl Froch vs George Groves mandated by the IBF

Discussion over George Groves mandatory number one ranking and a battle with Carl Froch.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8252527-carl-froch-vs-george-groves-mandated-by-the-ibf

Will Tomlinson vs Malcolm Klassen rematch rejected

Discussion on the controversial Will Tomlinson vs. Malcolm Klassen match.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8252505-will-tomlinson-malcolm-klassen-rematch-rejected

Mayweather-Canelo Phoenix press conference cancelled

Mayweather-Canelo Phoenix press conference cancelled because of the tragedies in Arizona.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8252481-mayweather-alvarez-phoenix-press-conference-cancelled

A Look Back at Danny Little Red Lopez

Reprint of a late 1979 article about Danny Little Red Lopez.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8252395-danny-lopez-knock-him-down-and-hell-get-up-and-kill-you

Gennady Golovkin to return to HBO in November

Discussion of Gennady Golovkin's next scheduled bout

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8250257-golovkin-to-return-in-november

Gennady Golovkin Career DVD Set

Career set on Gennady Golovkin, includes select amateur bouts

http://boxingdepot.net/products/gennady-golovkin-career-boxing-dvd-set

Gennady Golovkin Career DVD Set

Career set on Gennady Golovkin, includes select amateur bouts

http://boxingdepot.net/products/gennady-golovkin-career-boxing-dvd-set

Sergio Martinez - "I'll fight Golovkin...in 2014"

Discussion of Sergio Martinez taking on the rising Kazakh menace, Gennady Golovkin

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8250067-sergio-martinez-ill-fight-golovkin-in-2014

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr says he will be stronger at 168

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr discusses his future at 160 and 168 pounds, it is either Sergio Martinez or Andre Ward for him.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8249065-julio-cesar-chavez-jr-ill-be-even-stronger-at-168

Lucas Matthysse vs Danny Garcia fight hold up

A discussion of the stalled negotiations between Lucas Matthysse and Danny Garcia

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8248343-lucas-matthysse-vs-danny-garcia-fight-hold-up

Lennox Lewis "David Price still has a shot!"

Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis discusses the prospects of David Price after his first defeat

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8248273-lennox-lewis-david-price-still-has-a-shot

David Haye to be cast in boxing film?

Actor/producer John Abraham discusses the prospect of casting David Haye in a boxing movie.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8248259-david-haye-to-be-cast-in-boxing-film

Sam Soliman to face Daniel Geale-Darren Barker victor

The patient Australian Sam Soliman waits for a shot at the IBF middleweight title.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8248229-sam-soliman-to-face-daniel-geale-darren-barker-victor

Ricky Hatton overcoming depression

Ricky Hatton discusses overcoming depression and where is at with boxing promotions

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8246533-ricky-hatton-overcoming-depression

Sergio Martinez vs Gennady Golovkin will not happen soon

Discussion on the possibility of a Sergio Martinez vs. Gennady Golovkin bout this year

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8246501-sergio-martinez-vs-gennady-golovkin-will-not-happen-soon

Tony Thompson has an angry message for David Price

Tony Thompson discusses why his first fight with David Price was no fluke

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8246447-tony-thompson-i-am-pissed

Dan Goossen defeats Andre Ward in court

Discussion of the ruling in favor of Dan Goossen over Andre Ward.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8246361-dan-goosen-defeats-andre-ward-in-court

Oscar De La Hoya "Canelo has more fans than Mayweather"

De La Hoya discusses the fan base of Canelo Alvarez versus Mayweather's.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8246297-oscar-de-la-hoya-alvarez-has-more-fans-than-mayweather

Oscar De La Hoya "Canelo has more fans than Mayweather"

De La Hoya discusses the fan base of Canelo Alvarez versus Mayweather's.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8246297-oscar-de-la-hoya-alvarez-has-more-fans-than-mayweather

Oscar De La Hoya "Canelo has more fans than Mayweather"

De La Hoya discusses the fan base of Canelo Alvarez versus Mayweather's.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8246297-oscar-de-la-hoya-alvarez-has-more-fans-than-mayweather

Gennady Golovkin vs Matthew Macklin

Breakdown of tonight's Gennady Golovkin - Matthew Macklin middleweight fight.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8239549-gennady-golovkin-vs-matthew-macklin-tale-of-the-tape

Gennady Golovkin vs Matthew Macklin

Breakdown of tonight's Gennady Golovkin - Matthew Macklin middleweight fight.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8239549-gennady-golovkin-vs-matthew-macklin-tale-of-the-tape

Mayweather vs Canelo sold out in less than 24 hours

Fans have swarmed the box office for the Mayweather - Canelo bout.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8221285-mayweather-vs-canelo-sold-out-in-less-than-24-hours

Paul Spadafora turns down Thomas Dulorme fight

Paul Spadafora turns down an HBO Latino fight with Thomas Dulorme

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8221177-paul-spadafora-turns-down-thomas-dulorme-fight

Frida Wallberg Still In Hospital

Frida Wallberg is still in hospital. Wallberg suffered bleeding from the brain following her knockout loss to Diane Prazak.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8221161-frida-wallberg-still-in-hospital

Willie Nelson wants Canelo or Cotto

6'3" tall junior middleweight contender Willie Nelson wants Canelo or Cotto

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8221079-willie-nelson-wants-canelo-or-cotto

Adonis Stevenson giving credit to Kronk

Adonis Stevenson gives credit to his Kronk gym trainers plus discusses Lucian Bute vs. Jean Pascal.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8221047-adonis-stevenson-giving-credit-to-kronk

Adonis Stevenson giving credit to Kronk

Adonis Stevenson gives credit to his Kronk gym trainers plus discusses Lucian Bute vs. Jean Pascal.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8221047-adonis-stevenson-giving-credit-to-kronk

Robert Alfonso = future heavyweight champ

Discussion of heavyweight prospect Robert Alfonso out of Cuba

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8207005-robert-alfonso-future-heavyweight-champ

Joe Calzaghe has no love lost for Carl Froch

Joe Calzaghe continues to express his disdain for Carl Froch and contends that George Groves could beat him

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206945-joe-calzaghe-has-no-love-lost-for-carl-froch

Tyson Fury wants David Haye

Tyson Fury continues to call out David Haye and now resorts to social media.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206917-tyson-fury-wants-david-haye

Ricky Burns vs Raymundo Beltran

Ricky Burns discusses his upcoming bout with Raymundo Beltran in Glasgow, Scotland

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206821-ricky-burns-vs-raymundo-beltran

Ricky Burns vs Raymundo Beltran

Ricky Burns discusses his upcoming match with Raymundo Beltran in Glasgow, Scotland

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206821-ricky-burns-vs-raymundo-beltran

Ricky Burns vs Raymundo Beltran

Ricky Burns discusses his upcoming bout with Raymundo Beltran in Glasgow, Scotland

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206821-ricky-burns-vs-raymundo-beltran

Ricky Burns vs Raymundo Beltran

Ricky Burns discusses his upcoming bout with Raymundo Beltran in Glasgow, Scotland

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206821-ricky-burns-vs-raymundo-beltran

Ricky Burns vs Raymundo Beltran

Ricky Burns discusses his upcoming bout with Raymundo Beltran in Glasgow, Scotland

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206821-ricky-burns-vs-raymundo-beltran

Ricky Burns vs Raymundo Beltran

Ricky Burns discusses his upcoming bout with Raymundo Beltran in Glasgow, Scotland

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206821-ricky-burns-vs-raymundo-beltran

Canelo Alvarez - "I will outbox Mayweather"

The hype begins as Canelo Alvarez discusses how and why he will defeat Mayweather.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206811-canelo-alvarez-i-will-outbox-mayweather

HBO rejects Bernard Hopkins vs Adonis Stevenson fight

Discussion of HBO's rejection of a proposed Hopkins-Stevenson fight

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206665-hbo-rejects-bernard-hopkins-adonis-stevenson-fight

Dmitry Chudinov may be on Scott-Chisora undercard

Russian up and comer Dmitry Chudinov may be on the Malik Scott-Dereck Chisora undercard

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206601-dmitry-chudinov-may-be-on-dereck-chisora-malik-scott-undercard

Gennady Golovkin - Cult Favorite

Discussion on the growing popularity of middleweight contender Gennady Golovkin.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206529-gennady-golovkin-cult-favorite

Gennady Golovkin - Cult Favorite

Discussion on the growing popularity of middleweight contender Gennady Golovkin.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8206529-gennady-golovkin-cult-favorite

Danny Jacobs vs Peter Quillin

The rejuvenation of Danny Jacobs who may take on Peter Quillin for the middleweight title.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8196699-danny-jacobs-vs-peter-quillin

Ajose Olusegun vs Hank Lundy on ESPN

Discussion of the upcoming Ajose Olusegun vs. Hank Lundy bout

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8196683-ajose-olusegun-vs-hank-lundy

Andre Ward vs Goosen Promotions

Andre Ward takes his case against Goosen Promotions to the courts.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8196663-andre-ward-vs-goosen-promotions

Anthony Ogogo to return under Kell Brook card

British Olympian Anthony Ogogo to return in July under the Kell Brook-Carson Jones card.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8196641-anthony-ogogo-to-return-in-july-under-kell-brook-card

Victor Ortiz to return

Victor Ortiz looks to return to boxing around September or October. Possible opponent is Robert Guerrero.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8196619-victor-ortiz-to-return-in-the-fall

Brandon Rios unimpressed with Adrien Broner

Brandon Rios gives his take on the Broner-Paulie Malignaggi bout and discusses a hypothetical fight with Marcos Maidana.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8184169-brandon-rios-unimpressed-with-adrien-broner

Denver Cuello to face Xiao Zhao Zhong

Denver Cuello finally gets his shot at the minimum weight crown against Xiao Zhao Zhong

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8184135-denver-cuello-to-face-xiao-zhao-zhong

Dmitry Pirog may return soon

Dmitry Pirog discusses a possible ring return in August

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182335-dmitry-pirog-may-return-soon

Dmitry Pirog may return soon

Dmitry Pirog discusses a possible ring return in August

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182335-dmitry-pirog-may-return-soon

Paulie Malignaggi - "Broner hits like a girl!"

Paulie Malignaggi gives his take on Adrien Broner's punching power

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182311-paulie-malignaggi-broner-hits-like-a-girl

Sakio Bika wants Andre Ward rematch

Sakio Bika discusses his grueling victory over Marco Periban and a rematch with Andre Ward.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182297-sakio-bika-wants-andre-ward-rematch

Sakio Bika wants Andre Ward rematch

Sakio Bika discusses his grueling victory over Marco Periban and a rematch with Andre Ward.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182297-sakio-bika-wants-andre-ward-rematch

Four possible opponents for Carl Froch

Promoters discuss the four possible opponents for Carl Froch; Andre Ward, Mikkel Kessler, Gennady Golovkin and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182273-carl-frochs-four-possible-opponents

Adrien Broner's options at welterweight

Adrien Broner's options for welterweight opponents are discussed

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182253-the-options-for-adrien-broner

Adrien Broner's options at welterweight

Adrien Broner's options for welterweight opponents are discussed

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182253-the-options-for-adrien-broner

Adrien Broner's promoter discusses his options

Promoter Richard Schaefer discusses the fight options for Adrien Broner

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182253-the-options-for-adrien-broner

Juan Manuel Marquez may retire after Timothy Bradley bout

Juan Manuel Marquez discusses retirement after facing Timothy Bradley

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182169-juan-manuel-marquez-timothy-bradley-then-retirement

Marcos Maidana vs Adrien Broner?

Marcos Maidana discusses the possibility of taking on Adrien Broner

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182103-marcos-maidana-vs-adrien-broner

Larry Merchant sounds off on Adrien Broner

HBO announcer Larry Merchant gives his critique of Adrien Broner's performance against Paulie Malignaggi

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8182049-larry-merchant-sounds-off-on-adrien-broner

David Price learns from Tony Thompson defeat

British heavyweight contender David Price remains philosophical about his first defeat to Tony Thompson.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8181987-david-price-wants-revenge-against-tony-thompson

Evans Mbamba vs Mario Briones in a South African bill

Evans Mbamba will take on Mario Briones in a South African headliner for the WBF junior featherweight title

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8181899-evans-mbamba-vs-mario-briones

Roy Jones turns down Finland match

A rundown of an upcoming Finland boxing show with a proposed Roy Jones match.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8181873-roy-jones-turns-down-finland-match

Matthew Macklin vows to become Birmingham's first world champion

Matthew Macklin discusses how third time could be a charm in his title shot against Gennady Golovkin

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8181817-matthew-macklin-promises-a-victory

Andrew Buchanan begins his boxing comeback

After an eight year hiatus, Andrew Buchanan begins his boxing comeback

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8181605-the-return-of-andrew-buchanan

Carl Froch vs George Groves

Carl Froch discusses the possibility of meeting George Groves while he waits for an Andre Ward rematch.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8181481-carl-froch-vs-george-groves

Joan Guzman wants a crack at Adrien Broner

Joan Guzman makes the case for him being the next opponent for Adrien Broner

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8181455-joan-guzman-bring-me-the-head-of-adrien-broner

Paulie Malignaggi - "Adrien Broner is not good for boxing"

Post fight thoughts from Paulie Malignaggi as he assesses Adrien Broner's place in the the boxing landscape.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8181413-paulie-malignaggi-adrien-broner-is-not-good-for-boxing

Adrien Broner, weight cuts and boxers behaving badly

Discussion of Adrien Broner's performance, the effect of weight cuts on fighter performance and fighters who can't seem to stay out of trouble.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8181329-doubting-adrien-broner-weight-cuts-and-boxers-behaving-badly

David Tua makes his comeback against Alexander Ustinov

David Tua, at 40 years of age, prepares to make his comeback against the Russian behemoth Alexander Ustinov.

http://www.boxingdepot.net/blogs/news/8176933-david-tua-vs-alexander-ustinov

Jerry Quarry bio and photogallery

Posted a new photo gallery and brief excerpt from Jerry Quarry's entry in the book, "The Last Great Contenders" or visit the PochePictures website.

Last Great Contenders - Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, Earnie Shavers, Ron Lyle

'The Last Great Contenders' - A New Book Profiling Heavyweight Boxers of the 1970s
“The Last Great Contenders,” written by Richard Poche, is an encyclopedic collection of contenders from the heavyweight division in the 1970s. “I’ve always had a fondness for that time period in boxing history,” Poche said. “It was a lot of fun to research these fighters.” The book contains profiles of over 50 boxers who fought during what many consider the most competitive era in boxing history.



“The Last Great Contenders,” written by Richard Poche, is an encyclopedic collection of contenders from the heavyweight division in the 1970s.



“I’ve always had a fondness for that time period in boxing history,” Poche said. “It was a lot of fun to research these fighters.”



The book contains profiles of over 50 boxers who fought during what many consider the most competitive era in boxing history.



“I didn’t include any profiles of the champions of that time period; Ali, Foreman, Frazier, or Holmes,” said Poche. “Enough has been written about them so it wouldn’t be entertaining for someone to read rehashed material. I wanted to write about the contenders who were on the cusp of making it to the big time. There were a handful of fighters who were ‘could haves’ and ‘should haves’ that were only one punch away.”



The book showcases bio pieces and promo pictures of boxers that have been long forgotten.



“Remember that cable t.v. was a rare luxury back then,” Poche continued. “A lot of these boxers had to establish a local following as not everyone could be showcased on network television. Guys like Boone Kirkman, Duane Bobick and “Florida” Al Jones aren’t remembered by the casual boxing fan of today. But back in the 1970s they were huge local heroes and drew very large crowds.”



Present day heavyweight championship fights now take place almost exclusively overseas. “The Last Great Contenders” celebrates an age where that would be unthinkable.



“Boxing fans in the seventies would have difficulty believing a future with Europeans being the dominant force,” Poche adds. “Euro fighters were stepping stones back in the day. They’ve caught up to us.”



The following fighters are profiled in “The Last Great Contenders”
Pedro Agosto – Puerto Rican Champion
Billy Aird – Clubfighter out of the UK
Rahman Ali - Brother of Muhammad Ali
Ibar Arrington - Steel chinned ex-Navy champion
Jody Ballard - Sparring partner of the greats
Duane Bobick - The most unduly criticized fighter of the era
Rodney Bobick - Sparring partner for Ali, died in car accident
Oscar Bonavena – The decade’s answer to Ricardo Mayorga
Johnny Boudreaux – Fleet footed fighter out of Texas
Joe Bugner – Big Hungarian fought Ali and Frazier back to back
George Chuvalo – Granite jawed Canadian was never knocked down
Henry Clark – San Francisco heavyweight who was California champion
Dino Denis - Popular Massachusetts stick and mover
Tony Doyle - Was considered Utah’s best boxing prospect
Jim Lee Elder - Up and coming slugger who died from a brain tumor
Lou Esa - Giant former bouncer out of Florida
Mac Foster - Ex Marine who won 24 straight by knockout
Jose Luis Garcia - Venezuelan slickster who ate himself out of contention
Terry Hinke - Heavy left hooker who was Foreman’s sparring partner
Morris Jackson – Boxer/puncher out of Nebraska
Scrap Iron Johnson – The ultimate trial horse
Florida Al Jones - Giant Miami prospect hampered by a hand injury
Leroy Jones - Good boxer forced to retire because of detached retina
Boone Kirkman -Popular draw out of Washington state
Scott Ledoux - Minnesota brawler who always gave his best
Alvin Blue Lewis - Detroit tough guy
Pedro Lovell - Popular Argentinian who fought out of L.A.
Ron Lyle - Denver slugger who gave Foreman hell
Danny McAlinden - Aggressive Irish brawler
Humphrey McBride - The decade’s answer to Butterbean
Jeff Merritt - Brutal left hooker who was knocked out by drugs
Larry Middleton - Army champ who played spoiler
Fili Moala - Power punching Tongan
Randy Neumann – Renaissance minded boxer who was a writer and model
Wendell Newton - Bahamian sparring partner for the champs
Ken Norton - Always gave Ali fits, the premier contender of the decade
Jack O’Halloran – Giant (6’6”) slugger who suffered from a pituitary illness
Jerry Quarry - One of the most popular fighters of the era
Charlie Reno - Crafty but overweight clubfighter
Young Sanford - Chicago journeyman managed by Redd Foxx
Mike Schutte – Hard hitting South African they called “Tank”
Earnie Shavers - Arguably the hardest hitting heavyweight of all time
Mircea Simon - Romanian defector had brief pro career
Howard Smith - One of the best out of Los Angeles
Ron Stander - Engaged in gore fests with Frazier and Norton
Paul Sykes - Psychotic jailbird out of Britain
Mani Vaka - Free swinging Polynesian
Stan Ward - Powerfully built Sacramento heavyweight
Chuck Wepner - No fighter shed more blood
Roy Williams - A rough character out of Philly
Jimmy Young - Fought brawn with brains



“The Last Great Contenders” retails for $19.95 and is available at the Poche Pictures website at http://www.pochepictures.com/lastgreatcontenders.html




XGen SEO Softwarerichard poche
http://www.pochepictures.com/lastgreatcontenders.html

Povetkin vs. Chambers

I've been impressed with Eddie Chambers as far as his skill set goes. His fighting style is very reminscent of former Heavyweight contender Jimmy Young. He waits patiently and boxes from the outside. I won a small chunk of change on him when he defeated Calvin Brock not too long ago. Fundamentally, he is as sound as they come.

His weakness? Size, obviously. At 6'1 and 215 he resembles too much like the heavyweights of yore. How big of a weakness his lack of size is will tell in the years to come.

Another weakness I detected is that he is a hair too patient. He is a points only fighter and does not really push the issue. He goes into third gear, takes the lead, and stays there.

Povetkin, on the other hand, I have not seen much of aside from various youtube clips. He stopped a now faded Chris Byrd. The Byrdman is tough as nails though and for Povetkin to stop him with such minimal professional experience is impressive. It was hard to gauge how good Povetkin is from the fight as Byrd has slipped considerably. From what I can tell, Povetkin is both aggressive and patient. He does not fight like someone who has only 14 bouts experience and I can only surmise he has a huge wealth of amateur experience.

Based on the clips I've seen of Povetkin and what I've seen of Chambers, I slightly favor Chambers. But the bout is taking place in the Russian's adopted home country of Germany. Big problem.

So we'll have to go with Povetkin by the slimmest of margins.

Upset...um...yeah...

Well, so much for my *gut feeling*.

I thought Trinidad held tough through the first six rounds. I had him up 4 rounds to 2 until Jones dialed it up a notch.

Jones was the clear winner, but again, it was hard to tell how much he has actually slipped.

One of my primary reasons for having thinking Trinidad would be competitive was that I thought they looked comparable physically while on their press tour. Standing side by side, Jones did not dwarf Trinidad in terms of stature.

But they were wearing street clothes.

From the opening bell it was apparent Trinidad was the much smaller man. I think he looked good in remaining competitive through the first six rounds. If he could drop down to middleweight or better yet, junior middleweight I think he could be a threat, even in his mid-thirties.

Too bad he couldn’t still make welterweight.

I thought Jones looked good also…but…he was expected to. I got the impression he could have stopped Trinidad after the first knockdown (a delayed reaction by Trinidad). I thought Trinidad was really hurt.

If Trinidad continues fighting I’d prefer to see him go on the Senior’s tour. He could fight Shane Mosley. But damn, I wish he could still make 154 or 147, that would make for some great match-ups. Technically, I thought he looked sound. He just lost to the bigger man.

It is hard to figure Jones out at this stage of his career. He’s slowed down but still has enough to surprise some of the top names. I would not rule him out against the top tier names. He has stated he wants Joe Calzaghe or the winner of the Taylor/Pavlik rematch. Could the Jermain Taylor thought plodded through a decision victory over Cory Spinks have defeated the version of Jones that we saw this past Saturday? I doubt it. I think Jones still has at least one more big fight left in him.

No real losers in this bout.

Trinidad KO6 Jones?

For some reason I am excited about this match up even though I know I shouldn't be.

When it comes to *Superfights* or in this case, a Super Fight ten years too late I have to admit that sometimes I look for ways that the underdog can win. I did the same in the Mayweather-Hatton fight.

I sincerely thought Hatton had a chance to outwork Mayweather so you can take my comments here with about eight pounds of Morton Salt.

But I think Trinidad has a chance.

Admittedly that feeling is only that. A feeling. I was surprised at how Trinidad looked bigger than Jones in their press conference stand offs. He doesn't look like the smaller man at all. Granted, he does not possess Jones' musculature but there doesn't seem to be a huge size disparity here.

I bring this up because I think some of the on-line fight scribes are pointing to the size differential as one of their primary reasons for favoring Jones. Jones has campaigned the majority of his career at light heavyweight while Trinidad's legend was made at welterweight.

The "you're only as good as your last fight" theory applies here as well. Trinidad is coming off a two year layoff following his most horrible performance to date, the shut out loss to Winky Wright. Jones, on the other hand, is coming off wins over fringe players Anthony Hanshaw and Prince Badi Ajamu. Now, if Jones were coming off his knockout loss to Glen Johnson, the experts would be saying things are "even money".

And that's where I stand. This bout is a pick-em affair. Trinidad is a -300 underdog at some sportbooks. And I have this feeling...

Should I bet on this one?.

Let's go small...$50 on Tito and roll the dice.

Looking forward to this fight and I think it may be more competitive than people think.

Malignaggi W12 Ngoudju

Well the odds for this bout came down from 8-1 to 7-1...I thought it was a bit too high only because I wanted to bet on Malignaggi. I think of Malignaggi as a poor man's Hector Camacho Sr. Granted, he fights orthodox but he has the same kind of New York swagger either makes you want to watch him or hate him.. Ngoudjo, a native of Cameroon, is a fighter I haven't been impressed with. He lost to a faded Jose Luis Castillo. Then won a razor thin decision to another faded veteran, Randall Bailey. I didn't have high hopes for this one.

Overall, this fight was better than I had anticipated. The normally astute Al Bernstein stated before the match that Ngoudjo might possibly be one of the best
infighters in the game today...Huh? Nontheless, Ngoudjo proved to be a stern test for the young Malignaggi despite my preconceived doubts about his ability.

Now on to the fight itself...The first two rounds were all Malignaggi. He easily controlled the pace with his jab. Ngoudjo was doing nothing but follow him around. Bernstein compared Malignaggi to Willie Pep in fighting style. Steve Albert then lowered the bar a little bit to cover for Bernstein's blasphemy, offering up less hallowed names like Joey Archer and Willie Pastrano. Malignaggi did dominate the first six minutes but...The next Willie Pep?

Ngoudjo, to his credit, soon made some smart adjustments and changed the direction of a fight that looked like another near shut out for Malignaggi. Ngoudjo nailed the cocky IBF champ with a good right hand in the third. He was coming full steam ahead and and the facial expression on Malignaggi's face turned from cocky to concerned.

Like I said, he was coming on strong but not as strong as the announcers would indicate. After suggesting Malignaggi was the second coming of Willie Pep, Bernstein began doing a hype job on the effectivess of Ngoudjo. Perhaps he was doing a sales job of trying to make the fight more exciting and competitive than it really was...

A cut opened over the left eye of Malignaggi in the fifth and the middle rounds were becoming increasingly more difficult to score. Buddy Mcgirt, Malignaggi's trainer, sagely advised his charge that he was making the fight "a lot harder that it needs to be." Malignaggi had abandoned his jab or perhaps he was getting tired of being countered. Bernstein aptly made this observation and stated when Malignaggi used his jab he controlled the bout.

Round seven was huge for Ngoudjo. He landed a crackling right hand to start the round and then wobbled the "Magic Man" a bit with another big right cross. His right hand counters, timed over Malignaggi's low left were finding a home. It seemed as if the momentum was changing in his favor.

In the eighth, Malignaggi regrouped. He coasted through the round and stole it. It was here that Ngoudjo should have pressed the advantage.

Malignaggi resumed control in the ninth with consistent flurries and a jab. Ngoudjo become content to try to land some wild rights and lefts. Ngoudjo stole the last two rounds on my card but it was too little too late. I scored it 116-112 for Malignaggi.

Bernstein had it 114-114 and scratched his head at some of the scores of the press row and judges. The problem wasn't with their scoring, the problem was with he and Steve Albert overstating Ngoudjo's effectiveness.

Not the best performance by Malignaggi but I thought he was a clear winner. I think he would make for an interesting match against the recently defeated Hatton or Gavin Rees if he wants to go overseas.

Mythical match-ups

From time to time I enjoy the subject of mythical match-ups. How would a fighter from one era do in battle against a fighter from another. In general, I prefer modern era fighters say, 1950s on to the present. And that is only from the light heavyweight division down. It is a bit unfair to take the heavyweights of the pre Sonny Liston time period and compare them to the fighters of today. Granted there were some big boys fighting but for the most part the pre-1950s era of heavyweights were dominated by men weighing in the vicinity of 185-205 lbs.

That being said, here are some mythical match-ups being discussed over at Maxboxing.com and I decided to offer my opinion.

I am curious to know who you think would have won these mythical matchups:

Hearns vs. Jones Jr. (at Jr. Middleweight, Middleweight, Super Middleweight, and Light Heavyweight)

Jones only had three or four bouts at the Jr.Middleweight limit early in his career so he hardly qualifies in this division. I would, however, take Jones over "The Hitman" at just about any weight in their perspective primes. A lot is said nowadays about Jones' questionable chin which has been breached by Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver. We can't forget, however, that Hearns never had a granite chin himself and was much more hittable than Jones. In his prime, I'd take Jones to knock out Hearns.

Jones Jr. vs. Trinidad (Middleweight - assuming they fought like they did when they were actually fighting at this weight)

Again, I'd take Jones. If Oscar De La Hoya could outspeed and outmaneuver Trinidad for at least nine of the twelve rounds, Jones would be able to turn the trick himself at his prime.

Pryor vs. Mayweather

Mayweather. And relatively easy. Pryor was a small guy. About 5'6". He was a natural lightweight that had to come up to junior welterweight in order to receive a title shot. Despite his awesome knockout percentage Pryor was not a hard, concussive hitter. He overwhelmed his opponents. There is no way in hell he'd be able to do that against Mayweather. Mayweather has too much discipline and skill for the erratic Pryor. I can only see Mayweather getting beaten by a tall, hard hitting fighter who can match his speed (Thomas Hearns or even a prime Vernon Forrest comes to mind.) Mayweather would beat Pryor.

Duran vs. Mosley (Lightweight, Welterweight)

Duran would be a bit too much for Mosley at both weights. Mosley would be made to order for Duran, he'd engage him on the inside, find that to be too hot but then would find that he'd lack the necessary boxing skill to stave off a hungry Duran.

Whitaker vs. Mayweather (Lightweight, Jr. Welterweight, Welterweight)

Tough, tough one to call. They would both negate each other. Call it a draw.

Trinidad vs. Cotto

Trinidad would knock out Cotto early. I don't think Trinidad would be defeated by a plodding fighter. Granted, Cotto has some boxing skill and would use them to full effect here like he did against Mosley but in my opinion it would be ineffective against a taller, stalking fighter like Trinidad. Trinidad would be way too sharp and powerful for Cotto to survive against him.

Leonard vs. Trinidad (Welterweight)

I think Leonard would outsmart Trinidad in a relatively close fight. He'd have his trouble against "Tito", probably more than De La Hoya did but as always, Sugar Ray would find a way.


Hearns vs. Trinidad (Welterweight, Jr. Middleweight, Middleweight)

I think Hearns simply overpowers Trinidad at any weight.

Fast jabs...

It has been a long while since I’ve posted here on the blog so I’ll journey down memory lane for the past two months.

“The World Awaits” stunk. Plain and simple. The best part of this fight was HBO’s documentaries 24/7 which chronicled the daily workouts and lives of Mayweather and Delahoya. I thought it was draw. Clearly Delahoya could have won if not for his usual late round fade. What is up with that guy? He’s wound up soooo tight, its no surprise he fades in the latter rounds and has throughout his career. As for Mayweather Jr., no one really cares about who he fights or when he fights. Poor guy has no personality and seeks to piggy back on other celebrities’ notoriety (example, hanging out with “Fiddy” and some other rap stars I’ve never heard of.)

Delahoya needs to retire even though he won’t. My prediction? He’ll fight *Contender* star Sergio Mora if the "Snake" wins a title anytime soon (although the rumor is that he’ll be fighting Shane Mosley again…Ugh..)

Mayweather? I don’t buy the crap that he’s retiring (and neither does anyone else.) My take is that he’ll fight another Golden Boy alum Mosley…But for the record and if he’s as smart as he claims I do think he’d outbox the robotic Jermain Taylor rather easily.

Speaking of Taylor, I cannot recall ever seeing a fighter regress so badly during his prime athletic years. Other *web writers* state that he has suffered a decrease in confidence from back to back nail biters versus Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright. I think it is *guilt* from firing Pat Burns.

Burns was the jockey behind Taylor for his wins against Hopkins and it didn’t seem like he was regressing until the reins were turned over to Emanuel Steward. I think the Burns trained Taylor could have handled Wright (albeit barely) and would have knocked out Ouma and Cory Spinks.

Taylor was simply awful against Spinks. What was more appalling than the decision was the blatant cheerleading by HBO company man Lampley. I mean, come on…Spinks WON that fight handily. He made Taylor fight his fight, limited the exchanges and did what a little man was a supposed to do. They say he ran but, what the hell else did they expect??? Did they expect a guy who began his career at 140 lbs to stand and slug with the 6’1”, 160 pound Taylor!!!?? Spinks executed his game plan and Taylor couldn’t do anything with him. Taylor LOST even though two of the judges saw otherwise. After the decision was announced Lampley defamed Judge Flaherty who had his scorecard misread by the ring announcer, calling it 111-07 which in fact should have read 117-111 Spinks. Lampley stated to both Lewis and Merchant that “Flaherty should not be allowed to judge a major fight on that basis”. Yeah, right, why don’t you try calling a fight squarely, Jim?

Not to berate the talent of Lampley, he is the best color man in the business and he knows how to bring excitement with his call…But, last night’s effort was bad.

The word is that HBO is replacing Larry Merchant with (shudder) Max Kellerman. I am assuming they are no doubt trying to bring in a younger demographic or at least trying to make boxing appear more hip by having a young guy like Kellerman in the booth. I think Merchant’s reference to the Southern hip-hop phrase “crunk” or is it “krunk” during the broadcast was his way of saying he can use new and hip references to his commentary. He really does not need to do that.

Merchant is an institution to boxing and should be allowed to stay in that job for as long as he wants.

Kellerman has his merits when it comes to his unmatched enthusiasm for the sport but he talks in non-sequiturs and often leaves me scratching my head. I don’t think he’d be the right guy to replace Merchant.

Kelly Pavlik? The next middleweight champion of the world…Maybe…Taylor would be *up* to fight him…Maybe…Obviously it would be a completely different bout than Taylor-Cory Spinks. I do favor Pavlik. I do not think the current version of Taylor could have handled Miranda the way Pavlik did. Look for Taylor to avoid Pavlik and go up to fight Calzaghe. His reign will be short-lived from here on in.

The REAL fight of the year

Larry Merchant said it best when he described the Marquez-Barrera bout as being transported back to the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium in the 70s…Memories of Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate, Danny Lopez and Bobby Chacon were like ghostly apparitions smiling down at the performances of both Barrera and Marquez.

I did think Marquez slightly edged out Barrera. Barrera looked gassed out in the final round and Marquez pressed the issue. The final round was the clincher for me. But you can make a very strong argument that the bout could have been scored a draw. I never pay too much attention to punch stat numbers but I have never seen the punches landed/punches thrown numbers so close.

Marquez came damn close to downing Barrera in the 7th round. Definitely the best round of the year thus far. Barrera didn’t cop out and hold on though. He threw this perfect right hand which felled Marquez. Marquez pitched forward and outstretched his arms to break his fall. His head still propped up, Barrera stood above him and clobbered him again while he was down.

To Marquez’ credit, he fought on without complaint. This is what separates a great fighter from the mediocre. How many fighters have you seen being the victim of a blatant foul (Luis Santana, MMA’s Renzo Gracie) only to use that as an excuse not to continue. Marquez didn’t even complain. He got up and went at his opponent with savage zeal in the next round.

Emanuel Steward was the only one of the commentators to pick up on the foul but it was after the fight, stating that it was adrenaline that kept Barrera punching. Lampley only made a perfunctory comment when watching the foul on a replay. It brought to mind a fight between Nigel Benn and Iran Barkley in the early 90s where Benn hit Barkley in much the same way Barrera hit Marquez and Alex Wallau of ABC went self righteously berserk. No such response from the HBO team.

Nady noticed the foul and took a point away. But he inexplicably did not count the knockdown which would presumably have given Barrera an extra point.

This is all academic, however, because the scores were lopsided in favor of Marquez. I don’t know what fight they were watching, one judge had it 118-110 which means he only gave two rounds to Barrera (huh?)

All things aside, this was an incredible fight with shifts in momentum and the ending was always in doubt. It was a throwback fight and it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Mexican boxers are without peer in this sport.

The Fight Of The Year until...

The scorecards were read during the OPEN SCORING.

Mormeck and Bell went at it just as advertised. But after the scorecards were read the fight seemed to take a different turn. Mormeck was almost stopped in the sixth but had done enough to have an early lead. After the scorecards were read after the eighth round I believe, Mormeck decided it was time to play the Dean Smith four corner offense.

So the final four rounds were dreadful and totally offset the first eight. Mormeck ran away from Bell. I do not believe he won the fight. This was like a smaller scale version of Oliver McCall-Frank Bruno if you remember (I'm still trying to forget) that heavyweight title tiff...

The announcing team of Col. Bob Sheridan and "Jean Phillipe" were comical. Sheridan would scream and yell every time Mormeck so much as passed gas. "Jean Phillipe" called Sheridan "Arthur Mercante" at the start of their broadcast. At least I think he did. I didn't understand a word this dude said. French people should not be allowed to speak English because it still sounds like a foreign language.

On the bright side though were those first eight rounds. I noted that today's Cruiserweight is probably akin to the Heavyweights of yesteryear before the Super Heavyweights took over around the early 90s. Mormeck's physique reminded me of former WBA titlist Mike Weaver who weighed around 202 in his prime. Joe Frazier weighed only 205 lbs. Ali and Holmes weighed in at 215 during their primes. So these guys fighting around 200 lbs should be called Heavyweights and the Klitschkos and Valuevs should be termed the Super Heavyweights...Time for a new weight designation like they have in the amateurs.

Predictions for "FEARLESS"

Well if the Rafa Marquez-Izzy Vasquez tiff merits a wow this match up deserves a standing ovation from every true fight fan in America. What I love about Latin fighters is that they don't duck anyone. The fact that these two champions are fighting each other, particularly Barrera, is commendable.

I have no pick in this one. You have to be clairvoyant to pick a winner here. Barrera is a Mexican version of Bernard Hopkins. His brain is a calculator and he is arguably the smartest boxer in the sport when it comes to adjusting to certain styles. Marquez has come into his own in recent years and I have found him to be a highly exciting boxer to watch. He has more to gain than Barrera here and I suspect he will be fighting the best fight of his life. So I have no pick here, if you put a gun to my head I'll call it a draw.

Undercard picks:

I think Ponce De Leon will smash Gerry Penalosa. Older fighters cannot deal with powerful wrecking balls like De Leon anymore than they can deal with speed. Penalosa is not exactly spent but he would have to be at his prime best to deal with De Leon.

Demetrius Hopkins over Steve Forbes. Forbes went life and death with John Brown who is a junior lightweight. 'Nuff said. Hopkins is a young junior welter/welter coming into his own. I wouldn't be surprised if he scored a stoppage here.

O'Neil Bell versus Jean Marc Mormeck Part Deux

Excited about this one! This was a barn burner last year. Bell evidently has had some "issues" as it was reported he chased down his sparring partner with a hatchet. Yes, a real hatchet. Maybe he was watching too many episodes of Friday the 13th?

My pick? Its just a slight hunch Mormeck will pace himself a little better this time. The last go around he was beating Bell from pillar to post before the gas tank ran out. I'm like 55/45 Mormeck, probably by decision.

The feeble challenge of Ray Austin

Pathetic.

That’s the first word that came to mind if I had to describe Ray Austin’s challenge of Wladmir Klitschko this past weekend.

Ray Austin was Klitschko’s mandatory. Apparently, as the premier heavyweight champion he has no clout as being able to pick his opponents. I don’t blame him for taking the fight. The guy had an arena full of Germans screaming for him and he made at least a million for less than two rounds of work. Nice work if you can get it.

But how in the hell did Austin qualify as a mandatory? The fact that Don King led him into the ring Saturday night provides the first and only clue we’ll need.

Austin is a non-descript thirty-six year old heavyweight whose high water mark in boxing was appearing on Cedric Kushner’s “Thunderbox” series a few years ago. He did some prison time, ended up working in a manufacturing factory for twelve hours a day then achieved some marginal success in boxing. He does not possess the talent to be on HBO. His ring walk lasted longer than his time in the ring, being blasted into unconsciousness by Klitschko's first serious punch.

I know this has been said before but…What in the world has happened to the American heavyweight? Bert Randolph Sugar frequently comments that the best American heavyweight in the world is “the linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, Ray Lewis.”

Implicit in his statement is an assertion that the majority of today’s big men go into football not boxing. He may be right. But the biggest hit to American boxers in general is the depletion of our amateur boxing program. It needs a major overhaul and has to be promoted similarly to the way it was in the 1970s. Amateur boxing still thrives in other countries (the former Soviet Union, Cuba). Yes, I know this is a viewpoint that has been pointed out endlessly but watching Ray Austin’s feeble attempt it really made me think how pathetic Americans have become in boxing, particularly in the heavyweight division. Who do we have? James Toney? Hasim Rahman? Calvin Brock? Ugh!

So what we are seeing is the logical conclusion to the negligence of our amateur boxing programs. What is happening in the heavyweight division will eventually have a spill over effect to the rest of boxing’s divisions. The lower weight classifications are dominated by Mexicans and Pan-Asians. The heavier weight classifications are dominated by Europeans (ugh..) That leaves the middle divisions, middleweight through welterweight. We still have notable Americans in these divisions but it will be interesting to see how long that even lasts. They are starting to grow them bigger in Mexico.

Marquez versus Vasquez and the Lord of the Flyweights

I won’t call myself a prophet even though I went four for four on last night’s predictions. There were only two bouts that were competitive match-ups.

I like the competitive spirit and tenacity of Miranda. Aside from that 8th round knockdown he beat the crap out of Green. He would have had a stoppage had this been a 12 rounder. He’s being hyped as a power puncher but he’s more of a grinder. His aggression and pressure are what leads to his knockouts. I do think he would be highly competitive against Jermain Taylor and that is a bout I would pay to see.

Cotto’s bout against Urkal was a snooze-fest. Cotto felt no threat from Urkal and pretty much fought the bout on half speed. The intensity he had against Quintana wasn’t there simply because it wasn’t needed. Urkal wasn’t a threat. I do agree with Jim Lampley in that the open scoring was certainly a factor in the corner’s decision to throw in the towel.

Which was needed in the Vic Darchinyan-Victor Burgos fight on Showtime. This was sick, Darchinyan was literally cranking up a monster left cross and Burgos simply couldn’t avoid it to save his life (literally). I have never seen such a size disparity in a flyweight bout. This fight should have been stopped as early as the third and no later than the tenth. The referee, and the ringside physician never made the slightest move to stop this bout. The normally excellent announcing team of Steve Albert and Al Bernstein made no mention that this was a complete mismatch. You wonder sometimes if these announcers try to make the fight sound more competitive than it really is as they don't want to upset the company that they work for. This was sick.

All I can say is "Wow" regarding the Marquez-Vasquez bout. This bout was a throwback to the great Mexican rivalries of yesteryear. Admittedly, I didn’t think it would be as competitive as it became. For two rounds, I felt like a genius as Marquez was surgically chopping down Vasquez. In the third, Vasquez showed the same grit and firepower that bailed him out against Jhonny Gonzalez as he nailed Marquez with a left hook that he never saw coming. Marquez was seriously hurt and short-circuited. From there on, it became a damn good slugfest. Vasquez ended up quitting in the 8th because of the broken nose but it was a valiant effort. His nose looked broken in multiple places and simply looked grotesque. An early candidate for fight of the year but I doubt it will stand as the ending was too anti-climactic.

Tonight's fights, the March 3rd Quadruple header

Real quick my picks for all of tonight’s fights.

Edison Miranda versus Allan Green: This is one fight where you really have to be clairvoyant. Green is the bigger guy and better boxer. Miranda is the slugger with what seems to be a never say die attitude. Word is that he did beat Arthur Abraham in German. I’m going with Miranda only by the slimmest of margins.

Miguel Cotto versus Oktay Urkel. HBO needs to fire its webmaster and ad man. They describe Oktay Urkel as a "knockout artest", you read it right, "artest". Easy win for Cotto as he already has Judah lined up.

Vic Darchinyan versus Victor Burgos: Darchinyan by knockout even though I haven’t seen Burgos fight. "They", meaning his promoters obviously want to build Vicious Vic up for a payday versus one of the other belt holders.

Rafael Marquez versus Israel Vasquez: Ahhhh…This is what we’ve been waiting for. A fight of the year candidate to die hard fans. That being said, I’m predicting a surprisingly one sided victory for Rafa. Vasquez was being out-boxed by Jhonny Gonzallez in what I thought was the fight of the year candidate last year. Marquez is more hardy than Gonzalez, more technically sound and definitely punches harder. I predict he finishes the job Gonzalez started and becomes a two division champ.

A short note, on any other night I would splurge and pay to watch UFC 68 with Sylvia taking on Couture. There has to be a cross-over fan base in boxing and mixed martial arts so I don’t know why they would compete head on with two boxing shows. C’est la vie, I won’t be watching the UFC tonight.

Mosley w12 Collazo

Mosley has slipped obviously but he still has enough to beat the likes of Collazo. Mosley is the veteran now, he can no longer overwhelm his opponents with athleticism but now has gone the Bernard Hopkins route of beating his opponents with guile and occasional flashes of his old self.


I thought Mosley would knock out Collazo. Collazo was blasted out by Edwin Cassiani earlier in his career and I figured it was a matter of time before his chin was exposed again. But, defensively he has improved and he is a world class fighter.


Their styles didn’t mesh well. Put in Kermit Cintron against Mosley and you’ll have a much better bout.


Again, this was one of those fights that settled into a rhythm and I lost interest around the sixth round or so. No drama with these two, just a workman-like performance by “Sugar” Shane.


C+

Yet Another Heavyweight Champion

A heavyweight bout this past weekend between Sergei Liakhovich and Lamon Brewster was good enough to keep me watching. There were quite a few bruising exchanges and a knockdown. Definitely one of the better heavyweight fights of the decade which really isn't saying much.

Brewster is a throwback. To the 80's heavyweight. The guys with tons of potential but for whatever reason do not have the mental toughness to not only win, but be dominant. Brewster had a dead man in front of him by the sixth round and couldn't put him away, simply content to fire haymakers and go passive whenever return fire came. There was much talk about how Brewster changed temperamentally after hiring on Jesse Reid as his trainer. Reid, one of boxing's best motivators was able to channel Brewster into throwing a lot of power punches per round that enabled him to demolish Andrew Golota in one and come from behind to knockout German Luan Krasniqi. Problem is, why does he need to inspired in the first place. Brewster replaced Reid with Buddy McGirt and in this fight at least, showed how a fighter cannot truly change who he is.

All great fighters are self-motivated.

And that is why Brewster will never reach his potential.

Liakhovich, on the other hand, has raw technical skills but is mentally focused. He was severely hurt in the sixth round and rallied through it. The true hard knock life of his Eastern European upbringing upstaged Brewster's own indecisive history. Liakhovich won the fight simply because he was willing to work harder.

These days in the heavyweight division, apparently, that is enough.

A Fat Tub Of Guts

The heavyweight showdown this past Saturday brought back the sorry nostalgia of the 80s, the decade of the fat heavyweight. It started with Greg Page, the erstwhile Ali imitator who proceeded to eat himself out of heavyweight contention. Then there was Tony Tubbs, whose last name befitted his blubbery physique. Lower down the food chain, there was James Broad, again someone whose last name perfectly described his stomach.


But perhaps the above heavyweights couldn't help themselves. They were big guys. Toney, on the other hand, is old for a fighter (37), short for a heavyweight (5'9") and weighed in at a grossly out of shape 237 pounds. This lack of professionalism is astounding, people pay to see the bout live, they pay for their HBO subscriptions and to see this kind of non-effort is insulting. This wasn't a fight he was taking on short notice, he had ample opportunity to get in shape and win the HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP. Hell, the oddsmakers even declared him a 2 1/2 to 1 favorite.

His lack of passion was match by Rahman's lack of fire. Rahman was content to fire a jab at the lazy Toney and seem to win the fight simply by throwing more punches. Rahman's post-fight reaction was puzzling. After a fight he had appeared to easily win was declared a draw he took it with a shrug of the shoulder. He then stated in the interview with Larry Merchant that "Toney will come in shape next time. The rematch will be different". This is the first time I've ever heard a fighter become an apologist for his opponent. If he had any fire or desire he would have been angry at the decision and nixed the need for a rematch. If this had been Ali, you would have seen ranting and raving. Hell, even Larry Holmes had the temerity to tell the judges to kiss his "big black behind" after being robbed in the rematch with Michael Spinks.

So the commentators made a point throughout the broadcast that the fans are seemingly uninterested in the heavyweight division. The reason was made clear Saturday night. These are fighters without passion, with no desire to put forth the effort to make people interested.

When is Pacquiao versus Barrera II?

"Fuck all!" - The power of positive profanity

Time to eat some crow.

I had no idea Calzaghe was that good.

Granted he had made 17 title defenses so I knew he was an exceptional fighter. But I truly thought that he would not be able to hold up against the wrecking ball from Florida, Jeff Lacy.

I'm glad I didn't put any money on this one :)

Calzaghe easily outmaneuvered and outpunched the highly touted American in what was probably the most masterful performance by a British boxer ever, if not certainly in recent memory.

Lacy, whose hammering fists nearly decapitated fellow Americans like Scott Pemberton and Rubin Williams, had no answer for Calzaghe. By the middle of the second round, his facial expression said it all. The fight was, for all purposes, over. Calzaghe was too much and Lacy could only swing for the fences.

Most boxing pundits will cite Calzaghe's superior ring generalship as the primary reason for him winning this bout. I think this is only partially true.

His determination and will power were simply greater than Lacy's. After the first round, Calzaghe returned to his corner and the conversation between himself and his father, Enzo, went something like this.

Joe "His power is shit. Fuck his power".
Enzo "Fuck all..."
Joe "Fuck all! He's shit!"

Ah, the power of positive profanity. There was very little in the way of ring instruction in Calzaghe's corner. Just a few "fuck him!" and a lot of "fuck all!!"...I guess that "fuck all" is the British equivalent of our Ebonic "Fuck dat!"...Point is, Lacy was highly touted in all circles with tons of hype that I still, quite frankly, feel was deserving despite the defeat. But it mattered little to Calzaghe. Refusing to believe in the hype, he pumped himself up in the corner, using the power of forceful language to psych himself up. His punches weren't textbook but he never tired, threw tons of shots and just pummeled Lacy from pillar to post. His determination to impose his will was simply greater than Lacy's.

Whether or not the fight should have been stopped is point for debate. Some pundits may say the fight should have been stopped sometime after the eighth round when Lacy was hopelessly behind on points. I take my hat off to Lacy and his corner as they never stopped trying. The damage will be more psychological than physical, however. I'm not certain if Lacy will recover psychologically from the beating he took.

There is now talk of Calzaghe taking on Jones, Tarver or Glen Johnson.

He would destroy the shell of Jones within five rounds. Tarver would be a more difficult fight than Lacy because of his height but, again, I think Calzaghe would outwill the passive "Magic Man". A fight with Johnson would be a barnburner as they both have similar "Fuck all" mindsets. I'd favor Calzaghe because of his superior speed.

Its hard to explain why Calzaghe has been underrated for all these years. Sometimes its those guys out of the spotlight whose star shines brightest of all, we just don't notice it...

Lacy versus Calzaghe

It has been awhile since I have posted so I apologize to my millions of fans who have been eagerly anticipating the next article chronicling my thoughts.

In all seriousness folks, Lacy against Calzaghe this weekend is what all of us fight fans have been clamoring for.

Lacy looks to be as good as they come. A former Olympian he punches with Tysonesque power. The right hand bomb he launched against Scott Pemberton was downright scary. Pemberton dropped as if he had been shot. What I like most about Lacy is his technique of repeatedly hitting his opponent with the same shot once he lands. During his bout against the capable Syd Vanderpool, Lacy chased after his opponent like a cheetah after a wildebeest. He would land a monstrous right cross, Vanderpool would retreat and than Lacy would chase after him repeatedly throwing the right hand. His superior will and firepower has enabled him to defeat all 21 of his professional opponents. Considering he has one of the best young trainers (Dan Birmingham) in the sport, Lacy is a fearsome wrecking machine who will be very tough to beat.

Calzaghe, on the other hand, is a fighter with the experience. 40 wins and no defeats. His wins have come against only a handful of the division's notables, I give him full credit for defeating Charles Brewer and Omar Sheika. I do think, however, that Chris Eubank was a bit long in the tooth before Calzaghe added his scalp to his resume. Calzaghe has a busy, swarming style and will have the hometown crowd in his favor (the bout is taking place in Manchester, England). The crowd will cheer even if he farts in Lacy's direction and this will help should the bout go to the scorecards.

Their primary common opponent aside from Omar Sheika is Robin Reid. Calzaghe took a split decision victory over Reid in '99. Lacy pummeled Reid to the canvas numerous times in '05. Clearly the '99 version of Reid had more in the tank than the one that faced Lacy but nontheless I think it shows that Lacy is a class above Calzaghe.

My pick is Lacy. I most often go for the smarter fighter in close contests like this. At first glance, Calzaghe appears to be the smarter fighter simply because of his vast edge in experience. But upon further inspection, I have to go with Lacy as not just being the smarter fighter but having a greater ability to execute a game plan. He'll use his superior strength to outmuscle Calzaghe on the inside and force him to the ropes. I think Calzaghe will absorb a shellacking as early as the third round and be too proud to quit. Lacy will slam the Welshman from pillar to post by the late rounds and force the referee to intervene.