Sports Updates

Evander Holyfield forgave Mike Tyson

2009-10-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

More than a decade after a chunk of his ear was infamously chomped off by Mike Tyson, former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield publicly forgave his boxing rival on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
In the wake of the video captured fatal beating of high school honor student, Derrion Albert, Holyfield wanted to do the show with Tyson to demonstrate to kids mixed up in violence that reconciliation is possible.
"The most important thing is to forgive, and I forgive him," Holyfield said as the two men shook hands. "We can come together. We know you can come together."
Tyson issued a public apology back in 1997 following the toothy attack that left him disqualified from the title match, and left Holyfield with a little less ear than he started with, but admitted to Oprah on Friday that the words lacked any sincerity.
This time, although he did not exactly say, "I'm sorry," the fighter seemed heartfelt as he praised Holyfield. "This is a beautiful guy," Tyson said while holding the boxer's arm. "I just want you to know it's been a pleasure passing through life, being acquainted with you."

Manny Pacquiao said he will press charges against controversial boxing trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr

2009-09-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

MANILA -- Manny Pacquiao said he will press charges against controversial boxing trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr. for claiming that the Filipino champ used steroids to enhance his performance inside the ring.

“I will file a defamation suit against Floyd Mayweather Sr. soon,” Pacquiao said in his column “Kumbinasyon” published by PhilBoxing.com.

The hard-hitting General Santos native, who is due to face World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto on November 14, said he will probably file the case by next week.

“As soon as everything gets settled,” said Pacquiao. “And I will not let this become a distraction when I will train. Let us wait until next week.”

Pacquiao’s coach, Freddie Roach, earlier said he has already consulted his lawyers about the possibility of pursuing a case versus Mayweather Sr.

“I talked to Manny, and I talked to an attorney, and we are all on board here. This is all over the place now that Manny is on steroids, it's defaming his name," Roach told Brad Cooney of 8CountNews and Examiner.com.

The “steroid controversy” stemmed from Mayweather Sr.’s claim that Pacquiao has been using “some sort of supplements” which is why he was able to maintain his punching power despite climbing several weight divisions.

“He's never been that kind of puncher and all of a sudden he's a gigantic puncher,” said Mayweather Sr.

Pacquiao, who first became a world champion as a flyweight, climbed the welterweight division and defeated Oscar de la Hoya in eight rounds. He also stopped Ricky Hatton, a natural junior welterweight, in two rounds.

“I felt that he was on steroids or some type of supplements or some type of enhancement drugs… believe me when I tell you, he's going to get caught,” said the controversial boxing trainer.

Mayweather Sr. is the father of former pound-for-pound king Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather, Jr., who is due to fight Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

Cleared of steroids use

However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), the preeminent state sports body in the US, has already cleared Pacquiao of steroids use.

“All I can tell you is that Pacquiao, every time he's fought here [in Nevada, has] been tested, as well as his opponents,” said NSAC executive director Keith Kizer (not Kaiser as easlier reported).

“He passed every drug test we did to him, every steroid test we did to him,” he added.

Kizer stressed that the NSAC conducts stringent drug tests on boxers before allowing them to fight within the jurisdiction of Nevada, where most of the biggest boxing matches are held.

“[On] title fights [we have] tests for steroids and drug abuse. [We look out for] marijuana, cocaine,” said Kizer. “We collect urine [for tests] before and after the fight.”

Lacking excitement

2009-09-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Juan Manuel Marquez fought Floyd Mayweather. Prior to the bout the fighters had agreed to face each other at 144 lbs or deal with penalties. Marquez was expected to be around 7 lbs heavier than he had ever been in his career whereas Mayweather Jnr was fighting at his natural weight.

Floyd weighed in at 146 lbs and Marquez was 142 lbs. Floyd had to pay Marquez a six-figure penalty for every pound he was overweight. That's a lot of money especially in this economy but the state of the financial system didn't look too bad when it was reported that Floyd would earn upwards of $10 million and Marquez $3.2 million.

Not a sell-out

The fight venue wasn't sold out with tickets still available in all price ranges on the night of the fight. Floyd typically isn't a big ticket seller unless he fights the top fighters. But in this case, maybe people are not willing to pay for tickets right now when they can watch at home for much less. Pay per view figures are expected to come in near or around one million buys - which are huge figures for PPV.

Floyd was the naturally bigger guy and the commentators used his size as one of the reasons why he was able to manhandle Marquez so easily. But didn't we all know he was bigger prior to the fight since he started his career as a super featherweight and has moved up in weight. Marquez is at his best around the lightweight limit and this fight was being fought near the welterweight limit.

It was clear that the longer the fight went Floyd would get his rhythm back after having been out of the ring for 21 months.

Marquez started slow not trying to catch Floyd off guard. He did however land a long right hand to the face in the 2nd round but Floyd countered with a left hook dropping Marquez. He got up but he was unsteady. Floyd didn't go for the finish. Instead he picked his shots and moved, looking as though he was enjoying being back in the ring and even happier to be hitting somebody and getting paid to do so.

I could maybe have given the fifth round to Marquez for the right hands he landed but it was close. He wasn't feinting his way in and he was throwing long rights to Floyd's head but there were no four and five punch combinations.

By the ninth round Marquez looked done. But Floyd still didn't step it up to force a stoppage. It was obvious that Floyd had outboxed and outsmarted Marquez and he was levels above.

Lacking excitement

I thought since Floyd was coming out of retirement he needed to come back with a bang. He didn't. He is a talented fighter but doesn't excite many fans. He depends on his defence and his skills are some of the best I've ever seen in boxing. All time including Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis or Sugar Ray Robinson came and fought, always looking for the KO win. But Floyd doesn't do that. He rarely gets hit and doesn't take chances in case he does, but that may excite the fans.

Floyd won a unanimous decision over Marquez only losing three rounds total on all the judge's scorecards. But was it good to see him back? And was he really missed that much?

Marquez still holds the lightweight belt so he will most likely move back down in weight and fight Michael Katsidis - who fought and won on the undercard.

In my opinion, Floyd is the best pound for pound fighter today. I'm glad to see him back in the ring but I would like to see him take a little more of a risk in his fights and knock some guys out!

Oscar De La Hoya tipped Juan Manuel Marquez

2009-09-14T00:18:00.000-07:00

Oscar De La Hoya has tipped Juan Manuel Marquez to claim a shock victory over Floyd Mayweather Jnr when the pair clash in Las Vegas next Saturday.

De La Hoya, who lost to Mayweather in 2007 in the highest-grossing fight in history, believes Marquez can bridge the gap in size as the Mexican steps up to welterweight for the first time.

And the Golden Boy says Marquez's superior jab will take Mayweather by surprise as the American climbs into the ring for the first time since taking Ricky Hatton apart in 10 rounds almost two years ago.

"I just have this feeling that Marquez is going to pull this one off," he said. "I went down to Mexico and saw him train with my own eyes. I saw how much he bulked up; I saw how much strength he has gained; I saw how seriously he's taking this fight.

"I'm convinced he will win this fight. He's looking sharp, he's looking fast and he's looking strong."

Mayweather is looking to regain his mantle as best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet from Manny Pacquiao - who could await the winner of this match-up - and De La Hoya has full respect for his former foe.

"Floyd Mayweather is an excellent boxer and he's the best fighter on the planet, no doubt about it," he added. "But styles make fights and I'm sure Marquez has dissected Mayweather's style.

"Marquez has an excellent jab and he is going to use triple, quadruple jabs. He's a smart fighter, and it's a matter of throwing those jabs and feigning those jabs. This is the fight of his life...and he knows it."

Andy Murray made a shocking fourth-round in US Open

2009-09-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

Andy Murray made a shocking fourth-round exit from the US Open on Tuesday, never looking on form as Croatian 16th seed Marin Cilic reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 victory.

The 22-year-old British second seed, last year's US Open runner-up, failed in his bid to become the first British men's Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936.

"I just struggled," Murray said. "I played poorly. I'm very disappointed. I didn't feel like I played well. I had my chance in the first set and struggled after that."

Defeat on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts was especially stinging for the 22-year-old Scotsman, who loves the surface as well as the atmosphere of a New York fortnight in the year's last Grand Slam event.

"I returned poorly. He served well. That felt like the difference," Murray said. "The momentum was with him and I didn't manage to get it back.

"I'm disappointed. I don't know how long or how quickly it will take me to get over it."

In taking his first victory over a top-three opponent in seven attempts, Cilic fired 10 aces and 35 winners while Murray went 0-for-7 on break-point chances and made 41 unforced errors.

"I played very well and he was missing a lot," Cilic said. "I don't think he was playing his best."

Cilic will play for a semi-final berth against Argentine sixth seed Juan Martin Del Potro, who fired 22 aces and 44 winners to defeat Spanish 24th seed Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

"I'm happy to be in the quarter-finals. It's a return for me," Del Potro said. "It's like magic."

Cilic lost their only meeting in this year's Australian Open fourth round.

In later fourth-round matches, French seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will face Chilean 11th seed Fernando Gonzalez and Spanish third seed Rafael Nadal will meet French 13th seed Gael Monfils.

Cilic, the youngest top-20 player at age 20, was relieved to finally break into the last eight at a slam after four prior runs were halted in the fourth round.

"That feels really amazing," Cilic said. "It feels great to win that extra set."

Murray had beaten Cilic in their three prior meetings, most recently in the fourth round of this year's French Open, but looked off-form from the start.

Murray had the first break-point chances of the match in the sixth game of the opening set, but a service winner by the Croatian and a wide crosscourt forehand by Murray enabled Cilic to hold for 3-3.

After rescuing a break point in the ninth game, Murray was thwarted on two break points in the 10th game, Cilic saving the first with an ace before Murray netted a backhand.

"That was the turning point," Cilic said. "It was a relief for me to get into the match and not be so into myself."

Revitalized Cilic pressed the attack to break Murray for a 6-5 edge, the deciding point coming when Murray's crosscourt forehand clipped the net cord and landed wide, and held to claim the set when Murray netted a backhand.

Moments later, Murray pushed a forehand volley wide to gift Cilic a break to begin the second set and dug the early hole deeper with a forehand beyond the baseline to hand the Croatian a 3-0 edge.

Cilic, serving for the set at 5-2, denied Murray on three break points with service winners and took the set on back-to-back aces, the last on a second serve that baffled the Briton, who swung below the ball and missed totally.

Murray had made three career comebacks from two sets down, one to beat Austrian Jurgen Melzer in the third round on his run to the 2008 US Open final.

But Murray netted a backhand from the baseline to surrender a break in the opening game of third set and when the Scotsman plunked a forehand shy of the net to conceed a break and trail 5-2, the end was nigh.

Cilic served out to end the rout after two hours eight minutes.

The Sweet Science 08.27.09: Mayweather-Marquez

2009-08-28T00:08:00.000-07:00

Last week during a conference call Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions announced an exciting line up that will support a main event of Marquez versus Mayweather on September, 19th in Las Vegas' biggest stage, MGM Grand Garden Arena. Televised live by HBO Pay Per View, the event will feature featherweight title rematch between Rocky Juarez and Chris John, lightweight show down between Vicente Escobedo and Michael Katsidis and a special welterweight attraction with two veteran fighters, Zab Judah and Antonio Diaz. Each one of these bouts could headline an event all on its own, but put all of them together translates into excitement for the fans.

"I'm really proud to say that going back to 2000 when I started to get involved in boxing," said Richard Schaefer in his opening statement:" This really is the best under card I have seen so far of any promoter and any promotion. I really want to thank Floyd for the commitment to this card to really create that event within the event."

Floyd Mayweather Jr alleged shooting

2009-08-27T23:53:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas police investigating a shooting outside a skating rink seized two handguns, ammunition and two bulletproof vests from the home of boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and two cars.

One of the alleged victims in the shooting incident told investigators that the six-time champion threatened him 10 minutes before another man shot at his car from the rink's parking lot as they drove away Sunday night, according to search warrant documents obtained by the Associated Press on Thursday.

No one was hurt in the shooting. Mayweather has not been named as a suspect, and a man police are seeking has not been arrested, police Sgt. John Loretto said.

Golden Boy is Looking to Make a Match With the Frustrated Paul Williams

2009-08-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

Williams v. Mosley? What about Hopkins?

Golden Boy CEO, Richard Schaefer, is intrigued about the possibility of getting Paul Williams in the ring against one of his legendary fighters. Williams' manager, Dan Goosen, wants to get Williams back in the ring ASAP considering how he hasn't fought since April, and now Kelly Pavlik has indefinitely postponed their bout due to a hand injury.

Schaefer was asked if Shane Mosley could be pitted against Williams, but Schaefer doesn't think it's realistic for Williams to come down to 147, and Mosley wants to stay at that weight. However, Schaefer has other ideas. "I have one name in mind and that would be Bernard Hopkins", said the Golden Boy CEO. Hopkins can no longer physically go below 170, and Goosen has stated that Williams can go as high as 168. Schaefer says such a fight would need to be discussed with Hopkins to insure that he can still make 170, and then Goosen and Williams would have to decide if he can comfortably make it up to that weight.

Who knows what will happen. We have three top-ten pound-for-pound fighters all trying to figure out their next move.

Mayweather vs. Marquez ELECTRIFYING Announcement!

2009-08-19T00:35:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES, August 18 - It's the biggest and one of the most highly-anticipated boxing events of 2009, so there was no question that when it was time to compile the undercard of the Floyd "Money
" Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez super fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas Saturday, Sept. 19, it was decided to bring out the big guns with three spectacular televised undercard bouts on HBO Pay-Per-View®, including two world championship fights.

In the chief support bout, unbeaten Chris John will defend his WBA Featherweight World Championship against one of the most courageous warriors in the game, 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist Rocky Juarez, in a rematch of their February 28, 2009 fight which is seen as one of 2009's most compelling battles thus far. The WBO Interim Lightweight World Championship will be up for grabs on September 19 when Australian action hero and former Lightweight World Champion Michael Katsidis and 2004 U.S. Olympian and hot lightweight contender Vicente Escobedo collide in the ring in what looks like a can't-miss brawl. Opening the HBO Pay-Per-View portion of the card will be a 10-round matchup of welterweight veterans, as former Undisputed Welterweight World Champion Zab Judah takes on the always exciting banger, veteran Antonio Diaz.

"The Mayweather-Marquez fight card is definitely living up to the hype of Floyd's comeback," said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "With three more excellent fights being shown on the telecast, fans are in for a great night of boxing from start to finish."

"Mexican Independence Day Weekend is one of the biggest boxing weekends of the year and with the Mayweather-Marquez mega-fight as the headliner, we wanted to make sure that we have a full night of hard-hitting action which is what we have with the September 19 undercard," said Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar de la Hoya. "In these three fights we have two World Championships, three current or former World Champions, three Olympians and an exciting rematch of one of this year's greatest fights. As a fan, I can't wait to see these fights and the fans will not want to miss this card whether it's live in Las Vegas or at home on Pay-Per-View."

HBO Pay-Per-View's Mark Taffet said, "This outstanding undercard is the perfect complement to the Mayweather-Marquez main event and ensures that pay-per-view boxing fans will have a night of non-stop action on September 19."

Long considered one of the most talented, yet underrated, champions in the sport, Indonesia's Chris "The Dragon" John (42-0-2, 22 KO's) finally broke through to the U.S. audience in 2009 with his exciting battle with Rocky Juarez. A world champion since 2003 who has defended his crown 11 times including victories over Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez and Derrick "Smoke" Gainer, John is eager to build on his newfound fame with a victory over Juarez on September 19.

"I thought I won our first fight but now I am going to show how much I appreciate being champion and beat him again," said John. "It has always been my desire to fight in Las Vegas and on the big fight cards. September 19 I will be able to do this and show the whole world that I am one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport today."

Hard-charging Houston native Ricardo Rocky Juarez (28-4-1, 20 KO's) has made a home for himself at the top of the featherweight division for many years now. The only thing missing for the 29-year-old is a world title and after just falling short in competitive wars with Humberto "Zorrita" Soto, Marco Antonio "Barreta" Barrera (twice) and Juan Manuel Marquez, Juarez put it all together in his first bout against John on February 28, 2009, only to have the judges score the fight a draw. The second time around, Juarez vows to bring everything he has to the ring as he looks to take home a world championship belt.

"I am very fortunate to have another chance at a world title and a chance to show the world why I feel like I did enough to win the first fight, said Juarez. "I am getting older and therefore it becomes even more important to reach my long-standing goal of becoming a world champion."

The pride of Toowoomba, Australia, Michael "The Great" Katsidis (25-2, 21 KO's) has gained worldwide acclaim as one of boxing's most exciting fighters, punch for punch and pound for pound. The former interim WBO Lightweight World Champion, Katsidis has been in with some of the best in the world over his eight-year career, including Joel "Cepillo" Casamayor and Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz. Winner of two in a row, including an April stoppage of former World Champion Jesus "Matador" Chavez, the 29-year-old Katsidis is ready to regain his title with a win over Escobedo.

"I just turned 29 and that is a great age for boxing, fighting for championships and I feel I am peaking right now with my power and ability," said Katsidis. "I think we are both going to pull out everything to win the title on September 19, but I plan to win and it's certainly going to be a great way to celebrate my birthday."

At 27 years of age, 2004 U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo (21-1, 13 KO's) is hitting his stride as a professional and is ready for his first world title opportunity. A native of Woodland, California, Escobedo has drawn comparisons to Oscar de la Hoya for his style and demeanor both in and out of the ring. After a three-fight stretch that has seen him impressively beat the previously undefeated Dominic Salcido and former World Champions Carlos "Famoso" Hernandez and Kevin "Flushing Flash" Kelley, there is no question that he's ready for prime time.

"I am really looking forward to the opportunity to fight on this card as it falls on Mexican Independence Day and I will be fighting for all of the Mexican people out there," said Escobedo. "It is for my first world title and I am training extremely hard because I know this is a great opportunity and my dream coming true. I can't wait for the fight and I am ready to win."

A charismatic wizard in the ring known to his fans as "Super Judah", Brooklyn's Zab Judah (37-6, 25 KO's) is a Former Two-Division World Champion who got to the top not only because of his blazing speed, but also because of his fight-stopping power. Owner of a resume that includes victories over Micky Ward, Junior Witter, Demarcus Corley and Cory Spinks, the 31-year-old from Brooklyn has readied himself for a run at another world championship and the first fighter in his way is Antonio Diaz.

"I appreciate the opportunity to be able to fight on Floyd's comeback show and I know I have a very tough opponent in Daiz," said Judah. "I know he is the bigger guy but I intend to take advantage of his fighting style by boxing him all the way to the finish, whether it goes the distance or it's a knockout. I will beat Antonio Diaz on September 19.

Antonio "Toño" Diaz (45-5-1, 27 KO's) first made his name in the late '90s in the light welterweight division with wins over the likes of Cory Spinks, Emanuel Augustus, Ivan Robinson and Omar Weis. Not content with settling on this an impressive resume, Diaz moved up to 147 pounds to do battle against Sugar Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito, and after a three-year layoff from 2005 to 2008, he has won four in a row, putting him in fine form as he approaches the fight with Judah.

"I am looking forward to fighting Zab Judah and think it is a great challenge for me as I continue to comeback after my layoff," said Diaz. "I have been feeling really good since I took the break and I am training very hard as my goal is to accept this challenge, beat Zab Judah and move on to the next challenge."

Mayweather vs. Marquez: "Number One/Numero Uno," is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, Quaker State, AT&T, Dewalt Tools, Affliction Clothing and Southwest Airlines. The explosive evening of boxing will take place Saturday, Sept. 19 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. and live on HBO Pay-Per-View.

Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $600, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets previously purchased for the July 18 date will be honored.

The Mayweather vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Marquez fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

HBO's Emmy®-Award-winning all-access reality series "24/7" returns to HBO® with an all new edition as "Mayweather/Marquez 24/7" premieres Saturday, August 29 at 10:15 pm ET/PT. The four-episode series will chronicle the preparations and back stories of both fighters as they train for their September 19 pay-per-view showdown.

Floyd Mayweather Jr Vs. Juan Manuel Marquez

2009-08-19T00:31:00.001-07:00

Floyd Mayweather Jr Vs. Juan Manuel Marquez
UNITED STATES
LAS VEGAS • MGM Grand Garden Arena • 19 September 2009

Floyd Mayweather Jr has made his return to the ring official. With his official announcement also came word of his first fight. Mayweather Jr. will face off against Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19th at The MGM Grand Garden Arena.
A 1996 Olympic Bronze medalist for the United States, Floyd "Money" Mayweather has since gone on to win six world titles in five weight classes. He defeated Oscar de la Hoya in May of 2007 for the world junior middleweight championship in a record-setting super-fight. In his last fight, on December 8, 2007, Mayweather knocked out Ricky Hatton in the tenth round, handing the British star his first professional defeat. After the bout, announced his retirement from boxing, but he left the door open for a return to face Juan Manuel Marquez.
Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez won the IBF world featherweight title against Manuel Medina in 2003. In November 2003, he unified the titles when he defeated Derrick Gainer and captured the WBA world featherweight title. Marquez' most recent fight was on 28 February 2009, when he stopped former World Champion Juan Diaz in the ninth round to add the WBO and WBA World Lightweight titles.

MGM Grand Garden Arena Web Site

Judah highlights top Mayweather-Marquez undercard

2009-08-19T00:27:00.003-07:00

LAS VEGAS — Chris John's featherweight title rematch with Rocky Juarez highlights a strong lineup for the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19.
Former welterweight champion Zab Judah also will meet Antonio Diaz in a 144-pound fight at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, while lightweight Australian brawler Michael Katsidis will take on former U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer credits Mayweather for the impressive slate. He says the former pound-for-pound champion made the financial concessions necessary to stack the card.
John, from Indonesia, fought Juarez to a draw in February, then backed out of the first rematch date because of illness.

Floyd Mayweather-Juan Marquez undercard announced

2009-08-19T00:27:00.001-07:00

The undercard for the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez HBO Pay-Per-View bout, set for September 19 at the MGM Grand, was announced today by Golden Boy Promotions.
Chris "the Dragon" John (42-0-2, 22 KOs) will defend his WBA Featherweight title against Rocky Juarez (28-4-1, 20 KOs). This is the second time the two meet. They fought to a draw the first time they hooked up on Feburary 28.
Former WBO Lightweight champ Michael Katsidis (25-2, 21 KOs) will face Vicente Escobedo(21-1, 13 KOs).
Former two-division champion Zab "Super" Judah (37-6, 25 KOs) will look to climb the ladder when he takes on Antonio Diaz (45-5-1, 27 KOs).
The HBO Pay-Per-View telecast will begin at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Say Bye Bye To Big TV Fights--Bad News For The Malignaggi-Diaz Loser

2009-08-19T00:25:00.001-07:00

This Saturday night on HBO's Boxing After Dark, Juan Diaz 34-2 (17) and Paulie Malignaggi 26-2 (5) will meet in a junior welterweight bout that will play a significant role in the trajectory of their careers. For Diaz, this will be his first fight since being stopped by Juan Manuel Marquez and also will be his maiden fight campaigning at 140. The last time we saw Malignaggi on national television, he was stopped in the 11th round by Ricky Hatton nine months ago.

Although it may not be a crossroads fight for the 25 year old Diaz and 28 year old Malignaggi, it'll be a long time before we see the loser on national TV again. And what's unfortunate about that is both fighters always show up with the intention of giving boxing fans their money's worth and are willing to fight the best even when they're a decided underdog.

Combined Diaz and Malignaggi are 60-4 (93.7%). The problem is most boxing fans remember the fighters who make up the four, Campbell and Marquez who beat Diaz, and Cotto and Hatton who handed Malignaggi the only two defeats of his career. It's almost to where Diaz and Malignaggi are remembered more for the fights they lost than the ones they won. This is a fact that wouldn't be so dire in MMA, but it's almost a career killer in boxing. No, that doesn't seem right, but it's the sad truth when it comes to boxing. Until the stigma that a fighter with more than a couple losses, despite them coming against elite opposition, isn't worth watching erodes, boxing will continue to force feed fans mismatches. This is a sad certainty that most top 20/30 fighters are left with no other choice but to comply with.

The fact that Diaz and Malignaggi are 2-3 in their last five bouts says something about them being that HBO is willing to put them on. However, regardless of how great the fight may turn out to be or how gallant the loser performs during it, he can forget about being seen again on HBO or Showtime. And that applies even more so for Malignaggi because despite his quickness and flash, he fights in a safety first style and he can't punch. His lack of power and inability to hurt attackers like Cotto and Hatton who were right there, forced him to rush his shots. That reduced the effectiveness of what little power he possesses and led to him fighting more so to survive than to win. On the flip side, when he's in with fighters who are on his level or slightly below it, he's forced to go the distance because he can't put any real hurt on them thus ending the fight in a memorable or impressive fashion. Malignaggi has to beat Diaz to remain a main event fighter on TV or he'll be fighting on ESPN Friday night fights next year as an opponent for the next undefeated fighter who is the flavor of the month.

In regards to Diaz, who just graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown, this will be his first fight in which he wasn't trying to fit his training schedule around his school calendar. So he's probably trained with a clearer head and more time to focus on boxing exclusively for this fight than any other of his career.

Diaz is a swarmer and volume puncher, but he isn't a big puncher. He continually pushes the fight and looks to overwhelm his opponents via his aggression and work rate. His fights are usually exciting because his style leads him to getting hit hard and often as was the case in his fights with Campbell and Marquez. Most of his fights turn into a near life and death struggle at some-point due to his lack of a definitive finishing punch. If Malignaggi's lack of power causes boxing fans to lose interest in him and cut his career short, Diaz's shortage of power may lead to his time at the top or near top ending sooner rather than later due to his body being taxed so much physically during every fight. On top of that he openly admits that he's prone to getting cut when he fights.

Diaz and Malignaggi are meeting at the perfect time and may be just what the doctor ordered for each other. They are both desperate for a win over a name fighter if they wish to remain in contention for a title fight versus a marquee opponent. And both are capable of beating each other on their best night. Diaz should be a slight favorite mainly because his style should give him an edge in the scoring if the fight goes the 12-round distance, which most boxing observers expect it to.

In Diaz, Malignaggi isn't facing a fighter who can hit or kill the body like Miguel Cotto, nor is he facing a fighter who handled adversity quite as well as Ricky Hatton did before he was on the decline. Against Nate Campbell, Diaz froze and didn't let his hands go once he got cut. In his last fight against Marquez, Diaz fought recklessly once he was hurt, thus providing the sharp punching Marquez open shots as he tried to forge his way in with wide hooks and winging right hands. Malignaggi should have a more realistic shot to move and box versus Diaz.

In the other corner, Diaz isn't facing a puncher or fighter who has the power of Campbell or the sophistication of Marquez. His lack of head movement won't be his undoing against Malignaggi as it was Campbell and Marquez. Campbell's power caused Juan not to push the fight and punch once his cut started bleeding. His predictable attack led to his undoing versus a professor like Marquez. Malignaggi isn't nearly the puncher that Campbell is, nor does he possess the boxing IQ and punch variation of Marquez. Diaz should be able to push Paulie around and win the exchanges due to his advantage in strength along with his non-stop punching attack. Diaz-Malignaggi should be a very action packed and exciting fight. It's wide open for either to win. The fact that it's on HBO and will be available to a decent percentage of the boxing public is a good thing.

Boxing this Week - Can Malignaggi tame Diaz?

2009-08-19T00:24:00.001-07:00

Can Malignaggi tame Diaz?

Boxing betting fans are in store for what is considered the opening bout of what will be an incredibly exciting autumn for fights.
Sometimes in boxing, it's not necessarily the biggest names or the best fighters who produce the best fights, but the hungriest of pugilists laying it on the line. Those who follow boxing odds call them "crossroads fights," and that's exactly what we're in store for when Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi takes on Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz on Saturday.
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There's no question that Ross Greenburg and HBO have chosen to air this tilt for a reason. Both of these men have heart for days, and up until recent losses, were both on the track for superstardom. Not to mention that Malignaggi's slickster approach and Diaz's ruthless aggression create an intriguing and possibly explosive contrast.
Malignaggi is a significant underdog on boxing lines, but that doesn't mean that he is without the skills necessary to win this fight. It's whether he has all of his tools in the same bag come Saturday. Rarely have we seen a fighter as naturally gifted as Malignaggi under 140 pounds, with his tremendous hand speed, stinging jab and marvelous footwork. However, "The Magic Man" has battled a right hand injury for the majority of his professional career that has often turned him into a one-handed fighter.
Paulie was forced to try to fend off Ricky Hatton using only his jab, and admirably, made it into the 11th round before the bout was stopped. However, the sports gambling oddsmakers aren't taking injuries into consideration in this case--simply Malignaggi's poor performance. Knowing that, there could be serious boxing betting value on the underdog.
On the contrary, Diaz is a heavy favorite, because his last loss is also a fight of the year candidate. The "Baby Bull" lost a dramatic slugfest with Juan Manuel Marquez, however those who following boxing betting lines will also recall that Diaz struggled with simplistic brawlers such as Michael Katsidis and Nate Campbell. How will he fare against a (possibly) two-handed, complex boxer like Malignaggi?
Those looking to make a wager should take a look at Paulie Malignaggi in this one, and possibly consider parlaying him with fellow underdog Ishe Smith, who is taking on Danny Jacobs in an undercard bout as well. Simply put, it's never a bad bet to choose the better technical fighter in any matchup.

Baby Bullspit: Juan Diaz says losing is no big thing

2009-08-19T00:23:00.000-07:00

Who’s the speaker here, Miguel Cotto or Manny Pacqiao?

“This fight is a must win, but I don't think it will make me a break me. By winning, it'll establish me and put me right back up there for bigger fights, but if I lose, it's just another loss.”
Trick question and probably not a fan fooler, either.
It’s Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, age 25, has a “who cares” HBO bout Saturday night against what is left of light hitting Paulie Malignaggi in Houston.

It’s the “just another loss” part that troubles me. It’s one thing for a top level fighter, an ex-world champion to privately think such a thing but uttering it to a reporter, in this case Peter Lim of the Houston Chronicle, is just another telltale sign that Diaz’s hunger and ambition keeps dwindling.
Although his record is 34-2, 17 KOs, Diaz is talking like an athlete who readily accepts defeat. Fight fans don’t want that kind of mealymouthed palaver coming from a ring star particularly a guy who is supposed to be a hometown hero. I remind you that Diaz has lost two of his last
Can’t you see Joe Fan saying to his pals, “I can’t wait to fork over the money to go out to the Toyota Center and see Diaz lose another fight. It says here in The Chronicle a loss would only be ‘just another loss’ for him.”
Then Diaz compounds his weak as stale coffee comment by opining that his fan base also readily embraces defeat.
“Even though I didn't win my last fight, (the fans) still left there very happy because I gave it 100 percent and I put up the best effort that I could,” Diaz said.
News flash, Juan, you may be a college grad but real fans aren’t content with you just giving it the old college try in the ring.
No one expects trash talk from Diaz because it wouldn’t fit his mellow personality or image.
But, although he should have his way with the punchless Paulie, Diaz is going to discover that he is alienating fans with these careless comments.
Fight fans want to support fighters who talk warrior talk, not guys who act as though ‘just another loss’ is no biggie.
Dumb remarks by an intelligent young man, I guess.

I hope he fights with more enthusiasm and gusto than he talks.
Diaz sounds like his approach is 'just another day at the office.'

Ribbon clerks can speak like that but top level fighters can't.
Keep your apathy to yourself, Baby Bullspitter.

Malignaggi Braces for Mugging

2009-08-19T00:22:00.000-07:00

Paulie Malignaggi wants everyone to know that when he gets to Houston this week, he is going to get mugged. No, not literally robbed at gun point or anything like that, but when he faces the hometown Juan Diaz this Saturday night at the Toyota Center, he believes that his chances of winning this fight have been systematically taken from him.

So he's been letting everybody know in advance that they should be prepared to call 911 after watching the HBO broadcast this weekend. From the very genesis of Diaz-Malignaggi, he's been put behind the proverbial 8-ball, in his view.

"I want to put it out there, the way I've been treated in the negotiations- and I'm still going to fight because I'm a man of my word and frankly I'm tired of training and not fighting- and I don't want to fight till I'm 35. I figure if I'm going to get big fights, I'm going to try to get all the big fights I can before a certain age because I don't want to fight that much longer," he explained to Maxboxing this past Sunday afternoon." So I took the fight regardless of these situations, OK, I'm going to go back a couple of months. I'm going to take you through the whole process.

"A couple of months back I was getting ready to face Mike Alvarado, I went to the Mayweather-Marquez press conference in New York at the Empire State Building. There, I see Richard Schaefer and he's hanging out with Kery Davis and Ross Greenburg, they approach me. Richard says,' Paulie, there's nothing we can do to talk you into facing Juan Diaz on HBO instead of this Alvarado fight?' I said,' Honestly, Richard, guys, I love fighting on HBO, it's the pinnacle of the sport, everyone wants to get to HBO but I think at this point I think I would fight Juan Diaz, just not in Houston. I think the Alvarado fight is better for me. It's in Atlantic City, even though it's for less money, it's better for my career at this point. Maybe later on we can make something happen. I'd love to fight on HBO. I'd just like to do it under better circumstances.'

"And Richard Schaefer goes,'OK, maybe we can get you some neutral officials if it would make you comfortable.' I said,' Richard, I totally appreciate it.' Bang, bang, bing, bing, the rest of the conversation was very friendly. It ended there."

Weeks before that fight, Alvarado pulled out of the fight. Leaving Malignaggi without a dance partner.

" So we get in contact with Golden Boy's people, we said,' OK, we're interested in the Diaz fight, what do you got?' So we gotta fight in Houston, we already knew that. We have to accept that. They have to weigh-in at 138.5-pounds. We weren't too thrilled about that, but y'know what? We'll accept that, also. We want more money, though, because it's in Houston and we gotta take a lighter weight. Nope. It was take it or leave it. 'If you don't take it, we'll offer the fight to David Diaz or Rolando Reyes.' So I'm like, 'Aw, shit. If I don't take this fight, I'm not going to fight a big fight till 2010.' So I'm like,' F**k it, let me go for it. At least I'll get my neutral officials, right?'"

In addition to the other provisions, an 18-foot ring will be used on Saturday night, which favors the pressure style of Diaz and they had no say on just how much padding will be underneath the canvas. The thicker the padding, the more it would seem to work against Malignaggi who likes to move around the ring.

" I'm like,' Shit, these guys are really trying to tie my hands behind my back, here. They're trying to decide the fight before it happens.' But I'm thinking I'm going to get my neutral officials," he continued." But when it comes down to that, they say,' Oh, no, we gotta have a Texas referee and one Texas judge.' So I said,' Wow, I'm not going to even get my neutral officials.' Richard Schaefer supposedly said he went to the Texas commission and they said no to him. But really, honestly, how hard did they really try to get to the Texas commission and try to get neutral officials? Because not having neutral officials benefits him and his fighter.

And it's here when Malignaggi starts naming potential suspects.

" So the referee's going to be Laurence Cole- he's got a checkered past. OK. The Texas judge is Gale Van Hoy, who I think is horrible," he said, perhaps burning Lone Star State bridges, if not mincing words." He had the Rocky Juarez-Chris John fight a draw, along with all the other hometown decisions he loves to give. That's one of their main hometown judges. No, ifs, ands or buts about it, the Texas commission is not changing it. So I said,' OK, at least we get two neutral officials- well, one of the neutral officials is Raul Caiz Sr. Now, nothing against Raul Caiz but he's a Mexican, Juan Diaz is a Mexican. I'd rather not have a guy who's Mexican from California on the judging panel when I'm already dealing with a Texas judge. And I'm not just saying that just for that. It has nothing to do with race here.

"He judged Zahir Raheem versus Erik Morales, Zahir Raheem won 118-110 on two scorecards, Caiz Sr. had the third scorecard, y'know what his score was? 115-113. So it wasn't just that he was giving every round he possibly give the Mexican in Morales that fight. It's a pure boxer in Raheem against Morales and he's obviously going for the aggressive guy. Whether it was because he's Mexican or whether it was because he was aggressive. He's not a guy I'd rather have on the panel when they already have Gale Van Hoy as one of the judges."

It's obvious that in this match-up, he is Raheem. Malignaggi and his representatives tried to object these appointments.

" But you know what we were told?' F**k you, you're going to have to take this one, too.' So I said,' Now, I have a choice. My lawyer is advising me to pull out," explained Malignaggi. But at age 29 and not much leverage, his options are limited right now." I said,' Y'know what? I'm going to fight this anyway and I'm going to let EVERYBODY know what the f**k is going on.'"

What really concerns his promoter, Lou DiBella is the catch-weight, which is in-between the lightweight and jr. welterweight limit. Malignaggi has fought his career as a 140-pounder, for the most part.

"That was all Willie Savannah basically insisting on 138.5. We don't understand why they needed that advantage. We already know that there was going to be an 18-foot ring, that's the ring they have in that venue that Juan Diaz fights in. It's obviously a punchers ring, not a boxers ring. But that stuff was all known. they stuck on the 138.5 pounds, they wouldn't give on the ring."

DiBella believes that making 138.5 could be detrimental to his boxers health." Look, this kids going to be dehydrated, period, when unquestionably he walks out of the weigh-in. To make 138.5, he hasn't done that in a long, long time and he's been put under tremendous pressure to do it and it's not like he's coming down to a more normal weight. He's coming down to an unnatural weight. He's doing that to make him easier fodder for Juan Diaz. There's no question about that."

But of course, it is Savannah's job to give his fighter every advantage he can. And the reason why there are doing all this? Well, it's simple, it's because they can. Diaz is the draw, Golden Boy is the promoter and it's their date on HBO.

"Exactly!!!," agreed DiBella, excitedly." They are doing it for the same reason that dogs lick their balls." (Uh, well, that's not exactly the same reason but it's simply too good of a quote to not use.)

So with all this going against him, just how in the hell is he going to possibly win this fight?

Malignaggi says," After the Ricky Hatton fight, everybody had a lot of opinions about me, I told people,' Y'know what? Before I got with Buddy McGirt, I was a much better fighter, much different fighter,' and little by little the transformation started happening with Buddy and I'm not blaming Buddy directly because I should've seen it myself but I really wanted to learn Buddy's system,I really did. I'm a student of the game, I wanted to learn. But after the Hatton fight it really hit home, I said,' I've just been getting worse and worse every fight with this guy.' My whole career it never happened to me, y'know what I'm sayin'?

"Even in the amateurs, I had five, six trainers between the amateurs and pros, never had I had a trainer that tried so hard to change me from what I was. And then it didn't work on top of that. So I said,' I've got so much left to give.' So I went with a new trainer, Omar Sharif, he's not a big-name trainer, a New York guy, I've known him for years.I know he works well with speed."

Malignaggi knows what many people are thinking to themselves as they read his quotes.

"A lot of people are like,' Oh, Paulie's making excuses.' But in the seven months I've been training with Sharif, I know what I got, I know I got an ace up my sleeve. I know what I'm capable of, again. I was right and the more I train every day, the more I realize that I was the one who's right and I'm not making excuses and everybody else is wrong. So this fight gives me the opportunity to show people on a national stage exactly what I've been talking about. That I'm the real deal, still. I may get f***cked doing it, but I may stop Diaz. I'm not predicting a knockout obviously because everybody will say,' Oh, now he's predicting a knockout.'

" Believe me when I tell you, the hands are going to be moving, the speed is going to be there and the angles are going to be there. Yeah, they gave me a short ring so we'll exchange a little more, maybe it'll make for a more action fight. But y'know what? I may need a knockout to win the fight."

DiBella gave him this bit of advice:" I said to him,' Fight your ass off and make sure that at the worst for you, it's a controversy.'"

BOREMAN

I got a phone call on Tuesday afternoon from one Bob Arum who said he was 'disappointed' in me. Now, for a quick second I was wondering if he had seen some of my past report cards from Montebello High School, which is located just a few blocks from where I was having lunch at Rafael's, with a friend. Geez, who knew he really cared? Well, it turns out that he was dismayed that I had told one of his matchmakers, Brad 'Goodbar' Goodman, the night before that adding the bout between Daniel Santos and Yuri Foreman to the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto undercard would be a bad idea.

Bottom line is this, Arum told me himself a few weeks ago that he would deliver a 'spectacular' undercard for November 14Th. And to Top Rank's credit, I like some of the other fights being discussed that involve Edwin Valero and bouts like Humberto Soto-Anthony Peterson and Jesus Soto-Karass-Alfonso Gomez. But Santos-Foreman, certainly is anything but 'spectacular'.

I admitted to him that, yes, I objected to that fight being put on what will be the biggest night of boxing in 2009. That was my opinion and I had made it known many times before to him what I thought of Foreman's style. This was no secret. I was actually puzzled why he would be interrupting my lunch( Which consisted of a cool, refreshing shrimp cocktail and a healthy chicken salad. Who says you can't eat lean at a Mexican restaurant?) He then went on a spiel about how this went much further than boxing, that it was about getting media coverage in area's and jurisdictions that don't cover the sport regularly and expanding boxing's, ever-shrinking fan-base. To him, the storyline of a future rabbi fighting for a world title was a can't-miss.

Well, I fully admit, he's the expert. He went to Harvard, I barely graduated from dear ol' Montebello High in 1990. But I do know this, from an action and entertainment standpoint, Foreman's fights are absolutely must-miss. In short, he moves around the ring faster than Usain Bolt and in his last bout against Cornelius Bundrage which took place in a rather empty arena in Atlantic City, boos could be heard in the audience within the first 45 seconds of that dreadful affair, which was mercifully halted with an accidental clash of heads in round three. I get the sense that if he boxed in a synagogue in Jerusalem, the audience over there would get awfully restless.

Some may enjoy his style of boxing. I know the majority don't.

(All I know is that in the purse bid for this WBA jr. middleweight title, Top Rank was the only promotional company to bid on this fight. Meaning, Carl Moretti was awfully lonely on Monday afternoon in Panama and probably wishing he bought two envelopes sealed with their bids.)

But Arum wasn't hearing it. Foreman, would fight better against a truly world-class performer, he opined. ( Which I happen to disagree with, boxers don't suddenly become more fun to watch as they face superior opposition). But I told him that it was absolutely his prerogative to put on any card he wanted and that it was my right to have a dissenting opinion. Last I checked, that was my job, actually. Also I told him that it was my belief that boxing fans don't care about religious beliefs or orientations, when it's all said and done, they want guys who rumble and make good fights.

He vehemently disagreed and again, hit on the point that this was, again, about getting coverage with outlets that otherwise never cover boxing. This, right here, was good for boxing in so many ways. As if having the New York Times write one more story on the sport a year than they usually do is somehow going to revitalize this white, Jewish market that Arum wants to hit. Sorry, Bob, but those folks left the sport at about the time Barney Ross and Benny Leonard hung'em up and they aren't coming back anytime soon.

Because you know what will revive boxing? Well, one facet will be deep undercards filled with good fights. Not fights made because of any ethnic or religious agendas. I wonder, if a young Muslim fighter was planning to one day be an Imam and he had an un-entertaining style, would Arum push him on this card? Nothing against Foreman, personally, but I'd rather see some young, fresh- and more importantly, fun- talent like Miguel Garcia or Brandon Rios in this position. Again, that's just the way I feel.

But Arum insisted this is something much deeper than the hard-core follower of the sport, it wasn't about- and this was his word- 'the schmucks' who read Maxboxing on a daily basis. Which I thought was a very curious term to use, given that, oh, I don't know, that the average, everyday reader of this fine website is his clientele.

Listen, there's no doubt that Arum has a soft spot for Foreman given that he is himself, Jewish. I understand that completely. But I propose this, since Arum in my opinion, is among the greatest promoters ever( no sarcasm, here, I'm dead serious) and the last real renegade promoter the business has left and when he's gone, his loss will be felt for years. But if he really believes in Foreman and his ability to bring in the masses, instead of sticking him on this undercard, rent out the Madison Square Garden in New York, which is not only where Foreman hails from, but also the biggest media market in the country and do what he does better than anybody else- promote.

Put Dimitry Salita, Zab Judah and bring back Dana Rosenblatt and call it 'Hebrew Fury'. But to punish your loyal Filipino and Puerto Rican schmucks, uh, I mean, fans( sorry, Arumien slip) by shoving this on the Pacquiao-Cotto card? In the words of Chad 'Ocho Cinco'- child, please! Yes, boxing, for better or worse, still relies on racial and ethnic loyalties but it isn't necessarily an unconditional love. Pacquiao and Cotto are popular with their people because in addition to winning, they are consistently engaged in compelling bouts that are both memorable and legendary. Santos, ironically, isn't all the popular with Puerto Ricans because of his often-negative style. I vividly recall a bout versus Fulgencio Zuniga on the island where he was roundly booed, himself.

I told Arum I would give him a chance to give his side of the argument in a future story- to which he replied angrily, "F**k that, I don't have to defend anything," and he said he didn't care about my opinion, which then had me wondering why in the hell he called me in the first place.

It's Arum's show and regardless of anything I say, this show will be a bonanza, both from a pay-per-view perspective and at the live box-office. But if he believes that Santos-Foreman is somehow great for boxing and will bring back the Jewish demographic, well, he might find out that this fight will have even more folks wailing in front of the Wailing Wall.

And if I'm wrong( and I could be), then I'm more than willing to eat a healthy dose of Kosher crow.

But yes, there is a spectacular pay-per-view undercard coming up. It takes place on September 19Th before Floyd Mayweather faces Juan Manuel Marquez.

MIDWEEK FLURRIES

Manager Frank Espinoza told me that Israel Vazquez will be making his return on October 10Th the Nokia Theater at L.A. Live....DiBella says that Allan Green will face Victor Oganov on October 2ND on ShoBox, which will also feature his new signees Antwon Smith and Marcus Johnson....I thought Antonio Pitalua had thrown the best right-hand of the month, then comes Raiders coach, Tom Cable....It's official, Brett Favre is the Larry Holmes of the NFL.....Headline I saw on Pacland:" MILF rejects Pacquiao to be peace talks negotiator' OK, but what about the cougars? How do they feel?

Gateway to autumn begins with Diaz-Malignaggi

2009-08-19T00:20:00.000-07:00

A wonderful fall is almost upon us. We've been enduring the worst of the "new normal" for about a year now. The corporate cynicism -- low sales, high layoffs and "met" earnings -- the political instability, currencies that defy supply and demand, and an increasingly unemployed populace unmoored from reasonableness. Now boxing fans get a little compensation.

The new normal has made fights happen this fall that couldn't have happened the last 10 falls. Fighters with foresight and financial advisers have taken pay cuts to remain gainfully employed. And those without are fighting Juan Manuel Marquez.
From Mayweather-Marquez to Klitschko-Arreola, Pavlik-Williams, Cotto-Pacquiao and the unmitigated joy that remains Showtime's "Super Six" tournament, boxing fans are in for a historic fall. Someday you'll probably tell your grandchildren about one of these fights and the fall that comprised it.
But before we could come to our historic fall we had to pass through a last bit of ugliness and then a gateway. The ugliness came last weekend. The gateway comes this weekend. Let's start with the gateway.
Saturday evening, Houstonian Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz returns to his hometown's Toyota Center -- site of what remains the fight of this year -- to battle Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi on HBO's Boxing After Dark. Though the main event combatants are a collective 2-3 (0 KOs) in their last five bouts, Diaz-Malignaggi, fought at 140 pounds, should be entertaining.
Diaz has to be the favorite. Because he'll be gaining the five pounds between lightweight and junior middleweight on his chin, not his fists, he's unlikely to knock Malignaggi out. But Malignaggi knocks no one out. Diaz's Texan supporters, then, should celebrate their man's higher activity rate loudly enough to sway Saturday's judges. And you always favor a volume puncher over a boxer; it's a stylistic rule.
How did Diaz get back on HBO after being starched by Juan Manuel Marquez in February? Three ways. He graduated from University of Houston in the spring. He sells tickets. And when he loses, he does it with unquestionable honor and dignity. Malignaggi, too, loses with unquestionable honor. And not every fighter can say that.
So we come to the residual ugliness of boxing's dreadful summer.
Friday night in Tucson -- as part of what ESPN2 must now consider a programming mishap -- Vivian Harris headlined the worst card in Desert Diamond Casino's otherwise proud history. Its four broadcast fights did not add up to five rounds of boxing.
I should mention that the off-television matches were pretty good. But if you watched Friday Night Fights, you don't believe me, do you?
After complaining about a headbutt in the first round, Harris slammed his left temple off opponent Noe Bolanos' forehead in the first half minute of the second. The spectacle that ensued was grotesque in the denotative sense of the word. Harris stumbled about, went to a corner and collapsed -- eyes closed, body limp.
The fight stopped. Paramedics arrived at ringside immediately. Harris went off on a stretcher. And the Tucson crowd booed as he was wheeled away. The entire scene had unreal air to it.
Ten months ago I called a Phoenix match for GoFightLive.tv that saw Jonathan Taylor removed from the ring on a stretcher. Celebrity Theatre was eerie for the rest of the night. People milled about making contact with wide eyes. An official from the Arizona State Boxing Commission stayed in the hospital with Taylor until after noon the next day.
Friday was nothing like that. Before leads could be written at ringside, editors called to say ESPN2's cameras showed Harris conscious, seated upright and talking. He dressed himself and took a precautionary trip to a local hospital, from which he was released that night.
Here are two facts. Harris told a ringside physician he had no idea where he was. And in the opening four minutes of Friday's match, Harris wanted no part of fighting.
Each person can determine for himself how correlated those facts are, but here's one thing we can agree on: Vivian Harris should not fight again.
The next night a looming tragedy was averted in Biloxi, Miss., when Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy's corner wisely stopped their guy's fight with Roy "Captain Hook" Jones, Jr. Lacy was soldiering forward and being chopped up by Jones who -- put before a spent bullet -- looked good. And so the Jones delusion marches on.
There's an interesting and reflexive thing now happening in Jones' career. Serious fans and scribes disregard the man once imagined the second coming of Sugar Ray Robison. And Jones reciprocates. All that remain in the crowds of his fights today are rabid supporters.
Fired from HBO, dismissed by Joe Calzaghe and banished from television, Jones appears to be enjoying obscurity. He has three dressing rooms' worth of sycophants while he warms up, a father crazy as he is in his corner, and at least a thousand people in most Southern cities who'll pay a small stipend to sit in the crowd, look away from him and yell "Roy!" at a camera.
How does "Captain Hook" reciprocate? He makes a fun show, throwing eight-hook combinations, wiggling his hips and conversing with bystanders throughout. Things get a little heavy when commentators say "I don't think he's ever looked this sharp before," but, well, all theater demands some suspension of disbelief.
We'll probably never know "Hook City's" pay-per-view numbers or the paid gate at the Coast Coliseum. Certainly, they'll never be told to Jones. But so what? There's something charming about a craftsman this blithely unaware of majority opinion. We'll just hope Jones loses interest before he's ever again imperiled.
We're now done with the ugly summer of 2009, either way. Let's rejoice. Saturday takes us to the precipice of a historic fall. Enjoy its every minute. Before you can blink, we'll be settled in for winter -- literally and figuratively.
Bart Barry can be reached at Twitter.com/bartbarry

Diaz hopes to get back on track

2009-08-19T00:10:00.001-07:00

In a showdown between two recently-dethroned world titleholders, Juan “The Baby Bull” Diaz faces Paul “The Magic Man” Malignaggi of Brooklyn at the Toyota Center Saturday. The bout, staged by Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, will be aired on HBO.

Diaz, a former 135-pound lightweight titlist, and Malignaggi, who previously held the WBO 140-pound junior welterweight title, will meet at a catch weight of 138½ pounds. Both are coming off knockout losses. Diaz, 34-2 (17 KOs), was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez at the Toyota Center in February, while Malignaggi, 26-2 (5 KOs), was stopped by Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas last November.

Both fighters need an impressive victory to rejuvenate their careers and launch themselves back on to the championship scene.

“This fight is a must win, but I don't think it will make me a break me,” Diaz said. “By winning, it'll establish me and put me right back up there for bigger fights, but if I lose, it's just another loss.”

Despite losing two of his last three bouts, Diaz, 25, is confident that he will remain a top draw at the box office because his of all-action style and unyielding commitment. He did not lose any fans after his knockout loss at the Toyota Center, he said.

“Even though I didn't win my last fight, (the fans) still left there very happy because I gave it 100 percent and I put up the best effort that I could,” Diaz said.

Diaz and Malignaggi, 28, could not be more diametrically polar style-wise. While the Texan is a relentless pressure fighter who sets an exhausting pace, the New Yorker is a smooth, elusive technician who outmaneuvers rather than overpowers his opponents.

“I'm going in there and do what I do which is work,” Diaz said. “I don't care what Malignaggi's going to do. He can move and be slick but I think the pressure is going to be the key to the victory.”

Malignaggi's two previous conquerors, Hatton and WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto, have written the blueprint on how to defeat him, Diaz said. The proven way to defeat Malignaggi, Diaz said, is simply to manhandle him.

“He‘s a very slick fighter and he said he's going to outbox me and outpunch me but the two fights he lost have been against pressure fighter guys,” Diaz said. “So what does that mean? That means he can't handle the pressure.”

Although Diaz is listed as a slight favorite by most Las Vegas odds makers, Malignaggi should not be underestimated, said Diaz' trainer Ronnie Shields.

“Paul Malignaggi is a two time champion of the world,” Shields said. “He's one of the best boxers out there. We realize that this is another step up for Juan coming off that loss, but this is one fight that he has to take. This fight is important for him to get back in the mix with everyone else.”

While pressure is the main component of Diaz' game plan, it must be applied strategically and purposefully against a fighter who has built a successful career of fending off rabid, onrushing opponents, Shields said.

“We're practicing this every day – cutting him off and throwing punches,” Shields said. “It's easy to just cut a man off, but to hit him and make him do the things that you want him to do, that's a different story.”

Diaz and Malignaggi are sons of blue collar Mexican and Italian immigrants respectively, but that's where their similarities outside the ring end. Diaz' demeanor has always been low key, polite and humble. Malignaggi, on the other hand, has a reputation for being flashy, flamboyant and outspoken to the point of trash talking in his distinctly Brooklyn accent in front of the cameras.

“He's going to go home with his mouth closed after August 22,” Diaz said.

With three and a half pounds less to shed for this fight, making weight hasn't been as torturous as usual for Diaz, a confessed junk food junkie. It doesn't mean he can go crazy at the buffet table but he has enjoyed a degree of culinary normalcy during training camp.

“I can actually eat a real meal at night,” Diaz said. “I don't have to eat cereal or salad or fruit. Before, I had to be on a strict diet with no sweets.”

It will also be Diaz' first fight since graduating from the University of Houston with a degree in government, so he no longer has to rush off to campus after grueling workouts.

“I don't have to go to school and feel tired,” Diaz said. “Now the only problem I have is being bored at home.”

Undercard for Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi bout set

2009-08-19T00:09:00.001-07:00

Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz and Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi won't be the only boxers looking to get the crowd on its feet at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday, August 22.
Local lightweight prospect Hylon Williams (10-0, 3KOs) will take on Mexico's Baudel Cardenas (18-17-2, 6 KOs) in an eight-round bout.
Another local favorite Jermell Charlo (8-0, 4 KOs) will battle Glendale California's Vardan Gasparyan (11-1-4, 5 KOs) in a six-round junior middleweight bout.
In other bouts, super middleweight Marcus Johnson (16-0, 13 KOs) will take on Matt Gockel (12-10, 7 KOs), heavyweight prospect Adam Richards (22-2, 15 KOs) will fight Harvey Jolly (9-10-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-round fight and heavyweight Darlington Agha will make his pro debut against Joseph Rabotte (5-6, 2 KOs) in a four-round tilt.
Hot junior welterweight prospect out of Philadelphia Danny Garcia (13-0, 7 KOs) will face Oscar Leon (28-9, 18 KOs) in a six-round bout, Adrien Broner (10-0, 7 KOs) will take on Edgar Portillo (5-2, 3 KOs) in a six-round junior lightweight bout, Philadelphia lightweight Mike Perez (3-0-1, KOs) will face Jamie Rodriguez (4-5-3, 2 KOs) in a four-round battle and lightweight knockout specialist Omar Figueroa (6-0, 6 KOs) will fight Jeremy Marts (5-7, 3 KOs) in a four-round contest.
The card's main events can be seen on HBO's Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:45 p.m.

Roy Jones Jr vs Jeff Lacy Results Video

2009-08-18T01:03:00.000-07:00

The highly anticipated Roy Jones Jr vs Jeff Lacy boxing match took place in Biloxi on Saturday. Read more about the story, plus browse pictures and video here.

If you were lucky then you were able to catch the Roy Jones Jr. vs Jeff Lacy fight for free last night (Sunday, August 16th, 2009). The video was available online for approximately 6 hours, but due to copyright issues all live stream video has been taken down.

It was a defining moment for boxing enthusiasts around the globe as two brilliant boxers battled it out at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on Saturday. However, to nobody’s surprise the more capable of the two fighters came out victorious.

In the third round Jones, 40, connected with a left hook that cut the 32-year-old Lacy’s right eye, and by the 7th round both of his eyes were swelling. When the 11th round came the battered boxers tank was on empty. He didn’t answer the bell so the referee called the fight.

Despite Lacy’s best effort he was just no match for the faster, stronger Jones.
Although he was outclassed in the fight he displayed tremendous sportsmanship when he congratulated his winning opponent whole-heartedly at the end.

Let us know your thoughts about the Roy Jones Jr vs Jeff Lacy bout. Also, you will find pictures and a video below.

Weekend Review: Jones' big night

2009-08-18T00:51:00.001-07:00

BIGGEST WINNER

Roy Jones Jr.: Don’t read too much into Jones’ lopsided victory over Lacy on Saturday in Biloxi, Miss. Jones looked good primarily because Lacy was so bad. Still, Jones, 40, gave us glimpses of the old master and certainly set himself up for another decent payday. He confirmed after the fight that he’ll face Danny Green on Nov. 21 in Australia. It seems Jones’ strategy in old age is to fight a mediocre opponent, win impressively, make some money and then do it again. That could keep him going for years, although he won’t be doing his legacy any good.

BIGGEST LOSER

Jeff Lacy: The former Olympian and one-time super middleweight titleholder seemed to try as hard he could on Saturday. He just has nothing left, if he ever really had anything of substance. He simply plowed forward and threw slow, ineffective punches as Jones – sometimes talking the crowd – toyed with him from beginning to end. It was painful to watch. Lacy said after the fight that he planned to continue fighting. Let’s hope he comes to his senses. What’s he going to do? Fight in club shows for a few thousand dollars? That might be the position he’s in after that performance.

BIGGEST WINNER II

Danny Green: The Aussie didn’t earn this distinction because of his performance against Julio Cesar Dominguez on the Jones-Lacy undercard. He looked ordinary. He’s a winner because both he and Jones won, meaning the slugger from Perth will have the opportunity to fight a ring legend on his home turf down under. Green won’t beat a still-capable Jones, at least not the Green who stopped Dominguez. However, he’ll undoubtedly get a good-sized payday and be the center of attention in front of a large crowd somewhere in his home country. He must be one happy man.

MOST DETERMINED

Nonito Donaire: Donaire didn’t look great against Rafael Concepcion on Saturday in Las Vegas but deserves some credit. He fought a rugged, very aggressive guy who outweighed him by a good 10 pounds and found a way to win fairly easily. He used his athleticism and skills to keep the Panamanian at a distance for almost the entire fight, engaging him only enough to score points and win a clear decision. Donaire wanted a knockout but, all in all, it wasn’t a bad night. And I applaud him for going through with the fight in light of the weight difference. That was a gamble.

MOST-EGREGIOUS FOUL

Bernabe Concepcion: There are late punches and there are late punches. Concepcion flattened Steven Luevano a good two seconds after the bell to end the seventh round, immediately earning himself a disqualification on the Donaire undercard. Freddie Roach, his trainer, probably was right when he said that Concepcion blew it because he got excited after seemingly hurting Luevano a moment earlier. However, it doesn’t matter whether you hear the bell or whether you intentionally land a late punch; it’s still a foul. And that was a bad one.

MOST UNLUCKY

Vivian Harris: The former junior welterweight titleholder was very upbeat about his future and had hoped to make a big impression in his first fight for Golden Boy Promotions on Friday night in Tucson, Ariz. Instead, a freak accident spoiled his night. Harris was hit in the temple when his head collided with that of Noe Bolanos, which sent him to one knee. Moments later, when the ring doctor was examining him the corner, he collapsed and was taken out of the ring on a stretcher and transported to a hospital. This probably won’t be a significant setback for the Brooklyn, N.Y., resident but it had to be tremendously disappointing.

MOST COURAGEOUS

Nick Charles: The well-liked veteran broadcaster, Showtime’s blow-by-blow announcer for Shobox, is facing a serious battle with cancer but you wouldn’t know it by his demeanor. He was cheerful when he answered the phone from his hospital room and, because he’s unselfish, began peppering me with questions about the Web site and telling me how much he liked it. He talked about his condition openly and honestly but was optimistic that treatment would be effective. To say he had a positive attitude under these circumstances would be an understatement. In other words, he’s handling this with as much grace as anyone could.

MOST IMPRESSIVE:

Vitali Klitschko: The gigantic Ukrainian was as lovable as a puppy at a news conference to promote his fight against Chris Arreola on Sept. 26 in Los Angeles. He was warm (who rubs their opponent’s shoulders at a news conference as he did?), engaging (even though he’s still learning English), self-deprecating (in a calculated way), funny (see quote below), always smiling and genuinely giddy to be fighting in L.A. again. The man is a true professional who carries himself with a great deal of grace and class. He’s a pleasure to be around. And, oh yeah, he’s not a bad fighter.

MOST-WELCOME NEWS

Women’s boxing added to Olympics: Some of the most-entertaining fights I’ve seen live were women’s bouts. And they’re just as passionate about what they do as the men. I remember talking to Lucia Rijker once. I asked her opinion of the opposition to women’s boxing. Her measured response was that she feels this is what she was born to do. Or in her words, “This is my essence, this is who I am.” That’s hard to argue with. Bottom line: The women deserve the same opportunities as the men. And this is good for boxing in general because it will increase the number of participants and probably the number of fans.

BEST QUOTE

Vitali Klitschko, to Chris Arreola: “You have respect for all people. Please don’t hit me so hard. I’m 10 years older than you.”

Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

'Left-Hook Lounge': Vivek Wallace's mailbag feat. Jones, Cotto/Pacquiao, Arreola/Klitschko, and Williams/Pavlik!

2009-08-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Barry S. (Aventura, FL): I thought Roy Jones Jr.'s performance last Saturday against Jeff Lacy was impressive. How do you rate him at this stage in his career after seeing the fight?

Vivek W. (ESB): Prior to this fight, my position on Jones was that despite his humbling losses, he still has more PURE talent than 85% of what's out there today. After seeing this fight - (and I know many are gonna say Lacy is damaged goods.....however) - I think I may have to rethink that position and say it's more like he's still better than 95% of what's out there. Calzaghe throws a million punches per round and it's hard to adjust offensively when you're constantly on the defensive. Based on that, I can't take much out of that loss. I won't make any excuses for the others, but what I can say is that I don't think I've seen Jones this poised and focused in over a decade. Not even close. I don't know if it's the confidence of having his Father as the lead-man in his corner or what, but something paid major dividends. The guy looked amazing. In an effort to not pre-judge like many around the sport, my position going into this fight was that in order to be neutral, I needed to forget that Jones was Jones, simply make believe that he was a rising prospect in the sport, and ask myself when it was all said and done, what do I think his future in the sport would be? Well, no question in my mind, if that was a prospect on the rise that I was witnessing, I'd see him as a guaranteed champ and future hall-of-fame lock! The guy was brilliant. 9, 10 punch combinations...power in both hands...and despite the careful execution, he had enough clout to actually ask Lacy camp members "do [they] now see the difference between a rookie and an expert"? (All in the middle of a rapid fire combination as he paused for a brief moment to admire his work). Wicked! The guy turned back the hands of time and anyone that denies his still very evident talent is clearly basing that statement on factors that have little at all to do with what he displayed. You may not like him, but you have to respect that type of talent. PERIOD!

Jesus O. (Minneapolis, MN): What chances do you give Chris Arreola against Vitali Klitschko in their September 26th clash?

Vivek W. (ESB): This is a pretty hard question to answer. In one breath, I have in the back of my mind that Vitali K. is just such a great boxer that it's nearly impossible for him to take a loss. In the other breath, I have to remember that we haven't seen him tested in the ring since his more than 4 year layoff, and this will be the first time that he'll be facing a guy in his prime who can crack like a whip! Laugh at Arreola's dough-boy frame and all this crap, but realistically, like a George Foreman in his older days, despite that gut, I've never seen the guy winded once in a fight. And the thing about Arreola, he'll make it a dog fight because he isn't the kinda guy that you're gonna push around and scare. I think fundamentally, you have to go with Klitschko. 37-2 with 36 KO's is no mistake. The guy is solid, and he also comes into this fight with major advantages in height and reach. But that being said, Arreola is far from Samuel Peter and Juan Carlos Gomez, which are the only two guys Vitali-K has defeated in his return to the ring. He will be tested, and if he isn't careful, definitely, Arreola can give him a few good reasons to step away again. Should be a great fight.

Shawn E. (Miami, FL): Do you think Paul Williams can knock out Kelly Pavlik?

Vivek W. (ESB): Well, any man can be knocked out on any given day, but do I think Williams will knock him out? No. Not at all. But I do think the fight itself hinges on a few things that could make it very interesting. Since the humbling loss to Hopkins, Pavlik has not been the same. I can remember saying that we won't know what Cotto's future would look like until we see him in a similar position to that in which he faced in the Margarito fight, and in the Clottey fight, even with the nasty cut, he fought on and fought on valiantly, which proved to many that his heart was still in tact. Well, lets just say that I haven't seen such a followup effort from Pavlik, and this could be that similar defining moment. Winky Wright has one of the most impenetrable defenses in the sport, and despite his layoff, he didn't look out of shape against Williams. He just couldn't stop the activity of Williams, and was simply overwhelmed. Same with Jones in the Calzaghe fight. This will be Pavlik's first time squaring off against a fighter whose offense is so active that he won't really be able to mount one of his own. If he gets that feeling of helplessness once again, it'll be a long fight for Pavlik. If he weathers the storm after realizing that his future in the sport is hanging in the balance, it would answer what now stands as perhaps the biggest challenge that awaits him. A KO for Williams, I don't think so. But a loss for Pavlik, very possible if he doesn't learn to make mid-fight adjustments.

Roberto L. (Boca Raton, FL): If Pacquiao loses to Cotto and Mayweather defeats Marquez, do you think we'll still get Pacquiao/Mayweather?

Vivek W. (ESB): No. I think the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight is already very difficult to make happen because unlike Cotto, Mayweather won't concede certain things, and if he defeats Marquez, (especially by KO), he will feel like he's the better fighter and should receive the most profit and beneficial aspects. Perhaps if Pacman is coming off of a loss then he'll concede a few things to Mayweather, (and rightfully so), but I can't say that I see the fight happening, especially if he (Pacquiao) loses. First off, a loss for Pacquiao would kill any attempt to see him immediately face Mayweather right afterwards. If Pacquiao loses by bad KO, there would be no demand, so it won't happen then. If Pacquiao loses via decision, his only interest will be a rematch. Considering the fact that he fought Barerrea, Morales, and Marquez twice (or more in the case with Morales), I don't see him looking to do anything else but avenge the loss if he comes up short against Cotto. Arum - (being the collective promoter) - would make this happen, most definitely. So with the possibility of there being either no demand or strong demand for a rematch, either way, I don't see a Pacquiao loss equating to a fight with Mayweather anytime soon. Now, if both Pacquiao and Mayweather win, there's no question the fight would be made, and I think it would easily eclipse the records set by ODH/Mayweather in their fight because in this case, the world does truly await, as opposed to the last time where the promotion was given that title, and everyone walked away wishing they hadn't.

Ozzie M. (Ft. Lauderdale, FL): If Williams defeats Pavlik soundly, do you think he should be considered for P4P honors in the sport?

Vivek W. (ESB): Personally, I think the whole P4P argument today is totally subjective - according to who's rating the fighters - and I think there's a way to champion the cause of any fighter who has above average accomplishments under his belt without taking into account the true facts. To me personally, P4P should be based on pure fundamentals that transcend any era of time in the sport. Talent like Hopkins, Jones, Mayweather, Robinson, Toney, etc. Guys that could get the job done with their skill level if they were either flyweights, big heavyweights, or anywhere in between. Just guys with awesome fundamentals. That being said, I realize that it's more a popularity contest now days and the closest we come to being neutral on the topic is the consideration of fighters who do a few things outside the norm, whether they have outstanding pure skills or not. Back at the end of '08, I did a year ending awards article where I listed Williams as a "dark horse" in the P4P race because I just felt that what he was attempting to do by going up in weight and challenging opponents in other weight classes was unprecedented. Pacquiao did something similar, but defeating David Diaz while Nate Campbell was the undisputed champ, and subsequently defeating a weight depleted Oscar De La Hoya left room for some to debate that accomplishment, as those two names were very notable, but not very resistant, (let the truth be told). I don't know if either Pacquiao or Williams would make my true P4P list, but using todays norm, if we're gauging their upcoming fights to decipher this point, I think that still leaves room for question. Both are facing men who are considered to be damaged goods, so is it really fair to use their upcoming fights as a point of contention in this question? I don't think so. If they win, critics will bring this point up all day long. Should Williams be considered a P4P candidate if he soundly defeats Pavlik? In todays P4P landscape, perhaps so, but when measured by the text book definition, I'd go out on a limb and truthfully say that I don't think either guy (Williams or Pacquiao) would.

(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Youtube (Vivek1251), Twitter (Vivek747), Myspace, Facebook, and www.vivekwallace.com)

Juan Manuel Marquez: Waiting for the call

2009-08-17T00:25:00.000-07:00

t is the prom all over again. Kinda, sorta. Juan Manuel Marquez went on two dates with Manny Pacquiao. They had a lovely time and were the talk of the boxing world. The trouble started when Marquez decided not to call Pacquiao after their first encounter.
Rumors were rampant that it was Juan's dad , one Nacho Beristain, that may have in fact put the kibosh on date number two. That was a shame because the first date had gone so well with it's swollen lips , busted noses and knockdowns. It was the classic first date.
It took four years to get these two crazy kids back in the ring together. Each had grown in popularity and each had become even better than before. The date went fantastically. It had body punches and hard left and right hands. And oh yes, there was even another knockdown, how sweet.
But the night didn't end exactly like Juan had envisioned. Manny was declared the winner in a great fight and as he left the ring one could hear Juan say, "call me".
Juan has been waiting by his phone ever since then. But Manny never called. Juan's hopes were raised earlier this year when Manny's dad, Mr. Roach to me and you, said that he thought a third date would be great. But he made it clear that Juan and his family would have to stop crying about date number two.
Manny now has Miguel Cotto's name pencilled in for November 14. At the same time Juan has agreed to a September date with that rather loud young man, Floyd Mayweather. Many believe that Juan is just trying to throw Pretty Boy's name in Manny's face. Maybe make Manny a little jealous about what could have been.
But Manny isn't playing that game. He says he has gone on to bigger and better things and it would suit him just fine if Juan's name was never mentioned again.
Now, it has come to our attention that Manny has a wish list for three more mega dates and Juan's name isn't on there. So how can Juan get his name back on that list? His plan is to apparently pummel Floyd on their date. You know , the good old fashioned kind of beating we only see on classic fight films. His hope is to make Manny so jealous that he will have no alternative but to call him.
Unfortunately for Juan, Manny doesn't have a jealous bone in his body. So while the rest of us kids at the prom would love to see these two get back together, it just isn't going to happen.
So Manny says , "thanks for the memories Juan, but it is time for you to move on and see other people."
And just like that one of the best fighters in the world has a date with Floyd and then will go back to waiting by the phone. Waiting for that one call. But it won't be from "him".
That waiting by the phone can make for some long nights. I know. Been there, done that.

Donaire passes pre-fight checkup, but has asthma

2009-08-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines -- IBF flyweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. has been given a clean bill of health by a doctor, clearing him for his title showdown with Panama’s Rafael Concepcion on Aug. 15 (Aug. 16 in Manila).

However, a secret Donaire has kept for quite a while was discovered during the checkup.

Dr. Robert Boyd, who conducted the mandatory pre-fight physical examination on Donaire, found that the boxer had asthma.

According to a TV report, Donaire has kept the illness a secret since he started boxing in 1994. Nevertheless, he remained upbeat on his fight with Concepcion for the interim WBA super flyweight crown, adding that he is currently in tip-top condition and ready to snatch his second world title.

Donaire headlines Top Rank Inc.’s “Pinoy Power 2” card, which will be staged at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the chief supporting bout, Filipino Bernabe Concepcion takes his first crack at a world title against WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano.

Solar Sports will be airing the card at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Boxer Donaire seeks his place in US, Philippines

2009-08-15T20:30:00.001-07:00

SAN CARLOS, California — When Nonito Donaire fights Panama's Rafael Concepcion in Las Vegas on Saturday, the recent IBF flyweight champion will take the next step toward an American dream he started as a picked-upon 10-year-old in the Philippine province of Bohol.
After moving with his family from the Philippines to the working-class East Bay suburb of San Leandro, California, Nonito took the opportunity to reinvent himself. He decided to fight.
"I was a little snotty-nosed, big-eared kid who didn't believe that there was a tomorrow for me, and look where I am now," Donaire said while wrapping his hands before a recent workout.
Donaire (21-1, 14 KOs) has progressed up the list of the world's top pound-for-pound boxers while winning his last 20 fights. His fame is still in its nascent stages, both in his adopted home and back in the Philippines, yet his headlining spot atop the "Pinoy Power" card at the Hard Rock suggests promoter Top Rank expects the Filipino Flash to get a whole lot bigger.
After years of struggles to get fights and management, Donaire actively pursues every opportunity, switching promoters and trainers — even when that trainer is his father. Although his relationship with Glenn Donaire Sr. collapsed along the way, Nonito is still chasing that first dream despite a few mixed feelings about the sport.
"I'm not a fighter," he said. "When I was growing up, I was very timid, shy, quiet. One time, my dad showed me (Arturo) Gatti fighting on TV. He said, 'Do you want to box?' I said, 'Hell, no!'"
Donaire learned about boxing from his father, who listened to fights on the radio in their simple home in the Philippines. The family survived on his mother's salary as a teacher and the meager profits from selling homemade candy. Meat and soda were rare feasts, and the kids often wore slippers and ragged clothes to school so they wouldn't wear out their nice shoes and shirts.
Shortly after the family moved to San Leandro, living in a tough neighborhood near East Oakland, Donaire's older brother, Glenn Jr., began collecting trophies from amateur tournaments, getting attention that proved irresistible to Nonito.
Donaire eventually fought in the 2000 U.S. Olympic trials, but lost to Brian Viloria — now the IBF junior flyweight champion — in a discouraging decision that nearly drove him out of the sport. After turning pro in 2001, he spent about five years simply scrambling to cover his training expenses, often fighting on short notice but still winning all but one decision, way back in his second pro fight.
"When I had a chance to sign with managers in the past, I would hear that Filipinos are just not marketable," Donaire said. "In boxing chat rooms, they would make fun of Filipinos, say that they couldn't break an egg. That really inspired me to work hard to prove them wrong."
Manny Pacquiao changed all that in recent years, and Donaire realizes the debt he owes to the Philippines' most famous man — who once attended the school where Donaire's mother taught fourth grade.
"I train hard, but it's not as hard as Manny," he said. "He lives in a whole different world. I don't think anybody else is going to get to that point, but I'm going to keep working hard."
Fighting as a big underdog, Donaire won his title in July 2007 with a brain-bruising knockout of Vic Darchinyan, the veteran flyweight champ who had broken Glenn Jr.'s jaw nine months earlier. Donaire's final punch — a gorgeous left hand thrown from his backstep — knocked senseless one of the lower weights' toughest fighters.
Three defenses later, Donaire is ready to move up to 115 pounds and the challenges beyond, both in and out of the ring.
Donaire readily acknowledges feeling the immigrant's familiar split between two worlds. He considers himself Filipino first, yet his life is mostly in the Bay Area. He has trained for previous fights in the Philippines, where his celebrity attracts constant attention, but he prepared for Concepcion in the comparative anonymity of San Carlos.
"This is my home," he said, looking around the tidy gym. "I have a lot of friends out here. I feel at home here, but I'm proud to be Filipino. In the Philippines, it's like every day is vacation."
Donaire has formed friendships with the other two big names in Bay Area boxing: Oakland's Andre Ward, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist, and Robert Guerrero, the former featherweight champion from Gilroy. He has trained in the East Bay hills with Ward, whose father sometimes slipped Donaire a few extra bucks.
Things aren't as familial with Glenn Sr., who trains fighters in the Philippines. Though Donaire no longer speaks to his father by phone or even text messages, he claims they're on good terms when they're around each other: "My family is weird."
After years of waiting, Donaire seemingly can't slow down, even for his father. If he beats Concepcion, Donaire is determined to get fights with Fernando Montiel and Jorge Arce, the two biggest names at 115 pounds, before moving up, perhaps eventually to lightweight.
And after knocking out Raul Martinez in front of 17,000 roaring Filipinos in Quezon City in April, Donaire would love to fight in the Bay Area, where the Bohol boy's life first turned in this improbable direction.
"When I get out here, people are going to be sitting on people's laps," he said, wrapping his fists tight. "That's another dream of mine