Bad Left Hook

Cotto-Pacquiao: Six Days Away

2009-11-08T19:02:00Z

We've said that mega fights don't get any better than this. We've heard Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach talk big about an early knockout. We know about the issues Pacquiao has had around him during camp. We've heard Cotto's side talk about his size advantage.

We've got six more days of talk. And then next Saturday night in Las Vegas, Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao have to get down to business and fight one another.

This is one of those weeks where I think we sit back and go, "Wow. This fight is really happening."

Not even two years ago, fights like this were crazy dream matches. Manny Pacquiao at welterweight (or close enough) against Miguel Cotto? Pacquiao won the 130-pound world championship against Juan Manuel Marquez in March 2008. He moved up and won a lightweight strap by dominating David Diaz that summer.

And then, when Oscar de la Hoya had an opening after Floyd Mayweather's "retirement," Pacquiao did what was then unthinkable: Moved all the way up to 147 pounds and not only beat the "Golden Boy," but demoralized, battered, assaulted, embarrassed and retired him.

Pacquiao was already popular, already beloved, already respected across the world. Now he was a phenom. A two-round knockout of 140-pound world champion Ricky Hatton followed in May 2009, and then we were left to wonder, "What's next?"

Could it be Floyd? Would it be a third fight with Marquez?

Enter Miguel Cotto, the Puerto Rican warrior who after all this time is still being overlooked by too many. Some assume Pacquiao will truck through him. Some say Cotto is "shot," which is ridiculous.

But as much as I think Cotto is even underrated by many today, I also still have no idea who will win this fight, or how it will play out. And by "I have no idea," I mean I can't make up my mind.

One thing keeps playing in my mind, though, and I know it won't be popular with the Pacquiao superfans, but I've said it before. When he was hit by Oscar and Hatton -- which wasn't much -- he felt it. He clearly felt it. Miguel Cotto will hit him unless Pacquiao can smash him the way he did to Hatton. Cotto will be more aggressive than Oscar was. Cotto will be better than Hatton was. I am sure of both of those things, as sure as I can be.

So what does Pacquiao do when in a potential war with a real welterweight? What does Cotto do against the blinding speed of Pacquiao? Who cracks first?

That's why this fight is so great. I don't know. I just don't know what happens, but I'm expecting something sensational.

Six days, folks. That's all we have left before we find out.

Bad Left Hook Divisional Rankings Update

2009-11-08T18:32:04Z

Chad Dawson didn't move up, but strengthened his position in the light heavyweight division with a dominant win over Glen Johnson. (Photo by Will Hart, via HBO)

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Another Sunday, another update to the rankings.

Divisions Affected: Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Junior Middleweight

Heavyweight: Obviously, the Valuev-Haye fight on Saturday was between two top ten guys. Haye I had at No. 6 and Valuev at No. 8 -- I had Valuev at No. 8 because he stinks. He's deserved to lose a couple of fights he won, including one over an Evander Holyfield who was 46 and frankly older than that after all the punishment he's taken in his career. As I've said plenty since starting the rankings, I don't do this the "normal" way, because I think the normal way doesn't really work for boxing. Wins and losses aren't #1; you can look good losing and look bad winning. You can raise your stock with a loss and lose some with a win. It just is the way it is. And wins and losses in boxing aren't always fair either. You don't simply score more points than your opponent, it's judged.

But despite all that, nothing really changes here. Haye stays at No. 6 (behind the Klitschkos, Eddie Chambers, Ruslan Chagaev and Cristobal Arreola) and Valuev drops one spot to No. 9. I keep Valuev in despite my opinion of him, because as lame as I think he is, he's still a terrible matchup for basically anybody. Haye looked bad against him, to be honest, but no one looks good against Valuev. That is a fair assessment. Name the last guy that looked good against Valuev.

You could have Haye a little higher if you put any stock into his title belt, which I don't. The WBA's heavyweight title has been devalued to the point of irrelevance. I'm not saying Haye doesn't matter, I'm saying I hope he restores some of the luster. Since he'll fight eternal WBA No. 1 contender John Ruiz, that might have to wait.

Speaking of Ruiz, his ring return on the Valuev-Haye undercard has him back in my rankings at No. 10. I wanted to put him higher, honestly, but I don't see it. The division has actually gotten a fair bit better in the 15 months he's been out of the ring. I had him as high as No. 6 in 2008. I know he's nobody's favorite, but at 37 he's still better and smarter than most guys out there.

As for guys knocking on the door to get rid of a few of these old guys, there's Kevin Johnson (fighting Vitali on Dec. 12), Denis Boytsov (23 years old, 26-0 with 21 KO) and Odlanier Solis. Solis may never get into peak fighting shape, but even heavy he's got a boatload of talent.

Light Heavyweight: Chad Dawson doesn't move, but his win over Glen Johnson was an impressive boxing performance. He looked like a guy who's really at the top of his sport this time, by which I mean he looked fully like a guy that belongs there. Not only is he a great talent, but he has matured and become very smart. Clearly he's clicking with trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. Dawson stays at No. 2, behind Bernard Hopkins.

Glen Johnson does drop down from No. 3 to No. 6. He just was not in that fight. The judges' scorecards (two of them at 115-113) really surprised me. Glen clearly lost that fight, no matter how much celebrating he did after. His own corner knew they were down huge, and they had to convince him of that by exaggerating and saying, "Oh, Glen, it's because that always want to job you out!" Johnson has had plenty of losses in his career that were arguable or even robberies, but there have been some that were very legit, too. Last night was quite legit. Dawson made him look 40.

Honestly, I think there's a pretty big gulf between Hopkins and Dawson and the rest of the field.

Junior Middleweight: I flip-flop Alfredo Angulo up to No. 5 and Daniel Santos down to No. 6. I know, I know -- Santos hasn't lost this week. Keep your wigs on. I'm more impressed by what Angulo did to Harry Joe Yorgey than I will be by anything that Santos does to Yuri Foreman next Saturday. I also didn't see Cintron over Angulo as clearly as a lot of people did. That fight wasn't a blowout. It was surprising that Cintron fought perhaps his best-ever fight, but Angulo wasn't outclassed. Honestly, junior middleweight is one of the strangest divisions there is. It's competitive, in a sense, but the top guys aren't fighting each other, and there isn't a single great fighter there.

* * * * * CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS * * * * * *

CompuBox Statistics for Dawson-Johnson and Angulo-Yorgey

2009-11-08T05:53:16Z

Full CompuBox statistics for last night's HBO card in Connecticut are available for your viewing. The statistics are posted after the jump. As always, I note that the numbers don't always tell the story, but they do for Dawson-Johnson, and they especially do for Alfredo Angulo's massacre of Harry Joe Yorgey.

Total Punches Landed / Thrown

Round

Dawson

22/65

22/68

27/77

17/50

23/64

25/69

16/58

17/65

24/68

21/54

17/60

15/58

34%

32%

35%

34%

36%

28%

26%

35%

39%

28%

26%

Johnson

14/56

25/77

14/57

12/54

14/48

16/75

13/59

11/51

14/65

9/48

19/60

14/54

25%

32%

25%

22%

29%

21%

22%

19%

32%

26%

Jabs Landed / Thrown

Round

Dawson

13/50

11/48

9/48

9/39

10/43

8/44

12/45

6/40

3/26

6/34

8/42

9/45

26%

23%

19%

23%

18%

27%

15%

12%

18%

19%

20%

Johnson

6/39

8/16

6/33

9/38

7/34

13/48

6/34

6/33

1/29

2/26

6/36

6/34

15%

50%

18%

24%

21%

27%

18%

17%

18%

Power Punches Landed / Thrown

Round

Dawson

9/15

11/20

18/29

8/11

13/21

17/25

4/13

11/25

21/42

15/20

9/18

6/13

60%

55%

62%

73%

62%

68%

31%

44%

50%

75%

50%

46%

Johnson

8/17

17/61

8/24

3/16

7/14

3/27

7/25

5/18

13/36

7/22

13/24

8/20

47%

28%

33%

19%

50%

11%

28%

36%

32%

54%

40%

Final PunchStat Report

Punches Landed / Thrown

	Total Punches	Jabs	Power Punches
Dawson	246 / 756	104 / 504	142 / 252
Dawson	33%	21%	56%
Johnson	175 / 704	76 / 400	99 / 304
Johnson	25%	19%	33%

* * * * * * * * * *

Total Punches Landed / Thrown

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Angulo	24/85	58/108	31/40
Angulo	28%	54%	78%
Yorgey	16/56	11/52	4/17
Yorgey	29%	21%	24%

Jabs Landed / Thrown

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Angulo	7/44	6/27	1/5
Angulo	16%	22%	20%
Yorgey	3/21	2/18	1/4
Yorgey	14%	11%	25%

Power Punches Landed / Thrown

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Angulo	17/41	52/81	30/35
Angulo	41%	64%	86%
Yorgey	13/35	9/34	3/13
Yorgey	37%	26%	23%

Final PunchStat Report

Punches Landed / Thrown

	Total Punches	Jabs	Power Punches
Angulo	113 / 233	14 / 76	99 / 157
Angulo	48%	18%	63%
Yorgey	31 / 125	6 / 43	25 / 82
Yorgey	25%	14%	30%

New WBA heavyweight titlist David Haye celebrates his decision win over Nikolai Valuev. Read our...

2009-11-08T05:38:18Z

New WBA heavyweight titlist David Haye celebrates his decision win over Nikolai Valuev. Read our full coverage of the fight. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Chad Dawson easily defeats Glen Johnson in rematch

2009-11-08T04:11:26Z

Chad Dawson defeated Glen Johnson decisively in their rematch tonight. (Photo via images.sportinglife.com)

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In the main event of tonight's HBO World Championship Boxing, Chad Dawson routed Glen Johnson over 12 rounds in a rematch of their tight 2008 battle, leaving no doubts this time about the identity of the superior fighter. Dawson kept his undefeated record with arguably the best and most impressive win of his career.

Still, the scorecards were close. Two judges scored it 115-113 for Dawson, and the third scored it a much more realistic-seeming 117-111. Bad Left Hook had it 119-109 for Dawson, who controlled the entire fight, landed all the best punches. HBO's Harold Lederman had it 118-110 for Dawson.

Dawson (29-0, 17 KO) clearly won the fight in my estimation, and everyone watching in our live thread agreed, so it's not just me. The scores sort of seemed as if they were overly cautious after the controversy of the first Dawson-Johnson fight. I felt the second Mayweather-Castillo fight had the same thing in a way.

But the right man won. Dawson made the 40-year-old Johnson look very old and slow for most of the fight. Johnson (49-13-2, 33 KO) never relented with his pressure, but he also never got anything established offensively.

Dawson's next move will be interesting. Hopkins and Jones are tied up, and past them there just aren't many names at 175. Dawson could fight the Pascal-Diaconu winner, or fight Tavoris Cloud. Both fights are attractive, but aren't money bouts, especially considering I doubt Dawson would go to Montreal to fight Jean Pascal, where it could do an excellent crowd.

Hats off to Dawson, who established himself for sure tonight. If there were any questions left, they should be gone now.

Alfredo Angulo destroys Harry Joe Yorgey in three

2009-11-08T02:58:32Z

Alfredo Angulo got right back on the map with a dominant knockout victory over Harry Joe Yorgey. (Photo via www.cazadorpromotion.com)

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Our live, round-by-round coverage is continuing one post down. Dawson-Johnson II starts shortly!

On the first fight of tonight's HBO World Championship Boxing double-header, Mexican brawler Alfredo Angulo utterly destroyed tough Harry Joe Yorgey, knocking him out in the third round.

The first part of the opening round was ruled by Yorgey (22-1-1, 10 KO), but Angulo began to push him around in the second half. The second was a slaughter job, with Yorgey going down once, stumbling around the ring, and probably needing to be called down a second round.

Angulo (17-1, 14 KO) took the initiative in the third again. Yorgey stumbled around the ring some more, and once he was stuck in the corner again, Angulo found him with a monstrous left hook during a blizzard of punches, knocking him out stiff. On the way down, Yorgey was hit with another right hand.

It was a great performance by Angulo, who was simply in a different league than Yorgey. Yorgey's a tough guy, but just not a top-shelf fighter. He was totally overpowered by the stronger, more skilled Angulo. He hit Angulo and didn't even barely dent him. Angulo hit Yorgey and blew him up.

Referee Johnny Callas should have stopped this fight much sooner than he did, and when he didn't, the responsibility fell to the corner, and the corner didn't protect him. Yorgey didn't have to be knocked out that way. After some quick medical attention, Yorgey appeared as OK as you could expect, which is good news. But the referee did not protect the fight, and that matters.

Angulo now holds the interim WBO title, which might get him a bigger fight in his next outing. He's probably as good as he's going to get at 27. He'll always be a bit slow, but when he gets in his groove, he is a machine.

Bad Left Hook Live Boxing Results and Commentary: Chad Dawson v. Glen Johnson II

2009-11-07T23:30:27Z

The rematch between top light heavyweights Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson will be live on HBO tonight, with the two-fight card starting at 9:30pm ET. Junior middleweights Alfredo Angulo (16-1, 13 KO) and Harry Joe Yorgey (22-0-1, 10 KO) do battle in the televised opener.

CHAD DAWSON	Rematch	GLEN JOHNSON
	Main Event

Record:	28-0 (17 KO)	Record:	49-12-2 (33 KO)
Age:	27	Age:	40
Hometown:	New Haven, Connecticut	Hometown:	Miami, Florida (Clarendon, Jamaica)
Height:	6'1"	Height:	5'11"
Reach:	76 1/2"	Reach:	75"
Ranks/Titles:	IBO, #2 Ring, #2 Bad Left Hook, #1 BoxRec	Ranks/Titles:	#3 Ring, #3 Bad Left Hook, #6 BoxRec
TV:	HBO, 9:30pm ET	Venue:	XL Center - Hartford, Connecticut

Klitschko-Johnson to HBO, Pascal-Diaconu II to ESPN in the works

2009-11-08T00:11:15Z

The December 12 fight between Vitali Klitschko and Kevin Johnson could be headed to HBO. (KAP Photo/Keystone/Peter Schneider)

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Dan Rafael reports in this week's notebook at ESPN.com that two fights in December could be coming to American TV.

One was expected. The December 12 WBC heavyweight title fight between Vitali Klitschko and Kevin Johnson looks like it's headed to HBO, which will air it on same-day tape alongside the two fights live from Chicago the network has that night. Klitschko-Johnson, Juan Diaz-Paulie Malignaggi II and Victor Ortiz-Antonio Diaz is a pretty nice little triple-header, wouldn't you say?

It's no surprise because as has been reported and touted frequently, the September 26 fight between Klitschko and Cristobal Arreola did HBO's highest ratings of the year. They were no doubt helped by the Mayweather-Marquez replay leading them in, but they also retained those viewers, which is a big deal.

On December 11, Jean Pascal and Adrian Diaconu will rematch for the light heavyweight title that Pascal won from Diaconu this summer. It was a hell of a good fight, picked up by the Versus Network, who are likely spending any budget they have left on their Hopkins-Ornelas and Green-Jones double-header on December 2.

Instead of Versus getting the rematch or one of the two tapped major networks grabbing it, ESPN looks like they're going to step in and air the bout on ESPN Classic and ESPN360.com. ESPN has nabbed a few fights for Classic in the recent past, including Vitali Klitschko-Juan Carlos Gomez, Wladimir Klitschko-Ruslan Chagaev and O'Neil Bell-Tomasz Adamek. Hopefully this trend keeps up. There are a lot of good fights out there that won't cost the network an arm and a leg to gain U.S. rights for, and there are plenty of boxing fans that will tune in.

David Haye squeaks by Nikolai Valuev to claim WBA title

2009-11-07T23:09:43Z

David Haye managed to win a close decision over Nikolai Valuev in Germany today, giving him the WBA heavyweight title. (Photo by Thomas Langer/Bongarts/Getty Images)

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David Haye managed to win a majority decision in Germany today, beating Nikolai Valuev for the WBA heavyweight title in a typically boring Valuev bout that may have finally rid the division of the giant Russian.

To be blunt, though, Haye was very fortunate to get out of Germany with the belt. He won on scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 114-114, and a 116-112 Valuev card could have been perfectly defensible. The fact that he managed to win a title by fighting as tentatively as he did, in Germany, is almost amazing. Bad Left Hook scored it 115-113 for Haye.

Haye (23-1, 21 KO) looked mostly to land one shot at a time, circling the ring endlessly and staying as far away from Valuev as he possibly could. In fact, there's no getting around it: Haye didn't look like he wanted anything to do with an actual fight against the seven-footer. Valuev (50-2, 34 KO) pressed the action most of the night, but mostly missed his shots.

Haye did rock and nearly drop Valuev in the 12th round, and I think had he gotten him down, Valuev wasn't going to get up. Haye then took his foot off the pedal and got back on his bike. At the time, it was very easy to think he needed that knockdown, or even a knockout. It turns out he didn't.

It was a dreadfully dull fight, almost a replay of Valuev's horrible win over Evander Holyfield last December. This time, Valuev pressed more, bumrushed a little bit, and didn't just stay flat-footed at center ring. Haye was way outside the pocket most of the fight.

Haye got lucky tonight. Not that he won -- I think he won the fight. But that he was given the decision in Germany against a reigning titlist while fighting so tentatively and even scared at times. I'm openly happy that Haye won, but if I were advising his career, I keep him away from the Klitschko brothers and even tell him to just shut up about them. Watching him against Valuev, there's no way he beats one of the Klitschkos. They both destroy him fairly early, and I'm quite certain of that now.

Haye will likely make his first defense against former titlist John Ruiz (44-8-1, 30 KO), who stopped journeyman Adnan Serin in the seventh round on the undercard. If Haye gets past Ruiz, who does fight more aggressively than he used to and still has a very good chin, there are plenty of fights out there. Haye against Tomasz Adamek in a battle of former cruiserweight champions could be quite interesting and really explosive. Haye could fight Cristobal Arreola or Odlanier Solis. There's plenty. But the Klitschkos? Stay away, David.

Bad Left Hook Live Boxing Results and Commentary: Nikolai Valuev v. David Haye

2009-11-07T14:00:24Z

We'll be here starting at 3pm ET for today's heavyweight title fight between Russian giant Nikolai Valuev and confident Brit David Haye. The show is available in the States for $24.99 on pay-per-view, distributed by Integrated Sports. John Ruiz will be "featured" on the undercard, so get your energy shots ready.

NIKOLAI VALUEV		DAVID HAYE
	Main Event

Record:	50-1 (34 KO)	Record:	22-1 (21 KO)
Age:	36	Age:	29
Hometown:	Saint Petersburg, Russia	Hometown:	London, England
Height:	7'0"	Height:	6'3"
Reach:	85"	Reach:	78"
Ranks/Titles:	WBA, #5 Ring Contender, #8 Bad Left Hook, #4 BoxRec	Ranks/Titles:	#8 Ring Contender, #6 Bad Left Hook, #3 BoxRec
TV:	PPV ($24.99), 3pm ET	Venue:	Arena Nürnberger - Nuremberg, Germany

Quick Picks: Valuev-Haye, Dawson-Johnson II and Angulo-Yorgey

2009-11-07T11:39:36Z

Nikolai Valuev and David Haye battle today in Germany for the WBA heavyweight title. (Photo via www.donking.com)

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Bad Left Hook will have live, round-by-round coverage, scoring and analysis for both of these cards. Valuev-Haye starts at 3pm on Integrated Sports PPV in the States ($24.99) and on Sky Box Office in the UK, and the HBO card starts at 9:30pm ET.

Nikolai Valuev v. David Haye (12 Rounds, For Valuev's WBA Heavyweight Title)

I'll flat-out admit again that I'm rooting for Haye because a win for him makes the stagnant heavyweight division that much more interesting. The last time the division got any shot in the arm, it was Vitali Klitschko coming back. And that comeback has simply led to two Klitschkos manhandling their opposition instead of just the one. Haye winning opens things up. Valuev winning does not.

But Valuev can win, and the closer we get to it, the more it feels to me as though that's what we're going to see. I don't like it, but for all the world this just reeks of a massive disappointment for an exciting, dynamic fighter whose chin simply isn't going to stand up. Valuev will be more aggressive here than he was against Holyfield. Valuev, soft as he is, is almost surely a better cardio guy than Haye, and his stamina is likely to hold up. Haye could stop Valuev, but I don't think he's going to get there.

But it's the chin, really. Monte Barrett clipped and wobbled Haye a year ago -- Haye's last fight, mind you -- and with all respect to Barrett (whose fights I've generally enjoyed over the years, and who is still owed a debt of gratitude for getting Tye Fields off of TV), he stinks now.

Valuev will lose some early rounds. Valuev will eventually catch and hurt David Haye. Haye will get up, try to fight back, and in his recklessness, get hit hard again. I hate doing it, and I hope I'm wrong, but I'm going with Valuev by TKO.

Alfredo Angulo v. Harry Joe Yorgey (12 Rounds, For the Vacant Interim WBO Junior Middleweight Title)

I know he's only 27 and that he's got only 17 pro fights under his belt, but this is an immediate future make-or-break for Angulo. He's mauled everyone except Kermit Cintron, and since I think Cintron is way better than Yorgey (yes, I just complimented Cintron), I sort of expect he'll do that again. Yorgey's a tough guy and a decent boxer, and I think he'll make this a pretty entertaining fight for as long as it lasts, but I just don't think he's in Angulo's league. Of Jack Loew fighters, Yorgey's over by Billy Lyell, not by Kelly Pavlik. Angulo by TKO.

Chad Dawson v. Glen Johnson II (12 Rounds, For the Vacant Interim WBC Light Heavyweight Title)

The WBC light heavyweight titlist, for the record, is Jean Pascal, who won it in June, defended it against a mandatory in September, and is fighting a rematch with Adrian Diaconu in December. But hey! Interim title! Good job, WBC! I'll be sure to take your moral stands from your idiotic convention really seriously!

Not even that, but Dawson held the title before and gave it up so he could fight Antonio Tarver instead of Diaconu. Yet Shane Mosley, who once gave up the interim WBC welterweight title, needs to publicly apologize for doing that if he wants the WBC to sanction a fight with Andre Berto in January. Who do these rubes think they are, exactly? I'm serious when I say a six-year-old could poke holes in their logic. I'm no rocket surgeon over here and it's plain as day to me.

Anyway, I expect Dawson to win this one clearly. It's not that I'm underestimating Johnson or don't think he'll make for another competitive, entertaining fight, but Chad's younger and faster and all that. Johnson's a 40-year old man, and 40 is going to be a big, flashing red light for a little while longer. If Johnson wins this fight, that'll put that to an end. Bernard Hopkins alone isn't enough to make me stop thinking fighters tend to decline pretty hardcore at this age. Dawson by UD.

Little Giants: David Haye Looking to Make History

2009-11-07T10:00:24Z

Primo Carnera (right) suffered his share of losses to much smaller men. (Photo via www.boxingforum.com)

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When David Haye climbs into the ring later today to take on WBA heavyweight titlist Nikolai Valuev, he'll be looking to make history as best I can tell.

Should Haye win the fight, he will have set a record for overcoming the largest official weight difference in notable heavyweight boxing history. Just a quick scan of some famous fights and other notable bouts shows that Haye's 98-pound disadvantage tomorrow would top the record that Ruslan Chagaev set when he beat Valuev in 2007.

Now, I might be wrong, but I'm fairly sure I'm not. If David Haye can beat Valuev tomorrow, he will have made some form of history, no matter how frivolous it really is in the grand scheme of things.

One note of course: Valuev isn't just heavy, he's seven feet tall. Some of the guys on this chart were giants for their time, such as Primo Carnera (6'5 1/2"), but the height differential tomorrow is quite enormous, too. Jack Sharkey, who beat Carnera while giving up 59 pounds, was about 6'0". Max Baer was 6'2 1/2", and Joe Louis was 6'2". They gave up very little height to Carnera. Jack Dempsey's very famous win over Jess Willard was similar -- Willard was a massive 6'6 1/2", while Dempsey was also quite a big man at 6'1".

Haye, at about 6'3", gives up a lot more height than those guys did. Valuev has often beern compared to some of these guys, relative to the eras. Like Carnera, many have seen him as a lumbering lummox with no appreciable skill, but I'd actually say he's a far better boxer than Carnera was.

Here are some of the notable fights Haye over Valuev would top. (Notes: The biggest weight differential loss of Carnera's career was actually 68 pounds to Larry Gains in 1932, and I included Holmes-Butterbean mostly for fun.)

Date	Fight	Weight Differential
2007-04-14	Ruslan Chagaev (228.25) over Nikolai Valuev (319)	90.75
2002-07-27	Larry Holmes (254) over Eric "Butterbean" Esch (334)	80
1935-06-25	Joe Louis (196) over Primo Carnera (260.5)	64.5
1931-10-12	Jack Sharkey (202) over Primo Carnera (261)	59
1919-07-04	Jack Dempsey (187.5) over Jess Willard (245)	57.5
1934-06-14	Max Baer (209.5) over Primo Carnera (263.25)	53.75

Arum furious with Oscar over alleged favoritism to Pacquiao

2009-11-07T07:04:57Z

Promoters Bob Arum and Oscar de la Hoya may do business together, but they'll never be best pals. Arum ripped Oscar for erroneous statements about the upcoming Cotto-Pacquiao fight.

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In Oscar de la Hoya's latest blog entry at the Ring Magazine's web site, he suggested that promoter Bob Arum had shown favoritism toward Manny Pacquiao on November 14 by getting the fight into a bigger ring than normal. It was a glaring mistake, of course, as it was way back in August that the ring issue first came up.

At the time, there were rumors that Cotto-Pacquiao would be held in a 24-foot ring. It was totally false information. Nevada regulations call for a 20-foot ring, and the fight will be in a 20-foot ring.

The Ring essentially apologized for the error and removed that portion of de la Hoya's entry, which originally read as follows:

"I believe that’s the reason Bob Arum arranged to have a big ring, to give Pacquiao an advantage. Arum promotes both fighters but, obviously, it benefits him more if Pacquiao wins so they’re going to favor him."

What the Ring didn't print was Arum's full, angry statement about the alleged favoritism. Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports interviewed the Top Rank chief, who had this to say:

“Is that little (expletive) crazy?” Arum asked. “Who writes this (expletive) for him? I’m absolutely outraged. He can pick whoever he wants to pick to win the fight and he can say whatever he wants to say about me, but to write that I arranged to have the ring made bigger to favor anyone is a complete (expletive) lie and is just not true. For as long as I can remember, the rings in Nevada have been 20 feet by 20 feet and I didn’t do (an expletive) thing about changing it.”

Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer -- who had cleared this up back in August -- backed Arum:

“Mr. Arum absolutely did not ask for a different ring size,” Kizer said. “We haven’t been asked that in a long time. As you know, our standard ring is 20-by-20 and no fighter, no promoter, nobody, has asked for a different size in quite some time. The size of the ring on Nov. 14 will be 20-by-20, like it always is.”

Some things never change.

Zab Judah and Joel Casamayor win in comeback bouts

2009-11-07T05:32:57Z

Former lightweight champ Joel Casamayor returned to the ring tonight with a tougher-than-expected win over Jason Davis. (Photo via assets.espn.go.com)

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Zab Judah and Joel Casamayor won as expected in their Las Vegas comeback fights tonight on pay-per-view, leaving only the question of what's left and if either of them are actually any good anymore. Tonight taught us nothing.

In front of a very small crowd that included Erik Estrada at The Palms, Judah stopped retired scrub Ubaldo Hernandez in two rounds on a clear low blow and some sort of arm injury after knocking down the journeyman in the first. The groin shot wasn't intentional, it just sort of happened as Judah was going to the body. He knocked him down on a jab to the body in the first.

Judah (38-6, 26 KO) proclaimed after the fight that he'd be going down to 140 pounds -- yes, he said that again -- to fight titlist Juan Urango. Honestly, as little as I think of Judah at this point, if he's got much of anything left he can and should beat Urango. I have no doubt that Urango could knock him out, but if Zab can make 140 comfortably and fights smart, he's way too fast and skilled for the exceptionally slow and plodding Colombian. He said after that he wants to return to 147 and take on Andre Berto, a guy I'm quite confident he'd lose to in typical Judah fashion.

Before anyone gets excited about Judah's return, let's recap just what this fight was. Hernandez, now 22-20-2, was never good. Ever. And he also hadn't fought in two years. For some reason, Hernandez came out fighting southpaw. His complaining about his arm might indicate he came in with an injury from training.

His recent resume is utterly pathetic for a guy still paraded as a contender. He's also been talking this return to 140 jive for about two years, and he's never actually done it. He did use that as an excuse for pulling out of a twice-scheduled fight with Matthew Hatton, who has never fought at 140 pounds. He ducked out of two fights with Hatton and one with Antonio Diaz this year, and then turned down an offer from Shane Mosley. He'll tell you it was money or not a big enough name, but what do you think he pulled in tonight? This show made no money. This opponent was a straight-up bum with zero credibility who hadn't fought in two years.

If you're going to talk the talk, at least try to walk the walk.

In the co-feature, Joel Casamayor took his first fight at 140 pounds and looked sluggish, powerless and old against a game Jason Davis. Casamayor (37-4-1, 22 KO) won an eight-round decision, taking the cards 79-73 across the board. Bad Left Hook scored it 78-74 for Casamayor. It was a definite win, but not much of one, and it was obvious he has zero power fighting that heavy. He shook off the rust, but never had Davis in any trouble at all and couldn't get the guy to back down one step. He has no future at 140 pounds and if he can make 135 (which his handlers say he still can), he needs to get back down there. He's 38 years old (officially, anyway) and the clock is ticking fast if it hasn't totally run out.

A few more notes:

Zab Judah brought out a bunch of belts he used to hold. That was cute.
Fernando Vargas, who co-promoted the show, did post-fight interviews and such. He needs to fight again about as badly as I need another meatball sub. (Or about as badly as he needs another meatball sub.)
Casamayor says he'll fight anyone, that he's "old school." I'll give him this: He's definitely old school, and I don't doubt he'll fight anyone.
I'm serious. Erik Estrada was there.
The American national anthem was sung by an Englishman.

Bad Left Hook Live Boxing Results and Commentary: Zab Judah and Joel Casamayor Return

2009-11-07T04:11:00Z

Yeah, you read it right. The co-main events are just about to start (11:08pm ET).

Junior Welterweights: Joel Casamayor (36-4-1, 22 KO) v. Jason Davis (11-4-1, 3 KO)

Welterweights: Zab Judah (37-6, 25 KO) v. Ubaldo Hernandez (22-19-2, 10 KO)

Let's... do this.

Respect overdue for Dawson, long overdue for Johnson

2009-11-07T03:15:05Z

Chad Dawson escaped with a narrow win over Glen Johnson in 2008. Tomorrow, he tries to do it again with no doubts remaining. (Photo via cache.daylife.com)

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He was referred to by Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter during Mayweather's short retirement. Four of his last six wins came over top names. When he took the title, he really took it.

He's the only man yet to beat Tomasz Adamek. He routed Antonio Tarver twice. And he came out the victor in a highly competitive and very entertaining fight against Glen Johnson last year. But somehow, Chad Dawson still doesn't seem to have mass respect.

Part of it lies with the fact that many feel Johnson deserved the W over Dawson. I scored that fight a draw, and still feel it's hard to really make a good case that Johnson was "robbed," but since that's been the story of Glen's career, it's an easy story to market from the Johnson side.

Part of it also stems from the fact that Dawson, despite being a very likable guy who makes for solid fights when not against the frustrating Tarver. He's unbeaten, has had good backing from both Showtime and HBO, and has honestly taken the best fights he could get. The Tarver rematch was a contractual thing, the Johnson rematch something he admittedly didn't want to go after, but when his hand was forced, he did it, and he vacated a title to make it happen. It was the only fight out there for him.

Someday, Dawson will move up in weight. He's talked about going down to 168, but that would probably just serve to weaken him. There are several who feel -- and I'm one of them -- that Dawson will someday compete at heavyweight, as his old foe Tomasz Adamek is now doing. A stop over at cruiserweight could offer some attractive bouts, too, and would help him bulk up naturally.

For now, though, he's a light heavyweight, and you can argue he's the world's best (I don't, at least not yet, with Bernard Hopkins still existing). And the rematch with Johnson tomorrow night can go a long way to earning him the accolades he's yet to fully acquire.

Make no mistake, it's no easy win. Johnson is probably still the most dodged man in the division, and at 40 has shown no real signs of slowing down. He's as tough as they come, a relentless sort who loves to mix it up, with a chin made of granite and heavy enough hands to put down anyone. Since the narrow loss to Dawson, Johnson has again found it hard to get proper opponents. He has faced Aaron Norwood and rematched Daniel Judah in the 19 months since the Dawson loss.

Dawson, who lives in New Haven, will have the home field advantage in Hartford, Connecticut tomorrow. His family and friends will be there, the XL Center will be almost 100% his fans, and the truth is, he's the younger, faster, more athletic, more dynamic fighter. He should win.

And if he doesn't, make way for 40-year old Glen Johnson, the continually-ignored, continually-great fighter that refuses to go away, no matter how many times it seems like promoters or TV networks wish he would.

Sexton tops Rogan, McCloskey dominates Rasilla in Northern Ireland

2009-11-06T23:55:08Z

Sam Sexton (right) won decisively against Martin Rogan in their Belfast rematch. Rogan quit after six rounds of action. (Photo via www.irishnews.com)

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On the Friday Sky Sports double-header from two sites in Northern Ireland, Sam Sexton came out with a much clearer victory over Martin Rogan in their heavyweight rematch, and Paul McCloskey dominated Spaniard Daniel Rasilla to claim the vacant European junior welterweight title.

First from Magherafelt, McCloskey improved to 20-0 with a completely one-sided victory over Rasilla, a late substitute for Souleymane M'baye, stopping him with two knockdowns in the ninth round. McCloskey won every round of the fight, and basically every minute of the fight, with his awkward, stalking southpaw style. His punches come from all angles, and he gave the outclassed Rasilla nightmares the entire evening.

Rasilla (15-3, 4 KO) gave a brave effort, but was just too slow and mechanical for McCloskey, who hopefully will get a fight on par with the M'baye proposal next. He's good, but it's time to find out how good with another step up. Rasilla was no challenge at all. McCloskey (20-0, 10 KO) probably won't be a world force, as he's already 30, but only the very best wouldn't have a bit of trouble with his style, I believe.

In the big heavyweight rematch in Belfast, Martin Rogan came to knock Sam Sexton out, which he likely should have the first time around, but failed to get rid of him. I had Rogan up four rounds to one (49-46) after five rounds, the fifth of which was an oddly desperate sort of charge by Rogan, who was clearly leaving it all in the ring in what smelled of a last-ditch effort.

As it turned out, it pretty much was. Sexton dominated the sixth round with jabs, combinations, lead rights, and left hooks, destroying Rogan and leaving him wobbling at the end of the round. After that sixth round, Rogan retired from the fight in his corner.

Afterward, Rogan (12-2, 6 KO) said he has a pinched nerve that was a holdover from the first fight with Sexton, and that his left arm felt "dead." Again, the fifth round felt like a guy who was fighting to get a knockout or that was it. He must have felt that injury creeping up fast, because he was winging every big shot he had in his arsenal. Sexton withstood it, blasted him around in the sixth, and Rogan decided that was enough.

Sexton (13-1, 6 KO) retains his Commonwealth heavyweight title with the big victory, and at 25 I think he has some solid promise, at least on the domestic level. He is getting better, and he mostly dominated the first fight with Rogan with his jab. This time around he wasn't in the same rhythm, but he also appeared much more calm, relaxed and aware of what he could do. They were confident this time, and it showed, even though I had Sexton down 58-56 when the fight was stopped. That sixth clearly had the fight going his way, and had Rogan come out again a stoppage wasn't far off.

At 38, Rogan has only a short window remaining. I actually think he's a better boxer than he's often given credit for being. Yeah, he's a lunging brawler and gets hit a fair amount, but his base skills really aren't that bad. He's not some hack; he knows what he's doing in there. And given that his fights are almost always entertaining and that he's absolutely adored in Northern Ireland, he's still got some fights left in him. His career's already been pretty improbable, but I for one am glad we've gotten to see it happen.

Congratulations to Sexton and McCloskey on their wins, and a hats off to the brave Rasilla and the always-fun Martin Rogan.

HBO promo for tomorrow night's Dawson-Johnson II / Angulo-Yorgey double-header on World...

2009-11-06T22:55:10Z

HBO promo for tomorrow night's Dawson-Johnson II / Angulo-Yorgey double-header on World Championship Boxing.

Bad Left Hook Live Boxing Results and Commentary: McCloskey-Rasilla and Sexton-Rogan II

2009-11-06T18:00:32Z

Bad Left Hook will have live, round-by-round coverage starting at 5pm ET for the Sky Sports dual-site double-header featuring Paul McCloskey against Daniel Rasilla and the Commonwealth heavyweight title rematch between Sam Sexton and Martin Rogan. Join us!

PAUL MCCLOSKEY		DANIEL RASILLA
	Co-Main Event

Record:	19-0 (9 KO)	Record:	15-2 (4 KO)
Age:	30	Age:	29
Hometown:	Dungiven, Northern Ireland	Hometown:	Santander, Spain
Height:	5'8 1/2"	Height:	5'11"
Reach:	N/A	Reach:	N/A
Ranks/Titles:	#13 BoxRec (140)	Ranks/Titles:	#172 BoxRec (140)
TV:	Sky Sports 2, 5pm ET	Venue:	Meadowbank Sports Arena - Magherafelt, Northern Ireland

SAM SEXTON	Rematch	MARTIN ROGAN
	Co-Main Event

Record:	12-1 (5 KO)	Record:	12-1 (6 KO)
Age:	25	Age:	38
Hometown:	Norwich, England	Hometown:	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Height:	6'2"	Height:	6'3"
Reach:	71"	Reach:	76"
Ranks/Titles:	Commonwealth, #23 BoxRec (Hvy)	Ranks/Titles:	#48 BoxRec (Hvy)
TV:	Sky Sports 2, 5pm ET	Venue:	Odyssey Arena - Belfast, Northern Ireland

Nicolai Valuev and David Haye weigh in. Valuev came in at 315, while Haye came in at 218. Valuev...

2009-11-06T17:48:57Z

Nicolai Valuev and David Haye weigh in. Valuev came in at 315, while Haye came in at 218. Valuev has tended to look his best when he weighs in around 320, but usually he leaves his clothes on for the weigh in, so he's probably around his ideal weight.