Ron Borges is Wrong: A Defense of the Klitschkos
Ron Borges thought this would be a good time to take an argument and try to strip it of all logic, facts and reason, and instead use it to keep toeing the party line that the heavyweight division sucks, and therefore, in turn, the Klitschko brothers are to blame.
Borges’ boxing writer resume is impeccable. I don’t doubt his boxing knowledge. But like many of today’s writers, he is holding a grudge against the modern heavyweight that is just way out of line.
His recent column over at The Sweet Science is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Borges goes out of his way to bash the brothers Klitschko, Wladimir and Vitali, for not doing things as what he sees being the right way.
So what are they doing wrong?
Apparently, they whine too much and want things their way. But let’s take a look at Borges’ arguments and see just where he goes wrong.
Argument #1:
“Now according to Klitschko, a unification fight with WBA title holder Nikolai Valuev is being held hostage by – drum roll – Don King and, to a lesser extent, German promoter Wilfried Sauerland, who in partnership hold the promotional rights to [Nicolai] Valuev. Klitschko is insisting he has offered Valuev a 50-50 split, a fair amount considering that each man holds one quarter of the major titles presently in existence. But he also says King is insisting on three years of options on him if he wins, which is absurd but typical if true.”
So a Klitshcko-Valuev fight is not made and Valuev’s two promoters are known to be two of the most difficult to deal with in all of boxing. King has a reputation for demanding rights to fighters if they beat his champion and Valuev has a reputation of not leaving his home base to fight anyone that could be considered a threat.
Borges goes on to conclude that
“The latter sounds fair enough, and so does a 50-50 split with Valuev, assuming that includes all revenues and not merely some of it, which may be a big assumption. King insisting on options comes as no surprise either, although how he gets around the [Muhammad] Ali Act is beyond me and hence it is difficult to fathom how any such demand would hold water legally. One has to wonder if that was anything more than posturing by King, assuming it ever happened in the first place.”
General conclusion: Klitschko’s fault.
Argument #2:
Why isn’t a fight with David Haye made yet?
That wouldn’t get the fight made, according to [Bernd] Boente, because Haye can’t deliver a deal for a British soccer stadium, which according to Boente reduces the undefeated Haye to something less than a mandatory challenger and hence means a purse reduction.
The facts on this one seem clear as day. Haye was given the opportunity to fight for a title, despite having no heavyweight qualifications to have earned him such a shot. Haye and his people are promising sold out soccer stadiums in London, which in turn is promising huge television money all over Europe.
Then Haye’s people say they can’t do a soccer stadium because of the economy. So they tell Klitschko that now they are no longer bringing any money to the table, you have to secure us a location in Germany, and Haye still has not earned his title shot. But in the court of public opinion, Haye is the guy that they need to fight.
Haye and his team showed their lack of experience and professionalism in negotiations and it may have cost Haye a shot at the title.
Conclusion: Klitschko is at fault and is ducking Haye, and the brothers just won’t fight anybody.
Argument #3:
Why don’t these guys just fight somebody? When the elder Klitschko came out of a four-year retirement he got an automatic title shot against [Sam] Peter his first fight back. Didn’t have to face anyone despite having not been in the ring with a decent heavyweight since [Lennox] Lewis beat his eye out of his head five years earlier. Neither the Klitschko brothers nor Boente were doing any screaming then that they were being given an unfair advantage while bypassing the many working heavyweights who hadn’t held the title hostage year after year claiming one injury after another.
Lesson one: When you retire as champion, you are given Champion Emeritus status, which entitles you to get a shot at your belt immediately upon returning to the ring. It is irrelevant who he had fought since his four-year layoff, as he had already done the work to guarantee him a shot at the Maskaev-Peter winner before he left the game.
And as for Lewis beating his eye out of his head — wow. Talk about some revisionist history. Yes, Lewis won on cuts, but if you think that’s the only relevant part of that story, you’re just being one-sided in your argument. Klitschko beat Lewis around the ring, was winning on all three cards and was desperate to continue the fight. Lewis collapsed into his corner after the sixth and final round and clearly had nothing left in the tank. After doing all he could to try to make a rematch, Lewis chose to retire rather than fight Vitali again. Lewis got the win, but there was a reason that Vitali won over the crowd in Los Angeles that night, and it wasn’t because Lewis beat his eye out of his head.
But well done with the sneaky way of slipping it in as one sentence that most people will gloss over. You probably tricked a lot of people on that one.
And as for “why don’t they just fight somebody?”, what are you talking about? Wladimir has fought the exact same number of times as your precious David Haye since winning the title. He just fought in December and Vitali fights this week. What is your argument? Who do you want them to fight, and just how often?
Argument #4:
They dictate terms as if they were two guys who actually attract fans, which outside of Germany they don’t, as proved by their consistently underwhelming pay-per-view numbers. It’s also why half the time they fight in Germany rather than in the U.S., and HBO doesn’t insist otherwise.
Boente was quoted saying a fight with Haye “doesn’t make sense if he doesn’t bring more to the table than a regular challenger like Hasim Rahman or Tony Thompson. Why pay him more than a mandatory challenger?’’
Maybe because a few people might actually be interested in watching?
So apparently the most important thing that a heavyweight needs to be is marketable in the United States. First of all, (and I may be wrong on this) I can’t remember a SINGLE Klitschko fight being on pay-per-view. So which PPV was underwhelming? None here in America.
Yes, a few people might be interested in watching a Klitschko-Haye fight. But when he hasn’t earned the fight, and there are mandatories out there that allow you to keep your titles and make more or as much money, why should he fight him. Because a few delusional Europeans think his glass-chin can withstand a real heavyweights punch (even though it barely survived cruiserweight)?
Tell David Haye to fight someone that is worth a damn and he will earn the right to fight for the title, rather than just try to talk his way into it. One win in the division over Monte Barrett does not a contender make.
Haye had a fight with either Klitschko presented to him on a silver platter, and he and his people pissed it away. Is that the Klitschko’s fault? Borges thinks so.
Argument #5:
Let us examine, for a moment, who these two guys have beaten. On his “march’’ to the title, Vitali holds wins over Vaughn Bean, Larry Donald, Kirk Johnson, Corrie Sanders, Danny Williams and Peter. He also sandwiched in a four-year layoff in there somewhere.
His brother has beaten a murderer’s row that includes Chris Byrd, Calvin Brock, Ray Austin, Lamon Brewster, Sultan Ibragimov, Thompson and Rahman. The latter, Rahman, had been beaten in his career by Oleg Maskaev, John Ruiz, James Toney, Holyfield and Lewis yet is arguably the best guy Wladimir Klitschko ever beat.
Wladimir beats two titlists (Byrd, Ibragimov) to win the belts he currently has, beats three mandatory defenses (Rahman, Austin, Brewser), and two guys who were a combined 60-1 that everyone said he had to fight (Thompson, Brock). Who gives a shit if you think it was a “murderer’s row”? It was the best heavyweights in the world at the time. Why not point out who he didn’t fight? Oh, yeah — he fought them all.
As for Vitali, you conveniently leave out that he was not the champion and was trying to get himself a fight with Lennox Lewis. It wasn’t his responsibility to take the most marketable or biggest fights, it was his responsibility to try to win a title. In those fights listed, he won two title eliminators and one title, while also beating Lewis around the ring in a loss.
And Rahman is arguably the best guy that Wladimir ever beat? Really? What world do you live in? Perhaps in 2001 he would have had an argument, but even the biggest Klitschko diehards will tell you that he was not much of a challenge at the time they fought. But he was a mandatory and Klitschko fulfilled his obligation to the sanctioning bodies by beating the living daylights out of him. Everybody who follows boxing will rank Chris Byrd and Sam Peter well above Rahman, at least at the times that they fought.
Then Borges finishes out the column with this gem of an argument.
Argument #6:
And these guys are making demands and setting terms? What do they bring to the table besides big German TV money? Good PR and HBO’s checkbook. One of these days someone at Time-Warner may actually take a look at what they’ve been paid and ask Ross Greenberg a simple question? Why?
As for Valuev, why should he help the Klitschkos unify half the title when they have no intention of ever unifying all of it? They never had the slightest interest in helping him earlier in his career when his promoter kept trying to lure one of them into the ring.
It seems clear Valuev loses to either Klitschko because he can’t spell F-I-G-H-T let alone actually do it, so the world is hardly crying out for the match despite the Klitschkos’ claims to the contrary. No one cares.
The fact is for all their posturing, pouting, palavering, they own title belts won against lousy opposition. That is not all their fault but most of the sporting world really couldn’t care less about them or the heavyweight division. If they fight, fine. If they don’t, just as fine. Valuev? Haye? Gomez? Chris Arreola?
Who cares?
I’ll summarize this one: What have the Klitschko’s done to earn the right to call the shots during negotiations?
Oh, I don’t know — BE THE UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS? Seriously, what haven’t they done to get the upper hand in negotiations?
But the final argument is the one that gets me, summarized as “it doesn’t matter anyway, since I don’t care about the guys their not fighting, either.”
Exactly. You don’t care about any of them. They keep beating the guys who earn their spot as the mandatory defense or number one contender, and you don’t care to give them credit. You don’t care to see them fight Haye, but you have the balls to call them out for not doing it when other fights offer more money?
I’ve always respected Ron Borges as a boxing writer, but this is just plain old fashioned hatred. Sorry the Klitschkos were born in the wrong country. Believe me, if either of the brothers had the exact same resume and were American, they’d be the biggest stars in sports today.
Imagine a 6’7″ white guy from California who knocked out everyone he fought, while having his doctorate degree. If you don’t think he’d be a superstar, you’re just flat out wrong.
Just like Ron Borges.
Results
Undercard Set for Peter – Chambers
Via Press Release
LOS ANGELES, March 5 – What do California cities of East Los Angeles, City of Commerce and Covina have in common? They hold the distinction of being home to three of the top young fighters in the World today, Shawn Estrada, Javier Molina and John Molina, Jr. (no relation) respectively. All three cities will be well represented when each of these young men step into the ring at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on Friday, March 27.
Before World heavyweight contenders Eddie Chambers and Samuel Peter take to the ring at Nokia, one local kid from Covina whose trainer has nicknamed the “Sledgehammer,” John Molina, Jr. and two standout members of the 2008 United States Olympic team, Estrada and Javier Molina, will provide their own form of fireworks, as the up-and-coming prospects look to steal the show from the big men.
John Molina (15-0, 11 KOs) brings a whole new meaning to the “entertainment business of boxing.” Old-school fighting mentality, power in both hands, witty as George Lopez, good looks that are a cross between Mario Lopez and Elvis (the one with sideburns) with the only thing missing is “The King’s” guitar. Molina wants only one thing when the bell rings: to finish his opponent off while thoroughly entertaining the fans. He’s pure excitement, with a lot of risk being exciting. This mentality has led the 26-year old jr. lightweight to a perfect pro boxing record, and after making his national television debut in February with a third round knockout of Joshua Allotey, the buzz about Molina is getting louder.
East LA’s Estrada, nicknamed “El Chamuko” (“The Monster”) goes for his third straight knockout victory against Ray Craig, in a 4-round super middleweight bout, and in a 4-round junior welterweight contest, we’ll see Javier Molina from City of Commerce making his professional boxing debut.
Goossen Tutor Promotions presents this marquee night of boxing and entertainment, which will be televised live on a special edition of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights beginning at 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT. The Chambers-Peter Heavyweight Bout is being promoted in association with Duva Boxing.
It will be the first ever boxing event staged from the world-class 7,100-seat Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, which is the centerpiece of L.A. LIVE, a 4-million square foot / $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports, residential and entertainment district adjacent to STAPLES Center.
The 23-year old Estrada (2-0, 2 KOs) came out of nowhere to earn an Olympic berth for the 2008 Games. His inspiring story captivated fight fans, and once they got a chance to see him in the ring, they were hooked. After going 1-1 in the Olympics losing to the eventual Gold Medalist from England, Estrada turned pro on November 29, 2008 with a knockout of Lawrence Jones in one minute of the first round. His next opponent Shaun Spaid fared worse, lasting only 43 seconds. On March 27th, Estrada looks to make it three in a row. Standing in the Olympian’s way will be 27-year old Oakland product Ray Craig (5-4, 2 KOs), a hard-nosed veteran who will be shooting for the upset against the Olympian.
Included on this blockbuster undercard and the newest member of Goossen Tutor Promotions and a teammate of Estrada in Beijing, China is the 2008 US Olympian Javier Molina. Molina, who is often referred to as “El Intocable” (“The Untouchable”) is a talented 19 year old, already drawing rave reviews from boxing insiders who believe a world title is in his future. Molina comes from a fighting family that has seen his father, uncle, and older brother fight professionally, while his twin brother Oscar was a member of the Mexican Olympic team. On March 27th he begins his own fistic journey.
“Get used to hearing Molina, Estrada, Molina because I believe all three have the ability to become boxing’s next generation of stars and all are Los Angeles hometown heroes. They’re young, talented and best of all, they love to fight,” said promoter Dan Goossen.
Tickets priced at $100, $75, $50, and $25 are available tomorrow, Friday, March 6 online at ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740-2000. Tickets are also available at the STAPLES Center Box Office. Monday-Saturday Event Days: 9:00 AM – ½ hour after event start. Non-Event Days: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM – Sunday Event Days: 10:00 AM – ½ hour after event start. Non-Event Days: Closed.
Bute Risks IBF Belt Against Zuniga
THERE ARE QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED WHEN POPULAR LUCIAN BUTE DEFENDS IBF TITLE AGAINST HARD-HITTING FULGENCIO ZUNIGA
Via Press Release
Coming off one of the most controversial victories in years, undefeated Lucian Bute will return to SHOWTIME® to risk his International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight crown against hard-hitting Fulgencio Zuniga on a special World Championship edition of ShoBox: The New Generation on Friday, March 13 (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Last October in his hometown of Montreal and his first ShoBox appearance, Bute dominated the initial 11-plus rounds against Librado Andrade but fell apart late and was brutally knocked down in the final seconds. Visibly shaken and hurt, Bute barely made it to his feet as he beat the referee’s 10-count to retain his belt on a lopsided decision.
A battered Bute, however, escaped with a triumph that was questioned by many who feel the time elapsed during the 10-count was closer to 20 seconds or more and that the ref’s decision-making after the knockdown aided the exhausted hometown hero. Most notably, the ref has been criticized by many members of the media for devoting too much concern – and precious time – to the whereabouts of Andrade and a neutral corner.
Bute (23-0, 18 KOs) did not depart the ring with the look of a winner, which is a reason he must be admired for coming back so quickly against a determined, dangerous slugger like Colombia’s Zuniga (22-3-1, 19 KOs), who is no stranger to hostile environments and whose only defeats were to world champions.
But is southpaw Bute coming back too soon? Is the aura of invincibility still there? How much did the final round drubbing by Andrade take out of him physically, emotionally and mentally? What is the homefield advantage worth to a classy young man with widespread popularity in Montreal? Is Bute truly a boxer you can never count out of a fight?
Tune in on March 13 for those answers and more.
ShoBox announcers Nick Charles (blow-by-blow) and Steve Farhood (expert analyst) called the Bute-Andrade fight and are eager to see how this one plays out.
“What makes this fight so fascinating to me are the question marks about Bute’s state of mind and especially his confidence,” Charles said. “He’s still champion — barely — but the way he left the ring against Andrade on ShoBox makes me wonder whether he’ll have the confidence to weather the storm against a hard-hitting power puncher like Zuniga.
“I love the fact Bute is fighting so soon and not just sitting around, but he had his world rocked. How he responds is difficult to measure, which is what makes this matchup even more interesting and compelling than it already is.”
Added Farhood: “Given what happened in the last 20 seconds of Bute’s fight with Andrade, there’s a strange curiosity to want to see this guy in another tough fight. Zuniga has the credentials and the punch to supply Bute with exactly that.”
A 29-year-old, 6-foot-2 inch Montreal-based Romanian, Bute will be making the third defense of the 168-pound belt he won with an 11th-round TKO over Alejandro Berrio on Oct. 19, 2007, in Montreal, where the defending champion’s last 11 fights have taken place.
With several more potential major fights looming if successful, the talented Bute, who possesses huge advantages in height and reach over Zuniga, is determined to make a statement on March 13.
“I want to put on a great show,” he said. “Zuniga is a very aggressive fighter and I know he will try to pressure me. But his style will be very beneficial for my career.
“Friday the 13th will be very unlucky for Zuniga. He will not leave the Bell Centre with the IBF belt in his bag but rather with a fourth career defeat.”
Zuniga, not unlike Andrade, is an aggressive-minded puncher. He has excellent experience against top-level opposition. He is gritty, rugged-chinned and fights with pressure and purpose.
In his ShoBox debut, Zuniga put on a sensational performance against a previously undefeated fighter that came in with a record of 26-0 with 26 knockouts. Zuniga overcame a disputed first-round knockdown to out-work, out-punch and, ultimately, outclass the highly regarded Victor Oganov.
“That was obviously a very important victory for me and the best of my career,’’ said Zuniga, a natural junior middleweight. “I think I proved what kind of fighter I am.”
His only setbacks have been against Kelly Pavlik (the lone fighter to stop Zuniga), Daniel Santos and Denis Inkin.
The decision loss to local hero Inkin in September 2008 came on a controversial 12-round decision in a world title fight in Germany the 5-foot-10-inch, 31-year-old Zuniga took on two weeks notice.
“I had visa problems and didn’t get to Germany until six days before the fight,’’ said Zuniga. “I never adjusted to the time. But even though I was tired and Inkin is a good boxer, I believe I outworked him and won.”
Zuniga rebounded in his next fight (November 2008) to register a third-round knockout over Diego Castillo and has now won five of his last six.
For his next venture onto foreign soil, Zuniga plans to keep it simple. “I will pressure Bute from the first round,” he said.
Zuniga’s hopes of an upset likely were bolstered by developments in two recent, major boxing main events in Montreal. In both, local favorites Steve Molitor and Herman Ngoudjo were soundly defeated by Celestino Caballero (on SHOWTIME) and Juan Urango, respectively, in IBF championship fights.
“I sparred a week with Bute,” Zuniga said. “He is a fast, hard hitting boxer. But I’ve always been confident I could compete with the top guys. I have the power to knock him out and the skills to decision him. I’m working hard. I will be a world champion soon and I need to bring the belt back to Colombia.
“I only ask for a fair referee.”
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Fight News
Preview: Vitali Klitschko vs. Juan Carlos Gomez
The return of Vitali Klitschko continues this weekend when he defends his WBC heavyweight title against Juan Carlos Gomez. Klitschko won the title when he returned from nearly four years away from the sport to dominate Sam Peter in October, claiming back the belt that he left with.
Klitschko could not have been more impressive in his win over Peter, making the Nigerian quit after eight one-sided rounds. It was better than anyone expected, and once again Klitschko made it look easy. Should we expect anything else from Gomez?
Based on Vitali’s career, there’s no reason to think things are about to change. So just how good is Vitali Klitschko?
At 36-2, Klitschko has only heard the scorecards read once in his professional career, knocking out all other opponents in his wins, with his only two losses coming by injury and cuts. In both of his losses, he was winning on all scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Lennox Lewis is the only fighter that ever looked like he belonged in the ring with Vitali.
Gomez, however, is no slouch. While Vitali has dominated virtually everyone he’s faced, his resume is not exactly a who’s who of heavyweight boxing. Gomez is a solid opponent that has sparred with Klitschko in the past, and poses a possible matchup dilemma.
While he’s four inches shorter than Klitschko, Gomez matches the Ukrainian in reach — and he’s a lefty. A southpaw that will be able to reach Klitschko could be just the kind of matchup that takes him off his game.
Gomez suffered his only defeat four and a half years ago, racking up 44 wins around it since going pro in 1995. Until 2001, Gomez was fighting as a cruiserweight, and was an impressive 34-0 with 29 knockouts before moving up. Now, he faces the toughest test of his career in Klitschko, and probably has to be damn near perfect to pull the upset.
Klitschko, on the other hand, probably just needs to not be injured to win the fight. That’s been the case in all of his other fights. He is a tremendously underrated boxer with devastating power, and a solid chin. In today’s world of heavyweights, about the only one with the package to defeat him is his brother, Wladimir, but that’s not going to happen.
I think Gomez will pose a slight threat for the first two rounds — and by threat I mean he won’t get dominated and could win a few rounds. I don’t see Gomez hurting Klitschko, so he will have to box very well and be very cautious to win a decision. He should give Klitschko some trouble in the early rounds, but once Vitali adjusts, he should take over and promptly put an end to the fight. If Gomez can get knocked out in the first round by Yanqui Diaz, then he may not take a right hand from a Klitschko that well.
Another dominant performance from Vitali and I won’t be surprised to see many boxing folks start putting him on top of the heavyweight rankings. His fights with Corrie Sanders and Peter showed that he is in fact the better fighter, so it is just a matter of giving him the nod over the brother with the better resume and more belts. But that’s a debate to be had after this fight.
An interesting side note in this fight is that it is the first heavyweight title fight ever to be shown live on ESPN. Kudos to the Worldwide Leader for picking up the fight, and even more kudos to them for having the sack to air it on The Uno — up against the March Madness. A solid performance from these two men is extremely important, as there may never be another stage so big for them again if it isn’t a great show.
I think we’ll get an entertaining fight, competitive for two or three rounds, then increasingly one-sided as Klitschko finds his distance, rhythm and timing. Once that happens, it’s just a matter of time before Gomez is on the canvas.
Prediction: Klitschko KO 5.
Golden Boy Planning June Title Tripleheader
Golden Boy is working on something, and that something could be a very special night of boxing.
According to Michael Rosenthal at Ring Magazine, Golden Boy is planning a triple-header for June 27 that would feature three fights that could all be considered headliners in a different time and place (see: HBO, 2008).
The card would take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, featuring a rematch between Chris John and Rocky Juarez, James Kirkland vs. WBO junior middleweight titlist Sergei Dzindziruk (assuming a Kirkland May 2 win), and Victor Ortiz against WBA junior welterweight titlist Andreas Kotelnik.
Kirkland and Ortiz shared a Boxing After Dark card in February, beating Joel Julio and Mike Arnauotis , respectively. John and Juarez fought to a close, but disputed draw on the undercard of the Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz fight in Houston. Most observors felt that John won the fight, but it was close enough, especially the final three rounds, to merit a rematch.
For Kirkland and Ortiz, this would be their first title shots.
“I’m working on it like crazy,” Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told Ring. “If I pull it off, it’ll be huge.”
If this card comes together as planned, and airs on regular, non-PPV HBO, then this will be just another example of what boxing is doing right in the last year. HBO and Showtime have both stepped up with quality non-PPV cards recently, and for the past two years we have seen a drastic increase in quality fights being made by top fighters and promoters.
Here’s hoping for more of the same.
Opinion
Calzaghe Scores One More Win in Retirement
Joe Calzaghe may not do battle in the ring anymore, but he scored one last important victory in the courts, defeating his former promoter Frank Warren.
The High Court ruled that Warren’s Sports Network Limited must pay Calzaghe $2.8 million, the amount that Calzaghe claimed Warren owed him from his fight with Bernard Hopkins in 2008.
According to the Associated Press:
The undefeated former super middleweight champion claimed that Warren persuaded him to sign contracts under duress while he was suffering dehydration and hunger preparing for fights.
Warren argued he did not owe the boxer. He claimed Calzaghe owed him $1.4 million for breaking his contract over his last fight with Roy Jones Jr. in November.
The BBC , however, reported that the judge in the case rejected the claims from Calzaghe that he was made to sign contracts under duress.
Warren said in a statement that he never disputed the fact that he owed Calzaghe money from the Hopkins fight, he just says that they were in disagreement over the amount. He also said in the statement that they plan to appeal the ruling.
Sports Network, throughout the litigation, has always said that it would pay Joe Calzaghe but we disputed the sum he claimed (paragraph 16 of the Judgment: “The Claimant [Sports Network Limited] does not dispute that a substantial sum of money is owed by the Claimant to the Defendant [Joe Calzaghe] in respect of the bout with Mr Hopkins although it does dispute that the sum owed is as large as alleged by the Defendant”). We were right to do so and feel vindicated in defending Joe’s claim which we have reduced by almost £1.5million. Our lawyers have advised Sports Network to appeal to reduce the sum even further, which it fully intends to do.
The case came to life when Warren and Calzaghe split in 2008. Calzaghe went on to self-promote his fight with Roy Jones in November, prompting Warren to sue him for money that he felt he was due. Calzaghe then counter-sued for his Hopkins money, leading us to this ruling.
Apparently, Warren and Calzaghe had every bit of their relationship in writing and detailed contracts, but the judge couldn’t accept that Warren could not produce a single bit of evidence that Calzaghe had agreed to continue his relationship through the Jones fight. Warren was claiming that a verbal agreement was in place, but with his history of solid bookkeeping and records, a lack of evidence was what cost him.
Calzaghe retired from boxing in February, with an undefeated record of 46-0.
Video: Kirkland vs. Julio Highlights
James Kirkland takes on Joel Julio in the biggest test of his career on HBO’s Boxing After Dark.
Thanks to HBO and YouTube for this reel.