Blog News: Froch-Taylor, Cotto-Mosley, Calzaghe
February 18, 2009
According to BoxingScene.com, the Jermain Taylor – Carl Froch super-middleweight fight for Froch’s WBC belt is just about done. Word around campus is that the fight will either be at Madison Square Garden or Foxwoods and air on Showtime.
My money is on Foxwoods.
Miguel Cotto – Shane Mosley II will likely not happen next for either fighter, according to Bob Arum. Arum told Setanta Sports that he has little interest in making a rematch of the star welterweights, saying that it just isn’t economically the best fight to be made.
Arum does however feel that Cotto vs. Manny Pacquiao is a legitimate possibility for 2009. Let’s see how Manny does against someone above 130 pounds that is willing to fight back first.
Joe Calzaghe says that his retirement is real, and that he is no Floyd Mayweather. Despite Mayweather remaining retired so far this time, most observers still feel that he’ll be back in the ring sooner or later.
Calzaghe says that his decision was long thought out and not a rash decision like he says Floyd’s was. He says his retirement was 18 months in the planning and it is final, no matter who they put in front of him.
While many fighters are still trying to lure Calzaghe back to the ring, he says there are no opponents that he needs to fight and is content with his physical and economic conditions as he leaves the sport.
Dawson – Tarver Rematch Off; Dawson Injured
February 18, 2009
An injury to a ligament in one of Chad Dawson’s hands has forced the light-heavyweight titlist to withdraw from his March 14 fight with Antonio Tarver, according to promoter Garry Shaw.
Shaw told ESPN.com that Dawson injured one of his hands while sparring for the upcoming bout, but was unsure which hand it was. Dawson will be ready to resume training in a few weeks, but there is no word on whether or not HBO is going to secure a new date for the fight.
Dawson (27-0, 17 KOs) and Tarver (27-5, 19) fought to a one-sided decision last year, as Dawson dominated most of the fight and dropped Tarver in the last round.
More on this when HBO makes a final decision to either get Tarver another opponent or move the date to another HBO available night.
Martinez Knocks Out Cintron; Earns Draw
February 14, 2009
In what can only be called one of the worst examples of officiating in the last decade, combined with the worst refereeing arguably in the history of the sport, Sergio Martinez knocked out Kermit Cintron, only to be told to keep fighting, in which he was robbed of a dominant victory and got a draw.
At the end of the seventh round, Martinez landed a perfect punch that put Cintron on the canvas. After counting to ten, then saying “it’s over,” the ref gave Cintron well over two minutes to recover and then said that they will continue to fight.
In the 12th round, the referee deducted a point from Martinez for hitting Cintron in the back of the head, despite the fact that Cintron’s head was at waist level and Martinez was throwing a straight punch.
There are no words to describe this, other than travesty.
I’ve heard the phrase “needs a knockout to win a decision,” but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fighter get a knockout, and settle for a draw.
The fact that two judges scored this fight 113-113 is an embarrassment to the sport.
Cintron, clearly unaware that a perfect punch knocked him out, still thought that he did enough to win the fight.
“Hell yeah I did enough to win,” Cintron said. “I clearly won it. I thought he hit me with a headbutt in round seven. Nobody hits that hard.”
While that’s quite a compliment to Martinez, Cintron still must not be aware that he was on the receiving end of a punch. He also must still be a bit woozy if he believes he did enough to win the fight.
If you ever wondered why boxing has the reputation that it has, this is your proof. A fighter dominates most of the fight, knocks the opponent out, and gets a draw.
The referee tried to explain his abomination, but did so quite poorly.
“I didn’t hear the bell,” said referee Frank Santore. “That’s why there was some confusion. Cintron got up at the count of nine so the fight was not over.”
Of course this doesn’t explain how his count got to ten, he waived his arms and then walked Cintron back to his corner. If you didn’t think the round was over, why would you be escorting the fighter to his corner?
It also doesn’t explain why he made no effort to stop Martinez from climbing on the turnbuckle to celebrate his victory, something you would think a ref would notice if he didn’t think the round was over.
It also doesn’t explain why he allowed Cintron two-and-a-half minutes in between rounds.
There was no excuse for the poor officiating, so he shouldn’t have made one up. The bottom line is that Martinez got robbed of a clear victory — twice — and Cintron got a gift draw.
Boxing fans and Sergio Martinez deserved far better than the amateurs who ran the show down in Florida on this card.
Pathetic.
*****
On the undercard, Alfredo Angulo had his way with Cosme Rivera until scoring a fifth round knockout.
In the main event, Nate Campbell gutted out a majority decision over a very game Ali Funeka. Campbell scored a pair of knockdowns, including a very clutch knockdown in the 11th. That knockdown led to Campbell being able to win the 12th and final round, and thus the victory.
Having lost his belts on the scale, Campbell will now move up to 140 pounds and campaign there. The belts he had are now vacant.
Paul Williams vs. Winky Wright is Official
February 12, 2009
LOS ANGELES, February 12 – What happens when two of boxing’s most feared superstars can’t find anyone willing to step up and face them? They fight each other. On Saturday, April 11th, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, former Junior Middleweight World Champion Winky Wright will look to stop the meteoric rise of two-division World Champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams in a 12 round middleweight bout that is destined to land the winner on the list of boxing’s best, pound-for-pound.
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50 go on sale Friday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com.
“I’m excited to see these two great fighters squaring off at Mandalay Bay on April 11th,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “I know that when two great champions like Winky and Paul fight each other, they are always determined to deliver the types of performances that will thrill fight fans.”
“It’s an exciting time for our sport,” said Dan Goossen, President of Goossen Tutor Promotions. “Paul Williams, the “Most Feared Fighter in the World” against Winky Wright, the “Most Avoided Fighter in the World” showing the world there are no challenges that won’t be accepted by real champions. This is the type of fight that will showcase Paul’s size, skills and champion’s heart which he’ll need against the man that has virtually beaten every world champion he has faced.”
“I have to give credit to Paul for stepping up to the plate, it’s about time someone did…,” said Chris Lighty, CEO of Winky Promotions. “We’re excited to get Winky back in the ring and pleased that the time is now here. I’m glad we could make this happen. Paul may be younger, but Wink definitely wants it more.”
Wright vs. Williams, a 12 round middleweight bout which is presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Goossen Tutor Promotions and Winky Promotions, will air live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00pm ET / 7:00pm PT.
“These are clearly two of the most avoided fighters in boxing over the last decade and for good reason because they are two of the best,” said Kery Davis, senior vice president HBO Sports. “This should be a tremendous match up of will and skill.”
The name of St. Petersburg, Florida’s Winky Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) has signified excellence between the ropes for nearly two decades. A former Undisputed Junior Middleweight World Champion who made nine successful defenses of his crown, Wright truly broke through on the world scene in 2004 with back-to-back wins over Sugar Shane Mosley. Not one to rest on his laurels, he moved up to middleweight in 2005 and defeated Puerto Rican superstar Felix “Tito” Trinidad. Although he would suffer a decision loss to Bernard Hopkins in 2007, the 37-year-old southpaw is rested, determined and hungrier than ever for his April 11th showdown with Williams.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been this motivated and I can’t wait until the bell rings,” said Wright. “Paul is one of the top young fighters in the game, but he hasn’t seen what I’ve seen or done what I’ve done. This is my time to shine and I won’t let this young fighter steal my spotlight.”
Despite the fact that he’s only 27 years old, Augusta, Georgia’s Paul Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) has done more in eight years in the pro ring than most have done in an entire career. Owner of world titles at welterweight and junior middleweight, Williams is now chasing after glory at middleweight. If his past wins over Antonio Margarito, Carlos Quintana, Sharmba Mitchell and Vernon Phillips are any indication, the 160-pound weight class had better watch out for “The Punisher.”
“I am glad that the fight is on,” said Williams. “This fight has got a big name. Wright has taken the titles from Champions and I’d love to take his reputation. That would add to my legacy. All I know is that everyone says he has got a good defense and nice jab but that doesn’t matter to me – I’m going to get mine in. I’m gonna whoop him and get in there.”
Margarito, Trainer Have Licenses Revoked
February 10, 2009
Antonio Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, had their boxing licenses revoked by the California State Athletic Commission today, meaning they will be suspended for at least one year from boxing. State officials didn’t buy Capetillo’s insistence that it was all his fault, nor did they buy the argument that it was an innocent accidental mistake, and the fighter and trainer will be sitting out for a while because of it.
The suspension means that Margarito and Capetillo are barred from working in the United States for at least one year, as all other jurisdictions honor any others suspensions, when they can apply to be re-licensed.
Margarito would legally be allowed to fight, and Capetillo to train in other countries in the meantime.
The vote to revoke was 7-0.
The Antonio Margarito hand wrap scandal finally got its day in court, as Margarito met with the California State Athletic Commission today in Los Angeles.
The state attorney general got the day started quickly, when he submitted that he thought that Margarito should receive the harshest penalty available to him, which would be a revocation of his boxing license. This penalty would guarantee that Margarito would be out of boxing for at least a year, effectively killing any chance of a rematch with Miguel Cotto, planned for this summer.
When he got a chance to speak, Capetillo fell on the grenade for the team, saying he made a mistake and it was all his fault. That’s mighty nice of him, but his explanation leaves only more questions. According to the LA Times, “Capetillo explained he accidentally pulled the insert from his training bag and placed it in Margarito’s knuckle wraps on Jan. 24, just before Margarito’s fight with Shane Mosley.”
What he apparently didn’t answer was just how you can “accidentally” remove a foreign material from a bag, place it on his knuckle wraps under tape that was likely already in place, and have it remain “an accident.”
Other details that emerged include the naming of the Miguel Cotto fight as a possible instance of this occurring previously. The supervising deputy attorney general that is prosecuting Margarito, said that she believed the illegal wraps were worn for that fight as well, but that claim was dismissed for a lack of relevancy to this particular trial.
State inspector Che Guevara (really? Che Guevara?) said that in his entire time inspecting hand wraps, he’d never seen anything like Margarito’s, lending further proof that this was certainly something out of the ordinary.
This issue will likely follow both Margarito and Capetillo around for the rest of their careers. The only thing that really could have saved their reputations was being completely cleared of any wrongdoing. Not only were they not cleared, but the details that emerged seemed to only make it worse. This was deemed to not be an accident, and while it wasn’t admissible, there were accusations of this not being the first fight that his hands were wrapped this way.
This will affect the way that Margarito’s whole career is viewed. From the vicious knockouts of Kermit Cintron to the second-half rally against Miguel Cotto, leading to a bloody knockout. Add that to the fact that Margarito got pummeled in his first fight with guaranteed “clean” hands, and you have a fighter whose whole career is a question mark.
This story will likely get more interesting, so we’ll just have to wait and see what the next bombshell is in this one.
Blogging the Weekend News
February 9, 2009
Once again, the stories that may have nearly slipped away from the weekend.
Alfredo Angulo is once again searching for an opponent, after Danny Perez pulled out of their fight next weekend. Perez was a late sub for Ricardo Mayorga, who pulled out last week.
**
Carl Froch and Jermain Taylor are battling in a war-of-words…over Joe Calzaghe? When Calzaghe announced his retirement, Froch took it as an opportunity to rip the champion for apparently not fighting him. Taylor took Calzaghe’s retirement as an opportunity to praise Joe and rip Froch for having the gall to call Calzaghe out at this time. Froch has now slapped back at Taylor, saying A) Calzaghe’s no legend; and B) Taylor is going to get whupped by Froch.
Of course, Froch’s biggest win to date is a boring, lackluster decision over Jean Pascal. To his credit, Taylor has wins over Hopkins (twice), Cory Spinks, Jeff Lacy and a draw with Winky Wright – all bigger accomplishments than anything Froch has done. Froch also bashed Calzaghe for not leaving home, while Froch himself is 24-0 with 23 wins in the UK.
And for the record, Calzaghe’s wins over Hopkins, Lacy, Jones, Kessler, Bika and Eubank are far and away better than anything Froch has done. Get over yourself, dude. You’re not as good as Joe, and he would have shut you out in a fight if he chose to take the peanuts that it would have made him. Beat an A-level fighter and you can start talking again. Otherwise, you’re just Edison Miranda and Ricardo Mayorga – minus the power. Good luck with that.
**
So after his destruction of Jorge Arce this weekend, what’s next for Vic Darchinyan. He’s pretty much cleaned out 115, now that Fernando Montiel moving up to 118. The obvious fights for Vic are to move up to 118 to fight Montiel, or to try to go up even higher to land a fight with Israel Vazquez or Rafael Marquez. Perhaps there’s a slim chance Marquez drops back to 118 to fight him, but I highly doubt it.
Then there is the obvious fight — a rematch with Nonito Donaire. Donaire scored the knockout of the year in 2006 when he sent Vic into la-la land with a perfect left. The match is perfect, and Donaire is ready to go to 115 to fight Darchinyan again. The problem is, Darchinyan’s promoter, Garry Shaw, refuses to do business with Donaire since he left his promotional stable.
Shaw’s personal issues are going to keep us from seeing the best fight that can be made at 115 pounds, and keep one great fighter from challenging for the titles and another great fighter from having the opportunity to avenge his only loss. Shaw should be ashamed of himself, and if I’m Darchinyan, I’m having my lawyers figure out how to get out of my contract with Shaw.
Chagaev Retains Title With Technical Decision
February 7, 2009
Ruslan Chagaev retained his WBA title by beating Carl Davis Drumond by technical decision Saturday in Germany. Chagaev suffered a cut from an accidental headbutt, and the referee stopped the bout after six rounds.
Upon going to the scorecards, Chagaev prevailed 60-54, 58-56 and 58-56.
Oddly enough, both Chagaev and the ringside doctor wanted the fight to go on. The referee had tried to stop the bout earlier in the fight, but was told that if the doctor and fighter both said the cut was fine, then so should he. After six rounds, apparently the referee had seen enough blood for one day, and despite Chagaev and the doctor still insisting that the fight could continue, the ref waived it off.
That’s Germany for you, boxing fans.
Chagaev will likely “unify” his real WBA title with Nicolai Valuev’s “keep-the-seat-warm” WBA title later this year.
UPDATE: After having watched the video, I strenuously disagree with the early reports. Stopping the fight was the right move. Chagaev’s eye was a mess, and it was clearly the result of vicious headbutts. Safety first. Well done, referee — I commend you.
Blogging the Weekend News
February 2, 2009
There were a handful of boxing stories this weekend that warrant mention, and what better way to squeeze them all in than with a quick blog style post.
On Friday, Juan Urango put Herman Ngoudjo on the canvas a pair of times in the third round en route to a wide unanimous decision victory on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. Urango is now 21-1, with his only loss being to Ricky Hatton two years ago.
Edwin Valero officially signed with Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions. At 24-0 with 24 knockouts, Valero is one of the most promising young, exciting fighters in the game. For medical reasons, Valero is still not cleared to fight in the United States, but Top Rank’s signing may signal an upcoming change to that status. Valero has been under suspension in the United States after a motorcycle accident left him with an abnormal spot on his brain in his MRIs. Arum’s plan may include a showdown with Manny Pacquiao, once Valero’s name gets a little bigger and he is eligible to fight in the United States. Pacquiao and Valero have been rumored to be fighting each other several times in the past, specifically in Macau, but nothing has ever materialized. If Valero keeps his amazing KO streak intact, expect some big fights in his future.
Marco Antonio Barrera had to fight a replacement opponent this weekend, and in an “it can only happen in boxing” moment, his replacement was a 1-7-1 fighter with no business getting in the ring. The replacement fighter then proceeded to headbutt Barrera, causing a gash that reportedly may put his showdown with Amir Khan in jeopardy. BoxingScene.com is reporting that the fight will go on as planned.
Marquez – Ponce De Leon Could Be Brewing
January 28, 2009
A super-bantamweight showdown may be in the works between Rafael Marquez and Daniel Ponce De Leon, according to BoxingScene.com.
Marquez has been out of action since his loss in the exciting third chapter in his trilogy with Israel Vazquez, and De Leon has been inactive since getting knocked out in just 2:25 of the first round against Juan Manuel Lopez.
According to BoxingScene.com, the fight would be a title eliminator for one of the belts in that division, and could take place as early as March 14. The date is speculative, since that is only based on the statement that Ponce De Leon was planning on returning to the ring on that date.
Also in the super-bantamweight ranks, Israel Vazquez is rumored to be planning on getting into the ring again in June. Vazquez is recovering from retina surgery on his right eye, and has not ruled out a fourth fight with Marquez in the future.
UPDATE: Rafael Marquez has plans to fight on March 14 or 21, but he will not be fighting Daniel Ponce De Leon, according to BoxingScene.com.
“Rafael is not going to fight with Ponce. There are other plans for Rafa, that are very different and going in other directions. In time, Marquez is going to fight for a championship, but we have nothing with Ponce,” [Nacho] Beristain told ESTO.
Klitschko – Haye All But Done for June 20
January 27, 2009
With Vitali Klitschko set to defend his belt against Juan Carlos Gomez on March 21, David Haye appears to have come to terms for a fight with Wladimir Klitschko for June 20 at Stamford Bridge in the UK.
According to a Haye insider, as quoted in The Sun, “This is all in the process of being finalised. Of course there have been some problems along the way but this is boxing.”
If the fight gets signed as is being reported, it would be the first boxing match to take place at Stamford Bridge, which can hold 100,000 fans and is located in Chelsea. The fight would appear on HBO in the United States and Setanta in the UK.
The brothers Klitschko have long dreamed to be the combined undisputed heavyweight champions of the world, but are afraid that the business and promoters will keep them from achieving that goal.
They currently hold the IBF, WBO and WBC belts, but say that Nicolai Valuev’s WBA belt is unreachable because his promoters, Don King and German Wilfried Sauerland, are keeping a fight from happening.
“Around the world fans and experts want to see this fight,” Vitali Klitschko said. “But these promoters are doing everything to make sure that this fight doesn’t go ahead.”
Both Klitschkos have said they are willing to face the giant Russian, and they have said that they feel Valuev himself is willing to take the fight, but they don’t think that the promoters will allow the fight to happen.