28.2.09

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz: Round by Round

interesting. tonight jmm = 140. diaz = 139.

Diaz enters to a spanish-language song. Good applause.

Next to enter is JMM. Good applause as well.

Kellerman makes the case for JMM actually being pound for pound #1. If he wins tonight, and especially convincingly, I might agree with him.

This fight is for, I believe, four different belts.

Rafael Ramos is handling the ref duties.

It's not a Golden Boy fight unless Bernard and/or Shane are there somewhere. I don't see them in the ring, but post-fight maybe they will be lurking around.

and here we go...

Round 1
three punches from jmm after jabs. diaz brings the pressure and both men are actually throwing with conviction. diaz is showing some caution. not any more. diaz is working jmm against the ropes. this has the makings of a barnburner. diaz blocks while advancing and then does his work. kellerman thinks jmm is adjusting already. both men trading. diaz got in a really big shot towards the end. jmm snapped back but wasn't discouraged. he throws back without fear. exciting opening round.

Uatu: Diaz 10-9

Round 2
jmm threw the most he has ever thrown in his career in the opening round. diaz approaches and jmm moves away. a little more caution both ways. jmm is doing his jabs and circling. diaz gets him to the ropes again. every time it goes ropes I fear for jmm. huge left hook from diaz but he is trying to fight his way out of it. my opinion, jmm needs to be a little less brave. but that's why he is great. see: his manny fights. four punches to jmm's head. even number of punches landed for both men. hard to keep up with this. conditioning is going to be a big factor. hard to score perhaps, but the biggest punch landed was from diaz, and he lands the more thudding shots.

Uatu: Diaz 10-9

Round 3
the left hook from diaz was the money punch in round 2. harold has it 2-0 diaz. marquez jabs to body. he is circling again. both men feint in the middle. nice 1-2 from jmm. diaz gets him to the ropes again and does his diaz thing. another left hook from diaz. this is the fastest pace jmm has ever fought at. uppercuts from jmm but they get blocked. could score for him down the stretch. jmm manages to keep diaz off him momentarily. nice sneaky right from jmm. right hand from marquez. equal punches landed again. right to body from jmm. this is another close round, this round did not have the telling hook from diaz. could go either way. thought jmm had his best round.

Uatu: JMM 10-9

Round 4
harold has it 3-0 diaz. diaz gets in a significant body shot. triple jab from jmm. all blocked. diaz gets him on the ropes with strong shots again. max says jmm is landing harder. i disagree at this point. trade jabs. jmm jab to body. jmm threw 6 in a row. jmm is really throwing hard no question but not sure it's harder than diaz. jmm landed a 4 punch counter which was sweet. it just looks so precarious when diaz gets him against the ropes, but jmm is really handling himself well.. jabs from diaz snap the head back. this is quite a show. lampley says "why should a fight like this even be scored" and I have to agree.

Uatu: Diaz 10-9

Round 5
harold gave that round to jmm. marquez is getting some combos in now. diaz throws combos of his own. i love how jmm mixes in the uppercuts. diaz gets him to the ropes. marquez winning in the middle. diaz getting in straight shots against the ropes. neither man is ignoring the body. diaz another big hook. marquez rakes the body in the middle. right from jmm. this time he gets away from the ropes. but diaz gets him there again anyway and moves around jmm with some hard leather. and another left hook from diaz. jmm starting to bleed.

Uatu: Diaz 10-9

Round 6
this is one of those fights where every round is very close. I have diaz up nicely, but in theory he could have dropped 80% of those rounds. diaz outworking jmm. jmm pops him a few times and diaz gets that hook in again. same story. diaz gets him to ropes and goes to work. and again a few moments later. nice counters from jmm. a little lull in the action. jmm strongly fought his way off the ropes there. double jab. jmm is trying that uppercut and the men exchange some 8 punches. I thought JMM took this one. he was accurate and strong.

Uatu: JMM 10-9

Round 7
harold has it 4-2 diaz. not this time. diaz gets him to the ropes but doesn't get it done. jmm gets in a body hook. circling and jabbing. more center ring action so some nice lands from jmm. and diaz gets him to the ropes again. diaz is winging away. this is a serious pace. awesome combo in the middle from jmm. both men are landing hard shots in the last 15 seconds or so, once again making the round very hard to call. against the ropes, diaz was really hooking with power. in the middle, jmm rips off these amazing combos that very few other fighters can use.

Uatu: JMM 10-9

Round 8
uppercuts from jmm for diaz. and diaz bleeds. jmm looking good this round. hasn't gotten to the ropes and is uppercutting again. and there goes diaz again. but jmm escapes. uppercut again in the middle. a small lull and diaz advances again. diaz brings it and lands. JMM jabs body and gets away. jab exchange. jmm looking strong now. nice left hook from jmm. diaz got caught with a left hook and is stunned. he finally takes a step backwards. very good round for jmm. he stayed away from the ropes more than the others, got that uppercut working, and mixed in some hooks.

Uatu: JMM 10-9

Round 9
harold too gave that round to jmm. jmm is working it in the middle again. he has these nasty combos low and high. diaz moving in but not behind jabs. jmm is getting away just a tad easier. diaz doing some leaning and less throwing. he gets in a left hook though. diaz doesn't have the steam of the shots as before but he won't stop approaching. jmm is hitting him hard. and down goes DIAZ! jmm trying to go for it with 35 seconds. and that's it! JMM takes him out! what a performance! awesome stuff!

Diaz looks gassed and is still down on the canvas.
JMM actually looks fresh still.
overhand right stunned diaz for knockdown #1.
uppercut right handed got him for #2.

manny comments on how jmm mixes his punches body and head and I couldn't agree more. both men threw combos but jmm has "mixier" combos.

Diaz is up and looks fine.
winner by KO in round 9, Juan Manuel Marquez!



both men threw over 700 and landed close to 300.

max interviews JMM
how did you knockout diaz?
head movement and body movement to evade all the punches.

did diaz impose himself early?
he thought it was pretty even the first few rounds.

did you feel him weakening?
the 4th and 5th the punches were making him tender to the body.

is your business at lightweight done?
we are going to move up and face floyd mayweather(!)

what makes you think he will fight?
manny doesn't want to fight him, so it's mayweather.

turns to diaz
what happened in the middle rounds?
the blood in his eye was bothering him and he couldn't see.

didn't he learn from the campbell fight? (kind of a crappy question)
he kept fighting his heart out and kept trying.

couldn't he clinch?
his instincts took over and he said the hell with it and fought.

and there's bernard in the ring.

judges had it 77-75, 75-77, 76-76

Posted by uatu

Chris John vs. Rocky Juarez: Round By Round

Tonight's World Championship Boxing broadcast originates from the Toyota Center in Houston with a doubleheader featuring two hometown boxers. In the first fight, Houston native and former U.S. Olympian Rocky Juarez takes on Chris John, the undefeated featherweight champ making his first appearance in the United States.

Jim Lampley and Max Kellerman give an overview of the state of the featherweight division. The tale of the tape show John and Juarez pretty even in most aspects, though John is tall for a featherweight and has a few inches on Juarez.

John is 42-0, with his most notable win coming in a somewhat disputed decision over Juan Manuel Marquez. Juarez is 28-4, with his losses coming to Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Humberto Soto.

Michael Buffer handles the introductions. The fans are solidly behind Juarez, as you might expect.

Round One

Both men looking to establish the jab. The crowd is urging Rocky on in the early going. John's jab looks sharper thus far. Juarez digs to the body but John is quick to tie up. Nice right hand upstairs from John. Good counter lefts by both men in close. John whacks a right to the body. Rocky responds with a right to the head. More wrestling draws boos from the fans. Left hook by John with 10 left in the round.

Franchise: 10-9 John

Round Two

John's corner tells him to keep his distance using his jab. He fires it early but Juarez has his going too. Juarez tries the body and forces John back. Sharp one-two by John. He circles away as Juarez flurries. John uses his jab to keep Juarez at bay, then throws to the body. Kellerman likes Rocky's body work. Juarez moves in with several more body blows as Juarez tries to fire back. Good combo by John right at the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Juarez

Round Three

John starts off a little faster in this frame. Emanuel Steward is impressed with both fighters' defense so far. John tries two two-shot combos to the head. Juarez still coming forward but John hits him and moves away. Rocky is having more trouble getting inside at the moment. A right by John and a counter right by Juarez. John tries an uppercut as Juarez tries the body again. Nice exchange at the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 John

Round Four

Another jabbing contest to start this round. John throws some right hands too. Triple jab and a right by John. He covers up as Juarez fires hooks to the body. The ref is busy as John looks to tie up. John's hand speed is helping him get off first most of the time. Good counter shots by Juarez and the crowd responds. Rocky moves in and both men land. John lands a few more punches off the jab in the closing seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 John

Round Five

Juarez has a tiny bit of swelling near his right eye. Juarez bulls forward, shrugging off jabs to get in close. Good right hand by Rocky and the ref warns John for hitting behind the head. Here comes Juarez with more body shots but John digs in and knocks him back. Straight right by John and Rocky is cut. Now Juarez fires back with a counter right. Both men thump in close. That was a tight round.

Franchise: 10-9 John

Round Six

Rocky's corner asks him to pick up the pace. He tries to oblige but John is still quicker to the punch. Right hook by John and he backs off. John throws his right over Juarez's jab. They lock up along the ropes and the ref has his hands full. Both guys are still covering up well and not getting caught with tons of flush punches. John goes upstairs; Juarez tries the body. Juarez tumbles forward but it's correctly ruled a slip. Three-punch combo by John. The crowd tries to rally Juarez but he's smacked by another solid right.

Franchise: 10-9 John

Round Seven

John is still getting off several shots to every one for Juarez. Nice left by Rocky. The announcers say Juarez is fighting as well as they've ever seen, but John has been better. John lands about five shots in a row. He looks very confident right now. John is also clinching when he needs to. Juarez lands a few to the body. John just misses with a left uppercut, but he does hit with a straight right. A right hook by John is the best punch in a two-way exchange.

Franchise: 10-9 John

Round Eight

Juarez runs right into several jabs. There's a nice combination in response punctuated with a left hook. John shakes it off and goes back to work. Juarez snaps a few jabs. Two lefts and a right to the body by Rocky. He lands a few more in tight. Sharp right by Rocky and they trade along the ropes. John uses an uppercut to back Juarez off a step. Great action in the final 10 seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 Juarez

Round Nine

John goes back to his jab and left hook. He ties up quickly when Juarez moves in. Right hand over the top by John. Rocky lands a right and eats two shots in return. Double jab and more shots follow from John. The ref has to separate the two boxers again. Rocky digs to the body yet again but John still has plenty of energy. Juarez lands a nice right and John comes right back with his own. That round was pretty close.

Franchise: 10-9 John

Round 10

John threw 120 punches last round. Juarez closes the distance but John forces him right back. Left hook by Juarez answered by an uppercut. Left hook by Juarez and John answers. Juarez eats a right and a left. Another right and a left from John, and they tie up. Juarez goes body and head. Rocky snaps a left but John has another uppercut for him. John's quick hands have not slowed down. Juarez is still scoring, but he's being outworked.

Franchise: 10-9 John

Round 11

Both corners are giving their men very good advice, which doesn't happen all the time. Harold Lederman scored the last round even. Juarez gets the crowd going with a counter left. John is moving well and won't be cornered. John landing many jabs but not much else. Juarez lands two hooks. Both men land and Juarez isn't giving up. The crowd chants for him again. Left hook and a right upstairs by Rocky. John digs in as they trade. Big right hand by Juarez right before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Juarez

Round 12

Rocky's trainer tells him to listen to the crowd supporting him. He comes straight forward and John greets him with head shots. Nice right by Juarez but a sharp hook comes back. Good action with both men connecting. A left hook snaps John's head. Ninety seconds to go. Nice right by Juarez and a combo comes back from John. Both men are laying it all out there. John goes right down the pike with a right. John steps back and tries to clinch. Punches land both ways in a very entertaining ending to a really good fight.

Franchise: 10-9 Juarez

Franchise scores it 116-112 for John. All three judges score it 114-114, and the fight ends in a draw.

Posted by The Franchise

27.2.09

Glen Johnson vs. Daniel Judah: Friday Night Fights Main Event Round By Round

Glen Johnson is the headliner for the Feb. 27 edition of Friday Night Fights from the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida. The former light heavyweight champion and 2004 Fighter of the Year takes on Daniel Judah, a man he fought to a somewhat questionable draw back in 2003.

The 40-year old Johnson is 48-12-2 and was 2-1 in 2008, with his loss coming to Chad Dawson. Judah is 23-3-3 and was 1-1 last year.

We're scheduled for 10 rounds in the light heavyweight division.

Round One

Judah is more active in the early going, with Johnson content to counter. Judah flicks the jab and throws the left to the body. Both men land head shots in an exchange. Johnson is picking off a lot of punches with his arms. Johnson lands a few counter shots as Judah covers up. A right hand comes crashing home for Johnson and Judah slumps into the ropes! He gets back up and probably only survives because it was close to the end of the round.

Franchise: 10-8 Johnson
Uatu: 10-8 Johnson

Round Two

Johnson wants the right hand again and is able to land it twice with a body shot or two mixed in. Teddy Atlas thinks Judah needs to increase the distance to have any chance. He lands a left but Johnson is firing right back. Glen goes to the body and covers up well when Judah responds. Another right to the head sets up a Johnson combination. Judah is coming forward but not landing anything too big.

Franchise: 10-9 Johnson
Uatu: 10-9 Johnson

Round Three

Nate Campbell and Jameel McCline are both in attendance. The fighters trade at very close range with nothing of consequence landing. Judah is staying busy but Johnson's punches look and sound harder. He backs Judah up with the jab. Johnson tries hooks to the head and body around Judah's tight guard. They trade again in the middle of the ring. Judah lands a nice right to the body and left to the head just before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Johnson
Uatu: 10-9 Johnson

Round Four

Judah is still moving well but his margin for error looks to be small. He boxes his way out of a tight spot along the ropes. Both men jab and work from very close range. Judah shakes his head as Johnson lands several shots to the arms or body. Johnson is looking for uppercuts and hooks but not landing as many flush right now. Judah scores with a right and appears to be gaining some confidence now.

Franchise: 10-9 Johnson
Uatu: 10-9 Johnson

Round Five

The announcers visit with Jermain Taylor during this round. Johnson forces Judah back with punches from both hands. Judah ducks and weaves and begins throwing back. Johnson tries more hooks as they hold their heads up against each other. Johnson ends a stalemate with rights to the head and body. Nothing too hugs is landing but Johnson is controlling the pace and distance.

Franchise: 10-9 Johnson
Uatu: 10-9 Johnson

Round Six

Judah opens this round with some energy, but as soon as the range closes, Johnson takes over with short, hard shots. His left hook to the body is possibly the only punch from either fighter that is scoring consistently at this point. Judah lowers his guard and invites Johnson in, and he's happy to oblige. Johnson continues his relentless body attack in the final 30 seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 Johnson
Uatu: 10-9 Johnson

Round Seven

Barring the unlikely possibility that Johnson runs out of gas late, I'm not sure what Judah can do to win this fight. Johnson works off the jab in the center of the ring. Left to the body for the umpteenth time. Judah ducks and counters but his punches don't have much on them. Another left to the body catches Judah's attention. Johnson lands a right and Judah lands a pretty nice counter, but that was still Johnson's round without a doubt.

Franchise: 10-9 Johnson
Uatu: 10-9 Johnson

Round Eight

Johnson turns it on early in this round. Judah may be trying to set a trap, but without the power to make Johnson pay, that's a risky ploy. Judah does some theatrics to show he's not hurt. He is still punching back, but without much effect. Both men try the body and Johnson remains much busier.

Franchise: 10-9 Johnson
Uatu: 10-9 Johnson

Round Nine

Judah forces Johnson to chase him a bit. Glen continues to keep the jab flowing as he stalks. Judah scores to the body and backs out. Johnson throws an uppercut and two hooks. He sits down behind a few head shots and lands a right hook. Judah paws with his left and keeps circling.

Franchise: 10-9 Johnson
Uatu: 10-9 Johnson

Round 10

I think we'll see more of the same instead of all-out fireworks in the final round. the ref pauses things for a second due to a clash of heads. Judah is milking it, but it did look like a pretty stiff headbutt. Glen charges in and they brawl along the ropes. Ninety seconds to go and Johnson is still throwing a high number of punches. Judah deserves credit as he is still giving it his all. Both men swinging wildly (and missing) as the fight wraps up.

Franchise: 10-9 Johnson
Uatu: 10-9 Johnson

Both Franchise and Uatu scored it 100-89 for Johnson. The judges score it 99-89 and 99-90 twice, all for the winner, Glen "The Road Warrior" Johnson.

Posted by The Franchise

Friday Night Fights Report - Feb. 27, 2009

The Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida is home to this week's broadcast of Friday Night Fights. Tonight's showcase fight features Glen Johnson versus Daniel Judah in a rematch of a fight from several years ago that ended in a controversial draw.

Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas are on hand as usual, with Brian Kenny and Bernardo Osuna in the studio. They will also talk ringside with Jermain Taylor later tonight.

Osuna shares his thoughts on Miguel Cotto following his convincing comeback win against Michael Jennings. He thinks Cotto found his boxing skills again and regained his confidence. As an aside, Kenny is rocking a bright pink shirt with matching tie.

Tonight's first fight is Danny O'Connor and Jamar Saunders in a four-rounder at 140 pounds. Tessitore says O'Connor learned to sew at a young age and makes his own boxing gear, to which Atlas deadpans, "You better be able to fight if you sew your own trunks."

O'Connor is a southpaw but has a nasty right hook that he's able to land a few times in the second round. He spends the second minute of the round mixing hooks to the head and body with some straight lefts, strafing Saunders repeatedly.

He also has some holes on defense, but Saunders isn't able to exploit them too often, and one thinks this will be a fairly easy decision for the judges. One judge surprisingly scores it 38-38, but the other two saw it 40-36, and O'Connor wins by majority decision.

Back in the studio, the guys talk Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz. They both weighed in just under 135, with JMM looking lean and the Baby Bull looking a little soft, though that's how he always looks.

Kenny points out that JMM is ten years older and naturally smaller but is a great fighter with a style that may be troublesome for Diaz. Osuna thinks that Marquez won't have trouble with Diaz's pressure, but he does wonder if and when age will catch up with him. On ESPN's poll, two-thirds of the fans think JMM will win.

There's also talk about the Chris John-Rocky Juarez fight. Juarez is mentioned as a boxer who has always been just a step below the top level at his weight, and Osuna thinks John's skills are apparent even though he has fought almost exclusively in Indonesia.

Next up is undefeated Norberto Gonzalez taking on Antwone Smith in an eight-round welterweight scrap. Gonzalez is 16-0 with 12 KOs and is making his first appearance in the United States, or anywhere outside his native Mexico for that matter.

Gonzalez is very efficient with his movement, backing away just enough to avoid punches while staying close enough to string together combinations. He's busy enough to win the first round.

Smith gets a little more active in the second round. Gonzalez stuns Smith with a right, but when he closes in to try to press his advantage, Smith catches him with a counter right and sends him down. Gonzalez pops right back up and is landing bombs again as an entertaining round comes to a close.

Blood starts to flow from the left eye of Gonzalez in the third round, and the next two frames are fought pretty evenly. Gonzalez is able to use his boxing skills and movement a little more obviously in the fifth, and Atlas has him up by a point.

The sixth round sees Smith land some flush shots that reopen the original cut and start a new one on the opposite side. But Gonzalez responds with a mean right-left combo, and it turns into an all-out slugfest that gets the fans into it in the final minute.

The pace slows just a bit in the seventh, setting up what could be a fun ending to a fight that could definitely be up for grabs. Nothing crazy happens in the last round, and though Smith goes down in the closing seconds, it's correctly ruled a slip. We'll go to the scorecards.

All three judges score it 78-74, all to the winner by unanimous decision, Antwone Smith.

Back to BK and Osuna for one more segment. They revisit the Cotto fight again with Osuna saying Joshua Clottey will likely be his next opponent on June 13.

They talk Pavlik-Rubio as well, and Osuna makes the interesting comment that Pavlik has a "Mexican" style the way he comes forward and works the body. He also says he's been told Arthur Abraham is not likely to come to the U.S. to fight Pavlik at this point.

A video package provides some more background on Glen Johnson, a true warrior who also comes across as a very real, down to earth human being.

Posted by The Franchise

Juan Diaz on Jim Rome is Burning on ESPN

Today's show included a feature on Juan Diaz.

Willie Savannah went into Juan's early life as a fat kid. But he was a fat kid that never stopped training.

They showed some of his gym work hitting bags and the like.

Diaz says his body is broken down from the 8 weeks of training.
They showed shots of him in the classroom at the University of Houston--Downtown.
He said the routine is not fun, but he is immune to it now.

He is about to get his bachelor's in political science. He has three classes to go.
He is the first in his family to get through high school, and now graduating college.

He is showing it is possible to live the American Dream.

The segment was supershort. Maybe 2-3 minutes. Still, it was some good exposure for Diaz, and even though the hardcore fans know his story from HBO, the greater masses of ESPN fans most likely don't know who he is, much less his story. So it gets an A-.

Posted by uatu

Betting the Marquez vs. Diaz Fight

After I made a prediction, I decided to check the current odds. Amazingly, the site I checked out, which I will not name since I am about to rip them, listed the fight as "Juan M Marquez vs. Julio Diaz" which is sort of an honest mistake, I guess, and listed the undercard fight as "Chris Byrd vs. Rocky Juarez" which is a much worse mistake. In that case, I'll take Chris Byrd -300, provided he can make weight.

Seriously though, on a different site, vegasinsider.com, Juan Diaz is an underdog, at +140, and since I picked him to win, as the slimmest of underdogs, I like the bet on him as well.

Looking over a few big fights upcoming, I don't think I would bet either way on Bradley-Holt
Bradley -170
Holt +140

But I like a bet on Manny as the favorite over Hatton.
Manny -250
Hatton +195.

My guess there is that there will be a lot of British fan money on Hatton making the odds closer than they deserve to be, and I like Manny to win anyway.

Posted by uatu

Predictions: Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz

Uatu says...

Punches in bunches.

The Baby Bull Juan Diaz is bigger, younger, and more active than JMM. Sure, JMM may be the "better" boxer, but that does not always win the day.

Diaz actually has some skills and if a strong, true 135 pounder like Nate Campbell could not knock out the Baby Bull, then I seriously doubt JMM will be able to do it either. If this was 2005, maybe JMM takes it, but it is not.

Diaz UD 12. No knockdowns, lots of action, both men bleed, but Diaz does more. JMM will try to counter and move and will have success with his accurate sniping, but Diaz will win more rounds.

The Franchise says...

Wow, this is a tough one. Both men are obviously amazing talents, and this should be an excellent fight.

What worries me about Diaz is that his preferred method of attack falls right into his opponent's hands, as JMM is almost like Bullseye when he's countering. On the other hand, I think it's very possible Diaz will just be too big and strong for Marquez, who definitely isn't getting any younger.

Maybe I can't get his fights with Manny Pacquiao out of my head, but I'm having a hard time picking against JMM... so I won't. Though I fully expect the Baby Bull to give him all he can handle, I'm going with Marquez to eke out a narrow decision.

Posted by uatu

25.2.09

Troy Ross vs. Ehinomen Ehikhamenor: The Contender Season 4 Final Round By Round

We've made it to the end of the road for Season 4 of The Contender, with Troy Ross and Ehinomen Ehikhamenor battling in the final at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Nick Charles and Wally Matthews call Ross, the Canadian southpaw, the favorite, but Tony Danza expects Hino to give him a fight.

A video package voiced by Danza gives viewers a look at how both men made it to the final. The tale of the tape shows that both men are basically even in height, weight and reach. Ross is five years older but has just a few more pro fights under his belt.

Ross is 20-1 with 14 KOs, and he showed good power in both hands with two early knockouts on the show. Ehikhamenor is 15-3 with just seven KOs, and he dropped a lopsided decision to Herbie Hide in his last fight before appearing on The Contender.

The introductions are made and we're ready for 10 rounds to determine the Season 4 champion.

Round One

Ross reaches with the jab as Hino stays alert. Nothing really lands for the first minute. Hino scores with some quick right counters. A short exchange breaks out in the center of the ring. Ross comes in behind a left and is knocked back off balance. Two lefts land partially for Ross, but Hino responds with a right. Some wrestling in close ends a tough round to score.

Franchise: 10-9 Ross

Round Two

Neither man looks tentative in the second round, with each man swinging away with power shots. They both score but Ross lands the cleanest shot. Ross goes to the body and Hino counters. Nice left upstairs by Ross, then a right as Hino comes in. The announcers think Ross would be well served to box, though he looks like he's content to slug it out thus far.

Franchise: 10-9 Ross

Round Three

Ross does some work at very close range. Hino's two-punch combo hits Ross' arms. Both men connect on power shots along the ropes. Troy is really swinging for the fences. Neither man can find a home for the jab, so they aren't throwing many now. Ross just misses a big left as he hops in. The ref has been a little busier too.

Franchise: 10-9 Ross

Round Four

Ross is the aggressor right out of the gate, and he connects with a massive right and a left. Hino doesn't go down, but he looks out on his feet as he slumps in the corner, and the ref jumps in to stop it. The replays show Hino had his arm draped over the top rope making no effort to defend himself, so he didn't give the ref much choice.

The winner by TKO at 2:00 of Round Four... and The Contender Season 4 champion... Troy "The Boss" Ross.

Ross says Hino fought a smart fight, but he felt stronger and thought he would get to him after a few rounds. He didn't think he was much bigger, calling his experience the key factor. Ross also had no problem with the stoppage, saying it's never a bad thing.

Danza awards The Contender belt to Ross, who seems genuinely pleased with Danza's efforts on the show. Ross ends by thanking the fans for coming out and supporting the program.


Ehikhamenor also thanks everyone for their support, but he's disappointed that the fight was stopped. He says the plan was to take Ross into deep water to drown him and thinks he may have been able to do it.

Posted by The Franchise

The Contender Season 4 Finale Live Blog

The MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods is the site for the live finale of Season 4 of The Contender. Nick Charles and Wally Matthews are calling the action, and the host of the show, Tony Danza, is also on hand.

First up is the so-called bronze medal bout between Rico Hoye and Akinyemi "A.K." Laleye. Matthews says Hoye brought in one of the top resumes of any fighter on the show and is big for a cruiserweight. He thinks Laleye will have to outhustle Hoye to win, which he is capable of doing.

Danza narrates a look back at how A.K. got to the semifinals, defeating Erick Vega and Alfredo Escalera Jr. before losing to Troy Ross. He was the smallest man in the tournament.

Hoye beat Mike Alexander in a close fight and Joell Godfrey but lost to Hino Ehikhamenor. He has plenty of experience but was out of boxing for a while thanks to some legal trouble.

This will be an eight-round fight. The tale of the tape shows Hoye with a solid advantage in height and weight, though reach is almost even.

Laleye comes to the ring first, followed by Hoye. John Vena handles the introductions.

A.K. is giving up plenty of size, but he takes it right to Hoye in the first round. Hoye can't keep him at bay with his jab, and Laleye scores with several short, sharp hooks.

Hoye is trying to line up a big right hand but Laleye has done a good job of avoiding it. The ref wanrs both men for holding, and Hoye slugs his way forward with multiple power shots in the last 20 seconds of the second round.

Danza talks to Hino about the fight going on now and the upcoming championship fight. Ehikhamenor calls it the biggest opportunity of his life.

Laleye keeps trying to smother Hoye, but the bigger man stuns his foe with a left hook and a body shot halfway through the third. Both men seem more than happy to trade, and they are swinging wildly as the third round closes.

Charles and Matthews are critical of Laleye's corner for offering him little advice between rounds. With a minute left in the fourth round, Hoye lands several consecutive head shots, and Laleye has to dig deep to survive the onslaught.

This is the first time A.K.'s mom has seen him fight, and she can't like what she saw over the last two rounds. CompuBox had Hoye throwing 100 punches in Round Four, which is pretty crazy for a large cruiserweight. A.K. loses a point for holding, then basically shoves Hoye through the ropes, and the ref lectures both men. Hoye smokes A.K. with a left hand late in the round.

Danza gets a chance to talk to Ross about his thoughts. He says he feels great and is ready to let his hands fly.

There isn't anything in the sixth or seventh rounds to make it look like A.K. can pull off a knockout, but that's what he's probably going to need heading into the eighth and final round. he deserves credit for standing in and exchanging all the way until the end, but he's eating at least as many as he's landing. Both guys make it to the final bell, and we'll go to the scorecards.

Past Contender champions Sergio Mora, Grady Brewer and Sakio Bika are all in attendance.

All three judges score it 79-72, all to the winner by unanimous decision... Rico "Suave" Hoye.

CompuBox showed Hoye throwing about 300 punches more than Laleye and landing a lot more as well. Matthews talks to the winner, who says he got caught with some good shots early on, but he stayed relaxed and listened to his team. Hoye also admits to being disappointed in not being in the final, but he's not looking back. Asked about the final, he favors Hino but says it should be a great fight.

Posted by The Franchise

Live Contender Season 4 Finale Round By Round Updates Tonight

Season 4 of The Contender comes to a conclusion tonight with a live finale from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Troy Ross meets Hino Ehikhamenor for the show championship, and the undercard is full of bouts between other contestants, at least one of which will also be shown during the broadcast.

Because not even all of the BoxingWatchers get Versus, it stands to reason that not all of you do either. So I'll be doing a live a live blog of any preliminaries and round by round updates of the championship bout out on the main page.

Showtime is 9 pm Eastern tonight.

Posted by The Franchise

23.2.09

Franchise Thoughts: Top Rank Can't Risk Losing Miguel Cotto By Supporting Antonio Margarito

Top Rank's Bob Arum should be smiling.

After all, he just watched two of his top fighters, Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto, bounce back from losses on the same night. When it comes to the latter, though, there's got to be a little bit of nervousness to go with that smile.

That's because for the first time, Cotto doesn't isn't exactly thrilled with his promoter. Seeing said promoter show very vocal support for someone who may have cheated to beat you has a tendency to do that sort of thing.

Not that I expected Arum to immediately distance himself from Antonio Margarito after the former welterweight champion was suspended for a year for the foreign substance found in his hand wraps before he fought Shane Mosley. It was only natural for Arum to imply that trainer Javier Capetillo should shoulder the blame alone, or that his man was the victim of a conspiracy of some sort.

The trouble is that most rational people don't believe that, including Cotto. Though he never said it directly, Cotto's comments in the weeks leading up to his comeback fight made it pretty clear that he felt Margarito should be held responsible for anything found in his own gloves.

It's also true that just because Margarito was caught attempting to cheat against Mosley doesn't mean he did so in the past. But in my years of experience in loss prevention, I've seen many people claim they were breaking the rules for the first time. Most of them turned out to be lying.

None of that would have mattered if Cotto would have continued to stumble. Why worry about insulting a fighter whose career is down in the gutter?

But with Cotto rebounding nicely - and yes, Michael Jennings didn't pose much of a challenge - Arum's public stance regarding Margarito suddenly seems a lot more risky.

Margarito won't be able to fight in the U.S. for at least a year. He can (and probably will) fight in his native Mexico, but he may as well be radioactive, as no contender worth his salt is going to go near him any time soon.

And even without the suspension, I'd argue that Cotto has a brighter future in front of him. He's younger, his style lends itself to slightly less abuse and he's more marketable - he looked like a NASCAR driver coming to the ring against Jennings with all of the sponsors on his robe.

Several media outlets were reporting that Cotto was upset enough to consider leaving Top Rank when his current contract expires, so Arum has to take the possibility seriously. Maybe he sees a way to tap dance around the issue or negotiate something (his background is in law, after all) that keeps both men on board and reasonably happy.

If it comes down to an either-or situation though, it's a no-brainer. Keep Cotto, jettison Margarito.

The alternative doesn't make sense, or dollars, for that matter.

Posted by The Franchise

21.2.09

Kelly Pavlik vs. Marco Antonio Rubio: Round By Round

The scene shifts from Madison Square Garden to the Chevrolet Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, for the second featured bout of tonight's split-site pay-per-view. Hometown hero Kelly Pavlik puts his middleweight belts on the line against Marco Antonio Rubio. Nick Charles and Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini are calling the action.

The tale of the tape shows Pavlik with advantages in both height and reach. Both men weighed in almost even, though Rubio has claimed he will be about 175 pounds for the fight.

Rubio comes to the ring first to the expected chorus of boos. He is 43-4-1 but has won nine straight.

Here comes Pavlik, with the fans almost drowning out Korn. He is 34-1 with 30 KOs, though this is his first fight since being dismantled by Bernard Hopkins.

Jimmy Lennon Jr. does the introductory duties, and Frank Garza is the referee in charge of the action.

Round One

Pavlik reaches with the jab and Rubio tries a wide hook. Rubio moves backward away from the right hands. Two jabs from Pavlik. The champ goes to the body and then back upstairs. Rubio snaps the jab and backs off. Rubio covers up as Pavlik flurries. Pavlik scores with a right and follows with a left hook. Rubio circles into the left hook and eats a right hand to the face.

Franchise: 10-9 Pavlik
Spartan117: 10-9 Pavlik

Round Two

Rubio has had virtually nothing offensively so far. Pavlik throws a multi-punch combo that knocks his foe back into the ropes. Rubio takes a left hook to the body with no answer. Pavlik has used the lead left hook at will. Right hand by Kelly. Rubio tries to flurry but most of it is blocked. I'm not sure as many of Pavlik's punches are landing flush as the announcers suggest, but it hardly matters if Rubio can't find his offense.

Franchise: 10-9 Pavlik
Spartan117: 10-9 Pavlik

Round Three

Finally Rubio digs in a bit. Pavlik lands a left and a right and Rubio tries his own left. Pavlik is still scoring with both hands and even though Rubio hasn't landed much, Kelly's eye is showing some swelling. Rubio reaches with a right but can't get close enough. The challenger escapes trouble on the ropes and throws hooks with both hands. That was another Pavlik round for sure.

Franchise: 10-9 Pavlik
Spartan117: 10-9 Pavlik

Round Four

Pavlik's jabs and lead left hooks have befuddled Rubio to this point. Pavlik flurries in the corner but it's mostly ineffective. Jabs and a left to the body by Kelly. Left hooks still getting through to Rubio's head and body. Pavlik lands three in a row along the ropes. Long right hand by Pavlik.

Franchise: 10-9 Pavlik
Spartan117: 10-9 Pavlik

Round Five

Rubio scores with a right but takes a better one in return. Pavlik comes forward with hooks from both hands. Left to the head and right to the body by the champ. Pavlik turns it on along the ropes, landing with both hands. Rubio shows a little life with a right hand. Three straight jabs from Pavlik. Sharp left by Rubio but he backs away. Good counter right by Pavlik stuns Rubio.

Franchise: 10-9 Pavlik
Spartan117: 10-9 Pavlik

Round Six

Rubio throws a left hook but he's still backing away too much. Pavlik sits down on a right and a left hook. Rubio's jab is coming a bit more now. Pavlik uses his to set up two nice shots. Both men trade from close range. Nice right hook by Rubio. Pavlik shrugs it off and goes back to work. Another nice right by Rubio. The challenger shows some confidence with a big flurry in the final ten seconds. Finally a close round.

Franchise: 10-9 Pavlik
Spartan117: 10-9 Pavlik

Round Seven

We'll see if Rubio mounts a challenge now. Pavlik works his jab again. Rubio backs up and seems to be trying to lure Pavlik in. Nice straight right from Pavlik. Rubio is covering up well but not throwing too much in response. The crowd fires up Pavlik with 60 seconds to go. Pavlik zips a left hook to the body and a left to the head. Rubio hops forward and tries to load up a big right.

Franchise: 10-9 Pavlik
Spartan117: 10-9 Pavlik

Round Eight

I'm not as impressed by Palik as Mancini, but he's dominated most rounds. Rubio trades hooks with the champs as he bounces around. Good right on a counter by Rubio. Pavlik flurries along the ropes. Left hook by Pavlik and they trade in the corner. Nice right to the body by Pavlik. Double left hands by the champ. Pavlik delivers a strong right hand and another along the ropes. Rubio getting battered but still bravely fires back.

Franchise: 10-9 Pavlik
Spartan117: 10-9 Pavlik

Round Nine

Pavlik moves well as Rubio tries for the home run shot. The champ works off his jab and has many options open to him. Rubio is cornered and barely escapes. The fans urge on their man as he keeps coming forward. Right to the head and left to the body by Pavlik. A left knocks Rubio back and a mean right just misses. Snapping left by Pavlik to close out the round.

Franchise: 10-9 Pavlik
Spartan117: 10-9 Pavlik

Rubio quits on his stool before the tenth round and it's over.

The winner by TKO at the end of Round Nine... and still WBC and WBO middleweight champion... Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik.

Mancini enters the ring to interview Pavlik. The champ admits there was some pressure, but he's really pleased with the way he bounced back. He says he expected Rubio to stand and punch more, but he still managed to wear him down.

Asked about what's next, Pavlik mentions John Duddy, Arthur Abraham and Felix Sturm as possibilities. It sounds like they are looking for a summer fight in Youngstown.

Mancini also talks to Rubio. Marco blames himself, saying he felt strong but was very tight. He says he landed a few shots but was unable to apply any pressure, and he's disappointed. Rubio says he's only 28 and though he lost to a great champion, he plans on regrouping and fighting on.

CompuBox shows Pavlik threw twice as many punches and landed nearly twice as many. Pavlik thanks the fans in his hometown before he leaves the ring.

Posted by The Franchise

Miguel Cotto vs. Michael Jennings: Round By Round

The undercard is over at Madison Square Garden and we're just about set to see Miguel Cotto attempt to shake off the first loss of his career by taking on relatively unknown British fighter Michael Jennings. First up is a moment of silence for Jose Torres.

Michael Buffer introduces the singers for three national anthems. The MSG crowd gets a little restless during "God Save the Queen." Michael Stuart handles the Puerto Rican anthem and Christine Vaskas sings "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Jennings is 34-1 with 16 KOs but has never fought outside the U.K. He has a slight height and reach advantage, and Al Bernstein believes he will have to use the large ring to his advantage.

Cotto enters the ring in his Marc Ecko-designed robe. He's been off for 208 days since his loss to Antonio Margarito.

Tonight's referee is Benji Esteves. Buffer does the fighter intros and we're set for 12 rounds for the WBO welterweight championship.

Round One

Jennings bounces and flicks some jabs. Cotto lands the first good punch, a straight right. Jennings throws his own and both men go back to jabbing. Counter left by Cotto, then another. Jennings doubles up on his jab. Cotto stalks and goes to the body. He comes forward and misses an uppercut. Jennings has stayed extremely mobile so far.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto

Round Two

Both men working the jabs again. Cotto is just missing on his combinations. Cotto's corner warned him about Jennings' right hand, but it hasn't been an issue so far. Jennings digs in but Cotto covers up and counters with a left hook. Now Jennings lands the right. Cotto mixes in some body shots. Cotto's jab really snaps his foe's head back when it lands. A quick exchange along the ropes sees Cotto sneak in some left hooks.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto

Round Three

Cotto ducks in and throws to the body. Jennings gets back on his horse and circles. CompuBox has Cotto landing at a 3:1 rate thus far. Jennings does some work on the inside as they tie up. Blood looks like it is starting to trickle form Jennings' nose. Cotto picks off multiple punches with his gloves and tries the body again. Miguel lands multiple left hooks, including a big one to the body.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto

Round Four

Nice right hand upstairs by Cotto. Jennings has the jab but that's it. They trade in the middle of the ring and almost slip down. Jennings gets knocked back by a stiff jab. Another exchange of right hands with both men scoring. A left hook staggers Jennings and a hook to the body sends him down to one knee. He's back up with 40 seconds to go. Another vicious left to the body puts Jennings down again, and he's back up with 15 seconds left. The crowd urges Cotto on and Jennings barely hangs on.

Franchise: 10-7 Cotto
Spartan117: 10-7 Cotto

Round Five

Jennings told his corner he wanted to continue. He looks okay so far, holding when Cotto comes in close. Cotto peppers him with some quick left hands. Jennings jabs and stays extra cautious. Good body-head combo by Cotto. More body work by Miguel and he pours it on along the ropes. A left to the head finds the mark and Jennings takes a knee. He gets up at nine but the ref waves a stop to it.

The winner by TKO at 2:36 of Round Five... and new WBO welterweight champion... Miguel Angel Cotto.

Bernardo Osuna gets a word with Cotto, who was impressed by the show of support from the New York fans. He says he tried to get back to the old Miguel Cotto who studies his opponent and goes to work.

Cotto gives credit to Jennings for his strength and courage, especially when he got up several times. What does he want next? He mentions Shane Mosley and the winner of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight but doesn't have a preference.

Cotto finishes by thanking his fans in Spanish.

Posted by The Franchise

Pavlik & Cotto Undercard Live Blog

Top Rank is off and running with its split-site pay-per-view featuring comeback fights for both Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto. Charlie Steiner (who makes an early mistake) and Al Bernstein are on hand at Madison Square Garden to handle the first few televised fights. Nick Charles and Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini are at the Chevrolet Centre in Youngstown.

The first televised fight from MSG is a four round middleweight bout between Matt Korobov and Cory Jones. Originally from Russia, Korobov is 3-0 with 3 KOs in his young pro career. Jones is from Brooklyn and is 4-4.

Michael Buffer is doing the introductions in NYC and I believe Jimmy Lennon Jr. is in Youngstown.

In a cautious first round, the announcers explain that Jones' nickname, "Let Me Get That," comes from the words would-be robbers spoke to him while trying to stick him up. The crowd expresses some displeasure as barely any punches were thrown or landed in the first three minutes.

Korobov gets his left hand untracked a bit in the second round. He also shows off a nice jab and some quick right hooks when the two men close the distance.

The fans get a bit restless again thanks to the lack of action in the third. Korobov's corner tells him before the final round not to worry about the crowd or the KO and just win the fight. Finally Korobov connects with a sharp right hook with about ten seconds to go and Jones is down and out.

Korobov wins by KO at 2:59 of Round Four.

Bernardo Osuna interviews Cotto, who admits that he doesn't know too much about Michael Jennings but prepared as hard as he always does. He talks about resting up for the eight months since his loss to Antonio Margarito.

Cotto says the hand wrap issue and Shane Mosley's victory over Margarito both helped him psychologically. He also speaks briefly about his new tattoos and how he feels he's still among the elite as his weight.

Next on the card is popular Irish middleweight John Duddy taking on Matt Vanda. The heavily tattooed Vanda is 39-8 but has seven losses since 2006.

D
uddy is 25-0 with 17 KOs. He resides in NYC and gets a big reaction from the fans at the Garden.

The two fighters are almost dead even in height, weight and reach. This one is scheduled for ten rounds.

Duddy establishes the jab early on and shows nice combination punching with both hands. He takes some jabs coming back but not much in the way of power punches from Vanda. Both men catch each other with counter shots with about 30 seconds to go in the second frame, momentarily making it more of a brawl.

The announcers discuss Duddy possibly moving down to 154 pounds, where he would be one of the stronger guys in the division. He's throwing more, landing more and landing at a higher percentage than Vanda through three rounds.

Duddy stays very calm through the fifth round, controlling the pace and distance of the fight with his jab and picking his spots for combos. He's also eluded some shots coming back, and that hasn't been true for most of his career.

It looks like Duddy may cruise, but Vanda lands a sharp left in the middle of the seventh round that wakes him up a bit. I haven't been scoring but I would not be surprised if Duddy is pitching a shutout right now.

After a brief spurt of offense by Vanda in the first part of Round Eight, Duddy regains control and is out-landing at about a 2:1 ratio. He comes forward behind several nice combinations in the ninth round, and only a KO can pull it out for Vanda now.

Uh-oh. Vanda lands a multi-punch combination and successfully turns the final round into a brawl. Duddy eats a straight right with a minute to go. Left hook by Vanda, but Duddy gets his feet under him and manages to fight fairly evenly to the finish.

We go to the judges' scorecards. The scores are 99-91 twice and 97-93, all to the winner by unanimous decision, John Duddy.

Posted by The Franchise

Pavlik-Rubio and Cotto-Jennings: Live Round By Round Updates Tonight

Sometimes our duty as the BoxingWatchers makes us do things we're not particularly crazy about doing. Case in point: tonight's split-site Top Rank pay-per-view.

Are we interested in seeing how Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto bounce back as they both return to the first time after tasting defeat? Absolutely.

Are we looking forward to forking over $44.95 for the privilege - especially after the undercard lost its best fight? Well, no, not particularly.

Be that as it may, the keyboard will be ready to provide live round by round updates of Pavlik-Rubio and Cotto-Jennings tonight. If you can't see the fights in person or watch on PPV, consider joining us out on our main page and refresh often for fast recaps of each round.

The fun (hopefully) begins shortly after 9 pm EST with undercard action that includes John Duddy.

Posted by The Franchise

20.2.09

Breidis Prescott vs. Humberto Toledo - Friday Night Fights Round By Round

Undefeated Breidis Prescott moves up to the main event of Friday Night Fights to take on Ecuador's Humberto Toledo.

The 24-year old Prescott is 20-0 with 18 KOs. He put himself on the map with a thrilling first-round KO of Amir Khan last September. Toledo is 34-5-2 and is giving up quite a bit of height to the very tall Prescott.

We're set to go for a scheduled 10 rounds.

Round One

Prescott pumps away with the jab. Toledo comes charging forward but runs into some hooks. Prescott digs to the body and eats a left coming back. It's a super fast pace with both men swinging away. Prescott returns to the body along the ropes. He's just missing some big shots upstairs. A left hand knocks Toledo off balance for a moment. A nice right scores for Prescott right before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Prescott

Round Two

Prescott stays with his jab, and Toledo's only option so far has been to literally run at his opponent. Nice one-two to the head by Prescott. Toledo lands a right but Prescott goes back on the attack. Now a nice exchange breaks out in the middle of the ring. Toledo sneaks in a couple of right hands. Teddy Atlas wants to see more body punching from Prescott.

Franchise: 10-9 Prescott

Round Three

Toledo tries to rough things up on the inside but Prescott backs away. Prescott throws hooks with both hands. Toledo smirks a bit as he comes forward. Nice right hand by Prescott and he avoids the return fire. Both men swing away with about 45 seconds to go. Neither guy is getting cheated on his punches right now.

Franchise: 10-9 Prescott

Round Four

Toledo may be best served by turning this into a wild brawl, as Prescott seems willing to stand and trade. Prescott has a bit of a cut caused by a headbutt. Toledo charges forward and makes it ugly again. Prescott stands and throws a bunch of wide shots. The ref warns him for a low blow. Toledo slugs his way forward but misses most of his punches. Prescott's jab starts to flow again. Here comes Prescott, shrugging off a right hand and scoring with both of his own.

Franchise: 10-9 Prescott

Round Five

Toledo connects with a right hand and ducks some of Prescott's hooks. A right from Prescott knocks Toledo back a step and they circle around. Breidis is doing all he can to keep Toledo off of him. Both men missing a lot right now. Toledo turns southpaw trying to find something, as neither man landed anything too devastating in that frame.

Franchise: 10-9 Prescott

Round Six

Both men look to the body. Toledo throws with both hands to the head. Prescott jabs and tires a left hook. More jabs from Breidis. Toledo is still pushing the pace, he just is too inaccurate. Atlas thinks Prescott is getting a bit frustrated. His movement and height have really served him well though.

Franchise: 10-9 Prescott

Round Seven

Joel Casamayor is in the house. Toledo tries chasing again. Prescott dodges numerous shots along the ropes and whacks away with a hook. He's complaining about more headbutts. Toledo having a lot of trouble finding the target as Prescott stays elusive. Two nice left hooks hit Toledo, who needs the ropes to hold himself up and gets a standing eight from the ref.

Franchise: 10-8 Prescott

Round Eight

We'll see if Prescott can close the show, and he lands a hook and an uppercut. Toledo is still battling. Prescott steps back and fires the uppercut. Body shot by Prescott and more left hands. The counter left is there whenever he wants it. The ref takes a point away from Toledo for holding and hitting.

Franchise: 10-8 Prescott

Round Nine

Prescott is still bouncing around. Toledo bulls forward and hopes for one big shot. Several jabs by Breidis. Prescott touches Toledo upstairs and moves away. He's sticking and moving and not getting lured into a firefight. Toledo runs right over Prescott and the ref correctly says it's not a knockdown.

Franchise: 10-9 Prescott

Round Ten

Only a home run shot could save Toledo at this point. He lands a right hand but Prescott ties him up. More roughhousing breaks out and the ref disqualifies Toledo. It looks like he bit Prescott right on the base of the neck. Replays sure make it look like he was bitten, and the referee confirms that's why the fight was stopped.

The winner by disqualification at 1:58 of Round 10... Breidis Prescott.

Friday Night Fights Report - Feb. 20, 2009

The start of tonight's Friday Night Fights card was delayed by the end of Illinois State and Niagara in college hoops, but we've finally made our way to Ft. Lauderdale. Undefeated Breidis Prescott is in the main event, and Yuriorkis Gamboa is also in action.

The planned main event between Richard Gutierrez and Jesus Gonzales has been scrapped as Gonzales could not make weight and informed all involved that he would not be taking the fight.

We get right to action with Keith Gross facing Cuban native Erislandry Lara, who's already been on FNF once in 2009. This will be four rounds.

A one-two from Lara lands right on the button about 30 seconds in and puts Gross on his back. Gross makes it up but is right back down after a left to the body and several more to the head. The ref calls a stop to it as Gross is doubled over on the ground. Lara wins by KO at 1:09 of the first round.

Lara moves to 4-0 as a professional. Replays of the first knockdown show just what a sweet left hand Lara threw.

Brian Kenny is in the studio and leads off by talking about the weigh-in for Miguel Cotto-Michael Jennings and Kelly Pavlik-Marco Antonio Rubio. Cotto says he is past his loss to Antonio Margarito mentally. Pavlik and Rubio have some complimentary things to say about each other.

Kenny throws it to Dan Rafael for some reaction. Dan states that Cotto is still very bothered by Bob Arum's vocal defense of Margarito but is taking the high road for the most part. He also says that a rematch with Shane Mosley would be most appetizing for Cotto, but that Top Rank doesn't seem interested in pursuing it, so Kermit Cintron or Joshua Clottey may end up next on Miguel's dance card.

Rafael also talked recently to Oscar De La Hoya, who told him that he is leaning toward retiring from boxing.The Golden Boy has been taking his loss to Manny Pacquiao pretty hard, staying out of the public eye whenever possible and playing a lot of golf.

Next on the schedule is electrifying junior lightweight Yuriorkis Gamboa going up against veteran Walter Estrada. The 27-year old Gamboa is 13-0 with 11 KOs, and he also appeared on FNF previously in 2009. The Cuban defector has a large following in South Florida and the fans are behind him again tonight.

Estrada has lost his last two fights by KO, which doesn't bode well for him. We're scheduled for eight rounds.

Gamboa wastes no time getting to work and sends Estrada to the mat with a right hand just 25 seconds in. Estrada is not getting up, and the former Olympic gold medalist adds another KO victim to his resume.

A left hook to the body set up Gamboa's right that ended the fight. Gamboa wins by KO at 0:35 of the first round.

We're getting extra studio time thanks to those quick knockouts. Kenny talks Paul Williams-Winky Wright and shows some entertaining clips from the Timothy Bradley-Kendall Holt press conference from Montreal.

Next up is a four-round heavyweight bout between Mike Sheppard and Ramon Garbey, yet another Cuban. Garbey has only 22 pro fights on his record but is 37 years old. He's been inactive for two and a half years, but he has been the distance with James Toney and Fres Oquendo years ago.

Garbey lands a pretty sharp right hand about halfway through the first and spends the rest of the round backing Sheppard into the corner and looking for the kill. He also lands a low shot right before the bell, though replay shows it was on the beltline.

The second round and most of the third go Garbey's way as he looks to set up a big right hand. He finally lands it off a counter shot with a little less than a minute left in the third, but Sheppard gets off the canvas and bravely battles to the end of the round.

The only drama left is seeing if Sheppard can make it the whole four rounds. Another counter right sends Sheppard down again with 30 seconds left, and then a third time right before the final bell.

The judges score it 40-33 three times. Garbey wins by unanimous decision.

Back to Kenny for one final segment. He shows Nate Campbell-Ali Funeka highlights and runs down the Ring Magazine lightweight rankings, which have Prescott in the top 10. Kenny also goes through Sergio Martinez-Kermit Cintron and Alfredo Angulo-Cosme Rivera highlights.

Rafael checks in and says he likes Campbell moving up in weight. He also thinks Funeka has earned another main event appearance.

Predictions: Pavlik-Rubio, Cotto-Jennings

The Franchise says...

There's an upcoming UFC card that's been dubbed "Redemption," but that really is an even more fitting name for the split-site pay-per-view presented by Top Rank this Saturday. Both middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik and former welterweight titleholder Miguel Cotto are returning after suffering their first career defeats, both of which were humbling in their own way.

Pavlik was simply taught a boxing lesson by master practitioner Bernard Hopkins, and while there's no shame in losing to The Executioner, it had to be somewhat discouraging that he was outclassed and outmuscled. Neither should be a problem as he returns to 160 pounds to take on Marco Antonio Rubio.

He's also fighting in front of his hometown fans in Youngstown, Ohio, which could be a positive or negative. Every boxer draws energy from a supportive crowd, but Pavlik takes his role as the embodiment of his city more seriously than most, and that could easily turn into extra pressure the champ puts on himself.

If Pavlik comes out tight, Rubio could hang around long enough to keep things interesting. I've seen him fight just once, winning a split decision against Enrique Ornelas on the Pavlik-Hopkins undercard. My impression was that he had pretty good hand speed and movement and a real solid chin.

Even if Rubio starts strong, I don't think he has the power to put Pavlik in real trouble. So unless his head is really in a bad place, I expect that once he finds his comfort level, Pavlik will emerge with a late-round KO, looking more like his pre-Hopkins self in the process.

And what of Michael Jennings, Cotto's opponent? Well, he's had a tough life. I also know ESPN's Dan Rafael has called him a joke as a mandatory opponent for the vacant WBO title.

That means he's likely also in for a rough night against Cotto, who can add frustration with his promoter to his already high level of motivation. He's not happy that Bob Arum hasn't denounced Antonio Margarito, whose hand wrap-related suspension has made Cotto more outspoken than usual.

Margarito administered a pretty vicious beating last July, but Cotto has had plenty of time to heal since then. I don't see any reason to suspect he won't be superior to Jennings in all facets of the game, leading to a Cotto victory by early to mid-round KO.

Uatu says...
Speaking of the UFC, that's what I'll be watching tonight. I will be voting with my wallet and voting no on this particular ppv. Fortunately, the Franchise will carry the banner for BoxingWatchers and actually watch this ppv. I have no beef whatsoever with this being ppv. I am sure Bob Arum knows what he is doing, and if taking this to ppv makes him the most money, then why shouldn't he go this route? If stations aren't going to pony up the money he thinks it deserves, then by all means he should do what is best for him and his fighters. I don't have to buy it though.

Let's see...

I've never seen this Jennings fellow fight. My guess is that Arum is putting him in to lose. If he does indeed fight like Giancarlo Branco, as I have read, then he will be dispatched by KO in the midrounds.

Pavlik and Rubio I have seen fight. I like this fight to actually be entertaining. I foresee some exchanged punches and Rubio will be there to win. He is perfect for this comeback fight, if you want to call it that, for Pavlik. He will extend Pavlik some rounds, but Pavlik will get the best of him and win by unanimous decision.

19.2.09

Reports: Dawson-Tarver Postponed, Bradley-Holt Face Off in Montreal

Looking forward to seeing the rematch between Chad Dawson and Antonio Tarver? You'll have to wait longer than March 14.

As reported by multiple outlets Wednesday, Dawson injured a ligament in his right hand, forcing the fight to be postponed.

Gary Shaw told ESPN's Dan Rafael that Dawson is expected to be out of action for two weeks, making him ready to fight again my mid-April. Of course, rescheduling the bout might not be quite that simple, as HBO is already set with boxing on April 11 (Paul Williams vs. Winky Wright), April 25 (Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Gerry Penalosa) and May 2 (Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton on pay-per-view).

It's doubtful that the 40-year old Tarver has much choice but to wait it out. As unlikely as a win in the rematch would seem after he was dominated in the first fight, it may be his last shot at getting any more big fights.

Dawson's future is much brighter, but as the lone young star in a division of 40-somethings, he's lacking an obvious big money alternative. He may have not been crazy about taking the rematch - and I'm not alone saying I'm not especially excited to watch it - yet it's probably also best for him to have it rescheduled for later in 2009.

An interesting sidenote for fans of The Contender: Dawson hurt himself sparring with A.K. Laleye, a Season Four semifinalist who was preparing to fight on the undercard of the show's live finale at Foxwoods next week.

Elsewhere, the AP reports that it was a spirited press conference in Montreal to promote the April 4 140-pound fight between Timothy Bradley and Kendall Holt. Bradley brings in the WBC belt and Holt the WBO strap to unify titles in a division that will soon inherit both Manny Pacquiao (at least temporarily) and Nate Campbell.

In terms of atmosphere, Montreal ranks right up there in terms of current boxing sites. The fans are lively and the venues always seem to pull out all the stops to put on a show.

With respect to professionalism and technical competency... not so much. In just the last few months, we've seen hometown hero Lucian Bute benefit from a questionable refereeing move and the sport's longest round take place when Round 11 between Herman Ngoudjo and Juan Urango went more than five minutes.

Hopefully we'll see the good side of Montreal and not the bad when Bradley and Holt step in the ring.

Recap: The Contender Season 4 Semifinals (Episode 11)

After starting with 16 cruiserweights, just four men remain. Troy Ross will meet A.K. Laleye in one semifinal, while Rico Hoye takes on Hino Ehikhamenor in the other.

Both Hino and A.K. are thrilled to be in the semifinals after winning last week. Tony Danza gathers the final four together and tells them they will be going on a little excursion to celebrate.

Said excursion is on board a yacht, giving the men a little time to relax. Everyone tests the water except for Hino, who deems it "too risky." After the boat trip, Danza asks the boxers about their thoughts on the 12 men who have been eliminated, and the show recaps some of the more memorable moments for each fighter.

Ross and Laleye make final preparations for their fight. Tommy Brooks tells Ross to get ahead early and look to catch his foe in the later rounds. John Bray wants Laleye to box and throw Ross off his game.

The first two rounds go solidly in Ross' favor. He uses good counter shots and wide hooks to get around Laleye's guard. A.K. leads often with his head, and lots of wrestling on the inside makes things fairly ugly.

Ross uses a good body attack to open the third round in strong fashion. A.K. finally shows some spark in the second half of the round, bulling his way inside and landing some shots in close.

The fourth round looks like a repeat of the third. Brooks tells Ross not to get hit with anything stupid, and he lands some nice shots in the final round and quickly moves away.

The judges scorecards make it a shutout: all three score it 50-45, all to the winner, Troy Ross.

Laleye is definitely one of the more emotional losers, shouting in frustration at himself. He says he knows he didn't box enough and he let his emotions get the best of him. Danza congratulates A.K. for the effort but says he wishes Laleye would have let his hands go.

A.K. keeps things in proper perspective, laughing and saying he'll be back better than before. He hangs up his gloves to leave us with three fighters remaining.

The second semifinal seems like it will be a battle between Hino's athleticism and Rico's fundamentals. Bray instructs Hoye to throw multiple jabs and work off of them.

Rico does indeed use the jab to keep Hino at bay for much of the first round. Ehikhamenor lands a few good shots coming in, but he is wilder and Hoye's defense looks better.

The momentum shifts in Hino's favor during the middle rounds. He isn't jabbing much, but he's able to land some big right hands and get out before Hoye can respond.

Rico goes after it in the final round, but Hino's elusiveness is the difference. A slow-motion sequence near the end foreshadows something dramatic, though nothing too consequential happens, and we go to the scorecards.

The judges score it 50-45, 48-47 and 49-46, all to the winner, Hino Ehikhamenor.

Hoye says he saw some shots there but was unable to pull the trigger, and he's disappointed in himself. He says it's important to stay faithful and take comfort in the idea that things happen for a reason. His gloves are hung, putting an end to the Singapore portion of the show.

Next week: Season Four of The Contender comes to an end with a live two-hour finale from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Ross and Ehikhamenor will go ten rounds for the show's championship, with Laleye and Hoye facing off on the undercard.

16.2.09

Report: Peterson-Cherry Bout Off Due to Injury

This weekend's split-site pay-per-view featuring Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto just lost the most interesting part of its undercard.

Undefeated lightweight Anthony Peterson was set to meet Edner Cherry on the televised Madison Square Garden portion of the card. But according to ESPN's Dan Rafael, Peterson injured his knee over the weekend, and the fight is now off.

The 23-year old Peterson is currently ranked in the top 10 at 135 pounds by BoxRec.com, and was ready for another step up in competition after scoring a KO and two lopsided decisions in his three 2008 appearances. He should have received a more honest test from Cherry, who most recently lost a 140-pound title fight to Timothy Bradley but is 5-0 in his last five lightweight fights since an early 2006 loss to Jose Armando Santa Cruz.

The undercard is set to undergo a significant downgrade, with Rafael reporting that a four-round fight between Matvey Korobov and Cory Jones will now be the first fight shown on TV.

14.2.09

Nate Campbell vs. Ali Funeka: Round by Round

Ali Funeka is a tall dude. He's 6'1" to Nate Campbell's 5'7".

This is a battle of somewhat creative nicknames. "Rush Hour" versus "The Galaxxy Warrior"

Funeka has a fourth-round KO over Zahir Raheem to his credit. Raheem has fought some decent names here and there but his career has been inconsistent. So it's hard to say what that win means. I haven't gotten a chance to see that fight yet, so Funeka is an undiscovered country for me.

Nate, too, has been inconsistent as everyone knows. He has had good efforts against the likes of Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz and Kid Diamond and then has dropped some fights he probably should have won.

Here we go.

Round 1
Funeka kind of looks like Paul Williams in this fight. Nate is certainly moving forward and throwing extremely hard to the body. Funeka pumps the jab consistently. Nate has a good jab too. Nice right by Nate upstairs. He has pushed Funeka back to the ropes a few times. So far this has been an interesting and entertaining fight. Campbell is his usual aggressive and active self and Funeka isn't being shy either.

Uatu: Campbell 10-9

Round 2
Nate doesn't get cheated in his shots. He puts a lot of steam into his blows, body and head. Nate doing a decent job of picking off Funeka jabs as he works his way in. Funeka goes triple jab, all blocked. Nate gets in a big time right that has Funeka in some trouble. Nate chases him to the ropes. He works him back to the middle of the ring and down goes Funeka! Huge overhand rights from Nate. Bombs away. Funeka escapes.

Uatu: Campbell 10-8

Round 3
It was another huge overhand right that knocked funeka down, just like the punch that stumbled him. Bob Papa refers to the punches as "roundhouse rights," which is a good description. Funeka isn't discouraged. He is still in it to win it. He continues to jab and jab and move away. Nate gets him against the ropes and you can hear the body shots booming. There's a 1-2 from Funeka. Nate is not throwing quite as often, but when he gets in close he is ripping away. Nate has fallen in love with his big overhand and Funeka isn't having it this time. That round could have gone either way. Nate was strong in the beginning but kind of petered out.

Uatu: Funeka 10-9

Round 4
Harold Lederman likes Nate 3-0 so far. All kinds of jabs from Funeka. Nate has that good high guard though. Funeka showing a lot of movement. Nate really throwing sparingly. At this point it looks like Funeka has recovered completely. He is throwing consistently. Another big right from Nate misses. Lennox Lewis comments on Nate's lack of activity versus the high output from Funeka. There's some hard body leather from Nate. Not sure it's enough though.

Uatu: Funeka 10-9

Round 5
Four punches from Funeka that get blocked. It's strange to score this because Funeka is so active but is really getting the vast majority of his punches blocked, and Nate isn't really throwing but is keeping up the pressure. Nate continues to move forward but he keeps missing the huge right. Nate moves in to phone booth distance but doesn't get in too many before Funeka dances away. Jabs from Funeka, body shots from Nate.

Uatu: Funeka 10-9

Round 6
Nate runs right in at the bell. Campbell is starting out active. He does not want to give Funeka an inch of space. Hook to the body from Funeka. Jabs from Nate, who is moving in faster this round. Both men are in great condition. Nice jab from Nate high and then to the chest. Double right hooks to the body from Nate. He backs Funeka up. Funeka gets out with no trouble. Double hooks from Funeka. Nate is just more active and effective than the previous few rounds. I liked Nate's effort in this round. I thought he landed the more solid blows.

Uatu: Campbell 10-9

Round 7
Harold has it three rounds each and Nate up by a point. Triple jabs and changing levels from Funeka. Double jab from Funeka. Four punches from Funeka. He is looking more and more Williams-like as this goes on. He is hugely tall for his weight and all kinds of busy and mobile, and he has some decent skills to boot. There's a little more posing in this round, but Funeka stays active. Nate is having trouble this round really getting in there through Funeka's flurries. Nate gets Funeka to stumble, although it may have been a trip or stumble instead of a scattered brain wobble.

Uatu: Funeka 10-9

Round 8
Close quarters fighting in the middle of the ring. Campbell is winging away to the body. Both of these guys are in great shape. Campbell backing up a little bit now. Maybe he is setting a trap for the overhand again. Funeka doesn't take the bait and fly all the way in. He is content to throw punches from the outside. A slip, no knockdown by Funeka. Nate will not be denied. He is pressing Funeka up against the ropes. Funeka has his moments too. Another close round. Funeka throws more, Campbell probably lands harder.

Uatu: Campbell 10-9

Round 9
When they show the slo-mo replays, it looks like maybe Funeka is having more success landing than it appeared. Harold has Funeka up one at this point. I am interested to see the stats to see exactly how many punches Funeka has been throwing. Lennox wants something, anything different from Nate to switch things up. He tries the huge overhand again and Funeka does not get hit with it. Nice body shots from Funeka now. He throws a jab to get the hands up, then wings to the body like cCampbell has been doing. Max thinks Nate looks tired. Funeka threw nearly 100 punches this round.

Uatu: Funeka 10-9

Round 10
Harold has given Funeka six rounds in a row. He, too, thinks Nate is tired. Perhaps the weight struggle has taken some of the energy out of Nate. It's not like Nate has stopped throwing, it's just that Funeka is super active. Funeka does the jab and then hook to the body. They are right up against each other in the middle. Nate is trying to smother Funeka, who does look a bit crisper than Nate. Campbell is doing a lot of leaning on Funeka. Lots of jabs both ways. Nate not giving up at all. Funeka just has more in the tank, it appears.

Uatu: Funeka 10-9

Round 11
I really like both of these guys. Campbell is coming out big this round. He is raking the body and trying to hook high. Funeka does block the head shots. They are in the phone booth again. Nate is really crowding him. Funeka doing the jab and away and some spinning. Funeka has slowed but is still pretty active. Nate lands a huge right again. Funeka falls into Nate. Campbell gets out of the way and down goes Funeka again! Funeka is looking extra shaky with 45 seconds yet to play out. He is grabbing like he should. Funeka throws but he is spending a lot of time running and covering. Ten seconds to go and Funeka is shaky but gets out again. Big round for Nate!

Uatu: Campbell 10-8

Round 12
It was that same overhand right. He had continued to try it and it paid off in Round 11. I have to hand it to Campbell. He continued and continued and he got it. Funeka starts throwing. Nate lands a right. Funeka holding on. He may still be shaky. Nate is smothering him and leaning in, strafing the body with both hands. Funeka is trying to keep his guard super tight. Lots of holding. Nate gets in a right. Funeka throwing really only to keep Nate honest. He seems most concerned with surviving. Nate is really going to the body, but he looks gassed maybe too. One minute to go. Nate goes both hands to the body. Thirty seconds to go. Funeka gets off a flurry of sorts. Nate looks to move in with 10 to go. That's it.

Uatu: Campbell 10-9

That was a great fight to watch with lots of intrigue. I would watch both guys again.

Uatu scores it 114-112 Campbell. Lederman has it 113-113. The judges score it 113-113 and 115-111 and 114-112 for Campbell. The winner by majority decision... Nate "The Galaxxy Warrior" Campbell.

Nate is headed up to 140, so Funeka may indeed get a title chance again soon.

Funeka is crying in the ring. He gave a great effort. Hopefully he resurfaces.

Max interviews Nate. Nate says Funeka was tough, strong, physical, and can take a punch. His day will come. He also says Funeka used his length to keep away.

Was the weight an issue with fatigue? Nate says it was in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. He is going to have fun at 140.

Nate says he is hurt to have to leave the belts on the scale. He is emotional about it. Campbell is showing a lot of heart and class.

Nate Campbell is great for the sport and I am very excited about him at 140. He is exciting, he has determination, he comes in shape and he has strength and skills.

Sergio Martinez vs. Kermit Cintron: Round by Round

Both men unofficially weigh 164 pounds, so we will have an even fight for this one in terms of weight.

I don't know a lot about Martinez, other than he is supposed to be very good. Cintron I have seen fight probably a dozen times. He is strong and hits hard.

Interestingly, these fighters have a combined three losses, all to the recently disgraced Antonio Margarito. It's a nice subplot. Could mean nothing, could mean these guys have zero legit losses. Make your own conclusion.

Round 1
Martinez is a lefty and is doing the circling. Not much punching happening, just the usual feeling out in the first round. Nice left from martinez. Not much aggression. Martinez is picking his spots here and there to jump in. and they grab when that happens. There's a left hook counter attempt by cintron to the body. If I could, I would score this 0-0.

Uatu: 10-9 Martinez

Round 2
Lennox Lewis says Margarito is a disgrace. He compares it to using brass knuckles. He isn't buying that Tony didn't know. Second round looks the same as the first. If Tony did cheat against Cintron, then I feel especially bad for Kermit. It really has damaged his career, as Max Kellerman has said. Nothing of significance landing either way. There's a 1-2 from Kermit. Some more clinching. The clinch fest brings some scattered boos.

Uatu: 10-9 Cintron

Round 3
I guess it's too early for either man to really go for broke, so Martinez goes back to lots of movement. Right to the body from Kermit. I think Cintron could stand to be more aggressive. Martinez isn't really throwing much. There's a cintron jab. Martinez may have gotten a left in there. He tried a combo but he isn't really committing. Perhaps Martinez respects the power. Martinez looks quicker on his feet. He is doing a lot of dancing and he isn't getting hit, but he isn't doing much to hit Cintron either. Hard to score these rounds.

Uatu: Martinez 10-9

Round 4
Harold Lederman likes Cintron 2-1 right now. It's a feasible score. So would three 10-10 rounds. I am not a boxer, but I always find it odd when fighters pump a range-finding jab when they are so far apart that even if they both leaped in simultaneously like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon there is no way they could hit each other. Cintron shuffles his way in behind jabs to throw a combo, but Martinez is doing a ton of grabbing. Lennox asks for an uppercut from either man, and I have to agree. There are some hard shots from Martinez. He lands a nice solid right that was easily the best punch of the night. It's not life changing, but it still counts.

Uatu: Martinez 10-9

Round 5
Cintron is trying to to press but Martinez knows how to move. A cut forms over Cintron's eye from a left from Martinez. He is somewhat pot-shotting but isn't really sniping away either. Martinez is too mobile to all out blitz him. Cintron jabs. There, Lennox says Cintron needs to cut off the ring and I agree wholeheartedly. Martinez is looking like a supreme ring general right now but is minus the clean effective punching to go with it.

Uatu: Martinez 10-9

Round 6
The ref calls the cut a butt, but the announcers point out that it was a punch. The refs have blown both calls tonight so far. Probably a very difficult to make on the fly. Replay would be helpful. Kellerman agrees with me, saying it was an easy call to miss. More of the same. Cintron is showing patience. He tries the uppercut to no avail. Maybe Martinez could tire of the movement, but Cintron needs to get some of those punches in the bank to help push Martinez that way. Some more talk of how crucial those Cintron losses to Tony were for his career. He should be more mad about that whole wraps thing than any other fighter out there. Nothing different happened this round from the last few. No big punches landed either way really.

Uatu: Martinez 10-9

Round 7
Harold has it 4-2 Martinez, including the last four in a row. Harold is incredulous over the fact that Cintron's trainer is not telling him to cut off the ring. One-two from Martinez and out. These are not hard shots, and they are going to the body. Martinez seems more concerned with bailing out than hitting hard. Will cintron go all out at some point? There's a right over the top, but nothing to go with it. Martinez is doing enough to keep Kermit honest. Oh my! Something happened. Cintron goes down. The count goes to 9. He gets up at like 9 1/2. He says it was a headbutt. This was a strange turn of events. Kermit backed up to the ropes oddly. Was it a butt? No sir. That was a "good crunching left hand" as Bob Papa said. That was legit. The ref said he saw no butt. Kermit is sure it was a butt, but the announcers say he was fooled by Martinez. Now the fight is back on! Kermit argued his way to get to keep fighting! The ref says he was up at 9, so even if it was a punch, it's not over! The ref says legit knockdown. Okay, we are back on.

Uatu: Martinez 10-8

Round 8
There has been over 2 and 1/2 minutes now between rounds. Confusion abounds, but the HBO crew says it was the right call. Legit punch knockdown, Cintron got up at 9. Craziness. But now the crowd and the fighters are slightly more into the fight. There's a nice right from Kermit. Martinez is into this too. Both men are throwing a little harder. Another awesome left from Martinez and Cintron hit him hard at the same time. And another nice left from Martinez. Maybe Martinez knew what he was doing all along.

Uatu: Martinez 10-9

Round 9
Martinez is circling. Martinez seems to win when they are in range with one another. He is just a little too quick for Cintron. Cintron throwing some hard shots but Martinez dodges and moves. Nice jab from Kermit. One-two-three from Martinez but none land well. Martinez likes to stand back with his hands down and then lunge in.

Uatu: Martinez 10-9

Round 10
Max and Lennox both think Cintron got his knee up by the slimmest of margins after that knockdown. Harold has Martinez winning 7 rounds in a row. Harold believes the ref makes the call, and he said 10, and the fight was over. Oh well. Very nice right from Kermit - maybe his best punch. And a left backs Martinez up a little bit. Both men score to the head. I like what I'm seeing from Kermit. He gets another nice shot in. Martinez gets a warning for grabbing or something. Kermit is pressing a bit, finally. A right from Kermit.

Uatu: Cintron 10-9

Round 11
Harold agrees, giving the last round to Cintron. The usual grabbing ensues. Martinez is back to his old tricks. Cintron gets a nice shot in, then a 1-2. Cintron is dipping back slightly when Martinez dives in and is making him miss too. Martinez is still putting in work though too. Martinez got in a decent combo. Martinez is just more active. Can't really give cintron this round. Martinez is looking strong and is still throwing hard. Even though he moves around and in and out, it's not like he punches softly. He has some zip on his punches.

Uatu: Martinez 10-9

Round 12
Martinez lands a left and talks trash and mugs for the crowd. He is super confident right now. He has enough energy and speed. Oh my - a one point deduction for Martinez for grabbing and Lennox is not liking it. Max thinks Cintron has been grabbing more, actually. Cintron goes down, but it was a slip. Now Cintron is moving around like Martinez, which is odd. Martinez is the aggressor in the corner. Cintron backs to the ropes. Martinez looks no different in this round than the previous 11. He is in excellent condition. And that's it.

Uatu: 9-9

Uatu scores it 117-109 Martinez. The judges score it 116-110 Martinez and 113-113 twice. The fight ends in a majority draw!

The announcing team thinks Martinez won, and Max says the deduction was absurd. CompuBox has Martinez landing more punches at a higher percentage than Cintron, with a 98-52 edge in power shots. CompuBox doesn't mean a lot to me, however.

I thought Martinez won clearly, but it wasn't like he steamrollered Cintron. There was a lot of ineffective punching from both men for large periods of this fight.

Now both men have still not lost to anyone but Margarito.

Alfredo Angulo vs. Cosme Rivera: Round By Round

HBO's Boxing After Dark tripleheader comes our way from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. Alfredo Angulo will lead off by taking on veteran Cosme Rivera, who took the fight on four days notice after original opponent Ricardo Mayorga dropped out over money issues.

The tale of the tape shows Rivera with a slight height advantage but Angulo with an edge in reach. More significantly, Angulo outweighs Rivera by 15 pounds as they step in the ring tonight.

Fast-rising Angulo is 14-0 with 11 KOs. Rivera has a career record of 31-11-2, but he has been stopped just once.

Michael Buffer handles the introductions and we're ready to go.

Round One

Rivera gets in a quick left to test Angulo. Perro knocks his foe back a step or two when he connects. Angulo digs to the body with both hands. Both men look to jab. Rivera stands and trades and draws blood from Angulo's face. Angulo backs Rivera into the ropes but eats a left coming back. Angulo throws two multi-punch combos but misses a bunch of punches. There's some wrestling in close, and they will have to check the cut by Angulo's eye.

Franchise: 10-9 Rivera
Uatu: 10-9 Rivera

Round Two

The referee has signaled that the cut near Angulo's right eye was caused by a punch, though replays suggest otherwise. Rivera stays cautious but he is moving well. Angulo stalks and looks for an opening. He lands lefts to the body and head. Rivera throws a combo but Angulo covers up well. Rivera uses the jab to set up a right, then does it again. Angulo responds with a left-right to the head. A good exchange ends with a mean right by Angulo. He goes to the body and flurries to the body and head.

Franchise: 10-9 Angulo
Uatu: 10-9 Angulo

Round Three

Both men land early jabs. They both want to go to the body too. Rivera lands some lefts but Angulo shakes them off and scores with several rights. A right-left combo dazes Rivera a bit. Angulo presses forward and staggers Rivera with a barrage of head shots. Rivera has to hold on to avoid further harm. Angulo works his way free and lands three straight shots. Rivera does some more grabbing and makes it out of the round.

Franchise: 10-9 Angulo
Uatu: 10-9 Angulo

Round Four

Rivera is still game but Angulo chases him back with a right hand. Now another one crashes home. Angulo covers up to pick off incoming punches. Angulo is really loading up with both hands. A left hook from Rivera has blood coming from Angulo's cut again. Two right hands knock Rivera back to the ropes, followed by lefts to the body. Rivera digs in but gets hit with hooks from both hands. A right hand from Angulo has Rivera staggered again as the bell rings.

Franchise: 10-9 Angulo
Uatu: 10-9 Angulo

Round Five

Angulo throws multiple jabs and a straight right. He's staying very patient as he waits to explode. There's a left to the body and a right upstairs. Max Kellerman wonders if Rivera's corner should look out for him. Angulo crushes Rivera with a series of head shots in the corner. Rivera continues to take a beating, and an official from the commission steps in and stops it. Rivera was doubled over and looked like he could barely stand.

The HBO crew has a debate about whether or not the ref should have stopped it as Rivera was on the receiving end of a ridiculous stream of power shots.

The winner by TKO at 2:38 of Round Five... Alfredo "Perro" Angulo.