30.12.09

BoxingWatchers.com 2009 Fighter of the Year: Manny Pacquiao

What, you expected someone else?

All three of the BoxingWatchers are big Manny fans - and only some of the reason is because we're part Filipino. Pacquiao delivered the goods both times he stepped in the ring in 2009, knocking Ricky Hatton silly with a single second-round punch in May and battering Miguel Cotto into a stoppage in the final round last month.

As you've no doubt read, Pacquiao won a world title in his seventh different weight class. That's an impressive achievement no matter how you slice it, and one we're not likely to see again any time soon, even in an age of many championship belts and fighters who switch weight classes all the time.

On top of that, Pacquiao is simply good for the sport. He fights with the entertainment value of the fans in mind, and he comes across as a humble guy, at least relative to his enormous success over the last few years.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that even though he's on top of the boxing world right now, there are some dark clouds on the horizon for the Pac Man. Assuming they get the wrinkles ironed out, his next (huge) fight will be with Floyd Mayweather, the one man on the planet I'm not sure he can beat.

And what about those steroid allegations? I don't put a lot of stock in the ones made by Floyd Mayweather Sr. or Paulie Malignaggi, but the behavior and requests made by the Pacquiao camp over the drug testing flap have been curious to say the least.

I firmly believe that Manny isn't taking stuff on a regular basis to get an edge. But I would not be stunned if one of his many hangers-on gave him something questionable without him telling Freddie Roach or doing enough research into it on his own.

Despite all that, Pacquiao deserves our Fighter of the Year nod for the second straight year. The difference this time is that I'm fairly confident someone new will take the crown in 2010.

Previous winners:
2008 - Manny Pacquiao
2007 - Kelly Pavlik

Honorable mentions: All hail King Arthur Abraham, who simply did what he always does in 2009: he went 3-0 with two knockouts. The level of his competition prevented him from more serious consideration... Speaking of level of competition, Paul Williams may have defeated two tougher challenges than anyone else, knocking off Winky Wright and Sergio Martinez. His drawback is that many folks think he was lucky to get the decision over Martinez... Vitali Klitschko continued his impressive run after his 2008 comeback, going 3-0 for 2009 with two KOs. Time to take on his little brother, perhaps?

Posted by The Franchise

25.12.09

Franchise Thoughts: Call Me Crazy, But I Still Think Mayweather-Pacquiao Is Going to Happen

Well, this was an unpleasant Christmas present.

Like most of you, I've been following the drama surrounding the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight and the falling out between the two sides regarding drug testing. Like some of you, I assumed the rift would be solved through negotiation and we'd still be watching the bout everyone wants to see on March 13.

Now I think it's seriously time to revisit that line of thinking. When Bob Arum is talking about alternatives for March - and color me surprised that Paulie Malignaggi is at the top of the list - things are definitely looking a little grim.

I haven't really weighed in on the drug testing and steroid issue, mostly because of the holidays. It's interesting because it's not clear whether Mayweather's testing demands are gamesmanship, a true suspicion that Manny is on something, or (most likely) a little of both.

Likewise, it's equally hard to know whether Pacquiao has something to hide or is just playing his own game of hardball. Boxing fans and members of the mainstream sports media, just getting back into boxing for the first time since Mike Tyson's prime, have taken just about every point on the range of opinions.

Some have even tried to have it both ways. I'm talking about Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports, whose most recent column says Floyd's request is ridiculous but Manny should agree to it anyway. Say what?

I think Wetzel is making the same mistake many sports writers make and assuming that the spectre of steroids will haunt Pacquiao if he doesn't agree, when the truth is most fans really don't care that much. If he tested positive, sure. But simply the suggestion that he might be juicing because he refused to cave to Money's demands? I think not.

In the end, the whole thing doesn't interest me as much as whether or not Pacquiao and Mayweather are eventually going to fight, and I think they still will. It probably won't happen in March as originally planned, but there's simply too much money involved and too much interest from the general public for it not to happen.

Interestingly, when we ran a poll asking when Mayweather-Pacquiao would take place a few weeks back, the easy winner was the second half of 2010. Our readers are pretty slick, because I could easily see that happening now.

So Pac Man will fight Paulie or Yuri Foreman or whoever, and Mayweather may need a stay-busy fight as well. When both fighters make good but not great money from those matches, they will find their way back to the negotiating table and make it happen for the fall.

Unless one of them loses a tune-up fight (ahem, Roy Jones!) or gets injured in the interim, you can take that to the bank.

Posted by The Franchise

23.12.09

BoxingWatchers.com Boxer Power Rankings: End of 2009

Since everyone of consequence is done fighting for the year, I'm not even waiting for the end of the month to do the final set of power rankings for 2009. As soon as I can get input from the other BoxingWatchers, I'll also post our year-end pound-for-pound list as well.

Instead of my usual wanna-be pithy comments for each boxer, I'm simply going to include how they did in their 2009 appearances in a boxing ring. At the end you'll also find the final rankings from 2008 as a frame of reference.

More guidance on the philosophy behind these power rankings can be found here. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy.

1. Arthur Abraham - 26.13
2009 fights: March 14: W UD12 LaJuan Simon, June 27: W TKO10 Mahir Oral, October 17: W KO12 Jermain Taylor

2. Juan Manuel Lopez - 20.73
2009 fights: April 25: W TKO10 Gerry Penalosa, June 27 W TKO9 Olivier Lontchi, October 10: W UD12 Rogers Mtagwa

3. Kelly Pavlik - 20.13
2009 fights: February 21: W TKO9 Marco Antonio Rubio, December 19: W TKO5 Miguel Espino

4. Manny Pacquiao - 18.99
2009 fights: May 2: W KO2 Ricky Hatton, November 14: W TKO12 Miguel Cotto

5. Celestino Caballero - 17.49
2009 fights: April 30: W SD12 Jeffrey Mathebula, August 29: W TKO8 Francisco Leal

6. Wladimir Klitschko - 17.07
2009 fight: June 20: W TKO9 Ruslan Chagaev

7. Lucian Bute - 16.76
2009 fights: March 13: W TKO4 Fulgencio Zuniga, November 28: W KO4 Librado Andrade

8. Nonito Donaire - 16.60
2009 fights: April 19: W TKO4 Raul Martinez, August 15: W UD12 Rafael Concepcion

9. Felix Sturn - 15.25
2009 fights: April 25: W TKO7 Koji Sato, July 11: W UD12 Khoren Gevor

10. Tomasz Adamek - 14.61
2009 fights: February 27: W TKO8 Johnathon Banks, July 11: W TKO4 Bobby Gunn, October 24: W TKO5 Andrew Golota

The next 10: Vitali Klitschko, Robert Guerrero, Andre Ward, Timothy Bradley, Fernando Montiel, Chris John, Carl Froch, Chad Dawson, Vic Darchinyan, Paul Williams

Power Rankings - End of 2008

1. Arthur Abraham - 24.96
2. Wladimir Klitschko - 23.67
3. David Haye - 21.07
4. Celestino Caballero - 20.72
5. Manny Pacquiao - 20.62
6. Vic Darchinyan - 17.00
7. Andre Berto - 16.34
8. Paul Williams - 15.89
9. Kelly Pavlik - 15.36
10. Antonio Margarito - 15.30

Posted by The Franchise

21.12.09

20/20 Hindsight: Pavlik Back in Form But Not on Top, Plus Thoughts on Top Rank's New Series and More

Kelly Pavlik's first quote in the AP's coverage of his fifth-round knockout of Miguel Espino was short and to the point: "I'm definitely back."

Is he though? Certainly he's back in the ring after a long layoff, and he's good enough to dispose of a guy he really should have disposed of with little trouble.

But that's not the same thing as really being back, at least not to the point where his career started to stall. It's hard to say exactly where things started to go wrong, but there's no question that Pavlik was pretty much on top of the boxing world before he took the fight with Bernard Hopkins.

Since getting trounced by B-Hop, he's been sick and fought sparingly - and in fights no one outside of Ohio could work up much enthusiasm about seeing. To return to his previous status as a blossoming crossover star, there's more work to do.

I've written a bit of what I think he needs elsewhere, but it's abundantly clear that he needs a big fight. You know, the kind that isn't on Top Rank pay-per-view.

Pavlik and Bob Arum told The Ring's Dougie Fischer that Paul Williams is still on their radar, but whether The Punisher will be as psyched up about that possibility after the contentious dance those parties went through this year is anyone's guess. Even if that fight gets made, Williams doesn't have the kind of name that will tickle the imagination of the general public. And it's a fight that Pavlik could lose.

The middleweight division is pretty much devoid of intriguing match-ups, so someone smarter than me is going to have to figure out what to do next. Team Pavlik's decision-making has been spotty, but I hope they get Kelly back on track for real, because the more stars boxing has, the better.

Other random weekend thoughts in...

SHOE SHINING

I was happy to read Dan Rafael's piece on Top Rank's new boxing series, which will be carried on Fox Sports Net roughly three times a month. It looks like the show will feature a good mix of up-and-comers (Mike Jones!) and established guys (Joshua Clottey and Kendall Holt)...

So is the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout a done deal for Las Vegas' MGM Grand or not? Reports were circulating over the weekend that the venue was set, but no major media organization has confirmed it yet. Smart money said that was always the leading candidate, but it seems so boring to have it there was the possibility of a true spectacle at a location like Cowboys Stadium or the Georgia Dome...

Could someone please get Edwin Valero's fights on American TV, stream them live on the internet or something? His win on Saturday took him to 26-0 with 26 KOs, and though there are continuing obstacles to having him fight in the U.S., there's no good reason in this day and age for him to remain a mostly unseen legend with the technology that's available.

Posted by The Franchise

19.12.09

Kelly Pavlik-Miguel Espino and Humberto Soto-Jesus Chavez: Predictions

The Franchise says...

This should be short and sweet. And by that I mean this post as well as the middleweight title fight between Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Espino.

I don't know much about Espino, but no reputable set of rankings has him listed as a top contender at 160 pounds. This fight will be all about Pavlik, meaning as long as his trials and tribulations haven't beaten him down mentally, he shouldn't be in for much of a challenge.

I'm assuming they haven't, so I expect him to put on a show for his hometown fans, possibly the only ones who would get excited for this fight. A fourth-round KO for The Ghost sounds about right.

The pay-per-view co-feature pitting Humberto Soto against Jesus Chavez is a little more interesting, at least on paper. Soto is on a nice little run, knocking out his last three opponents.

Chavez can't say the same, seeing as he's 0-2 so far this year. But he'll be in there swinging, and there's a decent chance that he or Soto or both of them will be hitting the canvas.

The only time I've ever seen Soto look completely outclassed was two years ago against Joan Guzman, and Chavez doesn't have those types of skills. I expect some nice action in this one before it ends with a right hand that gives Soto a late-round KO victory.

Posted by The Franchise

17.12.09

More Manny Pacquiao T-Shirt Goodness From Silver Star



The guys and gals at Silver Star are busy cooking up more shirts for Manny Pacquiao, which is good because though I have the previous one, I have two preschool children who don't necessarily need to see their dad walking around with crossed pistols on his chest.

Anyway, the new Pacquiao shirt is called "Rising Son" and has boxing gloves on the front done up with gold foil. I'm not sure what the back looks like yet because the Silver Star site doesn't have a pic.

The shirt will be available on December 23 (so not in time for Christmas unless you can convince the jolly guy to bring it by sleigh) in black, white and red, and a blue version will be sold exclusively at Journeys.

Posted by The Franchise

15.12.09

Boxing (Trading) Cards Making a Comeback in 2010?



One of my interests that doesn't (necessarily) involve people attempting to punch each other in the face is collecting sports cards and memorabilia. I've been doing it since I was a kid back in the 80's, and though I've made several attempts to kick the habit, I've never been able to give it up, much to my wife's chagrin.

I enjoy the hobby that in a previous lifetime and in my scant current spare time, I write about it professionally. Still, one of the things that bums me out is the fact that there hasn't been a decent set of boxing cards for decades.

There are reasons for that, of course. First and foremost, the market for boxing cards would be pretty small here in the U.S., and the sports card industry as a whole has been in a steady decline for a while.

Even more importantly, since boxing isn't as a league or even under one governing body, anyone who wants to produce boxing cards has to negotiate with each boxer individually. And let me tell you, that wouldn't be easy or cheap.

It looks like someone decided to take a stab at it anyway. The aptly named Creative Cardboard Concepts (the distributor of In The Game hockey cards, among other things) has some initial information up for a set called Ringside Boxing. Details are still pretty scarce, but the set promises cards of boxing legends like Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and, ahem, Floyd Mayweather.

Other noteworthy features will be cut signature cards (basically autographs cut from other photos or documents, usually of deceased personalities, and incorporated into cards) and fight-used memorabilia cards. The picture here is of a card that contains a piece of a pair of Lewis' fight-worn trunks, and it looks pretty sweet.

You can check out more info at this site. Just cross your fingers and hope someone proofreads the actual cards better than they did that page!

There's no release date for these babies yet, but since we're running out of time in 2009, my guess is we'll see them at some point in 2010.

Posted by The Franchise

13.12.09

Maybe Dallas Isn't Out of the Running for Mayweather-Pacquiao Just Yet

The Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight isn't going to be held in Cowboys Stadium near Dallas.

Or is it?

Despite word that Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer turned up his nose at the idea without even checking the place out, Jerry Jones can be a stubborn sort. Just ask Cowboys fans.

ESPN reported yesterday that Dallas isn't dead yet, citing a Los Angeles Times story that suggested Jones would pony up $25 million for the privilege of seeing Money and Manny do battle. Bob Arum's quotes in the piece make it sound like at least Team Pacquiao is still interested.

And there are 100,000 reasons to at least hear out Jones' pitch. That's how many fans could potentially watch in person at Cowboys Stadium, with the ungodly huge HD screens allowing even people seated a mile off the field to be able to see the action with no problem.

Yes, the MGM Grand is used to hosting boxing matches like this. But while this may not be a once in a lifetime fight, it's the kind that doesn't come around very often. if the hype that already surrounds the bout is any indication of the interest that will build between now and March 13, you have to think the fighters would at least weigh the financial benefits of a live gate five times the size of what a casino arena could provide.

Smart money says the fight will still end up in Las Vegas, but I wouldn't count Jones and his facility out of the running until it's officially announced that it will take place somewhere else.

Posted by The Franchise

Klitschko v. Johnson: Round by Round

The last fight is underway already. HBO is wasting no time to take us to the tape delay.

Round 1
Vitali is getting his jab going as usual. Vitali is controlling the pace of the round. Johnson is working on getting close enough to land something. Johnson is staying in the Philly Shell. Vitali throws an overhand right. Johnson goes to the body. There's a lot of fake punches and flinching going on in round 1.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 2
Vitali has Johnson against the ropes and keeps throwing combos. Johnson gets a counter right in. Vitali is controlling round 2 as well. Johnson isn't throwing much of anything. Vitali is winning this round purely on activity.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 3
Vitali lands a right hand. This match has been bad and boring. Vitali isn't thowing anything to put Johnson in danger and Johnson isn't throwing anything. Johnson is smiling in there and is just blocking Vitali's jabs. Johnson throws 2 jabs to end the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 4
Klitschko keeps his jab going but not much else. Johnson is staying in his defensive shell. Klitschko misses with 2 right hands. Vitali lands a right hand. Johnson still isn't throwing much of anything. Vitali looks like he's getting frustrated and throws a big, wide right hook. Johnson tells Vitali to "come and get it."

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 5
Some swelling is starting over the right eye of Vitali. Vitali goes back to the jabs. Johnson mocks him and Vitali is starting to let the power punches go. Johnson throws a counter right. Vitali's right eye is pretty red. He lands a right hook.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 6
A cut has opened over the right eye of Vitali. He gets Johnson against the ropes and lets his hands fly. Johnson does a good job of dodging them. Vitali lands a jab followed by another right hand. Johnson lands a leaping left hook. Johnson lands a jab. Vitali lands a right hook. Johnson lands a right hook of his own.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 7
Vitali throws a right hand. He misses with a wide right hand. He's starting to get a little wild. He's starting to throw more right hands. Johnson isn't throwing much now. Johnson isn't active enough to win these rounds.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 8
Vitali gets 3 left hooks and finishes with a right, but his punches look soft. Now he lands a left hand. Vitali gets warned for a punch to the back of the head. Vitali lands a couple jabs and right hands. Johnson lands 2 jabs of his own. Vitali lands a right to the body.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 9
Johnson is throwing less punches than I've ever seen from anyone. Vitali lands a left hook. Johnson throws 2 jabs. Klitchsko dominates another round due to activity and cleaner punches. Vitali lands a left and a right hook.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 10
Johnson continues to dodge Vitali's punches. Johnson throws a jab. Vitali is doing all the work in there. Vitali lands 2 right hands. Johnson lands a right hook. Vitali lands a good right hand.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 11
Johnson's corner urges him to start throwing punches. Johnson lands a body shot. Klitchko is controlling this round as well throwing good punches and Johnson isn't doing much of anything. Vitali gets Johnson against the ropes and lets some punches go. They stare down after the bell.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 12
Vitali is trying to end strong. Johnson is doing nothing but defensive tactics. Now Klitschko is starting to taunt Johnson. Vitali lands a strong right hand, his best punch of the night. Vitali lands another power right hand. This round has been infinately better than any other round. Vitali lands another right hand. Johnson lands a right hand. Vitali finishes strong.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko
Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Spartan117: 120-108
Uatu: 120-108

The judges score the bout 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109, all for the winner by unanimous decision, "Dr. Iron Fist" Vitali Klitschko.

Posted by spartan117

12.12.09

Juan Diaz v. Paulie Malignaggi II: Round by Round

The fighters are about to make their entrances. HBO showed a montage of the last fight and its outcome.

Paulie is making his ring now. He looks loose and ready. He is coming out to "We Run It" by 50 Cent.

Juan Diaz comes to the ring now. The fans are certainly behind Diaz as they cheer him on.

This fight is for the NABO junior welterweight championship.

The intros are about to wrap up. Here we go...

Round 1

Nothing doing so far. Paulie counters Diaz with a with a right hand. Diaz catches Malignaggi with a straight right. Paulie is using great movement as expected. A "Diaz" chant begins. Malignaggi tries to counter uppercut but misses. Diaz lands a left to the body. Malignaggi throws a combo and lands a great right hand. Malignaggi is fighting a good fight in Round 1. Now a "Paulie" chant starts and he puts his fist in the air.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 2

Malignaggi is trying to wait for Diaz to throw a punch to counter. Paulie throws a fast flurry to the head. He's landing and getting out of the way. Diaz is starting to charge in to land something. Diaz lands a glancing right hook. Paulie lands a right uppercut while Diaz comes forward. This has been a great round for Malignaggi and he knows it.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 3

A cut has opened over the left eye of Diaz. Malignaggi lands a left hook. Paulie lands a two-punch combo. Diaz lands a couple of punches to the body and one more upstairs. Now they trade shots in the center of the ring, and Malignaggi waves him in. Paulie lands a double right hook and the blood continues to run over Diaz's eye. Diaz misses with a right hook. Paulie lands three jabs. Malignaggi and Diaz trade left hooks to end the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 4

Malignaggi continues to make Diaz miss. Paulie is countering very well. Diaz gets a straight left in. Paulie lands a double jab. Diaz starts to go to the body now and lands two shots. They trade a few punches on the inside in a clinch. Paulie lands two hooks to end the round. Another good round for Malignaggi.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Diaz

Round 5

Diaz gets Malignaggi in the corner and starts to let his hands go. Diaz connects with a big right hand and Malignaggi sticks his tounge out. Paulie has stopped moving around and is now just trading. Paulie lands two hooks to the body and one more upstairs. Diaz gets three hooks in to the body. A better round for Diaz.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Uatu: 10-9 Diaz

Round 6

Paulie lands a left hook. Diaz lands two straight left hands. They trade a couple of jabs. Diaz catches Malignaggi with a body shot and two hooks upstairs. He's starting to come into his own. Paulie lands a right hook. A "Paulie sucks" chant starts. Malignaggi lands a right hook on the button and Diaz is hurt. He taunts Diaz rather than trying to close the show. He lands a few more punches but does more taunting in the last 20 seconds.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 7

Diaz's corner tells him to take this round off to fight harder in rounds 8 to 12. Questionable advice. Malignaggi lands a left-right combo. Diaz looks to be taking his corner's advice and isn't doing much. Malignaggi isn't doing too much this round either, but he's doing more than Diaz. Malignaggi lands a left hook. A few of his jabs get blocked.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 8

Malignaggi lands a counter right. Paulie starts winding up his punch to taunt. Diaz comes forward and lands two punches to the body. Diaz gets in a shot that was a little low, and Paulie gets time to recover. He takes about 30 seconds and gets back in. Malignaggi gets backed against the ropes, and Diaz goes to work to the body. Malignaggi fires back with some hooks. He gets off the ropes and Paulie gets two more good shots in as they trade.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Diaz

Round 9

Malignaggi goes back to the game plan of jabbing and keeping his distance. Diaz continues to try to come forward. Diaz gets in but misses with a left hook. Paulie fires a jab, then another. Paulie gets a right hook blocked by Diaz. Paulie counters with a right. Diaz gets a straight left in. The cut opens up over the eye of Diaz again. Another good round for Paulie.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 10

Paulie knocks Diaz off-balance with a right hook. Paulie staggers Diaz with a straight jab. Paulie gets in a left uppercut. Diaz lands a right hand that grazes. Paulie lands a left jab. Diaz misses with a straight right. Paulie misses with a wide right hook. Diaz gets hit with a right hand and Diaz stumbles hard. The ref calls it a knockdown. It didn't look like his glove touched the mat. This is going to be a 10-8 round for Malignaggi.

Spartan117: 10-8 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-8 Malignaggi

Round 11

They meet in the center of the ring and trade punches. Diaz goes to the body and Paulie lands a couple jabs. Now Paulie moves back and starts to counter again. Diaz is starting to throw hard hooks to go for the knockout. One looked like it landed, but Paulie holds his glove up to show that it was blocked. Maglignaggi lands a left and slips a punch from Diaz. Diaz gets clocked with two stiff jabs. Paulie lands two hooks to the body. The blood starts to flow over Diaz's eye.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Uatu: 10-9 Diaz

Round 12

Malignaggi goes back to work with the jab. Diaz misses with a wide right hook. The ref warns Malignaggi for pushing with his elbow, which he has been doing a lot. Paulie starts to throw right hooks, but Diaz blocks them easily. Diaz gets a right hook in. They are trading punches in the center of the ring. Diaz is landing the better power shots. The crowd starts to chant for Diaz. They meet back in the center. They trade shots in the final seconds with no defense at all. Good last round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Uatu: 10-9 Diaz

Spartan117: 117-110 Malignaggi
Uatu: 115-112 Malignaggi

All three judges score the bout 116-111 for the winner by unanimous decision, Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi.

Paulie says, "I told you so. All I needed I was a fair shake."

He says Diaz didn't pressure him and his hands were faster than Juan's. Malignaggi wants Juan Manuel Marquez, with the winner to fight Ricky Hatton.

Posted by spartan117

Victor Ortiz v. Antonio Diaz: Round by Round

The first fight of tonight's HBO tripleheader is between Victor Ortiz and Antonio Diaz. In an interview before the fight, Ortiz said that in his last fight, he was there in body but not in mind. Max Kellerman asks him what he will do if he finds that he's taking punches. He says he's ready to trade it all and that it's boxing. <

HBO skips the intros. They're in the ring and ready to go.

Round 1

Diaz goes on the offensive first, circling the ring. Ortiz is trying to get a jab in. Diaz eats a jab. Ortiz lands another jab followed by a left hook. Ortiz lands a left and Diaz counters with a right hook. Ortiz misses with a left hook and keeps moving around the ring. Diaz lands a body hook, and the ref tells him to keep his punches up. Diaz lands a hook to the body on the inside. Ortiz lands a jab. Ortiz seems more timid than before his loss. The crowd boos after the bell.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz

Round 2

Ortiz tries to get the jab going. Diaz catches him coming in with a right hook to the body. Ortiz lands a straight right that backs up Diaz, but he gathers himself and catches Ortiz with a right hand. Now Ortiz starts to loosen up and lands a great combo upstairs. Diaz throws a right hook to stop the combo. Diaz lands a straight right. Ortiz gets caught coming in again, and Diaz lands a left. Ortiz isn't getting close enough to land any of the power punches for which he's known.

Spartan117: 10-9 Ortiz

Round 3

Ortiz keeps jabbing the gloves of Diaz. The punches aren't even close to landing. Diaz lands a few hooks to the body on the inside. Ortiz gets tripped up by the referee. Diaz gets in a nice combo, but Ortiz counters big and Diaz goes down. Ortiz is trying to close the show. Diaz is hurt. He's moving around and trying not to get tagged. Good round for Ortiz.

Spartan117: 10-8 Ortiz

Round 4

Ortiz is starting to take more chances. He lands a great counter left uppercut. Diaz comes back and lands hooks to the head and body. Diaz lands a wide left hook. Ortiz answers back with a left and a right hook. Diaz tries to get a body shot in and Ortiz counters with a right.

Spartan117: 10-9 Ortiz

Round 5

Ortiz is going back into a defensive style. Diaz lands a good left hook. He catches Ortiz again while Ortiz comes in. Diaz catches Ortiz with a left hook while he's against the ropes. A cut has opened over the eye of Diaz. He tries a body shot. Ortiz counters with a great right hook. Ortiz goes back to the jab to finish out the round.

Spartan117:10-9 Ortiz

Round 6

Nothing going on in the first 30 seconds of the round. A few pawing jabs from Ortiz. Now he lands a jab, then a straight left. Ortiz connects with a straight right. The ref takes a break to look at the cut. It looks pretty bad. The doctor keeps it going. Ortiz is going for the kill now. He lands a great right hook, followed by a left. Diaz is pawing at his eye. Ortiz looks to be landing a big left hand. Diaz gets a good left in and Ortiz lands a left of his own.

Spartan117: 10-9 Ortiz

Diaz's corner decides that the cut is too bad for their fighter to continue. It's over.

The winner by TKO at 0:01 of Round 7, "Vicious" Victor Ortiz.

Posted by spartan117

Timothy Bradley vs. Lamont Peterson: Round By Round

The main event on Showtime Championship Boxing sees two young, undefeated Americans do battle for the WBO light welterweight title. Timothy Bradley takes on Lamont Peterson in front of what should be a friendly crowd in his native California.

Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein have had some time to fill since Vic Darchinyan knocked out Tomas Rojas in two rounds in the co-feature. A video package shows us some of the rough going that Peterson had in his youth, and Jim Gray gets a word with Bradley.

Bernstein says Peterson can fight in the inside but will want to use his size and length to control the distance tonight. Bradley's key will be his speed and volume punching.

Peterson comes to the ring first to Jay-Z's "Run This Town." Representing Tennessee, the 25-year old is 27-0 with 13 KOs, but this is his first real world title shot.

Bradley gets a live rap accompaniment as he soaks in the cheers from the fans. He is 24-0 with 11 KOs and has held at least one of the belts at 140 pounds since May 2008.

The tale of the tape shows that Peterson has three-inch advantages in both height and reach. Jimmy Lennon Jr. does the intros, and we are ready to go for a scheduled 12 rounds.

Round 1

Bradley comes out quickly jabbing. Peterson does the same, and Bradley goes to the body. Both men land as Peterson jumps in. The ref tells them to let go as Peterson goes to work. He pops the jab from the outside. Bradley leaps in with body shots, but Peterson throws right back. Nice straight right by Lamont. Bradley lands a big right hand that dazes Peterson, and he slips as he rushes in to follow up. Lamont gets tagged again and has to hold on until the end of the round. He makes it to the bell still throwing.

Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 2

Peterson's legs look fine for now. He tries to jab but Bradley relentlessly stays in his face. The champ bounces as he circles around. Another nice right by Bradley finds the mark. Peterson backs Bradley into the corner as Tim switches to southpaw. A counter right by Bradley scores, and another huge right follows. Peterson has 40 seconds to survive again. Lamont has to hold as Bradley steps on the gas. A left hook puts the exclamation point on Timothy's round.

Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 3

Peterson opens with a right hand but has to cover as Bradley flurries in response. Bradley scores with a lopping right and Peterson goes down. He beats the count but has almost two minutes left in the round. Lamont leans on his foe and tries to turn it into an inside brawl. He's ripping big body shots but Bradley is answering in kind. Left hook by Bradley and now here comes Peterson. Great action as Lamont shows some real guts and Tim maybe got too brave for his own good.

Franchise: 10-8 Bradley
Uatu: 10-8 Bradley

Round 4

The last minute of the previous round was intense. Peterson has found something at super close range even though he's the taller fighter. They stand and slug away again. Peterson works to get his hands free. Bradley looks like he's tiring a bit but he's still throwing mean shots too. The ref us busy too as Bradley steps into an uppercut. Short right by Tim as he just dodges the shot coming back. More wild swings in the last five seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 5

Bernstein likes the work both corners are doing advising their fighters. Bradley strikes first as Peterson tries to close the distance. Tim is using his footwork more now. Left-right by Bradley and another left hook. Now Peterson scores with his own right hand before they return to body shots. Tim pops jabs as he backs up. Big right by Peterson along the ropes gets the champ's attention.

Franchise: 10-9 Peterson
Uatu: 10-9 Peterson

Round 6

Peterson gets very low to avoid Bradley's combination punching. He misses a big right and covers up to block the counter shots. Bradley is boxing well, landing as he moves. Tim continues to switch stances too. Left hook by Peterson and a right upstairs. Bradley lands his own left hook and keeps moving. Peterson is nursing a bit of a cut near his left eye. Peterson finally tracks his man down for some late body work.

Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 7

Bradley gets off first with jabs. Peterson keeps stalking but he's not landing enough. Peterson is picking off a lot of punches but is getting hit with some too. He's really having to reach because of Bradley's movement. Peterson scores with one right but misses the follow-up shots. A right to the nose makes Lamont bleed a bit more, but he presses forward. Can Bradley keep up this pace?

Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 8

Peterson gets Bradley to exchange a bit, but he quickly resumes boxing. Peterson can't line him up for a straight right. More jabs from Bradley. A nice right snaps Lamont's head. The crown starts chanting Bradley's name. Peterson tries a left hook but Bradley's hands are still too fast. Nice action both ways as both men swing away.

Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 9

Peterson has never been 12 rounds before, so we'll see what he's made of here. Clubbing right by Peterson is answered by multiple punches. Bradley circles, throwing as he does so. Right hand by Tim and a jab to the body. Peterson finally closes in to work the body. Lamont weaves as Bradley unleashes the right once again.

Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 10

Bradley goes to the body and Peterson throws the hook downstairs. Tim just keeps moving around and flicking out jabs when he gets a chance. Bradley uses an uppercut and bounces back away. Lamont throws multiple body shots but has nothing else with it. Bradley dodges some big swings and delivers some hooks. Peterson connects with his own hook right before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 11

Bradley nearly slips as he continues to work. Peterson is closing the range better, landing a hook. Tim slips away from trouble in the corner. Nice right by Peterson. He uses a combo but Bradley responds in kind. Tim switches to southpaw as Peterson goes downstairs again. Here's another exchange with Bradley landing a nice right but Peterson slugging away with multiple body shots from both hands.

Franchise: 10-9 Peterson
Uatu: 10-9 Peterson

Round 12

Press row has it closer than we do, but Peterson still probably needs something dramatic here. Lamont loops in a right hand but Bradley keeps bouncing around. Clubbing punches from both fighters in close. Bradley sticks in one shot and eats several coming back. Right hand by Peterson with a minute to go. Neither man is giving up as they trade shots in the center of the ring. Not much subtlety as they lean in and punch each other right up to the final bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Peterson
Uatu: 10-9 Peterson

Franchise: 117-110 Bradley
Uatu: 117-110 Bradley

The judges score it 118-110, 119-108 and 120-107, all for the winner by unanimous decision... and still WBO junior welterweight titleholder... Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley.

Bradley gives Peterson a lot of credit, saying Lamont was the toughest challenge he's ever faced. Tim admits to feeling tired in the middle rounds but says he got a second wind later.

Asked about the knockdown, Bradley thinks it caught him beside the head and doesn't think Lamont was hurt. Peterson credits Bradley for fighting well from the outside but says the switching stances didn't bother him.

Tim gives Lamont another compliment before talking about how his work ethic keeps him on top.

Posted by The Franchise

Vic Darchinyan vs. Tomas Rojas: Round By Round

Showtime is on the air, presenting Championship Boxing for the final time in 2009. The Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage is the site for two title fights, and Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein are on hand.

Young light welterweights Timothy Bradley and Lamont Peterson headline the card, but first up is Vic Darchinyan as he faces off with Tomas Rojas. This one is scheduled for 12 rounds for the WBA and WBC super flyweight titles.

Rojas comes to the ring first, representing Mexico. He is 32-11-1, but he hasn't lost since he was knocked out by Jorge Arce in September 2007.

Known as the Raging Bull, Darchinyan walks to the ring second. After an unsuccessful attempt to take a bantamweight belt from Joseph Agbeko, he's back at a better weight for him.

The tale of the tape shows that Rojas has height and reach advantages. He's also younger, though he's logged more rounds over the course of his career.

Jimmy Lennon Jr. does the fighter introductions, and we're ready for action.

Round 1

Vic darts right across the ring as Rojas whacks him with a left hand. Darchinyan tries to jab his way in. Quick one-two by Rojas. His height has been a factor early on. Vic rushes forward and lands his first clean shot. Rojas throws lefts and tries to come up underneath with his right. Vic scrambles with two left hands of his own. It turns into a brawl with 15 seconds left, and Darchinyan seems in his element for the first time.

Franchise: 10-9 Rojas

Round 2

Rojas tries some body work and gets grabbed around the waist. He ducks to avoid incoming fire. Darchinyan is staying very patient as he stalks. Both men connect as the ref warns Vic not to push. Wild lefts from Darchinyan and he eats one coming back. Rojas scores with a three-punch combo and Vic clubs him right back. A second left hand plants Rojas on the canvas, and it's all over! Rojas doesn't make it back to his feet.

Initially, it looked like a body shot that knocked Rojas out, but replays showed the left hand caught him on the chin as he ducked down.

The winner by KO at 2:54 of Round 2... and still WBA and WBC super flyweight title holder... "The Raging Bull" Vic Darchinyan.

Jim Gray asks Vic if he feels stronger at 115 pounds, but he brushes off the weight as a big factor. He was confident he would catch Rojas eventually.

Darchinyan looks at the replay of the knockout and says he knew Rojas would try to duck, so he was ready to throw a combination in response. Asked about a rematch with Nonito Donaire, he's very interested. Gary Shaw says he will work to make that fight next.

Posted by The Franchise

Live Diaz-Malignaggi II and Bradley-Peterson Round By Round Updates Tonight, Plus Vic Darchinyan, Vitali Klitschko and More

The 2009 year in boxing pretty much closes out (except for you, Kelly Pavlik) tonight, but at least it goes out with a bang. HBO and Showtime both have cards that, at least on paper, look like they should be fun.

Showtime's broadcast kicks off first, with Vic Darchinyan taking on Tomas Rojas. Then in the main event, two talented young junior welterweights collide when Timothy Bradley and Lamont Peterson go at it for Bradley's WBO title.

You'll be able to watch a good bit of that card before switching over to HBO 90 minutes later for a rare Boxing After Dark tripleheader. Victor Ortiz tries to return to his winning ways against Antonio Diaz and a rematch awaits for Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi, plus there's a heavyweight title defense for Vitali Klitschko brought to us via the magic of tape delay.

This would be a good night to have two TVs set up in the same room, or at least one of those DVR contraptions. Failing that, you can watch your card of choice and bookmark us here to get live round by round updates of the other fights (except for Vitali, whose fight will already be in the past when you see it - spooky!).

In any case, spartan117 and I are going to split up blogging duties and do live posts for each televised fight, because that's just the kind of guys we are. Visit our main page to find the round by round posts, which should start shortly after 9 pm Eastern (for the Showtime bouts) and 10:30 pm Eastern (for the HBO card) tonight.

Posted by The Franchise

11.12.09

Jean Pascal vs. Adrian Diaconu II: Round By Round

The undercard is complete and we're just about set to watch Jean Pascal and Adrian Diaconu in a rematch for the WBC light heavyweight title that Pascal won in the first meeting back in June. The venue is the same, the Bell Centre in Montreal.

A video package shows us why Diaconu is known as "The Shark." The Romanian calls Montreal home now, and he is greeted warmly by the fans. Diaconu is 26-1 with 15 KOs and has not fought since his first bout with Pascal.

Originally hailing from Haiti, Pascal also resides in Quebec. He's made once successful defense of his WBC belt (stopping Silvio Branco in September), and he sports a 24-1 professional record with 16 KOs. The lights go out for his dramatic ring entrance.

The national anthems are done, and the ring introductions are given in both English and French by Christian Gauthier. Michael Griffin is the referee, and there are two American judges plus one Canadian scoring the fight.

We're ready to go, scheduled for 12 rounds.

Round One

Diaconu is the early aggressor, but Pascal throws out some jabs. He throws a quick left and ducks the counter. About 30 seconds pass with no punches connecting. Diaconu lands a nice right hand upstairs. Pascal has to hustle to avoid being trapped on the ropes. Diaconu flurries into Pascal's gloves. The ref warns them about leading with their heads, and there's some nice two-way action before the bell with The Shark getting the better of it.

Franchise: 10-9 Diaconu

Round Two

Pascal dances in circles, still a little tentative after eating a big left hook late in the first round. He charges forward to the body, but Diaconu whacks him with a counter to the head. Adrian flurries to the head and body,and Pascal returns fire with two left hands. Pascal scores with multiple jabs. Both men attack the body in turn. Pascal covers his face, then knocks Diaconu back with a speedy combination in the closing seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 Diaconu

Round Three

Gaby Mancini gave the second round to Pascal. He strikes first this time with repeated jabs. Diaconu gets clobbered with two right hands that may have stunned him. Pascal lures him into the ropes but gets hit with a right. Jean covers up int he corner and blocks multiple punches, then charges out with a three-punch combo. Pascal lands a counter right and a left, and Diaconu stumbles back. He gathers himself and comes forward again before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Pascal

Round Four

The fighters touch gloves to begin the round. Pascal is holding his hands up high much more often in this fight. He throws two left hooks around Diaconu's guard. The Shark misses a wild right hand. Pascal showboats a bit but he hasn't really found his rhythm yet. Now he unleashes a series of punches, including a hard left hook. Diaconu tries a clubbing overhand right. Pascal's hand speed is too much for Diaconu in an exchange along the ropes.

Franchise: 10-9 Pascal

Round Five

Diaconu is still coming forward as we start the fifth. Pascal tries to keep him at bay with his jab. Diaconu lands a right and immediately gets tied up. More jabs from Pascal, followed by a right hand. Diaconu rattles Pascal with a right hand and tries to take advantage. More rights form The Shark to the body and head. Pascal still has his legs as he circles to gain breathing room. Both men fire power shots before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Diaconu

Round Six

We've got another tight one thus far. Pascal opens up with several unanswered shots. He pounds his chest as Diaconu goes to work. Both fighters jab and circle. Pascal tries the hook but it's blocked. Lots of stuff getting picked off by the gloves right now. Pascal flashes the hook up high and tries the body too. Tough round to score with both men more defensively aware.

Franchise: 10-9 Pascal

Round Seven

Pascal gets very low to start the round. Diaconu strikes with a right-left combo upstairs. More jabs coming in both directions. Pascal reaches inside with a nice right uppercut. Left hook and another right uppercut from Jean. Vicious body shots are thrown by both men. Diaconu pounds his chest now to show he's not hurt. Another close round with each man having his moments.

Franchise: 10-9 Pascal

Round Eight

Pascal opens up quickly, scoring with a left hook and a series of body shots. He pours it on along the ropes and Diaconu gets battered. He hangs in, though, and now he comes forward. The Shark throws lefts to the head and body. Pascal covers up to block about six punches. Jean showboats again, drawing a mixed reaction from the fans. Uppercut from Pascal before he clinches. Diaconu digs in but gets smacked by a left hook.

Franchise: 10-9 Pascal

Round Nine

Mancini has it even through eight, and I could certainly see that. Pascal peppers Diaconu with lefts again. Adrian leans in and goes back on the attack. Jabs and a body shot by Pascal. Both men land as they trade in the center of the ring, though Pascal lands last with an uppercut. Diaconu tries the body; Pascal still likes the left hook. Pascal crouches again but gets nailed with a right as he stands up. Another right comes in from Diaconu before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Diaconu

Round 10

The pace slows just a bit. Pascal blocks some punches and the ref has to step in. Pascal tries a right hook and some jabs. Diaconu has been aggressive but not very effective. Now he lands a body shot. The ref warns Pascal for a forearm shot. Finally some power shots start flowing at close range. Pascal uppercuts and hooks. He knocks Diaconu back with a two-punch combo, but it looks like he hurt his hand near the end of the round.

Franchise: 10-9 Pascal

Round 11

I'm still not sure what happened to Pascal at the end of the previous round. He looks okay, but Diaconu does most of the damage in the first minute. Uppercut by Adrian and a bunch of jabs. Pascal finally comes to life with some left hooks. He lets his hands go and drives Diaconu back into the corner. The ref pulls them apart for some reason and they fight to the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Diaconu

Round 12

The fans are into it as we head for home. Pascal tries to dig inside with his uppercuts again. He shoves Diaconu back but The Shark keeps coming. Pascal dances around with his jab. Diaconu works him over with rights in tight. Pascal delivers three left hooks. He goes to the body with 50 seconds to go. The fans applaud as both men go for broke in the center of the ring. Pascal flashes uppercuts and hooks, just trying to overwhelm Diaconu. It's a fitting conclusion to another great fight, and we'll go to the cards.

Franchise: 10-9 Pascal

Franchise: 115-113 Pascal

The judges score it 118-110 and 117-111 twice, all for the winner by unanimous decision... and still WBC light heavyweight titleholder... Jean Pascal.

Posted by The Franchise

Live Jean Pascal-Adrian Diaconu II Round By Round Updates Tonight... Weather and Technology Permitting

Technology is a wonderful thing, more often than not. Without it, a site like this would not exist, and I would not have been able to see nearly as much boxing as I'd like.

Weather is something I'm not as fond of. It's already put the kibosh, apparently, on ESPN being able to carry the Jean Pascal-Adrian Diaconu rematch on ESPN360.com tonight. However, it appears the folks at SecondsOutTV.com will still be streaming it. Check out this link to investigate watching it yourself, because outside of Canada the price is only equivalent to $6.50.

Failing that, as long as everything holds up, I'll be watching it live and doing round by round updates on this very blog. Simply bookmark our main page, cross your fingers and come back around 8:30 Eastern to see if, for one night at least, technology trumps nature.

UPDATE: Don't want to jinx myself, but so far so good on the streaming video, and I believe I will be able to do a round by round post. We're in the middle of an eight-rounder on the undercard as I type this (8:17 Eastern), and I believe there is a 10-rounder still to come, so I don't expect Pascal and Diaconu to get down to business until after 9 pm Eastern.

UPDATE 2: Canadian light heavyweight Eric Lucas just dropped Ramon Moyano with a mean left hook for a fourth-round KO. If I have the card correct, we still have David Lemieux vs. Delray Raines before the main event.

UPDATE 3: Lemieux thrills the fans at the Bell Centre by going to 20-0 with a crushing second-round KO of Raines. One more short swing bout, it appears, before we get Pascal-Diaconu.

Predictions: Pascal-Diaconu II, Diaz-Malignaggi II, Bradley-Peterson and More

Though boxing doesn't have an offseason like the stick-and-ball sports, it does take a de facto holiday recess each year from roughly mid-December to mid-January. It's not that there isn't any boxing during that time, but you won't see any championship bouts either.

This year's schedule is no exception, but at least fans are getting treated to one last action-packed weekend before the sport goes on hiatus. The next 48 hours will see title fights taking place in the U.S., Canada and Switzerland, plus what promises to be an exciting sequel in Chicago.

On Friday night, Jean Pascal and Adrian Diaconu meet for the second time this year to do battle for the WBC light heavyweight belt that Pascal claimed by decision in the first fight. Though Diaconu lost by at least three points on all three official scorecards, he put up a good battle most of the way, especially when he got off the canvas to rock Pascal late in a wildly entertaining fifth round.

Here's what I wrote about Pascal following that victory:

I'd never seen Pascal fight before, and he struck me as a really poor man's Roy Jones Jr. He carried his hands low, using his reflexes and movement to dodge punches, often at the last possible moment.

He also flashed some quick hands on offense, though he didn't seem to have a ton of power behind all of his shots. You definitely got the feeling he was flirting with disaster even as he was winning rounds, which may not be the safest way to have success but does provide a good show for fans.


I still feel the same way going into the rematch. As far as making a pick, I learned a long time ago not to pick the loser of the first fight to win the next one unless there is some kind of extenuating circumstance.

That doesn't seem to be the case here. Diaconu is a tough guy and a solid boxer, but Pascal is faster and more talented and should retain the title by decision.

Pascal-Diaconu II is just an appetizer to the main course on Saturday, as HBO and Showtime serve up dueling cards which should both be worth watching. HBO has Victor Ortiz returning to action attempting to shake off his first career defeat and a rematch between Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi in the main event.

The first battle between Diaz and Malignaggi was certainly memorable. Paulie spent much of the time before the fight complaining that he wouldn't get a fair shake from the judges fighting in front of Juan's hometown judges in Houston, and he turned out to be partially correct: after a tight, back-and-forth affair, one judge saw it 118-110 for Diaz.

They'll meet in Chicago this time around, so bias shouldn't be an issue. We know what to expect from Diaz, who comes straight forward and throws punches until either he or his opponent give out.

What isn't as certain is which version of Malignaggi will show up, as Paulie has been maddeningly inconsistent over the last two years. He has the faster hands but even less power (only five knockouts among his 26 career wins), so he'll need to be able to outbox Diaz for 12 rounds to win.

The educated guess is that Malignaggi will throw the quicker and more accurate shots while Diaz will be busier and have slightly more pop. Picking a winner could be a matter of personal preference, but my gut tells me Diaz will squeak it out on the cards, leaving Malignaggi despondent once again.

Along with the live fights on HBO will be tape delayed coverage of Vitali Klitschko taking on Kevin Johnson in Switzerland. This will be the elder Klitschko's third fight of 2009, as he attempts to make up for time lost to injury a few years ago.

The undefeated Johnson isn't short at 6' 3", but he'll have the same problem that most people do when facing Klitschko. Namely, he'll be too small to box from the outside and face too much firepower if he tries to get inside.

Johnson doesn't appear to have the power to stand and trade with Klitschko even if he does close the range, so I'm not sure how he pulls off the upset. Vitali will keep rolling with a mid-round KO.

Last but certainly not least, Showtime has two title fights on tap for Saturday. Vic Darchinyan drops back down in weight after an ill-fated effort at bantamweight to take on Tomas Rojas, while Timothy Bradley defends his 140-pound belt against undefeated Lamont Peterson.

Bradley has come out of nowhere to give his division a potential star with three solid victories over the past two years, along with a fight against Nate Campbell that was going his way until a cut ended it early. No individual aspects of his game stand out as being truly elite, but he's above average in speed, strength and technique and never seems to tire.

Fighting out of Memphis, Tennessee, Peterson is 27-0 but is taking a significant step up in competition to face Bradley. He can bring it to the head and body, though like his foe this weekend, he doesn't have particularly frightening KO power.

Peterson will have height and reach advantages, but Bradley has faced the same kinds of challenges before and prevailed. Both men have fast hands, so it will be interesting to see who takes the lead in terms of aggression.

This has the makings of a crowd-pleasing scrap between two fighters whose best years are almost certainly still in front of them. Experience fighting top-level opposition could turn out to be the difference, so I'm leaning toward Bradley to win by decision.

Posted by The Franchise

8.12.09

BoxingWatchers.com Boxer Power Ranking: December 2009

Sometimes there isn't much movement in the power rankings from month to month, but that shouldn't be the case in the first part of 2010. That's because nearly everyone on our list has a fight lined up between now and early April of next year.

That's great for boxing fans, because it means the most successful (and supposedly best) fighters are staying active. And our formula likes it when you stay active, provided you win your fights, of course. More insight here.

On to the December rankings...

1. Arthur Abraham - 26.13 - Abraham continues to be King until someone dethrones him. Could that someone be Andre Dirrell? We'll find out in March.

2. Juan Manuel Lopez - 19.23 - Juanma seems to still be on track for a showdown with Yuriorkis Gamboa. They will both fight on the same card again in January, but neither man's opponent should be a pushover.

3. Manny Pacquiao - 18.99 - Pac Man has the world at his feet right now, but he's in for his greatest challenge ever soon enough. That's because he's all but signed to face Floyd Mayweather in a little fight you may have heard about.

4. Celestino Caballero - 17.08 - I accidentally miscalculated Caballero's score last month, so he didn't come from nowhere to take this spot. My bad!

5. Wladimir Klitschko - 17.07 - Wlad just keeps cruising along. His next foe Eddie Chambers has skills and heart, but Klitschko's size and power should be the difference... again.

6. Lucian Bute - 17.03 - People may be getting a little carried away calling Bute the top super middleweight in the world when Abraham and Andre Ward have been looking so good. Still, there's no doubt that his KO of Librado Andrade was impressive.

7. Nonito Donaire - 16.60 - Donaire returns to action in February against Gerson Guerrero. I'm not even going to pretend I know who that is.

8. Kelly Pavlik - 15.97 - The Ghost's forgettable year is almost behind him. He finally returns to action in less than two weeks, but it's tough to see many people outside Youngstown caring about his fight with Miguel Espino.

9. Felix Sturm - 15.75 - On the other hand, maybe if Pavlik continues to have trouble making fights that matter, Sturm will end up fighting him. That would be alright with me.

10. Fernando Montiel - 15.39 - I can usually think of something brief to say about anyone in the top 10, but I've got nothing here.

The next 10: Tomasz Adamek, Carl Froch, Andre Ward, Vitali Klitschko, Chad Dawson, Paul Williams, Chris John, Juan Manuel Marquez, Robert Guerrero, Brian Viloria

Posted by The Franchise

5.12.09

Paul Williams v. Sergio Martinez: Round by Round

It's time for the main event. Paul "The Punisher" Williams makes his return to the ring. He's up against Sergio Martinez.

Williams is making his way to the ring now. Both men look loose and ready.

Martinez is 44-1-2 and has 24 wins by KO. Williams is 37-1 with 27 KO's.

Here we go.

Round 1

Williams goes to work early as expected. He's throwing a ton of punches already. Martinez is moving around the perimeter of the ring and Williams is reaching him with his long jabs. Martinez catches The Punisher with a great left. All of a sudden, Williams floors Martinez with a quick right hand. Now Williams is hurt by a Martinez left. This has been a great round. Martinez clocks Paul with a huge left counter and Williams goes down hard! It's an even round.

Spartan117: 10-10
Uatu: 10-10
Franchise: 10-10

Round 2

Williams looks to have his legs back under him. Williams lands a a left hand. Martinez is landing some serious bombs. His hand speed is ridiculous. Martinez is winning this round so far with great counters. Williams continues to come forward. Martinez is swinging away, as is The Punisher. Martinez drops his hands below his waste to bait Williams. Great round for Martinez.

Spartan117: 10-9 Martinez
Uatu: 10-9 Martinez
Franchise: 10-9 Martinez

Round 3

Punisher backs Martinez up with a double jab. Martinez continues to counter. Martinez lands a left hook and complains that there was a headbutt. I didn't see anything, and neither did the ref. Williams continues to apply the pressure. Martinez lands a huge right hook. Williams just keeps walking into the right hook of Martinez. Williams lunges in but isn't landing anything cleanly. Martinez lands another left counter. Martinez wins another round by effective counters.

Spartan117: 10-9 Martinez
Uatu: 10-9 Martinez
Franchise: 10-9 Martinez

Round 4

Williams comes in firing. Martinez lands two excellent counter punches. Now Williams lands two great hooks. It's starting to get dirty in there, with some holding and hitting by both fighters. Williams eats two more fast counters. Williams gets clocked with a left. Now he answers back with a big left hook. It looked like Martinez was hurt, but now he seems fine. Williams lands a big left hand himself. Williams rocks Martinez with a huge left hand with 10 seconds left and Martinez was held up only by Williams. Great round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams
Uatu: 10-9 Williams
Franchise: 10-9 Williams

Round 5

Williams lands a big right hand and Martinez retreats. Martinez has been doing a lot of holding and hitting. Martinez drops his hands again. Williams is starting to string his punches well together. Now they are trading huge bombs. Both fighters land savage punches, but they continue to trade. A cut has opened over the left eye of Williams. Martinez falls into Williams at the end of the round, most likely due to exhaustion.

Spartan117: 10-9 Martinez
Uatu: 10-9 Martinez
Franchise: 10-9 Williams

Round 6

Williams goes back on the offensive. Martinez continues to drop his hands. Martinez complains about another headbutt on the inside. Williams' punches are looking more and more accurate. Williams lands a big right hand. Now another left hand. Martinez is showing off a real stiff jab that has been giving Williams problems. Williams lands an enormous left hook and Martinez takes it. Martinez answers back with a left of his own. Another great round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams
Uatu: 10-9 Martinez
Franchise: 10-9 Williams

Round 7

They meet in the center. The Lederman card is all tied up. Williams lands a good jab. They clinch up, and Martinez gets gets some punches in. Williams lands two right hooks while coming forward. Now we see some rare counter punching from Williams as he lands a great right and left hook. Both fighters are still bouncing on their feet. Williams lands a good right hook. Martinez lands a big right hook that Williams ducked into.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams
Uatu: 10-9 Williams
Franchise: 10-9 Williams

Round 8

Martinez lands a counter right hand to start the round. Williams misses with a wide left hook. Now Williams makes Martinez miss with a wide right hand. Martinez is off balance now. Williams lands a great right hand. Williams mouth is dropping blood. Martinez lands another big left. Now a right hook. Williams falls due to a slip. Martinez lands a left to the body, then another. Williams lands a left hook. Now he gets staggered by a left by Martinez. Williams is hurt, but time runs out.

Spartan117: 10-9 Martinez
Uatu: 10-9 Williams
Franchise: 10-9 Williams

Round 9

Williams looks okay now. He lands a left hand that backs up Martinez. Williams gets caught with a counter left. Martinez lands a left to the body. Williams lands a good shot while he comes in. Martinez drops his hands again, and Williams tries to capitalize. Martinez backs away and dodges some big punches by Williams. Martinez lands a left hook. Williams lands some good jabs to end the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Martinez
Uatu: 10-9 Martinez
Franchise: 10-9 Williams

Round 10

Martinez misses with a left hand counter. Martinez is dropping bombs now. He's landed three great counter left hands. They looked like they would hurt Williams, but he's still standing in there. Williams lands a good right hook. This has been a great round for Martinez. Now they trade in the center of the ring. Martinez lands another big left hand. Williams lands a left hook at the end of the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Martinez
Uatu: 10-9 Martinez
Franchise: 10-9 Martinez

Round 11

Williams lands a good left. Martinez misses with a left of his own. A "Paul" chant starts. Williams staggers Martinez with a left hook. They trade punches at close range. Martinez buckles Williams with a straight right. Martinez falls to his knees out of sheer exhaustion. He is extremely tired. Williams scores with a huge left hand, then a right hand, then another left. Martinez is a soldier. I can't believe he is still standing. Martinez lands a left hand at the end.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams
Uatu: 10-9 Williams
Franchise: 10-9 Martinez

Round 12

Williams comes forward again. Martinez falls into Williams, and they tumble into the ropes. Martinez lands a big jab. Williams lands a left-right combo. Martinez bowls Williams into the ropes again. They are fighting on the inside. Martinez lands an enormous right hand. Martinez goes down, but it's called a slip. Williams is swinging away trying to put Martinez down. Williams lands a right hand and staggers Martinez. Martinez lands a left hook and the ref breaks them apart. Williams bounces on his feet. This round is up for grabs. Ten seconds left. They are fighting with pure heart in there. They stay on their feet down the stretch. Fantastic fight.

Spartan117: 10-9 Williams
Uatu: 10-9 Williams
Franchise: 10-9 Williams

Spartan117: 115-114 Martinez
Uatu: 115-114 Martinez
Franchise: 116-113 Williams

The judges score the bout 114-114, and 115-113 and 119-110 for the winner by majority decision, Paul "The Punisher" Williams

In the post-fight interview, Williams says that Martinez brought the war. He says he wasn't hurt by the knockdown, and it's his job to get up.

Williams calls Martinez a warrior and says he knew they would trade big shots. His plan was to keep fighting and throwing and wear him down.

Martinez says he wasn't hurt by the knockdown in the first round. He says he was never really hurt in the fight. He also says he was never tired in the fight.

Asked about the 119-110 scorecard, Sergio's camp calls it "a travesty." Martinez says he wants a rematch.

Posted by spartan117

Chris Arreola vs. Brian Minto: Round By Round

World Championship Boxing is on the air once again, coming to us from the smaller upstairs ballroom at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall. Paul Williams headlines tonight against the tricky Sergio Martinez, but first we've got heavyweight action.

Chris Arreola will attempt to shake off his loss to Vitali Klitschko as he takes on Brian Minto. Jim Lampley and Max Kellerman talk over the heavyweight division to lead off the show.

A video package shows highlights of Arreola's defeat, and he talks about handling the defeat and what he's doing to come back strong. Lampley mentions that Chris weighed in 12 pounds heavier than he did against Vitali, which isn't necessarily a good sign. Emanuel Steward agrees.

The tale of the tape shows Arreola is over four inches taller and about 47 pounds heavier than Minto, who is also older.

Minto heads to the ring to "Taking Care of Business." He is 34-2 with 21 KOs, though the HBO crew leaves no doubts that he's there strictly as an opponent.

Arreola walks out to "My Time" by Fabolous. He is 27-1 with 24 KOs and a heavy favorite to add another one to that total tonight.

Jimmy Lennon Jr. does the introductions and we're set for a scheduled 10 rounds, though I'd be quite surprised if it goes the distance.

Round 1

Minto tries to jab as Arreola bides his time. More jabs from both fighters. Minto comes in and is knocked off balance by a right hand. Arreola comes out on top in a brief exchange. Nice right hand over the top by Chris. Minto does have decent hand speed. Sneaky right hand by Minto in the final 20 seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 Arreola
Uatu: 10-9 Arreola
Spartan117: 10-9 Arreola

Round 2

Arreola tries to turn up the pace early on. Minto isn;t backing down and comes forward behind a jab and some hooks. Arreola scores with a hard left hook. Two-punch combo by Minto and a counter right. Both men land right hands on the inside. Minto eats a few left hands as they trade, and blood is coming from somewhere near his right eye.

Franchise: 10-9 Arreola
Uatu: 10-9 Arreola
Spartan117: 10-9 Minto

Round 3

Both of Minto's eyes are showing some swelling now. He gets clocked by a right hand near the back of his head as he jumps in. Minto ducks down low and tries some uppercuts. One-two upstairs by Arreola. They stand and trade again, then clinch. Minto works jabs and fights pretty evenly for the rest of the round.

Franchise: 10-9 Arreola
Uatu: 10-9 Arreola
Spartan117: 10-9 Arreola

Round 4

Minto lands the first combination; he's certainly giving it his all. He comes forward behind a three-punch combo and scores with a right uppercut along the ropes. Arreola smacks Minto with a big right hand that sends him down. Minto beats the count and he's back up. He bulls his way forward and the crowd loves it. Minto falls as he tries to tackle Arreola. They stand and trade and Minto gets plastered with multiple shots along the ropes. He goes down and gets back up at nine, but he's clearly woozy and the referee stops the fight.

The winner by TKO at 2:40 of Round 4, Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola.

Kellerman hits the ring to talk to Arreola, who calls Minto a "tough motherfucker." He seemed to enjoy the fight.

Arreola thinks he's still a top-10 heavyweight. He wants to stay busy and fight again within the next three months.

Should we leave him alone about the weight? Arreola admits that he's heavy and likes to eat, but he comes in ready to fight.

Posted by The Franchise

Live Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez and Chris Arreola-Brian Minto Round By Round Updates Tonight

It's not the fight Paul Williams originally wanted, or the one most boxing fans were looking forward to, quite honestly. He won't face middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik tonight in Atlantic City, but he still could be in for a tough night as he takes on elusive Spaniard Sergio Martinez on HBO.

The undercard features heavyweight Chris Arreola, attempting to bounce back quickly from his first ever loss. He'll take on Brian Minto in the other televised bout.

Can't make it to AC or to a TV with HBO? We'll be doing live round by round updates of both fights beginning at approximately 9:30 Eastern time. Simply click on our home page and refresh every few minutes and you'll be up to speed with all the action.

Talk to you tonight fight fans!

Posted by The Franchise

4.12.09

Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao: Almost a Done Deal for March 13

I'd resisted posting about this earlier because I didn't want to jump the gun and because every other website with even a remote connection to sports has been (and will continue to be) talking about this nonstop. But it looks like we will see the two men who have risen to be the top pound-for-pound boxers and the biggest draws in the sport do battle early in 2010.

As reported by the AP and Fox Sports, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have agreed on most of the important details to face each other. Those include the date (March 13), the weight (147 pounds, the welterweight limit) and, perhaps most importantly, the purse split (50/50).

Still to be decided: the site and the weight of the gloves to be used. Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said in the Fox piece that Manny prefers eight-ounce gloves - the better to knock you out with, don't you know - while Money's camp would like 10-ounce gloves.

Fox Sports also cited an unnamed source claiming that Las Vegas and Cowboys Stadium near Dallas are the leading choices to host the fight. Earlier reports had mentioned Yankees Stadium and the Superdome in New Orleans as other possibilities, but Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum had already dismissed the former because of unfavorable tax conditions, and it seems to be mostly wishful thinking on the part of the latter.

Many news outlets have discussed the possible implications of Manny returning to the ring relatively quickly after his battle with Miguel Cotto on November 14. But let's be honest: Pacquiao didn't exactly suffer a serious beating in that fight, and though he's more commonly gone five or six months between fights over the past few years, he's certainly capable of performing at a high level with less time off.

Most notably, Pacquiao returned to action after his 12-round March 2008 rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez (a fight in which he took his fair share of flush shots) in less than four months to face David Diaz. Despite moving up in weight, he had little trouble with Diaz, stopping him in nine rounds.

There are no such worries for Mayweather, as it will be nearly six months after his own fight with JMM when he steps in against Pac Man. And since he was enjoying his brief retirement for nearly two years before that, he should be well rested come March.

I have to admit I'm surprised that the fight came together so quickly, but it's a pleasant surprise as it will shine the spotlight on boxing in a way that hasn't happened in years. Just remember that there are other good fights (Shane Mosley-Andre Berto in January, for one) between now and Mayweather-Pacquiao.

Posted by The Franchise

Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martinez and Chris Arreola vs. Brian Minto: Predictions

Two American boxers facing different but potentially tricky sets of circumstances take center stage on Saturday night, as HBO returns to Atlantic City for its final World Championship Boxing broadcast of 2009.

For Paul "The Punisher" Williams, probably the best boxer casual sports fans don't know, the challenge will be getting himself up to face a much different opponent than the one he originally expected to fight. Twice he thought he had a date nailed down with middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik only to have the bout torpedoed by The Ghost's troublesome staph infection.

Pavlik's power and toughness would have been a challenge, but Williams will get an entirely different kind of test from Sergio Martinez. The southpaw Spaniard loves to stick and move, as fans found out in February during a questionable majority draw with Kermit Cintron.

Martinez started slowly in that fight but won't have the same luxury against Williams, who throws punches constantly when he has his 'A' game going. Those shots also give foes fits because his height and long arms allow them to come from unusual angles, which should still be the case on Saturday even though Martinez isn't short himself (he's listed at 5-foot-11).

Williams' lone career loss, suffered at the hands of Carlos Quintana back in February 2008, was more the result of a lackluster performance on his part than anything Quintana did particularly well. Paul proved that by getting quick revenge with a first-round KO when they met four months later.

If Williams is moping around about losing the much bigger Pavlik fight, Martinez is skillful enough to box his way to a victory and fit enough to keep it up for 12 rounds. Otherwise, Williams should be able to build himself an early lead, and Martinez doesn't seem to have the type of power that would enable him to come from behind in the late stages.

Here's hoping that Williams has his head in the right place, because the stardom that has so far eluded him will slip even further away if he stumbles here. My guess is that he won't, and even though Martinez will make him earn it, The Punisher will emerge with a unanimous decision.

In the televised co-feature, heavyweight Chris "Nightmare" Arreola will attempt to rebound from his own personal bad dream. That happened in September, when Vitali Klitschko took him apart over 10 rounds, literally moving Arreola to tears.

Arreola showed he had only a puncher's chance against the elder Klitschko, but that may be all his opponent this weekend, Brian Minto, has against him. All you need to know about him is that he was fighting at a Day's Inn in Western Pennsylvania back in April.

He is the current NABO heavyweight titleholder, for what that's worth. But as long as Arreola has put his first professional defeat behind him and is in decent shape - never a sure thing, as we've seen in the past - Minto should be relatively light work.

Expect that to be the case, with Arreola winning by KO in four rounds or less.

Posted by The Franchise

2.12.09

Bernard Hopkins vs. Enrique Ornelas: Round By Round

The main event is coming up on Versus from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. Hometown hero Bernard Hopkins returns to action for the first time in 13 months to take on Enrique Ornelas.

Sporting a record of 29-5, Ornelas comes to the ring first. He was actually a sparring partner when B-Hop was training to face Winky Wright. Ornelas has won four of his last five.

Just a tad shy of his 45th birthday, Hopkins gets a long introduction from the ring announcer before he comes out. The Executioner gets a very warm reaction from the Philly faithful for his silent ring walk. He is 49-5 with 32 KOs.

The tale of the tape shows the two men are even in height, with Hopkins having a three-inch edge in reach. As always, Hopkins is much older than his opponent - 15 years in this case.

The in-ring introductions are done, and we're all set for a scheduled 12 rounds of light heavyweight action.

Round 1

Ornelas doesn't look too intimidated. He's trying to duck his way in to land shots. B-Hop showing excellent defense, as you'd expect, to fend off the occasional flurry. Both men throw jabs in the center of the ring. Hopkins grabs and punches on the inside. Bernard is trying to dig to the body but Enrique is smothering him a bit. Hopkins sneaks in an uppercut in the final exchange.

Franchise: 10-9 Ornelas
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 2

Ornelas is the brother of Librado Andrade, so it's not surprising he's a tough guy. He tries to get off first in the second round. Nice one-two off the jab by Hopkins. Left hook from Bernard finds the mark. The ref is busy as he cautions both men for hitting behind the head. Hopkins steps away from a combination and lands a counter, then covers up before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Ornelas

Round 3

There's some swelling by Ornelas' left eye. Ornelas keeps trying to rush in, and the Executioner is landing some sneaky shots while that's happening. Nice action as both men land some punches during an extended exchange. Another charge ends in a counter right to Ornelas' face. More in-fighting with Bernard backed against the ropes. That round was probably closer than B-Hop would have liked.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 4

An early clinch forces the ref to step in, and both men land right hands once the action heats up. Left to the body by Ornelas and he pivots away. Ornelas lands an uppercut but also takes a counter coming in. Big misses by both guys along the ropes, and Ornelas gets another uppercut to score from very close range. They hold and hit for the final ten seconds, and that round was very close.

Franchise: 10-9 Ornelas
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 5

The ref cautioned both fighters about their heads between rounds. Hopkins slips away from a combination. Ornelas lands a light one-two and grabs Bernard's head. Left hook lead by Bernard, then a right on the inside that gets the crowd to cheer a bit. Ornelas leans on Hopkins and tries to bang away to the body. Hopkins comes right back with a body shot but has to cover up to save himself from uppercuts coming back.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Ornelas

Round 6

Left-right combo by Hopkins stuns Ornelas in the opening seconds. He returns fire with a right hand and they clinch. Ornelas holds his own again during the in-fighting. Pot shots by Bernard and they lean and bang away. Two right hands score for Hopkins, and the fans respond. Hopkins avoids a left and lands two to the body before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 7

Neither man connects with their first punches of this round. Hopkins is coming forward more often now. B-Hop ducks and counters, which suits him fine. Right hand by Hopkins and he winds it up for some showboating. Ornelas is a bit off-balance as Hopkins looks for a big shot. They tie up with 30 to go. Bernard scores with a left hand.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 8

Bernard's counter left is catching Enrique on a regular basis now. Ornelas connects with a short left but uppercuts come right back in response. Ornelas goes down along the ropes, but it's ruled a slip. The ref cautions both boxers again. Left to the body by Ornelas but not much on it. They trade in the center of the ring and a Hopkins right snaps Ornelas' head back hard.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 9

Ornelas lands a right which is answered by a stiff right to the body. Several exchanges feature nice left hooks by Hopkins, but Ornelas manages a big right hand that was his best punch of the fight. B-Hop goes back to work and Ornelas has to charge in and grab. Not much flow to that round.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 10

Two left hooks by Bernard and he dances a bit. Ornelas tries to keep the pressure on. More of the same with Ornelas rushing in and plenty of clinching. The announcers think Ornelas may be getting tired. Right hand upstairs by Enrique. Left hand by Ornelas but Hopkins retaliates with an uppercut. Both men score in the closing seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 11

Some of these rounds are quite close, but Hopkins is doing enough that he should be winning most of them. Both men jab and Hopkins counters beautifully as they trade. Left hand catches Ornelas coming forward. Right hand lead by B-Hop, but the heads and shoulders connect right after that. The ref calls time to have Hopkins' right glove fixed. One final flurry makes Ornelas wince a bit.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Round 12

Neither man is taking it easy as the final round begins. A head butt hurts Ornelas and he's not happy. The ref is extremely busy and telling both men to watch their heads. Hopkins closes in and rocks Ornelas in close. Enrique swings wildly to no avail. Hopkins punctuates his effort with several power shots right before the final bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins
Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchise: 118-110 Hopkins
Spartan117: 118-110 Hopkins

The judges score it 118-110, 120-109 and 119-109, all for the winner by unanimous decision, Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins.

They show the Roy Jones-Danny Green fight footage. Roy comes out jabbing and feinting. The first big right hand by Green puts Roy down. Green closes in and makes Jones cover up. He doesn't fight back and his legs are wobbly. One last uppercut connects for Green, and the ref calls a stop to it.

Back in Philly, Hopkins says he's seeing the footage for the first time. Bernard thinks Roy deserves the benefit of the doubt because of his status and doesn't think the ref should have stopped it so soon.

Surprisingly, Hopkins says he thinks people would still be into a Hopkins-Jones rematch. He really seems to feel strongly about Jones losing by TKO and not getting knocked out cold.

The Executioner gives Ornelas a lot of credit for his effort and vows to be heavyweight champion of the world in 2010. Can't see him fighting either Klitschko, so he must have his eye on David Haye.

Posted by The Franchise

Hopkins-Ornelas Fight Night on Versus Undercard Live Blog

It's nearly time for the most famous boxer ever to appear on Versus. Bernard Hopkins is the headliner tonight from the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia.

First, though, we've got a light welterweight bout between undefeated Philly prospect Danny Garcia and Enrique Colin. Garcia is 14-0 with nine KOs; his nickname is "Swift." Colin is 29-5-3

This one is scheduled for 10 rounds. The opening frame is pretty tentative until the final five seconds, when Garcia lands a big right hand that sends Colin to the canvas. He beats the count, but we'll have to see what he has left in the tank.

Colin gets staggered with a right hand early in the second, but Garcia stays patient and keeps measuring his foe. About 50 seconds later, Garcia floors Colin with yet another right hand, and that's all she wrote. Garcia wins by KO at 0:55 of Round 2.

In the post-fight interview, Garcia says he was able to keep his composure even fighting in front of his hometown fans. He says he catches a lot of people with counter rights so he was not surprised about the punch that put Colin down for the first time.

Garcia gives credit to his team and his amateur experience for allowing him to compete with more experienced pros.

Time for a four round featherweight bout. This is Derrick Wilson, a young undefeated prospect from Florida, taking on Guadalupe De Leon, who is ten years older.

The difference in hand speed between these two men is dramatic. Wilson shows off some sweet left hooks and straight rights, and though he leaves himself open for counters, De Leon can't take advantage.

De Leon actually finds his courage in Round 2, coming forward and forcing Wilson to fight with his back against the ropes. Wilson makes De Leon eat some stiff right hands in Round 3, but the announcers think he looks discouraged since De Leon keeps coming.

This is going to be an interesting decision if it goes to the cards. Wilson has landed the harder shots, but De Leon has scored more often and has been more aggressive most of the time. There's some pretty nice two-way action in the final 90 seconds, and it will be up to the judges to decide this one.

The judges score it 39-37 Wilson, and 39-37 De Leon twice. The winner by split decision is Guadalupe De Leon.

Live Bernard Hopkins-Enrique Ornelas Round By Round Updates Tonight, Plus Roy Jones-Danny Green

Two legendary if aging American boxers are in action tonight, hoping to set up a rematch that is years in the making.

Bernard Hopkins takes on Enrique Ornelas in his hometown of Philadelphia, while Roy Jones Jr. goes down under to take on Danny Green. That fight has already taken place, so you may know what happened; otherwise, you can see how it went down on Versus tonight.

In any case, we know not everybody, even in the U.S., has access to Versus. So we'll be doing live round by round updates for Hopkins-Ornelas for as long as it lasts. Simply bookmark our home page and head back here shortly after 8 pm Eastern tonight.

Posted by The Franchise