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
Showing posts with label juan diaz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label juan diaz. Show all posts
12.12.09
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
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
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 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
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
24.8.09
20/20 Hindsight: Houston Home Cooking? Plus Guerrero and Jacobs Look Sharp
It's never boring when big boxing cards are held in Houston, at least recently. It helps that the city has good hometown fighters, and then there's the added fun that comes when controversy breaks out.
In February it was Houston's Rocky Juarez fighting Chris John. I scored that one 116-112 for John and was a bit surprised when all three judges turned in official scores of 114-114. I didn't think that was the worst decision ever, but some of you disagreed.
Before this Saturday's HBO Boxing After Dark card, Paulie Malignaggi suggested he would have to decisively defeat Houston boy Juan Diaz in order to pull out a decision. Since Paulie had virtually no chance of winning by KO, this was an even tougher task, and he didn't get the knockout or the dominating points win he needed.
What he did get was a very close fight that could have gone either way. Our Spartan117 saw it as a draw. HBO's Harold Lederman and Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports liked Malignaggi 115-113. But none of the judges agreed, and Diaz got the unanimous decision.
If only that was the end of the drama. Judge Gale Van Hoy turned in a 118-110 card for Diaz, arguably the most ridiculous score for a televised fight in years. Malignaggi was beside himself after the verdict, and there seems to be a general feeling that something bad went down.
Who's to blame for this foolishness? That depends on who you ask.
Tim Starks of The Queensberry Rules points out that Paulie knew what he was getting into when he signed on. Fellow blogger David Schraub think HBO should speak out against situations like Diaz-Malignaggi, while Iole points the finger at Golden Boy Promotions for creating the conditions that allow it.
Interesting viewpoints all. There's some truth in all of them.
Here's what I know: by itself, I didn't think the John-Juarez decision was horrible. In a vacuum, I still don't. But after what just happened on Saturday, it's not an isolated incident any more.
If I was promoting a boxer with title aspirations, I'd have to think carefully about agreeing to fight someone from Houston in Houston right now. Boxing is hard enough without having to worry about the house edge on top of your opponent.
(As an aside, I don't want to seem like I'm just bashing Houston, because the hometown syndrome can and does happen elsewhere. Montreal comes to mind as another recent example.)
The other two fights on the card had something in common, as both Robert Guerrero and Daniel Jacobs had to dig down and show something while earning victories and continuing their win streaks. Guerrero looked fantastic in the early rounds of his fight with Malcolm Klassen, moving well and letting his hands go. Klassen found something in the middle rounds, though, and The Ghost did a nice job shaking off a cut caused by a headbutt and making sure he didn't let the late rounds go the way of the South African.
Jacobs got the full ten-round tussle from Ishe Smith that I expected, with his veteran foe making things uncomfortable at times. We saw that Danny doesn't need to be the aggressor and that he likes to throw right back after getting hit with a good shot. His defense still needs some tightening up, as Smith landed left hooks throughout the fight.
Just to tie up this post thematically, the judge who gave Daniels a 100-89 win - a shutout since the fight was 10 rounds and Smith was docked a point - also deserves some derision. He (or she) is just lucky that Jacobs unquestionably won the fight and that there was an even crazier scorecard coming later.
Posted by The Franchise
In February it was Houston's Rocky Juarez fighting Chris John. I scored that one 116-112 for John and was a bit surprised when all three judges turned in official scores of 114-114. I didn't think that was the worst decision ever, but some of you disagreed.
Before this Saturday's HBO Boxing After Dark card, Paulie Malignaggi suggested he would have to decisively defeat Houston boy Juan Diaz in order to pull out a decision. Since Paulie had virtually no chance of winning by KO, this was an even tougher task, and he didn't get the knockout or the dominating points win he needed.
What he did get was a very close fight that could have gone either way. Our Spartan117 saw it as a draw. HBO's Harold Lederman and Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports liked Malignaggi 115-113. But none of the judges agreed, and Diaz got the unanimous decision.
If only that was the end of the drama. Judge Gale Van Hoy turned in a 118-110 card for Diaz, arguably the most ridiculous score for a televised fight in years. Malignaggi was beside himself after the verdict, and there seems to be a general feeling that something bad went down.
Who's to blame for this foolishness? That depends on who you ask.
Tim Starks of The Queensberry Rules points out that Paulie knew what he was getting into when he signed on. Fellow blogger David Schraub think HBO should speak out against situations like Diaz-Malignaggi, while Iole points the finger at Golden Boy Promotions for creating the conditions that allow it.
Interesting viewpoints all. There's some truth in all of them.
Here's what I know: by itself, I didn't think the John-Juarez decision was horrible. In a vacuum, I still don't. But after what just happened on Saturday, it's not an isolated incident any more.
If I was promoting a boxer with title aspirations, I'd have to think carefully about agreeing to fight someone from Houston in Houston right now. Boxing is hard enough without having to worry about the house edge on top of your opponent.
(As an aside, I don't want to seem like I'm just bashing Houston, because the hometown syndrome can and does happen elsewhere. Montreal comes to mind as another recent example.)
The other two fights on the card had something in common, as both Robert Guerrero and Daniel Jacobs had to dig down and show something while earning victories and continuing their win streaks. Guerrero looked fantastic in the early rounds of his fight with Malcolm Klassen, moving well and letting his hands go. Klassen found something in the middle rounds, though, and The Ghost did a nice job shaking off a cut caused by a headbutt and making sure he didn't let the late rounds go the way of the South African.
Jacobs got the full ten-round tussle from Ishe Smith that I expected, with his veteran foe making things uncomfortable at times. We saw that Danny doesn't need to be the aggressor and that he likes to throw right back after getting hit with a good shot. His defense still needs some tightening up, as Smith landed left hooks throughout the fight.
Just to tie up this post thematically, the judge who gave Daniels a 100-89 win - a shutout since the fight was 10 rounds and Smith was docked a point - also deserves some derision. He (or she) is just lucky that Jacobs unquestionably won the fight and that there was an even crazier scorecard coming later.
Posted by The Franchise
22.8.09
Diaz v. Malignaggi: Round by Round
Here comes the main event between Juan Diaz versus Paulie Malignaggi. There has been some controversy building up to this fight. Malignaggi has complained that "the deck is stacked" in favor of Diaz. Diaz is from Houston, TX and got 3 out of the 4 hometown officials for the fight. Harold Leaderman says that Malignaggi has every right to be upset because there is usually 1 hometown official for each fighter plus 2 other neutral officials. We'll see how the officiating plays out.
Posted by spartan117
Malignaggi has dedicated his fight to Gatti and entered the ring to Thunderstruck by ACDC.
Malignaggi gets welcomed by some expected boo's. The crowd goes wild for Diaz.
Here we go.
Round 1
Diaz, as expected, comes right forward. The magic man looks lighting-fast. He clocks Diaz with some great jabs. He now lands a good flurry. Diaz continues to come forward and tries to get inside. Diaz throws 2 straight lefts. Malignaggi gets against the ropes but slips away. Malignaggi is fighting very well, sticking to the jab and keeping Diaz away. Malignaggi is using some great upper-body movement as well. Diaz is still trying to figure out how to handle Malignaggi's speed. Diaz lands a good counter left. Good round for Malignaggi.
Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Round 2
Diaz comes right forward again this time landing a good right hand. Now Diaz puts his punches together and lands his best combo of the night. Malignaggi sticks out his tongue to taunt him. Paulie lands a straight right hand. A cut has opened over the left eye of Malignaggi. Diaz lands a huge left eye and a hook to the body. This has been a great round for Diaz thus far. Diaz gets inside again and lands a double-left. Diaz lands a left to the body and Malignaggi comes back with a right hand. Now a cut has opened over the left eye of Diaz.
Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Round 3
The cut is right on the eyelid of Diaz which could cause some major problems. I didn't see any clash of heads and neither did the ref. The Magic Man catches Diaz coming forward with two great straights. Malignaggi uses his reach and keeps Diaz at a distance again. He knocks him off balance with a good right hand again. Paulie's jab is working overtime. Diaz barely misses with a good left hand. The two clinch and Diaz frantically tries to punch out of it. Malignaggi is the busier fighter but Diaz is getting him with some good power shots.
Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Round 4
Paulie keeps the footwork going and lands two great left hand. Diaz catches him with a left hook. Malignaggi lands two more lightning-fast jabs. Diaz rocks him with a right hand that looked to stun Malignaggi. This has been Diaz's best round so far. He landing some great power shots but Malignaggi is taking it well. Diaz is pawing at his cut. Diaz's cut is getting worse and the blood is pouring into that eye. Let's see what his cutman can do between the rounds.
Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Round 5
Malignaggi gets in trouble with the ref for pushing Diaz away. No warning yet. The two fight in close quarters now. Diaz continues to land more on the inside. Diaz lands a 3-punch combo. The crowd is going crazy for even blocked punches from Diaz. Diaz is really going to town with the left hook. Malignaggi gets a second warning for pushing with the elbow but I don't remember warning number 1. Malignaggi lands a great right hand and the blood pours again from Diaz's eye.
Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Round 6
There is a different cut over the same eye for Diaz that's causing even more problems for Diaz. The cut is said to be caused by an accidental headbutt. Malignaggi is fighting well again and is honing in on that cut. Diaz is fighting with some urgency now and knows that the fight could be stopped at any time because of that cut. Diaz tries to work the body now and Malignaggi gets a few right uppercuts in there. Diaz gets 2 left hands in that knocks Malignaggi back. Paulie sticks with the jab. Diaz lands a good left hand right before the bell.
Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Round 7
A doctor comes in to take a look at the cuts over the eye of Diaz. The doc says that he can keep fighting. Diaz tries to get inside again but misses with some wide punches. Malignaggi goes back from the jab. His trainer is telling him to stay away from fighting on the inside. He seems to be listening well and has a lot of success when he's keeping Diaz back with the jab. Diaz gets inside again and shows some great body work. Paulie keeps throwing the jab. Close round but I call it for Diaz.
Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Round 8
Paulie comes right out and throws the jabs. Diaz lands a left to the body. Malignaggi hasn't been throwing his right nearly enough and that's the punch that would be landing on the cut. Diaz gets Paulie against the ropes but the Magic Man slips away again. Malignaggi lands a good combo. Diaz gets inside again. Malignaggi's trunks are falling off. There's a lot going on on his trunks too: All kins of crazy tassels etc. Despite the trunks distraction he still fought well.
Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Round 9
Diaz is clearly landing the more damaging punches but Malignaggi is staying busy. The Magic Man is now letting his right hand go with occasional success. Some of Malignaggi's braids are coming loose now from punches. This has been a great round for Diaz. He's been getting inside and landing some great hooks to the body and the head. Malignaggi keeps the jab coming though.
Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Round 10
Diaz is chasing The Magic Man around the ring. Now the two square off in the center and trade shots. That was some of the best action in the fight. Malignaggi lands a jab followed by a great right uppercut. Paulie is yelling something over to the commentators. I'm not quite sure what he's saying but he should certainly focus on Diaz. Now Malignaggi is getting into a shouting match with someone in press row as he walks back to his corner.
Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Round 11
Diaz is trying to get on the inside but Malignaggi is staying with his quick jabs. Good straight right hand from Malignaggi. His speed has not diminished. Paulie is still having trouble with his trunks. This has been a better round for Malignaggi. It will be interesting to see how this pans out on the scorecards. A lot of these rounds have been extremely close. The ref stops the action to pull up Malignaggi's trunks, something I've never seen happen in all of my years watching boxing.
Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Round 12
Harold Leaderman has Malignaggi up by 3 rounds. I think he may be compensating, being from New York. The two fight with all of their heart for the last round. Diaz gets some good hooks in and Malignaggi comes right back and lands a great flurry. Blood is coming down the left side of Diaz's face. Malignaggi isn't stopping. He's moving extremely well and landing some crazy-fast punches. This will be a very difficult round to score now as Diaz lands a handful of hard hooks to the body and head. They trade punches to end the fight.
Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Spartan117: 114-114
The judges score the bout 116-112, 115-113, 118-110 all for the winner by unanimous decision Juan "The Baby Bull" Diaz
The HBO team comments on the 118-110 scorecard and say that that score is inexcusable and certainly bias. In the post-fight interview Diaz says that he answered all of his critics and showed that he can fight with a cut. He says he has a lot to learn and is looking forward to get back in the gym and work on some things. He says that he wants a rematch with Marquez no matter how his fight with Mayweather ends up.
Malignaggi is fired up in the post-fight interview. He yells at the crowd and at Max Kellerman and says that "he knew he would have to deal with this" and adds that "Texas has never given anyone a fair fight when someone comes to Houston". The Magic Man says that he knows he'll never get the rematch he deserves and adds that it's "not fair that Diaz gets to call out the winner of the Mayweather-Marquez fight but I have to be hoped that I get picked as someone's opponent". He yells that "boxing is bullshit" and that he "used to love this sport" but now "can't stand it".
Posted by spartan117
Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi Live Round By Round Updates Tonight
We're back in effect. How's that?
After taking last weekend off to celebrate Uatu's destination wedding, it's time to get reacquainted with the sweet science in the form of a three-fight card on HBO. Headlining the show from Houston is hometown boy Juan Diaz, who takes on Paulie Malignaggi in a bout where both men could really use the victory.
Also in action is Robert Guerrero, who tangles with South African titleholder Malcolm Klassen, and Danny Jacobs, looking to stay undefeated against Ishe Smith.
As always, if you can't watch the fights, you can follow our live round by round posts to see what's going down. Just look for new posts on the home page starting around 10 pm Eastern time tonight and refresh periodically for the latest.
Posted by The Franchise
After taking last weekend off to celebrate Uatu's destination wedding, it's time to get reacquainted with the sweet science in the form of a three-fight card on HBO. Headlining the show from Houston is hometown boy Juan Diaz, who takes on Paulie Malignaggi in a bout where both men could really use the victory.
Also in action is Robert Guerrero, who tangles with South African titleholder Malcolm Klassen, and Danny Jacobs, looking to stay undefeated against Ishe Smith.
As always, if you can't watch the fights, you can follow our live round by round posts to see what's going down. Just look for new posts on the home page starting around 10 pm Eastern time tonight and refresh periodically for the latest.
Posted by The Franchise
20.8.09
Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi, Malcolm Klassen vs. Robert Guerrero, Danny Jacobs vs. Ishe Smith: Predictions
The Franchise says...
There's no such thing as a "must-win" bout in boxing, but we are going to be seeing a "damn-close-to-must-win" fight for both sides of HBO's main event this Saturday.
Juan Diaz gets to fight before his hometown fans in Houston, trying to right the ship after going 1-2 (and the one win was by split decision) in his last three fights. Smart, articulate and offensively talented - but defensively suspect - the Baby Bull was Victor Ortiz before Victor Ortiz, and has even more soul-searching to do at this point.
His opponent Paulie Malignaggi has actually seen his rise through the sport stopped twice: once after losing to Miguel Cotto in 2006 and again after his TKO loss to Ricky Hatton last November. There's certainly no shame in having those two gentlemen hand you your only two defeats, but the Magic Man seems to go to the back of the line more than most after taking an 'L.'
I think it's pretty well established at this point that Diaz only knows one way to fight. He's going to come forward and throw lots of punches. If that doesn't work, there's no Plan B. His chin is probably the best part of his defense, though as Juan Manuel Marquez proved, it has its limits.
Malignaggi is the bigger question mark. He's known as a light-hitting slickster (and that's being generous, as under 20 percent of his wins came via KO), but he curiously allowed Hatton to out-box him for most of their fight. He's naturally bigger and taller, though it remains to be seen if those qualities do him any good keeping Diaz out of his face.
It's not like Malignaggi can't win this fight, especially if he's able to consistently outmanuever Diaz or withstand an early barrage and pile up points down the stretch. It's just that his margin or error is so slim that the odds are against him being able to pull it off.
Diaz has found out that against the very best competition, what he does best isn't quite good enough. But Paulie is a step down from the likes of JMM and Nate Campbell, so I like the Baby Bull to win by late TKO.
In the co-feature, Robert Guerrero attempts to take the IBF super featherweight title from Malcolm Klassen after making a slight lightweight detour his last time out. After fighting just once in 2008, The Ghost has been a busy man, as this is already his fourth fight this year.
Klassen will make his first appearance in the U.S. after fighting all but one of his previous bouts in his native South Africa. He's fought just good enough competition to suggest he's not a stiff, and though he has four career losses, they've all come by the scorecards.
It's hard to break this one down having never seen Klassen fight, but the consensus opinion among boxing writers is that this will be the best guy Guerrero has faced to this point. Still, there's no reason to think that if he brings his 'A' game, he won't come out on top, and he's been fairly consistent in that regard in 2009. Guerrero wins by late KO.
HBO is also giving us a rare treat with a third televised fight, as undefeated Danny Jacobs tangles with Ishe Smith.
Fans have been waiting to see the 22-year old Jacobs take a step up in competition, but this may not qualify in that regard. Once upon a time Smith seemed to be a future title challenger, but that was probably five years ago, even before his unsuccessful attempt to win the first season of The Contender.
Jacobs got a little testy defending this fight on his Twitter feed, but he certainly appears to be taking the fight seriously, even if it isn't likely Ishe will have the power to hurt him. What Smith may have is enough veteran craftiness to go the distance.
But that's okay because the Golden Child has never gone ten rounds, so we may learn something about him in the process. Smith will learn that the younger man is too fast and too strong, and Jacobs will roll to an easy decision.
Posted by The Franchise
There's no such thing as a "must-win" bout in boxing, but we are going to be seeing a "damn-close-to-must-win" fight for both sides of HBO's main event this Saturday.
Juan Diaz gets to fight before his hometown fans in Houston, trying to right the ship after going 1-2 (and the one win was by split decision) in his last three fights. Smart, articulate and offensively talented - but defensively suspect - the Baby Bull was Victor Ortiz before Victor Ortiz, and has even more soul-searching to do at this point.
His opponent Paulie Malignaggi has actually seen his rise through the sport stopped twice: once after losing to Miguel Cotto in 2006 and again after his TKO loss to Ricky Hatton last November. There's certainly no shame in having those two gentlemen hand you your only two defeats, but the Magic Man seems to go to the back of the line more than most after taking an 'L.'
I think it's pretty well established at this point that Diaz only knows one way to fight. He's going to come forward and throw lots of punches. If that doesn't work, there's no Plan B. His chin is probably the best part of his defense, though as Juan Manuel Marquez proved, it has its limits.
Malignaggi is the bigger question mark. He's known as a light-hitting slickster (and that's being generous, as under 20 percent of his wins came via KO), but he curiously allowed Hatton to out-box him for most of their fight. He's naturally bigger and taller, though it remains to be seen if those qualities do him any good keeping Diaz out of his face.
It's not like Malignaggi can't win this fight, especially if he's able to consistently outmanuever Diaz or withstand an early barrage and pile up points down the stretch. It's just that his margin or error is so slim that the odds are against him being able to pull it off.
Diaz has found out that against the very best competition, what he does best isn't quite good enough. But Paulie is a step down from the likes of JMM and Nate Campbell, so I like the Baby Bull to win by late TKO.
In the co-feature, Robert Guerrero attempts to take the IBF super featherweight title from Malcolm Klassen after making a slight lightweight detour his last time out. After fighting just once in 2008, The Ghost has been a busy man, as this is already his fourth fight this year.
Klassen will make his first appearance in the U.S. after fighting all but one of his previous bouts in his native South Africa. He's fought just good enough competition to suggest he's not a stiff, and though he has four career losses, they've all come by the scorecards.
It's hard to break this one down having never seen Klassen fight, but the consensus opinion among boxing writers is that this will be the best guy Guerrero has faced to this point. Still, there's no reason to think that if he brings his 'A' game, he won't come out on top, and he's been fairly consistent in that regard in 2009. Guerrero wins by late KO.
HBO is also giving us a rare treat with a third televised fight, as undefeated Danny Jacobs tangles with Ishe Smith.
Fans have been waiting to see the 22-year old Jacobs take a step up in competition, but this may not qualify in that regard. Once upon a time Smith seemed to be a future title challenger, but that was probably five years ago, even before his unsuccessful attempt to win the first season of The Contender.
Jacobs got a little testy defending this fight on his Twitter feed, but he certainly appears to be taking the fight seriously, even if it isn't likely Ishe will have the power to hurt him. What Smith may have is enough veteran craftiness to go the distance.
But that's okay because the Golden Child has never gone ten rounds, so we may learn something about him in the process. Smith will learn that the younger man is too fast and too strong, and Jacobs will roll to an easy decision.
Posted by The Franchise
4.7.09
Franchise Thoughts: The Best American Boxers Today
To all of our U.S. readers, a very happy Independence Day. This year's July 4th weekend leaves us without any major boxing action to speak of, but we hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday nonetheless.
It seems only natural to use some of my space today to examine the strength of American pro boxers as a group. While the death of boxing in the U.S. has been exaggerated (ad nauseam) by a number of sources, any rational fan would agree that the sport has fallen a long way from its peak domestic popularity during the 20th Century.
Still, the biggest bouts are still held primarily in the U.S., and American-born fighters continue to have a significant presence among the top levels of most divisions. Who are the best? Glad you asked, because I'm going to lay them out as I see them.
Two notes before I start. First, even though weight classes are becoming less important for purposes of making good fights, they're still useful for the sake of organizing fighters. For simplicity's sake, I'm placing each guy in the division in which he's ranked on BoxRec.com.
Also, I know that people born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens. But Puerto Rican fighters and fans tend to identify along ethnic lines, so I'm not including them with boxers born in the States. Obviously, adding the likes of Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Lopez would bolster America's ranks significantly.
Starting with the big guys and working down...
Heavyweight - Top American: Chris Arreola - This was a tough call, because the crop of U.S. heavyweights is both aging and, well, not very good as a whole.
It remains to be seen if Arreola has the stamina and defensive skills to truly compete with the Klitschko brothers and other top big men, but he certainly can bring it and he's yet to taste defeat. Plus his career is still on the rise and he's on the right side of 35, which is more than can be said of John Ruiz, Lamon Brewster and Hasim Rahman.
A bit of love also goes out to Eddie Chambers, who's also under 30, has lost just once and is actually fighting tonight in Germany.
Cruiserweight - Top American: Steve Cunningham - The cupboard is also pretty bare for American cruisers too, but Cunningham gets the nod as a former titlist who gave a pretty fair account of himself against the division's current top dog, Tomasz Adamek.
It's tempting to tout BJ Flores as a future hope in this weight class, but he's too old to be a prospect and hasn't exactly pushed himself to find the best fights. I like his announcing work though.
Light heavyweight - Top American: Bernard Hopkins - Until he officially retires, The Executioner remains one of the top U.S. boxers at any weight. His accomplishments speak for themselves, and he's still formidable at age 44.
Since B-Hop floats around in weight to fight so often, the real American champ at 175 could be Chad Dawson, depending on how he fares in his rematch with Glen Johnson. Big names Roy Jones Jr. and Antonio Tarver are still holding on, but just barely.
Super middleweight - Top American: Andre Ward - This was my first difficult decision, as Ward has yet to really cement himself as a top contender. He certainly looks to have all the tools necessary for future success.
If Ward is No. 1, then Andre Dirrell is 1A, and he also could very easily be a star in the making. BoxRec ranks Jermain Taylor ahead of both Andre's, but he's lost three of his last four and is just 1-1 at 168.
So there's hope for Americans in this division, but for right now the top guys (like Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler) clearly reside overseas.
Middleweight - Top American: Kelly Pavlik - This was one of the easiest calls, as the Pride of Youngstown has settled in as middleweight champ. He did get schooled by Hopkins, but that was a few pounds north of here.
BoxRec rates Daniel Jacobs in this division even though he's fought above 160 for most of his fights, so I'll go ahead and say he's the future for the U.S. if he actually can make middleweight. Other than The Ghost and the Golden Child, there's not much else near the top.
Super welterweight - Top American: Paul Williams: The Punisher exemplifies today's trend of floating around between weights, and he's made it very clear he'll fight anyone between 147 and 160. BoxRec places him here and so will I. He's one of the best boxers in the world and easily takes the top spot with his work rate, height and underrated power.
The U.S. is fairly deep at 154 aside from Williams. Vernon Forrest and Cory Spinks have been around for a while but don't look finished yet. And the beginning of the next decade looks promising thanks to James Kirkland (assuming he gets himself straightened out) and Deandre Latimore.
Welterweight - Top American: Shane Mosley - It's pretty much a two-man show at 147, but it's a good two. Sugar Shane showed he still has plenty left in the tank by beating down Antonio Margarito, even if that hasn't resulted in the big paydays he's been seeking.
The other half of the duo is Andre Berto, who has his doubters but just keeps winning. He's young enough to force bigger names to fight him in the next few years if he keeps it up.
Super lightweight - Top American: Timothy Bradley - Though he's kind of an unlikely champion, Bradley has a title and an undefeated record for now. It's tough to say if he's really great at any one aspect of the game, but he's solid in everything.
I almost gave the nod to Nate Campbell here but decided to wait until he actually had a fight under his belt at 140. It's against Bradley, by the way.
The U.S. is loaded in young talent here too, as Devon Alexander, Victor Ortiz (yes, despite his recent loss) and Lamont Peterson are all 25 and under.
Lightweight - Top American: Juan Diaz - The Baby Bull wins this almost by default as others have moved out of this weight class. Despite some rough outings over the past few years, I'd still watch him fight any time, and that counts for something.
Memphis' Anthony Peterson is the one to watch as we roll into and past 2010.
Super featherweight - Top American: Robert Guerrero - The pickings are slim for U.S. fighters at 130, and the "other" Ghost's last fight was at lightweight. His upcoming August bout with Malcolm Klassen is for a super featherweight title though, so he counts here.
Featherweight - Top American: Steven Luevano: This was a tough call. I went with Luevano for his excellent record against some pretty good opponents, but we'll see what he's made of when he fights Bernabe Concepcion in August.
The coin flip loser was Rocky Juarez. I think Rocky is talented, but he's come up short in his biggest fights and was fortunate to earn a draw against Chris John last time out.
Below featherweight - Top American: Brian Viloria: If the U.S. isn't cranking out too many excellent big men, it really isn't developing many top contenders at the lower weight classes. The weight classes below featherweight are almost completely devoid of top talent.
You have to go all the way down to light flyweight to find a notable exception. Hawaiian Punch has been rolling since a 2007 loss to Edgar Sosa, and he gets bonus points for being a frequent and often insightful Twitterer.
Posted by The Franchise
It seems only natural to use some of my space today to examine the strength of American pro boxers as a group. While the death of boxing in the U.S. has been exaggerated (ad nauseam) by a number of sources, any rational fan would agree that the sport has fallen a long way from its peak domestic popularity during the 20th Century.
Still, the biggest bouts are still held primarily in the U.S., and American-born fighters continue to have a significant presence among the top levels of most divisions. Who are the best? Glad you asked, because I'm going to lay them out as I see them.
Two notes before I start. First, even though weight classes are becoming less important for purposes of making good fights, they're still useful for the sake of organizing fighters. For simplicity's sake, I'm placing each guy in the division in which he's ranked on BoxRec.com.
Also, I know that people born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens. But Puerto Rican fighters and fans tend to identify along ethnic lines, so I'm not including them with boxers born in the States. Obviously, adding the likes of Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Lopez would bolster America's ranks significantly.
Starting with the big guys and working down...
Heavyweight - Top American: Chris Arreola - This was a tough call, because the crop of U.S. heavyweights is both aging and, well, not very good as a whole.
It remains to be seen if Arreola has the stamina and defensive skills to truly compete with the Klitschko brothers and other top big men, but he certainly can bring it and he's yet to taste defeat. Plus his career is still on the rise and he's on the right side of 35, which is more than can be said of John Ruiz, Lamon Brewster and Hasim Rahman.
A bit of love also goes out to Eddie Chambers, who's also under 30, has lost just once and is actually fighting tonight in Germany.
Cruiserweight - Top American: Steve Cunningham - The cupboard is also pretty bare for American cruisers too, but Cunningham gets the nod as a former titlist who gave a pretty fair account of himself against the division's current top dog, Tomasz Adamek.
It's tempting to tout BJ Flores as a future hope in this weight class, but he's too old to be a prospect and hasn't exactly pushed himself to find the best fights. I like his announcing work though.
Light heavyweight - Top American: Bernard Hopkins - Until he officially retires, The Executioner remains one of the top U.S. boxers at any weight. His accomplishments speak for themselves, and he's still formidable at age 44.
Since B-Hop floats around in weight to fight so often, the real American champ at 175 could be Chad Dawson, depending on how he fares in his rematch with Glen Johnson. Big names Roy Jones Jr. and Antonio Tarver are still holding on, but just barely.
Super middleweight - Top American: Andre Ward - This was my first difficult decision, as Ward has yet to really cement himself as a top contender. He certainly looks to have all the tools necessary for future success.
If Ward is No. 1, then Andre Dirrell is 1A, and he also could very easily be a star in the making. BoxRec ranks Jermain Taylor ahead of both Andre's, but he's lost three of his last four and is just 1-1 at 168.
So there's hope for Americans in this division, but for right now the top guys (like Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler) clearly reside overseas.
Middleweight - Top American: Kelly Pavlik - This was one of the easiest calls, as the Pride of Youngstown has settled in as middleweight champ. He did get schooled by Hopkins, but that was a few pounds north of here.
BoxRec rates Daniel Jacobs in this division even though he's fought above 160 for most of his fights, so I'll go ahead and say he's the future for the U.S. if he actually can make middleweight. Other than The Ghost and the Golden Child, there's not much else near the top.
Super welterweight - Top American: Paul Williams: The Punisher exemplifies today's trend of floating around between weights, and he's made it very clear he'll fight anyone between 147 and 160. BoxRec places him here and so will I. He's one of the best boxers in the world and easily takes the top spot with his work rate, height and underrated power.
The U.S. is fairly deep at 154 aside from Williams. Vernon Forrest and Cory Spinks have been around for a while but don't look finished yet. And the beginning of the next decade looks promising thanks to James Kirkland (assuming he gets himself straightened out) and Deandre Latimore.
Welterweight - Top American: Shane Mosley - It's pretty much a two-man show at 147, but it's a good two. Sugar Shane showed he still has plenty left in the tank by beating down Antonio Margarito, even if that hasn't resulted in the big paydays he's been seeking.
The other half of the duo is Andre Berto, who has his doubters but just keeps winning. He's young enough to force bigger names to fight him in the next few years if he keeps it up.
Super lightweight - Top American: Timothy Bradley - Though he's kind of an unlikely champion, Bradley has a title and an undefeated record for now. It's tough to say if he's really great at any one aspect of the game, but he's solid in everything.
I almost gave the nod to Nate Campbell here but decided to wait until he actually had a fight under his belt at 140. It's against Bradley, by the way.
The U.S. is loaded in young talent here too, as Devon Alexander, Victor Ortiz (yes, despite his recent loss) and Lamont Peterson are all 25 and under.
Lightweight - Top American: Juan Diaz - The Baby Bull wins this almost by default as others have moved out of this weight class. Despite some rough outings over the past few years, I'd still watch him fight any time, and that counts for something.
Memphis' Anthony Peterson is the one to watch as we roll into and past 2010.
Super featherweight - Top American: Robert Guerrero - The pickings are slim for U.S. fighters at 130, and the "other" Ghost's last fight was at lightweight. His upcoming August bout with Malcolm Klassen is for a super featherweight title though, so he counts here.
Featherweight - Top American: Steven Luevano: This was a tough call. I went with Luevano for his excellent record against some pretty good opponents, but we'll see what he's made of when he fights Bernabe Concepcion in August.
The coin flip loser was Rocky Juarez. I think Rocky is talented, but he's come up short in his biggest fights and was fortunate to earn a draw against Chris John last time out.
Below featherweight - Top American: Brian Viloria: If the U.S. isn't cranking out too many excellent big men, it really isn't developing many top contenders at the lower weight classes. The weight classes below featherweight are almost completely devoid of top talent.
You have to go all the way down to light flyweight to find a notable exception. Hawaiian Punch has been rolling since a 2007 loss to Edgar Sosa, and he gets bonus points for being a frequent and often insightful Twitterer.
Posted by The Franchise
17.6.09
Franchise Thoughts: No Summer Blockbusters, But Still Some Good Boxing Coming Up
Here's a list of some pretty talented boxers: Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez, Kelly Pavlik, David Haye, Fernando Montiel and Amir Khan.
What do all of those gentlemen have in common? All of them were originally scheduled to fight in late June or July. Now, none of them will be in action until this fall at the earliest.
The summer boxing schedule may not have been able to keep up the pace of excellent fights we've seen so far in 2009, but after a tight contest between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey this past weekend, it at least had a chance. Now injuries have robbed us of a fight between two of the top guys in the sport at any weight (Mayweather and JMM) and the most intriguing heavyweight bout in quite a while (Haye and Wladimir Klitschko).
On the plus side, the fall lineup will probably end up loaded, especially if Mayweather-Marquez is rescheduled for September and Cotto really ends up fighting Manny Pacquiao in November.
In the meantime, it's not all bad. Here are three fights I'm still looking forward to this summer:
Chris John-Rocky Juarez II - June 27, HBO - It's not too often I come away impressed with and feeling like I learned something about both boxers in one fight, but that's the way I felt after John and Juarez battled to a draw in February. I scored the first fight for John, but I didn't think the decision was a ridiculous case of home cooking like some people did.
That shouldn't be a problem this time, since the fight is in L.A. instead of Rocky's hometown of Houston. I expect these guys will battle the same way they did before and provide us with a more definitive winner.
Also on that same card is a trendy pick to be the Next Big Thing, Victor Ortiz, so it's a broadcast that's well worth watching.
Joseph Agbeko vs. Vic Darchinyan - July 11, Showtime - The Raging Bull has been impressive as of late, and he's moving up a few pounds in weight to challenge for the IBF bantamweight title.
We all know Vic can slug, but he's been showing more wrinkles to his game as he goes. He'll need them against Agbeko, who is aggressive, super tough and has never been knocked out.
I expect it to be a bit of a challenge for Darchinyan. And if it's not, that pound-for-pound love he's starting to get is even more appropriate.
Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi, August 22, HBO - This one was just confirmed last week and should be a lot of fun. Diaz is entertaining to watch win or lose, and Malignaggi has something to prove after getting smoked by Ricky Hatton last November.
The catch weight between lightweight and junior welter should add to the intrigue as well. Diaz already wasn't a big KO artist at 135 and Paulie could be drained by cutting the extra weight, so it will be interesting to see how that aspect plays out.
Posted by The Franchise
What do all of those gentlemen have in common? All of them were originally scheduled to fight in late June or July. Now, none of them will be in action until this fall at the earliest.
The summer boxing schedule may not have been able to keep up the pace of excellent fights we've seen so far in 2009, but after a tight contest between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey this past weekend, it at least had a chance. Now injuries have robbed us of a fight between two of the top guys in the sport at any weight (Mayweather and JMM) and the most intriguing heavyweight bout in quite a while (Haye and Wladimir Klitschko).
On the plus side, the fall lineup will probably end up loaded, especially if Mayweather-Marquez is rescheduled for September and Cotto really ends up fighting Manny Pacquiao in November.
In the meantime, it's not all bad. Here are three fights I'm still looking forward to this summer:
Chris John-Rocky Juarez II - June 27, HBO - It's not too often I come away impressed with and feeling like I learned something about both boxers in one fight, but that's the way I felt after John and Juarez battled to a draw in February. I scored the first fight for John, but I didn't think the decision was a ridiculous case of home cooking like some people did.
That shouldn't be a problem this time, since the fight is in L.A. instead of Rocky's hometown of Houston. I expect these guys will battle the same way they did before and provide us with a more definitive winner.
Also on that same card is a trendy pick to be the Next Big Thing, Victor Ortiz, so it's a broadcast that's well worth watching.
Joseph Agbeko vs. Vic Darchinyan - July 11, Showtime - The Raging Bull has been impressive as of late, and he's moving up a few pounds in weight to challenge for the IBF bantamweight title.
We all know Vic can slug, but he's been showing more wrinkles to his game as he goes. He'll need them against Agbeko, who is aggressive, super tough and has never been knocked out.
I expect it to be a bit of a challenge for Darchinyan. And if it's not, that pound-for-pound love he's starting to get is even more appropriate.
Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi, August 22, HBO - This one was just confirmed last week and should be a lot of fun. Diaz is entertaining to watch win or lose, and Malignaggi has something to prove after getting smoked by Ricky Hatton last November.
The catch weight between lightweight and junior welter should add to the intrigue as well. Diaz already wasn't a big KO artist at 135 and Paulie could be drained by cutting the extra weight, so it will be interesting to see how that aspect plays out.
Posted by The Franchise
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!
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
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 JMMhow 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
27.2.09
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
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
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
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
8.1.09
Stop the Presses: Chris John to Fight in America!
Anyone who reads this site on even a semi-regular basis knows I have a running joke about never having seen Chris John fight. There's a good reason for that: despite being one of the top-ranked featherweights in the world for years, John has never fought in the United States, and has made just a few trips outside his native Indonesia.
But my joke may have to end come February, because the AP is reporting that John will fight Rocky Juarez in Houston on the Feb. 28 undercard for Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz. On paper, that should be a terrific fight, the kind that really should be on televised undercards more often.
And like Diaz, Juarez calls Houston home, so it should help the paid attendance as well. Kudos to the promoters for putting it together, and thanks John, for finally letting us see what you're all about.
But my joke may have to end come February, because the AP is reporting that John will fight Rocky Juarez in Houston on the Feb. 28 undercard for Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz. On paper, that should be a terrific fight, the kind that really should be on televised undercards more often.
And like Diaz, Juarez calls Houston home, so it should help the paid attendance as well. Kudos to the promoters for putting it together, and thanks John, for finally letting us see what you're all about.
7.1.09
Report: Dubai to Become New Fight Capital of the World?
Anyone who's been following news of the current economic climate - and really, that's everyone - knows that Las Vegas has not been spared from the global downturn. Foreclosures are sky high, tourism is down, and even the previously recession-proof casinos are struggling.
Could things be so bad that Sin City would lose its place as the center of the boxing universe? Steve Cofield of Yahoo! Sports thinks so. In its place, he nominates... Dubai?
Cofield goes on to list a number of early 2009 fights that won't be taking place in Vegas, including Andre Berto-Luis Collazo (Biloxi) and Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz (Houston). The location of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight hasn't been finalized, but smart money says it will be held in Vegas.
Let's not kid ourselves. The big fights will go where the money is, and with boxing more popular in other countries than it is in the United States, it stands to reason that more championship bouts will be held elsewhere.
For now though, the perception of the majority of fans and observers is that a fighter hasn't really made it to the top of the sport until he's fighting on pay-per-view in the U.S. - and until another location steps up and takes the top spot, that's still going to happen in Las Vegas more often than anywhere else. Putting on big fights in exotic locales also has its own set of challenges, as Bob Arum recently told MaxBoxing's Steve Kim when he spoke about the difficulty of selling tickets in Macau.
Sorry Dubai. Your time may come, but it won't be any time soon.
Could things be so bad that Sin City would lose its place as the center of the boxing universe? Steve Cofield of Yahoo! Sports thinks so. In its place, he nominates... Dubai?
Cofield goes on to list a number of early 2009 fights that won't be taking place in Vegas, including Andre Berto-Luis Collazo (Biloxi) and Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz (Houston). The location of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight hasn't been finalized, but smart money says it will be held in Vegas.
Let's not kid ourselves. The big fights will go where the money is, and with boxing more popular in other countries than it is in the United States, it stands to reason that more championship bouts will be held elsewhere.
For now though, the perception of the majority of fans and observers is that a fighter hasn't really made it to the top of the sport until he's fighting on pay-per-view in the U.S. - and until another location steps up and takes the top spot, that's still going to happen in Las Vegas more often than anywhere else. Putting on big fights in exotic locales also has its own set of challenges, as Bob Arum recently told MaxBoxing's Steve Kim when he spoke about the difficulty of selling tickets in Macau.
Sorry Dubai. Your time may come, but it won't be any time soon.
31.12.08
BoxingWatchers.com 2008 Fight of the Year: Vazquez-Marquez III
Even without them sitting beside me right now, I'm fairly certain the other BoxingWatchers would agree with me that 2008 was a pretty good year to be a fan of the sport. Plenty of fights between big name fighters came together - including one most thought laughable at the beginning of the year - and more than a handful of fights between lesser known boxers turned out to be well worth watching.
Not all of the marquee match-ups were sequels, as we got to see Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, Bernard Hopkins and Kelly Pavlik, and, yes, Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya go at it for the first time. But when it came time to vote for our Fight of the Year, it was the third chapter in the thrilling trilogy between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez that came out on top.
If you watched and enjoyed the first two fights in the series, you were undoubtedly excited for Round Three - and maybe a little concerned that it wouldn't live up to what had come before since the bar had been set so high. As it happened, there was no reason to worry.
Part of the reason was that the styles of the two fighters suited each other so well. Marquez was a better technician and Vazquez had more power, but the differences were small. As we knew from the first two bouts, both men had plenty of heart and stamina, were willing to trade and had enough holes on defense to ensure many punches would land.
The rounds unfolded in breathtaking fashion. Both fighters had their moments, and yet both found themselves on the canvas.
What set it apart from other skillful, competitive fights in 2008 was the last-minute drama, as Vazquez scored a late knockdown that literally won him the fight. And there was even just a pinch of controversy, though it was the kind that led to discussion, not the kind that made you feel the loser got hosed.
In short, it was the proverbial fight that had everything. Here's hoping 2009 gives us another fight like that... even if it has to be Vazquez-Marquez IV.
Reader Picks: The readers also went with Vazquez-Marquez III, giving it 55 percent of the vote. Pacquiao-J.M. Marquez II came in a strong second with 30 percent.
Also receiving some love were Cotto-Margarito and Diaz-Campbell, and it's hard to argue that those were both offensive showcases.
Somewhat surprisingly, Holt-Torres II got no votes despite featuring what was absolutely the craziest single round of 2008. I also thought Cunningham-Adamek would get some support. Though I didn't feel it quite lived up to Fight of the Year status, it was an excellent scrap and was fresher in the minds of fans since it was fought near the end of the year.
Not all of the marquee match-ups were sequels, as we got to see Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, Bernard Hopkins and Kelly Pavlik, and, yes, Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya go at it for the first time. But when it came time to vote for our Fight of the Year, it was the third chapter in the thrilling trilogy between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez that came out on top.
If you watched and enjoyed the first two fights in the series, you were undoubtedly excited for Round Three - and maybe a little concerned that it wouldn't live up to what had come before since the bar had been set so high. As it happened, there was no reason to worry.
Part of the reason was that the styles of the two fighters suited each other so well. Marquez was a better technician and Vazquez had more power, but the differences were small. As we knew from the first two bouts, both men had plenty of heart and stamina, were willing to trade and had enough holes on defense to ensure many punches would land.
The rounds unfolded in breathtaking fashion. Both fighters had their moments, and yet both found themselves on the canvas.
What set it apart from other skillful, competitive fights in 2008 was the last-minute drama, as Vazquez scored a late knockdown that literally won him the fight. And there was even just a pinch of controversy, though it was the kind that led to discussion, not the kind that made you feel the loser got hosed.
In short, it was the proverbial fight that had everything. Here's hoping 2009 gives us another fight like that... even if it has to be Vazquez-Marquez IV.
Reader Picks: The readers also went with Vazquez-Marquez III, giving it 55 percent of the vote. Pacquiao-J.M. Marquez II came in a strong second with 30 percent.
Also receiving some love were Cotto-Margarito and Diaz-Campbell, and it's hard to argue that those were both offensive showcases.
Somewhat surprisingly, Holt-Torres II got no votes despite featuring what was absolutely the craziest single round of 2008. I also thought Cunningham-Adamek would get some support. Though I didn't feel it quite lived up to Fight of the Year status, it was an excellent scrap and was fresher in the minds of fans since it was fought near the end of the year.
26.12.08
Franchise Thoughts: First Half of 2009 Schedule Has Its Share of Intrigue
It seemed like new fights were getting added to the 2009 boxing schedule almost daily throughout the past couple of weeks. That's not a bad thing by the way, since the sport pretty much goes into hibernation for a month at the end of each calendar year, leaving looking ahead as the primary activity for boxing fans to pass the time.
The unquestioned top draw in boxing, Oscar De La Hoya, appears ready to walk away from the ring, and while there are candidates to replace him, they are mostly unproven. Add in the fact that the heavyweight division continues to be short on excitement and it wouldn't be surprising if casual fans pay even less attention to the sport next year.
Things are a bit different for hardcore fans. The one sure-fire blockbuster fight (Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather) remains hypothetical at this point, but the first six months of 2009 are liberally sprinkled with interesting matchups.
Keeping in mind that things can always change in the fight game, here are the fights that are already signed or all but done that have caught my eye:
Jan. 17 - Andre Berto vs. Luis Collazo - I happen to think Berto is the goods. Others, including a whole group of posters on the boards at MaxBoxing.com, aren't convinced at this point.
One side of the debate will have more ammunition after this fight, because Collazo is no pushover. His only two losses in the last six years were to Shane Mosley and Ricky Hatton, and he gave the Hitman all he could handle.
That being said, he's not a top echelon guy, so the school of thought that Berto isn't ready for prime time will gain support if Collazo wins.
Jan. 24 - Antonio Margarito vs. Shane Mosley - Sugar Shane is one of my favorites, but I don't like his chances here. He can't fight the fight Paul Williams used to take down the Tijuana Tornado, and it doesn't seem like he'll be able to utilize the style that Miguel Cotto used effectively, at least at his current age.
You can't count a boxer as accomplished as Mosley out entirely though, and that should be reason enough to watch.
Feb. 7 - Vic Darchinyan vs. Jorge Arce - There won't be much subtlety in this one, which should make it rank high in pure entertainment value. Add in a lengthy war of words that included such gems as Darchinyan vowing to make Arce a "human piñata" and you've got a can't-miss broadcast.
It's way too early to be thinking about Fight of the Year candidates for 2009, but this bout has the ingredients to make it a contender.
Feb. 21 - Kelly Pavlik vs. Marco Antonio Rubio and Miguel Cotto vs. Michael Jennings - Two fights from two different sites on the same night. And both of the headliners are attempting to bounce back from defeats in their previous fights.
I expect Pavlik and Cotto to show the form that made them champions in the first place. If they don't, then the losses took more out of them than most observers expected.
One problem: this is slated to be a pay-per-view, and there's no good reason it should be.
Feb. 28 - Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz - It's hard not to like Marquez in this one considering he came up just short of beating Pacquiao - twice. JMM is also a gifted counter-puncher, so this fight seems to set up nicely for him.
On the other hand, Diaz is a good bet to apply even more pressure than Pacman did, and he proved against Nate Campbell that he can take some shots and keep throwing. And there's always a chance that age could catch up with Marquez at some point.
Regardless, this should be a good show.
Mar. 14 - Chad Dawson vs. Antonio Tarver II - My brother Uatu has already gone on record saying he has no problem with this fight, since it's two name guys fighting each other. I agree to a point, but the first meeting wasn't too competitive.
Tarver (a BoxingWatchers favorite) is the master of the rematch, but Father Time is gaining on him rapidly. I'll be cheering him on again even though I expect him to lose again, and there's a good chance this will be the last big fight of his career.
Apr. 4 - Timothy Bradley vs. Kendall Holt - I'm very anxious to see this showdown between two young boxers who aren't household names now, but could be in the near future. The winner will obviously have a leg up in that regard.
My gut feeling is that Bradley is more well-rounded and Holt is more dynamic. But I'm far from an expert on either fighter, and no outcome in this fight would surprise me.
May 2 - Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton - Unless (or maybe until) Mayweather comes out of retirement, this may be the biggest fight possible with today's roster of active boxers. Pacquiao gets his first chance to run with the torch passed from De La Hoya, and Hatton looked good enough last time out that you can't help but think he'll be more of a challenge for Pacman than the Golden Boy.
One thing's for sure: the atmosphere for this fight will be second to none. If a boxing genie magically gave me the ability to attend any fight that's been made so far for 2009 in person, this would be it.
19.12.08
Franchise Thoughts: When it Comes to Options, There's Only One Ricky Hatton
There are numerous boxers who are in position to make the upcoming year a big one. None though, seem like they will have as much fun deciding what to do in 2009 as Ricky Hatton.
It seemed like it was only seconds after Manny Pacquiao defeated Oscar De La Hoya that speculation began about Pac Man facing the Hitman. Now it appears that fight is almost a done deal, probably for May 2.
Retired former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather already owns a lopsided victory over Hatton. That didn't stop reports from surfacing that Money's people were feeling out the Hatton camp, trying to determine if there was interest in a rematch.
Lightweight stars Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz look like they're on track to fight each other. But they, too, have inquired about Hatton's availability.
As recently as this past summer, it didn't look good for Hatton to be in a position like this. After suffering his first defeat at Mayweather's hands last December, he returned to the ring in May and earned a decision over Juan Lazcano that was nowhere near as easy as the scores would suggest.
That left the Hitman looking vulnerable, so much so that it wasn't hard to find people predicting he would lose to Paul Malignaggi last month. When he knocked out Malignaggi instead, he suddenly found himself in his current state of high demand.
To paraphrase The Joker, why so popular? A big part of it is the large and rabid group of fans Hatton brings to the table. They've shown they will travel well, even during a slumping global economy.
Hatton also fights with an aggressive, crowd-pleasing style that plays well on television. Prospective opponents absolutely see dollar signs.
But another factor can't be ignored: despite a 45-1 record and the improved boxing skills he showed last time out, everyone thinks they can beat Hatton. Mayweather's already done it, a sniper like Marquez would easily find his head and you can bet that if the Pacquiao fight really comes off, it won't be long until we hear Freddie Roach stating that his man's speed will give Ricky fits.
It's tough to feel too sorry for the Hitman, as he'll probably end up with millions of reasons to smile when the year is over. There's only one Ricky Hatton, and for right now, he's in the driver's seat.
It seemed like it was only seconds after Manny Pacquiao defeated Oscar De La Hoya that speculation began about Pac Man facing the Hitman. Now it appears that fight is almost a done deal, probably for May 2.
Retired former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather already owns a lopsided victory over Hatton. That didn't stop reports from surfacing that Money's people were feeling out the Hatton camp, trying to determine if there was interest in a rematch.
Lightweight stars Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz look like they're on track to fight each other. But they, too, have inquired about Hatton's availability.
As recently as this past summer, it didn't look good for Hatton to be in a position like this. After suffering his first defeat at Mayweather's hands last December, he returned to the ring in May and earned a decision over Juan Lazcano that was nowhere near as easy as the scores would suggest.
That left the Hitman looking vulnerable, so much so that it wasn't hard to find people predicting he would lose to Paul Malignaggi last month. When he knocked out Malignaggi instead, he suddenly found himself in his current state of high demand.
To paraphrase The Joker, why so popular? A big part of it is the large and rabid group of fans Hatton brings to the table. They've shown they will travel well, even during a slumping global economy.
Hatton also fights with an aggressive, crowd-pleasing style that plays well on television. Prospective opponents absolutely see dollar signs.
But another factor can't be ignored: despite a 45-1 record and the improved boxing skills he showed last time out, everyone thinks they can beat Hatton. Mayweather's already done it, a sniper like Marquez would easily find his head and you can bet that if the Pacquiao fight really comes off, it won't be long until we hear Freddie Roach stating that his man's speed will give Ricky fits.
It's tough to feel too sorry for the Hitman, as he'll probably end up with millions of reasons to smile when the year is over. There's only one Ricky Hatton, and for right now, he's in the driver's seat.
12.11.08
Franchise Thoughts: The Future of Boxing - Top Boxers Under 27
There's been something of a mini-renaissance for older boxers during the last few months. At age 43, Bernard Hopkins took apart the much younger Kelly Pavlik. Roy Jones Jr. nearly had one final big moment at 39 with his first round knockdown of Joe Calzaghe - no spring chicken himself at 36.
Clearly though, while the 35-and-over crowd can still put on a show and sell tickets, its time is coming to a close. Calzaghe's win could spell the end for him, Jones and Hopkins too. Oscar De La Hoya has been increasingly noncommittal, but he may call it a career after he fights Manny Pacquiao.
A loss to Antonio Margarito in January might mean it's the last time we see Shane Mosley in the ring. Even fighters on the good side of 35 like Floyd Mayweather Jr. (already retired, at least for now) and Ricky Hatton (who's spoken of fighting just a few more times) are wrapping up their careers.
Thinking about the departure of the old guard is enough to send a boxing fan into depression... except that there's quite a wave of young talent that will be ready to take the proverbial torch when it's passed. Even better, it's spread throughout almost the entire range of weight classes.
To prove it to myself, and you if necessary, I compiled a list of boxers who I think represent the immediate future of the sport. These are young guys I fully expect we'll be watching in title fights well into the 2010's.
What is young? It's an arbitrary line no matter where you draw it, but I wanted to make sure no one on the list would turn 30 until the next decade is at least a few years old. Thus, everyone here is currently under 27.
I'm going by the weight classes the boxers are most associated with at the present time since it's too hard to forecast who might move up or down going forward. I started at super featherweight since my knowledge of the lower divisions is spotty at best.
And you'll notice the glaring omission of heavyweights, because despite the fact that it's trendy to bash the big guys, the truth is that there really is a lack of talented young fighters over 200 pounds. The only heavyweight under 27 ranked in the top 20 on BoxRec.com is Eddie Chambers, so nothing more really needs to be said.
Without further ado, here are my picks for the best of boxing's next wave:
130 pounds: Robert Guerrero - He shares a nickname with Kelly Pavlik, and like the other Ghost, he's more likely to hunt you down and knock you out than elude you. Unhappiness with his promotion has led to nine months of inactivity, but the powerful lefty should be a handful once he resumes his career.
Honorable Mention: The record of Edwin Valero is the stuff internet legends are made of: 24 fights, 24 KO victories. Oh yeah, and 19 of those knockouts came in the first round. Unfortunately, Valero still has problems getting cleared to fight in most U.S. states as the result of health concerns stemming from a 2001 motorcycle accident. That means the unofficial son of MaxBoxing.com's Dougie Fischer may never get a true chance at stardom, which would be a shame.
135 pounds: Juan Diaz - The Baby Bull fights in a crowd-pleasing though possibly career-shortening style. His loss to Nate Campbell earlier this year showed how he could be beaten, but it took a combination of skill and guts most fighters don't have to pull it off. With 34 pro wins under his belt, it's hard to believe Diaz is only 25.
Honorable Mention: Hard-hitting Colombian Breidis Prescott stole the thunder from Amir Khan in September with a thrilling first-round KO. His competition thus far has been underwhelming, but he's someone to watch. Undefeated American Anthony Peterson gets props here too.
140 pounds: Timothy Bradley - Desert Storm had an impressive year, defeating tricky Brit Junior Witter in his home country, then unexpectedly headlining a Showtime card and beating Edner Cherry. He's built like a tank but actually is more boxer than brawler.
147 pounds: Andre Berto - The Reggie Bush look-alike is already a world champion at 25 and is fun to watch because he can punish opponents as the aggressor or the counter-puncher. Unless you count Steve Forbes - and I don't - he hasn't faced anyone yet who's truly made him dig down deep.
154 pounds: James Kirkland - Golden Boy believes in Kirkland, as they signed the undefeated southpaw to a deal last month. The Texas native has been running through opponents with four consecutive fights that did not make it out of the second round.
Honorable Mention: It's hard to pick just one since there are several good choices in this division. That being the case, I'll give some love to Alfredo Angulo, Joel Julio and Joe Greene.
160 pounds: Kelly Pavlik - Don't forget he's only 26. Yes, Hopkins exposed some holes in his game. No, I don't think anyone he'll be facing at middleweight in the near future will be able to take advantage of them the way The Executioner did.
Honorable Mention: Though he was knocked out in March by Brian Vera, Ireland's Andy Lee has already bounced back with a win. Emanuel Steward still thinks he has a bright future.
168 pounds: Andre Dirrell - My brother thinks his nickname could already be stale, but Dirrell deserves to be called The Matrix because he tries things that need to be seen to be believed. Even though he only has 17 pro fights on his record, he looks ready for top competition as soon as his next fight. Seeing him in against the Jermain Taylor-Jeff Lacy winner would be dynamite.
175 pounds: Chad Dawson - At 26, Bad Chad is already soaring up pound-for-pound lists, and the top contenders in his division are aging rapidly. He's got pretty much every offensive weapon a boxer could want except for one-punch KO power. If my name was Joe Calzaghe, I'd be thinking retirement looks a lot more pleasant than fighting Dawson.
Honorable Mention: If I had to name one boxer who fought like a force of nature, Tavoris Cloud would be my pick. The undefeated Floridian is raw, but he tries to take your head off with every power shot. No one who's been scheduled for more than four rounds with Cloud has made it the distance yet.
200 pounds: Johnathon Banks - The pickings get a little slim at cruiserweight, but it's still not as bad as it is at heavyweight. We'll know a little bit more about the 20-0 Banks soon, as he's slated to face Enzo Maccarinelli for two of the alphabet belts in early December.
Clearly though, while the 35-and-over crowd can still put on a show and sell tickets, its time is coming to a close. Calzaghe's win could spell the end for him, Jones and Hopkins too. Oscar De La Hoya has been increasingly noncommittal, but he may call it a career after he fights Manny Pacquiao.
A loss to Antonio Margarito in January might mean it's the last time we see Shane Mosley in the ring. Even fighters on the good side of 35 like Floyd Mayweather Jr. (already retired, at least for now) and Ricky Hatton (who's spoken of fighting just a few more times) are wrapping up their careers.
Thinking about the departure of the old guard is enough to send a boxing fan into depression... except that there's quite a wave of young talent that will be ready to take the proverbial torch when it's passed. Even better, it's spread throughout almost the entire range of weight classes.
To prove it to myself, and you if necessary, I compiled a list of boxers who I think represent the immediate future of the sport. These are young guys I fully expect we'll be watching in title fights well into the 2010's.
What is young? It's an arbitrary line no matter where you draw it, but I wanted to make sure no one on the list would turn 30 until the next decade is at least a few years old. Thus, everyone here is currently under 27.
I'm going by the weight classes the boxers are most associated with at the present time since it's too hard to forecast who might move up or down going forward. I started at super featherweight since my knowledge of the lower divisions is spotty at best.
And you'll notice the glaring omission of heavyweights, because despite the fact that it's trendy to bash the big guys, the truth is that there really is a lack of talented young fighters over 200 pounds. The only heavyweight under 27 ranked in the top 20 on BoxRec.com is Eddie Chambers, so nothing more really needs to be said.
Without further ado, here are my picks for the best of boxing's next wave:
130 pounds: Robert Guerrero - He shares a nickname with Kelly Pavlik, and like the other Ghost, he's more likely to hunt you down and knock you out than elude you. Unhappiness with his promotion has led to nine months of inactivity, but the powerful lefty should be a handful once he resumes his career.
Honorable Mention: The record of Edwin Valero is the stuff internet legends are made of: 24 fights, 24 KO victories. Oh yeah, and 19 of those knockouts came in the first round. Unfortunately, Valero still has problems getting cleared to fight in most U.S. states as the result of health concerns stemming from a 2001 motorcycle accident. That means the unofficial son of MaxBoxing.com's Dougie Fischer may never get a true chance at stardom, which would be a shame.
135 pounds: Juan Diaz - The Baby Bull fights in a crowd-pleasing though possibly career-shortening style. His loss to Nate Campbell earlier this year showed how he could be beaten, but it took a combination of skill and guts most fighters don't have to pull it off. With 34 pro wins under his belt, it's hard to believe Diaz is only 25.
Honorable Mention: Hard-hitting Colombian Breidis Prescott stole the thunder from Amir Khan in September with a thrilling first-round KO. His competition thus far has been underwhelming, but he's someone to watch. Undefeated American Anthony Peterson gets props here too.
140 pounds: Timothy Bradley - Desert Storm had an impressive year, defeating tricky Brit Junior Witter in his home country, then unexpectedly headlining a Showtime card and beating Edner Cherry. He's built like a tank but actually is more boxer than brawler.
147 pounds: Andre Berto - The Reggie Bush look-alike is already a world champion at 25 and is fun to watch because he can punish opponents as the aggressor or the counter-puncher. Unless you count Steve Forbes - and I don't - he hasn't faced anyone yet who's truly made him dig down deep.
154 pounds: James Kirkland - Golden Boy believes in Kirkland, as they signed the undefeated southpaw to a deal last month. The Texas native has been running through opponents with four consecutive fights that did not make it out of the second round.
Honorable Mention: It's hard to pick just one since there are several good choices in this division. That being the case, I'll give some love to Alfredo Angulo, Joel Julio and Joe Greene.
160 pounds: Kelly Pavlik - Don't forget he's only 26. Yes, Hopkins exposed some holes in his game. No, I don't think anyone he'll be facing at middleweight in the near future will be able to take advantage of them the way The Executioner did.
Honorable Mention: Though he was knocked out in March by Brian Vera, Ireland's Andy Lee has already bounced back with a win. Emanuel Steward still thinks he has a bright future.
168 pounds: Andre Dirrell - My brother thinks his nickname could already be stale, but Dirrell deserves to be called The Matrix because he tries things that need to be seen to be believed. Even though he only has 17 pro fights on his record, he looks ready for top competition as soon as his next fight. Seeing him in against the Jermain Taylor-Jeff Lacy winner would be dynamite.
175 pounds: Chad Dawson - At 26, Bad Chad is already soaring up pound-for-pound lists, and the top contenders in his division are aging rapidly. He's got pretty much every offensive weapon a boxer could want except for one-punch KO power. If my name was Joe Calzaghe, I'd be thinking retirement looks a lot more pleasant than fighting Dawson.
Honorable Mention: If I had to name one boxer who fought like a force of nature, Tavoris Cloud would be my pick. The undefeated Floridian is raw, but he tries to take your head off with every power shot. No one who's been scheduled for more than four rounds with Cloud has made it the distance yet.
200 pounds: Johnathon Banks - The pickings get a little slim at cruiserweight, but it's still not as bad as it is at heavyweight. We'll know a little bit more about the 20-0 Banks soon, as he's slated to face Enzo Maccarinelli for two of the alphabet belts in early December.
31.10.08
BoxingWatchers.com Boxer Power Rankings: October 2008
It's that time again: time for the rankings that even cause discord among the BoxingWatchers themselves. For the uninitiated, this isn't a pound-for-pound list (thus no Bernard Hopkins or Joe Calzaghe), but a semi-mathematical measure of who's done the best against fighters with good records over the past three years.
A KO is worth more than a unanimous decision, which is worth more than a split decision. Lose and you lose points.
Our previous number one is slipping due to inactivity, but a certain Ghost failed to take advantage when he got taken apart by The Executioner. Here's how this month's list shakes out:
1. David Haye - 21.75 - The Hayemaker is sliding but he'll have a chance to correct that when he takes on Monte Barrett in November. We'll find out quickly if his aspirations of chasing the heavyweight titles are realistic.
2. Wladimir Klitschko - 21.00 - He won't be fighting Alexander Povetkin in December, but apparently he'll still fight somebody. It's not likely to be anybody to get too excited about.
3. Arthur Abraham - 19.29 - We'll see King Arthur in action early in November. If he gets past Raul Marquez, that middleweight battle with Kelly Pavlik is looking more possible than ever.
4. Kelly Pavlik - 18.03 - It's back to the drawing board for the Pride of Youngstown, who can abandon plans to fight higher and head back to 160 pounds. I'd hate to be the next guy to face him there.
5. Manny Pacquiao - 17.28 - The build-up to his fight with Oscar De La Hoya continues. Manny has to hope he's not in for a replay of Pavlik-Hopkins with him playing the role of Pavlik.
6. Chad Dawson - 16.80 - Bad Chad rockets into our rankings for the first time with an impressive win over Antonio Tarver. Just 26, his future looks as bright as anyone's in the sport.
7. Antonio Margarito - 16.00 - Now rumors say De La Hoya may fight Tony before he retires after all. That would be a nice payday for Margarito if it happens, but I'm sure he's not holding his breath.
8. Andre Berto - 13.67 - Not much to say about Berto, except that the BoxingWatchers are looking forward to see him fight again.
9. Juan Diaz - 12.70 - Nothing on the immediate horizon for the Baby Bull.
10. Israel Vazquez - 12.13 - Vazquez is in danger of slipping off this list by the end of the year due to inactivity. We'll forgive him though.
The next 7: Nate Campbell, Cristian Mijares, Chris John, Paul Williams, Joe Calzaghe, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez
A KO is worth more than a unanimous decision, which is worth more than a split decision. Lose and you lose points.
Our previous number one is slipping due to inactivity, but a certain Ghost failed to take advantage when he got taken apart by The Executioner. Here's how this month's list shakes out:
1. David Haye - 21.75 - The Hayemaker is sliding but he'll have a chance to correct that when he takes on Monte Barrett in November. We'll find out quickly if his aspirations of chasing the heavyweight titles are realistic.
2. Wladimir Klitschko - 21.00 - He won't be fighting Alexander Povetkin in December, but apparently he'll still fight somebody. It's not likely to be anybody to get too excited about.
3. Arthur Abraham - 19.29 - We'll see King Arthur in action early in November. If he gets past Raul Marquez, that middleweight battle with Kelly Pavlik is looking more possible than ever.
4. Kelly Pavlik - 18.03 - It's back to the drawing board for the Pride of Youngstown, who can abandon plans to fight higher and head back to 160 pounds. I'd hate to be the next guy to face him there.
5. Manny Pacquiao - 17.28 - The build-up to his fight with Oscar De La Hoya continues. Manny has to hope he's not in for a replay of Pavlik-Hopkins with him playing the role of Pavlik.
6. Chad Dawson - 16.80 - Bad Chad rockets into our rankings for the first time with an impressive win over Antonio Tarver. Just 26, his future looks as bright as anyone's in the sport.
7. Antonio Margarito - 16.00 - Now rumors say De La Hoya may fight Tony before he retires after all. That would be a nice payday for Margarito if it happens, but I'm sure he's not holding his breath.
8. Andre Berto - 13.67 - Not much to say about Berto, except that the BoxingWatchers are looking forward to see him fight again.
9. Juan Diaz - 12.70 - Nothing on the immediate horizon for the Baby Bull.
10. Israel Vazquez - 12.13 - Vazquez is in danger of slipping off this list by the end of the year due to inactivity. We'll forgive him though.
The next 7: Nate Campbell, Cristian Mijares, Chris John, Paul Williams, Joe Calzaghe, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez
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