We're joining Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Lennox Lewis from Houston for HBO's Boxing After Dark. It's a rare tripleheader with the main event featuring hometown boy Juan Diaz as he takes on Paulie Malignaggi.
First though, it's a middleweight clash between undefeated Daniel Jacobs and Ishe Smith. The tale of the tape shows Jacobs with height and reach advantages, and after re-hydrating, he's about nine pounds heavier too.
The Golden Child is 17-0 with 15 KOs, and this is only the second time he's been scheduled for 10 rounds. Smith is nine years older and is 21-3, but he's lost two of his last five.
Michael Buffer handles the introductions and we're ready for action.
Round 1
Somewhat cautious start for Jacobs as he tries some stiff jabs. Smith keeps his guard high to pick them off. Smith reaches for a body shot and quickly backs off. Jacobs doubles and triples the jab. Smith tries some counter shots but neither guy is really landing anything. Lewis points out that Smith is following but not throwing enough. The ref warns Ishe for a low shot. Both men try flurries in the last 10 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Jacobs
Spartan117: 10-9 Jacobs
Round 2
Jacobs switches stances a few times to try to find an opening. Smith comes charging in and is quickly tied up. Both men land hooks in the center of the ring. Right hook and more jabs from Jacobs; Smith throws with both hands to the body. Smith finds the range again with some hooks and backs Jacobs to the ropes. Danny scores with a combo coming forward. Left underneath the guard by Jacobs. Better action in that round.
Franchise: 10-9 Jacobs
Spartan117: 10-9 Jacobs
Round 3
Harold Lederman gave that round to Smith. He's still coming forward and landing some shots, but Jacobs is responding in kind. Danny is fighting going backwards a lot though. He keeps the jab active and tries some body work but gets whacked upstairs. Jacobs counters along the ropes with rights to the head and lefts to the body. Smith scores with the left hook, his most consistent punch by far. Both men land right at the bell and Smith seems to think the last punch from Jacobs was late.
Franchise: 10-9 Jacobs
Spartan117: 10-9 Jacobs
Round 4
Jacobs starts a little more aggressively now. Smith throws a combo starting with the left but Jacobs stands his ground. Ishe is doing a little more dancing and feinting. There are some wild swings in the center of the ring with most of them missing. Smith shakes his head as he takes a few right hands. Jacobs flurries and Smith lands a counter right. Left hook from Jacobs and Smith waves him in.
Franchise: 10-9 Jacobs
Spartan117: 10-9 Jacobs
Round 5
Jacobs has thrown 200 more punches thus far according to CompuBox. Smith bulls forward and is tied up twice. Right uppercut by Danny off the jab. He backs all the way up but times his counters well as Smith comes in. Ishe has a cut near his right eye. Jacobs punches his way out of a clinch and backs away. Smith throws clubbing shots inside and ends up off-balance. Both men trade jabs and Smith lands a combo that dazes Jacobs. The bell sounds and the fighters have to be separated.
Franchise: 10-9 Smith
Spartan117: 10-9 Smith
Round 6
The ref gets the boxers together to warn about punching after the bell. Jacobs looks like he has his feet under him after that mean combo at the end of the fifth. He's still outworking his foe but Smith is landing counter lefts. Jacobs throws fast body shots and Smith shakes his head again. Hard one-two by Smith and Jacobs gets fired up. The ref is active as wrestling breaks out twice. Smith steps up with a right hand and Jacobs fires right back. Nice exchange at the bell again.
Franchise: 10-9 Jacobs
Spartan117: 10-9 Smith
Round 7
Smith stalks again and lands two shots, but the ref warns him again. Kellerman thinks Jacobs is winning but credits Smith for making him uncomfortable. Jacobs throws to the head and body but it's mostly for show. Smith pumps jabs and bides his time. Jacobs opens up along the ropes and Smith is forced to cover up from the onslaught. Jacobs moves off the ropes and scores with a right hand upstairs.
Franchise: 10-9 Jacobs
Spartan117: 10-9 Jacobs
Round 8
Smith shakes off a few punches as he stalks. Jacobs flashes his hand speed again. He triples up the jab and tires some body shots. You can hear Bernard Hopkins shouting from the second row. Smith lands a left hand and then another in the middle of an exchange. He does some work on the inside that includes an uppercut. Low body shot by Smith but the ref doesn't see it.
Franchise: 10-9 Smith
Spartan117: 10-9 Jacobs
Round 9
Both boxers lands left hooks as Smith tries pressing forward. Jacobs flurries to the body. Right hand crashes home for Smith. He uppercuts inside but Jacobs takes it well. Danny works his way out of a clinch. They stand and trade and Jacobs lands two nice left hands. Smith makes it ugly inside and the ref steps in. Left hand by Smith amidst a wild exchange and Jacobs says bring it on. Smith throws right after the bell; it was close but the ref deducts a point.
Franchise: 10-8 Jacobs
Spartan117: 10-8 Jacobs
Round 10
Smith's corner tells him he needs a KO, which is likely the truth. He's trying to go for it but Jacobs is moving well, even in the final round. Danny sticks and moves and still stays with his jab. He has to tie up in the corner as Smith tries for the home run shot. Jacobs circles out and keeps punching. Smith lands a few shots along the ropes but Jacobs isn't hurt. Ishe may have tired himself out; he gets credit for giving it his all right to the final bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Smith
Spartan117: 10-9 Smith
Franchise: 97-92 Jacobs
Spartan117: 97-92 Jacobs
The judges score it 96-93 twice, and 100-89, all for the winner, Daniel "The Golden Child" Jacobs.
Posted by The Franchise
22.8.09
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
Bernard Hopkins, Joe Frazier, Rocky Balboa on New Flyers Goalie's Mask
This is a completely random boxing-related item, and it's a week old, which is ancient in internet terms. Nevertheless, it's so cool I had to post and link to it.
Newly signed Flyers goalie Ray Emery has decided to go with a tribute to Philadelphia boxing history as the paint job on his mask for the beginning of the 2009-10 NHL season. It's got Bernard Hopkins on the left side, Joe Frazier on the right, and even fictional Philly great Rocky Balboa on the back.
For those of you who don't follow hockey, Emery is known as one of the more, shall we say, combative goaltenders around, and his time with the Ottawa Senators had its share of fights with both opponents and teammates. That makes it entirely appropriate for him to go the boxer route as he tries to start off on the right foot in Philadelphia.
Emery has had boxers on his masks before too. He had a Mike Tyson design ready to go four seasons ago but ended up wearing it for only one game after Ottawa management decided it was in appropriate (back when Ray was still on speaking terms with said management!). He's since had Muhammad Ali, George Chuvalo and Floyd Mayweather on his head at various times.
Posted by The Franchise
Newly signed Flyers goalie Ray Emery has decided to go with a tribute to Philadelphia boxing history as the paint job on his mask for the beginning of the 2009-10 NHL season. It's got Bernard Hopkins on the left side, Joe Frazier on the right, and even fictional Philly great Rocky Balboa on the back.
For those of you who don't follow hockey, Emery is known as one of the more, shall we say, combative goaltenders around, and his time with the Ottawa Senators had its share of fights with both opponents and teammates. That makes it entirely appropriate for him to go the boxer route as he tries to start off on the right foot in Philadelphia.
Emery has had boxers on his masks before too. He had a Mike Tyson design ready to go four seasons ago but ended up wearing it for only one game after Ottawa management decided it was in appropriate (back when Ray was still on speaking terms with said management!). He's since had Muhammad Ali, George Chuvalo and Floyd Mayweather on his head at various times.
Posted by The Franchise
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
19.8.09
Boxers Who Love Twitter, Part 1: Andre Berto, Daniel Jacobs, Brian Viloria
I've come to the conclusion that boxers as a whole aren't exactly on the cutting edge when it comes to technology.
Perhaps that comes with the territory in a profession where one has to devote long periods of time to intense training before each bout. But even some of the most famous fighters in the sport don't have much of an internet presence, and in a sport where so much revolves around the ability to market each boxer as an individual attraction, that borders on inexcusable.
The younger boxers, the up-and-coming stars, seem to understand the importance of the latest technologies a little more than their older brethren, which is to be expected. Tops on the list of those technologies is everyone's favorite craze du jour, Twitter.
I know because I'm on there too (under my real name, @Nick_Tylwalk - shh, don't tell anyone!). It's interesting getting to see what some of these fighters are thinking, unfiltered by anyone else. Yes, it might not be the real boxers on the other end of the keyboard all the time, but some of them clearly enjoy tweeting too much to let someone do it for them.
I don't pretend to know every boxer who has a Twitter account, and I find new ones all the time. I do enjoy following some of them more than others, so I figured I'd give a shout out to some who are worth the time.
Andre Berto - @AndreBerto
Berto doesn't tweet every single day, but when he does, he's a madman. He'll give his thoughts on other fights, significant events from outside of boxing (like when Michael Jackson passed) and he also responds to news stories about him - like when the ESPN article broke the story that he might be fighting in Turkey. Andre also periodically asks his followers for updates on other fights that he can't see for one reason or another.
It's not like Berto has given up on interviews with established media, but like some athletes in other sports, he clearly feels there is some value for interested parties to get the scoop directly from him, and he's said so before. He's also recently become infatuated with Ustream, possibly the Next Big Thing for athletes, but I don't find Berto TV to be quite as insightful as his Twitter feed.
Daniel Jacobs - @DanielJacobsTKO
The Golden Child started off a little slower than Berto but now he's Tweeting with increasing regularity. He speaks from the heart when he gets worked up over something, like when he started getting defensive about criticism of his upcoming opponent, Ishe Smith.
If you're from Brooklyn, you'll definitely appreciate the frequent love Jacobs sends out to his home borough. He's also discovered Ustream, and thinks he may be the first boxer to ever stream live video of himself from his dressing room. I'm waiting for someone to tweet or stream video on their way to the ring!
Brian Viloria - @BrianViloria
Now here's a guy who really loves his Twitter. Starting with a good morning tweet almost every day, Hawaiian Punch lets everyone know about everything that's going on with him, including what he's eating, who he's hanging with and how the Lakers are doing - in other words, exactly the kind of stuff that people who hate Twitter usually cite as reasons.
Still, it's worth sifting through some extraneous posts because of what you'll learn about how fighters balance boxing, business and personal time. You'll also gain a greater appreciation for what training for a fight really entails, because Viloria gives lots of training updates.
Posted by The Franchise
Perhaps that comes with the territory in a profession where one has to devote long periods of time to intense training before each bout. But even some of the most famous fighters in the sport don't have much of an internet presence, and in a sport where so much revolves around the ability to market each boxer as an individual attraction, that borders on inexcusable.
The younger boxers, the up-and-coming stars, seem to understand the importance of the latest technologies a little more than their older brethren, which is to be expected. Tops on the list of those technologies is everyone's favorite craze du jour, Twitter.
I know because I'm on there too (under my real name, @Nick_Tylwalk - shh, don't tell anyone!). It's interesting getting to see what some of these fighters are thinking, unfiltered by anyone else. Yes, it might not be the real boxers on the other end of the keyboard all the time, but some of them clearly enjoy tweeting too much to let someone do it for them.
I don't pretend to know every boxer who has a Twitter account, and I find new ones all the time. I do enjoy following some of them more than others, so I figured I'd give a shout out to some who are worth the time.
Andre Berto - @AndreBerto
Berto doesn't tweet every single day, but when he does, he's a madman. He'll give his thoughts on other fights, significant events from outside of boxing (like when Michael Jackson passed) and he also responds to news stories about him - like when the ESPN article broke the story that he might be fighting in Turkey. Andre also periodically asks his followers for updates on other fights that he can't see for one reason or another.
It's not like Berto has given up on interviews with established media, but like some athletes in other sports, he clearly feels there is some value for interested parties to get the scoop directly from him, and he's said so before. He's also recently become infatuated with Ustream, possibly the Next Big Thing for athletes, but I don't find Berto TV to be quite as insightful as his Twitter feed.
Daniel Jacobs - @DanielJacobsTKO
The Golden Child started off a little slower than Berto but now he's Tweeting with increasing regularity. He speaks from the heart when he gets worked up over something, like when he started getting defensive about criticism of his upcoming opponent, Ishe Smith.
If you're from Brooklyn, you'll definitely appreciate the frequent love Jacobs sends out to his home borough. He's also discovered Ustream, and thinks he may be the first boxer to ever stream live video of himself from his dressing room. I'm waiting for someone to tweet or stream video on their way to the ring!
Brian Viloria - @BrianViloria
Now here's a guy who really loves his Twitter. Starting with a good morning tweet almost every day, Hawaiian Punch lets everyone know about everything that's going on with him, including what he's eating, who he's hanging with and how the Lakers are doing - in other words, exactly the kind of stuff that people who hate Twitter usually cite as reasons.
Still, it's worth sifting through some extraneous posts because of what you'll learn about how fighters balance boxing, business and personal time. You'll also gain a greater appreciation for what training for a fight really entails, because Viloria gives lots of training updates.
Posted by The Franchise
18.8.09
Franchise Thoughts: Another Delay for Kelly Pavlik, Floyd Mayweather Does WWE Again and More
Well, that didn't take long.
That was my first reaction upon my return from Uatu's very nice destination wedding and getting a text from Spartan117 that the Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams fight that was just announced for Oct. 3 will now, um, not be on Oct. 3. Because of Pavlik's recurring staph infection problem - you may remember that as the same thing that torpedoed his June 27 bout with Sergio Mora - the fight is postponed, perhaps until late November or early December.
Dan Rafael's report for ESPN contains two interesting tidbits. The first, which doesn't seem to be disputed by co-manager Cameron Dunkin, is that Pavlik missed several doctor's appointments for his hand, possibly contributing to the lingering nature of the infection.
So does this mean the Mora fight really was canceled because of the infection? And if The Ghost can't fight until he receives a clean bill of health, why the heck is he missing trips to the doctor?
Rafael also notes that Nov. 21 is a date that would be agreeable to Pavlik, Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and HBO. Of course it's agreeable to HBO, because it gives the network something to air opposite the final first-round fight in Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic, between Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward.
But with Dan Goossen telling ESPN in not so many words that he's not going to have his guys Ward and Williams fighting on the same day, don't expect that to happen. Maybe it will be in December, where no big fights have materialized just yet.
Or maybe it won't happen at all, giving Tim Starks of The Queensberry Rules even more ammo to call Pavlik the worst-managed boxer around. It's pretty ridiculous to see the wrong turn his career has taken clearly laid out like that.
I'll take it a step further and say that there feels like there's a bigger disconnect between the real Kelly Pavlik and the public image that the people around him have crafted than there is for any other boxer. There's a lot to lose for Dunkin, Jack Loew, Pavlik's father, and even Top Rank if boxing fans stop thinking of The Ghost as the warrior who carries the hopes of blue-collar Youngstown on his back and still sleeps on his parents' couch before fights and becomes just another guy who runs his mouth a bit too much and gripes because he's underpaid.
Thus, Team Pavlik is constantly scrambling around trying to spin things when Kelly gets off track, which is happening with increasing frequency. And though some of the more damning allegations haven't turned out to be fact, Pavlik is the only boxer for which we have an inside source, and he's convinced me there's at least a small fire to go with all that smoke.
Moving on to fighters who are actually, you know, fighting, I had to say I'm not sure why some people were surprised at how easy a time Roy Jones had stopping Jeff Lacy. It's not that I don't think Jones is old (he is), but Lacy is so clearly not good at this point that a victory for Roy should have been easy to predict.
Uatu and I agree that the term exposed is used too frequently in the aftermath of boxing losses, but it definitely applied to Lacy after his crushing defeat at the hands of Joe Calzaghe three years ago. Further evidence came when he gave Jermain Taylor a rare drama-free night last November, and I think after losing to a 40-year old Jones that it's case closed.
Lacy is a decent boxer with a strong left hook and seems like a good guy, but in his three fights against world class competition he's gone 0-3 and has won maybe four or five total rounds.
Finally, Floyd Mayweather may be training for his upcoming fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, but he'll take at least one night off to make another appearance on WWE programming. Money was one of the focal points of WrestleMania 24 last year, but one suspects he'll have a less active role as the guest host of Raw next Monday.
Floyd's larger than life personality would make him a natural for a full time WWE career once he decided to retire from boxing (for good, I mean)... except that Vince McMahon isn't known for hiring too many 5-foot-8, 150-pound performers.
Posted by The Franchise
That was my first reaction upon my return from Uatu's very nice destination wedding and getting a text from Spartan117 that the Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams fight that was just announced for Oct. 3 will now, um, not be on Oct. 3. Because of Pavlik's recurring staph infection problem - you may remember that as the same thing that torpedoed his June 27 bout with Sergio Mora - the fight is postponed, perhaps until late November or early December.
Dan Rafael's report for ESPN contains two interesting tidbits. The first, which doesn't seem to be disputed by co-manager Cameron Dunkin, is that Pavlik missed several doctor's appointments for his hand, possibly contributing to the lingering nature of the infection.
So does this mean the Mora fight really was canceled because of the infection? And if The Ghost can't fight until he receives a clean bill of health, why the heck is he missing trips to the doctor?
Rafael also notes that Nov. 21 is a date that would be agreeable to Pavlik, Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and HBO. Of course it's agreeable to HBO, because it gives the network something to air opposite the final first-round fight in Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic, between Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward.
But with Dan Goossen telling ESPN in not so many words that he's not going to have his guys Ward and Williams fighting on the same day, don't expect that to happen. Maybe it will be in December, where no big fights have materialized just yet.
Or maybe it won't happen at all, giving Tim Starks of The Queensberry Rules even more ammo to call Pavlik the worst-managed boxer around. It's pretty ridiculous to see the wrong turn his career has taken clearly laid out like that.
I'll take it a step further and say that there feels like there's a bigger disconnect between the real Kelly Pavlik and the public image that the people around him have crafted than there is for any other boxer. There's a lot to lose for Dunkin, Jack Loew, Pavlik's father, and even Top Rank if boxing fans stop thinking of The Ghost as the warrior who carries the hopes of blue-collar Youngstown on his back and still sleeps on his parents' couch before fights and becomes just another guy who runs his mouth a bit too much and gripes because he's underpaid.
Thus, Team Pavlik is constantly scrambling around trying to spin things when Kelly gets off track, which is happening with increasing frequency. And though some of the more damning allegations haven't turned out to be fact, Pavlik is the only boxer for which we have an inside source, and he's convinced me there's at least a small fire to go with all that smoke.
Moving on to fighters who are actually, you know, fighting, I had to say I'm not sure why some people were surprised at how easy a time Roy Jones had stopping Jeff Lacy. It's not that I don't think Jones is old (he is), but Lacy is so clearly not good at this point that a victory for Roy should have been easy to predict.
Uatu and I agree that the term exposed is used too frequently in the aftermath of boxing losses, but it definitely applied to Lacy after his crushing defeat at the hands of Joe Calzaghe three years ago. Further evidence came when he gave Jermain Taylor a rare drama-free night last November, and I think after losing to a 40-year old Jones that it's case closed.
Lacy is a decent boxer with a strong left hook and seems like a good guy, but in his three fights against world class competition he's gone 0-3 and has won maybe four or five total rounds.
Finally, Floyd Mayweather may be training for his upcoming fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, but he'll take at least one night off to make another appearance on WWE programming. Money was one of the focal points of WrestleMania 24 last year, but one suspects he'll have a less active role as the guest host of Raw next Monday.
Floyd's larger than life personality would make him a natural for a full time WWE career once he decided to retire from boxing (for good, I mean)... except that Vince McMahon isn't known for hiring too many 5-foot-8, 150-pound performers.
Posted by The Franchise
14.8.09
A BoxingWatchers Wedding, Or Why We're Not Covering Any Boxing This Weekend
Yeah, there's a lot of boxing going on this weekend, and we're not doing round by round posts on any of it. What gives, you might ask?
Well, it just so happens that our very own Uatu, the most knowledgeable and mysterious of the BoxingWatchers, is tying the knot this Saturday. Since we're all brothers, we'll all be there.
So as we wish Uatu all the best in his new, married life (and hope Mrs. Uatu likes having lots of boxing on the tube), we hope you enjoy the fights, and we'll get back to posting on Monday or Tuesday.
Posted by The Franchise
Well, it just so happens that our very own Uatu, the most knowledgeable and mysterious of the BoxingWatchers, is tying the knot this Saturday. Since we're all brothers, we'll all be there.
So as we wish Uatu all the best in his new, married life (and hope Mrs. Uatu likes having lots of boxing on the tube), we hope you enjoy the fights, and we'll get back to posting on Monday or Tuesday.
Posted by The Franchise
13.8.09
Weekend Predictions: Jones-Lacy, Donaire-R. Concepcion, Luevano-B. Concepcion
The Franchise says...
I've got a confession to make: I've never been a Roy Jones fan.
Don't get me wrong. I've appreciated his physical gifts, and I've certainly seen him do things in the ring I've never seen anyone else do.
But Roy's prime coincided with the early part of my time as a serious boxing fan, and something about him just put me off. I think it was the way he tried to sell some of his lesser opponents as serious contenders when they clearly were anything but.
Maybe if he had just been a little more honest about what he was doing, I'd have rooted for him. I can't say for sure, but I will say that when Antonio Tarver (someone who inspires his own strong feelings from fans) knocked him out during their second fight, I was giddy. I felt that way watching him get starched by Glen Johnson too.
It's strange then, that I have more respect for Jones now at age 40. Unless he's got serious financial issues, he's still boxing because he wants to, and you can't be mad at that.
The really interesting thing is that since Jones relied on his physical gifts so much and never honed his craft the way a Bernard Hopkins did, I'd have guessed he'd be completely done before now. Yet he's taking on a semi-legitimate foe in Jeff Lacy this weekend.
The consensus opinion is that Jones is too old. Heck, Oscar De La Hoya thinks so, and he should know about when the end is obvious. If the Golden Boy is right, Jones is going to suffer his third career KO loss, because Lacy is built like a tank.
Somehow I don't think so though. Maybe it's because I haven't ever been able to get Lacy's destruction at the hands of Joe Calzaghe out of my head, but I think it's even more telling the way he was outclassed by Jermain Taylor last November. Taylor has been going life or death with everyone, and Lacy almost got shut out.
As long as Roy can still stick and move for 12 rounds and avoid getting lured into any protracted exchanges, I think he can pull this off. I like Jones by decision, and then he'll either try for Anderson Silva or fight one more boxer before retiring.
Since I babbled so long about Jones-Lacy, I'll keep it brief for the other big Saturday fights. I think Nonito Donaire's star is going to continue to rise, so I'll say the Filipino Flash will knock out Rafael Concepcion. Too much speed and power.
I'm more conflicted about the Steven Luevano-Bernabe Concepcion fight. I've seen Luevano's last three fights, and though there's no question he can box, he seems to make things more difficult than they need to be. You can certainly drop him if you get to him, though he has never been KOed.
Bernabe has a lot of pro rounds under his belt for someone so young, and he has what it takes to put Luevano down and keep him there. But he's never fought anyone this good before, so we'll learn something about him for sure.
I think this one's a toss-up, so just to avoid looking like a total homer (remember, the BoxingWatchers are all part-Filipino!), I'll go with Luevano by narrow decision. I wouldn't put money on it though.
Posted by The Franchise
I've got a confession to make: I've never been a Roy Jones fan.
Don't get me wrong. I've appreciated his physical gifts, and I've certainly seen him do things in the ring I've never seen anyone else do.
But Roy's prime coincided with the early part of my time as a serious boxing fan, and something about him just put me off. I think it was the way he tried to sell some of his lesser opponents as serious contenders when they clearly were anything but.
Maybe if he had just been a little more honest about what he was doing, I'd have rooted for him. I can't say for sure, but I will say that when Antonio Tarver (someone who inspires his own strong feelings from fans) knocked him out during their second fight, I was giddy. I felt that way watching him get starched by Glen Johnson too.
It's strange then, that I have more respect for Jones now at age 40. Unless he's got serious financial issues, he's still boxing because he wants to, and you can't be mad at that.
The really interesting thing is that since Jones relied on his physical gifts so much and never honed his craft the way a Bernard Hopkins did, I'd have guessed he'd be completely done before now. Yet he's taking on a semi-legitimate foe in Jeff Lacy this weekend.
The consensus opinion is that Jones is too old. Heck, Oscar De La Hoya thinks so, and he should know about when the end is obvious. If the Golden Boy is right, Jones is going to suffer his third career KO loss, because Lacy is built like a tank.
Somehow I don't think so though. Maybe it's because I haven't ever been able to get Lacy's destruction at the hands of Joe Calzaghe out of my head, but I think it's even more telling the way he was outclassed by Jermain Taylor last November. Taylor has been going life or death with everyone, and Lacy almost got shut out.
As long as Roy can still stick and move for 12 rounds and avoid getting lured into any protracted exchanges, I think he can pull this off. I like Jones by decision, and then he'll either try for Anderson Silva or fight one more boxer before retiring.
Since I babbled so long about Jones-Lacy, I'll keep it brief for the other big Saturday fights. I think Nonito Donaire's star is going to continue to rise, so I'll say the Filipino Flash will knock out Rafael Concepcion. Too much speed and power.
I'm more conflicted about the Steven Luevano-Bernabe Concepcion fight. I've seen Luevano's last three fights, and though there's no question he can box, he seems to make things more difficult than they need to be. You can certainly drop him if you get to him, though he has never been KOed.
Bernabe has a lot of pro rounds under his belt for someone so young, and he has what it takes to put Luevano down and keep him there. But he's never fought anyone this good before, so we'll learn something about him for sure.
I think this one's a toss-up, so just to avoid looking like a total homer (remember, the BoxingWatchers are all part-Filipino!), I'll go with Luevano by narrow decision. I wouldn't put money on it though.
Posted by The Franchise
12.8.09
Klitschko Brothers and Oscar De La Hoya Coming for Fight Night Round 4... for a Price
Gamers, you'll soon get a chance to use two of the heavyweight titleholders and the biggest pay-per-view draw of all time in Fight Night Round 4. But only if you're willing to pony up a little dough.
First pointed out to be via Twitter by Tim Starks of The Queensberry Rules, EA Sports has announced that Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko and Oscar De La Hoya, along with alternate versions of George Foreman and James Toney (skinnier ones, perhaps?) will be available in a few weeks through Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.
Alas, while I'm sure I will enjoy beating up on... um, playing as all three of those boxers, I also have to share Tim's reaction ("Noooo.") to the news that the update will cost 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99 for PS3. I'm looking forward to seeing more current boxers released - Andre Berto has already suggested he'll be in the game, pun intended - but EA better not expect us to fork over $10 for every three fighters. That is balls any way you look at it.
I'm actually even more interested in the free download also coming later this month, which will allow the mapping of punches to the controller buttons, a feature which was included in the previous Fight Night but so far absent from this release. It's not that I don't appreciate the beauty of the Total Punch Control scheme, but the training mini-game that requires specific combos is so unforgiving it makes me want to hurl my controller at the TV. If for no other reason than that, thanks EA, for saving me money on new wireless controllers.
Posted by The Franchise
First pointed out to be via Twitter by Tim Starks of The Queensberry Rules, EA Sports has announced that Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko and Oscar De La Hoya, along with alternate versions of George Foreman and James Toney (skinnier ones, perhaps?) will be available in a few weeks through Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.
Alas, while I'm sure I will enjoy beating up on... um, playing as all three of those boxers, I also have to share Tim's reaction ("Noooo.") to the news that the update will cost 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99 for PS3. I'm looking forward to seeing more current boxers released - Andre Berto has already suggested he'll be in the game, pun intended - but EA better not expect us to fork over $10 for every three fighters. That is balls any way you look at it.
I'm actually even more interested in the free download also coming later this month, which will allow the mapping of punches to the controller buttons, a feature which was included in the previous Fight Night but so far absent from this release. It's not that I don't appreciate the beauty of the Total Punch Control scheme, but the training mini-game that requires specific combos is so unforgiving it makes me want to hurl my controller at the TV. If for no other reason than that, thanks EA, for saving me money on new wireless controllers.
Posted by The Franchise
11.8.09
Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams Will Fight Oct. 3 in Atlantic City
Paul Williams will get that big fight he's been hunting, and Kelly Pavlik will take on an opponent known as someone other boxers would rather not face.
That's because they will be stepping into the ring against each other. ESPN's Dan Rafael reported today that Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall will host the middleweight championship bout between Pavlik and Williams on Oct. 3, which will be televised on HBO.
The fight had been rumored for some time, but money and a contentious relationship between Top Rank head Bob Arum (who promotes Pavlik) and Williams' manager Al Haymon made it difficult to put together. As recently as earlier in the day on Tuesday, papers in Pavlik's home state of Ohio were speculating that the WBC and WBO middleweight titleholder would look for a match with Winky Wright instead.
Ironically, Wright was the most recent opponent for Williams, who pitched a virtual shutout against him en route to a unanimous decision four months ago. Williams has garnered a reputation - well-deserved in this blogger's opinion - of being a headache many other fighters would just as well do without thanks to his high punch output and long arms that enable him to throw those shots from unusual angles.
At least partially because of that, The Punisher has been floating around between three divisions in his last four fights, all victories. Pavlik once had similar thoughts of moving around in weight, but those were largely put to bed after his October 2008 thrashing at the hands of Bernard Hopkins, and his team has since refocused on competing at 160 pounds, where The Ghost has never lost.
Both fighters should be willing to mix it up, though they go about their business in different ways. Pavlik is more straightforward, stalking and setting up power shots off his jab, while Williams can box as the aggressor or the counterpuncher while letting go with unique combinations.
Williams was also exceptionally tall for a welterweight, where he fought most often from 2005 to 2008, but that won't be an issue for Pavlik, who should actually be looking down at his foe just a bit. Like all of Williams' previous opponents though, he will have to deal with The Punisher's lankiness: according to press releases from prior fights, Williams will enjoy a seven-inch reach advantage.
Posted by The Franchise
That's because they will be stepping into the ring against each other. ESPN's Dan Rafael reported today that Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall will host the middleweight championship bout between Pavlik and Williams on Oct. 3, which will be televised on HBO.
The fight had been rumored for some time, but money and a contentious relationship between Top Rank head Bob Arum (who promotes Pavlik) and Williams' manager Al Haymon made it difficult to put together. As recently as earlier in the day on Tuesday, papers in Pavlik's home state of Ohio were speculating that the WBC and WBO middleweight titleholder would look for a match with Winky Wright instead.
Ironically, Wright was the most recent opponent for Williams, who pitched a virtual shutout against him en route to a unanimous decision four months ago. Williams has garnered a reputation - well-deserved in this blogger's opinion - of being a headache many other fighters would just as well do without thanks to his high punch output and long arms that enable him to throw those shots from unusual angles.
At least partially because of that, The Punisher has been floating around between three divisions in his last four fights, all victories. Pavlik once had similar thoughts of moving around in weight, but those were largely put to bed after his October 2008 thrashing at the hands of Bernard Hopkins, and his team has since refocused on competing at 160 pounds, where The Ghost has never lost.
Both fighters should be willing to mix it up, though they go about their business in different ways. Pavlik is more straightforward, stalking and setting up power shots off his jab, while Williams can box as the aggressor or the counterpuncher while letting go with unique combinations.
Williams was also exceptionally tall for a welterweight, where he fought most often from 2005 to 2008, but that won't be an issue for Pavlik, who should actually be looking down at his foe just a bit. Like all of Williams' previous opponents though, he will have to deal with The Punisher's lankiness: according to press releases from prior fights, Williams will enjoy a seven-inch reach advantage.
Posted by The Franchise
10.8.09
20/20 Hindsight: Nothing New From Angulo, The Roy Jones Story That Won't Die and Other Quick Thoughts
There was no big fight this past Saturday, but there was a fight worth watching on ESPN2 on Friday night as Alfredo Angulo attempted to get his career back on the right track. In some ways, he did that by knocking out Gabriel Rosado. Certainly his confidence should be back, though perhaps it never left if his dog-themed entrance was any indication.
I'm not sure we really learned anything about Angulo though. With all due respect to Rosado, who isn't a stiff by any means, Perro was in against someone who didn't look able to hurt him and couldn't deal with his pressure.
The last time we saw Angulo, he was getting taught a lesson by Kermit Cintron, who used a good jab and superior footwork to bring Alfredo's limitations to the forefront. Rosado just wasn't good enough in the same areas for us to know if Angulo has improved.
I still think Angulo's chance to be a star is pretty good. He has fight-changing power in both hands and certainly gives fans the action they want. It's just impossible to say for sure if he's any closer to reaching his potential until he fights someone else as good as or better than Cintron.
Also in action on Friday Night Fights was Anthony Dirrell, younger brother of Andre Dirrell. Though he doesn't appear to have as much upside as The Matrix, he's fun to watch as he switches stances often and has fast hands. He's also easy to root for, having already gone through a bout with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma that put his boxing life on hold for a couple of years.
Changing gears a bit, regular readers should know that I get a lot of amusement out of the apparent infatuation that Roy Jones Jr. and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva have with someday boxing each other. That story just won't completely go away, and it got a new boost of energy this weekend.
That's because Silva added another ridiculous (in a good way) KO to his MMA record by starching Forrest Griffin, who was in attendance in Philadelphia. Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports says a Jones-Silva fight is more likely to happen than some would suspect, though not until the Spider fulfills the remaining three bouts on his UFC contract.
My opinion of this fight hasn't changed, as I'd still like to see it. Though many MMA fighters are starting to take the sweet science more seriously, I think a high percentage of them would be in for a rude awakening if forced to fight under the other sports' rules. Before anyone jumps on me, this would be true going the other way too - Andre Berto, are you listening?
But Silva is so gifted in the stand-up portion of MMA and Roy has never been a master technician, so this particular match-up is intriguing. It needs to happen before Jones gets too old though.
Other quick thoughts:
* I think Vitali Klitschko agreeing to fight Chris Arreola is another one for the "you can't blame the Klitschkos for the sorry state of the heavyweight division" side of the argument. Both he and Wladimir certainly seem willing to fight anyone.
* Am I crazy, or is there a good chance that Paul Williams will make Kelly Pavlik look silly if they fight? It's strange to me that The Punisher's camp is reportedly the one making negotiations difficult, because Williams should be jumping at the chance to take on someone as high profile as The Ghost.
* With apologies for talking about MMA on a boxing blog twice in one post, anyone who doesn't think a good chin is a valuable trait in the combat sports can just watch replays of Brian Bowles' knockout of Miguel Torres from the WEC event last Sunday. Bowles walked through some stiff shots to land his own, an even more impressive feat with the lighter MMA gloves.
Posted by The Franchise
I'm not sure we really learned anything about Angulo though. With all due respect to Rosado, who isn't a stiff by any means, Perro was in against someone who didn't look able to hurt him and couldn't deal with his pressure.
The last time we saw Angulo, he was getting taught a lesson by Kermit Cintron, who used a good jab and superior footwork to bring Alfredo's limitations to the forefront. Rosado just wasn't good enough in the same areas for us to know if Angulo has improved.
I still think Angulo's chance to be a star is pretty good. He has fight-changing power in both hands and certainly gives fans the action they want. It's just impossible to say for sure if he's any closer to reaching his potential until he fights someone else as good as or better than Cintron.
Also in action on Friday Night Fights was Anthony Dirrell, younger brother of Andre Dirrell. Though he doesn't appear to have as much upside as The Matrix, he's fun to watch as he switches stances often and has fast hands. He's also easy to root for, having already gone through a bout with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma that put his boxing life on hold for a couple of years.
Changing gears a bit, regular readers should know that I get a lot of amusement out of the apparent infatuation that Roy Jones Jr. and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva have with someday boxing each other. That story just won't completely go away, and it got a new boost of energy this weekend.
That's because Silva added another ridiculous (in a good way) KO to his MMA record by starching Forrest Griffin, who was in attendance in Philadelphia. Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports says a Jones-Silva fight is more likely to happen than some would suspect, though not until the Spider fulfills the remaining three bouts on his UFC contract.
My opinion of this fight hasn't changed, as I'd still like to see it. Though many MMA fighters are starting to take the sweet science more seriously, I think a high percentage of them would be in for a rude awakening if forced to fight under the other sports' rules. Before anyone jumps on me, this would be true going the other way too - Andre Berto, are you listening?
But Silva is so gifted in the stand-up portion of MMA and Roy has never been a master technician, so this particular match-up is intriguing. It needs to happen before Jones gets too old though.
Other quick thoughts:
* I think Vitali Klitschko agreeing to fight Chris Arreola is another one for the "you can't blame the Klitschkos for the sorry state of the heavyweight division" side of the argument. Both he and Wladimir certainly seem willing to fight anyone.
* Am I crazy, or is there a good chance that Paul Williams will make Kelly Pavlik look silly if they fight? It's strange to me that The Punisher's camp is reportedly the one making negotiations difficult, because Williams should be jumping at the chance to take on someone as high profile as The Ghost.
* With apologies for talking about MMA on a boxing blog twice in one post, anyone who doesn't think a good chin is a valuable trait in the combat sports can just watch replays of Brian Bowles' knockout of Miguel Torres from the WEC event last Sunday. Bowles walked through some stiff shots to land his own, an even more impressive feat with the lighter MMA gloves.
Posted by The Franchise
7.8.09
Alfredo Angulo vs. Gabriel Rosado: Friday Night Fights Round By Round
It's time for the main event from Buffalo Bill's in Primm, Nevada. Alfredo Angulo attempts to shake off his first career loss against upset-minded Gabriel Rosado in a ten-round junior middleweight fight.
Rosado hails from Philadelphia and is 12-3 with 7 KOs. His most recent win was a split decision victory over Kassim Ouma in April.
Angulo was undefeated and positioned for a breakthrough before stumbling and dropping a decision to Kermit Cintron in May. He is 15-1 with 12 KOs, and all you need to know about his straightforward style is that he racked up 11 straight knockouts before he took on Cintron.
Russell Mora is the referee. He gives his final instructions and we're ready to go.
Round 1
Rosado tries to get off early and bounce back out of range. Angulo presses forward as you'd expect. Nice right by Perro and Rosado tries to answer. Rosado is circling well to try to avoid being cornered. Alfredo walks in and tries some body shots. Rosado tries a quick combo but it's mostly blocked. Angulo lands a short left and takes a few shots back at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Angulo
Round 2
Rosado shows quick hands but doesn't seem to have the power to bother Angulo at this point. Nice left hook counter by Rosado. Angulo buckles down and drops Rosado with a short right hand to the head. He's up but looks discouraged. Angulo goes right after his foe and puts him back down with a combination. There's a minute to go, but Angulo lands a left hand, then follows up with punches that have Rosado crumpled in the corner. Rosado is upset because the first knockdown came after a clinch when he expected the ref to step in, but there's not much he can do after the ensuing assault.
The winner by TKO in Round 2, Alfredo "Perro" Angulo.
Posted by The Franchise
Rosado hails from Philadelphia and is 12-3 with 7 KOs. His most recent win was a split decision victory over Kassim Ouma in April.
Angulo was undefeated and positioned for a breakthrough before stumbling and dropping a decision to Kermit Cintron in May. He is 15-1 with 12 KOs, and all you need to know about his straightforward style is that he racked up 11 straight knockouts before he took on Cintron.
Russell Mora is the referee. He gives his final instructions and we're ready to go.
Round 1
Rosado tries to get off early and bounce back out of range. Angulo presses forward as you'd expect. Nice right by Perro and Rosado tries to answer. Rosado is circling well to try to avoid being cornered. Alfredo walks in and tries some body shots. Rosado tries a quick combo but it's mostly blocked. Angulo lands a short left and takes a few shots back at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Angulo
Round 2
Rosado shows quick hands but doesn't seem to have the power to bother Angulo at this point. Nice left hook counter by Rosado. Angulo buckles down and drops Rosado with a short right hand to the head. He's up but looks discouraged. Angulo goes right after his foe and puts him back down with a combination. There's a minute to go, but Angulo lands a left hand, then follows up with punches that have Rosado crumpled in the corner. Rosado is upset because the first knockdown came after a clinch when he expected the ref to step in, but there's not much he can do after the ensuing assault.
The winner by TKO in Round 2, Alfredo "Perro" Angulo.
Posted by The Franchise
Friday Night Fights Report: August 7, 2009
Alfredo Angulo is the headliner tonight as he attempts to shake off his first career loss. Undefeated Anthony Dirrell is also in action as Friday Night Fights comes to us live from Buffalo Bill's in Primm, Nevada.
Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas are on hand, and Pernell Whitaker and Mark Breland are tonight's studio guests with Brian Kenny. Atlas talks briefly about Angulo's TV-friendly style and Dirrell's attempt to come back from a bout with cancer.
First up is Sergei Ganjelashvili and Archie Ray Marquez in a four-round bout. The 20-year old Marquez is the attraction here.
Back in the studio, Kenny talks about the 25th anniversary of the great 1984 U.S. Olympic boxing team with Sweet Pea and Breland. Tessitore says seeing them makes him sad when he thinks about what Olympic boxing has become.
Ganjelashvili is certainly game, attacking with awkward looping punches. But Marquez does some serious damage to the body in Round 2 and he looks confident. He turns it on with power shots from both hands in the final minute of Round 3.
Both men make it to the final bell, and Marquez will go to a decision for the first time in his young pro career. The judges all turn in scores of 40-36, and Marquez wins by unanimous decision.
Kenny talks to the former Olympians in another studio segment. Breland tells a tale about his lone amateur loss, as he finished his amateur career with a 110-1 record.
Highlights are shown of Whitaker's semifinal and final bouts from the 1984 Games. Even back then Sweet Pea had ridiculous body and head movement. Whitaker says his gold medal meant more to him than anything he accomplished as a pro.
Now we see highlights of Breland's Olympic bouts. Brian and Mark discuss how there was some pressure on Breland before the Games, as he already had quite a reputation going in. He was just too tall and lanky for his opponents, plus he had skills and power to boot.
Andre Dirrell is in attendance to watch his younger brother, and we're set for that match. Anthony Dirrell takes on Alfredo Contreras, who took the fight on short notice.
Dirrell was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2006, and he talks a bit about overcoming the disease. He resumed fighting in late 2008, and is 5-0 since then and 17-0 (14 KOs) overall. This is scheduled for eight rounds at super middleweight.
Contreras tries to play the aggressor but Dirrell's hands are fast enough to land any time he sees an opening. Anthony can fight from either stance and tries both of them in the first round.
Andre is extremely vocal shouting out instructions and encouragement for his sibling. Anthony does a little showboating in the final minute of Round 2 after landing a nice combination in the corner.
Atlas doesn't like how Dirrell goes straight back with his hands down, but he's doing just about everything else right. Andre dons a headset and says he thinks Anthony is looking good. He does feel his brother could jab more and sit down on his punches as well.
Asked about the Super Six World Boxing Classic, Andre says he can't wait for it to start. He says he's faster and stronger than Carl Froch but knows The Cobra will bring everything he's got since he's a champion. Andre feels like he's training as hard as he can for the opportunity.
Dirrell smokes Contreras with a series of wicked body shots in the fifth round, then follows up with head shots from both hands. Contreras shows some heart by not wilting under fire.
About halfway through Round 7, Contreras catches Dirrell napping in the corner and actually lands a few nice shots. But Dirrell immediately comes back and starts teeing off with unanswered power shots, and though Contreras doesn't go down, the ref and his corner have seen enough. Dirrell wins by TKO at 2:32 of Round 7 and does a backflip to celebrate the win.
We get one more studio segment with BK, Sweet Pea and Breland. They examine highlights of Timothy Bradley-Nate Campbell and both fighters weigh in on the controversial ending. They also look at Devon Alexander-Junior Witter and Whitaker says he was glad the fight ended when it did.
The news recap includes Vitali Klitschko and Chris Arreola agreeing to fight in September, talks resuming for a Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams fight in October and the possibility of Allan Green as a substitute for the World Boxing Classic should one be necessary.
Posted by The Franchise
Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas are on hand, and Pernell Whitaker and Mark Breland are tonight's studio guests with Brian Kenny. Atlas talks briefly about Angulo's TV-friendly style and Dirrell's attempt to come back from a bout with cancer.
First up is Sergei Ganjelashvili and Archie Ray Marquez in a four-round bout. The 20-year old Marquez is the attraction here.
Back in the studio, Kenny talks about the 25th anniversary of the great 1984 U.S. Olympic boxing team with Sweet Pea and Breland. Tessitore says seeing them makes him sad when he thinks about what Olympic boxing has become.
Ganjelashvili is certainly game, attacking with awkward looping punches. But Marquez does some serious damage to the body in Round 2 and he looks confident. He turns it on with power shots from both hands in the final minute of Round 3.
Both men make it to the final bell, and Marquez will go to a decision for the first time in his young pro career. The judges all turn in scores of 40-36, and Marquez wins by unanimous decision.
Kenny talks to the former Olympians in another studio segment. Breland tells a tale about his lone amateur loss, as he finished his amateur career with a 110-1 record.
Highlights are shown of Whitaker's semifinal and final bouts from the 1984 Games. Even back then Sweet Pea had ridiculous body and head movement. Whitaker says his gold medal meant more to him than anything he accomplished as a pro.
Now we see highlights of Breland's Olympic bouts. Brian and Mark discuss how there was some pressure on Breland before the Games, as he already had quite a reputation going in. He was just too tall and lanky for his opponents, plus he had skills and power to boot.
Andre Dirrell is in attendance to watch his younger brother, and we're set for that match. Anthony Dirrell takes on Alfredo Contreras, who took the fight on short notice.
Dirrell was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2006, and he talks a bit about overcoming the disease. He resumed fighting in late 2008, and is 5-0 since then and 17-0 (14 KOs) overall. This is scheduled for eight rounds at super middleweight.
Contreras tries to play the aggressor but Dirrell's hands are fast enough to land any time he sees an opening. Anthony can fight from either stance and tries both of them in the first round.
Andre is extremely vocal shouting out instructions and encouragement for his sibling. Anthony does a little showboating in the final minute of Round 2 after landing a nice combination in the corner.
Atlas doesn't like how Dirrell goes straight back with his hands down, but he's doing just about everything else right. Andre dons a headset and says he thinks Anthony is looking good. He does feel his brother could jab more and sit down on his punches as well.
Asked about the Super Six World Boxing Classic, Andre says he can't wait for it to start. He says he's faster and stronger than Carl Froch but knows The Cobra will bring everything he's got since he's a champion. Andre feels like he's training as hard as he can for the opportunity.
Dirrell smokes Contreras with a series of wicked body shots in the fifth round, then follows up with head shots from both hands. Contreras shows some heart by not wilting under fire.
About halfway through Round 7, Contreras catches Dirrell napping in the corner and actually lands a few nice shots. But Dirrell immediately comes back and starts teeing off with unanswered power shots, and though Contreras doesn't go down, the ref and his corner have seen enough. Dirrell wins by TKO at 2:32 of Round 7 and does a backflip to celebrate the win.
We get one more studio segment with BK, Sweet Pea and Breland. They examine highlights of Timothy Bradley-Nate Campbell and both fighters weigh in on the controversial ending. They also look at Devon Alexander-Junior Witter and Whitaker says he was glad the fight ended when it did.
The news recap includes Vitali Klitschko and Chris Arreola agreeing to fight in September, talks resuming for a Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams fight in October and the possibility of Allan Green as a substitute for the World Boxing Classic should one be necessary.
Posted by The Franchise
4.8.09
Franchise Thoughts: Looking at the Second Half of the 2009 Boxing Schedule, Plus the Debut of Shoe Shining
After a pretty hot start to the year in boxing, we hit a bit of a lull during the middle of the summer months. Something similar happened in 2008, but at least then we had Olympic boxing to watch (plus bitch about its ridiculous scoring system).
Anyway, we're past that now, and even if it's not necessarily pedal to the metal for the rest of 2009 - September could still use a few more fights, for one - as Jim Ross would say, business is about to pick up.
With that in mind, here are some highlights for the rest of the calendar year. This isn't intended to be an exhaustive list, and some of these fights aren't set in stone yet, but these are dates to keep in mind moving forward.
Aug. 15 - Nonito Donaire vs. Rafael Concepcion, Steven Luevano vs. Bernabe Concepcion (PPV); Roy Jones vs. Jeff Lacy (PPV)
Dueling pay-per-views are always a bummer, simply because they force you to make a choice. It will be interesting to see who has more (or more properly who has less) left in the tank between Roy and Jeff, and that event will probably sell better because of Jones' name. The little guys will be the better value pick though, and fans on the internets seem to be in love with Bernabe, so the Luevano bout should be a good one.
The Jones PPV also has Danny Green, B.J. Flores and Jason Litzau on the card, which is at least an attempt to give viewers some bang for the buck.
Aug. 22 - Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi (HBO)
This is a nice matchup between two eminently watchable boxers; Diaz for his entertaining fighting style and Paulie for his personality. Both men are trying to get careers that kind of came off the rails in 2008 back on track, so motivation shouldn't be an issue.
The rest of the card is also loaded, with Robert Guerrero facing Malcolm Klassen and Daniel "Call me Danny" Jacobs taking on Ishe Smith. The Golden Child has been pretty defensive on Twitter about criticism of Smith as an opponent; maybe he'll channel that aggression into something impressive.
Aug. 28 - Tavoris Cloud vs. Clinton Woods, Juan Urango vs. Randall Bailey (ESPN2)
Friday Night Fights goes out with a bang with two title fights. I think the hard-swinging Cloud is on the verge of making a name for himself, but he's been off for a year and Woods is no stiff, or at least he hasn't been in the past. Urango-Bailey doesn't excite me a ton but is better than most FNF main events.
Sep. 12 - Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward (Showtime)
No, they aren't fighting each other, but tuning up and fulfilling sanctioning body obligations before the World Boxing Classic kicks off (probably, see below!). Nervous Showtime execs will be watching with crossed fingers.
Ivan Calderon also headlines a PPV the same night if pro wrestling-style squash matches aren't your thing.
Sep. 19 - Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (PPV)
So many questions to be answered here. Was Floyd really hurt and will he be rusty after his brief retirement? Will JMM handle the step up in weight? What weight is this fight being contested at, for that matter?
Unlike many HBO PPV cards, this one could end up really stacked. Already on is round two between Chris John and Rocky Juarez. Zab Judah will fight someone. And Dan Rafael has mentioned Allan Green-Sakio Bika as a possibility as well. If you're going to fork over your hard-earned money for just one PPV this fall, you could do a lot worse than this.
Oct. 10 - Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa (PPV)
Again, these two guys aren't fighting each other, but will be in action on the latest Latin Fury card. Juanma is starting to become must-see TV for any boxing fan, and wins for him and Gamboa enhance the chances of a showdown in 2010.
Oct. 17 - Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor (Showtime)
Anticipation will likely be at a fever pitch as the most exciting concept to hit the sport in some time, the Super Six World Boxing Classic, gets underway. Not much more needs to be said, as every fight in the tournament is worth watching.
Nov. 7 - Chad Dawson vs. Glen Johnson II (HBO)
This is one rematch plenty of fans want to see. Johnson pushed Dawson to his limits last time and hasn't shown signs of aging yet. If Bad Chad wins convincingly, it could go a long way toward reversing some of the negative feelings regarding his lack of killer instinct. And could a certain Executioner be waiting for the winner?
This is also the date that David Haye fights Nikolai Valuev. You know, if Haye actually decides to fight.
Nov. 14 - Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto (PPV)
How can you not like this match? It pits two popular fighters with large ethnic followings and styles that usually result in action-packed fights against each other, and it will be an excellent show to attend live.
The rest of the card is still coming together, but Edwin Valero, Humberto Soto and Alfonso Gomez are all likely to be fighting.
Nov. 21 - Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward (Showtime)
Assuming nothing goes awry in September, Kessler and Ward will finish off the first group of round robin matches here. My personal opinion is that S.O.G. drew the toughest initial bout, but the beauty of the World Boxing Classic is that there are no easy fights, so he might as well see how he measures up right away.
Nov. 28 - Lucian Bute vs. Librado Andrade II (HBO)
Bute is the guy who has the most reason for being upset about not being included in the World Boxing Classic, and apparently he wasn't even asked. That should be enough to put a chip on his shoulder, but there's also the fact that he was the beneficiary of some home cooking by the referee in Montreal during his first fight with Andrade.
It's tough to envision a second ending as dramatic as the twelfth round of Bute-Andrade I, but since this could very well be the last significant fight of 2009, maybe these guys will figure out a way to put an exclamation point on another good year for the sweet science.
SHOE SHINING...
Any good blog worth its salt needs a cutesy name for links and short commentary not big enough to warrant full posts, and I finally settled on shoe shining. Because who doesn't love a showy burst of uppercuts, right?
And if some boxing blogger out there has already thought of this one, I apologize. Just remember imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. On with the show...
Except for Floyd's dispute of reports that he owes the IRS a boatload of money, thus forcing him to come out of retirement, we haven't had too many appearances from Mayweather family members in the headlines for a bit. That changed over the past 24 hours when Roger Mayweather was arrested on charges of attacking a female boxer he used to train. I'm sure Floyd Sr. will have a comment or two on this one...
From the "say it ain't so" file comes Dan Rafael's blog entry mentioning how a lawsuit from Kessler's former promoter could derail the Super Six before it even gets going. To which I say, oh, hell no...
Here's a good little piece on how the Agua Caliente Casino Resort put a big effort into promoting the Timothy Bradley-Nate Campbell card. It's just nice to see boxing discussed as something to use as a draw for guests...
Andrew Walker at East Side Boxing discusses what it would take for the U.K. to get a TV channel devoted to boxing. My heart says that would be incredible for the U.S. too, but my heart knows that niche channels in general don't seem to be doing that well, and boxing's audience is too small to make that possible.
Posted by The Franchise
Anyway, we're past that now, and even if it's not necessarily pedal to the metal for the rest of 2009 - September could still use a few more fights, for one - as Jim Ross would say, business is about to pick up.
With that in mind, here are some highlights for the rest of the calendar year. This isn't intended to be an exhaustive list, and some of these fights aren't set in stone yet, but these are dates to keep in mind moving forward.
Aug. 15 - Nonito Donaire vs. Rafael Concepcion, Steven Luevano vs. Bernabe Concepcion (PPV); Roy Jones vs. Jeff Lacy (PPV)
Dueling pay-per-views are always a bummer, simply because they force you to make a choice. It will be interesting to see who has more (or more properly who has less) left in the tank between Roy and Jeff, and that event will probably sell better because of Jones' name. The little guys will be the better value pick though, and fans on the internets seem to be in love with Bernabe, so the Luevano bout should be a good one.
The Jones PPV also has Danny Green, B.J. Flores and Jason Litzau on the card, which is at least an attempt to give viewers some bang for the buck.
Aug. 22 - Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi (HBO)
This is a nice matchup between two eminently watchable boxers; Diaz for his entertaining fighting style and Paulie for his personality. Both men are trying to get careers that kind of came off the rails in 2008 back on track, so motivation shouldn't be an issue.
The rest of the card is also loaded, with Robert Guerrero facing Malcolm Klassen and Daniel "Call me Danny" Jacobs taking on Ishe Smith. The Golden Child has been pretty defensive on Twitter about criticism of Smith as an opponent; maybe he'll channel that aggression into something impressive.
Aug. 28 - Tavoris Cloud vs. Clinton Woods, Juan Urango vs. Randall Bailey (ESPN2)
Friday Night Fights goes out with a bang with two title fights. I think the hard-swinging Cloud is on the verge of making a name for himself, but he's been off for a year and Woods is no stiff, or at least he hasn't been in the past. Urango-Bailey doesn't excite me a ton but is better than most FNF main events.
Sep. 12 - Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward (Showtime)
No, they aren't fighting each other, but tuning up and fulfilling sanctioning body obligations before the World Boxing Classic kicks off (probably, see below!). Nervous Showtime execs will be watching with crossed fingers.
Ivan Calderon also headlines a PPV the same night if pro wrestling-style squash matches aren't your thing.
Sep. 19 - Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (PPV)
So many questions to be answered here. Was Floyd really hurt and will he be rusty after his brief retirement? Will JMM handle the step up in weight? What weight is this fight being contested at, for that matter?
Unlike many HBO PPV cards, this one could end up really stacked. Already on is round two between Chris John and Rocky Juarez. Zab Judah will fight someone. And Dan Rafael has mentioned Allan Green-Sakio Bika as a possibility as well. If you're going to fork over your hard-earned money for just one PPV this fall, you could do a lot worse than this.
Oct. 10 - Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa (PPV)
Again, these two guys aren't fighting each other, but will be in action on the latest Latin Fury card. Juanma is starting to become must-see TV for any boxing fan, and wins for him and Gamboa enhance the chances of a showdown in 2010.
Oct. 17 - Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor (Showtime)
Anticipation will likely be at a fever pitch as the most exciting concept to hit the sport in some time, the Super Six World Boxing Classic, gets underway. Not much more needs to be said, as every fight in the tournament is worth watching.
Nov. 7 - Chad Dawson vs. Glen Johnson II (HBO)
This is one rematch plenty of fans want to see. Johnson pushed Dawson to his limits last time and hasn't shown signs of aging yet. If Bad Chad wins convincingly, it could go a long way toward reversing some of the negative feelings regarding his lack of killer instinct. And could a certain Executioner be waiting for the winner?
This is also the date that David Haye fights Nikolai Valuev. You know, if Haye actually decides to fight.
Nov. 14 - Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto (PPV)
How can you not like this match? It pits two popular fighters with large ethnic followings and styles that usually result in action-packed fights against each other, and it will be an excellent show to attend live.
The rest of the card is still coming together, but Edwin Valero, Humberto Soto and Alfonso Gomez are all likely to be fighting.
Nov. 21 - Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward (Showtime)
Assuming nothing goes awry in September, Kessler and Ward will finish off the first group of round robin matches here. My personal opinion is that S.O.G. drew the toughest initial bout, but the beauty of the World Boxing Classic is that there are no easy fights, so he might as well see how he measures up right away.
Nov. 28 - Lucian Bute vs. Librado Andrade II (HBO)
Bute is the guy who has the most reason for being upset about not being included in the World Boxing Classic, and apparently he wasn't even asked. That should be enough to put a chip on his shoulder, but there's also the fact that he was the beneficiary of some home cooking by the referee in Montreal during his first fight with Andrade.
It's tough to envision a second ending as dramatic as the twelfth round of Bute-Andrade I, but since this could very well be the last significant fight of 2009, maybe these guys will figure out a way to put an exclamation point on another good year for the sweet science.
SHOE SHINING...
Any good blog worth its salt needs a cutesy name for links and short commentary not big enough to warrant full posts, and I finally settled on shoe shining. Because who doesn't love a showy burst of uppercuts, right?
And if some boxing blogger out there has already thought of this one, I apologize. Just remember imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. On with the show...
Except for Floyd's dispute of reports that he owes the IRS a boatload of money, thus forcing him to come out of retirement, we haven't had too many appearances from Mayweather family members in the headlines for a bit. That changed over the past 24 hours when Roger Mayweather was arrested on charges of attacking a female boxer he used to train. I'm sure Floyd Sr. will have a comment or two on this one...
From the "say it ain't so" file comes Dan Rafael's blog entry mentioning how a lawsuit from Kessler's former promoter could derail the Super Six before it even gets going. To which I say, oh, hell no...
Here's a good little piece on how the Agua Caliente Casino Resort put a big effort into promoting the Timothy Bradley-Nate Campbell card. It's just nice to see boxing discussed as something to use as a draw for guests...
Andrew Walker at East Side Boxing discusses what it would take for the U.K. to get a TV channel devoted to boxing. My heart says that would be incredible for the U.S. too, but my heart knows that niche channels in general don't seem to be doing that well, and boxing's audience is too small to make that possible.
Posted by The Franchise
3.8.09
20/20 Hindsight: Nate Campbell May Be the Unluckiest Man in Boxing, Plus Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander Impress
Poor Nate Campbell. The Galaxxy Warrior may seriously be the unluckiest man in boxing.
Or at least he's been up for that honor over the last 18 months. Since his thrilling lightweight title win against Juan Diaz in March 2008, little has gone right for him.
His first title defense was supposed to be against Joan Guzman, but his foe failed to make weight and then refused to fight at all. Nate claims that cost him $400,000, and he subsequently filed for bankruptcy.
This February, he was ready to put his titles up against Ali Funeka, but he didn't make weight and lost his belts on the scale. Granted, that was bad luck of his own making, but still. At least he (barely) won that fight.
That brings us to this past Saturday and his bout with 140-pound titleholder Timothy Bradley. The record reflects that he suffered a third-round TKO, but it sure didn't look that way to these eyes.
At issue was a nasty cut Campbell suffered near his left eye early in the third round. Replays backed up Nate's version of the story, which is that he suffered it after an accidental clash of heads. The ref thought otherwise, Bradley spent the rest of the round beating on Campbell, and the fight was stopped before the fourth.
It's probably impossible to know for sure if the headbutt caused the cut, but my brother Uatu said something at dinner last night that was very true: in the hundreds of fights we've both watched, it's not too often a cut like Campbell's gets opened up by a punch.
Campbell's team will certainly appeal, and as Dougie Fischer wrote after the fight, there's probably some chance the loss could get changed to a no decision. During his angry post-fight interview, Nate seemed more upset about the TKO loss going on his record than anything else.
I'm hoping the decision is reversed, as Campbell is no spring chicken at 37 and is running out of time and chances. He's been too much fun to watch in the ring to have his career peter out like this.
Even if Campbell gets his wish, he may not get a rematch with Bradley. Gary Shaw sure didn't sound too anxious to do it when asked by Jim Gray after the match.
And maybe we don't need to see one anyway. Bradley won all three rounds and may have just cruised to an easy decision if not for the cut. I'm not quite as high on Desert Storm as some people, but you have to hand it to him for continuing to get it done.
After seeing all of his fights in 2008 and 2009, my opinion of Bradley hasn't changed. He's not elite in any one area, but he's good enough at everything that he has no obvious weaknesses to exploit.
He has quick hands but not the highlight film speed of a Manny Pacquiao. He's defensively aware but not a master like Bernard Hopkins. And he clearly doesn't have a ton of one-punch power, but he's no slapper and can get opponents' attention with head or body shots.
One thing I do agree with is Bradley's self-assessment that he can move all day. His footwork was excellent on Saturday and he always comes into fights in tremendous shape.
It's still just a little hard for me to think of Bradley as the top dog in his division, but with the old guard at 140 fading away and Pacquiao just passing through, maybe he is. You can't argue with his results.
Bradley may have some other young guys to match up with him over the next few years (Lamont Peterson, Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana come to mind), and one of them could be the winner of Saturday's co-feature. Devon Alexander faced a stiff test in Junior Witter and passed it with flying colors.
Yes, Witter claimed after the fight that he had injured his hand during the fight, leading to a strange stoppage. And the fans weren't too pleased with what they were seeing either.
But let's face it: there aren't many fighters trickier to face than Witter. The Brit has one of the most unusual fighting styles around, leaping in to punch and quickly grabbing to avoid counter shots. He also constantly switches stances from orthodox to southpaw and back.
Alexander showed a lot of patience when presented with that puzzle, picking his spots well. He caught Witter with a few hooks and straight lefts that did some damage, and he seemed to be growing in confidence as the fight went on.
He should certainly be right in the mix at junior welterweight, and could very well end up as serious competition for Bradley after another fight or two.
Posted by The Franchise
Or at least he's been up for that honor over the last 18 months. Since his thrilling lightweight title win against Juan Diaz in March 2008, little has gone right for him.
His first title defense was supposed to be against Joan Guzman, but his foe failed to make weight and then refused to fight at all. Nate claims that cost him $400,000, and he subsequently filed for bankruptcy.
This February, he was ready to put his titles up against Ali Funeka, but he didn't make weight and lost his belts on the scale. Granted, that was bad luck of his own making, but still. At least he (barely) won that fight.
That brings us to this past Saturday and his bout with 140-pound titleholder Timothy Bradley. The record reflects that he suffered a third-round TKO, but it sure didn't look that way to these eyes.
At issue was a nasty cut Campbell suffered near his left eye early in the third round. Replays backed up Nate's version of the story, which is that he suffered it after an accidental clash of heads. The ref thought otherwise, Bradley spent the rest of the round beating on Campbell, and the fight was stopped before the fourth.
It's probably impossible to know for sure if the headbutt caused the cut, but my brother Uatu said something at dinner last night that was very true: in the hundreds of fights we've both watched, it's not too often a cut like Campbell's gets opened up by a punch.
Campbell's team will certainly appeal, and as Dougie Fischer wrote after the fight, there's probably some chance the loss could get changed to a no decision. During his angry post-fight interview, Nate seemed more upset about the TKO loss going on his record than anything else.
I'm hoping the decision is reversed, as Campbell is no spring chicken at 37 and is running out of time and chances. He's been too much fun to watch in the ring to have his career peter out like this.
Even if Campbell gets his wish, he may not get a rematch with Bradley. Gary Shaw sure didn't sound too anxious to do it when asked by Jim Gray after the match.
And maybe we don't need to see one anyway. Bradley won all three rounds and may have just cruised to an easy decision if not for the cut. I'm not quite as high on Desert Storm as some people, but you have to hand it to him for continuing to get it done.
After seeing all of his fights in 2008 and 2009, my opinion of Bradley hasn't changed. He's not elite in any one area, but he's good enough at everything that he has no obvious weaknesses to exploit.
He has quick hands but not the highlight film speed of a Manny Pacquiao. He's defensively aware but not a master like Bernard Hopkins. And he clearly doesn't have a ton of one-punch power, but he's no slapper and can get opponents' attention with head or body shots.
One thing I do agree with is Bradley's self-assessment that he can move all day. His footwork was excellent on Saturday and he always comes into fights in tremendous shape.
It's still just a little hard for me to think of Bradley as the top dog in his division, but with the old guard at 140 fading away and Pacquiao just passing through, maybe he is. You can't argue with his results.
Bradley may have some other young guys to match up with him over the next few years (Lamont Peterson, Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana come to mind), and one of them could be the winner of Saturday's co-feature. Devon Alexander faced a stiff test in Junior Witter and passed it with flying colors.
Yes, Witter claimed after the fight that he had injured his hand during the fight, leading to a strange stoppage. And the fans weren't too pleased with what they were seeing either.
But let's face it: there aren't many fighters trickier to face than Witter. The Brit has one of the most unusual fighting styles around, leaping in to punch and quickly grabbing to avoid counter shots. He also constantly switches stances from orthodox to southpaw and back.
Alexander showed a lot of patience when presented with that puzzle, picking his spots well. He caught Witter with a few hooks and straight lefts that did some damage, and he seemed to be growing in confidence as the fight went on.
He should certainly be right in the mix at junior welterweight, and could very well end up as serious competition for Bradley after another fight or two.
Posted by The Franchise
1.8.09
Timothy Bradley v. Nate Campbell: Round by Round
Before the main event, Showtime plays a preview of the super middleweight "Super Six World Boxing Classic" with interviews with the six fighters.
It looks like the fighters are about to make their way to the ring. Campbell, wearing an Arturo Gatti shirt and Vernon Forrest hat, is dedicating his fight to both of the late fighters.
Now Showtime kills some time and shows a feature of each fighter's past. It should probably get up and running in about 10-15 minutes.
Nate Campbell makes his way to the ring first and he's coming out to Gatti's anthem, "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. The crowd gives him a lot of boos.
Timothy Bradley follows. He has the live rapper Darren L. Hughes rapping during his entrance. There are a lot of boos for him too but it sounds like the crowd is more for Bradley.
The tale of the tape shows that Campbell has a 2 1/2 inch advantage in reach. Campbell said that he's going to do his best to use that to his advantage. During the intros, Campbell faces plenty of boos from the crowd. He nods to acknowledge them.
Alright it's time for the fight.
Round 1
Campbell starts the action first, establishing the jab. Bradley uses the jab, but Campbell's crafty defense picks them off. Campbell misses with an overhand right. The commentators comment that Campbell looks dry to start the fight. Bradley lands a body shot and just misses to the head. Campbell is talking a lot in the ring. Bradley goes to the body and Campbell laughs and shakes his head. Bradley lands a great counter to the head. Nate goes back to the jab. Campbell gets inside and Bradley ties him up. Bradley lands some body shots at the end of the round. Close first round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley
Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Round 2
Campbell comes forward again. Bradley's speed gets the best of Nate again upstairs. The ref stops the action and tells the fighters to watch their heads. Bradley is doing a lot of backing up. Campbell gets Bradley against the ropes and lets loose. Bradley blocks most of it. Bradley seems to be holding one of Nate's arms. Campbell lands a jab followed with a right. Bradley keeps throwing the jab. Another close round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley
Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Round 3
Campbell grazes a right hand at the start. Campbell complains to the ref about a headbutt, but Bradley gets Campbell in the corner and lets his hands go. The crowd is on its feet as a Bradley chant starts. A cut opens up over the left eye of Campbell. My guess is its from a clash of heads. The blood is pouring into Nate's eye. Bradley's hand speed is way faster than Campbell's. Bradley is jabbing away at that eye. Campbell is in trouble late into the round against the ropes. It looks like Campbell might go down. He's complaining to his corner that he can't see because of the cut.
Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley
Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Campbell stops the fight and says that he can't see. The fight should absolutely be a no-decision. The replay shows that the cut was opened by an accidental headbutt. Bradley seems to think he has won, but there hasn't been an official ruling yet. The commentators agree that the replay shows a headbutt right before the cut opens, and it should be a no-decision.
The winner by TKO at the end of Round 3... and still WBO light welterweight titleholder... Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley.
They interview the referee first. He says that he believes the punch right after the clash of heads opened up the cut.
Bradley is interviewed now. He thanks God. Bradley says he doesn't know what happened. He knew there was a clash of heads but wasn't sure when the cut opened. They stop the interview to talk to Campbell before he heads to the hospital. Nate is furious and rightfully so. They show the replay; Nate yells that this decision is "clearly wrong". He says, "This isn't about politics any more. It's about what is right and what is wrong." He asks Bradley to "be a man and stand up for what is right."
Bradley is asked if the right decision was made. After a long pause, he says he doesn't know. Don King grabs the mic now and yells about the missed call. There is talk of a rematch now. Bradley's corner says that if the money is right and Showtime buys it, they will. Bradley says that Campbell was going to lose anyway and he was getting older and older in the ring.
Well, it's been a night of wild ending. The wrong decision was made tonight in the main event and I hope we haven't seen the last of Campbell because of this lapse in judgement from the ref.
Posted by spartan117
It looks like the fighters are about to make their way to the ring. Campbell, wearing an Arturo Gatti shirt and Vernon Forrest hat, is dedicating his fight to both of the late fighters.
Now Showtime kills some time and shows a feature of each fighter's past. It should probably get up and running in about 10-15 minutes.
Nate Campbell makes his way to the ring first and he's coming out to Gatti's anthem, "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. The crowd gives him a lot of boos.
Timothy Bradley follows. He has the live rapper Darren L. Hughes rapping during his entrance. There are a lot of boos for him too but it sounds like the crowd is more for Bradley.
The tale of the tape shows that Campbell has a 2 1/2 inch advantage in reach. Campbell said that he's going to do his best to use that to his advantage. During the intros, Campbell faces plenty of boos from the crowd. He nods to acknowledge them.
Alright it's time for the fight.
Round 1
Campbell starts the action first, establishing the jab. Bradley uses the jab, but Campbell's crafty defense picks them off. Campbell misses with an overhand right. The commentators comment that Campbell looks dry to start the fight. Bradley lands a body shot and just misses to the head. Campbell is talking a lot in the ring. Bradley goes to the body and Campbell laughs and shakes his head. Bradley lands a great counter to the head. Nate goes back to the jab. Campbell gets inside and Bradley ties him up. Bradley lands some body shots at the end of the round. Close first round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley
Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Round 2
Campbell comes forward again. Bradley's speed gets the best of Nate again upstairs. The ref stops the action and tells the fighters to watch their heads. Bradley is doing a lot of backing up. Campbell gets Bradley against the ropes and lets loose. Bradley blocks most of it. Bradley seems to be holding one of Nate's arms. Campbell lands a jab followed with a right. Bradley keeps throwing the jab. Another close round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley
Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Round 3
Campbell grazes a right hand at the start. Campbell complains to the ref about a headbutt, but Bradley gets Campbell in the corner and lets his hands go. The crowd is on its feet as a Bradley chant starts. A cut opens up over the left eye of Campbell. My guess is its from a clash of heads. The blood is pouring into Nate's eye. Bradley's hand speed is way faster than Campbell's. Bradley is jabbing away at that eye. Campbell is in trouble late into the round against the ropes. It looks like Campbell might go down. He's complaining to his corner that he can't see because of the cut.
Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley
Franchise: 10-9 Bradley
Campbell stops the fight and says that he can't see. The fight should absolutely be a no-decision. The replay shows that the cut was opened by an accidental headbutt. Bradley seems to think he has won, but there hasn't been an official ruling yet. The commentators agree that the replay shows a headbutt right before the cut opens, and it should be a no-decision.
The winner by TKO at the end of Round 3... and still WBO light welterweight titleholder... Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley.
They interview the referee first. He says that he believes the punch right after the clash of heads opened up the cut.
Bradley is interviewed now. He thanks God. Bradley says he doesn't know what happened. He knew there was a clash of heads but wasn't sure when the cut opened. They stop the interview to talk to Campbell before he heads to the hospital. Nate is furious and rightfully so. They show the replay; Nate yells that this decision is "clearly wrong". He says, "This isn't about politics any more. It's about what is right and what is wrong." He asks Bradley to "be a man and stand up for what is right."
Bradley is asked if the right decision was made. After a long pause, he says he doesn't know. Don King grabs the mic now and yells about the missed call. There is talk of a rematch now. Bradley's corner says that if the money is right and Showtime buys it, they will. Bradley says that Campbell was going to lose anyway and he was getting older and older in the ring.
Well, it's been a night of wild ending. The wrong decision was made tonight in the main event and I hope we haven't seen the last of Campbell because of this lapse in judgement from the ref.
Posted by spartan117
Devon Alexander vs. Junior Witter: Round By Round
Showtime Championship Boxing is live from California with a pair of 140-pound title fights. Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell will do battle in the main event, but first up is undefeated Devon Alexander taking on Junior Witter.
Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein are on hand to preview the main event and discuss the sad murder of Vernon Forrest. There's a nice piece on Forrest's work outside the ring and a moment of silence and ringing of the bell for The Viper.
Fans are definitely still showing up, but we're about ready for the co-feature. Witter comes out first, and Johnson says the 35-year old from the U.K. knows this may be one of his last big chances. He is 37-2-2, with his most recent loss coming to Bradley in May 2008.
Alexander reps his hometown with a St. Louis Cardinals hat as he enters to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight." The 22-year old southpaw is 18-0 with 11 KOs. Cory Spinks is on hand to lend his support.
This fight is for the vacant WBC super lightweight title that Witter lost to Bradley, who subsequently had to drop it. The tale of the tape shows that the two men are almost even in height and weight, but Alexander has an edge in reach that may be a factor.
Jimmy Lennon Jr. handles the fighter introductions and we are ready to go, scheduled for 12 rounds.
Round 1
Bernstein wonders if Witter will fight orthodox or southpaw, and he comes out right-handed. He shoots a few rights to the body, as does Devon with some lefts. Both men pawing with jabs. Witter loses his balance swinging and tumbles down, and he hops up and switches stances a few times. There's some hugging as they try to work inside. Witter has his hands down as he circles. They wrestle along the ropes as the ref warns them. Ugly first round, which isn't a shock with Junior in there.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 2
Left hand lead by Witter and Alexander tries the body. Devon gets another body shot and a hook in there. Witter is bleeding slightly from the mouth as he swings wildly. He switches southpaw as Alexander jabs forward. They tie up several times and the ref is busy. Both men connect and Witter's left is sharper. Junior is able to duck under a bunch of Devon's shots. Witter gets clocked by a right hook in close in the last 10 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 3
Alexander scores with a right and the counter right smacks him back. He tries to press forward and they tie up. Almost every exchange ends up with the fighters grabbing each other. Witter tries some inside body work. He gets caught with a short right and some blood is coming from near his right eye. One-two by Alexander ends with a sharp right hook to the head. Witter is jumping in and only getting off single shots. They hold again at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 4
Nice counter by Witter and he switches southpaw. Both fighters work the jab, but Alexander backs his man into the corner. Big uppercut misses from Witter. Left hook by Witter catches Devon. Jabs are scoring in both directions. Now Witter is orthodox again. Double left hands by Alexander, but no huge punches landed in that frame.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 5
They talk to Spinks between rounds. Witter dodges some early fire and there's more wrestling. Junior switches to righty trying to set up uppercuts. Witter gets caught by a left coming in and has to hold on to Alexander to stay upright. Devon looks for the kill but Witter is crafty. He tries his own big left hand and grabs again. Good round for Devon.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 6
Replay shows Witter got tagged while throwing one of his crazy wide punches. Devon punches out of a clinch and snaps his jab. Witter dodges a big left and ties up. Witter fires a right to the body. Left by Witter as he comes in again. Short right hand by Alexander. Several exchanges are pretty even, and Devon continues to stalk. Right by Alexander is answered, but a left catches Witter right at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 7
Alexander throws a combo and backs away from the counter. His jab is really looking good right now. A left just misses and chases Witter back, but he comes back with a body shot. Glancing left hand from Devon as the crowd starts to get a bit restless. Left hand by Witter is answered by a jab. Alexander flurries at the end of a close round.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 8
There's a short delay for some reason to start this round. Right hook by Devon. He lands a left that crashed in on the side of Witter's head. Two right hands by Alexander lead to another warning from the ref about wrestling. The ref also lectures Witter about holding. Alexander walks into a left hand upstairs. Alexander peppers Witter with a series of quick punches in close. Body shot by Witter gets a response from Alexander.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Before Round 9 can begin, Witter decides he's had enough. It's kind of surprising because he didn't look like he was taking a tremendous amount of abuse, but the fight is over. The replay from the corner makes it sound like it was Witter's corner who suggested he was done, but it's not 100 percent clear.
The winner by TKO at the end of Round 8... and new WBC super lightweight titleholder... Devon Alexander "The Great."
Jim Gray gets a few words with Alexander, who is choked up after his victory. He says his dad told him to stay humble, which helps him train hard. Devon credits his family and Don King for helping him stay on track in life and boxing.
Alexander says his team gave him multiple plans depending on what Witter was going to do. He claims he was not surprised that Witter quit. We don't hear from Junior, who has gone back to his locker room to get checked out by the doctor.
Posted by The Franchise
Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein are on hand to preview the main event and discuss the sad murder of Vernon Forrest. There's a nice piece on Forrest's work outside the ring and a moment of silence and ringing of the bell for The Viper.
Fans are definitely still showing up, but we're about ready for the co-feature. Witter comes out first, and Johnson says the 35-year old from the U.K. knows this may be one of his last big chances. He is 37-2-2, with his most recent loss coming to Bradley in May 2008.
Alexander reps his hometown with a St. Louis Cardinals hat as he enters to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight." The 22-year old southpaw is 18-0 with 11 KOs. Cory Spinks is on hand to lend his support.
This fight is for the vacant WBC super lightweight title that Witter lost to Bradley, who subsequently had to drop it. The tale of the tape shows that the two men are almost even in height and weight, but Alexander has an edge in reach that may be a factor.
Jimmy Lennon Jr. handles the fighter introductions and we are ready to go, scheduled for 12 rounds.
Round 1
Bernstein wonders if Witter will fight orthodox or southpaw, and he comes out right-handed. He shoots a few rights to the body, as does Devon with some lefts. Both men pawing with jabs. Witter loses his balance swinging and tumbles down, and he hops up and switches stances a few times. There's some hugging as they try to work inside. Witter has his hands down as he circles. They wrestle along the ropes as the ref warns them. Ugly first round, which isn't a shock with Junior in there.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 2
Left hand lead by Witter and Alexander tries the body. Devon gets another body shot and a hook in there. Witter is bleeding slightly from the mouth as he swings wildly. He switches southpaw as Alexander jabs forward. They tie up several times and the ref is busy. Both men connect and Witter's left is sharper. Junior is able to duck under a bunch of Devon's shots. Witter gets clocked by a right hook in close in the last 10 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 3
Alexander scores with a right and the counter right smacks him back. He tries to press forward and they tie up. Almost every exchange ends up with the fighters grabbing each other. Witter tries some inside body work. He gets caught with a short right and some blood is coming from near his right eye. One-two by Alexander ends with a sharp right hook to the head. Witter is jumping in and only getting off single shots. They hold again at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 4
Nice counter by Witter and he switches southpaw. Both fighters work the jab, but Alexander backs his man into the corner. Big uppercut misses from Witter. Left hook by Witter catches Devon. Jabs are scoring in both directions. Now Witter is orthodox again. Double left hands by Alexander, but no huge punches landed in that frame.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 5
They talk to Spinks between rounds. Witter dodges some early fire and there's more wrestling. Junior switches to righty trying to set up uppercuts. Witter gets caught by a left coming in and has to hold on to Alexander to stay upright. Devon looks for the kill but Witter is crafty. He tries his own big left hand and grabs again. Good round for Devon.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 6
Replay shows Witter got tagged while throwing one of his crazy wide punches. Devon punches out of a clinch and snaps his jab. Witter dodges a big left and ties up. Witter fires a right to the body. Left by Witter as he comes in again. Short right hand by Alexander. Several exchanges are pretty even, and Devon continues to stalk. Right by Alexander is answered, but a left catches Witter right at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 7
Alexander throws a combo and backs away from the counter. His jab is really looking good right now. A left just misses and chases Witter back, but he comes back with a body shot. Glancing left hand from Devon as the crowd starts to get a bit restless. Left hand by Witter is answered by a jab. Alexander flurries at the end of a close round.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 8
There's a short delay for some reason to start this round. Right hook by Devon. He lands a left that crashed in on the side of Witter's head. Two right hands by Alexander lead to another warning from the ref about wrestling. The ref also lectures Witter about holding. Alexander walks into a left hand upstairs. Alexander peppers Witter with a series of quick punches in close. Body shot by Witter gets a response from Alexander.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Before Round 9 can begin, Witter decides he's had enough. It's kind of surprising because he didn't look like he was taking a tremendous amount of abuse, but the fight is over. The replay from the corner makes it sound like it was Witter's corner who suggested he was done, but it's not 100 percent clear.
The winner by TKO at the end of Round 8... and new WBC super lightweight titleholder... Devon Alexander "The Great."
Jim Gray gets a few words with Alexander, who is choked up after his victory. He says his dad told him to stay humble, which helps him train hard. Devon credits his family and Don King for helping him stay on track in life and boxing.
Alexander says his team gave him multiple plans depending on what Witter was going to do. He claims he was not surprised that Witter quit. We don't hear from Junior, who has gone back to his locker room to get checked out by the doctor.
Posted by The Franchise
Bradley-Campbell and Witter-Alexander: Live Round By Round Updates Tonight
It seems like forever since we've had a chance to watch a good card on a Saturday night, but the wait is over tonight thanks to a pair of youth-versus-experience bouts on Showtime. Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell square off for Bradley's WBO 140-pound belt in the main event, while Devon Alexander steps up to take on Junior Witter in the co-feature.
If you can't watch the fights tonight, no worries. Simply bookmark our main page and follow along with live round by round updates from myself and Spartan117.
The action is scheduled to begin shortly after 9 pm Eastern time tonight. See you there... er, here.
Posted by The Franchise
If you can't watch the fights tonight, no worries. Simply bookmark our main page and follow along with live round by round updates from myself and Spartan117.
The action is scheduled to begin shortly after 9 pm Eastern time tonight. See you there... er, here.
Posted by The Franchise
31.7.09
Julio Diaz vs. Victor Cayo: Friday Night Fights Round By Round
It's time for the main event from the Seminole Hard Rock, with former lightweight titleholder Julio Diaz taking on undefeated Victor Cayo. It will be a step up in weight for Diaz, who was knocked out by Rolando Reyes in April.
Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Cayo is 22-0 with 15 KOs. He is making just his second appearance in the U.S.
Teddy Atlas discusses the fact that Cayo has never been into deep waters with someone like Diaz. He thinks Julio should box and counter, while Victor will look to drag his foe inside to set up his favorite punch, the uppercut.
We're scheduled for 10 rounds and the fight is on.
Round 1
Diaz shows early movement while Cayo works his jab. Cayo has his hands a bit low most of the time. Diaz tries to figure out a way inside Cayo's long arms. Right hand by Diaz starts off a short exchange. Left hook by Diaz coming in. Nice right by Cayo in response. He shows quick hands with a two-punch combo. Cayo touches his man with quick shots as Diaz goes to the body. Close first round.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 2
Cayo is giving Diaz a little trouble with his hand speed. Diaz shows patience setting up his right hand. Both men land in close. They fight pretty evenly in the center of the ring. Diaz lands a counter hook as he's getting hit. Cayo lands the last few nice punches of the round.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 3
Cayo is landing right hands over Julio's left. They tie up for the first time and the ref lets them work out. Both men switch stances and try some southpaw. Cayo's hands are low but Diaz is not taking advantage. Nothing much but jabs landing right now. Cayo jumps in with an uppercut as they switch stances again. Diaz keeps up his body work in the closing seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Diaz
Round 4
Body and head combo by Cayo, but Diaz fires right back. Left hooks by Diaz but Cayo comes charging forward. Cayo lands the right upstairs, but Diaz scores with a lepaing left hook. Diaz ducks his way in and shoves Cayo down to the mat. Julio has found something with the left hook. Cayo gets back to his right before the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Diaz
Round 5
Cayo gets off first in this frame. Nice right hand lands and he hops back out of danger. Diaz fires a right hand and ties up. They move in close and both try to work. The ref has to stay busy as they tie up several times. Cayo throws more rights and tries to load up uppercuts. Cayo holds his own on the inside.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 6
Diaz backs up to stay out of range. Both men land as the range closes again. Cayo flurries along the ropes and Diaz has to hold. Diaz goes downstairs but eats more shots to the head. Diaz walks in punching and Cayo responds with both hands. Nice exchange again as Diaz tries to bull his way inside. They trade at the bell, and Cayo probably took that round by throwing and landing more punches.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 7
Diaz starts out faster this round. There's more punching and wrestling at close range. Both men dig in and trade punches. Diaz lets his hands go to the head and body. Diaz leans on his foe and takes several punches to the head. Left hook by Cayo and he avoids the return fire. Tight round.
Franchise: 10-9 Diaz
Round 8
Diaz hunts but can't trap Cayo along the ropes. Cayo potshots with his jab from range. He's being very evasive right now and timing his punches well. Diaz swings and misses with a few big hooks. Jabs both ways as Julio tries to get untracked. Nice left in the midst of an exchange makes Diaz stumble a bit.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 9
Cayo waves his man in as they launch another exchange. Cayo easily jumps back away from more left hooks. He switches southpaw and then back again. Diaz takes a few punches leaning in. Now Diaz opens up, mostly to the body. Cayo comes right back with clubbing right hands. There's some nice work from both fighters as they stand toe to toe.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 10
Three minutes to go, and Diaz needs to dig deep. Not much subtlety as they seem willing to stand and bang. Diaz lands a few downstairs and one to the chin. Cayo is undeterred and comes right back. Diaz works the body again. Neither man is fading and Cayo is still flashing the quick hands. They fight to the bell and it will be in the hands of the judges.
Franchise: 10-9 Diaz
Franchise: 96-94 Cayo
The judges score it 97-93, 96-94 and 98-92, all to the winner by unanimous decision, Victor Manuel Cayo.
Posted by The Franchise
Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Cayo is 22-0 with 15 KOs. He is making just his second appearance in the U.S.
Teddy Atlas discusses the fact that Cayo has never been into deep waters with someone like Diaz. He thinks Julio should box and counter, while Victor will look to drag his foe inside to set up his favorite punch, the uppercut.
We're scheduled for 10 rounds and the fight is on.
Round 1
Diaz shows early movement while Cayo works his jab. Cayo has his hands a bit low most of the time. Diaz tries to figure out a way inside Cayo's long arms. Right hand by Diaz starts off a short exchange. Left hook by Diaz coming in. Nice right by Cayo in response. He shows quick hands with a two-punch combo. Cayo touches his man with quick shots as Diaz goes to the body. Close first round.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 2
Cayo is giving Diaz a little trouble with his hand speed. Diaz shows patience setting up his right hand. Both men land in close. They fight pretty evenly in the center of the ring. Diaz lands a counter hook as he's getting hit. Cayo lands the last few nice punches of the round.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 3
Cayo is landing right hands over Julio's left. They tie up for the first time and the ref lets them work out. Both men switch stances and try some southpaw. Cayo's hands are low but Diaz is not taking advantage. Nothing much but jabs landing right now. Cayo jumps in with an uppercut as they switch stances again. Diaz keeps up his body work in the closing seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Diaz
Round 4
Body and head combo by Cayo, but Diaz fires right back. Left hooks by Diaz but Cayo comes charging forward. Cayo lands the right upstairs, but Diaz scores with a lepaing left hook. Diaz ducks his way in and shoves Cayo down to the mat. Julio has found something with the left hook. Cayo gets back to his right before the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Diaz
Round 5
Cayo gets off first in this frame. Nice right hand lands and he hops back out of danger. Diaz fires a right hand and ties up. They move in close and both try to work. The ref has to stay busy as they tie up several times. Cayo throws more rights and tries to load up uppercuts. Cayo holds his own on the inside.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 6
Diaz backs up to stay out of range. Both men land as the range closes again. Cayo flurries along the ropes and Diaz has to hold. Diaz goes downstairs but eats more shots to the head. Diaz walks in punching and Cayo responds with both hands. Nice exchange again as Diaz tries to bull his way inside. They trade at the bell, and Cayo probably took that round by throwing and landing more punches.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 7
Diaz starts out faster this round. There's more punching and wrestling at close range. Both men dig in and trade punches. Diaz lets his hands go to the head and body. Diaz leans on his foe and takes several punches to the head. Left hook by Cayo and he avoids the return fire. Tight round.
Franchise: 10-9 Diaz
Round 8
Diaz hunts but can't trap Cayo along the ropes. Cayo potshots with his jab from range. He's being very evasive right now and timing his punches well. Diaz swings and misses with a few big hooks. Jabs both ways as Julio tries to get untracked. Nice left in the midst of an exchange makes Diaz stumble a bit.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 9
Cayo waves his man in as they launch another exchange. Cayo easily jumps back away from more left hooks. He switches southpaw and then back again. Diaz takes a few punches leaning in. Now Diaz opens up, mostly to the body. Cayo comes right back with clubbing right hands. There's some nice work from both fighters as they stand toe to toe.
Franchise: 10-9 Cayo
Round 10
Three minutes to go, and Diaz needs to dig deep. Not much subtlety as they seem willing to stand and bang. Diaz lands a few downstairs and one to the chin. Cayo is undeterred and comes right back. Diaz works the body again. Neither man is fading and Cayo is still flashing the quick hands. They fight to the bell and it will be in the hands of the judges.
Franchise: 10-9 Diaz
Franchise: 96-94 Cayo
The judges score it 97-93, 96-94 and 98-92, all to the winner by unanimous decision, Victor Manuel Cayo.
Posted by The Franchise
Friday Night Fights Report - July 31, 2009
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida is the site for tonight's edition of Friday Night Fights. Julio Diaz is in tonight's main event, trying to get past unbeaten Victor Cayo.
Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas discuss the youth versus experience angle of tonight's main event. Atlas says there are a lot of questions that will be answered, drawing an analogy to "Let's Make a Deal."
Brian Kenny is in the studio with "Fast" Eddie Chambers. The young heavyweight is 35-1 and seems comfortable as a guest analyst. Chambers has fought Derric Rossy, who will be in action tonight.
Our first fight is between Derric Rossy and Carl Davis Drumond at heavyweight. Rossy is 21-2 with 12 KOs, and he's a former Boston College defensive lineman. Drumond is 26-1 but has fought most of his career in Costa Rica. This is scheduled for 10 rounds.
The fight starts slowly and tentatively for both men. Rossy was a late replacement for Chazz Witherspoon, but he seemed anxious for the opportunity.
Rossy finally starts to land the right hand in Round 3. Atlas is pointing out Rossy's holes on defense, but Drumond is definitely not making him pay. Chambers likes what he's seen of Rossy's development, and it would not be a surprise if he's swept the first five rounds on the scorecards.
Drumond goes five rounds in a row landing only single digit punches, so unless something surprising happens, Rossy should cruise to a victory. Drumond shows some spark at the end of Round 8, but Rossy comes back and rocks him with an uppercut midway through the ninth.
Nothing dramatic happens down the stretch, and we go to the scorecards. The judges all score it 99-91, and Rossy wins by unanimous decision.
Back in the studio, BK goes over the latest on Arturo Gatti. Brazilian police have ruled Gatti's death a suicide and released his wife, but the boxer's family has exhumed his body and brought it back to Montreal for a second autopsy.
In other sad news, Kenny discusses the death of Vernon Forrest. The latest police info suggests that Forrest was shot in the back after confronting one of the men attempting to carjack him in Atlanta. They play back highlights of Forrest's big victories over Shane Mosley and his equally big losses to Ricardo Mayorga.
Chambers echoes the thoughts of many by saying that Forrest was a really nice guy and well-liked in his community. Atlas says Forrest had plenty of talent but was even more special because of his character.
Mosley joins the show by phone and says he was in disbelief about Vernon's death. Sugar Shane calls The Viper an all-around great guy and discusses what a tough competitor he was in the ring. In Florida, there is an in-ring moment of silence and ringing of the bell for Forrest and trainer Rudy Pena.
Posted by The Franchise
Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas discuss the youth versus experience angle of tonight's main event. Atlas says there are a lot of questions that will be answered, drawing an analogy to "Let's Make a Deal."
Brian Kenny is in the studio with "Fast" Eddie Chambers. The young heavyweight is 35-1 and seems comfortable as a guest analyst. Chambers has fought Derric Rossy, who will be in action tonight.
Our first fight is between Derric Rossy and Carl Davis Drumond at heavyweight. Rossy is 21-2 with 12 KOs, and he's a former Boston College defensive lineman. Drumond is 26-1 but has fought most of his career in Costa Rica. This is scheduled for 10 rounds.
The fight starts slowly and tentatively for both men. Rossy was a late replacement for Chazz Witherspoon, but he seemed anxious for the opportunity.
Rossy finally starts to land the right hand in Round 3. Atlas is pointing out Rossy's holes on defense, but Drumond is definitely not making him pay. Chambers likes what he's seen of Rossy's development, and it would not be a surprise if he's swept the first five rounds on the scorecards.
Drumond goes five rounds in a row landing only single digit punches, so unless something surprising happens, Rossy should cruise to a victory. Drumond shows some spark at the end of Round 8, but Rossy comes back and rocks him with an uppercut midway through the ninth.
Nothing dramatic happens down the stretch, and we go to the scorecards. The judges all score it 99-91, and Rossy wins by unanimous decision.
Back in the studio, BK goes over the latest on Arturo Gatti. Brazilian police have ruled Gatti's death a suicide and released his wife, but the boxer's family has exhumed his body and brought it back to Montreal for a second autopsy.
In other sad news, Kenny discusses the death of Vernon Forrest. The latest police info suggests that Forrest was shot in the back after confronting one of the men attempting to carjack him in Atlanta. They play back highlights of Forrest's big victories over Shane Mosley and his equally big losses to Ricardo Mayorga.
Chambers echoes the thoughts of many by saying that Forrest was a really nice guy and well-liked in his community. Atlas says Forrest had plenty of talent but was even more special because of his character.
Mosley joins the show by phone and says he was in disbelief about Vernon's death. Sugar Shane calls The Viper an all-around great guy and discusses what a tough competitor he was in the ring. In Florida, there is an in-ring moment of silence and ringing of the bell for Forrest and trainer Rudy Pena.
Posted by The Franchise
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