Recap: Pacquiao-Hatton 24/7, Episode 1

The new season of 24/7 begins with a look at Manny Pacquiao's upbringing amidst the poverty of General Santos City in the Phillipines. We flash forward to Pacman's most recent victory over Oscar De La Hoya, and trainer Freddie Roach explains why he was so sure his charge would win.

The scene quickly switches to Manchester, the home of Ricky Hatton. A flashback to 2007 shows Hatton riding high before his fight with Floyd Mayweather, where as we know, he didn't fare too well. He uses the word "devastated" to describe how he felt after losing, and his family and countrymen took it hard as well.

Back in the Phillipines, we see the reaction of his fans to his last win. We see the christening of his baby, which like every Pacquiao-related event, was a huge deal - complete with 48 godparents.

The first training footage shows Manny at Roach's Wild Card Boxing Gym. Former heavyweight champ Michael Moorer is there too, giving advice. Hatton and former trainer Billy Graham talk a bit about their relationship and why Ricky felt the need to make a change.

The entertainment value immediately picks up as we hear from Hatton's new trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr. He makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he thinks he's the greatest trainer ever, and he's anxious for the world to see how Hatton is continuing to improve.

More detail is shown of Moorer's role in Pacquiao's training camp, which looks to be pretty large. Why add another person to the mix? Roach admits that he was spreading himself too thin, especially with other fighters to train and Parkinson's disease to battle.

Freddie also says he has to close the gym for a few hours a day because Pacquiao is so popular. Manny also looks like he hasn't been taking it easy on his sparring partners.

Hatton and Mayweather travel from England to Las Vegas to finish his training. Floyd says his goal is to keep Ricky's aggressiveness and tenacity but teach him defense and evasiveness.

On the personal side, Ricky and Floyd have had to adjust to each other's personalities and senses of humor. Mayweather has a little rhyme for Pacquiao too.

We see some scenes from the press tour for the fight, including the fighters playing darts in an English pub. The episode ends with dramatic training montages for both men.

Posted by The Franchise

Williams-Wright and Arreola-McCline Live Round By Round Updates Tonight

It's Easter weekend, so you know what that means: boxing!

Okay, so there's no connection that I know of between Easter and the sweet science, but there is actually an intriguing card on HBO tonight. Two much-avoided lefties do battle when Paul Williams meets Winky Wright, preceded by a heavyweight clash between Chris Arreola and Jameel McCline.

If your holiday plans keep you from getting to an HBO-equipped television, Spartan117 and I will be doing live round by round updates. Look for new posts out on the main page beginning shortly after 10 pm Eastern time.

If we get a chance, we'll also recap the first episode of the always excellent 24/7, which debuts tonight with a look at the preparations of Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton.

Posted by The Franchise

Floyd Mayweather Re-emerges in the Mainstream

Floyd "Money" Mayweather has landed a commercial spot with a major and unexpected company, AT&T. In the commercial, Floyd doesn't get to have any lines, but he is featured throughout the entire commercial without a shirt on, and looks to be in as great a shape as ever.

In the commercial, your typically dorky-looking middle-aged man in a suit is next to Floyd in the ring. He introduces Floyd as "Floyd Money Mayweather" and says something about his fast hands and being undefeated, if I remember correctly. But the man is going to take Floyd on in a speed competition using laptops, and even with Floyd's hand speed, the man wins because he has an AT&T 3G network card that makes his laptop faster. During the commerical Floyd attempts to tap away on his computer quickly, but it is to no avail.

So I consider this to be a pretty good commerical for Floyd. It is with a major company, and the product has nothing to do with sports, which makes it even better. I would have liked Floyd to have some lines and to show his personality, but it's still nice to have this kind of exposure at all.

Posted by uatu

Predictons: Williams-Wright and Arreola-McCline

The Franchise says...

I hate picking against Winky Wright. I've done it before and felt like a dope later, as Winky's style, defense and height added up to frustrate another opponent.

Still, there's reason to think things will be more than a little different on Saturday night when he faces fellow southpaw Paul Williams. The Punisher throws a never-ending stream of punches, he packs a harder wallop than he's given credit for and - this may be the most important part - he's even taller and lankier than Winky.

He's also younger than Wright by more than a decade, and he's stayed busy by fighting four times in 2008. By contrast, we started this blog in November of 2007... and you still need to go back another four months to find the last time Winky stepped in the ring.

The one thing I could see tripping Williams up is overconfidence, as he's had a pretty easy go of it since avenging a loss to Carlos Quintana last June. If he sees Wright as a difficult puzzle to solve, I think he's got enough tools to do it.

Maybe. At least I feel good enough to pick Williams to come away with the unanimous decision.

On the undercard, people are so desperate for a bright young American heavyweight prospect to come along that they are willing to back one who pretty much admits he often prefers eating to training.

I've been wondering if there's a night when that attitude would catch up with Chris Arreola, and Saturday could be it. If he takes Jameel McCline too lightly, his undefeated record and his buzz could both vanish.

And yet this is exactly the kind of fight that Arreola needs to win if he's exepcted to be taken seriously in the division. McCline is a good but not great fighter, and a big step up from the competititon in Arreola's previous two outings.

Maybe this is blind faith, but I'm looking for Arreola to at least partially step up to the challenge. I think there may be some rough patches but Arreola will emerge with a mid-round KO.

Posted by The Franchise

Spartan117 says...

I have been looking forward to tonight's fight since it was announced months ago.  I'm a fan of Williams' style, technique and personality.  Winky has been enjoyable to watch too even though most of the boxing community may disagree with me.  Winky has personality and some up-and-comers could learn from him in that department.

Although I like watching Winky, he has been known to slack off between fights.  Now he fights tonight in the first time in almost 2 years.  I can't see him being in top form tonight.  He loves Krispy Kream Donuts and he loves Dominos Pizza.  I'm sure he enjoyed a lot of both of those foods during his time off.  

Williams fought 4 times last year.  He'll be in better shape and has more natural punching power.  I see Winky suffering from serious ring rust and Williams taking advantage.  I predict Williams catching Winky in the mid to late rounds.  Williams by mid to late round KO.

BoxingWatchers.com Boxer Power Rankings - April 2009

Yes, these are a little late this month. I apologize, as I was on assignment covering an event where people just pretend to punch each other in the face, and the other BoxingWatchers don't know the secret formula that drives the rankings - and if Uatu did, he would certainly have it destroyed because of its love for David Haye!

We've been doing these long enough now that I don't need to explain how this is NOT a pound-for-pound list, how it measures the success of boxers over the past three years while rewarding activity and decisive victories, blah, blah, blah. If you're new here, maybe this will help.

And so the quest for the mythical perfect score of 36 continues. Here goes nothing...

1. Arthur Abraham - 23.73 - I didn't really know who LaJuan Simon was, but bravo for beating him, I guess. Now please sign to fight Kelly Pavlik. Thanks.

2. Wladimir Klitschko - 20.02 - Finally got the deal done to face Haye this summer, at which point Haye immediately started running his mouth. It's not good to make Dr. Steelhammer angry. Or maybe it is, we'll see.

3. Celestino Caballero - 19.38 - I'm not making any accusations, but one wonders what kind of shake Jeffrey Mathebula will get from the judges when he takes on Caballero in his native Panama at the end of the month.

4. Kelly Pavlik - 18.13 - Read the last two sentences I wrote for # 1 above and simply replace the words "Kelly Pavlik" with "Arthur Abraham."

5. David Haye - 17.00 - We'll see what he does with the shot he really wanted against Klitschko. More than just about any other boxer, he has spectacular boom or bust potential in 2009.

6. Manny Pacquiao - 15.94 - According to Manny, only God knows who will win on May 2 when he fights Ricky Hatton. Okay, but I suspect it will be the Pacman.

7. Paul Williams - 15.66 - When you have two guys no one supposedly wants to fight, they will find each other eventually. At least that's what's happening this Saturday when The Punisher squares off with Winky Wright.

8. Juan Manuel Marquez - 15.46 - Waiting on the announcement of JMM's next fight (Mayweather?). BoxRec.com now has him second pound-for-pound, behind only Bernard Hopkins.

9. Vic Darchinyan - 14.46 - And speaking of the BoxRec.com rankings, this man is number three overall. That seems a bit high, but I know I wouldn't want to fight the Raging Bull right now.

10. Miguel Cotto - 14.34 - Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports says his blow up with uncle and (former) trainer Evangelista Cotto won't affect him. He'd better hope not, because Joshua Clottey is no pushover.

The next 7: Andre Berto, Nonito Donaire, Chris John, Chad Dawson, Tomasz Adamek, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton

Posted by The Franchise

Report: Fists, Bricks Fly Between Miguel Cotto, Uncle

A top boxer made the news late yesterday, but not for something good.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports is just one person reporting that Miguel Cotto got into an altercation with trainer Evangelista Cotto that started after Miguel fired his uncle. Highlights include Evangelista punching his nephew (a gutsy move there) and chucking a brick through the window of his new Jaguar.

Ouch.

Apparently a statement is coming from the Top Rank camp later today. Iole surmises that the issue that started it all may have been Miguel's desire to train in Florida for his upcoming fight with Joshua Clottey.

We'll have to see if this actually turns out to be something or just passes over once cooler heads prevail. It's pretty common for family members to fall out with each other in boxing (see Mayweathers, Mosleys, etc.), but good luck trying to figure out which of those disagreements end with people not speaking to each other for years.

It is kind of strange timing for something like this, though. Some tension after Miguel's loss to Antonio Margarito could have been expected, but he looked good in his last fight, albeit against some weak competition.

Posted by The Franchise

Ward Gets Big Challenge Against Miranda

Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward will have a chance to prove himself in the super middleweight division next month when he will face his toughest opponent yet, Edison Miranda. According to ESPN, Ward signed on for a bout with the hard-punching Miranda set for May 16.

This is a good fight for Ward, who has had a slow climb since he turned professional due to a knee injury early in his career. Miranda is coming off of a knockout win against lesser-known opponent Joey Vargas.

The fight, which will take place in Ward's hometown of Oakland, California, has been picked up by Showtime and will be featured on their "ShoBox: The New Generation" program.

This is a great fight for Ward. Miranda is a decent name in the super middleweight division due to his power combined with his mouth. It's a safe bet that Miranda will start the trash talk any day now.

This will be an important fight for both fighters, with Ward on the rise and Miranda struggling to establish himself as an elite competitor after losses to Kelly Pavlik and Arther Abraham (twice).

If you can't catch the broadcast on Showtime, remember that we will have round by round coverage right here on May 16.

Posted by spartan117

Bradley v. Holt: Round by Round

Now for the main event.  The fighters are making their way to the ring.  Timothy Bradley vs. Kendall Holt is at 140 pounds and is for the WBC title.  Bradley makes his way to the ring first.  Holt follows with New York Giant running back Brandon Jacobs.  Both fighters are young Bradley being 25 and Holt 27.  

Holt is 25-2 with 13 KOs.  Bradley, the champ, is 23-0 with 11 KOs.  This is Bradley's second title defense.

Round 1

Holt gets in Bradley's face before the bell during the rules.  Holt yells at Bradley and says it's his belt.  Holt asks "wanna see this heart?" That should make for an interesting first round.  Bradley starts off first with a good jab.  He follows up with a good combo and gets Holt against the ropes.  Holt laughs.  Both fighters get tangled and tie up.  Holt lands a right hook.  Bradley gets Holt against the ropes and goes to the body.  Holt counters with 2 hooks to the head.  Both fighters are showing fast hands.  Bradley gets inside and Holt ties up.  Holt absolutely rocks Bradley with a left hook and Bradley goes down hard.  Bradley makes it up but takes a knee in the corner.  Bradley ties up to hold on.  Bradley has his legs back.  I'm surprised Bradley made it up.  It looked like a hard knock down.

Spartan117: 10-8 Holt

Uatu: 10-8 Holt

Round 2

They showed Brandon Jacobs reaction of the knock down and he went nuts.  Holt is pressing Bradley but not getting carried away.  Holt lands a left hook while against the ropes.  Bradley throws a big combo to the body.  Bradley throws a big left uppercut but misses.  Holt throws a right hook to the body.  Both fighters are exchanging fast combos.  Bradley lands a double jab to the body.  Holt lowers his hands below his waist.  Bradley is working harder in this round.  He lands 2 great combos to the body and evades Holt's hooks. 

Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley

Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 3

Bradley lands a nice left hand.  Bradley backs holt up in the corner and lands 2 shots to the body.  Bradley is clearly the busier fighter now.  There has been a lot of exchanges but also a lot of clinching.  Holt lands a left to the body.  They trade punches in the corner.  Bradley puts on the pressure.  Bradley lands a stiff jab.  Holt is less active.  Bradley lands a left hook to the body.  Bradley is using great movement to get out of the way of Holt's right hand.

Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley

Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 4

Bradley lands a triple jab followed with a right straight.  Bradley is still the aggressor.  Holt complains of a headbutt.  Holt swings and misses with a right hook.  Holt lands a great, stiff jab.  Bradley loads up the body shot.  Bradley lands another body combo and Holt comes back with a right hand upstairs.  Bradley gets Holt against the ropes again and lands hooks to the body plus 1 to the head.  Holt complains of another headbutt.  A cut has opened over Holt's right eye.

Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley

Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 5

The ref tells the fighters to watch their heads.  Bradley has been doing a lot of damage while inside.  We aren't sure if the cut was opened by a punch or a headbutt.  Holt keeps complaining of headbutts.  Holt retaliates with 2 shots slightly low.  The ref didn't notice.  Bradley is still backing Holt down.  Bradley throws a double left hook that Holt blocks well.  Bradley throws a lunging uppercut that may have made it through the defenses of Holt.  

Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley

Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 6

Holt goes back to the jab.  Now the fighters exchange huge combos.  Holt is barely missing with his power punches.  Holt isn't throwing many jabs which isn't working to his advantage.  Bradley goes back to the body and Holt ties up.  Holt throws a 6 punch combo to the body.  Bradley gets Holt agaisnt the ropes and Holt takes some leather.  Bradley lands 2 shots to the body and one upstairs.  Now Holt gets two punches in the Bradley's head.  Bradley is out-working Holt.  Bradley gets a warning for low punches.  That's his second warning.  

Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley

Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 7

They trade jabs to start the round.  Bradley lands a good combo while Holt is against the ropes and Holt talks some trash as the get broken up.  Holt throws some big shots and Bradley fights back.  Bradley lands 2 huge body shots and it may have hurt Holt.  Holt guards his body big time.  Holt is really backing up.  Holt is in trouble.  He's exclusively gaurding his body.  Holt back against the ropes while Bradley rocks him with rights and lefts.  Holt looks very cautious.  Bradley fights before the bell rings.  Great round for Bradley.

Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley

Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 8

Bradley goes back to the jab.  Holt lands  good left hook.  Bradley lands a huge left hook to the body after a Holt combo.  Bradley gets Holt against the ropes and unleashes a lightning fast combo the the head and body.  Holt is on the defensive now and throwing significantly less.  Bradley lands a good straight right hand.  The ref gives Holt a breather from a low punch from Bradley.  He doesn't deduct a point.  Holt slips when they come back to the action.  He looks a little tired.  Those body shots are really adding up.

Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley

Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 9

Bradley lands a left-right hook combo as Holt comes in.  Holt backs off.  Holt lands a great counter uppercut but Bradley walks through it.  Holt throws the jab and lands a big right hand.  They clash heads as they both come in and both back off and hold their head.  Again no points get deducted.  Now Holt comes forward and lands a right to the body.  Bradley ducks a right hook.  This has been a better round for Holt.

Spartan117: 10-9 Holt

Uatu: 10-9 Holt

Round 10

Holt throws and lands a hook to the body and one to the head.  Less punches are being thrown by both.  Now they trade a lot of punches in the center.  I counted at least 7 from both fighter.  Bradley lands a left hook to the body and backs Holt up.  Holt gets turned around and Bradley lands a punch to the back of the head and the back of the body.  The ref gives Holt some time to recover.  No point deduction.  Bradley gets busy in the last minute.  Holt lands a great left to the body and knocks Bradley way back before the bell.

Spartan117: 10-9 Holt

Uatu: 10-9 Holt

Round 11

Now Holt comes forward, seeming to understand that he is behind on the cards.  They exchange combos.  Holt lands 2 hooks upstairs.  Bradley chases Holt around the ring as Holt backpeddles and turns around.  Bradley lands a stiff right hand.  Holt is really backing up.  Holt slows the punch output.  Now he goes back to the jab.  Bradley sneaks in a left hook.  Holt lands a right hook to end the round.  I still give the round to Bradley.

Spartan117: 10-9 Bradley

Uatu: 10-9 Bradley

Round 12

Holt goes to the body to start the round.  Holt is the aggressor now.  He lands a good left hook and slows Bradley.  Now Holt isn't punching.  He really needs this round.  Bradley comes forward now and lands a right hand.  Holt lands a left-right combo.  Holt's corner is telling him to come forward and he's not doing it.  Bradley lands 4 punches to the body.  Now Holt lands 2 shots above the beltline.  Holt lands an uppercut and it looked like Bradley slipped and his glove touches the canvas. The ref calls it a knockdown!  Bradley is fine and makes it up but doesn't complain that it was a slip.  It may have hurt him.  That will certainly make the fight closer.

Spartan117: 10-8 Holt

Uatu: 10-8 Holt

Judge 1 scores it 114-112. Judge 2 and 3 score it 115-111 all for the winner by unanimous decision....Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley

Spartan117: 114-112 Bradley

Uatu: 114-112 Bradley

In the post-fight interview Bradley is very emotional.  He thanks God for everything and says he is truly blessed. He credits Holt for being a strong puncher but says that he trained hard and didn't cut corners which paved the way for his victory.  

In Holt's interview he says he's disappointed in himself.  He says he let his fans and corner down by giving away the middle rounds by not being busy.  Holt says he wants a rematch. 

Posted by spartan117

Tsypko v. Andrade: Round by Round

The undercard for tonight's Bradley vs. Holt main event title fight is between Vitali Tsypko and Librado Andrade at super middleweight.  Andrade is 27-2 with 21 KOs and Tsypko is 22-2 with 12 KOs.  The crowd is almost completely on Andrade's side and welcomed Tsypko with a chorus of boos.   

Round 1

The Showtime commentary says that Tsypko is coming off of a 11 month layoff.  Tsypko tries to keep Andrade back with his jab.  Andrade measures up his right hand.  Andrade goes for a hook to the body.  Not much going on in this round.  I heard a few boos from the Canadian crowd.  Andrade is trying to work the body.  He throws a combo that Tsypko blocks.  Tyspko counters with a jab.  Andrade throws a combo with some uppercuts and misses them all. 

Spartan117: 10-9 Andrade

Uatu: 10-9 Andrade

Round 2

Andrade looks like he only needed one round to get adjusted because he comes out throwing all kinds of punches and lands one great right hook and Tsypko goes down.  He makes it up well before the 10 count.  Tsypko looks more cautious now.  Andrade looks like he wants to end this.  Tsypko isn't going up though who has landed some nice straight lefts.  Andrade pumps the breaks and lets off of Tsypko for a bit and gets back to his technique.  Andrade is landing some great right hands in the last 20 seconds.  Good round for Andrade.

Spartan117: 10-8 Andrade

Uatu: 10-8 Andrade

Round 3

Andrade is really loading up the right hand now.  Tsypko keeps backing up.  Andrade goes back to the jab.  Andrade lands a great left hook that twists the neck of Tsypko.  Tsypko is throwing only jabs.  Andrade lands two big right hands and Tsypko stumbles.  Tsypko hasn't given up yet, still throwing punches.  He is keeping his hands very low which may show that he's tired.  Tsypko is getting rocked in the last 30 seconds.  Another great round for Andrade.

Spartan117: 10-9 Andrade

Uatu:10-9 Andrade

Round 4

Showtime interviews Timothy Bradley in between the rounds.  Bradley says that Holt is definitely his toughest opponent and that this is the most important fight of his career so far.  Now we go back to the undercard fight.  Andrade tries to end this and loads up the right hand.  Tsypko lands a few good shot while Andrade is against the ropes.  Andrade comes back with a jab and right hand.  Andrade lands another right hand and misses with a left uppercut.  Andrade lands yet another right hand.  Tsypko lands a right-left combo. 

Spartan117: 10-9 Andrade

Uatu: 10-9 Andrade

Round 5

Andrade goes back to basics and takes the pressure off of Tyspko.  Tyspko lands a double jab and gets out of the way of a right hand.  Andrade isn't doing a whole lot in this round but he is still backing down Tsypko.  Now Andrade lands a left-right hook combo.  Andrade hits Tsypko with 2 more right hands.  Andrade turns up the punch output to end the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Andrade

Uatu: 10-9 Andrade

Round 6

Andrade misses with a hook after a jab.  Tsypko has the faster hands but he's just not doing anything.  Andrade has no reason to fear Tsypko's power either.  This has been a better round for Tsypko so far.  Andrade now lands a right hook and a left to the body.  Andrade lands 2 hooks on the inside and it looks like they may have hurt Tsypko.  This has been the closest round so far.  

Spartan117: 10-9 Tsypko

Uatu: 10-9 Tsypko

Round 7

Tsypko comes out and lands a double jab.  Andrade lands a short, sharp uppercut and Tsypko wobbles and goes down.  Tsypko looks to have his legs back after getting up.  Andrade is really trying to finish this.  Andrade lands a left hook and another straight left.  Tsypko ties up to stay on his feet.  1 minute is still left in the round.  Andrade lands a left uppercut and a double right hand.  Tsypko is still up.  Tsypko keeps tying up.  Tsypko keeps swinging away and shows some real heart.  He makes it out of the round.

Spartan117: 10-8 Andrade

Uatu: 10-8 Andrade

Round 8

Tsypko sticks with the jab and having a long reach has kept him in this fight.  Andrade is taking his time now.  He's not doing much of anything as of yet.  The ref stops the action to cut some tape off of Tsypko's glove.  Andrade lands 2 body shots while they tie up.  Andrade thows and lands 2 uppercuts on the inside.  Andrade swings for the fences for the last 30 seconds.  

Spartan117: 10-9 Andrade

Uatu: 10-9 Andrade

Round 9

Andrade should listen to his trainer and put more pressure on Tsypko.  It looks like he could've ended this fight by now.  He lands a right hook upstairs and a left to the body.  Lots of jabs being thrown by both men.  Andrade lands a left to the body.  Now a jab to the body and a right hand to the body.  Tsypko lands two jabs.  This has been another better round for Tsypko.  

Spartan117: 10-9 Tsypko

Uatu: 10-9 Tsypko

Round 10

Andrade hasn't let his hands go at all in the last few rounds.  Tsypko lands a right to the body.  Tsypko lands a right upstairs.  Andrade lands on of his own.  He lands another right hook upstairs.  Tsypko lands a right hook.  Andrade is trying to land a big right hand but Tsypko keeps backing up.  Tsypko is also tying up a lot.  This fight has really slowed down.  

Spartan117: 10-9 Andrade

Uatu: 10-9 Tsypko

Round 11

Andrade is trying to get inside but Tsypko keeps tying up.  Tsypko ties up again while against the ropes.  A cut opens over the left eye of Andrade.  Tsypko lands a left and right hook and tries to do more damage to the cut.  Andrade is barely doing anything.  His strategy is mind-boggling.  Now Andrade gets Tsypko against the ropes and lands some big shots.  Both fighters now let loose.  Both fighters thorow power punches.  Blood flows from Tsypko's nose.  

Spartan117: 10-9 Tsypko

Uatu: 10-9 Tsypko

Round 12

Andrade's cut is small.  His cutman has it completely stopped.  The crowd is really into the last round of this fight.  Tsypko lands a hook on the ear of Andrade.  Andrade keeps coming forward.  Andrade lands a left straight.  Andrade destroys Tsypko with 2 big right hands and Tsypko is very wobbly.  Andrade tries to end the fight.  Tsypko fights back and lands a left and right hand.  Tsypko is extremely shaky.  Tsypko's holds old again to stay alive.  Tsypko breaks and throws 2 more hooks.  Andrade looks tired too.  Both fighters exchange huge shots to end the fight.  

Spartan117: 10-9 Andrade

Uatu: 10-9 Andrade

Librado Andrade wins a unanimous decision.

Judge 1: 117-109 Andrade

Judge 2: 117-109 Andrade

Judge 3: 120-106 Andrade

Spartan117: 117-109 Andrade

Uatu: 116-110 Andrade

Posted by spartan117

Friday Night Fights: Figueroa vs. Bailey

ESPN2 is coming live outdoors from Memphis, Tennessee.

In the studio today, we have BJ Flores. Tecate on board as a new sponsor.

What type of shot does Flores give Haye?
He doesn't really answer.
He says that Haye is very elusive and he won't get hit with that jab all night.

First Fight:
Shawn Porter vs. Eloy Suarez in a 4 rounder.

Look, I get the point of bringing up fighters slowly. I get the point of wanting to get fighters exposure on TV. I get the point of not putting in certain fighters too tough before you know what you have. That being said, I get a little tired of these type of fights. As a viewer I don't learn a lot about the fighter in these type of fights. At least it is the opening fight on FNF and not on HBO or on a PPV undercard. There are only so many TV outlets, so, the fight makes sense in this context.

KO in round 1 for Porter.

Flores is picking Pacquiao.

In the studio they talk Holt-Bradley.
I love the custom Montreal Canadiens jerseys that Bradley and Holt got at the press conferences. Supporting the home sports team is always a great way for a pop like they do over in wrestling.

They show some footage and clips from the weigh-in. Holt is much taller than Bradley.

Mark Davis vs. Steve Gonzalez
Davis is 11-0.
only 4 ko's.

uh-oh, Gonzalez has taken the fight on 8 days notice. here we go again.

The fight is scheduled for 8 rounds.

already early props for Gonzalez. I was wrong about him, and he looks like he is here to fight.

Atlas agrees with me in a way. He says that fighters who have heavy amateur backgrounds don't need to be matched so softly on the way up. They already have that background to fall back on. Atlas is dead on with that point, and he would know better than I would.

Forgot to mention this fight is at 130 pounds. After two rounds the action is pretty decent.

Davis is looking sharp after 3. He is landing lots of power punches body and head.

On the crawl they are listing upcoming fights and I had forgotten that Williams-Wright is next week. There hasn't been a whole lot of hype around that fight among the boxing writers. Perhaps the schedule has been full enough to look elsewhere and the attention will begin on Monday. I, for one, am looking forward to the fight. I believe Williams will win, on volume, but Wright is so tough and crafty that he will make it hard for Williams or for anyone.

Gonzalez is hanging in there. He is getting hit with some powerful looking stuff. He hasn't won any rounds, but he is still trying. Atlas says Davis has no respect for Gonzalez's power. It would be hard to imagine a late KO from Gonzalez.

BJ believes that Atlas (and by extension, that I am) correct in the assessment that fighters with deep amateur backrounds need not be matched so softly on the way up.

There's discussion about that fact that Davis says he will fight Gamboa at anytime, any place immediately. I say, it's easy to call him out right now, because it's not going to happen. Maybe Davis could win, but there isn't enough money in it for Gamboa to do it I wouldn't think.

Fight's over, I think Davis pounded out an easy victory and won every round.

We are about ten minutes away from the main event.

I had the pleasure of watching Bailey in person at a Broadway Boxing card in August. Since there is no bad seat in B.B. King's, I got to watch the man go to work from mere feet in distance away. And I can say that this guy was hitting extremely hard. So Figueroa is going to have to be careful in there.

In studio they discuss Edwin Valero, BJ's last fight, and RJJ-Sheika.

They mention Kessler as a Jones opponent. I like Kessler in that one.

Now they turn their attention to mixed MMA cards. I like them both, I would watch them both at the same place and the same time. For some reason, the media seems very against the idea. I am not sure why. I think they have ulterior motives.

Clearly, with Lesnar's popularity, and now Lashley's, it cannot be denied that there is a the cross-over audience between wrestling and MMA. And I would bet my life's savings that if Anderson Silva fought Roy Jones tomorrow, people would buy the fight. And if Faber fought Mayweather, or GSP fought Mosley, people would be interested. Whatever. Either way, the discussion of MMA plus boxing or MMA versus boxing is getting old. Run them together, run them separately, who cares. And for people who argue it's like going to see two different sports at the same time, if the match up is good enough, I really would pay extra to see two different sports on the same night. If I could see the Final Four and the NFL playoffs for a combined ticket at the same venue at the same night, I would buy it. You don't think people would buy a ticket to see Cotto and the Yankees from Yankees Stadium?

Figueroa vs. Bailey

Round 1
Figueroa is a lefty. the fight is for 12 rounds. bailey is winging away early. figueroa is showing movement in and out. huge right from bailey and figueroa is down 45 seconds in! Frankie is up. big body shot from bailey. atlas says frankie cannot afford to go straight back. frankie seems to have his wits about him. it wasn't a flash knockdown but he isn't rocked. bailey is hitting with hard lefts hooks to the body. frankie gets his own left to the body. bailey tries the right again but misses.

Uatu: Bailey 10-8

Round 2
watching the replays, the right wasn't as huge as I had thought. Atlas says it really sort of glanced off the dome of frankie and wasn't perfectly flush. frankie almost went down from a shot to the back of the head. forgot to mention this was a fight at 140. frankie isn't in trouble per se, but it still looks like bailey could crack him at any second. and Figueroa turns the tide! Frankie scores a knockdown of his own! bailey gets up, but he is being forced to tie up. wow, very large and surprising momentum swing. frankie ducks down for lefts to the body. frankie is really the man coming forward now. he is measured though, they tie up if he gets too close.

Uatu: Figueroa 10-8

Round 3
the right hook began the fall, but atlas points out there was a left to the back of bailey's head that led to the knockdown. round 3 starts with some in-scrapping and grabbing. frankie trying the lead lefts and if he misses he ties up. bailey on his toes and jabbing. frankie getting a straight left in there. bailey catches frankie with a right, this is a close round. left from frankie. atlas gives us a great analogy about bad neighborhoods and what frankie needs to do to win.

Uatu: Figueroa 10-9

Round 4
headbutt stops the action early in the round. double jabs from frankie. randall got round 3 from atlas. nice exchange of punches. bailey not throwing a whole lot. left to the body from frankie. and there's the boom shot! Bailey clips figueroa! he is flat on his back and he is not getting up. that was some kind of shot. he is still down, and being tended to. atlas says bailey blinded figueroa with a throwaway jab and figueroa never saw the right coming. frankie is responding. now he is being helped up.

Figueroa is now sitting in his corner and being assessed.
and he is up.

the right hand went right through the guard. Atlas is spot on with his commentating. figueroa never saw it coming. you really have to see this replay to get the effect, but it was a left jab to no effect followed by the right, right down the pipe or pike. (I actually had to look it up, and apparently there is disagreement whether it is "down the pike" or "down the pipe." My guess is that it was pike and then people dumbed it down to pipe, similar to tough "road" to hoe when it should be "row.")

winner by KO4...Randall Bailey

anyway, it really was a great right hand and victory for Bailey. This fight was a title eliminator, for whatever that's worth in the current landscape of boxing politics, but I expect to see Bailey in again on TV someday in the future, and everyone should want to see him. He reminds me of Glen Johnson, in that I am not concerned with his age or amount of losses, he brings a credibility and excitement factor that makes me want to watch him again.

More fights on ESPN2, but not for me. Check us out tomorrow for Holt - Bradley.

Posted by uatu

Predictions: Kendall Holt vs. Timothy Bradley

Uatu says...

Both of these gentlemen have thrust themselves onto the scene of major headlining fights just in the last year or so. Timothy Bradley impressed with his win over Junior Witter, and Kendall Holt had a pair of memorable fights with Ricardo Torres, one of which he lost.

I think it would be fair to describe Bradley as a steady fighter. He won his fight over Junior Witter but continuing to come forward and work hard, and he turned in a similar performance against Edner Cherry. He fights in a traditional style, comes in great shape, and stays aggressive. I do not believe he a slugger though, like a James Kirkland.

One could think that Holt is more explosive, based on his KO and knockdowns of Torres, but if you look at all of his fights since he moved up to 12 rounders, excluding the Torres fight they have all been distance wins over the likes of Demetrius Hopkins and Mike Arnaoutis.

That leads me to believe that this fight goes the distance. I could see it going either way. I believe Bradley will keep coming forward and Holt will be the fighter moving away after some flurries. I think Holt has the power to keep Bradley honest, but Bradley will throw and land more. Should be an interesting fight.

Timothy Bradley wins by split decision.

The Franchise says...

This fight between two relatively young title-holders seems pretty even to me, which should make it good. The consensus seems to be that Bradley is more solid all around, while Holt has the more dangerous KO power, and I haven't seen anything from them to make me think otherwise.

I'm fairly certain that Bradley won't be goaded into a firefight with Holt, because he seems to be aware of the danger in that approach. But I've also heard him predict a win by knockout simply because Holt's been knocked out before, so maybe I'm giving him slightly too much credit on the mental side of things.

Still, Bradley has the style that lends itself more to putting rounds in the bank. While acknowledging that Holt's power is the wild card, I think Bradley wins a close but non-controversial unanimous decision.

Posted by uatu

Manny Pacquiao Sees Politics, Music in His Post-Boxing Future

Though Manny Pacquiao says he isn't looking past what he thinks will be a tough fight with Ricky Hatton, he already has an idea of what his life will look like once he's done with boxing.

Pacman told Michael David Smith of AOL Sports that he'll focus on politics and music when he walks away from the ring - and he hinted that day might come sooner than we think. He also spoke wistfully about the downside of his massive fame in the Phillipines, acknowledging that he could never see a time when he'd be able to walk down the street in his native country without being mobbed.

As for his desire to sing, Pacquiao said he plans on walking out to his own song when he faces Hatton. Get that track on iTunes pronto Manny, and the BoxingWatchers will support you!

It would be highly entertaining to see Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather each walk out to songs they perform themselves when they inevitably (in my mind anyway) fight each other...

Posted by The Franchise

Dirrell v. Findley: Round by Round

The main event is at super middleweight between Andre Dirrell and Derrick Findley. Dirrell is a top 10 super middleweight contender. Findly is 13-2 with KOs and is actually fighting 8 inches shorter than Dirrell tonight. That's a serious disadvantage. Dirrell is 17-0 with 12 KOs.

Round 1

The height disadvantage doesn't look as obvious as I thought it would. Dirrell is sticking the jab which is easy when you're fighting a significantly shorter fighter. Findley gets in and lands the jab. Direll lands a great body shot. Dirrell lands a right hook and gets out of the way. He's sticking and moving very well. Dirrell lands an enormous left hook and knocks Findley silly. Findley stumbles against the ropes and Dirrell switches to southpaw and unleashes some serious power shots. Dirrell throws uppercut after uppercut but somehow Findley makes it out of the round. In between rounds Findley's corner said that their fighter's nose is broken.

Spartan117: 10-9 Dirrell

Round 2

They touch gloves to start round 2. Dirrell stays in southpaw now. Dirrell lands a great left straight. Findley isn't throwing much of anything. Dirrell lands a huge body shot that staggers Findley. Dirrell lands a 1-2 combo upstairs. Findley isn't throwing anything which shows that this fight should just be stopped. Now Findley gets in and throws a punch but it misses. It's pretty much target practice for Dirrell right now. Findley has never been knocked down but it looks like he might be tonight.

Spartan117: 10-9 Dirrell

Round 3

Findley is trying harder to get inside now. Dirrell goes back to the jab. Dirrell moves away from Findleys straight right hand. Dirrell's movement is great. Dirrell sticks a jab but isn't throwing much else. Findley finally lands a left. Findley lands a right hand. He gets in again and Dirrell falls from a slip. Dirrell should really be doing more to end this.

Spartan117: 10-9 Dirrell

Round 4

Findley is clearly outclssed but Dirrell isn't doing enough to try to finish this. He keeps sticking and moving and now even clinching. This is a better round from Findley but still not great. Dirrell lands a great jab. There's been a minute of nothing but jabs from Dirrell. Findley isn't doing much of anything either.

Spartan117: 10-9 Dirrell

Round 5

The crowd is not into this fight and with good reason. Dirrell has no reason to stick and move and he continues to do so. Dirrell lands a left to the body and left upstairs. Findley gets inside and Dirrell clinches. Dirrell goes back to the jab. Both fighters keep talking to each other. I'm not sure what they are saying. Findley gets a final warning for hitting on the break.

Spartan117: 10-9 Dirrell

Round 6

Findley waits 30 seconds to throw a punch. Dirrell sticks to his jab. Findley is stalking Dirrell around the ring and Dirrell flashes a big smile. Findley keeps talking to Dirrell most likely talking trash for constantly backing away. Dirrell keeps throwing the jab and now throws a body shot. Another round goes to Dirrell.

Spartan117: 10-9 Dirrell

Findley's trainer doesn't want his fighter to take any more punishment and throws in the towel.

The winner by TKO at the end of Round 6... "The Matrix" Andre Dirrell.

Posted by spartan117

R. Hearns v. Yorgey: Round by Round

The first fight in Saturday's double header is a junior middleweight fight between Harry Joe Yorgey and Ronald Hearns. Both fighters are moving up the ranks in their division even though Hearns is 30 years old, and in case you were wondering, Ronald Hearns is indeed the son of former champion Tommy Hearns.

The ref for the fight is Steve Smoger. I like his officiating style and I haven't seen him in a while. Yorgey is 21-0-1 with 9 KOs. Hearns is 21-0 is 17 KOs. Hearns looks like he has the exact same body his dad had when he was a boxer, long and thin.

Round 1

Hearns has already established the jab. Hearns is able to keep Yorgey away with his long reach. Yorgey gets a jab in followed by a right straight. Both fighters are showing great hand speed. Hearns lands a jab that knocks Yorgey's head back. There are a lot of jabs being thrown from both fighters. Yorgey gets inside and lands a right uppercut. There are really some great punches being landed by both fighters. It's a close round to score but I give it to Hearns for being busier.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hearns

Round 2

Hearns gets in there first in round 2 and lands some big jabs and right hands while Yorgey is against the ropes. Yorgey gets inside and lands two shots that backs Hearns down. Yorgey lands a good right hand that knocks the head of Hearns. Yorgey has been landing and then backing off. Yorgey gets inside but misses his punches and Hearns gets out of the way. Another good round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Yorgey

Round 3

Hears complains to Smoger between rounds of a headbutt. Smoger says that he didnt see anything. Yorgey is rocking Hearns to start this round. He landed some great uppercuts and hooks and Hearns was forced to fight back to keep Yorgey off. Hearns goes back to the jab. Hearns has been pawing at his right eye which looks like is bothering him. Yorgey gets Hearns in the corner but Hearns dodges well. Hearns has controlled the last minute of the round. I still give it to Yorgey.

Spartan117: 10-9 Yorgey

Round 4

Hearns' jab looks to have less snap than it did in round 1. Yorgey lands a great left hook. Hearns lands a jab. Yorgey lands a left hand followed by a right that hurts Hearns badly. Hearns says its a slip but it clearly wasn't. Hearn's looks tired and is backing away. Yorgey is closing the gap and Hearns clinches. Yorgey hasn't done anything to finish Hearns. Hearns lands a fantastic left hook that drops Yorgey! Yorgey also calls it a slip but Smoger calls it a knockdown. Both fighters throw great combos to finish the round. Great round!

Spartan117: 10-10

Round 5

Both fighters look to have their legs back for round 5. Hearns goes back to keeping Yorgey away with the jab. Yorgey tries to get inside. Yorgey gets in and absolutely destroys Hearns with a great right hand. Hearns was out when he hit the canvas. Somehow he makes it up by the 10 count. Hearns is up and now dishing out the punishment. Yorgey isn't doing much now. This turnaround from Hearns is amazing. He's showing great heart. The punch that scored the knockdown from Yorgey would have kept most fighters on the canvas.

Spartan117: 10-8 Yorgey

Round 6

Hearns still looks find but he is definitely more cautious. Hearns throws 3 jabs and lands 1. Hearns is trying to set up the right hand. Yorgey is staying patient and not really trying to end the fight. Yorgey gets inside but doesn't throw any punches. Not much urgency from either fighter in this round. Hearns lands a jab and a hook to the body and Yorgey lands a hook to the head to end the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hearns

Round 7

Yorgey's trainer tells him to stick to the jab. Yorgey comes out and does what his trainer told him. Hearns is still the busier fighter amazingly enough. Hearns is doing a good job getting out of the way of Yorgey's right hand. Yorgey gets in and lands a left uppercut. Yorgey is counterpunching now. Yorgey gets Hearns against the ropes and tries to land. Hearns gets out of the way. Hearns gets clocked with lefts and rights upstairs and Hearns tries to clinch to stay alive. Hearns backs away and Yorgey is forced to chase him around the ring. Yorgey gets a great right hand in the spins Hearns around right before the bell. Hearns' father, Tommy Hearns, looks furious at ringside.

Spartan117: 10-9 Yorgey

Round 8

Hearns is still bouncing on his toes in round 8. Hearns has never been past 8 rounds in his career. Yorgey is landing some serious shots to start this round. Hearns is really backing away now. Yorgey could have ended this by now if he was more aggressive. The Showbox commentators discuss that Yorgey hasn't had many KOs and is therefore not a great finisher. Hearns lands a great right hand now. Yorgey nods which shows that it hurt. Yorgey tries to get back inside and Hearns backs away to avoid him. Hearns isn't throwing many jabs like he was earlier. Tough round to score.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hearns

Round 9

Yorgey sticks the jab. He gets inside again and unleashes his right hand. Hearns backs off. Hearns thows 4 jabs and lands 2. Not much happening at all in this round. Hearns is actually the busier fighter. I can't tell if Yorgey is tired or he just doesn't know what to do. Yorgey lands a left hook to the body. Yorgey throws two shots and Hearns takes a step back and drops his hands. Now Hearns is chasing Yorgey around the ring. Hearns lands a great left uppercut but Yorgey comes back and crushes Hearns with a great left right combo and Hearns' legs buckle. Yorgey lands a huge right hand and Hearns goes down again right before the bell! Hearns gets up to his knee but can't get up by the 10 count, he looks like he's in bad shape. It's all over.

The winner by KO at 2:59 in the 9th round...Harry Joe Yorgey.

Posted by spartan117

Samuel Peter vs. Eddie Chambers: Friday Night Fights Main Event Round By Round

The Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles is the setting for a significant heavyweight bout between former champion Samuel Peter and Philadelphia's Eddie Chambers. It's a ten-round contest that could be a big boost to the winner as far as positioning for shots at the titles held by the Klitschko brothers.

Peter is coming off a somewhat lackluster loss to Vitali Klitschko last October. He is 30-2 and has dangerous knockout power, but he enters the ring at the heaviest weight of his career tonight: 265 pounds. Chambers is 33-1 and has won three straight since dropping a decision to Alexander Povetkin in January 2008.

Dr. James Jen Kim is the referee in charge of the action. Jimmy Lennon Jr. does the fighter introductions and we are all set to go.

Round 1

Chambers bounces around as both men test some jabs. Teddy Atlas points out that Chambers isn't exactly looking trim himself. Neither man landing much of note, but Peter has been busier. Nice right hand upstairs by Chambers. Peter still stalks and looks for an opening. Peter backs up Chambers with a three-punch combo. Chambers is blocking a lot of punches with his arms. Short right by Chambers in close.

Franchise: 10-9 Peter
Uatu: 10-9 Chambers

Round 2

Chambers lands a few jabs, but Peter's jab snaps his foe's head back. Peter is still the aggressor and you wonder if and when he will tire. Peter is warned for a low left to the body. Chambers searches with multiple jabs. Eddie snaps off a right hand and several lefts to the face. Peter just misses a loaded right hand. Chambers peppers in some quick shots right before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Chambers
Uatu: 10-9 Chambers

Round 3

Peter backs Chambers into the corner but can't pin him down. Chambers has the faster hands but is still staying pretty cautious. He lands a few left hands and backs away. Good one-two upstairs by Eddie. Peter tries to rally with body shots. Peter attempts to cut off the ring but still can't land any flush shots.

Franchise: 10-9 Chambers
Uatu: 10-9 Chambers

Round 4

Chambers smiles as he gets whacked by a right hand. Peter comes charging forward and almost connects with a combo. Atlas would like Eddie to be busier. Both men connect in an exchange in the center of the ring. Peter is eating jabs in an attempt to close the distance. Chambers lands with both hands to the body. Eddie scores with a right and Sam tries to fire right back.

Franchise: 10-9 Chambers
Uatu: 10-9 Chambers

Round 5

Peter's corner was telling him to walk his man down. He's doing his best, but Chambers gets his legs under him and starts throwing back. Sam lands a right; Eddie throws counter lefts. Peter gets the best of a brief exchange. Peter partially lands a right hand before the bell. Have to give him that round.

Franchise: 10-9 Peter
Uatu: 10-9 Peter

Round 6

Incredibly, Atlas gave that last round to Chambers. He absolutely needs to throw more punches. Peter comes forward behind his jab. Chambers is winning a jabbing contest in this round. Peter goes to the body and is met with more jabs. Chambers switches southpaw for a minute and lands some quick shots. Peter attempts to lure his foe into a firefight in the closing seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 Chambers
Uatu: 10-9 Peter

Round 7

Chambers continues to land some potshots as he circles. Both men are jabbing but can't consistently get anything to go with them. Left uppercut by Peter. Eddie scores with a three-shot combo and picks off the return fire. Peter goes to the body. Chambers does nice work in close and dances away. Eddie snaps off a double jab with a right hand behind it.

Franchise: 10-9 Chambers
Uatu: 10-9 Chambers

Round 8

I think Chambers is winning on points but he can't feel too comfortable about it. Peter deserves credit for continuing to press the issue. Chambers lands about five jabs in a row. Both men try to get something done in the middle of the ring. Peter bulls forward but gets whacked with counter shots. Sam tries to load up the right hand. Atlas thinks Eddie may have blown that round, but I don't see it.

Franchise: 10-9 Chambers
Uatu: 10-9 Chambers

Round 9

Chambers' corner was imploring him to win the final two rounds. Peter is still throwing but he's backing up now. Chambers starts to pick up the pace as he lands with both hands. Peter goes to the body; Eddie counters with two jabs upstairs. Left-right combination by Eddie. And here comes another. Chambers has a little swelling around his left eye.

Franchise: 10-9 Chambers
Uatu: 10-9 Chambers

Round 10

We'll see who has anything left down the stretch. Peter opens up aggressively. Both men are swinging away but neither is landing flush. Chambers has found a home for the right hand off the jab, but Peter can shake them off. Wild swings along the ropes. One minute to go. Peter unleashes a combo that is mostly blocked. He backs Chambers against the topes and they tie up. Peter may have won the round on pure aggression, but it's probably too little, too late.

Franchise: 10-9 Peter
Uatu: 10-9 Peter

Franchise and Uatu score it 97-93 for Chambers. The judges score it 95-95, and 96-94 and 99-91 for Chambers. The winner by majority decision... "Fast" Eddie Chambers.

Posted by The Franchise

Friday Night Fights Report - March 27, 2009

It's a big night on Friday Night Fights, live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The main event is a fairly important heavyweight fight between Eddie Chambers and Samuel Peter.

The Ring magazine currently has Peter ranked sixth, but Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas point out that he stands to plummet if he loses tonight. Chambers, on the other hand, can take a step up if he can find a way to get past the much larger Peter.

The first fight on the card showcases U.S. Olympian Shawn Estrada as he goes up against Ray Craig. Estrada is from East L.A. and is 2-0 with two KOs in his young pro career. This one is scheduled for four rounds.

A minute in, Craig stumbles forward and is hit while doing so. It's scored as a knockdown, and Estrada quickly scores another one with a right. A left hand puts Craig back on the canvas, and that's it. Estrada wins by TKO at 1:41 of Round 1. Atlas is pretty vocal with his opinion that the Olympic boxers don't get anything out of fights like this one.

Brian Kenny is in the studio to review last weekend's fights. He introduces highlights from Vitali Klitschko-Juan Carlos Gomez and Roy Jones Jr.-Omar Sheika. We get B.J. Flores and Chris Byrd highlights too.

Jaime Motta talks a little bit about the history of boxing in Los Angeles, dating back to cards at the Olympic Auditorium. This is the first live boxing card at the Nokia Theatre, but there are high hopes that it becomes a regular venue for the sport.

Next up is an eight-round fight featuring John Molina and Carlos Vinan Soto. The outspoken Molina is 15-0 with 11 KOs, while his opponent is 8-6-3 with eight previous fights against undefeated fighters.

This turns into a close-range slugfest right away, with Vinan coming right at Molina and swinging away along the ropes. Both men are getting tagged by some strong shots as they stumble to the mat late in the first round.

Blood is coming from Vinan Soto's nose as the second round. The stats show the guys combined to throw over 230 punches in the opening frame. Molina is able to work with slightly more distance in the second round, and the final minute sees him land a series of vicious right hands that finally force the ref to step in and call a stop to the action. John Molina wins by TKO at 2:40 of Round 2.

Back in the studio with BK, who discusses today's breaking news that the substance in Antonio Margarito's gloves before his fight with Shane Mosley was not just a plaster-like substance, but actual plaster. Other news includes the passing of former Mexican champion Raul Macias.

The next fight sees the professional debuts of Javier Molina and Jamie Cabrera. Molina is a decorated amateur turning pro at age 19, while Cabrera is fighting for the first time as a professional at 36. This is a welterweight bout scheduled for four rounds.

Cabrera is coming forward but getting caught on his way in. Molina shows good movement and mixes up his attack to the body and head in the first round.

Molina also likes to double up on his left hook to the body and head. About halfway through the second round, he sends Cabrera down with a body shot and a right upstairs. A left hook puts Cabrera back on the canvas, and that's all she wrote. Javier Molina wins by TKO at 1:50 of Round 2.

BK introduces highlights of Bernard Dunne and Ricardo Cordoba, a super featherweight fight that Dan Rafael is touting as a possible Fight of the Year candidate. We also see Arthur Abraham video as he retained his title against LaJuan Simon.

Posted by The Franchise

Franchise Thoughts: On Vitali, Roy and Why Hybrid Cards Aren't the End of the World

After watching Vitali Klitschko dispose of Juan Carlos Gomez fairly easily on Saturday, I finally fell firmly into the camp of people who kind of feel sorry for him.

It's not his fault, as many observers have pointed out, that he is a heavyweight champion during one of the division's dimmest eras. It's certainly not his fault that his size prevents him from getting the proper due for his skills or his heart.

Even more than brother and fellow champ Wladimir, Vitali seems to want to please the fans. If there's a problem with both Brothers Klitschko, it's that they care about those title belts a little too much, meaning they will fight any mandatory challenger one of the sanctioning bodies puts in front of them just to keep the straps.

I think the situation that might finally make Vitali a compelling figure is if David Haye (or anyone, really) would beat Wladimir. That would give Vitali a unique dual unification/revenge motivation as he tried to avenge his little bro.

Unless that happens, the Klitschko-dominated heavyweight picture is likely to remain dull for many fans. But it's not Vitali's fault, because he's trying. I think.

Another guy who is still trying is Roy Jones Jr., even if his sights are set a bit lower now. He showed Saturday he could still perform and entertain, and he may be content with that at this point.

I'm not even going to try to figure out who makes sense for him to fight going forward, but as long as he stays close to his Florida home, his fans will come out to support him. Call Jones just the latest example of an emerging boxing trend in 2009: keep all but the biggest fights local, and people will buy tickets.

And speaking of locals, kudos to Square Ring for putting another Floridian, Nate Campbell, on color commentary for the boxing matches on the Jones-Sheika card. He was insightful and funny, and he certainly has a future as a commentator should he want to pursue one when his in-ring days are done.

To top it all off, the hybrid boxing/MMA card came off pretty well in Pensacola despite many naysayers - including some famous ones. At least on the broadcast, it sounded like the fans were into the MMA bouts and the Jones-Sheika main event, lagging just a bit for the B.J. Flores boxing match.

Does that mean mixed cards are the wave of the future? Definitely not, at least at the highest level. But for regional shows with fights that make sense from both sports, there appear to be some synergies that are there to be exploited.

Last 10 Seconds: If you haven't read it yet, go check out William Dettloff's excellent story on The Ring Blog about the trials of former lightweight champion Paul Spadafora. Everyone loves a good redemption angle, and it's hard not to pull for Spadafora as he attempts his latest comeback after you read his tale of learning lessons the hard way.

Roy Jones Jr. v. Omar Sheika: Round by Round

Due to some unforeseen events, I will take over for The Franchise and attempt to fight off the cousin of death and make it to the final bell of Jones-Sheika.

Doing this round by round with multiple computer screens will make for some tricky blogging.

Nate Campbell says that it is hard for Roy to let go of all of these fans.

People who criticized this card have said that there aren't a lot of crossover fans between MMA and boxing. I have heard multiple people say it's like going to an event to see two different sports, like a baseball game and a basketball game.

I disagree. I believe these two sports are closer than that. They are both types of fighting. I see it like going to a track meet and seeing races of different lengths and some with hurdles. Some are relays and some steeplechase. Those events are all track, just different disciplines. Or a swimming meet with different strokes. Just my opinion.

Here comes Sheika to the ring. He comes out to "Victory" by Diddy, who at that time was still Puff Daddy. That isn't a dumb name joke, but that album he was actually still Puff Daddy.

Here comes Roy. He is getting great applause. He came out to some R & B song. It may be "Rehab" by Rihanna or a song that sounds like it. Yes, it is "Rehab."

The crowd really seems into the event. There's more applause for this fight than I have heard for many televised events over the years.

Roy looks to be in excellent shape. You wouldn't be able to tell his age by looking at him. Of course, how you look doesn't necessarily mean that your reflexes haven't slowed, but it sure beats being fat and out of shape.

Round 1
Omar is coming forward. Jumping left hooks from Roy. Jones is showing movement. One-two from Roy and a left to the body. Omar gets him in the corner. Omar is trying hard rights. Two Roy uppercuts. Hard right from Omar. The crowd is going nuts for anything from Roy. Lead rights. A huge left hook for Roy buckles Omar.

Uatu: Jones 10-9

Round 2
Jones is in control. He is showing a ton of vintage Roy: left hand down, lead rights, jumping lefts, small hooks, huge hooks and lots of moving around. Just like vintage Roy, though, he can be pressed to the ropes like Tarver did in their first fight. Unlike that fight, Omar isn't getting through the guard or grabbing.

Uatu: Jones 10-9

Round 3
I have got a great double window thing going. This is better than doing a blog on TV. Omar gets Roy to the ropes and fires his hard rights to the head. Not sure if Roy blocked them. He is best off keeping the fight in the middle. Roy is landing all kinds of jabs now. I think Roy may have been caught there, because he did a cocky dance which makes me think he was hit a little. Big left hook from Sheika. I am not convinced that Roy's chin is sturdy. He got moved a little in Round 1, and if Omar can keep ropes pressure up... he may be winning this round. Roy is back controlling in the middle, but not for long as Omar presses to the ropes. Nice flurry by Roy to close the round. A good left hook in there.

Uatu: Jones 10-9

Round 4
The round starts and Roy is back to the ropes. Both men land there. Roy gets all the credit from The Colonel. It's clear Roy is dominant in hand speed. He is jabbing like a madman and keeping Omar away. Sheika can't get close. Very good stuff from Roy. Now Omar gets him in close, but they grab. Big right from Roy. Omar keeps coming and lands his own. I like Nate's commentary. He is being fair to both men during the fight. There's a slight lull as the men grab each other. Omar is flying in with his aggression. Can he wear Roy down over time? Lots of wrestling - that could tire them both. Left hook from Jones, and he dances as the round ends.

Uatu: Jones 10-9

Round 5
Immediately, Omar gets Roy in the corner. No damage. Big time shot in the middle of the ring form Roy - a left uppercut I think. Roy gets in two more lead left hooks. The crowd "oohs" with every shot. Nate says Omar is only a straight-line fighter, and that is a very apt description of exactly what his limitation has been. Roy is landing and dancing in the middle of the ring. Roy got a bunch of nice shots in. And the fight is over? Omar is bleeding, but not too badly. The Colonel loves the stoppage; Nate doesn't seem to agree as much. I don't agree with it.

We will never know if Omar could have gotten to Roy down the stretch. I think it would have been interesting. The flip side to this, to be fair, is that Roy won every round. In the middle of the ring in the fifth, he ripped off some very nice combinations that had some strings of power punches thrown in there. But Omar wasn't really buckled, he never slowed down, and he was never knocked down. So it goes - a great night overall for RJJ. He looked sharp in there and the crowd loved it.

The winner by TKO at 1:45 of Round 5... Roy Jones Jr.

Roy says he felt very good in there. He felt comfortable with his team of Roy Sr. and Merk.

He gives some shots out to Pensacola.

The crowd wants him back. He says he better go back to training and he will be coming back.

I don't mind that at all. If he wants to fight, and the crowd suport is there, why not? If the fight is worth watching, and this one was, then God bless him. He doesn't even have to fight the top killers in my opinion. That time is over. He can continue his career as a promoter and entertainer and everyone is happy. I wouldn't myself shell out a lot of dough to see him, but if others want to, knock yourself out.

Posted by uatu

Jones-Sheika "March Badness" Undercard Live Blog

We're live from the Pensacola Civic Center for the "March Badness" hybrid boxing/MMA card. Roy Jones Jr. takes in Omar Sheika in the boxing main event, with notable heavyweights Roy Nelson and Jeff Monson colliding in the MMA main event.

B.J. Flores is also in action on the boxing side, and former WWE star Bobby Lashley competes in just his second MMA bout. As an aside, it's great to have Nate Campbell on board as the color commentator for the boxing matches. Seth Petruzelli, a.k.a. the man who knocked out Kimbo Slice, is helping to call the MMA matches.

The first fight of the evening is an MMA bout between Dennis Hallman and Danny Ruiz. This is a three-round welterweight battle. Jimmy Lennon Jr. is doing his thing for the fighter intros.

Hallman shoots in early and after a little work in the corner, he takes Ruiz down. Hallman steadily works and takes Ruiz's back, and he's able to get a choke locked in that forces Ruiz to tap. The winner by submission via choke in Round 1... Dennis Hallman.

We stay with MMA for the second fight of the broadcast, this one featuring featherweights Din Thomas (22-8) and Gabe Lemley (13-8). The announce team is really going out of its way to help boxing fans understand the rules of MMA. As expected, this one is scheduled for three rounds.

An early tie up has both men trying to throw knees. Lemley bounces around and tries to throw punches and kicks while Thomas bides his time. Thomas sprawls to avoid some takedown attempts, and he lands some nice shots that put Lemley on his back. A left hand has Lemley dazed, and a knee catches Lemley right on the chin. The ref calls a stop to it, and Thomas wins by TKO at 4:13 of Round 1.

Thomas gives an entertaining post-fight interview where he downplays the difficulty of fighting in a ring instead of a cage. He gives a shout out to Nate Campbell and also volunteers to kick Chris Brown's ass if Rihanna decides she wants some help.

Next up is Bobby Lashley (1-0) taking on Jason Guida (17-19) in a heavyweight MMA bout. Lashley was supposed to face legend Ken Shamrock until he was suspended for steroid use, forcing Guida to take the fight on short notice.

The tale of the tape shows Lashley with a significant weight advantage, and he's got an edge in reach as well. Guida thinks his experience will help him pull off the upset, while Lashley feels his top-notch wrestling skills will serve him well. Petruzelli has a hilarious line where he says if Lashley can beat Vince McMahon, he can beat anybody.

Lashley shoots in right away and Guida grabs the ropes to keep himself from going down. Guida sprawls to avoid another takedown and they spend time locked up in the corner. Lashley lands a big right hand and they clinch again. Guida turns Lashley around and the ref finally breaks them up. Lashley flurries with several big punches, and they stay locked up for the final seconds of the first round.

A right hand catches Guida early in the second, and Lashley rushes in and puts his foe down with a big slam. Lashley spends some time in Guida's half guard and manages to land a few shots. Guida does a decent job defending from the bottom, but he can't do much with the physically bigger Lashley.

The final round starts with a clinch and both men trying to throw knees. Lashley opens up with big right hands in the corner. The ref puts them back in the corner, where Lashley scores a single leg takedown but falls into a guillotine by Guida. It looks fairly tight, but Lashley manages to escape. Lashley tries to work out of Guida's full guard. Giida tries for an armbar, but it looks like the fight will end in this position. The final bell rings, and we'll go to the scorecards.

The judges score it 30-27 three times, all to the winner by unanimous decision, Bobby Lashley.

Lashley says he had to dig deep to escape the guillotine, which was pretty tight. He credits Guida for getting to him a little bit by talking trash before the fight, and he says he'll go back to work to fix the holes in his game.

We're finally set for some boxing with B.J. Flores taking on Jose Luis Herrera. Nate Campbell calls Herrera an all-action fighter, and his record bears that out: all 16 of his wins and all five of his losses have come by KO.

This fight is scheduled for ten rounds with a minor title on the line. The tale of the tape shows both men almost dead even in weight and Flores holding just a tiny reach advantage.

Flores spends most of the first round stalking and looking to work off the jab. Herrera takes about two minutes to look comfortable and he starts landing some shots of his own. Flores lands a nice right hand right before the end of a close opening round.

Flores' boxing skills control most of the second round, but this time it's Herrera who scores with a right hand before the bell. There is some nice action in the third round with Flores mixing up head and body shots and Herrera getting a little busier.

Campbell thinks Herrera was hurt a bit at the end of the third. I think Flores has won every round, but Herrera is getting a few big shots in there, as he does again at the end of the fourth round.

Herrera has his best round so far in the fifth, keeping Flores a bit off guard with more body shots and more jabs. Flores seizes control once again in the sixth round using nice combination punching.

Both announcers are calling for the uppercut from Flores. I'm guessing he is well ahead on the cards, so with three rounds to go, he just needs to watch out for the home run shot coming back.

Herrera shows a burst of energy at the start of the ninth round. Flores digs to the body and goes upstairs with a left hook. B.J. is still showing excellent movement even this late in the fight.

We'll see if there are any fireworks in store in the final round. Herrera looks like he will fight until the final bell. Flores isn't exactly on his bike, but he is staying extra cautious and avoiding prolonged exchanges. Herrera gets B.J.'s attention with a big right hand with 30 seconds to go. We'll go to the scorecards.

The judges score it 98-92 and 99-91 twice, and Flores wins by unanimous decision.

Flores says he hurt his left hand early in the fight. He thinks he may have been able to get Herrera out of there if it wasn't for that, but he gives his opponent credit for being a tough guy.

The crowd was very much into the Roy Nelson-Jeff Monson MMA fight, which we joined in progress after some technical difficulties. Monson landed some very solid punches in the stand-up in a highlight package.

All three judges score it 29-28, and Jeff "The Snowman" Monson wins by unanimous decision.

Posted by The Franchise

Edited by uatu

V. Klitschko v. Gomez: Round By Round

ESPN is wasting no time with the broadcast of the heavyweight title fight between Vitali Klitschko and Juan Carlos Gomez. The fighters are already in the ring. Michael Buffer is handling the intros. Because of the broadcast is on basic cable we are forced to see commercials in place of the fighter introductions. So I'm assuming that once this commercial break is finished we will be at the beginning of the first round.

Gomez is currently the number 9 ranked heavyweight in the world. This is the first time Vitali has defended his WBC heavyweight title. The crowd is clearly pro-Klitschko.

Round 1

There is certainly a height difference between these fighters, Vitali having the advantage. Gomez goes to work immediately with a flurry and catches Vitali. Vitali keeps Gomez away with some long jabs. Vitali has yet to throw a right hand. Vitali is patient, not throwing any power punches and waits for Gomez to make a mistake. They each paw with their lead hands. Gomez lands a hook to the body and head. Vitali looks a bit awkward in the first round. Gomez lands a left hook to the head. I give round 1 to Gomez.

Spartan117: 10-9 Gomez

Uatu: 10-9 Gomez

Franchise: Gomez

Round 2

Vitali throws 2 hooks and misses and Gomez gets inside and lands 2 hooks of his own upstairs. Gomez is doing a good job getting inside. Vitali's hands look slow which is why he's not landing a whole lot. Vitali lands a jab to the body and the head. Vitali now lands a straight right hand. Gomez sticks out his tongue. This is a much better round for Vitali. The crowd starts to chant his name. Vitali misses with a right hand and Gomez lands a counter. Vitali lands a shot well after the bell.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko

Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Franchise: Klitschko

Round 3

Gomez goes to work early again and throws a flurry. Gomez charges forward again to get inside and lands a few soft punches. Vitlali goes back to the jab. Gomez lands a left to the body and they tie up. Vitali lands a right hand to the face of Gomez. Vitali lands another right hand that lands flush. Gomez throws a hook that puts him off-balance and Vitali lands a jab. The two tie up again and they both try to get some shots in. Not much action in round 3.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko

Uatu: 10-9 Klischko

Franchise: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 4

Klitschko sticks to throwing his jab. Vitali follows up with a right hook that lands and the crowd cheers. Vitali is landing his punches flush. Gomez's eye is starting to swell. Gomez is really having trouble getting inside now. Gomez now tries to get inside but it results in a clinch. The ref tells Gomez to watch his head. Lots of clinching going on in the last minute.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko

Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Franchise: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 5

Gomez's eye is starting to really swell and appears bloodshot. Vitali is focusing on that eye now and landing all of his jabs there. Vitali throws a body shot. Gomez's eye is now bleeding. Gomez can't get out of the way of Vitali's punches now. Vitali hangs his arms below his waist. Vitali lands a great left hand and Gomez stumbles. Gomez's eye is in bad shape now. The ref doesn't look like he has any interest in stopping the action to examine it. Great round for Vitali.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko

Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Franchise: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 6

Klitschko is really landing his jab well. Things have gone from bad to worse with Gomez. Gomez keeps grappling now which shows he's tired. Gomez now trips and falls. Vitali is controlling this fight. His punches don't look like that have enough power behind them to knock Gomez out but I hope he surprises me. Now blood is pouring from the top of the head, behind the hairline of Klitschko's. It had to be caused from a headbutt.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko

Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Franchise: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 7

Gomez's eye is almost swollen shut. Gomez just keeps clinching. There have been a lot of breaks in the action due to Gomez tying up. Vitali leans into a huge right hand from Vitali and Gomez goes down. Gomez is in big trouble. He gets up and Vitali punishes him in the corner. Gomez is trying to clinch to stay alive. Gomez grabs him and falls down. It's ruled a slip and Gomez barely makes it out of the round.

Spartan117: 10-8 Klitschko

Uatu: 10-8 Klitschko

Franchise: 10-8 Klitschko

Round 8

Gomez looks like he has his legs back and tries to get inside. Gomez clearly needs a knockout now to win this and it looks highly unlikely. Gomez clinches again. Gomez is loading up on his right hand which he needs to do. Klitschko tries to catch Gomez as he comes in. Klitschko lands a good jab. Gomez gets rocked by another big right hand. It looked like Gomez was thinking about quitting by turning his back, but he turned back around to take a few more punches before the end of the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Klitschko

Uatu: 10-9 Klitschko

Franchise: 10-9 Klitschko

Round 9

Gomez lands another huge right hand. Another cut opens over the other eye of Gomez. Gomez gets rocked by another power right hand and Gomez goes down. I can't believe his corner hasn't stopped this. Gomez gets clocked again and now Gomez turns his back and quits.

The winner by TKO at 1:48 of Round 9... and still WBC Heavyweight Champion... Vitali Klitschko.

Posted by spartan117