First Thoughts on De La Hoya-Pacquiao

It's now official. As reported by just about every media source known to man, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao will fight Dec. 6 in Las Vegas. The bout will take place at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds, two full weight classes higher than Pacquiao has ever competed and a weight that De La Hoya has not made since March of 2001.

From a business standpoint, it goes without saying that the fight is tremendous. It's the biggest fight that could be put together between any two boxers in the sport - yes, bigger than De La Hoya facing Floyd Mayweather again - and the rare match-up in the current day and age that will garner huge mainstream media attention. With two highly loyal and vocal ethnic followings involved, there's little doubt it will do sensational, possibly record numbers at the gate and on pay-per-view.

The curiosity factor among boxing fans should also run high. Manny looked so dominant in dismantling David Diaz in his first fight at lightweight that it's easy to see why some people will feel that he'll simply be too fast for the older, slower De La Hoya. Likewise, the Golden Boy will enjoy such an obvious advantage in size that others will say he'll just be too big and strong for Pacquiao to have a real shot at beating him.

It's way too early to make an official prediction on this one, but here's a sobering thought for Pacquiao supporters: every boxer who continues to climb in weight eventually finds a level where the extra pounds sap him of the advantages he had over lighter opponents.

Take the case of a Franchise favorite, Shane Mosley. As a long-reigning champion at 135 pounds, Sugar Shane was a terror, possessing great power for his size and overwhelming some of his foes with his ridiculous hand speed. He still looked fine when he leaped up two classes to campaign at 147 - even taking a split decision against De La Hoya in his third fight at that weight - but he no longer looked dominant.

At 154 pounds, Mosley finally bit off more than he could chew. Two consecutive losses to Winky Wright saw Shane only able to throw his patented "punches in bunches" for short spurts, and while his opponents will probably tell you he still hit plenty hard, he just didn't have the same KO power at the higher weight. His record tells the tale - since his first foray at 154 pounds in early 2003, his only two knockout wins came against Fernando Vargas.

I could see the same scenario happening to Manny. He's two years younger than Shane was when he made the leap, and his natural speed is probably greater. But it's hard to imagine he'll carry the same pop at 147, and since Oscar has fought as high as 160, he's used to being hit by bigger, presumably stronger men. That seems to be a pretty strong argument against Pacquiao knocking De La Hoya out.

At the same time, we've seen plenty of boxers, especially older ones, get sapped of their strength and energy when cutting weight late in their careers - Chris Byrd is a notable recent example. What Oscar's trying to do isn't nearly as dramatic, and he looked fine at 150 against Steve Forbes. It's certainly something worth considering though.

These are the kinds of things fans and experts will be dissecting for the next few months as the countdown begins toward Manny's biggest challenge (literally) and Oscar's final fight. Or is it? Despite sticking to his "2008 exit strategy" for most of the last year, now comes word that he's not talking about retirement as he prepares for Pacquiao.

Could De La Hoya be leaving himself a little bit of an out in case he loses? It's another interesting twist in a scenario I would have thought unthinkable a year ago.

De La Hoya-Pacquiao Fight to be Announced Thursday

First it seemed like a pipe dream. Then it appeared it would fall apart over money. Now the much discussed Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight - a fight that could be the Golden Boy's last - looks like it will take place on December 6.

ESPN's Dan Rafael reports that two sources close to the fight say that it's on and that it will be announced by De La Hoya at a Thursday teleconference. No word yet on how the split of revenue from the bout, which was the major sticking point in negotiations, has been resolved. Amusingly, Freddie Roach says in the story that he got a voice mail from Manny saying, "Thanks for all your help," so he assumes the deal is done.

The venue is likely to be the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Expect to see a lot more about this fight from every possible boxing news source over the next few days.

Franchise Thoughts: Olympic-Sized Diappointment, Roach's Idea a Winning Gamble and More

As you may have been able to tell from the lack of activity around here for the last two weeks, the BoxingWatchers have been on vacation! Sadly, there were no fights in Atlantic City during the time the Watchers spent at the Jersey Shore, but there was plenty of boxing on TV thanks to CNBC's six hours of daily coverage from the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Ah, but what sounded like heaven for a fan of the sweet science turned out to be anything but. After the first few days of competition, it became clear that the scoring system used in Olympic boxing make the sport almost unwatchable.

Much has been written about the system and its flaws by better writers, so I won't go into detail except to say this: the judges rarely awarded points for body punches and never gave out multiple points for consecutive clean punches landing in combination. That means that the bouts basically boiled down to who could land the most single shots to the head. Add in the fact that the fighters who are in the lead routinely run for the entire final round and it's a bad scene the whole way around.

Jim Gray spoke to the head of USA Boxing yesterday during CNBC's coverage, and he made a good point that simply replacing the scoring system with one used in professional boxing isn't necessarily the answer, since we all know pro fights have their share of scoring controversies. But something needs to be done, because it almost turns one of the greatest sports in the world into a farce.

Oh, and lest anyone think this is a bitter dose of homerism since the U.S. team has been an unmitigated failure in Beijing, I should say that I saw equally horrendous scores in fights that did not involve American fighters. Kevin Iole wrote a good piece on how to fix Olympic boxing for the intro to his mailbag earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, in slightly happier boxing news, Dan Rafael of ESPN.com wrote in his blog yesterday that Freddie Roach had a clever idea for saving De La Hoya-Pacquiao: split the purse 60-30 and have 10 percent reserved for the winner of the fight. The gambler in me loves that idea. I'm sure the gambler in Manny loves that idea. Will Oscar? Probably not, but we can hope.

Fellow BoxingWatcher Spartan117 thought the fighters might have a problem with the possibility of getting screwed out of the 10 percent by wacky judging - and let's face it, 10 percent of this fight will be a lot of money. I don't think that's a problem though, as you could simply say the winner only gets the extra money if he wins by KO or a unanimous decision, which usually aren't screw jobs (except for Bernard Hopkins fights!). Any other outcome would split the total pot 65-35, which is probably where the compromise would end up settling anyway.

I'm a fan of merit-based pay, and the UFC does something similar by granting win bonuses to its fighters. There's really no reason it can't at least be given some serious consideration, and if it helps a deal for the fight to get done, I'm all for it.

Friday Night Fights Round By Round: Gonzalez vs. Cloud

The Friday Night Fights main event for August 8 features an intriguing match-up between veteran Julio Gonzalez and undefeated youngster Tavoris Cloud. Gonzalez has fought against some of the best, including Roy Jones Jr., while Cloud has yet to take a significant step up in terms of level of competition.

Round 1

Cloud's first few jabs knock Gonzalez back a step. Now he throws some thumping left hooks against the ropes. Gonzalez throwing power shots back. Both men jab in the center of the ring. Another stiff left from Cloud and they both swing away. A right hand stuns Gonzalez and Cloud swings for the fences. Julio tries to hold on in the corner but he's got 30 more seconds to go. Right hand right down the pike but Gonzalez holds on.

Franchise: 10-9 Cloud

Round 2

Gonzalez looks like he's okay, relatively speaking. He's throwing and moving to start the second round. Right hook to the body by Cloud. The fight moves in close and the ref tells them to work. Gonzalez getting off better in tight. The ref warns Julio to keep them up. Cloud with a left hook and a right. Right to the body follows. Gonzalez tries to jab his way out of danger. Cloud lands another sharp right hook. They battle all the way to the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Cloud

Round 3

Julio jabbing again to open the round. Nice left upstairs by Cloud but Gonzalez comes forward. Both men land to the body. Double jab by Cloud. Uppercuts by Gonzalez as he's backed into the corner. Left hook by Cloud finally backs up his foe. Cloud loads up some more big bombs but mostly misses in the closing seconds. Closest round so far.

Franchise: 10-9 Cloud

Round 4

Slower start to this one. The action moves in tight in the center of the ring. The announcers are wondering aloud if Cloud can keep up the pace. Julio coming in but Cloud landing shots with both hands. He really doesn't get cheated when he swings away. Big miss on an uppercut. Left and an uppercut but Gonzalez lands one of his own. Mean uppercut again by Cloud at the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Cloud

Round 5

Jabs by Julio. Now a right hand upstairs. Sharp jab by Cloud. He really steps into them. Right to the body gets Julio another warning for low shots. More clinching in this round. Both guys swinging away in close. Double left to the body and one upstairs and Gonzalez looks hurt. Several big right hands land but Gonzalez shows tremendous heart by surviving that barrage and lasting through the round.

Franchise: 10-9 Cloud

Round 6

This is the first time Cloud has ever been past the fifth round. Julio still throwing - he's got some chin. Big right counter shot by Cloud. Rights to the body and head along the ropes. Thumping left hook by Cloud. Ninety seconds left and Gonzalez is in survival mode again. Cloud pouring it on with both hands but Julio refuses to go down. Impressive showing for both fighters, albeit for different reasons.

Franchise: 10-9 Cloud

Round 7

Jabs to start things out again. Double left by Cloud. It feels like the calm before the storm right now. Gonzalez lands a few shots as Cloud tries to work in. Big right hand by Cloud. Julio fights off the ropes back into the center. They clinch and the ref steps in. Both guys working but Cloud lands a few bigger punches in the last 15 seconds of the round.

Franchise: 10-9 Cloud

Round 8

Another slower start to the eighth. Gonzalez flicking out a lot of jabs. Julio comes forward and both men land short shots inside. Two punch combos both ways. Left to the body by Cloud and just misses upstairs. Now a right to the head. Cloud dances away and they end up clinched in the center. That was actually a pretty close round.

Franchise: 10-9 Cloud

Round 9

Julio lands the first punches of this round as he gamely comes forward. We'll see if Cloud is tiring. Gonzalez stays busy with the jab. Now a big right hand upstairs from Cloud. Cloud ties it up in the corner. Right hand by Julio but he eats one coming back. Decent shots by both men on the inside. Cloud takes a few punches as he comes in and can't seem to find the range for his bombs.

Franchise: 10-9 Gonzalez

Round 10

Cloud comes out with a bit more fire. Nice left hook to the head. Good exchange from very close range. Shannon Briggs thinks Cloud is wary about Gonzalez trying to get him to punch himself out. Triple jab by Cloud. Now a right knocks Julio back. Body shots with both hands by Cloud. Cloud might be feeling it again with 30 seconds left. Two chopping rights have Gonzalez dazed. A huge right hand lands square from Cloud and the ref calls a stop to it.

The winner by TKO at 2:50 of round 10... Tavoris Cloud.

No doubt Gonzalez would have kept fighting, but that looked like a good stoppage as he was absorbing the type of beating that could cause serious damage. It doesn't look like they will talk to Cloud, but he had to win some fans tonight with an eye-opening display of power punching.

BoxingWatchers Live on the Scene: Broadway Boxing

Uatu crawled out of his mother's basement to take in the Broadway Boxing Show at B.B. King's in Times Square.

B.B. King's is a surprising yet great venue to watch fights. There are no bad seats. Everyone, including those in standing room, can easily see the action. The bar is immeditately behind the rows of seats, and there were probably only six rows. As a paying customer with a ticketed seat, the only person with a better view was the ref. And these tickets aren't in the thousands of dollars range like a casino fight, the tickets were very affordable.

The evening was conducted at a brisk pace. There were no lulls or pauses between fights. As soon as the previous fight ended, no more than 5 minutes or so elapsed before the next began.

Adding to a great atmosphere were the fans. Especially raucous were the fans that backed Joe Moore. There was a large Irish contingent in the crowd chanting soccer chants and waving a flag during his fight. Slightly disappointing was the fact that the crowd adopted the "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" melody most famously used for Ricky Hatton and altering the lyrics for Moore. Personally, Uatu would like to see that chant reserved for Hatton.

As far as the fights go, they were filled with action and there were some decent scraps. Dat Nguyen won by majority decision, letting you know that he was in against a fighter that had come to win. Moore too won his fight by decision. The main event was very short, as Randall Bailey won by KO from a vicious body shot in the opening seconds of the first round. All in all the fights were fun especially with how close the action is to the fans.

As a fan it also a treat to see some famous fighters walking around through the crowd like normal fans do. No entourages, no bad attitudes, just regular people. Some of the DiBella fighters were in attendance, as Uatu saw Paulie Malignaggi and Andre Berto. Not sure if he is a DiBella fighter but Kermit Cintron was in the crowd. Uatu also thought he saw Chazz Witherspoon too, but he is unsure.

So, the bottom line is that it was a great night. It is a must attend for anyone who is a big time fight fan.

Franchise Thoughts: De La Hoya-Pacquiao One Step Closer to Reality?

Unthinkable as it would have seemed just six months ago, the once laughable idea of Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao facing off in the ring is looking more and more like it might happen. ESPN's Dan Rafael is reporting that Golden Boy and Top Rank began formally negotiating for a Dec. 6 showdown.

Normally I'd feel that having smooth negotiations between De La Hoya's people and Bob Arum would be one of the signs of the Apocalypse, but when there's as much money to be made as this fight would generate, just about anyone can work together. Indeed, both Arum and Richard Schaefer are quoted in the article saying that money is the main issue, as matters like gloves and weight class really aren't that big a deal.

Think about that last statement for a moment. Manny's last fight was his first ever at 135 pounds. Oscar has fought as high as 160 - four weight classes above lightweight. Even if he comes down to 147, which is what Arum and company seem to be pushing for, it's a huge jump for Pacquiao.

Much as I'd love to see Pacman wipe the omnipresent smile off the Golden Boy's face (Disclaimer: All staff members of BoxingWatchers.com are part Filipino!), it may be too much even for him. At some point, every boxer who keeps stepping up in weight finds one where they've gone too high.

And what about De La Hoya? While he and his camp can always point to the fact that most experts say Pacquiao is the current pound-for-pound king, there's no denying that if he wins the fight, he beat a much smaller man. As Kevin Iole points out, except for money, what's there to gain from that?

I always thought that boxing's many weight classes impose too many restrictions on fights that could be made. But if Pavlik-Hopkins and De La Hoya-Pacquiao are the kind of fights that are made when thinking outside of the weight class box, maybe they serve a good purpose after all.

Around the Internets: It was kind of surprising when Ricky Hatton and trainer Billy Graham announced they were parting ways. I missed this last week, but apparently Hatton may be turning to Floyd Mayweather Sr.... Don't forget that CNBC will have extensive coverage of boxing during the Summer Olympics. Cliff Rold has a good breakdown of the U.S. boxing team on MaxBoxing.

Round by Round: Judah v. Clottey

We just finished watching the now classic Cotto v. Margarito and it's time for the main event. Judah is back in the ring after canceling his last bout with Shane Mosley because of a hand injury. He faces Joshua Clottey, who is 34-2 with 20 KOs. Tonight's fight is for a title, but the winner, if he wins convincingly, will also get back into the upper echelon of welterweights.

Rd 1: Zab strikes first and establishes the jab. He gets off between 7 and 10 punches before Clottey throws a punch. Clottey looks to be waiting to counter. Clottey is keeping his hands high. Clottey lands a grazing hook and backs up Judah. Judah is using good upper body movement to get out of the way of Clottey's fists. Clottey gets in close and lands a combo to the body. Clottey is the aggressor in this round. Clotey lands a strong counter. Zab sticks with the jab but they have mostly been blocked. Clottey backs Judah up again.

Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey

Uatu: 10-9 Judah

Rd 2: Zab uses his jab some more. Clottey throws a hard combo but Judah blocks it well. They square up in the middle of the ring. Judah now starts to throw good combos and scores. Clottey now goes to work to the body. Judah follows suit and throws some shots to the body. Judah's punches look as fast as ever. Zab gets some good jabs in between the gloves. Judah is the more active fighter in this round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Judah

Uatu: 10-9 Clottey

Rd 3: Clottey's trainers tell him to work the body. Judah is doing a good job of hitting and ducking. Judah throws a good combo to the body that scores. Clottey gets Zab against the ropes and lands a hook to the body and head. Judah clinches to get out. Clottey is now turning up the punching output. Both fighters are throwing more punches to the body, probably because they are both keeping their defense high. Clottey has been winning on the ropes and Judah has been winning in the center.

Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey

Uatu: 10-9 Judah

Rd 4: Judah slips on the canvas and Clottey takes advantage and lands two shots. Judah composes himself and throws multiple combos and lands most of his punches. Clottey is now complaining about a low blow. It looked on the low side but not that low. The ref says fight on. Judah's face is starting to swell. Clottey comes in and lands a solid jab. Judah now takes more punishment but fights through it. Clottey lands some heavy shots in round 4.

Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey

Uatu: 10-9 Clottey

Rd 5: Clottey moves forward and Judah stays light on his feet, ready to dodge. Judah's upper body movement has helped him get out of the way of some big shots. Clottey has been getting some uppercuts through the gloves of Zab. It doesn't look like Zab's punches are taking a toll on Clottey. Clottey leads in with a straight right. Clottey smiles at Zab's lightning fast combo at the end of the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey

Uatu: 10-9 Judah

Rd 6: Zab turns up the intensity at the start of the round. Most are blocked. Zab looks ready to get out of the way of Clottey's punches. Zab doubles up with the combos and lands to the body of Clottey. Zab gets in trouble for another low blow and Clottey is given time to regroup. Zab does not lose a point. Clottey now goes back to counter punching. Zab is landing more punches but Clottey is landing the cleaner punches.

Spartan117: 10-9 Judah

Uatu: 10-9 Judah

Rd 7: Clottey's stronger punches are landing as we get into the later rounds. Judah is still moving around a lot and moves out of the way. Max Kellerman now quotes Robert Frost. Clottey lands a bomb of a combo and Judah is in trouble in the corner. He dodges and holds on to make it out of the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey

Uatu: 10-9 Clottey

Rd 8: Judah's punch output has been fading as the fight moves on and Clottey continues to land at a higher percentage. In this round Judah is throwing more now and Clottey is throwing less. The fight is still very close and Judah is showing that he really wants to win. Judah's face is badly swollen and his nose is bleeding profusely. Judah is still fighting back very hard. Clottey gets backed into the ropes and takes some serious bombs by Judah. It wasn't enough to steal the round in my opinion.

Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey

Uatu: 10-9 Clottey

Rd 9: Zab doesn't look tired in there as he continues to duck and dodge. Clottey is now throwing more and Judah is on the run. A cut has opened over the right eye of Judah. The ref stops the action to examine the cut and it's being ruled as an accidental clash of heads. Judah says that he can't see and the fight is stopped. Clottey is being raised by his camp as if he is the winner but the fight must go to the scorecards.

Spartan117: 10-9 Clottey

Uatu: 10-9 Clottey

Judge 1: 86-85 Judge 2: 87-84 Judge 3: 86-85

All for the winner by unanimous decision, Joshua Clottey.

Spartan 117: 88-83 Clottey

Uatu: 86-85 Clottey

After examination of the replay, it appears that the cut was opened by an uppercut by Clottey.

Clottey says that everyone knew that Zab would get tired after the 4th round, so he trained to bring the pain after that round. He says that Zab never hurt him and nobody in his boxing career has ever hurt him. He says of course he wants Margarito, but if that can't happen he says he wants Andre Berto, which I think would be an amazing fight.

Judah says he knows that Clottey always headbutts. Kellerman shows him the replay that shows the cut being opened by an uppercut by Clottey. Zab is speechless for a few seconds, then says to trust him that it was a headbutt. He asks the fans who won and the crowd chants for Judah.

Round by Round: Dimitri Kirilov vs. Vic Darchinyan

Round 1
Kirilov shows movement. Straight lefts from Vic multiple times. Big round for Vic.
Uatu: Darchinyan 10-9

Round 2
Vic jabbing more this round. Lots of Vic offense. Vic is raking body and head.
Uatu: Darchinyan 10-9

Round 3
More big shots from Vic.
Vic out-throwing and out-landing by a wide magin. Kirilov got in his first big shot after a Vic flurry. Vic's left landing almost at will.
Uatu: Darchinyan 10-9

Round 4
Kirilov doing better now. Possibly he weathered the storm. Vic doing his usual rough-housing, pushing, bullying and tossing.
Uatu: Darchinyan 10-9

Round 5
Kirilov finally gets toppled. Down he goes! It wasn't too vicious. Vic pressing hard now. Really trying to close the show. Dimitri goes down again! This time he doesn't beat the count.
Darchinyan wins by KO!

The Raging Bull raged the entire fight.
It was a very impressive performance. Kirilov never had a moment to breathe and Vic began, continued, and finished with nothing but hard shots that landed regularly.

Post-fight, Darchinyan says he is looking for unification.

Mike Paschal vs. Andre Dirrell

Good action in rounds one through three. Paschal was game and at least in the fight.

In the fourth round, Dirrell landed one left hand that absolutely split open Paschal's forehead. The cut poured and poured blood so the doc had to look at it. Paschal begged and pleaded for one more round but to no avail. The doc stopped the fight and Dirrell won by fourth round TKO.

Dirrell was up by one point on all three cards. All three in press row had it 30-27.

Live Round By Round Updates Tonight: Judah-Clottey

So many questions to answer on HBO tonight. Questions such as:

Is this really Zab Judah's last shot?

Does Josh Clottey really want to win the right to get beat up by... I mean, take on Antonio Margarito for a second time?

Wouldn't it sound better if it was "Super" Zab Judah instead of Zab "Super" Judah?

That last one's always bothered me... Anyway, if you can't catch the fight on TV tonight, join Spartan117 here on BoxingWatchers.com for live (and fast!) round by round updates as Judah and Clottey collide.

BoxingWatchers.com Boxer Power Rankings: July 2008

We definitely had to wait until the month of July was completely finished to roll out updated power rankings since the Cotto-Margarito took place on the final weekend. Now we've got some movement both up and down the top 10 thanks to some big performances on the part of some boxers and inactivity on the part of others.

If you're not familiar with how our rankings work, the first thing you're going to do is look at them and say, "How the hell can Cotto be above Margarito?" Well folks, this isn't a pound-for-pound list, but a pseudo-mathematical reflection of how fighters have fared over a rolling three-year period. While Cotto is falling thanks to his KO loss, he's still faced and beaten more quality fighters in that time than Margarito - though that's not necessarily Tony's fault, since numerous potential foes wanted no part of him. The Tijuana Tornado does make his well-deserved return to this list though, and if he adds another win later this year he should continue to climb.

For now, here's how we stand at the end of July, 2008:

1. David Haye - 24.15 - I've heard from fans who want to see The Hayemaker in against Wladimir Klitschko now, but it would behoove him to get his feet wet against other heavyweights first. Still waiting to see who he'll face in November.

2. Kelly Pavlik - 23.03 - The Ghost is kind of in a no-win situation against Bernard Hopkins this fall, as The Executioner can make even someone with Pavlik's talent look bad. Hope for an exciting fight but don't be shocked if it's less than thrilling.

3. Wladimir Klitschko - 23.00 - He proved at least a little bit with his knockout of Tony Thompson. Wlad still seems awfully vulnerable for someone who aspires to be universally recognized as the heavyweight champion of the world.

4. Manny Pacquiao - 20.61 - Like Haye, Pacman has a November date in mind for his next fight but no dance partner as of yet. It remains to be seen if a bout with Oscar De La Hoya is reality or fantasy.

5. Arthur Abraham - 19.29 - Probably the guy Pavlik should be fighting, though it doesn't seem too economically appealing since King Arthur isn't well known to the general public. While he awaits his big chance, he'll stay busy taking on Raul Marquez in October.

6. Miguel Cotto - 18.07 - On top of this list just a few months ago, the proud Puerto Rican has to regroup after his punishing loss to Antonio Margarito. His next outing will tell us a lot about the size of his heart.

7. Antonio Margarito - 16.00 - The Tijuana Tornado is on top of the world and in better position than ever to have foes come to him instead of vice versa. We know for sure that he won't back down from anyone.

8. Israel Vazquez - 15.13 - Fans would love to see him back in the ring, but there still hasn't been word of an upcoming fight.

9. Chris John - 15.05 - My streak of never seeing John fight adds another month.

10. Nate Campbell - 13.67 - Has a chance to impress any lingering doubters by beating Joan Guzman in September, but the lightweight picture is as muddled as any division right now.

The next 7: Juan Diaz, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Samuel Peter, Paul Williams, Nonito Donaire

20-20 Hindsight: The Tornado Rumbles, Toney Doesn't Win After All and More

All hail the Tijuana Tornado!

Really, that's the best way I can sum up Antonio Margarito's impressive performance during his much-anticipated fight last Saturday against Miguel Cotto. It wasn't the things he showed us - the stifling pressure, the granite chin and the power - as much as the way he put them together. It was easy to believe his post-fight assertion that he could feel the fight turning his way in the middle rounds, and that if he stuck with his plan, he'd come away with the win.

As a fan, it's also easy to feel good about Margarito winning on such a big stage. His crowd-pleasing style is great for boxing, he carries himself well and genuinely seems to enjoy all aspects of his chosen profession. The sport could do a lot worse than to have more champions like him.

That's taking nothing away from Cotto, who fought the most skillful bout I've ever seen from him. Realizing fairly early on that he would be the worse for wear if he just stood and traded with Margarito, he showed excellent lateral movement and was able to use his jab and quick combos to stay out of trouble for quite a while. I've always agreed with those who felt Cotto's boxing skills didn't get enough credit, and nothing that happened Saturday changed my mind.

Still, it was a jarring sight to see the undefeated champ bloodied and reduced to taking a knee from Margarito's onslaught. Cotto simply ran out of gas and answers, and I'm sure his pride hurt even more than his body when his corner threw in the towel.

As for the fight itself, it was very enjoyable and worth paying to see, unlike some other pay-per-view offerings coming this fall (cough, Casamayor-Marquez, cough). It had plenty of action and suspense, though maybe not exactly the kind that was expected. I'd stop short of calling it an all-time classic however, as it didn't have the kind of ebb and flow that the very best matches tend to have.

Margarito certainly seems to have numerous options coming off his big win. Could one be Oscar De La Hoya? Dan Rafael of ESPN says it's possible. Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports says the Golden Boy will be looking to fight anyone but Margarito for his supposed final bout, and I can't see Oscar risking permanent damage to his omnipresent smile by stepping in against the Tijuana Tornado.

Steve Kim reports for MaxBoxing that there are obstacles to a Margarito-Paul Williams rematch (subscription needed to read), so the most likely immediate opponents are either the Shane Mosley-Ricardo Mayorga winner or the Zab Judah-Josh Clottey victor. Jake Donovan agrees that the stakes are higher for Judah-Clottey now that Margarito is on top and looking for his next dance partner.

Meanwhile, the AP is reporting that the California State Athletic Commission has changed the James Toney-Hasim Rahman decision from a TKO to a no decision. It's probably the "right" call since Rahman's cut was ruled to have been caused by a head butt, but it still sucks to see The Rock win his appeal when he pretty obviously was hoping to escape from what was looking more and more like an eventual loss at Toney's hands. Lights Out is bound to be extremely motivated if they face each other again.

Round by Round: Cotto vs. Margarito

The most highly anticipated fight of 2008 is almost ready to begin. We're just a few minutes away from seeing Miguel Cotto take on Antonio Margarito, but we've got three national anthems to get through first. Leading off is the Mexican anthem by Rocky, followed by the Puerto Rican anthem. Jasmine Villegas handles the "Star-Spangled Banner." 

The tale of the tape shows both fighters weighing in at 147 pounds with equal arm lengths. Margarito, of course, has a height advantage of several inches.

Margarito comes to the ring first, sporting a red headband and representing Mexico with his country's colors on the hood of his robe. Cotto's robe has angel wings on it. The crowd sounds like it's split pretty evenly between the two fighters.

Kenny Bayless is the referee for tonight's fight. Michael Buffer handles the introductions with his usual flair. Both men look like they are in fantastic shape, though Cotto looks maybe a tad thin. And we're ready to go.

Round 1

Cotto working the jab early and Margarito not rushing in as fast as you may think. Nice left uppercut to the body by Tony. Two nice 1-2 combos by Cotto. He's been backing up a lot but he's boxing well. Left hands both ways and a brief flurry by Cotto. Left uppercut by Margarito and he eats some straight shots back. Cotto looking very sharp with counters. Miguel warned for some shots right on the beltline.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto

Uatu: 10-9 Cotto

Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto

Round 2

Cotto lands a right as Tony tries to work the jab. Nice flurry by Cotto and he ducks away from return fire. Margarito tries to pressure along the ropes but Cotto works off the ropes well. Nice right by Tony. Now Margarito pressures and Cotto has to cover up. Nice left by Cotto. They trade in the corner as the crowd gets into it. Left hooks crash home by Cotto; Tony fires back with a right. Another good exchange along the ropes. Cotto works a nice combo, jumps away then right back in with a left before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto

Uatu: 10-9 Cotto

Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto

Round 3

Big swing and a miss by Tony as Cotto backs. Counter shot by Cotto and he ducks away again. More good work both ways from close range. Body shots by Tony and a right upstairs. Stiff jab by Margarito. Cotto picks his spots; Margarito is warned for low shots. Cotto gets a little space with a left and Tony is warned for a second time. Both men land lefts at the same time. Good exchanges along the ropes and in the center in the waning seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto

Uatu: 10-9 Cotto

Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto

Round 4

Harold Lederman gave the second round to Margarito. The action in the third starts in the center of the ring. Tony is jabbing in a little more now. The first minute is fairly uneventful. Body shot by Miguel answered by a stiff uppercut. It looks like a headbutt as both men get in close. Straight right by Margarito. Stiff left in the corner by Cotto. Tony has the edge briefly in the corner and Cotto works his way out again.

Franchise: 10-9 Margarito

Uatu: 10-9 Margarito

Spartan117: 10-9 Margarito

Round 5

Cotto still sticking and circling to start the fifth. The announcers think Tony could be cutting off the ring more effectively. Good right along the ropes by Margarito, and another. Jabs both ways. Uppercut from Cotto. Two quick left hands from Cotto find the mark. Now a good flurry as Margarito can't get off. Cotto is moving well but he's using a lot of energy staying mobile. With 10 seconds left, Margarito finally scores with a few rights, but it may have been too little, too late.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto

Uatu: 10-9 Cotto

Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto

Round 6

Margarito was very inaccurate in that last round, but we know he will just keep coming. His corner wants him to actually pick up the quantity, if that's possible. Low shot by Tony and Cotto lands a pair of uppercuts. Now they stand and try to trade along the ropes, but both men cover up well. Tony is trying to throw, he's just having trouble finding openings. A quick flurry and an uppercut by Cotto. Now a right hand scores for Tony, though Cotto comes right back. Triple right hands by Margarito but they may not have landed clean.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto

Uatu: 10-9 Cotto

Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto

Round 7

The drama in this fight is a bit different than what was expected, but it's still compelling. Tony starts strong along the ropes with body and head punches. They fight into the opposite corner and Cotto finally looks like he may be stunned a bit. Cotto looks wobbly as he gets hit with lefts and rights. Several shots look like they may be low both ways. Cotto scores with a few of his own punches. More body shots by Tony along the ropes and Miguel is forced to clinch twice. Uppercuts crash home for Tony and Cotto is bloody.

Franchise: 10-9 Margarito

Uatu: 10-9 Margarito

Spartan117: 10-9 Margarito

Round 8

We'll see if the momentum is starting to swing. Cotto returns to his lateral movement, which he almost has to do. A little more clinching now than before. The crowd starts a Mexico chant. Left hands by Cotto and he dances to the side. Less action in this round and it favors the champ. Tony comes in behind multiple uppercuts. Great combo by Cotto with ten seconds to go.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto

Uatu: 10-9 Cotto

Spartan117: 10-9 Margarito

Round 9

Cotto strikes with quick shots and moves back. Lederman has the fight even through eight. Good flurry by Cotto and Margarito goes back to work. Tony briefly gets the upper hand and Cotto clinches to escape. Cotto switches southpaw for a minute. Very nice boxing display by the champ rights now as he unleashes another flurry while backed against the ropes. Constant pressure by Margarito as always, but he just didn't land as many punches.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto

Uatu: 10-9 Cotto

Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto

Round 10

Jab by Cotto and he still has some bounce in his legs. More jabs as he circles left. Combo work by Miguel and he ducks back. Tony doing a little holding as he tries to track down his foe. Nice left hand upstairs by Cotto. Another good left though Tony scores with a right in response. Good right hand snaps Margarito's head back. Tony finally tracks him down but most of his punches are picked off. Now Margarito lands a big flurry and may have Cotto hurt. Tough round to score thanks to that last exchange.

Franchise: 10-9 Cotto

Uatu: 10-9 Cotto

Spartan117: 10-9 Cotto

Round 11

Margarito clearly feeling confident after the end of the tenth. He wades in and Cotto is still game, landing a two-punch combo. Overhand right by Tony coming in. Left to the head by Tony. Left-right combo forces Cotto to take a knee and he is bloody! Cotto is holding on for dear life and he's knocked to a knee again in the corner. Relentless pressure by Margarito has forced the champ to wilt and the ref has called it.

Replays showed that the first knockdown came thanks to a left-right combo, both of which were uppercuts. Margarito just kept throwing, and Cotto took the second knee completely of his own will. Cotto's corner threw in the towel because he clearly had nothing left.

The winner by TKO at 2:05 of the 11th round... and new WBA welterweight champion... Antonio Margarito.

Not surprisingly, Margarito threw and landed more punches, but Cotto landed at a higher percentage. Tony gives credit to Cotto for being a strong fighter, but he told his corner he would get the knockout, and it did come. He says he was never hurt, and felt he could press the action even more beginning with the sixth round. 

Steward says you can beat Margarito over the course of one or two rounds, but it's too difficult to hang in with him for 12 rounds because of the volume and variety of punches he throws. Lampley doesn't think Cotto's reputation will take too much of a hit because he performed well. Replays of the last round confirm that Cotto did indeed take the second knee with no punches landing, though he got hit with several hard body shots after the first knockdown.

Kellerman tries to get an interview with Cotto, but the former champ is apparently too emotional to grant him one. Max thinks Miguel will have to do some soul-searching after this loss, as he's used to breaking down his opponents and he had his own will broken tonight.

Live Blog: Cotto-Margarito Undercard

The Cotto-Margarito pay-per-view is underway. We're wasting no time getting to the first undercard fight, which features Filipino boxer Bernabe Concepcion taking on Adam Carrera.

Jim Lampley mentions that Carrera has already had four medical suspensions in a relatively young career. He sticks the jab often in the first round and stays busier in general. Freddie Roach is in Concepcion's corner.

Concepcion looks bigger in the upper body and hits harder when he lands. But he's getting beaten to the punch more often than not in the early rounds. A right hand sends Carrera to the canvas about halfway through the third round, then a sharp uppercut knocks him down again about 30 seconds later. Carrera looks out of it and referee Joe Cortez calls a stop to it.

Concepcion wins by TKO at 2:14 of Round 3.

The announce team mentions that Cotto has already been in the arena for about an hour and a half, while Margarito is just arriving. The next fight is a super lightweight bout between undefeated prospect Mike Alvarado and Cesar Bazan.

Alvarado shows some serious pop right out of the box, and Max Kellerman thinks Bazan is pretty shopworn, though he's able to land a few uppercuts in response. The first round is a close one, with both men landing power shots. The second and third rounds bring more of the same, with the crowd really getting into it at the end of the third as the fighters stand and trade along the ropes.

With about 30 seconds left in the fourth round, Alvarado unloads a barrage along the ropes and Bazan crumples to the ground. He can't get up, and Alvarado gets the win.

Alvarado wins by KO at 2:46 of the fourth round.

Alvarado give himself a strong B or B+ for his effort. He feels like he's a top-10 fighter in his division, and he'd like a chance to fight anyone ranked above him.

With the first two undercard fights ending so quickly, it's time for the PPV team to fill. Lampley, Kellerman and Manny Steward take a look back at Cotto's last three fights.

That doesn't last too long, and we're on to a 108-pound fight between Giovanni Segura and Cesar Canchila. Segura makes a quick switch from conventional to southpaw and back, which is something the announcers said to watch for in the early going.

Segura starts strong and seems to wobble Canchila twice in the first 90 seconds. He escapes the first round without going down though, and he's lively enough to be throwing plenty of return punches of his own. Canchila's corner is telling him to jab, but neither man showed much inclination to do that in the first three minutes.

A minute into the second, Canchila gets dropped by a right hand. He's back up and swinging but Segura is looking good so far. Replays show that Segura knockdown came on a counter shot that wasn't quite as hard as it first looked.

Canchila appears none the worse for wear in the third round, and may have actually done enough work to win the round. Lampley makes a good point that Cesar may have a better chance of winning if he does more boxing, but the temptation to stand in and swing away seems too strong.

The fourth round is also good for Canchila. Segura is still coming forward but looks like he may be tiring. He rallies a bit at the end of the fifth when he lands a couple of shots that stun Canchila again, but he's losing a lot of the middle rounds.

Round eight is a bit more even with Segura getting in more offense with both hands. Meanwhile, Kellerman talks to Cotto about the main event. He says he prepared for this fight the same way he always does, and he feels no extra pressure because of the Puerto Rico-Mexico rivalry. He also says he's looking forward to capitalizing on Margarito's mistakes.

Canchila knocks Segura into one corner in the opening minute of the tenth round. He continues a two-fisted body attack and looks like he's winning this round as well. We head backstage again for Kellerman's discussion with Margarito, who (not surprisingly) vows to jump on Cotto right from the opening bell.

 It didn't seem like this one was going to go the distance, but it makes it all 12 rounds. We go to the scorecards: 1117-110, 115-112, 117-110, all for Canchila.

Canchila wins by unanimous decision.

Plenty of time for hyping the main event. Lampley runs down a list of memorable sporting events so far in 2008 and thinks Cotto-Margarito could fit right in. Kellerman says there is a possibility of a Hagler-Hearns type of fight, which would be great for boxing.

Live Round By Round Updates Tonight: Cotto-Margarito

We couldn't really continue to call ourselves the BoxingWatchers if we missed this one. Miguel Cotto takes on Antonio Margarito tonight in one of the best fights that could be made at any weight, and if you're like us, you're doing everything in your power to make sure you see it.

But sometimes life gets in the way, right? If you can't catch the fight on TV tonight, bookmark BoxingWatchers.com and get some of the fastest live round by round updates anywhere. The whole staff will be assembled for The Battle!

Predictions: Cotto vs. Margarito

The Franchise says...

It's Christmas in July for fight fans. The present that's about to be unwrapped is the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito clash, and it doesn't even need to completely live up to the hype to be worth watching.

Neither fighter should be lacking for motivation. Margarito sees this as the huge fight he's long been denied - though as Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports recently pointed out, it's actually his 13th career title fight. Cotto feels slighted because the Tijuana Tornado chose to face Paul Williams when they had a real chance to meet last summer. Both men are warriors who will lay it all on the line, and the always hot Puerto Rico-Mexico rivalry adds even more spice to the mix.

Confidence also shouldn't be an issue. Cotto has never tasted defeat, and Margarito bounced back from losing to Williams last July by blowing out Golden Johnson in one round and dropping Kermit Cintron with a brutal body shot three months ago. The boxing skills of both fighters are probably underrated, though they clearly think offense first and are often there to be hit - a fact that actually adds to the excitement of their fights.

Margarito gets the nod in terms of raw, explosive power, while Cotto's attack tends to use consistent punishment to wear opponents down over time. The champ actually has a higher career KO percentage, and he's been in with generally tougher foes that include Shane Mosley, Zab Judah and Paul Malignaggi.

Tony is known as a volume puncher, though the Williams fight showed that he can be slowed down by a boxer who's willing to apply the pressure himself, and Cotto certainly feels comfortable in that role. As he often does, Miguel will be facing a disadvantage in reach, but it's Tony's height that may cause the champ problems. Cotto hasn't faced a foe this tall in years.

I wouldn't be surprised by any outcome in this one, and either man could end up on the wrong side of a first career knockout loss. Still, I see Margarito storming out of the gate early and Cotto weathering the storm. With so many other factors appearing to be roughly equal, I think Cotto has just enough of an edge in boxing ability to win more rounds if it goes the distance. It's probably the toughest fight of the year to call, but I like Cotto to win a narrow, action-packed decision. And the fans, of course, will turn out to be the real winners.

Uatu says...

Uatu loves everything about Margarito.  He loves his attitude, his heart, his chin, his aggressive style, the way he handles his career, and above all the  way he fights.  But, Cotto has been very impressive over the last few years.  This is no knock on Margarito but giving credit to Cotto.  Until someone beats Cotto, or Cotto moves up further in weight, then Uatu cannot pick against him.  Look for Cotto to fight multi-dimensionally and do a little bit of everything like he did against Mosley.  Margarito will probably at least start more aggressively, but Cotto will out speed and skill him to a decision victory.

Spartan117 says...

Judging for Magarito's previous fights, most notably Magarito v. Paul Willams, he does have great attitude and heart just as Uatu stated above.  This will make for a great fight because I predict that Cotto will bring it hard tonight.  He's going to work his trademark body shots but Margarito will be able to fight through them.  Althought, in later rounds Cotto's shots will be too much for Margarito and he'll go down.  Spartan117 predicts a late round KO leading to a Cotto victory.

Round By Round: Jeff Lacy vs. Epifanio Mendoza

The main event of the July 23 edition of Wednesday Night Fights sees Jeff Lacy continuing on his comeback trail against Epi Mendoza, a dangerous opponent who has pulled off some surprises in the past. Lacy is 23-1, though he's won two straight after getting taken apart by Joe Calzaghe in March of 2006. He promises fireworks tonight.

Teddy Atlas says Lacy's key is his famed left hook, while Mendoza needs to land straight right hands when he sees openings. The fighters get their final instructions and we're ready to go.

Round 1

Mendoza flicks the jab. Lacy lands his first left of the fight. Not a lot of lateral movement by either man. Lacy drives Mendoza back with a pair of right hands, then scores with another. Right to the body and Mendoza tries to fire back with uppercuts. Lacy misses a big right and they tie up. Mendoza finding some success with uppercuts from close range. He's warned by the ref for hitting behind the head.

Franchise: 10-9 Lacy
Spartan117: 10-9 Lacy

Round 2

Atlas says Mendoza is standing too wide when the fight is in close so he can't move to get away. Big right lands from Lacy. Now Mendoza fires back with one of his own. Both men try to get something done inside before they clinch a couple of times. Lacy jumps in with a body shot. Two punch combo comes and then Jeff dances back out of the way. Big right stumbles Lacy and he's in trouble! With 40 seconds left in the round, Lacy stuns Mendoza with his own shot. Clubbing right by Lacy and a big left hook. Fantastic action in that round.

Franchise: 10-9 Mendoza
Spartan117: 10-9 Mendoza

Round 3

We'll see who has more left after a crazy second round. Both men winging big shots in close but nothing huge connects. Lacy is leaving himself open as he jumps in. Right uppercut by Mendoza. he's warned for a low shot as they lean on each other. Lacy with two short shots in the corner. Left hook finds the range for Mendoza. Nice two-shot combo by Lacy. Right catches Mendoza leaning back. Mean left right before the bell by Lacy.

Franchise: 10-9 Lacy
Spartan117: 10-9 Lacy

Round 4

Lacy tries some body work but the fight immediately gets to close range. Mendoza is hit low and Lacy receives a warning. Lacy punches his way in and it's back to the proverbial fight in a phone booth. Mendoza fires an uppercut and backs up. Now it's Epi jumping in and missing. Left hooks landing for Lacy and Mendoza fires some lefts back. Lacy is bleeding from the nose. Right from Mendoza and Lacy is quick to fire back. Left-right combo has Mendoza in trouble on the ropes. Big swing and a miss by Jeff as the round ends.

Franchise: 10-9 Lacy
Spartan117: 10-9 Lacy

Round 5

Jabs flowing from Mendoza until he's hit with a right hand. Another right hurts Mendoza and he stumbles forward and almost falls out of the ring. It's not a knockdown though, and Lacy goes back to work. Big right hand by Lacy after he almost got caught with one coming in. Double left hook by Lacy and Mendoza is warned again for a low shot. Good exchange along the ropes closes things out.

Franchise: 10-9 Lacy
Spartan117: 10-9 Lacy

Round 6

Mendoza sends Lacy's mouthpiece flying with a right hand. He looked a little hurt as the fight stops to get it back in. Another right by Mendoza. Now Lacy firing back as they head for the corner. Uppercut by Mendoza in tight. Lacy flurries but nothing significant lands. Stiff left backs Mendoza up a step. More wrestling along the ropes and Lacy lands a left at the bell. Close round but Mendoza probably took it with his work early on.

Franchise: 10-9 Mendoza
Spartan117: 10-9 Mendoza

Round 7

Lacy jumps in with a right hand and they lean on each other once more. Mendoza trying body shots and short punches upstairs. Both men jab out in the middle. Perhaps fatigue is starting to set in on both sides. Nice exchange in the center and Mendoza may have scored the harder shot. Even with the longer arms, Mendoza seems to be more comfortable shortening up his shots inside. Not a spectacular round but it seemed to go Mendoza's way again.

Franchise: 10-9 Mendoza
Spartan117: 10-9 Mendoza

Round 8

Lacy jumping around but both men look tentative. He charges in and picks Mendoza up off the ground. Jabs landing from Mendoza. Two right hooks in a row back Lacy up. He tackles Mendoza and lands hard on top of him by the ropes. Mendoza looks a little shaken and the crowd doesn't like it. The ref gives him a minute to recover because he hit his head on the bottom rope. Mendoza goes back to stalking and lands a left hook. Lacy is wobbled again by a left hand and left hooks follow up. Lacy hangs on until the end of the round but he was definitely in trouble again.

Franchise: 10-9 Mendoza
Spartan117: Mendoza

Round 9

Looping right crashes home from Mendoza though he's backed up by return fire. Both men land left hands. Straight jab hits Lacy square. Mendoza timing Lacy well now but he eats a left hook coming back. Lacy bleeding again, this time from the left eye. Mendoza backs him up with a right hand. Uppercut inside by Mendoza. Now another and a straight right too. Lacy is game as he stands and swings away. Closer round but Epi looked good again.

Franchise: 10-9 Mendoza
Spartan117: 10-9 Mendoza

Round 10

I would not be surprised if this fight is there to be won by either man. Atlas has Mendoza up by one point. Pretty calm opening to the final round. Several tie-ups force the ref to stay active. Mendoza uppercut lands; Lacy trying to hit his signature punch. Left hook by Mendoza. Body shot by Lacy and they tie up again. Both fighters look tired and the crowd is disappointed by the lack of action. Flurry by Lacy as he tries to steal the final round. One-two combo by Lacy. He throws right until the end and may have saved himself from losing the fight.

Franchise: 10-9 Lacy
Spartan117: 10-9 Mendoza

Franchise scores it 95-95, a draw. Spartan 117 scores it 96-94 for Mendoza. The judges score it 95-95, and 96-94 and 97-93 for Lacy.

The winner by majority decision... Jeff Lacy.

Lacy feels like he did a marvelous job for ten rounds; not sure that reflects what actually happened. Atlas asks Lacy if he tackled Mendoza on purpose. He evades the question somewhat but finally claims it was good tactics and experience in the ring. Interesting take.

Wednesday Night Fights Recap - Jose Armando Santa Cruz vs. Miguel Munguia and More

Tonight's Wednesday Night Fights telecast from California features two fighters who are looking to get back in the world title picture: Jose Armando Santa Cruz and Jeff Lacy. The announce team begins with a recap on the health of Oscar Diaz, who is in critical but stable condition following emergency brain surgery after his brutal knockout at the hands of Delvin Rodriguez last Wednesday.

Munguia gives away quite a bit of height and reach and took the fight on shirt notice, so we'll see if he has anything for Santa Cruz. He certainly looks game for a guy who's lost 12 of his last 14, coming forward steadily. Munguia goes crazy with volume and Santa Cruz covers up and rides out the storm.

Joel Casamayor is ringside checking out the action. Munguia threw over 100 punches in the first round but the computer stats say he landed only ten. Santa Cruz is clearly throwing the harder punches and he's starting to find the range in the second round. Some vicious combos start to land late in the second round, but Munguia makes it out in one piece.

Teddy Atlas already thinks we may be seeing the beginning of the end, though you have to give Munguia credit for continuing to hang tough and wing body shots at Santa Cruz. Unless something surprising happens and JASC gets caught, it feels like only a matter of time until he gets the KO.

No big developments in the fourth round as Santa Cruz lands some nice counters over his opponent's jab and dominates in number of punches landed. Munguia is starting to bleed as well.

The fifth round sees the end for Munguia as Santa Cruz jumps in and lands a vicious video game-style left to the body that crumples his foe. It's a knockout, coming at 0:42 of the fifth round.

Next up is undefeated prospect Danny Jacobs taking on Sergio Rios. Jacobs is a 21-year old from Brooklyn who came up just short of making the U.S. Olympic team. He is 7-0 with every win coming by KO. Atlas says he has been in soft so far and is again tonight.

Jacobs starts cautiously but shows great hand speed and a variety of punches that he throws in combinations. Rios goes down after a flurry and makes no effort to get back to his feet. Looks like a right that softened him up and a left-right combo that finished him. Jacobs wins by KO at 2:46 of the first round.

Yet another undefeated prospect is in action in the next undercard fight. Carlos Velasquez - whose twin brother is also an unbeaten up-and-comer - is 7-0 with six knockouts. He's in against David Vasquez, who took the fight on three days notice. Vasquez hasn't won since February of 2000.

Vasquez is bleeding early, but the ref says it's from an accidental clash of heads. Velasquez looks comfortable in the first round, but he really cranks it up in the second. A left hook to the head has Vasquez wobbly, and Velasquez just continues to land undefended shots to the head and body until the ref says enough. A looping right was the icing on the cake. Velasquez takes it by KO at 1:12 of the second round.

This week's edition of Ringside Remembers focuses on Liston-Patterson II. Unfortunately, technical difficulties knock out the video twice and we don't get to see it. Atlas fills by talking about famous first round knockouts in the heavyweight division, including Tyson-Spinks, Marciano-Walcott II, Flynn-Dempsey, Clay-Liston II and Louis-Schmeling II.

Franchise Thoughts: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Quite the mixed bag for us boxing fans this week. First came yet another "WTF?" moment when it was announced that Nikolai Valuev and John Ruiz would fight August 30 for the vacant WBA heavyweight title. I do believe in a higher power, and I also feel He has one tremendous sense of humor to give us a world where these two men would fight twice - and for a title both times!

My favorite part of the story is that Don King submitted a purse bid just $10 over the minimum despite having a vested interest in both men. Folks, when Don King doesn't think he can sell your fight, you know you've got a stinker on your hands.

Then my brother Uatu text messaged me a few days later to point me to the least surprising injury news ever. Namely, that Joe Calzaghe had hurt himself training and his September fight with Roy Jones was postponed.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. JoeCal's fight with Bernard Hopkins was pretty boring, and depending on which Jones shows up, this one could be too. Call me a hopeless optimist, but maybe Calzaghe will get tired of being called a slapper and RJJ will realize he's at the end of the road and they'll both lay it all on the line.

It appears the fight may be rescheduled for November, which if nothing else will give HBO more time to put together episodes of 24/7. They might even have cameras rolling the next time Joe hurts his hand!

Fortunately, we the fight fans have the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito fight coming up to wash the bad taste of all this other stuff out of our mouths. Good stuff by ESPN's Kieran Mulvaney as he discusses how this fight could be the one that turns Cotto into a real star. I think the same could also be said for Margarito, whose crowd-pleasing style seems to need only the right high profile win to catapult him to superstardom.

And speaking of pleasing crowds, Eric Raskin isn't exactly going out on a limb when he calls Cotto-Margarito the one fight to watch to attempt to get your non-boxing-fan friends hooked on the sport. Much more interesting is Raskin's lead, where he talks about the need many of us feel to try to recruit others into the fold.

I have to admit I've felt that way on more than one occasion, and I'm not sure why. Part of it, I'm sure, is that I hear the constant refrains of "boxing is in decline, boxing is dead, blah, blah blah," and I want to show people that it's not true. Some of it is also knowing how exciting boxing can be at it's best, and truly feeling that my friends who are fans of other sports would agree if they would only give it a chance.

In any case, I've certainly done my share of trumpeting the merits of Cotto-Margarito to anyone who would listen. They don't have to watch if they don't want to, but if the fight turns out to be even half as good as experts and fans alike think it might be, it will be their loss.

Franchise Thoughts: Could Help for the Heavyweight Division Come From MMA?

As the world of televised boxing takes a bit of a breather this weekend to prepare us for the stellar Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito clash next Saturday, MMA gets the spotlight all to itself. By the sound of it though, some of the bigger (literally) names on tonight's Affliction card are thinking about giving boxing a try.


Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski already has his foot in the door. He'll have Freddie Roach in his corner tonight, and the boxing trainer extraordinaire thinks The Pitbull has what it takes to become a legit heavyweight boxer. Arlovski was rumored to be fighting on the undercard of the September 13 Joel Casamayor-Juan Manuel Marquez PPV telecast, and while that plan appears to have fallen through, I wouldn't be shocked to see him in a boxing ring in the near future.

The man facing Fedor Emelianenko tonight, Tim Sylvia, also has boxing on his mind. As reported by Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports, Sylvia - also a former UFC heavyweight titlist - hinted that he'd like to take a stab at the sweet science:

“Absolutely, if the money was there, I believe I could beat any heavyweight boxer out there at his own game,” he said. “I’m that confident in my stand-up. I’d love for some boxing promotion to approach me with one of the top heavyweights because I’d probably beat them."

You don't even have to dig very far into Sylvia's quote to find out what's got both men considering a slight change of profession. Even with the skyrocketing popularity of MMA, the current business model doesn't allow most of the fighters to make the kind of money the top boxers make. And with a heavyweight division that everyone agrees is in disarray (okay, not everyone), it's not hard to see the same opportunity Arlovski and Sylvia see.

Both men have size on their side, especially Sylvia, who would look down at Wladimir Klitschko and outweigh him by a good 20 pounds. Sylvia claims to have had some boxing training and Arlovski is already working with Roach. Both are obviously good athletes (Sylvia haters may disagree!) who know how to throw and take a punch.

But could they really make a switch at this point in their careers and make it to world-class level in boxing? I'm skeptical. Arlovski is 29 and Sylvia is a few years older. They'd have to adjust extremely quickly to the differences in timing and spacing between the two sports and acclimate themselves to using bigger, heavier gloves.

Still, as a boxing fan, I say the more the merrier, especially at heavyweight. I'm not so sure it would be as easy as Sylvia thinks, but it might be fun to watch them try. And as anyone who sat through Klitschko-Ibragimov a few months ago would surely agree, the current crop of boxing heavyweights could use an injection of fun.