Boxing News Thread
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Ricky Hatton Looks Very Heavy, Around 165, Says Arum
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
While Ricky "Hitman" Hatton may be in better shape than he was prior to his previous fights, he still doesn’t look anywhere near as sharp as Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao.
That’s the assessment of Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who was with Pacquiao in their incredibly successful and high profile promotional tour in Hatton’s hometown of Manchester and London.
Shortly after his arrival from London, Arum told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Hatton "looked in better shape than before but he is still very heavy. My guess is that he was like 165 pounds while Manny looked very trim and around 150 pounds."
However, in their final media conference at the historic Imperial War Museum, Hatton claimed he was "in fantastic condition already and that shows you how much I am up for this fight."
Arum was completely enamored with Pacquiao and the way he handled himself. Arum said "Manny really captured England. It was unbelievable. The English media went nuts about him. He is humble, down-to-earth and very exotic.. So unlike a normal fighter. His is a great story."
Arum praised Philippine ambassador to Britain, Edgardo Espiritu who he said was "very helpful." The Top Rank promoter said "I didn’t realize there were so many Filipinos in England. Everywhere we went Manny was besieged by them and it was a tremendous buildup to the fight."
Arum revealed that when Pacquiao heard mass last Sunday at Westminster Cathedral "he set an attendance record. Every seat was filled. They reserved a pew for him in the first row and the priest acknowledged Manny saying ‘we have a distinguished visitor with us’. There were hundreds and hundreds of people outside. It was unbelievable."
The promoter who is considered an icon in boxing predicted the fight will be a classic because Hatton "as a fighter, is an attraction. As a fight its got to be a great fight because of the styles of these two fighters which is very exciting. As a box office attraction it has a huge dimension because of the tremendous number of pay-per-view buys in England." He calculated that the fight would do over a million homes in Britain.
Arum pointed out "that’s an element that no other fighter brings to the table. Not (Floyd) Mayweather Jr, not anybody else." He said English homes are paying $23 per home and "that is the bonanza in this fight" which in addition to the $8 million in gate receipts will also earn from the US pay-per-view buys which Arum believes "will be very, very strong. We are very optimistic."
Prior to his departure from London, Hatton expressed his appreciation to Pacquiao for visiting Britain. He said "I appreciate Manny traveling all of this way to come to England and especially Manchester to help promote this fight. He’s a great fighter and I am looking forward to the challenge."
Hatton said he was fighting for the pound-for-pound title currently held by Pacquiao and "this is what I want more than anything. The last time I had a chance to fight for the pound-for-pound title, I did okay. I came in second." That fight was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Hatton pointed out that he fought Mayweather at 147 pounds and he didn’t think he was big enough at that weight, adding "now I have a chance to fight at 140 pounds and that is my weight."
Hatton recalled that when he fought Kostya Tsyzu "no one game me a chance against him and that seems like a long time ago. I truly believe I am a much better fighter now. When I fought Tsyzu I bulldozed him into submission."
"The Hitman" noted in his last fight against Paulie Malignaggi with trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr and a new team around him "my style is different and better. I think I proved that I have a much better jab, a stronger punch and speed too.."
He said both he and Pacquiao "don’t go backwards and I think that is the key to this fight. Whoever winds up going backwards is going to lose. We both have very exciting and aggressive styles and this fight is going to be tremendous."
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
While Ricky "Hitman" Hatton may be in better shape than he was prior to his previous fights, he still doesn’t look anywhere near as sharp as Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao.
That’s the assessment of Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who was with Pacquiao in their incredibly successful and high profile promotional tour in Hatton’s hometown of Manchester and London.
Shortly after his arrival from London, Arum told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Hatton "looked in better shape than before but he is still very heavy. My guess is that he was like 165 pounds while Manny looked very trim and around 150 pounds."
However, in their final media conference at the historic Imperial War Museum, Hatton claimed he was "in fantastic condition already and that shows you how much I am up for this fight."
Arum was completely enamored with Pacquiao and the way he handled himself. Arum said "Manny really captured England. It was unbelievable. The English media went nuts about him. He is humble, down-to-earth and very exotic.. So unlike a normal fighter. His is a great story."
Arum praised Philippine ambassador to Britain, Edgardo Espiritu who he said was "very helpful." The Top Rank promoter said "I didn’t realize there were so many Filipinos in England. Everywhere we went Manny was besieged by them and it was a tremendous buildup to the fight."
Arum revealed that when Pacquiao heard mass last Sunday at Westminster Cathedral "he set an attendance record. Every seat was filled. They reserved a pew for him in the first row and the priest acknowledged Manny saying ‘we have a distinguished visitor with us’. There were hundreds and hundreds of people outside. It was unbelievable."
The promoter who is considered an icon in boxing predicted the fight will be a classic because Hatton "as a fighter, is an attraction. As a fight its got to be a great fight because of the styles of these two fighters which is very exciting. As a box office attraction it has a huge dimension because of the tremendous number of pay-per-view buys in England." He calculated that the fight would do over a million homes in Britain.
Arum pointed out "that’s an element that no other fighter brings to the table. Not (Floyd) Mayweather Jr, not anybody else." He said English homes are paying $23 per home and "that is the bonanza in this fight" which in addition to the $8 million in gate receipts will also earn from the US pay-per-view buys which Arum believes "will be very, very strong. We are very optimistic."
Prior to his departure from London, Hatton expressed his appreciation to Pacquiao for visiting Britain. He said "I appreciate Manny traveling all of this way to come to England and especially Manchester to help promote this fight. He’s a great fighter and I am looking forward to the challenge."
Hatton said he was fighting for the pound-for-pound title currently held by Pacquiao and "this is what I want more than anything. The last time I had a chance to fight for the pound-for-pound title, I did okay. I came in second." That fight was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Hatton pointed out that he fought Mayweather at 147 pounds and he didn’t think he was big enough at that weight, adding "now I have a chance to fight at 140 pounds and that is my weight."
Hatton recalled that when he fought Kostya Tsyzu "no one game me a chance against him and that seems like a long time ago. I truly believe I am a much better fighter now. When I fought Tsyzu I bulldozed him into submission."
"The Hitman" noted in his last fight against Paulie Malignaggi with trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr and a new team around him "my style is different and better. I think I proved that I have a much better jab, a stronger punch and speed too.."
He said both he and Pacquiao "don’t go backwards and I think that is the key to this fight. Whoever winds up going backwards is going to lose. We both have very exciting and aggressive styles and this fight is going to be tremendous."
Devon Alexander Wants Nate Campbell To Step Up
I will fight anyone that Don King or the television networks want me to fight,” Alexander, a St. Louis native, said from his South Florida training camp. “I want to prove that I am one of the best fighters in the world, and what better way to do that than to take on a guy who was the king of the lightweights before making the recent decision to move up to junior welterweight.”
Alexander’s longtime trainer and manager Kevin Cunningham, also from St. Louis, knows this would be a dangerous match but believes his young charge is ready to make the move.
“There is no question this would be a big step up in terms of opposition for Devon, but it’s a challenge he’s ready to have,” Cunningham said. “Somebody brought up Nate Campbell to face Devon. I’m all for Nate vs. The Great. HBO has expressed interest in making it happen, so we’ll see.”
Cunningham also believes Campbell’s previous experiences should play a role in negotiations.
“Nate has always talked about all of the fighters who ducked him on his way up,” Cunningham said of the 36-year-old former world champion. “Now he has this opportunity. The ball is in his court. It will be interesting to see if he will welcome this challenge from a worthy young foe.”
Cunningham also noted that the winner of this fight could face the winner of the upcoming 140-pound world-championship unification match between Timothy Bradley and Kendall Holt. Bradley currently holds the WBC crown and Holt is the World Boxing Organization titleholder
I will fight anyone that Don King or the television networks want me to fight,” Alexander, a St. Louis native, said from his South Florida training camp. “I want to prove that I am one of the best fighters in the world, and what better way to do that than to take on a guy who was the king of the lightweights before making the recent decision to move up to junior welterweight.”
Alexander’s longtime trainer and manager Kevin Cunningham, also from St. Louis, knows this would be a dangerous match but believes his young charge is ready to make the move.
“There is no question this would be a big step up in terms of opposition for Devon, but it’s a challenge he’s ready to have,” Cunningham said. “Somebody brought up Nate Campbell to face Devon. I’m all for Nate vs. The Great. HBO has expressed interest in making it happen, so we’ll see.”
Cunningham also believes Campbell’s previous experiences should play a role in negotiations.
“Nate has always talked about all of the fighters who ducked him on his way up,” Cunningham said of the 36-year-old former world champion. “Now he has this opportunity. The ball is in his court. It will be interesting to see if he will welcome this challenge from a worthy young foe.”
Cunningham also noted that the winner of this fight could face the winner of the upcoming 140-pound world-championship unification match between Timothy Bradley and Kendall Holt. Bradley currently holds the WBC crown and Holt is the World Boxing Organization titleholder
At The Tank, San Jose, CA
(HBO) James Kirkland (24-0) vs. Joel Julio (34-2)
(The Ring Magazine #10 Jr. Middleweight vs. Unranked)
(HBO) Victor Ortiz (23-1-1) vs. Mike Arnaoutis (21-2-2)
(HBO) Robert Guerrero (23-1-1) vs. Daud Yordan (23-0)
Rock Allen (14-0) vs. Rogelio Castaneda (24-15-3)
Karim Mayfield (7-0-1) vs. Mario Lozano (5-0)
JUST TO UPDATE SOME OF YOU "HBO BOXING AFTERDARK" LIVE AT THE HP PAVILION" Hbo Boxing After Dark
HP Pavilion At San Jose, San Jose, CA
Sat, Mar 7, 2009 03:30 PM
**TIX SATRT @ $25 BUCKS**
WE GOTTA SUPPORT BIG TIME BOXING IN THE BAY THAT WAY PRMOTERS WILL BRING MORE HIGH PROFILE FIGHTS TO NORTHERN CALI
ALSO ON THE CARD IS KARIM "HARD HITTA" MAYFIELD FROM FRISCO
At The Tank, San Jose, CA
(HBO) James Kirkland (24-0) vs. Joel Julio (34-2)
(The Ring Magazine #10 Jr. Middleweight vs. Unranked)
(HBO) Victor Ortiz (23-1-1) vs. Mike Arnaoutis (21-2-2)
(HBO) Robert Guerrero (23-1-1) vs. Daud Yordan (23-0)
Rock Allen (14-0) vs. Rogelio Castaneda (24-15-3)
Karim Mayfield (7-0-1) vs. Mario Lozano (5-0)
JUST TO UPDATE SOME OF YOU "HBO BOXING AFTERDARK" LIVE AT THE HP PAVILION" Hbo Boxing After Dark
HP Pavilion At San Jose, San Jose, CA
Sat, Mar 7, 2009 03:30 PM
**TIX SATRT @ $25 BUCKS**
WE GOTTA SUPPORT BIG TIME BOXING IN THE BAY THAT WAY PRMOTERS WILL BRING MORE HIGH PROFILE FIGHTS TO NORTHERN CALI
ALSO ON THE CARD IS KARIM "HARD HITTA" MAYFIELD FROM FRISCO
Hopkins, Golden Boy Push For a Joe Calzaghe Rematch in Wales
By Mark Vester
Bernard Hopkins and Golden Boy Promotions are doing their best to lure Joe Calzaghe out of retirement. Calzaghe, 46-0, announced his retirement last month. Hopkins has been trying to land one final major fight before calling an end to his own career. Calzaghe won a close split decision over Hopkins last April, but was very against a rematch. He felt their styles make for a very ugly fight and their April bout was a clear example.
Richard Schaefer, CEO for Golden Boy, is trying to broker the rematch and says there are no issues with Hopkins traveling over to Calzaghe's homeland of Wales to make it happen.
"I'll be talking to Joe because I can see a huge event if he wants to do one last fight in Wales. Bernard specifically told me that he would come to Wales to fight Joe Calzaghe. This would be the biggest challenge for Joe. I think there's some unfinished business between them. I haven't given up hope. Never give up hope," Schaefer told Setanta TV.
By Mark Vester
Bernard Hopkins and Golden Boy Promotions are doing their best to lure Joe Calzaghe out of retirement. Calzaghe, 46-0, announced his retirement last month. Hopkins has been trying to land one final major fight before calling an end to his own career. Calzaghe won a close split decision over Hopkins last April, but was very against a rematch. He felt their styles make for a very ugly fight and their April bout was a clear example.
Richard Schaefer, CEO for Golden Boy, is trying to broker the rematch and says there are no issues with Hopkins traveling over to Calzaghe's homeland of Wales to make it happen.
"I'll be talking to Joe because I can see a huge event if he wants to do one last fight in Wales. Bernard specifically told me that he would come to Wales to fight Joe Calzaghe. This would be the biggest challenge for Joe. I think there's some unfinished business between them. I haven't given up hope. Never give up hope," Schaefer told Setanta TV.
