Boxing News Thread

[2-0-Sixx]

Shane Mosley offered Amir Khan fight & Canelo

By Dan Rafael
Shane Mosley, the former pound-for-pound king and three-division champion, is 40 now. He is 2-3-1 in his previous six fights, and he has looked particularly poor in going 0-2-1 in his past three since his upset knockout of plaster-less Antonio Margarito in 2009.

The last time we saw Mosley, he was knocked down in the third round and lost a shutout decision to Manny Pacquiao in their massively hyped -- and even more disappointing -- welterweight title bout last May.

Since then, Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs) has kept a low profile. But now he says he is ready to return, that he is healthy and that his manager, James Prince, and attorney, Josh Dubin, have been approached by Golden Boy -- the fighter's former promoter before their falling out prior to rival Top Rank signing Mosley for the Pacquiao fight -- to gauge his interest in two potential bouts.

I talked to Mosley the other day, and he said he was asked a couple of weeks ago about his interest in a fight with junior middleweight titlist Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who holds one of Mosley's old belts. In recent days, Mosley said, he was asked about his interest in facing former junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan.

"They offered me a fight with Canelo and I was like, 'Yeah, I'll take it,'" Mosley said. "Then they came back to me and said, 'What about Amir Khan?'"

Mosley said that fight was also of interest to him, although not at the weight that was suggested: 145 pounds.

Khan, who lost his two junior welterweight belts to Lamont Peterson in controversial fashion on Dec. 10, wants a rematch first and foremost. But Golden Boy knows there are issues there and is looking ahead because Khan had talked before the Peterson fight about moving up anyway.

"I said, 'No way at 145.' I might do it if it was at 147. I was thinking 149 or 150," Mosley said. "It's possible, but I would want to be sure everything is right. It's interesting, but it depends on the setting, the weight, what type of money."

Of the two names brought to Mosley's attention, he said he prefers Alvarez, who has been mentioned prominently as a potential May 5 opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr., who soundly outpointed Mosley in May 2010.

With Mayweather and Pacquiao trying to finalize opponents, because it seems very doubtful they will fight each other next, everyone else in the hunt is jockeying for position, including Mosley.

"I haven't fought in a while and would have to make weight properly if I was going to fight Khan," Mosley said, adding that he weighed about 168 when we spoke a few days ago. "Now that I am healed properly, I can get back to work again."

Mosley said he injured the Achilles tendon in his left foot several weeks before the Pacquiao fight and that it hindered him badly in the fight. He said he had issues with his other leg also. The injuries have taken some time to heal, but he said he would be ready for a fight in the spring, which is when Alvarez and Khan are both expected back in action.

"I wanted to take some time off and heal properly," Mosley said. "I'm feeling a lot better and ready to go. I'm not hurt. If Golden Boy is willing to put their guy, Canelo or Amir, up to fight me, so be it. I'm excited to get back in the ring. I want to prove to everybody what happens when I am 100 percent."

I don't see the Khan fight happening and remain hopeful a rematch with Peterson will come to fruition. It makes too much (dollars and) sense not to happen.
When I asked Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer about Mosley's claim that he is being considered for the fights, he said only, "My full focus in on the Peterson rematch."

I think Mosley is a long shot, at best, to face Khan. Besides, it remains to be seen if HBO or Showtime would be interested in either bout. But I'll say this: As disgusted as I was with Mosley's performance against Pacquiao -- and it was a fight I killed even before it took place, and wound up playing out even worse than I had predicted -- I think Mosley, even at this stage of his career, would be Alvarez's toughest opponent so far. Alvarez has been very protected.

"I'm better than anyone Canelo [has] fought," Mosley said. "By all means, put me in with him and let me knock him out. To me, Canelo is a warm-up for me to another fight. We can definitely do that."

 

[heyzel]

it looks like they are feeding sugar to the wolves with that canelo fight sugar stands a better shot against amir

 

[2-0-Sixx]

yeah but 145 pounds? The last time Sugar weighed less than 146 pounds was in 1999 lol.

If he was younger I'd say take the Khan fight at 145 but he's too old to lose that much weight. So he should fight Canelo.

 

[heyzel]

right but sugar will take any fight right now for a big pay day after his divorce

 

[heyzel]

Martirosyan volunteers to step in and face Victor Ortiz on Saturday
January 31st, 2012

By William Mackay: Unbeaten junior middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan (31-0, 19 KO’s) has volunteered to step in to replace the injured Andre Berto against Victor Ortiz on February 11th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Berto suffered a ruptured left biceps on Monday while sparring and the injury has knocked him off the card. Berto may need surgery to repair the damaged left arm. According to latest reports, Berto is going to get a second opinion on the arm from a separate doctor to see if he really needs surgery or not.

Martirosyan said this on his twitter today: “I would step in right now if they asked me for Berto in a heartbeat. Victor knows what happens when I hit him. I’ll even go down to 147.”

Martirosyan, 25, has a fight scheduled this Saturday night against 41-year-old Troy Lowry on the undercard of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Marco Antonio Rubio bout at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Unless Martirosyan is able to take Lowry out early, it’s not a realistic option for Golden Boy Promotions to agree to a big junior middleweight like Martirosyan to be permitted to step in for Berto.

It obviously won’t happen because Ortiz would need time to prepare for Martirosyan’s hit and run style of fighting, which is completely different from the way that Berto fights. Martirosyan isn’t a great fighter by any means, but Ortiz would need time to get ready. That goes for Martirosyan as well. He’d be crazy to step in against the hard-hitting southpaw Ortiz with less than two weeks to go before the fight.

I’d favor Ortiz in this fight because of his better power, speed, and southpaw style. Freddie Roach, Martirosyan’s trainer, has made a mess of his fighting style and has him fighting a lot like Amir Khan with his movement and hit and run style. It’s not pleasant to watch Martirosyan with the way the way he fights now.

 

[heyzel]

Berto's arm injury causes cancellation of Feb 11th Ortiz fight

LOS ANGELES (January 31) - Due to a left biceps injury sustained while training on Monday, January 30, Andre Berto will be unable to compete in his scheduled February 11 SHOWTIME televised bout against Victor Ortiz at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., forcing a cancellation of the event on that date. All parties involved are actively seeking a possible postponement date for Ortiz vs. Berto II.

 

[RobertoxYLx]

Saul Alvarez likely Mayweather opponent for May 5th
January 30th, 2012

By Chris Williams: WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KO’s) is being mentioned as the next opponent for WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. for May 5th, the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Alvarez, 21, wants the fight and negotiations are rumored to be taking place. “Canelo” Alvarez is perfect for the date of the fight so that Mayweather can take advantage of the Mexican fans celebrating the holiday.

It’s also an easy fight to make, because Alvarez fights for Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather also does business with them as well. Alvarez will be way over his head in this fight due to the huge gap in experience between the two fighters.

However, Alvarez is young and might be able to make up for what he lacks in experience by his youth and power. It’s going to be tough for him, though, because Mayweather Jr. is a lot faster and is hard to hit. Alvarez is more like a bigger slightly slower version of Juan Manuel Marquez.

We already saw what Mayweather was able to do with Marquez three years ago when he beat him by a decisive 12 round decision in 2009. Alvarez is a bigger puncher than Marquez, so he’ll have a punchers chance of beating Mayweather but that’s about it. He’ll have to take a lot of hard shots and will have to be able to apply a ton of pressure if he wants to somehow beat Floyd. I can’t see it but I think it’ll make for a good fight and will bring in a lot of pay per view buys.

Just my 2 cents but i feel Canelo can take Mayweather. Yes he is young and nowhere near the experience or mayweather but he packs a punch. & mayweather cant take a punch. Yes Mayweather has a great defense but if just 1 power punch of Canelos slips in i think he can be in a world of hurt.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

canelo doesn't have that much power to be honest, heavy hands I would say but most his KO's come from wearing down his opponents over time, not 1 punch KO's. James Kirkland, Angulo, guys like that are the big punchers in the division.

And yes Floyd can take a punch. If he couldn't he wouldn't be undefeated at the age of 35 and never suffered a legit knockdown in his entire career. You can point to 1 or 2 times in his career where he was hurt or buzzed from a shot, but obviously always recovered quickly.

 

[RobertoxYLx]

canelo doesn't have that much power to be honest, heavy hands I would say but most his KO's come from wearing down his opponents over time, not 1 punch KO's. James Kirkland, Angulo, guys like that are the big punchers in the division.

And yes Floyd can take a punch. If he couldn't he wouldn't be undefeated at the age of 35 and never suffered a legit knockdown in his entire career. You can point to 1 or 2 times in his career where he was hurt or buzzed from a shot, but obviously always recovered quickly.

We all know he is undefeated but from what ive seen every single time hes gotten tapped he likes to hug. Cuz i know not many fighters land nice clean punches on em due to his defense but when 1 lands he is wobbled, every time

 

[2-0-Sixx]

when was he wobbled? The only time he was ever wobbled that I can recall was the monster shot from mosley and a good southpaw shot from Chop Chop. Other than that who has wobbled him?

 

[heyzel]

agreed 206 they are the only 2 times I remember floyd being rock myself

 

[heyzel]

Andre Ward named BWAA Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year

Los Angeles (Jan 31, 2012) - At the end of the year, when several highly respected publications, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and Yahoo! Sports named Andre Ward their Fighter of the Year, it seemed that the people around the 2004 Olympic gold medalist were even more thrilled than he was. Though grateful for the awards he had earned, the WBA and WBC super middleweight World Champion was waiting for "the big one."

That wait came to an end yesterday, when the Boxing Writers Association of America announced that the 27-year-old Ward was to receive the 2011 BWAA Fighter of the Year award named after one of the greatest of all-time, Sugar Ray Robinson. The BWAA stated "Ward was chosen by an overwhelming margin over nominees Nonito Donaire, Wladimir Klitschko, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao."

Not a bad list of pugilists to be associated with.

In 2011, en route to capturing the inaugural SHOWTIME Super Six World Boxing Classic, Andre showcased a dominant victory over Arthur Abraham in the semi-finals in May, and followed it up with a masterful performance over Carl Froch in the tournament finale on Dec. 17. An MRI after the fight revealed that he had entered the bout with a double fracture in his left hand, making his victory all the more special.

"I want to thank God for giving me the strength to put in the work year after year to get to this point," said the humble champion. "I also want to thank my manager, James Prince, my promoters Antonio Leonard and Dan Goossen, everyone who is a part of Team Ward, including all of my family, friends, and loyal fans who have been behind me all these years. This award is just as much for them as it is for me.

"Even in the midst of receiving this tremendous award, Team Ward is not going to let up. In 2012 and beyond we're going to push forward, and God-willing we can be considered for these awards every year. Its easy to get comfortable at a time like this, but I can assure everybody that I'm going to continue to put in the work to be the best that I can be. I'm going to stay humble, keep God first, and with that: the best is yet to come."

"Since the day we signed Andre from his Olympic gold medal performance, to this past December beating Froch, he has been a complete joy to work with, as well as his whole team," said Goossen. "The crazy thing is I don't believe Andre has scratched the surface of where he's headed. Inside the ring he's vicious; outside the ring he's classy and humble. Simply said, he's the future."

The accolades for Team Ward continued when the BWAA also acknowledged the man who has trained Andre since the first day he stepped into a boxing gym, voting Virgil Hunter winner of the Eddie Futch Trainer of the Year award.

"I'm very happy for my trainer and Godfather, Virgil, for winning this prestigious award," said Ward of the man who has taught him his craft. "I'm probably more excited for him than I am for myself. I've always wanted him to win this award because he is one of the hardest working trainers in the game."

"I'm thrilled for Virgil," Goossen further stated. "He deserves to be mentioned with the top trainers in the sport today, and like Andre, I believe the best is yet to come."

Andre, who is expecting his fourth child with his wife Tiffiney, was certain not to forget the media, stating: "Last but not least, I want to thank the boxing writers, because without them, this would not be possible."

WORLD BOXING COUNCIL NEWS

January 31, 2012 – Mexico City.

From WBC President Dr. José Sulaimán:

“The World Boxing Council is very pleased and proud to see that Arthur Mercante is being honored as one of the posthumous inductees at the first annual induction ceremony of the New York State Hall of Fame for Boxing. Arthur was simply the greatest referee who ever lived. He was also the Chairman of the WBC Ring Officials Committee for many, many years, as well as a loyal and unforgettable friend. He was like a brother to me. The induction ceremony will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 1, at Russo’s on the Bay, located at 162-45 Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, New York.”

****

The following is one of the weekly “Hook to the Body” columns by WBC President Dr. José Sulaimán that are published in El Universal every Sunday. From January 29, translated from Spanish:

HOOK TO THE BODY

By José Sulaimán

From Pride and Love to a Title to Love for Money

We have been reading for long so many news about the millions of dollars for Mayweather and Pacquiao, 50 million here, and 50 there; that the promoter showed past contracts for only eight-nine millions instead; that Pacquiao accepts equal percentages and the anti-doping tests; that Floyd demands the fight to be on May 5th as he must comply with the ruling of a judge; that Arum wants to wait for a new stadium to be finished, while an offer from the middle eastern country Qatar, where the 2018 Soccer World Cup will take place, came for the fight to take place there….. blah, blah, blah.

I have no doubts that both boxers have their dignity, pride and honor, but, no sir, boxing is not that anymore. It’s all about money, and that is the specific objective of whoever the promoter is. Dignity and pride have remained in the past, and for that reason I believe that the month of May is out of the question for that gigantic fight that the world is demanding to take place. There is not enough time for May, but I sincerely wish for the sake of the demand of the world that it will take place some day, perhaps by the end of the year, time that will fly like the wind does and both fighters must look for different challengers to cover their TV dates of mid-year.

In the meantime, a very interesting title defense will be made by the WBC middleweight champion, Julio César Chávez Jr., who valiantly picked Marco Antonio Rubio, with all his experience and reknowned punch, to make his second defense of the title that he won from Sebastian Zbik. Nobody doubts that this is a very interesting fight where experience and power will confront youth, very improved boxing, and also a good puncher. It is very disappointing to read in the papers that Rubio said that he will get only one third of the money that he made with Kelly Pavlik, but that he took the fight because he wants the championship. Chávez, is known to be having the toughest training of his career. God willing, we will be there for this very interesting and competitive WBC title bout.

All those millions mentioned going from here to there made my mind fly to many years back, when the immortal homerun king, Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees, made $35,000 dollars as his top income for a year. Joe DiMaggio, also with the Yankees, who married Marilyn Monroe and to whose tomb he had a fresh rose delivered daily during all the years of his life, made $50,000 per season. The greatest Mexican idol of all-time, Raul “Raton” Macías, broke the all time gate record of more than 55,000 people and made $250,000 pesos - about $ 25,000 dollars!!! Even the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali, made as his highest purse $5 million in his Rumble in the Jungle fight against the great bomber George Foreman, who made the same amount in a fight that all, away from Zaire, had to go to see in a movie, as there was no Pay Per View.

Ali, Foreman, Macías, Ruth, DiMaggio, and so many others who live in history with golden letters never made more. But today, in our era, Oscar de la Hoya is said to have made $70 million against Mayweather for the highest income ever. The super millions made by other popular fighters, the stars of football, baseball, basketball, who move around teams like a roulette wheel, without loyalty, only to money, creating a sports world of craziness with tons of money for the very few, and still peanuts for most. Who has the merits for these crazy figures and times? Without a doubt, the phenomenon of television, that has taken the thousands of fans from the arenas and stadiums of the past to the millions today at home. The monumental problem is that an absolute majority of boxers and athletes win millions or thousands, but who, after the lights of the arena and their careers are over, with very few exceptions, spent all what they won, including thefts and exploitation by their own friends, and live their third age in poverty and only dreaming of their days of glory.

TV corporations and promoters must find a way, including donations for pensions, to wipe off guilt, embarrassment and tears, to see their boxers finish their lives with dignity and pride. The WBC has more than 25 years of extending modest pensions to a few old ex-champions, while taking also care of many in hospitals and medicines, but as of January, 2012, a pension plan is being started to be managed by an independent group of distinguished people to control the program. May the promoters support the WBC, and may God help us for the benefit of our heroes in boxing.

Cohen Congratulates Joe Greene for Successful Ring Return

Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions wishes to congratulate his fighter, super middleweight contender "Mean" Joe Greene (23-1, 15 KOs), for his KO 8 over Jackson, Tennessee's Nathan Bedwell at the Frank Cochran Center in Meridian, Mississippi, on Saturday night.

The quick victory was Greene's second since his comeback began in October. He took more than a year off after suffering his only profession loss in June 2010, via decision against Vanes Martirosyan.

"Joe looked sharp again tonight," said Cohen. "He wanted to get in a few rounds and keep himself at the top of his game and that's what he did."

Cohen says the 25-year-old southpaw is all the way back and will now be in search of a big fight.

"By the way he looked in there tonight, it's obvious Joe is ready for the top contenders and champions in the super middleweight division. He was using tonight as a yard stick and by the look of his opponent, he's all set to face anyone. Joe Greene is ready to take on the world again.
Article posted on 01.02.2012

 

[heyzel]

Alexander-Maidana winner faces Victor Ortiz in June
January 31st, 2012

By Jason Kim: According to fighthype.com, the winner of the February 25th fight between Devon Alexander (22-1, 13 KO’s) and Marcos Maidana (31-2, 28 KO’s) could face welterweight contender Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO’s) in a fight in June with the winner of that fight a possibility for a Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout in the summer.

Ortiz, 24, was supposed to be fighting former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto on February 11th, but Berto suffered a ruptured left bicep in training yesterday and he won’t be available to fight Ortiz for many months. Ortiz has no opponents slated for his next fight and the Alexander-Maidana winner would be perfect for him. The one drawback of a fight like that is there wouldn’t be a title on the line. It would another non-title fight.

Maidana is moving up in weight from 140 to take the fight with Alexander in his own home town of Saint Louis, Missouri. Alexander, 24, has won controversial decisions the last two times he’s fought at home in Saint Louis and there’s a possibility that he could win a third against Maidana.

It would be incredibly disappointing for Maidana to lose a fight in that manner, but he likely knows what he signed on for when he agreed to fight Alexander in Saint Louis. It puts him in a position where he might need a knockout to win, but it’s not as if he wasn’t warned ahead of time because Alexander’s last two fights in Saint Louis has ended in controversy.

It obviously doesn’t help Alexander’s career to be winning fights that boxing fans at home see him losing, but it’s kept him still on HBO. Timothy Bradley flat out refused to fight Alexander in Saint Louis and instead took him on and beat him in Pontiac Michigan last year.

 

[heyzel]

Hershman: Pacquiao-Mayweather fight has an expiration point
January 31st, 2012

By Chris Williams: New HBO head of sport programming Ken Hershman believes that the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao has a shelf life for this fight that will soon be coming up if the bout isn’t made, according to an article at the New York Daily News.

Hershman, who recently left SHOWTIME to sign on as HBO’s President in charge of sports, told the nydailynews.com about the Pacquiao-Mayweather: “I do believe there is a sell by date by this this fight will become not what it should be. I hope by the end of this year we see these guys in the ring together. If not, maybe early next year. But after that, it will get less and less relevant.”

I think Hershman needs to let Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum know that because he’s already talking about booking Pacquiao for the remainder of the year with his four fighter tournament, which seems more like a vehicle to create stars out of guys like Timothy Bradley and Lamont Peterson than it is about making the best fight for Pacquiao.

I think the expiration date for the Pacquiao-Mayweather bout will be coming up at the end of the year, especially if Pacquiao puts in another poor performance like his last one. You can’t have a fighter winning controversial decisions like Pacquiao and staying where he was previous to that in the minds of boxing fans. The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight has been expiring since 2010, which is really the time the fight should have been made.

That was the time when Pacquiao wouldn’t agree to the random blood tests with a 17 day cut off that Mayweather tried to bargain for to check for performance enhancing drugs. Mayweather wanted the full random blood testing but the lowest Pacquiao would go is 24 days before the fight. I can’t imagine Lance Armstrong saying he couldn’t be tested within 24 days of a cycling event. That wouldn’t fly at all. But that killed the fight and Arum quickly ushered Pacquiao into a fight with fellow Top Rank fighter Joshua Clottey in what turned out to a god awful fight. That was the fight you remember where Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach swore by Clottey up and down that he would be a much more exciting opponent than Mayweather. What we saw was Clottey covering up like a sparring partner for 12 rounds and getting his nice payday and moving on.

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather/Cotto & "Canelo"/Mosley: Cinco De Maybe.....Cinco De Maybe Not

Floyd Mayweather JrBy Vivek Wallace: With Manny Pacquiao officially out of the Floyd Mayweather jr. hunt for what is traditionally known as the most festive weekend in the sport, seems the stage could be set for what many could dub the next best thing. Although no official word has come, and no official agreement has been reached on either front, rumblings in the underground have it that fight fans could be presented what would be an incredible card, as four of the sports more perennial names would square off.

All the heavy brass in Goldenboy Promotions would deny this on record, but Mayweather/Cotto and Alvarez/Mosley seem to be a very hot topic in certain circles, and what started as a luke warm whisper has suddenly become a deafening roar....even if it is only by sheer fan desire.

Pacquiao has made it clear that he will only face Cotto if Cotto agrees to sacrifice his weight again, coming down to 147lbs. Cotto's response has been very candid, making it very clear that he will not make such a mistake again, regardless of how much money is attached to the request. Some would raise an eyebrow at Cotto for declining an offer to make more than he probably ever has against Pacquiao in a rematch, but in opting for Mayweather, Cotto quickly learns a bird in the hand beats two in a bush. In simple terms, Cotto has lost to two men in his career. He has avenged one of those losses, (Margarito), but rather than risking the odds of defeat to the man who gave him the other loss, (Pacquiao), he could set out to face the man, (Mayweather), who most feel could defeat that man.

Sounds like a Hollywood script gone bad, but you know what? The opportunity now is good. Better yet, the opportunity now is grand. And for Cotto, after much dissatisfaction with Top Rank and many questions surrounding he and his legacy, suddenly the moment to seize ultimate redemption is now.

Many feel this fight is a few years past due, but Marquez/Pacquiao was a barn-burner in 2004....they lived up to the hype in 2008.....and their affair in 2011 proved to be more of the same. If that doesn't prove there's never a bad time for a good fight, I'm not sure what does. And for Cotto, it's a two-for-one, because he can accomplish everything he ever needed to, monetarily and professionally, in one night, with one man, regardless of how he fared against the other two (Margarito and Pacquiao).

The only potential loss in this scenario for Cotto would be the risk of being black-balled against Top Rank fighters like we've seen other fighters who left Bob Arum. Walking away from Pacquiao and Top Rank would mean no shot at Chavez Jr., or anyone in the Top Rank stables in the future, which means cashing out against Mayweather may be necessary.

154lbs is said to be the considered weight limit, and on the undercard is the potential for a true barometer match if we've ever seen one in Saul "Canelo" Alvarez versus Shane Mosley. In Alavarez, you have a young stud who could be catching an old bull at the right time. In Mosley, you could have an old bull with just enough ammo to mark new territory south of the border once again! That's what makes the sport of boxing so interesting, and ultimately, that's the second part of a card that could make you shell out more than you ever have for a boxing PPV.

With much posturing at the poker table and many chips left to fall, there's no way to tell at this stage what the final tab will be. But what we do know is that on the night of May 5th, when dusk falls and the scrolling marquees light up, the world will be watching. Tecate will probably be the official sponsor, but in true fashion, for me, this will be a Dos Equis moment....as "I don't always drink.......but when I do".....it's a night with a major buzz in the air like this one would be! Stay tuned!

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather Jr. expected to announce his next opponent on Wednesday; Saul Alvarez likely to get chosen
February 1st, 2012

By Eric Thomas: According to RingTV, WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KO’s) is expected to announce his next fight on Wednesday at his license hearing with the NSAC. The leading candidate is thought to be WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KO’s), who would be perfect for Mayweather’s May 5th fight date at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

May 5th is the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, and it’s important for Mayweather to choose a Mexican fighter so that he can take advantage of the large Mexican population that will be celebrating the holiday and might be more inclined to purchase one of Mayweather’s fights on pay per view if he’s facing a Mexican opponent.

Miguel Cotto is also said to be a possibility. However, his promoter Bob Arum has said that Mayweather won’t get him. In other words, Arum could be using him for Manny Pacquiao in June or else promising Cotto a fight against WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. if he can get by challenger Marco Antonio Rubio on Saturday night in San Antonio, Texas.

Mayweather wanted to fight Pacquiao, but was met with stiff resistance from Arum, who provided a number of roadblocks that constantly changed from day to day until finally Arum settled on one main them – that of Mayweather not agreeing to a 50-50 purse split with Pacquiao. Once that was revealed, Arum quickly started plans for a four fighter tournament for Pacquiao, which could keep him busy for the entire year. So there’s a strong possibility that Mayweather Jr. won’t get a shot against Pacquiao until 2013 if then.

Alvarez-Mayweather should be a good if Alvarez is the one that gets picked. He doesn’t have much in the way of experience but he’s looked good in beating veterans like Ryan Rhodes, Kermit Cintron and Matthew Hatton.

 

[heyzel]

Cunningham: I don’t consider Hernandez a champion
February 1st, 2012

By Jim Dower: Former IBF cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham (24-3, 12 KO’s) will be looking to recapture his International Boxing Federation title against champion Yoan Pablo Hernandez (25-1, 13 KO’s) on Saturday night at the Fraport Arena, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Cunningham, 35, lost his title to 27-year-old Cuban Hernandez last October in a 6th round technical decision victory. The ending was kind of controversial, as Hernandez suffered a cut between the eyes from a head clash but the ringside doctor pulled the plug on the fight in a real hurry rather than letting it continue to see if Hernandez’s trainer could stop the bleeding.

It really didn’t look like a serious cut and moments after the fight was halted, the cut had stopped bleeding completely on its own without pressure on it. The final judges’ scores for the fight were 58-55, 59-54 and 58-57. Only the last score seemed to be realistic, as Cunningham had roared back into the fight after suffering a 1st round knockdown. From the third round on, Cunningham dominated the action and looked to be on his way to a victory when Hernandez was cut in the 6th.

Cunningham had this to say about Hernandez on Tuesday in Frankfurt, Germany: “He [Hernandez] is good but I don’t consider him a champion.”
Hernandez looked scared after the 2nd round and/or tired, as he rarely threw any punches and mostly was limited to one punch at a time. He seemed to be afraid to get hit by Cunningham and spent a good portion of the time just moving around and shifting his arms constantly but letting his punches go. He’ll have to fight harder this time unless the fight gets stopped earlier again due to another cut. Hernandez fights out of Germany, so it’s going to be tough for Cunningham to get a decision in this fight

 

[2-0-Sixx]

HBO is going to do some great things with Hershman as the new president. Read this post & the following. New ideas, a focus on COMPETITIVE fights not just the big names. No more stranglehold by certain promoters/managers like Al Haymon, etc., a new "super six" type tournament but with big money. I'm very excited!



2 Days: Portrait of a Fighter: HBO To Debut New Series


By Keith Idec

HBO will unveil a new boxing series Saturday night before its “World Championship Boxing” doubleheader from San Antonio.

The 15-minute debut of “2 Days: Portrait of a Fighter” will feature former WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios and will air at 9:45 p.m. ET. The series will detail the 48 hours of a boxer’s life before he steps into the ring to fight.

The episode on Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) will show what the Oxnard, Calif., fighter went through as he tried to make weight for an eventual 11th-round TKO victory over England’s John Murray (31-2, 18 KOs) on Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden. Rios weighed in three time for the Murray fight on Dec. 2, but couldn’t get down to the lightweight limit of 135 pounds and was stripped of his WBA title.

The series will be followed immediately by a doubleheader that’ll feature a 12-round main event between WBC middleweight title-holder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (44-0-1, 31 KOs) and fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1, 46 KOs). The 12-round, co-featured fight will pit Nonito Donaire (27-1, 18 KOs), of San Leandro, Calif., against Puerto Rico’s Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (21-1-1, 18 KOs) for the WBO super bantamweight title.

The second episode of “2 Days: Portrait of a Fighter” will feature junior middleweight contender James Kirkland (30-1, 27 KOs). It’ll debut Feb. 25 at 9:45 p.m. ET, immediately preceding a “World Championship Boxing” doubleheader from St. Louis consisting of two 12-rounders — St. Louis’ Devon Alexander (22-1, 13 KOs) against Argentina’s Marcos Maidana (31-2, 28 KOs) and Cincinnati’s Adrien Broner (22-0, 18 KOs) against Eloy Perez (23-0-2, 7 KOs), of Salinas, Calif.

Kirkland, of Austin, Texas, is scheduled to return to the ring March 24, in a 12-round WBC elimination match against Chicago’s Carlos Molina (19-4-2, 6 KOs). HBO will televise that fight from Houston, right before a main event that’ll match Mexico’s Erik Morales (52-7, 36 KOs) against Philadelphia’s Danny Garcia (22-0, 14 KOs) in a 12-rounder for Morales’ WBC 140-pound championship.

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Hershman Has Big Goals, Fresh Ideas For HBO Boxing

By Mitch Abramson

Ken Hershman smiled. He joked. He shook hands. The newly installed head of HBO Sports spoke of transparency and of eliminating mismatches and of brokering peace among the different promoters. He spoke of breathing new life into the heavyweight division and of cutting the number of PPV shows and of putting on another Super Six-like tournament at HBO.

In his first public sit-down interview with reporters since he was hired as the new head of HBO Sports in October, Hershman, who started in his official capacity last month, said all the right things, even if he did speak in broad terms, revealing little of his specific day-to-day plans.

He declined to explain how he got the job at HBO after working at Showtime running the sports department since 2003, calling it a “delicate” matter.

“It was just a great set of fortuitous [circumstances] on both companies parts in terms of when this opportunity arose,” he said. “It was the right time for HBO and now we’re moving forward.”

He's still learning on the job, he admitted.

“Everything is different,” he went on. “I was [at Showtime] 19 years. I knew the ropes. Here I have to learn the ropes. It’s going to be harder here for a while. Hopefully it will all turn out good and you won’t to be talking to someone else in this seat in a year or two.”

He was likeable, even-keeled, self-effacing, and described himself as someone who’s trying to build a consensus, rather than make enemies. He talked about his upbringing in Long Island, what he thought of HBO while he worked at Showtime, how he was able to exploit HBO's hubris to his advantage.

It was a good start for someone who’s been in his position for just 15 working days, and the fact that he agreed to meet with a small group of reporters on Tuesday at HBO’s Manhattan offices, was a signal that Hershman, the newly anointed most powerful man in boxing, is going to be accessible and friendly, if not always specific.

Without tipping his hand, Hershman says he’s working on a couple of big fights “that we think are just amazing and we’re looking down the road in the fall at some potential match-ups that we think will be really groundbreaking.”

But he wouldn’t say what those fights are.

Hershman, who’s being asked to upgrade the network’s lucrative boxing division- less mismatches, less pandering to certain promoters- did offer his opinion on a topic that has transfixed the sport for some time now- the likelihood of making a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. A fight between them could be the most profitable ever, yet Hershamn, who’s generally well-liked in the business, promised to not be consumed by that fight.

“I’m over it,” he said on Tuesday. “I don’t think it’s imperative. I don’t think it’s anything the sport needs in terms of saving. I think that it does get in the way of fights being made because you do end up being stalled for weeks, months, while everything gets sorted out.”
The best strategy for ensuring the fight happens is for HBO to stay out of the negotiations, Hershman said.

He would like to see the fight eventually get done, but he also doesn’t believe each fighter needs the other to define their legacy. He would help and mediate the discussions only if he was asked to do so, he said. But “I don’t envision that happening,” he said.

Hershman’s stance is in contrast from the one that was taken by his predecessor at HBO. Ross Greenburg was reportedly forced to resign in July, in part because of a fractured relationship with Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum. Greenburg desperately wanted that fight to happen, and acted as a mediator between the two camps during negotiations that took place in the summer of 2010 that ultimately broke down.

“I do believe there is a sell-by date by which this fight will become not what it should be,” Hershman said. “I hope by the end of this year we see these guys in the ring together. If not, maybe early next year. But after that it will get less and less relevant.”

Hershman grew up on Long Island and is a graduate of Fordham law school. He’s a die-hard Jets fan, who later worked at a corporate law firm, in corporate finance and securities work. When Viacom was looking for an in-house attorney to work for Showtime, Hershman applied and got the job. He started at Showtime at 1992 until this past October, when he was plucked by HBO to head the sports department.

“I never set out to be in sports or in boxing,” he said. “I was really content being a lawyer. I was enjoying being a lawyer in-house and I thought Showtime was a great place to do that.”

He described himself as a fan of the sport growing up, but not of the die-hard variety until he began to get more immersed in the sport with his duties at Showtime.

Hershman, through a free-flowing interview that lasted a little more than an hour described his relationship with both Top Rank and Golden Boy as healthy, having worked with both camps while at Showtime. “I think we have a very positive and productive relationship,”

Hershman said. “It’s certainly gone through ups and downs, just like everyone else in the industry.”

As far as promoters keeping fights in-house, making fights that just involve fighters in their own stable, Hershman was diplomatic but hopeful that he will be able to convince promoters to work with one another in the interest of making the best fights.

“I understand where they’re coming from,” Hershman said of why promoters just want to play in their own sand box with their own fighters. “I do hope there can be some cross pollination between not just those promoters but between other promoters who have top fighters. I hate to see unnecessary personal issues get in the way of fights being made because it’s hard enough to make good fights in a perfect world with everyone getting along.”

He described his mission statement in simple terms:

“My job is to put the best boxing on HBO as possible,” Hershman said. “I think it’s pretty simple. And I always tell the promoters and people I work with: I’m not in the boxing business. I’m in the TV business. I leave that to them. And I think that lets them do what they do best and it lets us do what we do best. And I try to stay out of the politics as best I can. I try to stay out of the machinations on the chess boards and just try to buy good fights at the right price.”

Watching HBO from a close distance while he was at Showtime left an indelible impression on him, he said. Here’s what he liked about HBO while he was at Showtime.

“I was always impressed, always, with their resources, with their reach, with the quality of their production, what they put on the air was always first class, very well done, very innovative,” he said.

As the chief of Showtime sports, Hershman adopted a specific position that allowed him to compete with HBO, describing his tactics similar to a martial artist.

“Where they’re so big that for in order for us to be successful we have to be able to use their own size against them to create a place for us,” Hershman said. “Now, being here, it’s going to be different and I have to learn how to manage in a bigger organization, in a bigger operation, how to find the right philosophy that’s going to work here.”

Explaining what he meant by that, in terms of using HBO’s size against them, he said:

“Well, you have to be nimble, you have to be reactive and opportunistic,” Hershman said. “Obviously the first stop for everyone was HBO,” he said of promoters who were shopping around a good fight. “But they couldn’t accommodate everything and they would often leave things on the table that I thought were really perfect for Showtime, and we were able to take advantage of that. But now it’s going to be different.”

While it’s still early, Hershman said he was interested in creating a Showbox-like series at HBO, as a vehicle to display up-and-coming fighters the public wouldn’t ordinarily see.

“I do love the idea of having a developmental platform for young fighters so we can expose them and see them grow up and fans can follow them,” Hershman said. “I think that’s important, but right now I’m not in a position to make a decision on that yet.”

Hershman said that boxing remains a priority at HBO, despite rumors that the budget would be slashed to the point where HBO Boxing would cease to exist as fans have come to know it.

“I know that management still likes the product,” he said. “It works with subscribers. The ratings have been up double digits this past year in 2011, so that the growth trends continue to be in place. Every company faces budget issues. There’s never an infinite amount of money, so you have to manage it and you have to deal with the practical realities of what you’re given, but there’s a strong commitment here to boxing that’s never wavered and I don’t expect it to under my tenure in the future.”

Hershman has not been involved in any of the decision making that’s already been announced at HBO, he said. So the fights that have been announced are not his doing.

“Which I still think is a pretty good opening to the year,” he said. “And now we’re working of sort of where we go from here.”

Hershman isn’t married to the idea of having a ton of PPV shows, and could see the network carrying in the range of between “four and five” PPV shows during the year.

“My goal is 100 % focused on getting the best boxing on HBO that I can,” he said. “Since our goal is to get as many on the network as possible we’re going to hope to minimize that. But there’s an inevitable limit to what we can do so there will be some.”

He’s an advocate of the heavyweight division and wants to see a platform where young American heavyweight will eventually have a chance to show their talents. However, he expects that will happen only when the Klitschko brothers start to slow down and eventually retire.

“It’s a dilemma,” he said. “And I don’t pretend that the heavyweight division isn’t hugely important to boxing. It is and hopefully in the next year or two we’ll get some prospects that we think we can really count on to help reenergize the U.S. component of that market. Right now I don’t see it in the immediate future.”

He likes the way the network has dealt with the emerging talents of Adrian Broner, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Canelo Alvarez. He would like to see them a little more active, however, fighting more often so that the public becomes familiar with them.

“My goal is to have them on the network on a consistent basis,” Hershman said. “When I looked at the landscape before, you fought once and then disappeared for six months and then you popped in again. [that’s] never the best model for sustaining interest among the fan base. So finding ways to get these young guys on the network more regularly is a priority.”

Perhaps the most pointed question of the afternoon came when Hershman was asked if he felt mismatches were a problem in boxing. Again, Hershman was diplomatic in his answer, saying he saw times when feeding a prospect an easy mark made sense for his development.

“No one ever sets out to make a bad fight, at least from my experiences,” he said. “You want to go in there and make sure the fighters are as evenly matched as possible.”
Hershman said he will do his best to avoid counter programming with other networks, but that sometimes it’s inevitable because of limited dates.

“It will happen,” he said. “It’s not anyone’s strategic objective to go and stratify the audience. That’s not what we’re looking to do. We want the most viewers as possible.”
He doesn’t see the need to tweak the 24/7 franchise, despite grumbles from insiders that it’s getting repetitive. Hershman said that ratings are growing for the reality programming.

“We’re going to try to keep it fresh,” he said.

He doesn’t envision mixed martial arts coming to HBO anytime soon, he said.

But he’s also in favor of making the Hopkins-Dawson rematch.

“I know that Bernard Hopkins is a ratings draw for sure,” Hershman said. “People like to watch Bernard Hopkins. The ratings bear that out. And he’s also not a guy who’s going to shy away [from Chad Dawson and other young opponents]. The industry should be celebrating someone at that point in his career. To me, it’s something that should be celebrated and I think it will do very well for the network, so I’m bullish on the fight. There was a lot of controversy the first time and I think viewers will be interested in seeing what happens.”

Mitch Abramson covers boxing for the New York Daily News and BoxingScene.com.

 

[heyzel]

Edison Miranda vs. Isaac Chilemba on Friday Night Fights on ESPN

Miranda (35-6, 30 KOs) is responding to pre-fight interviews with South Africa's WBC #6, WBA #13, and World Boxing Organization (WBO) #14-rated Isaac "Golden Boy" Chilemba, whom he will face in the 10-round light heavyweight main event of this Friday's (February 3) ESPN Friday Night Fights broadcast from the Dallas Events Center at the Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas.

"It's one thing to study video, but then that leather hits your face and your plan goes out the window and survival mode kicks in. Before you know it, you get hit again and you're lying on the canvas. What happened to your game plan?"

Presented by Warriors Boxing and Sampson Boxing, "Superbrawls" will also feature a fantastic eight-round co-main event between 21-year-old lightweight Hylon Williams Jr. (15-0, 3 KOs) and 25-year-old Cuban power-punching sensation Rances "Kid Blast" Barthelemy (14-0, 11 KOs), plus fast-rising heavyweight sensation Magomed Abdusalamov (12-0, 12 KOs) of Moscow, Russia, taking on Cuba's Pedro Rodriguez (8-0, 6 KOs).