Boxing News Thread
- Thread starter heyzel
- Start date
Mayweather Ripping Pacquiao: Timing Was No Coincidence
By Keith Idec
When we wanted to hear something from Floyd Mayweather Jr. regarding Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather went into hiding over the summer.
All Mayweather would reveal after Al Haymon represented Mayweather in negotiations with HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg for a fall fight against Pacquiao was that he was on “vacation.” Mayweather claimed he wasn’t thinking about boxing because he had just fought Shane Mosley and needed a break to relax and spend time with his family.
The egomaniacal Mayweather went as far as to have his adviser and close friend, Leonard Ellerbe, release a statement denying that Mayweather had any knowledge of negotiations for what would be one of the biggest fights in boxing history. His arrogance apparently knows no bounds, because he actually thought people would be stupid enough to believe him.
Unfortunately for those that support him, especially the four children for whom he’s supposed to set an example, Mayweather went on Ustream.tv from his Las Vegas home Thursday and showed just how ignorant he can be. His racist rant against Pacquiao proved just how ugly “Pretty Boy” is when he doesn’t have his image-molding publicity specialists surrounding him.
This unfiltered Floyd Mayweather Jr. was an immature imbecile in a roughly four-minute ambush of the peaceful, polite Pacquiao, who was touring the country to promote his Nov. 13 fight against Antonio Margarito when Mayweather went off in this vicious, vulgar video. Mayweather’s timing was no coincidence, obviously.
The attention-starved star isn’t interesting enough to attract much publicity when he doesn’t have a fight scheduled, so he desperately and foolishly found this aggravating alternative to steal some headlines away from the Pacquiao-Margarito promotion. Sadly, he even thought this was funny, as if making some sophomoric, stereotypical “jokes” at Pacquiao’s expense amounted to original programming.
Maybe Mayweather should use some of his money to pay people to write his comedic material, because he is hardly HBO-ready with that trash. He sounded much more like an insecure little kid on a playground in Grand Rapids, Mich., than Chris Rock.
That’s Mayweather’s primary problem, really. He is boxing’s most spoiled child, a smug multimillionaire accustomed to getting his way with the help of an army of enablers.
The world wants to see him fight Pacquiao. He doesn’t want to do it, at least not now, so he lashes out at a humble humanitarian who has done nothing but endear himself to the paying public during his rise to superstardom.
Make no mistake, Mayweather is a superstar, too, just more loathed than loved.
Only this time, he wasn’t playing the villainous “Money” Mayweather character he has admittedly developed during promotions to sell his fights. He’s not selling anything here, other than the fact that he is not nearly as smart as he would like us to believe.
In one foolish four-minute segment, Mayweather did irreparable damage to his mainstream image, a persona his handlers worked so hard to build by having him participate in “Dancing with the Stars,” television commercials and “WrestIeMania.” If executives at AT&T and Reebok, the two biggest brands Mayweather has endorsed in recent years, have any sense they’ll drop him just as fast as all those sponsors abandoned Tiger Woods.
If he didn’t operate in the wacky world of boxing, where there’s more tolerance for boorish behavior, Mayweather might’ve received those pink slips earlier today.
Nevertheless, he clearly crossed boundaries in ways we’ll never forget. It’ll be interesting to see how much Mayweather will pay for this dumb diatribe, literally and figuratively, and how it’ll affect the timing of his inevitable need to fight again.
You can be sure Mayweather will be rooting for Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs, 1 NC) to upset Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) in two months at Cowboys Stadium, so that all this goes away. Then he could avoid Margarito again by claiming Margarito’s six losses and suspicious history make “The Tijuana Tornado” unfit to hit the Mayweather lottery.
If Pacquiao overcomes Margarito’s size and strength advantages, though, Mayweather will again be backed into a corner come early 2011. If finances force him to fight in May, we can only hope Greenburg either makes Mayweather fight Pacquiao or tells him to take his tired act elsewhere.
It’s unlikely executives at Showtime would temporarily enter the Mayweather business because they’d know they’re being used as an outlet for Mayweather to participate in a bout boxing fans wouldn’t support nearly as much as what would certainly be the biggest fight of the 21st century.
Forget Mayweather’s claim that he’ll fight in Dubai, too.
Fighting there won’t work logistically for American television, and Mayweather’s make-believe promotional company doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to produce a fight of that magnitude. He’d need the manpower and the financial assistance of HBO Sports, Golden Boy Promotions, Don King and/or some other experienced promoter/company to pull it off.
Mayweather claims, too, that we need not worry about any of this, that he is just taking a little rest before getting ready to pummel Pacquiao.
“I’m on vacation for about a year, about a year,” Mayweather said during the Ustream video. “As soon as I come off vacation, then we’re going to cook that little, young chump. We ain’t worried about that. So, so family ain’t got to worry about me fighting the midget. Don’t worry about it. … Now once I kick the midget ass, once I kick the midget ass, I don’t want y’all to jump on my [expletive]. So y’all better get on the bandwagon right now. Because once I kick the midget ass, I don’t want y’all jumping on my [expletive], saying, ‘Aw [expletive], Floyd, we knew you was gonna do it.’ ”
It’s easy for Mayweather to predict Pacquiao’s demise while his pound-for-pound nemesis is headed toward training camp for another fight. It’ll be harder for him to find another excuse to avoid Pacquiao if the Filipino southpaw defeats Margarito.
Pacquiao said he eliminated Mayweather’s justification for not fighting him March 13 by agreeing to random drug testing if they would’ve fought Nov. 13 or Nov. 20.
“We agreed to all his demands,” Pacquiao said during a press conference Wednesday in New York, “because I want to know if that’s his real reason [for not taking the fight].”
Mayweather didn’t even bother offering a reason for not fighting Pacquiao this time around. He instead insisted Haymon wasn’t negotiating on his behalf, that he’s on vacation, that he’s not considering fighting anyone right now, not just Pacquiao.
He only talked about Pacquiao making him “sushi rolls” and how he’d cook up Pacquiao along with cats and dogs, a juvenile jab at Filipino people. He later alluded to Pacquiao taking “power pellets,” a reference to his unproven suspicion that Pacquiao has used performance-enhancing drugs.
Leaving no stupidity stone unturned, Mayweather also called Pacquaio a “faggot.” Just before the video ended, Mayweather seemed quite content, as if this embarrassing tantrum was a worthwhile emergence from his self-imposed summer exile.
For the sake of his four children and his fans, Mayweather would’ve been much better off remaining in hiding
By Keith Idec
When we wanted to hear something from Floyd Mayweather Jr. regarding Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather went into hiding over the summer.
All Mayweather would reveal after Al Haymon represented Mayweather in negotiations with HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg for a fall fight against Pacquiao was that he was on “vacation.” Mayweather claimed he wasn’t thinking about boxing because he had just fought Shane Mosley and needed a break to relax and spend time with his family.
The egomaniacal Mayweather went as far as to have his adviser and close friend, Leonard Ellerbe, release a statement denying that Mayweather had any knowledge of negotiations for what would be one of the biggest fights in boxing history. His arrogance apparently knows no bounds, because he actually thought people would be stupid enough to believe him.
Unfortunately for those that support him, especially the four children for whom he’s supposed to set an example, Mayweather went on Ustream.tv from his Las Vegas home Thursday and showed just how ignorant he can be. His racist rant against Pacquiao proved just how ugly “Pretty Boy” is when he doesn’t have his image-molding publicity specialists surrounding him.
This unfiltered Floyd Mayweather Jr. was an immature imbecile in a roughly four-minute ambush of the peaceful, polite Pacquiao, who was touring the country to promote his Nov. 13 fight against Antonio Margarito when Mayweather went off in this vicious, vulgar video. Mayweather’s timing was no coincidence, obviously.
The attention-starved star isn’t interesting enough to attract much publicity when he doesn’t have a fight scheduled, so he desperately and foolishly found this aggravating alternative to steal some headlines away from the Pacquiao-Margarito promotion. Sadly, he even thought this was funny, as if making some sophomoric, stereotypical “jokes” at Pacquiao’s expense amounted to original programming.
Maybe Mayweather should use some of his money to pay people to write his comedic material, because he is hardly HBO-ready with that trash. He sounded much more like an insecure little kid on a playground in Grand Rapids, Mich., than Chris Rock.
That’s Mayweather’s primary problem, really. He is boxing’s most spoiled child, a smug multimillionaire accustomed to getting his way with the help of an army of enablers.
The world wants to see him fight Pacquiao. He doesn’t want to do it, at least not now, so he lashes out at a humble humanitarian who has done nothing but endear himself to the paying public during his rise to superstardom.
Make no mistake, Mayweather is a superstar, too, just more loathed than loved.
Only this time, he wasn’t playing the villainous “Money” Mayweather character he has admittedly developed during promotions to sell his fights. He’s not selling anything here, other than the fact that he is not nearly as smart as he would like us to believe.
In one foolish four-minute segment, Mayweather did irreparable damage to his mainstream image, a persona his handlers worked so hard to build by having him participate in “Dancing with the Stars,” television commercials and “WrestIeMania.” If executives at AT&T and Reebok, the two biggest brands Mayweather has endorsed in recent years, have any sense they’ll drop him just as fast as all those sponsors abandoned Tiger Woods.
If he didn’t operate in the wacky world of boxing, where there’s more tolerance for boorish behavior, Mayweather might’ve received those pink slips earlier today.
Nevertheless, he clearly crossed boundaries in ways we’ll never forget. It’ll be interesting to see how much Mayweather will pay for this dumb diatribe, literally and figuratively, and how it’ll affect the timing of his inevitable need to fight again.
You can be sure Mayweather will be rooting for Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs, 1 NC) to upset Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) in two months at Cowboys Stadium, so that all this goes away. Then he could avoid Margarito again by claiming Margarito’s six losses and suspicious history make “The Tijuana Tornado” unfit to hit the Mayweather lottery.
If Pacquiao overcomes Margarito’s size and strength advantages, though, Mayweather will again be backed into a corner come early 2011. If finances force him to fight in May, we can only hope Greenburg either makes Mayweather fight Pacquiao or tells him to take his tired act elsewhere.
It’s unlikely executives at Showtime would temporarily enter the Mayweather business because they’d know they’re being used as an outlet for Mayweather to participate in a bout boxing fans wouldn’t support nearly as much as what would certainly be the biggest fight of the 21st century.
Forget Mayweather’s claim that he’ll fight in Dubai, too.
Fighting there won’t work logistically for American television, and Mayweather’s make-believe promotional company doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to produce a fight of that magnitude. He’d need the manpower and the financial assistance of HBO Sports, Golden Boy Promotions, Don King and/or some other experienced promoter/company to pull it off.
Mayweather claims, too, that we need not worry about any of this, that he is just taking a little rest before getting ready to pummel Pacquiao.
“I’m on vacation for about a year, about a year,” Mayweather said during the Ustream video. “As soon as I come off vacation, then we’re going to cook that little, young chump. We ain’t worried about that. So, so family ain’t got to worry about me fighting the midget. Don’t worry about it. … Now once I kick the midget ass, once I kick the midget ass, I don’t want y’all to jump on my [expletive]. So y’all better get on the bandwagon right now. Because once I kick the midget ass, I don’t want y’all jumping on my [expletive], saying, ‘Aw [expletive], Floyd, we knew you was gonna do it.’ ”
It’s easy for Mayweather to predict Pacquiao’s demise while his pound-for-pound nemesis is headed toward training camp for another fight. It’ll be harder for him to find another excuse to avoid Pacquiao if the Filipino southpaw defeats Margarito.
Pacquiao said he eliminated Mayweather’s justification for not fighting him March 13 by agreeing to random drug testing if they would’ve fought Nov. 13 or Nov. 20.
“We agreed to all his demands,” Pacquiao said during a press conference Wednesday in New York, “because I want to know if that’s his real reason [for not taking the fight].”
Mayweather didn’t even bother offering a reason for not fighting Pacquiao this time around. He instead insisted Haymon wasn’t negotiating on his behalf, that he’s on vacation, that he’s not considering fighting anyone right now, not just Pacquiao.
He only talked about Pacquiao making him “sushi rolls” and how he’d cook up Pacquiao along with cats and dogs, a juvenile jab at Filipino people. He later alluded to Pacquiao taking “power pellets,” a reference to his unproven suspicion that Pacquiao has used performance-enhancing drugs.
Leaving no stupidity stone unturned, Mayweather also called Pacquaio a “faggot.” Just before the video ended, Mayweather seemed quite content, as if this embarrassing tantrum was a worthwhile emergence from his self-imposed summer exile.
For the sake of his four children and his fans, Mayweather would’ve been much better off remaining in hiding
Tragedy Strikes as Bob Arum's Son, John, is Found Dead
By Michael Marley
The worst fear any parent can have about one of their children has been realized by legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum.
I have confirmed with an official from North Cascade National Park in Washington State that John B. Arum, 49 year old attorney son of Manny Pacquiao's handler, has been found dead on Storm King Mountain, a 8,115-foot peak within the national park.
Minutes ago, park spokeswomen Kerry Olson told me that John Arum's body was discovered by one of the helicopters searching near the mountain summit.
She said the family had been notified and that plans were being formulated to recover the body in area of loose rocks where helicopters are unable to land.
"We are making the recovery plan," Olson said. "Now it's about recovering his body. He was discovered through an aerial search at about 4:30 pm, PDT, and his body was at about the 7,700-foot level, about 300 feet away from his fanny pack had been discovered Thursday."
Friday was the fifth day that air and ground search parties sought to find Arum, whose 78 year old father has been on the scene and consulting with search organizers since Tuesday.
John was a specialist in environmental and tribal law and an accomplished mountain climber who was on a quest to climb the state's highest peaks..
It is believed that John, despite his real expertise in ascending mountains, slipped and fell somehow.
Earlier in the week, searchers first found his backpack on a clearly marked trail going up to the peak and then found his day or fanny pack.
It was the location where the latter was discovered that made the searchers think John had taken a serious fall either going up to or coming down from the summit.
Olson had informed me earlier on Friday that temperatures in the search area were a comfortable 60-plus degrees and that it was sunny.
Arum's family reported him missing on Monday. They had expected his return from his solo trip on Sunday.
His father, also an attorney in addition to being a Hall Of Fame promoter who has also promoted fights for such ring greats as Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, ran an Antonio Margarito-Pacman press conference in Beverly Hills Tuesday afternoon even though he had been informed his son was missing.
Arum and current wife Lovee then flew to Seattle to get involved in the hunt.
I've known the irascible Arum for 40 years and once met John when he was a teenager attending an Ali-Joe Bugner fight in Las Vegas.
My condolences go out to the entire Arum family.
His fame and his fortune certainly do not cushion this powerful emotional blow for a man who was extremely proud of his first born child.
Body of Missing Climber Found
Marblemount, WA— The body of missing climber John Arum, was found on the north slope of Storm King Mountain by National Park Service rangers. They were conducting an aerial search along the “fall line” below the location where his waist pack was found yesterday. While previous flights had been made in this area, recent snow melt made it possible to locate his body late this afternoon. This location was approximately 300 feet below where the waist pack was found. National Park Rescue personnel are in the process of evaluating recovery options which are complicated due to steep, technical and unstable terrain.
The 49-year old mountaineer was reported missing Monday, August 30 after planning to solo climb Storm King Mountain on Saturday, August 28. Fifty personnel from the National Park Service, Chelan Mountain Rescue, Stehekin Community and the King County Sheriff’s Office conducted ground and aerial searches over steep and difficult terrain covering a 1500-acre search area.
A backpack belonging to Arum was found Wednesday by a ground search team at 7400-foot elevation directly below Storm King Mountain’s 8500-foot summit.
A waist pack belonging to Arum was found by an aerial search team on Thursday at 8000-foot elevation.
By Michael Marley
The worst fear any parent can have about one of their children has been realized by legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum.
I have confirmed with an official from North Cascade National Park in Washington State that John B. Arum, 49 year old attorney son of Manny Pacquiao's handler, has been found dead on Storm King Mountain, a 8,115-foot peak within the national park.
Minutes ago, park spokeswomen Kerry Olson told me that John Arum's body was discovered by one of the helicopters searching near the mountain summit.
She said the family had been notified and that plans were being formulated to recover the body in area of loose rocks where helicopters are unable to land.
"We are making the recovery plan," Olson said. "Now it's about recovering his body. He was discovered through an aerial search at about 4:30 pm, PDT, and his body was at about the 7,700-foot level, about 300 feet away from his fanny pack had been discovered Thursday."
Friday was the fifth day that air and ground search parties sought to find Arum, whose 78 year old father has been on the scene and consulting with search organizers since Tuesday.
John was a specialist in environmental and tribal law and an accomplished mountain climber who was on a quest to climb the state's highest peaks..
It is believed that John, despite his real expertise in ascending mountains, slipped and fell somehow.
Earlier in the week, searchers first found his backpack on a clearly marked trail going up to the peak and then found his day or fanny pack.
It was the location where the latter was discovered that made the searchers think John had taken a serious fall either going up to or coming down from the summit.
Olson had informed me earlier on Friday that temperatures in the search area were a comfortable 60-plus degrees and that it was sunny.
Arum's family reported him missing on Monday. They had expected his return from his solo trip on Sunday.
His father, also an attorney in addition to being a Hall Of Fame promoter who has also promoted fights for such ring greats as Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, ran an Antonio Margarito-Pacman press conference in Beverly Hills Tuesday afternoon even though he had been informed his son was missing.
Arum and current wife Lovee then flew to Seattle to get involved in the hunt.
I've known the irascible Arum for 40 years and once met John when he was a teenager attending an Ali-Joe Bugner fight in Las Vegas.
My condolences go out to the entire Arum family.
His fame and his fortune certainly do not cushion this powerful emotional blow for a man who was extremely proud of his first born child.
Body of Missing Climber Found
Marblemount, WA— The body of missing climber John Arum, was found on the north slope of Storm King Mountain by National Park Service rangers. They were conducting an aerial search along the “fall line” below the location where his waist pack was found yesterday. While previous flights had been made in this area, recent snow melt made it possible to locate his body late this afternoon. This location was approximately 300 feet below where the waist pack was found. National Park Rescue personnel are in the process of evaluating recovery options which are complicated due to steep, technical and unstable terrain.
The 49-year old mountaineer was reported missing Monday, August 30 after planning to solo climb Storm King Mountain on Saturday, August 28. Fifty personnel from the National Park Service, Chelan Mountain Rescue, Stehekin Community and the King County Sheriff’s Office conducted ground and aerial searches over steep and difficult terrain covering a 1500-acre search area.
A backpack belonging to Arum was found Wednesday by a ground search team at 7400-foot elevation directly below Storm King Mountain’s 8500-foot summit.
A waist pack belonging to Arum was found by an aerial search team on Thursday at 8000-foot elevation.
Schaefer: HBO Pushing To Have Khan-Maidana in America
By Lem Satterfield
WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan would love to fight Marcos Maidana in England, but HBO is pushing to have the fight take place in the United States on December 11, says Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. As first reported by Robert Morales on BoxingScene.com, Schaefer made an offer with two possible locations to both fighters, with Detroit and Las Vegas being the frontrunners.
Detroiy boasts a large Muslim population, which could equal big business for the fight.
"Detroit is a possibility because Detroit has the largest Muslim population in the United States. I think that Detroit is ready for a big fight. Of course, Las Vegas is always a popular destination for the Brits. There's a lot of fight fans here in Southern California that would love to see one of these fights in Las Vegas," said Schaefer.
"So I think that this is a fight which fight fans are going to embrace, and Las Vegas is definitely the fight capitol of the world, so that's a good option as well. I know that obviously England is a possibility as well, but you know HBO is very interested in bringing this fight to the United States."
By Lem Satterfield
WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan would love to fight Marcos Maidana in England, but HBO is pushing to have the fight take place in the United States on December 11, says Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. As first reported by Robert Morales on BoxingScene.com, Schaefer made an offer with two possible locations to both fighters, with Detroit and Las Vegas being the frontrunners.
Detroiy boasts a large Muslim population, which could equal big business for the fight.
"Detroit is a possibility because Detroit has the largest Muslim population in the United States. I think that Detroit is ready for a big fight. Of course, Las Vegas is always a popular destination for the Brits. There's a lot of fight fans here in Southern California that would love to see one of these fights in Las Vegas," said Schaefer.
"So I think that this is a fight which fight fans are going to embrace, and Las Vegas is definitely the fight capitol of the world, so that's a good option as well. I know that obviously England is a possibility as well, but you know HBO is very interested in bringing this fight to the United States."
Rafael says HBO has offered $2 million for the Khan-Maidana fight if it takes place i
By William Mackay: HBO has offered $2 million for the WBA light welterweight match-up between champion Amir Khan and WBA interim champion Marcos Maidana if the fight takes place in the United States, according to boxing news from Dan Rafael of ESPN. HBO will pay $1.75 million if the Khan-Maidana bout takes place in the UK. In an article at thesun.co.uk, Khan’s business manager Asif Vali said that Maidana is asking for $1 million for the fight with Khan and that is too much money and that Maidana would have to come down, saying “Sometimes it can be better not to fight.” So in other words, Khan would walk away from $1 million if he had to share the $2 million with Maidana? What’s up with that?
If both of them are champions and Khan is pretty much unproven and unknown in the United States, how can he be worth more than Maidana? I think Maidana is better known than Khan right now in the United States. Maidana has been shown on television more than Khan, that’s for sure. U.S boxing fans have only see Khan’s fight against Paulie Malignaggi and that’s it. I see this as fight where both fighters should agree to a 50-50 deal. After all, both of their careers could be on the line for this fight and the losers will likely see a big drop off of interest among U.S fans, especially if they get blown out of the ring.
But I don’t see how Maidana is asking for too much money if he’s a champion too and is arguably better known than Khan in the U.S. Khan obviously is a star in the UK, but this fight won’t take place in the UK and HBO isn’t a UK cable company. I think they should split the money 50-50 and lets’ get this fight underway. Khan can always make the big bucks if he beats Maidana, but right now all Khan has to show for himself in notable career wins is his victories over light punchers like Malignaggi, Andriy Kotelnik and Dmitri Salita. Maidana hits a lot harder than them.
By William Mackay: HBO has offered $2 million for the WBA light welterweight match-up between champion Amir Khan and WBA interim champion Marcos Maidana if the fight takes place in the United States, according to boxing news from Dan Rafael of ESPN. HBO will pay $1.75 million if the Khan-Maidana bout takes place in the UK. In an article at thesun.co.uk, Khan’s business manager Asif Vali said that Maidana is asking for $1 million for the fight with Khan and that is too much money and that Maidana would have to come down, saying “Sometimes it can be better not to fight.” So in other words, Khan would walk away from $1 million if he had to share the $2 million with Maidana? What’s up with that?
If both of them are champions and Khan is pretty much unproven and unknown in the United States, how can he be worth more than Maidana? I think Maidana is better known than Khan right now in the United States. Maidana has been shown on television more than Khan, that’s for sure. U.S boxing fans have only see Khan’s fight against Paulie Malignaggi and that’s it. I see this as fight where both fighters should agree to a 50-50 deal. After all, both of their careers could be on the line for this fight and the losers will likely see a big drop off of interest among U.S fans, especially if they get blown out of the ring.
But I don’t see how Maidana is asking for too much money if he’s a champion too and is arguably better known than Khan in the U.S. Khan obviously is a star in the UK, but this fight won’t take place in the UK and HBO isn’t a UK cable company. I think they should split the money 50-50 and lets’ get this fight underway. Khan can always make the big bucks if he beats Maidana, but right now all Khan has to show for himself in notable career wins is his victories over light punchers like Malignaggi, Andriy Kotelnik and Dmitri Salita. Maidana hits a lot harder than them.
Boxing Promoters could learn something from Dana White
By Leo Kapakos: This past weekend, UFC 118 drew a crowd of approximately 15,000 spectators at TD Garden in Boston for a gate of $3 million. The average ticket price was $250. You have to admit that‘s a pretty impressive turnout particularly during a recession. If you then consider that the two biggest draws in boxing today Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto drew 15,900 spectators for their fight at the MGM Grand the attendance for UFC 118 is even more impressive.
So why has the sport of MMA become so popular? I can sum it up in two words – Dana White. No matter what you think of the outspoken, brash, and potty mouthed President/ promoter of the largest and most respected MMA promotions company in the U.S., this guy is a marketing genius. Since buying the UFC in 2001 at a bargain basement price of $2 mio with help from boyhood chums and casino execs Frank and Lorenzo Fertita, White has single-handedly turned this company into an estimated billion dollar success. How? White has been on a rampage (and no pun intended for those familiar with UFC fighters) over the last several years promoting the sport of MMA and the UFC brand all over the world. To date, UFC events have been held in Canada, the U.K. Germany, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Middle East, China, South Korea and India are next stops on White’s radar. White has also been relentless in his pursuit to get the sport sanctioned in every U.S. state and I don’t believe he’ll stop until he does.
While White is doing a great job showcasing the UFC through shows like “The Ultimate Fighter” and appearances on TV and radio it’s really his savvy use of social media that differentiates this promoter from the rest. The man is constantly on the WEB, specifically “Twitter”, staying in touch with UFC fans all over the world on a daily basis. A self-proclaimed “Twitter lover”, he currently has over 1 mio followers on Twitter. Dana White understands very well that tweets equal dollars and answers every tweet from a fan base that ranges from your average Joe to celebs to politicians. White’s other web tool are his video blogs leading up to UFC events. In his blogs, White shares info with fans about the status and preparation of the fighters, talks about the fights, and often shows behind-the-scenes stuff going on at the event. On occasion he also does random video blogs where he takes you into his personal life which often comes off as a bit self-adulating. Okay Dana, we know you’ve done well, drive a nice Ferrari and can hang out with Mike Tyson – enough already. The bottom line is that White, like him or hate him, is accessible to his fans and they love that.
So, what about the sport I love, boxing. What are boxing promoters doing to put on great fights and showcase the great sport of boxing? Not enough. HBO is breathing some life back to boxing with the “24/7” series that’s been well-received by the public. Politics aside, what boxing could also use are better stacked undercards, fewer championship belts in the same weight class, fewer mismatches that feature prospects vs. no-hopers. Finally to the promoters out there, maybe you should take heed from Dana White. De la Hoya’s last twitter was Sept.2009 and he currently has 9,910 followers versus White’s 1,177,000. Wake the hell up already.
By Leo Kapakos: This past weekend, UFC 118 drew a crowd of approximately 15,000 spectators at TD Garden in Boston for a gate of $3 million. The average ticket price was $250. You have to admit that‘s a pretty impressive turnout particularly during a recession. If you then consider that the two biggest draws in boxing today Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto drew 15,900 spectators for their fight at the MGM Grand the attendance for UFC 118 is even more impressive.
So why has the sport of MMA become so popular? I can sum it up in two words – Dana White. No matter what you think of the outspoken, brash, and potty mouthed President/ promoter of the largest and most respected MMA promotions company in the U.S., this guy is a marketing genius. Since buying the UFC in 2001 at a bargain basement price of $2 mio with help from boyhood chums and casino execs Frank and Lorenzo Fertita, White has single-handedly turned this company into an estimated billion dollar success. How? White has been on a rampage (and no pun intended for those familiar with UFC fighters) over the last several years promoting the sport of MMA and the UFC brand all over the world. To date, UFC events have been held in Canada, the U.K. Germany, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Middle East, China, South Korea and India are next stops on White’s radar. White has also been relentless in his pursuit to get the sport sanctioned in every U.S. state and I don’t believe he’ll stop until he does.
While White is doing a great job showcasing the UFC through shows like “The Ultimate Fighter” and appearances on TV and radio it’s really his savvy use of social media that differentiates this promoter from the rest. The man is constantly on the WEB, specifically “Twitter”, staying in touch with UFC fans all over the world on a daily basis. A self-proclaimed “Twitter lover”, he currently has over 1 mio followers on Twitter. Dana White understands very well that tweets equal dollars and answers every tweet from a fan base that ranges from your average Joe to celebs to politicians. White’s other web tool are his video blogs leading up to UFC events. In his blogs, White shares info with fans about the status and preparation of the fighters, talks about the fights, and often shows behind-the-scenes stuff going on at the event. On occasion he also does random video blogs where he takes you into his personal life which often comes off as a bit self-adulating. Okay Dana, we know you’ve done well, drive a nice Ferrari and can hang out with Mike Tyson – enough already. The bottom line is that White, like him or hate him, is accessible to his fans and they love that.
So, what about the sport I love, boxing. What are boxing promoters doing to put on great fights and showcase the great sport of boxing? Not enough. HBO is breathing some life back to boxing with the “24/7” series that’s been well-received by the public. Politics aside, what boxing could also use are better stacked undercards, fewer championship belts in the same weight class, fewer mismatches that feature prospects vs. no-hopers. Finally to the promoters out there, maybe you should take heed from Dana White. De la Hoya’s last twitter was Sept.2009 and he currently has 9,910 followers versus White’s 1,177,000. Wake the hell up already.
Can the Super Six format help save Boxing?
by Ronnie Jordan: Possibly the most popular decision in recent boxing history was to make the Showtime Super Six tournament, a reality. It’s so far widely regarded by fans, boxers and promoters alike as a huge success and has even been suggested as the future blue print for other weight classes. Having just watched the seventh installment of the entertaining and well made 360 super six documentaries, it’s reminded me why I love it so much. It’s completely changed the process of fight making and has generated opinion as of what direction the sport should head in. First off we should appreciate the fact they got five different promoters to agree to the terms. In the current climate that’s not only unlikely but bordering on impossible. Although there have been a few stumbling blocks it’s generally gone smoothly.
The format means you know who’s fighting who, when the fight takes place and where it is held. (The latter being the most disputed subject). It’s refreshing having such luxury in a sport which is usually dominated with endless speculation and indecision. So far the match ups have been a success as well. The fighters have for most part performed at a high standard and in an entertaining manner.
The show time 360 documentary is interesting because they have filmed over a period of around five days around the fight. We witness the preparations leading up to the bout getting an insight into there pre-fight mentality and also something you very rarely see, there reaction and thoughts after the fight. They filmed them at home relaxing and revealed them all to be pretty down to earth guys. Family men who are just extremely dedicated, and ambitious fighters. This seventh installment was concentrated around the Andre ward and Allen green bout held in June of this year. Andre seemed focused as always with his renowned composed and resolute approach and was dominant in his display against a somewhat despondent Allen Green.
Andre Dirrell seemed ready for his clash with Ward as both assured us, they will brush aside there friendship for one night in the name of professionalism. As I’ve stated in a previous article, I like Dirrell in this fight but regardless of who wins I’m just really looking forward to watching it. Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham both seem as determined as ever and there bout in early October should be an all out war.
As expected there have been injuries along the way, firstly with the fall of the Jermain Taylor who most believe this tournament came a little too late for. It would have been incredible to see what a prime Taylor could have done. Recently though the tournament has been dealt a much larger blow with the fall of the Danish World Boxing Council super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler, who recently took the title off Carl Froch. After suffering an eye injury in sparring doctors have advised him to take a year off from the sport, obviously leaving him unable to continue. This left the tournament in limbo with the organizers unsure of where to go next. What is for sure is It’s come too far and there’s no going back now.
The options were either finding another opponent for Allen green or the more sensible and what looks to be the probable outcome is entering straight into the semi final stage. This means Froch, Abraham, Ward and Dirrell fighting in a knock out format leaving Allen Green out of the reckoning. This is unfortunate for Green however to be honest he already at a disadvantage and after his performance against Ward maybe he’s not such a big loss.
Although many see Andre Ward as the stand out favourite to go on and win the tournament I’m not so sure. First off his fight against Dirrell in his own words is “his toughest fight to date”. Dirrell came under criticism after the lackluster display against Froch but for me during the Abraham fight he showed the skill, speed and movement that sets him apart from the rest. Arthur Abraham has ploughed through his previous opponents and was so dominant against Jermain Taylor he knocked him out of the tournament after just one fight. Many thought Abraham would be to strong for Dirrell and although the outcome was some what marred no one can deny Dirrell put on an absolute clinic for 10 rounds. Would Ward of been so dominant against Arthur? I’m not so sure. I see the next two fights as very evenly matched, but if I had to choose I predict Dirrell will out box Ward in a close 12 round decision and Abraham comes out on top in a similarly close but far more brutal fight with Froch.
Like I said this is the best thing that’s ever happened to boxing and to me would solve many problems the sport faces. Come on Golden Boy, HBO, Bob Arum and whoever else is in charge lets make this tournament format the norm in boxing. Its inconceivably better for the fans and would make the sport a more respected and no doubt more lucrative sport.
by Ronnie Jordan: Possibly the most popular decision in recent boxing history was to make the Showtime Super Six tournament, a reality. It’s so far widely regarded by fans, boxers and promoters alike as a huge success and has even been suggested as the future blue print for other weight classes. Having just watched the seventh installment of the entertaining and well made 360 super six documentaries, it’s reminded me why I love it so much. It’s completely changed the process of fight making and has generated opinion as of what direction the sport should head in. First off we should appreciate the fact they got five different promoters to agree to the terms. In the current climate that’s not only unlikely but bordering on impossible. Although there have been a few stumbling blocks it’s generally gone smoothly.
The format means you know who’s fighting who, when the fight takes place and where it is held. (The latter being the most disputed subject). It’s refreshing having such luxury in a sport which is usually dominated with endless speculation and indecision. So far the match ups have been a success as well. The fighters have for most part performed at a high standard and in an entertaining manner.
The show time 360 documentary is interesting because they have filmed over a period of around five days around the fight. We witness the preparations leading up to the bout getting an insight into there pre-fight mentality and also something you very rarely see, there reaction and thoughts after the fight. They filmed them at home relaxing and revealed them all to be pretty down to earth guys. Family men who are just extremely dedicated, and ambitious fighters. This seventh installment was concentrated around the Andre ward and Allen green bout held in June of this year. Andre seemed focused as always with his renowned composed and resolute approach and was dominant in his display against a somewhat despondent Allen Green.
Andre Dirrell seemed ready for his clash with Ward as both assured us, they will brush aside there friendship for one night in the name of professionalism. As I’ve stated in a previous article, I like Dirrell in this fight but regardless of who wins I’m just really looking forward to watching it. Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham both seem as determined as ever and there bout in early October should be an all out war.
As expected there have been injuries along the way, firstly with the fall of the Jermain Taylor who most believe this tournament came a little too late for. It would have been incredible to see what a prime Taylor could have done. Recently though the tournament has been dealt a much larger blow with the fall of the Danish World Boxing Council super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler, who recently took the title off Carl Froch. After suffering an eye injury in sparring doctors have advised him to take a year off from the sport, obviously leaving him unable to continue. This left the tournament in limbo with the organizers unsure of where to go next. What is for sure is It’s come too far and there’s no going back now.
The options were either finding another opponent for Allen green or the more sensible and what looks to be the probable outcome is entering straight into the semi final stage. This means Froch, Abraham, Ward and Dirrell fighting in a knock out format leaving Allen Green out of the reckoning. This is unfortunate for Green however to be honest he already at a disadvantage and after his performance against Ward maybe he’s not such a big loss.
Although many see Andre Ward as the stand out favourite to go on and win the tournament I’m not so sure. First off his fight against Dirrell in his own words is “his toughest fight to date”. Dirrell came under criticism after the lackluster display against Froch but for me during the Abraham fight he showed the skill, speed and movement that sets him apart from the rest. Arthur Abraham has ploughed through his previous opponents and was so dominant against Jermain Taylor he knocked him out of the tournament after just one fight. Many thought Abraham would be to strong for Dirrell and although the outcome was some what marred no one can deny Dirrell put on an absolute clinic for 10 rounds. Would Ward of been so dominant against Arthur? I’m not so sure. I see the next two fights as very evenly matched, but if I had to choose I predict Dirrell will out box Ward in a close 12 round decision and Abraham comes out on top in a similarly close but far more brutal fight with Froch.
Like I said this is the best thing that’s ever happened to boxing and to me would solve many problems the sport faces. Come on Golden Boy, HBO, Bob Arum and whoever else is in charge lets make this tournament format the norm in boxing. Its inconceivably better for the fans and would make the sport a more respected and no doubt more lucrative sport.
Roach thinks Mayweather just wants to protect his unbeaten record
By Dave Lahr: Freddie Roach is unhappy that Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t fight his guy Manny Pacquiao, and Roach is at a loss to try and figure out why he doesn’t want to fight Manny. In an article at Northjersey.com, Roach says this about Mayweather: “I think Mayweather wants to have that zero on his record so he can argue that he’s the best fighter of all time.” That’s one way of looking at it. Another way of looking at it is to see things through Mayweather’s eyes. He had concerns about Pacquiao possibly using performance enhancing drugs and tried to get him to agree to the random blood testing that he wanted. Pacquiao couldn’t or wouldn’t agree to what Mayweather wanted, and so they went their separate ways.
Mayweather made over $40 million for a fight against Shane Mosley, whereas Pacquiao made, according to Mayweather, $6 million for his fight against Joshua Clottey. Mayweather will fight Pacquiao next year without a doubt, but Pacquiao is going to have to agree to whatever Mayweather wants. Hopefully, Pacquiao’s bout against Antonio Margarito does really well on pay per view and with ticket sales at the Cowboy Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, because Pacquiao needs to be on even terms if he wants to be in a good position to land the fight with Mayweather. Floyd will still want to fight Pacquiao, but I don’t think the Filipino will be happy taking less.
Mayweather isn’t afraid of losing his unbeaten record, but what he is afraid of is not getting what he wants in the negotiations. That’s number #1. And number #2 is he’s afraid to fight someone that he suspects might be using PEDs. That’s why he keeps harping about wanting Pacquiao to take the random blood tests. It’s not about setting up roadblocks to keep the fight from being made. It’s about Mayweather wanting to make sure the fight is fought at an even playing field. If he’s nervous about Pacquiao’s body chemistry, then he won’t be able to concentrate as much on the fight. At this point, it’s in Mayweather’s head and he’s convinced that he has something to worry about with Pacquiao.
It’s up to Pacquiao and Roach, if they truly want to fight Mayweather, to help ease his concerns by agreeing to all the testing that he wants. It shouldn’t be a big deal. If Roach and Pacquiao want the Mayweather fight, then then they have to be agreeable to the blood testing before even wasting their time thinking about the fight. Think of the blood testing as prerequisite to dealing with Mayweather. You don’t get in the door with him unless you agree to what the man wants.
By Dave Lahr: Freddie Roach is unhappy that Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t fight his guy Manny Pacquiao, and Roach is at a loss to try and figure out why he doesn’t want to fight Manny. In an article at Northjersey.com, Roach says this about Mayweather: “I think Mayweather wants to have that zero on his record so he can argue that he’s the best fighter of all time.” That’s one way of looking at it. Another way of looking at it is to see things through Mayweather’s eyes. He had concerns about Pacquiao possibly using performance enhancing drugs and tried to get him to agree to the random blood testing that he wanted. Pacquiao couldn’t or wouldn’t agree to what Mayweather wanted, and so they went their separate ways.
Mayweather made over $40 million for a fight against Shane Mosley, whereas Pacquiao made, according to Mayweather, $6 million for his fight against Joshua Clottey. Mayweather will fight Pacquiao next year without a doubt, but Pacquiao is going to have to agree to whatever Mayweather wants. Hopefully, Pacquiao’s bout against Antonio Margarito does really well on pay per view and with ticket sales at the Cowboy Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, because Pacquiao needs to be on even terms if he wants to be in a good position to land the fight with Mayweather. Floyd will still want to fight Pacquiao, but I don’t think the Filipino will be happy taking less.
Mayweather isn’t afraid of losing his unbeaten record, but what he is afraid of is not getting what he wants in the negotiations. That’s number #1. And number #2 is he’s afraid to fight someone that he suspects might be using PEDs. That’s why he keeps harping about wanting Pacquiao to take the random blood tests. It’s not about setting up roadblocks to keep the fight from being made. It’s about Mayweather wanting to make sure the fight is fought at an even playing field. If he’s nervous about Pacquiao’s body chemistry, then he won’t be able to concentrate as much on the fight. At this point, it’s in Mayweather’s head and he’s convinced that he has something to worry about with Pacquiao.
It’s up to Pacquiao and Roach, if they truly want to fight Mayweather, to help ease his concerns by agreeing to all the testing that he wants. It shouldn’t be a big deal. If Roach and Pacquiao want the Mayweather fight, then then they have to be agreeable to the blood testing before even wasting their time thinking about the fight. Think of the blood testing as prerequisite to dealing with Mayweather. You don’t get in the door with him unless you agree to what the man wants.
Don't knock the Aydin fight. Aydin is decent enough even though I thought he received a pretty clear gift his last time at bat and I thought Ouali beat him too just not as clear as Jo Jo Dan. Aydin can crack decent enough, he must have put Bonsu on his about 6 times in their fight, and Berto has been hurt and wobbled by lesser punchers.
This is a solid fight for Berto..
This is a solid fight for Berto..
Felix Trinidad Comes Clean on 'Why' He Lost To Hopkins
By Jhonny Gonzalez
Many years have passed since Felix "Tito" Trinidad was defeated by Bernard Hopkins. Their fight took place on September 29, 2001 at Madison Square Garden located in New York City. There were several problems prior to the fight. The tragedy of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York postponed the fight from the planned date of September 15. In an upset, Hopkins stopped Trinidad in the tweflth round to unify the middleweight division.
Trinidad says the date change had a lot to do with the loss. A few days before the Hopkins fight was scheduled to take place [on the new date], Trinidad's personal life began to fall apart. Trinidad's wife found out her husband was having an affair when the news was broken apart by the Puerto Rican media that Trinidad had a baby girl out of wedlock.
“Look, nine years have passed by since that fight, and I've never talked about it," Trinidad told Jose Sanchez. "There were several factors. In New York (before the fight) there were three days where I couldn't sleep at all with so many things on my mind.
"Before a big fight, sometimes it's difficult to sleep because you keep thinking 'bloody hell, the guy that I'm going to fight will be very tough.' What affected me were the towers, and the date change also had to do with it. But the situation with my wife is what I had on my mind. That was the main thing, more than anything. Thank God, we overcame it."
If the fight would have went forward on the 15th, Trinidad doesn't think the final result would have been the same because he wouldn't have had all of the personal problems weighing heavy on his mind.
"if the fight had been on 15th, the story would have been different," Trinidad s
By Jhonny Gonzalez
Many years have passed since Felix "Tito" Trinidad was defeated by Bernard Hopkins. Their fight took place on September 29, 2001 at Madison Square Garden located in New York City. There were several problems prior to the fight. The tragedy of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York postponed the fight from the planned date of September 15. In an upset, Hopkins stopped Trinidad in the tweflth round to unify the middleweight division.
Trinidad says the date change had a lot to do with the loss. A few days before the Hopkins fight was scheduled to take place [on the new date], Trinidad's personal life began to fall apart. Trinidad's wife found out her husband was having an affair when the news was broken apart by the Puerto Rican media that Trinidad had a baby girl out of wedlock.
“Look, nine years have passed by since that fight, and I've never talked about it," Trinidad told Jose Sanchez. "There were several factors. In New York (before the fight) there were three days where I couldn't sleep at all with so many things on my mind.
"Before a big fight, sometimes it's difficult to sleep because you keep thinking 'bloody hell, the guy that I'm going to fight will be very tough.' What affected me were the towers, and the date change also had to do with it. But the situation with my wife is what I had on my mind. That was the main thing, more than anything. Thank God, we overcame it."
If the fight would have went forward on the 15th, Trinidad doesn't think the final result would have been the same because he wouldn't have had all of the personal problems weighing heavy on his mind.
"if the fight had been on 15th, the story would have been different," Trinidad s
Vitali Klitschko: David Haye Has Nothing But Excuses
By Ruslan Chikov
WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko is tired of what he calls "excuses" coming from the mouth of WBA heavyweight champion David Haye. Last week the British fighter released a video where he explained the reasons for his failure at the negotiating table with the Klitschkos. He said the two brothers were greedy and refused to give him a percentage of the money coming from their deal with German television network RTL.
Klitschko continues to see fear in Haye and doesn't think the fight with him will ever happen.
"David Haye is full of excuses. One day he wants to fight and the next day he gives excuses on why he won't. Haye is afraid because he knows that against a Klitschko, there is no chance of victory," Klitschko told Golzka.
By Ruslan Chikov
WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko is tired of what he calls "excuses" coming from the mouth of WBA heavyweight champion David Haye. Last week the British fighter released a video where he explained the reasons for his failure at the negotiating table with the Klitschkos. He said the two brothers were greedy and refused to give him a percentage of the money coming from their deal with German television network RTL.
Klitschko continues to see fear in Haye and doesn't think the fight with him will ever happen.
"David Haye is full of excuses. One day he wants to fight and the next day he gives excuses on why he won't. Haye is afraid because he knows that against a Klitschko, there is no chance of victory," Klitschko told Golzka.
Roach Says: Mayweather's Racist Rant a Cheap Low Blow
By Mark Vester
Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, is not surprised with the profane video recorded by Floyd Mayweather Jr. a few days ago. In the now infamous video, Mayweather make numerous profane and racially-laced comments in the direction of Pacquiao. Some of Mayweather's comments in the video even stunned his most loyal of supporters. Comments like - "cook him up with some barbecued dog" and "cook that yellow chump" and "I'll make that mother f**ker make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice" and "this mother f**cker's name is Emmanuel. He got a fake name, taking power pellets."
Mayweather returned a few days later with in a new video, where he apologized for the comments.
"I do want to apologize for what happened the other night. I want to apologize to everybody because everybody thought that it was a racist comment that I said. I don't have a racist bone in my body. I have nothing but love for everybody. Some of my guys are Muslim, some of my guys are Jews. Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, whites, ...it doesn't matter. I got nothing but love in my heart. All i want to say is, if anybody was affected from what I said the other day, I apologize as a man. I was just having fun. I didn't really mean it," Mayweather said.
Roach watched the video. He thought it was a very cheap shot by Mayweather, but he's not surprised.
“It’s really a cheap low blow, but again, consider where it came from," said Roach to GMA News. “We tried to fight him . He said no. He doesn’t want to fight."
By Mark Vester
Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, is not surprised with the profane video recorded by Floyd Mayweather Jr. a few days ago. In the now infamous video, Mayweather make numerous profane and racially-laced comments in the direction of Pacquiao. Some of Mayweather's comments in the video even stunned his most loyal of supporters. Comments like - "cook him up with some barbecued dog" and "cook that yellow chump" and "I'll make that mother f**ker make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice" and "this mother f**cker's name is Emmanuel. He got a fake name, taking power pellets."
Mayweather returned a few days later with in a new video, where he apologized for the comments.
"I do want to apologize for what happened the other night. I want to apologize to everybody because everybody thought that it was a racist comment that I said. I don't have a racist bone in my body. I have nothing but love for everybody. Some of my guys are Muslim, some of my guys are Jews. Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, whites, ...it doesn't matter. I got nothing but love in my heart. All i want to say is, if anybody was affected from what I said the other day, I apologize as a man. I was just having fun. I didn't really mean it," Mayweather said.
Roach watched the video. He thought it was a very cheap shot by Mayweather, but he's not surprised.
“It’s really a cheap low blow, but again, consider where it came from," said Roach to GMA News. “We tried to fight him . He said no. He doesn’t want to fight."
Dirrell: "No Truth at All" That I Don't Want The Ward Fight
By Mark Vester
Super middleweight Andre Dirrell says there is "no truth at all" in the rumors being spread that he's attempting to withdraw from his Super Six bout with WBA champion Andre Ward. They are set to meet in the third stage of Showtime's Super Six tournament. The date was set for September 25 but without a location or an agreement between the two sides for a venue, the fight "is being postponed," says Dirrell.
Both Dirrell and Ward knew they would face each other in the third stage of the Super Six when Showtime drafted the tournament plans in 2009. When BoxingScene.com broke the story on Showtime's Super Six tournament on July 3, 2009 [Click Here To Read] - this very website had the entire schedule to the Super Six, including the Ward vs. Dirrell bout which was set, even back then, for September 2010.
Both fighters signed Super Six contracts knowing they would face each other in the third stage. They accepted high purses for their previous fights in the Super Six, with the knowledge they would fight in the third stage. It's very unlikely that either boxer will attempt to withdraw from their scheduled fight, because Showtime would have an easy time proving their case when a lawsuit is filed for damages.
By Mark Vester
Super middleweight Andre Dirrell says there is "no truth at all" in the rumors being spread that he's attempting to withdraw from his Super Six bout with WBA champion Andre Ward. They are set to meet in the third stage of Showtime's Super Six tournament. The date was set for September 25 but without a location or an agreement between the two sides for a venue, the fight "is being postponed," says Dirrell.
Both Dirrell and Ward knew they would face each other in the third stage of the Super Six when Showtime drafted the tournament plans in 2009. When BoxingScene.com broke the story on Showtime's Super Six tournament on July 3, 2009 [Click Here To Read] - this very website had the entire schedule to the Super Six, including the Ward vs. Dirrell bout which was set, even back then, for September 2010.
Both fighters signed Super Six contracts knowing they would face each other in the third stage. They accepted high purses for their previous fights in the Super Six, with the knowledge they would fight in the third stage. It's very unlikely that either boxer will attempt to withdraw from their scheduled fight, because Showtime would have an easy time proving their case when a lawsuit is filed for damages.
Bute vs. Brinkley = Another easy win for Lucian
By Jason Kim: International Boxing Federation super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (26-0, 21 KO’s) will be making his sixth defense of his IBF super middleweight strap on October 15th against American Jesse Brinkley (35-5, 22 KO’s) at the Bell centre, in Montreal, Canada. This is one of those interesting fights where you have a champion, who is considered by many boxing fans to be the best in the entire division, facing a guy that pretty much no one is giving any chance in this fight.
I’m just wondering what Brinkley did to get ranked number #2 in the IBF super middleweight division and to land this title fight. I don’t see any impressive wins on Brinkley’s resume, unless you count a 12 round decision over Curtis Stevens. That’s the fight that the 33-year-old Brinkley won in January to get the shot against Bute. I’ve seen Brinkley’s fights against Robin Reid, Joe Spina, Sergio Mora and Alfonso Gomez, and I can’t say I was very impressed with what I saw of Brinkley in those bouts. He lost all of them, by the way.
I think Bute is going to do a number on Brinkley and likely score yet another knockout. Bute isn’t a real knockout puncher, but his opposition has been so bad recently that he keeps knocking them out one after another. We may not see Bute really challenged until some of the losers from the Super Six tournament start peeling off and becoming available for Bute to fight them. I’m hoping Bute takes that course and starts fighting whoever is available. Unfortunately, he can’t fight Jermain Taylor and Mikkel Kessler because both of those guys aren’t fighting anyone right now, but in the near future we may have guys like Carl Froch, Arthur Abraham, Andre Dirrell or Andre Ward available for Bute to take on.
Those are the kinds of fighters that Bute needs to be in with now. In the past two years, Bute has fought William Joppy, Librado Andrade (twice), Fulgencio Zuniga, and Edison Miranda. Those are decent fighters, but I see all of those guys losing to any of the Super Six tournament fighters. This is why it’s so hard to see how good Bute is, because his opposition just hasn’t been very strong in the past couple of years. And this fighting style, in which he uses a lot of hitting and running, doesn’t look like it’s any better than the other fighters in the Super Six tournament. I actually see Bute looking worse than those fighters. He needs to start showing me something by taking on better opposition because right now I don’t know that I believe that he’s best fighter in the division.
By Jason Kim: International Boxing Federation super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (26-0, 21 KO’s) will be making his sixth defense of his IBF super middleweight strap on October 15th against American Jesse Brinkley (35-5, 22 KO’s) at the Bell centre, in Montreal, Canada. This is one of those interesting fights where you have a champion, who is considered by many boxing fans to be the best in the entire division, facing a guy that pretty much no one is giving any chance in this fight.
I’m just wondering what Brinkley did to get ranked number #2 in the IBF super middleweight division and to land this title fight. I don’t see any impressive wins on Brinkley’s resume, unless you count a 12 round decision over Curtis Stevens. That’s the fight that the 33-year-old Brinkley won in January to get the shot against Bute. I’ve seen Brinkley’s fights against Robin Reid, Joe Spina, Sergio Mora and Alfonso Gomez, and I can’t say I was very impressed with what I saw of Brinkley in those bouts. He lost all of them, by the way.
I think Bute is going to do a number on Brinkley and likely score yet another knockout. Bute isn’t a real knockout puncher, but his opposition has been so bad recently that he keeps knocking them out one after another. We may not see Bute really challenged until some of the losers from the Super Six tournament start peeling off and becoming available for Bute to fight them. I’m hoping Bute takes that course and starts fighting whoever is available. Unfortunately, he can’t fight Jermain Taylor and Mikkel Kessler because both of those guys aren’t fighting anyone right now, but in the near future we may have guys like Carl Froch, Arthur Abraham, Andre Dirrell or Andre Ward available for Bute to take on.
Those are the kinds of fighters that Bute needs to be in with now. In the past two years, Bute has fought William Joppy, Librado Andrade (twice), Fulgencio Zuniga, and Edison Miranda. Those are decent fighters, but I see all of those guys losing to any of the Super Six tournament fighters. This is why it’s so hard to see how good Bute is, because his opposition just hasn’t been very strong in the past couple of years. And this fighting style, in which he uses a lot of hitting and running, doesn’t look like it’s any better than the other fighters in the Super Six tournament. I actually see Bute looking worse than those fighters. He needs to start showing me something by taking on better opposition because right now I don’t know that I believe that he’s best fighter in the division.
Let’s make Boxing global
By Ronnie Jordan: After watching the brilliant Ricky Burns v. Ramon Martinez super featherweight slug-fest last night it got me thinking how incredible the atmosphere was with the fervent Scottish crowd singing flower of Scotland and roaring every time Burns landed a shot. It showed what a phenomenal sport boxing can be at its best and how passionate the supporters get behind there home grown fighters.
Being a boxing fan in the UK I’ve always had to look across the pond for the big world title fights. America has for decades been the epicenter of championship boxing and big money events. Nearly all the wealth in the sport is generated by American promoters and TV companies and generally if a big fight was taking place it would be there. Although today there’s big fights talking place in football stadiums around Europe and Asia the pull of America is still too strong for many fighters to resist.
Looking at the new breed of fighters coming through the wealth of boxing talent is far more evenly spread around the world. With current super stars already like Manny Pacqiauo and Wladimir Klitschko and young fighters coming through like Yuriorkis Gamboa, David Lemieux, and Matvey Korobov the previous American dominance of the p4p list will soon be challenged. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not writing America off in any way. I’m not stupid enough to ignore young American talent like Timothy Bradley and Paul Williams and great prospects like Omar Henry and Mike Jones. I am acknowledging however the definite change in the tides. For me this is great for the wealth and world wide popularity of the sport. Hole countries unite behind there fighters especially smaller impoverished nations who lack the wealth of top sportsman we enjoy in Western Europe and America.
In the UK we have a healthy domestic scene and a strong following of passionate fans who love the sport. The recent world title fights held in the o2 arena and Wembley stadium are always packed full and it could be argued they have a much better atmosphere than either Madison Square Garden or the MGM grand Lass Vegas. The tendency to always host these shows in America is of course motivated by money. The large pay per view audiences inevitably come from the USA and when there’s an American fighter on the bill then of course that makes sense. But soon enough we will start seeing a lot more clashes with fighters from different countries and its then I hope the lure of America doesn’t take these bouts away from the fans. There have of course been phenomenal nights in American venues like the recent trilogy of Juan Manual Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao. But just imagine those fights held in a Mexican or Filipino football stadium. The atmosphere would of been incredible with the adoring passionate fans cheering every minute of every round. I would have to say these classic match ups would have been so much better.
There’s the on going talk of David Haye vs. Wladimir klitschko which I know is getting ridiculous, but if they do finally meet I’d much prefer seeing it at the o2 arena or a German football stadium. Both venues would be full of English and German fans singing and cheering at the top of there voices, passionately getting behind there fighter.
Lets put aside financial interest for a second and think about what would make the sport more enjoyable around the world. The fellow country men of fighters are the people who care about them so they should be able to see them live. I think its about time boxing becomes a globally run sport with invested interest all over the world not just in America.
If we do it for nothing else at least consider me having to stay up till 4am to watch a fight. It’s not fair!
By Ronnie Jordan: After watching the brilliant Ricky Burns v. Ramon Martinez super featherweight slug-fest last night it got me thinking how incredible the atmosphere was with the fervent Scottish crowd singing flower of Scotland and roaring every time Burns landed a shot. It showed what a phenomenal sport boxing can be at its best and how passionate the supporters get behind there home grown fighters.
Being a boxing fan in the UK I’ve always had to look across the pond for the big world title fights. America has for decades been the epicenter of championship boxing and big money events. Nearly all the wealth in the sport is generated by American promoters and TV companies and generally if a big fight was taking place it would be there. Although today there’s big fights talking place in football stadiums around Europe and Asia the pull of America is still too strong for many fighters to resist.
Looking at the new breed of fighters coming through the wealth of boxing talent is far more evenly spread around the world. With current super stars already like Manny Pacqiauo and Wladimir Klitschko and young fighters coming through like Yuriorkis Gamboa, David Lemieux, and Matvey Korobov the previous American dominance of the p4p list will soon be challenged. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not writing America off in any way. I’m not stupid enough to ignore young American talent like Timothy Bradley and Paul Williams and great prospects like Omar Henry and Mike Jones. I am acknowledging however the definite change in the tides. For me this is great for the wealth and world wide popularity of the sport. Hole countries unite behind there fighters especially smaller impoverished nations who lack the wealth of top sportsman we enjoy in Western Europe and America.
In the UK we have a healthy domestic scene and a strong following of passionate fans who love the sport. The recent world title fights held in the o2 arena and Wembley stadium are always packed full and it could be argued they have a much better atmosphere than either Madison Square Garden or the MGM grand Lass Vegas. The tendency to always host these shows in America is of course motivated by money. The large pay per view audiences inevitably come from the USA and when there’s an American fighter on the bill then of course that makes sense. But soon enough we will start seeing a lot more clashes with fighters from different countries and its then I hope the lure of America doesn’t take these bouts away from the fans. There have of course been phenomenal nights in American venues like the recent trilogy of Juan Manual Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao. But just imagine those fights held in a Mexican or Filipino football stadium. The atmosphere would of been incredible with the adoring passionate fans cheering every minute of every round. I would have to say these classic match ups would have been so much better.
There’s the on going talk of David Haye vs. Wladimir klitschko which I know is getting ridiculous, but if they do finally meet I’d much prefer seeing it at the o2 arena or a German football stadium. Both venues would be full of English and German fans singing and cheering at the top of there voices, passionately getting behind there fighter.
Lets put aside financial interest for a second and think about what would make the sport more enjoyable around the world. The fellow country men of fighters are the people who care about them so they should be able to see them live. I think its about time boxing becomes a globally run sport with invested interest all over the world not just in America.
If we do it for nothing else at least consider me having to stay up till 4am to watch a fight. It’s not fair!
Kirkland set to be released
Kirkland set to be released
Promoters are reportedly working on comeback fights for Austin junior middleweight James Kirkland.
Kirkland, 26, who is set to be released from prison in Three Rivers to a halfway house in Austin on Sept. 17, likely will return to the ring Nov. 6 and fight again Dec. 4, co-manager Michael Miller, said.
Kirkland (25-0, 22 KOs), one of the rising stars in boxing, was sent to prison in April 2009 after pleading guilty to gun possession by a convicted felon.
Kirkland set to be released
Promoters are reportedly working on comeback fights for Austin junior middleweight James Kirkland.
Kirkland, 26, who is set to be released from prison in Three Rivers to a halfway house in Austin on Sept. 17, likely will return to the ring Nov. 6 and fight again Dec. 4, co-manager Michael Miller, said.
Kirkland (25-0, 22 KOs), one of the rising stars in boxing, was sent to prison in April 2009 after pleading guilty to gun possession by a convicted felon.
Ward-Dirrell: Showtime Sends Legal Letters Warning Both
By Lem Satterfield
Showtime, the network behind the ongoing Super Six Boxing Classic, has issued legal letters to promoters Dan Goossen and Gary Shaw, advising both sides that their fighters, WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward and once-beaten Andre Dirrell, have to go through with their scheduled fight in the Super Six tournament, and gave both promoters three potential dates. Showtime, threatening legal action, directed both boxers to fight on either September 25, or two alternate dates in early October.
Ward and Dirrell are scheduled to meet in the third stage of the Super Six on September 25. There is still no venue for the fight and unless a miracle takes place, the fight will not move forward on the date. In mid-2009, the participants of the Super Six, and their promoters, signed binding contracts to follow Showtime's tournament layout and proceed with the scheduled fights. During the last few weeks, there have been industry rumors that Ward and Dirrell, who are close friends, were looking for ways to avoid their scheduled fight.
Shaw, who promotes Dirrell, said Showtime, per their letter, would hold both sides in "breach of contract" if the fight didn't happen on one of the three date provided. And although Dirrell was quoted as saying that his fight with Ward "is being postponed," Shaw is not aware of any official postponement. Shaw disclosed that there is no finalized deal with Ward's promoter, Goossen, and no venue has been secured
By Lem Satterfield
Showtime, the network behind the ongoing Super Six Boxing Classic, has issued legal letters to promoters Dan Goossen and Gary Shaw, advising both sides that their fighters, WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward and once-beaten Andre Dirrell, have to go through with their scheduled fight in the Super Six tournament, and gave both promoters three potential dates. Showtime, threatening legal action, directed both boxers to fight on either September 25, or two alternate dates in early October.
Ward and Dirrell are scheduled to meet in the third stage of the Super Six on September 25. There is still no venue for the fight and unless a miracle takes place, the fight will not move forward on the date. In mid-2009, the participants of the Super Six, and their promoters, signed binding contracts to follow Showtime's tournament layout and proceed with the scheduled fights. During the last few weeks, there have been industry rumors that Ward and Dirrell, who are close friends, were looking for ways to avoid their scheduled fight.
Shaw, who promotes Dirrell, said Showtime, per their letter, would hold both sides in "breach of contract" if the fight didn't happen on one of the three date provided. And although Dirrell was quoted as saying that his fight with Ward "is being postponed," Shaw is not aware of any official postponement. Shaw disclosed that there is no finalized deal with Ward's promoter, Goossen, and no venue has been secured