Boxing News Thread

[2-0-Sixx]

Me personally, I wouldn't pay $54.99 just to see a fighter lose... what happens if he wins (again)? You lose out on that $54.99... and just put some of it in Mayweather's pocket.

That's where good promotion comes into play. A good promoter will make you BELIEVE that mayweather has a real good shot at losing. Remember the "who are you picking?" marketing by Golden Boy when he fought shane? Remember their website when it had the poll question "who is going to win?" it was forever 51% floyd, 49% mosley? The results never changed! (it was fake results) lmao. Very smart.

People tune in when they think he has a shot at losing. His lowest PPV since Oscar was against Hatton right...no one thought hatton had a real chance (besides ricky's hardcore English fans). But Mosley, Marquez, and Ortiz....people honestly thought he'd lose. He never fought such a powerful person like Mosley! He hasn't fought in two years, he's going to be too rusty for marquez! Ortiz is in his PRIME he's hungry he's knocked down every opponent he ever fought! (which actually isn't true). Good marketing, the belief he's going to lose plus floyd being floyd (a good salesman) equals good PPV's.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I wouldn't pay to watch a fight unless it was live.

 

[heyzel]

Floyd Mayweather Jnr is not only king of the ring, but PPV as well

By Babatis Banda: It is common knowledge and a fact that Floyd is one of the great cash cows of boxing ever. We also know that he is central to the success of ‘HBO 24/7 hype series’ since its invention. Floyd has taken the business side of boxing to a whole new level and the numbers show for it.

There is a lot involved here I believe, and this includes actual gate takings, the Pay per View sales and other deals with go with the bout. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has maximized his takings, first by being smart. He owns a promotional company, the ‘Mayweather promotions’ which co-promotes his fights. Floyd, being a super star and a business genius, he has become the most well paid boxer of all time and takes full advantage of this position.

Boxing for a good part has been kept alive by what I call the ‘Mexican effect’. Mexicans are successful boxers and lovers of the sport. It is quite clear that the Mexican effect is a serious factor to the success of the sport. Other than the Mexican influence, we have a new phenomenon, The Manny Pacquiao ‘fanatical-fan base’. The difference is that while the Mexicans have been a real factor on the sport for many years generating huge sales, the Filipinos are a recent factor, and only imposed a cult-like effect on the sport. The only common factor is that the two however needed a fertile ground to blossom, and the United States provided it.

Unlike Manny Pacquiao, who has a ‘cult-like’ following, Floyd is unlikely to out-sell Manny on the gate takings for that reason. The avid boxing lover and the hard-core fans are likely to watch from the comforts of their homes and that is where the numbers and the money is, and the difference is thus drawn.

For as long as Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweahther Junior remains the fighter to beat, the situation may remain so for a long time to come. While I admit that the battle should not be between the PPV numbers and gate takings, this is a factor used for bargaining purposes in negotiations. Successful negotiations are the beginning of good things before we can dream of the time when this whole controversy will come to an effective end through the ring.

Having said this, I leave you with one question to answer. If Floyd was fighting Marquez for the second time, who would have been the clear favourite to win the fight? I believe the answer is stupidly straight forward, isn’t it?

 

[heyzel]

Arum under intense pressure to top Mayweather – Ortiz PPV numbers

y John F. McKenna (McJack): Top Rank CEO Bob Arum will be under intense pressure to top the Pay Per View (PPV) numbers that WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather and then champion Victor Ortiz drew for their September 17 fight at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

It was announced yesterday by Golden Boy Promotions after a lengthy delay that the fight sold 1.25 million PPV’s. Many were surprised that the PPV’s for the fight were that high, given the length of time it took for the numbers to be released.

There had been speculation that the PPV numbers were in the 850,000 range, but that was all swept away when Golden Boy made the announcement. The live gate for Mayweather – Ortiz was 9 million dollars, which is a relatively low number. The live gate numbers further fueled speculation that PPV numbers were not going to be what had been hoped for due to the fact that normally PPV numbers are reflective of what the live gate draws.

It was surmised by some that the reason PPV numbers for Mayweather – Ortiz were not released was because they were embarrassingly low. The reasoning also was that Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer and Floyd Mayweather would have been trumpeting the numbers if they had come in close to where they had been expected to.

The 1.25 million PPV buys translates into 78.44 million dollars in domestic revenue, which is the 2nd highest in non heavyweight history. Although the Pacquiao – Mosley fight drew roughly the same amount of PPV buys, the Mayweather – Ortiz fight was sold at a higher subscription rate resulting in higher revenue.

Of course what the release of the Mayweather – Ortiz PPV numbers means is that Bob Arum will be under intense pressure to top not only the 1.25 million PPV buys of Mayweather – Ortiz, but the total revenue as well.

The cagey Arum has predicted that the Pacquiao – Marquez Trilogy will surpass 1.4 million buys. He will pull out all the stops to ensure that happens. Complicating matters for Arum has been the recent spate of lousy fights aired on HBO. Arum and HBO will be reminding boxing fans until November 12, the day of the fight, how great the previous two fights between Pacquiao and Marquez were.

There is no doubt that Arum is hoping that Pacquiao wins in a convincing fashion, although he would probably hope that the fight lasts for a least a few rounds. It is reminiscent of the predicament heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey’s promoter Tex Rickard was in prior to Dempsey’s fight with Luis Angel Firpo in 1923. Rickard asked Jack to let the fight go a few rounds so that the huge crowd in attendance would get their money’s worth. Jack characteristically told the famed promoter “Go to hell!”

The Dempsey – Firpo fight lasted just two rounds, but it was probably the best two rounds in boxing history. Rickard did no complaining after the fight.

 

[Hollywood]

I tune into Mayweathers fight to see him lose..

 

[bigface]

As long as you tune in it don't matter to Mayweather your money is still green.

 

[Tony]

I tune in to see him remain undefeated!

 

[2-0-Sixx]

the floyd mayweather of the lion world

 

[heyzel]

Tim Bradley Challenges Amir Khan To 50/50 Purse Split, Khan Responds - Says “He Had H

By James Slater: It’s Twitter time again, fight fans! Unbeaten 140-pound star Timothy Bradley recently logged onto Twitter and issued a challenge to 140-pound rival Amir Khan. Bradley, training for his upcoming Nov.12th fight with veteran Joel Casamayor, challenged Khan to a 50-50 purse split:

“If Amir Khan beats his next opponent and I will beat mine, then I’m willing to fight him! 50/50. Let’s do it!,” Bradley wrote.

Khan, a guy who seems to be on Twitter more than anyone this side of Oscar De La Hoya, was quick to respond with his own words:

“It took Bradley six months to find his voice after calling me out and agreeing to fight me, and now he’s asking for a 50-50 split for 2012?,” Khan wrote. “He had his chance for a 50-50 split including the UK income, and I’m going to stick to my words - he’s never gonna get that offer again. Bradley denied me the chance of becoming undisputed champion and I’m gonna make him regret it. He needs me now! I’m the bigger draw.

“All he is worth is 70/30 split and that’s in my favour with no UK split.”

Khan is right when he says Bradley had his chance, as back in the early part of this year a 50-50 offer was indeed on the table for Bradley. However, embroiled as he was in legal issues with his then promoter Gary Shaw (Bradley has since signed with Top Rank), Bradley declined to fight - against Khan or anyone else. It’s easy to understand where Khan is coming from now as a result.

It sounds as though Bradley is going to have to accept Khan’s 70/30 terms if the fight is going to happen. Bradley may be on the same level as Khan, skill-wise, but the unified IBF/WBA ruler is without a doubt the bigger name with the greater star power.

But will Bradley agree to take the short end of a split to get the fight? If not, it seems this one is destined to be filed under the “never happened” section.

 

[bigface]

By James Slater: It’s Twitter time again, fight fans! Unbeaten 140-pound star Timothy Bradley recently logged onto Twitter and issued a challenge to 140-pound rival Amir Khan. Bradley, training for his upcoming Nov.12th fight with veteran Joel Casamayor, challenged Khan to a 50-50 purse split:

“If Amir Khan beats his next opponent and I will beat mine, then I’m willing to fight him! 50/50. Let’s do it!,” Bradley wrote.

Khan, a guy who seems to be on Twitter more than anyone this side of Oscar De La Hoya, was quick to respond with his own words:

“It took Bradley six months to find his voice after calling me out and agreeing to fight me, and now he’s asking for a 50-50 split for 2012?,” Khan wrote. “He had his chance for a 50-50 split including the UK income, and I’m going to stick to my words - he’s never gonna get that offer again. Bradley denied me the chance of becoming undisputed champion and I’m gonna make him regret it. He needs me now! I’m the bigger draw.

“All he is worth is 70/30 split and that’s in my favour with no UK split.”

Khan is right when he says Bradley had his chance, as back in the early part of this year a 50-50 offer was indeed on the table for Bradley. However, embroiled as he was in legal issues with his then promoter Gary Shaw (Bradley has since signed with Top Rank), Bradley declined to fight - against Khan or anyone else. It’s easy to understand where Khan is coming from now as a result.

It sounds as though Bradley is going to have to accept Khan’s 70/30 terms if the fight is going to happen. Bradley may be on the same level as Khan, skill-wise, but the unified IBF/WBA ruler is without a doubt the bigger name with the greater star power.

But will Bradley agree to take the short end of a split to get the fight? If not, it seems this one is destined to be filed under the “never happened” section.

LOL. Khan you knew Bradley was getting out of his contract with Gary Shaw, that's the only reason you called Bradley out. Now that Bradley's free and with Top Rank Khan is back to talking like he's the king and not wanting to fight. Bradley vs Khan 50-50 and Bradley get's 20% of the UK money..

 

[trips]

Dirrell brothers Anthony and Andre training out of Mayweather Gym in Las Vegas

Denzil Stone – Atlantic City


Two American boxing brothers, with a separate yet unique skillset, both harbour the same goal of obtaining a world championship in a super middleweight division saturated with talent. For Anthony Dirrell, a bout against fringe contender Renan St Juste awaits in December and, if the 27-year-old is successful, he may look to activate his high WBC rank to gain a world title shot. Brother Andre wants similar things but is a fighter who must first return to the ring.

Speaking to the Flint Journal, Anthony (23-0-0, 20ko) stated that – after destroying a trident of journeymen in 2011 (Alberto Mercedes, Dante Craig, Kevin Engel; all by stoppage) he is ready for a breakout 2012 in which he considerably ups his competition.

“It’s my time, and I’m just ready to go in there and show the world that I’m a contender in the super middleweight division.

“I want it,” the ambitious Michigan man (pictured left) declared. “It’s destined.”

The 168lb weight class is currently spearheaded by three world champions with considerable reputation: IBF kingpin Lucian Bute, WBA titlist Andre Ward and WBC belt holder Carl Froch with the latter two due to do battle on December 17 in the Super Six World Boxing Classic final: “[they] are standing in the way,” Dirrell cooly said of the experienced super middleweight campaigners who, Anthony feels, are blocking his path to his aforementioned destiny as a champion.

“I can’t keep fighting lower opposition, I’ve got to move up and this [fight against St Juste] is my shot to move up. I knew I would have to do it eventually. I train hard, I prepare to the fullest and I’ve been ready to go.”

St Juste, a 39-year-old southpaw rated as the top fighter in his division in his native Canada, is of diminutive stature (5’9) compared to the rest of the weight class but has a respectable 23-2-1, 15ko record. Assessing his opposite number, Anthony explained: “I’ve watched a couple of his fights and he’s a good older fighter with a little experience, but I just know I’m ready. I’m just focused on the guy in front of me and nothing down the line. I train for everybody the same and I’m not overlooking him at all.”

Anthony and Andre are both renowned for their slick styles. Boxer-punchers by trade, it is Anthony who packs more pop behind his punches while Andre has developed a slightly superior defensive game that focuses on evasive maneuvering. The Dirrell brothers are currently in Las Vegas, enjoying training sessions at the Mayweather Gym on Schiff Drive, where they will be able to further nurture their natural ability.

While Anthony has been an active fighter who fights for the fourth time of the year in December, older brother Andre has not boxed since March, 2010 due to neurological problems suffered when Arthur Abraham dispatched an illegal blow that landed flush on his head while his guard was down.

Unable to fight, Andre (19-1-0, 13ko) withdrew from the Super Six competition and only got the medical all-clear to resume hard training and sparring earlier in this year. The first man he sparred with was British champion George Groves; a multi-faceted fighter who can bang (see: Kenny Anderson) or box-and-move (see: James DeGale) and, after their spar at the legendary 5th Street Gym in Miami in April, both men left the ring sporting obvious shiners.

Even though he is on friendly terms with Groves, Andre (pictured below, right) would not be averse to fighting the Englishman should it have a recognised world championship on the line: “If we ever meet up that’ll be one hell of a fight,” Dirrell said, as reported by Boxing News. “It’s nothing that’ll be in the making in the near future but, if he’s up there, if he has a title – he definitely has the potential to win a world title. He’s a sharp, determined, little fighter. He can box, he can bang a little bit and he’s confident. He’s a tough fighter.


Credit: GSP

“He’s got a lot of bottle,” added the 28-year-old who was a bronze medal Olympian at the 2004 Games in Athens. “Before he fought James DeGale I saw a lot of comments on Twitter saying ‘George Groves don’t have what it takes, George Groves hasn’t fought anybody, George Groves is not as much of a pure boxer as James DeGale’, and then he went in there and beat DeGale!

“I watched bits and pieces of the fight, although I didn’t get to see the whole thing. George Groves stuck to and executed a gameplan. I’m looking forward to seeing how far he gets – I’m hoping for the best for him, he’s a great guy.”

Andre has been speculatively linked with a December fight, although an opponent is yet to be announced.

 

[trips]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: BERNARD HOPKINS
By G. Leon

B-Hops seeks to unify division in 2012!

GL: What's the latest and greatest Bernard? How is everything going with your rehab? "First of all thanks for checking in with me Greg. I'm doing well and I'm going through my second week of rehab with Novacare, one of the best places for phyiscal therapy in sports, especially on the east coast. They've got me working out with teeny two pound weights and ranges and motions. The first week was a lot of bends, twists and stretches. Everything is coming along like it's supposed to, but like I said I'm only two weeks into it. It's going to be another month or so before the evaluate me again because it's a six to eight week process."

GL: So it's going to be at least another month before you have a realistic idea of when you'll be able to return to the ring?

Bernard Hopkins: "Yes. Six to eight weeks was what they told me at first."

GL: Our last discussion took place before the WBC decided to give you the belt back and rule the Dawson bout a technical draw. What are your thoughts on their decision?

BH: "First of all, justice was served. When they looked at the tape, they saw if the referee made or missed the call. At the end of the day the WBC did the honorable thing, which was to look at it with an open mind and then look at it with 30 plus board members. Am I surprised the decision went my way? No. Because the tape will be the one that sets me free and the tape would be the one that incarcerates me. It speaks for itself, every angle and every position, you can't deny what it is. It is what it is and it was what is was. When people come up with all sorts of theories it's crazy to me, but the WBC did the right thing and let's see now if the commission in LA does the right thing."

GL: Has your ring magazine belt also been returned to you?

BH: "Not as of now, but I know that if I'm still the champion of the WBC, they're going to have to look at the tape and figure out what happened. When they do, I believe it will be returned back to me also."

GL: Are you concerned that the California commission might choose to defend the referee instead of the videotape as you describe it?

BH: "Well I think the commission should do what's right for boxing. If the commission defends the referee in spite of what happened, it won't make people look at boxing in a good way. The tape reflects what happened. Whether it was done intentionally to hurt me or foul me, he clearly grabbed my leg, leveled me out and threw me down. A foul is a foul. I'm not a lawyer, but when you grab a guy by the leg it's to get a guy on the ground or flip him. This is not football of the MMA, this is boxing. I've never seen a takedown like that from somebody who claims that they are a professional boxer. I think they will look at it and study it way before December comes and I think at the end, they have to do what's right."

GL: What are you hoping to accomplish in 2012? Are there any fights out there that really interest you?

BH: "Unifying the light heavyweight championship and also becoming the oldest fighter to defend it past 40 years old. Nobody has unified this division at my age and that is something that would be special to me. I want to cap off next year with all of the belts around my waist."

GL: I advise Zsolt Erdei and it looks like he's going to fight Tavoris Cloud on New Year's eve. Does the winner of that fight interest you?

BH: "That's a very dangerous fight for Cloud. He hasn't been very active and Erdei can box and he's crafty. I'm really looking forward to that fight and I know they'd call it an upset, but I wouldn't and I wouldn't be surprised if Cloud lost the fight. So like said, unifying in the light heavyweight division would be something great and it would be something that has never been done before at my age. I'm very interested in watching that fight. Where is it going to be anyway?

GL: It looks like California.

BH: "I'm going to have to make that trip out there. Maybe I'll reach out to Lou DiBella and make sure y'all hook me up with some ringside tickets and I will be sitting ringside to watch that."

GL: Closing thoughts for the fans?

BH: "I'm taking care of my shoulder and everything is moving forward in a proper way. I'm looking forward to having a great and challenging year in 2012."

 

[heyzel]

Sergei Liakhovich Trains With Floyd Mayweather Sr.; Arreola visits Basilica de Guadal

ever one to sit idle, Sergei "The White Wolf" Liakhovich (25-4, 16 KO), trained with Floyd Mayweather Sr. in Las Vegas recently. The two seemingly diverse personalities found some common threads. They both love boxing and they both like to win just as much. Sergei is thirsty to learn more of the mental aspects of the sports, more finesse and footwork. Mayweather thinks he is just the guy to teach Sergei the "slick-ness" as he puts it. Sergei was pleased with the time he spent with Mayweather and said he will return to Las Vegas in about 2 weeks to continue training with Floyd Sr.

Sergei commented about training with Mayweather, "I am not the type of person that can just sit around and wait. I have to keep busy. I needed to get in the ring and train. I feel I must always learn. I have what it takes and with the right teacher I can win the championship again. You have to use your mind as well as your body. Floyd can teach me the tricks to take my power and use it as a lighter, smaller fighter would. I feel he (Mayweather) can take me to a new level."

Mayweather had this to say, "I see a lot of potential in Sergei. He's a tough guy. He just needs to fine tune and refine, I can help him do that. I can help him slip and slide, give him the footwork, the "slick-ness" he needs to outclass the big heavyweights out there today. I can demonstrate, so that he can dominate. We have just begun, once he really starts training with me you're gonna see a whole new Sergei."

During Liakhovich's heroic performance this past August against Robert Helenius (16-0, 11 KO) the fierce heavyweight warrior certainly proved that he is worthy of future championship challenges. In the early rounds of that gutsy and bloody battle the former Heavyweight Champion's nose was broken in two places but he continued to wage war in what would prove to be one of the most respect worthy, fan pleasing, boxing performances of the year.

An announcement for a fight in the first quarter of 2012 is expected to be made soon.

Chris Arreola visited Guadalupe

Report by Pepe Rodriguez / WBC - After his visit to the WBC headquarters, the Mexican-American, Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola visited the "Basilica de Guadalupe" and among other things said:

"I never pray for victory, just ask the Virgin to pray for both fighters, so at the end of the fight, we can go home safe".

For a few minutes, Arreola (33-2-0, 28 Ko, s), who will fight against Raphael "The Silencer" Butler (35-11-0, 28 KOs), prayed on his knees to the image of "La Guadalupana" and then with much respect went to the image, to admire it more closely.

After completing his visit to that Holy recite, he left to Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, where he will face his opponent next Saturday November 5 in the show dome of that city.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Dan Rafael :


Great news for fight fans: Versus/Comcast is back in #boxing.
Closed a deal with Main Events for 6 cards at roughly $100,000 license fees.

New Versus/Comcast #boxing series kicks off in '12. From what I
know fights would be on Versus but cud also be on other Comcast nets (NBC?)

On the new Versus/Comcast #boxing series I am unclear as to how
often it will be on or what day of the week.

Main Events is already in touch with other promoters looking to put some fights together for the new Versus/Comcast #boxing series.

Main Events does have a relationship with NBC (now under Comcast) going back to the brief series it had on NBC a few years ago.

At $100,000 license fee for Main Events Versus/Comcast cards it gives #boxing middle class. More $ than ShoBox/ESPN2, less than
HBO/Showtime

Nobody involved in the new Main Events Versus/Comcast #boxing
series wants to talk but I am expecting formal announcement this week.

Certainly some of the shows will take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, where Main Events promotes cards regularly.

I'm told the 1st card on Main Events' new Versus/Comcast #boxing
series is Jan. 21.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

So more and more it looks like Top Rank is really going to make Gamboa vs Brandon Rios at 135. Thoughts?

I think both are trying to get pacquiao, thus the fight against eachother. Gamboa in his last fight said he wants pacquiao and Rios' name has already been tossed around as a possible opponent for Pac.

I think it's a crazy ass fight. Rios will obviously have the size advantage, Gamboa will have an extreme speed advantage.

 

[naner12]

Hopefully Versus gets a better deal than last time where they were pretty much Top Rank slaves and ended up being the network where Arum would host most of his useless prospect building cards that should be buried on undercards as main events.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Hopefully Versus gets a better deal than last time where they were pretty much Top Rank slaves and ended up being the network where Arum would host most of his useless prospect building cards that should be buried on undercards as main events.

Tye Fields. Every card. lmao

it's good to hear Main Events is reaching out to other promoters to work with them. I know they have Adamek and Zab Judah, that's about it.

 

[bigface]

Marquez Rips Team Pacquiao on Steroid Jabs: Test Me!

By Miguel Rivera

Juan Manuel Marquez (53-5-1, 39KOs) has issued a response to the recent comments that were made by strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, and other members of Manny Pacquiao's team, regarding the controversial past of Marquez's conditioning coach Angel Hernandez, who years ago was heavly involved in the BALCO Lab steroid scandal and during legal hearings he disclosed his involvement in distributing banned substances to Olympic athletes. Marquez faces Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38KOs) for the WBO welterweight title on November 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"I'd be delighted to take a test. I've never taken banned substances. My physical condition is thanks to the hard work that I've put in. In my 18 years as a pro boxer, I've never trained like this, with three daily sessions - running, weights and training very hard in the gym. I don't care what Pacquiao's team has to say. My mind is focused on making an intelligent fight and to secure the knockout," Marquez said.

LOL Marquez said fuck you test me and Team Manny gets quiet like always about testing.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

^^^it was actually victor conte who was blasting marquez' conditioning coach via twitter, not team pacquiao. He's the one that "exposed" Angel Hernandez as being in fact Angel Heredia (who changed his last name after the trials of Marion Jones). You can read about that HERE

the bob talking about how it's all good:
http://www.boxingscene.com/arum-on-marquez-strength-coach-there-no-issue--45594

Ariza actually didn't say anything about him.

The strength and conditioning guru [Ariza] said Marquez “looks huge, beyond big” but refused to speculate on reports that Marquez’ new strength and conditioning coach identified as Angel Hernandez on the HBO 24/7 series who was in fact Angel Heredia. Heredia testified before a San Francisco Court in May 2008 that he supplied track stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery with illegal substances.​

 

[bigface]

It's funny to me because all these dudes are being trained by ex-PED conditioning coaches. But Mayweather is so bad and wrong to ask fighters to submit to random drug testing. But if you're a clean fighter you shouldn't have a problem with being randomly tested to make a big fight.