Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Mayweather: I thought Pacquiao lost to Marquez; he’s not getting a 50-50 deal from me
March 2nd, 2012

By Chris Williams: In an interview with Bob Costas on Costas Tonight, Floyd Mayweather Jr. explained that he’s not ever going to give Manny Pacquiao a 50-50 financial deal because he doesn’t feel that he’s worth it. He also feels that Pacquiao should have lost his last fight against 38-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez last November.

Pacquiao said to Costas “I thought he [Pacquiao] lost. What happens in the business world is if Pacquiao lost, the the very lucrative fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather it would never happen…It would have been Mayweather-Pacquiao but I got turned down.I did my homework, saw what he makes in his big fights. The offer I gave him was $40 million. I told him I would wire him $20 million within 72 hours. The manager said he’d get back to me and then they said they’d be going another route. Why am I going to give a guy 50-50? I am not only the highest paid fighter in boxing, but I’m also the highest paid athlete. I come first. I worry about my family. I’m not giving up the split…I have been breaking records…With or without Pacquiao, I am okay. I have to be happy. I have to be comfortable.If you’re insinuating I’m a scared fighter, then why do you want to watch this scared fighter? Can’t no fighter beat Floyd Mayweather. He [Pacquiao] had a chance to step up to the plate.”

I agree with Mayweather, Pacquiao should have lost the Marquez fight and that’s reason enough for him to not get a 50-50 deal with Mayweather. Marquez is the same guy Mayweather shut out three years ago in a lopsided 12 round decision in 2009. Pacquiao couldn’t even beat him without controversy, so that in itself tells me he doesn’t deserve a 50-50 deal with Mayweather because he’s not fighting on the same level.

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather: Some of Cotto’s movements comes from me
March 1st, 2012

By Dan Ambrose: Undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KO’s) feels that WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KO’s) got some aspects of his game from himself by watching him fight and studying how he moves. Mayweather sees Pacquiao as having learned from him.

Mayweather told AP “I think Miguel Cotto has been watching me for a very, very long time. Miguel Cotto had a chance to sit at the Top Rank [gym] where we both were fighters at [Top Rank], and he used to sit right there and watch me train every day, watch me box. Even some of his movement, I see it comes from me. I’m thankful that fighters can pick up stuff from me.”

Yes, I wondering the same thing myself. I’ve seen a lot of parts to Cotto’s game that reminded me of Mayweather and I had a feeling that Cotto learned from watching Mayweather how to fight. The only problem is Cotto must have been pulled away at too early a stage to learn enough to where he would be a better fighter that avoids taking so much punishment. Yes, I think may have learned some things from Mayweather, but he must have been paying attention only to Mayweather’s offensive side of his game because he clearly doesn’t look as if he’s learned much from Mayweather on the defensive side of his game because he’s still getting hit far too much or his own good.

Cotto doesn’t all that well, gets tired easily and is still far too easy to hit compared to Mayweather. Cotto needs to sit down and watch Mayweather fight because he’s going to need a lot more than what he’s been showing recently in his last few fights if he’s to beat Mayweather. Cotto thinks he knows Mayweather’s style and how to defeat it, but I don’t buy it. Cotto will take a beating similarly to the one he took against Mayweather Jr.

 

[heyzel]

Campillo Appeals IBF Decision

By John G. Thompson - It may cost him $10,000 but according to various sources former champion Gabriel Campillo filed the necessary paperwork for an appeal with the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation following an atrocious decision on February 28th at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Two of the three judges of the bout awarded the split decision to Campillo’s opponent Tavoris Cloud, thus robbing Campillo of Cloud’s IBF light heavyweight belt. Showtime commentator and recent inductee into the Boxing Hall of Fame Al Bernstein said after the fight, “It’s one of the most egregious decisions I’ve ever seen.”

Campillo, from Madrid, Spain, is no stranger to poor decisions. Twice he fought a German fighter in Germany and twice he failed to earn a decision, though many non-biased observers might have awarded him both fights. He won the WBA World light heavyweight title in a close majority decision over Beibut Shumenov in Shumenov’s native Kazakhstan, though most observers thought that Shumenov deserved the nod. Then, strangely, he lost the title to Shumenov in a split decision in their rematch in Las Vegas, when many pundits (myself included) believed Campillo clearly deserved the win.

This most recent decision, however, appears far more egregious and deserves rectification. In fact, one might say that this was one of the worst decisions since the Paul Williams vs. Erislandy Lara fiasco last July. In that instance, Williams earned a majority decision in a fight in which almost everyone felt that Lara won handily. So preposterous was the decision that the governing body, the WBC, suspended all three judges – even the one who scored the fight a draw.

This situation is even more distressing, being that the result denied Campillo a title he had fought so hard for. Cloud knocked Campillo down twice in just the first round and the fight looked all but over until Campillo made some adjustments in the second round and began to back up Cloud, an excitingly aggressive fighter not known for moving backwards. Campillo turned the tide of the fight, outworking Cloud with superior movement and multiple punch combinations, battering Cloud in the later rounds and opening cuts over both eyes. Most observers would not give Cloud more than three or four rounds. When the decision was read, the crowd in attendance let loose with a chorus of boos.

Two of the judges – David Robertson and Joel Elizondo – awarded the fight to Cloud by scores of 116-110 and 114-112 respectively. Robertson had judged only one previous title fight in his career and this was the first title match for Elizondo. The more experienced Judge Dennis Nelson scored the fight appropriately at 115-111 for Campillo (as I had it).

According to IBF rules regarding appeals of decisions, Campillo must pay a non-refundable fee of ten thousand dollars (US) to have this decision reviewed, with no guarantee of a reversal. According to
Campillo’s manager Sampson Lewkowicz and attorney Leon Margules the paperwork has been filed and fees paid. In addition to the appeal, Margules said that a letter sent on behalf of Campillo to IBF President Daryl Peoples and IBF Championships Chairman Lindsey Tucker formally requests an immediate rematch in accordance with other IBF rules and regulations.

It is unclear how long this process may take, though if there is any justice in boxing, the decision should be overturned, the two judges should be suspended, and the IBF belt awarded to Campillo. Unfortunately, most of us boxing fans have followed the sport long enough to know we shouldn’t hold our breath. Perhaps the best we can hope for is a rematch between Cloud and Campillo, which is not such a bad option given the back and forth action of the first bout. In fact, one of the worst things about the decision was that it overshadowed a tremendous performance by both fighters.

 

[heyzel]

Schaefer: Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is never going to happen because Arum doesn’t want it to happen
March 2nd, 2012

By Chris Williams: Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, believes that a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao isn’t a doable fight because of Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, who he feels doesn’t want to make the fight happen. Although a lot of fans think Mayweather is the one getting in the way of the fight taking place because he wants a bigger percentage of the money than Pacquiao, it’s hard to disagree with Schaefer in his thoughts about Arum being the major reason why the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight won’t get made.

Schaefer said to the ocregister.com “It’s never going to happen, because Pacquiao’s promoter doesn’t it to happen. Bob is a smart guy. He can pick up the phone and call me and he knows that’s how fights get done. But coming with this magic stadium in Las Vegas, all that kind of stuff, is a bunch of BS. Would it be nice? Yes.”

Schaefer is talking about the outdoor stadium that Arum insisted had to be made in order to maximize the gate revenue for the fight. However, the outdoor arena wouldn’t be assembled in time for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight because Mayweather has to start serving his 90 day jail term in June and the arena wouldn’t have been completed until then. Rather than take the fight in May and make a lot more money than he will with Pacquiao’s scheduled fight against Timothy Bradley on June 9th, Arum still insisted on the outdoor stadium. Now there’s no outdoor stadium; no Mayweather-Pacquiao, and the funniest part of all is the Pacquiao-Bradley fight will be held inside the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which is where Mayweather wanted to fight Pacquiao. It wasn’t good enough for Mayweather-Pacquiao, but it’s good enough for Pacquiao-Bradley.

Another stumbling block in the Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations was that Arum kept saying he didn’t know who Mayweather’s management representative was, and kept wanting Mayweather to call him personally or tell him. By saying that, it just seemed like Arum didn’t want to make the fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I like how chris williams doesn't mention anything about the split, specifically how floyd wants 100% of the ppv revenue. Totally unbiased.

 

[bigface]

Bob Arum is the boss of Manny, and it's clear as day Arum didn't want to make the fight. Arum never even talked to team Mayweather or GBP. At least Floyd made a offer to Manny.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

arum often doesn't do any talking to anyone when making fights these days, Todd DeBouff does all the work. Michael Koncz also met with Floyd several times (which floyd talks about). I always said it would be best for Bob to sit in the background when team floyd & pac are trying to make a fight, since floyd & bob hate eachother.

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather: If Pacquiao loses, it’s all over for Bob Arum
March 3rd, 2012

By Chris Williams: Floyd Mayweather Jr. sees Top Rank promoter Bob Arum as not really wanting to risk putting his cash cow WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in with Mayweather Jr. in what be a very, very risky fight for the 33-year-old Pacquiao. Mayweather believes that Arum has lost his big named fighters Miguel Cotto and Mayweather and doesn’t want to risk having Pacquaio get beat, hence the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight hasn’t been made.

Mayweather told the telegraph.co.uk “You’ve got to realize this: Bob Arum no longer has Oscar De La Hoya, Bob Arum no longer has Floyd Mayweather, he don’t have Miguel Cotto; his last one standing is Manny Pacquiao. So if Manny Pacquiao loses, it’s all over for him.”

To be sure, a loss for Pacquiao to Mayweather – or anyone – will likely be a huge blow for Arum because it could possibly result in Pacquiao making less money in future fights and it might hasten his move towards retirement. If Pacquiao were to face Mayweather and get beaten especially bad, he might up and retire rather than facing Mayweather again and getting trounced one more time. And you got to assume that Pacquiao’s cut of the financial pie would be a lot less in a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch than it would be for the first fight.

Arum has some other fairly popular fighters – Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Kelly Pavlik, Brandon Rios, Nonito Donaire, and Timothy Bradley, but those aren’t pay-per-view fighters. Chavez Jr. and Donaire hasn’t been put in with the truly dangerous guys in their division. Chavez Jr. isn’t being matched with Sergio Martinez, and Donaire isn’t being put in with Guillermo Rigondeaux. Some boxing fans think that Arum is trying to make Donaire into another Pacquiao-like guy and is matching him against certain fighters to ensure that he doesn’t get beaten before the big money starts rolling in – if it ever does. Chavez Jr. has a huge following but it’s difficult to imagine Arum being successful into turning Chavez Jr. into a PPV star if he’s being steered around Martinez fight after fight. This isn’t lost on the boxing fans, who wonder why Chavez Jr. won’t fight Martinez. But besides that, Chavez Jr. isn’t really exciting to watch because he lacks big power and tends to bloat up into the 180s and fights inside but not impressively. He’s mostly popular due to his famous father Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., but not exciting to watch like Chavez Sr. was in his prime.

With Pacquiao beaten, it could slow things down for Arum. If Pacquaio retires, the gravy train will dramatically be slowed down because Arum’s top fighters aren’t really PPV attractions as of yet and it’s unclear whether they ever will be. I know some people would be willing to pay to see Donaire, Chavez Jr., Bradley, Pavlik, Gamboa and Rios in their fights against whoever, but I don’t imagine a lot of people would be willing to fork over $54.99 to see them. And I have serious doubts they ever will in large numbers no matter how carefully Arum matches them to make them look especially good. Personally, I would never pay a dime to see any of those fighters fight, because I don’t see them as being the very best in their divisions. They’re all good fighters but not the very best. I see Rigondeaux beating Donaire, Martinez destroying Chavez Jr., Rios beating Gamboa, Martinez beating Pavlika again, Andre Berto and Victor Ortiz beating Bradley.

 

[heyzel]

Bradley: I’m ready to face the best fighter in the world [Pacquiao]
March 4th, 2012

By Chris Williams: WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (28-0, 12 KO’s) has been really pouring on the compliments of his June 9th opponent WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO’s) ever since the 28-year-old Bradley landed the fight with Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I’m just worried that we won’t be seeing a sparring partners type attitude coming from Bradley when it comes to the fight where he touches gloves before and after every round and hangs on the ropes covering up for 12 rounds like fellow Top Rank fighter Joshua Clottey did when he was given a golden payday bout against Manny in 2010.

Bradley told ESPN “I’m with the best promotional company in the world and I’m sitting pretty, ready to fight the best fighter in the world.”

Gosh, Bradley sounds like he’s really slathering on the compliments something fierce in one of those glad to get the fight type attitudes. He’s calling Top Rank the best promotional company. I wonder if Bradley would be saying this if Pacquiao would suddenly retire? Who would there be for Bradley to fight? Antonio Margarito? You take away Pacquiao, and you got Margarito, Brandon Rios, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Mike Jones, Mike Alvarado, Clottey, Alfonso Gomez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Jose Benavidez and Vanes Martirosyan. With the exception of Marquez, none of those guys are huge stars and they wouldn’t be big fights like Pacquiao. Margarito has already been exposed, Gamboa or Rios will be weeded out after they fight each. One of them will be weeded out, but neither are huge stars in terms of pay per view. Gomez is a fringe welterweight contender, and Benavidez is still working his way up. Martirosyan doesn’t have a huge fan base and is a big junior middleweight. Mike Jones is too big for Bradley and doesn’t have a large fan base. Alvarado fights at light welterweight, but doesn’t have a large fan base. Marquez is about to retire at the end of the year and is only looking to get a fight against Pacquiao after he takes on some obscure Argentinian in his next fight.

I don’t agree with Bradley that Pacquiao is the best fighter in boxing, and that’s not what Bradley was saying before he signed on with Top Rank. I know he’s saying it now, but I think he’s just showing his appreciation for having gotten the payday fight against Pacquiao. I believe Bradley sees Mayweather as the best fighter in boxing, but I don’t expect him to say that now with his big money fight coming up against Pacquiao.

 

[heyzel]

Haye says Vitali’s manager has retracted agreement to fight him
March 3rd, 2012

By William Mackay: Former WBA heavyweight David Haye thought he had an agreement from WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko for him to fight him next. Vitali even said it himself tonight during his brother IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s fight against Jean Marc Mormeck that he would be fighting the 31-year-old Haye next. However, Haye is now saying on his twitter page that Vitali’s management has retracted the offer to him for a fight and Haye isn’t happy about it.

Haye said this on his twitter page: “Just heard Bernd Boente [Vitali's manager] has retracted Vitali’s agrement to fight (via Sky). Brent obviously wants more Mormeck nights. Maybe someone should tell Bernt Boente that he works for Vitali…Vitali said today he wants to fight, so why’s Bernt Boente b**ching out? This is getting silly now! Vitali gave another interview via RTL (in ring) and said “I will be his next fight.” Boente looked pissed. hahah…After hearing Vitali’s interview on Sky, I feel he’s not been given all the facts by his team about me! As I HAVE already agreed to all terms.”

There it is. It looks like Vitali and his manager Boente are going in different directions. Vitali says he wants the fight but then his manager takes over for him. But if Vitali really wants this fight, he’ll obviously take charge of the situation and agree to take it. He doesn’t have many fights left in him and he’d be shooting himself in the foot if he chooses to fight someone else rather than Haye in his next fight. Vitali doesn’t have too interesting fights. He can take on guys like Bermane Stiverne, Chris Arreola, Alexander Dimitrenko, Kubrat Pulev or Tyson Fury next but not none of those fights will be as big as a Haye fight. It doesn’t matter that Haye was beaten in his last fight and isn’t as popular as he once was; he’s still more popular than those fighters. Boente looks to be playing hardball with Haye to get him to agree to the offer that they gave him recently that Haye rejected. He might have to accept that offer if he’s to get a fight with Vitali unless Haye wants to take a risk that Vitali will back down and agree to what he wants.

 

[heyzel]

Floyd Jr. hesitates for health reasons
March 3rd, 2012

By Frank (Frankly) Livingston: I watched the interview of Floyd Mayweather Jr on Costa’s Tonight recently and there was one topic that caught my attention. He is a health conscious freak. Floyd was asked during his interview about his condition at age 35 and how he stays on top. Floyd response was that he is dedicated to the sport of boxing and does not partake in drinking alcohol or smoking whilst partying. It’s pretty hard to believe that he is able to abstain from these vices despite his reputation of being a party animal and mixing with outgoing people. Floyd is really taking care of his health.

Floyd was then asked the reason why the fight with Pacquiao had not happened. Costa emphasized that “time a wasting” and the fight should happen. Even Thomas Hearns said recently that both fighters should go on with it. Floyd then responded that “Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I come first. If the fight does not happen, So be it”.

Floyd is absolutely correct that everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but this is the opinion of millions of boxing fans around the world. Costa then mentioned the Ali-Frazier fight and Ali-Norton. Floyd then stated that fans forced Ali to fight some fighters that he should have not fought. “Floyd Mayweather fights for Mayweather”. Floyd should be happy and comfortable with a fight”. Again, this is a contradiction that Floyd is fighting for his fans if he does not fight what his millions of fans or haters want. His reasoning his “My health is more important”.

Costa then mentioned that according to the Compubox, Floyd has the best plus rating and gets fewer hits than most in boxing history and will be the dominant fighter than Pacquiao. The statistics should give him great comfort in getting his biggest career money with a sure victory over Pacquiao. A great majority of boxing fans agree that Floyd would easily win a fight with Pacquiao.

But then again, Floyd raised the ODST issue (which has been resolved) and the purse split were the reasons the fight had not happen. I have a feeling that even if Pacquiao would agree to lesser purse split, the weight issue might be the next barrier to overcome. Floyd is fighting Cotto at 154 lbs and if Floyd wins, he might be comfortable staying at 154 lbs and would demand a fight with Pacquiao at 154 lbs (No catchweight).

But who are we to deny Floyd his rights for being happy and comfortable. His health is quite important for him. After seeing what boxing has done to Ali physically for fighting past his use by date, you cannot blame him for being hesitant and being forced to fight the fight the fans want. Clearly, Floyd is not past his use by date. The images of Hatton lying flat on his back and unconscious for a few minutes, Margarito’s damaged eye retina from Pacquiao’s pounding and Cotto’s bloody face, Floyd should really think real hard of giving in to the demands of millions of fans. Money is not everything as Health is important.

 

[heyzel]

Khan: I’d rather fight and win the WBA title in the ring against Peterson
March 4th, 2012

By William Mackay: Amir Khan took the news well about the WBA not having given him back his World Boxing Association Super light welterweight title. Khan had earlier in the day been under the impression that the WBA was handing him back his title rather than having to win it in the ring against Lamont Peterson on May 19th in their rematch. Khan seemed excited about getting his title back, calling it “Good News” on his twitter page.

However, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza then rained on Khan’s parade by saying that Khan doesn’t have the WBA title and will have to win it back in the ring against Peterson rather than having it handed to him by the WBA.

Khan said this about it on his twitter page “It it’s true or not true about the WBA handing back the title, I’d rather fight and win it. We all know what happened last time + prove I’m the best.”

Khan had a well wisher in Steve Bunce, who said “Well said, This time you will win it. Get your head proper and do it the right way.”

I agree with Khan about all of us seeing what happened in the ring last December when Khan lost to Peterson. We saw Khan do well in the first round and get credit for a knockdown where he didn’t land a blow and was seen elbowing Peterson to the canvas. We also saw the fight change starting in the 4th round when Khan briefly tried to slug with Peterson and ended up getting the worst of it.

From then on, Khan was off to the races, circling the ring for the rest of the fight, pushing Peterson down constantly by grabbing him by the head and pulling forward on it until he was in a bent over position. We also saw Khan use a lot of head locks and pushing off on Peterson, the later resulting in Khan losing two points after failing to head the referee Joe Cooper’s warnings for Khan to stop pushing. The fight man won that fight and I’m surprised Khan would say “we all know what happened,” because fans did see what happened and what happened was Khan got beat.

Tags: Khan vs. Peterson II, Khan-Peterson ,Amir Khan, lamo

 

[heyzel]

Gabriel Campillo’s appeal to the IBF is denied
March 5th, 2012

By Dan Ambrose: Former WBA World light heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo’s appeal to the IBF to have an immediate rematch against International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud (24-0, 19 KO’s) was denied by the IBF on Monday. Campillo, 33, lost by a 12 round split decision to Cloud last month on February 18th by the scores 115-111 for Capillo, and 116-110 and 114-112 for Cloud.

The decision wasn’t a popular one with boxing fans, many of which saw Campillo (21-4-1, 8 KO’s) decisively beating Cloud. However, two of the judges working the fight Texas based fight disagreed that Campillo had done enough and instead went with the champion Cloud.

According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, the IBF reviewed the fight on DVD and didn’t see a case where the judges had done judged the fight incorrectly. IBF president said “Judging of professional boxing events is subjective.”

He’s right, of course. It subjective and I completely agree with their decision to give Cloud the victory, because Campillo didn’t do enough in the fight to take the title and he finished on a bad note by getting dominated in the 11th and 12th rounds of the fight. Normally, a challenger has to finish strong by controlling the last two rounds, but that’s not what happened here. Campillo was playing keep away in the last two rounds and was getting badly outworked. He fought like he was the champion instead of the challenger and that doesn’t work in boxing.

Campillo got off to an awful start in the fight getting knocked down two times in the opening round. Although he started coming on in the 2nd, Cloud was able to continue to win rounds just on his steady work rate alone. Campillo fought in spurts and wasn’t able to keep throwing the punches he needed to in order to take the title from the champion. Campillo fought well, just not well enough to get the decision. He should use the fight as a tool to improve his game because it’s right there in front of him what he did wrong in the fight.

Campillo reportedly has also appealed to the Texas State Athletic Commission to have the two judges who scored the fight against him face disciplinary action. There has been no verdict on that as of yet, but you’d have to assume that it’s long shot for them to discipline the two judges off of this fight.

 

[heyzel]

So many boxers dodging one another
March 5th, 2012

By Dominic Sauboorah: It’s quite disappointing to see how some fighters claim to be the best without actually fighting the best. The idea of logic just clearly doesn’t exist to these sorts of people. There are boxers for sure who are extremely talented and definitely could make it far on the world stage of boxing, but when they haven’t been there and yet claim to say that they could beat the best, well why don’t they?

A question that will baffle even the smartest of people. No one really knows, because boxers hate to be called the one thing no one would ever associate with a fighter.

Take Kevin Mitchell for example. He achieved a fantastic win over the unbeaten European lightweight champion John Murray. The victory was slightly hyped up I believe but Mitchell still showed a lot of heart and skill to beat the tough and courageous Murray. Despite this win however Kevin Mitchell was supposed to face the hard hitting, unbeaten American Star and reigning WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios. Brandon Rios absolutely dominated John Murray in his last fight to the point where Murray was quoted as saying to Boxing Monthly “If the referee was going to stop the fight he should’ve done it three rounds beforehand” which emphasizes the punishment in which Murray received. Brandon Rios wanted the fight with Kevin Mitchell, but what does Mitchell and his team do after Rios’s fight with Murray? They book another fight against a complete nobody. Surprise Surprise. Sure you could use the excuse “oh well he’s never had any international experience before so therefore it’d be bad timing if he were to compete for a world title.” What about John Murray? He had no international experience prior to his fight with Rios yet he still had the optimism and belief that he could become the lightweight champion of the world. Kevin Mitchell was even quoted as saying after the fight with Murray “World champion next.” Is that the case? No. He’s not just let his country down; he’s let the sport of boxing down as well. Kevin Mitchell. All bark, and no bite.

Another perfect example could be the undefeated Timothy Bradley. With all due respect to Bradley he’s got a massive up and coming fight with Manny Pacquiao so full credit that he’s taking on a real tough challenge, big difference is though is does he deserve it? I mean he’s ranked top ten pound-for-pound which I think reflects negatively on boxing. This man has one two world titles, that’s it. He’s been in one division, that’s it. The biggest name he’s beaten is Devon Alexander, that’s it! He’s never mixed it with the likes of Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather or any of these truly top level fighters who are both easily a level above this so-called pound-for-pound challenger. He’s beaten nobody’s yet he’s been given credit for it. He’s barely got any knockouts yet is considered a superstar. He hasn’t even had 30 fights yet and he’s being compared to the likes of Manny Pacquiao. Yeah, ring magazine are doing a really good job when it comes to picking the best boxers in their sport. The irony of him fighting Pacquiao is that he refused to fight his stable mate, Amir Khan, for no reason at all in what would’ve been a massive light-welterweight unification bout.

These sorts of boxers are not just letting the sport down but more importantly are letting the fans down. Fans beg and pray that these big, well known fighters will get in the ring and fight each other. To say that there are complications such as money issues or politics just shows how much boxers are business people and not sportsmen. Boxing shouldn’t be about how much money you can make, but more so about making name for yourself in a sport and not a business. Of course it’s brilliant to make a bit of money, but it shouldn’t be a priority to the point where it stops fights from taking place. People can blame politics and economical issues as much as they want for big fights not happening, but deep down the only people to blame are the fighters themselves, because if they really cared about giving the fans what they want, they’d fight for nothing and just put on a damn good show. Unfortunately the majority of fighters allow outside sources to distract them. One aspect they have to realize though is that boxing is turning into a business but at heart will always be a sport and if they’re passionate about the sport, then how much they get paid shouldn’t be an issue. The fans don’t want to see fighters earning loads of money. They want to see the best boxers fight each other to prove that the sport is here to stay and that it stands as a sport, and nothing more.

 

[HERESY]

Gabriel Campillo’s appeal to the IBF is denied
March 5th, 2012

By Dan Ambrose: Former WBA World light heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo’s appeal to the IBF to have an immediate rematch against International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud (24-0, 19 KO’s) was denied by the IBF on Monday. Campillo, 33, lost by a 12 round split decision to Cloud last month on February 18th by the scores 115-111 for Capillo, and 116-110 and 114-112 for Cloud.

The decision wasn’t a popular one with boxing fans, many of which saw Campillo (21-4-1, 8 KO’s) decisively beating Cloud. However, two of the judges working the fight Texas based fight disagreed that Campillo had done enough and instead went with the champion Cloud.

According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, the IBF reviewed the fight on DVD and didn’t see a case where the judges had done judged the fight incorrectly. IBF president said “Judging of professional boxing events is subjective.”

He’s right, of course. It subjective and I completely agree with their decision to give Cloud the victory, because Campillo didn’t do enough in the fight to take the title and he finished on a bad note by getting dominated in the 11th and 12th rounds of the fight. Normally, a challenger has to finish strong by controlling the last two rounds, but that’s not what happened here. Campillo was playing keep away in the last two rounds and was getting badly outworked. He fought like he was the champion instead of the challenger and that doesn’t work in boxing.

Campillo got off to an awful start in the fight getting knocked down two times in the opening round. Although he started coming on in the 2nd, Cloud was able to continue to win rounds just on his steady work rate alone. Campillo fought in spurts and wasn’t able to keep throwing the punches he needed to in order to take the title from the champion. Campillo fought well, just not well enough to get the decision. He should use the fight as a tool to improve his game because it’s right there in front of him what he did wrong in the fight.

Campillo reportedly has also appealed to the Texas State Athletic Commission to have the two judges who scored the fight against him face disciplinary action. There has been no verdict on that as of yet, but you’d have to assume that it’s long shot for them to discipline the two judges off of this fight.

Wrong move by the IBF. IMHO, Cloud should go ahead and step up and have the match made.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

As weird as it seems that's the right move by the ibf. They shouldn't overturn decisions unless there is proof of rules being broken. They can not agree with the judges but can't overturn it just because they don't agree.

Now what they can do and probably will is order an immediate rematch.

 

[naner12]

I wouldn't ever want to see a decision get overturned by anyone unless it comes out that scores were calculated incorrectly. It sets a terrible precedent and I'd hate to see what kind of retarded shit would start happening if that were to ever happen.

 

[HERESY]

As weird as it seems that's the right move by the ibf. They shouldn't overturn decisions unless there is proof of rules being broken. They can not agree with the judges but can't overturn it just because they don't agree.

Now what they can do and probably will is order an immediate rematch.

From the looks of the article that is what he was trying to do. Get an immediate rematch. They denied it. Wrong move by the IBF.

Former WBA World light heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo’s appeal to the IBF to have an immediate rematch against International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud (24-0, 19 KO’s) was denied by the IBF on Monday.

 

[heyzel]

Gamboa never signed the bout agreement for Rios fight
March 6th, 2012

By Dan Ambrose: It looks like former IBF/WBA featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboas (21-0, 16 KO’s) has an out if he decides to pull out of his scheduled April 14th HBO televised bout against former WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios (29-0-1, 22 KO’s) at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Dan Rafael at ESPN, the 30-year-old Gamboa never signed a bout agreement for the fight.

Gamboa still hadn’t signed the official bout agreement for the fight, and that in itself could be enough for Gamboa to wriggle out of taking the fight if he feels that the conditions weren’t right for him to take this risky gamble. Earlier on Monday, Gamboa failed to show up for his scheduled press conference in Miami, Florida with Brandon Rios to start building momentum in the press for their April 14th fight. It wasn’t as if Gamboa missed a flight or anything, because he lives in Miami.

There reportedly was no phone or anything from Gamboa alerting his promoters of him not showing up for the press conference. There’s another press conference on Tuesday in Los Angeles, California and nobody knows if Gamboa will show up for that one. It’s possible that he could show up and say that he got caught up in something. That would be the ideal situation but it’s not looking good right now with him blowing off the conference and not letting anyone know about it.

I think it was a bad idea for Gamboa to agree to this fight in the first place without first testing himself at super featherweight and then at lightweight against softer targets than Rios. This is a big fighter that comes in well over 135 for his fights. Gamboa might be the faster guy by far, but if he’s facing a much bigger Rios, who could be sporting a 15 to 20 weight advantage over Gamboa, that would be a really tough situation for the guy.

 

[heyzel]

Peterson: Khan has a lot of things to change in his game and not much time to change them
March 5th, 2012

By William Mackay: IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KO’s) feels his game is about ready for his rematch against Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KO’s) on May 19th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.

Peterson already knows what he needs to work on for this fight and doesn’t feel he needs to tweak his game much in order to beat Khan for a second time. He knows what Khan does after beating him by a 12 round decision last December, and doesn’t figure Khan will be able to make major changes in his game in such a short period of time.

Peterson told RingTV “The sooner that we got into was the better for me. From the way that I look at the fight, there’s not too much that I need to change. I felt that he was uncomfortable, so I feel as if there are a few more things that he needs to change. I think he needs time to change it so with less time, he has less time to change those things.”

Peterson is right. Khan looked really uncomfortable against him last December and couldn’t handle his inside pressure or even his outside pressure. Khan looked like he was having a nervous breakdown and was resorting to pushing off in an amateurish fashion and manhandling Peterson’s head with headlocks and pulling down on it. The referee took points off for the shoving but really needed to take off points for all the times Khan kept grabbing him by the head.

Khan doesn’t honestly believe he lost the fight and seems to be under the impression that he deserved a clear win, even going so far as to say that he deserved to get two knockdowns in the fight instead of just one. As far as I could tell, Khan deserved to get exactly no knockdowns. The knockdown he got credit for was from a perfectly placed elbow that nudged an off balance Peterson to the canvas. I guess it all happened too quick for the referee to see Khan hitting Peterson with his elbow instead of a punch