The BTBC Middleweight Rankings

by Paul Magno

1) Kelly Pavlik: 34-1 (30 KO)

Wins: Bronco McKart, Jose Luis Zertuche, Edison Miranda, Jermain Taylor, Gary Lockett

Losses: None

Titles: WBC, WBO (1 defense)

2) Arthur Abraham: 28-0 (23 KO)

Wins: Shannan Taylor, Kofi Jantuah, Edison Miranda, Sebastien Demers, Khoren Gevor, Wayne Elcock, Elvin Ayala, Raul Marquez

Losses: None

Titles: IBF (8 defenses)

3) Felix Sturm: 31-2 (13 KO)

Wins: Maselino Masoe, Gavin Topp, Javier Castillejo, Noe Gonzalez Alcoba, Jamie Pittman, Randy Griffin, Sebastian Sylvester

Losses: Javier Castillejo

Draws: Randy Griffin

Titles: WBA (2x) (6 defenses)

4) Sebastian Sylvester: 29-3 (14 KO)

Wins: Steven Bendall, Franck Mezaache, Peter Mitrevski Jr., Alessio Furlan, Amin Asikainen, Simone Rotolo, Francois Bastient, Javier Castillejo

Losses: Amin Asikainen, Felix Sturm

Titles: EBU (2x) (5 defenses)

5) Marco Antonio Rubio: 43-4-1 (37 KO)

Wins: Anthony Ivory, Octavio Castro, Daniel Stanislavjevic, Erik Esquivel, Sherwin Davis, Jose Luis Zertuche, Enrique Ornelas

Losses: None

Titles. None

 6) Winky Wright: 51-4-1 (25 KO)

Wins: Sam Soliman, Ike Quartey

Losses: None

Draws: Jermain Taylor

7) Khoren Gevor: 30-3 (16 KO)

Wins: Sergey Khomitsky, Andile Tshongolo, Samir Dos Santos Barbosa, Amin Asikainen

Losses: Arthur Abraham

Titles: None

8.) John Duddy: 25-0 (17 KO)

Wins: Shelby Pudwill, Alfredo Cuevas, Yory Boy Campas, Anthony Bonsante, Howard Eastman, Walid Smichet, Charles Howe

Losses: None

Titles: None

9) Amin Asiksinen: 25-2 (17 KO)

Wins: Walter Fabian Saporiti, Christophe Tendil, Sebastian Sylvester, Alexander Sipos, Lorenzo Di Giacomo, Yory Boy Campas

Losses: Sebastian Sylvester, Khoren Gevor

Titles: EBU (3 defenses)

10) Sebastian Zbik: 25-0 (9 KO)

Wins: Jose Hilton Dos Santos, Fawaz Nasir, Alejandro Gustavo Falliga, Samir Dos Santos Barbosa, Marco Schulze, Mario Alberto Lopez, John Anderson Carvalho

Losses: None

Titles: None

11) David Lopez: 37-12 (23 KO)

12) Javier Castillejo: 62-8 (43 KO)

13) Wayne Elcock: 19-3 (9 KO)

14) Koji Sato: 14-0 (13 KO)

15) Daniel Geale: 20-0 (12 KO)

16) Mahir Oral: 25-1-2 (10 KO)

17) Randy Griffin 24-2-3 (12 KO)
20) Dionisio Miranda: 19-3-2 (17 KO)

18.) Enrique Ornelas: 28-5 (18 KO)

19) Peter Quillin: 20-0 (15 KO)

Overview

Historically, the Middleweights have been one of Boxing’s glamour divisions, but the 2009 version of the 160 lb class is sorely lacking in glamour unless you happen to be an Eastern European fight fan.

The top 3 of the division, Pavlik, Abraham and Sturm is as solid a top 3 as you’ll see in the sport, but after that, things fall into a general state of, to put it diplomatically, parity. So much parity, as a matter of fact, that 9 of the Top 20 ranked fighters have been beaten at least once by another member of the Top 20. The division is made up of solid, competent fighters, but aside from Pavlik and Abraham, there’s little real excitement in the division. For the first time in the division’s history, Super Middleweight is more compelling and attractive than the historical home of Bernard Hopkins, Marvin Hagler and Carlos Monzon.

In the past, the Middleweight division would be loaded with strong, American talent. Now, there are only 5 Americans in the Top 20 and only 2 in the Top 10. The Europeans have shoved the Americans to the back seat and there seems to be a much livelier Middleweight fight scene in Europe than in the States.

All 3 of the recognized world champs have been long-term belt holders, with Abraham setting the standard for number of defenses while Pavlik can make the valid claim of being the true, lineal champion. The only major fights to be made at 160 would involve two of the top 3, but this is highly likely, at least in the short term, as Sturm seems to be cold to the idea while Pavlik seems to be content to stay domestic following his embarrassing loss to Bernard Hopkins at Light Heavy.

The scheduled Paul Williams vs. Winky Wright bout will add Williams to the mix at 160 and interject Wright back into the meat of the division after a long absence. The winner is likely to be a high profile defense for Pavlik later in the year.

Aside from the top 3 and maybe Williams and Wright, there doesn’t seem to be a lot major happening at 160 right now.

Upcoming

 The Kelly Pavlik (#1) vs. Marco Antonio Rubio (#5) bout this Saturday promises to deliver some fireworks while it lasts while Arthur Abraham’s (#2) proposed next defense against Lajuan Simon is purely of the “stay busy” variety. Felix Sturm (#3) is scheduled to take on Koji Sato (#14) in late April in a bout that could be a little more competitive than Sturm would like.

Winky Wright (#6) will be taking on Paul Williams in an April bout that will either re-establish Wright as a force at 160 or establish Williams as the next top American Middleweight. Whatever the case, the winner likely gets Pavlik at some point in ‘09.

At this point last year, Pavlik vs. Abraham seemed to be a no-brainer. Now, after taking a beating at the hands of Hopkins, Pavlik has decided to slow things down. After his mandatory with Rubio, expect a defense against the tough, but crude John Duddy (#8) in the Summer and, probably, the winner of Wright/Williams later in the year. Expect Abraham, on the other hand, to stay busy with token defenses in Germany and cross his fingers for an all-German unification with Felix Sturm.

In other upcoming fights, heavy-handed Colombian, Dionisio Miranda (#20) will fight for his spot in the rankings against tough Dominican, Giovanni Lorenzo (#2 in the “5 to Watch”). This fight will also be an IBF Title Eliminator… John Duddy will take on Matt Vanda on the Pavlik/Rubio undercard…Sebastian Sylvester (#4), Sebatian Zbik (#10), Javier Castillejo (#12), Wayne Elcock (#13) and Daniel Geale (#15) will all have “keep busy” fights within a month’s time.

On The Cusp

Jose Luis Zertuche will always have a puncher’s chance to work his way into the mix while veteran boxers like Sebastien Demers, Bronco McKart and Raymond Joval would like to prove that they have enough in their tanks to make one last run.

On the Horizon

The Middleweight division is light on prospects as “Kid Chocolate” Peter Quillin (#19) and fan favorite Fernando Guerrero are still too green to make an impact on the rankings and, unless there’s a sudden change in career trajectory, James McGirt Jr.’s days as a prospect are done with. British Gold Medalist, James DeGale will make his pro debut this month under the guidance of Frank Warren.

With a light list of young prospects, the only shake ups may occur if veteran Jr. Middleweights like Ricardo Mayorga, Danny Perez and Saul Roman decide to move up to a less-crowded division to make an impact.

For More Information on the BTBC World Rankings, Click Here: http://www.btbc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rankings

And They Want Me To Pay For This?

by Paul Magno

I know Bob Arum is old school, but it just doesn’t get much older than the infamous “bait and switch” that he pulled with his company’s first major Pay Per View of 2009.

The co-main events all along were Kelly Pavlik vs. Marco Antonio Rubio and Miguel Cotto vs. Michael Jennings, two probable mismatches energized by the fact that both marquee stars were coming back from devastating losses. These 2 bouts alone, despite the redemption angle and the split venue novelty, were not PPV main events and were not even HBO main events since the network passed on both Rubio and Jennings as possible foes. However, the real bang for the buck would be in the undercard…or at least that’s what Arum assured a recession-affected boxing public.

How about Joshua Clottey vs. Kermit Cintron? Anthony Peterson vs. Julio Diaz? A title defense from Ivan Calderon? Even a short 4 round glimpse of Russian amateur standout, Matt Korobov? The fans were already giddy with the prospect of which of these standout fights would be support to the already-signed main events. Maybe all of them. Maybe this one was for the fans; A real PPV that harkens back to the Don King cards of the 90’s.

But, as it turns out, the only one of those bouts that will actually make it to the PPV is the 4 round Korobov fight. The others vanished into thin air or, perhaps more correctly, were allowed to disappear.

But what hasn’t disappeared much is the price. The suggested retail price for the Cotto/Pavlik Tale of Two Cities PPV is 44.95, just about 5 bucks cheaper than the normal asking price for any other big name PPV.

I’ll leave it up to you to decided whether this upcoming event is worth the price, but I’m guessing you know my opinion. The final televised card, after a Peterson/Edner Cherry bout also got scratched, is: Cotto vs. Jennings, Pavlik vs. Rubio, probably the 4-rounder with Korobov and John Duddy vs. Matt Vanda, which is actually a pretty decent match-up, but more along the lines of an ESPN or Versus main event and not chief support to this year’s biggest PPV so far.

Then, we move ahead to late March when Arum and Top Rank will be holding their next pay extravaganza, Latin Fury 8, featuring the latest Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. farce against Luciano Leonel Cuello, a fighter so unknown that even his own family is probably jumping to Boxrec.com to see just who he is.

But, once again, Arum justified the price of the event by mentioning the high-octane undercard that would serve as support to the questionable main event. Fernando Montiel vs. Eric Morel, Jose Luis Castillo vs. Antonio Diaz and a competitive bout featuring Humberto Soto were all boastfully announced, a real “Night of Champions.”

Now, as the March 28^th date approaches, Morel has been eliminated in favor of the much less impressive Diego Oscar Silva and Soto’s opponent is still the dreaded TBA. Is this worth the suggest price of between 30 and 40 bucks? Again, I’ll leave that to you.

In a world of financial insecurity, a decent approach would’ve been to significantly lower the price of the show or significantly elevate the quality of the cards. Arum’s strategy seems to be a token price cut followed by a much more significant reduction in quality. It all seems like dirty pool to me.

But I don’t want to make it seem like I’m picking on Top Rank as the only guilty and/or clueless party when it comes to PPV cards in a fragile economy.

There was a 25 dollar PPV recently from Germany which featured a Ruslan Chagaev vs. Carl Davis Drumond main event with an Andreas Kotelnik title defense as the main undercard bout.

There’s also the upcoming PPV on March 14^th from Great Britain which Amir Khan and Marco Antonio Barrera will headline. The 25 dollar asking price for this one certainly is reasonable, IMO, as the card will also feature a competitive Nicky Cook vs. Roman Martinez battle and Enzo Maccarinelli’s long-awaited WBO interim Cruiserweight title fight against the tough Ola Afolabi. But the question remains whether this card is PPV-worthy to the general public and whether these bouts wouldn’t have found a more hospitable home on a free TV outlet.

The Roy Jones vs., Omar Sheika PPV in March will feature a main event bout that would’ve had more than a few eyes rolling 8 years ago, plus an undercard full of second-rate MMA action. Apparently, Jones is charging for the privilege of offending two sets of fans as MMA fans will balk at the Boxing main event and Boxing fans will chuckle at the concept of a badly shot Jones taking on a battered ex-club fighter in the ONLY boxing event of the card. I don’t know what the asking price for this one will be, but if it’s over 1.50, fans would be better off buying a chili dog at the 7-11 and watching Jones’ greatest performances on YouTube.

There was a time when a PPV date was reserved for the best of the best. The PPV was Boxing’s special day, the prize fighting equivalent to the Super Bowl. Now, PPV dates are a means for promoters to dump fights that they couldn’t sell elsewhere. The promotional companies now see the PPV as their own virtual yard sale in which they can make a quick buck with inferior merchandise But their insensitivity, incompetence and lack of desire to actually promote their fighters to greater exposure is very close to reaching its end. The fans’ dollars are disappearing and patience is running thin.

It’s only a question of time before the long-suffering Boxing fan revolts and just stops buying everything- Good, bad and in between. Then, in their attempt to pull a fast one for a quick buck, the promoters will have doomed the sport.

The Standing 8 Count (2/15/09)

by Madcow

Hi Ladies! Your friendly neighborhood Madcow is not feeling so good right now. I picked up a stomach infection from eating at a taco stand outside a Tijuana strip club and now I feel like Cosme Rivera last night as he got pounded into cookie dough by Alfred Angulo. If there’s anyone doubting Angulo’s desire and drive, just look at what he did to a tough former world champ while bleeding from a gaping cut on his eyelid. “El Perro” is the very definition of a throwback fighter.

Speaking of being sick to my stomach, the Sergio Martinez / Kermit Cintron fight should be in all of the text books as an example of how NOT to officiate and score a professional prize fight. Referee Frank Santore Jr. is to officiating what a dog turd is to a birthday cake. The guy blew 2 key calls as he rightfully counted out Cintron at the end of the 7th and then allowed Kermit to whine his way back into the fight. Then, just to make sure Martinez was properly screwed, he deducted a point from the guy for an obviously unintentional punch to the back of the head that was partially caused by Cintron. But the fun didn’t end there. Even with the inept ref work of Santore, Martinez should’ve been firmly ahead, but SURPRISE! The judges scored it a Majority Draw. Martinez and the fans looked stunned, Cintron and his people kept complaining and I went to take a very appropriate infection-inspired dump.

I would like to dedicate my next tainted taco squirt to judges Ged O’Connor and Peter Trematerra for scoring the fight a ridiculous 113-113.

The main event of the card was the bout between Nate Campbell and Ali Funeka. Campbell had vacated his Lightweight titles the previous day by failing to make weight which meant that only Funeka had a chance of winning the titles in their bout- basically, a lose-lose situation for Campbell. Give it to Nate to somehow get a win from a lose-lose as he fought hard and toughed out some very difficult moments to get the nod. The highlight of the card was a dead-tired Campbell pushing himself forward to take the last 2 rounds of the bout, even scoring a knockdown in the 11th, to secure the decision. Jr. Welter is next for Campbell while Paul Williams/Celestino Caballero Avoidance Syndrome awaits Funeka.

Clinton Woods easily walked through Elvir Muriqi in the UK yesterday. Amazing, right? I thought Woods was retired too! The best part was that this was an IBF Light Heavyweight Eliminator. So, we have Chad Dawson/Clinton Woods to look forward to in late 2009!

Bob Arum is going around proclaiming the injustice of the Antonio Margarito ban. Arum’s case is that since trainer Javier Capetillo took all of the blame, that means that Margarito is innocent. Hey Arum, you’re a lawyer- What do most criminals say when they get busted with something illegal? “I don’t know how that got there!”

Arum’s indignant defiance and defense of justice has won him some noble allies- Jose Sulaiman of the WBC and Jorge Ramos, The Mayor of Tijuana. The last I checked, Tijuana was so corrupt that the Mexican government had to call in the army to protect the citizens from the police; The WBC is only slightly less corrupt.

Next up on our fight agenda is next week’s Kelly Pavlik/Miguel Cotto PPV, chock full of match ups that HBO wouldn’t buy. Isn’t there something energizing about being charged for something that Arum couldn’t even give away for free? It makes me feel all warm and squishy inside…

Oh wait, that warm and squishy feeling is fom the tainted tacos…So, until next time- Stay away from Tijuana strip club taco stands. Later.

On The Outside Looking In…Nate Campbell

by Paul Magno

Boxing’s having a party in the Lightweight division, but somebody forgot to invite what should be the guest of honor.

Golden Boy is planning a Lightweight PPV tournament featuring Michael Katsidis, Jesus Chavez, Jorge Barrios, Carlos Hernandez and Joel Casamayor; Top Rank is celebrating the rise of Edwin Valero to 135; Amir Khan plans a major coming out party against the now Lightweight, Marco Antonio Barrera; And, of course, Juan Manuel Marquez will be taking on Juan Diaz in the most anticipated Lightweight war since Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo ripped each other to shreds back in 2005.

But the true Top Dog at 135, and the rightful guest of honor at 2009’s tribute to all things Lightweight, is financially bankrupt and coming off nearly a year’s worth of inactivity.

With the Boxing world abuzz with the goings on in the stacked 135 lb. weight class, Nate Campbell prepares to make a mandatory defense of his WBO and IBF titles against Ali Funeka, a relatively unknown fighter who has yet to fight outside of his native South Africa.

“I’m going to hit this 6-foot-1-inch Funeka everywhere it’s legal and maybe where it ain’t if the referee turns his back. If he truly wants to win, he better be ready to fight, kill or die,” said Campbell during a press conference promoting the February 14^th bout, which will be part of a televised HBO Triple Header.

While all the typical bluster and li’l B-Hop swagger is still there on the surface, one can’t help but wonder if there’s a hint of desperation behind the mega-confident public image of “The Galaxxy Warrior.” How long can he keep his spirits up when he sees other, less deserving fighters digging into the cake that should be his? It has to be frustrating to sit out a year after his career-defining victory against the recognized best Lightweight, Juan Diaz, and the annexation of the WBA, WBO and IBF titles in March of ‘08. It wasn’t as though Campbell wasn’t ready and willing to take on the world, but one of his foes, Joan Guzman, couldn’t make weight and pulled out on fight night and the rest of the big names at 135 (as well as 10 of the BTBC Top 20 Lightweights) are affiliated with Golden Boy or Top Rank.

But, despite the recent string of bad luck, it wouldn’t be fair to paint Campbell as a victim of simply being born under the wrong sign. A lot of the fault for his lack of exposure rests at his own feet. He‘s been a famously inconsistent performer, with world-class performances followed by real brain lapses, the most famous of which being in his first fight with Robbie Peden where Campbell mockingly stuck out his chin at the game Australian and then went down hard for the count when Peden cracked him. He‘s also fallen victim to the “Hopkins Syndrome“ of being so abrasive in his interviews and so brutally honest that he‘s made too many enemies to ever start calling in favors for big paydays. His alliance with Don King hasn’t made things easy, either. The once great promoter, King, has all but resorted to novelty shows and a protectionist attitude where he sits on his few viable fighters and, literally, does nothing with them.

However, Campbell is insisting that all of the things that held him back are now a thing of the past. First, this will likely be Campbell’s last fight under the DKP banner. A free agent Campbell will probably have a bit more success finding worthwhile paydays although he will have to run the risk of being brought into events as the “opponent” and will probably have to fight in his opponents’ back yards. Campbell also insists that he has matured as a fighter and as a man and that the losses and lapses of the past only served to make him stronger, wiser and more determined.

But Before he can reestablish his claim on what’s his and what he earned by beating Juan Diaz to a pulp last year, another obstacle has been put in his path. The freakishly tall Ali Funeka (#1 IBF, #5 WBO, #6 BTBC) now stands between Campbell and the acclaim and money he feels he so righteously deserves. A win over Funeka is not a guarantee of getting to the level he seeks, but a loss, though, will completely eliminate him from the picture.

Therein lies the sad Catch 22 when it comes to guys as brutally honest and as fiercely independent as Campbell. But “The Galaxxy Warrior” seems to thrive on seemingly lose-lose situations. For him, as he’s stated over and over, the real greatness comes out when his back’s against the wall.

When it comes to the 2009 version of Nate Cambell, the desire is there, the drive is still obvious, but at nearly 37 years of age and with so many obstacles in his path, how much longer can he go on fighting for respect and/or waiting for someone to step up to him?

He will be pushed to the limits by Funeka on Saturday and how he responds will be an indication of just how much fight he has left in him.

“People fail to realize something, I still want to be world champion. I haven’t been respected for what I’ve accomplished. My goal is still to be world champion…I’m going to beat him like he tried to steal something from me.”

¡Desgraciado! The End of Antonio Margarito

by Paul Magno

I’m not trying to beat a dead horse with another post- Plaster Gate article dissing Antonio Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo. I know most websites, blogs and message boards are full of all sorts of disparaging comments aimed at the now notorious duo. But indulge me for a moment as I go back further and talk about why I was always hyper critical of “The Tijuana Tornado”

Aside from having some of the most annoying fans ever and being the beneficiary of an almost laughably cartoonish Top Rank hype job, there was always something that didn’t seem right about Margarito’s success. Something about his conquests just didn’t compute.

After being around a sport for a certain amount of time you develop a sense of the way things should be and anything that yields success despite going against all conventions sticks out like Clay Aiken at a Wu Tang Clan reunion. Antonio Margarito simply didn’t have the skill set or technique to be yielding such successes. All the fans and publicity said that he was a pressure fighter, yet he never learned how to effectively cut off the ring or walk his opponent down. He threw a lot of long, looping punches which wasted energy and diminished his own power. Despite having a reputation as a wicked body puncher, he really did his best body work only when his opponent was already battered and ready to be caught. His footwork was absolutely atrocious; so bad that he would throw himself off-balance if he didn’t land completely flush. And lets not even talk about his defense or lack thereof.

Sure, the guy was a very big Welterweight and always came into fights with great conditioning…and his solid chin made up for a lot of his defensive flaws, but the fighter I was describing is a solid Top 15 guy, a gatekeeper to the upper-level, a solid challenger…not a 3 time world champion.

It was almost as though the NHL’s leading scorer was someone with poor skating skills who could barely grip a stick properly. It just didn’t compute. Margarito just did not have the tools needed to pull off the style he was aspiring to. Julio Cesar Chavez was a pressure fighter who wore down his opponents with solid, accurate punches and by cutting off escape routes…Miguel Cotto was cut from the same cloth. Margarito just didn’t fit the bill, yet how could I argue with his successes? He was doing everything wrong and having it all turn out right. I was even getting sick of my own vitriol and, frankly, after years spent picking at the guy, I was running out of arguments.

Puzzlement turned to annoyance and on our forum (www.boxingtimes.com ), I came across as a jaded Margarito- hater and I took my fair share of lumps for railing against the guy that was being sold as the Mexican Rocky Marciano, the undeniably Most Feared Man in Boxing.

Now, following the California State Athletic Commission hearing that saw both Margarito’s and Capetillo’s licenses revoked, we have an answer to the question of how someone who did so much wrong made everything turn out right. He was loading up his handwraps with a foreign object, augmenting the damage of any shots landed- The “miraculous” surges in the second half of his fights, merely a product of his wrapped hands getting wet, clinging against the skin and further exposing the foreign object underneath.

And before I get accused of exaggeration and going too far- I know that Margarito hasn’t been convicted of using the illegal objects in other fights, but I find it hard to accept that this was the first and only time that they felt the temptation to put the odds on their side.

To make matters even more disgusting, despite the black eye given to the sport and the virtual shot to the groin of all those who supported him, the best explanation we got was a weak statement from Capetillo talking nonsense about “accidentally” inserting something into Margarito’s wraps and an utterly insulting, “I committed this innocent mistake.”

Now that this mess is behind us and we have the benefit of being able to look back at that past clearly, Capetillo comes off as a small-time corrupt buffoon while Margarito plays to perfection the role of slow-witted, cowardly accomplice- the descriptions these two scumbags deserved all along

Now, as a result of these pieces of trash, the sporting world has yet another reason to look down on Boxing, to play it off as cartoonishly corrupt like Pro Wrestling and relegate it to being a fringe sport, listed in the sports section behind High School Softball scores, or not reported on at all. We, as fans, will have to endure the snide comments from sports nerds and the sure-to-come declaration of Boxing being dead from MMA fans. And how can we even defend ourselves or the sport when the moral high ground has been taken away by two shady characters that cheated their way to the very top?

Antonio Margarito, Javier Capetillo…Take this opportunity to finally do something noble for the sport- Slink back across the border to Tijuana and do us the favor of never darkening our doors again.

The Standing 8 Count (2/8/09)

by Madcow

In a world where Frans Botha has become the new WBF “World” Champion (and actually believes the “world” part) and Tommy “Contagium” Morrison is the champ of the entire state of Wyoming, little seems sacred and even less seems to make sense. That’s where your friendly neighborhood Madcow comes in. Madcow is here to bring some sanity into a very insane world of professional prize fighting.

The most recent burning question in the Heavyweight division was answered Saturday as the world finally caught a glimpse of the universe’s most unknown top challenger, Carl Davis Drumond, as he lost a Technical Decison to Ruslan Chagaev in Germany.

Chagaev suffered a couple of horrific cuts over his left eye which led the ref to almost stop the fight at the end of the 5th. But knowing that it will probably be another 2 years before we get to see Chagaev fight again, the officials let him fight on for 1 more round. That one was for all those Chagaev-Maniacs running wild out there.

Vic Darchinyan uglied his way past Jorge Arce on Saturday night, beating Arce’s face to a pulp before a cut forced the ref to call an end to it after the 11th. Everything about Darchinyan is nasty- from his ugly style to his wicked power to that putridly smug smile…and you just know that he stinks up the toilet something awful! But the guy’s doing something right.

Tuesday, the world finds out what’s at the bottom of Antonio Margarito’s Plaster Gate controversy. If he’s found to be carrying a brick in his wraps, throw the bum and his bum trainer out of the sport for life. If he’s found innocent, he holds on to his career, but is pretty much done in the sport because of the accusation and the beating he took from Shane Mosley. It’s a lose-lose for the guy who was on top of the world just 6 short months ago.

In other weekend action, I was so pulling for Antonio DeMarco to beat Kid Diamond. Not because I really favored one over the other, but I felt lazy calling the guy “Kid Diamond” when his real name is Almazbek Raiymkulov. Now that Kid Diamond lost, I won’t have the moral dilemma of posting the real name or the pretend name.

Andre Ward ruined a perfect weekend of action fights as he stunk up the joint against “Sugar Poo” Buchanan. Fight Stats for this one: Over 12 rounds, I checked my bank balance, defrosted some chicken wings, figured out next month’s bills, e-mailed a lady friend of mine and fixed myself a Jack and water. All in all, a productive 36 minutes of my life.

WBO flyweight champion Omar Narvaez set some sort of longevity record by winning this weekend. Too bad I have no idea who this guy is.

Next Week’s Valentine’s Day HBO fight card will test the true devotions of fight fans. I’m planning on a couple of hours of sweaty aggression on that day. Now, I just have to decide if I want it in a hotel room or with Jim Lampley giving commentary.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s next opponent has been named. So, the headliner for Latin Fury #8 will be Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Korean Club Fighter, Sum Stiff Bum. Ok, ok, that’s not the real name of Jr.’s opponent, but I refuse to put forth the effort to even look it up. All I know is that it’s someone sucky and with no chance of victory.

In closing, a word for the now retired, Joe Calzaghe: Joe, I have had nothing but bad words to say about you throughout your career, but now that you’ve officially called it a career, I just thought it would be classy on my part to offer up at least one positive statement about your career. Um….Nobody ever made wins over Evans Ashira and Mger Mkrtchian seem so important and essential. I hope you have a nice display in the Hall of Fame, right next to the men’s room. Now, go out there and take up something fun in your retirement, like scuba diving in the Bermuda Triangle or Sky Diving over a cactus ranch.

Later, weirdos

Monthly Awards- January ‘09

Fighter of the Month:

Shane Mosley- In a tumultuous sea of personal and professional distractions, “Sugar” Shane found the high road and focused on executing new trainer Nazim Richardson’s gameplan to perfection in front of a less-than-friendly pro-Margarito crowd at the Staples Center. Over the course of less than 9 full rounds, Mosley did what few thought was possible: out-hussle, out-muscle and out-work the high-riding Antonio Margarito. And not only did Mosley defy the critics with his performance, he absolutely blew most of their minds by beating down and knocking out a fighter who was thought to have as close to a granite chin as humanly possible. Maybe it was a matter of brains over brawn, speed over muscle, maturity over bravado, but whatever the case, the 37 year old Mosley worked the perfect strategy and managed to dictate every aspect of the fight without Margarito ever even knowing what hit him.

A special nod, also, to Nazim Richardson for passing along his own spoiler-friendly gameplans and strategies to Mosley and for knowing enough to keep a close look at Margarito’s now-controversial hand wraps. In the best case scenario, Richardson got into Margarito’s head while balking about the wraps; In the worst case scenario, Richardson prevented Margarito from using plaster-laced wraps as a lethal weapon in the bout.

 

Bum of the Month:

Javier Capetillo- A trainer’s principle responsibility is to protect his fighter, and not just protect him from uneccessary abuse in a one-sided bout. A trainer’s supposed to protect his fighter from having his weaknesses exposed, from ridicule, from controversy; He’s supposed to make it so that everything his fighter does, related to the sport, is beyond reproach.

Capetillo failed on all counts- Sending an ill-prepared, prime, Antonio Margarito to be badly embarrassed in front of his biggest crowd ever- at the height of his popularity. Capetillo had no strategy, no plan and no back-up to what Mosley was doing to his fighter. (It’s a real condemnation of one’s skills as a trainer when his fighter’s entire defensive strategy is planned around the fact that he can withstand many, many flush shots without getting buzzed.)

Then, when his fighter is down and beaten, when there’s still a chance of ending the fight while keeping some dignity for his fighter, he lets Margarito go out, badly hurt, into the 9th to be further punished by Mosley.

And let’s not even talk about the controversial handwraps that were seized by the California State Athletic Comission. The spectre of those wraps has put into question everything his fighter has accomplished and if there’s anything other than blood, sweat and tears on those wraps, he just may have cost Margarito his livelihood.

 

The BTBC Thread of the Month:

Antonio Margarito vs. Shane Mosley  Jan. 24

by PHONETOOL

http://www.btbc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=400  

A Margarito vs. Mosley debate which shifted into Mayweather talk with some Cotto, Williams and Clottey thrown in for good measure. This heated debate took up 17 pages and showcased the BTBC’s collective ring intelligence by being split down the middle 9/9 in the poll on who would win…

The Standing 8 Count (2/1/09)

by Madcow

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the new Super Bowl Champions! What a play by Santonio Holmes!

Actually, in the sake of fairness, I sent in this column well before the Super Bowl and just left blank spaces for Paul to fill in when he posts this. I know nothing about football. Boxing is my first and only love. And unlike my personal life, I share my bed with no one but my true love.

In the ongoing story of Margarito’s loaded wraps, which will from now on be referred to as “Plaster Gate,” Antonio and his head trainer were temporarily suspended by the California Athletic Comission pending the results of their hearing on February 10th. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that any true Boxing fan should be pulling for the comission to find Margarito innocent because if the guy’s loaded up with plaster, it’ll be just another reason for the mainstream media to look down their noses at us. And, just speaking for myself, I’m tired of being looked down upon by a bunch of sports nerds.

In Guadalajara, Mexico, Marco Antonio Barrera had his hopes for a cash-money fight against Amir Khan dashed by a 1-7-1 fighter. In the 3rd round of a glorified sparring match, Cuban ham and egger, Freudis Rojas, charged Barrera and opened a gash over Barrera’s left eye. From the look of it, the cut’s not going to be anywhere near healed by the mid-March date with Khan.

On a related note, the award for Cock-blocker of the Year goes to the same Freudis Rojas for absolutely ruining a very interesting fight between Khan and Barrera. If I were Barrera or one of his guys I would’ve arranged for a very interesting “Goodfellows-style” post-fight meeting in the parking lot with Rojas.

Speaking of sheer brutality, Vic Darchinyan will be defending his 3 Super Flyweight titles against Jorge Arce on Showtime this coming Saturday. There’s no way this won’t be a brutal war. Expect blood…and lots of it.

Zab Judah must have an encyclopedia-sized collection of nude photos of every comissioner and official in the sport because it boggles the mind how many last chances this guy gets. There’s talk of Judah facing off against Carlos Quintana with the winner getting a shot at Andre Berto for the WBC Title. Somehow, I doubt that even another loss will stop Judah from getting another big fight. “Super Stupid” Judah is Boxing’s equivalent to Jason from Friday the 13th. You just can’t make the guy go away.

Jermain Taylor has finally settled on an opponent for his open date in March. Taylor will take on Allan Green instead of the logical choice, a WBC title shot against newly-crowned champ, Carl Froch.

Whatever happens to Froch in the future, never let it be said that he wasn’t looking to make good fights. He was ready and willing to fight Taylor in the UK or in the USA and it was Taylor who wouldn’t answer the call. Froch is already a step ahead of Joe Calzaghe at similiar stages of their careers.

Now that Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao is signed and sealed, I can feel free to make a prediction. This will be a very good fight, a  poorly-bought PPV and a solid win for the Pac-man. Of course, all this means a mess at 140.

Showtime will be ruling the Boxing airwaves this weekend with the Darchinyan/Arce fight, a very good undercard bout of Kid Diamond vs. Antonio DeMarco and, on Friday, Andre Ward against Henry Buchanan.

If Ward gets by “Sugar Poo” Buchanan (What a nickname!), rumor has it that he’ll have a go at Glen Johnson next…That’s when the “Poo” will really hit the fan for Ward.

Well,  gotta load my jock with plaster and see if I can give some “lady friend” a Margarito-style beating.

Smell ya later.