Closing the Case on ‘Plaster Gate’

by Paul Magno

Was I being too tough on Antonio Margarito? I mean, for crissake, to call for a man’s livelihood to be taken from him…that’s pretty heavy stuff. But then again, the guy and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, committed the most heinous of Boxing crimes- something that could’ve resulted in the death of another fellow boxer.

I don’t know, maybe Margarito should have had a chance at redemption, just as any guilty man should if that second chance comes from a place of empathy and soul-searching honesty…The problem with Margarito, though, is that he didn’t ever seem willing to man-up and approach the horror as a real warrior would…Instead, he went the weasel route and did everything that a truly guilty man does:

* He cried innocent, even when busted red-handed with the illegal wraps on him.

* Then, when the story was undeniable, he allowed his long-time trainer and father figure, Capetillo, to take 100% of the blame while he still cried of his ignorance.

* When his ban was handed down anyway, like all good criminals, he thumbed his nose at the system and rejected the punishment, promising to disobey it by fighting in Mexico as soon as humanly possible.

* And now, in the ultimate act of someone either arrogantly dismissive of the authorities or utterly delusional, he’s giving interviews where he’s outlining his plans for the rest of the year; Talking up rematches with Cotto and Mosley that will only take place in his own mind or on the screen of some X-Box game.

A year’s ban from the sport, with the possibility of a reinstatement hearing every year seems fair enough, but its all out the window if Margarito decides to flip the proverbial bird to the California State Athletic Commission by fighting in Mexico or continuing the whining that is so part of his character…

The best bet for Margarito would’ve been a complete and total admission of guilt followed by a humble serving of his sentence, public service and an even humbler plea to have his license reinstated a year later. I know if I were a member of the commission, I would be very likely to let that version of Margarito have his second chance…But that plan would’ve required a level of maturity and sincerity well beyond Margarito’s capabilities…

The Margarito we have seen since his beat down at the hands of Shane Mosley on January 24th has shown his true colors…He may have been a professional fighter, but he was never really a warrior and, quite frankly, not much of a man either…

The Standing 8 Count (3/29/09)

by Madcow

I officially call to order the weekly meeting of the Fraternal Order of Madcow Nut-huggers…The Honorable Madcow D. Diggler presiding…You may take your seat.

Now, where do I start? How about Latin Fury 8, which featured 2 world class talents (Fernando Montiel, Humberto Soto) in glorified sparring matches and a main event which featured a back and forth battle between 2 glorified sparring partners (Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Luciano Cuello).

The only thing furious about that show was the mayor of Tijuana bragging about there not being any Baghdad-like battles in the town in over 14 months. I know Mexico very well, my knowledge only being second on The BTBC to Paul Magno himself, and I can almost promise you that a town being spared the bloodshed is a sign of that town having already fallen to the drug cartels. Take from that what you will.

After the life and death struggle with 106th ranked Cuello, Jr. and his brain trust mentioned Manny Pacquiao as a potential opponent. You’d have to go down to Strawweight before you find a world class fighter who wouldn’t make Jr. cry.

A nice opponent for Chavez  Jr. would be china-chinned Ronald Hearns. Philly-based club fighter, Harry Joe Yorgey KO’d Hearns in the 9th and basically sent “The Chosen One” back to being “That Gym Coach That’s Tommy Hearns’ Son.” Hearns must be doubting the existence of a god who would allow him to inherit his dad’s fragile chin yet none of his power.

Andre Dirrell beat the stuffing out of Fighter X on the same Showtime card as Hearns. Dirrell shows brief glimpses of young Roy Jones, but unfortunately, he has the charisma of Jermain Taylor. So, he better impress in the ring…and carrying an obviously inferior fighter with a broken nose 5 or 6 rounds is not the way to win over fans. Dirrell is probably good enough right now to beat the Lacy’s and Bika’s of the division, let’s see it.

“The Tijuana Plaster Caster” Antonio Margarito’s stock continues to fall faster than your father’s 401k. The lab reports are in and proved conclusively that his wraps were treated with substances that add up to be plaster of paris. And, oblivious as usual, Margarito’s first reaction is to give an interview where he plots out his fight plan for the rest of the year. Either this guy is the stupidest guy in Tijuana or he is in some serious denial. Does anybody have any idea what the long-term effects are of inhaling plaster of paris?

Miguel Cotto responded to the Margarito hand wrap findings by going into a rant about how Tony deserves a lifetime ban- and he has every right to do so. His bloody beating at the hands of Margarito was as wrong and as unecessary as mine 4 years ago when I tried to defend the honor of a Mexico City stripper. At least Cotto got paid for his beating.

I’m still trying to block that sloppy excuse-for-a-boxing-match, Sam Peter vs. Eddie Chambers  from my memory. And to think, I was actually looking forward to this bout! I was watching it from a laptop in my hotel room and I had to keep checking my connection because I couldn’t believe the pace was so slow! What happened to the Heavyweights? Were they always this slow? Would a crate of Hostess products have inspired a better performance from these fatties? Let’s think of something because things are critical…

The fight I’m looking forward to next week is the Kendall Holt/Timothy Bradley title unification on Showtime. Sure, there’s a chance that this’ll turn into a boring chess match, but at least we’ll have one fewer champion; At least we actually have champions who are not dead-set on meaningless catchweight fights for short-term paydays. The winner of Holt/Bradley will be the real champ at 140.

Well, I see from my empty glass that my time’s up. Come back next week for some more gems of wisdom from Boxing’s most loveable misanthropic bovine.

If you want to argue anything I said here or you just want to debate Boxing in a strict “no retards allowed” message board, pay a visit to The BTBC: http://www.btbc.proboards.com/

Fast Eddie’s Quick Ticket to Redemption

by Paul Magno

Beat Samuel Peter.

It’s as easy as that for “Fast” Eddie Chambers. There are no other options, no alternate roads to Heavyweight success. He has to beat “The Nigerian Nightmare” Samuel Peter this Friday, March 27th or be relegated to perennial fringe status as one of the guys who “had the potential, but never fulfilled it.”

A win over the hard-punching, hammer-handed Peter puts Chambers right back into the mix of must-fight contenders; It practically guarantees a world title shot for the Philly-based Heavyweight and, probably more importantly, it erases the nightmarish night Chambers had in Germany a little over a year ago when he fought young Russian prospect, Alexander Povetkin in Berlin.

In the IBF Eliminator against Povetkin, Chambers seemed to be having an easy night over the first 5 rounds or so. He was hitting Povetkin at will and the young pressure fighter seemingly had no solution for Chambers’ obvious advantage in hand speed. Thing were going Chambers’ way until, well, until he just stopped fighting.

In one of the most curious performances in a very curious Heavyweight division’s recent history, Chambers just stopped throwing punches. It looked as though a switch got flipped in his brain and the quick-fisted Chambers, who was connecting at a rate better than 50%  in the first part of the fight, suddenly stopped throwing leather and allowed a bloodied, but eager Povetkin back in the fight. It got so slow for Chambers that he only managed to throw 56 punches in the last three rounds of the fight.

Povetkin swept the last part of the bout and cruised to an easy UD decision. The scores were exaggeratedly wide, but it was a fair loss for Chambers who just seemed to give up the ghost while he was firmly in command.

After the bout, Chambers wandered the ring zombie-eyed and honestly at a loss for words as to how he had let the fight get away from him.

Chambers had 3 more fights in 2008, trying to get rid of the bad taste left in his mouth from the Berlin debacle; But 3 wins against 3 marginal opponents don’t equal a complete freeze-job in the biggest fight of your career. A win over a former World Champion and still Top 10 ranked Samuel Peter might do wonders for that bitter taste in Chambers’ mouth.

“I wanted to get the best possible guy,” Chambers insists. “You can do a lot worse than fight the guy who just had the world heavyweight title around his waist. I’m glad he stepped up and gave me the opportunity…It’s a heck of a shot and I don’t want to pass it up”

Peter, from his side,  is also very familiar with leaving Berlin in total and complete psychological distress. Just about 5 months ago, as defending WBC Champ, he suffered a one-sided beat down at the hands of recently retired Vitali Klitschko. It was Peter’s most passive performance as a pro as he just ate punch after punch until he was too far behind on the scorecards to have a chance at the decision win. Then, between the 8th and 9th rounds, he just gave up.

Both Peter and Chambers will be fighting to get back to where they were before their most humiliating losses; Both will be fighting for that quick ticket to redemption.

Whatever the betting odds end up being, disregard them. This is an even-money fight if there ever was one. The experts will summarize this contest as Chambers’ speed vs. Peter’s power. But, more correctly, it will be a test of wills between two fighters still smarting from psychological breakdowns in their last big fights. This non-title fight on regular, basic cable, therefore, boils down to one question: “Who wants a future in the Heavyweight division?”

We’ll have the answer to that question this Friday.

The Standing 8 Count (3/22/09)

by Madcow

Hello ladies! Against my corner’s advice, I’m back for another round of bovine wit and wisdom.

The first thing I have to set straight is where I stand with the Filipino community. It seems that last week I ruffled a few feathers by insisting that Juan Manuel Marquez and not Manny Pacquiao should be atop the pound for pound list. There are some people in the Pacquiao fan base that think any criticsim of their fighter has to do with nationality or race. Well, let me make one thing clear- some of my best friends are Filipinos. Of course, they’re brothel workers and I can’t really be too sure if their feelings are mutual, but they’re Filipinos nonetheless. There’s not an ounce of racist blood in Madcow…because, as my dear old grandpa used to say, “black, white, yellow…It’s all pink inside.”

But as far as Juan Manuel being #1- That’s the gospel. Important fights should always outweigh big fights and as far as anyone with a brain is concerned, Marquez and Pacquiao are 1-1 in their two bouts. No one outside of a Filipino brothel could justify giving that second fight to Manny. That’s the final word.

On another Blog-related side note, I’m hoping that Tony Thompson’s easy disposal of human punching bag, Adnan Serin will put an end to the Serin Fan Club’s strange obsession with getting some publicity for their guy on this blog. Face it, your boy is a waste of a good pair of boxing shoes. Thompson had more trouble putting on his trunks than dealing with Turkey’s answer to Peter McNeely.

Ok, now to the real news:

Vitali Klitschko rolled over Juan Carlos Gomez on Saturday and won via TKO in the 9th. Gomez came to the ring with high hopes, and even had on a spiffy pimp outfit for some added color to the ESPN Classic broadcast. But from the second round on, it was painfully clear that Gomez had nothing. Gomez may have come to the ring as a pimp, but he left it as a beeeaaaatch…

On that same undercard, Chris Byrd started yet another comeback, this time at Cruiserweight. File this one under, “Future Tragedy.” Chris, when you’re 50 and you can’t remember your address, don’t blame anyone else but yourself.

“March Badness” did what few PPV’s do these days- It loved up to its billing. It was in March and, yes, it was very, very bad.

Roy Jones Jr. beat up sad Omar Sheika, one of the few Light Heavyweights even more burnt-out than he is. Despite the over the top celebration by Jones, deep in his heart he has to know what a farce this was…doesn’t he?

BJ Flores won an easy UD over Jose Luis Herrera on the same show. Consider Flores included on the list of fighters along with Kermit Cintron and Sergio Mora who talk the talk and walk the walk, but always fall short in their performances. Despite having an easy time and apparently being able to tag Herrera at will, Flores took it nice and easy and allowed his opponent to survive his way through the scheduled 10.

I’m not an MMA-Hater. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t care less about the MMA or its fans, but I just have to comment on the MMA portion of the Roy Jones PPV. I don’t know what the sodomy laws are in Pensacola, but the MMA action last night had to have broken several ordinances. I haven’t seen so much male on male friction since I accidentally walked into a “lady boy” club in Bali. Not my cup of tea.

And speaking of male on male friction, couldn’t one of the MMA guys have accidentally rolled over Colonel Bob Sheridan? Sheridan has to be the worst announcer in the history of the sport and the biggest shill since The Fight Doctor Ferdie Pacheco’s love affair with Don King Productions spilled over onto the airwaves of Showtime in the 90’s.

Hearing “The Colonel’s” commentary, you would’ve thought the PPV was an undeniable success instead of what it really was- Two sparring sessions wrapped around an unhealthy dose of masculine man-mounting.

Please, Please, Please. Roy, never subject us to that again.

Next Friday on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights we’re going to have a the most interesting Heavyweight clash since Rocky Balboa came out of retirement to beat up a chubby Antonio Tarver-  Samuel Peter vs. Eddie Chambers. The winner is back in the championship picture, the loser goes back to fighting in Bingo halls. At Heavyweight, it doesn’t get much better than this…unfortunately.

Alrighty then. I’m outta here ’til next week.

Until then, remember: G’s up, Ho’s down

Heavyweights ‘09

by Damon Ealy

Conventional wisdom goes that everything is slower in the heavyweight division, including change. Looking at the heavyweight overview I did a year ago, that’s borne out: same guy at the top (Wladimir Klitschko), same couple of young guys making noise somewhere else down the list (David Haye and Cristobal Arreola). This is a division so stodgy that the return of 37-year-old Vitali Klitschko counts as change.

But as I said a year ago, I love the division and I’m an optimist. I think Wladimir Klitschko is a better champion than most fans and writers give him credit for (I even think he warrants top-10 pound-for-pound inclusion, but that’s a different article), and I’m sure the young guys, Haye and Arreola, will do good things for the division in 2009. These are the top heavyweights as I see them with a look back at last year’s rankings. (Significant wins and losses are over the last three years.)  

 

1. Wladimir Klitschko – 52-3 (46 KO)

titles: IBF (six defenses), WBO (twice; three defenses), IBO (six defenses)

wins: Calvin Brock, Lamon Brewster, Sultan Ibragimov, Tony Thompson

losses: none

a year ago: The same: #1. I said: “You think he needs to prove something after a decision win in February over Sultan Ibragimov that defined playing it safe? He’ll bounce back against his mandatory, Tony Thompson, in July.”

since then: Went 10-plus rounds with Thompson, then thrashed late fill-in Hasim Rahman (standing in—and really mostly just standing in—for IBF mandatory Alexander Povetkin). Steady Wlad didn’t do much to appease the critics; he just completely dominated overmatched competition.

next: David Haye/Cristobal Arreola/Alexander Povetkin, late spring/early summer

 

2. Vitali Klitschko – 36-2 (35 KO)

titles: WBO, WBC (twice)

wins: Sam Peter

losses: none

a year ago: Inactive and unranked in the top 10. “[H]e could return a month from today and take out the bottom half of the top 10, assuming his body held up.”

since then: Well, how about returning to wipe out #2, WBC champion Samuel Peter, using a bit of #1? (Remember Diapergate! “Baby wee is good because it’s pure, doesn’t contain toxins and doesn’t smell,” Vitali Klitschko said after the fight. “I wrap diapers filled with my three-year-old son Max’s wee around my fists. The nappies hold the liquid and the swelling stays down.”) I’d call Vitali’s win over Peter a burial, but it was so much more a, um, piss-pounding

next: Juan Carlos Gomez, March 21

 

3. Ruslan Chagaev – 25-0-1 (17 KO)

titles: WBA (two defenses, co-champion w/Nikolai Valuev)

wins: Vladimir Virchis, Michael Sprott, John Ruiz, Nikolai Valuev, Matt Skelton, Carl Davis Drumond

losses: none

a year ago: #3 “A rematch with Nikolai Valuev on May 31 in Germany should clear things up—hopefully.”

since then: Or not. After some injury issues, Chagaev is now in the rather demeaning position of having to share the WBA title with a man he’s already beaten by decision, Nikolai Valuev. Is “demeaning” too strong? Would you want to share top billing with the guy who showed up against Evander Holyfield on December 30 of last year? Chagaev returned from injury to win an unconvincing technical decision against the unproven, inexplicably ranked Carl Davis Drumond that same month.

next: Nikolai Valuev, TBA

 

4. Samuel Peter – 30-2 (23 KO)

titles: NABF (twice), USBA, WBC

wins: James Toney, Jameel McCline, Oleg Maskaev

losses: Vitali Klitschko

a year ago: #2 “We want Peter-Wladimir II, not Peter-Vitali I.”

since then: Peter should’ve, too. His loss to the returning Vitali Klitschko was a debacle. But Peter has returned from adversity before. (Remember, his first career loss was to Wladimir Klitschko, and Jameel McCline had him dead to rights in their October ‘07 bout that Peter won in a unanimous decision.) Peter’s face-off on ESPN with young gun Eddie Chambers is sink-or-swim.

next: Eddie Chambers, March 27

 

5. Cristobal Arreola – 26-0 (23 KO)

titles: NABF

wins: Chazz Witherspoon, Travis Walker

losses: none

a year ago: Unranked in the top 10. “If he beats Chazz Witherspoon on June 21, he’s [in the top 10]. His résumé isn’t illustrious, but it’s not soft, either. What I note is that there are no losses on it, and there’s exactly one decision win. The rest of the results have K’s and O’s in them. … We’ll know when we see him tested. But I’m thinking look out, top 10.”

since then: It’s was a good year for the Nightmare and a relatively busy one. He beat up on Chazz Witherspoon in June, ran through an overmatched Israel Garcia in September, and finished off the year by waxing Travis Walker in a barnburner that saw both boxers hit the deck early. Arreola passed his test by shaking that one off and dumping Walker to keep his stoppage streak intact.

Arreola claims to have seen the light (or is it the lite?) after the Walker bout and says he’ll come into his next bout at about 240 pounds. That’s what he weighed against Witherspoon, and he still didn’t exactly look svelte. Whatever works. But is now the time to come in lighter—against massive Jameel McCline? This is a guy he’s more likely to have to bang with than challenge to any kind of endurance race.

 

next: Jameel McCline, April 11

 

6. Nikolai Valuev – 50-1 (34 KO)

titles: WBA (co-champion w/Ruslan Chagaev)

wins: Monte Barrett, Jameel McCline, Sergei Liakhovich, John Ruiz

losses: Ruslan Chagaev

a year ago: #4

since then: A tough year for the tallest, heaviest heavyweight champ in history. Valuev decisioned John Ruiz in August—no easy feat considering that if you decision Ruiz, you’re apt to have to deal with litigation. And Valuev did. The result: The WBA has made Ruiz the mandatory for the winner of its championship bout between Valuev and Chagaev. (Nice, WBA. Real nice.) Just before the year’s end, Ruiz teamed with Evander Holyfield to put on a monumentally, historically bad bout that gained him a bizarre decision win and mainstream scorn.

 

next: Ruslan Chagaev, TBA

 

7. Tony Thompson – 31-2  (19 KO)

titles: WBC continental Americas, WBO intercontinental

wins: Dominick Guinn, Timor Ibragimov, Luan Krasniqi

losses: Wladimir Klitschko

a year ago: #9 “Thompson’s a good cat, but he’ll have to be better than gr-r-r-r-r-r-eat on July 12 in Germany. Otherwise, Wladimir Klitschko squashes him.”

since then: Well, Tony was somewhat less than great, but he did represent the realest, most resilient competition Wladimir Klitschko has faced in years. Afterward, Thompson claimed knee injury. Either way, and despite the round-11 TKO loss, it was a performance he can take some pride in. He returns for a get-well fight on March 21 against 19-9-1 Adnan Serin. That’s a bout that’ll tell us nothing other than whether Tony T. has completely deteriorated during his eight-month ring absence.

next: Adnan Serin, March 21

 

8. Alexander Povetkin – 16-0 (12 KO)

titles: none

wins: Larry Donald, Eddie Chambers

losses: none

a year ago: #6 “Povetkin’s scheduled for a July bout, but an opponent remains TBA. It’s disappointing that there’s not a name—a name-brand name—in place by now.”

since then: That opponent turned out to be noted workout warrior Taurus Sykes, who ended up being a pushover for Povetkin. (So much so that there were immediate rumors of a throw.) The amateur standout and Olympic gold medalist Povetkin was lined up as Wladimir Klitschko’s IBF mandatory, then managed to injure his foot on a tree root.

next: Jason Estrada, April 4

 

9. Eddie Chambers – 33-1 (18 KO)

titles: USBA (twice)

wins: Dominick Guinn, Calvin Brock, Raphael Butler

losses: Alexander Povetkin

a year ago: #10 “Took his first pro loss in January versus Povetkin. … The next two or three fights should tell us what we need to know.”

since then: Who knew Chambers would get those two or three fights out of the way so quickly? Fast Eddie is the rare heavy (or pro, really) who’s stayed busy. He notched three wins after the January loss to Povetkin, albeit against B-level competition. Yet his only major ranking is with the IBF (#3). Now: the step-up, versus former WBC titlist Samuel Peter. This fight will tell us what we need to know.

next: Samuel Peter, March 27

 

10. Juan Carlos Gomez – 44-1 (35 KO)

titles: WBC cruiserweight, WBC intercontinental heavyweight

wins: Oliver McCall, Vladimir Virchis

losses: none

a year ago: unranked in the top 10

since then: Beat Vladimir Virchis in a bout nobody on the North American continent saw. More importantly, he showed up for Klitschko-bout promotion looking fit and somewhat intimidating. If we’re comparing moving-up cruiserweights, Gomez has plenty more experience than David Haye and has accomplished much more as a heavyweight. But he’s not been able to knock out established heavies (aside from 34-year-old former Olympian David Defiagbon). Can he last 12 rounds with the meaner Klitschko brother? Still, he’s the mandatory, he gets the title shot first. Tune in on Saturday and enjoy a weekend afternoon heavyweight bout, old-school style.

 

next: Vitali Klitschko, March 21 

 

11. David Haye – 22-1 (21 KO)

titles: cruiserweight: EBU, WBC, WBA, WBO

wins: Tomasz Bonin, Monte Barrett

losses: none

a year ago: “[I]t seems it’s only a question of when Haye moves into the top echelon.”

since then: In today’s heavyweight scene, a win over Monte Barrett (and a steady stream of P.R.) will get you there. The WBC and BoxRec are overreacting by automatically installing Haye in their top fives, but only a true hater would leave Haye out at this point. Let’s make this matchup with Wladimir Klitschko already.

next: W. Klitschko?

 

12. Alexander Dimitrenko – 29-0 (19 KO)

titles: WBO intercontinental

wins: Timo Hoffman, Derric Rossy, Luan Krasniqi

losses: none

a year ago: “[Y]oung and relatively busy. By most accounts, he’s got talent. What he needs is to beat a name.”

since then: I guess if you consider Luan Krasniqi a name…

next: TBA

 

13. Taras Bidenko – 26-2 (12 KO)

titles: WBA intercontinental

wins: Cisse Salif, Michael Sprott

losses: none

a year ago: unranked in the top 10

since then: Has only managed a decision over Michael Sprott since last May, yet the WBA ranks him  #2. He’s attributed the inactivity to “sore hands.” (“Vitali, dear? Phone’s for you. It’s Taras Bidenko. He wants to know if he can borrow some of Max’s pee.”)

next: Possible eliminator bout with the WBA’s #1, Kali Meehan.

 

14. Jason Estrada – 15-1 (3 KO)

titles: none

wins: Lance Whitaker, Derek Bryant

losses: Travis Walker

a year ago: unranked in the top 10

since then: Big year for “Big Six”: Four bouts, four wins over decent competition.

next: Alexander Povetkin, April 4, in a bout featuring two 2004 super heavyweight Olympic representatives, Russia versus the States. This would’ve been huge 25 years ago. Still, an upset win would get Estrada into the top 10.

 

15. Kevin Johnson – 21-0-1 (8 KO)

titles: none

wins: Damian Wills, Bruce Seldon

losses: none

a year ago: unranked in the top 10

since then: A relatively busy year, with three wins over decent but limited opponents, including former WBA titlist Bruce “Atlantic City Express” Seldon—in Atlantic City. Ouch.

next: TBA

 

five on the fringes:

Denis Boytsov – 24-0 (19 KO)

titles: none

wins: Robert Hawkins, Fernely Feliz, Vinny Maddalone, Israel Carlos Garcia

losses: none

next: TBA. Boytsov is young (23) and active (four bouts in ‘08, three against recognizable names) and one already in ‘09, a TKO win over Israel Garcia. It’s a decent-looking pro career so far.

 

Oleg Maskaev – 36-6 (27 KO)

titles: WBC

wins: Hasim Rahman, Robert Hawkins

losses: Samuel Peter

a year ago: unranked in the top 10, fresh off a stoppage loss to Samuel Peter in a WBC title bout.

since then: Beat up on two journeymen in Russia. Maskaev wouldn’t even warrant inclusion in a list of relevant heavyweights except that the WBC is hell-bent on keeping him involved. According to Sulaimán and Co., Maskaev is the mandatory defense for the winner of Vitali Klitschko-Juan Carlos Gomez…

next: …though Sulaimán later said he’d approve a Vitali-Valuev matchup if Klitschko beat Gomez. (Uh,  we’ll take Maskaev.) Anyone who saw his bout against Sam Peter knows that Maskaev is done as a contender. But anything from retirement to another WBC title shot could be next. 

 

Kali Meehan – 35-3 (29 KO)

titles: none

wins: DaVarryl Williamson, Dominique Alexander

losses: none

a year ago: unranked in the top 10

since then: Only gets a mention because of his bizarre #1 ranking from the WBA. He’s taken relatively soft bouts since upsetting DaVarryl Williamson late in 2007 (Jeremy Bates and Dominique Alexander in February and August of last year, respectively). With only five bouts in the last three years, he’s just not relevant.

next: In a move representative of almost everything wrong with the sport’s governing bodies, a possible WBA-mandated eliminator bout versus Taras Bidenko.

 

Vladimir Virchis – 24-2 (20 KO)

titles: EBU

wins: Paolo Vidoz, Robert Hawkins

losses: Juan Carlos Gomez, Ruslan Chagaev

a year ago: unranked in the top 10

since then: Lost a decision in a WBC title eliminator to Juan Carlos Gomez.

next: He’s 35. Retirement? TBA.

 

Martin Rogan – 12-0 (6 KO)

titles: British Commonwealth

wins: Audley Harrison, Matt Skelton

losses: none

a year ago: Unknown. Driving cab in Belfast.

since then: Rogan fought in five bouts in the last year. Three of those, of course, were on the same night last April when he won the Prizefighter heavyweight tournament in England and totaled less than eight rounds of boxing. More recently, more significantly, and more spectacularly, Rogan decisioned Audley Harrison in December and stopped Matt Skelton late in February. It’s enough for the WBO to put Rogan at #11. Now he’s calling out David Haye. Slow down, WBO. Slow down, Martin. Still, Rogan is as close to a true-life Rocky as we’re likely to see in a long while.

 

next: EBU title bout, May 9, in Ireland.  

 

WBC, WBA, WBO—WTF?!

rankings madness:

- WBA #1: Kali Meehan

- WBO #8: Shane Cameron

- WBA #3: John Ruiz

- WBC #9: Odlanier Solis

- WBO #14: Gonzalo Omar Basile

- IBF #13: Cedric Boswell*

 

*Call it the Monte Barrett rule: Knocking off a big-hype, little-delivery heavyweight should get you something (maybe something better than a beating in London by David Haye), and Boswell did well in upsetting Roman Greenberg in front of Boswell’s Atlanta crowd last summer. But not much else in his record suggests he deserves a ranking.

 

 

 

Hey, and what ever happened to…

…Sultan Ibragimov?

Last year’s #5 hasn’t fought since the one-sided loss to Klitschko. As a result, he may have taken less heat for the loss than Klitschko did for the win.

…John Ruiz?

Last year’s #7. You thought he’d go away? Thanks to the WBA, Ruiz will be back to harass either Nikolai Valuev or Ruslan Chagaev. Beyond farcical.

…Sergei Liakhovich?

Unranked here a year ago, coming off consecutive losses to Shannon Briggs and Nikolai Valuev. The former WBO titleholder hasn’t fought since.

 

Love or hate these ratings? Leave a comment. And check out the Boxing Times official heavyweight rankings: http://www.btbc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rankings&action=display&thread=54     

If I Were Comish…

by Paul Magno

On Vacation you have a lot of time to sit back and reflect on things and one of the things that I thought about was Boxing; Specifically, how to improve the sport and fix some of the evils that plague prize fighting. I came to the conclusion that the only way to turn things around was to name a strong commissioner who would take the risks necessary to do things properly.

Then, I began to think about what would happen if I were that strong, take no prisoners commissioner…

I know it’s a pipe dream, but here’s what I would do if I were Comish:

 

·         Establish a strong National Commission- Everybody talks about the need for a commission, but what does that really mean? It means standardized rules and regulations, uniform training for officials, more enforceable penalties for violators of the rules, a workable and unbiased ranking system, stronger health and safety procedures for participants and a credible and independent liaison between the sport and the press.

·         Prohibit promoters from signing exclusive contracts with specific fighters- First, we have to establish the difference between a manager and a promoter. A manager looks after his fighter, finding the highest paying fight for the least amount of risk while a promoter’s job is to make a fighter and all of his fights as bankable as possible. When promoters started doing the same job as the managers, fighters became doubly protected and that made certain fights even tougher to make. My solution is to make the promoters bid to make specific fights and to completely cut out the exclusive promoter/fighter concept. This would make the promoters concentrate on making quality fights that they will go all out to actually promote. Boxing promotion will no longer consist of slapping a fighter’s name onto a meaningless bout and expecting the fans to buy it. By representing the fights and not the fighters, the frustration of house fighters getting bogus decisions will be almost eliminated because it will be in the best interest of the promotion to have a fair and honest decision. Established fighters will have trouble getting fights with hand-picked tomato cans because it wouldn’t make monetary sense to any promotional company to represent any such mismatch. The end result of this change would be many more well matched-up, competitive bouts with more money and greater freedom for the fighters and more quality, easier accessible cards for the fans.

·         Make steep penalties for fighters who pull out of fights- There is no bigger buzzkill than when a fighter pulls out of a big fight a week or two before fight night. It’s not fair to the fans, to the promoters and to the opponent who is left without a payday. I propose automatic suspensions and/or fines for fighters who pull out of fights for non-medical reasons after reaching a previous contractual agreement. Similar sanctions could be made against fighters who habitually fail to make weight.

·         Begin a retirement pension plan for all ex-fighters- The worst possible ambassador for the sport is a middle-aged fighter still fighting for a paycheck or a destitute ex-champ making a fool out of himself for  money. This problem can be eased by taking 10% of fighters’ purses for 10 and 12 round bouts, putting that money into an untouchable trust fund and giving it back to him 5 years after his last fight.

·         Go back to same-day weigh-ins- The only real reason for having the weigh-in the day before the fight is for promotion. Schedule a press conference instead and make the fighters hit the scales on the morning of the fight. This would be a safety measure to ensure against fighters draining themselves to make an artificially low weight and then rehydrating themselves all in the matter of about 24 hours.

·         Establish an independent ranking system – This goes along with the idea of the national commission, but the importance of a universal and fair ranking system can’t be overemphasized. Fans and press alike need to know who the fighters are and how they rank before they can be sold on a fight or fighter.

·         Work closer and more seriously with Team USA- The Olympic system stinks, but there aren’t too many better promotional tools than a Team USA finishing the Olympics with a handful of gold medals. Encourage current and past pros and trainers to work with the kids to give them a better chance in the games and to help ease them into the pros.

·         Abolish even rounds- Scoring even rounds is just lazy judging. There is always something that sways a round one way or another. Less even rounds means less scoring abnormalities.

·         Significantly boost efforts to publicize the sport to the mainstream- Use every tool at our disposal to get the sport out of the marginal column and onto the TV screen. Every effort should be made to expose the public to the greatness of the sport and the fascinating lives of its participants. Aggressive marketing and smart, targeted, campaigns to the media and the general public could be used to get the sport more exposure.

 

The idea of being Comish may be a vacation-induced fantasy, but here’s hoping the higher-ups in the sport take at least a couple of these suggestions to heart.

The Standing 8 Count (3/15/09)

by Madcow

Ok…Finally! The Madcow is Back!

Why in the world does the BTBC express have to be held up if Magno goes on vacation? I mean, what kind of rinky-dink operation is this? Why can’t there be a Vice President to handle things when the big bossman is away? I’d offer to take the post myself but power goes to my head and next thing you know, this blog would be dedicated to sex tourism and hangover cures.

But, here’s this week’s column with a couple of notes thrown in from when we were away:

What can I say about my main man, Juan Manuel Marquez? Simply one of the finest technical boxers in the sport and a true credit to his profession. The way he waited out Juan Diaz’s amateurish Baby Bull Rushes and then began to pick him apart? True perfection.

And make no mistake about it, Marquez is the #1 Pound for Pound fighter in the world. Madcow does not give you permission to put anybody else above him. Manny Pacquiao may have the flashier wins over a Bobble-head looking, Oscar De la Hoya and David “The 3rd best Diaz at 135# Diaz, but Marquez, in his last two, has KO’d the lineal Lightweight champ, Joel Casamayor and a top 3 Lightweight, Juan Diaz- making both fighters suffer the first KO loss of their careers. And we all know who really won when Manny and Juan Manuel fought, right…Marquez won on every scorecard but the 3 at ringside…Case Closed. Juan Manuel Marquez is the #1 Pound for Pound fighter in the world.

Chris John got screwed against Rocky Juarez and I don’t feel bad at all. Consider it payback for John’s countrymen screwing Juan Manuel Marquez awhile back.

James Kirkland may be a brute who makes Chris Arreola look like Pernell Whitaker, but you can’t deny the fact that this kid is fun to watch. He can take a punch, give it back to you and will never stop coming forward. It must be harder to fight him than it would be to deliver a singing telegram to his trainer, Ann Wolfe.

And speaking of Ms. Wolfe- Ann, if your reading this, you’re looking awful tense, baby. Maybe you’d like a therapeutic back rub. You know, the kind with the happy ending? Don’t fight it. This Madcow can be real gentle…We’ll send Pops to the Piggly Wiggly and while young Kirkland is playing with his Legos, we can excuse ourselves to the boudoir, put on some vintage Barry White and be who God intended us to be. Just think about, ok? You can get ahold of me through the Boxingtimes website…

Next week we’re going to be treated to a rare ESPN2, Saturday afternoon fight for the WBC Heavyweight championship of the world with Vitali Klitschko vs. Juan Carlos Gomez. Ok, just to encourage future shows on free TV, I’ll pretend that I’m giddy about this and that this fight won’t be about as intriguing as getting an oil change on a Saturday afternoon.

A fight that will be intriguing is the rumored bout between Tomasz Ademek and Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins is the master and I know that one day he’ll really look his age, but it won’t be against the slow-footed Adamek. B-Hop is going to smoke the Pole.

Speaking of Smoking the Pole…Ann, baby, I wasn’t kidding. Give me a holler.

With Amir Khan’s win over a fleshy, bloody and aged Marco Antonio Barrera Khan retuns to where he was before he got knocked goofy by Breidis Prescott. He goes right back to being a brittle-chinned hype job. Amir, ol’ chap, save your money.

Speaking of crisp-chinned UK hype jobs, David Haye’s bout with Wladimir Klitschko has been on again-off again more than Michael Jackson’s nose. Haye should take this as a sign and go back to fighting Cruiserweights, who only occasionally turn his legs to jelly.

Ok, That’s enough for now. Magno, I will be in your neck of the woods around the first week of May. Just warning you. Start chilling the Coronas and warming up the chicas.

Come back next week for more ramblings, insults and slanders.

Golota-Adamek: Wrong—for everyone

by Damon Ealy

“Adamek vs. Golota: The Polish Fight of the Century.” To almost anyone else who follows pro boxing, it’s a chuckled-at and forgotten headline on a boxing news site. It’s a curiosity, as Andrew Golota’s career has been to most boxing fans over the last decade or so.

And if “many Polish boxing fans are thirsting” for an Andrew Golota-Tomasz Adamek bout in 2009, as author T.K. Stewart says in the piece, they ought to forget about it and drink some haloperidol instead, because they’re delusional.

It might be a huge event, even a sizable payday for Golota and Adamek. But the only real winner would be the financier. That’d be Zygmunt Solorz-Zak, the only apparent motivating influence behind this conceived matchup. He’s an investor, not a matchmaker, and the only connection he has to boxing is that it airs on the television network that he owns.

But Solorz-Zak is wealthy and powerful enough to put this bout together. He’s so paid that he’s been on Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s richest people in 2006 and ‘07, so he’s got the means to put together other “dream” bouts, like Rambo versus the Terminator—or Voltron against a tyrannosaurus. But if he really is “of the opinion that it’s a fight that all of Poland could be proud of,” he’s quite wrong. It may be a bit of a stretch as an analogy, but if in 1988 Donald Trump had used his resources to make a Joe Frazier-Mike Tyson bout at the Taj Mahal, it’d have been good for Trump and almost certainly bad for boxing, bad for Tyson and Frazier, bad for anyone with a sense of taste.

And it would have been wrong and tacky-feeling. I’m confident that Golota-Adamek won’t come off because the parties most directly involved are too smart and have too much regard for each other to make it happen. Witness the cursory reaction from the Adamek team (basically, “Yeah, it’d be huge, but Tomasz would win”—you can picture them rolling their eyes at the scheme). Golota’s been quiet about it.

 

 

I’ve followed Golota’s career as a fan since the “Tuesday Night Fights” era. Why? I’ve never tried to figure it out and never wanted to. The fact that I’m from Polish stock is a good enough reason (or call it an excuse) for me. Fanship kind of defies that kind of explanation. But it’s a rooting interest I’ve taken a fair amount of grief for, mostly good-natured. The fact that most sportswriters and fans treat Golota as an outsider at best (and a pariah at worst) only makes me appreciate him more.

In the last five years, I’ve seen him outwork and outclass John Ruiz in a WBA title fight, dropping him twice on the way to a unanimous-decision loss in which I’m convinced the judges had it out for Golota. I saw him take the best “Clones Colossus” Kevin McBride had to give before beating him down at Madison Square Garden. (Passing Golota outside on the sidewalk afterward was a hem-of-his-garment moment for me.) I saw him grind out a wide UD win against Mike Mollo, the WBA’s eighth-ranked heavyweight, two weeks after he turned 40, his eye swollen into an ill bubble.

 All of these bouts happened after experts had decided that Golota a combination head case/coward.

 When it comes to boxing, the brains of sportswriters tend to operate on autopilot, so when Golota retired in his corner after the first round against Ray Austin last November, citing an arm injury, the Internet headlines were quick and predictable: “Golota quits again,” etc. Dan Rafael was more than dismissive. He took an opportunity to get all puffed up:

“Andrew Golota quit after the first round of his fight last week against Ray Austin. Rarely do I ever question the heart of a fighter because it’s tough just to get in the ring in the first place, but Golota has the heart the size of a pea. He’s made a career of quitting.”

Within a few days, it was revealed that Golota had torn tendons–multiple–in his left arm early in the bout. As far as I know, Rafael never issued an apology for his premature indignation. I thought he might, considering that he might be the highest-profile boxing writer working today. And while he’s struck me as outspoken, he’s always seemed fair, too.

 

 

Golota’s professional lows are well known, well documented, and very well remembered. But he’s shown way more heart, guts, and smarts in his professional career than he’s given credit for. And he’s simply the most accomplished Polish professional boxer in history.

Tomasz Adamek has the potential to replace Golota. Some would say that by being a titleholder he’s already done that. Either way, he wouldn’t gain much by beating Golota now. Not when Golota is 41 years old, with a body that’s beginning to betray him. Not when more relevant challenges exist for Adamek in the form of Chad Dawson, Bernard Hopkins, and Steve Cunningham. A win over Hopkins in 2009 is a legacy-builder for Adamek. A win over Golota, no matter how it came, wouldn’t hold much more significance than an exhibition. And even if Golota summoned everything he has left, he might not be able to engage in a competitive bout with Adamek. His body might not allow it.

Monthly Awards- February ‘09

Fighter of the Month:

Juan Manuel Marquez- A lot has been said about fighters who can neutralize their opponents’ strengths and pick them apart, but what about a fighter who destroys a world class foe who is absolutely executing his own game plan? That’s what Juan Manuel Marquez did against Juan Diaz on the 28th when he walked into Diaz’s hometown of Houston and beat down a motivated “Baby Bull” who showed up in top form.

Despite some rough moments in the beginning, Marquez slowly took control of the fight and showed that technical proficiency will always trump blind aggression as he beat down Diaz until he put him away in the 9th.

Marquez is perfect-perfect in his execution of the classic Mexican style and probably the finest practitioner of that style since Ricardo “Finito” Lopez. 

Next up for Marquez is hopefully a much-needed rematch with Pacquiao or a bout with Nate Campbell. Whoever he fights, we will be rewarded with text-book technique and a professional work ethic that restores a true fight fan’s faith in the sport.

 

Bum of the Month:

The State of Florida- Ok, not the entire state of Florida, just the commission and officials that botched almost the entire Valentine’s Day card with weird and inept decisions and the fans in the Bank Atlantic Center who decided to boo and chant “booooring” before even giving the fights a chance to develop.

The craziness began and was best represented when referee Frank Santore Jr counted out Kermit Cintron in his bout with Sergio Martinez and, in a history-making move, somehow overturned his own 10 count, cancelled his call to end the bout and allowed the fight to go one, providing Cintron a chance to recover from a clearly legal punch (and not the headbutt that Kermit alleged). So, the fight goes on and a puzzled, pissed-off and off-kilter Martinez allows Cintron to have his best moments of the fight.

But no need to worry, right? Martinez was well-ahead and had nothing to fear. Wrong! In came judges Ged O’Connor and Peter Trematerra with the assist and scored the fight a draw! The end result was a Majority Draw in a bout that Martinez clearly won.

The crazy judging (there was some controversy in the Campbell/Funeka fight as well), inept ref work and general small-time way the show was handled was highlighted by the boos of a public who clearly wouldn’t know the difference between a left hook and a fish hook.

Clean up your act, Florida, if you want the nation to stop thinking of you as hillbillies with sun tans.

 

The BTBC Thread of the Month:

2/10/09: Margarito’s D-Day

http://www.btbc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=638 

This thread had it all- speculation before the California State Athletic Commision hearing and then the brutal reactions following the guilty verdict.