A Weekend’s Worth of ‘Real’ Fights

by Paul Magno

Nate Campbell coined the phrase “Celebrity Boxing” to describe the recent pattern of signing huge, mega-fight, dream match-ups that were utterly insignificant to the sport as a whole. A few that come to mind most recently are De la Hoya-Pacquiao, Calzaghe-Jones and Hopkins-Pavlik. Now, next on the Celebrity Boxing circuit is Pacquiao-Hatton, likely a great fight that would be vital if there wasn’t so much unfinished business in both of their respective weight classes.

It’s hard to blame fighters for trying to cash in on their fame for their share of the remnants of Oscar’s golden pie, but these types of encounters do nothing other than pad the pockets of the fighters and the promoters; They do nothing to strengthen the continuity of their individual divisions- a must for the overall health of the sport and, essentially, they freeze out an entire generation of young fighters waiting to snatch the torch from the top dogs.

However, before the next addition of Celebrity Boxing on May 2nd, we have a weekend of ‘real’ fights that are truly significant to the fighters and/or the future of their divisions. We have veteran warrios fighting to stay relevant, young lions looking to make their mark and champions looking to unify…Crossroad fights abound this weekend. Here’s a brief look at each:

Friday, April 3rd

Randall Bailey vs. Frankie “Gato” Figueroa– The weekend kicks off with this Friday Night Fight gem featuring a hungry club fighter (Figueroa) looking to work his way out of the club circuit against a veteran former champ (Bailey), fighting to get one more shot. The winner of this IBF Jr. Welterweight Eliminator gets a shot at champion Juan Urango…The loser disappears.

Saturday, April 4th-

Kendall Holt vs. Timothy Bradley– Nobody twisted the arms of WBO Champ, Holt and WBC Champ, Bradley. They didn’t have to fight each other. They could’ve feasted on their much weaker mandatories in hopes of landing a big fish like Ricky Hatton, but real champions take risks and real champions, ultimately, are willing to put up or shut up. While the mesh of their styles may produce a less-than-combustible battle, nobody can downplay the importance of two champions in their primes taking a chance and behaving as champions do.

Alexander Povetkin vs. Jason Estrada– Not a huge fight and certainly nowhere near marquee, but this is among the rarerst of all occurences in the Heavyweight division- a fight actually pitting two young fighters against each other with something to lose. Some would say that Povetkin is ranked higher than he should be while some would argue that Estrada is ranked lower than he deserves…They’ll determine the accuracy of those rankings this Saturday.

Edwin Valero vs. Antonio Pitalua– Valero finally gets his chance to shine on American TV. He’ll have his chance to prove that his power isn’t just a YouTube myth, but he’ll have to prove it against the 39 year old banger, Antonio Pitalua,  who will be, literally, fighting for his livelihood. By the way, the vacant WBC Lightweight title goes to the winner.

 

Librado Andrade vs. Vitali Tsypko– This IBF Super Middleweight Eliminator takes two crowd-pleasing veterans and mashes them together to see who has a chance at career redemption. A win for Tsypko erases the frustrating and razor-thin controversial loss to Jeff Lacy in 2006 while a win for Andrade bags him another shot at champion Lucian Bute, who he literally came within seconds of knocking out back in October of last year.

Jesus Chavez vs. Michael Katsidis– Simply put, Katsidis is 0-2 in big fights and another loss ends his run as a legit contender. And, even, simpler put, a loss for the 36- year old Chavez just, plain ends his career. Two brawlers+Must Win Fight= A Keeper.

Carlos  “Famoso” Hernandez vs. Vicente Escobedo– The 38-year old Hernandez is on his way down while the 27-year old Escobedo is on his way up….They’re meeting somewhere in the middle. A title shot, and the much-needed payday that comes along with it, is a sure thing to the winner.

Julio Diaz vs. Rolando Reyes– At 29 and 30 years of age respectively, Diaz and Reyes are said to be on the downside of their careers. Expect action and lots of it with the winner staying relevant in the Lightweight division and the loser going back to small paydays on Telemundo.

Sure, none of these guys are superstars and none could fill the MGM Grand or sell a million+ PPV’s, but they’re doing the grunt work that’s so essential to keeping Boxing alive and healthy. In divisions where the best fighters won’t even pretend to fight their truest and most deserving challengers, these guys are taking matters into their own hands…

The Cubans are Coming!

by Paul Magno

This Friday on the season opener of ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights, two outstanding prospects, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Odlanier Solis, will be highlighted. Both happen to be products of the Cuban Boxing machine and both are expected to make big waves in the sport. Here’s a list of the Top 10 active Cuban fighters who could make a splash in ’09.

1) Yuriorkis Gamboa (Featherweight): 12-0 (10 KO)- El Ciclon de Guantánamo has been creating a buzz in the sport since defecting from the Cuban national team in 2006. Some have compared him to an angry Meldrick Taylor while some have referred to him as a mini-Mike Tyson. Whatever comparison you like, there’s been no doubting his talent, pedigree and desire as he has easily plowed through a solid list of veteran fringe contenders.

Outlook for 2009: This year will be pivotal for Olympic Gold Medalist Gamboa. If he gets by fringe contender, Roger “Speedy” Gonzalez, this Friday, he will take on tough Elio Rojas for an Interim title and, possibly, the supremely tough and tested Oscar Larios by the end of the year. 2009 is expected to be the year that places Gamboa among the elite of the sport.

2) Joel Casamayor (Lightweight): 36-4-1 (22 KO)- Roller Coaster doesn’t even begin to describe “El Cepillo’s” last 18 months or so. He followed a very disappointing and controversial win over Jose Armando Santa Cruz with a high-octane KO of Michael Katsidis, only to be brought back down to Earth again by being KO’d in 11 by Juan Manuel Marquez. When a 37 year-old boxer loses a big fight, the temptation is always to write him off, but fighting 10 1/2 dead-even rounds with a top 5 pound 4 pound fighter doesn’t tell the story of someone who wants to be finished just yet.

Outlook for 2009: With his Golden Boy connections and an absolutely stacked Lightweight division, expect Casamayor to get a fair shot to be back in the mix at 135.

3) Juan Carlos Gomez (Heavyweight): 44-1 (35 KO)- Excellent Cruiserweight who probably had the goods to be an all-time great at that weight. Since moving up to Heavyweight, he’s been solid against fringe fighters on the European circuit. He has the tools to be a top Heavy, but it remains to be seen whether he can make that big move from a top 20 guy to a top 3 force.

Outlook for 2009: After winning 2 title eliminators, Gomez looks to be finally getting his shot at the WBC title against Vitali Klitschko. By the middle of the year we should know just where Gomez’s high-water mark at Heavyweight is.

4) Odlanier Solis (Heavyweight): 12-0 (8 KO)- While the world is looking to the flashy David Haye or the bone-crushing Chris Arreola to save the Heavyweight division, people may be overlooking the most logical choice of savior. “La Sombra,” an Olympic Gold-Winning teammate of Gamboa, is a charismatic, well-schooled technical fighter who is beginning to show signs of solid power. The one chink in his armor is that he carries around too much weight and needs to get better control of his training and eating habits.

Outlook for 2009: Solis will keep moving forward, beating club-level opposition and possibly step up his opponent level by the end of the year. A busier fighting schedule may make it easier to control his weight.

5) Yan Barthelemy (Bantamweight):  6-1 (0 KO)- This Olympic Gold Medalist and teammate of Gamboa and Solis has struggled to adapt to the pro game. While possessing all of the tools and discipline to thrive, he is lacking in power and agression and needs to make some major changes in technique if he wants to become a successful pro. He does hold 2 amateur wins over Gamboa and an Olympic Gold Medal, so his career is definitely salvageable.

Outlook for 2009: Continue to work on his power game and ditch his amateur instinct to fight off the back foot and throw pitty-pat arm punches.

6) Richard Abril (Lightweight): 10-1-1 (5 KO)- Solid all-around boxer who lost a close and controversial split decision to Breidis Prescott in ’08. Good, maybe even world-class, skills, but has to be more active. He’s fighting in the right division to become a seasoned pro, but he has to stay busy.

Outlook for 2009: Keep fighting on the Florida club circuit and hopefully a rematch with Prescott or a shot at Amir Khan by the end of ’09.

7) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (Cruiserweight): 17-1 (10 KO)- Good, ambitious Cruiserweight and former Cuban National Champ who tried to bite off a bit more than he could chew last year by facing former world champ, Wayne Braithwaite. The 24-year-old southpaw was TKO’d in 3, but he came back with 3 more wins before the end of the year.

Outlook for 2009: Nobody can accuse Hernandez of taking the easy road. He’s scheduled to fight fellow Cruiserweight prospect Aaron Williams later in January. A win could mean a title shot by the end of the year.

8.) Damian Frias (Jr. Wlterweight): 15-1 (7 KO)- Southpaw Jr. Welter who just upped his stock by winning the WBC FECARBOX Light Welterweight title.

Outlook for 2009: Will make the first defense of his title on January 16th and will be pushing for some more exposure in an already crowded 140 lb. class.

9) Elieser Castillo (Heavyweight): 30-6-2 (17 KO)- Reached the zenith of an inconsistent career with back to back wins over Lawrence Clay Bey and Corey Sanders in 2003. Castillo, at this point, is talented enough to be considered a top-shelf  journeyman, but little more.

Outlook for 2009: Will follow the blueprint of the last few years: beat a club opponent and then hope for an upset against a better-regarded foe. He’s talented enough to surprise, so his opponents better not take him lightly.

10) Jose Antonio Izquierdo (Lightweight): 17-4-1 (14 KO)- Mexico-based former Cuban stand-out brought his 380-8 amateur record to the pros, but has yet to establish himself as anything other than a competent opponent. Seems to have settled into the role of opponent for younger fighters like Alex de Jesus and Anthony Peterson

Outlook for 2009: At 31 years of age and after having lost 4 in a row, Izquierdo better turn his ship around or he will become a professional stepping stone.

 

(For The BTBC’s TV schedule and other information about this Friday’s card, click here: http://www.btbc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=tv&action=display&thread=393&page=1 )

2008: Year-End Awards

by Paul Magno

2008 was a solid year for the sport, sprinkled with a handful of surprising upsets and exciting battles. We saw some of the biggest names in the sport have their flames extinguished and we saw the lighting and passing of the torch to a number of younger names. 

In retrospect, 2008 will go down as a year of transition; A year in which we saw David Haye emerge as a factor in a stagnant Heavyweight division, Antonio Margarito battle his way to the top of a stacked Welterweight division; We saw young talents like Juan Manuel Lopez, Paul Williams and Chad Dawson become world-class players and an old war horse like Bernard Hopkins fight the odds to stay a Pound for Pound legend. Established stars like Manny Pacquiao, Joe Calzaghe and Juan Manuel Marquez moved up in weight and made a mark in their new divisions and Vitali Klitschko came back strong after a 4 year retirement to embarrass the reigning WBC World Champ. 2008 will be a year to remember if ony for the fact that it sets the table nicely for a very combustible 2009!

Without further ado, here are the Best of the Best in 2008:

Fighter of the Year:  Manny Pacquiao 

Even before his shockingly dominant win over Oscar De la Hoya, Manny was a solid candidate for this award with a disputed win over Juan Manuel Marquez and a brutal beat down of Lightweight title holder, David Diaz. The win against Oscar made him a clear and obvious choice and with an impressive list of potential opponents in ’09, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him back in this category again next year.

Runners Up:  Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams

 

 

 

 Fight of the Year:  Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez 3

With 13 rounds and 2 fights between them, there was no loss in passion when these two warriors met for the tie-breaker in their series. The fight itself was classic, Rocky-style action with both fighters changing advantages over the course of the 12 round bout. Both warriors fought deserately to prove their superiority and, quite probably, left a bit of themselves in the ring that night. Whatever they made for that war, they should’ve been paid double.

Runners Up:  Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto,  Joel Casamayor vs. Michael Katsidis, Rogers Mtagwa vs. Tomas Villa

Event of the Year:  The Dream Match

No other event captured as much attention as this showdown between the sport’s biggest draw in De la Hoya and the sport’s Pound for Pound best in Pacquiao. The mainstream press covered the bout and even the hardcore Boxing press reported on every detail leading up to the fight, often reporting with the fervor of gossip columnists instead of  sports journalists. The 1.25 million buys close to Christmas and in a struggling economy proved just how much this event captured the public’s imagination.

Runner Up: The Margarito/Cotto PPV

 

 

 Knockout of the Year: Edison Miranda KO 3 David Banks

With potential opponent, Jean Pascal in the crowd, Miranda cracked Banks with an overhand right that left Banks dangling on the second rope, halfway in the ring and halfway out. The actual sound of the punch was like a rifle or a small grenade going off…and it effectively stalled talks with Pascal for a future fight.

Runners Up:  Paul Williams KO 1 Andy Kolle, Breidis Prescott KO 1 Amir Khan

 

Round of the Year: Kandall Holt vs. Ricardo Torres (Round 1)

3 total knockdowns, a controversial headbutt and a brutal KO…all in a little over than a minute! ‘Nuff said.

Runners Up: Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez 3 (Rd. 12), Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Matt Vanda 1 ( Rd. 10)

 

The Pernell Whitaker Virtuoso Award:  Bernard Hopkins

An absolutely masterful performance by a fighter who was supposed to finally get retired by a younger, hungrier Kelly Pavlik. Hopkins proved his critics wrong and the 43 year old virtuoso went on to win almost every minute of every round, even offering helpful advice to Pavlik after the thrashing.  School was in session and B-Hop is still Boxing’s head professor.

Runners Up: Nate Campbell (vs Juan Diaz), Juan Manuel Marquez (vs. Joel Casamayor), Carlos Quintana (vs. Paul Williams 1)

 

 

The Oliver McCall Puzzling Non-Performance in a Prime Time Drama Award:  Samuel Peter

“The Nigerian Nightmare” slept his way through 8 listless rounds before passivley quiting on his stool. This, after being mocked and belittled during the entire publicity push for his fight with Vitali Klitschko. Did I mention that Peter was the defending world champ in this one?

Runners Up:  Cory Spinks (vs. Verno Phillips), Cristian Mijares (vs. Vic Darchinyan, Nikolay Valuev (vs. Evander Holyfield)

 

Breakthrough Fighter of the Year:  Juan Manuel Lopez

In 2008, Juanma beat a fellow prosect (Jonathan Oquendo), a reigning world champ (Daniel Ponce de Leon) and two tough fringe contenders in high-profile bouts (Cesar Figueroa, Sergio Medina)…and he did all this while fighting a total of 6 rounds. Lopez has blasted his way into the hearts of Puerto Rican fans and has made his presence known to all Boxing fans, everywhere.

Runners Up: Alfredo Angulo, Carl Froch

 

 

Upset of the Year: Manny Pacquiao RTD 8 Oscar De la Hoya

Few gave the much smaller Pacquiao a chance against the naturally larger De la Hoya. Those who tuned in, saw a masterful performance by Manny against an Oscar who may or may not have been weight-drained. Whatever the case, the end result was shocking and the biggest upset of the year.

Runners Up: Vic Darchinyan KO 9 Cristian Mijares, Breidis Prescott KO 1 Amir Khan

 

Robbery of the Year: Nikolay Valuev MD Evander Holyfield

This could go both ways, a robbery on two fronts. The judges’ decision was horrible and they literally stole the fight from Holyfield and The fight itself was so dreadful and dreary that the PPV asking price of 25 bucks and the price of the arena seat could be considered theft in and of itself…

Runner Up: The Dream Match PPV, Boxing Fans Losing ESPN Wednesday Night Fights and Solo Boxeo

 

The George A. Romero Gore Award:  Jorge Barrios

Barrios’ lips was literally shredded by Rocky Juarez in their bout. The end result looked like something from the Director’s Cut of Night of the Living Dead. Truly Gruesome.

Runner Up: Miguel Cotto’s Battered Face After the Margarito Fight.

 

Much Ado About Nothing: Andy Lee

After much hype, Emanuel Steward’s kid was outfought by journeyman Brian Vera on national TV. Not good.

Runners Up: John Duddy, Yan Barthelemy, Rey Bautista

 

Moment of the Year: A Victorious Hopkins Staring Down the Press

2008’s moment of the year came when Hopkins went over to the side of the ring after his win against Pavlik and stared down his critics and doubters. Poignant, defiant, angered…whatever you want to call it, it was B-Hop taking something back from his critics and summing up an entire career with one emotional glare.

Runners Up: Oscar De la Hoya Slumped in his Corner, Miguel Cotto Taking a Knee vs. Margarito

The Instant Karma Award: Oscar De la Hoya

In what was a cynical attempt at closing out his career with an “easy” win against a respected and combustible, but smaller Pacquiao, Oscar was surprised and soon found himself over his head. He was battered and embarrassed by his hand-picked foe and forced to humbly retire.

Runners Up: Cristian Mijares Taking Vic Darchinyan as a Joke, The Calzaghe/Jones PPV Buy Rate.

 

 

 

 

 The Piss or Get Off The Pot Award:  The Heavyweight Division

Quite literally, the once-proud Heavyweight Division now consists of a bunch of big guys just waiting around for their money fights to materialize. The contenders aren’t fighting each other and the champions are hand-picking their foes..or simply not fighting at all.

Runners Up: Ronald Hearns, Allan Green 

 

Trainer of  The Year: Freddie Roach

For his work with Pacquiao as well as a handful of other solid fighters, Freddie deserves this honor. Kudos to a class guy who understands that its his job to enhance a fighter’s natural abilities and not implant his own ideas and aesthetic into their head.

Runner Up: Floyd Mayweather Sr.

 

The George W. Bush “What Were They Thinking” Award: Paulie Malignaggi and his Dreadlocks

Ugly, stupid and In the Way…Otherwise, a brilliant hairstyle idea for Malignaggi’s UK debut in the build up to his fight with Ricky Hatton.

Runners Up: Kelly Pavlik deciding to Fight Bernard Hopkins, Steve Molitor Signing to Fight Celestino Caballero

 

King Trash Talk: Vic Darchinyan

“I can’t get enough of Mexican fighters. They bounce real good off the canvas when I hit them…Defeating Arce won’t take much training. It won’t even be a fight for me –more like pest control. I’m going to swat that Spanish Fly. How do you take a guy like Arce seriously? He sucks on lollipops and wears a cowboy hat from a toy store. I can picture him running around his house on a broom pretending he’s riding a horse. He’s a regular Schlepalong Cassidy. Arce is going to be my human piñata. Our fight will be like a Chihuahua against a bull…a raging bull!”

Runner Up: Nate Campbell

The Dr. Evil Laughable Villain Award: Referee Marlon B. Wright

Not only was the Canadian Wright trying his best to handcuff Librado Andrade all night in his bout with Canada’s own Lucian Bute, he tried to seal the deal with an inept attempt to save the out-on-his feet Bute’s behind by spending nearly 30 seconds chasing Andrade back to his corner following a knockdown. The pisser? It was unnecessary since Bute was already up and saved by the bell in the last and final round. Wright just looked like an idiot, too slow to even cheat properly.

Runner Up: The WBO for instantly rating Marco Antonio Barrera #1 contender when he signed with Don King.

 

 

Mismatch of the Year: Miguel Cotto vs. Alfonso Gomez

This was a mismatch from the time it was signed and it culminated with a dominant performance from Cotto which saw him sigh, roll his eyes and practically yawn his way through 5 one-sided rounds. If he had been wearing a watch, he would’ve been checking the time while beating on the hapless Gomez. Proving that the fans aren’t stupid, this HBO show became the lowest rated Boxing event in the network’s history.

Runner Up: Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Cesar Fuguroa

 

The Judge Judy Inept Judge Award: Doug Tucker (120-108 Jose Navarro over Cristian Mijares)

In a bout that the other two judges (and the rest of the world) saw Mijares winning solidly, Tucker found a way to give every round to Jose Navarro. Maybe he was facing the wrong direction?

Runner Up: All 3 Judges in the Holyfield/Valuev Fight

 

The “Hey, That Guy Drives My Bus!” Award: Chad  Van Sickle (vs. Odlanier Solis)

Boxing’s own Ralph Kramden briefly saw the spotlight before being beaten to a pulp by Solis.

 

The Big Bully Award: Pongsaklek Wonjongkam 

This former WBC Flyweight Champ decided to take the path of least resistance after losing his title and then drawing with the new champ in a rematch. This 70 fight veteran fought 0-2 Akbar Mohammadpour in his next fight. He then fought back to back bouts against Danny Sutton and Amir Jordan, two fighters making their ring debut against the former world champ. Needless to say, Wonjongkam is 3-0 in his comeback campaign.

Will Shine in ’09: Chad Dawson, Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Jorge Linares, Alfredo Angulo, James Kirkland, Mike Alvarado, Victor Ortiz, Urbano Antillon, Abner Mares, Odlanier Solis, Cris Arreola

Stick a Fork in ’em, They’re Done: Roy Jones, Oscar De la Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Chris Byrd, Evander Holyfield, Marco Antonio Barrera, Yori Boy Campas, Kevin Kelley, Stevie Jonhston

Future Champ, 2031: Julian “Lights Out” Escobedo:

Ok, indulge me…This is my nephew, Julian, in his Halloween costume…But he does indeed throw a wicked left hook and he’s been known to do his share of biting in clinches.All he needs is to perfect his Uncle Paul’s Shoulder Roll and he’ll be defeating all comers…Watch out world… The New “Lights Out” is on his way!!!

 

 

 

 

 

To all the Friends and Fans of The Blue Corner (The BTBC): 2008 has been a blast and we can’t wait to see what happens in ’09…Take Care and have a Happy New Year!

For Video of some of our Award Winners, check out our YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/BTBlueCorner

To Debate or Discuss anything written here, feel free to drop by Boxing’s Pound 4 Pound Best Boxing Forum, The BTBC: http://www.btbc.proboards.com/index.cgi

The Standing 8 Count (10/19/08)

by Madcow

Well, what can this crazed farmyard animal say about what Bernard Hopkins did to Kelly Pavlik last night? This was was such a complete and total boxing clinic that even I find myself unable to find the words. This fight brings up the question of whether Hopkins will ever retire. Think about it- in 55 pro fights over more than 2 decades have you ever even seen B-Hop with as much as a welt under his eye?  I’d hate to come across the man bad enough to retire The Executioner.

Man, the old guy was beating up on that kid so bad, I was tempted to call Child Protective Services…

But Hooray for us old guys! Maybe now this middle-aged columnist will get the respect he deserves when he walks into his neighborhood gym with his massive beer gut and Cheetoh-stained fingers. Don’t mess with us old-timers!

Inspired by Hopkins’ masterful performance, I put together a list of active geezers who are still kicking ass and taking names. So, without further delay, here’s Madcow’s Top 10 Geezers:

1. Bernard Hopkins (43): It goes without saying. The guy may have losses on his record, but he has never been dominated and, last night, he beat a 26 year old Pound 4 Pound guy. Think about it- Hopkins has beaten Howard Eastman, Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright and, now, Kelly Pavlik- all after his 40th birthday. Look up the word “bad-ass” in Webster’s and you’ll find a picture of B-Hop.

2. Nate Campbell (36): The guy beat  Juan Diaz, the great Mexican-American Lightweight wunderkind- in Mexico! And not only did he beat him, but he beat him up. Campbell was brought in as a faded ex-champ to be fed to Diaz, the ferocious Lion, but “The Galaxy Warrior” manned-up and showed the difference between a powerful kid and a strong man. Here’s hoping Campbell can get some money fights soon.

3. Vernon Forrest (37): The Viper’s still got some moves and is still the class at 154 until someone proves otherwise…and how can you not love a guy who beat the snot out of Sergio Mora?

4. Glen Johnson (39): Before showing this guy the door, remember that he holds victories over Roy Jones, Antonio Tarver and Clinton Woods…and he nearly upset Chad Dawson. What’s more scary is the fact that he’s shown no signs of slowing down.

5. James Toney (40): While “Lights Out” would be a long-shot to beat any of the reigning Heavyweight champs, there is nobody in the division who knows more about Boxing than him and he’d be a tough fight for anyone in the top 20. The guy’s fighting 10 years and 4 weight classes past his prime- and still a threat!

6. Joel Casamayor (37): Before writing this old geezer off, remember this is the same guy who slapped around the much younger and stronger Michael Katsidis in the fight prior to the Marquez fight. Also, you need to remember that his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez was as tight as could be right up until the very end. This Cuban’s not going to just fade away.

7. Antonio Tarver (39): He put in a respectable performance against a prime, energized Chad Dawson and is about as fresh as a 39 year old can be. He’ll be back at, or near, the top soon.

8. Verno Phillips (38): You can’t get more blue-collar than Phillips. He’s toiled in obscurity for so long, but has always been a smart, exciting fighter on the cusp of world-class. Now, he’s champ again and will hopefully make some money in his next fight against Paul Williams on HBO. The Williams fight looks like the end of the line for Phillips, but I’ll never forget the guy who made Cory Spinks disappear.

9. Gerry Penalosa (36) : 36 years old is ancient in “Little Man Years.” Heck, that’s like 92 in normal human years! But you gotta love the guy for calling out the next big thing, Juan Manuel Lopez. I hope he gets that one last big payday before one of the young bucks take him out.

10. Oscar De la Hoya (35): I struggled with the last spot, but eventually gave it to Oscar. To give the credit he’s due- When he’s not fighting Dorf on Boxing or recording ear-splitting Latin Pop albums, the guy can still box and could still be the best Jr. Middleweight in the world.

So, there’s my list of Boxing’s Top 10 Geezers. I need to take a nap now…

See ya when I sees ya!

Boxing in the Eye of the Beholder

by Damon Ealy (aka PghWindmill)

Cool Max Kellerman was way more fiery than usual after Juan Diaz’s split-decision win over Michael Katsidis on Saturday night. Glen Hamada’s 115-113 card for Katsidis had Kellerman irked, and showed in his postfight interview with Katsidis and his trainer, Brendon Smith. Kellerman didn’t hold back in a show-wrapping diatribe, either, where he acknowledged the possibility that he and Harold Lederman (who scored it 118-110 for Diaz) and the rest of the HBO team could’ve been seeing a different fight than the rest of us–but then, with an emphatic transitioning “but” and dramatic change of camera angle–went on to call Hamada’s scorecard one of the worst he’d ever seen.

Diaz’s Houston crowd appreciated it. Board posters buzzed about it. I’d even say Kellerman’s straightforwardness was Atlas-like. (Though that’s merely approaching Teddy levels; Atlas is still the ballsiest broadcaster that we see on a regular basis.) But one of the worst ever–from a guy who’s seen thousands of fights?

No way am I questioning Kellerman’s sincerity or smarts, but it came off as a little bit showy. I’m guessing he might’ve been a disappointed that the fight didn’t live up to grand expectations that we’d all–but especially HBO–put on it. And I’m thinking that if Kellerman isn’t talking on the fly, he’s remembering just a handful of very recent, very bizarre scorecards.

– Almazbek “Kid Diamond” Raiymkulov SD over Miguel Angel Huerta, June 2007
It wasn’t anything near a megafight, but it was broadcast (on Versus), and it was for a minor belt (NABF lightweight). Top Rank’s Raiymkulov took a split decision on Judges Don Ackerman’s and Frank Adams’ 114-113 scorecards. (The third judge had it 116-111.) It played like a loss for Diamond, anyway: The Kyrgyzstanian went into an apparent exile and didn’t fight for over a year until he returned against a soft opponent last June. Huerta (also an Arum fighter) has gone 3-1 since. That one loss was a UD to Raiymkulov’s September 19th opponent, Javier Jauregui, now 53-15-2.

– Joel Casamayor SD over Jose Armando Santa Cruz, November 2007
It was a top-of-the-card fight for the WBC lightweight title, so it’s the one most of us probably remember. But by following up this stinker with a dramatic win over Michael Katsidis, Casamayor might have helped us forget just how unfair a decision the judges hatched–114-113, 114-113, 113-114–and the screwing they gave Santa Cruz in a fight in which he dropped Casamayor in the first round, controlled the tempo, and dominated statistically. Santa Cruz is working his way back and fighting what the WBC is calling a title eliminator on September 20th.

– Christian Mijares SD over Jose Navarro, February 2008
While Judge Hamada’s scorecard on Saturday was, well, wrong, it can’t even be called the worst judging I’ve seen this year. The worst? Got to be Doug Tucker’s 120-108 shutout for Navarro (even the oft-derided Adalaide Byrd had it 117-111 for El Diamante that night). Tucker seems to have been exiled, too. He hasn’t judged a professional fight since.

Judge Tucker’s card took a little of the shine off of an exciting bout fought well by both fighters–and really was insulting to Mijares, who was masterful that night. Still, as with Diaz-Katsidis, all was well that ended well. I know I’m in a strong majority that thinks Juan Diaz deserved the unanimous decision, not a split decision, last Saturday night. But the right guy got the victory, and if Diaz is satisfied with that and ready to move on, I sure am.
Santa Cruz and Huerta, fighters who trained and earned a win, instead took a loss and suffered the real-world consequence of diminished marketability and smaller paydays. Diaz, split-decision winner, walks away with the IBO title and presumably moves on to bigger money and a chance to reclaim the more significant belts.

An Open Letter to Bob Arum

by Paul Magno

Mr. Arum,

First, congratulations on your recent successes. Despite the pressure placed upon you by your other promotional rivals, you have thrived and have become the most powerful company in the sport with a firm grasp over three of the recognized glamour divisions in the sport: the Middleweights, The Welterweights and the Lightweights.

It is well within your right to try to make some major money form this position of power and I, personally, have no problem with trying to book the biggest events possible. These Mega-Events benefit both you and the boxers and I would never complain about boxers making as much money as they possibly can.

So, the attempts to get a fight for either Antonio Margarito or Manny Pacquiao against Oscar de la Hoya are understandable and reasonable since Oscar is currently Boxing’s biggest draw. Even the upcoming Pavlik/Hopkins fight is fair since it will be a Mega-Fight for a fighter like Kelly Pavlik who most definitely deserves a major payday. However, once the De la Hoya and Hopkins Sweepstakes are done with, I would make the humble request to get down to business and start with the business of stabilizing and unifying the divisions where your guys are in control.

Let’s start with the Pound for Pound king, Manny Pacquiao. Manny is a pure joy to watch and is 5-1-1 against first ballot Hall of Famers. Every fight with him is amazing and his recent ascent to Lightweight against David Diaz was only further proof of his greatness.

Like I said earlier, I won’t put him down for thinking about a huge fight with Oscar or even Ricky Hatton, but once ‘09 begins, regardless of whether a Mega-Fight at a higher weight goes down or not, its time to get down to business and dig into the ultra-deep Lightweight division where there will be any number of great fights awaiting.

Manny vs. the winner of Casamayor/Marquez, Campbell/Guzman or Juan Diaz/Katsidis would surely be a classic. Manny could take his pick among the winners of these three and the result would be pure Boxing gold.

As a matter of fact, the Lightweight division is deep enough so that Manny could spend the rest of his career there and never have anything less than a major PPV fight. Behind the current crop of quality Lightweights, the division also has some of Boxing’s most promising prospects like Amir Khan, Vicente Escobedo and, your fighter, Anthony Peterson as well as some tough veterans like Jesus Chavez and another one of your fighters, Kid Diamond.

The Pac-man is good enough to unify this division and the result would be great for the sport..

Now, move up to Welterweight, another one of the best divisions in the sport where Top Rank currently holds two of the four recognized World Titles. With Margarito as WBA champ and Joshua Clottey as IBF title-holder along with former #1 Welter Miguel Cotto and newly-crowned NABF champ Jesus Soto Karass, the Welterweight division is squarely in your hands. A unified Welterweight division, something that hasn’t existed in a long while, can certainly be achieved with just a few well-placed phone calls from you.

Reports are that a Margarito/Clottey rematch unification bout is in the works for November 1^st and this is a major step in the right direction, but don’t stop there. You need to bite the bullet and call up Paul Williams. The winner of Margarito/Clottey must fight Williams or the credibility of the title unification would be destroyed. Williams has a win over Margarito and nobody can be considered a true, undisputed champ unless they beat Williams first.

Next would be WBC title-holder, Andre Berto, the least experienced of the division champs. It is also well within your power to corner Berto into a fight by establishing Cotto or Soto Karass as Berto’s #1 mandatory. This won’t be difficult since Cotto is already ranked #2 by the WBC and Soro Karass is #4..

Then, assuming your guys can take the title from Berto, this could lead to another title unification by the Fall of ´09. Conceivably, the Welterweight division could be unified by the end of ‘09 and the end-result would be good for both Top Rank and Boxing in general.
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Now, lets go up to the Middleweight division where Kelly Pavlik, WBC and WBO champ and the consensus #1 160 pounder in the world currently resides. After his catch-weight money fight against Bernard Hopkins takes place, it would be in his, as well s Boxing’s, best interest to stop with the catch-weight fights and focus on the division that he has ruled over since beating Jermain Taylor last year.

IBF champ Arthur Abraham has showed interest in a title unification fight and a fight between Abraham and Pavlik would be a very good match-up as well as a solid money fight all over the world. Next would be a fight with Felix Sturm if Sturm would be willing to risk his title in a fight with Kelly. If not, the world would know the truth and Pavlik would be considered the true unified champ despite only holding three of the four belts.

After the dust settles at 160, Kelly could move up to 168, where there are some very interesting young prospects on the horizon, and try the whole thing all over again. He’s young enough to give it a real go and possibly even make a run at 175 before he calls it a career. Kelly can even be bigger and make more money over a longer period of time by foregoing the Senior Fighter’s Circuit and becoming a fighter who take on and takes out the best fighters in his division in their primes. Remember, people pay homage to the prime Roberto Duran and not the Duran who became a fixture on the Senior Circuit. Pavlik, with his age and talent, gives Top Rank the possibility of representing a respected money fighter for the next decade. The moves up and down in weight and the wasted time of fighting horrible challengers only take away from the time he could be using to achieve is destiny in the sport.

So, again Mr. Arum, congratulations on your recent successes, but now comes the truly hard work. By foregoing some of the fast money fights and concentrating on the significant divisional bouts featuring your fighters, you will be ensuring the overall strength of the sport at a time when Boxing is becoming more and more of a fringe sport in the eyes of the media and general public.

I’m just speaking for myself as a life-long fight fan and a peripheral member of the Boxing community and I wouldn’t presume to be able to do your job better than you, I can only comment on how things look from this side of the TV or computer screen and as someone who fills the seats for your shows, buys them on PPV and watches them on cable.

Boxing is, ultimately, a business where money needs to be made and nobody blames a fighter or a promoter for making the occasional fluff fight for a big payday, but all fluff fights result in a bad overall product. They make the sport look bad, the fighters look weak and the promotional company look even worse. Solid, unified champions defending against the very best in their divisions reinforces the love of the game in the fight fan as well as making it easier for any new fans to jump right in and follow the sport. Remember, what’s good for Boxing is good for Top Rank.

Mr. Arum, you are in the unique position to be able to have a huge positive impact on the sport. You can still make your money while truly being able to stabilize a sport that so desperately needs stabilization. And some day, when you are retired from the sport, you can look back and honestly feel the respect of being one of the men who saved Boxing.

Sincerely,

Paul Magno, Adminstrator of the Boxing Times Blue Corner (www.boxingtimes.com)..

P.S. Feel free to come into our forum anytime you wish and see how many truly informed boxing die-hards there still are..

(I sent this off to the offices of Top Rank and if I get any reply, I will post it here and on our forum.)
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Tagged Amir Khan, Andre Berto, Anthony Peterson, Antonio Margarito, Arthur Abraham, bernard hopkins, Bob Arum, Boxing, Boxing Times, David Diaz, Felix Sturm, IBF, Jesus Soto Karass, Joan Guzman, joe calzaghe, Joel Casamayor, Joshua Clottey, juan diaz, Juan Manuel Marquez, Kelly Pavlik, Kid Diamond, Lightweight, Manny Pacquiao, Michael Katsidis, Middleweight, nate campbell, Oscar De la Hoya, Paul Magno, Paul Williams, ricky hatton, Roberto Duran, Top Rank, Vicente Escobedo, WBA, WBC, WBO, welterweight