by MMA Weekly
Sometimes it’s the quiet ones you have to worry most about.
That seems to be the case when examining the short yet impressive UFC career of middleweight contender Chris Weidman.
Undefeated as a pro and now 5-0 in the UFC, Weidman has put together a decisive string of victories capped off most recently with a dominant TKO win over Mark Munoz at UFC on Fuel 4.
Prior to the fight almost every viable middleweight was calling and shouting for their name to be the one to face champion Anderson Silva next. From Munoz to Michael Bisping to Alan Belcher, middleweights were shouting left and right about how they should be the choice to face Silva next.
Meanwhile, Weidman was just putting his head down, focusing on training and getting ready to make his impact in the Octagon. On the Richter scale, Weidman hit with about a 9.0.
Now with five wins in the UFC, three finishes, and two wins over top ten opponents, Weidman believes he has the resume to make the case that it’s time to face Anderson Silva right now.
“Before the fight, there was literally five or six guys that were all trying to petition to fight Anderson Silva next, and I just kind of stayed quiet. I mean, I did just beat Demian Maia, who was a top five guy, and none of those guys have even beaten a top five guy I don’t think for the most part. Bisping hasn’t even beat a top ten guy I think,” Weidman said when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio.
“I was just really focused on making a statement in this fight. I really wanted to make it blatantly obvious that I was ahead of the pack, and I think I did jump past those guys that were a little bit better at talking before my fight than I was.”
Last weekend, UFC president Dana White said that there was no clear cut No. 1 contender to face Anderson Silva next, but if they had to declare someone it would be Chris Weidman.
Now the former Division-1 All-American is doing his part to put it in everyone’s ears that he not only is at the top of the list, he is the list.
“I feel like I really deserve it. I beat two top five guys and I think I’m a stylistic nightmare for Anderson Silva. I would love to get that shot. No one else is on a five fight win streak and beat the quality of guys I’ve beaten. I’m ready to speak up a little bit, just be confident in my abilities and respectfully call out Anderson Silva,” Weidman declared.
There is a certain honor and prestige that goes along with fighting for a title in the UFC because so few fighters actually get to that level. Add to that the fact that Anderson Silva is by far the most dominant champion to ever step foot in the Octagon, and as his career starts to wind down the selection of opponents to face him will get even slimmer.
Of course Weidman would consider it an honor to face Silva, but he’s not looking to slap gloves, get knocked out and say “I stood in the cage with Anderson Silva once upon a time.”
No, Chris Weidman wants to be the fighter that dethrones, chokes out, knocks out, and just plain finishes Anderson Silva.
“If I’m fighting Anderson Silva, I’m going in there knowing I belong in there. I’m not going in there to beat him, I’m actually going in there I’m going to try to make a statement. I’m going to try to finish him. I know a lot of people who can’t imagine that happening and think I might be crazy, but as a competitor that’s the way I compete, that’s the way I train to really be the best, and I think I am,” Weidman stated.
“On paper, I’m definitely a stylistic nightmare and he’s going to be going against a guy who’s in there to beat him, and not like some of these other guys that he’s fought that just want to share the cage with him.”
Since Silva’s last victory over Chael Sonnen, the champion’s camp have listed a few possible names of opponents that could interest the middleweight king. While the UFC ultimately makes the decisions, Weidman understands why his name may not be mentioned when it comes to Silva’s team.
Sure, he’s not the most well known guy in the sport, and he won’t sell a fight like Chael Sonnen by talking trash and building up a rivalry.
Weidman knows he would be a huge underdog, he knows he might even be the unlikeliest of contenders, but there is one indisputable truth that the New York native also truly believes.
He can beat Anderson Silva.
“I’m the only guy on a five fight win streak. I’m undefeated. I’m young. I want to be a young champion. I want to have this belt for a long time,” said Weidman. “You have to build names, you have to take risks as far as a company, as far as a promotion. You have to take risks with guys and I’m a good guy to do that with.”
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Showing posts with label fight posters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fight posters. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Jon Jones vs Anderson Silva, why it shouldn't happen
Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva? Four reasons the fight between champs shouldn’t happen
by Maggie Hendricks
Before UFC president Dana White even strapped the middleweight championship belt around Anderson Silva's waist, my Twitter timeline was filled with questions on when Silva would face light heavyweight champ Jon Jones.
White said, "Let's see what happens," in response to a question about the two champs fighting. With Silva walking around at around 215 lbs., size is not a problem. But it's still not a fight that should happen for these reasons.
1. It's a no-win situation for Jon Jones. If he wins, he was expected to win and defend his weight class. If he loses, does anyone give him a pass?
2. Silva doesn't need it to prove he's the greatest. He has moved up to light heavyweight twice before. Both times, he won in the first round. As detailed here, Silva has dominated since joining the UFC in 2006.
3. It ties up both the middleweight and light heavyweight belts. Between injuries and time to prepare for fights and placing championship fights on the perfect cards, championship bouts don't happen enough. This fight would tie up two different belts as Silva and Jones prepared for their fight. Do you remember how long we had to wait around for Sonnen/Silva and Jones' bout with Rashad Evans?
4. Neither of them want the fight. When champs want to move across weight classes, they should at least want the fight to happen. Jones, who is preparing for his Sept. 1 fight against Dan Henderson, tweeted his lack of interest in a bout with Silva.
by Maggie Hendricks
Before UFC president Dana White even strapped the middleweight championship belt around Anderson Silva's waist, my Twitter timeline was filled with questions on when Silva would face light heavyweight champ Jon Jones.
White said, "Let's see what happens," in response to a question about the two champs fighting. With Silva walking around at around 215 lbs., size is not a problem. But it's still not a fight that should happen for these reasons.
1. It's a no-win situation for Jon Jones. If he wins, he was expected to win and defend his weight class. If he loses, does anyone give him a pass?
2. Silva doesn't need it to prove he's the greatest. He has moved up to light heavyweight twice before. Both times, he won in the first round. As detailed here, Silva has dominated since joining the UFC in 2006.
3. It ties up both the middleweight and light heavyweight belts. Between injuries and time to prepare for fights and placing championship fights on the perfect cards, championship bouts don't happen enough. This fight would tie up two different belts as Silva and Jones prepared for their fight. Do you remember how long we had to wait around for Sonnen/Silva and Jones' bout with Rashad Evans?
4. Neither of them want the fight. When champs want to move across weight classes, they should at least want the fight to happen. Jones, who is preparing for his Sept. 1 fight against Dan Henderson, tweeted his lack of interest in a bout with Silva.
"Man my man #AndersonSilva went to work tonight, consistently amazing," Jones said. "I guess Anderson said he had no interest in fighting me at tonight's press conference, I feel the same way about him. Nothing but respect."It has nothing to do with either man not wanting the challenge or "being afraid," as I'm sure will get mentioned in the comment section. It has to do with their focus on their own weight classes, and participating in fights that make sense for them.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Nevada attorney general: Bradley over Pacquiao not a robbery
Nevada attorney general: Bradley over Pacquiao not a robbery
by
Many in the boxing world have declared that Manny Pacquiao's split-decision loss to Tim Bradley was a stick-up at point-blank range.
But an investigation by the Nevada attorney general Catherine Cortez Matso determined on Tuesday that there was no smoking gun.
"After conducting an initial investigation, there do not appear to be any facts or evidence to indicate that a criminal violation occurred," wrote Cortez Matso, who took action in response to a request by Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who promotes both Pacquiao and Bradley.
"As of this date, no one has presented any facts or evidence to indicate a crime has been committed by anyone involved in the Bradley/Pacquiao fight."
Click here to view the documents from the investigation.
Neither Arum, Bradley, Bradley's manager, Cameron Dunkin, nor Pacquiao's advisor, Michael Koncz, could be immediately reached for comment.
Meanwhile, Arum told Yahoo!Sports "I have no reaction to it," while Dunkin said, "I expected this."
"Nothing did happen, no funny business at all, and I'm not surprised that's what [Cortez Masto] found," Dunkin told Yahoo!Sports. "I'm happy they cleared it up, and for all the paranoid people who don't understand and who don't know what they're talking about, now they can calm down."
Bradley (29-0, 12 knockouts) defeated Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) by scores of 115-113 on the cards of official judges C.J. Ross and Duane Ford, dethroning him as welterweight titleholder on June 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Jerry Roth had it 115-113 for Pacquiao, and an informal poll of 51 writers favored Pacquiao over Bradley, 48-3.
In the wake of Bradley's victory, Arum requested in a letter dated June 11 that Cortez Matso investigate the results.
"There have been numerous allegations on blogs and from boxing authorities that perhaps Top Rank, as well as myself, had something personal to gain by what has been described as an extremely poor decision by boxing officials in Nevada," Arum wrote.
"As you know, Mr. Bradley was awarded a split-decision over Mr. Pacquiao despite the fact that there was near unanimous scoring by boxing writers at ringside that had Pacquiao winning in a lopsided decision."
Although none of the judges were interviewed during Cortez Matso's investigation, referee Robert Byrd was. According to Cortez Matso's letter, Byrd stated that "the only thing that was unusual was that Pacquiao was late to the pre-bout rules meeting between the referee and the fighters."
Pacquiao "was stretching and using the treadmill during the scheduled time," Byrd told Cortez Matso in the letter, "which resulted in him being late for the meeting and this delayed the start time."
Although Cortez Matso wrote the matter "is closed," Arum expressed outrage that none of the judges were interviewed.
"They spent a lot of time interviewing the referee who had nothing to do with judging the fight, and I didn't see any interviews with the three judges who scored it? Wouldn't you do that if you were looking into it?" said Arum.
"Anybody who reads that letter is going to say, 'Hey wait a second. The three people who, in effect, caused this, why weren't they interviewed?' Obviously, it would have been far more thorough had they interviewed the judges. They probably would have come to the same conclusion [that there was no evidence of a crime], but at least they would have talked to the people at the center of the issue."
Arum's initial request, though, was more focused on absolving the sport and his promotional company.
"I am not asking you to in any way investigate the determination by the judges from Nevada," his letter said, "nor am I asking you to give any consideration to seeking a change in the final outcome. Instead, I would ask that you consider an investigation that would set the record straight on boxing in Nevada for the entire world to see."
"Nevada is still the premier site for boxing events in the world, and an investigation of the process and more specifically the role of the promoters, including my company, would allow me and my company to defend its reputation against malicious accusations that are damaging not only to us as a reputable promoter but to the sport itself."
Arum asked Cortez Matso to do the following:
-- Determine how officials are picked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to show that there is an impartial selection of those who work the fights.
-- Investigate the charges of any rumored betting improprieties, although I do not believe that to be the case.
-- Point to the fact that there are no malfeasance among the Nevada officials and the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
-- Speak to the legitimacy and efficacy of the athletic governing body in Nevada so that the world sees that this state continues to be among the world leaders in governing boxing.
-- Thoroughly examine and vet all executives and decision makers in our company, Top Rank
-- And any other pertinent facts that you would deem appropriate.
"Displeasure with the subjective decisions of sporting officials is not a sufficient basis for this office to initiate a criminal investigation. Unless evidence beyond mere displeasure if forthcoming, this matter will be considered closed," wrote Cortez Matso.
"While there may be strong disagreement with the decision, the exercise of professional judgment by individuals officiating at a sporting event is not by itself a criminal violation."
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer said he cooperated with the investigation, adding that "the attorney general did a good job."
"The attorney general asked questions and I provided the answers, and I also provided the information which was requested," said Kizer.
"I really felt that there was no need for an investigation in the first place, but I'm glad that the attorney general did a good job investigating the allegations from Top Rank."
Kizer also informed RingTV.com that he has concluded a review of the video with Ford, Ross and Roth.
"I sat down with the three judges individually and we watched each of the specific rounds of the fight that that particular judge gave to Bradley," said Kizer.
"We were very satisfied with their performances that night, and we were very satisfied with their review of the tapes with us last week. We feel that they did a good job that night and we were satisfied with their review."
In addition, Kizer said that Nevada chairman, Skip Avasino, "spoke to the judges individually" and is expected to address their conversations in a report during a 9 a.m. meeting of the commission on July 9.
Cortez Matso's ruling contradicted one on June 20 by a five-member panel of judges convened by WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel, which unanimously scored in favor of Pacquiao after watching video of the fight.
Valcarcel informed RingTV.com that his panel all had the matchup for Pacauiao, by scores of 117-111, 117-111, 118-110, 116-112, and115-113. From ringside, Valcarcel said he scored the fight for Pacquiao eight rounds to four.
Valcarcel said that his organization's rules do not allow for the bout being overturned, but that "the only thing that we can do is authorize a rematch."
The Bradley-Pacquiao contract already had contained a clause calling for a rematch on Nov. 10, although Pacquiao may be considering a fourth bout with Juan Manuel Marquez or else a rematch with three-division titlewinner Miguel Cotto for that date.
Valcarcel said he would leave the scenario regarding a rematch to Arum, Marquez's Mexican-based co-promoter, Fernando Beltran, who often works with Top Rank, and Dunkin.
Photos by Naoki Fukuda
by
Many in the boxing world have declared that Manny Pacquiao's split-decision loss to Tim Bradley was a stick-up at point-blank range.
But an investigation by the Nevada attorney general Catherine Cortez Matso determined on Tuesday that there was no smoking gun.
"After conducting an initial investigation, there do not appear to be any facts or evidence to indicate that a criminal violation occurred," wrote Cortez Matso, who took action in response to a request by Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who promotes both Pacquiao and Bradley.
"As of this date, no one has presented any facts or evidence to indicate a crime has been committed by anyone involved in the Bradley/Pacquiao fight."
Click here to view the documents from the investigation.
Neither Arum, Bradley, Bradley's manager, Cameron Dunkin, nor Pacquiao's advisor, Michael Koncz, could be immediately reached for comment.
Meanwhile, Arum told Yahoo!Sports "I have no reaction to it," while Dunkin said, "I expected this."
"Nothing did happen, no funny business at all, and I'm not surprised that's what [Cortez Masto] found," Dunkin told Yahoo!Sports. "I'm happy they cleared it up, and for all the paranoid people who don't understand and who don't know what they're talking about, now they can calm down."
Bradley (29-0, 12 knockouts) defeated Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) by scores of 115-113 on the cards of official judges C.J. Ross and Duane Ford, dethroning him as welterweight titleholder on June 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Jerry Roth had it 115-113 for Pacquiao, and an informal poll of 51 writers favored Pacquiao over Bradley, 48-3.
In the wake of Bradley's victory, Arum requested in a letter dated June 11 that Cortez Matso investigate the results.
"There have been numerous allegations on blogs and from boxing authorities that perhaps Top Rank, as well as myself, had something personal to gain by what has been described as an extremely poor decision by boxing officials in Nevada," Arum wrote.
"As you know, Mr. Bradley was awarded a split-decision over Mr. Pacquiao despite the fact that there was near unanimous scoring by boxing writers at ringside that had Pacquiao winning in a lopsided decision."
Although none of the judges were interviewed during Cortez Matso's investigation, referee Robert Byrd was. According to Cortez Matso's letter, Byrd stated that "the only thing that was unusual was that Pacquiao was late to the pre-bout rules meeting between the referee and the fighters."
Pacquiao "was stretching and using the treadmill during the scheduled time," Byrd told Cortez Matso in the letter, "which resulted in him being late for the meeting and this delayed the start time."
Although Cortez Matso wrote the matter "is closed," Arum expressed outrage that none of the judges were interviewed.
"They spent a lot of time interviewing the referee who had nothing to do with judging the fight, and I didn't see any interviews with the three judges who scored it? Wouldn't you do that if you were looking into it?" said Arum.
"Anybody who reads that letter is going to say, 'Hey wait a second. The three people who, in effect, caused this, why weren't they interviewed?' Obviously, it would have been far more thorough had they interviewed the judges. They probably would have come to the same conclusion [that there was no evidence of a crime], but at least they would have talked to the people at the center of the issue."
Arum's initial request, though, was more focused on absolving the sport and his promotional company.
"I am not asking you to in any way investigate the determination by the judges from Nevada," his letter said, "nor am I asking you to give any consideration to seeking a change in the final outcome. Instead, I would ask that you consider an investigation that would set the record straight on boxing in Nevada for the entire world to see."
"Nevada is still the premier site for boxing events in the world, and an investigation of the process and more specifically the role of the promoters, including my company, would allow me and my company to defend its reputation against malicious accusations that are damaging not only to us as a reputable promoter but to the sport itself."
Arum asked Cortez Matso to do the following:
-- Determine how officials are picked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to show that there is an impartial selection of those who work the fights.
-- Investigate the charges of any rumored betting improprieties, although I do not believe that to be the case.
-- Point to the fact that there are no malfeasance among the Nevada officials and the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
-- Speak to the legitimacy and efficacy of the athletic governing body in Nevada so that the world sees that this state continues to be among the world leaders in governing boxing.
-- Thoroughly examine and vet all executives and decision makers in our company, Top Rank
-- And any other pertinent facts that you would deem appropriate.
"Displeasure with the subjective decisions of sporting officials is not a sufficient basis for this office to initiate a criminal investigation. Unless evidence beyond mere displeasure if forthcoming, this matter will be considered closed," wrote Cortez Matso.
"While there may be strong disagreement with the decision, the exercise of professional judgment by individuals officiating at a sporting event is not by itself a criminal violation."
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer said he cooperated with the investigation, adding that "the attorney general did a good job."
"The attorney general asked questions and I provided the answers, and I also provided the information which was requested," said Kizer.
"I really felt that there was no need for an investigation in the first place, but I'm glad that the attorney general did a good job investigating the allegations from Top Rank."
Kizer also informed RingTV.com that he has concluded a review of the video with Ford, Ross and Roth.
"I sat down with the three judges individually and we watched each of the specific rounds of the fight that that particular judge gave to Bradley," said Kizer.
"We were very satisfied with their performances that night, and we were very satisfied with their review of the tapes with us last week. We feel that they did a good job that night and we were satisfied with their review."
In addition, Kizer said that Nevada chairman, Skip Avasino, "spoke to the judges individually" and is expected to address their conversations in a report during a 9 a.m. meeting of the commission on July 9.
Cortez Matso's ruling contradicted one on June 20 by a five-member panel of judges convened by WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel, which unanimously scored in favor of Pacquiao after watching video of the fight.
Valcarcel informed RingTV.com that his panel all had the matchup for Pacauiao, by scores of 117-111, 117-111, 118-110, 116-112, and115-113. From ringside, Valcarcel said he scored the fight for Pacquiao eight rounds to four.
Valcarcel said that his organization's rules do not allow for the bout being overturned, but that "the only thing that we can do is authorize a rematch."
The Bradley-Pacquiao contract already had contained a clause calling for a rematch on Nov. 10, although Pacquiao may be considering a fourth bout with Juan Manuel Marquez or else a rematch with three-division titlewinner Miguel Cotto for that date.
Valcarcel said he would leave the scenario regarding a rematch to Arum, Marquez's Mexican-based co-promoter, Fernando Beltran, who often works with Top Rank, and Dunkin.
Photos by Naoki Fukuda
Monday, July 2, 2012
Drug Cheats in Boxing
Drug Cheats in Boxing
by Danny Richardson
After recent revelations, I thought I'd have my say on drugs in boxing, and how this shadow is threatening the credibility of our sport. Over the past few months, we have been greeted with stories that fighters ranging from a domestic to world level have tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs, and unfortunately, this problem doesn't seem to be going away.
It's nothing new; there have been examples of this before, most famously from Roy Jones Jr, who tested positive for a banned substance back in 2000. Not enough was made of the situation in my opinion, and this has since been swept under the carpet. This was a high profile case, because at the time, Jones Jr was one of, if not the best fighter on the planet. More action should have been taken.
Incidents like these were few and far between though. A personal memory is of Vince Phillips failing a drugs test after being defeated by Ricky Hatton back in 2003. But, as I say, these incidents have been rare, and we haven't faced a pandemic of fighters failing drug tests.
However - that pandemic looks likely at this moment in time. We learned earlier this year, that Lamont Peterson failed a drugs test in the run up to his highly anticipated rematch with Amir Khan. Peterson was found to have traces of testosterone in his system, which is of course a banned substance. We hoped this would be an isolated incident, but more was yet to come.
Shortly after, Andre Berto failed a drugs test a few months before he was due to face Victor Ortiz in a rematch of their 2011 thriller. Peterson, then Berto. But more followed. Antonio Tarver, a great champion in his day, followed suit, and more recently, we have seen that British heavyweight Larry Olubamiwo failed a drugs test, the Englishman admitting that he had taken PED's for years. 3 world level fighters, followed by a domestic level fighter - showing that boxing at all levels is affected.
We have seen further rumours. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr missed his drugs test after defeating Andy Lee last month, after putting on a staggering 20lbs in little over 24 hours, between the weigh in and the fight itself. I'm no expert, but that is a staggering amount of weight to put on in such a short space of time. Surely that can't be down to just rehydration.
Even today, there are unconfirmed reports that Enzo Maccarinelli, the popular Welshman, has also failed a drugs test. As I said earlier, from the examples I've listed, we see fighters at all levels taking PED'S in whatever form. These aren't isolated incidents anymore, and I can guarantee there will be more stories like these in the coming months.
It's an issue that needs to be stopped, because if it gets any worse, boxing will struggle to recover. After Larry Olubamiwo admitted to his drug taking, he told reporters that more fighters were doing it, and they have been getting away with it for years. This needs to stop, because these cases, especially the high profile ones, will ruin the sport.
As soon as a fighter is found guilty of taking PED's, the book needs to be thrown at them. We need a serious deterrent. I would propose a life ban against fighters found to have taken PED's, with their records wiped from history and every fighter to have suffered a defeat against the boxer in question, would be awarded the win, or their loss taken away. Adding a large fine to that would surely act as enough. We need a crack down on drug taking in boxing, and we need it now.
PED's don't always help a fighter either. Olubamiwo has embarrassed himself in more ways than one by admitting his use of PED's, because he was bombed out in a round by John McDermott in 2011. If you can't beat John McDermott (no disrespect to him) with the help of PED's, then you can't be much of a fighter. Also, Vince Phillips lost to Ricky Hatton prior to him failing a drugs test, and those that have been found guilty of taking PED's now find their career and reputation in tatters. It's not worth it, because if you're found out, the whole boxing world views you with shame, and you find yourself looking for an office job as your career is over.
At least that should be the case, because going back to Roy Jones Jr, the situation was more or less forgotten about, and he didn't face any consequences. Also, there are arguments that fighters don't know what they can and can't take, and some claim to have been misinformed when failing drugs tests for a substance they thought was legal. To those fighters, a thorough investigation should be held, followed by a ban for a shorter period of time, as well as a fine. They'll be sure to check before taking anything else in the future.
To catch the cheats, and to act as a deterrent, the Olympic Style drug testing format is the perfect solution. More regular, random blood testing is what is catching the drug cheats, and this format needs to become mandatory. Floyd Mayweather has been a great advocate for this form of testing, which included a blood test as well as urine tests, as there are certain types of PED that only show up in blood tests. Fighters will be tested randomly and more often, catching drugs cheats in the process. If this form of testing is introduced at all levels, the cheats will be caught and boxing will become a cleaner sport.
It is easier said than done, but with fighters such as Floyd Mayweather, Nonito Donaire and Amir Khan supporting the campaign to clean up boxing, then this problem could come to an end. We as fans deserve to be watching natural athletes compete at the highest level, giving us entertainment in the process. PED users may give us the entertainment value, but once their use of drugs comes to light, we all feel cheated. Also, knowing they have worked your way to the top by using PED's can't give fighters the same sense of satisfaction they would receive if they had worked honestly throughout their careers, they can't truly know if they're better than everyone else.
If this problem is not rectified soon, then boxing will be damaged beyond repair. In the past few months, we have seen more cases than I can remember, and if the use of PED's is not stopped, these cases will happen more often. This can't be allowed to happen, because if it does, boxing will no longer be a sport that is loved and respected, and I'm sure the drug users themselves won't want to see that happen. Fighters need to start proving they are clean, to start rebuilding the damaged reputation boxing is in danger of getting. As Floyd Mayweather would say, if you're the best, take the test.
It's nothing new; there have been examples of this before, most famously from Roy Jones Jr, who tested positive for a banned substance back in 2000. Not enough was made of the situation in my opinion, and this has since been swept under the carpet. This was a high profile case, because at the time, Jones Jr was one of, if not the best fighter on the planet. More action should have been taken.
Incidents like these were few and far between though. A personal memory is of Vince Phillips failing a drugs test after being defeated by Ricky Hatton back in 2003. But, as I say, these incidents have been rare, and we haven't faced a pandemic of fighters failing drug tests.
However - that pandemic looks likely at this moment in time. We learned earlier this year, that Lamont Peterson failed a drugs test in the run up to his highly anticipated rematch with Amir Khan. Peterson was found to have traces of testosterone in his system, which is of course a banned substance. We hoped this would be an isolated incident, but more was yet to come.
Shortly after, Andre Berto failed a drugs test a few months before he was due to face Victor Ortiz in a rematch of their 2011 thriller. Peterson, then Berto. But more followed. Antonio Tarver, a great champion in his day, followed suit, and more recently, we have seen that British heavyweight Larry Olubamiwo failed a drugs test, the Englishman admitting that he had taken PED's for years. 3 world level fighters, followed by a domestic level fighter - showing that boxing at all levels is affected.
We have seen further rumours. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr missed his drugs test after defeating Andy Lee last month, after putting on a staggering 20lbs in little over 24 hours, between the weigh in and the fight itself. I'm no expert, but that is a staggering amount of weight to put on in such a short space of time. Surely that can't be down to just rehydration.
Even today, there are unconfirmed reports that Enzo Maccarinelli, the popular Welshman, has also failed a drugs test. As I said earlier, from the examples I've listed, we see fighters at all levels taking PED'S in whatever form. These aren't isolated incidents anymore, and I can guarantee there will be more stories like these in the coming months.
It's an issue that needs to be stopped, because if it gets any worse, boxing will struggle to recover. After Larry Olubamiwo admitted to his drug taking, he told reporters that more fighters were doing it, and they have been getting away with it for years. This needs to stop, because these cases, especially the high profile ones, will ruin the sport.
As soon as a fighter is found guilty of taking PED's, the book needs to be thrown at them. We need a serious deterrent. I would propose a life ban against fighters found to have taken PED's, with their records wiped from history and every fighter to have suffered a defeat against the boxer in question, would be awarded the win, or their loss taken away. Adding a large fine to that would surely act as enough. We need a crack down on drug taking in boxing, and we need it now.
PED's don't always help a fighter either. Olubamiwo has embarrassed himself in more ways than one by admitting his use of PED's, because he was bombed out in a round by John McDermott in 2011. If you can't beat John McDermott (no disrespect to him) with the help of PED's, then you can't be much of a fighter. Also, Vince Phillips lost to Ricky Hatton prior to him failing a drugs test, and those that have been found guilty of taking PED's now find their career and reputation in tatters. It's not worth it, because if you're found out, the whole boxing world views you with shame, and you find yourself looking for an office job as your career is over.
At least that should be the case, because going back to Roy Jones Jr, the situation was more or less forgotten about, and he didn't face any consequences. Also, there are arguments that fighters don't know what they can and can't take, and some claim to have been misinformed when failing drugs tests for a substance they thought was legal. To those fighters, a thorough investigation should be held, followed by a ban for a shorter period of time, as well as a fine. They'll be sure to check before taking anything else in the future.
To catch the cheats, and to act as a deterrent, the Olympic Style drug testing format is the perfect solution. More regular, random blood testing is what is catching the drug cheats, and this format needs to become mandatory. Floyd Mayweather has been a great advocate for this form of testing, which included a blood test as well as urine tests, as there are certain types of PED that only show up in blood tests. Fighters will be tested randomly and more often, catching drugs cheats in the process. If this form of testing is introduced at all levels, the cheats will be caught and boxing will become a cleaner sport.
It is easier said than done, but with fighters such as Floyd Mayweather, Nonito Donaire and Amir Khan supporting the campaign to clean up boxing, then this problem could come to an end. We as fans deserve to be watching natural athletes compete at the highest level, giving us entertainment in the process. PED users may give us the entertainment value, but once their use of drugs comes to light, we all feel cheated. Also, knowing they have worked your way to the top by using PED's can't give fighters the same sense of satisfaction they would receive if they had worked honestly throughout their careers, they can't truly know if they're better than everyone else.
If this problem is not rectified soon, then boxing will be damaged beyond repair. In the past few months, we have seen more cases than I can remember, and if the use of PED's is not stopped, these cases will happen more often. This can't be allowed to happen, because if it does, boxing will no longer be a sport that is loved and respected, and I'm sure the drug users themselves won't want to see that happen. Fighters need to start proving they are clean, to start rebuilding the damaged reputation boxing is in danger of getting. As Floyd Mayweather would say, if you're the best, take the test.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Bundrage, Lara win on ShoBox but don't look like viable Canelo opponents
Bundrage, Lara win on ShoBox but don't look like viable Canelo opponents
by
Showtime commentator Steve Farhood said it best when he concluded the network’s broadcast from Indio, Calif., on Saturday with the words: “the 'Canelo' sweepstakes continues.”
The special ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader from the Fantasy Springs Casino opened and closed with two junior middleweight contenders who want a shot at WBC 154-pound titleholder Saul Alvarez, the young Mexican star who is still without an opponent for his Sept. 15 date in Las Vegas.
IBF beltholder Cornelius Bundrage, THE RING’s No. 9-rated junior middleweight, scored a seventh-round stoppage of Cory Spinks in the main event, while the magazine’s No. 5-rated contender, Erislandy Lara, outpointed Freddy Hernandez over 10 rounds in the first bout of the broadcast.
Although both fighters got the job done – Bundrage (32-4, 19 knockouts) needed only two more rounds to knockout the former champ in a rematch of his 2010 title-winning effort; while Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs) soundly outboxed the game but outclassed gatekeeper from Mexico – neither contender really “sold” himself as an attractive B-side to Alvarez’s Mexican Independence Day weekend event.
Bundrage dropped Spinks (39-7, 11 KOs) with an overhand right in the first round and closed the show by knocking the southpaw down three times in the seventh, but the 39-year-old Detroit native didn’t look good in rounds two through six.
Neither did Spinks. The ugly fight featured more holding, grappling, low blows, and takedowns than clean exchanges between the two awkward veterans. Spinks, who looks faded at age 34, had his moments in rounds three, four and five, but at the end of the day the once-savvy boxer lacked the legs and the power to threaten Bundrage, who – if nothing else – is aggressive and can punch.
“I felt like I was going to get him, that’s why I was kind of hard headed (between rounds),” said Bundrage, who frustrated his hall-of-fame trainer Emanuel Steward by not following instructions after having Spinks in trouble in the opening round. “I knew in my mind that I was going to get him. (Spinks) can’t stand up to all that fight, you know. I bring the fight.”
Bundrage has a bright personality, which was on full display during his post-fight interview with Farhood. However, the jury is still out on whether the unorthodox puncher could compete with Alvarez or help push the Sept. 15 promotion.
Bundrage, who goes by many nicknames, including “K9,” believes he would do well on both fronts.
“The Black Rocky, Iron Man versus Canelo,” he barked at the end of his interview. “Let’s get it on!”
Lara doesn’t have Bundrage’s personality or enthusiasm but the 29-year-old former amateur star has the talent and skill set to give Alvarez all he can handle.
The problem with Lara, who was one fight (a first-round KO of Ronald Hearns in April) removed from losing a very controversial 12-round decision to Paul Williams going into the Hernandez fight, is that if the Cuban southpaw doesn’t score an opening-round stoppage he usually makes for uneventful distance bouts.
Lara’s unanimous decision over Hernandez (30-3, 20 KOs) was not only uneventful, but marred by numerous headbutts – all of which seemed to be initiated by the Cuban. By the seventh round, during which referee Wayne Hedgepeth docked Lara a point for the repeated infraction, Hernandez’s face was a bloody mess from head clashes.
Apart from the headbutts, Lara was in command of the fight by utilizing his usual stick-and-move strategy. He landed 64 percent of his power punches, according to CompuBox, en route to dominating scores of 99-90 and 98-91.
Pay no attention to veteran judge Marty Denkin’s 95-94 card. The fight wasn’t close at all. Hernandez, who stalked forward all night, was able to land some left hooks to the body whenever he got Lara against the ropes, but he didn’t connect with enough clean head shots to win more than one or two rounds.
Still, the Mexico City native should be commended for being so determined despite Lara’s tricky style, the many headbutts and four bleeding cuts on his face.
If Lara had a little bit of Hernandez’s come-forward style and some of Bundrage’s reckless aggression he would be the perfect opponent for Alvarez on Sept. 15. But as it is, Lara represents a lot of risk and very little reward for the unbeaten red head.
The one fighter who was able to combine skill with power and aggression on the Golden Boy Promotions card was
undefeated featherweight prospect Gary Russell Jr., who scored four knockdowns en route to a one-sided third-round stoppage of unheralded Christopher Perez in the second bout of the ShoBox broadcast.
Russell (20-0, 12 KOs), a 24-year-old southpaw from Capitol Heights, Md., dropped Perez with a left cross-right hook combination in the second round before putting the lanky 22-year-old from Culiacan, Mexico, down three times in the third round.
Russell, a two-time national amateur champ and 2008 Olympian, dropped Perez (23-3, 14 KOs) with a left, and then a right uppercut, before a one-two combo put the Sinaloa native down for a third time in the round, prompting veteran referee Pat Russell to stop the fight.
The performance backed up Russell’s reputation as one of the sport’s top prospects, however, hardcore fans who have followed his career for the past few years are ready to see him tested by a legitimate featherweight contender.
Photos / Naoki Fukuda
by
Showtime commentator Steve Farhood said it best when he concluded the network’s broadcast from Indio, Calif., on Saturday with the words: “the 'Canelo' sweepstakes continues.”
The special ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader from the Fantasy Springs Casino opened and closed with two junior middleweight contenders who want a shot at WBC 154-pound titleholder Saul Alvarez, the young Mexican star who is still without an opponent for his Sept. 15 date in Las Vegas.
IBF beltholder Cornelius Bundrage, THE RING’s No. 9-rated junior middleweight, scored a seventh-round stoppage of Cory Spinks in the main event, while the magazine’s No. 5-rated contender, Erislandy Lara, outpointed Freddy Hernandez over 10 rounds in the first bout of the broadcast.
Although both fighters got the job done – Bundrage (32-4, 19 knockouts) needed only two more rounds to knockout the former champ in a rematch of his 2010 title-winning effort; while Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs) soundly outboxed the game but outclassed gatekeeper from Mexico – neither contender really “sold” himself as an attractive B-side to Alvarez’s Mexican Independence Day weekend event.
Bundrage dropped Spinks (39-7, 11 KOs) with an overhand right in the first round and closed the show by knocking the southpaw down three times in the seventh, but the 39-year-old Detroit native didn’t look good in rounds two through six.Neither did Spinks. The ugly fight featured more holding, grappling, low blows, and takedowns than clean exchanges between the two awkward veterans. Spinks, who looks faded at age 34, had his moments in rounds three, four and five, but at the end of the day the once-savvy boxer lacked the legs and the power to threaten Bundrage, who – if nothing else – is aggressive and can punch.
“I felt like I was going to get him, that’s why I was kind of hard headed (between rounds),” said Bundrage, who frustrated his hall-of-fame trainer Emanuel Steward by not following instructions after having Spinks in trouble in the opening round. “I knew in my mind that I was going to get him. (Spinks) can’t stand up to all that fight, you know. I bring the fight.”
Bundrage has a bright personality, which was on full display during his post-fight interview with Farhood. However, the jury is still out on whether the unorthodox puncher could compete with Alvarez or help push the Sept. 15 promotion.
Bundrage, who goes by many nicknames, including “K9,” believes he would do well on both fronts.
“The Black Rocky, Iron Man versus Canelo,” he barked at the end of his interview. “Let’s get it on!”
Lara doesn’t have Bundrage’s personality or enthusiasm but the 29-year-old former amateur star has the talent and skill set to give Alvarez all he can handle.
The problem with Lara, who was one fight (a first-round KO of Ronald Hearns in April) removed from losing a very controversial 12-round decision to Paul Williams going into the Hernandez fight, is that if the Cuban southpaw doesn’t score an opening-round stoppage he usually makes for uneventful distance bouts.
Lara’s unanimous decision over Hernandez (30-3, 20 KOs) was not only uneventful, but marred by numerous headbutts – all of which seemed to be initiated by the Cuban. By the seventh round, during which referee Wayne Hedgepeth docked Lara a point for the repeated infraction, Hernandez’s face was a bloody mess from head clashes.
Apart from the headbutts, Lara was in command of the fight by utilizing his usual stick-and-move strategy. He landed 64 percent of his power punches, according to CompuBox, en route to dominating scores of 99-90 and 98-91.
Pay no attention to veteran judge Marty Denkin’s 95-94 card. The fight wasn’t close at all. Hernandez, who stalked forward all night, was able to land some left hooks to the body whenever he got Lara against the ropes, but he didn’t connect with enough clean head shots to win more than one or two rounds.
Still, the Mexico City native should be commended for being so determined despite Lara’s tricky style, the many headbutts and four bleeding cuts on his face.
If Lara had a little bit of Hernandez’s come-forward style and some of Bundrage’s reckless aggression he would be the perfect opponent for Alvarez on Sept. 15. But as it is, Lara represents a lot of risk and very little reward for the unbeaten red head.
The one fighter who was able to combine skill with power and aggression on the Golden Boy Promotions card was
undefeated featherweight prospect Gary Russell Jr., who scored four knockdowns en route to a one-sided third-round stoppage of unheralded Christopher Perez in the second bout of the ShoBox broadcast.Russell (20-0, 12 KOs), a 24-year-old southpaw from Capitol Heights, Md., dropped Perez with a left cross-right hook combination in the second round before putting the lanky 22-year-old from Culiacan, Mexico, down three times in the third round.
Russell, a two-time national amateur champ and 2008 Olympian, dropped Perez (23-3, 14 KOs) with a left, and then a right uppercut, before a one-two combo put the Sinaloa native down for a third time in the round, prompting veteran referee Pat Russell to stop the fight.
The performance backed up Russell’s reputation as one of the sport’s top prospects, however, hardcore fans who have followed his career for the past few years are ready to see him tested by a legitimate featherweight contender.
Photos / Naoki Fukuda
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Dibella puts on "Rising Stars" card
Dibella puts on "Rising Stars" card
by Dan Rafael
Last July, I wrote about HBO's plans to launch a prospect-oriented boxing series on its HBO2 platform.
Promoters Lou DiBella, Gary Shaw and Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, along with then-HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, signed the paperwork to create a monthly tripleheader (probably a four- or six-rounder followed by 10- or 12-round bouts) for about $150,000 per show.
The show was originally delayed until January and now has been canceled altogether. Obviously, Ken Hershman, the new HBO Sports boss who replaced Greenburg -- who was forced to resign last summer -- didn't want to go forward with the series.
But he still had obligations to the promoters for the money they would have received for a year's worth of cards under the deal. That has now seemingly been worked out, and the promoters will get lower-priced "Boxing After Dark" shows to make up for the license fees they would have gotten for the now-dead (and unnamed) series.
The first of these "makeup" shows looks promising. DiBella will put on a Sept. 29 tripleheader from the Foxwoods resort in Mashantucket, Conn., that will feature some of his most promising fighters: super middleweight Edwin Rodriguez and junior featherweight Luis "Orlandito" Del Valle and probably light heavyweight Isaac Chilemba.
"There's a need to build some new blood," DiBella said. "HBO is doing what they promised they'd do, but in a different way. This is like a rising stars card, where the matches all look good on paper and should have action, and there's a chance for a prospect to make his mark."
Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs), 27, who outpointed Donovan George in his HBO debut in March, will fight in the main event, largely because he is from nearby Worcester, Mass., and will bring a crowd. He'll face New Jersey's Jason Escalera (13-0-1, 12 KOs), also 27.
Escalera has never faced anyone close to Rodriguez's caliber, so I'm far more intrigued by the undercard bouts.
DiBella said the deal is done for Puerto Rico's Del Valle (16-0, 11 KOs), 25, to face former junior bantamweight and flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan (37-5-1, 27 KOs). Darchinyan, 36, has lost two in a row at bantamweight and is moving up in weight, but he is very experienced, packs a punch, usually is in entertaining fights and has nothing to lose. He is Del Valle's best opponent -- by far.
"Del Valle-Darchinyan, it's a war," DiBella said. "The thing I love about Edwin and Orlandito is, they're great TV fighters because they can't help themselves to engage even though they don't have to. But it's who they are. They put themselves in danger, and it makes it fun to watch. Orlandito is a little beast. We know Darchinyan is a warrior. He never makes a bad fight.
"If Orlandito passes the test, he emerges as a legitimate challenger for [titleholder] Nonito Donaire. Orlandito against [former titlist] Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., if Vazquez beats Rafael Marquez in August in Puerto Rico, is a big fight. [Top Rank's Bob] Arum and I have already talked about that fight."
DiBella is working to finalize the third fight -- South Africa's 25-year-old Chilemba (19-1-1, 9 KOs) against former light heavyweight and cruiserweight titlist Zsolt Erdei (33-0, 18 KOs), who's a bit older (38) and hasn't fought in a year but is regarded as one of the best at 175 pounds. Chilemba is coming off a career-best win against Edison Miranda, whom he outpointed in February on "Friday Night Fights."
DiBella said he tried to work out a deal with British promoter Frank Maloney to have heavyweight prospect David Price (13-0, 11 KOs), a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and perhaps England's best heavyweight hope, appear on the show, but it didn't work out.
Shaw is supposed to get his version of a "rising stars" card in October, and could feature welterweight sensation Thomas Dulorme (15-0, 12 KOs) of Puerto Rico.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
by Dan Rafael
Last July, I wrote about HBO's plans to launch a prospect-oriented boxing series on its HBO2 platform.
Promoters Lou DiBella, Gary Shaw and Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, along with then-HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, signed the paperwork to create a monthly tripleheader (probably a four- or six-rounder followed by 10- or 12-round bouts) for about $150,000 per show.
The show was originally delayed until January and now has been canceled altogether. Obviously, Ken Hershman, the new HBO Sports boss who replaced Greenburg -- who was forced to resign last summer -- didn't want to go forward with the series.
But he still had obligations to the promoters for the money they would have received for a year's worth of cards under the deal. That has now seemingly been worked out, and the promoters will get lower-priced "Boxing After Dark" shows to make up for the license fees they would have gotten for the now-dead (and unnamed) series.
The first of these "makeup" shows looks promising. DiBella will put on a Sept. 29 tripleheader from the Foxwoods resort in Mashantucket, Conn., that will feature some of his most promising fighters: super middleweight Edwin Rodriguez and junior featherweight Luis "Orlandito" Del Valle and probably light heavyweight Isaac Chilemba.
"There's a need to build some new blood," DiBella said. "HBO is doing what they promised they'd do, but in a different way. This is like a rising stars card, where the matches all look good on paper and should have action, and there's a chance for a prospect to make his mark."
Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs), 27, who outpointed Donovan George in his HBO debut in March, will fight in the main event, largely because he is from nearby Worcester, Mass., and will bring a crowd. He'll face New Jersey's Jason Escalera (13-0-1, 12 KOs), also 27.
Escalera has never faced anyone close to Rodriguez's caliber, so I'm far more intrigued by the undercard bouts.
DiBella said the deal is done for Puerto Rico's Del Valle (16-0, 11 KOs), 25, to face former junior bantamweight and flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan (37-5-1, 27 KOs). Darchinyan, 36, has lost two in a row at bantamweight and is moving up in weight, but he is very experienced, packs a punch, usually is in entertaining fights and has nothing to lose. He is Del Valle's best opponent -- by far.
"Del Valle-Darchinyan, it's a war," DiBella said. "The thing I love about Edwin and Orlandito is, they're great TV fighters because they can't help themselves to engage even though they don't have to. But it's who they are. They put themselves in danger, and it makes it fun to watch. Orlandito is a little beast. We know Darchinyan is a warrior. He never makes a bad fight.
"If Orlandito passes the test, he emerges as a legitimate challenger for [titleholder] Nonito Donaire. Orlandito against [former titlist] Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., if Vazquez beats Rafael Marquez in August in Puerto Rico, is a big fight. [Top Rank's Bob] Arum and I have already talked about that fight."
DiBella is working to finalize the third fight -- South Africa's 25-year-old Chilemba (19-1-1, 9 KOs) against former light heavyweight and cruiserweight titlist Zsolt Erdei (33-0, 18 KOs), who's a bit older (38) and hasn't fought in a year but is regarded as one of the best at 175 pounds. Chilemba is coming off a career-best win against Edison Miranda, whom he outpointed in February on "Friday Night Fights."
DiBella said he tried to work out a deal with British promoter Frank Maloney to have heavyweight prospect David Price (13-0, 11 KOs), a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and perhaps England's best heavyweight hope, appear on the show, but it didn't work out.
Shaw is supposed to get his version of a "rising stars" card in October, and could feature welterweight sensation Thomas Dulorme (15-0, 12 KOs) of Puerto Rico.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Pavlik's not a 'ghost' of his former self anymore
Pavlik's not a 'ghost' of his former self anymore
by Lem Satterfield
When Kelly Pavlik entered the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard, Calif., in January, gym owner Robert Garcia knew the 30-year-old former undisputed middleweight champ would stand out in the crowd.
Having split with career-long trainer Jack Loew and left his native Youngstown, Ohio, to begin working with Garcia, Pavlik was going to be among the few caucasian boxers in a predominantly Mexican atmosphere.
"When he first came to us, we sat down and we talked," said Garcia of Pavlik, who was nicknamed "The Ghost" for his pale skin by African-American rivals as an amateur.
"We knew he was going to be the only white guy in my gym and thought that it would make it harder. But it was really easy. He found himself at home. We gave him the same treatment and everything went well. He came in and became friendly with everyone, and everyone is friendly with him."
And it appears that Pavlik (39-2, 34 knockouts) has revitalized his career as he pursues his third straight victory as a super middleweight when he meets New York's Will Rosinsky (16-1, 9 KOs) on July 7 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
"Everybody in the gym was very welcoming. After the first day, I felt comfortable -- like I had trained there for five years," said Pavlik, who left behind some well-publicized troubles with alcohol in Ohio.
"The hunger was there when I made the move to go to California, but working with Robert, and learning again has made me hungry again. It made me want to keep boxing and fighting harder. It's been easy to get along."
After being dethroned as WBO and WBC middleweight titleholder by Sergio Martinez in April of 2010, Pavlik cited a rib injury as his reason for pulling out of a bout with Bryan Vera, which was scheduled for the undercard of Manny Pacquiao's unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito in November of 2010.
Later that month, Pavlik entered the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for a nearly two-month stay and treatment of a drinking problem.
In August of last year, Pavlik pulled out of a scheduled fight on Showtime, citing his disappointment over the offer of $50,000 to face Darryl Cunningham, followed by a $1.35 million minimum he was to get from Top Rank for a meeting with then-IBF titleholder Lucian Bute.
Pavlik said that he had heard that Denmark's ex-titleholder Mikkel Kessler had turned down a larger amount for a matchup with Bute. The move by Pavlik forced Showtime to cancel the entire card that was be held in Pavlik's hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.
That's about the time when manager Cameron Dunkin began pondering the details designed to resurrect the beleagured Pavlik.
The change to Garcia, who also handles the careers of fighters such as Nonito Donaire, Brandon Rios and Mikey Garcia (who is Robert Garcia's younger brother), was proposed by Dunkin, Pavlik's father, Mike Pavlik, promoter and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, and Top Rank Vice President Carl Moretti during an October meeting in New York while attending Donaire's fight against Omar Narvaez.
"It was definitely important to come out to Oxnard to train. I'm not here to knock anybody or anything like that, but I wasn't going any further where I was. We had a meeting in New York with Bob and Cameron and we had this conversation," said Pavlik, who burst onto the scene with a seventh-round knockout of then-undisputed middleweight titleholder Jermain Taylor in September of 2007.
"A move had to happen, and it was very important. I am learning. I'm hungry and I'm rejuvenated to get back into it. You can never quit learning in this sport, and I'm learning again and that's very important. On the personal part, when I get out here, I don't have any distractions or headaches. I am able to focus on what I'm here to do."
During the fighter's last outting, a seventh-round knockout of Scott Sigmon on June 8, Dunkin said he noticed that Pavlik is no longer a "Ghost" of his former self.
"There were so many more skills in there than he had shown in the past. He was catching Sigmon's punches and rolling with stuff," said Dunkin.
"Kelly was moving his head, holding his hands up and working inside. Not every punch was loading up -- he touched him, turned him and beat him down. And he was calm in there."
Pavlik believes he is approaching a title shot opportunity, perhaps one against England's Carl Froch (29-2, 21 KOs), who dethroned Bute (30-1, 24 KOs) by fifth-round stoppage last month.
"I would like to fight Carl Froch. That weight class is loaded, no matter which way you go. Any big fight at this stage. Whatever opens up, whatever opportunity presents itself, whatever sanctioning body. It doesn't matter," said Pavlik. "Some of those heated words and some things Froch said to me before hurt a little bit. I would like to fight Bute also. Any of those guys, I will fight."
If Pavlik is successful against Rosinsky, Arum said he would like to bring Pavlik back to New York, where he could fight at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in October.
But Pavlik knows that he faces a significant test in Rosinsky, a winner of two straight since falling by unanimous decision to Edwin Rodriguez in October of last year.
"This kid is a good fighter -- a very game fighter and he's going to come to fight. He's coming off of a fight, so he's ready too. But people are going to see the best of me come out that night," said Pavlik. "We're still over a week out, but there are still some things we are fine-tuning right now. I feel really good in camp. Clear-headed and ready to go."
Photos by Chris Farina, Top Rank
by Lem Satterfield
When Kelly Pavlik entered the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard, Calif., in January, gym owner Robert Garcia knew the 30-year-old former undisputed middleweight champ would stand out in the crowd.
Having split with career-long trainer Jack Loew and left his native Youngstown, Ohio, to begin working with Garcia, Pavlik was going to be among the few caucasian boxers in a predominantly Mexican atmosphere.
"When he first came to us, we sat down and we talked," said Garcia of Pavlik, who was nicknamed "The Ghost" for his pale skin by African-American rivals as an amateur.
"We knew he was going to be the only white guy in my gym and thought that it would make it harder. But it was really easy. He found himself at home. We gave him the same treatment and everything went well. He came in and became friendly with everyone, and everyone is friendly with him."
And it appears that Pavlik (39-2, 34 knockouts) has revitalized his career as he pursues his third straight victory as a super middleweight when he meets New York's Will Rosinsky (16-1, 9 KOs) on July 7 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
"Everybody in the gym was very welcoming. After the first day, I felt comfortable -- like I had trained there for five years," said Pavlik, who left behind some well-publicized troubles with alcohol in Ohio."The hunger was there when I made the move to go to California, but working with Robert, and learning again has made me hungry again. It made me want to keep boxing and fighting harder. It's been easy to get along."
After being dethroned as WBO and WBC middleweight titleholder by Sergio Martinez in April of 2010, Pavlik cited a rib injury as his reason for pulling out of a bout with Bryan Vera, which was scheduled for the undercard of Manny Pacquiao's unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito in November of 2010.
Later that month, Pavlik entered the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for a nearly two-month stay and treatment of a drinking problem.
In August of last year, Pavlik pulled out of a scheduled fight on Showtime, citing his disappointment over the offer of $50,000 to face Darryl Cunningham, followed by a $1.35 million minimum he was to get from Top Rank for a meeting with then-IBF titleholder Lucian Bute.
Pavlik said that he had heard that Denmark's ex-titleholder Mikkel Kessler had turned down a larger amount for a matchup with Bute. The move by Pavlik forced Showtime to cancel the entire card that was be held in Pavlik's hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.
That's about the time when manager Cameron Dunkin began pondering the details designed to resurrect the beleagured Pavlik.
The change to Garcia, who also handles the careers of fighters such as Nonito Donaire, Brandon Rios and Mikey Garcia (who is Robert Garcia's younger brother), was proposed by Dunkin, Pavlik's father, Mike Pavlik, promoter and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, and Top Rank Vice President Carl Moretti during an October meeting in New York while attending Donaire's fight against Omar Narvaez.
"It was definitely important to come out to Oxnard to train. I'm not here to knock anybody or anything like that, but I wasn't going any further where I was. We had a meeting in New York with Bob and Cameron and we had this conversation," said Pavlik, who burst onto the scene with a seventh-round knockout of then-undisputed middleweight titleholder Jermain Taylor in September of 2007."A move had to happen, and it was very important. I am learning. I'm hungry and I'm rejuvenated to get back into it. You can never quit learning in this sport, and I'm learning again and that's very important. On the personal part, when I get out here, I don't have any distractions or headaches. I am able to focus on what I'm here to do."
During the fighter's last outting, a seventh-round knockout of Scott Sigmon on June 8, Dunkin said he noticed that Pavlik is no longer a "Ghost" of his former self.
"There were so many more skills in there than he had shown in the past. He was catching Sigmon's punches and rolling with stuff," said Dunkin.
"Kelly was moving his head, holding his hands up and working inside. Not every punch was loading up -- he touched him, turned him and beat him down. And he was calm in there."
Pavlik believes he is approaching a title shot opportunity, perhaps one against England's Carl Froch (29-2, 21 KOs), who dethroned Bute (30-1, 24 KOs) by fifth-round stoppage last month.
"I would like to fight Carl Froch. That weight class is loaded, no matter which way you go. Any big fight at this stage. Whatever opens up, whatever opportunity presents itself, whatever sanctioning body. It doesn't matter," said Pavlik. "Some of those heated words and some things Froch said to me before hurt a little bit. I would like to fight Bute also. Any of those guys, I will fight."
If Pavlik is successful against Rosinsky, Arum said he would like to bring Pavlik back to New York, where he could fight at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in October.
But Pavlik knows that he faces a significant test in Rosinsky, a winner of two straight since falling by unanimous decision to Edwin Rodriguez in October of last year.
"This kid is a good fighter -- a very game fighter and he's going to come to fight. He's coming off of a fight, so he's ready too. But people are going to see the best of me come out that night," said Pavlik. "We're still over a week out, but there are still some things we are fine-tuning right now. I feel really good in camp. Clear-headed and ready to go."
Photos by Chris Farina, Top Rank
Friday, June 29, 2012
What's next for Pacquiao?
What's next for Pacquiao?
by Lem Satterfield
Over a Tuesday evening dinner in Los Angeles, eight-division titlewinner Manny Pacquiao and his promoter, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, discussed the fighter's future.
What they concluded was that Pacquiao "will definitely fight on Nov. 10," said Arum.
Exactly whom Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 knockouts) will face remains a mystery.
But it will likley be a rematch with one of three opponents -- current WBO welterweight beltholder Tim Bradley, four-division and WBA and WBO junior welterweight titlewinner Juan Manuel Marquez or three-division beltwinner Miguel Cotto -- Arum told Yahoo!Sports.
"I spoke to Manny last night," said Arum during an interview with RingTV.com on Wednesday. "He's considering all of the options."
On Wednesday, Bradley (29-0, 12 KOs) told WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel that he was vacating the organization's 140-pound crown in order to retain the 147-pound version he won from Pacquiao via controversial split-decision victory on June 9.
In doing so, it appears that Bradley is set on pursuing a return bout with Pacquiao, whose 15-fight winning streak that included eight knockouts ended with the loss.
"I don't think that you can say that a rematch with Bradley is 'likely,'" said Arum. "But he could possibly get a rematch."
The Bradley-Pacquiao contract already had contained a clause calling for a rematch on Nov. 10, although Pacquiao was widely reported to be considering a fourth bout with Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs) for that date in Mexico.
Pacquiao escaped with a disputed majority decision victory over Marquez in November, this, after having previously battled through a draw and a split-decision win over Marquez.
During an exclusive interview with RingTV.com, Marquez cited Fernando Beltran, president of Zanfer Promotions as saying that Pacquiao was leaning toward facing him next. Beltran co-promotes Marquez with Top Rank out of Mexico.
Meanwhile Paquiao told The Associated Press in Manila, Philippines that he was "going to get that title" back from Bradley.
Already the WBA's junior welterweight titleholder, Marquez rebounded from the loss to Pacquiao with April's unanimous decision over Sergei Fedchenko for the WBO's interim junior welterweight belt. Bradley's move, however, makes Marquez the WBO's full junior welterweight titleholder and a four-division beltwinner.
And then there is Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs), whose advisor, Gaby Penagaricano, informed RingTV.com that Puerto Rican fighter would be open to rematches with Pacquiao or five-division, eight beltwinner Floyd Mayweather Jr., if not a shot at WBC middleweight beltholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr..
Cotto is coming off last month's unanimous decision loss to Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs), who added the WBA junior middleweight belt to the WBC welterweight crown he already owned.
Cotto had scored three straight stoppage victories since being dethroned as WBO welterweight beltholder by 12th-round knockout against Pacquiao in November of 2010. Cotto's run included December's 10th-round stoppage of Antonio Margarito to avenge the first loss of his career.
As for Mayweather, he began serving jail time on June 1 and is not expected to be released until Aug. 3.
Arum won't say who is next for Pacquiao.
Not exactly, at any rate.
"What what we discussed is the fact that it will be one of the three, yes," said Arum. "One of the three or Mayweather -- but that's a long shot."
Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photos by Chris Farina
Photos by Tom Hogan, Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions
by Lem Satterfield
Over a Tuesday evening dinner in Los Angeles, eight-division titlewinner Manny Pacquiao and his promoter, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, discussed the fighter's future.
What they concluded was that Pacquiao "will definitely fight on Nov. 10," said Arum.
Exactly whom Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 knockouts) will face remains a mystery.
But it will likley be a rematch with one of three opponents -- current WBO welterweight beltholder Tim Bradley, four-division and WBA and WBO junior welterweight titlewinner Juan Manuel Marquez or three-division beltwinner Miguel Cotto -- Arum told Yahoo!Sports.
"I spoke to Manny last night," said Arum during an interview with RingTV.com on Wednesday. "He's considering all of the options."
On Wednesday, Bradley (29-0, 12 KOs) told WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel that he was vacating the organization's 140-pound crown in order to retain the 147-pound version he won from Pacquiao via controversial split-decision victory on June 9.
In doing so, it appears that Bradley is set on pursuing a return bout with Pacquiao, whose 15-fight winning streak that included eight knockouts ended with the loss.
"I don't think that you can say that a rematch with Bradley is 'likely,'" said Arum. "But he could possibly get a rematch."
The Bradley-Pacquiao contract already had contained a clause calling for a rematch on Nov. 10, although Pacquiao was widely reported to be considering a fourth bout with Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs) for that date in Mexico.
Pacquiao escaped with a disputed majority decision victory over Marquez in November, this, after having previously battled through a draw and a split-decision win over Marquez.
During an exclusive interview with RingTV.com, Marquez cited Fernando Beltran, president of Zanfer Promotions as saying that Pacquiao was leaning toward facing him next. Beltran co-promotes Marquez with Top Rank out of Mexico.
Meanwhile Paquiao told The Associated Press in Manila, Philippines that he was "going to get that title" back from Bradley.
Already the WBA's junior welterweight titleholder, Marquez rebounded from the loss to Pacquiao with April's unanimous decision over Sergei Fedchenko for the WBO's interim junior welterweight belt. Bradley's move, however, makes Marquez the WBO's full junior welterweight titleholder and a four-division beltwinner.
And then there is Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs), whose advisor, Gaby Penagaricano, informed RingTV.com that Puerto Rican fighter would be open to rematches with Pacquiao or five-division, eight beltwinner Floyd Mayweather Jr., if not a shot at WBC middleweight beltholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr..
Cotto is coming off last month's unanimous decision loss to Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs), who added the WBA junior middleweight belt to the WBC welterweight crown he already owned.
Cotto had scored three straight stoppage victories since being dethroned as WBO welterweight beltholder by 12th-round knockout against Pacquiao in November of 2010. Cotto's run included December's 10th-round stoppage of Antonio Margarito to avenge the first loss of his career.
As for Mayweather, he began serving jail time on June 1 and is not expected to be released until Aug. 3.
Arum won't say who is next for Pacquiao.
Not exactly, at any rate.
"What what we discussed is the fact that it will be one of the three, yes," said Arum. "One of the three or Mayweather -- but that's a long shot."
Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photos by Chris Farina
Photos by Tom Hogan, Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions
Rahman out of title bout
Rahman out of title bout
by Dan Rafael
Former heavyweight world champion Hasim Rahman, due to challenge titleholder Alexander Povetkin in a mandatory fight on July 14, withdrew on Thursday because of a wrist injury.
Rahman aggravated a cyst on his right wrist so acutely during a training session on Wednesday that he had surgery to remove the cyst on Thursday morning and will be sidelined for two weeks, promoter Greg Cohen told ESPN.com.
"He was working out and he had excruciating pain in his wrist because of the cyst," Cohen said. "His trainer, Eddie Mustafa (Muhammad), stopped the session and had him go to the doctor. He had an MRI. 'Rock' wanted to have a cortisone shot, but the doctor said it wouldn't help. So he had surgery (Thursday) morning. Everything went fine. He's out for two weeks. Really, it's a minor thing, but obviously we have to postpone the fight."
It has not been determined if Povetkin will fight a substitute opponent on short notice, although Cohen said their contract with Sauerland Event, Povetkin's promoter, contains standard injury delay language.
"Our contract calls for a postponement if there's an injury," Cohen said. "From our perspective the fight will be postponed. We're the mandatory, and Povetkin has to make his mandatory defense. I expect Rahman and Povetkin will be fighting each other in their next fight. It's a matter of the German TV date."
Rahman has had the cyst but had not previously been bothered much by it, Cohen said, so when it flared up so severely it came as a surprise.
"It was a pretty substantial cyst around the wrist and he said from time to time he had discomfort, but never a big deal," Cohen said. "'Rock' is not a complainer. He didn't have it checked out. (Wednesday) he said it was like a sledgehammer hitting his wrist every time he punched. He saw the doctor, had the surgery. He did the right thing. Now we have to reschedule the fight."
Cohen said as soon as he found out, he notified Sauerland Event officials.
"They were disappointed to hear the news but appreciative that as soon as we knew we informed them," Cohen said. "We hope to have a new date worked out with them soon."
Sauerland Event could not be reached for comment.
Povetkin (24-0, 16 KOs) was originally due to make his third defense against Rahman (50-7-2, 41 KOs) in London on the undercard of the Dereck Chisora-David Haye heavyweight fight. However, earlier this week the bout was moved to Hamburg, Germany, to its own card due to conflicts on the timing requirements of the two bouts with their respective home television networks, BoxNation in the United Kingdom and ARD in Germany
www.FightMuseumLV.com
by Dan Rafael
Former heavyweight world champion Hasim Rahman, due to challenge titleholder Alexander Povetkin in a mandatory fight on July 14, withdrew on Thursday because of a wrist injury.
Rahman aggravated a cyst on his right wrist so acutely during a training session on Wednesday that he had surgery to remove the cyst on Thursday morning and will be sidelined for two weeks, promoter Greg Cohen told ESPN.com.
"He was working out and he had excruciating pain in his wrist because of the cyst," Cohen said. "His trainer, Eddie Mustafa (Muhammad), stopped the session and had him go to the doctor. He had an MRI. 'Rock' wanted to have a cortisone shot, but the doctor said it wouldn't help. So he had surgery (Thursday) morning. Everything went fine. He's out for two weeks. Really, it's a minor thing, but obviously we have to postpone the fight."
It has not been determined if Povetkin will fight a substitute opponent on short notice, although Cohen said their contract with Sauerland Event, Povetkin's promoter, contains standard injury delay language.
"Our contract calls for a postponement if there's an injury," Cohen said. "From our perspective the fight will be postponed. We're the mandatory, and Povetkin has to make his mandatory defense. I expect Rahman and Povetkin will be fighting each other in their next fight. It's a matter of the German TV date."
Rahman has had the cyst but had not previously been bothered much by it, Cohen said, so when it flared up so severely it came as a surprise.
"It was a pretty substantial cyst around the wrist and he said from time to time he had discomfort, but never a big deal," Cohen said. "'Rock' is not a complainer. He didn't have it checked out. (Wednesday) he said it was like a sledgehammer hitting his wrist every time he punched. He saw the doctor, had the surgery. He did the right thing. Now we have to reschedule the fight."
Cohen said as soon as he found out, he notified Sauerland Event officials.
"They were disappointed to hear the news but appreciative that as soon as we knew we informed them," Cohen said. "We hope to have a new date worked out with them soon."
Sauerland Event could not be reached for comment.
Povetkin (24-0, 16 KOs) was originally due to make his third defense against Rahman (50-7-2, 41 KOs) in London on the undercard of the Dereck Chisora-David Haye heavyweight fight. However, earlier this week the bout was moved to Hamburg, Germany, to its own card due to conflicts on the timing requirements of the two bouts with their respective home television networks, BoxNation in the United Kingdom and ARD in Germany
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Fight Museum Las Vegas releases a small amount of Limited Edition Wanderlei Silva Posters
Official licensed product
Released in November 2008
18 x 24 inches
Limited Edition of only 500 worldwide
Hand signed by artist, Richard T. Slone.
Hand signed by Wanderlei Silva.
View at www.FightMuseumLV.com
Friday, June 22, 2012
Famed boxing artist LeRoy Neiman remembered
By Richard T. Slone
I was extremely saddened to get the call that iconic artist LeRoy Neiman had died, aged 91, in New York City. I was first introduced to LeRoy when I was 16 years old through my then boxing trainer Smokin' Joe Frazier. LeRoy was intrigued that I was an amateur boxer and also an artist. Once he saw my art his eyes lit up and in the many years I'd see him since, he kept up with my career and he always had kind words with sincere encouragement. I know we shared the same passion for boxing and I think he liked that.
LeRoy Neiman loved boxing and boxing loved LeRoy Neiman. He had a great passion for the fight game. He admired boxers more than any other athlete or celebrity and I think his love of the sport is very evident by simply looking at his timeless boxing paintings.
He will be missed. He was one of a kind. He brought an extra level of class to any event he'd paint. He was an attraction of his own, but took pride in painting those he admired. He was certainly flamboyant – a great showman – but was also a humble and generous man who truly did things his way without hurting anyone along the way. A lover of boxing, a great artist, a class act and a true gentleman.
Rest in Peace my friend.
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