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10 Rounds, Manny Pacquiao Edition... by Tony Montgomery
Round 3, Life outside the ring
"Pacquiao: The Movie" - A film based on his
life came out in 2006. And if that's not enough Pacquiao
himself is an action movie star in the Philippines. Heck, even Sylvester Stallone is planning to shoot a movie with
him. In addition, Pacquiao was named one of the world's most influential
persons in 2009 by Time magazine, and that's quite an honor, I may add. He has his own postage stamp and
he even ran for a Congressional seat in 2007. About the only
thing I think he can't do right now is beat Miguel Cotto.
Dawson and Angulo impressive
in victory!... by Kenny Perrault
Chad Dawson did
exactly what he was supposed to do Saturday night and that
was beat Glen Johnson convincingly. Unlike in their first
meeting there were not doubts as to who the clear
winner was. While Dawson may not have the power to satisfy
the blood thirsty fans, he does have to treat the fans of
the sweet science. Leading up to
the fight I kept touching on the fact that sooner or later
Glen Johnson will start looking his age in the ring and it
started to show Saturday night. He did not look as fast and
his punches did not hit the mark like they have in the past.
I’m not saying he's a shot fighter but age is the one punch
most fighters never see coming.
Pick is Dawson over shopworn Johnson... by George Elsasser
It may be noted that the undefeated
Dawson actually has a blemish of sorts on the otherwise
glowing resumé resulted following a 2004 "No Contest" mismatch with Aundalen Sloan who entered on infamous job application of
4-6-1.
The 'W' - a six round blanking went out
the window when "Bad" Chad failed the post fight drug
test.
Tale of the tape: Chad Dawson vs Glen Johnson II
...
by Danny Howard
Here we are,
only one week away from the most anticipated fight of the
year when Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao face off in what
should be an excellent fight. Although there is plenty of
excitement and hype surrounding their showdown on the 14th
of November, we seem to have forgotten about a fight that
might be just as fantastic that is happening this weekend
when Glen Johnson and Chad Dawson face off once again for
light heavyweight supremacy. Dawson controversially won
their first encounter last year in a close quarters
punch-fest that many believed should have gone to Johnson.
Can Dawson make a statement that he is indeed the future, or
can Johnson defy the odds and become the top man at 175 once
again?
DAVID HAYE SLAYS THE GIANT VALUEV... by Kenny Perrault
Trying to
knockout Nikolai Valuev is almost equal to giving the
Statue of Liberty your best shot. And tonight In Germany,
David Haye did his best to take down the Giant. It was
clear from round one that this wasn’t going to be a newest
version of Foreman Lyle. Haye kept his distance and when I
say he used every inch of the ring I mean he used every
inch of the ring.
The
“Hayemaker” almost made it look easy through the first
four rounds as he would leap in landing one punch pot
shots. Sometimes he would throw a two to three punch
combination and he would do the smart thing; as soon as he
landed, he got out of the way, no admiring his work. The
big man would finally get some offense going in the middle
rounds working behind his massive jab. While Valuev got
started, Hayes’ offensive attack really started to slow
down.
ROAD TO REDEMPTION: CASAMAYOR
AND JUDAH RETURN WITH MUCH NEEDED WINS AT THE PALMS... by Chris Robinson
In the fall of last
year former champions Zab 'Super' Judah and Joel Casamayor
lost crucial bouts that left many people feeling their
careers were all but done for.
In August Judah
squared off with Ghana’s Joshua Clottey for the vacant IBF
belt. Despite having moments of flash and dazzle early on,
Judah eventually started to succumb to the sustained
attack in front of him. Clottey’s constant pressure and
body punching seemed to be a little too much for Judah to
handle and the bout went to the scorecards after nine
rounds due to a cut over Judah's eye that stemmed from a
head butt. Scores of 87-84 and 86-85 twice were read in
Clottey's favor and despite seeming pleased with his
performance you had to wonder what was next for Judah.
JUDAH AND CASAMAYOR WIN... by Kenny
Perrault
The Palms in Las Vegas, NV hosted a "Road To Redemption"
Friday night featuring Zab Judah and Joel Casamayor in
separate bouts.
Zab Judah headlined the card in his first fight in nearly a
year. Zab jumped right on Ubaldo Hernandez as soon as the
opening bell rung. A jab to the body caught Hernandez off
balance and sent him to the canvas. Being more off balance
than hurt, Hernandez easily beat the ten count and fought on
to finish the round. Judah closed the show in the
second round when a barrage of punches again sent Hernandez
down, and this time referee Joe Cortez called a halt to the
match.
DONOVAN GEORGE ANNIHILATES NAUGLER...
Cestus Management's
super middleweight
destroyer Don "Da'Bomb" George made the leap from boxing prospect to being
on the verge of becoming a world-class contender with a four round savage
annihilation of Canadian Jason Naugler; handing this tough and very
experienced fighter his first loss by way of stoppage. Coming into the
contest, Naugler had 29 fights and had gone the distance in very creditable
performances against Chad
Dawson, Jean Paul Mendy, Anthony Thompson,
Jesse Brinkley, Samuel Miller and Nicholas Poulard. The fight was
the main event of a card promoted by Leon Margules and Dominic Pesoli at the
UIC Pavilion in Chicago , Illinois.
Naugler tasted the canvas in the second round
with a pulverizing short, fast right hand to the head that stiffened Naugler
while turning his legs to jelly causing him to fall heavily to the canvas
face first. To his credit Naugler got up and barely made it through the
round being saved by the bell. The crowd in attendance roared as they could
feel that their hometown man was well on his way to a fantastic finish.
The end came in brutal fashion
in the fourth round, with George landing hellacious shots and battering the
Canadian, prompting referee Gino Rodriguez to call a halt to the
proceedings.
Cestus Advisor, Mike Michael, said, "What a
win and what a performance by Donovan! This is the kind of statement that
he (George) needed to make against such an experienced and durable fighter
like Naugler," Michael added. 2010 is going to be a phenomenal year for
Donovan.
Nov. 7, 2009
AN OLD SCHOOL
THROW DOWN IN YONKERS... by Ricky Ray Taylor @ ringside
An old school throw down in Yonkers last night showed promise
for a few greenhorns while unveiling a paper tiger. Read a fight by
fight summary of what went down..
PEREZ - DeMARCO
PREVAIL IN SHOWTIME SPECIAL TWIN-BILL... by George Elsasser
No question about it, Showtime boxing has grabbed the hot
hand with its Super-Six middleweight tourney - and
continued on track last noche with a twin-bill barn-burner
with all the trimmings.
Curtain opened at 2100 hours with lightweight co-feature
starring WBC #1 ranked port side slinger Antonio DeMarco
and past WBA strap holder Jose Alfaro, in a second to none
table setter to the main event.
FREDDY HERNANDEZ OUTPOINTS FRIAS, UNBEATEN FONSECA RALLIES TO TKO SEEGER ON
SHOBOX... Photo Gallery by Tom Casino/Showtime
Undefeated
Victor "Vitino" Fonseca rallied to register a ninth-round
TKO over Al "The Quiet Storm" Seeger in a fast-paced,
hard-fought battle of world-ranked super bantamweights. After Seeger hit the
canvas from the bout's lone knockdown, the referee halted matters at 1:41.
Fonseca, of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, improved to 17-0 with eight knockouts.
Entering the ninth round of a scheduled 10 for Seeger's North American Boxing
Federation (NABF) and the vacant North American Boxing Organization (NABO)
122-pound belts, Fonseca was behind on two of the scorecards (77-75 and a
seemingly out of line 79-73) and even on the other (76-76).
The WBC's
No. 10-ranked contender going in, Seeger (28-5, 22 KOs), of Savannah, Ga., was
taken to the hospital afterward for precautionary reasons.
FONSECA BY KO, HERNANDEZ BY DECISION CLAIM MINOR LEAGUE
STRAPS.... by George Elsasser
Last night Showtime "New Generation"
dished up a mixed bag of Triple A mediocrity from far out
Laredo, Texas, that saw Victor Fonseca come alive over the
championship rounds of eight and nine to stop Al Seeger at
1:41 stanza nine - and Freddy Hernandez following with a
walk in the park, unanimous decision win over Damian Frias
in the main event.
The show opens with s/bantams Seeger and Fonseca battling
for the NABF, NABO straps - Seeger operating from the
orthodox side and Fonseca the port side.
Fonseca clearly the physically stronger of the two, in
technique, strayed from the Queensbury rules while
incorporating some of both, yesteryear featherweight champ
Sandy Saddler, and lightweight belt holder Paddy De Marco.
GREEN TOO MUCH FOR SHORT NOTICE
SIMMS... by George Elsasser
Last night's Sho-Box 'New Generation'" offering from
Newkirk, Oklahoma pitted WBC #6 super middleweight Allan Green in with
overmatched age 38 Tarvis Simms in the main event.
The taller Green at 6' 2" to Simms' 5' 9" not only enjoyed
the physical advantage but was aware Simms had taken the fight on six days
notice.
Green would showcase the long left jab, along with left hooks that touched
down at body and head alike - still, his game veteran opponent handled the
incoming well - and while winning no more than a couple stanzas he survived to
the final bell.
KESSLER TKO WINNER
OVER PERDOMO; WARD TOO MUCH FOR PUDWILL IN TKO VICTORY... by
Larry Flores
Showtime
Boxing's prelude to the upcoming "Super Six World
Boxing Classic" showcased two of the Classic's
participants in Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward on
Saturday, September 12th in separate
boxing shows.
WBA world Super Middleweight champion
Kessler, from Copenhagen, Denmark, was making the second defense of his title
against Venezuela's Gusmyr Perdomo (16-2 with 10 KOs) at the MCH MesseCenter in
Herning, Denmark. The undefeated Ward (19-0 with 12 KOs) faced Shelby Pudwill
of North Dakota (22-3-1 with 9 KOs) at "Pechanga Resort & Casino" in Temecula,
California.
The highly regarded Kessler (41-1 with 31
KOs) was making his first ring appearance in almost a year against the
Venezuelan challenger. The long inactivity did not have
an adverse affect on the champion, who controlled the fight from the onset.
An active Perdomo tried to keep the champion at a distance with his jab,
but the stronger and harder punching Kessler landed effective combinations to
both the head and body in the opening rounds.
After several good exchanges from both
fighters in the third round, a solid right from Kessler dropped Perdomo to the
canvas near the end of round. Surprisingly, the replay showed the punch had
landed squarely on the challenger's shoulder, and he arose without showing any
affect from the punch. The knock-down was the first suffered by Perdomo in his
career.
MEXICO'S EDGAR SOSA RETAINS TITLE WITH KO OF OMAR SOTO... by Larry Flores
World WBC Light Flyweight
champion Edgar Sosa successfully defended his
title with an impressive come-from-behind knock
out victory over Puerto Rican challenger Omar "El
Pastor" Soto in Puebla, Mexico.
The 30-year old Sosa
(36-5 with 20 KOs) from Mexico City, Mexico, was making his 10th defense of the
title he won on a close decision over Hawaii's Brian Viloria in April 2007. He
also had recorded 24 consecutive victories since his last defeat in September
2003.
Soto (14-3-1 with 6
KOs), the 26-year old challenger from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, proved to be a
very capable opponent for the champion from the opening round. He used his
superior foot speed and quick combinations to build a clear and surprising
advantage over the champion through the first five rounds. The seemingly
frustrated Sosa nevertheless kept a steady pressure on the challenger, who
seemed to avoid most of the punches thrown his way with his quick side-to-side
movement.
However, the fight
took a dramatic and sudden turn in the 6th round when the champion
trapped Soto near a corner and landed a terrific right-left-right combination to
the head. The impact of the sharp punches left Soto defenseless, and as his
head leaned between the middle two ropes, he was seemingly out on his feet. The
referee acted correctly and promptly by stopping the fight and saving the
challenger from possible harm, much to the delight of the champion's hometown
crowd.
The sudden display of
power by the champion turned what appeared to be a possible loss of his title
into an impressive title saving performance. A dream rematch between Sosa and
Brian Viloria, the IBF champion, would certainly be a welcomed encounter between
two of the division's best fighters.
Let's get that one
on!
VANDA IMPRESSIVE!...
by Kenny Perrault
The Myth
Nightclub in Maplewood, Minnesota hosted an entertaining night of boxing on Friday
night featuring Matt “The Predator” Vanda against Ted Muller.
At the weigh ins the day before
Muller came in 9 pounds heavier then Vanda who was fighting at super
middleweight for the first time in his career. Rather then make Muller take the
weight off, Vanda replied, "it’s all good." Being the smaller man and fighting
at a new weight class didn’t seem to bother Vanda on fight night as he looked
impressive throughout most of the bout.
PITALUA
STOPS REYES AT THE MICCOSUKEE RESORT AND GAMING IN MIAMI,
FLORIDA ... by Elisa Harrison
Former two-time world title challenger Antonio Pitalua 47-4, 41 KOs) scored
an impressive sixth round knockout over WBC #15 Jose “El Gallo” Reyes (23-7,
8 KOs). A flush right hand sent Reyes down for the count, and with the win
Pitalua claimed the vacant WBC Latin super lightweight title.
Cuban cruiserweight Yunier Dorticos, a World Cup amateur champ, was almost
guaranteed a successful pro debut when he went against veteran Hilario
Guzman, whose shameful record speaks for itself, (8-38-6, 1 KO). Dorticos
earned a fourth round TKO victory. Dorticos dropped Guzman in round one and
the farce was waved off by the referee in round four.
Jr. middleweight Jose Angel Rodriguez (14-1-1, 2 KOs) won a six round split
decision over 2004 Athens Olympian Juan Camilo “La Boa” Novoa (13-4-1, 11
KOs). Scores were 58-56, 58-56 Rodriguez, 58-57 Novoa.
ESPN FNF CARD A TRAVESTY AND NEAR CALAMITY...By George Elsasser
Last noche from the Desert Diamond Casino at Tucson, Arizona, the ESPN kiddie
channel delivered an after-dark travesty that nearly culminated in a calamity
- ok, the clashing of heads that aborted the main event in stanza two, between
victim Vivian Harris and Noe Bolanos happens, it’s part of the game - but rest
of the story concerning the over all production is inexcusable in today boxing
2009.
Card opens on insulting note … no, embarrassing mismatch … with unbeaten
junior middleweight Keith “One Time” Thurman at 9-0-9KOs facing and chasing
one Travis Hartman that arrives at 10-13-1, 7 KOs, and sans a snazzy
sobriquet. I’ll give the unfortunate pigeon one so on next assignment he won’t
feel naked … how about Travis “No Chance” Hartman.
HARRIS SHOCKS QUINTERO WITH 8TH ROUND TKO ON SHOBOX; AVALOS REMAINS
UNDEFEATED...
In a tremendous
all-action fight, underdog Tyrone Harris shocked talented, once-beaten
lightweight prospect Marvin Quintero with a eighth round TKO victory
Friday on SHOWTIME's ShoBox: The New
Generation.
In the co-feature, bantamweight
prospect Chris Avalos (11-0, 9 KOs) kept his unbeaten record intact with a
second round TKO over Andre Wilson (11-3-1, 9 KOs). The fight originated
from Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif. and was promoted by
Gary Shaw Productions, LLC.
The main event featured
non-stop, back-and-forth action throughout the eight rounds. Quintero and
Harris continuously exchanged blows, but Harris, of Lansing Mich., took
control of the fight in the middle rounds. Harris started landing the more
damaging punches on the favored Quintero, who injured his right hand in the
third round.
WILSON SURPRISES HUERTA IN BATTLE OF ROOKIES... by George Elsasser
Caught the Thursday "late show" - Versus channel version of
boxing after dark - that featured undefeated featherweights
Charles Huerta and Derrick Wilson in the main event.
Huerta of Paramount, California entered the Hot Water Resort
& Casino at Los Angeles the crowd favorite, while sporting
unblemished rap sheet of 11-0, 7 KOs - his opponent from
FT. Myers, Florida, Derrick Wilson arrived unbeaten at
4-0-1, 1 KO.
Then the opening bell, and we see Wilson
out of the gate like a fighter jet on a strafing mission -
but Huerta avoids being a target as he shows better skills
when answering with eye-catching counters.
CAYO TOO MUCH FOR DIAZ - UNANIMOUS
DECISION... by George Elsasser
Victor Manuel Cayo made the most of his second trip to the
Hard Rock Hotel Resort Casino at Hollywood, Florida, as he remained undefeated
with a unanimous decision win over former two-time champion Julio Diaz.
The ESPN FNF audience, as well as those watching live, were entertained from
start to finish by the visiting guest from Dominican Republic as he razzled,
dazzled, Diaz stanza after stanza.
The tall Dominican repeatedly dropped both hands to his side as if teasing
Diaz much like a cat toying with a mouse. The assorted moves resulted in a
pugilistic puzzle that the transplanted Mexican never came close to solving.
MOHEGAN SUN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING RESULTS...
On Saturday night,
Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing put together an exciting seven
bout card before a packed house at the Mohegan Sun in
Uncasville, CT.
In the main event
Star Boxing's IBF #2 rated welterweight, Delvin Rodriguez
battled IBF #3 rated Isaac Hlatshwayo for the vacant IBF
Welterweight Championship of the World. The fight was a
rematch of their highly entertaining draw that took place
back in November of last year.
The fight started well for Rodriguez as he was the much
busier fighter, landing clean shots to both the head and
body of the South African Hlatshwayo. In the second, a right
hand staggered Hlatshwayo, but he showed guts as he
continued to press forward, taking some big shots from
Rodriguez in the process.
RODRIGUEZ TO FIGHT FOR WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE WORLD:
RODRIGUEZ - HLATSHWAYO II FOR IBF BELT..
On August 1st, Star Boxing's IBF #2 rated, Delvin Rodriguez (24-2-2, 14 KOs) will
fight for the Vacant IBF Welterweight Championship of the world when he takes on
IBF #3 rated Isaac Hlatshwayo (28-1-1, 10 KOs) in a rematch of their highly
entertaining draw that took place in November in Hlatshwayo's home country of
South Africa. Rodriguez v Hlatshwayo is promoted by Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing
and is set to take place at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, CT.
--Isaac Hlatshwayo Video Interview... by
Ricky Ray Taylor--
Ricky Ray Taylor interviews ISAAC
HLATSHWAYO just days before his IBF Welterweight match-up with
DELVIN RODRIGUEZ.
Isaac is 3-0-1 since teaming up with trainer Nick
Durandt and is ready to make right his controversial draw from last
November's
fight with Rodriguez.
TOP RANK SAMUEL PETER RETURNS WITH KO WIN IN MEXICO.... by
Stephen Jones
Top Rank's newest Heavyweight signing, former
WBC
heavyweight Champion Samuel Peter returned to his
heavy handed
ways by brutally dismissing inept Marcus
McGhee in
the third round dropping his badly outgunned foe three times en route to
a 3rd round KO.
Peter, now 31 - 3, (24
KOs)
looks to make the rest of 2009 a refreshing new start to his ailing
career with Top Rank's backing and looked like he was making a stern
statement tonight to all who have written him off since losing his title
to the eldest
Klitschko
brother last year. If Samuel continues to stay active and in
shape, he is
committed to proving he can regain his
WBC belt
in 2010. Marcus
McGhee, however, came as a
sacrificial
lamb and drops to 22-17-1, (11
KO's).
ESCALANTE
OFFENSE TOO MUCH FOR GAME VETERAN CORNELIUS LOCK... by George
Elsasser
Young super bantamweight prospect Antonio Escalante, entertained the
hometown fans of El Paso, Texas with an effective perpetual offense from start
to finish, that earned the age 24 local, a unanimous ten round decision over
age 33 veteran Cornelius Lock.
Lock was never in the hunt, although he did manage flashes
of his past in a gutsy albeit losing effort - however, the proverbial port
side edge never surfaced with the slowed version of the once Motown
slickster.
Escalante suffered a cut alongside the left eyelid,
courtesy of inadvertent meeting of the minds during a busy stanza two - still,
the transplanted Mexican never missed a step come candle tres as he drops Lock
twice in the round.
AMIR KHAN
BECOMES THE NEW WBA LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT
CHAMPION OF THE WORLD...
Khan put on a boxing clinic against the former champion Kotelnik and the scores
reflected it. He won a unanimous decision, and he made Freddie Roach and the
rest of his followers very proud.
On his third fight after having been knocked out in the opening round, Khan puts
on a textbook performance against a tough champion, and he takes the belt to
England.
Freddie Roach is an excellent trainer, he has proved it time and time again, and
should be congratulated on this convincing win.
The kid has become a man, and the man who would be king is well on his way.
Congratulation Amir, you are now a the youngest world champion the United
Kingdom has ever had.
P.S. It was good seeing Prince Hamed, but how much does he weigh nowadays? It's
a good thing he was sitting down, I had visions of him on that magic carpet, not a
good thing...
EDDIE
CHAMBERS HANDS ALEX DIMITRENKO HIS FIRST LOSS... THROWS HIS HAT FIRMLY
INTO THE HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD PICTURE... by Stephen Jones
Eddie Chambers will be the next WBO challenger for world champion
Wladimir Klitschko.
On his finest night, Chambers (35-1, 18 KOs) administered an absolute
master class to previously unbeaten WBO #1 ranked Alexander Dimitrenko
(29-1, 19 KOs) over twelve rounds on Saturday night in a WBO eliminator
at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Germany. The considerably smaller
Philadelphian (by weight and height) was willing to stamp his authority
early and fight in the centre of the ring and surprise Dimitrenko.
"FAST" EDDIE CHAMBERS NEXT IN LINE FOR KLITSCHKO'S WBO BELT... by Ricky
Ray Taylor
In January of '08 Chambers was 30-0 when he traveled to Berlin, Germany
to take on Alexander Povetkin in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator
bout. At the time, Povetkin was also undefeated at 14-0 and had a
laundry list of 13 KO's which only Larry Donald had escaped. Donald was
punished in every round of their fight, losing every round to all three
judges. He just happened to survive being knocked out.
In the fight vs Povetkin, Chambers did significant damage to his opponent's
face. Although Chambers won a few close rounds, on this particular night
Povetkin's relentless, domineering flurries sent a clear message to the
judges as to who the winner should be. Povetkin won a unanimous decision.
HENRY AND GODFREY SHINE ON ESPN2 FNF IN PHILADELPHIA...
Matt Godfrey took another step forward to gaining a shot at the
Cruiserweight championship of the world with a ten round unanimous
decision over Shawn Hawk that capped off a great night of boxing that
was promoted by Blaine Garner's Shalyte Promotions and Jimmy
Burchfield's CES Boxing at The Arena in South Philadelphia this past
Friday night.
In
the co-feature, Chris Henry jumped right back into Light Heavyweight contention
as he survived an early onslaught from Shaun George to comeback and stop George
at 1:06 of round six of their ten round Light Heavyweight affair.
Derek "Pooh" Ennis scored an exciting six round unanimous decision over game
John Mackey in a Jr. Middleweight tussle.
GODFREY BESTS HAWK IN A UNANIMOUS YAWN PROVOKER... by George
Elsasser
Last night's ESPN main event between Cruiserweights Matt
Godfrey (18-1, 10 KO) and Shawn Hawk (18-0-1, 18 KO) showed promise on paper -
but then the opening bell and what we get is a ten round yawn provoker. One
that qualified for a few choruses of that yesterday B'klyn fan favorite "Let
me call you sweetheart."
But this one was played in downtown Philadelphia, Penna -
and come the halfway mark the tried and proven fans of the "City of Brotherly
Love" accepted the fact they were stuck with a lemon from start to finis -
Godfrey tossed a proverbial shutout on my card -100-90 in points and 100-0H
under the yesterday round by round method.
The official numbers that count had it Godfrey 99-91,
98-92, 97-93 - no argument here, I mean, round after round the
"Sioux Warrior" Hawk, walked into the quicker Godfrey version of
"Slapsy Maxie Rosenbloom" offense - problem was the Hawk never once tossed a single punch
with bad intentions.
CRISTOBAL CRUZ RETAINS IBF WORLD TITLE
AGAINST JORGE SOLIS ON JULY 11...
Banner Promotions president Art Pelullo said,
"We want to congratulate Cristobal on his sensational win and tell him how
proud of him we all are at Banner Promotions. The event drew 7,000
enthusiastic fans and was a huge success.
"This was Cristobal's third world title fight, and he's
been the underdog in all three. The odds were 4 to 1 against him this time,
but once again he gave a tremendous performance and proved the oddsmakers
wrong.
"We also want to thank everyone in the city of Tuxtla
Gutierrez and the state of Chiapas who helped make this event so successful,
with a special acknowledgment to the Governor of Chiapas, Juan
Sabines Guerrero."
LATIN FURY-LESS 9...
Article and Photo Gallery by Francisco Guzman
The highly touted Latin Fury card
seemed to lack the fury that was announced during the weeks leading up to the
event.
In the main bout of the night Juan
Manuel Lopez (26-0, 24 KOs)
from Caguas, Puerto Rico nearly ended his knockout streak against Olivier
Lontchi (18-1-2, 8 KOs) in a twelve round title defense.
Lontchi did not go away easily, despite being knocked down in the second and
ninth rounds before quitting in his stool from all the punishment Juanma laid on
him throughout the fight. Lontchi scored with his right hand, at times hitting
JuanMa flush, but he didn’t pack enough power to gain the Puerto Rican’s
respect. JuanMa didn’t show the poise he showed when he took out Gerry Penalosa
in 10 rounds. Lopez seemed anxious and frustrated at times trying to take out
Lontchi early but his opponent, who was also undefeated, was not going out that
easily.
BOB ARUM, JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ, FERNANDO LONTCHI
HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY IN NEW YORK....
Watch the video by Ricky Ray Taylor
Today's press conference before this this weekend's showdown in Atlantic City
was held in the basement of BB King Lounge on 42nd St.
Why they hold anything in this dungeon is beyond me; the lighting sucks and the
environment forces claustrophobia on everyone.
Nonetheless,
www.BraggingRightsCorner.com
sent my man FRANCISCO GUZMAN to cover the
event as well, and he shot some nice video from the event for the site. The
link above shows my take on things...
'LATIN FURY" ... by Ricky
Ray Taylor
There's gonna
be some Latin blood spilled in Atlantic City this weekend - well, that's
what a few of the opponents are hoping for anyway.
2008 was an excellent year for Juan Manuel Lopez. In a matter of 10
months he stopped three undefeated Champions in the opening round of
their fights. The one
fighter who did happen to make it past the first round was mercifully
rescued in the 3rd by the referee. Juan Manuel Lopez is 1-0 with 1
knockout (Penelosa) so far in '09.
In preparing something positive and interesting to say about Lopez's
opponent Olivier Lontchi, outside of his 18-0 record I found it hard
pressed at first. Lontchi does hail from Montreal which is rapidly
becoming the hot bed of Boxing. The quality of fighters by which
Lontchi has composed 18 wins however - is mediocre at best.
VICTOR ORTIZ SPEAKS OUT AFTER SATURDAY'S WORLD TITLE BOUT...
"I didn't fight the right fight and I didn't execute the
correct game plan to beat Maidana," Ortiz said from his home in Oxnard. "I will learn from the mistakes I made on Saturday and not make the
simple mistakes again, like trying to slug when I should box.
I promise that next time, I will be more focused.
"I made some comments after the fight that were an emotional
response to the loss," Ortiz continued. "I take full
responsibility for my mistakes and actions, but I didn't mean what I said. I am young, have things to learn and I guarantee you, I will be a world
champion, MARK MY WORDS...Just watch me!"
MAIDANA SURPRISES ORTIZ IN A FIVE KNOCKDOWNS BARN-BURNER... by
George Elsasser
Hot prospect Victor Ortiz stumbles en route to a showcase
opportunity to upgrade from prospect to contender level when showing his age
22, in a barn burner with Argentine Marcos Maidana in his USA debut.
The sparks flew as early as stanza one, with Maidana the
first to test the canvas courtesy of a Ortiz right-hook - then it’s Ortiz down
from a Maidana counter right hand - the hot leather continues in round two
with Ortiz having the better, finds the Maidana sweet spot with right hooks
that results in two knockdowns.
MAIDANA TKO'S ORTIZ IN A CLASSIC BRAWL IN L.A. ... by
Frank Gonzalez, Jr.
Victor Ortiz said, "The better man
won last night." And that man was Marcos "El Chino" Maidana.
This was one of the best fights I've
seen this year! It had everything, drama, suspense, intrigue, five
knockdowns and a pair of young warriors worthy of remembrance. Too bad someone
had to lose.
A few times a year, fight fans get
treated to a truly wonderful rumble in the ring. Saturday night at the Staples
Center in Los Angeles, Jr. Welterweight contender and local product, Victor
Ortiz (24-2-1, 19 KOs) was the featured fighter on the card. His opponent,
Marcos Maidana of Argentina, came to L.A. with an impressive record of 26-1, 25
KOs and his one loss was the result of a dubious split decision that went to Andriy Kotelnik in Germany last February.
STEVE MOLITOR BACK IN TITLE CONTENTION...
Former IBF Junior Featherweight World Champion, "The Canadian Kid" Steve Molitor (29-1, 11 KO's)
thrust himself back into world title contention with a hard fought 12 round
split decision over hardscrabble veteran Heriberto Ruiz (41-8-2, 23 KO's) in an
IBF eliminator Friday night at Casino Rama, in Rama, Ontario.
JACOBS, CHARLO, WILDER REMAIN UNBEATEN... by George Elsasser
ESPN tossed up three unbeatens on its FNF card from far out
Tucson, AZ - and
when the smoke cleared, all went as choreographed, with the trio of “chosen”
ones, Daniel Jacobs, Jermell Charlo, Deontay Wilder remaining untarnished.
The first knock on the door went to Jr. middleweight Jermell Charlo who would
go to eight wins with four arriving short of the distance. Had the better of
things with a game but limited Federico Flores who would drop to a mediocre
six up, three down with three of the wins arriving short of the distance.
ABRAHAM STOPS ORAL...
by Per Ake Persson
IBF middleweight champ Arthur
Abraham stopped brave but outgunned challenger Mahir Oral in the tenth
round after scoring three knockdowns in the round with a devastating
attack to the body. Referee Earl Brown waved them on again but Oral's
corner retired their man.
Oral was down in the fourth
and sixth rounds - and a knockdown should have been ruled in the fifth
as well. After nine the champ was ahead by scores of 86-83 twice and
88-81. Abraham lost the first three and the seventh on two cards. Oral
had good hand speed and showed a lot of guts landing with good
counters that forced King Arthur to cover up. However, "Lion" just
didn't have the strength or punch to withstand Abraham for long.
ABRAHAM RETAINS IBF TITLE - ORAL CORNER TOSSES TOWEL IN ROUND
TEN... by George Elsasser
Showtime Saturday night from Berlin, Germany featured hometown favorite
Arthur Abraham defending his IBF middleweight strap against Mahir Oral of
Hamburg, Germany.
Abraham enters at 29-0 with 23 stoppages - Oral arrives at 25-1-2 with 10
KO’s - Oral also arrives as heavy underdog to the bigger punching champion -
and then the bell for round one with Oral in the role of aggressor, and
Abraham taking notes over the opening 3-minutes.
Between rounds we hear from commentators Nicky Charles and best friend Steve
Farhood repeatedly agreeing that Abraham is a slow starter...
ARENA BOXING IN GERMANY:
KRETSCHMANN EXPOSED, HIDE VICTORIOUS... by Stephen Jones
In a massive upset
lat night in Voelklingen, Germany, previously unbeaten German
heavyweight champion Steffen
Kretschmann (13-1, 12 KO's
was knocked out in the very first round by the extremely
dangerous Russian veteran Denis
Bakhtov (30-5, 19 KO's).
Kretschmann started very aggressively and tried
furiously to get
Bakhtov out of there early, but while weathering the
assault Denis threw some serious, desperate leather of his
own, and clipped the unbeaten prospect high on the temple in
his own corner staggering Steffen. The referee at first
thought the 6' 5"
Kretschmann had slipped on an advertising logo on the
canvas and waved the action on but seconds later another
heavy assault collapsed
Kretschmann who rose at 7 but was all at sea. Steffen
was in no way fit to continue and was
devastated when the referee called the fight off with
mere seconds left in the round.
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