AFTER THE BELL

  


BERNARD HOPKINS AND THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE

- Ron Ross

 

            It is not a holiday usually observed by Bernard Hopkins, but Pass Over is what he feels he experienced Saturday night at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. He would have preferred being rained on by frogs, maybe even a little pestilence. Instead he found himself rained on by the pitter patter of Welsh idol Joe Calzaghe’s little punches. But it rained on him a lot – enough to convince two of three judges that he should be banished from the linear light heavyweight championship and be forced to wander aimlessly in his 43rd year, hoping for the doors of one of the WB’s or IB’s  to open wide and give him another opportunity at Boxing’s Valhalla.

 

            Hopkins, who raised some eyebrows when he said in his pre-fight hoopla talk that he could never lose to a white boy, explained that he was merely acting when he said that. It was just his way of getting into Joe Calzaghe’s head. Okay, the bell rings to start the fight and Bernard the Actor finds an even better way of getting into the Welshman’s head as he seeks entry to Joe’s inner cranium with a short right hand. However, Calzaghe’s  finely shaped proboscis stops the glove from going any further as he finds himself deposited on the seat of his pants in the very first round and the old Executioner from Philadelphia was now acting like a sprightly 20-year old as he was keeping Calzaghe at an ineffective, in-between punching range, using the ropes as his home base and counterpunching well. Meanwhile, Calzaghe remained on the attack and his punch rate was dazzling but still not finding its mark as his open-the-door-right jab was  falling short and at the end of four rounds he was trailing on all cards. The first round knockdown provided a good cushion. Calzaghe was also spending a lot of energy and time trying to avoid head collisions, an art form that Hopkins needs no practice for as he is a Grand Master.

 

            From the fifth round on Calzaghe seemed to find his groove and began putting it all together, slapping away in flurries, outpunching Hopkins, who, although throwing much fewer punches, was definitely carrying the heavier artillery. Forcing Hopkins back on the ropes was like getting a raccoon in a corner. That was his comfort zone. That’s where he bares his fangs, hisses and snarls.

 

            Around the ninth round Hopkins was noticeably tiring as Calzaghe continually seemed to shift into higher gear, punching in greater flurries. It was time for Hopkins to go back to his “acting” career. Midway through round ten, Calzaghe landed a right hook definitely below the belt line but still well above the crotch area. True, you cannot be in another man’s jock strap (or protective cup) but it was inconceivable that the low blow could have caused the distress that was manifested by Hopkins. Referee Joe Cortez, always Fair but Firm, did not assess a penalty point but granted Hopkins as much time as he required up to five minutes. When action resumed, a now rejuvenated Hopkins came back strongly and stole the round, taking an aggressive stance rather than fighting off the ropes.  Seeing how well this went, Hopkins resorted to an acting role again in the eleventh round, this time to a rather invisible blow that left Calzaghe with arms outstretched in the center of the ring wondering what was going on. This time Cortez, not unappreciative of Hopkins’ acting ability, but being a little Firmer, had them resume action.

 

            This guy watching the fight who may not understand some of the finesse strategies employed in a prize ring says, “What an actor. He deserves an Oscar!”

 

            “Oscar? Nah, he had him already. Anyhow, Oscar’s fighting in two weeks!”

 

            Anyhow, Bernard the Executioner, gets no awards, not even the decision, which goes to a most exuberant Joe Calzaghe on a split verdict with Adelaide Byrd scoring it 114-113 for Hopkins while Ted Gimza  and Chuck Giampa had Calzaghe by comfortable margins of 115-112 and 116-111. I scored the fight 116-112 for Calzaghe but there were so many close rounds that there was substantial division among the press corps and the non-Welsh fans.

 

            Both fighters weighed in at 173. Calzaghe remains undefeated at 45-0 (32 KO’s) and Hopkins falls to 48-5-1 (32 KO’s.)

           


 

 

 

 

A Vera Surprising Outcome;

Brian Vera stops hot prospect Andy Lee

By: Phil Santos – Overhandright.com

 It looked as though all three undefeated fighters who highlighted ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights March 21st card would improve their records and remain flawless. That was until Brian Vera scored the biggest upset of the series thus far in 2008.

 All the hype surrounding the Main Event centered around undefeated Middleweight prospect Andy Lee.  At 15-0 (12) Lee seemed to be on the fast track to championship contention.  He had the guidance and praise of Emanuel Steward, one of the sports top trainers, and now he had a national stage to show an American audience what he was made of.

 As the fight approached very little was made of Brian Vera.  Yeah he was a contender alum, yeah he had a solid record, 16-1 (9), with his only loss coming to Jaidon Codrington.  So What!?  This kid has no chance.  He was merely supposed to be an opponent.  I guess Vera never got the memo.

 Things unraveled just as they were expected to at first with Lee scoring and early knockdown.  Vera looked over matched and struggled to find a way to counter Lee’s heavy left hooks.  After surviving the 1st round Vera slowly, but surely, began to assert himself with thumping right hands which eventually earned Lee’s respect.

 With the fight now seemingly up for grabs it was Vera who began to separate himself as the hungrier, though not necessarily more talented, fighter.  Blood trickled down the face of the unbeaten Andy Lee as he tried to withstand numerous right hands that were now landing with greater frequency.  Lee continued to counter but now Vera with new found confidence walked through many of the Irishman’s best offerings. 

 As the 7th round rolled around you began to wonder how much longer Lee could absorb the punishment Vera had been dishing out for the last few rounds.  Again Vera attacked this time landing just one crushing right hand and referee Tony Chiarantano stepped in and stopped the fight.

 A somewhat surprising stoppage considering the fact that Lee responded to the shot that caused the stoppage with an immediate counter punch.  Lee did not dispute the referee’s verdict and Emanuel Steward concurred following the fight saying that he had no problem with the referee’s decision to stop the fight. 

If Andy Lee is to become a major player in the Middleweight division he certainly didn’t look the part tonight.  Both he and Vera were easily hit and showed little or no ability to make defensive adjustments.  All in all an entertaining fight between to average fighters.

 Undercard Results: 

Matt Remillard scored a Unanimous Decision win over Jesus Salvador Perez.  Remillard improves to 13-0 (7) and Perez falls to 25-19-3 (14).

Aaron Pryor Jr. defeated Alphonso Williams by Unanimous Decision.  Pryor remains perfect improving to 9-0 (6) while Williams losses his second straight fight running his record to 10-4 (8).

PS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAYE BELTS MACCERINELLI; LOOKS TO HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

 

 

LONDON (March 9, 2008) – South London native David Haye disposed of Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli in less than two rounds to unify the cruiserweight division. Haye entered London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night with the WBA and WBC belts and collected Maccarinelli’s WBO strap after a brilliant show of speed and power.

 

The fight began shortly after 2 a.m. local time with a delirious, sold out crowd of 20,000 rocking the O2. Maccarinelli vs. Haye was a promotion of Frank Warren’s Sports Network. 

 

It was a special night on SHOWTIME Sports as the premium network aired a boxing and MMA doubleheader for the first time in history. Immediately following the live boxing telecast, SHOWTIME aired EliteXC presents Cage Rage 25 from Wembley Arena via tape delay from earlier in the night.

 

In a battle of big punching British champions, Haye landed the first big punch early in the second round staggering Maccarinelli. Haye stalked him into the corner and followed up with a barrage of lefts and rights. Haye, aptly nicknamed “The Hayemaker,” landed another big right hand to send Maccarinelli down. Although he was able to get to his feet, Maccarinelli was on unsteady legs as referee John Keane began to count.  Keane waived off the fight before completing his count at 2:04 of the second.

 

“‘The Hayemaker’ doesn’t lie,” said the jubilant and fresh unified champion. “It is nice to know that the cruiserweight division is now cleaned up. It is time to move up to heavyweight and fix that disgraceful division.”

 

Haye improves his record to 21-1 with 20 knockouts.

 

“Ever since I was a boy, I’ve said I would be the heavyweight champion of the world,’’ Haye said. “Against my speed, my athleticism, my amateur pedigree, there’s nothing those heavyweights out there can do.”
 

“I didn’t box the plan,” said Maccarinelli, who drops to 28-2, 21 KOs. “Take nothing away from David Haye. It was a crackin’ shot and I just got caught. Enzo (Trainer, Enzo Calzaghe) will crucify me for this.”

 

BEY

 

 

Mayweather vs. Hatton: After Effects

Article By: Phil Santos  Overhandright.com
 
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Money Mayweather remained perfect by knocking out one of the best pound for pound fighters on the planet in Ricky Hatton but did little to silence his critics.  Mayweather finds himself in the same situation now as after the De La Hoya fight.  He notched another win over a big name opponent (a list which includes Angel Manfredy, Diego Corrales, Jesus Chavez, Jose Luis Castillo (2), Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Oscar De La Hoya, and now Ricky Hatton) but whether it is questionable match making due to age, weight, or skill level of his challenger “Pretty Boy will always draw harsh reviews from fans and media alike.
 
Floyd Mayweather, in short, is one of if not the most skilled fighters of all-time. On the same note he can be a very insipid, if not, unwatchable.  Mayweather may not have the most exciting style but he plays to win and it hard to argue with his success.  It is a difficult situation when you find yourself analyzing Mayweather and his place in history.  The fight fan in me yearns to bash him for ducking Margarito and Cotto, or criticize his style and the fact that he is often content with a decision when he appears to be dominating the action.  But how can I?  Seriously the guy is really, really good no check that, he's great.
 
How can anyone be critical of a fighter who simply knows what it takes to win?  It's like calling a football team weak for beating a team with a great run defense by throwing all over them.  Are they less of a team because they don't challenge the great run D, or does that just make them smart?  Floyd seems to have the rare ability to remain composed under pressure while realizing when to go for the knockout and when out boxing his opponent the surest way to a win.  It's hard to hate on that. 
 
Floyd's options are endless. A match up with Miguel Cotto would indeed be a Super Fight with the winner emerging as the worlds pound for pound champ.  Aside from Cotto the competition is very good but the reward in terms of drawing power and acclaim for victory over the likes of Kermit Cintron, Paul Williams or Shane Mosley may not be worth the hassle for Mayweather.  A Mosley fight seemed logical, a big name and a good draw, until Cotto defeated the former champ making himself the biggest threat to Mayweather's throne.  So while there are endless options available to Mayweather there are only two that make sense to fight fans: Fight Cotto or Retire.
 
Ricky Hatton: The Hit Man showed heart and lived up to his word as he promised to pressure Mayweather like no fighter before him had been able to.  Hatton was in the fight throughout and I think it may be unfair to say he was outclassed, but he was clearly not the better fighter regardless of whether Mayweather scored the knockout or not.
 
Hatton seemed disappointed yet optimistic that he would bounce back from defeat, even joking immediately following the fight that “that was some fluke.  Hatton's fans supported their man throughout and should continue to do so as Hatton ventures back into the Junior Welterweight division.  In only his second fight at Welterweight Hatton fought as well as expected against arguably the best fighter on th planet.  A return to 140lbs should spell success for The Hit Man.
 
After taking on such a difficult opponent Hatton should be expected to take some time off and most likely return with a tune up fight, maybe two before facing an elite 140 pounder.  Perhaps the most intriguing match up may come against fellow Brit Junior Witter who is the reigning WBC title holder.  Witter and Hatton have held an ongoing feud mostly fueled by Witter calling Hatton out and Hatton responding by disparaging Witter's skills and credentials.
 
Ricky Hatton came in to his match up with Mayweather in an ideal situation.  He fought at a weight where he couldn't perform his best, a point he was quick to point out after the fight, so his sympathizers had a built in excuse for the loss before the inevitable became reality.  Hatton remains a very good fighter, potentially still a force at 140 and at 29 years old he should have some good years ahead of him.
 
Having the undefeated label so painfully removed by Mayweather may take some of the shine off of Hatton's star, his ability to draw a crowd and marquis fights is soundly in tact.  The aforementioned bout with Witter could help establish Hatton as the best Junior Welterweight over the last decade however; a loss could badly damage his place in history.

 

PS

 

 

 

 

COTTO-MOSLEY: IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT ON A STREET CORNER

-         Ron Ross

 

      When a guy has blood running from a cut eye and mouth and winds up being chased for nearly ten minutes in a street corner brawl, he maybe gets a few tough luck shrugs of the shoulder and a “Good try, fella.” He is not the guy who gets dragged into the candy store for egg creams, mallomars and gets his back pounded in congratulation. That is reserved for the winner, the guy who did the chasing and made the blood run.

 

      Sometimes a place like Madison Square Garden can be too civilized. That is how it was tonight as Sugar Shane Mosley fought sweet in this WBA welterweight title bout against body-buster Miguel Cotto, but wound up on the bitter end. This is not to fault the scoring, which Glenn Feldman and Peter Trematera had 115-113  and Wynn Kintz, 116-113 all for the bloodied, back-pedaling champion. It just ain’t the law of the jungle – or the street.

      It was a hard-fought back and forth pier-sixer with the major surprise being that Mosley became the stronger of the two as the fight wore on. Cotto banged away at the body and Mosley responded by hammering back with a strong overhand right, mixed in with some of his own crisp hooks to the body. It was a real eye-opener as Mosley, from the ninth round on,  had the  seemingly indomitable Puerto Rican superstar in full retreat. Even though Shane got no egg creams, he did get a lot of respect.

 

      In a couple of very, very abbreviated contests, Golden Johnson’s comeback came to a very, very sudden and abrupt end as he was slaughtered, quartered and butchered by Antonio Margarito in a WBO intercontinental welterweight championship fight. Using a devastating left uppercut as his showcase weapon, Margarito dropped the 36-year old Johnson three times, with Referee Wayne Kelly coming to the rescue at 2:38 of the first round. This was almost as quick an ending as Victor Ortiz’ 1:47  first round one punch KO of Carlos Maussa in a scheduled welterweight ten rounder. It was a stunning left to Maussa’s cheekbone that ended the fight.

 

      Sandwiched between those two spectacular knockouts, Joel Casamayor won a somewhat unpopular twelve round decision in defense of his WBC lightweight title against Jose Santa Cruz. Winning by a unanimous decision (115-113,115-113, 116-113), Casamayor did not impress anyone except, perhaps, some other people named Casamayor. The highlight and most memorable moment of the fight was Casamayor being floored in the opening round by a glancing left to the elbow. Santa Cruz is another guy who misses out on an egg cream. Not to worry, he’ll settle for a sangria!

-RR-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WILSON SCORES 15-SECOND, FIRST-ROUND KO OVER WALKER, RODRIGUEZ OUTPOINTS PREVIOUSLY UNBEATEN LOWTHER  _____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Friday, Oct. 19, 2007, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME

Raley Field, Sacramento, California

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Oct. 19, 2007) – It was over almost before it started.

 

In a stunning upset, T.J. Wilson captured the International Boxing Association (IBA) Continental Americas heavyweight title with an unpopular,  controversial 15-second, first-round knockout over previously undefeated Travis Walker Friday in the main event on ShoBox: The New Generation.

 

The amazing run of streaking, vastly improved Jesus “Chuy” Rodriguez continued in the co-feature when he won his eighth in a row with a convincing, unanimous eight-round decision over previously unbeaten Omri Lowther in a good-action junior welterweight match.

 

The doubleheader, held outside at Raley Field, was promoted by Duva Boxing in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions. It aired on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

 

A mere seconds after the opening bell, Wilson backed Walker into a corner and began delivering punches with both hands. At least a couple connected solidly and seemed to stun Walker, who did not once attempt to retaliate, or even raise a glove. He did not land a punch.

 

Moments later, the referee, Raul Caiz Sr., stepped between the boxers and waved off the fight.

 

“He dropped his hands. His shoulders dropped and he did not try to defend himself,’’ said Caiz, a veteran referee and the third man in numerous world title fights across the years. “I hated to do it. No one wants to see a fight end like that, especially so early on. But it is my job to protect the fighter.’’

 

Naturally, Wilson (12-1, 8 KOs), of Atlanta, agreed with the referee’s actions while Walker (25-1-1, 19 KOs), of Houston, Texas, by way of Tallahassee, Fla., thought it was, well, a travesty.

 

“He was ready to go,” said Wilson, a six-foot-six inch, 282-pound southpaw who was two inches taller than Walker and outweighed him by 42 pounds. “He just folded up in the corner. His head wobbled.

 

“If the referee doesn’t stop it, Walker is going down and getting knocked out anyway. I was not going to stop throwing punches.’’

 

Making his second start since July 2004 and first since March 24, 2007, Wilson said he would welcome a rematch but would prefer a shot at a top-10 contender.

 

“I really want to thank SHOWTIME for this opportunity,’’ he said. “They gave me a chance to show what I could do. I said I was going to apply intense pressure and I did. You saw what happened. 

 

“Since I just beat the guy in 15 seconds, I would like to try and progress in my career and fight somebody in the top 10. But if the price is right, I’d fight Walker again.’’

 

 Walker, who was making his third appearance on SHOWTIME, vehemently protested the ref’s decision to halt the proceedings. The boxer still was in disbelief several minutes later.

 

“You don’t stop a fight, a championship fight, like that,” an agitated Walker said. “He caught me with a couple shots, but I was never hurt. It was only the first round, a feeling out round. We knew he was going to come out and shoot his wad. That was the only shot he had at winning.

 

“This is unbelievable. I definitely want to fight Wilson again.’’

 

                Rodriguez (17-2, 5 KOs), of Salinas, Calif., performed intelligently and stayed poised throughout en route to triumphing by the scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74. There were no knockdowns.

 

            “I am content with the win, but I am not entirely satisfied,’’ he said. “I pushed the fight but I think I could have been a lot busier. But it was great fighting on SHOWTIME and having the fans behind me like they were.’’

 

A third cousin to the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson, Lowther (9-1, 8 KOs), of Atlanta, Ga., had his stablemate, undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Paul Williams, in his corner Friday. It didn’t help.

 

“I won’t make any excuses,’’ Lowther said. “I knew what I was getting into when I took the fight. Fighting a guy in his hometown is not easy. My only complaint is that the referee warned Rodriguez for hitting behind the head something like six times but never took away a point.’’

 

Nick Charles (blow-by-blow) and Steve Farhood (analyst) called the action from ringside. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

           

Friday’s bouts will re-air as follows:

 

            DAY                                                                CHANNEL

Saturday, Oct. 20, at Midnight ET/PT               SHOTOO 

Monday, Oct. 22, at 10 p.m. ET/PT                 SHO EXTREME

Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Midnight ET/PT                SHO EXTREME

Thursday, Oct. 25, at 11 p.m. ET/PT                SHOTOO       

 

Friday’s telecast was the first of three consecutive ShoBox presentations that will feature promising heavyweight prospects.

 

 The next “ShoBox” telecast on Friday, Nov. 2 (SHOWTIME, 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) will be the 100th in a popular, critically acclaimed series that began in July 2001. The main event will pit undefeated “Fast” Eddie Chambers against Calvin “The Boxing Banker” Brock in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) title elimination bout.

 

On Nov. 16, in a special ShoBox event airing live from St. Lucia, World Boxing Council (WBC) No. 7 contender Cristobal Arreola will face unbeaten Teke Oruh in a 10-rounder for the WBC Continental Americas title.

 

On Saturday, Nov. 3, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) returns with a world championship doubleheader highlighted by a WBC super featherweight title fight between defending champion Juan Manuel Marquez and Rocky Juarez. In the semi-main, Robert  “The Ghost’’ Guerrero will defend his IBF 126-pound belt against Martin Honorio.

 

For information on Showtime Sports Programming, including exclusive video, photos and news links on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and EliteXC mixed martial arts telecasts, please go to www.SHO.com/sports.

 

About ShoBox: The New Generation

Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talented fighters matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise crowd-pleasing and competitive fights while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title.  The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz and Robert Guerrero.  Kelly Pavlik became the 20th fighter who has fought on ShoBox to win a world title with his recent victory over Jermain Taylor. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DARK CLOUDS CAN HAVE SILVER LINING

 

AFTER THE BELL ---TAYLOR-PAVLIK

 

Ron Ross

 

Jermain Taylor may be disappointed – even depressed. Getting knocked out and losing your title is good reason to feel that way. But some of the darkest of clouds have silver linings. Don’t take my word for it. There are some great ones from back when, who would have been able to tell you that this can be the start of something big. There was a guy named Joe Louis who got starched by Max Schmeling and came back to become one of the greatest legends in heavyweight boxing history.

 

If you want to stick with the middleweights, try this one for size. A real life Dead End kid from the lower east side of New York was a whisker away from taking the title from Tony Zale when Zale buried a left hook into Rocky Graziano’s solar plexus. It ended the fight, but not Rocky’s dream. That was just the beginning of a trilogy that saw Graziano knock out Zale in a return bout and go on to one of the most colorful careers in middleweight history.

 

Does Sugar Ray Robinson ring a bell? Well, the guy who is touted as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of the twentieth century got whipped in major wars by Carmen Basilio, Gene Fullmer and Randy Turpin. So what does Robinson do? He shows that turning a loss around – which he does in the re-matches – is a stepping stone to greatness.

 

Kelly Pavlik, the lanky larruper from Youngstown, Ohio, showed that he is ingrained with seeds of greatness by pulling himself off the deck in the second round after a devastating onslaught by Taylor and engaging the champion in a back-and-forth, give no quarter all-out combat. Working behind a stinging left jab, Taylor’s faster hands and boxing skills had him leading on all scorecards when Pavlik nailed him with a tremendous right that Taylor never saw coming. Pavlik, sensing the kill, jumped in with both hands hammering away at Taylor who slowly sank to the canvas as Referee Steve Smoger waved it off without a count at 2:14 of the seventh round.

 

For Jermain Taylor, it has to be a tough pill to swallow but in a losing effort, he was far from disgraced. Now it is all a matter of perspective. If the loss serves as a motivational tool, a step forward in the ongoing education of a potentially great prizefighter, perhaps Jermain Taylor is on the road to join the ranks of some of the elites. It takes a great fighter to bring out the best in another great fighter. There is a strong possibility that Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor will share that bond.

 

In a welterweight semi-final, Andre Berto continued his climb to the top by stopping a courageous but outgunned fellow Floridian, David Estrada at 1:17 of the eleventh round after felling him with two stunning rights. Estrada climbed to his feet, displaying the same stout-heartedness that had him fighting back all night against a stronger opponent, only to walk into a torrent of power punches that had referee Dave Fields wisely jump in and call it off.  Berto was way ahead at the time of the stoppage, winning eight or nine of the first ten rounds, but the scorecards did not tell the story of a fight that saw each round a close see-saw battle. Estrada was in Berto’s face every second of every round, but Berto was just too strong and too well conditioned as he continued on his express to stardom.

 

                                    -RR-

 

 

 

 

ISRAEL VAZQUEZ STOPS RAFAEL MARQUEZ TO REGAIN WBC TITLE

NG FNEW YORK (August 5, 2007) – La Venganza! It was vengeance, vindication and redemption for a jubilant Israel Vazquez Saturday night on SHOWTIME. Vazquez stopped Rafael Marquez in a rematch to regain the World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Bantamweight world title that he lost to Marquez earlier this year at 1:16 of the sixth round in an old-school, classic and bloody slugfest.

 The main event of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast from the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas had everything: tremendous offensive technique; non-stop, two-way action; a touch of controversy; and the contemplation of a third fight.

 n Saturday’s co-feature, a World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Bantamweight world championship, Celestino Caballero retained his belt by unanimous decision over Jorge Lacierva in another action-packed battle (116-110, 116-111 and 115-112).

 Marquez and Vazquez picked up where they left off in their first fight on March 3, 2007, which saw Marquez rally from an early knockdown to dethrone Vazquez at the end of round seven.

 That fight, a Fight of the Year candidate, seemed to pale in comparison as “Round Eight” began Saturday with the Mexican warriors going toe-to-toe from the start. Both fighters thrilled the fans in attendance and viewers across the country with blazing speed, devastating power and an ability to take advantage of each others defensive openings.

 In the third round, a Round of the Year candidate, Vazquez landed vicious left hooks to the body and head of Marquez, swelling and cutting his right eye. But Marquez fired right back with powerful overhand rights and uppercuts to open cuts near both eyes of his opponent. As combinations from one fighter landed, the other seemingly loaded up with a barrage of his own.

 One of those old-time fights,” bellowed announcer Steve Albert during third-round action.

 Early in the sixth, with blood flowing steadily from a deep gash over his left eye, Vazquez landed another devastating hook that sent Marquez to the canvas.  A weary Marquez rose, shook off the sting and immediately engaged Vazquez.  With the fighters trading punches along the ropes, referee Guadalupe Garcia stepped in to stop the fight.

“I don’t understand,” complained Marquez, who lost the first of his 10 career title fights. “I was throwing punches. I was able to fight. I don’t know why the referee didn’t see his eyes and think that he was hurt too.”

 Said SHOWTIME analyst Al Bernstein: “I am loath to criticize an official. My whole career I have been loath to criticize officials.  However, I feel that this stoppage was premature. Israel Vazquez was superb tonight and may very well have knocked out Marquez later in that round—no question.  However, I do feel that the Garcia stopped this fight too quickly.”

 It was only a matter of time,” said Vazquez (42-4 32 KO’s) who now has six KO’s in seven world championship fights. “I couldn’t finish him earlier because he is a great fighter, but if not (stopped) then, I would have finished him in the next round. I knew he was in trouble.”

 Marquez lost his first fight in seven years and drops to 37-4 with 33 knockouts.

 “After the first fight, man-to-man, we told him we’d give him a rematch,” said Marquez, 32, a two-time world champ. “And now, man-to-man, we want him to know we want the third fight.”

 It was an easy decision for me to stop this fight,” said Garcia. “Marquez was in bad shape. He got knocked down, got up and was taking more punches. In this sport, the interest of the fighters is the best thing.”     BEY

 

ISRAEL VAZQUEZ STOPS RAFAEL MARQUEZ TO REGAIN WBC TITLE

 HIDALGO, Tex. (Aug. 5, 2007) – Sycuan Ringside Promotions went three-for-three Saturday at the Dodge Arena, highlighted by Israel Vazquez’s sensational sixth-round knockout of Rafael Marquez to regain the World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantamweight title.

 In a serious candidate for Fight of the Year, which included an incredibly exciting, brutal  third stanza that could turn out to be the Round of the Year, a carved and bloody but indomitable Vazquez (42-4, 32 KOs), who is co-promoted by Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions,  registered the fight’s lone knockdown when he dropped Marquez in the sixth.

 Moments later, the referee stepped in and stopped the exciting, give-and-take slugfest at 1:16. Vazquez, who turned the tables on Marquez (37-4, 33 KOs) after losing last March 7, was ahead by the scores of 48-47 on the three scorecards after five completed rounds.

 “We hit the trifecta and it can’t get any better than that,” said Glenn Quiroga, President of the San Diego, Calif.-based boxing group. “Tonight was a tremendous night for Sycuan Ringside Promotions and I am very proud of everyone involved.

 “Israel’s fight with Rafael was tremendous. The third round was like Hagler-Hearns only 38 pounds lighter.’’

 Said Scott Woodworth, Vice-President of Sycuan Ringside Promotions, “I have been in boxing a long time, but, seriously, this was the greatest fight I have ever seen. The third round was more than any fan possibly could ask for. The entire fight was just breathtakingly unreal.

 “Vazquez and Marquez are, indeed, true warriors – ultimate warriors. Both were cut and bloodied but never quit throwing punches or giving 100 percent.

 “This was a great night for boxing and I am already looking forward to their third fight.’’

 The rubber match, both Woodworth and promoter Gary Shaw announced afterward, would take place in early 2008.

Vazquez, who was cut around both eyes, was quick to credit his cornermen. “My cutman, Joe Sanchez, did an unbelievable job,” he said. “I knew the cuts were bad but I was never worried they were going to stop the fight because I could see.

“I can’t say enough about my new trainer, Rudy Perez, either. He was fabulous from day one of our training camp. He had me in excellent shape and our game plan worked to perfection.

 “A lot of people questioned me for taking this fight so soon because of the nose injury I suffered in our first fight. But it was never a factor or a problem tonight.

 “I told everyone the real Israel Vazquez would show up this time around. It wasn’t easy, of course. Rafael Marquez is a great champion. But I do feel a little satisfaction proving so many people wrong. I am very happy to have won my title back and brought it back to Sycuan.’’

 In a tough, hard-fought encounter immediately preceding Vazquez-Marquez on SHOWTIME, Celestino Caballero, co-promoted by Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Seminole Warriors Boxing, retained his World Boxing Association (WBA) 122-pound crown with a unanimous 12-round decision over Jorge Lacierva.

 “The best is yet to come,’’ said Panama’s Caballero (27-2, 16 KOs), who overcame a slow start to triumph by the scores of 116-110, 116-111 and 115-11. “I wanted to look better, but it is hard to look good against a guy who fights as dirty as Lacierva (32-7-6, 22 KOs).

 Sycuan Ringside Promotions’ promising young junior welterweight Jorge Paez Jr. (16-1, 10 KOs) got the night off to an excellent start by pitching a six-round shutout over Jaime Orrantia. Paez won by 60-54 on all the cards.

 BEY

 

 

NIGHT OF KNOCKOUTS IN NEW YORK

 

KO''s REIGN IN AT HAMMERSTEIN

 

Southpaw journeyman jr. welterweight Harrison Cuello did not come to be a sacrificial lamb last light at New York's Hammerstein at 34th Street -- and stopped the heavy favorite Edgar Santana in the third round with a terrific straight left -- as perfect a punch that the lords of boxing can dream of.

 

Not to knock Santana --- who just got caught and was  enough of a fighter to get up and try to go on, but the truth is that he did not have an inkling to box a southpaw and seemed confused throughout the first two rounds, of which Cuello dominated.

 

Santana falls to 21-3, while Cuello improves to 13-5, with 10 KO's.

 

The night of KO's started when unbeaten standout Irish amateur  Henry Coyle was stopped in .29 of the first round courtesy of a barrage of punches from Omar Bell, Atlanta, GA, who is now 4-0 with 3 KO's.  Coyle, the red corner boxer, falls to 2-1.

 

Next, 170lb Jaidon Codrington returned to the ballroom and stopped game  Carl Cockerham, Las Vegas, NV in the 2nd round.  Then Super-middleweight James McGirt Jr. stopped one Delray Raines, Paris AK, in the first round.

 

In a jr middleweight bout Nicaragua's Jose Verela  retired a questionable Thomas Davis in the second stanza. I say questionable because it looked as if Davis didn't want to fight, as if he had an important date waiting outside in a cab. After the second round ended, Davis sat down in his corner, got up during the ring card girl trot, and lifted his opponent in the air as the victor.   The crowd, momentarily confused, started booing as the end of the bout materialized.

 

And then the Santana saga happened.

 

The first fight went the distance, with welterweight Luis Ruiz winning a decision over a tough Carrolsville, MI opponent Bruce Burkhardt.

 

All in all, what looked like a decent card turned out to be much better than most -- as the blue corner registered three victories of the six bouts.

 

JLM  

 

 

 

Abracadbra, Malignaggi is here to stay . . .


By Noah Fowle

What a difference a year makes. Rising welterweight star Paulie
Malignaggi found his footing and picked his shots with precision in
his second world title bout, virtually blanking former IBF champ
Lovermore N'Dou. Even though Malignaggi was fighting in front of a
much smaller crowd than his lone loss to Miguel Cotto at Madison
Square Garden last year, he dazzled the crowd into a frenzy and had them on their feet chanting his name in the final seconds of the
12-round. By the time the judges score cards were read (120-106,
120-106, 118-08) the announcement was moot, as Malignaggi  was already celebrating by saluting his fans from the ring posts and hugging those in his corner and his family who made it through to apron.

"This is a life long dream," he said, hanging his newly won strap over one shoulder and a gash over his left eye.  "This puts the stamp on it. Paulie Malignaggi is here to stay."

And why shouldn't he. Malignaggi, who has often been criticized as a one-handed fighter, showed off an arsenal of punches behind his deadly jab. From the opening bell maneuvered the bullish N'Dou right into his shots. While his opponent could often land one hard punch at a time, Malignaggi showed once again he can take a punch when he isn't fast enough to dodge away. "I give him credit. He forced me to fight," he said. "I said it was going to be easy, that was just trashing talking. It was hard."

As hard as it was, Malignaggi kept it pretty, first stinging N'Dou
with a rapid succession of jabs then picking his retreating opponent
off with his other hand. "I worked him into the right hand all night,"
he said. At 1:28 of the ninth-round, one of those rights buckled
N'Dou's knees and, coupled with a grazing left hook, sent him to the
canvas.

Of course N'Dou who only found success a punch or two at a time, and criticized referee Eddie Cotton for stifling any attempts at making the contest a physical inside fight  quick breaks of the fighters' clinches to quickly. "Every time we got close the ref would separate us. Paulie is a good fighter, but the ref let him get away with a lot," said N'Dou, who also looked to enact the rematch clause from the contract.
 

NF

 

REFLECTIONS

 

- Ron Ross

 

I’m glad that Edison Miranda mouthed off the way he did before his Las Vegas downfall. Until then you had to be humming “Hearts and Flowers” over this former Colombian street urchin who was abandoned by his family and scrabbled on his own to survive. His “I can beat Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor on the same night” boasts sort of neutralized the tugging at the heart strings image he had projected and made him human enough to have boxing fans accept his beating at Kelly Pavlik’s hands without an emotional meltdown.

 

But do not sell Miranda short. This young man has overcome too much adversity in life to let a loss in the ring stop him.

 

 

Jake LaMotta, seated in the orchestra, just a couple rows from the stage at the Beacon Theater on Friday night must have been wondering whether some mad scientist had cloned him without his knowledge as he watched Pawel Wolak do a Raging Bull routine as he hammered away without let-up, bombarding Anthony Little’s body with savage hooks in a trench warfare type contest in which Wolak simply had too much artillery, goring his man into submission at the end of the second round. If  Pawelie had come into the ring in a leopardskin robe, then Jake would really have had to do a double-take.

 

 

Did Lou DiBella take more chances by jumping up in front of his ringside neighbors exhorting his fighter on than Jermain Taylor did in the ring against his Teflon opponent, Corey Spinks?

And will Lou be as undaunted as Jermain in his willingness to ink Kelly Pavlik for the next title defense? Pavlik’s disciplined, pin-point dismantling of Edison Miranda certainly establishes him as the best middleweight around in the minds of many boxing experts.

 

 

Shouldn’t Irish Henry Coyle’s forty-eight second stoppage of an 0-2 Sam Gomez underscore that guys with national amateur championship titles and more than 200 amateur fights under their belt should not be fed untested beginners as cannon fodder?

That does not take away from Coyle’s ability. This young man can now be added to the growing list of Irish boxing stars. It doesn’t seem as though he needs a four-leaf clover to move his career along.

 

 

It took me a while to recall what Jermain Taylor trying to corner a pesky Corey Spinks reminded me of. I closed my eyes and there it was! Elmer Fudd chasing but never really catching Bugs Bunny. That cwazy wabbit!!

 

 

Okay, they say seeing is believing, but not hearing – at least I don’t think so. So I do not choose to believe what I heard Larry Merchant recommend in his post fight wrap-upon HBO Saturday night. In order to make boxing more popular with the fans, he advocated smaller rings and smaller gloves, inferring that today’s fans want home runs, touchdowns and KNOCKOUTS!  He did not request that lions be brought into the arena to finish the job nor did he even hint at an emperor (or a King – don or otherwise) giving a thumbs down, calling for the loser’s head to roll. Wow! With so much excitement in the teenie weenie ring, who is going to run back to the casinos?

 

 

It seems to me there has to be a movie just waiting to be made about Micky Ward now training Arturo Gatti.  Could you just picture Tony Zale training Rocky Graziano or Willie Pep taking Sandy Saddler on as a student. Truthfully, it is a heartwarming story that can only take place in the boxing world.

 

 

Senior Boxing! Who says it can never happen. When 44 year old Evander Holyfield squares off against Lou Savarese, a mere 41, in Texas on June 2nd every assisted-living facility around the country will have the TV lounges packed with men who, for one night, will dream that impossible dream – just like the two guys in the ring!

 

 -RR-

 

 

EDDIE CHAMBERS OUTPOINTS DOMINICK GUINN,
 CRISTIBOL ARREOLA SCORES TKO OVER MALCOLM TANN

 

Friday, May 4, 2007, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME

Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada

 

LAS VEGAS (May 5, 2007) – Two of boxing’s most promising young heavyweights, “Fast” Eddie Chambers and Cristibol “The Nightmare” Arreola,  kept their unblemished records in tact in the co-featured bouts Friday on “ShoBox: The New Generation.’’

 

Chambers (29-0, 16 KOs) registered a unanimous 10-round decision over Dominick “The Southern Disaster’’ Guinn (28-5-1, 19 KOs) while Arreola (20-0, 18 KOs) scored an eighth-round TKO over  Malcolm “The Show Stopper” Tann (23-3, 12 KOs).

 

The doubleheader at Palms Resort Casino was presented  by Goossen Tutor Promotions and aired on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

 

Chambers, of Philadelphia, by way of Pittsburgh, Pa., didn’t exactly pull a fast one over Guinn, of Houston, Tex., via Hot Springs, Ark., but the well-conditioned, six-foot-one inch, 25-year-old did enough to triumph by the scores of  97-93 twice and 100-90. The last tally seemed way out of line.

 

A Chambers left hook connects . . .

 

and the winner is . . .

 

Arreola, of Riverside, Calif., by way of Los Angeles, mostly dominated a terrific action fight against Tann, of Chandler, Ariz., via Seaboard, N.C.. The bout was stopped at 1:07 of the eighth after the six-feet-four inch, 26-year-old knocked Tann through the ropes.

 

While content with a victory, Chambers was not exactly thrilled with his performance. “I should have been a lot faster and a lot better,” he said. “I could have done a lot more than I did tonight. I could have been busier and thrown more combinations.

 

“You have to give Guinn a lot of credit. He is a tough guy who once was a top contender. I expected him to fight hard and he did. This is a great win for me, but I am not totally satisfied.

 

“I am going to really try and step it up next time.’’

 

Making his third start since rejoining trainer Ronnie Shields, Guinn fought perhaps his best fight in three years but it was not enough to stifle Chambers, who was as fresh in the 10th round as he was in the first.

 

Still, however, Guinn felt he’d done enough to win.

 

“This is very disappointing,” he said. “I thought the fight was mine. I didn’t do everything I wanted to do, but I was plenty adequate. I definitely think I proved that I could still fight.

 

“I don’t know what fight the judge that gave him all 10 rounds was watching. But I guess when you fight one of the promoter’s fighters, you have to knock him out to win.’’

 

Arreola’s exciting victory over a game, determined Tann was his eighth in a row inside the distance.

 

“All fights are tough and hard,’’ said Arreola, who had never fought past seven rounds. “I hit Tann with some good shots, but he took them all and threw a lot back, too . . .

 

Arreola scores with a right.

 

“This was definitely a good step up for me against a big, experienced opponent. But I don’t like to analyze myself or my fights too closely. A win is a win.’’

 

Tann, who had never been knocked out, entered the match having won seven straight and 15 of 16.

 

“I can’t take anything away from Arreola, who is an excellent pressure fighter, but I screwed this fight up,” said Tann, who accepted the fight on five day’s notice. “It wasn’t about what he did as much as what I didn’t do. I didn’t come to fall down for anybody.

 

  Nightmare rules the evening.

 

“I was trying to lean back against the ropes, and just fell through them. I was clear-headed and wanted to continue but the referee stopped the fight before I even had a chance to try and start to get up.’’

 

Nick Charles (blow-by-blow), Steve Farhood (color analyst) and former two-time world heavyweight champion Chris Byrd (special guest commentator) called the action from ringside.

 

The executive producer of “ShoBox” was Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing.

 

            Friday’s bouts will re-air as follows:

 

            DAY                                                                CHANNEL

Saturday, May 5, at Midnight ET/PT                 SHOTOO 

Monday, May 7, at 10 p.m. ET/PT                   SHO EXTREME

Tuesday, May 8, at Midnight ET/PT                 SHO EXTREME

Thursday, May 10, at 11 p.m. ET/PT                SHOTOO       

 

The next “ShoBox” telecast Friday, June 1 (SHOWTIME, 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) will feature the return to the network of two of boxing’s top young, world-ranked prospects.