Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 3/11/08

1. Roy Jones Jr. vs Markus Beyer??? It is very possible. Roy Jones Jr. is going to Germany to watch Markus Beyer fight Murat Mahmudov on Friday night in Munich, Germany. Beyer is a 3-time WBC Super Middleweight Champion and has not fought in about a year in a half. Jones Jr. is not really a fan of leaving the US but interest has struck him and he is going to Germany. Arena Promotions CEO Ahmet Oner said if the fight is made between Jones Jr. and Beyer, he will do whatever he can to stage the fight in Germany.

2. Timothy Bradley who became the mandatory challenger to Junior Witter for the WBC Junior Welterweight Title is ready to fight anytime. Witter, who was supposed to fight Demetrius Hopkins on March 22 before Hopkins pulled out due to issues with his promoter and manager, is in fight shape. Bradley, who was supposed to fight this past weekend against Jose Luis Castillo who could not make weight, is also in great fight shape. Bradley says lets not wait since we are both in great shape. Hopefully this fight will happen soon because it was sad to see both fighters have fights scheduled only to have both cancelled.

3. Jeff Fenech, who is already a hall of famer as well as a 3-time world champion, is supposed to make a comeback in mid-June in a rematch against Samart Payakaroon. The bout is supposed to take place in Bangkok, Thailand. In their first fight that took place on May 8, 1987, Fenech won by 4th round KO in Sydney Australia. Fenech has not fought since losing on May 18, 1996 and will be 44 years old by the time he fights. Payakaroon is 45 and has not fought since losing in September 1994. Should be interesting.

4. Evander Holyfield, who is currently on a book tour promoting his new book Becoming Holyfield, said a third fight with Mike Tyson appears to be on its way to becoming reality. When asked what would a fight with Tyson do for his career, Holyfield said bring money and excitement to the Heavyweight division. Time will tell if this fight really happens or not. FYI, Becoming Holyfield is currently on sale at bookstores everywhere.

5. Nate Campbell, who pulled an upset against Juan Diaz over the weekend to become the Lightweight Champion, won twice Saturday night. Campbell out $50,000 on himself to win the fight. The odds were against Campbell at 4-1. Sounds like a great bet that really paid off for him.

6. It appears that WBA "regular" Super Middleweight Champion Anthony Mundine will fight Sam Soliman for the third time in May. Mundine already has two wins of Soliman, a controversial split decision in 2001 and a 9th round KO of Soliman in March 2007 to win the WBA belt he has now. The fight is pretty meaningless to many, but Mundine is hoping it will lead to a lucrative rematch with current WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Danny Green. Mundine holds a decision win over Green as well. Soliman, who picked up quite a few fans while he was on the Contender last year, is hoping he can claim his first World Title again.

7. ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights will show an IBF Junior Welterweight Title eliminator between Juan Urango and Carlos Wilfredo Vilches. Urango is trying to win another world title having previously held the WBO Junior Welterweight Title. Also in action on the undercard is up and coming hot prospect "Mean" Joe Greene.

8. It is official, Kelly Pavlik will defend his Middleweight Championship against Gary Lockett either on June 7 or 14. Bob Arum said it depends on whether HBO can accommodate a live tripleheader. The fight could either happen at Madison Square Garden as originally planned or at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Juan Manuel Lopez will be challenging WBO Junior Featherweight Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon. If HBO can accommodate a live tripleheader then middleweight prospect Andy Lee will be fighting Marco Antonio Rubio in the first fight of the telecast followed by Ponce De Leon-Lopez and then Pavlik-Lockett. The plot thickens for the main event because Lockett is trained by Enzo Calzaghe, who is the father and trainer of Super Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe. It has been mentioned of a possible Pavlik-Calzaghe fight down the road. I guess a lot also depends on Calzaghe's fight with Bernard Hopkins on April 19. So many scenarios can come in the coming months, I am excited.