Juan Urango KOs Carlos Vilches

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/25/08

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been asked to wave the green flag to open the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday May 25.

2. James McGirt Jr. is going to move down to Middleweight. After suffering his first defeat by way of TKO, McGirt is going to move down from Super Middleweight where he was a smaller fighter.

3. Kosta Tsyzu will fight Jackie Chan in an exhibition in August. The fight is supposed to pump up the Beijing Olympic Games. The fight is not official as Chan, who is an official ambassador of the Games, may be rejected by the Olympic authorities. This exhibition could be looked upon as more of a publicity stunt than real fight.

4. For those who may care, Audley Harrison may fight Danny Williams a third time. Both fighters are only popular in England and neither has gathered the World Class level of fighting they tried to. Both have posted recent comeback wins and hope that a third fight could settle their scorecard (each has one win against the other) and spark them into another chance at a World Title.

5. Joan Guzman finally obtained his visa that he was struggling to get. Now he can go to Scotland and fight Alex Arthur. The new date for the fight has not been determined, but at least it can still happen.

6. There is a possibility that Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera could stage a rematch later this year. Marquez defeated Barrera in March 2007 for the WBC Super Featherweight Title. Barrera was supposed to retire after he lost a lopsided decision to Manny Pacquiao in a rematch. However after some time off, Barrera said he wanted to fight again. Marquez-Barrera would not only signify a rematch, but a fight between two fighters who both lost to Manny Pacquiao in their most recent fights.

7. Bernard Hopkins, who lost to Joe Calzaghe by split decision over the past weekend, has turned down a rematch with Felix Trinidad. Now Trinidad has set his sights back on a fight with Jermain Taylor this fall at a possible catchweight of 170.

8. It appears the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito fight will take place in Las Vegas after the Nevada State Athletic Commission agreed to mend their glove rule. In Las Vegas only, the rule is all fighters above 135lbs must wear 10 ounce gloves. However in all other places that rule does not apply until after 147lbs. Since Las Vegas is willing to mend this rule, both Cotto and Margarito would be able to wear 8 ounce gloves in their fight.

9. Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye will not be fighting in London this fall. They may fight one day but no time soon. Klitschko is scheduled to fight Tony Thompson in July and then Alexander Povetkin probably in November. Haye is going to take a fight at Heavyweight later this year.

10. Top Rank has officially announced the signing of Anthony and Lamont Peterson. As I had reported, there was a snag in the signing due to the Petersons co-manager Shelly Finkel. However Top Rank has officially signed the Peterson Brothers. Look for them to get in the ring this summer in their Top Rank debuts.

11. Former World Champion Wayne McCullough saved a lady's life on a plane this past Sunday. Two ladies travelling together on a plane sat in front of McCullough when one of the lady's stop breathing. Her friend shouted for help, Wayne noticed and issued CPR on the lady. McCullough said he did not panic because he knew he could help. Great Job Wayne.

12. Manny Pacquiao again is delaying his trip to the US to begin training for his June 28 fight against David Diaz. Pacquiao, known for delaying his trip to camp, has caused concern with his trainer Freddie Roach and promoter Bob Arum. Hopefully he will get to camp asap so he can focus on the biggest fight of his life.

13. Samuel Peter and Vitali Klitschko are still trying to negotiate their fight. However they are far from close to a deal. The WBC has called for a purse bid May 8 with the fighters splitting the purse 50-50. Klitschko is running for mayor of Kiev and the earliest the fight can take place is sometime in the fall. Peter does not want the fight to take place outside of the US and Klitschko wants the fight to take place in Germany. This fight is huge headache.

14. The Oscar De La Hoya-Steve Forbes fight for May 3 has sold 24,000 of the 28,000 tickets.

15. There is a new reality show coming out called American Champion. This show is aimed at former college football players who were good but fell short. American Champion wants to get these fighters back out to have a chance to become great at boxing. I once heard the best Heavyweights all play in the NFL. With that statement I understand why there is an interest in this concept. For more info on the show or to try out, visit http://www.theamericanchampion.com/.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/21/08

1. Roy Jones Jr-Joe Calzaghe on HBOPPV November 15???? That is a rumor but do not be surprised if it becomes reality. After beating Hopkins, Jones is the most marketable highest value fighter out there for Calzaghe to fight.

2. Freddie Roach, who was the head trainer for Bernard Hopkins, said he thinks Hopkins should retire. He said he fought a great fight and should just retire and not push the envelope any further. Time will tell if Hopkins does retire, Don King is trying to get a Hopkins-Felix Trinidad rematch. Trinidad wants this fight more than Hopkins but the money maybe more than Hopkins can refuse.

3. Not sure if many watched or heard but O'Neil Bell quit in his corner after the 7th round Saturday. Tomasz Adamek was keeping the pressure on Bell who seemed like he did not want to be in the ring. Bell was not hurt at the time of the stoppage, he just simply informed his corner he did not want to continue. This could further hurt his career which has been stalled due to his inactivity. For Adamek he becomes the mandatory for IBF Cruiserweight Champion, Steve "USS" Cunningham.

4. Shelly Finkel has filed for arbitration to uphold his rights against Anthony and Lamont Peterson. The Peterson brothers had signed a promotional contract with Top Rank last week, without their co-manger Finkel. Finkel claims the Peterson brothers other manager, Barry Hunter, refused to let him see the contract the Petersons signed. Finkel's contract with the Peterson Brothers does not expire until September 2009. Finkel says he was working on a deal with Golden Boy that was going to offer the Petersons more than double the signing bonus Top Rank was offering. Top Rank was offering signing bonuses to each brother for $100,000.

Calzaghe Defeats Hopkins!!!

I was wrong but it is okay. Bernard Hopkins lost a Split Decision to Joe Calzaghe tonight. My Welsh friend did not rub it in. We both enjoyed the fight and thought Calzaghe won the fight. Surprised that it was a split decision though, (114-113 Hopkins, 115-112 Calzaghe and 116-111 for Calzaghe), as we saw Calzaghe somewhat take over. Bernard was off to a great start dropping Calzaghe in the first round with a hard right hand. Calzaghe looked and acted very stunned. Early on Bernard continued to land the hard right hand as well as the cleaner punches. However like usual he fought slow and did not go too hard. Calzaghe continued to march forward and throw punches. Not his typical 1000 punch output but a decent amount. When the fight was over, he had landed the most punches a fighter had landed against Bernard Hopkins. As the fight rolled on, Calzaghe got more confident and showed the reason why he is an undefeated champion. He found a rhythm and did not give up even after being stunned a few times. Calzaghe won a clear decision, but not enough to take over as the #1 on the Pound4Pound list. Bernard Hopkins claims he won the fight and says the people know that. Well I am part of the people and I know he lost. I think he should retire. I thought he should have retired after the Tarver fight. Not that he can't fight, but it is time to give it up. Calzaghe has many options and I think Roy Jones Jr. will be the one he chooses. Jones will be the fighter that will generate the most money out of all fighters available. Jones is more than willing to take the fight and the money as well as the victory. I thought Hopkins could beat Calzaghe but I was wrong but I am more than confident Roy Jones Jr can get the job done.

Bernard Hopkins Will Win!!!!

Bernard Hopkins will win, because too many people are saying he is going to lose. Do not be surprised if he does find a way to stop Joe Calzaghe like he did Trinidad. Forget all the crazy antics and simple ass comments he has made. Hate him or love him Bernard Hopkins is a legend in this era. Come Saturday night he will prove once again why he is a legend.

On a side note, tomorrow I am going to venture out for the first time I think ever and watch the fight at someone else's house. I usually watch the fights at my house, analyze, post a blog, and then argue on the phone about the fights. Well tomorrow I am going to my boxing buddy's house. Here is why this is real funny, he is originally from England. Can you smell the rivalry already? My buddy really thinks Bernard is going to lose. We did not hook up on the Mayweather-Hatton fight because of the weather, but he was one of the people I argued with. This was pre-blog for me. I give him his respect in saying he thought Hatton was going to lose and he did not blame the ref, Joe Cortez, for Hatton losing. However Joe Calzaghe is a different fighter than Hatton, Joe is more skilled. My boxing buddy is standing firm on his prediction of Calzaghe beating Hopkins. My buddy is usually right on with his predictions and rarely lets emotions give into his predictions. We usually agree but on this one we are definitely on the opposite sides. My boxing buddy is a great guy, but Bernard Hopkins WILL BEAT JOE CALZAGHE!!!!! When I get home tomorrow night, I will post about how Hopkins beat Calzaghe and how my buddy was in disbelief.

The Battle Of The Planet: Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe Weigh-In

Both Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe weighed in at exactly 173lbs. They both looked in great shape and ready to fight.

Dedicated To The World's Greatest

This video is dedicated to the World's Greatest. Whether they are the World's Greatest fighters such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Roy Jones Jr. Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe or World's Greatest parents like my mother and father. I dedicate this video to all of our personal heroes and mentors both alive and deceased. You are loved and appreciated for all you do whether you are recognized for it publicly or not.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/17/08

1. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Philadelphia & Susquehanna Valley is granting the wish of 18 year old Shaun by sending him to see his idol Bernard Hopkins fight Joe Calzaghe this weekend. Shaun used to box until he was diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition that took him out of boxing. Shaun and his family will be seated in VIP seats in Hopkins corner to cheer him on. It is great to see a wish like this granted. Good luck to both Shaun in his battle as well as Bernard in his fight.

2. Cruiserweight Champion David Haye has severed ties with his promoter Frank Maloney. They had a successful two year partnership run that saw Haye become the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. Haye is going to move forward to the Heavyweight division later this year with his eye on a title shot in 2009.

3. The tickets for the David Diaz-Manny Pacquiao "Lethal Combination" fight scheduled for June 28 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas will go on sale this Saturday morning. Ticket prices range from $100-$600 and will be on sale at the box office at the Mandalay Bay at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Macy’s West at the Fashion Show Mall, and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000 or Mandalay Bay (702) 632-7580. Tickets are also available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

4. Showtime had a special luncheon Wednesday at Tamayo Restaurant in Los Angeles to honor Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez for their trilogy. Showtime filmed the luncheon as well to contribute to a documentary they are going to broadcast about the Mexican rivalry and mutual respect these two warriors have. The documentary titled Vasquez-Marquez: The Trilogy, will be air on Showtime May 3 at 10:45pm EST.

5. Former World Champion Kosta Tszyu is thinking about a return to the boxing ring. Tszyu, who has not fought since losing to Ricky Hatton in 2005, has stated he has received numerous offers to return to the ring. However some Russian investors have made him an offer that he is finding very hard to refuse. Nothing is concrete though. I will believe it when I see it. Tsyzu has been not commenting on if he was retired or not since 2005 and it is old. At this point he is older and the fighters are younger. Just call it over man.

6. Anthony Mundine is considering fighting at Middleweight now. The WBA has mandated him to fight Mikkel Kessler who easily beat him a few years ago. Mundine thinks he would be best served to fight at Middleweight where he would have size advantages than at Super Middleweight. Talk about milking a Championship belt.

7. Demetrius Hopkins has stated he believes his uncle, Bernard Hopkins, is the reason he was not getting a good contract and signing bonus from Golden Boy Promotions. Hopkins is now in negotiations with Top Rank for a promotional agreement and hopes to get back in the ring soon.

No Reason To Be Bored Saturday April 19, Unless You Want To Be!!!!

If you are a boxing fan and you are bored today, it is because you just want to be bored. There is absolutely no reason to be bored and here is why. Live on www.donkingtv.com there is a free live telecast of boxing between Adrian Diaconu and Chris Henry in a Light Heavyweight Eliminator. Sure they are not the big names, but you never know they could be in the spotlight soon. That telecast starts at 1:30pm EST. If you have some time after this telecast, you can catch the replay of O'Neil Bell-Dale Brown from 2005 on ESPN Classic. Then at 6pm EST live on ESPN Classic O'Neil Bell faces Tomasz Adamek in a IBF Cruiserweight Eliminator. After that fight is done you can get yourself something to eat and then focus your attention on the Battle of the Planet: Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe Live on HBO at 9:45 EST. Notice I said live on HBO. That means it is NOT PPV. This fight is so big and if you don't know it then you are not a real fan. So my suggestion is just take the day off and have a boxing day. I will be coming home from the MS Walk to dedicate myself to boxing all day long. Hope you do the same.

Hopkins-Calzaghe Final Presser FaceOff

There was no pushing or shoving but Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe both exchanged more insults. Calzaghe said he will stop Hopkins. Hopkins said he will defeat Calzaghe like the other southpaws in his past. This fight is heating up to the boliling point. Do not miss this fight. It is live on HBO April 19th at 9:45pm EST. This is NOT A PPV FIGHT. So do not miss it.

Quintana-Williams Rematch Is Not Official Yet!!!!!

Ok despite what many people are saying, the Carlos Quintana-Paul Williams rematch is NOT OFFICIAL YET!!!!! I know Showtime has announced it as being part of their June 7 telecast but as of right now the fight is NOT OFFICIAL. As I have stated before, Quintana wants more money than he is currently being offered. If the Quintana and Williams camps do not come to terms soon, this fight could go to pursue bid. The bad thing about this fight going to a pursue bid is that both fighters could make less money than they are being offered now. Also more than likely it would mean they would miss their June 7 date and be on another date with or without the fight being televised. Time will tell what will happen with this fight.

Geez, You Think These Two Like Each Other?!?!?!

Edison Miranda and IBF Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham fight in a highly anticipated rematch on June 21 live on Showtime. The rematch will be fought at a catchweight of 166lbs. As many may remember their first fight was highly controversial and Miranda lost the decision. Abraham suffered a horribly broken jaw. This rematch should set the boxing world on fire as it should have happened awhile ago.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/16/08

1. Arthur Abraham-Edison Miranda II IS ON!!!!!! The rematch will take place at a catchweight of 166lbs on June 21 live on Showtime.

2. The WBO has ordered Nate Campbell-Joel Casamayor to take place on or before July 6. Both camps have been given 15 days to work out a deal or the fight will go to a purse bid.

3. Newly crowned IBF Junior Middleweight Champion Verno Phillips has signed an advisory agreement with Greg Leon.

4. It appears the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito fight that is scheduled for July 26 will be taking place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

5 This Saturday after the Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe fight, HBO will air the Countdown to Oscar De La Hoya-Steve Forbes.

6. Marco Antonio Barrera says he wants to make a comeback against either Juan Manuel Marquez or Manny Pacquiao. Not sure why he wants to fight Pacquiao again, when they fought in October Barrera acted like he was only there for a paycheck.

7. This Friday you can log onto HBO for the live weigh in of Hopkins-Calzaghe. It will take place at 5:30pm EST.

8. For those who just love boxing, www.donkingtv.com will have another live boxing telecast this Saturday at 1:30pm EST. The main event will be Adrian Diaconu against Chris Henry, two undefeated fighters in a WBC Light Heavyweight interim fight.

9. #4 ranked IBF Middleweight Giovanni Lorenzo will be fighting #12 IBF Middleweight Raul Marquez in a voluntary eliminator. The fight will take place on the undercard of the Abraham-Miranda rematch.

The Battle Of The Planet: Hopkins vs Calzaghe Preview

It is almost time for all the talking to be over and for Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe to fight. The mean comments have flowed. From Calzaghe making fun of Hopkins for complaining of the cold weather in England and calling him Mary Popkins (Poppins) to Bernard saying he would never lose to a white boy. Well in my opinion Bernard went way too far with that comment but with Bernard Hopkins, what is too far. This is the same guy who in Puerto Rico in front of lots of Puerto Ricans threw down the Puerto Rican flag. You can say Hopkins has never been afraid of controversy. Calzaghe appears to be the one who is uncomfortable to me. I am reading more trash talk from him then Hopkins to be honest. Calzaghe does get off some trash talk but this time it seems like it is out of his character. Now we are 5 days from fight night. Less than a week. Who is going to win??? I don't know, watch and find out. LOL. Okay okay, I have to break it down for you. Lets start with Joe Calzaghe.

I have learned that you never count Joe Calzaghe out. All those years he stayed in Wales and never fought over in the U.S. Most including myself figured he was overrated and could not fight. So we sent our best American Super Middleweight Champion in Jeff Lacy over there in March 2006 to beat Calzaghe's ass and prove Calzaghe is a hype. I knew Lacy was overrated himself, lacked boxing ability and only relied on power. However I just knew he could beat Calzaghe. Damn was I and most Americans wrong. I remember James Toney saying before the fight that Lacy was going to jail for the whooping he was going to put on Calzaghe. Calzaghe damaged Lacy's career to thus far no repair. Calzaghe used his jab, his reach, left hand, right hand, uppercut and any other punch to completely dominate Lacy over 12 rounds, landing over 1000 punches. Yes over 1000 punches. After that shock I gave Calzaghe some credit but in November 2007 it is time for him to fight undefeated Danish Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler. Kessler looks stronger, hits pretty hard, he could beat Calzaghe. WRONG. Calzaghe got into a groove of throwing his quick punches and dominated Kessler over 12 rounds. Now he we are. Calzaghe is an undefeated 36 year old southpaw with virtually no damage to his body from the ring. He is quick, slick, and does not know how to lose. He is moving up to 175, but it will not be much trouble for him because his body is in great shape. The only real odd thing for Calzaghe will be fighting in the U.S. but even then it will not be as many people watching. Calzaghe is used to being in stadiums with like 30,000 or more people in the crowd. For this fight it will only be around 10,000.

So lets glance at the always unpredictable Bernard Hopkins. When I think of Bernard Hopkins I think of a no holds bar type of guy. He will use any type of tactic to win whether it is inside the ring or outside. A lot of it has to do with the lifestyle Hopkins had growing and including his time in prison. For Hopkins to succeed after his street and prison life lets you know he is mentally strong. Then he lives a very disciplined life, no drugs, no smoke, no alcohol and is always in the gym. Despite all of his wins, Bernard trains and fights like this is the fight that will rescue his family from the ghetto. With those harsh thoughts in his head, it is hard to beat him. He is self motivated and focused on the task at hand. At 43, Bernard is a freak of nature at this point because he is still performing a championship level at his age. No long breaks or retirements, although he always says he is retiring. Hopkins keeps fighting and will not stop until he wants to retire. So who wins the fight.

Joe Calzaghe is a strong, fast, slick southpaw who throws huge volumes of punches. He has his own fight style and does not adjust to the other fighters style for anything. Calzaghe is in great shape and is willing to come forward or counterpunch from time to time. With the amount of punches he throws, he usually keeps his opponent on the defensive all night long. The quickness Calzaghe has helps him get into position defensively without paying any price. He does not get hit cleanly very often and for the most part his offense is his defense. Bernard Hopkins is slick and has deceptive power. He is undefeated against southpaws which is amazing. Hopkins is more of a good inside fighter because he loves to work the body. From time to time, he will hold and hit or throw low blows on the opposite side of where the referee is standing. That is just apart of who Bernard Hopkins is. By any means necessary he will win. Hopkins sometimes like to get inside and bully as an intimidation factor. For instance, it appeared Hopkins bullied and bother Antonio Tarver in their fight. After a few inside moments, it appeard Tarver was completely out of the fight. Hopkins is quick as well but not as quick as he used to be. However he has his PH.d in ring intelligence and knows how to turn a fighters strength into their biggest weakness.

How will this fight play out. Well I see Joe Calzaghe like usual coming out trying to establish is jab. Hopkins, who I have said for years only fights about 6 rounds a fight because his reputation usually keeps the other fighter a distance, will be forced to start fighting a little earlier than usualy. I see Hopkins holding Calzaghe to frustrate him and even hit him on the break. You know, the tactics that really bothers fighters. Calzaghe will of course throw his huge volume of punches and Hopkins will keep it moving. Hopkins will use his own jab and follow up with his straight right hand or overhand right. The one where he ducks down and throws the punch. It looks like a lucky punch, but he lands it far too frequently to be luck. However after throwing/landing those punches Hopkins will hold and work on the inside. I see Calzaghe getting a little frustrated because it is not his style of fight. As Calzaghe tries to throw his punches, I see Hopkins moving back and side to side away from the southpaw stance of Calzaghe. Hopkins will even keep Calzaghe slightly off balance and hit him from the side. As Calzaghe throws his volumes of punches, I see Hopkins counterpunching Calzaghe in the opening he leaves from throwing so many punches. In the end I see a decision win for Hopkins in probably an ugly difficult fight to judge.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/14/08

1. It appears Former Heavyweight Champion now Light Heavyweight Contender Chris Byrd will be fighting Shaun George on the May 16th edition of ESPN2 Friday Night Fights.

2. For anyone who wants to believe it, Bernard Hopkins says his fight against Joe Calzaghe this weekend will be his last fight. Not sure if I believe it but somebody may believe it.

3. Ricky Hatton who thinks the only reason he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr.was because of referee Joe Cortez, wants a rematch with Mayweather. However he wants Mayweather to come down to 140 and fight. Not sure that Floyd will give in on the dropping down in weight for the rematch.

4. If Kelly Pavlik defeats Gary Lockett in June, he will next fight in September against Marco Antonio Rubio. Rubio also has to win his next fight as well and neither fighter can be injured in order for this fight to happen in September. Bob Arum is very busy planning all of his top fighters fights well down the line. Arum is trying to get Pavlik a fight with Arthur Abraham by December or the very first part of 2009. Arum is also lining up a possible fight with Manny Pacquiao taking on Amir Khan. Once again assuming there are no losses for either fighter.

5. Chad Dawson and Antonio Tarver may fight next but a lot has to happen in order to get that accomplished. Dawson has a mandatory fight against Adrian Diaconu that has already been put off. So in order for Tarver and Dawson to fight next, Dawson will have to decide if he wants to vacate his belt. In that case the fight maybe less appealing to Tarver because he wants the WBC belt and if Dawson does not have it, he may pass on the fight. WOW, nothing is ever simple.

Margarito KOs Cintron; Cotto TKOs Gomez

In the Welterweight doubleheader, KO was the story of the night. Antonio Margarito took it right to Kermit Cintron in their rematch. Cintron landed some hard right hands to the head of Margarito, but he never slowed Margarito down. Margarito who has a come forward style of fighting just continued to come forward. He had a high volume of punches working for him and really worked the body of Cintron. Cintron did well when he was able to keep Margarito on the outside but Margarito did not stay on the outside too long. It was obvious if Margarito wanted to win the fight he had to get on the inside of Cintron. In round 2, Margarito was throwing some vicious that snapped Cintron's head back on at least 3 occasions. In round 5, it was becoming obvious that Cintron was wearing down. He seemed disoriented and really kind of out of it in my opinion. I honestly think the fight fight weighed in Cintron's mind more than he will ever admit. In the 6th round, Margarito ripped a hard left hook to the liver/upper rib section of Cintron and Cintron did not even come close to beating the 10 count. With this win over Cintron, Margarito became the IBF Welterweight Champion. Now he is poised to fight WBA Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto this July.

In the main event, Miguel Cotto looked like the perfect boxer/puncher. Never have I seen Cotto look so confident damn near cocky in a fight. From the opening bell it appeared he knew Gomez did not have a chance to hurt him and he fought Gomez that way. Cotto's jab was established immediately and he was ripping Gomez to the body. Gomez is a hard fighter but nowhere near the level of Miguel Cotto. At the end of the 1st round, Cotto wobbled Gomez with a hard shot to the body. In round 2, Gomez went down from a shot to the body from Cotto. After beating Gomez to the punch the whole 3rd round, Cotto dropped Gomez hard at the end of the round. Gomez got up because he could not be saved by the bell. In round 4, Cotto attacked and somewhat let up off of Gomez. Gomez's right eye was closing and Cotto looked like he did not want to brutally hurt Gomez. He toyed with Gomez the whole round but never went for the kill like he usually does. In round 5, Gomez's father told him to throw every punch he had. When you are in a fight with a guy like Cotto, that is easier said than done. Cotto controlled all of round 5 and dropped Gomez with a jab as he was moving backwards. At that point it was more than obvious that Gomez was done, but he kept fighting hard. At the end of round 5, the ring doctor stopped the fight due to Gomez was taking too much punishment. With the loss, Alfonso Gomez will go back to the drawing board to see what is next for himself. Honestly he has the heart of a champion, but not the power or skill. For Cotto, he has a date with Antonio Margarito in July. Cotto's face looked like he was never in a fight so he can just take a week or two off and prepare to fight Margarito without any issue.

Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito appear to be headed to a July 26 showdown. Bob Arum has to work on the details including the fact that another one of his fighters, Joshua Clottey, is the mandatory for the IBF Welterweight Title that Margarito just won. Clottey lost a close decision to Margarito in 2006 and is also looking to avenge that loss as well as fight for his mandatory title shot.

Dawson Defeats Johnson; Tarver Outclasses Woods

In the Showtime Light Heavyweight doubleheader we had some good boxing. The first fight of the telecast was Glen Johnson challenging Chad Dawson. Dawson started the fight the right way, boxing from the outside and moving. However when he would slow down, Johnson would catch Dawson with hard right hands. Dawson for some reason would stay in front of Johnson and when they would trade Johnson usually got the best of the exchange. I am not sure if Dawson was a little tired and stayed in front of Johnson or if he wanted to prove his toughness. Whatever the case was, Dawson almost paid dearly for standing and trading with Glen Johnson. When Dawson was using the jab and following up with the right hand, he was catching Johnson. However Dawson was never going to knock Johnson down or out. Dawson was wobbled a few times by Johnson in I believe the fourth round and definitely in the 10th and 11th rounds. Johnson was one really hard solid right hand from dropping Dawson, but never got the chance to land that shot cleanly. When the scores came back, all three judges had it 116-112 for Dawson. Dawson said he wanted to move forward with his career and did not seem interested in a rematch with Johnson. Johnson was extremely upset and felt he was robbed as he truly has been in many fights in his career. I personally could see the fight going either to Dawson by a closer margin, to Johnson by a close margin or a draw. I think the more hurt fighter was Dawson but it was a very good fight that I would love to see a rematch of in the near future.

In the second fight/main event, Antonio Tarver outclassed Clinton Woods. Woods did not seem like he was in the fight at all. I am not sure what was on his mind at all, but he looked very lethargic and lazy in the ring in my opinion. Tarver came out and used his jab and showed his superior hand speed. For the most part, Tarver hit Woods at will and had Woods bleeding from his nose. Still not a Tarver fan, but he did a great job of taking care of business tonight. He proved that he still has plenty left in the tank and was definitely on another level from Clinton Woods. For Woods, back to England he goes without his IBF Light Heavyweight Belt that Tarver took with ease. The scores of the fight were 116-112, 117-111, and 119-109. I tend to lean more to the 119-109 because Tarver dominated the fight from start to finish. He did not seriously have Woods in trouble, but it was obvious Woods had no control. For Tarver the obvious fight for him is against Chad Dawson. They both won their fights and it is time for them to fight since obviously Dawson is not going to give Glen Johnson the rematch.

Becoming Holyfield: #1Pound4Pound's Review

A few days I ago I purchased a copy of Evander Holyfield's book Becoming Holyfield. I have always respected Holyfield despite what many critics have said about him in regards to fighting too long, his personal life, etc. This book gave a great insight from the man himself about his life growing up, the struggles he faced, his faith in God as well as his missteps in faith, his Mike Tyson days and many other things. I found this book to be very entertaining. There were a couple of run on sentences and misspellings but I enjoyed the book. As I read the book Evander talked about his family life growing up and how his mother and grandmother expected him to behave. The way he was taught how to act in times of good and bad made a lot of sense because you have never seen Holyfield really get mad or act a fool. When Tyson bit his ear, he jumped around in pain, but he did not try to get revenge or engage in the wild activity. That shows a lot about his character because most of us would have tried something. I found inspiration in the book as he talked about his struggles growing up in the south, his misfortunes in the amateur ranks as well as the Olympics. As he described how he felt and reacted to certain situations then to see how his positive attitude ended up working out for the best, it gave me a new respect for Evander. Sure he has plenty of kids, but when you read the book you understand why. You also see how even though he was always training and fighting, how he made sure his kids were disciplined properly and taken care of too. Like with most fighters, they have their issues with people in their camp not being truthful. Evander spoke of these things and also spoke of his forgiveness too. For instance how he forgave Tyson and a few other people in his past. This is a good book that I recommend. This book comes from the true source of the man himself and takes you behind the scenes to some situations you think you know about. You also get to understand the reason for his comeback and see how despite his many flaws how God has worked on this man. If you like to read or just like Evander Holyfield, I suggest you purchase this book. http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Holyfield-Fighters-Journey-Evander/dp/1416534865/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208010520&sr=8-1

Official Picks For The Welterweight and Light Heavyweight Doubleheaders

After careful consideration and thought I am going to pick the following as the winners of the fights below.

WELTERWEIGHT DOUBLEHEADER ON HBO AT 1OPM EST :

Miguel Cotto

Kermit Cintron

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DOUBLEHEADER ON SHOWTIME AT 9PM EST:

Clinton Woods

Chad Dawson

Woods-Tarver and Dawson-Johnson Make Weight

Clinton Woods: 175lbs

Antonio Tarver: 173.75lbs

This fight is for Tarver's IBO Light Heavyweight Title and Woods' IBF Light Heavyweight Title

Chad Dawson: 173.75lbs

Glen Johnson: 172.5lbs

This fight is for Dawson's WBC Light Heavyweight Title

Cotto-Gomez and Cintron-Margarito Make Weight

Alfonso Gomez: 147lbs

Miguel Cotto: 146.5lbs

This fight is for Cotto's WBA Welterweight Title

Antonio Margarito: 146.5lbs

Kermit Cintron: 146.5lbs

This fight is for Cintron's IBF Welterweight Title

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/11/08

1. B.J. Flores, one of my favorites, will be in Atlantic City to support his friend Kermit Cintron. As you should know, Cintron is defending his IBF Welterweight in a rematch against Antonio Margarito.

2. Evangelista Cotto is in Atlantic City and will be in the corner of Miguel Cotto. For the past week there have been many rumors circulating that there was an internal conflict between Miguel and Evangelista. Then when Evangelista did not arrive in Atlantic City with the rest of Miguel's team the rumors soared that Evangelista was not coming.

3. Sakio Bika-Edison Miranda in July??? That is the word going around. Miranda was given a June 21 HBO date but Bika said he cannot fight in June because his wife is due to have their second child. Bika won today in Australia by 1st round KO over Gustavo Javier Kapusi.

4. IBF Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham's promoter, Sauerland Promotions, has offered 1.5 million euros to WBA Middleweight Champion Felix Sturm for a unification showdown July 19 in Germany. The offer was submitted Monday and til date, Sturm and his team have yet to respond.

5. Andre Berto will face Miki Rodriguez June 21 on HBO in a WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator. The winner of this fight would become the mandatory for Floyd Mayweather Jr. Well since neither Berto nor Rodriguez bring the type of money to the table Mayweather demands, the fight will probably never happen.

Cotto-Gomez Are Ready!!!!

It looks like Miguel Cotto and Alfonso Gomez are ready to fight. I just noticed that Gomez is bigger than Cotto by a couple of inches and probably has the reach advantage. Not a big deal but Gomez could use that to his advantage.

The Light Heavyweights Are Just About Ready!!!!

By the photos it appears that these guys are just about ready. The only thing in their way is the time of the fight.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/10/08

1. Israel Vasquez was given a $100,000 bonus check from his promoter Sycuan Ringside Promotions.


2. ESPN Classic has confirmed that the O'Neil Bell-Tomasz Adamek fight will be shown live on their network. This fight is for the IBF #1 Cruiserweight ranking. The fight will be shown at 6pm EST on April 19.


3. Banner Promotions has signed former Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd. As previously stated on this site, Chris Byrd will now be fighting at Light Heavyweight starting with his fight on ESPN2' May 16 edition of Friday Night Fights.

4. ESPN has decided not to renew the Contender for another season. The Contender which has gained a large fan base and launched and helped the careers of Sergio Mora, Peter Manfredo Jr., Alfonso Gomez, Steve Forbes and others. Promoter of the Contender, Jeff Wald, said he is in negotiations with another network to air the Contender. The other network was never mentioned but he hoped to have the info in the next few days.

5. Michael Buffer who recently had surgery to remove cancerous tumors from his neck and throat is resting at his home in Los Angeles. Buffer released a statement stating that the cancer was detected early and prevented any damage to his vocal ability. Buffer is set to return to the ring as the main event announcer for the Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe fight on April 19. Can't wait to see him back in action.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/9/08

1. The Pride of St. Louis webcast on www.donkingtv.com attracted 400,000 page views including 200,000 to watch the main event between Cory Spinks and Verno Phillips. This was a huge hit and expect to see more live boxing via the internet and www.donkingtv.com

2. Season 3 Contender Champion Sakio Bika returns to the ring for the first time since his Contender Title win. Bika will be fighting Argentine super middleweight champion Gustavo Kapusi at the Cronulla Leagues Club in Cronulla, Sydney, NSW, Australia on Friday.

3. The oldies return to the ring. 43 year old Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech is going to fight 49 year old Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson in Bangkok, Thailand on June 24. This will be the third fight between these two, the first one ended in a controversial draw and Nelson won the second fight.

4. It appears July 12 is the date for Wladimir Klitschko and Tony Thompson to meet in the ring in Germany.

5. It is official that Kendall Holt will get his revenge fight against WBO Junior Welterweight Ricardo Torres on July 5 at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

6. A verbal agreement has been reached for Joe Calzaghe and Clinton Woods to fight Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in October. The fight is pending on Woods defeating Antonio Tarver this weekend and then Calzaghe defeating Bernard Hopkins next weekend. Neither are easy tasks.

7. Miguel Cotto Sr. has denied that his son WBA Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto is going to dump his uncle/trainer Evangelista Cotto. Cotto Sr. said there has never been any discussion of a new trainer in camp and never will.

8. Rumors have it that Michael Katsidis will fight Jesus Chavez on the undercard of Joel Casamayor-Juan Diaz. Notice how these fights keep getting made without the IBF/WBA/WBO Lightweight Champion Nate Campbell. The ring magazine is owned by Casamayor and is considered the true championship belt. However Diaz is getting a shot at it after just losing to Campbell. Golden Boy owns Ring Magazine and the Ring Belts and are seeming to keep the Ring Belt in the Golden Boy family as much as possible.

9. Mike Tyson is going to be ringside at Ricky Hatton-Juan Lazcano fight. Tyson who is a Hatton fan will be there to support Hatton.

10. Speaking of Tyson, rumor has it Tyson-Holyfield III will be taking place in September at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Funny thing about this fight is if it does happen it will still be one of the most intriguing and popular fights in the Heavyweight Division.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/8/08

1. Rumors are running wild saying that Miguel Cotto is going to dump his uncle/trainer Evangelista Cotto after this weekend. There has been some internal issues between the two for awhile but I guess enough is enough for the two of them. Word is Miguel is going to begin training with a trainer in Florida. The rumor of the identity of that trainer is Buddy McGirt. I guess time will tell on this one.

2. It appears Peter Manfredo Jr. wants a rematch with Jeff Lacy. Manfredo said he wants to prove that he is a much better fighter than what he showed in their December 8, 2007 fight. Not sure if the rematch will happen as there is no demand for it. The first fight was not that impressive to begin with.

3. Do not forget to watch Roy Jones Jr. and Joe Frazier tonight on the new CBS reality show Secret Talents of the Stars. The show will be on 10pm EST.

Woods-Tarver; Dawson-Johnson Light Heavyweight Doubleheader Preview

Well I just wrote about the doubleheader on HBO, now it is time to talk about the Light Heavyweight doubleheader on Showtime. This is one of those nights of boxing where I wish I had two flat screens side to side so I could simultaneously see all the action. However I have not reached that financial plateau yet, so I will flip between HBO and Showtime constantly. In this doubleheader we have undefeated WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Chad Dawson defending against the always dangerous Road Warrior Glen Johnson. In the main event we have Clinton Woods coming to the US to defend his IBF Light Heavyweight Title against Antonio Tarver. The idea is the winners of each fight will eventually fight each other in the fall. We will see how that plan works, but for now we have a doubleheader on Saturday. Lets start with the co-main event.

DAWSON-JOHNSON:

This fight in my opinion is a pick em. Chad Dawson is a young slick southpaw who can cause problems for any fighter. Then there is Glen Johnson, the Road Warrior, who is always there and will not go anywhere. You can look at this as young versus old, white collar versus blue collar, or youth versus experience. It really does not matter. In order for Chad Dawson to win he is going to have to make Johnson work those 39 year old legs. He will need to come out in his southpaw stance and establish the jab. Dawson appears to have the longer reach and he needs to use every inch of his reach to keep Johnson on the outside. Johnson is a strong fighter and can take a punch, so I do not see Dawson KOing Johnson. So Dawson needs to keep Johnson on the outside and not let him get inside where he can work the body. Once Dawson keeps Johnson occupied with the right jab, he can shoot his straight left hand right down the middle. However in order for Dawson to land that punch he has to establish a strong jab. Johnson will follow Dawson because Johnson loves to fight. However if Dawson sticks and moves and avoids clinches, Johnson will tire down. Stay out of the corners and keep his hands up and Dawson could have a nice UD victory. Now for Glen Johnson to win, he is going to have to fight. The Road Warrior is a little old, but he has not gotten the memo about it yet. Johnson is going to have to establish his jab but get on the inside to break Dawson down. Dawnson is younger, but body punches can break anyone down. Johnson will need to move his head to avoid Dawson's jab and get inside and work the body. As Johnson works the body, he will then open Dawson up for other punches such as a right hook or an uppercut. Dawson has been knocked down, so Johnson has to keep the pressure on Dawson shake his fight game. As far as a pick for this fight, I do not know. I like Dawson because he is young and fresh, but Johnson is just a hard worker who comes to fight. I like Glen Johnson because he does not make excuses or have stipulations about who to fight. He will climb in the ring and give it his all. This is a fight I am just excited to see no matter who wins. However I do lean a little towards Dawson winning on a narrow decision.

Woods-Tarver:

Clinton Woods is coming back to the US to fight for the first time since being TKOd by Roy Jones Jr. back in 2002. Antonio Tarver is finally fighting a deserving fighter since his loss to Bernard Hopkins. Well lets keep it real, I am no Tarver fan but I will give an unbias preview here. The Antonio Tarver I have seen the past 3 fights will lose. I am not sure if age is catching up with Tarver or maybe he did not step up to the competition. I am not sure but the Tarver I have seen in the last 3 fights has been somewhat lazy. In order for Tarver to win, he is going to have to snap out of the trance he has been in and establish his strong jab. We all know he has a hard left that is a straight KO punch when connected properly. Tarver is going to have to stay on his toes and sit down on his punches when the opening appears. He cannot be shy about throwing his punches in this fight because Clinton Woods is coming to fight. Tarver is going to want to keep Woods on the outside at a good range to avoid smothering his punches. Tarver is most effective boxing from the outside and this fight should be no different. It all starts with the right jab. He cannot let Woods come inside or tie him up. This will waste time for Tarver who needs to be on the outside. Now for Woods to win, he is going to have to take away the distance from Tarver. Make Tarver uncomfortable and land some hard right hands on the inside. After watching the Hopkins-Tarver fight, it is clear that Tarver is not the best inside fighter. So Woods needs to rough Tarver up on the inside. He needs to mix it up though, use a jab and follow with a straight right but then also work inside. Once on the inside, do not be afraid to hold a little to throw Tarver's rhythm off. This is another hard fight for me to pick. I am going to be rooting for Clinton Woods because I am not a Tarver fan. I really hope Woods can figure out how to KO Tarver so he can shut up. However Tarver is not some punk he can just be KOd at ease. I see a tough technical fight but who wins is not clear to me yet. The advantages seem to aim towards Tarver since the fight is in Tampa which is the backyard of Tarver. Woods is only fighting in the US for the 2nd time and the first time was not pleasant. I don't know, someone ring the bell I am ready for the fight.

Cotto-Gomez; Cintron-Margarito Welterweight Doubleheader Preview

Time for some more good boxing starting this Saturday, April 12, 2008 live on HBO. It is a doubleheader, first Kermit Cintron defending his IBF Welterweight Title against the only man to defeat him in the professional ranks, Antonio Margarito. Then in the main event Miguel Cotto will be putting his undefeated record and WBA Welterweight Title up against Alfonso Gomez of the Contender fame. I will start with the main event first.

COTTO-GOMEZ:

Miguel Cotto is one of the hardest working fighters around today. No matter the adversity in the ring, he is going to find a way to win. As he goes up against Alfonso Gomez, most expect Cotto to just roll right through Gomez. Not so sure it will happen that way. I do think Cotto will win, but it maybe a little harder than expected. The strengths of Cotto are his relentless body punches. Cotto loves to get inside a little and bang to the body to slow a fighter down if not stop him completely. In order for Cotto to be successful against Gomez, he is going to have to cut off the ring and bang Gomez to the body. Keep his hands up to have a better defense because sometimes Cotto does get caught with clean punches. At Welterweight, Cotto seems to be a lot stronger less weight drained therefore making his stamina a lot better. For Gomez to win, he is going to have to box. Establish a jab early and often. Gomez has a heart bigger than a lion and is not afraid to trade shots with Cotto. However to be successful with Cotto that would not be in his best interest. Gomez is not as strong as Cotto, but I believe is a lot quicker. Stick and move is the key for Gomez. He has some sting in his punches, but I do not think he has enough sting to really hurt Cotto in a fight. Gomez is going to want to avoid an inside fight with Cotto where Cotto's body punches really take effect. Gomez usually has pretty good stamina and for this fight he will need it as he will have to stay on his toes to box. A major key for Gomez is to not be stationary for Cotto to catch him. He needs to be on the move as far as boxing. Many confuse being on your toes and boxing as running which is not true. He just needs to stop long enough to land his jab and a follow-up punch and then get out the way before Cotto throws back. At the end of the day I see Cotto winning a hard fought UD over Gomez. Gomez, like always, will give his all and will earn a lot of respect for that. Can Gomez win, sure but will he I do not think so. However anything is possible once you are in the ring.

Cintron-Margarito:

When Kermit Cintron gets in the right Saturday it will be about 11 days shy of 2 years since he lost to Antonio Margarito. Back then, Cintron was pumped up as a power puncher and that was about it. Margarito picked Cintron apart and TKOd him in 5 rounds. Well that was then and this is now. Margarito was then the WBO Welterweight Champion, but today he does not have a belt. Kermit Cintron has the IBF Welterweight Title and he intends on keeping it. This fight has so much underlying drama that you can't help but be excited to watch it. Revenge is on the mind of Kermit Cintron and many including myself believe he can do it. Cintron has hired and been working with Emmanuel Steward for a few fights. Since then Cintron has put his punches together a lot better and the combinations have been great. He is moving his head more and his defense is better. In order for Cintron to win this fight, he has to forget about the first fight. Do not let emotions come into the fight or he could lose before the first bell. From the first bell Cintron needs to establish his jab. Stay calm, jab and move. Margarito is a strong come forward fighter, so he will be available to hit. Margarito tends to throw lots of punches, but not all of his punches have a lot of power on them. By throwing lots of punches, that means he is open to be hit a lot. Cintron needs to use the first round or two to establish and jab and slowly follow up with a hard right hand. As the fight proceeds he will begin to find more openings especially to the body of Margarito. I think with the power Cintron has, he will slow Margarito down from throwing so many punches. Margarito has slowed some of his activity in recent fights, so maybe hard fights is catching up to him. If that is true then it is a positive for Cintron. Now for Margarito to win, he has to be aggressive. We already know he likes to come forward, but he needs to move his head more. He may want to be more economical with his punches and make more of them count. Margarito has a pretty good chin, but he does not need to overexpose it by throwing so many punches or not moving his head. Plus if he picks his punches well, he can possibly get Cintron down again. The advantage Margarito has already is he has TKOd Cintron once before. So in Margarito's mind he knows he can do it again and he has to make Cintron remember that. Margarito needs to establish a jab and good head movement. Attack to the body to make Cintron remember how hard he hits. He needs to help Cintron find the canvas again. With all that said, this fight is a pick em fight. Cintron did not look too good in his last fight against journeyman Jesse Feliciano. Plush Cintron hurt his hand, just like he had done before he fought Margarito the first time. Margarito lost his WBO Title to Paul Williams in July and appeared to have lost a little step in his fight game. I am going to root for Cintron because I like him a little better and with Emmanuel Steward in his corner I have more confidence. However Margarito beat once and it is far from impossible for him to do it again. I am just ready to see the fight.

The Buildup: Cotto-Gomez Webisode 5

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/7/08

1. Jermain Taylor-Felix Trinidad??? Very possible. HBO is interested in the fight and has offered the last Saturday of September or the first Saturday of October. Not sure if the fight would be on PPV or on regular HBO. The idea is the winner of Taylor-Trinidad would fight the winner of Hopkins-Calzaghe. If the winners turn out to be Trinidad and Hopkins it would put them in a rematch from their 2001 fight in which Hopkins TKOd Trinidad. I am sure an announcement will be made about this soon.

2. It appears Audley Harrison will land on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe. Harrison has not fought since February 2006 when he was brutally KOd by Michael Sprott.

3. Former Heavyweight Champion Shannon Briggs has been named a company spokesman for Warranties For Less. The company offers extended warranties on the most expensive car parts. Briggs also said that Don King is looking at some dates for a few fights for him in the near future. Briggs has been inactive since losing the WBO Heavyweight Title in June 2007.

4. Roy Jones Jr. and Joe Frazier will be on the new CBS show Secret Talents of the Stars on Tuesday at 10pm EST. It will show Roy the boxer exploring his talent as a rapper and Joe Frazier the former Heavyweight Champion of the World as a singer. Do not forget to support two of our own as they get some personal exposure as well as exposure for our sport of boxing.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/6/08

1. Juan Manuel Marquez did confront Manny Pacquiao and ask for a rematch. Marquez thinks Pacquiao is scared of him. Pacquiao said last time Marquez made him wait four years for a rematch, now it is his time to wait. I have a feeling the war of words may start to get ugly as time passes.

2. Golden Boy is trying to finalize a fight between Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion Joel Casamayor and former WBA/WBO/IBF Lightweight Champion Juan Diaz for either July 26 or September 13. HBO has reserved those dates for the fight, now it just has to be finalized.

Cornered: A Tragedy That Should Have Never Happened

Earlier this week I kept seeing articles about Luis Resto and Billy Collins Jr. and this documentary called Cornered. So I did a little research to find out what all the media attention was about. Oh my goodness, what I found out angered me to point I cannot describe. Here is the basis of what happened. On June 16, 1983 at Madison Square Garden in front of 25,000 people Luis Resto, a tough journeyman, was fighting hot prospect Billy Collins Jr. Resto was supposed to be a great test for Collins because he was a light hitting journeyman. So at the end of the 10 round fight, Resto is declared the winner of the fight via UD. Collins's eyes were severely bruised and swollen, but something did not seem right. Well when Resto was in Collins's corner shaking hands, Billy Collins's father Billy Collin Sr felt Resto's bare hand in the glove. Immediately Collins Sr. yelled someone check the gloves something was wrong. What was wrong was there was no padding in the gloves of Resto meaning he was essentially hitting Billy Collins Jr. with his bare knuckles.

After an investigation it came out that Resto's trainer, Panama Lewis, had cut a whole in the gloves of Resto and removed 2 of the 4 ounces of padding in each glove. Resto and Lewis's punishment was a lifetime ban from boxing and each ended up going to jail for the incident. They both stayed in jail for about two and a half years. Resto and Lewis were convicted of two counts of second degree assault, conspiracy and fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon (Resto’s hands) with Lewis also convicted of tampering with the outcome of a sporting event. As for Collins, his lifetime ban of boxing came on June 16, 1983 when he was beaten half to death if not to death depending on who you ask. He suffered from a torn iris which could not be repaired essentially leaving him half blind. Then on the evening of March 7, 1984, Collins drunk and depressed drove his 1972 Olds Cutlass into a concrete abutment at 68 mph and flipped over into a dried up creek bed that bore his family’s name. Some believe it was due to the alcohol he got in an accident and some believe it was suicide. However what everyone believed was that was not supposed to be how the life of Billy Collins Jr went.

As this documentary was being made, Luis Resto found the widow of Billy Collins Jr and admitted that not only was the padding removed from his gloves but his tape wrap was soaked in plaster paris. It made sense why during the fight Collins said it felt like he was getting hit with rocks in the ring. A boxing match had turned into a brutal illegal attempted murder beating. There is no excuse or explanation for the events that took place on June 16, 1983. How cruel and heartless you would have to be to take the padding out of your gloves and soak your wraps in plaster. He may as well just brought bricks in the ring and attacked Collins, that way it would have been known what was really going on.

You know as I read the articles and I write this post I am still angered. I am angry because of the cruelty some people display towards one another. Then I wonder what has been done to prevent something like this from happening again. Has this happened again? I think back to when Vivian Harris said no one checked the gloves of Junior Witter when they fought. Then Harris was knocked out and said he felt like he was hit with something a little extra hard. Now that is not to accuse Witter of foul play, but statements like that make you think. Then I think to these small venue cards that are not sanctioned or properly monitored. Is someone using dirty tactics in those fights? So many things cross my mind when I think of this. As much as I love the sport of boxing I do realize there are some cruel cheating people like Panama Lewis and Luis Resto who are still in the sport. What do we do?

For more info about the documentary Cornered go to http://www.theycametofight.com/. Also if you want to see the whole Billy Collins Jr.-Luis Resto fight, it is on youtube in 5 different parts.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/5/08

1. It appears Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao will meet face to face again. However it will not be in a fight unless something happens. Marquez is going to the Phillipians today to watch the Golden Boy promoted show in the Phillipians. Pacquiao is expected to be in attendance at the fights. Some may think Marquez is going over to the Phillipians to do more than just watch boxing. Maybe he wants to challenge Pacquiao again. I don't know, we will find out soon.

2. Today, Joe Mesi officially announced his running for the NY State Senate. Mesi who is an undefeated Heavyweight stated boxing will have to take a backseat as he focuses on his campaign. For those who want more info on Joe Mesi's campaign go to www.votejoemesi.com

3. Unbeaten Lightweight Contender Amir Khan got one step closer to his title shot dream as he beat Martin Kristjansen by seventh round TKO in a WBO Lightweight Title eliminator. With this win, Khan will become the mandatory for WBO Lightweight Champion Nate Campbell.

4. Felix Sturm has possibly earned himself into the next Kelly Pavlik lottery after defending his WBA Middleweight Title against formerly undefeated Jamie Pittman. Sturm battered Pittman until the fight was finally stopped in the 7th round. As long as Pavlik wins in June, the lottery for his next opponent will be on again.

5. Carlos Quintana said he wants the winner of the Shane Mosley-Zab Judah fight. Quintana has yet to sign a contract to fight a rematch with Paul Williams for June 7. Quintana refuses to fight Williams for the same amount of money he fought in their first fight. Quintana wants more than the $300,000 he was paid to fight Williams in February. I do not blame Quintana because once you are a champion you do not fight for challenger's money.

BJ Flores Has A New Fan!!!!!

Last night I was watching ESPN2's Friday Night Fights like I always do. Almost every week they have a guest in the studio with Brian Kenny. Usually whoever is the guest they throw a few jabs out about who they want to fight or why a fighter is not on their level. Well last night I was thoroughly impressed with the studio guest, Cruiserweight Contender BJ Flores. Flores analyzed the fights very well when asked about them. Flores spoke with respect about every fighter. When Flores was asked about how he felt that Darnell Wilson, who Flores beat in February, was getting a title shot before him. I was thinking he has got to say something negative. Surprised and proud he did not say one negative thing. Flores simply stated that Wilson is a very good fighter who is also deserving of a title shot. He felt Wilson could win in his title shot opportunity next month. Flores went on to say that he knew the time for his title shot was coming but he just had to be a little more patient. When Flores was asked about the current state of the Cruiserweight division, he stated he understood David Haye was moving up to Heavyweight and he saw Steve Cunningham as sort of the man right now. He wished David Haye good luck in moving up to Heavyweight and felt Haye could really make a name for himself in the Heavyweight division. I have to admit the responses BJ Flores gave and the way he responded made me smile. Not too often do you hear a boxer really show respect and admiration to other fighters. They usually have something foul to say or kinda respond in jealous ways. So for BJ Flores, you earned a new fan last night in me. I like your attitude and the way you fight. I wish you great luck in your future and hope to see a World Championship Belt around your waist real soon.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/4/08

1. Heavyweight Contender Calvin Brock is blind in his right eye. Awhile ago I stated Brock had surgery to repair a detached retina in his right eye. Well it appears he cannot see very well at all in that eye and is out of boxing indefinitely. Being out of boxing is unfortunate, but fortunately for Brock boxing was not his only means of livelihood. He stated he is working to become a real estate broker, a State Farm insurance agent, and also is aspiring to do boxing commentary. I believe he also has an online travel agency. So although I am sad that Brock's boxing career is paused at the very least, I am happy that he does have options.

2. On the undercard of the David Diaz-Manny Pacquiao fight on June 28, Tye Fields will fight Monte Barrett. Fields is heavyweight promoted by Top Rank that has not fought any good competition and Barrett will be his toughest test. Barrett has always been just a little over average but never that impressive. Should be an interesting fight.

3. Immediately after HBO's boxing doubleheader on April 12 between Cintron-Margarito and Cotto-Gomez, HBO will present Countdown to Hopkins-Calzaghe. It will be a 30 minute preview to hype up the fight Hopkins-Calzaghe fight that will happen the very next week on April 19 live on HBO.

4. Seminole Warriors Boxing, promoters of Edison Miranda are considering suing Mikkel Kessler and his promoters claiming they negotiated a contract in bad faith. At the same time Kessler was negotiating and finally agreeing to fight Miranda, Kessler was petitioning the WBA for title fight. Seminole Warriors Boxing claims Miranda missed out on a nice payday as well as national tv exposure when Kessler pulled out. This may get ugly.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/2/08

1. The Roy Jones Jr.-Anderson Silva fight may never happen. UFC President Dana White will not sign off on the fight to happen. He has told Silva's team to quit discussing the fight because he was not going to sign off on it. It is speculated White will not sign off on the fight because if Silva loses it could tarnish his image in the UFC.

2. The IBF has ordered Arthur Abraham to fight Giovanni Lorenzo. Abraham who is the IBF Middleweight Champion is coming to fight in the US in June and was hoping to fight a rematch with Edison Miranda. However after receiving the letter from the IBF he probably will fight his mandatory to avoid being stripped of his title. The negotiation period between Abraham and Lorenzo's camps ends April 30.

3. Floyd Mayweather Sr. said in an interview with Percy Crawford of FightHype.com that he may not be training Zab Judah after all. Mayweather does not think he will have enough time after the De La Hoya fight which is May 3 to work his magic on Judah by May 31.

The Buildup: Cotto vs Gomez Webisode 4

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/2/08

1. The WBA announced on Tuesday that Mikkel Kessler is the mandatory for the WBA Super Middleweight Title currently held by Anthony Mundine. Mundine lost a decision to Kessler for the WBA Title that Kessler then held in 2005. Mundine has his 3rd fight with Sam Soliman on May 28.

2. It appears Omar Sheika and Elvir Muriqi may fight on the May 9 edition of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights.

3. Uh Oh!!! The Anthony Mundine-Sam Soliman fight has NOT been sanctioned by the WBA. As I stated earlier, the WBA just made Mikkel Kessler the mandatory at Super Middleweight. The WBA wants to see Mundine-Kessler soon or Mundine maybe stripped. Mundine has not fought a mandatory defense in 13 months. I am sure we have not heard the end of this one.

4. After his fight with Joe Calzaghe, Bernard Hopkins is going to the camp of Sugar Shane Mosley to help him for his May 31 fight with Zab Judah. Hopkins will help in the training camp and work in the corner of Mosley. This shows how good of friends and partners these two fighters have become.

Boxing Rumors (Maybe Hidden Truths) 4/1/08

1. Kendall Holt will get his rematch with Ricardo Torres on July 5 at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas live on Showtime. As you may recall, Holt went to Colombia to fight Torres in September 2007 and was TKOd. The crowd at the fight threw bottles and other objects in the ring as well as an unusual officiating. Holt protested to the WBO but was denied. So Holt signed with Top Rank who also represents Torres and here is the rematch.

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced he will pay the operating budget for the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan May 5 through May 10. The tournament will be hosted by Michigan Golden Gloves, the same non-profit organization that helped launch Mayweather's career. It is great to see Mayweather give back to the organization that helped him develop his skills and achieve his dreams.

April's Fool (EveryDay): Zab Judah