Yuriorkis Gamboa KO's Seeger

Yuriorkis Gamboa came through once again, and in the process, made us look good for speaking so highly of him. The fight was stopped within the first round when Gamboa connected with a right, sending Al Seeger to the floor as if he had been picked off by a sniper. 

See Video

Gamboa artwork to come...

Yuriorkis Gamboa: Cuban Phenom

Turn on your televisons.

In a few hours, super featherwight Yuriorkis Gamboa (10-0, 8 Ko's) will be showcasing his talents on ESPN Friday Night Fights. He will square off against last minute replacement, Al Seeger (27-3, 21 Ko's).

Gamboa is a 2004 olympic gold medalist for Cuba and has recently defected from his homeland to turn pro in America.  This speed demon walked threw his first 9 opponents, however in his tenth bout against a step up in class, Darling Jimenez, he showed some weakness.

Gamboa stilled dominated the fight and won every round, but his case is very interesting.  He may be too fast and too good for is own good (if that makes sense). 

Gamboa can throw punches like a machine, sometimes dropping combinations in excess of 15 punches. He is so well conditioned and so much faster than everyone he comes into contact with, that is seems he never really had to learn how to properly defend himself.  

He just ducks and dodges every punch, and for the most part his raw ability lets him get away with it. However it did catch up with him for a moment in has last fight, when in the fourthh round he walked into a flash knock down.

It will be interesting to see how he develops in the next year, because with out a doubt, he has greater natural ability than 99% of professional fighters. Tonight should be a chance for him to score a convincing win on a last minute replacement in front of national audience.  

Down the line, look for Gamboa to challenge for a world title.

More to come on Gamboa, as well as artwork...

Kelly Pavlik is Making the Move to Super MIddleweight to Fight Bernard Hopkins

Although it finally looks like we may see a Kelly Pavlik - Joe Calzaghe showdown in the future, in the mean time both fighters still have impending bouts to worry about before then. Calzaghe is signed and set to go against Jones, but Pavlik has been struggling to find an adequate opponent, that is until now.

We recently reported that the match-up with welterweight champ Paul Williams was close to being inked, and it was close, however as things often do in the sport of boxing, it fell through due to monitory issues.  The fight wouldn't generate enough of it. 

After going through a fairly diverse list of welterweights, junior middles, and middleweights, that included Sergio Mora, Marco Antonio Rubio, Paul Williams, Randy Griffin and Winky Wright, The Ghost's camp decided on a light heavyweight of all things, former Ring champ and "legend," Bernard Hopkins. 

Dan Rafael, from ESPN, broke the news this morning. "There's a deal, but there are a few details to be tied up," Arum said. "But the fight is happening."

Although this is definitely not Pavlik's first choice (or ours for that matter), this bout will be directly beneficial to Kelly in three ways.  (1) If he plans to take on Joe Calzaghe at super middleweight, this fight will be a perfect test at the higher weight (2) We will all be able to compare and contrast how Pavlik handles Hopkins as opposed to his counterpart Joe C. (3) If he defeats Hopkins, he scores a win over a legend of the sport, and although over-the-hill, he still shows up on many people's top ten pound-for-pound list. 

With all that said, this is not and easy fight by any means. Hopkins will give anyone a tough time in the ring and "Kelly isn't thrilled with the fight, but if he is going to fight Calzaghe, it gets him ready for that fight," said Jack Loew, Pavlik's trainer.

Who can blame him though? Most fighters wouldn't even think of taking a fight with a crafty vet like Hopkins, who has the ability to make anyone look horrible in the ring, especially when there is not a belt on the line. But, Pavlik is showing that he is a true champ and is willing to take on whoever is put in front of him, unlike many of the fighters out there (eh hmm... Floyd).

The fight will take place at the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J. and will be broadcast on HBO Pay-Per-View live October 18th.

Joe Calzaghe Now Willing to Fight Kelly Pavlik?

It's working.  

The constant pressure from the fans and media seems to be slowly getting to the Welsh super middleweight and light heavyweight champ.  Just the past week, Joe Calzaghe made statements suggesting that he intended to hold on to his WBO super middlweight title (the belt that he defended 21 times for over ten years) and continue fighting after the Roy Jones Jr. bout (article).

The BBC reported earlier this morning that Calzaghe not only intends to defend his title, but could be planning to do it against the best middle weight in the world, Kelly Pavlik. "There is no way I am going to give up my WBO title.  If I beat Jones, I might move back down to super-middleweight to face Kelly Pavlik," said Joe C. 

Thank you Joe, we take back anything negative that we have ever sent in your direction. 

If Calzaghe's words hold up and these two actually step in the ring, win or lose, Calzaghe's credibility, likability and legacy will all take a turn for the better in the mind's of every American boxing fan. 

Now Calzaghe's is really fighting for something in his next bout with Jones.  He is fighting for the fans and for boxing, he is fighting for the chance to set up one of the biggest fights in the past ten years - a showdown between the top two undefeated  160 and 168 pounders in the world.

James Toney vs. Hasim Rahman Results: Another Disappointment

Yes they are. Don't know whatever possessed us think that this match-up wouldn't somehow end in raging disappointment.

After three rounds of fairly decent action, James Toney and Hasim Rahman's very large heads collided, opening a gash above Hasim's eye and leaving both a little disoriented (see video 1). Toney (who despite claiming he worked harder than ever in training, still looked like an alien pod was incubating in his stomach) quickly capatilized on the occasion, landing quite a few big right hands before the round ended. And then it got weird.

BDSSP Fight Night: Round 3 Highlights

In between rounds, the ringside physician came over to Rahman's corner to check the cut that was caused from the unintentional head-butt. Somewhere in the conversation, Hasim said that he was having trouble seeing out of his eye (the one that was affected by the butt). The ringside physician did exactly what he was supposed to do and stopped the bout when a fighter's vision is severely affected.

At the sound of the bell we saw James Toney fall to the floor in excitement for what he thought was a victory.  After some deliberation before the announcer let us in on the ruling, Toney's camp realized the decision was not cut and dry and decided to sit down to wait anxiously in their corner.  

Now what normally happens when an unintentional head-butt causes a cut that is bad enough to stop the fight within the first four rounds, the bout is ruled a no-contest.  However, after the fourth round the decision will go to the score cards. Pretty simple right? Not quite.

Since the doctor ruled that the cut was okay to contiue, the fight was stopped on Rahman's exclamation of blurred vision in his left eye. Although the head-butt may have aided in his ailment, it is possible that it was caused from punches as well. So Rahman was, by his own admission, not able continue and James Toney was awarded the NABO heavyweight title (see video).

BDSSP Fight Night: Final Decision

In his post interview, Toney mumbled something about how he is the best heavyweight in the division and slung some derogatory comments towards the number one heavyweight champion Wlad Klitschko (seems to be the "it" thing to do these days; see video above). And this is coming after a horrible and unconvincing technical victory.

Although Klitschko has not astounded us as of recently, there is no way James Toney should even get the chance to be mentioned in the same breath as Wlad. He is still out of condition and at age 40 has no chance of lasting 12 rounds with a man who is 7 inches taller, a ripped 241 lbs, and currently just a better fighter. 

Toney get in the long line of Wald contenders, your at the end buddy. 

Clazaghe Not Done After Jones?

According to Boxing News 24, Joe Calzaghe may be taking back his recent words of retirement.

Calaghe has informed the president of the WBO that he intends to defend his super middleweight title after the conclusion of the Roy Jones Jr. fight at Madison Square Garden, on September 20th.

Apparently the onslaught of media backlash (us included) that was directed his way after turning down a chance to fight middleweight champ, Kelly Pavlik, finally got to him.  There is no mention of who he would be fighting in his return to super middleweight, but it definitely leaves it open for a Calzaghe - Pavlik Showdown.

Weigh-in results: James Tony vs. Hasim Rahman

When we first heard that these two "veterans" (we're being nice) singed up for a heavyweight bout, we were very skeptical (see favorite article; Toney and Rahman Are Still Fighting?). And not to say that we have changed our minds, but after hearing some buzz about the training camps and seeing the weigh in results, the fight just became a little bit more interesting (a little bit...).

The last couple of times we saw James Toney (70-6 -3, 43 Ko's) in the ring he was looking (how do we put this lightly..) not healthy. He tipped the scales at over 250 lbs, was grossly out of shape and resembled Grimace, Ronald McDonald's obese purple buddy or the pleasantly plump alien Earl, from Sega's Toe Jam and Earl (the one eating the hotdog; whichever, he was a big boy). 

However, there have been rumors floating around that Toney has been taking this fight as seriously as he did back when he was the middleweight champion of the world (16 years and 100 lbs ago).  And it would seem that the rumors are true.

James Toney stepped up to the scale looking fit and ready, weighing in at 226 lbs.  His opponent Hasim Raham (45-6-2, Ko's 36), tipped in at 244 lbs. 

The fact that Toney looks like he is taking the fight more seriously is what makes it instantly more interesting.  Although the winner of this match-up doesn't deserve a title shot (as previously stated by the promoters), there is a very slight chance we could be in for a good fight.

We are still talking about two of the better fighters in the past 15 years. Toney has won a title in every division on his journey up from middlweight to heavyweight and was named 2003 "Fighter of Year". Standing across from him will be one of the few men who can say they took down the last outstanding heavyweight champ, Lennox Lewis.  And they both will be fighting as if it were their last fight (because it probably is).

If these guys are as serious as they claim, this fight has the chance to be a diamond in the rough in the heavyweight division.  In the same breath, it could be as boring as (if not worse) than the Klitschko fight. We have to keep in mind that we are still watching heavyweights, both past the age of 35 and both semi-washed up with one foot out the door (and into a Coldstone Creamery for Toney).

The fight will be broadcast live from Temecula, CA on FSN tomorrow night (wed.) at 11:00 pm EST  

Chad Dawson vs. Antonio Tarver Set To Go

The Sweet Science posted a released from Showtime confirming the deal for a interesting match up between two of the top light heavyweight title holders.

Antonio The Magic Magic Tarver and Bad Chad Dawson will step between the ropes on October 11th, to find out who is the better man when it comes to fistic combat - the aging one-time super star of the light heavy's or the best young talent in the division.

The fact that they came to terms did not come as a surprise.  Dawson, who is coming off a unanimous decision victory over tough veteran Glen Johnson, recently opted out of a low cash purse and low visibility (no visibility actually, it was not even going to be broadcasted) mandatory defense that would have taken place over seas, against Adrian Diaconu.  By doing so he relinquished his WBC light heavyweight title and Diaconu has subsequently taken the reign as champ.  

There is no way Dawson would have given up his title without knowing he was going to have a shot at two more in his upcoming fight. Even if he knew, we still think the move is a little risky. How many done deals have we seen fall through in the past? (Enough to say hold on to your belt)

In this case, it was the right move.  Dawson is what Tarver once was (when he defeated Roy Jones on two occasions) conditioned, skilled, fast and powerful. It will be quite the role reversal for Tarver from when Mason The Line Dixon (his character) defeated the veteran Rocky Balboa. In this battle of southpaws, Dawson dethrones the aging Magic Magic and claims his second and third (IBF & IBO) light heavyweight titles. 

This year has been as stand out display of great fights in the sport of boxing.  And the main reason is the fact that the promotors and fighters seem to be doing their best to make the best possible fights (minus Calzaghe) happen in a timely manner. With the stable of talent in all divisions below the 200 lbs mark, there should be no reason why this can't continue for quite some time.

The fight will be broadcasted on Showtime at 9:00 PM EST

Pic of the Week: Final Bell Boxing Unofficial Cotto vs. Margarito Fight Poster

click on the illustration to enlarge and download

- From the creative mind of Adam Morris at Final Bell Boxing -

Celebrity Boxing: Sikahema vs. Jose Canseco

As if Jose Canseco hasn't embarrassed himself enough in the sporting world. 

The man who turned half of baseball on to anabolic steroids then subsequently sold every one of them out in his tell-all books, stepped inside the ring with former NFL punt returner, Via Sikahema,  to take part in a celebrity boxing match (if we want to classify these guys celebrities).

Canseco got his clocked cleaned in the first round and went down to the matt twice before the contest was stopped.  Sikahema, standing at 5'9" and 205 lbs., dominated the roided-out ex-slugger, who came into the fight at 6'4"  and 245 lbs.

According the press, Via Sikahema has participated in more than 80 amateur boxing matches, proving once again that anyone who has trained as a boxer will outclass someone who has not, no matter how much bigger or stronger (or hopped up on roids) he is. 

Canseco has stated that he has a background in martial arts, which leads us to believe one of two things, he took karate when he was a helpless 7 year old or he is full of s#*!

Klitschko vs Thompson recap

There isn't much to say about this heavyweight fight except for the fact that we personally know two different people who fell asleep some time after the fifth round (and one of them was watching it at 4:30 in the afternoon). 

In the past we have defended Wladimir Klitschko as being a technically sound and fairly dominate fighter, although that coming against a class of schlubs. No longer will we make

that assertion. He is the ringleader of mediocre heavyweights, the captain of the last place team, and quite simply put, the best of the worst.

After putting on a display of boxing for 11 rounds which proved that neither of the fighters deserve to hold the "greatest crown in sports", the fight came to an end when an exhausted Thompson (who was falling all over the place up until then) walked into one of Klitschko's giant right hands. 

Joe Cortez was there to call the fight after Thompson could not get to his feet before the count concluded. And we have to ask how the hell Joe Cortez is still in there? Last week Cortez put his name on one of the worst refereeing decisions of the past ten years (see article).  

He has lost his ring presence and in this fight he missed the opening head-butt (that conveniently split both fighters eyes open in the exact same spot at the same exact time), claiming a punch did the damage. The sanctioning bodies have to consider this when casting Joe for anymore big title fights.

On another note, at least one fighter in the division agrees that it is atrocious. David Haye was in Hamburg to witness the debacle. "If he fights me in the way he fought that guy, he will be knocked out in three rounds," said Haye, after the fight. "He has got the perfect style for me. I don't want him to have any more fights before me as I don't want someone else to do what I will do against him." 

And we are starting to become believers.  Haye has been begging (or demanding) for a fight with Wlad since vacating his cruiserweight titles (see here). And for the first time ever Klitschko acknowledged him as a possible fight. "David Haye was here in Hamburg and wants to fight me.  He is one of the candidates," said the heavyweight champ.

Without even fighting once at heavyweight, Daivid Haye is slowly starting to become the anointed savior of the division. With his speed and heavy KO power (and Klitschko's more-than-not wide open chin) Haye should be able to do what he has been explicating to all of us for the past few months.

Saturdays undercard: Kronk star Jonathon Bank won a decision a close majority decision over Vincezno Rossitto to claim the vacant IBO cruiser weight title.