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.

Countdown to Cotto vs. Margarito: Miguel Angel Cotto Profile

Miguel Angel Cotto 

(32-0, 26 Ko's)

Born: October, 29th 1980

Age: 27

Hometown: Caguas, Puerto Rico

Division: Welterweight (147 lbs.)

Current Ranking: unanimous #1

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 5'7"

Reach: 67"

Titles:  

- WBA Welterweight Title

- WBO Junior Welterweight Title

Notable Victories:

Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Carlos Quintana, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricardo Torres, Gianluca Branco, Oktay Urkal

Artwork by Adam Morris

Boxing: The World's #1 Sport?

We are starting to get a little sick of the unfounded notion that boxing is a slowly "dying sport." 

It seems to be the popular phrase used by anyone who has seen about five fights in their lifetime or wants to sound like they have an idea of what the hell they are talking about when it comes to boxing (which in fact it proves their ignorance).  

Although it was the Ancient Greeks who first implemented fist throwing as a competitive sport, doing battle with the appropriately designed clubs at the end of our arms comes natural to humans, and could without a doubt, be traced back to the earliest men that walked the earth.

Because of the deep-rooted innate tendency for putting up our dukes, the sport of boxing has become a widespread global attraction to competitors and fans alike.  

For instance, of the 68 titles awarded by the four main alphabet organizations, only 13 were held by American boxers at the end of 2007.

The current Champions' origins span the entire atlas, reigning from countries such as Ukraine, France, Germany, Canada, United States, Great Britain, Cuba, Dominican republic, Armenia, Thailand, Ghana, Panama, Indonesia, South Africa, Hungary, Australia, Phillipines, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Japan, Venezuela and Uzbekistan. And that is just the current champs, not including current prospects, top fighters or past champions from various countries around the world.

We were intrigued by the fact that South America had only one champion in the mix (and no other fighters that we could name of the top of our heads), so we did some research and instantly located two all-time greats. 

Ed Jofre, from Brazil, is considered to be the greatest bantamweight of all time and made Ring magazine's 80 greatest fighters of the past 80 years (#19). Luis Firpo (see right), from Argentina, was the first Latin American to challenge for the heavywieght title (against Jack Dempsey) and named to Ring Magazine's 100 greatest fighters.

After a few more internet searches it became apparent that this can be done with nearly any major nation. Pick one, and you will find a former champion or a well-known great fighter.

So we challenge, find us a player who can skate like the wind from South America, Mexico, or Puerto Rico.  Find us a someone who can jack one out of Comerica Park in Uzbekistan or Ukraine. Show us a the next coming of M.J. from Indonesia or Thailand. What about a football player from... ah yes, only in America.  Of all the major spectator sports, it would seem that boxing spans the globe like no other.

But wait (you might say), what about soccer?

Writer Chuck Klosterman had an interesting take on the recent rise in the popularity of soccer: "Soccer fanatics love to tell you that soccer is the most popular game on earth and it's played by 500 million people every day, as if that somehow proves its value. Actually the opposite is true. Why should I care that every single citizen in Chile, Iran, and Gibraltar thoughtlessly adores "football"? Do the people making this argument also assume Coca-Cola is ambrosia. Real sports aren't for everyone." (see full article)

Although Kolsterman's article is entertaining, we think the real answer to the soccer question can be summed up with one word: America. It has yet to capture the American audience, possibly the most important market in the world. Professional boxing accomplished this nearly a century ago.

Since then, dying is the last thing that boxing has been doing in the recent years. Pay-Per-View all-time sales records have been smashed, and then smashed again by major boxing events, still garnering more single event views than any UFC/Elite XC/MMA fight or WWE extravaganza. 

The single greatest selling attraction of all-time Pay-Per-View sales - The Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya.

We would argue that the only other single sporting event that would receive as many buys as major boxing events, is the SuperBowl (in America that is).  We find it very hard to believe that someone would pay $59.99 to watch the NBA FInals if their team wasn't in it, and the same goes for the Stanley Cup or the World Series (and that's the finals and not just one game, but seven).

So, with the country's dismal financial state, how is that we can afford to pay the $54.99 in higher volume than ever before, to watch an event that may end in 35 seconds? The answer is simple. 

Boxing is the greatest sport in the world.

De La Hoya's Finale

The Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya, has given up his search to replace the vacant corner left open from the recent retirement of Floyd Mayweather.  After being turned down by Ricky Hatton, Golden Boy Promotions has decided to cancel the bout entirely.

December 6th will be the last time we see The Golden Boy inside the ring.  Miguel Cotto has been named as a possible opponent in what should be high-scaled match on all proportions. 

Hatton Declines Golden Boy Fight

According to BBC Sports, Ricky The Hitman Hatton, was approached by Golden Boy Promotions with an offer to fill Floyd Mayweather's newly vacant spot for the September match-up against Oscar Oscar De La Hoya.  However, The Hitman declined. 

"It would be to soon, Richard has only fought two weeks ago" said Ray Hatton, the father and manager of the IBO light welterweight champ.  

It seems that Hatton's camp is content with taking the shot at collecting another belt from the IBF junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi in the fall.  And we can't blame him for not taking it, which would force him to move up in weight against a game fighter like De La Hoya on such short notice.  

De La Hoya's camp was no doubt looking for the largest payday in sight, taking into consideration Ricky's cult following and the pay-per-view/ticket sales from his previous fights.

The search for an opponent worth watching continues for The Golden Boy.

This American Life: Boxing

The popular non-fiction public radio show-turned-hit Showtime series, This American Life, gives the public an in depth look into the interesting saga that is real life.  Each episode conveys a theme and uses that as the underlying backdrop for the segments. 

A recently-aired episode followed two journeyman club fighters through their struggles to stay afloat financially and maintain a "regular" life, while still pursuing their dream.  The fighters, Marteze Logan (26-32-2, Ko's 6) and Anthony Bowman (9-29-2, Ko's 2), have made their less- than-stellar careers by, basically becoming opponents for other rising stars who are on their way to the top. (These are the kind of guys who are found somewhere within the first ten bouts of a highly touted prospect; between the two of them, they have losses to Paul Williams, Steve Forbes, Hector Camacho jr. and Cornelius K9 Bundrage) 

In this interesting look into the tale of two professional boxers who, like so many others in the sport, will never be recognized outside of their rural cities, we get the chance to see one of them finally succeed (on a small level, but succeed none the less).  The episode comes to a conclusion when these two meet in the ring for the Mid-South welterweight belt in Memphis, Tenn.

Catch the episode on Showtime On Demand or on regular circulation on any of the Showtime stations.

Paul Williams Vs. Carlos Quintana II Recap

Last night Paul The Punisher Williams displayed the skill that had so many people gushing over him after his victory over Antionio Margarito for the WBO welterweight crown.  

Perhaps the last time these two met, Carlos Quintana caught Paul Williams on an off-night, because it was clear who the better fighter was from the sound of the first bell. Williams pounced on Quintana, landing crisp punches at will (a crispness he lacked in the previous fight).  See highlights

Two minutes in to the bout Quintana was quickly acquainted with the canvas and came to the realization that he had lost his WBO belt in less than three minutes (that he held for only one fight).

After the fight, Williams named the three big money names in the welterweight division for his next opponent - Margarito (who he already beat once), Cotto, and The Golden Boy, any of which will be a great fight.

Main Event: Sergio Mora has a great chin and no punching power which tends to lead to a fairly boring match when he is involved (can't KO anyone and rarely gets hurt).  His title fight with Vernon Forrest played out along the same lines as usual, however Mora showed enough elusiveness and skill to take a majority decision and claim the WBO junior middle weight title.

Kelly Pavlik vs Gary Lockett Recap

Just another day on the job for America's talented young phenom , Kelly The Ghost Pavlik.  As if he was hammering away at sheets of metal in one of Youngstown's steel factories, Kelly repeatedly pounded Gary Lockett until he was completely flattened.  

Half way into the third round, Enzo Calzaghe tossed in the universal sign of surrender after witnessing his fighter get knocked to the canvas three times and receive a healthy dose of punishment.  (See highlights)

The fight seemed to go exactly as planned for Pavlik who looked better than ever, connecting with punches from every angle on his way to an easy TKO victory. He put constant pressure on Lockett, landed a steady barrage of punches, and neutralized Lockett's supposed KO power with his lengthy frame.

It looks like the undefeated champ Arthur Abraham will be the next possible opponent for The Ghost (if he takes care of Edison Miranda on the 21st). As for Joe Calzaghe, it seems that he will be dancing with Roy Jones Jr. in the near future.  If those fights go as planned, then we will hopefully see the two face off in one of the biggest fights of the decade. 

Undercard: In the first round of the fight, Daniel Ponce De Leon was dropped by a right hook and relinquished his title to the undefeated young-stud of the division, Jaun Manuel Lopez. (Highlights)

Artwork by Adam Morris

Floyd Mayweather Retires (again)

At 5:30 pm, Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather released a page-long statement to the media announcing that he is going to hang up his gloves and retire from the sport of boxing.

"It is with a heavy heart that I write you this message today. I have decided to permanently retire from boxing... I am sorry I have to leave the sport at this time, knowing I still have my God-given abilities to succeed and future multi-million dollar paydays ahead, including the one right around the corner. But there comes a time when money doesn't matter. I just can't do it any more.  I have a found piece with my decision that I have not felt in a long time."

We have heard this about six times before from Floyd, but, for some reason this one seems a little bit more legit. He hasn't done anything this elaborate before and the fact that it is coming just months before a title fight, not right after a victory (like usual), is somewhat telling.

Even the president of Golden Boy Promotions has already confirmed that the fight has been cancelled and "... will move on. Sometime next week, I will announce a big fight for Oscar.  There are different names out there and I will be working diligently to announce in the coming day's Oscar's next fight."

To be completely honest, we could really care less about this "breaking news". In the past few years Floyd has used the sport of boxing as nothing but a personal platform to make as much money as possible (trying not to end up like Holyfield I guess).  Now, after making hundreds of millions, he claims that he doesn't care about the money.  If he wants to leave the sport, then I say do it, it seems he hasn't really been in it for a while anyway.

His hall of fame career has been great to this point, however the jury is not out on whether or not he fought the best talent on his rise to the top.  One or two more high-quality wins would seal the deal on his career. 

As of now, if Mayweather never fights again, he may go down as the most talented boxer ever to walk the face of the earth, but will not be considered one of the top 10 greatest fighters in boxing history.

Miranda & Abraham: Coming to America

Edison Pantera Miranda (30-2, 26 Ko's) will meet IBF middleweight champ King Arthur Abraham(26-0, 21 Ko's) at a catch weight of 166 lbs in a highly-anticipated rematch slated for June 21.  

The first time these two met, Abraham won a fairly close unanimous decision despite his jaw being broken in two places halfway into the controversial fight.  

From the random video clips on you tube and the comments from the European contingent in the boxing forums, we have heard that this is one worth watching.  However, the fight took place in Abraham's backyard (Germany) and was not broadcasted to us yankees. Until now.

In the days leading up to the rematch, Showtime will air Miranda vs. Abraham I for our viewing pleasure.  The dates and times are as follows:

June 16th on SHO 2 - 10:00 pm (EST)

June 19th on SHO 2 - 10:00 pm (EST)

June 21st on Showtime - 6:00 pm (EST)

Evander Holyfield: Broke as Joke

The former four time heavyweight champion Evander The Real Deal Holyfield (42-9-2, 27 Ko's) is dead broke.

According to NBC Sports, Holyfield's $10 million estate in suburban Atlanta is under foreclosure, the mothers of his numerous children are suing for unpaid child support, and a Utah consulting company has gone to court claiming that Evander failed to pay back more than a half million dollars for landscaping on that 10 million dollar pad. 

So essentially he was paying someone to maintain his exuberant amount of plants and flowers instead of paying for all the seeds that he personally planted all over the state of Georgia. 

The self-proclaimed, "born-again Christian" has had three different wives (the most recent being a 24 yr. old college student) and 11 children (that we know of), three of which were conceived, by his own admission, with women out of wedlock.  

I think he may have skipped the portion in the Christian handbook that discusses monogamy, but at least we can confirm that he read two chapters - "Procreation - A Guide to Life" and "The Church's View on Contraception" (or listened to the book on tape; none of the evidence suggested so far implies that he is capable of reading).

One would think that the money from the "business savvy" endorsement deals with Sega Genesis (above) in 1992 and the "invention" of the "Real Deal Grill" (or should I say 

fraudulent copy of the greatest invention of all time - The Foreman: see left) could have been put in a savings account since he pulled down a confirmed $35 million for one fight with Mike Tyson. Apparently he didn't use any of that $35 mil to hire a financial planner. 

Since 2002, eight of his last thirteen fights have ended in defeat or draw. It is now apparent that in his comeback he may not have been fighting to regain the heavyweight title, but to replenish his bank account that must have been blown on some serious-ass stuff that we can't even begin to fathom (like Walt Disney's chriogenically frozen body, a diamond encrusted Lite Brite that uses push pins created from rubies, sapphire and jade or a down comforter fabricated from the feathers of 10 baby American Bald Eagles). I think I just fathomed it.

Something for the Weekend Sir? Saturday Night Fights Preview

We cancelled all plans for this Saturday night based primarily on two reasons.  1.)  HBO and Showtime will be transmitting four outstanding boxing matches directly to the comfort of our living rooms   2.) Second and more importantly, my new roommate refuses to go to the cable company with me to pick up a DVR box for the house (cable bill's in his name and the damn company refuses to grant me access to the account, I've tried)  

With that said, there should be a mandate that forbids HBO and Showtime to hold major boxing events that fall on the same day of the lunar calendar.  Space em' out a little, so every weekend we can enjoy a good match or two instead of just crammin' it all in to one.  You would think that two of the largest television companies would have this worked out to prevent them from having to worry about competition from the other guy. 

Anyway, I think HBO wins this battle and, it seems this weekend's under-cards may be more exciting than the main events - here is this weekend's preview.

HBO

Kelly The Ghost Pavlik (33-0,  30 Ko's) vs Gary The Pocket Rocket Lockett (30-1, 21 Ko's) - The Pride of Youngstown, Kelly Pavlik, is currently the undisputed, undefeated, middleweight champion of the world. He is coming off a huge KO victory over #1 middleweight contender (at the time) in Edison Miranda and back-to-back dominate performances against the former undefeated, undisputed, best middleweight in the world, Jermain Taylor (not anymore; see Pavlik KO video here). 

Gary Lockett is coming off a fight against Kai Kauramaki, who is 13-15 with 9 of his losses coming by way of knock-out. Some seriously stiff competition there Lockett, excellent tune-up before getting in there with the best middleweight in the world.  

Lockett's record looks pretty on paper but it does not carry a single win of any significance.

- Pavlik KO's Lockett within 6 rounds-

The real story line in this fight lies in the identity of Lockett's trainer - one Enzo Calzaghe. You can bet Joe will be sitting ringside to see one of his training 'mates' getting his clock cleaned by The Ghost, setting up a possible super-fight between the two down the line. 

On Wednesday, Kelly discussed his thoughts on the current light heavyweight and super middleweight champ Joe Calzaghe with Max Kellerman. He was seemed as confident as I am about the outcome of a potential mega-fight with Joe C., another victory for Youngstown's finest.

Daniel Ponce De Leon (34-1, 30 Ko's) vs Juan Manuel Lopez (21-0, 19 Ko's) - The two meet on the under-card of the Pavlik/Lockett fight for the WBO super bantam weight title. Ponce De Leon will try to fend off up-and-coming Lopez in a high action, exciting, and closely matched bout -possibly the most interesting fight of the night. Do not miss this one. 

Showtime

Vernon Forrest (40-2, 29 Ko's) vs. Sergio The Latin Snake Mora (20-0-1, 5 Ko's) 

Don't expect to be writing home after this WBC light middleweight title bout. Vernon Forrest is coming off a long layoff due to an injury and, at age 37,  isn't getting any younger.  Sergio Mora is coming off a few recent fights that were mediocre at best, one of which he should have lost but was awarded a mercy decision (against Elvin Ayala).  And the begging for a shot at a title then turning down a championship bout against Jermain Taylor a few years back caused him to lose the little credibility that he once had. 

Neither fighter is a big puncher and both will be looking to go the distance for a decision. If you have to pick one to DVR, you're looking at it.

Paul The Punisher Williams (33-1, 24 Ko's) vs. Carlos Quintana (25-1, 19 Ko's) - Paul Williams will attempt to reclaim the WBO welterweight championship from the man who took it from him and handed him his only loss.  

Before the somewhat stunning upset at the beginning of the year, Williams was considered by many to be the top welterweight in the division and a direct threat to Floyd Mayweather (he was obviously overrated).  Coming off a win against the always tough Antonio Margarito, Williams looked ready to sit atop the division until Quintana exposed the lengthy boxer's weaknesses and took the belt from him. Quintana is no slouch though, his only loss came when he managed to get his face beat in by Miguel Cotto in a 5th round stoppage. 

If Williams overlooked Quintana the first time, it will not happen again on Saturday.  Look for him to come out fighting for his life to regain his belt. Should be a good one. 

Max Kellerman: Two Turn Tables and a Microphone

HBO Boxing analyst Max Kellerman has not only established himself as one of the top sports commentators in his favorite sport (boxing) but as a well rounded and insightful voice in all of realms of the sporting universe .

The one-time host of ESPN's popular sports talk show Around the Horn left the network when Fox Sports Net came calling with a very lucrative deal that would give Max his own show to discuss sports topics as he pleased. (This was back when FSN was still telling themselves that they could compete on same level as the guys in Bristol, Conn.)  The show was creatively named I-Max and was subsequently cancelled the following year due to conflicts with network execs. 

I think it is safe to say that the cancelleation of the show was best for us (the boxing fans) and Kellerman himself, because the next year he landed the top analyst job in all of sports (personal opinion), ringside commentary for HBO Boxing.  He is currently splitting time with long-time analyst Larry Merchant (who is slowly melting down before our eyes on live television; however  in his day, he was kind of a bad ass - see below), and will be replacing him as soon as his contract expires.

But, the reason for this post is not to highlight the career of  Max Kellerman in sports,  but to give you a glimpse of what he was into before we were regularly watching him in front of our t.v. dinners (I actually don't anyone who eats t.v. dinners). 

In 1994 Columbia records signed a small time hip-hop duo and released a video for their single entitled, "Young Man Rumble."  If the boxing reference in the song's title and the fact that I am writing about Max Kellerman led you to believe that he was the mastermind behind this hip-hop-astrologist  duo, then you were right (one gold star). 

Check out "Max & Sam" (Max's brother) rip up the mic with some swicked flow from 94' (below). Don't worry I didn't believe it either. Surprisingly, we have heard much worse... Man, the stuff that we thought was cool back then makes you wonder what the hell we're gonna look like to everyone in fifteen years.

I don't mean to put a damper on things but in 2004 Max's brother Sam was found dead in his apartment in Hollywood, CA.  Ironically enough, soon after the incident a former boxer confessed to the murder, one-time super middleweight champ, James The Harlem Hammer Butler (who was later convicted and sentenced to 29 years in prison).

The most interesting (and dark) detail surrounding the case, was the fact that a hammer was found next to Sam when authorities arrived on the scene and was later designated as the murder weapon in the crime.

The nickname, The Harlem Hammer, was given to James Butler many years before this tragic incident, quite possibly carrying more meaning than most would care to know.

Wait a Minute, James Toney and Hasim Rahman Are Still Boxing?

Yes, James Toney is still alive. 

It was announced this past week that James Toney (70-6-3, 43 KOs) will face Hasim Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KOs) in a heavyweight bout set for July 16th. I could have sworn I was reading a headline from five years ago, but no there it was, right in front of me. The headline for a candidate for worst fight of the year. I think we point to instances such as these to explain why no one cares what is going on in the once great heavyweight division.

Last time I saw Toney in the ring (see above) it looked like he just finished snacking on one of the card girls and was quite possibly the first time he had moved in months.  I am sure now that he has had an entire year layoff that he is going to be in prime condition for this fight being taken on a month and half notice. Lets not forget the two recent instances of positive steroid tests as well (could have fooled me though, I was under the impression they had a bit of a different effect).  

Rahman (see left with the alien spawn pulsating from his brain) 

doesn't have too much to offer either.  He is two years younger than Toney (Toney  40 yrs and Rahman 38 yrs so I don't know if I should be throwing around the word young so carelessly) and has been trying to stage a comeback this past year. 

Both fighters have probably seen there day in side the ropes. But that's not how Todd duBoef, President of Top Rank sees it - "I think they're both marquee names, but they are at a crossroads in their careers" (maybe a little bit of an understatement there buddy) "... The winner of this fight should be given an opportunity to fight for one of the titles." Titles? This guy has got to be joking if he thinks that winning this fight should propel anyone to a title shot. The only thing the winner of this fight should get is a piece of cake at his retirement party (or 3 cakes for Toney).

Mundine Retains WBA Belt

Anthony Mundine (32-3, 23 KOs) retained his WBA super middleweight belt this past week by defeating fellow countryman Sam Soliman (35-11, 13 KOs).  

Congratulations Mundine, you managed to hold on to your belt by facing another nobody in Sam Soliman, who you have already beat once before. 

Sam Soliman as many of you will remember is the hard working and well conditioned boxer from The Contender, who displays little to no boxing skill in any of his bouts.  The two of them met before in 2007 for the vacant WBA title which Mundine still holds.  Which begs the question, how did the WBA match these guys up for the a vacant belt. I might as well have put my name in the drawing. 

 Mundine has about as many quality wins as most of the club fighters around the country.  His only notable victory was over a "sickly" (by his own account) Danny Green, who was undefeated at the time.  The only other quality fight was against Mikel Kessler, who dominated him for a wide unanimous decision.

There has been talk of Mundine wanting to set up a match with The Ghost, Kelly Pavlik.  I would venture to guess that would not be a wise career choice on his part.  The only way he is going to hold on to his current title is if he continues to fight chumps like Sam Soliman and stays close to home in the Outback where the level of competition suits him better. Since everyone and their mother is now calling out Pavlik, the fight may never happen. However, I don't think I would mind if the two did end up meeting in the ring - just another chance for Pavlik to collect some more easy hardware for his mantle piece. 

Double Trouble

Since I am such a strong proponent for boxing I had made a point to consciously avoid posting any commentary or news on the mixed martial arts scene. However, after watching this video my innate attraction for watching two guys knock the F@*! out of each-other prevailed. Enjoy.  

Golden Boy Grabs Another Superstar

This past week Golden Boy Promotions increased its budding stable of talented young fighters with the signing of Britain's own, David Haye (21-1  KO 20).  The Haymaker recently relinquished his WBO Cruiserweight title belt (soon to relinquish WBC & WBA) in order to move up to the next weight class and "clean-up" (as he so eloquently put it) the  heavyweight division. Not only has he prophesized the coming of the savior in the weight class, he plans to do it all on American soil, looking to fight under the bright lights of the City of Sin, Las Vegas.

Haye is coming off a Cruiserweight campaign in which he only suffered one defeat and unified the alphabet titles of the division.  After his most recent fight, a second round KO over Enzo Maccarinelli, Haye had quite a bit to say about his distaste for the Heavyweight division and more specifically the only notable champion in it, Wladimir Klitschko.

I am not prepared to anoint David Hayes as the messiah of this horrible division (like so many have already done), but I do know that this type of fighter may be able to give us some excitement we haven't seen in years. He is charismatic, fast, has great knock out power and at the same time has a fairly weak chin, leaving the door open for him to be dropped.  His loud mouth and highly visible antics are a perfect foil for the calm and collected champion of the division (Wlad).  Just this past month Haye showed up unannounced to one of Wladimir's press conferences and confronted him.  And of course he brought cameras with him (genius).  Wlad seemed unimpressed.

Haye has fought in one other heavyweight bout prior to making the official move in weight.  A year ago, he weighed in at 217 lbs. and faced off against Tomasz Bonin (who was 37-1 at the time and ranked 11th by the WBC).  There was no evidence of Haye losing any speed or power with the jump in weight, coming out on top with a devastating first round KO (see here). 

Hopefully The Haymaker can back up his mouth and really make something happen in the division.  However, he will have to wait his turn in line before he gets a shot at the Russian Diplomat.  Klitschko has two fights he must deal with before these two can meet inside the squared-circle, one being his upcoming defense next month against the WBO's  number one mandatory challenger Tony Thompson.  Meanwhile, Haye is looking to sign a fight with former world champion Shannon Briggs, and will be poised at 225 lbs. to take the division by storm.

Don King Presents: Prize Fighter 2k Sports

Since Nintendo's mega-hit Mike Tyson's Punch Out!, the Electronic Arts (EA) Sports brand has had a stronghold on the boxing video game industry with it's popular Fight Night series.  I had been hearing rumors about a game to be released by EA's competitor, 2K Sports, that would challenge the champ for the title of number one boxing game.  I almost forgot about the production of the game until during one of my various internet expeditions at work, I found a video of a semi-embalmed crack pimp yelling at me about his new boxing game.  

Don King, the most corrupt, obnoxious, infamous and loud figure in boxing for as long as I can remember was rambling about the release of his new video game entitled, Don King Presents: Prizefighter.  My eyes slowly crept to the bottom right hand corner of the page, praying (i'm not normally religious) that only one logo was not present. It was.  2K Sports.  

Somewhere between the time I had first read about the idea of the game and its actual conception, some idiot at 2K Sports thought it would be a good idea to get the life-sized, fully pose-able  troll doll involved. The only thought I could manage to conjure was that this game was doomed for failure (unless of-course the goal was to create a game simulating fixing boxing events, signing fighter to bogus contracts, embezzling money, scoring prostis, free-basing, straight pimpin', slappin' hoes or any other criminal activity that comes to mind)

I took into consideration my negative outlook surrounding the game, watched the trailer (see here), did a little research,  and I came to the realization that the game actually looks pretty good. For starters, one of the screen shots (above) perfectly depicts King as the Devil reincarnate. The next logical step was to see which fighters will appear in the game.  The site says, and I quote "...current champs like Joe Calzaghe, Kelly Pavlik and Andrew Golata" (the 

 two were the names I was looking for, but Andrew Golota? may be digging a little to deep into the bottom of the barrel and how come only white guys?).  The site also lists all-time greats like Joe Louis, Ken Norton, and The Cinderella Man James Bradick. (the trailer also includes, but does not name Vic Darchynian, Andre Berto, Chris Eubank, Shannon Briggs, Miguel Cotto and a few others that I couldn't make out). There is seemingly a wide array of fighters and thankfully Don King didn't use the game as platform to market only the fighters in his stable (from what I see at the current moment).  

The graphics are very similar to that of EA's boxing series, the only difference to me (without playing it) seems to be in the new and improved training stages.  I can't delve too deep into the game-play without actually..uh.. playing the game, so I will report back after the release date on June 10th.  The insider gaming magazines have given the game high praises so far, so we shall see soon enough.  

Byrd to Migrate Back Home

Chris Byrd had high aspirations for his new campaign at Light Heavyweight. His compelling weight loss tale had the boxing world buzzing about in the weeks leading to the fight. Byrd's intentions were clear from the beginning; to seek out the very best fighters of the talented division.  However, he did not intend to find himself fighting for his boxing career in his first bout at the new weight against a fairly unknown and underrated fighter.

Byrd came out in the first round (svelte as ever) and fought the way that he was supposed to fight - that is if he were still a  heavyweight.  He slowly moved around the ring on flat feet holding his hands up like punching mitts and picking very few moments to wing any meaningful shots. His counterpart, Shaun George, was moving much quicker, showing Byrd different angles and using his superior feet and hands to pepper him with punches.  

In didn't take long for the vast difference of speed and ability to overwhelm Byrd and after being wobbled a few times, he hit the canvas in the 1st round.  In between rounds, neither him nor his trainer had any ideas that would prove valuable in turning the fight around (one could have been -  stop moving and ducking to your left where his right hand is lighting you up every time it is thrown; but that's just me) 

The next seven rounds were clones of the first and although Byrd became a bit more comfortable at some-point, it was hard to give him any round.  In the 9th, George continued to land big shots and Byrd's dream of capturing the title in the light heavyweight division collapsed as fast as his legs did from underneath him.  He went down hard landing awkwardly, popping his shoulder out of the socket.  After getting up only to receive another barrage of punches, he went down again and this time he told the ref to stop the fight.

It seems Shaun George should be graciously thanking the promoter who landed him this fight.  Not to take anything away from George, but Byrd was obviously still in heavyweight mode (slow work rate, slow feet, slow hands) and I think any light heavy with some notable skill would have came out on top.  Look for George to garner some attention after this TKO stoppage. Look for Byrd to consider retirement.

Done Deal: Cotto vs. Margarito

The talented welterweight division is bringing us another exciting match up between two of it's top fighters.  Miguel Angel Cotto will take on the The Tijuana Tornado Antonio Margarito on July 26th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the WBA Welterweight Title.  

Both fighters are coming off dominate KO victories on the same card.  Cotto put on a boxing clinic for  The Contender star Alfonzo Gomez, resulting in a 5th round TKO.  In the same fashion, Maragarito ended Kermit Cintron's hopes of avenging his only loss with a devastating body shot in the 6th. 

Cotto and Margarito are primed for the biggest fight and cash purse of either fighter's career. Adding fuel to the already fiery competition is the national roots of these two fighters, Cotto being from Puerto Rico and Margarito from Mexico, which will certainly make for an interesting atmosphere leading up to the bout.

More to come on Cotto vs. Margarito...