Boxing News

The main event of ESPN2's Tuesday Night Fight's show coming from Kansas City, Missouri featured a twelve round featherweight fight between undefeated contender Marcos Ramirez and Tiger Smalls. After an action-packed co-feature served up between Silverio Ortiz and Daniel Seda, this fight needs

to live up to expectations as a choice for main event billing. Ramirez entered the fight with twenty wins and fifteen knockouts while Tiger Smalls brought a record of seventeen wins, seven losses, one draw and six knockouts. This is how it all went down, punch for punch, round by round.

Round one: Smalls come sout feinting and jabbing. Ramirez flies in with a right-left combination that sends Smalls into the ropes. Ramirez keeps his guard tight and absorbs some combinations work from Smalls. Counter right from Ramirez lands. Smalls backs off to take away some of the impact of a Ramirez left hook. Ramirez for the most part double jabbed through the round without threatening too much behind those shots, while the taller and rangy Smalls offered even less.

Score: Ramirez 10-9. More...

The Tuesday Night Fight televised action on ESPN2 got underway last night with a ten round competition between Daniel Seda and Silverio Ortiz. The two orthodox lightweights came together as a chief support to the main event of Tiger Smalls versus Marcos Ramirez coming up later. Ortiz is a tough Mexican fighter

looking to upset the more seasoned, former world title challenger in Seda. Here is how Daniel Seda versus Silverio Ortiz all went down, punch by punch, round by round.

Round one: Ortiz jabbing and slams home a huge right hand that has Seda down on the canvas in the opening moments. Seda takes a mandatory eight count. The action resmues and is scrappy as Seda hits the deck again but no count is administered. Ortiz is stalking but Seda answers back with a left-right combination. Seda goes to the jab. Ortiz looks quick and dangerous with the left hook. Ortiz caught by a stinging jab on the way in which knocks him off balance. Seda looks like he is trying to catch himself from being hurt earlier in the round.

Score: Ortiz 10-8. More...

SaddoBoxing readers I assure you that you will be extremely glad that you checked in with your favorite boxing site today. It is our honor and our pleasure to bring you two of the modern age's boxing greats. Today's "TKO Boxing Show" features none other than the Aztec warrior himself, "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas. Our second very special guest is "The Pocket Rocket" Wayne McCullough. You absolutely do not want to miss today's show! More...

Once again fight fans we thank you for choosing SaddoBoxing.com for your daily news. Technical glitches tried to stop this week's "TKO Boxing Show," but they only slowed us down a little. Today we have famed boxing historian and author Bert Sugar as our special guest. Join Sergio Martinez as he and Bert discuss the ins and outs of the boxing world before we wrap up the show with "This Week in Boxing." More...

Frank Warren might be a comparative minnow in world boxing promotional terms, especially weighed against dinosaurs such as Don King and Bob Arum, but his tenure as England’s top promoter has been nothing if not eventful. He’s been shot, embroiled in more than a few legal proceedings and built the odd boxing legend in the process. Not your typical nine-to-five job. Through no shortage of personal

Click for larger image © Mike Cleary

effort and expense, it looks as if Warren has another star on his hands. The campaign to woo Amir Khan away from another Olympic journey and into the professional game meant indulgence of some rather over-zealous tactics. Warren latched on to a vulnerability of sorts in the eighteen-year-old Khan, that being his need for resolution in the wake of losing out on a lightweight Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympics. There are some things money cannot buy, except an impromptu exhibition between Khan and Mario Kindelan. Khan still earned the win, but Warren’s making it available was a powerful gesture and the satiation it gave the young fighter was instrumental in the acquisition of his signature. More...

It was a rainy Glasgow night and we had yet to witness the most stunning demise of the evening: that of Mike Tyson, who would lace the air with a vile torrent of bizarre ramblings including his impromptu homage to Liston and Dempsey, followed by violent threats of the darkest deviance

before praising the Mighty Allah. One felt bewilderment, disgust and sadness enough to eclipse the raging frustrations borne from Robin Reid’s super middleweight fight earlier in the evening. Reid faced a sizable threat in the form of Italy’s Silvio Branco, but the menace of Reid’s mental demons unleashed the greatest harm on this night. Robin “The Grim Reaper” Reid: the man who destroyed Vincenzo Nardiello on his own territory to return proud to England as its newest glamour champion with model looks, granite fists and a taste for a fight. Reid’s own trainer Brian Hughes would eventually lament Reid as an inspiration for many young British fighters to dispense with skill to chance their hand at the smash and grab style. More...

I admit that I could barely watch Wayne McCullough on the verge of tears having had his world title challenge to Oscar Larios ended by ringside doctor Margaret Goodman. And I definitely seethed at HBO analyst Larry Merchant’s “The adults have taken charge,” comment in light of the stoppage. Unlike many boxing fans, I have not yet reached the stage where I feel I might strangle Merchant if I have to endure yet another cliche, but unlike Merchant, I am even further from the stage where I can inappropriately criticize or patronize a fighter that risked more in the last half hour than I have in my entire life. If I have to concur with the old geezer on one point though, it is that the line must be drawn somewhere, and while I don’t have the blueprint for this project, the impending Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo rematch strikes me as a fine place to begin a reassessment. More...

You might assume that a boxing enthusiast would find nothing more desirable than to listen to the words of an undisputed middleweight champion, and you would be wrong, especially when that champion was Bernard Hopkins. He would meander through a myriad of topics from prison to corruption, politics and history; spiraling off into esoteric tangents in search of some distant conclusion. You could not argue with his achievements, and that made avoidance of such rants impossible and evermore amazing the fact that the middleweight champion could talk forever but only fight for a minute. Now in defeat, denial and no longer a champion, Hopkins is talking again, except now his words are more absorbing. He says that the cut on top of Jermain Taylor’s head (caused by an inadvertent clash of heads) is a clear indication of Taylor’s defeat; champions should apparently appear unscathed after a fight as token evidence of their dominance. Tell that to Diego Corrales. He says that Nevada State must reverse the apparently heinous decision he received in losing his titles to Taylor. Hopkins fought through prison and professional anonymity to the top of the boxing game in twelve undefeated years. A self-made man suddenly asking executives to give him his titles back? So much for his proposed Hopkins-Taylor trilogy. By virtue of this latest maneuver, Hopkins is really saying, “Give me back the championships I do not have the time left to earn.” More...

SaddoBoxing.com Proudly Presents......

Exclusive training footage of 2004 Olympian and current Golden Boy Promotions super featherweight contender Vicente "Chente" Escobedo in preparation for his recent fight on the massive Hopkins-Taylor under-card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Many boxing experts draw several comparisons between "Chente" and Oscar de la Hoya, and speak of him as one of boxing's future superstars; from this video footage, it is not difficult to see why. But before we get started, as an extra special treat, get in the ring with super bantamweight contender Daniel Ponce De Leon as he opens the show blasting away on the focus pads. Enjoy! More...

Tuesday night in Lula, Mississippi, ESPN2 presented a main event featuring light welterweight contender Lamont Peterson, one half of the fighting Peterson brothers. Peterson came into the fight buoyed by an undefeated 11-0 (6 KOs) record while his opponent, Miguel Torrecillas entered the bout having won

sixteen bouts, lost four, drawn one and stopped seven before the distance. While still in his first year as a professional fighter, Peterson looked at ease with his first television spot as he went about the task of trying to remain undefeated to secure many more such opportunities in the future.

This is how is all went down punch for punch, round by round.

Round one: Peterson comes out jabbing while Torrecillas goes for the hook. Torrecillas is letting his hands go early here but Peterson is keeping compact and looking to see out this early storm. Peterson goes back to his sharp jab and is able to land a good counter right hand. Torrecillas starts winging away to the body but Peterson is nice and controlled, patient and defensive.

Score: 10-9 Peterson. More...

Bernard Hopkins cast himself as the people’s champion, a proclamation that was perhaps nevermore poignant than in the fight’s preceding weeks as he shared promotional duties with boxing golden boys Oscar de la Hoya and Jermain Taylor, fighters bred for stardom, walking a designated route upon which they would make no mistakes.

Click for larger image © Sergio Martinez

Hopkins made a mistake and paid for it with his freedom. His boxing story began not in an Olympic trial, but a criminal one. Hopkins resembled the people when set against such flawlessly marketed specimens, but at times, he managed to alienate even those whom he believed to represent. Perhaps his staunch principles that beggared our belief out of the ring came to haunt Hopkins in the ring. His performances in recent years were not as much executions as they were slow deaths, and yet he sought to combat criticism for fighting a mere minute of each round by fighting for only thirty seconds against Taylor. Before the fight, Hopkins stood alone atop the boxing world at the zenith of an immaculate achievement few could comprehend. Did such dizzying heights impair his senses, seducing him to believe he had beaten the system and that his inevitability as a champion was unbreakable? Arrogance has upended many a great fighter but moreover on this night, boxing itself reminded us that no fighter wins the battle against its humbling gravity. More...

Ok fight fans, I hope you have recovered from the weekend's fight action because SaddoBoxing definitely does not rest and the "TKO Boxing Show" goes ahead with full steam. This week, we're taking a look at the main event card action. Hopkins-Taylor caused such controversy over the weekend and we leave no stone unturned in our debate over its aftermath. Sergio Martinez and myself also take on the subjects of Larios-McCullough II, Montiel-Brisceno and Vernon Forrest's return. Do not miss it! More...

This is the fight that the boxing world had been waiting for with great anticipation since the moment it was announced. Bernard Hopkins, ruler of the middleweight division for ten years and undefeated in twelve, at forty-years-old, could he defy the odds and post his twenty-first middleweight title defense?

Or however more or less likely one perceived it, could undefeated young gun Jermain Taylor finally cheat "The Executioner," succeeding where so many had failed? The intensity was at an all-time high as Taylor came to the ring, focused and the arena filled with the sounds of "In the air tonight." Hopkins' ringwalk was characterized by a facial expression that truly brought chills. He looked as fearsome a fighter as could be as he ominously signalled his intentions towards his new challenger with his "X" sign. The stage is set, now read on for the round by round guide to Hopkins-Taylor: The fight for the undisputed middleweight championship of the world.

Round one: Hopkins races out of his corner and they face off in the ring, looking at each other and pawing out their jabs. Hopkins breaks the silence with a sharp left hook and the crowd gasps. The intensity of the occasion is awesome. Taylor answers back with a right hand to let the champion know that he is one challenger that will not be so easily dominated. Taylor's jab is on point and piercing the champion's guard. Taylor cracks through another right. There is punching in a clinch by both men. They circle each other again with very few jabs being thrown with any intent. Taylor presses the action more and takes the opening round.

Score: Taylor 10-9. More...

As extensively detailed on this site, many people figured Wayne McCullough to be a spent force in terms of world title contention. However, the Irish warhorse proved all of the doubters wrong last night in Las Vegas with a stunning performance against Oscar Larios in a rematch for the WBC super bantamweight

championship of the world. Things got heated very quickly and stayed that way between these two fighters in the pre-main event fight of the evening and the crowd loved every second of it. Once again, SaddoBoxing delivers the goods with the round by round account of the fight so check in for Larios-McCullough II as it happened.

Round one: It is all action right from the start as Larios and McCullough go right at each other with some serious leather. They match one another virtually punch for punch in this round. Larios does some excellent work with his straight right hand while McCullugh, it must be said, steals the eye with the greater volume and sharpness of his left hand work. McCullough's jab as well as his left hooks to the head and body are stellar components of his work in this round. Larios is cut around his right eye.

Score: McCullough 10-9. More...

The first world title fight held at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas last night featured WBO super flyweight champion Fernando Montiel in action against late substitute Evert Brisceno. The Nicaraguan Brisceno stepped in at extremely short notice for troubled former world champion Eric Morel who looks set to face

sexual assault charges and therefore could not be deemed worthy of a license to fight. Before the fight, Brisceno had fought merely two weeks ago and this was an element that many may think to be a disadvantage, but as the fight wore on, it became clear that the tough challenger would use it as a plus against the classy and much-heralded champion who was expected to showcase his skills to the millions watching worldwide.

The following is how it all went down punch for punch, round by round, brought to you exclusively by SaddoBoxing.com.

Round one: Brisceno comes out bulling the champion with the jab and Montiel counters with a right hand and some sharp jabs of his own. Montiel sticks to going for the right hand and is jabbing very well. Montiel tries the quick left jab-left uppercut combination to some effect. A solid left-right combination from the champion lands. Montiel seems content to have Brisceno come to him while using smart footwork and defense to keep out of trouble and set Brisceno up for sharp counter-punches.

Score: Montiel 10-9. More...

Of the twenty-seven punches Vernon "Viper" Forrest landed in less than two rounds of action in the opening bout of the televised action at the MGM Grand on Saturday night in Las Vegas, the last two were more than enough to end Sergio Rios' night early. The final combination to the head felled Rios towards the end of the second round and hailed Forrest's return to action. While the win over Rios is inconsequential in regard to sending a message to the divisions and fighters that Forrest will encounter in the future, it was the first step back in what may be an exciting future for the man that was the first to defeat "Sugar" Shane Mosley in such sensational style some years ago.

If there is going to be a changing of the guard in the middleweight division, it must happen tomorrow night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas when Bernard Hopkins puts every relevant middleweight title at stake against hungry young contender Jermain Taylor. Hopkins has perhaps one fight left after this one, but a loss,

a conceivable eventuality, might speed up his retirement. Taylor’s success was earmarked from the day we first came to know him as an entity in the boxing world and throughout his progression from the 2000 Olympics, he has been though of as Hopkins’ heir apparent. Having beaten every single middleweight contender of note, and having secured a career highest paycheck against Oscar de la Hoya, there really is little motivation for Hopkins to remain in boxing. With one foot out of the door as a partner in De La Hoya’s promotional outfit, Hopkins wishes to leave on his own terms and yet, if he does, he will take with him whatever credibility the division has. By Sunday morning, we will know if a new era has begun, or an old one remains on course to end on its own terms.

Until then, read on for the SaddoBoxing staff writer’s predictions on this momentous and historical boxing occasion. More...

Every once in a while, a fighter comes along exhibiting a toughness and resolve that is difficult for anyone to argue against. It could be said that Kassim “The Dream” Ouma is one such fighter, perhaps the fighter of that description in these modern boxing times. Considering

varying degrees of danger extremity leads one to believe that boxing and all its inherent hazards might well be enjoyable for Ouma, who was forced to engage in heated combat in the Uganda of his youth. Certainly, it seems as if he has a unique perspective on the sacrifices required to become and remain a world boxing champion. The Kassim Ouma story is merely beginning, and Roman Karmazin is the man that must write it a premature ending. Ouma is set for a career defining fight with Ronald “Winky” Wright later this year; therefore, his determination will likely be unshakable. Unless Karmazin has a fight plan “Made in Hell,” nothing will deter Ouma from taking up a place amongst the great middleweight fighters of the day.

SaddoBoxing brings you a handful of writer's predictions ahead of tonight's light middleweight main event. More...

Wayne McCullough is chasing the WBC super bantamweight championship, and as hard luck would have it, a Mexican champion stands in his way. 122-pound fighters the world over can breathe a sigh of relief that it is not Daniel Zaragoza, the man that

owned the very same championship on and off over a ten-year period, and to this day owns a win over McCullough himself. In Zaragoza’s stead today is an equally stubborn force in the form of Oscar Larios. Fighters that defeat Larios usually get the favor repaid with interest and the fact that McCullough already has one loss to Larios does not bode well. Larios is a fighting champion and the rematch with McCullough will be his tenth defense of the championship he finally won outright by knocking Willie Jorrin out in a single round. In truth, Larios defeated McCullough handily in their first fight and spoke of offering the Irishman a rematch in Belfast not because he had a particular hankering for Guinness, but because a McCullough fight in Ireland means a packed house; you can be a great champion these days, but if you are a lighter weight champion, that does not mean you are paid handsomely for your efforts. This fight does not feel like a mission of redemption for McCullough, it is a last gasp attempt to reclaim past glories.

SaddoBoxing continues its big-fight build-up with a look at Larios-McCullough II. Don’t miss Jonny Townsend’s argument in favor of the challenger. More...

If man must know his limitations, he should have had a whisper in Danny Williams’ ear before Vitali Klitschko turned up. It was easy to become caught up in the hype that followed Williams’ fourth round stoppage of Mike Tyson, but in hindsight, if Kevin McBride can do it…..all right, I’ll stop there before we all get depressed. If Karma was at work in Williams’ favor against Tyson, it came back to slap him in the chops against Klitschko on a night where whatever could go wrong, did. But in this heavyweight era of the almost scary terrible, Williams received praise from the boxing community for getting up from each of his four knockdowns and taking his beating like a man. When such a thing constitutes a redeeming feature, we are seriously in trouble. Williams has the age advantage over Matt Skelton, but for a fighter whose career highlights have seen him either over-matched or under-perform, it is not easy to have faith in a Williams victory. Especially when that victory must come against Matt Skelton, on shaky ground at thirty-seven, but responsible for some movement of his own, such as the movement of his opponent’s from consciousness to the dark side.

SaddoBoxing takes an in-depth look at this crossroads fight between two outstanding British heavyweights topping the bill in England this Saturday. Check in for James MacDonald’s counter-argument in favor of Danny Williams. More...