2007 was a year that many of us will always consider one of boxingʼs best. We had Joe Calzaghe vs. Mikkel Kessler to decide the best super middleweight in the world once and for all, Israel Vazquez versus Rafael Marquez in the second bout of their trilogy, Floyd Mayweather Jr faced not only Oscar De La Hoya in the spring of 2007 for the WBC 154 lb title but Ricky Hatton in December in a pound for pound face off.
Kelly Pavlik officially arrived by defeating Edison Miranda then lifted Jermain Taylorʼs Middleweight Crown just four months later to claim foot hold as 160 lb kingpin, Manny Pacquiao continued his dominance knocking out undefeated Jorge Solis then winning a rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera, Miguel Cotto defended his WBA Welterweight title against both Zab Judah and Shane Mosley, plus Nonito Doniare stunned the world by knocking out IBF Flyweight title holder Vic Darchinyan relieving him of his championship duties.
As good as all that sounds, it was just a preview of the many fights that took place in 2007.
2008 has kept the momentum going thus far with Pavlik vs. Taylor 2, Vazquez vs, Marquez 3, Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 2, Nate Campbell dethroned Juan Diaz to become the lightweight world champion and Paul Williams was relieved of his WBO Welterweight title by Carlos Quintana in his first defense after a year long layoff since winning the belt from Antonio Margarito.
If you ask me, that is a pretty good first three months.
In case there are any doubts on whether things will be letting up anytime soon, let me ease your mind because a few fights to look forward to in the next couple of months are, Ruslan Chagaev vs. Nicolay Valuev in a rematch for the WBA Heavyweight title, Miguel Cotto vs. Ricardo Mayorga in August for the WBA Welterweight title, Chad Dawson puts his WBC Light Heavyweight title on the line against former champion Glen Johnson. More...
Where, Oh Where, Has Our "Blood And Guts Warrior" Gone?
Our illustrious hero, our never say die champion, our hard hitting combatant has ridden off rightfully and honorably into the sunset. He went out just as we knew he would, on his shield. There would be no sadness or sorrow because we saw it coming; a warrior cannot bleed forever.
His last drop was shed by a seemingly lesser opponent in Alfonso Gomez, a man, that years ago, would have tasted the canvas within five rounds against our boxer/puncher, Arturo Gatti.
It was clear at that moment there would be no rally, no puncher's chance, and no superman-like comeback that would be heralded for years to come as had happened so many times. He was defeated. Gattiʼs career was over.
It really hit me when I received my issue of "The Ring" that month that it was finally over. I saw the picture that I had seared into my brain from that night on paper. It was of our warrior slumped near the ropes, bleeding from the ghastly wound on his mouth. I asked myself whether there would ever he another quite like Arturo Gatti.
He was the type of fighter, which if you are lucky, comes around once in a lifetime. He was a fighter that you knew, for a fact, would rip out his heart and throw it on the canvas, if need be, to win a fight. More...
In 2004, Peter Manfredo Jr. was one of the best up and coming prospects in the junior middleweight division. Hailing from the boxing rich city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, he had amassed a record of 21-0 (10), winning the EBA, IBU and WBO NABO titles along the way. It seemed the New England boxing scene had spawned its next star. The torch had finally passed from former five time world champion Vinny Pazienza to a new era.
Manfredoʼs style was nothing like that of "The Pazmanian Devil". Peter was a boxer while Vinny was more of a brawler, beating men with skill rather than all out aggression. He had decent speed, a little pop and what seemed like all the potential in the world. He was starting to make some noise in the division.
On Tuesday, July 18, 2004, The Contender reality show aired on NBC for the first time. Manfredo had gotten his break for mainstream exposure. He and 15 other fighters would face each other in an elimination style contest for fame and fortune. Manfredo was a clear favorite being seen as one of the most experienced and skilled fighters on the show.
Peter Manfredoʼs undefeated record fell on August 18, 2004 during a taping of the show to a virtually unknown fighter by the name of Alfonso Gomez, who at the time, sported a lack luster record of 10-2-1 (4). In a hard fought five round bout, Peter was defeated via unanimous decision, leaving the show dejected and without his 0.
As luck would have it, Jeff Fraza, another contestant on the Contender Series, fell ill with chickenpox and could no longer continue. This left the series short one fighter to complete the tournament, so it was left up to the fighters on which fallen comrade would they vote back on the show; their choice was Manfredo.
Peterʼs return to the show was a successful one, wining all his bouts enroute to the finale. His wins included decisions over Miguel Espino, Joey Gilbert and a rematch with Alfonso Gomez. More...
After a crushing win over his nearest rival in the cruiserweight division, Enzo Maccarinelli, David "The Hayemaker" Haye has two options. He can either stay at cruiserweight, weight drained and in the shadow of boxing's ultimate division, or he can move up to the prestigious heavyweight division and take on the champions in a similar fashion to what Evander Holyfield did.
Haye now has three of the four main cruiserweight belts after having beaten recognized divisional champion Jean Marc Mormeck and Enzo Maccarinelli, the most dangerous and powerful opponents the weight class has to offer. And he's beaten both by knockout. So what should Haye do?
If he were to continue to fight at cruiser, quality opponents would be few, such as former world champ OʼNeil Bell, current IBF titlist Steve Cunningham and Maccarinelli making a very short list.
Haye would likely demolish the aging Bell and Cunningham, having only 11 knockouts in a 22 fight career, would be too green and not powerful enough to offer Haye a real challenge. More...
Following the announcement of Ricky Hatton’s next fight just a few days ago, it’s clear that "The Hitman" is as popular as ever. Hatton's “Homecoming” fight at City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England on May 24 has sparked a ticket-buying-frenzy amongst fans.
Talking to Sky Sports on Friday night, The Hitman confirmed that despite only going on sale at 10.00 am Friday morning - an incredible 45,000 tickets had already been sold that day. More...
Whew! Thank you, Sam Peter. Okay, he’s not American born, but one of the titles has been wrested away from those dreaded Russians. March 8 is the new Fourth of July. Saturday night in Cancun is the beginning of a new era. The page has turned.
Well, maybe.
Sam Peter being the next coming in the heavyweight division is as over-inflated a pronunciation as his weight. As exaggerated as HBO’s Tale of the Tape calling him 6’2". As premature as, well, something really premature.
The "Nigerian Nightmare" was supposed to defeat Oleg Maskaev. Any thinking otherwise was misguided out of contempt for Peter or pining for days long past from Maskaev. Sure, Peter looked very relaxed throughout the fight to the point of barely sweating.
And the sudden chin issues that popped up after the McCline fight have been sorta-kinda answered (I was never convinced from that bout that there was an issue). Peter took a big straight right to the side of the head and immediately countered, showed more of the defensive ability displayed in the second Toney fight and made an effort to throw straighter punches down the middle.
But the old Sam Peter is still around, the one who throws the looping punches that have a tendency to hit an opponent in the back of the head. He clipped the back of Maskaev’s head in the third round and the Cinderella man began putting a glove up and complaining to the referee whenever Peter punched anything above his neck. If stirred, Peter will revert to the fighter he really is and tee off on whatever’s in front of him. More...
Those are the words of Michael Jordan, used in a commercial promoting the latest installment of the Jordan shoe series. Shown in the commercial are a whole host of sports stars, from Derrick Jeter, Terrell Owens, Carmello Anthony and Chris Paul III to the legend himself, Michael Jordan.
Somewhere in the midst of all those names is boxer Andre Ward, featured exactly halfway through the minute long commercial. That alone is enough to tell you just what type of lofty expectations are had for the 24 year old.
On March 20, Ward, 14-0 (9), will attempt to take the next step to, as Jordan says, "become legendary", when he faces off with former top rated super middleweight Rubin "Hollywood" Williams, 29-3 (16), at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. The bout marks a major step up in competition for Ward, and serves as the main event for the American Metal and Iron sponsored "Fight Night At The Tank" 2008 season premier.
Ward is faced with a seasoned veteran in Williams who has been in the ring with the likes of Jeff Lacy, Antwun Echols and in his most recent outing, Allan Green. Known for his forceful jab and poignant body attack, Detroit's Williams is looking to make amends for his disappointing January effort against Green.
Williams blamed that blowout decision loss on ring rust after a year layoff. Now scheduled to be in the ring only three months since that loss, rust should hardly be an issue for the former world title challenger. Now "Mr. Hollywood" will look to be the star of the show, but will have to do so in hostile territory. More...
Andre Berto, 21-0 (18), is a strong, fast, up and coming welterweight who in the past few years has made his way into the spotlight, showing more of the immense depth that this division has to offer. The 24 year old from Winter Haven, FL holds impressive wins thus far, giving a glimpse on what his future may have in store.
The prospect turned contender has enjoyed a few key wins during his rise. In July of 2007, Berto had his first real test when he faced seasoned Mexican Cosme Rivera in Saratoga Springs, NY.
For the first time in his career, Berto had to haul himself off the canvas in the sixth round to mount a comeback that ended in a 10 round unanimous decision win over the experienced veteran.
In August of last year, Berto squared off with a very game David Estrada in a WBC and IBF title eliminator in Atlantic City and Estrada started quickly against Berto, only to have it end in an 11th round TKO stoppage. The veteran seemed to surprise the younger Berto early on, but the 24 year old would eventually end it after many brutal exchanges and pick up the NABF Welterweight title for his efforts.
Most recently, Germanyʼs Michael Trabant was the latest test for Berto whom battered the tentative veteran all night last month in Temecula, CA. The fight ended after former European Champion Trabant decided not to answer the bell after the sixth round. More...
Now that IBF titlist Wladimir Klitschko cruised by the highly touted yet mediocre Sultan Ibragimov, lifting the WBO strap, he's got an open dance card and a few people who'd be likely opponents in his next match.
Alexander Povetkin won the IBF eliminator last month and is the current #1, while Tony Thompson is the #1 contender for the WBO. But neither guy is necessarily going to be the challenger for the man of the hour. Klitschko wants to be THE champion and he may take on the winner of the Sam Peter vs. Oleg Maskaev bout in March for the WBC belt, or he may take on German, by way of Uzbekistan, Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA.
A third option would be for Klitschko to appease the two sanctioning bodies by fighting an opponent who is mutually in their top tens. This option holds the least appeal as no one really knows Alexander Dimitrenko, who is ranked #5 by the IBF and #2 by the WBO and by virtue of him and others being further down on the list, perceived as lesser opponents. More...
Prize Fight Boxing will host their latest installment of “Fights at the Fitz” tonight at the Fitzgerald Casino and Hotel in Tunica, MI. Although the main event will feature a battle for the NABO Featherweight title between Rafael Valenzuela 9-1 (4) and Robbie Cannon 10-1 (6), many fans will be on hand to watch hot new middleweight prospect Fernando Guerrero 2-0 (2) in his third professional fight.
Guerrero is a native of the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States with his family when he was eight years old looking for a better life. After a few years in Buffalo, New York his parents settled in Salisbury, MD where he got his first experience with boxing at the Main Street Gym with Hal Chernoff.
“I was always an athlete and started boxing pretty quickly,” recalled Guerrero as he reminisced about following his two older brothers to the gym at age fourteen. “I had only been training for two weeks and had my first competition. I was always doing other sports in school so I was a fast learner.”
When asked how he did in that first bout with two weeks experience Guerrero laughed, “I lost but I didn’t do that bad.” In retrospect the early loss was probably the best way for him to begin his boxing experience. “I had a person that obviously had more experience than me and he knew a lot more than me but that’s not what really caught my attention. I lost and I didn’t like it and I never wanted to lose again.” More...
On April 12, 2008, Clinton Woods will go into the lions den when he takes on former undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world, Antonio Tarver. Odds are about even for a fight which is made up of two ageing fighters.
Woods, a veteran, won his world title on a fourth attempt with a fifth round TKO of Rico Hoye, who was recently unmasked by Adrian Diaconu. Tarver, on the other hand, despite being the older man, only came to spotlight in 2003 when he was, in many peoples' mind, robbed against the great Roy Jones.
Since Woods won his world title, he has defended it four times, avenging his defeat against Glen Johnson in his third world title bid. However, the jury is still out on Clinton and this fight should gauge how much the Sheffield man has left in the tank.
The same can be said of Tarver, whoʼs first professional fight was at the age of 29. Now 39, the Florida man surely only has a handful of fights left in him? Or was his loss against Bernard Hopkins and split decision victory two fights ago proof that he is already struggling to adhere to the intense pressure and workload of that of a world championship boxer?
Two common opponents between Woods and Tarver are Roy Jones and Glen Johnson, Woods lost badly against Jones and had a trilogy against Johnson, while Tarver has the upper hand on Jones over three encounters and has a win and a loss against Johnson.
Tarver's famous ʽ I have a questionʼ before his second fight with Jones and the following knockout has meant he is now a massive name in America despite not being a champion of one of the four major sanctioning bodies. More...
When these three fighters are out running the roads and the miles, pushing themselves to the limits, through the rugged Welsh valley’s, they call home, nothing else matters, nothing else is entertained, and nothing will change their thoughts. Only winning and victory.
Three fighters, three Welshmen, three champions, with three different destiny’s.
As the fighters each train for the hardest fights of their careers, the people of Wales go about their businesses as usual, but something is different. Boxing is all the talk of the towns, throughout the valley’s. People in the butchers, the bakers, the farms and the factories, all talking about their favourite sons. Not since Steve Robinson’s fight with Hamed, or Johnny Owen’s domestic scraps, or even when Thatcher shut the doors of the mines for the last time, has there been so much talk of fighting . More...
Promoter Barry Hearn of Matchroom Sports has unveiled his plans to recruit new interest in the heavyweight boxing division by hosting a 'Knock-out Tournament‘ in London’s East End.
Calling it the 'Prizefighter Series', Hearn’s first tournament is scheduled for April 11 at the famous York Hall, Bethnal Green. This will be a heavyweight-only competition of eight boxers, all fighting a three round contest with the quarter, semi-final and final being held on the same night.
The event has the blessing of the Boxing Board of Boxing Control. BBBC Secretary Simon Block said it would be "a great instant event" and "possibly appealing to a new audience".
Amongst the batch of hopefuls are David Dolan, Ian Malarvey and Colin Kenna.
Hearn said, “It’s going to be exciting! It‘ll be non-stop action with every one of these kids fighting 110 percent”.
He was deceiving to the eye. His smile was crooked in a goofy teenager fashion; his curly hair always looked in desperate need of a trim. Other than a flat nose, one would never have guessed this kid was a professional fighter.
Even those who did know of him could have never guessed the young man born in Santiago, Tianguistenco, Mexico, who turned professional boxer at the age of 16, would become a legend before his time.
Sanchez made his debut in Veracruz, Mexico and ran a string of victories up to 18-0 before meeting Antonio Becerra, a crafty veteran who had less fights in the pro ranks, sporting a record of 13-2 at the time, but possessing more all around experience.
After a hard fought bout for the vacant Mexican Bantamweight Championship, Becerra was given the win by narrow split decision. The bout would be a learning experience for Sanchez and his lone career defeat.
Sanchez would go another 16 bouts, winning 15, ten by KO and one draw before getting a second chance at becoming champion. This time, it would not be for a regional or national title but for the WBC Featherweight title, held by another all time great, who by this time had already cemented his legacy, Danny "Little Red" Lopez!
On February 2, 1980, the champion Lopez entered the ring as a favorite; he held wins over Mike Ayala in a bout that was named Ring Magazine's 1979 Fight of the Year and Sean OʼGrady. More...
"To have patience is the ability to wait for things that you wish to happen, happen! You sit, you toil and you tarry. You don't complain, you don't cry and you don't grumble. Soon that patience runs its course and frustration sets in. Logical becomes illogical, rational becomes irrational and sometimes in the blink of an eye, the sane becomes insane."
Allow me to introduce you to the man who these words were quoted from, a man once patient; Vernon Forrest.
Recently Forrest has gone from the quiet guy you whisper about to the loud guy you avoid. He has been on a verbal tear as of late, threatening to destroy everyone from Oscar De La Hoya to Floyd Mayweather Jr., and of course the man who has been a never ending thorn in his side, Ricardo Mayorga.
But is anyone listening? What has caused these recent outbursts from a once seemingly quiet fighter? Maybe it's time ticking on the clock?
Boxing, with the rare few exceptions of men like Bernard Hopkins and George Foreman, is a young man's game. Few are competitive at a high level past their mid 30's. Forrest recently turned 37 and has had a few major surgeries on his left arm. The combination of the two has forced Mr. Forrest to become a tyrant, a verbal bully if you will.
Forrest was once seemingly on the way to the top. In 2002, he had consecutive victories over then WBC Welterweight Champion and pound for pound elite, "Sugar" Shane Mosley. Victories that led him to being named Ring Magazines 2002 Fighter of the Year. More...
Roy Jones junior faces Felix Trinidad this weekend at Madison Square Garden, and according to Setanta presenter Steve Bunce, if Jones wins this contest he will face the winner of Tyson vs Holyfield 3. “It is going to happen!” Bunce insisted on Saturday.
A Tyson - Holyfield rubber match is a mouth-watering prospect for any boxing fan. So I thought it was worthy of a short series of articles starting this week with a snap-shot of Mike Tyson. Part two will provide a look at Evander Holyfield and part three will look at the Tyson vs. Holyfield fights.
"Iron" Mike Tyson has been called many things; insecure, emotionally out of control and a complicated, difficult man to understand. He went from being the richest, best known boxer in the world to becoming a sad, misunderstood and seemingly victimised individual with, reportedly, a number of debts. The ‘bad-boy’ turned ‘sad-boy’ has rarely been out of the news, racking up a string of allegations over the years.
Today, Tyson, who said in his prime, “I’m here to entertain the people”, may ‘entertain‘ once more as it’s rumoured that he will again face arch-rival Evander Holyfield.
Here, in the first of three short articles, we remind ourselves of the ‘highs and lows’ of "Iron" Mike. More...
Our number one heavyweight Matt Skelton will fight for the WBA Championship on 19 January against the undefeated giant conqueror Ruslan Chagaev in Germany. Skelton is most certainly the underdog and some expect him to be made to look silly when he steps into the ring against the current world champion, the "White Tyson". In my opinion, Chagaev is one of the best of a bad bunch and Skelton, who is renowned for making the best out of his limited skills, could well pull off an upset.
Everybody who is anyone knows about the upcoming firefight on 8 March between WBC/WBA Champion David Haye and WBO Champion Enzo Maccarinelli. Haye goes into the fight as a very slight favorite, but this one truly could go either way with both fighters possessing devastating power and questionable chins.
With nothing going on in the Clinton Woods corner, at light heavyweight, it's all down to the rumoured Joe Calzaghe vs. Bernard Hopkins bout coming off. Calzaghe will probably start as the favorite with age being the main factor.
At age 42, "The Executioner", despite coming in at second in my fighter of the year list behind Floyd Mayweather with magnificent wins over Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright, must be reaching retirement age, Calzaghe could be the one to finally make him realize that.
Amir Khan will dominate the lightweight scene here, along with Jonathan Thaxton, if these two get it on. Thaxton has talked the talk, as has Khan, and a fight such as this would prove Khans pedigree. Myself? I think Amir can win if he sticks to his game plan. More...
Happy New Year one and all, I hope everyone’s holiday was good because it’s now time to get back in the groove. Let’s start out 2008 with a few rumors, updates and fights already signed making headlines.
But, before we get started, a word of condolence. The boxing world recently lost a true warrior in the ring. Yo-Sam Choi of South Korea defended his WBO Inter-Continental Flyweight title against Heri Amol on Christmas in Seoul, Korea, and after the bout, Choi collapsed and was rushed to a near by hospital where he slipped into a coma.
Choi was pronounced brain dead a short while later and on January 2, pronounced dead after he was taken off life support. Choi’s family had the fighter removed from the support system and his vital organs will immediately go to four different patients on the transplant list.
We here at SaddoBoxing want to give our heartfelt best wishes to the family of Yo-Sam Choi and a "thank you" for all he contributed to the sport. He was a true champion, not only in the ring, but outside as well.
Pound for pound number one ranked fighter in the world Floyd Mayweather Jr., fresh off his December 8 TKO win over Ricky Hatton, is rumored to be in negotiations to enter the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Although Mayweather himself has not confirmed these rumors, there has been more than one member of his camp to whisper that is where "Pretty Boy" Floyd will be headed in the near future. More...
I guess this was no real surprise. Mayweather seems to have these departments locked up as of late, my assumption that being the pound for pound number one ranked fighter wasn't already enough for him? Floyd not only took part in the two highest profile bouts of 2007, which is a feat in itself considering what a year it has been, but was victorious by performing almost flawlessly.
On May 5 of this year, Mayweather jumped up to his highest weight thus far when he met the "Golden Boy" and "PPV King" himself, Oscar De La Hoya. At stake was not only Oscar's 154 lb WBC title, but bragging rights on who boxing's most celebrated warrior really is.
After a highly publicized and often childish build up of the fight, two of this era's most revered pugilist stepped into the ring for a see saw battle that often had Mayweather on the receiving end, something we rarely witness. At the final bell, the judges had it scored 116-112, 115-113, 113-115, giving Floyd his 38th victory and world title in his fifth weight class. More...
Who do we want to see in the coming year? To take a look into the near future, there are really good match-ups that could take place, but it’s anyone’s guess if they’ll happen.
Tony Thompson, 31-1, vs. well, anybody: So long as it’s on TV, we just need to see the guy. He’s supposed to be on fire and at age 36, the clock is ticking. He needs a good television performance to get on the radar and seriously jockey for a run at the championship. But with the division lacking in superstars, there’s no guarantee the bout would get televised even if he fought a champion, unless it was perhaps a Samuel Peter or Wladimir Klitschko. Anybody got the number to Friday Night Fights?
Samuel Peter, 29-1, vs. Wladimir Klitschko, 49-3: As good as the first one was, the second promises to be even better. Peter should be able to get past the aging, ailing, inactive Maskaev, and has improved a lot since the last meeting with Klitschko. Sadly for him, so has Klitschko, who has settled into the Steward-trained style perfected with Lennox Lewis. Klitschko will be more apt to box from the outside and still tie Peter up on the inside like last time, but Peter has developed more movement and boxing ability. The result will be the same, but aside from the knockdowns scored by Peter, it will be a more entertaining fight.
Vitali Klitschko, 35-2, vs. Oleg Maskaev, 34-5: There’s little chance of this fight happening in 2008, not because it can’t be agreed upon by both sides, but nagging recurring injuries from both sides will continually push the battle back. Look for "Ironfist" to come out on top in the battle of words after a duct tape maneuver holds him together just slightly longer than the Big O. More...
