Boxing News

As the week progresses towards the fight which many of us cannot wait to watch, I caught up with WBA lightweight titlist Juan Diaz to get his take on what to expect this Saturday night. "I think it's going to be a great night for boxing and I think that it's a great fight for the fans. You have Arturo Gatti who is a blood and guts warrior that always gives great fights and you have a true talent like Mayweather. If Floyd comes into the ring trying to prove that he can stand in there and fight with Gatti, he may get knocked out. Gatti is the bigger guy and stronger guy. In the end, I think that Floyd is just too talented for anyone and you just can't hit him. He moves a lot and has a lot of defensive skills. I think Mayweather is going to win a decision." As for the "Baby Bull," he has an upcoming non-title fight scheduled for July in which he is taking on Arthur Cruz. This fight is really more of a "stay busy" contest as Diaz is coming back from his eye injury which kept him out of the first ESPN pay-per-view card in March of this year. Should everything go well for Juan in July, he told this writer that his team expects him back on ESPN's second pay-per-view card which is scheduled for September or October of this year. Possible opponent being mentioned, "El Temible," Jose Luis Castillo. WOW! There is really nothing more to say.

It seems as if every win Glen Johnson achieves these days is an upset, begging the question, when are people going to truly believe in him? Antonio Tarver fought beneath himself in the first fight, and paid the price. This time, the rematch specialist in Tarver will have to come to the fore in

order to avoid another loss and more than that, defeat to Johnson again might bury Tarver’s career for good. There is really no other significant light heavyweight fights to be made after this one. Whichever fighter wins, it will likely be at different weights that they find challenges suitable for their profile. But for tonight, we can savor the fight that will affirm exactly who is the greatest light heavyweight fighter in the world.

The SaddoBoxing writers have weighed in with their predictions; don’t miss them as we wait for the opening bell to ring. More...

Antonio Tarver is in a division with very few shining stars and come this Saturday night, he has a chance to increase his fan base, future match-ups and bragging rights to the sports world with a win over Glen Johnson. Do not judge Johnson’s record, he has

nine losses; however his only convincing loss was to Bernard Hopkins in 1997. Tarver’s first fight with Johnson was a complete representation of an unprepared Tarver. Pull out the chairs and watch the reputation of Tarver, the man who enjoys rematches. I don't know if it is Tarver's way of securing lucrative bouts in a two-fight package deal, by giving lackluster performances in the first fight and campaigning arduously for a second fight, thereby winning the public interest and inspiration. Let's accept the heat in the kitchen and admit that Tarver is a loudmouth, but with the leverage of challenging Roy Jones in one fight and knocking him out in a second one, he has the ammunition to fire. If you observed the first Johnson fight, Tarver was just in the ring for the sake of being in the ring; maybe it was the lack of training, the public appearances, or him receiving Johnson as a light challenge. Regardless of the subjective reasons, a second fight is going down and Tarver has his war paint on his face.

Read on as Shaun Rico LaWhorn and Jonny Townsend go head to head in this week’s big debate over the Johnson-Tarver rematch. More...

June is the showcase month for the light welterweight division and current IBF champion Ricky Hatton began it by setting the standard bar almost insurmountably high by overwhelming ring legend Kostya Tszyu. On June 25, we have the showdown between Arturo Gatti

and Floyd Mayweather for the WBC title, as well as a chance to gauge WBA champion’s progress under Emanuel Steward’s guidance. Before all of that, WBO champion Miguel Angel Cotto returns to the ring in defense of his championship, and his reputation, having lost an Olympic bout to eventual Gold Medalist Mohamad Abdulaev. Cotto’s ascension to championship level seems barely as crucial as does his future potential and it is felt that amateur nemesis Abdulaev may have the answer for Cotto’s style. Both fighters have great technique and fight-ending power, and as a new era begins in the division, the pressure is not merely to win, but to do so in a fashion as to bolster one’s image in the eyes of the boxing world.

As always, SaddoBoxing will bring in-depth analysis of the fight in its entirety, but as we round up our pre-fight build-up, we bring you our staff writer’s predictions. More...

The lightweight division has one classic encounter to call upon this year, the Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo fight. As HBO presents the real heavyweight night of boxing this Saturday, another lightweight classic may evolve between former WBA super featherweight champion Joel Casamayor and undefeated contender Almazbek Raiymkulov. This fight pits Raiymkulov’s youth and brute strength against Casamayor’s southpaw technique and ring intelligence. Having already lost to champions Corrales, Castillo and Acelino Freitas, Casamayor may be indulging his final chance at a world championship. Raiymkulov however, can become a very viable lightweight contender with an impressive win over the former champion. Yes, Mike Tyson is fighting on the same night as this fight occurs, but believe me, this is where the big hits are going to happen, and between Casamayor and Raiymkulov is where the fight of the night might happen.

Check in with our continued coverage of this great fight card coming to you from New York City’s Madison Square Garden this Saturday night. More...

Those of you that log on every week to see the SaddoBoxing debate articles know that I am not displaying stellar form of late. I lost big last week as Ricky Hatton did the supposedly impossible and dominated Kostya Tszyu before making the former

undisputed light welterweight champion give up on his stool after eleven excruciating rounds. But, if I had to be wrong about a fight, it did not hurt as much to have my opinion disproved there as Hatton really deserves the overwhelming attention the boxing world lavishes upon him now. Yes, my recent debating record is abysmal, but I predicted that Diego Corrales would stop Jose Luis Castillo in ten or eleven rounds, and that being the holy grail of boxing matches this year must offer more than a little vindication. Now, on to more present action. It is the same old story for Joel Casamayor. Once again, he finds himself pitched as the seasoned professional against the undefeated up and comer. Only, Casamayor has a way of winning this type of fight quite handily. He stopped then undefeated Jong Kwon Baek to secure the WBA super featherweight title, and went on to ruin his fair share of undefeated streaks including those of Radford Beasley, Nate Campbell and Daniel Seda.

Read on to find out why I believe Casamayor will do exactly the same to “Kid Diamond” tonight in Madison Square Garden as the chief support bout to the Cotto-Abdulaev title fight, while Sergio Martinez offers a rebuttal in the “Kid’s” favor. More...

This weekend, Miguel Cotto faces amateur nemesis Mohamad Abdulaev in a rematch of their Olympic bout in Sydney 2000. Here is why I think that the Uzbekistani can repeat that result.

Since very early in his pro career Cotto has been touted as the next big thing by his promoter, Top Rank. Bob Arum has claimed that he will be bigger and better than “Sugar” Ray Leonard and Oscar de la Hoya, and in his first twenty-three fights, Cotto

has pretty much looked the part, reeling off nineteen knockouts in his unbeaten start. While not possessing one punch knockout power (only his debut was a first round win!) Cotto does have extremely heavy hands and breaks opponents down with unerring accuracy, good ring smarts and a whole arsenal of well-placed punches. He received some criticism for his last bout against DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley, but I think that it speaks volumes for a twenty-four-year-old prospect when a fifth round stoppage of an ex-world champion (who had gone the distance with both Zab Judah and Floyd Mayweather recently) is called a bad outing. So far, it sounds like I am a fully paid up member of the Puerto Rican fighter’s fan club. I am! He is a great fighter and a credit to the sport and he will be around for many years to come. However, I believe that Abdulaev is to Cotto what Norton was to Ali, Barkley was to Hearns and Tunney was to Dempsey, a “Lesser light” that has the big stars' number.

Don't miss the rest of "The Big Debate," as Shaun Rico LaWhorn offers up the counter-argument for a Cotto win. More...

Hatton finally receives a chance to prove that he is not only a legitimate light welterweight of this generation, but the definitive light welterweight of his time as he takes on an all-time great in Kostya Tszyu. The fight is to take place in Hatton’s own MEN

arena in England at the unusual hour of 2am in order to facilitate paymaster Showtime’s American television schedule. The fighters have taken all the necessary training measures to make sure that they are in the best condition of their careers and ready to fight at that strange time, and this fight deservedly stands as the battle for the legitimate light welterweight championship. Hatton’s fight record stands at almost forty wins without a loss, and although Tszyu’s record does not show as many fights, the sheer gap in quality of opposition between the two favors Tszyu by a long way. A war between these two is virtually assured, perhaps one even to rival the classic confrontation stated between Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales earlier this year. Looking to add some weight to your prediction for the fight? Check out what our writers have to say. More...

We British know our boxing, we love our boxing and so it is no surprise that IBF light welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu received an enthusiastic welcome from the British fight community. After all, Tszyu’s reputation stretches far

beyond that of a world champion, the man is a boxing legend and his gracing of a British ring is no less than a true honor. Manchester’s favorite son Ricky Hatton deserves applause for withstanding the cruel taunts of the media that questioned his credibility over the last few years. It is true enough that Hatton’s career stands as a monument to the promotional mindset that seeks to protect an investment, guiding it away from real danger to maintain a lucrative situation both the fighter and promoter. But Hatton is a historian, a boxing enthusiast who claims Roberto Duran as his hero and claims the “Hitman” moniker once adopted by Detroit’s own Tommy Hearns, symbols of Hatton’s nurturing from those elder days of greatness. Against Tszyu, the time has come to see if Hatton has a performance in him worthy of the great fighters that inspired him to lace up the gloves.

In life, we must be careful what we wish for, because we may just get it, and Tszyu stood as the ruination of many a prizefighter’s dreams. What follows is why I believe he will be so against Hatton. More...

At their best, these two fighters are world-class forces in the featherweight division, at their worst; they have vulnerabilities that hardly make them a sure thing in any world class fight they contest. Harrison is the rough, solid puncher who looks to outwork his opponent, while the technically sound Brodie has a dynamic style capable of befuddling and ultimately stopping any man he faces. Brodie’s weakness lies in his lack of punch resistance as shown in his back-and-forth battle with Pastor Maurin, whereas Harrison has a tendency to perform beneath his true ability as evidenced in several curious performances in which his best qualities seemed to desert him. Both fighters are in need of an impressive performance to bolster their world elite ambitions. However, in Britain, this fight is legitimately one of the most anticipated featherweight clashes in many a year. Can Brodie snatch the upset win and a world title at the fourth time of asking? The SaddoBoxing writers have their say now. More...

FINALLY, IT'S HERE!

It was made and announced four or five months ago, but Hatton fans have been waiting for this fight for the last three or four years. For about two years now, the boxing community all over the world has been demanding that Ricky Hatton “steps up” and starts fighting the elite in the division. And now he takes on the very best! There are so many questions that are going to be answered by this fight, the main two being: How good is Ricky Hatton, and, is Tszyu still the man? I'm sure the majority of British boxing fans who have any interest in this fight will have watched the documentary on Hatton that was shown on Wednesday night. I was watching the show with my Father. As we were watching the highlights of previous Hatton fights, my Dad made the observation, “He takes a few doesn't he?” I replied “Well, that’s what makes it such an interesting fight.”

Click for more Preview Analysis of this week's HUGE main event! More...

This fight takes place the night before a huge title fight, which is a bit sad really as this long awaited domestic clash is not going to get the media's attention as much as it should. Scott Harrison has been the WBO champion for a while now, losing it briefly to Manuel Medina. Harrison has a very loyal following in Scotland and they are very proud of their champion, unfortunately, Scott has not impressed everyone yet. After regaining his title from Medina and taking on some dubious challengers, Harrison came up against Victor Polo. Polo is a legitimate top ten contender in the division and proved to be the Scotsman's toughest test to date. The first half of the fight was Harrison's and everything looked to be on track until Polo took over in round seven. Harrison started to fade, not for the first time in his career, towards the end of the bout. After a torrid battle and the declaration of a drawn verdict, many people felt that Harrison was lucky to get that decision.

Don’t miss the latest pre-fight weekend coverage as SaddoBoxing brings you some of the best editorials around. Quality and consistency FREE! More...

Yes, believe it or not, there is in fact another fight taking place this weekend. Of course, you would be forgiven for being none the wiser. Tszyu-Hatton has cast an almighty shadow over what would ordinarily be boxing’s headline-grabber of the week; however, it is a credit to Harrison and Brodie that they do not feel the least bit slighted at being cast from centre stage. They are acutely aware that, although their bout is of great interest to the boxing world, their tear-up this Friday is essentially the warm-up act. Granted, warm-up acts do not come much better. By the end of the weekend, this fight, such is its potential, may very well be the one that lasts in the memory.

Detailed below is why I feel Scott Harrison will be too much for Michael Brodie this Friday night.

Since the Victor Polo fight, many misconceptions circulated about Scott Harrison. The one that irks me most is when “fans’ question his stamina. Not only is this utter tosh, but is based entirely on one fight. It fascinates me how those same fans were so quick to write off Marco Antonio Barrera in the aftermath of his one-sided loss to Manny Pacquiao. These fans have a short memory. Did Harrison run out of gas after six rounds in his last fight? Most definitely. Does that mean that we should disregard every fight prior to that, in which he kept swinging until the final bell? There is something extremely circular about that logic. I am sure those same fans would counter with the old adage, “You are only as good as your last fight.” That would be folly, however. Harrison has come back before and I feel he is primed to do it again. And unfortunately for the likeable Manc, Michael Brodie, that spells bad news. More...

Both of these men have a common opponent, which neither of them managed to defeat: Erik Morales. After earning their respective world titles, Chavez and Hernandez ran into Morales, who promptly took their championships away, and it is for one of those titles, the WBC super featherweight championship, that both men fight for the right to contest again when they meet this week. Of the seven professional losses shared between them, only one stands as a knockout, that of Chavez’s ninth round destruction at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Notably, in fifteen years as a professional fighter, El Salvador’s Hernandez has never been stopped. Whomever of the two emerges in victory, they have another odyssey to face as Marco Antonio Barrera remains as the WBC super featherweight champion. This is a fight of real championship pedigree, and SaddoBoxing.com cannot neglect to give it the coverage it deserves. With that in mind, check in with the SaddoBoxing.com writers to see whom they think can take a place as the WBC number one contender for Barrera’s crown. More...

My outstanding memory of Ricardo “Chapo” Vargas is of him bringing hell to a certain Johnny Tapia some years ago. Vargas’s sharp punches tore at Tapia’s features and it seemed to me that even one as talented as Tapia felt bemused about how to deal with such a dangerous foe. It is worth noting that Vargas’ professional record does not tell the story of his abilities as a fighter. But the statistics of Rafael Marquez’s record do tell the story of his ability. Those statistics tell of a monstrous puncher that demolished all trace of his opponents all but three times in a thirty-three fight career. Vargas spent many years taking fights at short notice, just to make money, and in validation for all of those disappointments, he has a chance to become a world champion. But one feels that to do so against Marquez in such rich form is a task that might be beyond Vargas. The answers to all our questions shall be revealed over this weekend, but until then, the SaddoBoxing.com team has a few things to say about the outcome of this fight. More...

There are so many questions to answer leading to this fight. Is Tszyu over the hill? If his last defense against Sharmba Mitchell is any indication, then the answer to that is a resounding no. Will Tszyu’s past injuries catch up with him? No reason why they should. Will Hatton’s vicious body attack have an effect? Time will tell. In Hatton’s case, one of the main questions is how he reacts if or when Kostya lands one of his big right hands. Will the challenger cut early? How will that and the fact that Tszyu is a major, major step up in class affect the outcome? The fact that there are so many questions makes this one of the most fascinating fights of the year, so let’s try to break it down. More...

Well fight fans, welcome to another addition of the “Big Debate.” I must say my fellow fanatics; boxing is really picking up a head of steam as we make our way into the summer months. This weekend brings some excellent match-ups with the most interesting one being Jesus Chavez vs. Carlos Hernandez. This clash brings us two of the hardest working, underappreciated, toughest hombres in the sport, vying for the right to face WBC super featherweight titlist Marco Antonio Barrera. You really hate to see these two warriors fight each other, as only one will end up with a big payday after this fight that both really deserve. Such is life, and boxing is life, so we soldier on and wish both of them the best. Enough of all of the senseless talking, time to make my case.

Why Jesus “El Matador” Chavez will win.

I must admit that that choosing Chavez is more of a “conventional wisdom” pick than actually what my gut tells me. After interviewing the extremely likable Hernandez, I almost felt obligated to pick him to win. Still, after pondering my reasons as to that pick, I really decided to emotionally detach myself and just stick to what wisdom tells me. The facts are that Jesus is a more talented, better schooled, stronger fighter than “El Famoso.” Chavez has really come on in the past three years and his legs are a little fresher. The problem is that he is injury prone and there is always the risk of that happening during the course of a fight (remember the Erik Morales tilt?). More...

On paper, this is one of the most evenly matched bouts in years. Both fighters suffered an early career learning loss to OK opposition. Both lost in title shots against Floyd Mayweather in 2001; Hernandez by a clear unanimous decision (although forcing the first count of Mayweather’s career when a stumble led to Pretty Boy's glove scraping the floor), and Chavez by stoppage in nine (a compassionate withdrawal by Chavez's corner as he was getting busted up in his pursuit of Floyd). Both fighters are similar in age, thirty-three for Hernandez and thirty-two for Chavez, meaning that this is a must win situation for them both. More...

Few fighters can claim four attempts at a world heavyweight championship, and even less could do so having endured a career as turbulent as that of Andrew Golota. “The Foul Pole,” is now more affectionately referred to as “The Powerful Pole” by Don King’s promotional company; and a less sinister nickname is not all that Golota owes King’s company. Obviously, the elder statesman of the promotional racket can put the fights together and make a fighter’s dreams a possibility. However, if Golota can defeat current WBO heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster, what assurance do we have that Golota’s reign will not stagnate as have all other King champions? None whatsoever. Brewster is the champion, but comes into the fight lacking the pedigree of his more seasoned challenger. Brewster captured imaginations with his gutsy stoppage of Wladimir Klitschko, but has failed to capitalize on that showing by struggling against the likes of New Zealander Kali Meehan. If you do not rate the credibility of this contest, you still must concede that both fighters can punch, and both are quite adept at hitting the canvas, therefore, we should receive an interesting tussle. Don’t believe me? Well, check in with the SaddoBoxing writers to see if they can convince you of the virtues of this contest. More...

An intriguing 'B' level heavyweight fight for the WBO title. Brewster is still an unknown quantity in today's moribund flagship division, whereas Golota is, as Winston Churchill once quoted about Russia, "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." Supremely talented but with some serious psychological issues, Golota has been a top-ten contender on and off for over ten years, starting off with his fifth round TKO (and biting) of Samson Po'uha in 1995, eight round stoppage of Dannell Nicholson in 1996, and the two well documented disqualification losses to Riddick Bowe later that year; fights which the Foul Pole was handily winning against the supposedly superior ex-champion. He followed this with a first round knockout loss in a title shot against Lennox Lewis, in which he claims he was hindered by injections given to him just prior to the bout for sore hands. He fought on against C level opposition for the next three years until a stoppage loss against undefeated Michael Grant (a fight in which he had Grant down twice in the first) seemed to spell an end to his top-level career. Golota quit in that fight and quit again one year later when he stayed on his stool after two rounds against Mike Tyson. More...