yo TG, i hope it's pushing through cos there's conflicting report that also recently came out...
http://forum.philboxing.com/viewtopic.php?t=46018
OK, this much is clear, Jorge Barrios will not be defending his WBO 130-pound belt against Joan Guzman underneath the rematch between Marco Antonio Barrera and Rocky Juarez on September 16th.
“It doesn't look like that fight’s going to happen," confirmed Eric Gomez of Golden Boy Promotions, who will be running that pay-per-view event, "and we made every effort to have Jorge Barrios fight against Joan Guzman and it just didn't happen. We just couldn't come to an agreement with the Barrios side. Guzman was willing to take the fight with Barrios. There were just a few issues there we just couldn't get over. We're going to have to take a pass on that fight."
However, the proposed bout between WBC junior featherweight champion Israel Vazquez and WBO bantamweight titlist Jhonny Gonzalez isn't dead yet.
"That fight," says Gomez, "it might still be alive. There are some issues there, as well. But if we can salvage that fight, that's a good enough semi-main event where it's an intriguing fight."
Vazquez's manager, Frank Espinoza, denies that he has turned down the fight. He says he was faxed a contract from Golden Boy last Thursday and given 24-hour notice to sign the deal, but never an opportunity to negotiate final terms of the deal.
By the time he was contacted by Gomez, he was told Oscar De La Hoya had told him to drop the bout.
What has really rankled Espinoza are some comments made by Gonzalez's manager, Oswaldo Kuchle, questioning the courage of his fighter.
To which Espinoza would tell Maxboxing: "I feel that his comments were unprofessional. He came out and it's a ploy to fight, to get us upset. But as managers, we’ve got to do the best for our fighters and we have to work out certain deals."
And now, he has a deal for Kuchle.
“He’s made some comments saying that Israel shouldn't be called 'El Magnifico' but 'El Pollo'. I'm telling Kuchle right now, manager to manager, I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is and I'm willing to put up $50,000. I hope he does it, otherwise were going to be calling him ' El Pollo' if he doesn't do it."
Talk about a game of chicken.
Without Barrios-Guzman and probably without VASQUEZ-Gonzalez, no one would buy this JUAREZ-Barrera card anymore... Unless you want to see JUAREZ knocking out Antonia "El Pollo" Barrera...
