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[Tom_Cody]

That's one of most irrelevant ranking lists I've ever seen from ring magazine. I wouldn't necessarily dispute its validity, but there are a number of problems with its usefulness.

-Vivian Harris will almost certainly never fight in this division again. He is going to move up to 147. Conversely, Steve Forbes is almost certainly going to move down from 147 to 140 following his fight with Oscar De La Hoya. When Forbes does this he will be ranked somewhere in the top ten.

-Neither Andreas Kotelnik nor Gavin Rees should be on this list. Gavin Rees only has one substantive win (Souleymane M'baye), from which I would rank him ~40, but then he got knocked out by Kotelnik. Prior to that win Kotelnik should have been ranked somewhere around 20, so now he should be 15 maybe? Not 4.

-Juan Urango, Mike Arnaoutis, Ricardo Torres, and Kendall Holt are all missing. It becomes difficult to decide who belongs in the top ten in this division since there are only two undefeated fighters, so I'm not saying these four are top ten. What they all have in common though, is that they've had a lot of television exposure in the US. This makes them very likely opponents for Bradley following his big win.

Bradley should have some good options now that he was a belt. Juan Urango and Steve Forbes would probably be his top choices. If he needs a few months to rest he would be well off to take the winner of Holt-Torres.

 

[cthoaa]

That's one of most irrelevant ranking lists I've ever seen from ring magazine. I wouldn't necessarily dispute its validity, but there are a number of problems with its usefulness.

-Vivian Harris will almost certainly never fight in this division again. He is going to move up to 147. Conversely, Steve Forbes is almost certainly going to move down from 147 to 140 following his fight with Oscar De La Hoya. When Forbes does this he will be ranked somewhere in the top ten.

-Neither Andreas Kotelnik nor Gavin Rees should be on this list. Gavin Rees only has one substantive win (Souleymane M'baye), from which I would rank him ~40, but then he got knocked out by Kotelnik. Prior to that win Kotelnik should have been ranked somewhere around 20, so now he should be 15 maybe? Not 4.

-Juan Urango, Mike Arnaoutis, Ricardo Torres, and Kendall Holt are all missing. It becomes difficult to decide who belongs in the top ten in this division since there are only two undefeated fighters, so I'm not saying these four are top ten. What they all have in common though, is that they've had a lot of television exposure in the US. This makes them very likely opponents for Bradley following his big win.

Bradley should have some good options now that he was a belt. Juan Urango and Steve Forbes would probably be his top choices. If he needs a few months to rest he would be well off to take the winner of Holt-Torres.

Aw, Kotelnik isn't so bad. But you're right: the top ten as a whole doesn't really represent the division as well as it should. (Champ + first three are okay, though.)

I'm trying to describe the trend of the voters, but it's kinda hard. Mostly it seems like the way to get onto the list is with big wins or performances and then the names are almost fixed there. They then either move up or stay on by beating guys ahead of them, or slowly move off the list to make way for new blood.

I guess that sounds kinda obvious. It's like the voters are ready to overrate wins over ranked opponents, but are slow to adjust them downwards which results in guys "living off wins".

The Rees-beats-M'baye, Kotelnik-beats-Rees series of events really messed things up. When they occurred, they bumped Holt and Ngoudjo off the list and it was the inactive Torres who got bumped this week to make way for Bradley.

Forbes coming back down would make him one of the best fighters in the division, but during his last campaign he was kept below current #10 Demetrius Hopkins who "beat" him.

After the fight, Bradley was talking "Witter rematch or Hatton" as if he was ready to cash in on his win straightaway. If he's planning on sticking around, the fights you mention would defnitely benefit his career.

 

[cthoaa]

Feather fisted Shaun George ends the career of Chris Byrd (YouTube)
Shaun George Reacts After TKO Of Chris Byrd (ESPN)

Holy crap. After watching him stand brave against the heavies, this is hard to watch. Byrd looks so shaky and weak. He could take some shots okay in the heavyweight division, but George moved him with his punches from the start.

Byrd passes out, hospitalized!

In a scary moment, an unconscious former heavyweight champion Chris Byrd was rushed to a Las Vegas hospital Friday night shortly after his shocking KO loss to Shaun George. Byrd reportedly became unresponsive when a combination of valium and morphine were administered in his dressing room to relieve pain from a dislocated shoulder. Happily he was later revived and released. It appears, however, that the loss to George may have been the 37-year-old Byrd's last fight. "I'm not letting him fight anymore," Byrd's wife Tracey told fight scribe Tim Smith. And should Byrd have any notion of fighting again, Tracey warned, "He would have to try to do it without my support, and I don't think he wants to do that!"

 

[Quazar]

How about these fights tonight? Very exciting stuff. Now for the main fight.

 

[Quazar]

That Kirkland sure was something. Going to watch it again in a bit. Not so sure about that last fight. Cant remember spelling of name, the Cuban though. Reminds me of Roy Jones, just not as smart. He has awhile to go though I suppose.

 

[cthoaa]

How about these fights tonight? Very exciting stuff.

Yah, just a really good card. It felt a lot like the old Boxing After Dark cards in terms of the type of match made and the amount of action.

That Kirkland sure was something. Going to watch it again in a bit. Not so sure about that last fight. Cant remember spelling of name, the Cuban though. Reminds me of Roy Jones, just not as smart. He has awhile to go though I suppose.

Gamboa's being fast-tracked because of his age (26), but also cause he's so talented. It was just 6-8 months ago that he came stateside and in his last fight he debuted on national tv. Now, in his tenth pro fight, he's headlining an HBO show. The promoters have a lot of confidence in him. (Almost as much as he has in himself. )

The RJJ comparisson is apt because of Gamboa's handspeed and also his reflexes + upper body movement. But it was so grating to see him drop his hands and leave his chin out even after touching the canvas. His offense also got pretty sloppy, then downright dirty against an outgunned opponent.

It's hard to be critical after such a lopsided win, and one in which he passed several tests: ability to take a punch, stamina to go distance, and skill to compete with an increasing class of opponent. But he and his people been talking about already being prepared for the likes of Pacquiao when there are clearly things upon which he can improve.

 

[Quazar]

Very well put. Agree with all you said. I just youtubed Kirkland and came up with Conyers fight. Wow that sure was something. This guy certainly has star quality. Who are Kirklands options at this point?

 

[cthoaa]

Kirkland, I think, can already get a title off of Verno Phillips, who isn't scheduled for anything yet. But he could also benefit from more seasoning -- maybe with one of the rough and tumble veterans, such as Alex Bunema or someone like that.

A fight between he and Angulo from the same card would be fun to watch (actually, they've been featured side-by-side a few times now), but as they are from the same stable, their promoter wouldn't match them so early.

 

[cthoaa]

Hatton-Lazcano Weigh-in (SkySports)

Hatton's homecoming is on Sky PPV in the UK and on Versus in the US. Not sure who Versus is, but their broadcast is scheduled to go live from 3:30PM - 6:00PM ET. They're also airing one undercard bout, Malignaggi's defense/showcase fight vs Lovemore N'Dou.

I like Paulie lots and he should beat N'dou handily, but wtf @ his hair. :lol It's like he's making up for Chris Byrd retiring.

 

[SSGMUN10000]

Ha they had to cut Paulie's hair cause it kept getting in the way and he kept getting clocked. Geez I cant believe you like the guy cthoaa he comes off as such a douche. He won but did not look impressive, hopefully he still gets to fight Hatton though. Now Hatton didnt look too good either..he got rocked a few times. Hopefully it was just a little rust and getting back on his feet from his first lost.

I cant wait for this fight though. Have your calender marked for July 26 guys.

 

[Relix]

Ha they had to cut Paulie's hair cause it kept getting in the way and he kept getting clocked. Geez I cant believe you like the guy cthoaa he comes off as such a douche. He won but did not look impressive, hopefully he still gets to fight Hatton though. Now Hatton didnt look too good either..he got rocked a few times. Hopefully it was just a little rust and getting back on his feet from his first lost.

I cant wait for this fight though. I have my calender marked.

http://www.braggingrightscorner.com/cottoarummargaritony052208_cd.jpg

That will be most uber epic battle of the year.

 

[cthoaa]

Yah, I've really taken to him. Paulie does come off pretty bad at times, but to me most of what he says is pretty harmless and more goofy than anything. There was one interview where he was trying to tell everyone that he was a sexy young stallion and he could hardly keep from laughing at himself. Afterwards, I always took what he said as strictly for show.

But Saturday was just horrible for him. The first fight vs. N'dou I had him winning 11 rounds plus a knockdown. Here, he just barely took it. That's two fights in a row now that he's looked slow and, more troublingly, so easy to hit.

And his hair:

Before the fight I was thinking that it would be funny if he got hit so badly that one of the extensions went flying. In the end, he fought so poorly and they got in the way so much that they all had to come off.

I watched a stream of the UK broadcast (couldn't find the Versus channel) and the Sky Sports announcers were killing him. Definitely not his night.

 

[cthoaa]

The Ring updated their ratings for the week.

Ricky Hatton retained the Ring Magazine junior welterweight championship after winning a unanimous decision over Juan Lazcano. Paulie Malignaggi remained the #1 contender after his own unanimous decision over Lovemore N'dou. Neither Lazcano's nor N'dou's rating was affected by Saturday's outcomes.

In the pound-for-pound chart, Ricky Hatton fell out allowing Kelly Pavlik and Cristian Mijares to move up to places 8 and 9, respectively. Rafael Marquez re-entered the chart at #10.


Ring Magazine's Junior Welterweight Ratings for period ending May 27

C. Ricky Hatton GBR 44-1 (31)
1. Paul Malignaggi USA 25-1 (5)
2. Timothy Bradley USA 22-0 (11)
3. Junior Witter GBR 36-2-2 (21)
4. Andreas Kotelnik UKR 29-2-1 (13)
5. Gavin Rees GBR 27-1 (13)
6. Vivian Harris GUY 28-3-1 (18)
7. Souleymane M'baye FRA 36-2-1 (20)
8. Lovemore Ndou AUS 46-10-1 (31)
9. Juan Lazcano MEX 37-5-1 (27)
10. Demetrius Hopkins USA 28-0-1 (11)


Ring Magazine's Pound for Pound Ratings for period ending May 27

1. Floyd Mayweather USA, welterweight
2. Manny Pacquiao PHI, jr. lightweight
3. Joe Calzaghe GBR, super middle/lt. heavyweight
4. Juan Manuel Marquez MEX, jr. lightweight
5. Bernard Hopkins USA, lt. heavyweight
6. Israel Vazquez MEX, jr. featherweight
7. Miguel Cotto PUR, welterweight
8. Kelly Pavlik USA, middleweight
9. Cristian Mijares MEX, jr. bantamweight
10. Rafael Marquez MEX, jr. featherweight

 

[cthoaa]

Update on the Zab Judah injury from Dan Rafael's blog:

Zab Judah is a like a cat with nine lives, but he's using them up quickly. The temperamental former undisputed welterweight champion cost himself a minimum $800,000 payday against Shane Mosley when he sliced up his right arm and needed 50 stitches to close the wounds, forcing their fight, which was supposed be on Saturday night, to be canceled. The official story put out by Judah's team was that he had accidentally put his arm through a glass shower door. However, the real story, from what I am told by multiple people on the inside who didn't want to be quoted, is that Judah actually got into a serious beef with his father and trainer, Yoel Judah, and he threw a temper tantrum, which resulted in Judah angrily putting his arm through the steam room shower door at the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas. Although Judah won't get the payday to fight Mosley, he did land an Aug. 2 HBO fight against Joshua Clottey for a vacant belt. Won't Judah ever learn to control himself? He's already had two suspensions and hefty fines in Nevada for bad behavior during fights. I view this latest episode as Judah receiving a de facto fine of about $400,000 -- the approximate difference between what he would have made to fight Mosley and what he will make against Clottey.

The Mayweathers can be called a dysfunctional family, but in the sport Floyd Jr. is an unbeaten P4P fighter and both Floyd Sr. and Roger are world class trainers. The Judahs are a mess.

It's unfortunate because of Zab's obvious talent. With a clearer head and a better trainer, he could give anyone from 140 to 147 a hard run for twelve rounds instead of just the first four or five.

 

[Tom_Cody]

What a fucking idiot. At least he is still able to box. What is he going to do when he no longer has talent to fall back on? Judah is a train wreck already, I can't even image what his life is going to be like in 15 years.

 

[Quazar]

Finally the last Kirkland fight is on youtube. Conyers fight was even crazier though.

edit: video down.

 

[cthoaa]

Kelly Pavlik Vs Gary Lockett HBO Promo (YouTube)
Juanma Lopez vs. Daniel Ponce De Leon Promo, PR Best Boxing (YouTube)

HBO and Showtime go head-to-head tonight with shows that feature really good undercard bouts.

Supporting the Pavlik-Lockett main event on HBO is a Mexico-PR contest between two southpaws, champion Daniel Ponce De Leon and challenger Juan Manuel Lopez. Both are hard-hitters, with Ponce De Leon a wild and active puncher; Lopez is more composed and technical. It's Juanma's first world title fight, and last year against an opponent in a similiar position, PDL steamrolled Rey Bautista. Potentially the most exciting fight of the night.

The Showtime card, headlined Vernon Forrest vs. Sergio Mora, surprisingly opens with the rematch between Carlos Quintana and Paul Williams. The first fight was good and the winner of tonight's fight for Quintana's welterweight title becomes a likely opponent for the the Cotto-Margarito winner. Not sure how the events came together or the timing of the matchmaking, but it's weird that this is on Showtime, let alone the undercard.

 

[harSon]

Kelly Pavlik Vs Gary Lockett HBO Promo (YouTube)
Juanma Lopez vs. Daniel Ponce De Leon Promo, PR Best Boxing (YouTube)

HBO and Showtime go head-to-head tonight with shows that feature really good undercard bouts.

Supporting the Pavlik-Lockett main event on HBO is a Mexico-PR contest between two southpaws, champion Daniel Ponce De Leon and challenger Juan Manuel Lopez. Both are hard-hitters, with Ponce De Leon a wild and active puncher; Lopez is more composed and technical. It's Juanma's first world title fight, and last year against an opponent in a similiar position, PDL steamrolled Rey Bautista. Potentially the most exciting fight of the night.

The Showtime card, headlined Vernon Forrest vs. Sergio Mora, surprisingly opens with the rematch between Carlos Quintana and Paul Williams. The first fight was good and the winner of tonight's fight for Quintana's welterweight title becomes a likely opponent for the the Cotto-Margarito winner. Not sure how the events came together or the timing of the matchmaking, but it's weird that this is on Showtime, let alone the undercard.

Thank god for TIVO

 

[Quazar]

I love today.

 

[Brobzoid]

god damn, it sucks so hard that I don't have any channels that show fights... :\ Is there streaming somewhere?

 

[Quazar]

Holy shit @ Paul. :lol :lol

 

[Quazar]

Well another great night in boxing. Forrest really messed that fight up. Pavlik was real nice as expected. Lopez was WOW. So can Forrest and Kirkland happen now is what I'm wondering?

 

[SSGMUN10000]

Yup some good quick fights last night. I will start in the order I saw them.

Williams-Quintana Well what can you say Williams could not wait to get back in with him. He looked good and was ready to fight. He kept his weight in check and that made a difference on him being able to pull the trigger faster.

Mora-Forrest Surprise upset of the night. Mora was able to take Forrest out of his game. Those body shots slowed him down alot. Towards the end Forrest just look sluggish.

Lopez-Ponce Another quick fight. Lopez's shorter quick shots were too much for Ponce. Great 1st round ko. Lopez no longer a prospect and now a champion.

Pavlik-Lockett Lockett was completely over matched. Pavlik looked good in this ko even though his opponent was a nobody. Hopefully he cleans out his division and then moves up.

 

[cthoaa]

They're all starting to popup on YouTube.

De Leon-Lopez
Pavlik-Lockett
Quintana-Williams II

I had to listen again and check that I heard this correctly.

"You'd think Quintana shouldn't have to change much of anything, but his people have said there will be a few surprises."

What? WHY? You WON last time.

Anyway, it was good to see Williams throw hard punches and fight strong rather than play patty-cake on a guy's head all night. In the first fight, he was just off at points and ultimately couldn't cope with all the movement. With Quintana just standing there, far less elusive, he was able to catch up.

Vs. Forrest, I gave Mora like no shot at all. Forrest may have come into the fight a little worn, but the bodywork definitely added to it. This was kinda hard to get into at first because of the overly conservative pace, but things picked up when Mora could get inside and bust Forrest up. Mora did well with his upper body movement and wound up taking lots of steam out of Forrest's punches that otherwise seemed to connect.

The end sequence with Mora pumping his fist for the crowd and then eating a clean right hand was very funny, as was his snaking in Forrest's face to close out the fight.

I thought badly of Mora when he turned down a shot at Jermain, citing that he was waiting for the right opportunity to cash in. Now, with one of the 154 titles, he's a candidate to be one of DLH's final opponents.

 

[Quazar]

Yea that quote is funny. :lol :lol

So is Vernon VS Kirkland at all possible now? I mean Vernon is pretty much done now besides being a stepping stone for other fighters, correct?

 

[cthoaa]

It'd be a good fight for Kirkland as far as gauging himself and maybe (likely) a passing of the torch on Forrest's part, but I don't think it's a fight Vernon would take. He was saying it was difficult to "come down to Mora's level" for a fight, and that was for a defense of his 154 title. Unless he's changed his way of thinking (entirely possible), he wouldn't take gatekeeping duties very well.

I think he'd rather wait for a possible payday (albeit for a smaller amount than had he won vs. Mora) for a third fight with a light Mayorga or an old, heavy Mosley or exercise his rematch clause with Mora than take on young, hungry up-and-comers in what would be a high-risk, low-reward fights.

 

[cthoaa]

Their site hasn't been updated, but when it does, Floyd Mayweather will be off Ring Magazine's charts, the welterweight championship will be vacated, and Manny Pacquiao will be Ring's new #1 pound-for-pound fighter. It's the first new #1 since Mayweather took top honors in July 2005 after Bernard Hopkins lost to Jermain Taylor.

I was wondering why he wasn't stripped or removed from the charts after his other retirings, most notably after the De La Hoya fight, but apparently the editors wait for written confirmation before acting.

Ring Elevates Pacquiao To No. 1 Pound-For-Pound

Ring Magazine, the recognized “Bible of boxing has just announced that it has elevated Filipino ring idol and national treasure Manny Pacquiao to No.1 in its coveted pound-for-pound ratings.

Respected Editor-in-Chief Nigel Collins informed Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that the Ring had received written confirmation from Floyd Mayweather Jr that he had “relinquished the Ring welterweight championship.”

As a result Collins said they “updated the ratings including the pound-for-pound, to reflect his retirement. Manny is now No.1 pound-for-pound!”

EDIT:

Ratings are up.

Sergio Mora debuts on the junior middleweight chart at #2 after winning a majority decision over former #1 Vernon Forrest. Forrest drops to fourth on the chart. Verno Phillips is the division's new #1.

Floyd Mayweather vacates the Ring Magazine welterweight belt. Paul Williams moves up to third after a first round kayo over Carlos Quintana, who drops to fifth place.

Herman Hgoudjo returns to the junior welterweight chart after winning a unanimous decision over Souleymane M'baye. M'baye, previously rated seventh, comes off the chart, as do Gavin Rees (#5) and Vivian Harris (#6). Rees and Harris are replaced by Ricardo Torres and Juan Urango, respectively.

Juan Manuel Lopez debuts on the 122 chart after knocking out former #3, Daniel Ponce de Leon. Lopez takes his spot at third; PDL drops to eight.

Floyd Mayweather is removed from the pound-for-pound chart after retiring. Fighters 2-10 from last polling all move up. Ivan Calderon debuts in the tenth slot.



Ring Magazine's Junior Middleweight Ratings for period ending June 9

1. Verno Phillips USA 42-10-1 (21)
2. Sergio Mora USA 21-0-1 (5)
3. Oscar De La Hoya USA 39-5 (30)
4. Vernon Forrest USA 40-3 (29)
5. Cory Spinks USA 36-5 (11)
6. Alex Bunema COD 29-5-2 (15)
7. Joachim Alcine HAI 30-0 (19)
8. Sergei Dzindziruk UKR 35-0 (22)
9. Roman Karmazin RUS 36-3-1 (23)
10. Sergio Martinez ARG 43-1-1 (21)


Ring Magazine's Welterweight Ratings for period ending June 9

1. Miguel Cotto PUR 32-0 (26)
2. Shane Mosley USA 44-5 (37)
3. Paul Williams USA 34-1 (25)
4. Antonio Margarito MEX 35-5 (25)
5. Carlos Quintana PUR 25-2 (19)
6. Zab Judah USA 36-5 (25)
7. Joshua Clottey GHA 34-2 (19)
8. Luis Collazo USA 28-3 (13)
9. Jackson Bonsu BEL 28-1 (23)
10. Kermit Cintron PUR 29-2 (27)


Ring Magazine's Junior Welterweight Ratings for period ending June 9

C. Ricky Hatton GBR 44-1 (31)
1. Paul Malignaggi USA 25-1 (5)
2. Timothy Bradley USA 22-0 (11)
3. Junior Witter GBR 36-2-2 (21)
4. Andreas Kotelnik UKR 29-2-1 (13)
5. Herman Ngoudjo CMR 17-2 (9)
6. Ricardo Torres COL 32-1 (28)
7. Juan Urango COL 20-1-1 (16)
8. Lovemore Ndou AUS 46-10-1 (31)
9. Juan Lazcano MEX 37-5-1 (27)
10. Demetrius Hopkins USA 28-0-1 (11)


Ring Magazine's Junior Featherweight Ratings for period ending June 9

C. Israel Vazquez MEX 43-4 (31)
1. Rafael Marquez MEX 37-5 (33)
2. Celestino Caballero PAN 28-2 (19)
3. Juan Manuel Lopez PUR 22-0 (20)
4. Steve Molitor CAN 27-0 (10)
5. Poonsawat Kratingaenggym THA 34-1 (24)
6. Sergio Manuel Medina ARG 32-1 (17)
7. Takalani Ndlovu RSA 28-4 (18)
8. Daniel Ponce de Leon MEX 34-2 (30)
9. Rey Bautista PHI 25-1 (18)
10. Jhonny Gonzalez MEX 38-6 (32)


Ring Magazine's Pound for Pound Ratings for period ending June 9

1. Manny Pacquiao PHI, jr. lightweight
2. Joe Calzaghe GBR, super middle/lt. heavyweight
3. Juan Manuel Marquez MEX, jr. lightweight
4. Bernard Hopkins USA, lt. heavyweight
5. Israel Vazquez MEX, jr. featherweight
6. Miguel Cotto PUR, welterweight
7. Kelly Pavlik USA, middleweight
8. Cristian Mijares MEX, jr. bantamweight
9. Rafael Marquez MEX, jr. featherweight
10. Ivan Calderon PUR, jr. flyweight

 

[cthoaa]

Golden Boy's CEO Richard Schaeffer put some dates and fights down in the following article on ESPN.

De La Hoya gets new date as Golden Boy locks in fall slate

Sept. 6 - HBO BAD, Juan Diaz v. Katsidis in Houston; possibly Valero, Juarez on the undercard
Sept. 13 - HBO PPV, Casamayor v. J.M.Marquez; possibly Chris John, Jorge Barrios, Jesus Chavez on the undercard
Oct. 11 - HBO PPV, Mosley vs. TBA, possibly Mora
Nov 15 or 22 - HBO WCB, Hatton v. Malignaggi (if on the 15th, either New York or Las Vegas; if on the 22nd, Vegas)
Nov 29 - Haye vs. a "top-10 ranked opponent" in London's O2 Arena
Dec. 6 - HBO PPV, Oscar vs. TBA, possibly Cotto; "career finale"

Setana reports on more matchmaking.

Calzaghe vs Pavlik Set For October? (YouTube)
Ricky Hatton 'Oscar...Maybe Next Summer' (YouTube)


Quick thoughts:
- Diaz-Katsidis will be FOTY caliber.
- Edwin Valero fighting in the US?
- JMM going after the lightweight champion pretty much means he's going to chase Pacquiao through the divisions as expected. But the fight itself isn't really a strong front for a PPV and their styles could make it ugly.
- Chris John fighting in the US???
- Mosley back to 154 is way dumb, but a win over Mora and a title sets up a fight (possibly his final one) with Forrest or even Mayorga. All this dependent on Forrest declining to exercise his rematch clause with Mora; he'll probably get "step-aside" money from Golden Boy.
- Hatton-Malignaggi on WCB is probably the proper call, but depending on the size and schedule of the contract, HBO's three-fight deal with Hatton might be a wash, esp. if a rematch with Mayweather or fight vs. DLH don't come off. Speaking of...
- DLH's December PPV is being touted as his final fight, but I mean... come on!

 

[cthoaa]

Arthur Abraham and Edison Miranda fight this Saturday on Showtime. It's a rematch of their controversial middleweight title fight from almost two years ago in Germany. This time they're fighting in the US (Abraham's first overseas) and at a catchweight of 166.

Showtime's showing the first fight on its various channels throughout the week including tonight on SHO2. First time it's been shown on US television so the commentary from Steve Albert and Al Bernstein is all new.


Abraham Vs Miranda II: The Battle Continues... (YouTube)

Abraham vs. Miranda I, highlights (Showtime via YouTube)

Abraham (c) vs. Miranda I, 2006-09-26 - IBF middleweight championship fight (YouTube, german broadcast)

- part 1/7
- part 2/7
- part 3/7
- part 4/7
- part 5/7
- part 6/7
- part 7/7

 

[cthoaa]

Today's notable fights:

Mikkel Kessler (39-1, 29 KOs) vs Dimitri Sartison (22-0, 14 KOs), vacant WBA super middleweight title

Kessler was in talks to fight Edison Miranda. Papers were sent for signing and Showtime set a date. But Kessler's people, Team Palle, were actually using those negotiations as a bargaining chip to sweeten a deal with Anthony Mundine, the then-WBA supermiddleweight champ. Miranda and Showtime were pissed.

Mundine then vacated his belt, opting out of the fight with Kessler and made a fight with Sam Soliman. Kessler and Team Palle were pissed.

A fight between Kessler and Sartison, the WBA's #4 super middleweight contender, was drawn up for Mundine's belt. Danilo Haussler, the WBA's #3 contender, was pissed at being passed over and filed a protest.

In the end, instead of fighting Miranda and getting exposure on Showtime or fighting Mundine and lifting a title from "The Man", Kessler's locked in with Sartison and would be required to fight Haussler in 120 days. Boring.

And what is up with that poster?!?!

Amir Khan (c, 17-0, 13 KOs) vs Michael Gomez (35-8, 24 KOs), Commonwealth (British Empire) lightweight title

Eh. Size, power, speed, youth: Gomez is outstripped in pretty much everything.

This will be Khan's last fight on ITV and potentially his last with promoter Frank Warren. Unless there is already a deal in place, he'll be the biggest free agent on the market afterwards.

Andre Berto (21-0, 18 KOs) vs Mikki Rodriguez (29-2, 23 KOs), vacant WBC welterweight title???

This was confirmed to be for the 147-pound title that Floyd Jr. vacated. But president Jose Sulaiman amended that a few days ago, saying that because he had no verification of Mayweather's retirement, Floyd would remain the WBC's welterweight champ and that an interim status would instead be available. Coupled with Mayweather's close ties to the WBC, it all added to speculation that Floyd's retirement might be short-lived.

The fight itself isn't really that interesting, as Berto should be able to weather his seemingly inevitable rough patches and decision or possibly stop Rodriguez.

Chris Arreola (23-0, 21 KOs) vs Chazz Witherspoon (23-0, 15 KOs)

The winner of this fight between US heavyweight prospects pretty much elevates himself to contender status.

Arreola's been brought along well and has put away his last eleven opponents. He also has a strong following as a Mexican-American heavy. Witherspoon's been matched a little easier and, as more of a ring technician, has failed to wow or create buzz.

Arreola is the favorite. Winner gets David Tua.

Arthur Abraham (26-0, 21 KOs) vs Edison Miranda (30-2, 26 KOs)

Abraham came in heavy yesterday, missing the 166 catchweight twice. (Surprising, as he's the one coming up for fight.) Miranda, whose last two fights were at supper middle, came in one pound under on his first try.

Kelly Pavlik is expected to be in attendance. As he already owns a KO victory over Miranda, an Abraham win would do well to drum up hype for a possible middleweight unification bout. Miranda's already made plans to call out Pavlik for a rematch.

 

[cthoaa]

M.Kessler TKO12 D.Sartison - Sartison down in 11th, 12th; collapses afterwards fr. exhaustion

A.Khan TKO5 M.Gomez - Gomez down in 1st, 5th; Khan down in 2nd

 

[pollo]

Witherspoon got owned. WTF just happened?

 

[cthoaa]

Witherspoon got owned. WTF just happened?

Very weird sequence. Arreola would have likely sealed the deal the next round, but nothing can be certain, esp. as Witherspoon would had the minute to recover.

The ref was... odd, to say the least. I think he was very confused.


Berto looked good against an overmatched opponent. The uppercut that began the end was visually stunning. I can't wait for all the gifs.


Abraham-Miranda II was a letdown in that it wasn't all fireworks, but rather three big bangs. It was tense throughout, though. Abraham sat on the ropes, giving Miranda cracks at his tight defense, and Edison could never really unsettle him. Abraham's one punch power is at the top of the division.

From the post-fight, Miranda seemed to take the defeat better than I could have ever imagined.

 

[Ash_69]

WOW at the Khan-Gomez fight last night. Fight of the year and probably one of the best boxing matches i've ever seen. Straight out of a Rocky movie. Gomez has come out of that fight with his life considerably shorter yet he would of taken a pummeling for 12 rounds before being knocked out, true warrior.
As for Khan, world title fight please.

 

[bjork]

Random, but does Vinny Pazienza still fight?

 

[gollumsluvslave]

WOW at the Khan-Gomez fight last night. Fight of the year and probably one of the best boxing matches i've ever seen. Straight out of a Rocky movie. Gomez has come out of that fight with his life considerably shorter yet he would of taken a pummeling for 12 rounds before being knocked out, true warrior.

Great fight, both guys just went at it hammer & tongs. Gomez must have taken the largest amount of clean, hard shots I've ever seen in a bout, and he just kept on coming.

Khan looked in great shape, was lightning fast, and looked to have Gomez out of sight in the 1st, but tremendous credit to Gomez - a hardy customer.

As for Khan, world title fight please.

Hmm, I'm not convinced yet - Khan is still extremely suspect on the inside, was hurt a few times, and while there are not many boxers out there that could have taken the punishment he dished out to Gomez, there are cannier, more technical boxers out there that could exploit his still obvious frailities.

 

[Ash_69]

^ Yeah thats what quite a few have been saying.
Although the way I see it, the breed of fighters he's had his way with arn't that far off of world title holder standards and even though he got hurt, you could say with quite some confidence he never looked like losing (same with all this fights). His fire power is enough to cause anyone problems though your right, he is more than likely gonna get caught against the best fighters.
I think Gomez took a beating that would of put down 95% of boxers in that division.

 

[kobashi100]

WOW at the Khan-Gomez fight last night. Fight of the year and probably one of the best boxing matches i've ever seen. Straight out of a Rocky movie. Gomez has come out of that fight with his life considerably shorter yet he would of taken a pummeling for 12 rounds before being knocked out, true warrior.
As for Khan, world title fight please.

Khan is very talented but he is nowhere near ready for a world title. All he has fought is blown up super featherweights who cant punch and who are easy to hit..

his chin still looks suspect. Gomez is a super Featherweight remember and he hurt Khan. This lot would do much more damage.

Nate Campbell
Juan Diaz
Julio Diaz
Joel Cassamayor
Yuri Romanov

 

[cthoaa]

It maybe should have happened sooner, but I think Khan needs to move up. Punches that should be irritating him are instead unsteadying him.

They said he was down to 1.5% bodyfat or something, which I can't believe. (Would he be able to move in such a condition?) Still, if making the lightweight limit is affecting his legs as far as support goes (stamina and movement seem fine), they might have to campaign at 140. He's got a big frame, and it might be time to fill it out some more.

his chin still looks suspect. Gomez is a super Featherweight remember and he hurt Khan. This lot would do much more damage.

Nate Campbell
Juan Diaz
Julio Diaz
Joel Cassamayor
Yuri Romanov

Just from a style perspective, 140 is more suited to him as the fights are more long range. Khan is more likely to beat Malignaggi and Bradley than anyone above.

 

[cthoaa]

Random, but does Vinny Pazienza still fight?

Nah. He's been away for a while now. He dropped a wide decision in 2002, then came back in 2004 and retired a winner.

Vinny Pazienza

 

[cthoaa]

Abraham's brother arrested

After the fight, Alexander Abraham, the younger brother of Arthur, was arrested by Seminole Police.

Alexander Abraham was part of his brother's entourage and allegedly jumped into the ring and kicked Miranda while he was being attended to by a ringside physician immediately after the fight.

Alexander Abraham was quickly taken into custody by police and removed from the building.

He was transferred to the Broward County Sheriff's Office, where he arrived at approximately 2:15 a.m. Sunday and was awaiting processing, according to Jacqueline Whitfield, the clerk on duty.

Alexander Abraham, 26, who lives with his brother in Berlin, is also a professional boxer. He is a junior middleweight with a record of 21-0-1 with 15 KOs.

Arthur Abraham could face a possible fine from the Florida State Athletic Commission for failure to control his team.

 

[Quazar]

Wow his brother is an asshole if true. So Pavlik & abraham? Hmmm. Is Calzaghe really fighting Roy Jones? In other fights last night I was really happy to see Marquez win.

 

[cthoaa]

He posted $100 bail and left for home. Team Sauerland (sp?) says that Alex didn't do anything and it was members of Team Miranda that was hitting their guys with chairs, which is a little outlandish and would have been very obvious.

The Marquez win was awesome. I loved the way the fight built up and how Marquez won the fans over completely. But he almost got robbed by the judges. Lorenzo must be pissed that he committed that foul; he could have been gifted a draw otherwise. Unfortunately for Raul, he's getting fed to Abraham for his troubles. A fight is beeing drawn up for October or November, depending on how well the cut heals.

EDIT: As for Berto:

His defense wasn't ever tested, but he still showed minor improvements, especially as far as launching while hiding behind his shoulder. The rear uppercut for this first knockdown wasn't the most concussive punch this weekend (I think the hook to drop Miranda a second time probably fits that bill), but I found it the most spectacular.

 

[kobashi100]

It maybe should have happened sooner, but I think Khan needs to move up. Punches that should be irritating him are instead unsteadying him.

They said he was down to 1.5% bodyfat or something, which I can't believe. (Would he be able to move in such a condition?) Still, if making the lightweight limit is affecting his legs as far as support goes (stamina and movement seem fine), they might have to campaign at 140. He's got a big frame, and it might be time to fill it out some more.


Just from a style perspective, 140 is more suited to him as the fights are more long range. Khan is more likely to beat Malignaggi and Bradley than anyone above.

I think Khan should go with Floyd Mayweather Sr you know. He would improve his defence and fighting on the inside.

 

[Tom_Cody]

Great fight weekend.

Good ShoBox show Friday. The Hearns fight was actually really entertaining, but it demonstrated pretty clearly that Ronald has no future in the sport. No head or upper body movement at all. He will get knocked out by the first real fighter he faces. Impressive performance from Andre Ward on that card. I consider it by far his most significant win so far. He finally looks like a pro. Hopefully he'll fight Allan Green or someone his level next.

Chris Arreola has become one of the most consistently impressive prospects in the sport, let alone the heavy weight division. He just beat the only other significant undefeated American prospect with ease. I am eager to continue to watch his rise.

It's definitely time for Berto to step it up. I have no idea why HBO paid for a fight involving Mikki Rodriguez, whose greatest ring accomplishment is going the distance with Carlos Baldomir. This should have been on ESPN. HBO continues to flush their money down the toilet. Berto was fighting someone he should have blown out and he did his job. I don't have anything else to say about this fight.

I enjoyed rooting for Marquez in his win. It's always fun to watch a veteran trump youth and athleticism with experience and cunning. Giovani Lozeno has been lurking around the middleweight division for years without taking a step-up fight. I guess we found out why. As good a win as this is for Marquez, I have absolutely no desire to see him fight again. Hopefully he'll heal up quickly so Abraham can fight him and move onto bigger and better things.

Ambraham-Miranda was a fascinating fight. It reminded of De La Hoya's fight against Mayorga. Abraham and DLH both stayed in the pocket under heavy fire temping their opponent to throw power shots, then counter punched dramatically once they had their opponents timed. Definitely the most significant fight of the weekend and the most impressive performance from a fighter. After Marquez, I would like to see Abraham fight the winner of Lacy-Andrade (if that fight ever happens) if he can't get one of the bigger names in the division. I would pay to see Lacy-Abraham on PPV.

 

[cthoaa]

I think Khan should go with Floyd Mayweather Sr you know. He would improve his defence and fighting on the inside.

He is currently being linked to Roger, who is more offensively-oriented, but definitely: for defense and in-fighting, if he really wants a Mayweather, it'd have to be Floyd Sr. Gomez was having more success in close quarters than one would like to see, busting up Khan to the body and snapping his head back with short uppercuts. If Khan's going after the lightweight title holders or even just the division's top ten, those leaks inside would have to be plugged.

Great fight weekend.

Good ShoBox show Friday. The Hearns fight was actually really entertaining, but it demonstrated pretty clearly that Ronald has no future in the sport. No head or upper body movement at all. He will get knocked out by the first real fighter he faces. Impressive performance from Andre Ward on that card. I consider it by far his most significant win so far. He finally looks like a pro. Hopefully he'll fight Allan Green or someone his level next.

Man. I didn't see the Hearns fight, but I follow Ward as he's local. Really good and measured performance, but just I HATE his leaping hooks. They come out every so often and they're so glaring; he doesn't really have the speed to throw and recover safely. Unfortunately, the most memorable sequence in this fight for me, the lasting memory I'll have won't be the knockdown or the stoppage or any punch he landed, but rather Ward missing high and very wide and getting turned almost completely around, back exposed. Very ugly.

There was a stretch a while back where Ward went inactive for 7 or 8 months, but now he's back to fighting every three or four, which is great. I hope Showtime can keep him on tv and a fight with Green or Pascal would be welcome.

Ambraham-Miranda was a fascinating fight. It reminded of De La Hoya's fight against Mayorga. Abraham and DLH both stayed in the pocket under heavy fire temping their opponent to throw power shots, then counter punched dramatically once they had their opponents timed. Definitely the most significant fight of the weekend and the most impressive performance from a fighter. After Marquez, I would like to see Abraham fight the winner of Lacy-Andrade (if that fight ever happens) if he can't get one of the bigger names in the division. I would pay to see Lacy-Abraham on PPV.

Yah, Miranda's pretty much reduced to Mayorga 2.0: big mouth and big punch, but poor form and gets knocked out by powerful punchers in Tito and DLH. Or Pavlik and Abraham in this case. I wonder if he'll ever find a son as good as Forrest, though...

Abraham to 168 for either Lacy or Andrade? I'm not sure he goes up again or lets his title go undefended for that fight. Lacy, I don't think I can watch anymore--he's a changed fighter after Calzaghe--but I would be interested in seeing if Abraham's the guy to crack Andrade's chin.

If Pavlik-Abraham gets made to unify their titles, do you think that fight is a pick'em?

 

[Quazar]

Pavlik wants Joe though right? Is the Roy Jones vs Calzaghe real right now or just talked about?

 

[cthoaa]

Calzaghe publicly dismissed Pavlik as an option and in print and on tv has been talking up Roy for his last fight, so I think it's going to go: Pavlik-Rubio, Abraham-Marquez, Calzaghe-RJJ.

 

[harSon]

Calzaghe publicly dismissed Pavlik as an option and in print and on tv has been talking up Roy for his last fight, so I think it's going to go: Pavlik-Rubio, Abraham-Marquez, Calzaghe-RJJ.

So Calzaghe only wants to fight people long passed their prime? :lol He has the ultimate defense, wait for boxers to lose from old age.

 

[Quazar]

I just think Cal wants a big pay day. Really, can anyone else other than RJJ pay as well?