RSSBernard Hopkins
Friday, February 02, 2007
Report: Hopkins, Wright Agree to Terms for July 21 Clash
John Cotey of the St. Petersburg Times is reporting that Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright have agreed to fight on July 21st at a catch-weight of 170 lbs.
The fight will be broadcast on HBO PPV.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Wright’s adviser and attorney Jim Wilkes said. “When Winky wins, he will have beaten all the guys that beat Oscar (De La Hoya). Maybe that will convince Oscar he should fight Winky later this year. “
Wilkes also said that the contracts have not yet been signed but the deal is just about done.
A venue for the fight has not yet been found either but sources say the top two choice are Madison Square Garden in New York City and the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas…
So whatever happened to Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr?
Well that was the original plan but the two sides never agreed on the financial terms of the contract despite multiple attempts. Finally they just decided to call it off and pursue other options…
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
EEC - January 31, 2007
A lot of matchups forming this week. Could the heavyweights be starting up as I predicted?
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Joe Calzaghe made sure it was a point to jump at the fact that his opponent on April 7th, Peter Manfredo Jr., will be without his primary trainer Freddie Roach who will be training Oscar De La Hoya for his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5th.
“Sounds like Cap’n Freddie Roach was smart enough to jump ship before the U.S.S. Manfredo sinks in Wales on April 7,” remarked Calzaghe.
- Paul Spadafora will be returning to the ring on March 9th. An opponent has not yet been anmed for him…
- Now that Lou DiBella has Roy Jones Jr. locked up, he’s looking to make the possible super-fight between his client and Bernard Hopkins a reality:
“We will move forward to make the superfight against Hopkins on July 21 as long as the deal is fair to all parties and the fight is on an even playing field. I have never failed to make a fair deal with Golden Boy when we have negotiated for a fight that our fighters wanted.”
- Apparently Diddy looks up to Jack Johnson according to The Source magazine…
“I’m the return of Jack Johnson. His whole swagger, personality, the way he whupped yo ass, it’s the dress, the style, the cars and the money… “This man would rent whole trains, get six or seven women, take them away for six months and rent out the top floor of hotels… (at) a time when they were lynching niggas,” Combs said.
- What do Mike Tyson and Lindsay Lohan have in common? They are both in the same “rehab center”...
Some Good Reads:
ESPN: Lawrence got rocked, but ready to roll again
TSS: This Day in History (January 31, 1914)
Boxing Scene: The Big Time Has Called Kelly Pavlik
MaxBoxing: ‘The Ghost’ Arrives on the Scene; is Taylor Next?
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Thursday, January 18, 2007
Stallone Made Tyson Extra in Rocky Balboa Instead of Opponent
Did anyone else know that Mike Tyson asked Sylvester Stallone to be the main character in Rocky Balboa? I certainly didn’t…
In what was probably another attempt for Mike to score some serious money, Stallone thought it was a bad idea and turned down Mike’s offer. The reason he gave Starpulse was probably the same one that I would give:
The 60-year-old actor told the website that “Mike wanted to fight me in this film but I thought it was a bad idea. I know I’m not that young, but I’m still too young to die. I said, ‘Thanks, but I don’t think that would be a very good idea. Thank you very much.’
Oh but it gets better…
“But he kept calling the office saying he wanted to be in the film fighting me. Eventually, I relented and said he could be in the audience. Then I never heard from him. Suddenly, when I turn up in the ring he’s there at the side. I turned round and said to the crew, ‘Can you make sure you keep that son of a bitch out of the ring. If he gets in he’ll kill me.’ The man’s a killer.”
It’s so like Mike - Keep on pursuing things until he at least got in the movie. I wonder if the crew contacted Tyson behind Stallone’s back and made the whole thing come kind of prank against him. After all, Tyson would need to know the days they were filming the movie, where at, and all that good stuff.
Michael Woods from TSS brings up an interesting point: Viewers were able to believe Rocky had a chance since Antonio Tarver isn’t as ripped as other boxers…
Antonio Tarver was fine in the role, though I still think Shannon Briggs would have been the best choice to play the part of Mason Dixon. Those dreds, that physique…then again, Stallone may not have wanted such a specimen to stand next to him, and allow the audience to compare the two.
Tarver wasn’t all that ripped, and thus, we were better able to believe that the geriatric Balboa could stand toe to toe with him…
I really never thought about it but I do remember that while watching the movie, I did think that Tarver wasn’t as physically fit as I was expecting him to look. I also never really noticed that Briggs was that ripped until I went ahead and did a Google Image search on him. I mean I’ve seen him fight before but those pictures make him look pretty impressive…
Even Tyson would have been a stretch to put Stallone in the ring with. You know that Tyson would have gotten back in the gym and worked out a little to improve how he looked since the last time we saw him beating on Corey Sanders. That and he’s freakin’ Mike Tyson, Rocky would have been knocked out in the 1st round, right?
Who else could have took Tarver’s place in the movie? I know it’s another long shot but I think that Bernard Hopkins would have been interesting to see. You know, see who was the best fighter in Philadelphia, that sort of thing…
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
EEC - January 16, 2007
On the heels of Tommy Morrison testing negative, we have Mayweather and Hopkins speaking up, George Foreman traveling, the return of a former heavyweight champion, the pro boxing debut of a former UFC heavyweight champ, a major fight announcement and much more…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- What is it about English fighters that people find so intriguing? I mean really, if you followed this site over the summer, you would see how much media coverage both Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe got. They were always calling out the big names, always changing their minds about who they wanted to fight.
These days it’s the exact opposite with the elite American fighters wanting a piece of them.
Bernard Hopkins has shown interest in Calzaghe, hoping that he will move up a weight-class and fight him later this year:
“After Jones I hope he’ll come up to light-heavyweight to challenge me.” said Hopkins.
Calzaghe also met with Sylvester Stallone this past weekend at a boxing gala event as Stallone was making a trip over to the UK and Calzaghe was one of the people he wanted to meet the most.
Calzaghe said of the meeting with the famed Movie star:,“Sly was great. He’s just a normal guy. He turned up for the dinner by himself. There was no entourage. He said he wanted to meet me after seeing my recent win against Jeff Lacy. He said he was a fan of mine and had seen me fight many times but I told him I had seen him fight a lot more in the movies.”
Calzaghe added: “I value Sly’s opinion. He’s in great nick for a man of 60. He has the body of a 30-year-old. It was great to hear him tell us about Hollywood.”
Apparently calling out Floyd Mayweather Jr. 1000 times is going to pay off for Hatton as Pretty Boy Floyd will be ringside for his fight this weekend against Juan Urango. Even better, he’s going there because of him…
“I’m looking forward to getting an up close and personal look at Hatton so that I can make my mind up on whether I might want to fight him.” explained Mayweather.
- Former heavyweight champion Lou Savarese will continue his comeback this Thursday when he takes on MMA veteran Travis Fulton in an event promoted by himself and his business partner Cameron Park.
- On the same card as Savarese and Fulton, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez will be makig his pro boxing debut.
- DRL Promotions has announced that WBC Lightweight Champion Joel Casamayor will defend his title in a rematch against Acelino Freitas. Freitas won the first fight between the two in 2002 by a close split decision in a fight that Casamayor would have won if he didn’t have two points deducted during the fight for illegal blows.
There is no date set for the fight as of yet but it is expected to be televised on HBO…
- George Foreman is reportedly traveling to the Middle East to promote his famous George Foreman Grill machines. He will be visiting the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai to do an expo on his product.
Some Good Reads:
The Sweet Science: Looking Forward To More In The New Year: Part II; Brooklyn southpaw Luis Collazo is ready for Pomona’s Sugar Shane
Eastside Boxing: Big Name Heavyweights James Toney Could Still Defeat
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Sunday, December 10, 2006
Maskaev Decisions Okhello in Russia
Oleg Maskaev successfully defended his WBC Heavyweight title on Sunday, defeating Peter Okhello by unanimous decision in the first world title fight in the history of Russia…
Despite not being able to get the knockout that he was looking for, Maskaev still dominated Okhello through 12 long rounds, knocking him down multiple times as Maskaev was agressive for the entire bout.
“Not all worked smoothly today,” Maskaev said. “But then I slowly braced myself and make it to the victory.”
“I expected the fight to be long. Peter Othello was tough. I tested him several times, knocked him down but he withstood.”
Now it comes time for Maskaev to make a big decision about his next fight: Will he take Bernard Hopkins put on his offer or will he look to unify one of the titles against one of the three other heavyweight title holders?
It’s going to be interesting to see what Maskaev decides in the coming months….
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Could We Have an Undisputed Champion by Sunday Morning?
A win over Calvin Brock would certainly put Wladimir Klitschko on top of the heavyweight world…
Could he be considered the undisputed heavyweight champ, even though there are three other fighters in the division sporting that gold thing around their waist? In my opinion, he already is - a win over Brock Saturday night will just cement it even further.
Let’s take a look at the evidence…
Would everyone be in agreement with me if I said that the only other three that can challenge Klitschko for this title would be the three other champs: Briggs, Valuev, and Maskaev?
Shannon Briggs has been a question mark throughout his career. He always had the potential but never succeeded until now. A rematch with Liakovich is on the horizon. Sergei and his manager are sending a letter of protest to the WBO and actually have a pretty solid case. A rematch could become a reality in the near future…
Nikolai Valuev is a monster of a heavyweight and certainly has the ability to stop anyone in the division. However with the exception of John Ruiz, the level of competition he has faced isn’t that impressive.
It’s going to be interesting to see who Valuev selects as his next opponent…
Oleg Maskaev is probably the closest to Wladimir in terms of who could also be considered the top champion of the four. However Maskaev like the others has his faults. Although he has beaten Hasim Rahman twice in convincing fashion, he has losses to many journeyman heavies.
If Wladimir is victorious two days from now, we may even see a unification bout between the two at some point next year. That depends on Maskaev defeating Peter Okhello in December and whether or not he wants to take up Bernard Hopkins on his challenge.
Maybe I’m wrong, maybe many do regard Wladimir as the undisputed heavyweight champ right now. One thing is for certain, a win on Saturday will silence any doubters…
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Calzaghe Now Wants Taylor
How many different fighters is Joe Calzaghe going to call out this year? I understand that it might be part of Frank Warren’s plans but how are opponents supposed to be confident that Calzaghe is serious about setting up a matchup when is challenging other boxers at the same time.
Roy Jones stated that he was going to take Calzaghe’s request to fight him seriously...
Calzaghe claimed that Clinton Woods was afraid of him...
Antontio Tarver decided to turn down Calzaghe, showing no interest…
Calzaghe wants to unify the titles against Mikkel Kessler…
Calzaghe announces his plans to come to America and wanted Bernard Hopkins as his first opponent...
The latest? WBC and WBO Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor.
“Jermain Taylor is number one for me,” said Calzaghe. “He beat Hopkins, he’s young, undefeated, a massive test.”
Calzaghe discussed Taylor among other things yesterday during a media luncheon in New York City.
His future plans may very well look like this: a February unification bout with Kessler and provided that he is successful, a possible June showdown with Taylor could happen. Date and Location: Madison Square Garden in July maybe?
According to Warren, Taylor’s promoter Lou DiBella has already said the possibility of a fight between the two in the near future is very real. Calzaghe also thinks his chances are real…
“If I fight Taylor like I did versus Lacy, nobody can beat me,” he said. “Nothing’s certain, but I’m confident I’ll win. Jermain Taylor and me would be a megafight.”
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Thursday, October 19, 2006
Calzaghe Shot Down by Hopkins; February Bout With Kessler Possible
Bernard Hopkins has said that he will not come out of retirement to fight Joe Calzaghe and will only do so if he can challenge Oleg Maskaev for the WBC Heavyweight belt.
Calzaghe recently challenged Hopkins after his victory over Sakio Bika this past Saturday night, stating that Hopkins would probably love to fight him. Well, Bernard thinks differently…
“It’s not that Calzaghe is not worthy of the fight. He is. He has become a major player in boxing,” Hopkins said. “But to me, it’s going backwards. That’s not a bigger fight than me beating the heavyweight champ of the world. I cannot get the satisfaction or gratification fighting Calzaghe. I would be the underdog against Maskaev, but not necessarily against Calzaghe. I just don’t see that fight being as big as a Maskaev fight.”
Now that Hopkins is out of the picture, this paves the way for a unification bout between Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler. Promoters for both fighters have been reportedly talking for the past couple of days in hopes of setting up a fight between the two as early as February of next year.
Unlike I reported earlier, the talks in getting the bout done may not be as hard as originally thought…
Kessler’s camp is now saying that him coming over to England to fight is not out of the realm of possibility, especially if the price is right. Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales would probably be the most likely spot to have the fight.
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Monday, October 16, 2006
Calzaghe Wants Fight in America; Calls Out Hopkins
Joe Calzaghe - You are killing me.
I don’t think you have stopped talking since you beat Sakio Bika on Saturday night. First you want to unify the titles with Mikkel Kessler, and out of nowhere, now you want Hopkins?
Even better, earlier today I said that you were afraid to come to America…
Why won’t Calzaghe leave Europe, or even England for that matter? Ricky Hatton finally made the jump so why can’t he? It just seems that he challenges every name in the book but when it comes down to it, he prevents bigger matchups from taking place because he won’t go to a different site for the fight.
Now, you actually want to?
“I want to go to America because all the greats have gone over there. People say I am too much of a homeboy but I have shrugged my chains off and I am ready to explore. Hopkins is a true champion. He is talking about coming back to fight heavyweights but that is rubbish,” insists Calzaghe. “He would love to step up to the challenge to fight me.”
I’m going to be honest Joe, I don’t think Hopkins will want to fight you, just ask Oleg Maskaev...
Then again it’s possible - Maskaev will have to defend the title against the winner of James Toney-Samuel Peter II aka the mandatory challenger to his belt. He could lose that and then all chances of Hopkins taking him on are done with. Maybe Calzaghe will luck out…
Personally, I think that Calzaghe should take Kessler’s offer and go with him for his next fight. Coming to America might not be a bad idea, especially if he wants to get out of the shadow that hovers over him because he hasn’t left England yet.
Bernard Hopkins all of people though? I know that Calzaghe probably wants to test himself but I don’t think B-Hop is the best debut opponent for him to face in the US, especially with his hands being like they are…
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Thursday, October 12, 2006
Maskaev-Hopkins Becoming A Possible Reality?
For those of you who live under a rock or have spent the last couple of months in space, Bernard Hopkins has stated that he would be willing to come out of retirement if he could fight WBC Heavyweight Champion Oleg Maskaev.
We’ve already gone through the obstacle course that they would have to go through in order to make this fight official but let’s go through it again one more time, shall we?
Maskaev first has to defend his title and retain it against Peter Okhello on December 9th. If Maskaev is victorious he then must somehow convince the WBC to allow him to take on Hopkins against of the winner of the Samuel Peter-James Toney rematch in January.
Maskaev has already gotten around facing Samuel Peter once, can he do it again?
Hopkins has already said that he won’t take on Maskaev if it’s not for the title so Maskaev must retain it in December.
Dennis Rappaport, Maskaev’s promoter, said in a recent interview that Hopkins’ challenge is nothing more than a publicity stunt.
However Rappaport has also confirmed that Oscar De La Hoya has contacted him about setting up the fight…