RSSDan Rafael
Saturday, September 01, 2007
De La Hoya Wants to Return at Welterweight
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Dan Rafael, Oscar De La Hoya has stated that he plans on returning to the ring next May, at welterweight:
But De La Hoya (38-5, 30 KOs), who has won 10 world title belts in six divisions, has no immediate plans to stop fighting and is thinking about his ring return, targeted for May 3, 2008.
And when he does return, De La Hoya said that he will be back in the welterweight division he once dominated before moving up to junior middleweight and taking a two-fight stab at middleweight.
“Nothing is set in stone about who I’m going to fight,” De La Hoya told ESPN.com in a recent interview. “Right now, I’m plotting these fights [that Golden Boy is promoting], keeping myself busy and spending time with my family. I won’t decide who I am going to fight until I see how things unfold [in the fall], but I will be back at welterweight, that’s for sure.”
Oscar back at 147 lbs? Just imagine the possible matchups: Mayweather, Mosley, Hatton, Williams, Cintron and Margarito are all potential opponents at this point.
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Friday, August 24, 2007
Klitschko to Face Winner of Tournament
Dan Rafael of ESPN is reporting that Chris Byrd, Alexander Povetkin, Eddie Chambers, and Calvin Brock have all agreed to participate in a “three-fight box-off” to determine who will receive a title shot against Wladimir Klitschko when he recovers from an injured left hand next year:
In the first elimination fight, former titlist Byrd (40-3-1, 21 KOs), who has already lost twice to Klitschko, will face 2004 Russian Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist Povetkin (13-0, 9 KOs), one of the hottest prospects in the world. They will meet Oct. 27 in Germany.
In the second eliminator, Chambers (29-0, 16 KOs) will meet Brock (31-1, 23 KOs) on Nov. 2 on Showtime’s “ShoBox: The New Generation” at a site to be determined.
The winners of the two fall fights will meet in early 2008, with that winner earning a shot at Klitschko.
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Friday, June 08, 2007
Taylor-Pavlik Looks Set for September
Dan Rafael of ESPN is reporting that a bout between Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik is looking very likely for this fall:
Taylor’s promoter, Lou DiBella, and Pavlik’s promoter, Bob Arum, both told ESPN.com that they have hammered out a deal in principle for the fight to take place this fall. HBO’s working date is Sept. 29. Although the promoters are on the same page, DiBella still needs to finalize his own deal with Taylor.
“Bob and I basically have a deal. We have no major terms we are fighting over and I believe it will get done,” DiBella said. “Bob and I have always been able to get things done. But there are discussions I need to have with my side and with HBO, and the HBO things are not related to money. I haven’t fully talked to my fighter or [Taylor adviser] Al Haymon yet, but I know for a fact that Jermain wants the fight and Haymon isn’t opposed to it.”
The promoters were happy that HBO’s offer for the fight of almost $5 million—well above the figure the network is obligated to pay under its exclusive contract with Taylor—was generous enough to keep the fight off pay-per-view. Arum credited HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg with coming up with the money.
Said DiBella: “HBO came with a fair offer and Bob has postured fairly, so the combination of the two things mean there is no reason a deal shouldn’t get done. I just have to talk things through with Jermain, who has been on vacation, and with Al. But we’re looking for a site. I believe it will happen in September and after Jermain wins, he will come back and fight again in December.”
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Thursday, April 05, 2007
EEC - April 5, 2007
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Last Friday I reminded everyone about the strong possibility of Roy Jones Jr. pulling out of his rumored bout with Tony Hanshaw because of past occurences. Guess what happened?
The fight has been scrapped according to ESPN’s Dan Rafael because of Jones unwillingness to agree to terms on a contract. Jones reportedly gave promoter Lou DiBella the go ahead to create a contract and then dodged DiBella when contacted. Days passed until DiBella received a text message from Jones saying that he would not agree to the fight unless he received triple the original amount of money that was already agreed for the fight.
Let’s just say that DiBella didn’t say yes…
- If Joe Calzaghe wants to fight Bernard Hopkins, he has to come to the USA:
“I’m not going to give Joe Calzaghe a forum to promote himself off Bernard Hopkins’ back,” Hopkins said. “I’m not about to say, ‘I want him.’ Legends don’t call out other fighters. I’m not being big-headed. That’s just how it is. And I wouldn’t go across the water to fight Calzaghe in any case. If he wants superstardom in America, let him come here. They got TVs in England. The money’s in pay-per-view, anyway.
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Thursday, June 15, 2006
Rafael Ranks ‘Em
Dan Rafael of ESPN has released his monthly division rankings, freshly updated from all of the results of recent action in the boxing world…