RSSEarly Eight Count
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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Monday, April 02, 2007
EEC - April 2, 2007
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- The UK Daily Record has reported that Amir Khan was forced to flee an amateur boxing tournament in Liverpool, England after being threatened by a group of fans over the weekend. Khan was apparently at the tournament to watch his younger brother compete. After his brother lost to James Deakin, about 20 fans walked over to Khan and started verbally assaulting him with racial slurs and threats. It was then that Khan was forced to quickly leave the building.
Khan’s manager Asif Vali gave an account of what happened:
“It was horrible and in my mind somewhat racist. Apart from the horrible insults, they were goading him saying things like, ‘Come on, have a go with us’ and ‘Come on if you fancy yourself’. It was very intimidating. I had specifically decided that we shouldn’t take any security with us because, after all, it was an amateur event,” Vali said. “Thankfully, we escaped without being hurt. Who knows what could have happened if they had attacked us?”
- Don King has reportedly gone into the baby product industry along with Mike Tyson and Zab Judah. God help us…
- HBO Boxing After Dark play-by-play announcer Fran Charles has stepped down from his position in order to focus on his other broadcasting job with the NFL Network.
Weekend Results
- Jhonny Gonzalez retained his WBO bantamweight title on Friday, defeating Irene Pacheco by TKO. The fight was stopped in the ninth round when a flurry of punches sent a visibly hurt Pacheco nearly through the ropes and out of the ring. After the fight Pacheco announced his retirement.
- Eddie Sanchez won a unanimous decision over Carlos Bojorquez on Friday, moving him up the rankings ladder at junior middleweight. The judges’ scorecards only had Bojorquez winning two rounds of the entire fight.
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Friday, March 30, 2007
EEC - March 30, 2007
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- The legal battle over the almost fight between Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams was finally settled in court yesterday.
What happens now? The results via ESPN:
Under the terms of the settlement, Goossen will promote the fight, which he won the right to Jan. 30 with a purse bid of $1,506,250, of which Margarito is entitled to 80 percent, or a career-high payday of $1.205 million. He will also receive an additional $395,000 that Goossen promised to pay him on top of the winning bid amount.
Although Top Rank won’t be involved in promoting Margarito-Williams, Arum said part of the settlement included Margarito signing a one-year extension to his promotional agreement with Top Rank, which will take him through at least 2008 with the company.
Also, if Margarito defeats Williams and Cotto defeats Zab Judah—who replaced Margarito in the June 9 fight—Margarito and Cotto will meet in the fall on HBO PPV.
- The Albuquerque Tribune is reporting that Johnny Tapia will not be charged by police with possession of cocaine for the time being.
Tapia was originally taken into custody on March 12 after he was hospitalized for a drug overdose.
Weekend Fights:
Friday -
Joel Julio vs Thomas Davis - Detroit, MI - Junior Middleweight (ESPN 2)
Jhonny Gonazalez vs Irene Pacheco - Tucson, AZ - WBO Bantamweight Title
Alfonso Gomez vs Martin Concepcion - Newcastle, England - Junior Middleweight
Freddy Curiel vs Ross Minter - Newcastle, England - Welterweight
Walter Wright vs Anthony Small - Newcastle, England - Junior Middleweight
Jesse Brinkley vs Robin Reid - Newcastle, England - Light Heavyweight
Cornelius Bundrage vs Colin McNeil - Newcastle, England - Junior Middleweight
Jerson Ravelo vs Paul Buchanan - Newcastle, England - Super Middleweight
Michael Clark vs Nigel Wright - Newcastle, England - Welterweight
Jonathan Reid vs Paul Smith - Newcastle, England - Middleweight
Saturday -
Virgil Hill vs Henry Maske - Munich, Germany - Cruiserweight (PPV)
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Monday, March 26, 2007
EEC - March 26, 2007
After a little break we are back…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Look for the KO Corner World Rankings to be updated at some point this week…
- Mikkel Kessler wants Joe Calzaghe, we’ve known that for a long time now. It’s been assumed that Calzaghe wants a crack at Kessler as well, the problem is that talks to try and get the two together have always fallen apart in the past. Kessler refuses to fight him in England just as Calzaghe won’t go to Denmark.
In today’s USA Today, Kessler mentions that he hopes his nationally televised bout this past weekend on HBO will get him the exposure he needs to have Calzaghe’s representatives setting up this fight as a priority.
“I want Joe Calzaghe, if he dares,” said Kessler. “I want to show the United States that I’m the best fighter.”
- David Haye has received a letter from the WBC stating that he will be getting a mandatory title shot against newly crowned WBC Cruiserweight Champ Jean-Marc Mormeck this summer.
“I’m really looking forward to fighting Mormeck,” said Haye. “I think our styles will make for a great tear up but I’m convinced that I have the ability to beat him.”
Before that happens, Haye has to defeat Tomasz Bonin on April 27th in London. If he’s successful, it seems that O’Neil Bell is going to have to wait a while...
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Friday, March 09, 2007
EEC - March 9, 2007
Not much today, just an overview of this weekend’s major bouts…
Weekend Fights:
Friday -
Paul Spadafora vs Oisin Fagan - Mount Pleasant, MI - Junior Welterweight (Telefutura)
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs Louis Brown - Hidalgo, TX - Welterweight (Telefutura)
Fernando Beltran Jr vs Baudel Cardenas - Hidalgo, TX - Junior Featherweight
Saturday -
Wladimir Klitschko vs Ray Austin - Mannheim, Germany - IBF Heavyweight Title (HBO)
Souleymane M’Baye vs Andreas Kotelnik - Liverpool, England - WBA Junior Welterweight Title
Derry Matthews vs John Simpson - Liverpool, England - Featherweight
Omar Narvaez vs Brahim Asloum - Le Cannet, France - WBO Flyweight Title
Some Good Reads:
FOX Sports: Life is interesting being Wladimir Klitschko
Boxing Scene: Spotlight on Margarito: Running To Stand Still?
Eastside Boxing: The Case for Steve Collins in the Hall
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Tuesday, March 06, 2007
EEC - March 6, 2007
Everyone remember to check for crusties in your eye before you start reading…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Freddie Roach has said that Manny Pacquiao should postpone his fight against Jorge Solis on April 14th because he feels that Pacquiao is distracted with his foray into politics and also because he hasn’t had enough time to train. Pacquiao responded in The Manila Standard Today, letting everyone know that he is ready…
In the face of criticism about his plan to run for the congressional seat of South Cotabato while at the same time preparing for his fight with Solis, Pacquiao said he is perfectly capable of handling both tasks.
- Max Kellerman is slowly making his way back into the spotlight…
Yesterday on his ESPN 1050 radio show, Kellerman stated that he believes the majority of the top boxers in the heavyweight division are on steroids and that no one should be shocked when they learn that a well-known boxer is linked to the giant Balco scandal.
Is he talking about Holyfield or someone else?
“Seven out of the 10 top heavyweights are on the juice,” Kellerman said. “Most of the top guys are (juicing).”
Some Good Reads:
ESPN: Pernell Whitaker: The undefined champion
Eastside Boxing: Bowe vs. Lewis: The Best Fights – Which ‘Never’ Took Place Part 1, Many of The Brightest Stars in boxing Today are One Dimensional
Boxing Scene: Barrera-Marquez: A super-featherweight’s burden
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Friday, March 02, 2007
EEC - March 2, 2007
The lighter weight classes dominate the big fights this weekend…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- The venue for Nikolai Valuev’s mandatory title defense against Ruslan Chagaev on April 14th will be the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany…
Weekend Fights:
Friday -
Ricky Quiles vs Nate Campbell - Tampa Bay, FL - IBF Lightweight Eliminator (ESPN 2)
Elio Rojas vs Johnnie Edwards - Belterra, IN - Junior Lightweight (Showtime)
Devon Alexander vs Scott Bell - Belterra, IN - Welterweight (Showtime)
Mike Stewart vs Enrique Colin - Philadelphia, PA - Junior Welterweight (Telefutura)
Scott Gammer vs Danny Williams - Neath, Wales - British Heavyweight Title
Saturday -
Israel Vazquez vs Rafael Marquez - Carson, CA - WBC Junior Featherweight Title (Showtime)
Vic Darchinyan vs Victor Burgos - Carson, CA - IBF Flyweight Title (Showtime)
Miguel Cotto vs Oktay Urkal - San Juan, Puerto Rico - WBA Welterweight Title (HBO)
Allan Green vs Edison Miranda - San Juan, Puerto Rico - Middleweight (HBO)
Juan Manuel Lopez vs Levi Brea - San Juan, Puerto Rico - Junior Featherweight (HBO)
Chris John vs Jose Rojas - Jakarta, Indonesia - WBA Featherweight Title
Robert Stieglitz vs Alejandro Berrio - Rostock, Germany - IBF Super Middleweight Title
Sebastian Sylvester vs Alessio Furlan - Rostock, Germany - Middleweight
Alexander Povetkin vs David Bostice - Rostock, Germany - Heavyweight
Some Good Reads
ESPN: Boxing does not escape the specter of steroids
FOX Sports: Too light to be a big fight?
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
EEC - February 28, 2007
The last EEC of the month! Ahhhh!
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Apparently Floyd Mayweather Sr. will now be helping his son train for his fight against Oscar De La Hoya on May 5th. We all knew it was coming…
- Alex Arthur has withdrawn from his fight against Alexander Hrulev on March 10th due to an arm injury.
- Audley Harrison released the following statement concerning his recent loss to Michael Sprott:
Firstly, I would like to say congratulations to Michael (Sprott) for his victory. To my fans, and anyone who cares for my well being, although I am disappointed to have lost, I am physically and mentally OK. As fighters, we aim to inflict maximum damage on our opponents, but at the end of the day it is a sport with a winner and a loser.
The punch (of which I obviously didn’t see!) was a great shot, landed flush and it was sweet goodnight. But as Michael’s expressions showed, it was not in tune with the fight till then and it can be argued it was a lucky shot to some degree.
But that is boxing and no excuses; I ignored the cardinal rule of boxing, and paid the ultimate price (hands up at all times, or at least when in range).
After knocking him down and having such a good first round, I lost focus and went forward rather than sticking to the game plan. I dropped my hands to open him up, hoping to land a clean shot that would send him home. I was sinking in body shots to help soften him up and although he rushed me a bit in the 2nd round I felt it was just a matter of time before I landed a telling blow. (I broke the other rule of boxing here – don’t look for the knockout as it won’t come.)
That is pretty much it, plain and simple. I could mention many things that went wrong in camp or how I was feeling after the high of the Williams win, but it’s irrelevant as I got in there and was good enough to win.
Once again, the papers and critics are out in force, which is understandable and I almost can see their point that my career appears over. But we are talking about ME here and maybe I am delusional or just plain crazy, but I feel determined (maybe more so now) to rectify this loss and move on in my career.
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Friday, February 23, 2007
EEC - February 23, 2007
I seemed to have wasted all of the news on yesterday…
Weekend Fights:
Friday -
Spend Abazi vs Robert Guerrero - Copenhagen, Denmark - IBF Featherweight Title
Johnny Tapia vs Ilido Julio - Albuquerque, NM - Featherweight
Darnell Wilson vs Kelvin Davis - Scranton, PA - Cruiserweight
Saturday -
Chris John vs Jose Rojas - Tenggarong, Indonesia - WBA Featherweight Title
Silvio Branco vs Stipe Drews - Oberhausen, Germany - WBA Light Heayweight Title
Fernando Montiel vs Z Gorres - Cebu, Philippines - WBO Junior Bantamweight Title
Some Good Reads:
ESPN: ‘The World Awaits’ a huge fight, and buildup to match
FOX Sports: Triumph, turmoil were always in Tapia’s corner
Boxing Scene: When The Heart’s Not In It: Audley Harrison & The Great Pretenders
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Thursday, February 22, 2007
EEC - February 22, 2007
Woooooooo!
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Lalia Ali will participate in the next edition of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars…
- Jim Lampley was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of violating a restraining order. He was also was ordered to stay away from Candice Sanders as well, a continuation of the restraining order.
- Joel Casamayor was stripped of his WBC Lightweight Title for discussing a fight between himself and WBO Lightweight belt holder Acelino Freias. David Diaz has now been named the WBC champ. Strict I know…
Casamayor and his promotional company released this statement
Santa Barbara Management strongly disagrees with the decision of the WBC to strip Joel Casamayor of his Lightweight Championship. Joel won his title the way a true champion should, in the ring. He has done nothing to justify this outrageous decision by the WBC and we are considering all of our options, legal or otherwise. Joel and everyone at Santa Barbara Management would like to thank all of the fans and others within the boxing community who have phoned and emailed us to show their support.
- Reports are coming out that Nikolai Valuev will make a mandatory title defense against Ruslan Chagaev on April 14th in Germany like we previously reported. Just another reason to stay on top of us for the latest news…
- Tommy Morrison will speak in an interview after his fight tonight according to Versus…
VERSUS will have a pre-taped interview with Tommy Morrison as well as a live interview during the telecast tomorrow night as part of its VERSUS Fight Night in collaboration with Top Rank Boxing at 9 p.m. ET from the Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort in Chester, West Virginia.
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