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Saturday, April 28, 2007
Morrison Bout Cancelled Because of Late Lab Results
It’s late so here’s ESPN via the AP giving a quick rundown on what happened…
Former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison was pulled from a scheduled bout Friday night because state boxing officials didn’t get the results of lab tests in time. Dick Cole, boxing administrator for the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulation, said a Houston doctor, Jorge Guerrero, examined Morrison on Thursday and cleared him to fight. But Guerrero never filed the paperwork required by the agency, Cole said.
Morrison told Houston television station KRIV he was stunned when he learned the fight was canceled.
“I’ve done everything I was asked,” Morrison said. “These blood tests can take up to eight days. Yet they bring me in here five days before the fight. It almost feels like a setup.”
Cole said the agency is trying get the issue resolved.
“As soon as we get that in, he’ll be licensed,” Cole said. “They say he’s OK. But we can’t afford to just assume like that. I’m sure he is fine. But we need to have certain forms to prove it and we don’t have those.”
Morrison was slated to fight Dale Ortiz in a four-round bout in a Houston hotel ballroom.
“I thought it was a joke,” Morrison said about the canceled fight. “They dropped the ball, but I’m used to this kind of stuff.”
On Thursday, Patrick Shaughnessy, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, said Morrison had been granted a boxing license in Texas. Cole said the agency gave Morrison a “verbal agreement” to issue him a license, but it could not officially grant one until it received the paperwork. Cole expected to have the lab tests Thursday night, but he said the doctor could not finish them.
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Friday, April 27, 2007
50 Cent Lays Down $1 Million on Mayweather
According to a report from All Hip Hop, rapper 50 Cent has apparently bet $1 million on Floyd Mayweather Jr defeating Oscar De La Hoya next Saturday.
50 Cent will also be accompanying Mayweather to the ring while singing his new debut single, “Straight to the Bank”.
“50 Cent is a great friend of mine and it means a lot to me to have him walk me in to the ring and debut his new song,” he said. “With this fight being the Super Bowl of boxing, the fans and celebrities coming out to the fight and everyone watching around the world will see the greatest show ever.”
“It will be great to walk Floyd to the ring for the biggest fight of his career,” added 50 Cent, who will also perform his new single “Straight to the Bank” for the first time live. “Fans will get a taste of my new song and then Floyd is going to show the world why he is the best in the business.”
De La Hoya Could Also Capture PPV Title Next Saturday
Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram brings up an interesting point about next Saturday’s matchup for the ages between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Oscar De La Hoya. If the fight reaches close to 1 million PPV buys, De La Hoya becomes the highest grossing boxer in terms of PPV revenue in history…
De La Hoya seems to have gift of promotion
Oscar De La Hoya has been involved in plenty of big pay-per-view events during a career in which he has won world titles in a record six weight classes.
Only heavyweights Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield have generated more pay-per-view revenue at $545 million and $543 million, respectively.
De La Hoya is at $492 million. According to Richard Schaefer, CEO of De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, if De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. can sell at least 965,000 buys for their May 5 super welterweight showdown at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, De La Hoya would then take the lead.
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Sunday, April 22, 2007
Ward to Train Gatti for July 14 Bout
Yes, the title is correct people…
Micky Ward, the man that Arturo Gatti went to war with on three separate occasions, will train Gatti for his return bout on July 14th in Atlantic City.
The change comes months after Gatti fired his previous trainer Buddy McGirt as part of the aftermath of Gatti’s brutal knockout loss to WBC Welterweight Champion Carlos Baldomir in July of last year.
In a recent interview with the Atlantic City Press, Ward stated that he was completely shocked when he got the call to train Gatti. He also said that he thinks he will be able to do a good job since he knows Gatti’s style so well:
“I was a little shocked when he called to ask me to come on, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s a good match because we both give 110 percent at anything we do. I’m trying to give the same effort at training that I gave in the ring,” Ward said. “I know Arturo’s style. I know what makes him tick. I think Arturo has something left, more than he showed in his last fight (vs. Baldomir).”
“Nobody understands that we became pretty close friends after trying to kill each other in the ring. We have great respect for each other and a good friendship. Arturo’s a great guy and a great fighter and I’m just hoping to help get him back on track.”
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
NSAC Reinstates Roger Mayweather’s Training License
The Grand Rapids Press is reporting that the Nevada State Athletic Commission has reinstated Roger Mayweather’s training license and will allow him to train his nephew, Floyd Mayweather Jr, for his fight against Oscar De La Hoya on May 5th.
Mayweather was originally fined and suspended for a year because of his participation in the April 2006 brawl at the end of Mayweather-Judah bout.
The NSAC approved Roger Mayweather with a unanimous vote but also stated that a similar incident occurring again would result in a possible lifetime ban for him.
“I do regret it happened, and I wouldn’t do it again in the same situation,” Mayweather told the Grand Rapids Press.
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Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Hopkins Not Against Fighting Holyfield
Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News interviewed Bernard Hopkins at a recent awards dinner and asked him about the possibility of taking on Evander Holyfield later this year. Hopkins gave an interesting answer:
“You just put a fight together. It’d be two legends going up against one another. It would be a chance for Bernard Hopkins to prove he can hang with a bona fide heavyweight, and one of the greatest of my era,” Hopkins said.
Fernandez also spoke with Main Events’ Kathy Duva who is currently serving as Holyfield’s promoter. Duva seemed to have no doubts about putting the two together and stated that if Holyfield wanted the fight then it would happen. She also stated that Holyfield has a lot more to lose in taking the fight than Hopkins does…
“Oh, my God, I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work,” Duva said. “It would certainly be a moneymaker. Both of them are brands. You put brands together, it’s called pay-per-view. I can’t speak for Evander, but if he said, ‘Let’s do it,’ I’ll be there with bells on. Frankly, I think it’d be worth more than a lot of heavyweight title fights. From a marketing standpoint, it’s beautiful.”
“Evander would have a lot more to lose than Hopkins,” Duva said. “That is something that would have to be taken into consideration. If you look back, Evander’s always had a harder time with small heavyweights. Some of his worst nights came against guys like Chris Byrd and Bert Cooper, who weren’t that big. But seeing how mobile and quick he was against Maddalone . . . it was like watching the Evander of 15 years ago. I couldn’t believe it.”
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Thursday, March 29, 2007
Victor Burgos Update
Victor Burgos remains hospitalized but has been moved out of intensive care and into a regular hospital room according to a report by ESPN’s Dan Rafael on Wednesday.
“It all sounds really positive. He’s breathing on his own,” King public relations director Alan Hopper said Wednesday.
Burgos, 32, had been on a ventilator, but is now breathing on his own.
“A tube in his throat had been removed earlier, but residual soreness still makes it difficult for him to speak above a whisper,” Gonzalez said in an e-mail to Hopper. “Victor has been recognizing friends and family members that come to visit. He was also visited by two of his children for the first time [Monday].”
Friday, March 09, 2007
Klitschko-Austin in Jeopardy Over Glove Dispute
A glove dispute placed Saturday’s International Boxing Federation heavyweight championship at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany, in jeopardy late Friday afternoon. IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko is slated to defend his title against No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger Ray “The Rainman” Austin.
“This whole fight was conceived under the auspices there would be fair play and complete impartiality,” Austin’s promoter Don King said. “When the negotiations for this fight began, I made it clear that there should be no officials from the United States or Europe and that the officials should be appointed by the IBF to ensure neutrality and remove even the perception of any impropriety.
“What happened today shows I have not been dealt with in good faith.”
When the contract for the match was being finalized in January, defending champion Klitschko said he preferred Grant gloves and the challenger Austin said his preference was to use Reyes gloves.
Continue reading "Klitschko-Austin in Jeopardy Over Glove Dispute"
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Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Report: Victor Burgos Out of Coma
The Long Beach Press Telegram is reporting that Victor Burgos has come out of his coma and is now responding to to doctors at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California.
Don King’s office apparently told the paper that Burgos answered to some verbal commands and that he seems to be improving. He remains in the intensive care unit.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Tapia’s Opponent Changes for Tonight
Former five-time world champion Johnny Tapia has a new opponent for tonight after his scheduled foe, Ilido Julio failed his physical earlier today according to promoter Lenny Fresquez.
“He failed his physical. That’s all I can tell you,” Fresquez said Friday.
Tapia’s new opoonent will be Paulino Villalobos.
Is Tapia going to retire after this fight? The obvious answer was yes up until this week but now it seems that Tapia is unsure of his future:
“If this is my final one, it’s my final one. If it’s not, what can I do?” said Tapia. “I just love it still. I’ve been doing it all my life.”