RSSJoe Calzaghe
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Sugar Ray Leonard to Train Manfredo
Sugar Ray Leonard announced earlier today that he would be training Peter Manfredo Jr. for his upcoming fight against Joe Calzaghe on April 7th.
Leonard is taking the place of Freddie Roach, Manfredo’s usual trainer who has opted to instead train Oscar De La Hoya for his showdown against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5th.
Even though he has never been a trainer before for such a big-name fighter, Leonard was confident that he would do well…
“I’m not a trainer, but my skill is in tactics and strategy,” said Leonard, whose only previous cornering experience was for his brother.
Calzaghe was quick to make it known that having Leonard is his corner isn’t going to help Manfredo any when it comes time to lace up the gloves:
“I don’t care who he has in his corner, he isn’t going to beat me, it’s as simple as that,” said the undefeated 34-year-old.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens here. This might be the beginning of a new career for Leonard. Who knows - What happens if De La Hoya beats Mayweather and Oscar decides to continue fighting? Would he dump Floyd Mayweather Sr. completely and ask Roach to stay on. That could lead to Manfredo sticking with Leonard.
So many interesting storylines going on right now involving a circle of fights…
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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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Saturday, January 27, 2007
EEC - January 27, 2007
Saturday! Saturday! Saaaturday! Saturday! Saturday! I’m such a loser…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Former WBC Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman is supposedly very close to completing a deal that will have him fighting Sinan Samil Sam in May in an odd location, Turkey…
“We’re in serious negotiations and expect to complete them by next week some time,” Rahman’s manager Steve Nelson said Friday. “We are pretty close to finalizing the deal.”
We reported that Rahman was going to fight Ray Mercer last week but Rahman pulled out of the fight, stating he still has some pre-existing injuries that need to heal up before he steps back into the ring.
“It had nothing to do with money. It had to do with the fact that [Rahman] had some problems and we’re not going to take the fight unless he’s 100 percent,” Nelson said.
- The Rahman-Mercer fight was scheduled to be televised on Versus and now the network is desperately searching for another main event fight to take it’s place. If anyone is interested please get in contact with them…
- One more note on the Rahman-Sam fight: Joe Mesi will be featured on the undercard, taking on George Linberger in a 10 round affair…
- According to the Times Online, Calvin Brock has dropped trainer Tommy Yankello and hired Pernell Whitaker to be his new one…
- Want tickets for Manfredo-Calzaghe? Better act fast…
Tickets for the April 7 Joe Calzaghe/Peter Manfredo Jr. super middleweight title fight (HBO) are going like hotcakes. Promoter Frank Warren announced today that with nine weeks still to go until the opening bell of this transcontinental clash, over 20,000 tickets have already been sold.
Some Good Reads:
Boxing Scene: Jorge “Travieso” Arce: Atop Boxing’s Evil Empire
SI: Heavy deadweight
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Friday, January 26, 2007
EEC - January 26, 2007
It might be the weekend but it’s certainly a slow one in terms of boxing…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Muhammad Ali and his wife have bought a $1.8 million dollar home in Louisvlle, Kentucky…
While the reason for the move has not yet been established one of the main reasons was given by the president of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Mike Fox, who stated that the Ali family tries to come visit the center every other month but the length of the travel is becoming more and more difficult each time for Muhammad.
Ali also owns residences in Berrien Springs, Michigan and Phoenix, Arizona.
- Ulises Solis successfully defended his IBF Junior Flyweight Title last night when his opponent, Will Grigby, failed to answer the bell and get up from his stool when summoned just before the 9th round was to begin.
- Evander Holyfield has dropped M&M Sports as his promoter and signed on with Main Events, the promotion he originally started his career with.
The main reason for Holyfield leaving?
Because the pay-per-view lost so much money due to the poor buyrate and live gate figures, most of the undercard fighters, and Fres Oquendo, were initially stiffed or received checks that bounced. Lou DiBella, who promoted Oquendo at the time of the fight, was close to filing suit against Muhammad.There was a rumor that even Holyfield received a check that bounced, but it was never confirmed. Ironically, while fighters were being stiffed, Muhammad was offering IBF champ Wladimir Klitschko $20 million dollars to face Holyfield.
The New Jersey Herald-News is reporting that Holyfield’s first fight with the promotion will come this spring.
- Joe Calzaghe believes he is the best fighter from the UK, not Ricky Hatton…
“I saw the Hatton fight and it makes me think I could do better,” said Calzaghe. “Hatton looked good for the first four or five rounds, but, for whatever reason, he tired a bit. He won the fight comfortably, but it wasn’t a great fight to watch. I believe I’m the No 1 fighter in the country - and I want to prove myself over there (in America).”
Weekend Fights:
Friday -
Richard Gutierrez vs Teddy Reid - Uncasville, Connecticut - Junior Middleweight
Saturday -
Kelly Pavlik vs Jose Luis Zertuche - Anaheim, California - Middleweight (HBO)
Jorge Arce vs Julio Roque Ler - Anaheim, California, Junior Bantamweight (HBO)
Victor Oganov vs Richard Grant - Anaheim, California - Super Middleweight (HBO)
Zsolt Erdei vs Danny Santiago - Dusseldorf, Germany - WBO Light-Heavyweight Title
Some Good Reads:
Eastside Boxing: What if George Foreman had beaten Jimmy Young?
MaxBoxing: Barrera vs. Marquez: Better Late than Never
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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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Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Calzaghe Hints at Retirement Plans
Joe Calzaghe has made it known for a few years now that he is eventually going to retire sooner rather than later because of his age and the beating that his hands have taken over the years.
In a recent interview with BBC, Calzaghe stated his plans for the near future and why his fight against Peter Manfredo Jr. in April may very well be his last fight in Cardiff…
“This could possibly be my last fight in Cardiff. If I have a few successful fights in 2007 I will sit down and see where I am because I’ve achieved nearly everything I want to achieve in boxing. Only four or five in history have got to 20 defences so that is a massive goal for me. I want to get to that magic number 20 in front of my home fans in the Millennium Stadium.”
He says that it’s his last fight in Cardiff - could it be his last fight overseas and is he hinting at a serious trip to the United States for one of his 2007 fights? Calzaghe has been calling out some pretty big names as of late and he would definitely have to come to the USA for a shot at them.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Calzaghe-Manfredo Jr. Postponed Until April
Joe Calzaghe’s 20th title defense against Peter Manfredo Jr. has been postponed until April 7th because of various problems including scheduling of personnel and the delivery of products.
THe fight was originally supposed to take place on March 3rd. HBO will still broadcast the fight at Millennium Stadium in England live…
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Taylor Defeats Ouma; Retains Title, Perfect Record
Despite being bloody and battered, Jermain Taylor retained his two middleweight titles and won an unanimous decision over Kassim Ouma on Saturday night.
The fight took place in Taylor’s hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas and was contested under the WBC’s new scoring policy in which the judges’ scores are announced at the end of the 4th and 8th rounds as well as the end of the fight. All of the judges had Taylor winning by an overwhelming margin each time and Ouma used it as fire to go for a knockout but he was unsuccessful.
Speaking of knockouts, didn’t Taylor promise the Little Rock fans a knockout win in this fight? Even though he didn’t deliver, I’m sure his fans are happy anyway.
Despite taking a good amount of punishment, Ouma never backed down from his opponent. Taylor was actually on the defensive for much of the fight, I’m surprised that the judges didn’t score the fight a lot closer…
“He came out and fought hard for all 12 rounds,” Taylor said. “He’s a little guy, but he’s very tough.”
“I’m never going to give up. You know me,” said Ouma, who added that he planned to stay at 160 pounds. “I’m a small guy, but I am here to stay.”
Taylor suffered a deep cut during the 5th round over his left eye and the blood continue to stream down throughout the remainder of the fight.
After the fight there was much speculation that Taylor would now face Sergio Mora next and provided that he win, would take on Joe Calzaghe in a showdown this summer. Both fighters have called Taylor out recently and I’m sure they are going to be happy once they hear the rumors…
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Now Taylor Wants Calzaghe
Why don’t they just get married, they want each other so bad. Just kidding, bad joke…
WBO and IBF Super Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe has already stated that he has a lot of interest in fighting Jermain Taylor...
Well it just so happens that the WBC and WBO Middleweight belt holder feels the same way.
“Calzaghe is a fight I would love because he’s supposed to be the man there and those are the guys I want,” said Taylor, adding that “Boxing is a job, that’s all. What’s the point of sticking around? To get extra, extra rich? I’m already rich, richer than I ever thought, so I don’t need to be any richer. I’m going to get out and never look back.”
Taylor has said that he will move up in weight next year - I’m guessing that means his fight against Kassim Ouma will be his last at 160 lbs.
Even more surprising is the fact that Taylor is saying he will be ready to retire in 2009 at the age of 30. What the hell is with these younger boxers retiring all of the sudden?
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.”