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Friday, April 27, 2007
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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Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Gomez Comments on Concepcion Victory
Just back from his first trip across the pond, a triumphant Alfonso Gomez spoke about his win last weekend over Martin Concepcion.
Gomez scored a TKO in the 7th round of the fight, which was one of eight matches held March 30 in Newcastle, England, billed as the first annual Contender UK vs. USA “Sugar Ray Leonard Cup.” Gomez admitted to feeling frustrated in the early rounds, wanting to get aggressive but remaining wary of the punching power of Concepcion. “I thought he was going to use his size and power advantages to pressure and tire me out, but to my surprise he tried to box me and use his jab,” Gomez said. “That threw me off a little bit because I was prepared for a war on the inside.”
“I knew I could knock him out,” Gomez continued. “I just needed to get the punches in. I used my jab and better skills to connect, but I didn’t want to rush in to finish him because of his power, which I felt in the 4th round when he caught me with a good left hook.” Concepcion also had apparently done his homework, which added to the challenge.
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Tuesday, February 06, 2007
EEC - February 6, 2007
After a little hiatus that extended into the beginning of the week, we are back once again with the Early Eight Count…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- The April fight between Manny Pacquiao and Jin Chi has been postponed until at least October according to Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum yesterday.
Arum informed ESPN that Pacquiao would still be fighting in April, but now he would be lacing up the gloves on April 21st against an opponent that has yet to be named. The fight will take place in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
“Manny will fight in San Antonio and we’ll have an announcement on the opponent in a couple of days,” Arum said.
Arum also announed that Jorge Arce and Jose Navarro will face off in the co-main event. Other fighters who could also possibly be added to the card in the near future are Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Brian Viloria, and Edgar Sosa.
So what was the reason for the change? It’s hotel problems…
“We found out that because of certain delays there are only about 4,000 decent hotel rooms in Macau, and that is not enough to handle demand for this event,” Arum said. “They have a whole group of properties that are coming on line that we were expecting to be open by the end of April, but they aren’t going to make it. By the fall there will be 10,000 rooms. There will be plenty to handle the people in the fall.”
- Yet another boxer arrested…
Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion O’Neil Bell was arrested in Big Bear, California after assaulting his training partner, Larry Slayton.
37-year-old Larry Slayton, was helping Bell train for his March 17 rematch with Jean-Marc Mormeck in Paris, France. Slayton claims that Bell became angry with him during a workout session in the woods, and threw a hatchet at him. Bell was carrying the hatchet for protection against bears. At that point Slayton ran as Bell allegedly began to pelt him with large rocks. Arden Wiltshire, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, said that Deputies found Slayton with cuts from running through the brush and “fearful for his life.”
He is currently out on bail…
- Miguel Cotto has been named fighter of the year by the Puerto Rico Boxing Commission…
Some Good Reads:
ESPN: From gridiron to ring, Rossy’s rising fast
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Friday, February 02, 2007
EEC - February 2, 2007
Happy Groundhog Day everybody! We have a busy weekend ahead of us…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- The WBC announced yesterday that it has stripped the WBC Flyweight Title from Omar Nino because Nino has tested positive for methamphetamine according to post-fight testing results done after his November 18th bout against Brian Viloria.
Ironically Viloria and Edgar Sosa will fight for the title in the coming months. The winner of that bout will then have to face Nino who has been giving number one contender status since he was unaware that the drug had been put into his system.
“In light of the fact that the WBC believes that Nino did not voluntarily commit this infraction and considering that his clean record has won him the trust of this organization ... we are declaring that Nino will be the challenger for whoever is the new champion,” a WBC statement said.
- The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that Felix Trinidad will be at ringside to watch Cory Spinks fight Rodney Jones this weekend. He’s just going to see a decent bout, right? Not exactly…
Spink’s trainer, Kevin Cunningham, has confirmed that Trinidad will be at ringside with Don King to scout Spinks as a possible opponent in the near future…
“Don’s bringing Felix Trinidad in for this fight,” Cunningham said. “He might come out of retirement. Fernando Vargas is another possibility. But my thing is this: We want to keep chugging away, keep grinding. And eventually that big marquee fight will be there for us. And hopefully we can bring another big fight back to St. Louis.’‘
- Paulie Malignaggi will be the in-studio guest for ESPN’s Friday Night Fights this evening…
Weekend Fights
Friday -
Zuri Lawrence vs Dominick Guinn - Rochester, New York - Heavyweight (ESPN 2)
James Kirkland vs Billy Lyell - Santa Ynez, California - Junior Middleweight (Showtime)
Timothy Bradley vs Manuel Garnica - Santa Ynez, California - Junior Welterweight (Showtime)
Saturday -
Tomasz Adamek vs Chad Dawson - Kissimmee, Florida - WBC Light Heavyweight Title (Showtime)
Jesus Chavez vs Julio Diaz - Kissimmee, Florida - IBF Lightweight Title (Showtime)
Cory Spinks vs Rodney Jones - Kissimmee, Florida - IBF Junior Middleweight Title (Showtime)
Laila Ali vs Gwendolyn O’Neil - Kempton Park, South Africa - Women’s Super Middleweight Title
Sunday -
Naoufel Ben Rabah vs Lovemore Ndou - Sydney, Australia - IBF Junior Welterweight Title Eliminator
Paul Briggs vs Andre Thysse - Sydney, Australia - Light Heavyweight
Sakio Bika vs Rupert Van Aswegen - Sydney, Australia - Super Middleweight
Some Good Reads
Boxing Scene: Chasing Marciano’s Ghost: What’s in a Record?
MaxBoxing: Friday Night Fights Shuffle
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Wednesday, January 24, 2007
EEC - January 24, 2007
Not much today so bear with me. I’m trying to have KO Corner’s official rankings up by the end of the week at the latest…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Juan Lazcano and Vivian Harris will battle in a WBC Super-Lighyweight elimination bout on February 10th as part of the undercard of Shane Mosley vs Luis Collazo…
- The latest on Nikolai Valuev and Ruslan Chagaev per Boxing Scene:
Next up for WBA heavyweight champ Nikolai Valuev is the mandatory defense against Ruslan Chagaev. The WBA will call for purse bids on February 9 if no agreement is reached before that and wants the fight to go ahead no later than April 15.
- Stevie Johnston will take on Tyrone Harris for the vacant IBA Lightweight tile this Friday in Orlando, Florida.
- Rocky Balboa did not receive a Razzie nomination for one of the worst movies of 2006, the first time in years that Sylvester Stallone or a movie of his hasn’t been nominated apparently…
- Dominick Guinn has a taken a fight on extremely short notice and will take on Zuri Lawrence on February 2nd as part of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.
Some Good Reads:
ESPN: Reid’s a mean one, a la Grinch
Eastside Boxing: Is Inactivity Killing The Heavyweight Division?
Boxing Scene: Barrera-Marquez - A Beautiful Bastard Child
The Sweet Science: Weird Boxing Endings
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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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Saturday, January 13, 2007
Bundrage, Wright Victorious on FNF
Contender alumni Cornelius Bundrage and Walter Wright were both victorious last night on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.
It was the first bout for both fighters since before taping for the show began.
Bundrage inched out a split decision over Chris Smith in a fight where Bundrage was nearly stopped in the sixth round. Bundrage controlled the fight early on as he established his jab and was able to counter anything that Smith threw at him for the most part.
However Smith started to mount a comeback in the sixth round, connecting with a flurry of punches that had Bundrage reeling against the ropes and in danger. Luckily, Bundrage was saved by the bell before Smith could finish him.
Bundrage then started to pull away until the final round where Smith once again connected with multiple flurries but still was unable to stop Bundrage from continuing to press the action. The judges then ruled that Bundrage escaped with a split decision victory…
Walter Wright defeated Dan Wallace in the eighth round of their bout when a brutal flurry of punches from Wright forced the referee to stop the contest.
Wright dominated the entire fight and showed very crisp striking. Wallace appeared to be in great shape as well but had trouble finding his range throughout the entire fight.
It was in the eighth round where things quickly began to change - Wright stunned Wallace with a left hook, sending Wallace off-balance into the ropes. Wright capitalized on the opportunity and threw a flurry of 10 unanswered punches until the referee gave Wallace a standing count. The fight restarted but another unanswered flurry gave Wright the victory.
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Monday, October 16, 2006
HBO Backs Out of Jones-Manfredo; Showtime, ESPN Interested
ESPN is reporting that HBO has backed out and will not offer to televise the possible bout between Roy Jones Jr. and Peter Manfredo Jr.
After discussions with Manfredo’s promotional group - the same group that operates The Contender reality TV show - HBO decided that they were no longer interested in televising the event. I think it’s a good chance that HBO didn’t want to have to deal with all of The Contender references that would come along with having Manfredo as one of their fighters.
Two possibilties remain: Showtime and ESPN
Jones’ advisor Jim Thomas had a statement on why HBO decided not to pursue the bout…
They weren’t sure if they could afford Roy on the show,” Thomas told ESPN.com. “We were still dickering over Roy’s participation in the upside, but the guarantee was set. The money was what Roy had sent me out to get and we were happy with the deal, but then this HBO thing happened. So we’re talking to Showtime to see if it is something we can still do.”
It makes sense, but I’m sure that The Contender also had something to do with the decision.
Just in case the Manfredo fight never develops, Jones Jr. has a backup plan that we have already reported...
Jones’ advisor, Jim Thomas has stated that if victorious against Manfredo or whoever his opponent is this winter, he would then challenge Clinton Woods for his light-heavyweight strap.
It’s very smart to become involved in other discussions because a fight always has the possibility of falling through, even at the last minute when it becomes unthinkable. Manfredo’s camp hasn’t even made a statement on Jones’ challenge to my knowledge yet either. What if Manfredo says that he’s not ready for Roy?
“Ideally, Roy could fight Manfredo in January and then do the Clinton Woods fight on Showtime a few months later,” Jim Thomas has said.
If everything works out, the above would be exactly what would happen, providing that Jones is victorious against Manfredo. I don’t believe that Woods-Jones Jr. can happen on the original date in March, especially if the Manfredo fight happens on January 20th.
Woods-Jones Jr. II would happen at the ideal time to have a rematch between the two - Jones would be coming off his second straight victory; Woods would have a shot at avenging his 2002 loss to Jones Jr and defend his title…
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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The Contender 2 Finale
Well it all comes down to this: Grady Brewer vs Steve Forbes…
The show starts with a look at the crowd inside the Staples Center - It looks like it’s jam packed and everyone is pretty excited to see some boxing. A small preview of the main event is done as well as the bronze medal fight between Corneilus Bundrage and Norberto Bravo. It is revealed that Bundrage’s sister was murdered over the summer.
Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be calling the action. The fight starts and it’s immediately visible that Bundrage has improved his game. His jab is looking very crisp and he is easily controlling the fight while Bravo is still trying to find his range and figure out how to get inside on Bundrage. The first round definitely goes to Bundrage.
The second rounds begins and it’s more of the same: total domination by Bundrage. Bundrage drops Bravo towards the end of the second round but Bravo is able to get back up to his feet. The camera goes to the locker rooms and shows Steve Forbes getting ready for the fight. The fight continues and Bundrage continues to pull away. Bravo starts a small comeback but is unable to execute anything big at all.
The seventh round becomes the end of the fight as Bundrage starts teeing off on Bravo, worse than in any other round. Bravo can’t even intelligently defend himself at this point and the referee is forced to jump in and stop the fight midway through the round.
For the main event, I’m going to digress from my usual story type of reporting - I think I’m just going to recap the fight as a whole…
I’m pretty sure everyone knows that Grady Brewer wins by split decision if you watch the show. If you didn’t know already, you are welcome.
Brewer pretty much won the fight because of his size advantage over Forbes. He was able to outmuscle him during the clinches, being able to push off and land punches and control the fight whenever he wanted to. I’m sure that Brewer winning most of the early rounds helped him as well. Honestly, I think that Forbes should be fighting at 140 lbs instead of 149 lbs.
What’s surprising is that Forbes seemed to be the more aggressive fighter and usually that would result in success but it really didn’t - Brewer was able to beat him to the punch at many moments.