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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, February 12, 2007
EEC - February 12, 2007
Not a lot on the whole news front today but there’s still some interesting notes…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- One of Shane Mosley’s next opponents may very well be Miguel Cotto. Cotto’s scheduled June bout against Antonio Margarito is now all but officially cancelled since Margarito signed a contract to face WBO mandatory challenger Paul Williams.
- It seems that Bernard Hopkins is picking his fellow Golden Boy Promotions associate, Oscar De La Hoya to defeat Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May…
“Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather will be the first time in history that a fighter’s name gets changed after the fight, from Pretty Boy to Ugly Boy. I’m just telling you how I feel. The opposite of pretty is ugly. There ain’t no in-between. I’m just telling what’s going to happen,” Hopkins said.
- Hasim Rahman has pledged to donate a percentage of the rest of his career earnings to the family of an injured Baltimore detective who was struck by a vehicle driven by Rahman’s brother Karim during a chase from police in which Karim also robbed a convenience store.
Some Good Reads:
The Sweet Science: This Day in History (February 12, 1974)
MaxBoxing: Still Sweet
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Thursday, February 08, 2007
EEC - February 8, 2007
If you enjoyed yesterday’s rankings, I’m sure you will also like the fight predictions we will be coming out with in the next few weeks…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- As of right now, the June 9th showdown between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto is apparently off...
So what exactly is happening here? Mark Vester breaks it down better then I can:
Last week, the WBO held a purse bid for a bout between their welterweight champion Antonio Margarito (34-4, 24KOs) and the mandatory challenger, Paul “The Punisher” Williams (32-0, 24KOs). Dan Goossen of Goossen-Tutor Promotions beat out Golden Boy Promotions for the right to promote the fight. Goossen bid $1.5 million to secure the promotional rights to stage the bout in either late May or early June, in either Las Vegas or Los Angeles.
Arum told scribe Robert Morales of the Press-Telegram that he did not participate in the purse bid because Margarito and his team told him that he was going to fight Cotto in June. Earlier this week it was revealed that Margarito signed to face Williams, instead of Cotto. Arum, who owns full promotional rights to Margarito, says that he never gave him permission to sign a contract for the fight.
Goossen-Tutor Promotions isn’t permitted to sign a contract making a Margarito-Williams bout since Margarito is under an exclusive contract with Arum and Top Rank…
“He has a contract with us, an exclusive contract with us,” Arum said of Margarito. “We didn’t participate in the purse bid because they (Margarito’s co-managers) told us not to because they were fighting Cotto. It (Margarito-Williams) may be a done deal as far as (Goossen) is concerned, but these people have no authority to sign a contract because they’re under an exclusive promotional agreement with us.”
You know what that means. Arum says he will be filing litigation by the end of the week, meaning he will now be in separate legal battles with Goossen-Tutor and Golden Boy Promotions at the same time.
- IC Wales is reporting that WBO Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Maccarinelli wants to come over to America and take on WBA, WBC, and IBF Cruiserweight Champion O’Neil Bell in an attempt to unify all four major cruiserweight titles.
Maccarinelli will defend his WBO title against Vincenzo Cantatore on April 7th. Because Bell fights the month before, a summer fight could work out great for the both of them:
“Bell is the one recognized as the undisputed champion, but he can’t call himself that until he beats me,” Maccarinelli told IC Wales. “That’s the fight I’m aiming for. He’s said he’s got a lot of admiration for me and that he wants my belt. I want to fight the best straight away and I definitely feel that I’ll get him.”
“He’s got a fight in March and I’m fighting in April, so it could work out. There’s talk about Joe going over to the States in July or there’s a lovely stadium (Liberty) down in Swansea which would be happy to hold the event. Home or away doesn’t bother me whatsoever. When that bell goes it’s only me against him, the crowd’s not going to help either of us.”
Some Good Reads:
FOX Sports: Greatness demands political incorrectness
The Sweet Science: Is Boxing Dead? Ask Mr. Computer
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Monday, January 22, 2007
EEC - January 22, 2007
A little bit of news for you as we start a brand new week. For those who haven’t read up on the results of this weekend’s fights, be sure to scroll down and check our latest posts to find out for yourself…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Controversial promoter Dan Goossen sent out a press release last week that ripped Bob Arum and Antonio Margarito because Magarito did not give Paul Williams his mandatory title shot, instead choosing for a showdown against Miguel Cotto on June 9th.
Arum said that he is willing to setup the mandatory fight between the two, but the fight cannot happen before June unless Cotto loses when he takes on Oktay Urkal on March 3rd.
Margarito was originally supposed to return to the ring on the undercard of Cotto-Urkal but he is still recovering from a wrist injury that will keep him out of action for a few more weeks.
“(Margarito) can’t fight until (May at the earliest), and why should he fight Williams for no money when he’d have a big-money fight with Cotto there for him in June?” Arum said to Iole. “But if Cotto loses (to Oktay Urkal on March 3), then, sure, (Margarito) wouldn’t blow the title. He’d fight him then.”
Williams can still become the champion however. How? The WBO may decide to strip Margarito of his belt for not meeting Williams in the coming months.
- Former Manny Pacquiao manager Shelley Finkel is apparently warning his former client that the result of the lawsuit between Top Rank and Golden Boy over his contract may not have the result he is hoping for…
- The Las Vegas Review Journal is reporting that Kelly Pavlik and Edison Miranda may take on each other this summer in a matchup that would bring together two of the hardest-hitting middleweights in boxing.
The fight will only go down however if Pavilk sucessfully defeated Jose Luis Zertuche on January 27th as part of an HBO televised card.
Both Top Rank and Warriors Boxing have had several meetings discussing a possible matchup between the two and everything seems to be set in stone if Pavlik wins this weekend.
“I really believe Kelly Pavlik is going to be the next big thing in the middleweight division,” he said. “... He’s exciting. People want to see that,” Arum said.
There is another unusual reason why this fight could also not happen - If Jermain Taylor wants to challenge Miranda this summer according to Miranda’s camp. Why they think Taylor would want him when he still has other top middleweights to rid of in beyond me…
Some Good Reads:
Doghouse Boxing: The Re-Education of the Boxing Fan
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Sunday, August 20, 2006
Weekend Results - August 20, 2006
Enrique Ornelas easily defeated Raul Munoz on Friday night, garnering a TKO victory less than 3 minutes into the first round. Munoz was knocked down twice, prompting referee Raul Caiz Jr. to stop the fight.
Paul Williams dropped former two-time Welterweight Champion Shamba Mitchell four times in four rounds Saturday night, forcing the referee to stop the bout in the middle of the fourth round on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. After the fight, the undefeated Williams challenged the three big welterweight champions: Floyd Mayweather, Carlos Baldomir, and Antonio Margarito.