EEC - January 14, 2007

Early Eight Count - It’s catchy isn’t it?

Basically this is going to be a daily morning post focusing on a variety of boxing news, gossip, articles, videos, and whatever interesting things myself or David will be able to find.

I’m going to try my best to post it every morning at 8:00 AM, genius I know… However if you don’t see it up one day for some reason, please don’t uppercut me too hard.

We’re doing something similar over on our sister site, MMA on Tap as well.

News, Notes, and Rumors:

- Ricky Hatton seems to be taking Floyd Mayweather Jr. off of his radar screen because of Mayweather’s future plans for this year which include a superfight with Oscar De La Hoya in May and possible retirement right after the bout. That didn’t stop Hatton from discussing alternate plans for this year however…

“I have no problem with fighting up at welterweight again. But the only fight I’ll probably look at that might tempt to me to welterweight would be certainly Floyd Mayweather, maybe Miguel Cotto. I’m not soon to be back on the welterweight division even though I’ve made back down to junior welterweight. I have got to put on an exciting performance against Juan Urango. Hopefully win my title back which I’m confident that I can do, and hopefully lead to a fight against José Castillo and then if Floyd is still fighting, if he chooses not to retire then that would another fight I’d love.”

I’m sure that Hatton won’t be the only one voicing their displeasure about Floyd opting to retire soon, crushing the hopes of many welterweights out there that wanted a crack at him.

- Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer will be traveling to Florida next week to visit with Roy Jones Jr. and attempt to get him to sign a contract that will allow him to fight Bernard Hopkins in July. According to Hopkins, he is already signed for the fight and it is now up to Jones Jr. to make the fight happen.

- Just like I reported yesterday, Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent will most likely be Jin Chi as Top Rank’s Bob Arum is supposed to be finalizing the contract for the fight at some point this week.

One thing I’m considering is moving the usual ‘Weekend Fights’ and ‘Weekend Results’ posts to the EEC post for that day. I think it will work out a lot better and allow more time for news and events that occur which deserve more coverage. As always, feel free to leave a comment or contact us with your opinion about this decision or anything else that your little heart desires…

Weekend Results:

- Travis Simms won the WBA Super Welterweight Title on Saturday night, stopping Jose Antonio Rivera in the 9th round. Simms was in control for the entire fight, dominating Rivera in every aspect until the referee halted the bout in the middle of the 9th round after Rivera was knocked to the canvas for a second time.

Simms actually held the WBA Super Welterweight belt from December 2003 until June 2005 when he was stripped of the belt due to inactivity. Simms was holding out because he wanted a fight with Winky Wright who obviously had other plans. However Simms now guarantees that his mind is set on defending his title:

“I’m coming back, and I’m looking to get back in the mix with the top champions in the divison,” Simms said. “I cannot be denied. I stayed in the gym, stayed diligent, stayed focused.”

Don’t believe in newspapers? Don’t worry, I have you covered…

Some Good Reads:

ESPN: Dan Rafael’s January Division Rankings

I actually plan on starting some rankings of our own by next month possibly so stay tuned…

FOX Sports: Unified heavyweight title can save boxing
MaxBoxing: When to Hold and When to Fold: Toney’s March Memorable, but Uphill from Here
The Sweet Science: Looking For More In The New Year

Last but not least, Jim Amato (neverlast on this site) will have a new piece being posted at some point this afternoon for those of you looking to check back in later on for new material…

 

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