Bleacher Report - Articles by Paul Magno

Roy Jones Jr.: Get Real or Get Out

Paul Magno — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:57:00 -0400

It was almost too appropriate when Roy Jones Jr. assumed the identity of Peter Pan bad guy, Captain Hook, for the pre-fight publicity leading up to Saturday's PPV bout with Jeff Lacy.

Dressed as the hook-handed cartoon pirate, he was the very definition of irony since Jones, the one-time baddest man on the planet, has been a mere caricature of himself for the last six years.

There was a time when he would do to world-class fighters what he did to a clueless, hapless Jeff Lacy in the main event of the Hook City card from Biloxi, Ms.

In Jones' glory days, the six and eight-punch combinations were flying at fighters like Bernard Hopkins and James Toney, not at a lifeless lump of flesh like Lacy, who was painfully out of his league, even against a fighter not even in his own league anymore.

And here's a little secret about Lacy that most hardcore fight fans already know: He's always been slow, predictable and a very fortunate club fighter who managed to win a world title. He's never been much more and after being humiliated by Joe Calzaghe, beaten by Jermain Taylor and moving up from 168 to 175, not much was expected from him.

The Lacy fight was only the latest in a series of encounters, temporarily interrupted by a one-sided beating against Calzaghe, designed to give the impression that the legendary Roy Jones Jr. is still relevant.

Prince Badi Ajamu, Anthony Hanshaw, Felix Trinidad, Omar Sheika (!) and now Jeff Lacy; all assigned with the difficult task of looking just good enough to make RJ look like he's actually fighting, but not so good as to actually challenge him.

Whether Jones' ego or his wallet is at the core of this charade is a mystery, but this "comeback" leads to the bigger question of when it'll stop.

What's his ultimate goal? Money? One more title shot? Respect?

If the goal is money, this is all understandable, but if Jones is fighting for respect? One has to wonder how a Hall of Fame legend can earn respect by beating a collection of club fighters and faded, naturally-smaller opponents.

All stories are worthless unless they actually go some place and Jones' story, right now, is just one long run-on sentence with no real reason or purpose behind it. A proposed bout against another over-matched fringe contender, Danny Green, will not put a period at the end of Jones' career sentence.

The last three times Jones has faced world-class talent, he's been blown-out and/or blown away. Does he hope to eventually redeem himself? Or does he even care anymore?

Boxing is full of posers and pretenders. We don't need one of our modern day legends degrading himself by clowning and showboating against obviously inferior talents.

Roy Jones: Get Real or Get Out.

If you don't plan on fighting real, world-class fighters, then focus your energies on promoting fighters who actually do.

Miguel Cotto: Boxing's Whipping Boy

Paul Magno — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:05:30 -0400

I've been racking my brain to remember a time when a defending world champion with as much credibility as Miguel Cotto, has been treated so dismissively by his opponents, the sanctioning body he represents, and the very promoter who is supposed to have his best interests at heart.

In these last few years, the disrespect tossed at Cotto has been a lesson for all those "good soldiers" in the sport who tow the company line and keep their mouths shut.

The first "diss" came following Cotto's brutal beatdown at the hands of Antonio Margarito.

As everyone knows, Margarito was found to be wearing hand wraps coated with a "plaster-like" substance prior to his bout with Shane Mosley. When people put two and two together, many put a big question mark over all of Margarito's wins, most notably his brutal destruction of Miguel Cotto and the grotesque manner in which he battered Cotto's face.

Top Rank honcho and alleged member of Team Cotto, Bob Arum, spent most of the "Plaster Gate" scandal defending Margarito and denying the loaded wrap claims...at the expense of the feelings of the victim, Miguel Cotto.

Cotto sat back and remained the strong silent type, only occasionally giving voice to the anger he felt inside for the possible cheat and frustration of having his own promoter defend the fighter who may have, literally, stolen millions from him when his loss ruined the chance of a showdown with Oscar De La Hoya.

Then, after suffering a beating that may have been caused by an illegal substance and having his promoter turn his back on him, Manny Pacquiao jumps in and claims the glory that could very well have been his by knocking off Oscar.

After all this, Cotto was forced into a nothing fight with Michael Jennings, and a tough battle with Joshua Clottey for a fraction of the pay he would've received from a De la Hoya bout.

All this leads to an eventual big money showdown with Pacquiao where despite being the reigning champ, he is forced to give in to every one of Pacquiao's demands, including an arbitrary 145-pound limit.

While the blame for this weak negotiating falls squarely on Team Cotto, it should be pointed out that the intermediary, Arum, never once lifted a finger to argue on Cotto's side of the table...despite having just lured Cotto to a two-year extension on his Top Rank contract.

Now, the latest indignity for Cotto is that he's being told to either put up his WBO Welterweight title for the Pacquiao fight or be forced to vacate.

Cotto's take on this, and in my opinion, the correct one, is that since a World Welterweight title is fought between 140 and 147 pounds, it is against the organization's rules to be forced to fight at an arbitrary catchweight for the title.

The WBO, of course, cares little about fair play and professionalism and decided to counter Cotto's correct assertion by making Pacquiao its No. 1 contender at 147, despite only one win as a welterweight, against an unranked De La Hoya.

Like it or not, Cotto will put up his hard-earned title, and without a doubt, it should be made clear that he's being forced to. If Cotto balks, he will find himself without the title and it will be Pacquiao's to win anyway.

How's that for respectful treatment of a veteran champion?

Beaten with illegal wraps, your cheating conqueror defended by your own promoter, your promotional company allowing you to be raped in negotiations, and the sanctioning body you represent forcing you to ignore their own bylaws and put the belt on the line...Geesh!

It's no wonder guys like De La Hoya and Mayweather opted to be on their own as soon as they reached the top...there's just no loyalty among thieves.

The best revenge for Cotto is to come into the Pacquiao fight, saddled with every possible psychological disadvantage, and stop the insanity right then and there with a big win. But, even then, he has to contend with the officials, who are always up for a good screw job, especially if it's in favor of a fighter "about to make history" with seven titles in seven weight divisions.

Miguel Cotto deserves much better.

An Open Letter to Brent Brookhouse and the UFC

Paul Magno — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:18:12 -0400

Brent Brookhouse from Bloodyelbow.com recently took it upon himself to call me out in public, picking through my recent article entitled "Debunking the Myth of UFC Dominance."

Since Mr. Brookhouse is harder to reach than Obama, I figured I'd write the response on Bleacher Report and pray that he can navigate around the crayon marks on his screen to get here.

So, here's my open letter to Brookhouse:

Brent,

So, you're a boxing fan? Fine.

Kinda like Dana White, eh? You know, White loves boxing too...that is, until he starts to rip it apart (as he does in pretty much every interview).

I think it's time that the boxing community finally stood up and defended itself from attack after attack launched by the UFC crew. For too long boxing has taken the high road and not even addressed the lame, baseless bombs lobbed at us whenever the UFC has a PPV coming up and wants a cheap headline to put themselves over.

But, as far as I'm concerned, I won't put up with it and I hope others will join the cause in defending boxing and stopping the bad press that actually does affect our sport. Like I said, a lie told often enough eventually becomes truth.

What I find odd is that the one part of the article that most MMA fans find most disturbing is the one about who has the more recognizable athletes. I think within their respective communities, the answer as to the fame of each fighter would be different.

Mainstream America, generally, doesn't know any of these guys, but between the two, boxing is the one that has fostered more mainstream names and faces. There is no debate. Randy Couture is big within MMA circles...However, I wouldn't know him from Adam. I bet the average MMA fan/boxing hater can recognize Oscar De la Hoya.

In my article, I didn't even mention the most recognizable boxers and didn't even touch on all-time recognizable fighters. I compared six fighters (three from boxing and three from the UFC) who were about at the same level of career achievement.

If we want to go to greats from the recent past as well as present like Randy Coutre, Chuck Liddell, and Brock Lesnar; I would counter with Mike Tyson, Oscar De la Hoya, and Evander Holyfield...and the debate would be over quicker than a Lesnar-Pee Wee Herman bout.

But this is the silliest argument that could be raised. Both are fringe sports at this time and no matter how hard White pushes his agenda, it won't make his guys household names.

The real point of my article was to point out the sheer silliness of a company that produces so little, so few real bouts, has such a small roster, and is targeted to such an isolated demographic group and yet makes the claim that it's killing boxing or even feel bold enough to take shots at its elder cousin.

Brent, where you completely drop the ball is in the fact that you fail to recognize the difference between marketing and reality, still chanting the UFC mantra that boxing is an ailing sport, despite numbers which do not show that at all.

I'm glad that you pointed out that UFC 100 had a better live gate than the Tomasz Adamek-Bobby Gunn card in Newark. Wow, that must make Joe Rogan absolutely giddy...So, let's drop Adamek-Gunn and see how the UFC 100 live gate compared to some of boxing's live gates.

From looking at the records of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, UFC 100, if it were a boxing show, would be the 36th biggest live gate in Nevada history...36th!

That's just about 13 million shy of the largest live gate (De la Hoya vs. Mayweather). So, how is that proof that the UFC is "clearly dominant in the combat sports world?"

And when we talk PPV, it's clear and obvious that boxing, even when putting forth just one big fight per show at a greater price, can outsell the UFC with its half dozen "meaningful" bouts.

If you don't believe it, just look up and down the list of the top PPV buy rates and you will find many more boxing shows at the top than UFC shows. Again, odd evidence that the UFC is "clearly dominant in the combat sports world."

You might want to re-think that summary, champ. You should say: "The UFC is out in front in the combat sports world with American, white males ages 16-24."

The UFC has created a demand within its target group and, really, aside from a couple shows here and there, the only way to really see the sport is by buying the PPV. That, right there, should throw all boxing vs. UFC debates right out the window.

When the UFC can put out six to 10 live television shows with undercards per month, they can talk the talk. Until then, they are a small-time business that is very good at reaching their target demographic, very good at selling their shows to them, and very good at making it seem like they are some giant force taking over the world.

But not "clearly dominant in the combat sports world."

Actually, given the amount of time and energy spent promoting upcoming PPVs, their numbers should be bigger...especially since the PPV shows are one of the few ways you will ever see live UFC matchups.

Imagine if Major League Baseball decided to air one game per month on PPV? It would flop since there is so much baseball action to be seen live and free. Now, take all live baseball off the airwaves and hype the pine tar out of that one monthly PPV game...how much better would that MLB PPV sell?

Same deal with boxing.

If boxing were to follow the UFC's lead and replace all live fights with "Best of" battles and infomercials about the upcoming PPV, they would crush any numbers the UFC could produce...As a matter of fact boxing has crushed the best UFC numbers anyway...

If there were no way to see live boxing other than through a monthly PPV, boxing would produce more than a million buys per show, even on an off month like August and with the card I mentioned in my original article.

The fact of the matter is that, while the UFC is good at delivering its target group and good at selling their shows to them, peel away the marketed image and you will see a small time operation when compared to the entire scope and size of boxing.

The UFC squad taking on boxing is as laughable as my grandma threatening to run Walmart out of business with her yearly garage sale. It's like my weekend softball league wanting to run Major League Baseball out of town.

Boxing and MMA can exist peacefully together as long as the UFC goons stop talking nonsense to ignorant sports talk show hosts and stop pushing their product by trying to tear ours down.

Boxing has its problems, but they are brought on by the same elements that will eventually plague the UFC as it expands and is seen by the commissions as a real sport. Excessive regulation and sleezy promoters/managers/agents handcuff boxing as they soon will when/if the UFC decides to join (or is forced into) the world of real sports

As long as attacks are made, counter punches will be thrown...and not sloppy, amateurish MMA-style punches, but real knockout shots.

Brent, you did your best to walk the fence, but you ended up falling right into a steaming pile of Dana White.

Hugs and Kisses,

Paul Magno

Debunking The Myth Of UFC Dominance

Paul Magno — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:02:27 -0400

Two weeks a month boxing fans have to withstand a barrage of attacks from fans and representatives of the UFC. The week before a UFC PPV and the week after, we'll hear: "Boxing is dead...Boxing is dying...Boxing is losing its ground to MMA...MMA is the combat sport of the future...etc, etc..."

Most of the so-called legit media take the story and run with it, not really knowing or caring whether the story is true or not. It just makes for a good headlines and it justifies their own ignorance when it comes to the sport of boxing.

Also, helping spread boxing's obituary is the ever-accessible, ever-outspoken Dana White, head honcho of the UFC and de facto voice of MMA. White is a soundbite machine and he spends a good portion of each interview ripping apart all things boxing while declaring MMA, and the UFC specifically, as the antidote to all that's ailing combat sports.

White will talk about the lack of star power in boxing, the corruption and the general degradation of interest in the sport. He'll talk until his segment is up and then post it all over the internet for even more to hear.

He'll never mention the fact that his company probably only has one or two fighters, to be generous, remotely recognizable to the average person on the street. One wonders who would draw more attention on a busy street corner in downtown Chicago, the threesome of Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Bernard Hopkins or the MMA trio of Georges St.Pierre, BJ Penn and Lyoto Machida...The answer to that is obvious.

White's claims of corruption in boxing are, unfortunately, not too far off. But what he fails to mention is that, while his own iron fisted control over his company prevents a lot of controversy in areas of scoring, it opens up just as many questions when it comes to proper fighter rankings and issues regarding fair wages and benefits.

The biggest fallacy in the "Boxing's Dead/MMA Rules" line of thought has to do with the very essence of the way both sports do business. And it's in this discrepancy that we truly discover that boxing is not dying at all and that MMA is not really ruling.

First, it should be made clear that MMA, as a sport, is most definitely not taking over the world. As a matter of fact, the UFC is the only Mixed Martial Arts company that is able to make a real profit and the attempts to branch off into Europe and Latin America have yielded mixed results, at best.

Boxing, on the other hand, has enjoyed great expansion in the international market.

Recently, over 60,000 fans packed into a soccer stadium to see Wladimir Klitschko defend against Ruslan Chagaev and a packed arena in the United Kingdom saw Amir Khan win his first world title. All across Europe and Asia stadiums and arenas are being packed for boxing shows; TV ratings are also through the roof. Even previously dead markets like Russia, Turkey and China have hosted boxing events with great success and are exploring future boxing-related events.

In the United States, boxing is not as prominent as it once was and stars do seem like they're harder to come by, but this is only because the rest of the world is catching up to the talent and skill level of US fighters. Now, it's just as likely to see a meaningful title defense in Europe as it is in Las Vegas.

However, it should be pointed out that attendance has generally been good at boxing events in the US. For instance, a weak card in Newark, New Jersey with the questionable Tomasz Adamek-Bobby Gunn main event, drew over 8,000 fans and the Vic Darchinyan-Joseph Agbeko card in Florida drew over 9,000 while, on the same night, the mega-promoted UFC 100 drew over 10,000 in Las Vegas.

A dominant UFC should've crushed two marginal boxing cards in secondary markets, but it didn't, at least not at the live gate.

But let's get back on track and look at the way the UFC does business compared to the way boxing does business. The myth of UFC dominance gets blown to pieces when we focus on just how small the UFC actually is in terms of ability and/or desire to create new, fresh programming.

The UFC has very little live action on TV. Most of their exposure is through their reality show or through various highlight and countdown shows. It's easy to give the impression of a high quality product when only highlight packages of the best fights are aired.

When you look at it, the entire TV presence of the UFC is aimed at promoting their upcoming PPV. Essentially, most UFC programming is along the lines of an infomercial, whipping their fans into a frenzy for the next show.

Now, as a way of comparison, let's take boxing and fit it into the UFC model.

Before doing enything else. we'd have to eliminate most of the live boxing programs from HBO, Showtime, ESPN, Versus and the Latino stations. Substitute the live shows with Boxing's Greatest Hits and endless Countdown shows.

Now, take all that live action that would've been on cable TV and put it on one mega PPVper month, making it so that if you want to see live boxing, you have to order the show.

Take the month of August as an example. The boxing PPV for August (We could call it Boxing #1: Heat Stroke, or something equally catchy) would feature the following televised bouts:

Roy Jones vs. Jeff Lacy
Timothy Bradley vs, Nate Campbell
Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi
Nonito Donaire vs. Rafael Concepcion
Juan Urango vs. Randall Bailey
Robert Guerrero vs. Malcolm Klassen

How many PPVswould that card sell if there were almost literally no way to see boxing aside from ordering the event? Would a card like this sell more than the average UFC PPV of 450-600,000? The answer would be a resounding "yes" and August is not even a particularly strong month this year in terms of competition.

The UFC churns out more PPV shows and they are very good at marketing their shows to the max, but only a media manipulator like Dana White could turn less product and a smaller demographic base into signs of the UFC's domination.

As the next UFC PPV approaches we will be forced to hear more cries of "Boxing is dead" and we will for sure see and hear Dana White on ESPN and on various sports talk shows across the nation. White will blather on about how boxing is dying and the UFC is taking over and the misinformed host will go along with the attack, not knowing enough about boxing to offer any sort of intelligent rebuttal.

But, just one time, it would be refreshing to see a host fire back at White and touch on the points that this article has touched upon. It's time boxing started standing up for itself because a lie told often enough, one day, may become reality.

Boxing is not dying and the UFC is not killing it.

Boxing's Prospects Fail to Make It to the Promised Land

Paul Magno — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:12:44 -0400

Something's been happening to boxing's young prospects.

Actually, something's not happening to them: They're not winning.

The latest example was in this past Saturday's Latin Fury 10 PPV, which saw highly-regarded Lightweight prospect, Urbano Antillon, taste the canvas, and defeat, for the first time against the unknown Venezuelan stylist, Miguel Acosta.

On a personal note for Antillon, he failed in his attempt to win the vacant Interim WBA Lightweight title and failed to live up to the hype that had him regarded by Larry Merchant of HBO as a "can't miss" future superstar.

However, in the big picture, Antillon's inability to cope with simple lateral movement spoke of a greater problem behind the scenes of the sport. It spoke of a future generation of star athletes who are simply not being taught the skills to go along with their athletic promise.

The list of failed prospects in recent weeks is almost comical:

Well-regarded amateur stand-out, Juan Carlos Velasquez, is defeated by Mexican journeyman, Jose Beranza, on Friday Night Fights. Velasquez actually seemed to be shocked and surprised that Beranza would fight back.
Colombian banger, and destroyer of fellow prospect, Amir Khan, Breidis Prescott is outpointed by Miguel Vazquez, basically, because he had no idea how to deal with Vazquez's head movement.
Golden Boy's Victor Ortiz is battered and psychologically torn down by Marcos Maidana, the first fighter with the nerve to actually keep fighting when confronted with the force of a "future superstar."
Alfredo Angulo is bested by Kermit Cintron because of his utter inability to deal with lateral movement, even when that lateral movement comes from a non-speedster like Cintron.
Deandre Latimore is out-slugged by, of all people, a flat-footed and immobile Cory Spinks.

One by one, the prospects are falling from contention and they're not being replaced by veteran stars like in the case of Bernard Hopkins' one-sided schooling of Kelly Pavlik.

Many of these young talents are being beaten by the products of hardcore boxing gyms in Latin America. They're being beaten by fighters who, 10 or 20 years ago, would've been little more than a snack for talented athletes on their way to titles.

So, what's the problem? What's happening to our young lions?

Part of the problem rests in the fact that "old school" boxing trainers are mostly a thing of the past in the United States. For every Freddie Roach, there are a couple dozen trainers who would be better-suited working an aerobics class.

Serious boxing gyms are disappearing and the quality trainers are literally dying off.

There simply aren't enough of the blood-and-guts Teddy Atlas-types who will take the time to teach their kids solid fundamentals and the value of being mentally prepared as a professional.

Instead, they are fed into an amateur system which now values arm-punches and "back-foot" fighting over a professional defense and a workable inside game.

In the modern amateur game, points are valued more than power and a light jab is a bigger asset than solid body punching.

It's no wonder young fighters seem to be lacking a certain degree of mental toughness these days.

The second reason for this apparent failure of the young prospects has to do with our culture.

We are in a culture of instant gratification where anything worth having better be had right now.

It takes a lifetime to become a fundamentally solid professional boxer. It's something that takes blood, sweat and tears. Hour after hour is spent going over one basic move, until it's perfected.

Unfortunately, in a prize-fighting world of flailing, crude UFC brawls and "extreme" instant gratification, many young people simply don't have the patience or dedication to sweat for hours at a time on something as mundane as learning how to walk the ring.

The scary part is that, at some point, those boxers who have taken the time to learn their craft, will retire, leaving behind this crop of talented, but not fundamentally sound pretenders.

Then, what will boxing look like?

Amir Khan Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

Paul Magno — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:56:25 -0400

It's party time in Manchester for Olympic Silver Medalist and the UK's favorite young idol/target, Amir Khan.

After decisively capturing his first world title, the WBA Junior Welterweight championship from Andreas Kotelnik, Khan has earned a few days off and a few days of partying.

However, beating a solid, but predictable Kotelnik was the easy part. The hard part is going to be keeping that title in a 140 lb. division that is absolutely stacked with quality fighters in a wide array of styles and levels of experience.

Looming on the horizon first are his No. 1 mandatory challenger, Dmitriy Salita, and the WBA Interim Jr. Welterweight Champ, fresh from his destruction of Victor Ortiz, Marcos Maidana.

Both Salita and Maidana are young and hungry pressure fighters who will jump on Khan from the opening bell and won't back down unless the likable 22-year-old champion backs them down. Salita and Maidana will require a mental toughness and focus from Khan that he has yet to display in his professional career. Neither fight is an easy win.

It's precisely for this reason that Khan's promoter, Frank Warren, is trying to stir the pot and find a way to get around those tough fights.

It'll be a tough sell for Warren to avoid the mandatory with Salita without making some sort of huge "step-aside" payout to the Orthodox Jew brawler from Brooklyn.

And even with step-aside money, it seems a little far-fetched that Salita would voluntarily walk away from a world title bout and a lucrative payday against a champion that many feel is very vulnerable.

But maybe Warren is counting on the WBA continuing its efforts to become the '90s WBO of the 21st century, running interference for a few preferred champions and rigging the ranking as to allow a steady supply of hapless club-level fighters as No. 1 challengers.

Barring the cynical protection of the WBA, Khan should buckle up soon and absorb more from Freddie Roach because the road to Jr. Welter dominance is paved with lighting-fast elite like Timothy Bradley and Kendall Holt, iron-fisted sluggers like Juan Urango, Ricardo Torres and Mike Alvarado; Hungry, young prospects like Maidana, Salita, Lamont Peterson and Devon Alexander; And veteran war horses like Ricky Hatton, Nate Campbell, Stevie Forbes and Randall Bailey.

And, of course, let's not even mention current lineal champ at 140 lbs., Manny Pacquiao.

So, now that Khan has taken the plunge on to the world arena by capturing a world title, the learning curve normally allowed for a 22-year-old fighter is out the window. Fans don't want to hear about a champion learning on the job, just ask Andre Berto.

With nowhere to slack off and a division full of class fighters, Khan will have take care of things the old-fashioned way: Fight his way through the best.

For his sake, I hope he's ready.

RIP Arturo Gatti (1972-2009)

Paul Magno — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:37:14 -0400

Coming off the tragic death of Alexis Arguello, boxing has suffered another tragedy.

Two-time world champion, 37-year-old, Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was found dead today in his condo in Brazil. He had arrived in Sao Paolo with his wife and infant child on Friday.

A spokeswoman for the public safety department of the resort community in which Gatti was staying said that the death was considered "suspicious," but offered little more.

"There were no bullet or stab wounds on his body, but police did find blood stains on the floor," she said, adding that his wife and son were unhurt.

Gatti won hist first world title against IBF Super Featherweight champ, Tracy Harris Patterson in 1995 and he won his second world title, the vacant WBC Jr. Welterweight title, against Gianluca Branco.

However, the Canadian-born, Jersey-living Gatti, is best known for his series of spectacular wars with, "Irish" Mickey Ward.

With a final career record of 40-9 (31 KOs), Gatti has been in the ring against a literal who's who of great recent fighters: Tracy Harris Patterson, Mickey Ward, Oscar De la Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Gabriel Ruelas, Jesse James Leija, and Calvin Grove.

Win, Lose, or Draw, Arturo Gatti was always a true warrior and put every bit of his heart and soul into each and every performance.

R.I.P "Thunder".

Eddie Chambers Keeps Hope Alive

Paul Magno — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:20:25 -0400

In a sterile German boxing arena, on The Fourth of July and with the total and complete indifference of his countrymen, Eddie Chambers was to be sacrificed to the next upcoming Eastern Block Heavyweight sensation, Alexander "Sasha" Dimitrenko in a WBO Title Eliminator.

It was to be a career-builder for the 27-year old Ukraine, 6'7", 253 lb. beast against a much smaller American who had come up short against Alexander Povetkin, the last time he fought an Eastern European prospect in Germany.

Unfortunately for Team Dimitrenko, somebody forgot to inform Chambers that he would be playing the role of cannon fodder.

The American underdog practically strutted to the ring with the look of someone who knew something the rest of the world would soon find out.

Chambers had obviously taken his training seriously, coming into the bout weighing 208 lbs, his lightest since 2003.

As the fight began, you could clearly notice the usual rolls around Chamber's mid-section were gone and he just looked lighter, quicker on his feet.

Dimitrenko took the first three or four rounds with black and white offense and sticking out a long jab a la Wladimir Klitschko.

Chambers, while not absorbing punishment, was obviously jockeying for position and working out a way to deal with the jab of a fighter six inches taller and 45 pounds heavier than him. He swatted hard at Dimitrenko's outstretched left arm and, in doing so, didn't allow Dimitrenko to use it as a way to keep distance.

Around the fifth round, Chambers found his rhythm and began working his way inside Dimitrenko's long reach and registering some major damage with solid body work and a wicked uppercut.

By the seventh, it was clear that Dimtrenko had bitten off a little more than he could chew and was being worn down by the American. Chambers was given credit for a knockdown in seventh, after a body blow that Dimitrenko insisted was a kidney shot.

The rest of the fight was a Chambers highlight reel with him picking the prospect apart and establishing his place among the Heavyweight elite.

Chambers scored another knockdown in the 10th with a wicked left/right combination that sent Dimitrenko's mouthpiece flying.

The last two round were characterized by Dimtrenko trying to rally with aggressive surges, but all of them ending with Chambers firing back and forcing the aggressor back into the ropes.

Two of the three judges were fair, 116-111, 117-109, with the other one, British judge Paul Thomas, scoring the fight a ridiculous 113-113 draw. The BTBC scored the bout 115-112 for Chambers.

With this victory comes the opportunity to fight Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO World Heavyweight Title and, also, the chance to finally bring a piece of the heavyweight title scene back to the United States.

It's just too bad that the American media, American boxing pundits and even the American fight fan couldn't be bothered to show the least bit of interest.

Sometimes it makes me wonder what disappeared first: The quality, American heavyweight boxer or the quality, American fight fan.

USA! USA! America's 10 Best Boxers!

Paul Magno — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:14:14 -0400

In my blog, we've already explored the topic of Britain's and Puerto Rico's best. In the works are features on the best Filipino and Mexican fighters.

However, on this July 4th, it's only fitting to write about America's best active fighters.

So, grill another burger and open another cold one while we delve into the topic of who, exactly, are America's Finest:

10) Steve Cunningham- This former Cruiserweight champ with quick hands and sharp reflexes would still be sporting the bragging rights of being "The World's Best Cruiser" if not for, literally, four or five punches from Tomasz Adamek last year. Cunningham is working his way back to a rematch and wants nothing more than to avenge this tough loss.

9) Andre Berto- The reigning WBC Welterweight titlist gets little respect in the media, but he was good enough to beat a very tough Luis Collazo as well as a large handful of tough contenders ranging from Jr. Welter slugger, Juan Urango, to tough ex-champ, Cosme Rivera.

8) Nate Campbell- The Galaxxy Warrior shocked the world last year by beating up and out-classing the highly-regarded Juan Diaz. He followed that up with a gutsy win over the awkward and talented, Ali Funeka. At 37 years of age, there aren't too many more fights in Campbell's reserves, but he'll have the chance at another career-defining bout against Timothy Bradley in August.

7) Kelly Pavlik- While still no.1 at Middleweight, Pavlik's star has fallen considerably following his embarrassing loss to Bernard Hopkins and the recent postponement of his fight with Sergio Mora. However, Pavlik is still the iron-fisted slugger who beat Jermain Taylor and Edison Miranda into submission and turned the tough Marco Antonio Rubio into a a mid-fight pacifist.

6) Timothy Bradley- Bradley is the man at Jr. Welterweight, whether Ring Magazine says so or not. He went over to the UK to take the title from the awkward Junior Witter, completely dismantled veteran Edner Cherry, and beat fellow 140 lb. champ, Kendall Holt, in a thriller. Now, on August 1st, he takes on former unified Lightweight champ, Nate Campbell, in another tough and dangerous fight to add to the case for making him no. 1 at 140.

5) Chad Dawson- Forget the fact that he had a couple of dull fights with Antonio Tarver and consider the fact that he just beat Tarver twice...decisively. In addition to the Tarver fights, Dawson also holds exciting wins over Eric Harding, Tomasz Adamek, and Glen Johnson. The rematch of the controversial Johnson fight has been signed to once and for all prove that Dawson indeed deserved the nod.

4) Bernard Hopkins- Coming off his schooling of Kelly Pavlik, B-Hop is looking for just the right fight with which to close out a spectacular career. Whoever he fights last needs to be aware that they are fighting one of the smartest, toughest men in the game and that they are in for a very long night. If Hopkins doesn't make it into the Hall of Fame as soon as he's eligible, they should just close the place down.

3) Shane Mosley- With wins over Antonio Margarito, Ricardo Mayorga and Luis Collazo as well as a close contest with Miguel Cotto, Mosley has re-established his claim as one of the few active fighters who could be tagged with the "Legend" label. He has been in hot pursuit of a bout with Manny Pacquiao, but that looks unlikely to happen.

2) Paul Williams- Williams has been given the nickname of "The Most Feared Man in Boxing" and it's hard to dispute. Most of the big names from 147 up to 160 simply refuse to even mention his name. Being an unusually tall and freakishly active southpaw has a lot to do with it...victories over Antonio Margarito and easy wins over tough veterans like Carlos Quintana, Verno Phillips and Winky Wright may also be a big factor in the fact that Williams' phone isn't ringing off the hook with fight offers.

1) Floyd Mayweather Jr.- Mayweather gets the top spot before he even officially makes his return from a 20 month "retirement." Mayweather may be the most gifted fighter of this generation and is doubly-blessed with one of the sharpest boxing minds in the sport. While getting gang-hated for having the nerve to talk about business decisions in boxing interviews, few can doubt that Mayweather is one awesome fighter.

Five to Watch

* Andre Ward- Olympic Gold Medalist who just outclassed Edison Miranda. He just may be the next big, American star.

* Andre Dirrell- In the same Super Middleweight division as Ward, Dirrell has a better resume at this point and has all the tools to beat anyone in and around the division.

* Rocky Juarez- No longer a prospect, but definitely someone with the skill and one-punch power to shock the world. He's blamed his recent tentative performances on an eye injury...He's a hundred percent healthy now...

* Chris Arreola- Arreola has two things lacking in the current crop of American Heavyweights: Massive power in either fist and the will to push ahead when things get rough.

* Daniel Jacobs- Still a baby in the sport, but few prospects have displayed the maturity and technique that Jacobs has shown so far against limited opposition.

So, there you have it! Cheer up America and light another bottle rocket. The world may be producing some great talents these days, but The USA is still capable of holding its own...

Can Golden Boy Survive the Decade?

Paul Magno — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:14:34 -0400

You could feel the tension in the air as the tide started turning against Golden Boy prospect, Victor Ortiz, this past Saturday at the Staples Center.

And, when Ortiz eventually caved in under the pressure of Marcos Maidana in the sixth, the frustration exploded as Shane Mosley gave Ortiz a few tense words, shortly followed by a second tongue lashing from Golden Boy boss, Oscar De la Hoya.

But you could hardly blame them for their frustration. The Ortiz loss was just the latest in a series of unfortunate turns for De la Hoya and his promotional company.

2009 began in outstanding fashion for GBP as Shane Mosley shocked the boxing world by easily handling Welterweight kingpin, Antonio Margarito.

Now, just about six months later, momentum has shifted away from the promotional company that, at one point, boasted veteran legends such as Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton, and De la Hoya himself.

The Golden Boy of the recent past was on top of the world, snatching up as many veteran names as boxing headlines and brokering a deal with HBO which would essentially give them carte blanche to fill a lion's share of the available TV dates with fights and fighters of their choosing.

The boxing world, literally, was thrown at their feet and they most definitely had a plan for world domination.

Even with De la Hoya having been retired by Manny Pacquiao at the end of '08, the strategy would be simple: Mosley and Hopkins would build off of their remarkable wins against Margarito and Kelly Pavlik respectively while the entire promotion crossed its fingers that Ricky Hatton could somehow find a way to beat Pacquiao.

In the downtime between headline-grabbing fights by future Hall of Fame inductees, Golden Boy would satisfy the fans by highlighting their next generation of stars, all on the verge of greatness...or so they would have you believe.

Leading the GBP surge for future dominance were James Kirkland, Victor Ortiz, Robert Guerrero, and Abner Mares.

Unfortunately, the boxing world is often not the most predictable and in a matter of just a few months, GBP would find the heavy-handed Kirkland behind bars for parole violation, Mares being nursed back to health following eye surgery and Ortiz and Guerrero being tagged with the label of being quitters in what was to be their "coming out" parties on HBO.

And to make matters worse, their "bankable" talents, Mosley and Hopkins, have not been able to find the type of fight they feel they need at this stage of their careers.

Mosley has been desperately searching for a fight with an indifferent Pacquiao while Hopkins' only legit attempts at a fight were a half-hearted offer to Cruiserweight champ Tomasz Adamek and a rumored bout with the UK's Super Middleweight world champ, Carl Froch.

In the meantime, HBO has been saddled with mostly luke warm events that generate mediocre ratings and cost a relative fortune to stage. With the exception of Mosley-Margarito and Golden Boy/Top Rank promoted Pacquiao vs. Hatton, you'd be hard-pressed to find any positive Golden Boy events on HBO.

Don't think this fact is lost on HBO executives and don't think it's lost on Golden Boy's promotional rivals, either.

“They [HBO] gave their dates to one promoter, who's stable has now been wiped out. They made a bad mistake. They are not evil people, and I can't blame Golden Boy for grabbing those dates, but it shows that it wasn’t the wisest thing for them to do,” said Bob Arum of Top Rank.

Another blow to GBP is the fact that, in order to make the marquee fights for their established stars, they will need the cooperation of the other promoters who, at this point, have been driven to resentment by Golden Boy's perceived status as HBO's pet promotion.

So, with their best and brightest pretty much taken out of the equation and legit future stars, Erislandy Lara and Danny Jacobs, still too far away to be a factor, questions about the immediate future of Golden Boy have to be raised.

Will HBO grow frustrated with the poor showings and make Golden Boy go back to booking dates on a fight by fight basis?

And if HBO does this, will GBP be able to compete with a company like Top Rank who has a much deeper roster and a keener matchmaking eye at this point?

Can Oscar's company survive the decade? Probably, but expect a major re-tooling of the promotion and a reluctant admission from them that they do indeed need to co-exist with the other promotional companies in order to stay afloat.

2010 will be an interesting year for the sport and a crucial one for Golden Boy.

Manny Pacquiao VS. Miguel Cotto: Meaningless

Paul Magno — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:28:53 -0400

There, I said it. Pacquiao vs. Cotto is meaningless.

Now, before the loyal Pacquiao and Cotto fans, boxing's most bullishly loyal fans ever, begin to throw garbage at the screen, let me clarify a few things.

There's no doubt in my mind that this encounter will be exciting beyond belief, almost a sure candidate for Fight of the Year. Even the lead-in, with both fan bases going at it, will be amusing.

However, what purpose does this fight serve? Team Pacquiao has already said that they have no intention of campaigning at Welterweight and Cotto, should he win, will still have just a couple of decent fights available to him.

Nobody, other than the fighters' bank accounts and those of their management, stand to really gain much from this showdown of two indisputably talented warriors and pound-for-pound stars.

But, after the dust settles on this contest, the biggest loser will be boxing itself as we will be trading in one exciting hour of Cotto vs. Pacquiao for the short-term well-being of two absolutely stacked divisions.

For Cotto, fighting Pacquiao may be a nice injection of cash into the wallet, but it really stops his ultimate goal of Welterweight dominance in its tracks.

Should Cotto win, he would get a boost in publicity but there will still be only two fights that would make sense before he retires: Cotto-Mosley 2 and Cotto-Mayweather. So, ultimately, other than a few headlines and a payday, he gets nothing from fighting Pacquiao.

But should Cotto lose, he would lose everything. His career would effectively be over as it would no longer make good business sense for either Mosley or Mayweather to fight him. He'd be clear second-tier fodder...and that's if he even remained active.

Now, switching things up and looking at Manny, a win for him would be another notch on his belt and another huge payday, but it really earns him nothing else.

He has no intention of campaigning as a Welterweight and a win would either force him into fighting foes with whom his team isn't a hundred percent sure, like Mayweather and Mosley or into retirement.

On the other hand, a loss would take him out of the Celebrity Boxing circuit and force him into tougher bouts for less pay, which may be a good thing since the Jr. Welterweight division is starting to heat up, with the rise of Victor Ortiz and bouts like Timothy Bradley-Nate Campbell, Junior Witter-Devon Alexander and Andreas Kotelnik-Amir Khan on the horizon.

These rising stars need their lineal champion to take on the best amongst them and not to be looking for genetically engineered celebrity exhibitions.

Sports have to maintain a narrative voice in order to be truly special. The big contests have to mean something and, more importantly, they have to follow through on a story; They have to bring closure to a long series of battles.

The LA Lakers could've had a more exciting, more profitable series against the Boston Celtics, but they had to beat the Magic to be crowned champions. Anything else would've been false and anti-climatic.

Boxing also has its own narrative and should follow through on its own story lines if it wants to stay long-term relevant in a sporting world that is continually marginalizing it.

To go the "Celebrity Boxing" route, as Nate Campbell called it, is a disservice to the sport and it's future. It shows a complete disdain for the natural order of things and it creates a permanent upper class where a handful of big names fight one another for big bucks while freezing the rest of the fighters out and refusing to allow any torches to get passed to the younger fighters.

Freddie Roach expressed this point of view in a recent interview from maxboxing: "Titles don’t really matter anymore. It's matchups."

And that's fine and dandy for the one percent of fighters who can be considered "big enough" to sell a million PPVs, but what about the young prospects and the prime boxers still looking to grow? Unless a guy like Pacquiao or Mayweather is willing to fight once every three weeks to appease the fans, they are essentially creating a sport outside of the mainstream structure of the actual sport and further removing the fans from the game.

Boxing needs its biggest stars and it needs them to take an active part within their own divisions. It needs these stars to dominate in their prime, go to war when they're slightly past their prime and to pass the torch when they simply can't go on. That's the natural order of things in boxing and that's how the future stars of the sport are made.

Divvying up mega-paydays among a small group of fighters in cherry-picked contests and retiring when no more cash fits into your Brinks truck, is not in the best interest of the sport.

Pacquiao vs. Cotto may be a quick fix to some of boxing's short-term needs, but a meaningless fight only inspires more meaningless fights...and that can only be bad for boxing.

Boxing's 25 Best Over the Last 25 Years

Paul Magno — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:58:23 -0400

In 1984, with names like Ali, Frazier and Foreman retired and legendary fighters like Leonard, Duran, Hearns, Holmes and Hagler on the decline, boxing developed a new list of greats and ushered in a new era. This is a list of boxing's best among the new era greats. Lists like this are always subjective and this one is no different. There is simply no way to take all of the sport’s best since 1984 and make a list that would make everyone happy…so, here’s my take on things and if you have a difference of opinion, feel free to comment or complain at will... I based my list on overall quality of opposition and inherent skill. To keep things fair, I excluded a fighter’s performances from when he was well past his prime. My focus was on the young fighter coming up and the champion in and around his prime…Let the debates begin:

Begin Slideshow

Klitschko Beats Chagaev With One Arm: RIP Heavyweight Division

Paul Magno — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:29:34 -0400

Taking David Haye's place in today's heavyweight title fight against Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs) was Ring Magazine's No. 3 Heavyweight, the BTBC's No. 2 Heavyweight and the WBA's "Champion in Recess," Ruslan Chagaev (25-1-1, 17 KOs).

Surely, a battle between a No. 1 fighter and a No. 3 contender, at worst, would be a thrilling matchup with many ups and downs and shifts in momentum. I mean, look at recent matchups between top three guys: Cotto vs. Clottey, Adamek vs. Cunningham, Timothy Bradley vs. Kendall Holt, etc.

But, in the Heavyweight Division of 2009, quality control is not a legit concept. Hell, to be honest, there is no quality to control.

Chagaev came into this fight with either no game plan or no desire to adapt to the "impossible" task of dealing with Klitschko's long arm measuring him the entire fight. So, presented with the daunting task of a straight left arm in front of him, "White Tyson" Chagaev, went to his Plan B: stay on the outside and absorb every punch that Klitschko would throw.

Wlad knocked Chagaev down in the second, essentially eliminating any pretense the WBA Chump in Recess had of even trying to get inside of Klitschko's jab.

The rest of the fight was smooth sailing for the reigning WBO, IBF and Ring Champion as he pawed with his left and swatted with his right with no fear of retribution as Chagaev was always at an arm's length.

In the eighth, Klitschko opened a cut over the Hepatitis B-infected Chagaev's left eye that was bleeding profusely and surely making fans at ringside cringe.

Referee Eddie Cotton called an end to the farce before the start of the 10th round.

A total of 61,000 German fans went crazy at an outdoor soccer stadium while millions of boxing fans around the globe shook their heads in disgust.

This leaves the Heavyweight Division with a clear top two, but a top two who will never fight each other (Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko). The rest of the Heavyweight Division look like rejects from a Star Wars convention: A painfully passive Wookie (Nikolay Valuev), a Mexican Jabba the Hut (Chris Arreola), and the rest of the rejects from the Star Wars cantina scene (Eddie Chambers, Alex Povetkin, John Ruiz, etc). Unfortunately for us fans, this convention has no Luke Skywalkers or even a Darth Vader.

David Haye is on the outside looking in, facing a possible shot at Vitali Klitschko (Vitali, earlier, won his arbitration case against the WBC and can now choose his next opponent instead of being forced to face another Heavyweight retread, Oleg Maskaev). Haye, at the very least, brings some flash and excitement to the dreary division.

Barring an almost impossible win byHaye, we are going to be stuck in the muck of the Heavyweight Division; trapped in the Klitschko Bros. vortex of Jab, Jab, Jab and of opponents who simply don't have the skill or the will to find a path to victory.

RIP Heavyweight Division.

Kelly Pavlik: Anatomy of a Fallen Star

Paul Magno — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:52:10 -0400

Buried among the Pacquiao-Cotto-Mayweather headlines is the sad story of Kelly Pavlik and his decision to check into an alcohol rehabilitation center yesterday.

This piece of news is a fittingly sad ending to Pavlik's wild two-year ride from unknown Ohio toughman to unlikely world champion superstar to inactive and demoralized divisional "also ran."

The Youngstown, Ohio native achieved his fame the old fashioned way: By fighting hard, fighting often and slowly working his way into the public eye.

Pavlik fought on every undercard imaginable- From Mexican fight cards on Telemundo to ESPN undercards to local televised boxing shows where there were probably more people at the live event than watching on TV. Wherever there was a show, Kelly Pavlik was willing to fight.

So, by the time he fought his way up to his first title eliminator bout against Edison Miranda on HBO, most hardcore fight fans had seen Pavlik at least a couple of times and were aware that this was a gutsy, blue collar fighter who came to hit hard and knock his opponents out.

"The Ghost" took the fight to the back alley brawler, Miranda, and eventually beat the tough Colombian down in an exciting encounter which stood out glowingly next to that card's lackluster main event of Jermain Taylor vs. Cory Spinks.

Pavlik's next fight was the high point of his career as he battled back from a hard knock down in the second round and went on to grab the WBO and WBC Middleweight Titles from Taylor via seventh round TKO.

Next came the career mismanagement that would cost Pavlik his undefeated record, his status as an upcoming superstar and, quite possibly, his very peace of mind.

Bob Arum and Top Rank, Pavlik's promotional company, immediately took their developing star and put him on PPV in a non-title rematch against Jermain Taylor at Super Middleweight. The event sold moderately well, but it was not the move of someone looking after the long-term career success of their new star.

Other than another notch on his record and a nice payday, Pavlik got very little from this bout that played out in front of a fraction of the audience that would've been available to him on HBO.

Next, came a mandatory defense against WBO No. 1 challenger, the hapless Gary Lockett. Kelly disposed of the Brit in three lopsided rounds that did little to endear him to HBO fans who were looking to see their new hero in yet another war.

Then came one of the worst decisions ever made by a management team regarding a young, rising star. They decided to accept the challenge of the 43-year old legend, Bernard Hopkins.

"The Executioner" Hopkins was famous for taking fighters and literally turning them to mush by negating every weapon in their arsenal. Even in defeat, the veteran always managed to nullify his opponents' best weapons and make them look horrible. Nobody since a prime Roy Jones Jr. in 1993 has looked good against Hopkins.

Not only was the relatively one-dimensional Pavlik signed to fight the old pro, but he would do so at a catchweight of 170 lbs., two weight classes and ten pounds above his normal fighting weight.

By now everyone knows what happened: Hopkins twisted the kid up and schooled him over 12 one-sided rounds. And to add insult to injury, the PPV show was a total bust and didn't even reach 200,000 buys.

So, with a bruised ego and a refusal from HBO to air his next bout (another mandatory defense of the 160 lb. crown against Marco Antonio Rubio), Pavlik once again went to PPV in another poorly-received event that saw him share the bill with another rebounding star, Miguel Cotto.

Since then, his bout against The Contender's Season One winner, Sergio Mora, originally proposed for the 27th of June, was postponed due to a staph infection, but very well could've been postponed due to Pavlik's growing personal problems or the poor early reception of Sergio Mora as an opponent.

In about a period of two years, Pavlik has run the full gamut of boxing highs and lows.

Before the ill-conceived Hopkins bout, one could point to Pavlik's career as an example of how careers used to be built; of how a career should be built. Pavlik's rise to stardom was based on Free TV exposure against a wide range of opponents and packaged around a hard-working, likable kid from a blue collar town that should not be producing stars.

Somewhere along the way, greed got mixed into the equation and Top Rank/Team Pavlik opted for the quick buck rather than the slow, but steady rise to super-stardom that would've resulted from increased exposure on "free" HBO.

Lost in the mix was a kid in his mid-20's dealing with sudden stardom and immediate demoralization—all over the course of 24 short months.

"The Ghost" is a fighter in every sense of the word, so there's no doubt that he will be back.

But before Kelly Pavlik can regain his boxing mojo, he'll have to fight the fight of his life, against the toughest opponent imaginable...himself.

Update

Since this article has been published, Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's co-promoter, has denied the allegations, ""He's not in rehab. He hasn't been in rehab. It's not true."

The source of this story is Pedro Fernandez at Ringtalk.com and it was carried by Maxboxing as part of their news wire section.

Despite Dunkin's fierce denial on behalf of his client, it seems like too big of a story to be completely fabricated by Fernandez- especially considering that Fernandez's allegations could surely be seen as vulnerable to legal action.

Stay Tuned...

Floyd Mayweather Planning To Go Straight at Manny Pacquiao Next?

Paul Magno — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:33:36 -0400

Sometimes in boxing, the best stories are the ones between the lines.

Following the announcement that the Mayweather-Marquez fight was off, I couldn't help but put the clues together. It's led me to the theory that Mayweather is planning on going right into a Manny Pacquiao fight without the benefit of a tune-up.

Mayweather's rib injury came right after Bob Arum surprisingly announced that he would be willing to make a 50/50 split on a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout. With Cotto suffering a deep gash over his eye, an October Cotto-Pacquiao bout is not realistic. And by all accounts, Manny is not at all interested in fighting Shane Mosley.

That would leave Mayweather as the only major-money opponent available to the Pacquiao camp.

On Mayweather's side, early indications had to point to the fact that his bout with Marquez would not be selling as well as previously thought, and, with the help of the "Golden Boy" brain trust, a change in plans had to be made in order to save an embarrassing spanking at the box office and among PPV buyers.

Don't be surprised if Mayweather-Marquez is called off soon and Mayweather-Pacquiao is announced. Also, if that happens, expect Juan Manuel Marquez to be tossed the consolation prize of a bout with Edwin Valero and a promise to fight the winner of Floyd vs. Manny.

If I Were Commissioner Of Boxing...

Paul Magno — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:13:09 -0400

Today I actually had some free time to sit back, relax and reflect and one of the things that I thought about was Boxing; Specifically, how to improve the sport and fix some of the negative aspects that plague prize fighting.

I came to the conclusion that the only way to turn things around was to name a strong commissioner who would take the risks necessary to do things properly.

Then, I began to think about what would happen if I were that strong, take-no-prisoners commissioner…

I know it’s a pipe dream, but here’s what I would do if I were Commish:

Establish a strong National Commission

Everybody talks about the need for a commission, but what does that really mean?

It means standardized rules and regulations, uniform training for officials, more enforceable penalties for violators of the rules, a workable and unbiased ranking system, stronger health and safety procedures for participants and a credible and independent liaison between the sport and the press.

Prohibit promoters from signing exclusive contracts with specific fighters

First, we have to establish the difference between a manager and a promoter. A manager looks after his fighter, finding the highest paying fight for the least amount of risk while a promoter’s job is to make a fighter and all of his fights as bankable as possible.

When promoters started doing the same job as the managers, fighters became doubly protected and that made certain fights even tougher to make.

My solution is to make the promoters bid to make specific fights and to completely cut out the exclusive promoter/fighter concept. This would make the promoters concentrate on making quality fights that they will go all out to actually promote.

Boxing promotion will no longer consist of slapping a fighter’s name on to a meaningless bout and expecting the fans to buy it.

By representing the fights and not the fighters, the frustration of house fighters getting bogus decisions will be almost eliminated because it will be in the best interest of the promotion to have a fair and honest decision.

Established fighters will have trouble getting fights with hand-picked tomato cans because it wouldn’t make monetary sense to any promotional company to represent any such mismatch.

The end result of this change would be many more well matched-up, competitive bouts with more money and greater freedom for the fighters while providing more quality, easier accessible cards for the fans.

Make steep penalties for fighters who pull out of fights

There is no bigger buzz kill than when a fighter pulls out of a big fight a week or two before fight night. It’s not fair to the fans, to the promoters and to the opponent who is left without a payday.

I propose automatic suspensions and/or fines for fighters who pull out of fights for non-medical reasons after reaching a previous contractual agreement. Similar sanctions could be made against fighters who habitually fail to make weight.

All fighter injuries must be varified by the commission's doctors and only the will fighters be given permission to pull out for medical reasons.

Begin a retirement pension plan for all ex-fighters

The worst possible ambassador for the sport is a middle-aged fighter still fighting for a paycheck or a destitute ex-champ making a fool out of himself for money.

This problem can be eased by taking 10% of fighters’ purses for 10 and 12 round bouts, putting that money into an untouchable trust fund and giving it back to him 5 years after his last fight.

Go back to same day weigh-ins

The only real reason for having the weigh-in the day before the fight is for promotion. Schedule a press conference instead and make the fighters hit the scales on the morning of the fight.

This would be a safety measure to ensure against fighters draining themselves to make an artificially low weight and then re-hydrating themselves all in the matter of about 24 hours.

Establish an independent ranking system

This goes along with the idea of the national commission, but the importance of a universal and fair ranking system can’t be overemphasized. Fans and press alike need to know who the fighters are and how they rank before they can be sold on a fight or fighter.

Work closer and more seriously with Team USA

The Olympic system stinks, but there aren’t too many better promotional tools than a Team USA finishing the Olympics with a handful of gold medals.

Encourage current and past pros and trainers to work with the kids to give them a better chance in the games and to help ease them into the pros.

Abolish even rounds

Scoring even rounds is just lazy judging. There is always something that sways a round one way or another. Less even rounds means less scoring abnormalities.

Significantly boost efforts to publicize the sport to the mainstream

Use every tool at our disposal to get the sport out of the marginal column and on to the TV screen.

Every effort should be made to expose the public to the greatness of the sport and the fascinating lives of its participants. Aggressive marketing and smart, targeted, campaigns to the media and the general public could be used to get the sport more exposure.

The idea of being Commish may be a daydream-induced fantasy, but here’s hoping the higher-ups in the sport take at least a couple of these suggestions to heart.

Andre Berto Handles Juan Urango; Kermit Cintron Shocks Alfredo Angulo

Paul Magno — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:01:59 -0400

Andre Berto (25-0, 19 KOs) successfully defended his WBC Welterweight title at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL against tough southpaw IBF Jr. Welterweight champion, Juan Urango (21-2-1, 16 KOs).

The unanimous decision victory played out similarly throughout all 12 rounds:

Urango would bull forward, head down, Berto would attempt to catch him with fast uppers and hooks and the end result would almost invariable lead to a clinch, a half clinch or an entanglement of bodies.

Despite the lack of aesthetic appeal to the bout, Berto controlled the contest from the very beginning and cruised to victory with scores of 117-111 and 118-110 (twice). This writer had it scored 118-110.

In the opening bout of the "HBO Boxing After Dark" telecast, Kermit Cintron (31-2-1, 27 KOs) shocked most experts and fans by beating highly-regarded Mexican prospect, Alfredo Angulo, via UD in a WBC Jr. Middleweight Title Eliminator.

Cintron began the bout by using plenty of lateral movement and utilizing his reach advantage by throwing nothing but jabs and straight punches.

In the first four rounds, Angulo seemed almost paralyzed and unable to catch Cintron with anything of note. By the second half of the fight, however, Angulo began to come on and win some rounds with his relentless pursuit.

Angulo's best moments came in the last three rounds when Cintron seemed to be flat out running and looking to tie up whenever possible.

However, the late surge wasn't enough and Angulo lost on all three cards by a score of 116-112.

This writer had it scored 115-113 for Cintron.

Cintron will now face champion Sergio Martinez in a bout that will be a rematch of their controversial draw last February.

Floyd Mayweather Jr: Master of Time and Space?

Paul Magno — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:22:42 -0400

For the critics of Floyd Mayweather Jr., there seems to be no middle-ground; No possibility whatsoever that what they say and what they've heard is not the absolute gospel. Mayweather ducked all the best fighters at Welterweight...and that's the end of the conversation for them.

They point to names like Cotto, Mosley and Margarito and then point to Mayweather's ring record. "He fought none of them! None of the best Welterweights of today!"

But when we look deeper and dig a little further we begin to see the holes in their arguments.

The timelines don't match up and for Mayweather to have truly fought the list of fighters he allegedly ducked, it would've required him to do some time-bending that would put to shame anything ever written by H.G. Wells.

Floyd Mayweather is an outstanding fighter, but he is most definitely no match for the space-time continuum.

So, timeline and ring records in hand, I'm going to run through the list of fighters that Mayweather is accused of ducking and demonstrate how things aren't always as they appear to be and that perception sometimes overrides reality.

I intend to show that the fighters in question were, for the most part, fringe players when Mayweather was active and, therefore, not even worthy of a fight, much less fearsome enough to be ducked.

I'll cover the portion of his career from April of 2006, as Mayweather prepared to fight Zab Judah in his first major bout at Welterweight until his official retirement after the Ricky Hatton bout in December of 2007.

Antonio Margarito

The tale of Mayweather ducking Margarito has been passed down from message board to message board and from blog to blog, but it has very little validity when examined.

When Mayweather was about to fight Judah, Margarito was just coming off a fourteen month layoff and had just defended his WBO title against dubious challenger, Manuel Gomez.

Margarito would go on to take another ten month hiatus before fighting an, at the time, unknown Joshua Clottey. Margarito was being outclassed early on until Clottey suffered injuries to his hands and had to spend the last two-thirds of the bout just surviving. It was hardly a star-making performance by "The Tijuana Tornado."

Margarito would follow the Clottey win with a loss to Paul Williams followed by a comeback blow-out against journeyman Golden Johnson.

Margarito's popularity and credibility as a top challenger wouldn't spike until his win over Miguel Cotto—about eight months after Mayweather's retirement.

While Mayweather was chasing the lineal 147 lb. championship and beating Ring Magazine's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked Welterweights at the time, Margarito was well in the background as an inactive fringe champion who was only known among a relative few hardcore fans and had yet to set himself apart.

Shane Mosley

The ducking of "Sugar Shane" accusation is a relative new one, but let's examine the time line of this one as well.

When Mayweather was staking his claim in the division, Mosley was one division to the North at 154 going toe-to-toe with Fernando Vargas in a pair of bouts.

Mosley then came down to 147 where he had a very impressive performance against Luis Collazo.

However, a month before Mayweather's retirement, Mosley would lose a close unanimous decision to Miguel Cotto.

In reality, Mayweather and Mosley only shared the division for about ten months- a period of time that saw Mosley win one and lose one.

This hardly established a burning case for a Mayweather-Mosley showdown.

Paul Williams

Frankly put, Williams and Mayweather only shared a prominent role in the Welterweight division for about five months, between his win over Margarito and his stunning upset loss to Carlos Quintana.

Mayweather could've rushed in and forced a fight with the tall, awkward southpaw, but nobody was rushing to fight Williams and the upset loss effectively cut him from the picture for the time being.

Miguel Cotto

Cotto wasn't even in the same division as Mayweather until a month after Mayweather became the lineal world champ by outclassing Baldomir. That adds up to about a year where both fighters were even in the same division.

Cotto earned his spot at the top of 147 by beating Judah and Mosley in exciting, well-attended, but ultimately disappointing PPV shows.

Mayweather, in almost direct point/counterpoint was busy taking part in the biggest PPV of all-time (vs. Oscar de la Hoya) and a near-million seller (vs. Hatton).

By the time Cotto had established himself as a player at Welterweight, Mayweather already had plans to get out while still young.

Could Mayweather have turned down the Oscar and Hatton fights to have it out with Cotto? Of course...but what fighters in history would turn down 20 million dollar checks and mega-events in favor of a third of the money and one-eighth the publicity?

Final Analysis

When looking back on Mayweather's recent career, we have to be careful to put things into their proper perspective and clearly analyze what went down- not with the negative benefit of hindsight, but with the ability to fairly see things as they were.

When Mayweather first moved up to Welterweight, he called out a Zab Judah who had just ripped Cory Spinks to shreds and was ranked on many pound-for-pound lists. Judah was, far and away, the consensus No. 1 Welterweight in the world.

Judah ended up being upset by Carlos Baldomir and the the Argentinian became lineal champ.

Mayweather beat Judah first and then went after Baldomir to complete his sweep of Ring Magazines top two rated Welters—Regardless of what would later on happen to the careers of the two Mayweather victims, they were considered the top two at the time.

Then, the real public relations problems began for Mayweather.

The newly-crowned lineal champ cashed in on his growing fame by opting for a huge money fight against De la Hoya; A fight that everyone from 140 to 154 would gladly have taken instead of a mandatory defense for a fraction of the money.

The Hatton fight followed. Another blockbuster payday for a fighter just starting to make the mega-bucks of some of the other stars of the sport.

If Mayweather's guilty of anything it's trying to cash in on a lifetime of hard work in order to secure his financial future after retirement.

This is a crime that, in my opinion, is 100 percent forgivable in a sport that is famous for not taking care of its own after they cease to be vital.

Mayweather could've insisted on fighting relative unknowns for fractions of what he could've made elsewhere, but what fighter given the same circumstances would do that? Right...none.

So, while the name Floyd Mayweather may have a visceral effect in your belly and cause you to explode in a rage of self-righteous condemnation, I ask you to think.

Are the timelines matched-up properly?

Is it fair to ask a fighter to give up his biggest paydays in favor of bouts with your personal favorites?

Is it intellectually honest to expect a 2006 Floyd Mayweather to beat 2009's best Welterweights?

Step aside from the hyperbole and mob mentality when it comes to Floyd and put some serious analysis behind the rhetoric.

We are unfairly putting Mayweather into the no-win situation of having to defend himself against allegations of ducking the best; Not the best fighters of his time, because he did beat them, but the fighters that would eventually go on to be the best welterweights nearly three years later.

Mayweather can do a lot of things, but time travel is not one of them.

Results from Arena Monterrey: Marquez Shines, Gonzalez Overwhelmed

Paul Magno — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:11:35 -0400

From the Arena Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

There were mixed results for the sold-out partisan crowd packed into the muggy Arena Monterrey Saturday night.

Rafael Marquez (38-5, 34 KOs) took the first step on his comeback trail as he disposed of a tentative Jose Francisco Mendoza (21-3-2, 17 KOs) via third round TKO.

Marquez started off slowly in the first and second, showing obvious signs of ring rust. Then, towards the end of the third, Marquez connected with a sharp straight right hand that sent Mendoza to the canvas.

It was obvious that Mendoza was in no shape to continue and, after some confusion between the ref and both corners, the fight was waved off at the 2:26 of round three.

In the main event, Japanese southpaw champ, Toshiaki Nishioka, brought his WBC Super Bantamweight title to Mexico and defended it impressively against Jhonny Gonzalez.

The challenger, Gonzalez, started off extremely strong by dropping Nishioka late in the first round with a textbook straight right hand. The champ, although dropped, didn't look to be in any grave danger of being stopped.

The second round was a good recovery round for Nishioka as he managed to box on the outside and nullify Gonzalez's forward momentum.

The end of the fight came in the third when Nishioka connected with a teeth-rattling straight left hand that sent Gonzalez down hard in the corner. Jhonny managed to get up at the eight count, but he was obviously out on his feet, prompting referee Kenny Bayless to wave off the contest.

Nishioka moves to 34-4-3 (21 KOs); Gonzalez falls to 40-7 (34 KOs).

Brian Kenny: Top Rank Tool?

Paul Magno — Sat, 23 May 2009 04:28:00 -0400

I have long yearned for a journalist with the bravery, integrity, and drive to go after all the evil aspects and shady characters in the sport. Brian Kenny looked and sounded the part during his most recent interview with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

However, Kenny missed one key point: He has to be aggressive and self-righteous with all of his guests and not just one guy on two brief occasions in several years as co-anchor of ESPN's Friday Night Fights.

To just go for the neck against one guy in a career of Regis-style glad-handing and sucking up looks more than shady. It makes Mr. Kenny look like he has a personal axe to grind with Mayweather and it puts into question everything Kenny says concerning all things Mayweather.

The tiff between Mayweather and Kenny started back in 2006. Mayweather was doing publicity for his fight with Zab Judah and Kenny questioned Floyd's lack of desire to fight Carlos Baldomir and Ricky Hatton.

Kenny went on the offensive in that interview and smugly challenged Mayweather, "...he's (Hatton) coming to Las Vegas for his next fight and he's probably going to fight for the Welterweight title...What will you do then?"

Kenny, in that same interview, would flatly state that Mayweather's win over Arturo Gatti for the WBC title at 140 was not a real world title win.

That was a ballsy statement to make to a fighter's face, but it was 100 percent disingenuous, since Kenny never makes those declarations against other guests holding, as he said, "paper championships."

Kenny has gushed over Pacquiao's win over "paper champion" David Diaz at 135 and has never challenged an interview subject with accusations of being a paper champion, if not holding the lineal title.

Now, in Brian Kenny's latest interview with Floyd Mayweather, Kenny has seemingly adopted Top Rank talking points, almost verbatim, when questioning Floyd.

Kenny questioned Mayweather's timing in announcing his comeback on the same day as the Pacquiao/Hatton bout on May 2; He pushed Shane Mosley between Mayweather and Pacquiao, almost as though using Mosley to run interference for Pacquiao.

He even, in the matter of just a few minutes, managed to insinuate Pacquiao as the new PPV king and push the Top Rank notion that Pacquiao's wins over Oscar De la Hoya and Ricky Hatton were infinitely more impressive than Mayweather's.

If you didn't know better, you would've thought that Bob Arum himself, and not Brian Kenny, was conducting the interview.

Mayweather was the same smug Mayweather throughout, but Kenny had obviously been dreaming of the day when he could have a rematch with Floyd and tell him that he was no longer pound-for-pound No. 1 because Mayweather had "informed Ring Magazine" that he was retiring.

This latest interview with Mayweather made Kenny look extremely bad. The damage it did to his reputation as a fair and even-handed journalist was further highlighted on his Friday Night Fights show, where the interview was shown again and Kenny used in-studio guest, Freddie Roach, to affirm his positions.

The contrasted cuts from a smug, passive-aggressive interview with Mayweather to loving glances at Roach, followed by softball questions, was damning evidence that Kenny is simply not someone ever willing to take a fair approach to any topic labeled "Mayweather."

Worst of all, Brian has to be executing these ambush jobs with the full understanding of what he's doing. Kenny is not some simple talking suit behind a desk, he does have a working knowledge of the sport.

So, when he attacks Mayweather for not fighting Pacquiao or Mosley immediately after a 19-month lay-off, he has to be doing so with the full understanding that nobody would be dumb enough to take on two of the best fighters in the world after such an inactive period without a tune-up first.

Even if Mayweather's ego doesn't permit him to admit that he needs a tune-up fight to shake off the rust of inactivity, Kenny should know that...Either that or maybe Floyd was right and Kenny knows nothing about the sport...Or, also plausible, maybe Kenny has found his way into a specific promoter's back pocket.

WBC: Vernon Forrest...Buh-Bye!

Paul Magno — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:57:00 -0400

From the Bribe-Covered Desk of WBC Pres., Jose Sulaiman:

"...Vernon Forrest is a three-time WBC world champion and a champion outside the ring, as well, known for his efforts in support of the children and underprivileged persons in the world.

Unfortunately, Forrest has sustained an injury which is forcing him to stay away from the ring for some time.

The WBC is hereby naming Sergio Martinez as the undisputed WBC Super Welterweight Champion of the World. Martinez is one of the most loyal fighters I have ever met as WBC President. Our dear Ruben Martinez, who passed away two years ago, fought with passion to bring the opportunity to Sergio, and it was with a sensational victory over Alex Bunema that he won the WBC interim green and gold belt. He then defended the interim championship against Kermit Cintron, and is now regarded as a new sensation in boxing. I am sure that he will proudly represent the WBC.

Vernon Forrest has been unanimously voted as “WBC Ambassador of Peace and Good Will in the World through Sports,” and will be eligible to compete for the WBC championship as soon as he recovers from his injury with a 55-45 purse split against Martinez .

I am very happy for Sergio Martinez and very honored to have Vernon Forrest as an Ambassador. I am confident that Forrest will heal very soon and compete again for the WBC championship."

...Wow, "WBC Ambassador of Peace and Good Will in the World through Sports..." That's much better than being champ, anyway...

Mexican Boxing, Ready for a Comeback?

Paul Magno — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:44:51 -0400

by Paul Magno

Last year at about this time, Juan Manuel Marquez was proudly ranked in everyone's pound-for-pound list after losing a close and disputed war with Manny Pacquiao.

Aside from the personal kick of being listed as an elite prize fighter, he also took pride in knowing that there were at least four other fellow Mexicans who could make a case for being there alongside him: Israel Vazquez, Juan Manuel's little brother, Rafael Marquez, Antonio Margarito, and Cristian Mijares.

Now, one year later, the elder Marquez is the only Mexican fighter who can lay claim to being among the elite.

To say that the last year has been bad for the Mexican boxing scene is like saying that a diet of king size burritos is bad for your low-carb diet.

With the exception of Marquez, one by one, Mexican fighters have fallen to either defeat or scandal...and sometimes both.

Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez pretty much eliminated themselves from the scene because of their inhumanly brutal trilogy; Mijares and popular tough guy Jorge Arce were torn to shreds by Vic Darchinyan; Oscar Larios was upset for his title by Japanese challenger Takahiro Aoh; Marco Antonio Barrera's comeback attempt was tainted by a small fight fix scandal in Mexico and an aborted bloodbath loss to Amir Khan in the UK; and, of course, there was Antonio Margarito who not only managed to lose his title via major league beat-down to Shane Mosley, but also lost his dignity by being revealed to the world as a hand wrap-tampering thug.

But now, signs of a comeback for Mexican boxing are starting to be seen.

This weekend, former Bantamweight champ, Jhonny Gonzalez, gets his first shot at a title since his surprise loss to Gerry Panalosa back in 2007. He'll be taking on reigning WBC Super Bantamweight title holder, Toshiaki Nishioka, in Monterrey, Mexico.

On the same card, Rafael Marquez makes his long-awaited return against Jose Francisco Mendoza in a WBC Super Bantamweight title eliminator.

If Gonzalez and Marquez both win, you can expect a great showdown between the two later in the year.

The following Saturday, Mexico's brightest prospect, Alfredo Angulo, takes on the biggest test of his career in the form of Puerto Rican banger Kermit Cintron.

The trio of proud Mexican warriors: Marquez, Gonzalez, and Angulo, along with an Israel Vazquez who was just given medical clearance to start training again after his eye surgery, could be the spark needed to rejuvenate the lagging Mexican fight scene.

And, of course, should Juan Manuel Marquez find the key to beating Floyd Mayweather on July 18th, the comeback for the Aztec Nation will be complete.

Five Fights to Bring Boxing Back to the Mainstream

Paul Magno — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:12:35 -0400

The cure for almost everything negative in boxing is exposure. With more people watching and the “legit” press keeping a keen eye on the goings on, some of the shadier aspects of the sport would simply cease to exist.

As it is now, treated as a fringe sport and relegated to the sports section behind high school baseball, the scoundrels call the shots and can pretty much do anything their dark hearts desire.

The ideal road for boxing to get back into the mainstream is for it to return to free, network TV, but with the way the sport’s currently structured, that would be an impossibility.

The premium cable channels like HBO and Showtime have exclusive deals with the bigger fighters and the promoters have adapted the “pay-per-view mindset” of wanting to pocket quick cash from the sport’s most loyal fans.

So, the best road to mainstream respectability for boxing would be to fight its way back into the same level as other major sports like baseball, football, and basketball.

Smart, quality matchups and aggressive promotion are the keys to getting boxing some face time on SportsCenter and back on your local TV news’ sports report.

Here are five bouts that would help get the sport back into the nation’s collective unconscious:

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao

This is a no-brainer. With Oscar De la Hoya out of the picture, Mayweather and Pacquiao represent the two biggest draws in the sport.

Aside from the obvious pound-for-pound angle of the sport’s best getting it on, the lead-in publicity would be insane.

Mayweather plays his role as a new era Hip-Hop bad guy to perfection while Pacquiao has the “quiet warrior” act down pat. The contrast in personalities and the inherent skill level involved in this contest would be undeniably appealing to everyone in the sporting press.

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Vitali Klitschko

Imagine the pathos of a “brother vs. brother” heavyweight title unification bout? Even the most avid anti-boxing producer on SportsCenter would have to give this bout its proper attention.

This would be the type of event that would draw the attention of both fans and non-fans alike and, while most of the publicity around this bout would surely be negative, it would absolutely bring the sport of boxing back into the realm of current events.

This fight has zero possibility of happening since both brothers have flatly stated that they would never fight one another, but it would definitely provide a boost for the lagging heavyweight division as well as for the sport itself.

Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones Jr. II

A lot has changed since these two first-ballot Hall of Famers originally fought, back in 1993. While the blazing Jones solidly defeated a tentative Hopkins 16 years ago, the shoe is most definitely on the other foot now.

A 40-year old Jones has been relegated to the spot of fringe fighter, while the 44-year old B-Hop is still classified as a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter.

Jones is currently close to signing a fight with Jeff Lacy and Hopkins has most recently been rumored to be in negotiations with cruiserweight champ Tomasz Adamek and super middleweight titlist, Carl Froch.

However, the only truly big fight remaining for either fighter is a rematch of their 1993 encounter. Neither Jones nor Hopkins will find any opponent more marketable than one another. Given their ages and the relatively weak state of the light heavyweight division, this is the only fight that makes sense for either…and probably the only chance either has at PPV success.

A smart promoter, though, would forego the immediate payout of PPV and opt to try and put this battle of the legends on free TV. The fight itself isn’t likely to make waves or win over new fans, but the publicity and relative importance of this matchup would push it into the public eye.

Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito II

After Margarito’s one year suspension is up, the hype could begin, even with the foul taste of Margarito’s plaster-coated handwrap controversy still fresh in the mouths of fans.

In boxing, popularity and notoriety are two offspring of the same twisted and distorted creature. This one would have it all.

Of course, the heated Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry would be in effect, but more importantly, the universal concept of redemption would be in play. Cotto would be seeking redemption from his previous loss to Margarito; a loss that he feels was unjustified since Margarito may have been using illegally-loaded handwraps to beat him down.

Margarito would be looking for his own redemption, by proving to the world that he is indeed a world class welterweight without having to resort to underhanded tactics.

Imagine the intrigue and drama of a camera tightly focused on Margarito’s hands as they’re wrapped carefully for the world to see. The first bout sold over 500,000. This one would easily double that and it would earn a ton of mainstream press in the process.

Kelly Pavlik vs. Arthur Abraham

This one would be big, not for the bout itself, but for the fact that it could restore Kelly Pavlik to his previous position of money machine on the verge of mainstream popularity.

Pavlik was knocked down several pegs when he was absolutely schooled and dominated by Bernard Hopkins last year, but there’s nothing better to restore the shine to a young, blue-collar, power-punching middleweight champion than a thrilling win over a cocky European champion who calls himself “King.”

A win over “King” Arthur Abraham puts Pavlik back into the Americana stereotype of humble underdog athletes fighting their way to the top.

Could also Bring on Mainstream Attention:

Oscar De la Hoya vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Oscar is supposedly retired, but so was Mayweather. This one would be an easy sell for so many reasons.

Ricky Hatton vs. Amir Khan

Should Khan get by Andreas Kotelnik for the WBA Jr. welterweight title, we’d have the perfect UK encounter of a beloved ex-champ (Hatton) against the next big thing (Khan).

Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Israel Vazquez

Mexico vs. Puerto Rico, old warrior vs. young warrior. If Vazquez isn’t totally burnt out after the Marquez trilogy, this will be the type of war that will be revered for generations to come.

David Haye Comes to America

If Haye gets by both Klitschko brothers to become a three-belt heavyweight champ, his arrival in America would be huge.

The United States has been thirsty for a trash-talking, flashy big man for the longest time. Haye could definitely be what American fight fans need.