Oscar De La Hoya Was Good But He Ducked Winky Wright

Now when people think of the word ducking one name usually comes to mind and thats Floyd Mayweather Jr., but what exactly is ducking. Well my definition of ducking is a bit different but my definition of ducking is simply avoiding a dangerous challenge to take on an easier fight for a lesser payday. People talk about ducking all the time heres one perfect example. Oscar De La Hoya at one time was the number one light middleweight in the world after defeating Fernando Vargas for the lineal title at the weight division. Instead of fighting Winky Wright who not only is an established name but a prominent figure in the division he instead fights Shane Mosley. Though a fight with Winky Wright was not as lucrative at the time it took Shane Mosley to make Winky Wright a household name among boxing fans. So Winky Wright is the champion at 154 he beats Shane Mosley who beat De La Hoya twice, Oscar never fought him. Instead he moves up to middleweight and challenges Felix Sturm for the title and wins a close decision, moves down and loses to Bernard Hopkins and takes an easy opponent in Ricardo Mayorga after a near two year layoff. Winky Wright during this layoff is an established name, and during this time he could have brought on a very lucrative fight for De La Hoya. This matchup could have been the biggest in light middleweight history at the time. By the time De La Hoya came back Wright was more than likely unable to make light middleweight anymore and moved up in weight, while De La Hoya took on Floyd Mayweather Jr. This is a fight I wish I could have seen it would have been a very tactical fight, but in this case you have to admit De La Hoya was ducking Winky. Winky was the biggest light middleweight in the world and brought more money than Floyd Mayweather Jr. did at one time and Oscar being the cash cow of boxing never took that fight and its a shame we never got to see De La Hoya vs Wright it would have been an interesting bout but it would be hard to score if you ask me

Chad Dawson vs Glen Johnson: Prediction

Chad Dawson vs Glen Johnson is happening on November 7th. This is a rematch from last year where Chad Dawson got a disputed unanimous decision win over Johnson. Many observers thought he won the match I had Dawson edging him out due to his effectiveness in the early rounds. Chad Dawson is the future of the light heavyweight division. Dawson who started out at super middleweight is undefeated in 25 fights and has held three different versions of the light heavyweight title. This matchup hes defending the IBO which is seen as the least regarded of all the organizations. He dropped the IBF title in order to take this bout. Glen Johnson is a former light heavyweight champion defeating Roy Jones in 2004 in an upset. He traded matches with Antonio Tarver, and has losses to Bernard Hopkins and Clinton Woods. He recently defeated Daniel Judah in a rematch after getting a draw with him in a 2003 matchup. Chad Dawson is a southpaw he has great speed, great footwork, and knows how to counter effectively. Glen Johnson is an orthodox fighter, he likes to fight on the inside, hes good at throwing the straight right hand, he moves effectively, his defense is really good, and he is very effective when he has the fight going his way. I'll be honest with Chad Dawson at the end of his fights I dont know if hes tired or if hes fading. He tends to get lazy in the final rounds of his fights. In the 8th or 9th round in the matchup with Tarver he kind of just went on retreat for a couple rounds and fought in spurts, and stole rounds. This is something Dawson cant do against Glen Johnson. He doesnt really like to use power shots he simply uses volume punches. This fight he has to get Johnson to back off he needs to hit Johnson with some hard shots to take this fight. Sometimes I see Chad Dawson do that same in and out movement in every fight and it gets repetitive he can only do it so much until it gets pointed out. Glen Johnson starts his fights out slowly, I think he has a lot of trouble with fighters that have quick hands, at times like Dawson he can get lazy, and he when hes completely out of the fight hes frustrated and gets off track. I see this fight going either way but if I had to choose somebody to win it I'm going with Chad Dawson in this fight. Dawson will utilize his hand speed, and foot movement to move around the ring and make Glen Johnson chase him. Though the first fight was close I see this one being a lopsided unanimous decision for Chad Dawson

My Thoughts on Winky Wright

Sorry for my analysis post i've been having trouble with my computer at home but i'll be sure to post my interviews with Dimitiry Salita and Billy Dib this weekend. Winky Wright is one of the best defensive boxers in boxing. He perfected a defense that not only fighters have trouble breaking, but have trouble keeping composure as well. You have to respect Winky hes a future hall of famer, I dont think he'll get in on the first try but he's definately a future hall of famer. I think that its a shame that he cant get any good fights for himself. He took a near 2 year layoff from boxing, simply because he was unable to land a fight. I dont believe the rumors of him pricing himself out of fights, because truly I think Winky Wright is worth millions. He came up the hard way in boxing, he worked his way up in Europe, fought for a few years, came back and fought some good competition in the United States. He was robbed in his matchup with Fernando Vargas, but he had an impressive showing. Over the years Winky had improved his defense and by the time he fought Shane Mosley in 2003 he had a defensive shell that nobody could break. Winky could hit you with a hard counter and quickly get back into that shell. It would confuse his opponents and frustrate them. It was hard to hurt Winky because none of your shots were landing flush. This man has probably one of the best defensive shells in all of boxing. His defense is great, it can be up there with the defense of Willie Pep and Pernell Whitaker but, there are times Winky gets hit with flush shots. Paul Williams continually penetrated that shell in their outing back in April, and Hopkins was able to land some flush shots. In his last four outings hes had a draw, a win, and 2 back to back losses. People are wondering if this is the end for Winky Wright? My answer to this is that it doesnt have to be. Winky Wright has the potential to become a champion in the middleweight division, and if he wanted to he can be weight drained at 154 and become a champion there, because with his defense nobody will land flush on him. People refer to Winky Wright fights as boring, but these people dont understand boxing. As long as your using a style that benefits you then your doing fine. Winky wins with that defensive shell, and his career can last much longer because he hasnt taken as many hard shots as many of the other fighters. Winky is a smart fighter, and his defense opens up opportunities, to do many things such as counter, confuse, and frustrate his opponent its all a part of boxing. I hope Winky continues with his career and gets some big fights because hes still a big fight attraction as seen in the Paul Williams fight.

Thoughts on Roy Jones Jr.

Well Roy Jones won as predicted but, I didnt see the knockout coming. Lets face it all of us boxing fans have somewhat of a fascination with Roy Jones Jr. It wasnt too long ago when he was the pound for pound champion on every pound for pound list. He was the most exciting fighter to watch in his prime, but now hes just a shadow of his former self. The biggest question regarding Roy Jones Jr.'s legacy in boxing is has he faced anyone to catapult him up to all time status? Well you have to consider these factors how was his level of opposition, how many championships did he hold, how many divisions did he dominate? In the year 2009 his wins over Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, and Clinton Woods look much better than they did before. Later on in these mens careers they would go on to win championships, along with the first two being future hall of famers. Roy Jones Jr. had a long reign on top of the light heavyweight division he held almost every belt at light heavy except for the WBO title. My personal opinion I think that Roy Jones Jr. should have fought Dariusz Michalzewski an undefeated light heavyweight who Jones could have easily beaten who was also the WBO title holder. Roy Jones Jr. had every other belt in that division there was no reason he should have not held the WBO title. Roy Jones has some good names on his resume, along with some names of fighters that nobody will ever hear of. He has some really impressive victories, and impressive knockouts but one has to wonder was Roy Jones really as good as advertised? I mentioned before his skill level was average, and his fights depended more on his reflexes rather than boxing ability. It makes you wonder if the Bernard Hopkins we see now be able to beat Roy Jones from back then, or if Antonio Tarver would have knocked out a prime Roy Jones. The answer to both of those probably not. Though Hopkins is one of the smartest and craftiest fighters in boxing no way a Bernard Hopkins now or even in 2001 one beats a young Roy Jones he was just too quick and he relied on those reflexes and quick handspeed to win him fights. Antonio Tarver is a toss up because Roy Jones did move down from heavyweight to fight him and that proved to be dangerous on his body Jones loss so much speed and power, but in the 2nd fight he caught one flush on the chin so we dont know. Is Roy Jones a future hall of famer? Yes but is he among the greatest as he proclaims? My answer would be no. If i had to make a matchup from generation against generation my matchup would be Archie Moore vs Roy Jones Jr. just to see who is one of the greatest light heavyweights of all time Roy Jones jr easily beats Billy Conn, maybe Bob Foster, and would lose to Michael Spinks, but I think Roy Jones Jr. is up there not by boxing ability but just boxing behind his agility. My advice to Roy Jones Jr. if your moving up to cruiserweight stay there! Fight the best competition there and then retire please!

Check http://mandatorydefenseboxing.blogspot.com

Hey I know I dont have many followers but I have a lot of people who look at my site somewhat but check my boy Josh hes great with fight analysis, and great articles us boxing fans gotta stick together but be sure to check it out

Money and Boxing

One of the biggest problems in the sport of boxing right now is money. HBO isnt airing as many fights due to the tight budget in times of recession, Showtime is picking up the more valuable fights, and ESPN and Versus are airing good fights as well. I do think that money is needed to make fights happen, but we need a network that will not turn down fights, and pay to see their fighter taken on a specific fighter. We have so many fighters wanting to come out and showcase their skills but, tv networks are not allowing this to happen. Whats the point in fighting if you cant show the whole world your the best at what you do? Winky Wright went a long time without networks picking up his fights and he seized the moment against Shane Mosley. This was a matchup he had to win to get recognition. He beat Shane Mosley, and he beat him rather easily the first time. Some fighters arent fighting to see who the best is their fighting whoever the networks pay the most money to see them fight. I understand that boxing is a business, but before getting your airtime, and holding all kinds of belts dont you want to prove to be the best? Just because the network is willing to give money to a fighter that people want to see doesnt necessarily mean there the best. I can name plenty of fighters who do not deserve the airtime they get and I can name plenty of fighters who do deserve more airtime. Three things run the sport of boxing networks, promoters and organizations. Boxing revolves around these three things together and boxing needs them to be a success. We need networks to air the fights, and we need organizations to have champions for these networks to air fights and we need promoters to build up a fighter to be a champion for these organizations but at the same time put together fights for the networks so in a way its a revolving door. I myself as a boxing fan and writer I hate to see the fact that boxing fans dont get to witness the best fights due to behind the scene politics. I really dont like hearing a fighter say they will fight whoever brings the most money when some of these fighters dont deserve the pay day. Fight whoever will establish your name among the greats. Fight whoever you need to fight to be the best, and fight for yourself as well as the true boxing fans. Im not saying i'm against these big money fights i'm just saying before getting your big money fight you need to establish yourself and you need to fight whoever is put in front of you. Make the sport of boxing a revolving door for the fans instead of the networks. Us boxing fans need one boxing network that will air the fights that the fans want to see I hope we see that in the future

The End of Blood Boxing's Channel?

Last night I was on Youtube to check out my boy Blood from BloodBoxing one of the best boxing channel's on youtube along with the Rope A Dope Report, Ashy Knuckles Boxing, and 97 Ruff. If you havent checked out those youtube boxing networks be sure to check them out. Blood along with these other networks on Youtube that were mentioned inspired me to write my blog, and voice my opinion on boxing. I enjoyed the shows that he had because what he said was very true and we need more of that on networks like Youtube to spread the following for boxing for people to follow. I dont agree with what Youtube did to him I do agree with Blood that they discriminated against him. We get on Youtube and we see all of this racism and racist comments on peoples pages and its not cool at all. Americans enjoy the right to freedom of speech, but this man is not getting his opportunity to speak if you keep pulling his videos, and sending him violation after violation. Blood is no gangster so dont be fooled by the name, whoever on Youtube that moderates videos did have it in for him, and its not necessarily a good thing at all. I really hate to see a good boxing channel go due to the racism of a site and others. Tell me why can thousands of people put up highlight videos of their favorite boxers, but this man cant even post a picture or whatever it was on a site. Compare this small company to HBO. HBO can sue for more money and on top of that HBO has their own youtube account. I really hope this is not the end of Blood Boxing on youtube I am a subscriber and if it is i'll keep up with him on his site and radio show. Thanks Blood

Jeff Lacy

My personal opinion is the buy rate of the Jeff Lacy vs Roy Jones Jr. pay per view will be very very low. Considering Roy Jones has never been able to sell a pay per view and Jeff Lacy is a c level fighter. As a boxing fan I never understood the hype around Jeff Lacy. People were billing him as the next Mike Tyson, and billing him as this next big star in boxing, but this wasnt the case. Jeff Lacy early in his career and now is nothing like a Mike Tyson. Jeff Lacy didnt throw combinations, he had horrible timing, he left himself open on defense, he simply threw punches, he never countered very well and had very heavy feet so with all of that somebody would expose it. At the time Jeff Lacy was in a division where there wasnt many top name opponents. Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch were still making a name for themselves, but there was already one established fighter at super middleweight in the division and that was Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe was everything that Jeff Lacy wasnt. He had fast hands, very quick head movement, light on his feet, could go the distance without looking for a knockout, threw combinations and had perfect timing. This fight Jeff Lacy the odds were against him, but I understand why so many were believing that Lacy would win. This is because Joe Calzaghe never fought in the United States so he didnt have much American exposure. As I mentioned in an earlier post Jeff Lacy's flaws were exposed. He couldnt land a single shot, he was made to look like a journeyman fighter who was just thrown in the ring. This fight was ugly it was pure boxing lesson. It showed the fans that Jeff Lacy wasnt on the level we thought he was. He definately wasnt the next Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson had fast hands, power in both hands, great defense, great head movement, threw combinations to the body and was very quick. Jeff Lacy had none of that but he did provide knockouts with one punch and that was the left hook. Jeff Lacy was a C level fighter in a division that did not have a deep pool of talent. Around the time he became a professional, the middleweight division was locked down by Bernard Hopkins who would have easily beaten him, and light heavyweight was making some noise as a top level division. Jeff Lacy was a fighter at the right place at the right time. Personally after the Calzaghe fight and to this day I believe that Lacy is damaged goods. Hes only in this matchup to get a pay check, he doesnt really want to fight anymore if you ask me. If he wanted to fight he would have hired a better trainer after the Calzaghe "massacre", if he wanted to fight he wouldnt be walking in fights with the same style as his last fight, and if he still wanted to fight he wouldnt have retired not once but twice only to come back. This is a man who had a bright future, he was signed by Golden Boy Promotions, was featured in 2 boxing games, was in talks of fighting the light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver for a while. He blew it all by losing one fight, and turning around and not looking impressive afterwards. I do think if Jeff Lacy was determined he would be much better than he is, just add some things to his repetoire. But you cant teach an old dog new tricks is the saying. I expect Roy Jones Jr. to have a great showing, it wont be that good of a match, not much anticipation for this card. I'm only watching it to see BJ Flores fight his fights are worth watching. Until next time!

Librado Andrade vs Lucian Bute II Prediction

The long anticipated rematch will be here November 28th! A day before my birthday. This matchup has long been anticipated due to the controversy of the last match. If you hadnt seen the last fight you'll see what I mean. Lucian Bute dominated the first 11 rounds of their first fight only to get blasted in the final round by Librado Andrade. Lucian Bute was down and the referee Marlon Sterling began to count, and this fight was in Bute's hometown so everything is working for him. Bute is in his hometown, has a hometown referee, and pretty much has the fight in the bag. Andrade stormed out and beat on him knocking him out. In the first fight Bute began to fade in rounds 10-12 Andrade saw that and simply pounded on him until he went down. To make a long story short the ref stopped counting to get Andrade to get back in his corner, and when the ref was done with Andrade he resumed his count and Bute was up. Bute was down for more than 20 seconds, much more than regulation for a knockout. So now Bute is standing up, and he wins the fight on unanimous decision. Librado Andrade is a hard puncher, he likes to stalk you, and run in and hit you with some hard shots. Andrade is a head first fighter similiar to a Jake Lamotta and has shown to have a great chin. Lucian Bute has good but not great boxing abilities. Bute has fast hands, above average power in both hands, he can move, and counter very well. I think Bute's countering is very underrated. He likes to punch on the move. Librado Andrade isnt really the fastest fighter, and very flat footed. He has trouble fighting on the outside, and doesnt really set up anything off the jab. Lucian Bute's major problem is sometimes he doesnt really control his punches, at times he just simply throws punches just to get points which made him fade in his last fight. Bute is the opposite of Andrade he has trouble fighting on the inside. I reallly dont see anything different in this fight than the last fight. Lucian Bute should win again by unanimous decision using his boxing ability. Andrade will pretty much be chasing him the whole matchup and Bute will be pot shotting the whole match just like the other match. The only way to neutralize a fighter that likes to fight on the inside like Librado Andrade is to pot shot, and move around the ring. Perfect for Bute as long as he doesnt fade. So im going with Lucian Bute unanimous decision

Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto

Many boxing fans are really looking forward to the superfight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. We dont know for sure if its for the welterweight championship or not but best believe this matchup will be a war. Here is my prediction. Manny Pacquiao is a fighter who likes to throw fast combos. People refer to it as an amateur move, but there is power behind these left and right hooks. He's becoming more of a complete boxer with every fight, and he's getting stronger every time he moves up. Miguel Cotto is a great body puncher, very tough on the inside, good lateral movement, as some saw in the Alfonso Gomez fight he can move on the outside and fight with his jab. The problem with Manny Pacquiao is when he fires off those combos he keeps that chin open, sometimes its even untucked. In boxing 101 one of the main rules is to keep that chin tucked, and protect it, and Cotto is really good at timing his shots, and may be able to land a shot on that chin similiar to what he did in the Joshua Clottey matchup. Pacquiao has been in only 1 very competitve matchup in the last 3 years against Juan Manuel Marquez, the rest of his fights have been very one sided. The main problem with Miguel Cotto is he doesnt clinch, even when hes in trouble. Cotto has very slow head movement towards the mid rounds, he cant fight going back, and he at times can leave his chin open as well. I see this fight being very action packed I see back and forth action, with Miguel Cotto's eye opening up because he had a recent eye injury. Cotto will definately be attacking Pacquiao to the body as he's been knocked out with a body shot very early in his career. Pacquiao and Cotto will be hitting each other with their whole arsenal. This fight is not going the distance I wanna say this will be Manny Pacquiao KO in the mid rounds. My reason for this being is that I simply think Pacquiao has the superior trainer in his corner compared to Cotto. Freddie Roach will point out that Cotto doesnt clinch, so jump right on him the same way he did to Oscar De La Hoya. Hes going to tell Pacquiao to throw feints so Cotto can comitt to them. He's going to make Cotto go backwards, and hes going to make Cotto lose his focus. Hes going to make Manny go after the cut on his left eye. Pacquiao has every advantage and everything is pointing towards him for the victory. The only shot Cotto has at winning is if he was a counter puncher the whole fight or used his strength to put Pacquiao on the ropes, but with those quick offensive spurts that he has I just dont see Cotto winning it. Pacquiao KO round 5 or 6

The Heavyweight Division Part 2

Evander Holyfield's first reign as champion was a bit up and down. He lost the trilogy with Riddick Bowe, losing 2 fights to 1, and he lost to Michael Moorer by unanimous decision. The biggest win of Holyfield's career is when he outpointed and beat Mike Tyson in their first fight, only to get his ear bitten off in their second encounter. During the Holyfield era there were so many different champions. This era of the heavyweight division there were more champions than any other era you had: Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison, Frank Bruno, Bruce Seldon, Lennox Lewis, Oliver Mccall, Riddick Bowe, and a 45 year old George Foreman. Though Holyfield did not fight every fighter mentioned he fought a majority of them. Holyfield's early reigns as heavyweight champion were solid but he was somewhat undersized compared to other heavyweights. He was a cruiserweight fighting at heavyweight, he was a unified champion and there was nothing else he could do so he decided to move up. The era of Holyfield ended with a draw, and a loss to Lennox Lewis in their unification bout. Lennox Lewis would go on to have a successful reign as the undisputed heavyweight champion for two years until being knocked out by Hasim Rahman in 2001. Lewis would later win the rematch by knocking out Rahman later that year. Lewis retired after a tough bout with Vitali Klitschko which marked the end of another great era in heavyweight history. After the retirement of Lewis many people expected Roy Jones jr. to be the new star of the heavyweight division but it didnt go as planned as he went back down to light heavyweight. Mike Tyson retired in 2005, which left no huge names in the heavyweight division. After the retirement of Lennox Lewis there was a huge plethora of champions. Vitali Klitschko (who would later retire and come back), John Ruiz, Hasim Rahman, Oleg Maskaev, Samuel Peter, Chris Byrd, James Toney ( who later was stripped for using steroids), Sultan Ibragimov, Ruslan Chagaev, and current champions Nikolai Valuev, and Wladimir Klitschko. The most champions in the heavyweight division out of any era. The only dominant champion out of this group was Wladimir Klitschko who holds the most belts. Vitali Klitschko and Nikolai Valuev both hold belts as well but, Wladimir has fought the best competition out of the bunch. He came back after losing to Lamon Brewster to avenge that loss knocking out Brewster, then knocks out Hasim Rahman, Ruslan Chagaev, Tony Thompson, and Calvin Brock who were top heavyweights at the time and the first two former champions. He definately is the man at the heavyweight division now. The only problem is people complain about Wladimir and call him boring. Thats his style hes defensively sound, and sticks behind the jab. Wladimir if he beats Eddie Chambers and Alexander Povetkin will more than likely have a much longer reign than anticipated. They complain about this era of the heavyweight division but this era is no different than the Joe Louis era now that you look at it. Joe Louis held the title for twelve years and was doing this "bum of the month" fighting because he ran out of competition, how about the Rocky Marciano era there wasnt the best competition in his era but hes considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time because he retired undefeated maybe because he was a joy to watch. Hands down the seventies era was great just full of exciting matchups, but what about the early eighties with Larry Holmes that was a very slow era. I think the Larry Holmes era is just like our current era. Larry Holmes did earn victories over James "bonecrusher Smith, Trevor Berbick, Muhammad Ali, Ray Mercer, but his era is no different than now. No prospects coming up, hes just basically fighting his mandatory, and when Michael Spinks moved up he saw a great opportunity and fought him. The same with David Haye moving up to the heavyweight division. Is the heavyweight division dead? No not at all I think its alive and well we have some good prospects and a great undisputed champion. The only problem is if these prospects jump out in the limelight too early then this could damage them. With the current shape of the heavyweight division they need only one thing and thats one champion altogether. Vitali and Wladimir wont fight each other but with both brothers beating everyone left and right that leaves no opponents for them but mandatories who more than likely arent ready and wont be tested. I believe David Haye will beat Valuev, and if he wins he'll have a great reign which will demand a unification with Wladimir Klitschko, which can be a great matchup for the division. When people think of the heavyweight division they think of the history of Ali, Frazier, and Foreman. But this era is just like the Holmes era with different champions. If there was one champion best believe it would be much better. Take a look at the division now and try to put these heavyweights against the ones from the past. match up Wladimir Klitschko and Joe Frazier, Vitali Klitschko vs George Foreman, and Nikolai Valuev and Muhammad Ali 3 out of 3 wins for the heavyweights of the past. In the eighties put Larry Holmes vs Wladimir Klitschko, Trevor Berbick vs Nikolai Valuev, and Mike Tyson vs Vitali Klitschko on both sides it can be 2-1 for current heavyweights or 2-1 eighties see where i'm getting. The heavyweights will forever be considered the biggest and most talked about division in boxing even if theres complaints or praises people will always talk about the heavyweights.

The Heavyweight Division

Throughout history the heavyweight division has been one of the most talked about divisions in the sport of boxing. Great heavyweights of the past include: Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, Rocky Marciano, Ezzard Charles, Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, young Mike Tyson, and Evander Holyfield. Those are only a few but theres many more on the list of great heavyweights. Ever since the creation of boxing the most popular and most talked about division in the sport of boxing is the heavyweight division. Back in the early twenties it was full of club fighter heavyweights until the thirties came along. Before the Joe Louis era you had the Jack Dempsey era. Jack Dempsey wasnt really the biggest heavyweight he weighed about 185 pounds, but he was able to brawl. The rules in boxing were much different then. We see the tactics that Jack Dempsey used as "dirty" these days because he would hit fighters on the back of the head, he would hit fighters when they were down on one knee, just stuff like that. Dempsey who many saw as a racist would not step in the ring with a black fighter. So we never saw what could have been a huge super fight between Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey. Despite holding the heavyweight championship for seven years this fight could have brought on a bigger legacy for Dempsey. There was a string of champions in the heavyweight division until Joe Louis came along. Joe Louis was a highly skilled fighter and went on to hold the belt for 12 years a feat thats unheard of in the sport of boxing. Joe Louis was a knockout artist, and knew when and where to make his punches count. After Joe Louis there was the Ezzard Charles and Rocky Marciano era's. The Rocky Marciano era was a good heavyweight era though some may not see him as that great of a fighter compared to Ali, a Rocky Marciano in the fifties could still be a champion in this era of the heavyweight division. Later we have the Sonny Liston era which was a time where Sonny Liston who was a tough guy who went to prison earlier in his life was knocking out his opponents left and right similiar to a George Foreman. Sonny Liston's knockouts were more brutal. Liston looked to be in for a long reign after knocking out Floyd Patterson in one round twice. He was later dethroned by Muhammed Ali who many proclaim as the greatest heavyweight of all time. Ali fought in the golden era of that division in the seventies. He fought Joe Frazier the man who held his belt that was stripped away from him. They had perhaps the greatest rivalry in the history of heavyweight boxing. So many great heavyweight fighters in the seventies. Ken Norton, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ali, and Holmes. You even had some quality journeyman like a young Leon Spinks, Jerry Quarry, George Chuvalo, and Ernie Shavers. This was the most talked about division in the world. When people talk about the boxing history in the seventies they think of the Ali vs Frazier Trilogy, The Rumble in The Jungle, Howard Cossell yelling "down goes Frazier!!!", Norton breaking Ali's jaw, and every Muhammad Ali interview was entertaining. Its still talked about decades later. The Larry Holmes era was good but his era lacked good quality fighters. Larry Holmes was fighting hyped contenders like Gerry Cooney, Leon Spinks, and Trevor Berbick who would later win a world title. At the end of the eighties the reign of Mike Tyson was fearsome. This 20 year old kid off the streets knocked out Trevor Berbick in 2 rounds, knocked out Larry Holmes in 4, and Michael Spinks in seconds of round 1 to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion. These three names alone were the top heavyweights of the early eighties. Tyson lost to Buster Douglas and then Douglas lost to Evander Holyfield who had a good reign.

Eddie Chambers vs Wladimir Klitschko: My Official Prediction

Eddie Chambers vs Wladimir Klitschko is nearly signed for December 12th heres my thoughts on this matchup. Eddie Chambers is coming off of a great victory against Alexander Dmitrenko back on July 4th. Hes a great boxer with fast hands, and can move around the ring and box. He has shown as of late that he tends to get lazy in the later rounds which costed him his match against Alexander Povetkin. Wladimir Klitschko has been the top heavyweight for three years now. He has been willing to fight whoever has been put in front of him and has beaten everyone put in front of him since 2006. He has great balance, has great offensive awareness, uses a stiff jab, and movement which aids him to victory. Chambers as I said early tends to slack off in the later rounds, in a recent bout with Samuel Peter he tended to slack and just throw sloppy punches. He doesnt hit hard enough to make Wladimir be cautious, and hes very undersized which all can play against him in this fight with Klitschko. Wladimir Klitschko as known by everyone has a suspect chin, he is not willing to exchange shots with any other heavyweight, but at times the only punch he throws is the jab pretty much. A lot of people complain and says that hes boring, but its a part of his style he throws that jab to keep fighters away from his chin. What is interesting about this matchup is how these guys throw jabs. Eddie Chambers throws the jab to get points on scorecardsd. Wladimir throws the jabs to back fighters off. Interestingly fighters tend to throw the jab to set up the knockout or set up a big punch. I see Wladimir Klitschko winning this fight for too many reasons. The reach advantage, height, punching power, agility, and overall ring knowledge and generalship just to name a few. Eddie Chambers does not have the power to back Wladimir off, but Wladimir has the power in those jabs to make Eddie Chambers back off. This fight will not be action packed it will be a text book and tactical fight. It will be a chess match pretty much you have a boxer with great boxing ability across the ring with a boxer with great boxing ability along with power in his jabs. Wladimir Klitschko takes this fight unanimous decision

The Truth About Kelly Pavlik

On Eastside Boxing you see a lot of fighters with amazing followings. One of the three fighters with the biggest support on the site is Kelly Pavlik. When Kelly Pavlik defeated Jermain Taylor nearly two years ago he gained a lot of fans and respect from the boxing community. Kelly Pavlik was becoming a success story. HBO talked about how he was out of Youngstown, Ohio coming from a blue collar working family etc. There was even talk about him taking on Joe Calzaghe. So the sky was the limit for Kelly Pavlik. There was only one problem. He never faced Bernard Hopkins. In that matchup Hopkins exposed Pavlik as a one dimensional fighter. We never really saw that at first because he was knocking people out left and right. His televised fights werent even going the distance, the only one being his rematch with Jermain Taylor. I watched Pavlik vs Hopkins last October, and I couldnt believe how easily Hopkins actually exposed Pavlik. When the world was caught up in Kelly Pavlik all they saw was a champion, and a knockout artist. First off his first problem against Hopkins was simply going for the knockout the entire fight. Pavlik doesnt throw the jab often, so he cant establish anything behind the jab since hes strictly a power puncher, he lacks quality movement, very little skill, cant work well at angles, and his combos are very slow. Hopkins exposed that in their fight in October. Kelly Pavlik didnt face quality competition coming up in the ranks he did face a weight draned Edison Miranda, and fought a possibly weight drained Jermain Taylor. I personally think that Pavlik is a guy who got lucky. I dont think Pavlik would beat the same Jermain Taylor who beat Hopkins twice, I dont think Pavlik beats Winky Wright, or even Arthur Abraham whos 2 dimensional. Kelly Pavlik is a great puncher who knocked out a champ to become champ and that was his claim to fame. The truth is Pavlik has always been and will always be the same fighter he was in the Hopkins fight because you cant teach a dog new tricks. Dont get me wrong I like watching Pavlik but as a fan I would like to see him get better as a fighter and improve his skill

Paul Williams vs Kelly Pavlik Is Official and My Prediction

I been waiting for this matchup to happen for a long time but its finally here!!!!! Kelly Pavlik vs. Paul Williams has been signed for October 3rd at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Now that the fight has been signed its time to make my prediction. Paul Williams a former two time welterweight and one time light middleweight champion. Many of the big names are afraid to fight him at the lower weight classes so he jumps up and down in weight. Paul Williams in the welterweight division is one of the most avoided fighters in the division since Thomas Hearns more than twenty years ago. Though many were afraid to step up and take a fight with him Carlos Quintana outboxed Williams in 12 rounds in February of 2008. With people saying he was overrated, and an overblown fighter Paul "The Punisher" went on to win his rematch with Quintana in the first round. Paul went on to fight Andy Kolle a somewhat good quality middleweight knocking him out in the first round, and beating veteran Verno Phillips by TKO a man who hasnt been stopped in 20 years of boxing. Recently he defeated future hall of famer Winky Wright by a lopsided decision on my card winning 11 out of the 12 rounds. Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik shocked the world in September of 2007 by knocking out Jermain Taylor after surviving a knockdown and some powerful shots that would have knocked out the average middleweight. Towards the end of the fight Pavlik used his size and power to walk down Jermain Taylor later knocking him out. Jermain Taylor is a fighter known for not fighting the full 12 rounds its just been a habit for him to take a round or two off and in this matchup it costed him. They had a rematch at a catchweight of 166 pounds with Pavlik winning a close decision. Pavlik went on to knock out mandatory Gary Lockett in three rounds, but went on to lose to the legend Bernard Hopkins by a lopsided decision. He recently had a TKO victory over Marco Antonio Rubio in February and pulled out of a fight with Sergio Mora due to a staph infection. How does this fight play out? This fight will have a lot of punches thrown Paul Williams throws more than 100 punches per round, Kelly Pavlik throws more than 80 punches per round I believe. Williams by far has the reach advantage with an 81" reach which is longer than the heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. So Williams is definately going to throw punches, throw punches from angles and Williams is good at that. His defense is very underrated as you seen in his last two matchups. Kelly Pavlik is tough, strong, and knows how to punch. Pavlik knows how to use his size as an advantage towards him. This fight Pavlik isnt as tall as Williams so it will be hard for him to do that. Naturally Pavlik is the bigger man being that hes a middleweight and Paul is a light middleweight/welterweight. The problem with Paul Williams is he can throw punches too wide at times. He has somewhat toned down on throwing wide shots but he can leave that chin open for Pavlik to send that counter overhand right to end it all. I feel like Paul Williams is more of a volume puncher than anything else i'm not sure if he has the power to keep Pavlik away or keep the pressure off of him. Pavlik will definately have to attack to the body to take away Paul Williams activity. Kelly Pavlik has trouble fighting from angles as seen in the Hopkins fight. Paul Williams is a right handed southpaw so he can move to both sides and make Pavlik turn and have to move to get to him. Pavlik is very flat footed, and usually you can see that he just simply walks in and throws shots. Sometimes when he does that he can go in carelessly and eat a shot. He gets frustrated easily. Hopkins exposed this in his matchup with Pavlik, because Hopkins kept his distance and wouldnt let Pavlik get into any rhythm and it frustrated him because he couldnt land one single effective shot on Hopkins. My thought on this fight. I got Paul Williams taking this by a split decision. This is a fight Paul Williams needs in order to get more fights and stay active. People do avoid him but now this will give people a reason to fight him because he'll be the unified middleweight champ. In the fight Paul Williams will throw shots, use his reach as an advantage, stay on the outside and go in and throw flurries and come out of the pocket all matchup. I got Paul "The Punisher" Williams split decision

Put Amir Khan On Showtime!!!!!

I'm not brought up into the hype surrounding Amir Khan just yet. I really wish him the best in his young career, but I have noticed that hes very notable. Not only is he a great fighter, he also has a big fan following which a lot of British boxers carry. Its a shame that he doesnt have a TV deal just yet. I personally believe that Showtime is the network that needs to build up Amir Khan. One they have a lot of light welterweight talent fighting on that channel and it gives him a chance to gain some American exposure. HBO has already failed with young boxers and Showtime is slowly picking itself up not becoming the elite of the three major channels that air boxing on a regular basis, but great at building young fighters. Though Showtime doesnt put up the numbers, and have the best fighters, and production that HBO has, they are a very close second if not first. Amir Khan fits perfectly into this demographic. Young talented fighter, young champion in a hot division, good fan base what all can you ask for? I think Amir Khan can be a star on Showtime and I think that he will draw ratings, and can draw money in the United States the only question is where can he draw this money? Frank Warren can set him up on tours, have him go around America and promote himself, Showtime can promote him as their next big star, get him a couple fights against fringes so that he can build his name up and make him look exciting and gradually work him this will bring Khan his exposure in the United States. Showtime really needs to jump on the opportunity to get Amir Khan on their network!!! and they need to get him on there NOW!

Hook City My Prediction on Jeff Lacy vs Roy Jones Jr.

"Hook City" sounds like a movie title if you ask me. Well my prediction of Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy against Roy "Captain Hook" Jones Jr. is perhaps more than likely one of the easiest predictions that I will have writing my commentary. I got Roy Jones Jr. in this fight Jeff Lacy has been damaged goods since the matchup with Calzaghe about 3 years ago. Roy Jones Jr. isnt necessarily what you call damaged goods but hes more well aware as a fighter than anything else. My breakdown of Roy Jones Jr. he was a great athlete with quick reflexes, but when it comes to boxing ability Roy doesnt really have it. Any other boxing analyst can say the same. Early in Roy Jones Jr.'s career he depended on is reflexes, speed, and power to win matchups. Very rarely did you ever see Roy Jones Jr. throw jabs in fights everything was pure power shots just look at his 2nd matchup with Montell Griffin and his match with John Ruiz. He had amazing stamina, he was powerful, quick, and had a lethal counter punch. Those counter shots were lethal because you never saw it coming if you see highlight videos of Roy Jones notice his knockouts were flash knockouts and I have to admit he used that to his advantage. He was knocked out by Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson in 2004 in back to back fights and many thought it was the end. What happened was he decided to move up to heavyweight to about 193 pounds and then had to go back down to 175 to fight Tarver. He won the first matchup by a razor thin unanimous decision, lost the 2nd by knockout, and lost the third by decision. It took Roy a while to recover from that but you have to respect Roy he had three straight defeats and worked his way back up to take on Joe Calzaghe though he lost that matchup you could see that Jones had faded. In his case once his reflexes were gone it was all over hes still quick but he's fighting using his reflexes. Jeff Lacy was always in my opinion overrated he fought in the super middleweight division knocked people out and then got his ass handed to him by Joe Calzaghe. It was so bad I remember shaking my head in shame watching that matchup because this man represented the United States on the Olympic Boxing Team in 2000, and hes going over to Britain after the match was post poned and was just getting beat to the punch, played with and couldnt even land a shot. Joe Calzaghe just had a great night and a great showcase with the American audience with that matchup. Jeff Lacy has never been the same since that matchup he fought Peter Manfredo, had a close close matchup with a guy who I cant even remember his name that I had a draw, and a loss to Jermain Taylor. Jeff Lacy is very one dimensional he throws one shot at a time hes flat footed, and his style is perfect for Roy Jones to make a showcase out of. Lacy is getting toyed with and taking some hard shots over a duration of 10 rounds or however long the fight is. Roy Jones Jr wins it on unanimous decision Jeff Lacy is way too slow, doesnt throw combinations, cant put his punches together, doesnt have good defense, and he gets rocked easily perfect for Jones. Roy Jones Jr. Unanimous Decision

For The Last Time Boxing Is Not Dead!!!!

Since I was a little kid I have always enjoyed the sport of boxing. I remember the first matchup I ever saw on television was a taping of Ali vs Frazier I when Frazier beat Ali. It was perhaps one of the greatest heavyweight matchups in the history of boxing with two great future hall of famers one against another both undefeated one man had a championship that he won from the other and didnt even beat him. This had the story for an epic battle in which it was. More than thirty years later professional boxers are now talking about how boxing is dead. Boxing is not dead by any means whatsoever. Boxing is alive and well. Though boxing does not get as much exposure as MMA it still does really good. HBO isnt airing MMA and neither is ESPN. ESPN has a friday night show dedicated to boxing, and HBO more than likely wont go the UFC route. Showtime does show MMA on occassion and so does VERSUS. With the boxers saying that boxing is dead its a shame that you think that. This is the sport that you have made so much money in. If its dead then think to yourself what can I do to help this sport? In the case of Joe Calzaghe its coming out of retirement to fight Chad Dawson. People would be interested in that even though Chad Dawson doesnt draw as much as a Roy Jones Jr. or a Bernard Hopkins. Ricky Hatton you fought two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world in the last year and a half gotten two of the biggest pay days for a losing fighter that boxers can only dream of despite not really doing anything in your career. Yes Hatton you beat Tsyzu i'll give you credit for beating a fighter who was about to retire and had already been on top, and you beat an unfocused Paulie Malignaggi, an over the hill Jose Luis Castillo, and had a dead even fight with Luis Collazo what else have you done other than get knocked out on the main stage not once but twice. Out of all the people talking about this "shape" of boxing one that shouldnt be talking about it is Gary Shaw who actually had an MMA company that folded last year and protects his talent way too much. Gary Shaw has turned down lucrative matchups for Vic Darchinyan for when Fernando Montiel challenged him and turned down a rematch with Nonito Donaire only to lose to Joseph Agbeko. He had Chad Dawson do the opposite turn down fights that could do well for him for bigger money fights with Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. He knew Glen Johnson beat his fighter last year so he held off for more than a year before giving him his rematch. I believe that Dawson should fight Tavouris Cloud because I think he has the skill level to beat him but who knows Dawson likes taking rounds off and has been knocked down a few times. Gary Shaw talks about money and talks about the reason boxing is in the shape its in but isnt he part of the problem? Didnt he take in a guy off the street to make him this big marketing sensation? Didnt he have a MMA company that competed against boxing cards almost every time it was on? MMA might dominate merchandising and pay per view but that doesnt mean boxing is dead. The problem is money and politics in boxing thats why Gary Shaw started an MMA company. Do you see Bob Arum, Don King, Lou Dibella, or Dan Goosen investing in MMA companies? No because they love boxing and getting the best boxing matches is their number 1 priority as a promoter. Getting the best boxing matches for the fans. Thats what makes boxing special. Sad enough Oscar De La Hoya and Gary Shaw are both investing in MMA does this mean this is the downfall in boxing? No because you dont see WBC,WBA,IBF,WBO, and IBO going out of business those are the major boxing organizations there always gonna have champions who will pay their sanctioning fees, and make their fighters defend their belts against a top contender each year. I come to realize whats keeping boxing alive is the letter championships and organizations giving fighters opportunities compared to being in a company that offers just one championship and having to wait for your shot while 5 or 6 other people are in line for the same belt. MMA definately isnt alive because UFC is pretty much the monopoly of the MMA world. Strikeforce makes nothing compared to UFC numbers there the cash cow i'll admit of that world but two major MMA companies have gone out of business in less than a year and now I believe Strikeforce is depending on this next matchup this weekend to pull them through so now there on their last legs. So compare that to boxing who has letter organizations that you have to pay to hold their championships and will always have people in line for those championships. Boxing is not dead it will always be alive dont let the politics fool you

My Conversation With Peter Quillin

Fast hands, great footwork, elusive, excellent jab, superior skill, along with power in both hands is a deadly combination in boxing this best describes Grand Rapids own Peter Quillin. In boxing you come across many prospects who want their shot immediately, but Peter knows that hes better than the top middleweights hes just waiting on his opportunity to prove that he's ready. He is very confident in his abilities as a fighter I believe that he will be the IBF champion in the next year or so. This man is very dedicated to boxing he wakes up early and goes out to run, updates his fans on Facebook and gets back to work in the gym. This is dedication to the sweet science. Though he missed a year with injuries hes ready to prove to the world that he deserves a shot at the middleweight championship, and I believe that his name should be out there among top middleweight prospects. Come on HBO put him on your undercard!!!!!!!!! This is a fighter that has proven himself to be a force in the middleweight division for years to come. We talked about the competition at the middleweight level and he agrees with me theres just two other prospects that come to mind when you think of the division Fernando Guererro, and of course Danny Jacobs. I told him what I thought of Danny Jacobs great young prospect just not ready to fight on cards for major networks like HBO because that can ruin his career. Its funny because whoever is promoting Danny Jacobs isnt willing to put him in the ring with Quillin. Fernando Guererro's handlers wont put him in the ring with Quillin neither. So that tells you the skill level that hes on. He has some weight on his shoulders carrying the name "Kid Chocolate" who i'll admit he does look like. Being Cuban he told me he looked the name up and thought since the name Sugar was used a few times he thought he could use that name. It fits him well as one of the greatest Cuban fighters of all time carried that name. He also thought that the Cuban fighters coming over to America will be great for boxing because it can bring a lot of names and can pave the way for fellow Cuban boxers. Hes very proud of his heritage and very proud of his abilities in the ring. I'm sure that we'll be talking about Peter Quillin on Eastside Boxing's General Forum in a while. But like I said hes just sitting and waiting for his shot, and sooner or later (I hope sooner rather than later) he gets that shot at the IBF championship.

HBO Assault In The Ring

I've been behind all week but I just recently gotten a chance to watch HBO Assault In The Ring. I thought it was a great documentary, many boxing fans including myself have held ill feelings toward Luis Resto before watching this. For those who dont know heres the story: In June of 1983 Billy Collins an undefeated welterweight prospect out of Tennessee signed to Top Rank took on New York's own Luis Resto on the undercard of Davey Moore vs Roberto Duran. Billy Collins was on his way to boxing superstardom and had a fierce right uppercut, unlike Luis Resto who in his young career of 5 years had a record of 19 wins and 7 losses and on his way to journeyman status. The matchup was 15 rounds of brutality all favoring Luis Resto. Shots were just snapping Billy Collins head back and swelling both of his eyes up eventually closing them shut after round 10. Collins never went down and kept fighting. The fight went the distance with Luis Resto winning the unanimous decision victory. After the matchup Billy Collins' father Billy Collins Sr. noticed the padding was out of Resto's gloves and called for some people to inspect them. Resto and his trainer Panama Lewis left the ring immediately, and later in the dressing room under observation the gloves were removed. The person observing noticed that the padding was taken out of the gloves and it was later confirmed that plaster of paris was used. So basically Billy Collins was being hit full force with a cast over a duration of 45 min. in a boxing ring. Months later Billy Collins Jr. committed suicide, and Panama Lewis and Luis Resto were sent to jail and banned from boxing for life. Onto the documentary, it paints a picture of a broken man in Resto. He lost everything as a result of that fight. He lost his family, he couldnt get back into the sport he loved not even as a trainer, and hes pretty much homeless living in the basement of a boxing gym. You can tell by looking at this documentary that Luis Resto carried a lot of guilt as a result of what happened that night. Panama Lewis on the other hand was still working corners but still couldnt get his boxing license. It disgusts me that hes still working corners, and pretty much continuing to train fighters after what he did, while Resto lives in extreme poverty. I'm not going to say Panama Lewis was responsible in the death of Billy Collins but is responsible in destroying many things: the legacy of Aaron Pryor, the career and life of Luis Resto, the lives of the Collins family, and his own training career. Any fighter that works with Panama Lewis must not know much about boxing if they work with him, because this man is everything thats wrong with the sport. At the end of the day I felt sorry for Resto because the result of his one mistake costs him everything he worked so hard for. The underbelly of the New York boxing scene has since recovered, but ever since that infamous night 25 years ago Antonio Margarito has come under suspicion for having plaster in his gloves against Shane Mosley and people think he possibly used them against Miguel Cotto. I like to give a boxer the benefit of the doubt even in this case. But I thank God everyday plaster or no plaster that Miguel Cotto or any other fighter was as damaged as Billy Collins

What is Boxing?

I seen a couple youtube videos with posters telling the viewers what boxing is here is my opinion on what is boxing

What is boxing?
Boxing is the sweet science
Boxing is poetry and motion
Boxing is countering, blocked shots, jabs, and evading
Boxing is the art of love and war
Boxing is coming back after being knocked down to win the fight
Boxing is discipline, dedication, determination and desire
Boxing is action between the ropes
Boxing is using your intelligence to master your craft
Boxing is your way of painting your own picture for your own legacy
Boxing is style counter puncher vs slugger, brawler vs counter puncher, boxer vs brawler, orthodox vs southpaw
Boxing is Ali vs Frazier, Robinson vs Lamotta, Louis vs Schmelling, Ali vs Foreman, and any other matchup
Boxing is Barnum and Bailey and Ringling Brothers combined because its the greatest show on earth and it amazes and astound
I love boxing

I Hope Cotto Wins.....

Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto is set for November 14th, while the odds are stacked against Miguel Cotto I think that America's obsession with rooting for the underdog has taken its toll on myself. Miguel Cotto is of course one of my favorite boxers, and I would love for him to win. The only problem though is he may be damaged after his matchup with Antonio Margarito. Personally I think Cotto should have fought a couple good quality opponents and then faced Margarito again when his suspension was up to answer the question as to whether or not he cheated before taking the matchup with Manny Pacquiao. I'm not going to criticize Cotto I'm not a professional boxer, i'm not involved in the politics of the sport, and well of course this fight with Pacquiao brings a lot of money to the table for Miguel Cotto. This is perhaps the biggest payday of his career and one of the biggest opportunities for Miguel Cotto so of course he will take the fight. But the odds are against him: some say hes damaged goods after the Margarito fight. He suffered a bad cut over his left eye, that should play a major role in the matchup, and he has to go down to 145 pounds. Miguel Cotto is known to be very strong at 147 pounds and struggled below that weight, but hey its two pounds less but i've read here and there that Cotto has trouble even making 147 though he did make it down to 146 for his matchup with Clottey. Will that one pound make a difference? I dont know seeing that at 140 Paulie Malignaggi rocked him and Demarcus Corley stunned him I dont know with being older, and used to fighting at a higher weight class how much that will have an effect on Cotto. I even heard reports that he was training right now, the problem with that is he may grow fatigued and feel weak during the matchup that is one of the worst things a boxer can do as far as training goes is over training. Miguel Cotto is a warrior, an amazing fighter, and one of the most fun to watch. The odds are against him, but I really hope he wins it. I would like to see that dream matchup with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto though I would have loved to see it before Floyd retired the first time. This is still a good matchup I see Pacquiao as more of a threat to Floyd's throne than Cotto, but this is a matchup that all boxing fans such as me would like to see

HBO Next Generation Boxing = Failure

HBO has been pushing their next generation of top fighters again. A couple years ago it was Jermain Taylor and Kermit Cintron who have both done very well in their careers, but have failed to generate as box office attractions. These new names include Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Chad Dawson, Paul Williams, Victor Ortiz, James Kirkland, and Alfredo Angulo. You see the names on the list and wonder how is this a failure? Well Gamboa and Lopez have been fighting on mainly Top Rank Pay Per Views. Gamboa's last televised fight was actually on Showtime. Paul Williams cant seem to land a fight, but word is he's very close to signing to fight Kelly Pavlik. Victor Ortiz had a very, very dissappointing loss to Marcos Maidana a fight he should have clearly won, James Kirkland was arrested, and Alfredo Angulo just recently lost to Kermit Cintron. Chad Dawson is the only fighter in this group that is stilll winning matchups but people think that he will lose to Glen Johnson. Why is this a failure? Because HBO has gotten fighters that arent ready to compete on the level there competing on. Chad Dawson and Paul Williams are the only elite level fighters in this crop of talent. The problem is you cant promote Paul Williams is nobody is willing to fight him, and Chad Dawson seems to get worse in every match. In Chad Dawson's last matchup with Antonio Tarver (A fight nobody really wanted to see) it was supposed to be a showcase of his talent. But this matchup was somewhat boring. I understand that he was playing it safe and had to do the rematch to honor his contract rematch clause, but overall it was a boring match very little action though it had its moments. Paul Williams just beat a future hall of famer in Winky Wright. But the win isnt as gratifying because Winky hadnt been in the ring in nearly two years a win is a win but Winky just hadnt been active. What HBO has done was sign fighters who should be on ESPN to contracts they have been heavily pushing Victor Ortiz as the future of boxing. I'm pretty sure Ortiz next match will be on either ESPN or an HBO undercard. Cristabol Arreola another fighter in this crop that was not previously mentioned will be fighting for a heavyweight championship but the same case with him he's not ready! Give fighters that are ready a chance to shine on HBO fighters such as: Yuri Foreman, Sechew Powell, Amir Khan, Dmitiry Salita, Nonito Donaire, Tavouris Cloud, Yusef Mack, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Eddie Chambers, Billy Dib even Roman Greenberg and Brian Minto a chance. These men have huge followings and all these guys are ready for the spotlight and nobody is giving them a shot. Give fighters who dont really have the marketability but the following to be HBO fighters these men I mentioned have great followings in the world of boxing, and the men I named are either champions or in contention for titles. Give these men a chance rather than people who havent earned these spots yet.

Alfredo Angulo Back In The Ring?

Alfredo Angulo will be fighting on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights this Friday. I'm really not sure of what the problems with his management are but he has no business fighting these opponents. Angulo has not even fought 20 fights and hes fighting a veteran like Kermit Cintron? Kermit Cintron is no easy work at all this man was a champion a bit over a year ago and his losses were disputed. He has had 20 more fights, he was recently a world champion in a division full of great competition, he recently fought one of the top light middleweights in the world, and was a contender for a world championship, not to mention that Cintron despite recently moving up to light middleweight signed on to fight Paul Williams for unification though the fight did not happen due to a hand injury. I know what you may be thinking I'm pro- Cintron. Not true at all I'm by no means pro Cintron i'm just stating the facts. Alfredo Angulo is being pushed too fast by his management team and HBO. HBO wanted to showcase him as their future talent and wanted to have him knock off these tomato can fighters and make him look good. I knew coming into that fight Angulo lacked the experience to be facing a Kermit Cintron a fighter who is trying to rebuild his career after losing his belt. It was a matchup about who wanted it more. Angulo wanted it to be a fight, and Cintron wanted it to be a boxing match. It ended up being a boxing match with Cintron controlling the match with his movement and his right jab in the earlier rounds. This is what set up Cintron for the victory. Alfredo Angulo now coming off that devistating loss is matching up with Gabriel Rosado who just defeated Kassim Ouma who is a quality opponent. This has to be the best win of his career by far. Kassim Ouma who once fought for the middleweight championship of the world and held the light middleweight title that has to be a hell of an accomplishment. Now with HBO not giving him any money, nor TV time Angulo is fighting on ESPN where he should have been fighting all along! he was 10 fights in and already fighting on HBO! HBO should know better than to sign a prospect who lacks rounds to a contract to appear on perhaps the biggest boxing network co headlining cards. Before Cintron it was Ricardo Mayorga a matchup I was glad that we didnt see because Mayorga would have been bringing the action the whole fight. Angulo needs to change management and slowly bring himself up to fight quality opposition. Cintron was all wrong for him at this stage of his career. He should be building himself up, getting more challenging fights, and fighting fighters on his level and then gradually get to a stage to where he can fight a Kermit Cintron or a Gabriel Rosado. I cant predict a winner I dont know how Angulo will "rebound" but we'll see Friday Night. Angulo vs Rosado on ESPN 2 Friday Night be sure to watch it

My Thoughts on the Super Six Tournament

Well I have been blogging about my predictions all day on this tournament and now here are my thoughts. I think that its the best thing that can happen for that division. I dont agree with it only being six fighters I thought Lucian Bute, Allan Green, Librado Andrade, and maybe Jeff Lacy should have been included but the six mentioned are among boxings elite. I wish they came up with the idea when Joe Calzaghe was ruling the division but then again he had all the belts and 2 out of the 6 werent even super middleweights 2 out of the six were still prospects and the other 2 out of the six are champions werent even well known. But 1 out of the 6 has faced Joe Calzaghe. This tournament has a lot of potential matchups that I would like to see. The match I would like to see the most is Carl Froch vs Arthur Abraham that match has two big punchers colliding against each other and is set to be an action packed matchup. Another I would like to see is Andre Ward vs Andre Dirrell two men who are quite possibly the future of the super middleweight division better yet future names in boxing. One match I particularly dont care for is Jermain Taylor vs Mikkel Kessler though it should be an intriguing matchup Arthur Abraham vs Mikkel Kessler is a match I would like to see and I would definatly like to see Andre Ward vs Jermain Taylor. Those are the matchups I want to see in this tournament my prediction on who the winner will be is yet to be determined. I predict the top 3 to be Andre Dirrell, Mikkell Kessler, and Arthur Abraham. I'm leaning toward Dirrell winning but Andre Ward could pull the upset. The one who definately wont win is Jermain Taylor. One who I think will be right above him is Carl Froch. Andre Ward has the talent to be one of the top 3 but i'm not sure. If Andre Ward fought Arthur Abraham no doubt in my mind Ward would win but I think Showtime will be careful with Abraham as they match him up. No doubt in my mind Arthur Abraham will face either Carl Froch or Mikkel Kessler next we'll see. This tournament is one of the best things in boxing and one of the things to look out for. I believe that we need more tournaments such as these to bring boxing back into the spotlight. Though my predictions are not dead my experience and intellect on boxing just leads me to believe it. So watch the Super Middleweight tournament and i'll speak again on it when its time.

Super Six Super Middleweight Tournament: Andre Ward vs. Mikkel Kessler

The main matchup in the Super Middleweight tournament is the main attraction in Europe Mikkel Kessler vs California's own Andre Ward. This highly anticipated matchup will take place in November a month after the other matchups in the tournament. People are looking forward to this matchup because 1) Kessler is considered the linear champion in the super middleweight division 2) Andre Ward is the last United States Olympic boxer to win a gold medal in the Olympics and 3) Kessler hasnt been tested against quality United States competition and Ward hasnt been tested by championship caliber opponents. Andre Ward is a great overall boxer he moves in and out likes to circle around the ring, and make his opponent come after him so he can counter. Sometimes Ward has a problem with being lazy with his punches and getting caught. Kessler is a great boxer as well. His defense is underrated and very automatic. He throws his punches and puts his hand up to protect his face right after its kind of a habit for him. Kessler has experience fighting perhaps one of the best super middleweights of all time in Joe Calzaghe though coming up short Calzaghe stated he was one of the hardest opponenets he had ever faced. Problems with promoters and management has kept Kessler out of the ring for almost a year. Andre Ward has been in the ring twice this year and will return on September 12th for a tuneup. He's coming off of an impressive victory over Edison Miranda, a fight that nobody thought he had little to no chance of winning where his chin was tested. He easily outclassed Miranda and made him look bad in that matchup. The fact that Ward has been busy fighting, and in less than a year this is his 5th match this will be an adavantage in favor of Ward. He will be fresh, his punches will be crisp, he will be able to move and not have any ring rust. Kessler is fighting on the 12th as well against a mandatory. I dont think that fight will help with any ring rust Kessler may have due to the fact that Perdomo isnt the best opposition for him. I think this will be a close matchup with it taking a while for Kessler to adjust to Ward's style, and Ward dominating the entire first part of the matchup. But one major problem is this matchup is in Europe. Kessler will win this match unanimous decision. The only way for Ward to win is to not get hit at all but no fighters perfect and his defense is ok on the outside but on the inside its not so great. Kessler unanimous decision

Super Six Super Middleweight Tournament: Jermain Taylor vs Arthur Abraham

The second matchup in the upcoming Showtime Super Six Super Middleweight tournament is Jermain Taylor vs Arthur Abraham. Two former middleweight champions, and I believe they were champions around the same time due to Jermain Taylor being stripped of the IBF title. This will be a tough test for Arthur Abraham who usually starts out very slow. Arthur Abraham is a well known puncher, he has had some very entertaining knockouts and is proven to be very tought. If you dont believe me look at the first fight with Edison Miranda when Miranda broke his jaw and he kept fighting. Jermain Taylor is a great fighter. Jermain Taylor holds two victories over Bernard Hopkins, and victories over Jeff Lacy, Kassim Ouma, Ike Quartey, and Cory Spinks as well as two losses to Pavlik, a loss to Carl Froch as well as a draw with Winky Wright. Compared to his opponent Jermain Taylor has built up quite a resume. Arthur Abraham has defeated mostly fighters in Europe and his most well known opponent was Edison Miranda who he beat twice. So yes Jermain Taylor has beaten the better competition, hes been an undisputed champion, beat perhaps the greatest middleweight of all time, and has fought at super middleweight for his last two matchups. This will be Abraham's debut at super middleweight despite fighting a catchweight of 166 pounds in the first matchup with Miranda. Two out of the three losses on Taylor's record were fights that he was winning but was knocked out all of a sudden when he ran out of gas. Arthur Abraham brings the same to the table in this matchup. He has more pop in his punches than Froch and Pavlik. His defense is very underrated and very unorthadox hes going to feel Taylor out the first few rounds and wait for him to fade and knock him out. Taylor is damaged from his knockout losses especially at this stage of his career. Arthur Abraham by knockout

The Super Six Super Middleweight Tournament: Froch vs Dirrell

As many boxing fans know the super six tournament begins in early October. So boxing fans we have time until we get to see our favorite fighters in the super middleweight division in action facing each other. Mikkel Kessler, Andre Ward, Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham, Jermain Taylor and Carl Froch are the six participants in the tournament. The first matchup is Carl Froch vs Andre Dirrell which will be a great test for Dirrell and Froch. Because one Dirrell has not face a boxer that will eat his shots only to exchange harder shots, and Froch is facing an opponent in Dirrell with fast hand speed, can fight from different angles, has power along with the speed in his punches, counters very good, and his defense is good as well. Carl Froch is proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the super middleweight division. He came off the canvas to knock out Jermain Taylor with 15 seconds left in their matchup last April, so we know mentally hes strong. He has the rounds to keep the fight close, he has the power to make Dirrell stay on his bicycle, and he will force you to fight him. This is one of the hardest matchups to score for this tournament because we dont know how Froch can adjust to Dirrell's speed, and we dont know how Dirrell can react to Froch's power. Skill wise Andre Dirrell is ahead of Froch, but even though he has skill he doesnt have the experience or the rounds. Froch has power, a decent chin, excellent stamina, and will fight to the very end. I really dont know if Andre Dirrell is ready because his fights rarely go into the later rounds and Froch can fight in the later rounds. This fight will be very close but despite the lack of experience I see Andre Dirrell getting the victory over Carl Froch he has great footwork so he'll avoid Froch's power though I do see Dirrell fading in the later rounds i'm going to say Dirrell close unanimous decision

Going The Distance With Ross Purrity

Very few fighters can say that they beat the heavyweight champion of the world only not to be able to win it in the future. Ross Purritty has faced a majority of the top heavyweights of the last generation as well as this generation. He's faced Tommy Morrison, Vitali Klitschko, Hasim Rahman, Eddie Chambers, and holds a win over Wladimir Klitschko which is by far the best win of his career. Ross Purritty is now a trainer and has taken the time to interview with me.

Julian Williams: So Ross what are you up to these days?

Ross Puritty: I teach mostly kids how to Box and along the way, hopefully instilling some discipline!

JW: In your career you have fought many boxers who have went on to become champions despite coming up short what was the biggest accomplishment of your boxing career?

RP: Hasim Rahmin, Vladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko, Tommy Morrison! Those are the main guys, I think! As far as biggest accomplishment, I would say having a career with no serious injuries!

JW: How much has boxing changed since your career started?

RP: Well, I think that the fighters are a lot softer. Its hard to believe how many guys quit on the seat!

JW: What is your thoughts on the current heavyweight division in boxing?

RP: think that the managers and promoters should be ashamed of themselves for allowing the UFC and MMA orginizations to put on more competitive fights!

JW: Which fighters from your era do you wish you had gotten a chance to face in a boxing match?

RP: I wanted to fight anyone and everyone, so you can imagine how long the list would be

JW: From your perspective what do you think makes a solid complete boxer?

RP: A complete boxer has skill and a lot of determination

JW: Who are your favorite fighters to watch today?

RP: I really don't watch boxing anymore

JW: In your career who was the most difficult challenge to face and why?

RP: my most difficult challenge was time, because I hated having to wait once I knew a fight was made!

JW: How much different is the heavyweight division now from the 90's?

RP: I think fighters today are pampered too much!

JW: You have been in the ring with both of these men who do you think will win a future matchup of Eddie Chambers and Wladimir Klitschko?

RP: Vladimir will win, because he has a good jab and Eddie doesn't punch hard enough to scare him!

JW: What are your thoughts on the recent tragedies of Alexis Arguello, Arturo Gatti, and Vernon Forrest?

RP: I am very saddened by the paasing of these great warriors, who represented boxing and themselves most admirably! I think we will all miss their presence!

JW: I know that you played football for UTEP for a few seasons tell me how different was it to get in shape for football compared to boxing?

RP: Boxing condition was much harder, because you had to prepare for a longer duration of activity!

JW: Having many years of experience inside the ring did you find it to be an easy transition to become a trainer? How many fighters are you training at the moment?

RP: The transition wasn't very hard, because I actually started training people about 9 years before I retired! At the moment my class consist of anywhere from 10 to 25 or more kids depending on the day!

JW: What would you tell anyone who wants to have a future in boxing?

RP: Pick another sport, unless it is your last option! And I do mean Last!!!

special thanks to Ross Puritty wish you well in training your fighters

Blogging News

Well this week has been somewhat of a slow week for boxing as far as news is concerned out of respect for the Mayweather family I will not speak on the Roger Mayweather situation because we dont have all the details just yet.

Last week Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams camps were in serious negotiations for a matchup that is set for October 3rd but yet signed. The word is Dan Goosen is asking for more money for Paul Williams in this matchup despite Bob Arum offering him 1.5 million which is his biggest payday of his career. Should Paul Williams get that hefty sum of money? I'm going to say this Paul Williams is considered the man at 154 and Kelly Pavlik is the man at 160, but Williams only fought 1 fight at 154 against Verno Phillips and two matchups at 160, so is he worthy of the 3 million that Goosen is asking for? No because there not his titles, and he really hasnt been tested at 160 just yet. Maybe Goosen wants Paul to have more money to pay him, Paul's camp and the sanctioning fees.

Joan Guzman vs Ali Funeka may be added to the Mayweather-Marquez undercard the IBF approved it and now we're waiting on both fighters to sign

No word yet on who Shane Mosley is facing from what I know HBO has given him a date for a matchup the only question is who and when?

Alfredo Angulo and Anthony Dirrell both have matchups on this Friday's Friday Night Fights be sure to catch those I have sent out an interview with Anthony Dirrell I hope to get a return so I can post it before the matchup

September seems to be a slow month for boxing but it will pick up in October I hope with the beginning of the super six tournament.

One card i'm definately excited for is the October 10 Latin Fury Card with Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, and the long awaited heavyweight matchup of Kevin "Kingpin" Johnson and Odlanier Solis

With two big matchups in November does anyone remember Andrade vs Bute is on November 28th?

Demario Ware 20 years old was charged for murder for the death of Vernon Forrest

Well thats my news segment for the middle of this week be sure to check me out every Wednesday for more news

My Conversation With Jeff Mayweather

Boxing writers tend to look for the "inside scoop" or the story that will create controversy. Controversy creates cash is the phrase that describes it best. I had a phone conversation with Jeff Mayweather yesterday, and he provided me with a lot of knowledge on the sport of boxing as well as the business side. After speaking with Jeff I dont see boxing as a sport anymore I see it as a way off life. "Boxing is a sport that you have to put a lot of time and work into you cant wake up one day and decide to become a boxer" said Mayweather. Nobody will decide in one day all of a sudden that they will become a boxer for no reason at all it takes a love, passion, and desire for boxing. He told me so many stories about things that have happened in the gym with a man who called himself the "Lebron James of Boxing" and we spoke a lot about the divisions in boxing. I can tell by speaking to Jeff that he takes a lot of pride in his craft, and it doesnt matter to him whether or not hes seen in the public eye, he just wants to do his job. The spotlight doesnt mean anything to him Jeff says "I'm my own man you wont see me on 24/7 cussing and stuff." It means more to Jeff to spread his knowledge on his craft than to be on camera. We spoke a little about MMA and his incite on the sport was very true. Jeff's take on MMA was "It doesnt look good on MMA when a man like Frank Mir who fought a long time in the sport lost to a man with 4 fights." Which is very true we spoke a lot on boxing and I learned more and gained more knowledge and respect for the sport that Jeff truly loves to be a part of. "When you get into boxing its hard to get out" said Jeff. Meaning that when you get into boxing many put their life, time, and effort into the sweet science becacuse boxing becomes a part of life, and for Jeff boxing is life though he doesnt have to be in it. He gave me some incite on trainers. He believes as well as I do that trainers are there to help a fighter come back through adversity. He thinks trainers are there to help improve a fighter, and unlike his brothers he has no anamosity towards Freddie Roach he considers him a friend. What a lot of people dont know is Jeff is the only Mayweather to train a heavyweight champion. "I took a man who was a brawler and helped mold him into a more complete boxer" referring to Sultan Ibragimov who he trained a few times. I was glad to have gotten to have an interview better yet conversation because the talk was so back and forth. Many writers depend on controversial topics, I would rather gain more knowledge of the sport than to disrespect it with things that are controversial. It doesnt take much to just sit down and just talk and get to know where that person is coming from instead of just writing things down or trying to find something that will make people read. Attention getters is a part of journalism but what about the ethics? Personally I was glad to talk to Jeff about the aspects of boxing many dont know about as well as giving his incite on what he thought about certain matchups, and what makes up a good fighter. Jeff is currently training fighters right now and has a fighter who he believes will be a world champion someday when he gets a few more fights in. It was an honor and priviledge speak and learn from Jeff Mayweather who I think is one of the best voices in boxing thats never heard because his incite on the sport is unique. Jeff has a lot of passion for what he does and we need more of that in boxing.

Thoughts on James Kirkland

Boxing fans know that light middleweight prospect James Kirkland is in prison on gun possession. Recently on ESB a thread called "Free James Kirkland" was started and it got the hugest backlash i've seen on the website in a while. James Kirkland was a top prospect and was getting ready to do huge things in his career. He was right at his peak he had recently headlined an HBO card against Joel Julio and fought on the undercard of Ricky Hatton vs Paulie Malignaggi. He was about to get exposure on a pay per view that sold about 1.7 million estimated. This was going to be Kirkland's leap into the boxing spotlight and showcase his talent. Weeks leading up to the show he was arrested for gun possession. Kirkland got in trouble years before and was on probation which led to him being held in prison. James Kirkland knew the guidelines of his probation and he knew that he had to be well aware of his surroundings. I'm not sure if the gun was his or not either way it was stupid. Being a felon its hard to get a job, and its hard to get opportunities better yet second chances. Not everyone can get a 2nd chance and James Kirkland got one and didnt take advantage of it. The outlook isnt looking too good for James Kirkland maybe he can get lucky but as an ordinary man I think he should get his punishment coming to him, but as a boxing fan I would like to see him in the ring again. What would it say about the justice system if James Kirkland a man who was arrested for armed robbery six years ago on probation and gets arrested for a possession charge and gets a lenient sentence compared to a man who was arrested and wrongfully accused of the same thing that gets 30 years. I think Kirkland should be punished, I think hes looking at 5-10 i'm not sure of the case, but as a boxing fan I feel that the boxing world was robbed of a future superstar in the making.

Can We See Mosley vs Clottey

I read today on ESB that Joshua Clottey was now Shane Mosley's mandatory challenger for the WBA welterweight championship. This is a great fight for Shane it could take him a notch higher to getting his big fight. I would love to see this matchup though Clottey lost a close match with Miguel Cotto, and Mosley is just coming off his most impressive victory this match is very intriguing. Lets hope it happens it will be great for the welterweight division and great for boxing altogether.

Going The Distance With Hector Camacho Jr

Hector Camacho Jr is a light middleweight prospect who is prideful of his Puerto Rican Heritage. Camacho is waiting on his big opportunity to breakout onto the boxing scene and hopes to someday get his long awaited matchup between him and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. His father one of the greatest boxers to ever come out of Puerto Rico and Hector wants to be on the same level. Here is my interview with Hector Camacho Jr. ITS JR TIME!!

Julian Williams: What has Hector Camacho Jr. been up to these days?

Hector Camacho Jr: 1st i want to say thanks to u for giving my the chance once again to express how I feel and much success with Ur new website ... .well lately I've been living , eating,S****** boxing that's what I've been up to just working again to get myself back to the top

JW: You grew up around the sport of boxing growing up and seeing your father fight which fight of his stands out to you and why?

HC: How fast this boxing game fly past us ...it just felt like yesterday that i was at my father vs Edwin Rosario fight when I went in the ring w my father and did a flurry and the crowd went crazy !!

JW: Your father is a legend in this sport so what advice has he given you that you take with you in this sport?

HC: Well my father doesn't say much to me about boxing ...he lets me be me ...and let me experience it for myself ...cause don't matter what someone may tell u u won't learn to u experience it yourself

JW: What are your thoughts on a potential matchup with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr?

HC: I love that fight , I want THAT Fight it makes to much sense to not happen ,....it's a fight that I want for me ,my father , and for Puerto Rico ..I want my REVENGE !!!

JW: The Latin Fury cards do well on pay per view could you see yourself headlining one of those cards in the near future?

HC: Well those all Top Rank Shows I just signed a 3 fight deal w Zef Ramirez

JW: Which matchup in the light middleweight division are in you the most interested in?

HC: Well there isn't too many names that sticks out in the Jr Middleweight division accept the Chavez name ...spinks... Citron ...and that is really it ..I'm sure they r a lot more but nothing that just pops up

JW: What are your thoughts on the competition in the your weight division?

HC: and not much of who's there is more like what am i doing and how serious i am !

JW: How is training going for your upcoming matchup with Pito Cardona?

HC: Training is going well ...man ..I'm ready I can't wait to the bell rings ...it's been along time since I felt this good this excited for a fight

JW: Is it anything your doing different preparing for this matchup compared to your other matchups considering that Cardona has fought a couple former world champions?

HC: well for 1 my mind set is just on this fight I'm not thinking about present plans or future plans it just on Pito Cardona

JW: With you and Cardona locking up I bet fans should be expecting a great exciting matchup how will your fans be able to see it?

HC: Well for me its the perfect style he comes right in and he looks to war ...he's in front of me all night i don't have ti go far to look for him ..so style wise the fans r in for a treat ....w me looking impressive

JW: When do you think you will get your big break in boxing?

HC: Well all depends how good I look Aug 29th vs Cardona !

JW: Do you think the politics in boxing and Bob Arum are the reason that you and Julio jr have not gotten in the ring yet? it has all the makings to being a huge event

HC: Yes that's the main Reason I'm ready I assume he's ready ...they got to step the Boy up soon or later ..he had a couple of close fights where he almost lost ..so if Top Rank is saving him for a big payday to cash in they better do it now before he mess around and catch a L

JW: What are your thoughts on the recent tragedies of Alexis Arguello, Arturo Gatti, and Vernon Forrest?

HC: I'll keep that to myself but it's sad

JW: What should fans expect to see from Hector Camacho Jr in the future?

HC: Nothing but great things I'm just gonna stay humble and keep working hard ...But its MY TIME NOW

JW: When are we going to see you have that big fight on HBO or Showtime

HC: Soon let me just get past Cardona and I assume these networks can't keep me from there tooo long

JW: Anything you would like to tell the fans?

HC: It's Jr time..I mess around for too long but I'm here now and I'm ready ...I'M SORRY but better late then never

Check out Hector Camacho Jr vs Pito Cardona on August 29th on Pay Per View

Special thanks to Hector Camacho for doing this interview

What People Dont Understand About Boxing

There are many misconceptions and myths about boxing that the casual boxing fan does not understand. When I refer to a casual fan i'm referring to those who watch boxing when it comes on for the action rather than studying and knowing boxing. I wouldnt refer to myself as a casual fan and i'm not an expert neither I feel that i'm along the lines of being a student of the game. I make predictions, I study the sweet science, and examine it closely. I enjoy watching those who are experts on youtube videos such as The Rope A Dope Report, Ashy Knuckles Boxing, BloodBoxing, There Will Be Blood Boxing, and 17 Brandiff. These guys are pretty much experts at the sport and have great analysis of boxing, and truly know the sweet science. I wish to be on these guys level someday I appreciate the fact that these guys make the time to post videos explaining why fighters are going to win, and the keys to victory rather than being bias. These guys arent at all casual boxing fans. Boxing is referred to as the Sweet Science. Boxing is made up of different styles and styles is what makes fights. Every fighter has a different style. What many people think is the more punches landed wins rounds and wins fights. Its not true at all I think its the more effective, more accurate shots, and aggression wins rounds. You can land 100 volume shots in a round to someones 50 if your 100 volume shots are all small punches that dont land clean compared to the 50 that land clean, but flush on the chin more than likely the fighter that landed 50 clean shots won that round because of agression. Now the other fighter may steal that round because of the work rate and control of the round but judges see it depends on what the judges see. All judges see the fight differently than how the fans see it. Thats what makes boxing matches so interesting thats the reason they sit at different sides of the ring. From one angle one judge may see a fighter controlling the fight with the other guy landing clean blows that hurts the one controlling the fight. The 2nd judge may see the fighter landing the clean shots that hurt the other fighter whos controlling the pace of the fight but he may award the round to the fighter landing the clean shots and hurting his opponent. The third judge may score the fight based on aggression and whos controlling the action. The point is the judges see differently than the fans do. Some of these matchups are very difficult to score. Rounds can be determined on a number of things too many to name. Casual boxing fans think that the main goal for a boxing match is to knock your opponent out. Boxing is using utilizing your advantages on your opponents disadvantages. Every boxer has an advantage going into the ring as far as strength, skill, reach, and speed. One fighter across the ring has great skills and speed with average power and an average reach. The fighter across the ring has power and reach advantages but average speed and average skill. Who wins? Styles win fights and in the words of Roger Mayweather "skill win the fight" a fighter with skill will know how to handle a fighter with a great reach and deadly power they will fight at angles and make it tough for the fighter to adjust to the angles. One perfect example is Kelly Pavlik vs Bernard Hopkins. Many thought Kelly Pavlik would win since he beat Jermain Taylor twice who beat Bernard Hopkins twice in two close bouts. I'll admit I was wrong myself I thought Pavlik would win, but Hopkins kept his distance he fought at angles he made it difficult for Pavlik to get any power shots off. It goes on to show you that power, speed, and reach dont win fights alone if you put one of those together one by one its a part of skill. You dont always have to go for the knockout sometimes its about outclassing your opponent. Just because Antonio Margarito knocked out Miguel Cotto doesnt mean hes knocking out Shane Mosley they both are two different fighters. It doesnt mean since Paul Williams dominated Winky Wright he'll dominate Shane Mosley as well. Boxing is made up of many key elements and a lot of people choose to be ignorant and stick to the fighter there a fan of instead of relying on facts. Big ups to my boys on youtube be sure to check out the rope a dope report and check out ashy knuckles boxing those are my two favorite shows on youtube to watch be on the lookout for them

Is The End Is Near For Nate Campbell?

I'll admit I was wrong in my last post I was wrong about Nate Campbell. Being a writer or blogger you cant be bias you have to give the fighter the benefit of the doubt. Watching the matchup again and more closely i'll have to say Nate Campbell did indeed quit. Nate made sure the fight was over when he got back to his corner telling his people to end the fight. Theres a major difference between "end the fight" and "I cant see." But the exact words were end the fight then he said he couldnt see. When a fighter tells his corner to end the fight that is a TKO if he would have simply said he couldnt see it would be different the doctor would have examined the cut, and would have made a ruling as to whether or not the fight needed to be stopped. Nate Campbell did indeed quit that matchup. Is it the end? Something tells me that he will end up fighting on ESPN for the rest of his career. At the age of 37 he couldnt afford to lose, and he couldnt afford to quit warriors fight on despite the adversity. If there is a rematch which I think will happen Nate Campbell better win its a MUST for to revive his career. But at 37 one has to wonder if he really has the time to revive what he has left of his career its nothing like the Roberto Duran vs Sugar Ray Leonard "No Mas" fight because Duran quit in the middle of the round. The difference is it took him years to rebuild his reputation and he wasnt the same 37 years old. He didnt get another big fight for a couple years he had to regroup and decide what he wanted to do with his career. He fought Wilfred Benitez and lost then fought a couple good but not great contenders until getting a big matchup with Marvin Hagler but Duran was only 28 when that happened. Nate your a great fighter and you could have kept fighting but you didnt but if you get a rematch you better seize that opportunity or you'll be fighting fringes for the next couple years and hope to get another big shot at the title

Bradley vs Campbell = Controversy

First off let me say congratulations to Devon Alexander the Great in a good showing against Junior Witter. The main event Campbell vs Bradley had an ending full of controversy. I will say I had the matchup 3-0 for Timothy Bradley. In the 3rd round it was an obvious headbutt that caused the cut over Campbell's eye. I understand what was going on from the refs side of things there were a few clash of heads in the matchup from the opening bell. This specific headbutt caused a cut and should have been ruled a no contest from a clash of heads. The ruling by the referee was wrong but you have to respect it just because hes the man in control of how the fighters fight and he determines whats right and wrong in the ring. How the fight was going I couldnt see Nate Campbell winning it Timothy Bradley wasnt going to shut him out but the elusiveness and movement was bothering Campbell. Nate was winning maybe the first minute of every round only to get it taken away from him in the last two minutes. Bradley was just going to steal rounds that way. I predicted Nate to win the fight but hey Bert Sugar is wrong at times as well. Should there be a rematch? Yes only to be fair because it was a clash of heads, and should have been a no contest. I personally didnt like Bradley's trash talking after the match and Nate did have a justifiable reaction. So lets see what the WBO decides to do because it was an obvious clash of heads if theres blood behind Nate's left eye and Bradley doesnt have the punching power to do that so lets hope he WBO is fair and I'll talk about it. Congrats to Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley

30-27 Bradley

thanks for reading