Boxing FanHouse http://boxing.fanhouse.com Boxing FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif Boxing FanHouse http://boxing.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Floyd Mayweather to Manny Pacquiao: 'Step Up to the Plate'http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/floyd-mayweather-to-manny-pacquiao-step-up-to-the-plate/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/floyd-mayweather-to-manny-pacquiao-step-up-to-the-plate/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/floyd-mayweather-to-manny-pacquiao-step-up-to-the-plate/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Floyd MayweatherFloyd Mayweather was nowhere to be seen in the MGM Grand Hotel during the lead-up to this past Saturday night's Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto welterweight megafight. Nor could the undefeated, five-time champion and Las Vegas resident be found when Pacquiao made history by lifting from Cotto the WBO's 147-pound title belt.

But in the days since Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, stood in the ring before a packed MGM Grand Garden Arena and called out his name as the man he wanted to be Pacquiao's next opponent, Mayweather has gotten the message loud and clear.

Mayweather's name was even chanted by the crowd of more than 16,200, but he says that he just hasn't heard it from Pacquiao's own mouth.

Pacquiao-Mayweather: Modern-Day Ali-Frazier
No More Argument: Pacquiao Deserves Crown
Video: Pacquiao's Legendary Night

"They are all talking for him, but Manny Pacquiao has yet to say he wants to fight me. If he wants to fight me, all he has to do is step up to the plate," said Mayweather, who is 40-0, with 25 knockouts, after pitching a virtual shutout over Juan Manuel Marquez in his last fight in September.

Mayweather, whose nickname has morphed from "Pretty Boy," to, "Money," watched Saturday's fight from his home in Las Vegas.

"Manny Pacquiao is the fighter, and every time someone asks him if he wants to fight me, he says it is up to his promoter, or he's going to take a vacation, or whatever the answer is. I have yet to hear him actually say, 'yes I want to fight Mayweather,'" said Mayweather in a statement issued by his media company.

"We are the fighters, and if one fighter is talking about fighting another fighter, then they should just come out and say it," said Mayweather. "Manny Pacquiao doesn't say anything directly about fighting me because he might just know it's not a fight he can win."

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 37 KOs) and Mayweather are considered to be the sport's premier fighters, pound-for-pound, and the logical rivals in a bout whose magnitude should surpass all others.

"The world is much more intrigued by the thought of someone fighting me who can beat me. That is what everyone wants to see and the boxing world is trying to find that guy," said Mayweather, 32. "Manny Pacquaio's people have done a good job of creating an image of him to be this unbelievable fighter, and now the so-called guy to beat me. But like all the rest, he's not the one."
"There is boxing and then there is me. The rest are just falling in line behind me or are trying to get in line to fight me. And that includes Manny Pacquiao too."
-- Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Like Mayweather, Pacquiao, 30, has victories over Marquez, Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya. Mayweather beat Hatton and De La Hoya first, by knockout and decision, respectively, before Pacquiao stopped both fighters. Mayweather has decisioned Marquez, and Pacquiao has drawn with and decisioned Marquez.

"Less than an hour after his fight Saturday night the talk turns back to me. Their whole promotion was just a Mayweather sweepstakes. They know it and anyone could figure that out. Why? Because my name kept coming up and I didn't even say anything," said Mayweather.

Richard Schaefer, representing Mayweather on behalf of Golden Boy promotions, said that he would work with Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, to get Mayweather-Pacquiao done.

"I think it will be a great fight, and a big fight, and I really don't want to say anything else, because there is really not much more to be said right now," said Schaefer. "But I do think that it could be one of those fights which certainly has the potential to break any and all records."

Schaefer and Arum have successfully pulled off such matchups as Pacqauiao's fights opposite Marquez, De La Hoya, Hatton and Marco Antonio Barrera, as well as Cotto-Shane Mosley, Barrera-Erik Morales, De La Hoya-Fernando Vargas, Mosley-Antonio Margrito, and Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik.

"In the last five years, we've done so many big fights together, and in the process, we've developed a mutual respect for each other. So, I think Bob likes to work with us, and we like to work with him," said Schaefer. "Let the people behind the scenes do their job, and hopefully, we are going to be successful putting that together."

Arum told FanHouse he wanted to wait before starting negotiations -- at least until Wednesday, when it could be determined whether or not Pacquiao-Cotto had approached or surpassed the pay-per-view buys mark of 2.4 million set by Mayweather-De La Hoya in May of 2007.

"[Pacquiao] said during an interview he did leading up to his fight that he didn't think I wanted to fight him, and that boxing, for me, was just a business, and I wasn't interested in a good fight," said Mayweather.

"But again, he never said during that interview that he would fight me. Why is he talking about what I won't do instead of what he wants to do? Plain and simple, it's because he knows he can't beat me under any circumstances."
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Floyd Mayweather to Manny Pacquiao: 'Step Up to the Plate' originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>antonio margaritoAntonio Margritobernard hopkinsbob arumerik moralesfernando vargasfloyd mayweatherfreddie roachkelly pavlikmanny pacquiaomarco antonio barreraMarcoAntonioBarreramiguel cottooscar de la hoyaOscarDeLaHoyarichard shaeferricky hattonshane mosleyLem SatterfieldMon, 16 Nov 2009 20:39:00 EST Pacquiao-Mayweather Would Be a Modern-Day Ali-Frazierhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/pacquiao-mayweather-would-be-a-modern-day-ali-frazier/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/pacquiao-mayweather-would-be-a-modern-day-ali-frazier/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/pacquiao-mayweather-would-be-a-modern-day-ali-frazier/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

LAS VEGAS -- The superlatives ran rampant during the aftermath of Manny Pacquiao's brilliantly violent beatdown of Miguel Cotto on Saturday night in an MGM Grand Garden Arena packed to its rafters with more than 16,200 fans.

Having witnessed the Filipino superstar's array of speed, athleticism and durability used to batter senseless the Puerto Rican warrior before their fight was stopped 55 seconds into the 12th round, promoter Bob Arum declared Pacquiao "the best fighter that I've ever seen -- and that includes Muhammad Ali, and Sugar Ray Leonard, and Marvin Hagler."

Ross Greenburg, head honcho of sports programming at HBO, told reporters it is time for Pacquiao to face his unbeaten, pound-for-pound rival, Floyd Mayweather, in a "Super Bowl" type of matchup whose modern-day significance would rival Ali-Joe Frazier.
More: Pacquiao Leaves No Doubt After Beating Cotto

In fact, the crowd, in unison, chanted, "We want Floyd," during the fight's immediate conclusion.

"Floyd believes that he's the best in the world. And having witnessed Manny's performance tonight, and having seen what Manny has done against both [Oscar] De La Hoya and [Ricky] Hatton, it's clear that Manny has an argument," said Greenburg, who already has facilitated a meeting for Monday between Arum and Richard Shaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, representing Mayweather.

"I called Richard Shaefer, and what he said is that he would begin negotiating with Bob on Monday. And we have to settle it in the ring. What's most important is to seize the opportunity right now," said Greenburg. "This fight is huge, and I don't know if the sky is the limit. This is on the Super Bowl level, and it should be treated that way. We have to do it the right way and take it to another level."

Pacquiao floored Cotto twice and lost maybe one round in the fight on the way to earning the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title. In the process, "The Pac-Man" became the first fighter to earn a seventh belt in as many different weight classes.

Pacquiao addressed the post-fight media wearing a full white gauze wrapping around his head. His badly swollen right ear had to be drained of fluid as a result of punishment received during the fight, and he was bruised beneath both eyes.
"I think this was one of the toughest fights in my boxing career. I took a lot of punches from Cotto -- my eyes, my ears," said Pacquiao, who began his career as a 106-pound, 16-year-old with a four-round decision over Edmund Enting Ignacio in January 1995 and earned his first world title with an April 1999, fourth-round knockout of Gabriel Mira at 112 lbs.

"I don't want to compare my achievements to Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard. I'm just doing my job to give the people a good fight," said Pacquiao. "My goal is to give good enjoyment to those people who are watching us."

The victory was the 50th for Pacquiao against three losses and two draws, and the 11th straight since losing a unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March 2005.

During that stretch, the 30-year-old Pacquiao has eight knockouts, including four consecutively. That spree include those against David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, respectively, in nine, eight and two rounds.

And Pacquaio's run includes having twice avenged the loss to Morales, whom he stopped in 10, and, three rounds, in January and November 2006.

It also includes 12-round triumphs over Mexican legends Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez, as well as an eighth-round knockout of Jorge Solis, who entered their matchup unbeaten at 33-0-2, with 24 knockouts.

Against Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), Pacquiao yet again displayed balance and a wizardry that allowed him to punch from awkward angles, even as some critics questioned his ability to carry his two-fisted power against a champion who represented the largest and strongest man he had ever faced in the ring.

Pacquiao, who fought Cotto at a catchweight of 145 pounds, weighed in at 144 -- his highest since the 142 against De La Hoya, as well as 138 against Hatton.

Still, Pacquiao was able to floor Cotto during each of the third and fourth rounds, respectively, with a right hand to the temple and a brutal left uppercut.

"Manny proved that he can punch with any 147-pounder in the world," said Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach. "Manny has great power and speed. I think that he proved everything tonight."

Earlier, Pacquiao had dominated Cotto in the ninth round where, at one point, there was an unanswered 10-punch combination as well as a three-punch series that nearly floored Cotto again.

Referee Kenny Bayless appeared ready to step in at that point, and Roach, for one, believes that he or Cotto's cornerman, Joe Santiago, should have.

"In round nine, Miguel was ready to give up. He was in retreat mode and wasn't trying to win the fight anymore," said Roach. "I mean, when you're not trying to win the fight anymore, and you're out there bleeding to death, and you see his face is bloody like that -- come on."

Pacquiao left Cotto's face a mass of welts, bruises and cuts, including a deep, laceration around his left eye from which blood flowed like a river.

Cotto apparently nearly remained on his stool following the 11th round, but changed his mind and tried to finish the fight before Bayless mercifully put his arms around the beaten man and waved an end to it.

During the furious back-and-forth early rounds, however, Pacquiao said that he "wanted to measure" Cotto's strength as a challenge to the pre-fight notion that he -- as the smaller man -- couldn't withstand what Cotto had to offer.

"The first three rounds, I was measuring his power. That's why I didn't move. It hurts, and he's strong. But I pretended that I wasn't getting hurt by his punches, and I made it," said Pacquiao, whose birthname is Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao.

"Before the fight, there was talk that he was going to be bigger, and that he was going to be the stronger man in the ring. So I was like, 'Okay, we will see,'" said Pacquiao. "And I was trying to fight toe-to-toe, because I wanted to prove that I was stronger."

Roach said that Pacquiao "was hurt once" during the fight, "in the third round."

"Third round, coming off of the ropes in my corner, he got nailed with a left hook. Miguel was coming out low from a crouch and he threw a half-uppercut, half-hook, and he caught Manny and you saw him shake just a bit," said Roach.

"I told Manny, 'Next round, stay the hell off of the ropes.' I yelled at him and said, 'Why are you fighting his fight? You're giving the guy an opportunity to bang the body and use that left hook,'" said Roach. "'That's someplace that you don't want to be.' And Manny says, 'I can handle it,' and he did."

After taking what Cotto had to offer, Pacquiao said "I felt like after the third or fourth round, I had him."

A crossover star in America, Pacquiao has been featured in ESPN's Body Issue, graced the cover of Time Magazine, and been the subject of a five-page feature story in the New York Times.

Pacquiao was a knockout on a recent edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live, and was the only athlete among 18 recipients of this year's Gusi Peace Prize, bestowed upon him for his humanitarian efforts in disaster relief during two recent typhoons in the Philippines.

Pacquiao is in the midst of filming a movie, WaPak Man, about a super hero whose powers rival that of Superman and Spider-Man.

And his stock is only rising, even as he remains humble against the praise.

"When I think about what I've achieved right now, it's unbelievable. But I don't want to compare my achievement to any fighter. We just did our best in boxing," said Pacquiao. "I always thank God for the physical ability that he gives to me. As long as you believe in God, nothing is impossible."

Pacquiao-Mayweather Would Be a Modern-Day Ali-Frazier originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>floyd mayweatherfreddie roachmanny pacquiaomiguel cottoLem SatterfieldSun, 15 Nov 2009 13:16:00 EST Promoter Seeks Froch-Dirrell Rematchhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/promoter-to-seeking-froch-dirrell-rematch/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/promoter-to-seeking-froch-dirrell-rematch/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/promoter-to-seeking-froch-dirrell-rematch/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Promoter Gary Shaw, right, said that he is "pushing for a rematch with the WBC" between his 168-pound fighter, Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs), and the organization's super middleweight champion, Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs), who won a split-decision over Dirrell on Oct. 17 as part of Showtime's Super Six super middleweight tournament.

"I'm looking to try to get it done for December. I'm talking to Showtime about it, and I have a meeting with them this week," said Shaw, whose talented southpaw, Dirrell, is scheduled to face hard-hitting, former middleweight world titlist, Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs), in the second stage of the tournament on Jan. 23.

Abraham is coming off of an Oct. 17, 12th-round knockout of former middleweight world champion, Jermain Taylor.

Dirrell lost what was considered by many to be a controversial decision in Froch's hometown of Nottingham, England.

European judges Massimo Barrovecchio and Daniel Van De Wiele both scored the fight 115-112 for Froch, while Mexican judge Alejandro Rochin awarded Dirrell a decision, 114-113.

FanHouse scored the 168-pound clash 115-113 for Dirrell, who complained, throughout, that he was being hit behind the head and on the break several times by Froch, and who expressed shock that referee Hector Afu deducted a point from him for excessive holding during the 10th round, when he had Froch hurt.

"He was holding me and hitting me in the back of the head the whole time," said Dirrell, who was slammed to the ground by Froch (pictured) in the fifth round. "He was rough the whole fight. And he takes a point from me without warning. But we know where we're at."

Froch's next matchup, against Denmark's WBA king, Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KOs), has not yet been scheduled, since Kessler still has to face Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KOs) in their first-round matchup on Nov. 21.

"The rule is that if it doesn't break up the Showtime tournament, then Froch can be the guy," said Shaw, adding that he is "absolutely" trying to make Froch-Dirrell for December.

There is little reason to believe that Shaw won't get his way, because, for the past few weeks, the promoter has been on a roll and luck has been largely on his side.

"We've had a lot of fighters winning championships," said Shaw. "We've been very, very blessed."

On Saturday, Shaw's top performer, 175-pound Chad Dawson (29-0, 17 KOs) defended his IBO light heavyweight title and earned the WBC's interim crown against Glen Johnson, defeating the 40-year-old challenger for the second time.

On the Dawson-Johnson undercard, Shaw's junior middleweight, Alfredo Angulo put previously undefeated, Harry Joe Yorgey (22-1-1, 10 KOs), on the canvas three times on the way to a third-round stoppage.

A 27-year-old native of Mexicali, Mexico, Angulo, who lives in Coachella, Calif., improved his record to 16-1 with his 13th knockout and his 12th stoppage in his past 13 fights.

In victory, Angulo bounced back from a loss to Kermit Cintron and earned the WBO's interim title in the process.

"I'm going to bring Angulo back to the West Coast and fight him in the Los Angeles area," said Shaw. "I haven't honed in yet on the opponent for him, but that will happen probably in April."

A weekend earlier on Halloween night at the Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas, Shaw watched Colombian-born bantamweight Yonnhy Perez, and Mexican southpaw lightweight Antonio Demarco score two impressive, if not improbable, victories on the way to earning crowns.

Perez, 30, improved his record to 20-0, with 14 knockouts when he dethroned the IBF 118-pound champion, Joseph Agbeko, of Ghana, handing him only his second loss in 29 bouts.

Perez stood toe-to-toe, and won many of those exchanges. Perez also floored Agbeko for the first time in his career in the 10th round on the way to winning, 117-110, on two judges' cards, and, 116-111, on that of the third.

"Yonnhy Perez was in the fight of the year, in my mind. He showed everybody what he's made of by beating down Agbeko," said Shaw, who has ruled out a rematch with Agbeko.

"That [Agbeko] won't happen. That's done. He's finished," said Shaw. "Yonnhy will be in a mandatory position, but I'm not sure who we'll fight at 118."

The 23-year-old Demarco (23-1-1) had been even more dominant during his 135-pound clash with Jose Alfaro, against whom he won every round before scoring three knockdowns that forced referee Joe Cortez to call a halt to their bout at 2:07 of that 10th round.

For Demarco, the win marked his 17th by knockout as he earned a right to face WBC champ, Edwin Valero (25-0, 25 KOs), of Venezuela.

Valero, 27, has a defense scheduled for Dec. 19 in Caracas, Venezuela, against Mexico's Hector Velazquez (51-13-2, 35 KOs).

Since losing a six-round, majority decision to Anthony Vasquez in February of 2006, Demarco is 15-0-1, with 10 knockouts.

"If Demarco fights Valero, I believe that he'll knock Valero out," said Shaw. "That would be to just about everybody's shock and surprise, but Demarco is for real."

Over the next few weeks, Shaw has South African Ali Funeka (30-2-2, 25) fighting Brooklyn's Joan Guzman (29-0, 17) for the vacant IBF lightweight title on Nov. 28, and Ola Afolabi (14-1-3, six) of West Hills, Calif., taking on Germany's Marcus Huck (26-1, 20) for the WBO cruiserweight (200 pounds) championship on Dec. 5.

Also next month, Tim Bradley (24-0, 11) of Palm Springs will defend his WBO junior welterweight (140) crown against Lamont Peterson (27-0, 13) of Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, and Armenian-born Vic Darchinyan (32-2-1, 26) will put his WBC and WBA super flyweight (115 pounds) titles on the line against Mexico's Tomas Rojas (32-11-1, 22).

Promoter Seeks Froch-Dirrell Rematch originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Lem SatterfieldMon, 09 Nov 2009 01:12:00 EST Dawson to Face Pascal-Diaconu Winnerhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/dawson-to-face-pascal-diaconu-winner/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/dawson-to-face-pascal-diaconu-winner/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/dawson-to-face-pascal-diaconu-winner/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Chad Dawson, the undefeated light heavyweight champion, will pursue a bout with the winner of next month's Jean Pascal-Adrian Diaconu matchup, his promoter, Gary Shaw, told FanHouse on Sunday.

"I really believe that in time, all roads will lead to Chad Dawson -- just like it did for Pernell Whitaker, and just like it did for Bernard Hopkins," said Shaw, making sure not to rule out possible bouts against Hopkins or Roy Jones, who will likely face each other early in 2010.

"They won't be able to avoid him, because people will eventually say, 'You can't say that you're the best, and you can't say that you're the champion until you've fought Chad Dawson and beat him,' " said Shaw. "I believe that Chad is, right now, officially the gatekeeper at 175 pounds."

The 27-year-old Pascal (24-1, 16 KOs) is the WBC's champion. Pascal and the 31-year-old Diaconu (26-1, 15 KOs) will meet in a Dec. 11 rematch of Pascal's unanimous decision victory in June. It's also a clash between fighters who both reside in Quebec, Canada.

"After Pascal-Diaconu, I'll start negotiations with the winner of that fight, because, right now, Pascal is the champion, and Dawson is the [WBC's] interim champion," said Shaw. "The WBC said that those two have to fight next, and it will be a great fight."

Dawson is coming off of Saturday night's IBO light heavyweight title defense against Glen Johnson, whom he dominated on the way to a 12-round, unanimous decision.

It was the second time that the 27-year-old Dawson (29-0, 17 knockouts) had won on all three cards against the 40-year-old Johnson, the 2004 Fighter Of The Year.

Against Dawson, Johnson looked like a man who should ponder retirement from the game. "I think that Chad put on a masterful performance. I'm not sure that the fans appreciate what a good boxer he is, and what a great athlete he is. He did things in the ring that I've never seen a 175-pound fighter do before," said Shaw.

"Defensively, he moved like Pernell Whitaker. There were two, or three, or four times, where he would roll and duck, and he was right in front of Glen. Glen actually couldn't even punch him," said Shaw.

"Glen just looked at him. Chad was making the angles and rolling right in front of him. I had the fight at 118-110 in my mind. He's a smart fighter, and I believe that there's no one around who can beat him."

Dawson to Face Pascal-Diaconu Winner originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Adrian DiaconuChad DawsonJean PascalLem SatterfieldMon, 09 Nov 2009 00:09:00 EST Chad Dawson vs. Glen Johnson: Live Round-by-Round Updateshttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/chad-dawson-vs-glen-johnson-live-round-by-round-updates/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/chad-dawson-vs-glen-johnson-live-round-by-round-updates/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/chad-dawson-vs-glen-johnson-live-round-by-round-updates/#commentsFiled under: ,

Chad Dawson vs. Glen JohnsonChad Dawson scored a unanimous decision victory over Glen Johnson during this live blog with round-by-round updates in an intriguing light heavyweight fight.

The HBO-televised broadcast began at 9:30 p.m. ET, with the main event beginning at approximately 10 p.m., ET, from Hartford, Conn.

Dawson easily improved to 29-0 with 17 knockouts, and Johnson slipped to 49-13-2, with 33 KOs.

Live blog: Refresh this page often for minute-by-minute updates.

Pre-fight: Glen Johnson wears yellow gloves and a black robe with yellow trim.

Chad Dawson, a black robe with orange trim and matching orange gloves. Dawson is cheered by the partisan, Hartford crowd, being a resident of nearby New Haven.


Round 1: Dawson, in black and orange trunks, circles and jabs out of his southpaw stance. Johnson, in white and yellow trunks, reaches as he pursues the younger man. The fighters trade jabs, with Dawson firing a left to the body as well. JOhnson fires a long right between Dawson's gloves, as well as another right. Dawson jabs and lands with his right. Johnson takes a left hand, but still moves forward. Dawson jabs twice, and Johnson misses twice with an overhand left. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Round 2: Dawson landed 22 punches in round one to 14 for Johnson, including 13 jabs. Johnson still is coming forward, hands held high in a peek-a-boo style, but he's reaching and falling short, thanks, primarily to Dawson's jab, followup right to the head and body, and his movement. Johnson lands two left jabs, and seems to be getting closer. Dawson drills in a left hand, then misses with one. Dawson's jab is still in Johnson's face. Johnson clubs with a left, and then, is knocked off balance with a left hand before the bell. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Round 3: Dawson jabs nine times before the round is 15 seconds old. Dawson moves to his left, and then, his right, as Johnson continues to move forward, taking Dawson's jab. Johnson is more mindful of Dawson's left hand, picking it off occasionally. Dawson fires a four-punch combination and moves away. Dawson fires a three-punch flurry and steps aside, followed by a four-punch volley. The blows aren't particularly hard, but they are clean. Johnson still is undeterred, moving forward and pressuring. Dawson misfires three times, but lands twice during an exchange with Johnson just prior to the bell. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Round 4: Dawson is told to continue jabbing; Johson is told to not let him keep running, and to take away his legs. Dawson is winning exchanges and being quicker, but nothing is keeping Johnson off of him. The jabbing continues from Dawson, whose right hand is occasionally down at his waist. Dawson lands two of five jabs, then counters with a long, left hand. The jab counters twice more, and Dawson follows it with a left hand. Dawson stands his ground and lands a hard, left hand to Johnson's body. Johnson stands with Dawson, but doesn't answer. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Round 5: Johnson is told that he's down four rounds to none, and that he needs to go and "hurt" Dawson. Dawson goes back to jabbing and moving, occasionally firing the left hand. As Dawson moves away with his hands at his side, the crowd begins to boo. Dawson continues, however, pot-shotting Johnson, who, nevertheless, doesn't take advantage even as he pressures well. Seven straight jabs land for Dawson, followed by a left uppercut before he moves away. Dawson flicks two lazy jabs. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Round 6: Johnson seems more animated, but takes several hard left hands. Johnson continues forward, throwing to the head and body and landing occasionally. Johnson's jab is better, as is his body attack, and his followups to the head. Dawson jabs twice and knocks back Johnson's head with a straight left. Dawson drives home two crisp left hands and moves away. Johnson misses with a left and a right. Dawson closes with a left hand before the bell. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Round 7: Johnson is told that he hasn't won a round by his corner. Dawson is told that his jab is the key, and he goes right back to it, flicking early more than sticking it in Johnson's face. Johnson goes to the body and head with two shots. Dawson hooks with a right to the body and goes to the head. Dawson drills another short right to the body. Dawson switches to a conventional, right-handed stance, lands a left jab, and then switches back. Johnson reaches and lands with a couple of jabs. Dawson fires two left hands to the body. Dawson continues to outwork Johnson, landing two jabs before the bell. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Round 8: Dawson re-establishes the same ryhthm that has served him well throughout the fight, jabbing, moving, landing his left hand and pivoting away. Johnson continues to more or less plod, failing even to demonstrate increased intensity during a brief clinch. Dawson digs twice to the body, dances away, and then, lands his jab again. Johnson looks weary as he walks back to his corner. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Round 9: Dawson drives home two, thudding body punches and moves out of harms way. Johnson reaches and misses on two, long punches with either hand. During an exchange, Dawson fires a two-fisted combination of four or five punches. And then, Dawson's back to jabbing again. Twice, over the final 30 seconds of the round, Dawson stands his ground and wins an exchange with Johnson, firing his most powerful blows of the fight. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Round 10: Dawson wins an early exchange, going from the head and to the body to the delight of the crowd. Dawson is able to fire from a distance, unhindered, behind his jab and send his left hand in behind it as well. Dawson fires three straight left hooks and Johnson has no answer. Johnson does land twice over Dawson's guard -- a left and a right -- with about 35 seconds left. But Dawson goes to the body to regain any lost momentum, and closes by tripling up on the right hook. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Round 11: Dawson is told that he has won every round and is fighting perfectly. FanHouse agrees. Johnson continues taking jabs and followup left hands. The crowd boos as Dawson continues to jab and box and move. Dawson clubs with a left hook, and, from his toes, fires a long left and a right. Dawson drives in a couple of left hands to the body and chest of Johnson. Dawson's round, 10-9

Round 12: Dawson is told that he has won every round, and he has on the FanHouse card. Johnson is told that he needs a knockout. Johnson comes forward behind his jab, but his punches don't carry much steam. Dawson drives home two right hands and circles away, to the chants of "Dawson, Dawson!" Dawson fires three to five jabs with two right hands coming behind them. Johnson is just following. At the bell, Johnson raises his hands skyward, but it's Dawson's round, and, clearly, his night. Dawson's round, 10-9.

Dawson won 115-113 on the cards of two judges and 117-111 on that of the third.

FanHouse scored it a shutout for Dawson, 120-108.

Chad Dawson vs. Glen Johnson: Live Round-by-Round Updates originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>chad dawsonChadDawsonglen johnsonGlenJohnsonLem SatterfieldSat, 07 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST Chad Dawson Looks to Repeat Against Glen Johnsonhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/dawson-looks-to-repeat-against-johnson/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/dawson-looks-to-repeat-against-johnson/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/dawson-looks-to-repeat-against-johnson/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Perhaps Glen Johnson's best attempt at head-games during the buildup to Saturday night's 175-pound rematch with IBO titlist Chad Dawson is his refusal to admit defeat.

The facts are that Johnson was not only judged the loser of their first light heavyweight clash in April of 2008 by scores of 116-112 on all three cards, but that the decision was rendered before a partisan crowd in Miami -- not far from the native Jamaican's current home in Hollywood, Fla.

But Johnson's insistence that he was "robbed" clearly rankles Dawson's promoter, Gary Shaw, and if nothing else, has Dawson so chagrined that he has vowed to turn up the heat when they face off at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., near the champion's hometown of New Haven.

"My beef with Glen is that he keeps calling it a robbery, but when you lose on all of the judges' cards by three and four rounds, in your home state, and in your home town, I don't see that as a robbery," said Shaw.

"So my beef is, instead of diminishing Chad Dawson by saying 'it's a robbery,' just say that 'I fought a very good fighter on that night. I believe that I won. I don't believe the judges saw it the way I saw it and I'd like another shot at Chad Dawson,'" said Shaw.

"Johnson's getting another shot because that's the fight that HBO was willing to pay for," said Shaw of a clash that is also for the WBC's interim title. "But don't diminish Chad Dawson by saying you were robbed."

Known as "The Road Warrior" for his reputation of fighting anyone, anywhere and anytime, as well as for his rugged in-your-face style, Johnson can become the oldest man to win a version of the light heavyweight title with a win over Dawson (28-0, 17 knockouts).

At 40 years and 319 days old, Johnson (49-12-2, 33 KOs) could surpass Bob Fitzimmons, who decisioned George Gardner over 20 rounds on Nov. 25, 1903, at 40 years and 193 days.

"I do think, though, that this is going to be a lot like the first fight except that they're going to mix it up earlier," said Doug Fischer, managing editor of RingTV.com. "It's going to be a back and forth kind of intense boxing match featuring some firey exchanges -- but probably more boxing than standing and trading."

Johnson believes he can outwork the talented, 27-year-old southpaw, against whom he fell behind early in their first meeting before coming on, late in the fight, even hurting Dawson but being unable to finish him.

"Johnson landed some clean shots, particularly in the second half of that fight directly to the exposed jaw of Dawson. And although it wobbled and rocked Dawson a little bit, Dawson was able to take it," said Fischer.

"Johnson did catch a lot of Dawson's punches on his gloves and forearms. The problem is, judges count that a lot of times, even though they shouldn't," said Fischer. "In Johnson's case, it's because he walks in a straight line and he's straight up, and there's not a lot of upperbody movement."

Johnson was named the 2004 Fighter of the Year after a decision over Clinton Woods, a ninth-round knockout of Roy Jones, and a split decision over Antonio Tarver.

Johnson was unbeaten at 32-0 in July of 1997, when he was knocked out for the only time in his career by Bernard Hopkins in the 11th round.

Although Dawson believes that he can earn a repeat decision by being the busier fighter, he stopped short of predicting a victory by knockout.

"I'm not a knockout puncher. I'm not going in there looking for the knockout. I will keep out-boxing you. I will out-point you. That's what got me to 28-0, so why would I want to change that?" said Dawson.

"The first fight I did what I had to do. I stacked up the rounds. It's like any fighter," said Dawson. "You get hit, you want to hit back. But my whole goal for this fight is to hit and not to be hit. Stick and move."

Still, Johnson insists that Dawson was wrongly rewarded for landing punches against his peek-a-boo defense, believing he successfully blocked a majority of the champion's shots.

"Chad Dawson moves a lot and just tried to throw punches at my defense," said Johnson, who has since won two straight, knocking out Aaron Norwood in four rounds last November before decisioning Daniel Judah over 10 rounds in February.

"My understanding is that boxing is supposed to be judged on clean and effective punching," Johnson said. "If something has changed, someone needs to tell me."

Johnson's defense notwithstanding, the older man will need to mount a more effective offensive strategy in order to lift the crown from Dawson before what is certain to be a crowd that favors the younger man.

"Looking at some of the rounds from the first fight, when Chad is getting off with his jab, Johnson is not jabbing. Even though some of those jabs aren't hitting Johnson directly in the face, they're hitting his gloves," said Fischer.

"The impression for the judges is often that he's being outhutstled and-or out-pointed by the younger, faster fighter, so he can't allow that to happen so much as he was in the first fight," said Fisher.

"In the end, though, I think that Dawson's a little more seasoned now -- smart enough to know that he can contain Johnson with his lateral movement and with the angles that he can give him on the inside."

FanHouse is in agreement, so the pick here is Dawson, by decision.

Chad Dawson Looks to Repeat Against Glen Johnson originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>antonio tarverAntonioTarverbernard hopkinsBernardHopkinschad dawsonChadDawsongary shawGaryShawglen johnsonGlenJohnsonroy jonesRoyJonesLem SatterfieldFri, 06 Nov 2009 19:14:00 EST Dawson or Johnson? Experts Decidehttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/dawson-or-johnson-experts-decide/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/dawson-or-johnson-experts-decide/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/dawson-or-johnson-experts-decide/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Even though "Bad" Chad Dawson won by four points on all three judges cards in the hometown of his opponent the last time they faced, Glen Johnson still believes that he was robbed.

So on Saturday night, the 40-year-old fighter nicknamed, "The Road Warrior," will travel to the 27-year-old Dawson's home turf of Hartford, Conn., hoping to show the young pup that the old dog has learned some new tricks during his quest to become the eldest fighter to win a light heavyweight crown.

FanHouse sought the opinions of some of boxing's experts to determine if Dawson can retain his IBO title and win the "interim" WBC 175-pound crown Saturday night.

Bob Canobbio, CompuBoxInc. .
Chad Dawson by unanimous decision: Johnson's pushing the age of 41, while Dawson's got 24 more rounds of experience under his belt with two decision wins over Antonio Tarver. Not to mention the experience he gained in the first fight with Johnson.


Steve Farhood, Showtime boxing analyst
Chad Dawson by decision: I like Dawson on points. Glen Johnson is never easy for anyone, and he won't be easy in the rematch with Dawson. But Chad is only getting better, and he'll use his advantages in youth and speed and mobility to make it a little bit less of a fight than it was the last time.


Doug Fischer, Managing Editor of RingTV.com
Chad Dawson by decision: I'm going to go with the younger man. I thought Chad Dawson legitmately won the first fight, and I thought he won seven or eight rounds out of the 12. It was very competitive, but I thought that he landed more of the cleaner blows down the stretch.

When you have a fighter who is as fast, and talented and athletic as Chad Dawon is, somebody who can stick and move and has the kind of reflexes and hand-eye coordination that he does, and the fact that he's a southpaw, it's going to take an orthodox fighter some rounds to figure him out.

I think that Glen Johnson will understand him better after their 12 rounds together, and I think Johnson will be even tougher for Dawson and start faster the second time around. But I'm not going to pick Johnson.

As long as Dawson's emotionally up for this fight, I think that the younger man is going to take it again -- probably seven rounds to five. Johnson will probably feel like he's gotten robbed again, and there will probably be some observers who agree with him.


Nancy Gay, FanHouse.com
Chad Dawson by unanimous decision: There's been plenty of antagonistic buildup to this rematch of their 2008 light heavyweight bout, but it most likely will end up like the first one -- Dawson will win by unanimous decision.


Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports.com
Chad Dawson by decision: I am going to take Dawson by decision. My rationale on picking Dawson by decision is that he's now fought 36 rounds in the one fight with Johnson and the two fights with Antonio Tarver.

Dawson's a more talented fighter, and now, he's gained the experience that he lacked the first time that they fought.


Jim Lampley, HBO boxing color commentator
Chad Dawson by decision: I'm going with Dawson because there's no particular reason that the fight should be any different than the first time around. Johnson, at the end of the day, an effort fighter. His only X-factor is effort.

When he beats somebody like Antonio Tarver or Roy Jones, it requires that Tarver or Jones has an off night. Dawson was better the first time around, and he's so challenge for big fights, that he's not going to take this for granted.

Dawson understands what he's dealing with, and he'll make the effort. And as long as he makes the representive effort, he's the younger, faster, more skilled and better fighter than Glen Johnson so that he'll win the fight again by decision -- very similar to the first time.


Robert Morales, Los Angeles Daily News
Chad Dawson by unanimous decision: I just think that Dawson is going to win again. I think that this is going to go the distance because Glen Johnson is a very, very tough cookie, and it's not easy to stop this guy inside the distance.

But Chad Dawson, though, I think he's in his prime, and I think that he's a terrific fighter. I think that this is Chad's time to beat just about anybody that's put in front of him. I expect him to win a fairly wide, unanimous decision.


Joe Santoliquito, Managing Editor, Ring Magazine
Chad Dawson by decision: I think that Chad Dawson learned a lot from their first fight. I think he's just too young and has too much firepower for Johnson over 12 rounds. I see it being a good fight for eight rounds, but I can easily see Dawson winning the last four.


Michael David Smith, FanHouse.com
Chad Dawson by unanimous decision: Chad Dawson is one of the best boxers in the world and is in the prime of his career, and I'd rather see him fight an opponent who's in his prime than the 40-year-old Glen Johnson.

Johnson has had a fine career, but he can't hang with Dawson anymore. I see Dawson winning a very one-sided unanimous decision.


Tim Smith, New York Daily News
Chad Dawson by decision: I like Dawson, I think, because he's the younger guy. The problem that Glen Johnson poses for everybody is that he's always in your chest and he's always on you. He has a tendency to fatigue guys.

But Dawson is a young guy and he knows how to keep guys off of him. I just think that he's a bit too fit and a bit too young for Glen Johnson, although I think it will probably be a close fight. But I give Dawson the nod in a decision.

The experts favor Chad Dawson, 10-0, but if Glen Johnson wins, he'll become the oldest man to win a version of the light heavyweight title at 40 years, 319 days.

Below are the top five:

Bob Fitzimmons decisioned George Gardner over 20 rounds on Nov. 25, 1903, at 40 years and 193 days old.

Antonio Tarver decisioned Clinton Woods over 12 rounds on April 12, 2008, at 39 years, 153 days.

Mike McCallum decisioned Jeff Harding over 12 rounds on July 23, 1994, at 37 years, 237 days.

Dick Tiger decisioned Jose Torres on Dec. 16, 1996, at 37 years, 133 days.

Silvio Branco knocked out Medhi Sahnoune in the 11th round on Oct. 10, 2003, at 37 years, 53 days.

Scource: Bob Canobbio, CompuboxInc.

Dawson or Johnson? Experts Decide originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>chad dawsonChadDawsonglen johnsonGlenJohnsonLem SatterfieldThu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST Ex-Champs Zab Judah, Joel Casamayor Return to Ringhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/ex-champs-zab-judah-joel-casamayor-return-to-ring/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/ex-champs-zab-judah-joel-casamayor-return-to-ring/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/ex-champs-zab-judah-joel-casamayor-return-to-ring/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Southpaw former world champions, Zab Judah, and Joel Casamayor will return to the ring on Friday night at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

Judah, a 32-year-old welterweight (147 pounds), will be ending a nearly 12-month layoff. The 38-year-old Casamayor will be ending a nearly 14-month ring absence when he enters the ring as a light weight (135).

Judah (37-6, 25 knockouts) will face 31-year-old Adailton De Jesus (23-4, 18 KOs) of Brazil, who has won four of his last five fights.

In his last outing on Oct. 24, De Jesus stopped Rudolfo Franz in three rounds to rebound from August's first-round knockout loss to Oscar Jesus Pereyra.

Judah has won three of his past four fights since June of 2007, when he was knocked out in the 11th round by Miguel Cotto.

A gifted left-hander, Judah is coming off of last November's 10-round, unanimous decision victory over Earnest Johnson, which helped him to bounce back from an August, 2008 ninth-round knockout loss to Joshua Clottey.

The Cuban-born Casamayor (36-4-1, 22 KOs) will meet 27-year-old Jason Davis (11-4-1, three KOs) a loser of his last three bouts -- including the last two by knockout.

Casamayor is 5-1-1 since losing a split decision to Jose Luis Castillo for the WBC lightweight title in December of 2004. Among the victories during Casamayor's run is a decision over former world champion, Diego Carrales.

Casamayor's last fight was in September of 2008 against Juan Manuel Marquez, when he was stopped for the first time in his career in the 11th-round of a tightly-contested, lightweight matchup.

Promoted by former world champion, Fernando Vargas, the card will also feature featherweight (126) Salvador Sanchez (16-3-2, eight KOs) of Mexico against Minnesota's Willshaun Boxley (5-2, three).

Judah earned his first world championship in February of 2002, when he stopped Jan Piet Bergman in four rounds to win the vacant IBF junior welterweight (140) title.

Judah defended that crown five times before being dethroned by Kostya Tszyu in November of 2001 -- the first loss of his career.

Judah rebounded with three straight wins at 140 pounds before rising to 147, where he lost a 12-round, unanimous decision to Cory Spinks.

That clash of southpaw fighters occurred during April, 2004, as Judah was unsuccessful in his bid to earn Spinks' WBA, WBC and IBF welterweight belts.

But Judah's ensuing, four-straight victories included a February, 2005 rematch with Spinks, whom he dethroned with a ninth-round knockout in the latter's hometown of St. Louis.

Judah then lost three of his next four 147-pound bouts, respectively, to Carlos Baldomir, Floyd Mayweather, and, Cotto.

Casamayor earned his first world title in May of 2000, when his WBA super featherweight (130) clash with Jong-Kwon Baek was stopped on cuts in the fifth round.

Casamayor defended that crown four times before being dethroned by a decision loss to Acelino Freitas in January of 2002.

Four wins later in October of 2003, Casamayor stopped Corrales in the sixth round of a battle that featured each fighter being floored.

Casamayor lost his March, 2004 rematch with Corrales by decision, and then was beaten by Castillo two fights later.

Sanchez is the nephew of former world champion, Salvador Sanchez Jr., who earned the WBC featherweight (126) title with a 13th-round knockout of Danny Lopez in February of 1980 and defended it nine times.

Salvador Sanchez Jr. died in a car accident shortly after stopping previously unbeaten Azumah Nelson in the 15th round of their July, 1982 matchup.

Ex-Champs Zab Judah, Joel Casamayor Return to Ring originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>acelino freitasAcelinoFreitasazumah nelsonAzumahNelsoncory spinksCorySpinksdiego corralesDiegoCorralesfernando vargasFernandoVargasfloyd mayweatherFloydMayweatherjoel casamayorJoelCasamayorjose luis castilloJoseLuisCastillojoshua clotteyJoshuaClotteyjuan manuel marquezJuanManuelMarquezkostya tszyuKostyaTszyumiguel cottoMiguelCottosalvador sanchezSalvadorSanchezzab judahZabJudahLem SatterfieldSun, 01 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST 35 Years After Ali-Foreman, Angelo Dundee Recalls 'Monkey Meat's Good'http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/35-years-after-ali-foreman-angelo-dundee-recalls-monkey-meats/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/35-years-after-ali-foreman-angelo-dundee-recalls-monkey-meats/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/35-years-after-ali-foreman-angelo-dundee-recalls-monkey-meats/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

For the past few weeks, Angelo Dundee, has busily provided on-site expertise to media members at Tampa's Fight Factory Gym, where WBO champ Miguel Cotto has been in training for his Nov. 14, welterweight clash with Manny Pacquiao.

So it is no surprise that the 88-year-old Hall of Fame trainer wasn't aware that today is the 35th anniversary of Muhammad Ali's eighth-round knockout of George Foreman in "The Rumble In The Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire.

In fact, Dundee said that none of the many reporters clamoring for his opinion on Cotto-Pacquiao "has even mentioned it."

See what Dundee had to say about the historic bout during his Q&A after the jump.

FanHouse: Why weren't you as fearful of George Foreman as was most of the world, considering he had dominated Joe Frazier, who had given Muhammad Ali a much more difficult time?

Angelo Dundee: Because I knew Ali's talent, and that certain things beat certain people. I've known Ali since he was 16 years old. So I have a pretty good insight about an individual when I've known them that long.

The Foreman that we fought was a home run hitter. But if you could prevent him from landing the heavy punches, and not get the home run, you could beat him.

My guy was pliable, flexible, and could bend with the shots. Plus, we felt like he could give George distance, which would disturb George. He just had the style to beat Big George.

FH: What did you work on in training leading up to the fight?

Dundee: I made Ali work on quickness, because quickness beats a big guy. Especially a guy that tries to hit the home run. Because if you can keep him off the homerun, then you can beat him.

FH: What about the famous 'Rope-a-Dope?'

Dundee: Muhammad completely fooled me when he did the 'Rope-a-Dope' -- I had nothing to do with that. I figured that movement would bother George more than anything, so by the second round, I was asking Muhammad, 'What are you doing?'

I was afraid that George would hit him with a forearm and knock him out of the ring. In fact, when he came to my side of the ring, I actually slapped Muhammad in the butt to make him get off of the ropes.

God forbid he had fallen out of the ring -- it was like six feet in the air in the middle of a soccer field. There would have been no coming back, he'd have broken his back on a chair or something.

I was scared to death that he would fall out. But he felt like it was working. So he says, 'I know what I'm doing.' I'm like, 'you're nuts, you're going to go through the ropes and break your back, so get off of the ropes!'

But he was like, 'I know what I'm doing.' And I'm like, 'Get him out of there, what are you waiting on? What are you waiting on?' So he had this expression, 'I made him empty his gas tank.'

So he did know what he was doing. He was the smartest guy in the place. George really ran out of gas, the poor guy. The tank ran dry. So [Ali] was more genius than we realized.

FH: Why was the 'Rope-a-Dope' effective?

Dundee: Muhammad had a great, great ability to slide on punches and pull back from them, so that he didn't take the full affect of the blows. Because if he had taken the full affect of George Foreman's blows, he'd have been out of there.

He was blocking the punches any way that he could -- with his arms, shoulders, elbows. But he was quick with everything that he did. Even pulling back from the punches with his chin. That just shows the greatness of the man.

FH: Could Muhammad Ali have won the fight with your strategy?

Dundee: I think if he'd have been in the middle of the ring, I think he'd always have been better off being in the middle of the ring. I think he would have controlled George because he was the smartest guy in the arena.

He would have beaten Foreman. He had the technique and the style to beat George.

FH: What was the problem with the loose ropes?

Dundee: That was such a big controversy. I had tightened the ropes at four o'clock in the afternoon in Zaire. I was there with Bobby Goodman, who was doing the P.R. there.

We went there, and the ropes were loose -- I mean really loose -- for a 24-foot ring. What we did was we took them apart and we tightened them. I used a double-edged razor blade to cut the ropes.

The ring was also lopsided. It was a dirt field, and it was on an angle. So we leveled the ring to the best of our ability. Nobody was paying attention to that. The fight wasn't taking place until 4 a.m.

I had tightened the ropes, but what I hadn't taken into consideration was that the heat, which, by 4 a.m., had stretched the ropes again. Being loose, my guy [Ali] was so agile that he was able to lean back and not fall out of the ring.

FH: As I understand it, you were always a stickler about checking out the conditions of the ring?

Dundee: I'm big about checking the ring out days before. I did that in Maine for the Sonny Liston fight. They were using an old wrestling ring that was like a trampoline. So I changed that, and I made them bring in a ring from Baltimore.

FH: What psychological advantages did you feel Muhammad Ali had over George Foreman?

Dundee: For us, going into this fight was like going to a party. Muhammad went into it like he never could lose. You've got to realize that in Zaire, he was the hero and George Foreman was the hero.

George Foreman brought a police dog with him, and he didn't know that they were scared of police dogs. There were so many odds against the poor guy.

FH: Like what?

Dundee: George was training across the road from us in a much rougher situation than we were in. We were in a beautiful complex there, where [President Mobutu Sese Seko] entertained the African nations. We had villas facing the Congo River.

The Zairian people were so nice to us, because, you know, I was with the hero, Muhammad Ali. To Foreman, they were chanting, 'Ali, bomaye!' That meant, 'Ali, kill him!'

FH: How did you come to train George Foreman?

Dundee: I was in Las Vegas and he was there doing something for HBO. Me and my wife Helen were there having lunch as the Caesar's Palace. George jumped up to the table and said, 'Mrs. Dundee, do you know why your husband's working with me?'

And my wife, Helen, goes, 'No, he never told me.' So my wife thinks it's something I never told her, but I didn't really know where he was going with it. So then, George says, 'I was working Muhammad against the ropes and I was getting ready to hit him with a helluva right hand.'

'And this squeaky voice from the corner said, get outta there, and then, Muhammad Ali moves. And if he didn't move, I may have knocked him out. So anybody who can help a guy like that, I want him with me.' So that's a true story.

Ali would have had more trouble with older George, between you and I. That George was steady, steady, and didn't look for the homerun. He just worked into the homerun, like he did when he won the world title. He would pick, pick, pick, and then -- Bang! --and that was it."

FH: So how have you become involved with the Miguel Cotto camp?

Dundee: I went there because I want to be around boxing. I've been doing it for 60 years, and I heard that Cotto was there. The guy that runs that gym, Peter Fernandez, is a former fighter.

They had been asking me to come. I live in Oldsmar, and it's about 45 minutes from Tampa. I have a guy that drives me there.

FH: Is there any one thing that sticks out in your mind concerning the Ali-Foreman fight -- the food, the atmosphere -- that we have not addressed?

Dundee: This is a great story. We were eating buffet style, so I never knew what I was eating. I didn't find out what I was eating until I got a visit from two Cuban guys who were airplane pilots who flew Mobutu all over the country.

So I brought them to lunch. And we were eating the buffet style. The buffet style was like chicken. I picked up a piece, and I put it in my mouth, and I'm chewing on it. But there's no meat.

So I pull it out of my mouth, and I move my thumb -- eye socket. I move my other finger -- eye socket. It was a monkey head. I had been eating monkey all of that time and didn't know it.

It tasted like chicken. I'll tell ya, monkey meat's good.

35 Years After Ali-Foreman, Angelo Dundee Recalls 'Monkey Meat's Good' originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>AngeloDundeeGeorgeForemanJoeFrazierMannyPacquiaoMiguelCottoMuhammadAliLem SatterfieldFri, 30 Oct 2009 16:48:00 EST Chad Dawson Can Cash in by Beating Glen Johnsonhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/chad-dawson-can-cash-in-by-beating-glen-johnson/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/chad-dawson-can-cash-in-by-beating-glen-johnson/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/chad-dawson-can-cash-in-by-beating-glen-johnson/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Chad DawsonChad Dawson is nothing if not a winner; he just hasn't cashed in for a defining, lucrative fight.

"We've not gotten the chance to really expose Chad like I would like to expose Chad," said Gary Shaw, Dawson's promoter. "But that time will come."

Among the 27-year-old southpaw light heavyweight's most impressive victories was in February 2007, when he routed Polish-born Tomas Adamek of Jersey City by 10, eight and six points respectively over the three judges' cards. Dawson earned the WBC's 175-pound title against Adamek, who lost for the first time in 32 bouts.

"I think that Chad is the best fighter in the world," said Shaw. "I think he's the most talented fighter in the world."

Since then, however, it is Adamek who has soared in popularity, having won eight consecutive fights, six of them by knockouts.

Along the way, Adamek has earned the IBF cruiserweight (200) title and defended it three times. And Adamek has risen to heavyweight, where he flattened three-time heavyweight title contender Andrew Golota in five rounds.

And while Dawson (28-0, 17 knockouts) has continued to win, it has been with far less fanfare than Adamek, even as he counts triumphs over Roy Jones conquerors Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson among his last five victories.

Dawson will face the 40-year-old Johnson (49-12-2, 33 KOs) yet again on Nov. 7 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., in defense of his IBO championship in a bout that is for the WBC's interim title.

The duo will meet in a rematch of Dawson's unanimous decision of April 2008, when he won by 116-112 on all three judges' cards. Dawson hopes that a second win over Johnson, whom he vanquished before the latter's partisan fans in Tampa, will vault him into a world of limitless and lucrative possibilities.

"We've been stuck in a rut, and it's nothing against Glen Johnson, but we've had Glen and we've had two Tarver fights. And now we have Glen again," said Shaw, who would also consider a matchup with WBC 175-pound champion Jean Pascal (24-1, 16 KOs).

"Chad will show who he is this time, and then we'll move on to our next options after the fight," said Shaw. "Whether it's field an offer for the 168-pound tournament, or whether it's fighting the winner of Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins."

The "tournament" is a reference to Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic, featuring six of the world's top middleweights, including England's WBC champion Carl Froch, Denmark's WBA king Mikkel Kessler and Germany's former middleweight (160 pound) titlist Arthur Abraham.

The Super Six also features former Olympians Andre Ward, a gold medal winner from Oakland, Calif., and bronze medalist Andre Dirrell of Flint Mich., respectively.

Shaw believes that Dawson could enter the tournament amid speculation that former middleweight titlist Jermain Taylor may drop out following a knockout loss to Abraham.

"But HBO has a first and last punch at Dawson. And I know [Dawson] would be welcomed into the 168-pound tournament, which I believe he'd win convincingly," said Shaw, who also promotes Dirrell. "When this fight is over, we'll sit down with HBO. I have an appointment with them that week, and we'll talk about 2010."

Dawson would embrace the chance to drop into the lower weight class, but only after whipping Johnson.

"I'd feel great at that weight and I'd actually be much stronger at that weight too. I've never had any problems making 175," said Dawson.

"Sometimes, I've even weighed in at 172, 173. So making 168 is not that difficult for me," Dawson added. "But I'm not really even thinking about that tournament. I have to worry about Glen Johnson coming up next week."

A resident of New Haven, Conn., Dawson said that he is dedicating his fight to Jasper Howard, a former University of Connecticutt football player who was stabbed to death outside of a dance on the campus on Oct. 18.

Calling Howard's death "a horrible tragedy", Dawson plans to enter the ring displaying the No. 6 on his trunks, representing Howard's football jersey number.

Named the 2004 Fighter of the Year after a decision over Clinton Woods, a ninth-round KO of Jones and a split decision over Tarver, Johnson said he needs no more motivation than his belief that he beat Dawson in their last meeting.

"Chad Dawson has his rights to have his hopes and his dreams. The only thing that I care about is our fight," said Johnson, a Jamaica native living in Miami. "My motivation stays the same, which is to feed myself and my family."

Johnson's preparation has included sparring with Romanian-born IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (24-0, 19 KOs) of Canada, who will defend his crown against Librado Andrade (28-2, 21 KOs) on Nov. 28.

"[Bute] is a solid fighter and we had some great sparring," said Johnson. "He's a boxer. He showed me a lot of what Chad Dawson has done and is doing. He's a solid fighter, and we will use that to our advantage."

Chad Dawson Can Cash in by Beating Glen Johnson originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>chad dawsonglen johnsonLem SatterfieldFri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST IBO: Pacquiao Must Defend or Vacate Belthttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/ibo-pacquiao-must-defend-or-vacate-belt/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/ibo-pacquiao-must-defend-or-vacate-belt/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/ibo-pacquiao-must-defend-or-vacate-belt/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Promoter Bob Arum called it "fair" that Manny Pacquiao has 60 days from the day after facing WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 to decide whether or not to defend the IBO junior welterweight (140) crown he won by second-round knockout over England's Ricky Hatton in May.

The notification, issued by IBO president Ed Levine on Wednesday, calls for Pacquiao to relinquish his crown should he fail to comply.

"Yeah, they called me about that. I think that's fair," Arum told FanHouse on Thursday night. "It's 60 days to decide whether he wants to defend it. Otherwise, there's other people who are waiting to get a shot at the title, and Manny will make a decision after the fight."

In accordance with IBO rules, "all champions, with the exception of the heavyweight champion, shall defend their titles at least once every nine months unless medically excused for valid cause and/or at the sole and absolute discretion of the IBO," Levine wrote in a statement.

"He's a really nice guy, Levine, and that's really fine," said Arum. "And if Manny decides no, he's not going to defend the title, he still is the Ring Magazine champion at that weight -- 140 pounds -- so it's just no big deal."

The 32-year-old Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 knockouts) is ranked No. 1 in the organization's computerized rankings for October, while Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs) is No. 2.

Should Pacquiao elect to vacate his title, Levine said the championship would be filled by a subsequent bout between the top two available contenders.

Unbeaten Russian prospect Denis Shafikov (22-0, 12 KOs) is the IBO Intercontinental champion at 140 and a likely contender if the title were to become vacant.

"If Pacquiao-Cotto is a great, great fight, we can do a rematch. Or he could fight Shane Mosley, whom he wants to fight," Arum told FanHouse during an interview earlier this month. "Manny could fight Juan Manuel Marquez a third time down at 140, or he could fight Floyd Mayweather Jr."

A unanimous decision loser to Mayweather last month as a welterweight, Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) has twice fought Pacquiao, losing a split-decision and battling him to a draw.

But in February, Marquez won the vacant WBO and WBA 135-pound titles with a ninth-round knockout of Juan Diaz, making him a lucrative, trilogy matchup in what would be a unification bout opposite Pacquiao at 140.
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IBO: Pacquiao Must Defend or Vacate Belt originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bob arummanny pacquiaoLem SatterfieldFri, 30 Oct 2009 01:30:00 EST Manny Pacquiao to Be Honored, Named Gusi Peace Prize Laureatehttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/manny-pacquiao-to-be-honored-named-gusi-peace-prize-laureate/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/manny-pacquiao-to-be-honored-named-gusi-peace-prize-laureate/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/manny-pacquiao-to-be-honored-named-gusi-peace-prize-laureate/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Manny PacquiaoManny Pacquiao will be honored for his humanitarianism on Nov. 24 in Manila, when the world boxing champion will be named a 2009, Gusi Peace Prize laureate.

"I am truly humbled by this incredible honor and I would like to thank the Gusi family and the foundation," said Pacquiao, 30, whose immense popularity in his country has reached Muhammad Ali-like proportions, in a press release. "To be included in such a group of accomplished humanitarians is beyond anything I ever dreamed of. They are inspirational."

A champion in six different weight divisions, and the award's only athlete among the elite group of 19 honorees from 16 different nations, Pacquiao is also a political force in his country, where he is running for congress.

Pacquiao also has braved the tumultuous conditions created by typhoons in the Philippines, where he has broken training to help save lives by delivering food into devastated areas."The one lesson my countrymen have taught the world during the recent typhoons is never to give up. Help each other and rebuild," said Pacquiao. "Nothing is impossible when we work together -- whether it's curing the sick, feeding the hungry or nourishing the souls and minds with education."

A resident of General Santos City, in the Philippines, Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) recently landed in Los Angeles, where he is working out at trainer Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym in preparation for his Nov. 14 challenge for the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title owned by Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 knockouts).

Their fight, to be contested at a catchweight of 145 pounds, will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao was mobbed by American fans at the airport in Los Angeles, proving that his appeal has crossed over into U.S. soil. Pacquiao also was featured in ESPN Magazine's 'Body Issue'.

The Gusi Peace Prize was established 22 years ago by ambassador, Barry Gusi, and his wife, Dr. Evelyn Gusi.

The award is bestowed annually upon distinguished individuals or groups, worldwide, for their exemplary contributions in areas such as peace and human rights, and, representing fields of science, medicine, academics, politics, business, humanities, philanthropy, journalism, religion, international relations.

America's lone honoree is Bob Filner, who represents California's 51st congressional district.

Manny Pacquiao to Be Honored, Named Gusi Peace Prize Laureate originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>manny pacquiaoMannyPacquiaomiguel cottoMiguelCottoserena williamsSerenaWilliamsLem SatterfieldWed, 28 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST Angelo Dundee: 'Ali, by All Means, Should Have Been Fighting (Holmes)'http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/qanda-with-muhammad-alis-former-trainer/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/qanda-with-muhammad-alis-former-trainer/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/qanda-with-muhammad-alis-former-trainer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Angelo Dundee has zero regrets.

The 88-year-old, legendary former boxing trainer of Muhammad Ali, spoke to FanHouse on Monday on a variety of topics, including ESPN's upcoming documentary, Muhammad and Larry, which argues that the aging Ali's 1980 fight with a young Larry Holmes never should have happened. Dundee also addressed Ali's relationship with Joe Frazier, and his own feelings during Ali's condemnation of white people as a member of the Nation of Islam.

Check out the full Q&A after the jump.

FanHouse: What are your feelings concerning the Muhammad and Larry documentary, which argues that a 38-year-old Ali should not have fought Holmes?

Angelo Dundee: I haven't seen it, but I'm going to watch. But Ali, by all means, should have been fighting. He trained the hardest he'd ever trained. Larry was the better fighter that night.

FH: How much of how Ali looked in the fight was a case of being too old?

Dundee: You don't look for escapes. What happened happened. Shoulda, coulda, woulda -- you don't go into that kind of thing. Otherwise, you'd go nuts.

If you're a fight guy, you've got to be realistic. It just wasn't there, that's all. The tank was empty, that's why I stopped it after the 10th round.

FH: Why did you stop it at that moment as opposed to any other?

Dundee: That 10th round, Muhammad got hit with an uppercut. And he reared away, and I thought that possibly, his eye got hurt. And I figured, "what am I gonna do? Why do I want him to get injured, for God's sake?'"

And he wasn't firing back, literally. Muhammad, in the past, you would throw a shot at him, and -- Boom! Boom! -- he'd fire back. But the fire wasn't there, and the repeat wasn't there.

FH: What do you make of anyone who says that Muhammad Ali should not have been fighting?

Dundee: I can't help that. People have a right to their own opinion. My gut feeling will be this until the day that I die: I think that a fighter has a God-given right to do with his life what he wants to.

It's that tough of a profession, and I think that he has a right to make that decision. I don't like to play God.

FH: Do you believe that anything that you see on Tuesday's documentary will alter your opinion concerning when the fight should have been stopped?

Dundee: Oh, no, no, no. Nothing will change it. What's done is done. You're not a Monday morning quarterback. It's done. What's done is done.

You did it. I did it in good conscience and good faith, and I think I know this kid better than anybody in the ring. I've had the privilege of knowing him since he was 16.

I know his every reaction, I know what things that make him chip up, and what makes him down. We're friends to this day, man.

FH: What is your relationship with Ferdie Pachecho, who left Ali's corner long before he retired saying that he should have retired earlier, and who insists that Ali's Parkinson's syndrome is a result of punishment he received from boxing?

Dundee: Don't you know that I'm godfather to his daughter? I gave him the name, the moniker, for God's sake. Ferdie had two offices, and I would send the fighters to either one.

And I would call Ferdie and say, "Hey, Ferdie, this kid's got a headache. Please don't tell him it's a brain tumor." [Laughs.] The thing is, everybody's entitled to their stinkin' opinion. It's the world we live in.

It's a democracy. You don't fault it. That's my feeling and I'm sincere about it.

FH: What do you spend your days doing now?

Dundee: I'm busier now than when I had 26 fighters. I'm working on a documentary about Angelo Dundee, called, It Don't Cost Nothing to Be Nice.

I make personal appearances. I've been to Atlantic City, I go to Las Vegas. I wrote a book, The View From My Corner, which is the best selling hardback boxing book of all time.

FH: What was it like for you when Muhammad Ali joined the Nation of Islam and espoused the beliefs such as, "the white man is the devil?"

Dundee: We never had that conversation. That never entered into our relationship. I was his trainer. I never followed this kid home. When he used to go into Miami, he was a Muslim then.

I learned at an early age, "You don't mess around with a fighter's personal life or his religion -- it's none of your business." He never asked me if I was a Catholic.

We never had that. We strictly worked boxing, me and Muhammad, and we had a great time. What right do I have to ask anybody anything, it's his life. That's what I said to everyone, he's sincere in whatever he does.

Ali never said anything to me negatively. This kid and I never had an argument. We had a great relationship. This kid came to my house three Christmases in a row and entertained my friends -- Jews, Polish, Irish, it didn't make any difference.

He's a lovable human being, and the nicest kid I ever had. I never had to lift a finger to make him work. He was the first guy in the gym, last guy to leave.

FH: How do you believe Muhammad Ali feels about Joe Frazier?

Dundee: He never disliked Joe Frazier, it was a one-sided thing. Muhammad likes everybody. He got a kick out of it. He never meant any harm to the guy.

Somebody handed him a monkey, so it was like, "Hey, it's the thrilla in Manila with the gorilla." Most of the stuff we pulled before fights were preempted. We did it.

We planned it. Ernie Terrell was the giraffe, Floyd Patterson was the rabbit because he had his hands around his face. The washer woman was George Chuvalo. We made those things up. It sold tickets.

FH: How much do you believe boxing had to do with Ali's Parkinson's?

Dundee: Nothing, nothing. I thought that sincerely, the guy would lick it. I thought that he would beat Parkinson's, because he's that type of a guy. I see that Freddie Roach is fighting it. I see that that movie actor [Michael J. Fox] is fighting it.

Let me tell you about Muhammad, my friend, he's the happiest human being on this earth. He can get more with a blink than you and I can get from an entire, two-hour speech. He lights up a room for Christ's sake.

I used to call him the Pied Piper. Muhammad Ali don't want no pity, and he don't want nothing from anybody.
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Angelo Dundee: 'Ali, by All Means, Should Have Been Fighting (Holmes)' originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>angelo dundeemuhammad aliLem SatterfieldTue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST Cris Arreola Returns to Ring on Dec. 5http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/chris-arreola-returns-to-ring-on-dec-5/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/chris-arreola-returns-to-ring-on-dec-5/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/chris-arreola-returns-to-ring-on-dec-5/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Chris ArreolaHeavyweight contender Cris Arreola will fight in the co-feature against an opponent to be determined on the Dec. 5 undercard of Paul Williams' junior middleweight matchup in Atlantic City, his promoter, Dan Goossen, confirmed on Monday.

Arreola (27-1, 24 knockouts) was the loser by 10th-round knockout to WBA champion Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs) when his trainer, Henry Ramirez, stopped the bout due to the punishment his fighter had taken during their Sept. 26 matchup.

"Quite frankly, Cris wants to get back sooner rather than later," said Goossen, who also promotes Williams (37-1, 27 KOs).

"I'd much rather have a fighter like Arreola that has sustained his first loss and says, 'Send me right back in, I've got to correct this,' " said Goossen, "rather than one that wants to sit back and cry about the loss. He wants to get back out there, which is much better than wanting to sit back and dwell on it."

The Ring's Michael Rosenthal reported that 40-year-old former world champion Oleg Maskaev (36-6, 27 KOs), 36-year-old former contender David Tua (50-3-1, 43) and 38-year-old Ray Austin (27-4-4, 17) are all considerations for Arreola.

Austin is slated to face DaVarryl Williamson (26-5, 22 KOs) this Saturday, and Maskaev is scheduled to meet Nagy Aguilera (14-0, nine) on Dec. 11.

A two-time welterweight and one-time junior middleweight champion, Williams was forced to find another rival when his original opponent, WBO and WBC middleweight titlist Kelly Pavlik (35-1, 31 KOs), canceled their bout due to a staph infection on the knuckle of his left forefinger that has plagued him for months.

Williams' manager, George Peterson, told FanHouse that Williams will likely choose to face Sergio Martinez (44-1, 24 KOs) over WBO champion Sergiy Dzinziruk (36-0, 22 KOs) in the main event.

"Certainly Martinez is one of the guys on the list," said Goossen. "The other is Dzinziruk."

Goossen said that he is also considering a path for super middleweight Edison Miranda, who dominated Thursday night's 168-pound matchup with a first-round knockout over Francisco Sierra.

Miranda's stoppage, at 2:16 of the round, was his 29th knockout, raising his mark to 33-4 as he rebounded from May's unanimous decision loss to former Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward.

"We're going to be putting Edison somewhere," said Goossen, whose brother, Joe, was training Miranda for the first time against Sierra.

"We'll be getting together [Monday] to discuss Miranda," said Goossen, "along with some of the other fighters on the different shows that we've got coming up."

Cris Arreola Returns to Ring on Dec. 5 originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>chris arreolaLem SatterfieldMon, 26 Oct 2009 19:20:00 EST Tomasz Adamek KOs Andrew Golotahttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/tomasz-adamek-kos-andrew-golota/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/tomasz-adamek-kos-andrew-golota/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/tomasz-adamek-kos-andrew-golota/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Tomasz AdamekIBF cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek scored knockdowns in the first and fifth rounds of Saturday night's clash with former three-time heavyweight title challenger Andrew Golota on the way to stopping his larger rival in five at the Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland.

A native of Zywiec, Poland, who lives in Jersey City, Adamek rose to 39-1 with his 27th knockout and his eighth consecutive victory -- his sixth by stoppage.

Adamek, who weighed 214 pounds to 256 for Golota (41-8-1, 33 KOS), suffered his last loss in February 2007, when he lost his WBC light heavyweight (175 pounds) title to Chad Dawson.

Golota, 41, is a native of Warsaw who lives in Chicago.

Adamek, 32, is making the rise to heavyweight from 200 pounds, where he won the IBF cruiserweight title by split-decision over Steve Cunningham, and defending it twice.

In victory, Adamek could become an attractive fight for the winner of the Roy Jones-Bernard Hopkins bout that could take place in early 2010, one of the heavyweight champion Klitschko brothers, Wladimir or Vitali, or Russian heavyweight titlist Nikolay Valuev.

Tomasz Adamek KOs Andrew Golota originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andrew golotabernard hopkinschad dawsonroy jonestomasz adamekLem SatterfieldSun, 25 Oct 2009 01:13:00 EST Andre Berto Dreams of Conquest in 147-Pound Divisionhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/andre-berto-dreams-of-conquest-in-147-pound-division/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/andre-berto-dreams-of-conquest-in-147-pound-division/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/andre-berto-dreams-of-conquest-in-147-pound-division/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

For Andre Berto, the visions of glory are ever present in his thoughts and in his dreams, so much so, that he often finds himself throwing punches at imaginary opponents.

"The faces change from time to time. With the left hand, I see Shane Mosley. With the right hand, I see Manny Pacquiao. Left hook, I see Miguel Cotto. It's just that I have all of their spirits just haunting me in the gym," said Berto, the 26-year-old WBC welterweight (147 pounds) champion.

"They pop up from time to time in my sleep, too," said Berto, who is 25-0 with 19 knockouts. "I've already envisioned myself fighting all of those guys, and seeing the outcomes, seeing how the fight will end up."

A Haitian American who represented his native country in the 2004 Olympics, Berto is considered a rising star in a 147-pound class stocked with talent, including Floyd Mayweather, Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey.

"It's just a matter of getting the right fight done and putting it into play," said Berto, who earned his title as a 24-year-old with a June, 2008, seventh-round knockout of Miguel Angel Rodriguez. "We're trying real hard to make that a reality right now."

Berto's radar is presently set on Mosley, a bout that could take place on Jan. 30 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.

"We're still negotiating to see if it's going to happen. If not, it seems like we still have that date. But we might have to go with another opponent," said Berto, adding that a second option could be IBF champion Isaac Hlatshwayo (29-1-1, 10 KOs) of Soweto, South Africa.

"Time is on my side, so if it doesn't happen with Shane, hopefully, I can fight a guy like Hlatshwayo, and maybe pick up another title and make a bigger fight more intriguing for the networks," said Berto, who was born in Miami and lives in Winterhaven, Fla.

"I want Shane, but I'm not going to chase him," said Berto. "If Shane doesn't happen, there are a few other options. We're just trying to see what happens."

Berto's promoter, Lou DiBella, believes that "the likelihood is that we'll get a deal done" for Mosley (46-5, 39).

"It's not done yet. I'll be working on that for the next week or two. I think that the fight would likely be January 30, but it's not done yet. If it's Mosley, then it will be at the Mandalay Bay," said DiBella.

"For a very young kid like Berto, who has just turned 26, it's a great opportunity to fight a first ballot Hall of Famer like Mosley. You have to take that opportunity, because a victory changes your life immediately," said DiBella.

"Frankly, a really good performance, even if it doesn't result in a victory, is still a victory when you're fighting that level of guy," DiBella said. "But I think that Andre is strong enough, fast enough and fresh enough that he would have a great chance to upset Mosley."

Berto says that he has kept his ears on the pulse of his fans' opinions concerning his skills as a fighter, as well as his chances against some of his division's top players -- Mosley in particular.

"There's a lot of mixed reactions. A lot of people say that Shane may have too much experience for me, and that I'm too young for Shane," Berto said of Mosley, who, at age 38, is exactly 11 years older than Berto.

"Some people feel as if I have too much energy for him and that he's a little to old now," said Berto, who, like Mosley, was born on Sept. 7. "Some people think I have the speed, I'm too young for him. I'm too fast and have too much power, and that youth will be served. I'll beat him easily. I'm just hearing a lot of different things."

DiBella certainly believes Berto has the potential to be a star.

"Andre's got a great personality, and he loves to market himself. He's always on twitter and on the internet communicating with people, and he's out there engaging as many people as he can," said DiBella. "He really wants to be a star, and I think that he has the personality combined with the talent that he can pull it off."

Berto also has the pedigree.

"Fighting is literally in his blood," said DiBella. "Andre's father was among the first guys to be involved in Pride fighting -- the predecessor to the UFC. His sister is an MMA fighter, and his brother is also a UFC guy."

Berto, who is trained by Tony Morgan, said that the talent "trickled down" from his father, Dieuseul "Tiger" Berto, to himself and his siblings, including a brother, Cleveland Berto, who was a state champion wrestler in Florida.

At one point last year, Andre and Edson Berto were believed to have become the first brothers to have their fights televised nationally in seperate disciplines on the same night - Andre in New York On HBO Boxing, and, Edson, in California an hour later on Showtime for EliteXC.

Berto is remarkably candid concerning his growth over his past three title defenses -- decisions over veteran Steve Forbes, skillful Luis Collazo, and tough KO artist Juan Urango (22-2-1, 17).

"For Forbes, definitely, fighting somebody with so much experience, I had to learn to adjust pretty quickly for the first two or three rounds. He was very experienced and he touched me a couple of times, which kind of surprised me. I had to adapt to Forbes' style pretty quickly," said Berto.

"The Collazo fight, I learned never to underestimate an opponent and to always be prepared," said Berto. "That was really the first time I came in kind of half-assed, and it showed. That cost me. The Urango fight, I just stuck to the game plan. I just need to keep continuing to learn."

Berto will also continuing dreaming those visions of glory.

"Whoever I'm fighting, I want to see his face and his expression change. I want to watch the look of disbelieve when he realizes that he just doesn't have a chance," said Berto.

"I've been blessed with speed, power and a lot of different other things that will allow me to go in there and be smart -- that's my strength," said Berto. "That's what I did in the beginning of my career, and that's the one thing that I'm looking forward to -- imposing my strength and my aggressiveness on my opponent."

Andre Berto Dreams of Conquest in 147-Pound Division originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andre bertoAndreBertoantonio margaritoAntonioMargaritofloyd mayweatherFloydMayweatherjoshua clotteyJoshuaClotteylou dibellaLouDibellamiguel cottoMiguelCottoshane mosleyShaneMosleyLem SatterfieldSat, 24 Oct 2009 13:18:00 EST Edison Miranda KOs Francisco Sierrahttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/edison-miranda-kos-francisco-sierra-in-first-round/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/edison-miranda-kos-francisco-sierra-in-first-round/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/edison-miranda-kos-francisco-sierra-in-first-round/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Edison MirandaEdison Miranda got back to his winning ways in a hurry, dominating Thursday night's clash of super middleweights with a first-round knockout over Francisco Sierra at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, Calif.

In victory, accomplished at 2:16 of the round, the 168-pound Miranda scored his 29th knockout to improve to 33-4, successfully rebounding from May's unanimous decision loss to former Olympic gold medalist Andrew Ward.

The win also marked his first triumph under trainer Joe Goossen, brother of Miranda's promoter, Dan Goossen.

"When [Sierra] would throw a right hand, then he would drop his left hand, and I knew that that was the moment when I could throw my right hand and to land it," said Miranda, who has been training under Joe Goossen since June.

"I followed what Joe Goossen said and what the corner instructed me to do, which was to let the round go on a little bit so that I could see the mistakes that he was making," said Miranda. "I listened to Joe Goossen, and I saw the errors that he was making and I was able to capitalize."

Sierra, of Mexico, slipped to 20-3 with 19 knockouts, ending a winning streak of nine straight knockouts since being stopped in December of 2006 by Rigoberto Alverez in the 10th round.

Under Joe Goosen, the 28-year-old Miranda hoped to put on display his new boxing skills.

"Before the fight, I wasn't going in looking for a KO, I was prepared to go the distance," said Miranda. "But when you see that opportunity arise, you react on it."

Edison Miranda KOs Francisco Sierra originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andre wardAndrew WardAndreWarddan goossenDanGoossenedison mirandaEdisonMirandaFranciso SierraFrancisoSierrajoe goossenJoeGoossenLem SatterfieldFri, 23 Oct 2009 01:06:00 EST Williams' Manager Rips Pavlik as Camp Pursues New Opponenthttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/21/paul-williams-manager-rips-pavlik-as-camp-pursues-new-opponent/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/21/paul-williams-manager-rips-pavlik-as-camp-pursues-new-opponent/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/21/paul-williams-manager-rips-pavlik-as-camp-pursues-new-opponent/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Paul Williams is pursuing a fight with either WBO junior middleweight champion Sergiy Dzinziruk or Sergio Martinez on Dec. 5 in Atlantic City now that his scheduled bout for the same night, against Kelly Pavlik, has been canceled, his promoter, Dan Goossen, and his trainer and manager, George Peterson, told FanHouse.

Pavlik (35-1, 31 KOs) has a staph infection in his left finger that has plagued him for months, having led to the second postponement of his WBO and WBC middleweight title defenses against Williams (37-1, 27 KOs), a two-time welterweight and one-time junior middleweight champion.
More Coverage: Pavlik Scraps Title Bout With Williams

"This morning, we were advised that Kelly Pavlik's recovery of his left hand has not progressed as projected by Dr. Peter J. Evans, Director of the Cleveland Clinic Upper Extremity Center," said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, Pavlik's promoter. "As a result of this Kelly is unable to close his left hand, which prohibits him from being prepared for a December 5 middleweight championship defense against Paul Williams."

"We at Top Rank are disappointed by this unexpected development in his recovery. Once Pavlik is cleared medically by Dr. Evans, we will pursue all avenues with regards to a future bout," said duBoef. "We appreciate the understanding of Paul Williams, Goossen Tutor Promotions, HBO and Caesars Atlantic City with regards to this unforeseen occurrence."

Williams' promoter, Dan Goossen, said that he has been advised by HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg that the cable network will allow him to fight on that date, and that the undercard bouts will also be announced later.

"There are a few names out there right now, and Martinez is one of the names. We're also looking at the world champion with the WBO, Sergiy Dzinziruk," Goossen said of Martinez (44-1-2, 24 KOs) and Dzinziruk (36-0, 22 KOs), both southpaws.

"We're still having the conversations with Atlantic City," Goossen said. "And as soon as we get everything in place, we'll go and talk to the sites."
"We weren't surprised. This is really the fourth time now, so this fight will never take place. We're going to move on. There's no injury, he [Pavlik] just needs a heart transplant."
-- Paul Williams' manager George Peterson
Neither Pavlik, nor his trainer, Jack Loew, could be reached for comment on Wednesday night.

Pavlik, who underwent surgery twice on his hand over the summer, told FanHouse last month that the injury affected him during his loss to Bernard Hopkins in October 2008, when Pavlik rose to 168 pounds to challenge the former multi-champion and future Hall of Famer.

"My left hand was absolutely non-existent in training the last two and a half weeks" of training for Hopkins, said Pavlik, who rebounded to stop Marco Antonio Rubio in February before a hometown crowd in Youngstown, Ohio.

Williams has not fought since April, when he rose to middleweight to dominate former world champion, Winky Wright.

Williams, owner of the WBO interim junior middleweight crown, has contended that he is running out of opponents to fight because of his height and general talents.

"I wasn't shocked. Not at all. We weren't surprised. This is really the fourth time now, so this fight will never take place. We're going to move on. There's no injury, he [Pavlik] just needs a heart transplant," said Peterson, speaking exclusively to FanHouse concerning the fact that Williams likely will fight Martinez.

"We didn't get caught off guard," said Peterson. "We knew that this was going to happen, and we have been sparring with right-handers and left-handers to prepare for this."
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Williams' Manager Rips Pavlik as Camp Pursues New Opponent originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bernard hopkinsBernardHopkinsdan goossenDanGoossenkelly pavlikKellyPavlikpaul williamsPaulWilliamswinky wrightWinkyWrightLem SatterfieldWed, 21 Oct 2009 23:20:00 EST Edison Miranda Learns New Trickshttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/20/edison-miranda-learns-new-tricks/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/20/edison-miranda-learns-new-tricks/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/20/edison-miranda-learns-new-tricks/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Edison Miranda

Edison Miranda has demonstrated punching power throughout most of his professional boxing career.

He won his first 26 fights, with the initial 21 coming by way of knockout, and an incredible 16 of those being in the first round. However, he has had mixed results ever since with only six wins in his last 10 fights, suffering a unanimous decision loss to former Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward in April.

"Edison Miranda has the style that fans like to see, which is very exciting but sometimes limiting," said Miranda's promoter, Dan Goossen. "He's all offense and looking to knock you out, but you have to have more in your arsenal than to just be able to look to knock someone out."

Since June, Dan's brother, Joe Goossen, has been refining the technique of the 28-year-old Miranda (32-4, 28 KOs), who hopes to put his new-found skills on display on Thursday night against Mexico's Francisco Sierra (20-2, 19 KOs) at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, Calif.

"Being a one-dimensional knockout artist is good 99 percent of the time, but as you can see, it doesn't work with everyone," said Dan Goossen. "Those are the ingredients that I believe that my brother and Edison have been working on -- making Edison more of a complete fighter than a one-dimensional fighter."

A replacement for Puerto Rico's Jose Bonilla, Joe Goossen, said he's not only improved Miranda's boxing prowess, but also, his dietary habits.

"When I saw Edison in Oakland before the fight with Andre, he looked like he hadn't eaten for a week. But Edison's in great shape and he looks fresh," said Joe Goossen. "He's bringing his weight down the right way. His face looks good, his eyes are clear, his mouth is wet -- not dry from dry mouth."

Nicknamed "Pantera," or "Panther," Miranda said he's already at 169 -- a pound above what he must weigh for Thursday night's clash for the NABO super middleweight crown.

"In the past, when I fought Andre Ward, Arthur Abraham or Kelly Pavlik, I did make some mistakes during training, and it was evident in the ring. But now, I've really changed my game," said Miranda, whom the Goossens believe will show more style and grace in addition to his substance and power.

"I've been in the gym, and I'm already at weight. I just want to show my techniques and who I am now in the ring," said Miranda, a resident of Carolina, Puerto Rico. "I want to put my new moves and style on display for people to see since I've been working with Joe Goossen. I want them to see the new man that I am in the ring."

Joe Goossen has trained former champs, Gabriel Ruelas and Rafael Ruelas, Diego Corrales, Frankie Liles and Michael Nunn, and contributed to the careers of Joel Casamayor, Shane Mosley and Terry Norris.

"This is as quickly as I've ever seen anybody take a rudimentary style and turn it into something fairly flamboyant. What he never did with the left hand before, he's doing now. He relied on a jab that was never a really overactive jab. He threw it once in a while but it was all about the right hand," said Joe Goossen, who has Miranda in his gym in Van Nuys, Calif.

"Now, Edison's in a transition to where he's throwing a lot of left hooks, a lot of left uppercuts and body shots. He's definitely got the hands up, defensively, but he's always parrying punches and not just keeping his hands up and blocking them," said Joe Goossen.

"And he's definitely got head movement and he's bending his knees -- two of the more critical things," Joe Goossen added. "He's slipping left and slipping right, and picking off punches. He's using both hands and not just relying on one hand."

Since losing by 10th-round stoppage to Mexico's Rigoberto Alvarez in December of 2006, Sierra has won nine straight times -- all by knockout.

"My opponent has 19 knockouts, and I'm prepared to battle that. I trained for this fight like it's a world championship fight," said Miranda.

"I'm still the same fighter, Joe Goossen has just added more things to my arsenal that I can use and made me a more intelligent fighter," said Miranda. "When I know that the fighter is dangerous, it doesn't really faze me, because I too have those skills. I know how to handle a fighter like him. I won't have a problem."

Athough Sierra is likely to stand, toe-to-toe, if Miranda wishes, Joe Goossen believes that his fighter's new skills will give him more of an advantage.

"Everyone knows that Edison has the power, but he's got it in both hands. I had a hard time keeping sparring partners here, and I was paying them good money. It's hard to get someone who could go over four or five rounds with him," said Joe Goossen.

"But if you remember, Andre Ward just moved around him at will when he went to Edison's left. Now, Edison's able to cut guys off. He's executing all of these things in sparring, which is to everyone's delight. And he's doing it with limited effort."

Miranda already has proven an ability to decision at least one fighter with quality boxing skills, having beaten Green, 96-91 on two cards, and, 97-90, on the third, in March of 2007.

Green had been unbeaten in 23 bouts before facing Miranda, and has won his last six consecutive fights, including four by KO. Green defeated previously unbeaten, Tarvis Simms, earlier this month to improve to 29-1 with 20 knockouts.

"Probably the most important factor is what results we'll see from Edison with the relationship that he has with my brother, Joe, training him now. Edison's a guy that you knew what you were going to get every time you saw him in the ring," said Dan Goossen.

"You knew what his good punches were, what he was going to rely on, how his feet worked and how his stance was," said Dan Goossen. "From that starting point, which we all know about, to where I believe he's at now, I believe is truly going to be a quantam leap."

Joe Goossen has no doubt that fans will see a new cat in "The Panther."

"I'm really excited about it," said Joe Goossen. "We're going to take care of this fight here on Thursday night, and then, hopefully Dan will get him on the next big show that he can."

Edison Miranda Learns New Tricks originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>allan greenAllanGreenandre wardAndreWardarthur abrahamArthurAbrahamdan goossenDanGoossenedison mirandaEdisonMirandakelly pavlikKellyPavlikshane mosleyShaneMosleytarvis simmsTarvisSimmsLem SatterfieldTue, 20 Oct 2009 15:45:00 EST Klitschko Brothers Ready to Defend Titleshttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/klitschko-brothers-ready-to-defend-titles/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/klitschko-brothers-ready-to-defend-titles/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/klitschko-brothers-ready-to-defend-titles/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Vitali Klitschko will make the third defense of his WBC heavyweight title against unbeaten Kevin Johnson, according to Klitschko's manager.

"It looks like he's going to fight Kevin Johnson on Dec. 12 in Switzerland [at the PostFinance Arena] in Bern," said Tom Loeffler of the Klitschko brothers' K2 promotions.

Loeffler also said that it looks as if Vitali's younger brother, 33-year-old Wladimir Kiltschko (53-3, 47 knockouts), will defend his IBF and WBO titles "sometime in March" against Philadelphia's Eddie Chambers (35-1, 18 KOs).

Wladmir will be making the ninth defense of his IBF crown, and the third of his WBA title.

The Chambers bout will likely take place in Europe, although the distant possibility exists that a purse bid between the promoters could potentially bring the fight to America, said Chambers' promoter, Dan Goosen.

"There's always that possibility, but right now, it's about making the best deal for Eddie.

We're in talks as we speak, and hope to have something done shortly," said Goosen. "It would obviously be great to have the fight in America, the question is whether or not it's feasible to have it in America."

Loeffler added that "getting the WBA title" presently owned by Russia's Nicolay Valuev "would be one of their goals as well."

In his last bout in May, the 30-year-old Johnson (22-0-1, nine KOs) won a battle of unbeaten fighters with a sixth-round stoppage of former Olympian, Devin Vargas (18-1, seven KOs).

The 38-year-old, Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 knockouts) is coming off of last month's 10th-round knockout victory over Cris Arreola (27-1, 24 KOs), a dominant effort for the Ukrainian-born champion executed at the Staples Center in his home town of Los Angeles.

Klitschko won the title following a nearly four-year layoff with an eighth-round stoppage of Nigeria's hard-hitting, Samuel Peter in October, and then made the first defense of his crown by knocking out Juan Carlos Gomez in nine rounds in March.
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Klitschko Brothers Ready to Defend Titles originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>cris arreolaCrisArreolaeddie chambersEddieChamberskevin johnsonKevinJohnsonnicolay valuevNicolayValuevsamuel peterSamuelPetervitali klitschkoVitaliKlitschkoWladimir Kiltschkowladimir klitschkoWladimirKlitschkoLem SatterfieldMon, 19 Oct 2009 19:23:00 EST