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It Looks Like Edwin Valero Will Be Next on Manny Pacquiao's Hit List

Posted: Jul 1st 2008 11:35 AM ET by Josh Alper (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Boxing, MMA/Boxing

Before he put the finishing touches on David Diaz, boxing fans started wondering who Manny Pacquiao would fight next. Names like Nate Campbell and Ricky Hatton got tossed around but, as our own MDS mentioned, promoter Bob Arum kept talking about was Edwin Valero. Arum went even further in a telephone interview yesterday. Via Bad Left Hook,

In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports, Arum said that he was "pretty close to making a deal with (Akihiko) Honda", the well-known Japanese businessman-sportsman who handles Valero, adding "hopefully I will be able to finalize it tomorrow (Monday in the US)"

The fight makes a lot of sense for both men. Valero is having trouble making weight at 130 so moving up is a natural progression while Pacquiao would like to get one defense under his belt before trying to make a fight with seasoned lightweights like Joel Casamayor (if he beats two-time Pacman foe Juan Manuel Marquez) or Campbell.

The only snag could be Valero's failure to gain medical clearance from any state other than Texas. Arum said he'd like to make the fight in Vegas, probably in November, so that's a stumbling block but likely a minor one. Valero's won all 24 of his fights by knockout but has never faced anyone close to Pacquiao. Vanquishing a fighter with that pedigree will only burnish Pacquiao as he moves on to other big fights down the line.

July's Boxing Schedule

Posted: Jul 1st 2008 11:15 AM ET by Josh Alper (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Boxing, MMA/Boxing

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Here's a look at upcoming title and televised bouts for the month of July. It's a pretty light month until July 26 when undefeated Miguel Cotto defends his welterweight title against Antonio Margarito. It's a bout worthy of pay-per-view as both men come in full of confidence and fighting as well as they ever have. Margarito will keep coming no matter what kind of bombs Cotto throws his way and Cotto has rarely been tested by a fighter with Margarito's ability. The winner will unquestionably be the best welterweight in the world.

The other fight that will garner a lot of attention will be Wladimir Klitschko's heavyweight title defense against Tony Thompson. There's not as much question about who will be left standing at the end of this one, Klitschko's a heavy favorite, but lingering questions about the champ's chin should make this a must-see as well. Make no mistake, though, Cotto-Margarito is the one fight you can't miss this month.

Ricky Hatton Won't Fight Oscar De La Hoya

Posted: Jun 10th 2008 10:15 AM ET by Josh Alper (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Boxing, MMA/Boxing

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Nobody wants to get in the ring with Oscar De La Hoya. After his tentative rematch with Floyd Mayweather on September 20th was canceled because Mayweather announced his retirement, De La Hoya approached Ricky Hatton about filling the date. Hatton is taking a pass, however.

"It would be too soon, Richard only fought two weeks ago," Ray Hatton, the boxing champion's father and manager, told British Broadcasting Corp. Sport. "Oscar likes to fight in September because of Mexican Independence Day, but Richard is chilling out at the moment."

Hatton beat Juan Lazcano on May 24th and is slated to meet junior welterweight titleholder Paulie Malignaggi sometime in the fall. He was also angling for a rematch with Mayweather, who stopped him in the 10th round of their December bout.

De La Hoya dropped to 150 pounds for his May fight with Steve Forbes but that's still 10 pounds above Hatton's most comfortable weight. It would be a poor choice for Hatton who is better served by taking on Malignaggi and then trying to work out a fight with Manny Pacquiao after that. It wouldn't be quite as much money as a De La Hoya fight but it would be a dandy and one that he'd be more likely to win.

June's Boxing Schedule

Posted: Jun 9th 2008 6:30 PM ET by Josh Alper (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Boxing, MMA/Boxing

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Here's a look at upcoming title fights and other televised bouts in the boxing world for the month of June. The highlight should be Manny Pacquiao's move up in weight to take on David Diaz for one of the lightweight titles. Pacquiao, currently Ring Magazine's #2 pound-for-pound fighter behind the "retired" Floyd Mayweather, beat Juan Manuel Marquez in a controversial decision in March. That rematch, possible fights with Joel Casamayor and/or Ricky Hatton could follow if Pacquiao wins.

That's not until the end of the month and it's on PPV, until then there's plenty of boxing on regular cable to keep you occupied. Arthur Abraham would be a great fight for Kelly Pavlik and he'll make his U.S. debut with a rematch against hard hitter Edison Miranda. There's a little something for everyone, though, so check out June's slate after the jump.

Saturday Night at the Fights: Preview of Four Title Fights for Your Viewing Pleasure

Posted: Jun 6th 2008 4:00 PM ET by Josh Alper (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Boxing, MMA/Boxing

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There are four title fights on cable TV Saturday night, a bonanza for fight fans who won't have to pony up for pay-per-view to catch some good boxing. Since it's boxing in 2008, there's gotta be a drawback and in this case it is that two fights are on HBO and the other two are on Showtime. Still, some judicious flipping and/or the use of a DVR should make it a full night of pugilistic enjoyment.

We'll start by looking at the two HBO fights, live from Atlantic City at 10PM Eastern.

Kelly Pavlik (33-0) vs. Gary Lockett (30-1) for the WBC, WBO and Ring Magazine Middleweight Titles
We start with Pavlik because he's the biggest name, not because this is going to be the best fight of the night. Lockett is a mandatory challenger for Pavlik and he's going to have to come up with a pretty magical effort to hang with Pavlik. He's never fought in the United States before, never fought anyone close to Pavlik's ability and doesn't have the skills of Jermain Taylor or Edison Miranda, each of whom couldn't solve Pavlik's mix of punching power and boxing skills. Unless Pavlik is looking past Lockett, he should end this one fairly early.

Evander Holyfield: I'm Not Broke

Posted: Jun 6th 2008 2:00 PM ET by Josh Alper (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Boxing, MMA/Boxing

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Yesterday we posted about Evander Holyfield's refusal/inability to pay $6,000 in child support for one of his 11 kids. In the previous post, we had the number pegged to nine kids but today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution ups the total by a pair. Consider the number flexible until further notice.

Anyway, the former heavyweight champ spoke to the paper and explained that, despite that evidence to the contrary, everything is just hunky-dory with his finances.

"I'm not broke. I'm just not liquid. I do feel kind of sad because things have always been positive and now everybody wants to jump on me like I'm the worst person in the world and I went out and blew all my money."

Gee, champ, I wonder what it is about people that makes them think you should care for the children you bring into the world. For the record, Holyfield denies that he has been behind on child support. If the allegations about not paying child support are true, though, Holyfield's priorities are seriously out of whack.

Holyfield's massive estate is no longer listed as being up for auction, although there are two new mortgages on the property totaling $5 million. Holyfield's former accountant said that any talk of selling the house to gain solvency is a no-win proposition. He's got a $20 million asset he refuses to part with, even though he needs cash to settle other obligations, that alone should give medical commissions all the reason they need to bar him from fighting again.

Evander Holyfield Doesn't Pay Child Support or Any of His Other Bills

Posted: Jun 5th 2008 10:50 AM ET by Josh Alper (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Boxing, MMA/Boxing

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Evander Holyfield has earned hundreds of millions of dollars during his boxing career but news out of Georgia indicates he hasn't done a very good job of managing it. The mother of one of his nine children, says that Holyfield hasn't paid her child support for their 10-year old son.

The amount of the support for May and June, $6,000, seems a piddling sum but the boxer's attorneys told Toi Irvin that she shouldn't ever expect to see it come her way.

"It wasn't so much that he didn't pay," said Irvin's attorney, Randy Kessler. "She was told they didn't know if she would be paid at all."

That's not the only inkling that Holyfield is in some serious financial trouble. His mansion in Fayette County is under foreclosure and is set to be auctioned off by the bank on July 1. He's also being sued by a Utah company for failure to repay a loan of $550,000 which was supposedly going to be used for landscaping at the aforementioned estate. Neither Holyfield nor his attorneys had a comment.

Holyfield's last fight was a loss to Sultan Ibragimov in October 2007 but he has said he'd like to keep fighting in his quest to recapture the heavyweight title. It would seem, however, that his bigger need is paying off his creditors although it's hard to see too many big money fights in his future.

Should Kimbo Slice Have Gone Into Boxing Instead of MMA?

Posted: Jun 2nd 2008 10:45 AM ET by Josh Alper (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Boxing, MMA, MMA/Boxing

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Anyone who has watched Kimbo Slice's YouTube oeuvre or any of his limited MMA action can agree that the man throws a devastating punch. The rest of his MMA skills are sorely lacking, to put it kindly, which is why he was in a position to lose on Saturday night to James Thompson in Newark.

George Willis of the New York Post was at the Elite XC show and came away with the feeling that Slice picked the wrong career path when he signed up for work inside the cage instead of the ring.

At age 34, Slice is being asked to learn all the disciplines of MMA, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, submission holds and striking without getting kicked in the face. It would have been easier if he stuck with boxing, where he could be portrayed as the next Mike Tyson. It would be an easier sell and more believable.

I'm not sure that Slice, at this advanced age, would have any better luck against the cream of the heavyweight boxing crop but Willis is right on the money about where he'd be a more believable sell. We all remember Wladimir Klitschko being knocked out by subpar boxers, it would be interesting to see if Slice could land such a blow if given the opportunity.

What Willis doesn't mention is the subtext to the question. Five years ago there's no question Slice would have gone into boxing but now MMA is the best place for him to become a star.

New Book Explores the Life of Openly Gay Boxing Champ Emile Griffith

Posted: May 29th 2008 9:38 AM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Boxing, MMA/Boxing

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Emile Griffith is one of the all-time great boxers, a former welterweight and middleweight champion and 1964 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year.

He's also, at age 70, a gay man who is ready to tell the whole story of his life, in and out of the ring. That's what he's done in the new book, Nine ... Ten ... And Out! The Two Worlds of Emile Griffith, which author Ron Ross wrote with Griffith's cooperation.

In the book, Griffith describes his feelings about his 1962 fight with Benny Paret, who taunted him with a homophobic slur at their weigh-in. Griffith viciously pummeled Paret in the ring at Madison Square Garden, and Paret went into a coma after the fight and died 10 days later. Griffith says:

"I keep thinking how strange it is ... I kill a man and most people understand and forgive me. However, I love a man, and to so many people this is an unforgivable sin; this makes me an evil person. So, even though I never went to jail, I have been in prison almost all my life."

Ross says of Griffith, "Emile is happy, he's content. So that makes me very happy. He understands that his story has been told and that's important."

Athletes and Homophobia

Former NFL player Michael Westbrook claims there is a false "connotation" that he's homosexual because of rumors that he beat up teammate Stephen Davis in 1997 because he called him gay. It's not the first time a sports figure has been reported to use the sexual orientation as a slur.

Evan Agostini, Getty Images

NFL quarterback Brady Quinn has denied allegations that he shouted gay insults and was involved in an altercation outside of a restaurant on New Year's Day.

Jeff Gross, Getty Images

In February 2007, former NBA star Tim Hardaway made a series of homophobic remarks during a radio interview. Hardaway stated "Well, you know I hate gay people, so I let it be known," when questioned about the coming out of retired player John Amaechi.

Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBA via Getty Images

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen got into trouble in June 2006 when he referred to Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti as "a (expletive) fag." Guillen was fined an undisclosed amount by the league and ordered to attend sensitivity training.

Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

Former Atlanta Braves closer John Rocker frequently came under fire for his racist and homophobic views, which included statements in a January 2000 issue of Sports Illustrated where he insulted gays.

Matt Campbell, AFP / Getty Images

NFL star Terrell Owens raised eyebrows when he appeared in an interview for Playboy magazine in 2004 and insinuated that his former teammate, Jeff Garcia, was homosexual. "'If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat.'" Owens said.

Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey caused a stir on the Howard Stern radio show in 2002 when he said "If I knew there was a gay guy on my college football team, I probably wouldn't, you know, stand for it."

Jim Rogash, Getty Images

In February 2001, NBA guard Jason Williams, while playing for the Sacramento Kings, shouted racist and anti-gay slurs to an Asian-American fan and to others seated beside him. The league eventually levied a $15,000 fine on Williams for cursing at fans.

Rocky Widner, NBA via Getty Images

In December 2006, NFL linebacker Joey Porter, while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was fined $10,000 by the league for a gay slur he made towards Browns' tight end Kellen Winslow after a game.

Al Bello, Getty Images

When Wladimir Klitschko Met Borat

Posted: May 27th 2008 3:10 PM ET by Josh Alper (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Boxing, MMA/Boxing

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Most people who are familiar with heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko know that he's Ukranian. What's less widely known is that Klitschko was actually born in Kazakhstan, heretofore best known as the birthplace of Borat Sagdiyev, chronicler of all things American.

Sagdiyev is, of course, fictional and the creation of the British comedian Sasha Baron Cohen. His depiction of Kazakhstan as a cultural backwater was a big generator of laughs, although presumably not in Almaty. Deadspin reports (via KZ Blog), Klitschko pretended to be one of the peeved when he ran into Cohen recently.

According to The Daily Star, Klitschko said: "As he walked past me I turned to face him and said, 'Hey, I think you are an a--hole for what you said about Kazakhstan'. Unbelievably, he started to defend himself – but before he could continue I stood up and was towering over him. I said, 'I have broken people's necks for less than what you have done.'"

"He looked frightened – like he had picked a fight with the wrong man. And then I owned up and told him I really think his Borat character is amazing. He looked pretty relieved!"

As we would be! There are scarier prospects than having the heavyweight champion of the world angrily towering over you, I suppose. Like a former heavyweight champion you tower over threatening to eat your children but this will do in a pinch.