09 Boxing Thread:: 12/12 Diaz.vs.Malignaggi HBO/Bradley.vs.Peterson Showtime

[dako akong otin]

Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT

Is Bert Sugar astill gettin a check from Ring magazine?

Im sorry but Bert Sugar needs memory loss pills. De la Pollo, best in his era.

No %###+* way.

with Losses in his prime to Shane, Tito, BHop.


I think he is the single most overated boxer of our day.

whats his signature win? JCC Old %%+, or the robbery of Sweet Pea. If U really look at it, he aint beat NO ONE.

Ive never seen him win a big fight. unless u consider Vargas, Quartey, macho camacho, big fights ...


I can not stress this enough,

I hate Oscar De La Hoya

thats when i stopped cheering for DLH

I'm glad i'm notthe only one who also thinks Sweet Pea was robbed.
Also, come to think of it... What made people think DLH was a great boxer? He was always bringing in huge crowds and PPV numbers. His skills were good, butnothing extra-ordinary that would warrant so much hype.

 

[sir rob a lot]

Originally Posted by dako akong otin

What made people think DLH was a great boxer? His skills were good, but nothing extra-ordinary that would warrant so much hype.

Now, I grew up hating Chicken De La Hoya, but the dude did have skills. There is no denying his greatness. But to say he is the greatest of thisera would be a lie.

 

[dako akong otin]

Originally Posted by Sir Rob A Lot

Originally Posted by dako akong otin

What made people think DLH was a great boxer? His skills were good, but nothing extra-ordinary that would warrant so much hype.

Now, I grew up hating Chicken De La Hoya, but the dude did have skills. There is no denying his greatness. But to say he is the greatest of this era would be a lie.

oh i'm definitely not denying his skills. He's got a good jab, and a great left hook. But just the way people talk about him...you'd expect a more exciting fighter. I do give him props for taking big fights and even going up to 160 to challenge Bernard Hopkins...

 

[tee eye ehm]

Two words. Felix Sturm.

 

[calibeebee]

Originally Posted by dako akong otin

Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT

Is Bert Sugar astill gettin a check from Ring magazine?

Im sorry but Bert Sugar needs memory loss pills. De la Pollo, best in his era.

No %###+* way.

with Losses in his prime to Shane, Tito, BHop.


I think he is the single most overated boxer of our day.

whats his signature win? JCC Old %%+, or the robbery of Sweet Pea. If U really look at it, he aint beat NO ONE.

Ive never seen him win a big fight. unless u consider Vargas, Quartey, macho camacho, big fights ...


I can not stress this enough,

I hate Oscar De La Hoya

thats when i stopped cheering for DLH

I'm glad i'm not the only one who also thinks Sweet Pea was robbed.
Also, come to think of it... What made people think DLH was a great boxer? He was always bringing in huge crowds and PPV numbers. His skills were good, but nothing extra-ordinary that would warrant so much hype.

DAMN! i haven't heard the name sweet pea whitaker in a long $#* time! He used to be my fav boxer, man that brings back memories

 

[eagle 0n]

...
anyway..

Clottey may be the only person in the world who has a blacker forehead than Taye Diggs.

 

[el producto79]

Originally Posted by dako akong otin


Also, come to think of it... What made people think DLH was a great boxer? He was always bringing in huge crowds and PPV numbers. His skills were good, but nothing extra-ordinary that would warrant so much hype.

I always thought it was the Olympic hype, dude was made out to be some type of national hero after Barcelona.

Personally I say !$!@ him.

And I'm still mad about the Whitaker fight too(Pernell beat JCC too

)

 

[dako akong otin]

this DLH retirement party here turned out to be a Sweat Pea appreciaton

 

[bigmike23]

yall done yet?

 

[mco85]

I'm not a big fan of Oscar's but Im surprised people hate on him so much. I respect him because he fought a ton of really good fighters. Yeah theyrobbed Sweet Pea but I think its fair to say that he beat Shane the second time and you have to take into account that shane was juicing and the Trinidad losswas questionable too

 

[sir rob a lot]

Originally Posted by EAGLE 0N

Clottey may be the only person in the world who has a blacker forehead than Taye Diggs.

 

[yungmatt]

Originally Posted by Jagshemash

Also, the tickets are fairly cheap - $50-500. They got some $200 floor seats still available.

I gotta get those when I get home later

 

[bigmike23]

[table][tr][td]1[/td] [td]

Manny Pacquiao

Junior welterweight
Age: 30 | Record: 48-3-2, 36 KOs
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hits: For the fourth consecutive fight, Pacquiao will fight in a different weight division, this time dropping to junior welterweight to challenge champion Ricky Hatton in a mega fight on May 2. If Pacquiao wins, he will claim a title in his sixth division (112, 122, 126, 130, 135 and 140). More impressively, however, is that he would become the first boxer in history to claim a lineal title in four divisions (112, 126, 130 and 140). That would be a most impressive accomplishment. Misses: He fights everyone, he beats everyone and he makes it exciting. No complaints. Move along.[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]2[/td] [td]

Juan Manuel Marquez

Lightweight champion
Age: 35 | Record: 50-4-1, 37 KOs
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hits: Coming off a spectacular ninth-round knockout of former titlist Juan Diaz on Feb. 28, Marquez made an interesting suggestion when he called out Floyd Mayweather, whose unretirement is imminent. Although Marquez would be the clear underdog, it's an interesting fight that would probably generate considerable business. Misses: If Marquez can't get Mayweather, and we already know it's unlikely he'll get the third fight with Pacquiao he so covets, it leaves him without an obvious big-fight opponent this year.[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]3[/td] [td]

Bernard Hopkins

Light heavyweight
Age: 44 | Record: 49-5-1, 32 KOs
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hits: The 44-year-old "Executioner" turned a lot of heads when he called out cruiserweight champ Tomasz Adamek for a July fight, one in which a victory would have added another huge notch to Hopkins' first-ballot Hall of Fame résumé by making him a legitimate three-division champion. Misses: After calling out Adamek, Hopkins acted like a pig when he offered a measly $500,000 to Adamek's camp, an insulting and lowball offer for a fight that would probably generate at least $6 million. Hopkins' disingenuous offer showed that he just didn't want the dangerous fight, which is fine. Just don't go teasing us like that.[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]4[/td] [td]

Shane Mosley

Welterweight champion
Age: 37 | Record: 46-5, 39 KOs
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hits: Although Mosley is 37, he looked like he was about 25 with the way he smashed Antonio Margarito to win the title in a spectacular performance in January. Mosley says he wants a big fight, which means the Hatton-Pacquiao winner, the unretiring Mayweather Jr., or a rematch with Miguel Cotto. You know what? He deserves one of them. Misses: The Hatton-Pacquiao winner may wind up facing Mayweather in the fall, and Cotto and promoter Top Rank haven't expressed much interest in a rematch with Mosley. That means he might be left out in the cold.[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]8[/td] [td]

Israel Vazquez

Junior featherweight champion
Age: 31 | Record: 43-4, 32 KOs
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hits: Although Vazquez has been out of commission because of eye injuries suffered during his blazing trilogy with Rafael Marquez, there is talk that he could finally be ready to return to action this summer. It will be great to see him back in action after a long layoff. Misses: As much as we all love Vazquez and admire his heart and ability, he hasn't fought for 13 months, meaning he is precariously close to being dropped from the rankings.[/td] [/tr][/table][table][tr][td]6[/td] [td]

Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon

Junior flyweight champion
Age: 34 | Record: 32-0, 6 KOs
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hits: Although the best little guy in the business has been out of action since last summer because of a serious cut in his technical decision victory against Hugo Cazares in their rematch, Calderon is supposed to return to action May 23 (but his opponent has not been signed). Whomever, the little guy fights, it will be nice to see the sport's most technically perfect fighter back in action. Misses: Calderon is a 34-year-old 108-pounder coming off a long layoff. That probably does not bode well for the future.[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]7[/td] [td]

Miguel Cotto

Welterweight titlist
Age: 28 | Record: 33-1, 27 KOs
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hits: Throughout his career, Cotto has never dodged a challenge. At welterweight alone, he's faced top opponents Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley, Zab Judah and Carlos Quintana since moving up to the division at the end of 2006. Now, Cotto is adding yet another outstanding opponent to his résumé by agreeing to fight fellow titleholder Joshua Clottey in a June 13 unification fight. Assignments get no tougher, but Cotto wouldn't have it any other way. Misses: The violent clash and subsequent breakup with his trainer and uncle, Evangelista Cotto, was an unfortunate incident. Cotto, however, is a pretty focused guy, and it probably will have no impact on the fight ultimately.[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]10[/td] [td]

Rafael Marquez

Junior featherweight
Age: 33 | Record: 37-5, 33 KOs
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hits: Although he hasn't fought since losing a split decision to Vazquez in the March 2008 rubber match of their epic trilogy, the ESPN.com Fight of the Year, Marquez is finally due back in the ring in May, when he'll face former bantamweight titleholder Mauricio Martinez in Mexico. Welcome back. Misses: After such a long layoff and three brutal fights with Vazquez in a row, how much will Marquez have left when he gets back into the ring?[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]5[/td] [td]

Paul Williams

Interim junior middleweight titlist
Age: 27 | Record: 36-1, 27 KOs
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hits: What Williams did to well-respected former undisputed junior middleweight champion Winky Wright on April 11 -- which was to pitch a virtual shutout in a sublime performance -- was very, very impressive. From 147 pounds to 160 pounds, Williams would be a formidable foe for anyone in the world. Frankly, he just might beat them all, and that includes Kelly Pavlik and Arthur Abraham. Williams is a freak of nature. Misses: How the hell did he lose to Carlos Quintana at welterweight in their first fight?[/td] [/tr][/table]
[table][tr][td]9[/td] [td]

Kelly Pavlik

Middleweight champion
Age: 27 | Record: 35-1, 31 KOs
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hits: Assuming Pavlik retains the title against Sergio Mora on June 27 in Atlantic City, N.J., and titleholder Arthur Abraham keeps his belt in Germany the same day when he meets mandatory challenger Giovanni Lorenzo, it seems as though the stage is set for Pavlik and Abraham to finally meet in November. It's one of the fights the boxing world wants to see very badly. Hopefully, we'll get it. Misses: With a pair of tuneup fights standing between the Pavlik-Abraham summit meeting, you just never know what could happen to screw it up.[/td] [/tr][/table]

The next 10:
11. Jermain Taylor
12. Ricky Hatton
13. Chad Dawson
14. Vic Darchinyan
15. Nate Campbell
16. Arthur Abraham
17. Chris John
18. Fernando Montiel
19. Celestino Caballero
20. Tomasz Adamek

 

[proshares]

I don't see how you keep Vasquez/Marquez/Calderon so high when they've been inactive for as long as they have and people below them have been veryactive. Paul at 9, Kelly at 10? I don't know I'd have it a little differently.

 

[dako akong otin]

24/7 extra scenes
http://hbo.wmod.rd.llnw.net/u/webcon/sports/boxing/24_7_training_camp_w1_wm_384.wmv

lol@ hatton

 

[gunna get it]

[h1]De La Hoya didn't live up to hype ... but came close[/h1]
[h2]By Michael Rosenthal[/h2]

Oscar De La Hoya's knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao in December was the most disappointing of his career and played a key role in his decision to retire. Photo / Chris Cozzone-FightWireImages.com


The bar was set incredibly high for Oscar De La Hoya right from the beginning. He was the gold medal winner, "The Golden Boy," the next Sugar Ray Leonard. He was expected to become the greatest fighter on the planet, a difficult proposition to say the least.

So how did he do? B+.

De La Hoya didn't' have the athletic ability of a Floyd Mayweather Jr. but was a skillful boxer with quick hands and a lethal left hook. He lost most of his biggest fights but won some, too. He never became the greatest fighter but did top the pound-for-pound rankings for a time.

In the end, he probably won't be labeled "great" but he's probably only one notch down from that. Certainly, he'll be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Famer when his time comes.

"Because he was an Olympic gold medalist, because he was a good-looking young man and because it was clear early on that he would ultimately make his biggest statement as a welterweight, he was compared to Sugar Ray Leonard," said television analyst Larry Merchant, who worked most of De La Hoya's big fights.

"And that's a very hard comparison to live up to. He fell short of that, Leonard being one of the best fighters of modern times."

De La Hoya looked like a great fighter early in his career, at 135 pounds and below, when his physical advantages - size, speed, that left hook -- were pronounced against good, but not elite opponents. He went 20-0, with 18 knockouts, against a group that included John John Molina, Rafael Ruelas and Genaro Hernandez, who fought De La Hoya with a damaged nose.

That kind of success, combined with his charisma, thrilled fans the first few years of his career much as any great knockout artists does. He seemed to be all but unbeatable.

However, as he grew heavier and began to fight better opponents, his power diminished and so did his success rate. He went 19-6, with 12 knockouts - to finish 39-6, 30 KOs -- the remainder of his career. That wasn't what he or anyone else expected after the amazing earlier run.

Sure, he had his share of important triumphs. His first victory over Julio Cesar Chavez was a huge event in 1996; he found a way to outpoint an aging, but still-proficient Pernell Whitaker in 1997; he removed any doubt about his toughness when he rallied to outpoint then-unbeaten Ike Quartey in 1999; and his KO of rival Fernando Vargas in 2002 was his most-satisfying victory.

However, such successes were outweighed by disappointment. The losses in his biggest fights were painful, not only because he failed but also because things might've turned out differently in few cases.

The most painful loss was his first, to then-unbeaten Felix Trinidad in a mega-fight that gripped the boxing world in 1999. For eight-plus rounds, De La Hoya boxed the Puerto Rican idol silly -- much as Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright would do later - and seemed to be cruising to an easy victory.

Then, apparently convinced his lead was insurmountable, he decided to avoid danger by running. That opened the door for Trinidad to climb back into the fight and ultimately pull out a controversial (read: bad) majority decision.

A tremendous opportunity was wasted.

"Oscar gave it away," said Eric Gomez, a lifelong friend and matchmaker at Golden Boy Promotions. "He probably should've done more to close the show. I guess the corner said, 'Be careful, don't take risks.' I know Oscar regrets it. You just can't get it back, though."

The next loss was to L.A.-area rival and then-unbeaten Shane Mosley in 2000 in Los Angeles, a split decision. No shame there; Mosley also is a future Hall of Famer and was in his prime.

Then came a second meeting with Mosley in 2003 in Las Vegas. This time, Mosley won a unanimous, but very close decision that De La Hoya and those close to him still insist he won. Plus, Mosley later admitted that he'd taken steroids before the fight, which some believe should render the result void.

The following year, he made the dumbest choice of an opponent in his career: Bernard Hopkins, a true middleweight who was too big - and too good, as it turned out - for him. Hopkins was in the process of breaking down the smaller man when he landed a body blow that sent De La Hoya to canvas and he was counted out.

The way it ended didn't sit well with some observers, who thought he stayed down not because he couldn't get up but because he wanted a way out of the fight.

De La Hoya's performance against Floyd Mayweather Jr., considered the best fighter in the world, in 2007 in Las Vegas is probably underappreciated. He gave the quicker, immensely talented Mayweather all he could handle for 12 rounds before ending up on the wrong side of a split decision.

Another big fight, another loss.

And, finally, we arrive at his fight against Manny Pacquiao in December. De La Hoya had never taken anything resembling a beating his entire career; in this fight, though, he did. Pacquiao was took quick, too good for the aging star, who quit on his stool after the eighth round.

Afterward, many speculated that De La Hoya had sabotaged any chance he had to win by losing too much weight too soon. However, again, it didn't matter: He failed to perform on the biggest stage and came up short.

Once again, he came up short. How can he be considered great with so many disappointments?

Well, Gomez came up with an argument. He compared his friend to Hearns, a thrilling slugger who lost his two biggest fights - to Leonard (who rallied to score a 14th-round TKO) and Marvin Hagler (who scored an epic third-round KO).
Like De La Hoya, the "Hitman" had some big victories - Pipino Cuevas, Roberto Duran, Wilfred Benitez and Virgil Hill among them - but carries the stigma of his big losses.

"In my opinion Oscar belongs with a fighter like Tommy Hearns," Gomez said. "Hearns lost to Leonard, he lost to Hagler, he lost to other fighters, and he's still considered great. I think Oscar should be thought of in the same way.

"I think a lot of people see him as a pretty boy or something like that. When all is said and done, I think people will look back and say, 'You know what, he really was a great fighter.'"

Merchant is in a group that won't buy that argument but he doesn't think Chavez is far off the mark.

The broadcaster pointed out that De La Hoya was blown out in one fight his entire career, against Pacquiao. He lost to Hopkins in a decisive manner but was hardly beaten up. And each of his other four losses - Mosley twice, Trinidad and Mayweather - were so close they could've gone the other way.

That's not a bad resume.

"Once he started fighting the best fighters," Merchant said, "he was in a lot of tough, close fights. He always performed. He was really a fighter. No matter how rich he got, no matter how good looking he might've been, he was a fighter. And a damned good one."

 

[proshares]

Funniest picture I've seen in a while.

 

[theprofessorofpugilism]

Originally Posted by Proshares

I don't see how you keep Vasquez/Marquez/Calderon so high when they've been inactive for as long as they have and people below them have been very active. Paul at 9, Kelly at 10? I don't know I'd have it a little differently.

Usually i'd agree with you, but i gotta give Marquez and Vazquez a pass on their inactivity. If it was a winky-like exile, i'd drop him,but after those 3 fights, i can't move them down for taking a long much needed break. As for Calderon, he had to sit out a while because of the cut hesuffered in the Cazares fight. He had a medical induced break.

 

[kicks4days]

�

 

[dako akong otin]

[h1]David Haye Shirt Offends Klitschko[/h1]
16.04.09



David Haye (22-1, 21 KOs) has stoked up the war of words with the Klitschkos by wearing a hand-made T-shirt which depicted him stood over the bodies of Wlad and his brother Vitali, with each of their heads in his hands.

"I wanted him to see it face to face. " said Haye defiantly.

" I am coming here to shock the world... I am not coming over to pick up a pay cheque like the rest of Wladimir's opponents. On June 20, people will realise that I am the real deal. This is the fight the whole world wants to see. This is one of the biggest fights of all time.


"With all the great heavyweight fights, I am going to take this to a whole new stratosphere. You are going to see something special - you are going to see the beginning of a legend."

"It is time to go to war. I will dispose of the whole Klitschko family. First I will take care of Wladimir and then I will take care of Vitali."

Wladmiri Klitschko (52-3, 46 KOs) was not amused with Haye's shirt, nor his agressive talk.

"I think it is terrible and he will get punished for it" said Wlad.

"I do not agree with the things he has been doing, like coming here with this T-shirt. That simply is not right. It is very cheeky. He is a young man who cannot control his emotions. I will teach him a lesson and show him how to deal with it. I can best do it in the ring." he said sternly.

"I thought I would knock him out in the first round but then I thought better of it. I will make it a long and painful process. I will not knock him out before the 12th round."

"I will enjoy the process, it will be fun."

Then Wladmir turned away from the media and addressed a message to Haye.

"David, you are just a trash talker, stay up until the 12th round until I will knock you out."

Haye, not amused announced that "This will be Wladimir Klitschko's last fight."

"He will retire after I have beaten him to bits. Now it is time to go to war. I have seen Wladimir fight dozens of time and I am not impressed at all. He comes out and all he does is jab. It's jab, jab, jab, grab." he said, poking fun at Wlad's often criticised style of controlling his opponents.

"The guys he has been fighting have been over the hill. They have been so old. They have just fallen down. He has never been tested. I will knock him out and then take out his brother." Haye concluded.

 

[proshares]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Family feud is fazing Cotto ahead of Clottey clash[/h1]

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Updated: April 17, 2009, 8:31 AM ET

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Chris Farina/Top Rank

Miguel Cotto, left, will have to put family matters aside if he's to tackle a very dangerous Joshua Clottey.
[h3]Cotto moves on without uncle[/h3]
When welterweight titleholder Miguel Cotto defends against Joshua Clottey, uncle and longtime trainer Evangelista Cotto will be absent from the corner as the result of a simmering family feud that boiled over last week in Puerto Rico.

Cotto and his uncle have had a difficult relationship for years, but they were always together come fight night. Now, however, Evangelista has been banished after being fired during the ugly incident that turned physical.

Miguel wound up with a cut nose and Evangelista reportedly wound up in the hospital after his nephew punched him out. That came after Evangelista threw a brick at his nephew, missing and instead shattering a window on Miguel's car, a 2009 Jaguar.

Sure sounds like an interesting episode of HBO's "24/7," doesn't it?

Miguel Cotto, however, is trying to put the incident behind him as quickly as possible so he can turn his attention full-time to the June 13 HBO showdown with Clottey (35-2, 20 KOs), which was announced this week. They'll meet at Madison Square Garden on the eve of the annual New York Puerto Rican Day parade, and kicked off the promotion this week with a news conference at the Garden. But the hot topic of discussion was Cotto's fight with his uncle instead of the bout with Clottey.

"[The incident] is not one of my greatest moments, but I'm going to climb out [of my personal problems] and focus on Clottey," Cotto said. "I have enough of a professional mind to keep away the problems from my training.''

Cotto continued to be evasive with specifics about the incident. "It's a family matter," he said. "I'd prefer to keep it that way.''

For now, Cotto will train under Joe Santiago, a longtime assistant who usually holds the mitts but has never spearheaded fight strategy.

"I'm looking forward to training with someone else," said Cotto, who had trained with his uncle for 18 years between his pro and amateur career. "Joe Santiago is the guy that I've worked with for a long time. For now, he's going to be the guy."

Cotto said he would not miss his uncle's input.

Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages.com

Now accepting applications: Miguel Cotto might bring in another trainer following his split with his uncle, Evangelista Cotto.

"I'm strong enough to be the same boxer [as always]," he said. "I know what I have to do in the gym and I know what I have to do in the ring.''

Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) might bring in another trainer during his training camp in Tampa, Fla., which opened Tuesday.

"We gave them a list of trainers they can call on if and when they think it becomes necessary," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. "Miguel has two aspects of training, the fitness, which not a problem because [strength coach and nutritionist Phil Landman] is there as usual. The issue is really fight strategy. So now the question is, does he need someone to come in and give him a strategy against Clottey? That's for them to decide. We did make a recommendation. We gave him five or six possible trainers. They thanked me and took it under advisement."

The location of where Cotto would train was one of the major issues between him and his uncle. Miguel preferred to get away from Puerto Rico while Evangelista, who also trains several other fighters, wanted to have the camp on the island.

"I like a trainer who is going to spend two or three hours in the gym and work just with me, spend his time working just with me," said Cotto, who rebounded from his loss to Antonio Margarito over the summer to knock out Michael Jennings in February to claim the belt vacated by Paul Williams. "That's why I prefer to train in Florida. I don't want to have any distractions. I don't want anything with my family to [bother me] with my work."

Arum said Cotto probably will be better off without Evangelista.

"The uncle was actually a distraction to Miguel," he said. "This is an improvement because it's like a weight has been lifted from Miguel's back. Miguel hasn't had a trainer the last couple of years because he and Evangelista haven't talked to each other. He was training by himself while Evangelista was training other fighters. We knew that but it was family and we couldn't interfere."

Cotto would prefer to focus on the fight instead of the hoopla about his trainer.

"[Clottey] is a warrior," Cotto said. "He's a good fighter. I have 8½ weeks to train myself to get ready for him."

And to do it without his uncle.
[h3]Top Rank invades Philippines[/h3]
If you're into smaller weight classes, Top Rank's "Global Supremacy" pay-per-view card might tickle your fancy. In the top two bouts, flyweight titlist Nonito Donaire and junior flyweight titleholder Ulises "Archie" Solis defend their belts at Araneta Coliseum in suburban Manila. The fights take place on Sunday morning Manila time, which means the PPV airs live at 9 p.m. ET Saturday in the United States.

Donaire (20-1, 13 KOs), of the Philippines, makes his third defense against Raul Martinez (24-0, 14 KOs), of San Antonio, in the main event while Mexico's Solis (28-1-2, 20 KOs) makes his ninth defense against Filipino-American Brian Viloria (24-2, 14 KOs), a former titleholder.

JES AZNAR/AFP/Getty Images

Ulises Solis, left, looks to notch his 10th straight win as a champion when he faces Brian Viloria on Saturday.

Solis has been an active beltholder and faced good opposition, but he's not overlooking Viloria, even though Viloria has struggled against top opponents.

"Viloria is no easy fight for me, so I have to be very cautious and very focused at all times," Solis said.

He's also not concerned about fighting outside of Mexico or the U.S. for the first time.

"Great champions don't care where they fight," he said. "They go and win under all kinds of circumstances, and if you believe in yourself and in your talent you don't hide in your home country and make meaningless defenses that amount to nothing. That's why I'm looking forward to this fight so much. I have always loved challenges and this fight against Viloria in the Philippines is a big challenge for me. But I know that I'm more than ready for this. I not only expect to win this fight but also expect to give the fans a great show."

With a victory, Solis hopes to unify the division.

"I hope I get the opportunity to fight the other champions in this division, Edgar Sosa, Ivan Calderon and Giovani Segura sometime this year and truly become the best 108 pounder in the world," he said.
[h3]Latimore anxious to fight[/h3]
Junior middleweight Deandre Latimore (19-1, 16 KOs) hasn't fought since his coming out party in June, when he scored an upset, seventh-round knockout of Sechew Powell in their title eliminator. Latimore has been stuck in limbo waiting for his fight with Cory Spinks for a vacant title, which will finally take place April 24 (Showtime, 11 p.m. ET/PT) at the Scottrade Center in their native St. Louis.

Latimore, 23, has been training with Kenny Adams in Las Vegas and is anxious to fight again after a long layoff.

Jim Everett/Fightwireimages.com

Stepping up: Deandre Latimore, left, makes the leap to the big leagues when he faces fellow St. Louis native Cory Spinks.

"It's been 10 months since I last fought, but I'm ready to go," Latimore said. "Coach Kenny and I really turned things up in the last couple of months when the fight was being finalized. I've wanted to fight Cory for a long time. He was one of my idols growing up, and I'm thrilled to be facing him with the world title on the line. Growing up in St. Louis, he was someone I always knew about when I was in the amateurs. But we're from different parts of the city. I'm from the South side where the Peabody projects are at, he's from the North side. So for the fans, it's very much of a city rivalry, like a St. Louis high school football championship."

Spinks (36-5, 11 KOs), the former undisputed welterweight champ and an ex-junior middleweight titleholder, is also coming off a long layoff. Although he hasn't fought since losing his belt to Verno Phillips 13 months ago, he is vastly more experienced than Latimore.

"I know what he's saying, 'who have I beat' and 'what have I done to get in the ring with him,'" Latimore said. "Hopefully, after the fight he'll think differently."

On the televised undercard, fellow St. Louis native Devon Alexander (17-0, 10 KOs), the flashy junior welterweight prospect and a mandatory title challenger, faces Jesus "Chuy" Rodriguez (19-3, 5 KOs) in a 10-rounder.

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.



5 comments on "Family feud is fazing Cotto ahead of Clottey clash"

[h4]QUICK HITS[/h4]

Mayweather

• Representatives for Floyd Mayweather Jr., who is coming out of retirement but hasn't officially announced it yet, and lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez continue to quietly negotiate a fight, which would take place July 18 on HBO PPV in Las Vegas. Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Marquez's promoter, told ESPN.com that he's working on it, although he didn't provide other details. However, another source with knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com that an issue hanging them up is weight. Mayweather, who retired as welterweight champion, is willing to drop to 145 pounds. Marquez, the 135-pound champion, wants Mayweather closer to 140. There also is a possibility that Mayweather could come back for a lesser foe on HBO instead of pay-per-view, but it remains to be seen if the network will come up with his asking price. The reason Mayweather-Marquez would be July 18, instead of July 11, the original date discussed for a Mayweather return, is because if he's going on PPV nobody wants to compete with UFC 100.

Clottey

• The Miguel Cotto-Joshua Clottey bout June 13 (HBO) was intended to unify alphabet welterweight belts but won't. Although Cotto will defend his WBO version of the 147-pound title he won in February, Clottey was forced to relinquish the IBF version. Although Clottey signed his contract in time to meet the IBF's deadline to approve the unification bout, Cotto didn't meet it because he didn't sign his contract until this week. The handlers of South African mandatory challenger Isaac Hlatshwayo then pressured the IBF to force Clottey to either negotiate with them or vacate. Since the Cotto fight is way bigger than one with Hlatshwayo, Clottey sent a letter to the IBF giving up the title. "As you know, I asked for the opportunity to unify the titles with Miguel Cotto. I met all IBF deadlines; Cotto did not," Clottey wrote. He went on to write, "Despite the fact that Cotto missed his deadlines, I made mine and I ask you to reconsider and allow the unification bout to take place. I ask that I not be penalized for someone else's missed deadline. … If the IBF cannot see its way free to grant my request I must, with great sadness, relinquish my title. The financial benefits of engaging in a bout with Cotto and the prestige of defeating such a great fighter is that it is literally an offer I cannot refuse." The IBF refused to reconsider and vacated the title. Clottey beat Zab Judah in August to win the vacant belt, but never defended it.

Calderon

• Junior flyweight champion Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon (32-0, 6 KOs) of Puerto Rico, idle since August because of a bad cut suffered in his rematch victory against Hugo Cazares, could return June 13 on the Cotto-Clottey undercard in New York, Top Rank president Todd duBoef told ESPN.com. "We're discussing it. Calderon deserves to fight at the [Madison Square] Garden on Puerto Rican parade weekend. I have no television money for the fight, but I just love him. If we can make it work, I'd like to give him the opportunity. I also want to give the fans a really good show. I have to give them more than the main event and some BS four-rounders. HBO is only televising one fight that night but I need the fans to get value for their tickets so I have to give them more content." DuBoef said one possible opponent is interim beltholder Giovani Segura.

Lara

• Two of boxing's top prospects, middleweight Matvey Korobov and junior middleweight Erislandy Lara, will be featured in four-rounders on the five-fight May 2 Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao HBO PPV card. Korobov (4-0, 4 KOs), a 2008 Russian Olympian and Top Rank's prized prospect, faces Rodrigo Aguiar (5-4, 3 KOs). Lara, the 2005 world amateur champion who defected from Cuba before the 2008 Olympics, opens the show against an opponent to be determined. On his 26th birthday last Saturday, Lara (4-0, 3 KOs), promoted by Golden Boy, signed with manager Shelly Finkel in Las Vegas. "I think he's a tremendous prospect and I'm really glad to be working with him," Finkel told ESPN.com. "I think within two fights he wants to move to 10-round fights and I believe he's ready. I believe he's as good as any prospect in the world today."

Alvarado

• Hot junior welterweight prospect Mike Alvarado (25-0, 18 KOs) has signed a multiyear contract extension with Top Rank, co-manager Finkel told ESPN.com. Alvarado has been with Top Rank since turning pro in 2004 and appears poised for a breakout year. In January, he scored a spectacular 10th-round knockout of Emmanuel Clottey (Joshua Clottey's brother). On May 2, Alvarado returns to face Juaquin Gallardo on the untelevised portion of the Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao card in Las Vegas. If Alvarado wins, he'll be back June 27 on the televised portion of the Kelly Pavlik-Sergio Mora PPV card, likely against former titleholder Paulie Malignaggi. "The contract was coming near the end, Top Rank gave him some money and we re-signed," Finkel said. "Top Rank has done a great job with him." Top Rank's duBoef was happy to keep Alvarado under contract. "We're very bullish on his future," he said. "I think he's our [Diego] Corrales of 2000. Blue collar fighter who is rugged and will wear you down."

Mesi

• Heavyweight Joe Mesi (36-0, 29 KOs) has found a new line of work. The former top contender whose career was sidetracked by a brain bleed in 2004 and followed by a comeback that couldn't gain much steam, unsuccessfully ran for New York State Senate last fall, but the Buffalo fighter is staying in the political arena. Mesi has been hired to run the state's new Senate Democratic majority office in Buffalo for $70,000 per year, the Buffalo News reported. According to the paper, Mesi will head an office that could include as many as 10 staffers and will serve as a liaison for the Senate majority leader and the local community.

Manfredo

• Former "Contender" star and world title challenger Peter Manfredo (31-6, 16 KOs), who was stopped in three rounds by third-season "Contender" winner Sakio Bika in November, will try to rebound Saturday in Montreal against Walid Smichet (20-5-3, 13 KOs). Although the fight is at super middleweight, Manfredo says he wants to go down to middleweight. "I only had three weeks to get ready for this fight, so making it for 168 is a trade off, I guess, for fighting this guy in his backyard," said Manfredo, who is back with his original promoter, Jimmy Burchfield. "I feel good about dropping my weight to 160. I was too small as a super middleweight and I'll be just right at middleweight. I won't be a huge middleweight like Kelly Pavlik, but look at Sergio Mora. I beat him our second fight (Mora won a controversial decision); he beat me the first fight. He won a world title at 154 and now he's fighting Pavlik for the middleweight title. I see myself as better, or at least the equal of Mora."

Lennon Jr.

• Ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., known mainly to American boxing fans as Showtime's master of ceremonies, will work Top Rank's "Global Supremacy" pay-per-view card Saturday night in the Philippines. It will mark the 30th country in which Lennon has announced a fight during his 27-year career.

[h4]QUOTABLE[/h4]

Mayweather Sr.

"Ricky is going to crack Manny [Pacquiao] like an egg. Freddie the joke coach Roach is counting his chickens before they hatch by thinking that Manny is going to succeed in his hunt for Ricky's titles, but there will be no resurrection in the ring for him that night." -- Floyd Mayweather Sr., trainer of Ricky Hatton, predicting the outcome of Hatton's junior welterweight title defense against Freddie Roach-roach trained Pacquiao on May 2.

[h4]QUOTABLE[/h4]

Miranda

"The fight will only go up to the 10th round and that's because that is when I am going to knock Andre Ward out. Andre Ward has never been in the ring with a fighter like me. He hasn't fought anyone talented. If there is one thing that you notice about Andre's fights, he's always running. Andre doesn't have the heart of a champion. He is holding onto his one achievement, the Olympic gold medal, but that is all he will ever achieve. I feel sorry for [Ward promoter] Dan Goossen to have invested so much money in such an untalented fighter." - noted trash talker Edison Miranda, taking verbal shots at Ward at a news conference this week announcing their May 16 super middleweight fight on Showtime.

[h4]QUOTABLE[/h4]

Ward

"Miranda can say anything that he wants right now and I am not going to react, but you can bet that I will retaliate in the ring on May 16." -- Ward, taking the high road to Miranda's attack at the news conference announcing their fight in Ward's hometown of Oakland.

 

[dako akong otin]

Solis should easily beat Viloria. Viloria got them stubby arms and can't get inside without getting tagged.

 

[gunna get it]

do yall see Vlad's face.

He might literally Kill haye

 

[proshares]

I didn't even see that article before my post. Haye going a little too far with that T, he should have waited to see how he stacked up against Wlad andthen busted it out for Vlad. Fight ain't lasting more than 5 rounds.

Quick Question:

If Haye wins and doesn't take the mandatory with Potvekin and instead fights Vlad would he have to relinquish his belts beforehand? I'm not entirelysure how the process works and hearing what happened to Clottey is confusing me.

 

[eagle 0n]

Cotto and Gamboa gonna be in the new Fight Night game