Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT
2nd time around is gonna be more dominant than the 1st. I dont like this idea. Cotto/Mayweather would sell just a lil under this re-match.
Im not feelin this at all.
Damn, Dako you been MIA for a while now
HBO APPROVES COTTO-GOMEZ
By G. Leon
Moments ago Bob Arum confirmed to xxxxxxxxxx.com that HBO approved Alfonso Gomez as Miguel Cotto's next opponent. Cotto-Gomez will headline HBO's April 26 installment of World Championship Boxing. Antonio Margarito and Zab Judah will likely mix it up in a competitive fight on the televised co-feature. The card will take place at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. HBO's Kery Davis was unavailable for immediate comment. Remember where you heard it first! (3:39 PM EST)
EDIT
New update
[table][tr][td][/td] [/tr][tr][td][/td] [/tr][tr][td][table][tr][td] Cotto vs. Gomez To Collide on April 12 in AC, Margarito vs. Judah Possible For May 3 [table][tr][td]Search BoxingScene Database[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
By Rick Reeno
BoxingScene.com, speaking with Bob Arum of Top Rank, was informed that WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto will defend his title against Contender star Alfonso Gomez on April 12 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City
The co-feature could possibly become a rematch between WBO junior welterweight champion Ricardo Torres and Kendall Holt.
The welterweight battle between former champions Antonio Margarito and Zab Judah, slated for April 26, may end up going forward on May 3, with Showtime televising the fight. Provided both Cotto and Margarito win, Top Rank would match them on pay-per-view in July.
"That's where Cotto-Gomez is heading, to Atlantic City. We might do Margarito-Judah on Cinco de Mayo weekend on Showtime," Arum said.
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Oscar De La Hoya will fight a tune-up match on May 3 before his expected rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. The match, against an opponent to be named later, will take place at either Mexico City's Estadio Azteca or the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
The fight, which will be part of a career countdown, will likely air on HBO instead of pay-per-view, to help drum up interest in the proposed Sept. 13 rematch with Mayweather.
"I want to set a trend where the big-name fighters will fight on free television," De La Hoya said. "Why not go back to the roots? Go back to fighting on free television. I think the fans deserve it. I hope other fighters can do this."
According to Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, De La Hoya has discussed developing a show about going back to his roots, and on Friday morning he told Schaefer he wanted his next fight to feature such a theme.
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[/td] [/tr][/table]De La Hoya made his name on HBO after winning a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. De La Hoya said he wanted to give access to people who normally can't see boxing's top stars either live or on television.
"It's basically a thank you fight for the fans," De La Hoya said. De La Hoya said he wants to make the final year of his career his biggest, building toward a September bout with Mayweather, who most experts agree holds the mythical title that De La Hoya covets - best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
Schaefer has already talked with the Home Depot Center, which can hold 45,000 fans for boxing. Schaefer will be flying to Mexico City for a Tuesday meeting with the owners of Estadio Azteca, which holds 130,000. If filled, it is believed it would set an all-time attendance record for pro boxing.
Schaefer said if the match is held in Mexico City, tickets would cost as little as a few dollars, with bottom ticket prices of $10 to $20 if it is held in Southern California.
The field for has been narrowed to three opponents, whom Schafer declined to name. De La Hoya is expected to make a decision over the weekend and they hope to finalize the deal within a week.
If all goes as planned after the September fight against Mayweather, De La Hoya's career would end with a huge boxing weekend promotion, tentatively scheduled for December. Possibilities include bringing back his famous opponents from the past, as well as showcasing young talent, possibly including pro debuts of the Summer Olympics' top stars.
Adding intrigue to the Mayweather fight, which may be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is that Floyd Mayweather Sr. has agreed to train De La Hoya for all three fights this year.
The two were together for six years, but Mayweather Sr. backed out of training De La Hoya for last year's record-breaking fight because it was against his son. Mayweather Jr., 39-0 and the top-ranked fighter in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound Top 10, beat De La Hoya via split decision on May 5, on a show that destroyed all pay-per-view records with 2.4 million buys.
Mayweather Jr. followed by beating Ricky Hatton via 10th round knockout on December 8. The success of the two fights led to it being the biggest year ever for boxing on pay-per-view.
"Floyd Sr. said he would train me for Floyd Mayweather Jr.," De La Hoya said. "That's excellent news for me. I'm very confident with Floyd Sr. in my corner. He knows Floyd Jr. better than anyone. He's the one who created him. With Floyd Sr. in my corner, my chances of winning are great."
Their first fight captured public interest unlike any in years, particularly from an HBO countdown documentary which turned Mayweather Jr. into a household name. The first fight lacked fireworks, and the bigger De La Hoya ultimately couldn't match the speed, reflexes or stamina of the man widely considered the most talented in boxing today. De La Hoya would need a new approach both to have a shot at beating Mayweather, but also to convince the public that the second fighter would be different from the first.
"Mayweather is the big fish in the sea," said De La Hoya, who said he wants to dedicate this year to training. "He's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. I'm all about fighting the best fighter in the world and that's the fight I have to win.
He feels the added time plus a tune-up fight, plus Mayweather Sr. in his corner will be a difference-maker.
"If I stay active and in the gym and stay sharp, nobody can beat me," he said. "Fighting once a year wasn't the best thing for me."
De La Hoya said the third fight would "absolutely" be the final one of his career. "I can't turn back the clock," he said.
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Negotiations for an April fight between light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins and super middleweight champ Joe Calzaghe are expected to wrap up any day and they could yield a sweet bonus for fans. The bout was originally planned for April 12 as a $49.95 HBO PPV fight. However, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaeffer told ESPN.com that the fight could move to April 19 and off PPV. "I am working very hard to try to do the Hopkins fight live on HBO," he said. HBO is interested, offering about $6 million, which is close to what the promotion would net if the fight was on PPV and did 250,000 buys.
+I'd still pay to see this, but if they can get this on HBO...props to GoldenBoy. If they do move the fight to HBO TV, is 24/7 still possible?
For AMO...
• Joel "Love Child" Julio (32-1, 30 KOs), the 2005 ESPN.com prospect of the year, and James Kirkland (21-0, 18 KOs), both exciting offensive-minded junior middleweight prospects with tremendous power, could face each other on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" in either April or May. The sides are talking and HBO wants the fight, reps for both sides told ESPN.com.
Yessir.Always good to see the Love Child on television. He'sgoing to have a big year...trust.
2008 is shaping up to be a excellent year in Boxing, ya'll.
