2010 Official Boxing Thread: Soto/Antillon, 2010 Fight of the Year.

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Leaned him a lil past 6
 
Originally Posted by CarlofromdaPI

Originally Posted by blkflipkid

I think P. Will should try to get with a top class trainer, like roach or emanuel steward. his small time aiken trainer can only take him so far. it's like the video game fight night when u pay for a better trainer.
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I agree... I think it's time for Paul to hook up with a different trainer.
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Emmanuel Steward would do wonders for him.
 
Originally Posted by Jking0821

Unfortunately he got caught with a huge left hook.
  
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 One of my biggest pet peeves... Martinez is a southpaw, that shot he landed was a straight left or an overhand.


Finally saw the KO, I went to a bar and they only played the UFC card.
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  Anyways, the first thing you learn when you step into a boxing gym is defense and "keeping a phone to your ear." Damn it Pun!

Lol @ Pac fighting Martinez at 152 for the Middleweight belt.
 
What about a Ward vs Martinez fight? Why do he have to go down and fight Manny or Floyd? It just seems like the natural progression for me
 
Almost as soon as Paul Williams crash-landed facefirst on the canvas after being obliterated by that massive overhand left from middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in the second round of their rematch on Saturday night, the inevitable question was raised: Who's next?

This is not an easy question to answer. There are tons of possibilities -- but nothing realistic that could be considered a megafight.

There was, of course, the usual rhetoric from Martinez, promoter Lou DiBella and adviser Sampson Lewkowicz about fighting anyone, about how it's about the money (which it is) and about their desire for a fight with either pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr.

One thing DiBella said after the win -- the second-biggest of his promotional career, behind Jermain Taylor's first victory against Bernard Hopkins -- is that they expect HBO to clear a date for Martinez to return around April.

Martinez will have to be realistic about the money expectations. He made $1.05 million to fight Williams. He'll get a raise, for sure, but within reason. Inside boxing, his performances in his two fights with Williams and his championship win against Kelly Pavlik in April make him a star. But he is still virtually unknown to the general sports public (although that knockout highlight ran nonstop on ESPN's news shows), and there is no obvious next opponent for him. So let's take a look at the possibilities.

Martinez's advisers would love Pacquiao or Mayweather. You can't blame them, but they know in their hearts it's pure fantasy. Financially, either fight would be small potatoes compared to those potential foes fighting each other -- and it's very, very dangerous. The size difference is probably too vast for either to overcome, especially because Martinez is so fast. Pacquiao won a junior middleweight belt earlier this month but wasn't close to the 154-pound limit. Mayweather won a junior middleweight belt when he beat Oscar De La Hoya, but that was a one-and-done move for the gargantuan payday. Neither is going to mess with a man so much bigger who is also a fast and powerful southpaw to boot. Forget about it.

Martinez also made it clear that he's not interested in moving up to super middleweight. He's a fairly small middleweight to begin with. Also, because HBO has supported Martinez's recent fights, DiBella pledged loyalty to the network (despite how poorly it treated his fighter in the lead-up to the Williams rematch). Martinez and his camp have made it clear they have no plans to seek out Showtime's super middleweights, who are involved in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. Lucian Bute, who isn't in the tournament but just signed with Showtime, would be an attractive opponent and plans to fight in March. But as long as Martinez wants to stay at middleweight and remain with HBO, that fight isn't on the table.

Let's look within the middleweight division. Martinez is the champ, as in the man who beat the man (Pavlik), who beat the man (Taylor), who beat the man (Hopkins), who had beaten everyone and unified all the titles. But there are three other guys with titles: Dmitry Pirog, Felix Sturm and Sebastian Sylvester.

Forget about Sylvester. He's utterly unknown in the United States. The fight means nothing here. Sturm might be an interesting choice. He has been around for a long time, lost a highly debatable fight to De La Hoya in Las Vegas and has a lengthy résumé. Still, that option seems unlikely as Sturm continues to do his business in Germany. Pirog would make for an exciting fight. He won his belt (which had been stripped from Martinez) in July with a big knockout of Daniel Jacobs on an HBO PPV card in Las Vegas, and immediately had people talking. It's a doable fight because DiBella and Artie Pelullo, Pirog's promoter, are tight and talked about it, albeit briefly, after Saturday's fight. It's an excellent HBO fight, although a tough one to place in order to sell tickets because Pirog is even more unknown to the American public than Martinez. So although I like it, I view it as unlikely.

There is always the possibility of a rubber match with Williams, but it would be somewhat stunning if it was immediate. I have a hard time seeing HBO buying the matchup again right away or Martinez being motivated for it. Let Williams reestablish himself with a win or two and then we can talk about it.

There is also Pavlik, but he turned down an immediate rematch with Martinez, which he had the contractual option for if he wanted it. He didn't want it then, and I don't think anything has changed. Besides, he has his own personal problems to deal with before he fights anyone.

One guy who very well could wind up as Martinez's next opponent is Sebastian Zbik. Although he has zero name recognition in the U.S., he's a quality fighter, has a great record (30-0, 10 KOs), an interim title and is Martinez's mandatory challenger. The WBC ruled at its recent convention that the Martinez-Williams II winner would have to fight Zbik next. The WBC, of course, could always change its ruling. Shocker, right? So Martinez probably has to fight him or risk being stripped of his alphabet belt. I can see this fight happening. After several tough fights in a row, Martinez's taking a slightly lesser one is reasonable. But there's a caveat to a Zbik fight: There is ongoing litigation between Lewkowicz and Universum, Zbik's promoter, which would probably need to be settled first.

There are a couple of dark-horse candidates. David Lemieux, the rising Canadian star, would bring fans and money to the fight in Montreal. He's on the cusp of a major fight and is highly ranked by the WBC. There is also Irish contender Andy Lee. If he fought Martinez, I could see that fight doing good business at a place like New York's Madison Square Garden Theater. (New York's Irish fans have been great about supporting their fighters.) Lee fights Dec. 11 on Wladimir Klitschko's undercard and then is due to face Brian Vera in a rematch on ESPN2 on Feb. 4. That would line him up nicely for an April or May bout with Martinez. I think that would be an interesting fight and one that would be easy to make. Lee is a promotional free agent and his manager/trainer, Emanuel Steward, has a longstanding friendship with DiBella.

DiBella would love for Martinez to fight junior middleweight titlist Miguel Cotto, a bona fide star who sells tickets and pay-per-views. It's also probably an easy fight for Martinez. However, I don't see Top Rank promoter Bob Arum sacrificing one of his stars against the B-side who is likely to win. The same goes for a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., another Top Rank fighter.

For a fight against Cotto, DiBella said Martinez would be willing to drop to maybe 155 pounds, which would allow Cotto to fight for his middleweight title without risking his 154-pound belt. That would be a fun fight, but it's unlikely.

Arum also has another fighter who could be considered for Martinez but probably wouldn't be ready for an April fight. That's Antonio Margarito, who was battered by Pacquiao two weeks ago. There's a built-in story to a fight with Martinez because Margarito handed him his first career defeat by seventh-round TKO in 2000, when Martinez was very inexperienced.

There are also junior middleweights who could move up to challenge Martinez:

• Sergei Dzinziruk, who is promised an HBO bout in the first quarter of 2011. I believe a fight with Martinez would be competitive.

• Kermit Cintron, in a rematch. Cintron got a gift draw against Martinez in a 2009 interim junior middleweight title bout. I have no real interest in seeing it again. I saw it once, and Martinez was robbed. At 160, he beats Cintron even more easily.

• Alfredo Angulo, who already turned down $750,000 to fight Martinez before the Williams rematch was finally made. Maybe he has realized the error of his ways, but making that fight could be difficult given Angulo's problematic immigration situation. But wouldn't it be interesting if they took a fight like that to Martinez's native Argentina?

• James Kirkland, who recently got out of prison and is about to launch a comeback. It's probably too soon to expect him to fight Martinez early next year, but that's the fight HBO drools over for late next year.

Ultimately, I'm not really sure what Martinez is going to do. But here's my two cents: I think Zbik is the favorite. If I were a betting man, though, I'd throw a few dollars on long shot Lee. It makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons.

It's a fight that can be easily made. It would draw a crowd in New York, where DiBella is based. It's probably an exciting fight in the ring. I think HBO would certainly buy it for the right price. Further, because Lee has not made big paydays, he would be in line for his biggest by far -- and there would still be enough money on the table to satisfy the Martinez side.
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"In my opinion a valid argument can be made for all three so let's just number them 1A, 1B and 1C," said Martinez's promoter Lou DiBella."But I sure would like to see them prove who the best is inside the ring and Sergio is ready to concede his weight advantage to do it."If Manny is willing to defend his WBC super welterweight title, I would come down to 154 pounds to challenge him for it as well as allow him to challenge me for my WBC middleweight title," said Martinez.  "It would be the opportunity of a lifetime.But I'm a realist and if he feels that he is physically too small to fight me I certainly understand that too."
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"Sergio is willing to fight next at 154 pounds -- defending his WBC middleweight title as well as fighting for the WBC super welterweight title which would be vacated by Manny Pacquiao.  That's a pretty big concession, but if that's what it takes to get Floyd Mayweather Jr., the WBC's emeritus super welterweight champion, in the ring with him, Sergio is ready, willing and able.  There is a lot of confidence behind his matinee looks," continued DiBella.  "The fans deserve Martinez vs. Mayweather and boxing needs it to continue its growth into the mainstream I can work with any promoter to make the best fight with Sergio.  Its business – good business – and common sense."
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Hmm. At least he's not out there like Shane begging on hands and knees for Manny to fight him through every means that he can.
 
It was Oct. 19 and Michael Katsidis was deep in his training camp about 90 miles from Bangkok, Thailand, where the Australian brawler has prepared for numerous fights.

Trainer and manager Brendon Smith said they have always been comfortable there since first working out there years ago when Katsidis was a sparring partner for former junior lightweight titlist Yodsanan Nanthachai.

"We were very impressed with the tough, hard conditions and the humbleness," Smith said. "It's a very simple lifestyle while you're training."

However, the tranquility of Katsidis' camp, where he was training to challenge lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night (HBO, 9:45 ET), was suddenly shattered.

Katsidis, who holds an interim title and had looked forward to facing Marquez in a mandatory fight for some time, was out for a run when Smith received a call from Katsidis' mother.

She had bad news. Katsidis' older brother, Stathi Katsidis, had been found dead of a possible drug overdose in his Brisbane home by girlfriend Melissa Jackson, the mother of his 4-year-old son.

[h4]Heavy Hitting Boxing Podcast[/h4]
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Inspired by Michael Katsidis agreeing to fight on despite his brother's death, Kieran Mulvaney asks for consideration of the stresses under which professional prizefighters operate.

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The fight was less than six weeks away and Katsidis had lost the man who was not only his brother, but also his best friend. Stathi, who was a star thoroughbred jockey in Australia, had been troubled by past drug problems.

When Katsidis heard the news he was faced with a decision: Break camp and go home to mourn with his family and perhaps call off the fight or stay the course, keep training and go through with the biggest fight of his life.

Katsidis, who comes to the ring wearing Roman gladiator garb, had earned the reputation as a warrior through and through inside the ring. He's never backed down from a tough fight and has thrilled fans for years with his aggressive, never-say-die attitude in the ring.

So it didn't come as a shock when a couple of days after the death of his brother, Katsidis announced that he would go through with the fight, releasing a statement that made it clear he had no intention of pulling out.

"I have lost my closest friend, my inspiration in life, my one and only brother," Katsidis said in his statement. "This is something I could never imagine, but for some reason I feel his life is not a loss. My brother is me! We live our lives through each other. We dedicate our triumphs to one another and share the challenges we face in life. …The fight will go on!

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Gene Blevins - Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions Training camp is never easy, but this has been a particularly hard one for Michael Katsidis.

"I will do this for Stathi, my family and myself. The moment I walked in for a grueling sparring session after hearing the news of his death earlier that day, my trainer, Brendon Smith, shook my hand and said to me, 'You are about to take the bravest step of your life.' We nodded, smiled and went to work. I worked as I have never done before. He is with me and will be all the way. I am happy about this. I have never experienced anything like I felt that day. Stathi is inside me! We will fight this fight together. I know this is what he wants."

"I instantly thought this fight has to be postponed. It was such a tragedy he would have to pull out," Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya said. "But then something in the back of my mind told me Katsidis is one of those fighters that when he steps inside the ring, he really believes he's a warrior, a fighter who just doesn't give up. I would have understood if he wanted postpone it. It was very exciting that he wanted to go through with it, but that's who Michael Katsidis is. He believes his brother will be in his corner and taking care of him."

Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) said if he was in Katsidis' shoes, he would also fight.

"It would be very painful, but I would need to fight," said Marquez, whose younger brother is former bantamweight and junior featherweight champ Rafael Marquez. "If something happened with my family or brother I would do the same thing Michael Katsidis did and fight."

Since that statement, Katsidis (27-2, 22 KOs) understandably has refused to discuss his brother's death or anything related to it in the few interviews he has given.

"Emotions will be running as high as they can be," De La Hoya said. "It's going to be very interesting to see what emotions he will take up to the ring."

De La Hoya knows how Katsidis feels. He lost his mother to cancer before his storied run to a 1992 Olympic gold medal, which he dedicated to her.

"Michael really believes that his brother will be with him," De La Hoya said. "I remember when my mother passed and I went to the gym for the first time and I laced up the gloves for sparring and I thought I was going to kill a guy, that's how angry I was and my emotions were so strong. I could have sparred 50 rounds and knocked everyone out. That's how intense it was.

"It all boils down to how he feels when he makes that first step on the canvas and the emotions are racing through his mind."

Katsidis asked Golden Boy Promotions publicity director Monica Sears to make sure reporters did not ask him about his brother. Those who did would suddenly find their interview over.

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"My first thought was when he announced he would go through with the fight was that he will come in even stronger and that much more motivated to win this fight for his brother," De La Hoya said. "I thought to myself, Marquez is going to be in a very difficult fight, no doubt about it. Then you think about the situation with [middleweight prospect] Daniel Jacobs [in July], where his grandmother passed away and it was a distraction for him and he got knocked out. So it all depends on Saturday night when you step inside the ring and all the emotions are running through your head and the crowd is cheering and you start remembering your lost loved one. That's when you know how you're going to react."

HBO also has two other fights on the tripleheader. Welterweight titlist Andre Berto (26-0, 20 KOs) -- who is in the running for a fight with Manny Pacquiao, as is Marquez -- makes his fifth defense against Freddy Hernandez (29-1, 20 KOs), and Celestino Caballero (34-2, 23 KOs), the former unified junior featherweight titlist and featherweight contender, moves up in weight to face Jason Litzau (27-2, 21 KOs) at junior lightweight because nobody in his own division would fight him.

When Katsidis appeared at Tuesday's final news conference he made his first public remarks about his brother's death.

"There's been a lot of speculation about me with this fight," he said. "It was a very tough training camp but nothing in this sport is ever easy. We've endured some tough times. I've had to face a lot of demons. I'm ready and I'm here to win. I'm here to talk about the fight. I don't want to talk about anything else. If you want you can ask me after the fight."

While he won't discuss the sensitive subject, you can count on him fighting hard Saturday night.

"We have been in training camp for three months. We're here to fight and we're here to win. This topic I won't speak about and nor will Michael. After, it's something we'll speak about, but at this stage we won't be speaking about it. I do apologize," said Smith, who knew Stathi, a one-time amateur boxer, since he was 10. "We've prepared for this fight and we've come to Las Vegas to pick a fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. But we won't talk about his brother. He put out his statement and the statement says it all."

Katsidis has usually let his fists do the talking anyway in a series of outstanding fights. His fifth-round knockout of Graham Earl in England was one of the most action-packed fights of 2007 and launched him on the world stage as he won an interim title.

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Fightwireimages.com Michael Katsidis hasn't lost since dropping a split decision to Juan Diaz, left, in 2008.

Later in 2007, Katsidis engaged in another thrilling slugfest when he outpointed Czar Amonsot in Las Vegas on the Bernard Hopkins-Winky Wright undercard. Then came back-to-back-losses on HBO in two more thrilling fights, a sensational battle with Joel Casamayor and a tight decision against Juan Diaz.

Since those defeats, Katsidis has regrouped and has won four fights in a row, including a knockout of former titlist Jesus Chavez, a decision against 2004 U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo and a surprisingly easy third-round knockout of Kevin Mitchell on his British turf in May.

All along one of Katsidis' goals was to be considered No. 1 in the world at lightweight.

"It's been nine years in the making," Smith said. "We set two goals when we commenced his pro career in 2001. The first goal was to win a world title and the other was to be No. 1 in the world and he gets that opportunity this weekend. This is the pinnacle of his career."

Marquez, a three-division champion, will be making his third lightweight title defense. He won the lineal championship by knocking out Casamayor in the ninth round in emphatic fashion two years ago. He picked up a couple of vacant alphabet belts in his next fight, knocking out Diaz in the ninth round in the 2009 fight of the year and outpointed him again in a July rematch. Between the Diaz fights, Marquez jumped up to welterweight for a big payday against unretiring Floyd Mayweather Jr. and lost a lopsided decision.

But after beating Diaz in the rematch, Marquez decided to honor his mandatory against Katsidis rather than move up to junior welterweight to fight titlist Amir Khan.

Although Marquez is a fierce warrior inside the ring too, he certainly is respectful of Katsidis' situation.

"I know what happened with his family and with his brother and I want to say I'm sorry, but I prepared myself very hard for this fight," Marquez said. "I know he has great motivation but I do too. I want to thank Michael Katsidis because he stayed in the fight and didn't pull out of the fight. I really appreciate it. I spent 3½ months training. I train very hard and I don't want to cancel the fight, so I want to thank him."

When Marquez heard about what had happened, he initially thought Katsidis might withdraw.

"Yes, I think maybe he would cancel the fight," Marquez said. "But now everyone will watch two warriors in the ring. We are also human beings. It's very sad to lose a brother, to lose a family member. It's very sad. I felt very sad for what happened, but I know he's going to come to the ring very motivated. This is not a typical situation. He is in a sad situation, but he is a warrior and we are both professionals. I know it's going to be a great fight."

 
What a year it has been for Andre Ward.

Previously known for winning an Olympic gold medal for the United States at the 2004 Olympics, he is now best thought of for being a super middleweight champion and one of the best fighters in the world.

It was more than a year ago -- on Nov. 21, 2009 -- that he upset Mikkel Kessler via 11th-round technical decision in a dominant performance to win his 168-pound title and pounded his way to the top of the division.

It was just the start of what Ward hopes will be a long title reign.

"I'm just as hungry as any opponent I'm fighting," Ward said. "I'm just as desperate as any opponent I'm fighting. I take this game very, very seriously. Having a championship and defending it means the world to me."

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The resounding victory against Kessler came in the opening round of the Super Six World Boxing Classic against the pre-tournament favorite. Ward followed with a shutout decision win against Allan Green in their Group Stage 2 fight in June to become the first man in the six-man field to secure a semifinal berth. Now he is the clear tournament favorite.

Yet as Ward prepares to meet Sakio Bika on Saturday night (Showtime, 9 ET/PT), the fight is not a Group Stage 3 fight as had been planned.

Instead, Ward will fight Bika outside the confines of the tournament, with a semifinal fight slated for the first quarter of 2011 against either Glen Johnson or the Arthur Abraham-Carl Froch winner.

"There have been many twists and turns," Ward said, "but we are still here and ready for our next opponent."

Green was supposed to face Olympic teammate Andre Dirrell on Saturday, not Bika. However, no deal was finalized for a scheduled Sept. 25 fight with Dirrell, no promotion had taken place and no venue had been secured. Then the fight was postponed and finally canceled -- even after Showtime threatened legal action -- when Dirrell mysteriously pulled out of the tournament on Oct. 7, claiming a neurological issue stemming from his March fight with Abraham. Dirrell dominated Abraham before being knocked cold in the 11th round when Abraham hit him while he was down after slipping. (Abraham was disqualified.)

But few believe the veracity of Dirrell's injury, especially after a highly suspicious interview that aired on Showtime's "Fight Camp 360" reality series, which has been following the tournament.

Ward wouldn't go there when pressed about Dirrell's withdrawal.

"I think Andre Dirrell's team has already said why we're not fighting Saturday night," he said. "Apparently, Andre's got some neurological issues, and I'll leave it at that. I think with the writers and the media, it's their job to be able to figure out what's true and not true and I just have to take whatever comes. I take Dirrell at his word and I hope he gets better soon and that we can see him back in the ring."

Showtime had previously replaced two original tournament participants -- Jermain Taylor and Kessler, both of whom pulled out with injuries -- with Green and Johnson, respectively. However, the network decided against replacing Dirrell because Ward had already advanced to the semis anyway.

Thus, Ward will have the non-tournament bout against the rugged Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs), a battle-tested two-time title challenger and former winner of "The Contender" reality series, at the Oracle Arena in Ward's hometown of Oakland, Calif.

Promoter Dan Goossen said he was disappointed Dirrell pulled out, but his main concern was lining something up for Ward so that the Showtime date could be kept.

"Andre is such a professional and we kept him abreast of everything as twists and turns were happening," Goossen said. "Through it all, he was still in the gym. Maybe not to the point of having a full-blown training camp, but certainly one that kept him sharp and ready to move in whatever direction we were headed. He's a real pro.

"The key, as our conversations with [Showtime's] Ken Hershman progressed, was keeping the date open so Andre could defend his title this Saturday. There was so much happening and so much turmoil, but we didn't want to lose the date and be put in the black hole while everything was trying to be worked out."

As focused a fighter as there is in boxing, Ward couldn't care less that this fight is against a different opponent than he expected.

"It's been a year since I won my world title, and I'm focused and locked in on defending my title," Ward said. "That's all me and my team has ever focused on: Not just becoming a champion but being a defending champion and striving for great challenges, like Sakio Bika. I've prepared myself for a fight like this years in advance. I'm prepared for Sakio and I know he's prepared for me. And I know we're going to put on a great show on Saturday."

And as for the fight not being a part of the tournament?

"At the end of the day, my championship belt is still on the line and at the end of the day I've got to show up and get the job done," Ward said. "And I've got a guy on the other side of the ring that's trying to hurt me. For me, personally, there's no letdown. This is as big as it gets. There's really no problem with this not being in the tournament. Everyone understands why it's not in the tournament, but this is a fight. So as far as myself and my team, it's business as usual."

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Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty ImagesJoe Calzaghe discovered that Sakio Bika isn't intimidated by fighting a formidable opponent on his own turf.

Said Bika: "Andre Ward is a professional fighter and this is a business. He was preparing for Andre Dirrell, and now he has prepared to fight me.

"This is a very big opportunity for me. I just want to take care of my business and make a big upset, even though I'm not in the tournament. I was very disappointed at the start that they didn't include me in this tournament. ... I think I'm one of the best fighters in the world at 168 pounds. I was disappointed I wasn't selected at the start, but I'm just very happy for this opportunity to get a chance to win this fight."

Opening Showtime's broadcast will be same-day taped coverage of the Super Six Group Stage 3 fight between Germany's Abraham (31-1, 25 KOs) and England's Froch (26-1, 20 KOs) at Hartwall Areena on neutral turf in Helsinki, Finland. They meet for the vacant 168-pound belt stripped from the injured Kessler, who dropped out because of an eye injury in late August after outpointing Froch in Group Stage 2.

Abraham and Froch have both already secured spots in the tournament semifinals, but besides fighting for the belt, they will be vying for their seeding.

Before Dirrell opted out of the tournament, rumors swirled that he and Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) had somehow concocted a plan to avoid fighting each other because they were friends. Ward strongly refuted that accusation.

"I think it's unfortunate people think Dirrell and I were trying to take the fight off the table and that we were working together," Ward said. "That's personally not who I am. I was always going to do what I had to do."

Sure, Ward said, he is friendly with Dirrell -- but this is business. He said he was mentally preparing to fight Dirrell and that he had nothing to do with the fight being called off.

"When you sign a contract, it's a binding agreement and we were legally bound to fight Dirrell in our third fight [of the tournament]," Ward said. "Personally, it's not something you want to do. That's a friend of yours, your family knows one another. It's not really an ideal situation. But at the end of the day, I've been fighting for a long time and I was prepared to do what I agreed to do. I think some of the fans blew things out of proportion."

So now, Ward has Bika, who owns a technical draw with Markus Beyer in a 2006 title fight in Germany and a competitive decision loss to Joe Calzaghe in England later that year. Bika has also faced Lucian Bute in Montreal and regularly fights in his opponents' hometowns.

"I am very confident that I will win this fight," said Bika, who is from Cameroon but lives in Australia. "I'm happy to be fighting in Andre Ward's hometown. It doesn't matter where I fight because all of my career I have fought for my country and will continue to do that no matter where the fight takes place."

"I know they call Glen Johnson the 'Road Warrior,' but that would also be apt for Sakio," said David Itskowitch of Golden Boy, which co-promotes Bika with Jeff Wald. "When you look at his record, he's really fought the best of the best in their backyard. Going into someone's backyard and taking them on is nothing new for him. It's not something that fazes him at all. We expect him to come out with a victory this weekend. He's an offensive machine who keeps coming and coming and coming. I think his style and Ward's style are going to mesh for just a really great fight."

Ward has other plans.

"I am going to do what I do except a little bit better," he said. "Sakio has never been stopped. It would be great to get a stoppage in this fight."
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Katsidis is in for a beating.  He might make things rough early on but I expect Marquez to have his face swollen and bloody by the mid-rounds at which point he'll put him away. 
 
[h1]Kelly Pavlik Currently In Rehab For Alcohol Problems, Career May Well Be Over[/h1]
By James Slater: For weeks now, if not months, fans have been wondering about former middleweight king Kelly Pavlik. Having rapidly become known as a fighter with a tendency to withdraw from fights (Pavlik did it again, most recently, in pulling out of his Nov. 13th bout with Bryan Vera), “The Ghost‘s
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^^^^
Just read that on eastsideboxing. Hopefully Kelly can get the help he needs. Alcoholism or any addiction is hard to break without help
 
froch is keeping abraham at bay right now with the jab. the later rounds could get interesting though it looks like abrhams just waiting for froch to slip up
 
Don't click on the spoiler until after the first fight 
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Spoiler [+]
Froch fought the perfect fight and destroyed Arthur.

We have a ruling from Showtime: Glen Johnson wins scorecard tiebreaker over Abraham so semis are: No. 1 Ward-4 Abraham & 2 Froch-3 Johnson.
 
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