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

They're still saying November 20th in AC but HBO isn't happy that Paul and his team are dragging their feet with the negotiations and signing the contract. Getting short on time to get it done.

BTW Peter/Wlad is on ESPN3.com at 4:30PM ET tomorrow, replay on ESPN Deportes at 8PM ET and replay on ESPN Sunday at 4:30PM ET.
 
Dan Rafael (2:19 PM)


According my source -- Mayweather has completed his interview. He is in custody in Las Vegas and will be charged with grand larceny for allegedly taking the woman's cell phone in their arguement. He is supposed to be released on a small amount of bail in the next hour or two. As for the domestic abuse stuff, no charges at the moment from what I am told. So we shall see what happens with all of this. I was told Floyd was co-operative with the police.
 
grand larceny? for a phone? this +@%+% must have a 14 kt gold phone


 
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Pun, +%+ is he doin. he complains cause he cant get big purses for big fights and he's stalling on a Martinez rematch
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obviously no one at 147 is gonna fight him
 
Grand Larceny in NV for anything under $25,000 is a min. 1 year sentence max 5 year sentence with a $10,000 fine.
 
Kinda sounds sketchy to me. She was treated for minor injuries but says she got punched in the head multiple times and dragged around.

...
Glad we get some boxing action this weekend.

Peter's looks to be in good shape. I hope he wins.

Gamboa fights are always exciting as well
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Hatton apparently caught on camera doing lines of coke in a bathroom.

@danrafaelespn Salido was stripped by IBF for being 138 at a.m. weigh in. IBF rules say you can only gain 10 lbs. He had to be 136 or less.
 
This Rios/Peterson fight is shaping up to be a great fight through the first 3 rounds. They're both nailing each other with some hard shots.
 
Good call, disqualify this dumb *$*@!** idiot Peterson. Every time you get hurt, you go low? Hope I never have to see his bum $$@ on TV again.
 
Good fights tonight. Brandon Rios looked solid out there tonight. He has got a good chin & kept the pressure on Peterson. Peterson was workin' his jab well in the first round. He should have kept using it. Him fighting on the inside was just what Rios wanted. Rios has a good chin & was able to overpower Peterson. All Peterson could do was throw those low blows. It was a good thing the ref called the fight because Peterson was getting his %#% whooped.

Gamboa looked very good out there against Salido. His punches were crisp & he was quick on his feet. Constantly moving & making it tough for his opponent. I was most impressed by his composure & control. He was a more patient fighter out there than what I'm used to seeing. T

There can be a lot of good fights made in the featherweight divison. Hopefully we will see Lopez & Gamboa fight each other. I wouldn't mind seeing Caballero & Gamboa go at it.
 
Peterson doesn't look like he built to be in there. He fought Rios fight. Never moving and letting Rios throw bombs on him.
 
Peterson looked like he was trying to lose, lol.  Why would he abandon throwing shots from distance, which he looked good doing so by landing those 4 punch combos... and fight in close range instead, where he looked mad awkward.  He had no leverage on his punches from close range...  plus those low blows, SMH
 
I liked the rios/peterson fight. they didnt have all of the excessive grappling and tying up of each other. more of a straight out fight. I wish they would have went the distance. petersons reach was longer so he should have used that to his advantage instead of going out cowardly.
 
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Saturday at Frankfurt, Germany ​
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Heavyweight
Wladimir Klitschko TKO10 Samuel Peter
Retains world heavyweight title
​
[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: Klitschko, 55-3, 49 KOs; Peter, 34-4, 27 KOs
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
Rafael's remark: When Klitschko and Peter met in a 2005 title eliminator, Klitschko won the clear decision but got knocked down three times. The memory of that made the rematch an interesting proposition. Could Peter, a former titleholder, connect again and keep Klitschko down this time? The answer was a resounding "no," as Klitschko authored yet another dominant title defense in front of about 40,000 at a soccer stadium, where his incredible ring entrance set to edited video of him with a young Muhammad Ali was the most dramatic part of the show. Klitschko, 34, of Ukraine, laid a beating on Peter, 30, the Las Vegas-based Nigerian, in a fight even more one-sided than their original meeting.





After that first fight, Klitschko won a title in his next bout by hammering Chris Byrd. Now he's made nine defenses, unified belts, claimed the lineal title and barely lost a round along the way. Titlist David Haye has blatantly ducked him. Mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin turned his back on a $2 million-plus payday (the result of a purse bid) to avoid him, thus handing the fight to Peter. The only heavyweight in the world on Klitschko's level right now is his brother, Vitali, who also holds a belt. But they'll never fight, they say, because of a promise they made their mother. So Wladimir continues to mow down challenger after challenger, and it's not like he's facing stiffs. He's systematically cleaning out the top 10, albeit a weak top 10. But he can only fight the guys in his era, and he's crushing them with ease. Against Peter, Klitschko displayed his strong jab and landed dozens of brutal right hands. It got worse for the 6-foot-2 Peter when the 6-6 Klitschko began to mix in his underrated uppercut. Everything was doing damage. Peter's right eye was swollen by the third round and he could not do anything effective on the inside, which is where he needed to be to make hay. When he did get inside, he resorted to holding, which referee Robert Byrd warned him about repeatedly. On the outside, the best Peter could do was swing and miss wildly. He talked about knocking Klitschko out in the pre-fight hype, but never really went for it. He was being hammered so badly that trainer Abel Sanchez told Peter in the corner after the eighth round he was considering stopping the fight if he didn't see something. He did it again after the ninth. Sanchez never did see anything. In the 10th round, Klitschko was nailing Peter and staggered him with a left hook before unloading several more shots. Peter was on wobbly legs when Klitschko landed a right uppercut that finished him. He went down and Byrd called it off at 1 minute, 22 seconds without a count.





Peter, who lost his version of the title in his first defense to Vitali in late 2008, entered the fight on a four-fight winning streak in which he had looked in great shape and knocked out lesser opponents. He was in good shape to fight Klitschko, but looked almost like an amateur. You have to question if he has any kind of future as a contender at this point. In three fights against the Klitschkos, he's fought 30 rounds. He's won maybe three, all in the first fight with Wladimir, who landed 142 of 499 punches (28 percent) on Peter, whose output was pathetic. He landed just 35 of 200 blows (18 percent).





Klitschko's past two fights have been mandatories, so now he is free to fight an optional opponent. If Haye beats Audley Harrison in November will he finally back up his trash talk so Klitschko can knock him out? Guess we'll see if he finally stops ducking the real champ.




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Saturday at Las Vegas​
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Featherweight
Yuriorkis Gamboa W12 Orlando Salido
Unifies two featherweight titles
Scores: 116-109, 114-109, 115-109​
[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: Gamboa, 19-0, 15 KOs; Salido, 34-11-2, 22 KOs
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Rafael's remark: In so many fights, Gamboa has been positively electrifying. He might be the fastest fighter in all of boxing, and he has power too, not to mention pedigree. He was an amateur star on the Cuban national team and won a 2004 Olympic gold medal before defecting. But even though he defeated Salido with relative ease, Gamboa was not nearly as crowd-pleasing as usual. Maybe it's because he's settling down a little from his wild ways, or maybe he was winning so easily that he literally looked bored at times. He wobbled Mexico's Salido in the fourth round with a flurry. In the eighth, Salido scored a flash knockdown, the fifth time Gamboa has tasted the canvas as a pro. Gamboa didn't appear hurt and resumed his dominance, picking Salido apart with accurate punches from both hands and from all angles. He had Salido, 29, holding on in the 11th and bleeding from a cut over his left eye caused by an accidental head butt. Gamboa dropped Salido in the 12th round and then dropped him again. But for some dumb reason, Gamboa nailed Salido with a shot behind the head when he was already down. Referee Joe Cortez would have been well within his rights to disqualify Gamboa, who, with all of his experience, should know better. Cortez showed restraint and instead deducted two points for the flagrant foul, making for an unusual 8-7 round in Gamboa's favor.





With the win, Gamboa, 28, notched his fourth title defense, although the hideous WBA recognizes two titlists at 126 pounds: Gamboa and the so-called super champion Chris John. Of course, super champions are supposed to be unified, but the WBA just gave John that recognition without him unifying. So now, it seems, there are two super champions with Gamboa picking up a second belt. Does that make one of them a super-duper champion? More likely we'll see a sham in which there are simply two super champions and the WBA sanctions some other fight for the regular title. Vomit if you want.





The IBF belt Gamboa claimed had been stripped from Salido -- who won it from Cristobal Cruz in May -- on Saturday morning. The IBF has a rule that says fighters can't gain more than 10 pounds between the official weigh-in and another weight check on the morning of the fight. Salido was officially 126, but weighed 138 at the second weigh-in and refused to try to lose the two pounds, so he was stripped. Gamboa won the fight with titleholder Juan Manuel Lopez at ringside. Top Rank wants to match them eventually, but wants to build the fight. Lopez will defend his belt Nov. 6 against Rafael Marquez. If he wins, maybe we'll see Lopez-Gamboa early next year, although it's by no means a guarantee.




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Lightweight
Brandon Rios W-DQ7 Anthony Peterson
Title eliminator ​
[tr][td]Records: Rios, 25-0-1, 18 KOs; Peterson, 30-1, 20 KOs
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Rafael's remark: If you've watched a lot of Top Rank's Spanish-language fight cards or Latin Fury pay-per-views, you know Rios. But for many boxing fans, this "Boxing After Dark" co-feature on HBO was their introduction to "Bam Bam," and what an intro it was as he scored the most significant victory of his career. Rios stole the show with a performance that showed his power, skill and fighting spirit in a good action fight. Rios, 24, of Oxnard, Calif., was the underdog, and probably lost the first round. The second round was an exciting toe-to-toe battle. But after that, it was all Rios. He visibly hurt Peterson, 25, of Washington, D.C., twice with left hands in the fourth round. A beautiful counter left hand just before the fifth round ended dropped Peterson to his backside, the first time in his career he had ever been knocked down. Barry Hunter, Peterson's trainer and father figure, begged his charge to use his excellent jab after the round. He pleaded with him to no avail. Peterson abandoned his best weapon and Rios continued to fire away. Peterson, the younger brother of junior welterweight contender Lamont Peterson, instead resorted to fouling Rios with low blows. He was warned by referee Russell Mora and then, in the sixth round, he landed several shots below the belt. Twice Mora docked points from Peterson. Maybe Peterson, doing his best Andrew Golota impersonation, was falling apart mentally, but he couldn't (or wouldn't) stop going low. He landed another bad one near the end of the seventh and Mora had no choice but to disqualify him. Rios, to his credit, never complained about the low blows. How many times have you seen a guy get whacked low, or even with a borderline punch, and try to win an Academy Award? Happens way too much. But Rios let the referee do his job, which Mora did very well. Rios' attitude, in addition to his crowd-pleasing style, surely won him a ton of new fans. With the win, Rios becomes the mandatory challenger for titlist Miguel Acosta, although after the fight he called out Juan Manuel Marquez (the real lightweight champ), titlist Humberto Soto and Oxnard rival Victor Ortiz, who fights at junior welterweight. There is bad blood between them and Rios wants a piece of him badly. He offered to meet Ortiz at a catch weight of 138 pounds. It won't happen right away, but that would be an exciting grudge match. Whomever Rios fights next, there are a whole lot more people interested now than before the fight with Peterson, who was a big disappointment.
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Junior welterweight
Jose Benavidez TKO2 Manuel Del Cid
​
[tr][td]Records: Benavidez, 8-0, 8 KOs; Del Cid, 4-3, 1 KO
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Rafael's remark: Benavidez continues to get his reps as a pro. With trainer Freddie Roach in his corner and Top Rank behind him, the 18-year-old from Phoenix is going places. He was standout amateur who turned pro instead of gunning for an Olympic medal in 2012, and so far there is nothing not to like about the kid. He's patient, has excellent size and clearly knows his way around the ring. So far, he's not being pushed. There's plenty of time for that. Right now, he and Roach are working on things. Benavidez had no problem with Los Angeles' Del Cid. A stiff jab and left hook to the body hurt him in the first round. Benavidez followed with more body punches in the second round. When two more body shots badly hurt Del Cid, referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight 41 seconds into the round. No surprise, but Benavidez totally outclassed De Cid. Benavidez is expected back Nov. 13 on the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard.
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Middleweight
Matvey Korobov W8 Anthony Greenidge
Scores: 79-73 (three times) ​
[tr][td]Records: Korobov, 12-0, 8 KOs; Greenidge, 14-5-1, 5 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Korobov, 27, a 2008 Russian Olympian with a lot of pro potential, was idle for the past five months while dealing with a nasal problem. He made his return against Greenidge, 22, of New York, who showed a lot of heart but was outclassed. He did make Korobov work for the victory and hung in there despite a bad cut in his right eyebrow that spewed blood for most of the fight. It looked like the ringside doctor might ask for the fight to be stopped when he examined it in the third round. Korobov landed a lot of punches when he decided to let his hands go. Although he clearly won, it was a methodical performance, not a dynamic one, and he looked tired in the late going. Korobov's progress may have slowed because of constant changes in trainers. He's now working with Mike McCallum, whom he hooked up with about two weeks ago after splitting with Kenny Adams. McCallum is Korobov's fourth trainer in 12 professional fights. Something is wrong with that.
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Light heavyweight
Mike Lee TKO2 Alex Rivera
​
[tr][td]Records: Lee, 2-0, 1 KOs; Rivera, 2-3, 2 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Lee, a 23-year-old Notre Dame graduate from Wheaton, Ill., routed Rivera in a strong performance. Wearing the blue and gold Fighting Irish colors, Lee -- whose fan following from the school's alumni is impressive, especially considering he has just two pro fights -- had the crowd cheering his every punch. He cleaned up on Rivera, 29, of Las Vegas, in the first round. Lee, who is trained by top trainer Ronnie Shields, pounded him so much, especially to the body, that it looked like Rivera wanted to quit after the first round. He made it into the second round and took more abuse. Lee dug a left to the body and an exhausted Rivera went down at the bell ending the round. There was no need to let it continue and referee Tony Weeks called it off. It was another crowd-pleasing fight from Lee, who turned pro in May instead of pursuing a Wall Street finance job. He's due back Nov. 13 on the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard.
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Saturday at Mexico City ​
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Welterweight
Erik Morales TKO6 Willie Limond
​
[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: Morales, 50-6, 35 KOs; Limond, 33-3, 8 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Celebrating the Mexican independence bicentennial, which is Wednesday, Morales headlined a card that drew, according to the commentators, 54,000 to a bullring and achieved the milestone 50th victory of what is a lock Hall of Fame career. Morales, 34, who has won titles in three divisions (junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight), returned from a 2½-year retirement in March by outpointing Jose Alfaro in a welterweight bout. In his second comeback bout, he faced Scotland's Limond, 31. Morales, nowhere near what he once was when he was one of the most fearsome fighters in the world, looked very slow and rusty for most of the fight. Limond, who's kind of slick, seemed to have the fight in hand through the first four rounds as he was outboxing Morales and making him miss. But Morales picked up steam in the fourth round as Limond began to tire. As they exchanged in the sixth round, Morales' strength advantage was obvious. With about 45 seconds left in the round, Morales dropped Limond to a knee with left hook to the body. He dropped Limond twice more with the same punch before referee Jay Nady called it off with 14 seconds left in the round to give Morales the win. Now, Morales has aspirations for another world title. He'd like to become the first Mexican to win titles in four divisions. There is talk of a fight with lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez in the first part of next year. Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer has talked to Morales about the fight and he's interested. So is Marquez, whom Golden Boy promotes. Marquez would have to retain his title Nov. 27 against Michael Katsidis. Despite Morales being well beyond his best, that fight would do big business in Mexico, which is where Schaefer wants to have the fight. If Morales can draw the kind of crowd he did against Limond, a fight with another Mexican star would be massive. Morales will have to work to make 135 pounds, but he was 143 against Limond and looked a bit soft. Limond gave an excellent account, but saw his five-fight winning streak end. He hadn't lost since July 2007, when future junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan, whom he dropped, stopped him in the eighth round of a lightweight fight.
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[tr][td][/td][/tr]
Flyweight
Edgar Sosa TKO10 Ryan Bito
​
[tr][td]Records: Sosa, 40-6, 24 KOs; Bito, 18-7-3, 6 KOs
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Rafael's remark: Sosa was a long-reigning junior flyweight titlist until Rodel Mayol, with the help of a nasty head butt, knocked him out 10 months ago to claim the 108-pound title. While there was talk about a rematch because of the controversial nature of the ending, it's not going to happen, because Mayol subsequently lost the title and Sosa, 31, of Mexico, has moved up in weight, where he has won three in a row. Sosa, a way better fighter, had his hands full with the obscure Bito, 24, of the Philippines, who had faced woeful competition until being thrown in with a top championship-level fighter in Sosa. Bito gave it his all but Sosa, who didn't look all that sharp, was in control in the high-contact action fight. In the third round, an accidental head butt opened a cut on Sosa's forehead, so Bito was docked a point under the WBC's horrible rule that forces a point to be taken from the uncut fighter in the event of a butt. Because they were fighting for a regional WBC belt, the bout was also fought under the WBC's even worse open scoring rule used in Mexico and other venues, so Sosa knew he was ahead after the fourth and eighth rounds. Sosa fought through the blood that streaked down his face throughout the fight to drop Bito with a left hook to the body in the 10th round. Bito continued and he and Sosa traded toe-to-toe in a very exciting exchange that ended when Sosa landed another body shot that dropped Bito again. Although he made it to his feet, he was in bad shape and referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia called it off at 2 minutes, 5 seconds.
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Saturday at Sunderland, England​
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Junior featherweight
Steve Molitor W12 Jason Booth
Retains a junior featherweight title
Scores: 116-113, 116-112, 114-114
​
[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: Molitor, 33-1, 12 KOs; Booth, 35-6, 15 KOs
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Rafael's remark: In March, Canada's Molitor outpointed Takalani Ndlovu (in a rematch of a knockout win) to regain his old title and made his first defense against England's Booth, 32. Molitor was familiar with the Booth family, having outpointed his brother, Nicky Booth, in England in a 2002 Commonwealth title bout. Jason Booth was seeking family revenge, but would have no such luck. Although he was busy and boxed well, once Molitor, who started slowly (as usual), got going after about the third round, he was able to take control of a competitive fight. He was a bit more accurate and finished rounds strong to leave an impression on the judges. Still, he was on the other man's home turf, so the judges can always be full of surprises. But in the end they got it right, even if the draw scorecard was a bit of a surprise. Molitor won his fifth fight in a row since being blown out in four rounds of a unification bout against Celestino Caballero in November 2008. Booth's eight-fight winning streak dating to 2007 came to an end.
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Friday at London ​
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Welterweight
John O'Donnell W12 Terrence Cauthen
Score: 118-112​
[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: O'Donnell, 24-1, 11 KOs; Cauthen, 35-7, 9 KOs
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Rafael's remark: O'Donnell, 24, who was born in Ireland but lives in London, was taking his biggest step up in competition as he headlined Showtime's "ShoBox" against fellow southpaw Cauthen, a highly experienced fighter and 1996 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist. Cauthen, however, has seen better days as O'Donnell easily outboxed him for the clear victory. Referee Ken Curtis was responsible for scoring, because that's how they do it in England. O'Donnell was methodical as he worked Cauthen's body regularly with his right hook. He didn't do anything all that great, but he dictated the pace of the fight and appeared to be the heavier puncher, not that either of them are known for their power. Cauthen simply did not throw enough punches or land enough to cause much of a stir. He seemed content to go the distance and lose. Cauthen, 34, of Trenton, N.J., suffered his fourth loss in his past seven bouts and has become a stepping-stone opponent. Pretty crappy fight, which was pretty much how it looked on paper when it was made.
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[tr][td][/td][/tr]
Heavyweight
Tyson Fury W8 Rich Power
Score: 80-72​
[tr][td]Records: Fury, 12-0, 9 KOs; Power, 12-1, 9 KOs
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Rafael's remark: England's Fury is only 22, he's huge -- 6-foot-9, 263 pounds -- and he has a great name. In England, he's been hyped to death by his handlers, even though he's very, very raw. Making his American television debut on Showtime's "ShoBox," Fury hoped to impress against Power, a 30-year-old club fighter from San Diego who took the fight on short notice after two other opponents fell out about a week before the fight. So did Fury impress? Not really, despite the shutout win on the scorecard of referee Jeff Hinds. (The referee is responsible for scoring British domestic contests.) If Fury is the future of the heavyweight division, he's got to get rid of an opponent such as Power, who had never gone past the second round. When he used it, Fury stuffed Power's face full of jabs while also landing just about everything else, but Power hung in there despite being outweighed by 42 pounds. Give him credit for that. Although he was clearly overmatched, Power tagged Fury several times, including late in the sixth round when he knocked out Fury's mouthpiece out with a flush left uppercut. As they went down the stretch, both guys looked gassed, but the outcome was academic -- easy win for Fury, but not one that would make you think you're looking at a future heavyweight champ.
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Friday at San Diego​
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Featherweight
Christopher Martin TKO8 Jose Luis Araiza
​
[/td][/tr][tr][td]Records: Martin, 20-0-2, 6 KOs; Araiza, 32-3, 23 KOs
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Rafael's remark: In August, San Diego's Martin, 24, scored an upset 10-round decision against highly touted prospect Chris Avalos on Showtime's "ShoBox" for the biggest win of his career. Making a quick return, Martin extended his unbeaten record in front of his hometown fans in the main event of Telefutura's "Solo Boxeo Tecate." Martin, with an obvious height advantage, controlled the scheduled eight-rounder most of the way against the wild-swinging Araiza, 31, of Mexico. Martin dropped Araiza with a clean left hook in the seventh round and finished him with a left to the body. As soon as he went down, referee Raul Caiz Sr. called it off at 2 minutes, 3 seconds. Another good performance from Martin. Araiza was fighting for the first time since William Gonzalez stopped him in the second round of a bantamweight title eliminator in April.
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The Super Six World Boxing Classic, already teetering on the brink of falling apart, took another big hit when Carl Froch, citing a back injury, withdrew from a scheduled Oct. 2 fight in Monte Carlo against Arthur Abraham.

"We were informed [Monday] morning of a back injury that prohibits him to fight on Oct. 2, but that would allow him a fight about seven or eight weeks later," Chris Meyer of Sauerland Event, Abraham's promoter, told ESPN.com.

[h4]Rafael's Boxing Blog[/h4]
rafael_dan_m.jpg

Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog.

There is no new date set for the fight, however. Sauerland Event and Froch promoter Mick Hennessy need to huddle with Showtime as well as with their European broadcast partners to figure out a new date.

"Froch claims he has a back injury and the promoters are talking to [Showtime's] Ken [Hershman] about a new date," Showtime spokesman Chris DeBlasio told ESPN.com.

Froch's withdrawal is the latest issue that threatens to derail the Showtime-bankrolled six-man tournament that features a collection of the top super middleweights in the world.

Hailed by fans and media around the world as an innovative and exciting concept when it was announced 14 months ago, it has been coming apart in recent weeks.

Previous postponements, injuries and the withdrawal of Jermain Taylor after his first fight of the tournament have been overcome. But now the issues are mounting.

Titleholder Mikkel Kessler withdrew from the tournament on Aug. 25 because of an eye injury.

When Kessler dropped out, his Group Stage 3 bout with Allan Green was canceled, leaving the status of the two other Group Stage 3 bouts -- Froch-Abraham and titlist Andre Ward against 2004 U.S. Olympic teammate Andre Dirrell -- uncertain.

Group Stage 3 was supposed to complete the round robin portion of the tournament with the four fighters with the most points through their first three bouts moving on to the semifinals. Fighters are awarded three points for a knockout win, two points for a win and one point for a draw.

Ward had already locked up a spot in the semifinals, but the remaining three slots would have been determined in the Group Stage 3 bouts. However, with Kessler out, Showtime was working on a scenario in which it would simply eliminate Group Stage 3 and make Froch-Abraham and Ward-Dirrell the semifinals, since those four fighters had the highest point totals of those remaining in the field.

Green, the replacement for Taylor, who dropped out after a bad knockout loss to Abraham in Group Stage 1, had no points after inheriting Taylor's total and losing his only fight in lopsided fashion to Ward.

Besides the problem with Kessler, Showtime also is dealing with a messy situation surrounding Ward's defense against Dirrell.

Despite continuing to advertise the fight for Sept. 25, which Showtime did again during its "ShoBox" telecast on Friday night, the fight is not happening, at least on that date.

With the fight only two weeks away, nothing remotely associated with promoting a fight has happened. The promoters have not secured a site, there are no tickets on sale and there has not been a news conference. More important -- neither fighter is in serious training.

Ward promoter Dan Goossen and Dirrell promoter Gary Shaw refuse to discuss the issues. However, Showtime has continued to press for the fight and last week threatened Goossen and Shaw with legal action if it's called off.

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn.
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• Although HBO announced the long discussed Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams rematch during Saturday night's "Boxing After Dark" telecast, the fight remains unsigned and no venue has been determined, Lou DiBella, Martinez's promoter, told ESPN.com. DiBella said he felt the fight would get done and he has Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., on hold for the Nov. 20 rematch, although it's not a lock as the host. "I've felt we have had a deal for a month, but for whatever reason the Williams side has not signed off yet," DiBella said. "I believe they will. More important, HBO believes they will, so they announced the fight. I was surprised when I saw it." Martinez, the middleweight champion, lost a tight decision to Williams in a December fight of the year candidate. In his next fight, Martinez outpointed Kelly Pavlik to win the title.

• Heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek (42-1, 27 KOs) will face brawler Vinny Maddalone (33-6, 24 KOs) in his next bout, Main Events promoter Kathy Duva told ESPN.com. She said she has a deal for the fight with Joe DeGuardia, Maddalone's promoter. "Maddalone is the opponent. He's rearing to go," Duva said. The only issue is the date and venue for the fight, she said. Duva is planning on Dec. 4 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. However, she said Top Rank might move Miguel Cotto's fight on the same date from New York to Atlantic City, which would force her to move Adamek-Maddalone. "If worse comes to worse, I have Dec. 9 on hold [at the Prudential Center] in Newark," she said of the venue where Adamek has drawn big crowds. "That's a Thursday, which isn't the best, but we did Adamek's [cruiserweight title] fight with Steve Cunningham on a Thursday and his fans turned out." She said another possibility would be Nov. 20 in Atlantic City if the Martinez-Williams rematch does not take place there. She said whenever the fight takes place, Adamek-Maddalone will be available on pay-per-view, which is how his fight against Michael Grant was televised last month.

• Russia's Dmitry Pirog made a big splash by knocking out heralded prospect Daniel Jacobs to win a vacant middleweight belt on July 31 on the Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz II undercard in Las Vegas. Titleholder Felix Sturm of Germany returned from a 14-month layoff to retain his piece of the title with a lopsided decision against Giovanni Lorenzo on Sept. 4. Now, the two titleholders could meet each other. Artie Pelullo, who promotes Pirog, told ESPN.com that he is in talks with Sturm's team about a unification in November or December or the first quarter of 2011. Pelullo said he has also talked to Top Rank about a match with former champ Kelly Pavlik, although Pavlik first fights Nov. 13 on the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard. Pelullo said if he can't make a deal one of those fights, Pirog would return late this year to defend his belt in St. Petersburg, Russia.

• ESPN has made a deal for the American rights to super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute's mandatory defense against American Jesse Brinkley on Oct. 15 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, where Bute is a major star. ESPN3.com will carry the fight live, along with the undercard bout featuring former light heavyweight titlist Adrian Diaconu against Omar Sheika. The time isn't set yet, but the broadcast will begin at either 9:30 or 10 p.m. ET. ESPN will carry a taped replay of Bute-Brinkley at 2 p.m. ET on Oct. 17. That telecast will also include a taped replay of the Oct. 16 heavyweight title bout from Germany between Vitali Klitschko and Shannon Briggs. ESPN3.com will also carry live coverage of Klitschko-Briggs.

• There has been confusion over the broadcast schedule for Edin Dapudong-Wilbert Uicab flyweight bout in Cancun, Mexico on Friday in celebration of Mexican Independence Day. ESPN3.com will carry the fight, and undercard bouts, live beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET. ESPN Deportes will carry taped coverage at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.

• Unable to reach an agreement on the fight with promoter Golden Boy, interim junior welterweight titlist Marcos Maidana has been granted his request for a purse bid by the WBA on his mandatory bout with titleholder Amir Khan, which is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 11 -- site to be determined -- on HBO's "World Championship Boxing." The WBA agreed and ordered the purse bid for Sept. 21 at the organization's office in Panama. The minimum bid is $150,000 for any promoter registered with the organization. Khan is entitled to 55 percent of the winning bid with Maidana receiving 45 percent. The sides can still try to strike a deal before the bid. Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, who promotes both fighters, told ESPN.com he has made offers to both camps, but neither side is happy. Schaefer added that Khan does not want to go to a purse bid, which could give his former promoter, England's Frank Warren, an opportunity to win the rights to the fight. Under the Golden Boy offer, Khan stood to earn approximately $1.5 million plus whatever his British television rights go for.

• Former junior lightweight titlist Juan Carlos Salgado suffered a hand injury Friday and on Sunday withdrew from his 12-rounder with Tyrone Harris. They were scheduled to meet Wednesday on the undercard of the featherweight bout between Jackson Asiku and former bantamweight titlist Jhonny Gonzalez, which headlines an Integrated Sports pay-per-view card (10 p.m. ET) taking place on Mexican Independence Day at the Las Vegas Hilton. With Salgado out, promoter Roy Englebrecht announced that Miguel Roman, who was scheduled for another bout on the undercard, would fill in for Salgado. The winner of Harris-Roman is supposed to fight Salgado when he returns. Also on the card is former Miami Hurricanes football player Quadrine Hill in a heavyweight fight against Yohan Banks.

• Junior middleweight Demetrius Andrade (10-0, 7 KOs), a 2008 U.S. Olympian and one of boxing's most promising prospects, fights Dave Saunders on Wednesday night in Manchester, N.H. It will be his first without his father, Paul Andrade, in his corner as trainer after the two had a falling out. David Keefe, his longtime assistant trainer, is now in charge of the corner, promoter Artie Pelullo said. Paul Andrade is also out as manager and has been replaced by longtime friend Ed Farris. Demetrius Andrade, 22, moved out of his native Providence, R.I., to Mansfield, Mass., to be closer to Keefe for training. Welterweight prospect Danny O'Connor is also on Wednesday's card. Super middleweight prospect Edwin Rodriguez was supposed to be on the show, but dropped out. He was not ready with the bout coming just a couple of weeks after his wedding.

• Prize Fight has a prospect-heavy card scheduled for Sept. 25 on its regular "Fights At The Fitz" series at the Fitz Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Miss. Middleweight banger Dominic Wade (8-0, 6 KOs) headlines in a six-rounder with a pair of 2008 U.S. Olympians scheduled for six-rounders on the undercard, heavyweight bronze medal winner Deontay Wilder (11-0, 11 KOs) and featherweight Gary Russell Jr. (11-0, 8 KOs). Also on the show is cruiserweight Alex Guerrero (3-0, 1 KO), the brother of rising middleweight prospect Fernando Guerrero.

• ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" returns for its 13th season on Jan. 7. Doug Loughrey, who programs the series, said he has begun working on fights for the early part of the season. … Jonathan Barros (29-1-1, 16 KOs), who lost a decision to featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa in March, is under consideration to face Celestino Caballero (34-2, 23 KOs) on HBO on Nov. 27 in a fight on the undercard of lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez's defense against Michael Katsidis.
[h3]Quotables[/h3]
"I know that there is a lot of talk about me fighting 'Juanma' soon. But it's not my job to worry about that. I will leave this up to the promoters who want to put the fight together. I can only say that I am ready and up for the challenge. I want to prove that I am the best and to do so I have to beat everybody they put in front of him, no matter if his name is [Orlando] Salido, [Elio] Rojas, [Chris] John, [Celestino] Caballero or [Juan Manuel] Lopez. Just bring 'em on." -- unified featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa, on facing the other top featherweights in the world, following his unanimous decision against Salido on Saturday night

"I congratulate Gamboa, but I also saw some things I might be able to take advantage of in case we will fight soon. There are lots of excellent fighters out there at 126 with Gamboa, Chris John and Celestino Caballero being three of the names I'm looking at." -- Lopez, who attended Gamboa-Salido on Saturday, on his own potential fights should he defeat Rafael Marquez on Nov. 6
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Found a great highlight vid on Patterson.



A very underrated HW champion.
The Liston losses define his career somewhat, and they shouldn't.

He was a great heavyweight, which is even more impressive when you remember he came up from MW.
 
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