2011 Official Boxing Thread: 12/30 Jermain Taylor + Andre Dirrell return on ShoBox.

Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT

Floyd Sr. def. doesnt help the situation.

He's a bigger child than Floyd Jr
Click to expand...


QFT!!!

i mean i understand not going off on him infront of everyone but when stuff to be said it just comes out. we all seen the old 24/7 when floyd SR would have the interviews 1on1 he would be sayin he is the better trainer and roger is not the man for the job. im sure thats why Floyd said it even more on camera to put a end to that.
 
Weekend wrapup.

Spoiler [+]
Saturday at Erfurt, Germany

Alexander Povetkin W12 Ruslan Chagaev
Heavyweight
Wins a vacant heavyweight title
Scores: 117-113 (twice), 116-112
Records: Povetkin (22-0, 15 KOs); Chagaev (27-2-1, 17 KOs)
Rafael's remark: First things first: the title that Povetkin claimed is a sham. Completely and utterly. On July 2, Wladimir Klitschko embarrassed David Haye to win the WBA belt and add it to his collection. However, the horrible WBA, which is singlehandedly making a mockery of world titles even more than the lowly WBC (which is hard to do), simply named Klitschko a so-called "super champion" and created this pointless title. Maybe a few people in Russia, Povetkin's home country, will consider him a world champion, but few others will. Besides, Klitschko already destroyed Chagaev, a former titlist, in 2009 and Povetkin, in a calculated move by trainer Teddy Atlas, ducked Klitschko, going so far as to pull out of a mandatory fight for a career-high payday of more than $2 million that was scheduled for September 2010.

So while the belt Povetkin, 31, a 2004 Russian Olympic gold medalist, and Chagaev, 32, a native of Uzbekistan based in Germany, fought for was merely a paper trinket, at least their desire to own it helped make the match between the top 10 heavyweights. And, as heavyweight fights go these days, it was a pretty good fight, one made available to American fans on Epix.

Although Povetkin began well, Chagaev picked up the pace in the fifth and sixth rounds. He was moving well and putting his punches together while Povetkin was looking confused against the southpaw. Chagaev rocked him with a left hand in the fifth round and was landing cleanly in the sixth round, including an overhand left to the head that wobbled Povetkin, who seemed winded at that point. Atlas knew Povetkin was in rough waters and brought out one motivational speech after another between rounds with the help of a translator. What Atlas was saying, including invoking the death of Povetkin's father and telling him he needed to fight for his dad's memory, seemed to inspire Povetkin. He got himself back on track and fought back with the kind of passion that had been missing earlier in the fight.

Atlas nearly did not train Povetkin for the fight because of a conflict between the camp in Russia and his duties as the analyst for ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights," but when Povetkin called him personally, Atlas went, leaving the final three "FNF" cards to a series of fill-in analysts. Although Atlas was very concerned that he had only 23 days in camp to train Povetkin (whom Atlas said was not in the best shape when he got there), they were able to get the job done under difficult circumstances. If Atlas was not in the corner lighting a fire under Povetkin with exactly the right words, he very well might not have won the fight.

Former champ Evander Holyfield, 48, was invited to sit ringside by Povetkin's promoter, Wilfried Sauerland, and, pathetically, might get the first crack at Povetkin, who will stay away from Klitschko probably for as long as he can.

Robert Helenius TKO9 Sergei Liakhovich
Heavyweight
Records: Helenius (16-0, 11 KOs); Liakhovich (25-4, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remark: Finland's Helenius, 27, nicknamed the "Nordic Nightmare", is one of the more intriguing up-and-coming heavyweights. He's huge -- 6-foot-6 and 243 pounds -- and beginning to fashion a solid resume. With his nasty knockout of Liakhovich, Helenius put the name of a third former titlist on his record.

In January 2010, Helenius smashed up the remains of faded Lamon Brewster, stopping him in the eighth round and sending him into retirement. In April, he dropped Samuel Peter twice en route to a clean ninth-round knockout for his career-best win. And now he has a nice knockout of Liakhovich to go with them while also becoming a serious contender, even though he is not quite ready to face Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko. Helenius struggled early against the energetic Liakhovich, 35, who was fighting for the first time in 15 months. They had been scheduled to fight on July 16, but the bout was delayed because Helenius was dealing with inflammation in his right hand. There were no signs of any hand issues, however, when they finally did meet. It was an entertaining fight, but one Helenius slowly took over as the bout wore on.

According to Main Events promoter Kathy Duva, who handles Liakhovich, he suffered a broken nose in the second round that hampered his breathing. Helenius is obviously heavy handed and had bruised Liakhovich's face. His nose was also bleeding when Helenius turned it up in the eight round, dropping Liakhovich with an onslaught near the end of the round. Liakhovich was spent and Helenius took him out 19 seconds into the ninth round when he landed a booming left uppercut and four more shots to drop him again as referee Stanley Christodoulou called it off. It was another good victory for Helenius, who seems to have a bright future in a division in need of an exciting young contender. Liakhovich, meanwhile, has nothing to be ashamed of. He was game as ever and showed that despite being stopped, he is not done yet.


Saturday at Guadalajara, Mexico

Ulises "Archie" Solis W12 Jether Oliva
Junior flyweight
Retains a junior flyweight title
Scores: 120-108, 119-109, 118-110
Records: Solis (34-2-3, 21 KOs); Oliva (17-1-1, 11 KOs)
Rafael's remark: In April, Mexico's Solis, 30, regained his old belt when he outpointed Luis Lazarte on his turf in Argentina. Returning to his hometown, Solis faced the Philippines' Oliva, 24, who took the bout on two weeks' notice when Argentina's Adrian Miranda dropped out. Originally, the bout was supposed to headline "Top Rank Live," but it was scratched from the broadcast at the last minute and wound up on Azteca America while the other title bout on the same card aired on "Top Rank Live." It was a weird situation, one that seems to happen all too often with Mexican promoter Fernando Beltran's fights that he puts on in conjunction with Top Rank.

Solis hopes for a rematch with flyweight titlist Brian Viloria or a unification bout with Roman Gonzalez now that he is safely through the fight with Oliva, who made it a tough fight despite the one-sided scores. Oliva landed some solid left hands during the fight and Solis, whose suffered a cut and swollen left eye in the eighth round, was certainly on the lookout for the punch after tasting his power. But this was a typical Solis fight -- a bit ugly with holding and wrestling here and there, but also a professional performance from a seasoned veteran titleholder.

Moises Fuentes W12 Raul Garcia
Strawweight
wins a strawweight title
Scores: 114-112 (twice) Fuentes, 114-112 Garcia
Records: Fuentes (14-1, 6 KOs); Garcia (30-2-1, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remark: The weekend was dominated by heavyweights, but this was its best fight as Fuentes pulled the big upset against his Mexican countryman in a terrific battle of little guys. Garcia, 28, has been one of the better strawweights for the past several years. He made four title defenses in his first reign before losing his belt in his only previous loss to South Africa's Nkosinathi Joyi in March 2010. He claimed another title last year and was making his second defense against the untested Fuentes. But Fuentes, 25, was more than up to the task as they slugged it out in a crowd-pleasing affair that headlined a "Top Rank Live" telecast.

It was a close, competitive fight all the way and featured an exciting ebb and flow. Fuentes dropped Garcia with a left hook just before the end of the seventh round before Garcia rallied to score a knockdown in the ninth round. Fuentes, however, seemed undeterred. He was filled with energy late in the fight and opened a cut over Garcia's eye. When the fight ended the feeling was that it could have gone either way. Fuentes got the nod via split decision and it is hard to argue against it, although a rematch would certainly be welcome.


Saturday at Leon, Mexico

Librado Andrade TKO3 Matt O'Brien
Super middleweight
Records: Andrade (30-4, 23 KOs); O'Brien (18-3, 8 KOs)
Rafael's remark: For several years, Andrade, of La Habra, Calif., has been a top-10 super middleweight contender, but unable to get over the hump. Three times he lost challenging for a title, twice to Lucian Bute and once to Mikkel Kessler. Entering this fight, his first as pro in his native Mexico, Andrade, who turns 33 on Sept. 2, was in dire need of a win. He was upset via decision by Aaron Pryor Jr. in May and had lost three of his last five (including both fight with Bute, one of which was by knockout). He got his win and it came early, but it was not entirely easy as O'Brien was a game opponent.

Although nationally televised on Televisa in Mexico, American fight fans were able watch the Golden Boy card courtesy of the typically outstanding AT&T U-Verse live stream and it was a pretty good one, culminating with Andrade taking out O'Brien with a pair of third-round knockdowns. Andrade was on the offensive from the start and finally rocked him with an uppercut in the third round. Despite a bloody nose, Andrade would eventually drop O'Brien twice, including with a body shot. O'Brien, whose face was marked up and cut, gingerly beat the count, but his corner waived the white towel and it was called off at referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia called it off at 2 minutes, 20 seconds. O'Brien, 34, of British Colombia, lost his second fight in a row and third of his last four.

Enrique Ornelas W10 Alfredo Contreras
Light heavyweight
Scores: unavailable
Records: Ornelas (32-7, 20 KOs); Contreras (10-12-3, 4 KOs)
Rafael's remark: This was supposed to be cakewalk for Ornelas, whose older brother, Librado Andrade, won in the main event. Instead Ornelas had a tough battle with Contreras, a 26-year-old from Mexico, who dropped to 1-8-1 in his last 10 bouts. But he was there to fight hard against Ornelas, 30, of La Habra, Calif., who was fighting in his native Mexico for the first time as a professional. Although Ornelas appeared to be ahead throughout the bout, Contreras was in his face all night in what was a solid action fight with plenty of hard hitting. Ornelas has now won two in a row since losing a unanimous decision challenging super middleweight titlist Robert Stieglitz in November.


Saturday at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Deontay Wilder KO2 Dominique Alexander
Heavyweight
Records: Wilder (18-0, 18 KOs); Alexander (20-12-1, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remark: Wilder, 25, who received a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics -- the only American boxer to medal -- remains a raw prospect nearly three years into his professional career. He had a very limited amateur career, despite the Olympic medal, and is still probably a long way from fighting a significant opponent. Fighting in his hometown, Wilder continued to learn on the job as he took out Alexander, 28, of Topeka, Kan., a very low level opponent who lost his third in a row and dropped to 1-5 in his last six (with all five losses coming by knockout). In the second round, Wilder forced Alexander into a corner with a flurry of six punches, including an overhand right that dropped him to the canvas. Alexander survived, but the fight was over a few seconds later when Wilder dropped him again with another right hand.


Friday at Chicago

Frankie Gomez W8 Adrian Granados
Junior welterweight
Scores: 78-73, 77-74, 76-76
Records: Gomez (11-0, 8 KOs); Granados (6-1-1, 3 KOs)
Rafael's remark: Gomez was a standout amateur and favorite to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, but he decided to turn pro last year after being offered a fat deal from Golden Boy Promotions to do so. Although his mark is perfect in the pros, Gomez has not always been in top condition or as focused as his handlers would like him to be, but that seems to have changed in recent fights. He needed every bit of his conditioning and focus to squeeze past Granados in a tough, hard-fought fight that was the best "Solo Boxeo Tecate" main event in quite some time.

This was not the typical mismatch that Golden Boy has often featured on the Telefutura series. Instead, Gomez, 19, of East Los Angeles, and Granados, 22, who was fighting in his hometown, slugged it out in a crowd pleasing fight. From the opening bell, they were both aggressive and looking to make it a battle. Gomez scored the only knockdown of the fight in the final seconds of the second round when Granados walked into a straight right hand and went down on his rear end. But the round ended before Gomez could see if he was hurt. For the rest of the fight they traded blows and marked up each other's face with clean shots. Gomez, however, was a little more accurate and a bit busier, enabling him to score the majority decision in an excellent fight, by far the hardest of his young career.

It was a good test for Gomez, especially going into his opponent's hometown, and an admirable performance from Granados despite the loss.


Friday at Donetsk, Ukraine

Vyacheslav Senchenko TKO6 Marco Antonio Avendano
Welterweight
Retains a welterweight title
Records:Senchenko (32-0, 21 KOs); Avendano (30-8-1, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remark: Once a year, Senchenko, 33, of Ukraine, comes out of hiding to defend his paper title in his hometown against a hand-picked opponent with little chance to win. This is the same scenario that played out once again as Senchenko made his third defense against Avendano, a 38-year-old journeyman from Venezuela best known for a pair of decision losses (in 2008 and 2009) to Nobuhiro Ishida, the Japanese fighter who knocked out James Kirkland in the first round in April in a huge upset.

Senchenko, who was fighting for the 13th consecutive time in Donetsk, and Avendano clashed heads in the opening round and suffered cuts. Eventually, Senchenko, who is trained by Freddie Roach, took over the fight, as expected, when he rocked Avendano with a right hand in the sixth round before cracking him to the head again and with a left hand to the body to drop him as referee Steve Smoger called off the fight at 2 minutes, 40 seconds.

Karoly Balzsay W12 Stas Kashtanov
Super middleweight
Wins a vacant super middleweight title
Scores: 116-111, 115-114, 115-113
Records: Balzsay (24-2, 17 KOs); Kashtanov (28-1, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remark: Ahhh, yet another bout for a nonsensical WBA "regular" title. Andre Ward, of course, holds the main title and is set to defend it in a unification fight against Carl Froch in the Super Six World Boxing Classic final on Oct. 29. And don't forget that Brian Magee recently won the interim belt. But that means nothing to the odious WBA, which loves to have multiple titles in the same division -- three now at 168 pounds -- so it can squeeze out another sanctioning fee.

Balzsay, 32, of Hungary, who briefly held a super middleweight belt in 2009, and Kashtanov, 27, who was fighting in his hometown and had trainer Freddie Roach in his corner, met for the paper belt in what was a hard-fought fight. They had the bout in a 50,000-seat stadium and it was virtually empty. The wide camera shots of the arena were amazing because it was desolate except for the little ring in the middle with a few people around it. Maybe there were a couple of thousand people there. It was very odd. They fought at a pretty decent pace and Kashtanov had some good moments in the competitive bout. He landed some solid right hands, including one at the end of the sixth round that wobbled Balzsay and another did that the same thing early in the seventh. He also opened small cuts over and under Balzsay's left eye. They were in the fight going to the 12th round and they let it all hang out in an action-packed frame during which they traded toe-to-toe.

Overall, however, Balzsay was the more accurate puncher throughout the bout and eked out the tight decision despite being on Kashtanov's turf. Balzsay is now supposed to face Dimitri Sartison, who had held the "regular" belt before being stripped because he was unable to defend it because of a knee injury.
 
Weekend wrapup.

Spoiler [+]
Saturday at Erfurt, Germany

Alexander Povetkin W12 Ruslan Chagaev
Heavyweight
Wins a vacant heavyweight title
Scores: 117-113 (twice), 116-112
Records: Povetkin (22-0, 15 KOs); Chagaev (27-2-1, 17 KOs)
Rafael's remark: First things first: the title that Povetkin claimed is a sham. Completely and utterly. On July 2, Wladimir Klitschko embarrassed David Haye to win the WBA belt and add it to his collection. However, the horrible WBA, which is singlehandedly making a mockery of world titles even more than the lowly WBC (which is hard to do), simply named Klitschko a so-called "super champion" and created this pointless title. Maybe a few people in Russia, Povetkin's home country, will consider him a world champion, but few others will. Besides, Klitschko already destroyed Chagaev, a former titlist, in 2009 and Povetkin, in a calculated move by trainer Teddy Atlas, ducked Klitschko, going so far as to pull out of a mandatory fight for a career-high payday of more than $2 million that was scheduled for September 2010.

So while the belt Povetkin, 31, a 2004 Russian Olympic gold medalist, and Chagaev, 32, a native of Uzbekistan based in Germany, fought for was merely a paper trinket, at least their desire to own it helped make the match between the top 10 heavyweights. And, as heavyweight fights go these days, it was a pretty good fight, one made available to American fans on Epix.

Although Povetkin began well, Chagaev picked up the pace in the fifth and sixth rounds. He was moving well and putting his punches together while Povetkin was looking confused against the southpaw. Chagaev rocked him with a left hand in the fifth round and was landing cleanly in the sixth round, including an overhand left to the head that wobbled Povetkin, who seemed winded at that point. Atlas knew Povetkin was in rough waters and brought out one motivational speech after another between rounds with the help of a translator. What Atlas was saying, including invoking the death of Povetkin's father and telling him he needed to fight for his dad's memory, seemed to inspire Povetkin. He got himself back on track and fought back with the kind of passion that had been missing earlier in the fight.

Atlas nearly did not train Povetkin for the fight because of a conflict between the camp in Russia and his duties as the analyst for ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights," but when Povetkin called him personally, Atlas went, leaving the final three "FNF" cards to a series of fill-in analysts. Although Atlas was very concerned that he had only 23 days in camp to train Povetkin (whom Atlas said was not in the best shape when he got there), they were able to get the job done under difficult circumstances. If Atlas was not in the corner lighting a fire under Povetkin with exactly the right words, he very well might not have won the fight.

Former champ Evander Holyfield, 48, was invited to sit ringside by Povetkin's promoter, Wilfried Sauerland, and, pathetically, might get the first crack at Povetkin, who will stay away from Klitschko probably for as long as he can.

Robert Helenius TKO9 Sergei Liakhovich
Heavyweight
Records: Helenius (16-0, 11 KOs); Liakhovich (25-4, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remark: Finland's Helenius, 27, nicknamed the "Nordic Nightmare", is one of the more intriguing up-and-coming heavyweights. He's huge -- 6-foot-6 and 243 pounds -- and beginning to fashion a solid resume. With his nasty knockout of Liakhovich, Helenius put the name of a third former titlist on his record.

In January 2010, Helenius smashed up the remains of faded Lamon Brewster, stopping him in the eighth round and sending him into retirement. In April, he dropped Samuel Peter twice en route to a clean ninth-round knockout for his career-best win. And now he has a nice knockout of Liakhovich to go with them while also becoming a serious contender, even though he is not quite ready to face Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko. Helenius struggled early against the energetic Liakhovich, 35, who was fighting for the first time in 15 months. They had been scheduled to fight on July 16, but the bout was delayed because Helenius was dealing with inflammation in his right hand. There were no signs of any hand issues, however, when they finally did meet. It was an entertaining fight, but one Helenius slowly took over as the bout wore on.

According to Main Events promoter Kathy Duva, who handles Liakhovich, he suffered a broken nose in the second round that hampered his breathing. Helenius is obviously heavy handed and had bruised Liakhovich's face. His nose was also bleeding when Helenius turned it up in the eight round, dropping Liakhovich with an onslaught near the end of the round. Liakhovich was spent and Helenius took him out 19 seconds into the ninth round when he landed a booming left uppercut and four more shots to drop him again as referee Stanley Christodoulou called it off. It was another good victory for Helenius, who seems to have a bright future in a division in need of an exciting young contender. Liakhovich, meanwhile, has nothing to be ashamed of. He was game as ever and showed that despite being stopped, he is not done yet.


Saturday at Guadalajara, Mexico

Ulises "Archie" Solis W12 Jether Oliva
Junior flyweight
Retains a junior flyweight title
Scores: 120-108, 119-109, 118-110
Records: Solis (34-2-3, 21 KOs); Oliva (17-1-1, 11 KOs)
Rafael's remark: In April, Mexico's Solis, 30, regained his old belt when he outpointed Luis Lazarte on his turf in Argentina. Returning to his hometown, Solis faced the Philippines' Oliva, 24, who took the bout on two weeks' notice when Argentina's Adrian Miranda dropped out. Originally, the bout was supposed to headline "Top Rank Live," but it was scratched from the broadcast at the last minute and wound up on Azteca America while the other title bout on the same card aired on "Top Rank Live." It was a weird situation, one that seems to happen all too often with Mexican promoter Fernando Beltran's fights that he puts on in conjunction with Top Rank.

Solis hopes for a rematch with flyweight titlist Brian Viloria or a unification bout with Roman Gonzalez now that he is safely through the fight with Oliva, who made it a tough fight despite the one-sided scores. Oliva landed some solid left hands during the fight and Solis, whose suffered a cut and swollen left eye in the eighth round, was certainly on the lookout for the punch after tasting his power. But this was a typical Solis fight -- a bit ugly with holding and wrestling here and there, but also a professional performance from a seasoned veteran titleholder.

Moises Fuentes W12 Raul Garcia
Strawweight
wins a strawweight title
Scores: 114-112 (twice) Fuentes, 114-112 Garcia
Records: Fuentes (14-1, 6 KOs); Garcia (30-2-1, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remark: The weekend was dominated by heavyweights, but this was its best fight as Fuentes pulled the big upset against his Mexican countryman in a terrific battle of little guys. Garcia, 28, has been one of the better strawweights for the past several years. He made four title defenses in his first reign before losing his belt in his only previous loss to South Africa's Nkosinathi Joyi in March 2010. He claimed another title last year and was making his second defense against the untested Fuentes. But Fuentes, 25, was more than up to the task as they slugged it out in a crowd-pleasing affair that headlined a "Top Rank Live" telecast.

It was a close, competitive fight all the way and featured an exciting ebb and flow. Fuentes dropped Garcia with a left hook just before the end of the seventh round before Garcia rallied to score a knockdown in the ninth round. Fuentes, however, seemed undeterred. He was filled with energy late in the fight and opened a cut over Garcia's eye. When the fight ended the feeling was that it could have gone either way. Fuentes got the nod via split decision and it is hard to argue against it, although a rematch would certainly be welcome.


Saturday at Leon, Mexico

Librado Andrade TKO3 Matt O'Brien
Super middleweight
Records: Andrade (30-4, 23 KOs); O'Brien (18-3, 8 KOs)
Rafael's remark: For several years, Andrade, of La Habra, Calif., has been a top-10 super middleweight contender, but unable to get over the hump. Three times he lost challenging for a title, twice to Lucian Bute and once to Mikkel Kessler. Entering this fight, his first as pro in his native Mexico, Andrade, who turns 33 on Sept. 2, was in dire need of a win. He was upset via decision by Aaron Pryor Jr. in May and had lost three of his last five (including both fight with Bute, one of which was by knockout). He got his win and it came early, but it was not entirely easy as O'Brien was a game opponent.

Although nationally televised on Televisa in Mexico, American fight fans were able watch the Golden Boy card courtesy of the typically outstanding AT&T U-Verse live stream and it was a pretty good one, culminating with Andrade taking out O'Brien with a pair of third-round knockdowns. Andrade was on the offensive from the start and finally rocked him with an uppercut in the third round. Despite a bloody nose, Andrade would eventually drop O'Brien twice, including with a body shot. O'Brien, whose face was marked up and cut, gingerly beat the count, but his corner waived the white towel and it was called off at referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia called it off at 2 minutes, 20 seconds. O'Brien, 34, of British Colombia, lost his second fight in a row and third of his last four.

Enrique Ornelas W10 Alfredo Contreras
Light heavyweight
Scores: unavailable
Records: Ornelas (32-7, 20 KOs); Contreras (10-12-3, 4 KOs)
Rafael's remark: This was supposed to be cakewalk for Ornelas, whose older brother, Librado Andrade, won in the main event. Instead Ornelas had a tough battle with Contreras, a 26-year-old from Mexico, who dropped to 1-8-1 in his last 10 bouts. But he was there to fight hard against Ornelas, 30, of La Habra, Calif., who was fighting in his native Mexico for the first time as a professional. Although Ornelas appeared to be ahead throughout the bout, Contreras was in his face all night in what was a solid action fight with plenty of hard hitting. Ornelas has now won two in a row since losing a unanimous decision challenging super middleweight titlist Robert Stieglitz in November.


Saturday at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Deontay Wilder KO2 Dominique Alexander
Heavyweight
Records: Wilder (18-0, 18 KOs); Alexander (20-12-1, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remark: Wilder, 25, who received a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics -- the only American boxer to medal -- remains a raw prospect nearly three years into his professional career. He had a very limited amateur career, despite the Olympic medal, and is still probably a long way from fighting a significant opponent. Fighting in his hometown, Wilder continued to learn on the job as he took out Alexander, 28, of Topeka, Kan., a very low level opponent who lost his third in a row and dropped to 1-5 in his last six (with all five losses coming by knockout). In the second round, Wilder forced Alexander into a corner with a flurry of six punches, including an overhand right that dropped him to the canvas. Alexander survived, but the fight was over a few seconds later when Wilder dropped him again with another right hand.


Friday at Chicago

Frankie Gomez W8 Adrian Granados
Junior welterweight
Scores: 78-73, 77-74, 76-76
Records: Gomez (11-0, 8 KOs); Granados (6-1-1, 3 KOs)
Rafael's remark: Gomez was a standout amateur and favorite to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, but he decided to turn pro last year after being offered a fat deal from Golden Boy Promotions to do so. Although his mark is perfect in the pros, Gomez has not always been in top condition or as focused as his handlers would like him to be, but that seems to have changed in recent fights. He needed every bit of his conditioning and focus to squeeze past Granados in a tough, hard-fought fight that was the best "Solo Boxeo Tecate" main event in quite some time.

This was not the typical mismatch that Golden Boy has often featured on the Telefutura series. Instead, Gomez, 19, of East Los Angeles, and Granados, 22, who was fighting in his hometown, slugged it out in a crowd pleasing fight. From the opening bell, they were both aggressive and looking to make it a battle. Gomez scored the only knockdown of the fight in the final seconds of the second round when Granados walked into a straight right hand and went down on his rear end. But the round ended before Gomez could see if he was hurt. For the rest of the fight they traded blows and marked up each other's face with clean shots. Gomez, however, was a little more accurate and a bit busier, enabling him to score the majority decision in an excellent fight, by far the hardest of his young career.

It was a good test for Gomez, especially going into his opponent's hometown, and an admirable performance from Granados despite the loss.


Friday at Donetsk, Ukraine

Vyacheslav Senchenko TKO6 Marco Antonio Avendano
Welterweight
Retains a welterweight title
Records:Senchenko (32-0, 21 KOs); Avendano (30-8-1, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remark: Once a year, Senchenko, 33, of Ukraine, comes out of hiding to defend his paper title in his hometown against a hand-picked opponent with little chance to win. This is the same scenario that played out once again as Senchenko made his third defense against Avendano, a 38-year-old journeyman from Venezuela best known for a pair of decision losses (in 2008 and 2009) to Nobuhiro Ishida, the Japanese fighter who knocked out James Kirkland in the first round in April in a huge upset.

Senchenko, who was fighting for the 13th consecutive time in Donetsk, and Avendano clashed heads in the opening round and suffered cuts. Eventually, Senchenko, who is trained by Freddie Roach, took over the fight, as expected, when he rocked Avendano with a right hand in the sixth round before cracking him to the head again and with a left hand to the body to drop him as referee Steve Smoger called off the fight at 2 minutes, 40 seconds.

Karoly Balzsay W12 Stas Kashtanov
Super middleweight
Wins a vacant super middleweight title
Scores: 116-111, 115-114, 115-113
Records: Balzsay (24-2, 17 KOs); Kashtanov (28-1, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remark: Ahhh, yet another bout for a nonsensical WBA "regular" title. Andre Ward, of course, holds the main title and is set to defend it in a unification fight against Carl Froch in the Super Six World Boxing Classic final on Oct. 29. And don't forget that Brian Magee recently won the interim belt. But that means nothing to the odious WBA, which loves to have multiple titles in the same division -- three now at 168 pounds -- so it can squeeze out another sanctioning fee.

Balzsay, 32, of Hungary, who briefly held a super middleweight belt in 2009, and Kashtanov, 27, who was fighting in his hometown and had trainer Freddie Roach in his corner, met for the paper belt in what was a hard-fought fight. They had the bout in a 50,000-seat stadium and it was virtually empty. The wide camera shots of the arena were amazing because it was desolate except for the little ring in the middle with a few people around it. Maybe there were a couple of thousand people there. It was very odd. They fought at a pretty decent pace and Kashtanov had some good moments in the competitive bout. He landed some solid right hands, including one at the end of the sixth round that wobbled Balzsay and another did that the same thing early in the seventh. He also opened small cuts over and under Balzsay's left eye. They were in the fight going to the 12th round and they let it all hang out in an action-packed frame during which they traded toe-to-toe.

Overall, however, Balzsay was the more accurate puncher throughout the bout and eked out the tight decision despite being on Kashtanov's turf. Balzsay is now supposed to face Dimitri Sartison, who had held the "regular" belt before being stripped because he was unable to defend it because of a knee injury.
 
I was never a fan of DLH but this is sad to hear.

Spoiler [+]
Former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya said in a television interview that he had thought about suicide and has been going to rehab because he has become dependent on drugs and alcohol.


[+] EnlargeJewel Samad/Getty Images
Oscar De La Hoya hasn't fought since being thoroughly beaten by Manny Pacquiao in 2008.
"Rock bottom was recently," De La Hoya said, according to an English-language transcript provided by Spanish-language network Univision. "Within a couple of years, just thinking if my life was even worth it. I don't have the strength, I don't have the courage to take my own life but I was thinking about it."

De La Hoya says he has been sober for three months after undergoing treatment and joining Alcoholics Anonymous.

He said he was unfaithful to his wife and that they were separated for a while.

"We are obviously not talking a Tiger Woods here, but I was unfaithful," De La Hoya said.

De La Hoya retired in 2009 after a 16-year career in which he won 10 world titles in six divisions and became boxing's most popular fighter.

De La Hoya was thoroughly beaten by Manny Pacquiao in his last fight. He won his last title in May 2006, beating Ricardo Mayorga in six rounds for the WBC 154-pound belt. He finished with a record of 39-6 and 30 knockouts.

Known as "The Golden Boy," De La Hoya transcended his sport, using his bilingual skills to generate crossover appeal among Latinos and whites.

He began boxing at age 5, following in the path of his grandfather and father. He won an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games, delivering on a promise to his late mother, Cecilia, who died of breast cancer two years earlier.

"There were drugs, my drug of choice was cocaine and alcohol, hmm. Cocaine was recent, the last two years, last 2½ years, and I depended more on the alcohol than the cocaine," De La Hoya said. "It took me to a place where I felt safe, it took me to a place where I felt as if nobody can say anything to me, it took me to a place where I just can reach out and grab my mom."

Also for anyone interested, Daniel Geale defended his MW belt this morning. One of those being mentioned for Sergio next year.
 
I was never a fan of DLH but this is sad to hear.

Spoiler [+]
Former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya said in a television interview that he had thought about suicide and has been going to rehab because he has become dependent on drugs and alcohol.


[+] EnlargeJewel Samad/Getty Images
Oscar De La Hoya hasn't fought since being thoroughly beaten by Manny Pacquiao in 2008.
"Rock bottom was recently," De La Hoya said, according to an English-language transcript provided by Spanish-language network Univision. "Within a couple of years, just thinking if my life was even worth it. I don't have the strength, I don't have the courage to take my own life but I was thinking about it."

De La Hoya says he has been sober for three months after undergoing treatment and joining Alcoholics Anonymous.

He said he was unfaithful to his wife and that they were separated for a while.

"We are obviously not talking a Tiger Woods here, but I was unfaithful," De La Hoya said.

De La Hoya retired in 2009 after a 16-year career in which he won 10 world titles in six divisions and became boxing's most popular fighter.

De La Hoya was thoroughly beaten by Manny Pacquiao in his last fight. He won his last title in May 2006, beating Ricardo Mayorga in six rounds for the WBC 154-pound belt. He finished with a record of 39-6 and 30 knockouts.

Known as "The Golden Boy," De La Hoya transcended his sport, using his bilingual skills to generate crossover appeal among Latinos and whites.

He began boxing at age 5, following in the path of his grandfather and father. He won an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games, delivering on a promise to his late mother, Cecilia, who died of breast cancer two years earlier.

"There were drugs, my drug of choice was cocaine and alcohol, hmm. Cocaine was recent, the last two years, last 2½ years, and I depended more on the alcohol than the cocaine," De La Hoya said. "It took me to a place where I felt safe, it took me to a place where I felt as if nobody can say anything to me, it took me to a place where I just can reach out and grab my mom."

Also for anyone interested, Daniel Geale defended his MW belt this morning. One of those being mentioned for Sergio next year.
 
i don't like DLH either, but I can relate 
tired.gif
   Hope he gets through this.
Oh random..    was training up in Wild Card Gym yesterday and saw Paulie Malignaggi.  I was surprised to see him there of all places because of all the PED accusations that he had for that gym 
laugh.gif
   Anyway, dude was quiet and humble...  And when i say quiet, I mean like he had a soft voice.  I was asking him about his next fight, and i could barely hear him because he was talking so softly, lol.  And I brought this little viet chick who I was training, and he kept checking her out 
laugh.gif
 
i don't like DLH either, but I can relate 
tired.gif
   Hope he gets through this.
Oh random..    was training up in Wild Card Gym yesterday and saw Paulie Malignaggi.  I was surprised to see him there of all places because of all the PED accusations that he had for that gym 
laugh.gif
   Anyway, dude was quiet and humble...  And when i say quiet, I mean like he had a soft voice.  I was asking him about his next fight, and i could barely hear him because he was talking so softly, lol.  And I brought this little viet chick who I was training, and he kept checking her out 
laugh.gif
 
After a figurative toe-to-toe negotiating battle, junior middleweight titlist Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito have finally reached an agreement on the contract weight for their rematch: 153 pounds.

Although the division limit is 154 pounds, Cotto, who will be making his second title defense, insisted on a catchweight. He was obviously hoping to force the bigger Margarito to shed as much weight as possible before they meet Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York on pay-per-view. (Top Rank hasn't yet made a deal with HBO or Showtime to produce and distribute the fight.)

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/ Ronda ChurchillAntonio Margarito is the naturally bigger fighter, but Miguel Cotto wanted to level the playing field in their Dec. 3 rematch.

According to Sergio Diaz, Margarito's co-manager, the camps had agreed to fight when Cotto insisted on making the bout at 150 pounds with the stipulation of a weight check on the day of the fight, for which the fighters could not exceed 160 pounds.

"When we met with [Top Rank's] Bob Arum to negotiate the fight, no catchweight was spoken about," Diaz told ESPN.com. "So Bob was as surprised as we were that Cotto was asking for 150 pounds. Then Bob spoke with Cotto and got him to 152. Then it was presented to us and we went back and forth and we finally settled at 153. They were also asking for a next-day weigh-in where Antonio couldn't weigh more than 160. That was another issue we were going back and forth about. So we threw out 153 pounds with no second weigh-in."

Diaz said the negotiations got to the point where there was serious concern that the fight wouldn't be finalized because of the differences over the weight.

"There was no reason for a catchweight," Diaz said. "This is a junior middleweight title fight, but that is what Cotto wanted and Bob was worried it wouldn't get done because of the issue. We weren't going to accept ultimatums, but we wanted the fight and said, 'Let's work on this.' We weren't going to do 150 or 152 or a next-day weigh-in. Enough with the demands. Bob finally came back at 153 and no next-day weigh-in. I spoke to Tony and he said, 'Let's do it.' We have the paperwork and everything is all done. He will be putting his signature on it soon."

Top Rank's Todd duBoef said he and Arum had no opinion about the weight situation, as it was up to the fighters to be comfortable with the agreement.

"We were acting as a conduit to make the fight. The fighters had the issues about the weight, and we acted as the liaison between their camps," duBoef said. "I'm glad everybody agreed, but it was not easy. We encouraged dialogue between the camps because it was something that was out of our control. We could provide the financial terms for both camps for the fight, but we were not the guys getting on the scale and training."

Cotto (36-2, 29 KOs) and Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) first met in 2008 and waged a memorable welterweight title bout in Las Vegas. Cotto took a big early lead, but Margarito came on late and stopped him in the 11th round of a bloody slugfest. The win was later tainted, however, when Margarito was caught trying to enter the ring for his next fight wearing loaded hand wraps. The incident led to speculation that Margarito might also have worn illegal wraps against Cotto.

Cotto is coming off a 12th-round knockout of former titlist Ricardo Mayorga in March. Margarito hasn't fought since November, when he was pounded in a lopsided decision loss to Manny Pacquiao for a vacant junior middleweight belt. In the fight, Margarito suffered a broken orbital bone and wound up with a cataract that required eye surgery and threatened his career
Click to expand...
 
After a figurative toe-to-toe negotiating battle, junior middleweight titlist Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito have finally reached an agreement on the contract weight for their rematch: 153 pounds.

Although the division limit is 154 pounds, Cotto, who will be making his second title defense, insisted on a catchweight. He was obviously hoping to force the bigger Margarito to shed as much weight as possible before they meet Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York on pay-per-view. (Top Rank hasn't yet made a deal with HBO or Showtime to produce and distribute the fight.)

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/ Ronda ChurchillAntonio Margarito is the naturally bigger fighter, but Miguel Cotto wanted to level the playing field in their Dec. 3 rematch.

According to Sergio Diaz, Margarito's co-manager, the camps had agreed to fight when Cotto insisted on making the bout at 150 pounds with the stipulation of a weight check on the day of the fight, for which the fighters could not exceed 160 pounds.

"When we met with [Top Rank's] Bob Arum to negotiate the fight, no catchweight was spoken about," Diaz told ESPN.com. "So Bob was as surprised as we were that Cotto was asking for 150 pounds. Then Bob spoke with Cotto and got him to 152. Then it was presented to us and we went back and forth and we finally settled at 153. They were also asking for a next-day weigh-in where Antonio couldn't weigh more than 160. That was another issue we were going back and forth about. So we threw out 153 pounds with no second weigh-in."

Diaz said the negotiations got to the point where there was serious concern that the fight wouldn't be finalized because of the differences over the weight.

"There was no reason for a catchweight," Diaz said. "This is a junior middleweight title fight, but that is what Cotto wanted and Bob was worried it wouldn't get done because of the issue. We weren't going to accept ultimatums, but we wanted the fight and said, 'Let's work on this.' We weren't going to do 150 or 152 or a next-day weigh-in. Enough with the demands. Bob finally came back at 153 and no next-day weigh-in. I spoke to Tony and he said, 'Let's do it.' We have the paperwork and everything is all done. He will be putting his signature on it soon."

Top Rank's Todd duBoef said he and Arum had no opinion about the weight situation, as it was up to the fighters to be comfortable with the agreement.

"We were acting as a conduit to make the fight. The fighters had the issues about the weight, and we acted as the liaison between their camps," duBoef said. "I'm glad everybody agreed, but it was not easy. We encouraged dialogue between the camps because it was something that was out of our control. We could provide the financial terms for both camps for the fight, but we were not the guys getting on the scale and training."

Cotto (36-2, 29 KOs) and Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) first met in 2008 and waged a memorable welterweight title bout in Las Vegas. Cotto took a big early lead, but Margarito came on late and stopped him in the 11th round of a bloody slugfest. The win was later tainted, however, when Margarito was caught trying to enter the ring for his next fight wearing loaded hand wraps. The incident led to speculation that Margarito might also have worn illegal wraps against Cotto.

Cotto is coming off a 12th-round knockout of former titlist Ricardo Mayorga in March. Margarito hasn't fought since November, when he was pounded in a lopsided decision loss to Manny Pacquiao for a vacant junior middleweight belt. In the fight, Margarito suffered a broken orbital bone and wound up with a cataract that required eye surgery and threatened his career
Click to expand...
 
Originally Posted by AndOneFlip

floyd didnt have to do his father like that
Click to expand...


Yeah he took to far IMO. Everybody know sr always talking crap. You can tell he was hurt
 
Originally Posted by AndOneFlip

floyd didnt have to do his father like that
Click to expand...


Yeah he took to far IMO. Everybody know sr always talking crap. You can tell he was hurt
 
Originally Posted by Proshares

You happen to see Linares Dako? I heard Freddie has him training extra hard for DeMarco.
Click to expand...

Nah, haven't yet.   I'm going back today and I'll keep an eye who else is there.  Would have wanted a pic with Paulie, but they're pretty strict with people taking pics.  You know that big dude on 24/7 who acts as Pacquiao's body guard....  he's a d**k in person too, lol
 
Originally Posted by Proshares

You happen to see Linares Dako? I heard Freddie has him training extra hard for DeMarco.
Click to expand...

Nah, haven't yet.   I'm going back today and I'll keep an eye who else is there.  Would have wanted a pic with Paulie, but they're pretty strict with people taking pics.  You know that big dude on 24/7 who acts as Pacquiao's body guard....  he's a d**k in person too, lol
 
Anyone ever been to the little theater at the Garden for a fight?

I'm thinking about hitting up that Nonito Donaire fight in October.

Since that place only holds about 5,000 people I'm thinking I can get some quality seats for cheap, right?
 
Anyone ever been to the little theater at the Garden for a fight?

I'm thinking about hitting up that Nonito Donaire fight in October.

Since that place only holds about 5,000 people I'm thinking I can get some quality seats for cheap, right?
 
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