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2011 Official Boxing Thread: 12/30 Jermain Taylor + Andre Dirrell return on ShoBox.
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
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Show me anywhere in print or video where there are quotes or words from roach or pac saying they are okay with usada drug testing along with no cut off date.
And yes floyd picked a lot of fights robbing us of an other wordly and exciting career.
Imagine if floyd had a prime Cotto, margarito, P. Williams on his resume.
And yes floyd picked a lot of fights robbing us of an other wordly and exciting career.
Imagine if floyd had a prime Cotto, margarito, P. Williams on his resume.
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Show me anywhere in print or video where there are quotes or words from roach or pac saying they are okay with usada drug testing along with no cut off date.
And yes floyd picked a lot of fights robbing us of an other wordly and exciting career.
Imagine if floyd had a prime Cotto, margarito, P. Williams on his resume.
And yes floyd picked a lot of fights robbing us of an other wordly and exciting career.
Imagine if floyd had a prime Cotto, margarito, P. Williams on his resume.
night marcher01
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PBF would have done up Cotto just like he just did Ortiz. He would have out classed Margarito all night! And Pun? Well that's a different story... THAT will still be a fight I wanna see! But I remember dudes on here riding Pun hard (word to Rachel Star). But ever since he got slept on by Sergio, he's been low key.
night marcher01
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PBF would have done up Cotto just like he just did Ortiz. He would have out classed Margarito all night! And Pun? Well that's a different story... THAT will still be a fight I wanna see! But I remember dudes on here riding Pun hard (word to Rachel Star). But ever since he got slept on by Sergio, he's been low key.
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ortiz wasnt either tho, floyd wil sell the fight. show clips of Sergio knock PW the *#%% out and it will sell it also like the clips of what ortiz did to berto
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ortiz wasnt either tho, floyd wil sell the fight. show clips of Sergio knock PW the *#%% out and it will sell it also like the clips of what ortiz did to berto
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I wouldn't pay to see PBF/Pun anymore. Erislandy Lara destroyed Paul and got robbed, hate to say it but Pun, with his style, is a shot fighter. Sergio leaves his hands down all the time, that's cherry picking for Floyd. Even though he's not ready the only guy I'd like to see in there with Floyd is Amir Khan (if it's not Manny).
And to answer Gunna's question Manny agreed to the original 2 week cutoff when he learned the last test was 18 days before PBF/Mosley but Floyd then demanded all the way up to the fight.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8698753.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8698753.stm
lightweight champion
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I wouldn't pay to see PBF/Pun anymore. Erislandy Lara destroyed Paul and got robbed, hate to say it but Pun, with his style, is a shot fighter. Sergio leaves his hands down all the time, that's cherry picking for Floyd. Even though he's not ready the only guy I'd like to see in there with Floyd is Amir Khan (if it's not Manny).
And to answer Gunna's question Manny agreed to the original 2 week cutoff when he learned the last test was 18 days before PBF/Mosley but Floyd then demanded all the way up to the fight.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8698753.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8698753.stm
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PBF vs Pun would be very interesting.
Y'all see Jermain Tayor trying to make a comeback in Vegas? They said after the Abraham fight Jermain suffered a severe concussion, short-term memory loss, and bleeding on the brain? I don't think he should continue fighting I hope nothing but the best for him.
Lou needs to get some fights for Sergio Martinez better than Darren Barker. Martinez is on the other side of 30 I believe, he needs to strike while the iron is hot. 160 is a weird division, and moving up to 168 is a risk for the Martinez camp.
Mayweather and Manny should stay away from Martinez as well as Cotto. That is a tough fight for all of them.
Dawson vs Hopkins will be extremely interesting due to the fact that Dawson parted with Steward. He showed alot of promise with Steward at the helm.
Y'all see Jermain Tayor trying to make a comeback in Vegas? They said after the Abraham fight Jermain suffered a severe concussion, short-term memory loss, and bleeding on the brain? I don't think he should continue fighting I hope nothing but the best for him.
Lou needs to get some fights for Sergio Martinez better than Darren Barker. Martinez is on the other side of 30 I believe, he needs to strike while the iron is hot. 160 is a weird division, and moving up to 168 is a risk for the Martinez camp.
Mayweather and Manny should stay away from Martinez as well as Cotto. That is a tough fight for all of them.
Dawson vs Hopkins will be extremely interesting due to the fact that Dawson parted with Steward. He showed alot of promise with Steward at the helm.
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PBF vs Pun would be very interesting.
Y'all see Jermain Tayor trying to make a comeback in Vegas? They said after the Abraham fight Jermain suffered a severe concussion, short-term memory loss, and bleeding on the brain? I don't think he should continue fighting I hope nothing but the best for him.
Lou needs to get some fights for Sergio Martinez better than Darren Barker. Martinez is on the other side of 30 I believe, he needs to strike while the iron is hot. 160 is a weird division, and moving up to 168 is a risk for the Martinez camp.
Mayweather and Manny should stay away from Martinez as well as Cotto. That is a tough fight for all of them.
Dawson vs Hopkins will be extremely interesting due to the fact that Dawson parted with Steward. He showed alot of promise with Steward at the helm.
Y'all see Jermain Tayor trying to make a comeback in Vegas? They said after the Abraham fight Jermain suffered a severe concussion, short-term memory loss, and bleeding on the brain? I don't think he should continue fighting I hope nothing but the best for him.
Lou needs to get some fights for Sergio Martinez better than Darren Barker. Martinez is on the other side of 30 I believe, he needs to strike while the iron is hot. 160 is a weird division, and moving up to 168 is a risk for the Martinez camp.
Mayweather and Manny should stay away from Martinez as well as Cotto. That is a tough fight for all of them.
Dawson vs Hopkins will be extremely interesting due to the fact that Dawson parted with Steward. He showed alot of promise with Steward at the helm.
lightweight champion
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Martinez is on the other side of 35 let alone 30.
And I don't think Hopkins beats Dawson. Hopkins beat Pascal because Pascal can't box.
And I don't think Hopkins beats Dawson. Hopkins beat Pascal because Pascal can't box.
lightweight champion
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Martinez is on the other side of 35 let alone 30.
And I don't think Hopkins beats Dawson. Hopkins beat Pascal because Pascal can't box.
And I don't think Hopkins beats Dawson. Hopkins beat Pascal because Pascal can't box.
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^Damn I didn't know Sergio Martinez was 35 I thought he was like 33!
Dawson showed me what kinda person he was when he let Pascal win half of the fight then tried to step on the gas at the end. I think Hopkins can gut that win out.
Dawson showed me what kinda person he was when he let Pascal win half of the fight then tried to step on the gas at the end. I think Hopkins can gut that win out.
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^Damn I didn't know Sergio Martinez was 35 I thought he was like 33!
Dawson showed me what kinda person he was when he let Pascal win half of the fight then tried to step on the gas at the end. I think Hopkins can gut that win out.
Dawson showed me what kinda person he was when he let Pascal win half of the fight then tried to step on the gas at the end. I think Hopkins can gut that win out.
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One thing i have learned is to never count hopkins out.the dude won me as a fan after that pascal fight,i hated hop for years lulz
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One thing i have learned is to never count hopkins out.the dude won me as a fan after that pascal fight,i hated hop for years lulz
Weekend wrap.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]Saturday at Las Vegas[/h4]
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Rafael's remark: Mayweather was making his much-anticipated return to the ring after yet another long layoff -- this time 16 months -- following his wipeout of Shane Mosley. Ortiz, 10 years younger than the 34-year-old Mayweather, won the lottery when he outpointed Andre Berto in April to win a welterweight title and landed the $2 million shot against Mayweather.
But few gave Ortiz, of Ventura, Calif., a serious chance to win unless the layoff and age had caught up to Mayweather, who was fighting in his adopted hometown, as usual.
Mayweather's age and the layoff did not show up at all. He was, as usual, brilliant. Put all the flamboyance, bragging, the flashing of money and jewels and tiresome rhetoric aside and Mayweather remains the best fighter in the world not named Manny Pacquiao, the one fighter Mayweather needs to face to secure his ultimate legacy. But on this night he was facing Ortiz, whom Mayweather had sat ringside to watch get knocked down twice by Berto but win. Mayweather then picked him to fight and, after a drama-filled promotion (at least on Mayweather's side, just watch HBO's "24/7") they met before 14,687 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mayweather's regular venue. It was an Ortiz house, however, with most of the fans turning out to support the Mexican-American on the weekend of Mexican Independence Day.
It was clear from the outset that Ortiz was not on Mayweather's level. Mayweather used his speed, skills and a very accurate right hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Mayweather seemed in total control through three rounds and it looked as if he was on his way to yet another easy victory. Then things turned wild in the fourth round. Ortiz began to have his best success, landing a few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. Then the fight devolved.
Ortiz rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional head-butt, busting open a cut on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth. Referee Joe Cortez immediately called timeout and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul. Frankly, he would have been right to take two points. Ortiz seemed apologetic and even hugged and kissed Mayweather, who did not seem at all interested in forgiving him in the heat of the moment. Would you be if you had just had your face rammed by somebody's head in blatant rules violation?
Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight. Although he was looking away from the fighters, the fight was back on. Yet Ortiz was still trying to touch gloves with Mayweather, who instead unloaded a left and right to knock Ortiz out. Ortiz broke the cardinal rule of boxing -- protect yourself at all times. Mayweather, who took heat for a supposed sucker punch, did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong. Time was in, fight is on. This ain't checkers or golf. Ortiz made a rookie mistake and paid for it. It was his fault, not Mayweather's, and too bad for him. It would have never happened if Ortiz had not intentionally butted Mayweather, the action that led directly to the fight having to be stopped then restarted. Would it have been nice to see Mayweather perhaps show a little more sportsmanship? Sure, but boxing is a combat sport and he broke no rules. He won it fair and square and picked up his seventh world title covering five weight classes. Mayweather is often not that likeable (his rant against HBO's Larry Merchant after the fight was disgraceful and uncalled for), but he won the fight with legal punches. Period. He's back and, hopefully, won't go into another long layoff. And, hopefully, he will finally fight Pacquiao next if Pacquiao beats Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12. Whomever Mayweather fights next best be warned to keep their freakin' hands up.
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Rafael's remark: Morales is 35 now but has thrilled us for many, many years through his title runs at junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight. He has fought everybody you could have asked for and is the last man to defeat Pacquiao, outpointing him in a raging slugfest in 2005 (before losing to Pacquiao by knockout in their second and third showdowns). All the battles had taken their toll on Morales, who walked away from boxing after failing in an attempt to win a lightweight title against David Diaz in 2007. After a two-and-a-half-year retirement, however, Morales returned. He won three lesser fights in a row, then faced Marcos Maidana in April. It was a great slugfest and even though Morales lost fair and square, he rejuvenated his career with such a tremendous performance.
One of Morales' goals for his comeback was to become the first Mexican to win a world title in four weight divisions. The Mexico-based WBC would do anything for Morales, who has held its belts throughout his career. So the odious WBC unfairly and ridiculously stripped Timothy Bradley Jr. of his 140-pound title and simply gave Morales, who was coming off a loss, a chance to fight for the vacant belt. After Jorge Barrios (a joke as a title challenger) dropped out and Lucas Matthysse got ill and also dropped out, Cano, a 21-year-old Mexican with zero experience against a top opponent, was offered the shot. He took it and turned in an admirable performance. But he's a kid and was simply not ready for the experience and toughness of Morales, who is not what he was but still has the heart of a lion.
This was a good, tough, physical fight with a lot of action and clean punching. Both fighters were rocked with shots in a back-and-forth shootout. In the fifth round, Cano wobbled Morales with a right hand, but he shook it off. He opened a cut over Morales' left eye in the seventh round. Cano's face was also becoming a bit of a mess as both fighters were bleeding. Cano's eyes were both swelling and his nose was messed up when Morales cranked up his right hand in the 10th round. He landed a lot of shots, and Cano's face began to gush blood. Eventually, the fight was properly stopped at the end of the 10th round. Game effort from Cano, but this was a man versus a boy. This will go down as another exciting Morales performance, even if it was for a fake title that is a total joke. Morales is a great fighter and a future Hall of Famer, but the way he was handed this title was nothing short of criminal.
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Rafael's remark: Vargas, 22, of Las Vegas, is with Mayweather's Mayweather Promotions, which is why he landed this coveted opening slot on the HBO PPV card the boss was headlining. On paper, it was solid match against Lopez, 27, a young veteran from Riverside, Calif., who was coming off an upset of previously undefeated prospect Mike Dallas Jr. Could Lopez pull another upset over another unbeaten prospect? It looked that way to many at ringside who thought Lopez deserved the decision. But there were also quite a few who thought Vargas deserved the nod. In the end, it was Vargas who got the split verdict, even though the crowd (in Vargas' hometown) roundly booed the decision. Whomever you thought won the fight, it was a good action scrap between two crowd-pleasing fighters. Both fighters were cut and marked up in a free-swinging fight. Vargas, who Mayweather has talked up for a title shot, was docked a point by referee Tony Weeks for a low blow in the eighth round. Vargas is a prospect, but needs work before he is ready for a legitimate top contender, much less somebody with a world title.
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[h4]Saturday at Los Angeles[/h4]
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Rafael's remark: Alvarez, 21, Mexico's most popular active fighter, headlined his own card at the Staples Center, but his second title defense of the vacant belt he won in March was in the co-feature position on the HBO PPV card headlined by Mayweather-Ortiz.
Alvarez was facing fellow Guadalajara, Mexico, fighter Gomez, 30, the former "Contender" star whose only previous title shot came in a lopsided fifth-round knockout loss to then-welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto in 2008. Alvarez scored a flash knockdown on a jab near the end of the first round, and Gomez seemed just fine. But as the fight went on, Alvarez looked a bit ordinary and seemed troubled at times by Gomez's movement and periodic pressure. Although Alvarez was winning, Gomez was in the hunt until the sixth round. That is when Alvarez hurt Gomez with a barrage of shots that eventually had him on the ropes. Many of Alvarez's shots were not flush, and Gomez did not look like he was unsteady or hurt, but referee Wayne Hedgepeth suddenly jumped in for a poor stoppage at 2 minutes, 36 seconds.
Gomez's five-fight winning streak since the loss to Cotto came to an end. Alvarez figures to return before the end of the year, probably in December, but don't expect a top name. Golden Boy knows the 2010 ESPN.com prospect of the year is still not ready for the top opponents, and he will continue to be somewhat protected, given that he already generates substantial money. His economic impact will only grow as long as he isn't matched over his head as he continues to develop.
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[h4]Saturday at Parker, Ariz.[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Gesta, 23, from the Philippines but based in San Diego, recently signed with Top Rank. He was headlining an edition of "Top Rank Live" and had no problems with Perez. Gesta, who may be only a fight or two away from a title opportunity, rolled to the lopsided decision win in a workman-like effort. Not too much excitement, but a solid victory for Gesta. Perez, 27, of Denver, had his two-fight winning streak snapped, but has lost three of his last five with losses also coming against Brandon Rios (who went on to win a lightweight title) and top prospect Diego Magdaleno.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Benavidez, 19, of Phoenix, was a star amateur who would have been a favorite to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team had he not opted for a professional contract from Top Rank, which considers him one of its best prospects. He was supposed to face experienced journeyman Jorge Pimentel but he dropped out and Bell took the fight on short notice and did not last long. Benavidez has a very fast right hand and he used it well. He dropped Bell, 27, of Memphis, Tenn., with a shot to the chin. He was a bit shaky when he got up but allowed to continue. Moments later, Benavidez landed another solid right hand, Bell went down again and it was over after 89 seconds. Benavidez has huge potential.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Saturday at Belfast, Northern Ireland[/h4]
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Rafael's remark: Fury, 23, is the most heavily hyped British big man in quite some time. The hulking 6-foot-9, 253-pounder looked good in July, when he scored the biggest win of his career against Dereck Chisora in an entertaining fight. Although he was mentioned as a possible opponent for one of the Klitschko brothers, Fury and his handlers know he is nowhere near ready for that kind of step up. So with thoughts of a world title shot something that shouldn't even be mentioned right now, Fury, who is the British and Commonwealth champion, returned for his first fight since the win against Chisora.
Fury started off well, landing a variety of hard shots through the first and second rounds. Firtha was bleeding from the nose and Fury was landing uppercuts and combinations and showed a desire to brawl, which makes him exciting to watch. But Fury still has a long way to go, especially on defense. Firtha, who took the fight on two weeks' notice, staggered him with a booming overhand right in the third round. He also landed some other solid shots as Fury's legs turned to jelly and he had to hold on to Firtha for the second half of the round in a desperate attempt to survive the crisis. Fury rebounded in the fourth round, scoring a knockdown near the end of the round. It was an excellent action fight and it was continuing in the fifth round. Fury was landing some good shots, and when he wobbled Firtha with a right hand, referee John Keane called it off at 2 minutes, 19 seconds. However, this was a terrible stoppage. Firtha was losing, sure. But he was in the fight and not in any serious trouble. Firtha was robbed of his chance to land another big shot, and Fury was robbed of a definitive victory. Firtha, 32, of Akron, Ohio, has now dropped two of his last three. The other loss was a near-shutout, 10-round decision to top-5 heavyweight Alexander Povetkin.
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[h4]Friday at Las Vegas[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Mitchell, 29, of Brandywine, Md., a former Michigan State football player who has developed into the top American heavyweight prospect, was supposed to make his HBO debut against Mike Mollo on Aug. 27. However, the card was scrapped when Robert Guerrero, the star of the main event, suffered a shoulder injury. Golden Boy quickly rescheduled Mitchell to headline this Telefutura "Solo Boxeo Tecate" card that was used to help promote the Mayweather-Ortiz pay-per-view the next night.
Mitchell did exactly what he was supposed to do to Ferreryro, 36, of Laredo, Texas, who lost his third consecutive fight. Ferreryro was game, but also slower, smaller and less-skilled than Mitchell, who outclassed him. It was obvious from the opening bell that this fight was not going to go on too long. Mitchell pounded him and had given him a black eye by the second round. In the third round, he was hammering Ferreryro, who wound up draped over the top ring rope after taking some big shots. Referee Robert Byrd properly issued an eight-count and the end was near. When the fight resumed, Mitchell battered him until Byrd stepped in to call it off a few moments later at 2 minutes, 17 seconds.
Mitchell displayed a good jab, a solid body attack, good power and patience. He hopes for a top-15-to-20 opponent before making a more significant step up. His next fight is due to be on HBO, either on Nov. 26 or Dec. 10. Mitchell remains a work in progress, but he has a lot of potential and, as an American heavyweight, the chance to become a significant fighter.
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Rafael's remark: Diaz won a 2008 Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic but has moved slowly as a professional because of an inconsistent schedule. However, now he is signed to a co-promotional deal with Yvon Michel of Canada and Golden Boy, and figures to be a bit more active. He had no problems with Smith, a 32-year-old from Dallas nicknamed "Slow Motion," apparently for a reason. He really is slow. Diaz took advantage of that throughout the bout. Although Smith was a bit bigger than Diaz it made no difference. However, this was not a pleasing fight. In fact, Diaz is quickly developing into quite a crowd-displeasing fighter. He grabs and holds and is generally defensive-minded and generally makes things very ugly. He looks like he would be better served fighting as a junior welterweight instead of at welterweight, although he had no problems with the bigger Smith. Round after round, it was the same. Diaz would land a couple of punches and fall into a clinch. If he is going to keep doing that, as he has in most of his pro fights, he is not going to be welcome on TV. Smith dropped to 2-5 in his last seven fights.
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[h4]Friday at South Bend, Ind.[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Lee, who you may have seen in a national commercial for Subway that runs constantly, returned to Notre Dame, where he graduated with a finance degree in 2009. However, Lee, 24, of Chicago, shunned life on Wall Street to pursue his dream of professional boxing. He returned to his alma mater to headline the first card ever on campus. It came on the eve of the Notre Dame-Michigan State football game. Lee pledged at least $100,000 of the card's profits to a pair of South Bend-area charities as a way to give back to a community that is very important to him. Lee had some issues in the fight, which was streamed on Top Rank's website. The bout featured knockdowns in every round. Lee dropped Stiers, 32, of Gardner, Kan., once in the first round and again in the second round before Stiers gave the sea of Lee fans a jolt when he floored Lee in the third round. Lee shook it off and rebounded to score another knockdown in the fourth round with a body shot to grab the decision.
Also on the card, 21-year-old Top Rank junior middleweight prospect Glen Tapia (11-0, 5 KOs), of Passaic, N.J., rolled to a shutout, six-round decision (60-52 on all three scorecard) against Marcus Thompson (5-5-1, 2 KOs) of Michigan City, Ind.
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[h4]Thursday at El Paso, Texas[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Gonzalez, 30, of Mexico, is a former bantamweight titlist who twice unsuccessfully challenged for junior featherweight titles. But in April, Gonzalez got a shot at featherweight titlist Hozumi Hasegawa in Japan and took him out in the fourth round in an upset. Now he has had two gimme defenses in a row, a fourth-round destruction of Tomas Villa in July, followed by this blowout of Mtagwa, 32, a native Tanzania living in Philadelphia.
Mtagwa is a tough guy who is game, but he has seen better days and now has lost three of his last four fights with each defeat coming against a top-level opponent: Gonzalez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez. Mtagwa did bring Lopez to the brink of a loss in a dramatic 2009 battle, but at this point, he is not much of a challenge for a quality opponent. Gonzalez simply overwhelmed him with his power and accuracy in a fight televised on ESPN Deportes in honor of Mexican Independence Day. Gonzalez was all over Mtagwa, especially in the second round. He creamed him with a two-handed attack until a flurry of shots rocked Mtagwa and sent him into retreat in a corner. As Gonzalez pounded on him, referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia stepped in to call it off at 2 minutes, 15 seconds.
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[h4]Thursday at Rosarito, Mexico[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: In July, Mexico's Miranda went to Brian Viloria's hometown of Honolulu, got dropped in the first round and went on to lose his flyweight title in a mandatory defense. In his first bout since the loss, Miranda, 31, returned on Mexican Independence Day to face journeyman Leon, who was originally supposed to fight former junior flyweight champ Giovani Segura on the card, but Segura dropped out the week of the fight with a hand injury. This was easy work for Miranda, who kept up a steady attack through the first two rounds. Leon landed some solid body shots in the second round, then decided to remain on the stool, quitting 10 seconds into the third round in a surprising outcome. Leon, 28, of Colombia, has dropped to 2-4 in his last six fights. He did not put forth a top effort.
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[table][tr][th=""]
Floyd Mayweather Jr. KO4 Victor Ortiz
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Welterweight
Wins a welterweight title
Records: Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KOs); Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs)
[/td]Wins a welterweight title
Records: Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KOs); Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Mayweather was making his much-anticipated return to the ring after yet another long layoff -- this time 16 months -- following his wipeout of Shane Mosley. Ortiz, 10 years younger than the 34-year-old Mayweather, won the lottery when he outpointed Andre Berto in April to win a welterweight title and landed the $2 million shot against Mayweather.
But few gave Ortiz, of Ventura, Calif., a serious chance to win unless the layoff and age had caught up to Mayweather, who was fighting in his adopted hometown, as usual.
Mayweather's age and the layoff did not show up at all. He was, as usual, brilliant. Put all the flamboyance, bragging, the flashing of money and jewels and tiresome rhetoric aside and Mayweather remains the best fighter in the world not named Manny Pacquiao, the one fighter Mayweather needs to face to secure his ultimate legacy. But on this night he was facing Ortiz, whom Mayweather had sat ringside to watch get knocked down twice by Berto but win. Mayweather then picked him to fight and, after a drama-filled promotion (at least on Mayweather's side, just watch HBO's "24/7") they met before 14,687 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mayweather's regular venue. It was an Ortiz house, however, with most of the fans turning out to support the Mexican-American on the weekend of Mexican Independence Day.
It was clear from the outset that Ortiz was not on Mayweather's level. Mayweather used his speed, skills and a very accurate right hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Mayweather seemed in total control through three rounds and it looked as if he was on his way to yet another easy victory. Then things turned wild in the fourth round. Ortiz began to have his best success, landing a few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. Then the fight devolved.
Ortiz rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional head-butt, busting open a cut on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth. Referee Joe Cortez immediately called timeout and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul. Frankly, he would have been right to take two points. Ortiz seemed apologetic and even hugged and kissed Mayweather, who did not seem at all interested in forgiving him in the heat of the moment. Would you be if you had just had your face rammed by somebody's head in blatant rules violation?
Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight. Although he was looking away from the fighters, the fight was back on. Yet Ortiz was still trying to touch gloves with Mayweather, who instead unloaded a left and right to knock Ortiz out. Ortiz broke the cardinal rule of boxing -- protect yourself at all times. Mayweather, who took heat for a supposed sucker punch, did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong. Time was in, fight is on. This ain't checkers or golf. Ortiz made a rookie mistake and paid for it. It was his fault, not Mayweather's, and too bad for him. It would have never happened if Ortiz had not intentionally butted Mayweather, the action that led directly to the fight having to be stopped then restarted. Would it have been nice to see Mayweather perhaps show a little more sportsmanship? Sure, but boxing is a combat sport and he broke no rules. He won it fair and square and picked up his seventh world title covering five weight classes. Mayweather is often not that likeable (his rant against HBO's Larry Merchant after the fight was disgraceful and uncalled for), but he won the fight with legal punches. Period. He's back and, hopefully, won't go into another long layoff. And, hopefully, he will finally fight Pacquiao next if Pacquiao beats Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12. Whomever Mayweather fights next best be warned to keep their freakin' hands up.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Erik Morales TKO10 Pablo Cesar Cano
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Junior welterweight
Wins a vacant junior welterweight title
Records: Morales (52-7, 36 KOs); Cano (22-1-1, 17 KOs)
[/td]Wins a vacant junior welterweight title
Records: Morales (52-7, 36 KOs); Cano (22-1-1, 17 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Morales is 35 now but has thrilled us for many, many years through his title runs at junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight. He has fought everybody you could have asked for and is the last man to defeat Pacquiao, outpointing him in a raging slugfest in 2005 (before losing to Pacquiao by knockout in their second and third showdowns). All the battles had taken their toll on Morales, who walked away from boxing after failing in an attempt to win a lightweight title against David Diaz in 2007. After a two-and-a-half-year retirement, however, Morales returned. He won three lesser fights in a row, then faced Marcos Maidana in April. It was a great slugfest and even though Morales lost fair and square, he rejuvenated his career with such a tremendous performance.
One of Morales' goals for his comeback was to become the first Mexican to win a world title in four weight divisions. The Mexico-based WBC would do anything for Morales, who has held its belts throughout his career. So the odious WBC unfairly and ridiculously stripped Timothy Bradley Jr. of his 140-pound title and simply gave Morales, who was coming off a loss, a chance to fight for the vacant belt. After Jorge Barrios (a joke as a title challenger) dropped out and Lucas Matthysse got ill and also dropped out, Cano, a 21-year-old Mexican with zero experience against a top opponent, was offered the shot. He took it and turned in an admirable performance. But he's a kid and was simply not ready for the experience and toughness of Morales, who is not what he was but still has the heart of a lion.
This was a good, tough, physical fight with a lot of action and clean punching. Both fighters were rocked with shots in a back-and-forth shootout. In the fifth round, Cano wobbled Morales with a right hand, but he shook it off. He opened a cut over Morales' left eye in the seventh round. Cano's face was also becoming a bit of a mess as both fighters were bleeding. Cano's eyes were both swelling and his nose was messed up when Morales cranked up his right hand in the 10th round. He landed a lot of shots, and Cano's face began to gush blood. Eventually, the fight was properly stopped at the end of the 10th round. Game effort from Cano, but this was a man versus a boy. This will go down as another exciting Morales performance, even if it was for a fake title that is a total joke. Morales is a great fighter and a future Hall of Famer, but the way he was handed this title was nothing short of criminal.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Jessie Vargas W10 Josesito Lopez
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Junior welterweight
Scores: 96-93, 95-94 Vargas, 96-93 Lopez
Records: Vargas (17-0, 9 KOs); Lopez (29-4, 17 KOs)
[/td]Scores: 96-93, 95-94 Vargas, 96-93 Lopez
Records: Vargas (17-0, 9 KOs); Lopez (29-4, 17 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Vargas, 22, of Las Vegas, is with Mayweather's Mayweather Promotions, which is why he landed this coveted opening slot on the HBO PPV card the boss was headlining. On paper, it was solid match against Lopez, 27, a young veteran from Riverside, Calif., who was coming off an upset of previously undefeated prospect Mike Dallas Jr. Could Lopez pull another upset over another unbeaten prospect? It looked that way to many at ringside who thought Lopez deserved the decision. But there were also quite a few who thought Vargas deserved the nod. In the end, it was Vargas who got the split verdict, even though the crowd (in Vargas' hometown) roundly booed the decision. Whomever you thought won the fight, it was a good action scrap between two crowd-pleasing fighters. Both fighters were cut and marked up in a free-swinging fight. Vargas, who Mayweather has talked up for a title shot, was docked a point by referee Tony Weeks for a low blow in the eighth round. Vargas is a prospect, but needs work before he is ready for a legitimate top contender, much less somebody with a world title.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Saturday at Los Angeles[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez TKO6 Alfonso Gomez
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Junior middleweight
Retains a junior middleweight title
Records: Alvarez (38-0-1, 28 KOs); Gomez (23-5-2, 12 KOs)
[/td]Retains a junior middleweight title
Records: Alvarez (38-0-1, 28 KOs); Gomez (23-5-2, 12 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Alvarez, 21, Mexico's most popular active fighter, headlined his own card at the Staples Center, but his second title defense of the vacant belt he won in March was in the co-feature position on the HBO PPV card headlined by Mayweather-Ortiz.
Alvarez was facing fellow Guadalajara, Mexico, fighter Gomez, 30, the former "Contender" star whose only previous title shot came in a lopsided fifth-round knockout loss to then-welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto in 2008. Alvarez scored a flash knockdown on a jab near the end of the first round, and Gomez seemed just fine. But as the fight went on, Alvarez looked a bit ordinary and seemed troubled at times by Gomez's movement and periodic pressure. Although Alvarez was winning, Gomez was in the hunt until the sixth round. That is when Alvarez hurt Gomez with a barrage of shots that eventually had him on the ropes. Many of Alvarez's shots were not flush, and Gomez did not look like he was unsteady or hurt, but referee Wayne Hedgepeth suddenly jumped in for a poor stoppage at 2 minutes, 36 seconds.
Gomez's five-fight winning streak since the loss to Cotto came to an end. Alvarez figures to return before the end of the year, probably in December, but don't expect a top name. Golden Boy knows the 2010 ESPN.com prospect of the year is still not ready for the top opponents, and he will continue to be somewhat protected, given that he already generates substantial money. His economic impact will only grow as long as he isn't matched over his head as he continues to develop.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Saturday at Parker, Ariz.[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Mercito Gesta W10 Manny Perez
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Lightweight
Scores: 99-91, 98-92 (twice)
Records: Gesta (23-0-1, 12 KOs); Perez (16-7-1, 3 KOs)
[/td]Scores: 99-91, 98-92 (twice)
Records: Gesta (23-0-1, 12 KOs); Perez (16-7-1, 3 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Gesta, 23, from the Philippines but based in San Diego, recently signed with Top Rank. He was headlining an edition of "Top Rank Live" and had no problems with Perez. Gesta, who may be only a fight or two away from a title opportunity, rolled to the lopsided decision win in a workman-like effort. Not too much excitement, but a solid victory for Gesta. Perez, 27, of Denver, had his two-fight winning streak snapped, but has lost three of his last five with losses also coming against Brandon Rios (who went on to win a lightweight title) and top prospect Diego Magdaleno.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Jose Benavidez Jr. KO1 Dedrick Bell
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Junior welterweight
Records: Benavidez Jr. (13-0, 12 KOs); Bell (6-10-4 KOs)
[/td]Records: Benavidez Jr. (13-0, 12 KOs); Bell (6-10-4 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Benavidez, 19, of Phoenix, was a star amateur who would have been a favorite to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team had he not opted for a professional contract from Top Rank, which considers him one of its best prospects. He was supposed to face experienced journeyman Jorge Pimentel but he dropped out and Bell took the fight on short notice and did not last long. Benavidez has a very fast right hand and he used it well. He dropped Bell, 27, of Memphis, Tenn., with a shot to the chin. He was a bit shaky when he got up but allowed to continue. Moments later, Benavidez landed another solid right hand, Bell went down again and it was over after 89 seconds. Benavidez has huge potential.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Saturday at Belfast, Northern Ireland[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Tyson Fury TKO5 Nicolai Firtha
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Heavyweight
Records: Fury (16-0, 11 KOs); Firtha (20-9-1, 8 KOs)
[/td]Records: Fury (16-0, 11 KOs); Firtha (20-9-1, 8 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Fury, 23, is the most heavily hyped British big man in quite some time. The hulking 6-foot-9, 253-pounder looked good in July, when he scored the biggest win of his career against Dereck Chisora in an entertaining fight. Although he was mentioned as a possible opponent for one of the Klitschko brothers, Fury and his handlers know he is nowhere near ready for that kind of step up. So with thoughts of a world title shot something that shouldn't even be mentioned right now, Fury, who is the British and Commonwealth champion, returned for his first fight since the win against Chisora.
Fury started off well, landing a variety of hard shots through the first and second rounds. Firtha was bleeding from the nose and Fury was landing uppercuts and combinations and showed a desire to brawl, which makes him exciting to watch. But Fury still has a long way to go, especially on defense. Firtha, who took the fight on two weeks' notice, staggered him with a booming overhand right in the third round. He also landed some other solid shots as Fury's legs turned to jelly and he had to hold on to Firtha for the second half of the round in a desperate attempt to survive the crisis. Fury rebounded in the fourth round, scoring a knockdown near the end of the round. It was an excellent action fight and it was continuing in the fifth round. Fury was landing some good shots, and when he wobbled Firtha with a right hand, referee John Keane called it off at 2 minutes, 19 seconds. However, this was a terrible stoppage. Firtha was losing, sure. But he was in the fight and not in any serious trouble. Firtha was robbed of his chance to land another big shot, and Fury was robbed of a definitive victory. Firtha, 32, of Akron, Ohio, has now dropped two of his last three. The other loss was a near-shutout, 10-round decision to top-5 heavyweight Alexander Povetkin.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Friday at Las Vegas[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Seth Mitchell TKO3 Hector Ferreryro
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Heavyweight
Records: Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KOs); Ferreryro (21-11-2, 12 KOs)
[/td]Records: Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KOs); Ferreryro (21-11-2, 12 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Mitchell, 29, of Brandywine, Md., a former Michigan State football player who has developed into the top American heavyweight prospect, was supposed to make his HBO debut against Mike Mollo on Aug. 27. However, the card was scrapped when Robert Guerrero, the star of the main event, suffered a shoulder injury. Golden Boy quickly rescheduled Mitchell to headline this Telefutura "Solo Boxeo Tecate" card that was used to help promote the Mayweather-Ortiz pay-per-view the next night.
Mitchell did exactly what he was supposed to do to Ferreryro, 36, of Laredo, Texas, who lost his third consecutive fight. Ferreryro was game, but also slower, smaller and less-skilled than Mitchell, who outclassed him. It was obvious from the opening bell that this fight was not going to go on too long. Mitchell pounded him and had given him a black eye by the second round. In the third round, he was hammering Ferreryro, who wound up draped over the top ring rope after taking some big shots. Referee Robert Byrd properly issued an eight-count and the end was near. When the fight resumed, Mitchell battered him until Byrd stepped in to call it off a few moments later at 2 minutes, 17 seconds.
Mitchell displayed a good jab, a solid body attack, good power and patience. He hopes for a top-15-to-20 opponent before making a more significant step up. His next fight is due to be on HBO, either on Nov. 26 or Dec. 10. Mitchell remains a work in progress, but he has a lot of potential and, as an American heavyweight, the chance to become a significant fighter.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Felix Diaz W8 Larry Smith
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Welterweight
Scores: 80-72, 79-73 (twice)
Records: Diaz (10-0, 6 KOs); Smith (10-6, 6 KOs)
[/td]Scores: 80-72, 79-73 (twice)
Records: Diaz (10-0, 6 KOs); Smith (10-6, 6 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Diaz won a 2008 Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic but has moved slowly as a professional because of an inconsistent schedule. However, now he is signed to a co-promotional deal with Yvon Michel of Canada and Golden Boy, and figures to be a bit more active. He had no problems with Smith, a 32-year-old from Dallas nicknamed "Slow Motion," apparently for a reason. He really is slow. Diaz took advantage of that throughout the bout. Although Smith was a bit bigger than Diaz it made no difference. However, this was not a pleasing fight. In fact, Diaz is quickly developing into quite a crowd-displeasing fighter. He grabs and holds and is generally defensive-minded and generally makes things very ugly. He looks like he would be better served fighting as a junior welterweight instead of at welterweight, although he had no problems with the bigger Smith. Round after round, it was the same. Diaz would land a couple of punches and fall into a clinch. If he is going to keep doing that, as he has in most of his pro fights, he is not going to be welcome on TV. Smith dropped to 2-5 in his last seven fights.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Friday at South Bend, Ind.[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Mike Lee W4 Jacob Stiers
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Light heavyweight
Scores: 38-34 (three times)
Records: Lee (7-0, 4 KOs); Stiers (4-2, 2 KOs)
[/td]Scores: 38-34 (three times)
Records: Lee (7-0, 4 KOs); Stiers (4-2, 2 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Lee, who you may have seen in a national commercial for Subway that runs constantly, returned to Notre Dame, where he graduated with a finance degree in 2009. However, Lee, 24, of Chicago, shunned life on Wall Street to pursue his dream of professional boxing. He returned to his alma mater to headline the first card ever on campus. It came on the eve of the Notre Dame-Michigan State football game. Lee pledged at least $100,000 of the card's profits to a pair of South Bend-area charities as a way to give back to a community that is very important to him. Lee had some issues in the fight, which was streamed on Top Rank's website. The bout featured knockdowns in every round. Lee dropped Stiers, 32, of Gardner, Kan., once in the first round and again in the second round before Stiers gave the sea of Lee fans a jolt when he floored Lee in the third round. Lee shook it off and rebounded to score another knockdown in the fourth round with a body shot to grab the decision.
Also on the card, 21-year-old Top Rank junior middleweight prospect Glen Tapia (11-0, 5 KOs), of Passaic, N.J., rolled to a shutout, six-round decision (60-52 on all three scorecard) against Marcus Thompson (5-5-1, 2 KOs) of Michigan City, Ind.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Thursday at El Paso, Texas[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Jhonny Gonzalez TKO2 Rogers Mtagwa
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Featherweight
Retains a featherweight title
Records: Gonzalez (50-7, 44 KOs); Mtagwa (27-15-2, 19 KOs)
[/td]Retains a featherweight title
Records: Gonzalez (50-7, 44 KOs); Mtagwa (27-15-2, 19 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Gonzalez, 30, of Mexico, is a former bantamweight titlist who twice unsuccessfully challenged for junior featherweight titles. But in April, Gonzalez got a shot at featherweight titlist Hozumi Hasegawa in Japan and took him out in the fourth round in an upset. Now he has had two gimme defenses in a row, a fourth-round destruction of Tomas Villa in July, followed by this blowout of Mtagwa, 32, a native Tanzania living in Philadelphia.
Mtagwa is a tough guy who is game, but he has seen better days and now has lost three of his last four fights with each defeat coming against a top-level opponent: Gonzalez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez. Mtagwa did bring Lopez to the brink of a loss in a dramatic 2009 battle, but at this point, he is not much of a challenge for a quality opponent. Gonzalez simply overwhelmed him with his power and accuracy in a fight televised on ESPN Deportes in honor of Mexican Independence Day. Gonzalez was all over Mtagwa, especially in the second round. He creamed him with a two-handed attack until a flurry of shots rocked Mtagwa and sent him into retreat in a corner. As Gonzalez pounded on him, referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia stepped in to call it off at 2 minutes, 15 seconds.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Thursday at Rosarito, Mexico[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Julio Cesar Miranda TKO3 Luis Carlos Leon
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Junior bantamweight
Retains a featherweight title
Records: Miranda (36-6-1, 27 KOs); Leon (13-5, 11 KOs)
[/td]Retains a featherweight title
Records: Miranda (36-6-1, 27 KOs); Leon (13-5, 11 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: In July, Mexico's Miranda went to Brian Viloria's hometown of Honolulu, got dropped in the first round and went on to lose his flyweight title in a mandatory defense. In his first bout since the loss, Miranda, 31, returned on Mexican Independence Day to face journeyman Leon, who was originally supposed to fight former junior flyweight champ Giovani Segura on the card, but Segura dropped out the week of the fight with a hand injury. This was easy work for Miranda, who kept up a steady attack through the first two rounds. Leon landed some solid body shots in the second round, then decided to remain on the stool, quitting 10 seconds into the third round in a surprising outcome. Leon, 28, of Colombia, has dropped to 2-4 in his last six fights. He did not put forth a top effort.
[/td][/tr][/table]
Weekend wrap.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]Saturday at Las Vegas[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Mayweather was making his much-anticipated return to the ring after yet another long layoff -- this time 16 months -- following his wipeout of Shane Mosley. Ortiz, 10 years younger than the 34-year-old Mayweather, won the lottery when he outpointed Andre Berto in April to win a welterweight title and landed the $2 million shot against Mayweather.
But few gave Ortiz, of Ventura, Calif., a serious chance to win unless the layoff and age had caught up to Mayweather, who was fighting in his adopted hometown, as usual.
Mayweather's age and the layoff did not show up at all. He was, as usual, brilliant. Put all the flamboyance, bragging, the flashing of money and jewels and tiresome rhetoric aside and Mayweather remains the best fighter in the world not named Manny Pacquiao, the one fighter Mayweather needs to face to secure his ultimate legacy. But on this night he was facing Ortiz, whom Mayweather had sat ringside to watch get knocked down twice by Berto but win. Mayweather then picked him to fight and, after a drama-filled promotion (at least on Mayweather's side, just watch HBO's "24/7") they met before 14,687 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mayweather's regular venue. It was an Ortiz house, however, with most of the fans turning out to support the Mexican-American on the weekend of Mexican Independence Day.
It was clear from the outset that Ortiz was not on Mayweather's level. Mayweather used his speed, skills and a very accurate right hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Mayweather seemed in total control through three rounds and it looked as if he was on his way to yet another easy victory. Then things turned wild in the fourth round. Ortiz began to have his best success, landing a few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. Then the fight devolved.
Ortiz rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional head-butt, busting open a cut on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth. Referee Joe Cortez immediately called timeout and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul. Frankly, he would have been right to take two points. Ortiz seemed apologetic and even hugged and kissed Mayweather, who did not seem at all interested in forgiving him in the heat of the moment. Would you be if you had just had your face rammed by somebody's head in blatant rules violation?
Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight. Although he was looking away from the fighters, the fight was back on. Yet Ortiz was still trying to touch gloves with Mayweather, who instead unloaded a left and right to knock Ortiz out. Ortiz broke the cardinal rule of boxing -- protect yourself at all times. Mayweather, who took heat for a supposed sucker punch, did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong. Time was in, fight is on. This ain't checkers or golf. Ortiz made a rookie mistake and paid for it. It was his fault, not Mayweather's, and too bad for him. It would have never happened if Ortiz had not intentionally butted Mayweather, the action that led directly to the fight having to be stopped then restarted. Would it have been nice to see Mayweather perhaps show a little more sportsmanship? Sure, but boxing is a combat sport and he broke no rules. He won it fair and square and picked up his seventh world title covering five weight classes. Mayweather is often not that likeable (his rant against HBO's Larry Merchant after the fight was disgraceful and uncalled for), but he won the fight with legal punches. Period. He's back and, hopefully, won't go into another long layoff. And, hopefully, he will finally fight Pacquiao next if Pacquiao beats Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12. Whomever Mayweather fights next best be warned to keep their freakin' hands up.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Morales is 35 now but has thrilled us for many, many years through his title runs at junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight. He has fought everybody you could have asked for and is the last man to defeat Pacquiao, outpointing him in a raging slugfest in 2005 (before losing to Pacquiao by knockout in their second and third showdowns). All the battles had taken their toll on Morales, who walked away from boxing after failing in an attempt to win a lightweight title against David Diaz in 2007. After a two-and-a-half-year retirement, however, Morales returned. He won three lesser fights in a row, then faced Marcos Maidana in April. It was a great slugfest and even though Morales lost fair and square, he rejuvenated his career with such a tremendous performance.
One of Morales' goals for his comeback was to become the first Mexican to win a world title in four weight divisions. The Mexico-based WBC would do anything for Morales, who has held its belts throughout his career. So the odious WBC unfairly and ridiculously stripped Timothy Bradley Jr. of his 140-pound title and simply gave Morales, who was coming off a loss, a chance to fight for the vacant belt. After Jorge Barrios (a joke as a title challenger) dropped out and Lucas Matthysse got ill and also dropped out, Cano, a 21-year-old Mexican with zero experience against a top opponent, was offered the shot. He took it and turned in an admirable performance. But he's a kid and was simply not ready for the experience and toughness of Morales, who is not what he was but still has the heart of a lion.
This was a good, tough, physical fight with a lot of action and clean punching. Both fighters were rocked with shots in a back-and-forth shootout. In the fifth round, Cano wobbled Morales with a right hand, but he shook it off. He opened a cut over Morales' left eye in the seventh round. Cano's face was also becoming a bit of a mess as both fighters were bleeding. Cano's eyes were both swelling and his nose was messed up when Morales cranked up his right hand in the 10th round. He landed a lot of shots, and Cano's face began to gush blood. Eventually, the fight was properly stopped at the end of the 10th round. Game effort from Cano, but this was a man versus a boy. This will go down as another exciting Morales performance, even if it was for a fake title that is a total joke. Morales is a great fighter and a future Hall of Famer, but the way he was handed this title was nothing short of criminal.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Vargas, 22, of Las Vegas, is with Mayweather's Mayweather Promotions, which is why he landed this coveted opening slot on the HBO PPV card the boss was headlining. On paper, it was solid match against Lopez, 27, a young veteran from Riverside, Calif., who was coming off an upset of previously undefeated prospect Mike Dallas Jr. Could Lopez pull another upset over another unbeaten prospect? It looked that way to many at ringside who thought Lopez deserved the decision. But there were also quite a few who thought Vargas deserved the nod. In the end, it was Vargas who got the split verdict, even though the crowd (in Vargas' hometown) roundly booed the decision. Whomever you thought won the fight, it was a good action scrap between two crowd-pleasing fighters. Both fighters were cut and marked up in a free-swinging fight. Vargas, who Mayweather has talked up for a title shot, was docked a point by referee Tony Weeks for a low blow in the eighth round. Vargas is a prospect, but needs work before he is ready for a legitimate top contender, much less somebody with a world title.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Saturday at Los Angeles[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Alvarez, 21, Mexico's most popular active fighter, headlined his own card at the Staples Center, but his second title defense of the vacant belt he won in March was in the co-feature position on the HBO PPV card headlined by Mayweather-Ortiz.
Alvarez was facing fellow Guadalajara, Mexico, fighter Gomez, 30, the former "Contender" star whose only previous title shot came in a lopsided fifth-round knockout loss to then-welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto in 2008. Alvarez scored a flash knockdown on a jab near the end of the first round, and Gomez seemed just fine. But as the fight went on, Alvarez looked a bit ordinary and seemed troubled at times by Gomez's movement and periodic pressure. Although Alvarez was winning, Gomez was in the hunt until the sixth round. That is when Alvarez hurt Gomez with a barrage of shots that eventually had him on the ropes. Many of Alvarez's shots were not flush, and Gomez did not look like he was unsteady or hurt, but referee Wayne Hedgepeth suddenly jumped in for a poor stoppage at 2 minutes, 36 seconds.
Gomez's five-fight winning streak since the loss to Cotto came to an end. Alvarez figures to return before the end of the year, probably in December, but don't expect a top name. Golden Boy knows the 2010 ESPN.com prospect of the year is still not ready for the top opponents, and he will continue to be somewhat protected, given that he already generates substantial money. His economic impact will only grow as long as he isn't matched over his head as he continues to develop.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Saturday at Parker, Ariz.[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Gesta, 23, from the Philippines but based in San Diego, recently signed with Top Rank. He was headlining an edition of "Top Rank Live" and had no problems with Perez. Gesta, who may be only a fight or two away from a title opportunity, rolled to the lopsided decision win in a workman-like effort. Not too much excitement, but a solid victory for Gesta. Perez, 27, of Denver, had his two-fight winning streak snapped, but has lost three of his last five with losses also coming against Brandon Rios (who went on to win a lightweight title) and top prospect Diego Magdaleno.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Benavidez, 19, of Phoenix, was a star amateur who would have been a favorite to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team had he not opted for a professional contract from Top Rank, which considers him one of its best prospects. He was supposed to face experienced journeyman Jorge Pimentel but he dropped out and Bell took the fight on short notice and did not last long. Benavidez has a very fast right hand and he used it well. He dropped Bell, 27, of Memphis, Tenn., with a shot to the chin. He was a bit shaky when he got up but allowed to continue. Moments later, Benavidez landed another solid right hand, Bell went down again and it was over after 89 seconds. Benavidez has huge potential.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Saturday at Belfast, Northern Ireland[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Fury, 23, is the most heavily hyped British big man in quite some time. The hulking 6-foot-9, 253-pounder looked good in July, when he scored the biggest win of his career against Dereck Chisora in an entertaining fight. Although he was mentioned as a possible opponent for one of the Klitschko brothers, Fury and his handlers know he is nowhere near ready for that kind of step up. So with thoughts of a world title shot something that shouldn't even be mentioned right now, Fury, who is the British and Commonwealth champion, returned for his first fight since the win against Chisora.
Fury started off well, landing a variety of hard shots through the first and second rounds. Firtha was bleeding from the nose and Fury was landing uppercuts and combinations and showed a desire to brawl, which makes him exciting to watch. But Fury still has a long way to go, especially on defense. Firtha, who took the fight on two weeks' notice, staggered him with a booming overhand right in the third round. He also landed some other solid shots as Fury's legs turned to jelly and he had to hold on to Firtha for the second half of the round in a desperate attempt to survive the crisis. Fury rebounded in the fourth round, scoring a knockdown near the end of the round. It was an excellent action fight and it was continuing in the fifth round. Fury was landing some good shots, and when he wobbled Firtha with a right hand, referee John Keane called it off at 2 minutes, 19 seconds. However, this was a terrible stoppage. Firtha was losing, sure. But he was in the fight and not in any serious trouble. Firtha was robbed of his chance to land another big shot, and Fury was robbed of a definitive victory. Firtha, 32, of Akron, Ohio, has now dropped two of his last three. The other loss was a near-shutout, 10-round decision to top-5 heavyweight Alexander Povetkin.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Friday at Las Vegas[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Mitchell, 29, of Brandywine, Md., a former Michigan State football player who has developed into the top American heavyweight prospect, was supposed to make his HBO debut against Mike Mollo on Aug. 27. However, the card was scrapped when Robert Guerrero, the star of the main event, suffered a shoulder injury. Golden Boy quickly rescheduled Mitchell to headline this Telefutura "Solo Boxeo Tecate" card that was used to help promote the Mayweather-Ortiz pay-per-view the next night.
Mitchell did exactly what he was supposed to do to Ferreryro, 36, of Laredo, Texas, who lost his third consecutive fight. Ferreryro was game, but also slower, smaller and less-skilled than Mitchell, who outclassed him. It was obvious from the opening bell that this fight was not going to go on too long. Mitchell pounded him and had given him a black eye by the second round. In the third round, he was hammering Ferreryro, who wound up draped over the top ring rope after taking some big shots. Referee Robert Byrd properly issued an eight-count and the end was near. When the fight resumed, Mitchell battered him until Byrd stepped in to call it off a few moments later at 2 minutes, 17 seconds.
Mitchell displayed a good jab, a solid body attack, good power and patience. He hopes for a top-15-to-20 opponent before making a more significant step up. His next fight is due to be on HBO, either on Nov. 26 or Dec. 10. Mitchell remains a work in progress, but he has a lot of potential and, as an American heavyweight, the chance to become a significant fighter.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Diaz won a 2008 Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic but has moved slowly as a professional because of an inconsistent schedule. However, now he is signed to a co-promotional deal with Yvon Michel of Canada and Golden Boy, and figures to be a bit more active. He had no problems with Smith, a 32-year-old from Dallas nicknamed "Slow Motion," apparently for a reason. He really is slow. Diaz took advantage of that throughout the bout. Although Smith was a bit bigger than Diaz it made no difference. However, this was not a pleasing fight. In fact, Diaz is quickly developing into quite a crowd-displeasing fighter. He grabs and holds and is generally defensive-minded and generally makes things very ugly. He looks like he would be better served fighting as a junior welterweight instead of at welterweight, although he had no problems with the bigger Smith. Round after round, it was the same. Diaz would land a couple of punches and fall into a clinch. If he is going to keep doing that, as he has in most of his pro fights, he is not going to be welcome on TV. Smith dropped to 2-5 in his last seven fights.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Friday at South Bend, Ind.[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Lee, who you may have seen in a national commercial for Subway that runs constantly, returned to Notre Dame, where he graduated with a finance degree in 2009. However, Lee, 24, of Chicago, shunned life on Wall Street to pursue his dream of professional boxing. He returned to his alma mater to headline the first card ever on campus. It came on the eve of the Notre Dame-Michigan State football game. Lee pledged at least $100,000 of the card's profits to a pair of South Bend-area charities as a way to give back to a community that is very important to him. Lee had some issues in the fight, which was streamed on Top Rank's website. The bout featured knockdowns in every round. Lee dropped Stiers, 32, of Gardner, Kan., once in the first round and again in the second round before Stiers gave the sea of Lee fans a jolt when he floored Lee in the third round. Lee shook it off and rebounded to score another knockdown in the fourth round with a body shot to grab the decision.
Also on the card, 21-year-old Top Rank junior middleweight prospect Glen Tapia (11-0, 5 KOs), of Passaic, N.J., rolled to a shutout, six-round decision (60-52 on all three scorecard) against Marcus Thompson (5-5-1, 2 KOs) of Michigan City, Ind.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Thursday at El Paso, Texas[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: Gonzalez, 30, of Mexico, is a former bantamweight titlist who twice unsuccessfully challenged for junior featherweight titles. But in April, Gonzalez got a shot at featherweight titlist Hozumi Hasegawa in Japan and took him out in the fourth round in an upset. Now he has had two gimme defenses in a row, a fourth-round destruction of Tomas Villa in July, followed by this blowout of Mtagwa, 32, a native Tanzania living in Philadelphia.
Mtagwa is a tough guy who is game, but he has seen better days and now has lost three of his last four fights with each defeat coming against a top-level opponent: Gonzalez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez. Mtagwa did bring Lopez to the brink of a loss in a dramatic 2009 battle, but at this point, he is not much of a challenge for a quality opponent. Gonzalez simply overwhelmed him with his power and accuracy in a fight televised on ESPN Deportes in honor of Mexican Independence Day. Gonzalez was all over Mtagwa, especially in the second round. He creamed him with a two-handed attack until a flurry of shots rocked Mtagwa and sent him into retreat in a corner. As Gonzalez pounded on him, referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia stepped in to call it off at 2 minutes, 15 seconds.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Thursday at Rosarito, Mexico[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Rafael's remark: In July, Mexico's Miranda went to Brian Viloria's hometown of Honolulu, got dropped in the first round and went on to lose his flyweight title in a mandatory defense. In his first bout since the loss, Miranda, 31, returned on Mexican Independence Day to face journeyman Leon, who was originally supposed to fight former junior flyweight champ Giovani Segura on the card, but Segura dropped out the week of the fight with a hand injury. This was easy work for Miranda, who kept up a steady attack through the first two rounds. Leon landed some solid body shots in the second round, then decided to remain on the stool, quitting 10 seconds into the third round in a surprising outcome. Leon, 28, of Colombia, has dropped to 2-4 in his last six fights. He did not put forth a top effort.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[table][tr][th=""]
Floyd Mayweather Jr. KO4 Victor Ortiz
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Welterweight
Wins a welterweight title
Records: Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KOs); Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs)
[/td]Wins a welterweight title
Records: Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KOs); Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Mayweather was making his much-anticipated return to the ring after yet another long layoff -- this time 16 months -- following his wipeout of Shane Mosley. Ortiz, 10 years younger than the 34-year-old Mayweather, won the lottery when he outpointed Andre Berto in April to win a welterweight title and landed the $2 million shot against Mayweather.
But few gave Ortiz, of Ventura, Calif., a serious chance to win unless the layoff and age had caught up to Mayweather, who was fighting in his adopted hometown, as usual.
Mayweather's age and the layoff did not show up at all. He was, as usual, brilliant. Put all the flamboyance, bragging, the flashing of money and jewels and tiresome rhetoric aside and Mayweather remains the best fighter in the world not named Manny Pacquiao, the one fighter Mayweather needs to face to secure his ultimate legacy. But on this night he was facing Ortiz, whom Mayweather had sat ringside to watch get knocked down twice by Berto but win. Mayweather then picked him to fight and, after a drama-filled promotion (at least on Mayweather's side, just watch HBO's "24/7") they met before 14,687 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mayweather's regular venue. It was an Ortiz house, however, with most of the fans turning out to support the Mexican-American on the weekend of Mexican Independence Day.
It was clear from the outset that Ortiz was not on Mayweather's level. Mayweather used his speed, skills and a very accurate right hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Mayweather seemed in total control through three rounds and it looked as if he was on his way to yet another easy victory. Then things turned wild in the fourth round. Ortiz began to have his best success, landing a few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. Then the fight devolved.
Ortiz rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional head-butt, busting open a cut on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth. Referee Joe Cortez immediately called timeout and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul. Frankly, he would have been right to take two points. Ortiz seemed apologetic and even hugged and kissed Mayweather, who did not seem at all interested in forgiving him in the heat of the moment. Would you be if you had just had your face rammed by somebody's head in blatant rules violation?
Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight. Although he was looking away from the fighters, the fight was back on. Yet Ortiz was still trying to touch gloves with Mayweather, who instead unloaded a left and right to knock Ortiz out. Ortiz broke the cardinal rule of boxing -- protect yourself at all times. Mayweather, who took heat for a supposed sucker punch, did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong. Time was in, fight is on. This ain't checkers or golf. Ortiz made a rookie mistake and paid for it. It was his fault, not Mayweather's, and too bad for him. It would have never happened if Ortiz had not intentionally butted Mayweather, the action that led directly to the fight having to be stopped then restarted. Would it have been nice to see Mayweather perhaps show a little more sportsmanship? Sure, but boxing is a combat sport and he broke no rules. He won it fair and square and picked up his seventh world title covering five weight classes. Mayweather is often not that likeable (his rant against HBO's Larry Merchant after the fight was disgraceful and uncalled for), but he won the fight with legal punches. Period. He's back and, hopefully, won't go into another long layoff. And, hopefully, he will finally fight Pacquiao next if Pacquiao beats Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12. Whomever Mayweather fights next best be warned to keep their freakin' hands up.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Erik Morales TKO10 Pablo Cesar Cano
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Junior welterweight
Wins a vacant junior welterweight title
Records: Morales (52-7, 36 KOs); Cano (22-1-1, 17 KOs)
[/td]Wins a vacant junior welterweight title
Records: Morales (52-7, 36 KOs); Cano (22-1-1, 17 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Morales is 35 now but has thrilled us for many, many years through his title runs at junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight. He has fought everybody you could have asked for and is the last man to defeat Pacquiao, outpointing him in a raging slugfest in 2005 (before losing to Pacquiao by knockout in their second and third showdowns). All the battles had taken their toll on Morales, who walked away from boxing after failing in an attempt to win a lightweight title against David Diaz in 2007. After a two-and-a-half-year retirement, however, Morales returned. He won three lesser fights in a row, then faced Marcos Maidana in April. It was a great slugfest and even though Morales lost fair and square, he rejuvenated his career with such a tremendous performance.
One of Morales' goals for his comeback was to become the first Mexican to win a world title in four weight divisions. The Mexico-based WBC would do anything for Morales, who has held its belts throughout his career. So the odious WBC unfairly and ridiculously stripped Timothy Bradley Jr. of his 140-pound title and simply gave Morales, who was coming off a loss, a chance to fight for the vacant belt. After Jorge Barrios (a joke as a title challenger) dropped out and Lucas Matthysse got ill and also dropped out, Cano, a 21-year-old Mexican with zero experience against a top opponent, was offered the shot. He took it and turned in an admirable performance. But he's a kid and was simply not ready for the experience and toughness of Morales, who is not what he was but still has the heart of a lion.
This was a good, tough, physical fight with a lot of action and clean punching. Both fighters were rocked with shots in a back-and-forth shootout. In the fifth round, Cano wobbled Morales with a right hand, but he shook it off. He opened a cut over Morales' left eye in the seventh round. Cano's face was also becoming a bit of a mess as both fighters were bleeding. Cano's eyes were both swelling and his nose was messed up when Morales cranked up his right hand in the 10th round. He landed a lot of shots, and Cano's face began to gush blood. Eventually, the fight was properly stopped at the end of the 10th round. Game effort from Cano, but this was a man versus a boy. This will go down as another exciting Morales performance, even if it was for a fake title that is a total joke. Morales is a great fighter and a future Hall of Famer, but the way he was handed this title was nothing short of criminal.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Jessie Vargas W10 Josesito Lopez
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Junior welterweight
Scores: 96-93, 95-94 Vargas, 96-93 Lopez
Records: Vargas (17-0, 9 KOs); Lopez (29-4, 17 KOs)
[/td]Scores: 96-93, 95-94 Vargas, 96-93 Lopez
Records: Vargas (17-0, 9 KOs); Lopez (29-4, 17 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Vargas, 22, of Las Vegas, is with Mayweather's Mayweather Promotions, which is why he landed this coveted opening slot on the HBO PPV card the boss was headlining. On paper, it was solid match against Lopez, 27, a young veteran from Riverside, Calif., who was coming off an upset of previously undefeated prospect Mike Dallas Jr. Could Lopez pull another upset over another unbeaten prospect? It looked that way to many at ringside who thought Lopez deserved the decision. But there were also quite a few who thought Vargas deserved the nod. In the end, it was Vargas who got the split verdict, even though the crowd (in Vargas' hometown) roundly booed the decision. Whomever you thought won the fight, it was a good action scrap between two crowd-pleasing fighters. Both fighters were cut and marked up in a free-swinging fight. Vargas, who Mayweather has talked up for a title shot, was docked a point by referee Tony Weeks for a low blow in the eighth round. Vargas is a prospect, but needs work before he is ready for a legitimate top contender, much less somebody with a world title.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Saturday at Los Angeles[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez TKO6 Alfonso Gomez
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Junior middleweight
Retains a junior middleweight title
Records: Alvarez (38-0-1, 28 KOs); Gomez (23-5-2, 12 KOs)
[/td]Retains a junior middleweight title
Records: Alvarez (38-0-1, 28 KOs); Gomez (23-5-2, 12 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Alvarez, 21, Mexico's most popular active fighter, headlined his own card at the Staples Center, but his second title defense of the vacant belt he won in March was in the co-feature position on the HBO PPV card headlined by Mayweather-Ortiz.
Alvarez was facing fellow Guadalajara, Mexico, fighter Gomez, 30, the former "Contender" star whose only previous title shot came in a lopsided fifth-round knockout loss to then-welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto in 2008. Alvarez scored a flash knockdown on a jab near the end of the first round, and Gomez seemed just fine. But as the fight went on, Alvarez looked a bit ordinary and seemed troubled at times by Gomez's movement and periodic pressure. Although Alvarez was winning, Gomez was in the hunt until the sixth round. That is when Alvarez hurt Gomez with a barrage of shots that eventually had him on the ropes. Many of Alvarez's shots were not flush, and Gomez did not look like he was unsteady or hurt, but referee Wayne Hedgepeth suddenly jumped in for a poor stoppage at 2 minutes, 36 seconds.
Gomez's five-fight winning streak since the loss to Cotto came to an end. Alvarez figures to return before the end of the year, probably in December, but don't expect a top name. Golden Boy knows the 2010 ESPN.com prospect of the year is still not ready for the top opponents, and he will continue to be somewhat protected, given that he already generates substantial money. His economic impact will only grow as long as he isn't matched over his head as he continues to develop.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Saturday at Parker, Ariz.[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Mercito Gesta W10 Manny Perez
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Lightweight
Scores: 99-91, 98-92 (twice)
Records: Gesta (23-0-1, 12 KOs); Perez (16-7-1, 3 KOs)
[/td]Scores: 99-91, 98-92 (twice)
Records: Gesta (23-0-1, 12 KOs); Perez (16-7-1, 3 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Gesta, 23, from the Philippines but based in San Diego, recently signed with Top Rank. He was headlining an edition of "Top Rank Live" and had no problems with Perez. Gesta, who may be only a fight or two away from a title opportunity, rolled to the lopsided decision win in a workman-like effort. Not too much excitement, but a solid victory for Gesta. Perez, 27, of Denver, had his two-fight winning streak snapped, but has lost three of his last five with losses also coming against Brandon Rios (who went on to win a lightweight title) and top prospect Diego Magdaleno.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Jose Benavidez Jr. KO1 Dedrick Bell
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Junior welterweight
Records: Benavidez Jr. (13-0, 12 KOs); Bell (6-10-4 KOs)
[/td]Records: Benavidez Jr. (13-0, 12 KOs); Bell (6-10-4 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Benavidez, 19, of Phoenix, was a star amateur who would have been a favorite to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team had he not opted for a professional contract from Top Rank, which considers him one of its best prospects. He was supposed to face experienced journeyman Jorge Pimentel but he dropped out and Bell took the fight on short notice and did not last long. Benavidez has a very fast right hand and he used it well. He dropped Bell, 27, of Memphis, Tenn., with a shot to the chin. He was a bit shaky when he got up but allowed to continue. Moments later, Benavidez landed another solid right hand, Bell went down again and it was over after 89 seconds. Benavidez has huge potential.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Saturday at Belfast, Northern Ireland[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Tyson Fury TKO5 Nicolai Firtha
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Heavyweight
Records: Fury (16-0, 11 KOs); Firtha (20-9-1, 8 KOs)
[/td]Records: Fury (16-0, 11 KOs); Firtha (20-9-1, 8 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Fury, 23, is the most heavily hyped British big man in quite some time. The hulking 6-foot-9, 253-pounder looked good in July, when he scored the biggest win of his career against Dereck Chisora in an entertaining fight. Although he was mentioned as a possible opponent for one of the Klitschko brothers, Fury and his handlers know he is nowhere near ready for that kind of step up. So with thoughts of a world title shot something that shouldn't even be mentioned right now, Fury, who is the British and Commonwealth champion, returned for his first fight since the win against Chisora.
Fury started off well, landing a variety of hard shots through the first and second rounds. Firtha was bleeding from the nose and Fury was landing uppercuts and combinations and showed a desire to brawl, which makes him exciting to watch. But Fury still has a long way to go, especially on defense. Firtha, who took the fight on two weeks' notice, staggered him with a booming overhand right in the third round. He also landed some other solid shots as Fury's legs turned to jelly and he had to hold on to Firtha for the second half of the round in a desperate attempt to survive the crisis. Fury rebounded in the fourth round, scoring a knockdown near the end of the round. It was an excellent action fight and it was continuing in the fifth round. Fury was landing some good shots, and when he wobbled Firtha with a right hand, referee John Keane called it off at 2 minutes, 19 seconds. However, this was a terrible stoppage. Firtha was losing, sure. But he was in the fight and not in any serious trouble. Firtha was robbed of his chance to land another big shot, and Fury was robbed of a definitive victory. Firtha, 32, of Akron, Ohio, has now dropped two of his last three. The other loss was a near-shutout, 10-round decision to top-5 heavyweight Alexander Povetkin.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Friday at Las Vegas[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Seth Mitchell TKO3 Hector Ferreryro
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Heavyweight
Records: Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KOs); Ferreryro (21-11-2, 12 KOs)
[/td]Records: Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KOs); Ferreryro (21-11-2, 12 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Mitchell, 29, of Brandywine, Md., a former Michigan State football player who has developed into the top American heavyweight prospect, was supposed to make his HBO debut against Mike Mollo on Aug. 27. However, the card was scrapped when Robert Guerrero, the star of the main event, suffered a shoulder injury. Golden Boy quickly rescheduled Mitchell to headline this Telefutura "Solo Boxeo Tecate" card that was used to help promote the Mayweather-Ortiz pay-per-view the next night.
Mitchell did exactly what he was supposed to do to Ferreryro, 36, of Laredo, Texas, who lost his third consecutive fight. Ferreryro was game, but also slower, smaller and less-skilled than Mitchell, who outclassed him. It was obvious from the opening bell that this fight was not going to go on too long. Mitchell pounded him and had given him a black eye by the second round. In the third round, he was hammering Ferreryro, who wound up draped over the top ring rope after taking some big shots. Referee Robert Byrd properly issued an eight-count and the end was near. When the fight resumed, Mitchell battered him until Byrd stepped in to call it off a few moments later at 2 minutes, 17 seconds.
Mitchell displayed a good jab, a solid body attack, good power and patience. He hopes for a top-15-to-20 opponent before making a more significant step up. His next fight is due to be on HBO, either on Nov. 26 or Dec. 10. Mitchell remains a work in progress, but he has a lot of potential and, as an American heavyweight, the chance to become a significant fighter.
[/td][/tr][tr][th=""]
Felix Diaz W8 Larry Smith
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Welterweight
Scores: 80-72, 79-73 (twice)
Records: Diaz (10-0, 6 KOs); Smith (10-6, 6 KOs)
[/td]Scores: 80-72, 79-73 (twice)
Records: Diaz (10-0, 6 KOs); Smith (10-6, 6 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Diaz won a 2008 Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic but has moved slowly as a professional because of an inconsistent schedule. However, now he is signed to a co-promotional deal with Yvon Michel of Canada and Golden Boy, and figures to be a bit more active. He had no problems with Smith, a 32-year-old from Dallas nicknamed "Slow Motion," apparently for a reason. He really is slow. Diaz took advantage of that throughout the bout. Although Smith was a bit bigger than Diaz it made no difference. However, this was not a pleasing fight. In fact, Diaz is quickly developing into quite a crowd-displeasing fighter. He grabs and holds and is generally defensive-minded and generally makes things very ugly. He looks like he would be better served fighting as a junior welterweight instead of at welterweight, although he had no problems with the bigger Smith. Round after round, it was the same. Diaz would land a couple of punches and fall into a clinch. If he is going to keep doing that, as he has in most of his pro fights, he is not going to be welcome on TV. Smith dropped to 2-5 in his last seven fights.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Friday at South Bend, Ind.[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Mike Lee W4 Jacob Stiers
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Light heavyweight
Scores: 38-34 (three times)
Records: Lee (7-0, 4 KOs); Stiers (4-2, 2 KOs)
[/td]Scores: 38-34 (three times)
Records: Lee (7-0, 4 KOs); Stiers (4-2, 2 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Lee, who you may have seen in a national commercial for Subway that runs constantly, returned to Notre Dame, where he graduated with a finance degree in 2009. However, Lee, 24, of Chicago, shunned life on Wall Street to pursue his dream of professional boxing. He returned to his alma mater to headline the first card ever on campus. It came on the eve of the Notre Dame-Michigan State football game. Lee pledged at least $100,000 of the card's profits to a pair of South Bend-area charities as a way to give back to a community that is very important to him. Lee had some issues in the fight, which was streamed on Top Rank's website. The bout featured knockdowns in every round. Lee dropped Stiers, 32, of Gardner, Kan., once in the first round and again in the second round before Stiers gave the sea of Lee fans a jolt when he floored Lee in the third round. Lee shook it off and rebounded to score another knockdown in the fourth round with a body shot to grab the decision.
Also on the card, 21-year-old Top Rank junior middleweight prospect Glen Tapia (11-0, 5 KOs), of Passaic, N.J., rolled to a shutout, six-round decision (60-52 on all three scorecard) against Marcus Thompson (5-5-1, 2 KOs) of Michigan City, Ind.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Thursday at El Paso, Texas[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Jhonny Gonzalez TKO2 Rogers Mtagwa
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Featherweight
Retains a featherweight title
Records: Gonzalez (50-7, 44 KOs); Mtagwa (27-15-2, 19 KOs)
[/td]Retains a featherweight title
Records: Gonzalez (50-7, 44 KOs); Mtagwa (27-15-2, 19 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: Gonzalez, 30, of Mexico, is a former bantamweight titlist who twice unsuccessfully challenged for junior featherweight titles. But in April, Gonzalez got a shot at featherweight titlist Hozumi Hasegawa in Japan and took him out in the fourth round in an upset. Now he has had two gimme defenses in a row, a fourth-round destruction of Tomas Villa in July, followed by this blowout of Mtagwa, 32, a native Tanzania living in Philadelphia.
Mtagwa is a tough guy who is game, but he has seen better days and now has lost three of his last four fights with each defeat coming against a top-level opponent: Gonzalez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez. Mtagwa did bring Lopez to the brink of a loss in a dramatic 2009 battle, but at this point, he is not much of a challenge for a quality opponent. Gonzalez simply overwhelmed him with his power and accuracy in a fight televised on ESPN Deportes in honor of Mexican Independence Day. Gonzalez was all over Mtagwa, especially in the second round. He creamed him with a two-handed attack until a flurry of shots rocked Mtagwa and sent him into retreat in a corner. As Gonzalez pounded on him, referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia stepped in to call it off at 2 minutes, 15 seconds.
[/td][/tr][/table]
[h4]Thursday at Rosarito, Mexico[/h4]
[table][tr][th=""]
Julio Cesar Miranda TKO3 Luis Carlos Leon
[/th][/tr][tr][td]Junior bantamweight
Retains a featherweight title
Records: Miranda (36-6-1, 27 KOs); Leon (13-5, 11 KOs)
[/td]Retains a featherweight title
Records: Miranda (36-6-1, 27 KOs); Leon (13-5, 11 KOs)
[/tr][tr][td]Rafael's remark: In July, Mexico's Miranda went to Brian Viloria's hometown of Honolulu, got dropped in the first round and went on to lose his flyweight title in a mandatory defense. In his first bout since the loss, Miranda, 31, returned on Mexican Independence Day to face journeyman Leon, who was originally supposed to fight former junior flyweight champ Giovani Segura on the card, but Segura dropped out the week of the fight with a hand injury. This was easy work for Miranda, who kept up a steady attack through the first two rounds. Leon landed some solid body shots in the second round, then decided to remain on the stool, quitting 10 seconds into the third round in a surprising outcome. Leon, 28, of Colombia, has dropped to 2-4 in his last six fights. He did not put forth a top effort.
[/td][/tr][/table]
Mike, I just saw your quote. Off the top of my head I remember Wolak said it was unsportsmanlike, JMM said it should have been marked as an invalid fight because Cortez never called time in (in his opinion) and Evander even went as far to say that Ortiz should have been given a 5 minute rest after getting docked because he looked woozy from the butt
Mike, I just saw your quote. Off the top of my head I remember Wolak said it was unsportsmanlike, JMM said it should have been marked as an invalid fight because Cortez never called time in (in his opinion) and Evander even went as far to say that Ortiz should have been given a 5 minute rest after getting docked because he looked woozy from the butt
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BS report podcast with Brian Kenny was pretty good. They talked about the fight,Leonard-Hagler, Hearns,The War, state of boxing, etc.
