Boxing News, MMA, UFC, Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather
Boxing News, MMA, UFC, Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather
On Saturday June 10, Madison Square Garden will have the feel of a ruckus United Nations convention as fighters from more then a handful of nationalities will commence on the Mecca of boxing for a Pay-Per-View offering from Bob Arum’s Top Rank Boxing.
The show will be highlighted by an intriguing WBO Jr. Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (26-0, 22 KO’s) and challenger Paulie Malignaggi (21-0, 5 KO’s) of nearby Brooklyn, New York.
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On January 7th, Brooklyn-born welterweight Champion Zab Judah phoned in his effort, and as a consequence lost a unanimous decision to the previously anonymous Carlos “Tata” Baldomir at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.
Baldomir, who has all of 12 KO’s in 57 fights, exposed Judah’s primary weakness, his glass chin, when a right hand sent Judah swaying around the ring. Baldomir shook off cuts on the bridge of his nose and right eye from Judah’s money punch of the night – the lead forehead – and with the fight on the line won the final two rounds on all cards. It was a stunning upset that appeared to shipwreck the April 8th pay-per-view mega fight between Judah and “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather.
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Once, at the final press conference before the Oscar De La Hoya-Shane Mosley rematch in September 2003, promoter Bob Arum tried to convey the global significance of the confrontation which would take place three days later.
Come with me inside the mind of an average sportsfan. He watches SportsCenter every night. He visits CBS SportsLine.com while he’s supposed to be working, but rarely goes to its Boxing page or makes three clicks to this column. He sees grainy footage of Muhammad Ali or Joe Louis, admires the majesty of a heavyweight title event, and wonders what happened to boxing.
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Tuesday, Light Heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver and former Middleweight king Bernard Hopkins made the second stop of a four city, three day press tour in Hopkins hometown of Philadelphia in anticipation of their big Light Heavyweight bout that will take place Saturday June 10th in Atlantic City.
The fight is promoted by Joe Deguardia’s Star Boxing in association with Golden Boy Promotions and despite a Press conference earlier in the day in New York, both teams seemed to have a lot of zest when articulating about this fight.
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As I sat there listening to Don King and Bob Arum rip Bernard
Hopkins last Saturday at a news conference in Atlantic City, it really made me wonder about this mysterious man.
He overcame an early life of crime that included a five-year
prison stint to become one of the best middleweights in history. Now 41, Hopkins was released from prison at 22 and never went back.
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Before we address our main topic matter today, it seems appropriate to take a last glimpse at the most recent attempt to provide clarity to the heavyweight division. The Hasim Rahman-James Toney scrap for the WBC title that was ceded to Rahman upon the retirement of Vitali Klitschko was as entertaining and hard fought battle as we have observed from the big boys in recent years. Regrettably the decision left us feeling a void that diminished the effort given in the ring.
Don King (L) shakes hands with long-time archrival Bob Arum during the Mayweather vs. Judah press tour in Atlantic City(R) photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
For the past few years the Heavyweight division has been light with excitement. There have been champions who have to put it mildly were less the crowd pleasers. There have been champions have been nothing more then that teased us with potential and many more “contenders” have teased us with potential.
With that being said, the muddled mediocrity has a chance to become just a bit clearer this Saturday night as WBC champion Hasim Rahman takes on former three (four for a brief moment) division champ, James “Lights Out” Toney at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
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The Boxing Channel
Three weeks ago, I hopped a plane for Hollywood, Florida, the home of Warriors Boxing. I left behind a light snowfall and temperatures in the 30’s and three hours later I was basking in sunny 80 degree warmth as I entered the lobby of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, a venue second to none on the East coast. In seemingly comparable time, Warriors Boxing has become a business model to be envied by promoters from coast to coast, led by their perpetual man in motion, Executive Director Leon Margules. Margules took over the boxing operations of Warriors in August 2005, and is methodically, yet swiftly, making the promotional company a force to be reckoned with in the sport.
Boxing is not dead. Still, casual observers, elite scribes, and others who should know better read us its epitaphs. Precise as sprinkler systems, these undertakers blame the advent of television, a lack of television coverage, too many promoters, too few promoters, too much money, too little regulation, and the NFL and NBA – which steal tomorrow’s heavyweight champions.
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27-year-old Said Ouali (17-2, 9 KOs) ,of Moracco, continues his climb up the Welterweight division.