Promoters Bob Arum and Don King have always been the guys one did not invite to the same party. Prior to co-promoting last April’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Zab Judah welterweight title fight in Las Vegas, it had been seven years since the two had done a show together.
MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD- RUSSELL V. FERNANDEZ PART ONE:
February 27, 2007 By Leave a Comment
In or around July 2004 the position of Executive Director for the California State Athletic Commission opened with the retirement of Rob Lynch. Immediately boxing writer Pedro Fernandez began churning out the first of what became an ongoing series of scurrilous articles aimed at California peace officer and referee Patrick Russell in an apparent effort to slander him out of contention for the post.
Vazquez, Marquez, and Inverse Proportionality
February 25, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Anyone check out that hellacious conference call Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez put on last week? The invective those two exchanged didn’t need to be translated. It could be felt. Here’s a tiny sample (expletives deleted).
Israel Vazquez: “I feel ready.”
Rafael Marquez: “I am a hundred percent.”
There was also last September, when Israel Vazquez jumped on a table in MGM Grand, tore off his shirt, and told Jhonny Gonzalez that, while Israel Vazquez didn’t have a problem with Jhonny Gonzalez, he couldn’t be responsible for what “IV” did to him.
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Alot going on in Arumville
February 21, 2007 By 41 Comments
It was about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, and promoter Bob Arum was driving to
his Las Vegas home after having left his Top Rank Inc. offices there a bit early.
THE BIG, FAT, LIGHTWEIGHT MESS
February 21, 2007 By Leave a Comment
It was reported this week that Joel Casamayor had been stripped of his WBC lightweight title, and interim belt holder David Diaz has been elevated to full title status. Last month the WBC cancelled a purse bid for a mandatory defense for Casamayor against Diaz because supposedly Casamayor was going to fight WBO titlist Acelino Freitas instead.
DETRIMENTAL BEHAVIOR?
February 19, 2007 By 1 Comment
Missy “The Fury” Fiorentino, 15-1 (6), is the highly regarded IWBF featherweight champion, a tough cookie who has been called “The Rocky Marciano of Women’s boxing” for her exciting, fan friendly style. However, last week Classic Entertainment and Sports Inc. (CES) issued a press release that Fiorentino has been released from her promotional contract, due to “detrimental behavior.” The infraction was incurred on February 9 at “The Hearts of Fire” card in Providence featuring women’s boxing icon Mia St. John and Missy’s CES stablemate Jaime Clampitt. (Clampitt won a 10 round unanimous decision.)
A “Little Clown” and a Little Updike
February 18, 2007 By Leave a Comment
The judges’ unanimous decision came as no surprise. With a partisan Mexican crowd all round me and a spreadsheet scorecard before me, the announcement that Mexican Alejandro “Payasito (Little Clown)” Hernandez had just taken Colombian Jonathan Perez’s WBO Latino Flyweight belt was not a climactic moment. I collected my laptop and made my way underneath the Celebrity Theatre arena.
March 3rd; a fight fan’s twinbill
February 14, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Promoter Gary Shaw has never been afraid to put one of his fighters in tough, competitive fights. Just ask Diego Corrales. The same can be said for Frank Espinoza, who manages Mexican studs Israel Vazquez and Martin Castillo.
REALITY CHECK
February 14, 2007 By Leave a Comment
With Freddie Roach committed to training Oscar De La Hoya for The Big One on May 5, he made it clear that his capable assistant, Justin Fortune, would be filling in for him with his duties with his other fighters. Yet lately the publicity machines have been grinding out press releases that Sugar Ray Leonard would be training Peter Manfredo Jr. for his April 7 fight with IBF/WBO super middleweight titlist Joe Calzaghe.
ELITEXC ON SHOWTIME VS. BOXING ON HBO
February 12, 2007 By Leave a Comment
The premiere of Pro Elite’s Elite Xtreme Combat (EliteXC) on Showtime Saturday was a success at least from an aesthetic standpoint. Even if, like me, you are a boxing fan who has yet to master the finer points of mixed martial arts, you have to admit that the event was entertaining.
Rocky and Winky
February 11, 2007 By Leave a Comment
A Rocky Juarez left uppercut raised Emmanuel Lucero’s head. Then an overhand right almost took it off. Lucero stumbled to the far ropes. Referee Bobby Ferrara grabbed Juarez by the right glove and, in Round 5, waved away the rest of the match. Rocky Juarez had won his first prizefight in thirteen months. Telefutura covered the action.
Ten minutes later, Rocky Juarez strode in a Desert Diamond conference room to face a press corps of perhaps one dozen. To his left sat manager Shelly Finkel; to his right was trainer Ronnie Shields. The last time Juarez spoke at a postfight press conference he was atop a majestic podium at MGM Grand and addressing a crowd of at least a hundred – after losing a pay-per-view match to Marco Antonio Barrera.
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POTPOURRI
February 7, 2007 By 40 Comments
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
To begin, I want to correct information that was reported in Tuesday’s column. Earlier this week we were advised by Mike Criscio, Chad Dawson’s manager, that Don King did not have options on the new light heavyweight titlist. Our suspicions were aroused by the comments of Gary Shaw, Dawson’s promoter, that, “Don and I will put on the next fight together.”
Inside Margarito-Williams
February 7, 2007 By Leave a Comment
With all the lawsuits flying around our wonderful sport these days, it appears another one is on the horizon.
Knee Bone Connected to the Head Bone
February 5, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Psychology has yet to establish a definitive set of ways to treat a prizefighter who inflicts mortal injuries on his opponent. Prizefighting is about hurting another man – to render him temporarily unconscious, remove his willingness to continue, or prevent him from causing hurt of his own. Prizefighters, though, are a psychologically fragile lot.
“BAD” CHAD HITS THE LOTTO
February 5, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Last Saturday night on Showtime Championship Boxing, Chad Dawson took a giant leap toward superstardom with a convincing unanimous decision over Tomasz Adamek, 116-110, 117-109, and 118-108. The southpaw Dawson took the WBC light heavyweight title from Adamek with the victory, held in Kissimmee, Florida, at the Silver Spurs Arena before a reported 5,270 fans.
HARDBALL
February 1, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Well, Freddie Roach is Oscar De La Hoya’s trainer for the May 5 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The announcement was made Tuesday on an International conference call with 140 media members. I confess that despite the persistent rumors I am mildly surprised. Somehow I just felt that the legal situation of Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao with Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank would put the kibosh on that assignment. But, in spite of several recent denials by Roach, the lure of a spot in O$car’$ corner proved to be too good of an opportunity for the trainer to reject.