Last Saturday, two fighters presumed to be among the top three welterweights in the world squared off before millions of viewers on pay-per-view. Of course, Floyd Mayweather Jr. completely outboxed an older version of former pound-for-pound kingpin Shane Mosley in a fight that left many at home wanting. This Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, Paul Williams will again be auditioning for an opportunity against one of the top two welterweights as he takes on Kermit Cintron. Their fight will be televised live by HBO and be paired coincidentally with the rebroadcast of the Mayweather-Mosley fight.

Williams (38-1, 27 KOs) of Augusta, Georgia will not be fighting at the 147-pound welterweight limit Saturday, but instead in the junior middleweight division. But if you ask Williams if he can still make 147, it won’t be the first time he has heard the query. “I’ve been asked the same questions so many times about fighting in different weight classes that my answers are almost like turning on a recorder and pressing play, but only with my mouth moving,” said Williams Wednesday at a press conference. “But, make no mistake; I don’t mind getting the attention and all the questions. I am confident and comfortable fighting in different weight classes and I will continue to do so for as long as I can and it is feasible.”

Williams has not made 147-pounds since avenging his sole defeat in June of 2008, a first-round stoppage over Carlos Quintana to reclaim the WBO title. In his four fights since, Williams has bested Verno Phillips to claim an interim 154-pound title and fought at middleweight in the three others. The idea of fighting in different weight classes in order to chase the big fights came from the Williams brain trust.

“Originally we came to the understanding that at the welterweight division, which is his natural division, it was becoming harder and harder to find takers for him out there, mainly because of the size discrepancy,” said Williams’ promoter Dan Goossen, referring to himself, Williams advisor Al Haymon and trainer George Peterson.

“But it is not Paul’s fault that he is 6’2” with a longer reach than the Klitschkos. We all came to the solution that the best way to keep his career progressing was by fighting in different weight divisions. But what has never left us was to crack that superstardom. And the way to do it is to make the superfight. The fight we would like to make, with a win Saturday night, is the [Manny] Pacquiao, is the Mayweather [fight]. The [other] top welterweights have gone by the wayside, the Cottos and the Margaritos. So there are three welterweights out there in my opinion that are the top guys today and they should all be mentioned in the same breath, and that is Pacquiao, Mayweather and Williams.”

Maybe it is because the boxing pundits did not understand their plan, but rarely do you hear Paul Williams name pop up as a potential opponent for either Mayweather or Pacquiao. Case in point, at the end of last Saturday’s pay-per-view broadcast. When HBO commentator Jim Lampley asked the rest of the broadcast team who they would like to see in with Mayweather, should the blockbuster with Pacquiao not come to fruition, neither could come up with a definitive reply. Especially considering the fact that Williams would be appearing on their network just seven days later, one would think Williams would be the name that came to their mind. However, this oversight is nothing new in the world Paul Williams lives.

“Every time a fight is mentioned, nobody even mentions my name,” says Williams frustratingly. “They know I am a threat, but most of them don’t want to put me in that category with them guys. So they mention me like real easy and don’t say too much. I’ll let Mr. Peterson, Al and Dan deal with it.”

If those who overlook Williams as a threat to the welterweight elite due so because they doubt his ability to still make 147-pounds, Williams’ trainer George Peterson has their answer. “[The critics] make decisions for people, when they should let the fighters make their own decision,” says Peterson. “Paul is saying, ‘Give me a 147-pounder, and let me show you I can make the 147-pound [weight limit]. And if you are that much in doubt, watch me eat breakfast before the weigh-in.’”

While Goossen mentions both Pacquiao and Mayweather as the fighters that he targets for Williams, it seems farfetched to think that the “Pacman’s” promoter Bob Arum would let his moneymaker in the same building as the 6’2” man known as the “Punisher.” Reportedly Pacquiao’s handlers rejected a fight with 5’11 junior middleweight Yuri Foreman based mainly on his height.

If Pacquiao is out of the question, Mayweather would seem the logical target for Team Williams, which makes Saturday’s fight of the utmost importance. With the Williams-Cintron bout being aired alongside the replay of last Saturday’s fight, everyone will be drawing their comparisons between the two. Many fighters in Williams’ position would feel the pressure of competing against a high-caliber fighter such as Kermit Cintron, knowing many watching will be measuring his performance against Mayweather’s. Williams however is not most fighters. “My main thing is to keep winning and the doors will open up.”

Photo by Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Kermit Cintron has been on this stage before. Since 2004, Cintron has been at the doorstep of breaking through to the upper level of the sport. Just one win away from the big money fights, Cintron has come up short each time. On Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, another such opportunity presents itself. Standing in his way is one of the world’s elite and most avoided fighters, Paul Williams.

Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs) of Houston, Texas by way of Carolina, Puerto Rico, can sympathize with the oft-evaded Williams. In May of last year, Cintron took on the most feared junior middleweight prospect at the time Alfredo Angulo. Cintron, known to be much more of a puncher than a traditional boxer, put on a clinic and won eight rounds on all three judges’ scorecards.

In winning the fight, especially by such wide margins, one would figure Cintron would be in line for a high profile fight, or at least welcomed back with open arms by HBO, which televised the Angulo bout. Neither possibility happened for Cintron in the ensuing twelve months. Adding insult, Angulo has fought twice on the network since last May and even picked up an interim title. Meanwhile Cintron has fought just once during that stretch, stopping journeyman Juliano Ramos in Puerto Rico.

Cintron’s promoter Lou DiBella is understandably a bit bitter about the whole situation. “It is frustrating when you beat a guy from pillar to post and then the guy gets two easy touches and a lot of money on premium cable while you have to fight a keep busy fight and wait for a guy who frankly most people in boxing don’t want to fight,” said DiBella during Monday’s conference call. “The idea that you can lose nine out of twelve rounds, and you are brought back as if you won, and the guy that won is sitting around waiting, that’s troubling. The other thing that is troubling is when you get passed over by the WBO for a vacant interim title, when you have beaten the guy that is fighting for it and you are not even offered the fight.”

While the Angulo aftermath clearly bothers Cintron, he has seemingly put it into the rearview and used it as motivation for Saturday’s fight. “The whole situation with Angulo, them putting him ahead of me, it is what it is,” said Cintron. “I’m not going to cry about it. I know I beat his ass, so right now I feel like I am the champion. I’m just going to move forward in my career and I am looking forward to May 8 against Paul Williams. We are going to put on a good show and the best man is going to win. I am going to go in there with the attitude that we are going to win, because I am not an opponent for nobody.”

When a big fight comes along, it is customary for fight scribes to compare their performances against common opponents as a way to gauge the outcome. Cintron and Williams have three common opponents. Williams beat all three, while Cintron went 1-2-1 against the group. They both stopped Walter Matthysse, which makes their fights against Antonio Margarito and Sergio Martinez the most notable. Last December, Williams edged Martinez in a close and competitive fight and fight of the year candidate. Earlier in the year, Cintron struggled against Martinez in an awful fight that most felt he should have lost. Cintron was counted out in the seventh after he went down from what he thought was a headutt, but the fight was allowed to resume. Later in the bout, a point deduction from Martinez would seal the draw.

Cintron’s most defining fights to date came against Antonio Margarito. Two years before Paul Williams outpointed Margarito, the “Tijuana Tornado” completely dominated a young and raw Cintron before scoring a fifth-round stoppage. Three years later, and trained at the time by Emanuel Steward, Cintron was stopped by Margarito again, this time by a body shot in the sixth. The events of last January, namely plaster of paris being found in Margarito’s hand wraps, put a cloud of doubt over those two Cintron defeats.

DiBella puts those three Cintron performances in perspective. “Particularly the second loss to Margarito [hurt him] and Kermit is not the type of guy to complain, but with all respect Margarito is a cheater, the worst kind of cheater,” stated DiBella. “Right now you have Sergio Martinez standing right with Paul on everybody’s pound-for-pound list. That was a tough fight for Kermit, but when you look at it now in 20/20 hindsight, and how competitive a lot of those rounds were, you see that he stands with the best fighters in the world. And again, you should not be penalized for being willing to fight the best.”

The best fighting the best, regardless of titles or treatment from the premium cable outlets, is what Saturday’s fight is all about, especially to Cintron. “This is a great opportunity for me to be able to fight Paul Williams,” stated Cintron. “A lot of fighters are avoiding us and best needs to fight the best. That is why I am here, to fight the best and to be the best.”

Photo by Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Las Vegas, NV- Seasoned welterweight veteran Ishe Smith(21-4 9ko’s) who was invited into pound for pound kingpin Floyd Mayweather’s training camp as a sparring partner is now aiming to make his own return to the ring.

Smith who was recently followed by whispers of a match up with Kassim Ouma, has no fight signed as of now, but would like to make it clear that he is aiming to take on the man that gave him the first loss of his career over five years ago, Sergio Mora(22-1).

“ Coming off the opportunity to spar in the Mayweather camp I learned a lot, and am primed for a major fight. The first time we fought it was a split decision in a five round fight. I’ve been calling for the rematch since then and he has never shown any interest” Smith said regarding Mora.

Smith, who came up short in his last outing against rising star Danny Jacobs(19-0), made a statement in 2008 by handing prospect Pawel Wolak (26-1) the first loss of his professional career. While Mora previously held the WBC junior middleweight title, his last outing was at 160 pounds, a weight Smith has said he has no problem with.

“There is no reason not to fight. People only got to see the edited version of the last fight and didn’t see how bad I hurt him in the last 30 seconds”

Smith and Mora first squared off in the semi finals of the inaugural season of NBC’s The Contender. Mora edged out a split decision, in a five round bout. Although Smith had experience going ten rounds, and Mora eight at the time of the fight, the five round format was a part of the tournament that served as a disadvantage to the more experienced contestants.

Sergio Mora is listed to appear on the recently announced Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz card July 31 at Mandalay Bay, although no opponent has been announced.

Smith has stated that he is open to bouts at either junior middleweight or middleweight.

Ishe Smith turned professional in 2000, and has captured NABO, WBC Continental, and USBA welterweight titles. Becoming a household name by participating in NBC’s The Contender in 2005, Smith has since appeared on national television numerous times.

Along with holding several marquee victories Smith has also shared the ring with Floyd Mayweather, Fernando Vargas, Shane Mosley, and Oscar De La Hoya as a sparring partner. Smith is based out of boxing’s capital city of Las Vegas, Nevada.

HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 5, 2010) – Hungarian-born and Germany based Zsolt “Mr. Lefthook” Bedak, the WBO No. 1 contender, fights outside of Europe for the first time in his pro career May 29 against WBO Junior Featherweight Champion Wilfredo “WV2” Vazquez, Jr., headlining the “Undefeated Champions” pay per view event, airing live in the United States from Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

“Undefeated Champions,” presented by PR Best Boxing in association with All Star Boxing, features three world title bouts. It is being distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9 PM/ET – 6 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, and DISH Network, for a suggested retail price of only $34.95.

Boricua star Vazquez (18-0-1, 15 KOs), the son of a former world champion (Wilfredo Vazquez), makes his first title defense against unbeaten challenger Bedak (14-0-1, 12 KOs), who doesn’t believe fighting for the first time outside of Europe will be a problem for him.

“This will indeed be my first pro fight outside of Europe and, sure, this is a new situation for me,” Bedak explained. “However, I am not really concerned about this. Also, the champ is in a special situation because it can be even harder to fight in one’s hometown as fans, friends, family, sponsors, etc. can put quite some pressure on a boxer defending his title and not wanting to disappoint them.”

Bedak, 26, captured the WBO European and WBO Inter-Continental super bantamweight titles last year. “This will, of course, be my most important fight and it’s an honor for me to be shown in television in the U.S.,” Zsolt added. “I expect a fair and open fight. I am prepared to go 12 rounds – I always do — and would not be surprised if the fight goes the full distance.

“I rely on a good combination of technique and power, as well as quick moves and jabs. Vazquez is a complete and very skilled fighter, offensively. I’ve fought four Latin fighters, so I have some experience with that style.”

WBO junior lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez (22-0-1, 14 KOs) makes the second defense of his title in the 12-round co-feature against WBO No. 10 rated Gonzalo “El Destructor” Mungia (17-6-3, 13 KOs) Martinez, rated No. 3 by The Ring, takes on the reigning WBO Latino super featherweight title-holder, Nicaraguan challenger Mungia.

The third world title fight on this explosive, highly-entertaining card matches females Hanna Gabriel (9-0-1, 5 KOs) and Gardy Pena (9-1-2, 6 KOs) for the vacant WBO super welterweight crown in a 10-round bout. Fighting on the undercard are the Arroyo twins, bantamweight McJoe (1-0, 1 KO) and McWilliams (1-0, 1 KO), the former Puerto Rican Olympians. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Integrated Sports Media: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Erik Morales, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr. and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports Media distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.

10+ Great Bouts, Including a Women’s Title Bout and 2 Feature Bouts.

WHAT: Live Amateur Boxing

WHEN: Sat. May 8, 2010

WHERE: “Historic” Slovenian Nat’l Ballroom

(6417 St. Clair Ave. / Cleveland, OH 44103)

This Saturday night, May 8, amateur boxing returns to the Slovenian Nat’l Ballroom in Cleveland for “BATTLE IN THE BALLROOM” The 10-plus bout event is being promoted locally by The West Side Boxing Club, in association with Kincaid-Godhard Promotions. The event will be the second this year for the Cleveland-based promotional company. Last January, they held the excellent “War at the Armory” card in Brook Park. Like that event, “BATTLE IN THE BALLROOM” is sure to be a fun night watching some of the best amateur fighters in the area.

In the first feature bout, 2008 Cleveland Golden Gloves champion, and fan favorite, Brian ‘The Korean Brawler’ Park (West Side B.C.) will take on Latiss Norman (Cory Fight Club) in a 152-pound match-up. In the co-feature, the best female lightweight in Ohio will be decided when Jessica Eye (Strong Style MMA) takes on Lauren Coney (PAL/Thurgood) at 132-pounds. Eye, the reigning women’s National Amateur Mixed Martial Arts champion, is undefeated as a fighter. Lauren Coney is an accomplished boxer, with many fights under her belt. Their fight is just one of three women’s bouts on the card.

In addition to the two feature bouts, “BATTLE IN THE BALLROOM” will also showcase at least eight main card bouts.

At 119-pounds, female fighters Eve Santiago and Asia Smith (PAL/Thurgood) will square off. At 132-pounds, there are three fights on the card. Former Cleveland Golden Gloves champ Greg Gilbert (West Side B.C.) will take on 2010 CGG’s runner-up Kenneth Brown (Cudell Rec.). Nick Titschinger (Playland MMA) will square off against Christian Colon (Raul Torres B.C.). With Ashley Barnett taking on Carrie Fiol (Warren B.C.), in one of the three female bouts.

There will be two fights on the card at 165-pounds. 2010 CGG’s runner-up Matt Brown (Terminator B.C.) will take on 2010 CGG’s participant Dequilla Smith (PAL/Thurgood). The two men did not meet up in this year’s Gloves, so it could make for an interesting match-up. Also at 165-pounds, well experienced amateurs Kenny Brown (Empire B.C.) and Josh Kroesen (Warren B.C.) will square off.

At 185-pounds, Brandon Radiwiec (Freddy’s B.C.) will fight Rohar Canales (Raul Torres B.C.), in one of two bouts in the weight class. The other will pin 2010 CGG’s participant David Frum (Terminator B.C.) against John Kutitus (Raul Torres B.C.)

Also at “BATTLE IN THE BALLROOM” will be one preliminary high school bout, featuring Christian White (Terminator B.C.) taking on Daniel Caldera (Freddy’s B.C.) in a match-up of 170-pounders.

Other fighters listed on the card, but yet to have opponents are Ryan Forbes, Jason Chisar and Gabrielle Conway. Forbes was the 2010 CGG’s runner-up in the 178-pound ‘Open’ division.

Only a limited amount of tickets remain for “BATTLE IN THE BALLROOM”. Tickets start at just $15 and can be purchased through the Kincaid-Godhard Promotions box office at (440) 223-7409 or on-line at ProBoxingOhio.com.

The Slovenian Nat’l Ballroom is located at 6417 St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland. The event will provide free parking and adult refreshments for purchase. Fights start at 7:30 pm.

West Side Boxing Club is a nonprofit 501C tax-exempt club that works with underprivileged teens and young adults to use boxing as a tool to build character, enrich social development, and gain athletic achievements.

Boxing, unlike most other athletic endeavors, is a sport that one can leave for a long period of time and pick up again down the road. Most fighters pick up the sport at a very young age, and often times get burnt out once or twice in their lifetime before returning to the ring. Back in 2003 and 2004, DonYil Livingston was among the top amateur fighters in the nation. Livingston came close to winning national titles on several occasions, competed at international events representing the United States and had his eye on making the U.S. Olympic squad. When things did not work out, Livingston eventually took a step away from the sport. After a couple years Livingston’s love for the fight game caught back up to him, and he made the decision to return to the ring. On Thursday night at the Circus Disco in Hollywood, California, Livingston will make his professional debut in what he hopes is just step one on the road back to national prominence.

Livingston, who fights out of Palmdale, California, found boxing on a fluke as a ten-year old. “I went to a park to play football during the summer of ’96,” recalled Livingston. “Based on my age and weight, they told me I was too big to play for my age and weight class. As my father and I were exiting the park, I heard a loud pounding inside of a gym. I poked my head in and saw some guys hitting the bag and inside of the ring. We talked to the coach, he gave us a waiver to fill out and we came back the following day. Since that next day I have grown to love boxing.”

Livingston quickly developed into one of the top junior Olympic division fighters, winning national and international titles. At just 16-years-old, Livingston moved into the open division to become one of the top amateur middleweight boxers in the country. “Everybody that I competed against, everybody that I came up with, they are now either title holders or top contenders as professionals,” says Livingston. “I sit back and look at some guys and I am happy for them, but I think to myself that I should be right next to them.”

Competing in national and international competitions in 2003, Livingston would fight some of the top fighters in pro boxing today. At the 2003 U.S. Championships, Livingston would lose by decision to eventual U.S. Olympian Andre Dirrell in the quarterfinals. Livingston also fought reigning WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Jean Pascal at a May 2003 dual in Canada. At the 2003 National PAL Championships, Livingston made it to the finals, before losing to present day prospect Joe Greene.

The following February, Livingston’s dreams of making the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team ended with a preliminary round loss to Jorge Hernandez of Lompoc, California. Livingston would continue his amateur career, including advancement to the quarterfinals of the 2004 National Golden Gloves, but eventually his commitment to amateur boxing would wane.

“After the ’04 Western Trials I stayed in it for a couple years and then I took a couple years off from boxing because I was ready to turn pro,” recalls Livingston. “Mentally I was tired of the amateurs, and I was ready to go pro. All of my friends, all of my peers were going pro. For me to stick around in the amateurs, I didn’t have the hunger for it anymore. So I stepped away from the sport, because if you are not 110 percent into the sport, both mentally and physically, you can seriously get hurt. So I stepped away until I had my mind completely made up.”

In his time away, Livingston’s love for the sport of boxing haunted him at times. “I love boxing and I have been in love with boxing,” says Livingston. “Everything I have been doing, whether it was sports or life in general, I have always found a way to tie it back to boxing. I was getting ready for the Sheriff’s Academy, and we were out there running and everything, but for some reason everyday at five o’clock, I would think to myself I should be at the gym training. I would watch various fights on TV, and I would think I could dominate this guy. My heart and my love is boxing.”

Coming to the realization he was not done with the sport, Livingston made the decision to turn pro. “I couldn’t continue going on, pushing it to the side, because I would have gone miserable. I don’t want to be one of those guys that says later, ‘I could of’ or ‘I should of’. So now I came back and I am ready to go. It is a few years later, but we are more hungry than we were then.”

Livingston’s professional career begins Thursday against Lamar Horne (2-5, 1 KO) of San Diego, California, who is a replacement for a less experienced fighter. The late change in opponents does not bother the well composed Livingston. “When I train, I am not the type to study fighters,” reveals Livingston. “I train to defeat myself. Not to belittle anyone, or overlook anyone, but I know the type of fighter that I am. I am a very talented, very blessed fighter. I look at it that I train to defeat me, and I know I can’t defeat me.”

Livingston, who competed mainly at the 165-pound middleweight class as an amateur, will debut at super middleweight as a pro, but may make the move down to 160-pounds in time. Now matter the weight class, Livingston is just about done waiting, and ready to get back to fighting. “It has been a long journey and I am ready to continue this ride.”

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

LOS ANGELES/PHILADELPHIA, May 4 – ‘The City of Brotherly Love’s’ finest will be back home and ready to fight on Friday, May 7 when Danny Garcia and the Dargan brothers – Karl and Mike – step through the ropes at The Arena (formerly The New Alhambra) in Philadelphia in featured bouts on the next edition of TeleFutura’s “Sólo Boxeo Tecate”.

In the 10 round main event, welterweight Danny “Swift” Garcia looks to keep his unbeaten record intact when he takes on veteran Christopher “Kid Kayo” Fernandez. The co-featured bout of the evening will see lightweight Karl “Dynamite” Dargan in a six round bout against Miami’s Jorge Ruiz, and in a junior middleweight battle scheduled for four rounds, Mike “Sharp” Dargan battles Jason Montgomery.

Garcia vs. Fernandez is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Joe Hand Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. Doors open at 7:00pm, the first bell rings at 7:30pm and the TeleFutura broadcast begins at 11:30pm ET/PT.

Tickets, priced at $100, $65, and $45, are on sale now at The Arena Box Office and by calling 215-364-9000.

Perhaps the top junior welterweight prospect in the game today, 22-year-old Danny Garcia (16-0, 10 KO’s) has passed all his tests since turning professional in 2007. He has gone 6-0 in since the beginning of 2009 with big wins over Pavel Miranda, Enrique Colin and Ashley Theopane. Now, he returns home on May 7 to dazzle his Philly fans once again.

Salt Lake City’s Christopher Fernandez (18-9-1, 10 KO’s) has been the measuring stick to determine which of today’s top young fighters can graduate to the next level. Having already faced world champions Devon Alexander and Paulie Malignaggi, the 34-year-old “Kid Kayo” is looking for a win on May 7 and to show the world that Danny Garcia is not ready for prime time.

Seen by many boxing insiders as a future world champion, Karl Dargan (7-0, 3 KO’s) is back in Philadelphia to show his hometown fans what he picked up while training in the camp of a current Welterweight World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley. One of the nation’s top amateurs for years, Dargan is staying busy and ready to make his move on the best at 135 pounds in 2010. In the opposite corner on Friday will be Miami veteran Jorge Ruiz (7-11-1).

Back in action after a nearly five year layoff, 27-year-old Mike Dargan (1-1) is also returning from an intense training camps with future Hall of Famers, Bernard Hopkins and Mosley. Dargan has a renewed determination to make it to the top, and the junior middleweight standout is sure to be trouble for Hayward, California’s unbeaten Jason Montgomery (1-0).

In off-TV action, Philadelphia will also be well represented by middleweight Latif Mundy (8-2, 3 KO’s) and debuting 154-pounder Julian Williams, who will take on Trenton, NJ’s Joshua Onyango (15-18-1, 9 KO’s) and Brockton, MA’s Antonio Fernandez (0-4) respectively.

A cruiserweight four round bout will see unbeaten Reading, Pennsylvania prospect Julio Matthews (9-0, 5 KO’s) putting his perfect record on the line against an opponent to be named.

Two light heavyweight bouts are on tap, with unbeaten Utica, NY native Andy Mejias (5-0, 1 KO) taking on Dover, Delaware’s Todd Eriksson (1-3-1, 1 KO), and Morristown, New Jersey’s Andre Espeut facing Philly battler Charles Hayward (2-2, 1 KO). Both fights are scheduled for four rounds.

Opening the show will be a four round junior lightweight fight between New Jersey’s own Jose Ortiz (3-2, 1 KO) and Jason Sosa (2-0, 1 KO).

For more information, please visit www.univision.net, www.goldenboypromotions.com, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing.

Just a week after he lost a gruelling Heavyweight fight Chris Arreola was in Las Vegas to watch the Welterweight Super fight between Floyd Mayweather & Shane Mosley. When asked about where he goes next Arreola told me that he will be having a rematch with Tomasz Adamek in New Jersey at the end of August.

It seems a logical fight, both guys were well matched and can make good money in a rematch. It’s also interesting that the fight will go to the East coast where Adamek is extremely popular. Arreola lost a majority decision by scores 117-111 & 115-113 against 114-114. Though he hurt Adamek on several occasions.

SAN ANTONIO (April 23, 2010): Arts Center Enterprises (ACE), an innovative theatrical management and development company that manages the Majestic Theatre, is working with Bellator Fighting Championships, a pioneer in tournament-style mixed martial arts promotion, to bring world-class MMA to the Majestic and to a national television audience May 27.

The event, scheduled for 6 PM May 27, is on sale now. Doors open at 5:15 PM. Tickets begin at $25. Limited ringside seating is available at $145 per ticket. Charge tickets by phone at 800.745.3000, order online at www.ticketmaster.com, or purchase in person at all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Majestic Box Office.

Bellator, currently in its second season, became the first MMA promotion in history to be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks during its highly successful first season. The event now reaches virtually every home in the U.S. after forging a groundbreaking TV distribution alliance through FOX Sports Net, NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

Bjorn Rebney, Bellator Sport Worldwide founder and CEO, said, “We are extremely excited to partner with ACE and appreciate their willingness to help us present our very innovative, nationally televised tournament-style MMA event in the unique environment of the historic Majestic Theatre.”

ACE Executive Director Kirk Feldmann noted that ACE was approached by the Bellator team earlier this Spring. In an account of ACE’s decision process to work with Rebney, Feldmann stated:

“The opportunity to host a unique, non-traditional sporting event here at the Majestic was genuinely intriguing. Being able to premiere this show in San Antonio in conjunction with how it would place the Majestic and our City in front of a national television audience were contributing factors in our decision to proceed. Recent engagements of the Bellator brand at historic theatres such as the Chicago Theatre and the Wang Center for the Performing Arts in Boston added to our decision to bring a professional sporting event into a proscenium theatre environment.”

“We are proud to continue to find new ways of attracting diverse audiences to the Majestic Theatre and reinforce our position as a venue for the entire community,” added Feldmann.

For venue information, visit www.MajesticEmpire.com. For more information about Bellator, visit www.Bellator.com.

About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

The Historic Majestic Theatre

The Majestic Theatre is located at 224 E. Houston Street in the heart of downtown San Antonio, Texas. Built in 1929 by John Eberson for Interstate Theatres, the Majestic was intended to be the most modern building in South Texas and was the first in the state to be totally air-conditioned. The Majestic remains one of the finest examples of atmospheric theatres ever built, receiving National Historic Landmark status in 1993. Purchased in 1988 by the City of San Antonio, the Majestic, along with the neighboring Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, was renovated at a cost of $15 million. Since 1989, ACE has hosted over 5 million patrons and receives no operating subsidies from the City of San Antonio.

First Offense
Last weekend’s Locked In The Cage: First Offense in Leesburg, Virginia as an “all amateur” show with explosive results. Fans were on their feet screaming for more as LITC provided a lightning fast KO, several TKOs and submissions and only one fight ended in decision.
With 5 submissions on the evening, choosing the submission of the night wasn’t an easy task but the bout between Coalition Fight Club’s Kevin Rohrer and Warpath’s Tyrone Chrisjohn stands out. Persevering through early an early takedown and obvious man-handling, Rohrer was able to lock in an arm bar early and even survive a slam to the ground from Chrisjohn (in an unsuccessful attempt to free his arm). Rohrer locked the submission hold tighter and said after the fight, “I want a title shot on June 26th”. With his submission of the night victory, rumors say he’ll get his title shot soon.

Locked In The Cage is known for action and they didn’t disappoint fans with the fight of the night between Alex Conover and Nah-Shon Burrell. A non stop action packed fight that showed all the elements of MMA, fans witnessed another war leading to a decision. For all the Locked In The Cage: First Offense action and to see the rest of the TKOs and submissions, go to http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=684. today and watch the LITC event with GFL’s Video On Demand feature.

Sport Fight X – Showdown On The Southside
The SportFight X era in the southeast US has begun. Certainly an event filled with great fights, including a triangle choke you can’t miss, the intense anticipation was filling the packed house at the Georgia World Congress Center. The main event matchup between Douglas Lima “the Phenom” and Cortez “Hollywood” Coleman, was of the highest anticipated fight tournaments in Georgia MMA history. “The REDLINE Grand Prix,” sponsored by Redline VPX, was filled with battles and the main event was nothing but the same.

As the 3rd and final round started, both fighters stood facing each other, hearts pounding, dripping in sweat and stomachs in knots, it would be hard to imagine what was going through their heads. Each man had a look of determination and hope in their eyes after 2 rounds of fierce fighting, in where each fighter had failed to finish the other, the 3rd round proved once again, through heart and skill, there’s always a winner. To see the exciting outcome to the main event and to watch all the amazing bouts SportFight X had to offer fans, go to http://www.gofightlive.tv/showEvent.do?eventId=680 and watch the Video On Demand.

Available Wednesday May 5 on-demand on GFL!

Professional boxing returned to the Rubber City of Akron, Ohio as Hall of Fame Boxing and Promotions hosted their inaugural event. The Chapparell Center, which has been home to many professional boxing and MMA events over the years, once again played host to a action packed 6 bout card.

Andy “Magnifico” Mejias remained undefeated 6-0 (2) with a 3rd TKO victory over Randy “The Rattler” Campbell.

John “Tex” Stallings defeated Jerome “Joe Thunder” Black with a 3rd round TKO. Stallings a accomplished MMA fighter captured his first victory as a professional boxer.

Kimdo “X-Factor” Boykins remained undefeated 3-0 (3) as referee George Nichols reached the count of 10 late in the 1st round as C.J. “Heavy Hands” Glover could not withstand the punishing assault by Boykins.

Fan favorite Jason “Big Daddy” Massie remained undefeated 4-0 (3) with a 2nd round TKO over “Lethal Lee Thomas.

Kenyon Graham evened his record 1-1 with a 4 round majority decision of debuting Dominic “The Punnisher” Qurazzo. Judges Jim Price and Mike Wick scored the contest 40-36 for Graham as Judge John Kikta saw the contest 38-38.

The main event saw ring veteran Joseph “The Most Beautiful Thing In Boxing” Rabotte tweak out a 6 round majority decision over fan favorite DeAndre “Showtime” McCole. Judges John Kikta and Mike Wick scored the contest 57-55 and Judge Jim Price saw it even at 56-56.

Hall of Fame Boxing and Promotions will be returning in early July 2010. For more information on Hall of Fame Boxing and Promotions visit their web site at www.hofboxingandpromotions.com

Upset in a closely contested fight by hard-nosed journeyman Jason Gavern this past April, heavyweight contender Manuel Quezada expressed his desire to get his conqueror back in the ring as soon as possible in the bout’s immediate aftermath. Quezada, who had been riding an 18-fight win streak, was on cusp of some potentially big fights before the split decision verdict was announced. On May 8th, exactly one month after their first encounter, Quezada will get his chance at redemption in a ten-round rematch on the Paul Williams-Kermit Cintron undercard at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Their first meeting, which took place on Quezada’s home turf at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California, was an entertaining scrap, especially by heavyweight standards. Quezada (29-5, 18 KOs) of Wasco, California had a solid first round, but both fighters agreed that the momentum of the bout changed directions after an accidental head clash bothered the local favorite in the second round. “I came out ready to fight, but I wasn’t the same after the headbutt and the cut,” admitted Quezada recently. “After that, it was all downhill for me. I got into fighting his fight instead of fighting my fight. I am not going to let that happen this time. The cut actually healed really good, so we are ready to go and I can’t wait.”

Gavern (19-7-3, 8 KOs) of Kissimmee, Florida seemed to gain confidence in that second round and turned up his offense as the fight progressed. What resulted was a heated action fight, which Goossen Tutor Promotions has made available in its entirety on YouTube. “I was able to watch [the fight] and see our mistakes,” said Quezada. “We are going to correct those mistakes and be ready for May 8th.”

Aiding in Quezada’s preparation for the rematch will be the return of famed trainer Joe Goossen to his camp. Goossen joined the Quezada team in early 2009, prior to a fifth-round knockout of Eric Boose. Quezada reeled off two first-round kayos and a ten-round decision in his next three fights, but a scheduling conflict made working with Goossen prior to the first Gavern bout unfeasible. “We didn’t go to camp with Joe because he was really busy with Edison Miranda, getting ready for his fight,” explained Quezada. “Everything is good now. We are back with Joe and getting ready for this fight.”

The end goal of the Gavern rematch for Quezada is to erase the damage the first defeat did to his world ranking and prospects of landing a big fight. Quezada had been ranked by the WBC as high as #4 in late 2009 and was still in the top ten at the time of the Gavern bout. While there was movement above and below him in the WBC rankings, Quezada found himself frozen out of the action as the year began. “It was hard. We were in the top ten in the WBC and we couldn’t get any fights,” explained Quezada. “We were out of the ring for six months almost. It gets frustrating, but that is part of the business and we can’t really do much about it. We just have to wait our turn.”

If Quezada is able to turn the tables on Gavern in emphatic fashion on May 8th, he could see his turn come up sooner rather than later. “We are going to give the best performance we can give, so we can stay in the top ten and they can see that the loss was just something that happened and that we are back where we left off,” says Quezada. The Wasco native knows what to expect this time out, and the fans in attendance at the Home Depot Center should know to expect fireworks. “Gavern always comes to fight, but we are just going to be ready for him, so you are definitely going to see an exciting fight.”

Photo by Jason Pachura

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Floyd Mayweather meets the media following his impressive unanimous decision victory over Shane Mosley

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Former two division world champion, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero talks about his win over Roberto Arrieta and his wife’s courageous battle with Leukemia

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“Sugar” Shane Mosley talks to the media following his disappointing loss to Floyd Mayweather

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Undefeated WBC Welterweight champion, Andre Berto talks about Floyd Mayweather’s big win over Shane Mosley and talks about his place in the Welterweight division

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New Undisputed Middleweight champion, Sergio Martinez talks about his recent win over Kelly Pavlik

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Promoter Gary breaks down Mayweather – Mosley and talks about his impressive stable of fighters which includes Chad Dawson, Alfredo Angulo, Vic Darchinyan, Sergei Dzinzurak and others

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Jr. Middleweight contender, Alfredo “Perro” Angulo talks about his recent win over Joel Julio plus his future plans

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HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 3, 2010) – WBO junior lightweight champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez (22-0-1, 143 KOs) makes his second title-defense May 29th in the 12-round co-feature against WBO No. 10 rated Gonzalo “El Destructor” Mungia (17-6-3, 13 KOs) on the “Undefeated Champions” pay per view event, airing live in the United States from Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

“Undefeated Champions,” presented by PR Best Boxing in association with Al Star Boxing, features three world title bouts. It is being distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9 PM/ET – 6 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, and DISH Network, for a suggested retail price of only $34.95.

The 12-round main event features the first title defense of Boricua star, WBO Junior Featherweight Champion Wilfredo “WV2” Vazquez, Jr. (18-0-1, 15 KOs), against No. 1 contender Zsolt “Mr. Lefthook” Bedak (14-0-1, 12 KOs).

Martinez, rated No. 3 by The Ring, captured the WBO championship this past March 14, stopping Nicky Cook in the fourth round of their title fight in England. The popular Puerto Rican fighter successfully defended his crown last September, stopping Feider Viloria in the ninth round.

Martinez is excited about fighting on pay per view. “This fight is very important to me because it opens the way for me to fans in the United States,” he said. “They’ll learn more about me and my boxing career. It will also help me later when I go for a unification fight. If everything goes good in this fight, I may fight mandatory challenger Ricky Burns, possible here in Puerto Rico, in August. But what I’d really like to do is unify the title against any of the other champions (WBC Vitalki Tajbert or WBA Takashi Uchiyama).”

Reigning WBO Latino super featherweight title-holder Mungia, fighting out of Nicaragua, has won his last four fights, three by knockout.

“Mungia is a good fighter who comes to fight,” Martinez noted. “I love to fight, too, so if he really comes to fight, it’s going to be a something to remember. I’m going to use my distance and put my shots where we want. We trained hard, studied him and are ready for all Mungia’s style. I’m going to make my fight; relax and be ready for him. I studied him with my trainer, Raul Torres, and I’m going to knock Mungia out. This bout isn’t going the distance.”

The third world title fight on this exciting card matches females Hanna Gabriel (9-0-1, 5 KOs) and Gardy Pena (9-1-2, 6 KOs) for the vacant WBO super welterweight crown in a 10-round bout. Fighting on the undercard are the Arroyo twins, bantamweight McJoe (1-0, 1 KO) and McWilliams (1-0, 1 KO), the former Puerto Rican Olympians. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Integrated Sports Media: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Erik Morales, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr. and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports Media distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.

Unbeaten prospect Michael Angelo “The Artist” Perez of Newark, NJ will throw out the ceremonial first pitch this Friday before the Newark Bears battle the York Revolution. Perez, 7-0-1 NC (3 KO’s) is making his National TV debut just one week later on Telefutura when he takes on unbeaten Francisco Reyes at the Paradise Theater in Bronx, NY. The 2008 National Golden Gloves champion finished his amateur carer with a stellar 112-10 record and meets Reyes over six rounds. Tickets to Perez’ next fight can be ordered by calling 718-823-2000,

Last month via a popular social networking site, WBO, IBF, RING and IBO Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko issued a challenge to his WBA counterpart David Haye. The pair were due to fight last year, but Haye pulled out of the fight due to a back injury. Haye would later enter talks with Wladimir’s older brother and holder of the WBC title Vitali, but pulled out or talks to fight the then WBA champion Nikolai Valuev. Haye would go on to earn a close decision against in Nürnberg, Germany.
The video message in which he accused Haye of ducking him and his brother, Wladimir thundered “David, you’ve bitched out on fighting both Klitschko brothers twice already and now is the time to make it happen.” He went on to say “On behalf of the boxing fans around the world, I am officially calling you out to fight me, you can’t run away from me forever and you need to follow through with this fight to get respect. I’m ready, what are you waiting for?” Shortly after the video message from Wladimir, Haye confirmed that trainer and manager Adam Booth is set for negotiations with the Brothers, who are based in Germany. Haye revealed “After a meeting on Thursday I will know more, But until then, I’ll leave Adam to it. I’m relaxing and enjoying myself now.” However he did not specify which brother he would face.

In his last outing Haye (24-1 22KO’s) stopped the tough American two time WBA title holder John Ruiz in the 9th round. Dropping him in the 1st, 5thand 6th rounds. Haye nicknamed the Hayemaker for his punching power has only had three fights at heavyweight stopping gatekeeper Monte Barrett in five rounds. Followed by a fight with the seven foot giant Nikolai Valuev where he captured the WBA world title. Before his step up to heavyweight, Haye was the undisputed cruiserweight champion. Scoring a 7th round TKO over Jean Marc Mormeck in 2007 to capture the WBA and WBC cruiserweight titles. Four months later he went on to destroy the WBO title holder Enzo Maccarinelli in two lop sided rounds. The only blip on the Londoners record came against the tough Carl Thompson (who holds two victories over Chris Eubank) back in 2004. After stopping Haye in the 5th round, Thompson retired twelve months later.

Wladimir (54-3 48KO’s) has three losses on his record the last one coming in 2004 a KO against Lamon Brewster For the vacant WBO title. Strangely enough all three of his losses were stoppage losses. The others being a 2nd round TKO against Corrie Sanders and an 11th round TKO way back in 1998 to journeyman Ross Puritty. Since the 2004 loss to Brewster, Wlad has notched up a twelve fight winning streak earning him the WBO, IBF, Ring and IBO titles. His most recent victories coming against Eddie Chambers, Ruslan Chagaev, Hasim Rahman, Tony Thompson, Sultan Ibragimov, and a rematch against his last conqueror Lamon Brewster, who he retired in the 6th round. Wladimir is widely regarded as the man to beat at heavyweight closely followed by his older brother Vitali.

The eldest of the Klitschko’s, WBC king Vitali (39-2 37KO’s) had his last outing against Kevin Johnson in December 2009, winning a wide unanimous decision. A pretty rare thing for Vitali, who sports the highest KO ratio of any heavyweight champion in history currently standing at 90.2%. Other notable victories have come against the tough Chris Arreola (who retired in round 10.) Britain’s Danny Williams (TKO 8) who knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004 and Herbie Hyde (KO 2) for the WBO title in 1999(his first world title) His only two losses have come in the form of stoppage losses against Chris Byrd (RTD 9) for his WBO belt. Bryd was later out boxed over twelve rounds by Wladimir. In 2003 Vitali suffered his last loss against the then WBC and IBO champion, the legendary Lennox Lewis. The fight was stopped in the 6th round due to a nasty cut over Klitschko’s eye. Vitali has since claimed Lewis promised a rematch, but he retired straight after the fight. Vitali was ahead 58-56 on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Following the loss to Lewis, Vitali notched up three more wins before entering a four year retirement. Coming back in 2008 to retire Samuel Peter in the 8th to recapture his WBC crown. Since 2008 he has embarked on a four fight winning streak, his next fight coming against former European champion Albert Sosnowski. Vitali has never been down in his pro career and never received a standing count.

It is still undecided which Brother Haye will be facing yet, but one thing is for certain, there is no love lost between the brothers and Haye. Last year Haye wore a t-shirt depicting him holding the severed heads of the pair. Wladimir and Vitali found it very disrespectful and were both highly offended. In response the brothers threatened Haye with the now infamous “pizza face,” promising to batter him as long as they possibly could. With both sides apparently desperate to fight, the trio and the fans could Finally get what they are asking for. The Heavyweight division could also finally get the excitement and fireworks it’s been crying out for since the retirements of fighters such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazer or your Lennox Lewis’s and Mike Tyson’s. The question is when it’s all said and done, who will be the last man standing and the number one heavyweight in the world?

On Jan. 31, I wrote, “If he makes this fight with Mosley at the welterweight limit and beats him, however he does it, I’ll give Mayweather nothing but praise.. . . If Mayweather makes May 1 dull, in other words, he’ll deserve our admiration.” I stand by that.

Mayweather made May 1 dull. No one thought a dull fight could be made with Shane Mosley at welterweight; Mosley was too big, too quick, too experienced, too crafty, too physical, too powerful. Turned out, he was none of these things for Floyd Mayweather.

Mayweather just won the most important fight of his career in surprising fashion, but another surprise awaits. Call it the apogee of the Mayweather mood.

Can’t happen. Not after Mayweather took the greatest challenge of his career, on paper, and won it by unanimous scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 119-109. Guys like that experience no apogees! We’ll see.

I had the fight even after round 4. A half hour later, like everyone else not being paid to score the fight, I wondered why I’d bothered.

Whatever you opine of Mayweather’s everyday character, you now must recognize his character in the ring. Saturday night Mayweather was hurt by the best finisher in the welterweight division, and he fought back when flight was still an option. He put his hands up and walked forward, punching. Mayweather was tested, and he passed.

Make no mistake, Mayweather was hurt. He was rocked in the second round, twice. The first time was a right cross on the chin that bent Mayweather dramatically backwards. He grabbed desperate hold of Mosley’s right arm. Gone were the good balance and low lead hand. Mayweather used both arms to pin Mosley’s right glove to his chest. He didn’t let go when referee Kenny Bayless politely asked him to. He barely let go after Bayless and Mosley worked in tandem to wrestle it away from him.

A minute later, Mayweather threw a lead left hook – the one punch he wasn’t quick enough to land on Mosley – and Mosley threw a right hand over it. The punch struck just above Mayweather’s ear; a balance shot. Mayweather’s left knee buckled.

A few rows back of the canvas, Oscar De La Hoya, ostensibly the event’s levelheaded promoter, leaped to his feet. An enormous grin – unusually sincere – rushed over his face. He began to shout for Mosley. Nobody in all of MGM Grand, nay Las Vegas, wanted Mosley to stretch Mayweather more than De La Hoya. In that instant, wonderfully enough, De La Hoya’s inner fighter overwhelmed his inner businessman.

Mayweather did enough clinching, elbowing and punching to survive the round. Then he walked to his corner – where Handpad Jockey and Towel Boy merely cried “box!” at him – and rested. Mayweather’s conditioning refilled his legs, and his confidence came shortly behind.

He climbed off his stool, took Mosley’s good fortunate at having hurt him and turned it against the game, if aged, champion. Mayweather showed openings enough to make Mosley flex his fast-twitch muscles, then he closed them right before Mosley’s startled eyes. Then he did it again.

Through round 3, though, things went as Mosley’s trainer Brother Naazim Richardson said they would. Mosley put it on Mayweather, and Mayweather turned into a fighter. Then Mosley tried to box, and well, ah, at least Richardson had the first three rounds right, no?

Confident he could hurt Mayweather with the right punch, Mosley stopped trying to throw anything but the right punch. For the next nine frustrating rounds, Mosley looked and looked. Mayweather was stronger, sharper, quicker and far, far more confident. Between rounds, Mosley nodded along with Richardson in the corner, even audibly promising to do better, but it was little use. Mosley was under 30 punches per round, and nobody will ever beat Mayweather that way.

Other things might have happened in rounds 6 through 12. But if you remember only a blur of silence, potshots and Mayweather’s left elbow, you’re forgiven.

That brings us to the fight “everyone wants to see” between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Spoiler alert: If you’re a company recently contacted by Golden Boy Promotions about a potential sponsorship deal for Mayweather’s next fight, please stop here.

We all admire the hell out of Pacquiao, and his record of 5-1-1 (3 KOs) against Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez likely ensures his legacy as the era’s greatest fighter. But setting aside all paeans to styles making fights, it’s hard to imagine a way for Pacquiao to beat a 147-pound man too quick for Marquez and too physical for Mosley.

Calm down. Once the pay-per-view receipts are counted for Saturday’s fight, anyway, Pacquiao-Mayweather will come to the end of its trip from improbable to impossible. So, we’ll never know. And trust me, Pacquiao fans; it’s better that way.

Which returns us to the apogee of the Mayweather mood. Mayweather’s achievements are nearer his self-assessments, today, than ever before. No, he’s not Muhammad Ali or, God help us, Sugar Ray Robinson. But he’s now done enough to be entitled to delusions. That means the acceleration of his rhetoric can no longer outpace his achievements. He’s antagonized his critics more than he ever will again.

And that’s a marketing problem. Mayweather’s fans enjoy antagonizing others more than they enjoy their guy’s fights – which they never understand. Neither Mayweather nor his fans want capitulation; they want someone to hector.

Denied a way to antagonize critics further, Mayweather is left with what he does in the ring. Aficionados are only going to pay $54 again to see Mayweather genuinely imperiled, and you’d probably need to look to the winner of the “Super Six” for a guy that could do that.

So finally, Floyd Mayweather proved his doubters wrong. And irony says it could be the very day we all started to lose interest.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

Sunday Sizzler Replay! Mayweather Mosley Recap Special! Marc Abrams Live on Air with Mayweather Mosley ringside report! Renowned trainer Anthony Hamm LIVE on air!! – Weekend Fight recaps and upcoming fight previews and Billy from Philly! 15rounds.com’s Johnny Schulz presents: Talking BOXING with JSizzle and New York Dan NYD – A weekly Sunday boxing show covering Boxing from all angles. Alongside and boxing aficionado Danny “NYD” Stasiukiewicz,

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Featherweight champion Chris John’s upcoming title defense against Fernando Saucedo after suffering a shoulder injury, John’s adviser, Sampson Lewkowicz, told ESPN.com.

John (43-0-2, 22 Kos) was scheduled to make the 13th defense of his 126-pound belt against Argentina’s Saucedo (38-4-3, 1 KO) on May 22 in Bali. It would have been John’s first fight in his home country since January 2008.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the rematch of 2009’s fight of the year between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz will take place July 31st in Las Vegas on Pay Per View.

Marquez-Diaz I took place in front of a wild crowd of more than 14,000 on Feb. 28, 2009, at the Toyota Center in Diaz’s hometown of Houston. It turned out to be an unforgettable fight and was named fight of the year by ESPN.com, the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring magazine.

“These two guys are made for each other,” Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said. “The first fight was fight of the year and I have no doubt the rematch will be another great fight.”

“I came back to lightweight because at welterweight I lost a lot of speed,” Marquez said.

“I know that 140 is not my weight class,” Diaz said. “It didn’t take anything away from me.”

“I am going to forget our first fight. It is like it never happened,” Marquez said. “I am going in as if this were our first meeting. A lot of people are asking me, ‘Why Juan Diaz again?’ There are two reasons. No. 1 is that he is a great fighter and deserves a rematch. No. 2, the people deserve a great fight like this.

“Our fight was the fight of the year in 2009 and it may be the fight of the year again in 2010. Finally I want to give the people a great fight, especially the Mexican people. You are all going to see two warriors who will give everything they have and leave everything in the ring.”

“I am very excited because I have two things going on in these next couple of months,” Diaz said. “I have the second biggest fight of my career. I have some career defining decisions. On June 7, I am going to take the LSAT and those logic puzzles are kicking my butt. I am excited because this is going to be a great summer for myself, for my family and for my team.

“People are saying this is going to be a must win fight for me. But I don’t see it that way. I see this as redemption. Redemption for what I was going to accomplish in 2009, but it wasn’t meant to be. Come July 31, I am going to pick up in the ninth round. I left off in the ninth round last time, and I am going to pick it up from there.”

Juan Manuel Marquez talks about his July 31st showdown rematch against Juan Diaz

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Juan Diaz discusses his July 31st showdown rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez on Pay Per View

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Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz meet the media to announced their July 31st rematch on Pay Per view

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LAS VEGAS – Who R U Picking?

Dumb question.

Turns out, Shane Mosley picked the wrong guy. He picked Floyd Mayweather Jr. as an opponent. But it’s hard to beat a legend, which is what Mayweather became Saturday night at the MGM Grand with a unanimous decision that backed up years of bragging about how he deserves a share of the fame that belongs to the greats who fought before him.

Mayweather, 41-0, 25 KOs) survived a dangerous second round and went on to dismantle Mosley (46-6, 39 KOs) in a fashion that was thorough as it was surprising. Mayweather didn’t knock out anybody but his critics. But his one-sided victory said it all, over and over again. Other than perhaps Manny Pacquiao, there is nobody better than Mayweather.

“If he wants to fight,’’ he knows where to find me,’’ Mayweather said of a showdown that didn’t happen in March because Pacquiao would not agree to Olympics-style drug testing.
Mayweather said again that he would fight Pacquiao only if he agrees to random drug testing. It looks as if a resumption of resumption of the controversial talks with Pacquiao will be Mayweather’s next fight. For now, there is only his latest addition to his claim that he has to be considered the best in today’s pound-for-pound world. It’s safe to say he will gte no argument from Mosley, who lost by 119-109, 119-109 and 118-100 on the scorecards.
“I did what the fans came here to see, a toe-to-toe’’ Mayweather said. “That’s not my style. But I wanted to do it.’’
In expectation of Mayweather’s promise, the building buzzed for about 30 minutes before Mosley and Mayweather left their dressing rooms and made that ritual walk, down the aisle, up the steps and through the ropes. Muhammad Ali was there. Sugar Ray Leonard was there. Mike Tyson was there. Thomas Hearns was there. Anticipation was everywhere.

Mosley was the first to enter. His robe was trimmed in a light blue that matched the turquoise shade of his eyes. On the back, there was the image of warrior mask sewn into the silk.

Then, there was Mayweather, choreographed like a concert and overdone like a circus. First, there were the OJs, singing an old-school version of rhythm-and-blues with the emphasis on Money, Mayweather’s nickname. Then, there were clowns and dancing girl on stilts tossing bills of what had to be – what else? Money. Finally, there was Mayweather, who didn’t look as if he was embarrassed by any of it.

Mayweather’s showmanship was predictable. His first round wasn’t.. At the opening bell, he began moving forward, instead of waiting for for Mosley to come to him. If it wasn’t out of character, it was dangerous.

In the second round, Mayweather found out just how dangerous. Mosley landed a head-rocking right. It hurt, hurt enough for Mayweather to hold on for several seconds. Then, there was a left-right combination from Mosley. The combo’s power buckled Mayweather’s knees.

For the first time in Mayweather’s pro career he staggered and stumbled, almost as if he were about to embark on his first fall to the canvas. He didn’t. He stayed upright even on uncertain feet that moved across a padded surface that must have felt as if it were shaking from a quake in some unseen fault line.

That triumph over momentary adversity set the stage for the victory that backs up so much Mayweather’s claim on being a legend. He overcame what many though he could not. He was still stading. Everything else, or at least the next 10 rounds, would belong to him.

From round to round after the dramatic second, Mayweather employed a right hand that grew progressively more accurate against Mosley, whose jab appeared to become as progressively erratic. Stinging rights, one after another, seemed to fuse Mosley. If he had foreseen a plan, he didn’t see anything but that right whistling at him from the fifth until the twelfth.

In the end, there were no surprises. Mosley looked like an old man and Mayweather, still unmarked, looked like the legend he said he has always been.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer calls Saul Alvarez the Mexican James Dean. Schaefer is looking for stardom. He’s still looking.
Alvarez, a much-hyped welterweight from Guadalajara, won, scoring a ninth-round TKO of Puerto Rican Jose Miguel Cotto in the last fight before Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley stepped into the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. But Alvarez’ performance in his Las Vegas debut was uneven, at best.

Alvarez (32-0-1, 24 KOs) went from almost getting knocked out in the first round, to nearly scoring a second-round KO, yet not finishing job until the final second of the ninth.

If not for the ropes, Alvarez would have been knocked down by a powerful left in the first from Cotto (31-2-1, 23 KOs), Miguel’s brother. Alvarez stayed on his feet and regained his wits in time to deliver a three-punch combo in the second that had Cotto stumbling across the canvas. It was scored as a knockdown. But Alvarez could not turn it into a knockout, at least not until late in the ninth when Tony Weeks stopped the fight after a succession of right hands from Alvarez.

Mexican featherweight Daniel Ponce De Leon retained the World Boxing Council’s Latino title by surviving a late rush from Cornelius Lock of Detroit for a unanimous decision in a close bout on the Floyd Mayweather Jr.- Shane Mosley undercard.

De Leon (39-2, 32 KOS) built up a lead on the scorecards with consistent aggressiveness and straight shots up the middle. Lock (19-5-1, 12 KOs) appeared to tire in the middle rounds, although he rocked De Leon with a couple of right hands in the ninth and 10th. By then, however, it was too little, too late. Scores were 97-93, 96-94 and 96-94.

Within a couple of minutes, Las Vegas welterweight Said Ouali was down once and threw five punches. If you think that adds up to defeat, you’d be surprised. You’d also be wrong. Ouali (27-3, 19 KOS) won, getting up from the knockdown and making the most out of those five punches for a first-round stoppage of Argentina’s Hector Salvida (31-2, 24 KOS).

“He surprised me when he hit me with that first punch,’’ said Ouali, who would go on to deliver a much bigger surprise after he was floored by a sudden right hand.

Ouali quickly scored two knockdowns, first with a left hand and then with a combination. Salvida got up from the second knockdown, but then staggered into his corner where he began collapse. That’s when referee Russell Mora stepped in, stopping it at 1:47 of the first.

In the final off-tv bout, it was a battle of pro debuter’s from Las Vegas that saw Daniel Reece, 136 lbs score a unanimous decision over Angel Soto, 137 lbs. Scores were 39-37 on all cards—Marc Abrams

There’s no secret to staying unbeaten. Sometimes, there’s just a combination. Las Vegas welterweight Jessie Vargas (10-0, 5 KOs) put the right combo together in an untelevised bout before the Floyd Mayweather Jr.- Shane Mosley showdown.

Vargas threw a left hook and followed with a straight right, backing Arturo Morua (25-14-1, 14 KOs) Mexican into the ropes and leaving him dazed long enough for referee Tony Weeks to declare Vargas a winner by TKO at 1:20 of the sixth round.

North American Boxing Organization junior-lightweight champion Eloy Perez (7-0-2, 4 KOs) of Salinas, Calif., retained his title with stubborn pursuit and punishing left hands for a majority decision over lanky Gilberto Leon (25-14-1, 14 KOs) of Mexico.

In the card’s second bout, super-middleweight Dion Savage (8-0, 5 KOs) of Flint, Mich., scored a unanimous decision over Tommie Speller (5-4, 3 KOs), a Philadelphia fighter who left the ring with his white trucks and dark beard covered in blood. A Savage right hand early in the second round opened up a nasty cut above a left eye that troubled Spiller until the decision was announced after the eighth.

The card began with angry complaints echoing through the an empty building. Junior-welterweight Allen Litzau (13-5, 7 KOs) of St. Paul, Minn., wasn’t happy at second-round TKO loss to Luis Ramos Jr. (15-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Calif. Ramos knocked down Litzau early in the second with a left hand. Seconds later, Litzau, with trainer Roger Mayweather in his corner, got rocked again.

Referee Russell Mora had seen enough. He stopped it at 59 second of the rounds. Litzau howled in protest. He even hit the canvas again, this time rolling around like a kid angry at his parents. Lucky for him, nobody, other than Mora and a few ushers, saw the temper tantrum