NOVATO, CALIFORNIA – Refusing to listen to his detractors, 52-year-old local hero Paul Nave returns to the ring tonight in search of elusive win number 20 as he takes on Justin Danforth in the eight-round main attraction of what will likely be the last professional boxing event to take place at Albert Park Field in Downtown San Rafael. Fighters for the five-bout card weighed-in at the nearby Inn Marin on Thursday evening.

Nave (19-9-2, 8 KOs) of San Anselmo, California was last in the ring a little over a year ago. In the fifth fight of his unlikely comeback after a nine-plus year retirement, Nave battled previously unbeaten 25-year-old Brandon Hoskins on even terms but came up just short with a majority decision defeat. Nave took painstaking measures to bring last year’s event to Albert Park Field and encountered similar obstacles in bringing tonight’s card back to the park. After granting Nave permission to host tonight’s event, local officials passed legislature that will prevent future boxing events to take place at the venue. Given all the factors, local fight fans should think of this as their last opportunity to see outdoor boxing in San Rafael and, for all anybody knows, the last hurrah of the “Marin County Assassin.”

Aiming to spoil the show is Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s “Jazzy” Justin Danforth (6-18, 1 KO). Though mired in a four-fight losing streak, Danforth has been matched tough against some of better prospects in the Midwest. Although it has not happened often, Danforth has proved capable of springing an upset. Most notably, Danforth ended the unbeaten run of Mike Post via six-round decision back in 2006. Post has yet to lose another fight. Both Nave and Danforth weighed-in a pound under the welterweight limit at 146-pounds on Thursday.

In undercard action, one of the area’s brighter prospects Aldwayne Simpson (2-0, 2 KOs) of Richmond, California will take on Jovanni Rubio (7-15, 4 KOs) of Santa Rosa, California in a four-round welterweight bout. Simpson, who recently added Virgil Hunter to his team which includes respected head trainer Henry Jarrow, will be making his Bay Area return after turning pro back in 2009. After fighting as a middleweight and super middleweight in recent years, Rubio is back down to 145-pounds for the first time since 2007. Simpson scaled 144 ½, while Rubio stripped down to just make the contracted 145-pound limit.

Novato’s Marquita Lee (1-0) returns to the Albert Park Field ring in a four-round super featherweight bout against veteran Lisa Lewis (7-14, 3 KOs) of Fresno, California. Lee is coming off of a four-round decision over Laura Deanovic last year. Lewis, though she had a fight fall out in August, has not competed since 2007. Lewis’ record reads like a who’s who in women’s boxing, including losses to Holly Holm, Melissa Fiorentino, Kelsey Jeffries and Jessica Rakoczy among others. Lee scaled 129 ½, while Lewis came in at 127-pounds.

Having proven to be a ticket seller in her defeat at the park last year, Laura Deanovic (0-3) of San Francisco, California is back in search of elusive win number one. Opposing Deanovic is a familiar foe in Claudia Amaro (1-2) of Fresno in a four-round featherweight bout. Amaro claimed a four-round majority decision over Deanovic in May of last year. Amaro’s first battle came against the scale, as she came in at 127-pounds, a few pounds over the contract limit. Deanovic made weight at 122 ½-pounds. An agreement was reached and the fight will go on as scheduled.

Opening the evening will be an amateur exhibition between local amateur star Rudy Macedo of Novato and David Lopez of San Francisco. Macedo weighed-in for their three-round bout at 154-pounds, while Lopez came in at 156-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Liberty Boxing Enterprises, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Nave 146 ½
Danforth 146 ½

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Simpson 144 ½
Rubio 146

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Lee 129 ½
Lewis 127

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Amaro 127
Deanovic 122 ½

Amateur Weigh-in Results:

Light Middleweights, 3 Rounds
Macedo 154
Lopez 156

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

Happy Birthday, Evander Holyfield.

A couple of lifetimes have been jammed into your half-century of heavyweight titles, improbable comebacks, surprises and disappointments. You lost your money and even a piece of your ear, but never your defiant pride.

You lost in a classic to Riddick Bowe and you were there as an eye witness on the night that the Fan Man dropped into the ring like the 82nd Airborne Division on the night of the rematch at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace.

You saw Mike Tyson for the bully he was and then slayed the beast when few thought anybody could. Tyson’s only counter was to tear off a piece of your ear in a rematch that spawned chaos throughout the MGM Grand and the streets surrounding the Vegas casino.

You were fearless, yet flawed.

Within the ropes, your mix of tactical skill and instinctive poise was often brilliant.

Outside of the ropes, your contradictions as a preacher with many wives and children were exasperating.

The critics gathered, calling you a hypocrite and then demanding that you retire. But you stood up to all of it, just as you stood up to Tyson, in your characteristically quiet manner. That’s why I say Happy Birthday. Few live life on their own terms, but at 50 you have, no matter how terrible the cost.

I’m not sure you’ll stay retired. Every time you have to pay alimony — $3,000 a month — and a reported $500,000 in child support, there will be the temptation to step through ropes one more time for a bout that will allow some shameless promoter to cash in on your name. My wish is that you stay retired. I hope it is yours as well. But that’s your business.

In retirement, it will be left to history to decide where you belong among the great heavyweights. About that, I have no doubts. As a four-time heavyweight champ and – for now – America’s last great heavyweight, you belong in the all-time top 10.

Here’s an informal list that will always be subject to debate and revision. Over the years, however, I suspect Holyfield will be always be there for the tenacity, technical proficiency and resiliency that have yet to be fully appreciated.

1. – Joe Louis. Great speed, power and furious combinations created the heavyweight who has been transformed into a historical figure for his rematch victory over Germany’s Max Schmeling in a 1938 bout symbolic of an imminent world war.

2. – Muhammad Ali. Few have ever possessed better foot work, which was matched by fast hands and a mouth that has roared down through decades since he changed his name and a lot minds during the 1960s and early 70s.

3. – Jack Johnson. The early 1900s were a very different time, but Johnson’s defense and some modern training would have made him the equal of anyone in any time. He went unbeaten for a decade. His place in history is secure. Without him, there would have been no “Great White Hope.’’

4. – George Foreman. He won a heavyweight title in 1994 when he was 45, in part because of the skills and sheer power he possessed as a younger man. He lost to Ali in the famed “Rumble in the Jungle.’’ But there were very few who could withstand the concussive force he had in both hands.

5. – Joe Frazier. His relentless pressure made him dangerous for anybody who dared stand in front of him, including Ali, who lost the first fight in a series that has become the standard for any great rivalry.

6. — Lennox Lewis. Size, speed and power made him virtually unbeatable and when he was on top of his game throughout the 1990s and during the first few years in the new millennium. Sometimes, however, his focus seemed to wander. When it did, he left his vulnerable chin open to a knockout shot.

7. – Evander Holyfield.

8. – Jack Dempsey. He would relentlessly attack and was quick to capitalize on any weakness he exposed during the 1920s. In a modern parallel, Dempsey has been compared to Roberto Duran, who was inexhaustible and unstoppable during his days as perhaps the greatest lightweight of all time.

9. – Larry Holmes. He was as great a tactician in the 1970s as there has ever been in the heavyweight division. His jab serves as a model.

10.– Rocky Marciano. He swarmed opponents in the 1950s with a brawling style hard to beat. Or in his case, impossible to beat. There’s a debate about whether his unbeaten record (49-0) was compiled against fighters past their prime. It also eliminates a key yardstick: How would he have responded to a loss? In a sport built on adversity, that’s a key. It helps us judge Holyfield, who came back from defeat more than once. Still, it keeps Marciano on this list.

World Middleweight Champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez of Maravilla Box Promotions will make his promotional debut in his home country of Argentina on Saturday, November 3, in the city of Colon, in Entre Rios, Argentina, in a jam-packed night of professional boxing presenting two world title fights and several top contenders in important battles.

Co-promoted by Maravilla Box, Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing and Carlos Gonzalez of Best Box, the exciting night will feature in the 12-round main event, WBA #2 contender Roberto “La Araña” Vasquez (32-5, 22 KOs) of Panama City, Panama, taking on WBA #3 contender John Mark “Iceman” Apolinario (17-2-1 4 KOs) of Sarangani, Philippines, for the Interim WBA World Bantamweight Championship.

The 29-year-old southpaw Vasquez is a former WBA World light flyweight Champion. 22-year-old Apolinario won the WBO Oriental Super Flyweight title in 2009.

In the night’s 10-round co-main event, Cecilia “La Reina” Comunales (9-1, 6 KOs) from Paysandu, Uruguay, will make the first defense of her WBA female lightweight title against Simone Da Silva Duarte (11-3, 4 KOs) from Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The 23-year-old Comunales won the title with a TKO 1 over Maribel Santana last March.

On the jam-packed undercard:

In a 10-round super featherweight bout, Israel Hector Enrique “Cachito” Perez (23-2-1, 13 KOs) from Oxnard, California via Buenos Aires, will face Orlen Padilla (19-3-1, 17 KOs) from Puerto Colombia, Colombia.

In a 10-round featherweight bout, Jonathan “Salomon King” Guzman (8-0, 8 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will face Emerson “The Winner” Santos Carvalho (10-3-1, 8 KOs) from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In another 10-round super featherweight bout, Fernando David “El Vasco” Saucedo (46-5-3, 4 KOs) from Buenos Aires, Argentina takes on Cristian El Tigre Palma (18-6-1, 5 KOs) from Lautaro, Chile.

In a 10-round welterweight bout for the vacant WBA Fedelatin Welterweight Title, Azael “Turbo” Cosio (15-1-2, 12 KOs) from Santa Marta, Panama, will face Cesar Humberto Velez (11-3-1, 4 KOs) from Cordoba, Argentina.

In an 8-round super lightweight bout, Juan Carlos “Merengue” Abreu (12-0, 11 KOs) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will face Claudinei “Volcano” Lacerda (14-6, 10 KOs) from Sombrio, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

And in another 10-round super featherweight bout, undefeated Braulio “El Chavo” Rodriguez (9-0, 9 KOs) from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will take on Roberto Santos de Jesus (14-7, 10 KOs) from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The beautiful City of Colón in Argentina is located on the western shore of the Uruguay River and lies opposite Paysandú, Uruguay. Colón is the center of an important tourist region, featuring high-quality hotels, a casino, and also a hot springs and associated facilities.

The event will be televised by TyC Sports in Argentina, in Panama on RPC Channel 4, in Uruguay on VTV and on TV5 in the Philippines.

Here’s what happened Saturday. An excellent junior welterweight prizefight scheduled for 10 rounds ended in the seventh. The busier and more effective man through the match’s opening five rounds was startled in the sixth and wobbled in the seventh. Headbanging on stiffened legs, he was one landed-punch from unconsciousness but not felled. A referee erred on the side of caution, and the right man won. Both fighters were gracious afterwards. Each was open to a rematch.

If Brandon Rios’ technical-knockout victory over Mike Alvarado on the tennis courts of Carson, Calif.’s Home Depot Center was not every fanciful thing for which youngsters set their DVRs, it was close enough. It was, in fact, fantastic. Its six rounds, one minute and 57 seconds – the fight’s duration when it was stopped with Alvarado still on his feet – were the equal, in courage and violence and brutality, of every 12-round fight yet seen, and likely to be seen, in 2012.

The fight was decided by right hands: where they were placed, and where heads were, or weren’t, put to avoid them. It made for a curious spectacle when the match turned on a midfight adjustment made by our sport’s proudest caveman, Brandon Rios, and not his larger, more refined, better-situated opponent. That adjustment was the everything-must-go right hand Rios threw in the sixth and ended Alvarado with in the seventh.

Did Rios mean to wait so long to throw it? After his 12 unskilled rounds with Richard Abril in April and the opening 16 or so minutes with Alvarado, you’d have thought: No, it’s impossible Rios didn’t throw a punch, out of strategy. Rios doesn’t bother himself with strategy because it tires him more than having his brain sloshed round its protective shell, evidently. After the adjustment was made, though, made and returned to – trainer Robert Garcia cheering, not plotting, once Rios discovered it himself – you at least must wonder.

But first is the question of how Rios got himself in a position to throw the punch, and the answer, truly, is that he got in position for the right hand by taking himself entirely out of position for the left. And he did that to avoid Alvarado’s right uppercut, a punch Alvarado lustily winged in the fight’s opening round and nearly every round after. It’s the only punch a prizefighter of Rios’ pedigree fears because there is nothing inescapably disorienting or jarring as dropping one’s head on another man’s upwards-rushing fist. It is a punch that needn’t travel more than a foot to devastate its target. Rios solved the problem of Alvarado’s right uppercut – a punch Rios was acutely aware Alvarado had in his arsenal, and constantly sought to avoid – by placing his head outside Alvarado’s left shoulder, on the way in.

Rios then did the same astoundingly wrong thing with Alvarado he perfected against Abril: Punching a man in the head with your left fist after settling your head behind the man’s left shoulder. A contortionist’s error of such stupefying lines Picasso couldn’t have drawn it, Rios’ tactic was to uncoil a punch from an already, and entirely, uncoiled position. It didn’t work. And while it wasn’t working, Alvarado, the larger and smoother and better balanced man, moved Rios round the ring with his jab and right hook.

Channeling Floyd Mayweather – ultimately to his detriment – Alvarado threw right hooks round Rios’ high guard the very way Mayweather did to Miguel Cotto in May. And Alvarado’s right hands stung the smaller man more than Mayweather’s right hands stung his larger man in May. Alvarado, too, kept his lead, left, hand low in an effort to catch Rios’ right hands with his raised left shoulder. Such a defense is a counterpuncher’s specialty and an inane tactic for an offensive fighter like Alvarado to employ, and his corner said as much several times. Mayweather catches opponents’ right hands on his high lead shoulder because Mayweather looks for opponents’ right hands at every fraction of every second of every round, and has for years. Alvarado, incredibly, dropped his lead guard then forgot Rios had a right hand at all.

Wrong as it was for Rios to start left hooks from outside his opponent’s left shoulder, that spot was the perfect place to begin right hands from, as Rios discovered (or planned?) in round 6. His body cocked rightwards, his left shoulder turned forward in an otherwise squared-up stance, Rios yanked his head across the plane of Alvarado’s chest, and brought his right hand behind it. Rios’ overhand rights landed in a way reminiscent of southpaw Sergio Martinez’s left hand on Paul Williams in 2010, with one difference that might lead purists to credit Rios more than one is generally inclined: Rios kept his eyes on Alvarado’s chin the whole way, ensuring the punch landed precisely where he aimed it.

Was the stoppage by referee Pat Russell too quick? Yes, by a punch. Alvarado was absolutely in peril, genuinely out of his mind. He was still upright, though, and appeared to be readying either to hold Rios’ head down or clinch him. Would it have made a difference? That is doubtful.

“Maybe the ref should have given him a little more time,” said Rios, whose words, for coming from a masochist more than a sadist, have weight.

“I thought that was stopped a little too early,” said Alvarado afterwards. “Yeah, I was surprised by it.”

The fight’s stoppage precluded the exact parallels to the Gatti-Ward I and Corrales-Castillo I fights aficionados were hoping to draw, and so – very well. There’s an even better trilogy that began with a fight that did not see the eighth round, though: Rafael Marquez versus Israel Vazquez. Let the first man who does not wish to see Rios-Alvarado II call Saturday’s match a failure of any kind.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

Brooklyn, NY will be the center of the Boxing world this Saturday as the brand new Barclays Center will play host to one of the most loaded events in a very long time. 15rounds will be your one stop shop for everything that is Brooklyn Boxing and today, we will provide to you a cheat-sheet for the main event of the evening. Throughout the week, we will do the same with the rest of the televised portion of the card that will air on Showtime. And to add some icing on the cake, we will also preview the non-televised portion, which also features some competitive match-ups.

Let’s get started.

Danny Garcia (24-0, 15 KO’s) vs. Erik Morales (50-8, 36 KO’s)
WBA/WBC light welterweight titles

These two squared off a little over a year and a half ago in what turned out to be a very entertaining bout. Much to our surprise, it was Garcia that was more aggressive throughout the night, throwing over two hundred more punches throughout the fight. And his output finally paid off when he managed to floor Morales with a powerful left hook. Before this bout, Garcia was virtually unknown to anyone that was not a hardcore fan.

Here is what we could expect out of both fighters. Despite not having huge power, Garcia likes to take the fight to his opponent. He has shown that he can experience some difficulty against more defensive minded opponents. Morales seemed to make some attempts at this on their first go around, so we could expect to see him counterpunch off of his back foot. Morales saw some success bringing his right hand over the top of Garcia’s left hook. Garcia has one advantage that is quite literally a game changer. Both fighters know that Garcia is capable of knocking Morales down.

In the end, we could expect to see a very different fight between both fighters. Most of it is riding on how Morales has prepared his strategy for this bout. Garcia certainly has the advantage, which is why he is favored so highly.

Tickets priced at $300, $200, $100 and $50 are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, the Barclays Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling 800-745-3000. Or you can tune into Showtime Extreme where the boxing broadcast will begin at 7:00PM Eastern Time and then Showtime at 8:00PM for the fight broadcast.

CARSON, Calif. – If maturity is measured in knowing what to keep and what to shed, there is some good news in Jose Benavidez Jr.’s transformation from prospect to pro.

Benavidez got rid of an expensive toy, a Maserati, as though it were an excess pound.

“It was costing me too much to insure and too much to maintain,’’ said Benavidez, whose insurance premium on the high-performance sport car was $1,500-a-month. “I’ve got more important things to do.’’

Did you just hear a loud sigh of relief? No need to get your ears checked. It came from dad, Jose Benavidez Sr. who a year ago worried about his son’s purchase of the high-performance sports car. It attracted too much attention. Dad worried that fans might begin to think that his son was more interested in expensive toys than hard work. No worries. None at all.

“Oh yeah, it’s a good sign,’’ the senior Benavidez said. “To me, it means he’s figuring it out. He’s getting serious. Sometimes, I have to get on him about some things. But he is starting to get it.’’

Benavidez (16-0, 13 KOs) is still about seven months away from a birthday that will turn him into a 21-year-old adult. Yet, his wisdom often belies his years. He is quick to say he still has much to learn and many to fight.

“I’ve got a lot of work to do, a whole lot,’’ said the Phoenix prospect, who goes back on the job Saturday night at the Home Depot Center against Pavel Miranda (19-7-1, 10 KOs) of Tijuana on the undercard of two HBO-featured fights, junior-welterweights Mike Alvarado (33-0, 23 KOs) of Denver against Brandon Rios (30-0-1, 21 KOs) Oxnard, Calif., and super-bantamweights Nonito Donaire (29-1,18 KOs) of the Philippines against Japan’s Toshiaki Nishioki (39-4-3, 24 KOs) of Japan.

At a formal weigh-in Friday in a crowded hotel ballroom in nearby Manhattan Beach, Donaire was at 121.6 pounds and Nishioka 121.8, both under the 122-pound limit for their title fight. Meanwhile, Rios, unable to make the 135-pound mandatory at lightweight in his last couple of outings, had no trouble at junior-welter. He was at the limit, 140. Alvarado tipped the scales at 139.8.

Miranda was at 144.2 pounds and Benavidez 143.4 for a bout scheduled for eight rounds and officially classified as super-lightweight. In another sign of Benavidez’ ongoing maturity, however he is closer to becoming a welterweight than a junior-welter.

“Anymore, I walk around at 160-pounds,’’ Benavidez said. “At some point, I’ll be a welterweight.’’

That official jump might not happen until sometime next year.

“If we could fight for a youth title or something like that, 140 pounds wouldn’t be a problem,’’ Benavidez Sr. said.

If Benavidez wins as expected against Miranda, he could be ticketed for a bout on the Dec. 8 card featuring the third rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

“But he’s got to be ready for everybody now,’’ Benavidez manager Steve Feder said. “Every young guy out there wants to be the one to upset Jose Benavidez Jr. He’s become a target.’’

But not a flashy one.

NOTES: The Carson card also includes a light-heavyweight bout between light-heavyweight Trevor McCumby (6-0, 6 KOs) against Eliseo Durazo (4-3, 1 KO). McCumby has the look of a prospect. He has been training in Phoenix and at Robert Garcia’s gym in Oxnard. Another big McCumby win Saturday night might lead to a Top Rank contract next week.

And the card had yet to sell out Friday, but there was a buzz at a weigh-in crowded with more Japanese media than American for a main event featuring Nishioka, who grew up in Nagasaki and trains in Tokyo.

LAS VEGAS– STRIKEFORCE® announced today it is planning its next card set to air live on SHOWTIME in January 2013. Further information on the fight card and location will be announced shortly.

STRIKEFORCE also announced the cancellation of its Nov. 3 event at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla., due to injuries sustained by main event star Frank Mir and co-main event star Luke Rockhold. Refunds for tickets purchased are available at point of sale.

“Due to a series of injuries, we were forced to cancel the upcoming card on Nov. 3, but are already working to put together a stacked card in January,” STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker said.

“While we’re disappointed with the cancellation, we are looking forward to an even bigger STRIKEFORCE event on SHOWTIME early next year,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President & General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports®

WESTBURY, LONG ISLAND (October 12, 2012) All fighters for Star Boxing’s “WESTBURY WARS” were on weight leading up to a sensational evening of world-class professional boxing Saturday night, OCTOBER 13 at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury.

Issouf Kinda, 139.5 vs. Mike Arnaoutis, 139.5

Ten Rounds, New York State Junior Welterweight Title

Cletus Seldin, 143 vs. Carl McNickles, 143

Eight Rounds

Bayan Jargal, 137 vs. Luis Rodriguez, 140

Six Rounds

Alan Gotay, 137 vs. Alberto Manukyan, 137

Four Rounds

Prior to the pro fights, three amateur bouts will kick off the card.

Advance tickets for this theatre-in-the-round seating event, priced at $150 for Gold Circle VIP, $60 for Ringside Reserved and $30 for Mezzanine Reserved, are available at Live Nation, charge by phone at 800-745-3000, at the Westbury Box Office or through the Star Boxing office by calling (718) 823-2000 or on their website, Star Boxing.

Doors on the evening of the event will open at 6:30pm with the first bell at 7:30pm. Event, date and time are subject to change. Tickets are subject to applicable service charges.

After the fights boxing fans can dine at Marco Polo’s Restaurant in the Viana Hotel and Spa and receive 15% off their meals by presenting a ticket stub from the event. The Viana Hotel and Spa is located at 3998 Brush Hollow Road in Westbury, New York.

The NYCB Theatre at Westbury is located at 960 Brush Hollow Road in Westbury, New York, 11590. For directions and more information please visit their website at The Theatre at Westbury. For Westbury membership information, visit Westbury Membership

This event is sponsored by

GOLD COAST BANK
VIANA HOTEL AND SPA
CORAL HOUSE

see below for details:

ABOUT STAR BOXING:

Star Boxing Inc. is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2012. Star Boxing has worked to produce some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star has continued to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit their official website at www.StarBoxing.com and follow them on twitter.com/starboxing

and Facebook.com/starboxing

About Live Nation Entertainment:

Live Nation Entertainment is the world’s leading live entertainment and eCommerce company, comprised of four market leaders: Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, Front Line Management Group and Live Nation Network. Ticketmaster.com is the global event ticketing leader and one of the world’s top five eCommerce sites, with over 26 million monthly unique visitors. Live Nation Concerts produces over 20,000 shows annually for more than 2,000 artists globally. Front Line is the world’s top artist management company, representing over 250 artists. These businesses power Live Nation Network, the leading provider of entertainment marketing solutions, enabling over 800 advertisers to tap into the 200 million consumers Live Nation delivers annually through its live event and digital platforms. For additional information, visit www.livenation.com/investors.

ABOUT THE CORAL HOUSE

The Coral Houseoverlooking Milburn Lake in Baldwin, Long Island, NY “Everything is NEW…but the Name”offers an exquisite location and every amenity for weddings, anniversary celebrations, corporate events and holidays. Coral House’s lakefront setting is unrivaled, menus are custom designed to each party’s taste and budget, and the service is unparalleled. Whether you’re planning a wedding for several hundred guests, an intimate party for family and friends, or a business gathering, the Coral House on Long Island, NY will make your special event an occasion to remember for years to come. For more information, visit their website at The Coral House.

ABOUT VIANA HOTEL AND SPA

Viana Hotel and Spa, a member of the exclusive Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Long Island’s only green built feng shui hotel, is located in the heart of Long Island. Designed to provide a soothing environment, all spaces are inspired by the ancient art of feng shui paired with state-of-the-art technology, and infused with a vibrant sense of joy and harmony.

This elegant retreat offers luxurious guest rooms and suites, a Zen-inspired spa for rejuvenating body and spirit, a full-service salon, well-equipped fitness center, indoor pool, and inviting restaurant and bar.

As an eco-friendly, LEED project green hotel, we have made an unwavering commitment to sustainability with a number of eco-friendly initiatives in place.

When East meets West and flavors meld perfectly, you know you must be dining at Marco Polo’s. It’s fusion at its finest. Our creative menu features Italian and Asian dishes, as well as a unique blend of fusion dishes. We also offer a vast range of organic wines and specialty cocktails from our full-service bar to compliment your meal. Complete your night with an enjoyable after-dinner drink in our adults-only Game Room and Lounge.

For more information visit their website at www.vianahotelandspa.com.

About Gold Coast Bank

Headquartered in Islandia with additional branches located in Huntington, Setauket, Farmingdale, and Mineola, Gold Coast Bank is a New York State chartered bank whose popularity and sterling reputation stems from the strong, long-term relationships it has cultivated among its large and diverse customer base. A member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and one of Long Island’s financially strongest de novo banks, Gold Coast Bank has more than $170 million in assets and prides itself on providing businesses and individuals with quality lending and banking services. Fulfilling a unique niche within the Long Island commercial banking sector, Gold Coast Bank delivers specialty lending capabilities in a variety of areas that include real estate, equipment finance, and lines of credit for privately owned businesses. For more information, please visit Gold Coast Bank

Boxing’s equivalent of lighting in a bottle was captured by Nonito Donaire nearly two years ago when he knocked out accomplished Fernando Montiel within two rounds of a stunning statement that transformed him into a pound-for-pound contender.

Everything since then has been like time in a high school class. Donaire studied, did his homework and roadwork. Yet, he yearned for that bold stroke of reality that still has fans and media talking about him.

“The last three fights were experimental,’’ Donaire said in a conference call. “This fight, we are going back to boxing and being unexpected. We relied on the power in the last three fights. But this fight we will come out throwing lots of punches.’’

In a statement that sounds a lot like a bid to re-insert himself into the pound-for-debate amid doubts about whether Manny Pacquiao can beat Juan Manuel Marquez in a third rematch and only silence from Floyd Mayweather Jr., Donaire promised to reaffirm his credentials in a significant test Saturday night against another accomplished foe, Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan.

It’s another step up for Donaire (29-1, 18 KOs), whose version of the super-bantamweight titles – the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization – will be at stake in an HBO-televised bout from the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. In beating Montiel in February, 2011, Donaire stopped an acknowledged master of tactical skill. The proof was in Montiel’s record, then 44-2-2 with 35 KOs.

Flip the calendar forward, jump up in weight and you’re looking at Nishioka, whose record (39-4-3, 25 KOs) adds up to mastery of a division, 122 pounds, that he has quietly ruled since 2004.

“This is a fight Nonito has wanted for a very long time,’’ said manager Cameron Dunkin, who sounded as if he worried Donaire might regret that his wish was granted.

A Donaire advantage appears to be his age. At 29, he should be stepping into his prime. At 36, Nishioka is probably a step beyond his. There is also Nishioka’s recent inactivity. He hasn’t fought since a unanimous decision over skillful Rafael Marquez a year ago.

“We don’t want to take any chances at all,’’ said Donaire, who this year has fought twice at 122 pounds and won both, beating Jeffrey Mathebula and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. by decisions. “I believe when we are at this level and at this age and even if he hasn’t fought in a while, he can be very dangerous.’’

A potential disadvantage for Donaire is the absence of trainer Robert Garcia for much of his camp. The busy Garcia was also working with Brandon Rios, who faces Mike Alvarado in a junior-welterweight clash that has potential to upstage Donaire-Nishioka.

Nishioka’s advantage rests in experience and smarts. He hasn’t been stopped once and that was in 1995 in only his second pro bout. If Donaire is trying to re-energize his pound-for-pound claim with emphasis – meaning a knockout, he might have picked the wrong guy.

“Sometimes, you don’t get the results that people look for,’’ Donaire said. “ People expect a lot from me. We have been trying to change things up to get different results. Against Nishioka we can’t let our guard down and going back to the old Nonito Donaire style of fighting smart.

“When it comes, it comes. But the proper game plan will show my power, which is what I was known for – lightning fast counters that were knocking people out because they never saw it coming.

“No matter how tough you are, if you don’t see where it’s coming from, you don’t expect it and it will knock you down.’’

And maybe knock him squarely back into pound-for-pound talk.

DALLAS – Four miles north of this city’s Main Street District, on Southern Methodist University’s beautiful campus, stands Meadows Museum – a collection of Spanish art so extensive it fulfills founder Algur H. Meadows’ vision of a “Prado on the Prairie.” Complementing perhaps the finest collection of Diego Velazquez’s work outside Madrid are works by Spanish masters Murillo, Goya and El Greco. Here hangs, as well, an excellent Fernando Yanez work of Saint Sebastian, cheekily called “the pin-cushion saint” by art students.

Sebastian, a third-century Christian martyr, was a subject treated often by Renaissance painters and always with arrows piercing his body. Tradition says those arrows represent pestilence. Martyrdom, pestilence and masterpieces compose a vantage fitting as any from which to preview Saturday’s undercard scrap between Colorado’s Mike Alvarado and California’s Brandon Rios, a junior-welterweight title-eliminator match that will begin HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” program. It is a fight to which both men seem eager to martyr themselves, a fight to rid boxing briefly of its pestilence, and a fight more likely to become a masterpiece than any this year or next.

Beside my laptop sits a six-year-old media credential that acts as a reminder Mike Alvarado was once something quite different from what he is today. On June 2, 2006, Alvarado represented a future of sorts for his promoter, Top Rank. That night in Tucson, Ariz., at a venue called Club Envy, Alvarado was the main event even if he wasn’t in the main event.

The night’s final match, actually, was Jesus Soto-Karass against “Cool” Vince Phillips in a brutal fight broadcasted by Telefutura’s once-invaluable “Solo Boxeo” program. Soto-Karass beat down the man who stopped hall of famer Kostya Tszyu in 1997 – and yes, Phillips, himself, is on this year’s ballot – in a fashion so assiduous and harsh Phillips tried to retire immediately afterwards. Programming issues, though, prevented Phillips’ public retirement, and so, unsurprisingly, Phillips was back in a prizefighting ring, this time in Russia, one year later.

But my credential makes no reference to Phillips or Soto-Karass. It emphasizes boxing, Top Rank and Mike Alvarado – in order of font size. Alvarado went through a welterweight target named Maximino Cuevas that night, stopping the overmatched New Yorker in round 5. One paragraph about Alvarez from the Tucson report stands out:

“Despite absorbing a number of right hands in the first round, Mike Alvarado quickly adjusted to Cuevas’s style by the start of the second, allowing more distance and landing straight punches. In the closing moments of Round 2, Alvarado rocked Cuevas with a fierce right uppercut that was the fight’s best punch.”

Two notes: 1. Six years ago Alvarado was open to right hands as he is today, and 2. Alvarado’s arsenal included, and one assumes still does, a fight-changing right uppercut. That is germane to Saturday’s match because the right uppercut is not a punch anyone but the peerless Juan Manuel Marquez throws as a lead. It is ever a counter, one thrown at a volume-punching aggressor who unadvisedly gets his weight over the lead knee. It is a punch executed by taking a quick hop backwards, planting one’s right elbow just about on the right hip and shooting both upwards at once. The counter right uppercut is devastating for a volume puncher – the one blow they all fear. It requires of its thrower poise enough to take a hop backwards, geometric awareness enough to establish a tempting plain for the aggressor to stretch himself over, and timing enough to drop that aggressor’s chin on an upcoming fist.

In 2006, after only 28 months of prizefighting, Mike Alvarado’s record was 14-0. Seventy-six months later, Alvarado’s record is 33-0. This dramatically slowed rate is attributable, in part, to time Alvarado spent in jail. His career has been a disappointment. He is 32 years old, which surprises fans who believe they’ve made the discovery of a new action fighter. Alvarado is more exciting than ever, now, because he has to be.

He and Brandon Rios are the sorts of fighters Top Rank makes an industry of. They are the prizefighters Bob Arum threatens other fighters with, the way he shook Antonio Margarito, like a fist, at Jose Luis Castillo when the latter got his rubber match with Diego Corrales canceled because of twice missing weight.

If that sounds at all familiar, it is because twice is how many times Rios has missed the lightweight limit of 135 pounds since ruining Urbano Antillon in July 2011. Remember, the plan was for Rios to fight Juan Manuel Marquez in Cowboys Stadium three months ago, not Mike Alvarado in a co-main event on the tennis courts of Home Depot Center.

Alvarado can outbox Rios because Alvarado is a better athlete than Rios and because, as Richard Abril demonstrated in April, Rios can be thoroughly outboxed. Whatever his amateur pedigree, Rios’ ring IQ is questionable. Alvarado chooses to make savagery with others because he has to, Rios because he can – for when he has to, as he did against Abril, Rios often trips over himself. Alvarado represents for Rios his largest opponent; Rios represents for Alvarado his best.

Both men need redemption. Their fight is, in essence, Margarito versus Margarito – and promises to be that entertaining. In redeeming themselves through suffering, in absorbing abuse that will probably shorten their lives and invariably compromise what health they take to retirement, Alvarado and Rios will also, like Saint Sebastian, rid us of the pestilence that adheres to our sport – for a spell anyway.

I’ll take Alvarado, MD-12, in a savage affair that redeems both men.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

The nickname is Bam Bam. Bold and Bolder might be more appropriate for Brandon Rios, who isn’t afraid of promises or punishment.

Rios’ confrontation with Mike Alvarado on Oct. 13 at Carson, Calif., is generating buzz about a possible Fight of the Year. But Rios raised the bar, or at least the blood lust, for a junior-welterweight bout that could upstage the main event, Nonito Donaire versus Toshiaki Nishioka.

“A Micky Ward-Arturo Gatti kind of fight,’’ Rios said Thursday during a conference call.

For bruises, danger and drama, Ward-Gatti is the modern standard. It’s not the sort of fight that Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Andre Ward would seek. They see themselves as scientists who try to balance their craft with a sweet balance of offense and defense. Their philosophy has been heard for as long as there has been an opening bell. They live by one credo: Hit and not get hit. Delete the not from that formula and add as many hits as possible, and you’ve got a pretty good idea at what Rios hopes to inflict and perhaps endure.

That stretch of canvas between the ropes is no checker board for Rios, who is moving up in weight, to 140 pounds, after a controversial failure to make the lightweight limit, 135. He has no patience for what he calls “little chess games.’’

When Rios looks at the unbeaten Alvarado, he could be looking into a mirror. He sees a similar style and the same stubborn streak of pride that demands, if not welcomes, a walk though harm’s way.

“It’s going to be a bloody, massacre fight,’’ said Rios, who told trainer Robert Garcia that he has been dreaming about a chance to do battle in a fight that would be the equal of Gatti-Ward. “I’ve been telling Robert since I started as a professional I’ve been waiting for that type of fight and hopefully this is that fight.’’

Whether that chance will be there in an outdoor ring above the Home Depot Center’s tennis court, however, depends on Alvarado. Alvarado’s trainer, Henry Delgado, left it open-ended as to whether Rios will encounter the Alvarado he expects.

Fans and media have yet to see Alvarado’s boxing skill, Delgado says. His instincts draw him into exchanges from which there is no retreat.

“He makes it tougher than it has to be, because he’s a warrior,’’ Delgado said. “But we’ve got some surprises coming. We have options, lots of options.’’

Options are often forgotten after the first big punch lands, of course. That’s when even the most seasoned fighter reverts to what he knows and does best.

“He looks to come forward; I like to come forward,’’ said Rios, who says there’s nothing new about a heavier weight which he believes makes him stronger and able to hit with the power of a welterweight. “I don’t change my style.’’

Or his hopes of realizing a dream that many avoid like a nightmare.

Tyson can’t escape 20-year-old controversy
New Zealand’s withdrawal of Mike Tyson’s request to enter the country because of his conviction for raping Desiree Washington is just another sad chapter in a 20-year-old controversy.

Tyson, who was scheduled to speak at series of events in New Zealand, has long denied that he committed the crime. Legal experts, including Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, criticized the 1992 Indianapolis trial and Tyson’s legal defense.

In 2001, Tyson underwent a lie-detector test in Phoenix, where he was living at the time. According to test results acquired by The Arizona Republic, Tyson was truthful when he said he did not rape Washington. But the conviction will always be on his record. Fair or not, it also will always be there for people seeking to make political capital out of it, no matter what he says or they believe.

AZ Notes
Unbeaten Phoenix prospect Jose Benavidez Jr. (16-0, 13 KOs) has a change in opponents for his undercard appearance on Donaire- Nishioka undercard on Oct. 13. Benavidez now is scheduled to face Pavel Miranda (17-7-1, 7 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico.

Iron Boy Promotions of Phoenix is back at Celebrity Theatre Saturday, Oct. 6, with a card full of young fighters, including Phoenix super-bantamweight Emilio Garcia (6-0-1) against Jensen Ramirez (2-1-1) of Tucson. Opening bell is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Featherweight prospect Guy Robb makes his hometown debut as professional boxing returns to the historic Sacramento Memorial Auditorium on Saturday night. Robb takes on veteran Mexican journeyman Adolfo Landeros in a six-rounder on the undercard of the Fox Deportes-televised event.

Boxing played a huge role in making the Memorial, which originally opened in 1927 and reopened in 1996 after a ten-year closure, such an iconic venue. However the sweet science has returned only once since promoter Don Chargin hosted cards on back-to-back nights in May of 2002. With the help of Golden Boy Promotions and local promoter Paco Damian, Chargin brings the sport back this Saturday.

Guy Robb (9-1, 4 KOs), one of the several promising young faces of Sacramento boxing, is thrilled to be a part of the proceedings on Saturday night. “It will be my first time fighting in Sacramento, and what makes it even more special is that it will be at the Memorial Auditorium, a place the older generation of Sacramento legends all fought,” said Robb, who frequented events at the venue years back. “I’m excited. That place has a lot of history and the older guys have a lot of memories of that place. One of my career goals was to fight at the Memorial Auditorium, and next thing you know they are having a fight there. It is going to be great.”

Though Robb has never fought in Sacramento as a pro before, he has fought in front of hometown crowds in nearby Woodland and Fairfield on several occasions. In his last appearance just two weeks ago, Robb ended a three-month layoff before a supportive crowd at the Woodland Community & Senior Center. Robb decked ultra-tough Jonathan Alcantara en route to a unanimous decision.

“It wasn’t so much about being back in the ring, but being back in the ring near home again,” said Robb about his last fight. “It had been a while since I had a fight around town and my fights were away where not too many of my people could make it out there. When I have all my people out there hollering and yelling ‘Team Robb, Team Robb’ – that support gives me extra strength.”

Having some extra strength could come in handy against the always game Landeros (22-27-2, 10 KOs) of Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico. Landeros, somehow still just 32-years-old, steps in where originally southpaw Cesar Garcia had been pegged. “I was prepared for a southpaw and it got switched on me, but it doesn’t really effect me in any way,” explains Robb, who found out about the opponent change on Sunday. “I am used to fighting an orthodox opponent and I’d rather have it switch this way than the other way.”

The usually durable Landeros will provide Robb with a litmus test, given the fact he has been in with three eventual world champions and countless prospects and contenders. “Landeros is a veteran and has been around a long time. He’s fought all those prospects and Olympians. Everybody that’s anybody, he’s fought them. He has a lot of experience and he’s a warrior. I’m young and I’m looking to give a great show out there. He’s not coming to lay down, he’s coming to fight and he knows how to fight. I’m just excited to have the opportunity to fight somebody with that type of knowledge and experience.”

Lined up after Saturday’s fight, Robb, a notorious gym rat, has some well earned time off scheduled, as he and his blossoming family have booked a cruise to Caribbean. “I pretty much stay in the gym,” explains Robb. “I enjoy what I do. But I need some family time and am taking a little break. I have a girlfriend and a son, and sometimes with the fights back-to-back, I don’t get to spend much time with them. Even if I am with them, I am not really getting to spend that time with them. I know it means a lot and family is very important to me. Boxing is my life and family is my life, so I have to get them to work together.”

Before Robb can pack his bags, apply his sunscreen and set sail, he has some unfinished business at home on Saturday night. “It’s an old warrior versus a young warrior and I expect us to provide some fireworks,” says Robb.

Photos by Erik Killin

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

SAN ANTONIO – Five miles northwest of the Alamo stands a remarkable edifice and concept known colloquially as “The McNay,” Texas’ first museum of modern art. It comprises a collection of more than 700 works bequeathed by Marion Koogler McNay, a childless and eccentric heiress who, in her femininity and childlessness and eccentricity and wealth, helped compose a tiny cohort of 20th century Americans: Those who were not for sale.

Last week The McNay opened its fall exhibition, “Estampas de La Raza,” a somewhat forgettable collection of prints that nevertheless features a marvelous mini-exhibition, “America’s Finest,” by local artist Vincent Valdez. “America’s Finest” comprises, among other works, six large, graphite-on-paper portraits of prizefighters. Expertly hung in a minimalist style that spaces the rich works – pencil drawings with no backgrounds, framed by white wood – evenly across a bare white wall, “America’s Finest” reminds South Texas art aficionados what talent lives in our community and prizefighting aficionados how many things our sport is about.

What Valdez is after is boxing as metaphor. In interviews, he’s confessed he is not enamored of prizefighting. There is an element of brutality to it that likely offends what reservoir of empathy makes him capable of art. He is able to wade into brutality’s immediate effects and distant consequences and make art of them, but he is doubtfully drawn to the living, bleeding spectacle of one man pulping another’s face and spirit.

The nearly demolished human spirit is another thing Valdez is after. He is not interested in the underdog’s senseless self-belief – that uncertainty of outcome Carl von Clausewitz taught us is a prerequisite for courage – but rather what irrepressible thing makes a fighter lumber forward to collect a whupping in silence. Valdez is after what possesses a man, far removed from any chance of victory, to sanctify an unwillingness to be broken. As a creator Valdez knows such men are not like him; they construct nothing. But he understands, and proves, they are essential as fundament; they are the crushed and melted and hardened elements upon which an ethnicity constructs its identity in America. In this way the characters Valdez portrays are both our “finest” in their superiority of character, and in the nature of what particles remain once they’ve been pulverized for our amusement.

All Valdez’s works are evocative. None is substandard. They begin with a man whose shimmering trunks bear the Star of David atop the outside of his thick right quadriceps. He is followed by a Native American, done up in a headdress and trunks that partially read “Big Chief” – his promotional costume complemented by Saint Sebastian’s arrows, both as a reminder of what comical gimmickry boxing employs, and what cultural expiation the man performs.

The only of Valdez’s six drawings that features an immediately recognizable figure is his black prizefighter – one who, with his heavy eyelids and gangly frame, could be no one but the Motor City Cobra, Thomas “Hitman” Hearns. Curiously, Valdez situates him atop a black panther-skin rug. The next figure is either an Irishman or an Italian, coins and bills scattered at his feet, a tattoo of a sinking ship circled by banners that read “THIS TOO SHALL PASS” on his tensed left forearm.

Valdez’s most interesting study is his Latino prizefighter. Posed in a ready stance, his right heel lifted, the man wears two teardrop tattoos beside his left eye, signifying either familiars he has lost or others’ familiars he has taken. The band of his trunks has an “N” placed before its iconic “EVERLAST” brand. Beside the fighter a memorial wreath hangs on a squat stand, and across its flowers slumps a satin ribbon whose calligraphic letters spell “NI MODO,” a Spanish phrase used in dismissal. Literally translated, “ni modo” means “neither mode,” the exact opposite of what English speakers mean by “either way.” Figuratively translated, Valdez’s “NI MODO” means “it didn’t matter”; whatever volition the individual showed, larger forces predetermined his ruin.

The final figure is an Asian fighter, a serpentine dragon tattoo circling his shoulders and wrists, with his face, blood streaming from its right nostril, a reminder to those old enough to remember the misshapen countenance of Duk Koo Kim – a South Korean man killed by an American prizefighting ring. An improvised altar of tattered prayer cards and candles spreads before the toe of his left boot.

Much like the black and white photographs in Holger Keifel’s “Box” (a book found in museum giftshops), Valdez’s work shows what the violence of our sport does to the human form. Valdez’s “Big Chief” has much of the left side of his face caved-in from punches, his eye shuttered and its brow peaked and sharpened, his left cheek swollen, even the feathers on the end of his headdress seemingly shaved away. Whomever’s right fist hit him however many times, its concussion induced a stroke victim’s dull mask.

Valdez concerns himself with the aloneness in which a prizefighter traffics. While members of a prizefighter’s ethnicity elect him their savage representative, someone to remind other Americans what a man who goes to synagogue or lives in Chinatown can do them if wrongfully provoked, he is wholly alone in the violence he perpetrates and endures. In a poetic explanation stenciled on the wall opposite his drawings, Valdez is more celebrative than political but confident in what his work is about:

“These poor men, these boxers, these representatives of multitudes
ranked by color of skin, width of nose, and kink of hair,
stand guard above the sacred symbols that mortared and bricked,
hammered and sawed, planted and picked this country
with broken, bandaged hands.”

Praise boxing, then, for inspiring this art, for giving our flinching contemporary culture a place it can still revel in ethnic pride and work through its resultant conflicts. Boxing is America’s most truthful sport, and praise Valdez for capturing it.

*

Author’s note: Large photographs of four of Vincent Valdez’s six portraits, including the one above, can be found at the artist’s website.

*

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

Talk about Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. is back like a bad hangover. Everybody seems to have an interpretation, if not a prediction, in the wake of a settlement to Pacquiao’s defamation suit and his offer to give Mayweather the lion’s share in a 55-45 split.

It’s as if Pacquiao’s rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth meeting on Dec. 8 doesn’t matter. Maybe, it doesn’t, which is good reason for Marquez to worry about Robbery IV. The public and media fixation on Pacquiao-Mayweather won’t go away and perhaps won’t let anything stand in its way

That said, there’s been a shift in public sentiment and in Pacquiao himself. Combine the two, and only Marquez matters – or should – in any talk about Pacquiao-Mayweather. If Pacquiao loses, the Filipino Congressman becomes a full time politician. He has talked about leaving the ring. Marquez could hasten that departure.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach is concerned on a couple of levels.

First, there’s sympathy for Marquez and his argument that he was robbed in the narrow decisions, split and majority, that went against him in the first and second rematches. Scorecards can be like ballots. They’re subjective.

“I think we go into the fight three to four rounds down already,’’ Roach said about the Marquez bout when it was still being negotiated a couple of days before he worked Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s loss to Sergio Martinez on Sept. 15 at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center.

That means Pacquaio has to win by knockout. That would be a first. Marquez, who has six losses, has never been stopped. Given the narrow 36 rounds that already have transpired and Pacquiao’s record of no stoppages in five fights since a 2009 TKO of Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao by KO is a very tall order.

Roach says the task in camp at the Wild Card Gym will be to rediscover Pacquiao’s old aggression, which has withered for reasons that aren’t clear.

Compassion, perhaps the born-again expression of Pacquiao’s return to a Catholic lifestyle, has lessened the ferocity for which there was no refuge for so many of his fallen foes, Roach says. It was evident in 2010 when Pacquiao almost begged referee Laurence Cole to stop what he wouldn’t in a brutal decision over Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex.

Then again, it wasn’t enough in 2004 when Pacquiao, then at his ferocious best, knocked down Marquez three times in the first round, but never out during the next 11 in a bout that ended in a draw.

Roach says Pacquiao’s physical skills are as sharp as ever, although there seemed to be a missing gear in the hand speed throughout his controversial loss by decision to Timothy Bradley on June 9. From Erik Morales to Oscar De La Hoya, Pacquiao threw punches at a rate that overwhelmed. Against Bradley, that rate proved pedestrian.

But Roach is convinced that those hands will move at a ruthless rate if Pacquiao’s heart still has the streak of larceny needed in a brutal business.

Will it?

“I don’t know,’’ Roach said. “That’s the challenge.’’

The only one.

NEW YORK (September 24, 2012) – Tickets are now on for the October 27th pay-per-view event, “Rising Olympian Star In The Big Apple,” featuring undefeated welterweight prospect Sadam “World Kid” Ali (15-0, 9 KOs), a 2008 U.S. Olympian, live from Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York.

Brownsville super middleweight Curtis “Showtime” Stevens (22-3, 16 KOs) has been added to the card in a eight-round bout against an opponent to be determined. Stevens is a former New York State light heavyweight champion who knocked out previously unbeaten Piotr Wilczewski (22-0) in the third round of their 2009 fight in Newark (NJ). A 2002 US National amateur champion, Stevens has also defeated world champion Carl Daniels.

The youngest boxing promoter in America, 23-year-old Ali was a highly-decorated amateur boxer who was a national champion in the Junior Olympics, Police Athlete League (PAL), Under-19 Tournament, as well as a two-time, two division New York City Golden Gloves champion. He became the first New York City boxer in 20 years, since Riddick Bowe in 1988, to earn a berth on the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, and was the first Arab-American to ever represent the U.S. in the Olympic Games.

“Rising Olympian Star In The Big Apple,” presented by Sadam Ali’s World Kid Promotions, will be distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay per view via iN Demand, DISH Network and Avail-TVN for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

Rising star Ali, fighting out of Brooklyn, is currently rated No. 8 by United States Boxing Association (USBA), as well as No. 12 by the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) and No. 15 by the North American Boxing Federation (NABF).

Ali, who won World Boxing Federation American welterweight title in his last fight in June versus Franklin Gonzalez (TKO8), takes on former Indiana State champion Jermaine “Too Sweet” White (17-5, 9 KOs), of Chicago, in the 10-round main event. Three of White’s career losses have been to world champions Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., Anthony Peterson and Paul Spadafora.

Colombian cruiserweight Santander “The Demolition Man” Silgado (22-0, 18 KOs) puts his unbeaten record on the line against veteran Gary “Pit Bull” Gomez (19-13-2, 7 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. Silgado, now fighting out of Brooklyn, is world rated at No. 11 by the World Boxing Association (WBA) and No. 13 by the World Boxing Council (WBC). A seven-time Colombian national champion, Silgado captured the World Boxing Council FECARBOX title by defeating Willie Herring this past March. Salt Lake City’s Gomez is a former WBC Continental Americas and Utah State champion. His most notable wins have been against Chad Van Sickle, who was 18-0-1 when Gomez defeated him by way of a 10-round decision, Rayco Saunders and Derrick Brown.

Newly crowned World Boxing Federation Intercontinental light middleweight champion Mike “El Cangri” Ruiz (17-7, 9 KOs) drops back to his natural welterweight division to face and opponent to soon be determined. Ruiz is coming off his 10th round TKO title-winning performance July 21 against hometown favorite Paul Delgado in Atlanta.

Also fighting on the undercard in four-round bouts against opponents to soon be announced are Brooklyn’s one-handed Michael Constantino, who will be making his pro debut after fighting in the NYC Golden Gloves Tournament; Maine light middleweight Steven Gamache (3-0, 1 KO), the son of former world champion Joey Gamache; Brooklyn light middleweight Shawn Cameron in his pro debut. Brooklyn bantamweight Jennifer Santiago meets Louisiana invader Ivana Coleman (0-1). All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, priced at $150.00, $100.00 and $50.00, are on sale and available to purchase by calling 917.807.3630 or 917.655.5254 in Brooklyn and Queens, 718.744.8855 in Manhattan, or 201.914.9392 in Staten Island and New Jersey.

For more information about “Rising Olympian Star In The Big Apple,” go online to www.SadamAliBoxing.com or www.integratedsportsnet.com. Sadam Ali can be followed on Twitter @realworldkidali.

The best writing in Thomas Hauser’s new collection, “And the New . . .” (The University of Arkansas Press; $24.95), barely treats boxing at all. Hauser’s best writing, instead, comes in his book’s final piece, “Elvis (and Ali),” and concerns itself with the ruinous effect celebrity, and what brings celebrity, visits on the lives of exceptionally gifted Americans.

Hauser evidently set out to write about Elvis Presley, but because Hauser is a writer, because he discovers a subject during its writing and not necessarily before, he found in his treatment of Presley a unique metaphor and parallel with Muhammad Ali: Both men were shorn – of hair in Presley’s case, of the heavyweight championship in Ali’s – by the establishment, and then softened in exile, their sharpest edges grinded on, before being permitted to return as icons. Presley was not the same force after his time in the Army, and Ali was not the same force after refusing induction.

“And they were so good when they were young,” Hauser wistfully concludes about those two Americans on the final page of his latest book.

At 235 pages, “And the New . . .” is the shortest of Hauser’s recent collections about boxing. It is more digestible. There is little missing from the 80 or so pages not in this book. Any boy who is eight years old today and just hearing about this sport of ours, a boy who in 10 years will be an adult who visits a bookstore to learn about boxing generally and what happened in 2011 specifically, will find as apt a summary of the year in this Hauser collection as another.

The likelihood, though, is that no one who reaches adulthood in 2022 will have a bookstore to visit. If you’ve been in a Barnes & Noble lately you already sense it; the last of our country’s largest booksellers is a Starbucks sharing floorspace with Toys “R” Us and Sam Goody, with an airy attic of books whose covers sparkle with raised print. Hauser and his work stand athwart this movement because it is exceedingly important to Hauser that whatever he writes make its way onto paper, a medium of endurance for a few millennia now.

“And the New . . .” is a more optimistic book than Hauser’s last collection, “Winks and Daggers,” felt. If boxing is not in a more hopeful place today, it is at least in a place where sabotage is suspected less. Everyone is acting in a rapaciously self-interested way, business as usual, but there appears a modicum less cynicism now that the premium networks have had their little shakeups, with HBO Sports’ chief pursuing other opportunities, Showtime Sports’ leader replacing him, and a lawyer replacing him. To revisit some of the programming choices made in 2010 and 2011 by HBO is to wonder if there were not poison pills being sewn; if the network’s loyalty to certain fighters were not a means of subverting the next regime.

Ah yes, HBO – the subject for whose treatment Hauser is perhaps best known. No longer. In March, Hauser became a consultant for the network. Urgent criticism in our small community greeted this news, some of it in good faith, much of it not. The good-faith concern was this: HBO’s greatest critic is no longer free to criticize. That is indeed a loss. Calls for Hauser’s removal from the full-member rolls of the Boxing Writers Association of America went out and were heeded, showing, in a fine twist, that among writers, HBO is considered a promotional entity more than a journalistic one.

Touché. This decision on the part of the BWAA’s leadership, though, brought one terrible consequence: Hauser resigned from his post at the head of the BWAA membership committee, where he still retains a vote. Hauser is a writer first; he speaks the language of writing, cares about prose, and understands the rigors of rewriting in a way deadline reporters do not. Hauser’s motto of event coverage – not first but best – is authentically different from the wires’ or their editors’.

As head of the membership committee, Hauser combed the internet for good writing about our beloved sport, caring considerably more about what words he found on a page than what URL floated in the address bar above. Hauser reached out to otherwise unknown writers. He elevated our work. Because Hauser is a writer, he knows this: Only the words endure. Page views, Twitter followers, breakfasts with a promoter; all of that is ephemeral noise when set against a writer’s words.

“And the new . . .” has plenty of good writing, of course, and Hauser’s usual number of good choices. “It was as though someone had shoved a tennis ball beneath the skin and painted the entire area purple,” Hauser writes of a fighter’s countenance in “Rodriguez-Wolak: A Great Fight,” an unplanned piece he was moved to write after being ringside for Pawel Wolak and Delvin Rodriguez’s surprisingly excellent first match.

Much of Hauser’s event coverage treats Manny Pacquiao and the possible repercussions his move to Showtime would cause. It was a fling, we now know, and seismic only so much as it cost the leader of HBO Sports his job. But there is a strain in some of it; Hauser captures well the lugging that began 21 months ago when the announcement came that Pacquiao would fight Shane Mosley on Showtime. So desperate were we for change of some kind after 2010 that we squinted to find meaning that was not there, interrogating every press release like a poem by Hart Crane.

We’re in a better, more relaxed place now. No promoter today would schedule another midnight conference call about Pacquiao not-fighting Floyd Mayweather. No one would dial in if he did.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

WOODLAND, CALIFORNIA – In a good scrap that he was leading, Paul Mendez unfortunately robbed himself of praise that he likely would have attained justifiably had the fight not ended with a clear-cut low blow in the seventh round of his Telefutura-televised main event against DonYil Livingston at the Woodland Community & Senior Center on Saturday night. After an errant left hand hit Livingston below the belt, the out of position referee counted the down fighter out and awarded Mendez the stoppage victory – a decision that will likely be overturned after an appeal.

Livingston (8-2-1, 4 KOs) of Palmdale, California opened the first as the aggressor, landing his jab, before Mendez (10-2-1, 4 KOs) of Delano, California backed him to the ropes moments later. When Mendez, 162, got Livingston, 162, trapped, he did not manage to land anything really telling as the Palmdale resident covered up.

In a close second round, Livingston found a home for a hard left hand, but midway through the act it was Mendez that found his range and kept his opponent on the end of his shots.

Mendez took control of the fight in the third, hurting Livingston with a solid overhand right and flurrying his smaller adversary to the ropes. Livingston looked steady on his feet as the fourth began, but not so much as the round came to a close. Mendez rocked the cousin of Andre Ward with a hard combination and had him in trouble before the bell to end the round.

Mendez had another solid round in the fifth, but Livingston began to show renewed life as the round ended. Livingston came on the start the sixth, landing in combination as Mendez’ shots turned a bit wide. Livingston landed a hard left, before Mendez closed the round with a decent combination.

What looked to be a fight going into the final two frames, ended abruptly as Mendez caught Livingston way south of the border with a hard lefthand. Unfortunately, referee Dan Collins was over Livingston’s left shoulder, in admittedly no position to make the call. According to the attending Commission supervisor, the referee should have polled the ringside judges for the call. Judge Kermit Bayless was asked and told Collins he did not see the blow. The other two judges were unavailable to make a comment to 15rounds.com on the fight’s ending.

Scores at the time of the stoppage, which came at 43 seconds of the seventh round, were 58-56 and 59-55 twice for Mendez. The result will very likely be overturned to a no-contest, considering the Telefutura replay will clearly show the blow was low. Livingston should have had five minutes to be ready to continue, according to the rules of the California State Athletic Commission. Had he not been able to continue at that point, Mendez would have been declared a TKO winner. Given the ending, it is unfortunate for Mendez that a solid showing will likely go to waste, at least in terms of his won-loss record.

Moving up to the eight-round distance, progressing super bantam Manuel Avila (10-0, 3 KOs) of Fairfield, California showed off his jab and lateral movement en route to a measured unanimous decision win over the naturally smaller John Alberto Molina (32-20-3, 20 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida by way of Caucasia, Colombia.

Despite the size disadvantage, it was Molina, 121.5, who pressed the action throughout. Though getting on inside was Molina’s only hope, his plan played into the hands of the comfortable counter-puncher Avila. The young prospect, 123, seemed happy to jab and move his way to the points win soon after the fight got under way. The little bit of action the fight provided was in the few moments Molina managed to back Avila into a corner or to the ropes, forcing his undefeated foe to exchange before moving back out of range.

After eight rounds of bull versus matador back-and-forth, Avila was given the nod on all three judges’ cards. All three officials had Avila a winner in seven of the eight rounds, with the final tally of 79-73 across the board.

Local favorite Guy Robb (9-1, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, California sent his strong contingent home happy as he dropped the durable Jonathan Alcantara (6-9-2, 1 KO) of Novato, California en route to a wide six-round unanimous decision victory.

Despite his accomplished amateur background, Robb, 126.5, is becoming known for his relentless inside game and that trait stood out in the opening rounds against Alcantara, 128, a late fill-in opponent.

After utilizing his harder and more accurate shots through two, Robb dropped Alcantara with a combination punctuated by a stiff right hand in the opening seconds of the third. Robb applied pressure soon after Alcantara rose, forcing the Novato resident to stumble back with another clean combo. However, by the finals seconds, Alcantara seemed to have regained his legs and even began to offer back with some ineffective attempts of his own. Just to show Robb he was still present, Alcantara shoved Robb as the bell rang to end the third.

Robb, coming in off one of his longer layoffs as a pro, may have winded a bit after the third and eventually tempered his offense as the rounds wore on. Acting more as a counter puncher, Robb found success in the latter rounds. Picking his shots, Robb outboxed Alcantara in the final round en route to the shutout decision, 60-53 across the board. Robb will return to the ring October 6th in his hometown at the famed Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.

Despite an uneven start, Jonathan Chicas (7-0, 3 KOs) of San Francisco, California outgunned journeyman Jose Mendoza (7-7, 3 KOs) of Oxnard, California by way of Jalisco, Jalisco, Mexico for the second time in just under a month.

Chicas, 140, fought a bit recklessly in the opening rounds, but found a home for his power shots in each stanza. Mendoza, 139, was successful when he opened up, particularly in the second and third rounds. However, as was the case in their first encounter, Mendoza did not have the power to earn Chicas’ respect. Even when was hit clean, Chicas mostly walked through the punches and fired back in combination. Chicas regained complete control in the last two acts and was named the winner, 49-45 across the three cards. Back in August, Chicas took a shutout four-round decision over Mendoza in Fairfield, California.

A scheduled four-round super featherweight bout between former amateur standout Andy Vences of San Jose, California and Carlos Higuera Gonzalez (1-1) of Los Angeles, California was scratched from the card this afternoon. Gonzalez’ required blood work was not completed in time which forced the California State Athletic Commission to remove him from the fight. No opponent could be found to save the night for Vences, who was scheduled to make his debut. Vences now hopes to debut on the aforementioned October 6th card in Sacramento.

Photos by Erik Killin

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

WOODLAND, CALIFORNIA – Without undefeated records to cling to, middleweights Paul Mendez and DonYil Livingston meet in an eight-round bout that has huge implications on the rest of their careers in tonight’s Telefutura Solo Boxeo-televised main event emanating from the Woodland Community & Senior Center. Fighters for the five-bout card weighed-in Friday night at Las Islitas Ostioneria, just down the street from tonight’s fight venue.

Mendez (9-2-1, 3 KOs) of Delano, California has kept busy over the last year, but found mixed results both times he stepped up in competition during that stretch. Last September Mendez met James Parison, who coincidentally brings a similar style into the ring that Livingston does. In a close fight, Mendez dropped a six-round decision. Two fights later, Mendez came up in class again and was perhaps lucky to escape with a draw against unbeaten Dmitry Chudinov. Now after two wins against modest opposition, Mendez, who scaled 162-pounds Friday, attempts to prove he can succeed at the next level in a pick’em type fight.

Livingston (8-1-1, 4 KOs) of Palmdale, California enters tonight’s bout with something to prove himself. Last October, Livingston earned his prospect stripes by hanging the first ‘L’ on the record of previously unbeaten and heralded Gary Shaw Productions-promoted power-puncher Kurtiss Colvin via unanimous six-round decision. However, some of that luster was knocked off three fights later as unheralded Elie Augustama dropped Livingston en route to a six-round split decision this past March. Livingston, who also scaled 162-pounds, has been out of the ring since. If he can claim a victory over Mendez, Livingston would be right back on track. Tonight’s main event is the type of fight neither fighter can afford to lose and the winner becomes an attractive option for a meaningful opportunity not too far down the road.

In the co-feature, rising super bantamweight Manuel Avila (9-0, 3 KOs) of Fairfield, California will take on experienced journeyman John Alberto Molina (32-19-3, 20 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida by way of Caucasia, Colombia in an eight-rounder. Avila, scheduled for the eight-round distance for the first time, is coming off one of his better outings – a third-round knockout of previously once-beaten Vicente Alfaro just four weeks ago.

Molina, who relocated to Florida just this year, was last in the ring in July. In that fight, Molina was disposed of by undefeated Juan Carlos Payano in nine rounds in a fight fought just over the 115-pound super flyweight limit. On Friday, Avila scaled 123-pounds, while Molina came in at 121.5-pounds. Avila was one pound over the contracted weight and had to forfeit 20 percent of his purse, ten of which will go to Molina.

In what will be surely be an entertaining fight, Guy Robb (8-1, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, California will take on the always tough Jonathan Alcantara (6-8-2, 1 KO) of Novato, California in a six-round super featherweight fight. Robb rebounded from his first pro loss with a fifth-round stoppage over Rodrigo Aranda in June and now returns to his home area for the first time since December, when he lit up the crowd at the Woodland Community & Senior Center with a fifth-round stoppage of Hugo Ramos. Alcantara, who had been scheduled to fight elsewhere tonight, but could not make the contracted weight, came in at the last minute to save Robb’s spot on the bill. Alcantara was last seen going the distance with mega prospect Roman Morales in August. Prior to that, Alcantara sprung an upset over former amateur standout Walter Sarnoi in May. Robb scaled 126.5-pounds Friday, while Alcantara came in at 128.

In a four-round light welterweight bout, Jonathan Chicas (6-0, 3 KOs) of San Francisco, California will look to outdo himself as he fights Jose Mendoza (7-6, 3 KOs) of Jalisco, Jalisco, Mexico for the second straight time. In their first meeting, which took place on August 25th, Chicas pounded his way to a shutout four-round decision. Mendoza, fighting for the fourth time in the U.S., weighed in at 139-pounds, while Chicas scaled 140.

Former amateur standout Andy Vences of San Jose, California will make his professional debut in a four-round super featherweight bout against Carlos Higuera Gonzalez (1-1) of Los Angeles, California. Vences, long one of the top ranked amateurs in the country, weighed-in at 129.5-pounds Friday. Sporting a bright blonde dye-job, Gonzalez weighed in at 130.

The evening’s festivities were supposed to be rounded out by the debut of another of the area’s top amateurs, as Ricardo Pinell of San Francisco was slated to take on Jerome Buchanon of Kalamazoo, Michigan in a four-rounder. Pinell weighed-in at 160-pounds. Unfortunately for Pinell, his opponent Buchanon came in a bit over at 174, and thus no fight.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, Paco Presents and Jorge Marron Productions, are available online at PacoPresentsBoxing.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Mendez 162
Livingston 162

Super Bantamweights, 8 Rounds
Avila 123
Molina 121.5

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Robb 126.5
Alcantara 128

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Chicas 140
Mendoza 139

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Vences 129.5
Higuera Gonzalez 130

Photos by Erik Killin

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

Hasim Rahman (50-7-2, 41 KOs) wants to do it again. The man who already took
on big names such as Lennox Lewis will face current WBA Champion Alexander
Povetkin (24-0, 16 KOs) at the Sporthalle Hamburg, Germany, on September 29.
And the American is not planning on just showing up. At the age of 39,
Rahman is aiming to become the champion of the world once more. Right before
the big showdown, the heavyweight took some time out of his preparations for
a one-on-one interview.

Hasim Rahman, you will be stepping back into the ring on September 29. Your
last fight was in June 2011 which ended in a victory over Galen Brown. Now
you have had quite a long break.

Hasim Rahman: The Galen Brown fight was over a year ago and really was a
tune up. About the only thing I can say is, that I will be in a lot better
condition for the Povetkin fight than I was for Galen.

What are your thoughts on your next opponent Alexander Povetkin? Where do
you see his strengths and which weaknesses are you planning to exploit when
you meet him inside the ring?

Hasim Rahman: Povetkin is a very good fighter. He has proven to be a winner
at every level. He was an Olympic gold medallist and is the current WBA
Champion. I have respect for him as a boxer. Regardless of his strengths or
weaknesses, I know what I have to do and that is to knock him out. I know
that when I’m at my best, no one can take my power and I will knock him or
anyone else out, period!

As mentioned before it has been a while since your last fight. When did you
start preparing for Povetkin and what shape are you currently in?

Hasim Rahman: I’ve been preparing for this fight for six months. We thought
we were going to fight in May, then July, now it is September 29. I haven’t
been this ready for a fight in many years. I’m prepared to go twelve rounds,
I’m in great condition.

How are you dealing with the time difference between your hometown of Las
Vegas and Germany?

Hasim Rahman: It won’t have an impact on my performance. The first time I
fought Lennox Lewis it was in South Africa and the time difference didn’t
affect me. I will arrive in Hamburg a week before the fight, so within a day
I will have adjusted to the local time.

You have been in 60 fights as a professional and fought some of the biggest
names such as Holyfield and Lewis. How much of an advantage might your
experience be against Povetkin?

Hasim Rahman: My experience is invaluable. This is not my first rodeo, I
have performed on the largest stage and know how to keep my focus and how to
embrace the moment.

This will be your second fight in Germany. What is your take on the German
boxing scene? Do you enjoy fighting over here?

Hasim Rahman: I am a professional and I will fight wherever I have to.
Germany has become the hot spot for heavyweight title fights. The fans are
knowledgeable and really support boxing. I’m looking forward to wowing them
with my performance.

How will the fight end on September 29? Will it go the distance?

Hasim Rahman: No fight at this level is easy, but I know that I am 100
percent prepared and so I am supremely confident. The fight will not go the
distance. I will KO Povetkin on September 29.

Is anybody surprised that Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., tested positive for marijuana?

Didn’t think so.

News of the test in the wake of Chavez’ loss by one-sided decision Saturday night to Sergio Martinez at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center is just more of the same in an exasperating pattern of behavior from a man-child who won’t grow up.

Already, Chavez’ enablers are trying to muddy up the issue by arguing that pot is as much a performance-enhancer as a bacon-cheeseburger. It should be legal, they say. It’s already legal in some places. Smoke it for therapy. Smoke it as a sleep aid. Soon, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton will be tossed into all that smoke. The current president inhaled it and a former one said he didn’t. Blah-blah-blah

So what’s the problem?

It’s not the pot. It’s the irresponsibility.

If Chavez, Jr., smoked a joint after a fight that included an epic 12th round, that’s his choice. But the positive test indicates he was indulging when he wasn’t training throughout a haphazard camp, which included weird hours and sessions when apparently his road work was limited to a few laps around the couch in his Vegas’ living room.

Instead of fulfilling his obligations with some sweat equity, it looks as if the former middleweight champ was getting stoned. That was irresponsible to trainer Freddie Roach, who sometimes would be summoned to supervise a workout at midnight or 3 a.m. It was a breach of what Top Rank and fans expected him to do.

Chavez has been allowed to skate from accountability throughout his young life because of his name. He’s the son of Mexico’s beloved Julio Cesar Chavez, Father Legend. If there’s a burden in carrying on the name, it includes favors that have postponed maturity.

More troubling and perhaps ominous, he hasn’t learned from his father’s mistakes. In addition to a durable chin, there are signs that the 26-year-old Chavez inherited dangerous habits that led his dad into substance-abuse and rehab. Chavez Jr. talked about his dad’s problems a couple days before the Martinez bout. In a forthright manner, he talked about fears his dad would die. He called the experience “horrible.’’ But he didn’t call it a lesson.

It’s not as if Chavez Jr. didn’t know he would be tested. His history dictated that he, perhaps more than any fighter, would be. In 2009, he was suspended for seven months after testing positive for a diuretic. In January, he was arrested for DUI. In June, Andy Lee trainer Emanuel Steward questioned the legitimacy of a test that Chavez underwent before he beat Lee in El Paso.

By now, Chavez knows the rules. If he had trouble sleeping, he should have used something else other than pot to help him get his rest. Marijuana is still on the banned list. It’s fair to argue whether it should be. But that’s an argument for another day.

Today, the argument is only about Chavez Jr. In a Don’t Worry, Be Happy style, he’s likable. He has potential. But that’s all he’ll ever have if the people around him continue to postpone the battle to mature. For now, it’s the only fight that matters.

New York – Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez took to New York City as part of their three city tour to announce their upcoming showdown set for December 8th in Las Vegas. This would be their fourth time meeting each-other in the ring. All three of their bouts were closely contested and hotly debated, with two of the fights being fight of the year candidates.

To put things into perspective, combining all of the judges’ scorecards from all three fights, Pacquiao has a slight advantage on points over his rival by a margin on 1024-1017.

On Wednesday at the Edison Ballroom in Times Square, Pacquiao took to the podium and stated, “I’m looking forward to winning impressively and to make the fight as short as possible. We need to get back to the aggressiveness and hunger from when I was twenty-five years old.”

In his always improving English, Marquez stated, “December 8th I have a new challenge again. I don’t need to prove nothing, because I won the last three fights!.”

Kerry Davis took to the podium to briefly announce a the ongoing strategic alliance between HBO and ESPN, and to stay tuned for more in the future.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions, Zanfer Promotions, Márquez Boxing, Tecate and MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, tickets to Pacquiao-Márquez 4 will go on sale Friday, September 28 at 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT. Tickets are priced at $1,200, $900, $600, and $400 and are limited to 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

The Pacquiao vs. Márquez telecast, which begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former world champion Rafael Marquez has pulled out of his October 6 showdown with fellow former champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.

“Rafael Marquez is facing health problems and working on some personal issues and will not fight against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.,” said Vazquez promoter Peter Rivera. “Now, we are going to make Vazquez Jr. against Oquendo, a fight long awaited by Puerto Rican fans.

LAS VEGAS – Only prizefighting, among all sports, is able to induce a vicarious sensation so near to personal tragedy one’s mind, in a headlong rush for homeostasis, begins to tamper with its stimuli, misreading moments and writing them in memory more creatively than truthfully. To see a man so large in what gorgeous violence he perpetrates on another suddenly diminished, panicked, desperately swimming towards his foe like a drowning child after pool’s edge, is to witness sport extended to its legal limit.

That is what happened Saturday in the final two minutes of 37-year old Argentine Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez’s successful defense of his lineal middleweight championship against 26-year old Mexican titlist Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Thomas & Mack Center, a match Martinez won by lopsided unanimous-decision scores after being forced to the blue mat twice in its 12th round.

There was “Maravilla” in the final 80 seconds, eyes big, body failing, fright both overwhelming and accelerating his exhaustion – the man who boasted before training camp that in his matches “99 percent is studied” beforehand; every wink, every straightening of his trunks, every shoulder shimmy, every smile, every word, all of it, devised in his downtime, planned in his training, executed by a tyrannical actor/director who does not abide improvisation on the set after a bell calls Action. Then none of it was planned.

Felled as much by fatigue as Chavez’s short left hook, a punch that hadn’t found a meaningful mark more than a pair of times in Chavez’s 34 1/2 minutes of winging it, Martinez emoted a confused panic even he didn’t know was in his theatrical range. Martinez rose and tackled Chavez, causing a second knockdown ruled a slip because it didn’t matter how it was ruled because the scorecard never mattered a whit to Chavez. Entirely unconscious of himself or strategy or script, Martinez fought a just-exhausted-enough Chavez off him in a minute that Martinez’s curious mind and creative memory will now stretch to a width most hours of his life will not rival for duration or anxiety.

Anxiety was the large part of that extraordinary final minute. After a 10th round that saw Chavez cast his fourth and fifth urgent and nearly hopeless glances at referee Tony Weeks, beseeching him to do something about Martinez’s low punches or dangerous head, the Argentines in the arena began to serenade their champion and each other. They filled Thomas & Mack with song. A Buenos Aires fútbol rally in the middle of a city that was once Mexico, on the weekend of El 16 de Septiembre: ¡Pinches argentinos, hijos de la Chingada!

After the 11th, a round that saw Chavez land his most meaningful right hand of the evening then see another rally extinguished by Martinez’s sense of the moment and its augmentative, momentum, the aisle in section 112 began to fill with well-dressed Mexicans stomping up the stairs towards the exit. There was no suspense at the end of the 11th, and let no one tell you otherwise.

The suspense happened when the bell to begin the 12th rang and Chavez remained on his stool. Martinez raised both hands above his head, certain he’d beaten “Son of the Legend” yellow on the eve of Mexican Independence Day. Then Chavez, that child of privilege and man of an eccentric nonchalance almost goofy, showed Martinez his mouthguard and hopped off his stool.

When Chavez’s left hook came home and Martinez’s wondrous legs finally failed him moments later, an energy coursed through Thomas & Mack Center like no other. It was a catharsis whose pursuit is the very reason any self-respecting experientialist pays his airfare to Vegas and endures its gauche price-gouging ways – to experience a mindless union with 18,000 others, a burst of something so chemically pure the body hates it, an intensity unendurable for more than a few seconds. The moment could not have been improved upon; its potency was a product of surprise: “Maravilla” in an instant diminished, worn, fragile, spent, withered, more miserable than he’d made Chavez in a half hour of smacking his face with knuckles.

Does it detract from the moment to price it? Surely it does, but that’s why it’s called prizefighting after all. The most terrifying moment of Sergio Martinez’s career will be the one that makes him a much wealthier man. He is now damaged and old, more likely to find underestimation than over. Somewhere from Floyd Mayweather’s fighting soul – the sacred part of him as yet unsullied by “Money” – there must today be a voice that says, “You’re gonna tell me I gotta avoid a guy Little Chavez had out?”

And while Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., right now, knows just how physically ruinous Martinez’s 300 flush blows were to his young body and younger brain, Mexicanismo will ensure he forgets posthaste: “¿Qué haría tu papá, Júnior?”

Whatever he said about it afterwards on Saturday night, his head still thrumming with concussion and ears throbbing each beat of his heart, Sergio Martinez is too introspective, too gentle-spirited, not to have doubt. “Maravilla” is not delusional and does not wish to become so. He fought Chavez perfectly Saturday, just enough playfulness and just enough clean striking and just enough macho, and came within a punch of drowning. It will not be lost on him what will come if he fights imperfectly in a rematch.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

LAS VEGAS – Two major cards separated by a short ride looked like an accident about to happen. Look again. Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Thomas & Mack Center and Canelo Alvarez-Josesito Lopez at the MGM Grand were a lot of things. It was a good night to wear a sombrero. It was a long night in line for a cab and a longer line at the bar.

It was one shot of Pancho Villa, a shot of Peron, another shot of soccer and endless shots of tequila. Above all, it was thoroughly Vegas, at least Vegas before the recession. It was also boxing at its best, which also means some of its worst. Nothing can be so irresistible and so distasteful at the same time.

But there it was Saturday night, a double shot and 180 proof of what is so compelling about a sport that just won’t die no matter how hard it tries to kill itself.

It was impossible to see the depth of its unique resiliency Saturday. I tried. But there was just too much to see. My night started at the MGM Grand. It ended at Thomas & Mack with a brilliant victory by Sergio Martinez, who survived a wild 12th-round comeback from Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.

My cab driver predicted the winner. But not the drama.

“Martinez by knockout,’’ the driver said beneath an old cowboy hat that he had to have been wearing 25 years ago when he collected fares from fans who watched Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin, Hagler, Robert Duran and Thomas Hearns.

But it was Chavez who almost won by knockout. Chavez sent Martinez spinning down and onto the canvas in the 12th round, immediately conjuring up memories of how his dad, Julio Cesar Legend, beat Meldrick Taylor with two seconds left so long ago.

An encore for the Chavez family didn’t happen, not even on a weekend celebrating Mexican Independence. Chavez blamed himself after losing a unanimous decision. He said he started his stubborn assault too late. Martinez, a proud Argentine, also put himself in harm’s way when he didn’t have to. In the end, however, Martinez wouldn’t let Chavez steal a victory or the middleweight title he had ensured himself on the scorecards. Argue with Chavez’ early rounds. Argue with Martinez’ last round.

But don’t argue with the climactic finish. A record crowd of 19,187 at Thomas & Mack loved it. Mexicans and Argentines, alike, cheered loudly, filling the old basketball arena with chants that echoed down the aisles and through time.

Boxing isn’t back. It never left.

Not long after leaving the MGM Grand, super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez scored a fifth-round KO of Josesito Lopez in a bout that was probably more significant for the number of people in the seats than it was for the victory. The undersized Lopez was overmatched. Canelo had been favored by odds as big as 14-1. Yet, a capacity crowd of 14,275 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena showed up. There’s been a nasty debate between Golden Boy Promotions and rival Top Rank about how many tickets were sold and at what price. Yet on a night when Canelo was a laughable favorite in a Golden Boy promotion up against Top Rank’s intriguing Martinez-Chavez Jr. showdown, Canelo filled the seats.

“That underlines just how big an attraction Canelo is,’’ Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said.

It underlines much more than that. Two cards within a couple of miles of each other drew a total of 33,462 fans. That’s no accident.

LAS VEGAS – News conferences came like a one-two punch Wednesday and Thursday for dueling promotions Saturday night featuring Sergio Martinez-versus-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Thomas & Mack Center and Canelo Alvarez-Josesito Lopez at the MGM Grand.

It’s been a rhetorical food fight, boxing’s version of Republicans and Democrats after back-to-back conventions. First, it’s Top Rank to the bully pulpit. Then, it’s Golden Boy’s turn. It’s Home Box Office- versus-Showtime. Ego-against-ego. An insult-fest. But should it be?

After widespread criticism for scheduling two major cards on the same night and amid all the ongoing negativity, there’s a chance at some numbers that might put a surprising spin on the business. Attendance at each could provide a powerful counter to an epitaph so often repeated, yet never proven.

If boxing is really dying, then a lot of people – maybe more than 30,000 at two venues within a couple miles of each other – have yet to hear the news.

There’s plenty of debate about box-office numbers promised by Golden Boy for Alvarez-Lopez in a 154-pound bout televised by Showtime. Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya said Thursday at the Canelo-Lopez news conference that 13,000 tickets had been sold.

“We are expecting a sellout,’’ De La Hoya said of a weekend celebrating Mexican Independence.

Top Rank doesn’t believe it. On the surprise meter, that ranks somewhere between zero and yawn. If the situation was reversed – and it will be one day, Golden Boy wouldn’t believe it either. Remember, Republicans and Democrats trust each other more than Top Rank and Golden Boy do.

For Martinez-Chavez, Jr., in a HBO pay-per-view bout for the middleweight title, Top Rank already has a sellout, 19,186, a boxing record at Thomas & Mack. Even if a sellout is announced for Alvarez-Lopez, there will be suggestions that Golden Boy gave away tickets to get there.

As of Thursday, it wasn’t clear what number Golden Boy needed for a sellout. Seating capacity at The MGM Grand Garden Arena has been 14,800. But Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said 2,000 seats can be added before Saturday’s opening bell. If there’s time to construct the addition and the seats are filled, the crowd would be announced at 16,800. Add the Thomas & Mack sellout, and the total would be 35,186.

“That would tell you a lot about the sport,’’ Schaefer said.

With apologies to Mark Twain, t would tell you that all those dire warnings of imminent death are greatly exaggerated.

It might also tell you what could happen if Golden Boy and Top Rank made peace and did business together. But that’s another story, if not a miracle. It didn’t sound as if peace were even a remote possibility Thursday. The irony is that the fighters were the diplomats. Canelo and Lopez praised each other. The only real trash talk came from Keith Kizer, the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s executive.

In an apparent reference to the controversy over the judging of Tim Bradley’s decision over Manny Pacquiao in June at the MGM Grand, Kizer seemed to take exception at HBO’s criticism of judges Duane Ford, CJ Ross and Jerry Roth.

“There was another fight here in June, but some of the veterans at ringside that felt badly that night won’t feel so bad this time, because HBO, (Jim) Lampley and (Harold) Lederman won’t be there,’’ Kizer said. “I like the Showtime announcers much better.’’

Kizer’s shot followed one at Showtime from Top Rank’s Bob Arum.

“Half the people who’ve got Showtime don’t know they have it,’’ Arum said.

Shot, counter-shot. The beat goes on.

But if predictions are fulfilled and the numbers add up Saturday night, there won’t be an argument about whether the business still has a heartbeat.

LAS VEGAS – There was a time when the son couldn’t mention his father’s name. It was too painful. Legends don’t die. But dads do.

It was 2010. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. watched substance-abuse wash away the immortality that Mexicans have attached to his famous dad, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

“I kept thinking this guy is going to die,’’ Chavez Jr. said Wednesday to handful of reporters after a formal news conference for his middleweight title fight Saturday night against Sergio Martinez at Thomas & Mack Center. “He’s going to die. I got used to thinking about it.’’

Dad changed his son’s mind, but only after the end so feared by his son ominously appeared one day in Tijuana. Julio Sr. said he didn’t feel well. His son recalls that he sought medical help. His father was sedated and then rushed to rehab.

Twenty-six months later, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. sat Wednesday – clean, sober and proud — near his son just days before the family business continues against Martinez in an HBO pay-per-view bout.

“Right now, our relationship is good,’’ said Chavez Jr., about a 2-to-1 underdog in betting odds posted late Wednesday. “It can withstand the disagreements we have.’’

The relationship has healed so much that the son can now often joke about a dad who doesn’t often like to be the intended target of any sort of mockery. Julio Chavez Sr. has been in gym with his son and trainer Freddie Roach. But Chavez says he listens only to Roach. The son is a smart guy. He knows that old lesson about dads, even Hall of Fame Fathers. They don’t belong in their son’s corners.

“Freddie is the last word,’’ Chavez Jr. said. “Sometimes, my dad will run to my corner and say something. I’ll tell him: ‘Work the corner or get the hell out.’ ‘’

Dad always gets the message, Julio Jr. said.

At least, he does now.

A couple of years ago, he wasn’t certain. His father, he says, would come home early in the morning after a night of drinking.

“He would come home, sometimes at 5 a.m. and sometimes on the day I’d fight, sit down and start talking, while I was trying to sleep’’ he said. “He’d just talk and talk, talk for three and four hours.’’

About what?

“Not sure,’’ Chavez said. “About everything.’’

In the couple of years since his dad underwent rehab, Julio Jr., once dismissed as a lazy rich kid, began to mature as a fighter under Roach’s steady guidance. His training schedule might be quirky. Roach said he often trains in the early morning hours. Workouts can start at 1 a.m. and end 4 a.m. But the work is serious, Roach said.

In part, Julio Jr. appears to have inherited some his dad’s toughness. There’s the durable chin. There are also the body punches. Both made a Hall of Famer out of his stubborn dad.

“That’s why I feel sorry for Sergio Martinez,’’ Bob Arum, Julio Jr.’s promoter, said Wednesday during the news conference. “He’s going to take body shots like he’s never felt before.’’

But there can also be dangers in what a son inherits from his dad. For Julio Jr., it is a lifestyle that put his dad in rehab. A warning sign was there in January when The Ring’s Lem Satterfield reported that Julio Jr. was charged with DUI within a couple of weeks of his victory over Marco Antonio Rubio.

It was a lesson then.

It’s a lesson now, especially for a family business that needs to remember them if it hopes to fight on.

OAKLAND, Calif. – Last week’s fight headquarters were at Marriott City Center in the middle of this recovering town. Friday night Andre Ward sat in its lobby area, his back to the window, a white baseball cap pulled over his eyes. His face was darker than it appears on television, and meaner too. It was the first glimpse of a Ward that any unknowing stranger would avoid out of instinct. Ward wasn’t that playful chap taking his kids to school for HBO’s camera; he was a man concentrated on the manifestation of another’s pain.

In that lobby, with his dark and oblivious scowl, Ward was severed entirely from the dot-com millionaires who once made Porsches more ubiquitous than Hondas, 50 miles south of here. Ward was not, either, a delicate San Francisco artisan returned from complementing an hour in the SFMOMA collection with a crabmeat salad at Fisherman’s Wharf. He was not Silicon Valley or Bay Area. He wasn’t even East Bay. Ward was Oakland.

That portended the very worst for Connecticut’s “Bad” Chad Dawson, a unified light heavyweight world champion who fought Ward for his unified super middleweight championship Saturday at Oracle Arena. Whatever violence Dawson saw as a youth in New Haven, Conn., it was qualitatively different from the Oakland brand Ward showed him Saturday. Dawson, discomfited from the moment Ward’s short left hook dropped him in round 3, succumbed entirely at 2:45 of round 10 – when he rose from a spot on the mat Ward’s left hand put him, and gave referee Steve Smoger tacit approval for a TKO stoppage.

Ward and Smoger were and are a lovely combination, the one most likely to lead Ward, with his mauling and grappling and pressuring, into pleasing aesthetic spectacles. Another ref would have broken Ward and Dawson endlessly, Saturday, and it would have set a precedent that ruined everything – for when a fighter knows every clinch brings an officious ref leaping to the rescue, he does more of it, because even for a prizefighter not-fighting is easier than fighting. And this brings obvious choices whose consequences do not get tabulated till the next morning when that fighter reads about what a dullard he was, in Sunday’s paper.

Ward churns his feet in a clinch. That is his secret. He does not merely push and pull with his upper body, content only to throw a completely open punch at a completely open chin, as so many fighters today do. Ward continues to dig and bend, pivot and tilt, certain that waxed human flesh licked with perspiration is too slippery to hold still for long. He frees his hands with his legs. He sincerely wishes to sink knuckles in flesh, too, making the volume-puncher’s compact: I will hit you anywhere you let me, and let the art critics go to hell.

Writing of which, and continuing a theme of this city’s pleasant surprises – including a number-five placing on The New York Times’ “45 Places to Go in 2012” list – downtown Oakland plays host to the Bay Area’s most surprising art collection: Oakland Museum of California (OMCA). Located atop a history floor and another dedicated to science, OCMA’s paint collection features works by or about Californians. It is exhaustive and fantastic. It is not quite the de Young Fine Art Museum but is at least good, and in every way more accessible, as San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

The less-artful compact Ward made with Dawson Saturday saw Ward follow every landed right cross with a chopping left hand. It was an ugly, barely legal punch that offended Dawson’s sense of decorum. It also took his balance and ruined him in the 10th round.

Poor Chad Dawson; he simply has no mean streak. He’s a superb athlete. But were he in the NFL, he’d play wide receiver, not tight end; in the NBA he’d swish gorgeous fall-away jumpers but never drive the lane; if hockey were his game, he’d be a perennial contender for the Lady Byng. There were numerous exchanges Saturday that told this tale: Dawson is an athlete who makes money fighting, but Ward is a prizefighter. Dawson was longer, taller, and ostensibly the harder puncher. And yet, when he hit Ward he got lunged at, and when he got hit by Ward he took a step backwards and showed Oracle Arena a look that said: “It’s cool, guys, I know he hit me, but we quashed all that and things are good between us now.”

Nobody in Oakland respected Dawson’s nonbelligerent stand. Frankly, they wanted to see him beaten for it. Attendance was announced at 8,500 but felt like more – with some local newspaper scribes estimating 10,000 or even 12,000. Imagine, an announced boxing gate that felt underestimated! Knockouts are louder, though, because they bring persons leaping upwards at once. Standing, shouting, high-fiving, fist-pumping men bring a force of feeling disproportionate to their number. There were plenty such men, and women too, Saturday, and the audience was darker-complected than most major boxing crowds. A splendid thing, that, and one that speaks to the authentic, and therefore sustainable, fanbase Ward is building in his hometown.

Andre Ward is becoming a professional sports franchise in Oakland, this pleasantly surprising place with a mean streak. Nobody has trod a fairer path to local acclaim than Ward. No prizefighter deserves acclaim more. And so, on nights like Saturday, in the roiling bodies and noise, for an hour at least boxing can feel like a meritocracy.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

OAKLAND, Calif. – Saturday Andre Ward made the most impressive showing of his career, stopping lineal light heavyweight world champion Chad Dawson in round 10 before an impassioned hometown crowd. Impressive, Ward’s performance certainly was. Whether it was enough to make him the superstar some aficionados feel he deserves to be, though, remains to be seen.

“I’m here to see Andre Ward,” said Bay Area resident Devon Donahue, standing at a table in the lower concourse of Oracle Arena during the undercard. “This is my first fight.”

Ward has suffered, unfairly in the opinion of many, a lack of exposure. He has been on premium cable, winning Showtime’s “Super Six World Boxing Classic” most notably, and he fights in a relentless fashion, oblivious of style, a fashion that should appeal widely to the folks in this town. And Ward does appeal, partially.

“First Ward fight,” said Oakland resident Anthony Brown before the main event. “I just want to see a good one.”

Ward is known by aficionados, and respected if not beloved. There is a momentum building, with attendance figures climbing each time he does his punching in the East Bay. But he is decidedly not yet the draw of, say, Floyd Mayweather – even in his hometown.

“Mayweather is established,” said Donahue. “A lot of people here don’t know about Andre Ward. Yet.”

Ward is an Olympic gold medalist, the only current American champion able to make that claim. He is undefeated as a professional. He is a model citizen outside the ring. What, then, does he need to do to become a bigger draw?

“He needs to talk a little shit,” said Elija Holcomb, an East Bay resident whose allegiance to Ward took him to Atlantic City for Ward’s last fight, a decision victory over Carl Froch in December. “We were arguing about that on the way over, would it make a difference? Mayweather is an event. People tune in. I might not like Mayweather, but I watch him.”

There were some billboards on I-880, the interstate East Bay commuters take southwards, this week, and there were banners hanging on Broadway outside the City Center Marriott that hosted fightweek personalities, downtown, but promotional materials for Ward-Dawson were hardly ubiquitous.

“Man, they should have shoved this down their throats,” continued Holcomb, in a lower-concourse booth, pre-fight. “The guy who cuts my hair used to cut (Ward’s) hair. He didn’t – my point is, Ward’s a little invisible. He’s a little invisible.”

In his comportment, both before and after fights, Andre Ward is a gentleman. He believes that if he can continue to fight and beat the very best men in the world, he will eventually become a beloved figure.

“Against the better competition,” Ward said after whupping Dawson, Saturday, “I rise to the challenge.”

Ward’s next challenge will likely be selling himself as a pay-per-view attraction.

Photo by Alexis Cuarezma

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — In another virtuoso performance, unified super middleweight champion Andre Ward thrilled his local following in dismantling reigning recognized light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson with a tenth-round stoppage at the Oracle Arena on Saturday night. With the win, and the way in which he claimed it, Ward must now be considered the obvious choice to eventually succeed Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the pound-for-pound king.

After a calculated first round, Ward (26-0, 14 KOs) of Oakland completely took over the fight by the end of round two. At the close of the second stanza, Dawson (31-2, 17 KOs) of New Haven, Connecticut walked back to his corner with a cut over his right eye – the result of a headbutt.

Early in the third, Ward, 168, landed a right lead, followed by a short left that dropped Dawson, 168, for the first of three times in the fight. Dawson got up and began to return fire immediately. Ward landed a couple more hard shots, before Dawson offered back.

Though Dawson looked to have a clear head as the third came to a close, a left in close early in the fourth dropped the WBC Light Heavyweight titleholder again. Though Ward tripped, referee Steve Smoger correctly ruled the knockdown on Dawson. Ward unloaded a heavy arsenal, pressuring Dawson around the ring, but the glassy-eyed light heavyweight champion managed to make it out of the round. Ward may have been a bit winded just as Dawson was ready to go, but it would end up being a moot point.

Dawson looked almost refreshed by the end of the fifth, but Ward punctuated the round with another awkward hard left. Ward opened the sixth back behind his jab, walking down Dawson. The world’s leading 175-pounder could only manage to throw one at a time, which will never get you back into a fight with Andre Ward.

After taking some of the seventh round off, Ward punished Dawson in the seventh, most notably landing two left uppercuts that looked to have knocked some brain matter out of the left hander’s mouth, while the Oakland native had his back to the ropes.

Ward again staggered Dawson in close early in the eighth. Dawson came back with two lefts, one an uppercut, but the wind was clearly out of the southpaw’s sails. When the bell sounded to end the round, Dawson slowly walked back to his corner a defeated-looking fighter.

With the writing on the wall at the end of the ninth, Dawson’s corner opted to send their man out for round ten, rather than call it a night. The move just allowed Ward to land another hard left at range, followed by a right hand. The combination touched off a flurry that dropped Dawson for the third time. Referee Steve Smoger took his time and gave Dawson a good look. Reportedly, Dawson told Smoger, ‘We’re done.’ Smoger waved off the fight at 2:45 of round ten. With the win, Ward retained his WBA and WBC 168-pound titles and opened the door to numerous, mouth-watering possibilities.

In a shockingly quick performance, Antonio DeMarco (28-2, 21 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico successfully defended his WBC Lightweight title with a first-round stoppage over WBC #15 ranked John Molina Jr. (24-2, 19 KOs) of Covina, California.

DeMarco, 134 ½, landed a stiff jab that managed to send Molina, 134 ½, reeling across the ring, eyes unclear. Sensing his man was in some trouble, DeMarco pressed Molina into a neutral corner and flurried him into a hunched over position. Instead of making the decision to take a knee or fire back, Molina simply covered up in an unprotected posture, which really left referee Jack Reiss no choice but to stop the fight. Time of the stoppage was 44 seconds of the opening round.

In the last fight before HBO went on the air live, Malik Scott (35-0, 12 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania scored a rare stoppage due to an injury to the left arm of Bowie Tupou (22-2, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Nukualofa, Tonga in a fight the Philadelphian controlled from minute one.

Unsurprisingly, Scott, 226, kept his distance in the opening round, staying behind his jab and keeping the shorter-armed Tupou, 260, out of his own punching range. Try as he might, Tupou kept looking for openings as the fight progressed into the middle and late rounds, but the defensive-minded Scott refused to open up or give him a sizeable target. Seconds into the eighth and final round, Tupou complained of pain in the area of either his left elbow or bicep and referee Ray Balewicz waved off the fight at 52 seconds.

2000 U.S. Olympian Ricardo Williams Jr. (20-3, 10 KOs) of Cincinnati, Ohio kept breath in his up-and-down career with a six-round majority decision over Anthony Lenk (14-2, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Williams, 143 ½, really deserved a unanimous score as he was clearly the harder and more effective puncher throughout the fight. The game and durable Lenk, 143 ½, must have won over one judge with his heart and determination to earn an even card.

After boxing his way through the first three rounds, Williams ramped up and seemed to hurt Lenk in the third. By the start of the fourth, Williams felt comfortable enough to stand and trade in spots with the still forward-moving Lenk.

At the end of the fifth, the former Olympian really sat down on his punches and had Lenk in some trouble as the final bell sounded. Perhaps frustrated by the the direction of the fight, Lenk let one go after the bell that did not seem to bother Williams. Though he was not really in the fight, Lenk had one of his better rounds in the sixth, but it was too little too late for the Nevadan. In the end, two judges had the fight 58-56 twice for Williams and one even at 57-57.

Franklin Lawrence (18-2-2, 13 KOs) of Indianapolis, Indiana remained busy, but failed to impress the slow-arriving crowd with a stoppage win over journeyman Homero Fonseca (9-6-3, 2 KOs) of Pearsall, Texas. Lawrence, 233 ½, pecked and jabbed his way through seven full rounds, but never really committed to making a statement in the night’s opening contest. Fonseca, 253, winged the occasional hook, but was never really in the fight. With swelling around his left eye and no hope really in turning around the contest, referee Edward Collantes opted to stop the bout just before the start of the eighth round.

In the first of two walkout bouts, Tony Hirsch (13-5-2, 6 KOs) of Oakland pleased the group of Bay Area fight fans that stuck around with a free-swinging four-round unanimous decision over tough Roberto Yong (5-6-1, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, California.

Hirsch, 157, who must have been inspired by what Ward had just accomplished before him, came out and seemed to want to put Yong, 158 ½, on his back. However, Yong has continually proven to be a tough cookie for everyone he has shared a ring with and Saturday proved to be no different. Just to let Hirsch know he was in a fight, Yong landed a hard right just before the final bell. However, all three judges had the fight for Hirsch, 39-37 and 40-36 twice.

In a fight that deserves more space than can be afforded to a walkout bout, Randy Guerrero (0-0-1) of Gilroy, California and Juan Urbina (0-0-1) of Santa Ana, California slugged it out with all they had for four rounds en route to a majority draw. Guerrero, 124, seemed to take round one with his early apparent edge in power. Urbina, 119, came right back in round two and landed some hard shots that likely took round two. Over the next two rounds it would be hard to choose who did the most damage, as both did plenty. In the end, one judge had Guerrero ahead, 39-37, but was overruled by the other two who had it even, 38-38. Though the hometown crowd wanted a Guerrero win, it was the type of fight no one deserved to lose.

Photos by Alexis Cuarezma

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

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – There is a mythical pound-for-pound crown that hangs precariously on the head of 35-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr. Considering “Money May’s” age and his ever present out-of-the-ring distractions, the next wave must all be chomping at the bit to pick up where Mayweather will eventually leave off. Two fighters that have openly looked up to Floyd as their careers have progressed will have their chance at stepping into the heir to the throne role, as Andre Ward defends his 168-pound titles against current 175-pound titleholder Chad Dawson tomorrow night at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Fighters for the HBO-televised event weighed-in outdoors Friday afternoon at the Oakland City Center.

Dawson (31-1, 17 KOs) of New Haven, Connecticut entered a hostile environment, much like the one that awaits him Saturday, on a much larger scale of course, as he took to the scale. Dawson enters Saturday’s contest off one of his biggest wins in name, as he reclaimed the WBC Light Heavyweight title he dropped in 2010 to Jean Pascal with a less than thrilling twelve-round majority decision over Bernard Hopkins in April. Though Dawson is coming down in weight, “Bad Chad” had campaigned as low as 160-pounds early in his career and was a super middleweight until early 2006. Dawson weighed in at the super middleweight limit of 168-pounds, his lowest number since November of 2005.

Ward (25-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland enters Saturday’s twelve-round contest on one of the better two-year runs in the recent history of the sport. Ward shocked nearly everyone outside of the Bay Area with his WBA title win over Mikkel Kessler in November of 2009 and has since disposed of two reigning or former champions, one multiple-time title challenger and one perennial contender in Allan Green. Ward’s last win over Carl Froch in November unified the WBC and WBA 168-pound titles he defends against Dawson on Saturday. Ward looked comfortable at the scale, weighing in at 168-pounds for his fifth title defense at the weight.

When two champions with records like the ones that stand next to the names Ward and Dawson meet up, the talk surrounding the fight almost always involves the often debated pound-for-pound title. A few years back Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, one of the many trainers to walk in and out of Dawson’s revolving doors, guaranteed to the media at a San Francisco press conference that his newest charge would be atop the pound-for-pound heap within two or three years time. Muhammad, who had taken over for Floyd Mayweather Sr. on Dawson’s team, has since been replaced, but with a win on Saturday, his prophecy would be closer than ever to coming to fruition.

With the recent struggles of Manny Pacquiao and even Sergio Martinez to a degree, it would be hard to envision a way to keep Ward out of that number two position behind Mayweather with a win over Dawson on Saturday. Yes, Dawson has given up the few pound advantage he would have had at light heavyweight, and yes the fight is in Ward’s hometown. But those are the perks that come with being a bona fide ticket seller, which Ward has proven to be and Dawson never has.

In the televised co-feature, Antonio DeMarco (27-2, 20 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico aims to defend his WBC Lightweight title for the second time this year against John Molina Jr. (24-1, 19 KOs) of Covina, California in a twelve-round bout.

Aided by the intelligent handling by their respective promotional teams, both DeMarco (promoted by Gary Shaw Productions) and Molina (handled by Goossen Tutor Promotions) have impressively rebuilt their careers following major setbacks in the last three years. Back in February 2010, DeMarco was utterly dismantled by the late Edwin Valero in his first attempt at a major title. DeMarco is 4-0 since against a strong crop that included his come-from-behind, title-winning effort over Jorge Linares last October. DeMarco weighed-in at 134 ½-pounds Friday.

After his upset loss to Martin Honorio back in November of 2009, Molina reeled off two quick wins before stepping in to upset previously unbeaten Henry Lundy in July of the following year. Mostly biding time for the right opportunity since, Molina has finally signed on for his first crack at a world title. The WBC #15 ranked lightweight Molina, who figures to have a strong supporting crowd making the trip up from Southern California, weighed in at 134 ½-pounds.

In undercard action, long undefeated heavyweight Malik Scott (34-0, 11 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania steps up to one of the tougher challenges in his slow-progressing career against big Bowie Tupou (22-1, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Nukualofa, Tonga in a bout scheduled for either eight or ten rounds.

Scott, who scaled 226-pounds, was one of the sought after prospects after the 2000 Olympic Games, but has gone nowhere in a hurry. Saturday’s fight with Tupou marks Scott’s third fight this year after a three-plus year hiatus. Tupou, who came in at 260-pounds, has not exactly been on the face track either, but has reeled off two solid wins against Manuel Quezada and Donnell Holmes in the last fourteen months.

In other heavyweight action, surprising contender Franklin Lawrence (17-2-2, 12 KOs) of Indianapolis, Indiana will keep busy in an eight-rounder against Homero Fonseca (9-5-3, 2 KOs) of Pearsall, Texas. Lawrence, who scaled 233 ½-pounds, raised some eyebrows with back-to-back stoppage wins over Lance Whitaker and Jason Estrada to claim minor titles. Fonseca, who came in at a soft 253-pounds, is 1-3-1 in his last five, but only one of those bouts were scored unanimously against him.

The rollercoaster career of 2000 U.S. Olympian Ricardo Williams Jr. continues against once-beaten Anthony Lenk (14-1, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada in a welterweight bout scheduled for either six or eight-rounds. Williams (19-3, 10 KOs) of Cincinnati, Ohio strung together nine consecutive wins after regaining his freedom from imprisonment before running into eventual title challenger Carson Jones last December. Looking to rebound from that fourth-round stoppage defeat, Williams takes on the unproven Lenk. The only really recognizable name on the ledger of Lenk accounts for his only defeat, a hard-fought six-round decision loss to Jessie Vargas when each fighter had less than six pro fights. Both Williams and Lenk scaled 143 ½-pounds Friday.

Longtime Andre Ward sparring partner Tony Hirsch (12-5-2, 6 KOs) of Oakland gets a rare chance to fight at home against a tougher-than-his-record foe in Roberto Yong (5-5-1, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, California in a middleweight bout scheduled for either four or six-rounds. Last seen taking a tough fight on less than 24 hours notice all the way up at 180-pounds, Hirsch scaled a fit-and-trim 157-pounds on Friday. Yong, who weighed in at 158 ½-pounds, has never been stopped and was unlucky to only get a draw against previously unbeaten DonYil Livingston back in August of last year.

Carrying the pressure of his famous last name, Randy Guerrero of Gilroy, California embarks on his pro career against fellow first-timer Juan Urbina of Santa Ana, California in a four-round super bantamweight fight. Guerrero, the brother of world champion Robert “The Ghost” and a standout amateur in his own right, weighed in at 124-pounds. The equally confident-looking Urbina scaled only 119-pounds, which seemed to raise an eyebrow with members of the California State Athletic Commission, but the fight is officially set.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions, Antonio Leonard TNT Promotions and SOG Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBC Super Middleweight Championship
WBA Super Middleweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Ward 168
Dawson 168

WBC Lightweight Championship, 12 Rounds
DeMarco 134 ½
Molina Jr. 134 ½

Heavyweights, 8 or 10 Rounds
Scott 226
Tupou 260

Heavyweights, 8 Rounds
Lawrence 233 ½
Fonseca 253

Welterweights, 6 or 8 Rounds
Williams Jr. 143 ½
Lenk 143 ½

Middleweights, 4 or 6 Rounds
Hirsch 157
Yong 158 ½

Super Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Guerrero 124
Urbina 119

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