Saturday, March 21, 2008:

 

Andy Lee joins a long list of tall, lanky, Emmanuel Steward trained power punchers to get knocked out in spectacular fashion: Tommy Hearns, Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko, Kermit Cintron, and Jermain Taylor are the others. Unfortunately for Lee, his beat down didn’t come from a known good, or even great fighter, as did the other men in the list, but from Brian Vera, who got iced in the second round by Jaidon Codrington in the “Contender” series.

 

Lee came out looking like the future of the middleweight division that he is supposed to be as he dropped Vera with a nuclear left in round one. Vera, apparently not interested in helping along Lee’s career, got up, survived the round, and started dropping scuds as fast as he could load them. Not a particularly accurate puncher, Vera made up for his lack of precision with a kinetic determination that eventually has Lee reeling under a barrage of punches in round seven, prompting the referee to stop the fight at 2:17.

 

 

Although Lee had just landed a left and, it could be argued, was mounting his own assault, he waited too long to do so. A fighter cannot take two dozen unanswered punches and assume the referee isn’t going to think he’s finished for the night.

 

 

Now 15-1 with 12 KOs, Lee’s career is hardly ruined. He’s only 23-years-old, and, like the other Steward trained fighters listed above, has big fights, and probably world titles, in his future. He just needs to make sure he learned something from the loss. For his part, Brian Vera, 16-1 (10 KOs), showed enough power and heart to get him more TV exposure and and a little higher price tag. Good for him.

 

 

March 15:

Manny Pacquiao eeked out a split decision in an emotionally stirring 130 pound contest at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. The judges scores were 115-112 for Pacquiao, 115-112 for Marquez, and a deciding 114-113 for Pacquiao. After getting knocked on his butt by a left in round three, Marquez made a point of circling to his left and countering Pacquiao, who still managed to land hard enough to buckle Marquez’s 34-year-old knees on occasion.

 

Both men sustained cuts, though Marquez’s appeared deeper and bled more. A late fight surge gave Marquez the last two rounds, but Pacquiao’s power early in the fight made the difference.

 

Almost as entertaining as the fight, was the post fight press conference as the Marquez camp once again moaned incessantly about unfair judging and what they feel is corruption in the system. While boxing’s history is hardly pristine, the constant whining from the brothers Marquez and their camp comes off less like altruistic policing of the sport and more like sour grapes at each successive press conference.

 

After listening patiently for nearly half an hour, Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, had finally heard enough and blurted, “This is F—–g ridiculous.”

 

 

March 15, 2008: GoldenBoy Promotions announced today that WBO world bantamweight champion, Gerry Penalosa 52-6 (35 KOs) will fight Ratanachai Sor Vorapin 71-9 (47 KOs) on April 6, 2008 at Arenata Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. The fight is the first GoldenBoy promotion outside of the US.

 

 

Penalosa won the title by knocking out Jhonny Gonzalez with a body shot in round six of their fight in August 2007.

March 15, 2008

 

9:30am: GoldenBoy Promotions will hold a press conference at 11:30am to announce three division world champion Sugar Shane Mosley (44-5, 37 KOs) vs. two division champion, Zab Judah (36-5, 25 KOs) to be held at The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Saturday, May 31. The undercard features Jorge Barrios (47-3-1, 34 KOs) vs. Rocky Juarez 27-4, 19KOs).

 

The card is promoted by GoldenBoy Promotions and will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay per View.

 

 

Nate Campbell put an end to the HBO written quasi-legend of Juan Diaz by beating the 24-year-old Houston, Texas fighter at his own game. When the first bell sounded, Campbell stepped inside and ripped body shots to the Diaz’s terminally soft middle and by the end of the fight had pounded Diaz’s face into a grotesque mask of flesh. Two of the three officials at ringside saw the fight for Campbell with scores of 116-111 and 115-112, with the third judge giving the fight to Diaz, 114-113.

 

 

This latest case of HBO building up a fighter only to see him brought crashing back to earth (see Jermain Taylor and Paul Williams) should give the HBO boxing brass pause as they think about how they market fighters in the future. Stellar production value is no longer enough.

 

 

Campbell is a very fresh 36 (he didn’t start boxing until he was 24), and has the emotional maturity of a man entering middle age that should keep him fighting at the highest levels for at least a couple more years. Certainly long enough to get the big payday or two that he has earned.

 

 

A rematch with Diaz is possible, but for Diaz, probably not a good idea. Diaz simply isn’t strong enough to keep a physical and emotional force like Campbell off of him as he has with fighters in the past. Now that it’s been proven that he can be broken, others will be less likely to let up and allow the “Baby Bull” trample them the way fighters have in the past.

 

Diaz, who is due to earn his BA in the fall, would do well to think about going back to school, and staying there.

 

 

March 9 from The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, David Haye overwhelmed Enzo Macaranelli in the second round of their cruiserweight title fight. After a cautious first round, Haye stepped up the pace in round two with his quick right hand checking Macaranelli’s chin, though the first time it landed in earnest Macaranelli took it well. Macarenelli made a point of countering Haye’s right with a quick left hook and managed to land enough to give the impression of a competitive fight.

 

That impression turned into a mirage when a right from Haye in the corner buckled Macaranelli and a slow to respond referee allowed Haye to reload and land another right that dropped the Welshman. Macaranelli rose and staggered about the ring, trying to indicate that he was okay, but the referee wisely had seen enough and waived the fight at2:04 of round two.

 

The 27-year-old Haye (21-1, 20 KOs) plans on testing his right hand at heavyweight, while Macaranelli (28-2, 21 KOs) also 27, has plenty left to say about the future of the cruiserweight division.

March 1, 2008, results from press row:

 

At the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, the WBC Super Bantamweight Champion, Israel Vazquez, knew he needed a big final round if he wanted to keep his title, and that’s exactly what he delivered by battering Rafael Marquez around the ring until the former champion fell into the corner, desperately grasping at the ropes to keep himself up. Since a fighter cannot use the ropes to prevent a knockdown, referee Pat Russell correctly scored it as such, giving Vazquez a two point round and, ultimately, the fight.

 

 

Two of the three judges at ringside scored the bout 114-111 and 113-112, respectively, for Vazquez, while the third had it 114-111 for Marquez. FightTube scored the bout 114-111 for Vazquez. The bout was televised by Showtime.

 

 

Though Marquez (37-5, 33 KOs) made a concerted effort to box from the opening bell, the brawl began in earnest when he knocked Vazquez down with a straight right in round four. Vazquez (43-4, 32 KOs) rose, apparently clear-headed, and fired volley after volley on Marquez, who answered in kind.

 

 

The fight slowly turned in Vazquez’s favor as the rounds ticked off. Marquez managed to take away the Vazquez hook that had wobbled him a couple times earlier in the fight, but Vazquez adjusted and focused on delivering straight rights with increasing success, evidenced by Marquez’s rapidly swelling left eye.

 

 

Warned by Russell for low blows several times during the fight, Marquez finally had a point taken in the 10th, which proved costly, though warranted.

 

 

The only blemish on the night came in the post-fight press conference, when Marquez’s promoter, Gary Shaw, and the Marquez camp, made rumblings about what they saw as the referee’s poor judgement during the fight. Virtually all of press row agreed that Russell did an excellent job.

 

 

 

Undefeated prospect Alfredo Angulo (left) poses with Ricardo Cortes (right) during Thursday’s ShoBox: The New Generation weigh-in at Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, Minn.  The pair will headline the SHOWTIME telecast on Friday (live at 11 p.m. ET/PT delayed on the west coast).  Angulo weighed in at 152 pounds and Cortes tipped the scales at 153 pounds during Thursday’s weigh-in.

 

IMG_3651 Bey 131 and Acevedo 135: Former United States Olympian and undefeated prospect Mickey Bey, Jr. will fight late replacement Roberto Acevedo in an eight-round super featherweight co-feature.  Bey tipped the scales at 131 pounds while Acevedo weighed in at 135 pounds.

 

ALFREDO ANGULO vs. RICARDO CORTES
MICKEY BEY, JR. vs.  ROBERTO ACEVEDO
FINAL QUOTES AND WEIGHTS

 

Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008,
Grand Casino Hinckley, Hinckley, Minn.

 

“SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION’’
Friday, Feb. 1, 2008; Telecast Begins at 11 p.m. ET/PT

 

NOTE: WEIGHTS – Alfredo Angulo weighed 152 pounds and Ricardo Cortes tipped the scales at 153 pounds during Thursday’s weigh-in.  Mickey Bey., Jr. weighed in at 131 pounds while Roberto Acevedo measured 135 pounds.  The Mille Lacs Band Of Ojibwe Indians Department of Athletic Regulations let the Bey and Acevedo weigh-in late Thursday night because Acevedo was a late replacement and had last minute travel arrangements.

 

Angulo (11-0, eight KOs), a hard-hitting, undefeated prospect, looks to continue making a name for himself in the junior middleweight division when he battles the dangerous Cortes (22-1, 150 KOs) in a 10-round junior middleweight battle Friday, Feb. 1, 2008, on ShoBox: The New Generation (live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT delayed on the west coast).

 

In the co-feature, former amateur champion and 2004 United States Olympian Mickey Bey, Jr. (9-0, six KOs) will face Roberto Acevedo (5-3-3, one KO) who was a late replacement for the eight-round super featherweight special attraction.  Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, will present the doubleheader from Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, Minn.

 

ALFREDO ANGULO

 

“I don’t think it will go more than five rounds, and I will walk out of the ring undefeated once again.

 

“You saw my last fight, it ended in the first round.  My style is attack, attack, attack.  So you can expect that tomorrow night.

 

“I have been training with (former world champion) Roman Karmazin, so I am ready for this fight.

 

“I feel good about my conditioning.  Training has been going great and I am at the top of my game.

 

“I have power in both my right and left hand.  I can take care of him with body shots or blows to the head.  We’ll see how it goes in there, but I will be aggressive.

 

“I want to thank SHOWTIME for this opportunity to fight in the main event.  In the future, I want to fight on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.  That is my goal right now, 100 percent.”

 

RICARDO CORTES

 

“I’m not at all worried about Angulo’s undefeated record.  That isn’t something that I even think about.  I am just focused on getting in their and coming out with a win.

 

“My training has been great.  This is the best shape I’ve been in my whole career.

 

“We’re both hard hitters, so you never know how long it will go.

 

“I’m going to be boxing him from the outset, I will definitely be aggressive.

 

“I feel good right now, I am ready to go.”

 

MICKEY BEY, JR.

 

“My training has been going great for this fight.  I am ready for anyone that comes to fight me.

 

“I’m not anxious for a KO, but it will definitely be a devastating win either way, KO or victory.  I will win easily, that is for sure.

 

“My little brother beat him in his last fight, but I look for my opponent to be better than he was that day.  I am expecting the best out of him, so I will definitely be my best.

 

“I have not been affected by the numerous changes in opponents.  I just train hard and make sure that I am ready for anyone that steps in the ring.  This new opponent will not change how I perform.”

 

ROBERTO ACEVEDO

 

“I was a late replacement for this fight, but that does not matter.  I am ready for the challenge.

 

“I will be aggressive in there.   I thought I wont that fight against his brother (Cortez Bey).  I want to make up for it tonight by giving Mickey his first loss.

 

“I am thankful for this opportunity to fight on SHOWTIME.  I plan to take advantage of it with a convincing win.”

 

On April 12, Showtime Championship Boxing will telecast a light heavyweight championship doubleheader from Tampa, Florida. Headlining the night will be Chad Dawson, 25, and his WBC belt against former world champion Glencoffe Johnson, 39. Co-headlining the card is IBF light heavyweight champion Clinton Woods, 35, squaring off against former undisputed champion Antonio Tarver, 39.

 

Dawson is the youngest of the four principles and is assumed to have more of his physical gifts intact than the other three. Considered by most boxing experts to be the future of the division, he may have a lonely future if the age of other prominent light heavies is any indication.  A look at Ring Magazine’s top ten light heavyweights is alarming. Of the ten, only 29-year-old Adrian Diaconu joins Dawson in the under twenty set.

 

On the opposite end is Bernard Hopkins at 43. The average age of Ring’s top ten light heavyweights is an astounding 37.9 years.  Which isn’t to say that (Dawson 25-0, 17 KOs) will have an easy night. Johnson (47-11-2, 24 KOs) brings constant pressure, is the toughest man Dawson has faced to date, and has a good chance at winning if the less seasoned champion cracks under pressure.

 

The Woods/Tarver scrap pits two veterans against one another, though Woods’ (41-3, 24 KOs) performances have escalated in recent bouts, while Tarver (26-4, 19 KOs), easily the more gifted of the two, has at times shown indifference in the ring. Woods, at this stage of his career is a better fighter than the one who was manhandled by Roy Jones in 2002. Since the Jones fight Woods has evolved into one tough Englishman and will punish Tarver for any indifference toward him.