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Ngoudjo, Urango fight for vacant title belt!

Live tonight from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, jr welterweight contenders Herman Ngoudjo and Juan Urango will be fighting for the vacant IBF jr welterweight championship. In his last fight, Ngoudjo won an IBF title eliminator by outpointing former WBA champion Souleymane M'baye in June of 2008. Prior to that victory, Ngoudjo came up on the losing end of a title challenge against defending IBF jr welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. Since losing his title in a unanimous decision loss to Ricky Hatton back in January of 2007, Urango is on a three fight winning streak, which includes a 4th round KO of Carlos Wilfredo Vilches back in April of 2008 which was also an IBF title eliminator. In what is perceived to be a close contest on paper, both combatants hope to get back into the big picture of the jr welterweight division. This is a good fight for these two boxers, one of which will win a title belt. Of course, we all know the legitimate jr welterweight world championship will be contested between world champion Ricky Hatton and pound for pound champion Manny Pacquiao in their May 2 super fight.

Tonight's fight between Ngoudjo and Urango can be seen live on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights.

Boxing is alive - don't believe the haters of the sport!

There are critics out there who claim boxing is dying. I always tell those haters and critics, particularly the ones who happen to be friends and acquaintances of mine, that if I can die so graciously when my time comes, I will be a very fortunate person.

The Shane Mosley vs Antonio Margarito fight, which took place last Saturday night, produced the largest attendance (20,820 to be exact) ever in sports history at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Yes, I said largest attendance in sports history - so the attendance at this event surpassed any L.A. Lakers basketball games that have taken place there in the history of basketball.

When you take into account the dire straights of our country's ecomony in this day and age, I would say that is a rather substantial turn out for an event in a 'so-called dying sport'. It took a boxing event, a world championship fight, to draw a record attendance to a well-renowned metropolitan area in the worst economy this country has seen since The Great Depression. Even athletes who make a living as professional boxers, such as undefeated light heavyweight champion Joe Calzaghe of Wales, have claimed that boxing is a dying sport. Such a statement made on Calzaghe's part takes a lot of nerve, considering he's made millions of dollars practicing his trade in the prize ring.

Assuming the sport of boxing was dying, athletes who retire prematurely without facing the best opposition available to them would do absolutely nothing prompt its revival. Calzaghe may exercise his Freedom of Speech and suggest that boxing is dying, but he is doing nothing to repair such deterioration by defeating a past-prime Roy Jones, Jr in the final fight of his career.

Because of such frivolous claims, I am truly inundated that we have warriors like Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, and Juan Manuel Marqez competing at such elite levels on a consistent basis. These are fighters who continue to challenge the best competition their respective weight classes have to offer. Granted they do not win all of those fights, but that is only natural when the best fighters in the world are continuously squaring off against the best available opposition. Elite against elite, somebody must lose. That is what has kept our sport alive. That is the spirit for which our sport will continue to thrive on.

In December of 2008, Pacquiao retained his pound for pound title as he moved up two weight classes, after he had only been at the previous weight class for one fight against David Diaz, to beat Oscar De la hoya when virtually nobody gave him a chance to do so.

Hopkins, 43, back in October of 2008, gave young undefeated Kelly Pavlik, 26, his first loss.

Mosley, 37, dominated and destroyed welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, and in doing so, totally upset the established order - which was for Margarito to fight Cotto in a rematch this summer.

Young undefeated welterweight Andre Berto tested for the first time in his career, against former WBA welterweight champion Luis Collazo, made for a more exciting and crowd pleasing fight than anybody could have ever anticipated. The list could go on and on. That's what makes boxing exciting!

Ladies and gentlemen, all that I have just described happened within the last four months - hardly accounts for a so-called dying sport that is need of life support. We as boxing fans and enthusiasts have all we need right here and now.

If Calzaghe can retire and claim that the sport of boxing is dying, without fighting IBF/IBO light heavyweight titlist Chad Dawson, Glen Johnson, or maybe even giving Hopkins a rematch, I can only hope that he will be able to sleep at night with that on his conscience.

Antonio Margarito suspended!

Margarito suspended for use of loaded gloves, along with trainer Javier Capetillo.

Say it isn't so, Tony??? Apparently the gloves of Antonio Margarito were loaded with a foreign substance on the night of his welterweight title defense against Shane Mosley at Staples Center last Saturday.
Having read an interview Percy Crawford conducted with Mosley's trainer Nazim Richardson on Fighthype earlier this morning, Richardson made it clear that he "saw that block fall out of them wraps and I wanted to punch Margarito's trainer in the mouth". Many believe that the substance was Plaster of Paris, which is a substance that hardens into that of a cement block or mortar.

Noticing what Margarito's punches did to challenger Sebastion Lujan's left ear in a title defence back in February of 2005, the loaded glove issue becomes increasingly believable, as do the feelings that he's been practicing that cowardly and illegal tactic in his previous fights. I've been watching boxing for over fifteen years. I have seen fighters get hit in the head, nose, and ears and rarely do I see that type of damage done to an ear by a safe, legally padded glove!!!! Margarito and Capetillo are both lucky that no serious damage has been inflicted on Mosley, or even Cotto for that matter - at least not yet. Furthermore, they are lucky that they have not faced stiffer charges beyond suspended boxing licenses.

Panama Lewis and his fighter Luis Resto were suspended and did time in jail, as they should've, for the removal of padding in Resto's gloves, which caused permanent physical damage to Billy Collins Jr in their fight in 1983.

photo: boxingnews24

Boxing Chronicles Scorecard: Mosley -vs- Margarito

The following is a round by round account of how I was scoring the January 24 welterweight title fight between Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito. That was one of the most one-sided fights on that level that I had seen in quite some time.

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In the end Mosley scored a 9th round stoppage of Margarito to seize the welterweight championship of the world, so the scorecards were immaterial in this case.

Boxing Chronicles Scorecard: Berto -vs- Collazo

The following is a round by round account of how I scored the January 17th welterweight title fight between Andre Berto and Luis Collazo, won by Berto on a controversial unanimous decision.

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How did you see the fight? Did you see the fight? Do you disagree with how I had it, and if so, why? Feel free to comment!

WEBISODE WATCH: Immortal Caesar: Life of a Pro Boxer

Just a few days ago, I received an email from a reader of this site by the name of Natalia Rodriguez. Natalia's email was as follows:

Hello Bryan,

I've been a very active reader of your boxing blogs and really enjoy them. I wanted to contact you about the current project that I am working on. I am working for the Immortal Caesar Project Inc. Caesar is a amateur boxer that has his debut professional fight in a few months. Caesar's journey as the life of boxer is being depicted through a webseries. Which is called "Immortal Caesar: Life of a Pro Boxer" I would like to invite you to check out the press release @ http://www.cnbc.com/id/28768326

You can also check out the webisodes at www.youtube.com/immortalcaesar or http://www.immortalcaesar.com/

Currently we just released the 2nd episode. Episodes are being released Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays for 5 weeks. Then two weeks after the final episode is the live fight in Hollywood, CA. We are currently working alongside with our publicist to market the video and get views. We were wondering if there is any way that there can be a mention in your blogs about our project. I will gladly speak to you more about our project if you'd like too to answer any questions you might have.

Thank You for your time,

Natalia Rodriguez
Immortal Caesar Project Inc.
COO
Natalia@teamcaesar.com
http://www.immortalcaesar.com/

As you can all see, she brought to my attention a documentary of a young fighter that her and her company are currently working on. The documentary titled "Immortal Caesar: Life of a Pro Boxer" will be released very shortly. Here's a webisode of the documentary for all of you to view. Enjoy!




Best of luck to those working on this promising looking series. Best of luck to young Caesar in his professional boxing pursuits as well.

Pacquiao vs Hatton set for May 2

Pacquiao, Hatton agree to 52-48 split in the Philippino superstar's favor. Fair split, and I will tell you why!

According to Dan Rafael at ESPN, Manny Pacquiao has signed a contract to face world jr welterweight champion Ricky Hatton for a purse split of 52-48. After frantic negotiations, both fighters compromised as to the split they were demanding. Pacquiao initially requested a 60-40 split, yet Hatton felt that he was worth more than due to his vast British fan base and the fact that he is the champion. Hatton demanded parity with Pacquiao and threatened to exercise other options if he got anything less. After an extended period of negotiation between the two parties, they came to an agreement of 52-48 and got the fight signed, which is what was best for the boxing world. I believe a split of 52-48 is as fair as the two parties can get at the negotiating table.

Whether the purse split was 60-40, 55-45, or even the 52-48 that they finally agreed upon, Pacquiao deserves the larger portion of the pot as I see it. He put his life and career on the line by moving way up in weight to dominate and possibly retire Oscar De la Hoya, boxing's fatest cash cow, when virtually nobody gave him a chance to do so. Pacquiao is the best pound for pound fighter in the world. Pacquiao is likely the only reason why Floyd Mayweather, Jr would even consider coming out of retirement and stepping foot in a prize fight ring again. Mayweather does not need Hatton. Mayweather already knocked out Hatton in his last fight back in December of 2007.

Hatton would like nothing more than to get a rematch with Mayweather; he must also keep in mind that he needs Pacquiao [not so much the case the other way around], and he needs to defeat Pacquiao if he's even going to have a chance to be the man whom Mayweather considers coming out of retirement to fight. Pacquiao became the cash cow when he beat De la hoya, ane he retained his pound for pound crown while doing so. If Hatton doesn't defeat Pacquiao, there is no chance of a rematch with Mayweather ever happening.

Pacquiao can dismiss the notion of fighting Hatton entirely, and he would still provide Money May with another multi-million dollar payday and the fans with another big super fight. Without a Pacquiao fight on the horizon, Hatton would probably be reduced to fighting likes of a Nate Campbell, Juan Manuel Marquez, or Juan Diaz in a soccer stadium somewhere Great Britain. While those are all intriguing fights for The Hitman that would draw thousands of his British fans, they are all high risk and low reward pursuits.

Everyone wants to see Pacquiao vs Mayweather - that is by far the biggest event in boxing right now as well as one of the biggest over all sporting events that can be made. Pacquiao vs Mayweather serves as the ideal Superbowl of boxing. We do not necessarily want to see Mayweather vs. Hatton II at this moment, sorry Ricky! While a Pacquiao vs Hatton fight is a good fight, it is not the biggest boxing event that can be made. However, it is the biggest and best fight that is realistically capable of being made as long as Mayweather remains retired. Taking that into consideration, Hatton needs this fight more than Pacquiao does, and it appears he has come to terms with such reality by agreeing to the 48-52 split.

There you have it ladies, gentlemen, and boxing fans - Pacquiao vs Hatton for the jr welterweight championship of the world, likely taking place at the MGM Grand Garden, on May 2.

photo: GETTY IMAGES

Great welterweight kickoff to boxing in 2009!

First few weeks of 2009 have already produced worthy Fight of the Year, Fighter of the Year, and Upset of Year candidates!

Happy New Year boxing fans! It's been a while since I last posted an update for you, but we've witnessed two significant welterweight title fights in the past couple of weeks, so I would say an update is warranted.

Lets start with the WBC welterweight title fight between undefeated champion Andre Berto and challenger and former WBA champion Luis Collazo.

Andre Berto W12 Luis Collazo
Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi
January 17, 2009

This was a mildly entertaining fight; a great fight to start off the new year. After Collazo's showing against Mosley back in February of 2007, I figured Berto would have his way with Collazo for the most part. I was pleased to see Collazo give such a spirited effort, as well as seeing Berto in a tough challenging fight for the first time in his career. Yes, for the first time, viewers saw Berto in a real fight - a fight in which his undefeated record was placed in serious jeopardy. Collazo staggered Berto in the first round with a straight left hand and had some success early, as he drew Berto into a fire fight and outworked him in the early going. In the middle rounds, Collazo seemed to stop throwing punches and Berto's punchout and accuracy increased, particularly in rounds six through eight.

The tide of the fight once again turned in round nine, as Collazo threw over 100 punches. Outworking and stunning Berto, Collazo once again resumed control of the seesaw battle that was ensuing. Berto showed championship heart by becoming more aggressive and outworking a fatigued Collazo in the final two rounds to seal the deal on the scorecards. Two of the judges scored the fight 114-113, while the third judge submitted a ridiculously wide score of 116-111 for Berto. Boxing Chronicles also scored the fight 114-113 for Berto, which is definitely a more accurate depiction of what happened in the bout.

For those who point to the unanimous decision in favor of Berto and label it a robbery, I would advise you to take into consideration that a fight which could've gone a point or two either way is no robbery. Collazo clearly outworked Berto in a few rounds, I would say mostly in rounds three, four, nine, and ten, with little shoe shine flurries to the body on the inside. Rounds six and and were rounds that HBO's unofficial ringside judge Harold Lederman [who scored the fight 115-112 for Collazo] gave to Collazo and Collazo did absolutely nothing in those rounds from my view point. Moving around the ring, sticking your chin out, and dropping your arms down to your waist for most of the round (the seventh) is not a point getter.

The rounds that Berto won, from what I could see, were huge. Collazo could have closed the fight stronger and sealed the deal in the last two rounds, but by the 11th round, Collazo was spent. Berto outworked him in those rounds, and certainly closed the show stronger than Collazo and even staggered him in the 12th round. I give Collazo a ton of credit for even making it that competitive and thrilling of a fight. I would not even mind seeing a rematch because I believe a lot of people are questioning the decision and this fight was mildly entertaining. This certainly was not an 8-4 fight for either combatant. To be honest with you ladies and gentlement, the fight could've gone either way by about a point and I'm not mad at the decision.

What I gathered from watching this fight, other than the fact that this year already has a worthy candidate for Fight of the Year honors, is that Mosley certainly outclassed Collazo moreso than either Berto and Hatton. Unfortunately Berto still has that leaky defense. He's suseptible to body shots as well as straight left hands from southpaws, or even straight right hands from conventional fighters for that matter. Berto's handlers should certainly consider moving him along very carefully. From what I have heard from some pretty reliable sources, an immediate rematch with Collazo is in order for Berto.

One of the ringside announcers during the telecast, I believe it was Max Kellerman, said that Berto is a lot like a young Meldrick Taylor. That was a very accurate comparison. Berto possesses really good handspeed, utilizes exceptional ring generalship, and could probably use those facets of his game to beat his opponents without having to take too many risks. But much like Taylor, the guy can be drawn into a fire fight and he will take unnecessary punishment on the inside when he does not have to. When Berto steps up to the elite level, against the likes of a Mosley, Cotto, or Williams, we may indeed see Berto on the losing end of some exciting fights resulting in brutal knockouts.
television: HBO Boxing After Dark

That brings us to WBA welterweight championship fight, one week later, at Staples Center. This fight, in many of the viewer's and expert's eyes, was for the universally recognized welterweight championship of the world. Furthermore, it was the first major upset of the year, as 4-1 underdog and former three division world champion Sugar Shane Mosley dominated and stopped defending champion Antonio Margarito.

Shane Mosley TKO9 Antonio Margarito
Staples Center; Los Angeles, CA
January 24, 2009

At 37 years of age, Shane Mosley proved that he could turn the clock back one more time in a significant fight on the big stage, as he outworked and outclassed a slow and lethargic Antonio Margarito en route to a 9th round TKO.

From the outset, Mosley attacked Margarito at close range and fired hard punches to Margarito's body. Not only did Mosley land telling shots to the body, but his jab was also on point when fighting from a distance. I felt the body punching was a vital key to victory for Mosley going into this fight. An old adage in boxing implies that a fighter who kills the body will also kill the head. Kill the body and the head will die. Cotto, who had as much success landing punches to Margarito's head and upper body, was not punching downstairs at all.

By the seventh round, the accumulative punishment that Mosley had delivered was beginning to tell on Margarito. Margarito's punch output was deceasing and Mosley was landing his overhand right with stunning regularity. In the eighth round, Margarito attempted to take Mosley out with a wild hay maker, missed horribly, and Mosley launched him across the ring with a brutal right hand that spelt the beginning of the end for the defending champion. Mosley proceeded to bully the wounded Mexican warrior on the ropes with fast flurries and scored a knockdown at the end of the round. Margarito barely made it to his feet, but was clearly dazed and looked worse than Cotto looked in the eleventh round of their fight last July.

Mosley continued to punish Margarito with flurries in the ninth round, when the referee mercifully jumped in and brought a halt to the bout. With the win, Mosley became the WBA welterweight champion of the world with an outstanding performance. The win over Margarito is probably the most monumental win for Mosley since he defeated Oscar De la hoya back in June of 2000 - also at the Staples Center.

I still do not understand how Margarito was being designated so quickly as the best welterweight in the world, head and shoulders above everyone else, when Williams was in fact still at the top of the division himself and still had the belt that he took from Margarito. Margarito never avenged his loss to Williams. I'm not saying that Margarito was trying to avoid Williams (not saying he wasn't either). I do think Arum was doing everything he could to keep Williams far away from him. Had Williams continued to campaign at 147lbs following his loss-avenging destruction of Quintana, instead of drifting around from 147lbs to 160lbs, he would have had as much of a claim to being the best fighter at welterweight as Margarito did. Margarito's dramatic come from behind stoppage of Cotto last summer was great; clearly the biggest win of his career in a fight that was an instant classic.

Other than that, Margarito won close decision over Joshua Clottey in December of 2006, knocked out Kermit Cintron twice, and practically decapitated Andre Sixheads Lewis in a two round blow out back in February of 2003. Those who disagree with my assessment would be quick to point out that Williams lost a close decision of his own to Carlos Quintana, but Williams also came back and destroyed Quintana in less than a round months later. That's more than Margarito did with Williams after he lost a close decision to him in July of 2007 .Upon Williams absence from the welterweight division, the title of world champion at 147lbs was determined last Saturday night when its top two contenders remaining - Antonio Margarito and Sugar Shane Mosley - fought for it. Mosley is now the Welterweight Champion of the World.

Following the contest, there was some controversy regarding the wrapping of Margarito's hands in the dressing room. Supposedly his gloves were loaded with hard plastic shells, What's difficult to determine is whether or not Margarito has assumed this pre-fight tactic in other fights throughout his career. Such dirty tactics are reminiscent of reminiscent of Panama Lewis's removal of the padding from his fighter Luis Resto's gloves prior to a 1983 bout against Billy Collins, Jr . If in fact Margarito has been fighting with loaded gloves throughout his career, it will cast a dark shadow on what has been perceived as a noteworthy career in boxing.
television: HBO World Championship Boxing