Boxing Chronicles notebook: Pavlik, Cotto vs. Clottey, HBO, and more!

It would appear that two of Bob Arum's biggest stars almost have their next fights officially set in stone. WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik will defend his titles against former WBC super welterweight champion Sergio Mora at some point in July. Once again, it's not Arthur Abraham, Winky Wright or Paul Williams, but I suppose we're allowing Pavlik one more gimme before mandating that he face the Wright vs. Williams winner or Abraham in order to legitimize his claim as the middleweight champion of the world.WBO champion Miguel Cotto and...

Read More

Jones stops Sheika in five!

Roy Jones Jr TKO5 Omar Sheika... On Saturday night, at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, FL, former Pound for Pound king Roy Jones Jr was too fast and had too many tools in his arsenal for Omar Sheika, as he outboxed him for four one sided rounds. In the fifth round, the referee saw fit to end the contest [I felt prematurely] awarding Jones the TKO victory in the fifth round. I'm going to go out on a limb and call that the worst stoppage I've seen in recent memory. Sheika was clearly losing each and every round, but it's not like he was...

Read More

Klitschko stops Gomez in ninth round!

Vitali Klitschko TKO9 Juan Carlos Gomez... On Saturday night, at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Vitali Klitschko retained his title with a sloppy by effective ninth round TKO of former cruiserweight champion Juan Carlos Gomez. The opening stanza, which I actually gave to Gomez, was pretty close. From the second round on, Klitschko assumed command as he began to find his range with the left jab and nailed Gomez with straight right hands and jarring left hooks.After four rounds, Gomez's right eye was beginning...

Read More

Is Floyd Mayweather Jr returning to the ring?

A source says he's sparring and trying to plan a return to the ring on July 11!According to an article I read on ESPN by Dan Rafael, former pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr has been in the gym sparring and is itching to make a return to the ring. Mayweather has not seen action since December of 2007, when he knocked out Ricky Hatton in 10 rounds to retain the WBC welterweight championship of the world. After a rematch with Oscar De la hoya had been scheduled for September 20 of last year, Mayweather humbly announced his retirement from...

Read More

Khan wins technical decision over Barrera!

Ladies and gentlemen, I have been busy eating crow for what was a completely inaccurate prediction last week. I picked Marco Antonio Barrera to defeat Amir Khan based on experience and class. I could not have been more wrong.Amir Khan W5 Marco Antonio Barrera... Amir Khan, 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist, defeated Marco Antonio Barrera by technical decision, in what was a WBO lightweight title eliminator, at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, UK last Saturday night. From the opening bell, Khan's hand and foot speed bothered the aged former champion,...

Read More

Dawson vs. Tarver II rescheduled for May 9!

HBO still intends to televise.The rematch between IBF/IBO light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson and former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver will happen on May 9 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. They were originally scheduled to meet on March 14, but Dawson withdrew from the fight due to an injury suffered in training. According to an interview conducted by Ryan Burton on Boxingtalk, Alfredo Angulo will appear on the under ca...

Read More

Kirkland and Ortiz score impressive stoppages; Guerrero vs. Yordan ends in No Contest!

Boxing was the center of attention on Saturday night, in the San Francisco Bay area, where light middleweight prospect James Kirkland and up and coming light welterweight Victor Ortiz scored impressive knockout wins on HBO Boxing After Dark. There were a total of three televised fights that took place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. As I said earlier this week, I failed to cover these fights live due to the fact that I was out of town on Saturday, but I recorded a replay of the telecast on HBO2 a couple nights ago. The card was promoted...

Read More

Khan and Barrera meet in crossroads fight!

On Saturday afternoon, from the MEN Arena in Manchester England, British lightweight contender Amir Khan will square off with ring legend and former three division champion Marco Antonio Barrera. Khan, who won a silver medal in the lightweight division at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, was considered an emerging British phenomenon on the rise to super stardom, touted by many as the second coming of Prince Naseem Hamed. Wins over the likes of...

Read More

Cotto vs. Clottey June 13 at Madison Square Garden?

According to Boxingscene.com, it looks like a unification title fight between WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto and IBF welterweight belt holder Joshua Clottey is almost officially set for Madison Square Garden on June 13, which is the weekend of the Puerto Day Parade in New York City.In a way, I'm a bit surprised that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum did not choose Cintron as Cotto's next opponent, being that both guys are Puerto Rican and the idea for the event is to stage it at Madison Square Garden on the weekend of the Puerto Rican Day parade....

Read More

Carl Froch set to defend title against Jermain Taylor

Press Release: NEW YORK - A household name in his native England, talented, undefeated Carl Froch will look to make a major statement - and enhance his reputation in America -- when he defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) super middleweight title against one of the most highly regarded and recognizable fighters of his generation, former undisputed middleweight belt-holder Jermain Taylor, Saturday, April 25, on Showtime Championship Boxing from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.A formal announcement was made by Ken Hershman, Senior...

Read More

Boxing Chronicles Scorecards: Marquez -vs- Diaz & John -vs- Juarez

Here is how BoxingChronicles.com scored the Marquez vs. Diaz and John vs. Juarez title fights that took place at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX a couple weeks ago on HBO.Marquez vs Diaz - World Lightweight Championship Marquez won by TKO in 9.Official judges scores:Max DeLuca: 77-75 DiazDuane Ford: 77-75 MarquezLevi Martinez: 76-76 John vs Juarez - World Featherweight Championship Official judges scores:Tom Miller, Raul Caiz, and Gale Van Hoy:...

Read More

Kirkland/Ortiz/Guerrero fight reviews coming soon!

Over the weekend, James Kirkland and Victor Ortiz both scored impressive TKO wins on HBO Boxing After Dark, but I was not at home to watch these fights. I believe they are going to replayed one more time tonight on one of HBO's channels - HBO2 East I believe. Upon watching all three of the televised fights in their completion, I will post an update regarding my views based on the performances of Kirkland, Ortiz, and Robert Guerrero, whose fight ended in a highly disappointing no-contest. Ortiz appears to be the goods at 140lbs; this young kid has...

Read More

Froch vs Taylor officially set for April 25!

According to reliable news sources, WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch is finally set to defend his title against former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor on April 25. The fight will take place at the MGM Mirage at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut. Contract for the fight has been signed by both parties and the fight is officially a done deal. Froch vs Taylor will be televised on Showti...

Read More

Pacquiao/Hatton 24/7 premieres on HBO April 11!

Press Release: NEW YORK, March 9, 2009 – HBO Sports’ groundbreaking reality franchise “24/7,” which captured three Sports Emmy® Awards for its first season and produced two acclaimed editions in year two, will return with PACQUIAO/HATTON 24/7, an all-new four-episode, all-access series, it was announced today by Ross Greenburg, president, HBO Sports. Debuting SATURDAY, APRIL 11 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), the series spotlights two of boxing’s most intriguing superstars – Manny Pacquiao, the sport’s reigning pound-for-pound king, and Ricky Hatton,...

Read More

Kirkland vs Julio headlines HBO Boxing After Dark trippleheader this Saturday!

Press Release: HBO Sports serves up a triple-header of action on March 7, 2009. The main event features two fighters known for their aggressive style and heavy hitting, as undefeated James Kirkland (24-0, 21 KOs) of Austin, Tex. and Joel Julio (34-2, 31 KOs) from Monteria, Colombia battle in a scheduled ten-round junior middleweight contest. Kirkland has quickly become a top prospect in the division with a knockout-to-victory ratio in the high 80% range. Julio, another top prospect with an equally impressive percentage of KO victories, has suffered...

Read More

"Dynamita" Marquez scores KO in classic fight; John and Juarez fight to unanimous draw!

Last Saturday night, I was fortunate to witness one of the greatest lightweight fights of all time when "Dynamita" Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz met at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX for the lightweight championship of the world. Given the 14,571 fans in attendance at this fight in Houston, and taking into account the downward economic turbulence that our country is suffering from at the present time, further evidence is once again established that the sport of boxing remains healthy and is very much alive today.Even though the...

Read More