Malignaggi dethrones Ndou!

At the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, Brooklyn native Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi won the IBF Jr Welterweight title with a dominating unanimous decision win over Lovemore Ndou. Scores: 120-106 (twice), 118-108.

Malignaggi used his left jab and lateral movement to control the action for almost the entire twelve rounds. In the eighth round, the light hitting Malignaggi managed to score a knockdown with a right hand that caught Ndou coming in. The performance was an outstanding one for Malignaggi, who picked up his first world title and moved on to 23-1, with 5 knockouts. Malignaggi displayed the sweet science in exciting fashion, demonstrating to the fans that one does not have to run circles around the ring like it's a track to outbox his opponent. Brilliant display of boxing from The Magic Man.

Malignaggi stated afterwards that he wants Ricky Hatton. He believes, by vacating the IBF title rather than having to face Ndou, Hatton took on an easier opponent in Jose Luis Castillo whom he is scheduled to face in Las Vegas next Saturday night. Malignaggi explained to Larry Merchant that he wants to get Cotto again down the road, and that anybody who faces Cotto is going to get beaten up. However, it's just a question of winning more rounds at the end of the day.

On the under card, Andre Dirrell ran and potshotted his way to a unanimous decision over Curtis Stevens. Boxing is perceived as a sweet science in which one hits and doesn't get hit. What Dirrell seemed to be doing was not getting hit for over two minutes and thirty seconds of every round and hitting a little bit in the spare time that he had for the rest of the round each round. He used the entire ring to evade Stevens.

The fans booed during the fight as well as the decision, as Dirrell showed very little desire to engage in exchanges or make any contact whatsoever. Scores: 97-93, 97-93, 98-92 for Dirrell.

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Speakboxing weekend wrap up!

Saturday, January 27, 2007
Honda Center
Anaheim, CA

Jorge Acre W12 Julio Ler
Super Flyweight Contender Jorge "The Lollipop Cowboy" Arce pounded out an easy unanimous decision against a Julio Ler, who looked unspired to even be in the ring last night. Fighting defensively and choosing not to engage in combat, Ler fought more like a man trying to survive to the final bell rather than a man who was fighting for victory. Arce, who entered the ring on a horse, claims he had to work harder rehearsing his ring entrance than he did preparing for the opponent he had in front of him in the ring. Perhaps that's a sign that he needs a higher caliber of opposition in the near future. A showdown with IBF Flyweight Champion Vic Darchinyan would be a nice start for Arce, who is desparately due for a stern challenge in the ring. Judges scores: 117-109, 117-110 (twice). It appeared to me as though Arce pitched a complete shutout.

Kelly Pavlik KO8 Jose Luis Zertuche
Middleweight contenders Kelly Pavlik and Jose Luis Zertuche staged a thrilling, crowd pleasing fight, but it was rather one-sided in Pavlik's favor. Pavlik appeared to win every round of the fight, but Zertuche had his moments early when he landed some good shots the body and drove Pavlik into the ropes. In round 6, Pavlik landed a perfectly thrown straight right hand on a Zertuche, who was squared up, and produced a sensational knockdown at the end of the round. Zertuche made it to his feet, and went on for another two rounds before being stopped in the eighth round. One might choose to call this a crowd pleasing showcase, as fans got a chance to see a young contender turn in a dominance performance that certainly had its share of thrills. Pavlik against Edison Miranda would be a natural in the middleweight division. However, Miranda is already slated to face super middleweight contender Allan Green, who is coming down in weight to meet Miranda, later this spring.

televised: HBO Boxing After Dark

**********

Friday, January 26, 2007
Mohegan Sun Casino
Uncasville, CT

Richard Gutierrez KO4 Teddy Reid

Teddy Reid's best days are clearly behind him, as appeared to be the case against Richard Gutierrez. Gutierrez took command from the outset, wobbing Reid on several occassions in the opening frame of their jr middleweight bout on Friday night. Gutierrez would continue to assume command, punishing a listless looking Reid enroute to a fourth round KO. The supposed body punch Gutierrez stopped Reid with appeared as if it could have been a low blow, but it got the job done for Gutierrez nonetheless, and brought an end to the merciless carnage that Reid had been subjected to. I do not think Reid should be fighting anymore. Gutierrez, on the other hand, only has one loss to date... that being at the hands of top welterweight contender Josh Clottey, who gave WBO Welterweight Champion Antonio Margarito all he could handle last month. Gutierrez must now determine whether he wants to campaign in the welterweight or jr middleweight division.

televised: ESPN 2 Friday Night Fights

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Hatton reclaims IBF Jr Welterweight Title!

Castillo barely escapes with narrow split decision!

Ricky Hatton's made a successful Las Vegas debut, as he outpointed Juan Urango via unanimous decision to reclaim the IBF Jr Welterweight Title.

Not primarily recognized as a boxer, Hatton showed some technical brilliance in the first four rounds by outboxing Urango, yet Urango managed to figure out that style in the fifth round, which turned out to be Urango's best round of the fight.

From that point on, Hatton changed his style from the boxer to the mauling/holding style he has often utilized to defeat previous opponents such as Ben Tackie. Skeptics would say Hatton clinched way too many times against an opponent who was fighting with such a speed disadvantage. Nonetheless, Hatton got the done with a unanimous verdict, all three judges scoring the fight 119-109. Speakboxing also scored the contest 119-109 for Hatton.

On the under card, Jose Luis Castillo made his 140lb debut and kept alive the major plans for a June super fight with Hatton, but just barely, with a very close split decision over previously unbeaten Herman Ngoudio. In the early rounds, Castillo looked flat and listless, as Ngoudio was able to land the cleaner and faster shots and force Castillo to the ropes.

The tide would turn, however, in the middle rounds, as Castillo sensed the urgency of a brewing upset as well as the potential loss of a big payday, and stepped up his intensity level to land some telling body shots on Ngoudio and out work him down the stretch.

The judges scored the fight 115-113 (twice) for Castillo, and 115-113 for Ngoudio.

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Hatton/Castillo HBO Doubleheader tonight!

In the first HBO televised boxing card of the new year, World Championship Boxing takes viewers to Paris Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV, where Ricky Hatton will attempt to gain back the IBF Jr Welterweight Title from current beltholder Juan Urango.

Urango won the vacant belt with a questionable decision over Naoufel Ben Rabah, after Hatton vacated it to move up to the welterweight division last May to challenge WBA Welterweight Champion Luis Collazo in Boston. Hatton won a close, and somewhat controversial, unanimous decision over Collazo. After that fight, rather than rematching Collazo, Hatton instead opted to move back down to 140lbs and win his old belt back.

Hatton, who never lost the belt in the ring, is still regarded as the RING Magazine Jr Welterweight Champion, but it is Urango who is defending the IBF belt tonight. On the undercard, Former two-time Lightweight Champion Jose Luis Castillo makes his debut in the jr welterweight division against undefeated Herman Ngoudjo, in what is a WBC title eliminator.

Should Hatton and Castillo win their fights, as they are favored to do, the two will meet a Jr Welterweight super bout later this year.

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Has Acelino Freitas taken path of least resistance?

It was reported from reliable sources, such as Boxingtalk and Fightnews that recently unretired WBO Lightweight Champion Acelino Freitas was going to be fighting WBC Interim Lightweight Champion David Diaz.

Why fight the Interim Champion, when he could fight the WBC's real Lightweight Champion Joel Casamayor, who also happens to be the current kingpin of the division following his split decision victory over Corrales last October? The same Casamayor whom Freitas posted a victory, albeit a narrow victory, against back in January of 2002?

Freitas, following his split decision, title-winning effort over Zahir Raheem in April of last year, announced to the world his retirement from boxing. To lay any further claim to his supremacy in the lightweight division, he would have had to rematch then WBC Champion Diego Corrales, who had dropped Freitas three times and forced him to wave the white flag in the 10th round of their clash in August 2004.

What would be the point in rematching a guy, who so thoroughly asserted his dominance, when chances are such a result could conceivably happen again? For one taking the path of least resistance, there would be absolutely no point in one subjecting one's self to such a thrashing for a second time. Therefore, Freitas opted to retire.

It was not until October 2006, when Casamayor upset Corrales for the Lightweight Championship of the World, that Freitas would conveniently unretire and attempt to reemerge as a force in boxing, and possibly as the best lightweight in the world, by calling out the man he once defeated at 130lbs, Casamayor.

At this moment, there are talks of a Lightweight Unification rematch between WBC and RING Magazine Champion Joel Casamayor and WBO titlist Acelino Freitas. In all likelihood, Freitas has to feel safe that his nemesis, Corrales, outgrew the lightweight division and will be moving up in weight upon his return to the ring. Maybe Freitas feels safe taking on Casamayor. but is there any guarantee that Freitas can defeat Casamayor in a rematch???

Would a loss to Casamayor trigger yet another retirement from the sport for Freitas? Can Freitas find the courage, or the stomach, to present himself as the fighter that the boxing world once perceived him to be prior to that embarrassing loss at the hands of Corrales? Has Freitas found the will power to summon up the courage to be a man and abandon that path of least resistance? One can only hope. Time will tell, as this is a new year. Time, in the career of Freitas, is ticking away.

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Gainer a free agent: disapproves of provisions in latest promotional agreement!

I was reading the article at Fightnews regarding Former WBA Featherweight Champion Derrick "Smoke" Gainer being a free agent, after his latest prospective promotional company and he severed professional ties. Gainer tried to modify several provisions in the agreement. The article at fightnews was written as such:

The promotional deal between Zeferino Entertainment and Derrick Gainer has collapsed. "We had a contract, but Gainer decided he wanted to modify several provisions in the agreement. Rather than to fight over these provisions we both decided to severe the professional relationship and go our separate ways," said
promoter Zef Ramirez. "I wish him the best of luck in the future."

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"We are looking for a promoter we feel will put their efforts into getting Smoke back into title contention," stated Gariner's agent Brian Reed. "We are not under a promotional contract at this time and are open to offers. Smoke is back in top shape with a renewed desire to become a world champion. Smoke just turned 34 and we feel he still has all the tools to win another world title." Reed said are more aggressive Gainer should return in March. "We can't wait to show the world the new Seek & Destroy fighting style Smoke's new trainer has implemented. We feel the best is yet to come.

I think it's funny how fighters will blame the provisions of a promotional agreement, or prospective promoters or handlers, for not getting them immediate title shots.

Do prizefighters ever stop to think that it's not ALWAYS the promoters who are responsible for the fighter's unfortunate status in the sport? They act as if they have nothing to do with the position they're in, when in retrospect, they usually have the MOST to do with it because they are the ones who performed in the ring, either impressively or unimpressively.

The promoter's job is the get their fighters the fights and market the fighter. How can you market a guy who barely beat a 16-19 fighter? Sometimes, it helps if the fighters win their fights and build themselves up over time in order to deserve another title shot. It doesn't help when the boxer goes 1-2 in his last three outings, and the win that he did score was merely a split decision win, over a stepping stone with a losing record. Gainer, a former world champion, BARELY beat unknown stepping stone Phillip Payne who was 16-19-1, in his last fight! That should have been an easy fight. A coming out party after losing two in a row. A no-brainer! Whatever you opt to call that. It should'nt have been a struggle resulting in a split decision.

At 34 years of age, Gainer should be worrying about staying active, staying in the gym, getting any fights that he can get, and winning those fights impressively to ensure that earns himself a title shot. Win your fights, Smoke. Win your fights.

Wins, impressive wins over live bodies (not even top contenders necessarily), are what get people talking. Worry about provisions later. There is not much to negotiate with when you can't win your fights. There is not much you can do about that, either, if you no longer have the stomach to be a fighter.

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De la hoya vs Mayweather tickets on sale January 27!

De la hoya vs Mayweather set for May 5 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV!

Golden Boy Promotions has announced that tickets for the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather superfight will go on sale Saturday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. The battle between six-division world champion De La Hoya and unbeaten, four-division world champion Mayweather will be held Saturday, May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Tickets are priced at $2000, $1,500, $1,000, $750, $350 and $150 and will be available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office. Ticket sales at $2000, $1,500, $1,000 and $750 are limited to six (6) per person and ticket sales at $350 and $150 are limited to two (2) per person. To charge by phone call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

The live gate could exceed a Nevada-record $18 million which would shatter the $16.8 million generated by the Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield rematch in 1999. There is high anticipation that ticket sales will be brisk and could sell out quickly. "We already have received an unprecedented amount of inquiries at our offices regarding tickets for the fight," said Richard Schaefer, CEO for Golden Boy Promotions. "The response is amazing and certainly reflects the excitement and magnitude of this fantastic event."

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Vasquez vs Marquez set for March 3!

World Bantamweight Champion moving up to challenge World Super Bantamweight Champion in spring superfight!

The fight everyone wants is now a done deal. Frank Espinoza, manager of Israel Vazquez, has confirmed to Fightnews.com tonight: "I am happy to announce that an agreement has been reached for the highly anticipated clash between my fighter, WBC Super Bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez and IBF Bantamweight champion Rafael Marquez. The fight is set for March third at a location yet to be determined. I would like to thank Sycuan Ringside, Gary Shaw Promotions, and Golden Boy Promotions for helping to make this super-fight a reality. I would also like to thank SHOWTIME championship boxing for having the vision to put on such an explosive confrontation. This will be a battle between two proven gladiators that is destined to become a classic."

source: fightnews

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Freitas vs Casamayor II in April?

The lightweight title unification rematch between WBO beltholder Acelino Freitas and WBC titlist and Ring Magazine Kingpin Joel Casamayor is practically set to take place in April. The only thing left to complete is the signing of the paper work, and this fight is a done deal for the spring. In January 2002, Freitas scored a razor-thin yet unanimous decision over Casamayor to unify the WBO and WBA Jr Lightweight belts. A flash knockdown scored by Freitas, coupled with a point deduction from Casamayor, gave Freitas the verdict of 114-112 on the scorecards of the three official judges. Five years later, they're looking to lock horns once again and unify their respective titles again, this time at the lightweight limit of 135lbs. Freitas looks to ascend to the top of the lightweight division, following his close title winning effort over Zahir Raheem last year, and to redeem himself for the TKO loss to Diego Corrales in August 2004, when he was dropped three times and simply said "No Mas". Casamayor, on the other hand, intends to remain at the top of the division where he currently and rightfully stands, following his split decision victory over Corrales in their rubber match last October, and to avenge his loss to Freitas which is now five years old.

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Happy New Year: Speakboxing Buzz

Happy New Year readers. Here's the buzz at the start of this new year, which is sure to be packed with plenty of boxing action.

*****

This Saturday night, World Jr Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton returns to the 140lb division, after moving up to the welterweight division last May in his close title-winning effort against Lou Collazo, to take on IBF Jr Welterweight titlest Juan Urango. Hatton is heavily favored to defeat Urango, who won the vacant IBF belt after Hatton vacated it to make the move to welterweight. Now Hatton is coming back down to Jr Welterweight to fight Urango for the belt he used to hold. On the under card, Jose Luis Castillo will be making his 140lb debut against undefeated but untested Hermin Ngoudjo. Should both Hatton and Castillo prevail in their respective bouts, there is speculation that Hatton and Castillo will meet in a big showdown later this year.

*****

Tentatively scheduled for July 21 on HBO PPV, Light Heavyweight King Bernard Hopkins, who recently unretired after his history-making victory over Antonio Tarver last June, could very possibly be fighting his old rival and nemesis, former Pound for Pound King Roy Jones, Jr. In their last fight, which took place back in May 1993, Jones won by unanimous decision over Hopkins by a rather wide margin. At that time, Jones was a young tiger on the up and coming and had his speed and reflexes. Hopkins, on the other hand, was still green, inexperienced, and was just coming off a prison term that he had served. The story, in today's time, is different, as Jones has lost three of his last four fights, while Hopkins scored the biggest victory of his career less than a year ago, against Tarver, the man who's to credit for two of Jones three losses.

*****

Apparently Manny Pacquiao, who has emerged as the WBC mandatory challenger at 130lbs with his knockout wins over Erik Morales last year, will have to wait a little longer to get his rematch with WBC Super Featherweight Champion Marco Antonio Barrera, the man whom he brutally beat up and stopped three years ago. The WBC has given Barrera a pass on fighting Pacquiao in his next fight, approving the fight between Barrera and Former Featherweight Champion Juan Manuel Marquez. The Barrera/Marquez fight, which will be televised on HBO PPV, is set to take place in Las Vegas on March 17.

*****

World Super Welterweight Champion Oscar De la hoya is set to defend his title against World Welterweight Champion and Pound for Pound Picasso Floyd Mayweather, Jr on May 5, but he may very well be doing so without the tutelage of his current trainer, who is none of than Floyd Mayweather, Sr (father of Oscar's next opponent). Many in the boxing world believe that the PPV will do at least 100,000 more buys should Mayweather, Sr be present in Oscar's corner on fight night. However, Mayweather, Sr has declined from the uncomfortable position of guiding De la hoya to beat up his son. One trainer, who may very possibly replace Mayweather, Sr for this particular fight is Jack Mosley, Shane Mosley's father, who trained Shane to two upset wins over De la hoya in 2000 and 2003.

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Taylor retains title with unanimous decision!

On Saturday night, from the Alltel Arena in Little Rock, AR, World Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor (26-0-1, 17 KOs) made a successful homecoming in his first return to Little Rock since winning the title, as he retained his WBA/WBC/WBO belts with a unanimous decision over the rugged and determined Kasim Ouma (25-3, 15 KOs).

For the first time in many years, officials emphasized the experiment of open scoring. Taylor consistently backpedaled and nailed Ouma with jabs and right hands, as Ouma constantly pressured the champion with ineffective aggressiveness.

Taylor's power was something that Ouma had never previously seen in his previous 27 fights as a professional, as Taylor was able to functionally cut Ouma's outpoint almost in half. At the end of the day, Taylor won by scores of 115-113, 117-111, and 118-110.

Next for Taylor could either be a super middleweight showdown with World Super Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe in 2007, or a rematch with number one middleweight contender Winky Wright, who scored a lopsided victory in his own homecoming last weekend against Ike Quartey. The longer it takes to make a Taylor/Wright rematch, the better Taylor is probably to get and the older Wright is going to become.

Wright demands parity with Taylor, as he refuses to settle for anything less than 50/50. Perhaps Wright is content to fight non-title fights that come his way rather than winning the World Middleweight Championship from the hungry young lion.

Hopefully, the two parties can come to terms in the negotiations and we can see Taylor/Wright II in 2007. Taylor/Wright I was clearly one of the best and most action-packed fights of 2006. If the Taylor/Wright rematch can not happen, Calzaghe/Taylor at 168lbs seems most logical and could be fun to watch as well. First, Calzaghe must get past Contender Season One star Peter Manfredo on March 3, 2007.

Ouma, who was sporting a hat that said "I love Larry Merchant" after the fight was over, would probably be better served to move back down to the jr middleweight class, as his frame is way to small to carry 160 pounds. At 154lbs, Ouma might still be able to make some noise, as his determination, will, and rugged style would appear to be a tremendous advantage to him against boxers in the same weight class as him.

On the undercard, rising Haitian welterweight and Undefeated 2004 Olympian prospect Andre Berto (16-0, 14 KOs) scored one sided sixth round stoppage of Miguel Figueroa (24-6-1, 14 KOs).

Berto's punching power was too much for Figueroa as he staggered him at the end of the round one, and appeared to score a knockdown with a jab in the third round, but referee Laurence Cole ruled it as a slip.

Berto completely outclassed Figueroa to the point when Cole brought an end to the carnage in the sixth round.

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Taylor defends tonight against Ouma!

Live tonight from the Alltel Arena in Little Rock, AR, home town favorite and World Middleweight Champion Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor will make the third defense of hit title against Former IBF Jr Middleweight titlist Kasim "The Dream" Ouma.

Taylor last fought on June 17 of this in Memphis, Tennessee against Winky Wright. Taylor and Wright fought to a split draw, in an exciting tussle that sparked plenty of controversy regarding the result. Ouma's last fight took place on August 5 of this year, at the Theater in Madison Square Garden, when Ouma won a ten round unanimous decision over Sechew Powell.

Ouma is moving up in weight to 160lbs for the opportunity to fight for the middleweight championship. His chances, however, would appear to be slim, as he seems to lack the necessary punching power to put Taylor in any type of jeopardy.

In the jr middleweight division, Ouma, who had a high punch output and let his hands go frequently, was not known for his punching power. With the move to middleweight, I do not know what is going to change that.

Ouma's best chance is to try to get inside Taylor's reach advantage, pressure him on the inside, and let his hands go once he is inside Taylor's range. He will have to try to outwork and hopefully outpoint Taylor, but considering the fact that this fight is staged in Taylor's hometown of Little Rock, the chances of Ouma winning a decision are slim to none (and slim left town last Tuesday).

Bernard Hopkins couldn't retain his title in a close fight against Taylor, when he dropped a close split decision to the challenger in July 2005. Wright couldn't get a close decision in Memphis, when he challenged Taylor this past June. I can't see Ouma getting a decision against Taylor in his hometown of Arkansas tonight.

My prediction is that Jermain Taylor is going to win in one way or another. Either a unanimous decision, or a late stoppage. I can see Taylor knocking Ouma out.

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Hagler vs Hearns - THE WAR!

Intense. Short but SWEET. Clearly one of the greatest boxing matches in the history of the sport! Promotionally billed as The War, Champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler defended his Undisputed Middleweight Crown against Jr Middleweight King Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns, who was coming up in weight.

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Vitali Tsypko: "I want to fight - and beat - Lacy again."

Press Release - Vitali Tsypko agrees with the experts who believe he was on the wrong end of a majority decision when Jeff Lacy last weekend clinched a debatable points victory in front of his hometown fans in Florida. While Larry Merchant and fellow journalists had the Ukrainian ahead, two of the judges controversially awarded the ten-rounder to the former IBF champion (96-94), with the third one scoring it a draw (95-95). "I feel like I have won this fight and I deserve a rematch," the 30-year-old southpaw (19-2, 10 KOs) said. "Lacy might have controlled the first two rounds but I took over in the following.

"I connected more often throughout and wobbled him big time at the end of the eighth round when only the bell saved him from a knock-down. I would have deserved to win."

ESPN´s Dan Rafael holds a similar view. "He (Tsypko) badly rocked Lacy at the end of the eighth round and dominated the final four rounds to do enough, it seemed, to win," Rafael wrote in his online column.

And Ant Evans, who called the result a "hometown decision", reported on secondsout.com: "I had Tsypko - who came back from a torrid opening round to bully Lacy at time - a two point winner."

Lacy looked nowhere near the star fighter that had won all of his first 21 fights before getting blown out of the ring by a superb Joe Calzaghe nine months ago. In fact, as the St. Petersburg Times noted, "last March didn´t seem so far away".

Tsypko feels the fight has won him many hearts across the Atlantic.

"I have shown the American audience that I can fight," he vowed. "I want to build on that performance and get another chance to shine. I want to fight - and beat - Lacy again."

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Wright/Quartey and Lacy/Tsypko scorecards!

Wright vs Quartey

Round 1: 10-9 Wright
Round 2: 10-9 Wright Total: 20-18
Round 3: 10-9 Wright Total: 30-27
Round 4: 10-9 Wright Total: 40-36
Round 5: 10-9 Wright Total: 50-45
Round 6: 10-9 Quartey Total: 59-55
Round 7: 10-8 Wright Total: 69-63
Round 8: 10-9 Wright Total: 79-72
Round 9: 10-9 Wright Total: 89-81
Round 10: 10-9 Wright Total: 99-90
Round 11: 10-9 Quartey Total: 108-100
Round 12: 10-9 Quartey

Total: 117-110 Wright (9-3)

Closing thoughts: Winky (rated #3 Pound For Pound at Speak Boxing) did exactly what he had to do. He widely defeated a tough former champion who was not coming into the ring to lay down. Quartey has never been KOed and that was not going to change against Wright, who has not scored a knockout in God knows how long. Wright won 9 rounds out of 12. Quartey still fought rather competitively, as he always has. I think he should go back down to 154lbs. He might still be able to make SOME noise there.

Lacy/Tsypko

Round 1: 10-9 Lacy
Round 2: 10-9 Lacy Total: 20-18 Lacy
Round 3: 10-9 Tsypko Total: 29-28 Lacy
Round 4: 10-9 Tsypko Total 38-38
Round 5: 10-9 Lacy Total: 48-47 Lacy
Round 6: 10-9 Lacy Total: 58-56 Lacy
Round 7: 10-9 Lacy Total: 68-65 Lacy
Round 8: 10-9 Tsypko Total: 77-75 Lacy
Round 9: 10-9 Tsypko Total: 86-85 Lacy
Round 10: 10-9 Tsypko

Final Score: 95-95 (5-5)

Closing thoughts: Tsypko was way too reserved in his attack in the middle rounds and that cost him the fight in my opinion, but the fight taking place in Florida did not do much to help Tsypko's cause either. Tsypko did, however, close the show strongly enough to earn a draw on my scorecard. Lacy looked horrible in this fight; perhaps he is damaged from the thrashing at the hands of Joe Calzaghe, but it will take a couple fights to determine whether or not that is truly the case. I saw no improvements in his fight game, coming off the loss to Calzaghe, whatsoever. He still fights with the same style he brought into the ring against Calzaghe.

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Wright outpoints Quartey!

Lacy escapes with razor thin majority decision!

Tonight, in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL, Former two-time Jr Middleweight Champion and number one Middleweight Contender Winky Wright (51-3-1, 25 KOs) kept his ranking in tact with a convincing unanimous decision over Former Welterweight Champion Ike Quartey (37-4-1, 31 KOs) .

The fight was a homecoming of sorts for Wright, who was making his ring appearance in Tampa in fourteen years. Wright was credited with knockdowns in rounds two and seven. In the 2nd round, Wright managed to score a knockdown of Quartey, a moment in which the feet of the two combatants got tangled, Quartey was hit with a shot, and went down. In the seventh round, Wright knocked Quartey off balance, Quartey's glove touched his ankle (not the canvas), and the referee inexcusably ruled it a knockdown.

Wright went on to win by scores of 117-110, 117-110, and 117-109. I scored the fight 117-110 Wright, giving Wright only a 10-9 score in the second round, a round I felt Quartey easily won outside of the knockdown.

In a brutal undercard fight, Former IBF Super Middleweight Champion Jeff Lacy (22-1, 17 KOs) returned to the ring, for the first time since his one sided loss to Super Middleweight Kingpin Joe Calzaghe last March, to narrowly and defeat Vitali Tsypko (19-2, 10 KOs) by majority decision.

Lacy started strong in the early rounds, but it was Tsypko who hung tough and gradually got stronger as the rounds went on. Tsypko won the final three rounds on my scorecards, but did not do quite enough to sway two of the three officials, who awarded the fight to Lacy. Scores: 95-95, 96-94 Lacy (twice). I scored the fight a draw at 95-95.

The performance failed to impress fans and backers of Lacy who want to see him make a successful return after the thrashing he suffered at the hands of Calzaghe earlier this year.

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Wladimir Klitschko vs Calvin Brock

KLITSCHKO vs BROCK
IBF HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
November 11, 2006
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

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Boxingtalk Interview with Floyd Mayweather, Jr!

Boxingtalk's Greg Leon conducted an interview with undefeated Pound for Pound King Floyd Mayweather, following one of his training sessions in preparation for his November 4 bout with World Welterweight Champion Carlos Baldomir. Mayweather spoke about his training, how he's getting ready for Baldomir, what he can expect, and talk of a possible fight with Sugar Shane Mosley in 2007.

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Updated Pound for Pound List

Speak Boxing had not updated its Pound for Pound list since mid-July! How ridiculous is THAT?

There has been a change or two in the past few months, the biggest being Joel Casamayor's lightweight title winning victory over Diego Corrales. How does that affect the Pound for Pound list??? See for yourself:

Bryan's Top 10 Pound for Pound

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Freitas coming out of retirement; wants Casamayor!

According to reliable sources at Boxingtalk, WBO Lightweight Champion Acelino Freitas, who attended to WBO Convention, apparently reported that he is unretiring and chooses to return to the ring for a unification bout with WBC Champion Joel Casamayor.

In January of 2001, Freitas defeated Casamayor by an extremely narrow yet unanimous decision. Casamayor, following his split decision victory over Diego Corrales in their rubbermatch a few weeks ago, is regarded as the legitimate World Lightweight Championship as he seized the RING Magazine crown as well as the WBC strap.

I find it extremely fitting and convenient that, so soon after Casamayor defeated Corrales, Freitas suddenly wants to come out of retirement and face Casamayor. Styles make fights. Freitas, who defeated Casamayor in 2001, was humiliated, dropped multiple times, and was forced to quit when he faced Corrales in August 2004. Casamayor, following his career-defining victory over Corrales a few weeks ago, is now the man at 135lbs! Freitas no longer has to worry about Corrales. He was just defeated, eliminated from the lightweight division as a result of his inability to make the weight any longer, and now looks to get the hell out of dodge and move up to 147lbs.

If I was Freitas, and I saw a man, whom I once defeated, beat the man who destroyed me for all of the marbles in my weight class, it would probably lure me out of retirement as well!

Popo is not leaving just yet, folks.

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Countdown to Baldomir vs Mayweather!

Two weeks from tonight, at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV on November 4, Pound for Pound King "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather will step into the ring to face WBC Welterweight Champion Carlos Manuel Baldomir.

Mayweather, now campaigning in his fourth weight class since turning pro, made his welterweight debut November of 2005 with a systematic sixth round stoppage of Sharmba Mitchell with a bodyshot.

Surely, a Judah vs Mayweather fight, for the Undisputed Welterweight Championship of the world, was bigger than ever following Mayweather's victory over Mitchell. Certainly, it was atop the lists of many boxing fans experts most anticipated showdowns. Judah vs Mayweather was perceived as boxing's biggest superfight at that time, biggest in any weight class south of the heavyweight division.

However, there was one road block (one that was not initially viewed as threatening, however) that stood in the way of the Undisputed Welterweight Champion. One obstacle that he would have to overcome, to ensure that his major showdown with Mayweather could transpire into the event it was being perceived as. This obstacle went by the name of Carlos Baldomir, an unknown Argentinian journeymen, who had not lost a fight in eight years.

Baldomir, widely perceived as boxing's modern day Cinderella Man, burst onto the scene earlier this year, when he claimed the WBC Welterweight belt by scoring a dramatic upset via unanimous decision over 18-1 favorite and then Undisputed Welterweight Champion Zab Judah at Madison Square Garden in New York, which is Judah's home turf. That victory is still in the running for the award of Upset of the Year for 2006.

In his first title defense on July 21, 2006, Baldomir would enter a ring in a favored opponent's hometown, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, for the second consecutive time, to beat up and stop boxing's drama king Arturo "Thunder" Gatti, whom Mayweather had practically demolished almost a year and a month to the day at the exact same venue.

Two common opponents can be found on the professional boxing records of Mayweather and Baldomir. Zab Judah and Arturo Gatti. As one can see, Baldomir defeated Judah first, as Mayweather faced Judah just a few months later. Nonetheless, Mayweather stopped Gatti prior to Baldomir's destruction of him 13 months later. Two common opponents. Mayweather and Baldomir have a combined record of 4-0 with 2 KOs against those two opponents.

Such a sequence of events has led us to this moment, just two weeks before Baldomir and Mayweather. The contest, billed as "Pretty Risky," is one that carries risks of different types on both sides. Mayweather, the pound for pound king, puts that title on the line when he steps into the ring, as Baldomir looks to defend his Welterweight title against a fighter the world regards as the greatest in the sport today.

Out of all of Mayweather's previous opponents, Baldomir is definitely the biggest and strongest guy Mayweather has ever faced. It is my belief that Baldomir is Mayweather's greatest challenge in the last four years, with the last legitimate challenge of Mayweather being Jose Luis Castillo in 2002. Castillo, like Mayweather, is a strong fighter who applies constant pressure on his opponents and looks to out work them.

Baldomir possesses much of the same style as Castillo (Castillo probably has the faster hands), but his size will be something that Mayweather has never seen in a professional boxing ring. However, Mayweather's speed and skill level are certainly advantages that no other opponent of Baldomir has ever brought into the ring against the Argentinian.

The HBO Countdown to Baldomir vs Mayweather premieres Friday, October 27 at midnight. The fight, itself, can viewed Saturday November 4 live on HBO Pay Per View!

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Diego Corrales signs with GBP!

According to Golden Boy Promotions, Former Jr Lightweight and Lightweight Champion Diego Corrales has recently signed a promotional contract to fight under the promotional auspices of GBP. Corrales, who lost his WBC Lightweight Championship a couple weeks ago in a rubbermatch to Joel Casamayor via split decision, looks to move up to the welterweight division and win a third title in as many weight classes.

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Valuev: Inspired by Muhammad Ali!

Press Release: Imagine seven-footer Nikolai Valuev as a track and field athlete. It could have happened if a teenage Valuev didn't become inspired by watching tapes of Muhammad Ali. In an interview with a German journalist, Valuev credited the Greatest for getting him into the sweet science. "As a matter of fact, it was Muhammad Ali, who got me started in boxing," he said. "I moved away from home and into a sports boarding school at the age of 13. Back then I was in track and field. Often, my trainer would show us videos of Ali's fights in the evening – I was fascinated to the point that boxing became both my sport and my passion." The WBA heavyweight titlist also told the German interviewer about his career goal. "Any world champion naturally dreams of winning all four belts and becoming the super champion of the world. That is, of course, a question of the right management – but definitely a realistic goal from an athletic viewpoint.

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Williams destroys Mitchell; calls out Margarito AGAIN!

Margarito: Forget about Floyd for now; fight those who are calling you out!

Last Saturday night in Reno, NV, Paul Williams maintained his mandatory WBO ranking and undefeated record by posting a 4th round TKO of Former two-time Jr Welterweight Champion Sharmba Mitchell.

From the opening bell, Williams attacked Mitchell like an angry swarm of bees. Mitchell's size disadvantage was apparent from the outset. Mitchell did, however, manage to connect with a combination in the 2nd round, but was dropped in the third round.

The fourth round saw the end for Mitchell, as Williams decked him three times to prompt the referee to the stop the fight. Once again, Williams called out WBO Welterweight Champion Antonio "the self-proclaimed most feared man in boxing" Margarito to a fight.

Margarito has a fight lined up for December 2 in Atlantic City, NJ on Showtime, and word has it that the opponent will be Joshua Clottey, so Williams could be off Margarito's dance card until early next year. One thing is certain; Margarito must defend against Williams (his mandatory) in order to keep the belt he currently holds.

Most feared man in boxing, Antonio?

Face Clottey. Face Williams. Take on Kasim Ouma, who has expressed an interest in fighting you.

Those who acknowledge the fact that Margarito is only a welterweight might be overlooking the fact that he moved up to Jr Middleweight to fight Daniel Santos in September 2004. Although he lost that fight at the 154lb weight class via a technical decision, he did not exactly look ridiculously removed from his natural weight element of 147lbs.

If he can fight Santos, he can fight Ouma at 154lbs, or even a catch weight of 150lbs. Margarito has never been knocked out. Ouma, who has a high punch output and works three minutes and ten seconds of every round, couldn't crack an egg with his punches if he wanted to. What is wrong with Margarito vs Ouma at 154lbs, or even 150lbs????

Most feared man in boxing? How about knocking out these top 147lbers or even a 154lber, to prove to your fellow pugilists at 147lbs just how feared you are????

Just because Floyd Mayweather is facing World Welterweight Champion Carlos Baldomir on November 4, and does not have you on his dance card at this moment, does not mean that all of the other welterweights and super welterweights are avoiding you!

Give the boxing fans, and most importantly, some of your fellow welterweights a legitimate reason to "shiver!"

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Spinks vs Mayweather November 4 on HBO PPV???

Reliable sources in boxing are implying that a proposed fight between IBF Jr Middleweight Champion Cory Spinks and undefeated Pound For Pound phenomenon Floyd Mayweather is close to be finalized.

Agreements have been reached between both parties and the contracts have been signed by both boxers. The bout has already been approved by the IBF, and now the only thing left on the agenda is for Don King to make an announcement in regards to the date of the opening press conference to officially announce the fight.

Spinks was last seen in the ring on July 8, dethroning Roman Karmazin in his hometown of St Louis to win the title via a close majority decision.

Mayweather's last appearance was on April 8th in Las Vegas, as he defeated Zab Judah for the IBF Welterweight Championship via unanimous decision.

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Toney and Peter wage war via conference call!

09.08.06 - The 20-year anniversary celebration of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING continues in spectacular fashion on Saturday, Sept. 2, when James “Lights Out” Toney faces Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare’’ Peter in a 12-round WBC heavy weight elimination bout on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. In the co-feature, Eric Aiken defends his IBF featherweight title against Robert “The Ghost’’ Guerrero.

PLEASE NOTE: Portions of the transcript have been edited (more than usual) for content.

Peter: I am in Las Vegas training, waiting for James Toney. I thank everybody that put this fight together. I am so excited because it is going to be an exciting fight. I know nobody can tell what God's glory is, so I am ready to roll.

Toney: I am looking forward to Sept. 2. I am fighting a very credible challenger in Sam Peters, second in the world to date. I am looking forward to the opportunity to show everybody that I am the best heavyweight out there. It is going to be a great show. This is the kind of fight that the fans want to see. They want to see James fighting Sammy Peter. It should be a vacation match..

Question: James, what has training been like? Are you doing anything differently? Do you feel you're more focused? Are you doing anything differently? Do you feel this is a must win fight for you?

Toney: Every fight I am in is a must win fight. I went back to basics. Same as with Holyfield, that is what I went back to. It is going very well. I have no complaints.

Question: Sam, this is a crossroads fight. Do you feel it is a must win fight for you?

Peter: Yes. I am really sure this is a big fight and a big win for me because I am fighting a two-time heavyweight champion, two times challenging. So I am ready to prove I am going to be the next heavyweight champion of the world. I thank Toney for giving me this opportunity to beat him.

Question: James, some feel you could have defeated Hasim Rahman easily if you had come in at 225 instead of 237. Have you thought about that? Do you agree with that?

Toney: I have gone back towards it. I thought I won the fight, but I should have come in better shape because I had a little cold before the fight. No excuse. But now we are here. I will jump right back into the frying pan. You don't know too many fighters today that will jump right back into the frying pan with a difficult fight. I don’t think anybody in boxing, but James Toney, is taking a tough fight after a tough fight. So I will be in great shape. I wish the fight was today, but it isn't. Three and a half more weeks, and I will be ready.

Question: Do you have a target as far as what you want to come in for this fight?

Toney: I am going to come in wherever I am comfortable at. I am just excited.

Question: Do you feel like it is time, especially from this fight, or maybe your next two, for James Toney to really go out there and prove it?

Toney: Definitely. I am going to start with this fight. I was unhappy with the last fight, and we should be. It is like being on a football team. Even if your team had a draw, you are never happy with the results. You always want to strive for the perfection. And that is what I plan on doing. Like I said, I am just happy to get the opportunity to show that I am the best fighter in the world.

Question: James, what kind of threat does Sam Peter pose to you?

Toney: He poses a threat to everybody else, but not to me. Don't get me wrong, he's a good fighter. But he has never been in the ring with anybody like me before in his life. It doesn’t matter if I fought middleweight or lightweight, or cruiserweight, James Toney can flat out just fight. I am a natural born fighter. Everybody else was taught to fight. That is the difference between me and everybody else.

Question: James, Sam Peter is probably the biggest, strongest and fastest guy you fought at heavyweight. Do you agree with that? If so, are you approaching this fight any differently?

Toney: I don't approach any fight different. If you know me, you haven't ever seen me change my style for anybody. I am not that type of fighter. I do what James does best, and that is just fight. Ruiz is bigger than Sam Peter, and Rahman. Both are stronger than me. You see where that went. So it doesn't matter. I just know how to fight, period. And that is what this is all about. James Toney flat out knows how to fight. The best fighter in the boxing world, period, ever born.

Question: Sam, James is very different than anyone you have fought, as well. He is a very skilled fighter. How do you approach a guy who is going to give you all kinds of angles and really knows every trick in the book?

Peter: Well, Toney hasn't fought anybody like me before. Even though he has been two or three times champion of the world, I have my own training. Nobody has seen Sammy Peter yet, but I think this fight will prove that people have things wrong about me. I am a fighter, I am a boxer. I can do anything. Any kind of situation. This is a great fight for me because I love the way Toney boxes. I think this is going to put me in a good position.

Question: Sam, why do you think James is such a good fight for you and why do you feel you are going to win?

Peter: Because the ring man is going to be standing there with me. I know I am going to catch him later on.

Question: James, you’re from Michigan, but you consider yourself a Los Angeles fighter, right?

Toney: I consider myself a trained fighter living here in L.A.

Question: You are going to fight the winner of Saturday’s fight. What do you think about that fight? Obviously, this fight appears to be much more attractive than that one.

Toney: Nobody wanted to see that fight. Oleg Maskaev hasn't done anything since he beat Rahman seven years ago. If he had beaten me like they said he would, he should have knocked me out, as bad shape as I was in when he fought me.

Question: So you were not in the best shape for Rahman?

Toney: Yes. He should have knocked me out. He did all this whooping before the fight, but when that bell rang, you saw how tentative he was.

Question: Since he didn't do that, what did you learn from that experience?

Toney: What I learned is give 100 percent when I am ready. That is what I learned. But percent of James Toney beat the best Rahman ever can be in. Forty percent James Toney versus 110 percent when he tried his best. He was scared to death.

Question: James, you said you were only 40 percent for Rahman. What about the other 60 percent? What was the problem there?

Toney: You saw him around my waist. I had a little flu. Like I said, I am going to do my thing.

Question: So you had the flu?

Toney: I had the flu. My whole crew knew about it, but I do what I do.

Question: How are you now at this point? Are you all recovered from that?

Toney: Good. I am 100 percent I am ready to go. Whatever. He did what he had to do. We had an incompetent referee, Eddie Cotton. But I am pretty sure we have a professional referee this time. And I am ready to go. I am excited. Even though fighting in L.A., my adopted hometown, the fans will be there. And it is on SHOWTIME boxing. I am ready to go.

Question: Was it because of just the weight and the flu that you had before the fight? Because a lot of people felt, going into that fight, that you were going to win in a very, very clear-cut fashion. Of course, officially it ended up being a draw.

Toney: I still want to fight. I have a credible opponent. His people feel they can beat me, so put it up. Put up or shut up.

Question: And at what point is Father Time going to be a factor? You are approaching the age of 38, an age which, especially a lot of heavy weights, start to think about hanging it up.

Toney: Father Time? I don't even know what that is.

Question: Sam, Toney is a tremendous fighter in terms of defense, counter punching, fighting from angles. A lot of things that are really old school. You are a younger fighter and known more as a power puncher. Have you adjusted your style, or are you going to adjust your style, to face Toney?

Peter: I am going to walk through him.

Toney: Oh, I like that. Keep your promise.

Question: Did you say you are going to walk through him?

Toney: That is what he said.

Question: Then what is your game plan going to be? Is it going to be similar to the fighting you did against Klitschko, or is it going to be different?

Peter: That is why I said I am going to walk through. He is a very good fighter, but I know I am going to walk through him. He is not going to stop me, he is not going to crack me. I am going to walk through him.

Question: What did you see in James' fight with Rahman that leads you to believe that you can walk through him?

Peter: I see a lot of things. It was an interesting fight. But I saw a lot of things that Rahman was not able to do as a heavyweight. But for me, I will rail on his body.

Question: Have you adjusted any of your style since the Klitschko fight?

Peter: It depends on who you fight. Toney is the best fighter for me to prove that I am a real fighter, I am a real boxer.

Question: What kind of sparring partners have you been bringing in to prepare for James.

Peter: I have been doing what I was supposed to do, what I do for a championship. The championship is different from any fight that you fight. You have to do something different. Because the people being around you, my sparring partners and everyone that is with me, we do something different. Everybody will see on Sept. 2.

Question: Do either of you guys want to make a prediction?

Toney: I am knocking him out. I am knocking him out. Sammy, you are getting knocked out.

Peter: You are still dreaming.

Toney: Speak English.

Toney: You have a little Russian behind you.

Peter: I am from Africa.

Toney: Yes, you are from Africa.

Peter: You don't even know where you are from. Do you know where you are from? You don't even know where you are from.

Toney: I am from my mama, where are you from? I am going to send you back on a banana boat, punk.

Peter: You don't know where you are from. You can't even speak English.

Question: James, what do you think is your big advantage is when you step in the ring?

Toney: Look, Samuel is a strong guy for the guys he has fought. But all the guys he fought were paid to lie down. You know that. I am for the best fight in the world. You know what I am saying? There isn't a strategy. It is just me being me.

Peter: That was history. We are talking present. You always talk history.

Toney: I am going to beat you, I will tell you that.

Peter: Stop talking history. You are talking history. That was done. You were done. That is history. Talk present. You know what it means?

Toney: I am going to back it up. Who cares?

Peter: Talk English. Speak English. You don't even know where you are from.

Toney: Shut up. Shut up.

Peter: You tell me to shut up. You cannot even speak.

Toney: Shut up. Get off the telephone. You telephone talk, that's all you are.

Peter: Don't worry. You are in L.A.

Question: Sam, what do you think your big advantage is against James.

Peter: Well, I am going to knock Toney out, no matter what.

Toney: Like I said …

Peter: Shut up when I am talking.

Toney: Shut up. You are not anyone.

Peter: Shut up when I am talking.

Toney: Make me shut up. Make me shut up, punk.

Peter: Be quiet when I am talking. Sammy is talking. Be quiet when the …

Toney: Climb a tree.

Peter: Did you hear what I said? Shut up when Sammy is talking.

Toney: Whatever, man, whatever. Say it.

Toney: No more questions. I am gone. I have business to take care of. He made me mad.

Peter: Sit down and talk. Sit down. Right now.

Toney: Shut up.

Peter: Don't move.

Toney: You are going to see me in a couple of weeks anyway. Don't worry about it.

Peter: I said keep quiet. Sit down where you are right now.

Toney: You are a telephone talker, that's all you are. You aren't scaring anybody.

Peter: Sit down, do you hear what I am saying?

Toney: You're scared. I own you. I am your master.

Question: James, has the draw against Rahman served as a motivation for this fight?

Toney: I don't need motivation. I am the best heavyweight in the world, best fighter in the world. We put the challenge out to everybody. They stepped up and took it. They are going to regret it. Bottom line. I will fight anybody, anywhere, any time. I am big and bad as they come. I blow houses down.

Question: Sam, when you first heard you were going to get this fight, what was your reaction?

Peter: I was thinking glory be to God. Thank God. Because this is what I was looking for, to be the heavyweight champion of the world. This is the opportunity. I was so excited that Toney gave me the opportunity to beat him, to become heavyweight champion of the world.

Question: Were you surprised when this came?

Peter: Well, I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure until I met him in person, and then I saw how it is and everything was going through. Then I was glory be to God.

Question: James, do you think you are going to be able to lie on the ropes and allow the fighter to come to you. Do you think that is an effective strategy against a guy like Peter?

Toney: I fight everybody the same way. If you watch my career, I knock them out. It is like a Hollywood horror film when I get done with them. Look at Rahman. I swelled him up. Even though I got a draw, I swelled him up. Look at Ruiz. All these supposedly big guys, tougher guys than me. I have seen it all, I have been there, done that. It doesn't matter.

Question: This is a question for both fighters. After the exchange that went on today, has this fight become more personal?

Toney: It has been personal. He signed a contract. Anybody that signs a contract to fight me, it is personal.

Question: How about you, Sam?

Peter: Does that mean anybody that signs a contract? It is a personal issue right now. He signed a contract, I signed a contract. We are ready to roll.

Question: James, could you tell us what you think is going to happen in Saturday's fight?

Toney: It is going to be a stinking fight. I have a feeling Rahman might get knocked out. He got knocked out once. It is in the back of his mind. It could happen again. I tested him a couple of times. If I had been like I should have, I would have knocked him out. Rahman hasn't got the best ticker.

Peter: Well, I thank everybody. I thank all of my fans, being there for me. I thank the good promoters for putting this fight together. I thank my manager. I thank James Toney, being a man and stepping over for this fight. Everybody that is watching this fight, it is going to be a great show. It is going to be a great fight. So thank you, everybody.

Toney: First and foremost, I want to thank the Man upstairs for giving me the opportunity. I want to thank my promotional group, my whole management team, my pop, my wife. Everybody around me. Showtime -- you know, the greatest network for boxing. They only show the greatest fights and this is going to be one of them. Thanks to STAPLES Center. And the whole city of L.A. for hosting this. It is going to be a tremendous night of fireworks on Sept. 2. I can't wait. Thank you.

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Forrest vs Quartey Master Scorecard!

Here you will see the official master scorecard for the Ike Quartey/Vernon Forrest fight, which took place at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York last Saturday night. The fight was televised on HBO World Championship Boxing.

The official cards, as you will notice, reflect a narrow decision victory for Forrest (96-93, 95-94 twice). I had scored the fight 95-94 Quartey (as you can see on my unofficial card at the bottom of this post), while others such as HBO's unofficial ringside judge Harold Lederman gave Quartey much more credit than I did, with a score of 97-92. The following is an illustration of the official master scorecard.

Click on image to enlarge.

From this observer's perspective, without the point deduction for the low blow by Forrest in the 9th round, Quartey would've deserved a draw in that fight. However, the officials did not quite see the fight from the same perspective. The ninth round was undoubtedly the most critical round of the fight. Whether you liked Quartey's effectiveness in the first half of the round, or Forrest's rally in the last minute to save the round as an even round, score totals of this fight could conceivably swing either way. The fight was close.

Therefore, I can not exactly label that decision made by the judges, a decision that prompted aggitated fans in the crowd to angrily chant "bullshit," a highway robbery (ala Holyfield vs Lewis I or Foreman Briggs, two of the biggest highway robberies of the 90s), but I will admit that Quartey was once again on the wrong side of another close and unpopular decision, just as he was seven years ago with Oscar De la hoya. I thought he deserved to win a close decision in the De la hoya fight, too.

Certainly this was not one of those robberies that warranted immediate investigation. I would, however, care to see a rematch.

Quartey just can not seem to catch a break when it comes to being in close fights in America. In October of 1997, Quartey was forced to settle for a draw with Jose Luis Lopez, in a fight in which Quartey clearly won atleast eight rounds.

With all of the business being conducted from 147lbs to 154lbs (which you will read a bit more about later on), involving all of the other big players in the neighboring classes, Quartey and Forrest seem to be left alone solely for each other for the time being. Let's see a rematch with a much clearer winner. Here's to hoping Quartey doesn't fall into obscurity for another 14 to 16 months as a result of this.

My scorecard for Forrest/Quartey read as follows:

Round 1: 10-9 Forrest
Round 2: 10-9 Quartey Total: 19-19
Round 3: 10-9 Quartey Total: 29-28 Quartey
Round 4: 10-9 Forrest Total: 38-38
Round 5: 10-9 Forrest Total: 48-47 Forrest
Round 6: 10-9 Quartey Total: 57-57
Round 7: 10-9 Forrest Total: 67-66 Forrest
Round 8: 10-9 Quartey Total: 76-76
Round 9: 10-9 Forrest/1 point deduction from Forrest = 9-9 Total: 85-85
Round 10: 10-9 Quartey
Total: 95-94 Quartey (5-4-1 in rounds).


Ouma vs Powell scorecard

Round 1: 10-9 Ouma
Round 2: 10-9 Powell Total: 19-19
Round 3: 10-9 Powell Total: 29-28 Powell
Round 4: 10-9 Ouma Total: 38-38
Round 5: 10-9 Ouma Total: 48-47 Ouma
Round 6: 10-9 Ouma Total: 58-56 Ouma
Round 7: 10-9 Ouma Total: 68-65 Ouma
Round 8: 10-9 Ouma Total: 78-74 Ouma
Round 9: 10-9 Ouma Total: 88-83 Ouma
Round 10: 10-9 Powell
Total: 97-93 Ouma (7-3 in rounds).

No controversy here, as you can clearly see.

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James Toney spews venom!

Determined to silence the critics who constantly harp on him about his weight and conditioning, the normally loquacious James "Lights Out" Toney was uncharacteristically near silence himself in responding tersely to questions addressed to him during preparation for his September 2nd "No Risk, No Reward" WBC 12-round Heavyweight title elimination bout against the hard-hitting Samuel "The Nigerian Nightmare" Peter at the Staples Center.

Following a spirited sparring session this past weekend, an obviously irritated Toney redirected his anger toward his critics. Below are comments distributed by his publicist:

Q: How is your weight, James?
A: "I am a (bleeping) heavyweight. No one questioned Ali and Foreman, so don't question me."

Q: How is your conditioning?
A: "Same as above." (Bleep) Off!"

Q: What about your cigar smoking?
A: "Yeah what about it? Smoke this."

Q: What is different with this camp as to your camp for the Hasim Rahman fight?
A: "I am not talking about camp. I'm putting the Nightmare to sleep."

Q: Who are you sparring with and how is it going?
A: "Keep asking stupid questions, it'll be you. Now (Bleep) Off!"

"No Risk, No Reward" is promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, Don King Productions and Duva Boxing and will be the main event on the live "Showtime Championship Boxing" telecast. An IBF 12-round Featherweight Championship Bout between NABF Featherweight champion, Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero, against the IBF world champion, Eric "Mickey Mouse" Aiken will open up the SHOWTIME broadcast. Tickets priced at $300, $150, $75, and $50 are available at STAPLES CENTER box office or www.Ticketmaster.com.

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Forrest wins controversial decision over Quartey!

Vernon Forrest won a controversial unanimous decision over Ike Quartey tonight at the theater at Madison Square Garden. The fight had shifting tides of fortune, as in this observer's eyes, both fighters appeared to give and take rounds from one another.

At times, Quartey was keeping Forrest on his heels by landing the harder and cleaner shots - left jabs, left hooks, and right hands. Forrest's right eye was slightly swollen, a product of Quartey's repeatedly landed left hands. Other times, Forrest was able to get on his bicycle, move around, and outwork Quartey with shoeshines and flurries and appeared to win some rounds for him.

Since the surgeries, Forrest's left shoulder has not been the same, as he dispensed with his left jab for most of the night. When he did throw it, it was nothing more than a powder puff. Round nine was the most crucial round of the fight, as Forrest had a point deducted for a low blow.

That point deduction, many observers felt, might have cost Forrest a close decision loss. Forrest, in my eyes, appeared to win the 9th round, earning himself a 9-9 score for that round. The point deduction, on my scorecard, made a huge difference, as I scored the fight 5-4-1, 95-94 for Quartey. Judges scores for the fight were 95-94 twice, 96-93, all in favor of Forrest. The booes throughout the arena told the tale of the crowd's disapproval of the decision that was made by the three judges at ringside.

Kassim Ouma W10 Sechew Powell

On the undercard, Former IBF Jr Middleweight Champion Kassim Ouma turned in a workman like effort, outworking previously undefeated Sechew Powell for a unanimous decision victory. Ouma looked like the energizer bunny, as he continuously walked down Powell, threw more punches (an average of over 100 punches per round) and beat the retreating Powell with sheer activity.

Powell appeared to land the cleaner shots, but he did not land nearly enough of them to get Ouma's respect or, more importantly, to win the fight. He fight the wrong fight and probably should've fought more aggressively. Judges scores were 100-90, 97-93, and 96-94 all for Ouma. I scored it 97-93 for Ouma.

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Quartey vs Forrest: Set to take place tonight at MSG!

Tonight, at the Theater in Madison Square Garden, a showdown between two former Welterweight Champions is set to take place. Ike Quartey, of Accra, Ghana, meets Vernon Forrest, of Atlanta Georgia, in a jr middleweight fight that is set for 12 rounds. Both fighters, in addition to being former welterweight champions, are also well into their mid-thirties.
You might recall that the Theater at Madison Square Garden is the site at which Forrest scored his first professional victory over Sugar Shane Mosley to win the World Welterweight Championship on January 26, 2002.

Since defeating Mosley on that night, and coming back to defeat Mosley once again in a return engagement in July of that year, Forrest relinquished his title in a shocking three round KO loss to Ricardo "El Matador" Mayorga on January 25, 2003. Forrest, believing the loss was a fluke, would return for a rematch against Mayorga six months later. The second time around, Mayorga would score a controversial majority decision over the Atlanta native.

After taking a two year hiatus away from the ring, Forrest returned to the ring to score an impressive second round stoppage of Sergio Rios on the undercard of Hopkins vs Taylor I in July of last year. Following the victory over Rios, Forrest posted 10th round TKO victory, this one much less impressive, over relatively unknown Elco Garcia.

Coming back from a variety of surgeries which kept him out of action, Forrest looks to regroup and turn the clock back to that fateful night at the Garden back in January of 2002, in order to defeat Quartey tonight in this significant battle for 154lb contention.

Ike Quartey, who was devastating force in the late 1990s, became the WBA Welterweight Champion with an 11th round stoppage of Crisanto Espana in April 1994. With title defenses against the likes of Vince Phillips (who later became a titlest at 140lbs with his upset victory of Kostya Tszyu) and Oba Carr, Quartey cemented his status as one of the best welterweights in the world.

In October of 1997, Quartey would face off against the Mexican power-punching Jose Luis Lopez. After ten rounds of action, seemingly dominated by the Guanayan champion, Lopez would hurt Quartey and drop and him in the 11th round. Quartey was badly stunned, but got up and continued to the final bell. Quartey had also been dropped in the second round; that knockdown being more of a flash knockdown. That fight ended in a majority draw, but most observers felt as though Quartey deserved the decision.

The draw against Lopez would lead Quartey, 16 months later, to a mega showdown with WBC Welterweight Champion Oscar De la hoya. In a highly competitive fight that saw both of the undefeated contestants kiss the canvas, De la hoya would emerge with a razor-thin split decision that is highly debatable to this very day.

Quartey would take another 14 months off before facing then-undefeated IBF Jr Middleweight Champion Fernando Vargas. Vargas, who was then considered a much younger and fresher champion rising to the top of the boxing world, outworked and outboxed Quartey to a close yet convincing unanimous decision.

The loss to Vargas signaled a five year retirement from the ring for Quartey. Taking a long rest and deciding to return to the ring in 2005, Quartey is 3-0 in his comeback, two of the wins coming against former IBF Jr Middleweight Champion Verno Phillips (considered a quality win for Quartey on his comeback) and Carlos Bojorquez. Quartey looked sharp and impressive in both of those victories.

That leads us to tonight's showdown. Forrest is a tall and ranger boxer who likes to fire combinations, while Quartey possesses a piston-like left jab with power that would constitute a legitimate power punch for most other boxers. Will Forrest's height and reach advantage bother Quartey from the outside? Will Quartey's left jab find its target on Forrest and have an impact on the flow of the fight? Knowing that both boxers are coming back from inactivity, and are in their mid thirties, will there be stamina issues late in the fight? In terms of a prediction, I have gone back and forth on this fight. Don't know who exactly to pick. There are so many intangibles.

Both pugilists are facing each other to earn one more showdown for either a championship, big money, or both, at 154lbs. The Jr Middleweight division, with titlests such as Corey Spinks and Jose Antonio Rivera, and top contenders such as Shane Mosley, Kasim Ouma and Roman Karmazin, is a division that is filled with talent.

Tonight's fight between Quartey and Forrest will be televised live on HBO at 10PM/ET 7PM/PT.

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