Boxing Thread

[Crafty_Dog]

Woof All:

This thread is for matters related to boxing.

Woof,
Crafty Dog
===============

Lenox Lewis Retires
Who'll be the new heavyweight champion(s)?

BY GORDON D. MARINO
Saturday, February 14, 2004 12:01 a.m. EST

Norman Mailer once quipped that the heavyweight champion is the toe of God. Although Mr. Mailer's remark rings a mite hyperbolic, there can be no doubt that the fate of public interest in boxing is largely decided by the heavyweights. After all, it is the battles between the big guys that bring in the crossover fans otherwise disinterested in seeing two people pummel one another. But there is tumult in the heavyweight kingdom today.

A week ago, champion Lennox Lewis, age 38, announced his retirement. There are bookmakers already taking odds that Mr. Lewis, like Muhammad Ali in 1979, will soon retire from this retirement and be back in the ring. If, however, he abides by his plans, Mr. Lewis will become only the third heavyweight champion in history to walk away with the title. Rocky Marciano and Gene Tunney were the others.





Since he conquered Mike Tyson in 2002, Mr. Lewis has fought only once. As a result of his inactivity, the heavyweight division has been in the doldrums. All the money is at the top in boxing, and with one loss a fighter's market value can crash through the canvas. And so a number of heavyweights in the championship mix have been biding their time hoping for a bonanza bout with either Mr. Lewis or Mr. Tyson. Now that Mr. Lewis has withdrawn and Mr. Tyson seems inclined to do the same, heavyweight business should again bustle. But there is no college of cardinals in boxing, so how does the sport go about selecting its new heavyweight king?
When Mr. Marciano abruptly retired in 1956, the IBC (International Boxing Club) organized an elimination tournament between Archie Moore, Floyd Patterson and Tommy Jackson. In the end, Mr. Patterson knocked out Mr. Moore to capture the vacated title. In the wake of Mr. Lewis's exit, however, it appears as though the championship, or at least a major portion of it, will be decided by a single contest.

The World Boxing Council is planning a championship box-off between Vitali Klitschko and Corrie Sanders. In a thrilling contest last June, Mr. Lewis was declared the winner by TKO after six rounds, because the referee deemed Mr. Klitschko's face too cut up for the fight to continue. But at the time the bout was halted, the Ukrainian-born Mr. Klitschko was ahead on points and there was enormous demand for a rematch. Mr. Klitschko's claim as the heavyweight prince-in-waiting was further legitimized by his recent knockout of Kirk Johnson, a top contender.

As for Corrie Sanders, Mr. Klitschko's possible opponent for the WBC title, the South African power-puncher's credentials were sealed last winter when he knocked Vitali's younger brother Wladimir senseless in two rounds. At the time, Wladimir was widely regarded as the heir apparent to Mr. Lewis's title.

The victor of the (Vitali) Klitschko-Sanders struggle may not have quite the same imprimatur as Patterson did when he succeeded Marciano. Although Mr. Lewis was the linear champion--that is, the man who beat Holyfield, who beat Douglass, who beat Tyson and so on back to John L. Sullivan--he was not the only card-carrying heavyweight king.





In contrast to the mid-'50s and the Marciano era, there is now an alphabet soup of sanctioning bodies in boxing: e.g., the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO. These organizations--which many believe are driven by the ticket-selling interests of promoters--sanction bouts, establish rankings, and crown their own champions.
Chris Byrd is the International Boxing Federation heavyweight champ. A slightly built and diabolically crafty southpaw, Mr. Byrd claims a freakish victory over Vitali Klitschko. When they fought in 2000, Mr. Klitschko was far ahead on points but injured his shoulder and could not come out for the 10th round.

Then there is the World Boxing Association champ, Roy Jones Jr. Quicksilver fast and technically brilliant, Mr. Jones is widely considered the best pound-for-pound pugilist in the world today; however, his natural weight hovers at about 195 pounds, and he is about six inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter than both the Klitschko brothers and Mr. Sanders. In an era in which the heavyweight elite have the proportions of NBA centers, it is not surprising that Mr. Jones is strongly considering abandoning his heavyweight claims to defend his WBC light heavyweight title.

While most boxing aficionados pine for the days of one weight class, one champion, the Klitschkos are quite content to think of the title as divisible. The brothers, both of whom hold doctorates and speak four languages, have vowed never to fight one another. The only way that they can both realize their life's ambition of being heavyweight kings is to divide up the kingdom, with the WBC belt going to Vitali and the rest to Wladimir. Should Mr. Sanders win, however, he would probably seek to unify the title--unless, of course, Mike Tyson were again to feel the call of the arena, in which case all other bouts would be off. For there is no one who is better than Mr. Tyson at putting fans in seats and adding zeros to contract figures.

[Crafty_Dog]

TELEVISION & RADIO
Boxing Shows' Breaks
'Champ' and 'Contender' are fighting each other in court, but they're both getting tax deals and disclosure waivers from the state.
 
By Scott Collins, Times Staff Writer


Anybody who wants to put on a professional boxing match in California has to navigate 128 pages of regulations, many of them designed to ensure the health and safety of boxers as well as to promote the integrity of the sport.

But when reality TV producers from Hollywood came calling earlier this year, state officials agreed to bend a couple of those rules.

The producers of Fox's "The Next Great Champ" and NBC's "The Contender," bitter rivals in most respects, had one thing in common: Both were so eager to keep their shows' outcomes under wraps prior to broadcast that they sought and received approval from boxing commissioners and the California attorney general's office to circumvent a state law requiring immediate public disclosure of bout results. Both series are counting on the secrecy to help them build dramatic suspense as they seek to find new champions from fields of unknown athletes.

What's more, both the "Champ" and "Contender" producers negotiated lower-than-normal state taxes on the license-fee payments mandated for boxing broadcasts. Representatives of both shows successfully argued that they should pay tax only on the portion of their shows actually devoted to boxing matches ? typically just a few minutes in each episode. Other promoters described this arrangement as highly unusual. In the case of "Champ," the amount and timing of the tax payments was sharply questioned by the then-chairman of the California Athletic Commission, which regulates boxing.

Although state boxing laws have entered into a bitter court fight between the two shows, the special deals given to both shows have remained out of public view until now.

Until recently, Hollywood's great boxing standoff had focused more on accusations of idea theft than on meeting state boxing standards. Executives from DreamWorks, which is producing "Contender" with reality guru Mark Burnett, and from NBC, which will air the show starting in November, have complained for months that "Champ" ripped off their concept.

Then last week, they filed an unfair business practices and fraud lawsuit against Fox Broadcasting in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that "Champ" broke state laws in a scramble to get on the air. A hearing on a request by DreamWorks and Burnett for a preliminary injunction against airing "Champ" ? which is slated to debut Sept. 7 ? is set for Friday.

In the brief history of reality shows, concepts have tended to pivot on questions of who gets voted off the island or receives the final rose. But in the case of "Champ" vs. "Contender," the producers have waded into the tough arena of a heavily regulated sport.

In agreeing to soften the public disclosure requirement ? which is designed chiefly to allow boxers to verify a prospective opponent's fight record before a match ? the commission granted the reality-show producers a break seldom if ever extended to other promoters, according to two former commission chairmen and two licensed California promoters contacted for this story.

But the former chairman said that the benefits the TV shows are expected to provide, in terms of state revenue and heightened exposure for boxing, make the trade-off worthwhile.

"This is where Hollywood and boxing cross paths," said Sanford L. Michelman, who served as a commissioner for four years, including a stint as chairman that ended Aug. 1 but included the time period in which the TV waiver deals were struck. "That's the first request [to change the public-records rule] I ever heard of when I was on the commission?. The whole reason is to protect the results of the show."

Commissioner John Frierson referred calls to the commission's general counsel; other commissioners could not be reached.

Michelman, an Encino attorney, said that commissioners agreed to delay the reporting requirements partly because they were concerned that the TV producers might shoot their productions in other states if their conditions were not met. While the delayed disclosure waivers seem unlikely to set off a wave of copycat requests, some say they might embolden boxing promoters to ask for special deals of their own. "It's definitely opening up a door," Michelman said.

University of San Diego law professor Robert Fellmeth, a boxing commissioner from 1976 to 1981, said officials inappropriately carved out a legal exemption for the Hollywood producers.

"This whole state is excessively star-struck," Fellmeth said. The main rationale of the boxing laws is to ensure that "matches are fair and the public is monitoring them, [and] that money does not unduly influence" the sport, he added. "Hollywood stardust does not trump the law."

"Outside of these reality shows, boxing is a great sport and if it begins to look like show business or wrestling, it takes away from boxing," said licensed promoter Ken Thompson.

As for the waivers, "why are they allowing them to do it, and not us as promoters?" said licensed promoter Ed Holmes.

Still, both promoters acknowledged that the shows could build exposure for boxing. And the shows aren't short on star power: "Champ" features boxing great Oscar De La Hoya; the host of "Contender" is Sylvester Stallone.

Patty Glaser, a lawyer representing "Champ" producer Endemol USA, confirmed that the producers had received permission to modify the public-disclosure requirements. DreamWorks spokesman Andy Spahn said that "Contender" also got the go-ahead from the athletic commission and the attorney general in late July to keep its bout results secret.

While both shows received waivers, paperwork reviewed by The Times applied only to "Champ." Efforts to obtain documents related to "Contender" were unsuccessful, though the waiver and the negotiated tax payment were confirmed by the show's producers.

In an interview Tuesday, Burnett said that the disclosure waiver was "appropriate" because the "Contender" boxers agreed not to fight again until after the show aired. That would prevent another fighter from being deceived about a boxer's record, he said.

As for whether the secrecy is designed to protect the show's ratings, Burnett replied: "Of course it is."

Dean Lohuis, acting executive director of the athletic commission, confirmed there was a disclosure agreement approved by the attorney general, but referred questions to Anita Scuri, the commission's counsel, who would not discuss the matter.

"Our official comment is 'no comment,' " said Karen Chappelle, the deputy attorney general who signed off on the disclosure deal. Spokesman Tom Dresslar of the attorney general's office in Sacramento also declined requests for comment.

The athletic commission, a unit of the state Department of Consumer Affairs, has regulated boxing in California since a voter initiative in 1924. The commission typically has seven members, but due to term expirations and a lack of recent appointments by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger there are currently only four commissioners.

The producers' dealings with the state might have escaped notice if not for the ongoing legal fight over "Champ."

In their suit filed Aug. 17, DreamWorks and Burnett claimed that Fox and Endemol, which is producing "Champ" with De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, are rushing "their ersatz copycat show to air no matter how many statutes and regulations need to be violated." The "Contender" side relied heavily on an Aug. 12 memo from Michelman that stated Endemol violated state rules because it undertook extensive promotional activities without a promoter's license. Michelman also wrote that Golden Boy failed to pay the required state tax for the "Champ" matches.

In an interview, Michelman said he raised the disclosure requirement with the "Champ" producers during a meeting June 11, two weeks before the producers held their first bout, but no consensus was reached. On July 26, he broached the subject again, telling the Endemol attorneys in a phone conversation that the commission would soon release the names of the "Champ" bout winners, according to Glaser.

This set off a flurry of negotiations between state officials and attorneys for the "Champ" producers. On July 28, Robert L. Shapiro, a law partner of Glaser's who rose to prominence as one of O.J. Simpson's lawyers, outlined the resulting agreement in a letter addressed to Michelman, Scuri and Chappelle.

To allay officials' safety concerns, Shapiro wrote, each boxer on "Champ" would sign a declaration promising not to fight in any match until after the show's finale was telecast. The document also featured a provision in which the boxers asked the commission to "keep all ? information confidential until the final episode of the series airs, and that it not be reported to the official registry of boxing commissions or to any other registry as may be required by" state and federal law.

The "Contender" producers reached a similar agreement with state officials shortly before starting production of their show last week, according to DreamWorks' Spahn. Both sets of producers also negotiated a favorable rate on state taxes applicable to boxing matches.

According to California law, boxing promoters are required to pay the state up to 5% of any revenue earned from the sale of broadcast or television rights. Because Fox is paying the "Champ" producers approximately $1.2 million for each episode ? for a total of either 10 or 11 episodes ? Michelman said the producers could have owed up to $600,000 in taxes.

The "Champ" producers did not share that view. According to Michelman, the producers insisted they pay tax only on those portions of the show that actually consisted of officiated boxing ? typically just a few minutes at the end of every program. The producers sent checks for $6,000 for each bout, although Michelman said that after he threatened to audit the producers' books, they raised that amount to $9,000. "Champ" producers paid the tax for a total of 13 bouts, or $117,000, according to Michelman.

In his Aug. 12 memo, Michelman criticized the "Champ" producers for not providing access to financial records and for failing to pay the taxes on time. But Glaser, Endemol's attorney, dismissed such complaints. "As I'm sure Mr. Michelman is aware, this was the boxing promoter's obligation, and it was paid in a timely manner by Golden Boy," Glaser said. The "Contender" side also negotiated a special rate, although the details remain unclear. Producer Burnett confirmed that the state agreed to tax "Contender" based on the number of minutes devoted to boxing matches, rather than the entire program length. DreamWorks declined to release the figure, and state officials would not comment. But given that NBC is believed to have paid DreamWorks and Burnett a license fee of more than $2 million for each of 16 episodes, the producers could have been on the hook for as much as $1.6 million in state taxes.

"The [final] number was one the athletic commission and the attorney general told us they were happy with," DreamWorks' Spahn said.

[Crafty_Dog]

This Time, the Judges Go Johnson's Way
Light heavyweight beats Tarver in split decision at Staples Center. Ward wins in his pro debut.
By Steve Springer, Times Staff Writer


The best light heavyweight in the world has nine losses.

No, that's not a typo, though Glen Johnson and those around him would be the first to say that, while it's not a typographical error, the majority of those losses were the result of errors by the judges.
 
Saturday night at Staples Center, Johnson (42-9-2, 28 knockouts) was involved in another close fight, this one with Antonio Tarver, this one to determine the successor to Roy Jones, who ruled the division for years until he was knocked out by both Johnson and Tarver.

This time, the close decision went to Johnson in front of a crowd of 9,126. Judges Melvina Lathan and Chuck Giampa gave the fight to Johnson by the score of 115-113. Judge Marty Denkin had Tarver winning, 116-112.

"I thought Tarver won," Jones said of the 3-1 favorite, "but the result doesn't surprise me. Glen Johnson is a hustler. This is what he does."

Even Johnson, modest in victory, said, "I'm not the best. I'm still looking for Mr. Best."

In the semi-main event, Andre Ward, coming off his gold-medal winning victory in the 2004 Olympics, made a successful debut as a professional, winning on a second-round technical knockout over Christopher Molina (2-1, 1).

While some argue Tarver (22-3, 18) won the main event, none could argue that it wasn't an entertaining, competitive match. They fought 12 bruising rounds in which each fighter attacked and retreated, soared on the crest of crisp, clean punches and sagged with the draining effects of fatigue. Neither man was down, but each was rocked with shots that seemed to turn the fight in his opponent's favor. But just as soon as it seemed one of them had the advantage, the other would rally, drawing upon reserves of strength that temporarily overwhelmed the target of his renewed aggression.

The punch stats favored Tarver. He landed more punches (296-217) and a higher percentage (35%-27%) of those thrown.

"I don't come out ahead too often," Johnson said, "so I'm not going to dispute the result. I'm just very grateful."

Tarver, a southpaw, said that he hurt his left hand in "the fourth or fifth round" when he hit Johnson on top of the head.

"That took away my best weapon," said Tarver, "but that's boxing. It's a tough sport. I feel, in my heart of hearts, that I did more to win the fight."

Nothing Tarver said could diminish the magnitude of this victory for Johnson, whose unlikely success story began at a construction site in Miami 15 years ago. It was there that Johnson, working as a carpenter, first put on boxing gloves to spar on his lunch break with a fellow Jamaican, who was preparing for an upcoming fight.

It was love at first punch for Johnson, who, since turning professional 11 years ago, has traveled the world in search of a night like Saturday night.

The logical question, after a match as close as Saturday's, is will there be a rematch?

The loser, of course, always wants one. But, in this case, the winner was just as amenable. "Definitely I will give him a rematch," Johnson said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Freed of the constraints of the Olympic scoring system, buoyed by the opportunity to fight someone of similar weight and exhilarated by fighting as a professional for the first time, Ward quickly disposed of Molina, knocking him down in each of the first two rounds of a scheduled four-rounder.

It was after the second knockdown, with Molina back on his feet but not responsive according to referee Jose Cobian, that the fight was stopped at the 40-second mark of the round.

"It was a beautiful thing," said Ward, who weighed in at 165 pounds, half a pound less than Molina. At the Olympics, Ward fought in the 178-pound division, giving away six to nine pounds to opponents.

"It was nice to finally fight someone eye-to-eye," Ward said. "He had me by half an inch, but I'll take that over the extra weight. He looked at my physique and miscalculated, thinking I was weak, but he quickly learned that was not case."

Exiting the ring unscathed, Ward will soon prepare for Chapter 2 of his pro career, expected to be on Feb. 10 against a still-undetermined opponent.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a women's bout, Mia St. John (39-4-2 16) staggered Janae Romero Archuleta (4-10-1, 2) at 1:46 of the first round of a scheduled four-rounder with a right that caused Cobian to stop the bout. St. John had won their previous two meetings by decision.


If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives

[buzwardo]

Count me among those who thought Tarver won. Thought he was tactically and technically much sounder than Johnson. The judge who scored it 116-112 Tarver had it dead on, I thought.

Johnson pursued doggedly throughout, kinda reminded me of Joe Fraizer as he pursued Tarver around the ring. I've seen worse calls than this one, it was pretty close, and Tarver had a habit of coasting for most of a round before getting busy towards the end. Still, I think the two judges who went for Johnson mistook his relentless pursuit for boxing skill.

[TBONE]

I agree that it was a close fight. I think Tarver landed some clean power shots throughout the fight, so did Johnson. Two reasons I think the decision went to Johnson:1.  Effective Aggressiveness aka...Ring Generalship. He imposed his will throughout the fight and pressed the attack, cutting off the ring and landing combinations with effective body shots. 2. I thought that Tarver took the 10th. round off...it was too close of a fight to not continue to apply pressure wherever and whenever possible.
Great fight though...I actually thought it could have gone either way. Can't wait till the rematch!!

[buzwardo]

Don't Blame UFC for Boxing's Woes
by Eddie Goldman

Wholesale panic hasn?t exactly set in yet, mainly because much of the boxing world moves as quickly as a double portion of cheese fries (or, to mark Canada Day this Saturday, poutine), but the other side sure is crowing.

According to a Spike TV press release, the ?The Ultimate Fighter 3? finale from this past Saturday night, June 24, drew 2.8 million viewers and was thus ?the most watched UFC event in history? as well as ?the highest rated Spike original telecast in the network's history in Men 18-49 with a 2.85 rating.? In addition, it tallied a 2.04 household rating and ?delivered more M18-49 and M18-34 in the time period than any other channel, broadcast or cable.? And ?The Spike TV finale easily outdrew NASCAR's Dodge/ Save Mart 350 on FX which garnered 1.4 million viewers.? They didn?t even have to mention by how much it outdrew HBO?s ?Boxing After Dark? featuring undefeated fighters Calvin Brock vs. Timur Ibragimov and Joel Julio vs. Carlos Quintana.

The press release also quoted Dana White, the oft-ridiculed UFC president who is both a former amateur boxer and boxercise instructor (see Fightsport.com for more documentation, sometimes quite humorous), as saying, ?We have reached the point when guys across the country say ? ?Did you catch the fight last night?? -- and they are referring to a UFC fight.?

Nor is this ratings success a one-time phenomenon. Recently the web site of Multichannel News, a leading cable television trade publication, ran an article called ?Ultimate Fighting Pins PPV To the Mat?. It stated, ?The UFC is averaging between 200,000 and 350,000 buys each for its 10 PPV events a year, according to PPV executives familiar with the franchise. UFC officials refuse to reveal specific figures.?

While it is certainly premature to declare UFC as more popular than boxing, or boxing as ready to die, they each are, for now anyway, headed in opposite directions. While UFC itself has numerous problems, those are best left discussed elsewhere since so many in the boxing world still propagate so much ignorant, biased, uninformed, deceptive, and just plain imbecilic nonsense about UFC. What is key here to understand is that UFC?s recent success is not a significant cause of boxing?s steady decline.

Boxing?s pay-per-view model has not only walled off over an entire generation from being able to view live top-level fights on television. It has also discredited itself as a medium due to one fiasco after another.

For example, at the time, the pay-per-view with the greatest number of buys was the first fight between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, on Nov. 9, 1996. That drew, according to a report by Showtime Entertainment Television on American pay-per-view in the decade of the 1990?s, 1.6 million buys. Since many fans still believed that Tyson was invincible and just had an off night, the rematch did tremendous business. That took place June 28, 1997, drew a record 1.99 million buys, and, of course, went down in history as the infamous ?bite fight? where Tyson was disqualified for biting off parts of Holyfield?s ears.

Then there were the controversies in the Lewis-Holyfield I ?draw? in March 1999, with 1.1 million buys, and the Trinidad-De La Hoya decision in Sept. 1999, with 1.4 million buys. That magical million mark was only hit again three years later, in June 2002, with Tyson-Lewis getting approximately two million buys. That pretty much killed the myth of Tyson (by the way, happy 40th, Mike). The million mark was only reached one more time, in Sept. 2004, when pay-per-view?s number-two draw, De La Hoya, was knocked out by Bernard Hopkins in nine, largely signaling the beginning of his exit from boxing?s main stage.

So who is left as a major pay-per-view draw? And what do any of these buy rate-killing fiascos have to do with UFC?

Roughly around the same period when boxing began soaring on pay-per-view, the mid-1990?s, was also when UFC achieved its first wave of success. UFC V, in April 1995, got about 240,000 buys (some estimates are a bit higher) at a time when only about 20 million American households could even get pay-per-view, as opposed to over 50 million today. Other UFC shows in 1994-6 drew between about 150,000 and 190,000 buys. Later came the ban on cable TV in the U.S. of UFC, which almost destroyed that company and took many years from which to recover. But both UFC and boxing were doing well on pay-per-view in that period, with each falling for different reasons.

There are many reasons for UFC?s recent growth, and not just the success of its ?reality? show. UFC, as well as the mixed martial arts as a whole, embraced the culture of the Internet early on. Boxing, as an industry as a whole, still has not.

It was the years of using the Internet to provide information, allow discussion, and rally the fan base against the cable ban which was decisive in turning the tide, a fact even grudgingly admitted by executives from pay-per-view distributor In Demand when the ban was finally lifted in 2001. (And for those who haven?t read my bio, I played my part in that battle as host of the daily ?No Holds Barred? Internet radio show, which covered all the combat sports including mixed martial arts, boxing, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and real wrestling, on the talk network eYada.com, from 1999 to 2001.)

While the boxing business was complaining about having to give so many media credentials to web sites, mixed martial arts was using its own web sites to mobilize itself. The largest mixed martial arts news site today is Sherdog.com, which, according to Alexa.com, on June 27 had a ranking of 2,742. The web site of the UFC, ufc.com, had on that day a ranking of 4,801. Those are both better than any boxing site.

UFC has also hired MaxBoxing?s Tom Gerbasi to write for its site, albeit articles which have to reflect the corporate line. How many boxing promoters have hired any top writers to acquaint their fans online with their fighters and get them interested in them? (It should be added that there is now a major dispute between UFC and the independent mixed martial arts sites like Sherdog.com, as UFC has been denying them media credentials. Again, that dispute is best discussed elsewhere.)

It is true that both HBO and Showtime have boxing pages on their web sites with fighter profiles and data. But the Alexa ranking for HBO?s ENTIRE site on June 27 was 2,672 ? almost the same as that for Sherdog.com alone. Showtime?s overall ranking was 9,055, again lower than these other mixed martial arts sites. While ESPN.com?s overall ranking is 24, and we have no breakdown for its boxing page, note that boxing is not even given its own link at the top of that page as so many other sports are, but is only listed under the ?more? category.

It is thus not only the absence of undisputed world champions, the plague of the multiple sanctioning bodies, the weakness in the heavyweight division, and even the corruption and often absurd officiating which rob the sport of most of its credibility and thus push it downward. Those are all major factors, and have been for some time.

Boxing?s decline has been intensified by its failure to embrace fully and decisively the culture of the Internet. Instead it remains a prisoner of the culture of the newspaper.

UFC, and mixed martial arts as a whole, never had a chance to do the same, as almost all the mainstream publications heaped slander on them while doing the same bang-up job of research they did on issues like ?weapons of mass destruction? in Iraq. Mixed martial arts thus had no choice but to bet on the Internet, and that longshot investment is paying off handsomely now.

Much more can and will be said on these issues of fear and loathing of the Internet in boxing. But here is one more tidbit: For this article I wanted to compare the rating for Saturday?s UFC show with HBO?s boxing show. I e-mailed two people at HBO for this information Tuesday afternoon. So far (Thursday afternoon) I have received no response.

[Crafty_Dog]

Note the comments at the very end about the UFC:
======================

Clothes don't make this man
Jones went from gold medal to selling garments on the street until Mayweather came calling
November 4, 2006


LAS VEGAS ? If it weren't for Nate Jones, it would be tempting to dismiss Floyd Mayweather as just another loud-mouthed, pampered, super-macho professional boxer. Mayweather gets points this fight week for knowing it was time for primping and promoting tonight's WBC welterweight title fight against Carlos Baldomir of Argentina at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

He knows there are two measures of a fighter ? winning, and home pay-per-view buys. Before he steps into the ring, the latter needs to take precedence over the former. Losing is one thing. Losing with fewer than 400,000 buys is a disaster.  So, as he went to his early-week TV appearances, open workouts and photo ops, he worked his boxer's braggadocio at every stop. Always, he says he is the best, maybe the best ever. He says he has never had a moment's fear in the ring, nor before he stepped into one. He has not been tired during a fight, nor after one.

With boxers, it appears that if they say it often and loud enough, everybody eventually will believe it. Especially the boxer.

Still, once you meet Nate Jones and hear his story, you have a much easier time stomaching ? key word here, and we'll get to that ? the Mayweather show.

Lots of the hype and attitude are predictable. Mayweather's record is 36-0, with 24 knockouts. He has held titles in the sport's various alphabet-soup sanctioning groups at lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight (147 pounds), and now seems intent on creating a legacy on the level of Ali, Leonard and De La Hoya while, at 29, still fighting.

"All roads in boxing lead to Floyd Mayweather," he says. "I am the face of boxing."

He also says that among his attributes is humility. That brings to mind the axiom that, if you have to tell somebody you are humble, you aren't.  Understandably, it is hard to be humble when everywhere you go in Mandalay, your picture is on the wall, 20 feet high; your name is projected in lights onto the walkways, and the suite they put you in has big screen TVs that also serve as entire walls.

The workout scene features a constant barrage of rap music, a red Ferrari parked outside that says "MAYWEATHER" in chrome above the license plate and the ever-present entourage of backslappers and errand boys, who wear T-shirts advertising Mayweather's music-business endeavors, "Philthy Rich Records," and whose ultimate job seems to be holding up his title belts at public appearances.

In the middle of this, Jones is a quiet presence.

He won a bronze medal as a heavyweight in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the same Olympics and medal as Mayweather. Jones fought 21 professional fights after that, even held a North America Boxing Assn., title, and took a 19-1 record into a fight in Reading, Pa., against Lamon Brewster on Feb. 2, 2002.

In that one, Brewster got Jones against the ropes in the second round and unleashed 20 straight blows that Jones somehow survived. In the next round, the referee stopped it. Jones was done fighting. He says he has nerve damage in his neck. A report after the fight said that doctors advised him to stop because their tests showed "diminished speech and reflexes."

He continued to get medical help until, he says, "Don King stopped paying the bills."

King was Jones' promoter during his brief pro career, and Jones says they are still friends and he understands why King cut off funds. 

That meant, though, that Jones, a product of one of the worst and most dangerous housing projects in the country, Chicago's old Cabrini-Green, had to find a new way to support his wife and five children. That was complicated by the time he'd spent in jail in the early 1990s for robbery and car theft. Felonies don't play well on job resumes.

So Jones became a haberdasher, of sorts. He says he would drive to New York City, pick up some clothes cheap ? "wholesale" may not be quite the right term ? and go out on the streets of Chicago to sell them.
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"There were times, in the winter, when I'm out there and it was so cold I couldn't stand it," he says. "I didn't know what to do, but I had those kids at home."

On one of those cold days, he got a reprieve. It was a phone call from Mayweather, who was training for a fight against DeMarcus Corley in Atlantic City, N.J., in March 2004. According to Jones, Mayweather had heard what had happened, what Jones was doing, and ordered him to get on the next flight to Atlantic City.

 "We had been friends, so he checked up on me," says Jones, adding that the friendship began when they both won national Golden Gloves titles in Milwaukee in 1994, two years after Jones' release from prison.

"I disliked him right away," Jones says. "He talked all the time and I told him to shut up. Then I went and saw him fight and I said, 'Oh, my, this guy is something.' I went and told him that. He went and watched me fight. We both won. We've been friends ever since."

More recently, Mayweather had the one thing Jones needed most, employment. Jones is part of Mayweather's training team, is paid year-round, and when it is time for a fight, comes to Las Vegas for months at a time. His contribution is unusual.

Almost every session, Jones, at 270 pounds, puts on a chest-and-stomach protector, made of hard foam and resembling baseball catching equipment, and climbs into the ring. Then, with blocking pads on his hands, and towering over the 147-pound Mayweather, he moves slowly and menacingly forward while Mayweather pounds his chest, ribs and stomach with hooks, jabs and uppercuts. Sometimes, this goes on for nearly half an hour.

Jones, who got up to 325 pounds and is now hoping to lose enough weight to try a comeback, is a human punching bag. If you saw up close the ferocity with which Mayweather hits, you would feel the need to pray for Baldomir.

Jones says he has never seen a training drill exactly like this. He says it is the creation of Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's trainer, advisor and best friend, the one person on Team Mayweather who seems able to bring order out of constant chaos.

"I saw Leonard put on the pads and get dropped to his knees a couple of times," Jones says, "and Leonard's a strong guy. Ain't nobody in camp but me can take it."

The after-effects?

"I go and I sit down, and I get gas," Jones says. "I've got to buy lots of Pepto-Bismol."

So, it turns out that Mayweather, the boxer with the quick jab and the quicker tongue, the guy who wants the world to see only a tough guy, is a softy when it comes to friends. He seems uncomfortable even talking about it.

"Me and Nate, we go back before boxing," he says.

On Halloween night, we watch silly photo-ops. Mayweather makes his grand appearance at the Mandalay entrance in an old red Cadillac, the model with ugly fins. He is wearing black pinstriped pants and vest, red shirt and red hat with a four-foot feather. A public-relations woman, Kelly Swanson, positions photographers for shots of Floyd giving candy to little girls with pumpkin sacks.

"If I can just get a shot on 'SportsCenter,' " says Swanson.

We watch two days later as Goossen-Tutor Promotions holds one of the silliest news conferences in the history of boxing, which is saying something.  There are 22 people seated, most of whom eventually speak. There is a guy who is selling shoes and brings his main investor to the podium with him.  There are the usual three guys, standing behind Mayweather, holding title belts, and two shapely underdressed women, neither of whom you would bring home to mother, standing nearby for no apparent reason. Swanson eventually shoos them off to the side.  Two Mandalay guys shill for Mandalay, an HBO guy shills for HBO, and promoter Dan Goossen shills for everything else.  It ends, mercifully, when the nicest, mildest-mannered person in the room, Ellerbe, tells Baldomir there are two ways he can go out, on his face or on his rear end. Then he adds that there is a third way, and tosses a little white flag in Baldomir's lap.  Baldomir's manager throws water on Ellerbe, and Mayweather throws water on Baldomir's manager.

You watch, giggle and marvel that boxing still thinks this stuff works, that it can't see itself imploding by its own hands while the guys down the street who run the Ultimate Fighting Championship are laughing and taking boxing's business away.

You feel good, though, because there was a story to tell, even if boxing had no idea what it was, and never will. You have met Nate Jones, been exposed to the decent side of Floyd Mayweather, and are able to leave town before having to put on rubber boots.

*

Bill Dwyre can be reached at bill.dwyre@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Dwyre, go to latimes.com/dwyre.

[Crafty_Dog]

Second post on this fight:
====================

Baldomir has the deck stacked against him
Though he's the champ, all signs point to a Mayweather victory in tonight's fight.
By Steve Springer, Times Staff Writer
November 4, 2006


LAS VEGAS ? If you think World Boxing Council welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir will successfully defend his title against Floyd Mayweather tonight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, the odds are:

A.) You're from Argentina.

B.) You like to bet on underdogs.

C.) You've never seen Mayweather fight.

D.) You don't know much about boxing.

Emanuel Steward, one of the most respected trainers in boxing, is none of the above. He knows that Mayweather, 36-0 with 24 knockouts and a 5-1 favorite in tonight's match, is almost universally recognized as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He knows that Mayweather has extremely quick feet, fast hands and more-than-adequate power.

Steward knows that Baldomir, who is from Santa Fe, Argentina, has a mediocre record (43-9-6, 13 knockouts), and has a slow, plodding style that, against Mayweather, may make Baldomir look as if somebody had hit the slow-motion button on the remote control.

Yet Steward gives Baldomir a good chance, focusing on his recent accomplishments in the ring. Baldomir emerged from relative obscurity to stun the boxing world by winning a unanimous decision over Zab Judah in January to give Baldomir his first major championship. And he defended the title in July with a victory over Arturo Gatti, stopping him in the ninth round.

"This is the first fight I personally have thought Floyd might lose," Steward said. "He has never fought a guy as physically, mentally and spiritually fit as Baldomir. Physically, Baldomir is a strong guy. Mentally, he is tough. Spiritually, he believes in himself. He hasn't lost a fight in eight years."

Mayweather shrugs off such dire speculation with an easy smile, as he does Baldomir's opinion that Mayweather is not the dazzling fighter at 147 pounds that he was at lower weights. "He's a bigger, slow Floyd Mayweather," said Baldomir through an interpreter. "That is why I am going to win."

There are two other questions about Mayweather heading into tonight's fight.

One is the absence of his trainer and uncle, Roger Mayweather, who is serving a sixth-month jail sentence on a felony battery conviction. And even if Roger were free, he wouldn't have been able to work his nephew's corner because his license was revoked after he instigated a brawl at the Floyd Mayweather-Judah fight in April.

Leonard Ellerbe, Floyd's manager, shrugs off that concern. He has backed up Roger in the corner for nine years and will be the trainer in charge tonight.

"It will be business as usual," Ellerbe said. "This fight will be decided by Baldomir and Floyd in the ring. It won't be decided by who is in the corner. This is not about me.

"After the first round, Baldomir will go to his corner and ask himself what he got into. Floyd is so fast, Baldomir will think he is fighting three Floyds."

The other concern is the large shadow of Oscar De La Hoya looming on the horizon. Negotiations for a blockbuster May fight between Mayweather and De La Hoya, a fight that would figure to generate more than a million pay-per-view buys, will intensify if Mayweather wins tonight.

Mayweather insists he's not looking beyond Baldomir, nor looking at De La Hoya.

"I'm the best in the world," Mayweather said. "It's my time. All roads lead to Floyd Mayweather, with or without Oscar De La Hoya."

*


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
steve.springer@latimes.com

[C-Kumu Dog]

From www.fightnews.com

Tua Stops Wheeler!!!
By Matt Richardson & Jason "J-Gon" Gonzalez
Former world heavyweight championship challenger David Tua won his second consecutive comeback fight in New York when he stopped journeyman Maurice Wheeler in the seventh round of a scheduled ten in the main event of promoter Cedric Kushner's "Gotham Boxing" at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City.


Briggs KOs Liakhovich!
By Chad Barcus and Oscar Paredes at ringside
Shannon Briggs (48-4-1, 41 KOs) scored an explosive twelfth round knockout over Sergei "White Wolf" Liakhovich (23-2, 14 KOs) to claim the WBO heavyweight championship on Saturday night at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Action was very measured for most the fight as both fighters appeared wary of engaging in sustained exchanges. Finally in the twelfth round, with about 30 seconds left in the fight, Briggs floored Liakhovich, then blasted him completely out of the ring to win the title. Entering the last round, Liakhovich was leading 106-103, 106-103, 105-104. With the win, Briggs breaks the monopoly on the major heavyweight titles by former Soviet fighters.

Im pretty sure we will end up seeing these two heavies throwin down sometime next year.... Im going to root for my man Tua, although I do like both boxers.

[bjung]

wow. i saw baldomir's last two fights and thought he'd be more competitive, but mayweather was just on another level.

[Crafty_Dog]

http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-spwatch054962770nov05,0,1560345.column

 Neil Best
SPORTS WATCH 

Boxing: It's down but not out
November 5, 2006


Back in January we left a message for Bob Arum, seeking his take on the sorry state of TV boxing. This was after HBO Sports' Ross Greenburg fingered promoters and managers as "short-term greedy."  Arum never called back. But SportsWatch never gives up, and Tuesday we cornered him over lunch at the Friars Club - an old-school venue for an old- school promoter.
 
Turns out he agrees with Greenburg that there are far too many quality fights relegated to pay per view, and he did not excuse promoters for that. But not surprisingly, he put more blame on the fighters.

"I try very much to steer it to [non-PPV] pay television, but it's a competitive environment," he said. "Some fighters will understand that hey, the exposure is much better. This is for the future. Other guys say, just give me the money."

There were several curse words excised from the above, the kind of colorful language that makes it difficult not to like the 74-year-old, Harvard-educated, Las Vegas-based New Yorker - even if, as with everyone in boxing, it is wise not to believe everything he says.  Arum is long removed from his days promoting the likes of Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, but he's still plugging away and does not sugarcoat the challenges facing the sport.  Among them, he said, is the difficulty young fighters, especially Americans, have getting exposure from HBO and Showtime, which prefer big names. Arum cited one of his own, Kelly Pavlik, a middleweight who Thursday fought on the latest Versus card, for which Arum provides bouts.

The quality of the Versus cards, which debuted in July, has been uneven; like those on other outlets, they are a big step down from HBO and Showtime. But Arum said they are the type of showcase the sport and unheralded boxers need.  Of course, it could just be that mainstream America is through with boxing for good. Times change. Now boxing must battle even for what should be its natural audience.  Ultimate Fighting Championship, which combines boxing, wrestling and martial arts, has been a ratings hit among young males.  In the 18-34 age group, a Tito Ortiz-Ken Shamrock fight Oct. 10 on Spike TV beat recent boxing cards, the World Series and almost everything else in cable sports other than football.

Arum praised UFC for doing a better job of putting on a show for fans outside the ring than does boxing, and admitted UFC has "got us jealous," given its ratings and demographics.

"There is an acquired taste for that type of combat," he said. "I don't like it, but I'm not the be-all-and-end-all."

Nor is boxing itself, which often is relegated to programming filler.  Through it all, Arum plows on. Why does he bother? Because he still makes money, and because, he added, "I'm having fun."

[C-Kumu Dog]

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=8879&more=1

For those of you that would like to see the David Tua vs Ike Ibeabuchi fight
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=89DCF56FEE511A59



Ike Ibeabuchi Interview: "The President? Wants To Get Back On The Campaign Trail!

13.11.06 - By Izyaslav ?Slava? Koza: When I first started getting into boxing discussion and following the sport a few years back, I won a VHS tape full of any recorded fights of my choosing the owner could fit on there. At that time, sharing clips was not really all that common, so I was lucky enough to obtain some fights I never watched live.

Without thinking, two of the bouts I selected involved a fighter by the name of Ike Ibeabuchi, who was still quite a hot topic, considering he was no longer active. For those who follow the sport, it?s pretty obvious that the bouts also involved David Tua and Chris Byrd and some very interesting circumstances. Before Wladimir Klitschko recently pulverized Byrd, the only time Chris had ever been stopped was against Ibeabuchi, but what was more intriguing was the manner in which it happened.

In the words of many excited fans, not only did Ibeabuchi stop Byrd, but he was able to land about as hard and decapitating a barrage as any of the billion elites that Byrd had faced in his entire career. Those that have seen the stoppage, will most likely bring it up any time vicious knockouts are discussed.

As far as the Tua fight goes, the reason I selected the bout is that what both men accomplished in terms of punches thrown over 12 rounds, was enough to break any 15 round punch thrown record in the history of boxing. To date that is one of the greatest displays of heavyweight boxing that I have ever had the pleasure of watching.

Now I am not here to discuss Ibeabuchi?s guilt or innocence because I don?t know enough about the case to be committed to a serious opinion. However, the life a boxer has outside the ring is not relevant to the things he accomplishes in it. Ike deserves our respect for the things he has already done for our entertainment, and as you shall see for not wasting, or giving up on life in prison. For that alone, we wish Ike luck and at the very least another chance at freedom because that is what America is all about, anyway.

ESB: First of all, Ike, thank you a great deal for doing this because it means a lot.

Ike Ibeabuchi: You?re welcome. Like I stated before, there is nothing that I will not do for my fans.

ESB: I can?t begin to tell you how hopeful some fans got in June 2005 when there was a chance that you could be paroled. When is your next parole hearing and can fans do anything to help you?

Ike Ibeabuchi: With all due respect, to the date of my last parole hearing, it was August 2004 not June 2005. My next parole hearing is scheduled for August 2007.

I don?t quite know what fans can do to help me. I suppose letters of concern to various state of Nevada officials, on my behalf, wouldn?t hurt (Governor, Secretary of State, Parole Commissioner, etc.). I would welcome any support I can get, even from President Bush. I hear he is a big boxing fan.

ESB: Can you describe your daily routine for us? I know one of the problems must be the inability to do real road-work or any traditional boxing exercises, but can you still do something to stay in shape?

Ike Ibeabuchi: My daily routine begins with prayer and fasting from 6:00 am to 12:00pm, during which time I do a rigorous workout. I will not reveal the specifics of my workout. I do not want the competition getting an early read, if you know what I mean. I do run, but not the traditional roadwork. I'm limited here.

I believe what the fans really want to know, is whether I am in shape. The answer is yes.

I'm in shape to fight right now. My boxing program includes shadow boxing and the study of "Psycho-pugilism". God willing, I shall introduce the world o? boxing to my new supreme delicacy Psycho-pugilism (The Food of The Warrior Boxing God) upon my eventual return to the ring.

I also study, go to school (college classes), and watch a little soap opera. I watch Law & Order and Jeopardy, almost everyday. By 10:00 pm, I'm in my room for the late evening news. I read mail and e-mails from my fans, and answer them accordingly. My evening is closed with a prayer while lying down in my bed.

ESB: The story of Mike Tyson?s stint in jail was to some degree glamorized and it was suggested the other inmates were afraid of him. Can you tell us how the other inmates respond to you and how you interact with them?

Ike Ibeabuchi: Unlike Mike Tyson, I am housed in the general population with other inmates. Therefore, I have the opportunity to mingle with inmates of different races and cultural backgrounds.

ESB: How does it feel when 1500 inmates call you ?The Champ??

Ike Ibeabuchi: Flattering. But God knows they are right. The justification being my accomplishments since my incarceration. My composure, tenacity, endurance, and overall conduct, worth emulating here in the prison. In short, I set positive examples. I identify all fellow inmates as ?bro.? Many of them are even willing to do my time for me, for no cost. They are my turpitude, and I respect them dearly.

ESB: Without a doubt, the most memorable moment of your career to most fans is the devastating punch that basically did in Chris Byrd. Whenever fans ask about you on boxing forums, this is the first video clip they are shown. I am sure you were asked this before but can you please describe that whole moment one more time for us?

Ike Ibeabuchi: It was memorable but not the most. It was memorable because it was episodic. I was fighting circumstances of a fa?ade outside of boxing, when the Chris Byrd fight was made. The most memorable moments were each of my ring entrances, where I displayed my ingenuity, which got better and better each time.

To describe the Chris Byrd fight, is to teach or describe how to catch or kill a fly with your bare hands. Do not try to catch the fly directly, even as it is perched or rests. Always aim at the vacuum of its escape. Most of the time, the vacuum becomes the fly at last when you open your hand.

ESB: Do you have any idea what reasoning Byrd tried to use in arguing with the referee when he got up? Many fans always asked what Byrd was trying to say there.

Ike Ibeabuchi: He didn't believe I was able to do that to him, to out smart him. Of course, he's a "spartan." He is not going to quit until he can't breathe anymore. After all, he did become a world champion.

ESB: The most memorable fight of your career was unquestionably the record breaking bomb fest against David Tua. Even though Tua has been beaten, nobody has ever done what you have against him. In preparation for that fight, did you train for precisely that kind of fight?

Ike Ibeabuchi: You see, it took only two fights to define me for most fans, David Tua and Chris Byrd. Two contrasting styles. Indeed, a symbolic crucifix gesture; that is by the way. Tua was tough, but to beat him, I had to do things only a superman would do. With the help of Curtis Cokes, my trainer, I had to be a genie. A sledgehammer wouldn't have stopped me that night. I was thinking 15 rounds of boxing. 12 rounds was just incomplete. Remember now, in round 12, I started my round one routine again, indicating that I was beginning to do a second lap.

ESB: Do you still follow boxing? If so, can you give a few thoughts on the following fighters (strengths, weaknesses, and How you would fight them)?

Ike Ibeabuchi: I follow boxing.

ESB: Henry Akinwande?

Ike Ibeabuchi: Is he still boxing? I would hold him all night long.

ESB: Shannon Briggs?

Ike Ibeabuchi: I will make sure we are not fighting in New Jersey and then I will be alright.

ESB: Calvin Brock?

Ike Ibeabuchi: When it comes to costing, I am the project, and he is the job order. Point made.

ESB: Wladimir Klitschko?

Ike Ibeabuchi: It takes a longer time to obtain a Ph.D in the English language courses.

ESB: Sergei Lyakhovich?

Ike Ibeabuchi: It takes God and Heartbreaks to be a great finisher.

ESB: Oleg Maskaev?

Ike Ibeabuchi: I?m impressed but you know when the cats are away, the mice will play.

ESB: Samuel Peter?

Ike Ibeabuchi: All my brother needs to do is take his time.

ESB: Hasim Rahman?

Ike Ibeabuchi: It?s time to become a full-fledged politician. He practically knows everything.

ESB: Nikolai Valuev?

Ike Ibeabuchi: I can?t wait to fight a man at least.

ESB: Which of them is the best fighter right now in the division?

Ike Ibeabuchi: Samuel Peter is the best fighter, but he's got to take his time to inflict pain to prove it.

ESB: Which boxers are you friends with?

Ike Ibeabuchi: Do you mean before a fight, or after a fight? No War, NO FRIENDS!

ESB: Who is the best p4p in the world right now?

Ike Ibeabuchi: My "boy," Floyd Maywhether. When I see Floyd, and all his charisma, I say to him, "Thank You.?

ESB: Ike, I know life in Prison is a very difficult thing, so can you tell us what helps you keep your head together, and helps you get through the days?

Ike Ibeabuchi: My life, even in prison, depicts a life that has been lived in the bible many times. I like to see myself as the (Baptist or the Messiah with God 1st), like Daniel in the Lion?s Den, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, but never burned, like Jacob who had run from his hairy brother in Dallas. Like Samson who saw wisdom and humility when his eyes were gone, like Moses who ruled scorpions and snakes in the desert, and I could go on and on.

ESB: What do you miss the most about being on the outside?

Ike Ibeabuchi: I miss everything a man in need would.

ESB: How did you get your nickname "The President??

Ike Ibeabuchi: Alright ?now,? with all due respect to the President of anything, and grandiosity apart, I am so way above that name ?President,? so condescending. Shelly Mann, of Dallas, can agree with me, too. I?d rather be known by my real name in full "Ikemefula." It is ?nine? letters, indeed. A prayer to God for my strength to keep.

ESB: What do you want to say in closing to all your fans and the people reading this interview?

Ike Ibeabuchi: I would like the fans to know that I am an innocent man, and that I am being made a scapegoat for my perspicacity. Many know this. Nevertheless, I am dealing with this unfortunate circumstance to the very best of my ability. I have not stopped fighting and I never will. I was proclaimed the most dangerous man in the ring in 1999.

Now with my academic achievements and life experiences, I feel I have the ability to take huge strides outside the ring as well. Still, I equally share your pains of deprived quality boxing entertainment. With your continued support for justice, perhaps we can reverse the situation and get a rightful and true heavyweight champion back in the ring.

I love you all, and thank you for your untiring continued support in and out of the ring.

ESB: Ike, thank you again for doing this. Do you want your fans to write you and should we make public your email address?

Ike Ibeabuchi: Yes, my fans may write or email me at the following address, or web-site. I look forward to hearing from them.


Email: Ike@Ikeibeabuchi.org, Ike@Ikeibeabuchi.com


Mailing Address:

Ikemefula C. Ibeabuchi 71979

NSP/ PO BOX 607

Carson City, Nevada 89702-0607

United States of America

I want to thank Ike?s mother Patricia for helping out in getting this interview.

On the Horizon: Interview with #1 contender Sultan Ibragimov.

[C-Kumu Dog]

 Oscar-Floyd is on for May 5!
By Karl Freitag
Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather have reached an agreement to fight on May 5. The fight was finalized today. The bout will be promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. "We are not going to comment what the deal is," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told Fightnews.com. "It's a fair deal and if the pay-per-view hits the numbers which we anticipate it will, it will be new record payday for both guys.....It's going to be big. It's clearly the biggest fight in boxing and I think it's the kind of fight which will transcend and which will clearly capture the interest of the American public and the American sports fans, because it is Mayweather pound-for-pound number one fighter in the sport against Oscar, the most popular and biggest name in the sport. Actually I was looking today at Oscar's trophy case in our office and I was standing in front of one of the belts which was a ring belt that had 'Oscar De La Hoya, pound for pound' on it, and it was 1997. So here we are ten years later and the question is, can he do it again?"


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oscar realizes this is a dangerous fight," continued Schaefer. "He realizes that he's going in as the underdog, but this is what exactly motivates him, this is what gets him going, this is what he is about and what his entire career is all about. Always going for the biggest challenges. I think that's what his active career was and that's what he'll be remembered for. The guy who always took on the biggest and the best."
Monday, November 13 2006

[Jeff Gentry]

Oscar-Floyd is on for May 5!
By Karl Freitag
Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather have reached an agreement to fight on May 5. The fight was finalized today. The bout will be promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. "We are not going to comment what the deal is," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told Fightnews.com. "It's a fair deal and if the pay-per-view hits the numbers which we anticipate it will, it will be new record payday for both guys.....It's going to be big. It's clearly the biggest fight in boxing and I think it's the kind of fight which will transcend and which will clearly capture the interest of the American public and the American sports fans, because it is Mayweather pound-for-pound number one fighter in the sport against Oscar, the most popular and biggest name in the sport. Actually I was looking today at Oscar's trophy case in our office and I was standing in front of one of the belts which was a ring belt that had 'Oscar De La Hoya, pound for pound' on it, and it was 1997. So here we are ten years later and the question is, can he do it again?"


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oscar realizes this is a dangerous fight," continued Schaefer. "He realizes that he's going in as the underdog, but this is what exactly motivates him, this is what gets him going, this is what he is about and what his entire career is all about. Always going for the biggest challenges. I think that's what his active career was and that's what he'll be remembered for. The guy who always took on the biggest and the best."
Monday, November 13 2006

I think this is going to be a good fight i like Mayweather.


Jeff

[bjung]

any predictions for the pac-morales fight?

[Crafty_Dog]

Former boxing champion Mike Tyson is to become a male escort after agreeing to work at legendary Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss' new legalized brothel for women. Fleiss bought 60 acres of land in Nevada, and his work is scheduled to begin on Heidi's Stud Farm.
She has high hopes for Tyson, once heavyweight champion of the world - despite the fact he is a convicted rapist.

She says, "I told him, 'You're going to be my big stallion.' It's every man's fear that their girlfriend will go for Mike Tyson."

Tyson, 40, adds, "I don't care what any man says, it's every man's dream to please every woman - and get paid for it."

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2006/11/16/mike_tyson_to_be_a_prostitute?full=1

via FARK.com

[Jeff Gentry]

any predictions for the pac-morales fight?

I like pacman for this one, something about Pacman's style appeal's to me.

Jeff

[Crafty_Dog]

vs Willard 1919:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_2pvIMalLM&mode=related&search=

vs Carpentier 1921:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WySmNbLO3nk&mode=related&search=

vs Firpo 1923:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i8CGEOssUI&mode=related&search=

vs Sharkey 1927:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuP0F0dXvQE&mode=related&search=

[bjung]

sugar shane looked pretty good in his fight last weekend. did anyone else catch it?

[C-Kumu Dog]

Unfortunately I didnt find out about it until afterwards. 

[C-Kumu Dog]

Oscar and Floyd have been on the road promoting their fight, things are starting to heat up..

These articles can be found at www.fghtnews.com

Day 2: Oscar-Floyd Tour!

February 22, 2007

By Gary "Digital" Williams & Julian Burgower
Photos: Mike Greenhill

 
Washington DC's Historic Union Station is known as the gateway into the nation's capital, where railway tracks intersect one another in connecting thousands of people every day transiting through and into the city. It the most visited site in Washington, impressive considering that the city hosts such other national hallmarks as the White House, Vietnam Memorial and the Washington Monument.

An estimated 3,000 boxing fans were on hand Wednesday at the station, hoping to catch an eye of two of today's most celebrated warriors -- Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather. In promotion of their May 5th showdown, fans were able today to witness the world of sport imitating the 100-year old landmark in which the traveling press conference was held. Not unlike the endless tracks and glorious archways that Union Station has become to be known, they found two fighters intersecting together in their illustrious careers and looking to walk through the gateway of pugilistic immortality.

Washington, DC was number three on a list of 11 cities to be covered in the much anticipated bout, which is being forecasted to be the highest grossing boxing event in history. HBO's Mark Taffett, impressed with the DC turnout, stated that it is so far the largest crowd of fans since the tour began in New York on February 20th.

As in the previous two press conferences in New York and Philadelphia, Mayweather was introduced first, playing to the pro-"Pretty Boy" crowd as he posed for pictures, signed autographs and stripped down shirtless as his diamond encrusted jewelry sparkled under the lights.

"I know that Oscar will bring his A-game and of course I always bring my A-game- that's why I never turn up on the short end of the stick," declared the always-confident Mayweather. Mayweather continued to reaffirm that the bout was to be his last in a hall of fame career, although many have speculated that the announcement is a promotional ploy or that he will not be able, as many before him, to walk away from the sport at such a high level. "I don't have nothing else to prove to nobody else in the sport. As long as my mother is happy and as long as my children are happy, then I'm happy. I came into this sport to be a legend. On May 5th I'm going to put the official stamp on my legacy."

Mayweather declared that, although he respected De La Hoya's accomplishments as a fighter, De La Hoya was hand fed the right opponents at the right time, a product of careful matchmaking. "He beat Camacho, but he was over the hill. He beat Pernell Whitaker, but he was over the hill. He beat Julio Cesar Chavez, but he was over the hill." No mention though of Oscar's wins over a prime Ike Quartey and disputed decision loss to Felix Trinidad. "Pretty Boy" also guaranteed that he would punish De La Hoya in a toe-to-toe affair and force him into submission. "You can fall on your face; you can fall on your ass; you can fall on your back, or," as Mayweather waved a souvenir flag in front of "The Golden Boy's" face, "you can go like this! I'm known for making them quit!"

The Mayweather camp also chided De La Hoya for being stopped by Bernard Hopkins, current light heavyweight champion and president of Golden Boy East, insinuating that De La Hoya and Hopkins' business relationship after their middleweight championship bout put a question mark on the result as something of a shady nature.

De La Hoya was introduced next, surprisingly to a mixture of both cheers and boos. Much more subdued in his manner, De La Hoya, after thanking his fans and supporters in Washington, also praised Mayweather as a fighter, but pleaded with him to continue his antics. "I'm extremely, extremely motivated for this fight. All the trash talking that you've been doing, that's fine and dandy. He can trash talk all he wants, but come May 5th…he will go down."

As De La Hoya spoke, Mayweather played to the gregarious crowd by imitating Oscar's stand-up fighting style and standing in front of him while he was speaking to use the dais to sign an autograph. "He has no idea what he's getting himself into," seethed De La Hoya. "No idea! You can talk and talk and talk and talk. Just keep going…I urge you to keep going. Keep going!"

De La Hoya concluded with a spirited message in Spanish, which is loosely translated as, "To my people, a special thanks. Thank you for your support. On May 5th, we will find out who is going to win -- the clown or me."

A complete list of cities, locations and schedule for the remaining portion of the De La Hoya- Mayweather Tour can be found here





--------------------------------------------------------------------
Mayweather Mad in Motown!
 

February 22, 2007

 

by Andre Courtemanche

Although they were in his home state of Michigan, "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather was in no mood to play gracious host to Oscar De La Hoya at today's press conference, at Cobo Hall in Detroit, to hype the upcoming bout between the two enormously popular fighters.

 

In front of a large crowd of evenly divided fans, Mayweather sprayed a torrent of threats and insults as a surprisingly restrained De La Hoya kept his cool, smiling and laughing.

 

The two superstars will meet for De La Hoya's WBC Light Middleweight title on Saturday, May 5, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and live on HBO PPV in a fight entitled "The World Awaits."

 

"It comes down to the Golden Boy against the Pretty Boy and Oscar makes a lot of mistakes," growled the aggressive Mayweather. "I love boxing and I do it well and you all know what I'm going to do to him. May 5, I'm going to bite that ass and he knows it."

 

With a large crowd of evenly divided supporters looking on, Mayweather, who openly professes his dislike for De La Hoya, continued "jumping on his nerves."

 

"37 opponents before him said what they would do to me and they all came up short. This is just number 38. He's going to come up short too. He can say whatever he wants to say, but the eyes tell it all. Look at his eyes. Step up to the plate, you bum. We both have fans, but more fans believe in me, that's why I'm the favorite."

 

Mayweather says he sees a victory over De La Hoya as the icing on a cake that will be presented to him many years from now. "This fight is about putting a stamp on my legacy. This fight is a box and beating him will put a stamp on the box and mail it to (the Boxing Hall of Fame in) Canastota, New York."

 

Exuding confidence, the four-division world champion claims his job will be easier than some think. "He's won a lot of titles, but all his opponents were hand-picked. With my dad in his corner, his chances were slim and none. Without my dad, Slim has left town. I just have to take my time. The game plan is to break him down, go to the body early. Make him miss and make him pay. I just need to go out and execute."

[Crafty_Dog]

Man, 91, challenges Jack LaLanne, 92 Wed Mar 7, 5:53 PM ET
 


LEWISTON, Maine - All of that Florida sun must be getting to Maine snowbird Roland Fortin. The 91-year-old has laid down a challenge to box fitness guru Jack LaLanne, who's 92. Fortin, former "cut man" for retired boxing champ Joey Gamache, said the idea for the four-round bout was hatched at the Tropical Gym in Pompano Beach, where Fortin works out during the winter in Florida.

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The South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale ran the challenge in a half-page ad that gym owner Troy Eckonen took out for Super Bowl Sunday. The purpose, he said, was to let seniors know it's not too late to get in great shape like Fortin.

"Florida is like the waiting room to the casket," Ecknonen said.

So far, the publicity stunt is working for the Tropical Gym, where membership is up. But LaLanne hasn't taken Fortin up on the challenge to enter the ring.

LaLanne's spokeswoman learned of the boxing challenge when she was contacted Tuesday by a reporter from the Sun Journal newspaper in Lewiston.

"That's not quite his cup of tea," Liz Cardenas said Wednesday from California. Besides, she said, LaLanne is too busy traveling for public appearances, and he no longer performs athletic feats for which he was known earlier in his career.

Despite the rebuff, Eckonen has not abandoned the idea. He said he plans to deliver the ad to fight promoter Don King to see if he's interested.

"It'd be a gentleman's fight, obviously," Eckonen said.

Fortin, a widower who has wintered in Florida since retiring from the funeral business decades ago, doesn't think either man would get hurt in a brief square-off. "He'd knock me down, I'd knock him down," he said.

[bjung]

anyone else excited for the oscar-mayweather fight this weekend?!?

[Crafty_Dog]

Well, HBO sure has been pushing it!

You have any predictions Porn Star Dog?  Anyone?

[Guard Dog]

I have been watching the 24/7 specials they have "OnDemand."  Anyone else see these?  I got some great training ideas from watching them.

Gruhn

[Crafty_Dog]

Did they have actual content?  I got bored with the soap opera of it all on the first one I saw and haven't gone back.

[C-Kumu Dog]

Im looking forward to this fight.

I haven't seen the latest installment, but contentwise it was ok... I think the most interesting thing I learned so far was that Freddy Roach is dealing with parkinsons and the training is helping him keep it in check.

Personally I would like to see Oscar win even though I like both boxers & the last few boxers that were really able to anger Oscar were knocked out. Yeah I know Floyd is slick and fast. Will Oscar come out and try to mow him down while Floys uses his smooth moves to evade and tire Oscar?? We shall soon see.

[Crafty_Dog]

How much is the fight?

[C-Kumu Dog]

According to this blurb on fightnews.com 54.95.

In addition to De La Hoya-Mayweather, Saturday's 54.95 pay-per-view telecast will also feature two other fights, featherweight Rocky Juarez against Jose Hernandez and super bantamweight Rey Bautista against Sergio Medina.

Actually here is the whole thing:
De La Hoya vs Mayweather:
Fight Week is finally here!
By Karl Freitag
After a three month media campaign that included an eleven city press tour, a half-dozen conference calls, and even a four-part HBO preview, "Fight Week" for Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather officially kicks off today in Las Vegas. Mayweather, who lives and trains in Las Vegas, will simply come across town to make his "grand arrival" at the MGM Grand at 11:30AM. De La Hoya is scheduled to arrive from Puerto Rico via Los Angeles at 12:15PM. Fight fans are invited to meet both fighters at the MGM Grand lobby. On Wednesday, Oscar and Floyd are scheduled to face off in front of reporters at a prefight press conference. On Friday, the weigh-in will be open to the public and is scheduled at 2PM in the MGM Grand Garden Arena.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to De La Hoya-Mayweather, Saturday's 54.95 pay-per-view telecast will also feature two other fights, featherweight Rocky Juarez against Jose Hernandez and super bantamweight Rey Bautista against Sergio Medina.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are two other major fight cards in town on May 4, the eve of the big fight. At the MGM Grand Conference Center Ballroom, WBO flyweight champion Hugo Cazares will defend his title against Wilfrido Perez, plus Francisco "Panchito" Bojado returns. Telefutura will televise. At the Palms Casino Resort, the first-ever professional boxing event in "The Pearl" - a recently opened 2,500 capacity, state-of-the-art theater - will feature undefeated USBA heavyweight champion "Fast" Eddie Chambers against Dominick Guinn. That card will also be televised.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the big announcements that will be made this week is that Bernard Hopkins vs Winky Wright will take place on July 21 across the street at Mandalay Bay.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
De La Hoya-Mayweather sold out in only three hours and will generate a record live gate of $19.3 million. But what if you don't have tickets and you just have to be there in person? Ticketsnow.com currently has 837 tickets available ranging from $920 to $24,725 each.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Sportsbook.com, the odds have closed to Mayweather -170, De La Hoya +140. Meanwhile, in the Fightnews.com poll, 62% predict a win for Oscar (43% by KO, 19% by decision), just 38% like Floyd (8% by KO, 30% by decision).
Tuesday, May 1 2007

[bjung]

good odds for oscar i think

I'm pulling for oscar, though I think it'll go the distance and mayweather will get the nod. Mayweather is slick and can move, it'll be interesting to see if oscar can goad him into exchanging or cut off the ring to force an exchange.

hopefully it'll be on free tv in asia...

[Crafty_Dog]

While we are waiting, from the WT forum:
======================
Ray "Boom Boom" Manicini-vs-Duku Kim

This was the fight that ended the 15 round championship fight due to Kim's death from brain damage. This is just the end of the fight but it was a brutal back and forth affair. This fight was as even as could be until the last few rounds. It was like a mirror image fight for the first 11 rounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThQFPJpVtK8

One of the greatest knock down drag out brawls of all times.

Foreman-vs-Lyle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96Kfe...related&search=

What do you do when you have lost every minute of all fourteen rounds......and you have a great left hook?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_2Yn...related&search=

Not a classic fight, but definitely classic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EruTRrg1MPg

[C-Kumu Dog]

http://fightnews.com/

De La Hoya-Mayweather presser!
By Mike Sloan / Photo: Mary Ann Owen



Comments were brief at today's final press conference for Saturday's Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Both fighters stated their training camps were perfect and this is the biggest fight of their lives. De La Hoya said, "I've never been this focused and this motivated in my life....this is the fight of my life....on Cinco de Mayo I will prove that I am still the best pound-for-pound fighter." Floyd recalled the days when both fighters fought under the Top Rank banner. "I never wanted to get close to him because I always knew I was going to fight him," stated Floyd. "Now is my chance to prove that I'm the best." Floyd's trainer Roger Mayweather commented, "This fight is supposed to be the greatest fighter against the greatest popular fighter, but we all know what will happen. Someone's getting their a-- kicked and it ain't going to be my nephew." Oscar's trainer Freddie Roach countered, "I don't have much to say, all I know is it's going to be a real short night." Things were calm when fighters faced off for photographers. They will weigh-in at 2PM Friday.
Wednesday, May 2 2007

NEWS FLASH
Oscar, Floyd quick quotes!
By Albert Howell
Oscar de la Hoya: "We are ready for this fight. Floyd Mayweather is always in good shape. We are expecting the best-of-the-best. Having Freddy Roach in my corner I believe will make a difference.....It is up to us two fighters to fight the best we can. I am going to fight as hard as I can. May 5th is an important date for me and I have trained hard to beat Floyd Mayweather on May 5th."
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.: "I am here. I know what it takes. I am hungry and I am willing to die on May 5th.....I am looking forward to giving the fans excitement. On May 5th you will see the best Floyd Mayweather."
Freddy Roach, Trainer for Oscar de la Hoya: "We had a great training camp in Puerto Rico. My guy is ready to go. Don't miss this one! It might not last long."
Roger Mayweather, Trainer for Floyd Mayweather: "My nephew knows nothing about losing. He only knows winning."
Wednesday, May 2 2007

[C-Kumu Dog]

I think this could go into either the Boxing or MMA Thread. I for one enjoy both sports but this guy is definitely opinionated.
Youll have to go the site and read the rest of the article for some reason the 2nd page it taking forever to load....sorry.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://cbs.sportsline.com/columns/story/10162545/1

This is what the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather fight, one of the most important events in recent sports history, really means: It's boxing's last stand.

Boxing is fighting for its life, and in some ways the largest obstacle to its rebirth is its greatest competitor -- the worst league ever invented, the UFC. Which means it is good vs. evil, Halle Berry vs. Courtney Love, true sport against the mosh pit of sweat and bloodied skull fractures known as ultimate fighting.

   
It's up to Oscar and Floyd to get boxing back on the national landscape. (Getty Images)   
De La Hoya and Mayweather can single-handedly save their sport from deteriorating into dust while simultaneously stopping the advance of the UFC barbarians at the gate, trying to destroy boxing by polluting pay-per-view with their brand of low-brow, ghetto-fabulous hooliganism.

This is it. This is when boxing emerges from its great depression riding the shoulders of De La Hoya and finally strikes a blow to the caged ignorance that is mixed martial arts.

It will happen.

In the coming days, you will read foofs who will say boxing can never survive, despite one of the more glorious bouts just several days away. On Thursday, you will attempt to stomach the dopey ramblings of my good friend Gregg Doyel, otherwise known as Captain Persnickety, downplaying this grand moment in history. He's probably another ultimate fighting apologist as well.

Mixed martial arts will never be as good as boxing on its worst day. Many of the ultimates are nothing but thugs and ruffians. All that league has done is take a few former nightclub bouncers, knuckle crackers and parolees, put on some fancy TV graphics and told them, "Kick the other guy in the nuts."

No skill is required to knee someone in the groin (and it happens despite rules stating it is illegal). I'm kneeing Doyel in the groin now. See, was that difficult?

Next on Spike TV: Man eats another man's face. Then some dork will call it a sport.

The UFC has no credibility. UFC equals the Ultimate Farcical Clown league.

And please do not wax poetic about the UFC's popularity. Of course people watch the UFC. It's human cockfighting. It appeals to the lowest common denominator of human existence.

The message boards and my e-mail will be irradiated with balderdash about how the mainstream media is simply a bunch of snobs and we don't "get" the Ultimate Farcical Clown league. I love the NFL. Only Roman gladiators had a more dangerous sporting profession. The NFL is more violent than the UFC, but football at least possesses a veneer of being civilized.

Boxing is almost comically imperfect. It is full of crooks, con artists and ear biters (and that's just a weekend in Atlantic City with Mike Tyson). Despite its faults and notwithstanding the massive greed that has caused boxing to collapse on itself like a dying sun, boxing has more charm in its broken pinky than the Ultimate Farcical Clown league does in its entire crappy organization.

[C-Kumu Dog]

THIS IS PART TWO FROM THE ARTICLE ABOVE

No UFC goon has or ever will possess the grace and natural showmanship of De La Hoya or the true fearsome fighting skills of Mayweather.

Advertisement
   
 
Notice the word: skills. This match will not resemble a bar-room brawl but meticulous, highly practiced, man-to-man warfare between two skilled, all-time athletes.

It is only a matter of time before the UFC suckers, er, fans realize they have been fooled by a Jedi mind trick.

The UFC should be banned; the De La Hoya-Mayweather bout should be embraced.

The fact a non-heavyweight match is getting so much attention shows that boxing still has appeal (and even I once thought it was dead). The fact boxing has survived despite so many scandals and crooked promoters demonstrate it has resilience.

"This (fight) is important because boxing is at its lowest point and boxing has been at its lowest point for quite a while now," De La Hoya told the New York Post. "Boxing is always taking these low blows left and right from people. This will give it a good shot in the arm."

The fight can do more than that. It can begin a resurgence perhaps not seen before in American sports. If the fight is particularly competitive, casual fans will give boxing another look and the all-important advertisers will again open their wallets instead of turning their backs.

Then maybe we can begin to put the sad joke that is the UFC behind us.

And once again we can get excited about a real sport.

[krait44]

Robertlk808

Are you joking, I can't tell. If so don't read any further.

I am by no means a UFC fan I love boxing and have been watching it since the early 80's. The UFC definitely has some skill, for Couture to keep on fighting tough 25yr olds at 40 that is something.

Boxing is down for the count, if you ask me. Sure, it is beautiful but pretending that you can't kick or do a takedown doesn't cut it anymore. The West knows that fighting is much more dynamic than that.

I wish it weren't so, I am much better in standup without kicking or takedowns but there has been a paradigm shift. 

[C-Kumu Dog]

Joking about what? That is an actual article written by Mike Freeman that was posted @ http://cbs.sportsline.com
Perhaps I should have clarified that I didnt write the article. I just find it astound as to how someone can still think this way of the UFC especially a journalist.  Maybe it is his own way of trying to save boxing.

[C-Kumu Dog]

Also at cbs.com is this article, the counter to Mike Freeman by Gregg Doyel

http://cbs.sportsline.com/columns/story/10164182

Boxing is dead, but its brain still hasn't gotten the message to the body. That will come after this weekend, after Oscar De La Hoya fights Floyd Mayweather. Don't be fooled by whatever noise comes out of Las Vegas. It's just boxing's death rattle.

   
Once Oscar De La Hoya retires, what will boxing have to offer? (Getty Images)   
Boxing has been dying for years, of course. But the old boy has bled and wheezed and stumbled onward because, frankly, there was nothing to take its place. Nothing to finish off this once-regal sport -- which has spent decades hitting itself in the stomach -- with a fist to the face.

There's something to finish off boxing now. If you know what I'm talking about, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And if you don't know, you're going to laugh or scoff or leave this page so you can read cranky old Mike Freeman grump about all those whippersnappers and hooligans in the UFC. Freeman was listening to Bananarama and wearing denim shorts when he wrote that column. Denim shorts are out, you know. They're yesterday.

So is boxing. Boxing is out. Expired. Irrelevant.

Mixed martial arts -- MMA, thank you very much -- will be the new boxing. And the UFC will be the new WBA. Or WBC. Or WBO. Or IBF. Or whatever useless string of letters boxing tried to throw together as it took its final breaths.

Boxing is dead not just because boxing is worse than ever -- which it is -- but also because the UFC is better than boxing on all but boxing's best day. Give boxing a charmer like Muhammad Ali or Sugar Ray Leonard, and give him some talented competition like Joe Frazier or Thomas Hearns, and boxing has a chance. Give boxing Ruslan Chagaev and Vitali Klitschko, and it's being rushed to the hospital, its heart stopped, none of the doctors caring enough to save it.

And don't give me De La Hoya-Mayweather. What are they, welterweights? Middleweights? I'm not looking it up, because I don't care. And that's the point. Boxing has lost me, and lots of people like me, because the fighters aren't as good, the rivalries aren't as compelling, and the access -- it's all about (free) TV, people -- isn't as easy.

The heavyweight champion used to be the most famous man in the world. But boxing is so inept now that when its heavyweight champ was a 7-foot, 325-pound circus act, most people still couldn't name him (he was Nikolai Valuev, and you didn't miss much.)

In the 1980s boxing grabbed me by the heart with Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Leonard, "Hit Man" Hearns and Aaron Pryor. Alexis Arguello, Tony Ayala and Dwight Qawi. Sean O'Grady and Cornelius Boza-Edwards. Marvin Johnson. Yaqui Lopez.

Now it's full of ... who? Who matters in boxing beyond De La Hoya and Mayweather? Nobody, and De La Hoya will probably retire after this fight. That'll leave Mayweather to fight somebody you've never heard of. Let's see HBO market that.

Meanwhile, the UFC is growing impossibly fast even without a major television breakthrough. Spike TV airs old UFC cards on Tuesdays and the reality show The Ultimate Fighter 5 on Thursdays (Corey Hill is a future champ, Gabe Ruediger is a narcissistic fraud and Jens Pulver is my kind of coach). But that's not the TV breakthrough I have in mind.

UFC also is growing as a pay-per-view ticket, breaking some boxing (and pro wrestling) records and soon to break them all. Until this spring the UFC had been a West Coast phenomenon, but when it visited Columbus, Ohio, in March it sold all 19,000 available tickets in hours. Earlier this month the UFC went to England for a free show on Spike. The UFC is spreading globally -- but that's not the TV breakthrough, either.

As soon as ESPN and UFC president Dana White make a deal, UFC will reach a tipping point -- on its way to becoming more popular than boxing ever was. Mark my words. The sport is that cool, and after growing underground, it's ready to rise up and swallow boxing whole.

Basically, the UFC is everything boxing should be. Fast action. Quick fights, even ones that go the distance. Brutal knockouts. Fascinating characters. And in White the UFC has a magnetic, believable front man that boxing, stuck with Don King and Bob Arum, lacks.

The whole process -- UFC in, boxing out -- is happening faster than you realize, because behind the scenes boxing is being robbed by mixed martial arts. Boxing gyms are yesterday. MMA workout dens are today and tomorrow. Talented young fighters now have a choice, and many are chasing the UFC, not the IBF. As that talent drain continues, boxing's slide will become irreversible. Maybe it already has become irreversible. OK by me. Boxing had its chance and blew it. Kind of like the Tyrannosaurus.

This weekend, two of the last dinosaurs will go at it in Las Vegas. People will watch, because old habits die hard.

Fine.

A funeral deserves a good turnout.

[krait44]

Ok thanks,

I did think you wrote it.


Sorry.

Chris

[C-Kumu Dog]

No problem Chris. 

[Guard Dog]

I don't mean to complain but was there anyone else disappointed with the quality of the event production last night?

Gruhn

[Crafty_Dog]

Well, we passed on spending $55 for boxing 

BTW, my seven year old and I were watching the promo clips yesterday and he said he thought Mayweather was going to win.  I asked why.  "Because he seems to do more hard training and the other guy seems to mostly be talking." 

[Jeff Gentry]

I don't mean to complain but was there anyone else disappointed with the quality of the event production last night?

Gruhn

Yea i was a little disappointed myself with the Mayweather-Da Lahoya fight, I thought the Bautista fight was more exciting, the main event seemed very slow for all the talk of how fast Da Lahoya was I didn't see it, Mayweather seemed to be lacking his normal power, I was hoping this would be a knock down drag out brawl of speed and movement, maybe my expectation's were just too high.

Jeff

[Guard Dog]

By the looks of the 24/7 series I was really looking forward to a top quality show so we did spend the $55    I think this might have been boxings last chance to capture back a young spectator audience.  With the commentators being of the older generation, most hard to understand, not making sense, etc. it was really hard for us to get into it.  Not to mention HBO's classic look that made it feel like we were watching a fight from 1982.  I dunno, I might be sounding a little harsh but I callz 'em like I seez 'em!

Gruhn

[C-Kumu Dog]

Hmmmm well......

I thought it was a decent fight, I would have liked to see Oscar just a tad more active and it was nice to see him more aggressive, I think if he used his Jab more often then the fight may have had a different outcome.  Mayweather is an excellent boxer but he didnt shut down nor did he "whoop his ass" like Roger Mayweather bragged about at the end of the fight. Overall I think it was a good fight. Worth the $55, I don't know but I enjoyed it.

[armydoc]

I may be in the minority, but I was not at all happy with the decision after the De La Hoya - Mayweather fight.  How can they take away a champion's belt with punch stats alone?  Everyone seemed to acknowledge that Mayweather won the split decision because he landed a higher percentage of punches.  But I ask...what happened to considerations such as "ring generalship", "aggression", and being the "busier" fighter?  If these things no longer count in boxing, then why do they need ringside judges?  Seems to me all they would have to do would be add up the punch stats at the end of the fight, and as long as no one got knocked out they'd have their winner!  There used to be a time in boxing when in order to take away the champion's title and belt you had to win decisively.  That meant a knockout, or if it went the distance there had to be little doubt in anyone's mind who won the fight.   Oscar said afterward in an interview that "I don't think I lost that fight."  I agree!  Mayweather was not fighting to win, he was fighting not to lose! 

They were building up this fight as the biggest draw for boxing in many years with the hopes that it would bring more old fans back to boxing and create new fans to give boxing a "shot in the arm."   Well, this old fan is not convinced to come back.  I would also venture to guess that a lot of the "general sports fans" that tuned in and watched Oscar chase Mayweather around the ring the whole fight, back him up against the ropes repeatedly to throw a flurry of punches,....and still lose on a split decision....didn't become new boxing fans.

I'm surprised no one has commented on Jim Lampley's cheap shot at MMA.   He said after the fight something along the lines of  "MMA may be entertaining, but you won't see the caliber of fighters that you saw here tonight."   That's crap. 

I do have to agree with Jeff.  The fighter I was most impressed with was  Bautista.

Anyway...I still think boxing is on the way out and that this much hyped event didn't do much to slow its decline.   But that's just my opinion. 

Keith

[Crafty_Dog]

I won't be seeing the fight until it is on for free, but I suspect you are right Keith.

As for Lampley, I met him several times (bit of a story there) and never cared for him at all.

Anyway, a bit off subject, but here's this:

Boxer Corrales dies in crash
The former IBF super-featherweight and WBC lightweight champ is killed on motorcycle in Las Vegas. He was 29.
By Lance Pugmire, Times Staff Writer
May 8, 2007


 
Former champion
 click to enlarge
Former world champion boxer Diego Corrales was killed in a motorcycle accident Monday night in Las Vegas.

A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department source confirmed Corrales was killed in the evening crash and was "traveling at a high rate of speed" before impact. The spokesman said at least one other vehicle was involved and that one person in an automobile at the scene had sustained minor injuries.

Another police spokesman, Blake Quackenbush, confirmed there was a fatal collision involving a motorcycle near the intersection of South Fort Apache Road and Hacienda Avenue in southwest Las Vegas.

Boxing trainer Joe Goossen and Jin Mosley, a close friend of the boxer, said the victim was Corrales, 29.

"It's confirmed, he's dead," said Mosley, the wife of Pomona boxer Shane Mosley. "Details are sketchy. We were told he was going over 100 mph. We're in absolute shock, this is tragic. He has a baby on the way."

Corrales' boxing promoter, Gary Shaw, said the fighter's manager told him he saw Corrales "under the sheets with his helmet on," with a "new racing bike" nearby. "We're being told he ran into the back of a car and was struck by another from behind," Shaw said.

Corrales (40-5, with 33 knockouts), a former International Boxing Federation super-featherweight and World Boxing Council lightweight champion, reached what Goossen called "the pinnacle" of his career in 2005, when he rallied from two 10th-round knockdowns to knock out Jose Luis Castillo.

"In my 35 years, that was the greatest fight I've ever seen," said Goossen, who was Corrales' trainer.

Castillo failed to make weight in two scheduled rematches, however, and a third meeting in June 2006 was scrapped, costing Corrales a $1.2-million payday, Goossen said.

The fighter's career began to spiral. He showed up overweight for an October 2006 lightweight title defense against Joel Casamayor, then lost by split decision. Last month, Corrales lost a unanimous decision to Joshua Clottey in a welterweight bout.

Shaw said Corrales' life "was in a tailspin" after that loss, and "we were trying to put his life back together." Corrales had also negotiated to join Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, but the deal never materialized, boxing sources said.

"The guy was a true warrior; simply by the way he fought, he should be in the hall of fame," Shaw said. "Believe me, if he could've got off that cold pavement, he would."

Jin Mosley said Corrales was suffering marital and financial difficulties with his wife, Michelle, six months pregnant.

"Diego was not immune to the pitfalls of life, especially as a young man surrounded by the fame and fortune of this game," Goossen said. "His better times in boxing were behind him. I'm sure he felt he was in a bad spot. It's too bad Diego couldn't stay in the top place he once was. Now, we'll all say prayers for him."

Corrales discussed his motorcycle riding last summer in a Las Vegas Review-Journal story.

"I'm only young once and, unless someone hasn't told me something yet, I only get to live once," said Corrales. "If I couldn't do this stuff now, stuff I always wanted to do, I would never get a chance to do it."

Corrales is survived by his wife and five children, Jin Mosley said.

[C-Kumu Dog]

Wow, thats sad.  Didnt he just fight last month?

[C-Kumu Dog]

www.fightnews.com
Cintron targets UFC titlist!
Floyd Mayweather Jr. says he doesn't want to battle a UFC champion. No problem. IBF World Welterweight Champion and former high school/college wrestling star Kermit Cintron would like to accept the challenge from UFC President Dana White, it was announced today by Main Events CEO Kathy Duva. Cintron, who will be defending his IBF crown against mandatory challenger Walter Matthysse on July 14 in Atlantic City, NJ, would like to battle the UFC champion following his June IBF title defense. "I want the fight," said Cintron. "I can wrestle. I can box. I can beat those UFC fighters at their own game. Tell Mr. White to make me an offer and I'll take on his guy after I fight Matthysse on July 14." Cintron (27-1, 25 KO's) captured the vacant IBF crown on October 28, 2006, when he destroyed Mark Suarez in six rounds (TKO 6). The 27-year-old Reading, PA resident by way of Carolinas, Puerto Rico once finished 10th at the NJCAA Wrestling Championships. As a senior in high school he was offered full wrestling scholarships to Wisconsin University and Ohio State University. The Cintron-Matthysse bout will serve as the co-feature to the Arturo Gatti-Alfonso Gomez contest. Main Events is promoting the July 14 evening of boxing, in association with The Tournament of Contenders, LLC and Caesars Atlantic City.
Tuesday, May 8 2007

[Jeff Gentry]

www.fightnews.com
Cintron targets UFC titlist!
Floyd Mayweather Jr. says he doesn't want to battle a UFC champion. No problem. IBF World Welterweight Champion and former high school/college wrestling star Kermit Cintron would like to accept the challenge from UFC President Dana White, it was announced today by Main Events CEO Kathy Duva. Cintron, who will be defending his IBF crown against mandatory challenger Walter Matthysse on July 14 in Atlantic City, NJ, would like to battle the UFC champion following his June IBF title defense. "I want the fight," said Cintron. "I can wrestle. I can box. I can beat those UFC fighters at their own game. Tell Mr. White to make me an offer and I'll take on his guy after I fight Matthysse on July 14." Cintron (27-1, 25 KO's) captured the vacant IBF crown on October 28, 2006, when he destroyed Mark Suarez in six rounds (TKO 6). The 27-year-old Reading, PA resident by way of Carolinas, Puerto Rico once finished 10th at the NJCAA Wrestling Championships. As a senior in high school he was offered full wrestling scholarships to Wisconsin University and Ohio State University. The Cintron-Matthysse bout will serve as the co-feature to the Arturo Gatti-Alfonso Gomez contest. Main Events is promoting the July 14 evening of boxing, in association with The Tournament of Contenders, LLC and Caesars Atlantic City.
Tuesday, May 8 2007

Well i never thought it would happen, If Cintron has a good wrestling base maybe this will be a good fight depending on the rule set if they go UFC rule's and he can keep it standing depending on who the UFC send's this could prove to be good, I am not sure waht weight an IBF welter weight is.

If nothing else it should be interesting.

Jeff

[Guard Dog]

Why would the rules change? 

Gruhn