The Neutral Corner

BY MARCUS HENRY

John "The Quietman" Ruiz vowed to clean up the heavyweight division. So what else is new? The last thing boxing needs is for Ruiz to be crowned heavyweight champion. Unfortunately, it could easily happen. Ruiz (42-7-1, 29 KO's) squares off against Jameel "Big Time" McCline (38-8-3, 23 KO's) on the Oleg Maskaev-Samuel Peter card on March 8 in Cancun, Mexico. Maskaev is the current WBC heavyweight champion.

If Ruiz beats McCline, he plans on facing the winner of Maskaev-Peter.

“I’m getting ready to clean-up the heavyweight division, starting March 8 with McCline, and then I want the Maskaev-Peter winner,” Ruiz said in a statement from his Las Vegas training camp. “McCline almost beat Peter in his last fight and he’s a lot better than some people give him credit for. He floored Peter three times but we’ll see how tough he is on March 8."

While Ruiz' intentions might seem admirable, they look transparent to me. If Ruiz really wanted to make a statement, he would call out the winner of the February 23 unification bout between Wladimir Klitschko-Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden. This is all about Ruiz taking the easy way to a belt.

Patchogue heavyweight Derrick Rossy (17-1) scored a unanimous 12-round decision over 46-year-old former WBO heavyweight champ Ray Mercer (35-7-1) on Saturday night in Macau, China.

The official scores were 117-111, 117-111, 115-113.

The only knockdown in the fight was scored in the 12th and final round by Mercer.

"I was off balance and he hit me," said Rossy. "My hats off to this guy. Ray
Mercer could beat anybody in our division, he's tough and can hit like hell."

Rossy returns to Long Island with three new belts; the NABO, WBF and
WBC Asia Heavyweight titles. -- CASSIDY

It’s exciting to hear Roy Jones Jr. talk about fighting Joe Calzaghe or Bernard Hopkins or the winner of their fight. BUT, the reality is, he could have fought both of these men a long time ago.

Calzaghe’s championship reign at super middleweight has run from 1997 to the present. Throughout that time there was plenty of talk – speculation – about Jones fighting Calzaghe. It never happened. Nor did the unification match against WBO light heavyweight champion Dariusz Michalczewski.

Jones beat Hopkins for the vacant IBF middleweight title in 1993. The Executioner has tried to get a rematch with Roy ever since. He went unbeaten for nearly 13 years, but still couldn’t lure Jones into the ring.

Roy is also talking about fighting the Taylor-Pavlik winner or dropping further in weight to fight Oscar De La Hoya.

Jones is a first-ballot hall-of-famer. No questions asked. But, as great a fighter as he is, there is quite a lack of “mega” fights on his resume. Some of it has to do with the quality of opposition during his era, some of it has to do with his immense talent, but enough of it has to do with Roy not taking chances.

So why, at 39, do we think he’ll start taking chances?

If you think about the Trinidad fight, it was a perfectly calculated risk on the part of Jones. Trinidad looked terrible against Winky Wright in 2005. Was he really going to look much better against a superior boxing like Jones? In 2008? The only thing Roy had to worry about was Tito’s power – considerable indeed – but it has certainly diminished since his heyday at welterweight.

Ultimately, it was a nice night for both of them to retire on.

Replay. HBO will broadcast the Jones-Trinidad fight on Sat. Jan. 26 as part of a Boxing After Dark card that features heavyweights Alexander Povetkin and Eddie Chambers… Check out Newsday.com’s photo gallery of the fight… Also, Newsday’s Wally Matthews had the best postfight line of all when he wrote, "… the truth is, Jones and Trinidad have a future in boxing, all right, so long as they continue to fight each other." Read his column here.

PPV Success. ESPN.com is reporting that the Jones-Trinidad fight drew better-than-expected numbers. According to the story, the fight had 500,000 buys and $25 million in domestic television revenue.

Say Goodbye. It’s time for Trinidad to retire. He’s had a great career and has nothing left to prove in the game. Same for Roy. He always said he wouldn’t let himself get hurt. It’s time take your own advice. -- CASSIDY

Technorati Profile

BY MIKE ROSE

The Associated Press is reporting that the long-awaited fight between Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe will take place on April 19 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Hopkins' Ring magazine light heavyweight title will be at stake.

Interestingly, it will be Calzaghe's first fight as a light heavyweight after 21 straight world title defenses as a super-middleweight. Remember when Hopkins made 21 straight title defenses when he was middleweight champion?

Calzaghe, 35, is 44-0 and unified the three titles by winning the WBA and WBC belts with his win over Mikkel Kessler in November. Yet Calzaghe is not a well-known fighter, especially in this country.

So he's clearly moving up in weight to get the biggest fight against the biggest name that he can.

Makes sense. I just hope he's prepared.

Hopkins, who is an amazing 43 and still going pretty strong, comes up big in big fights. He's clearly not the fighter he once was, but he is still very good at finding ways to win.

Anyhow, this is one of the fights I hoped to see in 2008. It's happening and it should be a good one.

Roy Jones Jr. (52-4, 38 KO's) scored an easy unanimous decision victory over Felix Trinidad (42-3, 35 KO's) (116-110, 117-109, 116-110) in front of 12,162 at Madison Square Garden.

Other results:

Andrew Golota W12 Mike Mollo

Alex Bunema KO 10 Roman Karmazin

Devon Alexander W12 Demarcus Corley

Luis Collazzo W10 Edvan Dos Santos Barros

Emanuelle N’wodo KO 2 Ezra Sellers

Gabe Brown and Paul Marinaccio, Draw, 8

Angelo Santana KO 1 Kenny Keaton

BY MARCUS HENRY

ROUND 1: Both fighters took time feeling each other out. But round 1 goes to Trinidad, who was a bit more aggressive.

ROUND 2: Trinidad went to the body early in the round and connected. But Jones came back midway through with a couple of lead rights hands. He landed a few good shots and stayed away from Trinidad's power to end the round. Second round to Jones.

ROUND 3: In what was by far the most aggressive round for Jones, he took control early with his jab. Trinidad came back in the final minute with a few body combinations, but his attacks were of no consequence. Round 3 to Jones.

ROUND 4: Jones has started to pick and choose his points of attack and landed several jabs and lead right hands. Trinidad is game, but Jones is beginning to find his spots. Round 4 to Jones.

ROUND 5: Trinidad was the more aggressive o the two, landing several power shots. But Jones could be playing with him, waiting for a time to pounce.Trinidad received a warning for a low blow. Round 5 to Trinidad.

ROUND 6: Jones landed two hard rights with just over a minute left. Trinidad came back with three lefts, but Jones took control in the final 50 seconds with several combinations. Round 6 to Jones.

AFTER SIX ROUNDS 58-56 JONES

ROUND 7: Jones scored a knockdown with a hard right to the head at the 1:40 mark of the round. Round 7 to Jones (10-8).

ROUND 8: Trinidad looked good for the first 1:30 of the round. Jones came back with a flurry in the final 1:10. But Trinidad ended the round well. Round 8 to Trinidad.

ROUND 9: Jones landed a hard right at the 2:15 mark and a tough uppercut 15 seconds later. Trinidad came back with 1:30 left, but Jones took the blows and landed a combo to stay in control. Another uppercut with 40 seconds left sealed it for Jones. Round 9 to Jones.

AFTER 9 ROUNDS 87-83 JONES

ROUND 10: Jones was in his customary one glove up, one down stance. It worked as he landed a hard lead right at 1:50. Trinidad had him in the corner and let off a few, but Jones came back with two hard rights at 1:15. Trinidad can't seem to make his blows hurt. Jones made a statement with his second knockdown of the night with 20 seconds left. Trinidad actually lost his balance, but it is still ruled a knockdown. ROUND 10 to Jones (10-8).

ROUND 11: It's clear at this point that Trinidad can't hurt Jones. Fighting at 170 pounds is just too much for the former 5-time world champ. Jones absorbed every shot Trinidad took and returned them in kind. ROUND 11 to Jones.

ROUND 12: Jones was the better man. He fought a strategic fight, picking his time to throw combinations and power shots. His plan was carried out with great execution. ROUND 12 to Jones.

FINAL TALLY: 117-109. A relatively easy win for Jones.

Trinidad took a chance fighting at 170 pounds and he paid the price. But to his credit, he stood in there and didn't let Jones' flashy style or quickness get to him. The bottom line is, Trinidad is not a light heavyweight. He's a great welterweight fighter, but lightheavy was too much.

As for Jones, he was in great shape. Then again, he fought a career welterweight -- middleweight fighter. We'll see what happens when he fights a prime light heavyweight with some power.

BY MARCUS HENRY

For anyone who hasn't seen Devon Alexander "The Great" fight yet, you are missing something special. Already considered one of the industry's young stars, he showed his mettle on the big stage as he took care of tough veteran DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley.

I would've liked to have seen a knockdown or two as Alexander landed several power shots throughout the bout and stunned him on at least two occasions. But considering Corley was his toughest opponent to date, it's perfectly understandable if he took precautions.

It was a tremendous display of speed and defense for the 19-year-old lightweight. And the judges thought so to as they scored the 10-round bout 116-111, 118-109, 118-109.

A coming out party? Corley was the perfect opponent. But even with his solid victory, Alexander doesn't have enough clout to secure a big-money fight yet. But give it two years and I can almost guarantee you will be hearing from this kid.

BY MARCUS HENRY

Can someone please explain to me what happened to Luis Collazzo? Considered one of the darlings of the welterweight division a few years ago after knocking off Jose Antonio Rivera for the WBA title, the Brooklyn native has gone down hill. He defended his title against Miguel Angel Gonzalez, but has dropped two of his last three fights.

The two losses were to Ricky Hatton and Shane Mosely, but still, three years ago, Collazzo looked like a world champion. Now, he looks like an also-ran.

Saturday afforded him the perfect opportunity to get back into the good graces of the division. Oh, Collazo (28-3, 13 KO's) won the fight, securing a unanimous decision over Edvan Dos Santos Barros (9-5-1, 7 KO's), but it wasn't pretty. And it took all 10 rounds to do it.

The judges scored the bout 99-91, 100-90, 100-90. It looked good on paper, but not in the ring. Collazzo is itching for a shot at the best, including Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather. All Saturday's performance did was prove that he has to wait in line like everyone else.

A mini controversy was brewing at Madison Square Garden when the main event fighters -- Roy Jones Jr. and Felix Trinidad -- couldn't agree on what gloves would be used inside the ring. According to a news release sent to the media, promoter Don King mediated the dispute this afternoon.

“The glove issue has been solved,” said King. “I met with Roy Jones Jr.’s representatives and Papa Trinidad and his lawyer Nicolas Medina in Roy’s suite across the street from the Garden. We came to an agreement that Superman Roy Jones Jr. will wear Everlast gloves, just as it agreed in the contract.”

Jones said he would have preferred to wear Grant gloves.

“I wanted to wear the gloves to represent my fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE), the largest fraternity in the world,” said Jones. “I want to knock Tito Trinidad out for the Heartland of America. I wanted to wear my [Grant] gloves because they were made to match my outfit—the colors of TKE—burgundy and gray. Because I know that all of the TKE’s across the land will be watching me tonight. I tried to do good for the TKE, but Tito’s father was obstinate and Tito wouldn’t even talk to me. Tito wouldn’t even give me the courtesy of a conversation. He sent his daddy and his daddy’s lawyer up to my suite to talk to me."

Everlast has been outfitting fighters in championship fights since 1922. Grant is a relatively new company, modeling itself after the Mexican equipment manufacturer, Reyes. Grant gloves are considered "punchers" gloves. -- CASSIDY

Here are the official weights for tonight's Don King card at Madison Square Garden. Plus, officials for the featured bouts:

Light heavyweight
Felix Trinidad, 170 lbs. - Roy Jones Jr., 169 1/2 lbs.
Referee: Arthur Mercante Jr., N.Y.
Judges: Julie Lederman, N.Y., Nelson Vasquez, P.R., Tom Kaczmarek, N.J.

Heavyweight
Andrew Golota, 237 -- Mike Mollo, 222
Referee: Randy Newman, N.Y.
Judges: Bob Gilson, N.Y., Tom Schreck, N.Y., Robin Taylor, N.Y.

Jr. middleweight
Roman Karmazin, 151 3/4 -- Alex Bunema, 153
Referee: Johnny Callas, Conn.
Judges: Don Ackerman, N.Y., Billy Costello, N.Y., Wynn Kintz, N.Y.

Jr. welterweight
DeMarcus Corley, 138 1/4 -- Devon Alexander, 138
Referee: Gary Rosato, Pa.
Judges: John McKaie, N.Y., Don Trella, Conn., Steve Weisfeld, N.J.

Undercard
Luis Collazzo, 150 -- Edvan Dos Santos Barros, 149
Emanuelle N'Wodo, 206 3/4 -- Ezra Sellers, 206 1/4
Gabe Brown, 340 -- Paul Marinaccio, 236
Angelo Santana, 138 -- Kenny Keaton 139

-- CASSIDY

On Tuesday, promoter Cedric Kushner will formally announce his first card of 2008, headlined with a world title fight and taking place at the Roseland Ballroom on Feb. 28.

IBF super flyweight champ Dimitri Kirilov, of St. Petersburg, Russia, will defend his title against Cecilo Santos, of Mexico. Kirilov (29-3) defeated José Navarro by unanimous decision in October to win the vacant IBF title. Santos is 22-8.

Also fighting will be Brooklyn junior welterweight Dmitriy "Star of David" Salita (27-0-1), The card will be promoted by Kushner's Gotham Boxing and Bash Boxing. -- CASSIDY

Teen star Corbin Bleu, best known for his starring roles in "High School Musical" and "High School Musical 2," has been tapped to sing the national anthem at the fight between Felix “Tito” Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr. on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The anthem will be shown as part of the live HBO Pay-Per-View telecast.

Blue once played a Golden Gloves boxer in the Disney TV movie, "Jump In." The teenage fighter is persuaded to compete in a double-dutch jump rope competition. You acquire this kind of information when you channel surf with your 8-year-old daughter. -- CASSIDY

When it comes to training, fighters have not been too creative. It's your basic heavybag, speedbag and sparring. Some guys still chop wood and toss around a medicine ball. Not so for Patchogue's Derric Rossy, who fights former WBO heavyweight champ Ray Mercer in Macau, China on Jan. 26. To prepare, Rossy spent two months training with monks at the Shaolin temple in Macau. His routine consisted of running in the mountains with rocks tied to his waist and ankles, and, get this, to toughen the hands, the monks inserted a layer of crushed glass between his gloves and hands wraps while hitting the heavybag. And don't expect the traditional steak and eggs pre-fight meal. Rossy lost 25 pounds on a diet of rice, chicken and fish. -- CASSIDY

The weigh-in for the Roy Jones-Felix Trinidad card is Friday at 2:30 p.m. HBO will stream video from the event live. To see Tito as a light heavyweight, follow the link to HBO below. -- CASSIDY

BY MARCUS HENRY

Just when I thought boxing was getting its act together...It had to come back with Mayweather-De La Hoya II. What a waste.

According to ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya will hook up for the second time on September 13 or 20. The venue has yet to be determined.

Boxing had a great 2007. The matchups were excellent and the fights were great. Cotto-Mosley, Cotto-Judah, Pavlik-Taylor, Mayweather-Hatton, Calzaghe-Kessler, Vazquez-Marquez (twice) and Williams-Margarito were just a few of the great fights we saw in '07.

Floyd Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya was a great event. The fight was okay, but the atmosphere surrounding it was incredible. All of that notwithstanding, I covered their fight on May 5th, and as a fight fan, I can think of at least five other matchups in the welterweight division I'd rather see. This doesn't mean I don't like the fighters. I've always been a fan of both fighters. But it's difficult to believe the outcome of the next fight would be any different. Mayweather is too quick, too elusive and too young for De La Hoya.

If the first fight was an epic battle that kept me on the edge my seat (and laptop) for 12 rounds, that's one thing. But I just don't see De La Hoya being able to hit Mayweather. That doesn't mean I wouldn't want to cover it if given the opportunity. (I know, shameless self promotion).

That fight pretty much dashes any hopes we had of seeing Cotto-Mayweather or even Cotto-De La Hoya this year. Making matters worse, it throws everything off for 2008. Talented welterweights like Paul Williams, Kermit Cintron, Antonio Magarito and junior welterweights like Paulie Malignaggi and Ricardo Torres will have to wait a bit longer for big fights and big pay days.

Mayweather-De La Hoya II will make headlines and money. But that's about it.

BY MIKE ROSE

It appears Floyd Mayweather Jr. possibly jumping to mixed martial arts will have to wait.

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael is reporting that Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya are close to a deal for a rematch sometime in September.

It makes a lot of sense for Mayweather. The first fight, which Mayweather won, broke all sorts of records (total gross, pay-per-view subscriptions, pay-per-view gross and live gate).

The rematch probably won't do as well financially as the first fight, but I expect the numbers will be very good.

Rafael reports that the fight could take place in Los Angeles, maybe in Dodger Stadium.

Apparently, Mayweather is exhausted from a very busy 2007 and is taking time off. So this will be his only fight of 2008.

While this fight is great news for boxing fans, it leaves the sensational Miguel Cotto out of the equation, at least for this year.

BY MARCUS HENRY

Roy Jones Jr. left boxing fans no doubt what his next move is during his media workout at Kingsway Gym on Wednesday. "As soon as I knock out Trinidad, I'm going to Wales."

For anyone scratching their head, Jones talking about heading to Whales to fight Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe told the Daily Mirror in a recent interview that he wants a big-ticket fight before he hangs up the gloves. He mentioned a date with Bernard Hopkins as his focus. But we all know if Jones is available, Calzaghe will jump at the chance.

Considered by some as one of the all-time greats, Jones still carries a name. Beating Jones, even at his current age of 39, is saying something. And Jones said he is more than willing to take on Calzaghe. He even said he would take the fight at 168 pounds.

If Calzaghe isn't available, Jones said he is willing to fight any of the big guns in boxing. "I would fight Glen Johnson, Antonio Tarver, Chad Dawson - I don't care," he said. "Let me tell you one more time, my time, my probation period is over. I don't care who he is."

Sounds like the old Roy to me.

It seems the theme here is that no one is really interested in the Roy Jones Jr.-Felix Trinidad fight at Madison Square Garden. Both men are past their prime. There is not a world title at stake. It’s hard to justify paying $49.95 to watch this fight on pay per view. Really, it’s very hard to make an argument for the fight. But I love a challenge.

1. Sometimes a pair of fighters have faded just enough to make for a highly competitive and exciting fight. Reflexes have slowed, foot movement drags a bit, thus, defense becomes diminished. Leonard-Hearns II and Ali-Frazier III are perfect examples of what could happen when great fighters meet each other late in their careers.

2. It’s the end of someone’s era. The loser will undoubtedly (and hopefully) retire. This night will be the Swan Song for an all-time great. My guess, it’s Trinidad on the short end of a decision. Jones claims that he’ll travel to Wales to fight Joe Calzaghe next. He never crossed the Atlantic during his prime, so why would he do so now?

3. The knockout. It’s boxing version of the home run or the tomahawk slam dunk. It’s the most emphatic statement in all of sport. Tito is still a puncher and Jones still has a suspect chin. Jones was starched by Glen Johnson. One clean right cross from Trinidad could produce the same result.

4. Both guys are sure first-ballot hall-of-famers. How often does that happen?

5. And if you’re really still not interested, this may be the best reason to stay interested. HBO will likely broadcast for free a week later. -- CASSIDY

BY MARCUS HENRY

In an effort to give John Duddy some much-needed exposure he's been added to the Wladimir Klitschko-Sultan Ibragimov heavyweight unification bout at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 23.

Although talk of this happening has been going on for some time, it's about time Duddy's people stopped messing around. Ireland's favorite fighter has been fighting outside of the states for almost nine months. Duddy (23-0, 17 KO's) needs to prove he's legit. And he needs to do it on a national prime time stage. What better place to do it than at the Garden? He'll be squaring off against Walid "Temperate de Sable" Smichet (17-3-1, 13 KO's) in a 10-round bout.

It's not exactly a clash of the titans, but Smichet won't be a welcomat for Duddy.

Undefeated New York City middleweights "Mean" Joe Greene (17-0, 12 KO's) and Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin (16-0, 13 KO's) are also on the undercard.

Patchogue's Derric Rossy will fight Ray Mercer in China, on January, 26. The news will be released later today at a press conference with promoter Sal Musumeci.

The fight will take place at The Venetian, in Macao, China. At stake will be the NABO, WBF and WBC Asian heavyweight titles. Rossy is 17-1 and a former standout defensive end for Boston College, where he preceeded the Giants' Mathias Kiwanuka at the position.

"You can't underestimate Mercer," said Rossy, 27. "His best days may be behind him, but he's still very savvy and very strong."

Mercer, who is 46, won the heavyweight gold medal at the 1988 Olympics and also held the WBO heavyweight title. He last fought in September of 2007, knocking out Mikael Lindblad in Sweden. -- CASSIDY

BY MIKE ROSE

I was one of the people who didn't want to see 2007 end, at least in terms of boxing. What an incredible year.

Let's see. We had Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor, Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley, Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez, and more.

But we're two weeks into 2008 and it's time to look ahead. So here are five fights I want to see.

1. Mayweather vs. Cotto: This is the fight all boxing fans want to see. But will it happen? The more I read about Floyd Mayweather, Mark Cuban and MMA, the more I think this will remain an impossible dream. The fight needs to happen for so many reasons. Cotto is red-hot now and needs to keep the momentum going after beating Mosley. Mayweather couldn't possibly leave boxing without taking on his greatest challenge. What a mega welterweight title fight this would be! Assuming this doesn't take place, I'd like to see .....

2. De La Hoya vs. Cotto: This makes sense. Cotto is eager for a big fight and if it's not Mayweather then De La Hoya is the next best thing. Same thing with De La Hoya, this is the best big fight he can get. And with De La Hoya more than willing to drop back down to the welterweight division, I'm hopeful this fight will happen in late spring.

3. Joe Calzaghe vs. Bernard Hopkins: There has been some talk of Hopkins having a major fight in New York in 2008. How cool would it be to see Calzaghe-Hopkins at Yankee Stadium? It's possible. I could see the Stadium hosting a major fight in its final year. And who's a better promoter than Hopkins? Plus, Calzaghe easily beat Mikkel Kessler and doesn't have any challenges left in the super middleweight division.

4. Pavlik vs. Taylor: Pavlik's stunning knockout of Taylor in the first fight makes this rematch (set for Feb. 16) a very interesting one. Taylor dumped trainer Emanuel Steward and replaced him with original coach Ozell Nelson. That was a good move because Taylor did not look prepared for the first fight. He didn't attack, and seemed to be confused by what Pavlik was doing. "Nothing against Emanuel, he's a Hall of Fame trainer and a friend of mine, but what was clicking in training, wasn't clicking in the ring come fight time," Taylor said on his Web site. "Sometimes chemistry works that way." I'm eager to see if Pavlik can repeat his success from the first fight. But the rematch is at 166 pounds so no title is at stake. If Taylor wins, get ready for a trilogy.

5. Vazquez vs. Marquez: The first two fights, both in 2007, were sensational, with each fighter winning one. The rubber match takes place on March 1 for Vazquez's Ring/WBC junior featherweight title. There's no way this fight won't end in a KO.

BY MARCUS HENRY

It was a fight Paulie Malignaggi could not afford to lose. Not only was it his first IBF junior-welterweight title defense, but it was a bout that could lead to a future match with Ricky Hatton or even a rematch with Miguel Cotto.

But Malignaggi needed to take care of business first. And he did so in dramatic fashion as he scored a unanimous decision in a 12-round bout over Herman Ngoudjo at Bally's Casino in Atlantic City Saturday night. Al Bennett had it 117-111, Kenny Chevalier scored it 116-113 and Steve Weisfeld had it 115-113.

It wasn't an easy first title defense for Malignaggi (24-1, 5 KO's). Ngoudji (16-2, 9 KO's) hurt Malignaggi several times, particularly in the fourth and seventh rounds. Malignaggi was cut over his left high in the fourth and was staggered after receiving a hard right from Ngoudjo in the seventh.

Despite the shots he took, Malignaggi was content with the judge's decision. "Yes, I felt I won the fight. [But] it wasn't one of my better performances," Malignaggi said. "Ngoudji has a very awkward style."

As for the seventh, Malignaggi admitted he was stunned for a bit. "I knew what was going on," he said after taking the hit. "But I just lost my legs a little."

Malignaggi dodged a bullet in the fourth when he fell to the canvas after a right from Ngoudjo. But referee Allen Huggins ruled it a slip. On the other side, Ngoudjo wasn't so impressed with the scoring.

"I felt I won the fight, but Paulie is a champion and I appreciate the challenge," Ngoudji said. "Fighting with three US judges hurt me in the scoring."

Malignaggi, who relies heavily on his left jab to dictate the action, was in rare form last night as he used it throughout the fight to hold off Ngoudji. Malignaggi didn't throw many power shots, but when he did he was effective. And most of them were uppercuts. "I found a home with my uppercuts late in the fight," Malignaggi said.

As for Malignaggi's future, he wants Hatton. His promoter Lou DiBella also wants a date with Hatton. "We definitely want Hatton," DiBella said. "It might not be the next one, but that's who we want."

N'DOU CRUISES

Lovemore N'dou (46-9-1, 31 KO's), had an easy time as he scored a seventh-round knockout of Rafael Ortiz (14-13-2, 13 KO's) of a scheduled10-round junior-welterweight bout. N'dou landed several power shots to the head and body and eventually ended it with a right to the head 2:14 into the seventh round of the scheduled 10-round bout.

The win was a significant one for N'dou because of a rematch clause in his fight with IBF junior-welterweight champion Malignaggi. N'dou lost the belt by unanimous decision to Malignaggi at the Mohegan Sun last June.

Veteran light heavyweight Glen Johnson (47-11-2, TKO's) scored an eighth-round TKO over Hugo Pineda (39-4-1, 28 KO's). Promoters Lou DiBella and Seminole Promotions didn't waste any time plotting Johnson's future as a bout with Chad Dawson (25-0, 17 KO's) on April 12, looms.

Heavyweight Chazz Witherspoon (21-0, 14 KO's), the younger cousin of former heavyweight champion Tim, rounded out a great night for DiBella Entertainment has he remained unblemished with a unanimous decision (78-75, 78-74, 78-74) victory over Kendrick Releford (15-10-2, 6 KO's). In one of the card's swing bouts, Alberto Amaro (2-1) secured a unanimous decision (38-37, 39-36, 38-36) win over Staten Island's Nicky DeMarco (2-2, 2 KO's) in a four-round junior-welterweight fight.

BY MARCUS HENRY

Lovemore N'dou, the man Paulie Malignaggi took down for the IBF Junior welterweight title last summer at the Mohegan Sun, had no problems in his 10-round bout with Rafael Ortiz (14-13-2, 13 KOs). N'dou (46-9-1, 31 KO's) was aggressive and landed several power shots and landed a knockout blow 2:14 into the seventh round. Why was N'dou's fight significant? There was apparently a rematch clause in his fight with Malignaggi. With Saturday's easy win, another fight with Malignaggi could be in the cards later this year. The fight at the Mohegan Sun wasn't even a contest as Malignaggi dominated it from start to finish. N'dou, who didn't respect Malignaggi's power, walked into just about every jab that was thrown. It resulted in an eighth-round knockdown.

It makes me wonder should there even be a second fight. N'dou is a game fighter, but Malignaggi's quickness and the way he uses his jab could lead to another wipeout.

Veteran light heavyweight Glen Johnson (47-11-2, TKO’s) scored an eighth-round TKO over Hugo Pineda (39-4-1, 28 KO’s). Johnson peppered Pineda with power shots, but his lack of power was evident. With the number of power shots Johnson landed, Pineda should've been floored no later then the fifth. But there isn't much you can say negative about Johnson. He's beaten Roy Jones, Montel Griffith and Antonio Tarver. Next up for Johnson is a bout with Chad Dawson (25-0, 17 KO's) April 12 in Tampa.

ATLANTIC CITY -- The tension is rising as fight night approaches. The main-bout participants made weight this afternoon at Bally's where Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi will defend his IBF junior welterweight crown against Herman Ngoudjo in a bout televised by Showtime.

Malignaggi scaled 139 while Ngoudjo hit 140. The staredown was as good as it gets as Malignaggi was in his opponent's face talking all kinds of trash. Some of which cannot be printed here. This isn't hype, there seems to be genuine bad blood between the fighters. The war or words is over for now and the real action will get underway tomorrow night. First bout is 6:30, Showtime begins televising at 9:00.

The weights from Atlantic City are as follows:
Malignaggi 139 -- Ngoudjo 140
Chazz Witherspoon 229 -- Kendrick Releford 213
Yoriorkis Gamboa 130 -- Gilberto Luque 129 1/2
Lovemore Ndou 145 1/2 -- Rafael Ortiz 144
Kevin Burnett 262 1/2 -- Ryan Thompson 263
Nicky Demarco (from Staten Island) 129 -- Alberto Amaro 131

Former light heavyweight champ Glen Johnson weighed in at174 but his opponent, Hugo Pineda, was still trying to make the light heavy limit of 175. He tipped in at 178. Thanks to FDR of Manhattan-via-Philly for running the weights to this corner.

We caught up with Malignaggi earlier in the day who said he's not underestimating his opponent, but, "if they are talking like that, if they think they have a chance of beating me, then they are underestimating me. I've worked so hard, I know I'm not beatable."

Malignaggi's training regimen took him from Brooklyn, to Vero Beach, to the Poconos and even to Milan, Italy. That's right, Paulie's a huge soccer fan and was invited by A.C. Milan to train with the team for a week.

Ngoudjo is from Montreal, via Cameroon. He fought for Cameroon at the 2000 Olympics. -- CASSIDY