The Neutral Corner

By Marcus Henry

Andre Berto was strong in his unanimous decision victory (118-109 (2), 116-111) over Steve Forbes. He landed several power shots and took everything Forbes had. But at some point Berto (24-0, 19 KOs) is going to have to prove to the world that he has a chin.

Forbes (33-7, 9 KOs) is a good fighter, who can hold his own against most opponents, but he's not a true welterweight and didn't have the strength to really challenge Berto's chin.

The 25-year-old WBC welterweight champion has the hand speed and quickness to make most fighters look silly, but his defense against Forbes left something to be desired. If Forbes had the power, the fight could have been interesting.

But if Berto learns to value every opponent's skills, his climb to the top of the welterweight division should be quick.

By Marcus Henry

"Sugar" Shane Mosley is not ready to hang it up yet. Still confident in his game and willing to take on anyone in the welterweight division, a dominating win against Ricardo Mayorga (29-6-1, 23 KOs) tonight on HBO, could thrust Mosley (44-5, 37 KOs) back toward the limelight.

With no Floyd Mayweather, that leaves Antonio Margarito, who tookcare of Miguel Cotto, at the top of the list. But with rumors circulating that Margarito and Cotto might mix it up again, Mosley could be left out in the cold.

"Oh well, that just lets me know that they want no part of me," Mosley said of the possible rematch. "I'm still the top fighter out there."

As noble as that sounds, even Mosley knows there aren't a lot of big paydays out there. But he still plans to press on. "I'm motivated right now to be the thorn in everybody's backside," he said.

The Canadian Press is reporting that Arturo Gatti is considering a return to the ring.

The story included these quotes by promoter Yvon Michel, who sounds like he's doing his best to lure Gatti back:

"He hasn't said he will fight and will make a comeback. He's training, but not in a boxing gym."

"He hasn't made up his mind completely. If he ever decided to go that route, we'd be thrilled to work with him."

The story also suggested that Gatti, a native of Montreal, "covets" a Canadian title, one of the few belts he didn't win during his pro career.

Main Events promoted Gatti and when contacted by Newsday, was dismissive of the report. In e-mail to the Neutral Corner, Donald Tremblay, Main Events' PR boss, wrote:

"I don't think it's real. Either way Main Events would not be involved."

Let's hope Tremblay is right. Gatti has given so much to the sport, there is no need to give more. The 36-year-old former champion last fought on July 14, 2007, losing to "The Contender" star, Alfonzo Gomez.

-- CASSIDY

Once again, Oscar De La Hoya will have a new trainer in his corner. The Golden Boy has hired Ignacio 'Nacho' Beristain to prepare him for the Dec. 6 fight against Manny Pacquiao.

"I already have a plan in mind for beating Pacquiao and I know Oscar will do whatever it takes to carry that plan through on fight night," Beristain said in a prepared statement released by De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.

Oscar has been trained by nearly every top trainer in the game, including Emanuel Steward, Gil Clancy, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Freddie Roach. At this point, I'm sort of looking at Oscar like I'm looking at the New York Mets. If the Mets collapse again, well, maybe it wasn't Willie Randolph's fault.

If Oscar fades in yet another big fight, well, you can't blame every trainer in the game.

Beristain has worked with Mexican legends like Ricardo Lopez, Daniel Zaragoza and Humberto "Chiquita" Gonzalez. He currently trains Juan Manuel Marquez, who fought Pacquiao to a draw in 2004 and lost a split decision to him earlier this year.

-- CASSIDY

The Bleacherreport.com has an interesting item that says UFC star Anderson Silva is considering a jump to the world of boxing.

Read their report here.

Silva, the UFC's middleweight champion (170-185 pounds) once expressed an interest in fighting Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match. Although a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Silva is noted for his punching power. Of his 22 wins, 13 have come by knockout and four by submission.

-- CASSIDY

Oleg Maskaev fights Robert Hawkins in Red Square.

New York-based promoters, Dennis Rappaport and Fred Kesch, who supplied us with the photos, took Maskaev to the heavyweight title when no one else believed in the heavyweight from Kazakhstan. They continue to promote Oleg and reported to the Neutral Corner that the fight took place in the shadow of the Kremlin and that more 100,000 fans attended the fight. Also in attendance were heavyweight champions Sultan Ibragimov and Nicolai Valuev.

"The way the ring was set up and the lights on the Kremlin and the churches, it was beautiful," said Kesch.

Oleg Maskaev, Dennis Rappaport, Fred Kesch and Victor Valle Jr.

-- CASSIDY

JUAN LAPORTE Photo courtesy Gary. D. Morgan

Gary Morgan, a friend of the Neutral Corner, caught up with former world featherweight champion Juan Laporte and they talked about the upcoming welterweight fight between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya. Laporte was featherweight champion from 1982 to 1984 and fought some of the greatest names in boxing. Salvador Sanchez, Julio Cesar Chavez, Wilfredo Gomez, Barry McGuigan and Azumah Nelson make up a partial list of those with whom Juan swapped leather.

Here is what Morgan reports that the former champ said about Pacquiao-De La Hoya:

"I was surprised when I heard the announcement of the fight. It was a shock to me. What concerns me is that Pacquiao will be jumping from featherweight/lightweight to welterweight. Pac Man will gain no more power and it will slow him down. He was much stronger then the guys he fought in his weight class. When he fights a bigger man the power that he had will not be so effective. Oscar will have the advantage in size, reach, experience and boxing ability.

"Oscar is confortable as a welterweight so it will work to his advantage. Oscar will be happy with the victory and probably will go on to fight one or two more fights. Pacquiao will be disappointed, but will have a big smile on his face with the money he makes. What concerns me is that this is not a big battle for Pacquiao. Pac Man needs to fight the up-and-comers in his division to solidify his reputation as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters. In this era, when fighters take the easy road, their reputations and respect as great fighters seem to disappear. The fans respect him for his greatness as one of the best little guys, however, when he goes to another division he loses the respect of being one of the great featherweights of all time. I wish that he was around in my time because we would have fought and it would have been a great fight."

-- CASSIDY

Great news out of San Antonio: Dan Rafael is reporting on ESPN.com that welterweight Oscar Diaz is awake and breathing on his own.

Read Dan's report by clicking here.

On July 16, in a bout televised by ESPN2, Diaz, 25, collapsed after the 10th round of a about against Delvin Rodriguez.

This corner was out to dinner with a few friends and boxing enthusiasts -- Dave Schuster and Leo Zamparelli -- when the name "Terrance "The Heat" Cauthen came up. Turns out Leo -- a Philly-based attorney -- trains with Cauthen every morning. A few phone calls later and we were chatting with the amiable bronze medalist from the 1996 Olympics. Cauthen, who is promoted by Joe DeGuardia, out of the Bronx, is hoping for a major fight in the fall.

Here's what "The Heat" had to say during our conversation.

The Neutral Corner: In July, you ended a seven-month layoff by beating Alexis Camacho, who was 16-0 at the time. Did you consider retirement during that layoff and why did you come back against an unbeaten fighter?

Terrance Cauthen: I am definitely not retired. You are only as agood as your last fight. I knew I had to come back strong. I had to do something different. I knew a tough fight, against a good fighter, I think he had a like a 98-percent knockout rate, would put me back into contention. I had to put everything on the line. I was glad to do it. It was a good feeling to be back where I need to be.

NC: So what's next for The Heat?

TC: Well, I'm back down to welterweight, that's where I belong. I'm hoping to fight in October or November for the NABF title and hopefully that makes me a mandatory for one of the champions.

NC: You won a bronze medal in the Olympics. What was your thought on the Olympics in Beijing and how come the U.S. had a poor showing.

TC: I really didn’t follow it that much. I do know we have great young fighters. I think the computer scoring hurts the Americans. We as Americans don’t train for that. I don’t think we can adapt to that kind of fighting and that kind of scoring. It got me in the Olympics, it got all of us. But I think they will be good professionals. One thing is, once you are an Olympian, you can take that to your grave. You are an Olympian. No one can take that from you.

NC: You know it's an odd Olympics when the Cuban fighters don't win any gold medals.

TC: They usually win all the medals. It’s real weird for them not to win a title. Some of the Cubans hang around too long. When we make the team, we’re done. They hang around too long.

NC: What is your thought on the Manny Pacquiao-Oscar De La Hoya fight?

TC: It’s boxing. Anything can happen. Pacquiao, you don’t know what he has to do to make that weight. Maybe he did want to move up and this is a great opportunity for him. Regardless of the fight, they are both going to come out of it really well from a financial standpoint. If I’m not fighting that day or training, I’ll be tuning in and watching it.

NC: You were a teammate of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s in the Olympics. Did you know he would be this good?

TC: I always loved watching Mayweather fight. If you knew Floyd, you knew that this was going to happen. He deserves everything he has because he is a hard worker. Good things come to those who wait. He’s a great athlete and a great fighter. He put his time in.

NC: You have a bronze medal and a USBA junior middleweight title, how does the title rate in terms of your career accomplishments?

TC: It’s good, it was an accomplishment. I want better for myself. It was a great opportunity for me to win the title. I want bigger and better things. I think I’ll be better off as a welterweight. That’s why I want to fight for the NABF title.

NC: Who in the welterweight division do you want to fight?

TC: I would fight anybody. Right now, I want to get the best welterweight out there. I’ll fight any welterweight. Anybody. I don’t have my eye on anybody right now. I get the NABF title, whoever I fight against will be a good fighter. That's my plan, fight for the NABF title.

NC: You have fought in the Blue Horizon several times. What is that like?

TC: You get that Philly blood in your system. You fight at the Blue Horizon and you feel like a Gladiator. I’m a boxer/spoiler type of fighter but fighting at the Blue brings the best out of you, it makes you feel great fighting there. Some of my best knockouts came in the Blue. And the people in the balcony, you can hear them, it’s like they are in the ring with you. They are right over you, you can hear eveyrhting they are saying to you. The Blue is just a serious place.

-- CASSIDY

CALZAGHE vs. JONES Photos courtesy Gary D. Morgan

The 12-round light heavyweight fight between Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Jr. was formally announced yesterday in Manhattan. The fight will take place on Nov. 8 at Madison Square Garden and wll be broadcast live on HBO PPV. Calzaghe has a record of 45-0 while Jones is 50-4.

Gary D. Morgan was at the New York presser and filed the following observations for this corner:

How about a press conference where one fighter has been after his dad to get him a fight with Roy Jones for years and the other fighter has been after his trainer to get him a fight with Joe Calzaghe for years?

I also asked author Ron Ross for his thoughts. He said it's a difficult fight to pick but he's picking Joe Calzaghe "for the quantity of punches and the windmill style which is going to be too much for Jones to handle. But he also added, at the same time, Jones will be trying all the way but tiring in the later rounds. As for whom I think will win the fight, I believe that these two great fighters will mix it up feverishly with Calzaghe winning by decision. Calzaghe is at the top of his form and his speed will be too much for Jones."

ROY JONES and JOE CALZAGHE MEET the PRESS Photo courtesy Gary D. Morgan

More to come on this fight in ensuing blogs. -- CASSIDY

HBO sent out a release today announcing the return of 24/7 for the Calzaghe-Jones fight. The series returns next month and will lead up to their light heavyweight pay-per-view showdown on Nov. 8. The first episode of the three-episode, all-access series debuts Sunday, Oct. 26 (8:30-9:00 p.m. ET/PT), on HBO, with another episode debuting the following Sunday, Nov. 2; the first two episodes have an encore play at 11:30 p.m. later that same evening. The finale debuts Thursday, Nov. 6 (11:00-11:30 p.m.), two days prior to the bout.

"We are looking forward to presenting the remarkable contrasts of these two dynamic characters," HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said in the release. "We will again take viewers behind the scenes as Joe and Roy prepare for this important fight. '24/7' is now a valuable franchise of HBO Sports."

-- CASSIDY

Pawel “Raging Bull” Wolak (21-1, 14 KOs) returns to the ring Friday night, September 26 when he meets Chad Greenleaf (10-10-1, 4 KOs) in the eight-round main event at the Huntington Hilton Hotel.

The card is being promoted by Bob Duffy's Ring promotions.

Wolak is coming off his first pro loss August 21 to Ishe Smith (20-3, 9 KOs), star of The Contender Season 1, by a close 10-round decision.

“I realized (from last fight) that I just can’t fight one way,” Wolak said. “Doing the same thing won’t work. I’ve reached a level where my opponents can do a little bit of everything – punch, box, move, etc. I need to gain experience every fight, work hard on different things in the gym, and be smart."

New York State heavyweight champion Darrel Madison (10-1, 3 KOs), out of Central Islip, is riding a nine-fight win streak into the six-round co-feature against veteran Elfair “The Wyandanch Warrior” McKnight (2-7-2).

Also on the card is Plainview welterweight Tommy “The Razor” Rainone (11-1, 3 KOs), who takes on Henry White, Jr. (2-2-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round bout. Brooklyn light heavyweight Will Rosinsky (1-0, 1 KO), a three-time U.S. National Golden Gloves champion, will be showcased in a four-rounder versus upset-minded Michael “The Snake” Ciccone (1-4).

In a four-round heavyweight match, Egyptian-born Ahmed Samir (2-0) faces Andrew “Came To Fight” Hutchinson (2-9-2). Samir was 198-13 as an amateur, 85-10 in international matches, including gold-medal performances in the 2007 All-African Games, 2007 Arab Championships and 2006 Jordan International Championships. Ahmed came to the U.S. to participate in the 2007 World Amateur Championships, but he abandoned the Egyptian national Team to turn pro and start a new life in New York City.

Also on the undercard in four-round bouts, Padoque welterweight Leon Green (4-1, 1 KO) faces Rakeem Carter (0-4), of Albany; welterweight Chris Algeri (3-0, 2 KOs) takes on fellow New Yorker Clarence Smith (0-1), and Brooklyn light welterweight Pablo Tejeda (2-8-1) returns against Broderick Antoine (3-6-1, 2 KOs), of Troy (NY).

New York City light middleweight Lambros Karaolides is scheduled to make his pro debut and Bronx featherweight Eddie Irizary (2-0, 1 KO) fights on the undercard against an opponent to be determined.

-- CASSIDY

Nigel Collins, at right, at the Malacanang Palance in 2004. He presented Pacquiao with The Ring belt in a ceremony that included Philippines President Gloria Arroyo and Manila Mayor Lito Atineza.

Think for a second before you answer that question. At first you may wonder if calling Manny Pacquiao the greatest Filipino fighter ever is something like saying Marlon Anderson is the best lefthanded pinch-hitter in baseball named Marlon. The pool isn't that big, right?

You would be wrong to think that. Flash Elorde and Pancho Villa are in the Hall of Fame. Ceferino Garcia was a legendary champion and Luisito Espinosa was a very good two-division champ.

We asked some experts to weigh-in on the Pac Man question.

Nigel Collins, the editor-in-chief of The Ring magazine, visited the Philippines to present Pacquiao with The Ring belt (see photo above). Here is his take: "In terms of what he’s accomplished, I think Manny Pacquiao has surpassed all other Filipino fighters, including Pancho Villa and Flash Elorde. Villa died young, so we don’t really know what he would have achieved otherwise, but Elorde had a long and glorious career. Still, Elorde lost 25 fights and was stopped twice by Carlos Ortiz when he moved up and tried to win the lightweight title. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has already won world championships or alphabet titles in five different divisions. Moreover, the quality of his opposition compares very favorably with Elorde’s. Overall, I think it’s best to wait until a fighter’s career is over before deciding his place in history, but the way Manny is going there’s no doubt he’s going to be up there with the all-time greats."

Steve Farhood, boxing analyst, Showtime: "As for Pac-Man, given his status as the best fighter, pound-for-pound, in the world and the quality of his victims (specifically the Mexican triumvirate of Barrera, Morales, and JM Marquez), there can be little argument that Pacquiao is the best Filipino ever. And don't forget, he isn't finished yet. Imagine how big he'll be if he can beat Oscar. Flash Elorde is held back by his failure to beat Carlos Ortiz (twice). Pancho Villa was a great little man, and he deserves consideration because he beat Jimmy Wilde. Those are the only other Filipinos who are close. Regardless, Pac-Man is THE Man."

Now, boxing historian Mike Silver is going to challenge you to think a little bit. Silver is the author of the forthcoming book, “The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science."

Here's his take: "Manny Pacquiao may be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today but that accolade does not automatically make him the best Filipino fighter of all time. The top fighters of the first five decades of the last century had a much more difficult path to traverse before they became top contenders or world champions. In terms of activity, competition, experience, and acquired boxing skills, the old-time champs and top contenders easily eclipse their modern-day counterparts. The Filipino champs of the past were no exception. The competition faced by Pacquiao does not compare to that of Ceferino Garcia, Flash Elorde or Pancho Villa, whose records read like a who’s who of boxing greats. Manny, whose boxing skills are limited, to say the least, relies on strength, power, toughness and relentless pressure to win. I’m certainly not belittling these virtues but decades back you needed more than that to reach the heights and stay there. If we time travel Manny back to the 1920’s to the 1960’s he would not have stood out in the way he does today and the question of his possible superiority over Villa, Garcia and Elorde would not even be asked.

Silver augmented his argument with the following details:
Ceferino Garcia: His record is quite remarkable. From the moment he arrived in this country Garcia faced a veritable who’s who of great fighters in both the welter and middle divisions. I could find only a handful of second or third raters in his record. Competition included Barney Ross (three close decisions), Henry Armstrong (twice, including one draw), Young Corbett III, Freddie Steele, Ken Overlin, Steve Belloise, Lloyd Marshall, Billy Soose and, in his 105th pro fight (Garcia had many more unrecorded fights in the Philippines) he knocked out the great Fred Apostoli to win the middleweight crown. Pacquiao’s toughest competition: Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez. Except for his KO of a used up Morales, he struggled against all three. True, these were the best fighters in the super featherweight class, but they are not in the same league as Ceferino’s top tier competition. Garcia fought about once a month (as did most of his contemporaries). The man had to know what he was doing to fight so often and survive in the torrid middleweight and welterweight divisions of the 1930’s. There were plenty of opportunities to perfect his craft. Manny, on the other hand, won his first title in his 25th pro fight in 1998, after beating mostly nobodies. Over the next 10 years he won titles in two more weight divisions but has fought only 28 times, averaging less than three fights per year. (Compare: In one two-year period (1933 and 1934) Garcia fought 37 times. And in one six week period in 1922 Pancho Villa fought 7 times. Manny is now bigger, stronger and a bit more experienced but not much better than he was eight or ten years ago.

Garcia is a better puncher (62 KOs) and a better all around boxer than Manny, who catches way too many punches. Garcia consistently faced much tougher competition. He would be much more dangerous for Pacquiao than a 36-year-old over-the-hill De La Hoya. At welterweight, Garcia is too big and strong for Pacquiao and would stop him.

Flash Elorde: Like Manny, Elorde was a junior lightweight and a southpaw. But that’s where the similarity ends. Flash was not as rugged as Manny and his style not as colorful—or reckless. Unlike most Filipino fighters, who are aggressive and love to mix it up, he was a slick, highly intelligent boxer with a busy right jab and good footwork. He was out-boxing featherweight legend Sandy Saddler when stopped on cuts in the 13th round in 1956. Only the great Carlos Ortiz was clearly superior. Elorde, who was slightly past his peak when he fought Ortiz, was competitive but lost by KO in the 14th round in their two title fights. That said, Manny, with his pressuring but careless style would be very vulnerable to Elorde’s quick counters and sharp punching. If he didn’t stop him Flash would out stab and outmaneuver Manny and win by a comfortable margin.

Pancho Villa: The crème de la crème of outstanding Filipino fighters and the only one who deserves a top ten all-time ranking. In the 1920’s there were a lot of small fighters (flyweight to lightweight), in fact thousands more than there are today. The competition was brutal at these weights. It took a very special fighter to win a flyweight crown in the 1920’s—a Golden era for that division. In fighting style Manny comes closest to channeling the busy aggressive style of Villa. The difference was that Pancho’s style was a lot more disciplined and reflected far greater experience. He is not just aggressive—he is smartly aggressive and is very adept at slipping punches and countering with both hands. He is just as tough as Pacquaio but has far better balance, is faster, and has a superior defense. His chin was cast iron. In over 100 fights Villa was never knocked out and would sometimes go out of his class to fight featherweights and even lightweights. A Pacquiao vs. Villa fight at flyweight or bantamweight would have been a war but Manny, as much as I admire his fighting spirit, would be out of his league. He is too one-dimensional for Villa. Very good is not the same as very great. At the age of 29, Manny is not going to get any better. I don’t know every Filipino fighter who ever fought but there were hundreds, perhaps thousands, who fought in the Philippines and on the West Coast between World War I and World War II. There were so many tough clubfighters among them. Time traveling Manny back to that era he would not have stood out in the way he does today.

Note: Mike Silver’s new book “The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science” published by McFarland Press and due out this October, compares and evaluates the greatest boxers of the past 100 years. In it you can read what he and some of boxing’s top experts have to say about the relative abilities of Tyson, Roy Jones, Jr., Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. as compared to the greats of decades past.

Here is a report on Laila Ali giving birth to a baby boy.

It's from The Moneytimes.com.

Laila Ali is married to former NFL player Curtis Conway. The child's name is Curtis Muhammad Conway and was born on August 26, 2008.

The official baby announcement can be found at her web site, Lailaali.com

No word if Laila plans a return to the ring.

-- CASSIDY

The unification process has officially begun.

Two sports that vie for the same audience, two sports that vow to be the ultimate test of a fighter have begun to merge. Coming soon to a ring or cage near you, boxing and mixed martial arts on the same card. And how long is it before we see a boxer in his prime against a mixed martial artist in his prime competing in a sanctioned fight?

It was announced today by Oscar De La Hoya that his promotional company -- Golden Boy -- has formed a "strategic, multi-level partnership" with Affliction Clothing. And, oh yeah, Affliction promotes MMA fights.

Affliction, which makes t-shirts that are popular in both the boxing and MMA world, has already promoted one successful MMA card. Its second show, however, scheduled for October 11, has been canceled partly due to a lack of ticket sales.

What follows is the press release sent out by Golden Boy. But the most important thing you need to know is the line that states: "Golden Boy Promotions and Affliction Entertainment will promote events that will feature both first class boxing matches as well as top notch MMA bouts on the same cards with the inaugural event planned for 2009."

Here is the release:

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (September 13, 2008) - Golden Boy Promotions and Affliction Clothing today announced a strategic, multi-level partnership between the two companies that will bring the popular Affliction-brand to the world of boxing and entertainment.

"We have been talking to Affliction over the past several months to figure out a partnership that will take advantage of the expertise of both of our companies," said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. "We have found the solution and are extremely excited about starting this partnership immediately."

"Golden Boy Promotions is the top boxing promoter in the world and we look forward to working with them on future projects," said Tom Atencio, Vice President, Affliction. "With our companies working together, it gives Affliction another vehicle to deliver our products to our core customers, as well as utilizing Golden Boy's promotional expertise to further our efforts in Mixed Martial Arts."

The partnership includes:

* For major Golden Boy Promotions fights, Affliction will create a signature Affliction shirt sold on-site and at retail outlets nationwide.

* Affliction will become the official apparel licensee for the Golden Boy Enterprises-owned Ring Magazine, and will adorn t-shirts and other apparel with the iconic Ring logo and classic Ring Magazine covers.

* Golden Boy Promotions and Affliction Entertainment will promote events that will feature both first class boxing matches as well as top notch MMA bouts on the same cards with the inaugural event planned for 2009.

-- CASSIDY

HBO will present live streaming video of the upcoming press conference from New York as light heavyweights Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Jr. meet the media to officially announce their Nov. 8 HBO Pay-Per-View showdown. The fight will take place at New York's Madison Square Garden.

On Tuesday, September 16, visit HBO.com at noon to watch the press conference live, in its entirety.

Why wait for the sound bytes to hit the evening news or ESPN. Watch from your desk at your office. (Come on, like you don't do that anyway? Just remember to use headphones.). Jones and Calzaghe are generally good quotes and there is a good chance Roy will stir the pot, so I'm sure it will be entertaining.

Be patient though, fighters are notorious for being a tad late.

-- CASSIDY

Former U.S. Olympian and reigning World Amateur Champion Demetrius Andrade has signed a promotional contract with Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing and Art Pelullo's Banner Promotions. DeGuardia, a former Golden Gloves champ, is from the Bronx.

The 20- year-old Andrade, from Providence, Rhode Island, lost a controversial decision in the quarterfinals in Beijing. In the amateur ranks, Andrade was a two-time Golden Gloves Champion, and two-time National Champion, he won the silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games and he won the 2007 World Championship, the first American boxer to do so since 1999.

"Demetrius was hands down the best fighter at the Olympics and best amateur prospect I have seen in a long time. I have been following Demetrius for a longtime and we are very excited he has chosen us to be an integral part of his promotional team to lead him in his professional career. Demetrius is a big strong kid with very fast hands and devastating power. He reminds me of a cross between Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns with his lean body frame, quick hands and one punch knockout power" said DeGuardia.

Andrade fights at welterweight.

-- CASSIDY

Interesting comments from WBC president Jose Sulaiman, who has called the Dec. 6 fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao ".. a fraud to the public...”

The pairing is not exactly what boxing fans were hoping for. Most wanted to see Oscar take on Antonio Margarito in his farewell fight. It seems that the WBC boss summed up a lot of people's feelings on the bout when he said, "Manny Pacquiao has only recently won the lightweight title. It's been 13 years since Oscar De La Hoya last made that weight and in that thirteen years he has gone up four weight divisions.”

Sulaiman's comments were made to James Blears.

It is amazing that Ricky Hatton has hired Floyd Mayweather Sr. to help train him for the upcoming challenge of IBF junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi from Brooklyn. That fight takes place in Las Vegas on Nov. 22.

Could this be a way to lure Floyd Mayweather Jr. out of retirement. Would Hatton really want to lure him out of retirement?

Amir Khan, the young British sensation, lost for the first time as a pro when he was stopped in just 54 seconds by Colombian Breidis Prescott. Khan was knocked down 30 seconds into the fight and never really recovered.

Andy Murray, the tennis star, was touting Khan's enormous talents earlier at the U.S. Open. Murray, a huge fight fan, said he saw Khan fight several times and thought the kid had a world of talent. He did mention, though, that people were wondering about his chin. Hey, anyone can get caught. We'll see if this pattern continues.

As for Murray, he upset Rafael Nadal in the U.S. Open semis and will meet Roger Federer in the finals. Federer is basically the Sugar Ray Robinson of tennis. But Murray has beaten him once already this year.

Hall-of-Famer Joey Giardello has passed away at the age of 79. The former middleweight champion won the title in 1963 from Dick Tiger and lost it to Tiger a year later.

Giardello had a long distinguished career with over 100 victories. He beat the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson (late in Robinson's career), Henry Hank, Chico Vejar, Ralph "Tiger" Jones, Harold Green, Billy Graham and many more solid contenders.

In recent years Giardello may be best remembered for the depiction of him in the movie "Hurricane," the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Giardello defended the crown via unanimous decision over Carter. But in the movie, in which Denzel Washington played Carter, it was portrayed that Carter was robbed and really deserved the decision. Not true. Most boxing historians agree that Giardello deserved the decision. He sued and settled out of court. On the DVD, there is commentary that liberties were taken during the Giardello-Carter fight.

(One personal note, my father, Bobby Cassidy, fought the semfinal on the Giardello-Tiger II card at Madison Square Garden, winning by knockout that night.)

Juan Diaz won a split decision over Michael Katsidis on HBO. The scoring was 116-112, 115-113 for Diaz and 115-113 for Katsidis.

-- CASSIDY

By Marcus Henry

Talk of Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao, Roy Jones vs. Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins vs. Kelly Pavlik has dominated the boxing world lately.

Are they all marquee fights? Of course they are. But there are several other fights brewing that the boxing world needs to pay attention to.

The most underrated fight of this year could happen this Saturday when Australian lightweight sensation Michael Katsidis (23-1, 20 KO’s) takes on Juan Diaz (33-1, 17 KO’s). The co-feature of the Katsidis-Diaz card features Rocky Juarez against Jorge Barrios. Both fights will be aired on HBO's Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15 p.m.

The Katsidis-Diaz fight is interesting as both fighters are coming off losses. Katsidis suffered a 10th-round TKO to Joel Casamayor, while Diaz lost a split decision to Nate Campbell. The fight is more important than most think as Katsidis is looking to establish himself as a world-class fighter.

Don’t let Katsidis’ loss to Casamayor fool you. He was knocked down twice in the first round and once in the 10th. But he showed some resilience as he put Casamayor on the floor in the sixth. It’s a must-win for Katsidis, who needs to prove he is ready for the big time.

A win against Diaz could put him in line with a date with one of several quality lightweights, including Pacquiao and Campbell, who holds the WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight titles.

Speaking of Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KO’s) he has a pretty big fight on September 13 against Joan Guzman. Guzman (28-0, 17 KO’s) turned heads with a solid win against Humberto Soto in November. A win against Guzman would all but etch Campbell in stone as the top lightweight contender. Pacquiao is still the best lightweight, but there’s no telling if he will return to the division after his bout with De La Hoya.

We can’t forget about the Sergio Mora-Vernon Forrest WBA junior middleweight title fight and the Joel Casamayor (36-3, 22 KO's) vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (48-4, 35 KO's) co-feature set for September 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Forrest (40-3, 29 KO’s) is looking to avenge a June loss to Mora (21-0, 5 KO’s), while Marquez will try to bounce back from his loss to Pacquiao. Both fights can be seen on HBO's PPV beginning at 9 p.m.