The Neutral Corner

The WBA took a step toward finally clearing up a lot of confusion as it declared two-time WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (43-8-1, 29 KOs), presently rated No. 3, as the mandatory challenger for the winner of this year’s Ruslan Chagaev-Nicolai Valuev WBA title fight.

The two were set to fight on July 5th, but Chagaev pulled out because of an injury. Valuev instead fought and defeated Ruiz by unanimous decision and was awarded the vacant WBA title. Rather than strip Chagaev of his title, the WBA named him "champion in recess". As a result Chagaev and Valuev must fight no later than June 26 to determine the undisputed champion. -- MARCUS HENRY

Newark -- Adamek's Army was out in full force tonight, approximately 5,900 strong. The loyal following of cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek, faces painted, waiving Polish flags, did not leave the Prudential Center disappointed. After a slow start, Adamek methodically wore down Johnathon Banks, dropping him twice in the eighth round before referee Eddie Cotton stopped it.

Also on the Showtime card was an IBF middleweight title-eliminator that saw Giovanni Lorenzo knock out Dionisio Miranda with a single right hand in the second round. On the non-televised portion of the show, local favorite Jerson Ravelo was stopped with 11 seconds left in the fight by Don Mouton. Ravelo led on two scorecards at the time of the stoppage.

Click here to read more about the Adamek-Banks fight.

Here is the AP report of Adamek's win over Banks.

-- CASSIDY

The question has been raised many times over the years. Why can’t boxing be back on prime time network television?

There are several answers to this question; late starting times, not enough money to please promoters, fighters, sponsors, etc…

The rumors of a deal to air boxing on CBS on Saturday nights were addressed by Showtime Network Sr. VP and general manager of sports and event programming Ken Hershman during a media roundtable luncheon at the Palm West restaurant on Friday.

Hershman was quick to point out that no deal has been reached. “I can’t tell you if we’re close or not,” he said. “It’s a process and we’re working toward it.”

It's worth noting that CBS owns Showtime.

Hershman wouldn’t go into any details, but among the obvious issues facing a boxing card on CBS on Saturday nights is how to replace the advertising money earned from airing reruns of popular shows like CSI.

“How do you replace that revenue,” Hershman said. “That’s the challenge.”

The success of recent MMA cards on CBS has prompted discussions on whether boxing can be profitable on network television. “I don’t really know [if there’s a timetable],” Hershman said. “But I know CBS was pleased with two of the three MMA shows.”

Other topics addressed at the roundtable, which was also attended by Showtime's Gordon Hall and Nick Charles, Steve Farhood, Main Events CEO Kathy Duva, yours truly and other boxing notables, included upcoming fights on ShoBox and the progress of several Showtime fighters.

One fighter that generated some interesting debate was super middleweight prospect Andre Ward. Ward (18-0, 12 KOs) has been regarded by many as the next great super middleweight. His unblemished record notwithstanding, he hasn't fought anyone of note.

"[Ward] is done with the building stage," Hershman said. "He needs to make a major step up."

Adding in-fight punch stats for Showtime events was also discussed at the roundtable. CompuBox, which provides live punch stats for HBO, is contractually prohibited for doing so for Showtime.

Nothing is imminent, according to Hershman. "We are working on a system," he said. "It's not 100 percent, but we're working on it." - MARCUS HENRY

I will tell you why.

Oscar De La Hoya is done. Even if he is not ready to admit it.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is still retired. Joe Calzaghe has retired. Roy Jones Jr. should retire.

Bernard Hopkins is 44. Evander Holyfield is 46.

The heavyweight division is, well, a division no one cares much about.

And we can't really be sure if Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto are actually back, given the opposition they faced in their comeback fights. And we can't really be sure if Antonio Margarito will ever fight from under the A-Rod-type cloud of suspicion that now hovers over him.

So, yeah, boxing desperately needs Manny Pacquiao. But to what degree can he deliver?

Continue reading "Why boxing desperately needs Manny Pacquiao" »

Photo courtesy Tom Casino/Showtime

Tomasz Adamek (36-1, 24 KOs), left in photo, weighed 199 pounds and will defend his Ring magazine and IBF cruiserweight titles against Johnathon Banks (20-0, 14 KOs), who weighed the division-limit 200 pounds, in the ShoBox main event. The bout will come to you live via Showtime from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Also on ShoBox, Giovanni Lorenzo (26-1, 18 KOs), of New York City via the Dominican Republic, and Dionisio Miranda (19-2-2, 17 KO’s), of Barranquilla, Colombia, will fight in an IBF middleweight eliminator. Both men weighed 159 pounds. The winner could be next in line to challenge IBF 160-pound champion Arthur Abraham. -- CASSIDY

Steve Farhood has worn many hats in this business. Columnist, author, television analyst and former editor-in-chief of "The Ring" magazine. But for the last eight years, Steve has been Showtime's color man for it's highly successful ShoBox series. He and Nick Charles will be calling the Tomasz Adamek-Johnathan Banks cruiserweight title fight on Friday from the Prudential Center in Newark.

As fight night approaches, we decided to go toe-to-toe with Farhood.

Continue reading "Toe-to-Toe with Showtime analyst Steve Farhood" »

German-based promoter Ahmet Öner announced that two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux has defected from Cuba and has arrived in Miami. Öner stated that Rigondeaux signed with Arena Box-Promotion.

Rigondeaux attempted to defect two years ago when he and Erislandy Lara left the Cuban national team during the Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian police located the two fighters several days later and they were sent back to Cuba. Lara successfully defected in June, while Rigondeaux languished on the island.

Rigondeaux, who won the bantamweight gold at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, was sanctioned by Fidel Castro's government and was not part of the Cuban team that competed in Beijing. Thus, he missed an opportunity to become only the fourth fighter in history to win gold medals at three different Olympics. Hungary's Laszlo Papp and Cuba's Teofilio Stevenson and Felix Savon are the only boxers to accomplish that feat.

“It’s true”, said Öner, in a release. “Our director of boxing operations in the USA, Luis DeCubas, has met Rigondeaux in Miami. Obviously, we are excited that this extraordinarily gifted athlete joins our team of Cuban world class boxers like Yuriorkis Gamboa, Erislandy Lara and Odlanier Solis. They will train together at our gym in Miami. We will announce everything else and answer questions on a press conference in Miami next week.”

Arena-Box has signed six Cubans over the last two years. Rigondeaux, Lara, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Yan Barthelemy, Odlanier Solis and Juan Carlos Gomez all left Cuba to turn pro. Gomez has been out since 1995 and will fight Vitali Klitschko for the heavyweight title in March.

Gamboa, regarded as one of the hottest prospects in boxing, Solis and Barethelemy defected together in December of 2006. Each won gold medals at the 2004 Olympics. -- CASSIDY

Tomasz Adamek defends his cruiserweight title against Johnathan Banks Friday at the Prudential Center in Newark. Adamek will be defending his IBF title, but, more importantly, his Ring magazine title. The belt was presented to Adamek by Nigel Collins at a presser last week. The Ring assembles the sport's most reliable ratings system.

Continue reading "Adamek presented with 'The Ring' belt" »

By Marcus Henry

The revelation of Antonio Margarito attempting to pad his knuckles with an illegal substance before his fight with Shane Mosley last month has suddenly made new WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto a hot commodity again.

While there is no proof Margarito used illegal padding in his 11th-round TKO win over Cotto last July, the mere thought of it has made some believe Cotto deserves a pass for that loss.

Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) took a small step toward regaining his stature as the world’s best welterweight with a fifth-round TKO of England’s Michael Jennings on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

The question is: Who is the next opponent?

Top Rank boss Bob Arum tentatively set June as the month for Cotto’s next fight. “We’re looking at a June 13 fight maybe against Kermit Cintron,” Arum said during the final pre-fight press conference on Wednesday.

After his win over Jennings on Saturday, Cotto expressed his desire to face the winner of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton tilt set for May 2. While fight fans and promoters would salivate over a potential Cotto-Pacquiao matchup, it wouldn’t happen until sometime in November.
If Pacquiao beats Hatton, a matchup with Cotto in November would certainly be billed as the fight of the year. Hatton is also a possibility if he defeats Pacquiao.

A rematch with Mosley, who Cotto beat in 2007, will also be considered, especially with Margarito, whose license was revoked for attempting to wrap his hands with an illegal substance before his fight with Mosley, out of the picture.

A bout with any of the three aforementioned fighters would bring a big gate and a huge pay-per-view number.

Paul Williams, who beat Margarito in 2007 and is set to face Winky Wright in April, is also a possibility, albeit at long shot. Other possible opponents for Cotto this year include Joshua Clottey and Andre Berto.

At his post-fight press conference, Cotto left door ajar to any opponent. “I’m going to take some time off and then talk about what’s next with Top Rank,” Cotto said. “I’m open to anything.”

Top Rank VP Todd DuBeof stopped short of offering a timetable. “[Cotto] goes on vacation for 10 days [after a fight] and then we discuss a list of opponents,” DuBeof said. “We’ve done it like this as a great partnership for eight years.”

Is it long before we see Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao in the same ring?

If last night at Madison Square Garden was any indication, it's a good bet we will see that fight. As Marcus Henry reported in Newsday today, immediately after he dispatched a game, but limited, Michael Jennings, Cotto said, to .. "the winner of Pacquiao-Hatton, I'm here!"

That sentiment was toned down a bit later at the official post-fight press conference. Cotto issued the standard, "it's up to Top Rank," when asked if he would fight Pac Man. Of course, Pacquiao first has to defeat Ricky Hatton on May 2 and Cotto will likely fill his normal June date at Madison Square Garden. Top Rank and Cotto generally fight at the Garden the same weekend as the Puerto Rican Day parade. The speculation is that Cotto will face Kermit Cintron on that card.

So that leaves both Pacquiao and Cotto with a November date to fill. Most people in the press section last night were betting they would fill that date together. Top Rank just happens to promote both fighters. So when Cotto says, "it's up to Top Rank," it sounds like a good bet.

CLICK HERE for photos of the Miguel Cotto-Michael Jennings fight

By Marcus Henry

Questions surrounding the future and current status of welterweight star Miguel Cotto have been circulating ever since the first loss of his career – an 11th-round TKO at the hands of Antonio Margarito on July, 26.

Was it a sign of his decline? Was Margarito that good? Was Cotto prepared?

Those questions were answered in dominating fashion last night as Cotto scored a fifth-round TKO over England’s Michael Jennings to capture the WBO welterweight championship in front of 11,120 at Madison Square Garden.

Referee Benji Estevez stopped the fight with 24 seconds to go in the fifth round.

Stepping into the ring fresh off a loss isn’t easy for some fighters. Cotto, however, used it as motivation. “The loss made me stronger, more focused and a better fighter,” he said.

Cotto’s domination began in the fourth as he peppered Jennings (34-2, 16 KOs) with body shots and forced him into two standing eight counts.

“He’s a great fighter, the hardest puncher I’ve ever faced,” Jennings said. “He’s deceiving. You think you’re out of his range, [then] he strikes and connects.”

Punch stat numbers were all in Cotto’s favor has he landed 118 of 237 thrown, compated to 30 of 197 for Jennings. But Cotto (33-1, 26 KOs) didn’t come out looking for a quick strike. He took time to size Jennings up.

“It was a little slow in the beginning,” said the three-time champion. “I wanted to be the Miguel who came out and studied his opponent for the first few rounds.”

The difference between power punches landed for each fighter was staggering as Cotto landed 72 of 135 thrown. Jennings, who tried to play keep away in the early rounds, hit just 17 of the 44 power punches he threw.

“The way he moved in the beginning made it difficult,” Cotto said. “Then I caught up to him.”

With each shot Cotto landed, his large fan base at the Garden began to get louder. Cotto, a New York City favorite among Latino fight fans, reciprocated the love. “When I first started to fight here a couple people would come,” Cotto said. “When I came out tonight it was great.”
As for his future, Cotto was quick to let everyone know what he wants and said: “The winner of Pacquiao-Hatton, I’m here.”

- Marcus Henry

Miguel Cotto's fan base is still second to none in New York City as the crowd went crazy when he made his entrance. You think the fans want to see a Cotto-Margarito rematch? No question.
Cotto (32-1, 26 KOs) must first get past Michael Jennings (34-1, 16 KOs) for the WBO welterweight title.

Round 1: You can run, but you won't be able to hide forever. Jennings looked a little shell-shocked out there. Cotto landed a solid left to the body with 50 seconds left, which set the tone for the remainder of the fight. Cotto wins the round without breaking a sweat, 10-9.

Round 2: A relatively slow round with Cotto taking it in the last five seconds with a combination to the body and a shot to the head. Cotto got the crowd going for a second with a straight right that knocked Jennings' head back a bit. Cotto wins 10-9.

Round 3: Neither fighter has taken control of the fight, although Cotto is landing the crisper shots. Jennings held his own and even took a couple of chances with a left-right combo, but Cotto made him pay for it with his jab every time. Cotto wins 10-9.

Round 4: Everything began working for Cotto as he caught Jennings with a left uppercut with 1:46 left and a straight left with 1:25 left. It really heated up a little later as Cotto knocked Jennings down twice, with a flurry of body shots. Jennings only survived because the round ended before Cotto could finish him. Cotto gets a 10-8 round.

Round 5: It was another round of hide and go seek for a while, but Cotto ended that as referee Benji stopped it with 24 seconds left in round 5. It was all Cotto the whole fight as Jennings was overmatched. Any questions about Cotto being finished were answered.

Cotto easily won every round.

- Marcus Henry

There's no question who has home court advantage in this middleweight fight as the crowd went crazy when Ireland's John Duddy was introduced by ring announcer Michael Buffer.

Round 1: Vanda held his own, but Duddy was the more active of the two and landed some crisp shots. Duddy gets a 10-9 edge in the first.

Round 2: This round was certainly a bit closer as Vanda answered Duddy's straight rights. But Duddy still managed to avoid taking any of Vanda's power shots. Duddy wins 10-9.

Continue reading "John Duddy vs. Matt Vanda" »

By Marcus Henry

Bronx native Maureen Shea said she hoped to “make history” in her 10-round WBA super featherweight title fight against Peru’s Kina Malpartida at Madison Square Garden tonight.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for Shea, who is best known for being Hilary Swank main sparring partner for the Oscar Award winning film Million Dollar Baby. Shea (13-1, 7 KOs) suffered a 10th-round TKO at the hands of Malpartida (9-3, 2 KOs).

Shea started off well as she floored Malpartida with a short right 1:20 into the first round. It was all Malpartida from that point, however, as she lead on all three scorecards (87-83, 88-81, 87-83).

In other earlier bouts, Wolak Pawel (23-1, 16 KOs) stopped Norberto Bravo (27-17-3, 15 KOs) 1:32 into round three of a super welterweight fight, heavyweight Lenroy Thomas (11-1, 7 KOs) scored a unanimous decision victory over Terrell Nelson (8-8, 5 KOs), Hector Marengo (5-0-2, 3 KOs) and Angel Rodriguez (3-2-1, 2 KOs) fought to a majority draw in a super featherweight bout and super bantamweight Jorge Diaz (8-0, 5 KOs) topped Lante Addy (6-4, 4 KOs), 58-56, 58-56, 59-55.

Stone Roses singer Ian Brown is a big fan of welterweight Michael Jennings, who fights Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight crown Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Brown said he plans on being ringside at the Garden for the fight. Read this story in the Lancashire Evening Post about Brown and Jennings.

It has been seven months since Miguel Cotto suffered the first defeat of his pro career. That was a brutal 11th-round TKO at the hands of Antonio Margarito. Such defeats are not always easy to come back from. That may be why Cotto is returning to the scene of two of his greatest triumphs.

On Saturday, promoter Bob Arum has arranged for Cotto to enter the Madison Square Garden ring to face England's Michael Jennings for the WBO welterweight title. Cotto has fought four times at the Garden and has won impressively each time. In his last two Garden appearances he beat Zab Judah and Sugar Shane Mosley, perhaps his biggest wins as a pro.

Not much is known about Jennings -- or the 34 men he has defeated in a prize ring. And that's pretty standard for a comeback fight. Cotto has endured some great wars in his career, but don't be surprised if this one isn't exactly a typical Cotto battle of attrition. This fight smells more like a tuneup than a showdown. But if it turns out to be more than that, perhaps Cotto lost more to Margarito than we thought. -- CASSIDY

Fight facts

The Top Rank pay-per-view event will begin at 9 p.m. The Miguel Cotto - Michael Jennings and John Duddy - Matt Vanda will originate from MSG beginning at 9 p.m. ET. The broadcast will shift to Youngstown, OH for Kelly Pavlik vs. Marco Antonio Rubio.

All bouts that aren't televised can be seen via the internet on the Yahoo! sports page. Michael Buffer and Jimmy Lennon Jr. will introduce the main events from Madison Square Garden and Youngstown, respectively. MSG spectators will be able to see the live broadcast of the Pavlik- Rubio fight, while spectators at the Chevrolet Centre in Youngstown will be able to see Cotto-Jennings.

The pay-per-view price is $44.95.

For those wondering, this is NOT a HBO pay-per-view event. It is a Top Rank PPV event.

By Marcus Henry

Although Miguel Cotto is convinced Antonio Margarito knew exactly what his trainer Javier Capetillo wrapped his hands before his fight with Shane Mosley, he chose not believe Margarito cheated in their fight.

"I prefer to think he had a great night against me," Cotto said.

Cotto (32-1, 26 KOs), who will take on England's Michael Jennings (34-1, 16 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round WBO welterweight bout on Saturday, said it took two or three weeks to get over his 11th-round TKO loss to Margarito. You'd think the revelation of Margarito's illegal hand wrap would've changed his opinion. Not so for the two-time welterweight champ.

"I feel better that way," he replied when further pressed about it.

Margarito and Capetillo both had their licenses revoked. Neither can participate in boxing in the United States for a year. Both can re-apply next year. Margarito losing his license dashed any hopes of a rematch with Cotto happening this year.

Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promotes both Margarito and Cotto, said he's hoping to have Cotto back in the ring in June for a bout with Kermit Cintron.

Arum, who has maintainted that Margarito's punishment was too harsh, has hinted towards promoting a Margarito card in Mexico. "The rules say that you punish someone four their own wrong doing," he said.

Shea to make history. Maureen Shea (13-0, 7 KOs) will take to the ring on Saturday for the WBA super featherweight title. It's the first time the WBA will recognize a female champion in the super featherweight division. For those who don't know who Shea is, she was Hilary Swank's main sparring partner in preparation for the Oscar-award winning movie Million Dollar Baby.

"It shows that there's market for women's boxing," Shea said of the WBA's decision to recognize a champion in her division. "I hope other females get the same opportunities I got."

This is being reported all over the place. Kudos to Chicago Norm, who dropped a blog post over at the Final Score yesterday. A 25-year-old former model is being banned from boxing in the United Kingdom because she has breast implants.

Sarah Blewden told the Daily Mail, that officials won't allow her to compete because repeated blows to the chests could “damage her breast tissue... They are gel implants and not liquid, so they won’t burst. And if I suffer capsular contracture and need to pay for corrective surgery, then that is my decision.”

It's an interesting question. Could Manny Pacquiao have beaten Aaron Pryor in a bout held at junior welterweight. The Ring magazine asks that very question in the current issue in a section called, "Battle of the Legends." It compares today's champions against champions from the 1970s or 1980s.

Continue reading "Could Manny Pacquiao have beaten Aaron Pryor?" »

Promoter Mike Indri is set to run his second card on February 25, at Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Here's the release:

Continue reading "Boxing returns to Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, NJ" »

According to numerous published reports, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is to publish a tell-all book about his life.

The Brownsville Brooklyn slugger will cover his professional career, his personal life -- inluding his time in jail for rape -- and his life thus far after boxing.

One of the reports says that Tyson began writing the book while in prison and often sought advice from inmates. The New York Post quotes Tyson as saying, "Me and my cellmate would read to each other at night. One night I would read out loud to him, the next night he would read out loud to me. And we would do that back and forth until the book was completed."

The manuscript is being shopped to only five New York City publishers.

Nate Campbell, who owned the WBA-WBO-IBF lightweight titles, failed to make the lightweight limit of 135 pounds for Saturday's title defense against Ali Funeka. In his first attempt to make weight, Campbell weighed 138 lbs. He was given two hours to lose three pounds. When he returned after two hours, he weighed 137.5 pounds and was stripped of his titles.

The fight will go on as scheduled between Campbell and Funeka, who weighed in at 133 pounds and Funeka could claim the title with a win. Campbell can't reclaim the belts with a win.

Ironically, Campbell’s previous fight -- against Joan Guzman -- was canceled when Guzman didn’t make weight. Campbell lost out on a $300,000 purse that night and it later forced him to declare bankruptcy.

In an official statement the WBC, based in Mexico City, came to the aid of a Mexican fighter, Antonio Margarito. The statement read in part; World Boxing Council President Jose Sulaiman, announced today that the Mexican Federation of Boxing Commissions, the Boxing Commission of Tijuana, and the WBC Offices in Mexico, have agreed to face up together the situation of Mexican fighter, Antonio Margarito, who has had his boxing license revoked (suspended) for a year by the California State Athletic Commission, and defend him.

The reasoning by the WBC was that a fighter is not responsible for bandaging his hands, that it is the job of the trainer or manager. Sulaiman reached out to dozens of former fighters, such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Thomas Hearns, Michael Spinks, Erik Morales and they all confirmed, "without exception, that during their careers they had nothing to do with their hands being bandaged, and that their managers were exclusively responsible for such action."

Although this fight was not sanctioned by the WBC and to the best of our knowledge a WBC official was not present, the statement continued to read that Margarito, "is ABSOLUTELY INNOCENT without a doubt." The organization remains steadfast in its support of Margarito. But the defense is eerily similar to Barry Bonds' flaxseed oil defense.

Who says Evander Holyfield is broke? The former heavyweight champion is now a co-owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. According to a report, Florida businessman Eddie Smith has formed a partnership with Holyfield to buy the assets of the Chip Ganassi Racing Nationwide Series team. Holyfield joined Smith at the Ganassi shop two weeks ago before the purchase.

By the way, we also blog NASCAR, check us out at Trading Paint.

Baseball has A-Rod and apparently boxing has Antonio Margarito. According to the Associated Press, Margarito and his trainer have had their licenses revoked for one year after illegal hand wraps were placed on Margarito's hands prior to his fight against Sugar Shane Mosley last month.

What's interesting in the report is the indignation in Bob Arum's quotes, who promotes Margarito. I wonder if Arum would be as outraged if he promoted Mosley?

Continue reading "Antonio Margarito suspended for one year for illegal hand wraps" »

One of the very last pleasures that boxing provided Bernard Docusen was witnessing Manny Pacquiao defeat Oscar De La Hoya. Docusen, the former welterweight contender who challenged Sugar Ray Robinson in 1948, was a Pacquiao fan and thoroughly enjoyed his December 6 win over the Golden Boy.

By January 11, Big Duke had passed away.

Continue reading "Remembering Filipino legend Bernard Docusen" »

Former IBF World Junior Welterweight champion Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi will serve as the honorary captain for the New Jersey Ironmen soccer team when they host the Chicago Storm on Thursday. Malignaggi will put the first kick into motion during the opening ceremonies at the Prudential Center.

Malignaggi (25-2, 5 KOs), who vacated his IBF title in September suffered an 11th-round TKO to Ricky Hatton in November. - MARCUS HENRY

There are a lot of things wrong with boxing. But right now, steroids isn't one of them. There have been a handful of high-profile fighters who have tested positive -- James Toney and Fernando Vargas come to mind. And Sugar Shane Mosley may be forever tainted for getting caught up in the BALCO mess.

Steroids don't seemingly help the boxer the way they help athletes in other sports. Which brings us to Alex Rodriguez.

Continue reading "Boxing, steroids and Alex Rodriguez" »

Good News. According to Fightnews.com, Jorge Arce has been released from the hospital. The web site has him quoted as saying, he has the “aches and pains from a fight.”

Arce was stopped by unified junior flyweight champion Victor Darchinyan at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Saturday night.

We've reported about the war words between Jorge Arce and Vic Darchinyan as a prelude to last night's super flyweight title fight in Anaheim, Calif. But things turned very serious last night when Arce, the challenger, was rushed to the hospital after the bout.

Continue reading "Jorge Arce taken to hospital after TKO loss to Vic Darchinyan " »

The longtime cutman Chuck Bodak has passed away, according to several published reports online. He was 92 years old and never fully recovered from the effects of a stroke suffered in August 2007.

Bodak spent his life in boxing. In Chicago, in the 1950s, he was an influential amateur boxing coach and guided the U.S. in the 1959 Pan Am Games. He is perhaps best known as the cutman who would tape pictures of his fighters to his bald scalp. Among the recent notables that Bodak worked with were Azumah Nelson, Jorge Paez, Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya.

After getting starched in the first round by Fedor Emelianenko in a much-anticipated MMA fight, heavyweight Andrei Arlovski will make his professional boxing debut. This comes from a report on sherdog.com, which cites ESPN's Dan Rafael as first reporting the story.

Oscar De La Hoya, who promoted Arlovski-Emelianenko touched briefly on Arlovski pursuing a boxing career at a NYC presser for the MMA fight. Arlovksi will appear on the undercard of the Paul Williams-Winky Wright fight on April 11 in Las Vegas. De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Promotions is promoting that bout. Arlovksi is trained by Freddie Roach. -- CASSIDY

Joe Calzaghe has announced his retirementd. Roy Jones Jr. has not. In fact, he will self-promote his next fight (against Omar Sheika) and is spicing up the card with three Mixed Martial Arts bouts. The boxing-MMA card -- called "March Badness" -- takes place Saturday, March, 21.

Jones Jr. will fight his "homecoming" light heavyweight bout against the always tough Omar Sheika. Headlining the MMA portion of the card will be Seth Petruzelli, the man responsible for knocking out Kimbo Slice. He takes on Doug Marshall. According to a press release, three-time NCAA wrestling champion and Wrestlemania star Bob Lashley will fight in an MMA bout.

And, back to the boxing side, B.J. Flores, the IBF's second-ranked cruiserweight, will be the co-feature. The card will take place at the Pensacola Civic Center and be broadcast live on pay-per-view. -- CASSIDY

Unified super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan defends his title against former champ Jorge Arce Saturday on Showtime from the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. The buildup has been, well, contentious. Here is a compilation of quotes from this week's open workout:

Darchinyan: “Arce has done a lot of talking, but I like it when they talk and think they are going to beat me. That way, when it is over, I can remind them of what they said while I am holding the belts... I’ve been chasing, following this guy around Mexico for three years. I can’t wait for Saturday... He is a tough fighter and I know he is here to give me a tough fight. So this might go a couple rounds... But once I hit him – and before he realizes what hit him – the fight will be over."

Arce: “Darchinyan’s greatest strength is his mouth. I am not intimidated by the devil; why would I be intimidated by him? His biggest weakness is his chin. When he gets hit flush, he doesn’t get up... People think because I lost to Mijares and Darchinyan beat Mijares that Darchinyan will automatically win our fight. But that’s not how it works. It is just talk. It is neither here nor there. Styles make fights. You’ll see after I nail him what I am saying."

The talking will give way to fighting very soon.

The Associated Press is reporting that Joe Calzaghe will retire and no longer fight again.

Calzaghe retires with a 46-0 record and saved his two best performances for last. In his final two appearances, Calzaghe came to the United States and defeated Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. in successive fights. While many experts, particularly here in the States, will argue that the result of those fights would have been different had he faced Hopkins and Jones earlier, Calzaghe is, nonetheless, a hall-of-famer.

Three other champions who immediately come to mind who retired undefeated are flyweight Ricardo Lopez (51-0), heavyweight Rocky Marciano (49-0) and welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0).

Continue reading "Report: Joe Calzaghe retires undefeated" »

These predictions came courtesy of Showtime. Of the 48 who participated in the Showtime Prediction Poll, 42 picked Darchinyan and six selected Arce. Here’s how they see the world title fight:

Continue reading "Predictions: Vic Darchinyan vs. Jorge Arce" »

The Greater Astoria Historical Society celebrated the history of Sunnyside Garden last night. Many former fighters were in attendance and so was friend of The Neutral Corner, Gary Morgan, who filed this report for us.

Continue reading "Celebrating the history of Sunnyside Garden Arena" »

WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko will face mandatory challenger and former cruiserweight champ Juan Carlos Gomez on March 21st in Germany. Gomez, who defected from Cuba, has been living and fighting in Germany. The two combatants met at the airport earlier this week and Arena Box sent us this little exchange from the airport:

Continue reading "Are Vitali Klitschko and Juan Carlos Gomez really friends?" »

This video comes your way courtesy of Showtime: