Roach: Khan is in top shape

Sky Sports



Trainer Freddie Roach insists Amir Khan is in prime condition ahead of his first defence of his WBA light-welterweight title against Dmitriy Salita.

Khan's career has taken a dramatic turn since July last year, when some thought it was over after he was knocked out in the first round by Breidis Prescott.

However under Roach, Khan has returned to the ring a stronger fighter, with his defeat of Andriy Kotelnik on July 18 earning him the WBA light- welterweight title.

Shape

Roach told Sky Sports News: "He's in better shape, he is getting use to the weight and is much stronger than 140 pounds, that was the problem at 135 (pounds) - it killed him to make the weight.

"He is much more comfortable at 145, he is punching better and is 100 per cent right now."

Roach is confident that Khan can reach the successful heights of another of his charges - the multi-weight world champion Manny Pacquiao.

Source: skysports.com

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Pacman could fight Foreman - Roach

UKPA

Manny Pacquiao may fight Yuri Foreman before taking on Floyd Mayweather Jr, trainer Freddie Roach has revealed.

A super-fight appears to be on the cards next year between Pacquiao, the world's best pound-for-pound boxer, and Mayweather, the undefeated American who recently returned to the ring from retirement. Negotiations to make the fight are under way, but Roach is weighing up the option of first pitting Pacquiao against Foreman who currently holds the WBA light-middleweight belt.

"We want to fight in March and we don't really want to wait," Roach told Press Association Sport. "Mayweather doesn't want to fight in March, so we might fight for the 154 pound title in March and move up for that eighth world title."

He added: "I'm thinking about that still and it's something that I'm kicking around in my head right now.

"Yuri Foreman might be the opponent. It is a possibility, and then Mayweather in September. If they guarantee me that, we'll do that, but I need more of a commitment from Mayweather because he's not negotiating too well.

"It has to happen, and with the money they are going to make out of it, I feel it will happen. Mayweather can't make that money with anybody else."

Roach is fully confident Pacquiao's aggression will triumph over Mayweather's defensive skills in what is set to be the biggest bout of the decade.

"Offence wins fights. He (Mayweather) has a great defence, you don't score points with defence," Roach said. "I have a good game-plan for Mayweather. I have studied him hard and I know him pretty well.

"He's very difficult and he gives us problems but I think we can get to him. We can match his speed and our footwork is a little better than his so I think we can excel in those spots. Obviously it's a tough fight but I think we can get to him and break him down."

Copyright © 2009 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Source: Google News

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Pacman as 2009 SI Sportsman of the Year?

By Eddie Alinea, Philboxing

Golfer Tiger Woods, basketball superstar Michael Jordan and pound-for-pound best boxer Manny Pacquiao have been honored together many times before.

All three, for instance, have been included in the list of the richest athletes in the world, not to mention the list of the most influential persons in the entire universe.

They also have been in the cover of the TIME Magazine.

The Filipino boxing hero, the only man to win seven world boxing championships in seven separate weight divisions, however, unlike Woods and Jordan, has yet to be named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

Woods made it as SI Sportsman of the year twice – in 1996 when he swept the US National and NCAA championships and in 2000 when he won three major championships, while Jordan in 1991 when he took the NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP and handing the Chicago Bulls to their first of a series six NBA championships.

According to two of the most respected boxing writers – Michael Marley of Boxing Examiner.com and Norm Fauenheim of 15Rounds.com – Pacquiao, a cinch for the “Fighter of the Year” accolade, should be considered.

Marley went to the extent of recommending to SI editor Terry McDonnel that such an honor be bestowed on the Filipino ring warrior, emphasizing a suggestion of Frauenheim made in an earlier column.

How fitting is Manny for this year’s honor, Marley wrote, is his athletic accomplishments that can match up those of Tiger, Kobe Bryant, Albert Pujols, LeBron James and all the usual candidates from the more mainstream sports.

Wouldn't this big jug look lovely in the Pacman Mansion? Michael Marley says hell, yeah!
Marley went further saying that “what makes Pacquiao different and so worthy of this honor are the factors that SI’s sister publication, Time Magazine, recognized by putting Manny on the cover of its Asian edition recently on the strength of his being the biggest sporting idol 97 million Filipinos have ever had, His good and charitable works including his recent aid for typhoon victims, his coming from a humble bed and never forgets it, and his modesty and his attribution of all his success to a Supreme Being is no act

“No boxer and few athletes have captured the world’s imagination the way Muhammad Ali did in his epic career,” Marley continued. “Muhammad Ali stood for important matters way beyond the thimble world of boxing.”
“Manny Pacquiao is a Muhammad Ali circa 2009 and his influence and popularity continues to grow.Sports Illustrated should slap Pacman on the cover and declare him the 2009 Sportsman of the Year. He clearly deserves it,” the Boxing Examiner writer asserted.

Frauenheim, for his part said,”Critical acclaim for Manny Pacquiao after his stoppage a couple of weeks ago of stubborn Miguel Cotto included a moment in the post-fight news conference that defined the Filipino’s ongoing emergence and pointed toward recognition that he has yet to achieve.”

He quoted Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum called him “boxing’s Tiger Woods’’ and Yahoo columnist Kevin Lole offered an amendment, saying that Tiger Woods is “golf’s Manny Pacquiao.’’

He event suggested that not only Sports Illustrated must name Pacquiao its Sportsman of the year, but, likewise, the Associated Press.

“It’s not often that any athlete can single-handedly captivate a nation. But Pacquiao has. (Roger) Federer, James, Bryant and (New Orleans quarterback Drew) Brees are all terrific athletes and ambassadors for their respective sports. But Pacquiao has become a reason to cheer, almost an island of hope, for Filipinos hit by typhoons in October and political violence during the last week, “ he said.

“I’ve heard a Pacquiao story that might be apocryphal, but it is worth repeating. Warring rebel and government troops call a cease fire when Pacquiao fights so they can watch and/or listen. After it’s over, they go back to war. If that’s even close to true, the Nobel people got the wrong guy when they picked President Barack Obama for their peace prize. It should have gone to Pacquiao,” he wrote.

Source: philboxing.com

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Hopkins shows boxing still matters, despite tragedies

By Bernard Fernandez, Philadelphia Daily News

Mark Twain once observed that reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated.

The same might be said of boxing in 2009, which is enjoying a notable rebirth after years of decline or, at the very least, stagnancy.

Ageless wonder Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins' first ring appearance in his hometown of Philadelphia in 6 1/2 years might not represent the high point of the sport's recent upswing, but his light-heavyweight bout in the Liacouras Center against Mexican tough guy Enrique Ornelas on Wednesday could be the first of a series of falling dominoes that would send the longtime former middleweight champion into retirement in a blaze of glory.

Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs), who turns 45 on Jan. 15, has an ambitious three-bout exit strategy that calls for him to not only dispose of Ornelas (29-5-0, 19 KOs), but of fellow forty-something legend Roy Jones Jr. (54-5-0, 40 KOs) on March 13, and then to win the heavyweight championship sometime before the end of 2010.

The 6-1, 175-pound Hopkins, who ruled the middleweight division for 10 years and a division-record 20 defenses, almost certainly wouldn't try going all the way up to the land of WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (38-2-0, 37 KOs) and WBO/IBF titlist Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs), the Ukrainian giants who go 6-7 1/2, 250 and 6-6 1/2, 240, respectively.

But newly crowned WBA heavyweight champ David "The Hayemaker" Haye (23-1-0, 21 KOs), of England, is a block of wood that might be more reasonably whittled down. Haye, who won his title on a majority decision over 7-foot, 316-pound Russian Nicolay Valuev on Nov. 7 in Nuremberg, Germany, is 6-3 and weighed 217 pounds for that fight.

A proposed matchup of Hopkins and Haye is feasible, and perhaps even likely, as both are promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

"I will win [against Ornelas] and I will beat Roy Jones Jr., then I will become heavyweight champion in 2010," said Hopkins, who ranks with Archie Moore and George Foreman as the finest over-40 fighters ever.

The problem for Hopkins in his most recent Philly fight - an eighth-round stoppage of Morrade Hakkar on March 29, 2003, at the Wachovia Spectrum - was that the tickets were overpriced ($500 ringside) for this market and Hakkar was an undeserving No. 1 contender who fought scared. That should not be the case Wednesday, with tickets for the Versus-televised matchup more affordably priced (from $20 to $200) and Ornelas vowing to do all he can to become the first man ever to defeat B-Hop inside the distance.

"He's a tough, proud Mexican, and I say that with respect," Hopkins said of Ornelas. "Everybody knows what a true Mexican fighter brings to the table. They fight with pride, they fight with guts. It's in their DNA."

But ticket sales for Hopkins-Ornelas could be adversely affected by what happened to Mexican-born, Chicago-based super bantamweight Francisco Rodriguez, who suffered a brain bleed in his Nov. 20 bout with North Philadelphia's Teon Kennedy at the Blue Horizon. Rodriguez fought valiantly, but he was stopped in 10 rounds in his bid to win the vacant USBA 122-pound championship. He collapsed shortly after the bout and, with no discernible brain activity, was unplugged from the machine that kept him breathing on Nov. 22.

There are always repercussions about the ever-present dangers of boxing whenever there is a ring-related death, and the passing of Rodriguez - father of a 5-month-old daughter - is no different. He became the first fighter in 31 years to die as the result of injuries incurred in a bout in Philadelphia, and his death occurred only 10 days and a few blocks away from where Hopkins-Ornelas will take place.

Boxing's status as a mainstream sport took major hits in 1962, when Emile Griffith bludgeoned Benny "Kid" Paret past the point of no return, and in 1982, when Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini put Duk-Koo Kim down and out for a permanent count.

Rodriguez' death is not nearly so high-profile as those of Paret and Kim, but it does strike much closer to home in this city, and it raises familiar questions as to whether boxing still has a place in a civilized society.

It also comes amid a flurry of positive news for the beleaguered fight game, which has withstood past tragedies. In what can only be described as a very good year, the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Juan Manuel Marquez bout posted big pay-per-view numbers, Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto did even better and, recession or not, HBO officials are prepared to break the bank for Pacquiao-Mayweather in 2010.

"The money we are talking about is astronomical," said HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. "This fight has to happen. This should be our Super Bowl. It will break records."

Just this past Saturday night, in Quebec City, Lucian Bute knocked out Librado Andrade before a raucous, sellout crowd of 16,473. Boxing also is hugely popular in Eastern Europe, and Andre Ward, the only American gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, gave U.S. fans a reason to cheer on Nov. 21 when he upset Denmark's Mikkel Kessler in the Showtime-orchestrated "Super Six" super middleweight tournament. Ward, who claimed Kessler's WBA belt, is the first American to win in the opening round of the ambitious round-robin event.

Source: philly.com

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Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather: Odds are 80 million to 1 that the fight happens

By Glenn Wilson, Examiner.com

News hit the media this weekend that negotiations for the Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather fight have gone very well. Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum and Floyd Mayweather representative, Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer sat down together to try to iron out details for a Pacman-Money blockbuster.

Along with the purse for each fighter, the promoters have to find a venue for this megafight to take place. Word is that Dallas, Las Vegas and New York are the front runners.

New York would like the fight at the new Yankee Stadium. Experts believe the tax situation for that venue will keep New York from hosting the fight. Las Vegas would like to keep their name synonymous with big fights, but Dallas has the new Cowboys stadium and currently seems the best bet to get the event.

The real surprise is the lack of a surprise. That is that negotiations are going so well. The promoters think that the fight could have an $80 million purse attached to it. It would be hard to imagine either fighter turning down $40 million dollars.

The negotiations probably went this smoothly, Richard, "we're all going to be rich". Arum probably responded,"you mean we're going to be richer, see you on the press tour".

There is no way that this fight will not get done when you are talking about that kind of payday. It would seem that the only thing left up in the air would be the date. With Manny coming off of his big win against Miguel Cotto and Mayweather having beat Juan Manuel Marquez in September, it would appear a May date would be likely.

I have talked to people that don't follow boxing that have said that this is a fight they will buy. So will all the casual fans make this fight see $90 million or even, $100 million? The possibility would seem to be there for that to happen.

$80 million dollars. Man, I am in the wrong bussiness.

Source: examiner.com

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Gusi son fires back: Manny Pacquiao jerked us around

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: I took my shots at Ambassador Gusi for what I still see as emotionally charged, over the top remarks about Pinoy Idol Manny Pacquiao being a no show for the Gusi Peace Prize ceremonies. So, in the interests of being firm but fair, I am running this response from Mikko Gusi, the Ambassador's son, in toto.--MICHAEL MARLEY)

In Response to Ambassador Barry S. Gusi’s speech about forfeiting the Gusi Peace Prize to Manny Pacquiao last November 25, 2009, in Meralco Theater, during the Gusi Peace Prize Annual Ceremonies.

1. The Camp of Manny Pacquiao, including Pacquiao himself (in an actual encounter with Amb. Gusi in Penalosa Gym Mandaluyong) promised, several times that Mr. Pacquiao will be attending the ceremonies. Communication to Pacquiao’s camp was by all means well followed up.

1.a “I am truly humbled by this incredible honor and I would like to thank the Gusi family and the foundation,” said Pacquiao. There have been press releases on the internet from 411mania.net, www.saddoboxing.com, pacman.craveonline.com, boxinginsider.com and other websites quoting Pacquiao’s affirmation in accepting the award.

1.b Aside from the Awards Night itself, Wednesday evening, There was a Monday Malacanan Luncheon and Presscon Dinner, and a Tuesday Peninsula Welcome Dinner. He didn’t show up despite his camp faxed a list of guests to attend the welcome dinner in Peninsula and despite the well followed up communication with Pacquiao’s camp for the main awards night.

1.c Pacquiao’s Adviser, Michael Koncz volunteered to accept the award in behalf of Pacquiao. According to the bylaws of Gusi Peace Prize, Physical Presence is a MUST. The Award shall be forfeited if the laureate fails to attend the ceremony. No one is exempt from this rule.

2. To answer the speculations that Ambassador Gusi was making a strong statement against Pacquiao in an attempt to elevate the status of Gusi Peace Prize Foundation.

2.a Ambassador Gusi has his own identity. He is a former Honorary Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. He is a world traveler. He has been chaiman of the Gusi Peace Prize Foundation for the past 2 decades, long before Pacquiao ever entered the picture. Even at a very young age, He belonged to a family of influence already, his father being a WWII Guerilla and a city mayor, and his mother being a Sotejo (one of the Filipino families in affluence).

2.b It wasn’t an attempt to to elevate the status of the foundation. The roster of awardees in various fields for the past years have clearly been great achievers of the world. The foundation itself is prestigious even considering Pacquiao being taken out of the roster. The Gusi friends and supporters adhere and follow the genuine cause led by Amb. Gusi.

2.c Audiences in the Meralco theater weren’t there to mainly see Pacquiao. The Filipino Audiences present were there to witness and support especially the three Philippine laureates: Lea Salonga, Amb. Preciosa Soliven and Fr. Joe Faller, as well as the 15 foreign laureates. About a third of the audience were foreigners.

3. To answer the manner by which his statement was unprofessional and unethical

3.a Ambassador Gusi may have overreacted to Pacquiao’s absence. He was hurt, upset and saddened by Pacquiao’s not showing up. He admits that only a few people know about the hard work that the Gusi Family exerts for the foundation. He is not revoking his statement. Being a sincere person, he was courageous to show his humanity. Those who know him understand completely.

3.b Ambassador Gusi admits he got mad. The present foreign laureates from other countries took time from their busy schedules to be present in the awards night. Respect begets respect.

Direct Quote (Amb. Gusi’s statements may have been mistaken for another meaning, especially among those who haven’t met him yet, except in his youtube video speech)

* “We have to boycott” Amb. Gusi reffered that Pacquiao boycotted the event, and was not engaging the crowd to boycott Pacquiao.

* “No award for the rest of his life” Pacquiao is forfeited of the Gusi Peace Prize permanently (according to foundation bylaws)

The Gusi Peace Prize Foundation’s Identity apart from Manny Pacquiao

The Gusi Peace Prize represents one of the highest honors for distinguished individuals from the four corners of the globe. In recognizing the most brilliant examples of those working toward the attainment of peace and respect for human life and dignity, the Gusi Peace Prize brings out the best of human achievements, ideals and values.

It is a charitable foundation who's main objective is to give proper recognition through the conferment of awards of excellence and distinction to individuals or groups worldwide who have distinguished themselves as brilliant exemplars of society or who contributed toward the attainment of peace and respect for human life and dignity.

2009 Gusi Peace Prize include:

Bob Filner (USA)

Madam Timi Bakatselos (GREECE)

Her Royal Hhighness Princess Fuziah Raja Uda (MALAYSIA)

Dr. Alice Chui (HONG KONG)

Professor Emil-Silvio Ciobata (ROMANIA)

Hon. Massimo Romagnoli (ITALY)

Charalambos Lambrou (CYPRUS)

Dr. Ho Son Fat (MACAU)

Manny Pacquiao (PHILIPPINES) - revoked

Natividad Mercedes Meza (PARAGUAY)

Alexey Steele (RUSSIA)

Dr. Liu Chi Chun (TAIWAN)

Ambassador Preciosa S. Soliven (PHILIPPINES)

Silvia Scherer (SWITZERLAND)

Dr. Rudiger Losch (GERMANY)

The Most Rev. Fr. Joseph A. Faller (PHILIPPINES)

Ali Nasuh Mahruki (TURKEY)

Madam Surapee Rojanavongse (THAILAND)

Lea Salonga (PHILIPPINES)

Christine M. Warnke, Ph.D. (USA)

Written with Love,

Mikko Gusi, Amb. Gusi’s son.

I hope you can help, seeing beyond the video since you never knew my father personally. As his son, and as yours, please delete your article.

My email and facebook is mikkogusi@yahoo.com

Source: examiner.com

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“Joan Guzman vs. Ali Funeka Star in, 'Enough Already with Bogus Decisions!”

By Frank Gonzalez Jr., Bragging Rights Corner

It was another black eye for boxing Saturday night in Quebec City, Canada, where South African Lightweight Ali Funeka (30-2-3, 25 KO’s) faced Joan Guzman (29-0-1, 17 KO’s) of the Dominican Republic for the vacant IBF Lightweight title.

This fight started with Guzman winning the first two rounds using a slick, aggressive approach that involved some impressive feints, great in and out movement and punches that were landing. That lasted until near the end of the second round, when a Funeka jab opened a small cut over Guzman’s right eye. From round three on, it was all Ali Funeka, who found his range and used his height to keep Guzman at the end of his jab. Guzman was a bloody mess by the fourth round, as the Funeka jab had busted up his nose and pecked away at the small cut that grew larger and bled more as the rounds progressed.

Guzman spent rounds three through 12 trying to find a way to hit Ali Funeka but had very little success. Funeka jabbed like a maestro and dominated the action all the way to the finish. If ever a boxing match looked easy to score, this was it. Yet two of the Official Judges saw the fight as a Draw. Funeka had outclassed a bloody faced Guzman for 10 out of 12 rounds.

Guzman had to be a bit rusty, since he hadn’t fought in almost a year and hadn’t done much in the last couple of seasons. Actually, I don’t understand how Guzman even qualified for a shot at a title.

From round three on, Guzman missed often, got tagged plenty and grew more frustrated as the fight wore on. Guzman changed his tactics a bit and gave a good effort but the good big man with the hammering jab was too much for the shorter Guzman. Ali Funeka showed good footwork and timing, often countering Guzman’s misses with clean shots. A few times, I thought Guzman was going to get dropped but he held on—literally and finally opted to fight in close, where he might negate some of Funeka’s long armed offense. But that didn’t work too well either, as Funeka was simply the better boxer Saturday night.

Funeka was able to neutralize Guzman’s aggressive offense and control the tempo of the fight from rounds three until the final bell. When it was over, the two Canadian Judges scored it the same; 114-114. The American Judge had it closer to reality at 116-112 for Funeka. The result was a Majority Draw.

Whoever was paying the Canadian Judges didn’t want Ali Funeka to be their new “Champ.” You have to wonder why the IBF even sanctioned this fight. A blind person could see that Funeka won this fight by a landslide. A “bad decision” was how HBO’s Harold Lederman generously described it.

If the IBF didn’t want Funeka to pay them dues for owning their strap, why did they let even him fight for it? Joan Guzman is a crafty boxer who’s shown some quality in the past but hasn’t really had his head in the game lately for whatever reasons. I don’t see how he even qualified to fight for a title based on what little he’s done lately. Guzman beat a fading Jorge Barrios back in 2006, won a decision over Humberto Soto in 2007 and won another 12 rounder over a little known opponent named Ameth Diaz in 2008. He was supposed to fight Nate Campbell last year but came in overweight. The fight was cancelled from Guzman’s end and even after Campbell said he’d accept the fight with Guzman being overweight, Guzman wasn’t interested. After taking that career path, Joan Guzman gets a shot at the IBF Lightweight title?

At least Funeka has fought two name brand fighters in his last two outings and has built a good momentum in the process.

It’s unlikely the Canadian Judges will ever be held to account for their incompetence, corruption or both. This bogus officiating saw Ali Funeka robbed of a title he really won. It makes Guzman look bad too since that Draw on his record is really a loss. The result of this fight is false and gives the impression that someone was protecting Guzman’s undefeated status Saturday night in Canada. Intelligent fans are insulted for being treated like fools who’ll accept whatever nonsense they throw at us and the sport suffers more criticism for allowing corrupt officiating to go unchecked. I don’t understand how the boxing commissions can claim any legitimacy when they allow Official Judges to get away with ‘stealing’ from fighters right in front of the whole world.

And its not just Canadian Judges or American or German Judges. It’s the same business all over the world. There are a lot of good things about boxing but there is a lot wrong with the crooked way it is administered. There’s nothing encouraging about following a sport that you can’t trust for honest competition and officiating. If anyone is hurting boxing, it’s all these crooked Official Judges. Send letters or emails to the IBF and let them know that we do not approve of the crooked decision that saw Funeka robbed of his victory. We all know boxing is more business than sport but good businesses do well because they build a good client base. Bad businesses ultimately fail because no one wants to buy what they’re selling. Pro Boxing only exists because of us—the fans who keep them in business. They know that. Enough is enough already! The head of the IBF should overturn this hideous result immediately. It’s garbage like this—that’s killing the legitimacy of boxing.

Source: braggingrightscorner.com

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Funeka robbed BOLO for Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel

By Brad Cooney, 8CountNews

Ringside judges Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel both should be banned from boxing, and should never be allowed within 5 miles of a scoring table ever again. Both men scored the Ali Funeka vs Joan Guzman fight 114/114, scores that are so ridiculous that words can't describe it. Funeka busted up Guzman for 10 of the 12 rounds, and appeared by anyone with two functioning eyes to be cruising to a lopsided unanimous decision and world title victory. Judge Joseph Pasquale scored the bout 116/112 for Funeka, the only one that remotely came close to scoring the fight correctly.

Time and time again the sport of boxing has to endure complete incompetence by either corrupt judges, or judges that are too stupid to be allowed to sit ringside. These fighters train their hearts out, fighting is how they pay their bills. It's a crying shame that it takes two idiots like Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel to squash the dreams of a warrior from South Africa named Ali Funeka. What in the world were these two guys looking at? Both judges should be required to sit down in front of a 57 inch television screen with a boxing commission behind them, and have to watch this fight all over again, and then made to explain to each commisioner how they arrived at 114/114 scores.

Both of these judges need to be immediately stripped of their judging privileges, and banned from the sport. This has gone on too many times now. There are too many great fighters that are being robbed by people who never even laced up a glove that are either corrupt, or just plain stupid. We do not know which category these two clowns are in yet, but it's either they are corrupt, or they are not intelligent enough to correctly score a boxing match.

Promoter Gary Shaw was screaming in the ring, and rightfully so I might add. HBO's Max Kellerman who usually does a stand up job with the microphone, in my opinion should have given Shaw a few seconds to speak his peace on national television. The judges should have been publicly called out, and Shaw probably was going to do it, or would have come close to doing it.

HBO needs to do what's right here and immediately grant Funeka a nationally televised rematch against Guzman. Shaw did the right thing by praising Guzman's heart, and didn't vent his frustrations at the fighter. Guzman knows that he was given a gift. Guzman did fight hard, it was just that he was beaten fair and square by a better fighter. The look on Funeka's face was hard to watch. A look of utter shock, and confusion came across the fighters face as the scores were read. Once again, judges, (if you want to call them that) stink up the sport, and give it yet one more black eye. Way to go Mr Davis, way to go Mr Roussel, good looking out for boxing. Thanks for doing more damage to the sports credibility. Thanks for running more fans away from boxing. I am sure UFC owner Dana White will gladly welcome the fans people like two drive away from our sport.

Source: 8countnews.com

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Gary Shaw: "Funeka got screwed and he didn't even get kissed"

East Side Boxing

QUÉBEC CITY (November 29, 2009) -- ALI FUNEKA. He came. He saw. He conquered. And then he got hosed . . . by two International Boxing Federation (IBF) judges, Saturday night at the Pepsi Coliseum in Québec City, Québec, Canada. Top-rated lightweight contender Funeka, who battered undefeated two-division world champion Joan Guzman from pillar to post during their 12-round rumble for the vacant IBF lightweight title, received a Royal Canadian Mounting, coming away with a Majority Draw. Joseph Pasquale scored it 116-112 for Funeka while judges Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel scored it 114-114. Harold Lederman, HBO's unofficial judge, also had Funeka winning by a comfortable margin.

"Let me put it to you this way, Ali got screwed and he didn't even get kissed," said an irate GARY SHAW, Funeka's co-promoter, who watched the fight from ringside. "Ali got robbed. As one reporter told me, '...this decision was so bad it made the Diaz-Malignaggi decision look legitimate.' This may be the worst decision since Lewis-Holyfield I and it needs to be addressed with a formal investigation by the IBF and Interpol. I implore the Promoters Association to issue a formal statement in support of such an investigation. At the very least, the IBF should make Funeka its interim lightweight champion so that no matter who he fights next, it's world title fight. We must stop robbing fighters, sending them home with nothing but shattered dreams instead of the rewards they earned in the ring.."

That is the consensus of spectators, viewers, media and the HBO Boxing After Dark broadcast team which broadcast the fight live. A decision that was "...curious and absurd," said HBO Boxing After Dark blow-by-blow announcer Bob Papa at the end of the telecast.

HBO WILL REPLAY THE FIGHT THIS WEEK! SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30 and TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1:
HBO: Nov. 29 (8:45 a.m. ET/PT) & Nov. 30 (11:40 p.m. ET/PT)
HBO2: Nov. 29 (6:15 p.m. ET /PT) & Dec. 1 (11:55 p.m. ET/PT)

Source: eastsideboxing.com

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