By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
Ask trainer Naazim Richardson how he's doing, and he's likely to respond, in his deep, rumbling, gravel-throated voice, "You know, man, I'm holdin' on with both hands."
But after suffering from a mild stroke a little more than three years go, Richardson found himself being close to literally holding on for his normalcy of life.
"I've always felt that I was left in the arms of Allah, so I was always comfortable in that capacity," said Richardson, a native of North Philadelphia who would only reveal his age as "in my early 40s. That was just a chapter of my life, man, where I felt that, over and above everything else, that God gave me the idea that he was going to use me as an example for certain things."
Richardson, who goes by the name, "Brother Naazim," spoke on Tuesday with FanHouse from the mountains of Big Bear Calif., where he is training 38-year-old WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts), for his May 1 clash with 33-year-old Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) that is slated for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Along with sparring partners, Karl Dargan, and, Rock Allen, Richardson's nephew, and, son, respectively, the duo is diligently working on a game plan to defeat the spectacular Mayweather in a bout that will be televised on HBO pay per view.
Mosley said "It's like a family up here" in training, with Richardson being the unyielding, yet, understanding taskmaster.
"Brother Naazim is hard on me. He makes sure that I'm prepared physically and mentally and spiritually --- all of the different ways that you need to be prepared entering the fight. I think that that's the difference. It's being prepared, and Brother Naazim is 100 percent into the game," said Mosley.
"And wen it comes to May 1, I know that, with Brother Naazim, I've done all the right training for this fight," said Mosley. "I've developed the different strategies that need to know, and that I have to do is go out there and execute."
Mosley's first fight with Richardson was a January, 2009, ninth-round knockout that dethroned Antonio Margarito as WBA champ.
"When I'm in the ring, I'm fighting and he's fighting as well. He's not fighting with his hands or his fists, but with his mind, which is a good thing. I'm not sure that he's doing anything differently as far as my training, but I think that he's taking me back to all of the movements, and keeping me sharp mentally," said Mosley.
"I'm sharp and I'm ready to go. He's a great trainer. One of the best. I think that he's the best trainer right now that's out there," said Mosley. "I'm pleased with everything that's going on in this camp, and I couldn't ask for a better person, a better friend, and a better trainer in my camp right now."
But Richardson's character is tempered by his experience of more than three years ago.
"That stroke was a major point in my life, you know what I mean? It's just that after that, with my children and them watching me, you know when you're always telling your kids things about life? Well, now, they got to see it," said Richardson, who devoutly practices the Muslim faith.
"Watching it, they could see, 'Well, here's this guy that's always telling us about prayer,' and 'We're always watching him pray, and sometimes he got on our nerves about it,'" said Richardson. "But now, they see that it was through my prayer and my faith that I was saved from such a potentially devastating affliction."
Ironically, it was when Richardson was praying, on the night of March 25, 2007, that he said one of his relatives first noticed that he was in trouble.
"I had finished working out with some of my athletes. I was training some guys, and I went home that night and I tried to pray. My son saw me trying to pray, and he saw me stumbling and falling," said Richardson. "What happened was that somehow I had lost the capacity to move on my left side. So he called out to my older son, and they called the hospital."
Richardson was rushed to the hospital by ambulance, and received some even worse news.
"The doctors had me frightened to death because they started talking to me about having to operate on my brain," said Richardson. "They said that, as a result, I might never talk again and that I might never walk again and all of this and different things. But from the time that I could speak, I kept telling them, 'You know, it's not your decision, it's Allah's.'"
So Richardson refused to be operated on, instead, relying on the love of his faith, friends and relatives to help pull him through.
"My family surrounded me, man, and the hospital personel had to be repremand me because I had so many people in my room all of the time. It was some of my family, and the people from the gym. My cousins were there. Everybody was there, everybody came in. Everybody came through. Everybody was showing up," said Richardson.
"I was hospitalized for over a month. But there were always people there excercising my legs while I was sitting in bed and everything. I'd wake up, and they're pulling and pushing my legs back and forth," said Richardson. "I went into the hospital on, like, March 25, and when they let me, it was on the night that Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather fought. [May 5.]"
Richardson slowly regained movement on his partially-paralyzed left side to the point where, three months later, he was back doing what he loved to do best.
Rock Allen was fighting on the undercard of July, 2007 bout between Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright, "and I worked as an assistant in the Winky Wright corner against Bernard," said Richardson, a longtime assistant to Hopkins' former trainer, Bouie Fisher. "I also came back and I worked as an assistant [to Freddie Roach] when Bernard fought Joe Calzaghe" in April of 2008.
But the marquee return for Richardson was on October 18, 2008, when he replaced Fisher as the lead trainer for Hopkins' upset of then-WBC and WBO middleweight (160 pounds) king, Kelly Pavlik, in an over-the-weight-limit bout that was contested at 170 pounds.
Richardson was an assistant to Fisher in September of 2001, when Hopkins knocked out Felix Trinidad to record the 15th defense of his middleweight crown on the way to a division record 20.
About an hour before the Hopkins-Trinidad matchup, Richardson discovered that Trinidad's hands had been illegally wrapped, forcing Trinidad's trainers to re-wrap his fists.
Richardson made a similar discovery of a hand-wrap issue against Margarito prior to his loss to Mosley, proved that his mind was just as sharp, and his eyes, just as keen as they were all those years ago against Trinidad.
"You're definitely going to have more confidence whenever you step into the ring with Brother Naazim there. I think that he's a good trainer. I think that he's one of the best trainers that I've ever worked with. We've gotten along perfectly. From Day One, it was a great match," said Mosley.
"I think that he gives his honest opinion on what he thinks and on what he believes. It's the truth. I can't just say, well, 'Can you sugar coat it a little bit for me?'" said Mosley. "I know that he's telling me the truth when I get into the fight or from sparring, whatever it is. He's going to give me his honest opinion, and I'm happy with that."
So whose side will God be on when Mosley meets Mayweather?
"God's is on all sides. God don't straddle the fence. God is here for everybody from my understanding of him," said Richardson. "It's not about him loving us, it's about us putting our foolishness aside and seeing what he's done for us already."
But who is going to win on May 1?
"I can say that we've got 12 rounds to try to get Floyd, and I'm firmly convinced that the guy that I've got is going to try to get him all 12 rounds," said Richardson. "I'm confident that Shane Mosley's coming out victorious, but I'm no prophet."
Maybe not, but you can believe that Richardson is likely to pray for success -- and he'll likely do so with both hands.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Thursday 22 April 2010
Fans bid farewell to boxer Valero -- Associated Press
By JORGE RUEDA, The Associated Press
EL VIGIA, Venezuela — Weeping relatives and fans gathered around the coffin of former boxing champion Edwin Valero on Wednesday, mourning the troubled fighter who killed himself after slaying his wife.
Hundreds in this small town in southwestern Venezuela attended the funeral Mass for a fighter who rose to international fame before quickly falling into disgrace. Many wiped tears from their faces during the ceremony. Fans, friends and family members later brought Valero's coffin to a gym where he once trained before his body was buried at a nearby cemetery.
Valero, famed for an impressive record of 27 straight knockouts and a huge tattoo of President Hugo Chavez on his chest, was arrested Sunday in the stabbing death of his 24-year-old wife. Police said the boxer hanged himself in his cell early Monday.
The killing, coupled with Valero's suicide, shocked many Venezuelans. Many have been asking what went wrong in his life and why authorities hadn't stepped in to protect his wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, after numerous reports of domestic violence.
A boxer who was close to Valero, Jose Luis Varela, lamented that many of the fighter's friends didn't urge him to seek help to deal with what had become a serious drug and alcohol addiction.
"We didn't want to see that he had problems," Varela said.
During Wednesday's Mass, Priest Esteban Gudino told parishioners he hoped Valero "receives the mercy of our Lord."
"It's a tragedy for all of use when the life of a youngster ends like this," Gudino said from the church's pulpit. "Hopefully, this will serve others to emulate his positive side, and they'll distance themselves from drugs and alcohol."
The fighter's mother-in-law, Mary Finol, told reporters at her daughter's funeral Tuesday in El Vigia that Valero was addicted to cocaine and had grown increasingly violent before he was arrested for his wife's murder.
"We knew that he used cocaine beginning at 12 years of age," Finol said, adding that her daughter had told her that Valero "didn't sleep, didn't eat, got high everyday and was increasingly violent."
Valero's fans shouted "Champion! Champion!" from a caravan of motorcycles and cars that accompanied the hearse carrying the coffin, a Venezuelan flag draped over it.
Fellow boxer and friend, Joel Finol, broke down in tears. "It broke my heart to see him like that: dead," he said.
Venezuelan news reports since 2008 had repeatedly linked the former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion to domestic violence incidents, but the fighter and his supporters rejected those reports.
In September, Valero denied he had been detained on domestic violence charges after Venezuelan news reports said a neighbor called emergency services and told authorities the boxer had struck his mother and a sister.
Last month, Valero was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested him following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for injuries that included a punctured lung and broken ribs.
Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were caused by a fall.
Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, said that after that incident, the boxer was held for nine days in a psychiatric hospital, where he underwent police-supervised rehabilitation. She said people close to the fighter posted bail April 7 and he was allowed to go free.
Mora said the Venezuelan government had arranged for Valero to attend a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in Cuba. He had missed a flight to Cuba and was scheduled to fly there soon, she said.
Valero and his wife left behind two children, ages 9 and 5, who have been taken in by the boxer's sister. A local court has to decide whether the orphans will remain in her custody or live with their maternal grandmother, according to the Venezuelan television channel Globovision.
Valero had fought mainly in Japan and Latin America because he had trouble obtaining a license to fight in the United States. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in a motorcycle crash in 2001 and most jurisdictions had refused to grant a license to a fighter who had sustained a brain injury.
As a result of that accident, Valero had a metal plate inserted in his head. Venezuelan newspaper editor Teodoro Petkoff asked in an editorial published on Wednesday in the newspaper Tal Cual: "Can anyone be sure that his final emotional explosions didn't have anything to do with the damage his brain suffered?"
Petkoff said the justice system was unwilling to take action against a government supporter. "A politicized, submissive justice system killed Edwin Valero and his wife," Petkoff wrote.
The fighter's last victory in Mexico was in February over Antonio DeMarco. Valero was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to compete in a higher weight division.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
EL VIGIA, Venezuela — Weeping relatives and fans gathered around the coffin of former boxing champion Edwin Valero on Wednesday, mourning the troubled fighter who killed himself after slaying his wife.
Hundreds in this small town in southwestern Venezuela attended the funeral Mass for a fighter who rose to international fame before quickly falling into disgrace. Many wiped tears from their faces during the ceremony. Fans, friends and family members later brought Valero's coffin to a gym where he once trained before his body was buried at a nearby cemetery.
Valero, famed for an impressive record of 27 straight knockouts and a huge tattoo of President Hugo Chavez on his chest, was arrested Sunday in the stabbing death of his 24-year-old wife. Police said the boxer hanged himself in his cell early Monday.
The killing, coupled with Valero's suicide, shocked many Venezuelans. Many have been asking what went wrong in his life and why authorities hadn't stepped in to protect his wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, after numerous reports of domestic violence.
A boxer who was close to Valero, Jose Luis Varela, lamented that many of the fighter's friends didn't urge him to seek help to deal with what had become a serious drug and alcohol addiction.
"We didn't want to see that he had problems," Varela said.
During Wednesday's Mass, Priest Esteban Gudino told parishioners he hoped Valero "receives the mercy of our Lord."
"It's a tragedy for all of use when the life of a youngster ends like this," Gudino said from the church's pulpit. "Hopefully, this will serve others to emulate his positive side, and they'll distance themselves from drugs and alcohol."
The fighter's mother-in-law, Mary Finol, told reporters at her daughter's funeral Tuesday in El Vigia that Valero was addicted to cocaine and had grown increasingly violent before he was arrested for his wife's murder.
"We knew that he used cocaine beginning at 12 years of age," Finol said, adding that her daughter had told her that Valero "didn't sleep, didn't eat, got high everyday and was increasingly violent."
Valero's fans shouted "Champion! Champion!" from a caravan of motorcycles and cars that accompanied the hearse carrying the coffin, a Venezuelan flag draped over it.
Fellow boxer and friend, Joel Finol, broke down in tears. "It broke my heart to see him like that: dead," he said.
Venezuelan news reports since 2008 had repeatedly linked the former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion to domestic violence incidents, but the fighter and his supporters rejected those reports.
In September, Valero denied he had been detained on domestic violence charges after Venezuelan news reports said a neighbor called emergency services and told authorities the boxer had struck his mother and a sister.
Last month, Valero was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested him following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for injuries that included a punctured lung and broken ribs.
Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were caused by a fall.
Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, said that after that incident, the boxer was held for nine days in a psychiatric hospital, where he underwent police-supervised rehabilitation. She said people close to the fighter posted bail April 7 and he was allowed to go free.
Mora said the Venezuelan government had arranged for Valero to attend a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in Cuba. He had missed a flight to Cuba and was scheduled to fly there soon, she said.
Valero and his wife left behind two children, ages 9 and 5, who have been taken in by the boxer's sister. A local court has to decide whether the orphans will remain in her custody or live with their maternal grandmother, according to the Venezuelan television channel Globovision.
Valero had fought mainly in Japan and Latin America because he had trouble obtaining a license to fight in the United States. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in a motorcycle crash in 2001 and most jurisdictions had refused to grant a license to a fighter who had sustained a brain injury.
As a result of that accident, Valero had a metal plate inserted in his head. Venezuelan newspaper editor Teodoro Petkoff asked in an editorial published on Wednesday in the newspaper Tal Cual: "Can anyone be sure that his final emotional explosions didn't have anything to do with the damage his brain suffered?"
Petkoff said the justice system was unwilling to take action against a government supporter. "A politicized, submissive justice system killed Edwin Valero and his wife," Petkoff wrote.
The fighter's last victory in Mexico was in February over Antonio DeMarco. Valero was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to compete in a higher weight division.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
Valero buried amid questions over drug and alcohol abuse -- Yahoo! Sports
By Reuters
EL VIGIA, Venezuela, April 21 (Reuters) - Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero, who committed suicide on Monday in a jail where he was held for killing his wife, was buried on Wednesday as details emerged of the troubled fighter's history of drug and alcohol abuse.
A coffin bearing Valero's remains was driven to his birth place Vigia in Venezuela's Andean foothills, where hundreds of fans crammed into the Morochito Rodriguez gym where the boxer began his career.
The 28-year-old, nicknamed "The Inca", was charged on Sunday with stabbing his wife Jennifer Carolina Viera de Valero to death in a hotel room in the city of Valencia.
He hung himself in jail with his clothes after confessing to her murder, police said.
Valero was laid to rest in the same cemetery his 24-year-old wife was buried a day earlier and where her relatives had accused authorities of ignoring a pattern of domestic abuse.
"The only thing we ask for is justice, the death of my daughter cannot stay like this," her father, Armando Viera, said on Tuesday by his daughter's grave some distance from the boxer's.
"Her mother and I repeatedly told the security forces ... about the Inca's abuse of my daughter, and they never believed us, now this happens."
SEVERE POVERTY
Valero, the father of two children, had a troubled start to 2010, detained in March for mistreating his wife and then receiving treatment for alcohol problems.
His wife was taken to hospital earlier this year with fractured ribs and a damaged lung. She initially accused Valero of causing the injuries, but later changed her story to say she had fallen down some stairs.
A medical report ordered by police said the fighter, who stunned the boxing world with 27 KOs and held the World Boxing Council lightweight title until going for rehabilitation, had abused cocaine and alcohol and had psychiatric issues.
A high-profile supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Valero had a national flag with an image of Chavez tattooed on hs chest.
He was briefly placed in a rehabilitation center and was due to travel to Cuba for a government-funded trip to recover from substance abuse, but the trip was delayed after he had a car crash.
Valero was being groomed to fight world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum said this week.
Arum, who co-promoted the boxer's last two fights, had heard rumours of drug and alcohol troubles, but said he had never seen evidence of it himself.
His trainer Oscar Isnaurdy Ortega had never seen any signs of violence outside the ring, he told Reuters.
Born into severe poverty as the third of eight children, Valero had frequently slept in the gym as a teenager and went without food.
"He sold vegetables and garlic as a boy in the Railway Plaza of Vigia, then he worked in a bicycle store," Ortega said. (Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Ian Ransom)
Source: nz.sports.yahoo.com
EL VIGIA, Venezuela, April 21 (Reuters) - Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero, who committed suicide on Monday in a jail where he was held for killing his wife, was buried on Wednesday as details emerged of the troubled fighter's history of drug and alcohol abuse.
A coffin bearing Valero's remains was driven to his birth place Vigia in Venezuela's Andean foothills, where hundreds of fans crammed into the Morochito Rodriguez gym where the boxer began his career.
The 28-year-old, nicknamed "The Inca", was charged on Sunday with stabbing his wife Jennifer Carolina Viera de Valero to death in a hotel room in the city of Valencia.
He hung himself in jail with his clothes after confessing to her murder, police said.
Valero was laid to rest in the same cemetery his 24-year-old wife was buried a day earlier and where her relatives had accused authorities of ignoring a pattern of domestic abuse.
"The only thing we ask for is justice, the death of my daughter cannot stay like this," her father, Armando Viera, said on Tuesday by his daughter's grave some distance from the boxer's.
"Her mother and I repeatedly told the security forces ... about the Inca's abuse of my daughter, and they never believed us, now this happens."
SEVERE POVERTY
Valero, the father of two children, had a troubled start to 2010, detained in March for mistreating his wife and then receiving treatment for alcohol problems.
His wife was taken to hospital earlier this year with fractured ribs and a damaged lung. She initially accused Valero of causing the injuries, but later changed her story to say she had fallen down some stairs.
A medical report ordered by police said the fighter, who stunned the boxing world with 27 KOs and held the World Boxing Council lightweight title until going for rehabilitation, had abused cocaine and alcohol and had psychiatric issues.
A high-profile supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Valero had a national flag with an image of Chavez tattooed on hs chest.
He was briefly placed in a rehabilitation center and was due to travel to Cuba for a government-funded trip to recover from substance abuse, but the trip was delayed after he had a car crash.
Valero was being groomed to fight world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum said this week.
Arum, who co-promoted the boxer's last two fights, had heard rumours of drug and alcohol troubles, but said he had never seen evidence of it himself.
His trainer Oscar Isnaurdy Ortega had never seen any signs of violence outside the ring, he told Reuters.
Born into severe poverty as the third of eight children, Valero had frequently slept in the gym as a teenager and went without food.
"He sold vegetables and garlic as a boy in the Railway Plaza of Vigia, then he worked in a bicycle store," Ortega said. (Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Ian Ransom)
Source: nz.sports.yahoo.com
Floyd Mayweather: 'I'm God-Gifted' -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
As the video began, Floyd Mayweather drove up to his own gym in a white, sports car and enters his Mayweather gymnasium.
"It's another Day, Baby," said the unbeaten six-time titlist, who wore a white, Reebok T-shirt with "Money Mayweather" on the back.
Nearby, cameras flashed after the 33-year-old Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) has donned blue boxing gloves, which he alternately slammed against the red, "mits," that were held by his uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, before a horde of reporters and media members during last week's open workout.
Sweat glistened from his face, head, and exposed, muscular arms as Mayweather switched his attention to the dangling, black heavy bag, that appeared to be as long as his body is tall.
Mayeather banged away under the watchful eyes of his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., and advisor, Leonard Ellerbe, as part of his preparation for a May 1 clash with 38-year-old, WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), to be televised on HBO pay per view from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
"Mosley keeps talking about his power, and how strong he is, but this is not a weight-lifting contest, this is a boxing match," said Mayweather, who is coming off of September's 12-round, unanimous decision over WBA and WBO light weight (135 pounds) king, Juan Manuel Marquez.
"If this was a weight-lifting contest, yeah, then Mosley may win," said Mayweather. "But it's obvious, that if you look at the two fighters' records, and the two fighters' bank accounts, you can see which fighter is a lot smarter, and that would be me."
Mayweather's comments were made in a video detailing his workouts as he gets ready for Mosley, who is coming off of a January, 2009, ninth-round knockout of Antonio Margarito that earned his present title.
"There's a difference between being talented and gifted," said Mayweather at one point. "I'm God-gifted."
The video includes Mayweather addressing, among other things, the Olympic style blood and urine random drug testing that is being conducted by the United States Anti-Doping Agency which both he and Mosley must endure at Mayweather's insistance.
"I'm just trying to clean up the sport. You've got a lot of fighters dying in the sport of boxing. You've got a lot of fighters going into comas, and we don't know what fighters are taking," said Mayweather, referring to a move that marks the first time boxing has drawn blood to specifically test for illegal drugs.
"And not everything shows up in the urine," said Mayweather. "There's a lot of things that fighters are taking that is only in the blood."
Mosley admitted having used the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," prior to defeating Oscar de la Hoya in 2003 in connection to the BALCO drug scandal.
"Just like with the BALCO thing, and Shane," said Mayweather. "That's why I got USADA on board, with the Olympic style drug testing. So there's no cheating on my side, and there's no cheating on Shane's side."
The video also shows highlights of Mayweather's decisions over Marquez and de la Hoya, as well as his knockout of Ricky Hatton.
Mosley's knockouts of Margarito and Fernando Vargas are also shown, as is an interview with Floyd Sr.
On several occasions, Mayweather ignored questions about WBO champion, Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), the seven-
division king with whom Mayweather's negotiations for a mega fight collapsed over random drug testing issues.
"My main focus, always, is to focus on who I'm facing. A lot of times you've got guys who are media creations. With me, it's hard work and dedication and just beating guys, day in and day out. That's how I've gotten to this point," said Mayweather.
"You don't get to this point by just fighting nobodies. They say that Floyd's ducking and dodging, but you don't get ranked pound-for-pound or known as one of the greates fighters that ever lived by fighting nobodies," said Mayweather.
"It just so happens that I make them look like nobodies. I make 'A' fighters look like 'B' fighters. It's not my fault that I'm that good."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
As the video began, Floyd Mayweather drove up to his own gym in a white, sports car and enters his Mayweather gymnasium.
"It's another Day, Baby," said the unbeaten six-time titlist, who wore a white, Reebok T-shirt with "Money Mayweather" on the back.
Nearby, cameras flashed after the 33-year-old Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) has donned blue boxing gloves, which he alternately slammed against the red, "mits," that were held by his uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, before a horde of reporters and media members during last week's open workout.
Sweat glistened from his face, head, and exposed, muscular arms as Mayweather switched his attention to the dangling, black heavy bag, that appeared to be as long as his body is tall.
Mayeather banged away under the watchful eyes of his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., and advisor, Leonard Ellerbe, as part of his preparation for a May 1 clash with 38-year-old, WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), to be televised on HBO pay per view from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
"Mosley keeps talking about his power, and how strong he is, but this is not a weight-lifting contest, this is a boxing match," said Mayweather, who is coming off of September's 12-round, unanimous decision over WBA and WBO light weight (135 pounds) king, Juan Manuel Marquez.
"If this was a weight-lifting contest, yeah, then Mosley may win," said Mayweather. "But it's obvious, that if you look at the two fighters' records, and the two fighters' bank accounts, you can see which fighter is a lot smarter, and that would be me."
Mayweather's comments were made in a video detailing his workouts as he gets ready for Mosley, who is coming off of a January, 2009, ninth-round knockout of Antonio Margarito that earned his present title.
"There's a difference between being talented and gifted," said Mayweather at one point. "I'm God-gifted."
The video includes Mayweather addressing, among other things, the Olympic style blood and urine random drug testing that is being conducted by the United States Anti-Doping Agency which both he and Mosley must endure at Mayweather's insistance.
"I'm just trying to clean up the sport. You've got a lot of fighters dying in the sport of boxing. You've got a lot of fighters going into comas, and we don't know what fighters are taking," said Mayweather, referring to a move that marks the first time boxing has drawn blood to specifically test for illegal drugs.
"And not everything shows up in the urine," said Mayweather. "There's a lot of things that fighters are taking that is only in the blood."
Mosley admitted having used the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," prior to defeating Oscar de la Hoya in 2003 in connection to the BALCO drug scandal.
"Just like with the BALCO thing, and Shane," said Mayweather. "That's why I got USADA on board, with the Olympic style drug testing. So there's no cheating on my side, and there's no cheating on Shane's side."
The video also shows highlights of Mayweather's decisions over Marquez and de la Hoya, as well as his knockout of Ricky Hatton.
Mosley's knockouts of Margarito and Fernando Vargas are also shown, as is an interview with Floyd Sr.
On several occasions, Mayweather ignored questions about WBO champion, Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), the seven-
division king with whom Mayweather's negotiations for a mega fight collapsed over random drug testing issues.
"My main focus, always, is to focus on who I'm facing. A lot of times you've got guys who are media creations. With me, it's hard work and dedication and just beating guys, day in and day out. That's how I've gotten to this point," said Mayweather.
"You don't get to this point by just fighting nobodies. They say that Floyd's ducking and dodging, but you don't get ranked pound-for-pound or known as one of the greates fighters that ever lived by fighting nobodies," said Mayweather.
"It just so happens that I make them look like nobodies. I make 'A' fighters look like 'B' fighters. It's not my fault that I'm that good."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Floyd Mayweather Jr. associate indicted in skating rink shooting -- Las Vegas Sun
By Cara McCoy, Las Vegas Sun
An associate of boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been indicted on attempted murder and assault charges in connection with an August shooting incident at a Las Vegas roller rink.
Ocie Harris, 27, is charged with six felonies: two counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of discharging a firearm into a vehicle and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.
The grand jury indictment was unsealed today and a warrant was issued for Harris’ arrest. His attorney said Harris would voluntarily surrender May 4, which is the date set for his arraignment.
Harris is accused of shooting at a BMW convertible with two people inside after words were exchanged with Mayweather on Aug. 23 at the Crystal Palace Skating Center. No one was wounded as a result of the shooting.
Harris, who lives in Chicago, was extradited to Las Vegas in March. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and released after posting a $7,500 cash bail.
District Court Judge Elissa Cadish today set bail at a combined $140,000 on all charges.
Prosecutor Sam Bateman asked for a bail of $200,000. He said bail was never formally addressed at the justice court level and was set by a judge over a weekend without input from the state.
“In justice court, there is a bail schedule and certain charges have standard bail settings. I would note that what was ultimately given in this case was lower than standard bail,” Bateman said, adding that bail on such charges is typically set at a court hearing.
Tom Pitaro, who represents Harris, was present for the filing of the indictment and argued against setting a higher bail for his client.
He said Harris isn’t the real target in the investigation and said that prosecutors and police investigators are using his client as a “pawn” in building a case against the world champion boxer.
"Mr. Harris has now become the pawn in this little fiasco that seems to be going on about trying to get the prizefighter, Mr. Mayweather," he said.
After the hearing, Bateman said he couldn’t discuss whether charges against Mayweather were presented to the grand jury. Grand jury proceedings are secret, but a transcript of the proceedings should be available within the coming weeks.
Mayweather hasn’t been named by police as a suspect in the case.
After leaving the courtroom, Pitaro expressed frustration with the higher bail.
“The setting of such a bail is absolutely outrageous,” he said. Harris, who lives in Chicago, has no felony or misdemeanor convictions in his record and is in contact with his attorneys every week to check on the case, Pitaro said. Harris, who works as a van driver, likely wouldn’t be able to post bail, Pitaro said.
Mayweather is set to fight Shane Mosley next month at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Source: lasvegassun.com
An associate of boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been indicted on attempted murder and assault charges in connection with an August shooting incident at a Las Vegas roller rink.
Ocie Harris, 27, is charged with six felonies: two counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of discharging a firearm into a vehicle and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.
The grand jury indictment was unsealed today and a warrant was issued for Harris’ arrest. His attorney said Harris would voluntarily surrender May 4, which is the date set for his arraignment.
Harris is accused of shooting at a BMW convertible with two people inside after words were exchanged with Mayweather on Aug. 23 at the Crystal Palace Skating Center. No one was wounded as a result of the shooting.
Harris, who lives in Chicago, was extradited to Las Vegas in March. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and released after posting a $7,500 cash bail.
District Court Judge Elissa Cadish today set bail at a combined $140,000 on all charges.
Prosecutor Sam Bateman asked for a bail of $200,000. He said bail was never formally addressed at the justice court level and was set by a judge over a weekend without input from the state.
“In justice court, there is a bail schedule and certain charges have standard bail settings. I would note that what was ultimately given in this case was lower than standard bail,” Bateman said, adding that bail on such charges is typically set at a court hearing.
Tom Pitaro, who represents Harris, was present for the filing of the indictment and argued against setting a higher bail for his client.
He said Harris isn’t the real target in the investigation and said that prosecutors and police investigators are using his client as a “pawn” in building a case against the world champion boxer.
"Mr. Harris has now become the pawn in this little fiasco that seems to be going on about trying to get the prizefighter, Mr. Mayweather," he said.
After the hearing, Bateman said he couldn’t discuss whether charges against Mayweather were presented to the grand jury. Grand jury proceedings are secret, but a transcript of the proceedings should be available within the coming weeks.
Mayweather hasn’t been named by police as a suspect in the case.
After leaving the courtroom, Pitaro expressed frustration with the higher bail.
“The setting of such a bail is absolutely outrageous,” he said. Harris, who lives in Chicago, has no felony or misdemeanor convictions in his record and is in contact with his attorneys every week to check on the case, Pitaro said. Harris, who works as a van driver, likely wouldn’t be able to post bail, Pitaro said.
Mayweather is set to fight Shane Mosley next month at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Source: lasvegassun.com
Kessler faces crossroads fight in second group stage of Super Six -- Sports Illustrated
By Chris Mannix, SI.com
Here is the unspoken beauty of Showtime's Super Six tournament: a world-class champion can have an off night, get absolutely pounded and in his next fight get a shot at another title -- and a chance for redemption.
Meet Mikkel Kessler. When the tournament was first announced, Kessler was quickly tabbed as the favorite. For the better part of the last decade the muscular Dane was boxing's No. 2 super middleweight, ranked just behind Joe Calzaghe in the division. He won the WBA version of the title in 2004 and picked up the WBC belt two years later. He held the titles until 2007, when Calzaghe took them in an entertaining unification bout. When Calzaghe moved up to light heavyweight in 2008, Kessler regained the WBA title and defended it twice before entering the tournament.
Kessler's reign was interrupted again, however, last November when he faced Andre Ward in the opening stage. With a hostile crowd as the backdrop and a fighter with blinding speed in front of him, Kessler wilted, losing a technical decision after the ringside doctor ruled that a cut caused by a clash of heads was too deep for the fight to continue.
"I had to go back to boxing school," Kessler said in a conference call. "I'm so happy to be in this tournament with another chance to show all my boxing fans that I am the best."
Indeed, the Super Six's modified round-robin format gives Kessler an opportunity he otherwise may have had to wait months, if not years for. On Saturday night Kessler will challenge Carl Froch (9 p.m. ET, Showtime) for Froch's WBC title. While he faces a stiff test in Froch (26-0, 20 KOs), a loudmouth Brit with a Floyd Mayweather-ian view of his undefeated record, Kessler will have a home-ring advantage with the fight taking place in his backyard.
"This will be the biggest fight ever in Denmark," said Kessler's promoter, Kalle Sauerland. "We had 26,000 tickets and we were completely sold out of our allocation of tickets in about three hours. We think we may get about 1,000 back to be put on sale so there may actually still be a chance for people to see this fight live. It's beyond anything we've ever seen. It's beyond the [Mike] Tyson-[Brian] Nielsen fight that was here (in 2001). I think it may go down as one of the top five moments in sports history in Denmark."
None of that is relevant to Kessler (42-2, 32 KOs), who is at a career crossroads. A win elevates him back among the division's elite. A loss would likely knock him out of the tournament. Understanding this, Kessler has re-tooled his game plan -- I have changed a lot of tactics," Kessler said, "but I can't reveal [them] right now" -- and claims he's in his "best shape ever" for this fight.
"I learned from my mistakes after the Ward fight," Kessler said. "I learned I made mistakes outside the ring. I had to pick my sparring partners better three or four weeks out of the fight. I just feel I'm better than ever now. I'm ready to fight this fight. I really can't wait. I hope Carl is ready because I've trained very hard the last three months."
Shifting roles from favorite to underdog, Kessler says, is a good thing. Kessler admits he didn't respond well to the pressure of being No. 1.
"It's nice not to be the favorite in this tournament," Kessler said. "I'm like a young warrior again. And I'm super hungry again. I'm back and I'm very sharp at this time. I made my mistake and I just want to get back up and show all my boxing fans from around the world that I am the best super middleweight in the world."
No doubt, the tournament needs a competitive Kessler. Injuries, postponements and Jermain Taylor's withdrawal have taken some of the steam out of the Super Six. Tack on the meteoric rise of Lucian Bute -- whose presence threatens to make the winner of the tournament as irrelevant as the NIT champion -- and Showtime needs a big-time fight. Drawing a large American audience, however, will be difficult: not only will this be the first all-European matchup in Showtime's made-for-TV tournament, but Kessler-Froch will be going up against the NBA playoffs and HBO's Chris Arreola-Tomasz Adamek heavyweight tilt.
The tournament needs an entertaining fight to regain some of the public spotlight. And Kessler needs a win to step back into the light with it.
Source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Here is the unspoken beauty of Showtime's Super Six tournament: a world-class champion can have an off night, get absolutely pounded and in his next fight get a shot at another title -- and a chance for redemption.
Meet Mikkel Kessler. When the tournament was first announced, Kessler was quickly tabbed as the favorite. For the better part of the last decade the muscular Dane was boxing's No. 2 super middleweight, ranked just behind Joe Calzaghe in the division. He won the WBA version of the title in 2004 and picked up the WBC belt two years later. He held the titles until 2007, when Calzaghe took them in an entertaining unification bout. When Calzaghe moved up to light heavyweight in 2008, Kessler regained the WBA title and defended it twice before entering the tournament.
Kessler's reign was interrupted again, however, last November when he faced Andre Ward in the opening stage. With a hostile crowd as the backdrop and a fighter with blinding speed in front of him, Kessler wilted, losing a technical decision after the ringside doctor ruled that a cut caused by a clash of heads was too deep for the fight to continue.
"I had to go back to boxing school," Kessler said in a conference call. "I'm so happy to be in this tournament with another chance to show all my boxing fans that I am the best."
Indeed, the Super Six's modified round-robin format gives Kessler an opportunity he otherwise may have had to wait months, if not years for. On Saturday night Kessler will challenge Carl Froch (9 p.m. ET, Showtime) for Froch's WBC title. While he faces a stiff test in Froch (26-0, 20 KOs), a loudmouth Brit with a Floyd Mayweather-ian view of his undefeated record, Kessler will have a home-ring advantage with the fight taking place in his backyard.
"This will be the biggest fight ever in Denmark," said Kessler's promoter, Kalle Sauerland. "We had 26,000 tickets and we were completely sold out of our allocation of tickets in about three hours. We think we may get about 1,000 back to be put on sale so there may actually still be a chance for people to see this fight live. It's beyond anything we've ever seen. It's beyond the [Mike] Tyson-[Brian] Nielsen fight that was here (in 2001). I think it may go down as one of the top five moments in sports history in Denmark."
None of that is relevant to Kessler (42-2, 32 KOs), who is at a career crossroads. A win elevates him back among the division's elite. A loss would likely knock him out of the tournament. Understanding this, Kessler has re-tooled his game plan -- I have changed a lot of tactics," Kessler said, "but I can't reveal [them] right now" -- and claims he's in his "best shape ever" for this fight.
"I learned from my mistakes after the Ward fight," Kessler said. "I learned I made mistakes outside the ring. I had to pick my sparring partners better three or four weeks out of the fight. I just feel I'm better than ever now. I'm ready to fight this fight. I really can't wait. I hope Carl is ready because I've trained very hard the last three months."
Shifting roles from favorite to underdog, Kessler says, is a good thing. Kessler admits he didn't respond well to the pressure of being No. 1.
"It's nice not to be the favorite in this tournament," Kessler said. "I'm like a young warrior again. And I'm super hungry again. I'm back and I'm very sharp at this time. I made my mistake and I just want to get back up and show all my boxing fans from around the world that I am the best super middleweight in the world."
No doubt, the tournament needs a competitive Kessler. Injuries, postponements and Jermain Taylor's withdrawal have taken some of the steam out of the Super Six. Tack on the meteoric rise of Lucian Bute -- whose presence threatens to make the winner of the tournament as irrelevant as the NIT champion -- and Showtime needs a big-time fight. Drawing a large American audience, however, will be difficult: not only will this be the first all-European matchup in Showtime's made-for-TV tournament, but Kessler-Froch will be going up against the NBA playoffs and HBO's Chris Arreola-Tomasz Adamek heavyweight tilt.
The tournament needs an entertaining fight to regain some of the public spotlight. And Kessler needs a win to step back into the light with it.
Source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather must happen says WBA heavyweight champ David Haye -- Telegraph
By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk
David Haye has revealed to The Telegraph that he had been intending to go to the defunct March fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, and was desperately disappointed when the superfight failed to materialise.
Haye, holder of the World Boxing Association heavyweight crown, believes that the contest between Pacquiao, currently running for election in the May 10 Congressional Seat elections in the province of Sarangani, and Mayweather must go ahead later this year – for the good of boxing worldwide.
Mayweather must first defeat Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas on Saturday week, for that to become a reality. The landscape may also change if Pacquiao is successful in the election, 19 days away.
“It is definitely a fight which needs to happen, for the state of boxing. It is one that has to be made. I was itching to see that fight, and was ready to go over for it at one point. When they made the fight so quickly, over as week in December, I couldn’t help feeling that someone would find a way for it not to happen.”
“With fights as big as that, there is always some drama. What has happened could hype the whole situation just to make it even bigger later this year or next year. I’m desperate to watch that fight. The skill levels of the two fighters make it unmissable. I truly enjoy watching Pacquiao fight whenever he steps into a ring. I admire boxers who come to fight, and he is thrilling when he steps inside the ropes. He is an ambassador for the sport. That fight has to be made. It is a massive fight that has to happen soon or later. Clottey was a tough fight, but the hype and build up around a Mayweayher-Pacquiao fight could be the fight of a generation.”
It is also the type of hype which could surround a Haye-Klitschko contest, but Adam Booth, Haye’s trainer, revealed to me yesterday that no negotiations are set to take place for at least a month.
Meanwhile, Craig McEwan, the Scottish middleweight who trains under Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, has revealed it was he who taught Pacquiao his convincing Scottish accent.
I was fortunate enough to gain exclusive access to travel from London to Manchester on the train last year in the build-up to Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton, with the Filipino’s fighters entourage (which included Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer that day), and filmed/interviewed Pacman on the train.
In the first minute of the interview, he emerged, surprisingly, with a strong Scottish accent. In conversation with McEwan (18-0, and four years with Roach at the Wild Card), the Edinburgh man revealed to me recently that he had been coaching Pacman on Scots burr.
“We were in the gym one day, and I taught him the stuff about William Wallace. Then we were away talking about the Scots fighting for their freedom against the English. He’s a fast learner, and aye, it was a wee bit of fun. I saw the video last year, and thought…oh yes, that’s Manny.”
“I got him a ‘See You Jimmy’ hat and I have a photo of him with it on.”
McEwan also explained that he is learning so much rubbing shoulders with Pacquiao in the gym. “He has great footwork…just look at how he knocked Ricky Hatton out, by switching his feet, and throwing those devastating punches. I like seeing how he lets his combinations go, and I try to follow that. I’m tall and rangy and he is short and explosive with a lot of power, but it never hurts to pick things up from the best. It’s all about adapting things, really. I go running with him, too. It’s a great place to be any time, but when Manny is there in camp, it is always a lift.”
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
David Haye has revealed to The Telegraph that he had been intending to go to the defunct March fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, and was desperately disappointed when the superfight failed to materialise.
Haye, holder of the World Boxing Association heavyweight crown, believes that the contest between Pacquiao, currently running for election in the May 10 Congressional Seat elections in the province of Sarangani, and Mayweather must go ahead later this year – for the good of boxing worldwide.
Mayweather must first defeat Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas on Saturday week, for that to become a reality. The landscape may also change if Pacquiao is successful in the election, 19 days away.
“It is definitely a fight which needs to happen, for the state of boxing. It is one that has to be made. I was itching to see that fight, and was ready to go over for it at one point. When they made the fight so quickly, over as week in December, I couldn’t help feeling that someone would find a way for it not to happen.”
“With fights as big as that, there is always some drama. What has happened could hype the whole situation just to make it even bigger later this year or next year. I’m desperate to watch that fight. The skill levels of the two fighters make it unmissable. I truly enjoy watching Pacquiao fight whenever he steps into a ring. I admire boxers who come to fight, and he is thrilling when he steps inside the ropes. He is an ambassador for the sport. That fight has to be made. It is a massive fight that has to happen soon or later. Clottey was a tough fight, but the hype and build up around a Mayweayher-Pacquiao fight could be the fight of a generation.”
It is also the type of hype which could surround a Haye-Klitschko contest, but Adam Booth, Haye’s trainer, revealed to me yesterday that no negotiations are set to take place for at least a month.
Meanwhile, Craig McEwan, the Scottish middleweight who trains under Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, has revealed it was he who taught Pacquiao his convincing Scottish accent.
I was fortunate enough to gain exclusive access to travel from London to Manchester on the train last year in the build-up to Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton, with the Filipino’s fighters entourage (which included Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer that day), and filmed/interviewed Pacman on the train.
In the first minute of the interview, he emerged, surprisingly, with a strong Scottish accent. In conversation with McEwan (18-0, and four years with Roach at the Wild Card), the Edinburgh man revealed to me recently that he had been coaching Pacman on Scots burr.
“We were in the gym one day, and I taught him the stuff about William Wallace. Then we were away talking about the Scots fighting for their freedom against the English. He’s a fast learner, and aye, it was a wee bit of fun. I saw the video last year, and thought…oh yes, that’s Manny.”
“I got him a ‘See You Jimmy’ hat and I have a photo of him with it on.”
McEwan also explained that he is learning so much rubbing shoulders with Pacquiao in the gym. “He has great footwork…just look at how he knocked Ricky Hatton out, by switching his feet, and throwing those devastating punches. I like seeing how he lets his combinations go, and I try to follow that. I’m tall and rangy and he is short and explosive with a lot of power, but it never hurts to pick things up from the best. It’s all about adapting things, really. I go running with him, too. It’s a great place to be any time, but when Manny is there in camp, it is always a lift.”
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
Angulo is Looking for a Dog Fight -- SecondsOut
By Steve Kim, SecondsOut.com
On Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, the HBO broadcast begins with an expected slugfest between junior middleweights Alfredo “Perro” Angulo and Joel Julio. Between the two, they have 52 professional victories, with 45 of them coming by knockout. On paper, it has the looks of an all-action battle between two bangers. But, of course, that was the case last year when Angulo was matched against Kermit Cintron, who proceeded to outbox Angulo from the outside.
So will it be, as Yogi Berra once famously uttered, be deja vu’ all over again?
"He’s been talking about how he’s going to knock us out. But I expect him to go on the outside and fight," said Angulo, through Miguel Salazar, outside the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California. Salazar continued, "I think they all say what they gotta say but, at the end, they’re going to go out and do their work. We’re going to do what we have to, cut the corners and go for the knockout."
Angulo is a hard-hitting grinder, one that thrives on opponents sitting in the pocket with him. He’s no Fred Astaire; lateral movement and a good long jab from the outside will always trouble him. The book is now out on Angulo, box and move on him. But can Julio, who’s known as a puncher, execute that type of game plan?
"Joel Julio is a tough fighter; he has a top-ten ranking. He’s won 35 fights, 31 by knockout, only three losses. It’s not an easy fight for ’Perro,’" said his trainer Clemente Medina. “’Perro’s’ in great shape; he’s working with Roberto Garcia, very good rounds. So, I think for the fight, we never say, ’’Perro’s’ going to knock him out.’ But I think ’Perro’ wins."
But like just about anyone else that will face Angulo, will Julio try and put a leash on ’Perro’ from the outside? Angulo and his trainer believe that there were mitigating circumstances to that night in Hollywood, Florida, last May. "Yeah, Cintron boxed for that fight, but everybody knows that ’Perro’ was sick for that fight. Maybe if he’s not sick it’s another story. But right now, ’Perro’ is in great shape. Anybody that comes to ’Perro’, he knocks them out. But when you get in there, they run and move."
The fighter says, "The week of the fight I had a stomach virus; I got a little sick. The day of the fight I was 159 and Cintron was 170. I felt a little sick the week of the fight."
From a fan’s perspective, you hope that Julio does what he does best: bang. He tried to back up and employ lateral movement against the hard-charging James Kirkland last year and proceeded to get run over. Angulo-Julio could be a barn-burner if both fighters stay true to form.
"I would hope so," said Gary Shaw, who promotes Angulo. "I’m sure he’s going to come right at Angulo; that’s what Angulo likes and I’m hoping that it’s a five, six round fight. But I will tell you, I have a lot of respect for Julio; he can punch and Angulo’s got to be able to take that punch. The question is, can Joel Julio take getting stalked from the opening bell?"
The reality of Angulo is that, whether or not he has any type of illness coming into a fight, he is not a speed merchant and is a slow starter; certain styles will always give him trouble. Therefore, he will be prone to getting out-pointed by those who are willing to fight safely and conservatively. But the thing about Angulo is simple- you can’t take the fight out of this dog. Win, lose or draw, he consistently makes for entertaining fights and good TV.
Isn’t that more important than any undefeated record?
"100-percent," agreed Shaw, who says that the precise reason why Angulo was put right back on “The Network of Champions” was his proclivity for making fun fights. "I’m not even sure the names even make a difference. I think the fan-friendly fighters are the answer. So I gotta give credit to Ross Greenburg and Kery Davis, who immediately after the Cintron fight, said, ’We’re with Angulo; he’s staying on our air. He makes exciting fights.’ And look, Arturo Gatti, who helped make the network at HBO, he sure didn’t have the undefeated, unblemished record.
"So it’s about the fighters and great fights."
NO RESPECT
Both Angulo and Shaw were a bit miffed at the perceived lack of respect given to them for this promotion, which is headlined by the heavyweight bout between Chris Arreola and Tomasz Adamek. The lead promoter for “Ring of Fire” is Dan Goossen, who reps Arreola.
"Look, I’m not going to term it as disrespect; Dan can term it anyway he wants. I thought originally when HBO proposed [it] that we’d do a co-promotion with Angulo and Arreola; it would be great for the west coast, great for the L.A. area. Two Mexicans doing great Mexican business, press conference at Olvera St. to build up. When it came to it, it was nothing," said Shaw, on Tuesday afternoon, at the open workout for the fighters at the Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live, which was eventually scrapped as it started to rain. "Angulo was just a blip on the radar. He even showed me in the gym how small his name is on the poster. They did an opening press conference; he wasn’t invited. So it is what it is. Whatever the reason Dan did it this way, he’s a promoter. I respect him as a promoter and Angulo just said to me yesterday, ’They didn’t need me for this whole promotion. I’m not going to the press conference.’"
But they did show up to the open workout, which basically turned into a media luncheon at the near-by ESPN Zone as the rains came, after threatening to no-show.
"We changed our mind together," explained Shaw." He said, ’Look, they’re might be some fans out there.’ He don’t want to diss the fans. He knows that at a press conference, there’s very little fans, especially since he wasn’t blown up as one of the fighters at the press conference. So he felt that he should come out here."
But this begs the question, wasn’t part of the reason why a promoters’ union was formed so that there would be better working relationships between the promoters? The reality is this, if this fight was in Newark, New Jersey, where Adamek packs them in, they’d have 20,000 at the Prudential Center. They’d be thrilled to get half of that amount in Ontario this weekend. Doesn’t a fighter like Angulo need to get a push?
"Look, it surprises me," said Shaw, "If somebody would give me an Angulo on one of my cards to help me sell tickets and whatever, we should all be doing what’s best for boxing, period. So why not blow up and make it an event, rather than just about one fighter? I don’t get it. I’m looking around, there’s no fliers, no posters. I don’t see anything that has Angulo and Julio, which is a great fight. But whatever, I’m not the promoter of the show."
MEDIA DAZE
Shortly after posting this picture of the proceedings on Tuesday afternoon on my Twitter page ( http://twitpic.com/1h3u1h), I received this tweet by Chipp7, "It looks pretty empty there at Nokia. I wish they would do these things when us working stiffs can see them."
Y’ know, I can’t argue that. Unless it’s a fight of major magnitude (like anything involving a Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather), it’s hard to get the public out to these type of functions on weekdays. The “Ring of Fire” open workout was held on Tuesday around noon and even before it got wet, the audience was sparse. Functions like this usually have to be staged on the weekend.
But a good point was brought up; why not just have this open workout later in the day or evening? LA Live, has become quite the destination for a lot of people, after a hard day’s work. Later on this particular day, was the Lakers playoff game against the OKC Thunder. Now, I don’t know if, logistically, if it would’ve been possible to do it at that point, but the old argument about having to have these events early in the day so that the newspaper writers can make their deadlines doesn’t really seem to hold water nowadays.
First of all, newspapers, for the most part, have an online platform and most websites don’t really have hard deadlines at all. I’m sure there are other issues to contend with; you have fighters and trainers that may not want to disrupt their normal training schedules, but if you’re going to stage open, public workouts, shouldn’t they be done at a time when the public can actually attend them?
THE GOOD DIE YOUNG?
Is it just me, or do you find it a tad disconcerting all the concern over the unfinished career and unfulfilled potential of the late Edwin Valero? When the real concern, first and foremost, should have been over his murdered wife and now, the two orphaned kids that remain. To me, whether he could’ve one day beaten Timmy Bradley, Marcos Maidana and eventually Manny Pacquiao and become one of the all-time greats is inconsequential. In fact, it was this pure focus on his ability as a boxer and what he could accomplish that played a part in his downfall. There was a big priority on his career, but, unfortunately, not enough attention paid to his personal demons.
Feel sorry for his wife and kids. Valero? Well, not so much. Not to sound callous, but you could make a strong argument that the world is a safer place now that we no longer have to contend with his pathological behavior. Yeah, you could argue he needed help. You could also argue he wasn’t in any rush to receive it.
But this goes to another theory I have, nothing does as much for your reputation and legacy as dying early. Whether it’s Tupac, Biggie, or James Dean, do some notable things early in your career and then pass away prematurely, you will be given legendary status whether you deserve it or not. Because at this point, it’s all speculation and you really haven’t had time to screw up. In fact, as it relates to boxing, just having your career truncated does wonders for your reputation. Just look at the examples of Tony Ayala Jr. and Ike Ibeabuchi, two highly fractured individuals whose infractions with the law took away their livelihoods. But some swear that they were legends in the making, monsters of the ring who others were lucky to have never come across.
When history actually shows us that the real greats usually have an abundance of character, not a lack of it.
But pretty soon, Valero’s legendary status will reach a point where folks will be saying he would’ve been the guy to topple the Klitschko brothers. But really, does it matter, what he could’ve, should’ve and might’ve done?
ON-THE-CLOCK-FLURRIES
I was told that a bout between undefeated junior middles Vanes Martirosyan and Joe Greene will lead off the June 5th HBO broadcast at Yankee Stadium before Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman do battle...Shane Mosley said he has never tested positive for steroids. Well, isn’t that precisely the reason he went to BALCO?...Eloy Perez defends his NABO junior lightweight title against Gilberto Sanchez-Leon on the Mayweather-Mosley undercard on May 1st in Las Vegas...I remember as a kid when the NFL Draft was on a weekday early in the morning and I could only see the first few picks before going off to school. Then they moved it to Sunday afternoon. Then it was all weekend. Now, it’s a Thursday night prime-time affair. Amazing how this affair has grown in stature...Great opening match-up in the NFL between N’Awlins and Minnesota on Sept. 9th...Speaking of New Orleans, I think “Treme” on HBO is worth sticking with. I’ve given it two episodes and I think it’s gathering momentum...This Thursday night will be my first “Fight Night Club” of 2010 as I’ve been out of town for the first couple of installments at the “Club Nokia”...Any questions or comments can be directed to k9kim@yahoo.com and you can follow me at www.twitter.com/stevemaxboxing. You can also become a Facebook fan of Maxboxing at www.facebook.com/MaxBoxing
Source: secondsout.com
On Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, the HBO broadcast begins with an expected slugfest between junior middleweights Alfredo “Perro” Angulo and Joel Julio. Between the two, they have 52 professional victories, with 45 of them coming by knockout. On paper, it has the looks of an all-action battle between two bangers. But, of course, that was the case last year when Angulo was matched against Kermit Cintron, who proceeded to outbox Angulo from the outside.
So will it be, as Yogi Berra once famously uttered, be deja vu’ all over again?
"He’s been talking about how he’s going to knock us out. But I expect him to go on the outside and fight," said Angulo, through Miguel Salazar, outside the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California. Salazar continued, "I think they all say what they gotta say but, at the end, they’re going to go out and do their work. We’re going to do what we have to, cut the corners and go for the knockout."
Angulo is a hard-hitting grinder, one that thrives on opponents sitting in the pocket with him. He’s no Fred Astaire; lateral movement and a good long jab from the outside will always trouble him. The book is now out on Angulo, box and move on him. But can Julio, who’s known as a puncher, execute that type of game plan?
"Joel Julio is a tough fighter; he has a top-ten ranking. He’s won 35 fights, 31 by knockout, only three losses. It’s not an easy fight for ’Perro,’" said his trainer Clemente Medina. “’Perro’s’ in great shape; he’s working with Roberto Garcia, very good rounds. So, I think for the fight, we never say, ’’Perro’s’ going to knock him out.’ But I think ’Perro’ wins."
But like just about anyone else that will face Angulo, will Julio try and put a leash on ’Perro’ from the outside? Angulo and his trainer believe that there were mitigating circumstances to that night in Hollywood, Florida, last May. "Yeah, Cintron boxed for that fight, but everybody knows that ’Perro’ was sick for that fight. Maybe if he’s not sick it’s another story. But right now, ’Perro’ is in great shape. Anybody that comes to ’Perro’, he knocks them out. But when you get in there, they run and move."
The fighter says, "The week of the fight I had a stomach virus; I got a little sick. The day of the fight I was 159 and Cintron was 170. I felt a little sick the week of the fight."
From a fan’s perspective, you hope that Julio does what he does best: bang. He tried to back up and employ lateral movement against the hard-charging James Kirkland last year and proceeded to get run over. Angulo-Julio could be a barn-burner if both fighters stay true to form.
"I would hope so," said Gary Shaw, who promotes Angulo. "I’m sure he’s going to come right at Angulo; that’s what Angulo likes and I’m hoping that it’s a five, six round fight. But I will tell you, I have a lot of respect for Julio; he can punch and Angulo’s got to be able to take that punch. The question is, can Joel Julio take getting stalked from the opening bell?"
The reality of Angulo is that, whether or not he has any type of illness coming into a fight, he is not a speed merchant and is a slow starter; certain styles will always give him trouble. Therefore, he will be prone to getting out-pointed by those who are willing to fight safely and conservatively. But the thing about Angulo is simple- you can’t take the fight out of this dog. Win, lose or draw, he consistently makes for entertaining fights and good TV.
Isn’t that more important than any undefeated record?
"100-percent," agreed Shaw, who says that the precise reason why Angulo was put right back on “The Network of Champions” was his proclivity for making fun fights. "I’m not even sure the names even make a difference. I think the fan-friendly fighters are the answer. So I gotta give credit to Ross Greenburg and Kery Davis, who immediately after the Cintron fight, said, ’We’re with Angulo; he’s staying on our air. He makes exciting fights.’ And look, Arturo Gatti, who helped make the network at HBO, he sure didn’t have the undefeated, unblemished record.
"So it’s about the fighters and great fights."
NO RESPECT
Both Angulo and Shaw were a bit miffed at the perceived lack of respect given to them for this promotion, which is headlined by the heavyweight bout between Chris Arreola and Tomasz Adamek. The lead promoter for “Ring of Fire” is Dan Goossen, who reps Arreola.
"Look, I’m not going to term it as disrespect; Dan can term it anyway he wants. I thought originally when HBO proposed [it] that we’d do a co-promotion with Angulo and Arreola; it would be great for the west coast, great for the L.A. area. Two Mexicans doing great Mexican business, press conference at Olvera St. to build up. When it came to it, it was nothing," said Shaw, on Tuesday afternoon, at the open workout for the fighters at the Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live, which was eventually scrapped as it started to rain. "Angulo was just a blip on the radar. He even showed me in the gym how small his name is on the poster. They did an opening press conference; he wasn’t invited. So it is what it is. Whatever the reason Dan did it this way, he’s a promoter. I respect him as a promoter and Angulo just said to me yesterday, ’They didn’t need me for this whole promotion. I’m not going to the press conference.’"
But they did show up to the open workout, which basically turned into a media luncheon at the near-by ESPN Zone as the rains came, after threatening to no-show.
"We changed our mind together," explained Shaw." He said, ’Look, they’re might be some fans out there.’ He don’t want to diss the fans. He knows that at a press conference, there’s very little fans, especially since he wasn’t blown up as one of the fighters at the press conference. So he felt that he should come out here."
But this begs the question, wasn’t part of the reason why a promoters’ union was formed so that there would be better working relationships between the promoters? The reality is this, if this fight was in Newark, New Jersey, where Adamek packs them in, they’d have 20,000 at the Prudential Center. They’d be thrilled to get half of that amount in Ontario this weekend. Doesn’t a fighter like Angulo need to get a push?
"Look, it surprises me," said Shaw, "If somebody would give me an Angulo on one of my cards to help me sell tickets and whatever, we should all be doing what’s best for boxing, period. So why not blow up and make it an event, rather than just about one fighter? I don’t get it. I’m looking around, there’s no fliers, no posters. I don’t see anything that has Angulo and Julio, which is a great fight. But whatever, I’m not the promoter of the show."
MEDIA DAZE
Shortly after posting this picture of the proceedings on Tuesday afternoon on my Twitter page ( http://twitpic.com/1h3u1h), I received this tweet by Chipp7, "It looks pretty empty there at Nokia. I wish they would do these things when us working stiffs can see them."
Y’ know, I can’t argue that. Unless it’s a fight of major magnitude (like anything involving a Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather), it’s hard to get the public out to these type of functions on weekdays. The “Ring of Fire” open workout was held on Tuesday around noon and even before it got wet, the audience was sparse. Functions like this usually have to be staged on the weekend.
But a good point was brought up; why not just have this open workout later in the day or evening? LA Live, has become quite the destination for a lot of people, after a hard day’s work. Later on this particular day, was the Lakers playoff game against the OKC Thunder. Now, I don’t know if, logistically, if it would’ve been possible to do it at that point, but the old argument about having to have these events early in the day so that the newspaper writers can make their deadlines doesn’t really seem to hold water nowadays.
First of all, newspapers, for the most part, have an online platform and most websites don’t really have hard deadlines at all. I’m sure there are other issues to contend with; you have fighters and trainers that may not want to disrupt their normal training schedules, but if you’re going to stage open, public workouts, shouldn’t they be done at a time when the public can actually attend them?
THE GOOD DIE YOUNG?
Is it just me, or do you find it a tad disconcerting all the concern over the unfinished career and unfulfilled potential of the late Edwin Valero? When the real concern, first and foremost, should have been over his murdered wife and now, the two orphaned kids that remain. To me, whether he could’ve one day beaten Timmy Bradley, Marcos Maidana and eventually Manny Pacquiao and become one of the all-time greats is inconsequential. In fact, it was this pure focus on his ability as a boxer and what he could accomplish that played a part in his downfall. There was a big priority on his career, but, unfortunately, not enough attention paid to his personal demons.
Feel sorry for his wife and kids. Valero? Well, not so much. Not to sound callous, but you could make a strong argument that the world is a safer place now that we no longer have to contend with his pathological behavior. Yeah, you could argue he needed help. You could also argue he wasn’t in any rush to receive it.
But this goes to another theory I have, nothing does as much for your reputation and legacy as dying early. Whether it’s Tupac, Biggie, or James Dean, do some notable things early in your career and then pass away prematurely, you will be given legendary status whether you deserve it or not. Because at this point, it’s all speculation and you really haven’t had time to screw up. In fact, as it relates to boxing, just having your career truncated does wonders for your reputation. Just look at the examples of Tony Ayala Jr. and Ike Ibeabuchi, two highly fractured individuals whose infractions with the law took away their livelihoods. But some swear that they were legends in the making, monsters of the ring who others were lucky to have never come across.
When history actually shows us that the real greats usually have an abundance of character, not a lack of it.
But pretty soon, Valero’s legendary status will reach a point where folks will be saying he would’ve been the guy to topple the Klitschko brothers. But really, does it matter, what he could’ve, should’ve and might’ve done?
ON-THE-CLOCK-FLURRIES
I was told that a bout between undefeated junior middles Vanes Martirosyan and Joe Greene will lead off the June 5th HBO broadcast at Yankee Stadium before Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman do battle...Shane Mosley said he has never tested positive for steroids. Well, isn’t that precisely the reason he went to BALCO?...Eloy Perez defends his NABO junior lightweight title against Gilberto Sanchez-Leon on the Mayweather-Mosley undercard on May 1st in Las Vegas...I remember as a kid when the NFL Draft was on a weekday early in the morning and I could only see the first few picks before going off to school. Then they moved it to Sunday afternoon. Then it was all weekend. Now, it’s a Thursday night prime-time affair. Amazing how this affair has grown in stature...Great opening match-up in the NFL between N’Awlins and Minnesota on Sept. 9th...Speaking of New Orleans, I think “Treme” on HBO is worth sticking with. I’ve given it two episodes and I think it’s gathering momentum...This Thursday night will be my first “Fight Night Club” of 2010 as I’ve been out of town for the first couple of installments at the “Club Nokia”...Any questions or comments can be directed to k9kim@yahoo.com and you can follow me at www.twitter.com/stevemaxboxing. You can also become a Facebook fan of Maxboxing at www.facebook.com/MaxBoxing
Source: secondsout.com
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