By Alan Hubbard, Indepedent.co.uk
He used to be known as Pretty Boy but now Floyd Mayweather Jnr wishes to be called Money – no doubt because it is a commodity he loves above everything else, apart from himself. Boxing's supreme craftsman returns to the ring in Las Vegas next Saturday against Sugar Shane Mosley, one of the game's great warriors, in the biggest fight of the year so far.
Yet Mosley's WBA welterweight title will not be at stake because the Money Man has refused to pay the sanctioning fee. "I don't need titles," says the undefeated five-weight world champion and former WBC and IBF welterweight belt holder. "At this stage of my career it's all about enhancing my legacy."
Not since Muhammad Ali has a fighter been as much a law unto himself as Mayweather, who, like Ali – and to the annoyance of his contemporaries – has the ability to justify his arrogance. He even proclaims himself the greatest boxer of all time.
"Things change, it's out with the old and in with the new. Muhammad Ali was one hell of a fighter but Floyd Mayweather is the best." This, of course, is highly contentious, but what we must agree upon is that the 33-year-old Mayweather, last seen boxing the ears off Juan Manuel Marquez, is an artist on canvas, a Gauguin in gloves. Ask Ricky Hatton.
A curious contest, this. Mayweather should have been settling the argument with Manny Pacquiao about who currently is the world's best pound-for-pounder. But he refused to sign a contract for a fight set to gross $250 million because the Filipino would not accept Olympic-style blood testing. Yet he has now agreed to meet Mosley, who last October admitted in court while suing Balco's Victor Conte for defamation that he knowingly used the banned substance EPO during the build-up to a 2003 contest with Oscar De La Hoya. Not a peep from Mayweather about this, which suggests he was creating controversy to build up more interest for when he and Pacquiao do meet, probably later this year.
Mosley, who has undergone five blood and urine tests, is himself a three-weight world champion and claims that Mayweather has been avoiding him for years. He has the pedigree to scupper what would be the richest fight in history, but at 38 he could be a little leg-weary by the time Mayweather, supreme master of the art of backfoot boxing, has manoeuvred him around the ring for a dozen rounds. "This is a competitive sport and I'm ready to go into the history books as the guy who beat the great Floyd Mayweather," he says.
Mayweather counters: "Like I have always said, there is no remedy on how to beat Floyd Mayweather. It's like a difficult maths problem that no one can solve."
Mayweather loves money like Goldfinger loves gold. He likes to flaunt his wealth, collecting the huge price tags on the jewellery he wears like some collect stamps. The King of Bling is a big betting man and seldom leaves his Las Vegas mansion without tens of thousands of dollars in gambling money. This fight is something of a gamble for him but at 4-1 on, one he should win without much discomfort.
It takes place at the MGM Grand, where 14 years ago Herbie Hide pocketed £2m when losing the WBO heavyweight belt to Riddick Bowe. On Friday, Hide will be back at the venue where he began his career 21 years ago, York Hall in London's Bethnal Green, to take part in Barry Hearn's Prizefighter cruiserweight tournament, hoping to do an Audley Harrison and propel himself towards another world-title fight at 38.
The Dancing Destroyer has had 48 bouts, winning the last 13, most of them in Germany, where he is now based against hand-picked pushovers from Eastern Europe. Herbert Okechuka Maduagwa came to Britain from Nigeria and was adopted by a Norwich family. He went to private school and college but turned into a bad lad. Yet he became one of only three Brits to hold a version of the world heavyweight title in the last century, with Frank Bruno and latterly David Haye.
I can count on the fingers of one hand fighters who I would hesitate to invite round for tea. The unpleasantly bumptious Hide is one of them. He is not without talent but his fortitude was found wanting against quality opposition such as Bowe and Vitali Klitschko. It will be interesting to see if our Mr Hide has become a Dr Jekyll.
Source: independent.co.uk
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Floyd or Money? Mayweather plays them both -- USA Today
By Tim Dahlberg, AP Sports Columnist
LAS VEGAS — The entourage was down to a manageable level, if only because there's just so many people you can fit in a shower room. Floyd Mayweather Jr. left the rest outside, with a massive security-type stationed at the door just to make sure everyone got the message.
If anyone deserved a hot shower, it was the hardest working man in boxing. Mayweather may some day lose a fight, but it won't be because he comes in out of shape.
On this day, just blocks from the Las Vegas Strip, that meant a half-hour straight of hard sparring, followed by another half-hour on the heavy bag and then some work on the speed bag. Then there were sit-ups to do, mitts to pound and, finally, rope to jump.
His date with Shane Mosley was drawing nearer. Mayweather's work was intense, and so was his focus.
One of the entourage stepped in to get the shower running. Before he got clean, though, Mayweather came clean.
It is, he says, mostly an act.
That foul-mouthed, money-tossing, mansion-loving guy who entertains weekly on HBO's "24/7?" Well, someone has to play the villain, and it pays awfully well.
"The character I portray, sometimes people think that's what I am," Mayweather said. "It's not. Floyd Mayweather is my name, the guy called Money Mayweather is just a character."
Oh, yeah?
"I'm not at home throwing money around," Mayweather insisted. "I'm at my house with my children. The rest of it is all entertainment. It's all business."
Some of it, anyway. A few minutes later, Mayweather was talking about his NBA playoff bets, and how he had won about $30,000 gambling the night before. He's legendary in this city's nightclubs for spreading the cash around, and he's got his own customized armored car to drive when he has to go to the bank.
And most homebodies don't need bodyguards with massive biceps seven of them on this day to shield them against foes both real and imagined. They don't get mentioned outside courtrooms as possible police targets in a skating rink shooting investigation.
Then again, most fighters don't do conference calls with boxing writers from their daughter's school, like Mayweather did a few days ago.
"My daughter's getting an award today," he said. "She's like the No. 1 kid in her school."
If the lines between what's real and what's not are fuzzy, well, that's just Mayweather. Family man, would-be thug, boxer, helper of the homeless, he juggles all his roles with ease.
One minute he's humble. The next he's the greatest ever.
"Muhammad Ali was one hell of a fighter, but Floyd Mayweather is the best," he said. "Sugar Ray Robinson was one hell of a fighter, but Floyd Mayweather is the best."
Mostly, though, he's just a fighter. He was literally born into the sport and it permeates his entire being.
In the gym with him are his father and uncle, both former fighters and both trainers. Running around are small children, including one slick boxer he nicknamed "Cash Flow."
The bodyguards patrol the parking lot and guard the front door, but inside it's organized chaos. About 50 people gather around the ring to cheer Mayweather on as he takes on a sparring partner in a fight that never seems to end.
It's good preparation for Mosley, who could be one of Mayweather's toughest opponents ever when they meet next Saturday at the MGM Grand hotel arena. Oddsmakers still like Mayweather to win, but he's going to be in the ring against a fighter who has the skills and the pedigree to more than hold his own.
"Shane Mosley is a solid welterweight," Mayweather says. "But he's a fighter who always worries about landing one big shot. I worry about being smart. We're two totally different fighters."
This wasn't the fight Mayweather was supposed to be in this spring. He and Manny Pacquiao were all set to meet in a megafight in March until Mayweather's insistence on Olympic-style drug testing caused the bout to fall apart.
That Mosley would be the opponent instead is ironic because he was linked to the BALCO scandal, but both fighters have for the first time undergone random blood and urine tests from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Depending on how much Mosley has left at the age of 38, the fight has the potential to be competitive if nothing else.
Mayweather doesn't seem to be overly concerned. He's won all 40 of his professional fights and, though his defensive style may not please a lot of boxing fans, he's discovered that he can fight the way he wants to and still make millions.
If that means he has to play the role of a villain, then so be it. By now he has the role down, and he's awfully good at it.
The real performance, though, comes next Saturday night. And that will be no act.
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: usatoday.com
LAS VEGAS — The entourage was down to a manageable level, if only because there's just so many people you can fit in a shower room. Floyd Mayweather Jr. left the rest outside, with a massive security-type stationed at the door just to make sure everyone got the message.
If anyone deserved a hot shower, it was the hardest working man in boxing. Mayweather may some day lose a fight, but it won't be because he comes in out of shape.
On this day, just blocks from the Las Vegas Strip, that meant a half-hour straight of hard sparring, followed by another half-hour on the heavy bag and then some work on the speed bag. Then there were sit-ups to do, mitts to pound and, finally, rope to jump.
His date with Shane Mosley was drawing nearer. Mayweather's work was intense, and so was his focus.
One of the entourage stepped in to get the shower running. Before he got clean, though, Mayweather came clean.
It is, he says, mostly an act.
That foul-mouthed, money-tossing, mansion-loving guy who entertains weekly on HBO's "24/7?" Well, someone has to play the villain, and it pays awfully well.
"The character I portray, sometimes people think that's what I am," Mayweather said. "It's not. Floyd Mayweather is my name, the guy called Money Mayweather is just a character."
Oh, yeah?
"I'm not at home throwing money around," Mayweather insisted. "I'm at my house with my children. The rest of it is all entertainment. It's all business."
Some of it, anyway. A few minutes later, Mayweather was talking about his NBA playoff bets, and how he had won about $30,000 gambling the night before. He's legendary in this city's nightclubs for spreading the cash around, and he's got his own customized armored car to drive when he has to go to the bank.
And most homebodies don't need bodyguards with massive biceps seven of them on this day to shield them against foes both real and imagined. They don't get mentioned outside courtrooms as possible police targets in a skating rink shooting investigation.
Then again, most fighters don't do conference calls with boxing writers from their daughter's school, like Mayweather did a few days ago.
"My daughter's getting an award today," he said. "She's like the No. 1 kid in her school."
If the lines between what's real and what's not are fuzzy, well, that's just Mayweather. Family man, would-be thug, boxer, helper of the homeless, he juggles all his roles with ease.
One minute he's humble. The next he's the greatest ever.
"Muhammad Ali was one hell of a fighter, but Floyd Mayweather is the best," he said. "Sugar Ray Robinson was one hell of a fighter, but Floyd Mayweather is the best."
Mostly, though, he's just a fighter. He was literally born into the sport and it permeates his entire being.
In the gym with him are his father and uncle, both former fighters and both trainers. Running around are small children, including one slick boxer he nicknamed "Cash Flow."
The bodyguards patrol the parking lot and guard the front door, but inside it's organized chaos. About 50 people gather around the ring to cheer Mayweather on as he takes on a sparring partner in a fight that never seems to end.
It's good preparation for Mosley, who could be one of Mayweather's toughest opponents ever when they meet next Saturday at the MGM Grand hotel arena. Oddsmakers still like Mayweather to win, but he's going to be in the ring against a fighter who has the skills and the pedigree to more than hold his own.
"Shane Mosley is a solid welterweight," Mayweather says. "But he's a fighter who always worries about landing one big shot. I worry about being smart. We're two totally different fighters."
This wasn't the fight Mayweather was supposed to be in this spring. He and Manny Pacquiao were all set to meet in a megafight in March until Mayweather's insistence on Olympic-style drug testing caused the bout to fall apart.
That Mosley would be the opponent instead is ironic because he was linked to the BALCO scandal, but both fighters have for the first time undergone random blood and urine tests from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Depending on how much Mosley has left at the age of 38, the fight has the potential to be competitive if nothing else.
Mayweather doesn't seem to be overly concerned. He's won all 40 of his professional fights and, though his defensive style may not please a lot of boxing fans, he's discovered that he can fight the way he wants to and still make millions.
If that means he has to play the role of a villain, then so be it. By now he has the role down, and he's awfully good at it.
The real performance, though, comes next Saturday night. And that will be no act.
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: usatoday.com
"Elite" Boxers Cross Over To MMA -- Eastside Boxing
By Aaron Gorvine, Eastside Boxing
Although Eastside Boxing is primarily a website devoted to the sweet science of pugilism, there is now a need to occasionally report on the interconnectedness of boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA). Any boxing news outlet must now at least make mention of an emerging scenario in the sport; elite boxers crossing over and challenging fighters in MMA contests.
It’s nothing new for lesser boxers to engage in K1, UFC or some of the smaller organizations as a way to make use of their limited skills. In the past, most of the boxers that fought in MMA organizations were either mediocre amateurs, third-rate pros, or just so far removed from their prime that they may as well have been fossilized..
But more recently, the growing popularity and tantalizing prize money of MMA has begun to whet the appetites of a very few elite boxers, and although no boxer in the prime of their career has yet made the jump, it is only a matter of time before this occurs.
Two well-known boxers that are currently making waves are Ricardo Mayorga and James Toney.
There are reports that James Toney may soon be fighting UFC legend Randy Couture. It can be argued that James Toney is well past his sell by date, but he was actively boxing in the upper echelon of heavyweights within the last three or four years. This is a big difference from someone like Ray Mercer who was inactive for quite some time before taking up MMA (and losing his first fight to Kimbo Slice via submission—he since went on to score a stunning knockout of former UFC champ Tim Sylvia).
Ricardo Mayorga is an even bigger story. As recently as 2008 he was in a competitive fight with Shane Mosley who is slotted #3 in Ring Magazine’s current pound for pound rankings. Mayorga will be fighting Din Thomas (an MMA veteran) on May 15th of this year.
Both Ricardo Mayorga and James Toney point to a growing trend of boxers who may look to reap profits in MMA, a relatively fledgling sport that has not always had the caliber of pro athlete that boxing and other traditional sports have enjoyed.
There is a great deal of controversy and even animosity between fans of both boxing and MMA as to which is the “real” fighting art and who is the better caliber of athlete. On forums and websites, any discussions of boxing vs. MMA typically devolves into angry comments from “purist” fans that spew venomous and derogatory comments at one another and the athletes in question.
Many fans seem to feel that it would be better for each camp to simply keep to themselves and leave the other alone.
However, as both sports continue to evolve, it is likely that boxers will continue to move over to MMA and then back again to boxing. Their success or lack of success in these endeavors will become important in the fans’ perceptions of their abilities and how the fighting arts stack up against one another. It simply can’t be avoided.
My own personal opinion is that boxers at the elite level of the sport are some of the most exquisite athletes in the world and that very few mixed martial artists have reached the level of mastery in their chosen profession that the top ranked boxers have attained. Due to the low-level of financial compensation and media recognition that MMA had in the past, the most talented fighters tended to be drawn towards boxing first and foremost. But that scenario is changing and will not likely be the case in the next three to five years.
It will be very exciting for the fans if more elite boxers step up to the plate and make the switch, even if just for a fight or two. If the most athletic boxers like Floyd Mayweather or Andre Ward turned their attention to MMA, my belief is that within a few months or a year of learning to defend takedowns, practicing the “scrambles” that arise on the ground and avoiding leg and head kicks—their superior striking and athleticism would be something to behold in MMA. Pure strikers like Manny Pacquiao or Shane Mosley have never been seen in the world of mixed martial arts, and it remains to be seen what someone at that level could do to the competition.
Although it is my belief that one day this kind of cross over will occur, I might be wrong and the fans never get to see a true pound for pound boxer take on the best the UFC has to offer.
Regardless, this love-hate relationship between boxing and MMA will continue as long as both sports exist, like angry Siamese twins forever trying to untangle themselves from one another.
Source: eastsideboxing.com
Although Eastside Boxing is primarily a website devoted to the sweet science of pugilism, there is now a need to occasionally report on the interconnectedness of boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA). Any boxing news outlet must now at least make mention of an emerging scenario in the sport; elite boxers crossing over and challenging fighters in MMA contests.
It’s nothing new for lesser boxers to engage in K1, UFC or some of the smaller organizations as a way to make use of their limited skills. In the past, most of the boxers that fought in MMA organizations were either mediocre amateurs, third-rate pros, or just so far removed from their prime that they may as well have been fossilized..
But more recently, the growing popularity and tantalizing prize money of MMA has begun to whet the appetites of a very few elite boxers, and although no boxer in the prime of their career has yet made the jump, it is only a matter of time before this occurs.
Two well-known boxers that are currently making waves are Ricardo Mayorga and James Toney.
There are reports that James Toney may soon be fighting UFC legend Randy Couture. It can be argued that James Toney is well past his sell by date, but he was actively boxing in the upper echelon of heavyweights within the last three or four years. This is a big difference from someone like Ray Mercer who was inactive for quite some time before taking up MMA (and losing his first fight to Kimbo Slice via submission—he since went on to score a stunning knockout of former UFC champ Tim Sylvia).
Ricardo Mayorga is an even bigger story. As recently as 2008 he was in a competitive fight with Shane Mosley who is slotted #3 in Ring Magazine’s current pound for pound rankings. Mayorga will be fighting Din Thomas (an MMA veteran) on May 15th of this year.
Both Ricardo Mayorga and James Toney point to a growing trend of boxers who may look to reap profits in MMA, a relatively fledgling sport that has not always had the caliber of pro athlete that boxing and other traditional sports have enjoyed.
There is a great deal of controversy and even animosity between fans of both boxing and MMA as to which is the “real” fighting art and who is the better caliber of athlete. On forums and websites, any discussions of boxing vs. MMA typically devolves into angry comments from “purist” fans that spew venomous and derogatory comments at one another and the athletes in question.
Many fans seem to feel that it would be better for each camp to simply keep to themselves and leave the other alone.
However, as both sports continue to evolve, it is likely that boxers will continue to move over to MMA and then back again to boxing. Their success or lack of success in these endeavors will become important in the fans’ perceptions of their abilities and how the fighting arts stack up against one another. It simply can’t be avoided.
My own personal opinion is that boxers at the elite level of the sport are some of the most exquisite athletes in the world and that very few mixed martial artists have reached the level of mastery in their chosen profession that the top ranked boxers have attained. Due to the low-level of financial compensation and media recognition that MMA had in the past, the most talented fighters tended to be drawn towards boxing first and foremost. But that scenario is changing and will not likely be the case in the next three to five years.
It will be very exciting for the fans if more elite boxers step up to the plate and make the switch, even if just for a fight or two. If the most athletic boxers like Floyd Mayweather or Andre Ward turned their attention to MMA, my belief is that within a few months or a year of learning to defend takedowns, practicing the “scrambles” that arise on the ground and avoiding leg and head kicks—their superior striking and athleticism would be something to behold in MMA. Pure strikers like Manny Pacquiao or Shane Mosley have never been seen in the world of mixed martial arts, and it remains to be seen what someone at that level could do to the competition.
Although it is my belief that one day this kind of cross over will occur, I might be wrong and the fans never get to see a true pound for pound boxer take on the best the UFC has to offer.
Regardless, this love-hate relationship between boxing and MMA will continue as long as both sports exist, like angry Siamese twins forever trying to untangle themselves from one another.
Source: eastsideboxing.com
Raised to Hit Hard and Overcome the Blows -- New York Times
By GREG BISHOP, The New York Times
LAS VEGAS — The eccentric uncle reclines on a couch, shoes off, feet up. The father, once estranged from his famous son, naps in the corner. Children scurry around, boxing gloves covering their tiny hands.
This gym is the Mayweather family living room.
At the center stands Floyd Mayweather Jr., 33, the undefeated welterweight, perhaps boxing’s best current fighter, and certainly its most boastful and most polarizing. He owns a 17,000-square-foot house nearby, but for all the spoils, for the hundreds of millions earned, the gym is home. Always has been.
“This here is family,” said Deltricia Howard, his older sister. “One big, old family. One big, old, dysfunctional, crazy family.”
Most boxing gyms ooze character, years of sweat seeped into stained walls. This one is filled with characters — three generations of Mayweathers bound by boxing and family and supreme confidence.
Home is here, inside a strip mall, near a Baptist church and the Serenity Cafe, its name a stark contrast to the mood of the boxing brood nearby. Home is guarded by a beefy security team: seven men, zero necks. And home is hot, above 80 degrees, always.
Amid continual chatter, the loudest, boldest voice of all belongs to Mayweather, who knocked out 1,000 punches on the heavy bag in 90 seconds and still managed to provide commentary throughout as he trained last week for his fight next Saturday against Shane Mosley.
He sang along to hip-hop blaring from the speakers — “I’m amazing, yeah, I know that” — and fired salvos at Mosley between situps.
He preached the usual themes: He is the face of boxing, the talk of boxing, the greatest boxer ever. He is boxing.
“Floyd comes from a tight-knit family,” said Nate Jones, a training partner and longtime friend. “Everybody’s a little crazy. Everybody’s a little braggadocios. Everybody got confidence.”
At age 1, Mayweather learned how to walk and how to box. No one is sure exactly which came first. Floyd Mayweather Sr. used to hold his son near speed bags, and the boy took to punching anything in sight, including door knobs, backs of chairs and hanging plants.
There was a gym less than a block from his home in Grand Rapids, Mich., five houses down, turn right.
“He didn’t know what a gym was,” said Deborah Sinclair, his mother. “All he knew was that was home.”
Back then, everyone called him Little Floyd, and though he grew to hate that nickname, Mayweather struck confidants as a younger version of his current self. He was so hyperactive he was often booted from the local water park, so cocksure he practiced his signature while his sisters completed homework.
He was the middle child, a boy who brought home stray cats and dogs, who found comfort in being surrounded by familiar faces. On Sundays, his mother held parties, hosting 30 to 40 people. They sang karaoke and played spades and ate soul food. Always, the talk returned to boxing.
Mayweather’s father traces the family’s pugilistic pursuits to Danny Brown, a childhood classmate who “fired on me” in grade school. That led him, two brothers and three cousins to the gym, the first stitch in the family’s boxing cloth.
Theirs is a complicated, well-documented history. The senior Mayweather’s promising boxing career effectively ended with a 20-gauge shotgun blast to the leg as he held Little Floyd. He went to prison for cocaine trafficking.
“I was on my own at age 16,” Mayweather said.
His uncle Roger Mayweather had moved here in 1981, turned professional and won the first of two world championships 15 months later, fighting under the nickname Black Mamba. Had it not been for boxing, Uncle Roger predicted, he would have ended up in “hell or jail.” As is, he will face battery charges this summer in a Las Vegas courtroom, and not for the first time.
Not that the Mayweathers find any of this distracting.
“It’s all boxing, man,” Roger Mayweather said. “I love boxing. I knew I would do this since I was a kid.”
Floyd Mayweather Jr. installed his uncle as his trainer in 2000, and that led to some seven years of estrangement from his father, including one particularly tense moment when Mayweather evicted his father from his house. During that period, father and son kept tabs on each other, and recently, the senior Mayweather returned to the inner circle and the gym they all call home.
All this makes for a dizzying family dynamic to everyone except those involved. All the blows, inside the ring and out, the drama, even Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s time spent inside courtrooms — on charges of battery and domestic violence — have served to strengthen their resolve.
Friends say Mayweather functions best surrounded by family chaos, that he keeps close even those who no longer perform necessary functions. His childhood friend Roderick Braswell said Mayweather performed multiple roles, alternately an instigator and a peacekeeper, a provider and a disciplinarian. It is as if Mayweather is “10 different people,” Braswell said.
When Mayweather discusses family, he is reflective and soft spoken, far from the cocky Money Mayweather character he created.
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s adviser and best friend, said this was by design. As a boxer, Mayweather fights with precise, calculated movements, a master tactician. His inner circle functions the same way. Ellerbe, for instance, said he turned down 25 business propositions a day.
Through Mayweather’s rise — an 84-6 record as an amateur, 40 pro triumphs, his last loss at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 — he brought family and friends along. When Jones fell into a depression after his boxing career ended, Mayweather hired him, helping Jones kick an alcohol addiction.
Ten years ago, Mayweather requested a meeting with Ross Greenburg, the president of HBO Sports. Only 23 then, Mayweather burst into a hotel suite in Las Vegas, entourage in tow, proclaiming he would become HBO’s next star; his family boxing’s first. On each promise, he delivered.
“I fight for my family,” Mayweather said. “I don’t have to respond to anything. I don’t have to shut anybody up.”
As the Mosley bout approaches, Mayweather seems more intense, focused and determined. The family dynamic also shifted recently, toward the unexpected — relative serenity in the Mayweather camp.
Mayweather’s father, once the demanding trainer who withheld sweets and forced his teenage son to turn small trees into firewood, remains proud of their collective work — “I believed it, he achieved it” — but has also found a different role, in the background, upon returning. He claims to have helped plot strategy when Mayweather came out of retirement to fight Juan Manuel Marquez in September.
The longer the senior Mayweather talks, the more he delves into his selling drugs, his shady past. But now, he said, “the good supersedes the bad” because “everything came out right at the end of the day, maybe not for me, but everything came out right.”
He added: “I would be lying to you to tell you I’m not happy to be back with my son. I love my son. That’s my blood. My blood runs deep.”
Floyd Mayweather Sr.’s relationship with his brother is improving, too. The family painted them as older men with health issues — Roger Mayweather is diabetic — who are softening with age. In a quiet moment at the gym last week, they sat on the ring’s edge, deep in conversation.
The dynamic could shift again tomorrow, of course, this being the Mayweathers preparing for a fight. Manny Pacquiao is suing for defamation. Mayweather’s undefeated record must be defended once again.
Back inside the family living room, Mayweather played with his four children. Roger’s young son worked the mitts, like Floyd Mayweather Sr. and his son some 30 years ago. His sisters swapped stories — Floyd once fought the oldest with a chair — on leather couches.
His mother surveyed this scene and said, “He wouldn’t know what to do without his family.”
After training, they lingered outside, telling jokes, arguing over the size of their respective biceps.
“I got one that’s chiseled!” the father shouted.
“I got one that’s carved!” his son responded, before jumping into his Ferrari and heading not toward home, but away from it.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 25, 2010, on page SP1 of the New York edition.
Source: nytimes.com
LAS VEGAS — The eccentric uncle reclines on a couch, shoes off, feet up. The father, once estranged from his famous son, naps in the corner. Children scurry around, boxing gloves covering their tiny hands.
This gym is the Mayweather family living room.
At the center stands Floyd Mayweather Jr., 33, the undefeated welterweight, perhaps boxing’s best current fighter, and certainly its most boastful and most polarizing. He owns a 17,000-square-foot house nearby, but for all the spoils, for the hundreds of millions earned, the gym is home. Always has been.
“This here is family,” said Deltricia Howard, his older sister. “One big, old family. One big, old, dysfunctional, crazy family.”
Most boxing gyms ooze character, years of sweat seeped into stained walls. This one is filled with characters — three generations of Mayweathers bound by boxing and family and supreme confidence.
Home is here, inside a strip mall, near a Baptist church and the Serenity Cafe, its name a stark contrast to the mood of the boxing brood nearby. Home is guarded by a beefy security team: seven men, zero necks. And home is hot, above 80 degrees, always.
Amid continual chatter, the loudest, boldest voice of all belongs to Mayweather, who knocked out 1,000 punches on the heavy bag in 90 seconds and still managed to provide commentary throughout as he trained last week for his fight next Saturday against Shane Mosley.
He sang along to hip-hop blaring from the speakers — “I’m amazing, yeah, I know that” — and fired salvos at Mosley between situps.
He preached the usual themes: He is the face of boxing, the talk of boxing, the greatest boxer ever. He is boxing.
“Floyd comes from a tight-knit family,” said Nate Jones, a training partner and longtime friend. “Everybody’s a little crazy. Everybody’s a little braggadocios. Everybody got confidence.”
At age 1, Mayweather learned how to walk and how to box. No one is sure exactly which came first. Floyd Mayweather Sr. used to hold his son near speed bags, and the boy took to punching anything in sight, including door knobs, backs of chairs and hanging plants.
There was a gym less than a block from his home in Grand Rapids, Mich., five houses down, turn right.
“He didn’t know what a gym was,” said Deborah Sinclair, his mother. “All he knew was that was home.”
Back then, everyone called him Little Floyd, and though he grew to hate that nickname, Mayweather struck confidants as a younger version of his current self. He was so hyperactive he was often booted from the local water park, so cocksure he practiced his signature while his sisters completed homework.
He was the middle child, a boy who brought home stray cats and dogs, who found comfort in being surrounded by familiar faces. On Sundays, his mother held parties, hosting 30 to 40 people. They sang karaoke and played spades and ate soul food. Always, the talk returned to boxing.
Mayweather’s father traces the family’s pugilistic pursuits to Danny Brown, a childhood classmate who “fired on me” in grade school. That led him, two brothers and three cousins to the gym, the first stitch in the family’s boxing cloth.
Theirs is a complicated, well-documented history. The senior Mayweather’s promising boxing career effectively ended with a 20-gauge shotgun blast to the leg as he held Little Floyd. He went to prison for cocaine trafficking.
“I was on my own at age 16,” Mayweather said.
His uncle Roger Mayweather had moved here in 1981, turned professional and won the first of two world championships 15 months later, fighting under the nickname Black Mamba. Had it not been for boxing, Uncle Roger predicted, he would have ended up in “hell or jail.” As is, he will face battery charges this summer in a Las Vegas courtroom, and not for the first time.
Not that the Mayweathers find any of this distracting.
“It’s all boxing, man,” Roger Mayweather said. “I love boxing. I knew I would do this since I was a kid.”
Floyd Mayweather Jr. installed his uncle as his trainer in 2000, and that led to some seven years of estrangement from his father, including one particularly tense moment when Mayweather evicted his father from his house. During that period, father and son kept tabs on each other, and recently, the senior Mayweather returned to the inner circle and the gym they all call home.
All this makes for a dizzying family dynamic to everyone except those involved. All the blows, inside the ring and out, the drama, even Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s time spent inside courtrooms — on charges of battery and domestic violence — have served to strengthen their resolve.
Friends say Mayweather functions best surrounded by family chaos, that he keeps close even those who no longer perform necessary functions. His childhood friend Roderick Braswell said Mayweather performed multiple roles, alternately an instigator and a peacekeeper, a provider and a disciplinarian. It is as if Mayweather is “10 different people,” Braswell said.
When Mayweather discusses family, he is reflective and soft spoken, far from the cocky Money Mayweather character he created.
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s adviser and best friend, said this was by design. As a boxer, Mayweather fights with precise, calculated movements, a master tactician. His inner circle functions the same way. Ellerbe, for instance, said he turned down 25 business propositions a day.
Through Mayweather’s rise — an 84-6 record as an amateur, 40 pro triumphs, his last loss at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 — he brought family and friends along. When Jones fell into a depression after his boxing career ended, Mayweather hired him, helping Jones kick an alcohol addiction.
Ten years ago, Mayweather requested a meeting with Ross Greenburg, the president of HBO Sports. Only 23 then, Mayweather burst into a hotel suite in Las Vegas, entourage in tow, proclaiming he would become HBO’s next star; his family boxing’s first. On each promise, he delivered.
“I fight for my family,” Mayweather said. “I don’t have to respond to anything. I don’t have to shut anybody up.”
As the Mosley bout approaches, Mayweather seems more intense, focused and determined. The family dynamic also shifted recently, toward the unexpected — relative serenity in the Mayweather camp.
Mayweather’s father, once the demanding trainer who withheld sweets and forced his teenage son to turn small trees into firewood, remains proud of their collective work — “I believed it, he achieved it” — but has also found a different role, in the background, upon returning. He claims to have helped plot strategy when Mayweather came out of retirement to fight Juan Manuel Marquez in September.
The longer the senior Mayweather talks, the more he delves into his selling drugs, his shady past. But now, he said, “the good supersedes the bad” because “everything came out right at the end of the day, maybe not for me, but everything came out right.”
He added: “I would be lying to you to tell you I’m not happy to be back with my son. I love my son. That’s my blood. My blood runs deep.”
Floyd Mayweather Sr.’s relationship with his brother is improving, too. The family painted them as older men with health issues — Roger Mayweather is diabetic — who are softening with age. In a quiet moment at the gym last week, they sat on the ring’s edge, deep in conversation.
The dynamic could shift again tomorrow, of course, this being the Mayweathers preparing for a fight. Manny Pacquiao is suing for defamation. Mayweather’s undefeated record must be defended once again.
Back inside the family living room, Mayweather played with his four children. Roger’s young son worked the mitts, like Floyd Mayweather Sr. and his son some 30 years ago. His sisters swapped stories — Floyd once fought the oldest with a chair — on leather couches.
His mother surveyed this scene and said, “He wouldn’t know what to do without his family.”
After training, they lingered outside, telling jokes, arguing over the size of their respective biceps.
“I got one that’s chiseled!” the father shouted.
“I got one that’s carved!” his son responded, before jumping into his Ferrari and heading not toward home, but away from it.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 25, 2010, on page SP1 of the New York edition.
Source: nytimes.com
Carl Froch loses his WBC super-middleweight title to Mikkel Kessler -- The Guardian
By Kevin Mitchell, Guardian.co.uk
Carl Froch lost his undefeated record and his WBC super-middleweight title to the abnormally tough Dane Mikkel Kessler in front of a packed Messencenter here last night but can be proud of being part of a contest that at times resembled a wild west brawl.
The judges, two Belgians and an Italian, saw it 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111 for the challenger, but it looked much closer than that from this vantage point. I scored three of the 12 rounds even – and any of those could have gone either way – five to Froch and four to Kessler.
By far the best was the last. It was an astonishing exchange of fully loaded finishers as both men dropped their hands and slung their blows without care for their chins or looks. Blood smeared each face at the end. Both tanks were dry. They nodded briefly, an expression of mutual respect that had been evident in the build-up and was clearly genuine.
This fight will be their bond – but they are still deadly enemies in the Showtime Super Six series after two stages. Froch fights the Armenian Arthur Abraham next, probably in the UK. Abraham, who had tipped his stablemate Kessler, said: "I'm not just looking forward to the Froch fight. I'm living for it."
Froch reckoned this one might have gone either way, not an unreasonable view, but not one the gathering of 10,000 Danes agreed with.
"I am absolutely gutted," Froch said. "I don't want to make much of it but if this was somewhere else it could have gone the other way. I felt a little unsteady in there because of the ear injury I picked up in sparring. I took some big punches from a big puncher. I give him credit. He's a proud warrior and the Danish fans have been absolutely brilliant.
"It was a toe-to-toe battle. I thought the fight could have gone either way, but I am still in the tournament and I'll be back. I am looking forward to a couple of weeks' rest and then I'll be back in the gym. My girlfriend Rachael is pregnant and I want to celebrate the birth of our new baby as well."
The winner told the 10,000 fans from centre ring: "It was a very, very hard fight. Carl Froch was physically very strong. It was a great performance from him. But it was my night. I didn't do so well last time, but now I'm back."
Last time, Kessler's career looked in the balance as he was thoroughly outclassed by the rising American Andre Ward. Here, coming in his lightest in eight years and 14 fights, he was buzzing again, the same Kessler who took it to Joe Calzaghe in Cardiff three years ago.
Froch looked good too. He had patchy rounds and, from this vantage point, several very good ones. But the judges saw it differently. One of them, Daniel Van de Wiele, of Belgium, had scored Froch's desperately close win over Andre Dirrell in Nottingham last year 115-112 in Froch's favour. His compatriot Roger Tilleman gave last night's fight to Kessler by the ludicrous margin of six points. A more realistic judgment was that of the Italian, Guido Cavalleri, to the winner by two points.
Froch, normally a slow starter, speared jabs in Kessler's face from the opening bell and throughout most of the contest, which might well have led him to believe he had sneaked some of the closer rounds.
The Dane, who has held this title twice before, clearly had a thirst for the job and boxed with energy from start to finish, although he was steadied several times, particularly in round five when Froch got through with heavy head shots. He charged his opponent with such force midway through the round that Kessler tumbled to the canvas. The Canadian referee, Michael Griffin, who was tough on the champion all night, was right not to rule it a knockdown.
Froch might have taken the fight away from Kessler just past the halfway stage as he staggered him repeatedly with right crosses and his pet uppercut. But Kessler is made of stern stuff. Not even a nasty cut distracted him.
Froch's trainer, Robert McCracken, yelled at his man, "And again, Carl, and again!" as he pummelled Kessler in the thrilling 10th. But both men were drained. The power did not match the intent.
As they neared the end, it was anyone's fight – although not according to at least two of the judges. The 11th was even. The 12th was brutal, a throwback three minutes that had the gathering on their feet in a frenzy.
Source: guardian.co.uk
Carl Froch lost his undefeated record and his WBC super-middleweight title to the abnormally tough Dane Mikkel Kessler in front of a packed Messencenter here last night but can be proud of being part of a contest that at times resembled a wild west brawl.
The judges, two Belgians and an Italian, saw it 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111 for the challenger, but it looked much closer than that from this vantage point. I scored three of the 12 rounds even – and any of those could have gone either way – five to Froch and four to Kessler.
By far the best was the last. It was an astonishing exchange of fully loaded finishers as both men dropped their hands and slung their blows without care for their chins or looks. Blood smeared each face at the end. Both tanks were dry. They nodded briefly, an expression of mutual respect that had been evident in the build-up and was clearly genuine.
This fight will be their bond – but they are still deadly enemies in the Showtime Super Six series after two stages. Froch fights the Armenian Arthur Abraham next, probably in the UK. Abraham, who had tipped his stablemate Kessler, said: "I'm not just looking forward to the Froch fight. I'm living for it."
Froch reckoned this one might have gone either way, not an unreasonable view, but not one the gathering of 10,000 Danes agreed with.
"I am absolutely gutted," Froch said. "I don't want to make much of it but if this was somewhere else it could have gone the other way. I felt a little unsteady in there because of the ear injury I picked up in sparring. I took some big punches from a big puncher. I give him credit. He's a proud warrior and the Danish fans have been absolutely brilliant.
"It was a toe-to-toe battle. I thought the fight could have gone either way, but I am still in the tournament and I'll be back. I am looking forward to a couple of weeks' rest and then I'll be back in the gym. My girlfriend Rachael is pregnant and I want to celebrate the birth of our new baby as well."
The winner told the 10,000 fans from centre ring: "It was a very, very hard fight. Carl Froch was physically very strong. It was a great performance from him. But it was my night. I didn't do so well last time, but now I'm back."
Last time, Kessler's career looked in the balance as he was thoroughly outclassed by the rising American Andre Ward. Here, coming in his lightest in eight years and 14 fights, he was buzzing again, the same Kessler who took it to Joe Calzaghe in Cardiff three years ago.
Froch looked good too. He had patchy rounds and, from this vantage point, several very good ones. But the judges saw it differently. One of them, Daniel Van de Wiele, of Belgium, had scored Froch's desperately close win over Andre Dirrell in Nottingham last year 115-112 in Froch's favour. His compatriot Roger Tilleman gave last night's fight to Kessler by the ludicrous margin of six points. A more realistic judgment was that of the Italian, Guido Cavalleri, to the winner by two points.
Froch, normally a slow starter, speared jabs in Kessler's face from the opening bell and throughout most of the contest, which might well have led him to believe he had sneaked some of the closer rounds.
The Dane, who has held this title twice before, clearly had a thirst for the job and boxed with energy from start to finish, although he was steadied several times, particularly in round five when Froch got through with heavy head shots. He charged his opponent with such force midway through the round that Kessler tumbled to the canvas. The Canadian referee, Michael Griffin, who was tough on the champion all night, was right not to rule it a knockdown.
Froch might have taken the fight away from Kessler just past the halfway stage as he staggered him repeatedly with right crosses and his pet uppercut. But Kessler is made of stern stuff. Not even a nasty cut distracted him.
Froch's trainer, Robert McCracken, yelled at his man, "And again, Carl, and again!" as he pummelled Kessler in the thrilling 10th. But both men were drained. The power did not match the intent.
As they neared the end, it was anyone's fight – although not according to at least two of the judges. The 11th was even. The 12th was brutal, a throwback three minutes that had the gathering on their feet in a frenzy.
Source: guardian.co.uk
Points defeat for Froch -- Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Carl Froch suffered the first defeat of his professional career on Saturday night when Mikkel Kessler scored a unanimous points victory to claim the WBC super-middleweight title in Denmark.
The Nottingham fighter overcame a poor start to the latest Super Six clash at Herning's MCH Messecenter to find his range as the fight progressed.
Froch floored Kessler in the fifth, only for the referee to rule it a slip and with Kessler quickly recovering his composure, a brutal scrap developed.
In the event though, it was Kessler who prevailed and by some distance - the judges scoring the fight 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112 in favour of the man from Copenhagen.
Froch was gracious towards the new world champion but still questioned the decision, claiming it was swayed by Kessler's standing as the home favourite.
"I feel terrible that I lost my title, absolutely gutted," he said.
"I don't want to make a mockery of anything but I feel if it was at home in my town, the decision would have gone the other way."
He added: "I took some big punches off a big puncher and I've got to give Kessler the credit he deserves. He stayed in there and is a strong, proud warrior."
Although Kessler (now 43-2,32KOs) lost his last outing against Andre Ward, he came into the contest as favourite over Froch (now 26-1,20KOs), who in turn won his opening Super Six fight with a split decision win over Andre Dirrell.
On the back foot
Having heard the home crowd boo his national anthem, Froch started on the back foot as Kessler, who lost a unanimous points decision to Joe Calzaghe in 2007, moved to the centre of the ring.
Froch was caught going in early in the second as he sought to unload a power shot, with Kessler also catching his opponent with a jab and a left hook.
The fourth saw Froch fight back though and having feinted to the left, he launched a hard right cross. But Kessler then landed two successive left-hand counters.
With his hands held typically low, Froch moved to connect with two power jabs early in the fifth before flooring Kessler with a short right.
However, Canadian referee Michael Griffin ruled it a slip and Kessler recovered to land jabs, hooks and a volley of close-range shots in the sixth.
The crowd was on its feet at the end of the seventh after Kessler connected with a right hand to the back of the champion's head.
Froch's legs then appeared to buckle as a short right uppercut landed - the champion now increasingly in need of the sort of comeback he produced last year against Jermain Taylor.
Relentless
Both men bled from the nose in the fight's latter stages and although Kessler also picked up a small cut over the left eye, two smart left hooks from Froch were not enough to win him round 10.
He did appear to take the next after hurting Kessler with a right over the top before the Dane hit home with a right-left but it was too little, too late.
Both men put it all on the line in the 12th and final round with a number of hard, relentless digs being traded. Froch also cut near the left eye by that stage and the crowd greeted the final bell with roars of appreciation.
Kessler was soon confirmed as the new world champion, with both men now having two points from two Super Six fights.
Source: skysports.com
Carl Froch suffered the first defeat of his professional career on Saturday night when Mikkel Kessler scored a unanimous points victory to claim the WBC super-middleweight title in Denmark.
The Nottingham fighter overcame a poor start to the latest Super Six clash at Herning's MCH Messecenter to find his range as the fight progressed.
Froch floored Kessler in the fifth, only for the referee to rule it a slip and with Kessler quickly recovering his composure, a brutal scrap developed.
In the event though, it was Kessler who prevailed and by some distance - the judges scoring the fight 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112 in favour of the man from Copenhagen.
Froch was gracious towards the new world champion but still questioned the decision, claiming it was swayed by Kessler's standing as the home favourite.
"I feel terrible that I lost my title, absolutely gutted," he said.
"I don't want to make a mockery of anything but I feel if it was at home in my town, the decision would have gone the other way."
He added: "I took some big punches off a big puncher and I've got to give Kessler the credit he deserves. He stayed in there and is a strong, proud warrior."
Although Kessler (now 43-2,32KOs) lost his last outing against Andre Ward, he came into the contest as favourite over Froch (now 26-1,20KOs), who in turn won his opening Super Six fight with a split decision win over Andre Dirrell.
On the back foot
Having heard the home crowd boo his national anthem, Froch started on the back foot as Kessler, who lost a unanimous points decision to Joe Calzaghe in 2007, moved to the centre of the ring.
Froch was caught going in early in the second as he sought to unload a power shot, with Kessler also catching his opponent with a jab and a left hook.
The fourth saw Froch fight back though and having feinted to the left, he launched a hard right cross. But Kessler then landed two successive left-hand counters.
With his hands held typically low, Froch moved to connect with two power jabs early in the fifth before flooring Kessler with a short right.
However, Canadian referee Michael Griffin ruled it a slip and Kessler recovered to land jabs, hooks and a volley of close-range shots in the sixth.
The crowd was on its feet at the end of the seventh after Kessler connected with a right hand to the back of the champion's head.
Froch's legs then appeared to buckle as a short right uppercut landed - the champion now increasingly in need of the sort of comeback he produced last year against Jermain Taylor.
Relentless
Both men bled from the nose in the fight's latter stages and although Kessler also picked up a small cut over the left eye, two smart left hooks from Froch were not enough to win him round 10.
He did appear to take the next after hurting Kessler with a right over the top before the Dane hit home with a right-left but it was too little, too late.
Both men put it all on the line in the 12th and final round with a number of hard, relentless digs being traded. Froch also cut near the left eye by that stage and the crowd greeted the final bell with roars of appreciation.
Kessler was soon confirmed as the new world champion, with both men now having two points from two Super Six fights.
Source: skysports.com
Round-by-round: how Froch's belt slipped -- Telegraph
By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk
1. Good start from the champion, nornmally a slow starter, but greater use of the jab from Kessler. Froch on the back foot, but a close round. Even round. 10-10.
2. Kessler took the second round, a strong series of punches at the close of the second. Better work and jab. Kessler 10-9.
3. Kessler going on the offensive, going to the body. Froch responds, good right hand, the challenger still stalking forward. Froch looking much stronger, better movement, coming forward, good left hook. McCracken tells Froch to take Kessler’s jab away from him between rounds. Froch 10-9.
4. Kessler does the better work in the first minute, and then Froch lands with heavy right cross. A big left from Kessler in response, but immediately a vicious uppercut from the champion. The war is now on. Kessler bleeding from the nose. Every time Kessler scores, and he does successively, a huge roar from the crowd. Kessler 10-9.
5. Two left hooks from Kessler at the start of the round, then Froch gambles with a huge, arcing left hook and lands. Kessler throwing long traight hands but a three-punch attack from Froch sends Kessler over. Ruled a slip. Correct. Froch on the offensive, a left-right stiffening the challenger. Froch stands off but should have jumped on the challenger. Froch standing off and stalking his man now. Could it be a wasted opprtunity. Froch 10-9.
6. Big right from Kessler, the Dane on the attack, Froch avoids the onslaught moving and weaving well from the waist. Froch needs to tidy up his work, Kessler on the attack, unloading. Great right from Kessler, Froch soaks it up. Kessler, busier, wins the round. Kessler 10-9.
7. Kessler still forcing Froch back, jab followed by straight right. Kessler alternating with right hands to the body, and jabs. Froch needing to change the pattern of the fight, the styles suiting the challenger. Froch caught by two lefts and then a right to the back of the head. Looks stunned. The referee does little about it. Kessler 10-9.
8. Right hand counter from Kessler, Froch looking ragged now. Kessler constantly advancing, Froch trying to draw him onto the right hand. Right down the pipe staggers Froch, caught square on. Froch cut on the bridge of the nose by Kessler onslaught, and challenger looking for the finish. Strong round for Kessler. His best round of the fight. Kessler 10-9.
9. Kessler now crisp and confident, lands a huge body shot. Froch still looking to land the right hand. Good three punch response from Kessler. The challenger warned for a punch to the back of the head. Froch attacks in the last 30 seconds, but then caught by an uppercut. Froch lands heavily, but looks tired. Kessler cut on the left eyelid. Looks bad. Froch 10-9.
10. Froch attacks Kessler’s left eye, and both fighters now in deep water. Kessler’s left eye a mess, caught again. Good left hook from Froch rocks the challenger’s head back. Now Kessler looks wild, Froch targeting the left eye of his opponent. Good round for the champion. Froch 10-9.
11. Good left –right and left hook from Kessler. Froch needs to be more active. Now looking to land on the left eye. Great right from Froch. They trade left hooks. The pair trade toe-to-toe, Froch caught flush by a right hand. Froch comes back with his power. Thrilling round, two warriors at work. Froch now in the ascendancy, wins the round, and finishes stronger. Froch 10-9.
12. I have them even going into the last round. 105-105. Total war and attrition from both men. This is just thrilling fare from two ring warriors, both now fighting on instinct. Froch lands with the heavier shots, but Kessler scores more and nicks the round. Kessler 10-9.
Gareth A Davies’ scorecard: Kessler 115 Froch 114
Source: telegraph.co.uk
1. Good start from the champion, nornmally a slow starter, but greater use of the jab from Kessler. Froch on the back foot, but a close round. Even round. 10-10.
2. Kessler took the second round, a strong series of punches at the close of the second. Better work and jab. Kessler 10-9.
3. Kessler going on the offensive, going to the body. Froch responds, good right hand, the challenger still stalking forward. Froch looking much stronger, better movement, coming forward, good left hook. McCracken tells Froch to take Kessler’s jab away from him between rounds. Froch 10-9.
4. Kessler does the better work in the first minute, and then Froch lands with heavy right cross. A big left from Kessler in response, but immediately a vicious uppercut from the champion. The war is now on. Kessler bleeding from the nose. Every time Kessler scores, and he does successively, a huge roar from the crowd. Kessler 10-9.
5. Two left hooks from Kessler at the start of the round, then Froch gambles with a huge, arcing left hook and lands. Kessler throwing long traight hands but a three-punch attack from Froch sends Kessler over. Ruled a slip. Correct. Froch on the offensive, a left-right stiffening the challenger. Froch stands off but should have jumped on the challenger. Froch standing off and stalking his man now. Could it be a wasted opprtunity. Froch 10-9.
6. Big right from Kessler, the Dane on the attack, Froch avoids the onslaught moving and weaving well from the waist. Froch needs to tidy up his work, Kessler on the attack, unloading. Great right from Kessler, Froch soaks it up. Kessler, busier, wins the round. Kessler 10-9.
7. Kessler still forcing Froch back, jab followed by straight right. Kessler alternating with right hands to the body, and jabs. Froch needing to change the pattern of the fight, the styles suiting the challenger. Froch caught by two lefts and then a right to the back of the head. Looks stunned. The referee does little about it. Kessler 10-9.
8. Right hand counter from Kessler, Froch looking ragged now. Kessler constantly advancing, Froch trying to draw him onto the right hand. Right down the pipe staggers Froch, caught square on. Froch cut on the bridge of the nose by Kessler onslaught, and challenger looking for the finish. Strong round for Kessler. His best round of the fight. Kessler 10-9.
9. Kessler now crisp and confident, lands a huge body shot. Froch still looking to land the right hand. Good three punch response from Kessler. The challenger warned for a punch to the back of the head. Froch attacks in the last 30 seconds, but then caught by an uppercut. Froch lands heavily, but looks tired. Kessler cut on the left eyelid. Looks bad. Froch 10-9.
10. Froch attacks Kessler’s left eye, and both fighters now in deep water. Kessler’s left eye a mess, caught again. Good left hook from Froch rocks the challenger’s head back. Now Kessler looks wild, Froch targeting the left eye of his opponent. Good round for the champion. Froch 10-9.
11. Good left –right and left hook from Kessler. Froch needs to be more active. Now looking to land on the left eye. Great right from Froch. They trade left hooks. The pair trade toe-to-toe, Froch caught flush by a right hand. Froch comes back with his power. Thrilling round, two warriors at work. Froch now in the ascendancy, wins the round, and finishes stronger. Froch 10-9.
12. I have them even going into the last round. 105-105. Total war and attrition from both men. This is just thrilling fare from two ring warriors, both now fighting on instinct. Froch lands with the heavier shots, but Kessler scores more and nicks the round. Kessler 10-9.
Gareth A Davies’ scorecard: Kessler 115 Froch 114
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Carl Froch loses belt to Mikkel Kessler -- Telegraph
By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk
They say they are friends outside the square ring, but inside it, it was full-on fistic business, a brutal encounter.
The judges at ringside were all in favour of the Danish fighter, 117-111, 115-113, 116-112 on the cards. Kessler reclaimed the WBC belt he lost to Joe Calzaghe on a memorable night in Cardiff in November 2007, having won the majority of the rounds in the early stages of the fight.
Froch had planned to take Kessler into deep water late into the fight, and had a mountain to climb in the last third of the fight, and came back into the contest, but it was too little, too late.
In a war of attrition, and physically evenly-matched, it was another thrilling war involving the battling Briton. It was without question the toughest fight of the 32-year-old’s career, and in many ways, a career-shortener. The last round was a classic, the final minute was simply naked courage from both brave fighters. Froch finished the fight on top, but he was undone at his own game.
Froch, magnanimous in defeat, said: “I feel terrible, I lost my title, I’m gutted. I think I would have won that fight if it had been in my home town. You have to give Mikkel Kessler all the respect he deserves, we are both gentlemen, and it was a good fight, a big fight, and it could have gone either way. I can still win this belt back within this tournament, and I intend to do so. I will be back.”
Kessler simply outboxed Froch with his better work rate, and it was a fair result. There will be another Froch v Kessler contest down the line, but the grim reality is that the fallen champion must now face another tough contest in the third round of television network Showtime’s Super Six series against Germany-based Armenian Arthur Abraham, promoted by Sauerland, the promoters who also look after Kessler’s ring affairs.
There was a call to arms and focus from Froch’s trainer Rob McCracken in the lengthy build-up as the fighters were introduced to a packed arena in Herning, and as the rounds progressed, the lead corner man demanded that Froch take Kessler’s jab from him. In fairness, he never really achieved it.
Kessler was far busier in the first half of the fight, and a much more dangerous ring exponent than the weary-looking fighter who lost to Andre Ward, in Portland, Oregon, on his last outing.The determined Kessler moved to 43 wins, two losses. Froch has lost one in 27 professional fights. Both fighters were in peak physical condition, and it showed as they fought each other to a standstill through the championship rounds.
Froch can be proud of his performance, but he will need to look at his tactics and come back with renewed belief.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
They say they are friends outside the square ring, but inside it, it was full-on fistic business, a brutal encounter.
The judges at ringside were all in favour of the Danish fighter, 117-111, 115-113, 116-112 on the cards. Kessler reclaimed the WBC belt he lost to Joe Calzaghe on a memorable night in Cardiff in November 2007, having won the majority of the rounds in the early stages of the fight.
Froch had planned to take Kessler into deep water late into the fight, and had a mountain to climb in the last third of the fight, and came back into the contest, but it was too little, too late.
In a war of attrition, and physically evenly-matched, it was another thrilling war involving the battling Briton. It was without question the toughest fight of the 32-year-old’s career, and in many ways, a career-shortener. The last round was a classic, the final minute was simply naked courage from both brave fighters. Froch finished the fight on top, but he was undone at his own game.
Froch, magnanimous in defeat, said: “I feel terrible, I lost my title, I’m gutted. I think I would have won that fight if it had been in my home town. You have to give Mikkel Kessler all the respect he deserves, we are both gentlemen, and it was a good fight, a big fight, and it could have gone either way. I can still win this belt back within this tournament, and I intend to do so. I will be back.”
Kessler simply outboxed Froch with his better work rate, and it was a fair result. There will be another Froch v Kessler contest down the line, but the grim reality is that the fallen champion must now face another tough contest in the third round of television network Showtime’s Super Six series against Germany-based Armenian Arthur Abraham, promoted by Sauerland, the promoters who also look after Kessler’s ring affairs.
There was a call to arms and focus from Froch’s trainer Rob McCracken in the lengthy build-up as the fighters were introduced to a packed arena in Herning, and as the rounds progressed, the lead corner man demanded that Froch take Kessler’s jab from him. In fairness, he never really achieved it.
Kessler was far busier in the first half of the fight, and a much more dangerous ring exponent than the weary-looking fighter who lost to Andre Ward, in Portland, Oregon, on his last outing.The determined Kessler moved to 43 wins, two losses. Froch has lost one in 27 professional fights. Both fighters were in peak physical condition, and it showed as they fought each other to a standstill through the championship rounds.
Froch can be proud of his performance, but he will need to look at his tactics and come back with renewed belief.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Kess it goodbye, Carl -- News of the World
By STEVE LILLIS, News of the World
GUTTED Carl Froch insisted he was robbed of his world title after a nightmare defeat at the hands of Mikkel Kessler here in Denmark.
The Nottingham super-middleweight lost for the first time in his professional career as Kessler won a unanimous points decision infront of his home fans.
And Froch, reeling from the 117-111, 116-112, 115-113 verdict, fumed: "I feel terrible. I've lost my belt and I'm absolutely gutted.
"If that fight was in my home town the decision might have gone my way."
Froch paid the price for fighting through the pain barrier, losing his WBC belt after a brutal scrap.
Nottingham's bulldog warrior refused to pull out of the fight despite a damaged left ear that needed hospital treatment on Tuesday and a sore jaw.
It was Froch's first defeat in 27 fights and he must beat Arthur Abraham in his next fight to qualify for the semi-finals of the Super Six World Boxing Classic - the tournament to discover the best 12-stone slugger in the world.
Kessler fought as though his life depended on it in Herning while Froch punched himself to a standstill in the sensational 12 round shoot-out.
The final three minutes were the most exciting seen in a ring for many years with both men cut above the left eye and exchanging X-rated punches.
Both were wobbled in that round and ringside opinion was divided at the final bell.
Froch, roundly booed by the partisan crowd after accusing the judges of bias, added: "It was a toe-to-toe battle and you've got to give Mikkel Kessler the credit he deserves.
"He's a proud warrior - and the Danish fans have been brilliant.
"I'll get another chance and I'll be back. I'm looking forward to having two weeks' rest and then getting straight back in the gym."
Froch might have lost the battle, but you just know he won't give up until he gets the chance of revenge and he surely deserves a rematch after boxing injured.
And even Kessler conceded: "It was a hard fight and it was a great performance by Carl Froch.
"He showed he was not scared of the big crowd here. It was just my day."
Few British fans made the trip given the difficulty getting to Billund, but Froch was unnerved as he marched to the ring looking confident licking his lips in anticipation as he stood on the ring apron.
It was the challenger who made the better start scoring with the jab, forcing Froch to blink and move out of range.
Froch did have some success with right hands, but his great rival stood his ground well and the fight was already having the makings of a tough fight.
Kessler, 31, was again looking more comfortable in round two even though Froch smiled at the bell as if to say 'You can't hurt me.'
It was developing into the brutal encounter expected and Froch was in no mood to surrender his title.
Kessler hit the deck in round five from a short round, but Canadian referee Michael Griffin didn't take up a count, claiming it was a slip.
He was hurt before the bell, but came with his own heavy artillery in round six. It was t type of battle that shortens careers, but one fan never forget.
When Kessler suffered a points loss against Joe Calzaghe in November 2007 he faded badly in the second half of their 12 round battle.
He was a man possessed this time and ploughed forward landing freely through Froch's defence and reflexes.
Fighting instinct got him Froch through round eight when a concussive right hand buckled his knees and spewed blood from his nose.
It seemed to spark Froch to life in the last quarter of the fight and he chewed into Kessler's lead, but there wasn't enough time.
He was left to think if only and had there been another round he might well have toppled the Dane.
Source: newsoftheworld.co.uk
GUTTED Carl Froch insisted he was robbed of his world title after a nightmare defeat at the hands of Mikkel Kessler here in Denmark.
The Nottingham super-middleweight lost for the first time in his professional career as Kessler won a unanimous points decision infront of his home fans.
And Froch, reeling from the 117-111, 116-112, 115-113 verdict, fumed: "I feel terrible. I've lost my belt and I'm absolutely gutted.
"If that fight was in my home town the decision might have gone my way."
Froch paid the price for fighting through the pain barrier, losing his WBC belt after a brutal scrap.
Nottingham's bulldog warrior refused to pull out of the fight despite a damaged left ear that needed hospital treatment on Tuesday and a sore jaw.
It was Froch's first defeat in 27 fights and he must beat Arthur Abraham in his next fight to qualify for the semi-finals of the Super Six World Boxing Classic - the tournament to discover the best 12-stone slugger in the world.
Kessler fought as though his life depended on it in Herning while Froch punched himself to a standstill in the sensational 12 round shoot-out.
The final three minutes were the most exciting seen in a ring for many years with both men cut above the left eye and exchanging X-rated punches.
Both were wobbled in that round and ringside opinion was divided at the final bell.
Froch, roundly booed by the partisan crowd after accusing the judges of bias, added: "It was a toe-to-toe battle and you've got to give Mikkel Kessler the credit he deserves.
"He's a proud warrior - and the Danish fans have been brilliant.
"I'll get another chance and I'll be back. I'm looking forward to having two weeks' rest and then getting straight back in the gym."
Froch might have lost the battle, but you just know he won't give up until he gets the chance of revenge and he surely deserves a rematch after boxing injured.
And even Kessler conceded: "It was a hard fight and it was a great performance by Carl Froch.
"He showed he was not scared of the big crowd here. It was just my day."
Few British fans made the trip given the difficulty getting to Billund, but Froch was unnerved as he marched to the ring looking confident licking his lips in anticipation as he stood on the ring apron.
It was the challenger who made the better start scoring with the jab, forcing Froch to blink and move out of range.
Froch did have some success with right hands, but his great rival stood his ground well and the fight was already having the makings of a tough fight.
Kessler, 31, was again looking more comfortable in round two even though Froch smiled at the bell as if to say 'You can't hurt me.'
It was developing into the brutal encounter expected and Froch was in no mood to surrender his title.
Kessler hit the deck in round five from a short round, but Canadian referee Michael Griffin didn't take up a count, claiming it was a slip.
He was hurt before the bell, but came with his own heavy artillery in round six. It was t type of battle that shortens careers, but one fan never forget.
When Kessler suffered a points loss against Joe Calzaghe in November 2007 he faded badly in the second half of their 12 round battle.
He was a man possessed this time and ploughed forward landing freely through Froch's defence and reflexes.
Fighting instinct got him Froch through round eight when a concussive right hand buckled his knees and spewed blood from his nose.
It seemed to spark Froch to life in the last quarter of the fight and he chewed into Kessler's lead, but there wasn't enough time.
He was left to think if only and had there been another round he might well have toppled the Dane.
Source: newsoftheworld.co.uk
Mikkel Kessler Dethrones Carl Froch By Unanimous Decision -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
Denmark's Mikkel Kessler dethroned WBC super middleweight (168 pounds) champion, Carl Froch (above, at right), of England, by unanimous decision on Saturday in a bloody, all-out battle as part of Group stage No. 2 of Showtime's Super Six Super Middleweight World Boxing Classic before Kessler's partisan fans at Denmark's MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark.
Kessler was awarded the victory, 117-111, 116-112, and, 115-113, on the cards of the three, ringside judges, Roger Tilleman, Daniel Van de Wiele, and, Guido Cavalleri, respectively.
In victory, the 31-year-old Kessler rose to 43-2, with 32 knockouts, and improved his overall record in Denmark to 40-0, with 30 knockouts in a bout that will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on Showtime on Saturday night at 9 p.m.
Kessler rebounded after being dethroned as WBA champion after November's lopsided, technical decision loss to 26-year-old Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KOs), of Oakland, Calif.
The 32-year-old Froch slipped to 26-1, with 20 knockouts in a fight that Per Ake Persson, who was at ringside for BoxingScene.com, called "A fight-of-the-year war."
According to a ringside report by Ben Dirs of BBC Sport, Kessler was bleeding from a badly cut left eye, and Froch, from the nose, at fight's end.
Kessler was down in the fifth round, but referee, Michael Griffin, ruled that the man who is nicknamed, "The Viking Warrior," had slipped.
After a fairly evenly contested fight over the first six rounds, Kessler's jab became more prevalent starting in the seventh.
Kessler briefly pinned Froch on the ropes in the eighth round, and caused bleeding from the Englishman's nose in the ninth, even as Froch opened and targeted a cavernous cut on the Danish fighter's left eye near the end of that same round.
Froch was coming off of October's split-decision victory over 26-year-old southpaw, Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KOs), of Flint, Mich., who rebounded with last month's lopsided, 11th-round disqualification victory over Germany's 30-year-old Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KOs).
Dirrell, Abraham and Ward are all picking Kessler to rebound in victory, while only 30-year-old Allan Green (29-1, 20 KOs), of Tulsa, Ok., is picking Froch.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Denmark's Mikkel Kessler dethroned WBC super middleweight (168 pounds) champion, Carl Froch (above, at right), of England, by unanimous decision on Saturday in a bloody, all-out battle as part of Group stage No. 2 of Showtime's Super Six Super Middleweight World Boxing Classic before Kessler's partisan fans at Denmark's MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark.
Kessler was awarded the victory, 117-111, 116-112, and, 115-113, on the cards of the three, ringside judges, Roger Tilleman, Daniel Van de Wiele, and, Guido Cavalleri, respectively.
In victory, the 31-year-old Kessler rose to 43-2, with 32 knockouts, and improved his overall record in Denmark to 40-0, with 30 knockouts in a bout that will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on Showtime on Saturday night at 9 p.m.
Kessler rebounded after being dethroned as WBA champion after November's lopsided, technical decision loss to 26-year-old Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KOs), of Oakland, Calif.
The 32-year-old Froch slipped to 26-1, with 20 knockouts in a fight that Per Ake Persson, who was at ringside for BoxingScene.com, called "A fight-of-the-year war."
According to a ringside report by Ben Dirs of BBC Sport, Kessler was bleeding from a badly cut left eye, and Froch, from the nose, at fight's end.
Kessler was down in the fifth round, but referee, Michael Griffin, ruled that the man who is nicknamed, "The Viking Warrior," had slipped.
After a fairly evenly contested fight over the first six rounds, Kessler's jab became more prevalent starting in the seventh.
Kessler briefly pinned Froch on the ropes in the eighth round, and caused bleeding from the Englishman's nose in the ninth, even as Froch opened and targeted a cavernous cut on the Danish fighter's left eye near the end of that same round.
Froch was coming off of October's split-decision victory over 26-year-old southpaw, Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KOs), of Flint, Mich., who rebounded with last month's lopsided, 11th-round disqualification victory over Germany's 30-year-old Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KOs).
Dirrell, Abraham and Ward are all picking Kessler to rebound in victory, while only 30-year-old Allan Green (29-1, 20 KOs), of Tulsa, Ok., is picking Froch.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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