E:60 Mike Tyson

Here is the piece that E:60 did on Mike Tyson. From the show it looks like Tyson is finally going down the road of recovery; trying to cure his drug and alcohol additions as well as face some of the inner demons that haunted him early in his career. Although Tyson is not a factor as a boxer anymore, he remains one of the most intriguing former athletes in the world today.

What's New With Mike Tyson?

I find it hard to comprehend that Mike Tyson was at one time the most feared heavyweight in the sport of boxing. In recent years, whether it be one of his expletive laced rants or his facial tatoo, Tyson's life has turned into a complete circus. Oddly enough, it was a Mike Tyson fight that actually got me interested in boxing. I was sitting at home one night with nothing to do, when I remembered that I had read in the newspaper earlier that morning that Mike Tyson was having a comeback fight against journeyman, Danny Williams. With lack of better options I decided to buy the pay-per-view fight and call some of my friends up to come watch it. The fight ended up being highly entertaining with Williams managing to pull off a come from behind victory. Another subsequent loss to Kevin McBride essentially ended Tyson's professional career.



On December 29, 2006 Mike Tyson's life hit another low, when he was arrested because of a possible DUI and felony drug possession. Tyson admitted that he was a drug addict and that he would begin pursuing rehabilitation. Other than this arrest, Tyson has remained out of the public eye. However, ESPN's show E: 60 will bring the spotlight back to Tyson, in its special covering the ex-figher's court ordered sobriety at 7 P.M. Tuesday night. It should be an interesting look into the life of one of the most infamous athletes in history.

Fight Preview: De La Hoya vs. Forbes

Source: HBO.com

Rather than heading straight into a rematch with "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya chose to have a tune up fight against former titlist, Steve Forbes. De La Hoya, who narrowly lost via decision to Mayweather last year, has a history of looking past his tune up matches because of a later big money fight. This was particularly evident when De La Hoya was scheduled to fight Bernard Hopkins in a major Pay-Per-View fight and completely overlooked Felix Sturm. Sturm pummeled De La Hoya for 12 rounds and was absolutely robbed when the judges gave the victory to De La Hoya. De La Hoya assures everyone that he already made that mistake once and there is no chance that he overlooks Forbes. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Boxing fans will remember Steve Forbes because of his performance in the reality show, The Contender a couple of years ago. Although Forbes was fighting far above his weight class he still managed to battle his way to a second place finish. Forbes has had to fight ever since he was born. His nickame is "Two Pound" because he was born premature and only weighed two pounds. He had to live the first couple of months living off of machines because all of his major organs were underdeveloped. "Two Pound" survived his early difficulties and would go on to win the featherweight championship of the world.

It is hard to root against Steve Forbes because he is just such a likable guy, but I do believe De La Hoya when he says that he will not overlook this fight because of a huge payday fight with Mayweather. Forbes is an 8-1 underdog in this fight, but I really doubt that matters. Forbes has been an underdog and a fighter since he first came into this world.

Fight Prediction: Forbes pulls off shocking 12 round decision

Calzaghe Wins Close Fight

Source: HBO.com

Joe Calzaghe managed to overcome a knockdown in the opening round of his fight with Bernard Hopkins, and win the light heavyweight championship. Hopkins caught Calzaghe with a punch while he Calzaghe was coming in and off balance which prompty sent the Welsh fighter to the canvas. The knockdown did not do a significant amount of damage to Calzaghe but it still managed to give Hopkins a two point lead on the scorecards from the outset of the fight.

Source: HBO.com

The fight looked like an ugly brawl, which is typical for Hopkins fighters because he usually only thows straight right hands while he is coming in, and then grabs his opponent before they can retaliate. There were many clinches throughout the fight; however, this did not discourage the fighters from punching each other. In the middle rounds of the fight Calzaghe hit Hopkins with a questionable "low blow", and the referee allowed Hopkins five minutes to recover.

There is no question that Hopkins landed the cleaner, harder punches in the fight but Calzaghe landed nearly 100 more punches and was the aggressor throughout the fight. In the end, one judge had the fight 115-114 Hopkins, one had 115-112 Calzaghe and the last judge had 116-111 Calzaghe which gave him the victory. I felt that Hopkins won this fight by a very small margin, but I can see how judges could have favored Calzaghe's high punch output.

Following the fight Calzaghe was asked who he wanted to fight next, and he replied that he would like a match with Roy Jones Jr.. Jones was very impressive in his victory over Felix Trinidad, but he might encounter the same problem that Hopkins had when he faced Calzaghe which is overcoming the tremenous amount of punches Calzaghe throws. Nonetheless, a Calzaghe/Jones Jr. fight would certainly be intriguing and entertaining.

Hopkins vs. Calzaghe

Could Hopkins actually pull off the upset? Since my prior post this question has been swirling in my head. In the past Bernard Hopkins has came out of fights victoriosu that many did not think that he could (ex. Felix Trinidad/ Antonio Tarver). He is one of the most technically sound boxers in the world today and it is amazing to watch him pick apart his opponents in the ring. The one thing that concerns me about this fight is that his opponent, Joe Calzaghe, throws a large volume of punches and Hopkins is known for starting fights slow. Bernard has great defense, so I do not believe that Calzaghe can knock him out, but if Bernard starts the fight slow (like he did in both of his fights against Jermaine Taylor) then I think he will lose by decision. I think Calzaghe will ultimately win the fight, but you can never count out the "Executioner".

Gomez Proves No Match For Cotto

Alfonso Gomez showed an incredible amount of toughness and courage Saturday night against Miguel Cotto; possibly too much courage. From the very beginning of the fight it was evident that Gomez was completely outclassed. Cotto felt Gomez's power and it was obvious that he did not feel that Gomez could hurt him because the entire night he boxed almost arrogantly. One of the commenters stated that it looked as though Cotto was in a sparring session, because Cotto was simply picking apart his opponent. Gomez was getting beaten up so bad that before the start of the sixth round the ring docter called the fight, giving Cotto the victory.



What's next for the sensational Puerto Rican boxer? Well this summer he is on a collision course with the other fighter that won Saturday night, Antonio Margarito. The fight would pair two extremely aggresive fighters that pack a lot of power, and would undoubtedly be a highly entertaining fight. Perhaps if Cotto were to win that fight then finally we would get a Cotto-Mayweather fight that we've all been waiting for.

Margarito's Body Shot KO's Cintron

In a rematch of a 2005 fight, Antonio Margarito and Cintron stepped into the ring again Saturday night looking for a much needed victory. Former title holder, Antonio Margarito, lost his championship belt when he lost by decision to Paul Williams. Following that loss, in which he started slowly and barely lost a decision, Margarito vowed to never start a fight slowly again. Kermit Cintron, another title holder, is known as a brutal power puncher; however, his boxing resume was lacking of a big name fighter. With a victory over Cintron, Maragarito would once again be a title holder. With a victory over Margarito, Cintron would finally have a big notch on his belt and would also revenge his only loss in his career.

Saturday night Maragarito came out victorious, primarily because he applied constant pressure and a viciously effective body attack. Mid-way through the 6th round, Margarito caught Cintron with a perfect body shot, right on the liver, that sent Cintron to the canvas hunched over in pain. The referee counted Cintron out and gave Margarito the victoy and sets up a mega-fight in the summer between himself and Miguel Cotto, who was also fighting Saturday.

Who Didn't See That Coming?

In a much antipated matchup between "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather and the "Big Show", Mayweather managed to come out victorious and unharmed. As I stated in an earlier post I chose not to shell out the $50 dollars to witness the fight, but from the clips I've seen and from boxing writers that were present, it was absolutely CAPTIVATING. Supposedly there was constant back and forth action between the two, with the "Big Show" managing to pull out one of his patented chokeslams on Mayweather and one of the members of his entourage. However, Mayweather managed to get the last laugh when he grabbed a pair of brass knuckles and let out a vicious punch that landed flush against the "Big Show"s face, knocking him out. Everything that occurred was SO unexpected that it almost seems at if it was staged.................

Now that Mayweather has given wrestling a try, we can only hope that he will return to boxing and give fans of the sport like myself a memorable 2008 filled with Mayweather mega-fights. (Hint Hint Miguel Cotto)

Fight Preview: Cotto vs. Gomez

While Floyd Mayweather is busy wrestling a 400+ pound man later tonight in a pay-per-view match, the man who Mayweather SHOULD be fighting is preparing for his fight this Saturday. Miguel Cotto (31-0 25 KO's) is the 300 pound gorilla in the room with Floyd Mayweather. He is the best welterweight after Mayweather and he has yet to lose a fight in his professional career. As much as I want a Mayweather-Cotto fight to happen, I can't blame Mayweather for taking some time off after two huge victories over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in 2007.

Don't let Miguel Cotto's feminely sculpted eyebrows fool you, the dude can flat out fight. In his last two fights he beat Zab Judah and Sugar Shane Mosley, both very good fighters in their own right. He throws some vicious body shots and has a relentless fighting style. April 12th he will meet Alfonso Gomez (18-3-2 8 KO's), who you might notice from the boxing reality show "The Contender". Gomez recently got his best win to date, against Arturo Gatti, who was a great action fighter in the past, but in all honesty should have already retired due to his diminished skills. Gomez doesn't have the power, speed, or technical skill that Cotto has, but he can at least match Cotto in one area; toughness.

I don't think Gomez will win the fight, but he undoubtedly will show a lot of heart. It should be an entertaining match, but a win against a fighter of Gomez's class will hardly prompt Mayweather to want to fight Cotto. Hopefully, Mayweather will have a revalation while wrestling the Big Show tonight and decide that first and foremost, he is a boxer. Boxing is what gave him the money he has today and is how he made a name for himself, and therefore should strive to give boxing fans the best fight possible which would be against Miguel Cotto.

Fight Prediction: Cotto by KO in the 6th

Good TV or Fake Entertainment?

In his latest attempt to become a "cross-over athlete", Floyd Mayweather is wrestling the 400+ pound "Big Show" on pay-per-view. Last year, Mayweather became recognized by mainstream Americans when he participated on the hit show "Dancing with the Stars". I watched Floyd on the "Dancing with the Stars" and I admit I was impressed with his dancing ability, but wrestling against a 400 pound man just seems a little too ridiculous. Like all other WWE wrestling matches this will undoubtedly be staged and no real harm should come to Mayweather, who needs to remain healthy for an upcoming fight against Oscar De La Hoya. Perhaps if it wasn't on pay-per-view at the price of $49.99, I might take the time to watch it because Mayweather is one of my favorite fighters in the sport of boxing but I can't bring myself to pay money for something that isn't real.

It is actually surprising how many former fighters have actually participated in the wrestling. When Joe Louis was deep in debt to the IRS he wrestled multiple times, as did Muhammed Ali. Even "Iron" Mike Tyson tried his hand at wrestling. Perhaps this move to wrestling might attract more people to the sport of boxing (I mean if people are willing to pay nearly fifty dollars for something that is fake, one would think they wouldn't mind seeing an actual fight).

Casamayor Wins In Exciting Fashion

Unlike previous fights that I have written about for this blog, I did not post a preview for the fight that occurred Saturday night between Joel Casamayor and Michael Katsidis. Shame on me for not doing so because this fight was unquestionably the best that I have seen since I began posting.

From the moment both of the fighters stepped into the arena it was entertaining. It all began when Michael Katsidis (who before the fight was undeafeated and one of the division's best up and coming prospects) entered the ring dressed like a Spartan warrior from the movie 300.

Although Katsidis had all the looks of a warrior in his walk into the ring, he did not fight like one in the opening round. Casamayor knocked Katsidis down TWICE in the first minute of the opening round and it appeared as though the fight would be stopped early. However, in the sixth round Katsidis hit Casamayor with a hard shot to the body and a few shots to the head that sent Casamayor through the ropes and his entire body out of the ring. Casamayor managed to climb back into the ring before he was counted out and he did not seem to be very hurt.

In the ninth round Casamayor got a point deducted for hitting Katsidis with an obvious low blow right in front of the referee, even after both fighters had already been warned for hitting below the beltline. This point deduction might've been a huge factor if the fight went the distance but just 10 seconds into the 10th round Casamayor caught Katsidis with a perfect left hook while Katsidis was coming in that sent him down. Katsidis was able to get up but a quick combination by Casamayor forced the referee to stop the fight.

Even though I knew that this fight was going to be on last night I still wasn't planning on watching it because along with boxing I am also an avid Houston Rockets fan, and they were playing last night. However, after halftime the Rockets were losing by double digits so I chose to check out this fight. Luckily for me I caught a fabulous fight between a wily veteran and a relentless youngster. Michael Katsidis came into the fight dressed as a Spartan warrior. Although this fight might be his Thermopolye, a valiant battle that ultimately ended in defeat, it remains to be seen if Katsidis, like the Spartans, is able to regroup and have another important and definitive fight in his future.

Fight Between Hall of Famers: Calzaghe vs. Hopkins

This fight is not going to take place until April 19 but I am so excited about watching it that I'm going to write a preview of this fight more than a month in advance. Joe Calzaghe has made a record-tying 21 consecutive defenses of the Super Middleweight title. His record is a perfect 44-0 with 32 knockouts; however, the Welsh fighter is going up in Light Heavyweight in order to fight against a fellow boxing legend, Bernard "the Executioner" Hopkins.

Bernard Hopkins has not had an easy life. At the age of 17 he committed armed robbery and was sent to prison. Prison was where he learned how to box and where he began to master the craft. His professional career began with a rocky start with Hopkins losing his first fight; a very unlikely beginning for one of the best middleweights in the history of boxing. Hopkins would go on to win the middleweight championship and defend it more than twenty times before eventually losing it to Jermaine Taylor. Hopkins has since beaten Antonio Tarver and Ronald "Winky" Wright, both extremely good fighters.

Although Hopkins is one of my favorite fighters because of his ability to systematically take apart his opponent throughout the course of a fight, I think you have to give the edge to Calzaghe. Jermaine Taylor beat Bernard Hopkins twice, primarily because he was the more active fighter and he was always on the offensive. Even though Hopkins was landing the cleaner punches the judges still felt that the more active fighter deserved the victory. Joe Calzaghe is the epitome of an active fighter and he literally smothers his opponents and pummels them with a endless combinations. There is no doubt in my mind that Hopkins can out-box any fighter out there, but I doubt Calzaghe gives him any breathing room and I think he might even score a knockout.

Pacquiao Wins Close Decision in Rematch

In the rematch of a fight between two great boxers that ended in a draw, Manny Pacquiao came out victorious. I did not watch the fight but from what I've read it was just as entertaining as the first match with Pacquiao once again scoring knockdowns of Marquez. Even though the fight was ruled as a victory for Pacquiao, Marquez and his entourage felt that they were robbed of the victory which is extremely unclassy.

Pacquiao is believed to be going up in weight in order to challenge David Diaz for his title. He has now beaten all of the competition in the weight class including several Hall of Famers: Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and now Juan Manuel Marquez.

In other boxing news Nikolai Valuev (the 7'0 tall former heavyweight champion) has agreed to a rematch with the man that took his title, Ruslan Chageav. Ruslan came out the victor in a very close match and I expect Valuev to prevail in the rematch because he has shown a large amount of improvement, particularly in his past two fights.

Juan Diaz upset by Nate Campbell

Nate Campbell (dressed as a matador) accomplished Saturday what very few fighters manage to do: win while fighting your opponents style of fight. Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz's style is characterized by relentless pressure and large volumes of punches and combinations. From the first round on Campbell was the fighter applying the pressure and used Diaz's strategy against him. Diaz got a nasty cut over his left eye by an accidental headbutt which looked like it bothered him the entire fight. During the fight Hall of Fame trainer Emmauel Stewart and Jim Lampley questioned the cut man in Diaz's corner and the way he handled the cut. Campbell thoroughly dominated the fight but props to Diaz for showing a tremendous amount of heart.

The whole fight I was rooting for Diaz primarily because he is from my hometown of Houston, Texas. It's hard not to root for a guy whos family came from nothing and while he is training as a professional boxer is also going to college at the University of Houston. Diaz also has aspirations to go to law school and eventually be mayor of the city of Houston. is loss to Campbell might be a bump in his road to becoming a great fighter; however, there is no question that Diaz still has a bright future.

Peter KO's Maskaev in the 6th

This is exactly the type of heavyweight fight that boxing needs. Two heavy handed men, trading haymakers with complete disregard for their own protection. Samuel Peter knocked Oleg Maskaev out in the 6th round to win Maskaev's portion of the heavyweight title (the reamining belonging to Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev). From the very start of the fight the two boxers traded heavy shots in the center of the ring with Peter frequently getting the better of Maskaev. Both men were hurt by the other at some point of the fight; however, Peter showed just enough chin to withstand Maskaev's barrage and was able to get the victory by using a combination of shots to force Maskaev into the ropes, and the ref to stop the fight.

So what's next for the "Nigerian Nightmare"? After the fight Peter said that he was ready to fight Wladimir Klitschko "tonight"; however, before he gets the chance to unify the heavyweight titles he will have to fight Wladimir's older brother and former heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko. Vitali retired from boxing a few years ago because of constant injuries and because he wanted to pursue a political career in his home country of Ukraine. The sanctioning body of the title belt that Peter just won is most likely going to force Peter to fight Vitali, even though Vitali has not fought in 3 1/2 years and does not deserve a title shot his first fight back. As a fan of boxing I can only hope that Peter beats Vitali and then his younger brother Wladimir so that we can finally have one true champion.

Roger Clemens: Cheater or Hall of Famer?

Although boxing is the primary focus of my blog, I felt as a fan of all sports it would be appropriate to switch topics a little bit and give my thoughts on the Roger Clemens debate. Clemens, who is widely regarded as the best pitcher of this generation, has been accused by his former trainer that he had taken performance enhancing drugs. Clemens has vehemently denied these allegations; however, the mere connection of Clemens' name to steroids might be enough to ruin his legacy. In five years Clemens will be up for nomination into the Baseball Hall of Fame and it is very likely that Clemens will not get in, even though he has all to credentials to do so, based on his alleged steroid involvement.

I feel that Roger Clemens should not get into the Hall of Fame. Even though there is no definitive proof linking Clemens to steroids, I feel that the amount of evidence against Clemens is starting to become overwhelming. Clemens's fellow teammate, Andy Pettite, a man whom Clemens stated was an honest person, testified under oath that Clemens told him that he took steroids. Clemens then said that Pettite "misremembers" the conversation that they had and that he was mistaken. Unlike Clemens who has his baseball legacy at stake and McNamee who is trying to shorten the time that he has to spend in prison by cooperating with federal agents, Andy Pettite has nothing to gain by lying.

Like many other people I was skeptical when I heard that Clemens allegedly had taken steroids and when Clemens came out and on 60 Minutes called all of the accusations false, I started to believe him. However, Pettite's testimony was enough for me to believe that Roger Clemens is lying. Had Clemens came out from the very beginning and said that he had taken steroids then I would support him getting into the Hall of Fame, but I cannot support him getting inducted when it is clear that he is lying.

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson

The voters for who gets into the Hall of Fame have already set a precedent by not allowing several worthy players from getting in, because they broke a rule or were involved in cheating. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson was a player that definently possessed Hall of Fame credentials; however, he was accused of fixing the 1919 World Series along with seven other players for money. A Chicago jury eventually aquitted Jackson for fixing the World Series, but just his alleged involvement has been enough to keep him from getting into the Hall of Fame.

Pete Rose
Another player that had accumulated Hall of Fame credentials throughout his career is Pete Rose. Rose is the all-time career hits leader in baseball history, was a 17 time all-star, was the MVP of the league in one of his seasons, and was voted into the Major League Baseball All Century Team. Rose's Hall of Fame credentials are equal, if not superior to those of Clemens; however, he has not been inducted because while he was the manager of the Cincinatti Reds he gambled that his teams would win. Although gambling on baseball games is against the rules for all players and managers, Rose has maintained that he never bet against his teams to win.




Neither of these two players took any kind of drug to help gain an edge on the competition, but they are connected to some form of cheating. It does not seem to matter that they had amazing careers because one event has prevented them from getting into the Hall of Fame. I believe that if these two players have not yet been inducted into the Hall of Fame then Roger Clemens should not be inducted either.



I believe that Roger Clemens took steroids to help gain an edge on the competition. I also feel that for the past month he has been lying. Lying to the media. Lying to his fans. And ultimately lying to himself. He is lying to himself if he believes that he can just use his money to hire the best trial lawyers in Texas and buy his way out of the mess he created. Roger Clemens was my favorite pitcher in baseball whenever he played for the Astros; however, I feel that being immortalized in baseball's Hall of Fame, a place that takes into account integrity and honesty, would be privilege he does not deserve.

America's Hero.....Betrayed

Preceding the utterly boring Klitschko/Ibragamov was a fantastic program about Joe Louis. Joe Louis was the second major black heavyweight, following Jack Johnson. Jack Johnson was a man who had gold teeth, taunted his opponents, and had an affinity for white women (seen as a major taboo at the time). These qualities made him hated by members of white society and every time he would beat a white heavyweight there would normally be a riot following the fight. From the beginning of his career Joe Louis was taught to be the opposite of Johnson in order to gain acceptance into white America.

Louis was gain acceptance and eventually the love of everyone in America following his two fights against the german boxer, Max Schmeling. Schmeling became the posterchild for Hitler and Nazi Germany and when fought Joe Louis for the first time, the whole world was watching.

Louis lost his first bout with Schmeling, but would avenge this loss later with a quick knockout of the german heavyweight.

Joe Louis was one of the most generous athletes in the history of sports. Whenever anyone asked him for an autograph or for money, he would give it to them no questions asked. Even though he made a ridiculous amount of money during his career (I'm talking in the millions and this was in the 40's and 50's), he ended up with hardly anything because he was supporting so many people. During WWII he would use his own money in order to set up boxing matches to entertain the trooops. As he grew older the IRS began pursuing him for failure to pay taxes causing Louis to continue fighting even when he was old and should have retired in order to pay his debt. He grew so desperate to get money that he wrestled and sold soft drinks. While he was deep in debt his old rival, Max Schemiling even loaned him money to try and help him out (the two became good friends later in life). Louis died in 1981 of a heart attack and is currently buried in Arlington National Cemetary. Louis truely is an American hero, even if he wasn't treated as one during his latter years.

Fun Fact: Joe Louis was friends with drug dealer Frank Lucas (The guy that Denzel Washington played in American Gangster)

Klitschko Dominates in Decision Victory

Well boxing fans finally got a unification bout between two of the sport's top heavyweights. It might not have been exciting or dramatic, but Wladimir Klitschko absolutely dominated this fight from the first round. He was cautious but effective, using his longer reach he was able constantly stick the jab right into Sultan Ibragamov's face the whole night. Klitschko felt very comfortable standing in the middle of the ring and throwing straight right hands only sparingly. As a fan of boxing I was anxiously waiting for Klitschko to knock the smaller Ibragamov out, but it looked as though he was satisfied to just get the victory.

Ibragamov could not get anything done the entire night, with the majority of his punches landing on Klitschko's shoulder or back, rather than his face. In one instance a frustrated Ibragamov basically tackled Klitschko; however, Wladimir maintained his cool and won the fight easily. In an odd moment, Klitschko's trainer Emanuel Stewart told his fighter to look for a knockout, something very uncharacteristic for a trainer to say considering it would leave his fighter open for more punches. Stewart understands that with many boxing writers labeling Klitschko as "the real heavyweight champion", he not only has to win, he has to win in entertaining fashion.

Any fan that watched this fight would've been dissapointed by the lack of action from Klitschko; however, it was a necessary first step towards a unified heavyweight champion. Following the fight Klitschko stated, as he has before, that it is his dream for him and his brother, Vitali Klitschko to hold heavyweight championship belts at the same time. Asked if they would ever fight each other, he brushed it aside and said he would wait and see what happens.

Valuev Wins

Nicolay Valuev, the one on the right, is the tallest fighter ever in the history of heavyweight boxing standing at 7'0 tall. He held one of the championship belts before losing it to Ruslan Chagev in his first career defeat. Saturday, Valuev fought against former champ Sergei Liakhovich with the winner of the fight becoming the mandatory challenger for Chagev.

Throughout the night Valuev proved to be the better fighter and ultimately came out victorious, setting up a rematch with the man that beat him last year. I don't think that Valuev is the best heavyweight fighting today, in fact I don't think he is in the top 3; however, you cannot help but be interested in a boxer that is so physically imposing.

This picture was taken of the fight in which Valuev won his title against John Ruiz. I found it funny because A) It looks like the two fighters are having a tender hug in the middle of the ring and B) Valuev has so much hair it looks like he is wearing a sweater

For additonal information about Nikolay Valuev: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-boxer27jan27,0,4797801.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Here is a youtube clip of him in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFB3Gyad5zg&feature=related

Pavlik Victorious Again

Well I guess it's a good thing I am not a betting man, because I would have been out some money based on my prediction of the outcome of Saturday night's fight. I did not want to shell out the 40 dollars for the pay-per-view fight because I am a starving college student, but I will be able to watch it when HBO replays it. From what I have read, the fight was very close throughout, with Pavlik being the much more active of the two. Taylor was very gracious in defeat and it is believed that he might move up in weight and fight in the super middleweight divison.

Benard Hopkins, whom Taylor defeated twice is set to fight super middleweight champ Joel Calzaghe on April 19th. It would be interesting if Taylor does decide to make the jump to super middleweight and Hopkins wins his bout with Calzaghe even though a third Taylor/Hopkins fight is highly unlikely.

Pavlik vs. Taylor II

Jermaine Taylor will step into the ring tonight and try to get revenge for the only loss on his resume. Less than a year ago Taylor fought the undeafeated Kelly Pavlik and at the beginning of the fight it looked as though he was going to knock Pavlik out. However, Pavlik was able to rally with a ferocious combination that left Taylor sinking into the corner of the ring like a rag doll.

Following the loss Jermaine Taylor broke ties with his hall of fame trainer, Emanuel Stuart and it remains to be seen if he will be able to come back from such a devastating defeat.

Pavlik is a very entertaining fighter and there are already whispers that if he wins his fight against Taylor then he would go on to fight Felix Trinidad, who recently lost to Roy Jones Jr. In my opinion Pavlik is running the risk of being overconfident since he knocked out Taylor in his last fight, and is looking ahead to his next payday.

Fight Prediction: Taylor, fighting with a new trainer and as a challenger will be much more determined tonight and will win by knockout.

Boxing Upset

That's why they fight the fights. If every boxer that was a big favorite to win their match came out victorious there would not be any drama and there would not be the chance for upsets, such as the one that happened Saturday night. Carlos Quintana was an 8-1 underdog going into his match against welterweight champion Paul Williams. However, he was unfazed by the betting line in Vegas and came into the ring as a confident and determined fighter. Using slick footwork and fast counter shots, Quintana was able to get past Williams ridiculously long reach (even though he is only a welterweight his reach is two inches LONGER than heavyweight hall of famer Muhammed Ali) and connected with clean punches. Williams face showed the result of these punches, having cuts opened above both his eyes and a large amount of swelling as well. Kudos to Quintana to have the guts to take on such a dangerous opponent after being knocked out by Miguel Cotto in the 5th round of his last major fight. I am a huge fan of Paul Williams, but since he no longer has a title belt there is no incentive for fighters like Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto to fight him, unless to puts together a string of victories.

Unifying the Heavyweight Division

On February 23, Wladimir Klitschko will step into the ring against a fellow title holder in Sultan Ibragamov and give boxing fans something that they have waited years for, a heavyweight unification bout. Since Lennox Lewis retired as a boxer the heavyweight division has been lacking fights between notable boxers, and as a result fans have had to suffer through years of brutally boring matches with more clinching than actual fighting.

Hopefully at the end of the night on the 23rd, not only will we have one heavyweight champion holding two titles, but we would have just witnessed an exciting and entertaining fight.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya 2

The rematch of the most successful fight of 2007 is on again in 2008. Last year Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought against Oscar De La Hoya and came out victorious by way of a decision. Although both fighters claimed they were considering retirement after the fight, they both came to the conclusion that a rematch made the most dollars and sense. Even though I would have personally preferred De La Hoya to fight the up and coming Puerto Rican fighter, Miguel Cotto, I am a perfectly happen boxing fan to see this fight get made.

Following his victory over Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather decided to not to retire, and instead fought against the then undeafeated Ricky Hatton. Mayweather, who is known as a quick counterpuncher who doesn't push the action, knocked out Hatton in dramatic fashion and proved he is the best boxer in the world. (While he was training for the Hatton fight he was also competing on ABC's Dancing With the Stars which seems to be at the opposite end of the spectrum from boxing) This fight, along with many others, should make 2008 a year in boxing to remember.

Fight Review

Last weekend Roy Jones Jr. and Felix Trinidad both proved they still have a lot of boxing left in them. Both fighters are future hall of fame boxers who, most thought, were far removed from their primes and rather than fight on and possibly tarnish their legacy, they should retire.

However, the two fighters showed they had a lot left in the tank as they fought through all twelve rounds with Jones Jr. coming out as the victor. Although Tito won most of the rounds early in the fight, Jones was able to score two knockdowns to secure the win and sets the stage for a possible mega-fight with the Super Middleweight Champ Joe Calzaghe. Trinidad, although fighting at the heavyest weight of his career, was able to go toe to toe with Jones Jr. and even though he lost, he could still be a factor in a lighter weight class.

It's ironic that a fight between two of the most electrifying fighters of this generation, would be trumped by a fight that featured Andrew Golota. Golota who has been a heavyweight title contender for more than a decade, is best known for having two fight fights with Riddick Bowe stopped because Golota repeatedly threw low blows. The last time he had fought a big-time heavyweight contender was against Lamon Brewster, who proceeded to knock him out in the first round. However, tonight against an up and coming heavyweight, Golota showed the one thing that seemed to be lacking in all his other fights, heart.

Golota fought through an eye that was swollen shut, and a very game opponent to win a fight and could propel him into a couple of meaningful heavyweight fights.

Groundbreaking Heavyweight

Since we are only a few days removed from Martin Luther King day I felt it would be fitting to give mention to a man who broke color barriers in the sport of boxing. Jack Johnson (not the singer), pictured above, was the first ever black heavyweight champion of the world, in a time when boxing was one of the three most popular sports in the United States. For years he was the target of vicious racism, after he had reached the pinacle of what was seen as a "white man's sport". However, Johnson persevered and in the face of tremendous adversity he is remembered not only as one of the best boxers ever, but as the man who paved the way for the likes of Muhammed Ali, George Foreman, and Floyd Mayweather.

Roy Jones Jr. vs. Felix Trinidad

The first installment of my boxing blog comes on the eve of a great fight between two future hall of fame boxers. Saturday night Roy Jones Jr. (50-4) faces Puerto Rican Felix "Tito" Trinidad (42-2) at Madison Square Garden in New York City, in what promises to be an exciting fight.

Roy Jones Jr. was once regarded as the pound for pound best boxer in the world. However, after two brutal knockouts, one to Antonio Tarver and the other to Glenn Johnson, Jones doesn't nearly look as invincible as he did earlier in his career. Jones, who went into a short lived retirement following the loss to Johnson has been on the comeback trail, fighting against little known boxers. (A little off topic but Jones is also a rapper, so if you happen to like that genre of music I suggest you look up a couple of his songs)

Felix Trinidad, like Jones, was once widely regarded as one of the best fighters in boxing. He will go down in history as one of the best power punchers ever, with the majority of his wins coming back knockout. Trinidad's star has also faded after losses against Benard Hopkins and Winky Wright.

Prediction: Due to the fight being held at the 170 pounds, I think Trinidad, a naturally smaller fighter than Jones Jr. will have trouble with stamina throughout the fight and it might take a little off his heralded punching power.

Roy Jones Jr. wins by KO

"The Windmill"

Believe it or not, I was at one time a boxer.....


I had a three year career in the sport and had many hardfought matches. My opponents might have been my friends and the ring might have been my neighbor's driveway, but that's neither here nor there. Beginning my freshman year in high school my friends got the brilliant idea to buy two sets of boxing gloves and hold monthly matches in my culd-a-sac. After my first fight I earned the nickname "the windmill" due to my patented overhand punch that was highly unsuccessful and according to my friends humorous to behold. For three years my friends and I fought against each other after school and order pay-per-view boxing matches on the weekends.


I decided to go into retirement from boxing after one of our friends broke his nose in a match. That and the fact that I was absolutely terrible at boxing. Even though I didn't turn boxing into a profession, I still watch matches frequently to this day. During the course of this semester I'm going to update this blog with the latest boxing news and reviews of major fights. Hopefully after reading this you will learn to love boxing as I have.