"Friday Night Fights" host Bernardo Osuna discusses Manny Pacquiao's high-risk low-reward fight with Timothy Bradley Jr., set for June 9 in Las Vegas, plus more top bouts in the months ahead.
SAN ANTONIO -- On Saturday, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. returned to the scene of his legendary father's first professional blemish -- an infamous draw to Pernell Whitaker at the Alamodome more than 18 years earlier. He was there perhaps to defend his family name, but also a middleweight title belt in seemingly his first strenuous test, against deserving contender Marco Antonio Rubio. Joining them on the card was Nonito Donaire, a former multidivision champion aiming for another belt in his first bout at junior featherweight, something of a grudge match against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. Here's what we learned from one night in San Antonio:
1. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is a real fighter ...
Not for the first time in recent bouts, Chavez showed that when the chips are down and he has to suck it up, dig in and fight, he can do just that. Rubio was advertised as potentially his toughest foe yet, and so he proved, refusing to give any quarter even as Chavez walked him down and dug into his body with hard hooks. In fact, Rubio was landing what appeared to be the higher percentage of punches as Chavez loaded up for big combinations. But Chavez kept coming, and the final two rounds had the crowd on its feet as the two men exchanged hellacious blows, each looking to provide a definitive conclusion to the contest.
2. ... But he probably isn't a real good one
At the same time, Rubio isn't exactly a top-drawer talent. Yes, he stopped David Lemieux, but in hindsight, Lemieux was likely overrated. Rubio was flattened inside a round by Kofi Jantuah and was brutalized by Kelly Pavlik in the only fight in which Pavlik has looked half-decent in years. He showed little, if any, originality in his attack, yet Chavez was unable to nullify it. Similarly, two fights ago, Chavez went tooth-and-nail with an opponent (Sebastian Zbik) whom HBO once dubbed too poor to broadcast in a middleweight title fight.
Chavez has shown some genuine signs of improvement since connecting with trainer Freddie Roach. But there are also signs that the improvement may be plateauing. Of course, adding 20 pounds after the weigh-in couldn't have helped; if Chavez is to develop into anything more than an entertaining battler, he needs to dedicate himself a lot more to his gym work and road work, and stay away from bars during training camp. That may not be enough -- what you see may simply be what you get -- but it won't hurt.
3. Nonito Donaire has become dominant and disappointing
A year ago, Donaire blasted out Fernando Montiel in the knockout of the year, and there appeared to be no ceiling to his potential. But his two outings since then, although clear victories, have been underwhelming. In both cases there were extenuating circumstances: Omar Narvaez didn't try to fight, while Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. at times also seemed content to hide behind a tight defense, at least until Donaire apparently broke his left hand. But, notwithstanding the fact that Donaire was a clear, and mostly one-handed, winner over a good young opponent (even though one judge, maintaining the tradition of criminally bad Alamodome scorecards, somehow contrived to score the contest for Vazquez), the victory felt unsatisfying.
Part of the problem is that "The Filipino Flash" showed signs on Saturday of regressing into a home run hitter, looking to please the crowd with spectacular bombs thrown from all angles. That's all well and good, but when faced with a patient foe such as Vazquez, some basic jabbing and hooking might have served Donaire well, and perhaps helped to break his opponent down.
There's no need to panic: The train hasn't left Donaire's station. But it's warming up, and some disgruntled fans likely are starting to climb aboard. A trip back to basics would serve Donaire well if he is to reclaim and consolidate his place alongside Andre Ward as the best under-30 boxer in the world.
4. Vanes Martirosyan needs to step it up
Martirosyan is an engaging guy and a genuine talent, but in his 32nd professional contest, he needs to be facing opposition far more demanding than the utterly outmatched Troy Lowry, whom he beat up for three rounds on Saturday's undercard. Martirosyan is good at calling out opponents (after dispatching Lowry, he mentioned Mexico's Saul Alvarez), but whether because of him, his management or his promoter, he hasn't followed that up with much in the way of actual, credible tests in the ring. It's time for him to be matched in a meaningful contest against a real opponent, if only to see exactly what he can bring to the table.
5. HBO Boxing is off to a better start in 2012 than 2011
HBO's kickoff bout last year seemed, on paper, a solid one: a clash between undefeated junior welterweight titlists Timothy Bradley Jr. and Devon Alexander. But the fight was a stinker, and the venue -- the cavernous Pontiac Silverdome -- was even worse, and not even close to being filled. By contrast, although Saturday night's fights might not have had the same theoretical significance, they were far more entertaining. Meanwhile, the Alamodome was smartly configured for 15,000 people -- and close to that many showed up, providing an enthusiastic crowd that roared at seemingly every punch. All told, it was a far more positive start to the year.
We know that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. won't be fighting each other in the first half of 2012. And we know who Mayweather will be fighting instead on May 5: Miguel Cotto.
So that leaves one part of the spring-season super-duper-star equation left to be revealed, and that's PacMan's June 9 opponent.
Initially, the list of options included four names: Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley Jr. and Lamont Peterson. Then Mayweather's name was added. Then it was scratched out. Then Cotto crossed himself off.
That leaves three. All indications coming out of every corner of the boxing world suggest that it will be officially announced next week that Bradley will get the assignment.
Nothing against Bradley, an excellent fighter by any measure, but it's time to say what not enough people seem to be saying: This fight should have gone to Marquez. In every conceivable way, he's a better opponent for Pacquiao than Bradley. In fact, as he's proven repeatedly, he's a better opponent for Pacquiao than anyone not named Floyd Mayweather.
In terms of entertainment value, every Pacquiao-Marquez bout is a fight of the year candidate. Every Bradley bout is a technical draw candidate.
From a business perspective, Marquez is the fourth-most bankable name in boxing (behind Pacquiao, Mayweather and Cotto) and his third fight with Pacquiao last November generated an estimated 1.4 million pay-per-view buys. Bradley doesn't have a fan base, meaning a Pac-Bradley pay-per-view will draw however many buys the Filipino legend can draw with just his name and face on the poster.
With regard to who deserves the fight more, the majority of fans believe Marquez deserved the victory over Pacquiao last time out -- in a fight nearly everyone expected PacMan to win by knockout, by the way. Bradley is the top-rated junior welterweight in the world, but his lone fight in the past 12 months, against a used-up Joel Casamayor, hardly qualifies him for a shot at the people's champ.
Looking at what's best for the fans, for fairness and for the folks counting the receipts, it's Marquez over Bradley all day long. So why was Marquez never given serious consideration for a fourth fight with Pacquiao in June? Why was Cotto the frontrunner initially, and why is it Bradley now?
The only explanation that makes sense is that Marquez fought a little too well for his good in November. Say what you will about Bob Arum and his team at Top Rank, but there are no dummies working in that Las Vegas office. Goal No. 1 is to not let Pacquiao lose (except maybe against Mayweather, when Manny is a fight or two away from retirement). And with Marquez, the third fight illustrated that at any weight and on any date, JMM gives Pacquiao fits.
Again, there's nothing wrong with a Pacquiao-Bradley fight. The man known as "Desert Storm" is a top-10 pound-for-pounder and a credible foe.
But he's no Marquez. Not in terms of name value, not in terms of in-ring excitement and not in terms of what's best for the sport.
I guess the Mexican master was never getting a fourth fight against Pacquiao, no matter what transpired last November.
If Marquez had gotten bowled over, as many predicted, it would have provided a conclusive end to their trilogy.
Instead, we got an ending inconclusive enough to ensure that another chapter won't be written.
There was a time when Edison Miranda was on short lists of young guns to watch. Circa 2006, he was 25-0 going into his fight with Howard Eastman, a former Euro middleweight champion -- and beyond that gleaming record, he had a helluva backstory.
Miranda, who gloves up against Isaac Chilemba in the main event of this week's "Friday Night Fights" at Texas Station, grew up in Colombia. His mom neglected him, so he went to live with other family and friends. He tracked her down, but she kicked him to the curb again, and by age 9, he was living on the streets. He barbecued roadkill some nights to keep his belly full. By age 12 he was working a construction job, by 14 he was a cattle butcher. This is the sort of story you hope has a happy ending.
Fast forward to today. The man whose knockout pop might make us forget Earnie Shavers and rival Julian Jackson, one commentator had gushed, is now 31 -- but seems older. Losing big fights will tend to make fans view you as a faded talent before it's decent to deem you such. His backstory no longer gets rehashed so often as it did back then, before losses to Arthur Abraham (in 2006 and 2008), Kelly Pavlik (in 2007, in his first true step-up fight) and Andre Ward (in 2009).
Miranda's last big-fight opportunity came on April 17, 2010, and sad to say, true to form, he lost. Champion Lucian Bute stopped Miranda in Round 3 of their super middleweight title fight. He is 2-1 since then, with the loss coming in the form of a disqualification, for low blows, against Yordanis Despaigne on "Friday Night Fights" in July. The young gun, now 35-6, so fawned over just five years ago, has officially been relegated to the status of tester of prospects. Chilemba, who has fought unbeatens in four of his past six matches, spoke to ESPN.com about the fight, and how he aimed to handle Miranda in their light heavyweight showdown.
"I do believe I'm the favorite going into the fight," he said. "I'm younger, I'm young and hungry. We've been working on Miranda's weaknesses. We see a lot of them."
Miranda, Chilemba said, is a fast starter but peters out. He relies too much on his power, so he can be outboxed. Thus, Chilemba has been drilling on speed and, especially, movement to get the W.
I wanted to ask Miranda about this new role of his, but wasn't able to make connection with him and his crew, even after he answered a text from me. That surprised me, because back in the day, Miranda was one of the very best trash-talkers in the game. Before he met Ward -- he lost a 12-round decision -- Miranda said, "Andre Ward was a great amateur fighter. But this is the big leagues. Andre, I hope your skills include a graceful way to hit the canvas, because that is what your fans are going to see."
And he talked a great game going into his first stiff test, a 2006 title crack against Abraham, the IBF middleweight champ. "He is scared," Miranda said of the champ. He lost that one (also a UD12), and yet talked like a victor in their 2008 rematch. "Abraham was talking like a little girl," he said during a prefight news conference. "He was talking like a little girl. He knows I destroyed him." It was Abraham who did the destroying again, scoring a TKO4 win in Florida.
Before the Bute fight, Miranda showed a different, softer side: "I saw the first fight between Bute and [Librado] Andrade," Miranda said. "[Bute] won my heart. Bute deserves a lot of blessing. I come to fight. I come to win. I have nothing against Bute."
Was this a coming of age? Had he willfully ditched the big-talking act, embraced humility and a get-it-done-in-the-ring mentality? The jury was out for deliberation. It came back with a guilty verdict following his performance in last year's Despaigne fight.
Miranda dropped his hands and let Despaigne get in free shots at one point. Then, in Round 5, he clanged the 8-1 Despaigne in the groin with a left and ref Vic Drakulich, citing precedent, DQ'd Miranda. Did Miranda act chastened, show a penitent side? Nope. He roared back with chatter that, although somewhat entertaining, makes you wonder if he will ever get to a place of full control, where his emotions don't lead him astray.
"I tapped Despaigne on the belt line and he fell down like he'd been shot," Miranda said. "He's not a fighter, he's an actor and he was looking for a way out because he didn't like the way the story was going to end. He got hit low a couple more times and cried on command and the fight was over. So for that performance, I am awarding him Best Actress in a Dramatic Role. He's the new 'Million Dollar Baby.' ... He was out of gas. I let him punch me because it was like pillow-fighting a girl."
Miranda is still young-ish. He still has the sort of name that makes him quite attractive for managers looking to add a name to their guy's résumé. So it's not like he'll necessarily have to hustle hard for gigs if he loses to the 24-year-old Chilemba (18-1-1 with 9 KOs; sole loss in his ninth pro fight). But the part of us that roots for the hard-luck types to find that pot of gold, that hopes anyone who had to cook roadkill to keep from starving deserves to wallow in some physical and emotional riches, tends to think that it's now unlikely the Colombian will find it.
But that is conjecture. What is certain is that Miranda is in interesting fights. He is a bomber, and his tendency toward chippiness can add an element of drama to his fights. My guarantee: Chilemba-Miranda will be an interesting main event.
Since he first stepped foot into the ring as a professional prizefighter, looking for all the world as though he were just 12 years old, his every step has inevitably been compared to his father's -- not only because they share name, but because that father was also one of the greatest boxers of all time, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and perhaps the most celebrated pugilist in Mexico's long fistic history.
On Saturday night, the linkages will be stronger than ever; but whereas Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. may at times have wished that comparisons of his career with his father's had to this point been more favorable, he will certainly be hoping to exit San Antonio's Alamodome with more positive reviews than did his father 18 years and change ago.
Chavez Jr. will face Marco Antonio Rubio on HBO in a defense of a middleweight belt that many believe rightfully belongs to Sergio Martinez, who was stripped of the title as a result of the kind of political chicanery and machinations that have granted boxing permanent residency in the Red Light District of sports. But it is also, perhaps more accurately, a measuring stick by which fans can judge the progress of a young contender who, much maligned in his earlier career, is showing signs of developing an all-round game that will meet potentially its toughest test yet in the form of veteran Marco Antonio Rubio.
On Sept. 10, 1993, Chavez Sr. walked into the ring in the very same arena, in front of 56,959 paying fans, placing his 87-0 record on the line against Pernell Whitaker, who had suffered a larcenous loss to Jose Luis Ramirez in his first tilt at a world title five years earlier but was otherwise undefeated in 33 contests. The two men were meeting for the welterweight championship of the world -- which Whitaker had snatched from Buddy McGirt in his previous fight -- but also for more than that: recognition as the best fighter in the world, pound for pound.
(A brief aside: The notion of two welterweights actually deciding who is the best fighter in the world by meeting in the ring might, to today's generation of boxing fans, seem an absurdity, a fiction so improbable as to be without any kind of credibility. Time was, however, when such things happened. But that's another story ...)
Chavez, the betting favorite, began aggressively, looking to bury his patented left hook to Whitaker's liver, as the champion wheeled away and popped his pursuer with a retreating right jab from a southpaw stance. Beginning in the third, Whitaker threw that jab with greater authority, combining it with the footwork and slippery defense for which he was renowned, befuddling Chavez and taking away seemingly every aspect of his game, beating him with punches from inside and outside. From Round 4 onward, it was, to ringside observers, largely a shutout -- a masters class culminating in what was surely a nine rounds-to-three or, at worst, eight rounds-to-four victory.
Except that it wasn't.
One judge scored the fight for Whitaker, 115-113. The other two saw it dead-even, 115-115 -- a result that even many in the pro-Chavez crowd, who had become progressively quieter as their man had been given a boxing lesson, booed.
The New York Times dubbed the result "an oddity of a decision even for this most confusing of sports."
"I went to talk to one of the judges afterward, but I tripped over his seeing-eye dog," Bert Sugar quipped.
"Whitaker put on one of the most dazzling ring performances in recent years," wrote Sports Illustrated, "yet, within minutes, two of the three judges reduced this magnificent show to a mockery."
SI's cover featured a picture of Whitaker landing a right hand on Chavez's jaw, accompanied by a one-word headline: 'Robbed!' (Hey, on the plus side, boxing was on the cover of Sports Illustrated! Yes, kids, sometimes that happened, too.)
Three fights later, Chavez suffered his first official loss, when he was dropped and outpointed by Frankie Randall, and things were never really the same after that. He beat up the likes of Ken Sigurani, Verdell Smith and Marty Jakubowski, but he lost comprehensively to Oscar De La Hoya (twice), Kostya Tszyu (in a fight that never should have been made) and even Willy Wise and Grover Wiley.
Junior avenged the last of those defeats, in a way, splattering the man -- in three one-sided rounds in 2007 -- who had ended Senior's career. And although a clean and clear win on Saturday won't exactly atone for the flimflam that spared his old man from defeat that long-ago September night, it will enable him to boast one accomplishment that eluded his more celebrated father: to walk out of the Alamadome, with his hands in the air and head held high, to the sound of his fans celebrating a Chavez victory.
On Saturday night, the linkages will be stronger than ever; but whereas Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. may at times have wished that comparisons of his career with his father's had to this point been more favorable, he will certainly be hoping to exit San Antonio's Alamodome with more positive reviews than did his father 18 years and change ago.
Chavez Jr. will face Marco Antonio Rubio on HBO in a defense of a middleweight belt that many believe rightfully belongs to Sergio Martinez, who was stripped of the title as a result of the kind of political chicanery and machinations that have granted boxing permanent residency in the Red Light District of sports. But it is also, perhaps more accurately, a measuring stick by which fans can judge the progress of a young contender who, much maligned in his earlier career, is showing signs of developing an all-round game that will meet potentially its toughest test yet in the form of veteran Marco Antonio Rubio.
On Sept. 10, 1993, Chavez Sr. walked into the ring in the very same arena, in front of 56,959 paying fans, placing his 87-0 record on the line against Pernell Whitaker, who had suffered a larcenous loss to Jose Luis Ramirez in his first tilt at a world title five years earlier but was otherwise undefeated in 33 contests. The two men were meeting for the welterweight championship of the world -- which Whitaker had snatched from Buddy McGirt in his previous fight -- but also for more than that: recognition as the best fighter in the world, pound for pound.
(A brief aside: The notion of two welterweights actually deciding who is the best fighter in the world by meeting in the ring might, to today's generation of boxing fans, seem an absurdity, a fiction so improbable as to be without any kind of credibility. Time was, however, when such things happened. But that's another story ...)
Chavez, the betting favorite, began aggressively, looking to bury his patented left hook to Whitaker's liver, as the champion wheeled away and popped his pursuer with a retreating right jab from a southpaw stance. Beginning in the third, Whitaker threw that jab with greater authority, combining it with the footwork and slippery defense for which he was renowned, befuddling Chavez and taking away seemingly every aspect of his game, beating him with punches from inside and outside. From Round 4 onward, it was, to ringside observers, largely a shutout -- a masters class culminating in what was surely a nine rounds-to-three or, at worst, eight rounds-to-four victory.
Except that it wasn't.
One judge scored the fight for Whitaker, 115-113. The other two saw it dead-even, 115-115 -- a result that even many in the pro-Chavez crowd, who had become progressively quieter as their man had been given a boxing lesson, booed.
The New York Times dubbed the result "an oddity of a decision even for this most confusing of sports."
"I went to talk to one of the judges afterward, but I tripped over his seeing-eye dog," Bert Sugar quipped.
"Whitaker put on one of the most dazzling ring performances in recent years," wrote Sports Illustrated, "yet, within minutes, two of the three judges reduced this magnificent show to a mockery."
SI's cover featured a picture of Whitaker landing a right hand on Chavez's jaw, accompanied by a one-word headline: 'Robbed!' (Hey, on the plus side, boxing was on the cover of Sports Illustrated! Yes, kids, sometimes that happened, too.)
Three fights later, Chavez suffered his first official loss, when he was dropped and outpointed by Frankie Randall, and things were never really the same after that. He beat up the likes of Ken Sigurani, Verdell Smith and Marty Jakubowski, but he lost comprehensively to Oscar De La Hoya (twice), Kostya Tszyu (in a fight that never should have been made) and even Willy Wise and Grover Wiley.
Junior avenged the last of those defeats, in a way, splattering the man -- in three one-sided rounds in 2007 -- who had ended Senior's career. And although a clean and clear win on Saturday won't exactly atone for the flimflam that spared his old man from defeat that long-ago September night, it will enable him to boast one accomplishment that eluded his more celebrated father: to walk out of the Alamadome, with his hands in the air and head held high, to the sound of his fans celebrating a Chavez victory.
Ruslan Provodnikov is a "fan-friendly" fighter, a guy who charges forward, likes to bang, takes a few while trying to dish out a few more than the other guy. But he'd like to change that perception. He has been working at the famed Wild Card in Hollywood with Freddie Roach on moving more, working smarter (not harder) and being less of a "fan-friendly" fighter.
I hope his mission to change styles fails.
OK, I'm kidding. Mostly.
For his career longevity, for his long-term health, becoming more of a boxer as opposed to a puncher-banger benefits the just-turned-28-year-old Russian. But selfishly speaking, I'd prefer we see the "old" Provodnikov on display against fellow junior welterweight David Torres in the main event of this week's edition of "Friday Night Fights," which takes place at the Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights, Wash. (ESPN2/ESPN3 at 9 p.m. ET).
I suspect, actually, that we will see both sets of elements from the five-year pro, some of the concentration on defense, using the ring more, as well as the aggressive-attacker mode. Reason being because Torres, a Mexican-born Washington resident, basically knows only one direction in the ring: forward. This fight should be a good style clash, featuring two aggressive sorts looking to break the will of the other man.
Speaking by phone Wednesday, Provodnikov (20-1, 13 KOs; the loss coming to Mauricio Herrera last Jaunary) said Roach is now with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., readying the fighter for a Feb. 4 title defense against Marco Antonio Rubio, so Eric Brown of Wild Card will be in the Russian's corner instead. Provodnikov was with Buddy McGirt in his previous fight and with Roach for a grand total of about three weeks leading up to FNF. So as a work in progress, as an athlete trying to tweak his skill set, he hasn't had as much repetition as needed to fully ingrain new habits. I expect he'll prevail nevertheless, as Torres (1-2-2 in his past five) appears to perhaps be an "old" 33.
Provodnikov, through interpreter/manager Vadim Kornilov, offered a scouting report on Torres (21-2-2, 13 KOs): "He fights a typical Mexican style. I like to fight the fighters who fight in that style, who come to fight, and not run around the ring. It creates exciting fights. This will be two boxers that come together to make an exciting fight."
So is Torres on the downside, nearing the end of the line? "You never know," Provodnikov said. "You don't know how he prepared for recent fights. On 'Friday Night Fights,' it's a big chance for these guys. I expect him to be 200 percent ready. Those losses and draws don't mean anything."
Torres, for his part, attributes his tough stretch to his working through personal issues. A difficult breakup with his ex hung over his head, but he said in a phoner that his head is screwed on tight now.
"I'm in good shape, mentally and physically," he said. "I'm well prepared for this fight and cannot wait to get into the ring with him." Torres, too, has been working on moving laterally more, trying to stick and move instead of wading in, guns always blazing.
So is this a must win situation for Torres?
"Hopefully this goes our way," he said. "We will talk after this fight [if he loses]."
Provodnikov is coming off a disputed decision win Dec. 5 against "Chop Chop" Corley, which looks a bit better after the 37-year-old Corley handed 18-0 Gabriel Bracero his first loss last week. Torres hasn't fought in 11 months. I expect Provodnikov to be the sharper athlete and to win by stoppage in or around Round 6.
• Speedbag Ji-Hoon Kim will be making his fourth appearance on FNF, and this time he really needs a win. The 25-year-old South Korean lightweight, who turned pro in 2004 with zero amateur experience, lost back-to-back fights, against Miguel Vazquez (UD12) and Lenny Zappavigna (TKO1), before getting a W in his most recent bout (SD10) against 3-0 Dong Hyuk-Kim a year ago.
Ji-Hoon had surgery on a detached retina in May 2011, and confessed in a phoner, through interpreter/manager Paul Lee, that he got down after the Lenny Z loss. "That's natural," he said. "But I never gave up."
In fact, the day after the defeat, having traveled back from Australia to South Korea, Ji-Hoon went to the gym.
He accentuated the positive in our session, but Lee allows that the stakes are quite high going into Friday's clash with 20-2-1 Yakubu Amidu, a Ghanian who is managed by actor Vince Vaughn. "This time, we really cannot lose. Ji-Hoon cannot lose this time. It could be the last one."
ESPN's Bernardo Osuna recently caught up with Andre Berto, who is in preparations to take on Victor Ortiz in a rematch of their first meeting last April, a 2011 fight of the year candidate. Berto discussed his anemia, Ortiz's pressure and the possibility of questionable tactics in their Feb. 11 bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Check it out.
Teddy Atlas is gainfully employed by ESPN to be its analyst for "Friday Night Fights." And while the FNF season runs, the Staten Island-based trainer makes sure he sticks close to home so he can call fights for the Worldwide Leader. Atlas is pretty darned sure that he communicated this to his client, WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin. Atlas has been training the Russian for 2½ years and has helped mold him to the point that he fought Ruslan Chagaev in August for a vacant belt and won it. So he thought he had a decent line of communication with the 32-year-old boxer. Not anymore.
Atlas won't train Povetkin for his next bout, which will take place Feb. 25 against cruiserweight Marco Huck in Germany. Atlas is miffed that Povetkin won't come to the U.S. to train so that Atlas can continue his work for ESPN. Atlas maintains that the terms of the training arrangement are explicitly worded in a contract. "Our agreement from the beginning has been that I would go to Russia to train Sasha [Povetkin] when 'Friday Night Fights' was off season, and he would come to the United States to train when I was committed to being here for my ESPN duties," Atlas said. "That was what we both agreed to, and both sides know it. I have an obligation to ESPN that I have to fulfill, and I intend to fulfill it. Povetkin has an obligation, too, but I'm being told he doesn't want to come to the U.S. I had expected him to live up to his obligation and am very disappointed in Sasha."
Povetkin's manager, Vlad Hrunov, was quoted five days ago on the subject of Atlas and Povetkin and where the fighter will train.
"It is Teddy Atlas' opinion and Teddy Atlas' choice -- we are awaiting him in Russia," Hrunov told BoxRec.com. "We have a possibility to make an agreement because we are ready to pay a concession because he lose the ESPN money. He knows very well this possibility, but he wants to make [the] decision that he wants."
It looks like a standoff. Stay tuned to see if anyone blinks. I'm guessing Atlas won't. He's not the blinking type. What about you, readers?
Atlas won't train Povetkin for his next bout, which will take place Feb. 25 against cruiserweight Marco Huck in Germany. Atlas is miffed that Povetkin won't come to the U.S. to train so that Atlas can continue his work for ESPN. Atlas maintains that the terms of the training arrangement are explicitly worded in a contract. "Our agreement from the beginning has been that I would go to Russia to train Sasha [Povetkin] when 'Friday Night Fights' was off season, and he would come to the United States to train when I was committed to being here for my ESPN duties," Atlas said. "That was what we both agreed to, and both sides know it. I have an obligation to ESPN that I have to fulfill, and I intend to fulfill it. Povetkin has an obligation, too, but I'm being told he doesn't want to come to the U.S. I had expected him to live up to his obligation and am very disappointed in Sasha."
Povetkin's manager, Vlad Hrunov, was quoted five days ago on the subject of Atlas and Povetkin and where the fighter will train.
"It is Teddy Atlas' opinion and Teddy Atlas' choice -- we are awaiting him in Russia," Hrunov told BoxRec.com. "We have a possibility to make an agreement because we are ready to pay a concession because he lose the ESPN money. He knows very well this possibility, but he wants to make [the] decision that he wants."
It looks like a standoff. Stay tuned to see if anyone blinks. I'm guessing Atlas won't. He's not the blinking type. What about you, readers?
Happy 70th birthday to "The Greatest of All Time," Muhammad Ali.
Seventy.
Let's be honest: A lot of us didn't think he'd make this milestone.
To see the once-vibrant vessel of joyful animation increasingly impacted by Parkinson's disease, which he was diagnosed with in 1984, one had to wonder how much longer the world would get to enjoy the sight of a living, breathing Ali.
His daughter Rasheda, though, didn't fall prey to worry. One of four children born to Ali's second wife, Belinda, Rasheda chatted with NYFightBlog on Tuesday morning. The Las Vegas resident was amped up, pumped to see the other Ali kids and to see all the grandchildren gathered together tonight in California. Nine kids and 11 grandkids will gather around Muhammad Ali and bask in his warmth this evening.
Rasheda talked about her father's stamp on this world, what makes him legitimately the greatest of all time, what it was like to share such a figure with the world and how his condition hasn't dampened his ability to inspire.
"He contracted Parkinson's in the early '80s," said Rasheda, who has authored a book about the condition, "I'll Hold Your Hand So You Won't Fall: A Child's Guide to Parkinson's Disease." "To be 70, in the late stages and moving around, I'm incredibly impressed with his attitude. He never feels sorry for himself. He always taught us that nothing bothers him. He's never complained, never said, 'Why me?' That's made us stronger, how he reacts. He's very healthy, takes all his medications, his wife (Yolanda) is a great caregiver. His being here has a lot to do with family and his great mental attitude."
Rasheda said that no one is sure why her dad has Parkinson's, a neurodegenerative condition suffered by 6.5 million people the world over, including 1.5 million in North America. The boxing could have triggered a predisposition, she said. But she, like all of us, hope that progress is made in research so the condition can be cured.
"I hope in my dad's lifetime he'll be cured of the condition," she said. "I have to be positive. That gives me hope. I can't let go of hope."
Growing up in New Jersey, Rasheda didn't see as much of Ali as she would have liked. Ali and mom Belinda officially divorced in 1976, so she saw him a lot when school was out. But Rasheda said that she got it pretty early on how beloved her dad was.
"It was a lot harder to share him when I was younger," she said. "I wanted to be around him, wanted to be a big part of his life. But I knew at an early age I had to share him with the world. There were frustrations, but I knew he was giving so much to so many millions of others."
That Ali is no saint has been well documented. Our media's preference for burrowing into every nook and cranny of public figures' private lives has contributed to a dearth of role models, as only those who can control message with psychotic intensity can maintain an aura of impossible goodness. (I personally write off the private failings of public figures, such as Ali's tendency toward flagrant womanizing in the '70s, especially; unless of course the private failings are those of moralizers and scolds, especially politicians or religious leaders, and then I denounce them for rampant hypocrisy.) But Rasheda is able to accept all facets of her father's personality.
"He was and is a loveable man!" she said. "The ladies love him, everyone loves him. He's very charming."
Yes, Ali has been a man of contradictions. He championed some of the more divisive racial theories of the Nation of Islam before moving towards more moderate strains of Islam. But I see him as one of the dwindling remaining figures who stood tall on principles of love and faith and non-violence, to the extent they were willing to perish for those principles. The world is so sorely lacking in such giants, like Martin Luther King Jr., and Muhammad Ali, to name two. I asked Rasheda if she thought I was overstating the import of Ali, lumping him in with MLK.
"He's one of the last," she agreed. "My dad is still here, and I'm grateful he's able to give more. My dad taught us kids, and the world, to believe in ourselves. He showed us values -- and we will take that with us -- like respect, conviction of faith, love of charity. He taught us through example. He's shown us love, and if the world had more of that, it would be a better place."
Amen to that.
Happy birthday, champ.
Seventy.
Let's be honest: A lot of us didn't think he'd make this milestone.
To see the once-vibrant vessel of joyful animation increasingly impacted by Parkinson's disease, which he was diagnosed with in 1984, one had to wonder how much longer the world would get to enjoy the sight of a living, breathing Ali.
His daughter Rasheda, though, didn't fall prey to worry. One of four children born to Ali's second wife, Belinda, Rasheda chatted with NYFightBlog on Tuesday morning. The Las Vegas resident was amped up, pumped to see the other Ali kids and to see all the grandchildren gathered together tonight in California. Nine kids and 11 grandkids will gather around Muhammad Ali and bask in his warmth this evening.
Rasheda talked about her father's stamp on this world, what makes him legitimately the greatest of all time, what it was like to share such a figure with the world and how his condition hasn't dampened his ability to inspire.
"He contracted Parkinson's in the early '80s," said Rasheda, who has authored a book about the condition, "I'll Hold Your Hand So You Won't Fall: A Child's Guide to Parkinson's Disease." "To be 70, in the late stages and moving around, I'm incredibly impressed with his attitude. He never feels sorry for himself. He always taught us that nothing bothers him. He's never complained, never said, 'Why me?' That's made us stronger, how he reacts. He's very healthy, takes all his medications, his wife (Yolanda) is a great caregiver. His being here has a lot to do with family and his great mental attitude."
Rasheda said that no one is sure why her dad has Parkinson's, a neurodegenerative condition suffered by 6.5 million people the world over, including 1.5 million in North America. The boxing could have triggered a predisposition, she said. But she, like all of us, hope that progress is made in research so the condition can be cured.
"I hope in my dad's lifetime he'll be cured of the condition," she said. "I have to be positive. That gives me hope. I can't let go of hope."
Growing up in New Jersey, Rasheda didn't see as much of Ali as she would have liked. Ali and mom Belinda officially divorced in 1976, so she saw him a lot when school was out. But Rasheda said that she got it pretty early on how beloved her dad was.
"It was a lot harder to share him when I was younger," she said. "I wanted to be around him, wanted to be a big part of his life. But I knew at an early age I had to share him with the world. There were frustrations, but I knew he was giving so much to so many millions of others."
That Ali is no saint has been well documented. Our media's preference for burrowing into every nook and cranny of public figures' private lives has contributed to a dearth of role models, as only those who can control message with psychotic intensity can maintain an aura of impossible goodness. (I personally write off the private failings of public figures, such as Ali's tendency toward flagrant womanizing in the '70s, especially; unless of course the private failings are those of moralizers and scolds, especially politicians or religious leaders, and then I denounce them for rampant hypocrisy.) But Rasheda is able to accept all facets of her father's personality.
"He was and is a loveable man!" she said. "The ladies love him, everyone loves him. He's very charming."
Yes, Ali has been a man of contradictions. He championed some of the more divisive racial theories of the Nation of Islam before moving towards more moderate strains of Islam. But I see him as one of the dwindling remaining figures who stood tall on principles of love and faith and non-violence, to the extent they were willing to perish for those principles. The world is so sorely lacking in such giants, like Martin Luther King Jr., and Muhammad Ali, to name two. I asked Rasheda if she thought I was overstating the import of Ali, lumping him in with MLK.
"He's one of the last," she agreed. "My dad is still here, and I'm grateful he's able to give more. My dad taught us kids, and the world, to believe in ourselves. He showed us values -- and we will take that with us -- like respect, conviction of faith, love of charity. He taught us through example. He's shown us love, and if the world had more of that, it would be a better place."
Amen to that.
Happy birthday, champ.
Bob Arum left the Phillippines on Saturday after a final meeting with Manny Pacquiao and advisor Michael Koncz.
Koncz told ESPN New York that he and Pacquiao will talk over the proposed fighters that Arum presented to them for a June bout. So, when will we know who gets the Pacquiao lotto ticket, the date to dance with the Congressman?
"Manny and I want to talk over a few things, so maybe we'll release who Manny is fighting next by the end of next week," Koncz said.
And is Floyd Mayweather Jr. still on the short list for that next fight, which would have to unfold before his June 1 report date to serve a jail term for a domestic assault on his ex-girlfriend?
"No comment," said Koncz.
Koncz told ESPN New York that he and Pacquiao will talk over the proposed fighters that Arum presented to them for a June bout. So, when will we know who gets the Pacquiao lotto ticket, the date to dance with the Congressman?
"Manny and I want to talk over a few things, so maybe we'll release who Manny is fighting next by the end of next week," Koncz said.
And is Floyd Mayweather Jr. still on the short list for that next fight, which would have to unfold before his June 1 report date to serve a jail term for a domestic assault on his ex-girlfriend?
"No comment," said Koncz.
Look out, Bob Arum. Hold onto your hair, Don King. Hey, Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya, there's a new gal in town, and she's looking to carve out some space in the boxing promotion world.
Maybe you've heard of her. Judging by the prolonged session of flashes that popped at McFadden's in New York City on Thursday afternoon, there seems to be a high level of interest in Snooki, aka Nicole Polizzi, a diminutive diva of reality TV and a budding empire builder. Yes, Snooki is adding "boxing promoter" to a résumé that got cooking two years ago, when "Jersey Shore" debuted on MTV, and a portion of the nation intrigued by the goings-on of carefree party people from New Jersey and regions thereabouts went gaga over their cavalcade of hot-tub hookups, barroom dustups and fascination with tanning booths.
The Marlboro, N.Y., native admitted that she isn't all that well-versed in the particulars of the sweet science, as she brought up the "Rocky" series when asked about her level of knowledge and fondness for the sport. But this hardened heart belonging to a fightwriting cynic melted a tiny touch when Snooki told the assembled media gaggle that she was diving into the boxing scene because it's an activity she can share with her dad, Andy.
Snooki is named as the "owner" of Team Snooki Boxing, which is comprised of her, her dad, Brian Burke and Mike Pascale of Final Round Promotions (a Poughkeepsie outfit) and a stable of fighters currently limited to the Hyland brothers, Patrick, Eddie and Paul.
The brothers will all rumble in the Team Snooki debut, which will unfold on Jan. 28 at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. The show will stream on Behindthering.com for $9.95.
The last time I'd seen a paparazzi orgy like the one at McFadden's, I swear, came when Mike Tyson was being arraigned back in 1991. If some of the lame-o heavyweights we see sleepwalking their way through fights these days showed half the intensity the photogs did in trying to get the money shot of Snooki, the whole business would be in much better shape.
The reality spitfire, who has put out two books, has a line of apparel in stores, and has almost 4 million Twitter followers, told the media that she is excited to be delving into the sweet science and that she will be taking up boxing for fitness.
She participated in gymnastics as a kid, and then competitive cheerleading, and also did work for Vince McMahon's WWE, so she sees boxing as a logical next step.
No, she will not train for an in-ring debut, even through she has thrown hands once or twice on the show.
"I'm not messing up this pretty face," she said. "Helping out my dad is No. 1. Me and my dad are like best friends; I'm a daddy's girl."
Andy Polizzi told the media why he's looking forward to the project, which as of now stands at four proposed shows, which will run in A.C., and perhaps Vegas and N.Y.C. as well.
"This is something daddy and daughter can share together," he said. "I'm proud of the woman she has become."
Andy said he wants to see this thing through, to the point that the Hylands win world titles. Patrick Hyland, 28, now trained by ex-super featherweight Tracy Harris Patterson, owns a 24-0 record, with 11 KOs. He will face 33-year-old Mexican vet Emmanuel Lucero (26-8, loser of two straight) at Resorts. Paul Hyland, age 27 (20-2 record, with 6 KOs), and 16-1 Eddie, who is 30, will meet opponents to be named.
I admit, I was impressed with Snooki's fighting spirit. She said she has a Google alert set up, and embraces attempted takedowns by bloggers and such.
"I think negative stuff is better, because that's when people are trying to hurt you're feeling, which means they really, really care enough to do a whole negative story about you. I like that."
May her fighters exhibit the same aggressive attitude when they are catching more than they're pitching.
[+] Enlarge
Jamie McCarthy/WireImage"Jersey Shore" cast member Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and her father, Andy Polizzi, will represent the Hyland brothers in their fledgling promotion.
Jamie McCarthy/WireImage"Jersey Shore" cast member Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and her father, Andy Polizzi, will represent the Hyland brothers in their fledgling promotion.The Marlboro, N.Y., native admitted that she isn't all that well-versed in the particulars of the sweet science, as she brought up the "Rocky" series when asked about her level of knowledge and fondness for the sport. But this hardened heart belonging to a fightwriting cynic melted a tiny touch when Snooki told the assembled media gaggle that she was diving into the boxing scene because it's an activity she can share with her dad, Andy.
Snooki is named as the "owner" of Team Snooki Boxing, which is comprised of her, her dad, Brian Burke and Mike Pascale of Final Round Promotions (a Poughkeepsie outfit) and a stable of fighters currently limited to the Hyland brothers, Patrick, Eddie and Paul.
The brothers will all rumble in the Team Snooki debut, which will unfold on Jan. 28 at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. The show will stream on Behindthering.com for $9.95.
The last time I'd seen a paparazzi orgy like the one at McFadden's, I swear, came when Mike Tyson was being arraigned back in 1991. If some of the lame-o heavyweights we see sleepwalking their way through fights these days showed half the intensity the photogs did in trying to get the money shot of Snooki, the whole business would be in much better shape.
The reality spitfire, who has put out two books, has a line of apparel in stores, and has almost 4 million Twitter followers, told the media that she is excited to be delving into the sweet science and that she will be taking up boxing for fitness.
She participated in gymnastics as a kid, and then competitive cheerleading, and also did work for Vince McMahon's WWE, so she sees boxing as a logical next step.
No, she will not train for an in-ring debut, even through she has thrown hands once or twice on the show.
"I'm not messing up this pretty face," she said. "Helping out my dad is No. 1. Me and my dad are like best friends; I'm a daddy's girl."
Andy Polizzi told the media why he's looking forward to the project, which as of now stands at four proposed shows, which will run in A.C., and perhaps Vegas and N.Y.C. as well.
"This is something daddy and daughter can share together," he said. "I'm proud of the woman she has become."
Andy said he wants to see this thing through, to the point that the Hylands win world titles. Patrick Hyland, 28, now trained by ex-super featherweight Tracy Harris Patterson, owns a 24-0 record, with 11 KOs. He will face 33-year-old Mexican vet Emmanuel Lucero (26-8, loser of two straight) at Resorts. Paul Hyland, age 27 (20-2 record, with 6 KOs), and 16-1 Eddie, who is 30, will meet opponents to be named.
I admit, I was impressed with Snooki's fighting spirit. She said she has a Google alert set up, and embraces attempted takedowns by bloggers and such.
"I think negative stuff is better, because that's when people are trying to hurt you're feeling, which means they really, really care enough to do a whole negative story about you. I like that."
May her fighters exhibit the same aggressive attitude when they are catching more than they're pitching.
Boxing is known as the theater of the unexpected. If you're one who appreciates the beauty of a curveball thrown by life, this may be your sport of choice.
Contrary logic often applies in the sweet science, such as when a fighter gets more phone calls for potential fights after a poor showing than after a good one.
Contrary logic is in play on this week's installment of "Friday Night Fights" (on ESPN2/ESPN3, 9 p.m. ET). On the surface, the knowledge that both men fighting in the main event, super bantamweights Chris Martin and Teon Kennedy, are coming off losses isn't a swell selling point to lure in viewers. But most of the people who will tune in to watch the 23-1-2 Martin and the 17-1-1 Kennedy tangle aren't taken in by obvious, surface logic. I'm not; I'm actually more interested in this main event than I would be if they were both still undefeated, because I am curious to see how they rebound from their defeats -- or how they don't.
Purely judging by the content of the phone calls I had with the fighters in the past couple of days, skills aside, I like the Californian Martin to get the nod against Philadelphia's Kennedy at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. Why? Because it sounded to me like the loss humbled Martin a bit more than it did Kennedy and that the Cali boxer will be the better for it.
Martin, 25, dropped a split decision to journeyman Jose Beranza in October in Vegas, and he came clean with me about why he tasted from the bitter chalice of loss that evening.
"I thought I'd beat him easy," admitted Martin, ranked No. 9 by the IBF. "I looked way past him. I needed that kick in the ass."
Martin said Kennedy has a tendency to stay too flat-footed and won't be able to rectify that technical deficiency Friday.
Two months before, Kennedy, also 25, lost his unblemished record. He dropped a unanimous decision to Alejandro Lopez in Atlantic City, N.J. That was much more of a pick-'em matchup than Martin-Beranza, with Lopez bringing a 21-2 mark to Jersey. I asked Kennedy what explains the Lopez loss.
His explanation threw me. One of those curveballs I talked about ...
Kennedy said he had been in jail for about three weeks right before the bout for a shooting incident. A man was shot and fingered Kennedy, who says he didn't do it. The case was dropped, the fighter said, as a case of mistaken identity. It's fair to say Kennedy's head wasn't where it needed to be on fight night. He told me that won't be the case Friday. He said Martin has a tendency to get wild and that he will look to dip down and make "The Wildman" pay for his flailing right hand.
"I'm 'The Technician,' or I can be a slugger," said Kennedy, ranked No. 6 by the IBF at 122 pounds. "You're going to see me be technical, but if I have to bang with him, then you'll see that."
One could understand if Kennedy had focus issues, what with the incarceration and the fact that he was involved in a bout in which his foe died from brain trauma inflicted by Kennedy. Kennedy fought Francisco Rodriguez at the Blue Horizon on Nov. 20, 2009. The 14-2 Mexican boxer was stopped in the 10th. He lost consciousness on his stool after the stoppage, was taken to the hospital, had brain surgery and died two days later.
"I thought about it right after, but now I don't really think about the death much," Kennedy said. "This is the business we chose. You go in the ring, you know the possibilities since you first put on gloves."
Neither man is blessed with above-average pop. Kennedy has seven KOs, Martin six. I expect to see a distance fight, close rounds and Martin winning a close decision by a couple of points.
What else to watch for: You'll want to stick to the couch and check out 10-0 Cuban prospect Yordenis Ugas, who takes on Texan Esteban Almaraz (10-4). Dan Rafael has called Ugas a "crowd pleaser," while manager Luis DeCubas says he's a Cuban who fights like a Mexican. That's tall praise. The 25-year-old is a four-time Cuban national champion.
Contrary logic often applies in the sweet science, such as when a fighter gets more phone calls for potential fights after a poor showing than after a good one.
Contrary logic is in play on this week's installment of "Friday Night Fights" (on ESPN2/ESPN3, 9 p.m. ET). On the surface, the knowledge that both men fighting in the main event, super bantamweights Chris Martin and Teon Kennedy, are coming off losses isn't a swell selling point to lure in viewers. But most of the people who will tune in to watch the 23-1-2 Martin and the 17-1-1 Kennedy tangle aren't taken in by obvious, surface logic. I'm not; I'm actually more interested in this main event than I would be if they were both still undefeated, because I am curious to see how they rebound from their defeats -- or how they don't.
Purely judging by the content of the phone calls I had with the fighters in the past couple of days, skills aside, I like the Californian Martin to get the nod against Philadelphia's Kennedy at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. Why? Because it sounded to me like the loss humbled Martin a bit more than it did Kennedy and that the Cali boxer will be the better for it.
Martin, 25, dropped a split decision to journeyman Jose Beranza in October in Vegas, and he came clean with me about why he tasted from the bitter chalice of loss that evening.
"I thought I'd beat him easy," admitted Martin, ranked No. 9 by the IBF. "I looked way past him. I needed that kick in the ass."
Martin said Kennedy has a tendency to stay too flat-footed and won't be able to rectify that technical deficiency Friday.
Two months before, Kennedy, also 25, lost his unblemished record. He dropped a unanimous decision to Alejandro Lopez in Atlantic City, N.J. That was much more of a pick-'em matchup than Martin-Beranza, with Lopez bringing a 21-2 mark to Jersey. I asked Kennedy what explains the Lopez loss.
His explanation threw me. One of those curveballs I talked about ...
Kennedy said he had been in jail for about three weeks right before the bout for a shooting incident. A man was shot and fingered Kennedy, who says he didn't do it. The case was dropped, the fighter said, as a case of mistaken identity. It's fair to say Kennedy's head wasn't where it needed to be on fight night. He told me that won't be the case Friday. He said Martin has a tendency to get wild and that he will look to dip down and make "The Wildman" pay for his flailing right hand.
"I'm 'The Technician,' or I can be a slugger," said Kennedy, ranked No. 6 by the IBF at 122 pounds. "You're going to see me be technical, but if I have to bang with him, then you'll see that."
One could understand if Kennedy had focus issues, what with the incarceration and the fact that he was involved in a bout in which his foe died from brain trauma inflicted by Kennedy. Kennedy fought Francisco Rodriguez at the Blue Horizon on Nov. 20, 2009. The 14-2 Mexican boxer was stopped in the 10th. He lost consciousness on his stool after the stoppage, was taken to the hospital, had brain surgery and died two days later.
"I thought about it right after, but now I don't really think about the death much," Kennedy said. "This is the business we chose. You go in the ring, you know the possibilities since you first put on gloves."
Neither man is blessed with above-average pop. Kennedy has seven KOs, Martin six. I expect to see a distance fight, close rounds and Martin winning a close decision by a couple of points.
What else to watch for: You'll want to stick to the couch and check out 10-0 Cuban prospect Yordenis Ugas, who takes on Texan Esteban Almaraz (10-4). Dan Rafael has called Ugas a "crowd pleaser," while manager Luis DeCubas says he's a Cuban who fights like a Mexican. That's tall praise. The 25-year-old is a four-time Cuban national champion.
I like Dyah Davis over Alfonso Lopez because of Davis' superior athleticism in the main event in tonight's "Friday Night Fights" 2012 debut. But I also like the Steven Martinez-Denis Douglin junior middleweight scrap to be a strong candidate to steal the show, which unfolds at Mallory Square in Key West, Fla., and will kick off on ESPN2 and ESPN3 at 9 p.m. ET.
I chatted with Martinez, a Bronx resident who is co-managed by ex-Arturo Gatti manager Pat Lynch and New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, late Thursday night. Martinez (11-0, 9 KOs) impressed me with his composure. Many guys wouldn't have agreed to do a phoner so close to their live TV debut, but the 21-year-old gave me 15 minutes.
I wanted to get a sense of how he viewed himself -- as a future superstar, a star or a work-in-progress -- to help gauge if he might be overcome by his first time on such a massive stage.
"I'm a prospect now, coming up," Martinez said. "But Friday night, fans are going to see a future star."
Douglin (13-1, 8 KOs) disagrees. Managed by heavyweight dealmaker Al Haymon, Douglin is known as "Da Momma's Boy" -- so named because his mother Saphya trains him.
Douglin, 23, has been champing at the bit for this tangle, but Martinez sounds confident that he'll handle the New Jersey fighter. It's a quiet confidence; Martinez doesn't even like to advertise that he's pretty close to ex-flyweight champ Ivan Calderon, who is the brother of Douglin's stepfather.
"Our fight could steal the show," said Martinez, who snagged three New York Golden Glove titles as well as a National GG title before turning pro in August 2009. "He's young, I'm younger; he knows how to fight, I know how to fight. But my time is tomorrow. His run going toward my direction will not be good for him."
Douglin's run hit a bump when he looked past sub-.500 journeyman Doel Carrasquillo in February and got dropped and stopped in the third round. Douglin got a W in his last outing, though, against Phil McCants in July (UD6) and has said that Martinez agreed to this fight because of that blemish on Douglin's résumé. Martinez said this is not so.
The two men knew each other and were friendly during their amateur days, but this isn't a case of two beasties throwing down. You can expect them to trade fiercely, as both men like to come forward and be the aggressor.
Boxing fans will never be satisfied -- nor should they be -- in a world in which Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather haven't fought each other.
But in terms of access to the sport they love, there isn't much for fight fans to complain about these days. Between HBO, Showtime, Epix, ESPN, Fox Sports and various Spanish-language stations, there's as much boxing on TV as ever. And most importantly, there's an easy way to watch just about any fight that isn't on TV: YouTube.
This year's most action-packed fight took place in Tokyo in October, pairing two 105-pound pugilists whom even the most hard-core of American fans knew nothing about. Thanks to YouTube, those hard-core fans now know the names Akira Yaegashi and Pornsawan Porpramook, and anyone who doesn't has surrendered the right to call himself a serious fan.
I wrote a blog on Grantland two months ago declaring Yaegashi-Pornsawan the leader in the clubhouse for fight of the year, and despite a credible late challenge posed by Lamont Peterson's inspired upset win against Amir Khan, Yaegashi-Pornsawan holds up as my pick. If you haven't seen it yet, it's not too late to redeem yourself. So enjoy my original postfight blog, with the YouTube video embedded.
But in terms of access to the sport they love, there isn't much for fight fans to complain about these days. Between HBO, Showtime, Epix, ESPN, Fox Sports and various Spanish-language stations, there's as much boxing on TV as ever. And most importantly, there's an easy way to watch just about any fight that isn't on TV: YouTube.
This year's most action-packed fight took place in Tokyo in October, pairing two 105-pound pugilists whom even the most hard-core of American fans knew nothing about. Thanks to YouTube, those hard-core fans now know the names Akira Yaegashi and Pornsawan Porpramook, and anyone who doesn't has surrendered the right to call himself a serious fan.
I wrote a blog on Grantland two months ago declaring Yaegashi-Pornsawan the leader in the clubhouse for fight of the year, and despite a credible late challenge posed by Lamont Peterson's inspired upset win against Amir Khan, Yaegashi-Pornsawan holds up as my pick. If you haven't seen it yet, it's not too late to redeem yourself. So enjoy my original postfight blog, with the YouTube video embedded.
As we enter the championship rounds of 2011 and reflect back on what went right over the past year in boxing, we'd be remiss to neglect what went dreadfully wrong.
To be fair, even a part-time admirer of a sport so honest in concept yet often frustrating and fraudulent in execution couldn't last without becoming cynical, if not half-crazy. And boxing (somehow still operating in its own Wild West reality) gave us plenty to cringe over this calendar year.
Without further ado, here's a look at boxing's 11 greatest misses of 2011:
11. Mosley takes the money ... and runs
In a recurring nightmare, I often find myself in the ring at the opening bell of a major fight with an aggressive slugger rushing toward me. Without proper training or the proven ability to take a punch, the dream always ends the same way: with me absorbing tremendous punishment before waking in a cold sweat.
Based on his performance against Manny Pacquiao in May, I can only imagine Shane Mosley felt exactly this way himself. Only, it was the rest of us who endured the $54.95 nightmare on pay-per-view.
Mosley isn't the only former warrior to go out with a whimper in a much-hyped fight, but the 39-year-old had to be the first to act like a nervous sparring partner who was more focused on thanking Pacquiao for the $5 million payday with high fives each round than actually throwing punches.
If the fight had been a movie, many would have walked out of the theater by Round 10. Ironically, that's the exact time Mosley attempted to do the same by unsuccessfully pleading with trainer Naazim Richardson to stop the fight.
10. Waiting at the altar
Fresh off victories over then middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and a frightening one-punch knockout of Paul Williams, 2011 was supposed to be the year Sergio Martinez catapulted from relative unknown to crossover, rock-star status.
It never happened.
Despite leading-man good looks and a flashy skill set (not to mention bonus points for being an activist for women's rights and anti-bullying), Martinez played the role of bridesmaid as every talented and marketable star between 150-160 pounds declined his invitation to dance. No spring chicken at 36 years old, Martinez was left with low-reward title defenses against nondescript European challengers Sergei Dzinziruk and Darren Barker.
It's one thing for rival promoters to label Martinez as high risk and difficult to market, in part due to his lack of a traveling fan base and the fact he doesn't speak English. But with all of the sanctioning bodies and alphabet organizations in this sport, it's a crying shame an action fighter recognized by most as boxing's No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter was denied a chance to prove himself against the best in the sport.
9. Detroit rocked silly
In hindsight, it's almost laughable the amount of hype thrown at January's junior welterweight unification bout between young, unbeaten Americans Timothy Bradley Jr. and Devon Alexander.
Fans and experts alike were drunk on the promise, expectations and that historically boxing-friendly venue of ... the Pontiac Silverdome?
Yes, the same cavernous warehouse that once saw 93,173 people cram in like sardines for "Wrestlemania III" drew a paltry 6,247 fans 24 years later to witness a foul-filled Bradley victory that, if anything, lowered the stock of both fighters.
(Gratuitous Detroit-themed fight joke coming:) Let's face it, fans got more bang for their buck from the "Malice at the Palace" seven years earlier.
8. Pay-per-puke
Shelling out big bucks for a PPV headlined by the only fight worth watching on the card and hoping you don't get burned is just part of the gamble when it comes to being a boxing fan. No one ever said the powers that be make it financially easy (or always rewarding) to follow the sport.
Getting pickpocketed by a body slam-induced freak shoulder injury, a la the Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson fight, is one thing. But when promoters expect fans to pay for cards headlined by perishable fighters so far past their primes you couldn't blame anyone who "must've forgot," it's another thing entirely.
Let's call the Evander Holyfield-Sherman Williams and Roy Jones Jr.-Max Alexander cards exactly what they were: fundraisers. The only thing anyone should be paying for is a collection to keep both of their legacies (and faculties) intact.
7. The most dangerous punch is the one that you don't see (or anyone else, for that matter)
With a third fight against Manny Pacquiao already lined up for November, most found it odd that Juan Manuel Marquez was willing to risk the opportunity with a July tuneup bout against 30-1 underdog Likar Ramos in Cancun.
Marquez went on to win by first-round knockout after a straight right hand to the chin sent Ramos to the canvas less than two minutes into the bout. But the ensuing controversy surrounded the way that Ramos, who was knocked out cold, collapsed following such an average punch -- as if had been shot to death. Referee Manolo Alcocer, in fact, didn't even bother to count Ramos out.
I'm not going to say it was a ghost punch or that Ramos took a dive, but even Sonny Liston thought that was a flop.
6. No Prince, no revolution
It's been nearly a full decade since boxing's last great showman, "Prince" Naseem Hamed, flaunted himself down the aisle one last time in leopard-print trunks before performing his patented flip over the top rope.
Not to sound like an overplayed tequila commercial, but whatever happened to half-nut flamboyance in boxing?
In a sport where style still sells as much as substance and self-promotion is half the battle in becoming a marketable star, the cupboard is frustratingly bare. Where we once had the colorful Hector "Macho" Camacho, a rapping Roy Jones Jr. and a chain-smoking Ricardo Mayorga, we are left today with Adrien Broner's hairbrush and Omar Narvaez's rat-tail. Yawn.
5. In a class all his own
Floyd Mayweather Jr. put boxing back on the front page for one night with his merciless and controversial knockout of defenseless (yet far from innocent) Victor Ortiz in their September PPV showdown.
Whether you thought Mayweather's actions were dirty or justified (or believe that any number of the celebrated all-time greats would've done the same thing), it's the type of winning tactic that should have been below a fighter of Mayweather's incredible class.
Although, in this situation, it appears that "class" (or lack of it) is the operative word.
4. Thou shalt not judge
Was there something in the water at ringside this year, or was it me?
While boxing is typically good for a few decisions each year that rank anywhere from highly suspect to highway robbery, 2011 gave us three sore thumbs that stuck out above the rest in Robert Helenius-Dereck Chisora, Felix Sturm-Matthew Macklin and Paul Williams-Erislandy Lara.
The Williams-Lara decision was so bad that the three judges involved were suspended indefinitely by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board. The worst scorecards, however, may have come from the Super Six final -- also staged in New Jersey -- between Andre Ward and Carl Froch. Two judges scored it 115-113 for Ward, but they were partially saved by the fact both, at the very least, had the right fighter winning, even if by such an indefensible margin.
Seeing a hard-fought bout spoiled by incompetent scoring or officiating is like taking a series of unpenalized shots below the belt. And, yes, I'm looking at you, Russell Mora.
3. Haye is for horses
The moral of the classic story "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is that liars are never rewarded. But in boxing's version of Aesop's fable, the liar in question was not only rewarded handsomely, he took his money and walked off into the sunset of retirement.
In 2009, former cruiserweight champion David Haye began crying wolf to anyone who would listen that he would dethrone the heavyweight champion Klitschko brothers. After holding the barren division hostage for two years by signing for fights against both brothers, only to pull out twice with flimsy excuses, Haye created enough demand that world No. 1 Wladimir Klitschko agreed to a 50-50 financial split for a July unification bout in Germany.
In the end, the sheep in Haye's clothing fought like he had a plane to catch, refusing to engage in a fight that was supposed to have been the defining bout of Wladimir Klitschko's sure-fire Hall of Fame career. Instead, all it did was define Haye's true colors.
2. The window is closing
One more year without the only fight that truly matters: Mayweather versus Pacquiao.
It's boxing's version of the Guns ‘N' Roses "Chinese Democracy" album. And if you think we're any closer to seeing this fight today than we were 365 days ago, you're fooling yourself.
1. Mayweather sentenced to 90 days in jail
It's never a positive when the No. 1 athlete in any sport is stripped of his freedom amid a firestorm of pending felony cases and negative headlines. But it's especially damning in a sport so reliant on its unquestioned brightest stars.
Mayweather has always appeared to need the spotlight and validation from boxing every bit as much as it has needed him. And his tale is a cautionary one in many ways.
The five-division world champion, who pleaded guilty to a reduced battery domestic violence charge against a former girlfriend and mother of his children, has played the villain role perfectly, to record-breaking financial success at the box office. But you can only "play" the villain for so long before you start to become one.
Mayweather has been given a brief respite from his lavish lifestyle in exchange for a dose of hard reality. Upon return, he'll have an opportunity to redefine his lasting legacy in more important ways than inside the ring.
To be fair, even a part-time admirer of a sport so honest in concept yet often frustrating and fraudulent in execution couldn't last without becoming cynical, if not half-crazy. And boxing (somehow still operating in its own Wild West reality) gave us plenty to cringe over this calendar year.
Without further ado, here's a look at boxing's 11 greatest misses of 2011:
11. Mosley takes the money ... and runs
In a recurring nightmare, I often find myself in the ring at the opening bell of a major fight with an aggressive slugger rushing toward me. Without proper training or the proven ability to take a punch, the dream always ends the same way: with me absorbing tremendous punishment before waking in a cold sweat.
Based on his performance against Manny Pacquiao in May, I can only imagine Shane Mosley felt exactly this way himself. Only, it was the rest of us who endured the $54.95 nightmare on pay-per-view.
Mosley isn't the only former warrior to go out with a whimper in a much-hyped fight, but the 39-year-old had to be the first to act like a nervous sparring partner who was more focused on thanking Pacquiao for the $5 million payday with high fives each round than actually throwing punches.
If the fight had been a movie, many would have walked out of the theater by Round 10. Ironically, that's the exact time Mosley attempted to do the same by unsuccessfully pleading with trainer Naazim Richardson to stop the fight.
10. Waiting at the altar
Fresh off victories over then middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and a frightening one-punch knockout of Paul Williams, 2011 was supposed to be the year Sergio Martinez catapulted from relative unknown to crossover, rock-star status.
It never happened.
Despite leading-man good looks and a flashy skill set (not to mention bonus points for being an activist for women's rights and anti-bullying), Martinez played the role of bridesmaid as every talented and marketable star between 150-160 pounds declined his invitation to dance. No spring chicken at 36 years old, Martinez was left with low-reward title defenses against nondescript European challengers Sergei Dzinziruk and Darren Barker.
It's one thing for rival promoters to label Martinez as high risk and difficult to market, in part due to his lack of a traveling fan base and the fact he doesn't speak English. But with all of the sanctioning bodies and alphabet organizations in this sport, it's a crying shame an action fighter recognized by most as boxing's No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter was denied a chance to prove himself against the best in the sport.
9. Detroit rocked silly
In hindsight, it's almost laughable the amount of hype thrown at January's junior welterweight unification bout between young, unbeaten Americans Timothy Bradley Jr. and Devon Alexander.
Fans and experts alike were drunk on the promise, expectations and that historically boxing-friendly venue of ... the Pontiac Silverdome?
Yes, the same cavernous warehouse that once saw 93,173 people cram in like sardines for "Wrestlemania III" drew a paltry 6,247 fans 24 years later to witness a foul-filled Bradley victory that, if anything, lowered the stock of both fighters.
(Gratuitous Detroit-themed fight joke coming:) Let's face it, fans got more bang for their buck from the "Malice at the Palace" seven years earlier.
8. Pay-per-puke
Shelling out big bucks for a PPV headlined by the only fight worth watching on the card and hoping you don't get burned is just part of the gamble when it comes to being a boxing fan. No one ever said the powers that be make it financially easy (or always rewarding) to follow the sport.
Getting pickpocketed by a body slam-induced freak shoulder injury, a la the Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson fight, is one thing. But when promoters expect fans to pay for cards headlined by perishable fighters so far past their primes you couldn't blame anyone who "must've forgot," it's another thing entirely.
Let's call the Evander Holyfield-Sherman Williams and Roy Jones Jr.-Max Alexander cards exactly what they were: fundraisers. The only thing anyone should be paying for is a collection to keep both of their legacies (and faculties) intact.
7. The most dangerous punch is the one that you don't see (or anyone else, for that matter)
With a third fight against Manny Pacquiao already lined up for November, most found it odd that Juan Manuel Marquez was willing to risk the opportunity with a July tuneup bout against 30-1 underdog Likar Ramos in Cancun.
Marquez went on to win by first-round knockout after a straight right hand to the chin sent Ramos to the canvas less than two minutes into the bout. But the ensuing controversy surrounded the way that Ramos, who was knocked out cold, collapsed following such an average punch -- as if had been shot to death. Referee Manolo Alcocer, in fact, didn't even bother to count Ramos out.
I'm not going to say it was a ghost punch or that Ramos took a dive, but even Sonny Liston thought that was a flop.
6. No Prince, no revolution
It's been nearly a full decade since boxing's last great showman, "Prince" Naseem Hamed, flaunted himself down the aisle one last time in leopard-print trunks before performing his patented flip over the top rope.
Not to sound like an overplayed tequila commercial, but whatever happened to half-nut flamboyance in boxing?
In a sport where style still sells as much as substance and self-promotion is half the battle in becoming a marketable star, the cupboard is frustratingly bare. Where we once had the colorful Hector "Macho" Camacho, a rapping Roy Jones Jr. and a chain-smoking Ricardo Mayorga, we are left today with Adrien Broner's hairbrush and Omar Narvaez's rat-tail. Yawn.
5. In a class all his own
Floyd Mayweather Jr. put boxing back on the front page for one night with his merciless and controversial knockout of defenseless (yet far from innocent) Victor Ortiz in their September PPV showdown.
Whether you thought Mayweather's actions were dirty or justified (or believe that any number of the celebrated all-time greats would've done the same thing), it's the type of winning tactic that should have been below a fighter of Mayweather's incredible class.
Although, in this situation, it appears that "class" (or lack of it) is the operative word.
4. Thou shalt not judge
Was there something in the water at ringside this year, or was it me?
While boxing is typically good for a few decisions each year that rank anywhere from highly suspect to highway robbery, 2011 gave us three sore thumbs that stuck out above the rest in Robert Helenius-Dereck Chisora, Felix Sturm-Matthew Macklin and Paul Williams-Erislandy Lara.
The Williams-Lara decision was so bad that the three judges involved were suspended indefinitely by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board. The worst scorecards, however, may have come from the Super Six final -- also staged in New Jersey -- between Andre Ward and Carl Froch. Two judges scored it 115-113 for Ward, but they were partially saved by the fact both, at the very least, had the right fighter winning, even if by such an indefensible margin.
Seeing a hard-fought bout spoiled by incompetent scoring or officiating is like taking a series of unpenalized shots below the belt. And, yes, I'm looking at you, Russell Mora.
3. Haye is for horses
The moral of the classic story "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is that liars are never rewarded. But in boxing's version of Aesop's fable, the liar in question was not only rewarded handsomely, he took his money and walked off into the sunset of retirement.
In 2009, former cruiserweight champion David Haye began crying wolf to anyone who would listen that he would dethrone the heavyweight champion Klitschko brothers. After holding the barren division hostage for two years by signing for fights against both brothers, only to pull out twice with flimsy excuses, Haye created enough demand that world No. 1 Wladimir Klitschko agreed to a 50-50 financial split for a July unification bout in Germany.
In the end, the sheep in Haye's clothing fought like he had a plane to catch, refusing to engage in a fight that was supposed to have been the defining bout of Wladimir Klitschko's sure-fire Hall of Fame career. Instead, all it did was define Haye's true colors.
2. The window is closing
One more year without the only fight that truly matters: Mayweather versus Pacquiao.
It's boxing's version of the Guns ‘N' Roses "Chinese Democracy" album. And if you think we're any closer to seeing this fight today than we were 365 days ago, you're fooling yourself.
1. Mayweather sentenced to 90 days in jail
It's never a positive when the No. 1 athlete in any sport is stripped of his freedom amid a firestorm of pending felony cases and negative headlines. But it's especially damning in a sport so reliant on its unquestioned brightest stars.
Mayweather has always appeared to need the spotlight and validation from boxing every bit as much as it has needed him. And his tale is a cautionary one in many ways.
The five-division world champion, who pleaded guilty to a reduced battery domestic violence charge against a former girlfriend and mother of his children, has played the villain role perfectly, to record-breaking financial success at the box office. But you can only "play" the villain for so long before you start to become one.
Mayweather has been given a brief respite from his lavish lifestyle in exchange for a dose of hard reality. Upon return, he'll have an opportunity to redefine his lasting legacy in more important ways than inside the ring.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Brian Campbell is an ESPN Mobile editor and a boxing contributor for ESPN.com.
Richard Fletcher is a longtime contributor to Boxing Monthly and also writes for HBO and ESPN.com.
Igor Guryashkin is a researcher for ESPN The Magazine and a boxing contributor for ESPN.com.
Graham Houston is the American editor of Boxing Monthly, writes for FightWriter.com and is a boxing contributor for ESPN.com.
Kieran Mulvaney covers boxing for ESPN.com, Reuters and HBO Sports.
Eric Raskin is a former managing editor of The Ring and covers boxing for TheSweetScience.com, HBO, Grantland and ESPN.com.
Don Steinberg, a winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America's award for best column in 2006 and best short feature in 2010, covers boxing for The Philadelphia Inquirer and contributes to ESPN.com.
Michael Woods writes about boxing for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, and is the editor of TheSweetScience.com.