Calzaghe Outhustles Hopkins

By Sean Sullivan
April 19, 2008

Welshman Joe Calzaghe, 45-0 (32), won the light heavyweight championship with a hard-fought split decision over Bernard Hopkins, 48-5-1-1NC (32), at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Hopkins got off to an uncharacteristically fast start, knocking Calzaghe down with a sneaky straight right in the opening round. He used roughhouse tactics and inside fighting to keep the fight on his terms, but Calzaghe slowly figured out Hopkins’ style and his punch output increased over the second half of the bout. Hopkins, a conservative counterpuncher in his later years, simply could not keep up with his foe when Calzaghe, a southpaw, flurried in combination.

In the tenth, the crafty Hopkins went down from a borderline shot he claimed was a low blow, and took a lot of time to recover and regain some energy. But it did little to stifle the challenger’s momentum.

Many ringside observers were divided on who won this fight and by how wide a margin. The official scorecards read 116-111 and 115-112 for Calzaghe, and 114-113 for Hopkins.

After the fight, a defiant Hopkins refused to accept defeat: “I got beat tonight, but not by Joe Calzaghe. But I’m not mad at Joe. He ain’t the judges and the referee. He got a decision in the US after a knockdown that I would neverhave gotten that in Wales.”

“Remember that I’m 43 years old,” continued Hopkins. “You saw a craftsman at work and I think I showed something tonight. I fought like a young man and I did what I had to do. I can honestly say, without bragging and boasting, that I never got beat up in the ring and that’s a blessing.”
Calzaghe, of course, was pleased with the result but acknowledged it wasn’t his best performance.

“I had a rough start and he was tough,” admitted Calzaghe. “It certainly wasn’t the prettiest fight, but I came to fight and win, and that’s what I did. I’m tremendously happy.

“To be honest, I didn’t box as good as I can. He’s very difficult to look good against. I wasn’t my best, but we can’t fight our best all the time. I’m proud of the way I came through the first round.”
Calzaghe can look forward to potential mega showdowns against Roy Jones Jr. and Kelly Pavlik, as well as big fights against Chad Dawson, Antonio Tarver, and Glen Johnson.

Hopkins, who retired after his victory over Tarver in 2006, should think about retiring again. He’s fought the best fighters of his generation and provided a good account of himself each time, win or lose. But since he’s a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, having amassed the most consecutive middleweight title defenses in history at 20 over a 10-year period, Hopkins has nothing more to prove.

 

Cotto and Margarito Demolish Foes

By Sean Sullivan
April 12, 2008

Miguel Cotto, 32-0 (26), defending his WBA welterweight title, and Antonio Margarito, 36-5-0-1NC (26), winning the IBF belt, have paved the way for a mega showdown in July.

At Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Cotto easily defeated Alfonso Gomez, 18-4-2 (8), of “Contender” fame, by TKO5, when ringside physicians wouldn’t allow Gomez out for round six. Cotto patiently stalked his prey, knocking him down three times, twice with body shots and once with a single jab. Gomez, who was Arturo Gatti’s last opponent, was simply outclassed.

In a rematch of their 2005 clash, Kermit Cintron, 29-2 (27), now under the tutelage of Emanuel Steward, was a much improved fighter than he was the first time he fought Margarito, but he still couldn’t deal with the Mexican slugger’s constant pressure and body attack. Cintron fought best at a distance, but most of his jabs were pawing. After two even rounds with a lot of heavy leather flying, Margarito seemed to take control of the fight as he closed the gap. In round six, Margarito trapped Cintron against the ropes and landed a perfectly placed left hook to the body that put Cintron on the canvas for a full ten-count, ending the bout at 1:56.

With Floyd Mayweather Jr. temporarily entertaining other ventures outside boxing and most likely coming back in a rematch against Oscar De La Hoya, the best welterweight matchup that can be made—Cotto-Margarito—appears likely to be a reality, although no venue has been mentioned.

 

Tarver Dominates Woods,
Dawson Edges Johnson

By Sean Sullivan
April 12, 2008

Antonio Tarver, 27-4 (19), is once again back in the light heavyweight picture after adding the IBF belt to his IBO strap with a convincing UD12 (119-109, 117-111, 116-112) over England’s Clinton Woods, 41-4-1 (24), at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

Woods had won the vacant title in 2005 from Rico Hoye, making four successful defenses, but he appeared listless against Tarver, who put together his most impressive performance since losing to Bernard Hopkins in 2006. For much of the bout, southpaw Tarver banked many of the rounds by simply jabbing and setting up straight lefts.

Chad Dawson, 26-0-0-1NC (17), and Glen Johnson, 47-12-2 (32), waged war in a highly entertaining bout in the co-main event. Dawson retained his WBC title and won a debatable UD12 (all 116-112), despite being hurt by Johnson several times and nearly getting dropped in rounds three and 10. But Dawson was the busier fighter, which seemed to impress the judges, as he was able to pick off the challenger with his southpaw jab and flashy combinations.

Known for losing many close decisions, Johnson said, “The decision was total bull. Dawson is a good, young fighter with a great future, but I really worked hard for this fight and definitely feel I won it.”

After his victory in the main event, Tarver called Dawson out.

“Chad Dawson would be easy pickings now. He’s not the fighter now that he was before his fight. He’s a wounded duck,” said Tarver. “Dawson took a lot of hard hits against Johnson, but there is a difference between getting hit by Glen Johnson and getting hit by me.”

A Dawson-Tarver showdown could happen this fall according to Dawson’s promoter Gary Shaw.

 

Luis Resto Admits He Knew His Gloves Were Tampered With

By Sean Sullivan
April 3, 2008

Luis Resto, a former junior middleweight contender, publicly admitted at a press conference in New York City to knowing that his gloves had been tampered with prior to his fight with Billy Collins Jr. on June 16, 1983, at Madison Square Garden.

The Resto-Collins bout was on the undercard of Roberto Duran’s challenge to Davey Moore for the WBA 154lb. title. Collins was an undefeated prospect with a 14-0 (11) record facing his toughest test in the experienced Resto, 20-8-2 (8). The two fought a pitched battle over the ten-round distance, with Resto winning a unanimous decision.

When Collins’ trainer, his father Billy Sr., went over to congratulate Resto after the fight, he noticed something peculiar as he grabbed the fighter’s fist. He immediately shouted, “Hey! All the padding is out of the damn gloves!”

A full investigation followed and it was discovered that two of the four ounces of horsehair had been removed from the gloves. Resto revealed, for the first time, at Thursday’s press conference that his knuckles had also been pre-cast with tape soaked in plaster of Paris. Both Resto and his trainer, Panama Lewis, were banned from boxing for life, and in October 1986 Resto was convicted of assault and served 2½ years of a three-year sentence in prison. Lewis served 2½ years of a six-year sentence.

Because of the injuries he sustained, Collins had to retire from the sport he loved. On March 6, 1984, Collins was killed in a car accident because he had been driving drunk.

Eric Drath, of Live Star Entertainment LLC, has produced a documentary film, entitled Cornered, based on this incident that explores how it affected all involved. The presser provided Resto with the opportunity to free himself from years of guilt, having never publicly admitting that he knew what Lewis had done. It also gave Marc R. Thompson of Manhattan’s Pulvers, Pulvers and Thompson, representing Collins’ widow Andrea Collins-Nile, a chance to announce that he had filed of a motion to reopen the case of the Collins-Resto scandal with the Federal District Court against the State of New York.

 

Casamayor Conquers Katsidis

By Sean Sullivan
March 22, 2008

Joel Casamayor, 36, had been written off by many after his lackluster performance against Jose Luis Santa Cruz last November at the Garden. He was knocked down in the first and outfought for many of the ensuing rounds, but the judges gave him the victory by disputed split decision.

The undefeated Michael Katsidis, 27, who in 2007 emerged as boxing’s next Arturo Gatti, figured to be too youthful and aggressive for the aging Cuban veteran to handle. But a motivated Casamayor seemed determined to prove the experts wrong.

As Katsidis was entering the ring, Casamayor got in his face letting him know he was in for a tough night. Almost immediately, the pre-fight analysis went out the window as sneaky lefts from southpaw Casamayor dropped Katsidis twice in the opening minute. Over the next few rounds, Casamayor took advantage of Katsidis’ recklessness, countering whenever openings presented themselves. But by the middle frames, Katsidis’ pressure seemed to tire the linear lightweight champion and a left hook from the challenger dropped Casamayor through the ropes. The scorecards further shifted in Katsidis’ direction when Casamayor lost a point for a low blow in round nine. Feeling he could surge for a knockout, Katsidis charged out for round ten swinging wildly trying to end the fight. The cagey Casamayor easily slipped this attack and countered with a left hook that slammed into Katsidis’ face dropping him to the canvas. Katsidis, now 23-1 (20), got up but was still hurt and wobbly as Casamayor dished out some more punishment until the referee stopped the fight at 0:30.

With his career now rejuvenated, the logical next opponent for Casamayor, 36-3-1 (22), is Nate Campbell, who also pulled off a surprise victory against previously undefeated Juan Diaz a few weeks earlier. Campbell holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts.

 

Pacquiao Defeats Marquez By One Point

By Robert Ecksel
March 15, 2008

In a fight that could have gone either way, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez brought their own brand of fisticuffs to the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on March 15, where Pac-Man won a disputed 12-round split decision over the former WBC 130-pound champ.

“I expected a hard fight but I think I won,” said Pacquiao. “My plan was to keep hitting him with power punches. I thought I needed to win the last rounds. By the time we had gone twelve rounds this time I knew I had won. Tonight might have been my best fight so far.”

Not everyone was in agreement, least of all the dethroned Marquez.

“I know I won this fight,” he fumed. “The knockdown didn’t affect me. Like I said last time, you have to fight twelve rounds. I think I hurt him many times. I’m happy because of my performance. I made a great fight happen. I was chasing him and doing everything possible to win. I just want to fight him again.”   

Tom Miller and Duane Ford scored it 114-113 and 115-112 for Pacquiao, while Jerry Roth had it 115-112 for Marquez.

“He (Marquez) was a better fighter tonight than the first time,” Pacquiao said. “His counterpunching improved a lot. It was a really hard fight. I was bothered by a cut but I knew I had a big heart. He hit me a lot. My strategy was to follow-up after he countered, but he stayed very busy. I was surprised by his movement. His jab was not like before.”

“I don’t want to say what the judges were looking at,” complained Marquez. “I’m disappointed this keeps happening to me. Again, they took a victory that I won clearly. I dominated the fight for 12 rounds. What I care about is the public and the media, because they saw the fight and they know I won. This kind of situation is an insult to the fans who pay us.”

 

Haye Destroys Maccarinelli

By Sean Sullivan
March 8, 2008

In a highly anticipated UK clash, David Haye, 21-1 (20), unified three of the four major cruiserweight belts with his second round destruction of Enzo Maccarinelli, 28-2 (21), at the O2 Arena in London on March 8. This was an even matchup going in, with both fighters having power and weak chins. However, on this night, Haye blasted straight through Maccarinelli. It was his overhand right that stunned Big Macc and forced him to retreat into a corner in the second frame. Haye pounced on his prey, and Maccarinelli sagged to the canvas. Although he arose during the ref’s count, he was still on wobbly legs, leading to the stoppage at 2:04.

With the victory, Haye added the WBO title to the WBC and WBA belts that he won by stopping Jean-Marc Mormeck in his previous outing. The only man standing in Haye’s way of complete cruiserweight domination is American Steve Cunningham, who holds the IBF title. But Haye has decided to forgo that potential fight for more lucrative opportunities in the heavyweight division.

 

Maskaev Peters Out

By Sean Sullivan
March 8, 2008

After months of contract disputes and postponements, WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev, 34-6 (26), finally fulfilled his mandatory obligation to fight Samuel Peter, 30-1 (23). Originally scheduled to meet in October, Maskaev pulled out with a back injury. Rather than stay inactive, Peter kept the date and challenged late replacement Jameel McCline for the WBC interim title. Peter won a decision, but had to pick himself off the canvas three times to do so. While the negotiations in making this fight led to the retirement of the ring at Madison Square Garden for being too small—although it had been an adequate size for every other fight in its 82-year history—in the end, the bout was staged in Cancun, Mexico.

For nearly six rounds, these heavyweights lumbered around the ring, throwing whatever offense they offered with little finesse. Peter won the early rounds based on a higher work rate. Maskaev came to life a bit in the third and the two engaged in some exciting exchanges. But in the fourth and fifth rounds, the fighters reverted back to throwing one punch at a time. Late in the sixth, Peter hurt Maskaev with a massive right and went in for the kill, knocking the champion back toward the ropes. Referee Guadalupe Garcia felt Maskaev had taken enough punishment and called a halt to the bout at 2:56.

While everyone wants to see Peter in a rematch with IBF/WBO/IBO champ Wladimir Klitschko that would unify three major belts, the new WBC titlist must first face Wladimir’s older brother Vitali—currently making a second run for mayor of Kiev, Ukraine—who has been inactive since 2004.

 

Vazquez Edges Marquez

By Robert Ecksel
March 1, 2008

Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez capped off their rubber match at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, in bruising style. After 12 rounds of dishing out and sucking up punishment, the scorecards read 114-111 twice, and 113-112, all for Vasquez, who retained his WBC 122lb. title by the slimmest of margins.

“He surprised me,” Vazquez said of Marquez at the post-fight presser. “He stunned me in the fourth round. He made me lose my balance. I was surprised by the amount of punches and how he was connecting. But even though I was stunned, I was not hurt at that point. So I was able to gather my strength and finish strong.”

“I’m very disappointed with the way the decision went,” said Marquez. “Really, I cannot believe that they took away a point from me when it was a clean shot to the body. In the 12th round, there shouldn’t have been an eight-count. I wasn’t down.”

Talk of a fourth bout between these two warriors has already begun.

“Where do I sign?” said an eager Vazquez. “I have a lot of respect for Rafael Marquez. I understand he is disappointed that he lost. But I do respect him because he’s a true warrior. I always knew that from the beginning.”