One of the toughest times in a boxing fan’s journey is when one of his favorite fighters loses.  That was my case this weekend.  I have been pulling for Chris Arreola since the day I first heard about him.  Simply the fact that he is a Mexican-American Heavyweight was enough for me.  But then add in that he is a fun-loving, foul mouthed, burrito eating, beer drinking, bear hug of a man just makes him all that more appealing.

You could accept his loss to Vitali Klitschko because he did what so many don’t when faced with a Klitschko and that is go down swinging.  But losing to a blown up light heavyweight this weekend hurt.  Now granted it was a highly skilled blown up 175 pounder, but still one had to think that the big man would eventually catch up to him.

The fight started out as I expected it to with Tomasz Adamek in full defensive mode from the opening bell.  He did a good job of landing a shot and then moving away.  Also as I expected every time Chris landed a shot it looked as though it hurt Adamek.  In round 4 through 6 Chris took over the fight, there were several times when it looked as though one more shot would end the fight.

It was at this point that things took a weird turn.  Arreola who is always out of shape but always throws punches, stopped throwing punches.  We did find out later in the fight and after the fight that he hurt his bicep and hand sometime in the 5th round.  Adamek easily won rounds 7 through 9.  Once again though Arreola went on the attack in the 10th.  About half way through the round Chris audibly yelled “Ow” and held his arm to his waist.

He came out throwing again in the 11th and at one point buckled over in pain.  I can’t say I wouldn’t have stopped the fight due to an injury if I had been the referee.  Despite his obvious pain and his swollen face, Chris tried his best down the stretch in the 12th but Adamek played keep away.

Without my homer hat on I gave Chris the 4th, 5th, 6th, 10th and 11th round.  I thought he needed the 12th to get a draw and he lost it.

Chris gets his second loss and this one will hurt him more than the loss to Klitschko.  The heavyweight division is very boring right now so personalities like Arreola and David Haye are always welcomed.  Chris will get another chance and as much as I don’t want to take away from what makes him Cristobal Arreola, I would love to see him get serious about his training and come into his next fight around 240 pounds.

So I spent the whole wrap up talking about a personal favorite, so be it.  I will raise a beer or 10 this coming weekend to a guy I would love to have a beer or 10 with.  Great heart Chris, now show some great work ethic in the gym!

Short review this week for obvious reasons.   Friday night saw Tony Thompson take out Owen “half-blind” Beck on ESPN.  Thompson out-classed him from the opening bell and is a legit Top 10 HW.

Saturday Night we had a great doubleheader.  I wanted to hate on Lucian Bute following the first fight with Librado Andrade and I still don’t think he should have won the fight.  Later in the year he showed up just outside of Andrade’s corner cheering him on and I couldn’t figure out a way not to like him after that.  Since then he has clearly been the top Super Middleweight and Saturday night proved no different.  Edison Miranda implemented a new game plan and fought it well for 2 rounds.  Then he got cocky and Bute put him to sleep.  Just seconds after Miranda posed in front of him, Bute landed a super uppercut that would have made Little Mac of Punch Out proud.  Miranda beat the count but was mumbling something about his ruby slippers so Ernie Sharif called off the fight.

If I were Kelly Pavlik someone would have been fired Sunday Morning.  Boxers are supposed to believe they can beat anyone.  They hire people to keep them away from the ones they can’t.  Sergio Martinez was all wrong for Pavlik from the day they even thought about fighting him.  If you have a slow plodding power puncher who had trouble with a 44 year old slick boxer, why would you think he could beat Martinez. Those who have seen Martinez fight in the past knew that Pavlik wasn’t making a comeback in the middle rounds.  Martinez always slows down in the middle and picks it back up down the stretch.  I believe he could have stopped Pavlik if he hadn’t of taken rounds 5 through 8 off.  Pavlik’s best moment came when he scored an off-balance knockdown.  While I had Pavlik winning rounds 5 through 8 they were still pretty close, unlike the 8 rounds that Martinez won.  I would imagine Pavlik will not take the rematch clause but who knows maybe the guy who decided to fight Martinez in the first place is still making the decisions.

The big news of the weekend came after the fights Saturday night as it was reported early Sunday morning that phenom Edwin Valero had stabbed his wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, to death in a Venezuelan Hotel.  It appeared that he had confessed to the murder and had been arrested.  It would be a tragic end to his boxing career.  The news only got worse this morning as it was reported that Valero had taken his own life in his cell.  There have been many tragic stories involving boxers in the last century.  I can’t for the life of me think of one worse than this.  While it is easy to condemn Edwin for his actions, it is still tragic that two lives were ended.  They are survived by their two beautiful daughters who I hope can find peace in their lives without the love of their mother or father.  Edwin Valero was one of my personal favorites and he was must watch television, I will struggle with this one for a long time.  I hope HBO gives his wife a 10 count on Saturday night.

I thought about changing the color of my type to yellow in honor of David Haye but decided against it at the last minute.  I talk a good game but then don’t follow through, just like the WBA Chump.

This past weekend wasn’t a great boxing weekend but it was a good calm before the storm.  We had an HBO card that was entertaining enough.  Andre Berto came back from his family loss in Haiti and performed pretty well.  Carlos Quintana can make most fights look sloppy and this was no exception.  Berto looked confused the first couple of rounds and then started putting together his punches around the third round.  He had Quintana hurt numerous occasions before closing out the show in the 8th.  Berto appeared to have hurt his left bicep during the fight.  I really can’t predict how Andre would do against the top Welterweights out there right now.  He has the speed and combinations to cause anyone problems but there is just something about him that seems off.

On the undercard, Celestino Caballero stepped up to Featherweight and looked impressive in dominating Daud Yordan.  The problem with Caballero is that he seems to be a smaller version of Paul Williams.  He throws a lot of punches which are mostly pitty-pat shots but it is enough to throw off the rhythm of his opponent.  A lot of “experts” have him on their P4P list but I just don’t see it.  I need to see him against top fighters and not the Molitor’s and Yordan’s of the world.  At 33 he should have been fighting a better quality of opponents by this point.  If his next fight isn’t against Chris John, Juan Manuel Lopez or Yoriorkis Gamboa then it is a wasted fight.

ESPN Friday Night Fights (which aired on Saturday) was fairly uneventful. A protected prospect in Orlando Lora got exposed by David Estrada.  This should serve as a warning for any promoter thinking Estrada would be a good stepping stone for an untested prospect.  Estrada is a tough out for the top fighters at Welterweight or Junior Middleweight, let alone an untested fighter.  Lora’s corner did the right thing and saved him for another day after the 8th round.

The biggest news on FNF was that evidently David Haye and BJ Flores are an item.  Seems whenever Brian Kenny asked Flores about David Haye, Flores started the answer with “we”.  In this writers opinion, they absolutely deserve each other and I wish them the best.

Starting tomorrow the TB Predicts blog will feature the weekend preview in addition to the fight predictions.  Look for it here at The Boxing Magazine

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I’ll start with the best fight of the weekend and the one that wasn’t on TV.  David Haye fought a good fight stopping John Ruiz in the 9th round over in Manchester.  In the days of internet it is pretty easy to find a feed to watch fights from the UK or Germany.  As I sat and watched this it really made me wish Haye had come up to the heavyweight division and kept his mouth shut.  This is a guy you could root for if he hadn’t of talked a big game about the Klitschko’s and then back out of a signed contract to fight Wlad and a verbal agreement to fight Vitali.  Saturday night Haye dominated John Ruiz.  Ruiz was once a solid fighter but his best days are at least 5 years behind him.  Haye fans will make this out to be something incredible but realistically it was a solid performance against a poor fighter.  The straight right hand that dropped Ruiz in the first round was a thing of beauty but Haye will struggle to win against prime fighters when he fights only about 30 seconds of each round.

Friday night we had a good fight on ESPN Friday Night Fights.  Delvin Rodriguez and Mike Aranoutis both came into the fight needing to win to stay relevant and they fought like it.  Aranoutis was aggressive the whole night but Rodriguez’s superior skill won the fight.  On the under card we were forced to watch Demetrius Andrade continue to fight poorly against bad boxers.  You heard it hear first, Andrade gets knocked cold the first time he steps up the competition.  He is a prime example on why American Olympic Boxing is in the dumper.

Friday night we also got to see Cuban Olympian Erislandy Lara continue his way to the top.  He outpointed tough veteran Danny Perez for his 11th win.  People I have talked to seem upset it went the distance but Perez has never been stopped not even in two fights with Antonio “Hands of Plaster” Margarito.  Lara reminds me a lot of Chad Dawson.  He will have his detractors because he doesn’t push for the stoppage but he will keep on winning.  The opening bout on Shobox was an impressive performance by up and comer Carlos Ivan Velasquez as he scored a 4th round stoppage over Ira Terry.  Velasquez is ready to step it up.

Speaking of stepping up, two fighters on FSN Saturday night are also ready to do so now.  Mike Alvarado, in his first fight in 11 months, demolished Lenin Arroyo in two rounds.  Alvarado had a short vacation courtesy of the Colorado Penal System, but claimed his issues are behind him and he is ready to fight Top 10 Junior Welterweights.  His actions backed up his words.  I will be looking forward to his next fight.  In the Main Event, Mikey Garcia destroyed Tomas Villa in the first round.  At 21-0 it is time for Garcia to step up.  I would love to see a fight between Garcia and Elio Rojas.  If not that then against a fading veteran like Jhonny Gonzalez or Rocky Juarez.

This weekend the Belle of the Ball is on HBO Saturday night as Andre Berto takes on Carlos Quintana.  Should be a good test for Berto.  As always tune in to Talking Boxing with Billy C, Billy brings you two hours of boxing talk every weekday.  Also check out this blog from a knowledgeable fan of boxing, I have spent several hours reading his posts.  Links below

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Quite a bit of news this week.  Edwin Valero was arrested in Venezuela for domestic abuse.  His wife later dropped the charges using the old battered wife excuse of her falling down the stairs.  Boxing tends to not be a sport for the moral good.  While there will always be more stories of good than bad, boxers tend to live a violent life inside and outside the ring.  There is never an excuse to lay hands on a woman.  Problem is if it is a fighter I like in the ring I have a tendency to overlook it.  Hypocritical in the fact that I am quick to point it out in fighters I don’t like in the ring.  Valero’s biggest problem will continue to be his inability to fight in the US.  From his health problems to the fact now that he may struggle to get a work Visa.  Joe Calzaghe admitted cocaine use since retiring.  Sure he just now picked up the habit.  According to Brit fans he is the greatest coke sniffer of all-time.

Onto the fights of the weekend.  I will make a quick mention of Thursday night’s Fight Night Club.  Not much to see as it is always just a showcase for young fighters.  Abner Mares looks ready for his showdown with Yhonny Perez.  Ronny Rios looks like a fighter I want to see more of.  The main problem with this event was the 127 commercials telling me how great Roy Jones vs. Bernard Hopkins will be next weekend.  Lipstick on a pig is all I can think of.  I really hope this only sells about 10,000 ppvs.

Saturday night we had the start of the second round of the Showtime Super Six tourney.  Andre Dirrell put on a clinic schooling Arthur Abraham.  Dirrell dropped Abraham in the 4th round and again in the 7th, despite Lawrence Cole completely missing the one in the 7th.  Dirrell was tiring and was dropped with an off-balance shot in the 10th (once again Lawrence Cole missing it) but was on his way to easily closing out the fight.  Then Abraham decided to cheat.  With Dirrell on his knees from slipping on the logo, Abraham looked down at him, thought about it and then threw a right hook.  Dirrell was out cold and Abraham was disqualified.  There are numerous “fans” out there right now claiming Dirrell knew he was going to be stopped and was acting.  Sorry but those “fans” are just plain stupid.  Abraham knew he had lost the fight which is why he took the cheap shot.  Abraham has acted like a jerk post fight too which I am hoping is just heat of the moment.  I’m not so sure though since he has always been known for his rough tactics.  Germany lets him get away with it.

Saturday night also brought us the return of Marcos Maidana on HBO.  This was his first fight since stopping Victor Ortiz.  He looked impressive in stopping the awkward Victor Cayo in 6 rounds.  He is not the most technically sound 140 pounder by no means but he would be a tough out for anyone and an exciting fighter to watch in any match.  Freddie Roach and Amir Khan were smart in avoiding him at all costs.  In the prelim Joan Guzman cheated his way to a win over Ali Funeka.  How anyone comes in 9 pounds overweight is beyond me.  Too bad there isn’t an organized structure to ban him from signing a contract for a fight under 140 pounds ever again.

This weekend there is plenty to watch and avoid the Hopkins PPV.  Friday night we have a fight on ESPN between two desperate fighters.  Neither Mike Arnaoutis or Delvin Rodriguez can afford another loss and hopefully they fight like it.  Shobox on Friday night continues the career of exciting Cuban Erislady Lara.  Saturday you will be able to find an internet link for David Haye against John Ruiz on the talking boxing with Billy C forums (follow the link below).  Also FSN will showcase Mike Alvarado.

Welcome back Billy C from his two week hiatus and make sure to become a premium subscriber to his radio show.  Best boxing show money can buy and it is only $15

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The fight that wasn’t on television this weekend was the Heavyweight Championship between Wladimir Klitschko and Eddie Chambers.  Chambers was ranked third by Ring Magazine going into the fight.  Going into the fight he had a plan to beat the Ring Champion.  He thought he could employ a similar strategy he used to beat the 6’7″ Alexander Dimitrenko back in July of 2009.  He would use head movement to get inside and then throw fast punches to the “weak” chin of Wlad.  We here is the thing, you can have whatever plan you want until you get hit in the face with the jackhammer jab of Wlad.  Then all you can think about the rest of the night is how not to get hit in the face with the jab.  By the time Wlad followed it with a brutal right in the second round, the fight was all but over.  Wlad is so frustrating because he won’t finish an opponent.  He lost two of his three fights by running out of gas.  Now to over compensate he never goes for the kill, which makes him unbeatable.  He picked up the tempo in the 12th after a few corners of Manny Steward pleading with him to do so and put Chambers to sleep with 5 seconds left in the fight.

ESPN Friday Night Fights caught me by surprise with Sechew Powell getting a well earned decision over Deandre Latimore avenging an earlier loss.  Powell is not one of my favorites and I still am not a fan but he fought well in this fight and earned a future payday.  On the undercard, newcomer Edwin Rodriguez looked impressive stopping a guy who had never been stopped before in the first round.  Rodriguez is a good looking guy with an intriguing backstory I would expect to see him step up to a Shobox type of fight in the near future.

Saturday night Fox Sports Net took us on a trip to Quittersville.  The night started off well with Jorge Diaz and Alejandro Lopez competing in a very entertaining scrap.  Diaz dropped Lopez in the first and second round and then appeared to have something go wrong.  He fought like he was hurt the rest of the fight.  If ever a fight deserved to be a draw it was this one but Diaz pulled out a narrow decision.  Next Junior Middleweight, Glen Tapia, looked good in his 5th fight forcing a very inexperienced Carlos Rodriguez to quit after two rounds.  I am looking forward to seeing Tapia again.  Next Odlanier “Fat” Solis came into the ring at 573 pounds and scared Carl Drumond into quitting after 3 rounds.  Not real sure how else to describe it.  Drumond was forced to re-wrap his hands which caused a 40 minute delay.  Then for 3 rounds Drumond ran and threw no punches, while Jabba threw one punch here, one punch there and then Drumond just quit.

This weekend it feels as though the year in boxing is starting.  Thursday night we have Fight Night Club, hopefully to be shown on FSN this time, featuring a tune-up fight for Abner Mares before he takes on Yhonny Perez.  ESPN has a Shobox event on Friday Night.  Steve Cunningham takes on Matt Godfrey for the Cruiserweight title vacated by Tomasz Adamek.  Also Mike Mollo and Billy Zumbrun in what should be an all action bout.  Saturday we get dueling cards on HBO and Showtime.  HBO has Marcos Maidana against Victor Cayo.  Maidana is the exciting fighter who made Victor Ortiz not like boxing anymore.  Also on the card is the rematch between Juan Guzman and Ali Funeka.  Hopefully, the judges get it right this time.  Showtime has the first second round match of the Super Middleweight tourney between Arthur Abraham against Andre Dirrell.

This week’s blog is brought to you by the best cakes money can buy.  It doesn’t hurt that the baker is also one heck of a little sister.

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Shoulda, woulda, coulda has always been the story of my life and last weekend was the same old chapter and verse.  I knew from the day the fight was signed that Pacquiao and Clottey was a complete mismatch and said I was not going to buy the PPV.  Of course I bought the PPV and guess what?  The fight was a complete mismatch.

I said from the beginning that this was an easy fight for Manny and I was 100% correct.  I did think Manny would stop Clottey and that probably would have happened if Clottey had tried to win at any moment in the fight.  Instead we were treated to the Welterweight version of Vitali Klitschko and Kevin Johnson.  Clottey had one goal and that was to go 12 rounds.  He wasn’t a good opponent for Manny and he certainly wasn’t the tough opponent some were saying he was.  At the end of the day I knew he was tailor made for Manny but bought the PPV anyways.

The undercard made the main event look like an instant classic.  John Duddy continues to present himself as a slugger who can’t slug but did box his way to a win over the lead singer from the Deftones.  I really wish someone would knock him out already so he stops appearing on fight cards.  Jose Luis Castillo did what he does best anymore and that is quit.  He quit against Ricky Hatton and now he is quitting against guys the caliber of Alfonso Gomez.   Shame on Bob Arum for this lousy card.

The co-main was a decent bout and would have been a good addition to a good card, instead it caught the smell of the overall card and ended up being somewhat boring.  David Diaz is a game but limited fighter.  I said prior to the card that the PacMan/Clottey fight would be similar to the PacMan/Diaz bout.  I would like to take this time to apologize to David Diaz for even comparing Clottey to him.  Diaz tries to win every second of every fight he is in no matter how long the odds.  Max Kellerman summed up Humberto Soto perfectly by saying Soto is as good as good gets without being special and he did enough to beat David Diaz.  Soto is the class of the Lightweight division right now and that gives an indication of how poor the division is.

Friday night we had a better card on FSE.  Samuel Peter came into the bout at 237 pounds.  He looked great and he fought like the old Sam Peter.  I was sure Nagy Aguilera would win this fight but Peter took him out quickly.  Where was this Sam Peter against Vitali Klitschko and Eddie Chambers.  Hopefully, he can turn this into a shot at David Haye.  About midway through the first round of this fight Peter hit Aguilera in the body and Nagy looked at his corner like he had been run over by a freight train.  It was just a matter of time from that point.

The rest of the card was entertaining.  I have no idea where Omar Henry came from but I can tell you I will be watching him from here on out.  Catch Friday’s fight on Youtube and you will see a guy who reminds me a lot of James Kirkland (speaking of which when is his jail time up!!!).  Jose Benavides continues to look like the stellar prospect he is and got a couple of rounds in Friday night.  He runs his record to 3-0 with 3KO’s.  At 17 years old I imagine he will be brought along slowly.

In the main event we got a Texas stunner.  The close to home and big time crowd favorite, Hernan Marquez, was completely out-boxed by Richie Mepranum and lost the decision.  It is a stunner because the crowd favorite rarely loses a decision in Texas these days.  So congrats to the judges for getting it right.

This weekend, FNF returns on ESPN with a decent main event between Deandre Latimore and Sechew Powell.   Hopefully Latimore can get the win and get Powell off of TV for good.  Saturday night we get FSN and the return of Cuban Fatty Odlanier Solis in his toughest bout yet against Carl Drummond.  I am still hoping some network picks up the Wlad Klitschko/Eddie Chambers Heavyweight title fight but that hope is fading.

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It was a decent fight weekend with multiple cards on the television.  Friday night started it off with a good ESPN card.  We got to see prospect Rico Ramos keep moving forward with a 4th round KO of Cecilio Santos.  I definitely think it is time for Ramos to step up the competition and start getting the attention that Gamboa and Lopez are.  The featherweight division is getting stacked with good young prospects.  The main event was Martin Honorio trying to capitalize on his victory over John Molina.  He took on tough young prospect Wilton Hilario.  Unfortunately for Hilario, Honorio exposed him as a one dimensional fighter.  Someone needs to teach Hilario how to throw a jab.

Saturday night brought us dueling cards.  First on Showtime we had a good scrap between a couple of limited fighters in Leonardo Zappavigna and Fernando Angulo.  It’s funny how people get on HBO announcers for rooting for certain fighters, yet Showtime does it time and time again.  According to the announcers Angulo was robbed in this fight.  That wasn’t even remotely the case as Zappavigna easily won five of the first six rounds.  Angulo did come on strong at the end but it wasn’t enough.  I had it 115-112 for Zappa.  Another thing is Zappavigna was clearly cut by a headbutt as the replay showed the one time Showtime replayed it.  Not sure why they didn’t keep showing it other than their blatant rooting for Angulo.

In the main event, Vic Darchiyan had an easy time with unknown Rodrigo Guerrero but that was some chin the challenger had on him as he was able to last the distant with the tough Armenian.  I think this fight will earn Guerrero some paydays in the future.  Darchiyan needs a rematch with Donaire and if he doesn’t get it then he needs to move up to bantamweight.

HBO had the fight everyone wanted to see this weekend with a bout between two of the top welterweights in the game.  Must people would mention their alphabet belts here but I just can’t talk about rankings and titles from the corrupt organizations and the only rankings that will be mentioned in this blog are the Ring rankings.  Devon Alexander fought a great fight against Juan Urango.  Most expected him to outbox the slow and plodding Urango but Alexander landed multiple bombs en route to stopping Urango with a beautifully timed uppercut in the 8th round.  It was the first time Urango has been stopped.  I think Alexander jumped into the top 2 or 3 welterweights for me with this bout.  He might even have moved ahead of Bradley in my eyes with the win.

Next weekend the only televised bout is the PPV between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey.  I am not buying it because in my eyes it is a clear and easy mismatch.  You have a slow, stone footed, non busy fighter in Clottey against Pacquiao.  The PacMan camp clearly knew what they were doing when they avoided Mayweather and picked up Clottey as an opponent.  Also the undercard just isn’t very good.  As the fight draws closer I might change my mind but if not Weekend Wrap-up next week will be more of a preview for the following weekend.

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The most amazing news of the weekend is Saturday, exactly 14 days prior to his bout with Joshua Clottey, Manny Pacquiao took a blood test. Amazingly enough he didn’t cower in fear of the needles, his soul wasn’t stolen, and he didn’t pass out. Fourteen days was the final date that the Mayweather Camp agreed to. Just goes to show you that if you aren’t wearing Mayweather hating glasses then it has been obvious from the start that Manny, Roach,and Arum never had any intention of fighting Floyd. My belief is that they thought all along that Floyd would pull out and look like the bad guy. Unfortunately, the plan backfired and they walked away in a tiff over taking a blood test 14 days prior to the fight. The next day they sign to fight Clottey and what do you know 14 days prior to that fight he takes a blood test.

ESPN held a great card Friday night, possibly the best of their year so far. In the prelim Danny Garcia (16-0) stepped up his level of competition and got a nice test from Ashley Theophane (25-3-1). The slick challenger gave Garcia all he wanted and Garcia scored a split decision win. I thought Garcia won by a score of 96-93. The main event had fight of the year written all over it. Two neighborhood kids who didn’t like each other growing up to face each other in the ring. Antonio Escalante (23-2) showed he was ready for bigger fights in the Junior Featherweight division with a solid points win over Miguel Roman (28-6). Roman was dropped in the eighth to make the decision a little wider but Roman gave as good as he got all night long. Great show of sportmanship between the two after the fight also. Classy card all around.

Mike Jones (20-0) has struggled to get fights and get exposure in the past took the main stage on Saturday’s Fox Sports Net broadcast and did absolutely nothing to make anyone want to see him again. He was far more talented than veteran Henry Bruseles (28-3-1) but took zero chances and was content to jab his way to victory from the outside. Anyone watching the fight had to feel that if Jones tried he could have stopped Bruseles but Jones was content to just win. You get a long awaited shot at a televised event and you bore everyone. Mike Jones is not must see TV.

The PPV event Saturday night was well worth the price tag. We got to see the mismatched debuts of Puerto Rican Olympians McWilliams and McJoe Arroyo (p.s. Love their McNames) and they looked like the next big things from our 51^st state. I would love to see Cruiserweight prospect Carlos Negron (8-0) eat a couple of steaks and step up to Heavyweight. At 6′ 6” he looks as though he has a chance to be a good big man. Not to mention how much fun is it to see a guy talk crap while he is getting his butt kicked and knocked out in the first round? The main event from Puerto Rico was a good 4 round slugfest as youngster Marvelous Marvin Sonsona (14-1) was stopped in the 4^th on a liver punch. No need to get down as this kid will be a Ring champ one day. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (18-0-1) was a beast Saturday night and looks ready for bigger and better things. Can we get him versus Antonio Escalante next please?

The PPV event then went to Mexico where another fight of the year candidate took place between Daniel Estrada (22-1) and Angel Alirio Rivero (21-7-1). These two beat the tar out of each other for nine and a half rounds until a strange stoppage by the referee. We couldn’t hear the open scoring but I would assume that Rivero was behind on points. He also didn’t seem to answer the doc very well in the corner after the 9^th either. In the main event Omar “pornstache” Romero (28-3-2) scored a knockout that was ruled a no contest over Rodel Mayol (26-4-1). Romero landed the classic left hook to the jewels, left hook to the chin combo for the KO, only problem was the referee was pulling him away when the one to the chin landed.

This weekend we have the ESPN Friday night fights starring Martin Honorio taking on Wilton Hilario. Martin will try to capitalizio on his victorio over John Molina his last time outio. John Molina will also be on the card and will be fighting the dreaded TBA.

Saturday night HBO and Showtime do their version of dueling banjos. Showtime will feature Vic Darchiyan facing a decent prospect in Rodrigo Guerrero. The spider monkey should be way too much for Guerrero and I imagine it will be a short fight. The undercard bout between Leonardo Zappavigna and Fernando Angulo should be a pretty good scrap. Interesting to note that Angulo has a fight scheduled just two weeks later.

HBO has the card of the weekend as we get a Junior Welterweight unification bout between Devon Alexander and Juan Urango. Classic boxer versus slugger event and should be a highly entertaining bout.

TB Predicts will return this weekend so be on the lookout for that. As always buy Title Bout Championship Boxing as it is the best boxing game on the market. Also pick up the year subscription to Talkin Boxing with Billy C. Billy does nothing but talk boxing for 2 hours every weekday morning it is a fun broadcast with great interviews. Links below.

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By Mike Hanson

I was glad to hear all the feedback from my first weekend wrap-up last week. Please keep it coming as it can only make this column better.

While I have always like Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, I was definitely critical of him for what seemed to be a lack of courage when he called it quits after a headbutt cut in his fight against Daud Yordan. News came this week that he has canceled his March 27^th fight against Michael Katsidis and he has decided to spend more time by his wife’s side. Casey Guerrero is fighting her rematch with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and it requires far more heart and courage for the Guerrero family to face this opponent than any Robert could meet in the ring. I wish them the best and will be rooting for both of them.

Mismatch weekend in the fight game this past weekend. The ESPN card featured two young prospects facing the usual early career easy opponents. Lanard Lane scored a 8 round unanimous decision of Martin Tucker. Lane has some solid boxing skills but his lack of punch will hurt him going forward. I am not sure how he will keep a stronger pressure fighter off of him. Shawn Porter took on mildly skilled veteran Russell Jordan and with the exception of a lonely right hook in the second round by Jordan, Porter had a fairly easy time of it. Porter showed a real amateur style by bouncing all over the ring and he might need some outside of the family training help if he is to become a contender.

Saturday night brought us more mismatches on the FSN Espanol card. It was highly entertaining, however. Urbano Antillon got back to the business of winning with a 3^rd round stoppage of Luis Antonio Arceo. The interesting thing about this fight was not knowing what the announcers were saying (it was in Spanish), it appeared to be a cut from a headbutt and when the doctor stopped the fight Arceo didn’t question it. It was ruled from a legal blow so Antillon got the win. The main event was my little guy Giovanni Segura stopping Walter Tello in the 3^rd round also. Segura is an all-action Jr. Flyweight and will be fun to watch how far as he can take his wild style. Tello looked more like he was break dancing than boxing. We got two undercard fights on this telecast also. Omar Chavez looked like a carbon copy of his big brother Julio Cesar Jr. landing a nice left hook to finish a stiff in the first. Then there was a 17 year old kid named Adrian Young winning his 6^th bout. The kid looked like he was going on 10. That was quite strange.

We have a few cards on television this week starting on a Thursday night FSN broadcast as Victor Ortiz tries to continue his journey back from Quitsville as he takes on a keep busy opponent looking ahead to a possible May fight with his Quitsville traveling companion Nate Campbell. The “who will quit first” card is scheduled to take place May 15^th. ESPN brings us Antonio Escalante facing solid puncher Miguel Roman. The undercard is an interesting fight with young Danny Garcia possibly biting off more than he can chew with vastly underrated Ashley Theopane. Should be a good card.

Saturday night we have another FSN broadcast featuring the exciting Philadelphia prospect Mike Jones taking on veteran Henry Bruseles. Also a very intriguing PPV match up featuring two very good prospects Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and Marvin Sonsona will be available on Saturday night. Three televised cards and a PPV this week then four televised cards next week, good thing boxing is dead or maybe we couldn’t see it as much.

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