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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1) Devon Alexander (19-0) vs. Juan Urango (22-2-1)

Alexander wins 54-35-11. His most common win was by UD12.

Mike’s Take – I want to go with Urango thinking he will test Alexander’s chin but I think Devon will be too slick for him and outbox Juan for 12 rounds.

2) Sam Peter (33-3) vs. Nagy Aguilera (15-2)

Peter dominates this one going 83-13-4. 5^th round stoppage the most common outcome.

Mike’s Take – Nagy takes this one. I think he is a good up and coming HW and Peter is shot.

3) Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2) vs. Joshua Clottey (35-3)

Pac Man winning 87-10-3 with the most common being stoppage in the 7th round.

Mike’s Take – Roach only lets Manny fight guys who are tailor made for him and Clottey is no exception. Pac Man destroys him and stops him early. No great surprise.

4) Humberto Soto (50-7-2) vs. David Diaz (35-3)

Diaz wins easily 65-29-6. Soto is woefully underrated in the game.

Mike’s Take – Soto wins this one easily

5) Alfonso Gomez (21-4-2) vs. Jose Luis Castillo (60-9-1)

Using Castillo’s WW rating this one was close. Castillo pulls it out going 47-41-12. Castillo’s most common win was by UD10.

Mike’s Take – Gomez by easy and early stoppage. A shot Ricky Hatton made quick work of a shot Castillo and I think Gomez would knockout Ricky Hatton right now too.

I went 3-1 last time out as did TBCB, which puts us both at 5-1 on the year. Three different picks this week!

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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After the final retirement of Muhammad Ali, the top-ten fighters moved in to fill the void. When the smoke had cleared, Larry Holmes stood atop the mountain, being recognized by most as the true Heavyweight Champion of the World. Following in the footsteps of someone as popular as Ali, however, proved to be a difficult road to navigate.  Holmes became the target of endless comparisons and criticisms.  He wasn’t charismatic enough, he wasn’t as good a boxer, he didn’t have the heart of a real champion, etc.  The list went on and on.

Jersey Joe Walcott vs Ezzard Charles

Larry Holmes, however, wasn’t the first Heavyweight Champion to be in that position.  As the Joe Louis era came to its end, Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott found themselves in the same predicament. The one big difference between Holmes’ era as compared with that of Charles and Walcott’s was – Charles and Walcott had each other. As a result, their rivalry was born!

Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott met for the first time on June 22, 1949. The fight was an elimination bout for the NBA (National Boxing Association) Heavyweight title. The Charles who stepped into the ring that night was not the same aggressive fighter of the past, however.  The death of Sam Baroudi, which occurred after he sustained severe head injuries during their encounter a year earlier, had deeply affected Charles. The Ezzard Charles who stepped into the ring against Walcott a year later was more defensive and tactical minded fighter than the Charles of the past.

Walcott’s performance didn’t help matters, either. His jab seemed weak and tentative throughout the fight. To onlookers, it seemed as though both fighters were fighting to NOT LOSE as much as they were fighting to win. The fight ended to a chorus of boos.  In the end, Charles’ body punching turned out to be enough to carry him through to a solid, if not exciting, decision victory over Walcott.

They met for the second time in Detroit, on March 7, 1951. Walcott had become a fan favorite by then and many were rooting for the old underdog. For Jersey Joe, this was his fourth attempt at the World title. He was the first man to have ever fought for the title more than twice without winning it.  But once again, Charles came away with a decision, dropping Walcott in the 9^th and securing a second decision victory. Walcott, however, felt he’d won the fight and been victimized by a raw-deal, bad decision. Some people agreed. One thing was certain; ringsiders felt the second meeting between the two fighters was about as dull as the first!

A third meeting was scheduled just four months later.  Walcott was installed as a heavy underdog this time around. Fans complained about a lack of competition in the division and showed little excitement leading up to the fight. In the 7^th round, however, all that was about to change. Joe landed one of the most storied punches in boxing history.  A short left-hook put Charles down for the count and Jersey Joe Walcott became the oldest fighter (at 37 years of age) to win sport’s most coveted title. It was a record which stood until George Foreman broke it over forty years later in 1994 – recapturing the title at age 45.

The stage was now set for what would be their fourth and final meeting.  The fight took place on June 5, 1952. Walcott came away with a disputed 15-round decision and his title intact. It was a fight in which Charles seemed to fight passively while Walcott spent much of the time moving out of Charles’ range. When all was said and done, however, many people agreed that Charles did not do enough to take the title back from Walcott.

Jersey Joe Walcott would lose the title to an up and coming Rocky Marciano in September of 1952. He went down fighting, though; sending Rocky to the canvas in the opening round and building a solid points lead before getting stopped in the 13^th round.

He would lose the rematch as well… and retired afterward.

Ezzard Charles would go on to face Marciano in back-to-back fights in 1954. He lost the first by 15-round decision. The loss, however, went a long way towards restoring his reputation as being a “boring, safety-first fighter” with the fans. He lost the second fight by 8^th round knockout. Charles fought for the last time in September of 1959. He lost a 10-round decision to a fighter named Alvin Green.

Both Walcott and Charles would go down in history as master boxers.  And although their styles didn’t always make for exciting fights, their rivalry will forever be etched in boxing lore.

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.

As always please support Title Bout Championship Boxing http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/joomla/home-tbcb.html and tune into the only daily boxing show worth listening to Talkin Boxing with Billy C http://www.talkinboxing.com/

This is a fantastic match up on paper.  Both fighters would be considered small Heavyweights by today’s standards.  Both fighters, however, had extremely high work rates and were pressure-styled fighters.  Marciano, possibly the best conditioned fighter of all time, threw an amazing amount of punches and fought crouching and weaving as he moved forward.

Frazier had an energetic bobbing and weaving style and one of the best left hooks on the division’s history.

Joe Frazier vs. Rocky Marciano

Marciano’s possessed one of the best right hands of all the Heavyweight Champions.

Marciano’s right would be matched against Frazier’s left!

Marciano said in interviews that he preferred fighting larger men who punched down at him as opposed to men who were the same size as him which is why he, as he explained, he had more problems against fighters like Archie Moore, Ezzard Charles and Joe Walcott.  “Power, he said, is blunted when a fighter has to punch downward as opposed to straight across.”  He also said it was easier for him to generate more power by punching upward.

Against Joe Frazier, he would be facing a fighter who only stood 5’ 11”.

During Frazier’s career, he struggled against two big punchers.  Oscar Bonavena and George Foreman.  Bonavena.  He met both men twice.  During his first fight with Bonavena, Oscar floored Frazier twice in the 2^nd round.  Frazier survived and went on to win a very close split decision.  The 2^nd time, the decision was unanimous, but the fight was a brutal contest all the way to the final bell.

I don’t count his two knockouts to George Foreman as being a sign of having a weak chin.  A prime Foreman could have done the same to any Heavyweight in history who came right at him.

Joe Frazier was not what you’d call a fast started.  He’d usually take about 3 rounds to start “smoking.”  Against a fighter like Marciano, he would definitely be at a disadvantage during the first two or three rounds of the fight.  Marciano was an extremely fast starter and believed it was extremely important to hurt his opponent as quickly as possible because it believed that it not only gave him a psychological advantage… but also set the tone for the rest of the fight.

Could Joe Frazier survive the first three rounds against a prime Marciano?  Could Marciano survive once the fight passed the 3^rd round and Frazier started “smoking?”

I computer-matched both fighters with Arthur Mercante Sr. as the 3^rd man in the ring.  The result?  Frazier survived the early Marciano assault and the war was on!  By the 10^th round, Marciano was ahead and Frazier’s right eye was beginning to noticeably swell.  In the 14^th round, Marciano sent Frazier to the canvas 3 times and the fight was stopped with 7-seconds remaining on the clock!

In this case, I can’t argue with the computerized results.

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Title Bout Championship Boxing Computer Simulation
The program used to simulate The Boxing Magazine.com dream fights runs in compiled basic. It consists of several thousand lines of code and over two-dozen routines and sub-routines – cross checking factors such as, ring position, the fighter’s physical condition, accumulated damage, status of cuts and any special strategies that may be employed. Almost 100 variables are constantly monitored during a given fight.

The year was 1915.  The No-Decision Era would last another 5 years until the Walker Law went into effect in the State of New York. The era was a perfect fit for Philadelphian Light Heavyweight – Battling Levinsky.  Levinsky was a slick, safety-first, boxer who‘s style kept him out of serious harm’s way – more often than not!

As a result, Levinsky was one of the most active fighters of the day.  His manager, the infamous “Dumb” Dan Morgan once said, “He’d fight every single night if I told him to.”  On New Year’s Day, 1915, Levinsky fought Bartley Madden.  The fight took place at the Broadway Athletic Club in Brooklyn.  The fight ended in a 10-round no-decision.

After lunch, Levinsky and Morgan made their way to Manhattan where Levinsky took on Soldier Kearns in another 10-round no-decision battle.  Immediately after the second fight, Levinsky and Morgan drove to Grand Central Station and hopped aboard the train to Connecticut where Battling Levinsky faced Gunboat Smith in a 12-round bout held in Waterbury.

Needless to say, Levinsky loved to fight, and he loved to make the money that went with fighting, too.  When asked how he could fight three times in a single day, Levinsky said, “I never get hurt and I love money!”

Battling Levinsky went on to win the Light Heavyweight Title in 1916.  During his career, he claims to have fought over 500 times.  Although the records are sketchy from that era, approximately 300 of those fights have been recorded by the Ring Record book.

Levinsky won the title from Jack Dillon in 1916.  He lost the title four years (and almost 60 fights later) to Georges Carpentier.

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The Boxing Magazine – February 2010

1990 – 1999
Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas
February 11, 1990

The “Baddest Man on the Planet” was undefeated with 37 professional fights, 33 coming by way of knockout.  Tyson had cleaned out the division on his way to the top and had already made 9 successful title defenses.  His fight against Buster Douglas was moved to the Tokyo Dome in Japan because it was considered to be such a mismatch, no one in the US wanted to host the event!

Douglas had already been stopped in a previous title try against Tony Tucker three years earlier.  He was a 20-1 underdog against the undefeated Tyson.

With the recent death of his mother, Douglas managed to channel his focus, energy and determination as never before.  When he stepped into the ring in early 1990, he stepped in at his all-time best.  What followed was the greatest upset in the history of the division.  Ringside commentator Jim Lampley may have put it the best when he said about midway through the fight, “Can you imagine… Buster Douglas, Heavyweight Champion of the world?  It boggles the mind!”

Douglas’ reign was a short one, but for one magical night, he was the “Baddest Man on the Planet.”

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2000 – 2009

Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I

May 7, 2005

In what could be called a boxing purists dream come true, Diego Corrales arose from two knockdowns in the 10^th round to stop Jose Luis Castillo after being a “breath” away from being kayoed himself.

On the line was the WBC and WBO Lightweight titles.  Scenes of the 10^th round of this fight were replayed on sports telecasts throughout the world for months afterward.  It was truly one of the most exciting, dramatic finishes of all time.

Thanks to the drama of Corrales vs. Castillo, even the “non-boxing crowd” were talking the thrilling 10^th round finish days, weeks and even months afterward.  During a decade which saw an overall decline in the popularity of boxing in United States, the sport shined as bright as ever on May 7, 2005!

1) Glen Johnson (49-13-2) vs. Yusef Mack (28-2-2)

Johnson wins this one easily going 82-13-5.  The most common outcome was UD10

Mike’s Take – I have the same result but I think Johnson may stop him late

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2)         Edwin Valero (26-0) vs. Antonio DeMarco (23-1-1)

Valero dominates this one 94-6.  The most common outcome was a 6^th round stoppage

Mike’s Take – No way this one gets to the 6^th.  I like DeMarco but this fight doesn’t get out of the 2^nd round.

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3) Brandon Rios (23-0-1) vs. Jorge Teron (23-1-1)

Teron wins this one in the game 61-34-5.  Most common outcome was a UD10

Mike’s Take – Nice matchup between two prospects.  I think Rios is underrated in the game and will win this fight but it will be a good one.

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4) Tomasz Adamek (39-1) vs. Jason Estrada (16-2)

Adamek wins this with ease 66-30-4.  Most common outcome is a UD10.

Mike’s Take – Going with a gut feeling on this one and I will say Estrada pulls off the upset.  Not sure Adamek can fight at HW.  Hope he proves me wrong.

I am tied with TB Predicts with both of us starting out 2-0.  Two different picks this weekend could set the tone for the season!

1) Juan Manuel Lopez (27-0) vs. Steven Luevano (37-1-1)

Lopez wins this one easily going 79-20-1.  The most common outcome was TKO8

Mike’s Take – I think it will be closer than TB suggest but I think Lopez stops him late in the fight or gets a clear cut decision.

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2) Yuriorkis Gamboa (16-0) vs. Rogers Mtagwa (26-13-2)

Gamboa cruises in this one also going 89-10-1.  The most common outcome was a 7^th round stoppage.

Mike’s Take – Mtagwa proved to be a tough SOB against Lopez and Gamboa’s chin is more suspect.  Still I think Gamboa will win this fight but it will probably go the distance.

This starts a new season of TB Predicts and we both start out 0-0.  In these two fights I feel both Luevano and Mtagwa are a bit underrated in the game.  But at the end of the day (as Saturday night proved), these are Top Rank fighters and if they finish on their feet they will get the decision.

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