I know Showtime wants to have a fight on their free preview weekend, but I can't help but think they're going to get the short end of the stick in 2 consecutive weeks.
I truly think the tag line for Mayorga vs. Vargas should be "If one fighter does not have brain damage by the end of the night, you get your money back!" It's a shame these two have to meet at this point in their careers.
Off the top of my head, here's the schedule we're looking at:
That sounds great -- wish I could have been there! I finally got aroujnd to watching my DVR of the fight just tonight. Berto sure is an exciting prospect and I can't wait to see him in there against one of the "name" fighters in the incredibly stacked welterweight division. How about putting him in there against Zab Judah in a true "crossroads" fight. A win over Judah at this point would give Berto his top 10 ranking and put him in line for a title shot. On the other hand, if Judah can dispose of Berto, he goes a long wa toward rehabilitating himself and putting himself back in the title picture.
I would be surprised if they didn't do that for Hatton-Mayweather. Looks like, even though Taylor-Pavlik is on HBO World Championship Boxing, HBO will still do a "Countdown" special, promoting it as if it were a PPV fight. Last year, they did that for Taylor vs. Winky Wright, and they got their highest rated fight of the year. I think that Taylor-Pavlik should be their highest-rated WCB shwo of 2007 as well.
I think the heavyweight division is just waiting for Klitschko to unify it. He's got all the elements that make a superstar, personality, looks, skill and above all, he knocks guys out. But as long as there are four guys running around calling themselves "Heavyweight Champion of the World," he won't get the recognition he deserves.
OK, here as of this moment is my personal Top 10 Pound-For-Pound list, ranked, plus 10 "Honorable Mentions" in no particular order:
No, it won't be replayed. It was actually an independently-produced Top Rank PPV, not an HBO PPV broadcast. HBO just helped advertise and promote it, for whatever reason. But there were no HBO announcers, no HBO graphics, etc.
Do you have a link for this? Because I'm not seeing it reported anywhere else.
1. Floyd Mayweather- I have to disagree with Gene on this one. If Floyd had never moved up in weight and stayed at 130, I think he would handily beat Pacquiao. Speed + skills + defense beats power 9 times out of 10.
This is the site I read about Barrios having to pull out of the fight:
I watched the fight a second time and it made me reconsider my opinion on the stoppage. At first I thought it was quick but now I think it was fine. Raf was basically out on his feet and even though there aren't many fighters with more heart than he has, I think the fight was effectively over at that point. Vasquez may not be the best pound-for-pound fighter, but he has got to be one of the hardest pound-for-pound punchers. Looking at it again, I didn't need to see him rattle Marquez's brains any further.
As of right now, I'd put Marquez-Vasquez II as the fight of the year. And Round 3 is the round of the year.
Rafael is reporting that it is set for November 10th at MSG. Fantastic stuff!
Rafael is reporting that it is set for November 10th at MSG. Fantastic stuff!
One for the "I'm laughing, but I probably shouldn't" category (also from Rafael's 'Divisional Rankings' column)...
Anthony Mundine has apparently got a serious eye infection, after cleaning his contact lense in his mouth and inserting it! It is so serious it could cost him his sight in the eye and with it his career.
Unfortunately, I believe the winner of that fight is contractually obligated to fight Vitali next, meaning neither Peter nor Maskaev would be available for Wlad until late 2008 at the earliest.
I'm happy with the state of the sport right now (and obviously love what's in store for the rest of '07), but if there's one thing I don't like, it's that the top end of the sport is a little too old for my liking.
Yeah, I am definitely rooting hard for McCline. Unfortunately, at this point in his career, he falls into the category of "hand picked opponent." Of course, it's hard to say what Vitali has left, or how much he ever really had in the first place. But I have to say, he's one of the most annoying personalities in the sport. I'd love it if McCline landed a lucky punch and put him out of our misery. Can't Vitali just be happy as his brother's #2 cornerman?
Boxing has made a big comeback this year. MMA and particularly the UFC still has the "of the moment" factor that gives it the media heat, but I have the feeling that it'll lose some of its sheen over the next year or two as the steroid charges proliferate, the athletes demand bigger and bigger paydays and the all-powerful UFC finds increasing competition from rival promotions.
