Ring Bytes

Margarito set for Showtime date
Antonio Margarito’s manager Sergio Diaz has just confirmed that the WBO Welterweight champion Antonio Margarito will be taking on the very tough Joshua Clottey (29-1, 18 KO’s) on December 2nd. After negotiations for a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell apart due to “Lil’ Floyd’s” apprehension about fighting the Tijuana native, Margarito will take on the hardnosed African instead. Mayweather was offered in excess of eight million dollars for the fight but flatly turned it down using the “Who’s Margarito?” excuse. Eight million dollars plus is an obscene amount of money that most fighters could never turn down since those offers are far and few. “Of course he won’t fight Tony, he’s running scared. If Tony is as slow and easy to beat as Floyd says then that’s even more reason to fight Tony. We’re talking about a deal that could’ve made Mayweather up to ten million dollars with the additional Pay Per View revenue. He’s always talking about what a great businessman he is. His handling of this deal would lead you to believe that he’s a terrible businessman,” said Diaz. Mayweather is reportedly waiting for an offer from the king of the Pay Per View, Oscar De La Hoya, who is currently considering other dance partners as well for his return fight in 2007. It seems like Mayweather Jr. is already looking past Carlos “Tata” Baldomir who’ll go up against “Pretty Boy” Floyd on November 4th. A bad idea, just ask Zab Judah.

Edwin Valero a monster
If you haven’t seen the fight between Edwin “Inca” Valero and Vicente “El Loco” Mosquera then you’ve been missing out. Valero who hails from Venezuela and trained in Los Angeles has been astounding boxing circles with his furious sparring sessions against the likes of Erik Morales, the Santa Cruz brothers, (Armando and Roberto) and Urbano Antillon. He more then held his own and had some of these world-class fighters in some form of trouble. Championed in the media by Maxboxing’s Doug Fischer, Valero was deemed unfit to fight by the New York State Athletic Commission due to a previous motorcycle accident that left Valero with a soft spot on top of his head. Valero has been fighting in places like Japan and in his fight against Mosquera (24-2, 12 KO’s) in Panama. Although he tends to keep himself open for counters and makes other basic mistakes, watching him throw powerful straight haymakers with equal power and speed in both hands is a thing of beauty. It’s also amazing to see that Valero was just as fresh in the 10th round as he was in the first. The fight against Mosquera for the WBA Super Featherweight crown is an excellent display of Valero’s persistence and brutal punching power that usually overwhelm his opponents before the end of the first round. Here’s the link to the Valero/Mosquera fight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGuRABbTdH0

Fighters in the 126-130 lb division that can beat Valero at this point of his career:
Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez, Joan Guzman, Rocky Juarez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Jorge Barrios and Eric Morales. Notice that these are all elite level competition and Valero is only 24 years old with 20 fights. All won by knockout.

Arce back in the spotlight
Mexico’s most famous fighter at the moment is Jorge “El Travieso” Arce of Culiacan, Sinaloa. If you take a popularity poll among Mexicans regarding Arce and Marco Antonio Barrera, Arce will undoubtedly win the contest. This is due to Arce’s stint on the very popular Mexican version of the show “Big Brother.” That shouldn’t overshadow the fact that Arce is also an exciting and talented fighter as well. Arce (44-3-1) is set to fight against Masibulele “Hawk” Makepula (28-3) of South Africa in a 12 round WBC Super Flyweight title elimination. The action will take place on September 23rd at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. Also on the card will be Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (27-0-1). The show will be broadcast on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. 

Bobby D back in the mix
San Diego promoter Bobby Dephilippi is set to go with an October 5th show featuring his newest signee, former world champion Cruz Carbajal, and the return of heavyweight Mika “the Samoan Destroyer” Gergen. After a frustrating search for the right venue, it looks like Bobby D may have found a place to call home for the moment. Dephilippi has been promoting fights in the San Diego area since the 1980’s where his shows have experienced everything from decent to great success. The bouts will take place at the Golden Hall in downtown San Diego with Samson Pohua and lightweight Rafael Ramirez also on the card along with two other bouts. The show starts at 7:00 p.m.

James De La Rosa
Keep your eyes wide open for the brother of former “The Contender” contestant Juan De La Rosa. Little bro’ James De La Rosa (7-0, 5KO) stopped David Obregon (12-2, 7KO) in the third round as part of the Carlos Maussa vs. Manuel Garnica undercard. De La Rosa can box, is fast and accurate. The bottom line is he looked very impressive. Out of Harlingen, Texas and with an amateur background that includes over a hundred wins, the young man of Mexican and African-American heritage looks like a surefire prospect.

Predictions for the September 16th Golden Boy Promotions Pay Per View:
Israel Vazquez by TKO 8 Jhonny Gonzalez
WBC Super Bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez will be in spectacular shape and Gonzalez is vulnerable in certain areas. Vazquez will be too strong and determined for the highly regarded WBO bantamweight champion. Gonzalez depends on a certain distance to be the most effective with his long arms. Look for Vazquez to try and bully his way inside and finish matters before the final bell.

Joan Guzman SD over Jorge Barrios
This is a pick ‘em fight if there ever was one. Guzman is supremely talented and confident. Barrios is also a beast. I will go with Guzman’s talent to barely overcome the Argentinean who will show up to fight as usual. An excellent matchup.

Barrera UD Rocky Juarez
Barrera tried to match the strength of the much younger and less battle weary Rocky Juarez out of Texas during their first meeting with disastrous results. This time Barrera will box his way to a unanimous decision. He will lose if he tries to match Juarez punch for punch but I expect Barrera will do the smart thing.