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Written by Frank Lotierzo
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Monday, 21 November 2011 17:17
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 Howard Cosell to Muhammad Ali 9/20/72 in the ring after Ali stopped former heavyweight champ Floyd Patterson in their rematch: Cosell: Muhammad, you couldn't put Floyd down, is there anything left of your punch? Ali: No Howard, I can't punch, I only punch hard enough to win. As most know, former heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali wasn't known for his knockout power. Ali may perhaps be the greatest overall heavyweight fighter/boxer in history, but he certainly wasn't a life-taker like Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ron Lyle and Earnie Shavers. Incidentally, in eight fights against those feared killers, Ali went 7-1 (5). Former champs Larry Holmes and Gene Tunney also weren't known as punchers, yet they convincingly beat beasts named Shavers and Dempsey. When Ali fought Foreman in 1974 for the title, the prevailing thought was he couldn't tickle... Read more...
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Written by Michael Woods
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Monday, 21 November 2011 13:38
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 A lighter weight standout from the near past who has battled weight woes and a heavyweight contender from the fairly distant past notched wins this past weekend. Joan Guzman, not that long ago on a pretty short list to get a crack at Manny Pacquiao at 130, remained unbeaten, as he ran over Florencio Castellano in the Dominican Republic on Saturday night. The Colombian loser ate an uppecut in round one, hit the deck and didn't beat the count. Guzman (now 31-0-1) made the welterweight limit for this one, but says he will get down to 140, and wants a showdown against a name in that class. Castellano drops to 17-5. The event took place at the Hotel Jaragua in Santo Domingo, DR. The right uppercut got started at the beer stand, but Flo didn't see it coming in time to slip it. He was on his back, and was counted... Read more...
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Written by Michael Woods
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Monday, 21 November 2011 11:56
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 An HBO 24/7 doesn't have to feature Floyd Mayweather or Miguel Cotto to be compelling. The Saturday debut of the Cotto-Margarito episode one cemented that. Liev Schrieber, aka The Voice, told watchers that the Dec. 3 rematch between the Puerto Rican and Mexican-born hitters is a battle between the good guy and the bad guy, the guy who has never been and will never be accused of being anything less than a principled professional, and the guy who quite possibly has cheated his way to prominence. "He used it, he used the plaster the night of the fight with me. He looks and he acts like a criminal," Cotto says. "I'm a clean fighter, there was nothing illegal," responds Margarito, looking like he should play Tony Montana in a "Scarface" remake, of the circumstances of their 2008 clash. In Cocoa Beach, FL, we see Cotto, having come from Orlando, working out. Cotto said... Read more...
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Written by David A. Avila
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Sunday, 20 November 2011 22:56
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 LAS VEGAS-In a nip and tuck battle, Puerto Rico’s Ada Velez (20-3-3, 6 KOs) made adjustments from their first encounter to win by majority decision over hometown Las Vegas fighter Melinda “La Maravilla” Cooper (21-2, 11 KOs) at Texas Station on Sunday. Cooper could not avenge her loss last March to Velez in a fight that looked lopsided in the Las Vegas girl’s favor. This fight was close. Combinations by Cooper landed early and Velez landed some good single right hands in round one with neither fighter needing to get warm. It was a very busy first round as it looked like Cooper was going for the knockout early. Even exchanges took place in round two as Cooper looked to be landing the big shots and Velez was countering with her own. Both landed big blows with neither backing up. Left hooks by Cooper were followed by... Read more...
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Written by Michael Woods
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Sunday, 20 November 2011 00:08
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 Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. ain't dad, but he ain't half bad. The son of the legend overwhelmed Peter Manfredo in the fifth round of the main event which unfolded at Reliant Arena in Houston, Texas on Saturday night. The end, via TKO, came at 1:52 of the fifth, one round after Manfredo had started to find some success. In the stat department, Chavez went 98-221, while Manfredo went 67-284 in a bout shown on HBO. Manfredo (turns 31 next week; 37-6 entering; from Providence, RI) weighed 159 1/4, 178 on fight night, while WBC middleweight champion Chavez (age 25; from Culiacan, Mexico; 43-0-1 entering) was 159 3/4, to 179 on fight night. Before the first bell, Manfredo told Max Kellerman that he'd like to engage in a Ward-Gatti type scrap. He said he knows he's no Roy Jones type, but he'd like to offer the people stunning and stellar entertainment. He'd also said this... Read more...
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Written by David A. Avila
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Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:45
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Quiet and unassuming, Melinda “La Maravilla” Cooper has been an underground boxing legend of such proportions on the streets of Las Vegas that even men like UFC’s Dana White, who are in the business of professional fighting, know her talent. “I met her back in the boxing days when she used to train out of one of the big boxing gyms that Kirk Kerkorian used to fund, Nevada Partners,” said White, president of Ultimate Fighting Championship. “I met her over there when she was a little girl.” Now 26, Cooper has emerged as one of the top female fighters in the world pound for pound. Back then, even MMA magnate White recognized her talent. “Back in the old days when all of the gyms were packed, Melinda Cooper was the stand-out big time,” says White of a time when he was still involved in boxing. “Melinda was... Read more...
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Written by Raymond Markarian
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Saturday, 19 November 2011 09:20
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 Last week, fight fans heard the good news when Floyd Mayweather announced his intent to return to the ring on May 5th in the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. But many didn’t expect The Ghost to come calling. Lightweight champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero wants to move up two weight classes to challenge undefeated pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather on Cinco De Mayo. The southpaw says a bout between the two crafty boxers would be great for the sport. With news of the super fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao being in jeopardy, Guerrero has pulled no punches in his quest to get Money May in the ring. Multiple press releases and appearances on sports shows are a few of the ways Guerrero expresses his viewpoint. Robert sat with me to discuss the potential Mayweather fight and why the... Read more...
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Written by David A. Avila
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Friday, 18 November 2011 18:42
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 It all began for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. more than a decade ago in a gym created from an old aluminum hangar in a community known as Mira Loma. Early on there was a purpose and dedication to working on his boxing skills with his younger brother Omar Chavez at the faraway gym in a town that used to be called Wineville, Calif. Chavez didn’t look like much but he was purposeful in his training. That was 11 years ago and now Chavez (43-0-1, 30 KOs), the son of Julio Cesar Chavez, makes his first WBC middleweight world title defense on Saturday Nov. 19, against Peter Manfredo Jr. (37-6. 20 KOs). Their bout will be shown live on HBO from the Reliant Arena in Houston, Texas. Very few people know the pressure and torment Chavez undergoes especially because his father is considered by many - especially Mexican boxing fans – to be the greatest... Read more...
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Written by Michael Woods
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Friday, 18 November 2011 12:24
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 The New York State Athletic Commission decided this afternoon to postpone the decision to grant Antonio Margarito a license to fight in NY. Chair Melvina Lathan, and deputies Edwin Torres and Tom Santino, after a public session, convened behind closed door and came back with an announcement that they want Margarito to submit to an exam by a doctor chosen by the commision, if he still desires to seek a NY license. After conferring, Top Rank acquiesced to the ruling. Their attorney sought to set up a powwow between NYSAC physicians and doctors who are definitively inclined to allow Margarito to box, in lieu of the exam. Lathan nixed that concept, and held firm to her wish, to have the NY doc give the Mexican-born hitter a thorough eye exam. Top Rank gave in, and they will set up a session for the doc to examine Margarito. They... Read more...
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Written by Frank Lotierzo
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Friday, 18 November 2011 00:17
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 On Monday night March 8th 1971, the best catch-n-kill style attacker, "Smokin" Joe Frazier 26-0 (23), met the fastest, flashiest and best moving and most natural boxer to ever grace the heavyweight division, Muhammad Ali 31-0 (25). The bout was appropriately called the "Fight Of The Century." And for 15 grueling and fast paced rounds the FOTC surely lived up to its billing. As it turned out it was one of those rare super-fights in which the realization exceeded the expectation. And to this day 40 plus years later, Frazier-Ali I is the super-fight by which all super-fights are measured. Never have two more skilled heavyweights faced each other in the ring for the title while both were at or near their physical prime as was the case for the FOTC. That statement may tweak some fans of Muhammad Ali because he was only five months into his comeback after his forced three and... Read more...
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