There are unanswered questions for both fighters. Miguel has only lost once. That was a little over a year ago when Antonio Margarito beat him in what would eventually be looked at as a controversial outcome. Why? Well, Margarito would later beat “Sugar” Shane Mosley with illegal, hardened inserts in his hand-wraps. Makes you wonder if he wasn’t similarly outfitted when he beat Miguel. So, I’m wondering how good Miguel really is. Should he be currently undefeated? And even so, is he past his prime? He will be making a huge statement with a win over Manny Pacquiao.

As for Manny, I wonder if he’ll be able to take the punches from a bigger, arguably tougher fighter? Sure, he is quick and fierce. He’s like lightning in a bottle. But can he withstand the power of Miguel Cotto? Of course, if you look at the way Manny destroyed Oscar De La Hoya at 147 pounds, I don’t doubt he’ll be ready to knock Miguel out and prepare for what would be one of the most anticipated fights of all-time—Pacquiao vs. Mayweather—next year. Until then, I’m going to enjoy this one. It should be a great fight.

Source: HBO.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Countdown to Pacquiao-Cotto Begins Tonight

Imagine you are Antonio Margarito. Your impressive July beat down of Miguel Cotto was a rousing success both in pulling pay-per-view buys and in garnering media attention. Casual sports fans have started recognizing your name and maybe even your face.

The sky is the limit. Right? Well, not so much. There are so few people out there for you to fight for your deserved huge payday. Shane Mosley? Yawn, that guy never caught the public’s eye. Paul Williams? Nobody knows him and maybe he’s a little too dangerous. Zab Judah? I’d have a good time at least. Ricky Hatton? Um, maybe? Manny Pacquiao? Not for a while, but maybe. Floyd Mayweather, Jr.? He ain’t coming out of retirement for me. He’s scared of the Tijuana Tornado.

No, the guy I really want is Oscar De La Hoya and he says he’s done on December 6th. You then continue your daily morning routine, open your computer and check your boxing RSS feeds. Lo and behold there’s a new article from Dan Rafael about the Golden Boy.

Its headline is intriguing enough, “De La Hoya shies away from retirement talk.” You start to get really excited. Does he want to fight me? Please Oscar, please. I could retire after the money made from that fight. You scan down the page. Still no mention. But wait. Here it is:

“My dream is to fight at Estadio Azteca,” De La Hoya said at the news conference. “I want a big farewell fight to leave a lasting impression all over the world with a huge event…fighting there would be a dream come true, and that’s why I don’t rule out the possibility of having another fight next year.”

“Oh my heavens,” your inner Antonio must be thinking, “he must be talking about me! Who else would he fight at the Azteca? It ain’t gonna be Sergio Mora or Ricky Hatton I guarantee you that! I need to start training right now. It doesn’t matter if he wins or loses to Manny; everyone in Mexico will want to see that fight. I’ll be avenging my hero Julio Cesar Chavez. I can’t wait.”

Neither can we Antonio, neither can we.

Post from: EveryJoe

De La Hoya Not Set on Retirement; Magarito Ecstatic

One after the next The Contenders have come and gone. Unimpressive, overhyped and out of their league. Until tonight. In a startling but well-deserved victory Sergio Mora outworked Ring Magazine’s #1 junior middleweight and WBC super welterweight champ Vernon Forrest to earn a majority decision win.

Few gave Mora a chance. Conventional wisdom said he was a club fighter who got a chance against the two-time Shane Mosley slayer not because of skill but because of his marketability. For the first three rounds this standard line of thinking seemed accurate. But in the fourth Mora landed some punches, found his groove, caught some momentum, gained some confidence, and slowly began to assert his dominance.

Mora’s and the fight’s signature round came in a wild action-filled ninth when Sergio cornered Forrest and landed a barrage of punches. The last one minute of this round was Mora’s emphatic announcement to the boxing world: “I am here and I am the better boxer tonight!”

The fight was not only expectedly close but also a surprisingly entertaining brawl that garnered a fair amount of drama. Both fighters risked point deductions with dirty techniques – Forrest with low blows and Mora with rabbit punches – but the judge fairly let them go.

This fight was the real life Rocky story that The Contender producers always dreamed the reality show could produce. After the fight Mora candidly admitted, “If The Contender had another loser they weren’t going to give us another chance.”He fought as if this fight was his last opportunity and he won over the Mohegan Sun fans who chanted his name as well as boxing fans watching at home.

No one enjoyed this fight more than Paul Williams. Not only did he score a first round knockout in Showtime’s first fight but his February loss to Carlos Quintana is no longer the front runner for upset of the year. That would be Mora’s victory tonight.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Contender Champ Defeats Vernon Forrest

Fight fans everywhere are feeling a huge Zab Judah putting his arm through glass-caused void in their Saturday night fight watching plans. OK, maybe not. I wasn’t planning to buy Zab’s pay-per-view bout against Shane Mosley and am relieved that I didn’t have any last minute pangs and pressures to do so.

That doesn’t mean that Sugar Shane has kept himself out of the news. Today’s Los Angeles Times reported that Mosley’s former trainer, Derryl Hudson, swore in federal court on Friday that “Shane was fully aware he was using performance-enhancing drugs as he prepared for his victorious 2003 rematch against Oscar De La Hoya.” The accompanying picture was taken just before that fight.

Hudson’s testimony comes as a result of his defamation suit against Shane for telling the media that “he didn’t know he was taking banned drugs from BALCO” and that “Hudson convinced him to take stomach injections because they were ‘icing on the cake’ to his typically rigorous conditioning program.”

Boxing has thus far avoided the performance enhancing drug scandals that have plagued most organized sports. Could Mosley’s BALCO link be the first of many exposés to follow? It’s doubtful simply because of the weight-limit nature of the sport. I personally don’t care and fail to see the arbitrary difference between cold medicines, steroids, chemically-altered foods, lasik surgery, protein shakes, or anything else not wholly natural that enters or affects your body in an effort to become better.

I know I’m in a distinct minority there. Dissent or agree? Comment below. This is a debate I’m always willing to engage in.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Trainer Says Shane Mosley Knowingly Juiced to Beat De La Hoya

Last night a message appeared on my Comcast cable box. It read: You still have time to order this Saturday’s exciting welterweight pay-per-view event “Sugar” Shane Mosley vs. Zab “Super” Judah. I wonder what would happen if you did order the May 31 fight that was officially canceled almost three weeks ago because of Zab Judah’s unfortunate incident with a shower and the resulting fifty stitches Zab had installed in his right arm?

Would you get a Zab Judah highlights montage showcasing the choking Jay Nady incident, the Roger Mayweather corner clearing brawl, the dizzying Kosta Tszyu knockdown? Or maybe you would get a clandestine video of what really happened in the infamous Las Vegas glass shower. ESPN’s Dan Rafael reports on his ESPN Insider blog that Judah did indeed put his jabbing arm threw glass only it didn’t occur because of an unfortunate slip.

No. Rafael’s sources told him that the 30-year-old Judah threw a temper tantrum in the Las Vegas Top Rank gym, got angry with his dad, and put his arm through the steam room shower door. The practical result is that now Zab will fight Ring Magazine’s #7 welterweight Joshua Clottey on August 2 on HBO instead of Ring Mag’s #2 Sugar Shane. Judah ranks #6.

Judah’s latest mishap cost him approximately $400,000 given the purse difference between the two fights. Through his multiple suspension and many career fines his uncontrollable temper has drained at least a conservative $1.5M from his accounts. If he defeats Clottey Judah will probably get another chance at Mosley once again proving his inimitable ability to bounce back.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Zab Judah and the Shower, The Real Story Emerges

Judah fell through the shower glass on an as-yet-to-be-determined date sometime this week resulting in an astounding 50 stitches in his right arm. How could this all have happened? Golden Boy promotions spokesperson explained. “He slipped and he went to brace himself on a glass door and his arm went through it. I saw his arm. It looked pretty bad.” Another story may eventually emerge but given the Tszyu knockdown we are inclined believe poor Super Judah.

Zab’s doctors have recommended him to hold off training for at least a month. When the wound has sufficiently healed then the fight will be rescheduled. Zab is an exciting, flashy fighter whose underachieving career can only be described as wholly disappointing. In his last six fights he’s 2-3 with one no contest. The fact that he’s still headlining PPV cards is a testament to his entertaining style, still-promising talent, and large New York fanbase.

Will this last setback derail the 30-year-old Brooklyn southpaw? It’s doubtful. He’ll be back vexing fight fans, appearing in music videos, and being name-checked by rappers soon enough.

Post from: EveryJoe

Zab Judah Shatters Glass, Fight Postponed, Jaw OK

Post from: EveryJoe

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