The wooing is over, the coy glances have stopped, the contractual bickering has been worked out and the most anticipated fight since Larry Merchant suggested it to ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael in October 2007 is on!
That same Dan Rafael reports that at a 2:00 p.m. press conference today Oscar De La Hoya will his December 6, 2008 opponent in what he claims will be his last fight. That adversary is expected to be the popular pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.
There are so many stories, plots, and intrigues with this super fight. Most pressing to me is: will Larry Merchant get …read more

Here are my Olympic Boxing Semi-Final predictions for the welterweights, light heavyweights, and super heavyweights. These bouts will take place on Friday the 22nd at 8:30 a.m. EST (welter), 9:00 a.m. (light heavy) and 9:30 a.m. (super heavy). We’ll analyze how I did on Saturday. (Jabandgrapple picks in bold)
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Welterweight Semifinals
Carlos Banteaux (CUB) vs. Hanati Silamu (CHN)
Banteaux and Hanati are the top two ranked remaining competitors. I shudder to say fighters because the Chinese have done little fighting during this competition. This match could be 20-19 given the ease with which Cubans and Chinese have received points from the judges this …read more

Quick thoughts on the Welterweight Olympic boxing draw.
Official Link to the Welterweight Draw

Welterweight (69 kg / 152 lbs.)
In their Olympics preview edition Sports Illustrated picked Briton Billy Joe Saunders to win light welterweight bronze. Problem is Billy Joe is fighting at welterweight and while he might have an amazing backstory remarkable back story (his great grandfather, alive and well at 95, was a bare knuckle Traveller boxing champ) he faces a very tough road to medal glory in Beijing.
Saunders will face 2007 World Championship bronze medalist Adem Kilicci, who hails from Turkey, in the first round and also sees …read more

Let’s hope Paul Williams hasn’t read ESPN.com’s recap of the Joshua Clottey – Zab Judah fight. What does it say? That despite Judah’s loss he might be next in line for the recently lionized welterweight champ Antonio Margarito.
It seems that Clottey tore his bicep in the fifth round of that fight. That’s right, the Ghanian TORE HIS BICEP and still managed to be more powerful and look better than Judah. Zab’s claim of not being able to continue because of purported lost vision looks a lot more cowardly now.
No matter, despite his ridiculous display he still might get the …read more

Boxing promised us a welterweight fight for the ages and for 11 rounds Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito provided. Margarito charged relentlessly with defiant straightforward abandon while Cotto skillfully bobbed, weaved, counterpunched and scored with inspired boxing. Power punch after power punch from both fighters, bomb after bomb.
But in the 11th it was the Mexican, the Tijuana Tornado Antonio Margarito, who proved to have the greater will as the Puerto Rican Cotto quit on his feet, too battered, unwilling and unable to summon strength in the championship rounds.
Cotto’s corner ostensibly threw in the towel but Miguel’s sinking eyes and …read more

Maybe somewhere somehow you’ve read something about Saturday’s Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito welterweight title fight. About how it’s the going to be the greatest fight of all time, about how if there’s one fight you should watch this year this should be it, about how this is the fight to bring casual fans in, about how the action will be scintillating and non-stop, about how if you can’t get excited about this fight then you’ll never be excited about any fight ever. Ever, ever, ever.
Am I excited? Yes. Do I think it’s going to be a great fight? Of …read more

It didn’t take long. In just two minutes Paul Williams regained his WBO welterweight title from Carlos Quintana revenging his unexpected February loss to the Puerto Rican. Williams put Quintana down twice in the first reminding us why he was once one of boxing’s most feared fighters.
This emphatic win puts Williams back on the welterweight map. He’s an exciting fighter and a powerful champ. Now that Oscar De La Hoya has nothing to do on September 20 why not take a chance on this up-and-coming star from Aiken, South Carolina.
The best part of Williams’ quick win is that …read more

Image details: St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital Benefit served by picapp.com
It’s really hard to get excited about Saturday’s 150 lb. bout between Oscar De La Hoya’s tired, pragmatic, money-oozing sheen and The Contender graduate Steve Forbes‘ pleading payday-grabbing genuflection. No one expects a good fight. No one expects Forbes to have much of a chance. Boxing fans will watch out of obligation, thank HBO for gifting us a non-PPV look at the Golden Boy, and beg in our most Tiny Tim-like voice: “Please Sir, can I have another?”
Forbes must be thinking the same thing. Why else would he accept a …read more