Boxing thread 2013

[JKidd]

January Fights
Jan 19th:
HBO card at MSG
-Orlando Salido (39-11-2, 27 KOs) vs. Mikey Garcia (30-0, 26 KOs) - for Salido's WBO featherweight title / Mikey knocks Saldio down 4 times en route to a shortened 8 round tech decision win
-Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KOs) vs. Gabriel Rosado (21-5, 13 KOs) - for Golovkin's WBA middleweight title / GGG busted up Rosado through 7, causing the corner to stop the fight in the 7th due to cuts
-Roman Martinez (26-1, 16 KOs) vs. Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1, 20 KOs) - for Martinez's WBO junior lightweight title / Martinez claims a draw despite being pulverized for 12 one sided rounds, a robbery

Jan 26th:
Showtime card in Las Vegas
-Lucas Matthysse (32-2, 30 KOs) vs. Michael Dallas Jr. (19-2-1, 8 KOs) - for Matthysse's WBC interim junior welterweight title / LM knocks Dallas out in the first round
-Selcuk Aydin (23-1, 17 KOs) vs. Jesus Soto Karass (26-8-3, 17 KOs) - 10 rounds, welterweights / JSK picks up a MD10 over Aydin

Jan 30th:
Daniel Geale (28-1, 15 KOs) vs. Anthony Mundine (44-4, 26 KOs) II - for Geale's IBF middleweight title / Geale dominates a 12 round UD

February Fights
Feb 1st in Germany:
Felix Sturm (37-3-2, 16 KOs) vs. Sam Soliman (42-11, 17 KOs) - 12 rounds, IBF middleweight eliminator / Soliman wins via UD

Feb 16th:
HBO card in AC
-Adrien Broner (25-0, 21 KOs) vs. Gavin Rees (37-1-1, 18 KOs) - for Broner's WBC lightweight title / Broner TKO5 over Rees
-Sakio Bika (30-5-2, 21 KOs) vs. Nikola Sjekloca (25-0, 7 KOs) - WBC super middleweight eliminator / Bika UD12

Separate card in Mexico:
Alejandro Lopez (25-2, 7 KOs) vs. Jhonatan Romero (22-0, 12 KOs) - for vacant IBF junior featherweright title / Romero SD12 over Lopez

Feb 22nd:
ESPN FNF
Lamont Peterson (30-1, 15 KOs) vs. Kendall Holt (28-5, 16 KOs) - for Peterson's IBF junior welterweight title / Peterson knocks Holt down twice en route to an 8th round TKO

Feb 23rd:
-Cornelius "K9" Bundrage (32-4, 19 KOs) vs. Ishe Smith (24-5, 11 KOs) - for Bundrage's IBF junior middleweight title / Ishe wins via SD

March Fights
Mar 1st:
ESPN FNF
Billy Dib (35-1, 21 KOs) vs. Evgeny Gradovich (15-0, 8 KOs) - for Dib's IBF featherweight title / Gradovich and Dib go to war, and Grado emerges the new IBF champ via split nod

Mar 2nd:
Showtime
-Richard Abril (17-3-1, 8 KOs) vs. Sharif Bogere (23-0, 15 KOs) - for vacant WBA lightweight title / Abril and Bogere engage in an ugly fight, seeing Abril retain his title via UD.

Mar 9th
HBO split site event
-Tavoris Cloud (24-0, 19 KOs) vs. Bernard Hopkins (52-6-2, 32 KOs) - for Cloud's IBF light heavyweight title / Hopkins puts on a clinic getting a UD to win the title
-Keith Thurman (19-0, 18 KOs) vs. Jan Zaveck (32-2, 18 KOs) - WBO welterweight eliminator / Thurman earns a shutout UD over 12 one sided rounds
-Juan Carlos Salgado (26-1-1, 16 KOs) vs. Argenis Mendez (20-2, 10 KOs) II - for Salgado's IBF junior lightweight title / Mendez gets revenge, knocking out Salgado in 4

Mar 16th
HBO
-Timothy Bradley Jr. (29-0, 12 KOs) vs. Ruslan Provodnikov (22-1, 15 KOs) - for Bradley's WBO welterweight title / Timmy and Provo go to war for 12 rounds, seeing Bradley get the UD

Mar 23rd
In Germany
-Arthur Abraham (36-3, 28 KOs) vs. Robert Stieglitz (43-3, 24 KOs) II - for Abraham's WBO super middleweight title / Stieg blitzes Abraham, causing his eye to swell shut after 3, forcing a doctor stoppage

Mar 30th
-Brandon Rios (31-0-1, 23 KOs) vs. Mike Alvarado (33-1, 23 KOs) II - for vacant WBO interim junior werlterweight title / Rios and Alvarado go to war, with Mike winning a UD to get the title

Separate card in Monte Carlo
-Gennady Golovkin (25-0, 22 KOs) vs. Nobuhiro Ishida (24-8-2, 9 KOs) - for Golovkin's WBA middleweight title / Golovkin knocks Ishida out, and through the topes
-Edwin Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) vs. Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna (19-0, 13 KOs) - super middleweights / Rodriguez wins via UD
-Zolt Erdei (33-0, 18 KOs) vs. Denis Grachev (12-1-1, 8 KOs) - light heavyweights / Grachev picks up a split nod

April Fights
Apr 6th
HBO in Macau China
-Roman "Rocky" Martinez (26-1-2, 16 KOs) vs. Diego Magdaleno (25-0, 9 KOs) - for Martinez's WBO junior lightweight title / Rocky picks up the split nod (should have been UD)
-Brian Viloria (32-3, 19 KOs) vs. Juan Francisco Estrada (22-2, 18 KOs) - Viloria's WBA/WBO flyweight title / Estrada shocks the world taking the win and titles over Viloria

Apr 7th:
-Koki Kameda (29-1, 17 KOs) vs. Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym (36-1, 19 KOs) - for Kameda's WBA "regular" bantamweight title / Koki retains via Split nod

Apr 8th:
-Shinsuke Yamanaka (17-0, 12 KOs) vs. Malcolm Tunacao (30-2-3, 20 KOs) - for Yamanaka's WBC bantamweight title / Yama retains via 12th round TKO
-Gamaliel Diaz (37-9-2, 17 KOs) vs. Takashi Miura (24-2-2, 18 KOs) - for Diaz's WBC junior lightweight title / Miura bombs away Diaz, KO'ing him in 9

Apr 13th:
Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20 KOs) vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux (11-0, 8 KOs) - WBO/WBA junior featherweight title unification / Rigo puts on a clinic in an ugly, boring affair, getting a UD

Apr 14th:
Chris John (48-0, 22 KOs) vs. Satoshi Hosono (23-2, 17 KOs) - for John's WBA "super" featherweight title / Fight called off after 3 due to a cut

Apr 19th:
ESPN FNF
Javier Fortuna (21-0, 15 KOs) vs. Miguel Zamudio (25-1-1, 13 KOs) - for Fortuna's WBA interim featherweight title / Fortuna misses weight, then knocks Zamudio cold in the first round

Apr 20th:
Showtime in San Antonio TX
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (41-0, 30 KOs) vs. Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KOs) - WBC/WBA junior middleweight unification / Alvarez UD 12 over Trout

EPIX card in England
-Nathan Cleverly (25-0, 12 KOs) vs. Robin Krasniqi (39-2, 15 KOs) - for Cleverly's WBO light heavyweight title / Cleverly UD 12 over Krasniqi

Separate UNI-Mas card in Mexico
Victor Terrazas (36-2-1, 21 KOs) vs. Cristian Mijares (47-6-2, 22 KOs) - for vacant WBC junior featherweight title / Mijares SD12 over Terrazas

Apr 27th:
HBO in Argentina
-Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KOs) vs. Martin Murray (25-0-1, 11 KOs) - for Martinez's lineal/WBC middleweight title / Sergio UD over Murray
-Luis Carlos Abregu (34-1, 28 KOs) vs. Antonin Decarie (27-1, 8 KOs) - 10 rounds, welterweights / Abregu UD10 over Decarie

HBO Split site in Cali
Cristobal Arreola (35-2, 30 KOs) vs. Bermane Stiverne (22-1-1, 20 KOs) - 12 rounds, WBC heavyweight eliminator / Stiverne pummels Arreola for 12 rounds, getting the UD

Showtime card in Brooklyn
-Danny Garcia (25-0, 16 KOs) vs. Zab Judah (42-7, 29 KOs) - for Garcia's WBC/WBA junior welterweight title / Garcia UD12 over Judah
-Peter Quillin (28-0, 20 KOs) vs. Fernando Guerrero (25-1, 19 KOs) - for Quillin's WBO middleweight title / Quillin TKO7 over Guerrero

Showtime split site in England:
-Amir Khan (27-3, 19 KOs) vs. Julio Diaz (40-7-1, 29 KOs) - 12 rounds, 143lb catch / Khan UD over Diaz
-Deontay Wilder (27-0, 27 KOs) vs. Audley Harrison (31-6, 23 KOs) - 10 rounds, heavyweights / Wilder KO1 over Harrison

May Fights
May 4:
Showtime PPV
-Floyd Mayweather Jr. (43-0, 26 KOs) vs. Robert Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KOs) - for Mayweather's WBC welterweight title / Floyd dominates to a UD
-Daniel Ponce De Leon (44-4, 35 KOs) vs. Abner Mares (25-0-1, 13 KOs) - for Ponce De Leon's WBC featherweight title / Mares drops Ponce twice and notches a TKO9
-Leo Santa Cruz (23-0, 13 KOs) vs. Alexander Munoz (36-4, 28 KOs) - 10 rounds, junior featherweights / LSC dominates to a 5th round TKO
-J'Leon Love (15-0, 8 KOs) vs. Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13 KOs) - 10 rounds, middleweights / Love gets a BS split nod

Separate card in Germany:
Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KOs) vs. Francesco Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KOs) - for Klitschko's IBF/WBO/WBA heavyweight title / Wlad kills him in 6

May 6th
Takashi Uchiyama (19-0-1, 16 KOs) vs. Jaider Parra (20-0-1, 10 KOs) - for Uchiyama's WBA junior lightweight title / Uchiyama stops Parra in the 5th

May 11th:
-Ricky Burns (35-2, 10 KOs) vs. Jose Gonzalez (22-0, 17 KOs) - for Burns' WBO lightweight title / Burns retains via 9th round RTD as Gonzalez breaks his wrist mid combat and is unable to continue
-Jamie McDonnell (20-2-1, 9 KOs) vs. Julio Ceja (24-0, 22 KOs) - for vacant IBF bantamweight title / McDonnell notches a MD to get his first title

May 17th:
-Alexander Povetkin (25-0, 17 KOs) vs. Andrzej Wawrzyk (27-0, 13 KOs) - for Povetkin's WBA "regular" heavyweight title / Povetkin destroys Wawrzyk in 3
-Denis Lebedev (25-1, 19 KOs) vs. Guillermo Jones (38-3-2, 30 KOs) - for Lebedev's WBA cruiserweight title / Jones and Lebedev go to war for 11 rounds, seeing Jones stop Denis in the 11th

May 18th:
Showtime
-Lamont Peterson (31-1-1, 16 KOs) vs. Lucas Matthysse (33-2, 31 KOs) - 12 rounds, 141lb catchweight / Matthysse knocks Peterson down 3 times en route to a 3rd round stoppage
-Devon Alexander (24-1, 13 KOs) vs. Lee Purdy (20-3-1, 13 KOs) for Alexander's IBF welterweight title / Devon breaks his left hand but manages to force a corner stoppage by the 7th

May 25th:
HBO in London
-Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KOs) vs. Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KOs) II - WBA/IBF super middleweight unification
-George Groves (18-0, 14 KOs) vs. Noe Gonzalez Alcoba (30-2-1, 22 KOs) - 12 rounds, super middleweights
-Tony Bellew (19-1-1, 12 KOs) vs. Isaac Chilemba (20-1-2, 9 KOs) II - WBC light heavyweight eliminator

June Fights
June 8th:
HBO
-Chad Dawson (31-2, 17 KOs) vs. Adonis Stevenson (20-1, 17 KOs) - Dawson's lineal/WBC light heavyweight title
-Yuriorkis Gamboa (22-0, 16 KOs) vs. Darley Perez (28-0, 19 KOs) - 10 rounds, lightweights

Showtime
-Marcos Maidana (33-3, 30 KOs) vs. Josesito Lopez (30-5, 18 KOs) - 12 rounds, welterweights
-Erislandy Lara (17-1-2, 11 KOs) vs. Alfredo Angulo (22-2, 18 KOs) - 12 rounds, junior middleweights
-Jermell Charlo (20-0, 10 KOs) vs. Demetrius Hopkins (33-2-1, 13 KOs) - 12 rounds, junior middleweights

Separate card in Germany
Marco Huck (35-2-1, 25 KOs) vs. Ola Afolabi (19-2-4, 9 KOs) III - for Huck's WBO cruiserweight title

June 14th
NBC Fight Night
-Bryant Jennings (16-0, 8 KOs) vs. Andrey Fedosov (24-2, 19 KOs) - 10 rounds, heavyweights
-Sergey Kovalev (20-0, 18 KOs) vs. Cornelius White (21-1, 16 KOs) - 12 rounds, IBF light heavyweight eliminator

June 15th
HBO
Miguel Angel "Mikey" Garcia (31-0, 26 KOs) vs. Juan Manuel Lopez (33-2, 30 KOs) - for Garcia's WBO featherweight title

June 22nd
Showtime
-Paulie Malignaggi (32-4, 7 KOs) vs. Adrien Broner (26-0, 22 KOs) - for Malignaggi's WBA welterweight title
-Johnathon Banks (29-1-1, 19 KOs) vs. Seth Mitchell (25-1-1, 19 KOs) II - 12 rounds, heavyweights;
-Sakio Bika (31-5-2, 21 KOs) vs. Marco Antonio Periban (20-0, 13 KOs) - for vacant WBC super middleweight title

June 29th
HBO
-Gennady Golovkin (26-0, 23 KOs) vs. Matthew Macklin (29-4, 20 KOs) - for Golovkin's WBA middleweight title
-Thomas Oosthuizen (21-0-1, 13 KOs) vs. Brandon Gonzalez (15-0-1, 10 KOs) - 10 rounds, super middleweights
-Willie Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KOs) vs. Luciano Cuello (26-2, 12 KOs) -10 rounds, junior middleweights

[JKidd]

Another year, and another boxing thread for those fans of the sweet science.

[JKidd]

HEAVYWEIGHT - (unlimited)
WBA - Wladimir Klitschko 60-3 (51 KOs) / Alexander Povetkin 25-0 (17 KOs)
WBC - Vitali Klitschko 45-2 (41 KOs)
IBF - Wladimir Klitschko 60-3 (51 KOs)
WBO - Wladimir Klitschko 60-3 (51 KOs)

CRUISERWEIGHT - (200 pounds)
WBA - Guillermo Jones 38-3-2 (30 KOs) / Denis Lebedev 25-1 (19 KOs)
WBC - Krzysztof Wlodarczyk 47-2-1 (33 KOs)
IBF - Yoan Pablo Hernandez 26-1 (13 KOs)
WBO - Marco Huck 34-2-1 (25 KOs) / Ola Afolabi 19-2-4 (9 KOs)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT - (175 pounds)
WBA - Beibut Shumenov 12-1 (8 KOs)
WBC - Chad Dawson 31-2-2 NC (17 KOs)
IBF - Bernard Hopkins 53-6-2-2 NC (32 KOs)
WBO - Nathan Cleverly 25-0 (12 KOs)

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT - (168 pounds)
WBA - Andre Ward 26-0 (14 KOs) / Stanyslav Kashtanov 30-1 (16 KOs) / Mikkel Kessler 46-2 (35 KOs)
WBC - VACANT
IBF - Carl Froch 30-2 (22 KOs)
WBO - Robert Stieglitz 44-3 (25 KOs)

MIDDLEWEIGHT - (160 pounds)
WBA - Martin Murray 25-0-1 (11 KOs) / Gennady Golovkin 25-0 (22 KOs)
WBC - Sergio Martinez 52-2-2 (28 KOs)
IBF - Daniel Geale 28-1 (15 KOs)
WBO - Peter Quillen 28-0 (20 KOs)

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT - (154 pounds)
WBA - Floyd Mayweather Jr. 44-0 (26 KOs) / Austin Trout 26-0 (14 KOs)
WBC - Saul Alvarez 40-0-1 (29 KOs)
IBF - Ishe Smith 25-5 (11 KOs)
WBO - Zaurbek Baysangurov 28-1 (20 KOs) / Lukas Konecny 49-4 (23 KOs)

WELTERWEIGHT - (147 pounds)
WBA - Paulie Malignaggi 32-4 (7 KOs) / Diego Gabriel Chaves 22-0 (18 KOs)
WBC - Floyd Mayweather Jr. 44-0 (26 KOs)
IBF - Devon Alexander 24-1 (13 KOs)
WBO - Timothy Bradley 30-0-0-1 NC (12 KOs)

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT - (140 pounds)
WBA - Danny Garcia 25-0 (16 KOs) / Khabib Allakhverdiev 18-0 (8 KOs)
WBC - Danny Garcia 25-0 (16 KOs) / Lucas Matthysse 33-2-1 NC (31 KOs)
IBF - Lamont Peterson 31-1-1 (16 KOs)
WBO - Juan Manuel Marquez 54-6-1 (39 KOs) / Mike Alvarado 34-1 (23 KOs)

LIGHTWEIGHT - (135 pounds)
WBA - Richard Abril 17-3-1 (8 KOs)
WBC - Adrien Broner 26-0 (22 KOs)
IBF - Miguel Vazquez 33-3 (13 KOs)
WBO - Ricky Burns 35-2 (10 KOs)

JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT - (130 pounds)
WBA - Takashi Uchiyama 19-0-1 (16 KOs) / Yuriorkis Gamboa 22-0 (16 KOs)
WBC - Takashi Miura 25-2-2 (19 KOs)
IBF - Argenis Mendez 21-2 (11 KOs)
WBO - Rocky Martinez 26-1-2 (16 KOs)

FEATHERWEIGHT - (126 pounds)
WBA - Chris John 48-0-2 (22 KOs) / Nicholas Walters 22-0 (18 KOs) / Javier Fortuna 21-0-1 NC (15 KOs)
WBC - Abner Mares 26-0-1 (14 KOs)
IBF - Evgeny Gradovich 16-0 (8 KOs)
WBO - Mikey Garcia 31-0 (26 KOs)

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHT - (122 pounds)
WBA - Guillermo Rigondeaux 12-0 (8 KOs) / Scott Quigg 25-0-1 (18 KOs)
WBC - Victor Terrazas 37-2-1 (21 KOs)
IBF - Jonathan Romero 23-0 (12 KOs)
WBO - Guillermo Rigondeaux 12-0 (8 KOs)

BANTAMWEIGHT - (118 pounds)
WBA - Anselmo Moreno 33-1-1 (12 KOs) / Koki Kameda 28-1 (17 KOs)
WBC - Shinsuke Yamanaka 17-0-2 (12 KOs)
IBF - VACANT
WBO - Paulus Ambunda 20-0 (10 KOs)

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHT - (115 pounds)
WBA - Kohei Kono 28-7 (11 KOs) / Liborio Solis 14-3-1 (7 KOs)
WBC - Srisaket Sor Rungvisai 19-3-1 (18 KOs)
IBF - Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. 15-1-1 (8 KOs)
WBO - Omar Narvaez 38-1-2 (20 KOs)

FLYWEIGHT - (112 pounds)
WBA - Juan Estrada 24-2 (18 KOs) / Juan Carlos Reveco 30-1 (16 KOs)
WBC - Akira Yaegashi 17-3 (9 KOs)
IBF - Moruti Mthalane 29-2 (20 KOs)
WBO - Juan Estrada 24-2 (18 KOs)

[JKidd]

Some news and rumors out there to kick the new year off.

1. Austin Trout vs. Canelo is gaining steam. Boxrec has it leaked and official on their website. While that doesn't mean it's a lock yet, it does mean there is a lot of talk about it and it could be announced soon.

If it is the fight to be made, it's a MASSIVE step up for Canelo. A huge risk as well, considering a payday with Floyd awaits in September, provided he gets through May unscathed.

For Trout, it's a highly winnable fight. Canelo, while VERY good, is still raw and can be hit. The trick for Trout will be adapting in the ring to what Canelo brings towards him, like he did with Cotto. Once the lead left was dismissed by Cotto, that cracking right hook was brought out and saved the day.

2. Floyd vs. Robert Guerrero is near done. It's not official yet due to people just getting back into the offices of both fighter camps, but the deal is VERY close from what I hear.

Like I said previously it needs to be made, but I don't give Ghost too much of a chance to beat Floyd. Everything he does, Floyd does better. And the inside fighting Guerrero would like to employ, won't work with a guy who moves and is as slippery as Floyd is. Ghost's chin and heart will keep him in the fight, but it will be a UD at the end for Floyd.

3. Keith Thurman is expected to be at Barclays card 2 in March featuring Cloud vs. Hopkins. No opponents are coming up yet, but that's when Al wants him to fight again.

4. Still no word from Marquez or Vitali on their futures.

5. Now that Ward/Pavlik is dead, Kelly is looking towards a fight with Arthur Abraham or Lucian Bute. I'd favor Kelly in BOTH fights at this point.

6. Adonis Stevenson is appealing to the IBF to have Carl Froch stripped of his title if he takes the Mikkel Kessler fight and skips his mandatory date with him. He's also requesting the IBF title to be at stake between him and Thomas Oosthuizen. 15 day turn around to know how this shakes out.

7. Billy Dib is hoping to get a crack at Chris John for his feather weight title. If not, he's hoping 50 gets him stateside to fight some big names. I find it funny. He was slated to come here and fight on HBO, then pulled late due to politics. Now, he's wanting to do it all over again. Idiot.

8. Nonito Donaire's 2013 campaign may be starting off with Guillermo Rigondeaux. He's asked team Rigo for random drug testing in order to get a fight rolling between the two. With a Donaire/Mares fight not possible, this is the next best fight available, and I really hope it gets made.

That is it thus far.

[JKidd]

Here we go, ESPN FNF is back on the air tonight!

Main event, 12 rounds, junior lightweights (130), IBF #2 eliminator - Someone's 0 has to go!: Rances Barthelemy (17-0, 11 KOs) vs. Arash Usmanee (20-0, 10 KOs)

Rances has been on ESPN a couple times and even on Showbox once or twice. A very solid, technically sound, Cuban (shocking, I know) with decent pop. Arash, I seen highlights of during an event in Canada (think it was Pascal/Dawson or Pascal/Hopkins) and he looked decent. Been watching him on YT this week when I had some chances to. Not as technically solid as Rances, nor does he have the hand speed Rances possesses. He does have a solid work rate, and can make guys miss (against the limited opposition I've seen). However, I'll take Rances in a decision in this. He's more polished, been in there with better opposition, and I think over time, he'll figure the Afghan out.

Co feature, 10 rounds, junior middies (154): Jonathan Gonzalez (15-0-1, 13 KOs)vs. Derrick Ennis (23-3-1, 13 KOs)

Yes this is the same Jonathan Gonzalez who recently was promoted to HBO cards, but didn't make weight by 8 pounds and is back to recapture some honor and fans on ESPN. Shockingly, it's Ennis this time missing weight by 6 pounds while Gonzalez hit the mark! Hate seeing boxers miss weight. Classless, IMO. Anyway, Ennis is a veteran and has been in there with some decent opposition. However, he's got a glass jaw and Gonzalez has proven in the past that he only needs one shot to end a fight. It's been a problem though for Gonzalez to stay focused in a fight in order to land that shot. I see no issues here and he turns out the lights on Ennis.

[JKidd]

Onto some news and notes that have transpired over the recent days.

-Austin Trout confirmed he hasn't been offered anything yet for the Canelo fight and has no idea where or how it was leaked. So, not overly sure we have anything there. I don't think GBP is that stupid to risk the redhead to a guy like Trout, yet.

-Kessler/Froch has fallen apart. Venue of all things hung this fight out, and it's now essentially out the window as Froch's side has stopped negotiations and started with #1 rated contender Adonis Stevenson.
*Sidenote: Froch's team insisted on a fight in Nottingham, Froch's hometown. Kessler's team preferred London or Liverpool or Manchester and didn't feel it was "right" to fight in Froch's backyard. Despite Carl doing that a couple years ago and going to Mikkel's backyard. Go figure.
*Sidenote 2: For those wondering about Lucian Bute/Carl Froch II. It's in the cards, but Bute isn't ready yet for the rematch - according to his promoter.

-Also announced, Arthur Abraham is going to take a rematch (and cash grab) with former champ Robert Stieglitz. Abraham soundly beat him last time, but because he's trying to get some paydays before he hangs the gloves up (which most of his career has been like), he tapped him again and it should sell really well in Germany.

-So, if you're paying attention now, that means Kelly Pavlik's options are wide open. Lucian Bute, Mikkel Kessler (rest assured you have to go to Denmark though) or another stay busy fight to work with Robert Garcia more. Kelly thinks his time is running out, so he's looking for the top end deals only. With that being the case, the division outside of Andre Ward, is international, so traveling abroad is almost guaranteed.

-Floyd vs. Guerrero is now done. Expect an announcement coming soon.

-Instead of getting Chris John, Billy Dib will come stateside for a mandatory defense with Cuban Luis Franco. No date or venue yet, but the IBF has mandated the fight, and the two camps will hit a purse bid if no agreement is made in the next 30 days.

-Eddie Chambers is trying desperately to get WBA CW champ Denis Lebedev over here for a title fight at MSG. Lebedev really isn't budging on fighting in Russia though. And as champ, he doesn't feel the need to travel to his challengers back yard for a fight. Not sure how this will shake out.

-Last news, Gabriel Rosado has declined a catch weight of 158 with Gennady Golovkin. He says the middle weights fight at 160, we'll fight at 160, no excuses. This kid is alright by me.

[JKidd]

Hope you guys caught that main event. What a god damn war.

Just a shame it was COMPLETE robbery.

[JKidd]

Floyd Mayweather will assume training duties of his son, Floyd Jr.

Jr's normal trainer, Roger Mayweather, is having severe health issues right now, and will be unavailable to head up training duties for his nephew.

[rock'emsock'em]

A couple quick thoughts:

-January 19th is going to be an awesome card, can't wait.

-I like Guerrero's tenacity and he seems very hungry. That being said Floyd's footwork and speed are going to give him fits and I agree with what was said earlier in that it will be a wide UD.

-If Alvarez stays clear of Trout for now, I guess Cotto would be a good choice as a warm up for a potential bout with Floyd. I have always liked Cotto and even if he is a few fights past his prime he is still a solid boxer who can give young fighters a few different looks. Just a thought, Cotto didn't look nearly as motivated or sharp to me in his fight with Trout as he did with Mayweather. He even went so far as to say "My camp sees nothing special in this opponent" in regards to Austin. This isn't to detract from Trout or his boxing skill, but I think maybe Miguel took him a bit lightly and didn't train as hard as he did for other fights. I still like Alvarez to win, probably by KO, in a potential match up, but I think we might see a sharper Cotto walk into the ring than was the case against Trout.

-I'd welcome another fight between Manny and JMM. I'd be interested in seeing if JMM could land that perfect shot again or if Manny could make the adjustments necessary to win. Personally I think between JMM having always kind of been a Pac "kryptonite" (winning record against him or not), and now possibly being in Manny's head as that was about as devastating a KO as you can get, it could end in a similar fashion.

[JKidd]

Originally Posted by rock'emsock'em

-January 19th is going to be an awesome card, can't wait.

This could go down as the card of the year.

The over looked fight on this card is Rocky Martinez vs. MiniBurgos, which is going to be as action packed as any fight this year. Neither guy really knows how to block a punch with anything but their face, and both have solid power (especially Burgos).

Mix in the war that'll be Garcia/Salido and the hellacious fight that'll be Rosado and Golovkin, it has epic written all over it.

[straka91]

Doctors are saying Pacman has early signs of Parkinsons.

[JKidd]

Originally Posted by straka91

Doctors are saying Pacman has early signs of Parkinsons.

Don't worry about this.

It's some Filipino doctor who has never even looked at Manny in person. Quite disgusting that he'd even make the diagnosis just by looking at him lay unconscious in the ring.

[rock'emsock'em]

Originally Posted by JKidd

This could go down as the card of the year.

Absolutely. GGG is a beast. I think Rosado is a decent opponent, a good competitor and a large man but I expect Golovkin to win by knockout.

Mikey Garcia is hugely talented and has been absolutely tearing it up but Salido is a big step up and never to be underestimated. Salido has a solid record and can hit hard himself, Juanma knows that especially well. I could see this ending up with multiple knockdowns, could be a barnburner.

Not really sure who to take in the Martinez Burgos fight but it definitely should be a very exciting fight.

[JKidd]

Some news and notes:
Lamont Peterson vs. Kendall Holt done deal for 2/22 on ESPN FNF in Washington DC

Froch now in negotiations to fight mandatory Adonis Stevenson with Kessler negotations breaking down.

British LHW Tony Bellew will fight Isaac Chilemba for a WBC title shot. Very solid matchup.

Julio Jr asked for another continuance in his case, looking at a date in February with NSAC to get this squared away.

Chad Dawson leaves John Scully, again, for Eddie Mustafa Muhammad as his new trainer. For those keeping track, this is trainer #6 for Dawson.

Rumors out there of Keith Thurman getting a shot against former champ Jan Zaveck at Barlays in March. Not a bad little fight if made.

Eddie Chambers vs. Denis Lebedev is a done deal for NY. Should be announced before long.

Tomasz Adamek vs. Kubrat Pulev is being rumored for Poland. Pulev doesn't want that all and wants it in Germany. I doubt he'll get his way. He doesn't have enough pull to change the venue, and Adamek will draw huge, again, in his homeland.

[JKidd]

Really nice Friday full of fights tonight.

ESPN FNF:
John Molina Jr. (24-2, 19 KOs) vs. Dannie Williams (22-2, 18 KOs) -10 rounds, lightweights

*This will not be for the feint of heart. These two like to brawl, and they both know how to throw with power. Molina is looking to erase the memory of his 40 second KO loss to DeMarco last time out, and Williams is looking for THE win to put him on the radar. The way both guys throw, I don't see this lasting all 10 rounds. I'll take Molina via TKO in the 8th.

ShowBox card:
-Ronny Rios (19-0, 9 KOs)vs. Rico Ramos (21-1, 11 KOs) -10 rounds, featherweights

*Hell of a fight here. Rios is the untested kid coming up trying to use Rico's name as a stepping stone, and Rico needs a win to get himself back to title challenger status. This will be high speed chess at it's finest as each boxer looks to capitalize on the other. Could see some boring moments here and there, but overall I think the action will be solid. In the end, I'll take Rios pulling the upset over the former champ.

-Randy Caballero (17-0, 9 KOs) vs. Luis Maldonado (36-10, 27 KOs) - 10 rounds, bantamweights

*This is your standard "prospect" type fight. Maldonado is a former title challenger nearing the end (at 34 years of age - which in the lower weight classes is VERY old) who should get Caballero some rounds, and push the youngster - provided the old man ACTUALLY shows up for the fight. I think he does, but Caballero is too much - too young, fast and powerful. I'll take Caballero in a decision.