Bowe looks rusty, still beats Pukall

(From Stripes.com)
====================

MANNHEIM, Germany — Early last week, former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe predicted he would knock out Gene Pukall Saturday night in the second or third round.

The 41-year-old Bowe won but in a lackluster performance, winning a unanimous decision in the eight-round affair.

The bout was the first time "Big Daddy" Bowe fought professionally since 2005 and served as his third fight in 12 years. Bowe’s time away from the sport showed.

The bearded Bowe, who moved to Kaiserslautern three months ago to resurrect his boxing career, failed to knock out a much smaller opponent, who prior to Saturday night had been KO’d in the first round of two of his last three fights.

Overall, the fight was marked by little action and less movement. For much of the fight, the men stood nearly flat-footed, not venturing far from the center of the ring.

Still, Bowe controlled the over-matched Pukall from the start and brought his opponent crashing to the canvas with a lone left hook at the end of the fifth round. It was the only real excitement of their bout.

The men took to the ring just after 9 p.m. Saturday with Pukall choosing a rock song for his entrance music. "In da Club" by 50 Cent blared through the SAP Arena as Bowe made his way to the ring in a white robe and white trunks.

The lack of movement and relatively few punches of the first round could be chalked up to the boxers feeling each other out. The boxers exchanged punches at the end of the second round, but none of the blows did terrible damage.

As the fight continued, Bowe, at times, would drop his gloves to his side to either adjust his trunks or when he appeared to be getting instructions from his corner. He still did damage to Pukall, landing some heavy rights to the 33-year-old’s face. For most of the fight, the crowd was as quiet as clergy, but a few shouts of "go Big Daddy" and "move" could be heard.

Throughout the fight, Pukall did his best to keep his face buried behind his gloves, but at the very end of the fifth round Bowe landed a left hook that dropped his challenger like a bad habit. Pukall stumbled back to his feet late in the count, and the round ended seconds later.

The fight dragged on until the bell sounded to end the bout following the eighth round.

Bowe improved to 43-1 (33 KOs), while Pukall’s record now stands at 14-13-2. Bowe billed the fight as a comeback bid to regain the heavyweight belts. While he showed flashes of his old self Saturday night in a few combinations, Bowe will need to improve by leaps and bounds if he’s serious about a title run.

Fortysomethings believe they can recapture titles

(From the timesonline.co.uk)
================================
They shared 32 of the most exciting rounds in the history of the world heavyweight championship, two American legends whose three clashes are fondly remembered by fans around the world. They were multiple world champions who should be enjoying well-deserved retirements. But over the next nine days, Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield will lace up their gloves to return to the ring.

The millions they made have gone and what is left are the memories. Memories rarely pay the bills, so both, now in their forties, thousands of miles from home and more than 13 years on from their glory nights in Las Vegas, are back to fight. The fear is that if they box on too long, they might not have the memories, either.

Next week, in Zurich, Holyfield makes another seemingly doomed attempt to win back the world title when he challenges Nikolay Valuev, the 7ft giant from Russia, for the WBA belt. Tomorrow, in Mannheim, Germany, Bowe starts a comeback when he faces Gene Pukall in a low-grade eight-round bout.

There is no seniors tour in boxing and tales of old glory reclaimed are few and far between. But there is often a buck to be made off an old reputation somewhere. The inability of Holyfield, 46, to accept the decline in his talents has long been a concern in boxing circles and he was suspended in New York in 2004 - although the suspension was lifted. It was once claimed on Bowe's behalf in court that he was brain-damaged.

That they can still box fills many who love the sport with dread and those that condemn it with anger. The pair themselves believe that they are still chasing a dream and trying to earn a living. “Money makes the world go round,” Bowe said. “Why knock a man when he is trying to do something right? I'm from Brownsville [a rough suburb of New York], I could easily go and get a gun and do something bad. I'm just trying to earn an honest dollar.”

The pair met in three remarkable bouts in the early Nineties. Bowe won the first and third, but the second, in 1993, is the best remembered. Bowe was on course to repeat his earlier win when, in round seven, a man strapped to an enormous fan parachuted into the Caesars Palace ring. The bout was suspended for 21 minutes amid turmoil and when it restarted Holyfield sneaked a majority points decision.

Bowe, 40, has spent the past three months in Kaiserslautern, in southwest Germany, preparing for his return, his mind a mixture of excitement and anxiety. “I can't sleep,” Bowe said. “It's a good sign that I'm anxious, because it means I'm ready. I want to be a three-time champion like my idol Muhammad Ali.”

He won the heavyweight title from Holyfield in 1992, lost it in the infamous rematch but won the WBO title from Herbie Hide in 1995. Surprisingly, that Holyfield loss is still his only one in 44 bouts. The boxer known as “Big Daddy” vanished from the sport in 1996 after two brutal bouts with Andrew Golota, the Pole being disqualified in both for low punching.

His life then became a mess. He tried to join the Marines, but quit after only 11 days of basic training. In 2000 he was in court for kidnapping his wife and five children. His defence counsel appealed for a lenient sentence claiming that he had suffered brain damage in the ring. He was initially sentenced to 30 days and ordered to get treatment, although that was later raised and he served 17 months. He tried a comeback in 2004, which lasted two bouts. Now he misses the glory and needs the money.

“I'm just trying to get my swagger back,” Bowe said. “I missed it all, the people wanting to speak to you, the people wanting to shake your hand. It's the only thing I know, I'm not going to go out and be a construction worker. I guess money plays a part. I got married again. I live in the house I had with my first wife. I would like to buy a house so it can be the one I have with my new wife. I want to be able to leave something to my youngest daughter, who is 3.

“I've been training all the time. I was in California for a bit, I was in Kentucky. I think people in America were trying to freeze me out. I got a call one day and I was invited to Germany. Everything has been as they said so far.

“I truly believe I can be world champion again if these people give me the chance. If I pick my opponents right, when the time is right I'll be ready. I'm going to take my time. I think it will be at least ten fights over an 18-month period.”

Holyfield last boxed 14 months ago, when he won only three rounds in an unsuccessful attempt to take Sultan Ibragimov's WBO title in Moscow. That Ibragimov won only one round in a unification match against Wladimir Klitschko in February gives an indication of how far Holyfield is off the summit of the division. Against Valuev, as well as disadvantages in height, reach, weight and youth, he also has inactivity to overcome. Few have earned as much as the four-times heavyweight champion in the ring. His four bouts against Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson were among the richest in history. But the money has gone.

Last summer Holyfield was in court facing jail over missing support payments to one of his 11 children, although a payment deal was worked out. He was also faced with losing his sprawling 109-room mansion in Atlanta. “I'm not bankrupt, I'm just not liquid,” Holyfield said at the time.

He is believed to be earning $650,000 (about £432,000) for the dubious privilege of facing Valuev. However, Holyfield insists that even an unlikely win would not stop him. He says that he will keep going until he unifies all the titles. “I had this goal even before I had any money problems,” Holyfield said. “You get tired of telling people you're not doing it for the money. I might not have fought in over a year but all those who think that I am not able to compete for the world title will be more than surprised. I have been boxing for 38 years, so I know how to make the correct assessments.”

Even his old rival Bowe believes that it is time for Holyfield to finish. “Evander has a great legacy, I don't want to see that get messed up,” Bowe said. “But it's not up to me to tell him what to do.

“I don't think Evander can still win the title. The difference between me and Evander is Evander is 46 and I'm 40. I believe I can still win the title at 42. Once you are 43 or 44 it's time to chill out, time to be at home with the wife and kids. I want to be able to drop my daughter off at the school bus and be there when she comes home.”

Bowe's return comes on the undercard of Wladimir Klitschko's defence of his WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles against Hasim Rahman, but he does not see this weekend being the end of the road. That will be when he gets to face Klitschko.

“I think a fight with Klitschko could be a barn-burner, but it takes two guys who are willing to give everything, two guys who are willing to die for what they do,” Bowe said. “Klitschko is a bit of a pretty boy, but I still think I'm pretty.”

Past their sell-by date

Heavyweights who went on too long:

Muhammad Ali Did not look the same after the Thrilla in Manila against Joe Frazier in 1975 and retired after regaining the title from Leon Spinks in 1978. There were two comebacks; the sad display against Larry Holmes in 1980 and a final beating at the hands of Trevor Berbick in 1981, a month short of his 40th birthday. Has suffered from Parkinson’s disease since the mid-Eighties.

Greg Page A short-lived WBA champion between 1984 and 1985, he was still boxing in 2001, aged 42, and was left confined to a wheelchair after being knocked out for the Kentucky title. His condition was said to have been made much worse because of inadequate medical facilities ringside.

Joe Louis Money troubles drove the “Brown Bomber” back to the ring in 1950, a year after his retirement, although he was a shadow of the man who had ruled the heavyweights for a decade. There were tears when Rocky Marciano brutally knocked him out the next year at the age of 37.

Floyd Patterson Lost the heavyweight title in a round to Sonny Liston in 1962, still boxing a decade later when Ali beat him up.

Larry Holmes Heavyweight champion in the Seventies and Eighties, he had his last bout in 2002 at the age of 52.

PACQUIAO STUNS DE LA HOYA

Smaller Pacquiao Topples De La Hoya

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Manny Pacquiao fought a lot bigger than he looked. Oscar De La Hoya simply looked old.

Pacquiao dominated his bigger and more famous opponent from the opening bell Saturday night, giving De La Hoya a beating before De La Hoya declined to come out of his corner after the eighth round.

The fight was so lopsided that it could mean the end for De La Hoya, boxing’s richest and most marketable star.

It was only the second time in his 16-year professional career that he was stopped in a fight, and it came at the hands of a fighter who fought at 129 pounds months earlier. At 35, he seemed not only well beyond his prime but unable to offer any answer to the punches that Pacquiao was landing almost at will.

De La Hoya’s left eye was closed shut as he sat on his stool after the eighth round and the ring doctor, referee and his cornermen discussed his condition. De La Hoya had no complaints when his corner decided he had enough, walking to the center of the ring to congratulate Pacquiao.

“You’re still my idol,” Pacquiao told him.

“No, you’re my idol,” De La Hoya said.

Two of the three ringside judges scored all eight rounds for Pacquiao, while a third gave De La Hoya only the first round.

Bowe Comeback?

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS

Boxing: Bowe to make another ring comeback

FRANKFURT- Former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe will fight for the first time in three years on the undercard of the Wladimir Klitschko v Hasim Rahim IBF title fight Dec. 13 against a still to be determined opponent, the organisers said Thursday.

Bowe, 41, retired in 1996 and came back in 2004. He had another fight in 2005 and has not fought since.

Bowe's only loss in 43 fights was against Evander Holyfield, who at age 46, is preparing to fight Nikolai Valuev next month for the WBA title.

And German newspaper reports said Thursday Lennox Lewis, 42, was preparing for a comeback fight against Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir's older brother, and the WBC champion.

Bild newspaper said the fight could take place in the middle of next year.

Holyfield, 46, to get another title shot

Seven-foot Russian boxer will defend WBA heavyweight title against Holyfield Dec. 20
By JEFF SCHULTZ

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday, November 10, 2008

The end might actually be near for Evander Holyfield. But it won’t arrive without one more title shot.

Holyfield, who said he plans to retire by the end of 2009, will meet the 7-foot Russian, Nikolai Valuev, for the WBA heavyweight title Dec. 20 in Zurich, Switzerland. Final contracts are expected to be signed before the end of the week.
“I knew I would get one more shot, I just had to be patient,” said Holyfield, who turned 46 last month. “But I realized my time is running out and I’ve got to get this thing pretty soon. My whole thing, how old do you want to be when you pursue this?”

Holyfield, countering pleas from fans, media and the boxing community, has been putting off retirement until he reclaims the championship. He has not held a share of the title since losing the WBA belt to John Ruiz in March of 2001. Holyfield now says he plans to retire before the end of the next year, although he’s quick to add, “I’m not in control of my life. If the Lord says, ‘I made you heavyweight champion again and I want you to keep fighting,’ I’ll stay as long as He wants me to stay.”

Holyfield (42-9-2) is expected to make only $600,000 for the bout. He has reunited with his first manager, Ken Sanders, but doesn’t currently have a trainer.

Valuev (49-1, 34 knockouts), who is likely to be a significant favorite, had put off committing to fighting Holyfield because of a lack of interest. But no other bouts materialized and one potential opponent, Andrew Golota, lost Saturday in China.

Despite recent public financial issues with outstanding loans and child support, Holyfield strongly reiterated he is not fighting for the money but rather for a desire to reclaim the championship.

“People are always asking me, ‘Why are you keeping this going? Are you doing this for the money?’ ” he said. “It’s kind of odd. I had this as a goal even before I had any money problems and situations. You get tired of explaining to somebody that you’re not doing this for the money. It may look like it now, but it’s not the case.”

The Valuev bout is being held in Switzerland due to a general lack of interest by sites in the U.S. Organizers hope the bout will be on pay-per-view, but Holyfield said, “I don’t think it will be. It’s sort of like this is going to happen in secret. That’s too bad because it’s going to be a great story. It’s going to be a shocker.”

CALZAGHE BEATS JONES KEEPS TITLE

(From Bloomberg)
Welsh Boxer Calzaghe Beats Jones, Keeps Light Heavyweight Title

By Nancy Kercheval

Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Undefeated Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe won a unanimous decision over Roy Jones Jr., pelting his opponent with a flurry of punches to retain his light heavyweight title in a 12-round fight last night at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Calzaghe, undefeated in 46 bouts, received three identical judge's scores of 118-109 over Jones, an eight-time world champion whose record fell to 52-5. The winner is three victories shy of the 49-0 record held by Rocky Marciano.

``This could be my last fight,'' said Calzaghe in a broadcast interview. ``I have to go and sit down and evaluate the situation.''

Calzaghe, wearing black sequined shorts, was knocked down with 45 seconds left in the first round.

``I was stunned,'' said the 36-year-old boxer. ``When I go down, I just get upset. I didn't see the punch coming. It was a good shot.''

Calzaghe threw 985 punches, landing 344 or 35 percent, as his 39-year-old opponent connected with 159, or 33 percent, of his 475 attempts. Of the total, Calzaghe landed 120 jabs and 224 power punches, opening up a cut over his opponent's eye in the seventh round. Jones returned 12 jabs and 147 punches.

``I gave it my best effort,'' said Jones, wearing orange and black shorts. ``He was a better man tonight.''

Both men weighed in at 174.5 pounds and could reach 24 inches. At 6 feet, Calzaghe had a one-inch height advantage over Jones, of Pensacola, Florida.

Hopkins Upsets Pavlik

Hopkins gives lesson to Pavlik and doubters

From The Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — After thoroughly confusing and dominating previously unbeaten Kelly Pavlik, Bernard Hopkins walked to the edge of the ring and stared at some of his detractors in the media.
The message was obvious. Don't ever doubt me again, even at 43 years old.

"I'm tired" of having to prove himself, Hopkins said. "What do I have to do? Kill someone? I believe I am the most underrated fighter when it comes to defense, when it comes to offense, when it comes to my heart. In my heart, I fought like I had to prove something."

Hopkins (49-5-1) showed himself to be one of boxing's all-time greats Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall, taking Pavlik to school in a 12-round non-title fight in which he beat up and embarrassed the middleweight champion with skills honed in a magnificent 20-year career.

"To be 43 years old and doing anything in sports is good," Hopkins said.

The one-sided victory could set a rematch with Roy Jones Jr. early next year, provided Hopkins' longtime antagonist beats Joe Calzaghe next month in a fight in New York City. Calzaghe scored a controversial decision over Hopkins in April.

Jones beat Hopkins in a 12-round decision in 1993.

"If I am going to fight again, it has to be no later than January or February, or it's a wrap," Hopkins said, hinting at retirement. "Because of the time frame, I can't keep starting this old 1965 car and think that it is going to take me through. I know my limits."

Pavlik (34-1) will have to start again after being exposed. What's obvious is that the Youngstown, Ohio, fighter will have to stay in the middleweight ranks.

His fight against Hopkins was at 170 pounds, and Pavlik looked slow and powerless in carrying an extra nine pounds.

Pavlik is required to meet Marco Rubio of Mexico for the WBA middleweight title. Rubio maintained his status as the WBA's No. 1 contender with a split decision over Enrique Ornelas earlier on the card.

Pavlik clearly has weaknesses.

"The strategy coming in was to win the fight, back Bernard up and cut the ring off," said Jack Loew, Pavlik's trainer. "Things were just not working. We went to Game A, B, C and just nothing worked tonight."

Hopkins was a big reason for that. He watched countless hours of video on Pavlik and noticed that most of his opponents danced to his right.

Hopkins said that allowed Pavlik to jab with his left and set up his powerful right.

"I kept going to my right, which was his left and he could not handle it," Hopkins said. "His feet couldn't adjust going that way. He could not throw across his chest with his right hand."

Pavlik looked lost from the opening bell as Hopkins beat him to the punch countless times.

A left hook in the second round caused Pavlik to buckle momentarily. Hopkins drew blood from Pavlik's nose in the fifth round and taunted his foe in the seventh, winding up for punches in an impressive flurry.

The question coming into the fight was whether Pavlik could become the first man to knock out Hopkins. By the final round, Hopkins was battering his opponent and threatening to make Pavlik's first loss a knockout.

"I just wanted to step on the gas pedal," Hopkins said. "I wanted to stop him."

Hopkins threw 304 power punches in the fight and landed almost half, according to CompuBox Statistics.

Pavlik threw only 211 power punches and landed just 55.

"I knew I was a better fighter than Kelly Pavlik and I knew I could overwhelmingly outgun whatever he did," Hopkins said. "He's a straightforward guy and if you notice Bernard Hopkins is at his best when he comes to me like that."

A gracious Hopkins walked over to Pavlik after the fight and told him he would be one of the game's top fighters, provided he stayed in the middleweight ranks.

"He still is the new face of American boxing; one loss is not the end of the world," Loew added.

When asked about Hopkins, Loew gave him credit, noting he had believed that his fighter could wear the old man down.

"He surprised me, he really did," Loew said. "But again our work rate wasn't there. We couldn't get off and throw punches. Kelly was throwing one or two punches at a time."

V. Klitschko Returns - Pounds Peter - Takes WBC Belt

From Newsday
===========
Vitali Klitschko had not fought in nearly four years, but the mayoral candidate from Kiev pounded Samuel Peter to reclaim the WBC heavyweight title when Peter did not answer the bell for the ninth round.

It has long been Vitali's dream to hold a heavyweight title at the same time as his brother, Wladimir, who currently has the IBF and WBO belts.

Peter chose not to come back out after eight rounds of heavy pressure from Klitschko. The bout took place in Berlin in front of more than 12,000 people at the new O2 World Arena. It was televised on Showtime.

"If Samuel Peter didn't stop the fight, I have the feeling in the next two rounds, I would have knocked him out," Klitschko said to the AP. "He got more and more punches, and his chin (was) not so strong as the first rounds."

Wladimir Klitschko dealt Peter his only previous loss, in September 2005 in a 12-round unanimous decision in Atlantic City. The Klitschkos have long said they would never fight each other.

Vitali Klitschko also held the WBC belt in 2004.

In an undercard fight, Cuban heavyweight Odlanier Solis improved to 12-0 and captured the WBC international heavyweight belt by beating American Chauncy Welliver. Solis, a former gold medalist, defected from Cuba with teammates Yuriorkis Gamboa and Yan Barthelemy.

In another bout televised by Showtime last night -- but from Las Vegas -- Chad Dawson beat veteran Antonio Tarver.

Holyfield v Valuev in December. One Last Shot For The Champ!

From ESPN.com

Evander Holyfield has accepted an offer to challenge Nikolai Valuev for his heavyweight world title, the former four-time champion told ESPN.com Wednesday night.

Holyfield (42-9-2, 27 KOs) said his attorney is reviewing a contract from Valuev promoter Sauerland Event for a fight that would take place Dec. 20 in either Germany or Switzerland.

"It's solid. They asked if I will take the fight for the offer they made and if everything is straight up, I will take that fight," Holyfield said. "My lawyer is looking at it."

If Evander Holyfield does fight Nikolai Valuev and win the world heavyweight title, he would be the oldest champion since George Foreman.

Although Holyfield will turn 46 on Oct. 19, he said other people make more of a big deal about his age than he does. If he wins the fight, Holyfield would become the oldest heavyweight champion in history, even older than George Foreman, who was 45 when he knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994 in one of boxing's greatest upsets.

"They said I was too old when I was 34 and was getting ready to fight Mike Tyson for the first time," said Holyfield, who knocked out Tyson in a huge upset to win a title. "There's nothing new with what people say. I have a desire and I am the one who got to train and I am willing to make the sacrifices necessary to be the best. Just imagine a 46-year-old guy being heavyweight champ of the world?"

It would be Holyfield's first fight in 14 months. In his last bout, he lost a unanimous decision in Moscow to Sultan Ibragimov for a version of the title in October 2007.

Many figured that would be Holyfield's last shot at a championship, but he said he never lost faith.

"I felt that I would get another opportunity," Holyfield said. "I don't believe in that fight with Ibragimov that I did enough to take the fight. He moved a lot and I didn't take the title from him. It was what it was. I was hoping I would get another opportunity and here it is. I'm thankful to God. Nobody mentioned my name about nothing, but this opportunity is here now."

Holyfield, who is 6-foot-2 and about 215 pounds, will be at a massive size disadvantage in the fight, like most of Valuev's opponents.

Russia's Valuev (49-1, 34 KOs), who regained a vacant belt by outpointing John Ruiz in a rematch on Aug. 30, is the biggest titleholder in history. He is 7-feet and weighs about 320 pounds. Holyfield, a light heavyweight in the 1984 Olympics and former cruiserweight world champion, said the size difference doesn't bother him.

"Of course, he will be the biggest guy I have fought but it's something that could be very interesting," Holyfield said. "I will have a big target. I have to do the things I believe he can't do. He can't move laterally. I got to get in quick, fight and don't stand still too long. I just have to be in tremendous shape to outmaneuver him."

Holyfield said he was looking for a new trainer to prepare him for the fight after working most recently with Ronnie Shields.

"I always keep myself in shape," he said. "I'm probably looking for another trainer. Ronnie left after Ibragimov. I haven't made arrangements yet on a trainer. I hadn't really thought of who would be the right person."

Holyfield made news in July when his financial problems were made public after the mother of one of his children took him to court over missing child support payments. There were also threats of foreclosure on his sprawling, 54,000-square-foot suburban Atlanta estate.

Holyfield would not disclose his purse for the bout, although it is less than $750,000.

"Whatever it is, I'm honored to get the opportunity," he said. "It is the lowest amount I ever made for a championship fight, but I am just appreciative I got the opportunity."

Mosley KOs Mayorga in Last Second!

Mosley delivers last-second knockout of Mayorga


LOS ANGELES (AFP) — American Shane Mosley knocked Nicaraguan Ricardo Mayorga out with one second left in the 12th round, unleashing a left hook to the head in their non-title super welterweight fight.

The 37-year-old Mosley floored Mayorga twice in a final round demolition Saturday, closing the deal with a flurry of punches in a temporary outdoor boxing ring at the Home Depot Centre.

He connected on a left-right combination for the first knockdown as Mayorga got up at the count of seven.

Mayorga should have stayed down. Mosley (45-5, 38 KOs) waded in as the referee was finishing his count and decked Mayorga with a short left hook on the next punch.

"I closed the show," Mosley said of the fight between two former world champions. "I got the knockout."

Mayorga, 35, pressed the attack in the first three rounds before Mosley took over. The turning point came in the sixth when Mosley landed several solid rights that hurt the unorthodox Mayorga who had a 10-pound weight advantage.

"I could feel him getting weaker," said Mosley of Mayorga who played to the pro-Mosley crowd despite getting noticeably weaker in the later rounds.

"He was trying to play like he was strong. He might have stole some rounds here and there but I wanted to go for the knockout."

At least one of the ringside judge's didn't agree and had Mayorga ahead on points heading into the final round.

Mosley's last fight before Saturday was in November of last year, when he dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to Miguel Cotto.

"Punisher" Williams a success at Middle

Williams stops Kolle in opening round
===================
From The Associated Press
===================
SAN JACINTO, Calif.: WBO welterweight champion Paul Williams stopped Andy Kolle in the first round Thursday night at Soboba Casino.

Williams (35-1, 26 KOs) finished off Kolle (17-2, 12 KOs) with a double right hook to the body and a left to the chin that knocked the middleweight through the ropes about midway through the first round.

"He was good enough to land his punches but I wanted to see if he could take my punches," said Williams, who weighed 157 pounds.

Unable to find a suitable opponent at the 147-pound level, Williams was placed against the 160-pound Kolle to see what he could do against a heavier fighter who stood at his height.

MERCER WINS - SELDON LOSES

SELDON KNOCKED OUT IN FOURTH ROUND

(From Atlantic City Press)

ATLANTIC CITY - As the bell sounded to begin the fourth round Friday night, Asbury Park heavyweight Kevin Johnson turned to his sister, Karen Johnson, and shouted to her that she was about to see a knockout.

Seconds later, he delivered.

Johnson floored Atlantic City native Bruce Seldon with a straight right that resulted in a TKO victory before a stunned crowd of Seldon supporters at Bally's Atlantic City.

"I give Bruce a lot of credit because he caught me a few times in the first couple rounds," Johnson said. "But I knew I was too fast for him. That's when I turned to my sister and told her I was going to drop him."

Seldon (38-7, 30 KOs), the 41-year-old former WBA champion, did not go down from Johnson's power as much from the pain of getting hit on a left eye that was already swollen grotesquely from a thumb suffered the round before.

He never saw the decisive punch until it was too late. Once it landed, Seldon dropped to the canvas in obvious pain. He managed to beat referee Earl Brown's 10-count, but it was clear that he would not be able to continue. Brown halted the bout at the 28-second mark of the round as Seldon staggered back to his corner and had to be helped to his dressing room.

"I couldn't see out of my eye at all," said Seldon, who is due to see an ophthalmologist this weekend. "Then he threw that right hand down the pike. The pain was so excruciating, I had to go down.

"I'm just so disappointed. I don't want to take anything away from him, but his power wasn't bothering me at all. After the way the first two rounds went, I could feel him wearing down and I really expected to dominate the second half of the fight. But then he thumbed me and everything changed."

Seldon had vowed in the days before the fight that he would press the action, and he wasted no time in fulfilling that promise. In the final minute of the opening round, he spotted an opening in Johnson's defense and launched a left hook-straight combo that sent Johnson reeling into the ropes. Seldon followed him there and let him know what it is like to be hit by a legitimate, experienced heavyweight. Johnson, who had not been tested for most of his first 20 fights, appeared puzzled and ate more punches than he blocked.

Seldon dominated most of the next round as well, producing roaring cheers from supporters.

"My grandmother told me that one day I'd get hit by an old man and that I'd realize that old men hit the hardest," Johnson said with a laugh. "She was right. Bruce can hit. I learned in the first round that I couldn't afford to drop my hands against him the way I could against some of the other guys I've fought."

The bout turned in Johnson's favor midway through the third round. Seldon was in command until he suddenly spun away and covered his left eye with his glove. He got up and lasted the rest of the round, but his eye was already closing by the time trainer Bill Johnson began to apply an end swell.

Seconds later, the fight, and maybe Seldon's career, was over.

Johnson said afterward that he wanted to fight Andrew Golota or Nikolay Valuev in hopes of becoming a world champion. Seldon, clearly distraught by the defeat, will decide in the coming weeks if he wants to keep fighting or retire.

"This is the first time I've had a serious injury to my face since I fought Oliver McCall in 1991," Seldon said. "To have it happen again at my age is not a good sign."

Seldon's trainer, Bill Johnson, said he was going to advise Seldon to stop boxing.

"I think he should stop," Johnson said. "If he can't beat Kevin Johnson, there's no reason to keep going. Nothing against Kevin Johnson, but he's nothing special. Bruce should have beaten him easy, even with the cut."
====================================================
By Per Ake Persson (Boxingscene.com)

Former heavyweight champ "Merciless" Ray Mercer had enough left to beat "the Dutch Sonny Liston" Richel Hersisia on a majority decision over six two-minute rounds. It was scored 59-55 for Mercer from two Swedish judges while Belgian Daniel Van de Wiele came up with 57-57. Mercer controlled the action behind a heavy jab in the first rounds and seemed to shake Hersisia in the second. The Dutchman had good spells in the fourth and fifth when Mercer looked every bit a faded 47-year old. In the final round Ray went for the body and Hersisa didn´t like that one bit and with the strong finish Mercer won 58-56 on my card.

ROACH SAYS OSCAR OFFERS 65-35 SPLIT

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 27 Aug 2008

Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach says he heard that “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya gave up 5 percent on his original offer of a 70-30 revenue split for a planned showdown with Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao set in Las Vegas on December 6.

In an overseas telephone conversation with

www.insidesports.ph, Roach said “Oscar gave up the five percent Manny asked for but for some reason the deal is not being closed.”

Pacquiao had stood firm on a 60-40 split while De La Hoya refused to back down from his original 70-30 offer. The latest information which Roach learned would set the sharing at 65-35 and effectively mean that De La Hoya gave in to some extent.

However, Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin “Jeng” Gacal told www.insidesports.ph from General Santos City shortly after the Roach interview, that he hasn’t heard anything up to now and has tried, but failed, to contact Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who was scheduled to have returned from a brief vacation in Paris on Tuesday (Manila Time).

Roach conceded that while his role is that of Pacquiao’s trainer he wants the fight to take place but said “I am tired of trying to make this happen. He’ll blow a $20 million fight.“

Roach said that its not only about Pacquiao winning but “what it does to his career and his life is going to be unbelievable.” Roach said “I can’t believe its not happening but its out of my hands.“

The two-time “Trainer of the Year” regarded as one of the best in the business and someone who has honed Pacquiao’s skills to near perfection reiterated that he wants the De La Hoya fight to happen and would train Pacquiao “for free because I know he will win that fight.“

JL Castillo: End of Line for Two Time World Champ

From Boxingherald.com
=====================
Former two time world title challenger Sebastian Lujan (30-5-2, 20 KO’s) won a unanimous decision victory over former two time lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo (56-9-1, 48 KO’s) in a welterweight fight at the Sycuan Resort & Casino in El Cajon, California. Prior to the bout, Castillo said that if he lost he would retire from boxing.

Lujan was in control from the opening bell, throwing over 1,200 punches throughout the course of the fight and outworking Castillo to win a unanimous decision. Official scores were 99-91 and 98-92 (twice). Boxingherald.com scored the fight in favor of Lujan 99-92.

Lujan has now won 5 of his last 6 fights since losing by decision to Sergiy Dzinziruk in an attempt at a junior middleweight title. Prior to that bout, he gained fame for a losing effort against Antonio Margarito in a title fight, where he was stopped in the 10th round due to one of his ears being grotesquely cut open and hanging off his head due to a Margarito punch.

Jose Luis Castillo’s career has been marred with problems since he lost the lightweight title to Diego Corrales in an all time great action fight in 2005. Since then, he defeated Corrales in a rematch that was a non-title fight due to Castillo’s inability to make weight at the day before weigh-in. The rubber match was then cancelled due to Castillo once again coming in overweight. He then struggled to a split decision win over Herman Ngoudjo and was KO’d in four rounds in a junior welterweight championship fight against Ricky Hatton. A scheduled junior welterweight title eliminator against Tim Bradley was canceled earlier this year due to weight issues once again.

Margarito stops Cotto in 11th, takes crown

By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer

LAS VEGAS - Antonio Margarito stopped Miguel Cotto in the 11th round Saturday night, blemishing Cotto's unbeaten record and claiming the WBA 147-pound title with one last incredible barrage of punches.

Margarito, the Mexican star so often ducked by the division's best fighters in recent years, dropped the Puerto Rican champion twice in the 11th round to win his third title belt.

Haye Gunning Down Klitschko

From Setanta Sports
===================

David Haye predicted that he would knock Wladimir Klitschko out in three rounds if he fought in the same manner against him as he did in his eleventh round stoppage victory over Tony Thompson.

Klitschko was unimpressive in his victory over the American opponent and Haye was damning in his criticism of the Ukrainian champion.

"I'm happy that he won the fight," Haye told Setanta. "All he had to do was get the win and he did that.

"Tony Thompson came and gave a pretty dismal effort. Klitschko after 50 fights does not have a defence. All he did was hold, he keeps a pawing jab, he doesn't put any meat on his jab and hopes to land that one backhand.

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks, he's being doing the same every year. everytime he's been in the ring with someone fresh, someone fast and someone with heart he's been knocked out. I'm that guy.

"If he fights me the same way he fought that guy tonight he'll get knocked out in three rounds.

"I love guys who stand long with me. My ideal opponent is Wladimir Klitschko. He fights in a similar manner to Alexander Gurov did. Everyone said it was a dangerous fight because he was tall and fights in a similar style to me. He was 6ft 6. What happened? In 45 seconds with my first punch I knocked him spark out.

"I will do the same to Klitschko, he has got the perfect style for me. I just want to get in that ring as soon as possible.

"I don't want him to have anymore fights before he fights me because I dont want anyone else to do what I'm going to do to him."

Haye disagreed with Steve Bunce that Klitschko's next opponent Alexander Povetkin could beat Klitschko before he does.

"Klitschko doesn't allow people like Povetkin, little short plodding guys who walk forward [to dominate him]," Haye added.

"He'll keep pawing with that long jab and Povtkin doesnt close distances quickly as I do, but I just want to get in there.

"I know everything he does before he does it. The same patterns I saw in Enzo Maccarinelli, I see in Klitschko, I'll do the same thing and knock him out.

"I can't stress how much his style will gel with mine to see a violent early knockout.

"My whole plan is to be faster at heavyweight than I was at cruiserweight.

"It felt like Enzo was fighting in slow motion and he's a good cruiserweight.

"It's going to be like a scene from the Matrix."

Pacquiao v Valero November 8?

From Manilla Bulletin
==========================
LAS VEGAS — Edwin Valero will be next for Manny Pacquiao, his promoter announced yesterday.

Top Rank head Bob Arum said on Saturday that Nov. 8 has been penciled for the next fight of Pacquiao, and that Valero, the unbeaten Venezuelan knockout king, has been tapped to battle the newly-crowned World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight king.

"He will fight on Nov. 8 either here or in Texas, but hopefully it will be here," said Arum after the post-fight press conference of the Pacquiao-Diaz.

"The opponent had a medical problem but he’s been cleared at least in one state and hopefully it’s going to be cleared up here, too. I have been talking with my friend (Akihiko) Honda and he’s game for the fight and I think people will love it because he’s a huge knockout guy."

Honda, who heads Teiken Promotions, which has offices in America and the biggest boxing outfit in Japan, holds the promotional ties on Valero.

Valero has a 24-0 record with all wins coming by way of knockout, including 19 in the first round.

Valero is the current World Boxing Association (WBA) super-featherweight (130 lbs) ruler and is aching to test Pacquiao’s mettle in another battle of lefties.

Arum said Valero, like Pacquiao, is also having problems getting down to 130 lbs.

"That’s (Valero) the fight we are making and if Manny is successful at that, we will look if (Ricky) Hatton is available," added Arum.

Valero, who now trains under American Kenny Adams here, is presently in his native Venezuela but is scheduled to go back to the gym in mid July, according to Honda, who staged two Mike Tyson fights in Tokyo in the 1990s.

Two weeks ago in Tokyo, Valero kept his WBA crown for the fourth time with a seventh-round TKO of Takehiro Shimada.

Pacquiao Takes WBC Lightweight Title

FromUSAToday
===========================
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Speed has been Manny Pacquiao's specialty ever since he was a scrawny 106-pound teenage brawler. When he stepped in the ring weighing 135 pounds on Saturday night, even his trainer wondered whether Pacquiao would lose some of his splendid speed with all that extra bulk.
That theory evaporated with one look at David Diaz's lacerated, bloody face, even before it hit the canvas in the ninth round. Not only did Pacquiao keep his pace while winning the WBC lightweight title with a ninth-round knockout, he got stronger along the way.

What a frightening thought for the rest of the talented lightweight division.
"I feel much, much stronger and more powerful at 135," said Pacquiao, the first Asian boxer to win title belts at four weights. "This is where I plan to stay. I did real well. I was really surprised it wasn't stopped sooner."
After winning a recognized championship fight at his fifth weight — including a nontitle victory over 126-pound king Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003 — Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs) definitely has the credentials to qualify as boxing's mythical pound-for-pound champion.

Weekend Results: Saturday June 21

By TomH
=========
June 21, 2008

RESULTS FROM FLORIDA

Abraham Stops Miranda.

IBF Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham, 166, stopped Edison Miranda, 165, at 1:13 of the fourth round in a catch weight bout. Pantera was put down three times in round four after being softened up by some nice work by Abraham in the previous round.

The IBF Champ moves to 27-0 (22) while Miranda dips to 30-3 (26).

In an upset, former IBF Jr. Middleweight Champ Raul Marquez defeated previously unbeaten Goivanni Lorenzo in a Middleweight Title Eliminator match.

The judges’ scores were unanimous at 114-113. Lorenzo lost a point via a foul which cost him a draw. Marquez moves to 41-3-1 (29) while Lorenzo drops to 26-1 (18).

Also:
Kenny Galarza TKO 1 Heraclides Barrantes
Cecilia Braekhus W 6 Nicole Woods
Victor Cayo W 6 Harrison Cuello. Judges’ Scores were unanimous at 60-54.
Ed Paredes TKO 2 Maximino Cuevas
Heavyweight Elijah McCall TKO 1 Dario Moss. McCall is the son of former Heavyweight Champion Oliver McCall. This was his pro debut.


RESULTS FROM TENNESSEE

Arreola defeats Witherspoon

Chazz Witherspoon was dropped twice in the third round defeat to Chris Arreola. Technically a DQ, should go down as a TKO for Arreola. Now 24-0 looks to bigger and better things. Witherspoon, suffering his first loss dips to 23-1.

Andre Berto stops Miguel Rodriguez for the Vacant WBC Welterweight Title in the 7th round. Berto, 146 out punched Rodriguez, 145 by 163-79. For what that’s worth.

Berto is now 22-0 (19), while Rodriguez dips to 29-3 (23).

Also:
Heavyweight Evans Quinn W 8 Andrew Greeley. Judges’ scores were: 79-72, 77-74, 78-73.
Michael Williams W 4 Ira Terry
Farah Ennis W 4 Scott Sigmon
Jonathan Nelson KO 1 Vincent Robbins. Time 2:10
Rayonta Whitfield TKO 4 Wilfrido Valdez
Fernando Guerrero KO 1 Omid Bahreini. Time 2:10

Tom Hatheway
hathewayboxing@yahoo.com
Link: http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=16226&more=1

Weekend Results: Friday June 20

By TomH:
=========
June 20, 2008

RESULTS FROM CAYMAN ISLANDS

Ward stops Ravelo.

2004 Olympian Andre Ward, 168, of Oakland CA, improved to 16-0 (11) with an eighth round stoppage of Jerson Ravelo. A big right hand ended matters at the 2:37 mark. Ravelo, 166 ½, who beat Jeff Lacy as an amateur dips to 18-3 (12).

Ward, who looked good here, seems a bit limited as a prospect. It seems after four years as a pro the top tier, Kessler types, could handle him with speed and volume output.

Ronald Hearns TKO 7 Jose Luis Gonzalez. With father Tommy in his corner Ronald stopped Gonzalez at 2:01 of the 7th round. He had to work hard for this win, and worked well behind his jab.

Hearns 156, moves to 19-0 (15) while Gonzalez, 154, dips to 12-4-1 (10).

Also:
Come backing Heavyweight Eddie Chambers, 217, stopped Rafael Butler, 250, in round 6 for the USBA Heavyweight Title. Chambers moves to 31-1 (17) while Butler dips to 31-5 (24).

Wayne McCullough loses and retires with a 6th round TKO loss to Juan Ruiz for the vacant NABF Featherweight Title.

In my opinion, a weak way to go out. On his stool. He finishes with a record of 27-7 (18).

Charles Whittaker TKO 4 Troy Lowery.

Ty Barnet KO 4 Pavel Miranda. Jr. Welterweight Barnet moves to 14-0 (10) while Miranda dips to 15-2 (8).

RESULTS FROM LAS VEGAS

ESPN2 at the Thomas and Mack Center for Friday Night Fights.

Ahunanya beats Butler.

Friday Ahunanya won 10 round unanimous decision over formerly unbeaten Alonzo Butler.

Butler seemed to struggle in his first fight back after a 13 month layoff. Was knocked down in the fourth round and his left eye was nearly shut at the end of the bout. Ahunanya has now consecutively beaten an undefeated opponent.

The judges’ scores were 95-94, 96-93, 95-94. Ahunanya, 238 improves to 24-5-3 (13), while an overweight Butler, 265, dips to 26-1-1 (19).

Burnett gets by Grant. Barely.

Kevin Burnet won an 8 round decision after getting off the canvas after the final bell. Burnett, 260 was decked by a wicked right to the chin from Horace Grant, 250 as the final bell rang. Burnett, who got up at the count of nine improves to 13-1-1 (8kos) while Grant dips to 12-2 (7).

The judges’ scores were: 78-73, 79-72. 79-72.

Also:
Gregorz Kielsa won a unanimous four round decision over Alvaro Morales. Kielsa, 231, moves to 6-0 (3), Morales, 277, dips to 3-2-4 (0).

Jonte Willis W 4 Clarence Tillman. Willis, 214, is now 4-0 (2). Tillman, 285, loses his pro debut.


RESULTS FROM CHICAGO

Valdez decisions Laryea.

In an entertaining bout Jr. Featherweight Alejandro Valdez won a 10 round unanimous decision over Anyetei Laryea. The judges’ scores were: 97-93, 97-93, 98-92. The taller Valdez improves to 21-2-1 (150 while Laryea dips to 17-4 (9).

Landeros upsets Perez

Adolfo Landeros 122 ½ , won a narrow 8 round split decision over previous unbeaten Alejandro Perez also 122 ½ of Salinas, CA. This was a very competitive bout. The judges’ scores were 75-77, 77-75, 77-75. Landeros improves to 18-10-1 (8) while Perez dips to 12-1-1 (7).

Juan Bailon W 4 Gerardo Alarcon. Bailon basically controlled the action with his jab and effective combinations. The judges’ scores were unanimous at 40-36.

Also:
Montell Griffin W 10 Corey Cummings. Cummings down in round three. The judges’ scores were unanimous at 100-89. Griffin 176 ½, moves to 49-7 (30).

Almazbek Raiymkulov TKO 4 Leo Martinez
Ivan Popoca TKO 1 Khristian Geraci
Frederico Flores W 4 Gustavo Palacios


Tom Hatheway
hathewayboxing@yahoo.com
Link:

ESPN 2 Wednesday Night Fights from Sacramento

June 18, 2008

By TomH

LOCK STOPS GONZALEZ IN 10TH

ESPN2 returned to the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California for this week’s edition of Wednesday Night Fights. The Don Chargin promoted card consisted of four bouts.

The bout start with Lock coming out jabbing and circling with Gonzalez in pursuit. Lock, 127, Detroit MI, was the taller, speedier boxer despite Roger Gonzalez’ nickname (Speedy). After nearly getting floored by a straight right, Southpaw Lock came back strong and landed two good lefts to the chin to put Speedy on the canvas.

Rounds two through four belonged to Lock as well as he was the bigger, quicker fighter who was able to control the pace and land the better punches.

Gonzalez, 127, Chino CA, came back and took rounds five through eight. He was basically more aggressive, more effective than Lock. He also landed many combinations along with some good body work.

Round seven actually saw Lock, 18-3-1 (11kos), ready to go. It was all Gonzalez, 27-2 (18). A big flurry stunned Lock, after which his legs were gone. Fortunately for him he was able to turn things around in the last 45 seconds of the round. Lock continued to look fatigued in the eighth.

Round nine saw Lock turn things around again and land two big rights to stun Gonzalez who spent the remainder of the round plodding, trying to slowly counter his opponent. A four punch combo put Gonzalez into the ropes near the end of the round. Gonzalez looked spent.

Early in round ten Lock landed two glancing blows to a shot Gonzalez that put him on the canvas for a seven count. These were not hard shots. Gonzalez struggled up and looked very tired. Another single left to the body put him down again and this was enough for Referee Jon Schorle to stop the action at the 1:27 mark.

Television announcer Teddy Atlas had it 86-85 for Gonzalez, while I had it 86-84 for Lock. A very close and entertaining fight that saw the momentum switch several times.
Gonzalez’ previous lone loss was to former WBO Bantamweight Champion Jhonny Gonzalez.

In the semi-main bout:

2004 Olympian Vincente Escobedo, Woodland CA, took a unanimous 8 round decision over Christian Favela, Los Mochis MX. Even though Escobedo, 18-1 (11), was effective with the jab and able to control the durable Favela, 15-16-4 (9), he will have some problems with the upper echelon of the division with his wide open style. He has a tendency to fight short and not use his height to his advantage. The judges’ scores were: 78-74, 80-72, 80-72. The referee was Ray Balewicz.

Under card Action:

Christopher Martin, 123 ½, Majority Draw 4 with Gregorio Torres also 123 ½. The judges’ scores were: 39-37 Martin, 38-38, 38-38 Draw. Martin, a 2004 California Golden Gloves Champ goes to 10-0-2 (2) and Torres 5-1-2 (4).

Heavyweights: Ashanti Jordan TKO 2 Eric Pippen. Jordan, Fairfield CA, moves to 4-0 (4) while Pippen, Little Rock AR, dips to 3-2 (3). Jordan had about a 30 lb weight advantage.

Tom Hatheway
hathewayboxing@yahoo.com
Link To Article:http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=16181&more=1

Valero Retains WBA Jr. Lightweight Title - Now 24-0 (24kos)

Valero defeats Shimada for WBC belt
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, June 12, 2008

TOKYO - Edwin Valero of Venezuela defeated Japan’s Takehiro Shimada by technical knockout Thursday to retain his WBA super featherweight boxing title.Valero sent Shimada to the canvas with a right hook at one minute 55 seconds of the seventh round, prompting referee Guillermo Perez Pineda to stop the bout.Valero, who is based in Japan, improved to 24-0 with all wins coming by way of knockout.Shimada dropped to 22-4-1, with 15 KOs.
=========
TomH: Valero retains title for the fourth time. May fight Manny Pacquiao later this year or in 2009.

Holmes Inducted to Hall of Fame

Holmes moved to tears by induction in boxing hall of fame.

By WILLIAM KATES, Associated Press Writer

CANASTOTA, N.Y. (AP)—With a precise, powerful left jab, Larry Holmes reigned as heavyweight champion for more than seven years, successfully defending his crown 20 times—the second longest title run in heavyweight history.

But on Sunday, the “Easton Assassin” needed a moment to compose himself before accepting his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame along with 11 other champions and ring personalities.
“I’m sorry. I’m choked up a little bit. Why not?” Holmes said, receiving a sustained ovation from the crowd of nearly 1,000.
“When you get to this point, when people come out to salute you like this … it makes you want to cry. So if I cry, cry with me because I feel good,” said Holmes.

Holmes headlined the 2008 induction class, which also included junior welterweight champion Eddie Perkins and late middleweight Holman Williams. All three are in the hall’s modern-era category.

Middleweights Len Harvey and Frank Klaus and welterweight Harry Lewis were honored in the old-timer category, and 19th-century Irish heavyweight Dan Donnelly in the pioneer class.
A seventh-grade dropout who forged his body in eastern Pennsylvania’s steel mills and honed his boxing skills in a Police Athletic League gym, Holmes compiled a record of 69-6, with 44 knockouts. He was heavyweight champion from 1978-1985. His 20 successful title defenses were surpassed only by Joe Louis with 25. Holmes nearly matched Rocky Marciano’s perfect 49-0 mark when he was upset by Michael Spinks for his first loss.
Despite his impressive resume, Holmes always has been under-appreciated— mostly because he defended his title against any fighter, regardless of ranking or name.

“I wanted to defend the title properly. I wanted to give everybody the opportunity to fight,” Holmes told the crowd, which included a large contingent of family and friends from Easton, Pa., among them his 3-week-old great granddaughter and 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers.

“I didn’t get into boxing to become the heavyweight champion of the world. I didn’t get into boxing to get into the hall of fame. I got into boxing to make money and pay the rent,” said Holmes, now 58 but just five years removed from his last fight.

Holmes said his detractors were his greatest motivation—including famed sportscaster Howard Cosell, who Holmes remembered said “my legs were too small, I couldn’t punch and I was just a copy of Muhammad Ali.”

Holmes had thanks for many people who helped his career, even singling out his sparring partners. But he gave special credit to promoter Don King for taking a chance on him on the start.

“When I was coming up, no one thought about Larry Holmes. Everybody I went to turned me down. No one would give a dime for my career,” Holmes said.

“I told people I was going to be the heavyweight champion of the world. They said I was crazy. People said you can’t be the heavyweight champ. Muhammad Ali is out there. Joe Frazier is out there. Ken Norton is out there. George Foreman is out there.

“I was determined to be the heavyweight champion of the world because I wanted to prove to those who said I couldn’t do it, that I could do it,” Holmes said.

After an early career that included 18 months as Ali’s sparring partner, Holmes beat WBC heavyweight champion Ken Norton in Las Vegas by decision on June 9, 1978, winning the fight with a final round cited by many as one of the greatest in boxing history.

Holmes’ string of successful title defenses ended in 1985 when he was upset by Michael Spinks in a 15-round decision. He retired in 1986 after losing a rematch with Spinks.

In 1988, the then 38-year-old Holmes was lured out of retirement by a $3 million purse to challenge Mike Tyson, the undisputed champion. Tyson knocked out Holmes in the fourth round, the first and only time Holmes would be knocked out in his career. Holmes again retired.
He returned to the ring again in 1990. In 1992, he upset undefeated 1988 Olympic heavyweight champ Ray Mercer, but lost a 12-round decision to Evander Holyfield in a title fight. Holmes got a last title shot in 1995 at 45, losing the WBC title by decision to Oliver McCall.

Since retiring, Holmes has become a successful businessman in his hometown and has helped fund numerous youth organizations.

In honor of Holmes’ induction, Easton Mayor Salvatore Panto read a proclamation that recognized Holmes for his humanity.

“It’s not just his boxing accomplishments were are so proud of. What we are more proud of is what he has down with those accomplishments,” said Panto, who grew up in the same projects as Holmes and has been a lifelong friend.

Also inducted Sunday as non-participants or observers were trainer Bill Gore, promoters Mogens Palle and Frank Warren and journalists Dave Anderson and Joe Koizumi.

Results From San Jose!

FIGHT NIGHT AT THE TANK

Results from San Jose June 5, 2008:

Promoter: Goosen Tutor Promotions
Attendance: 3,012
Card: Scheduled 7 bouts, 36 rounds.
Next Fightnight at the Tank:

September 11, 2008.

==========================

==========================

==========================

Manuel “El Toro” Quezada, W 8 John Clark
Quezada, 223, decisioned Clark, 289 via 8 round unanimous decision.
Judges’ scores were: 80-72, 80-72, 79-73. Quezada’s record moves to
23-4 (15kos). Clark, a former Defensive End with the San Francisco
49ers is now 12-13-1 (7).

Eloy Perez W 8 Jorge Pimentel
Local Perez, 129½ of Salinas CA decisioned Pimentel, 129½ via 8 round
unanimous decision. Judges’ scores were 80-72, 79-73, 77-75. Perez’
record improves to 11-0-2 (2) while hard punching Pimentel dips to 13-7 (11).

Jason Peterson TKO 2 Steve Martin
Making his pro debut, Peterson 163½ stopped Steve Martin, 165 in the
second round of their scheduled four rounder. Martin’s record dips to
1-2 (1). Peterson is next scheduled to fight at the Playboy Mansion on
June 25.

Carlos Herrera KO 1 Anthony Chavez
Herrera, 132½, stopped Chavez, 129½ at 1:21 of the first round. Herrera,
getting is first victory improves to 1-2 (1) while Chavez takes his first
loss and dips to 1-1 (1). The bout was scheduled for four rounds.

Keith Spencer KO 2 Theron Johnson
Heavyweights. Spencer 263, flattened Johnson 230, at 2:29 of the second
round. Spencer’s record improves o 4-0 (3) while Johnson is now 1-1 (0).
The bout was scheduled for four rounds.

Mike Dallas W 4 Marlo Cortez
Dallas, 144, decisioned Cortez, 144½ via four round unanimous decision.
The Judges’ scores were 40-36, 40-36, 40-36. Dallas’ record improves to
2-0 (0). Cortez is now 2-5-2 (1).

Rico Ramos TKO 2 Jerry Mondragon
(opening bout)
Ramos 123, stopped Mondragon at 2:43 of the second round. The bout
was scheduled for four rounds. Ramos’ record improves to 3-0 (2) while
Mondragon suffered his first loss and is at 3-1 (2).

=================

By: TomH

Photo: Armando Roldan

Pavlik Stops Lockett - Retains Titles

From Reuters
==========

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kelly Pavlik dominated Gary Lockett of Britain to retain his WBC and WBO middleweight titles with a third-round stoppage in Atlantic City on Saturday.

Pavlik rattled Lockett in the first round with two left-right combinations.
In the second, a right hand to the temple caused Lockett to stagger backwards and drop to one knee. Lockett went down to one knee again shortly afterwards and by the end of the round the challenger's face was swollen and reddened.

Another right hand in the third sent Lockett (30-2, 21 KOs) to the canvas one more time, prompting trainer Enzo Calzaghe to throw in the towel.

"All he did was try to wait for me to get lazy with the jab," Pavlik, 34-0 (30 KOs), told reporters. "He did catch me with one right hand in the first, but we took care of it."

Upcoming June TV Fights

June 7 - HBO, Pavlik 33-0 v Lockett 30-1, Ponce De Leon 34-1 v JM Lopez 21-0.
June 7 - Showtime, Forrest 40-2 v Mora 20-0-1, Quintana 25-1 v Williams 33-1.
June 11 - ESPN2 - Two good bouts.
June 13 - ESPN2 - Two good bouts.
June 18 - ESPN2 - From Sacramento.
June 20 - Showtime - Andre Ward and Eddie Chambers.
June 20 - ESPN2 - Good bout.
June 20 - Telefutura - Montel Griffin.
June 21 - Showtime - Pantera v Abraham rematch.
June 21 - HBO - Two good bouts.
June 25 - ESPN2 - Julio Diaz 34-4 v David Torres 20-0.
June 26 - Versus - Two good bouts.
June 27 - ESPN2 - Frans Botha.
June 27 - Telefutura - Julio Cesar Garcia 40-3 kid.
July 2 - ESPN2 - Minto 30-2 v Poore 20-2.

Pavlik v Lockett

From The Plain Dealer
================

What: Kelly Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs), Youngstown, vs. Gary Lockett (30-1, 21 KOs), Wales, for Pavlik's WBC/WBO middleweight titles, 12 rounds.

When: Today.

Where: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, N.J.

TV: HBO broadcast of two fights starts at 10:05 p.m. The first is Daniel Ponce DeLeon (34-1, 30 KOs) vs. Juan Manuel Lopez (21-0, 19 KOs) for DeLeon's WBO junior featherweight title, 12 rounds.

A look at Lockett: "The Rocket Man" has not lost since dropping a split decision to Yuri Tsarenko in April 2002. He has won 14 bouts since, including a decision against Tsarenko in 2003. Unlike Pavlik, Lockett's résumé is filled with wins against unheralded fighters. He is being asked to take a huge step up in class. He will have to deal with Pavlik's jab to get inside against the taller man, going to the body to slow him. A counter-puncher, he has to find an opening over Pavlik's sometimes-lazy left and land with a right-left combination. If Lockett cannot move forward, he is in big trouble.

A look at Pavlik: There is no mystery to the champion. He attacks every round, starting with the pace-setting jab to set up the solid right hand. He can throw up to 100 punches per round. Lockett has the tendency to counter and then step back. That looks to be a huge advantage for Pavlik, who has shown he can take a punch and respond in kind. Pavlik has been dropped twice when he lets his left hand slip to his side. He has constantly worked on his defense to avoid the mistake. The champion applies pressure and more pressure. It should work once again to break down and finish the overmatched Lockett.

Joe Maxse's prediction: This should not be considered a stroll on the Boardwalk for Pavlik. Still, he has been in with much tougher, especially during the past year, and holds all the advantages in size, strength, speed and skills. Lockett has the puncher's chance and Pavlik does leave himself open at times. But with bigger bouts and paydays on the horizon, all the advantages point to a Pavlik knockout in three. Tune in early.

Last Round For Johnny Tapia

From Sports Illustrated.
=========================
The worst? For Teresa Tapia it wasn't the night she awoke to find her husband standing over her with a hammer, or the time he shoved her while holding a pistol; it wasn't any one disappearance or public humiliation or lie during their 15 years together. It wasn't even the morning 14 months ago when Johnny Tapia, a five-time boxing world champ, fell into yet another drug-induced coma and was taken to an Albuquerque hospital. No, it was the next day: when Robert (Gordy) Gutierrez, the brother closest to Teresa and Johnny's loyal cornerman, died while rushing to the fighter's bedside -- killed, along with the Tapias' nephew Ben Garcia, in a one-car highway wreck. Finally she snapped. Johnny should be the one who's dead, Teresa thought. He's to blame.

"I hated him," she says. "I wished it was Johnny because my brother wanted to live and be a father and a part of our lives, where Johnny had always wanted to go, to die. I felt a lot of anger and resentment and guilt -- and still do. If I would've been a stronger person or colder and didn't care what happened to Johnny, I would've left him years ago. Then my brother would be here."

Welcome to the marriage forged in hell. On Teresa's wedding night one of Johnny's cousins approached the bride at her mother's house and said, "Why don't you go back in that room and see what you married?" Teresa came upon Johnny plunging a needle into his arm. He took the wedding cash, then dumped her in a seedy hotel. The next morning, Teresa says, "they had to jump-start his heart, resuscitate him; he was dead in my car. It was all downhill after that."

Everybody in boxing knows Johnny's tortured history: fatherless at birth, nearly killed in a bus crash at seven, orphaned at eight after his mother was stabbed 26 times with a screwdriver and scissors by her married boyfriend. His near-mythic rise as a champ in three weight classes (super fly, bantam and feather) coupled with his spectacular falls made him an irresistible draw, the sport's reigning antihero. No one else so routinely courted death and defeat and still came out on top. Teresa became his manager, the stable voice amid chaos, perpetually hoping that Johnny had finally, after numerous attempts at rehab, kicked his habit.

Sometimes she believed it too. When sober, Johnny is all apologies, affectionate as a puppy, charming as sin. Gordy had warned her not to marry him, but he couldn't help but love Johnny too. For 13 years he was Johnny's alter ego, always ready to laugh and lift him up after another brilliant brawl, to comfort his sister whenever Johnny binged and left her and their three kids alone. In February, before the last round of his most recent fight, Tapia ignored the clamor, looked Gordy in the eye and said, "I love you." Eighteen days later Gutierrez and Garcia were dead.

"It's my fault," Johnny says. "I killed them both."

These days Johnny, 41, is as needy as ever, begging for Teresa's hugs and insisting he's clean while training his two oldest sons, 15-year-old Jonathan and seven-year-old Lorenzo. But one day in their Las Cruces, N.Mex., home is enough to feel the coolness; Teresa has put up a wall Johnny can't punch through. After last year's horror she made it clear: One more screwup and we're done. She says she'd already be gone were it not for her husband's ultimate snare.
"If she left, I'd end my world," Johnny says. "In a heartbeat."

"I know he would," Teresa says. She taps Jonathan on the arm. "I see my children, I think I'm being a bad mother by keeping them around this. But I don't have the strength to leave Johnny and watch him kill himself, either, because then I'll be blamed: Well, you knew what he would do. Are they going to blame me if their dad dies? Are they going to blame me for not walking out? I'm stuck. I'm doing time."

And the walls are closing in. A fight had been set for last Friday in El Paso, the first step toward Johnny's reclaiming his featherweight title, but four days before the bout he felt lost without Gutierrez. "I can't go through it no more," Johnny said. Two days later, on what would have been Gordy's 41st birthday, grief overwhelmed the Tapias; Jonathan called his father from Las Cruces and lit into him for causing so much pain. Johnny hung up crying.

So what happened last Friday came as no shock. Johnny pulled out of the fight, touching off a pointless crossfire with his promoter over money, contracts and lawsuits. Fans went to the El Paso County Coliseum, cursed his name and wondered what happened to Johnny Tapia's heart. "I'm empty," he said last week. "Everything's gone in me."

That's not quite true: He's alive, and the match of his life stands at a draw. Johnny and Teresa still have each other.

Bruce Seldon went from boxing champ to jobless, then homeless. It's time for a comeback, he says.

By David Weinberg

ATLANTIC CITY - Bruce Seldon couldn't win.
The 41-year-old was locked in the toughest fight of his 20-year boxing career since an embarrassing, first-round loss to Mike Tyson in 1996 ended his brief reign as WBA heavyweight champion. Now, during a recent training session at the Atlantic City PAL, he was firing punches until sweat dribbled down his arms and seeped into his gloves. Still, nothing was getting through his opponent's defense. Sharp jabs and powerful hooks all fell short of the mark.
When the bell sounded to end the round, Seldon reached for a towel and a water bottle, then fixed his gaze on a yellowed newspaper clipping that was taped to the wall. The headlined blared "He's The Champion!" and showed Seldon celebrating his victory over Tony Tucker in Las Vegas on April 8, 1995.
A smile briefly appeared, but faded just as quickly.
"Man, that was a long time ago," Seldon said. "I think that was the last time I was truly happy."

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Bruce Seldon's life began to unravel after he lost his title to Tyson in 1996. Two years later, he pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child - the charges involved a girl who was 15 at the time - and was sentenced to 364 days under house arrest.
He wound up serving a much longer, self-imposed sentence.
Unfounded accusations that he had taken a dive hit him harder than Tyson's fists. Humiliated and hurt from the loss and arrest, he retreated into the basement of his home in Moorestown and stayed there for almost eight years. On the rare occasions that he ventured into Atlantic City, he did so as quietly as possible.
"Considering all the ups and downs I've gone through, I feel grateful just to still be here and for what little bit of sanity I still have," Seldon said. "Someone who was in my frame of mind back then might have killed themselves.
"There are people who still don't want to forgive me, but they are the ones who are suffering, not me. I put my trust in God and I learned to be forgiving. I learned that we all make mistakes in life. It's how you bounce back, climb back up and avoid making those mistakes ever again that matters most."
Co-managers Jim Kurtz and Joe Thompson finally convinced him to return to boxing in 2004, but he had mixed results. A pair of tuneup fights led to an opportunity to get back into the title picture, but his controversial loss to Gerald Nobles in Las Vegas - Seldon was winning the fight before he took a knee and allowed himself to be counted out in the ninth round - ended his quest.
He tried another comeback last year, but two more wins against undistinguished foes have gone virtually unnoticed. He has not fought since beating journeyman Jay Sweetman at the Days Inn in Winchester, Va. on March 10, 2007.

Seldon's career - and his life - appeared to be going nowhere.
"I felt like I lost everything," he said. "My friends, my family, my support, everything went. I had a lot of friends when I was on top, but the second I fell, they all disappeared.
"I sold my house so that I could make a fresh start. I moved into an apartment in Westville (Gloucester County), but I got evicted because I couldn't hold a job and pay the rent. I wound up having to sleep in the street before I got into a rooming house. I had a lot of sleepless, eatless nights. I realized I had to make some drastic changes."

He started by taking a job driving a forklift for a Millville company that makes kitchen appliances. Next, he moved into a tiny efficiency apartment near the warehouse. He said he is also taking better care of his money. He lost the bulk of his $3-million payday for the Tyson fight via loans to friends and a few unwise investments until his bank account sank from a couple million dollars to about $100,000.

Finally, he decided to get back to basics with his boxing career. After training in Vineland under former light-heavyweight contender Richie Kates, he switched to Atlantic City and veteran trainer Bill Johnson. Although Johnson was in Seldon's corner for his recent fights as a cutman, he has not been Seldon's primary cornerman since 1992.
"Bruce still has to wake up a lot of stuff that's been dormant for a while, but he's coming along surprisingly well," Johnson said. "He's in great shape, his reflexes are intact and he hasn't lost any hand speed.

"But the biggest thing is Bruce hasn't lost his legs, despite being 41. As a fighter's legs go, so goes the fighter. And Bruce still runs like a big middleweight."
The fighter and trainer have been leaning on each other for support.
Johnson is still coping with the death of his youngest son, former lightweight champion Leavander Johnson of Atlantic City, from brain injuries suffered in a fight against Jesus Chavez nearly three years ago. Seldon recently lost his father, Nathaniel, to cancer.
It remains to be seen if Bill Johnson is getting through to Seldon, but the relationship appears to be strong. Johnson lacks the ego of some of the sport's better-known trainers, but has a way of getting his point across to fighters.
Seldon, who has trimmed his weight to 219 pounds from a high of 263, seems eager to please his mentor. He is expected to put those lessons to use in one or two bouts this month, possibly in Atlantic City.

"I don't have a bad word to say about Richie because I respect him tremendously as a person and a trainer," Seldon said. "But at this point in my life and career, there's only one man who can put me in the frame of mind I need to be in and that's Bill Johnson.
"B.J. and I go way back, back to the very, very beginning. I have a chemistry with him that I don't have with anyone else. There's no trainer out there that is better for me than him."

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After staring at the newspaper clipping for a few minutes, Seldon's gaze ventured over to the ring, where some youngsters were swapping punches in a spirited sparring session.
"The best part about working with B.J. again is that I'm back home in Atlantic City," Seldon said. "Man, I love my city, even though it hasn't always loved me.
"Being around all the kids and the other fighters, I just seem to get so much more out of working out here. I know they've seen that picture, but they never saw me until recently. Maybe seeing me in person will help give them some hope."

The bell sounded again and Seldon resumed his fight. He started throwing more punches, fervently trying to find an opening in his opponents' defense. He also tried to protect himself, moving his head and rolling his shoulders to ward off the blows.

Three minutes later, the round ended.
Seldon turned away from the mirror and trudged toward the showers, uncertain if he had won or lost.

"I'm just now getting to the point where I'm comfortable in my life," Seldon said. "I'm still not happy, but at least I feel comfortable. It's been a while since I even felt that good."

Byrd Shot Down and Grounded...

From ESPN.Com

LAS VEGAS -- Shaun George did not feel bad for Chris Byrd while they were in the ring at the Cox Pavilion on Friday night. Not even after he had stopped the former two-time heavyweight champion in the ninth round did George feel any pangs of regret.
"No," he said. "I'm being honest. If he could have, he would have done it to me."

But when George saw Byrd in the dressing room later, it struck him. He had closed the book on Byrd's remarkable career in a concussive fashion.
"When I saw him in the locker room I kind of felt sad for him," George said. "I was talking to Antonio Tarver one day after we had sparred and he said that this is a sport that you love. You're going to have good days and you're going to have bad days. And there's going to come a point where you have to give it up. That's the hard part because you love the sport. It's sad for anybody, but especially someone like Byrd who is a two-time heavyweight champion."
Tracy Byrd, Byrd's wife and manager said, that was it for her husband, he won't be fighting anymore. He is going to have to give up the sport he loves.

I'm not letting him fight anymore. It's almost a relief to know that he's not going to do it anymore. It probably isn't a relief to him because he's so competitive. But for those around him, it's a relief.
-- Tracey Byrd"I'm not letting him fight anymore," said Tracy Byrd, choking back tears in a telephone conversation from Valley Hospital in Las Vegas late Friday night. "It's almost a relief to know that he's not going to do it anymore. It probably isn't a relief to him because he's so competitive. But for those around him, it's a relief."
And what if Byrd refuses to give it up?
"He would have to try to do it without my support," she said. "And I don't think he wants to do that."
Byrd suffered a dislocated right shoulder and had to be taken to the hospital when he had a bad reaction to painkillers that were administered in the dressing room to try to put the shoulder back in place.
"They gave him Valium and morphine and we couldn't wake him up," Tracy Byrd said. "I was so scared. We had to rush him to the hospital."
Byrd was revived at the hospital, his shoulder was put back in place and he was dismissed late Friday night.

Chris Byrd, right, has been in his fair share of battles throughout the years.Tracy Byrd said her husband dislocated his shoulder in the first round, but kept fighting. He made it worse after he was knocked down for the second time in the ninth round. Byrd fell in the corner, between the ropes and his shoulder slammed into the corner post. He scrambled to his feet. While referee Jay Nady was counting, Byrd appeared to tell him to stop the fight. Nady waved off the count and stopped it.
It was a good stoppage. Byrd had nothing from the very first round. No legs, no speed, no power and no chance against George, a lightly regarded light heavyweight from Brooklyn, whose two previous losses had come at cruiserweight.
Byrd had lost 36 pounds over seven months after deciding to drop down in weight and bypass cruiserweight. It was a dramatic, and as it turned out, drastic weight loss that sapped him of his strength, speed and power.
"I think he lost too much weight too fast," said light heavyweight titlist Chad Dawson, who watched the fight at ringside. "He was still fighting in heavyweight mode. He wasn't throwing that many punches and he was slow and he wasn't moving. You can fight like that as a heavyweight, but you can't do that at light heavyweight."
George found the stationary Byrd an easy mark for right hands. He staggered Byrd with the first solid right he landed in the first round and dropped him with another one later in the round.
"I should have put him away in that first round," George said. "I should have put my punches together better. But it was very difficult to hit him with that third shot."
When George did land that third shot in the ninth round he nearly took Byrd's head off. It was hard to watch Byrd, who had been such a valiant warrior as a heavyweight, getting smacked around the ring so easily at a lighter weight.

So Byrd's great light heavyweight experiment came to a crashing end at the hands of George, who had seven knockouts in his previous 20 fights. Every time George put together a combination it hurt Byrd. He had been softened up considerably in recent years in bruising heavyweight matches against Jameel McCline, who outweighed him by 56 pounds, and IBF/WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko, who pummeled Byrd on the way to a brutal seventh round KO.
A victory by Byrd would have added some excitement to the light heavyweight division. Roy Jones had talked about fighting Byrd when Jones was finished with a proposed match against Joe Calzaghe.
A competitive Byrd would have fit nicely in the 175-pound division with Tarver, Glen Johnson and Bernard Hopkins. But the way that George blasted him, there really is no need to continue that conversation. Now you have to wonder how George will fare against someone like Dawson, a 24-year-old slugger.

Having already won two heavyweight championships and having been stopped in recent fights against Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin, Byrd can't go back up. He can only go out.
On a night when the book was closed on Byrd's remarkable career, George, 29, opened up his horizon in the light heavyweight division.

"We've already been in touch with the German promoters for [WBO champion Zsolt] Erdei," said Donna Brooks, George's promoter. "We could do something with that or we could go in another direction. I think we have some choices now. It was a very good fight for Shaun. This is really a fight where everything came together. He has a lot of talent. He just never put it all together before."

Calzaghe sends Hopkins into Retirement!

(Better late than never).
From Associated Press.
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LAS VEGAS - Joe Calzaghe leaped onto the unfamiliar ropes with more hope than confidence, punching his fists skyward but also looking over his shoulder at the judges’ table.
The Pride of Wales had just finished a messy, difficult American debut against Bernard Hopkins, the 43-year-old master who excels at making younger foes look foolish. Calzaghe couldn’t be sure he had done enough to win - until the final judge’s scorecard hailed him as the best light heavyweight in the world.
Calzaghe kept his unbeaten record intact with a split-decision victory Saturday night, tenaciously rallying in the final rounds to end his first Vegas show with a flourish.
"I knew this wouldn’t look pretty tonight," Calzaghe said after embracing his ecstatic father/trainer, Enzo. "He’s so awkward. He gave me some good shots. It wasn’t my best night, but I won the fight. The world title in a second division and a win in America is just icing on the cake for my career."
Hopkins (48-5-1) knocked down Calzaghe (45-0) with a sneaky right hand just 70 seconds in at the Thomas & Mack Center. With grabby defense and canny counterpunching, Hopkins repeatedly negated Calzaghe’s attempts to trade blows and gain physical control, causing more frustration than Calzaghe has ever felt.
But during the 18 years since he last left a ring in defeat, Calzaghe learned he must always keep punching. Constantly wading into the teeth of Hopkins’ defense, he never stopped trying to wear down his older opponent, eventually gaining control in the final rounds _ but still wondering about his fate.
Judge Ted Gimza scored it 115-112 for Calzaghe, and Chuck Giampa favored Calzaghe 116-111. Judge Adalaide Byrd gave it 114-113 to Hopkins, as did many reporters at ringside _ including The Associated Press, which also favored Hopkins 114-113 despite Calzaghe’s dominance in the final five rounds.
"I just really feel like I took the guy to school," said Hopkins, who grimaced and shook his head when the verdict was announced. "I feel like I made him fight my fight, not his."
Calzaghe landed 33 percent of his 707 punches, while Hopkins connected with 27 percent of his 468 blows. Calzaghe had the edge in power punches with both total blows and accuracy, and he heavily outjabbed Hopkins.
In perhaps the most telling statistic of all, Calzaghe connected with 232 punches, the most ever landed against Hopkins in his 21 fights that were tracked by CompuBox statistics.
"I had to let the punches go as the fight wore on," Calzaghe said. "He was very defensive. I was only hurt one time, but he never caught me with a clean punch. It was the toughest fight of my career. He’s very clever. I’m very proud."
Shortly after Tom Jones finished singing the Welsh national anthem, Hopkins ducked in his crouch and knocked down Calzaghe with a perfectly placed right hand. Hopkins was a shade quicker and more elusive in the early rounds, staying away from Calzaghe’s more powerful punches with movement and carefully disguised holds.
While Calzaghe turned the momentum, referee Joe Cortez briefly stopped the fight twice for low blows by Calzaghe, including an extended delay early in the 10th round that infuriated Calzaghe. It also seemed to give Calzaghe the motivation to finish strong.
Calzaghe has been a super middleweight champion since 1997, winning 21 consecutive defenses and adding two more belts last November with a unification victory over Mikkel Kessler. But the flying-phobic Welshman never found a matchup enticing enough to get him across the Atlantic Ocean on boxing’s biggest stage, leaving him largely unknown to Americans.
Saturday’s bout has been anticipated for at least six years by fight fans who craved the stylistic contrasts between two of the longest-reigning champions in boxing history. After several false starts and disputes, the bout gained steam last December when Hopkins and Calzaghe got into a shouting match one day before Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s fight with Ricky Hatton.
"I would never let a white boy beat me. Never," Hopkins proclaimed, and Calzaghe quickly agreed to find out whether the Executioner was correct.
With 20 straight title defenses as one of the longest-reigning middleweight champions in boxing history, Hopkins’ only losses since 1993 were two debatable decisions against Jermain Taylor in 2005. He then posted stunning upsets in his first two fights at light heavyweight, knocking off Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright with the same mix of impenetrable defense and counterpunching that threatened to confound Calzaghe.
Hopkins, whose win over Tarver made him the linear 175-pound champ, still shows remarkably few signs of athletic decline in his early 40s.
"I wanted him to run into my shots," Hopkins said. "I think I made him do that, and I think I made it look pretty easy. I think I controlled the pace, and I controlled the fight. I think it was an old-school execution. He really wasn’t landing his shots. Maybe if he threw five or six, one or two landed if he was lucky."
Though the arena had thousands of empty seats because of exorbitant ticket prices, thousands of British fans who turned out for Friday’s weigh-in got tickets and turned up waving Welsh flags and singing to Calzaghe.
Roy Jones Jr. is among the fighters who would love the next shot at Calzaghe, while Hopkins is running out of interesting opponents.
"I don’t know who I want to fight next, but I’m a legend-killer," Calzaghe said.

Mamby wants another world title at 60

By Larry Fine
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Saoul Mamby trains himself at John's Gym, a South Bronx oasis suspended in time -- a perfect fit for a former world champion who is fighting on at the age of 60.
It is not just to stay in shape that Mamby is skipping, working the speed bag, sparring and pounding a heavy bag hung from the rafters of the musky, converted postal station.
He wants a shot at winning another title.
"I fought the best in the world. At one time I was the best in the world," the grandfather of 11 told Reuters at the gym, where old timers visit and schoolchildren take their first steps towards learning the craft of boxing alongside professional wannabes.
"If I can reach that level again, there's no harm in trying. I don't want to sit back and be one of those shoulda, coulda, woulda people. I want to give it a shot."
Earlier this month, Mamby, who was first crowned WBC light welterweight champion 28 years ago, became what is believed to be the oldest boxer ever in a sanctioned bout when he lost a 10-round decision in the Cayman Islands.
Mamby, lean and articulate with no grey showing in his braided brown locks, said he was rusty against 32-year-old Jamaican Anthony Osbourne, whose dismal record rose to 7-25-1.
"I need fights like that to bring myself to where I was," said Mamby, whose record dropped to 45-34-6.
"I hadn't fought in eight years, fighting a fighter who has been active. I was in good shape but my tools were rusty."
ALPHABET SOUPS
The native New Yorker, a superb defensive boxer who failed to go the distance only once in his remarkable career when he was stopped at the age of 46 by American Derrell Coley, is not impressed by the current crop of fighters.
"With all the titles out there today, it's not like when I was champ before. I was WBC, Aaron Pryor was WBA," said Mamby, who made five successful defenses in two-and-a-half years as champion.
"Now they have multiple alphabet soups. So my theory is one of them belongs to me."
He said he was not worried about getting hurt. "I don't have any injuries. I don't have any damage to myself. I've never been knocked out cold."
Mamby won the World Boxing Council (WBC) light welterweight title from South Korean Kim Sang-hyun in February 1980 by stopping him in the 14th round in Seoul.
He made his first defense against Esteban De Jesus of Puerto Rico, the only man to beat Roberto Duran over the Panamanian's first 73 professional fights.
Mamby, who frequently fought overseas, also defended against Thomas Americo in his native Indonesia and against Nigerian Obisia Nwankpa in Lagos before relinquishing the title to American Leroy Haley in a split decision in June 1982.
He traces his determination to a haunting tour of military duty in Vietnam.
"I used to sit down with the guys," he reminisced about his fellow soldiers. "I would listen to everybody, what they were going to do. Maybe a month later, a few days later, they put them in body bags.
"Whatever you want to do, you do it, I vowed. This is what I like to do, so I'm doing it."
Mamby, son of a Jamaican father and a Spanish mother, takes his freedom of choice seriously.
"When I was a kid, 20 years old, they sent me to war. I survived. Now that I have a little age on me you're going to tell me what I fought for I'm not allowed to participate in?
"I fought for freedom, justice and equality. Now here I am, 60 years old and you're going to tell me 'you can't fight, you're too old'?"
HARDEST FIGHT
Surrounded by the yellowed newspaper pictures of boxing greats taped to the dingy walls of John's Gym, Mamby recalled some memorable opponents, including Duran.
"He was knocking everybody out but I lasted for a decision (1976)," he said. "He was a good fighter but he wasn't the hardest fight I had.
"The hardest fight I had was a guy from Indonesia named Thomas Americo, I fought him 15 rounds (1981) in the first championship bout in Indonesia. My god, he was so strong."
Mamby grinned when he thought of De Jesus. "Every Puerto Rican in New York lost money, because they all bet I was going to lose and I knocked him out in the 13th round."
The best current boxer, according to Mamby, is Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"Mayweather is a good fighter but realistically, he wouldn't have stood up to Duran."
Mamby thinks that after two or three warm-up fights he would match up well against Briton Ricky Hatton, recognized by Ring Magazine as the world's best super lightweight, who lost to Mayweather in a welterweight title fight.
"It would be a good fight and I might beat him because I have the style to beat him," Mamby said. "Ricky Hatton, if you want to give me a shot then fine. I'm available."
Mamby said he was not picky. "I'm looking to win a title. With all they got out there, one of them belongs to me. If I get one, I can say 'no mas' with dignity."
(Editing by Clare Fallon)