Pavlik Wins to Keep Championship Title

December 19th, 2009, Boxers Kelly Pavlik Vs. Miguel Espino, met for the World Middleweight Championship at Beeghly Center at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, OH.  It turned out that it was December 20th by the time the fight got started and Pavlik defeated Espino in round 5.

WBC/WBO Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik (35-1, 31 KO’s) record speaks for itself at http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=15844&cat=boxer,  defeating some of the best know boxers  Pavlik won again!

Pavlik’s last fight in February, 2009 was also held in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio  giving him a decided home ring advantage over Miguel Ángel Espiño, of  North Hollywood, California, United States.  You might remember Espiño as a contestant on the NBC boxing reality television show The Contender.   Peter Manfredo Jr. defeated  Espino who’s record is at 20-2-1, 9 KO’s. 

Manfredo was previously stripped of the IBU Light Middleweight Title March 31, 2003, for failure to defend,  although that certainly has not curtailed his boxing career. Manfredo slammed Ronald Weaver  in a match held Martin’s Valley Mansion, Cockeysville, Maryland, United States on November 5, 2009, knocking him down in the first round and going on to win. 

Youngstown, Ohio is familiar with having things stripped from it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngstown,_Ohio#cite_ref-24  The dignity of being once titled a murder capital of the U.S. along with Gary, Indiana the title has been removed and the city and police have mitigated the crime spree.  At one point, Youngstown held the indignity of one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation when the steel mills shut down.  It was Pavlik’s obligation now, to defend his title or have it stripped that brought this fight to Youngstown this Saturday night. 

The fight mentality of the people of Youngstown is;  that fighting for everything you’ve got is mandatory, and that includes a mandatory fight by Pavlik.

“We were supposed to fight Paul Williams on December 5th. The hand still wasn’t 100%. We asked him for another month to get ready, but he still took the fight (with Martinez) on December 5th. We weren’t looking to fight until the end of January or early February, and then the next thing you know, the WBO and the WBC said, Kelly you guys have to fight. You have to, or we’re stripping you of your title on the 19th. Usually we go eight weeks for a training camp. Now, it’s only five weeks,” Pavlik explained.http://www.fightnews.com/?p=32669#more-32669

“Medically, it was tough,” Pavlik said. “Just when we thought we had it, something else came up. Then after surgery, it turns into MRSA and gets worse and worse. Every time we thought we had it beat, there was a reaction. But the hand feels great now. We’re ready to go.” reported Associated Press via http://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/2009-12-08-1983809512_x.htm.

Go they did on the last card around midnight.  The fight promoted by Bob Arum was hardly a sell out with less than half of the arena filled.  Turns out the facility would not accept cash for tickets nor would they participate with Ticketmaster resulting in a blackout of pay-for-view for area bars. About 25% of the population lives below the poverty line.  Ironically enough, Pavlik owns a bar in the Youngstown area and his own place could not show his fight.

Whether you saw it or not, which we did on pay per view, Pavlik successfully defended his title and gave his hometown an early Christmas present- victory! 

Pavlik, 27, will now turn his attention to Paul Williams, whom he was supposed to fight on 3 October.  His hand infection originally caused the fight to be postponed until 5 December, and it was then cancelled when Pavlik realised his left hand was still injured.  American Williams decided to fight Sergio Martinez on that date instead, winning on points.  Pavlik said Williams is now the priority, but if another deal cannot be reached, he will turn his attentions to WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm according to http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8423079.stm.

You can follow Pavlik at http://www.teampavlik.com/ .

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Photo by Ray Flores

The final bout of the opening set of the of Super Six super middleweight round robin tournament is to take place this Saturday at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The best super middleweight in the world  Mikkel Kessler (42-1,32KO’S) will defend his WBA title against 2004 Olympic Gold medalist Andre Ward ( 20-0,13 KO’S).

Photo by Ray Flores

Whatever happens in the ring on Saturday night, Ward’s promoter Dan Goossen has done everything that is within his powers to give his young charge every added advantage. Andre Ward will be fighting at home in front of a partisan crowd. Would that be enough?

‘In my opinion, this Saturday the two best super middleweights are going to face off against each other.  I applaud Mikkel Kessler for coming to Andre’s hometown to defend his title,” said Dan Goossen: ‘It’s been a long road with Andre Ward to get here. (But) it’s the perfect time for Andre Ward.  Every great fighter learns to hone their craft.  On Saturday, Virgil Hunter is going to take recognition in being the top trainer who helped Andre hone in on his skills. Saturday night we will see Andre Ward bring the title not only home to Oakland but to American soil.’’

Kessler’s promoter William Sauerland is trying to even out a playing field with the home field advantage: “One thing I want to point out. We will not accept Dan’s choice of judges. He has done a great job to get his fighter three fights at home, but now he has appointed three judges from California. Needless to say, we will not accept his friends and colleagues judging this fight, so he better starts moving because it takes a while to bring in new judges. The WBA has written a strong letter to the Californian commission that the choice of judges is unacceptable but the Californian commission has been somewhat hard to reach. The WBA has been trying to contact them, sending faxes and everything. If this issue is not sorted, we can have a Super Six fight, but Mikkel´s world title will not be on the line.”

“I am pretty sure the fight will not last as long as the press conference,” continued Sauerland:” It is a pleasure to be here and we will see a great fight Saturday. Ward is unbeaten and very strong, but his previous accomplishments, including the Olympic gold medal, will not help him against Mikkel Kessler.”

Both combatants seemed very confident and respectful of each other.Only hardcore boxing fans understand that this bout could easily duplicate or even surpass the action in the ring that we saw this past Saturday in Las Vegas between Pacquiao and Cotto.

Photo by Ray Flores

“No one expected me to win the Olympics, “said Andre Ward:” No one expected to me to get this far as a pro. But, now, if I win, it is because I’m supposed to, and if I ever lose, it’s a huge thing. I’m thrilled for everybody Saturday night and really anxious for the fight to be here.’’

Photo by Ray Flores

“I want to thank everyone involved in making this fight possible and for the nice words from their camp,” said Mikkel Kessler:” But now I am ready to fight.  I didn’t come all the way from Denmark to lose and I am fully prepared and 150 percent ready. I’m in better shape now than I’ve ever been.

I have had only one defeat and that was to Joe Calzaghe and it still eats at me today. Even thinking about that fight makes me even more motivated. That’s why I am looking at this fight as a second chance to prove that I am the best. I hurt my hand and had only two weeks to spar for Calzaghe, but there will be no mistakes or excuses after this one. I may be 30 but I have a lot of fight left. Saturday night can’t come soon enough.’’

Tickets for this Saturday’s event, priced at $300, $150, $65 and $35, are available at the Oracle Arena Box office Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and fight day starting at 10 a.m., online at Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com), by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, or through Ticketmaster outlets at the following outlets: select Macy’s stores and select Ritmo Latino stores. All information can be obtained at www.ticketmaster.com. It will be televised live on Showtime. Do not miss this one.

In the beginning of  the twelfth round, the new reigning World Boxing Organization welter-weight champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao scored his victory. The Pacquiao – Cotto fight could best be described as one-sided. Pacquiao was the agressor from the beginning of the battle right down to the end. He knocked down Miguel Cotto once in the fourth round and again in the fifth round. Cotto spent most of the fight on defense, dancing around trying to avoid Pacquiao’s advances. At first it seemed as though it was an Ali-style tactic to wear Pacquiao out, but it was clear that his energy was limitless. Once it became clear that Pacquiao was not going to wear down, Cotto’s tactic switched from trying to wear his opponent down to trying to stay on his feat.

With Saturday’s victory, Pacquiao has scored a championship belt in his seventh different weight class. With a record of 50 – 3 – 2, in his 14  years as a professional boxer he, has only lost his three fights by decision. Compare this to a 56 – 5 – 0 record by the Greatest of All time, I think there is a strong argument that Pacquiao could pass Ali as the greatest.

The next fight that everyone is looking forward to is a Pacquiao – Mayweather Jr. fight, which is rumored to being in negotiations. This fight will certainly be an epic one for the ages.

Manny Pacquiao (+49-3=2) nei primi due round ha preso le misure di Cotto. Ne ha testato la velocità, la potenza, la determinazione. Quindi ha deciso per la strategia del KO.
Con la guardia alta, ha lasciato per tutto l’incontro che Cotto venisse avanti per colpire, affidando alla incredibile velocità delle sue mani la pericolosa controffensiva, che nei suoi piani avrebbe prima o poi prodotto l’incontro fatale tra il suo sinistro e la mascella dell’avversario. A Miguel Angel Cotto (+34-2=0) non è rimasto che provare. Non aveva altri argomenti Miguel, all’infuori del grande coraggio con il quale si è presentato all’appuntamento, mettendo in palio il suo titolo di campione dei welters WBO contro uno dei più grandi pugili di sempre.

così Joe Santiago, allenatore di Miguel Cotto, al termine del match: “He was a lot stronger than we expected…He hit harder than we expected…He was a lot stronger than we expected.’’ Una sintesi che tutti condivideranno.

Il KO vero Manny non l’ha trovato. Probabilmente nelle sue aspettative si sarebbe dovuto concretizzare nelle prime 6 o 7 riprese; ma Cotto ha dimostrato di essere un pugile di valore, fronteggiando quella mitragliatrice di pugni quale è Pacquiao con grande abilità.

Manny Pacquiao e Miguel Angel Cotto (foto:ESPN)

Pacquiao inizia il suo match alla terza ripresa, quando mette a sedere Cotto con un sinistro velocissimo. Nella ripresa successiva, dopo vari scambi di colpi al corpo, la scena si ripete, con Cotto che torna al tappeto.
Il match prosegue con Manny che preme in avanti e Cotto che inizia a girare nel ring, sulle punte, cercando di allentare la pressione su di lui. Il portoricano riesce in qualche occasione a portare qualche buon colpo e qualche combinazione, che Il campione filippino incassa con freddezza.
Dalla ripresa 9 in poi, i segni della battaglia si mostrano evidenti sul volto di Cotto. Pacquiao durante gli ultimi round si concede, aspetta, si chiude in una guardia serrata e cerca il tempo per il colpo definitivo, che però non arriva. Nonostante Cotto abbia un occhio quasi chiuso e non riesca probabilmente nemmeno più a vedere partire i colpi (ma forse non ci riusciva del tutto nemmeno all’inizio del match), riesce a stare in piedi e a sostenere tutto il peso di quegli attacchi fulminanti, fatti di combinazioni – anche lunghissime – di 6 o 7 colpi al corpo e al volto, che quando non si infrangono sulla guardia centrano il bersaglio con precisione.

Le riprese 11 e 12 fanno parte di un match che non esiste. Cotto non colpisce più, gira, si sposta, fugge dall’impeto di Pacquiao che non vede altro che un KO per porre fine alla questione. La moglie di Cotto è già andata via in lacrime, risparmiando al figlio di Miguel quello spettacolo spietato. Alla fine, L’arbitro Kenny Bayless interviene e ferma l’incontro, dichiarando Pacquiao vincitore per KO tecnico e consegnando la sua carriera alla storia della Boxe.

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao nasce a Kibawe, Bukidnon, nelle Filippine, il 17 dicembre del 1978. E’ alto 169 centrimetri, è mancino e ha iniziato la sua carriera nei pesi mosca. (Pacquiao – Edmund Enting Ignacio, 22 gennaio 1995, 48 kgs, vittoria ai punti alla 4 ripresa)
E’ diventato campione del mondo in 7 categorie di peso diverse – scalandone 10 – come nessuno mai nella storia di questo sport. Il suo soprannome è Pac-Man.
E’ un eroe col sorriso sempre sul volto, un happy fighter come spesso viene descritto. Negli ultimi tre incontri ha battuto campioni del calibro di Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya e Miguel Angel Cotto, guadagnando circa 50 milioni di dollari.
E’ considerato – a pieno titolo – il più forte pugile P4P in attività.
Negli stati uniti, il match è stato trasmesso in pay per view, al prezzo di 54 dollari. In Inghilterra è stato trasmesso su Sky; in Italia lo ha trasmesso Dahlia TV, che sta offrendo agli appassionati un grande servizio a un costo più che ragionevole. (per info visitate il sito http://www.dahliatv.it)

Ora il mondo della boxe aspetta solo un evento: il match con Floyd “boccalarga” Mayweather JR, che si definisce il più forte di tutti ma che va a pescare gli sfidanti dal cesto dei giocattoli rotti.

Floyd, per te che siedi sul tetto del mondo: dai retta a me, resta là sopra, in alto: quaggiù è in arrivo un brutto tsunami.

FROM ALL OF US AT P.I.D. FOUNDATION CONGRATULATIONS MANNY FOR WINNING WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!

LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao’s speed and power were way too much for Miguel Cotto’s heart.

Pacquiao put on yet another dominating performance Saturday night, knocking down Cotto twice and turning his face into a bloody mess before finally stopping him at 55 seconds of the 12th round.

The Filipino star used his blazing speed and power from both hands to win his seventh title in seven weight classes and cement his stature as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Cotto took such a beating that his face was a river of red from the fury of Pacquiao’s punches, but he refused to quit even as his corner tried to throw in the towel after the 11th round.

“I didn’t know from where the punches were coming,” Cotto said.

The fight was billed as a 145-pound classic, and in the early rounds it didn’t disappoint. The two went after each other with a vengeance and Cotto more than held his own as they traded punches in the center of the ring before a roaring sellout crowd at the MGM Grand arena.

Pacquiao dropped Cotto with a right hand early in the third round, but he wasn’t badly hurt and came back to finish the round strong. But after Pacquiao put Cotto on the canvas with a big left hand late in the fourth round, the Puerto Rican was never the same again.

Cotto won two rounds on the scorecards of two ringside judges and just one round on the card of the third. The Associated Press gave Cotto just the first round.

“Our plan was not to hurry, but to take our time,” Pacquiao said. “It was a hard fight tonight and I needed time to test his power.”

Cotto’s face was marked early and he was bleeding midway through the fight as Pacquiao kept bouncing around and throwing punches in his unorthodox southpaw style. Cotto tried to keep taking the fight to Pacquiao, but by then his punches had lost their sting and his only real chance was to land a big punch from nowhere.

“He hit harder than we expected and he was a lot stronger than we expected,” Cotto’s trainer, Joe Santiago, said.

Cotto fought gamely, but in the later rounds he was just trying to survive as blood flowed down his face and Pacquiao came after him relentlessly. Santiago tried to stop the fight after the 11th round, but Cotto went back out to take even more punishment before a final flurry along the ropes prompted referee Kenny Bayless to end it.

Cotto’s wife and child, who were at ringside, left after the ninth round, unable to watch the beating any longer. They later accompanied him to a local hospital for a post-fight examination.

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AP Photo/Mark J. TerrillManny Pacquiao, left, lands a blow to the head of Miguel Cotto in their WBO welterweight bout Saturday night in Las Vegas.

“My health comes first. I just want to make sure I’m fine, but I feel great. I’m swollen but that’s all,” Cotto said.

His face swollen, Cotto was bleeding from his nose and his cuts, and he simply couldn’t stop Pacquiao from bouncing inside and throwing both hands at will.

“Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers I ever fought,” Cotto said.

Pacquiao, coming off of spectacular wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, added another one against Cotto, who had lost only once and held the WBO version of the welterweight title.

Pacquiao did it in his trademark way, throwing punches in flurries and from all angles until Cotto began to slow down. Then he pursued him nonstop until the end.

The fight likely will set up an even bigger one against Floyd Mayweather Jr., and many in crowd were already chanting, “We want Floyd! We want Floyd.”

“I want to see him fight Mayweather,” trainer Freddie Roach said.

Mayweather may have second thoughts after Pacquiao did what no fighter has done before — win a belt in a seventh weight class. More impressive, though, is how he has fought, dismantling opponents despite moving up consistently from 106 pounds to the 144 he weighed for the fight.

The welterweight ranks will be the last ones Pacquiao conquers, though.

“This is the last weight division for me,” Pacquiao said. “It’s history for me and more importantly a Filipino did it.”

He was so dominant in the later rounds that Cotto was fighting backward most of the way, simply trying to survive. Pacquiao was credited with landing almost twice as many punches — 336-172 — as Cotto.

“I knew when Cotto started backing up, the fight was over,” Roach said.

Pacquiao earned a minimum $13 million, while Cotto got $7 million.

Pacquiao was favored, largely off his last two performances in which he forced De La Hoya to quit on his stool and then knocked out Hatton with a huge left hook in the second round. Some in boxing, including Roach, thought Cotto had been slowed by his devastating loss last year to Antonio Margarito and would be further slowed by having to come in 2 pounds lower than his normal weight.

That wasn’t the case early in the fight, with Cotto winning the first round and fighting well. Once he was knocked down by a big left hand late in the fourth round, though, he slowed noticeably.

original source: CLICK HERE

Defending champion Miguel Cotto tipped the scales at 145 pounds – his lightest weight in more than three years – one night ahead of his WBO welterweight title defense against Manny Pacquiao in the year’s most anticipated pay-per-view bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

A winner in 34 of 35 fights since turning pro in 2001, Cotto agreed to come in two pounds below the weight division’s traditional limit in order to secure the big-money bout with Pacquiao, who holds the IBO title at 140 pounds and is generally considered the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter.

Pacquiao weighed 144 pounds, heavier than he’s been for any of 54 bouts in a 14-year pro career.

A 29-year-old Puerto Rican, Cotto is former 140-pound champion who subsequently held the WBA’s welterweight title before a controversial 11-round TKO loss to Antonio Margarito in July 2008.

Margarito was suspended six months later after commission inspectors found illegal substances in his hand wraps prior to a bout with Shane Mosley.

Cotto was a champion again one bout later, defeating Michael Jennings for the vacant WBO title at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 21. He’s defended once since, overcoming a bloody cut to top Joshua Clottey by razor-thin split decision at MSG on June 13.

He weighed 147 for both the Jennings and Clottey bouts.

“We had a great training camp, which is the reason why I wanted to take our team to Tampa. I am facing a great fighter in Pacquiao,” Cotto said. “He has great hand speed and a big heart. It will be a battle.

“I began boxing when I was a little boy, just 11 years old. I always dreamed of fighting for the world championship. I have fought in world title fights, won championships, but this fight is very special. I want to tell all of my fans that I am ready to fight. We have a great game plan and we will win.”

 Pacquiao, a former world title claimant at 112, 122, 130 and 135 pounds, weighed 142 pounds for a ninth-round stoppage of Oscar De La Hoya last December, a result that led to De La Hoya’s retirement and propelled Pacquiao to the sport’s consensus No. 1 spot.

He’s fought once since, winning the IBO junior welterweight bout with a vicious one-punch stoppage of Ricky Hatton in round two of their scheduled 12-rounder at the MGM Grand on May 2.

“Cotto’s size and power need to be respected, but I will leverage his size against him,” Pacquiao said. “We have numerous plans to do this depending on the style of fight he presents on Saturday night.

“We are prepared. As important as it is to have advantages, knowing how to use them is even more crucial.”

Now 30 years old and unbeaten since a decision loss to Erik Morales in 2005, the Filipino is 49-3-2 overall with 37 knockouts.

The undercard will include a WBC 154-pound title bout between champion Daniel Santos of Puerto Rico and unbeaten American Yuri Foreman.

Also featured is a 10-round bout involving Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and a separate match with Alfonso Gomez, who was Arturo Gatti’s final opponent in 2007 and lost a title challenge against Cotto in 2008.

It’s another big fight week. Which means different things to different people.

Especially we writer types.

Some count down to opening bells by waxing nostalgic on past events. Some immerse in head-to-head matchups seeking evidence of one man’s superiority. And others simply spend time gorging on hospitality food and drink buffets.

Not a bad selection in the bunch… if you ask me.

But I come here not to praise the fistic establishment, but to bury it.

And, while simultaneously pondering replies to a Facebook friend request from someone I’ve neither seen in about 20 years nor liked in about 21, I’m feeling just a tad bit crusadery.

Either that or it’s another mid-life crisis.

And though no one’s asked my opinion in so many words, I’ve nonetheless chosen this week to climb on the soapbox and enlighten with my own home remedy for boxing’s ills.

My personal sanctioning body, if you will.

For lack of a better idea, and because all the good ones are taken, we’ll keep our name simple.

Ladies and gentlemen… I present the IMHO.

Of course, with the arrival of a supreme being of sanctioning bodies all the others must immediately be dissolved. So with apologies to their office-bound hierarchies and corporate staffs, I bid adieu to the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO.

Not to mention The Ring.

Sorry Oscar, you’ve been downsized.

Or if you prefer, voted off alphabet island.

Next, I hereby declare all existing championships vacant.

To all the men who’d been holding world title belts when the aforementioned ruling was handed down, thanks for your time. Your in-ring service is noted. Your worthy accomplishments are commended. Now please step back into line with everyone else.

Our new tagline: “Lineal, schmineal. We’re the IMHO.”

P.S. – You can keep your belts if you’d like. You know, to show the grandkids someday as evidence that you were young once. Kind of like 8-track tapes. Or pay telephones.

But now… it’s on to new business.

At the risk of alienating purists in the crowd – you know the type, folks who pine desperately for the days of eight weight classes and log-chopping training camps – we have an announcement.

The IMHO is a champion of technology. We endorse replay to determine whether cuts are caused by punches. We give scratch pads to judges flummoxed by carrying 1s on their scorecards. And we use computers to remove any trace of human bias from our ratings.

OK, full disclosure… the IBO beat us to that last one.

But now that it’s been disbanded (see Paragraph 12), we’re claiming it as our own.

Nyah, nyaaaaah.

Upon annexation, the immediate priority becomes filling title vacancies.

Referring to ratings as of Nov. 1 (www.iboboxing.com/top_100_computerized_rankings.html), the top four in each weight class will be matched up in mini single-elimination tournaments to be begun and completed by mid-2010.

Tourney winners will be awarded pristine new championship belts.

All losers will be placed back in the mix for mandatory title defenses.

Each freshly minted champion will fight at least twice per year, once against the incumbent No. 1 challenger and once more against a top 10 contender of his choosing. If a champion elects to fight three or more times in a year, other opponents can be chosen at his whim.

If you want to give an anonymous hometown kid a shot, go for it. If you want to pull the trigger on a guy 25 pounds lighter, knock yourself out. And hey, if you can win multiple titles and meet defense requirements in multiple classes… bully.

Just don’t ask for special treatment. Because you won’t get it.

Meanwhile, concurrent fights between contenders will be called just that: fights between contenders. Not interim title fights. Or title eliminators.

Or any other trumped-up code name that actually translates to “Please remit 10 percent of your anticipated purse to the address below, in exchange for a meaningless title belt.”

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend. But they’ve got no place in boxing.

Similar terms like super, interim, unified, undisputed, emeritus or in-recess have also been barred forever. In fact, the mere mention of such imposters – or the very mouthing of the term “catch weight” at any official IMHO gathering – is grounds for permanent media suspension.

And contrary to this weekend’s jewelry-encrusted “title fight” of convenience, the IMHO’s weight-class boundaries are hard, fast and non-negotiable.

If a fighter chooses to defend his title two pounds lighter than the limit, so be it. But no title match will be sanctioned that requires any fighter to come in at anything other than the established weights.

It may irk the odd promoter or two – sorry Bob – but it ought to satisfy the hardest line of a fickle scribe horde that’s always quick to point out shortfalls in existing systems, all while quickly lapping what the alphabets serve like parched dogs at a soiled toilet.

You can’t have it both ways, people. And in the new IMHO era, you won’t. 

Finally, presuming the fighters entering each mini-tourney as top seeds emerge victorious, the inaugural list of IMHO champions would look like this:

Heavyweight – Wladimir Klitschko

Cruiserweight – Steve Cunningham

Light Heavyweight – Chad Dawson

Super Middleweight – Carl Froch

Middleweight – Kelly Pavlik

Super Welterweight – Paul Williams

Welterweight – Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Super Lightweight – Manny Pacquiao

Lightweight – Juan Manuel Marquez

Super Featherweight – Humberto Soto

Featherweight – Chris John

Super Bantamweight – Celestino Caballero

Bantamweight – Hozumi Hasegawa

Super Flyweight – Nonito Donaire

Flyweight – Omar Narvaez

Junior Flyweight – Ivan Calderon

Strawweight – Oleydong Sithsamuochai

Not to speak for the masses, but we IMHO types think that’s a roster to be proud of.

And as for other day-to-day issues, they’ll be dealt with as they arise. In fact, I say bring ’em on and let’s get started. We’ve got promises to keep. And title fights to sign before we sleep.

After all, folks… it ain’t rocket science. It’s just boxing.

And in my humble opinion at least, we couldn’t do a lot worse.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

This week’s title-fight schedule:

FRIDAY

IBO welterweight title – Stoke, United Kingdom

Lovemore N’dou (champion) vs. Matthew Hatton (No. 50 contender)      

N’dou (47-11-1, 31 KO): First title defense; Ex-IBF champion at 140 pounds

Hatton (37-4-1, 14 KO): First title fight; Four-fight win streak since May 2008 (4-0, 1 KO)

Fitzbitz says: N’dou by decision

SATURDAY 

WBO welterweight title – Las Vegas, Nev.

Miguel Cotto (champion) vs. Manny Pacquiao (No. 1 contender)

Cotto (34-1, 27 KO): Second title defense; One loss in 15 title fights (14-1, 11 KO)

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO): First title fight at 147 pounds; One loss in 12 title fights (9-1-2, 8 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Pacquiao in 10

WBA super welterweight title – Las Vegas, Nev.

Daniel Santos (champion) vs. Yuri Foreman (No. 1 champion)      

Santos (32-3-1, 23 KO): First title defense; Two losses in 11 title fights (9-2, 5 KO)

Foreman (27-0, 8 KO): First title fight; Second fight in Las Vegas (1-0, 0 KO) 

Fitzbitz says: Santos by decision

Chad Dawson has heard every word.

How Glen Johnson deserved to win their first fight. How HBO forced him into accepting a rematch. And how Johnson – who was already within a few pounds of fight weight a month ago – is ready to finish this weekend in Hartford a job he claims to have started last year in Tampa.

Dawson hears it all. And for those who buy into it, he has one simple declaration:

“See you on Saturday night.”

“At this point, Glen Johnson sounds like he’s looking for excuses, and looking for ways to pump himself up,” Dawson said Monday, upon returning from a seven-week training camp in Las Vegas. “And that’s all it is, a lot of talk. But it doesn’t mean anything.”

As for the specific points Johnson and others have made, the unbeaten 27-year-old’s counters are just as precise, coming with the same slightly amused annoyance that marked replies prior to his last 40-something title-bout rematch – six months ago against Antonio Tarver.

Dawson won a unanimous nod over Tarver in their first bout in 2008 and repeated the feat in May.

He also beat Johnson by unanimous decision in 2008 and gets another chance at Hartford’s XL Center in his first home-state appearance in more than two years.

It’s his second defense of the IBO light heavyweight title he won from Tarver in their first go-round, which came after he’d won the WBC belt from Tomasz Adamek in 2007 and defended it three times – the last against Johnson – before voluntarily surrendering it.

Johnson, by the way, is also 40 years old.

“I’m going to prove it to myself and prove it to him and anyone else that he couldn’t beat me on his best day,” Dawson said. “What more can he do? He’s a one-dimensional fighter with one big right hand and he only knows how to fight one way, coming straight at you.

“I think I saw him at his best (last year) and he can’t possibly be the same guy now as he was then. I’m not saying he won’t be determined and won’t be coming to fight, because that’s Glen Johnson. But I know I’m better than I was then and it’s time for me to show it.

“My last two years have been nothing but Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. I’m ready to finish this part of my career once and for all and move on to see some new faces.”

Dawson swept the scorecards by matching 116-112 counts in the first meeting with Johnson, winning several early rounds before tasting the older man’s power and struggling in the back half of the fight – prompting many to claim Johnson had done enough to win.

Dawson initially balked at a rematch, but eventually signed on after failing to lure either Bernard Hopkins or Joe Calzaghe into big-money events. Johnson, meanwhile, claims the rematch only came about after Dawson was mandated to take the fight by HBO.

“I pretty much went into (Johnson’s) hometown and won a unanimous decision, so I don’t know what else I need to say about the first fight,” Dawson said. “All three judges said I won, but he’s still crying about it two years later. But I don’t let that get to me. I know I won the fight.

“I could’ve waited around for something else. But I wanted him again.”

And assuming things go his way again, Dawson is ambitious – and just as specific – about his future.

“With me right now, it’s all about going where the big money fights are. That’s what’s most important at this stage on my career,” he said, “and there are still the same couple of guys – Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe – that I most want to get fights with.

“Calzaghe’s retired, but there’s talk about him coming back, and Bernard is still ducking me. I’m hoping to get down to Philadelphia when he fights next month, so maybe I can persuade him to put something together with me.”

If neither Calzaghe nor Hopkins responds, Dawson’s options at 175 pounds are limited – prompting talk of replacing Jermain Taylor in Showtime’s six-man super middleweight tournament at 168, though his contract with HBO would presumably preclude such an arrangement.

Elsewhere at light heavyweight, the remaining belt-holders are Tavoris Cloud (IBF), Gabriel Campillo (WBA), Jean Pascal (WBC) and Zsolt Erdei (WBO).

Dawson won and subsequently defended both the IBO and IBF crowns against Tarver, but relinquished the latter when he refused to fight Cloud.

“I’m seriously thinking about my future, and, after I handle Glen Johnson, I’ll sit down with Gary (Shaw) and HBO and see where we go from there,” Dawson said. “If Showtime were to outbid (HBO), the thing at 168 is absolutely something I’d be interested in. But first on the list is Glen Johnson.

“As for Cloud, he’s holding on to a belt that I gave up. And he fought Clinton Woods to get it, in a fight that was awfully competitive. And the bottom line is that HBO didn’t want to buy the fight. Point blank, I’d have fought him, but HBO didn’t want to buy it. So you move on.”

* * * * * * * * * *

This week’s title-fight schedule:

FRIDAY

IBO featherweight title – Parramatta, Australia

Heriberto Ruiz (No. 18 contender) vs. Jackson Asiku (unranked)

Asiku (25-3, 13 KO): Ranked No. 34 at 130 pounds; Unbeaten since 2004 (14-0, 7 KO)

Ruiz (42-8-2, 24 KO): Lost WBA title shot at 118 pounds in 2004; First fight in Australia

Fitzbitz says: Ruiz by decision

SATURDAY

IBO light heavyweight title – Hartford, Conn.

Chad Dawson (champion) vs. Glen Johnson (No. 5 contender)

Dawson (28-0, 17 KO): Second title defense; Former WBC champ (2007-08)

Johnson (49-12-2, 33 KO): Former IBF/IBO champ; Tenth title fight (3-5-1, 1 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Dawson by decision

WBA heavyweight title – Nuremberg, Germany

Nikolai Valuev (champion) vs. David Haye (No. 4 contender)

Valuev (50-1, 34 KO): Second defense of second WBA reign; Eighth title fight (6-1, 3 KO)

Haye (22-1, 21 KO): Former WBA/WBC/WBO champ at 200 pounds; Fourth title fight (2-1, 2 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Haye in 7