Upcoming Schedule

Of the fights listed, I'm most interested in Pacquiao/Morales, and Brock/Tua. There are still some heavyweight bouts to shake out, but I haven't heard anything certain.

Saturday, Jan. 21 - at Las Vegas, NV (HBO-PPV)
Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales
Kelly Pavlik vs. Edison Miranda
Martin Castillo vs. Alexander Munoz.

Thursday, Jan. 26 - at Queens, NY
Oliver McCall vs. TBA.

Saturday, Jan. 28 - at Atlantic City, NJ (HBO)
Arturo Gatti vs. Thomas Damgaard
Calvin Brock vs. David Tua.

Saturday, Feb. 4 - at Cardiff, Wales
Jeff Lacy vs. Joe Calzaghe.

Sunday, Feb. 12 - at Providence, RI
Peter Manfredo Jr. vs. Scott Pemberton.

Saturday, Feb. 25 - at Las Vegas, NV (HBO-PPV)
Shane Mosley vs. Fernando Vargas
Jhonny Gonzalez vs. Mark Johnson.

Saturday, March 25 - at TBA, USA (HBO-PPV)
Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Jesus Chavez.

Saturday, May 6 - at TBA, USA (HBO-PPV)
Ricardo Mayorga vs. Oscar De La Hoya.

(All bouts are subject to change)

Valuev Wins Majority Decision Over Ruiz

Valuev Decisions Ruiz. Story here. If I can find video or pics, I'll post 'em. Sounds like it was as boring as I'd expected.

What's Shakin' Here Lately...

Henry Akinwande is still fighting, and he won, defeating Ed Mahone to win the IBF intercontinental belt for the heavyweight division. I had all but forgotten about Akinwande. Hell, the only guys who've beat him are Lennox Lewis and an "in his prime" Oliver McCall. Henry's day may have passed, but I'm glad to see him put on a good showing. I just hope he gets out before he gets badly hurt.

Audley Harrison, the living embodiment of all that was wrong with Lennox Lewis, got beat down by Danny Williams last week (story here). I've seen Audley fight several times, and while he can certainly box (in the dancing around like a Bourbon Street transvestite manner), he has not impressed me at all.

Williams beat Harrison, even giving him his first career knock-down. Williams is a second-tier (maybe third-tier?) fighter who got lucky when an over-the-hill Mike Tyson hurt his knee. Lest we forget, Vitali Klitschko pounded Williams like a heavy bag, showing that Williams has chin and heart, but little else. With that he beat Harrison. I feel justified for my earlier pronouncements of Harrison's lack of merit.

Audley's statement here. At least he sounds like he's being a man about his defeat.

Valuev/Ruiz Fight Tonight

It may well be a yawn-fest, but I would love to see this fight tonight (or whenever, due to the time zones, and such). It won't be televised, as you can't hardly pay people to watch a Ruiz fight.

All is "Wright" With Winky's World

I thoroughly enjoyed Ronald "Winky" Wright's fight with "Smilin' Sam" Soliman.

Wright is a highly skilled fighter with an almost impenetrable defense. I loved the way he demolished the highly-favored Felix Trinidad earlier this year. Wright has alienated a lot of boxing promoters and fans with his style. Wright stays cool, fights methodically, and his style is the antithesis of the attacking that most fight fans are willing to pay to see.

Soliman showed a lot of heart, though his unorthodox, swarming style was not effective against Wright's superior defense. Soliman seemed to win the crowd over, and he gave Wright all that he wanted, with the last two rounds definitely belonging to the little Aussie grunt. It was hard not to root for the scrappy little guy (Soliman went into the ring 11 lbs lighter than Wright) but the better fighter prevailed with a unanimous decision.

Both fighters seemed to demonstrate good sportsmanship, and to me, that means a lot. Wright is definitely someone that I can, and will, continue to root for.

I predict that Wright will beat Jermain Taylor to take his belts sometime late next year.

As for Soliman, I expect that he will continue to get some good fights, at least until he gets mercilessly thrashed. I wouldn't be surprised to see him matched up with a Arturo Gatti-type fighter, as those sort of "brawl" fights draw in money.

Ricky Hatton Wins Again...Adds to Scar Collection

Ricky Hatton is certainly a tough little limey bastard. He may soon rival Arturo Gatti for the title of most-scarred boxer. He won again recently, defending his belt, and seriously injuring his face in the process. I don't know who he'll fight next, but I'll certainly watch it. A Gatti/Hatton match would certainly sell out with the blood-fetishists.

Taylor/Hopkins.....again

Last night I went with my friend Travis to watch the Taylor vs Hopkins rematch. There was much fun had by all, and, in terms of sociology, it was very educational. Fried foods and malt liquor aside, I learned something else.....They are actually in the process of filming a sixth installment of the "Rocky" franchise (beware of spoilers).

The fight itself was very entertaining, though there was not a convincing domination by either fighter over the other. Taylor was more active, and seemed to dictate the flow of the fight, particularly in the earlier rounds, plus he did better in this fight's waning rounds than in the previous one's.

Both fighters fought dirty, though only Taylor seemed to get warnings.

Had this fight went 15 rounds, we might've seen a convincing Hopkins win, but as it was, I agree with the judges this time.

I don't think that Hopkins will retire, as he has not taken much in the way of punishment over his career. He's a defensive fighter, and he could continue for a while, though I don't think that he'll get another title shot, at least not against Taylor. Hopkins should also be able to make a good living as a boxing commentator, providing he gets out of the ring before he becomes "punch drunk", like Joe Frazier or Riddick Bowe.