LEON'S RESPONSE: Evander sounded as he has for the two years plus I've been interviewing him. I can understand what he's saying, it just takes him a little longer than your average person to thoroughly express his thoughts. He is to continue fighingt and now that he's been reunited with Don King, who still promotes three of the heavyweight champs, the odds of him getting another shot are better than average. Holy doesn't want to make any other fight-with the exception of Tyson-that isn't a non-title affair. You'd have to email Ron about the shirts my man, stay on him and you'll probably get him to hook you up, but don't hold me to it.

What the f*cks up P4P!! How you livin baby? Damn I havent written the mail bag in a minute but I check out the site all day long. Today Im writing not to ask a question but to make my opinion heard. To all yall Tito DLH fans, SHUT THA F*CK UP. You got the Tito fans tryng to agree with little daddy Trinidad about BHOP needing to speak to King about a rematch when all he needs to say is we want the bigger purse even though I had to jump on the apron and save my baby from a GREAT champion like BHOP. All they do is cry about DLH not plcing his name where Titos was but when its time to talk about BHOP oh go see King. Man that fool tried to punk McCline with that sorry @ss purse just to get what he wants so what do you think he will tell a man he really dislikes in BHOP. OK Ill tell you, 70/30 and you know that bastard will try to pull something like that. The man has 18 defenses knocked you out but your are still all high and mighty. Man G I hope you aint Rican because they get on my nerves. Yeah my name is Corey but Im Mexican American (C the uppercase M) last name Garcia. Then we got DLH who they say is promoting BHOP. Man before I thought BHOP was OK but due to your site and these idiots Im just a straight up fan now. DLH I think is bad for the sport and I really hate him Mexican or not. People will pay for anything he sells and actually beleive that no he will not just win but will KO BHP. F*ckin ignorant. Yeah he stands a chance because he is a boxer and in order to be a boxer you do actually need heart and a punch and yeah hes got that but the business crap always come first so thats my biggest beef, but its the best middleweight of are era against a man who was just embarresed by a nobody.Damn this is a long e-mail. So to all ya Tito DLH fans, be fans but damn lets keep it real. I love, love RJ but my boy got TKO'ed and it aint no walk in the freakin park (Tarver Sucks) when #3 comes around. See its not that hard to tell the truth. G thanks for the anger management and I aint got nothin against Ricans but I thought it would be
funny to see what some mail baggers have to say about that. I guess I got to into reading Riglers bag but that was a fat dime! Oh yeah and I cant wait until this weeknd and here the chant CHICO CHICO CHICO! Stay up G. Corey Dallas

LEON'S RESPONSE: Living large and in charge homey, lol. Damn kind of harsh on the Trinidad's Corey. How can King have TRIED to punk McCline when he in FACT took the offer? I certainly wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Trinidad-Hopkins II, but if HBO starts pushing the fight anything can happen. Money talks. However, Trinidad would have to accept Hopkins terms the same way he expected Oscar to honor his. And I doubt that ever happens. I think we're going to hear chants of Brazil considering how many Brazilians will probably invade Foxwoods this weekend, but I think Chico will win this pick-em fight by decision after both men see the canvas early on.

Whatz the deal "G"? Itz been a few minutez since I gave you a holler. I hope you and your family had a great time while on a well dezerved vacation. Glad to see you right bacc to doin what you do..."Kickcin Up Duzt"!! Lizten man, I waz enjoying todayz (Auguzt 3, 2004) mailbag like I do everday, when I get to this one foolz e-mail that juzt totally fuckz me up. I mean makez me totally loze focus on boxing, the intelligent e-mails, good responsez, everything that I have alwayz enjoyed (even when I disagreed) about the mailbag. This one Stupid Muthafucka ruined it for me and Im sure not juzt me, but all mailbaggerz that normally enjoy great boxingtalk (pun intended)!! I waz initially suprized that you even pozted that shit, but itz good you did and I appreciate you letting him know he needz to watch hiz mouth. I know this e-mail doez not stick to the normal subject (The Great Sport of BOXING), but pleaze pozt this for me "G". Fellow mailbaggerz, I along with many of you have enjoyed the hard work of Greg Leon and Boxingtalk az well az thoughtz and input of sooo many mailbaggerz. The Boxingtalk arena haz allowed for many of us to express our feelingz about the sport, itz athletez, commentatorz and criticz. We have an arena that allowz us access to theze people through interviewz and even chatlinez. In our contact with theze people, we may agree with thingz they say or do or disagree with thingz they say or do. Thatz part of what haz made Boxingtalk and the mailbag so much fun. However, in disagreeing with an athlete, commentator, critic or fellow mailbagger, itz foolish to disrespect an entire race for that disagreement. I dont believe this iz the arena for that kinda shit. Serge, I didnt read Nate Campbell'z interview and dont know what he said. But even if he said something that waz racially outta place, you damn sure fucked up with your response. For one, if Nate disrespected you, then your issue should be with Nate, not me and every other Black on the planet and secondly Nate Campbell iz the reazon Blackz dont have no good fighterz??... WHAT?? ...You bezt check where a good portion if not majority of the beltz are and have been for while!!... and even if we didnt have any good fighterz, what the fuck would Nate Campbell have to do with that!! There are a lot of thingz that come to mind when reading your e-mail, but again this iznt the arena and Im not interezted in internet bangin'. Bottom line iz this, dont fuck up the mailbag with with shit like that. Next time respond to Nate and insult him if you feel you need to, cuz the stupid shit you said today offended a whole lotta people...mozt of which you dont even know. Sorry I got long winded on you "G"...but DAMN!! Keep up the good work and WELCOME BACK!! Matt KIng - Los Angelez, CA (Now residing in Arlington, TX)

LEON'S RESPONSE: I had a great time on vacation, thanks for asking. THANKS MATT, your the King! I hope everyone read this.

What's up Greg, Bro I just read the letter from Harris to Hatton and I have been hearing some other figures lately and I gotta tell you, I totally agree with Vivian. First of all, it takes alot of balls to want to go into Hatton's back yard and fight him there, knowing that he could very well get a bad decision. Harris has my respect and he calls it right down the middle. Warren and Hatton come out and talk smack about Harris, calling him names and being so unprofessional. They try to upset him enough so that he takes their offer, but the fact is that Hatton has been babied and carried throughout his career. So what if he can sell out the arena there in Manchester. Does he want to win a championship and have his legacy proven or does he just want to be babied and spoiled and given money for fighting nobodies and has beens??? I think it might be a little different if he was a world champion and chose to stay at home and make millions, but the fact is that he isn't and any other person in any other country that is considered a hero still comes to America or fights outside of their home country if a world title opportunity presents itself. Who does this fucking guy think he is??? Even world champions leave their country to come fight here. The Klitschkos came to America and they are every bit as famous in Germany as Hatton is in England. Julio Gonzales went to Germany to fight Michalczewski for the WBO title (and won!), Cory Spinks went to Italy to fight Piccirillo for the IBF title, Freitas comes to the U.S. to fight and we know how big he is at home, Carlos Hernandez comes here and he is big in El Salvador, Lavka Sim came here from Korea to fight Diaz, Manny Pacquiao comes here to fight. I cold go on and on. They all come here and they all would go where ever they had to for a world title opportunity. Hatton is the challenger, just like Harris said. Warren and Hatton come out and say that Harris turned down 750k, but damn, when the challenger is making over a million and even the damn promoter is making more than Harris would, there is something seriously wrong with this picture. I just wanted to voice my support for Vivian. I don't think he should even take the chance going to England. He really should let it go to purse bid and then it will be on Hatton to sign or not. If he wants the opportunity to become a world champion and to be great, he has to realize that he isn't great yet! He has a big head and hasn't done shit yet to justify it. I personally want him to get knocked the fuck out, but Harris shouldn't have to forget he is the champion and take less than the challenger to do it. Sorry it was so long but Hatton and Warren piss me off. They are exactly what is wrong with boxing. It should be about making the best possible fights, and testing yourself to see where you really stand. He is a fucking brat! Keep up the great work bro, Joe in Houston

LEON'S RESPONSE: I disagree with Vivian turning down $750,000 and I'll tell you why. 1. He's not going to make that much anywhere else. 2. The ONLY reason that kind of money is available to him is because of Hatton's drawing power. 3. He wouldn't lose the fight. 4. This fight could possibly springboard his career to elite fighter status, sitting around won't. Harris went to Germany to fight arguably a tougher guy in Urkal for less than half of what he's getting offered to fight Hatton, so why shouldn't he accept the offer and go to England? The fight is worth the most money in England so from a business standpoint it makes perfect sense to hold the fight there. Harris is good enough to win the fight regardless of the location. Spinks had to beat Piccirillo twice to get one decision though. I don't know if the promoter would make more, again, from a business standpoint, Hatton should make more money since he's the one who puts the asses in the seats. Harris should probably get a little bit more but $750k is too much change for him to turn down in my opinion. Ask yourself this, who is going to make more money in their next fight if this one doesn't happen?

I just read an article regarding Vivian Harris turning down the offer to fight Ricky Hatton. Frank Warren is trying to say Harris is afraid. What's your take? The offer was 750k, but they were willing to offer 3 mil to Arturo Gatti. Gatti would be an easier fight for Hatton. If I were champ I'd turndown 750k too, because if they're offering Gatti 3 million, that says there's more money available. (maybe not 3 mil, but definitely more that 750k.) Who cares about the American circuit, the fights going to happen in England anyway where Hatton will be a sellout wherever it happens, or whoever he fights over there anyway. Oh, another topic. Greg, you are the master of controversy. With that being said, Laila Ali is running from Ann Wolfe. She just fought a soft opponent with a 9-1 record against no names, now she is running to light heavy to fight Gwendolyn O'Neil who has a 9-3 record against 4 opponents. How is that, you may ask? Because O'Neil has fought one of her opponents 3 times and the rest twice. Check boxrec.com. I thought she could beat Wolfe, but now there's obviously a problem, because this fight is not happening. I think Laila and her people saw Ann Wolfe vs Vonda Ward. (If you didn't see that fight, Wolfe knocked Ward out in the 1st round with an overhand right, and Ward had to be carried out on a stretcher.) Laila may have the edge in speed, but power and coordination definitely belongs to Wolfe. Greg if anyone can make it happen, you can. Looking forward to your insight....... ktizzel

OnFire's response: Did he turn down the fight? And if so, why? You've read the article, now read what Harris has to say about the whole situation in his open letter to Ricky "is he a man" Hatton. He makes it known that as a champion he feels disrespected and downright outraged at what the offers to him have been even though he is willing to go to Hatton's hometown and defend HIS title. The American fans care about the American circuit regardless where a fight takes place. Warren and his people know that if they get the price right Harris will beat Ricky. If the price is not kosher then there is no chance that Harris beats Hatton because there may not be a fight. Harris has proven that he is willing to fight away from home by going to Germany and defending his title against Oktay Urkal. Make it right and get the fight. Get it wrong and it's a sad, sad song. One we're all too familiar with. Laila Ali, she be stingin, but if you ask me she's been ducking too, and I'm talking about outside the ring, not in it. I always thought Ali would get it on with Lucia Ryker but it seemed to me that both Laila and Christy were in no rush to fight her. Yea, Laila beat Frazier and Christy but still didn't do what most fans wanted her to do and that was to fight Ryker. Now Lucia is no longer in the picture but in steps Anne Wolfe to replace here. Ann Wolfe is a big, strong woman with exeptional boxing skills and power in her punches as was evident in the KO of Vanda Ward. And if Laila keeps closing here eyes when opponents throw punches at her I believe that Vanda will beat her if and when they fight. Ann Wolfe needs to keep doing what she is doing and keep winning and the public will demand this fight.

I just wanted to ask a few questions. I wanted to know if there have been any negotiations for a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Arturo Gatti for Nov. 13 PPV? This is a fight that the fans want to see and would make a great PPV. Also I saw that Erik Morales may be fighting again in November and that he would love to fight Manny Pacquiao. This would be a huge fight, as both fighters are well known. It would make a great PPV. Combined these fights I think would be in the top three this year as far as PPV buys, behind only Hopkins-De la Hoya. An HBO PPV in November that had the following fights on it: Floyd Mayweather-Arturo Gatti and Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao would be an awesome event and would do great as far as numbers are concerned. This would definitely be one of the best cards this year. Do you think that HBO and Mark Taffet along with Bob Arum would be interested in a fightcard like this? Any chance it could happen? When is Ouma and Phillips scheduled to fight? What about Lacy-Vanderpool?

OnFire's response: Gatti and Main Events may have made it known that they would like to fight once more this year but did not mention any possibilities. It's rare that Gatti is ready to go again so soon after one of his fights but in this fight with Dorin it was over before it really started and Gatti did not come away with any injuries. It seems he wants to take advantage of that fact and keep the momentum going from there. Pacquiao was the one that made it known that he would have liked to take on Morales and now he may get his chance. If Morales cannot get Pacquiao he stated he will move up to 135lbs and make some career defining fights there. Fans would love those fights together on a PPV card but each fight is a main event on it's own. Will the money be there to bankroll those fights as well as the undercards and promotions? That would be nice. I don't think it happens. Ouma-Phillips will happen on Dec 4th if no further injuries occur to either fighter. For a full list of upcoming fights see schedule link at top of page.

What's up Mr? Hope all is well. I just had a few questions for you. First, concerning Mayweather and Gatti. Will the WBC order them to enter negotiations or go to purse bid soon? I was hoping that this fight will come off in November on PPV and Hopkins and Tarver could fight on December PPV, any chance of these fights happening? Do you think we will be seeing Mayweather step up and face Spinks next year? I'm looking forward to August 7th for Corrales-Freitas, could we see the winner try to unify against Castillo or is there a better chance of seeing the winner fight Morales? Finally, what's next for Manny Pacquiao? If a sanctioning body could order an immediate rematch between Tarver and Jones for a close fight they should definitely be doing the same thing for a Pacquiao-Marquez rematch. I heard that Morales may stay around and wait to face Pacman. I also hear that Pacman and Barrera could be fighting again. Personally I think a fight with In Jin Chi on the same card as Marquez's next fight would be a great build up to a rematch. As Always keep it coming. Robert-Augusta,Ga

OnFire's response: As far as I know the WBC has not made any demands that the Gatti and Mayweather camps start negotiations. It has made known that Mayweather is the # 1 running for a shot at the title. There is a big chance of Gatti-Mayweather getting it on unless Gatti wants to part with his championship. I don't see Hopkins-Tarver happening due to the weight difference but I really do hope I'm wrong. Both fights are ones that the fans want to see and that all fighters involved have mentioned they want so I have my fingers crossed. Mayweather has to first step up and take what Gatti has and see where he can go from there. I say he stay at 140lbs a little longer and get some good quality fights in, then gauging on how he performs he can make that move up in the future. Depending on the outcome of the fight we may be lucky to see it happen twice. Morales mentioned he wants Pacquiao and we know the feeling is mutual because Morales was in his plans anyway. Marquez and Pacquiao was one hell of a fight and one I thought Manny won. They should do it again and real soon. Tomorrow may not be soon enough if you ask me.

How bad was that commentary Saturday night? I mean, I give the guys credit for doing the best they could do, but when you compare them to the team of Lampley, Merchant and (Roy, Foreman, or Stewart even if George was off, or Stewart is biased at times) the quality was not even close. I mean damn Bob Arum, you made us pay $39.95 for a fight that should have been on HBO, then you make us suffer throught the bullshit commentary. I mean he could have done a much better job than that. As much as people complain about the HBO crew, they may be biased at times but they are giants in a stream of midgets in tersm of competition. No other team comes close. I just want to express my dissatisfaction again with the commentary Saturday night so that Bob Arum does not try to slip one over on the fans again. If HBO was unwilling to send their crew in, we should not of had to pay $39.95, and I know no one put a gun to my head and forced me to buy the fight, but I'm a true boxing fan, and I have to watch the fights. When you watch HBO you expect quality, they put their stamp on that fight, and I do not feel I got what I expected. Plus, I still don't view Hernandez as more than a club fighter, I would pick Jesus Chavez to beat him. There is a difference to CHavez's aggressiveness and Hernandez's, CHavez was effective, and he has skills, and technique. On top of all of that he fought his heart out with one arm. JB

OnFire's response: I'd rather have bad commentary and good fights anyday. Could you imagine bad fights along with bad commentating? That would really drive someone insane. Just when we thought the HBO crew was bias, here is a member giving them accolades and asking for thier quick return. I wouldn't suffer over something I have control on like the volume on my TV remote. If there was a fight on and you were told ahead of time that the fight will be great but the commentating may be off or biased, would you watch the fight? Of course, because no matter what they say, you have eyes and you see the things they fail to realize or mention. We all have our favorites but when it's your job to voice your opinion fairly I think it should be done as such.That is not always the case. Did you really buy the PPV for the good commentary or are you a true boxing fan as you say? If so, know that there will be bad decisions, no good referees and the 3 blind mice as judges. Also know that you can make your own assessment of things. Hernandez fought his heart out too, the only difference is he did so with both hands. Morales is just nothing to mess with.

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