Moments ago heavyweight contender Dominic Guinn contacted Boxingtalk.com to send the following message to WBA heavyweight titlist David Haye. "He feels he's ready to fight Klitschko and I feel I'm the gatekeeper to the division right now, but soon enough I will be heavyweight champion of the world. I'm a much better fighter than Harrison. I've never been knocked out and if he really wants to fight top heavyweights,  he needs to fight me. Don't pass me up, I'm your huckleberry. You talking all this sh*t about you want to fight Klitschko, I'm ready to fight you, all you got to do is say the word."

Hey Greg, good to see you back on the mailbags. Hopefully this gets posted.  If Mayweather says that "legacy don't pay bills," then what the hell won't he get in the ring and collect? He has a 40 million dollar payday in front of him and he refuses to sign on the dotted line. He says he is in the "check cashing business" and doesn't care about legacy. If that is so true, go get your 40 million dollar check then. He knows damn well that Pacquiao is a serious threat and now he wants to take another year off. This guy makes me sick. The only way i would order one of his PPV's is if it is against Pacquiao, Martinez, or Paul Williams. Other than that, he can go FK himself. He is spitting in the face of the fans and in the face of boxing.  I am tired of him fighting has beens like de la hoya, mosley, or marquez or guys that are not that good skill wise that he knows he can beat such as baldomir, hatton, manfredy, corrales, etc. He is waiting for Pacquiao to get beat or let all these other guys beat each other so that he can use the excuse of " He just lost. Why should i fight him if it doesn't make financial sense" Mayweather has finally been exposed as nothing but a PUSSY who preys on the weak. Mayweather is better than Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali, and Sugar Ray Robinson???? Oh yeah,  I never saw any of those guys duck and dodge the best fighters in the world. Hey Floyd, there is 40 million dollars on the line. Do you know what that means? It means you can upgrade to 5 million on each pinky, 10 million on the neck, 15 million on the wrist, 4 million on the ears, and leave 1 million for leonard ellerbe to hold your feet while doing sit ups. Tommy From Phx

Leon's Response: Probably because right now he's able to make ends meet like a motherf**Ker. LMAO. Mayweather's recent PPV # gives him the slightest of edges at the negotiating table. He doesn't need the money, has never really solidified his next fight so quickly ever before and won't change now. Floyd isn't scared of Pacquaio and losing to Pac would mean nothing with the immediate rematch that is sure to be implemented. It should be an easy close when Floyd is ready and right now he is not, does that mean he's scared? No. It just means that Pacquiao wants to fight him more than he wants to fight Pacquiao. Robinson and Leonard? Please. Up until a few months ago many weren't sure he's better than Sugar Shane Mosley. And you guys know I think Shane had a great chance to win WITHOUT the 16 month layoff.

Press Release: The unnamed, Giant Pacific Octopus at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas entered the sports predictions arena earlier this morning when he aggressively selected Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez as the winner over Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz in Saturday night's contest between the two pugilists who are fighting for Marquez's WBA and WBO lightweight worlld titles. The 1-year-old male octopus weighs an estimated 40 pounds, has a six-foot reach, tentacles roughly three feet long, is the second octopus to predict the outcomes of sporting events this summer, the first being the mollusk Paul in Germany, who went undefeated in correctly picking all of Germany's World Cup games as well as Spain's championship win.  The intelligent animal chose between two 8" x 8" acrylic boxes placed inside his tank.  Each box was labeled with one of the fighter's names.   "Let's see if the octopus that picked Marquez to win Saturday night will be as accurate as Paul was during the World Cup," said Richard Schaefer, CEO Golden Boy Promotions.  "Either way, we are going to have a great night of boxing from top to bottom as this is one of the strongest events we have ever had for the fans watching in the arena and on pay-per-view."

BT:  What’s new Kingpin?  "Everything is good.  I am back and ready to make another championship run [He dropped a twelve-round decision to WBC champion Vitali Klitschko in December].  I know the mistakes I made the first time around. I am just going to make some adjustments and come back stronger and better."

Whats good Bread? I completely agree with what you said about Being suprised that Freddy Roach approved the Margarito fight for Manny. Aside from the height and natural weight difference, there's something that I think could cause Manny some serious problems in the fight. Margarito may be able to do the one thing that I think can cause Manny some big time problems, and that is force Manny to consistently back up during the fight. Now, I know Shane put a big time ass whoopin on Tony, but it was more from an accumulation of damage over the course of the fight. I would be shocked if Manny put Margs out with one big shot. If Margarito is able to force Manny to back up more than hes comfortable doing, he can take a lot of the sting away from Manny's shots seing as how he uses his legs to provide a good amount of his power on his shots. Could you imagine how much the landscape of the welterweight division would change if Manny were to be stopped by Margarito?! When you think about it, Bob Arum could be absolutely fucking himself. Think about it like this, lets say Margarito wins convincingly. Any possibilities of a Floyd Manny fight could go by the wayside due to Manny's loss and Floyd re-claiming the sole #1 P4P ranking. Now the Cotto Margarito rematch is all the more interesting, except now its at 154 and its for Margaritos belt. Now here's where it really gets good. Floyd could then end up fighting, and beating the winner of said title fight at 154. Should Floyd win, you could then have an in house Haymon title fight at 154 between Floyd and Paul Williams while Berto, another Haymon guy remains at 147 with peotential fights with Shane, Alexander or Bradley. Oh what the future may hold...What do you think Bread?  Amac. Cali all day. Bread’s Response: There is a lot of room between the cup and the lip for your scenario but it’s not out of the question. Floyd is waiting for Manny to get knocked off or to slip. No doubt in my mind. Soon Haymon will be forced to make fights between his fighters. I think  Williams and Berto will leave him after their contracts expire. He is a great manager but you can’t do what’s best for them and what’s best for Floyd if they are all in the same division.
 
Roach should not let Manny anywhere near Margarito. I love Freddie but bad move everyway you look at it. They better hope Tony does not get the rhythm he had against Cotto and Cintron, where he was literally running after them in the ring. This a fight between a middleweight and a junoir welterweight. This fight is not worth it win or lose.

PRESS RELEASE: Argenis Mendez brought his act to the bright lights of New York City, and scored a first-round knockdown en route to an eight-round unanimous decision victory over Shamir Reyes on Wednesday night.  The official scores were 80-71, 80-71, and 79-72, all to Mendez.  Mendez-Reyes headlined the latest edition of DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing series, in front of a capacity crowd at the BB King Blues Club and Grill in Times Square.
On the undercard, heavyweight Stivens Bujaj, middleweight Willie Monroe, Jr., light heavyweight Joe Smith, Jr., super middleweight Phillip Jackson Benson, and junior welterweight Gabriel Bracero were all victorious.

This Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, televised live on HBO PPV, two former two division champions meet up in a cross roads showdown, as the once beaten Robert Guerrero 26-1-1 (18) takes on rugged veteran Joel Casamayor 37-4-1 (22) in a scheduled twelve round junior welterweight clash. Guerrero, who has earned himself three world straps in his time as a professional banger, aims for more world championship hardware, but the tough and rugged Cuban, Casamayor stands in Robert’s way of garnering any more belts.

Editors Note: Boxingtalk.com would like to welcome Benny "Big Dog" Henderson Jr to our team. For the past six years, he has conducted countless interviews with the most influential people in boxing and we are thrilled to have him on board.

Press Release: David Tua complained about a sore left shoulder during several training sessions leading up to his July 17th  12-round draw against Monte Barrett in Atlantic City. However, when asked about it by his trainer, Roger Bloodworth, David said he was okay to fight. Tua (51-3-2, 43 KOs) refused to use the injury as an excuse, or even make post fight comments about his damaged shoulder. “Two weeks prior to the fight,” Tua’s promoter, Cedric Kushner, explained, “I went to the gym to watch David spar. That day he told his head trainer, Roger Bloodworth, that he didn’t want to spar as his shoulder didn’t feel right. His shoulder was obviously hurting weeks before the fight and therefore David wanted to take a cautious approach.” Kushner added, “I have a letter from David’s doctor whom he went to see in California, where he had planned to spend a couple of weeks before returning home to New Zealand. The doctor suggested that he take some time off before returning to the ring. “David specifically stated he didn’t want to take anything away from Monte, who fought the fight of his life, but that he felt entitled to set the record straight as to his injury.”

Press Release: A giant Pacific Octopus at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas will enter the world of sports predictions on Thursday morning when he makes his selection for Saturday night's pay-per-view rematch between Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez  and Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz.  The unnamed, one year old male octopus weighs an estimated 40 pounds, has a six foot reach and tentacles roughly three feet long. Stay tuned for the octopod's prediction...

PRESS RELEASE: Jimmy Burchfield, President of Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc., categorically denied reports issued today that lightweight prospect “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (18-1-1, 10 KOs) is a promotional free agent. “He is not a free agent and promoters shouldn’t be speaking with him or his team,” Burchfield explained. “CES turned him pro and we have completely and totally honored our end of the contract. We just had him fighting on national television twice within 90 days. “We’ve worked through his different managers and trainers, never wavering in our full support of Hank. Like with all of our fighters, other than actually fighting for them, we do everything we can to help them, in and out of the ring, including Hank. We still strongly believe in him.”

PRESS RELEASE: WBO No. 2 rated heavyweight David “Tuamanator” Tua complained about a sore left shoulder during several training sessions leading up to his July 17th 12-round draw against former world title challenger Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett in Atlantic City. However, when asked about it by his trainer, Roger Bloodworth, David said he was okay to fight.

BT: What's the latest with you Dmitriy? "Well I just signed with Greg Leon. As far as promoters, Golden Boy is coming to Brooklyn with the Nets, so that may be in play. Maybe Dibella, just seeing the best situation for myself.

Press Release: IBF bantamweight champion Yohnny Perez (20-0) signed a managerial contract with Frank Espinoza this morning in front of officials from the California State Athletic Commission. “I’m proud to be part of the Espinoza Boxing family,” stated Perez, a Colombian fighting out of L.A. “I truly believe he’ll take my career to the next level.” Espinoza commented, “Yohnny has demonstrated world class abilities and heart,” he said. “He’s a true warrior in every sense of the word. The future is only going to get better and brighter for Yohnny. I look forward to working with Yohnny, his trainer Danny Zamora and his promoters at Thompson Boxing and Gary Shaw Promotions.” The 31 year old Perez recently retained his crown after fighting to a draw against Abner Mares, who is also managed by Espinoza. This will be the sixth world champion under Espinoza’s charge. He also managed Israel Vazquez and Martin Castillo.

BT: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? "Yes, I'm 6-0 with 1 draw and 4 KOs. I fight at 147lbs. I'm from Newark, NJ and I train out of the Jamal Carter Foundation Gym in Newark."

Press Release: This Friday night in the main event on ESPN's "Friday Night Fights", welterweight contender, Delvin Rodriguez (25-4-2, 14 KOs) takes on Ashley Theophane (26-4-1, 7 KOs) in a ten-round welterweight contest. The co-feature is a ten round super middleweight showdown, between Donovan "Da Bomb" George (20-0-1, 17 KOs) and Francisco Sierra (21-3, 20 KOs). Highlighting the undercard is middleweight Andy Lee (25-1, 15 KOs) as he squares off against James Cook (11-3-1, 8 KOs) in an eight round match-up.

Press Release: A press conference for "The Big Challenge", a heavyweight fight between Tomasz Adamek, (41-1, 27 KOs) and Michael Grant, (46-3, 34 KOs) was held Tuesday at Global Boxing Gym in North Bergen, NJ. Michael Grant did not attend the press conference because he is training in Las Vegas, but was present via telephone. Nick Garone, Grant's manager, spoke for Michael Grant. "You are going to see that Michael Grant is prepared. He walks the walk, talks the talk as far as being a professional. He's been away from the spotlight for quite a long time and we believe that's a good thing. Michael is well preserved. He is 37 next week and in world heavyweights that's a good age, it's a seasoned age. August 21st will be a tremendous opportunity for us to be named on the short list of guys like Klitschko and Valuev." Garone added, "We have the utmost respect for Tomasz Adamek, but honestly we see a win as a way to prolong Michael's career and give him an opportunity to get back on the world wide stage."

I just got finished reading the article on Al Haymon and Bob Arum. I think both sides are to blame I really think that Arum should take most of it. Its clear to me at least Arum is thinking  like this "I hate both those guys (Haymon and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.) so why would I risk my cash cow (Manny Pacquiao) being beat by those guys when I can match Manny up against my other two stars" SMH sure its good for him because he wins both ways but sucks for us Boxing fans. Greg, I'm curious what  Arum's responses are  when you tell him that the fans are not happy with him pushing this Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito fight on to us? Is he just like "whatever I dont listen to fans"? I think margarito will beat pacquaio to me it comes down to margarito being physically strong and he's big and tall for a welter weight ridiculous chin good power and great body attack I think style wise its a bad match up for manny I dont think manny is strong enough to move margarito around the ring the same way shane was I dont think manny is as hard a puncher as mosley. Secondly I didnt really care about this Toney vs Cotoure UFC match up until I read a new article about Dana White still screaming that BS "Boxing is dead" crap and then I really got pissed when I saw the commercial for the PPV event and they are promoting the Fight between Cotoure and Toney as BOXING VS UFC!!!! my question is  is James Toney being used and manipulated by Dana White and the UFC?  If Toney loses ( which he probably will) dose it prove anyhting in this MMA vs Boxing debate? I  would think no but on the flip side if James Toney beats Randy Couture what will it say about MMA? also I think we will see more boxers go over to MMA for money when there boxing career is done and something tells me some will have success as many already have but Greg will we ever see an MMA Fighter make it to top level boxer status? ( I dont think so) B from Philly
Leon's Response: Glad you enjoyed the article. They should all share the blame as equally as they were looking to share the money. Arum is ready, willing and able to take the blame and move forward with lesser fights. Mayweather fighting Paul Williams or Andre Berto would be a lesser fight, but far more acceptable than Margarito for Pacquiao. My guess is we don't see Mayweather in the ring until May 2011. Margarito should not be written off, but I think Pacquiao stops or beats him badly. Dana White is a genius in total control. He should enjoy his monopoly while it lasts, because it won't last forever. The words MMA and UFC are on the verge of getting replaced with "not as good as boxing" on this website, much like the word  boxingtalk turns into ******** on Boxingscene.com's forum.

Many people have been criticizing Bob Arum for selecting Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto as potential fights against Manny Pacquaio. However, what are the options, especially with Floyd Mayweather on an extended “vacation”?! What can he do if Mayweather is unwilling to fight Pacquaio? Whos out there? The options are not better fighters than Margarito or Cotto. The one who really disappoints is big mouth, fraud mayweather. I recall very recently, Fraud and his dysfunctional entourage going all over thrashing Pacquiao’s achievements, especially “daddy” and soon to be convict uncle roger, but when the time came to put their stupid comments into action and make the fight, they balked miserably. They can say whatever of Margarito or Cotto, but they are warriors, they’ll fight anyone, anywhere.
Bread’s Response: I feel you but, Andre Berto, Timothy Bradley and "Perro" Angulo would be better right now.

G, glad you’re back with the mailbag. I really wish promoter start doing their job and thinking about their employees too. Going in that direction, I will like you to explain me by the numbers why in the hell promoters want to keep the fights inside the house. It better be at least seven figures for the promoter and at least six figures for the boxers. If not Bob the Snake must be consider an MMA like promoter.  I just read that a lifetime ban for Margarito is HARSH. So what types of behavior deserve a lifetime ban? Loading gloves and killing the opponent? That’s why Puerto Rico is out of control; you can kill a person and get back to street like nothing. After Luis Resto and Panama incident, all Commissions should it make clear that any type of cheating that can risk the health of your opponent is equal to automatic expulsion for LIFE.  I will like to read your opinion on this; you are very knowledgeable and probably can calm me down. Keep the good work.

Leon's Response: I believe the Haymon-Arum piece details why he would want to keep it in house. ALL promoters look to do this as often as possible. Golden Boy has a PPV coming up with ALL of their guys on Saturday night and another one on September 18. Arum does it all the time. Allan Green's fight with Carlos De Leon was a fight between two DiBella guys. When he had enough horses to make it happen, Don King did it all the time. It's all about control baby.  Why ban him for life when they allowed him to fight right after he got caught?  He just needs to be very carefully monitored. California allowed the event to go on and then suspended him. Surely that had nothing to do with any of the monies they would have lost had they immediately cancelled the event once Margarito got exposed.

Boxingtalk would like to extend our deepest condolences to John Beninatti (the talented matchmaker of Gary Shaw Productions) and his family for the loss of his father. Our thoughts and prayers are with him during this difficult time.

GL: Congrats on your victory over Abregu. Can you give us some thoughts on that performance? "It was ok. I did what I had to do to win the fight. He was a big strong guy and a big puncher so I had to be real cautious. He was really defensive in the fight. He really didn't let his hands go too much and when he did he got caught. I give myself a C+. I like to stay active. I've been inactive for seven or eight months before this fight. But no excuses. I still got the victory, a unanimous decision and now it's time to move on to bigger and better things."

Greg…or do I call you Genco Abbandando? Excellent job on the breakdown of the mechanics behind this feud. This is what sets your business a part from everyone else’s. Nice work consigliere…I’d say let’s see the next move but I don’t think the next move is coming until next year and probably won’t be revealed until after the Pac/Criminal fight takes place. -Tom

Leon's Response: LMAO. It is what it is. Consigliere to who?

PRESS RELEASE: Don King - Thank you, Alan, and thank you all for being on the call.  I think this is an exciting time for me because I love St. Louis and I love the St. Louis people.  And recognizing that, the great Mayor Francis Slay will be there to be able to enjoy the people that he represents watching a great event.  This is the largest card that has ever been presented in the history of St. Louis in boxing.  We have three world championship fights and a cruiserweight championship fights.  This is intoxicatingly exciting, and there’s going to be something that is good.  Budweiser will be there, as you know, Bud is indigenous to Anheuser-Busch. So, we got a great, great show in store for each and every one of you.  Don’t hesitate to ask the questions. If you’re a young kid from the Ukraine, Andriy is a tremendous personality there, a great fighter, and I think you - everybody’s going to be shocked and amazed that he’s going to come in and put on a show.  Not coming in to be an accommodation, but coming in to try to seek victory.  And as you know, we have a super-sensational young man that is indigenous to St. Louis.  He is a native.  It’s a “Lou” thing with Devon Alexander.

If you haven't figured this out by now, the the Al Haymon-Bob Arum mega-feud is the reason the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao mega-fightis not a done deal. It's a pissing contest ladies and gentleman and now we're all supposed to think it's raining. Bob Arum promotes Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, the ONLY three names mentioned during his ridiculous 3am conference call following the expiration of the "exclusivity" period to negotiate the Mayweather fight. Al Haymon represents Floyd Mayweather Jr, Paul Williams and Andre Berto. Arum's basically saying, I can move Pacquiao without Mayweather for quite some time. Can Haymon or Machiavelli, as the Bobfather often calls him, rival Arum's feat and officially become that which he controls, a boxing promoter?

B, I consider myself a damn good writer & your article on subject matter was simply beautiful journalism. It was impartial, unbiased, and left no stone unturned.  "Uncle Bob" has always been suspect. He really thinks the masses want to see a second Cotto fight? Or a fight with Margacheato? If he's using them as bargaining chips, either he thinks the boxing public is dumb...or even worse, "they" are because I'm not a part of "they" in this scenario. More than the trivial back and forth about the fight, you hit a key point about the "power of the consumer". If the oppressed/poor black people of Montgomery Alabama in the mid 1950's can ban together, say "keep your fucking bus ride" and start the "change of a nation", why can't we boycott & change the idiotic politics of a sport? They'd be kissing our asses and handing out free ringside seats if we'd just say "I'm not drinking the kool-aid anymore." Imagine MGM fight night, Floyd and Manny getting it on with 100 people in the damn joint. Now, that would be an "OJ" and "Tiger Woods" wake up call SQUARED. To be honest, I can give less than a damn if they fight. Do these assholes realize we're in a recession & have turmoil going on from coast to coast? People need ways to escape from their daily grind/issues and sports "used to be" a nice 1-3 hour refuge. Just rapping brah, this was too raw to post anyway!  Again, nice article playboy.

Bread’s Response: Thanks Sarge. We can change the sport if we DEMAND that the promoters SUPPLY us with certain things, or else we simply don’t BUY. EVERYBODY has to do their part. Nothing is too raw for my mailbag as long as it’s well thought out and respectful as your comments always are.

Press Release: On July 30th, Cestus Management’s welterweight Ashley Theophane headlines on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights. The event will be live from the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. Theophane (26-4-1), will take on perennial contender Devlin Rodriguez (25-4-2) in a bout scheduled for ten rounds. Theophane, who is training at the legendary Gleason’s Gym, said, “I’m training as hard as ever as I completely understand that my time is now and I have to seize this opportunity.  I know Rodriguez has heart but his time is up as he’s had his chances. No disrespect to Delvin but I’m going to beat him!" Mike Michael, Cestus’ Chief Advisor, said, “Ashley is looking phenomenal and he is ready and understands what this fight means for his immediate future. Theophane has won one bout after losing a split decision to highly touted Danny Garcia in February.

Vic Ziegel, a well-known and eloquent sportswriter for New York's Daily News, has died at the age of 72 due to lung cancer (Ziegel was not a smoker). His career covering boxing spanned several decades. In 1983, Ziegler won the Nat Fleischer Award for excellence in boxing journalism from the Boxing Writers Association of America. Later, he was one of the first to report on the effects that Parkinson's was having on Muhammad Ali. He also traveled to Indiana in the 1990s to conduct a jailhouse interview with Mike Tyson. The son of Eastern European immigrants, Ziegel once wrote with his typical humor, "the boat [my father] came over on didn't have shuffleboard."  Boxingtalk extends its condolences to the friends and family of Vic Ziegel.

First...Congratulations on you marriage! I am lovin' your replies to all the "What If" match-ups on the Daily Bread...I have one that is a little different for you my man...How about Julian Jackson vs Tommy Hearns at 154? I think most would go with Hearns, but I dunno man, he could be hurt, and the "Hawk" was a Top Ten all time Puncher in my Book...Anyway this one goes 6? What would Vegas make the Over/Under? Let the bombs fall where they may!  Bread lets make a little late 80's-early 90's PPV while we're at it...On the under card, Ray Mercer vs Razor Ruddock...and, Michael Nunn vs Gerald McClellan (at 160). I'd fork out the 29.99 in those day to see this card, haha...Mike
Bread’s Response: Thanks my man. Hearns vs. Jackson would be a guaranteed knockout and it’s a fight that probably should’ve happened. Tommy was the better fighter but Jackson, in my opinion was the harder puncher. Jackson probably has more 1 punch , count to 10 type of kos than anybody I have ever seen. Jackson is a Hall of Famer but he is kind of underrated. Ok you twisted my arm I will take Tommy by second round knockout. Why? Because McCllelan, Terry Norris and Mike McCallum all were able to get to Jackson early because he had porous defense. Hearns is sharper, quicker, longer and has a better jab than all of those other three. I am figuring he catches Jackson and stops him. I will say, though, that Tommy could not get touched this fight. Jackson could easily KO him. What a shoot out it would have been!

Beibut Shumenov W12 Viacheslav Uzelkov... Beibut Shumenov kept his WBA light heavyweight title with a career-best win, a 12-round unanimous decision over Viacheslav Uzelkov in Leemore, California. Shumenov, from Kazakhstan, came in as one of the most lighthly regarded titlists in boxing, having claimed the WBA 175-pound title in his last fight via controversial decision over Gabriel Campillo.  Against Uzelkov (22-1), he got off to a rocky start, getting knocked down in the first round. However, Shumenov (10-1) responded well to the adversity, winning virtually every remaining round in the  outdoor fight, including the third, in which he decked Uzelkov. Official scores were 118-108 (twice) and 117-109. source: espn friday night fights

Bob Arum informed Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports that pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao will face Antonio Margarito on November 13th in either Las Vegas or Mexico. No official word if the bout will be dubbed "The Disgrace" but that's just what it is. Margarito, who was caught trying to cheat by using loaded gloves against Shane Mosley, does not deserve this opportunity. Hopefully, Pacquiao puts his congressional foot down and refuses to follow Arum's blueprint.

The grudges, ill will, greed, and overall egos of the promoters and managers are preventing some entertaining matchups, not the fighters themselves. I’m so sick of [promoter] Bob Arum’s greed and BS. Of course all parties are to blame for not making the “you know who’s fight” but come on….this stable of young fighters at 140 would test you know who. And any one of them could be ready by Nov 13th, barring injuries. I like Nonito Donaire also. I saw him on one of these boxing shows late one night, and he was strategically breaking down that infamous left hook that starched Vic Darchinyan. Classic. This kid should be a star by now. He’s articulate, engaging, funny, and extremely smart in the ring. And simply because he left Gary Shaw after the fight is why we still don’t have a rematch. And for whatever reason, he has been unable to capitalize on the one of the most devastating knockouts and surprises of the lower weight classes. I know Vic was the bigger name at the time, but Vic has taken another loss last year, which to me, takes him down a little more from that pedestal. Therefore, maybe it’s a money and name thing, but Donaire shouldn’t be the one being asked why hadn’t a rematch taken place. This question is more appropriate for Vic. DC
Bread’s Response: I agree with everything you said. No need to repeat it. One thing to add however. Donaire and Pac are both Filipino. They are both under Top Rank. I can’t understand why Donaire is not showcased on Manny’s undercards. They already have the huge audience in place, for this kid to take the torch. Very puzzling to me.

Greg, not sure if this will make the bag or not, but I just wanted to say I actually GET YOUR POINT about MMA guys and their skills (at least I think I do).  If they have so much skill in the hand department as fighters, then why not throw on boxing gloves and get in the squared circle to make better paydays?  I think people are misinterpreting what you were getting at: that boxing pays better than MMA! Good to see you back on the mailbag grind, I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in after reading Thursday's bag.
Leon's Response: Bingo. Thank you.

Press Release: WBC super middleweight titlist Mikkel Kessler has started his training camp for the crucial Super Six showdown with Allan Green. The Viking Warrior will take on his American opponent in Denmark on September 25th at a venue to be announced. “The fun part is over for Mikkel,” trainer Jimmy Montoya said. “He got his well-deserved rest after the fight against Froch but it will be blood, sweat and tears for him from now on. I was pleased with his performance against Froch but there is still a lot more to come from him. I expect him to get even better against Green.”

Press Release: Beibut Shumenov (9-1, 6 KOs) will defend his WBA 175-pound title in a bout against mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Uzelkov (22-0, 14 KOs) of Vinitza, Ukraine, tomorrow, Friday, July 23rd in the scheduled 12-round main event of the ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” (10pm ET/7pm PT). Shumenov weighed in right at 175 pounds, while Uzelkov came in at 172. The card will emanate from a specially constructed outdoor arena at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, CA. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Tachi Palace box office at:  559-924-7751 or by visiting www.tickets.com.

PRESS RELEASE: Boxing 360 has announced that heavyweights Maurice “Sugar Moe” Harris and Nagy “Dominican Dynamite” Aguilera will square-off August 6th in Minnesota. “Both parties have signed contracts and it’s going to be a great fight between a talented veteran Harris, and promising prospect, Aguilera,” Boxing 360 Director of Boxing Bob Duffy said today. “In many ways, it’s a crossroads fight for both heavyweights with a lot on the line, in terms of their respective boxing futures. We’re negotiating right now to make the August 6th fight for a regional title.”

Boxingtalk caught up with heavyweight Rocky Pepeli, who campaigned from 1987-1998 and compiled a record of 19-11-1. His resume is full of recognizable names, including Larry Holmes, Buster Douglas, Kirk Johnson, Jesse Ferguson and Bert Cooper. Rocky also claims he defeated Mike Tyson as an amateur. -- Editor 

Rocky, can you tell us about your family? Well my grandfather’s name was Rocky Pepeli, who I was named after.  My grandfather was a first generation fighter.  He was 14 years old when he came to America in 1915.  He was in New York for a few years until he was old enough to leave.  He was like 21 or 22.  He was going from New York to L.A. to be a fighter, because L.A. was a big boxing town at that time.  But then his car broke down in Iowa.  He got a job working on a farm for this guy, and this guy’s daughter ended up getting pregnant so he married the girl.  That was my grandmother.

Welcome back.  Do you think that Roger Mayweather, Floyd Sr. and Floyd Mayweather discuss strategy during their training regimen?  If not, then, that we can assume that they are fighting off of Floyd's exceptional skills and athletics.  However, wouldn't this be a disaster when he speed slows ala Roy Jones Jr. If they do discuss strategy which I believe is the reason that Floyd Sr is back in the stable at all, then, it would pay dividends to fights against Pacquiao who makes constant mistakes.  That fight WHENEVER it occurs will be a dual fight with the trainers as well.  We know that Roger and Freddie have had their talks and wars over their fighters and I expect Freddie Roach to try to correct some of Manny's mistakes on offense.  I agree with you that Freddie has had a tremendous impact in his style.  I predict that if the fight goes back 4 rounds that Floyd will dissect him and beat him until someone stops it.  If Manny catches Floyd, it will have to be in the first half of the fight, which Floyd is most vulnerable. Who do you pick?  Does skill and ability to adapt beat Manny or does Manny (with Freddie) find the key to beat Floyd? 

Leon's Response: It's Team Mayweather. Floyd does most of the work, but is anybody in a position to knock the people who taught him how to fight? It would seem to me that they've done a pretty good job. Let the fight get done and then I'll give you my prediction.

Boxingtalk.com has received strong indications that the stage 3 bout of the Super Six world boxing classic between undefeated WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward and fellow Olympian, former title challenger, Andre Direll, will in fact take place in Detroit, Michigan on September 25th. Dirrell hails from Flint, Michigan. Remember where you heard it first!

Following several complications surrounding the announcement of the Wladimir Klitschko's mandatory defense and top rated IBF contender Alexander Povetkin, Boxingtalk.com has been informed that the IBF has instructed the Klitschko camp to move onto the next available contender, former WBC champion Samuel Peter. The Nigerian Nightmare dropped Klitschko three times, but lost every other round of an exciting fight. More to follow, until then REMEMBER WHERE YOU HEARD IT FIRST

Holy sheet I agree with you on Watson and his boys!  Every f**king fight they are shamelessly in the middle of every damn shot.  Who the hell are they anyways?  My buddy says he knows the family and that one of them is a professional baseball player, so even more reason why they should act like they've been there before and have a bit more class.  But seriously, what the hell do they do and why are they in the ring?--  Justin Hackman 

Leon's Response: The reality of the situation is, in terms of what they know and understand, they are absolute nobodies in the business. Al Haymon once told me that he is never in the ring because he feels it's the fighters time to shine. Other than making people think Watson IS Haymon, I find it strange that he refuses to enter the ring or take photos with his fighters, but then replaces himself in the ring with two or three camera whores. It's beyond laughable to me. If they knew boxing like they knew where the cameras are, they'd actually be able to provide a boxer with substantial imput. I've gotten a ton of emails about this and a bunch of facebook messages.  Sam Watson did tell me that Matt Kemp was going out with Rihanna because "they" made that happen, which was almost as laughable as hearing him tell Allan Green, Breadman and I that he got a Bentley in his driveway, but never drives it. LMAO. It must be because nobody is holding a camera in the backseat.

Change: I stand corrected Brandon Watson is a pro-baseball player.

Boxingtalk: What are you up to these days? I know you have been a guest analyst on ESPN covering the sport. ICEMAN: well basically I have my hands in a lot of things, I’m still in it 100%, I’m still boxing, still sparring quiet a bit I just did 8 rounds the other day with Demetrius Andrade an undefeated prospect who was on the Olympic team in 2008. I’m training boxers, I have Matt Godfrey fighting for the Cruiserweight WBO title in August in Germany, I am training amateurs right now I have a team actually Ray Olivera and I are doing a duel meet in Massachusetts in August a bunch of guys from my team verses a bunch of guys from his team. So I am still doing the analyst work on a fight by fight basis with ESPN, hopefully they will call me for the Mayweather-Pacquaio fight if that happens. I did the Mayweather-Mosley fight and I did two Pacquaio fights you know I have the ESPN Classic fight series with Joe Tessitore and I am writing my book,  a boxing book about my life in boxing so I got a lot of stuff going so I am in it in as many levels as I can be.

Has anyone ever dated anybody they were super excited about seeing? The prospects of being with this person just made you bubble with anticipation. Hours upon hours are spent chatting it up on the phone, increasing your aniticipation, only for this person to stand you up. When what was alleged to be an isolated incident becomes a repeat performance, what do you do? No matter how attracted you are to this person, they simply do not care about you enough. You have to say the heck with him or her, and you stop chasing them, and just replace them. This is how I feel about a Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight. Someone needs to be held accountable for this mess and I’m already replacing this potential fight in my mind.

Danny Green KO1 Paul Briggs... There is a terrible stench coming from Australia caused by Paul Briggs taking an apparent dive in a cruiserweight fight against IBO champion Danny Green. The fight ended after just 29 seconds, when Green landed a jab to Briggs' hair. For those whose memory stretches back to the mid-1990s, the KO was similar to Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon, except Briggs didnt bother to even stand up. Green, knowing he didn't land a punch of any significance, scowled at the dive, and didn't raise his arms in victory.  The "winner" was embarrassed and irate, telling the fans that Briggs wouldn't get paid, but in truth Green must share some of the blame for choosing to fight a main event against a guy who retired over three years ago due to health problems. Props must be given to the New South Wales Commission for refusing to sanction the fight... unfortunately, Green moved the fight to a different part of Australia (Perth).  Several years ago, Briggs gave two good fights to Tomasz Adamek and could have won either (he lost both), but that version of Paul Briggs is just a memory. source: sydney morning herald and fight video

BOXINGTALK: Maureen Shea, your record is 14-2, 8 KOs and you have a fight coming up on July 30th against Liliana Martinez (8-10, 4 KOs ).  How have preparations been and what kind of results do you expect to produce? Maureen Shea: "Well, preparations have been wonderful.  This is my second fight with my new trainer Aroz “Terrific” Gist, who trained Kendall Holt as well.  So I’m really looking forward to it.  I’ve been getting great sparring.  I actually sparred with the IBF flyweight champion Carlos Tamara, and the preparations have been wonderful.  I’m so happy and I look forward to fighting on a Pugnacious Promotions card because it’s being promoted by a female!  This is my first time being on a card promoted by a female and I’m really looking forward to that."

I know Nonito Donaire is your guy. I can't lie- I try to be just a neutral but Vic Darchiniyan is my guy. I like his fighting spirit. But will there ever be a rematch. Could you ask donaire if you interview him again. SN: I already didn't think to much of Tim Bradley. Great skills I am impressed but it is wrong to call out the bull alexander like he has been trying to fight devon alexander when everyone seen the interview where he said if he took care of business against urango he's next. Matter of fact if he really wants to fight Amir Khan maybe they should let him and see how that works out for him. I don't want to call him a pussy cause I think it takes an extraordinary person to get in the ring and perform at the level he fights at. But I will call it a bitch move.

Bread’s Response: I already asked Nonito. He told me that Darchynian and Co. were pulling his leg. They were supposed to fight this year already. Let me say this. Nonito KO'd Vic conclusively and ruined his undefeated record. If Vic truly wanted to get revenge then the fight would get made. There is a way an A list fighter can make certain things happen. If Vic started telling his managers and promoter either get me Donaire or I will find someone who can, do you really think the rematch would be 3 years and waiting…..?

PRESS RELEASE: Prize Fight in association with Global Boxing Gym and Tecate present one of the best fight cards and one of the best main events ever at the Fitz Hotel & Casino in Tunica, MS as it returns July 24th with it's latest installment of "Fights At The Fitz". "Fights At The Fitz" is a record breaking series that has showcased many of the top young fighters in the world today. World ranked fighters such as Fernando Guerrero, Shawn Porter, Lamont & Anthony Peterson and many more have see their careers blossom at "Fights At The Fitz". This coming Saturday, July 24th should be no different as top lightweight prospects Ty Barnett and Tyrese Hendrix will meet in an 8 round battle with future title implications at stake.  Barnett 17-1-1 (12 KO's) from Washington D.C. looks to be the hunter in this fight as he attempts to use his great power punching ability and smooth boxing skills to limit the slick southpaw Hendrix. The veteran Hendrix 18-1-1 (7 KO's) from Atlanta, GA will attempt to use great ring generalship, pure boxing ability and quick feet to keep Barnett off balance and  land a shot that could swing the night into his favor. "This is probably the most competitive and compelling main event we have ever brought to the Fitz. It is an intriguing match up between the great boxer and the great puncher. Everything is on the line. The winner goes on to regional title fights and the loser has to climb the ladder again. I can't wait!", stated promoter Russ Young of Prize Fight.

PRESS RELEASE: Next Friday Delvin Rodriguez (25-4-2, 14KO's) returns to ESPN's "Friday Night Fights" when he takes on Ashley Theophane (26-4-1, 7KO's) in the main event bout of the evening at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. Rodriguez-Theophane is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

PRESS RELEASE: Andriy Kotelnik grew up poor in the large city of Lviv, Ukraine.  Even though his family did not have great wealth, they instilled in their son a great love of family and community.  In their wildest imagination, the family could not have guessed that young Andriy would one day capture the hearts of a million people who make their homes in this working class Ukrainian railway city, let alone the entire nation.  But that is exactly what happened after Andriy won a spot to represent Ukraine at the 2000 “millennium” Olympic games held in Sydney, Australia.

Mike Criscio, manager of world class junior middleweight Alfredo Angulo, contacted Boxingtalk.com to inform us that his charge wants a crack at WBA champ Miguel Cotto. "Now it's time to see if Miguel Cotto is ready for a real challenge at junior middleweight," said Criscio, who doesn't see a more attractive "makeable" junior middleweight fight for Cotto.

Press Release: Arthur Abraham welcomed a special guest on Monday when German Chancellor Angela Merkel stopped by to visit his training camp in Kienbaum. Hundreds of world-class athletes, including dozens of Olympic gold medal winners and world champions, use the sports center each year to prepare for their events. Team Sauerland also stages its training camps in Kienbaum, which is located 20 miles east of Berlin. Ulli Wegner and his fighters will return to Kienbaum on July 28th, moving camp from Berlin. Merkel, who honoured Kienbaum with a special award, enjoyed meeting Germany's top athletes. “I gave her a pair of mini boxing gloves, which she promised to keep in a very special place inside her office,” King Arthur said. “I hope the gloves bring her luck. It was a great honor to meet the Chancellor. We spoke about a lot of interesting things.”

Press Release: On Friday, Viacheslav Uzelkov (22-0, 14 KOs) of Vinitza, Ukraine will take on WBA light heavyweight titlist Beibut Shumenov (9-1, 6 KOs) in the scheduled 12-round main event of the ESPN2s' Friday Night Fights (10pm ET/7pm PT). Shumenov,  who captured the title in his 10th professional bout earlier this year made his mark in boxing history by winning a major world title in the light heavyweight division with the fewest number of fights in his professional career. Meanwhile, Uzelkov believes he has steadily improved and proven that he is ready to step into the spotlight and shine as boxing's next light heavyweight champion. "Shumenov is certainly talented but doesn't have the experience needed to maintain champion status.  I have complete confidence that I will exit the ring on Friday night as the WBA Light Heavyweight Champion." The boxing card will emanate from a specially constructed outdoor arena at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, CA. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Tachi Palace box office at:  559-924-7751 or by visiting www.tickets.com.

Former junior welterweight title challenger Dmitriy "Star of David" Salita has inked an advisory deal with Greg Leon. Salita, 30-1-1 (16), suffered the lone loss of his career to Amir Khan in his last fight, but he's looking to fight his way towards another shot while silencing his critics. Salita's next bout is expected to be solidifed within the next sixty days. More to follow, including an exclusive interview with Salita.

Promoter Lou DiBella has informed Boxingtalk.com that he and former IBF junior welterweight champ Paul Malignaggi have amicably parted ways following a $75,000 buyout. More to follow.

I'm sooooooo sick of these message boards.  If you have any chance to talk w/ Floyd, please ask him to get in the ring and serve this dude! Brian Mims

GR: Floyd isn’t doing any of his supporters on fans a favor by not fighting Manny in November. What kind of things do you expect to hear if the guy has said he will meet all of your demands and you won’t sign on the line? No one is buying the vacation thing, not even his biggest supporters, it is going to come down to one thing being said and one thing only- he is scared of Manny. Do I believe that? Not in a million years but that is what the average fan is saying and going to continue to until the fight is made. I am disappointed man, and anyone and everyone who knows me knows how I feel about May, yet it is getting harder and harder not only to want to stick up for the guy but finding the means to do so.

Press Release: Floyd Mayweather's Mayweather Promotions admits it never negotiated for a fight against Manny Pacquiao and the company has just released a statement saying anyone who claims negotiations actually did take place is lying. The following is the entire statement released by Mayweather Promotions: "Here are the facts. Al Haymon, Richard Schaefer and myself speak to each other on a regular basis and the truth is no negotiations have ever taken place nor was there ever a deal agreed upon by Team Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao on November 13.  Either Ross Greenburg or Bob Arum is not telling the truth, but history tells us who is lying." Editor's Note: can the next Rowe Show mailbag be far behind?

Press Release: A full week of boxing culminated in the coronation of 20 new national champions at the 2010 USA Boxing National Championships in Colorado Springs on Saturday. Two-time Olympian and 2007 World Champion Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) regained his national champion status at his new 114 pound weight class after a disappointing third place finish at the 2009 event. Warren defeated reigning light flyweight champion Miguel Cartagena (Philadelphia, Pa.) by second round retirement in their championship round face-off on Saturday. Two-time national champion Louie Byrd (Denver, Colo.) claimed his third straight title by defeating 2004 Olympic alternate Diego Hurtado (Sparks, Nev.) by a 31-15 margin in the new 108-pound weight class championship bout. Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas) was the third male defending champion to reclaim his crown in 2010, defeating former junior star Alex Martin (Joilet, Ill.) by a 4-1 margin on paper scoring to retain the welterweight title.

Press Release:  Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and former interim UFC heavyweight title holder Minotauro Nogueira will mix it up for a second time on Saturday, September 25th at UFC 119 live from the Conseco Field House in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Also featured will be Nogueira’s twin brother and light heavyweight force Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who will take on two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler Ryan Bader. Then it’s a rematch of The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback finale as former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra takes on one of Indianapolis’ own in Chris “Lights Out” Lytle.

Team Alexander sent the following to Boxingtalk regarding Team Bradley: The time has come.  You have pretended to be the best at 140 while everyone knows, Alexander is the true king of the division.The difference between Alexander and Bradley is, Bradley wants to beg for an opportunity with the great fighters, Devon wants to beat the best fighters in his division and earn the right to fight the great fighters. Boxing fans want to see the best fight the best and the two fights they want most is, Mayweather-Pacquiao and Alexander-Bradley. HBO wants to make the fight so team Bradley stop making cowardly moves stand up and fight,your own fans are tired of your excuses. On August 7 Devon will put on an explosive performance against Kotelnik and then Bradley will have nowhere to hide.

David Tua D12 Monte Barrett: Despite losing the twelfth round of a competitive fight by three points, world rated heavyweight contender David Tua looked to be the benefactor of a favorable decision that ended in a draw. Tua was the aggressor, but he really couldn't find his mark all fight long. Tua was deducted a point for rough house tactics and knocked down for the first time of his career in the closing moments of the bout. Official Scores were 113-113 twice and a ridiculous 115-111 for Tua. Source: PPV

Undefeated WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley improved to 26-0 (11) following a dominant welterweight and HBO debut against heavy handed, but far too slow footed Carlos Abregu. Bradley rocked Abregu a few times throughout the bout, but never really came close to scoring a stoppage. Official scores were 118-110, 117-111, 116-112. After the fight Bradley told HBO, "I kicked some butt tonight. He's a hard puncher and I was the smaller guy moving up, he was hoping to knock me out, but that didn't happen tonight."  Regarding his next move Bradley stated, "I challenge Manny Pacquiao at 147." Other than Pacquiao Bradley said, "It's anybody, but Devon Alexander if they want it and the money is right, he's next." Source: HBO

Alfredo "El Perro" Angulo improved to 19-1 (16) with a sensational first round stoppage over former junior middleweight champ Joachim Alcine. It appeared Alcine would survive the round but Angulo hurt him in the closing seconds and landed enough clean power shots to appropriately prompt Dr. Lou Moret to stop the fight  with one second left in the round. Source: HBO

Boxingtalkers read on for the transcript of Bob Arun's conference call with the assmebled media that took began at 3AM ET. You don't want to miss what the Bobfather had to say.

Dan Rafael ESPN: My question for you is, uh at what point you while you were negotiating with uh, with the uh, reps for Cotto and for Margarito umm, how deep into it would you be willing to change if Floyd presented himself uh, do you need to uh, have a signed contract with these guys or could you be up to the last minute and tell these guys, hey by the way in case Floyd decides to come out of hiding and take this offer, we're going to cut you off right here. How are you going to handle that?

Moments ago hall of fame promoter Bob Arum informed the boxing media that pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao will fight either Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto on November 13.  On the Mayweather mega-fight Arum said, "It's dead when we (verbally) conclude a deal for Manny's fight in November. Then we're contractually obligated to do that fight and we'll fight Floyd next year."

Fernando GuerreroW10 Ishe Smith... Fernando Guerrero won a hard-fought unanimous decision over veteran Ishe Smith in Friday’s ShoBox main event, held in Southaven, Mississippi. The middleweight Guerrero (19-0) withstood an eighth-round knockdown and ten rounds of body shots from Smith (21-5). Though most of the body work was legitimate, referee Randy Phillips twice warned Smith, of Las Vegas, Nev., for repeated low blows before deducting a point in the sixth round. Guerrero garnered the win by throwing a large amount of punches of his own and keeping up the pace against a traditionally defensive minded fighter in Smith. As the judges scored the fight 96-93, 95-93, 97-91, Guerrero successfully continued his hopeful transition from prospect to contender. source: showtime  press release

Shawn Porter W10 Ray Robinson...In a welterweight bout, Shawn Porter (16-0) defeated Ray Robinson (11-2) via unanimous decision with scores of 99-89, 97-92, 98-91. After an aggressive start for Robinson, Porter poured on punishing body blows highlighted by a combination that ended with a right-hand knockdown in the sixth round. Robinson displayed his mettle by recovering from the knockdown and regaining his composure through the fight’s final rounds. source: showtime  press release

Mike Dallas W8 Lanard Lane... The ShoBox opener from Southaven, Mississippi featured a pair of undefeated junior welterweights, Mike Dallas, Jr. against Lanard Lane. Dallas won the eight-round bout by three identical scores of 78-74. He improves to 15-0-1 while Lane suffers his first defeat after 12 pro wins. source: shobox

Zab Judah TKO3 Jose A. Santa Cruz... With his credibility as a legitmate contender as stake, Zab Judah came up very big in Newark, New Jersey. Moving down to junior welterweight after losing momentum in his campaign at 147, Judah starched the very respectable Jose Armando Santa Cruz (28-4). A third-round left uppercut sent Santa Cruz sprawling awkwardly to the canvas. Santa Cruz beat the count but moments later, Judah finished off the lanky Mexican who was helpless against the ropes. Santa Cruz once beat up Joel Casamayor only to find himself on the wrong end of one of the worst decisions in recent memory. Against Judah, Santa Cruz was overmatched. Judah (39-6) now hopes to land a challenge against one of the division's big three, Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander or Amir Khan.  source: espn2 friday night fights

Sadam Ali TKO3 Julias Edmonds... In the Newark co-feature, 2008 U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali traveled across the Hudson River from his Brooklyn home and made his ESPN2 debut a successful one. Now 8-0, Ali came in at a career-low 142 pounds and floored Julias Edmonds (7-8) in round one. He landed many hard punches in the third round, causing the referee to stop the contest without a second knockdown. source: espn2 friday night fights

Although Ishe Smith and Fernando Guerrero gave the fans in attendance their monies worth over ten competivie rounds, it appeared that Christmas came a bit early for  the undefeated Guerrero. Smith got off to a fast start, possibly winning each of the first three rounds on every scorecard outside of Mississippi. Guerrero took control during rounds 4-6, but  Smith appeared to dominate the 7th, score a knockdown in eighth and do enough to win rounds 9 and 10. Despite fighting his heart out in his third consecutive television friendly performance, Smith lost a UD by scores of  96-93, 95-93, 97-91. Referee Randy Phillips need not referee another significant fight again. Disclosure:  Ishe Smith is a former client of mine.
Editors Note: Is it not time for Sam Watson and his kids to stop being camera whores?  Are not these the fighters moments? Why are boxing fans consistently subjected to the brainless cheerleading lemmings of Al Haymon, who by their own admission know nothing about boxing? Hey Al, if we have to see them all the time, at least allow them to get their cymbals out and play us a tune.

Shawn Porter won a hard fought unanimous decision over "The New" Ray Robinson on Shobox tonight. After five rounds of virtually even action Porter scored a knockdown in the sixth, but was unable to finish Robinson off. Robinson gathered his bearings in the seventh before catching a second wind to convincingly win round eight and keep Porter on his bicycle for most of the last two rounds. Both guys fought their hearts and deserve future televised opportunities. Official scores were 99-89, 97-92, 98-91 and do not accurately reflect the competitive nature of the bout.

Former two division champion Zab "Super" Judah made easy work of Jose Armando Santa Cruz in the main event of ESPN Friday Night Fights. The fight marked Judah's first bout at 140 pounds in seven years. Judah floored Santa Cruz with a left uppercut, Judah's follow up barrage prompted the ref waved off the bout at the 2:33 into round 3. Source: ESPN2

Press Release: Promoter Richard Schaefer: One of the most-anticipated fights on the July 31st undercard from Las Vegas is going to be the WBO middleweight [title fight]  between Danny Jacobs and Dmitry Pirog.  This is a tremendous opportunity for both fighters.  I know they're going to be very well prepared.  I know that both of them are training extremely hard, and so I would like to thank both fighters and their teams for being on the call today. First I would like to introduce Dmitry Pirog, who is going to be assisted by a translator, Vadim Kornilov. Dmitry Pirog, with a record of 16-0 with 13 KOs is obviously a puncher, but he is an excellent boxer who brings a combination of the European style and American style boxing to the ring.

Press Release: Tonight, "The New" Ray Robinson (11-1, 4 KOs) will be looking to get back to his winning ways when he takes on Shawn Porter (15-0, 12 KOs) at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi. [Editor's Note: in December, Robinson lost a majority decision to unbeaten Brad Solomon and hasn't fought since then]. Robinson-Porter is scheduled for eight rounds in the welterweight division, and will be shown live on Showtime's Shobox: The New Generation. The main event features Fernando Guerrero vs. Ishe Smith. Robinson and Porter are familiar with one another, having boxed on the same national team during the amateurs.

Press Release: WBO cruiserweight champion Marco “Captain” Huck (29-1, 22 KOs) caught up with the German media yesterday as he continues his preparation for his clash with Matt Godfrey (20-1, 10 KOs). The duo will battle it out in Erfurt, Germany on August 21st, Huck's fourth title defense. “Despite the hot weather in Germany we have been working really hard in practice,” Huck said. “My trainer Ulli Wegner has scheduled a lot of exhausting sessions. Fighting in Erfurt will be special for him [Wegner] because he lived there for a long time. So I intend to put on a spectacular performance on August 21st to please him and of course my fans all over the world. Godfrey is a tough challenger, but he has never been inside the ring with someone like me. I am the best cruiserweight in the world and I am keen to prove it once again.”

The stage 3 bout of the Super Six World Boxing Classic between WBC super middleweight champ Mikkel Kessler and former title challenger Allan Green will take place at a venue to be determined in Denmark on September 25th. Although Green has zero points after the first two rounds (he didn't participate in stage 1, and came in as a replacement for Jermain Taylor), a stoppage win over Kessler would give Green the WBC super middleweight championship and a real chance at advancing to the Super Six's four-man semi-final round.  Remember where you heard it first!

In my opinion, the return of David Tua does much to spice things up in the heavyweight division.  According to popular opinion, the current crop of heavyweights isn’t much to speak of.  But to put things into perspective, it’s tough to say just how good some of these contenders are because they have been facing two very dominant champions: Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko.  Everyone who steps in the ring with the Klitschko brothers looks bad.  And therefore, many label these title challengers as “bums.”  Lately, it seems that a contender has to do very little to earn a shot at the heavyweight crown.  Chris Arreola’s biggest win on his resume was a shop worn Jameel McCline before he took on Vitali Klitschko.  And when Eddie Chambers looked good in defeating Alexander Dimitrenko, he found himself facing Wladimir Klitschko in his very next fight.  Maybe Arreola and Chambers are worthy challengers and maybe they’re not.  But it’s hard to say just how good they are when they’re not put to the test before they step up to the big time.  That’s why a fighter like David Tua is just what the heavyweight division needs.

PRESS RELEASE: Both main event fighters, David Tua (51-3-1, 43 KOs) and Monte Barrett (34-9, 20 KOs) weighed in today on the boardwalk outside of the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City in anticipation of their upcoming heavyweight fight, which will take place on Saturday night, to be shown on a pay-per-view basis. Both fighters looked to be in great shape with Tua tipping the scales at 237 1/2 pounds. while Barrett weighed-in at 225. The show will start at 7PM fpr those in Atlantic City, and the PPV telecast will go live on the air at 8PM ET. Tua vs. Barrett is scheduled for twelve rounds.

PRESS RELEASE: Following weeks of intense negotiations, Showtime has announced that Hennessy Sports and Sauerland Event—the promotional outlets for world-class super middleweight boxers Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham—have agreed to a location for their fighters’ crucial Super Six World Boxing Classic bout.

Hey ! I was wondering have you ever watched a boxing match before . You Tell this load of crap to any real boxing fan or historian and you will surely get laughed at. I'm actually surprised that they allowed you to post this . Both of these brothers suck. A prime Tyson, Ali, Foreman, Holyfield, Holmes, Ike Abeauchi, to name a few; would have all stopped these jokers. For starters All of Tysons opponents were taller and bigger than him. And which of the two would have beaten Foreman. Also can you name the last guy to KO Evander, or even really beat him when he was prime. I really believe you were suffering from a bout of emotion. Please doyour homework before writing things that can be very misleading to a person of lesser boxing knowledge. Wladimir has one of the softest chin ever. And he's been knocked out by guys with a lot lesser punching powerthan all those you called out on your list. Vital is the better of the two. In other words the best of the worst.  A Tyson in his prime 21-25yrs would have knock them both out in the same night. Save yourself the humiliation, don't tell anyone you wrote that article.  Peace..
 
Linder’s Response: Boxing has been a big part of my life.  I have fought, I have trained fighters, I have written about it, I have studied the game, and I have obsessed about it in every way.  That doesn’t mean I’m right all the time.  And when someone says that the fighters of old could have beaten the Klitschkos, I can respect that.  But when someone blurts out that Ali and Tyson could have whipped both of them on the same night, it sounds like a typical knee-jerk reaction from someone who hasn’t thought it through.  And when you resort to name-calling and you personally insult me just because you don’t agree with my observations, it does nothing to support whatever point you’re trying to make.

PRESS RELEASE: An interesting fact emerged in June when Don King planned to present IBF 154-pound champion Cory Spinks against mandatory challenger Cornelius “K9” Bundrage in St. Louis : Bundrage’s Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward revealed he has never set foot inside the city of St. Louis .

Boxingtalk would like to extend our deepest condolences to world class super middleweight contender Allan Green and his family for the loss of his 18 year old little sister Raven, who was tragically killed in a car accident.

 
Hi Bread, Greetings from Ireland. Do you think that Margarito is a bad fight for Pacman, I know Margarito doesn't deserve a shot at him, but I really can see Margarito causing him problems and especially at 154. I can see him soaking up the pressure and coming back just as strong, much like the Cotto fight. I know Mosley knocked him out but Mosley carries great KO power. Not sayin that Pacquaio doesn't but I honestly think it would be a step to far!. Pacquaio will walk through Cotto again, If only Cotto had to keep his defense tight in their first fight then it could of been a different story. When Alexander and Bradley fight I can see Alexander coming out on top mainly due to his power. For the boxing fans across the globe I really hope Pacquaio and Mayweather get this on, settle the score!! Mayweather UD12 :)
Keep up the good work ! Bread’s Response: I think if Margarito is right ,he could be a tough fight for Manny. Margarito did not have a foreign substance in his skull the night he fought Cotto. If it weren’t for the controversy , I would list that as one of the best walk downs I have ever seen.  Alexander vs. Bradley is a pick em fight. Alexander is too me is not a huge power puncher although he did knock Urango out. I think Devon is more physically strong than he is an explosive power puncher. I hope that fight gets made in January, so we can kick 2011 of correctly. Much love to Ireland, thanks for reading the site.

PRESS RELEASE: Power-punching David “Tuamanator” Tua isn’t looking past his opponent Saturday night, former world title challenger Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett, despite being mentioned as a future opponent for world champions David Haye and the Klitschko brothers, Wladimir and Vitali.

PRESS RELEASE: Zab"Super" Judah has donated tickets to his upcoming July 16th "Brick City BoxingSeries" match with Jose Armando Santa Cruz of Michoacan, Mexico to the children of Newark's C.O.M.B.A.T.T .Gym. Larry Hazzard, Founder of C.O.M.B.A.T.T. Gym, said "We are very grateful for Zab Judah's generosity in donating tickets to the kids of C.O.M.B.A.T.T.  It exemplifies the heart of a real champion to give back to the community.  It is especially important in a community like this where youngsters look up to boxers.  Zab has proven himself to be a great role model for our youth and we appreciate that he is fighting at Prudential Center in Newark and making himself available during his visit to the City."

PRESS RELEASE: The final press conference for the July 16th Zab Judah vs. Jose Armando Santa Cruz "Brick City Boxing Series" show at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, was held at the impressive Global Boxing Gym, North Bergen, NJ. Here are quotes from the event.

PRESS RELEASE: Joey "Minnesota Ice" Abell was once a can't miss heavyweight prospect. The 6'4 240 lb power punching phenom viciously stopped eight of his first nine victims inside of two rounds, emphatically stamping his ticket as one of boxing's most exciting up and comers in the process. Abell, who literally knocked opponents out of the ring, was undoubtedly on the fast track to success; this was until he met Arron Lyons.

PRESS RELEASE: Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight champion and Top-10 pound for pound fighter TIMOTHY "Desert Storm" BRADLEY and No. 1 junior middleweight contender ALFREDO "Perro" ANGULO hosted a Palm Springs Media Workout today at the Boys and Girls Club of America Gym in Indio, Calif.  Undefeated Top-Five welterweight contender and Bradley opponent CARLOS ABREGU also paid a visit to the gym, choosing to observe Bradley's training rather than give him a look at his own training.

PRESS RELEASE: Earlier today at the beautiful Palm Restaurant (Palm West) in New York City, Star Boxing hosted a luncheon press conference for Saturday night's PPV show in Atlantic City. In attendance were both main event fighters, David Tua (51-3-1, 43KO's), Monte Barrett (34-9, 20KO's), and their camps, Star Boxing President and CEO, Joe DeGuardia, Cedric Kushner (Tua's promoter), as well as many of the event's sponsors and an abundant of media.

PRESS RELEASE: Cruiserweight contender Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey (20-1, 10 KOs) challenges World Boxing Organization champion Marco “Kapt’n” Huck (29-1, 22 KOs) on August 21 in Thuringen, Germany

PRESS RELEASE: Don King has promoted many of the biggest main events and best undercards in boxing history, and he’s still building great shows as evidenced by the fact he has added another world championship to his “Gateway to Greatness” on Aug. 7 in St. Louis, which is now a world championship tripleheader.

PRESS RELEASE: The similarities are many, almost eerily so.  Both are heavyweights.  Both are from California.  Both are members of the Goossen Tutor boxing stable.  Both have dreams of becoming the first world heavyweight champion of Mexican descent.  Both are coming off bitterly disappointing defeats in fights they were both favored to win.  Neither can afford another loss.  And now both will fight each other.

PRESS RELEASE: Mayor Cory A. Booker, and other dignitaries were joined by former WBA World Welterweight Boxing Champion Zab "Super" Judah and Professional Boxer and Newark native Alex "The Brick City Bullet" Perez to kick off the City of Newark's 2010 Super Summer Initiative today. The kick off celebration took place in Nat Turner Park which is Newark's largest municipal park, located at 251-289 18th Avenue at the corner of Boyd Street and Muhammad Ali Avenue.

Edwards. You're a good kid. But I disagree with your assessment on Mike Nunn. I'm gonna get his career set, drive to Philly, and break fights down with you. This guy was on Jones' level. I'll prove it. We got tape on it, buddy. Bread’s Response: Ha Ha I love it, I always call people good kids, even when they are older than me. You can come to Philly whenever you like. Michael Nunn is not better than Roy Jones. We can have a fan poll and download some prime footage of both. Nunn was an excellent fighter and he was almost an Hall of Famer, but dam Roy Jones was almost the best fighter ever?!?! Nunn is really underrated and people don’t talk about him much as far as middleweights of the last 25 years, but the kid was the deal. In fact I think he could beat Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik but again he’s not as good as RJ, no way big guy.

Former Boxingtalk contributor and future hall of fame scribe George Kimball penned a story detailing how Golden Boy Promotions made $525,000 on the Victor Ortiz-Nate Campbell contest. A bout in which both fighters were paid $225,000 combined. The New York State Athletic Commission has gotten involved.

For the full story click here.

BT: It looked like you were almost practicing with the southpaw style. How was that for you? "Well I just want to keep learning. Fighters should always keep trying to improve. So I want to give my future opponents something to think about when they train for me. I also had an injury to my glutes. Every time I would bend I would fall to my left side. So I had to bring the southpaw stance out. I was actually doing really well in sparring with the left handed stance."

BT: J.C tell me what's going on with the Sergio Mora situation? Basically Mora signed a contract to fight me, then he pulled out to fight Shane Mosley in Septemeber. But me and Mora were going to fight in July, if he thinks I am so easy to fight then he should fight me in July and then fight Mosley in September. He complained about what Pavlik did to him but he is doing the same thing to me. If he ever fights me I'm going to give him an ass whooping.

Read your article and you're right, the super-heavyweight division is not appealing at all. It ruins the history of the Heavyweight Championship and the division itself.  They simply need to do what UFC is doing, raise the weight of what the heavyweight division is. Something like 220, anything below that is Cruiserweight. Maybe even higher.  The UFC is at 265 for heavyweights. All I know is, height don't make a weight class.

Linder’s Response: That’s one way to do it.  But I think cruiserweight is right where it needs to be from 176-200.  If it were up to me, I’d create a super heavyweight division from 231 on up.

Former light heavyweight world champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad sat down with 8CN and talked about the four big fights that he has coming up.  This Friday, July 16, 2010 in Southaven, Mississippi Muhammad will be working the corner of Ishe Smith.  The fight will be televised on Showtime.  Smith takes on the up and coming dangerous middleweight, Fernando Guerrero.  Muhammad also trains Zab "Super" Judah, Michael Grant, and the current light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson.  Muhammad talks abotu his entire stable, all of which have big fights coming up one after the other.  He also gives us his opinion on the potential mega super fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather.  Don't miss what else the former world champ had to say in this exclusive 8CN Podcast.

PRESS RELEASE: Jimmy Lange knocked down Jimmy LeBlanc early in the second round and then followed up by knocking out the Boston-based fighter at the 1:30 mark of the second round following a string of body blows. After a slow start in the first round where LeBlanc caught the former Contender star several times, Lange quickly took control in the second delivering numerous shots to the body which visibly hurt a grimacing LeBlanc.  It was Lange’s 10th straight hometown fight at the Patriot Center. Lange announced plans to return to the George Mason venue for an 11th time November 6, but will look for at least one out-of-town fight between now and then.  Among the crowd of 3,833 in attendance at the Ice Promotions card were former world champion William Joppy, former Redskins linebacker and radio personality LaVar Arrington, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Kris “Savage” McCray and the always popular Washington Redskins Hogettes. .

Juan Manuel Lopez TKO2 Bernabe Concepcion: Juan Manuel Lopez appeared well on his way to a first round knockout when he dropped Bernabe Concepcion less than 90 seconds in. Lopez furiously tried to finish Concepcion off and got dropped with a left hook he never saw in the final seconds of the frame. The second frame began with a booming left hand from Lopez sending Concepcion down for the second time. Concepcion fought gallantly, but was dropped for the last time in the closing seconds of the round. Official time of stoppage was 

Nonito Donaire TKO 8 Hernan Marquez: After three hotly contested rounds, Nonito Donaire, one of the best fighters in the world, completely took over against the game Hernan Marquez. Doniare fought the first four rounds of the bout in a southpaw stance. When he switched back to orthodox it didn't take long for Donaire to introduce Marquez to the canvas. It appeared Donaire scored a second knockdown at the end of the fifth, but did not receive credit for it.  After taking a beating in round six, Marquez showed a lot of determination in a courageous seventh round, but Donaire sent him to the canvas for good with seconds to go in the eighth round. Marquez beat the count, but trainer Rudy Perez properly stopped the bout. Official time was 2:59 

Mike Jones TKO5 Irving Garcia:  The 1st round was fairly even but Jones clearly controlled the 2nd with hand speed, activity and power shots.  A fight finally broke out in the 3rd with Garcia landing some right hands and Jones’ right eye starting to close.  Mike Jones came on late though and battered Garcia.  Jones controlled the 4th and caught Garcia off balance.  Jones dropped Garcia in the 5th with a barrage and a left hand to the body.  Garcia was overmatched.  Jones improves to 22-0 with 18 knockouts while Garcia falls to 17-5-3 with 8 knockouts.  Garcia’s corner tried to argue that the body shot was a low bow but some might argue that Garcia quit.

Antwoine Smith TKO9 Lanardo Tyner:  Tyner controlled the 1st & 2nd round with activity but Smith came back to win the 3rd.  Both fighters landed solid body shots in the 3rd but Smith finally let his hands go.  Smith’s eye was starting to close in a hard fought 8th round.  Tyner dropped Smith in the 9th with a left hook to the body and left hook to the head.  Smith fought hard but Tyner was relentless.  Tyner improves to 24-3 with 15 knockouts and Smith slips to 18-2-1 with 10 knockouts.

Miguel Corcino TKO1 Epi Cosme Rodriguez:  This fight was over before it started as Rodrguez was wobbled within the first 20 seconds of the fight.  Corcino dropped Rodriguez with a barrage and after getting up, Corcino destroyed Rodrigues with a huge left hook.  Smoger waived off the fight immediately.  Camden’s finest, Miguel Corcino improves to 2-0 with 2 knockouts while Rodriguez falls to 0-3.

Anthony Caputo TKO2 Walter Edwards:  Caputo walked Edwards down throughout the fight and landed big bruising shots.  Caputo rocked Edwards in the 1st with a right hand and Edwards was still on shaky legs in the 2nd .  Caputo then cracked Edwards with two right hands and a left hook that had Edwards sitting on the ropes totally defenseless.  Smoger waived off another one at boardwalk hall.  Caputo improves to 5-0 with 4 knockouts and Edwards falls to 1-5 with 1 knockout.

Steven Martinez TKO2 Jason Thompson:  Whith his stocky build, Thomspon came out firing and controlled the 1st round.  Thomspon seemed in control of the 2nd until he started to gas.  Martinez landed a couple big shots and Thompson started looking at his corner for some help.  Martinez landed nothing but power shots as the tall long armed boxer refused to use his jab.  Thompson was battered with no regard and the fight should have been waived off much earlier.  Martinez improves to 5-0 with 4 knockouts and Thompson drops to 5-6-1 with 4 knockouts.

BT: You guys have a big fight coming up against Ray Robinson out of Philadelphia on July 16th. You 1st Coach KP, tell me what you know about him? "Well I know he's 6 feet 7 inches(laughing), he's a lefty. Fast hands, he brings a long left hand behind his jab, he's a good fighter."
 
BT: This fight has a contracted weight of 150lbs am I correct?
 
Kenny Porter: Yes, as you know we are moving down to welterweight and Shawn is already on weight today. God is good, Shawn weighs 150lbs today.

Breadman: I was rewatching Hilmer Kenty vs. Sean O'Grady and was reminded of how special Larry Hazzard was as a referee. In fact, I can't recall seeing one who moved so well. He looked to be in such great shape that he may have been able to put the gloves on. He stayed on his toes much like the fighters and smoothly got in between the fighters when breaking them up - he did not push either fighter back so they did not have to expend any extra energy getting back in position. I notice today's referee's tend to be out of shape and don't move around nearly as well so miss many things. They also tend to push either one or both fighters which seems to be some ego stuff. What do you think of Mr. Hazzard and can you name a better one? Simba Sana DC. Bread’s Response: In my opinion, Larry Hazzard is the best referee in boxing history.

Undefeated middleweight contender Fernando Guerrero (18-0-15KO) takes on Contender 1 series star Ishe Smith (21-4-9KO) July 16th, 2010 at the Desoto Civic Center, in Southaven, Mississippi.  This fight will be on Showtime. Guerrero sits down with 8CN and talks about what is no doubt the biggest fight of his young career.  Rising up the rankings in the middleweight division, Guerrero explains to the fans just how important this fight is for him.  Promoted by Prize Fight Promotions based out of the Northern Mississippi/Memphis Tennesse area,  Guerrero talks about Memphis being his second home and sends a shout out to all the Memphis boxing fans to come on out and see a great night of boxing.  Check out what else one of the best young middleweights in the world had to say in this exclusive 8CN Podcast.


Link to Podcast -
http://www.8countnews.com/news/129

PRESS RELEASE: Undefeated WBO junior welterweight champion and Timothy Bradley and junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo hosted a Los Angeles Media Workout today at the Fortune Gym in Hollywood, Calif.  Both fighters will be featured in separate 12-round bouts, Saturday, July 17, at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif..  HBO Boxing After Dark will televise both bouts live, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.)

Almost every boxing fan will agree that there isn’t a heavyweight on the scene who poses a legitimate threat to Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko.  Neither brother has lost a fight since 2004 when Wladimir fell at the hands of Lamon Brewster, a defeat that was avenged three years later.  Have the Klitschko brothers remained undefeated for the last six years because they are all-time greats, or have they been sitting at the top for so long due to the lack of competition?  The answer probably lies somewhere in between.  No one truly knows what the Klitschkos are capable of because they’ve never been put to the test (with the exception of Vitali’s 2003 fight with Lennox Lewis).  At this point, all we can do is speculate as to how they might have matched up with other heavyweight champions in the past.

PRESS RELEASE: Today, the IBF ordered the camps of Yoan Pablo Hernandez and BJ Flores to have a free negotiating period until July 20th to complete a deal for the two fighters to engage in an elimination bout for the top contender spot for the right to face IBF Cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham.

PRESS RELEASE: On Saturday July 17th,David Tua (51-3-1, 43KO's) takes on former heavyweight title challenger Monte Barrett (34-9, 20KO's) live on PPV at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. Featured on the undercard, making their U.S. debuts, are two French boxers, European lightweight champion Anthony Mezaache (18-5-3, 4 KOs) and the 2008 French Olympic silver medalist, Khedafi Djelkhir (6-0, 5 KOs).

8CN sat down with former contender one series star Ishe Smith.  On July 16th, at the Desoto Civic Center, in Mississippi, Ishe will square off against the dangerous undefeated middleweight Fernando Guerrero.  This fight will be broadcast on Showtime, and will also feature rising star Shawn Porter.  Smith talks to 8CN about his training camp, and what he believes will happen on July 16th when he gets back into the ring.  Smith also gives us an in depth analysis of the Manny Pacquiao Vs Floyd Mayweather Jr fight, and shares his prediction.  Check out what else Ishe had to say in this exclusive 8CN Podcast.

PRESS RELEASE: New York City’s longest running and most successful boxing series, Broadway Boxing, returns July 28th to the most intimate venue for boxing in the country, the BB King Blues Club in New York City's Times Square. In the main event, Argenis Mendez, a regional titlist at 130 pounds, returns to the ring. Tickets can be purchased by calling DiBella Entertainment: (212) 947-2577.

How far do you see Danny Jacobs' career going? He seems to  have everything it takes to be a future top-ten pound-for-pound  guy (decent  size, power, ring intelligence/ generalship, amateur pedigree), but do  you see him beating the Sergio Martinez's, Felix Sturm's, Sebastian Sylvester's, and Paul Williams' of the world? Also some fantasy  matchups, who do you think wins between Prince Naseem Hamed and Manny  Pacquiao at featherweight, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Marco Antonio  Barrera at 130, Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Tommy Hearns at 147, and Carlos Monzon vs. Bernard Hopkins at Middleweight?  Bread’s Response: Danny Jacobs is a good young fighter but he has some improving to do in my opinion. He struggled a little bit with Ishe Smith and there was some subtle things I didn’t like from him in the fight. With his age and room for improvement I think one day he could beat all of those guys, just not today. I have a gut feeling that Jacobs title reign at 160, will look a lot like Berto’s at 147. They will not match him tough right away because he is just not ready.

HBO's Ross Greenburg conducted an unusually informative interview with in house pulici, err, ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. While Greenburg may have been a bit guilty of some of the grandstanding he accusesd promoters, managers and boxers of harping on, "The Boss"made some fine points, none of which stood our more than his desire to match the two best junior welterweights in the world, Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley. Provided that both take care of business in their HBO prelims against Andreas Kotelnik and Carlos Abregu respectively, the network has a "big check" waiting that will give boxing fans the big fight they deserve.

Press Release: This Saturday, July 10th  in Brooklyn, NY, 2008 Olympian Sadam Ali will host the Grand Opening of his “Sadam Ali Boxing & Fitness Center”. Media and the public are welcome to attend this big event. Festivities will begin at 1:00pm. Zab Judah will be there to promote his friend Ali’s venture. Both fighters will be available for media interviews and a public meet and greet. Many other boxing professionals intend to show support also, including Mark Breland and Paulie Malinaggi.

Press Release: On Saturday July 17th at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, Philadelphia welterweight Raymond "Tito" Serrano (12-0, 6 KOs) will take on Ghana's Ayi Bruce (6-2, 4 KOs). Serrano-Bruce is scheduled for eight rounds, and will be part of the pay-per-view telecast. The card, being presented by Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing, is headlined by David Tua (51-3-1, 43 KOs) taking on Monte Barrett (34-9, 20 KOs) in the heavyweight main event. Serrano is coming off an eight-round unanimous decision win over Ronald Warrior Jr.

Hey what's up bread? I was having a conversation with a friend at the gym today as I was beginning training for amateur boxing and he is what you would consider a casual fan of boxing but is a sports fan and we were talking about the heavyweight division and him as well as a lot of other casual fans aren't but so interested in boxing because of the dominance of the heavyweight div. By Klitschko bros. Are we still in this stigma that over marketability the boxing world, at least in america still rely on the heavyweight division? When will this move on? Is it the promoters not promoting as or is it just that americans lose interest because we don't have a great merican heavyweight? Are there any interesting or good with potential to be great heavyweights waiting in the wings? Who are they because these days it seems that most fighters that box and are 201+ lbs are former football and bball players who never really learn the art of boxing, but just are athletic and hit hard(the same goes for me being a former bball player aince I am doing it for the competition and I have always loved the sweet science)? What are your thoughts? Rob J - Richmond Bread’s Response: The heavyweight division is in huge trouble. Too many of the top American heavyweights are taking up boxing too late in life. They just don’t have the time to develop their skills when the Europeans have such a head start. HBO just announced that they would not televise another Kbros bout unless it’s against Haye or Adamek. Wow! Neither of those guys are American either. I have heard of some young guys who were decent but I need to see more. I think things will turn but it may take about 10 years. It would seem logical that big kids would start boxing again. Can you imagine if Tyson was 20 yrs old right now, he would garner 20 mill for regular HBO appearances. Can anybody say supply and demand?

BT: Can you tell us a little bit about your training regimen.  I notice that your balance is impeccable. I recently found some footage of you doing plyometrics, does that help out. "I run about 4 to 5 miles a day. After my run I do wind sprints. I alternate days on the wind sprints. I usually do them mondays, wednesdays and fridays. When I was younger I had chicken legs. My legs were weak. I had a lot problems with my legs earlier in my career. But my wife introduced me to plyometrics and we came up with a routine that really helps me out. It helps so much with my balance and my leg strength. It helps me sit down on my punche and produce knockouts. I wasn't a big puncher earlier on and in the amateurs but now I produce a lot of power behind my shots."

n the near future, the boxing world will know if Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. can reach an agreement for a proposed showdown later this year.  If the two camps are unable to come to terms, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito are likely candidates to replace Floyd Mayweather as Manny Pacquiao’s opponent.  But in the eyes of many, neither Miguel Cotto nor Antonio Margarito are suitable replacements.  Both Cotto and Margarito have seen their share of ups and downs in recent years and neither fighter has enough momentum going with their career that warrants a shot at the current pound-for-pound king.  In my opinion, the next logical step for both Cotto and Margarito is to face each other.

PRESS RELEASE Zab ‘Super” Judah can always be counted on to let you know what’s on his mind. In various interviews during training camp for his July 16th fight against Jose Armando Santa Cruz, Zab, 38-6, 26 KO’s, has been outspoken, at times poetic, and always larger than life. On the other hand, Santa Cruz has kept a low profile.

PRESS RELEASE: This past Friday night, welterweight contender Demetrius “The Gladiator” Hopkins looked dominant winning a unanimous decision over “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis. With the win, the Philadelphia native improved to 30-1-1, and notched his second unanimous decision this year after moving up to the welterweight limit. The official scores were 100-90 and 99-91 (twice), a wide decision for Hopkins.

Hey Bread can you give your 5 best puertorican fighters of all time and their best fights so that I can "you tube" on each one of them. Thanks man!! Bread’s Response: Carlos Ortiz- you tube his fights with Flash Elorde and Sugar Ramos. Wilfredo Gomez- you can you tube everything he did at 122 he was awesome. His fights with Carlos Zarate and Lupe Pintor stand out. Wilfred Benitez- you tube Maurice Hope and Petronelli. One of Hagler’s trainers son. Esteban De Jesus- you tube his 1st Duran fight and Buzzsaw Yamabe Felix Trinidad- you tube Vargas, Yuri Boy Campas and Maurice Blocker. Miguel Cotto- You tube Zab Judah and Kelson Pinto I know you said 5 but I can’t resist Cotto, he’s my guy.

Up-and-coming junior middleweight Brian "The Lion" Mihtar, 13-1 with 10 KOs, has inked an advisory deal with Boxingtalk publisher Greg Leon. Mihtar won a unanimous decision over Robert Kamya in his last fight on March 27 and is looking forward to stepping up his level of opposition and taking his career to the next level. "To summarize how I feel right now with a short quote is tough, but I'm excited to start a new chapter of my career. I feel comfortable putting my career in Greg's hands and I know he's going to get me the fights I want and take me where I want to go," said Mihtar, currently a promotional free agent.

PRESS RELEASE: With dreams of becoming the next great champion to come out of boxing-rich Philadelphia, welterweight Mike Jones will face Irving Garcia in a twelve-round main event bout on ShoBox: The New Generation on Friday, July 9th, live on Showtime (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Atlantic City. Jones, 27, puts his perfect 21-0 record (17 KOs) on the line against Puerto Rico’s Garcia (17-4-3, 8 KOs), a tough, aggressive brawler who ShoBox fans might remember for twice knocking down undefeated Carlos Abregu before eventually suffering a fourth round knockout in his last main event fight on May 1, 2009. In the co-feature, Antwone Smith (18-1-1, 10 KOs) of Miami , Fla., will battle Houston ’s Lanardo Tyner (23-3, 14 KOs ) in a ten-round welterweight tussle.

Press Release: WBO/WBC bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel will fight against Erik Morel on Saturday, July 17th at the “El palenque de la feria” in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico. This was announced Friday morning at a press conference at the Camino Real Hotel in Mexico City. Montiel was a former WBO champ at 112 and 115 pounds who became WBO interim champion at 118 and inherited the full title when Gerry Penalosa moved up to 122. Morel then won the WBO interim title by defeating Penalosa, who had moved back down to 118 after a failed title bid vs. Juan Manuel Lopez. Montiel, however, solidified his legitmacy as a bantamweight champion by travelling to Japan in April and stopping longtime WBC bantamweight champion Hozumi Hasegawa.

Press Release: Here is a transcript of Oscar De La Hoya's announcement concerning the undercard of his next pay-per-view show: "July 31st [a pay-per-view card headlined by Juan Manuel marquez vs. Juan Diaz II] will be something very special.  The first fight of the evening we have Jorge Linares, "El Nino De Oro" who will be fighting Rocky Juarez.

Boxingscene.com is reporting that a Victor Ortiz-Vivian Harris matchup is in the works for the televised undercard of the Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora PPV event, which is expected to take place on September 18 in Los Angeles or Las Vegas.

1. Did Manny Pacquiao deserve the fighter of the decade award? In my personal opinion No. 2. Why are you giving Manny a pass on Random blood testing? 3. Who deserves more money in this Fight (Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny)? 4. What makes a great fighter? (you said the last time Floyd fought a great fighter was Jose Luis Castillo in 2002) It’s obvious that Manny gets a pass on almost everything he does, writers love him and the opposite is true for Floyd. Bread’s Response: 1) I honestly would not have a problem with either Manny or Floyd winning it. It was very close. Manny closed the decade very strong. He also won the fighter of the year 3 times in the decade. More than any fighter in the decade. So I’m assuming the powers to be logic was, if this guy won the fighter of the year more times than anybody in this decade, then he must be the fighter of the decade. I’m going to keep it real though. If Floyd was more well liked by the media and he didn’t take off for almost 2 years he probably would have got the award. 2) I’m not giving Manny a pass on random drug testing. I think more strict testing in boxing is a must. If a commission would’ve ordered Manny to take a blood test and he refused I would tear him to pieces. That didn’t happen. Another fighter attempted to discredit his success by insinuating he was on PED’s. I don’t think Manny should have to prove himself to Floyd, that is my point.  3) Floyd should get 52-48, no more than 55-45. 4) It’s difficult for me to give an exact definition of a great fighter. But I know one when I see one. Castillo was one. Now please be exact when you post your comments. I said Castillo was the last great fighter Floyd fought in his PRIME. Prime being the key word. If I am wrong let me ask since 2002 what great prime fighter did Floyd fight. Everyone gets so angry about that, but it is the undeniable truth. Judah is a great talent, not a great fighter. Oscar and Shane were past it. Again, tell me what I said that was not true. Just because Manny is not bending over backwards to prove he is not a Ped user does not mean he is guilty. Some people are just that way. Let me ask you if someone said you were gay, would you walk around with as many attractive women as you could to prove them wrong. I know I wouldn’t.  Many Floyd bashers have accused him of many different things. He does not always go out of his way to disprove them. Some think he is scared of Manny. Do you feel me? For the last time, I feel as though BOTH guys are at fault for this fight not being made. Manny can just say ok I will take your test and give you the beat down you deserve. And Floyd can say ok I have been fighting all this time with no random blood testing, Manny didn’t give Marquez brain damage, let me go kick his ass. See my point?

PRESS RELEASE: Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions, Rodney Berman/ Golden Gloves, and Zanfer Promotions will present a world championship fight card on Saturday, August 14th, 2010, at the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas. In the main event, scheduled for twelve rounds for the vacant IBF lightweight championship, Korea's Ji-Hoon “Volcano” Kim, 21-5 with 18 KOs will battle Mexico's iguel Angel “Titere” Vazquez, 25-3 with 12 KOs. Featured fights will be televised live on TV Azteca, Fox Sports, and live internationally worldwide.

Former WBA junior welterweight champion "Vicious" Vivian Harris has brought on Greg Leon as his boxing advisor. "I've known Greg for eight years now and he really knows the business inside and out. I'm confident that he, along with my manager and my promoter Golden Boy Promotions will get me the right fights that get me back where I belong, with a world title around my waist," said Harris.

PRESS RELEASE: John Molina, Jr. believes an impressive victory this time against “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (18-0-1, 10 KOs) not only will get him the regional title belt that has eluded him, but put him right  into contention in the 135-pound division. Molina (20-1, 16 KOs) is traveling across the country from California to Rhode Island to challenge the outspoken Lundy (18-0-1, 10 KOs), in the ten-round main event on the July 9th “Let Freedom Ring” show, presented by Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), at Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, RI.

PRESS RELEASE: WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez (28-0, 25 KOs) is set to defend his title against Filipino Bernabe Concepcion (30-2-1, 17 KOs) on July 10th in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, live on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). In the co-feature, Nonito Donaire (23-1, 15 KOs) will battle Hernan Marquez (25-1, 18 KOs) for the interim WBA super flyweight belt.