2011 Official Boxing Thread: 12/30 Jermain Taylor + Andre Dirrell return on ShoBox.

[kingjames23]

Originally Posted by 951guero

Rooting for this Victor Ortiz to get his shine on, Kid has it, wel see how far this year can take him

I hope he quits again and never comes back.

 

[kingjames23]

Originally Posted by 951guero

Rooting for this Victor Ortiz to get his shine on, Kid has it, wel see how far this year can take him

I hope he quits again and never comes back.

 

[gunna get it]

Originally Posted by KingJames23

Originally Posted by 951guero

Rooting for this Victor Ortiz to get his shine on, Kid has it, wel see how far this year can take him

I hope he quits again and never comes back.

Me too.

 

[gunna get it]

Originally Posted by KingJames23

Originally Posted by 951guero

Rooting for this Victor Ortiz to get his shine on, Kid has it, wel see how far this year can take him

I hope he quits again and never comes back.

Me too.

 

[eagle 0n]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Emanuel Steward: Don't Call it a Comeback[/h1]
Wed 5-Jan-2011 11:55
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(Photo [emoji]169[/emoji] Howard Schatz)
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[table][/table]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][td]
By Steve Kim
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
[/td][/tr][/table]

It was announced late last week that noted trainer Emanuel Steward would be taking over the training duties of enigmatic light heavyweight Chad Dawson, replacing Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. As the years have passed, Steward, best known for heading up the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit, has become just as known for his work behind the mic for HBO as he is for training prizefighters. He had procured a reputation as a troubleshooter or a hired gun. A guy that just happened to train heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko outside of his duties next to Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant.

But don’t look now, with the addition of Dawson, his roster is one of the deepest in all of boxing as his stable includes Miguel Cotto, Cornelius Bundrage, Andy Lee and the promising Domonique Dalton.

In the immortal words of one James Todd Smith (aka LL Cool J): Don’t call it a comeback because the reality is, Steward never really went anywhere.

"In between the broadcasting, this is where I spend my time," Steward told Maxboxing on Friday. "I don’t golf; I don’t fish. I don’t have a boat; I don’t gamble. My hobby is being at the gym when I’m home. I’m at the gym 24-7. I don’t have any hobbies at all."

Steward, who was in Detroit, had just come back from a short jaunt to Puerto Rico to visit with Cotto, who faces Ricardo Mayorga on March 12[sup]th[/sup] in Las Vegas. Steward and Cotto mapped out their next training camp which will begin on January 9[sup]th[/sup] in Tampa, Florida, which is where Chad Dawson will meet them. Steward doesn’t foresee any problems between the blue-chip boxers.

"Y’ know, Kronk always had multiple champions," Steward pointed out. "I’m happy when I have a bunch of the top fighters together. We had Gerald McClellan, James Toney, Michael Moorer, Tommy Hearns, everybody training together. The competition level is good; the spirituality and the winning mindset all rubs off."

The last time the noted trainer saw Dawson, he was ringside on behalf of HBO at the Bell Centre in Montreal, watching Dawson put on a rather uninspired performance against Jean Pascal. It was a vapid and desultory effort. One that baffled Steward.

"I was very much [frustrated]," he admits."He just seemed like he didn’t pull the trigger and he was just very comfortable with letting the fight move along. It was moving along and I didn’t see no anxiety or nothing in him or urgency. His trainer, Eddie Mustafa [Muhammad], was going crazy trying to motivate him. But he seemed very comfortable with the way things were going and I thought he was doing everything wrong and then finally, I guess, he just decided to fight and the first time he started to fight, he almost knocked the guy out."

Just as Dawson seemed to be coming on, the fight was halted in the 11[sup]th[/sup] frame after a clash of heads left Dawson with a cut. The fight went to the scorecards with Pascal winning on all three judges’ scorecards.

The problem with Dawson has never been from a fundamental or technical standpoint. The guy can box. When you watch him shadowbox, work the mitts and move around the ring, you know he has the tools. But what he may not have is the hard drive between his two ears. Too often (especially since his first bout with Glen Johnson), Dawson’s actual production and performance inside the ring has not matched his physical gifts. He’s that five-tool baseball player who keeps hitting .250 or that football player who tests well at the combine but doesn’t make many plays in actual games.

Steward says of his newest pupil, "Well, everybody that has seen Chad Dawson says that same thing. That’s why HBO spent a tremendous amount of money, the license fees for some of his fights because they saw the potential there. If you don’t have the fire behind it, it doesn’t mean anything." Sometimes trainers have to be teachers of the craft. Other times, they have to be psychologists. In this instance, you get the sense that “Mr. Kronk

 

[eagle 0n]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Emanuel Steward: Don't Call it a Comeback[/h1]
Wed 5-Jan-2011 11:55
[table][tr][td] [table][tr][td]

(Photo [emoji]169[/emoji] Howard Schatz)
[/td][/tr][/table]

[table][/table]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][td]
By Steve Kim
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
[/td][/tr][/table]

It was announced late last week that noted trainer Emanuel Steward would be taking over the training duties of enigmatic light heavyweight Chad Dawson, replacing Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. As the years have passed, Steward, best known for heading up the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit, has become just as known for his work behind the mic for HBO as he is for training prizefighters. He had procured a reputation as a troubleshooter or a hired gun. A guy that just happened to train heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko outside of his duties next to Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant.

But don’t look now, with the addition of Dawson, his roster is one of the deepest in all of boxing as his stable includes Miguel Cotto, Cornelius Bundrage, Andy Lee and the promising Domonique Dalton.

In the immortal words of one James Todd Smith (aka LL Cool J): Don’t call it a comeback because the reality is, Steward never really went anywhere.

"In between the broadcasting, this is where I spend my time," Steward told Maxboxing on Friday. "I don’t golf; I don’t fish. I don’t have a boat; I don’t gamble. My hobby is being at the gym when I’m home. I’m at the gym 24-7. I don’t have any hobbies at all."

Steward, who was in Detroit, had just come back from a short jaunt to Puerto Rico to visit with Cotto, who faces Ricardo Mayorga on March 12[sup]th[/sup] in Las Vegas. Steward and Cotto mapped out their next training camp which will begin on January 9[sup]th[/sup] in Tampa, Florida, which is where Chad Dawson will meet them. Steward doesn’t foresee any problems between the blue-chip boxers.

"Y’ know, Kronk always had multiple champions," Steward pointed out. "I’m happy when I have a bunch of the top fighters together. We had Gerald McClellan, James Toney, Michael Moorer, Tommy Hearns, everybody training together. The competition level is good; the spirituality and the winning mindset all rubs off."

The last time the noted trainer saw Dawson, he was ringside on behalf of HBO at the Bell Centre in Montreal, watching Dawson put on a rather uninspired performance against Jean Pascal. It was a vapid and desultory effort. One that baffled Steward.

"I was very much [frustrated]," he admits."He just seemed like he didn’t pull the trigger and he was just very comfortable with letting the fight move along. It was moving along and I didn’t see no anxiety or nothing in him or urgency. His trainer, Eddie Mustafa [Muhammad], was going crazy trying to motivate him. But he seemed very comfortable with the way things were going and I thought he was doing everything wrong and then finally, I guess, he just decided to fight and the first time he started to fight, he almost knocked the guy out."

Just as Dawson seemed to be coming on, the fight was halted in the 11[sup]th[/sup] frame after a clash of heads left Dawson with a cut. The fight went to the scorecards with Pascal winning on all three judges’ scorecards.

The problem with Dawson has never been from a fundamental or technical standpoint. The guy can box. When you watch him shadowbox, work the mitts and move around the ring, you know he has the tools. But what he may not have is the hard drive between his two ears. Too often (especially since his first bout with Glen Johnson), Dawson’s actual production and performance inside the ring has not matched his physical gifts. He’s that five-tool baseball player who keeps hitting .250 or that football player who tests well at the combine but doesn’t make many plays in actual games.

Steward says of his newest pupil, "Well, everybody that has seen Chad Dawson says that same thing. That’s why HBO spent a tremendous amount of money, the license fees for some of his fights because they saw the potential there. If you don’t have the fire behind it, it doesn’t mean anything." Sometimes trainers have to be teachers of the craft. Other times, they have to be psychologists. In this instance, you get the sense that “Mr. Kronk

 

[kingjames23]

What a shock.
http://sports.espn.go.com...ng/news/story?id=5991701

Wladimir Klitschko-David Haye: No deal
Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and titleholder David Haye, on the verge of a deal for the biggest heavyweight fight in years, will go their separate ways again after talks fell apart Wednesday, Bernd Boente, Klitschko's manager, told ESPN.com.

Boente said the sides had agreed on the material aspects of the fight, including a 50-50 split of the revenue. However, they could not come to an agreement on a date and site for the fight because of conflicting schedules between RTL, the German network that features Klitschko's fights, and Sky, the British subscription network that televises Haye's fights on Sky Box Office pay-per-view.

Rafael's Boxing Blog

Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog.

So instead of fighting Haye, Klitschko will make his 10th title defense in a rescheduled fight against Derek Chisora. They will meet April 30 in Mannheim, Germany, Boente said. Klitschko-Chisora had been scheduled for Dec. 11, but was called off when Klitschko suffered an abdominal tear while training four days before the fight.

"I am very happy that we have found a new date for the fight so quickly," Klitschko said. "Chisora insulted me many times and that is why I still have unfinished business with him. He is a very good boxer but as a person he is a loser. Like I had [planned] in December, I will now teach him a lesson at the end of April."

Still, Boente said he was confident the Klitschko-Haye fight will eventually be made.

"I'm pretty sure the fight will happen. I'm very positive about it," he said. "We were close with all the details. It was really a question about the date and venue. We always have to bring RTL and Sky together as our main TV partners and then go from there. We hadn't gotten into details about U.S. TV, but that would have been HBO or Showtime, and I would prefer Showtime."

Klitschko had the option of rescheduling the fight with Chisora immediately, but when the prospect of a much more lucrative fight against Haye arose, the sides began negotiating.

"We wanted to do the fight April 30 with Haye. We had two stadiums available in Germany, and coming to Germany was not a problem for Haye," Boente said. "They only wanted neutral officials, judges, referee, all that. That is no problem. We agreed on all the points, but the major issue was Sky was not willing to do a second pay-per-view in April."

Junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan is slated to fight April 16 in England on Sky Box Office, even though he does not have a set opponent.

"We asked them to change the Khan date, maybe move it back to May, but they didn't want to do that," Boente said.

Khan's fight is also slated to be on HBO in the United States, so those schedules also need to mesh.

"We couldn't find a date after April, not in May or June," Boente said. "Either there was no date for RTL or Sky or a stadium [because of the heavy soccer schedule]. We couldn't believe it, but that's Sky's decision. April 30 was the perfect date for RTL and for a stadium, but Sky never has done two pay-per-views in one month. Klitschko-Haye would be a way bigger pay-per-view event (than Khan]."

Boente said the earliest date for the fight they could come up with that matched the networks and venue availability was July 2.

Both sides were willing to fight on that date, Boente said. However, he said that the Haye and manager/trainer Adam Booth refused to allow Klitschko to take the April 30 interim fight with Chisora.

"They would not accept that, but Wladimir was not willing to wait another six months and have it be 10 months since his last fight against Sam Peter [in September]," Boente said.

Boente said Haye could have also taken an interim fight and then faced Klitschko on July 2.

"I think the fight will come, but too bad it's not now because of the date and venue," Boente said. "We could still do it if they would agree to July 2. We still have the door open for that, but Wladimir is going to have a fight in April. Haye can also do a fight in between, maybe the mandatory with Ruslan Chagaev. We are not opposed to that."

Boente informed Chisora promoter Frank Warren that they were rescheduling the fight under the terms of their original contract. The fight will take place at the SAP Arena, where it was originally scheduled.

Boente said the fight is already a near-sellout because only a small percentage of ticket buyers had returned their tickets when the fight was called off as they awaited an announcement of a possible rescheduling of the bout.

Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs), of England, was thrilled Klitschko elected to reschedule the fight.

"This news is a fantastic late Christmas present," the 27-year-old Chisora said. "I always believed that I would fight Klitschko, and my faith has been repaid. I was a bit worried that he might try and fight an easier touch, but I think I've earned my opportunity. I was gutted when Wladimir pulled out of our fight just a couple of days beforehand. But now I've got another chance to take his titles away. He's a great world champion, but his time at the top is well and truly up.

"My promoter, Frank Warren, has done a great job in getting me this opportunity because there was no guarantee Wladimir would fight me again after he got injured."

Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs), 34, is still recovering from his abdominal injury and can't begin training until late January, Boente said. He suffered a 2-inch tear on the left side of his abdominal muscle near the bottom of his rib cage in his final training session.

Some have questioned the validity of Klitschko's injury because of photos published in a Florida newspaper of him on a golf course there. Boente said Klitschko, who has a home in South Florida, did not play golf, but that he is a member of a country club and was there taking publicity photos and doing some minor chipping for footage in a documentary being produced about his life.

Klitschko and Haye have been on a collision course for the past few years. Haye has repeatedly taunted Klitschko and his brother, fellow heavyweight titlist Vitali Klitschko, in the hopes of landing a big payday.

At a press conference, Haye famously wore a T-shirt depicting him standing in the ring with the decapitated heads of the brothers, which angered both of them.

Haye's taunts worked. The 30-year-old former cruiserweight champion, signed to challenge Wladimir in Germany at the 60,000-seat Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen in June 2009, but backed out weeks before the fight claiming a back injury few believed -- and one for which he never produced the necessary medical report.

Later in 2009, Haye was supposed to challenge Vitali Klitschko and the sides agreed to terms. But before signing the deal, Haye backed out and instead signed to fight titlist Nikolai Valuev, whom he beat to claim a belt in November 2009. He has made two defenses, knocking out former titlist John Ruiz and British country Audley Harrison.

All the while, he has talked about fighting one of the Klitschko brothers, but not signed.

 

[kingjames23]

What a shock.
http://sports.espn.go.com...ng/news/story?id=5991701

Wladimir Klitschko-David Haye: No deal
Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and titleholder David Haye, on the verge of a deal for the biggest heavyweight fight in years, will go their separate ways again after talks fell apart Wednesday, Bernd Boente, Klitschko's manager, told ESPN.com.

Boente said the sides had agreed on the material aspects of the fight, including a 50-50 split of the revenue. However, they could not come to an agreement on a date and site for the fight because of conflicting schedules between RTL, the German network that features Klitschko's fights, and Sky, the British subscription network that televises Haye's fights on Sky Box Office pay-per-view.

Rafael's Boxing Blog

Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog.

So instead of fighting Haye, Klitschko will make his 10th title defense in a rescheduled fight against Derek Chisora. They will meet April 30 in Mannheim, Germany, Boente said. Klitschko-Chisora had been scheduled for Dec. 11, but was called off when Klitschko suffered an abdominal tear while training four days before the fight.

"I am very happy that we have found a new date for the fight so quickly," Klitschko said. "Chisora insulted me many times and that is why I still have unfinished business with him. He is a very good boxer but as a person he is a loser. Like I had [planned] in December, I will now teach him a lesson at the end of April."

Still, Boente said he was confident the Klitschko-Haye fight will eventually be made.

"I'm pretty sure the fight will happen. I'm very positive about it," he said. "We were close with all the details. It was really a question about the date and venue. We always have to bring RTL and Sky together as our main TV partners and then go from there. We hadn't gotten into details about U.S. TV, but that would have been HBO or Showtime, and I would prefer Showtime."

Klitschko had the option of rescheduling the fight with Chisora immediately, but when the prospect of a much more lucrative fight against Haye arose, the sides began negotiating.

"We wanted to do the fight April 30 with Haye. We had two stadiums available in Germany, and coming to Germany was not a problem for Haye," Boente said. "They only wanted neutral officials, judges, referee, all that. That is no problem. We agreed on all the points, but the major issue was Sky was not willing to do a second pay-per-view in April."

Junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan is slated to fight April 16 in England on Sky Box Office, even though he does not have a set opponent.

"We asked them to change the Khan date, maybe move it back to May, but they didn't want to do that," Boente said.

Khan's fight is also slated to be on HBO in the United States, so those schedules also need to mesh.

"We couldn't find a date after April, not in May or June," Boente said. "Either there was no date for RTL or Sky or a stadium [because of the heavy soccer schedule]. We couldn't believe it, but that's Sky's decision. April 30 was the perfect date for RTL and for a stadium, but Sky never has done two pay-per-views in one month. Klitschko-Haye would be a way bigger pay-per-view event (than Khan]."

Boente said the earliest date for the fight they could come up with that matched the networks and venue availability was July 2.

Both sides were willing to fight on that date, Boente said. However, he said that the Haye and manager/trainer Adam Booth refused to allow Klitschko to take the April 30 interim fight with Chisora.

"They would not accept that, but Wladimir was not willing to wait another six months and have it be 10 months since his last fight against Sam Peter [in September]," Boente said.

Boente said Haye could have also taken an interim fight and then faced Klitschko on July 2.

"I think the fight will come, but too bad it's not now because of the date and venue," Boente said. "We could still do it if they would agree to July 2. We still have the door open for that, but Wladimir is going to have a fight in April. Haye can also do a fight in between, maybe the mandatory with Ruslan Chagaev. We are not opposed to that."

Boente informed Chisora promoter Frank Warren that they were rescheduling the fight under the terms of their original contract. The fight will take place at the SAP Arena, where it was originally scheduled.

Boente said the fight is already a near-sellout because only a small percentage of ticket buyers had returned their tickets when the fight was called off as they awaited an announcement of a possible rescheduling of the bout.

Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs), of England, was thrilled Klitschko elected to reschedule the fight.

"This news is a fantastic late Christmas present," the 27-year-old Chisora said. "I always believed that I would fight Klitschko, and my faith has been repaid. I was a bit worried that he might try and fight an easier touch, but I think I've earned my opportunity. I was gutted when Wladimir pulled out of our fight just a couple of days beforehand. But now I've got another chance to take his titles away. He's a great world champion, but his time at the top is well and truly up.

"My promoter, Frank Warren, has done a great job in getting me this opportunity because there was no guarantee Wladimir would fight me again after he got injured."

Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs), 34, is still recovering from his abdominal injury and can't begin training until late January, Boente said. He suffered a 2-inch tear on the left side of his abdominal muscle near the bottom of his rib cage in his final training session.

Some have questioned the validity of Klitschko's injury because of photos published in a Florida newspaper of him on a golf course there. Boente said Klitschko, who has a home in South Florida, did not play golf, but that he is a member of a country club and was there taking publicity photos and doing some minor chipping for footage in a documentary being produced about his life.

Klitschko and Haye have been on a collision course for the past few years. Haye has repeatedly taunted Klitschko and his brother, fellow heavyweight titlist Vitali Klitschko, in the hopes of landing a big payday.

At a press conference, Haye famously wore a T-shirt depicting him standing in the ring with the decapitated heads of the brothers, which angered both of them.

Haye's taunts worked. The 30-year-old former cruiserweight champion, signed to challenge Wladimir in Germany at the 60,000-seat Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen in June 2009, but backed out weeks before the fight claiming a back injury few believed -- and one for which he never produced the necessary medical report.

Later in 2009, Haye was supposed to challenge Vitali Klitschko and the sides agreed to terms. But before signing the deal, Haye backed out and instead signed to fight titlist Nikolai Valuev, whom he beat to claim a belt in November 2009. He has made two defenses, knocking out former titlist John Ruiz and British country Audley Harrison.

All the while, he has talked about fighting one of the Klitschko brothers, but not signed.

 

[bigmike23]

dude is $!@%@

 

[bigmike23]

dude is $!@%@

 

[proshares]

The WBC on Thursday ordered a rematch between light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal and former champion Bernard Hopkins, three weeks after they fought to a highly disputed draw.

"The WBC board of governors has voted in favor of ordering the immediate rematch between WBC champion Jean Pascal and emeritus champion Bernard Hopkins for the WBC light heavyweight championship of the world," WBC president Jose Sulaiman wrote to the camps. "The winner of this fight has the obligation to fight Chad Dawson immediately without any intervening contest."

Under the order, Pascal and Hopkins have 30 days to negotiate a deal. If they do not reach an agreement, a purse bid will be ordered for Feb. 4 at the WBC offices in Mexico City.

"I'm very happy the WBC did the right thing," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Hopkins' promoter, told ESPN.com. "I think Bernard clearly deserves the immediate rematch. I feel very strongly that Bernard Hopkins won the fight. Now we just need to get it on again. I am sure that Bernard will leave no doubt that he is the light heavyweight champion. I'm going to be talking to [Pascal promoter] Yvon Michel and, based on the conversations I've had with him in the last few days, he and Jean Pascal are interested in the fight."

The WBC's ruling, however, could mean that Pascal, also the lineal champion, could be stripped of his alphabet title because he may have to fight Dawson in a rematch of their August fight.

When Pascal defeated Dawson by 11th-round technical decision last summer, Dawson had a rematch clause in his contract in the event of a loss.

The contract allowed both fighters to take interim bouts before the rematch was due. Dawson (29-1, 17 KOs) did not take one. However, Pascal did -- and fought to the draw with Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KOs) on Dec. 18.

If Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KOs) opts to fight the rematch with Dawson, it means he would be stripped of his WBC belt based on the organization's order. If he goes ahead with the rematch against Hopkins, he could face a lawsuit from the Dawson camp.

Gary Shaw, Dawson's promoter, refused to comment when reached by ESPN.com.

However, immediately after Pascal-Hopkins, Shaw and Michel both acknowledged that the Pascal-Dawson rematch clause was contingent on a network paying at least the same or more than HBO did for the August fight. Sources told ESPN.com that a network would have to offer least $2 million for the rematch clause to remain intact.

"We have signed an agreement to fight Chad Dawson if HBO or Showtime is willing to pay a license fee the same or higher than the last time. So I don't know," Michel said after the Pascal-Hopkins fight, when asked which rematch they would pursue.

Showtime, the only other American network that spends seven-figure money for fights, is not interested in Pascal-Dawson II. It is unclear whether HBO is interested in the rematch, at least at that price.

Showtime televised Pascal-Hopkins and has an option on a rematch, Schaefer said. He also said that Showtime boxing chief Ken Hershman told him he is interested in Pascal-Hopkins II.

"Ken Hershman told me the fight was the highest-rated boxing event on Showtime in over three years," Schaefer said. "The fact that this fight generated tremendous ratings on Showtime means there is a spot for Bernard Hopkins on Showtime. They are excited about having Bernard Hopkins. Bernard showed against Pascal that you can't count out the older guys."

Hopkins, who turns 46 on Jan. 15, was bidding to become the oldest world champion in boxing history when he faced Pascal on his turf in front of 16,500 fans in Quebec City last month.

Pascal scored a flash knockdown in the first round and a knockdown in the third round, but Hopkins appeared to dominate most of the rest of the fight against a man 18 years younger than him.

In the end, one judge had it 114-112 for Hopkins while the two others had it even

 

[proshares]

The WBC on Thursday ordered a rematch between light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal and former champion Bernard Hopkins, three weeks after they fought to a highly disputed draw.

"The WBC board of governors has voted in favor of ordering the immediate rematch between WBC champion Jean Pascal and emeritus champion Bernard Hopkins for the WBC light heavyweight championship of the world," WBC president Jose Sulaiman wrote to the camps. "The winner of this fight has the obligation to fight Chad Dawson immediately without any intervening contest."

Under the order, Pascal and Hopkins have 30 days to negotiate a deal. If they do not reach an agreement, a purse bid will be ordered for Feb. 4 at the WBC offices in Mexico City.

"I'm very happy the WBC did the right thing," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Hopkins' promoter, told ESPN.com. "I think Bernard clearly deserves the immediate rematch. I feel very strongly that Bernard Hopkins won the fight. Now we just need to get it on again. I am sure that Bernard will leave no doubt that he is the light heavyweight champion. I'm going to be talking to [Pascal promoter] Yvon Michel and, based on the conversations I've had with him in the last few days, he and Jean Pascal are interested in the fight."

The WBC's ruling, however, could mean that Pascal, also the lineal champion, could be stripped of his alphabet title because he may have to fight Dawson in a rematch of their August fight.

When Pascal defeated Dawson by 11th-round technical decision last summer, Dawson had a rematch clause in his contract in the event of a loss.

The contract allowed both fighters to take interim bouts before the rematch was due. Dawson (29-1, 17 KOs) did not take one. However, Pascal did -- and fought to the draw with Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KOs) on Dec. 18.

If Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KOs) opts to fight the rematch with Dawson, it means he would be stripped of his WBC belt based on the organization's order. If he goes ahead with the rematch against Hopkins, he could face a lawsuit from the Dawson camp.

Gary Shaw, Dawson's promoter, refused to comment when reached by ESPN.com.

However, immediately after Pascal-Hopkins, Shaw and Michel both acknowledged that the Pascal-Dawson rematch clause was contingent on a network paying at least the same or more than HBO did for the August fight. Sources told ESPN.com that a network would have to offer least $2 million for the rematch clause to remain intact.

"We have signed an agreement to fight Chad Dawson if HBO or Showtime is willing to pay a license fee the same or higher than the last time. So I don't know," Michel said after the Pascal-Hopkins fight, when asked which rematch they would pursue.

Showtime, the only other American network that spends seven-figure money for fights, is not interested in Pascal-Dawson II. It is unclear whether HBO is interested in the rematch, at least at that price.

Showtime televised Pascal-Hopkins and has an option on a rematch, Schaefer said. He also said that Showtime boxing chief Ken Hershman told him he is interested in Pascal-Hopkins II.

"Ken Hershman told me the fight was the highest-rated boxing event on Showtime in over three years," Schaefer said. "The fact that this fight generated tremendous ratings on Showtime means there is a spot for Bernard Hopkins on Showtime. They are excited about having Bernard Hopkins. Bernard showed against Pascal that you can't count out the older guys."

Hopkins, who turns 46 on Jan. 15, was bidding to become the oldest world champion in boxing history when he faced Pascal on his turf in front of 16,500 fans in Quebec City last month.

Pascal scored a flash knockdown in the first round and a knockdown in the third round, but Hopkins appeared to dominate most of the rest of the fight against a man 18 years younger than him.

In the end, one judge had it 114-112 for Hopkins while the two others had it even

 

[thacapt]

Originally Posted by maddog345

I would love to see Rios & Ortiz fight. What is the story between the two?

There's a rumor that Ortiz smashed Rios GF (Now wife). And another rumor is that Ortiz got peeps to jump Rios.

But Rios's story is that once Ortiz left the gym they both trained at in Kansas, Oritz started spreadin dirt on Rios and had people coming after him and his wife and almost got Rios to leave. 

 

[thacapt]

Originally Posted by maddog345

I would love to see Rios & Ortiz fight. What is the story between the two?

There's a rumor that Ortiz smashed Rios GF (Now wife). And another rumor is that Ortiz got peeps to jump Rios.

But Rios's story is that once Ortiz left the gym they both trained at in Kansas, Oritz started spreadin dirt on Rios and had people coming after him and his wife and almost got Rios to leave. 

 

[proshares]

Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko blames David Haye for their title unification fight being scrapped, scoffed at the notion that he would follow through with plans to retire by the end of the year and is on the verge of finalizing a deal to face top contender Tomasz Adamek in the fall instead of revisiting a deal with Haye.

Calling Haye a "liar" and dismissing Haye's claims that he'll retire before fighting either of the Klitschko brothers, Wladimir Klitschko said he's pleased with the Adamek proposal on the table, in which either he or his brother Vitali will fight the Polish heavyweight.

“
This guy [Haye] will eventually fight me. He will eventually fight me because everything coming out of his mouth is a lie. But if he does retire, he'll be a loser with no legacy in the heavyweight division at all.

 

[proshares]

Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko blames David Haye for their title unification fight being scrapped, scoffed at the notion that he would follow through with plans to retire by the end of the year and is on the verge of finalizing a deal to face top contender Tomasz Adamek in the fall instead of revisiting a deal with Haye.

Calling Haye a "liar" and dismissing Haye's claims that he'll retire before fighting either of the Klitschko brothers, Wladimir Klitschko said he's pleased with the Adamek proposal on the table, in which either he or his brother Vitali will fight the Polish heavyweight.

“
This guy [Haye] will eventually fight me. He will eventually fight me because everything coming out of his mouth is a lie. But if he does retire, he'll be a loser with no legacy in the heavyweight division at all.

 

[scott frost]

Klitschko had proposed April 30 at a stadium in Germany. Haye accepted, but Sky wouldn't put on a second pay-per-view fight in the same month; it's already committed to an Amir Khan fight April 16. The closest date that could accommodate both networks, and that would also work with a German stadium, was July 2. They agreed to that date, but Haye and manager/trainer Adam Booth refused to allow Klitschko to first face Chisora and called off the fight.

"It should never have come to this," Haye said. "I was available to fight in May and June, and yet Klitschko only gave me dates of April 30 and July 2. The April date would be too close to Amir Khan's next fight, and would prove problematic with Sky Box Office, so we settled for July.

"Klitschko claims he'll fight both Chisora and I, but it's nonsense. Are we expected to believe that a fighter that competed only once in the whole of 2009 and twice in 2010 is now going to box twice in a matter of nine weeks? A bout with me is the most lucrative, meaningful and dangerous fight Wladimir's ever had, not some throwaway tune-up. Wladimir won't fight anybody nine weeks after Chisora, let alone me."

Reading this, Haye does have a point.

 

[scott frost]

Klitschko had proposed April 30 at a stadium in Germany. Haye accepted, but Sky wouldn't put on a second pay-per-view fight in the same month; it's already committed to an Amir Khan fight April 16. The closest date that could accommodate both networks, and that would also work with a German stadium, was July 2. They agreed to that date, but Haye and manager/trainer Adam Booth refused to allow Klitschko to first face Chisora and called off the fight.

"It should never have come to this," Haye said. "I was available to fight in May and June, and yet Klitschko only gave me dates of April 30 and July 2. The April date would be too close to Amir Khan's next fight, and would prove problematic with Sky Box Office, so we settled for July.

"Klitschko claims he'll fight both Chisora and I, but it's nonsense. Are we expected to believe that a fighter that competed only once in the whole of 2009 and twice in 2010 is now going to box twice in a matter of nine weeks? A bout with me is the most lucrative, meaningful and dangerous fight Wladimir's ever had, not some throwaway tune-up. Wladimir won't fight anybody nine weeks after Chisora, let alone me."

Reading this, Haye does have a point.

 

[proshares]

Yea but the last time he cancelled an interim fight for Haye, Haye pulled out a couple weeks before the fight.  Don't blame him for not budging.

 

[proshares]

Yea but the last time he cancelled an interim fight for Haye, Haye pulled out a couple weeks before the fight.  Don't blame him for not budging.

 

[slimcharliebrown]

Originally Posted by Proshares

Yea but the last time he cancelled an interim fight for Haye, Haye pulled out a couple weeks before the fight.  Don't blame him for not budging.

This, Haye seems to be ducking hard and that fight with Audley was a joke.

 

[slimcharliebrown]

Originally Posted by Proshares

Yea but the last time he cancelled an interim fight for Haye, Haye pulled out a couple weeks before the fight.  Don't blame him for not budging.

This, Haye seems to be ducking hard and that fight with Audley was a joke.

 

[proshares]

I had no idea Rios was fighting for a belt in February

 

[proshares]

I had no idea Rios was fighting for a belt in February

 

[proshares]

When Mike Tyson was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month, it came as no surprise -- at least to those of us not named Mike Tyson. Despite all his problems outside the ring and the soap opera life, Tyson earned his spot in Canastota, N.Y., as the youngest heavyweight titleholder in history and as a dominant champion.

Tyson was a dynamic, charismatic force who made nine defenses in the first of two reigns and became the undisputed champion. He remains one of the most recognizable people on the planet.

When the HOF announced the voting results, Tyson was traveling in China, making personal appearances as part of his deal to be something of a boxing ambassador in the country.

When I received election results announcing the class that will be inducted June 12, I called Jeff Wald, the "Contender" promoter and Hollywood figure, to see if he had heard. Wald and Tyson have been friends for years. Wald hadn't heard and said he would call Tyson, who wound up finding out about the election from him. Wald mentioned to Tyson that he had heard the news from me and that I was looking to talk to him about his election.

Late that night, maybe 11:15 or so, the phone rang. It was Tyson calling from an airport in China.

"I'm here for 10 to 11 days. I'm picking up a check," said Tyson, acknowledging his well-documented financial issues. "I'm in China. I'm a regular schnorrer now and pay the bills and all that stuff, but I love it. I love being a schmuck. I never thought about being in the Hall of Fame, only about how I'd make some money and send some money home."

Believe it or not, Tyson said he was "surprised" to be elected in his first year of eligibility.

"I have a different perspective of myself. I think everyone hates my s---. I offended a lot of people," he said. "I still don't believe the American people get me. They don't get me like the other people get me. Prime ministers meet me at the airport in other countries. In America, the TSA pats me down. The way people wrote about me, I never thought I would make the Hall of Fame because of the [Evander Holyfield] ear-biting s--- and trying to break Frans Botha's arm. Maybe it's me and I think everyone's prejudice against me, like I'm fighting a losing battle in America."

But Tyson also sounded truly appreciative of the honor. I told him that it was a no-brainer vote.

"I am very grateful that you and people voted for me," he said. "It will mean a lot to my children one day. I'm glad I made all these people happy fighting.

"I remember being 12 or 13 and reading the boxing encyclopedia. All of my idols were elected to the Hall of Fame. I am grateful this happened. Maybe my kids will get a kick out of it. It'll be an honor to be in there with my heroes."

Tyson said he never believed he'd be a Hall of Famer, but that Cus D'Amato -- his mentor, trainer and adoptive father -- did. D'Amato died shortly before he could see Tyson, at 20, win the heavyweight championship. His death was a huge blow to Tyson, who got choked up talking about him.

"Cus believed I could do it," Tyson said. "I didn't believe I could make it. I'm going to talk to him about it."

Tyson said he hoped to attend the induction ceremony, which comes just a few weeks before his 45th birthday on June 30 -- close to his two-year wedding anniversary with his wife, Lakiha Tyson. He said if he attends, he'll also stop by his old hometown, Catskill, N.Y., which is maybe a three-hour drive from Canastota.

"If I go to Canastota, I will stop by Catskill and see his grave and discuss that with him," Tyson said. "He liked champagne and maybe I'll go over there and crack a bottle over his grave."

Tyson said he doesn't dwell on his boxing career and that many of the memories have faded. But I asked him if anything stood out. I thought maybe he'd mention knocking out Trevor Berbick to win the title. Maybe knocking out Michael Spinks.

Instead Tyson had this to say: "I think my first pro fight had a big impact. I do these autograph signings. I never really did a public autograph signing, but I needed some money desperately and I went to a public autograph signing. They had William Shatner and R2-D2 there, all these washed-up guys. And I started signing and, I don't know, I don't think about my career. But I was at the signing and someone gave me a photo of my first fight.

"It was of me with Cus walking up a ramp to the fight. I'm 18 and the ramp is probably 75 degrees. And what's so interesting, I'm so young and I'm so excited to go up in the ring and Cus was holding onto the rail. I saw the picture and I started crying. We were going to take over the world, but nobody else knew who those two guys were going to be. I saw that picture like two or three months ago, and I thought that defined me. Me and this old man, we had dreams. I have no dreams now, just to make sure my kids can behave and don't wind up like me, that they are healthy and get an education."

Tyson was one of three fighters elected in the "modern" category, along with Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., the all-time Mexican great and three-division champion, and former undisputed junior welterweight champ Kostya Tszyu of Australia.

Tyson is a big Chavez fan and was happy to hear that they will be going in together. They fought together on many of the same cards when Don King promoted them -- Tyson in the main event and Chavez on his undercards. It was only when Tyson went to prison for rape that King heavily promoted Chavez, who became a pay-per-view headliner in his own right.

"I'm really more excited about that than my own induction," Tyson said of Chavez's election. "I'm really more appreciative to be on the same card with him. If anyone deserves it, it's him. I have a great deal of admiration for him. When I was in prison, he was holding the fort down. He never received the respect he deserved because he was not American or didn't speak English, or whatever."

When they fought on the same cards, Tyson would watch Chavez fight on a monitor in his dressing room.

"I did that all the time," Tyson said. "He never skipped [fighting] anybody. He was really an all-time great. I am so happy I was in the same era."

Tyson was also pleased to hear that Sylvester Stallone of "Rocky" fame would be going in with him in the "observer" category. Stallone, elected as a screenwriter, created Rocky Balboa, the most iconic fictional fighter ever.

Although some criticized Stallone's election, Tyson loves it.

"You know how awesome that is?" he said. "You know how many fighters he inspired from that movie? He had a helluva movie. He contributed to boxing. The body of work he created contributed to boxing. He contributed more than some champions did. You gotta contribute. You have referees, they contribute even though they didn't fight. [Stallone made a] big-time contribution."

Tyson sounded like he is in a good spot in his life. He said he's happily married and enjoying opportunities to make money in movies and television, while also still coming to grips with the 2009 accidental death of 4-year-old daughter Exodus, one of his eight children.

"This whole Hall of Fame thing really overwhelms me, though," he said. "To go in and be there with all these guys -- Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali. You look at the situation, I'm not ashamed of who I am. My mother was a prostitute, my father a pimp. I didn't do too bad. I didn't do too bad."