[h2]Johnson-Solis bout set for Aug. 15[/h2]
Comment Email Print By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
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In such a shallow heavyweight division it might take only one victory against a contender for another contender to make his name. That's what Kevin Johnson, Odlanier Solis and their handlers are counting on.
That's why the heavyweights will face each other in an unusual meeting of undefeated rising contenders without a major title on the line, or even a mandatory title shot at stake.
Johnson and Solis will meet in a scheduled 12-round bout at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on Top Rank's Aug. 15 pay-per-view card.
Carl Moretti of Top Rank, which co-promotes Solis, and Star Boxing's Joe DeGuardia, Johnson's promoter, came to an agreement Monday night, they both told ESPN.com.
"The paperwork is being drawn up but everything has been agreed to," Moretti said. "It's an important fight for both guys."
Nonito Donaire, who gave up his flyweight title last week, is moving up to junior bantamweight to fight Rafael Concepcion for a vacant interim junior bantamweight belt in the main event. Also on the card, featherweight titlist Steven Luevano defends against Bernabe Concepcion.
However, the Johnson-Solis fight, which has been in discussion since mid-June, is perhaps the most intriguing bout on the card.
"I think it's a difficult fight in terms of style, but Kevin wants to show he can beat anyone out there," DeGuardia said. "David Haye won't step the plate, Cris Arreola won't step to the plate and the Klitschko brothers are occupied. So we are looking to make statements and this will be a statement fight. We want to make a mark so that HBO and Showtime wake up and see there is a real heavyweight in America."
Said Moretti, "The winner is going to have a shot on HBO I think. I think if HBO was doing another 'Night of the Young Heavyweights' card, clearly these are two guys who would be participating."
Johnson (22-0-1, 9 KOs), 29, has one of the best jabs in the division and has the gift of gab. He is also coming off an impressive sixth-round knockout of 2004 U.S. Olympian Devin Vargas on May 15 in an ESPN2 main event.
Solis (14-0, 10 KOs), also 29, won an Olympic gold medal for Cuba in 2004 before defecting and turning pro in 2007. In his last fight, Solis knocked out journeyman Dominique Alexander in the first round on June 12.
"Kevin will be facing his second undefeated Olympian in a row," DeGuardia said. "The heavyweight division could be alive with a guy like Kevin with his jab and his mouth. This is the kind of fight that will give the winner a lot of recognition."
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
Mosley moves on from Pacquiao dream
Monday, July 6, 2009 |
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Welterweight champ
Shane Mosley fought the good fight in trying to convince pound-for-pound king
Manny Pacquiao to fight him this fall.
He launched a vigorous campaign to get Pacquiao into the ring, enlisting his publicists to battle on his behalf with a series of press releases. He had his business partners at Golden Boy Promotions,
Oscar De La Hoya and CEO
Richard Schaefer, fighting for him. De La Hoya even made phone calls to select media members to plead Mosley's case.
Mosley also made all sorts of concessions in a bid to entice Pacquiao to fight him. Mosley said he'd ask for only 40 percent of the money and was willing to agree to a contract weight somewhere in the low 140s to appease the smaller Pacquiao.
But nothing worked because Top Rank promoter
Bob Arum, with no disrespect to Mosley, had designs on another fight for Pacquiao. Arum is moving forward with plans to match Pacquiao with his other big star, welterweight titlist
Miguel Cotto. Arum says he is close to making the deal under which Pacquiao and Cotto will meet Nov. 14 in Las Vegas on HBO PPV.
Mosley has now come to the realization that if he wants to fight before the end of the year, he'll have to find another dance partner. Pacquiao and Cotto (who already owns a close decision win against Mosley, who would like a rematch) are unavailable, and unretiring former pound-for-pound king
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is fighting lightweight champion
Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19 (in a fight rescheduled from July 18 because of Mayweather's rib injury).
Schaefer called me Monday afternoon to announce that Mosley was moving on.
"Our offer to Pacquiao is off the table," Schaefer said. "We're moving on. Shane was like a volcano, and he gave me my marching orders to go get him another fight. Now, I will be talking to some of these other names in the weight class. I'm going to be talking to HBO first and seeing what names they have in mind. But it is apparent that Shane will be returning live on HBO later this year. Eventually he will be the last man standing, and those other guys will have to fight him if they want to be the best."
Schaefer got in one more dig at the other stars -- Pacquiao, Cotto and Mayweather -- before moving on, however.
"He looked sensational [in January] when he knocked out
Antonio Margarito," Schaefer said. "He looked so good that it hurt him to get one of these big guys. After the
Ricardo Mayorga fight, they were interested because they felt he was an aging star. After the Margarito fight, Shane looked like an emerging star and they didn't want to fight him."
Mosley knocked Mayorga out in the final seconds of the 12th round last fall, but hadn't looked all that sharp before the stunning conclusion. Against Margarito, Mosley looked awesome.
"Shane called me earlier [Monday] and said that's it, he's had it," Shaefer said. "He's not waiting around anymore. He said, 'This guy [Pacquiao] is obviously scared of me. So let's move on.' Sugar Shane Mosley's career has not been built around Pacquiao. He already has a legacy of greatness. But eventually a Mayweather or Cotto or Pacquiao will need him. That day will come."
Schaefer, by the way, is promoting the Mayweather-Marquez fight, so he didn't really give Mayweather much grief for bypassing Mosley in favor of a lightweight.
Still, Mosley's moving on leads to the obvious question: Who will he fight in the fall?
The various names Schaefer mentioned as potential opponents were titlist
Andre Berto, whom Mosley was close to making a deal with before the Margarito fight was finalized;
Paul Williams, who has been dying for a fight with Mosley about as badly as Mosley was dying for one with Pacquiao; former undisputed champ
Zab Judah, who had a fight canceled with Mosley about a year ago after Judah's infamous shower door incident; and former titlist
Kermit Cintron, who was also scheduled at one time to face Mosley before a falling out with one of his former promoters killed the fight.
"There are obviously names and opportunities out there," Schaefer said. "Shane made it clear what he wants, and now I have to go get it done. I really fully endorse Shane's decision to fight and not to wait for Pacquiao. He's shown a lot of patience. Some people feel he humiliated himself by offering himself up to Pacquiao. But he really wanted this fight and was willing to make major concessions. For whatever reason, it didn't happen, and life goes on."
