Promoter De la Hoya sees no flu fears for Pacquiao-Hatton

by Jim Slater

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) - The swine flu outbreak that has caused seven deaths and worldwide concern is not a worry for Saturday's boxing showdown between England's Ricky Hatton and Filipino Manny Pacquiao.

"There's no concern about it here now," retired Mexican-American boxing star and fight co-promoter Oscar De la Hoya said on Wednesday. "All signs are we're going to have a successful promotion."

Nevada's first confirmed swine flu infection was detected on Wednesday, making 10 states in all where the outbreak which has been presumed to cause more than 150 deaths in Mexico has been identified.

"Swine flu is a huge concern," De la Hoya said. "It's a health issue and nobody wants to catch it. It's in the back of people's minds.

"I think we're going to provide some great entertainment on Saturday. That's what boxing is all about. I don't think people for that hour are going to be thinking about the swine flu."

A potential pandemic is especially troubling in an entertainment mecca like Las Vegas and there do figure to be fans from Mexico in the sellout crowd of more than 15,000 as well as global visitors for the junior welterweight fight.

Mexico's Humberto Soto, 47-7 with two drawn and 30 knockouts, will defend his World Boxing Council super featherweight crown on the Hatton-Pacquiao undercard against Canada's Benoit Gaudet, 20-1 with seven knockouts.

Two other Mexican fighters are in undercard bouts and Mexicans are typically part of the fan base for major fights in Las Vegas. Two top Mexican fighters will sign autographs on Thursday at a fan session for a Mexican beer sponsor.

Pacquiao, a Filipino hero, seeks a title in his sixth different weight class to match a boxing record while Hatton wants the pound-for-pound greatest tag now carried by Pacquiao after a victory over De la Hoya.

"Every Mexican, Mexican-American and Hispanic person I talk to said they have to watch this fight because of what Manny did to me," De la Hoya said.

Philippines health officials reportedly advised some not to attend the fight because of uncertainty about the swine flu and claimed Pacquiao must be checked for signs of the flu after he flies home to Manila on Sunday.

Whether or not Hatton might use the flu as an excuse is already a topic on Filipino boxing web sites.

Trainers provide war of words for Hatton-Pacquiao fight

by Jim Slater
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) - Verbal sparring between trainers Floyd Mayweather Snr and Freddie Roach has provided a provocative sideshow prior to Saturday's junior welterweight match-up between Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather, the father of now-retired boxing star Floyd Mayweather who works with English star Hatton, and Roach, the usually mild-mannered trainer who guides Filipino hero Pacquiao, have traded taunts and bad-mouthed each other at will.

"He's Freddie 'The Joke Coach' Roach," Mayweather said. "Who has he really worked with? He had lots of big fighters. He hasn't done anything with them. What fighter has he ever made? He hasn't made nobody. It's that simple.

"I know Freddie is scared right now. He will probably crawl in some hole somewhere. He's the roach."

Roach, the verbal counter-puncher to his outspoken rival, has said Pacquiao has the talent to knock Hatton out in three rounds and shrugged off Mayweather's insults about his training skills and former boxing career.

"You look at who it's coming from. It doesn't bother me," Roach said. "I don't like him. His second-grade insults. Sometimes he gets under my skin so I fire back at him. But it's not going to make any difference in the fight.

"I've got the better fighter."

Each fighter has been respectful to the other even as each expresses confidence that he will come out on top on Saturday.

"That's just what they say. I don?t want to enter into that conversation," Pacquiao said. "I don?t want to talk too much before the fight. I don?t want to think about what they say. Those are their opinions.

"I don?t care about that conversation. My goal is to focus and concentrate on the fight."

That leaves the trash exchanges common at many big fights to the trainers.

"You got whupped so much Freddie," Mayweather said. "You're a bum."

"You're the expert on that," Roach replied.

"I'm already in your head. You ain't got me. I've got you," Mayweather said.

"Get a translator, will you?" Roach said.

"I've got you Freddie. I've got you."

The trainers' spat could serve as a distraction to allow both fighters to focus on their tasks in the ring rather than hyping a fight that stands well on its own based on the success of the men wearing the gloves.

"I don't have nothing against Freddie, but this is warfare," Mayweather said. "I'm looking out for my fighter and I'm going to do whatever it takes for him to win."

Hatton, like Pacquiao, shrugs off the hype aspects.

"I don't pay too much attention to it. Floyd is like that seven days a week and twice on Sunday," Hatton said. "It's Floyd being Floyd. I'll let Floyd do the talking. I know what I?m capable of doing.

"A lot of what we?ve seen is trash talk but I don?t think he?s going to publicly stick his neck on the line as much as he has if he didn?t believe I could back it up.

"I do still believe every word Floyd says. Floyd wouldn't put his reputation on the line and say it if he didn't think I could do it and appear to be a (fool)."

Hatton does think that Mayweather might have had an impact on Roach, however.

"This is maybe the most I've heard Freddie Roach. He is usually very quiet. Now he's talking about three rounds and done," Hatton said.

"When you start acting a little bit out of character, maybe he?s not quite as confident as he says. Maybe he has taken the bait from Floyd."

Retired champ Calzaghe rules out Froch fight

NEWPORT, Wales (AP)—Joe Calzaghe has no interest in coming out of retirement to fight Carl Froch, saying the WBA super middleweight champion is not in the same class.

The 37-year-old Welshman retired in February after winning all 46 of his fights and said that he had no interest in facing Froch, who knocked out Jermain Taylor with 14 seconds left in their fight Saturday night in Mashantucket, Conn.

“Enough is enough with Carl Froch calling me out,” Calzaghe told the South Wales Argus. “I can tell you categorically that I will not fight the guy even if I did come out of retirement, which I am not going to do.”

Froch called on Calzaghe to return to the ring after beating Taylor, even though he trailed most of the fight. But Calzaghe, who won his last two fights at 175 pounds against former world champions Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr., said the English fighter was not good enough to lure him from retirement.

“I am sick to death of him drumming up free publicity for himself by using my name,” Calzaghe said. “No one who watched the fight can believe he’s in my class. He’s my stalker.

“For the first eight rounds against Taylor he was like a goalkeeper with no defense. He was being outclassed and outfought by a middleweight who’s seen better days.”

And now, Mike Tyson the movie!

By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports Columnist
If anyone needed to be reminded about the danger in boxing, the death Monday of former heavyweight champion Greg Page illustrated it in a terribly sad way. Page went quietly at the age of 50, having never really recovered from a fight eight years ago that was to be his last.

Boxing, as Mike Tyson used to always tell us, is a hurt business. Tragically, it sometimes becomes even more than that.

But it can also deliver us some of the most compelling athletes of the time. And if anyone needs to be reminded of that, well, go and watch the new Tyson documentary that made its debut on the big screen over the weekend.

It’s Tyson unplugged, and it’s supposed to be good. Very good, if you believe several credible reviewers who were taken with how disarming, candid, and even vulnerable the former baddest man on the planet now appears to be.

I can’t say, because I haven’t seen it. Probably won’t, either, but don’t let that stop you.

I won’t see it because I’ve seen it all before. For the better part of 25 years I’ve watched as Tyson swerved from one train wreck to another until, finally, his star burned out and he retreated into retirement with little left to show for his career other than one very strange tattoo on his face.

Little did I know that one day he would have a movie where it would all be condensed into 88 minutes. Could have saved myself a lot of time and grief by simply waiting for the DVD.

Actually, the surprising thing isn’t that Tyson has a movie out. From the time he began knocking fighters out for a living in 1984 until his final fight he’s provided enough material for 10 movies.

No, the surprising—make that shocking—thing is that at the age of 43 he’s still alive and, seemingly, well. For a long time it looked like he would never make 40, something Tyson himself admits having never expected.

He’s surprisingly intact, too, if you can get past the tattoo and the weathered look that all boxers have. Though Tyson has always had a speech impediment, he shows no signs of any damage from getting hit too much in the ring when he talks and gives no indication that all the drugs and alcohol robbed him of too many brain cells.

He survived one prison term and a couple of other jail sentences without being harmed, and a lot of long nights in strip clubs without getting knifed by someone trying to put a notch on their belt. The strip clubs were where I always thought he would meet his end, or else in the bedroom of someone else’s wife.

He claims to be behaving and that’s good, because he’s still on probation from his guilty plea for possessing cocaine in Arizona, where he was staring at a long prison sentence. Tyson hasn’t had a lot of luck in the courts over the years, but he finally ran into a judge who believed him when he said he took responsibility for his mistakes.

Whether moviegoers believe what Tyson has to say is up to them. I did find over the years that Tyson would usually say what he believed, unless, of course, he was trying to con people into buying tickets for fights even he was no longer interested in.

Whether anyone still cares is another matter. For many years people couldn’t get enough of this larger-than-life figure, but the more time passes the more people like Tyson become yesterday’s news. And documentaries are a particularly tough sell, as noted by the fact that the movie grossed just $86,000 in 11 theaters over the weekend.

Tyson was once a great heavyweight, but his greatness didn’t last long. After losing the heavyweight title in a shocking knockout to James “Buster” Douglas in Tokyo in 1990, his heyday was over. He could still make money and make headlines, but largely he just went through the motions in the ring and his record reflected it.

The reviewers who praised the new movie wrote about how tormented of a soul Tyson seems to be and how conflicted he remains with his life. They express surprise that he can quote philosophers, and seem astonished that this high school dropout with such a troubled past is more intelligent than they might have thought.

I don’t because I’ve been listening to him from the time I found him crying outside of Caesars Palace after losing a bid for the 1984 Olympic team. Along the way I’ve listened to long hours of the same kind of stream of consciousness talk that is the core of the movie.

Some of it was fascinating, some just odd. Tyson could be charming and revolting in the same breath, and part of the fun was that you never knew what he would say next.

He’s still that way, which should make for a good movie.

And who would have ever thought you could see Iron Mike for just 10 bucks?

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org

TICKET ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!
JAIME SANDOVAL VS. JUAN CARLOS MARTINEZ
“WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 2”
FRIDAY, MAY 29TH AT THE UIC PAVILION

CHICAGO, IL (April 27, 2009) World class professional boxing returns to the UIC Pavilion on Friday, May 29th, as Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, presents “WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 2”..

Tickets for “WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 2”, starting at $31, are on sale now through the 8 Count Productions office at 312-226-5800 and through Ticketmaster at 312-559-1212 or http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

Doors on the evening of the event will open at 7pm with the first bell at 8pm. The UIC Pavilion is located at 525 S. Racine , just one block south of the Eisenhower Expressway. For further information, please visit their website at http://www.uicpavilion.com/

“WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 2” is headlined by an outstanding ten round main event between Chicago based lightweight Jaime “SUPERFLY” Sandoval and Juan Carlos “EL PEZ” Martinez of San Luis Potosi, Mexico for the World Boxing Foundation Americas Lightweight Championship.

The Sandoval/Martinez bout is a rematch of their terrific battle on October 19, 2007 at Cicero Stadium, won by Martinez in an epic eight round bout that saw both warriors bruised and battered as they fought to a very close finish in front of their legions of loyal fans. Martinez was declared the victor by scores of 78-74, 78-74 and 77-75.

Said Pesoli, “I’ve wanted to make this rematch for over a year and I’m thrilled that Jaime and Juan Carlos have agreed to fight again on May 29th. The fans in Cicero saw an outstanding bout between these two warriors and we’re confident the rematch will be even better. They’ve both fought on our shows a number of times and have huge fan bases.”

“This is our third event at the UIC Pavilion and we’re very happy to see the large crowds turn out at our new home. The Sandoval/Martinez rematch extends our commitment to our fans, now in our 12th year, to putting on great events with terrific fights” continued Pesoli.

Since beating Sandoval, the 27 year old Martinez has fought five times, most recently battling former world champion Guty Espadas Jr. in an excellent ten round war, losing a close split decision by scores of 94-97, 94-96 and 98-92 on April 4th in Tamaulipas , Mexico .

In his six year career, he has compiled a record of 15-10-1 with seven knockouts.

The 27 year old Sandoval, younger brother of former world champion Jesus Chavez, has built a record of 15-3-1 with 12 knockouts since turning professional five years ago.

Long a staple of the Chicago boxing scene, Sandoval is coming off a hard fought ten round draw with undefeated Rashad Ganaway in Harlingen , Texas on March 28th.

Prior to that, Sandoval won a career best eight round decision over highly regarded and undefeated Dominican prospect Argenis Mendez on October 3rd in Denver , Colorado .

The co-main event will feature sensational super bantamweight prospect Eric “EL LOCO” Estrada in a six round bout. The 21 year Chicago native, 7-0-0 (3KO’s) has impressed local fight fans with his outstanding boxing skills and aggressive all-action style since turning professional in September 2007.

Estrada is coming off an impressive fifth round stoppage of Steve Cannell on January 23rd at Cicero Stadium.

Rounding out eight bout “WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 2” event will be newcomers; welterweight Tony Maldonado, junior welterweight Ramiro Carrillo, featherweight Sergio Montes De Oca, lightweights Russell Fiore and Jose Hernandez and super bantamweights Sergio Cristobal and Juan Carlos Fernandez.

Additional information on this card will be announced shortly.

8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, was started by Dominic Pesoli in 1998 and has consistently presented the highest quality professional boxing events in Chicagoland.. In 2003, Pesoli along with former featherweight contender Mike Garcia, opened JABB Boxing Gym, a 6,000 square foot venue dedicated to the finest Chicagoland boxers of all talent levels.

For more information on 8 Count Productions and JABB Boxing Gym, please visit http://www.8countproductions.com/ and http://www.jabbboxing.com/

Former boxing champ Greg Page dies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—Greg Page, a former heavyweight boxing champion who suffered a severe brain injury in a 2001 fight, has died at his Louisville home. He was 50.

His wife, Patricia Page, said she found the one-time World Boxing Association champion in his bed Monday morning. Patricia Page said he died of complications related to injuries he suffered in the fight.

Page told The Associated Press her husband “is in a better place now.”

The March 9, 2001, fight left Page in a coma for nearly a week. He then had a stroke during post-fight surgery. He was paralyzed on his left side and received intensive physical therapy.

Page won a $1.2 million settlement in 2007 with Kentucky boxing officials over the lack of medical personnel at the fight. Boxing officials also agreed to establish a medical review panel for the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority to check the health conditions of people involved in the sport who may be at risk for injury.

Page started fighting while growing up in Louisville and was sparring with Muhammad Ali by the time he was 15. He became the National Golden Gloves heavyweight champion in 1978 at age 20.

He turned to professional boxing and lost his first shot at the WBA heavyweight championship in 1984 to Tim Witherspoon. In December of that year, Page knocked out Gerrie Coetzee in the eighth round of their bout in South Africa to claim the title, but lost on points to Tony Tubbs five months later.

Page continued boxing through 1993, then took two years off after being knocked out by Bruce Seldon. He started again in 1996.

Page was 42 and had a 58-16-1 career record going into the $1,500 fight against Dale Crowe at Peels Palace in Erlanger, Ky., near Cincinnati. Crowe was 24 and an up-and-coming boxer. Page went down after 10 rounds and didn’t get up.

Patricia Page said Monday that funeral arrangements were pending.

Weekend Fights

BAYAMON, Puerto Rico (AP)—Juan Manuel Lopez, Puerto Rico, stopped Gerry Penalosa, Philippines, 9, to retain the WBO super bantamweight title; Lamont Peterson, Memphis, Tenn., stopped Willy Blain, Germany, 7, to win the interim WBO light welterweight title.

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (AP)—Carl Froch, Britain, stopped Jermain Taylor, Little Rock, Ark., 12, to retain the WBC super middleweight title; Allan Green, Tulsa, Okla., stopped Carlos De Leon Jr., Puerto Rico, 2, super middleweights; Dominick Guinn, Houston, stopped Johnnie White, St. Martinsville, La., 1, heavyweights.

KREFELD, Germany (AP)—Felix Sturm, Germany, stopped Koji Sato, Japan, 12, to retain the WBA Ordinary middleweight title; Karoly Balzsay, Hungary, stopped Maselino Masoe, New Zealand, 11, to retain the WBO super middleweight title.

CEBU CITY, Philippines (AP)—Rolando Magbanua, Philippines, stopped Wanpadejseuk Sithsaithong, Thailand, 3, to win the interim WBO Oriental bantamweight title; Edren Dapudong, Philippines, stopped Bert Batawang, Philippines, 7, to win the WBO Oriental light flyweight title.

ESCALANTE KO'S STARK ON ESPN2 IN CHICAGO!

ESPN2 FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS and
8COUNT PROMOTIONS
UIC PAVILION, CHICAGO, IL
FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009


Anyone who enjoys the fights in Chicagoland knows that 8Count Promotions puts on the best shows around. Well, throw ESPN2's Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore into the mix with some hungry, spirited boxing talent, and you've got the recipe for success that other promotions have strived for, but few can actually produce.

The night's opening bout showcased the professional debut of "The Nigerian Gentleman" (not to be confused with The Nigerian Nightmare, Sam Peter), Enobong Umohette, who clearly possesses power throughout his heavily-muscled body. His opponent, Theron Johnson (Chicago, IL) likes to throw "punches in bunches" and his combinations bothered Umohette a couple of times throughout the four-round fight, but Umohette kept lumbering away, throwing huge telegraphed left hooks, prompting me to hope that defense becomes a priority for this young man soon in his boxing training. In the end, the judges saw it 39-37 (all three) for Umohette, moving him to 1-0, and Johnson down to 2-2.

Up second was one of the most exciting fights of the night, pitting Ivan Popoca (Chicago, IL) against Sebastian Hamel (Montreal, Canada) in a six-rounder. Popoca has thrilled Chicagoland boxing fans for the last few years with his forward-only style, and tonight was no different. While bleeding consistently from an accidental headbutt sustained in the opening seconds of the first round, Popoca owned the majority of the exchanges, utilizing his jab and "stay low" approach to dominate the visitor from the North. Plenty of back-and-forth action got the audience on their feet, but it was Popoca who was running the show, and the judges awarded him a unanimous decision with scores of 59-55, 58-56, and 60-54. Popoca's record improves to 10-0-1, and Hamel moves down to 10-18-1.

Now the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights cameras started rolling, just in time to see 2008 USA Olympic bronze medalist Deontay Wilder (Tuscaloosa, AL) continue his undefeated pro career with a quick stoppage of Joseph Rabotte (Myrtle Beach, SC). The much taller Wilder scored THREE knockdowns in the first round, prompting the referee to wave the fight off at 2:33 of round one, moving Wilder's profesional record to 4-0, with all 4 wins coming by way of knockout. In the interest of full disclosure, Deontay Wilder is trained by none other than 1984 Olympic gold medalist Mark Breland, who shared the podium with the likes of Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor,and Tyrell Biggs on that legendary USA boxing team. So far, it looks like Breland's got a real winner in Wilder, and we'll all be tuned in to see what type of pro heavyweight he becomes.

Next up was Daniel Jacobs, known as "The Golden Child", who jabbed his way to success against Jose del Carmen Varela (Los Angeles, CA) until he lowered the boom and landed a picture-perfect straight right hand right between Varela's defense, knocking Varela down for a stunning knockout. Jacobs (Brooklyn, NY) moves to 15-0, and is currently rumored to be facing Michael "Midnight Stalker" Walker on the Pacquiao-Hatton undercard this coming Saturday night. Walker was originally slated to be fighting James Kirkland, who had to pull out of the fight for undisclosed legal issues. One thing is for sure: if Jacobs is going to be Walker's opponent, the fight will end in a knockout, since both men are capable of ending the fight with one punch.

In an absolute mess of a swing fight, Noe Perez (Chicago, IL) knocked out overmatched Ronnie "Da Future" Howell (Cincinnati, OH). Howell was hit with a beautiful overhand right in the first round, and after a full five-second delay chose to go down to the canvas to avoid any more punishment. The crowd voiced it's contempt for Howell's lack of "warrior spirit", prompting one ringside fan, Mr. Javier Esquivel, to say, "Da Future looks bleak!", referring to the Cincinnati native's nickname.


The main televised event was the most octane-enriched fight of the night, complete with toe-to-toe action, a bit of smack talk, and lots of hard-hitting exchanges from both fighters. Antonio Escalante (El Paso, TX by way of Mexico) was paired up with Gary Stark, Jr. (Staten Island, NY) in a scheduled 10-rounder. From the opening bell, it was hard to imagine this fight getting into the later rounds, simply due to the output numbers these two warriors were putting out. Escalante's speed and power were matched up well with Stark's in-punching to the body and excellent chin. Escalante was successful in the first round with his jab and body work, but Stark let his fans know that none of it bothered him. The second round saw a bit more Stark success, but he eventually got trapped against the ropes, and developed a bloody left cheek from repeated overhand right hands from Escalante. Suddenly, Stark ate a vicious uppercut to the chin and was sent to the canvas for a six-count. Stark made it to his feet, retreated away from Escalante, but was hit with another overhand right, and put down for the final count, ending the fight in grand fashion. The Chicago fight fans expressed their ear-pounding satisfaction, and Escalante got a spectacular win on national television, moving his pro record to 19-2. Stark moves down to 22-3.


It is to be noted that the stars were really out for this momentous event at the UIC Pavilion. Former Olympian and former WBC lightweight champion David Diaz, Chicago heavyweights Mike Mollo, Michael Bennet, and Fres Oquendo, veteran UFC champion Andre Arlovski were all present, not to mention the star power of ESPN2's own veteran commentators Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore.

All in all, it was an outstanding night of fights that simply was not to be missed.

***Special thanks to Mr. Dominic Pesoli and Mr. Bernie Bahrmasel of 8Count Promotions for issuing Bolo Punch the credentials to cover this event. This ringside report was written entirely by Chris Guzman, who has hosted The Bolo Punch Boxing Hour since 2002. All ringside photography was taken by Emil Kegebein, and all of his handiwork can be viewed at www.legupphotos.com, available for download and purchasing of prints.

Froch defends super middleweight title

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (AP)—Super middleweight champion Carl Froch delivered a stunning knockout of Jermain Taylor in the final round Saturday night, stealing a fight he would have lost had it been allowed to go a few seconds longer.

The WBC champion trailed 106-102 on two of the judges’ scorecards entering the final round, but he knocked Taylor down with less than a minute remaining. Froch then battered Taylor against the ropes until referee Michael Ortega stopped the fight with 14 seconds left.

“He was hurt badly,” Froch said. “It was a great decision by the referee.”

Taylor, unable to defend himself, didn’t dispute the stoppage.

“If there was 14 seconds left or one second left it made no difference, he was defenseless,” Ortega said. “I wanted him to be able to go home safely to his family.”

Froch (25-0, 20 KOs), part of a recent wave of British fighters making names for themselves in the United States, was making the first defense of the title he won with a brutal unanimous decision over Jean Pascal last December.

Afterward, Froch called out retired former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion Joe Calzaghe—even though the Pride of Wales has expressed no interest in returning to the ring. Froch also offered to give Taylor a rematch.

“Does Jermain Taylor deserve a rematch?” Froch said. “Absolutely he does.”

“Yeah,” Taylor added, “I’d like a rematch.”

The loss was the third in the last four fights for Taylor, the first under similar circumstances to Kelly Pavlik in 2007. Taylor knocked Pavlik down early and was leading the fight when he got trapped against the ropes and was stopped in the seventh round.

“My hat’s off to Carl Froch,” Taylor said. “He came over here and stuck it out for 12 rounds.”

Froch didn’t look impressive early in the fight, getting knocked down for the first time in his career when Taylor (28-3-1) landed an overhand right in the third round. Carrying his left hand low, Froch struggled to cover up when the quicker Taylor ducked inside to throw a punch, and the bridge of his nose turned red from the blows.

Taylor was still delivering a beating at the end of the eighth round, hitting Froch with a series of combinations. When the round ended, the former unified middleweight champion raised his fist triumphantly and glared across the ring at Froch.

Froch nearly went down again in a wild 11th round, staggering back to his corner, where his team told him that he was well behind on the scorecards and needed—at the very least—to knock Taylor down in the final round.

“When I fight my next fight in America, I need to start quicker,” Froch said. “Neverthless, I’m still the champion.”

Felix Sturm retains WBA middleweight title

KREFELD, Germany (AP)—Felix Sturm easily retained his WBA middleweight title, stopping Japanese challenger Koji Sato in the seventh round Saturday night at Konig Palast.

Sturm dominated with his left jab, nearly closing Sato’s right eye, and referee Luis Pabon stopped the fight with 14 seconds remaining in the seventh round and with Sato’s corner poised to throw in the towel.

“It went the way I wanted,” Sturm said.

Sturm (32-2-1, 14 KOs) hasn’t lost in his past eight fights. The only blemish during that stretch came when he only managed a draw against Randy Griffin in October 2007, and he beat Griffin by unanimous decision less than a year later.

The 28-year-old Sato (14-1) lost for the first time in his career.

From the first round, Sturm established control with his quick left jab, and parried most of Sato’s attempted combinations. By the end of the fourth round, Sato’s right eye was swelling, and he was bleeding from cuts on both sides of his face when the bout was stopped.

“The champion was very strong tonight,” Sato said.

Sturm has defended his title six times against relatively easy opposition, and could now be looking at a much stiffer challenge: a unification fight against fellow countryman and IBF champion Arthur Abraham.

ONE IN A MILLION, INC. PRESENTS

ANGEL HERNANDEZ VS. GUSTAVO PALACIOS
Hernandez (Gary, IN) fights with a ferocity that, when controlled, makes him a very dangerous fighter. He sems to actually get angry at his opponents, which oftentimes, works to his advantage. On this night, Palacios (Chicago, IL) was sent to the canvas with a straight right hand from young Hernandez early in the first round, only to get up at the count of “four”, and wobble towards referee Blake Allen, prompting the wave to stop the contest at 2:34 of round one. Angel Hernandez improves his professional record to 12-3 with this win, and on his present course, could soon be a real threat in the welterweight division.

JOSH CROUCH VS. JEREMIE PARKS
Crouch (Schererville, IN) punches almost exclusively in combinations, making opponents think long and hard about engaging with him. Jeremie Parks (St. Joseph, MO) came into this fight without a professional victory in ten fights. Crouch was able to manipulate Parks around the ring pretty much to his own liking. Parks got hit with everything in Crouch’s arsenal, and his chin allowed him to “fight” as long as he did. Crouch used this fight as a puncher’s clinic, bloodying Parks’ nose in the second round as he teed off with piles and piles of unanswered shots. Before the bell to start round three, referee Blake Allen waved off the fight at the request of Parks’ corner. TKO victory for Crouch (4-0), officially at 0:01 of round three.

TYREE ORTIZ VS. JUSTIN SULE
An interesting story can be written about any fight or fighter on any given night. This fight is special, however, by anyone’s standards. Tyree Ortiz makes his professional debut, giving him quite a change from being Octavius James’ right-hand man with the inner workings with One in a Million, Inc. Ortiz is a rather large man, weighing in at 252 lbs, and his boxing basics appear solid, as he utilized the left jab to set up his power shots, which were considerably devastating to Sule (Michigan City, IN). Nearing the end of the first round, Ortiz opened up a series of twenty unanswered bombs that sent the Hammond Civic Center into hysterics, capped off by a trip to the canvas from an Ortiz left hook, prompting referee Kurt Spivey to immediately wave off the fight. Upon getting his hand raised in victory, “Big” Ty was handed the microphone, where he continued to explain that this fight, and therefore this victory, was dedicated to the memory of Marine 1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker, who was killed in the Iraq war, igniting even more applause. TKO victory for Ortiz (1-0) at 2:55 of round one.

***On a totally unrelated note. . . It occurs to me that audience members want free items thrown out to them, regardless of WHAT the item is. As long as a beautiful bikini-clad woman is throwing it out to the crowd, they would clamor to catch dead, rotting fish. Luckily for us, tonight they threw out promotional hats, t-shirts, and key chains.

ORPHIUS WAITE VS. CEDRIC JOHNSON
Orphius Waite (Chicago, IL) is truly a spectacle to see. His physique is unlike any fighter I’ve ever seen, with a tiny waist and exceptionally wide shoulders. He fights like someone with years of professional experience, even though he just turned pro in 2007. This is clearly his biggest challenge to date, with Cedric Johnson’s (Indianapolis, IN) 13-fight career giving him the experience edge. Waite seems to pay none of that any mind, as he systematically establishes his jab, rocketing power shots to both sides of Johnson’s ribcage. Johnson presented some problems for the young Waite, however, as he too possesses a quick jab. In the middle of round two, Waite ate a stiff right hand that sent him into the ropes, staggered for the first time in his short professional career. Technically, referee Blake Allen could (should) have counted this as a knockdown, since the ropes were all that kept Waite from going down. In the third round, Johnson tried to crowd Waite on the ropes, in an attempt to utilize his “inside game” of close-quarters punching. The fourth round opened with a flash knockdown by Waite, with a grinning Johnson getting up quickly. Waite’s hooks are real weapons, and he uses them with reckless abandon. His speed keeps them safe for him, though, as his defense is overall, rather tight. Hooks, hooks, hooks. . . with both hands, from Waite. He does, however, need to stop moving straight back when he’s being attacked. Against a heavier hitter, it could spell trouble. On this night, though, his constant pressure and hooks made him reign supreme. Scorecards: 58-55 (three times) giving Orphius Waite (5-0) a unanimous decision.

ED OCHOA VS. CHRISTOPHER HILL
Ed Ochoa (Hobart, IN) used his height advantage to set up his killer overhand right, and scored a quick first-round knockout over a game but overmatched Christopher Hill (Kansas City, MO). Ochoa improves to 8-0, with all eight wins coming by way of knockout.

MARY MCGEE VS. KRISTY FOLLMAR

This fight is clearly the reason that the Hammond Civic Center was so full of hungry-eyed fans. “Merciless” Mary McGee (Gary, IN) took on Kristy “Rose” Follmar (Indianapolis, IN) for the vacant WBC International Female Light Welterweight Championship. The thunderous applause in the Hammond Civic Center let me know that these fans had waited long enough for this fight to take place. In a very close back-and-forth opening round, both fighters showed their tenacity and hunger for a victory, as McGee’s speed matched well with Follmar’s effective aggression. I was about to write that Follmar had clearly out hustled her opponent in the second round. . . .when McGee opened up an all-out assault in the closing seconds of the round that sent Follmar reeling a bit. I tell you one thing. I would NOT enjoy being a judge responsible for a clear decision on some of these rounds. Both fighters are imposing their wills on the other, both fighters are finding openings, and both fighters have piles of loud fans cheering

them on. In short, this is a GREAT match. Mary starts rounds off strong with her accurate jab, but Kristy sends the hooks to the body and head to make it difficult, again, to declare a clear winner of the round. McGee took the fifth round with her powerful straight punching. McGee pulls away with the sixth and seventh rounds, while Follmar shows, perhaps, a bit of ring rust. Follmar’s combination punching gives her the eighth round, but overall, she’s fading in her output numbers. Follmar takes the ninth with her combos, actually staggering McGee momentarily, setting up for the climax tenth and final round. WHAT A ROUND!!! Unadulterated female aggression from pillar to post, of which if I had to pick a winner, I’d say McGee pulled ahead by the slimmest of margins with her uppercuts and crosses. 97-93 McGee, 95-95, 97-93 McGee, who improves her record to 17-0. . . . “Merciless” Mary McGee wins a majority decision in a highly completive fight; possibly the best fight of ANY gender we’ll see this year in the state of Indiana.

***Special thanks to Octavius James of One in a Million, Inc. for issuing Bolo Punch the credentials to cover this event. This is an exclusive ringside report from Hammond Civic Center, Hammond, Indiana, written in its entirety by Chris Guzman, who has hosted The Bolo Punch Boxing Hour since 2002. All ringside photography provided solely by Emil Kegebein, easily viewed at http://www.legupphotos.com/.

Spinks edges Latimore for IBF junior middleweight crown

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AFP) - Cory Spinks survived an early knockdown and captured the vacant International Boxing Federation junior middleweight world title here Friday with a 12-round split decision over Deandre Latimore.

Spinks, 31 and a former four-time world champion, was coming off two defeats in his last two bouts.

But he did enough to get the nod from two judges, 115-112 and 114-113, while the third saw it 115-112 for Latimore.

"I'm a little upset," Latimore said of the decision. "I dropped him in the first round. If the scorecards ended up that way it should have been in my favor."

Spinks improved to 37-5 with 11 victories inside the distance. Latimore fell to 19-2 with 16 knockouts.

The 23-year-old Latimore knocked Spinks down in the first, but said he wasn't surprised that his opponent bounced back.

"I knew he had the experience," he said. "I dropped him, and I should have dropped him again."

"I wasn't hurt, it was like I tripped or something," Spinks insisted of the knockdown.

While Latimore was strong in the early going, Spinks outboxed him in the middle rounds. While both were cut and appeared weary in the closing rounds, Latimore believed he had done enough.

"About the eighth or ninth round, I started throwing my punches more," said Latimore, who earned his first world title shot by winning his past eight fights since a third-round knockout loss to Ian Gardner in 2007.

"I slacked up a little bit in the middle rounds - that was my fault…

"I just thought I should have come out with the decision."

But Spinks said he did what was necessary in the 12th.

"I just knew I had to come out and perform that last round," he said. "I knew what I had to do, and I did it. I'm proud of myself."

Friday’s Fights

Antonio Escalante catches Gary Stark Jr. with a left hook.

Click on photo to view galleries from Chicago.

By The Associated Press
CHACHOENGSAO, Thailand (AP)—Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Thailand, outpointed Julio Cesar Miranda, Mexico, 12, to win the the interim WBC flyweight title.

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Cory Spinks, St. Louis, outpointed Deandre Latimore, Las Vegas, 12, to win the vacant IBF light middleweight title; Devon Alexander, St. Louis, stopped Jesus Rodriguez, Salinas, Calif., 9, light welterweights.

CHICAGO (AP)—Antonio Escalante, Mexico, stopped Gary Stark Jr., New York, 3, super bantamweights.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP)—Billy Lyell, Youngstown, Ohio, outpointed John Duddy, Ireland, 10, middleweights; Gabriel Rosado, Philadelphia, outpointed Kassim Ouma, Uganda, 10, light middleweights.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP)—Gennady Martirosyan, Russia, outpointed Vedran Akrap, Croatia, 10, to retain the PABA middleweight title.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)—Kariz Kariuki, New Zealand, stopped Sonni Michael Angelo, Australia, 9, to win the vacant WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title; Matthew Paulley, Australia, outpointed Jason Kanofski, Australia, 10 , to retain the IBO Asia Pacific welterweight title.

Spinks wins IBF junior middleweight title

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Cory Spinks overcame a first-round knockdown to outpoint Deandre Latimore on Friday night and win the vacant IBF junior middleweight title.

Spinks (37-5) overcame a cut above his left eye to win the hard-fought split decision between two St. Louis natives. Two judges split their scorecards 115-112, while the third gave a 114-113 edge to the former undisputed welterweight champion.

Spinks won the 12th round all three judges’ cards.

“I knew I had to perform in that last round and I did,” said Spinks, now a five-time world champion. “I went out like a dog and got it.”

The 23-year-old Latimore (19-2) floored Spinks a minute and a half into the bout, but the 31-year-old veteran bounced right up and appeared unhurt. Latimore showed more aggression in the second and third rounds while Spinks was content to save his energy.

Spinks began to wake up in the fifth round after Latimore opened the cut, and the blow appeared to serve as a wake-up call. Spinks began to win rounds, scoring consistently with shots to the body, and needed the final round to beat the young challenger.

Latimore felt he had earned enough points early in the fight to get the decision. He noted that he recorded the only knockdown of the fight, held in front of 9,138 fans whose loyalties were split between the local fighters.

“That decision should have been mine,” Latimore said. “I’m a little upset. I dropped him in the first round. I should have had that (114-113) edge.”

Spinks comes from a famous fighting and added one more belt to its proud history. He was born five days after his father Leon Spinks upset Muhammad Ali on Feb. 15, 1978. The young Spinks’ uncle, Michael, won the heavyweight crown seven years later.

Latimore, who still calls St. Louis home, grew up watching Cory Spinks fight.

“He was my idol,” Latimore said, “but this is all business.”

Fight promoter Don King is hoping the victory can push Spinks back into the national spotlight. He even said he wanted a matchup with Floyd Mayweather Jr., although the former pound-for-pound king has not officially announced he’s coming out of retirement.

“I’m back and I’m ready for anybody,” Spinks said.

Boxer Holt pleads guilty to money laundering

PATERSON, N.J. (AP)—Former world boxing champion Kendall Holt has pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge in New Jersey.

Prosecutors say the charge against Holt, of Woodland Park, stemmed from drug deals made by his manager, Henry Cortes. In February, Cortes pleaded guilty to drug charges.

In court Friday, the 27-year-old boxer admitted that several times in 2007 and early 2008 he picked up bags of money and delivered them to Cortes. Holt told the judge he knew the money was from drug transactions.

Holt will be allowed to enter a pretrial intervention program. The charge could be dismissed if he completes it.

Holt won the WBO light welterweight title in July and defended it once before losing to WBC champ Timothy Bradley on April 4.