Trevor Berbick

If you only know this man as the last person to fight Muhammad Ali or the man who the irrepressible Mike Tyson tore into for 2 rounds, it is impossible not to be stunned by the news of his untimely death.
Trevor Berbick was born in Jamaica in either 1955 or 1954 the true date was never tied down by the man himself. Berbick represented his home country in the Montreal Olympics, his inexperienced record didn’t hold him in good-stead and he lost to the eventual silver medallist. Despite an early exit he emerged untarnished with a good reputation as a heavyweight.

Berbick, now basing himself in Canada began his career as a professional fighter. He racked up an impressive 11 fight winning streak before being knocked out cold in the opening round by Bernado Mercado, a promising heavyweight at the time. Trevor Berbick managed to revitalise his career after this lose. He won another 7 fights and drew one and earned a shot at the great and undefeated champion Larry Holmes. Almost inevitably Berbick lost a unanimous, there is no shame in this ‘L’ on his record, and in losing to Holmes he had lost to one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.

After two more disappointing defeats for Berbick he strung together two impressive victories, beating the highly rated Greg Page and then Mitch Green both who were undefeated at the time. Both of those fighters are not particularly well remembered at the time and may not look very impressive on the record, but at the time they were serious contenders. Of course no story of Trevor Berbick’s rise to the title would be complete without the tale of him finally retiring the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali. In a fight that should never have happened Berbick won a 10 round decision and Ali finally stepped from the ring for the last time. In time once again Berbick was in a world title ring. The man is his way was Pinklon Thomas.

After a hard fought 12 rounds and at his second attempt Trevor Berbick had reached the pinnacle of the boxing world. He was the heavyweight champion. But with great achievements come dubious honours. It would fall to Trevor Berbick to be the one to stop the most devastating force in boxing since the days of Dempsey, Marciano and Liston. ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson was the challenger for Berbick’s title. The champ was confident, strutting to the ring; he was far and above Tyson in terms of experience, but youth and destruction was on Tyson’s side. In an incredible 5 minutes we saw Berbick ripped with every shot in the book until he finally succumbed to the beating and lost his title, never to challenge for it again. Berbick continued to fight until 2000, he won his last fight and with it the Canadian world title. His career was finally ended when a brain scan resulted in the discovery of a blood clot. His license was revoked and his career was over.

Berbick had his troubles in his life, he repeatedly claimed he was visited by God in his own home, which led to his ridicule in some quarters. His conspiracy theories about how he was cheated from his title by people near to Team Tyson were never far from his thoughts. His troubles surfaced on many occasions, he was often in trouble with the police and was incarcerated for the sexual assault of a babysitter. He served just 15 months of his 5 year sentence. In 1997 he was deported from America for breaking his parole.
Berbick met an untimely end this past week, he was killed in a vicious attack in his home country of Jamaica shortly after leaving church. It is sad to once again been writing about the death of a former champion, we lost Floyd Patterson only a few months ago, our thoughts and condolences are with the friends and family of Trevor Berbick.
RIP champ.

It’s been a few months, but we have another world title fight worth getting excited and one is just around the corner. The best welterweight on the planet is going up against the man everyone is calling the pound for pound king ‘Pretty boy’ Floyd Mayweather. So many people are screaming that there’s no way Baldomir can beat Floyd, he’s too fast, he’s too slick, he moves too much, he’s just too good.

But come the 4th of November we will see just how good both men are. On paper this fight may just turn out to be another Mayweather vs. Gatti. All the attributes Gatti has for being a tough son of a bitch and people may give him a punchers chance. But what is different is that Carlos Baldomir is a big guy, he more than adequately fills out the 147lbs limit and Mayweather has never fought a guy like this before. The trouble you would be faced with against Mayweather is that he is just so damn fast; I don’t think he is a particularly concussive puncher but he is deadly accurate, and if the truth be known Baldomir hasn’t faced some like Mayweather either. If the champ is to leave with his crown he will have to fight his perfect fight, better than when he upset Judah and when he ended the career of Gatti. It will have to a perfect day at the office for Carlos. The smart money will be on Floyd; he’s unbeaten and has rarely been in serious trouble and will start an undoubted favourite. But favourites lose, they get beat down, gamblers get it wrong and so may Floyd in November.

It has been very easy to get caught up with Baldomir’s story of his rise to the top; it’s as perfect as James J. Braddock’s Cinderella man story. A fighter that looks down and out getting his shot and seizing it with both hands, but Floyd will be hoping to play the role of Joe Louis and simply outclass the champ and beat him into a bloody submission. What I will say is that Mayweather isn’t Joe Louis!
I don’t like to get caught up in hype of fighters who after a decent win or two are proclaimed as the saviour of boxing, but I really like Baldomir! His never say die attitude and the fact he is tough as nails really appeals to me. If Floyd wants to be Ray Leonard then Carlos needs to fight like Roberto Duran in 1980, if Baldomir can beat Mayweather it will be as big an upset as the Brawl in Montreal. As both a writer but above all a boxing fan I hope we see a good contest between a consummate and a man carved from stone. As a writer I will follow my head and pick Floyd by a Unanimous decision, but as a fan I will follow my heart and say Carlos Baldomir by TKO in the 9th.

In what was a highly charged weekend of fights on both sides of the Atlantic, the heavy
weight issue was cleared up, a little at least. A lightheavy champion was grinded out, and a flashy contender from Bolton continued on his path. So first to Bolton in the UK. At the top of the bill was a third fight between IBF light heavyweight champion, Clinton Woods and the Glen Johnson. The challenger already holding a victory over the champion was perhaps a slight favourite going in to
the fight.

As the fight began to unfold we saw Clinton Woods open up an early lead, his seemingly better condition allowed him to fight hard for the full round where as Johnson could only fight in bursts. In the fourth round Johnson landed the most significant punch of the fight, he hurt Woods who retreated to the ropes and did a good job of spoiling Johnsons work on the inside and tied him up well. At the half way point in the fight Woods had opened up a gap of 2-3 rounds over Johnson. The defining round of the fight was the 9th. Johnson had Woods in huge trouble. Woods sprawled from corner to corner as Johnson was in hot pursuit trying to land another killer punch that would end Woods night, and his reign.

The punch never came, Johnson piled on pressure but simply couldn't land a clean punch and in the process drained his already low energy reserves. The fight was all but sealed. In the last 3 rounds Johnson fought again in bursts, simply not enough punches thrown to trouble Woods who eased through the last 3 rounds and claimed a split decision to retain his crown.

Earlier on the bill the Athens silver medalist Amir Khan had his 9th pro bout, he was faced with Ryan Barrett. A fighter with a decent record of 12-2. What followed is what we have come to expect from Amir Khan, his blurring hand speed led to three knockdowns in the 1st round and the fight was stopped. Khan again disposed of an opponent, who was expect to cause a few problems with ease. Promoter Frank Warren stated after the fight that in 2007 Khan will be put in with the English champion. This will be a big test for Khan, and the general feeling among fans and experts is that Khan is up to the challenge and the English title will simply be a stepping stone to a dream fulfilling world title.

Across the Atlantic to the USA, the 'Nigerian Nightmare' Samuel Peter was looking to continue his come back after losing a world title fight to Wladimir Klitshcko last year. His opponent, the whiley old dog James 'Lights out' Toney. The result was a slightly ponderous looking Sam Peter winning a disputed split decision. Toney seemed to have the best of the rounds, but Peter always ensured the judges would remember him by having a very strong end to each round. Peter's power only had Toney in any serious trouble in the 5th round. He had Toney hurt and wobbled but was unable to finish Toney off, the right hand happy Peter could have ended the fight if he was a bit more open to use his left hand. The result being as disputable as it was hasn't really helped the heavyweight conundrum. it remains clear that Samuel Peter is some what of a rough diamond. But James Toney's performance was such that he will stay in the picture for a title shot, and seeing as we are no closer to unification this could be sooner rather than later.

Some fighters have been, some never will be and some are always remember as great fighters. Several fighters are remember by their generation of fight fans, then forgotten, or perhaps better known as ‘the guy who fought so and so’ But every so often a man will transcend generations of fight fans, some fighters will always be considered great, some fighters are simply legends and heroes. Such fighter is the most well known man ever to come out of Panama; he is of course Roberto Duran!

At age 13 Roberto Duran was forced to leave school, legend has it that he punched a lad down a flight of stairs, and surprisingly he wasn’t asked back! Duran was the 2nd of 9 children and effectively the bread winner for his family. He would often raid the local mango plantation of this future manager for food, and inevitably he turned to fighting to make a living. After a brief 16 fight amateur career and after fighting pretty much anyone who would fight him on the beach, Duran turned professional aged just 16. Fighting at either end of Panama City Duran was simply unbeatable; he fought 15 times in Panama before leaving for the 1st time to fight in Mexico.

In 1971 Duran debuted at The Madison Square Garden against the Puerto Rican Benny Huertas, his big Garden debut lasted 66 seconds and Duran was the winner by KO, just three fights later Duran was back at the Garden. His opponent was Ken Buchanan or the lightweight champion of the world as he was better known. In what was to be a classic, Duran and Buchanan tore into each other. The newly nicknamed ‘Manos De Piedra’ was ferocious in his assault and fought with his usual aggression and liberal interpretation of the rule book. Duran was winning the fight, but Buchanan was hanging in there, and causing Duran a few problems. The controversy of the fight came at the end of the 13th round; on the bell Duran threw a full power left hook which hit the champion square in the groin. Unable to continue the championship was handed to Duran, who to be fair was winning the fight at this moment. The 1st mark on Duran’s record came against Esteban De Jesus. In this non title bout Duran was floored on the way to losing a 10 round decision. After this fight Duran went on a 32 fight winning streak he accumulated a spectacular 25 KO’s. During this winning streak he defended his title 13 times and in his last fight as a light weight he added the WBC version of the title to his WBA belt. In this fight Duran Knocked out his old adversary De Jesus for the second time and won the trilogy between them 2-1.

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The thunder has finally stopped rumbling, and the great career of Arturo Gatti has all but ended. Gatti, famed for his blood and guts approach to fighting finally drank the well dry and was knocked out by the real Welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir. The two fighters came together last Saturday night in New Jersey. After a bright start by Gatti the much stronger Baldomir began to take control. The most significant difference between the fighters was that Baldomir was a full welterweight where as Gatti has had to bulk up to get to the weight. It really began to show when the two traded punches.

Before the fight Baldomir had just 12 KO’s in his career, but the natural size and weight ground down Gatti. By the time the 9th round come Gatti was looking very tired; his efforts to box Baldomir had taken it out of him and the punches he throw had less and less effect on the stronger opponent. Late in the 9th round Gatti found himself stuck on the ropes as Baldomir opened up and hit Gatti with both hands, Gatti folded over and dropped to the canvas. He managed to beat the count but just seconds later he was on the canvas again and the ref removed his mouth piece and ended the bout. In the end it was a classic Gatti finish, he stood and fought until the end, but he was desperately tired, battered and bloodied, he simply didn’t have the legs to get off the ropes and had to trade.

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Shane Mosley once again stopped Vargas, who was far less than ferocious. This time there was no controversy over the stoppage. Mosley scored a huge left hook that sapped Vargas of all he had in the 6th round. He struggled to regain his footing but beat the count, all be it on very shaky legs. The fight was all but over as Mosley loaded up and hammered Vargas with hard shots delivered with extremely fast, accurate shots.

When the fighters entered the ring, Mosley was looking in great shape and supremely confident. As the fight began however, during the first round it seemed as if Vargas was winning the fight. He was firing his jab and Mosley lacked rhythm and didn’t hit his grove until around the 3 round. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Mosley was kicked into action, and Vargas certainly knew Mosley was in the fight. ‘Sugar’ Shane was throwing punches with such speed Vargas wasn’t even at the races. Mosley jabbed at Vargas, repeatedly beating his younger adversary to the punch.

It was looking like an easy night at the office and then he signed off with a beautiful left to the jaw, before unleashing the combo that finished the job. So after this spectacular victory is Shane Mosley stating his intent to return to the top of the pile? As with every fighter who has a decent fight he is being matched with Floyd Mayweather. With the rumours of Mayweather taking on Cory Spinks this isn’t likely to happen this year. Is Mosley to over the hill at 34 to take out Mayweather?
As far as Vargas goes, he’s only 28, but seeing as he has lost virtually every super fight he has participated in, perhaps he has gone as far as he can.

Earlier this evening in Cardiff’s millennium stadium Danny Williams and Matt Skelton faced off for the second time for the Heavy championship of the commonwealth. The first meeting of the two men was a very messy affair; the two of them poured every ounce they had into the fight and Danny Williams Brawled his way to a split decision. Tonight however, Skelton had an improved game plan and with Danny Williams weighing in at a huge 20st 8lb Mat Skelton treated us to a superb display of his boxing skills.

He schooled the ponderous Danny Williams for the first half of the fight. Skelton was on his toes moving very well for a man of over 18 stone. He established his jab early in the fight and found it very easy to hit the static target of Williams. In the second half of the fight Danny Williams was more active but was unable to keep up a pace that would trouble Skelton. As the final bell rang a very tired looking Danny Williams appeared to have accepted defeat and as expected Matt Skelton was announced the winner by Unanimous decision.

The promoter of tonight’s fight, Frank Warren, claims he is in talks to setup a world title fight for Skelton against the ‘beast from east’ Valuev. One thing is for sure, Skelton is going to have to work hard to beat the champion, but the movement he showed tonight may cause Valuev problems. Every British fight fan must be excited at the prospect of a heavyweight title returning to home soil.

Also tonight we saw Amir Khan in his 8th pro fight. The fight was stopped in the 2nd round when the ref intervened and Colin Bain was pulled out of the fight. Khan beat his opponent to the ground twice before the fight was stopped. Khan is scheduled to fight an un-named opponent in September in his home town of Bolton. Also on tonights bill Welshmen Enzo Maccarinelli won the interim WBO cruiser weight title fight against Marcelo Dominguez. The local boy stopped Dominguez in the 9th round with a crushing right uppercut.

On one night, in two cities, four men were stepping into the ring, two old masters and two young guns. In New York local boy Paulie Malignaggi was stepping into his first world title fight against the Puerto Rican and un-defeated light welterweight champion Miguel Cotto. Later that night the British media would refocus on Atlantic City were Un disputed light heavy weight king Antonio Tarver would be defending his crown against a modern legend and former Middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins.

So first to boxing’s most recognised boxing arena, Madison Square Garden. First to enter the ring was Malignaggi. This hometown fighter was coming to the ring with a perfect record and with it he was bringing a very flashy style, a quick jab and blurring hand speed, however, as his record suggested, and as the fight progressed it was clear that he did not have the power to trouble the champion. The same could not be said for Cotto. The champions left hook found its mark in the early going and in the third Malignaggi was knocked to the canvas. This knock down seemed to kick the local boy into gear; he bounced to his feet and began to catch Cotto with some decent combos. If it wasn’t for the lack of steam in the shots Miguel Cotto could have been leaving New York without his gold. Towards the middle of the bout Malignaggi began to take the driving seat, his fast hands got home and he was able to smother Cotto’s work on the inside and his frustrations began to tell.

At times in the bout the champion simply didn’t seem up for the fight, his work rate dropped and his spirits seemed low. In the 9th round Cotto threw a left which caught Malignaggi on the forehead; Miguel winced in pain and dropped his hand to his side. In the following rounds the hand was clearly causing the champion problems but he showed the guts and heart that has made him a major force in the light welterweight and fought hard in the final rounds to seal the decision.

At times Miguel Cotto’s performance was lacklustre but showed moments of class that separated the two men in the end. In the post fight interview Miguel blamed his quiet rounds on the damage to his left hand but he was still talking about a fight in November at 147lbs. When asked who he would fight, the champion replied ‘anybody’ After an exhilarating 12rounds in New York, the British media refocused on the light heavy weight title match in Atlantic City. The 41 year old ‘Executioner’ Bernard Hopkins was making a bold move by jumping 2 weight divisions in his bid to claim the title. Standing in his way was Antonio Tarver; both fighters presented an impressive résumé but none more so than Tarver’s. He was fresh from a battle with boxing legend Rocky Balboa!

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By Manos de Piedra. In a battle between two of the greatest heavyweights of all time I believe the ‘Louisville Lip’ Muhammad Ali would come out the victor. I have huge admiration for the achievements and abilities of Rocky Marciano but Ali isn’t known as the greatest for no reason.

Here is how I see the fight progressing. In the early goings we would see Rocky come out all guns blazing looking for yet another 1st round knock out. Ali would be on his toes, doing what he does best, sticking and moving, always moving. Left jabs and right crosses as he avoids Rockys bull like rushes. This would continue for the opening few rounds, during which Ali’s snake like jab would begin to mark up the face of Marciano who continues to come at Ali, landing overhand rights and tagging Ali with his left hook.

Around the 8th round Ali’s fast hands would have begun to have there effect and the eyes of Marciano are cut. Marciano being the man he is still attacks ferociously despite the cuts bleeding over himself and the ring apron. Both men have incredible stamina so the pace continues at a blistering level into the later rounds and each fighter looks and feels like they have been in a war. I see the fight stopping one of two ways.

The first scenario being the cuts around the eyes of Rocky get too bad for him to continue and the ref stops the fight despite the protests of Rocky Marciano. The second scenario would be that it would go the full distance and despite a late surge from Marciano, Muhammad Ali wins a wide unanimous decision over the Brockton Blockbuster.

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Today boxing lost one of its all time brightest stars. Floyd Patterson passed away at age 71; he lost his battle against cancer and Alzheimer disease after being hospitalised a week ago. Floyd Patterson, the former 2 time heavyweight champion is often over looked when people discuss the sport, despite this Floyd Patterson was a very good, even great champion, despite 2 loses to Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston he is still held in very high regard, after all. There’s no shame in losing to the best.

Born in the January of 1935 Floyd Patterson was 1 of 11 children of the Patterson family and grew up in Waco, North Carolina. Patterson’s family was poor, very poor. A life of petty crime and thievery Floyd wound up in a correctional facility and clichéd as it may be, boxing may have saved Floyd Patterson from a life of crime. A meeting with now legendary trainer Cus D’Amato put Floyd Patterson on the road to boxing greatness; he won the golden glove tournament two years running and the Gold at the Helsinki Olympics. Aged 21 Floyd Patterson was set to face Archie Moore for the heavyweight championship of the world.

The fight lasted 5 rounds and the newly crowned champion was the youngest fighter ever to win the heavyweight champion. Patterson held the belt for nearly 3 years and then he was knocked out by Ingemar Johansson, after this fight Patterson came back and became the first fighter to ever regain the heavyweight title. Patterson and Johansson completed their famous trilogy with Floyd knocking out the Swede in 6 rounds. Patterson defended his title with out interruption until his path crossed with the fearsome Sonny Liston. Both fights ended in the first round by KO, this was the last time Patterson would ever reach the pinnacle of boxing. He fought some formidable fights between losing his title and retiring, including his two losses to Ali. He also fought Cooper, Quary and Jimmy Ellis. Patterson lost his final fight against Muhammad Ali and retired a 2 time champion,

Today a sporting community will mourn the lose of one of its finest champions. Boxing is a sport where fighters transcend generations like no other, and young fight fans as my self can appreciate the skills and prowess of fighters that even our fathers can’t always recall. 55-8-1, a record of a great fighter whose career lasted 20years. The whole boxing community is saddened by today’s news and our condolences go to Floyd Patterson’s family and friends. Floyd Patterson, Rest In peace.

Last night Wladimir Klitschko returned to the top of the pile of the heavyweight division after delivering a sound beating to Chris Byrd. Referee Wayne Kelly stopped the fight in the 7th round but not before Byrd was knocked down for the 2nd time. Klitschko took control in the second round; he repeatedly hammered his jab into the on coming Chris Byrd. Along with the jabs Wladimir was able to get his right hand to connect almost as and when he wanted.

Klitschko hammered Byrd to the floor in the 5th round with a peach of a left-right combo. To his credit Byrd rose to his feet and it was a feat in its self that he survived the remainder of a round. Much the same was to follow in the next round. Byrd was cut above his left eye and his face was beginning to swell, Klitschko’s right hand was hitting the target often and it was clear to all that Byrd’s night was all but over.

Klitschko’s domination continued and when he drove Byrd to the canvas it was all over bar the shouting. Bravely the former champion rose to his feet and beat the count but he was done. The referee stopped the fight and once again Wladimir Klitschko was heavyweight champion of the world.

The power shift in heavyweight boxing has continued to move away from the USA and another title has moved to Europe. Wladimir Klitschko became the 3rd European heavyweight to win a title this year. This was a very strong performance by the 30 year old Ukrainian, and many now believe he may be the man to unify the division, but there are still those who believe Wladimir Klitschko is far from dominance at this point. Loses to Lamon Brewster and Corey Sanders still blight his career and draw questions over the strength of his chin. But this fight was a step in the right direction. So, what next for the new champion? It is good to hear Wladimir talking about unification bouts in the post fight interviews; a unified champion could perhaps restore some integrity to a some what lackluster division.

March 1, 2006 Rankings
-by Rubio MHS, WBF Bookie

If one fighter beats another and the decision is only a little controversial, I’ll generally rank the fighter who won over the fighter who lost. But what if the fight was a draw? Do the two fighters in question maintain their rankings? In the case of Rahman-Toney, I thought that Rahman, who successfully defended his WBC title, deserves to be ranked ahead of Toney. The following are of April 1:





Heavyweight:

1. Chris Byrd
2. Hasim Rahman
3. Lamon Brewster
4. James Toney
5. Nicolai Valuev
6. John Ruiz
7. Wladimir Klitschko
8. Calvin Brock
9. Juan Carlos Gomez
10. Monte Barrett

Changes: Hasim Rahman moves from #6 to #3 based on his performance against James Toney, who slips to #4. Nicolai Valuev and John Ruiz each slip one place. Then, Rahman moves from #3 to #2, after Brewster showed up so out of shape for the weigh-in for tonight's fight. He drops to #3. From now on, heavyweights' rankings will be subject to change if they become fat f^&^s.

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Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao they are two names that have become synanamous with all of boxing. Weather your talking about Blood and Guts Warriors, Classic modern day Wars, Pound for Pound Elite etc These two men always come to mind. On the 18th of this month these 2 men will fight for the 3rd and likely final time marking the end of one of Boxings most exicting rivlaries in many many years.

30 year old Erik "El Terrible" Morales from Tijuana, Mexico grew up in a Boxing gym and it shows. Morales is a true fighters fighter hes never met a challenger or a punch he didnt face. Over the last 10 years Morales has become a mainstay in Boxings Pound for Pound rankings thanks too his incredible acheivments and his talents and skills which include his iron jaw, Huge heart, Big right hand, A high work rate, Punches from different angles and the ability to play the Boxer-Puncher role. In his carrer Morales has held World Championships at 122 ibs, 126 ibs and most recently 130 ibs. Hes defeated the likes of the great Marco Antonio Barrera, Daniel Zaragoza, Junior Jones, Kevin Kelly, Wayne McCullough, Injin Chi, Paulie Ayala, Jesus Chavez and even his upcoming opponet Manny Pacquiao. As wonderful as Morales Hall of Fame acheivments may be noboddy can argue what has happened to the Warrior in recent fights. Morales has lost 3 of his last 4 fights to Marco Antonio Barrera in their 3rd and final bout, A lopsided decision to Zaheer Raheem and a devastating Knockout loss to Pacquiao in his last bout. Not to mention Morales has been in no fewer then a full dozen grueling Wars in the last 5 or 6 years which may in turn make his 30 years alittle older.

27 year old Phillipino sensation Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao has in just 3 years risen from that decent little firey Bantamweight titilst into a top 5 fighter in the world and became possibly boxings most beloved star. The 3 time World Champion is known for a brutal 1-2 combo out of the Southpaw stance that makes fighters eat canvas, A non stop come forward style that is almost impossible to stop and hand speed that is nearly blinding. On November 15th 2003 about 3 years ago underdog Manny Pacquiao stepped into the ring at San Antonio, Texas agianst Legendary Featherweight Champion Marco Antonio Barrera and hardly anyone gave him a chance. After suffering a early questionable Knockdown Pacquiao went on to pulverize the great Champion with a assault of left hands that dropped Barrera twice and forced the bout to be stopped in the 11th round. Since then Pacquiao has a could go either way draw with World Champion Juan Manuel Marquez,Lost a close decision to Morales then in return KOed him and then destroyed former 122 pound Champ Oscar Larios is July.

When the two fighters first met in March of 2005 Pacquiao was a big favorite among bet placers. Although Pacquiao was a much quicker man and seemed to catch a suddenly Southpawed Morales at will with left hands in the 12th round Morales controlled the fight with a stiff jab and follow up right hands and cut up Pacquiao along the way to a 115-113 decision across the boards in a Fight of the Year candiate.

The 2 got it on agian nearly in Janaury of this year. With Morales losing to Raheem this bout was a virtual pick em fight. Despite being hurt early on Morales seemed to win atleast 3 of the first 5 rounds the same way hed won the first bout with good boxing skills and the occasional trading of shots backing up Pacquiao. In round 6 Pacquiao unleashed a violent body punching assault to a said to be weight drained Morales. After taking beatings in round 6, 7, 8, and 9 Morales corner rubbed his legs down after each round which HBOs Emmanuel Stewart called a NO NO. In round 10 now behind on the cards and very weak legged Morales was dropped twice and Pacquiao got his rematch by being the only man to KO Morales.

Morales seems to be in better shape then ever now after hiring a much need team of nutritionist before heading into training so he can cut weight comfertablly. The logical pick among many seems to be another Pacquiao Knockout. After a much needed 10 month rest and a strong training camp I cant see anyone KOing Morales a 2nd time in a row. My pick for this bout is for Morales to go back to his stiff jab and follow up right hands to keep Pacquiao off balance and come in with power shots to back him up now and then. Pacquiao since has devolped better body punching and a solid right hook he isnt as one-dimensional as fight 1. Also Pacquiao may be in Morales head after the big Knockout so this fight is once agian a pick em. Either way I expect a great fight later this month like there previous two bouts I know they will both bring all they have and more to end one of boxing finest trilogys.

Tonight two of Britains favourites Jamie Moore and Matthew Macklin will meet in Cheshire in what may just be the domestic battle of the year. This fight may be another chapter in the already full book of great British battles in the past year.

The current champion Jamie Moore has a very good record of 24-3 with 17 ko victories He will be in the ring with a highly rated prospect in Macklin. Trainer Billy Graham is predicting a world title for the young fighter, At 24 Macklin is the younger of the two fighters and is less experienced. His only lose in 18 fights came in his previous attempt to claim this title. Both fighters have an all action style, Macklin stopped his last opponent in 4 rounds and Moore is also coming off a TKO victory. Moore has won every fight inside the distance since reclaiming his title from Michael Jones, which incidentally he lost on a DQ.

So what can we expect in the ring tonight, i am predicting an incredibly tough fight for both men. Moore is the more experienced fighter and despite having two knockouts against him probably has the superior defense of the two men. Macklin is probably the harder puncher but as we have seen Moore can bang aswell. Both fighters are proud men, and plenty tough. With talk of a fight with John Duddy for Jamie Moore in the near future and with his British title on the line, Moore has a lot to lose in this fight. Macklin is more than a game fighter who will test Moore. On paper the champion is more advanced and you would expect him to be stepping up to European level very soon.

But for me this is the attraction of the fight, so there is a title on the line and probably a nice purse on the side. But it doesn't seem like they are fighting for titles, Pride seems to the biggest draw, and the title of the best fighter in country. Great Britain has given some very good fighters recently, but they don't always get in there and mix it. Hatton and Witter, Haye and Maccarenelli for example. But both these men are in great form and ready for a tear up. Personally i am leaning towards a Moore victory, possibly via a stoppage. One thing is for sure, the reputation of British boxing will once again be galvanised

Well last week Jeff Lacy was ready for his big comeback. But it didn’t last long, it was announced the fight has been called off and nothing has been scheduled until mid 2007. The reason is that Lacy was still greatly over the super middle weight limit. 18 months is a hell of a long lay off for a fighter and I’m struggling to see a way back for Lacy. He needed to get back in the ring much sooner than this and whip some one bad to get back into the swing of things after the destruction at the hands of Calzaghe, who may have retired Lacy.

In the past few days the presser for Barrera Vs Juarez II took place. After the mix up on the score cards last time out the fight has been dubbed ‘too close to call’ in what was a good fight first time round we could have a cracker on our hands. I’m hoping that Barrera will win the rematch and then have another crack at Pacquiao.

Holder of a heavyweight belt Hasim Rahman, spoke out on the up coming title fight with Olag Maskaev. He says he is on a mission to keep the heavyweight title in America and stop the migration of titles of Eastern Europe. Maskaev made light of Rahman in an interview saying he wants the outside of the ring to be heavily padded. Of course Maskaev put Rahman through the ropes on to the floor the last time they fought; these words may hurt him if he can’t live up to his promise.


The two big fights of the week were Vivian Harris Vs Stevie Johnson and Roy Jones Jr’s big come back fight. Harris is on the road to recover his career after losing his light welter weight title to Carlos Maussa last year. He beat Johnson in 7 rounds and knocked him down four times on route to a knock out victory.

Roy Jones’ return to action was a rather dull affair. He was never in trouble against Prince Badi Ajamu and comfortably won a unanimous decision. The real action came after with Roy Jones proclaiming that the champ had returned. He even called out light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins and perhaps even more foolishly super middle weight champion Joe Calzaghe. A win against a mediocre opponent is hardly Jones reclaiming his old crowns, a fight with Calzaghe will end his comeback.


So, looking forward to next weeks big fight. The heavy weights are back in town. The rematch between Rahman and Maskaev will take place on the 12th of this month. Rahman is determined to keep a portion of the heavyweight title in America. Calling himself ‘the last line of defence for America’ Rahman who fought a draw with James Toney earlier will be looking to defend his title and perhaps add a bit of credibility to his reign.

In what has been a pretty quiet week, the biggest news may be that Jeff ‘left hook’ Lacy will be returning to the ring in October. He will face undefeated Allan Green in a super middleweight clash. Lacy will be hoping to bounce back from his 12 round defeated to Joe Calzaghe earlier this year. On the same bill as the lacy fight Diego Corrales will face his old adversary Joel Casamayor for the third time. It is currently 1-1 between the fighters but this is the first time they will meet at lightweight. Also this week there has been rumours of Zab Judah returning to the ring against Camacho Jr.
In the UK, lightweight prospect Amir Khan was in court facing charges of dangerous driving. Khan, 7-0-0, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In last weeks super fight Carlos Baldomir beat Arturo Gatti via a TKO in the 9th round. Gatti’s career seems to be over, the wars he has fought including loses to Mayweather JR and de la Hoya and the epic trilogy with Micky Ward finally caught up with him last Saturday and he was stopped for what should be the last time. Also this week Nobuo Nashiro beat Martin Castillo. The fight ended in a TKO and Nashiro won the WBA super flyweight.

Next week we see a modern legend return to the ring once more. Former four weight champion Roy Jones JR will fight Prince Badi Ajamu in a light heavyweight bout. At 37years old and coming off 3 straight loses there is little for Roy Jones to gain from this fight, but yet he fights on.

So this week in the world of the sweet science a few major stories have emerged. Supposed pound for pound king ‘Pretty Boy’ Floyd Mayweather is in negotiations with IBF light middle weight champion Cory Spinks. The fight is planned for 4th of November in Las Vegas. In what should prove to be a simple enough fight for Mayweather, the step up in weight may be a signal of intent to fight Ronald Wright in the future, rather than staying at Welterweight and fighting Hatton or Margarito. Also this week

Also this week an all British cruiser weight championship seems to be in the making. Johnny Nelson says he is ready to take on Welsh man Enzo Maccarinelli. The Welsh man is fresh off the back of a big KO of Marcelo Dominguez. The fight, originally scheduled for July was cancelled after Nelson damaged his knee. Joe Calzaghe’s belated return to ring may be against Clinton Woods. Calzaghe hasn’t fought since his demolition of Jeff Lacy. Woods has offered Calzaghe £1.5 million pound to step up to light heavy weight for the fight. It looks like Manny Pacquiao is the hottest property in boxing once again this week. As report at WBF last week, Pacquiao and Morales have signed to fight for a third time/ Also Marco Antonio Barrera is looking for a fight with him to avenge his KO to Pacquiao. Again this week another name has thrown out a challenge. WBA light weight champion Juan Diaz is keen to fight Pacquiao. The fight may come about after Pacquiao stated that he could easily beat Diaz, who is keen to prove Pac-Man wrong and scupper the plans of one of the best pound for pound fighters out there.

The big fight of last week was undoubtedly the biggest fight of last week was the rematch between Mosley and Vargas. The fight was stopped in the 6th round after Mosley dropped Vargas to the canvas. Check the WBF front page for the full report. On the under card of this fight, Juan Diaz defended his lightweight crown by stopping Randy Suico in the 9th round.
In England earlier this evening. Number one contender to O’Neil Bell, David ‘Hayemaker’ Haye defended his European title via a 12 round decision

Looking forward to next week’s main event. We will See Arturo ‘Thunder’ Gatti face off against WBC welter weight champion Carlos Baldomir. The champion upset ‘Super’ Zab Judah to claim his title earlier this year. In what should be a close fight, it is really up in the air over the winner. Arturo Gatti is nearing the end of his career in my opinion. It could be one of his last chances to challenge for a legitimate world title. As ever, visit WBF for a full fight report shortly after the fight

It’s been a busy week on both the world and domestic scene. The biggest news of all is perhaps the announcement of Morales vs. Pacquiao III. The two men have signed to fight on the 18th November in Las Vegas; the score is currently 1-1 with Pacquiao winning the last outing on a stoppage. It was the first time the Mexican legend, Morales, was knocked out. So this rubber match at 130lbs will settle another great trilogy for Morales and will be remembered alongside the three memorable fights with Marco Antonio Barrera. I see no reason for a different outcome than last time these fighters met, and it may be time for Morales to hang up his gloves on a spectacular career.

The big boys were in town this week as we witnessed the press conference for the heavy weight clash between Samuel Peter and James Toney. As you’d expect with Toney, he played up. He was furious at comments made by the Peter camp and made an attempt to get in the face of his opponent, in the end settled for just throwing a glass of water! This fight is being dubbed ‘no risk, no reward’ For Sam peter he could rocket to the top, whilst Toney is looking to bounce back after a disappointing outing against Hasim Rahman.

This week the WBC made a big change to there cruiserweight rankings. They have installed European champion, and pride of the southeast of England, David ‘Hayemaker’ Haye as their number one contender to O’Neil Bell and his world title. It is fully expected that if Haye can come through his European title defence later this month he will be challenging for the world title before the year is out.
In other news Olympic silver medallist and poster boy of British boxing, Amir Khan, has announced his next opponent. He will face Craig Watson, the only boxer ever to floor Amir Khan. The fight will take place in the autumn in Khans home town of Bolton. Also on the British scene defeated Danny Williams has got the consolation prize after last Saturdays bout with Matt Skelton, he has been made the number one contender for the British Heavyweight title.

It was also revealed today that WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison is out of rehab and back in the gym. Early this year Harrison pulled out of a title defence and was admitted to the Priory Rehab centre. According to Harrison’s father and trainer he will defend his title in the autumn of this year.

There have been a few fights this past week. Cory Spinks won a hard fought Unanimous decision over Roman Karmazin to claim the IBF light middleweight title.

In commonwealth heavyweight action Matt Skelton eased passed Danny Williams in a rematch which may become a world title eliminator. On the same bill Amir Khan stopped his opponent in 2 rounds. Still in England last night Carl Johanneson stopped Billy Corcoran in four rounds to win the British super feather weight title.

This week is a rematch between two of the best light middles in the world face off again. ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley and ‘Ferocious’ Fernando Vargas square of for the second time in a year. Last time out the fight was stopped after Vargas suffered severe swelling above his eye. The fight can be seen on digital television in the UK on Sunday morning at 2am. It should be another corker, and Mosley is in jubilant spirit. And this time he fully expects to knock Vargas out. In what is the pick of the fights this week be sure to visit WBF for a full fight report.

In today’s boxing environment it is easy to be blinded by the bright lights of Las Vegas and New York. Glittering trunks and robes, ever more elaborate entrances. With all this it is easy to let great local fights and fighters of real potential slip under the radar. Being a British based boxing fan I am, as are many others, very excited by some of the fighters on the domestic scene.

So first to Hartlepool where a super bantamweight revolution is beginning. Local lad Michael Hunter has battled his way to recognition from all 4 major sanctioning bodies. 2006 has seen Hunter enter each sanctioning body’s top 10 at super bantam weight. Hunter is the current British, Commonwealth and European champion. He won these titles in a hard fought battle with the much fancied Esham Pickering. Hunter was dropped to the canvas twice before recovering to claim a Split decision. Since this victory Hunter has fought 3 times, twice he stopped his opponent. Victory didn’t come so easy last time out for Hunter. He struggled to find his rhythm against the very aggressive Tuncay Kaya. Despite a bit of a struggle Hunter knocked Kaya out in the 9th.

The big question over Hunter is can he cut it when he steps up and fights some world level fighters. His reputation has taken a bit of a knock after his last outing. Most experts expected Hunter to take out Kaya much more comfortably than he did, and Hunter has shown what might be his Achilles heel. Kaya kept coming at Hunter, constantly throwing shots and forcing him onto the back foot. Hunter was far from comfortable backing up, he took un-necessary shots that may cost him from a heavier hitter. For all these negatives Hunter was able to string together some very nice combos, he was too strong and fast for Kaya, like he was for the other 11men he stopped in 27 fights. So is Hunter ready for the big time? There is talk of him fighting Irelands Bernard Dunne. This fight would provide a real test of Hunters skills, and maybe if the two get together in the ring we will be a bit clearer on both men’s futures. One thing is for sure, every time Michael hunter steps into the ring he fights with heart and bravery. His all out style is sure to excite fight fans worldwide. Even if Hunter does make it to the world title, he will be a hero for his legions of fans in his hometown and across the UK.

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AND NEW! WBA WELTER WEIGHT CHAMPON, RICKY ‘THE HIT MAN’ HATTON.
The words still ringing in the ears of British boxing fans world wide, and with it, a dream come true for the Hitman. It was a hard night’s work for Ricky, but guts, determination and a huge heart dragged him to glory. Maybe out boxed, maybe out gunned, but always fighting he was able to grind out a unanimous points decision over Luis Collazo.

Hatton fought un doubt ably his hardest fight to date, despite scoring a knock down after 15 seconds of the first round he had his hands full with Collazo all night, at points in the fight it seemed as if Hatton had taken on an opponent who was completely dominant. Collazo’s south paw style, and above all his boxing skills enabled him to put some serious punches together and clatter Hatton in the middle rounds. Luis Collazo repeatedly got home to Hatton’s head and body with his right lead; he cracked Hatton with a solid jab-hook combo on many occasions through his dominant middle rounds. Hatton was taking shots, but he was always firing back at the champion. The most decisive moment of the fight came in the final round, after a strong opening minute by Hatton, Collazo landed the best punch of the fight, and he nailed Hatton with a huge left cross that stopped Hatton dead in his tracks, Hatton lights were on, but he had been forcibly evicted from his thoughts.

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Ricky Hatton beat Luis Collazo to become the new WBA welter weight champion last night. In a hard fought bout Hatton scraped home on a unanimous decision. The official score cards read 115-112, 115-112, and 114-113 all in favour of the Hitman. After the fight both seemed confident they had won the fight. Collazo was calling for a rematch and said he would take on Hatton on English soil. It wasn’t a particularly polished, impressive or convincing victory for Hatton, but its job done and a win is a win. Credit must go to the Hitman for taking on a hard fight for his welterweight debut. An exciting few years ahead for the lad from Manchester.

More to follow.

The Golden Boy Oscar De la Hoya’s return to action left him, once again with boxing gold to show he is still a super star of the boxing world. After all the trash talking and disrespect Ricardo Mayorga was firmly put in his place on Saturday night. De la Hoya stopped the Nicaraguan in 6 rounds, dropping him in the 1st round with a vintage left hook. Mayorga tasted the canvas again in the 6th round but showed great heart and courage to beat the count and face a waiting De La Hoya. What followed was simply The Golden Boy hammering Mayorga with every shot in his vast arsenal and the ref was left with no choice but to stop the fight in favour of the new light-middle weight champion.
The fight didn’t go how many expected, despite Oscar being the favourite for the fight most would have been expecting De La Hoya to deal out a boxing lesson over the distance and walk out the new champion. What we saw unfold was Oscar happy to trade with Mayorga and relying on his superior defensive skills to avoid the wide, looping punches thrown by Mayorga. The fight seemed to be taking the road we all expected but in the 3rd round Mayorga showed why he was champion. The slammed an uppercut to De La Hoya’s chin and followed with an overhand right to the head, Mayorga was still in this fight, despite being a little tattered round the edges. After his apparent comeback in the 3rd Mayorga was unable to capitalise and The Golden Boy fought back and probably took the round. From here Oscar was cruising, he was landing almost at will and his power was defiantly having an effect on Mayorga who was looking more and more like a beaten man. After the knock down in the 6th the end came mercifully fast and no one, especially Mayorga could have any objections to the stoppage.
This fight ended in the way I like to see fights end, im not talking about a blistering KO by an old hero over a loudmouth like Mayorga but that does have its merits! Im referring to the respect Ricardo had to show De La Hoya after the fight, the two fighters embraced and it seemed genuine that despite all that was said, Oscar De La Hoya had gained the respect of his opponent, I know all of us watch a sport at its simplest level is 2 men knocking lumps off each other, but I for one feel sportsmanship and genuine respect between participants is something our sport needs.
So what next? Oscar says he wants one more super fight, and one name is being thrown around more often than not is that of supposed pound for pound King Floyd Mayweather Jr. If this fight was to come of it would be the super fight Oscar is talking about, with virtually limitless money making potential. But no one has made more money outside of the heavyweight division than Oscar De La Hoya, so does he really need another fight? He could retire with the ghost of the Bernard Hopkins perhaps buried by this win and go out a champion. But that is why I think Oscar will fight again, because he is a champion and a farewell victory over Mayweather would cement his name in the boxing hall of fame as a serious contender for the all time top 10 pound for pound list.

The dust has begun to settle after the IBF welterweight championship fight, and the boxing world is a little clearer to whom the man is in the hottest contested division in boxing today. Floyd Mayweather eased to a comfortable unanimous decision after a shaky opening 4 rounds. After being knocked down by Judah we saw Mayweather beginning to take control. If Zab had of been able to continue his good work through the fight he may have had his hand raised at the end of the fight. But Floyd Mayweather isn’t considered p4p the greatest boxer today for nothing, he was able to read Judah’s rhythm and style and adjust his game plan accordingly. Perhaps what would unfold in the 10th round was out of pure desperation on the part of Judah

The real controversy occurred in the 10th round. As all that have seen the fight, or read about it Zab Judah reinvented ‘the old one – two’ He landed a huge upper cut into Mayweather’s groin and followed it with a rabbit punch. This sparked ugly scenes that may just stain boxing’s reputation for a long time. So, as you would expect Mayweather reels back in great pain and looks like he may be struggling to recover from such a blow, which is understandable! A raging Roger Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle and trainer, runs into the ring and attacks Zab Judah which led to members of both corner, along with numerous police officers to enter the ring. Reports vary to what happened during this melee, they range from Roger Mayweather landing a punch on Judah and then choking him to Judah landing punches on Roger Mayweather. All in all we witnessed some very ugly scenes.
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Hatton Vs Collazo May 13th in the Boston Garden, British Light Welter weight king Ricky ‘The Hit Man’ Hatton will step up a weight class to fight Luis Collazo for his WBA welterweight crown. This fight is Hatton’s first long awaited fight on American soil, and it shows he is keen to fulfill his word that he is looking for bigger and better fights after the comprehensive KO of Carlos Maussa late last year.

This fight however should not be written off as Hatton’s next step towards world recognition; in Collazo he fights a slick, rangy southpaw who is more capable of giving Hatton a hard nights work, in this year of boxing upsets many believe this could be another.
Collazo is coming into this fight with a record of 26(12)-1-0 he won a split decision to win the WBA version of the welterweight crown in early 2005 from much favoured Jose Antonio Rivera. He would then go onto to successfully defend his title against Miguel Angel Gonzalez. He won by a TKO when Gonzalez failed to come out for the 8th round and his corner threw in the towel signaling the end of the bout. Luis Collazo is one of boxing’s best-kept secrets, but the stage is set for him to announce him self as a really player in the welterweight division.

Ricky Hatton loved by all in his home country and none more so than his hometown of Manchester. In early 2005, in front of his home fans Ricky Hatton retired boxing legend Kosta Tsyzu on his stool before the 11th round and confirmed himself as a true world-class fighter. Since claiming the IBF light welterweight crown he has KO’d Carlos Maussa to gain the WBA version of the belt and with this announced himself as the king in a hotly contested Light welterweight division. Hatton’s perfect 40-0-0 fight record will be tested come may 13th but I for one believe Hatton will take another big step to writing his own place in modern boxing legend.

This fight can be considered a ‘boxer Vs fighter’, which has made so many classic bouts in the past, the slick styling of Collazo Vs the aggression and pressure of Hatton. We have seen in his past fights that Hatton is a pressure fighter; he throws countless punches and has a devastating left hook to the body. Collazo is the taller of the two fighters and has a longer reach, he considers himself a pure boxer so expect him to try to stay on the outside of Hatton and attempt to counter his rushing attacks.

Many believe that a man who posses solid boxing skills will be able to pick Hatton off and give him a sound beating. As we have seen Hatton is as strong as an ox and has a heart of a lion, along with a bulldog spirit! When in the ring he loves nothing more than a good old fashioned tear up, his inside fighting is incredible, his de habilitating left hook will cause Collazo problems all night long. Due to his opponents size Hatton will have a lot of body to aim for and I believe it is Hatton’s bodywork that will slow Collazo and set him up for the knock out. Hatton’s major problem is he is so susceptible to cuts, he suffered two wide cuts over each eye during the Maussa fight and had to have surgery to repair the damage.

These cuts were caused by head clashes possibly from Hatton’s bull-rush attacks on Maussa, this is something Hatton must avoid at all costs, a severe cut could spell the end of the fight for the Hit-Man if Collazo is able to target the cuts and worsen them.

All in all Ricky Hatton is the bookies favourite for this fight, but it certainly isn’t a one sided affair. It is a true test for both fighters, and fans of boxing everywhere will be hoping for a classic between two champions. If the fight lives up to expectations, there will only be one winner and that is the sport of boxing.