Archive for the ‘Boxing’ Category

Kelly Pavlik has signed a contract extension with Bob Arum and Top Rank Promotions.  The details are still unknown but the beef of the agreement is that Pavlik will remain with Top Rank until at least 2011.  Pavlik was quoted by the Youngstown Vindicator as saying, “I was brought up the right way, I’ve been with Top Rank for going on 10 years now and we’ve had a good working relationship.  I wanted to give them the first chance in negotiations and they came back with a good offer “.

Top Rank and Don King are the two big players in the sport and I can’t see Pavlik under the poisonous eyes of Don King.  I am happy that this deal went through and I am pretty sure that Kelly is being forthright about being loyal to Top Rank.  They were there for his rise to stardom and he has delivered for Arum.

Arum will now turn his attention to rescheduling a Pavlik vs Sergio Mora fight sometime in September if all goes as planned.  Look for the Kelly Pavlik vs Arthur Abraham fight to get pushed into march or April of 2010.  Pavlik is ready to roll and is anxious to start training again.

The Kelly Pavlik vs Sergio Mora fight was supposed to take place on June 27 in Atlantic City.  Pavlik management has said that their fighter has an infection and will not get to train enough to be ready for that particular date.  The two sides were close to finalizing a contract last week when talks were put on hold due to Pavlik’s injury.

I’m not sure what this does to the proposed November 7 fight against Arthur Abraham in New York City.  The Pavlik-Mora fight might be rescheduled for September which would obviously put the Arthur Abraham fight into 2010. 

One thing I am sure about is that Jack Loew will not rush his fighter into a match unless he is 100%, which obviously Pavlik is not right now.  Loew made that point clear in an interview I conducted with him last month.  You can see the entire Jack Loew interview from Paneech.com.

I will post more information on this turn of events as it becomes available.

Now that Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather has announced he is back, fans are hoping once he destroys Marquez this Summer he will sign a contract with Manny Pacquiao.  Unfortunately, the measuring stick is Ricky Hatton.  It’s hard not to like Hatton with his legion of drunken singing fans, but he was outclassed in both fights.  In fact, he is probably still hurting from Saturday’s mismatch against Pac-Man.

Floyd Mayweather walked away on top saying there was nobody left to beat, nothing left to accomplish, and that he had enough money for five lifetimes of overindulgence.  Well, either he is broke, bored, or feels he must beat Manny Pacquiao to cement his legacy.  I am going to say it is a combination of the three.

Pacquiao could care less as to why Mayweather is coming back, but he probably wants to sign a contract by 6:30 tonight.  Pacquiao is the real deal, and it only took him two rounds to dispose of Hatton.

I have heard a November date is being targeted for this dream fight.  I wouldn’t be so sure if it spilled over into early 2010 as both guys are going to want a fortune and percentage of the purse will be argued for awhile.  The bout would almost have to be on pay-per-view due to the demand there will be and the money needed for these two worlds to collide.

First prediction you will see for this fight!  I am going with Pacquiao simply because he is active and in top form now.  Mayweather hasn’t fought since December of 2007 unless you count Wrestlemania 24 and is not in “game shape” right now.  Manny Pacquiao will win by TKO in ten rounds.

Manny Pacquiao represents a whole nation of people, and his Phillipino nation are happy to represent him. Conversely, Ricky Hatton represents a culture, that of the party crowd.  East meets West goes off this Saturday night.  Pacquiao is really trying hard to speak better English as witnessed in the above clip.  He laughs uncontrollably when he shouldn’t and answers the questions not too badly.  Ricky Hatton, to me, has the greatest fans in boxing.  They sing the Ricky Hatton song (below) no matter what is going on in the fight.  Against Floyd Mayweather, Hatton was being pummeled in the corner before the fight ended and you hear these drunken fans singing the song.  A few of them bring musical instruments and they make noise and drink more than any other group of fans I know.

I think Pacquiao is too good to lose this fight.  Hatton will try to rough up Pacquiao in the early rounds because that is how he always fights.  The only chance I think Hatton has of winning is if he can land a big shot early on and get the knockout.  Pacquiao is just too fundamentally sound.

My prediction:  Manny Pacquiao by TKO in the 9th.

Big Tip of The Hat To NESW Sports

Finally!  I am happy to present my interview with Jack Loew.  Loew is the trainer of Kelly Pavlik.  Loew also trained Billy Lyell for his upset win over John Duddy last Friday. 

In this piece, Loew talks about his stable of fighters and who to watch for.  Why the Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik fight should have been cancelled, steroids in boxing, what is in the future for Kelly Pavlik, and why he is having so much fun doing what he does.  Loew also discusses why the Pavlik camp wants Arthur Abraham so bad, as well as a potential Joe Calzaghe fight down the road.

Big shouts go out to Bud and Paula McLaughlin at Lifetime Video, and to Isaac from The World of Isaac  who helped me get the video online!
Watch Interview with Jack Loew in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Niles, Ohio native Billy Lyell beat John Duddy Friday night in a split decision.  The judges who scored the close fight were Tommy Kaczmarak (97-93 Lyell), Lawrence Layton (96-94 Duddy), and John Stewart (98-92 Lyell).  The huge upset vindicates Jack Loew who was accused earlier in the week of using the Lyell fight to scout Duddy for a potential future fight with Kelly Pavlik.  Looks like Jack Loew already had him pretty well scouted.

Lyell improved to 19-7 and has finally gotten a win which he can build on.  Duddy, 26-1, 17 KO’s was criticized for trying to box more than land big punches, which were his bread and butter in the past.  Loew was quick to point out that Lyell had eight full weeks to prepare for this fight and that the hard work paid off in a big way. 

Personally, I am thrilled that Lyell beat Duddy because it not only boosts him into the top 15, but saves all of us having to watch Pavlik dispose of Duddy.  I am also particularly happy for Jack Loew, who proved to his critics that he is not a one trick pony.

My interview with Loew will be hitting the website no later than Wednesday.

Good news Kelly Pavlik fans!  Arthur Abraham and his group are coming to the states to meet with Top Rank and Kelly Pavlik’s management group to negotiate a potential fall bout between the two.  Details are still a bit sketchy, but both will have a must win tune-up fight before their potential meeting in The Big Apple. 

Kelly Pavlik wants to unify the middleweight championship belts and Abraham holds one of the two remaining pieces.  Abraham is recognized by the IBF as it’s middleweight champion.  The last remaining title belongs to Felix Sturm, who is the WBA champion.  Pavlik has said many times that it is his goal before moving up in weight to unify all of the belts and to be recognized as the best middleweight by all of the major boxing organizations.

Bob Arum, the voice of Top Rank Promotions, is quick to point out that nothing is set in stone yet but if both sides can agree that the fight will probably take place in New York City in either October or November.  Arum also said that the fight would be broadcast by HBO or Showtime.

Pavlik is expected to fight Sergio Mora, a former WBA champion, this summer in Atlantic City.  Abraham is also going to line up a summer fight with an opponent, possibly with Vernon Forrest.  Abraham defeated Lajuan Simon in a 12 round decision on March 14.

The two fighters share a common opponent, Edison Miranda.  Abraham fought Miranda last summer in Florida and won in the fourth round.  Pavlik stopped Miranda in 2007 on his way to Jermaine Taylor.  The Miranda fight was the only time Abraham has fought in The United States.  Conversely, going overseas has pretty much been ruled out by Team Pavlik.   Jack Loew, Pavlik’s trainer was quoted as saying, “the only way to win a fight over there is to have your opponent carried out on a stretcher“.  Loew has seen and heard too many times of controversial decisions favoring the foreign champions.  Location was the sticking point all along, but hopefully, New York will end up being the site for the potential matchup.

Abraham is 29-0 with 23 KO’s.  He is a respectable boxer and Pavlik acknowledges the dangers of facing him.  I don’t think there are too many marquee names on Abraham’s resume.  If I had a crystal ball and the ability to draw up a scenario, I would want Abraham to fight Felix Sturm first to eliminate the extra hurdle for Pavlik.  However, by fighting Abraham, a demand will be created to fight Sturm, if Pavlik is indeed victorious, to set up complete title unification.

I will be interviewing Jack Loew, Kelly Pavlik’s trainer in the next couple of weeks and there will be video footage of that interview right here on Paneech.com.

I had the pleasure of growing up in the Youngstown, Ohio area to witness the careers of some of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport. Kelly Pavlik is still providing the excitement. But the names of Roland Cummings, Jeff Lampkin, and Harry Arroyo, have held a spotlight in the national boxing picture at some point. Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini was a huge success in the eighties. His career was filled many happy moments, as well as tragedy that no one can wish for.

Ray inherited the name “Boom Boom“ from his father Lenny. The elder Mancini was a top-ranked contender in the 1940’s. Lenny suffered injuries which prevented him from regaining his status while serving the United States of America in WWII. Lenny got Ray involved in boxing at a young age and had him training in gyms to prepare for what he would be the best at. After a great amateur career, Ray turned pro in 1978.

Because of his “in your face” aggressive style, Mancini was an instant hit with boxing fans and the media. Anyone who watches the first round of Mancini vs Arturo Frias will clearly understand how much heart Ray brought to the ring. This is probably one of the single greatest rounds of boxing ever fought. Both fighters connected with almost every punch and by the end of that round they both looked like they had just went 15 rounds.

Mancini fought the legendary Alexis Arguello for the WBC lightweight title. Ray was taking it to Arguello in the first half of the fight and was ahead on the cards. However, by the end of the fight, the crafty Arguello’s experience proved to be too much for a game Boom Boom. It was mancini’s first loss as a professional.

Mancini won the WBA lightweight championship from Rudy “The Jet” Carmona in 1982. Mancini got rocked just fifteen seconds into round one but regained his composure and really let loose on Carmona forcing the ref to halt the contest. He defended that title against Ernesto Espana with a sixth round TKO.

On November 13, 1982, Mancini fought Duk Koo Kim. Kim had problems makind the weight for the fight and was severely dehydrated before the fight. After 14 rounds of punishment the fight ended with Mancini named the winer. Duk Koo Kim sustained severe brain injuries during the fight and died five days after the fight. Kim’s mother committed suicide four months later, and the ref for the fight, Richard Green also killed himself in July of 1983. Mancini was never the same fighter or person, holding himself responsible for the death of Kim. A few years later, the WBC and WBA shortened title fights to twelve rounds as part of the fallout from this tragedy.

Mancini tried to regroup and defeated George Feeney, a British champion, in a lackluster ten round decision. He next fought Mexican folk hero Bobby Chacon on HBO. Mancini made short work of Chacon who only lasted three rounds with Boom Boom.

In June of 1984, Mancini lost a slugfest to Livingstone Bramble. After the first Bramble fight Ray needed 71 stitches around one of his eyes. In the rematch, Mancini lost a unanimous decision by one point on each of the judges scorecards. Mancini was coaxed back to face Greg Haugen, but had clearly lost his form and constant aggression, losing to Haugen in six rounds.

Mancini officially retired in 1982, finishing his career with a 29-5 record, racking up 23 KO’s along the way.Besides being an analyst for Celebrity Boxing, Mancini has gotten very involved in the production of films in California. Ray has not forgotten where he came from and follows the career of Kelly Pavlik very closely. He still has family in Youngstown and visits the area when he can. His legacy has seen a rare pendulum swing of the best and worst things life has to offer, yet he has still been able to succeed and be a role model to so many.