David Haye Backs Out Of A Deal To Fight Vitali Klitschko!

After months of calling Wladimir Klitschko "chicken" and other disrespectful names, David Haye has outdone himself once again. It began with Haye backing out of a proposed (and done deal) fight with Wladimir; Haye claimed he had a back injury. Fair enough.

David Haye's latest stunt came recently, when he back doored Vitali Klitschko, signing to fight Valuev at the last minute! Vitali Klitschko and Haye were set to face each other September 19. Who's the chicken? Who's the one running scared?

I thought David Haye was a fresh face, who would bring excitement back to the heavyweight division. So far he has brought a mouth - nothing more. David Haye has yet to prove himself at heavyweight. He had an opportunity to fight both Klitschkos, and he blew it.

Full Fight - Lennox Lewis vs. Vitali Klitschko

Eddie Chambers Beats Alexander Dimitrenko

Heavyweight contender, Eddie Chambers beat Alexander Dimitrenko by majority decision in Germany Saturday, to inch his way ever closer to a match-up with WladimirKlitschko and/or Wladimir's brother, Vitali.

Eddie Chambers came into the fight leaner than ever before, weighing 209 pounds. He also looked better than ever before by knocking down Alexander Dimitrenko twice, ultimately to win by what SHOULD have been a UD (one judge scored the fight a draw).

If ever there was a blue print of how to beat the giant Wladimir Klitschko, Eddie Chambers drew it when he beat Alexander Dimitrenko. Dimitrenko is no Klitschko, but they both share height and reach; Chambers was able to get inside of Dimitrenko at will it seemed.

This win marks Chamber's 5th in a row. Before facing Dimitrenko, Eddie Chambers beat Samuel Peter in impressive fashion.

Eddie Chambers definitely put himself into the top contender mix after beating Samuel Peter - and now Dimitrenko. Chambers says he wants to stay busy before facing Wladimir Klitschko. Unlike David Haye, Chambers has the right attitude.

Before Eddie Chambers challenges Wladimir Klitschko for the top man in the division-title, I'd like to see him re-match the man who last beat him, Aleksander Povetkin. Eddie has made enough improvements lately that if the re-match happens with Povetkin, I'd pick him to win.

Has American boxing finally got a heavyweight fighter to rest their hope in? It is too early to tell - but Chambers looks promising, and I think, is the top American heavyweight prospect of the lot.

Boxing Lost A Piece Of Itself - Alexis Arguello Dies

A sad day for boxing. Nicaraguan boxing legend Alexis Arguello was found dead in his home yesterday. He reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself through the heart. He fought a lot of demons inside the squared circle. For Arguello, it was no different outside of the ring.

Another sad ending, another tragedy for boxing and a man gone before his time. Alexis Arguello will be missed but not forgotten.

RIP champ.

Wladimir Klitschko Before He Became A Safety-First Fighter

A Look Back: Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr.

November 2008: Two ring legends, Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Jr. gave boxing fans a memory they wont soon forget. Although half of the fight was more like an exhibition bout and the fight itself took place about 8 years too late, it still was exciting to see both men share the ring together. And the fight let us piece the puzzle together on what (most likely) would have happened had these two fighters met in November of 2000.

I was expecting Joe Calzaghe to come into the fight and dominate. He did dominate, but not in the way I expected; I was thinking more along the lines of him knocking Roy Jones Jr. out early, or in the mid-rounds.

The first round was full of drama with Roy Jones Jr. showing superior speed in the center of the ring - he also had more snap on his punches. He knocked Joe Calzaghe down towards the end of the first. Definitely a surprise to me.

The second round saw Calzaghe fully recuperated from the first round knock down, but Roy Jones Jr. was still landing clean, crisp punches. In my view, Jones took the first 2 rounds.

The tide turned in the third round as Joe Calzaghe dominated Roy Jones against the ropes and in the center of the ring.

Round four was more of the same; Calzaghe throwing and landing more punches.

Round 5 was a close round to score and could have gone either way. Both men had moments. I personally scored it for Roy Jones Jr. on his cleaner, harder punches.

Round 6 was clearly Joe Calzaghe's round, even though he got hit with a monstrous uppercut at the tail end of the round. If Calzaghe didn't have such a good chin, I doubt he would have been standing after that punch.

Round 7 was an interesting round; Roy Jones Jr. started to jab Calzaghe. And he was troubling Calzaghe as he tried to get inside. Jones mixed it up - you could almost see the wheels turning inside Calzaghe's head. After Jones landed effective jabs to keep Joe at bay, Calzaghe landed a couple of straight left hands which opened a cut above Jones' left eye. After suffering the cut, it was all down hill for Roy.

The remainder of the fight was all Joe Calzaghe, as he cruised to a UD.

I take nothing away from Calzaghe. It was an impressive win for him - after all, he was 36 years old himself. But let's not lose sight of the fact that Jones was not being blown out of the water until AFTER he sustained that cut. I doubt Roy would have won had he not suffered the cut, but I believe the fight would have been much more competitive.

Roy Jones Jr., even at age 39 had the quicker single shots and the crisper, harder, cleaner punches on the night. Calzaghe was faster with flurries and foot work.

Which leads me to my conclusion: Prime for prime, Roy Jones Jr. wins by a wide UD. Roy Jones Jr. was simply too fast for Joe Calzaghe, at any time in his career (watch the first 7 rounds of Calzaghe-Jones to see what I'm talking about).

Whatever the case, both fighters gave us an opportunity to see their styles clash. At least they fought; better late than never.

Both fighters will undoubtedly be inducted into the boxing hall of fame.

Full Fight Of Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr.

Arthur Abraham Wins Via 10-Round KO

Arthur Abraham defended his title for the 10th time, as he disposed of his challenger, Mahir Oral, knocking him down 5 times, ultimately getting the stoppage in round 10.

Arthur Abraham dominated throughout and looked as good as ever.

Abraham has a few options on the table for him; he can face Carl Froch, or Kelly Pavlik. I'd rather see Pavlik vs. Abraham at middleweight. This fight has been discussed quite a bit these last couple of years. I see Pavlik vs. Abraham as a 50/50 fight. Both have the power to hurt each other. My early prediction favors Kelly Pavlik though, as he has the better jab, longer reach and is the better technical boxer.

We'll see where the talks go in the next few weeks. If there is one downside to the sport of boxing, it is that negotiations for bouts between top fighters in each weight class can be painstakingly slow. . . as we have seen over the years.

Amazing, Memorable & Funny Boxing Moments

Don't forget to check out the youtube link I have posted below for some laughs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTHXIZzCKBc

Mayweather vs. Marquez Is Back On For September 19

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Juan Manuel Marquez is officially back on. The bout is rescheduled for September 19.

After being cleared to fight by his doctor, Mayweather said, "I am relieved to be cleared to fight as I was already looking forward to getting back into the ring.

"Trust me, 19 September is a great weekend for boxing, and all of my fans, of which there are many Mexicans too, can certainly hold on to their hats and sombreros when I get back into the ring and show them what they have been missing these past 18 months. I will destroy Marquez and reclaim my rightful place as boxing's pound-for-pound king all in one night."

I'm glad the fight is back on, although I must disagree with Mayweather on one point; if Floyd is to reclaim boxing's number one pound-for-pound spot, he must first beat Manny Pacquiao. Defeating Juan Manuel Marquez, on his first trip to the ring in over a year would be impressive for Mayweather - no doubt about it. But it wont put him above Manny Pacquiao.

Marquez had this to say about the rescheduled bout with Mayweather: "I am happy that Mayweather has been cleared to fight and we can get down to business. This weekend is not just an important weekend for boxing, but even more so for all of the Mexican and Mexican-American people I will be fighting for."

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez - September 19 - let the hype resume!

Vitali Klitschko Has Three Options Open For Him

Vitali Klitschko recently told The Daily Star
that he is interested in fighting David Haye, Chris Arreola or Nikolay Valuev.

Personally, I would like to see Vitali Klitschko go the route of David Haye. If that fight does not materialize, then hopefully it's Chris Arreola.

Both David Haye and Chris Arreola would be interesting match-ups, more so than the lumbering Valuev. Haye and Arreola would also be better opposition for Vitali in my estimation. Although, it would be fun to watch the giant, Valuev get knocked out. I guess heavyweight boxing fans can't go wrong.

In other news, David Haye is okay to come back September or October.

Dana White Is Bad For The UFC (Thankfully)

Dana White, current President of the most successful MMA organization, UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), has irreparably damaged the sport's credibility, with his greed and child-like behavior. Dana White is everything a President of any organization should not be - unprofessional, greedy and immature. He can be seen on a weekly basis via his video blog - or while doing an interview - continuously dropping the F-bomb, going off on tirades against ex-fighters, or discussing the inner-workings (intimate business details) of the UFC. The organization that his long time friends built, the Fertitta brothers, is managed more like the WWE than a professional sports league.

I first caught a glimpse of Dana White's antics a few years ago when he was publicly feuding with long time UFC fighter, and fan favorite, Tito Ortiz. Dana White would go on television and bad mouth Tito Ortiz. Admittedly, Tito didn't help squash the beef between the t
wo - but when you are the President of a multi-million dollar sports organization, it is very unbecoming to see someone who is supposed to set an example, stoop to the level of his employee.

Dana White's latest gaffe came on April 1, 2009, when he went off on a tirade against MMA sportswriter, Loretta Hunt. White's video blog which featured the rant against Hunt, was pulled shortly after from the UFC channel on YouTube, but can still be seen in all it's glory via other members' YouTube channels.

Mixed Martial Arts is a growing sport; it has grown quite significantly these last few years, here in America, and in the United Kingdom - but it's credibility has been damaged thanks to Dana White and his antics. If MMA is to become as big as most fans of the sport want it to become, the Fertitta brothers ought to replace Dana White with someone professional. They should replace White with someone who would not run the organization like a Jerry Springer show.

With all that said, MMA will always take a back seat to boxing; it simply cannot create the excitement that boxing creates. MMA can co-exist with boxing, but MMA will always be boxing's little brother.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fight Pictures

Jim Lampley Quotes

"You know, we - we start with a mentality that we'll take a sports project if its good. And we're certainly not on the lookout for them, because to be honest we don't have to. They walk in the door."

"We're way too much the same person, Larry. I mean, you know, way too much the same person. We have basically the same attitudes, desires, drives. And we see ourselves the same way."

"We're both accustomed to being the center of attention. We're both accustomed to being spoiled by the people around us. And we don't expect to have to compete with somebody for all of that."

"If he's chasing the full restoration of his legacy, he's chasing something that he really can't get."

"I've never seen a truly great fighter get knocked onto the ropes unconscious... knocked out cold before... and I saw Roy Jones get knocked out twice in a row."

"I'm actually the daytime host of the Olympics on NBC."

"I think there was a sense that the impact was being lost because the audience was so familiar with the form. You combine that with people's attention spans, which are clearly conditioned to be shorter now, and there's a need to vary the paradigm."

"I met Roy's father once... And I think that Roy's relationship with his father is still at the heart of what Roy does. But at the end of the day, he's trying to prove himself to a father he'll never really please."

"Do I fear for Roy's safety? Absolutely. How could you watch him lie still on the canvas for such a long time after getting knocked out by Glen Johnson, watch his feet quiver like that, and not be concerned? He couldn't be any worse than he was against Glen Johnson. I don't rule out that he could beat Antonio Tarver. I just don't think it's worth taking the risk. I would prefer not to see him get hit in the head again."

"Everybody in my generation loved Muhammad Ali. What a horrid task to have to take on."

Wladimir Klitschko Dominates Ruslan Chagaev

Wladimir Klitschko dominated Ruslan Chagaev, every minute of every round. Wlad's torpedo-like jab was on display again, as he hammered Chagaev throughout the bout. Ruslan's corner put an end to his misery and stopped the fight at the end of round 9.

It was another bore-fest of a fight hosted by Wlad. Wladimir Klitschko is probably too skilled for his own good; he dropped Ruslan early in the fight and it seemed he could have stopped Chagaev anytime he wanted, after round 4. But he didn't. In typical Wlad fashion, it was the jab, followed by the right hand, over and over again. Ruslan was a stand-still punching bag made for target practice, yet Wlad didn't seize the initiative.

I now know why HBO refused to put this fight on their network. If HBO had any sense, they would refuse to broadcast any fight that involves Wladimir, minus David Haye.

I am not saying Wladimir Klitschko is devoid of talent; he has a lot of talent. I am saying that he is God-awful boring to watch. Wladimir, with his size, speed and skill, should be destroying heavyweights; getting them out of there early, instead of torturing us with his monotinus one-twos and safety first approach.

If there was one thing I was impressed with tonight, it was Ruslan Chagaev's chin.

Wlad is now the ring champion.

I wonder if David Haye watched tonight's fight? I'm sure he did - and I hope he's feeling guilty and at least 50 percent responsible for subjecting us to the Klitschko-Chagaev fight.

Jean Pascal Beats Adrian Diaconu By UD

Jean Pascal, after having been beat by Carl Froch, goes on to decision Adrian Diaconu in an exciting 12-round bout. Pascal won by UD.

Adrian Diaconu got dropped in round 5; he would get up to finish the fight - and make it a good one at that. This fight saw decent back and forth action. No doubt that both men have been elevated by their gutsy performances.

This was the first loss of Adrian Diaconu's career. It's back to the drawing board for him

As for Jean Pascal; maybe a rematch with Carl Froch is in his future.

Mike Tyson Quotes

"I just want to conquer people and their souls."

"I have some pain I'm gonna have for the rest of my life. So every now and then I kick your f**king ass."

"I can sell out Madison Square Garden masturbating."

"I like the British bikes. I like British people. They're real mellow."

"I guess I'm gonna fade into Bolivian."

"I'm just a dark guy from a den of iniquity. A dark shadowy figure from the bowels of iniquity. I wish I could be Mike who gets an endorsement deal. But you can't make a lie and a truth go together. This country wasn't built on moral fiber. This country was built on rape, slavery, murder, degradation and affiliation with crime."

"The one thing I know, everyone respects the true person and everyone's not true with themselves. All of these people who are heroes, these guys who have been lily white and clean all their lives, if they went through what I went through, they would commit suicide. They don't have the heart that I have. I've lived places they can't defecate in."

"I'm not Mother Teresa. But I'm also not Charles Manson!"

"Fear is your best friend or your worst enemy. It's like fire. If you can control it, it can cook for you; it can heat your house. If you can't control it, it will burn everything around you and destroy you. If you can control your fear, it makes you more alert, like a deer coming across the lawn."

"At times, I come across as crude or crass, that irritates you when I come across like a Neanderthal or a babbling idiot at times. But I like to be that person. I like to show you all that person because that's who you come to see."

"All praise is to Allah, I'll fight any man, any animal, if Jesus were here I'd fight him too."

“I want to throw down your kid and stomp on his testicles, and then you will know what it is like to experience waking up everyday as me. And only then will you feel my pain.”

"You gentlemen have no idea what it's like to be myself, no idea what it's like. I'm not interested in being humiliated anymore."

"If I take this camera and put it in your face for 20 years, I don't know what you might be. You might be a homosexual if I put that camera on you since you were 13 years old. I've been on that camera since I was 13 years old."

"I never saw my mother happy with me and proud of me for doing something: She only knew me as being a wild kid running the streets, coming home with new clothes that she knew I didn't pay for. I never got a chance to talk to her or know about her. Professionally, it has no effect, but it's crushing emotionally and personally."

"How dare these boxers challenge me with their primitive skills? It makes me angry. They're just as good as dead."

"My power is discombobulatingly devastating I could feel is muscle tissues collapse under my force. It's ludicrous these mortals even attempt to enter my realm."

"Without discipline, no matter how good you are, you are nothing! One day, and I might not be around; you're going to meet a tough guy who takes your best shot. He'll keep coming because he's tough. Don't get discouraged. That's when the discipline comes in."

"You have to understand, Frank Bruno would not have been champion if I had not been in prison. Oliver McCall would not have been champion if I had not been in prison. A lot of these guys would not have been champion. Michael Moorer would not have been champion. Those guys would not have been champion if I had been around. They would have had no legacy. None of those guys would have had a legacy."

"I would have been in shape. I would have been active. Holyfield, those guys wouldn't have been champion when I was around, but I went away for four or five years inactive and that made them competitive for a time."

"There are nine million people who see me in the ring and hate my guts. Most of them are white. That's okay. Just spell my name right."

"One morning I woke up and found my favorite pigeon, Julius, had died I was devastated and was gonna use his crate as my stickball bat to honor him. I left the crate on my stoop and went in to get something and I returned to see the sanitation man put the crate into the crusher. I rushed him and caught him flush on the temple with a titanic right hand he was out cold, convulsing on the floor like a infantile retard."

"I paid a worker at New York's zoo to re-open it just for me and Robin. When we got to the gorilla cage there was 1 big silverback gorilla there just bullying all the other gorillas. They were so powerful but their eyes were like an innocent infant. I offered the attendant $10,000 to open the cage and let smash that silverback's snotbox! He declined."

"You're sweet. I'm going to make sure you kiss me good with those big lips. I'm gonna make you my girlfriend."

"Lennox Lewis, I'm coming for you man. My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!"

"My main objective is to be professional but to kill him."

Larry Merchant Quotes

“Only fighting each other could have brought that much effort out, at a time in their careers when fighters, given all the punches that had landed on them, generally don't want to go that far.”

“He had long ago established he wasn't just another pretty face, but it was a reminder of what was going on inside his body while he was entertaining us.”

“Everyone remembers Ali afterwards could hardly get off his stool because of the effort he gave.”

“It was the third fight. They had both been beaten. If the fight was as significant as it may seem in hindsight, it wouldn't have been held in Manila. It would have been the Thrilla in Chicago.”

“Frazier was never the same after his first fight with Ali. He fought the best fight of his career in that fight.”

“I don't think that boxing historians have been able to find a case in which a great fighter, or a fighter presumed to be a great fighter, came to such an ignominious end.”

“It's hard to break through the clutter of fighters out there trying to get attention.”

“I haven't seen Johnson enough in the past to know, but he's a guy who's fought all these years, 16 years, finally gets a title, he's fighting for his biggest payday, he's still fighting back in occasional flurries, just as Jimmy Garcia did when he fought Gabe Ruelas. So he was still fighting back, Every time he went back to the corner he seemed to be going slower and slower. In fact I did mention after the eighth, ninth round that he sorta wobbled onto his stool. So the signs were there and it's in the hands of the referee.”

“The thorough bred against a clamor, or rather the Porsche vs. the pickup truck.”

“There are too many governing bodies. They're all corrupt. I think they have replaced the old Mobsters with the kind of 'corporate rule' of boxing.”

“Follow the wisdom of the great actor, James Cagney, you hit your mark, you look the other guy in the eye, and you tell the truth.”

“I think it all depends on how good this fight is. I don't know how to rank it. If this turns out to be a dramatic fight and Roy wins, people will look back at all three (in a fond way). But he has to win in a theatrical way. That would make it a great trilogy, maybe.”

“He's so good, you wonder what's wrong with him.”

"Maybe he won't look like a guy who's been eating too many of those airplane cinnamon buns."

Lampley: "will the seething undercurrent of the buildup now be reflected in what we see in the ring?"

Merchant: "probably. sure. because mayorga is a rude, crude dude in the ring as well as outside. in a sense, what we have here is class warfare with boxing gloves....mayorga looks at him as a hated slumlord, and oscar is coming to collect the rent"

"Chris Byrd has two punches - pitty and pat."

"Peter comes from the old school of swing in case you hit something."

"Castillo used his hands more when he was making his way from Cuba to Florida."

"He had a Michael Richards kind of bad day."

"That whale was just harpooned."

"You can see the colors of Ghana on Jantuah's trunks and robe. Bright, vibrant colors. You can take the boy out of the tropics, but sometimes, you can't take the tropics out of the boy"

"Despite the reality of what goes on inside the ring, the business of boxing is based on illusion. And if you want an example, I'll give you an example. The last big fight that Mike Tyson won was against Michael Spinks fifteen years ago."

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Injured!

Floyd Mayweather Jr's July 18 bout with Juan Manuel Marquez is postponed. Mayweather injured his rib during training camp.

There have been rumors that Floyd didn't really injure himself and the cancellation of the fight is due to bad pre-fight ticket sales. But that's only speculation. No news yet on whether the fight will be rescheduled, or if it will be rescheduled at all.

This summer was shaping up to be a memorable time for boxing fans; first David Haye, now Mayweather Jr.

Wladimir Klitschko To Fight Ruslan Chagaev

It looks like Wladimir Klitschko will go ahead and fight undefeated, Ruslan Chagaev June 20, instead of waiting around for David Haye.

David Haye's manager has no qualms about Wladimir Klitschko's decision to not wait around for his fighter to get healthy.

David Haye is shooting for a match-up against Vitali Klitschko, in September.