Hernandez stops Anchondo in fourth round

Freddy Hernandez remained in the welterweight title hunt with an impressive fourth-round knockout of former junior lightweight titleholder Mike Anchondo on Saturday in Primm, Nev.Anchondo, who had a five-inch height disadvantage, fought aggressively but was too easy to hit and couldn't handle the power in Hernandez's consistent right hand.Hernandez (31-2, 19 knockouts) wobbled Anchondo (30-3, 19 KOs) with a hard right to the chin early in the fourth round and put him down seconds later with barrage of punches. Anchondo got up and was able to hold on for a while but never fully recovered. Referee Robert Byrd ended it at 1:38 with Anchondo taking unanswered punches against the ropes.Hernandez has now had impressive victories in back-to-back fights, having stopped DeMarcus Corley in five rounds in February.The Los Angeles-based Mexican hopes to get a shot at Andre Berto's title, although Berto has been negotiating with Selcuk Aydin for a bout on the Juan Manuel Marquez-Michael Katsidis card on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas.Hernandez, 31, has never fought for a belt.In a preliminary bout, Luis Franco, another Olympian who defected from Cuba last year, defeated Wilton Hilario by a unanimous decision in an eight-round junior lightweight bout.Franco (7-0, 5 KOs) didn't have an easy time against Hilario (12-2-1, 9 KOs), who was warned for repeated head butts and low blows but also never stopped attacking Franco. However, the Cuban withstood the pressure and was always in control.

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Big July coming up for Huck

Inside and outside the ring, July will be a special month for WBO Cruiserweight Champion Marco ?Captain? Huck. The 26-year-old power puncher (32-1, 23 KOs) will make the seventh defence of his title against Hugo Hernan Garay (34-5, 18 KO�s) in Munich on July 16 before getting married two weeks later. ?The next weeks will be huge for me,? he said. ?Of course I want to get married as world champion. That�s why I have to take care of business against Garay.?

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Another day, another lawsuit filed against Floyd Mayweather

For his own self-preservation, Floyd Mayweather may want to come running back to the boxing ring. Fighting Manny Pacquiao isn't a safe proposition, but at least the eight week training camp would keep Floyd away from Las Vegas-area security guards and bouncers.

Mayweather, who is already dealing with two security guard-related incidents, now has another one on his plate.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Floyd's latest legal tussle involves a Las Vegas bouncer:

[...] Mayweather and his companies are being sued by a bouncer at the Strip nightclub Drai's (Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon) after he was assaulted, the lawsuit said, by the boxer's bodyguard Jan. 2.

In a lawsuit filed last week in Clark County District Court, Clay Gerling alleged that an unknown bodyguard for Mayweather "maliciously assaulted and battered plaintiff, by grabbing the plaintiff, and choking him."

The Las Vegas Sun has more specifics:

The suit said Gerling was working as a security guard and had "carded," or asked for identification from Mayweather and others in his group when an unnamed Mayweather bodyguard grabbed and choked Gerling.

The suit says Gerling suffered injuries to his head and neck that may be permanent as well as "extreme and severe mental anguish."

Mayweather is now fighting a total of four battles around Las Vegas.

1. The boxer last week was charged in Las Vegas Justice Court with two misdemeanor harassment counts after an October confrontation with Southern Highlands security guards over parking issues.

TMZ chronicled the threat:

Mayweather allegedly threatened the guards -- who patrol the boxer's upscale housing community -- after he noticed the citations, claiming, "My homies have guns. If you want me to call them, they'd come over here and take care of you."

This latest incident with his community security guards is on top of an assault charge he's facing.

2. Mayweather faces a misdemeanor battery charge in connection with a Nov. 15 incident involving another guard, Shayne Smith.

[...] A confrontation ensued, and the boxer was verbally abusive and jabbed his finger into Smith's cheek, resulting in redness and discoloration on the left side of Smith's face, police said. A bench trial in that case is set for Sept. 1.

The most serious charge Mayweather's facing is one involving the mother of his children.

3. Mayweather also faces a July 29 preliminary hearing on felony charges, including coercion, grand larceny and robbery, in connection with a Sept. 9 incident with his three children and their mother, Josie Harris. Mayweather is free on $31,000 bail in that case.

Top Rank Promotions and Bob Arum made it clear on Saturday that Mayweather isn't even in the discussion for a Pacquiao fight in 2011. TRP is targeting Juan Manuel Marquez or Timothy Bradley for a November fight in Las Vegas.

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Dougie's Monday mailbag

<b>NOVEMBER</b>Hey Doug,Is it just me, or does every weekend in November have a fight for free that's gonna be better than Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito? Why dish out fifty bucks to see Margarito get destroyed when Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams and Carl Froch-Arthur Abraham are both free? Not to mention JuanMa Lopez-Rafael Marquez. How do you think the Pacquiao-Margarito PPV will do in terms of sales? -- Danny<b>I think the Nov. 13 HBO Pay-Per-View will do very well, and I don't say that because I think Pacquiao-Margarito is a better fight on paper than the November bouts you mentioned. The only fight on a regular HBO or Showtime broadcast in November that I'm certain won't outdo Pac-Margz in terms of entertainment is the Andre Ward-Andre Dirrell matchup (Showtime, Nov. 27).However, unlike the other high-profile bouts scheduled in November, Pacquiao-Margarito taps into two separate loyal national followings: Mexico and the Philippines. (Lopez-Marquez taps into two strong national followings -- Puerto Rico and Mexico -- but on a much smaller level. JuanMa is still emerging as a Puerto Rican star, and Rafa has never been a huge draw.) Pacquiao is in his prime as both a fighter and an attraction. Margarito was on the cusp of becoming <I>the</I> Mexican hero following his Miguel Cotto victory and leading into the Shane Mosley fight (as evidenced by the 21,000 that packed Staples Center to witness that showdown). Their "peoples" are going to be backing them up on Nov. 13. That's why Bob Arum is confident that he and Jerry Jones can <I>at least</I> get 70,000 fans into Cowboys Stadium for this fight. The hundreds of thousands of Mexican and Filipino fight fans in the continental U.S. that <I>won't</I> be able to travel Arlington, Texas will be more than willing to pony up $50-$70 to watch the fight live on pay per view. Also, the controversy surrounding the fight due to Margarito's handwrap scandal will spur mainstream media coverage (in the form of condemnation) and fuel strong story lines in HBO's <I>24/7</I> series, which will likely create casual fan interest in the bout. That's my opinion, anyway. To be truthful, I haven't thought much about Pacquiao-Margarito (although the closer we get to the fight the more competitive I think it might be). I'm like you, Danny, I'm just a hardcore fan. I don't follow the sport to root for the guy who shares my nationality or ethnicity, I just want to see a good fight. That's why I'm excited about November, the month that reminds the world that boxing is a major international sport.In the spirit of the recent Top Five lists we've been doing in the mailbags, I'll list the five fights I'm anticipating the most in November:1. Martinez-Williams II (HBO World Championship Boxing, Nov. 20)2. Juan Manuel Marquez-Michael Katsidis (HBO WCB, Nov. 27)3. Froch-Abraham (Showtime Championship Boxing, Nov. 27)4. Pacquiao-Margarito (HBO PPV, Nov. 13)5. Lopez-Marquez (Showtime CB, Nov. 6)Honorable mention: Zab Judah-Lucas Matthysse (HBO Boxing After Dark, Nov. 6), Ward-Dirrell (SHO CB, Nov. 27), Guillermo Rigondeaux-Ricardo Cordoba (HBO PPV, Nov. 13 - Pacquiao-Margarito undercard), Mike Jones-Jesus Soto Karass (Pacquiao-Margarito undercard), and Kelly Pavlik-Brian Vera (Pacquiao-Margarito undercard).(And by the way, folks, I haven't forgotten about presenting a mailbag made up entirely -- or primarily -- of reader Top Five requests. I thought I'd do it for this past Friday's mailbag and this one, but I received so many emails on the Mosley-Mora scoring debate, the Super Six re-scheduling, Angelo Dundee's <I>Best I've Trained</I> feature, and the recent publishing of my and RingTV.com co-editor Michael Rosenthal's pound-for-pound lists that I went with the standard format. But rest assured, the Top Five mailbags are coming.)</b><b>DUNDEE & THE GREATEST</b>Doug,Thanks for the great article on Angelo Dundee. I can still hear him urging Ray Leonard with "You're blowing it son!" before the Sugar Man's dramatic rally against Tommy Hearns. Their 1981 Super-fight was my introduction to the sweet science and I can't think of a better prize fight to sharpen my teeth over. The degree of skill, courage and versatility both fighters displayed that night was breathtaking. Leonard was disarming with his million-dollar smile and flash, but the guy was most determined competitor I've ever seen in the ring and he would cut your balls off to win. It was amazing enough that you had the quartet of Leonard, Hearns, Duran, Benitez and Hagler all fighting within 10 lbs of each other, but we actually got to see them fight each other. (What a novel idea, right?) LOL... these guys were f___ing fearless. They all thought they were the greatest and didn't hesitate to match their skills against their fellow superstars. During an era that boasted several other superstars, Sugar Ray stood the tallest. Seriously, close your eyes and try to picture Floyd Mayweather braving through Hearns's right hand or Leonard prancing around cautiously like Oscar De La Hoya did in the late rounds of his 12 round snooze fest against Felix Trinidad. More so than any other fighter I have been lucky enough to see, Leonard fought in the moment. The spotlight was his time to shine and good luck if you dared to try to push him out of it. There was nothing he couldn't do in the ring and he was a master psychologist, just ask Marvin Hagler.A quick question about Muhammad Ali, where would you place him on your own personal all time pound for pound list? Sugar Ray Robinson is considered to be the best fighter of all time, but could a legitimate argument be made that had Ali not lost three and a half years of his career -- his prime years at that -- he would have challenged Robinson's place in history? Just a thought. -- Tom G.<b>We'll never know how great the prime version of Ali that <I>should have</I> fought from 1967 to 1970 could have been. I think he would have literally been untouchable as well as a dangerous offensive force. However, I'm not sure that had Ali been able to fight during those years he'd have done enough to challenge the revered place in boxing history that Robinson earned with the 200 professional bouts he fought in. Three things to keep in mind when measuring these two ring titans in a pound-for-pound sense: Robinson's activity, their quality of opposition and Sugar Ray's ability to KO world-class (future hall of famers) with one punch. I gotta give the nod to Robinson based on those factors. Even if Ali's license had not been yanked I don't imagine that he would have fought more than 10 to 15 times in that time span. Let's say he could fit 15 bouts in the remainder of 1967 to the first part of 1970. His total would still be way under 100 bouts (76 to be exact). And who would Ali have fought during that time period? He basically cleaned out the heavyweight division from 1964 to early '67. It took his arch-rival Joe Frazier until at least early 1970 to develop into a fearsome pressure fighting force. They still would have made for a great fight, but would Ali have received as much credit for turning back the stern challenge of Frazier as the defending champ (as I believe he would have) as he did dropping a classic decision as <I>The People's Champ</I> returning from exile? It's just my opinion but I don't think Ali would have received much due for beating a young challenger version of Frazier. Don't forget, Frazier had tough fights with Oscar Bonavena on his way up the heavyweight ladder. Heck, Buster Mathis was competitive with Frazier until Smokin' Joe's pressure and killer hook caught up with the big man in the 11th round in their 1968 bout. Ali's other rivals, George Foreman and Ken Norton, were raw prospects in 1968 and '69. So my guess is that Ali would have fought a lot of no-hopers apart from Frazier... and he probably would have taken most of those ham-and-eggers the distance. He just couldn't crack like Robinson (who scored 108 career knockouts). Ali's late 1960s title reign may have looked a lot like Roy Jones Jr.'s light heavyweight reign -- obvious awesome talent wasted on chumps in uneventful fights. I think Ali is arguably the best heavyweight ever but I don't have him in my all-time pound-for-pound top 10.Leonard, on the other hand, always receives that consideration from me, despite only engaging in 40 pro bouts. Why? For the very reasons you so eloquently stated in your email. He was blessed to have great talent and lucky enough to come along during a period when worthy adversaries campaigned at or near his weigh classes -- and God Bless him -- he took advantage of the opportunity. I could make some sort of a comparison with Floyd Mayweather Jr. but why disrespect Leonard's legacy by putting those two in the same sentence?I'm glad you enjoyed the <I>Best I've Trained</I> article on Dundee. Michael Rosenthal and I are looking forward to interviewing Emanuel Steward, Amilcar Brusa, Joe Goossen, Tommy Brooks, Ken Adams, Nacho Beristain, Ronnie Shields and others for this semi-regular feature in the near future.</b> <b>ANGELO DUNDEE</b>Lovin' that article on Angelo. Looking forward to hearing what other great trainers thought of their fighters. Also have you heard anything about Freddie Roach's new book? I'm looking forward to that as well. Thanks Doug. -- Sam<b>I'm glad you liked the Dundee article, Sam. I had a blast talking to Dundee, and believe me, the legendary trainer is a <I>talker</I>. We were on the phone for an hour and a half and only about 40 minutes of the conversation was about the best fighters he trained and the re-opening of the 5th Street Gym. Dundee's got a thousand stories and I heard around 10 of 'em during our interview. He talked about his early days in the sport, when he was happy to carry the water bucket into corners worked by the top old-time trainers (Ray Arcel, Chickie Ferrara, Freddie Brown and others) in New York in the mid-to-late 1940s, as well as his early trips to Cuba when he followed his older brother Chris to the Miami area. He talked about training underrated Cubans of the 1950s and '60s such as Luis Rodriguez (a favorite of mine) and Florentino Fernandez and about forgotten contenders such Bobby Dykes, who trained at the 5th Street Gym. He told me how he met his wife, Helen, who he married in 1952 and adores to this day. He told me about Ali's love of veteran fighters and all "boxing people" and how close The Greatest was to Cus D'Amato and Ray Robinson's circle of family and friends. And he said one of the most satisfying training jobs he ever did was with a heavyweight journeyman from Chicago named Johnny Holman. I could have listened to Dundee talk for five hours straight. I think the book on Freddie Roach you referenced is </I>The Wild Card: Hard-Fought Lessons from a Life in the Ring</I>. It might be out now. If not, it will be soon. Check Amazon.com. All I know about it is that it was co-written with Peter Nelson, who is an excellent writer/journalist. So knowing that and knowing how honest and open Freddie is, I'm fairly certain the book is going to be an excellent read.</b><b>SEVEN QUESTIONS</b>Hey Doug,Slow weekend, perfect occasion for a couple of quick questions:1- Finally we got dates for Stage 3 of the Super Six (I understand why they still do the Stage but let's be honest, it's a bit ridiculous), so where would you rather be on that night, Dirrell-Ward, Abraham-Froch or Marquez-Katsidis? Personally there's not a lot of fights that would keep me away from Marquez-Katsidis.2- Wonder if you saw the Magnificent 7 card, all and all a pretty good card. I'd like to know your take on Nathan Cleverly, I thought he was exciting and fun to watch. He's still young but he's going to have to work on his defence before he gets to the upper echelon, otherwise it might not be a long ride3- Regarding Martinez-Williams, despite the time that Williams will have this time to prepare (same for Martinez), I see Martinez winning. I see William as a great athlete but not a great boxer. I just think that Martinez will make more adjustments than William and be able to win a clear decision (but good fight). I thought William was losing in his last outing and didn't look to good against Cintron.4- Since Cotto is sitting out the rest of the year and Top Rank is going forward with a ppv card on December 4th, any chance Cintron gets the date against Martiroyian?5- Any news on the next Segura fight?6- With the possibility of a fight between British prospects James DeGale and George Groves, can you think of the last time you saw a fight between two legit prospects where none have had more than ten fights.7- 5 highlights of your professional career.as always, have a good week. -- simon, montr al<b>Thanks, Simon. I'll answer in order:1. I'd rather cover Marquez-Katsidis. I don't even have to think about it. Those two lightweights are two of my favorite fighters and favorite people that I've met in boxing. They come to fight and there's no freakin' way that lightweight championship bout won't deliver action and drama. The Super Six fights are quality matchups but there's a good chance that Ward-Dirrell turns out to be a safety first chess match and there's a strong possibility that Froch-Abraham develops into an ugly, mauling affair. 2. I have not seen the Magnificent 7 card. (I know, shame on me.) A friend of mine made me a DVD of the card but the past two weeks have been very busy and I just haven't had an uninterrupted three-and-half hours to spare in order to view it. However, I wasn't surprised to learn that Cleverly took care of business against a fellow RING-rated contender (Karo Murat). I've stated repeatedly in past mailbags that I believe Welshman has world-title potential. I've said it before and I'll state it once more: one day -- probably sooner rather than later -- Cleverly and one of my favorite prospects, Ismayl Sillakh, will face-off in a world title bout and they will make for a hell of fight. 3. I'm expecting another good fight from Williams and Martinez but I'm also leaning towards the middleweight champ from Argentina. Funny how everyone assumes that Williams is such a "great athlete." I think Martinez is a better pure athlete than Williams. He's faster, more explosive and better coordinated. Williams is just a freakishly tall workhorse in my opinion. I don't mean that as an insult, either. It's a compliment. He's got mad heart, he trains his ass off and he gives 100% when he's in the trenches. That hard-working attitude and his height and reach are what make him special. 4. There's very little chance of Cotto-Cintron happening this year. Arum's Dec. 4 PPV will be a "Latin Fury" headlined by Chavez Jr. vs. Alfonzo Gomez. Humberto Soto and Nonito Donaire will probably be on the card. 5. No news on Segura's next bout, but I do know that Giovani had a tough time making 108 pounds. In fact, he was 10 pounds over less than a week from the Calderon fight. Unless it's an immediate rematch with Calderon my guess is that Segura's next fight will be a non-title bout at 112 or even 115 pounds.6. The only high-profile fight between ballyhooed prospects who each had 10 pro bouts or less that comes to mind is a heavyweight showdown between 1992 U.S. Olympian Danell Nicholson (10-0) and amateur KO king Jeremy Williams (8-0). They fought in May of 1993 and the fight (believe it or not) was broadcast live on network TV. Williams blasted Nicholson in two rounds, in case you were wondering.7. Top five highlights of my career (I wouldn't say it's been all that professional, LOL): 1. Co-founding Houseofboxing.com with Gary Randall in 1997. 2. Selling HOB to Marc Robert's Worldwide Entertainment & Sports company for around half a million and splitting the $100,000 that we were paid upon signing with Randall. 3. Co-founding MaxBoxing.com with Randall, Steve Kim and Thomas Gerbasi. 4. Being part of the Edwin Valero-headlined "Lightweight Lightening" pay-per-view broadcast with Barry Tompkins and Bernard Hopkins. 5. Being part of the Hopkins-Roy Jones Jr. HBO-distributed PPV broadcast with Joe Tessitore and Sugar Ray Leonard. (Honorable mention: joining The Ring staff as co-editor of RingTV.com, getting a credential for my first "major" fight in Las Vegas - the 1998 bout between Mike Tyson and Frans Botha at MGM, seeing my first articles published in The Ring - a 1995 short piece on local club promoter Peter Broudy bringing boxing back to The Olympic and a 1997 feature on Shane Mosley, getting the <I>Fight Night Club</I> commentating gig, and being interviewed for my first HBO <I>Countdown</I> show, Countdown to Barrera-Marquez in early 2007.)</b> <b>DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!</b>In the words of Florida Evans from Good Times, that's what I thought when I watched the replay of Mosley-Mora!I watched the fight last week in a movie theater (first time experience and not bad at all) with a group of friends with snacks and non-alcoholic libations flowing. I didn't score the fight but watching and listening to the HBO team, I felt that Mosley won the fight by 2-3 rounds. Although I didn't think it was a Chavez-Whitaker robbery like Lamps thought it was, I left the theater feeling that it was a bad draw nonetheless... I felt Mosley got jobbed.I read your mailbag Monday and Friday and shook my head in disagreement as I just did not see the fight you saw, brother. I thought that Mora was ineffective in backing up, was switching from righty to lefty for no reason and not engaging.Then I saw the replay... wife and kids were out, HBO Latino meant I wouldn't be influenced by the commentary and it was just me and a pen and pad. I had it 116-112 for Mora. I felt he showed more ring generalship, landed the cleaner, easier to score shots and his backward movement allowed him to control the pace of the fight. Mosley I thought, was moving forward but was lacking effective aggression. His feints looked more like seizures and standing straight up with no bend in his knees didn't allow him to cut off the ring effectively.Man I did a complete 180 from last week! Anyway, you and I don't always agree and I wouldn't have it any other way bro, but you were right (not that you're trying to bring anybody over to your side, just helping them understand your side) and a heck of a lot of us (including Dave Schwartz) were wrong. Peace. -- Carlos in Sac<b>Hey, if Dave Schwartz scored the fight for Mosley, Sugar Shane probably deserved the decision. LOL.Don't feel bad about changing your opinion of who won the fight after watching the replay. I've done that more than a few times. I thought Erik Morales edged Zahir Rahim watching it live at Staples but when I watched the HBO broadcast I believe I had the Z-man winning eight rounds. I thought the official scores in the Felix Sturm-Oscar De Le Hoya fight were fine the first time I watched the fight (at Dave's after at least three beers, and I didn't bother scoring the fight). When I watched it at home (alone, and scoring it round by round on a piece of paper) I had it 116-112 for the "Sturminator." I thought Ricardo Mayorga beat Vernon Forrest by a 115-113 tally while covering the fight live, but I scored it 116-112 for the late "Viper" when I watched the replay on TV. I can go on and on and on... Some fights are like that. Who knows? Perhaps if I watch a replay of Mosley-Mora, I'll see the fight you saw the first time around.Anyway, it's nice to hear that you saw a different fight (the one I saw live) the second time around. Not that I was questioning my scorecard, because, honestly, I would be fine if I was the only person on the planet who thought Mora won.</b> <b>LAST WORD ON MOSLEY-MORA</b>Hey Dougie, I was just reading your Friday mailbag, good stuff. Thought it was interesting. I read an article a couple days ago about HBO's call of the fight and it mentioned a couple of the same fights you did and how Lampley called those fights... Spinks-Taylor and Hopkins-Taylor.Anyway, don't know if you saw that same article, but it really laid out the way Lampley and those guys were biased in the fight. Heres a <a href="http://www.theboxingbulletin.com/2010/9/22/1703139/mosley-vs-mora-an-embarrassing ">link</a>.I thought Lampley in particular was really disrespectful to Mora and they need to get some new blood calling the fights there. Anyway, keep up the great work. -- Chang<b>I'll try, Chang. Just to be clear, though, I don't think anybody who scored Mosley-Mora for Mosley (or anyone who can't fathom Mora winning) is <I>wrong</I>. Although I thought both Spinks and Hopkins (in the first bout) won eight rounds vs. Taylor, many boxing writers and insiders that I respect scored those fights for Taylor. I haven't seen the HBO PPV broadcast of Mosley-Mora but I know from talking with a lot of my hardcore boxing friends that Lampley and Merchant were voicing what a lot of people were thinking and feeling while watching that fight. These friends of mine were more impressed with Mosley's workrate and fighting spirit than what Mora was doing, they were frustrated by Mora (who rubs most of them the wrong way to begin with), and they wanted the 39-year-old veteran who has given so much to the sport to knockout the punchless ring general. So for those folks -- diehard fans who buy most PPV cards and frequently pay to see live boxing -- Larry and Jim were simply telling it like it was. That's what most sports fans want from TV commentators.</b><b>THE P4P RATINGS</b>Hey Mike and Dougie, remember i gave you (Mike) s__t a while back for rating Arthur Abraham`s accomplishments ahead of Vitali and Wladimir`s? Wow do i look smart now. I'm just forewarning you about your next big klitschko blunder. Actually I'll give you more than one. First Tim bradley in P4P top ten? ok here we go again, Bradley has beaten (rounds lost by bradley in brackets), Abregu (3), Peterson (1), Campbell (0), Holt (3/4 and knocked down twice), Cherry (1) and Witter (5), with no KO's. Same for wlad: Peter (0 and got ko), Chambers (0 and KO) Chagaev (0 and KO), Rahamn (0 and KO) Thompson (0 and KO) Ibragimov (0) brewster (0 and KO) Austin (0 and KO)... get the pattern yet? ill go back further, Brock (2 and KO), Byrd (0 and KO) Peter (3 and 2 knockdowns). I think right now, you could put Bradley where wlad was after the ray austin win. But the thing is I don't think bradley has the potential to clean out the division or knockout ANYBODY at the top of the fight game. Wlad did and does. Bradley is Arthur Abraham with no power. When he faces an Andre Dirrell (Khan and i Hate amir khan) of his division, he'll get the s__t boxed out of him just like Abraham did. My next point: Andre Ward is good, but not tested enough. get back to me after the dirrell fight, you might be right, but hes not better than wlad right now. difference is wlad ko's his opponents andre doesn't but i agree, hes equally dominant. On to JuanMa Lopez, a top rank fraud. He gets knocked down by Bernabe Conception and gets the ko, wins 7/7 from steven leuvano and gets ko. Loses 5 rounds against a non top 25 or maybe top 50 in his division guy and almost gets knocked out (Mtagwa). Mtagwa showed what he's made of against Gamboa. Good win against way past his prime gerry penalosa. His other wins, Oliver Lontchi, Medina, Figeuroa are total nobodies. Nice KO against ponce de leon. This list is a current pound for pound list though, not a projected list in the next 2 years if all goes according to what you think will happen in those two years. In two years, im comfortable betting wlad will be on the p4p list, however i would not bet a cent on Bradley. Ward and JuanMa have not accomplished enough to be there.they've done more than marquez and are better than marquez right now as well? give me a break. If youre looking for prospects, I'll take a 1-0 luis valero over tim bradley for 5 years down the line. Dougie, Adamek really? other than that, i agree with everything on your list. should say unbeaten and largely unchallenged in 11 bouts. -- Matt<b>Adamek has one loss, a decision to Chad Dawson. He was clearly weight-drained in that bout and he still managed to put Dawson on his ass. Since then he's knocked out former crusierweight champ O'Neil Bell, beat the RING's No. 1-rated cruiserweight, Steve Cunningham, in a fight of the year candidate for the championship, which he defended against then-undefeated prospect Jonathan Banks, who is currently unbeaten at heavyweight, and then he jumps to the heavyweight division where he soundly outworks and outboxes a legit top-10 contender in Chris Arreola. I think the Pride of Poland has paid mad dues and deserves more respect than he gets from most American fans (and media).Other than that, I agree with you that Bradley and Ward have not done enough to merit a top 10 pound-for-pound ranking. Both guys have two or three solid victories over top-10 contenders in their respective divisions, and that's it. Compare what they have done in their weight classes with the track record of a guy like Pongsaklek Wonjongkam. He made 17 alphabet title defenses, defeated a dozen contenders and former/future beltholders, and won THE RING title against a top-rated young undefeated Koki Kameda. There really isn't any comparison. If Wonjongkam was an American welterweight most U.S. boxing writers would be comparing him to the likes of Kid Gavilan and Henry Armstrong...Anyway, I think Bradley and Ward are very talented and promising. If Bradley fights Devon Alexander and wins, I might bump Tomasz Adamek for the Palm Springs native. Ward might also get consideration if he beats Dirrell (it depends on <I>how</I> he beats his good buddy). There are others who are on the cusp of my top 10. Former bantie beltholder Hozumi Hasegawa could get back in if he wins his up-coming featherweight title bout. Chad Dawson could get back in if he beats Jean Pascal in impressive fashion whenever they fight their mandatory rematch. If Pascal beats and dominates B-Hop in December, he'll receive some consideration. The winner of Showtime's four-man bantamweight tournament will probably break into my top 10. I wish Nonito Donaire were fighting Fernando Montiel. If he were to win that fantastic matchup I'd probably give him the same ranking he currently has in the magazine.</b>

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Adamek next up to try to crack the Klitschko?s

BY: Vitali Shaposhnikov
Now that Wladimir Klitschko (56-3-0) secured another victory on his record by decisively beating David Haye (25-2-0), the Klitschko brothers have all the heavyweight belts in their possession.
Despite the fact that the brothers acquired the only belt not in their ownership

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Gabriel ?Tito? Bracero headlines Broadway Boxing on July 30

New York City?s longest running and most successful professional boxing series, Broadway Boxing, returns July 30 to the Aviator Sports and Events Center at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. In the main event, the series? mainstay Gabriel Bracero returns in the main event in the wake of his most impressive victory. Bracero will take on Danie ?The White Lion? Van Staden (8-6, 2 KOs) of Key West, FL.

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One Side Or Two: Brandon Rios Vs. Urbano Antillon Preview And Prediction

Boxing cognescenti have offered up Saturday's Brandon Rios-Urbano Antillon clash as the antithesis of this past Saturday's deeply disappointing heavyweight fight between champ Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye. It's not a bad offering, that's for sure. Rios and Antillon are two of the few boxers today who could be considered true pressure fighters, the kind of lightweights who want to get in your face and never stop punching you no matter what. No. Matter. What. Antillon was one half of the 2010 TQBR Fight of the Year, against Humberto Soto. Rios is one half of a leading 2011 Fight of the Year contender against Miguel Acosta.

Maybe it's just my Klitschko-Haye hangover talking, but part of me is worried about a letdown. Most people thought Klitschko-Haye would feature can't-miss action, like they think about Rios-Antillon. Rios and Antillon have grown to deeply dislike one another, just as Klitschko and Haye had. If there's a difference, it's that Klitschko and Haye had turned in boring performances before. Antillon and Rios never have. But there's another reason I'm worried Saturday's Showtime battle won't deliver on its promise.

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Fans rush to get Pacquiao?s song release

Manny Pacquiao's put his second love to bed for a while. But rest assured "Pacman" will be singing as soon as his business in the ring is over.

Boxing's top draw appeared on The Jimmy Kimmel Show to sing and promote the release of his collaborative CD with Dan Hill. If you like variety this isn't the CD for you. If you like Manny a lot and the song "Sometimes When We Touch," you'd better hit Amazon.com quickly.

The Manila Bulletin reports for 9.99 you get:

The result of their team-up is a two-disc set containing seven versions of the song (including remixes and an instrumental), as well as a bonus DVD featuring the making of "Sometimes When We Touch"---which, notably, resulted in Dan's success as a recording artist. The album, also called "Sometimes When We Touch," has been made available on iTunes and amazon.com on April 28, the day of his "Kimmel" appearance.

Hill says Pacman has vocal skills.

"He's got a great voice. He's a very, very gifted guy. You could be a really good singer and still not have a good ear, meaning you may not be able to retain a melody if I sing it to you one time. I could sing Manny anything one time and he'll sing it back to me perfectly," Dan enthused in an interview posted on abs-cbnNEWS.com.

[Order Pacquiao-Mosley fight]

Last week's appearance was No. 4 on the Kimmel Show for Pacquiao. It's become part of his prefight routine.

"I think it's some kind of lucky because I always came here before my fight," said Manny, whose much-awaited bout with Shane Mosley takes place on May 7 in Las Vegas.

"I'm like a big fat rabbit's foot," quipped Jimmy.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? LeBron James and Dwyane Wade yell at each other
? Tony Romo's swanky wedding plans revealed
? Stunning physical transformations of recruits to NFL picks

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Proceed with caution: Pavlik?s recovery from alcohol issues a matter of opinion

After 13 months away, Kelly Pavlik climbs back into the ring on Saturday night. He faces Alfons0 Lopez on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight.

If you're wondering where he's been, even Pavlik has a tough time talking about it. For that reason, the super middleweight's slaying of his alcohol problem should be handled with kid gloves.

The media takes on Pavlik's return and alcoholism this week unveiled a wide array of opinions.

The Mirror surprised us with this headline:

Kelly Pavlik has won his biggest fight - against alcohol

The Las Vegas Review-Journal went with the angle that Pavlik has seen the light:

'More mature' Pavlik emerges from rehab, pursues world title

A successful comeback makes for a great story, but only if the story is close to completion. Several writers nailed what may be the truth about Pavlik's true state heading into this weekend.

Both the RJ and the Mirror suggested it was Pavlik who finally realized it was time to go to rehab. That's not accurate.

The San Antonio News-Express said:

By the end of 2010, it took family intervention to persuade him to finally get help. He entered the Betty Ford Clinic for alcohol�rehabilitation.

And the Press-Telegram used Pavlik's hometown paper in Youngstown, Oh. to tell us what really happened:

According to Vindy.com, a family intervention involving Pavlik's parents and his wife, Samantha, ensued and he was back at Betty Ford.

Why is that important? Because Pavlik didn't think he had a problem back in November and several media members believe, that even after two stints in rehab, he still doesn't think he was a full-blown alcoholic.

Mark Staniforth from TheSportingLife.com noticed that Pavlik refused to say "alcoholic" during a prefight teleconference.

It remains to be seen whether Pavlik, by his own admission a party animal, has truly beaten his demons. During a conference call this week, he neglected to mention the 'A' word once. He implies his affliction was not so serious.

Some may scoff at that. Maybe words aren't that important. After all, Pavlik's actions should speak loudly. He hasn't had a drink since Nov. 2.

Robert Morales from the Long Beach Press-Telegram disagrees.

He's saying things that seem to indicate he's taking a harder look at his drinking problem this time, but he seems to have somewhat of a difficult time coming to grips with its enormity.

[...] Far be it from yours truly to decide what Pavlik should be thinking. But as a recovering alcoholic who's been off the bottle more than 20 years, one thing is for sure - any bit of denial is bad news for anyone with an alcohol addiction.

Morales was disturbed by Pavlik's answer when he was asked about having a moment of clarity back in October or early November.

"No, not at all," he said. "More or less what it was, just the route that it was going. It wasn't one experience or it wasn't a life threatening experience or anything like that. It was just the point where it came to, `Hey, it's got to stop.'

"It wasn't me getting roughed up or shooting somebody or robbing somebody to get alcohol or vice-versa; it wasn't that extreme. But it came to a point where it was like, `Let's get our head out of our (behind) and move on here."'

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole thinks Pavlik's in denial and that some in his camp are enabling him.

Morales pointed out manager Cameron Dunkin, who suggested Pavlik mostly misses just hanging out with friends.

"I definitely think he understands he has a problem or he wouldn't be doing what he's doing," Dunkin said. "What he's saying is there are guys that get up in the morning and it just overtakes them. But he doesn't feel like that about alcohol."

"Does he miss going out with his buddies and watching the games (at the local spot)? Yes, that's when he misses alcohol. What Kelly is saying is, it's not like he gets up in the morning and says, `Man, I want a beer.' He knows he can't drink. He says, `I know it's going to ruin my life."'

His co-manager Mike Miller seems to get it a little more.

"He seems to have done a 180 (degree turn)," Miller said. "He's been taking his kids to the movies and to the park. He's being a great�dad.

"But being an alcoholic, the report card is a daily event. It's all about, 'Did I take a drink today?' You don't worry about�tomorrow."

It's hard to find anyone who's not rooting for Pavlik to beat this thing. He's a tremendous fighter and by most accounts, a good guy. Let's just hope Pavlik and his support system have the strength to deal with reality if it ever gets to a point where he's at rock bottom again.

You can watch the Pacquiao-Mosley pay-per-view right here on Yahoo! Sports.

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Rios, Antillon Continue Bad Blood Grudge Match Before WBA Title Fight

Although they were kept apart and at opposite sides of the building, the bad blood and war of words between unbeaten WBA lightweight champion Brandon ?Bam Bam? Rios (27-0-1, 19 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., and two-time world title challenger Urbano Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs), of Maywood, Calif., continued during a Media Workout Tuesday at Fortune [...]

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Punchin at the Paradise Results: Pappas & Valle Win

When Joe DeGuardia, announced that he was going to be getting his "Punchin at the Paradise" fight series back in full swing in 2011, he stated that the main idea behind the concept was that he wanted to bring live exciting boxing back on a regular basis to the Bronx.� That is exactly what happened Thursday night, before a well-attended house, as Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing presented an action-packed, thrilling, nine bout pro-am card.� From top to bottom there wasn't one fight ...

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Weigh-ins: Day-before vs. same-day

Brandon Rios and Anthony Peterson both made the 135-pound limit for their lightweight matchup on Sept. 11 in Las Vegas. On fight night, they weighed 151 and 139, respectively, meaning a junior middleweight fought a junior welterweight.Rios overwhelmed Peterson and won by a seventh-round disqualification, which might've occurred even if the weights were reversed. We don't know. However, we must ask the question: Did Rios have an unfair advantage over Peterson? If so, that leads us to a question that has been asked untold times over the years: Are day-before weigh-ins preferable to weighing in on the day of the fight?The reality is that there is no easy answer.Some are convinced the best option is the day-before weigh-in, ostensibly instituted in the 1980s to minimize dehydration by allowing fighters drained of liquids and other nutrients time to replenish. The problem is that the participants often fight at vastly different weights, as Rios-Peterson illustrates.Others prefer same-day weigh-ins, which don't allow as much time for replenishment but send two fighters of roughly equal weight into the ring."This is a question that has always been asked in boxing and will continue to be," said Greg Sirb, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission.Sirb and his counterpart in Nevada, Keith Kizer, don't see eye to eye on the issue.Pennsylvania uses same-day weigh-ins except in title fights, for which fighters are weighed both the day before and day of and are not allowed to gain more than 10 pounds from the first weigh-in to the second.Sirb hasn't seen a significant problem with dehydration in regard to the same-day weigh-ins. He said those who fight in Pennsylvania know what the rules are and adjust, which he believes all fighters would do if they had to.He plans to propose to all boxing organizations that the following system be universally employed: a weigh-in seven days before the fight in which a fighter must be within a designated number of pounds of the contracted weight, the official weigh-in the day before the fight and a final weigh-in the day of the fight which limits the amount of weight a fighter may gain."A lot of them say they can't make (weight) the day of," Sirb said. "Then they have no alternative but to move up. They'll change their mind set. I might think differently if we had the old eight weight divisions. Now, though, we have so many weight classes. It's nothing to move up one division. That way the fighters can focus less on making weight and more on honing their skills."... The gaining of so much weight is almost ridiculous. Why have weight limits if you don't know what anybody is going to weigh for the fight."Dr. Margaret Goodman, former Medical Advisory Board Chairman and Chief Ringside Physician for the Nevada State Athletic Commission, leans toward same-day weigh-ins but acknowledges the complexity of the issue.She said dehydration, in the cases it is a factor, probably wouldn't raise the danger of brain damage unless it was acute but <i>would</i> affect reflexes and balance. She said "it would slow everything down," which obviously would be a problem for a fighter about to engage in battle.The principal issue in day-before weigh-ins, she said, is that fighters sometimes do whatever it takes to get down to weight -- sometimes abusing the body by starving or by using diuretics -- because they think they'll gain a competitive edge by fighting below their natural weight.That can either harm that fighter or give him an unfair advantage over an opponent who might be in his natural weight class, as stated earlier."It's a very complicated issue," Goodman said. "I think we should have uniformity instead of one state doing one thing and another state doing another. The best thing might be to do what they do in Pennsylvania, allowing fighters to gain only so much weight after the (day-before) weigh-in."At least that would be a huge start. At least then the fighters couldn't put on so much weight and wouldn't be dehydrated to begin with."Kizer would prefer to err on the side of caution, pointing out that no fool-proof means of determining whether a fighter is overly dehydrated exists.Thus, if a fighter's reflexes and balance are affected by dehydration, the last thing he should do is get into the ring.And the fighters <i>will</i> have incentive to dehydrate themselves and/or use diuretics in certain circumstances. If a fighter can make $1 million against a star at 147 pounds or $100,000 fighting a journeyman at his natural weight of 154, for example, which do you think he would choose?Kizer isn't even convinced that fighters who add more weight than their opponents during the time between the weigh-in and fight have an advantage. He cited an informal study in the 1990s that demonstrated that the heavier fighter won only 50 percent of the time.A concrete example: Orlando Salido was stripped of his featherweight belt before his fight against Yuriorkis Gamboa on the Rios-Peterson card because he gained more than 10 pounds between the weigh-in and the fight, which violated an IBF regulation. "Rios won his fight handily," Kizer said, "but Yuriorkis Gamboa weighed less than Orlando Salido and it didn't put him at a disadvantage. Gamboa won the fight."Kizer also is uneasy about Sirb's proposal.He fears some fighters will take extreme measures to make weight each time they weigh in. For example, a fighter might dry out to make weight at the week-before weigh-in, gain several pounds back, and then dry out again for the official weigh-in the day before the fight.That, Kizer suggested, could be more harmful than having to make weight one time."I just don't know if reality would mirror (Sirb's) theory," he said. "... That said, there's a very good reason we have weight classes. We do want to have reasonable disparity of weights in our fights. We don't want it to be great. We're dealing with competitive advantages and health issues, too."... It's something in the front of our minds. We post information on our Web site about how to properly cut weight, how to rehydrate. We want fighters and trainers to make the right decisions."That could be the ultimate solution.Trainer Freddie Roach can't understand why fighters torture themselves to make weight in a lower division when they can fight more comfortably at their natural weight. His prize pupil, Manny Pacquiao, is an example of someone who fights slightly above his natural weight class. Weight is never an issue and the results are obvious.The health issues and competitive advantages central to the timing of weigh-ins wouldn't be nearly as pressing if fighters would just fight at their natural weights."That would be the solution," Goodman said. "Trainers and fighters need to understand what the dangers are and do the smart thing. We need people like Freddie Roach to speak up about such things as this. People will listen to him."<a href="mailto:ringtveditor@yahoo.com">Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com</a>

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Roach says Mosley didn?t fight to win, fighter blames Pac?s power

Shane Mosley's no rookie. The former lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight champ was involved in the 21st title fight of his career on Saturday against Manny Pacquiao, but even with 53 fights under his belt, "Sugar" Shane was shocked by what he felt in the third round.

Mosley said Pacman's punch was as hard as any shot he's ever felt as a pro. That was just the third time Mosley was on the deck.

Keep in mind, Mosley has been in there with several guys who walked into the ring around 170 pounds on the night of their respective fight including Ricardo Mayorga, Antonio Margarito, Fernando Vargas, Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright. It was 149-pound Pacquiao who hit him the hardest.

Mosley said it threw him off the rest of the way. If he'd opened up, Mosley felt like he was walking into a trap. Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said he was disappointed in Mosley's approach and thinks it's time Sugar Shane walks away.

"I don't think he tried to win the fight. I think he just tried to survive," Roach said during the postfight press conference. "When you get to that point in boxing, it's time to call it a day."

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Quick Jabs: Good Trash Talk Vs. Bad Trash Talk; Saul Alvarez' Big Ratings; Jermain Taylor's Return; More

Book it now: We have our 2011 Unintentionally Funny Moment in Boxing Award winner already with the above video. Nothing else could possibly compare. Not in the "universe" or "galaxy" could there be such a "star" candidate for the award as that clip. Surprisingly, the clip is loaded up with wild hyperbole, too. And bad production values. And everything wrong. It's truly awful, but it's also so bad you can't stop watching it.

So let's talk about this "Star Power" welterweight fight and related things.

• Between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. venting his persecution complex when he's not being strangely placid and Victor Ortiz alternating between his weird aww-shucks thing and unintimidating tough-guy thing (Vic: you don't get toughness points by saying you were "going to smack" Floyd), this fight is going to be marked by some of the most awkward trash talk ever, if it keeps up like this. It's like two teenagers kissing for the first time. HBO 24/7 starts Aug. 27, y'all.
• When Mayweather vented his persecution complex at the first news conference, he claimed -- falsely -- that he never said Manny Pacquiao was on steroids. Several news outlets reported this very matter of fact. But when someone is flat out lying, you really should make a point of calling them on it in the story. A simple fact check would have been a good thing.
• Mayweather's in hot water with yet another alleged assault. Le sigh. And he tried to avoid giving a deposition in the Pacquiao lawsuit, but no luck.
• HBO is reportedly bringing to bear all of Time Warner's assets for Mayweather-Ortiz, although it's not clear what the specifics of that are. Top Rank's Bob Arum said that HBO is doing the same in a bid to win back Pacquiao's next fight from Showtime and CBS, against Juan Manuel Marquez. This is potentially a pretty big development, or it could be an incremental gain like with the Showtime/CBS deal -- the specifics matter here.

Now, on to some non-Floyd related Quick Jabs, like a preview of the rest of the weekend's schedule, some family feuds healing up and more.

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Perez-Salcido tops prospect stacked undercard

Surging unbeaten prospect Eloy Perez will face former prospect Dominic Salcido in the main event of a Telefutura-televised show on Oct. 15 at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Calif.The 10-round showdown between the talented California junior lightweights will top a <i>Solo Boxeo</i> broadcast stacked with young prospects in various weight classes.Featherweight prospect Charles Huerta of Paramount, Calif., amateur star Randy Caballero, a bantamweight from Coachella, Calif., and undefeated heavyweight hopefuls Seth Mitchell of Brandywine, Md., and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Deontay Wilder of Tuscaloosa, Ala., will be featured in separate bouts.Perez (18-0-2, 5 knockouts), of Salinas, Calif., has had a busy 2010. The 23-year-old Washington native began the year by out-boxing and out-slugging once-beaten prospect David Rodela in an exciting 10-round bout in January before outclassing more-experienced Mexican veteran Gilberto Sanchez Leon on the Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley underacrd in May. Perez became the first fighter to knockout Derrick Campos when he stopped the tough journeyman in the fifth round of his last bout, which was also on <i>Solo Boxeo</i>, last month. Salcido (18-2, 9 KOs), of Rialto, Calif., was lauded as one of Southern California's most-talented prospects before he faced Vicente Escobedo two years ago and was stopped in the sixth round of a competitive bout. Salcido has gone 2-1 in his three bouts since the loss to Escobedo, getting stopped by Colombian journeyman Llido Julio but out-pointing unbeaten prospect Guillermo Sanchez in his last bout.A victory over the streaking Perez would put Salcido's career back on track. Another win for Perez would move the crafty boxer a step closer to contender status.

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Pacquiao in Baguio City: Training camp begins

<font size="1" color="#000000">Manny Pacquiao, here hitting the speed bag, is in the mountain town of Baguio City -- away from the pressures of Manila -- preparing for his fight against Antonio Margarito. Photo / Ted Lerner</font><i>RING correspondent Ted Lerner is in Baguio City, a mountain town in the Philippines, as Manny Pacquiao opens training camp for his Nov. 13 fight against Antonio Margarito. This is the first in a series.</i>BAGUIO CITY, Philippines -- Manny Pacquiao came here ostensibly because he wanted to engage in several weeks of high altitude training for his fight against Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium. But after only a few minutes in this busy, but pleasant mountain town 1,500 meters above sea level, you realize that perhaps the main reason he is here for the second time to make camp is that it affords him a rare chance to relax.Compared with sprawling, teeming and oppressively hot Manila, a six-hour drive south of here, Baguio is a laid back haven. This hilly town at the gateway to the Cordillera Mountains is covered with sweet-smelling pine trees. The weather is ideal. In the daytime it is slightly warm and never oppressive. At night a faint chill fills the air. The locals are friendly and polite and noticeably non-intrusive.One gets a good idea of why Pacquiao is here by visiting Cooyeesan Plaza, a modern but non-descript rectangular commercial complex just a few minutes outside the center of town. Except for the bright red pickup truck emblazoned with "Team Pacquiao" in the parking lot outside, there's nothing here to indicate that the world's most exciting and very arguably best boxer is anywhere near the place. No banners welcoming the champ. No big crowds trying to get his autograph.The building houses a variety of establishments. On the ground floor facing the street there's a supermarket, a hardware store and a beauty salon. Inside there's a dance school, a small college, several small canteens and restaurants. On the second floor sits the modern Shape up Gym. In the back of the weight room is a door leading into the bright and clean boxing gym. This is home to Team Pacquiao for the next month.Pacquiao and his entourage are staying in the 129-room hotel on the third floor. The hotel isn't fancy. Giving it three stars would be a bit of a stretch. The whole setup, though, seems to fit Pacquiao's personality to "T." He might be a high-flying, all-action superstar, but at heart he is really a simple kid from the province. Here he has everything he needs. There's even a basketball court on the fourth floor. And Pacquiao can just take the stairs down to the gym.Thursday was to be Pacquiao's first day of sparring. The previous week he had been training in Manila, several miles from the Philippines House of Representatives. Just after lunch every day, Pacquiao would show up at the Elorde Gym in Quezon City, part of Metro Manila, and train for several hours. He would then quickly shower, don his suit, dodge the massive crowds that had gathered on the streets outside, and head straight to the Congress for the 4pm session.Pacquiao had a productive week in Manila. Under huge banners and murals documenting the legendary life and career of Hall of Famer Gabriel "Flash" Elorde, Pacquiao plowed through his daily workout. On the mitts with trainer Freddie Roach, he showed blinding speed and footwork, and frightful power. The Manila media and others, including plenty of local celebrities who crowded into the gym to watch, marveled at how, despite a layoff of several months, Pacquiao hadn't seemed to have lost a step.After one impressive 10 round session on the mitts, a confident Roach revealed some of the game plan he and his fighter have in store for Margarito."We're working on some angles a little bit," he said. "I want him to go deeper on the angles so Margarito doesn't have a target in front of him and give him [Margarito] a little more room so he'll follow us because he has the tendency to follow his opponents. Once he picks his foot up, we'll drill him. The first four rounds he's going to be trying to walk us down. We'll set traps for him and walk him into combinations. I love this style of fighter for Manny Pacquiao." Roach said that he's also preparing for the possibility that Margarito will counter Pacquiao's game plan with a different tactic. "I do think he'll move in this fight a little bit," Roach said. "That's why I'm bringing a mover in [as a sparring partner]. I'm anticipating him coming forward, but they might try and throw a wrench in this and not come to us at all. I'm trying to cover all our bases. It's not a problem. One thing about Margarito is that he can move backwards but he's not good at it. It'll be a mistake if he does that, I feel."After a week of fighting the traffic and thick, smoggy air in Manila, Roach was elated to get up to Baguio this past Sunday. He loves the clean, cool air here and has even chosen to enjoy it to the fullest by staying at a nearby resort, Camp John Hay, inside a log cabin. After several days of going through the basics, Roach was anxious to get to the meat of the training and wanted to start the first sparring at exactly 2pm. As the clock hit 2, everyone sat around the quiet gym chatting and waiting for the Man; Roach, conditioning coach Alex Ariza, Pacquiao's childhood friend and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, sparring partners Glen Tapia and Michael Medina, about a dozen of Pacquiao's confidants and hangers on, and a few local media. The atmosphere here was a stark contrast to that in Manila. Just past 2:30, a smiling Pacquiao walked into the gym. Roach insisted that everyone but the team had to leave for the sparring session. The few members of the media on hand could come back in after about 30 minutes, when the sparring was over. We could watch Manny shadow box, hit the speed bag, do his stretching, Roach said. But the sparring would be private. "We have some things to go over," Roach said. Fernandez then shouted out that we all had to leave. As Roach had said, 30 minutes later the doors were thrown open. Pacquiao hammered the speed ball as about a dozen reporters and others watched. Tapia had worked all four rounds and, as he undid his hand wraps, looked pleased with himself."It was a great experience," the 20-year-old from New Jersey said. "He's the greatest. He's not like fighting an average lefty. It's like fighting a lefty and righty mixed together in one. He gives you angles, he'll pop you then spin you, then he's on the other side. He's very fast. His footwork is great. He'll hit you then he's all of a sudden on the other side, then he hits you again and he's on the other side this time."I just tried to go in there and put pressure on him. That's what Freddie wanted me to do. It's the first day of camp so we can't really tell. He's going to get much better." Roach seemed generally happy with the sparring, but said Pacquiao got clocked several times."It was better than I expected," Roach told me, referring to the sparring. "He made some bad moves, he made some good moves. That's part of the first day. I wanted to see how the sparring partners worked out. Glen was perfect. He fought just like Margarito does. Very strong and very aggressive. I picked the right guy. It was a good first day. Manny's timing was off a little bit. He hasn't boxed since the Clottey fight. I'm happy with it. I saw a couple of mistakes. Manny got hit a couple of times when he shouldn't have. And that's my job tomorrow. We'll work it out on the mitts. That's my job to show him how to defend against that. "He knows the mistakes he made. He's getting his feet wet, he's getting back into it. It takes time. That's why my training camps are eight weeks long. We've got seven weeks to go. We're ahead of schedule. But the best part about today is that Tapia fights just like Margarito. He's like a clone of him. He comes forward, he's sloppy, he comes wide with his punches, he's heavy handed and he's rugged. He hit Manny right in the balls today by accident. That's going to happen. It was an accident, but it can happen."I asked Roach if that meant that he thought Margarito was a dirty fighter."Margarito's not dirty," he said. "I don't believe in a dirty fight, because it is a fight. I'd say he's physical. He does whatever it takes to win. I was a physical fighter too. Head butts, elbows, a little low blows here and there. It's all part of the game. Manny won't get dirty, but he knows how to handle it. He knows how to keep himself out of those positions. My rule is if a guy hits you low, you hit him back low. Manny won't do it. He will not foul a fighter. He's too respectful a fighter for me sometimes, but that's just his nature. "We have a plan A, a plan B, and sometimes a plan C. If we don't do it here in the gym, we'll never do it in the fight. We cover all our bases in the gym. He understands the game plan and he follows it completely, but sometimes when a fighter gets hit and gets angry, he will exchange. But that's something I like. That's in his heart. That's what makes Manny Pacqiuao, Manny Pacquiao."It's that massive heart and a work rate that exceeds anything he's ever seen. It never fails to amaze Roach."That protection I wear doesn't work that well," he said. "He beat the shit out of me yesterday. He hurt me with more shots than usual. And the other day he knocked me down right in my ass. First time in my life. He uses his whole body weight, from his legs. He's got so much explosion. He's so quick and snappy, he just like ... wham! He actually explodes on you. And that's one thing he's always had. But now he knows how to use it effectively. It's something we work on every day, but that power of his, I can't take credit for that. He was born with it. He could always knock you out with one punch. I've tried to get him to hone that power in a more productive way."For the next month in this quaint city, far away from the maddening crowds in Manila, the two will gradually hone that incredible power and speed with some of the most-extreme training Roach has ever been a part of. "It's intense and continuous," Roach said of Pacquiao's workouts. "He does an hour and a half in the morning with the runs. Then we do three and a half in the afternoon. He doesn't rest. We've done an hour on the mitts and he ignores the bell, he works right through it. Actually, if he needs a day off from training camp, I'm going to let him go. The hardest to do is to get him to take a day off. "Sometimes I'm afraid he's going to burn himself out and overdo it. I tell him to take a day off and I'll catch him running 10 miles. It'll be a blessing if he takes a day off. I welcome that. I don't have confidence without reason. His work ethic is it."

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Sky apologises for Haye-Klitschko technical problems

? Many missed fight due to 'issue' with new bookings system
? Replays to be shown free on Sunday

Sky has apologised to customers after its coverage of David Haye's fight with Wladimir Klitschko was hit by technical problems.

The broadcaster said it had an "issue" with new telephone and online bookings for Saturday night's world heavyweight unification bout due to "unprecedented demand".

The glitch meant many sport fans were unable to order the �14.95 pay-per-view fight.

During the contest, which saw England's Haye lose in Hamburg on points, Sky's Twitter feed urged those experiencing problems to "please find your nearest pub".

A statement posted on Sky's website following the fight said: "We are sorry to have disappointed any viewers who were unable to order Haye v Klitschko. Sky had an issue during the evening with new telephone and online bookings for the fight.

"We had encouraged early booking over three weeks leading up to the fight. However we experienced unprecedented demand on the night and whilst early telephone and online purchases worked, there were issues with late bookings through these routes on Saturday."

Sky said free replays of the fight will now be available to all customers at 9am, 1pm and 7pm today.

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What happened to ?JuanMa?? Arum says he was distracted

Juan Manuel Lopez showed some major holes in losing to Orlando Salido via eighth round TKO on Saturday night.

For an unbeaten champ, he's always been easy to hit and has even gone down on occasion, but it was shocking to see Orlando Salido find a home for both his overhand right and left hook so often.

Did he unveil "JuanMa" as an overrated fighter with a shaky chin or was Jim Gray onto something? Gray, the Showtime reporter, asked JuanMa about his marital issues before and after the fight. The former unbeaten champ shrugged off his impending split with wife Barbara de Jesus, but his promoter Bob Arum wasn't willing to.

"The distractions did the job. Look at Miguel Cotto, who has never been better since he left to train outside of Puerto Rico. And he doesn't get out of shape between fights," Arum said.

The veteran promoter said Lopez (30-1, 27 KOs) was massive between this fight and his last win in November over Rafael Marquez.

"That's what happened to this guy?.he was overweight. He was like 180 or 190 pounds when he was in the Philippines [for Manny Pacquiao's birthday party in December]. And I know that personal problems affected this boy," Arum said. "Boxing is a serious business and you have to be in great physical condition between fights, you have to have the best life between fights, and when you have training camp for a fight, like Cotto, you should leave the island."

The loss could be good news for boxing fans. Before the fight, JuanMa was talking about leaving the 126-pound division. Now he's got too much work to get done before a jump to 130.

He needs to avenge this loss and then make a superfight against Yuriorkis Gamboa. That could turn into a two or three fight series. If he smokes Gamboa, then it's time for Nonito Donaire. Any way you look at it, the top of the featherweight class should give us tremendous fights for the next few years unless promotional chaos screws it up.

Amazingly, even after getting destroyed by Salido, Lopez says he's sticking with the plan to leave the division.

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Video of Tyson talking about Sheen?s drug tests and bizarre behavior

Mike Tyson is watching Charlie Sheen's roller coaster ride from afar, but he feels like he can relate to what the wayward actor is going through.

Joining the fellas at ESPN1100 in Las Vegas this week (video - NSFW), Tyson was asked about Sheen, his drug tests and recent behavior (2:03 mark).

"I don't know what's happening to Charlie.� If he's passing the tests everyone's giving him. He is acting a little bit strange, I like to be on the show too, but I believe that's my dark side thing.� We're going to get it together Charlie. I don't know where he's at. But this is where I've been, I don't know if he's there ? I've been a damn fool, I've been on drugs and embarrassed myself and other people too of course, and I thought I was awesome," Tyson said. "That's where I've been, so I don't know. I've been in places where I wish I could move under a rock and not look at myself no more. So I don't know, but Charlie doesn't seem to feel that way yet."

Sheen says he's clean and passed all his drug tests.��

Again, I don't know what Charlie's going to do. If he says he passed the tests, I'm great at tricking those tests when I was on drugs. I don't know if Charlie's doing that, but this is something I'm great at ? lying to myself," Tyson said. "But if he says he's passed the tests then I believe him 100 percent. But then we're dealing with a personality problem. I don't know. I just wish him the best of luck with everything."

Tyson hit rock bottom so many times, he lost count. Even early in his boxing career when his was on top of his game, Tyson's behavior away from the ring was risky. Entering the biggest fight of his life, his first title shot at 20 years old against Trevor Berbick, he was distracted (3:33 mark).

"Of course, I had VD. Of course I was embarrassed to tell anybody you know?� Well, I told my trainer Kevin Rooney, but I didn't understand, I'm just a 20-year-old sap. I'm thinking this is postponement because I'm sleeping with some tramp. I've got to tell you a story about that stuff, this is so crazy. So we went to the fight, I won and I was so excited to get out of there because I'm dripping with sweat like a [inaudible] in July," Tyson on that 1986 fight. "So I can't wait to get out of the ring. So that was over. But I had to persevere because this was my life, this championship was what I dreamt of all my life and I wasn't going to be denied."

Tyson says he was still a mess as recent as 2008, when he was using drugs heavily. He's shocked that he found a woman, who'd marry him in that state.

"When my wife married me, I was OD'ing every day. I was a mess. I didn't deserve a prostitute with full-blown AIDS. I could have gotten one, but I didn't deserve her. She was slummin' if she was with me at that stage," Tyson said of his current wife Lakiha . "We're putting it together. We're putting our foundation together one brick at a time, and it seems to be going well. We had to get reacquainted. We're started to get reacquainted now that we're married."

Tyson was in the ESPN1100 studios for an hour along with fellow boxer Zab Judah. The conversation was fascinating. Kudos to the interviewers @paulyhoward and @seatwilliams. Williams pushed the sports' angles well� and Howard was fearless in getting Tyson to open up like they were chums hanging at a bar.

Thanks to SportsRadioInterviews.com for transcribing the interview.

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Dawson beats up Diaconu to earn shot at BHop or Pascal

Chad Dawson's changed a lot in his life, but he never lost the basic boxing skills that put him on the boxing pound-for-pound list for much of 2008, 2009 and 2010. The young light heavyweight, a bit forgotten by some boxing fans, cruised to a win over Adrian Diaconu via unanimous decision 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112, tonight at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

The victory for Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs) should get him a shot at his old WBC 175-pound title. Bernard Hopkins challenges the champ Jean Pascal in tonight's main event in Canada. In the prefight, Hopkins said that if won the title, Dawson would be next. The same goes for Pascal.

Under the tutelage of new trainer Emmanuel Stewart, Dawson threw his punches with more conviction, but still seemed to be unwilling to really pour it on against Diaconu, who was a bit outclassed.

Dawson, 28, outlanded Diaconu 240 to 105. He pummeled the Romanian with 157 power shots, landing at a 59 percent clip. By the end of the fight, Diaconu (27-3, 15 KOs) had significant bruising around his left with a cut below the eye on the cheek. He had redness around his right eye as well.

Dawson lost the title last summer against Pascal. The Haitian living in Canada was ahead on the scorecards in the 11th when a headbutt busted open a huge cut over Dawson's eye, forced a stoppage. Pascal won the belt via technical decision.

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Blasted on Twitter, Pacquiao scraps his account

Boxing's pound-for-pound champ is tough as nails in the ring, but he wilted in the toughest arena in the world -- the Internet.

Congressman Manny Pacquiao's affair with social media was a short one. After dealing with a fake account that sprouted up in January, "Pac-Man" decided to try Twitter with a real account in late February.

Pacquiao quickly found out there's no buffer on Twitter. His� problems began a few days ago as he watched a Filipino Congressional impeachment hearing from afar. Training for his fight with Shane Mosley in May, Pacquiao tried to ease concerns about his absence from Congress during the major vote. From GMA News:

"I vote NO! and I can give my explanation thanks," he [tweeted] emphatically just a few minutes before midnight [on Mar. 21].

That unleashed a hail of criticism from followers, who wondered why Pacquiao wasn't fulfulling his political duties.

"to hell with @congmp. Why the [expletive] did you run for congress when you know you'd barely be present?" said @RAndRat.

According to GMA News, Pacquiao responded with a personal shot�at one tweeter who asked, "Why are you not at the plenary?"

Pacquiao shot back: "@momblogger e di mag reklamo ka doon sa lolo mo hahahaha thanks" (Go tell it to your grandpa!)

More than a few angry Filipinos fired back:

"he shouldn't tweet that way. he is, after all, a billionaire congressman," said @emvisi.

"You may be trying to folksy and humorous, @CongMP, but the matter at hand is too serious to be flippant about," opined @jesterinexile. "because @CongMP is absent, saranggani province has no say in a national issue. that is irresponsible beyond belief," he added.

Pacquiao decided he'd had enough of the people and their unfiltered access. GMA News says @congmp was deleted at 4:20 p.m. on March 23.

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Why is Pacman-Mosley fight on Showtime? CBS made all the difference for Top Rank

Fight fans might be a little surprised to see someone other than Jim Lampley and the rest of the HBO crew on the call for Manny Pacquiao versus Shane Mosley this Saturday night. Strained relations with the boxing pay-per-view giant and interest from network television convinced Bob Arum and Todd DuBoef to take Pacquiao, their No. 1 product elsewhere.

"The currency was the audience, not the dollars," DuBoef, the president of Top Rank, told Sports Business Journal. "How do I make my product more available? You layer in things and then you see: This is what we have; this is what we could have."

Top Rank pitched Pacquaio to ESPN and HBO, then Showtime came calling.

DuBoef said he heard nothing of note from ESPN and little from HBO that he hadn't heard before. But from Showtime, often seen as the underdog tugging at HBO's hem, came word that CBS was willing to talk. The deal that emerged is unlike anything boxing has seen.

Boxing has been crushed by the lack of network TV exposure over the last 30 years. Top Rank jumped at the chance to be on local CBS TV affiliates and hundreds of local CBS radio stations around the country.

For the Showtime-produced "Fight Camp 360" show that profiles both fighters, CBS offered a slot as a prime-time special, which aired this past Saturday night, along with a half hour on the afternoon of the Final Four and an hour this Saturday afternoon, ahead of fight night. It offered promotion on other weekend sports programming. It offered exposure well beyond the bounds of sports: Segments on "Entertainment Tonight," which CBS distributes, and on "The Early Show" and others. It pledged to push out features to both owned and operated stations and affiliates. It tapped into CBS Radio and CBS Outdoor.

Seth Abraham, the former head of HBO sports sees trouble on the horizon for the pay network if Pacquiao-Mosley does a huge PPV number with Showtime.

"I think this is the most important fight, out of the ring, in 20 years," said Abraham, who served as president of HBO Sports until 2000, then worked as chief operating officer and president of Madison Square Garden through 2003. "There could be enormous consequences.

"If the pay-per-view rate is meteorically higher, you have to assume it had a lot to do with the promotion on CBS. So if CBS really impacts the buy rate for Top Rank, if the delayed broadcast on Showtime is a big success, I think what you're going to see is that NBC/Versus will pay more attention, ABC/ESPN will pay more attention, and Fox and FX and their regional networks will pay more attention. If CBS and Showtime are successful for Top Rank, then I see a completely different boxing landscape that HBO will be facing. It'll be a real slugfest for every important fight."

That's great news for fight fans. The sport deserves more exposure and more good scraps. If multiple networks are clamoring for boxing, then we'll get a premium put on matchmaking and let's get crazy, maybe we'll even get some high level boxing where we don't have to shell out $12-65.

You can watch the Pacquiao-Mosley pay-per-view right here on Yahoo! Sports.

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Dougie&#039;s Monday Mailbag

<b>MARGARITO'S SPARRING</b>Hey Dougie,There's a lot of press out there on Manny Pacquiao's sparing right now, but since he's way less rusty, I'm more interested in Antonio Margarito's preparation. I feel like the amount of rust he's got to have built up rests a huge responsibility on the quality of his sparing leading up to the fight. I've read they're shooting for 150 rnds, but I haven't heard anything about with whom, or how the sessions have looked. Have you heard anything on this? Thanks. -- T-Smith<b>I wrote a <a href="http://www.ringtv.com/blog/2406/gym_notes_i_havent_seen_it_yet_but_word_is_margaritos_looking_good/">Gym Notes</a> column on <I>almost</I> watching an Antonio Margarito sparring session last week. LOL. The not-so-unexpected breakdown of my 16-year-old Toyota on the way to Robert Garcia's gym in Oxnard, Calif., prevented me from providing an eye-witness account of Margarito's sparring session, but word from a couple unattached insiders (Max and Sam Garcia -- no relation to Robert) was that the former welterweight titleholder looked solid in his second week of sparring. I mentioned his sparring partners in that article but I'll list their names again: Austin Trout (a junior middleweight prospect from New Mexico), Cleotis "Mookie" Pendarvis (a quick and talented junior welterweight spoiler from L.A.), and Ricardo Williams (a 2000 Olympic silver medalist from Ohio who was once a ring savvy 140-pound standout).I sat in on an eight-round mitt session on Saturday and from that workout I can tell you that Margarito's very close to fighting weight, his mood is good and he definitely has his legs under him.I plan to watch him spar this week (God willing) for another Gym Notes column.</b><b>DIRRELL PULLOUT BENEFITS JOHNSON</b>Hi Dougie,I don't want to spend much time debating in my own head (much less in email) the validity of Andre Dirrell pulling out of the Super Six. Am I skeptical? Somewhat... and I feel a little guilty about that. But either way it's a moot point because whether valid or not he's out. And truth be told I thought he was a bit of a bitch and it irritated me watching him and his whiny ass nature on the fight broadcasts and Fight Camp 360s documentaries. My therapist tells me I need to work on having empathy for others... is that what she's talking about?Anyhoo, let me put it like this: I'm disappointed in not getting to see a Ward-Dirrell fight as it delivered a dramatic story line, maybe (big maybe) a decent fight (although my gut tells me Ward mentally dominates Dirrell, wins a decision, and then we are left having to hear bitch ass Dirrell and troll-ass Gary Shaw whine and harumph about it) and an opportunity for Ward (who I am becoming a big fan of) to cement himself as top 1 or 2 in the division.So that fight is lost for now but what I find an interesting wrinkle is now the Johnson vs. Green fight is about 100 times more meaningful because the winner (hopefully Glen) most likely moves on and we are left with a four-man tourney of Abraham, Froch, Ward and Johnson. That's not too shabby and would be awesome for Gentleman Glen.Maybe I'm jumping the gun slightly on Glen being the guy... but still, to see this turn into that kind of opportunity for Glen really makes me happy.So I'm not gonna hang my head very much at all if this turn of events leaves me with Dirrell (who annoyed the f___ out of me anyway) out, Glen Johnson in, and those four (none of whom I think have any whiny ass bitch in them) left to duke it out.I'm still on board with the Super Six and excited.If there are others looking to focus on the negative then they are morons and can all go F themselves. -- Todd<b>You're starting to sound like your daddy, Todd. This is Todd duBoef, isn't it? Whoever you may be, I agree that a four-man single-elimination semifinal with Ward, Abraham, Froch and Johnson is worth watching. However, given Johnson's age, ring wear, and the fact that he will be fighting at his lightest weight in TEN years, I can't count Allan Green completely out the way most fans and media have. And I disagree that a victory over his buddy Dirrell would have "cemented" Ward's status as the "top 1 or 2" super middleweight. For starters, Ward already has that status (ESPN.com ranks him No. 1; THE RING rates him No. 2) depending on who you talk to. If the Bay Area Badass wants to be the division's undisputed numero uno he must not only best Abraham, Froch or Johnson, but he's got to beat Lucian Bute (provided the Quebec-based Romanian remains undefeated through the conclusion of the Super Six).Lastly, for her own safety, I sincerely hope your therapist never administers to you a Rorschach test with inkblots that resemble Andre Dirrell or Gary Shaw. You might go all Edwin Valero on the poor lady.</b><b>RANDOM QUESTIONS</b>Two quick, late questions. What's up with Brandon Rios calling out Victor Ortiz at a catchweight of 138 pounds when he weighed in as a welterweight on the day of his DQ win vs Anthony Peterson?And what ever happened to Ricardo Torres? In his only two defeats he lost a great slugfest with Miguel Cotto, got headbutted and hooked vs Kendall Holt. Two acceptable losses vs world champions. Why hasn't he fought since '09? -- Jabre<b>I have no idea what happened to Torres. Last time I wrote about him was during the build up to his rubber match with Holt that was scheduled for December of 2008. Torres pulled out of that fight with a week or two to go, claiming an injury but the rumor was that he was way overweight in his camp in Colombia. Bob Arum, who promoted both fighters at the time, said "he can stay in Colombia as far as I'm concerned" during the conference call for Holt vs. Demetrius Hopkins (who served as a late sub for Torres in the Showtime-televised bout). I respectfully disagree with Obi-Bob Kenobi. I'd like Torres to venture out of Colombia if he can get down to 140 pounds and regain his form. I think the gutsy hard-punching former beltholder would make for some fun fights in the deep and talented junior welterweight division. Imagine Torres vs. Bradley, Alexander, Khan, Maidana and Ortiz. Imagine the seasoned slugger testing young up-and-comers like Danny Garcia (who looked good whacking out Mike Arnaoutis on Friday) and in the not-too-distant future prospects such as Jessie Vargas and Frankie Gomez. Torres is a welcome What's up with Rios and his catchweight challenge to Ortiz? Nothing really. It's just a good old-fashioned grudge. He doesn't like Victor and he wants to try to beat up on his former stablemate. Rios, who weighed <I>over</I> the welterweight limit the day of the Peterson fight, can make 135 pounds easy and he knows that Ortiz has to work hard to make 140, so he'd love to set a 138-pound catchweight for a future fight in the hopes that Vic drains himself making that weight (Bam Bam's not as dumb as he looks or sounds -- not quite, anyway). Ortiz isn't as spacey as he looks (not quite, anyway) and would never agree to weigh under 140 pounds for a fight. He has way too many options at 140 pounds to mess around with Rios at the present time, but I think those two Kansas kids will make for a hell of grudge match in about a year or two if they continue to win and impress. And don't forget that Rios said he'd be willing to fight at 140 pounds if Ortiz didn't take the catch-weight bait.</b><b>DOES BRIGGS HAVE A PUNCHER'S CHANCE?</b>hell no. he has the same chance as all of vitali's other opponents do - a 2% chance that vitali twists a knee or ruptures a disk in his back or some weird sh__ like that and loses by injury tko. i was worried about briggs and thought people were underrating him when the fight was signed because he is a huge puncher.however i watched a training video and realized he is the slowest thing going and can't move his feet at all around the ring. especially if vitali has a big ring (and im sure he will) there is no chance in hell briggs and his juiced up body (ya i'm accusing him of taking steroids a few years ago when he came back much heavier and ko'd 10 bums and ray mercer in a row) can keep up with vitali who will circle for two rounds and then beat the piss out of briggs. -- Matt in Canada<b>Matt, I'm shocked that it took a video of Briggs training for you realize that he has about a 2-percent chance of winning Saturday's fight with Vitali.I figured the only people who were "worried" about Briggs were those who were concerned for his health (and no, I'm not talking about fears that the Brooklyn native suffers an asthma attack, I mean being fretting that Klitschko knocks him clear out of the damn ring).</b><b>WHAT ABOUT THESE TOP FIVES?</b>good day mr. fischer!i'm wondering if you can answer these top fives... i thought this would be unique because i notice that some of your top fives were the "best." i hope this will appear in your mailbag.top 5 worst match-ups you've ever seen/covered/watched on tv (and why).top 5 boring boxing fights you've witnessed (and why)top 5 boxing events you wish never happened (and why)top 5 upsets you've watched/covered/watched on tv and you can't believe it (and why)Good job. God bless. -- Jarvis, Philippines<b>The five worst match-ups that immediately come to my mind are high-profile bouts where one guy obviously shouldn't have been in the ring with the opponent he was matched with:Lewis-Tyson (I know this event did record box-office and PPV numbers, but Tyson had nothing left and no business challenging a heavyweight champ as good as Lewis... the only people who thought Tyson had a shot were clueless casual fans, Tyson nut-huggers and Lewis haters... I thought Mike took an unnecessary beating in that fight)Tyson-McNeely (it was Tyson's first fight after spending almost 4 years in prison but McNeely, who had only faced old journeymen and rank ham-n-eggers, still had no prayer of even making it out of the first round... the "fight," which resembled a gang member beating up on a mentally challenged kid from the "special" class, did huge PPV numbers)Corrales-Clottey (the not-long-for-this-world Corrales, who was clearly a spent bullet going into this fight, shouldn't have been fighting <I>anyone</I> at 147 pounds much less a hard-nosed contender like Clottey)Lewis-Grant (poor Grant, who had been exposed in <I>winning</I> a tough fight with Andrew Golota in his previous fight, was practically hyperventilating on his way to the ring)Gatti-Gamache (Gamache beat a bunch of third-tier guys going into this fight, the HBO-televised co-feature to De La Hoya-Coley, but he was worn down by an aging Julio Cesar Chavez in his last loss... the Mexican legend put on a lot of weight after the weigh-in for that fight, which I attended in Anaheim, Calif., as a fan... if an old guy who put on a lot of weight after the weighin beat up on Gamache, what was going to happen to poor Joey when he fought a <I>young</I> guy who was notorious for putting on a ridiculous amount of weight after weighing in?)Top five boring boxing fight I've witnessed (and why):Why would anyone be interested a list of <I>boring</I> fights and want reasons why certain bouts made the list? You're not going to try to find these bouts and watch them are you? If so, you're a very strange individual. LOL. Ruiz-Oquendo immediately comes to mind. I watched most of it in fast forward and it <I>still</I> sucked. Lots of heavyweight bouts come to mind: Byrd-Williamson, Moorer-Bean, Klitschko-Ibragimov. Chavez Jr.-Rowland, which was sadly the main undercard support for Cotto-Pacquiao, was crap. It got so monotonous I left press row for a bathroom break and took my sweet time. My heart sank when I returned to the arena and saw that they were only in the sixth round. Is that five? Yeah, that's a enough; this is a pointless Top Five.Top five boxing events I wish never happened (and why):I wish any bout that resulted in a fatality or a serious head injury never happened. I'll just stick to those tragic bouts that occurred during my tenure as a boxing writer and on my beat (the U.S.).Levander Johnson-Jesus Chavez sticks in my mind and conscience. I had a horrible feeling about the matchup prior to the fight, which I didn't cover, but I didn't speak out enough against it apart from saying some stuff on The Next Round with Steve Kim. There's a Levander Johnson T-shirt in my dresser that members of MaxBoxing's message board created and sold to raise money for Johnson's family. I've never worn it and I have a hard time looking at it but I won't throw it out. Obviously the subject still bothers me.Montiel-Alcazar (fatality). Jones-Scottland (fatality). Viloria-Contreras (serious brain injury). Darchinyan-Burgos (serious brain injury).This has been a very depressing topic, Jarvis.Top five upsets I couldn't believe (and why):Brewster over Klitschko. (I believed in Brewster going into the fight -- and yes, he was my official pick by a fourth-round KO -- but after taking a frightful beating and going down late in the fourth round, I thought it was over for my man Lamon. Then he teed off on a bone-tired Wladdy in that surreal fifth round and forced a stoppage. I nearly lost my mind watching at home.)Douglas-Tyson. (I was rooting for Douglas because he was from Columbus, Ohio where I grew up. His TKO of Tyson was so shocking it probably saved me from being jumped on the train ride back to where I was staying in Boston during a college internship at the Boston Globe. A bunch a hoods surrounded me not long after I got on the "T" from my friend's house in Roxbury where I watched the fight. But they froze when I told them Tyson got knocked out and demanded the blow-by-blow account, which I delivered along with pretty darn good imitation of Iron Mike getting decked by my Ohio homeboy.)Honeyghan-Curry (I thought Curry was the pound-for-pound best in the sport and unbeatable at 147 pounds. I didn't think anyone but middleweight champ Marvin Hagler could beat the talented Texas technician -- and that showdown was supposedly in the works -- so you can imagine my shock when some unknown British dude with a what I thought was a quirky style served his ass. Honeyghan didn't just force Curry to stay on his stool after six, he hurt the American star in the fifth round and made him look ordinary.) Barkley-Hearns. (The disparity in talent was almost sickening. Barkley was a legit contender but I thought the Hitman would make him look like a club fighter and peel the Bronx bomber's head like an overripe orange with his jab and accurate power punches... that's just what the Detroit legend did -- as well as land numerous debilitating body shots -- for 2 rounds until BOOM! That monster right hand crashed upside Tommy's head. I don't know how Hearns peeled himself off the canvas but there was no way the fight should have continued -- it did, of course -- and the Blade chopped the Hitman down with a follow-up barrage.)Nunn over Kalambay. (It wasn't shocking that Nunn, an awesome talent, beat Kalambay but I couldn't conceive of the <I>manner</I> in which he won -- a one-punch KO in the first round... I liked Kalambay in that fight. I was just starting to become a hardcore fan around the time of this bout, so I didn't know that much about the finer points of boxing and how styles match up but from what I'd seen and read about the Italy-based Congo native I thought he had the ability to off-set and out-maneuver the 6-foot-2 southpaw. I thought Kalambay had the footwork of a 160-pound Muhammad Ali. Too bad he didn't possess Ali's iron chin.)</b><b>TOP 5 AUSTRALIAN FIGHTERS</b>Hey Doug,Just interested in getting your top 5 all time Australian fighters? There have been so many great fighters coming out of Australia for years who either next to no-one outside of Australia know about, or simply aren't given their due (in my opinion anyway). Here are mine in no particular order:Dave Sands: This guy was so badass that neither Robinson nor Randy Turpin would go near him. Turpin wouldn't fight him after seeing his brother Dick iced in 2 rounds. Bobo Olson was another high profile victim. Unfortunately Sands passed away at a young age from a car accident and sadly there is nowhere near enough footage of his fights to do him any justice.Johnny Famechon: This guy was a killer who if not for an ill advised comeback would have retired as an undefeated legend.Les Darcy: A somewhat forgotten Australian icon, which is a damn shame considering his talent and tragic life.Lionel Rose: Another great Indigenous fighter whose fights with Fighting Harada were epic.Vic Patrick: An absolute pocket rocket who gets nowhere near the credit he deserves.Thanks for your thoughts. -- G., Australia<b>Thanks for your Top Five list. I'll have to research Patrick and Sands as I'm not familiar with either fighter. Anyway, here's my list:Young Griffo (won world featherweight title when there was only one to win and fought hall of famers Kid Lavine, George Dixon and Joe Gans to draws in a series of bouts from 1894 to 1897), Les Darcy (won Australia's welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight titles on way to compiling excellent 45-4 record before tragic, premature death), Lionel Rose (traveled to Japan and beat that nation's greatest fighter Fighting Harada to win world bantamweight title, which he defended against undefeated Japanese challenger Takao Sakurai in Japan before traveling to the U.S. to beat underrated Mexican badass Chucho Castillo at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., which might as well have been Mexico... no shame in losing to the unbeaten prime version of Ruben Olivares that KO'd him), Johnny Famechon (beat underrated Jose Legra for the WBC featherweight title and defended it twice against Harada -- the first win by controversial decision but the rematch by 14-round TKO in Tokyo -- and there's no shame in losing the title to underrated Mexican southpaw Vicente Saldivar), and Jeff Fenech (won titles at bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight in first 20 bouts and defeated aging future hall of famer Carlos Zarate, young future hall of famer Daniel Zaragoza, 1984 Olympic gold medalist Steve McCrory, as well as solid titleholders Samart Payakaroon, Greg Richardson, and Marcos Villasana... held the great Azumah Nelson to a draw that most observers thought he deserved to win.)</b> <b>FIVE BEST PERFORMANCES OF ALL TIME</b>Dougie,How about top 5 performances of all time? Those who on the biggest occasions produced their best and executed a perfect gameplan. I'm thinking about the likes of Whitaker vs Chavez, Ali vs Liston, etc.Keep up the great work. - Ben, UK<b>My man, I'm 40! I can't tell you about the best performances of <I>all-freaking- time</I>. I haven't seen or studied enough to begin to even have an inkling of who's deserving of mention and why.This is a question for Bert Sugar or a bona fide boxing historian like Mike Silver. Or you can break out your Ouija board and try to reach the spirit of Hank Kaplan. Given your criteria, "on the biggest occasions produced their best and executed a perfect gameplan," I think the examples you gave are on-point. Clay over Liston featured a not yet mature 7-to-1 underdog, who had been dropped hard in his previous bout, outclassing a truly feared heavyweight champ that most of the media of the time rated as the most formidable since Joe Louis.Frazier over Ali in their first bout, Sanchez over Gomez, Leonard over Hearns in first bout, Leonard over Hagler, Duran over Leonard, and Duran over Barkley are some examples that occurred in my lifetime.Whitaker's "draw" with Chavez resonates with me because it occurred shortly after I'd become an official "boxing nutcase."I don't know if Whitaker was an underdog but Chavez held an 87-0 record at the time and Sweet Pea was willing to face the Mexican icon on his terms. It was a Don King-promoted event (that was carried by Chavez's network, Showtime) in San Antonio in front of 60,000 Mexican and Mexican-American fans. Like most observers, I thought he took Chavez to school.I'll give you my Top Five "best performances" since the Whitaker-Chavez fight:Jones over Toney, Barrera over Hamed, Hopkins over Trinidad, Mayweather over Corrales, and Mosley over De La Hoya (first fight).</b>

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