Weekend Boxing !!!

[H2O Man]

Friday - at Key West, Florida (ESPN2) - 12 rounds,
light welterweights: Randall Bailey (34-5, 31 KOs) vs.
Harrison Cuello (13-4-2, 9 KOs); 10 rounds, light heavyweights:
John Roman William (18-5, 9 KOs)vs. George Blades (20-2, 14 KOs).

Friday - at Phoenix (Showtime) - 12 rounds, super bantamweights:
Juan Manuel Lopez (14-0, 12 KOs) vs. Cuauhtemoc Vargas (15-1-1,10 KOs);
8 rounds, light middleweights: Victor Ortiz (16-1, 11 KOs) vs.
Marvin Cordova Jr (12-0, 8 KOs).

SATURDAY - at Basel, Switzerland - 12 rounds, WBA heavyweight title:
Nikolay Valuev (45-0, 33 KOs) vs. Jameel McCline (38-6-3, 23 KOs);
12 rounds, light middleweights: Christophe Canclaux (32-2, 20 KOs) vs.
Jimmy Colas (19-3, 8 KOs); 12 rounds, cruiserweights: Marco Huck
(17-0, 14 KOs) vs. Ismail Abdoul (28-10-2, 10 KOs).

SATURDAY - at Las Vegas (HBO) - 12 rounds, IBF light welterweight
title: Juan Urango (17-0-1, 13 KOs) vs. Ricky Hatton (41-0, 30 KOs);
12 rounds, light welterweights: Jose Luis Castillo (54-7-1, 47 KOs)
vs. Herman Ngoudjo (15-0, 9 KOs); 12 rounds, welterweights: Matthew
Hatton (29-3-1, 11 KOs) vs. Frank Houghtaling (19-12-5, 4 KOs).


It looks to be an interesting weekend for boxing fans. The Friday Night Fights on ESPN and Showtime allow us the opportunity to watch some of the fighters who are closing in on the top of their divisions. It's high-quality fight cards like these, featuring hungry young fighters, that will make boxing more popular once again. PPV and outrageously over-priced "super" bouts won't do as much for the sport as these fights, as old-timers who remember the old Friday Night Fights know.

Both Ricky Hatton and Jose Luis Castillo face potential difficulties Saturday. Should they both win, they are apparently going to meet this summer. Now there's a boxing match that would appeal to a wide range of sports fans!

I'm disappointed that the Valuev vs McCline match will be televised around the globe, but not in the USA. It has the potential to be a very interesting, even exciting fight. It will go a long way in helping boxing fans measure how good the giant "champion" really is. I've thought that McCline has been more focused and dedicated than he had been after the disappointing "lose" to Chris Byrd. If he is emotionally prepared, he has the physical tools to match anyone in the division today.

Any predictions on these fights?

[H2O Man]

1. ESPN2 FNFs

Studio guest Angelo Dundee!

[Admiral Loinpresser]

2. I'll go out on a limb.

Valuev in 8. I am not impressed with his strength (very soft body) and his hand speed is way below average for a champion. But he seems to work hard on technique and he has that Goliath reach.

I think the only one who can knock him out is Klitschko (Vladomir) who seems to be back after the two early-round upsets. Losing to that South African southpaw seemed to destroy his confidence. But the way he got off the canvass and chopped down Samuel Peter (great chin) proved that Vladomir has a chin (even if not great) and some heart. The key was when Lennox Lewis retired. That freed up Emanuel Stewart to start training Klitschko, not only the start of his comeback, but perhaps the turning point in his career. I think Stewart is one of the great trainers of all time.

[H2O Man]

4. Dundee said he thought

Valuev would stop McCline, because of McCline's habit of dropping his hands when he steps backwards. But he also noted Jameel has a powerful, short left hook. I really wish it was being televised in the US.

I think that a person needs the ability to move side-to-side to beat Valuev. Of course, a very powerful punch can be key, but the ability to deliver it is equally important.

[TSIAS]

3. ...

Urango versus Hatton is an interesting fight on Saturday night. Hatton made a smart decision in going back down to 140 pounds. He had trouble with a relatively light hitting Luis Collazo at 147. 140 does seem to be his natural weight. Hatton has lost a lot of his luster coming off his 2004 upset of Kostya Tszyu to win the recognized Junior Welterweight Title.

Haven't seen much of Urango. From looking at the record, he's fought most of his fights in Hollywood, FL (where I witnessed Peter/Toney II). For that reason, I might just pull for the upset.

Read that Castillo did make weight at 140 for his bout. Hopefully he'll be able to settle into the Junior Welterweight division. I guess the money of the Castillo/Corrales trilogy kept him at 135 for way too long.

I like McCline to pull the upset over Valuev. Hard to believe that 60 nations are watching this fight, but America is left in the dark. I'll have to follow the round-by-round of international viewers at Fightbeat.com's message board. I had to laugh when I heard Valuev compare his unbeaten record to that of Rocky Marciano's.

In Hatton/Urango HBO related news, the network is deciding to stick by broadcaster Jim Lampley in spite of his recent arrest for domestic violence. In a selfish regard, I look forward to hearing him call HBO's first World Championship Boxing telecast of the new year.

And my new year's resolution is not to purchase quite so many PPV's in 2007. Many of the PPV's I purchased in 2007 (Tarver/Hopkins, Barrera/Juarez II, Mayweather/Judah, Mayweather/Baldomir, Mosley/Vargas II, Pacquiao/Morales III) left me thoroughly disappointed and nearly $250 poorer. I'll definitely purchase DLH/Mayweather and some other premiere matchups, but I'll try to pass on matchups that in my brain I knew were mismatches.

[H2O Man]

5. I've heard that the

Lampley case may not be so clear-cut as some reports originally implied. Time will tell.

I think Hatton and Urango is going to be an outstanding fight. I think Hatton has a better delivery of punches, but he also can be hit, and can be cut and hurt. So nothing will surprise me.

Castillo may have a more difficult fight than anticipated. While I would love to see him fight Hatton in June, they both have their work cut out for them tonight.

Did you see McCline at the weigh-in? He is in very good shape.

[TSIAS]

6. McCline has to settle down

He's always been his own worst enemy. If McCline can utilize his skills, it could be a long night for Valuev. I have to wonder if McCline can get a fair shake overseas were the fight to go to the scorecards.

Last night from Key West Randall Bailey looked impressive in stopping his opponent in two rounds. This particular ESPN2 main event didn't do too much for me. Bailey hasn't been at the top level for years. His last shot was when he lost to Cotto a few years back. The opponent, Cuello, didn't bring much to the table.

I'll have to catch the ShoBox card when it replays or is put on Showtime In Demand.

Finally, we've talked about this before, but finally a deal has been formally announced for two heavyweight title fights. HBO will carry a duel telecast of Klitschko/Austin and Briggs/Ibragimov on March 10. They'll tape delay the Klitschko fight from Germany and show the Briggs fight live from the U.S.

I give Klitschko credit for fighting top fighters for the last few years. He deserves an easy home town defense against Austin. Not sure what type of power Austin has that could threaten Klitschko. His record isn't that great, but he was able to seriously hurt Ibragimov in his last bout.

[H2O Man]

7. Valuev by 3 rd TKO ....

McCline missed a punch, and fell to the floor. He had damaged his knee. Although he tried standing several times, he was unable to.

Interesting: Dundee said The Giant was a serious force, in part because he has good balance. Valuev noted McCline had poor balance for a big man.

[H2O Man]

8. Klitschko vs Austin.

I've said this before: Austin reminds me of Ernie Terrell, the WBA "champion" from the mid-1960s. He was a good fighter, painful to watch, and fruistrating for most people to fight. He split two bouts with Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams. Ali tortured him.

Klitschko is one of a very few heavyweights who might look good against him. His size and ability to land punches should allow him to win by 6. But, if Austin fights with his hands up -- something he rarely does -- it may be a difficult task for Klitschko.

Austin is, when he is focused, a good athlete. Actually, a better athlete than boxer. He could pose problems.

[MessiahRp]

9. On Hatton and Castillo

Hatton looked pretty good tonight, minus the fifth when he showed incredible vulnerability to body shots. Castillo looked like he underestimated Ngoudjo and I thought Ngoudjo actually pulled out a draw, even if the judges basically made it a one point win. Castillo had one thing working for him... his body shots hurt Ngoudjo all night long.

That will be the one thing to watch in their fight. Hatton seems vulnerable to body shots and that seems to be Castillo's best weapon. I am curious to see if Hatton has enough power to do serious damage to Castillo because in the past two fights he hasn't shown it. Castillo on the other hand had better take this next fight a hell of a lot more seriously and step up his training.

Rp

[H2O Man]

11. I thought Castillo

was lucky to get a decision. It was close, and a draw would have been fair. I thought Ngoudjo had won enough of the early/mid rounds to earn a decision, though I thought that because of the money to be made on a Castillo v Hatton fight, there was little chance he would get the decision.

Body-punching is money in the bank. I do think that Castillo's body attack is a huge factor in any 12-round fight.

[TSIAS]

10. Hatton, Castillo Victorious

I was surprised with how slow Urango was. Hatton dominated the fight with the exception of the 5th Round. I thought Urango was making some progress in Rd5 with some great body shots, but Hatton responded with some body blows of his own in Rd6. The rest of the fight was all Hatton. Urango won 2 rounds, max.

Hatton did look a little like John Ruiz, Jr. in the latter rounds with all the grappling and holding. It's the one element of Hatton's game that is annoying from a fan's perspective. HBO appears to be trying to make Hatton their next big star attraction.

It looks like things are a go for Hatton/Castillo in June. Hopefully HBO has the sense to avoid putting this on PPV. After Castillo's sluggish performance over Ngoudjo, I'd be averse to purchasing it.

In the other HW news, McCline didn't get a chance to pull off the upset when his knee was injured in Rd3 of their bout and he had to retire. I don't know what the fight was like in the 2 rds prior to McCline's injury.

[H2O Man]

12. I liked the way

Hatton fought. He made a potentially tough fight into a relatively easy victory. I found the differences in the quality of the corner work to be fascinating.

At this point, I would not buy a PPV between Castillo and Hatton. I doubt that I'll be buying many fights this year. It's cheaper to have both HBO and Showtime, and to watch most PPV fights a week later. I am thinking that PPV is one of the factors that really hurts boxing, in terms of keeping it less interesting to the average sports fan. The ESPN FNFs and Showtime/HBO's increasing focus on tier 2, young contenders (Showbox/Boxing After Dark) may help. But $50 for a fight that really belongs on an "ABC's Wide World of Sports" format hurts everyone but the Don Kings.

[MessiahRp]

13. I agree

What I don't understand is why ESPN doesn't buy some big name matchups for their Saturday night lineups. They usually don't have anything big on air on Saturdays and it seems to me there's always a few big names that have matches that are not on HBO or Showtime. This weekend alone they could have aired Valuev's Heavyweight title fight and there's a Junior Witter fight. They could have worked them both onto the same card and aired it.

In a week there's an Allen Green fight that has no home and there's a Casamayor-Freitas fight (not to mention an O'Neil Bell vs. Jean-Marc Mormeck fight in March) that has no home. Not to mention there's been some Roy Jones/Evander Holyfield fights without homes and I'm sure there's still enough interest to air those.

Making big matches a key to ESPN's Saturday nights (while reserving Thursdays for up and coming fighters) could help the sport's image AND give ESPN a premier product on Saturdays to compete a little w/ HBO and Showtime.

Rp

[TroubleMan]

14. Ngoudjo really stepped it up.

That was a great fight for him. Castillo better get a little more serious or he'll get out decisioned vs Hatton. I don't think Hatton will KO him (unless he comes in out of shape). Although Hatton might be vulnerable to the body bunch, I don't think there is a way to "out decision" Hatton. Because of the way he fights, if it goes to a decision there's no way he can lose. He'd have to go against a superb defender like Winky Wright, who could block and counterpunch him to lose a decision....and I don't think anybody in his weight class(es) can do that. Castillo's a good body puncher, but he'll have to use it to get Hatton to drop his hands (even more so than usual) so he can go for a KO. Of course you can KO with a body punch, but for some reason I think that Hatton would be hard to KO like that.

The way Hatton flurries and then clinches for a quick rest over and over again.....I guess Castillo would need to beat him to the punch before he starts the flurry. Sure Castillo can eventually wear him down with body punching, but by that time Hatton might be too far ahead in the scorecard to catch up. When Hatton's coming in to clinch, I think he might be vulnerable for an uppercut, so Castillo might be able to catch him that way. However, I see Hatton winning a unanimous decision if they fight.

As a side note....I'm a huge MMA fan, too. I think Hatton would have been incredible in MMA at 145 (the UFC no longer has a 145 weight class, but a lot of other organizations do). His dirty boxing style is perfect for MMA. With a good sprawl and sub defense, he'd be like a miniature Chuck Liddell (similar to Jens Pulver or Takanori Gomi). He looks like he's got a good clinch and decent wrestling skills. Also, with the much smaller MMA gloves it would be very hard for his opponent to block his flurry of punches...many more would connect. However not until recently has MMA been big money, so of course anybody in his position would take boxing.

[MessiahRp]

15. MMA's still not big money

Even the big fighters aren't getting all that much from UFC. It's far more profitable to be a championship calibur boxer than a championship calibur MMA fighter.

I too am a MMA fan but I'm not sure you can just assume Hatton has good clinch skills just because he holds a lot in boxing. Being in the guard on the ground is a totally different beast and a good wrestler could frustrate a good boxer rather easily if they took it to the ground. Hatton would need a ton of work on the mat or he'd get tapped by most MMA style-trained grapplers.

Rp

[TroubleMan]

16. Yeah....but I was trying to say if he trained in MMA instead of boxing from the beginning.

I know any boxer right now, even the best, would get easily beaten by even a mediocre MMA artist. All they have to do is take it to the ground (unless they have been cross-training already).

I just was looking at it like "Wow...he could have been good at MMA."

Also, concerning the money. There was hardly any big money in MMA until a few years ago - some of the Pride fighters were paid a lot. That's why the talent pool in MMA in the past has been shallow - all the talented athletes go to other sports to get the big money. However, now because of endorsements and some have negotiated to get a cut of the PPV revenue, the biggest stars get in MMA now get almost as much as the biggest stars in boxing. This is just a trend of 2006. 2006 was a banner year for MMA, and 2007 looks to be better. There's no way Hatton would go to MMA now.....no way in hell. I know that. Whenever I watch boxing, in the back of my mind I think of how they'd be at MMA (if they trained in it instead of boxing). Whenever I watch other pro sports, I think the same thing, too. That's all I was saying. I know there's no way he'd crossover now, and if he did, it would take a few years of training for him to be successful.

[H2O Man]

17. Not. n/t

[MessiahRp]

18. I take it you're not a big MMA fan?

:)

There's some good fighters in the genre... I always wondered what a guy like Vitor Belfort with his amazing handspeed could have done as a boxer (since his ground game sucks and is why he always loses against superior grapplers).

I like them both and purposely take time out of my weekends to watch both. I know Jim Lampley hates MMA but believe me you can enjoy both sports for what they are and not lose an ounce of respect for the other.

Rp