Big time boxing returns to Yankee Stadium

20,272 flock to Yankee Stadium to watch Miguel Cotto defeat Yuri Foreman...twice in the same fight

Boxing returned to Yankee stadium after 34 years. The last time there was a championship fight at Yankee stadium was in September 1976 when Muhammad Ali retained the heavyweight championship of the world in a close decision against Ken Norton and the stadium was located across the street from where the new home of Yankees stands today. Boxing made its debut at the new stadium this past Saturday June 5th and it offered a great pairing of boxers that attracted the support of various sectors of the sports world. You had the Puertorican and Jewish communities, boxing fans, and the curious who were not sure what kind of spectacle the Yankees organization could put together by hosting a boxing event.

In the main event you had the hero of Caguas, Puerto Rico the three time champion Miguel Cotto facing off against the first champion that Israel has had in 75 years, Yuri Foreman the WBA junior middleweight champion, in search of a championship in a third weight class. As expected the stadium filled up with many Puertorican fans that were ultra vocal in their support for their idol. Yuri Foreman who is studying to become a rabbi this year, had his supporters on hand as well from the significant Jewish population in New York city and he also had the motivation to succeed for one special fan, 12 year old Scotty Ballan who celebrated his bar mitzvah earlier in the evening at the stadium. With a mix of salsa music and the sounds of the traditional Jewish war horn, the shofar, the two boxers would get it on.

For Cotto a loss would surely be the end to a terrific career that saw him represent Puerto Rico in the 2000 Olympics, win three world championships in the pros, and face off against some the greats of the game like Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao, Zab Judah, and Antonio Margarito. His only two losses were brutal stoppages, the kind of beatings that cut boxing careers short. Based on those losses, his decision to move up in weight to face bigger men seemed like a very dangerous proposition. But Cotto fed off of the doubts of others to give an inspired performance on Saturday night that ranks as one of the best showings of his career.

From the opening bell Cotto appeared confident and sharp throwing punches with more speed and pop then his opponent. He impressed most with the efficiency of his jab that snapped Foreman's head back despite lacking the arm reach of his foe. The defending champion used every inch of the squared circle to his advantage as he tried to use constant movement to frustrate his challenger but in following that strategy he sacrificed his offense and his physical advantages as the larger man allowing the smaller Cotto to play the role of the aggressor. This pattern would continue through out the fight, Cotto on the attack and Foreman on the retreat attempting to counter. Cotto connected with jabs, hooks, and uppercuts while Foreman got off some sneaky right hands occasionally. Cotto caught the champion with a right hand in the second round that buckled the legs of the Israeli and in the third round the challenger sent Foreman's mouthpiece flying after connecting with a flurry. Foreman answered back in the fourth round getting off two combinations that both ended with straight rights that rocked Cotto. But even in the midst of that upswing the champion suffered a loss as he began to bleed from the nose. Cotto dominated the fifth round with effective counterpunching and then won the sixth when Foreman could not keep up with Cotto's punch output.

The seventh round is where all of the drama of this fight truly began as Foreman's strategy of constant motion betrayed him causing him to slip to the canvas and injure his right knee (it was learned later that he had aggravated an old knee injury incurred in Israel years ago). Upon rising it was obvious that Foreman's mobility was seriously hampered as he could barely put any weight on the leg. The referee allowed him some time to walk it off but to no avail, the movement that kept him from danger was no longer there and upon resuming the action Foreman was forced to stand and trade against the powerful Cotto. In those moments Yankee Stadium erupted with the emotion of 20, 000 plus watching two gladiators go after each other fiercely. Cotto was getting the better of the exchanges but with no hope of escape, Foreman put up a brave stand and valiantly fired back earning the respect of all who were witness. The action continued this way until the bell signaled the end of the round and Foreman limped away to his corner in dire trouble.

In the eight round Foreman was attacked by Cotto who's pressure was so intense it forced the champion to retreat and in doing so he slipped again making his condition worse. Foreman was now a sitting duck and in the middle of another exchange going against him, a white towel was thrown in from his corner which is the traditional symbol of surrender in this sport, and it appeared that Miguel Cotto had won by TKO. The ring filled up with the usual suspects and the fighters even congratulated each other and that is when the whole thing took a turn into the bizarre. Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. made the rare call of dismissing the towel, clearing the ring and restarting the fight. Ring announcer Michael Buffer announced that the ref ruled that the towel was thrown from an outside source and there for did not count. After inexplicably giving Foreman several minutes to recuperate, the action resumed with Cotto back on the attack on a hobbled junior middleweight champion who looked increasingly in deep water. Foreman survived the round and had to look forward to fighting round 9 on one leg. The fight mercifully ended forty seconds into the ninth round when Cotto caught Foreman with a vintage left hook to the rib cage sending him sprawling to the canvas and forcing the ref to stop the fight.

Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) became a champion once again while Yuri Foreman (28-1, 8 KOs) suffered his first loss as a pro. After the fight all questions where aimed at referee Arthur Mercante Jr. who was justifiably put at the center of controversy for his decision to ignore the towel of surrender. His official response was that the towel was thrown in from the audience and he felt that the defending champ was still in the fight at the time and did not deserve to end the fight that way. A replay which was televised by HBO and shown on the big screen at Yankee stadium clearly contradicted the ref by showing that it was Foreman's trainer Joe Grier who threw in the towel. During the post fight press conference Grier admitted that he threw in the towel to save his man, despite the vehement denials of promoter Bob Arum. When asked about the controversy, the new champion responded; " I understand that I beat Yuri Foreman twice tonight." The win guarantees more big money fights for Cotto and rematches with Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito were tossed about as possible future events.

Promoter Bob Arum declared the stadium slugfest a success and he can legitimately make that claim when you consider the attention that it brought the sport from the mainstream media and the presence of celebrities from the entertainment and sports world. On hand were actors Liev Schriber and Naomi Watts, director Spike Lee, salsa singer Frankie Negron, from the NY Giants Brandon Jacobs, from baseball Darryl Strawberry and Tommy Lasorda, boxers Manny Pacquiao and Tommy Hearns. Arum thanked the Yankees organization and spoke of his desire to bring another fight to the stadium.

Observations

• The result of the first ever boxing fight at the new Yankee Stadium reads as follows: Christian Martinez (4-0, 4 KOs) winner by TKO in the fourth round over Jonathan Cuba (2-2, 2 KOs)
  
  
• As it turns out the rules of the New York State Athletic Commission backs up referee Arthur Mercante's decision to dismiss a towel thrown in from a boxer's corner. The rules state that only the referee or member of the NYSAC can stop a fight in the state of New York. Well just because its a rule doesn't make it right. Initially the ref's reasoning for stopping the fight had nothing to do with this rule. He was quoted as saying that he felt the towel came in from the crowd and he also felt that Foreman's leg was not the issue that nearly everyone watching at home and at the stadium felt that it was. This is the same ref who officiated a fight aboard the Intrepid in New York in which light heavyweight Beethaeven Scottland lost his life. The man was a sitting duck, yes he was throwing punches but he no longer had the ability to dodge the incoming punches. His whole game plan was shattered and with only eight KOs to his resume, a shot to get the hail mary knockout win was way out of reach. The rule is also fundamentally wrong in my opinion. How can a ref or a member of any commission no the condition of a fighter more than his own trainer? A trainer is with his fighter for the majority of his career or at least for the length of time it takes to get ready for the fight while a ref or commission member might only see that fighter one time. If there is one good thing that this controversy has brought to light it is the knowledge that this rule is on the books, now someone needs to correct it.



• Another thing that I feel compelled to point out was a total lack of respect shown by some of the Cotto fans at the stadium that decided to boo the singing of the Israeli national anthem. I don't know how this came off on HBO because I know that at the stadium they decided to turn up the volume when the Israeli singer sang and combined with her Opera style voice it was pretty loud. But you cold still hear the boos from the some of the fans. Just a total lack of class. Mind you I said some of the Cotto fans and not Puertorican fans because I would never classify a whole people as unruly. I've been to Puerto Rico and the people were sweet and welcoming. Whatever you feel about a certain country and whether you agree with its politics or not the respectful and decent thing to do is to not interfere with the singing of their national anthem. When you boo another nation's anthem, you are not representing yourself , your country, or Miguel Cotto in a good way. Cotto comes off as a very serious and dignified young man and I don't think he would approve of those who booed the singing of the Israeli national anthem.



• On a personal note: Big time fighting at Yankee Stadium, A MAJOR PLUS, YES, YES LETS DO IT AGAIN! The atmosphere at the ballpark was electric and it just felt like you were at a huge outdoor block party with the music and all the people walking around dressed to the hilt. Even the weather, which was hot and sticky earlier cooperated and beame pleasant. It was more than a night at the fights, it was a party.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE MOMENT

I had so much fun at the fight at Yankee Stadium this weekend that if I could get on my very own time traveling Hot Tub Time Machine I would go back to 1976 to watch the last fight that was hosted by the New York Yankees. This one was between Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton in the days of 15 rounders at the old stadium home of Reggie, Munson, Martin, Mattingly, Winfield, and Torre's championship squads.

The Blackeyed Interview with Miguel Cotto

"We've come to win, we prepared to win, and we're not leaving without the win."Miguel Cotto showed up this Tuesday four days before his fight with WBA middleweight champ Yuri Foreman in Yankee stadium to promote his "What do you fight for?" campaign at the sporting goods store Modell's in Times Square. The campaign is a line of t-shirts by EVERLAST that display the mission statement and the Puertorican flag which depicts what Cotto fights for. Sales of the t-shirts benefit the El Angel de Miguel Cotto foundation, an organization set up to combat childhood obesity. This Saturday night June 5th will be a night of firsts for the former champion, his first fight at junior middleweight, his first fight with new trainer Emannuel Steward, and his first fight at Yankee stadium. The Puertorican idol granted the Blackeyed View a few moments to discuss those topics and more.

The Blackeyed View: For this fight you have brought in Emmanuel Steward who is best known for working with tall, rangy fighters like Thomas Hearns and Lennox Lewis. How has this new training camp worked out for you and how is the new relationship?

Miguel Cotto: Thank God it has been very good. The chemistry, the way we relate to each other. We now know he is part of our team and that is how we have treated each other.

TBV: Junior middleweight is also something new for you. Why the switch? Where you having trouble making 147 pounds?

MC: Not at all, there was never a problem making welterweight. The fact is that this is a business and we found more opportunities at 154 [lbs] so we went up.

TBV: Yuri Foreman is the naturally bigger man in this fight. How do you plan to deal with his advantages in weight and height?

MC: We've worked hard to take advantage of any mistake he will make or anything else he will bring on Saturday night so we're confident that victory is ours.

TBV: Did you ever imagine that you would fight at Yankee stadium? What does it mean to you?

MC: I never imagined that I would be fighting at Yankee Stadium. For me its an honor if not the biggest honor of my career to be facing Yuri Foreman at the first boxing event at the new Yankee stadium. For me its a pleasure.

TBV: For all of your career you have counted on the support of the Hispanic community of New York, in particular the Puertorican fans. Explain what their support means to you.

MC: Its very important to me because the Latino fans have always shown me support, especially the Puertorican fans that come from the island that I come from and I know that on Saturday they will be present at Yankee stadium.

TBV: For the past six or seven years you have been an important part of the Puertorican day parade festivities in New York. Now there is a controversy stemming from the election of Puertorican telenovela actor Osvaldo Rios as international godfather of the parade for his serving a 3 month prison sentence for assaulting his girlfriend in Puerto Rico in 1996. There are those who want to boycott the parade until the organizers remove Mr. Rios from his position and there are those who say the man has paid his debt and deserves forgiveness. What is your opinion?

MC: I was not aware of the controversy but I understand that for those things there are prisons that are supposed to be rehabilitation systems to rehabilitate those who have committed errors. I also understand that from 1996 to now we are talking about 14 years ago more or less and there has not been another incident. If he has been rehabilitated then he is rehabilitated. Who hasn't committed a mistake in this life? The important thing is to rise and admit the wrong and never do it again.

TBV: The sales of the t-shirts benefit an organization to combat childhood obesity. is there something in your life that has inspired you to take up this cause?

MC: I was a product of childhood obesity in my youth and due to that I decided to take up this cause.

TBV: What will be the result of your fight this Saturday night?

MC: We've come to win, we prepared to win, and we're not leaving without the win.

Observations:

• Before this interview with Cotto, I was a little doubtful about his chances for success at this higher weight. I ran into him coming out of Kingsway gym in Manhattan a few years ago as he was in town training for his fight with Joshua Clottey and I remember thinking to myself how small he looked in regular street clothes. But the Cotto I saw on Tuesday is a bigger, even more muscular looking version of himself and I now feel better about his chances.

• Tuesday was a wild day for me, I did not stop moving until I went to bed late that night. After my morning workout I headed to Yankee stadium to pick up my press pass for the fight on Saturday. It was 85 or 88 degrees and the sun was at its brightest, so even the walk from the car that dropped me off to the Yankee press gate was a hot stroll. I had a buddy who did me the favor of dropping me off at the stadium and my plan was to then catch the train downtown to interview Cotto. Well the first monkey wrench was thrown into my plans when the attendant informed that the passes were being given out at another site in downtown Manhattan. No problem I thought, I'm headed there anyway. The second major hurdle to overcome came to me at the train station as I dug into my pockets to reach for my train fare and realized that there was nothing in my pockets. No money, no ATM card, no metro card, nothing. I had left the house with nothing in my pockets! Kids, this is what happens when you forgo breakfast. So I had to walk over the bridge from the Bronx to Manhattan and take the FDR drive highway to the last exit on foot in 88 degree weather with the sun beaming on my face. I've driven on the FDR before and often times as I've sped along, I've always feared that someone would run across the highway to get to the other side. I never imagined that person would turn out to be me! So yes, I had adventures on the highway and felt like one of those guys on those nature survival shows, just to get this interview with Miguel Cotto. Someone said there would be days like this.

• Last Saturday night heavyweight Vitali Klitschko defended his WBC heavyweight title by knocking out Albert Sonowoski in the tenth round in Germany. This news did not make any of the mainstream media in the states. Nor was it carried by any of the main boxing broadcast channels as most boxing insiders in the United States don't seem to care what the Klitschko brothers do. My fear is that I am also starting to lose interest. I don't want to be that way but there fights are starting to seem like far gone conclusions.

Don King is gangster, Marquez-Vazquez rivalry, the role of friends.....

The Blackeyed View took a two week hiatus to gather itself from the many lumps it took in that time span, but like Rocky Balboa once said, 'Its not how many times you get knocked down, its about how many times you get up...", I'm back and attempting to catch you all up with this wonderful sport that I always fall back to for comfort. Lots to talk about since my last post.......

Don King is gangster.....

My last post was an exclusive interview with former world champion Ricardo Mayorga on his excursion into the world of mixed martial arts which was slated to take place on May 15th in Fayetteville against veteran MMA fighter Din Thomas in the main event of a card promoted by Shine Fight promotions. Things quickly came apart once Don King entered the picture.

Don King has promoted Mayorga's biggest fights and went before a judge in a Florida courtroom to prove that he had a three year contract with Ricardo Mayorga and therefore could not allow Mayorga to participate in the MMA fight. Mayorga contends that King had not fulfilled his commitment of three fights a year for him and the often times bombastic promoter countered by securing Mayorga a title fight against WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm in Germany this coming September. King argued that any result coming from the participation of Mayorga in the MMA fight may hinder his ability to promote Mayorga's fight with Sturm in the fall. The judge decided to uphold King's position with the provision that King cover a 1 million bond within the next 2 hours. This being a Saturday afternoon and the banks closing in two hours it seemed an impossibility but only in America is there a Don King. King returned within the hour with two duffel bags filled with exactly 1 million dollars! The judge enforced the injunction and threatened the promoters with serious legal ramifications if they would go through with the main event. Things got worse for the folks at Shine Fight Promotions as they were in Florida facing off with King they did not file the necessary paperwork in time with the North Carolina athletic commission to show that they would have medical staff on hand and the commission shut down the entire card. The promoters were forced to cancel the card and pay their athletes without making a profit. The lesson here is, even at his advanced age, don't mess with Don King.

The worse case scenario for the MMA folks but a gain of sorts for boxing as we get our Nicaraguan wild man back in the ring where he belongs. Although Mayorga would have tried his best, its doubtful that he took the time to learn the grappling aspect of MMA and his opponent had been quoted as saying he was intent on taking Mayorga down for a submission hold. As wild as Mayorga is he is best suited for boxing as he can still surprise many, he took Shane Mosley to the limit before succumbing and he has the style to rattle a conventional fighter like Sturm. Felix Sturm is a stand up European style fighter who works behind the jab and carries little pop in his punches, he is best known for losing a controversial decision to Oscar De La Hoya that almost ruined his mega fight with Bernard Hopkins in his first fight at middleweight.

Marquez-Vazquez rivalry ends tied at 2-2

It is fitting that one of the most intense and violent rivalries in all of sports ended up tied with neither man able to claim complete dominance over the other. Rafael Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) and Israel Vazquez (44-5, 33 KOs) engaged in four of the most brutal fights that most certainly has shortened the careers of both men especially Vazquez. What should absolutely be their final fight took place on May 22nd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA and was won by Marquez when referee Raul Caiz, Jr. stopped the fight in the third round after ruling that Vazquez could no longer defend himself after suffering two nasty cuts that impaired his vision.

The Marquez-Vazquez rivalry featured three stoppage wins, two fights of the year, a dramatic come from behind decision win brought on by a last round knockdown, buckets of blood spilled by both combatants, knockdowns suffered by both men in every fight, momentum changes, and a well deserved place in the boxing hall of fame for both men when they retire.

The following video serves to catch every one up on the first three historic fights.

Their final fight that came two years after their last encounter was evidence enough for Vazquez's manager to declare that his man had fought his last fight. Marquez moved behind a sharp jab and used hooks and uppercuts to bust open a cut over Vazquez's left eye in the first round. In the second round an accidental headbutt worsened Vazquez's wound and they another cut was opened on the right eye by the end of the round by Marquez's precise punching. Although injured, Vazquez's left hook broke through to stagger his rival a few times in the second round enough to win it on the judge's card. Undeterred and inspired by the cuts on his opponent's face, Marquez came out guns a blazing in the third firing combinations that would bring Vazquez to his knees. The gutsy Vazquez could no longer see where the punches where coming from and could do nothing but cover his face as Marquez rained fists on his head. The referee had no choice but to stop the slaughter in the third round.

In his past five fights, Vazquez has been prone to cuts and even underwent eye surgery to repair a detached retina. In this fight he was cut almost upon contact and will probably suffer more cut stoppages if he continues to fight. His manager declared after the fight that his man would retire, but Vazquez himself was non committal after the fight. But in the name of common sense and for the good of the sport and both men, this rivalry should end tied. The sport and the fans can ask no more of these two warriors.

Observations

• On May 15th Amir Khan made his US debut on the big stage of Madison Square Garden on HBO defending his WBC Junior welterweight title against Brooklyn's own Paulie Malignaggi and won by TKO in the 11th round. The eleventh round has been unlucky for Malignaggi when facing British fighters as that was also the round in which he was downed by Ricky Hatton. The plucky fighter who looks like he could walk onto the set of MTV's Jersey Shore, was outboxed by his younger foe and may now have to settle for serving as the gate keeper of the junior welterweight division. As for Khan, during his post fight interview he called out for an elimination tournament in his weight class involving some of the top fighters including Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley, and Marcus Maidana. An excellent idea.

• On Tuesday May 25th, WBA junior middleweight champ Yuri Foreman held a public workout at world famous Gleason's gym in Brooklyn to promote his upcoming title defense against Puertorican idol Miguel Cotto. Going through his boxing routine, Foreman looked sturdy and technically solid. But I think I am suffering from advanced dementia of some kind because as I watched him workout I was deluding myself into thinking the following thoughts...."he's not that fast, I can catch him." I think I need to step in the ring soon and get a reality check.
• Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum was on hand at the public workout to promote the upcoming fight and all things Manny Pacquiao. He seemed to gleam most when speaking of Pacquiao or the prospect of a Foreman win and what it could do for Foreman as an attraction. After seeing his other would be white hope fighter Kelly Pavlik lose big fights, Arum would love to see Foreman succeed where Pavlik may have failed. Here is hoping that both Pavlik and Foreman have successful careers as boxing needs folks of all strokes to bring in the masses at large.

• This Saturday May 29th, Vitaly Klitschko (41-2, 37 KOs) will defend his WBC heavyweight crown against former European champion Albert Sosnowski (45-2-1, 27 KOs) from Poland. The fight will take place in Germany and will be available on PPV. Once again a major heavyweight fight by a Klitschko is being boycotted by the major boxing networks. When will they continue to act like these guys don't exist? Its a heavyweight shame.
  
  

Friends...........

This blog's main focus is on boxing but from time to time I like to use it to expound my views on any number of topics. I'd like to do that right now. Events of the past couple of months have forced me to reevaluate my relationship with some people that I have called 'friends'. I've gone back and forth on the issue, shuttling between distancing myself from people, ex communicating them, forgiving them, accepting them, sending them to hell, or accepting them for who they are. After consulting with some people who's opinions I do respect I have come to a working theory that choose to apply.

I have always believed that in this lifetime you will meet a small core group of people that you can truly call your friends. That core group can be as small as two people or as large as maybe four or five if your lucky. These are the people who you can count on 100% of the time. The ones that will truly have your back. The rest fall under categories. There are the acquaintances, the fair weather friends, the flakes, the party people, and the hook ups. The acquaintances are well meaning people who are usually pleasant to be around but should not be counted on and don't have time to take from their schedules to deal with you. The fair weather friends and the party people tend to show up in the same scenes, usually you see them at get togethers, parties, sporting events and when they see you they will drunkenly declare themselves your best friends and brothers or sisters. But when the party is over, you don't see them till the next event. The hook ups are useful in that you call them because they are a source of something, you usually don't reach out to them unless you need something that only they can provide, whatever that may be. You don't want to be a hook up. Lastly there are the flakes, the most maddening of people, the ones that you mistake as true friends and find out the hard way that they cannot be counted on. The flakes will drive you mad if you let them and at all times MUST be put in perspective.

It helps me to look at things this way, my life is a movie, there are principal characters in that movie and the flakes, hook ups, acquaintances, fair weather friends, and party people are all bit players that have cameo roles in the movie of my life. Calling yourself a friend on my facebook page does not automatically get you a starring role in my film. Not everyone has a big role but every role is important to make up the movie of my life. This is how I have had to deal in order to not break communications with some of my 'friends'. Some of my true friends will read this and some may not. Anyone else who reads this I ask you to think about what role you play in my movie and what role your friends play in the movie of your life.

El Matador looks for new worlds to conquer

The Black Eyed View exclusive interview with the Nicaraguan strong man as he looks to invade the world of mixed martial arts
'El Matador' Ricardo Mayorga has long been one of boxing's most colorful and exciting personalities in the sport of boxing, winning as many fans as critics along the way for the way he taunts his way into his opponent's skin, his wild punching style, and his penchant for beer drinking and smoking after fights which was famously displayed on one of his HBO fights before a national TV audience. Mayorga has won championships in multiple weight classes and faced off with some of the most famous names between the middleweight and welterweight divisions such as Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas, and the late Vernon Forrest.

Now Mayorga looks to test his mettle in the world of mixed martial arts as he faces off against veteran MMA fighter Din Thomas (25-8) on Saturday May 15th at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina under the flag of Shine Fight promotions. In typical Mayorga fashion he has declared that it is appropriate for him to be fighting at the Crown Coliseum as he has already been crowned a king in boxing and he will be crowned a king this Saturday night after taking out Din Thomas. 'El Matador' from Nicaragua with a record of 28 wins 7 losses and 1 draw has accomplished much in boxing and fans want to know if his participation in MMA signals the end of his involvement in boxing. The Blackeyed View recently caught up with the former champ by phone after a workout to interview him for IMPACTO Latin News. The interview was conducted in Mayorga's native tongue Spanish and the following is the English translation.

The BlackEyed View: Let's start with the one question your fans want to know. Will you return to boxing?

Ricardo Mayorga: Of course I will. Definitely.

TBEV: How did the idea to get involved in MMA come about?

RM: Well I've always loved to fight. As they say, those who are raised up in a poor neighborhood must know how to fight. I loved to fight and I fought often in the street before I became a boxer. I've always fought in boxing. I was given the opportunity [to fight in MMA] and I like it.

TBEV: Have you studied well the different disciplines involved in this sport [MMA] which uses lots of wrestling and judo holds?

RM: Of course, definitely, I have trained a lot.

TBEV: So you have cut out the smoking and the beer drinking?

RM: [Laughing] Yes of course, at once, absolutely.

TBEV: Your opponent Din Thomas is a veteran with lots of experience, how will you combat that experience and what do you think of him?

RM: Well I'm not going to take his experience lightly but I know that he will not be able to take me down and I will knock him out quickly.

TBEV: Many think that the greatest triumph of your career was when you defeated Vernon Forrest when he was at the prime of his powers. Last year Vernon was tragically killed in an attempted robbery. What can you tell us about Vernon Forrest the person and the fighter?

RM: Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to share moments with Forrest as a person outside of the ring but as a fighter I feel that Vernon was really strong and a great fighter.

TBEV: Nicaragua also lost a great idol of the sport last year when Alexis Arguello lost his life in what authorities have ruled a suicide. There has been reports mixed with rumors on the internet and other forms of media of a rift between the two of you. We'd like to get your thoughts on the ex champ and his loss.

RM: Well I don't like to speak on politics and rumors and regrettably he passed away. The fact is with Alexis Arguello I don't know what his problem with me was, I had nothing to do with him back then. The last word on Arguello that I can say is that he was a great fighter.

TBEV: One of your rivals, Shane Mosley recently lost to Floyd Mayweather two weeks ago. He appeared apprehensive and did not throw enough punches. Throwing punches has never been a problem for you, if offered a fight with Mayweather would you accept ......

RM: I've been actively looking for that fight with Mayweather.

TBEV: ....and what would you do differently than the others who have faced Mayweather?

RM: Throw more punches, you have to hit him with more punches. He [Mosley] had his chance to win against Mayweather, Floyd wasn't running but what happened was that he[Mosley] stopped punching and so he lost.

TBEV: How much longer will you keep fighting and what are your plans once your done?

RM: Two more years. The truth is I would like to retire from fighting altogether. The truth is I wouldn't want to be a promoter or a trainer at all. I would like to put up two good business and that's it.

TBEV: Thank you Ricardo for your time and we wish you the best of luck in your fight and hope to see you back in the sport of boxing very soon.

RM: I appreciate everything but as for luck, wish Din Thomas luck, I don't look for luck let others look for it.

Ricardo Mayorga vs Din Thomas will be seen live at 9 PM eastern on pay per view distributed by MultiVision Media this Saturday May 15th from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster by calling 800-736-1420. Contact your local cable company or satellite provider to order.

Miracle knockout punch at "the Hassle in the Castle"

Good intentions mix with bad ones at boxing benefit event

Huntington, NY: As a boxing reporter you don't show up to a boxing card with the intentions of writing abut an undercard boxer with a losing record facing a vicious punching fighter on the undercard of a benefit event. But when that fighter does what Bryan Abraham (2-3-1, 1 KO) did Saturday night to James Hope (6-5, 4 KOs) he becomes the lead story. The Oheka Castle in Huntington, NY was host to a boxing card that was put together to benefit the Shea Megale Trust to combat Spinal Muscular Atrophy and had former super middleweight titlist Byron 'Gator' Mitchell facing Otis Griffin in the main event but what everyone was talking about when all was said and done was the once in a lifetime money shot delivered by Bryan Abraham on the undercard. This was a night of boxing that saw five fights out of six end by knockout and the one fight that went the distance turned out to be an exciting upset decision win, so to be able to steal the show you had to have done something big and that is exactly what Abraham did.

Abraham entered the fight with one win in four fights going in against James Hope who had the better record and who bore a physical resemblance to Pernell Whitaker who was seated at ringside. Hope was the more aggressive fighter and had Abraham busted up in the first round by landing vicious hooks to the face and the body. By the second round it appeared that Abraham had sustained a broken nose as Hope continued to pour on the pressure, effectively cutting off the ring on Abraham offering no respite from the beating he was administering. By the third round many at ringside began to wonder if the fight should continue as Abraham was clearly out of the fight and taking ungodly amounts of punishment from his tormentor. luckily for him this junior welterweight bout was scheduled for only four rounds and being desperately behind Abraham was within his rights to suspect that perhaps his opponent would let up in the final round as the fight was clearly in the bag for him at this juncture but Hope's killer instinct demanded that he go for the knockout win. As the signal alerting the fighters that ten seconds remained in the round sounded off Hope could have backed off but instead he turned on the juice even more, swinging for the fences and then it happened....Abraham nailed him with a right simultaneously as the bell sounded to end the fight. Hope pitched forward and then fell flat on his back!

The crowd went wild, Abraham looked on bewildered by what just happened as the ref seemed confused for a second then began to count to ten. James Hope valiantly tried to get to his feet to beat the count but fell down a second time as the count reached ten. The unlikely underdog leaped in the air and the crowd basked in the one in a million movie script ending hail Mary shot that they had just witnessed.

In the main event, Otis Griffin (22-6-2, 9 KOs) scored an upset eight round TKO win over Byron 'Gator' Mitchell (28-6-1, 21 KOs) for the USBA light heavyweight title when Griffin caught Mitchell up against the ropes and connected with several unanswered right hands until the ref intervened. Also on the card former heavyweight contender Michael Grant (46-3, 34 KOs) scored a first round knockout over Kevin Burnett (13-4-1, 8 KOs).

There was a benefit auction of sports memorabilia and the sports stars came out to lend their support for the Shea Magale Trust for the awareness of Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Among them were members of the 1984 Olympic boxing team former world heavyweight champion Evander 'the Real Deal' Holyfield, former world champions Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker, Mark Breland and Olympic medalist former heavyweight contender Tyrell Biggs. Also on hand was former heavyweight contender 'Gentlemen' Gerry Cooney, New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs and the legendary boxing trainer Lou Duva was honored on the occasion of his 88th birthday.

Observations

• The Paul Williams vs Kermit Cintron fight that was aired this Saturday on HBO had such an unsatisfactory ending that there isn't much to say about it so I will sum it up quickly. Cintron seemed to have the edge barely on Williams in the first two rounds simply by worrying Williams enough to slow down the pace of the fight to Cintron's pace. Williams started to warm to the task a bit in the the third enough to possibly shade that round. But in the fourth just as things began to heat up, the fighters got their feet tangled and proceeded to fall down. Williams hit the canvas while Cintron flew out of the ring and hit the TV announce table and was ruled unfit to continue by ringside medics despite his protestations. Under California rules after three completed rounds in the event of an odd stoppage the scorecards are used to determine the winner. In this case the decision went to Paul Williams who could not have been too happy about how the whole thing went down. A rematch between the two is now a possibility.


• The come from behind knockout win produced by Bryan Abraham is unlike anything I have ever heard about. The closest thing I can think of is when Julio Cesar Chavez fought Meldrick Taylor in 1990 and losing every round managed to drop a badly hurt Taylor with 2 seconds left in the fight. But even in that case there were 2 seconds left and the ref stopped the fight, in the Abraham-Hope fight there was no time, the punch landed exactly as the bell rang. In New York you cannot be saved by the bell and it took a second for the ref to remember but in all honesty I think his reaction was shared by everyone at the Oheka Castle, a sense of total disbelief. This was a hail Mary game winning touchdown, hole in one(yes Golf!), walk off home run, last second three pointer, Pele back flip kick goal all rolled in one. And here is some highlights of the closest thing I can think of to this, although the Abraham-Hope ending tops even this legendary result.


• About eight or it even could have been ten years ago I met former heavyweight contender Gerry Cooney on the subway station in New York City, I approached him and we had a pleasant conversation until he got off at the next stop. This past Saturday as I entered Oheka Castle and admittedly marveled at the opulent surroundings and the star studded crowd I spotted Gerry sitting with all these big wig types. What happened next was a pleasant surprise as Gerry called me out from across the hall and asked me to come over. He stood up and greeted me like an old friend. So many years had passed and the guy remembered my name and conversation from a chance meeting in a New York city subway. He truly lives up to his boxing nickname 'Gentleman' Gerry Cooney.



• A fight broke out after the main event that saw Otis griffin stop Byron Mitchell between the fighter's significant others. Mitchell's wife argued that some of the right hands that Griffin threw were illegal rabbit punches and Griffin's girlfriend took offense to the accusation that her man was fouling. The two women approached each other and assumed fighting positions at ringside and had to be separated by ringside officials. Griffin's girlfriend grabbed hold of a chair and was getting ready to launch it before officials intervened. If the promoter's of this event convince these two to get in the ring for 'the Hassle in the Castle Part 2' I will be so there!
  

Hot Tub Time Machine Moment: This is the part of our segment in which the Blackeyed View likes to imagine getting into that hot tub time machine of the recent film and traveling back in time to a select sports moment to either appreciate or alter the result. For this HTTM moment I would like to go no further than last Saturday night at the Oheka Castle for 'the Hassle in the Castle' boxing event to right two major wrongs that were committed I am sad to say by me. You see I'm new to all this and prone to some amateur mistakes that hopefully will not repeat themselves again. One of the mistakes I cannot correct without the use of a time machine while the other blunder I hope to make amends for right now.

The co-featured attraction saw Michael Grant defeat Kevin Burnett via what some ringsiders felt was a premature first round stoppage. Moments before the beginning of the main event I decided to visit the desert tray, as I walked myself to the other end of the hall I passed by a tall bearded heavyweight wearing a hat that I mistook for Grant and I congratulated him for doing a job well done. As I continued on I saw Michael Grant standing near the other side of the desert tray and that is when I realized...I just congratulated Grant's opponent Kevin Burnett for losing by KO! I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to say, I wanted to apologize but felt like a complete fool and could not look at Burnett in the eyes again. If by chance he reads this I want to apologize profusely for the error. I would never sarcastically belittle the efforts of any fighter who gets in that ring. I feel terrible about it and I hope he can accept my heartfelt apologies.

My next blunder requires the use of the time machine. I charged my camera all night in preparation for this event and I expected to take many pictures. The moment I took out my camera on Saturday it would not turn on. I took out the battery and put it back in but no deal. I was livid, so many boxing legends on hand and me without the use of a digital camera. So I had to resort to a camera phone to take some pictures. Mr. Ray Bailey who was the ringside photographer was kind enough to email me two pictures of the main event so that I could have something to use. I was able to take some photos that only serve as a reminder of how cool those shots would have been had I taken them with the digital camera. The picture I have up of Bryan Abraham is of a previous fight as no one took pictures of his fight because no one expected the surprise ending to that fight. I thought that my camera was damaged but imagine my surprise when upon further inspection the next morning it turns out that I put in the camera battery backwards!!! So my stupidity becomes this week's Hot Tub Time Machine moment as I wish that I could go back in time and put that camera battery in the correct way. And so to entertain you and punish myself I will let you take a look at the best of the bad pictures that could have been awesome pictures if I hadn't been so careless........

Ring card girls

Your humble narrator vs Holyfield and Gerry Cooney

Round 2

Finally......
Two things to mention first for more information on the Shea
Magale Trust or to send donations to this worthy cause to raise funds for the
research of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) you can write to:
The Shea Megale Fund Corporation
c/o 6302 Rockbridge Place
Centerville, VA 20120

There is also a website for more information at http://www.walkforshea.com/ but this
website will be taken down soon.


Stay tuned for the next Blackeyed View as we
interview wildman Ricardo Mayorga as he looks to represent boxing in the world
of mixed martial arts this weekend taking on veteran Din Thomas!

TOP TEN FILMS ABOUT BOXING

The official top ten boxing movie list of the Blackeyed View

I have been wanting to expand on other topics with just the right touch of boxing added to stay true to the core of this blog but I have to admit that lately boxing has been coming at me from all sides. From the recent mega fight involving Mayweather and Mosley, to my recent interview (to be posted at a later date) with Nicaraguan wild man Ricardo Mayorga, not to mention that I have returned to my boxing gym last week and have been getting some rounds in. And so it was that once again on the treadmill (where a lot of my best ideas are given genesis) I was thinking about the movie Raging Bull a modern masterpiece directed by the great Martin Scorsese, in particular the opening scene in which the star Robert Deniro was jumping in place in slow motion while this cool musical score was playing. I like to use imagery like that to push myself during my workouts you see and it made me remember what a great film it was. Was it the best movie about boxing that I ever saw was my next question and that forced me to comprise a list. I love lists about best this or best that, any list entertains me, top ten best soups, best movies, best dressed, etc. So I thought it would be fun to come up with the Blackeyed View's top ten best boxing films of all times. I will start in descending order.

10. Don King: Only in America (1997) : This film was made for TV by HBO where it was aired and was not shown in theaters. It focused on the rise of famous boxing promoter Don King played by Ving Rhaimes. In this film Rhaimes shows his full range as an actor as he tackles a character that can go from pompous huckster, to preacher, to saint and quickly to devil in the time that a flipped coin takes to land. Many boxing greats are covered in this film including the likes of Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.

9. Million Dollar Baby (2004) : Directing and starring the legendary Clint Eastwood along with the Hillary Swank who took the Oscar for best actress for this movie. This movie vividly showed the bond that can form between fighter and trainer when they work closely together, in this case Swank the fighter and Eastwood the cantankerous old trainer who has been burned before by other fighters. Its a tear jerker and definitely not to be viewed by those who are experiencing suicidal thoughts. But an excellent, excellent film none the less.

8. Fat City (1972) : This little known movie directed by John Huston adapted from the novel Fat City by Leonard Gardner starred a young Stacy Keach as a past his prime fighter struggling to make ends meet during one of the many rough patches in the history of this country. He comes to grips with the one sided nature of his relationship with his former manager played by Nicholas Colasanto (the Coach for all you CHEERS fans) and encounters a young boxer played by Jeff Bridges (forever to be known to me as the Dude from the Big Lebowski) who is a reflection to him of his own lost promise. Its a gritty film that will suck you in, enjoy the music of this clip...

7. Diggstown (1992) : This film has been described as Rocky meets the Sting as con man James Woods enlists the aid of a former boxer "Honey Boy" Roy Palmer played by Louis Gossett Jr. to take down local big shot Bruce Dern, placing a huge bet that Palmer can defeat ten men in 24 hours. This movie has a little bit of everything from comedy to drama, action and for sure a stellar cast including former heavyweight boxers Randal "Tex' Cobb and Alex Garcia.

6. On the Waterfront (1954) : This movie won all kinds of awards and stars Hollywood royalty Marlon Brando as a faded mob controlled boxer asked to stand up against the mob and his own brother by a neighborhood priest played by Karl Mulden. This is where one of the most iconic lines in movie history is uttered by Brando's character; " I coulda been somebody, I coulda been a contender."

5. Somebody up there likes me (1956) : I saw a lot of black and white movies in my youth because back then the networks still aired them, for some reason they would rather air the same episode of Saved By the Bell then any classic black and white films or shows nowadays. This movie was the screen bio of the life of hall of fame boxer Rocky Graziano played by the great Paul Newman and gave the viewer a chance to experience the backdrop behind one of the greatest boxing rivalries of all time Graziano vs Tony Zale.




4. Rocky 2 (1979) : This is where Rocky wins! Starring Sylvester Stallone in the title character as forces beyond his control lead him back to the ring to face world heavyweight champ Apollo Creed in a fight for his future, his family, and his life. Who doesn't get behind Rocky in this one, who? Who doesn't get inspired to train when you hear the Rocky theme music? Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!



3. The Champ (1979) : Long before ET The Extra Terrestrial had the children of the 80's crying in their movie theater seats ("don't die ET!") this movie cracked open the waterworks on anyone who saw the ending scene of this film starring Jon Voight as a boxer during a time when believe it or not he was considered a sex symbol and little Ricky Schroeder, the cute little blond haired boy who would go on to star in his own TV show Silver Spoons, his son who he fights to keep custody of as hard as he fights in the ring. To my memory this film contains the saddest scene that I ever saw and you got to remember that I was a child when I saw it.




2. Raging Bull (1980) : The Goodfellas of boxing movies. You take Scorsese, Deniro, and Joe Pesci and you get gold every time. This portrayal of the life of hall of fame middleweight champ Jake Lamotta is a study of a man battling inner demons with the boxing world in the 50's and 60's as the setting. Lamotta himself was brought in as a consultant to the film. As said before a modern masterpiece. Here is the clip that was on my mind while I was on the treadmill today.




1. Rocky (1976) : What else would the Blackeyed View pick as its top boxing film of all time but Rocky. The ultimate underdog story. This film is a testament to the human spirit that carries so many lessons within such as making the best out of life's opportunities, never giving up, redemption, and second chances. It has the best musical score out of any of the boxing films on this list or any other and it was no fluke as it won Academy awards for best picture and best director and made an Oscar nominee out of Sylvester Stallone for best actor and best written screenplay. This movie stands the test of time and will do so for generations to come.




Honorable mentions:

TYSON (2009) the documentary of the former baddest man on the planet is a compelling view in which Mike Tyson bares his soul and forces some to reassess their original opinion of the man.

Girlfight (2000) is the movie debut of Michelle Rodriguez in the story of a young woman finding haven within the confines of the ring from her abusive father at home.

ALI (2001) had bad timing for me, as most of the material in this film was covered ad naseum in the many biopics, sports specials, and documentaries including the excellent When We Were Kings during the years leading up to this film. Despite strong performances by Will Smith and Jamie Fox this film did not offer anything new for boxing fans to get excited about.

Cinderella Man (2005)the story of James Braddock had a great cast in Russel Crow, Paul Giamatti, and Renee Zellwiger but Giamatti was not convincing enough for me, kind of forced his character. But where the film loses major points for me as a boxing fan is in its portrayal of former champ Max Baer as boxer who enjoyed the fact that he caused the in ring deaths of several boxers. Anybody who knows boxing will tell you that no boxer ever wants to kill another fighter. Its the furthest thing from their minds and no boxer who ever killed another would ever brag about it.

Well there you have it my pick for top ten best boxing films of all time. I welcome your comments, disagreements and for you to share your own top ten list of boxing films.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. dominates Shane Mosley

After a scare in the 2nd round it was smooth sailing for Mayweather

Two things happened Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas that rarely occur, one was Floyd Mayweather Jr. being rocked by a clean right hand that caused his knees to buckle and the second rarity was to see Shane Mosley sapped of his fighting spirit.

As most fighters who have fought 'Money' before him, Shane Mosley grew progressively confused as the fight wore on but not before putting a scare into his opponent and his supporters in the second round. After an uneventful first round that HBO ringside judge Harold Ledermen gave to Mosley, the undefeated Mayweather was rocked by a Mosley right hand that made him weak at the knees and forced him to hold on to Mosley. Shane followed it up seconds later with another right hand that almost toppled his opponent bringing the MGM Grand Arena audience to their feet. Mosley pressed for the knockout but Mayweather used his defensive skills to weather the storm and was looking strong by the end of the fight having nailed Mosley with some good looking counter right hands. That was the last the world would see of the old Sugar Shane Mosley for the rest of the night.

Mayweather was back in the fight in a big way during the third round playing the part of the aggressor as Mosley began to fight in retreat. Mosley looked tentative and off his game throughout the bout. He appeared to be too concerned with out feigning his foe and fell into playing Mayweather's game which allowed Floyd to assume the role of the stalker as Mosley tried in vain to avoid his rival's punches. Mayweather was able to sweep the rest of the rounds based on both his offensive and counter punching connects.

This was the night that the 38 year old Shane Mosley grew old overnight as he appeared gassed by the fifth round and was in danger of being stopped in the later rounds. His trainer Nazim Richardson tried vehemently to revive his man in between rounds but Mosley was not responsive. Mayweather's speed was too much for Mosley as he was picked apart losing a unanimous decision. The judges rendered scores of 119-109, 119-109, and 118-110.

After the fight Mayweather was asked by HBO commentator Larry Merchant what it would take for him to fight Manny Pacquiao, the one man perceived to be the only challenge left out there, Mayweather responded, "If Manny takes the tests we can make the fight happen. If he doesn't we don't have a fight"

OBSERVATIONS

• Never thought I would see an offensive force like Mosley forced to go against his nature and fight in retreat for twelve rounds. Wasn't the fight supposed to be about Mosley chasing and Mayweather defending? I got to hand it to Mayweather for going on the attack but at the same time I have to say Mosley looked off all night. If Pacquiao saw this fight, I wonder if he will think that Mosley may have been affected by the constant drawing of blood to satisfy the Olympic anti doping requirements that were put in on the insistence of team Mayweather. Pacquiao blames his last defeat on feeling weak after having blood drawn the night before the fight and if he makes this connection and its somehow proven you almost can't blame him for being reluctant to submit to this type of testing.



• Many people have said it and last night's fight confirms it. Shane Mosley is too nice. Throughout the fight he was too willing to touch gloves, hug Mayweather, and talk to his foe during the fight. He was just altogether way too compliant. it was maddening to see Mosley accord Mayweather all sorts of pleasantries during the fight. Its not as if 'Money' is the most adorable guy in boxing, he had been trashing Mosley all thru the build up of this fight, Mosley had to know that if he lost Mayweather would eventually proceed to declare that he destroyed Shane Mosley. Where was the fire in Mosley? If he was going to grow old over night he was better served to grow into a grouchy old man.



• Every time Mayweather declares that Pacquiao must submit to drug testing and states that he wants an even playing field he throws dirt on Pacquiao's reputation. This without a shred of evidence, any prior incident, or so much as an accusation from a former Pacquiao opponent. This is simply heinous.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE MOMENT

I learned recently that I might be interviewing former welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga. The Nicaraguan strong man will be participating in a MMA match for the first time in North Carolina on May 15th. He is more famous for his wild style, cigarette smoking training regimen and playing the part of the villain against some of the heroes of boxing like Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, and Shane Mosley. The highest of his highs occurred when he knocked out the late Vernon Forrest to claim the welterweight title when Forrest had just defeated boxing's top dog at the time Shane Mosley. Mayorga has always been a favorite of mine and if I could get into my hot tub time machine I would go back to October 2, 2004 and tell Mayorga to for the love of God not ask Felix Trinidad to hit him in the face with this best shot. Before that Mayorga was doing well in the fight but after letting Trinidad hit him with his left hook point blank in the face, he was fighting at maybe 60%. But even at 60% Mayorga was keeping it close until Trinidad connected with some low blows that effectively sapped what remained of Mayorga's reserves and set him up for the finishing body blows.

Even though it was a crazy, stupid mistake, its part of what I and many others loved about Mayorga..the insolence! The nerve, the gall! Even so I would arrive in my hot tub time machine and tell him not to do it. And here is the reason why.....

BOXING ALL OVER THE WORLD

Fighting breaks out from Cali all the way to Denmark

Its good to put the focus back on boxing action after having to hear about the depressing murder suicide of Edwin Valero and his beautiful wife. The Blackeyed View decides to lead into this week reporting on the good and there was much good to report on this weekend as there were three fights of significance that took place in California and in Denmark. First in California a true heavyweight slugfest took place between heavyweight newcomer Tomasz Adamek fighting for only the third time in the division and former world title challenger Cris Arreola. Adamek the former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion was outweighed by the naturally bigger Arreola by 33 1/2 pounds. He hoped to match the hard punching Arreola's power and size with speed and mobility but the resident of Riverside, California was determined to outpunch his Polish rival and that had the makings of a good old fashioned shootout.

Adamek was able to use his quicker hands to outbox Arreola in the first four rounds but you could tell that he felt Arreola's edge in power with every connected punch. The bigger man rocked Adamek in the fourth and sixth rounds and had him on queer street but the determined Polish fighter hung on to survive. Adamek tried to make himself an elusive target for his opponent but those who have seen Adamek throughout his career can tell that this style is not his strong suit and it would only be a matter of time before he would follow his instincts to stand his ground and trade punches. Still Adamek's work was beginning to show on his rival's face as Arreola's eyes starting to close and his face was getting puffy from his opponents pot shotting.

Arreola almost broke through for a KO win in the tenth when he had Adamek hanging by a string after connecting with a vicious combination to the head but failed to capitalize when he injured his hand. Adamek (41-1, 27 KOs) ever the opportunist pounced on the wounded Californian in the last two rounds and was able to squeak out a majority decision win much to the dismay of the pro Arreola (28-2) hometown crowd. This was only the second loss in Arreola's career the first coming in his only title try against Vitaly Klitschko and Adamek's third straight win in the land of the heavies, a rematch between the two is a natural.

This was a fight that the heavyweight division needed. Two evenly matched opponents who provide action packed fights going at each other. Even the setting worked for this fight as the majority pro Arreola crowd traded cheers and jeers with the significant Polish fans that traveled to support their man. Adamek dedicated the fight to the memory of the late Polish president and the victims of the air crash that claimed their lives.

On the under card explosive welterweight Alfredo 'El Perro' Angulo knocked out former hot prospect and knockout artist himself Joel 'Lovechild' Julio in the eleventh round of a hotly contested fight.

Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament continued in Denmark with the WBC Super middleweight championship on the line as the defending champion from England Carl "the Cobra' Froch took on former champ Mikkel Kessler on Kessler's home turf. These two fought with desperation as Kessler needed to win to have any hopes of advancing in the tournament and Froch was desperate to keep his title and undefeated record.

Kessler was determined to establish his jab early and be the aggressor while Froch was content to play the part of the cobra waiting in the wings to strike. Both men had their moments in the early rounds with none able to take the early advantage. Froch was able to make his counter punches count as his power was showing early against his foe, while Kessler maintained consistent pressure. Froch was able to cause Kessler to take an early tumble in the sixth but it was ruled a slip by the referee. At that point it appeared that Froch had established a power edge mentally over Kessler as his shots seemed to be delivered with more venom.

Froch was able to cut the Dane over the left eye in the later rounds possibly reopening a wound from Kessler's last fight. That is when Kessler's trainer Jimmy Montoya began to spur on his fighter to press the attack which he did in the later rounds. Froch sustained a cut to the bridge of his nose that gave the appearance of a broken nose and his punch output began to dip substantially. The last two rounds were high drama as both men were rocked and appeared to be on the verge of being stopped by the other. Froch and Kessler battled it out near the ropes at the end of the final round and the fight at that point was a toss up with maybe a slight edge to the defending champion.

After a long delay the scorecards were read and what looked to be a very close contest was not seen that way by two of the judges at ringside. One judge had it a reasonable 115-113 for Kessler while the other two judges from Belgium gave the fight and the championship to Mikkel Kessler by ridiculously wide margins of 117-111 and 116-112. After the fight Froch seemed to be at peace with the decision as he voiced his belief that he would have had a tough time getting a decision win in his rival's hometown.

The scoreboards for the World Boxing Classic has one leader (Arthur Abraham) atop with 3 points and four fighters tied with 2 points a piece while one fighter (Allan Green) has zero points. Round two of the tournament continues in June as Andre Ward takes on late entry Allan Green.

And now the bad.....

I would be remiss not to mention the latest in the sad story involving former lightweight champion Edwin Valero. As reported in the last edition of the Blackeyed View , Edwin Valero was taken into custody following his admission to murdering his 24 year old wife Jennifer Carolina Viera on Sunday morning in a hotel located in Valencia, Venezuela. Viera was found dead by multiple stab wounds. The former champ was said to have told hotel security upon leaving the hotel that he had killed his wife. He was later picked up by Venezuelan police. Valero was taken to a police station in the town of Carabobo where he committed suicide in his jail cell that night. According to chief of police Wilmer Flores an inmate alerted the guards to Valero's cell were he was found hanging by the neck by his own jogging pants. He showed signs of life but the medics where unable to revive him.

Valero had a recent history of domestic abuse problems as he was arrested in March of allegedly hitting his wife which caused injuries that included a punctured lung and broken ribs. Ms. Viera refused to press charges on her husband telling police and hospital workers that her injuries were caused by a fall. Valero was the WBC lightweight champion with an impressive record of 27 wins no losses and all his wins coming by knockout. He recently relinquished his lightweight title to move up in weight and was projected to be an opponent for Manny Pacquiao. The deaths leave boxing fans lamenting the end of a once promising career and more importantly leaves two children ages 5 and 8 without parents.

Observations

• KA POW! That was the sound heard by those privileged enough to watch the knockout blow from the right hand of Alfred Angulo that took out Joel Julio in the eleventh round. I could almost see one of those big KA POW signs that filled up the TV screen every time Batman & Robin hit one of the villains in the campy old Batman TV series.



• When it took seemingly forever to hand in the scorecards during the Froch-Kessler fight you could almost sense that one of those hometown screw jobs was in effect. Now for such a close fight I could live with 115-113 for Kessler but do the Belgium judges have to make it so obvious by handing in alternate universe scores of 116-112 and 117-111? I mean seriously, does up mean down in their world?
  
  
  
• There are fights and then there are super fights. The match up between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley qualifies as a super fight. Mayweather has stepped up and risked all three times in his career. The first time was against Diego Corrales when 'Chico' was an undefeated wrecking ball that physically resembled a junior lightweight version of Tommy Hearns. The second time was when he engaged Jose Luis Castillo in a rematch after Castillo was robbed of victory in the first fight. This fight against Shane Mosley is his third riskiest move and he should get kudos for agreeing to this fight. Yes Shane Mosley is 38 years old and the Margarito fight may have deceivingly made him look indestructible, but he is still Sugar Shane Mosley. Who am I picking? My heart says Mosley and has convinced my head to go along with that pick.





• I really like Tomasz Adamek but seeing him struggle for the second time with what for the heavyweight division would classify as average height boxers, I now realize that he has little chance to win against any of the Klitschkos. He hasn't really carried his power up in weight and the larger the opponent the more he tends to box from the outside which would be a mistake against the Ukranian brothers. He has a much better shot at WBA champ David Haye who is his size and will be there to brawl with him.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE MOMENT

Speaking of one Tommy 'the Hitman' Hearns I'm reminded of one boxing moment that I would not tarnish with gambling, predictions, or trash talk. Its the three round war known in boxing lore as simply HAGLER-HEARNS. If I could get into my hot tub time machine I would use all my ill gotten gains to get myself a ringside seat to this fight. Although Hearns lost, both men covered themselves in glory for all time with this violent classic that will stand the test of time for all times when it comes to the subject of greatest fight you've ever seen. The following is but a sample of the smorgasbord of violence offered on April 15, 1985.