The Army Boxing Thread

[binnie]

Originally posted by DlocRoth


One of the best ever, but he can't fight younger guys anymore. I'm not saying he'd get killed in there or anything, but he'd take waaaay too much punishment.

Time to call it a day, Ex......

He's not going to though, is he? Sad but true

[DlocRoth]

Who knows?

He also said he'd retire before he turned 40.

[binnie]

True, but after the Winky fight he said he wants Calzaghe, and he still wants to win a heavyweight title.

He has also said that people have been telling him that he looks like a football player, because of his physique. He clearly believes that there is still gas in the tank.

I hope he calls it a day soon, before the decline really kicks in...

[DlocRoth]

Same here.....

He's still in great shape physically though....

And he's still a draw.....


But he needs to hang it up, he can only tarnish his legacy at this point.

[ALinChainz]

Oh man, Hopkins will NEVER win any version of the heavyweight title.

Unless its the newly founded OLD Belt.

Ironically, it was the bullshit decision that Michael Spinks was given in the second Holmes fight that spawned the IBF and that belt was bestowed onto Holmes.

[ALinChainz]

Holyfield replaces Chagaev in October bout with Ibragimov

August 2, 2007

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) -- Evander Holyfield will replace Ruslan Chagaev in a bout against Sultan Ibragimov in Russia in October, six days before the former heavyweight champ's 45th birthday.

Event organizers announced Thursday that Chagaev, the WBA heavyweight champion, was withdrawing because of unspecified medical reasons. He was scheduled to fight Ibragimov, the WBO champ, in an Oct. 13 unification bout at Khodynka Arena in Moscow.

In his latest comeback attempt, Holyfield (42-8-2, 27 KOs) is seeking to earn a record fifth heavyweight title.

The 32-year old Ibragimov, who will be fighting in his native country, is 21-0-1 with 17 KOs.

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ap-chagaev-holyfield&prov=ap&type=lgns

[binnie]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
Oh man, Hopkins will NEVER win any version of the heavyweight title.

Unless its the newly founded OLD Belt.

Ironically, it was the bullshit decision that Michael Spinks was given in the second Holmes fight that spawned the IBF and that belt was bestowed onto Holmes.

Roy Jones won his title due to his incredible speed and footwork, which kept hm from being hit: I'm not too sure that Hopkins has enough of those skills left to operate against a heavyweight. Might be wrong, but I doubt it...

[binnie]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
Holyfield replaces Chagaev in October bout with Ibragimov

August 2, 2007

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) -- Evander Holyfield will replace Ruslan Chagaev in a bout against Sultan Ibragimov in Russia in October, six days before the former heavyweight champ's 45th birthday.

Event organizers announced Thursday that Chagaev, the WBA heavyweight champion, was withdrawing because of unspecified medical reasons. He was scheduled to fight Ibragimov, the WBO champ, in an Oct. 13 unification bout at Khodynka Arena in Moscow.

In his latest comeback attempt, Holyfield (42-8-2, 27 KOs) is seeking to earn a record fifth heavyweight title.

The 32-year old Ibragimov, who will be fighting in his native country, is 21-0-1 with 17 KOs.



http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns

Anyone seen Sultan fight? He can punch, really punch. I'd love to see Holyfield win this, I really would. And he just charges straight at his oponents and smothers them with punches. Back in the day, Holyfield would have eaten him for breakfast but now, I'm not so sure

But I'd also like to see him make it to 45 in good health.

My first feeling is that if Holyfield uses his head (both metaphorically and literally) and ties Sultan up, or keeps him at range and counter-punches, he'll slowly where him down. If he tries to stand and trade blows I've got a feeling he'll lose (Holyfield won't be knocked out though...)

[binnie]

Two decent fights this Saturday:

Eric Morales moves up to Lightwait to take on David diaz for the WBC belt. My gut feeling on this on goes with Diaz: Morales is a legend, no question, but his best years are behind him. Diaz will be two strong for him I think

Rafael Marquez vs Israel Vasquez at Super-Bantom. Looking forward to this one, Vasquez had to retire in the seventh with a broken nose last time if I remember correctly, but I think that may have given him the spur to revenge himslef this time, Fights like this are two close to call, but I'll go with Vasquez, as Marques isn't quite the fighter that his brother is.

Thoughts?

[ALinChainz]

You were right on both accounts dude.


Diaz looks toward future after beating Morales in thriller to defend WBC lightweight title

By ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer

August 5, 2007

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) -- While Erik Morales headed into retirement, WBC lightweight champion David Diaz turned his attention toward the future.

Morales made Diaz earn every penny of his $350,000 purse Saturday, but the 30-year-old called it a career after coming up short in his bid to become the first Mexican to win a world title in four weight classes. Diaz won a thriller by unanimous decision and cemented his status as champion after getting the belt when the WBC stripped Joel Casamayor.

Now, he wants a $1 million payday.

"I think we deserve a payday," Diaz said after his first title defense. "Hopefully, we can get it."

Diaz's first choice would be to unify the 135-pound titles. WBO and WBA lightweight champion Juan Diaz and IBF champ Julio Diaz are scheduled to meet in October, and David Diaz's first choice would be to fight either. His trainer, Jim Strickland, also thinks a big paycheck could come from fighting WBC super featherweight champ Manny Pacquiao.

"Pacquiao would be the one that would pay that," Strickland said. "That would be my choice of a fight. And with those two guys going at each other like billy goats, that ... would give the fans another fight just like we saw (Saturday) night."

Morales and Diaz went right at each other.

A former champion at 122, 126 and 130 pounds, Morales (48-6) knocked Diaz down in the first round. Diaz (33-1-1) returned the favor in the second, and they punished each other the rest of the way, bringing the crowd of 9,735 to its feet.

Morales had said he would fight once more in his hometown of Tijuana if he won. Otherwise, he would retire. But he made it known as soon as he got to his corner after the final bell that he was finished.

Morales, who earned $750,000 on Saturday, ended his career by losing four straight and five of his final six fights -- assuming he stays retired. But he also showed against Diaz that he could still compete with the best after being stopped by Pacquiao in his previous two fights.

[ALinChainz]

Vazquez reclaims WBC Super Bantamweight title with TKO in sixth over Marquez

August 5, 2007

HIDALGO, Texas (AP) -- Israel Vazquez reclaimed the WBC super bantamweight title he lost to Rafael Marquez in March, knocking the champion down in the sixth before stopping him at the 1:16 mark Saturday night at Dodge Arena.

Vazquez took a pounding, too.

"I wasn't afraid they were going to stop the fight because I could see," said Vazquez, who had cuts above both eyes, the worst on the right side. "But my cut man (Joe Sanchez) deserves a lot of credit. So does my new trainer Rudy Perez.

"I think I proved what kind of fighter I am tonight. My nose was never a factor. I'm looking forward to fighting Marquez again. In the third fight, I will knock him out earlier."

Vazquez improved to 42-4 with 31 knockouts. Marquez, who took the belt from Vazquez in an eight-round TKO on March 3 in California, fell to 37-4 with 33 KOs.

The 29-year-old Vazquez, who fights out of Mexico City, went to the mat in the fifth, but Perez ruled he lost his balance. After he got up, Marquez began working the jab and sent Vazquez back to his corner a bloody mess.

As if sensing he needed to do something to change the momentum, Vazquez came out firing in the sixth. He knocked Marquez to the deck about a minute in with an overhand right, but Marquez continued after a standing eight count.

After the fight resumed, Vazquez continued pushing the action, landing a series of shots to the head and body of Marquez, who was not defending.

After one final right, Perez jumped between the fighters and ended it.

"This was an easy decision to stop the fight," Perez said. "I could tell (Marquez) was hurt after he went down. He got up but took a lot of punches."

Vazquez was leading 48-47 on all three judge's cards before the sixth, but Marquez appeared to be the stronger fighter early. That changed in the third when a solid right by Vazquez buckled Marquez's legs. He never looked as powerful after that, but he wasn't happy with the stoppage.

"I don't know why the referee stopped the fight," Marquez said. "I was still punching and he never looked at my eyes. I wanted to keep on going. I definitely want a third fight."

In the co-main event, Celestino Caballero (27-2, 18 KOs) defended his WBA Super Bantamwieght championship by taking a unanimous 12-round decision over Jorge Lacierva (32-7-6, 22 KOs) in a fight that looked closer than it was scored by the judges.

Rafael Ramos scored the bout 116-111, Dr. Ruben Garcia saw it 116-110 and Levi Martinez scored it 115-112, all in favor of the champ, who was making his second title defense.

"There was no doubt in my mind that I won this fight," Caballero said. "I was connecting with the better punches and jabbing him at will. I am happy with my performance but I know I could have done better. It's hard to look good against a guy who fights as dirty as he did.

"The best is yet to come. If I fight the Marquez-Vasquez winner, you will see the real me."

Caballero, who at 5-foot-11 has rare height for a bantamweight, looked awkward at times, perhaps struggling with the 5-4 Lacierva, and referee Lawrence Cole was forced to repeatedly pull the fighters apart as Caballero kept holding Lacierva's arm to his body.

"I am very disappointed," said Lacierva, the former IBA champ who fights out of Santa Anita, Mexico. "I came to fight and all he did was throw elbows and hold me. He was holding me and hitting me all night. He's a good champion, but I'm very disappointed."

On the undercard, Jorge Paez, Jr. (16-1, 10 KOs) worked hard for a unanimous decision over Jaime Orrantia (10-20-4, 2 KOs) in a six-round lightweight bout.

Junior middleweight Alfredo Angulo (8-0, 6 KOs) scored a TKO victory over Taronze Washington (9-8, 5 KOs) after Washington didn't answer the bell for Round 4.

Undefeated Mexican lightweight Juan Castanda (11-0, 9 KOs) earned a six-round unanimous decision over Jose Magallon (5-4, 3 KOs) in the first bout of the evening.

In the final bout of the evening, Gabriel Rangel (4-1-2) handed bantamweight Jose Salazar his first lost with a four-round split decision.

[binnie]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
You were right on both accounts dude.

It's nice when that happens, and, if you were to ask Mrs binnie, rare! LOL!

I enjoyed both fights, but Marquez-Vasquez in particular had me on the edge of my seat. Both warriors.

It seems in the lighter divisions the top dogs fight each other all the time, makes for great viewing.

Its just a shame that stops around 140lbs...

[ALinChainz]

WBA Super-bantam Caballero will get blown out by either Marquez or Vazquez.

I was NOT impressed by him at all.

[binnie]

Yeah, I would have to agree. Vazquez in particular will have way too much for him.

Mosely - Cotto is starting to get really hyped up, that could be a great fight if it happens. Age is definately on Cotto's side though. Mosely may be the most underated fighter of his generation, but the more I think about it, the more I think that Cotto will just be too young and fresh for him now. Still think it'd be a good fight though.

[ALinChainz]

The problem I have always had with Mosely is that Vernon Forrest absolutely mowed him down twice. Forrest is decent, but not a "star".

I know some fighter have other fighters numbers, but he ended up being a big disappointment to me, much like Tito Trinidad.

Trinidad should have been an electric star after his win over De la Hoya, he got major lazy and faded fast.