A while back, I witnessed a pretty poor decision in the form of Travis Cloud vs. Gabriel Campillo. Watching it by myself on the downstairs TV (and then skipping over Williams vs Ishida as I knew that was going to be garbage), there were times I was asking for the ref or Cloud’s corner to stop the fight as I felt that Tavoris was taking a lot of punishment from rounds 7 thru 10. In my opinion, Campillo won 2 rounds after the 2 knockdowns in the first and should have won by a score of 115-111.
That said, as soon as Jimmy Lennon Jr. announced there was a split decision, I knew that Cloud was receiving a hell of a gift. My first thought during the Cloud post fight interview (after admiring his diction, verbosity, and ability to shut someone up while interviewing with Jim Gray no less) was, “Wow. I bet being a novice judge judging a Don King fight must be a great paying part time gig”. That really makes it tough for some of you that like to do a little boxing online betting.
Some people may view this as another black eye to boxing, why no big fights should ever take place in Texas, and an example of the type of result that needs to be fixed in order to bring people back to the sport. Do I think like that? No. In fact, boxing is sometimes at is best when it is a mess. Fan Man was a blast. I still occasionally chuckle thinking of Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield’s ear off. Oliver McCall breaking down in the middle of a championship fight? Priceless. Think I am wrong? Let us take a look at the results of this past weekend and the messy pre and post fight antics that me and the rest of America found interesting.
Over the course of the 12 rounds in Corpus Christi TX, the Cloud-Campillo fight was entertaining. The first round featured 2 knockdowns, the middle rounds offered lots of action courtesy of jazz like smooth combinations from Campillo, and the final 2 rounds saw a desperate Cloud trying to pull away with the victory. The awful split decision wreaked worse than a soiled diaper deep fried on a hibachi; but, will yield some positives.
Please click "Read More" for the rest about the fight...
no commentsTonight kicks off what is an exciting few weeks of boxing betting. For MMA, Bellator is the only real televised action for the next month and the betting action is light on most sports books. However, there still is plenty of fight betting available in the square ring.
This weekend’s two big fights are Kell Brook vs. Mathew Hatton and Sergio Martinez vs. Mathew Macklin.
Kell Brook vs. Matthew Hatton
Matthew "Magic" Hatton comes into this bout a huge underdog and with good reason. While he has a decent record of (42-5-2, 16 KOs) his light punching problems have been well documented. Last time he was on HBO Saul Alvarez seemed to walk right through anything he could dish out.
Kell Brook seems to have the advantage here in the most important aspects, speed and power. His unblemished record of (26-0, 18 KOs) is courtesy of his immense talent. He has stopped 10 of his past 11 opponents. Most expect Brook to win easily here. Really, there is no reason to think otherwise. In order for the featherfisted Hatton to win, Brook must have an off night or an off training camp. With Brook so close to seeing big world title bouts I cannot see a lack of motivation becoming a factor.
BetUS currently has Kell Brook -1200 and Matthew Hatton +650.
An interesting line is the over under set at 9.5 rounds. The Over is -220 and the Under is +175. Remember, Hatton has a great chin, as evidenced by his Alvarez fight. There may be a bit of an advantage to be gained in the over/under department considering betting on Hatton here is almost negligent to the wallet.
Sergio Martinez vs. Matthew Macklin
The consensus 3rd best P4P fighter puts his belt on the line against Matthew Macklin in New York on the night telecast. Macklin is coming off of his controversial loss to Felix Strum last year. Sergio Martinez impressively wiped out Serhiy Dzinziruk and Darren Barker in his last two fights.
BetUS has the identical money line for this fight.
Sergio Martinez -1200
Matthew Macklin +650
If I had to choose, Macklin is the better bet than Hatton. He is tough, has good skills, and has the tools to break down Martinez if he has an off night.
The over under is also set at 9.5 rounds with the over a favorite at -150 and the under +120. The over play here seems relatively soft. Martinez owns a devastating KO over Paul Williams in their second fight that resonates in people's minds. However, people forget that this is the same Martinez that couldn't stop Kermit Cintron, Paul Williams, and a damaged Kelly Pavlik before that devastating KO.
Once again, the over seems like the best bet here.
FK
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This past weekend featured some of the best and the worst of boxing. Juan Manuel Lopez and Orlando Salido put on one hell of a spectacle over the 9 plus rounds that the fight lasted. The beginning of the fight set the tempo, with only the first round serving as a feeling out. After that Salido came out like a man on a mission. Then in the 5th, out of nowhere, “Juanma” dropped him with a phantom punch type right hook. The sixth and the seventh saw Orlando proving that the previous knockdown was an aberration by beating up the boxer puncher impressionist from Puerto Rico. After realizing that he needed to gain the respect of his Mexican dance partner, Lopez decided to disregard any semblance of a plan and go all out. The 8th round saw the proud Puerto Rican fighter decide to fight forward for the first time in the fight to improved results. Then came the ninth where both fighters seemed to quietly agree that college was not for everyone as both fighters threw everything they had at one another over the 3 minute stanza to produce a violent whirlwind of a fistic masterpiece. By the end of the ninth, after Juanma stumbled back to his corner, I knew he would not last the rest of the fight. Sure enough, a beautiful combo from “Siri” in the beginning of the 10th ended what has been the most exciting fight so far in 2012.
Now I have just summarized this previous weekend’s great fight. The best of boxing was clearly on display as 2 clear warriors emptied their six shooters for the sake of the fans, their future, and their pride as fighters. The worst in boxing came in the form of the scorecards. I’m born and bred in Puerto Rico. I freely admit to being a homer for any Puerto Rican fighter (as long as their last name is not Camacho). Even I had the fight 86-83 in favor for Orlando Salido. It is clearly possible that the loud and boisterous crowd may have influenced the scoring of the 3 judges who were in Hato Rey that evening. Maybe they were sloshed from too many rum and cokes handed out by the event promoter. All I know is that those scorecards were smellier than Steve-O catapulted in the air while sitting in a porta potty. The most memorable part of the fight? To me it was clearly the post fight interview.
During the post fight interview with Jim Gray, “Juanma” decided to express his thoughts with regards to the referee, whom in most people’s eyes, stopped the fight at the right time. Instead of being a sportsman and accepting defeat in any semblance of a classy manner, he decided to let the public know that he was in control of the fight the entire fight and that the referee of the fight was a “gambler” (whether degenerate, occupational, or only when he drinks could not be confirmed) and because of this vice, the referee (and his son whom had officiated the first fight) were both out to get Lopez in order to collect some extra cash. Juanma went further and also proclaimed that he had informed the Puerto Rico boxing commission of these facts and that he had requested another referee to preside over the fight (apparently we can assume that that request was denied).
The sad truth is that several days after the fight, I can really only think of the absurdity of those statements. Let’s just, for shits and giggles, assume the referee was indeed out to make some cold hard cash from betting against Juanma (whom the night of the fight was a 2 to 1 favorite to win). Wouldn’t he have intervened before by maybe calling him on the low blows or the holding behind the head? Had the referee gone out of his way to slow down the action, take points away from the Puerto Rican fighter in his home turf or stopped the action in other moments when he was buzzed, then maybe I would understand his argument. Instead, I am reminded of a hilariously bizarre post fight interview with the losing fighter. It makes me wonder of other recent great moments in post-fight antics.
9/17/2011 Floyd Mayweather vs Victor Ortiz – After somewhat sucker punching and KO’ing his opponent, Floyd Mayweather approached his post fight interview with his signature bravado and arrogance. It took a turn for the strange and surreal when Floyd laid into Larry Merchant and proclaimed that HBO retire him for essentially not respecting Mayweather and not being good at what he does. It got one step better when Merchant proclaimed that “If I were 50 years younger, I’d kick your ass”. This substandard fight was only enhanced and made memorable by this Shakespearean exchange.
7/23/2011 Amir Khan vs Zab Judah – Fight prognosticators gave Zab Judah a real chance to win this fight. Too bad that after they stepped into the square circle, Zab decided to focus on defense and forgot that to win a fight means you have to throw a punch. In the fifth round, Amir Khan clearly hit Judah with a clean body punch that seemed to have had a crippling effect on the Brooklyn native. Zab decided to stay on the ground during the 10 count and after he was counted out, he had the looked of someone who had received an unsuspecting enema in front of a room full of strangers upon understanding that he had just lost the fight. When it came time to give the post fight interview, Judah exclaimed that that was a clear low blow and he would be appealing the decision immediately. When he saw the replay of the knockout on the monitor, which once again clearly showed that the punch did not stray low, he still continued to cry foul. Blatant denial is a very powerful mistress.
7/7/2007 Nonito Donaire vs Vic Darchinyan – After getting KTKO in round 5 by a devastating left hook that Vic clearly did not see, Mr. Darchinyan decided to proclaim to Jim Gray and anyone whom would listen that he was not hurt, did not know what had happened, and could have continued. WHAT?! Some people may be turned off by Vic’s arrogance when he wins and his complete denial when he loses, but it is always fun to watch this train wreck.
Bernard Hopkins vs everyone – Bernard’s post fight interviews have been the most exciting part of his fights for the better part of the last decade. He is either disrespected by the world, the grand master of the art of boxing, fighting for bribed judges, or even subjected to racism against him. These antics “clearly” make up for the 36 minutes of sleep inducing boredom I experience each and every time he fights.
There are clearly more examples of fantastic post interviews (and we have not even touched on the press conferences after the fight) but these are clearly examples of the fin that exists after the fight is over . Heck sometimes, like in the cases of Lopez-Salido and Mayweather-Ortiz, the post fight antics are almost more memorable that the actual fight. Never a dull moment inside or outside the ring.
Shaun’s Thoughts on boxing and everything else
- So Rios-Gamboa is no more? I love it when fighters whom do not draw fans to a fight (Cuban fighters, I am looking directly at all of you) make ridiculous demands and expect that this is a good idea. I hope that Top Rank and HBO make an example of Gamboa so that all these other diva types have a second thought before they decide to be assholes.
- Juan Manuel Lopez should really take his time coming back. He has been hit a tad too much in his career and I am starting to feel that we have already seen the best of him. As for Orlando Salido, he is a card carrying bad ass. I would love to see him move up to 130 lbs and fight Rocky Martinez (another Puerto Rican fighter).
- Sad to say I am watching American Idol for the first time in years because my wife is fascinated with it again. Even sadder is that I am finding myself playing a couch judge and critiquing their performances.
- I’ve said it before and I will say it again, it is in the mid 70’s today in the middle of March in Chicago. The inconvenient truth is conveniently great.
no commentsJust in case you aren't a James Kirkland fan yet...
HBO has put together a short feature on him titled 2 Days. It begins two days before his fight with Ishida and ends after his fight with Alfredo Angulo. It's a great watch.
I personally dearly miss the Legendary Nights series that HBO had a few years ago. Still, they are churning out good content in the form of this Portrait of Fighter series.
James Kirkland (30-1, 27 KO) will be fighting Carlos Molina (19-4-2, 6 KO) March 24th in Houston on the HBO undercard of Erik Morales vs. Danny Garcia.
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Brandon Rios saw it coming. After Yuriorkis Gamboa repeatedly skipped news conferences in Miami and Los Angeles the fight was canceled yesterday. The two were suppose to fight on April 14th on HBO but Gamboa had some type of contract dispute with Top Rank.
Lee Samuels, a Top Rank spokesman, insists that there will still be a fight on April 14th featuring Brandon Rios. However, it will likely not be televised on HBO. HBO had originally paid over $2 million for the fight.
Also, Top Rank filed a breach of contract suit against Gamboa for breach of contract. What is interesting is the verbage within the contract speaks to "John Does 1 through 10". There have been rumors of Floyd Mayweather and his backers meeting with Gamboa and causing this ruckus. In the lawsuit Top Rank alleges that "one or more rival boxing promotion companies and unknown individuals associated with them are at the root of Gamboa's wrongful conduct."
Brandon Rios will likely fight Richard Abril (17-2-1, 8 KOs). Abril is a interim lightweight belt holder and was at the Miami news conference. Rios and Abril got into a heated argument and ended with a scuffle. Video below.
It's too bad too. This fight was one that all boxing fans were looking forward to. Top fighters who have an offensive arsenal like these two would have been a pleasure to watch. Hopefully they will fight in the future.
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One thing that sucked about 2012? Kelly Hutcherson not being part of Strikeforce anymore. She recently got a job with a mortgage company, damn them whoever they are, and is no longer a with the company. It doesn't mean that she is not still in our hearts =).
She was voted Strikeforce Ring Girl of 2011. She is from California and has modeled for Metal Mulisha, Muscle Milk and Transworld Motorcross.
Here's a video of her Maxim photoshoot in case you like moving pictures.
Every Tuesday Fight Knights features female eye candy in the fight game. Got a girl in mind that we should feature? Email us! This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
no commentsWe are proud to present our first edition of the Boxing Minute podcast. Enjoy! The Boxing Minute will cover topics that tickle us the right or the wrong way. So turn up the speakers, and let the fists fly and the egos fall!
This week: Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Orlando Salido II
Transcript:
Last weekend the first of what I hope to be many fight of the year candidates. Orlando Salido and Juan Manuel Lopez once again engaged in toe to toe battle ending with the same result, Salido knocking out Juan Manuel Lopez, albeit this time in the 10th round. There are many things that need to be said about Juan Manuel Lopez and his defense, or lack theoref. He stands up too straight and simply cannot dodge looping hooks shots coming from an opponent with his head down, which happens to be Salido’s specialty.
Just last April, Juan Manuel Lopez was the next best thing. Now, he has two losses to a tough but unremarkable 11 loss fighter in Orlando Salido. As much as this is a legitimizing win for Orlando Salido, this is a unlegitimizing loss for Lopez. He will now have to prove to Top Rank, boxing fans, and opponents that he deserves to be in the ring with the likes of Gamboa and Rios instead of actually fighting them. Old veterans beating upcoming fighters is always an interesting story. However, that wasn’t the only storyline that was on display. Really the storyline that is flying under the radar and will likely not garner much attention is the horrendous scoring at ringside. In case you were wondering, Chuck Giampa and we here at FightKnightsBlog.com had it scored 88-83.
No one watching the fight could score it even. Yet judge Danny Nelson had the fight 85-85 going into the 10th round. What’s worse? Judges Micheal Pernick and Cesar Ramos had Lopez ahead 86-84. Thankfully Salido finished Lopez or may have been a victim of a nasty decision. Just weeks ago, Gabriel Campillo lost in disgusting fashion to Tavoris Cloud and was denied a rematch.
Unfortunately, this scoring problem is and always will be a recurring event in boxing. Sometimes, it feels as though you can see it coming as a boxing fan. A young, promising fighter is having a tough time against a sly tough veteran. The judges are going to rob him, you just know it. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. It’s refreshing to see one get finally averted.
SW
no commentsEditor's note: Video scouting gives you a chance to take a look back bouts that have significance to upcoming matchups. Look out for of our video scouting of upcoming big events!
Eleven months ago Juan Manuel Lopez's rise to stardom was abruptly stopped by a 11-loss Orlando Salido in a stunning 8 round TKO. This weekend they will be fighting in a rematch that is a must win situation for Juan Manuel Lopez. If he doesn't avenge his loss, he will be just another prospect that never fufilled his potential. Here's a look back at some of the bouts n these two fighter's histories.
Let's start with this. The first fight.
Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Orlando Salido
It's still suprising to me that Salido was able to walk through all of Lopez's shots. I was under the impression from JMM's other bouts that his power was very good. Here is an example in his fight with Bernabe Concepcion.
What is interesting in this bout is JMM's inability to hit and get out of the way. It is one of the reasons fight fans were salivating over the prospect of him fighting Yuriorkis Gamboa who also has his defensive deficiencies. These defensive weaknesses was exploited by Salido in their first fight and spelled doom for JMM.
Juan Manuel Lopez vs Bernabe Concepcion
We have to keep in mind that Salido does have 11 losses. However, when he does win, he wears you down while coming forward and landing that right hand. Here is an example of one of those wins.
Orlando Salido vs. Kenichi Yamaguchi
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Dana White's tweeted that a rematch of Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar will take place. The exact time and place is still unknown but will likely take place this summer. The UFC lightweight division is stacked and has plenty of intriguing matchups. However, White and the UFC matchmakers apparently think that the rematch will be the best for name recognition and PPV buys.
Also on the outside looking in is Anthony Pettis, who owns a victory over the current UFC champ Henderson, Nate Diaz and Jim Miller, who have a fight coming up.
Interestingly, this will mark the 3rd straight opponent that Frankie Edgar has rematched in consecutive bouts. First was BJ Penn, followed by the second and third installment of the Gray Maynard trilogy and now Henderson vs. Edgar II.
What is clear is that this fight will help clear out the stacked division and make way for all of the intriguing matchups to come.
no commentsI already feel bad about this one. Jennifer Dooley, the lovely wife of now retired boxer Ricky Hatton is famous for her crying uncontrollably as her hubby got knocked out in his two losses against Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. She may not get as much screen time as another Brit boxer WAG Rachel Cordingly but she is definitely a step up for a bloke like Ricky.
Watching someone you love get beat up isn't something that I would wish upon anyone. I remember how my mother used to be in absolute panic mode when she watched me or my brother back in our fighting days. Out of respect for that, no crying pictures of Mrs. Hatton, just smiling ones.
Every Tuesday Fight Knights features female eye candy in the fight game. Got a girl in mind that we should feature? Email us! This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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