Boxing Blog – TSS Tidbits

In a step which may assist Don King in gaining complete control of the heavyweight division, the World Boxing Council has ruled that Vitali Klitschko will not be able to make an optional defense of his heavyweight title.

The following are reproductions of two press releases.

First the Don King Productions press release:

MEXICO CITY (July 15, 2005)—The World Boxing Council’s Board of Governors today rejected heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko’s request for an exception that would enable him to make another optional defense of his title.

The ruling also stated that Klitschko must face the WBC interim heavyweight champion, which will be determined when WBC No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger Hasim “The Rock� Rahman meets WBC No. 2-ranked contender Monte “Two Gunz� Barrett on Aug. 13 at the United Center in Chicago, which will be broadcast domestically live on pay per view.

Klitschko won the vacant WBC title (vacated by Lennox Lewis) by defeating Corrie Sanders on April 24, 2004, and was granted the ability by the WBC to make an optional defense on Dec. 11, 2004 against Danny Williams, under the condition that he must face his mandatory challenger next. Klitschko hasn’t fought since Dec. 11 and has never met a mandatory challenger.

Rahman earned the right to be the WBC No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger by defeating Kali “Checkmate� Meehan in an elimination bout on Nov. 13, 2004.

Klitschko was supposed to have met Rahman on three separate occasions: on April 30 (postponed due to Vitali’s jogging “thigh injury�); June 18 (postponed as Vitali needed more time to recover from “jogging injury�); and July 23 (Vitali’s “thigh injury� spread to his back, necessitating “minor back surgery� on April 19.

Rahman’s promoter Don King, recognizing Klitschko’s inability to perform, successfully petitioned the WBC to sanction Rahman vs. Barrett as a WBC interim heavyweight championship match, which allows the organization to name the winner of this fight its outright champion if Klitschko is unable or unwilling to fight.

Klitschko’s health has recovered to the point where he asked the WBC permission to face a lower-ranked opponent on Sept. 24.

Now the WBC release:

The Board of Governors of the World Boxing Council, presided by doctor Jose Sulaiman, announces from its offices in Mexico City that a final decision has been taken in regards to the heavyweight division, as follows:

1. The WBC requires that Vitali Klitschko make his following defense against the interim champion, winner of the Rahman-Barrett fight of August 13, 2005 in Chicago to comply with the WBC Rules and Regulations for a champion.

2. Vitali Klitschko would be approved to make a voluntary defense on September 24, only if there is a consent or acceptance agreement with the parties of the interim championship bout, as it has been the case in many occasions in the past.

3. Based on all considerations, including the last 5 fights of the 3 boxers, the WBC has decided that:

a) A split of 65-35% is applied if Klitschko is not approved to fight on September 24.

b) However, a split of 55-45% will be applied if Vitali is approved to fight on September 24.

4. If Klitschko does not fight on September 24, the winner of Rahman and Barrett must be ready and medically approved to fight Klitschko within 6 to 8 weeks after the August 13 bout.

5. If Klitschko is allowed to fight on September 24, the winners of the interim championship fight and champion Klitschko’s fight must be ready to fight for the undisputed WBC title no later than December 2005.

(Press Release)

Oneida Nation Homelands— Three UBA championship fights are on the card for the “Summer Storm� at Turning Stone Resort and Casino’s Event Center on Saturday, Aug. 13. The night of professional boxing also includes undefeated Utican Jamar Patterson and a women’s match featuring Amy Burton of Syracuse.

The Main Event, for the Light Heavyweight title, pits Yusef Mack (18-0-2, 12 KOs) of Philadelphia against veteran Thomas Reid (34-15-1, 13 KOs) of Jackson, Tenn. They’re scheduled for ten rounds.

The co-feature, also a ten rounder, will decide the Jr. Middleweight Inter Continental championship. Brazilian southpaw Agnaldo Nunes (12-1-1, 6 KOs) will face Martin Honorio (18-3, 12 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico.

The evening’s third championship belt, the Super Middleweight Inter Continental title, will go to either undefeated Philadelphia pugilist Lajuan Smith (8-0-1 4 KOs) or Manu Ntoh (15-10-1, 9 KOs) of Atlanta. They’re also scheduled for ten rounds.

Jr. Welterweight upstart Jamar Patterson (2-0 1 KO) tries for his third victory at Turning Stone in a four-round match against Diego Villaba (0-1) of Ozone Park.

Amy Burton (7-2 3 KOs), will face Albany’s Elizabeth Mooney (2-1). The Jr. Middleweights are scheduled for four rounds.

In other action, Super Middleweight Jamal Davis (3-1 3 KOs) of Philadelphia has signed on for six rounds. His opponent will be named at a later date.

Tickets — priced at $30, $50 and $75 — are available by calling the box office at 361-SHOW or toll-free at 1-877-833-SHOW Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

TODAY (July 15)

Santiago del Estero, Argentina — Middleweights
FRANCISCO A. MORA -280
MIGUEL A. ARROYO +260
43-year-old Arroyo drops some weight to fight for WBO Latino title

Santiago del Estero, Argentina — Jr. Welterweights
WALTER DIAZ -175
CARLOS JEREZ +165
Jerez once beat Carlos Vilches on a technical decision

Plymouth, UK — Flyweights
LEE HASKINS -200
SITHIMBELE KIBITI +180
Kibiti’s best work has been done at 105 pounds

Temecula, CA — Jr. Lightweights
JASON LITZAU -450
JOHN NOLASCO +400
Litzau is a refreshing change; perhaps a REAL prospect out of Minnesota

Cleveland — Welterweights
CRAIG WEBER–FRANKIE RANDALL
– Will end before Round 8 -110
– Will enter Round 8 +100
Randall keeps on going at age 43, and keeps on getting stopped

Cleveland — Cruiserweights
VONDA WARD–CASSANDRA GIGER
– Will go full distance -110
– Will end inside distance +100
Giger’s out of her weight class, but she usually hangs in there

Dover, DE — Jr. Welterweights
MICHAEL STEWART -800
OMAR BERNAL +700
It’s Delaware, which means Stewart brings his own judges.

Chicago — Middleweights
MIGUEL HERNANDEZ -200
KENNY KOST +180
Local Latin favorite Hernandez has been relatively well-protected

Chicago — Featherweights
HECTOR VELASQUEZ -700
ALDO VALTIERRA +600
Velasquez is #10 WBC; Valtierra beat undefeated Frankie Zepeda in last

Roman Karmazin, 34-1-1, 1 NC (21 KOs), Russia, 153½, scored an upset winning a 12-round decision over Kassim Ouma, 21-2-1 (13 KOs), Uganda, 154, and in so doing captured the IBF junior middleweight title in Las Vegas Thursday night.

Karmazin was dominant from the outset, landing solid left hooks to the body of the southpaw Ouma. He effectively followed the body punches with straight rights to the head that met the target with regularity.

In round three, Ouma was hurt and dropped by a short hook to the body and remained in trouble throughout the round. Another Karmazin barrage send Ouma to the bottom strand of the ropes to garner another knockdown and secured a 10-7 round.

From that point on, Ouma appeared lost. His vaunted high-volume punching was never in evidence.

Karmazin remained focused on a tight game plan of mixing sharp punches and pressuring his opponent throughout.

The bout was the main event of Oscar De La Hoya’s Boxeo De Oro on HBO Latino.

Scoring was 118-109, 116-110, and 117-109 all for Karmazin.

* * *

Televised Undercard: Marco Antonio Rubio, 30-2-1 (27 KOs), Mexico, 158, stopped previously undefeated David Toribio, 12-1 (7 KOs), Dominican Republic, 154 1/2, at 1:26 of round 2.

J.E. Grant

TONIGHT

Las Vegas — IBF 154-lb. title
KASSIM OUMA -450
ROMAN KARMAZIN +400

OUMA–KARMAZIN will go full distance -180
OUMA–KARMAZIN will end inside distance +170

Las Vegas — Middleweights
MARCO ANTONIO RUBIO -850
DAVID TIRIBIO +750

Despite the unfortunate sideshow of Lou DiBella simply waiting for Bernard Hopkins to get old to strike at the right time, I think this will be a very interesting and competitive fight. At this juncture, we have more questions about Jermain Taylor than answers. During the last several years, the middleweight division has been one of the most talent-anemic weight classes in boxing, partially because Bernard cleaned out the division. At the same time, Taylor fought a host of lesser fighters who were either past their prime, were moving up in weight, or both. Marquez probably should’ve been retired when Taylor signed to fight him. William Joppy was considered to be either a shot fighter, or close to a shot fighter, at the time Taylor met him last year. Taylor hasn’t fought a legitimate threat up until this point. Therefore, he lacks a solid apprenticeship in the pro ranks. Nevertheless, this will be a very tough fight for several rounds. I think it will be a morphed version of the first Hopkins-Echols for 6 or 7 rounds, but with Jermain using his quickness, the jab, and body punches, as opposed to Echols’ raw aggression and power. As usual, Hopkins will gradually pick his spots, and take the less experienced man into uncharted waters. The key to this fight is how Taylor reacts when he gets rapped on the chin. Bernard is not a power puncher, but his right hand over Taylor’s low left might be a telltale factor in this fight. Besides Bernard’s highly underrated jab, it was Bernard’s counter right in the first Echols fight, and a right hand in the second round of the Trinidad fight, that set the foundation for later power shots and dominance. He’ll find a way to time Taylor’s jab along the way, and score with the right hand. It will be a hard, compact, surprise shot with little or no telegraph. In addition to the counter right hand, he’ll use angles – and a few Zivic and Pedroza tactics – to confuse and bother the talented and willing greenhorn. In the end, I like Hopkins on a 115-113 type of decision, unless the judges decide that volume supersedes craft and true effectiveness.

GREG SMITH is a featured writer for The Sweet Science, who never misses an opportunity to invoke the name of former great Fritzie Zivic. You can access his material here

Vitali Klitschko, aka The Champ Who Wasn’t There, has alienated even his most ardent supporters with his unwillingness to get it on with the most deserving big men on the planet. Rather than fight fellow titleholders Lamon Brewster (WBO), who did a fine job wasting Vitali’s brother Wladimir, or Chris Byrd (IBF) or John Ruiz (WBA), not to mention James “Lights Out� Toney, Hasim Rahman and Monte Barrett, the ironfisted Ukrainian has instead opted to fight Calvin Brock. Brock is a good guy and a good fighter whose future looks bright, but those qualities don’t necessarily qualify him for a shot at the heavyweight crown. Not yet, anyway. Be that as it may, Klitschko will be fighting Brock, bearing any more unforeseen injuries, on September 24. The transcript of Wednesday’s conference with Calvin Brock and Main Events’ Kathy Duva and Carl Moretti call is below.

Moretti: There has been a lot of press recently regarding the Vitali Klitschko situation, saying he hasn’t fought reputable opponents in the past and that he’s ducking this guy and that guy. We have an agreement in principle with the Klitschko camp. There is nothing more that we relish than to fight Klitschko for the heavyweight title. There are a lot of politics involved that are out of our control, but we have all the faith in Calvin Brock. We always knew he could box – he beat McCline and we knew he could fight. We just want to have the opportunity to prove the naysayers wrong because he is a worthy opponent. We think he could beat Klitschko or we wouldn’t put him in the ring with him.

Why would we be speaking about this fight since the WBC has not sanctioned it?

Moretti: They haven’t not sanctioned it. There is a letter from the WBC stating that they will give Klitschko a Sept fight and that the winner must face the winner of Rahman-Barrett.

Would you be interested in an elimination?

Brock: After I fight Vitali Klitschko I will be interested in fighting the other champions. Right now Klitschko has called on me to fight him and I relish the opportunity just like Carl said. And I will beat Klitschko.

Most people have heard me say that I will fight anyone, anytime and anyplace … ever since my first appearance on television back on May of 2002 on NBC. We have called Hasim Rahman to fight as well as other heavyweights. I never turned down anybody. I beat Jameel McCline, who people thought I wasn’t going to beat. No matter who my opponent is, my goal is to be the real heavyweight champion of the world. I want to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and I’ll box anybody to get that done.

It doesn’t surprise me at all (that people don’t give me a chance). They didn’t give Muhammad Ali a chance against Sonny Liston either. They didn’t give Holyfield a chance against Mike Tyson. They didn’t give Leonard a chance against Hagler. All of the great boxers were underdogs at some point and not given a chance to win. I will be an underdog and come out as the new heavyweight champion of the world.

I am going to be a champion that the fans are going to look forward to seeing because of my intensity, my skills and my power. The total package that will come together will be a fan-pleasing champion. That is what I’m going to be. I will defend the title with honor and dignity and respect, and bring a good light upon boxing.

Moretti: The Klitschko camp has a letter from the WBC stating that it has an optional defense with the winner fighting the winner of Rahman-Barrett. Rahman and his promoter and Barrett are putting up a big stink about that. We fully expect the WBC to sanction this fight and go through with it like they said – in writing. We are just waiting on the sanction and for that to happen. The letter came out several months ago.

Why can’t Klitschko fight the winner in September?

Kathy Duva: Rahman and Barrett decided to fight each other in August. You couldn’t have the winner fight in September. The ABC recommends a 30-day suspension after a fight like that (where there may also be a cut) with no contact. That means the winner couldn’t even train until days before the fight in September. There are considerations on what type of deal you can make with the fighter. You don’t know what they are going to be worth after a fight. The perfect example is the Moussa-Harris fight. No one could have predicted what the winner of that fight would be worth. You get results you don’t anticipate. There are ways of winning and ways of losing badly. You cannot tell today what they would be worth to fight Klitschko.

It is impossible to negotiate. How are you going to sell tickets to a fight? “Come and see Klitschko come and fight the winner of Rahman-Barrett?� One of the fighters can get injured. Once again there is a 30-day mandatory suspension recommended by the ABC. They recommend no contact at all. So the winner is going to wait 30 days before they train? Are you going to train a week before the fight?

Moretti: Realistically, you make six round fights in 45 days; you don’t make heavyweight championship fights in 45 days. Just the promotion alone needs that much time.

Kathy Duva: The reality of it is that the winner of Rahman-Barrett would have to wait until December to fight Klitschko anyway. That’s really the next time that it is feasible to do it. To raise the money to promote it and sell tickets. If Vitali takes an optional defense – against, by the way, a very viable opponent who is going to beat him in September –he is not going to hold back the heavyweight division.

Do you anticipate legal recourse if you are not granted this fight?

Kathy Duva: The document is addressed to Klitschko, not to Cal Brock. Klitschko is the only person who has the recourse.

Moretti: Look, we have dreamed of having this opportunity on September 24th. If for some reason it doesn’t happen for outside reasons, Cal Brock is not going to retire. He is still the best young heavyweight out there and he’s one of the best heavyweights out there. His career will go on and we’ll continue to go on promoting him. He’s just that – a true heavyweight contender soon to be a heavyweight champion. We hope it will happen September 24, but it’s not like he will go unseen the rest of the year. There are other plans in the back of our head but right now we are planning on the 24th. We think it’s going to happen and that’s what we are aiming for. If it doesn’t, we’ll keep him out there and keep going.

Brock: One thing you can say for sure is that I’m more deserving of a title shot than anyone else. One thing I know is that I’m an Olympian and I’ve taken on everybody and beaten everybody and I’m undefeated. How can they say I’m not worthy? As long as a man keeps on winning and they keep him on television against worthy opponents, he will be worthy. And I’m worthy. Everybody that is going against it is probably scared that I’m going to go in the ring and beat Vitali Klitschko and be heavyweight champion of the world.

I am undefeated and this opportunity presents itself now instead of later. I will be heavyweight champion of the world and right now people are arguing over a title shot against guys like Rahman and Barrett and Vitali and all of the other titleholders – (but) those guys aren’t drawing any numbers. People are looking for me, someone new to come up and take away crowns, someone like myself that is an undefeated Olympian that can beat bigger men. That’s what they are looking for.

Moretti: We are not here to demean other fighters. We are here to say that we are worthy of a title shot as much any anybody out there. Don’t sell us short – and if you do you are going to be sorry on September 24th.

Would you give up options to fight other champions?

Kathy Duva: I’m not going to negotiate with you [laughing]. I’ll go to the table with Don King. The stories I found personally demeaning were the ones saying how Klitschko didn’t want to fight anyone. As far as I was concerned they were talking about fighting the guy that was going to beat Klitschko. So it sounds as though to me Brock is someone. I wanted to make that point loud and clear and I think that Carl agrees with me. I think it was unfair to Calvin to be shoved to the side. This is a guy that represented the U.S. in the Olympics and has had a long and lustrous career. I’m not the one to be counting his credentials. Carl and Calvin can do that better than I can. I can’t understand, frankly, why they [Klitschko’s people] would accept Brock. People are taking it at face value that somehow King and Rahman are in the right here. This is about King wanting to get a better purse split in a purse bid situation. That’s all that this is about. When he decided to make the fight with Rahman and Barrett, he was fully aware that Vitali Klitschko was fully available to fight in September. The purse would have been 75-25, but as an interim champion, the purse bid shifts to 50-50. He had the chance to get it done when Vitali was injured and moved it into August making it impossible to fight again in September. Now Vitali – who has been out since September because he was legitimately injured – is going to be told that he’s going to have to sit around until next December to fight again? That’s ridiculous, and anybody who buys it is worse.

Moretti: Jameel McCline lost by one point to a Don King fighter on a Don King show. Jameel may have gotten tired at the end of the fight, but some people thought he did enough to win. Brock proved his mettle in that fight. There are a lot of politics going on but don’t tell me that Calvin Brock isn’t worthy of fighting Vitali Klitschko for the heavyweight title.

Kathy Duva: The press is writing how the fans aren’t getting good fights. Well, the fans will get a good fight – (and) it will be sold out.

Moretti: Rahman is a legitimate heavyweight, but since he got knocked out by Lennox Lewis, he lost a technical decision to Evander, drew with David Tua, and lost to John Ruiz. Then he beat Al Cole, Terrence Lewis and Kali Meehan. Add all those guys up and they don’t equal Jameel McCline. Now don’t tell me that Calvin isn’t worthy of this shot.

Kathy Duva: Rahman is not getting shortchanged here. He gets the benefit of the eliminator and he gets the benefit of a 50-50 split rather than a 75-25 split. And he could fight the winner of this fight by the end of this year. Frankly, I don’t see how he is harmed. Someone needs to explain that to me.

Brock: The first fight … why is everyone assuming that Rahman is going to be the winner? There are two people in that fight and anything can happen in a fight. It’s not fair to say how Klitschko needs to fight Rahman when Rahman hasn’t even beat Barrett yet. He’s now going up against a decent contender and he doesn’t even know if he’s going to win that fight. Regardless of who wins this, and who wins on September 24th, the two winners are going to fight each other. There are no losers. The winner of that fight will fight for the heavyweight title.

Kathy Duva: Shelly Finkel will ask the WBC to honor their word and we hope that they do so.

Where will the fight be?

Moretti: We are not the official promoter. K2 and Shelly Finkel will decide that. We just want to get Brock in the ring. We don’t care where that bell rings.

Will you fight the winner of Rahman-Barrett if you win in September?

Moretti: Absolutely.

Brock: I will fight anybody. When I win the title, I will fight anyone.

If Brock wins will you have to give King options?

Kathy Duva: In a purse bid situation, no one is allowed to ask for an option.

Do you have a prediction for Rahman-Barrett?

Brock: Monte Barrett is a good boxer. He fights pretty smart and I think that he will beat Hasim Rahman. It won’t surprise me a bit. People are overlooking him big time.

When will this WBC situation be resolved?

Moretti: We would like to sort it out this week. The rest to be negotiated with Klitschko is minor stuff. The sites mentioned were in the United States and HBO wants the fight in the United States. If they want it to go to Germany, then, like we said, we just want to fight Klitschko.

All fighters get old, but somehow Bernard Hopkins has avoided this maxim by beating his opponents in the same safety-first, roughhouse style that has defined his career. On Saturday, though, I think Hopkins finally shows his age against Jermain Taylor. I predict Hopkins will get knocked out in the fifth or sixth round. I don’t think Hopkins has looked good since he beat Trinidad four years ago. Forget about De La Hoya, Robert Allen, William Joppy, that dude Hakkar and Eastman. With the exception of Eastman, these were all shot fighters when they faced Hopkins; I don’t think Hopkins was impressive in any one of those fights. The body shot that knocked out De La Hoya was emphatic but my reaction to that was: so what? He beat a fighter he should have tormented. In Taylor, he is facing someone who is younger, stronger, and hits harder, and who I think is treating this fight like it’s the Super Bowl. How do you think Hopkins is treating this fight? Like he does any other fight, which is why Taylor will win. No one expected Tarver to knock out Roy Jones the second time they fought, and I think Taylor does the same to Hopkins in a big upset. The reason nobody has accused Hopkins of slipping is because he executes in the same methodical style every time out, so it’s hard to tell if he has, but he has slipped and Taylor will expose his age.

MITCH ABRAMSON is a featured writer for The Sweet Science. You can view his material here

Bernard Hopkins may or may not win this Saturday night when he faces a legitimate challenger in young but talented Jermain Taylor. I give Bernard credit for taking on such a tough challenge in the twilight of his career. Here’s my thing, though – even if Bernard clocks Taylor with the first punch he lands I still feel that there were several middleweights in my time (1965 to the present ) who may have been able to handle Bernard.

Through no fault of his own, Bernard came along at a time when serious challengers were few and far between. Yes, he beat every challenger put before him and I agree that he did not duck anyone. My question is, who did he really beat? Trinidad, who we later found out – thanks to Winky Wright – was lacking in the skills department? De La Hoya, who was at his best at 147 and was, truth be known, just in with a bigger, stronger man?

I respect Bernard but he was never seriously challenged. Trinidad and De La Hoya were blown-up welterweights. A lot of his challengers, like Robert Allen, Antwun Echols, Joe Lipsey, Keith Holmes and William Joppy were good fighters but not in the caliber of some world title challengers and former titleholders from days gone by.

I grew up watching and reading about some outstanding middleweight champions and contenders. Joey Giardello was a smart boxer with deceptive power who was about as tough as they come. Dick Tiger was a tenacious boxer /puncher who was extremely strong and well conditioned. Emile Griffith could do it all. He could box and he could slug. He was one of the most complete boxers I’ve ever seen.

Carlos Monzon was the BEST middleweight of my era. He was so strong. He used his height, strength and reach to great advantage as he just wore down challenger after challenger. Also, he was almost impossible to hurt. Rodrigo Valdes was such an underrated fighter. He beat “Bad” Bennie Briscoe three times, once by a clean knockout. How many fighters can say that? Rodrigo also had two epic battles in losing efforts to the great Monzon.

Marvin Hagler…what can you say ? He took toughness to another plateau. Like Griffith, he could both box and slug. He was very adept at switching from orthodox to southpaw, a maneuver that kept his opponent off balance.

Although Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns made brief stops at middleweight, I could see both beating Bernard. Ray’s hand speed would have given Hopkins fits. Bernard was never known as a big hitter, and the only way to keep Hearns honest was to hurt him. His jab and his power would have been too much for Bernard.

James Toney in shape at 160 would have “out-cuted” Bernard. Southpaw Michael Nunn’s height, reach and boxing ability could have caused several problems for Hopkins. What about Mike McCallum? I think McCallum would have been too strong for Bernard, but that would have been an interesting matchup.

There were some fine boxers and challengers I feel Bernard could have handled but I feel I have made a case for a few I think may have been a tad better.

Well I’m sure I ruffled a few feathers of Hopkins fans, but I mean no disrespect to Bernard. He deserves whatever praise he receives. My point is that Bernard was just a victim of his time.

The bottom line is that Bernard was the best of HIS time. Regardless of the outcome of his fight with Taylor, Hopkins is already bound for the Hall of Fame.

Jim Amato

Fighting in the backyard of Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, Calif., Carlos Quintana, 20-0 (16 KOs), Moca, Puerto Rico, 148 stopped Francisco Campos, 19-4-1 (10 KOs), Cartago, Costa Rica, 148 as the fight was halted after six one-sided rounds on ESPN’s Tuesday Night Fights.

The southpaw Quintana appeared to use Campos as a low-paid sparring partner, easily mixing his punches throughout.

Although there were no knockdowns, Quintana ran away with each round and at virtually no point was the outcome in doubt. In rounds five and six he stepped up the attack, leading to the sensible stoppage.

Campos, who until recently was usually seen as a junior welterweight or lightweight, has now lost four of his last five bouts, three by knockout.

Quintana, 28, figures to move on to stiffer opposition soon in order to gain a ranking in the welterweight division.

JE Grant