Boxing Blog – TSS Tidbits

Things heating up in the super middleweight division

Australian Danny Green had his butt handed to him by Anthony Mundine on May 17, but the 33-year-old super middleweight will not step away from the game.

He intends to fight on, the Age reports, and will likely attempt a career uptick in late September.

Green (21-3) will launch his comeback against Jason DeLisle, perhaps on the weekend of September 23-24.

Green stopped DeLisle in the fifth round three years ago.

“I believe this time I will beat him,” Green said. “Beating him will give me a great opportunity to again fight for a world title. Since we last fought, I’ve improved considerably.”

Green hasn’t…

Interestingly, before their May 17 contest Mundine and Green had agreed to a rematch. But after the thorough whupping Mundine put on Green, that concept of a rematch became uninteresting to all parties.

Mundine’s manager, Khoder Nasser, said to the Age yesterday there were no plans for a rematch at this stage.

In other super middle news, WBA champion, Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler (37-0), and the WBC titlist, German Markus Beyer (34-2-1), are getting it on October 14.

Both sanctioning bodies have promised Mundine (26-3) a shot at the winner.

The two best known super middles, Joe Calzaghe and Jeff Lacy, haven’t secured their next step. Calzaghe’s hand woes have set him back, while Lacy and Antonio Tarver weren’t able to come to terms.

What’s up with Laila Ali in Cape Town?

Is it on, or is it off?

As of right now, it’s looking like Laila Ali’s fight with Gwen O’Neil, scheduled for Aug. 5 in Cape Town, South Africa, is off.

Boxing South Africa, the nation’s regulatory body, has claimed in several publications the pay-per-view show will go on, but manager Jack Mesi said Monday the show had been canceled.

His son Joe was to have fought Brazilian Adenilson Rodrigues on the card.

The show was crafted by a promoter Joe Manyathi, who has apparently didn’t meet his monetary obligations to Ali, who then said she wasn’t fighting.

The Independent Online reports that veteran promoter Rodney Berman has offered Ali a spot on his Saturday card in South Africa, which features SA’s Cassius Baloyi against Gairy St. Claire of Australia.

Do stay tuned then…

Choices, choices, choices, followed by more choices

Saturday night, boxing fans have the option of seeing Roy Jones fight Prince Badi Ajamu on PPV, or tuning in to “free” TV to watch HBO’s Boxing After Dark broadcast featuring Vivian Harris/Stevie Johnston.

A few years ago, it wouldn’t have been a debate – most everyone would have opted for the RJJ option.

But the march of time, and the prospect of paying $25 bucks to see a potentially embarrassing swansong for the past-his-prime legend, make Saturday’s choice that much tougher.

So what about it, TSS Blogsquad?

You going for the freebie BAD action, or will you break down and watch the Jones/Badi Ajamu battle from Boise?

Weigh in, and tip your hand…

Hitman Hatton’s safety-first options

Ricky Hatton’s camp hinted he could give up his WBA welterweight crown as the elimination of Arturo Gatti from the ranks of respectable foes has muddied matters for the Hitman.

Not seeing a mouthwatering matchup at welterweight, Hatton (41-0) may instead head south to 140.

“We are not averse to giving up belts rather than being pushed into mandatory fights few people want to see,” said the boxer’s father, Ray Hatton, to the BBC.

“It is lovely and a great honor to have the belts but these days in the modern era of boxing it is big fights that the fans and the television companies want to see.”

German welterweight Oktay Urkal, age 36, is a leading contender to lace up against Hatton after Gatti’s loss.

More Americans know Urkel, the nerdy sitcom star, than Urkal (37-3), so this matchup may well not see the light of day.

“Ricky will be fighting in a great American city in December,” said Hatton’s father.

“We have a number of options for his next opponent which will be finalized in the next few weeks.

“The Gatti defeat altered our way of thinking. It was the fight everybody wanted to see but it is not going to happen now as he has been beaten.”

Hatton is 27, and looked decidedly ordinary in a UD12 win against Luis Collazo on May 13.

Is it a good idea for him to waste precious time on no-name opponents like the German?

Does he have a few good years left in him?

Or should he grab big opportunities, like a Cotto fight, while he still can?

Khan a no-show on dangerous driving charge

Amir Khan, the latest, greatest hope for England to manufacture a breakout boxing star, failed to appear in court on Monday to face a charge of dangerous driving.

Khan’s lawyers had faxed the Crown Prosecution Service to rearrange the court date but magistrates were not aware of that move until they took a hard look at filings.

Khan (8-0) is currently in Bulgaria, the court heard, and a new date for his appearance was set for Thursday.

The 19-year-old 2004 Olympic silver medalist was arrested last month after an incident in his home town of Bolton, England, when Khan allegedly hit a pedestrian as he was driving. The man suffered a broken leg.

What’s with these Brit boxers and their driving hijinks?

The last best hope for breakout appeal, Naseem Hamed, is currently cooling his jets in jail after being nabbed for dangerous driving in 2005. He was sentenced to 15 months in the pokey after a head-on crash left another man in the hospital with multiple fractures.

My prescription? Chauffeurs for the lot of ‘em.

It’s obvious these amateur Schumachers are hell on wheels, and need to be sitting in the back seat from now on…

Baby Bull’s future with Main Events questionable

Juan Diaz and his team are in negotiations to determine whether they’ll remain under contract with Main Events Inc., the New Jersey promotional outfit which has helmed Diaz since he turned pro in 2000.

I’d say Diaz’s leverage just got that much stronger with Arturo Gatti’s Saturday showing, as Main Events may be without the services of their most notable performer, the Human Highlight Film…

Main Events has until the end of August to decide whether to re-sign the WBA lightweight champion, the Houston Chronicle says.

“They’ve got first right of refusal,” Diaz’s manager Willie Savannah said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to square all of this stuff away so Juan can go ahead and [move] on.”

Savannah said the negotiations make a Diaz/Diego Corrales early October bout, which has been proposed, impossible.

“‘The negotiation period with Main Events is not going to be over with until August, so that’s not enough time for Juan to prepare for Diego,” Savannah said.

Diaz, at age 22, is on the super-short list of next generation American superstars.

At 30-0, the unbeaten Baby Bull is in the driver’s seat when it comes to hammering out a top-tier deal.

Can Main Events promise and deliver the type of money and status that King, Arum, De La Hoya or Gary Shaw could?

Laila Ali may not rumble in the jungle

Laila Ali is supposed to fight Gwen O’Neil in South Africa on Aug. 5 but the bout may be in jeopardy because the promoter hasn’t met his financial obligations.

South Africa’s boxing regulator, Boxing South Africa, has stood up for promoter Joe Manyathi after a report that Laila Ali’s fight in Cape Town has been cancelled because the promoter hasn’t ponied up funds for Ali, the Independent Online reports.

Boxing South Africa says the fight is still a go.

“The promoter has not said the fight is off, and the Ali camp has not said it is off,” a spokesperson said.

A newspaper reported on Sunday that Ali’s manager, Damon Bingham, said the fight had been called off because promoters hadn’t met their financial obligations.

Ali’s camp and Manyathi could not be reached on Sunday, the Independent said.