Around the Ring

Alfredo Angulo turned down a career high purse of $750,000 to fight Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez. Angulo wanted a million dollars for the fight citing that Martinez would make way more. Since Martinez is the Champion I am not sure what Angulo is really complaining about especially since the amount offered is still more than double his highest purse. Gary Shaw, promotor for Angulo, was disappointed in Angulo turning down the fight and stated Angulo would not fight again until 2011.

Since Angulo turned down the fight against Sergio Martinez, HBO has once again forced the rematch between Martinez and Paul Williams. Williams won a very close decision against Martinez last year however their next future after that fight has been different. Martinez won the Middleweight title from Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams won an ugly akward technical decision against Kermit Cintron in May. Although Williams won, he didnt look very good in the fight and many have question if Martinez exposed Williams in their fight. HBO is looking to air the rematch between Martinez and Williams November 20 if everything is agreed to.

Lou Dibella is looking to get a tripleheader on HBO on October 2nd with Andre Berto, Sergei Dzinziruk, and Celestino Caballero fighting on the card. WBC Welterweight Champion Andre Berto could either fight Andrei Kotelnik who just gave Devon Alexander all he can handle in a loss this past weekend. Berto could also move up and challenge new IBF Junior Middleweight Titlist Cornelius Bundrage. WBO Junior Middleweight Titlist Sergei Dzinziruk would likely fight former Welterweight Titlist Luis Collazo. WBA Super Flyweight Titlist Celestino Caballero may fight Jason Litzau. If secured this could be a great HBO card with three World Titles on the line.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. appears to be cancelling his September 11 fight against Pawel Wolak and going straight for the Miguel Cotto fight December 4. Wolak's manager said he received a call from Top Rank stating Chavez was not in shape and was going to go through with the fight.

Future Hall of Famer boxer James "Lights Out" Toney is just a little over 2 weeks shy of his UFC debut against Randy Couture. Toney, never shy for words, is saying he is going to KO Couture.

Ike Ibeabuchi KTFO Chris Byrd

Around The Ring

Junior Middleweight Contender James Kirkland is getting released from prison on September 17. He is looking to get back into the ring as soon as possible. Golden Boy Promotions is looking to get him maybe two tuneup fights and get Kirkland right back in the title mix.

47 year old four time Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield is continuing his quest to be a five time champion. Holyfield is going to return to the ring on November 5th against Sherman Williams. Holyfield is hoping that a victory will lead to a fight against Vitali Klitschko in early 2011.

It appears the megafight between IBF/WBC Junior Welterweight Champion Devon Alexander and WBO Junior Welterweight Champion will be signed next week for a fight date of January 29, 2010.

Bob Arum is meeting Wednesday with Jerry Jones about staging the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito fight at Cowboy Stadium November 13. The last Pacquiao fight, March 13, brought in over 47,000 people. Arum expects Margarito to be licensed in Texas so the fight can happen at Cowboy Stadium.

Top Rank has discussed the idea of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr challenging WBA Junior Middleweight Titlist Miguel Cotto in December if Chavez Jr wins his fight in September.

Catchweights Cheat The Sport

Boxing has had weight limits for years and if you weigh over a particular limit you were considered to be out of that weight class. For instance if you fought in the Welterweight Division the weight limit is 147lbs. If you weigh anything over 147lbs but less than 154lbs you are considered a Junior Middleweight. However in recent years catchweights are coming up more and more. Catchweights came about to have two fighters who are in different divisions meet in the middle to make the fight happen, sort of like a win-win situation. The thing I hate about catchweights is the fact that fighters are trying to use catchweights in Championship fights. Last year, Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi fought at a catchweight of 139. So the fight was fought in the Junior Welterweight division just one pound under the Junior Welterweight weight limit of 140. There was no major championship on the line and it was a decent fight so no issues. Floyd Mayweather Jr. came out of retirement to fight Juan Manuel Marquez at a catchweight of 144lbs. Marquez came in at 142lbs and Mayweather came in at 146lbs. Mayweather paid a $600,000 fine as stipulated in their contract and proceeded with the fight. Many people were upset because Mayweather had an unfair weight advantage that went against the contract. However I had no issues with that because why should a fighter give in to a catchweight when he is still under the weight division limit? Why should a fighter drain himself in order to make someone else happy.The Mayweather-Marquez fight was not for a championship so not a lot of drama came after. The issue I and many other true boxing fans are having is catchweights in Championship fights. The king of catchweights is Manny Pacquiao. As Pacquiao has gone up in weight he has began to request catchweights in order to fight the bigger guys in bigger fights. December 2008, Pacquiao fought Oscar De La Hoya at the Welterweight limit of 147 and won by KO. No issues there except Oscar killed himself to make weight, but that was his choice saying he could make that weight. Pacquiao goes back down to 140lbs in May 2009 to fight Ricky Hatton and again he won by KO. No issues with that fight because Pacquiao fought within the weight limit. However, November 2009 Pacquiao challenges Miguel Cotto for the WBO Welterweight Title. In the contract Pacquiao and his team requested that Cotto weigh 145lbs, a clear two pounds under the Welterweight limit of 147lbs. Then in the contract there are penalties if the fighter does not meet the catchweight even if he is under the weight limit of the division. Now less than a year ago, Pacquiao fought De La Hoya and had no issues fighting at the full weight limit, but against Cotto he couldn't. After a lot of back and forth Cotto agreed to come in at 145lbs. Cotto ended up getting KOd in that fight and many believe part of the reason was due to his weight loss. Cotto, who was already having issues making 147lbs, was contractually required to come down an additional two pounds when the Welterweight limit is 147lbs. In March 2010, Pacquiao fought Joshua Clottey but did not ask for a catchweight and he won the fight with no issues. However the issue that is approaching again is Pacquiao is going to fight Antonio Margarito in November for the WBC Junior Middleweight Title and require a catchweight. Junior Middleweight limit is 154lbs but Pacquiao wants the fight to be fought at 150lbs. 150lbs is four pounds under the limit. Why are sanctioning bodies allowing catchweights to happen? The weight limits that each division has are the catchweights. If we didn't have pre-existing weight limits then we would have guys 200lbs trying to fight guys 140lbs. So if we already have weight limits why are fighters trying to give themselves unfair advantages? Why are these catchweights being allowed especially in Championship fights? Weight limits are the catchweights and should be treated as so. Never should a fight be contracted for a World Title under the weight limit of that weight division. If the fighter weighs in above the weight limit, the sanctioning bodies already have penalties along with the atheltic commission in the states where these fights take place. Someone needs to take a stand and stop these catchweights from cheating the sport. If you can't fight at the limit of a weight division and if you dont want the other fighter to do so then you shouldn't be fighting in that weight division. Simple as that. Lets abide by the rules and limits set in place and not cheat the sport. Weight limits = Catchweight. Any Questions?

A Great Win With A Sad Loss

This past Saturday, Cornelius K9 Bundrage KOd Cory Spinks in 5 rounds to claim the IBF Junior Middleweight Title. It was a long road many people didn't think would come for Bundrage. Bundrage has come a long way from the double knockdown KO he suffered to Sechew Powell as well as the Contender. Many remember K9 from being the last picked for teams on the Contender. He never understood why he was picked last, but he continued to say last should be first. Isn't it funny the last one picked was the first World Champion from that group of guys on Contender Season 2. K9 always said on that show God had something in store for him. K9 won third place on Season 2 of the Contender and gained a lot of popularity from the show. After several years, and postponements of fights, Saturday K9 got his chance for the title. K9 did not let the chance for the title slip by. He attacked Cory Spinks from the first bell and did not let up until it was over. Cornelius K9 Bundrage became a World Champion by KOing Cory Spinks. A dream was realized and it is what boxing was made for.

However for every winner there is a loser. In this case Cory Spinks was the loser of the fight. Spinks is the son of former Heavyweight Champion Leon Spinks and nephew of former Champion Michael Spinks. Cory was fighting for the first time since claiming the IBF title in April 2009. Spinks has had a lot of inactivity in the last few years which has led to his obvious decline in ability. He has become slower and with a lack of power is not a good thing. Along with the inactivity, Cory was not staying in shape and came into camp at like 200lbs not to mention he got a DUI earlier this year. Looking at the picture here it is a sad sight to see Spinks who was a great boxing talent seemingly finished at 32 years of age. Spinks was a quick slick southpaw who could make you miss and still hit you. Spinks didn't have any much power but if you appreciated the art of boxing you enjoyed his fights. As a loser of 3 of his last 4, with his win somewhat controversial it maybe the end for him. If this is the end for Cory Spinks, I hope that the rumors of his drinking and other bad vices are just rumors. If they are not just rumors then I hope he can bounce back and find peace in himself. There is life after boxing.

Too Much Hype, Too Soon????

This past Saturday Devon Alexander beat Andreas Kotelnik in front of his hometown fans in St. Louis. Leading to the fight Alexander's face was everywhere from local television to a full page article in the New York Times. That is huge for a 23 year old from the streets of St. Louis. The lights were shining bright for Alexander, he was getting star treatment with promises of a lot more to come if he wins. Another HBO date in January against Timothy Bradley to further clean up the hottest division in boxing, the Junior Welterweight division. All Alexander has to do is win. Easier said than done. With all the pressure on many were forgetting he had to fight Kotelnik. Kotelnik is relatively unknown, so he couldn't be an issue right, wrong. Kotelnik came to fight and he came to win. Fighting for the first time in the United States Kotelnik gave Alexander all he can handle. Alexander came out with a Unanimous Decision but he it came at a price. Alexander was cut, said his leg cramped up and appeared very tired. Was Alexander exposed in this fight? Could his next fight, likely against Bradley be the Felix Trinidad-Fernando Vargas fight? You remember a young lion in Vargas had showed so much heart and was hyped to be the next great thing and then ran into the experienced champion Trinidad. Bradley is not the hard puncher that Trinidad was but he is fast and accurate. After watching a slower fighter in Kotelnik constantly connect on Alexander, one has to wonder if he was exposed. Fernando Vargas had other big fights after his loss to Trinidad, but he was a shot fighter before the age of 30. Was Devon Alexander exposed or was it just a bad night with too much attention on a young fighter? Was it too much hype too soon? Guess in time we will find out.