Ringside

Fresh from his comprehensive dismantling of now disgraced Antonio Margarito in January, Sugar Shane Mosley has now turned his attention to the winner of the May super fight between Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao.

Following this clash, Mosley has his sights set on a rematch with Miguel Cotto, whom he lost a unanimous decision to in 2007.

Whether Hatton would again look to mount a challenge on the Welterweight division is unclear and it is highly unlikely that Mosley would venture down to Light Welter, which would be his lowest weight in ten years, since defeating John Brown in an IBF Lightweight title fight in 1999.

Pacquiao however, will still be buoyed by his victory over Oscar De La Hoy at 147lbs and may well fancy the clash with Mosley.

Sugar Shane has become a hot property in boxing once again and even the aforementioned De La Hoya has expressed an interest in fighting the WBA Welterweight champion.

De La Hoya, widely expected to retire after his brutal defeat to Manny Pacquiao has said he would be game for completing the trilogy against Sugar, and attempting to avenge his two controversial losses in 2000 and 2003. The former, being De La Hoya’s first professional defeat.

I’ll keep you posted!

Should Manny Pacquiao defeat Ricky Hatton when they meet in Las Vegas May 2nd, he will become the number 1 contender for WBC Light Welterweight crown, according to WBC president Jose Sulaiman.

Sulaiman stated

“Let me tell you if he beats Ricky Hatton, he will be number one and official challenger of the WBC for the title of the super-lightweight division.”

“I think Ricky Hatton is a great fighter. He can beat anybody of his weight. But I believe the same thing about Manny Pacquiao. Manny is a great fighter, and he can defeat boxers of different divisions. As simple as that! He’s a type of Henry Armstrong!”

Any comparison to Henry Armstrong is high praise indeed and this will be an added incentive to Pacman to continue his assault on multiple weight divisions.

Hatton, unbeaten at Light Welterweight, is only currently ranked at number 3 by the WBC, who rank Junior Witter at 2, with Timothy Bradley current champion, the man who defeated Witter for the title last year.

I’ll keep you posted! 

In a somewhat farcical turn of events, former Olympic Super Heavyweight champion Audley Harrison has challenged fellow Brit David Haye to try and send him into retirement once and for all.  

Harrison had asked to be on the Ryan Rhodes undercard, a Hayemaker Promotions event in Liverpool on March 28^th, but was snubbed. Following this rebuke, he is now chasing Haye himself.  Harrison, who is coming off a shock defeat to Northern Ireland cab driver Martin Rogan, was once considered a potential world champion, but a string of poor performance and defeats has left his career in ruins. 

David Haye meanwhile, is currently on a high after unifying belts at Cruiserweight and has been in talks with both Klitschko brothers over possible bouts. Discussions have appeared to stall in recent weeks, but the box office draw of Haye will surely mean a big fight is just around the corner. What we can be sure about, is that a fight with Harrison is unlikely to materialise given Haye’s current ambitions. 

Harrison should be concentrating on trying to secure another fight for domestic honours, which might give him some chance of success, but challenging on the world scene appears to be a distant memory for the former Olympic champion. 

I’ll keep you posted!

Following his routine victory over Britain’s Michael Jennings, WBO Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto is seeking a match up with the winner of Manny Pacquiao v Ricky Hatton.

Despite neither fighter being a natural Welterweight Cotto is going to actively pursue the victor following the May 2nd bout in Las Vegas.

Indeed, a potential match up with Pacquiao would be quite a coup for Top Rank and Bob Arum who promote both fighters and would be another opportunity to get one over rival promoters Golden Boy.

Cotto hasn’t fought at Light Welterweight since his 2006 unanimous decision victory over Paulie Malignaggi, so a move down in weight may be out of the question.

One interesting point to consider is that Hatton managed to stop Malignaggi, who was pulled by his corner for fear of injury, something Cotto was unable to do two years before.

Cotto’s victory over Jenning’s did not really show us much of his undoubted skills, but it was a victory and the first fight after a defeat, particularly a first professional defeat is always the most important. Just ask Ricky Hatton that, after his tough unanimous decision win over Juan Lazcano following that defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

I’ll keep you posted!

Following his one sided stoppage loss to Ricky Hatton in November, Paulie Malignaggi has declared that he is now just after a payday and has fallen out of love with the sport.

Hatton’s resurgent win against the Brooklyn fighter seems to have taken away his spirit and left him somewhat demoralised.

Indeed, Malignaggi has said it took a lot of soul searching to continue fighting but has made it clear that it is now just a job and he is looking for the next payday, whereas previously he was looking to challenge the best.

Whilst Hatton has moved on to face pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao, Malignaggi could be left as a journeyman fighter who plods along to his next payday.

This would be a sad end for a skillful fighter, who was out-muscled and out-classed by a rejuvenated Hatton, in which there is no shame.

Hatton gave his best performance for years and the coaching of Floyd Mayweather Snr really told in the British fighter’s performance.

Hopefully Malignaggi can regain that spark and love for the sweet science which could make him challenge for honours once again.

I’ll keep you posted!

Following his hearing with the California State Athletic Commission, Antonio Margarito and his trainer Javier Capetillo have both had their licenses revoked for at least a year.

This comes in the wake of the Shane Mosley fight where experienced trainer Nazim Richardson asked to inspect the hand wrapping and discovered a “plaster like substance” on Margarito’s hands.

Bob Arum, of Top Rank Promotions has already labelled the decision “outrageous” and plans to appeal. In the meantime however, Arum will try to set up a fight in Mexico for the Tijuana Tornado, as the CASC ruling will have no affect there.

Appeal pending, the impact this decision will have on Margarito’s reputation, and career from this point on could be immense, given this could rob him of all credibility and tarnish his career defining win over Miguel Cotto.

However, the extent to which this actually restricts Margarito’s ability to fight depends largely on whether other Athletic Commissions recognise the decision, as Comissions such as Nevada (so Las Vegas) and New York are not bound to accept this license revocation.

One would hope that the various Commissions do recognise this decision, and how serious this is, but I believe this will depend on public perception of Margarito going forward and whether the fighter remains popular and a box office draw.

The planned June rematch with Cotto is now said to be off, and the Puerto Rican may well feel aggrieved at his loss last time out, given the possibility of Margarito using loaded gloves for that bout.

I’ll keep you posted!

According to Golden Boy Promotions’ vice president Eric Gomez, Oscar De la Hoya will decide within the next fortnight his boxing future, and whether he will fight on after his demolition at the hands of Manny Pacquiao last December.

De La Hoya was comprehensively beaten by Pacquiao, in one of the great surprises of 2008, and looked a shadow of his former self having boiled down to 147lbs for the bout.

Many have called for the Golden Boy to retire, after an illustrious career and not continue on when it is clear he is now in the twilight of his years, but he may want a final swansong, in an attempt to go out on a high.

Indeed, the 10 time world champion (in six different weight classes), may pursue Ricky Hatton after his bout with Pacquiao, and such a fight would be Pay Per View gold, and could be held in London’s Wembley Stadium, in front of 80,000 plus fans.

Whether De La Hoya decides to fight on or not, his position is cemented as one of the great fighters of our generation and the defeat to Pacquiao should in no way diminish this. He was fighting at too low a weight, stayed at the weight for too long, a week before the fight if reports are accurate and the impact of this weight drain cannot be underestimated.

If we never see Oscar De la Hoya fight again, he should be remembered for 10 world titles, and not his performance against Pacquiao.

I’ll keep you posted! 

MMA star Andrei Arlovksi is tentatively scheduled to make his professional boxing debut on April 11 on the undercard of Paul Williams v Winky Wright in Las Vegas, against an, as yet, unidentified opponent.
The heavyweight Arlovski lost his last MMA fight to veteran legend Fedor Emelianenko by knock-out, but this has not stopped him pursuing his boxing ambitions.
Renowned trainer, and coach of Manny Pacquaio, Freddie Roach has been working with Arlovski for his last two fights and has said previously he has the skills to challenge in the current heavyweight division.
Just how well the MMA fighter will do in the ring is difficult to judge given he was knocked out by a big right hand in his last MMA bout. However, we mustn’t be too quick to question the wisdom of Roach who has guided Pacquiao to the summit of the pound for pound rankings after his demolition of Oscar De La Hoya is December 2008.
Arlovski could become the first real cross over star in the worlds of boxing and MMA, and with Roach on board he has the best possible trainer to realise this ambition.
I’ll keep you posted.

Joe Calzaghe has finally announced his retirement from boxing, quashing all hopes of a rematch with Bernard Hopkins.

Calzaghe, whose record stands at 46-0, had stated several times that his victory over Roy Jones Jr would be his last, but hopes that he would continue did linger.

A challenge from fellow Britain Carl Froch came to nothing and calls for a rematch with Hopkins have not been enough to tempt the Welshman back into the ring.

Calzaghe retires from the sport with both a CBE and an MBE, together with that perfect undefeated record and will be sorely missed, particularly on this side of the Atlantic.

Criticism of dodging big name fighters in their prime and being a “stay at home Joe” will continue to bug him, but his record speaks for itself and Calzaghe has been a champion for over a decade with 21 title defences to his name.

Calzaghe will undoubtedly rank amongst Britain’s best and after his retirement he may well get some of the credit he did not get whilst fighting.

Following his unanimous decision win over Herman Ngoudjo IBF Junior Welterweight champion Juan Urango is reportedly targeting a rematch with IBO champion Ricky Hatton. 

Hatton, who faces Manny Pacquiao on May 2^nd gave the tough fighting Colombian his first and only professional defeat via unanimous decision in January 2007 in Las Vegas.  Urango’s record is an impressive 21-1-1 with 16 knockouts as he continues to prove himself as a worthy contender, and now champion in the 140lbs division. 

Whether Urango will get his chance at a rematch will remain to be seen as Hatton has bigger and more profitable fish to fry, at least in the short term, but Urango is a credible fighter and may justify a fight in the future if he continues to impress. 

I’ll keep you posted!