chop
03-19-2007, 03:24 PM
The 10 Count
1. Barrera-Marquez wasn’t the only bout on Saturday in which there was a remarkable discrepancy between how the Nevada judges scored the bouts and what actually happened in the ring.
On the pay-per-view undercard, Daniel Ponce De Leon took a unanimous decision over Gerry Penalosa, retaining his junior featherweight belt by tallies of 119-109 (twice) and 120-108. Harold Lederman, HBO’s unofficial judge, favored Ponce De Leon by a 118-110 margin.
There were some close rounds, but it seems as if the 1399 punches thrown by Daniel Ponce De Leon distracted the above judges from some of the excellent counterpunching being done by Penalosa. The 34-year-old former junior bantamweight champion not only made Ponce De Leon go the distance, but Penalosa also forced the WBO 122-pound titlist to realize that he will not be able to blow away every opponent he faces.
Intriguing potential bouts remain against Rafael Marquez, Israel Vazquez and Celestino Caballero, but Ponce De Leon’s next opponent will probably be the winner of May’s Rey Bautista-Sergio Medina title eliminator.
2. In the show’s opener, junior welterweight Demetrius Hopkins outpointed former 130-pound titlist and second-season Contender alum Steve Forbes, but the look on Forbes’ face as Michael Buffer read the verdict said it all. All three judges had Hopkins as the clear winner, with Robert Hoyle and Glenn Trowbridge scoring the bout 118-110 while Dalby Shirley had it 117-111.
Forbes – known more for style than strength – forced the fight against the younger, taller Hopkins, taking far more rounds on my scorecard than the three official judges gave him credit for. Hopkins, however, came out with the win, and he will probably have a few high-profile bouts before challenging for a title.
Forbes should nevertheless be counted among the contenders in a weight class that has less depth and star power than it did a couple years ago. He merely needs to not get lost in the jumble that is the Tournament of Contenders promotional group.
3. In the introduction of his 2006 autobiography Mi Vida Loca, former three-division titlist Johnny Tapia writes of watching his mother murdered when he was eight, of his father being killed before he was born and of being declared dead several times. The bad news is that another chapter of Tapia’s crazy life needs to be added to the book. The good news is that Tapia can do it himself.
Tapia was hospitalized early last Monday after apparently overdosing on cocaine in an Albuquerque, N.M., hotel room just weeks after winning his farewell bout, according to the Albuquerque Tribune. Tapia’s condition improved over the course of the week, and he was released from the hospital on Friday.
Unfortunately, Tapia’s self-destructive habits caused some collateral damage this time around. While en route to the hospital, Tapia’s brother-in-law and nephew died in a car crash.
Tapia will probably face criminal drug charges. One hopes that he will also face and finally conquer his demons.
4. Evander Holyfield continued his stubborn journey to become “the undisputed heavyweight champ of the world,” defeating overmatched Vinny Maddalone when a third-round barrage from “The Real Deal” forced Maddalone’s corner to stop the bout.
In terms of opposition, Maddalone was a step up from initial comeback fall guy Jeremy Bates but a disappointing choice following Holyfield’s November decision win over former contender Fres Oquendo.
Holyfield is 44. Many of the top titlists and contenders have already set or are in the process of scheduling their next bouts. But if Holyfield deserves recognition for fighting more frequently than Riddick Bowe and against better opposition than Joe Mesi, then he also needs a sense of urgency. Holyfield must show fans, observers and – most importantly – other fighters that he truly has returned, or he needs to be shown that it’s time to retire.
5. Calvin Brock returned Saturday from his November stoppage loss to Wladimir Klitschko, knocking out designated opponent Ralph West on the undercard of Holyfield-Maddalone.
West, whose ledger includes kayo losses to Oleg Maskaev and Derrick Jefferson, served as a confidence builder for Brock, a first-round victory and a first step back. But before Brock can contend again, he’ll need to compile a portfolio with names beyond former victims Jameel McCline, Zuri Lawrence and Timur Ibragimov. Possible crossroads fights: Dominick Guinn, Audley Harrison or the aforementioned Evander Holyfield.
6. Meanwhile in Australia, Rocky Balboa has run into his own legal mess concerning performance-enhancing drugs. Last month, Sydney customs officials allegedly caught actor Sylvester Stallone with 48 vials of Jintropin, a brand of human growth hormone, according to the Australian Associated Press.
Stallone is facing one count of importing a banned substance. The case has been adjourned until April 24, when Stallone’s lawyers are expected to enter a plea on their client’s behalf.
Mason “The Line” Dixon was unavailable for comment.
7. Jean-Marc Mormeck captured the cruiserweight championship Saturday in a bizarre but brutal bout, outpointing O’Neil Bell in a rematch of the duo’s Jan. 2006 slugfest.
The fight included drama in vicious exchanges and classic momentum swings, but it also shifted occasionally into comedy, with Bell playing rope-a-dope, sprawling on the mat following a low blow and channeling the spirit of Emanuel Augustus. The post-fight press conference also included a brief melee after Bell charged at Mormeck, according to a news release from Don King Productions.
The cruiserweights had regained recognition in 2005 and early 2006, but the division sank back toward anonymity despite a relatively deep pool of fighters who are capable of producing exciting fights. A Mormeck-Bell rubber match is almost guaranteed to play out in the same manner as the first two episodes, and both the winner and the loser should stick around and demand the best available fights.
8. Lorenzo Parra came in six pounds above the flyweight limit for a March 19 bout with Takefumi Sakata that is scheduled to take place after this column goes to press, according to boxing journalist/matchmaker/manager Joe Koizumi.
Two hours after the initial weigh-in, Parra had dropped to 116.75 pounds but had nevertheless lost his title at the scales. The fight is supposedly still on, though each fighter must check in at no more than 118 pounds at a weigh-in four hours before the bout.
Sakata – who lost majority decisions to Parra in 2004 and 2005 – will become the World Boxing Association flyweight beltholder if he wins, and his next defense must come against interim titlist Roberto Vazquez (who defeated Sakata for said trinket). If Sakata loses to Parra, Vazquez will ascend beyond the interim distinction.
9. HBO has replaced Boxing After Dark blow-by-blow man Fran Charles with Bob Papa, according to Broadcasting & Cable magazine.
Since its April relaunch, Boxing After Dark struggled with regaining the excitement and charm that made the series a must-see hit more than a decade ago. It didn’t help that the ringside commentators – Charles, Max Kellerman and Lennox Lewis – seemed to lack the kind of chemistry that the World Championship Boxing team of Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Emanuel Steward turn into a collective, collaborative contribution.
Charles’ work as a studio host for the NFL Network led to scheduling conflicts with his HBO duties. Papa, who has handled ringside duties for ESPN, ESPN2, Versus and NBC, will join Kellerman and Lewis for Saturday’s super middleweight title fight between Mikkel Kessler and Librado Andrade.
10. It wasn’t Ann (Wolfe) versus a man, but Belinda Laracuente’s unanimous decision loss on Saturday was a ten-round contest between a woman and a Duda (Yankovich).
David P. Greisman may be reached at dgreisman@aol.com
From none other than Boxingscene
1. Barrera-Marquez wasn’t the only bout on Saturday in which there was a remarkable discrepancy between how the Nevada judges scored the bouts and what actually happened in the ring.
On the pay-per-view undercard, Daniel Ponce De Leon took a unanimous decision over Gerry Penalosa, retaining his junior featherweight belt by tallies of 119-109 (twice) and 120-108. Harold Lederman, HBO’s unofficial judge, favored Ponce De Leon by a 118-110 margin.
There were some close rounds, but it seems as if the 1399 punches thrown by Daniel Ponce De Leon distracted the above judges from some of the excellent counterpunching being done by Penalosa. The 34-year-old former junior bantamweight champion not only made Ponce De Leon go the distance, but Penalosa also forced the WBO 122-pound titlist to realize that he will not be able to blow away every opponent he faces.
Intriguing potential bouts remain against Rafael Marquez, Israel Vazquez and Celestino Caballero, but Ponce De Leon’s next opponent will probably be the winner of May’s Rey Bautista-Sergio Medina title eliminator.
2. In the show’s opener, junior welterweight Demetrius Hopkins outpointed former 130-pound titlist and second-season Contender alum Steve Forbes, but the look on Forbes’ face as Michael Buffer read the verdict said it all. All three judges had Hopkins as the clear winner, with Robert Hoyle and Glenn Trowbridge scoring the bout 118-110 while Dalby Shirley had it 117-111.
Forbes – known more for style than strength – forced the fight against the younger, taller Hopkins, taking far more rounds on my scorecard than the three official judges gave him credit for. Hopkins, however, came out with the win, and he will probably have a few high-profile bouts before challenging for a title.
Forbes should nevertheless be counted among the contenders in a weight class that has less depth and star power than it did a couple years ago. He merely needs to not get lost in the jumble that is the Tournament of Contenders promotional group.
3. In the introduction of his 2006 autobiography Mi Vida Loca, former three-division titlist Johnny Tapia writes of watching his mother murdered when he was eight, of his father being killed before he was born and of being declared dead several times. The bad news is that another chapter of Tapia’s crazy life needs to be added to the book. The good news is that Tapia can do it himself.
Tapia was hospitalized early last Monday after apparently overdosing on cocaine in an Albuquerque, N.M., hotel room just weeks after winning his farewell bout, according to the Albuquerque Tribune. Tapia’s condition improved over the course of the week, and he was released from the hospital on Friday.
Unfortunately, Tapia’s self-destructive habits caused some collateral damage this time around. While en route to the hospital, Tapia’s brother-in-law and nephew died in a car crash.
Tapia will probably face criminal drug charges. One hopes that he will also face and finally conquer his demons.
4. Evander Holyfield continued his stubborn journey to become “the undisputed heavyweight champ of the world,” defeating overmatched Vinny Maddalone when a third-round barrage from “The Real Deal” forced Maddalone’s corner to stop the bout.
In terms of opposition, Maddalone was a step up from initial comeback fall guy Jeremy Bates but a disappointing choice following Holyfield’s November decision win over former contender Fres Oquendo.
Holyfield is 44. Many of the top titlists and contenders have already set or are in the process of scheduling their next bouts. But if Holyfield deserves recognition for fighting more frequently than Riddick Bowe and against better opposition than Joe Mesi, then he also needs a sense of urgency. Holyfield must show fans, observers and – most importantly – other fighters that he truly has returned, or he needs to be shown that it’s time to retire.
5. Calvin Brock returned Saturday from his November stoppage loss to Wladimir Klitschko, knocking out designated opponent Ralph West on the undercard of Holyfield-Maddalone.
West, whose ledger includes kayo losses to Oleg Maskaev and Derrick Jefferson, served as a confidence builder for Brock, a first-round victory and a first step back. But before Brock can contend again, he’ll need to compile a portfolio with names beyond former victims Jameel McCline, Zuri Lawrence and Timur Ibragimov. Possible crossroads fights: Dominick Guinn, Audley Harrison or the aforementioned Evander Holyfield.
6. Meanwhile in Australia, Rocky Balboa has run into his own legal mess concerning performance-enhancing drugs. Last month, Sydney customs officials allegedly caught actor Sylvester Stallone with 48 vials of Jintropin, a brand of human growth hormone, according to the Australian Associated Press.
Stallone is facing one count of importing a banned substance. The case has been adjourned until April 24, when Stallone’s lawyers are expected to enter a plea on their client’s behalf.
Mason “The Line” Dixon was unavailable for comment.
7. Jean-Marc Mormeck captured the cruiserweight championship Saturday in a bizarre but brutal bout, outpointing O’Neil Bell in a rematch of the duo’s Jan. 2006 slugfest.
The fight included drama in vicious exchanges and classic momentum swings, but it also shifted occasionally into comedy, with Bell playing rope-a-dope, sprawling on the mat following a low blow and channeling the spirit of Emanuel Augustus. The post-fight press conference also included a brief melee after Bell charged at Mormeck, according to a news release from Don King Productions.
The cruiserweights had regained recognition in 2005 and early 2006, but the division sank back toward anonymity despite a relatively deep pool of fighters who are capable of producing exciting fights. A Mormeck-Bell rubber match is almost guaranteed to play out in the same manner as the first two episodes, and both the winner and the loser should stick around and demand the best available fights.
8. Lorenzo Parra came in six pounds above the flyweight limit for a March 19 bout with Takefumi Sakata that is scheduled to take place after this column goes to press, according to boxing journalist/matchmaker/manager Joe Koizumi.
Two hours after the initial weigh-in, Parra had dropped to 116.75 pounds but had nevertheless lost his title at the scales. The fight is supposedly still on, though each fighter must check in at no more than 118 pounds at a weigh-in four hours before the bout.
Sakata – who lost majority decisions to Parra in 2004 and 2005 – will become the World Boxing Association flyweight beltholder if he wins, and his next defense must come against interim titlist Roberto Vazquez (who defeated Sakata for said trinket). If Sakata loses to Parra, Vazquez will ascend beyond the interim distinction.
9. HBO has replaced Boxing After Dark blow-by-blow man Fran Charles with Bob Papa, according to Broadcasting & Cable magazine.
Since its April relaunch, Boxing After Dark struggled with regaining the excitement and charm that made the series a must-see hit more than a decade ago. It didn’t help that the ringside commentators – Charles, Max Kellerman and Lennox Lewis – seemed to lack the kind of chemistry that the World Championship Boxing team of Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Emanuel Steward turn into a collective, collaborative contribution.
Charles’ work as a studio host for the NFL Network led to scheduling conflicts with his HBO duties. Papa, who has handled ringside duties for ESPN, ESPN2, Versus and NBC, will join Kellerman and Lewis for Saturday’s super middleweight title fight between Mikkel Kessler and Librado Andrade.
10. It wasn’t Ann (Wolfe) versus a man, but Belinda Laracuente’s unanimous decision loss on Saturday was a ten-round contest between a woman and a Duda (Yankovich).
David P. Greisman may be reached at dgreisman@aol.com
From none other than Boxingscene