By Steve Mabbott: WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward injured his right shoulder while working out to get ready for his now cancelled January 26th clash against former WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. The good news is that the 28-year-old Ward didn’t suffer any tears of his shoulder and won’t need surgery.
Eddy Pronishev
Pacquiao wants Marquez to go toe-to-toe with him on Saturday night
By Brad Cronick: Frustrated with his inability to crack Juan Manuel Marquez’s tough counter punching style, Manny Pacquiao is using a little psychology on Marquez by urging him to stand and trade with him on Saturday night if he wants to prove that deserves to be the better man.
Canelo Alvarez now interested in Austin Trout for May 4th, if Mayweather bout can’t be made
By Rob Smith: WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is now reportedly interested in facing WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout on May 4th, if a bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. can’t get made. The Mayweather fight is the one that Canelo really wants most of all, and he said to the record.com.mx that his promoters at Golden Boy Promotions are attempting to put the Mayweather fight together for him. But if all else fails, Canelo said he’d be looking towards a fight with Trout.
Canelo said to the record.com.mx “Trout is a great fighter, and unbeaten and he beat Cotto, he’s left handed and very strong. He’s a complicated fighter and he would be fine for next May.”
Trout has been taking heavy criticism from boxing fans because his promoter Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy said that Alvarez could still end fighting Miguel Cotto next in May despite the fact that Cotto was beaten soundly last Saturday night by Trout.
If Trout Is Out, Who’s In?
By Eric Roman Sr. – A lot of talk has been made about the possible showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto, even though the wily veteran lost a unanimous decision to Austin Trout this past weekend. As we all know, Cotto has had an incredible career, a sure fire Hall of Famer, and one of the greatest Puerto Rican fighters of all time, but at this point, much like “Sugar” Shane Mosely back in May, do we really need to see an all time great get battered by this young ferocious lion? Before the Trout fight, I was all for it, I thought it was a no-brainer. Two similar styles, both being boxer-punchers, the “old” versus the “new”, Puerto Rico vs. Mexico, can it get any better? Well, the problem with all that is the fact that Austin Trout made it all go away. He showed us that Miguel Cotto may be a little more past his prime then we thought, let’s face it, he left it all in the ring against Floyd Mayweather back in May, and those type of fights, along with both Margarito brawls, the Pacquiao bout, and a number of others when he was at 140lbs. have taken a lot out of him.
Enter Austin “No Doubt” Trout, a young, undefeated title holder, who has an excellent amateur pedigree, who just beat the aforementioned Puerto Rican Star, has been calling out Saul Alvarez since “The Classy” Jimmy Lennon Jr. spoke the following words into the microphone on Saturday night; And Still! Why wouldn’t this fight be made?
A Measured Storm: Fury vs. Johnson
By Phenyo Molefe: Given Tyson Fury’s previous bouts, recent outbursts and the clear articulation of his goals; one would not be at fault to believe that we were about to witness Tyson unleash punishment on an ‘ill-prepared’ but proven Kevin Johnson. Tyson had to make a statement.
In the opening round, Fury jumped on Johnson with some jabs to the body not giving him sufficient time to find his footing. It looked like we were about to see a new and revised Fury as he presented movement and a variation of punches from all angles. He moved with improved fluidity, comfortably establishing his range and following through with some meaningful combinations.
The second round, begun with the near feverish pace with which Fury had ended the last round. Fuming with a blizzard, setting the jab on a stinger as he pelted Johnson’s body with little restraint. Johnson did have a little success when he pinned Tyson in the corner for a moment or two; however Fury replied with a pivot setting pressure back on Johnson with some telling hooks. He was definitely boxing well and grew in confidence, taking firm control of the bout.
Roach: We [Pacquiao] still want Mayweather
By Rob Smith: Trainer Freddie Roach is still hoping that 35-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr. will perk up and show some interest in facing 34-year-old Manny Pacquiao before it’s too late. It’s not looking good, however. Pacquiao just lost his last fight to Tim Bradley, and he could lose this one on Saturday against Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas, Nevada. That’s not to say that a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight couldn’t still get made and end up as successful one, but it won’t get the attention that it would if they made the fight with both guys still winning more or less.
Pacquiao: I’m going to attack Marquez and pressure him constantly
Pacquiao said to the sports.inquirer.net “I intend to attack him, pressure him.”
In his sparring sessions, Pacquiao has been overwhelming his less talented sparring partners in short four round sparring events. However, going all out in short sparring against over-matched sparring partners isn’t going to be the same as what Pacquiao will be dealing with on Saturday night against Marquez. He’s not a sparring partner, and this isn’t going to be a four round fight.
If Pacquiao goes all out in the first four rounds, he’s likely to gas out in the second half of the fight like he did against Tim Bradley last June and possibly lose.
Ahmet Öner: Felix Sturm bought his Superchampion title
In an Interview with the German TV magazine format ‘Sport Inside’ (WDR) on Monday, the Turkish born former promoter Ahmet Öner claims to have bought Felix Sturm’s WBA Superchampion title two and a half years ago in an effort to salvage Sturm’s career.
Öner told Sport Inside WDR: “With this belt Sturm wasn’t obligated to make mandatory defenses. Sturm was able to fight whoever he wanted to, hand-picked opponents. That’s how he managed to pocket big paydays with his TV partner SAT1, he collected 7-figure Euro sums for each event. And that’s how Felix, over the course of five or six fights, made a nice little fortune. I assume the total sum is closer to 8-digits than not. All this was possible just because he had the “Superchampion” title; a paper title he bought. He paid a couple hundred thousand Euros, and the return on investment was huge. Without this Superchampion title he wouldn’t have had this degree of freedom to pick his opponents. And Sturm didn’t think the belt had any importance then he would never have paid so much for it in the first place.”