Could Andy Lee be next for middleweight champ Miguel Cotto?

Could Andy Lee be next for middleweight champ Miguel Cotto?

Even though Sergio Martinez resembled an aging armored knight clumsily bumbling around the ring on shoddy wooden stilts, Miguel Cotto still shocked the world with his history making performance when he stopped the former middleweight king in dominant style. The victory puts Cotto in a great position to land some big name opponents and some nice paydays. Miguel has loads of lucrative options out there right now, and everyone near or around 160 is going to want a piece of him. Everyone.

It is therefore logical to assume he may soon wind up facing one of boxing’s big 3 money makers, which would involve a possible match with Canelo Alvarez or a return bout with either Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao. But looking into the immediate future, a rematch with either P4P star seems unlikely. Cotto and Pacquiao have formed a brotherly bond since they are now both under the tutelage of Freddie Roach. And with Mayweather expected to fight again in September, that’s probably a little too soon for Cotto to make his return after such an awesome win. That makes Alvarez the default frontrunner based on process of elimination.

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How would a near-prime Joe Calzaghe fare today?

How would a near-prime Joe Calzaghe fare today?

With bated breath, the entire boxing world is looking forward to the eagerly anticipated rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves. The sheer energy and excitement that will undoubtedly be unleashed by 80,000 screaming British fans is so electric it can practically be felt already. Their first encounter was incredible, and there is every reason to believe that this time the action will be every bit as intense, with the possibility of even exceeding the former’s fireworks. The atmosphere being generated is so fiery and profound and explosive, that it is totally reminiscent of the mood often created during the lead-up for fights involving the soon-to-be Hall of Fame inductee, Joe Calzaghe, the greatest super middleweight boxing has ever known. Makes you kind of wonder how Joe Calzaghe would do if he was fighting today at or near his best?

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Hey Floyd, Manny! Remember when Wladimir Klitschko called out David Haye on YouTube?

Hey Floyd, Manny! Remember when Wladimir Klitschko called out David Haye on YouTube?

Remember when heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko called out David Haye in a YouTube video? You remember David Haye, right? He was the polite-sounding, trash-talking, loud-mouth, who was packing a glass toe, and literally talked himself into the heavyweight spotlight without really doing much of anything to actually earn it. Sure, Haye picked up an ABC strap when he squeaked by Nikolai Valuev with an uneventful majority decision victory over the faded aging behemoth. But even before that happened, Haye had already talked himself into title contention by using nothing more than his big loud mouth. It was brilliant! An amazing demonstration of successful self-promotion, the likes of which hasn’t been matched by any other boxer in recent years. And it worked too, even if he did bail out of fights with each Klitschko brother before targeting easier prey in Valuev, for his silly alphabet title trinket that few true fight fans even recognized. It was genius on the part of Haye.

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Are Mayweather & Pacquiao hoping Cotto beats Martinez?

Are Mayweather & Pacquiao hoping Cotto beats Martinez?

Miguel Cotto’s chances against Sergio Martinez are probably slim. Martinez is likely too big and too skilled for Cotto, who never really shined at any point during his campaign north of 147. Cotto has had an exceptional boxing career and is surely a first ballot future HOF’er, but he is clearly on the downside and Martinez has the type of style that will befuddle Cotto. The boxing pride of Puerto Rico is biting off more than he can chew. If Martinez’s stamina is even close to what we are accustomed to seeing from him, this fight could be an absolute nightmare for Cotto where he endures a prolonged beating and may not even survive to see the final bell.

But who knows? This is boxing and one punch can change a fight, right? Maybe Martinez will show his age. Perhaps his long career has taken its toll and recent injuries will impact his performance. Or maybe Freddie Roach will have a magical ace up his sleeve, or perhaps Cotto will even have something left in the tank for a change over the last few rounds should he make it that far. There is even the possibility of a freak accident, a bad/controversial decision, or a botched call by the referee. Anything can happen in boxing, so maybe we shouldn’t be too quick to write Cotto off just yet.

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Will Bradley Lose Even if He Deserves to Win Pacquiao Rematch?

Will Bradley Lose Even if He Deserves to Win Pacquiao Rematch?

Timothy Bradley and Manny Pacquiao didn’t exactly put on a spectacular show the first time they fought. It was a pretty boring fight actually, and it followed the same predictably dull pattern round after round for the most part. Bradley would typically out hustle Pacquiao for the first 2 minutes of a round, before Pacquiao finished strongly over the last minute. The Filipino generally landed enough crippling lefts that he was winning the rounds, despite looking unusually lethargic during the early portions of most rounds. Nothing particularly exciting happened at any point during the fight, though.

Even though Pacquiao seemed to do enough to comfortably win, the judges saw differently and awarded it to Bradley. Everyone was amazed by the outcome. Fans were shocked, Pacquiao was perplexed, the commentators were annoyed, Freddie Roach was perturbed, Bob Arum was outraged, and even Bradley himself seemed surprised beyond words, with an expression that more closely resembled that of a big money lottery winner than of one who believed he earned a deserved victory. By most accounts this was viewed as a “robbery”, some going so far to call it one of the worst in history.

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Will Agbeko Perform Better Than Donaire Against Rigondeaux?

Will Agbeko Perform Better Than Donaire Against Rigondeaux?

Nonito Donaire and Joseph Agbeko both became well established names in boxing circles following impressive victories against Vic Darchinyan. More than 6 years ago, when still a relative unknown, Donaire was the first to defeat Darchinyan in a shocking upset knockout. From there Donaire coasted and ultimately earned universal elite status recognition. Many people felt Donaire’s great run would continue for the foreseeable future, and it had until he was outclassed by Guillermo Rigondeaux earlier this year.

Rigondeaux made Donaire look absolutely terrible. In fact Rigondeaux was so dominant that it left fans searching for answers. Was Rigondeaux really that good? Was Donaire perhaps a bit overrated? Is Donaire on the slide? A bad style match up? An off night? Too reliant on his power? Whatever the case may be, Donaire’s style was awful and entirely ineffective against Rigondeaux. Donaire more closely resembled a rank amateur than a solidified P4P superstar. It was simply a masterful performance from the Cuban sensation.

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Do Mayweather and Pacquiao Respect Boxing Fans?

Do Mayweather and Pacquiao Respect Boxing Fans?

It’s funny how things work out sometimes. When Juan Manuel Marquez knocked Manny Pacquiao out with the punch of the century, most people thought it represented the final nail in the coffin for a Mayweather-Pacquiao clash. That perfectly timed right hand not only put an end to Pacquiao’s recent aura of invincibility, but also seemingly sealed the fate of what could have been the biggest fight in boxing history.

Demand for Mayweather-Pacquiao had reached an all-time high in 2009-2010. But by the end 2012, however, all hope seemed lost compliments of Pacquiao’s Mexican nemesis.

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What Did Ruslan Provodnikov’s Victory Really Tell Us?

Alvarado_Provodnikov_131019_002a-2-480x335Ruslan Provodnikov scored a spectacular late round stoppage against Mike Alvarado tonight. It was something else. Provodnikov really looked up to the task. He was just brutal and relentless, and like a hungry shark hunting beneath shadowy waters, Provodnikov always seemed carried by forward momentum. A savage and consistent barrage of sharp hooks, crisp rights, and wicked body shots ultimately led to Alvarado’s demise. Provodnikov’s offense was running on all cylinders, and the surprisingly vicious outcome here helps to provide boxing fans with some new perspective for a couple of things.

For starters, Timothy Bradley is looking pretty good right about now. When Bradley struggled against Provodnikov in what some considered a disputed win, people were highly critical of him especially since this followed his extremely controversial Pacquiao victory. Now within the span of a week, not only has Bradley soundly beaten the still formidable future Hall of Famer, Juan Manuel Marquez, but Provodnikov also stepped up and again made people take notice with his destruction of Alvarado. With the advantage of hindsight it now becomes clear that Provodnikov was a far greater opponent (and win) for Bradley than people then realized.

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Does Canelo Have the “Style” to Beat Mayweather?

CaneloMayweather’s fans/advocates claim that Floyd can adapt to any style. They believe there is no style in existence which Mayweather hasn’t seen or can’t adapt to.

Floyd’s haters/detractors say Mayweather has avoided prime fighters who had the required style to beat him. They think he ducked Pacquiao and cherry picks his opponents.

Is either side correct? And more importantly, with the big fight between Canelo and Mayweather just days away, does Alvarez have the style to beat the best boxer in the world?

Everyone knows the old boxing adage that “styles make fights” and so far Mayweather has beaten every style put before him. But “styles” can be stubborn things sometimes. Sometimes experts and fans don’t know if a “style” makes a fight until after a fight is made and they are surprised by its shocking result. Unexpected outcomes happen all the time in boxing, and sometimes it’s not just about styles but also the particular toolkit of a given fighter employing a certain style.

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Can Chris Arreola Do the Same Thing to Deontay Wilder?

Chris Arreola vs Seth MitchellChris Arreola just did what most of us expected. He stopped Seth Mitchell in 1 easy round. It was over so fast that it proves absolutely nothing. No real surprise here. Mitchell simply isn’t that durable and it showed again. While the victory probably doesn’t prove much in the grand scheme of things, Arreola just gained some momentum. This is especially true if you consider how poorly he fared in his previous fight against Stiverne. The celebratory pushups by Arreola were probably a bit much, but this was Chris’s biggest win in a long time, or at least his flashiest and most explosive win under a televised spotlight. He had reason to be happy. He actually even appeared trimmer and thinner than he has in years. Dare I say he almost looked like a fit professional prizefighter. Arreola finally seems to be picking up the pieces and putting them back together, something he promised to do after losing to Vitali but never did.

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