Peterson vs. Matthysse: Lamont will have to limit his slugging tonight

005LPetersonIMG_3881(Photo credit: Casino/Showtime) IBF light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (31-1-1, 16 KO’s) faces Lucas Matthysse (33-2, 31 KO’s) in a catchweight fight at 141 lbs. at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Peterson’s title won’t be on the line because the fight will take place one pound over the 140 lb. limit at 141.

Peterson has been saying all week long that he doesn’t have any fear of Matthysse’s power, and that he’s not going to let Matthysse’s reputation for being a huge puncher stop him from fighting his normal fight.

In other words, Peterson plans on walking Mattysse down and standing in front of him all night long to slug it out.

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Rafael: Mayweather-Guerrero only sold 870K PPV buys, according to my sources

floyd#30Dan Rafael of ESPN is still standing behind his source for the final pay per view numbers for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Robert Guerrero fight despite Showtime saying that the fight will bring in over 1 million buys when the final tally is in.

Rafael says his source is telling him that the Mayweather-Guerrero final PPV numbers will be only 870,000 PPV buys, a much lower number than what Showtime is saying.

Rafael said on his chat this week: “I have good industry sources who swear on their children that this fight will not reach 1 million buys, much less be ‘in excess’ if 1 million and I believe them. These are people with no dog in the fight who I respect and have known for many years and trust. I am told that the number right now is about 870,000 buys.”

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The Guillermo Jones-Denis Lebedev War: The Good And The Bad Side Of Boxing

lebedev3Bottom line, boxing is entertainment. That is why fans in their droves pay big money: to be entertained. But yesterday in Moscow, Russia, cruiserweights Guillermo Jones and Denis Lebedev gave way, way, way too much in the name of entertainment; the beaten and savagely beaten up Lebedev in particular. Looking like the Elephant man or actor Eric Stoltz in the film ‘Mask’, Lebedev, the entire right side of his face swollen, his eye perhaps permanently damaged, should have been pulled out long before he was counted out in the 11th-round of an absolute slugfest.

Forget the fact that veteran Jones – who showed an amazing chin, taking flush bombs to the head again and again – regained the WBA 200-pound belt and became the first man to halt southpaw Lebedev, the talking point of this fight was and will continue to be the sickening eye injury Lebedev sustained.

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DeGale defeats Demers, says he’ll be world champ by end of year

Super middleweight contender James DeGale (15-1, 10 KO’s) totally annihilated Canadian fighter Sebastien Demers (31-6, 11 KO’s) in the 2nd round in a fight that arguably should have never been made in the first place on Friday night at the Hilton Lac Leamy, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The ending of the fight was a simple one; DeGale hit Demers with a left uppercut and Demers reacted to the shot by turning his back on DeGale and walking several feet and then taking a knee.

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Peterson vs. Matthysse: Possible FOTY?

008LPetersonandMatthysseIMG_3914(Photo credit: Casino/Showtime) By John G. Thompson: While March’s clash between Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov stands as the clear favorite for Fight of the Year (with honorable mention to Alvarado vs. Rios), this Saturday’s bout between IBF light welterweight champion Lamont “Havoc” Peterson (31-1-1, 16 KO’s) and “interim” WBC light welterweight champ Lucas Martin Matthysse (33-2, 31 KO’s) seems bound to produce the kind of fireworks which might put it in contention.

The match will be fought at a catch-weight of 141 lbs. meaning that Peterson cannot lose his title regardless of the outcome, though Matthysse loses the interim title should he fail to win. The bout will be televised live on Showtime from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

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Rafael doubts Mayweather-Canelo fight will get made despite Schaefer’s optimism

canelo453ESPN writer Dan Rafael says that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer e-mailed him saying that the reports about Floyd Mayweather Jr. wanting a fight with WBA/WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to take place at 147 lbs. isn’t true.

It’s interesting that Schaefer is saying that because Mayweather’s father Floyd Sr. said in an interview today that Canelo has to come down to 147 for the fight to happen in September, and that he won’t let Floyd Jr. fight the 172 pound Canelo due to the huge weight difference between the two fighters.

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Mayweather Sr: If Canelo wants Floyd Jr., it’s going to be at 147

floyd#121Floyd Mayweather Sr. doesn’t want his son Floyd Jr. fighting the 172 lb. WBA/WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) at 154 lbs. because he sees the potential of Canelo filling up on water weight in the 24 hours after the weigh-in and coming into the fight weighing well over 170 pounds in their proposed fight on September 14th.

As such, Floyd Sr. is saying that if Canelo wants to fight Mayweather Jr. it’s going to have to be at 147. Canelo will have to prove that he can make that weight before he can get the fight with Floyd Jr.

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Who can Save Fans From the Current Boxing Malaise? Somebody, Please….

By Jeff Meyers: Maybe it’s just the dog days of summer approaching, but I can’t help but feel that a general feeling of malaise plagues the Sweet Science.

A large portion of this vague, unfocused feeling of mental uneasiness stems from the growing realization that a Floyd Mayweather, Jr.-Manny Pacquiao bout is unlikely to ever take place.

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