Andre Berto: I think I tore my right shoulder out of the socket

berto001Andre Berto (28-3, 22 KO’s) complains that he may have torn his right shoulder out of the socket early in his fight against Jesus Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18 KO’s) last night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Berto was knocked out in the 12th round after getting hit with a left hook at the same time he was throwing a punch of his own.

The shot deposited Berto on the canvas. He was able to get up by referee Jon Schorle stopped it immediately at 0:48 of the round. Berto didn’t like the quick stoppage and felt that he should have been given standing 8 count rather than having the fight halted without him having the chance to collect himself.

The fight was a draw at the time of the stoppage with one judge scoring it 105-103 for Berto, another 105-103 for Soto Karass and the third judge scoring it 114-114 even.

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Soto Karass KOs Andre Berto; Thurman stops Chaves

berto111Andre Berto’s career could be pretty much over tonight after he was stopped in the 12th round by Jesus Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18 KO’s) AT&T Center, in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Soto Karass hit Berto with a left hand to the head that put him down on the canvas in the 12th.

Although Berto got back to his feet quickly, the fight was immediately stopped by the referee after he saw how Berto was on rubber legs with a ton of time still left in the round.It’s a good thing that Soto Karass stopped Berto, because he might have been on the receiving end of a controversial decision loss.

At the time of the stoppage, the judges had it 105-103 for Berto, 114-114 even and 105-103 for Soto Karass. I don’t know how you could watch this fight and see Berto ahead.

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Berto in crucial fight against Soto Karass tonight

DSC_4332(Photo credit: Steve Lopez) Andre Berto’s once promising career has come crashing down with his recent defeats against Victor Ortiz and Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, and he’s now literally in a situation tonight where he can’t afford to lose to Jesus Soto Karass (27-8-3, 17 KO’s) if he wants to stay at the top of the welterweight division among the other names.

A loss to Soto Karass tonight could put Berto into a category where he’s little more than a gatekeeper in the 147 lb. division. Soto Karass is the type of fighter that the top welterweights are supposed to be able to beat, and if Berto can’t beat him then he’s going to have to make a hard decision about the direction of his career.

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Brandon Rios towers over Pacquiao in face-off in Macao

pac90Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KO’s) could be facing the equivalent of a better version of Antonio Margarito when he steps inside the ring against Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 23 KO’s) on November 23rd at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, Macao, Macao S.A.R., China.

The two fighters met today in Macao, China in their media tour in China to start publicizing their November 23rd pay per view fight. When the two fighters stood face to face, you could see immediately the size difference between them.

Rios, 5’8”, not only looks a lot taller than the 5’6 ½” Pacquiao, but he also looks a lot heavier as well. Pacquiao could be dealing with a younger, more active version of a Margarito-like fighter. This is coming at a wrong time for the soon to be 35-year-old Pacquiao, because he took a lot of punishment against Margarito, but he did it when he was three years younger. Now nearing 35, it’s not good timing for Pacquiao to be facing this kind of puncher in Rios.

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Shiming defeats Ortega but fails to impress; Estrada beats Melindo

Flyweight Zou Shiming (2-0) proved tonight that he’s better than Jesus Ortega (3-2, 2 KO’s) in beating him by a 6 round unanimous decision but that’s all he proved at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, Macao, Macao S.A.R., China. Shiming looked nothing short of mediocre and nowhere near good enough to compete with the major players at flyweight or even the contenders. Shiming looked better than Ortega and that’s about it. The judges scored it 59-55, 59-55, 59-55.

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Pacquiao vs. Rios tickets go on sale

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If Horace Greeley were a boxing promoter today he would undoubtedly be espousing, “Go East, young man.” And in boxing’s biggest demonstration of Manifist Destiny, Fighter of the Decade Congressman MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO and former world champion and reigning hellion BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS will battle each other in a 12-round welterweight rumble, Saturday, November 23, from The Venetian® Macao’s CotaiArena™, in Macao, China. Promoted by Top Rank® and Sands China Ltd., in association with MP Promotions and Tecate, Pacquiao vs. Rios will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.
 
            Tickets, priced from $1,275 to $115, and various ticket-hotel packages at Sands China’s Cotai Strip Resorts Macao, go on sale, This Monday! July 29, at 10:00 a.m. local time (Sunday, July 28, at 10:00 p.m. ET).  Boxing fans can purchase tickets online and get complete information at www.venetianmacao.com/manny.  

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Exclusive Interview – Omar Figueroa, Jr. & Team Arakawa

DSC_4309The co-main event for Knockout Kings II will feature Texas’ own Omar “Panterita” Figueroa against Japan’s own Nihito Arakawa.

Figueroa is expected to be the fighter that Texas will be cheering on during Saturday night as he’s the one with the momentum between the two fighters. Arakawa is seemingly unknown to the mainstream fan. Could this fight be more competitive than we think? Team Arakawa certainly thinks so.

I had the opportunity ask both Figueroa and Team Arakawa some questions to shed some background and expectations to the viewers that don’t know much about them. Figueroa, though in his early twenties, showed maturity for his age as a fighter and person. Team Arakawa showed optimism for the upcoming bout as they recognized their opponent’s strengths and opportunities.

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Weigh-In: Berto – Soto Karass, Figueroa – Arakawa, Thurman – Chaves

DSC_4273(Photo credit: Steve Lopez) Trim, fit and ready to go. The Knockout Kings are ready to put on a show in Texas.

Deep in the south of San Antonio, TX was the setting for the weigh in for Knockout Kings II. Typically, weigh-ins are held in front of arenas, theatres, public monuments or even indoor malls. San Antonio decided to be a little different and rugged this time and opted to host the weight-in in a sort of old-fashioned way in front of an HEB grocery food store.

Regards less of where it was held, the fans came out to show plenty of support along with members of the media for coverage. It just goes to show you that the Texas fans are willing to support the sport, even in a parking lot of a grocery store. All they need is a stage, loud music and beer models. Fans are ready to fill up the AT&T Center this Saturday 07/27/13 night!

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Boxing and the new age of Mixed Martial Arts

There was a time when we referred to the World Heavyweight Champion of boxing as the baddest man on the planet. The days when Mike Tyson ruled the roost knocking out all comers in brutal fashion. We relish in fights like the Thrilla in Manila with Ali and Frazier, and watching Marvellous Marvin Hagler go up against Tommy “Hitman” Hearns in probably one of the most exciting fights ever in the history of boxing.

Kickboxers had to take a backstage even back then. We had many great kickboxing champions like Benny “The Jet” Urquidez , Joe Lewis, Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Dennis Alexio (ironically best known for his role in the 1988 movie “Bloodsport” with Van Damme rather than his real prowress in the ring). Many B-grade boxers made the jump to kickboxing and found success. In fact, Zab Judah’s father ,Yoel Judah was a boxer turned kickboxer and enjoyed moderate success after leaving professional boxing.

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