WBC interim light welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse (34-2, 32 KO’s) appears to have finally cornered WBA/WBC light welterweight champion Danny Garcia (26-0, 16 KO’s) after chasing him with no luck for the past year. Garcia, 25, is now in a situation where he has to fight Matthysse this September or else risks having the World Boxing Council strip his WBC strap from him for failing to face his mandatory challenger.
One would hope that Garcia will agree to voluntarily face Matthysse, but after noticing how shook up Garcia appeared moments after Matthysse demolished Lamont Peterson in three rounds on May 18th of this month, you can’t be certain Garcia will agree to take the fight with him. Garcia has two titles, so he can safely give up the WBC title if he likes and hold onto the WBA strap and avoid what could be a potentially embarrassing fight for him.
If IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch chooses to face Andre Ward in his next fight, he believes he now holds the knowledge of how to beat him this time. Froch’s plan involves him coming on late in the fight when Ward tends to tire out a bit and win by outworking him.
Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum will be charging $5 in pay per view in marketing Pacquiao’s November 23rd fight against former WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios to the potentially lucrative Chinese. With the Chinese population at 1.34 billion, Pacquiao stands to make a lot of money if even a fraction of the population purchases his fight.
Marshall T. (Queens, NYC): When you look at Carl Froch’s resume, he has faced everyone who is someone in the super-middleweight division. Andre Ward is being considered for a rematch, but Hopkins makes a strong case too. Who do you think he should face and why?
The WARM but not hot PPV buys for the Mayweather/Guerrero fight were all but expected by Showtime brass, but in lieu of the $250M Mayweather contract, Mayweather’s next 5 outings WILL bear the expectation of superior PPV buys; in fact Showtime has ‘delusions of grandeur’ that one or 2 of Mayweather fights under their banner will come close to or SURPASS the record set by the Mayweather/De La Hoya fight of 2007.
Froch dominated Kessler, and will again if they have a third fight. Kessler’s style is too predictable and not busy enough. He lost because he failed to manage distance very well. He failed to take advantage of his hand speed and straighter punches. Ward did not and will not make those mistakes.
By Chip Mitchell: Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer alleges that he’s been actively negotiating a September showdown between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, a fighter almost 15 years his junior.
Carl Froch represents everything that fans typically admire in a boxer. He can fight, he can punch, he can take a hell of shot, he can brawl, he is not afraid to let his hands go, and his fights are usually of a very entertaining variety. Additionally, he is a proven warrior who consistently challenges himself against the very best in the world. He is, quite literally, ready to fight anyone anywhere. The Cobra is also an extremely dedicated and incredibly well conditioned athlete. Most importantly perhaps, however, he always gives it absolutely everything he has. All of this was on full display when Froch defeated Mikkel Kessler by unanimous decision, reversing the outcome from their first bout three years ago when Kessler beat Froch in Group Stage 2 of the Super Six Boxing Classic. Just like last time, Kessler and Froch once again both put on an amazing show, with each combatant exhibiting good punching power, a solid chin, and tremendous courage amid heated back and forth action. Froch steadily outworked Kessler over the long haul and was able to control a lot of the activity with his effective rangy jab. Carl and Mikkel have now won one apiece, each man holding a victory on his home turf, and each man having once traveled to the other’s backyard.
WBA super middleweight champion super middleweight champion Andre Ward says he’s open to a rematch with IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch this year, whether in the UK or the United States, as long as Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn shows him how badly he wants to make that fight happen.