Carl Froch to face Yusaf Mack on November 17th in Nottingham

Carl Froch to face Yusaf Mack on November 17th in Nottingham By Michael Collins: IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (29-2, 21 KO’s) will be taking on a soft opponent for his next fight against recent Tavoris Cloud knockout victim light heavyweight Yusaf Mack (31-4-2, 17 KO’s) in a scheduled 12 round bout on November 17th at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, UK. The fight doesn’t really make a lot of sense because Mack has already been knocked out by Glen Johnson in 2010, a fighter that Froch already beat in the Super Six tournament. It just looks like a mismatch.

Mack, 6’1″, will have to drop down from light heavyweight to make the fight with the 35-year-old Froch and you can imagine that Mack will be weakened from the process of making weight. It’s already a mismatch going in but when you add to that Mack having to take off weight to get down to the 168 lb limit then you’re really talking mismatch.

Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn from Matchroom Sport did his best to try and hype Mack as an opponent, saying to Sky Sports News “He’s got nothing to lose coming here to face me and I know he’ll put it all on the line to take the title from me so I’ll be fully prepared for everything he’s got and I’ll be hitting him with all my best.”

“Nothing left to lose” sounds like code to me to mean Mack only has a puncher’s chance in this fight. In other words, this is a mismatch.

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Fres Oquendo is Shelved for Six Weeks with a Broken Hand

By Pavel Yakovlev, photo by Joey Hill – Heavyweight contenders can sigh with relief…at least for a while. Fres Oquendo is out of action for six weeks due to a broken right hand. The injury occurred during the Boricua Bomber’s seventh round stoppage of Robert Hawkins last week. In the third round, Oquendo landed numerous crunching rights, twice flooring the brick-chinned Hawkins and nearly ending the fight. But by the end of the round, Oquendo’s right was throbbing with pain. The next day, an orthopedist confirmed what Oquendo and his cornermen suspected: that the hand was broken.

“My hand was in excruciating pain. I felt it for the whole fight after the third,” said Oquendo. “But I didn’t tell anyone. I just wanted to get the job done.” Oquendo compensated for the injury by switching his attack to the body, even though he continued to fire rights to the head. Oquendo’s manager Tom Tsatas explained, “Fres didn’t let up despite the pain. He knew Hawkins has a hard head, so he started driving both hands to the body. It worked.”

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Yusaf Mack To Challenge Froch, Nov. 17th?

By James Slater: Earlier this week, when the news broke that Carl Froch would be defending his IBF super-middleweight title at his hometown arena, The F.M in Nottingham, there was speculation over who “The Cobra” would be facing.

A number of names were mentioned, including Philly’s Yusaf Mack, but in a news piece in The Daily Star it was reported that Mack was unwilling to put pen to paper and accept the terms offered to him. Well, according to a new piece on Ringtv.com, it appears as though 32-year-old Mack, 31-4-2(17) has had a change of heart and has agreed to the November fight.

Ringtv.com reports that the fight is a done deal for Nov. 17th, and that Froch will then fight former IBF champ Lucian Bute in a contractually agreed rematch at a date to be confirmed. If it is Mack next for Froch, some fans may well moan a little, as used as they are to seeing 35-year-old Froch, 29-2(21) fight the very best (Froch’s last eight fights being, in order, Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Glen Johnson, Andre Ward and, last time out, the 5th-round stoppage win over Bute – a crazy resume if ever there was one!)

But Froch, having his second fight in a row at home, is more deserving than most when it comes to having an “easy” fight. But this is to perhaps pay a disservice to the tough and experienced Mack.

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Evander Holyfield: Is “The Real Deal” About To Call Time On His Legendary Career?

By James Slater – Over the weekend, a number of boxing web sites ran with the story of WBC heavyweight king Vitali Klitschko basically ruled out a fight living legend Evander Holyfield (I read the story on Examiner.com).

Fans will not in any way have been shocked by this statement by Klitschko, as he and his younger brother are class acts, neither one wanting to either hurt or humiliate the once-great Holyfield, nor get arrested for murder. Speaking very much for his brother as well no doubt, Klitschko has made it clear: there is no big fight left out there for the 49-year-old former four-time ruler.

Holyfield has said himself that he will not take a meaningless non-title fight “just for the sake of fighting,” and we must now hold him to his word. With a Klitschko fight now as dead in the water for him as can be, Evander surely has nowhere to turn but towards the exit door.

In truth, the future Hall of Famer who last fought in May of last year (a win: a 10th-round TKO over fellow veteran Brian Nielsen) should have called it quits a number of years ago, say after his close points loss to the huge Nikolay Valuev (this December 2008 fight being “The Real Deal’s” last good showing).

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Rumour Mill: Freddie Roach Wants Pac-Man Vs. Khan?

By James Slater – Whilst scanning the web for the latest boxing news, I came across an intriguing little ‘story’ (well, maybe not so little – at least the story won’t be if it turns out to be true!) that suggests ace-trainer Freddie Roach now wants to see his star pupils, Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan, fight one another soon.

According to the piece on The Moment (as picked up by Opposing Views), Roach “Is pushing for the boxer (Khan) to step up from the light-welterweight division to take on Manny Pacquiao. Roach now wants Khan to move up to 147-pounds where he can take on stable-mate and good friend Pacquiao.”

Of course, this ‘story’ could turn out to be no real story at all, and just a load of baloney, but boxing is a weird sport at times and, with both Pac-Man and “King Khan” coming off defeats (albeit a robbery in the eyes of millions in Manny’s case), maybe the fight could happen.

It sure would prove to be a shock if Team-Pacquiao’s forthcoming next opponent announcement told the world he will indeed be fighting Khan.

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Dawson-Ward: Super Middleweight Super Fight

By Eric Roman Sr: April 6th, 1987: the date we got to see two of the greatest fighters of all time come together for a historical event that boxing fans around the globe still argue about day in and day out. Sugar Ray Leonard came out of retirement to face the defending Middleweight Champion of the world, Marvelous Marvin Hagler. The outcome of that bout has been debated in barber shops and boxing gyms for over two decades; come September 8th 2012, HBO will grace us with a “super” match up between two of the sports most outstanding talents, at a weight division only eight pounds heavier then 1987’s original “Super Fight”.

WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion “Bad” Chad Dawson will come down in weight to face the smaller Undisputed Super Middleweight World Champion Andre”S.O.G” Ward. Although these two combatants may not be at the popularity level that Leonard and Hagler were at that time, there are many eerie similarities to point out that make this one just as important as the one the Hall of Famers gave us a quarter of a century ago. Dawson, the bigger fighter and a southpaw like Hagler, didn’t have a prestigious amateur background, he got his recognition as a pro, fighting big names and winning big fights. Also, like “the Marvelous One”, Chad Dawson grew up in New England with a chip on his shoulder, which gives him the sense of being the meaner of the two. Ward on the other hand is a pure bred natural talent. His speed and focus got him a Gold Medal in the Athens Olympics much like Sugar Ray did in 1976, and he is a crowd favorite. A charming guy with a great smile. He got through the Super Six Tournament with ease, and showed the world that brains overcome braun in boxing on any given night, but thats what makes this fight so anticipating.

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Steward sees Wach as a tough opponent for Wladimir

By Michael Collins: Trainer Emanuel Steward has some concerns about the 6’7 1/2″ unbeaten heavyweight contender Mariusz Wach (27-0, 15 KO’s) as being a tough fight for IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (58-3, 51 KO’s) in their fight on November 10th at the O2 World Arena, Altona, in Hamburg, Germany.

Steward told fightsaga.com “I have my work cut out for me with this assignment. Wach will not only be the biggest opponent Wladimir has fought since we’ve been together, he will also have the mentality of an undefeated fighter when he steps in the ring.”

Wach has won all of his 27 fights, but he’s also not fought anyone that you could call good. He’s still at the Tye Fields level, and now he’s being put in with Wladimir. I’m sure Wach wants the fight and the payday that goes along with it, but he’d have been better off waiting until he’d at least fought two or three contenders so that he could pick up more experience before fighting for a world title. Wach has excellent power in his right hand, but that’s about all he’s got. His jab is like like limp spaghetti noodle, and his left hand is virtually nonexistent. But perhaps the biggest flaw in Wach’s game, besides the lack of a punch arsenal and experience, is his slow hand speed.

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Deontay Wilder: I could fight Tyson Fury once he overcomes his fears

By Michael Collins: Former 2008 heavyweight Olympic bronze medalist for the United States Deontay Wilder (24-0, 24 KO’s) see a fight between him and undefeated heavyweight contender Tyson Fury (19-0, 14 KO’s) as a possibility in the near future once the 24-year-old Fury stops being afraid to face him. Wilder has been calling out Fury for the past few weeks but has largely ignored by the 6’9″ Fury. That’s not stopping Wilder from continuing to talk to try and get him in the ring.

When asked if a fight between him and Fury was a possibility, Wilder told boxingopinion1.blogspot.com “He could definitely be a potential opponent for me. I’m a type of fighter that gives fighters nightmares, just the thought of potentially fighting me. So once those fears have been overcome [by Fury] and when that happens there will be a fight.”

I hope Wilder doesn’t hold his breath waiting for Fury to suddenly show interest in fighting him, because it appears that Fury doesn’t really want the fight. Fury has been fighting guys like Martin Rogan, Vinny Maddalone, Neven Pajkic and Nicolai Firtha as of late. A fight against Wilder would obviously fit in well amongst those fighters, but Fury seems to not want the fight. Fury is hoping to get former WBA World heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev in the ring this November if the fight can be put together. Chagaev, #7 WBA, has a high ranking by the World Boxing Association and it will in theory help Fury get better.

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Tony Weeks to referee Chavez Jr-Martinez fight on September 15th

By Rob Smith: American Tony Weeks will be the referee for the September 15th fight between WBC junior middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) and Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) in their fight on HBO pay per view at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Weeks has a good reputation for letting the fighters fight without constantly getting in the way, breaking the fighters and penalizing like some referees. His presence should not impede the flow of the fight thankfully.

There’s not much for Weeks to really watch for in this fight other than Chavez Jr. perhaps using his size and weight advantage to push/bump Martinez to force him to the ropes. Chavez Jr. will likely be the much heavier fighter on fight night on September 15th, and if he weighs in at 180 lbs or more, it will give him a big enough weight advantage over Martinez to where he’ll be able to bull around the ring like he did against Marco Antonio Rubio. Martinez is expected to come into the fight around 165 lbs like he normally does.

Chavez Jr’s size advantage might not matter, though, unless the ring is really tiny like it was in Chavez Jr’s last fight against Andy Lee last June in El Paso, Texas. If it’s a normal sized ring then Martinez will be able to move around to avoid Chavez Jr’s attacks. Even if it’s a small one.

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Dawson: I wanted the Ward fight at 170 lb catchweight but they said no

By Rob Smith: Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KO’s) said it wasn’t his idea to fight WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KO’s) at 168 for their September 8th fight at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Dawson, 30, was left with no other choice but to come all the way down fro 175 lbs to make the fight at super middleweight after he was refused when he asked for a catchweight of 170 lbs.

Dawson said on 24/7 Road to Ward-Dawson “We wanted to do a catchweight at 170, but they threw it out the window. They said no. We can’t make the fight unless it’s 168 pounds. The weight don’t bother me. The fight in Ward’s backyard don’t bother me. Ward’s a great fighter; I’m a great fighter. I don’t know why I’m the underdog in this fight. I don’t think people look at resumes too close. I beat some big names in the sport.”

I don’t think anyone knows for sure who will win this fight on September 8th. Ward is the better inside fighter and he’s done remarkably well against the top of the class in the super middleweight division in his fights in the Super Six tournament. However, Ward showed some vulnerabilities in his fights against Sakio Bika and Carl Froch that Dawson could take advantage of if he’s smart, and works hard.

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