Will Danny Garcia duck the Matthysse fight in September?

garcia5645WBC 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.

Froch: I know how to beat Andre Ward now

ward445If 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.

Froch said to the guaradian.co.uk “If we fight again, I know what to do. Late on, he tires. At super middle, he struggles…he’s got to come here.”

Well, Froch won’t ever get to test his theory if he never faces Ward again and right now the rematch between them will likely not happen. Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn appears more interested in putting Froch back in with Mikkel Kessler again for a third fight.

Pacquiao could get career high payday against Rios on November 23rd

pac3Manny 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.

In addition to that, Pacquiao will be making a massive amount of money from the U.S fans from the PPV money, and it won’t be taxed at the high rate that it would have been had the fight taken place in the United States. Arum came up with the great idea for Pacquiao to fight in Macau, China to ease the tax burden on Pacquiao, so he’ll have even more money.

Charles Brewer Interview: “The Hatchet” Lists His Five All-Time Favourite Fights!

Former IBF super-middleweight ruler Charles Brewer gave us plenty of thrills during his 16-year pro career (think his classic with Joe Calzaghe for one great fight) and “The Hatchet” is fondly remembered by fans for his all-action style. But what are the gutsy Philly warrior’s own personal favourites when it comes to watching other guys do their stuff?

It’s always great talking boxing with Brewer, who walked away with a 40-11(28) ledger back in 2005, and in a recent talk with the 43-year-old, Brewer gave me his top-five favourite fights of all-time:

Left-Hook Lounge: Froch, Hopkins, Ward, & Matthysse!!!

ward46Marshall 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?

Vivek W. (ESB): This is a very interesting scenario we have brewing here. In Andre Ward, we have arguably the #2 best fundamentally sound fighter in the sport. In Bernard Hopkins, we have what can be defined literally as a living and active legend. His historical effort in the sport may never be duplicated again. When we look at who Froch should face next, I think it’s actually an easier decision than many think. Ward and Froch have faced off. To be quite frank, it wasn’t even really close. Ward white-washed him on the cards and although Froch will make adequate adjustments to compete, when the smoke clears, does anyone really think the outcome changes? I’m not so sure it does.

Mayweather WILL fight Canelo on September 14th!

floyd5645The 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.

In order for a record setting event to happen, Mayweather who has more naysayers and critics then supporters, must appear to those detractors to be afraid to fight the expected opponent (Canelo Alvarez), the perception that Mayweather can be ‘beaten badly’ by that opponent must also be believable.

Froch Wins and Will Again, but Not Against Ward

froch644Froch 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.

Froch got away with his unorthodoxy, because (to use a baseball phrase), Kessler failed to keep his eye on the ball. Froch hardly ever makes that mistake, and Ward never does. He is always focused, and ready to take advantage of miistakes at an instant. Froch gets away with throwing looping shots, because someone like Kessler’s defense is too simple. He either tries to block the punch, and many times unsuccessfully, or duck under it.

What’s next for the Money Team?

floyd#3By 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.

The sticking point seems to be at which weight the fight will take place. Neither side appears to be backing down, as Alvarez, who fights at 154 and Mayweather at 147 stand firm.

What’s also interesting is that if the fight doesn’t get done, both sides have affirmed that they will keep the September 14 date as their own. Could we be headed toward head-to-head pay per views on September 14? According to Alvarez, with or without Mayweather, his intention is to fight on September 14.