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Articles of 2005

Boxing Conference Call: Ruiz and Toney Talk Trash

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New York (April 14, 2005) – The big boys of boxing, WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (41-51 28 KOs) and three-time world champion James “Lights Out” Toney (68-4-2 43 KOs), will put it all on the line on Saturday, April 30, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The bout is promoted by Don King Productions and Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with MSG.

The Ruiz-Toney media tour has been going from media capital to media capital, building up the gate for the title fight. Both men share the same profession, but they are as different as can be. The champ Ruiz is fairly colorless (his manager/trainer is another story) and pretty much lives up to his ring moniker. The challenger Toney is as colorful as an explosion. Lights Out leaves blackouts in his wake.

During a conference call with members of the press today, Ruiz and Toney were true to form. To get things started, the two combatants were asked to make a statement.

Ruiz:  It is going to be a great fight. He is coming to fight, but I still feel that I am the best in the world and I am just coming out to prove it. 

Toney:  I am excited and ready to go. I have been training for a long time and actually preparing for this fight for the last two and a half months. It is good to fight the best heavyweight out there, which is John Ruiz. The reason why I am saying that is because he is the only one with the guts to step up to fight – and it will be a great fight. It is actually a war. I love wars. Fighting is my game. I was born to fight. So I am ready to get it on. Whatever happens, I know I will be the champion that night and I am not discrediting John Ruiz in any way, but I cannot wait to get on with it.  I am ready to make history.

The Q & A was opened to the boxing press.

Question:  James, if you win this fight, you will become the third former middleweight champion to win a portion of the heavyweight title. Can you talk about what it would mean to you to join such an elite company?

Toney:  I think it would be a great achievement. I am not fighting an over-the-hill champion to do it. He is willing to fight me and he is the best heavyweight out there right now and I am going to do it in style.

Question:  John, if James wins the fight, you will become the only heavyweight champion to ever lose twice to a former middleweight champion, because of what happened with the Roy Jones fight. Does that in any way put pressure on you?

Ruiz:  No, it does not. I put pressure on myself to just go out there and do what I intend to do.  One thing for sure is I feel that I am the best heavyweight out there and I have to go out there and prove it.

Question:  Regarding the state of boxing, a lot of people say that it is in a lull or a down period, the heavyweight division in particular. Could both of you address that?

Toney:  My thing is just that things are going to come up because I am in the division right now. It is in the state it is because all the good fighters do not want to fight each other. The promoters put their fighters in with a safe opponent. Everything will blow over eventually.

Ruiz:  The whole situation is with the fighters themselves, whether they are willing to take easier fights rather than taking on the best fighters out there and trying to prove to themselves that they are the best. I do not know who it is, whether it is the promoters or the TV or who knows what it is. But it is all up to the fighter too. If the fighter wants to fight, he will get the fights. But that is the main thing. 

Question: Is boxing on a downside?  Can boxing come back and reach the levels of the 80s, boxing’s last glory days?

Toney:  Larry Holmes did not have anybody in his era. Anybody he had was old and decrepit.  Now, we have the young fighters today. It all starts April 30. We have a great fight at Madison Square Garden. James “Lights Out” Toney, the one and only, is coming and I am going to take over. Bottom line. Everything else will fall in place. Now for you so-called boxing experts, I bet 95% of you never put any gloves on in the ring and you all have got no business to be talking about boxing.

Question:  John, starting with the Hasim Rahman fight, you seem to have shown an anger that up to then had been uncharacteristic of you. At first it seemed to be directed at Roy Jones and then it branched out to the boxing establishment and your opponents.  Can you talk about that change in you and how effective it has been for you?

Ruiz:  The number one thing to me is that after the Jones fight I actually managed to get some time for myself so I could think. Physically I was always there, but my mentality was never as quite as high. Right now, mentally and physically, I am in top shape and I am ready to take on anybody.

Question:  But it does seem to still bother you that rather than people saying you beat him, you feel that they are making excuses for him. Is that accurate?

Ruiz:  Well, it does seem like no matter what I cannot catch a break. But it does not matter. My main thing is to go out there and win. That is what boxing is. You go out there and you fight and you win. It is not about looking pretty.

Question:  James, can you explain your evolution as a topnotch trash talker?

Toney:  I do not start anything unless someone starts with me. I let bygones be bygones. If they want to go to the next level, we can do that too because you know I am great at everything I do. I am a street person for real.

Question:  John, you used to be the “Quietman” but now it seems you are trying to be more aggressive in your pre-fight conversations. Can you explain why?

Ruiz:  When I first started this journey to becoming the world champion, I thought just by fighting alone would actually make me a commodity. I always told my manager, “You go do the talking or whatever, I am just going to do the fighting.” But it seems like at this point in my career, I finally realized that you have to trash talk to actually get some attention.

Question:  James, has it always been your dream to become heavyweight champion?

Toney:  I have always said that from day one. I am ready to do it. I do not turn down anything – not even my calendar. The bottom line is I want to fight the best fighters out there. Now I am fighting the best fighter out there, John Ruiz, and it will be something special on April 30.  John Ruiz, thank you for giving me the opportunity to take the title: bottom line.

Question:  James, what problems does John present to you that Evander Holyfield did not?

Toney:  Nothing. I prepare myself accordingly as the fight goes on. I make the necessary adjustments inside the ring. I am knocking him out, flat out. Nothing comes easy in life.  The only thing that comes easy is death and taxes. I am going to win the title and it will not be easy, but I am going to do it. I can tell you that.

Question:  John, what is your strategy?

Ruiz:  My main thing is to go out there and fight and that I have always done. There is no strategy involved. You just train hard, you look forward to the fight, come fight time, you go in and step in that ring and you go out there and fight. That is the one thing that works for me, I adapt very well in each round. I do not see anything going wrong.

Question:  James, John’s style is “jab and grab.” Do you have a plan to stay out of his clutches?

Toney:  I am the ultimate fighter. I am the manager’s and the trainer’s dream of a fighter because I can adapt to any situation. My skills are so superior to everybody in the boxing world it would be ridiculous to even talk about it. All I can say is be there or to tune in April 30 and watch the crowning of the new champ.

Question:  John, do you still feel that you have to prove yourself each and every fight?

Ruiz:  I feel I must go out there and fight the best and beat the best because that is my main goal.  I feel I am the best because there is nobody out there who wants to fight me. All these other champions take those easy fights, look good on TV and then call themselves the champion. My main thing right now is to go out there and just keep fighting and training hard and looking forward to each fight.

Question:  James, do you feel that you are going to outbox Ruiz, go to war with him. or do a little bit of both?

Toney:  I do not run. I am a fighter. I was born to fight. I am old school. You know what old school fighters do? They fight. I will be right there and fight. I have never run from anyone in my life. I do not run from anybody but God. That is the only man I fear.

Question:  John, you have fought some real wars. Are you ready for yet another?

Ruiz:  Well, it seems like Toney has the impression like I have never been to war. It will not be anything new to me. He can bring whatever he wants, because come fight time he had better start throwing punches instead of talking in the ring because he is going to get knocked out.

Question:  John, do you feel you are fighting as well as you ever have and are as confident as you have ever been?

Ruiz:  Definitely. I feel like in each fight since the Jones fight, I improved myself each time. I am trying to pick up more, throw punches and stuff like that. But sometimes in the heavyweight division, it is nothing new to basically try to bull the other person.  Sometimes you must grab them, show them that you are stronger. Make them start thinking that this guy is pretty strong right now. There is a mental warfare in boxing generally and especially in the heavyweight division where you have to force your will on someone else.

Question:  John, concerning the Klitschko brothers, which road do both Vitali and Wladimir play in your plan with regard to a heavyweight championship tournament?

Ruiz:  The road right now is leading to the unification. That is the number one thing that I want.  It is something that I have been craving and longing for. For me, I feel like they are sitting pretty there at HBO, playing guys where who knows where they get them from. But at the same time, these are guys that nobody really knows out there and they are beating them, and looking OK with them. It is something that they get paid good money to fight these so-called fighters, instead of putting their money up for the unification and fighting the top guys. I am fighting top fighters and I am having tough fights and still I am coming out winning, but they do not want to give me the credit for it. But at the same time, these other guys are fighting guys and are having trouble with them. They are basically losing the fight and somehow getting the win and so on, and the public looks at them as one of the best.  There is no way they are one of the best.

Question:  John, why do you think the perception of you by some of the media is so low?

Ruiz:  It is something I can never answer. Sometimes you have to work for the respect, but I have been working very hard and fighting topnotch fighters. I am fighting guys that they predicted to be the next heavyweight champion, I beat them, and then they just change their whole outlook on what they were thinking of this other guy. I just get the backlash of people who would rather put me down than give me credit.

Question:  Why did Toney make beating Holyfield look so easy?

Ruiz:  You have to realize that Holyfield took too many fights there. When we fought, it was a tough fight. I felt like I won it, but they gave him the decision. He was on top of the world and the heavyweight champion. He should have retired then. The fights after that, he was getting worse and worse. When he fought Chris Byrd, Byrd made him look like he was not even there. Holyfield aged after the trilogy he had with me and never recovered from that.

Question:  John, now that David Tua is back, would you like to fight him again and get revenge?

Ruiz:  He was the number one person on my list after he beat me. I had been chasing him for so long to get a rematch and it never came, so he became less and less on my list. Right now, he is not even on my list. If he wants to have a heavyweight title fight, he is going to have to earn it. I worked my way through this heavyweight division and it is something I am proud of. After being knocked down and to work all the way up to where I am now takes a lot of courage, and I am just looking forward to this next fight right now.

Question:  Do you honestly think Toney is a legit heavyweight and has a future in that division?

Ruiz:  Everyone is talking that he is one of the best heavyweights. Who has he fought as a heavyweight to be considered one of the best out there? It is something that puzzles me.  When I became number one in the WBC and WBA, everybody was criticizing me, saying that I was not really a number one fighter in the heavyweight division. He should fight somebody in the top-10 to earn that spot. Here is James Toney. He becomes number one. But who has he fought?  There is nobody criticizing him, but they are more than willing to criticize me.

Question:  Are there any other fights on your radar other than this one right now? Or is this really just because it is a mandatory?

Ruiz:  I think right now I respect my belt. I respect my mandatories and that is why I am taking this fight. The real deal for me is the unification. I want to go out there and unify these titles and bring some excitement back to the heavyweight division, which is what it needs right now. They do not need more fights. They need this unification. Otherwise, you might as well cancel the heavyweight division because nobody is really going to watch it.

Question:  John, do you have any closing comments?

Ruiz:  I hope he realizes that when he comes into that ring, he is fighting me, not Stoney (manager-trainer Norman Stone). Stoney is the man behind me who basically is going to be pushing me on in each round, but at the same time, Toney better know that he is going to have his hands full dealing with me. Never mind thinking about Stony.

Question:  John, do you think this fight will go the distance?

Ruiz:  My main thing is to always be ready for tall ground. I will be ready for 15-rounds. It is nothing new to me. My main thing is to go out there and fight. That is what I intend to do from the first round on. He can say he is going to knock me out or whatever. He is a durable guy and I am a durable guy. You are going to see a tough fight where one is going to end up being on the mat.

Tickets for “The Turning Point” are priced at $350, $250, $175, $100 and $50 are on sale now at the Garden box office and all Ticketmaster locations or by calling Ticketmaster at (212) 307-7171, (201) 507-8900, (631) 888-9000, or (914) 454-3388. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to convenience charges.

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Articles of 2005

In Boxing News: Floyd Mayweather An All-Time Great, Valuev & More

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A Shot of Boxing on the Last Day of the Year

The Guardian reports that talks have already taken place between Nicolay Valuev‘s co-promoters – Don King and Wilfried Sauerland – and Danny Williams‘ promoter Frank Warren for Nicolay Valuev to face Danny Williams. I’d suggest Danny Williams needs to worry about Matt Skelton (who Williams is reportedly scheduled to fight in February) before he entertains notions of facing the Beast From The East.

The Mirror in the UK looks forward to a big year in boxing for 2006. The Mirror considers what the future might bring for Joe Calzaghe, Amir Khan and Ricky Hatton, among others.

The Parksville Qualicum News has an interesting column on the travails of former Canadian Super Middleweight title holder Mark Woolnough. Woolnough’s career turned controversial – as widely reported in the Canadian press – at the beginning of this year when Woolnough and four other men were charged with manslaughter and assault after a fight outside a Parksville nightclub. The case returns to court next month. It’s an interesting read, as Woolnough is still looking to the future with hope.

Our own Marc Lichtenfeld provides plenty of food for thought with his Top Ten Wish List for boxing in the New Year. There’s plenty of good stuff here, but what really jumped out for me is Lichtenfeld’s opinion that a win over Zab Judah could have Floyd Mayweather knocking on the door of all-time great status. Seems to me this might be jumping the gun a little. Or is Marc right? Will it soon be time to call Floyd Mayweather Jr. an all-time great?

(More Boxing News Links at TheSweetScience.com)

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Articles of 2005

ShoBox Friday Night Fights

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Hot bantamweight prospect Raul “The Cobra” Martinez heads back to Chicago next Friday night as he is featured in the co-main event of SHOBOX “THE NEW GENERATION,” an action packed evening of professional boxing presented by Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions,’ HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, Kathy Duva’s Main Events Inc., along with Miller Lite and TCF Bank.

The two-time national amateur champion sporting a perfect 12-0 record with 9 knockouts, six of which have come in the first round,  will take on Colombian Andres “Andy Boy” Ledesma, 13-1 (8 KOs) in a scheduled eight round bout.

Speaking after a training session at his home gym in Georgetown, Texas, Martinez said, “I’m truly looking forward to returning to Chicago. The fans were terrific in September, they were very supportive from the start of the fight,” an internationally televised first round knockout of Miguel Martinez on September 16th at the Aragon Ballroom.

Regarding his upcoming fight with Ledesma, “The Cobra” said, “I haven’t seen him fight, although I understand he’s fought at higher weights and will be naturally bigger than me. I’ve had great training for this fight and feel very confident. I really haven’t left the gym in months, just taking off Sunday’s and even then I get my running in. My thinking is that fights are won in the gym and complete preparation is the key.”

When asked about his being mentioned by Dan Rafael, ESPN’s boxing writer as one of the top prospect’s in the boxing world the 23-year-old San Antonio native said, ‘It’s a great compliment, but I still have much work to do. I want to be a champion for Main Events like Fernando Vargas and Arturo Gatti. But like Fernando said while he was in town, ‘be patient, work hard and your time will come.’”

Finishing the conversation, Martinez said, “I’m looking forward to starting out this year with a bang. I might have a couple less fights than the seven I had in 2005, but I’m looking to stepping up the competition, move up to ten-rounders and climb in the rankings.”

Headlining the evening is a ten-round welterweight showdown between boxing’s hottest prospect, unbeaten Joel Julio of Monteria, Columbia, and Ugandan native Roberto “The Doctor” Kamya. Julio, turning 21 years old the day before the fight, is 25-0 with 22 knockouts, twelve of which have come in the first two rounds. Kamya, now fighting out of West Palm Beach, Florida is 15-5 with four knockouts.

Tickets, starting at $30, are on sale in advance by calling 312-226-5800. Cicero Stadium is located at 1909 S. Laramie, at the corner of 19th and Laramie, just ten minutes south of the Eisenhower Expressway and ten minutes north of the Stevenson Expressway. Doors for this evening will open at 6pm with the first bell at 7pm.

The full bout lineup for the evening is:

Joel Julio vs. Roberto Kamya, ten rounds, welterweights

Raul Martinez vs. Andres Ledesma, eight rounds, bantamweights

Miguel Hernandez vs. Butch Hajicek, eight rounds, middleweights

David Pareja vs. Derek Andrews, eight rounds, light heavyweights

Mike Gonzales vs. Tony Kinney, four rounds, lightweights

Omar Reyes vs. Luis Navarro, five rounds, featherweights

Reynaldo Reyes vs. Ricardo Swift, four rounds, middleweights

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Articles of 2005

Pick ‘Em: Plenty of Big Upcoming Fights in ’06

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Here’s the early call on many top matches scheduled for the first half of 2006: Happy New Year!

As the new calendar dawns, there are already a considerable amount of premium bouts on the horizon. Things don’t look to be bogged down by undetermined championships next year. In many cases the scheduled face-offs involve the best fighters in the division, or at least close enough for general bragging rights. If anybody else with proper qualifications signs up to force the issue, all the better.

It can be argued that some pairings could have taken place within a more optimal timeframe, or that some headliners carry distracting baggage, but there are certainly enough heavy hitters on deck. That nobody can deny.

It doesn’t matter whether one considers the proverbial glass half empty or half full; there’s still the same amount of juice in the vessel. It’s nice to know that even with a high number of cancellations, there will still be plenty of important contenders on tap.

With elite fighters in weight divisions from top to bottom on the agenda, it’s an equivalent to what fans in more mainstream sports expect in a consistent championship format.

Baseball fans can almost always count on a World Series. Some hoops fanatics say too much attention to playoffs distracts unmotivated NBA teams during their regular season. In college, they project Sweet Sixteens. Football fans know there’s always a Super Bowl ahead to raise advertising dollars and test the USA’s halftime morals.

So too, there is method in boxing’s current madness.

The midnight crystal ball hasn’t even been unveiled in Times Square and there are already a number of potential thrillers scheduled. Most feature contrasting personalities that almost guarantee going along for the ride will be worthwhile. Any subsequent drops will probably be cheered.

Don King jumps right out of the auld lang gate with a January 7th Showtime card featuring Zab Judah against Carlos Baldomir and Jean-Marc Mormeck in a cruiserweight unification against O’Neil Bell.

It will be the upset of the year, bar none, if Baldomir can tip the applecart before Judah gets to his scheduled super-showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Meanwhile, Mormeck is emerging and should keep on rolling against Bell, who can expose him if he’s not for real.

The proverbial Big Bang starts with a January 21st rematch of one of the finest fights of ‘05, when Erik Morales goes against Manny Pacquaio for the second time on HBO pay per view. The fact that Morales was upset by Zahir Raheem after beating Pacquaio was no real loss in box-office luster. Artful Raheem will get a spot on the undercard and hope his patience is rewarded.

Everyone figures Morales and Pacquaio will pick up where they left off. Like the first time, the rematch is a pick’em contest. Management distractions and glove restrictions cited as Pacquaio’s previous problems won’t matter this time. The two are very evenly matched and their styles will make for another whapathon. It could come down to corners, where Freddie Roach gets the edge since Morales will have a new trainer for the first time since replacing his father after the Raheem lesson.

February features four of the game’s most enduring attractions, in a pair of crucial matchups.

First up, Showtime presents the Jose Luis Castillo – Diego Corrales tiebreaker from El Paso on Feb 4th. This is another pick ‘em pair, barring any sideshow. In boxing that disclaimer may be a stretch, since the sideshow is part of the act and the charm.

As far as action inside the strands goes, every round these guys have fought has been great. There’s no reason to think that pattern won’t continue. Regarding the result, Castillo keeps the pressure on as he did in the second fight, but he’ll walk into trouble from a more reserved Corrales. We still don’t know which coin to flip.

February also holds a better late than never affair between two perennial favorites as Shane Mosley collides with Fernando Vargas on the 25th.  This fight could lead to a winning ticket in the Golden Boy sweepstakes for a fall bonanza against Oscar De La Hoya.

Vargas has been in tougher recently, based on comparable strength of opposition stats, but he’s seen little action. What weight they enter the ring at may have a lot to do with the result. If Vargas has to struggle at the scale, Mosley might have the battle in the bag after round nine.

It’s hard to imagine Mosley getting stopped early, but Vargas doesn’t have to hurt him, he just has to knock him down three times. With natural size, he may be able to do just that, but Mosley would have to box uncharacteristically flat.

Unless Mosley decides to heed the crowd, the most likely scenario is that Shane plays it safe, picks a few shots, and stays away enough to capture a comfortable, dull decision. An unbowed Vargas maintains his fan base but not his bettors.

March both comes in and goes out as a lion.

On March 4th Joe Calzaghe welcomes Jeff Lacy to Manchester UK for what may be the biggest blowout of the headlining bunch. Calzaghe gets the chance to prove his considerable home-based reputation once and for all, but if Lacy creams him as we expect, that glossy record will be severely tarnished.

All Calzaghe has to do is make a respectable stand, but that’s no small task against the rising Lacy. A motivated Calzaghe, songs of England ringing in his ears, could pull a big surprise if he can exploit Lacy’s relatively limited technical development, but that’s a longshot indeed.

It looks like Lacy can get by on power alone. He could soon emerge as a pound-for-pound leader. Old Joe’s hometown advantage will last about two left hooks.

March 11th has the Ides of history to beware for at least one old lion, with farewell (we’ll see) fireworks featuring Roy Jones Jr. against Bernard Hopkins. Less than two years ago they were considered untouchable all time greats. Now between them they’ve lost five in a row.

This goodbye fight is contracted at light heavyweight, for what seems like an oldies night. Hopkins is the senior at age 41 to Jones’s 37, but Roy seems more the grandpa figure, last seen hanging on against Antonio Tarver. Youth, as it were here, will prevail.

This bout was signed quickly as each principal, usually sticklers for favorable contract clauses, agreed to parity in a demonstration of businessman first and fighter second. They may both expect easy marks. How much the boys have left by the time they get down to business remains to be seen. The history books will show this as a climactic career bout between Hall of Famers.

At 175 pounds, Hopkins may be in for rude awakening. Jones may have been more thoroughly outfought recently, but he was rumbling with bigger, tougher men than Jermain Taylor or Howard Eastman. Respectable as he is, Taylor still falls short of the level of Tarver, at least for now. The difference is still fifteen pounds less pop.

It will be quite a feat if Hopkins can stay in the fight, even at Jones’s advanced age. Our stars point to Jones winning in overwhelming fashion.

On March 18th, James Toney meets Hasim Rahman in another pairing of seasoned war-horses.

Toney and Rahman already had their introductions, when they brawled in Mexico during a WBC gathering to bestow Rahman’s new belt. Between formalities, Toney got married, which could bring up the old questions about carnal training.

Let’s hope when they meet in the ring, they restore some of the fire missing from the heavyweights in ‘05.  Toney might have an edge in recent form, but Rahman shows fine tuning he previously lacked. The winner might get newly “crowned’ Nicolai Valuev, an easy payday outside Germany.

Rahman could be the heavyweight that finally makes Toney look like a blown up middleweight. But anything less than a top effort will probably lead to embarrassing night for the Rock and give Toney solid claim to being the true heavyweight champ.

This might not be the most artful fight of the new season, but it could well be the most grueling, and the closest. He who’s faced the better big boys gets the nod. Advantage Rahman.

March 25 features Marco Antonio Barrera, probably the strongest overall claimant to 130 pound honors. The likely opponent is said to be always tough Jesus Chavez.

Chavez seemed rejuvenated when he met Leavander Johnson, but Johnson’s tragic death may have taken some of the steam out of thoughtful Chavez, said to have received Johnson’s family blessing to continue in Leavander’s name. That could mean a lot of inspiration. Either way, if he does meet Chavez, who hung tough with one arm against Erik Morales, Barrera won’t get any slack. The Fates say Chavez, whose wife recently served in Iraq, is a live, live underdog.

Another clash to be King of the Hill finds Floyd Mayweather Jr, arguably the game’s finest practitioner, bumping heads with Zab Judah, one of very few boxers who rivals Mayweather in speed, skills, and brashness.

Their hoedown, scheduled for April 8th, is one of the top pound-for-pound pairings in recent years. Judah will need a career best performance to have a chance of victory. That’s not to say he can’t pull it off, but currently Mayweather is in a different galaxy in terms of punching power. Slow-motion replays may be the only way to follow the flying fists once these two whirlwinds unload.

Mayweather should be around a 4-1 favorite. Judah is good enough to make taking the odds an attractive proposition, since that’s probably as good of odds as one is likely to see on Floyd for a while. Mayweather will stop Judah in his tracks.

The first half of next year is set to conclude with the star power of Oscar De La Hoya, probably against noteworthy foil Ricardo Mayorga on May 6. There could be some snags before a contract is finalized, but if it comes off count on Mayorga for promotional sound bite nastiness. One of the questions is whether or not he’ll be able to get under Oscar’s skin, and it might actually be entertaining to see the classy, model perfect De La Hoya show he’s human and freak out against the Nicaraguan maniac.

Mayorga may have burnt his best bridges already. De La Hoya has not only the boxing skill to negate Mayorga’s offense, but enough power to end it early. If Mayorga rushes in and causes a cut, De La Hoya might get ruffled enough to duck into defense and Mayorga could get a decision that goes to the cards after six rounds or so. It will be wild for as long as it lasts.

Pro boxing, like many sports, had its share of problems during 2005, but there were also many positives. Most notably, as usual, was superior and inspiring action inside the strands. Unless there’s a mass freeze-up at the top, early 2006 figures to see decisive interaction among many well-known fighters.

If even fifty per cent of the aforementioned pairings come to fruition, it’s a strong likelihood the upcoming year has at least one very positive half. Arturo Gatti, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Brian Viloria, and Shannon Briggs, to name a few, are also on deck. No matter how you chose to look at or measure mass qualities, there’s still just as much good to be seen.

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