By Alphonso Costello
There was an abundance of action this October ranging from calorie counting ‘lightweights’ to boring heavyweight freak shows. Additionally, two undefeated champions ushered in the emergence of the super middleweight division’s ‘golden age.’
On super middleweight Saturday, Siko Bika proved to be a tough opponent for Joe Calzaghe. Bika’s roughhouse tactics gave Calzaghe trouble, but the 34-year old Welshman survived the tough battle and retained his WBO and IBF super middleweight championships.
A few thousand miles away from Joe Calzaghe’s 19th successful title defense, Mikkel Kessler knocked out Markus Beyer to unify the WBC and WBA super middleweight belts. The next logical step would pit Kessler against Calzaghe in a monumental unification clash. Instead of having both undefeated fighters square off in the most significant fight at 168 pounds, the horrid sanctioning bodies will eventually impose an undeserving challenger on both champions.
Super middleweight Saturday didn’t end with Kessler and Calzaghe. Peter Manfredo Jr. is making huge strides in becoming a legitimate contender. Manfredo made good on his promise to embarrass Joey Spina, knocking out his neighborhood enemy in impressive fashion. It’s nice to see a sudden surge in power coming from Manfredo.
Like a shark lurking in blood-infested waters, Team Manfredo has its sights set on facing Roy Jones Jr. With Spina out of the way, Manfredo can now take his career to the next level by facing a former pound-for-pound king. A match-up in the spring of 2007 is very possible for “The Contender” season one runner-up.
Why hasn’t Fernando Vargas officially announced his retirement? Is he waiting to be kayoed by an undefeated prospect with four career knockouts?…
The World Boxing Council claims to have one of the most celebrated and superior Ratings Committee in boxing. At the same time, the WBC has one of the most comical and amplified proclamations regarding its championship rankings posted on its official website.
“The WBC has, without a doubt, the most prestigious ratings in the boxing world.”
Yet for the fourth straight month, they have Erik Morales ranked as the #1 lightweight in the world. Morales is currently campaigning as a super featherweight. And his only fight at the lightweight level was a lopsided loss to Zahir Raheem.
“Over 20 people from 16 countries around the world form the Ratings Committee in order to have world representation.”
It’s more like the United Nations meets The Sopranos.
“WBC title fights have proven to be at a high standard of quality and competition and this proves that the ratings of the WBC are Number One.”
Yes, the standards are very high, all you have to do is look at the opposition Pongseklek Wonjongkam faced in defending his flyweight title...
On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived at the Bahamas, believing he was in Asia. Just as Diego Corrales arrived at his weigh-in believing he was an exalted champion with impeccable morale standards.
Joel Casamayor and human nature triumphed over Diego Corrales during a busy fight night. There is no shame in losing to Casamayor or human nature. However, Corrales should be ashamed of losing his integrity on the scales.
What’s more, Corrales isn’t the only one that lost his integrity during the weigh-in. Yes, Showtime’s Golden Warrior dropped the ball at the scales and in the ring, but so did promoter Gary Shaw.
Shaw is now guilty of promoting two fights that should have never occurred at the lightweight level. His sincere fondness for Corrales must be questioned since he “pushed” Corrales into fighting at a weight he dangerously struggles to make. The effects of rapid weight loss and in-ring battles may be too much for “Chico’s” 29-year-old body.
In spite of that, Shaw was flabbergasted after Corrales’ weigh-in fiasco. “I’m shocked. I don’t know what to say.”
How about issuing an apology to the fans for ‘perpetuating a disgraceful fraud’ by having two welterweights fight for a lightweight title?…
This Saturday night, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will put his undefeated record on the line in hopes of capturing the World Welterweight Championship from Carlos Baldomir. Mayweather’s great defense, speed, agility and counterpunching skills is more than enough to overwhelm the slow-moving welterweight champ. Baldomir is tailor-made for a smooth and fluid phenom like Mayweather.
Baldomir has captured lighting in a bottle twice this year. Too bad he can’t hit Mayweather over the head with it…
Who has faster hand speed, Manny Pacquiao or Joe Calzaghe?…
How many chances will Nate Campbell get to win a world title? His unanimous decision victory over Matt Zegan was billed as an IBF lightweight title eliminator. Campbell is now 3-2 in these so-called IBF title eliminating fights. He lost his lone world title fight in 2005, when Robbie Peden knocked him out to capture the vacant IBF super featherweight belt. Yet, the “Galaxxy Warrior” is now in line for another world title opportunity.
The sudden retirement of Acelino Freitas was a shocker. His comeback three weeks later was not…
Heading into his super featherweight bout with Erik Morales, Manny Pacquiao is focused on decimating the Mexican legend. Pacquiao hasn’t said much since starting his training camp at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California. Despite his love for the nightlife and other extra curricular activities, Pacquiao maintains his extraordinary conditioning with a world-class training camp.
Which brings us to Erik Morales. His weight and fatigue problems have been well chronicled. Can Morales show up fresh, re-energized and ready to thwart Pacquiao’s mighty attack? His collaboration with a Los Angeles based fitness company has been highly publicized and he is currently on pace to make weight for the November 18 bout.
Yet, there should be concern for Morales’ long-term health. Rapid weight loss aside, there’s another health concern for Morales. He can no longer absorb the type of punishment that Pacquiao can and will inflict on him. At the same time, Morales cannot be under estimated. A grand champion like Erik Morales deserves the benefit of the doubt. Given his spirit and mentality, Morales will spill his blood and guts to the very last drop.
So will the fearless matador with the attitude of a bull show up for his rubber match against Manny Pacquiao? Or will it be the fatigued, battle-scarred warrior that lost his last two fights in a row?
What does Max Kellerman have against fighters who like to fight toe-to-toe with their opponents?…
A recent press release outlined the daily general assembly meetings for the World Boxing Council’s upcoming annual convention. In the released statement, WBC President Jose Sulaiman extended an invitation to former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. “Mike Tyson has been invited so that we can extend to him a special tribute as one of the greatest heavyweight champions in history, regardless of what others might say.”
Tyson fought in 13 WBC world title fights, at a time when his paychecks exceeded 20 million dollars per fight. Honoring a man who paid the WBC millions of dollars in sanctioning fees is truly a heartwarming gesture…
However, there was nothing heartwarming about the heavyweight freak show known as the ‘Mike Tyson World Tour.’ Tyson’s pay-per-view exhibition was considered a total flop. Is it really that much of a surprise?
Sticking with the freak show theme, Nikolay Valuev made his American ‘debut’ against Monte Barrett. Valuev’s successful WBA world title defense was hard to digest.
His knockout victory over Barrett wasn’t impressive or exciting. The “Russian Giant’s” boxing style can be used as an alternative treatment to cure insomnia and other sleeping disorders.
Unfortunately, Valuev cannot cure referee John O’Brien’s ineptness. This sadistic and unprofessional referee should be banned from boxing. O’Brien endangered Monte Barrett’s life by allowing the fight to continue, when it was apparent that Barrett could no longer protect himself against Valuev’s 330-pound onslaught.
Thankfully, Barrett’s trainer James Bashir stepped in and forced the stoppage in the eleventh round.
Jason Giambi’s postseason look for the New York Yankees was a robust one. He made James Toney look like the eternally ripped Serena Williams…
Congratulations to Manny Pacquiao and his wife Jinky on the birth of their healthy baby girl. Mary Divine Grace Pacquiao was born on October 1 and weighed in well below the lightweight limit at 7 pounds, 6 ounces…
CHUMP OF THE MONTH: Diego Corrales
Casting stones from a glass house isn’t a good idea. Corrales’ failure to make weight for his WBC lightweight title defense exposed him as an unprofessional hypocrite.
Alphonso Costello can be reached at
