VARGAS IS

 VICTORIOUS

By Jim Amato

Fernando Vargas is once again a force to be reckoned with. He pounded out a hard fought, but unanimous decision over former WBC Light Middleweight Champion Javier Castillejo this past saturday.

The bout started slowly, but began to heat up in the third round as the hand speed and power of Vargas took control. Give Castillejo credit as he rode out some tough moments and managed to come on late in the fight. It was to little too late as Fernando had built up a substantial lead. the final tally was 97-92 twice and 98-91 all for Vargas.

This opens the door to several possible intriguing match ups. How about Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga for the WBC 154 pound title? I've always been interested in a Vargas-Sugar Shane Mosley pairing. What about Fernando and the come backing former welterweight champion Vernon Forrest? Vargas has stated that he would like a return match with Oscar De La Hoya. The "Big O" has shown some interest in facing Fernando again. Oscar stopped Vargas in their first meeting.

The Return of Roy Jones!

By David Gonzalez

Roy Jones (49-3 38 KO'S) last two disastrous outings against Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson convinced many that the great one was finished as a fighter. However Roy Jones seems to have other plans, as the so called great one is coming back to try to repair his legacy in October. Many feel and believe that Roy is making a grievous mistake by coming out of retirement to once again face his nemesis Antonio Tarver (23-3-18 KO's), who was the first to damage the aura of the once unbeatable Jones.

Roy is a rich man, who still has his senses about him even after sustaining two devastating knockouts. Why then would a man come back to jump into the fray? Is it money? Fame? or simply respect? I believe that deep down inside, Roy knows that his fans, and the public have been anxiously awaiting to see if the proud Jones would forever run away from boxing with his tail between his legs after his last two loses.

Roy has been talking the talk about perhaps returning to the fight game for some time now, even after being crushed by Johnson (42-10 28 KO's), who left many believing that Roy Jones was damaged as an elite boxer. I for one believe that Roy simply never got over the loss to Tarver, who was the first to penetrate Roy's impregnable armor of invincibility, and the first to shake Jones confidence as a fighter.

Despite the devastating and grueling knockout he suffered at the hands of Gen Johnson, who is the last man to defeat Jones, I feel that Roy Jones will come back to defeat Tarver. My reasons for believing so, are that Roy is always in shape and the layoff would have done him a lot of good. Roy is an athlete and has God given boxing skills that a few other boxers like Floyd Mayweather are born with. Roy's biggest obstacle will be overcoming his inner demonic fears of being knocked out twice, which we hope has not shaken his confidence in himself, because other great fighters like Mohammed Ali, Floyd Patterson, and recent greats like Oscar De La Hoya to name a few, overcame such losses to become champions again.

Come October 1st, we will once again see Roy in action and in my estimation he will win this bout against his arch rival Antonio Tarver. but if I am wrong, I am sure he will still win over the hearts of boxing fans even in defeat, because the boxing public craves warriors and fighters, who do not run away from rivals who once defeated them.

Comment

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RAHMAN VS KLITCHKO

 NEXT

By Michael Amakor

Hasim Rahman scored a twelve round unanimous decision victory over Monte Barrett to become the WBC Interim  Heavyweight Champion at the United Center in Chicago in a bout featured on pay per view on Showtime.

For a fight of this magnitude it was very saddening to note that many articles about this bout received scant attention by most boxing fans who could not fathom what the hype was all about, I would like to hazard a guess that the pay per view numbers were indeed low, as several fans declared their intention not to buy the fight, the numbers will soon tell the true story.

The low interest in the bout underscores the confusing situation faced by random observers and fans of boxing today. Currently, all the Heavyweight champions are virtually unknown by the general public, a situation which is a far cry from the days of Mohammed Ali, or Mike Tyson when these champions bestrode the world like giants, and now to complicate matters further Rahman has now joined the long list of title holders.

Still you could not really fault the WBC for sanctioning this bout as reigning champion Vitali Klitchko has been out of commission for a variety of reasons since December 2004, before then he had fought only once in April.

Rahman victory has now finally backed Vitali into a corner with his legacy at stake because he now has 120 days to defend his title against Rahman or risk getting  stripped. This situation may finally force him to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by Rahman to prove his supremacy of the division in an action packed media frenzy that will certainly go a long way in determining that the last last man standing, will be crowned the peoples champion.

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N.Y. COMMISSION; Do It

 Right Or Don't Do It At All !
 

By Jim Amato

Something needs to be done to protect the fighters. I could not agree more. I just did not feel that the NYSAC went about it in a proper manner. Even if the suspension is upheld, what is to stop Evander from boxing in a state that does not honor the ruling ? The door has been left ajar for Evander to do this if he so wishes. Aaron Pryor did this when he fought in Wisconsin some years back. Some states are not that strongly regulated. You know as well as I do that there are several boxers out there that are considered "career losers".

Some may even be decent fighters to a degree that are brought in to meet a local prospect with a very slim chance of winning. He comes in, takes his beating, gets paid (sometimes) and moves on to the next state. Bruce "The Mouse"Strauss made a career out of this. He was a good enough boxer to occasionally win one but more often then not he became a victim and helped to pad an aspiring fighter's record. There are so many boxers like this out there that are not even as accomplished as Strauss was that are plying their trade. "Tomato Cans" is what they are usually referred to in the business. The sport feeds off these less talented individuals. I just don't understand how they will be able to continue making a living and Evander can not.

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Ex Champ Watch

By Michael Amakor

On the under card of the Rahman versus Barrett WBC Heavyweight title Interim bout, former champion Oliver McCall scored a fourth round technical knockout victory over ex European Champion Przemyslaw Saleta at the United Center in Chicago.

Most boxing fans may remember Oliver because of the bizarre incident when he suffered an emotional breakdown in the ring against Lennox Lewis for the vacant WBC title back in 1997, but that was a long time ago.

Since that episode, he has amassed a fourteen fight winning streak before losing a close decision to Davaryll Williamson just this past November, however this recent victory against Saleta has him winning five fights in a row in 2005 alone, he now sports a record of 45 wins and eight losses.

I would like to thank Don King for his willingness to give former champions like McCall a chance, long after the proverbial short memories of boxing fans elapses, need I mention to any critic that this was the second to the last man to beat Lewis, he has also beaten the legendary Larry Holmes and Henry Akinwande, and by all accounts roughed up a prime Mike Tyson during a sparring session.

If an undeserving Andrew Golota can get three title shots in a row, why not the still powerful and ever hungry forty year old Mccall who you would reckon would have stood a better chance against John Ruiz or Chris Byrd if those fights are ever made. We can send him off into the sunset with some prize money, and in the process find out before it it too late whether he still has one last great fight still left in him as famous HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant is often known to quip, about old fighters.

Comment

Heavyweight Confusion - WHO IS THE REAL CHAMPION

By Jim Amato

I miss Lennox Lewis. I never really liked him so obviously I was not a fan. Still I find myself missing his presence among today's heavyweights. Why? Simple, with Lennox you knew who the real champion was. No ands, ifs or buts about it. When Lennox did briefly lend his title to Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, he stopped both in rematches to regain his crown.. He did not need the WBA's blessing as their champion. Did anyone really think that John Ruiz would beat him?

Lennox would become a true linear champion when he stopped Shannon Briggs. You see Shannon had defeated George Foreman who had defeated Michael Moorer who had defeated Evander Holyfield. Evander had originally won the crown by stopping Buster Douglas. This was the Buster Douglas, who had upset the undisputed heavyweight king Mike Tyson in Tokyo. After Evander beat Douglas he would lose the title to Riddick Bowe. He would regain the crown in the infamous "Fan Man" bout.

Lennox first won title recognition by the W.B.C. after he halted the dangerous Razor Ruddock in two rounds. Then newly crowned champion Riddick Bowe remembered how Lennox had battered him into submission in the 1988 Olympic games and refused to fight Lennox. Therefore the W.B.C. decided to name Lewis as their champion. Still Lennox did not join the true championship line until he beat Shannon Briggs.

Lennox is retired now and although I miss his presence on the heavyweight scene I hope he remains retired. I'm not sure where Lennox will end up among the all time greats but you have to give him his due. He turned back the challenges of Holyfield, Tyson, Tua and yes even Vitali. He was the best heavyweight of his era.

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A TRIBUTE TO GATTI AND MAYWEATHER

By Joe Haynes

Authors Note: Hello and welcome to my first contribution to FightKings.Com. First of all, before I begin, I would like to say that I am the biggest fan of boxing and take pride in being associated with the greatest sport of all - the sport of KINGS!

Arturo Gatti: My personal favorite, but the ultimate sacrificial lamb

I wrote this article to express my deep and profound appreciation of Arturo "Thunder" Gatti. Through the years, I have never revered or had such an appreciation of any fighter other than Gatti. To me, he has fulfilled every thing that I used to love about the sweet science.

The ultimate "Blood and Guts" warrior never seemed to disappoint me or make me wish he had given a better performance. There were a couple times against Gianlunco Branca where I wished he had a better ability to solve his opponents, but I have never asked my money back from Gatti like I have from Lennox Lewis or Bernand Hopkins. I always thought that this guy had a punchers chance in any fight he showed up for...Until last Saturday.

I'll be the first one to say that I was not only disappointed from what I saw last from that fight, I was also disenheartened. Keep in mind, this has nothing to do with his performance, but it has EVERYTHING to do with the fallout...I expect Gatti to fight maybe two more times, then hang it up, but Floyd Mayweather, as good as he is, is going to rule this division for the next ten years. All we have to look forward to is a cocky Junior Welterweight manhandling opponents and the rest of the field ducking him until he's pushing forty when someone finally takes him out. Not to take anything away from Mayweather, he's the best prospect since a young Ray Leonard, but we're about to fall into the same Lennox Lewis/Bernand Hopkins abyss of boring fights.

There isn't one fighter be it Ricky Hatton or Miguel Cotto who can match up to the strength, speed or endurance of Mayweather, and we're all worse off because of it. I personally hope that Gatti takes on a couple more big fights before walking into the sunset, but if he left the game tomorrow, much like the 98 Utah Jazz, they can walk away knowing that they got beat by the best there was...Gatti, as a fan favorite, has been defeated 7 times now, and for every Micky Ward victory, there's been an Ivan Robinson defeat...As sad as it is, the boxing game will lose a piece of their identity when the Thunder is silenced...Hail Ceasar (Mayweather)

Editors Note: We shall see whether Mayweather fulfills his true potential,  already there is speculation that he is interested in fighting Sugar Shane Mosley, Winky Wright and now just recenly down the wire - Zab Judah.

Comment

Rahman vs Barrett Pre-fight Analysis 

By Michael Amakor

In another curious abnormality now common place in boxing today, the WBC has sanctioned a heavyweight bout to install an Interim Champion. Reigning champion  Vitali Klitchko has been out of commission since December 2004 as he recovers from back surgery, before then he had fought only once in April. This saga got more interesting as a seemingly revitalized Vitali is now being rumored to prefer returning to the ring against the likes of Oleg Maskaev and Calvin Brock instead of his mandatory opponent Hasim Rahman in a bout that has often times been postponed by Klitchko in curious circumstances that leaves you questioning his motives. The WBC perhaps sensing that it may have to strip him down the road has ordered a runoff between Monte Barrett and Hasim Rahman for the interim title in a bout to be televised on Showtime. 

Hasim Rahman is a capable veteran who once held the USBA and IBF intercontinental belts earlier on in his career beating other rising prospects like Ross Purity, Obed Sullivan, Jesse Ferguson, Jeff Wooden and former champions Corrie Saunders and Trevor Berbeck along the way. He exploded unto the world stage with his shocking fifth round knockout of Lennox Lewis in far away South Africa to become the unified WBC, IBF and IBO Heavyweight champion of the world in a 2001 ring magazine upset of the year.        

This sudden victory catapulted him right into the media spotlight and unto a roller coaster ride of activities that saw him going on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, turning down multi million dollar deals with a HBO and Showtime, scuffling with Lewis in a pre-fight interview and squabbling with his then trainer in moves that derailed his training camp. Needless to say he got brutally knocked out by a more focused Lennox Lewis in their highly anticipated rematch in 2001; thereafter his career went into a tailspin. 

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CALZAGHE FIGHTS LACY IN NOVEMBER

By Jim Amato

Jeff Lacy sealed the deal when he halted a dead game Robin Reid. Reid was down four times and it will into the record books as a seventh round triumph for the undefeated Lacy who moves to 20-0. Now the stage has been set for Lacy, the IBF champ to meet long time WBO titleholder Joe Calzaghe in November.

This is a fine match up and a long overdue chance for world > wide recognition and respect for Calzaghe who will bring a 39-0 record to the table. At times it seemed the Calzaghe of Wales was on the verge of a super fight. Bernard Hopkins was rumored to be moving up to 168 to challenge Joe. Then Joe was considering bumping up to 175 to meet then champion Roy Jones Jr. These fights never materialized for Joe. This time it looks very > promising for Joe that this fight will come off.

Calzaghe is a quick handed boxer and a sharp puncher but he may be a few years past his prime. Lacy may be among the strongest boxers pound for pound in the world today. He is a heavy fisted, punishing fighter who just breaks opponents down. He is still a work in progress though and the seasoned Calzaghe could pose some serious problems for him.

I like Lacy. I feel he has the tools to become a first rate champion. This will be a great test for him. I respect Joe Calzaghe and his ring accomplishments thus far in his career. I just believe that Lacy is entering the beginning of his prime and will prove to be too powerful for an aging Calzaghe.

Still I expect this to be an exciting fight and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Lacy impresses!

By Christophe Neyts: www.worldcupofboxing.com

On Saturday, 2000 Sydney Olympian Jeff Lacy (#13, v470) successfully defended his IBF super middleweight title before his own fans in Tampa Florida dropping his opponent Robin Reid (#14, v460) four times to eventually win the bout on a seventh round stoppage. Lacy adds 460 points to the 110 he had already scored earlier this year, upping his World Cup total to 570 points.

The Tampa fighter climbs from rank 18 to rank 4 in the World Cup ranking, which is headed by Germany's Danilo Häussler with 1200 points. Second is Mikkel Kessler (1000 pts), followed by Markus Beyer (600 pts). In the super middleweight total ranking Lacy climbs to a temporary seventh spot, with 1060 total points. Markus Beyer still leads with 2600 points.

WBO titlist Joe Calzaghe trails by 350 points. If Calzaghe comes out victorios in his WBO title defence on September 10, he is scheduled to clash with Lacy in a IBF/WBO title unification bout on November 5. Third in the TR is Mikkel Kessler with 2200 points.

There is a new total ranking leader at 108lbs, a division which in World cup of boxing terms also contains the minimumweights. On Saturday, Eagle Kyowa (#2,v1800) regained the WBC minimumweight crown, defeating now ex-champ Katsunari Takayama (#16, v440) on points in Tokyo. The scorecards read 116-112, 117-113 and 119-111. The Japan-based Thai fighter now has 2440 total points and thus removes WBC light flywei