SB Nation User Blog: SC

Happy Independence Day from Bad Left Hook

SC — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:40:41 -0000

Since today's a major holiday here in America -- a grilling and partying holiday, no less -- I'll be out of action for today, but I wanted to wish everyone a safe and totally awesome 4th of July here in the States. For our UK readers, uh, no hard feelings? You have a good one, too.

GameThread: Orioles (35-44) @ Angels (43-34)

SC — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:04:06 -0000

Given our recent history with the Texas Rangers, usually I'd say those guys can go take a flying leap, but I so loathe watching the Angels play (no offense, Angels fans) and would so like to see someone else from the AL West in the playoffs this year that I'd really extra love for the Orioles to go out there and essentially give the Rangers a helping hand and beat this team whenever possible.

That goes for you, too, rest of baseball besides the Yankees and Red Sox.

Neither of today's pitchers have available widgets in our system, so let's talk turkey on these turkeys.

David Hernandez (1-2, 4.19/1.81) is back, taking Koji's spot in the rotation. I sort of want to call him "D-Bo." I don't know why, really. I will say that as much as it stinks to see Koji hurting and out of the rotation, I'm glad we're in a position where the guy being called up is one with actual upside.

Ervin Santana (1-3, 7.47/1.85) is also back from the minors. This guy is an enigma wrapped in wrapping. He showed tons of promise in his first two seasons, was awful in 2007, great last year, and now is the worst he's ever been. In his 31.1 innings pitched this season, batters are hitting .344 off of him. This could get offensive.

Pound 4 Pound Radio: Alexis Arguello Tribute Show

SC — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:50:23 -0000

Pound 4 Pound Radio on SIRIUS 98 did a tribute show last night to the late, great Alexis Arguello, and it's my pleasure to share the broadcast (in MP3 format) with you.

Part 1

Part 2

ESPN: Inside Marcos Maidana's upset of Victor Ortiz

SC — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:18:19 -0000

via www.hbo.com

View full size photo uploaded July 3, 2009

So much has been made of Victor Ortiz's loss and the way it came about that I do think not enough has been made of the fact that Marcos Maidana beat on him until he gave up. ESPN.com ran a fantastic article a couple days ago from the perspective of Maidana's corner. It's a must-read:

The orders were to hit first, then move in to throw harder punches, with the left paving the way for the other punches, always bobbing and weaving. And Maidana complied, but only occasionally. The fight was still a war, much to our despair.

Toward the end of the fourth round, things began to look up. Maidana connected on a trio of right hands and hooks to the body that hurt Ortiz. We could hear the exclamations from the audience ("uhh!") whenever one of those painful shots hit a soft spot.

In the fifth, the bombs from both fighters continued to land. But it was Maidana who delivered the most punishment, connecting on a tremendous right hand that opened a deep cut over Ortiz's right eye.

Continuous chants of "Or-tiz, Or-tiz" exhorted the local fighter, but Ortiz's legs weren't responding. By the end of the round, we realized he was due to hit the canvas again at any moment.

Can't recommend the article enough. Outstanding stuff.

And I still say if you missed Ortiz-Maidana, check for a replay or see if it's on HBO On Demand right now. It was a thrilling war, unsatisfying ending and all.

Friday Morning Notes: Carl Davis Drumond cleared of rape charges in Costa Rica

SC — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:12:08 -0000

Costa Rican heavyweight Carl Davis Drumond has been cleared of rape charges for the second time in two years. (via www.boxnews.com.ua)

View full size photo uploaded July 3, 2009

In a horrible but brief news story, 34-year old Costa Rican heavyweight Carl Davis Drumond was accused of rape by his housekeeper, who has now dropped the charges. Drumond has served time in prison from rape charges in 1996, and also was accused of raping a prostitute in 2008. Those charges were dropped when the alleged victim's story was inconsistent.

Drumond is saying that people are going after him now because they think he made big money for his February technical decision loss to Ruslan Chagaev.

Martin Castillo will "unretire" to face Alfredo Montano on July 17. 24-year old Montano sports a record of 9-8 with five knockouts. All eight of his losses have come by stoppage and unless Castillo (33-3, 17 KO) is more shot than any formerly good fighter I have ever seen, he should win this one with zero trouble.
Jake Donovan discusses the legacy that the late Alexis Arguello leaves behind.
Dan Rafael reports that Pacquiao-Cotto is still "on track," and that Pacquiao will be looking for at least $12 million for the fight. Mr. Rafael guesses that an official announcement will be made soon when Bob Arum returns from vacation.
For our UK fans: Muhammad Ali will be making a visit to Britain, and will attend three dinners held in his honor in London, Manchester and Stoke. Says Ali, "I want to visit one last time not only to raise awareness and funds for the Muhammad Ali Centre, but also to say goodbye in person to such a wonderful country and to all my friends and fans here, in case my health makes such a journey impossible in the future."
Happy belated birthday to Mike Tyson, who turned 43 on Tuesday. Isn't it crazy that he's younger than Bernard Hopkins? I know Mike's had another rocky year in his personal life, and we truly send our best wishes.
Chris Arreola's promoter, Dan Goossen, has either gone certifiable or he's doing one of the all-time worst hype jobs in history. Ron Borges says that Goossen believes Arreola could sell 40,000 tickets in Los Angeles, and that they want to fight at Dodger Stadium.

AP investigation says Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s debts are substantial

SC — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:19:42 -0000

Floyd Mayweather Jr. may wish he'd been a little more careful with his cash. Is his return mostly for the payday? (via www.boxnews.com.ua)

View full size photo uploaded July 3, 2009

A lot of the scuttlebutt surrounding Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s imminent return to boxing centered on people in and out of boxing believing that the former pound-for-pound ruler needed a big payday. Talk of debts to the IRS and others was denied by both the fighter and his friend and business partner, Leonard Ellerbe.

Now, though, the Associated Press has hard evidence.

The IRS hit the former pound-for-pound boxing king with a lien in October for $6.17 million in unpaid taxes from 2007, according to the Clark County Recorder in Las Vegas. A New Jersey Superior Court judgment from the same year shows he owes $193,000 in state taxes there.

...

Besides taxes, county records in Las Vegas show the former five-division champ has unresolved debts worth $9,400 to three homeowners associations. Other liens filed with the county say the boxer did not pay nearly $3,900 to a contractor that programmed electronics at one of his homes and $320.10 to his trash collector.

Add it all up: $6,376,620. And ten cents.

Ellerbe continues to deny the claims:

"Floyd Mayweather does not have a problem with the IRS," Ellerbe told the AP on Thursday. "He doesn't owe the IRS $6.1 million ... I don't (care) what a lien says."

"When you have a problem with them, you ain't hard to find — ask Wesley Snipes," Ellerbe said. "You go to jail, they come take your (stuff). He doesn't have a problem."

I know they want to spin this as best they can, but it took years for Wesley Snipes' troubles to become known. More than that, Mayweather has a September 19 date that even after taxes on that and paying his corner and the like will still single-handedly erase this debt. Don't forget he's also the lead promoter for his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez.

This isn't about disgracing Floyd or anything. These things happen. Richer folks than Mayweather have screwed up their finances beyond belief. As huge a figure as $6 million-plus is, it's quite fixable in his position.

It is, though, hard to take Ellerbe seriously with this news now so readily available to the public. Like it or not, Mayweather-Marquez will now be firmly associated with one thing: Floyd needing the money.

Rafael Concepcion subbed in as Aug. 15 opponent for Nonito Donaire

SC — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:39:36 -0000

After talks with Hugo Cazares fell through, Nonito Donaire will now face Rafael Concepcion in his August 15 move to the junior bantamweight division. (via www.notifight.com)

View full size photo uploaded July 2, 2009

Nonito Donaire's August 15 pay-per-view fight with former 108-pound champion Hugo Cazares has fallen through, and Donaire will now face Rafael Concepcion that night in Las Vegas. San Francisco Examiner boxing writer Colin Seymour says that talks with both Cazares and Jose Lopez failed, and that promoter Bob Arum says Concecpion was "the best [they] could do."

Concecpcion (13-3-1, 8 KO) held the interim WBA title at 115 pounds last year after upsetting Pinoy prospect AJ Banal with a 10th round knockout in July, then less than two months later went to Mexico to defend against Jorge Arce, a hell of a tough war that Arce won when Concepcion retired after nine rounds of back-and-forth slugging.

He's better than his record, though Nonito Donaire has already noted that he is shorter than he expected. Donaire, moving up from 112 pounds, is listed at 5'6", while Concepcion is listed at 5'4" and that might be a bit of an overstatement. Concepcion also hasn't made 115 pounds since the Arce fight, though he's fought twice since then. He weighed 127 pounds for a fight with a tomato can in November, and 120 for a fight against Kermin Guardi in February.

The fight has also stirred up some folks in boxing, notably handlers of Concepcion's planned opponent for September 6, up-and-coming Filipino Drian Francisco (17-0-1, 13 KO). Concepcion opted to breach his contract and take the Donaire fight, but it sounds like Top Rank is willing to reimburse everyone involved with that card for money spent promoting the fight, and for airfare to and from the Philippines as well. Donaire being a fellow Filipino also helped, according to the event's managers.

Donaire-Concepcion is a pretty safe bet for a Donaire win, a fairly easy move up to 115, but not a lot different than the proposed Donaire-Cazares bout, which I found mildly interesting but also sort of transparent. Cazares really doesn't belong at the weight, and power, speed and youth were probably all on Donaire's side. Against Concepcion, he's taking on a guy who can take some punishment, but I also think Donaire will get him out of there in the middle rounds. Concepcion isn't a big banger and isn't particularly fast, so I expect him to really struggle to keep up with Donaire offensively and defensively.

Wednesday Notes: 72-year old boxer batters knife-wielding assailant

SC — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:33:13 -0000

72-year old former boxer Frank Corti thwarted a knife-wielding burglar with his bare hands near Oxford, England. (via i.dailymail.co.uk)

View full size photo uploaded July 1, 2009

Maybe there should be a new saying: Don't bring a knife to a fistfight with a 72-year old ex boxer. If you do, you might wind up looking like Greg McCallum did after he attempted to rob Frank Corti near Oxford, England.

Despite boxing being one of my favorite things on earth and the fact that I'm an MMA fan as well, and I grew up watching pro wrestling and still love a good action or horror movie (and oft times a bad one, too), I'm not a violent guy. But if you're the type of guy to go after a 72-year old, unarmed man with a knife and he winds up beating the left side of your face into hamburger mush with his bare hands, you pretty much had it coming.

The blows were so powerful that McCalium, who had just lunged at Mr Corti with the knife, was left looking like he had been in 'a car accident'.

The pensioner then restrained him until police arrived. He was jailed for four and a half years yesterday after a judge told him he had 'got what he deserved'.

...

Recorder Angela Morris said: 'Luckily, Mr Corti was an able-bodied 72-year-old who was able to defend himself.

'The jury might well have concluded you got what you deserved when you entered that property and took a swipe at him with that weapon.

'The elderly and vulnerable people are entitled to demand the protection of courts from people like you who decide to take matters into your own hands and enter a property with a weapon.'

Mr Corti, a retired car worker, added: 'If needed to, I would do it again.'

That last line is some John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn or Gran Torino Clint Eastwood stuff.

UFC stars Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, who will meet for a second time at UFC 100 this month, talked some boxing recently and...well, they tried, let's put it that way. Mir confuses Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera at one point. Mir then ends with this line: "The UFC put the nail in the coffin on boxing, which shot itself in the foot. I tell some of my friends, who are huge boxing fans, 'Don’t blame the UFC for boxing's decline, blame what you’ve done to yourself." Hey, if it helps him sleep better at night...
Hey, look at that, Jose Sulaiman and the WBC favors Mexican fighters again. The sanctioning body said it will return Antonio Margarito to its welterweight rankings despite the fact that he's currently suspended by the California State Athletic Commission, which everyone else is taking to heart. Margarito says he's going to fight in September in Mexico, but his promoter Bob Arum has said recently (if I recall, to ESPN.com's Dan Rafael) that he won't promote him until the suspension is lifted.
Golden Boy chief Oscar de la Hoya is just one of the many around the world and around boxing mourning the loss of Alexis Arguello, the great former champion and Hall of Famer who died of a suspected suicide at the age of 57. "The Golden Boy" sent out a press release calling Arguello his "idol," and recalling nice times spent with him before and after Oscar's 2008 fight with Steve Forbes. Side note: Not to be mean at the wrong time, but does anyone else recall Oscar calling Julio Cesar Chavez his idol at one point?
Guess who else sent out a press release? "The Quiet Man" himself, John Ruiz. Ruiz got wind of Chris Arreola fighting in September against a former champion, according to Dan Goossen, and now he's decided he should be that man. Not that I think Arreola has the pure, one-shot power of David Tua, but I don't think Ruiz would fare so well against Arreola.

GameThread: Red Sox (47-29) @ Orioles (34-42)

SC — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:30:45 -0000

It still sort of bothers me that John Smoltz is with the Red Sox. It's starting to bother me that Rich Hill is an Oriole.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - John Smoltz	0-1	1	1	0	0	0	0	5.0	7	5	5	0	1	5	9.00	1.60

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Rich Hill	3-2	9	8	0	0	0	0	37.1	37	26	25	3	24	34	6.03	1.63

Tuesday Notes: Victor Ortiz tries to come clean

SC — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:41:11 -0000

Victor Ortiz and Golden Boy Promotions are trying to spin his loss to Marcos Maidana, but now Ortiz has to prove he belongs. (via www.hbo.com)

View full size photo uploaded June 30, 2009

Golden Boy Promotions and Victor Ortiz are now in full spin mode. A press release sent out by the company highlights Ortiz's loss to Marcos Maidana from Saturday and his troubling post-fight comments, and attempts to explain them away as poor game planning followed by poor choice of words.

Says Ortiz himself: "I didn't fight the right fight and I didn't execute the correct game plan to beat Maidana. ... I made some comments after the fight that were an emotional response to the loss. I take full responsibility for my mistakes and actions, but I didn't mean what I said. I am young, have things to learn, and I guarantee you, I will be a world champion. Mark my words: Just watch me!"

Oscar de la Hoya chimes in: "Victor is a 22-year old kid with a brilliant future ahead of him in boxing. ... He got caught a couple times trying to go for the knockout even though he was clearly winning the fight."

And Richard Schaefer plays the blame game: "Victor suffered from being hit by several illegal blows to the back of the head and was sent to the hospital after the fight for a post-fight check-up as a precaution. He was there until close to 3am for testing, and although he is thought to have suffered a concussion, was released from the hospital."

Ortiz's co-manager Rolando Arellano says: "I will not allow the negative opinions and thoughts of others to poison our advancement towards a world championship."

I don't have anything in the world against Victor Ortiz. I doubt there are many people that do. The guy is dynamite to watch fight, and part of what makes him so good is his above average instinct to go in for the kill. That and sloppiness also are what got him drilled against Maidana, the first serious puncher he'd ever faced, and maybe after that performance one of the better punchers in the sport today. I don't think there's any great shame in losing to Maidana. I honestly thought that fight was pretty damn close to 50/50 going in, though I picked Ortiz based on the fact that I thought his speed would wind up being way too much for Maidana in the mid-to-late rounds. If anything, Maidana came in underrated after a fine showing against Andriy Kotelnik. Some folks talked like this was an Ortiz walkover. If Golden Boy thought that way, they were mistaken.

But seriously: What did they expect after the way he quit and the things he said after the fight? No matter how you want to spin this, he has to prove it now. No one's going to mark his words. For perhaps the first time in his young career, Victor Ortiz has to prove it. No more getting big fights based on potential or the kind words of his promoters.

You've got Oscar spinning youthful mistakes, Schaefer citing routine post-fight check-ups as some amazing evidence of Maidana being a dirty fighter, and then Arellano with the melodramatic "poisoning of [their] advancement towards a world championship."

The thing stopping Ortiz's advancement right now is the fact that he gave up the first time he was against it in a fight. It's not opinions from writers or fans, though some are certainly a bit extreme and classless. I hope Ortiz does whatever he needs to do. He's in a great spot to get advice from guys like Oscar and Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. He's got access to the best in boxing. And he's got all the natural talent in the world. He's fast, strong, exciting, and has that killer instinct. I certainly would love to see him bounce back, learn from this, and come out even stronger and better than we expected. Do I think he can? Eh, what do I know? But if I'm wagering a guess, probably not. Just one dude's opinion though.

Ricky Hatton's lawyer Gareth Williams told the Telegraph that the talk of an imminent Hatton comeback is "pure conjecture," and that the Manchester fighter has been in the gym simply to stay in shape. Williams himself admits this may seem odd, given Hatton's reputation for turning into Ricky Fatton between fights, and Ricky being in the gym seems to tell me that he does want to fight again, but that anything past that is still simply a rumor, which is what Mr. Williams is telling us.
Irish manager Gary Hyde is attempting to stop Cuban defector and super prospect Guillermo Rigondeaux from fighting on the July 17th edition of Friday Night Fights. Hyde also manages Cuban defectors Mike Perez, Alexi Acosta and Luis Garcia. Hyde claims that Rigondeaux signed a managerial contract with him in March 2007. Hyde also claims that the only contract on file for Rigondeaux is with the Florida State Boxing Commission, dated May 2009, and that once he made his contract known, managers GSMG and Marcus Concepcion came back with a contract dated June 2006. No matter how this turns out, it might put another dent in Rigondeaux's fledgling pro career.

SB Nation User Blog: SC

Happy Independence Day from Bad Left Hook

GameThread: Orioles (35-44) @ Angels (43-34)

Pound 4 Pound Radio: Alexis Arguello Tribute Show

ESPN: Inside Marcos Maidana's upset of Victor Ortiz

Friday Morning Notes: Carl Davis Drumond cleared of rape charges in Costa Rica

AP investigation says Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s debts are substantial

Rafael Concepcion subbed in as Aug. 15 opponent for Nonito Donaire

Wednesday Notes: 72-year old boxer batters knife-wielding assailant

GameThread: Red Sox (47-29) @ Orioles (34-42)

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Tuesday Notes: Victor Ortiz tries to come clean