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Nov 19, 2009 May 30, 2012 1032 231

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 12 - Week 2

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We've got lots to choose from on the game-sheet - so if you happened to get off to a rough start last week, fear not, as this weekend offers plenty of chances to put points on the board and get back in contention.

Much of the action takes place on Showtime's big Four Warned card from the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Former light-heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver takes on Lateef Kayode in a 12-round cruiserweight affair in the main-event, while Austin Trout puts his undefeated record on the line against veteran Delvin Rodriguez in the 154lb co-feature.

The show, packed with more depth than boxing fans are used to these days, also brings together up and coming middleweight Peter Quillin in a 10-rounder with former junior-middleweight ruler Winky Wright. Plus, there's an interesting bantamweight clash between prospect/contender Leo Santa Cruz and South African southpaw Vusi Malinga. For good measure, Showtime Extreme has long time 168lb contender Sakio Bika going up against prospect Dyah Davis.

Rounding out the line-up is a junior-middleweight clash between Gabriel Rosado and Sechew Powell, along with a couple of British fights. The UK match-ups have youngster Billy Joe Saunders going up against veteran Bradley Pryce and Brian Rose putting his British crown on the line against southpaw Kris Carslaw.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

You can check out last season's final standings here.

Let’s get to the week 2 line-up…

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43 comments  | 

Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 12 - Week 1 Standings

Only 15 pick'em players correctly selected Carl Froch to win Saturday's 168lb showdown with Lucian Bute - and of those 15, only 3 picked the Nottingham fighter to win by stoppage. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

In the history of the Bad Left Hook pick'em game, there have been few rougher episodes than what took place over Season 12's opening weekend. Even most of those who picked Carl Froch to win (and there were 15 such astute entries) struggled to put points on the board, as the manner in which the Nottingham fighter dispatched Lucian Bute was only foreseen by a handful of players.

Leading the way with a big 52 points was TheMysticalNinja, thanks to a 3 for 5 weekend that included a double on Froch to win and a triple on Froch by stoppage.

In second spot was first time player DrRck (3 for 4), who did a fair job of fooling everyone into believing he was no threat to contend... only to throw down a 30.5 score. Third spot went to alargar (4 for 5) at 26.5, while ekker3 (3 for 5) took fourth with 18.5 and Skeletor1982 (2 for 4) grabbed fifth with 18.5.

The only other players to score higher than the weekly 10 point bonus were tetsujin (1 for 2) at 17 and tencount (2 for 4) with 12.

The rest of the top ten had knibilnats at 9, Oli Goldstein 8.5 and a tie for the tenth spot between danywade and Matt Miller with 7.5 each.

**** As always, please check your totals for accuracy - if there's an error, let us know in the comments ****

The complete weekly standings after the jump...

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 12 - Week 1

We've got a big fight to kick off the opening week of the new pick'em season, with Carl Froch going up against Lucian Bute in Nottingham. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

Everyone is back on level terms as a new season of pick'em action starts this week.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

Topping the bill for week 1 are a pair of the world's best 168lb fighters, with unbeaten southpaw Lucian Bute traveling to Nottingham for a showdown with Super-Six runner-up Carl Froch. As there isn't too much else happening in the boxing world this weekend, we've thrown an over-under in as well for this one.

The show's main supporting bout has promising Carl Frampton taking on Raul Hirales of Mexico in a 12-round super-bantamweight clash.

An interesting Friday Night Fights match-up rounds out this week's action, with Alisher Rahimov taking on Ji-Hoon Kim in Missouri.

You can check out last season's final standings here.

Let’s get to the week 1 line-up…

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78 comments  | 

Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season Eleven Final Standings

David Price's knock-out victory was just part of a big week 10 posted by Hoosier, the new Bad Left Hook pick'em champion. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

We have a new champion, as Hoosier closed with a flourish to claim the Season 11 crown with 251 points. Having saved plenty of doubles & triples for the final week, the latest pick'em titlist declared "2nd place is first loser, Go Big or Go Home," before dropping a huge 68 points to blow away the field.

Second spot went to ekker3 with a very respectable 221.5 points, followed Sweet science in third (for the second season in a row) with 214. The 2011 overall champion ulises solis grabbed fourth with 205, while KidSleez placed fifth with 195.5.

The rest of the overall top ten had EndoEnderson in sixth at 186.5, Radu seventh with 178, Brockman1 eighth at 175.5, Dafs ninth at 175.5 and Sam5001 in tenth with 165.5.

The 68 points posted by Hoosier, was easily good enough to take weekly honors. In second was Vicmatic1 with 43.5, followed RyanSexton in third at 34 and Radu in fourth at 33.5. There was a tie for fifth, with cheetahpants and sp0rtsfan86 both posting 30.5 points. The rest of the weekly top ten had TheMysticalNinja at 29.5, A.F. 27.5, MrAlencon at 26 and indian runner at 25.5.

The top 20 players all received Player of the Year points. Here are the current POTY standings (Season 11 POTY points in brackets)...

  1. Sweet science … 22 ( 11 )
  2. Radu … 17 ( 7 )
  3. TheDemolitionDan … 17 ( 2 )
  4. A.F. … 16 ( 3 )
  5. Hoosier_ … 15 ( 15 )
  6. ekker3 … 13 ( 13 )
  7. ulises solis … 12 ( 10 )
  8. KidSleez … 9 ( 9 )
  9. EndoEnderson … 8 ( 8 )
  10. tencount … 8 ( 0 )
  11. Sam5001 … 7 ( 4 )
  12. quincyte … 7 ( 0 )
  13. Brockman1 … 6 ( 6 )
  14. Nonpariel Barry Punchbag … 6 ( 0 )
  15. Dafs … 5 ( 5 )
  16. moidadabum … 5 ( 1 )
  17. Oli Goldstein … 5 ( 0 )
  18. RyanSexton … 3 ( 3 )
  19. Vicmatic1 … 3 ( 2 )
  20. alargar … 3 ( 0 )
  21. m0rpheas … 3 ( 0 )
  22. Eugene Banks … 2 ( 2 )
  23. BrianBrock … 2 ( 1 )
  24. Dplainview … 2 ( 0 )
  25. Matt Miller … 2 ( 0 )
  26. sp0rtsfan86 … 1 ( 1 )
  27. PhinsAllDay … 1 ( 1 )
  28. DrHenrik … 1 ( 1 )
  29. Dave Oakes … 1 ( 0 )
  30. indian runner … 1 ( 0 )
  31. Skeletor1982 … 1 ( 0 )

The complete overall and weekly standings after the jump...

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 10

Mikkel Kessler will be a big favorite when he makes the move to light-heavyweight this Saturday against Allan Green. (Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)

A week left in the season, and the title race is still wide open. And if you're a little farther back, there are still plenty of Player of the Year points up for grabs.

We've got 6 bouts on the line-up, with a 175lb clash between Mikkel Kessler and Allan Green topping the bill.

There's a super-flyweight match-up finally taking place in Mexico, with Juan Carlos Sanchez and Juan Alberto Rosas going at it. Friday Night Fights has a junior-welterweight 10-rounder that looks on paper to be fairly well matched, with Karim Mayfield taking on Raymond Serrano in Albany.

There's also a couple of heavyweight fights, with British prospect David Price going up against Sam Sexton and Odlanier Solis facing Konstantin Airich. And finally, at the other end of the spectrum, a minimuweight battle between Denver Cuello and Ganigan Lopez.

For a better look at all the action, check out Scott's breakdown on this week's TV Schedule.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

You can check out last week's standings here.

Let’s get to the week 10 line-up…

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39 comments  | 

Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 9 Standings

Only 4 pick'em players were rewarded by Willie Nelson's upset victory over Yudel Jhonson on Friday night.  A total of 19 players lost points by going with the favored Cuban.  (Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime)

A perfect 4 for 4 tally, including both upset winners, a double on Brian Viloria by stoppage and a triple on Gennady Golovkin by stoppage, gave Radu the week's top score with 52 points.

In second spot was ulises solis (3 for 4, 3 doubles) with 41.5, followed by Vicmatic1 (2 for 4, 1 double & 1 triple) in second at 31.5 and a tie for fourth between notclements (3 for 4, 1 double) and TheMysticalNinja (3 for 4, 1 double) with 31. The rest of the weekly top ten had DrHenrik at 28.5, KidSleez 26.5, Eugene Banks 24.5, Skeletor1982 22 and ekker3 with 21.

There is a new name at the top of the leaderboard, with ekker3 moving up from third place to take the overall top spot with 207 points. Dropping a spot after a rough week is Sweet science at 197.5, while KidSleez continues to charge forward, moving from fifth into third with 192.

Last season's overall champion ulises solis is also making a big late run, jumping up from ninth into fourth with 190.5, while Dafs drops a few places into fifth at 186. Rounding out the top ten is Hoosier at 186, EndoEnderson 170, Eugene Banks 163, Brockman1 161 and BrianBrock at 158.

The complete weekly standings and overall leaders after the jump...

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 9

Brian Viloria takes on Omar Nino Romero this Sunday in the Philippines.

We're coming down to the wire in what might be the most competitive pick'em season to date. Several players still have a crack at the title, and with two weeks to play, every pick is crucial - so if you've been saving those doubles and triples, this might be the weekend to use them.

Topping the bill is the latest installment of a little man trilogy, with Brian Viloria looking to even the score with old rival Omar Nino Romero. Given Viloria has the home field edge and the better resume of late, we've made the BLH #2 ranked flyweight a sizable favorite.

Also in action is Gennady Golovkin (BLH #6), with the heavy handed middleweight taking on Japanese southpaw Makoto Fuchigami.

The game-sheet also features a super-flyweights Juan Alberto Rosas (BLH #8) and Juan Carlos Sanchez battling it out in Mexico, along with a British welterweight title bout between Colin Lynes and Junior Witter. Rounding out the line-up is Friday's Shobox main-event between Yudel Jhonson and Willie Nelson.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

You can check out last week's standings here.

Let’s get to the week 9 line-up…

Continue reading this post »

29 comments  | 

Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 8 Standings

A total of 21 pick'em players correctly tabbed Carlos Quintana's upset victory on Saturday night, while 13 players lost points going with Deandre Latimore.  (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

KidSleez took weekly honors with a big 61.5 points, thanks to a 6 for 8 week that included a couple of successful doubles (Over 11 1/2 Mayweather-Cotto & Alvarez by decision) and a triple on Floyd Mayweather by decision.

**** A quick note before we get to the rest of the weekly top 10... Only players that went the KO route in the Huck-Afolabi draw lost points. All other selections were voided, and doubles/tripled refunded. ****

Second place went to Matt Miller (4 for 7, 2 doubles & 1 triple) with 53.5, followed by tencount (4 for 6, 3 doubles) in third at 49.5. and Sweet science (4 for 6, 1 triple) in fourth with 44.5. BrianBrock (4 for 8, 1 double & 1 triple) grabbed fifth with 44, while Sam5001 and A.F. tied for sixth at 41.5.

The rest of the weekly top ten had Brockman1 at 36, ulises solis 32 and Dafs 32.

Thanks to a strong week, Sweet science opened up a little bit of room at the top of the overall leaderboard with 206.5 points.

Dafs edges up a couple spots into second with 191, while ekker3 holds steady in third at 186 and Hoosier slips a couple places into fourth with 178.5. On the strength of the weekly top score, KidSleez jumps all the way from fourteenth into fifth with 165.5, while BrianBrock climbs a few places into sixth at 154.5.

TheDemolitionDan and EndoEnderson are tied for seventh with 152 points, followed by ulises solis in ninth at 149 and Sam5001 in tenth with 145.5.

The complete weekly standings and overall leaders after the jump...

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 8

Floyd Mayweather faces off against Miguel Cotto in this weekend's featured bout. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

We've got lots of action for you this weekend, with the HBO PPV main-event between Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto topping the bill. Also on the line-up are a couple match-ups from the less than spectacular undercard with Saul Alvarez facing Shane Mosley and Deandre Latimore going up against Carlos Quintana.

There's action from Germany as well, with an intriguing cruiserweight rematch between Marco Huck and Ola Afolabi. Heavyweights Kubrat Pulev and Alexander Dimitrenko are also on the game-sheet in the main supporting bout.

Rounding out this week's pick'em action is a featherweight clash from Singapore between Chris John and Shoji Kimura, along middleweight action from France featuring Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam and Max Bursak.

For a nice breakdown of the week's action, check out Scott's analysis on the Bad Left Hook TV Schedule.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

You can check out last week's standings here.

Let’s get to the week 8 line-up…

Continue reading this post »

43 comments  | 

Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 7 Standings

Only 3 pick'em players correctly tabbed Paulie Malignaggi to emerge victorious on Sunday, with 34 players losing points on Vyacheslav Senchenko. (Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)

A busy few days of boxing saw ekker3 take weekly honors with an 8 for 11 tally that was good for 59 points. Keys to the big score were successful doubles on Roman Gonzalez to win by knockout and Denis Grachev's surprising stoppage of heavily favored Ismayl Sillakh.

Taking second spot was Sweet science (6 for 8, 2 doubles & 1 triple) with a big 52 points, followed by CURSEONE (4 for 6, 1 triple) in third with 38.5 and last season's winner TheDemolitionDan (7 for 11, 2 triples) in fourth at 37.5. Brockman1 (7 for 9) grabbed fifth with 34, while the rest of the top ten had sp0rtsfan86 at 33, Vicmatic1 31, jake_ash 31, EndoEnderson 27.5 and Hoosier with 25.5.

Taking over first place is Sweet science with 162 points, though the margin is slim. Right behind are Hoosier and ekker3, tied for second with 159.5, while last week's overall leader Dafs is right there in fourth at 159. In striking distance for a second title is TheDemolitionDan with 145, while tetsujin and EndoEnderson are tied for sixth at 125.5.

The rest of the overall top ten has 2011's overall winner ulises solis at 117, sp0rtsfan86 116.5 and BrianBrock with 110.5.

The complete weekly standings and overall leaders after the jump...

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Bad Left Hook British Scene: Tony Bellew vs Danny McIntosh Preview

Tony Bellew puts his British light-heavyweight title on the line against Danny McIntosh on Friday. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Dave Oakes previews Friday's British light-heavyweight title clash between champion Tony Bellew and challenger Danny McIntosh.

Tony Bellew steps back to British title level this Friday night when he defends his light-heavyweight title against former European champion Danny McIntosh. Both are coming in off the back of a loss - Bellew fell short at world level last time out, losing a majority decision to Nathan Cleverly in a battle that was more competitive than had been anticipated, whilst McIntosh was dropped and stopped by Eduard Gutknecht.

There’s been a change in Bellew’s style since he climbed off the canvas a couple of times to beat Ovill McKenzie in their first meeting in late 2010. The gung-ho bombs away style has been replaced by a more thoughtful method based on using the skills he honed in the amateurs. As was seen against Cleverly, and in the McKenzie rematch, Bellew is better technically than most thought and does all the basics well enough not to take the unnecessary risks he’d been doing previously.

Questions remain about the Liverpudlians chin; he’s been down a few times but has always managed to beat the count, which must partly be due to his hard work and professionalism in training. Bellew is big for a light-heavyweight and has admitted that he has to work incredibly hard to make the weight - something that won’t be helping him in the chin department, although his stamina and recuperation capabilities have clearly been aided by the gym work done to shed the weight.

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 7

Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson are going to try it again on Saturday night in Atlantic City.  Let's hope we see more fighting this time out. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

We've got 10 fights (Yes, 10 fights!) for you to select from this week, with the light-heavyweight championship contest between Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson topping the bill. The rest of the action features doubleheaders from FNF, Shobox, Fox Deportes, along with match-ups from Azteca, Sky and Integrated Sports.

For a nice breakdown of the week's action, check out Scott's analysis on the Bad Left Hook TV Schedule.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

You can check out last week's standings here.

Let’s get to the week 7 line-up…

Continue reading this post »

39 comments  | 

Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 6 Standings

Only 6 players picked up points on Anselmo Moreno's victory on Saturday night, with 5 players taking the slick bantamweight to win by stoppage, and 1 other player taking Moreno via any method.  A total of 27 players lost points, with 23 going with Moreno by decision, and another 4 gambling on De La Mora to pull the upset. (Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime)

In what proved a tough week to post good numbers, honors went to DrHenrik with 26 points on the strength of a 4 for 5 tally.

In second spot was RyanSexton with 25.5, followed by Mystical Ninja in third at 19.5. Fourth place went to Hoosier with 18.5, while EndoEnderson placed fifth with 18. The rest of the weekly top ten had Dafs at 17.5, alargar 17, ulises solis 15.5, indian runner 14.5 and ekker3 with 13.

Still topping the overall leaderboard is Dafs with 136.5 points, while Hoosier holds down second place at 134. PhinsAllDay keeps a grasp of third with 123, while ulises solis 122 and Eugene Banks 114.5 switch places between fourth and fifth.

The rest of the overall top ten has Sweet Science and Sam5001 at 110, TheDemolitionDan 107.5, tetsujin 107 and ekker3 at 100.5.

The complete weekly standings and overall leaders after the jump...

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Bad Left Hook British Scene: Anthony Crolla vs Derry Mathews Preview

Anthony Crolla takes on Derry Mathews on Sky Sports this Saturday.

Dave Oakes previews Saturday's British lightweight title clash between Anthony Crolla and Derry Mathews (undercard details after the jump).

In October 2006 a young Derry Mathews produced the best performance of his fledgling career by beating hometown favourite Stephen Foster Jnr at the MEN Arena. There was a buzz amongst ringsiders following the performance – most had picked Foster, the few who picked Mathews had felt it would be close, no-one expected Mathews to win as clearly as he did.

Making his debut way down the undercard that night was Anthony Crolla, boxing his way to a four round points victory in a fight that was overshadowed by the big names on the bill (Calzaghe, Maccarinelli and the then hot prospects Kell Brook and Nathan Cleverly). Only the utterly devoted boxing fans in the arena took any notice of Crolla, knowing he was an ABA champion with a burgeoning reputation around the north-west.

Five and a half years later the pair meet at Oldham Sports Centre with Crolla very much the favourite to win. If you’d said to the spectators that night at the M.E.N that Mathews would fail to win a major domestic title in his career, most would’ve laughed at you. That’s exactly what’s happened though and time is running out for the affable Scouser to change it. Saturday night may be his last chance.

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 6

Crafty southpaw Anselmo Moreno is a heavy favorite for his 118lb clash against David De La Mora. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

We have 5 fights for you to choose from this weekend.

Topping the bill is a Showtime double-header featuring Abner Mares (#1 at 118) and Anselmo Moreno (#2 at 118). Unfortunately, they're not fighting each other, but rather going up against opponents outside of the top 10, with Mares taking on Eric Morel and Moreno facing off against David De La Mora.

Also on the game-sheet are a couple of Super-Middleweight match-ups, with James DeGale taking on Christian Sanavia in Denmark and Adonis Stevenson (#9 at 168) battling Noe Gonzalez in the FNF main-event from Montreal. Rounding out the line-up is the British lightweight title clash between champion Anthony Crolla and challenger Derry Matthews.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

You can check out last week's standings here.

Let’s get to the week 6 line-up…

Continue reading this post »

38 comments  | 

Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 5 Standings

Not surprisingly, only 2 players correctly picked Felix Sturm to record a stoppage win over Sebastian Zbik on Friday.  A total of 34 took Sturm to win via decision, while 1 player took a gamble on Zbik by decision.  (Photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)

This week's top player with 49 points was KidSleez, thanks to a 5 for 8 week that included a triple on Felix Sturm's victory over Sebastian Zbik, along with another triple on Albert Mensah's upset win over Michael Katsidis.

In second spot was tetsujin (5 for 7, 1 triple) with 43.5, followed by Eugene Banks (5 for 8, 1 triple) in third with 43 and PhinsAllDay (6 for 8) in fourth at 40. BrianBrock (5 for 7) took fifth at 30.5, while moidadabum (3 for 3, 2 doubles & 1 triple) grabbed sixth with 30. The rest of the weekly top ten had Brockman1 at 27.5, DrHenrik 26.5, sp0rtsfan86 26 and Hoosier at 24.

We have a new overall leader with Dafs moving up a couple places from third into first with 119 points. Hoosier climbs a few spots from sixth into second with 115.5, while PhinsAllDay jumps all the way from thirteenth spot into third at 113.

Another big mover is EugeneBanks, going all the way from eighteenth into fourth at 110.5, while last week's leader ulises solis drops to fifth with 106.5. The rest of the overall top ten has tetsujin at 103, Sweet science and BrianBrock with 100.5, Sam5001 at 100, and KidSleez with 98.5.

The complete weekly standings and overall leaders after the jump...

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 5

Sebastian Zbik enters Saturday's clash with Felix Sturm as a slight underdog.  (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

We've got a busy line-up of pick'em action for you this weekend.

Topping the bill - at least when it comes to potentially competitive match-ups - is a middleweight clash from Germany between Felix Sturm (BLH #2 at 160) and Sebastian Zbik.

Also on the line-up are three fights from the HBO PPV card. The Mexico City main-event has Juan Manuel Marquez (#1 at 135) facing Serhiy Fedchenko, while the Vegas portion of the show has Brandon Rios (#2 at 135) taking on Richard Abril and Mike Alvarado (#8 at 140) squaring off against Mauricio Herrera.

The Friday Night Fights main-event has Australian brawler Michael Katsidis (#10 at 135) squaring off against Albert Mensah in a 10-rounder.

Rounding out the game-sheet is a heavyweight match-up from Belfast between Tyson Fury (#7 at HVY) and Martin Rogan.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

You can check out last week's standings here.

Let’s get to the week 5 line-up…

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Bad Left Hook Japanese Scene: Ioka-Yaegashi set for June, Fuchigami and Amagasa defend titles

Amagasa & Fuchigami

Sidney Boquiren has the latest boxing news from Japan (plus recaps after the jump). For more Japanese boxing updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

After months of negotiations, contracts for a fight between top minimumweights Kazuto Ioka and Akira Yaegashi have finally been sealed. The WBC and WBA champions will square off at Osaka's Bodymaker Colosseum on June 20, marking the first ever unification bout between Japanese titleholders. Ioka (9-0, 6KO; Ring #2) has made two defenses of the green belt he won from Oleydong Sithsamerchai in February 2011, while Yaegashi (15-2, 8KO; Ring #9) will wager the strap he won last October against Pornsawan Porpramook.

Blending athleticism and technique, Ioka is a thoroughbred raised under uncle and former two-division champion Hiroki Ioka. The 23-year old won multiple titles in the unpaid ranks as a high schooler, then set the national record for fastest to a world title, taking the crown from Sithsamerchai in just his seventh pro bout. Gradually refining his game with a solid showing against Juan Hernandez last August, then blowing out Yodgoen Tor Chalermchai in just 98 seconds on New Year's Eve, the prodigy may be making his last performance at boxing's lowest weight class. Ioka moved down for the title shot against Sithsamerchai and has regularly been troubled in making the 105-pound limit.

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Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 4 Standings

Edgar Sosa was a popular selection with pick'em players this week, and the Mexican flyweight didn't disappoint.  A total of 24 out of 32 players were rewarded by picking Sosa over Wilbert Uicab on Saturday night.

Weekly honors were shared by ulises solis (2 for 3, 1 triple) and Eugene Banks (2 for 3, 1 triple), with both players picking up 39 points.

There was a four-way tie for third place, with Dafs (3 for 3, 1 double), TheDemolitionDan (3 for 3, 1 double), Radu (3 for 3, 1 double) and Brian Brock (1 for 2, 1 triple) all posting 37 point scores. Rounding out the weekly top ten were indian runner at 35, ekker3 29, Brockman1 29, Sam5001 27and sp0rtsfan86 27.

The new overall leader is last year's champion ulises solis with 118 points. Sam5001 edges up one spot into second with 102, while Dafs jumps all the way from tenth into third at 97.

A couple of last season's top players also making moves with Radu and defending title holder TheDemolitinDan now tied for fourth place with 94.5. The rest of the overall top ten has Hoosier at 91.5, Matt Miller 89.5, ekker3 88.5, Sweet science 86.5 and EndoEnderson at 80.

The Sanchez-Rosas fight appears not to have taken place. All doubles/triples were refunded.

The complete weekly standings and overall leaders after the jump...

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 4

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We've got 4 fights for you on this week's pick'em line-up. The first couple of bouts take place in Tokyo on Friday, so take into account the time difference and get your picks in QUICKLY.

Headlining the Tokyo show is Vic Darchinyan (Rated #4 by Bad Left Hook), with the Raging Bull looking to get back in the win column against undefeated Shinsuke Yamanaka (#9). In the co-feature, Takahiro Ao (#2) takes on Terdsak Kokietgym in a 130lb clash.

Also on the game sheet are a couple of fights from Mexico with Edgar Sosa (#7) squaring off against Wilbert Uicab in a battle of flyweights, and Juan Alberto Rosas (#8) taking on Juan Carlos Sanchez in a super-flyweight match-up.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

You can check out last week's standings here.

Let’s get to the week 4 line-up…

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Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 3 Standings

Only 9 players collected points on Arthur Abraham's victory over Piotr Wilczewski.  Of the correct picks, 2 had Abraham via any method, and another seven had the heavy handed slugger by decision.  The breakdown of incorrect selections had 23 players taking Abraham to win by stoppage, and 4 taking a chance on Wilczewski to pull the upset. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Nopariel Barry Punchbag went 3 for 4 to post this week's top score with 24.5 points.

In second place was rookie rpm0003 (3 for 3) with 24, followed by PhinsAllDay (3 for 4. 1 double) in third with 23 and A.F. (2 for 2) in fourth at 21.5. Sweet science (3 for 4) and Radu (3 for 4) tied for fifth with 21, while the rest of the top ten had sp0rtfan86 at 20.5, notclements 15.5, Dafs 13.5 and moidadabum at 13.

Matt Miller holds onto the overall lead with 82.5 points, while last year's champion ulises solis climbs from sixth spot into second with 79. Moving up a couple places into third is Sam5001 at 75, while tencount holds steady in fourth with 73 and Endo Enderson drops a couple spots into fifth with 73.

The rest of the overall top ten has notclements at 71.5, thetruth 71, Hoosier 70.5, Sweet science 66.5 and Dafs at 60.

The complete weekly standings and overall leaders after the jump...

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 3

Arthur Abraham takes on Piotr Wilczewski this Saturday in Germany.  (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images)

With not much happening in the boxing world this weekend, we've only got three fights for you on the pick'em line-up.

Topping the bill is a straw-weight match-up from South Africa, featuring #1 rated Nkosinathi Joyi going up against #6 Katsunari Takayama. The fighters initially faced off in January, with an early clash of heads resulting in a no-contest.

Also on the line-up is a super-middleweight clash from Germany, with Arthur Abraham going up against Piotr Wilczewski, and the Friday Night Fight's main-event between Hank Lundy and Dannie Williams.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

You can check out last week's standings here.

Let’s get to the week 3 line-up…

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Bad Left Hook Japanese Scene: Two Knockdowns the Difference as Sato tops Suriyan

Sato taking questions from reporters after outpointing Suriyan to win
WBC 115lb title.

Sidney Boquiren recaps Tuesday's boxing action from Japan (undercard details after the jump). For more Japanese boxing updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

After three rounds of action in Tuesday’s WBC super flyweight title bout, Japanese boxing fans could have been under the impression that they were witnessing the birth of their next great boxing star.

Yota Sato had been impressively in the zone for the first nine minutes of the fight, punctuating on his height and reach advantages by repeatedly sticking incumbent Suriyan Sor Rungvisai with his jab. The challenger controlled distance well, displaying nifty footwork and good quickness. When the Thai bruiser closed in, Sato would ram him with a counter right before stepping away. The 27-year old Iwate native’s confidence was transparent – bordering on cockiness – the few punches he did eat mainly due to his own hubris.

The third frame in particular was an emphatic statement that Sato could be something special. Cracking Suriyan with a hard straight right in the opening moments would be a premonition of events to come. Just as the fight moved into the final minute of the round, the challenger would feint before launching an overhand right, buckling the titleholder upon impact. Suriyan would fall to the canvas amidst Sato’s ensuing flurry, and though he would rise from the mat, it would be on wobbly legs. The challenger would score a second knockdown at the end of the stanza when both men struck with right hands. While Sato remained upright, the Thai would land on his backside, crashing into the ropes.

After another strong round in the fourth, scores revealed that Sato had built up a huge lead on the cards. Two of the judges scored it a 40-34 shutout.

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Bad Left Hook Japanese Scene Photo Gallery: Argentineans Bopp and Farias Impressive in Exhibition

Naomi Togashi, Yesica Yolanda Bopp & Momo Koseki. All photos courtesy of Bushido Boxing.

World champions Yesica Yolanda Bopp and Erica Anabella Farias made the trip to Tokyo to participate in a special exhibition during last Thursday’s OPBF super middleweight title fight. Despite the friendly atmosphere, the Argentinean duo clearly showed they are levels above their Japanese counterparts.

Photos after the jump.

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Bad Left Hook Japanese Scene: Suriyan Sor Rungvisai vs Yota Sato - Weigh-in

Two top ten Ring rated super flyweights square off tomorrow, as Suriyan Sor Rungvisai will face Yota Sato. Photo courtesy of Hiroaki Yamaguchi.

Sidney Boquiren has the weigh-in details for Tuesday's super-flyweight bout between Suriyan Sor Rungvisai and Yota Sato (more after the jump). For more Japanese boxing updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Earlier today, Suriyan Sor Rungvisai (Ring #2) and Yota Sato (#7) both passed weigh-ins for their WBC super flyweight title bout. The Thai came in at 114.4 pounds, while the local fighter was slightly lighter at 114.2.

Though the champ has campaigned mainly in his native Thailand – only three of his pro fights took place outside of his home country – Suriyan looked to be in good form and had no problems making weight. His challenger, however, has confessed to regularly struggling to meet the limit. His gaunt appearance suggested that he may have overdone it this time around.

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Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 2 Standings

Only 13 pick'em players scored points on Zab Judah's one sided hammering of Vernon Paris (28 players went with Paris). Credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

Weekly honors went to thetruth with 57 points, thanks to a 7 for 9 tally that included a couple of successful doubles.

In second spot was Matt MIller (5 for 5, 2 doubles) with 55.5, followed by ulises solis (6 for 7, 2 doubles) in third with 53.5 and tencount (5 for 7, 1 triple) in fourth at 48.5. EndoEnderson (4 for 9, 1 double & 1 triple) was fifth with 45.5, while Hoosier (5 for 9, 1 triple) grabbed sixth with 38. The rest of the weekly top ten had Vicmatic1 and tetsujin with 36, notclements 29 and EugeneBanks at 28.5.

Topping the overall leaderboard is Matt Miller with 91 points. In second is thetruth with 79, while EndoEnderson is third with 75.5 and tencount is fourth with 73. Sam5001 sits in fifth at 72, with ulises solis in sixth at 66.5 and Hoosier in seventh with 61. Rounding out the overall top ten were notclements 56, danywade 56 and ekker3 at 51.5.

** Picks for the Tyson Marquez fight were not counted and doubles/triples refunded **

The complete weekly standings and overall leaders after the jump...

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Bad Left Hook Japanese Scene: Kiyota Defends 168lb title, Upcoming TV Schedule

Yuzo Kiyota boxed excellently in dominating Shuntaro Matsumoto over 7 rounds on Thursday. Photo courtesy of Bushido Boxing.

Sidney Boquiren recaps Thursday's boxing action from Japan (more, including upcoming TV schedule, after the jump). For more Japanese boxing updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Kiyota looks like a different fighter in OPBF 168lb defense

Three fights ago Yuzo Kiyota took a crash course on the danger of recklessly chasing a taller, more cunning boxer. The face-first bruiser found himself looking up at his opponent from the canvas after being on the wrong end of a short left uppercut. The muscular Hokkaido native, who had been used to delivering concussive blows in stopping 17 of his 19 opponents up to that point, would pick himself up but would not last the remainder of the round.

The Kiyota who took the ring in Thursday’s main event appeared to be a completely different fighter in every way. From his textbook stance to the attack focused around an educated jab, the OPBF super middleweight titleholder seems to have taken the hard lesson to heart, transforming into a more balanced pugilist. While challenger Shintaro Matsumoto was a novice opponent with less than ten pro fights, Kiyota’s dominant performance showed clear signs of vast improvement.

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Bad Left Hook British Scene Weekend Preview: Rees vs Mezaache, McPhilbin vs Maccarinelli, Buckland vs Truscott, Plus More

Gavin Rees defends his European lightweight title on Friday against Anthony Mezaache. (Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)

Dave Oakes previews all of this weekend's British boxing action, with multiple titles on the line in the UK and abroad.

A busy if not spectacular weekend of boxing for British fans kicks off on Friday night in Paris, where Gavin Rees defends his European lightweight title against Anthony Mezaache. With so many fights, and not one that stands out from rest, I’ve decided to throw them all into one preview and keep it short and sweet.

Mezaache is known to most fans in Britain for his points victory over Jon Thaxton just over three years ago. Thaxton was on the decline at that stage of his career but not many were picking the Frenchman to walk away from Norwich victorious. This time he’s the one with hometown advantage as he tries to reclaim a title he never lost in the ring.

This will be Rees’ second defence of the title he won against Andy Murray. He’ll be hoping for a better outcome than his first defence which was ruled a technical draw after a clash of heads unfortunately stopped the bout between himself and Derry Matthews in the fourth round.

The fight looks set to go the distance, with neither man being a big puncher and both possessing solid chins. It could come down to who gets an early foothold in the fight, both being slow starters. Rees is the better technically and has mixed at a higher level, whereas Mezaache has hometown advantage and could possibly be the fitter – although Gary Lockett, Rees’ trainer, has been working Rees hard in the gym and says his man is in great shape.

If Rees is in top shape, and isn’t unsettled by having his first fight outside of the United Kingdom, then he should prevail on a close albeit clear points decision.

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Bad Left Hook The Bad Left Hook Pick'em Game: Season 11 - Week 2

Back his old menacing self since reuniting with trainer Ann Wolf, James Kirkland will be looking to continue his march up the 154lb ranks, when he takes on tricky Carlos Molina on Saturday night.  (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

We've got a packed line-up this weekend, featuring an HBO double-header, along with fights from France, England, Mexico and South Africa.

Topping the bill is the HBO card, with James Kirkland taking on Carlos Molina, and Erik Morales going up against Danny Garcia. We've got two selections devoted to both fights.

Also on the bill is the 140lb clash between Zab Judah and Vernon Paris, plus a couple of British title fights, with Gary Buckland defending his junior-lightweight crown against Paul Truscott, and Shane McPhilbin putting his recently won cruiserweight strap on the line against Enzo Maccarinelli.

In Mexico, Hernan "Tyson" Marquez takes on Rodel Mayol in a flyweight scrap, while South African junior-featherweights Takalani Ndlovu and Jeffrey Mathebula square off in Johannesburg.

Rounding out the card is a European title clash between lightweights Gavin Rees and Anthony Mezaache.

For those that haven't played before, welcome to the best pick'em game going. Please join right in and start playing (just make sure to check out the rules - we promise they are very simple).

An explanation of how to fill out your selections appears at the bottom of this post - please follow these instructions as it makes it easier for us to tabulate the results quickly each week.

You can check out the last season's final standings here.

Let’s get to the week 2 line-up…

Continue reading this post »

48 comments  | 

Bad Left Hook Breaking Down Erik Morales vs Danny Garcia

Erik Morales takes on Danny Garcia on Saturday night in Houston.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Lee Payton takes a look at Saturday's 140lb clash between Erik Morales and Danny Garcia.

Erik Morales will always be remembered as one of those rare no-BS, anyone, anywhere, anytime warriors. Since winning his first world title at 21 in 1997 he's taken on the best in the world, and while he hasn't won them all, the fiery prizefighter from Tijuana has probably had more goosebump moments than any active fighter out there. His accomplishments guarantee a place in the Hall of Fame and you'd be hard-pressed to find a boxing fan who doesn't respect "El Terrible".

His undefeated opponent, Danny Garcia doesn't care about any of that. The 24 year old Philadelphia fighter wants that green belt and he thinks he has the tools to take it from the old guy.

[ Related: Danny Garcia Interview ]

Believing is at least half of it and he does have a lot to work with physically, but does Garcia have the skills to make Morales feel his age? The bookies certainly seem to think so.

Let's examine the match-up closer to see what the challenger must do to come away with the W in Houston this Saturday night.

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