May2011 edition by jamie hooper

Guest writers wanted If you are looking for a new way to get your wri ng no ced, this online magazine maybe just what your looking for. Its completely free and will be read by boxing fans world wide. Submit your ar cles for considera on to: editors@boxing-ar cles.com

Writers Contacts armando@boxing-emagazine.co.uk cain@boxing-emagazine.co.uk daz@boxing-emagazine.co.uk jasveer@boxing-emagazine.co.uk jessica@boxing-emagazine.co.uk jamie@boxing-emagazine.co.uk

MAY 2011

Welcome Editorial When I think of the various advantages and disadvantages of an Emagazine over a printed magazine, it is hard to see the upside of print. Ok so you cant fold this under your arm and take it to the toilet for 15 minutes, but as long as your have your pc, laptop, Ipad or smart phone ,you have your boxing mag. This month we have some big fights to break down. The spot light returns to the Heavyweight division for the first me in nearly ten years as David Haye takes on Wladimir Klitschko. Carl Froch has another Super Six toughie and will Mosley get through 12 rounds with the formidable Manny Pacquiao. We are also turning our a3en on to the 2012 Olympics. There is so much going on in boxing over the summer I could have easily produced another 10 pages. If you want to give any feedback to me or any of the writers send them to: Feedback@boxing-emagazine.co.uk You can also find us on twi3er and facebook.

Enjoy Jamie Hooper Editor

MAY 2011

CONTENTS Previews

DeGale-Groves

18 Pacquiao-Mosely

Haye - Klitschko : Writer Prediction Will Haye get his first Klitschko scalp ?

15 Coaches Corner - Left Hook

Hopkins-Pascal

22 Gamboa/Donaire boxing new elite 30 GB boxingâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; Build up to 2012 34 Historical Article - Marcel Cerdan

Froch-Johnson

28 5

D e Ga l e vs Grov e s British Boxing's Boxing's Shot at Redemption By Daz Pearce

Who feels let down by the farce that was Haye vs Harison let November? More than anything, who was le9 with the impression that their stated 'rivalry' and 'broken friendship' was talk between two mates to sell ckets and earn each other a huge payday? It's more than possible that this thesis may be correct, but I'd urge anyone of that persuasion not to turn their back on Bri sh boxing in this regard and give it one last opportunity. On 21st May we see two ﬁghters with enormous poten al ge<ng it on at an unexpectedly early point in their careers. Moreover, this is a real rivalry based on real dislike and veriﬁable history. Promoters may indeed be using it to sell ckets, but there is no doubt that this me they have a right to.

some silky, accurate boxing, DeGale was described by some as “the best ﬁghter at the Olympics and the second best in his own gym”. For his own part, DeGale, seen by many as a 'cocky' ﬁghter, cannot help but resort to personal abuse when Groves' name is men oned, revealing a frayed nerve every me he spouts the words “ugly kid” to describe his rival (for what it's worth, I've long held the view that 5% of the popula on are univerally a3rac ve, 5% are universally repulsive and the rest of us make

hind the punches, and in the circumstances it could come down to who can take the emo on out of the occasion. We very rarely say this but – kudos to Frank Warren. It is not a common occurrence for the Sports Network supremo to risk one of his brightest stars in a high-risk fight like this one. Sure, the Bri sh and Commonwealth straps may be up for grabs, but with both men looking like highly probable world level performers in the future, it would have been understood if these two had been kept apart un l the prize on offer was more high-profile. Adam Booth at Hayemaker has a reputa on for matching his fighters compe vely, but Warren gets a great deal of cri cism, some of it jus fied in my view, for leading his prospects through a string of mismatches where the educa onal value is zero. Maybe the loss of some stellar names in recent years has woken him up to the changing dynamics of the sport?

Their rivalry goes back to an amateur fight in which Groves Their rivalry goes back to an amateur fight in which Groves edged out edged out DeGale DeGale en route to an ABA tle. Now analysis of boxing matches is subjec- en route to an ve, but I saw a close and compe ve ABA title fight in which Groves did enough to get the nod. Many saw a one-sided bashing up while there are s ll a few out there who believe DeGale nicked it. Such is the wide range of interpreta ons of contests that the result o9en brings anything other than finality. Groves claims that his beaten opponent refused to subsequently shake hands with him and that the move to the Bri sh Olympic scene did DeGale a massive favour as it got Groves out of sight and out of mind. Even a9er a superb performance in Bejing to take the gold medal with

up the other 90% where it's all a subjec ve thing. Both Groves and DeGale would appear to be in the 90%, but maybe as a man I'm not best placed to judge.) Cosme cs aside, it would be a wild stretch of the imagina on to describe these two as friends, and the parallels with Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank only serve to add extra spice to the contest. When two men who are genuinely not keen on each other meet in the squared circle, there is the sense that there is that bit more feeling be-

Less than a year ago, many would have had Groves as a clear favourite. Following his impressive (if slightly premature) stoppage of King Charles Adamu (a man who took Carl Froch the full twelve) on the Haye-Ruiz undercard last April, the conven onal wisdom was that Groves had adjusted to the paid ranks that bit quicker than DeGale had. His boxing skills, while not exactly silky smooth, are solid and well-schooled.

One month later, DeGale ripped the Bri sh tle from another limited but spirited ﬁghter in Liverpool's Paul Smith. The view of many going in was that 'Chunky' had too much technical skill and ringcra9 to let the opportunity slip away, but the clinical manner of the performance along with the ﬁnish, with a visibly demoralised champion taking unanswered punches on the ropes, suggested that for all his brash talk and perceived lack of respect, DeGale may be the real deal where it ma3ers. At this point, the analysis was turned on its head, and Groves became a heavy underdog in any hypothe cal matchup.

He has well above average (though not absolutely murderous) power and he cuts the ring off and puts opponents in bad spots with considerable exper se. DeGale, while progressing reasonably enough, was perceived to be suffering something of an amateur hangover, an inability to shake some of the habits which work so well in one form of the game but not the other. Two fights would rapidly change this analysis. On the undercard of that Haye-Harrison bout last November, Groves was floored, ouJought and in serious trouble for four rounds against the tough but limited unbeaten Scot Kenny Anderson. 'The Saint' eventually mounted an unlikely looking comeback, turning the de in the fi9h before ending it in the next round. However, being in such dire straits in a fight at this level opens up a serious ques on about how and why a fighter of Anderson's calibre enjoyed so much early success. The amount of leather he had to eat would suggest that the ability to take a shot was not the fundamental issue. Was the gameplan from Booth basically the wrong one, or was Groves execu ng a correct strategy in a haphazard fashion?

The intensity and personal ill-feeling of this contest mean that some spiky exchanges can be expected to punctuate the early rounds. Both men may have their moments, and it is just possible that either could get caught up in a war and allow emo on to get in the way. My feeling on this though is that the longer it goes, the more likely DeGale's faster, more accurate punching is to prove decisive. The most likely outcome would appear in this instance to be a late stoppage win for 'Chunky', with the prospect of a rematch further down the road enough to keep Groves mo vated and the rest of us interested in the rivalry.

If you would like to adver se on this space contact us at adver sing@boxing-emagazine.co.uk

Will Haye get his first Klitschko scalp?

Over the last few years this fight has been a rollercoaster of excitement and frustra on, I decided to forget about it un l the contract is signed and sealed, which thankfully it now has. At the me of wri ng in April the details are:The event will take place at the Hamburg Imtech Arena(55,000), Germany, July 2nd . HBO has it in the US, Sky box office in the UK. Due to the history of this fight, the announcement of the contract comple on hasn’t really ignited excitement around the boxing world. This is only because us boxing fans don’t what to get our hopes up again, some fans have stated that they will start le<ng themselves get excited when the fighters start their ring walks. The heavy weight division has been a bit a meaningless farce over the last few years. Both Klitschko’s have hardly been out of first gear when dispatching o9en overweight and poorly condi oned challengers. This has led to HBO sta ng that aside from Haye/Klitschko, they have no interest in the Heavyweight division.

Since moving up from cruiserweight Haye has breathed new life into the division, tarnished recently by the Haye/Harrison farce. He always goes into his ﬁghts ripped and ready to win, something that has been missing in the recent challengers of both Klitschko’s. David Haye may bring a blip of life back to the division, but that’s all this ﬁght will do. The heavyweight division in the past has brung mass appeal to boxing that the lighter divisions o9en fail to do.

want to happen and instead write what is most probable. If I think too long about this you can easily come up with likely scenarios for both guys winning. As providing two scenarios then si<ng on the fence is not a sa sfactory op on, I will go for the ﬁrst one that came to me. David Haye Wins. The ﬁght goes something like this:

If anything this ﬁght will show younger boxing fans what the Heavyweight division was once about. When this ﬁght is over and any possible rematches are out the way the heavyweight division will go back into hiberna on.

Wladimir is ready for his fast moving powerful opponent, he comes out with his right hand ghtly against his chin and his le9 hand out to control the distance. Haye is le9 with the prospect of ge<ng past the jab then avoiding a righthand before detona ng a shot of his own. There will of course be a lot of failed a3empts but each me Wladimrs senses the danger I think he will become more and more gun shy and opt to defend as Haye comes in, instead of trying a short hook or right upper cut.

“Both Klitschko’s have hardly been out of first gear when dispatching often overweight and poorly conditioned challengers.“

Once Haye has landed with his ﬁrst power shot I think Wladimir will react in a disorganized panicky fashion allowing Haye further openings to follow up. This may happen a few mes before Haye achieves a stoppage victory around the eighth round.

Pu<ng that dim outlook to one side, lets look at the ﬁght its self. I have asked the other writers to chip in with analysis and predic ons for this ﬁght, some shrieked

and ran away other step up to the plate.

Jamie Hooper: It’s hard to put aside what you

Haye can’t get past Wladimirs jabs, gets caught

with heavy rights as he tries and ul mately results in an easy Klitschko victory. Sorry I had to add that.

Cain Bradely: Klitchsko - Haye is for me one

Jasveer Singh Gill: When a ﬁght is this long in the

of the hardest fight's possible to call. A9er the first round it will be much easier to call as I don't think the fight will be one that changes mid fight. Haye really needs to get under Klitchsko's skin. If he does this he becomes the favourite. I feel a Wladimir that s cks to his usual tac cs will probably win the fight with a decision by about 7 points. I'd say I'd lean 65% towards Klitchsko in that instance.

making, your mind goes through every possible eventuality. And this is truly a ﬁght where anything could happen.

“Haye really needs to get under Klitchsko's skin. If he does this he becomes the favourite..“ If Haye has got him riled up and wan ng to kill him I feel the advantage goes to Haye by about 70%. Neither have brilliant chins but I would s ll give the edge to Haye knocking out Wlad. Wlad could knock out Haye as Haye doesn't have a brilliant chin however Klitchsko's knock outs are usually on red opponents at the end of a ﬁght whom he has worn down. I don't believe Haye will get under Klitchsko's skin which means he will take the unanimous decision.

There could be a knockout either way. Both men have tremendous power in their fists. Haye may be the most explosive heavyweight since Mike Tyson but many boxing experts feel Klitschko is the hardest puncher in boxing today. Whenever Klitschko sits down on his punches and unleashes every opponent has crumbled. The fight could go all the way. We all saw how Haye dealt with the size and range of Nikolai Valuev; on the back foot, making him miss and landing the cleaner shots. Wladimir Klitschko, as anyone who has followed his career will know, can happily fight 12 rounds using his jab, which is o9en enough to beat opponents. However, especially since he is saying he will re re which means he is not a valuable commodity to TV companies anymore, Haye will definitely not win a decision against Klitschko the same way he did against Valuev. Many will think that Haye can obliterate Klitschko in the same way Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster did, but those fights were over seven years ago. Since

then legendary Kronk Gym trainer Emanuel Steward has trained Klitschko and turned him into a completely diﬀerent machine.

It could come down to prepara on. Haye will be well prepared to face a lumbering, giant heavyweight, while Klitschko will find it difficult to find someone to replicate Haye’s explosive style. Klitschko though will be well versed by Steward into how to e up and slow down someone like Haye. The very first exchange will be absolutely pivotal. Once each has had a taste of the others power, how will they react?

“Emanuel Steward has trained Klitschko and turned him into a completely different machine.” I feel both will be weary of the others power so it will turn into a standoﬀ. Do not be surprised to see either man hit the canvas but in Germany, over 12 rounds, Wladimir will take a controversial unanimous decision .

Jessica Sinyard: As one of the most infamous spor ng stalemates of recent mes, the hotly an cipated clash of David Haye and a Klitschko has been debated and dissected by fans and pundits alike. While I believe that there are a number of possible outcomes, for me there is li3le doubt that of the current heavyweights on offer, David Haye stands the most viable chance of bea ng a Klitschko - or at least truly tes ng their reign over the division. Haye is agile and swi9, able to close distance at speed and make his presence felt with legi mate power. I feel that much depends on the confidence and consistency of Klitschko’s jab, and how effec ve Haye will be at taking it away from him. Haye’s adaptability and ring intelligence could be key in this fight as it is likely to demand mul ple transi ons between aggression and cau on. I see the earlier rounds as largely being a power struggle, with Klitschko aiming to assert himself with the jab and Haye circling and countering at range, using angles and speed to iden fy and exploit gaps in the hope of landing a heavy right hand.

“David Haye stands the most viable chance of beating a Klitschko .” I consider each fighter a genuine threat to the other, with Klitschko especially likely to control the pace of the fight the longer it progresses. But I’m expec ng Haye to strike suddenly, landing something of significance before it goes to the scorecards. Haye KO9.

I was only 19 when I started coaching boxing at my University club. As the second in command I was offend - or more accurately always - the one that taught the complete beginners the basics of boxing, whilst the head coach was at the sharp end preparing boxers for competition. Teaching jab, cross , uppercut and right hook is fairly straight forward, but then comes the left hook.

down ( this results in hitting with the inside of the glove which should be illegal). As all fans of the sport know there are some high profile slappers out there. Joe Calzaghe being the most noted, more recently I spotted a fair number of slaps being thrown by James DeGale in his last fight.

The left hook is a skill. Invest the time or become a slapper.

The left hook is a skill in its-self. If you look at the fundamental basics of boxing, 6 basic punches, stance, movement and defensive moves. All of these are easy to teach just by demonstration; if you try demonstrating a left hook to a beginner they look at you with disbelief. Its hard for them to grasp that power can be generated with such little arm movement. As a result of not investing in the skill of the left hook, they find their own way of generating the power either by looping the punch outwards then bring it back or by slapping it

So is it really worth investing in learning to throw a proper left hook if other boxers have managed to slap their way to world titles? The answer is yes, nine times out of ten it will make you a better boxer.

I don’t think a textbook left hook would have improved Calzaghe though. He would blitz opponents with punches, technique is almost irrelevant when your blitzing. Imagine if Tyson or Frazier hadn’t learned to throw a left hook properly, both of these guy’s wouldn’t be half as good as they were without a good left hook.

Left Hook Step ONE Stand in your boxing stance: If you now extend a straight right cross, with your punching arm still held out, note the position of your hips. The left side of your hips should have rotated backwards from its starting position. This is the ideal hip position to throw a left hook.

STEP TWO From your guard position cock your left hip back to the position it was in when you held the straight right cross out. Note that this does telegraphy the left hook but as you get better you won’t have to cock your hip. Now forget about your hooking arm, the power of this punch comes from this move I’m about to describe.

STEP THREE From the cocked position screw the ball of your left foot into the ground – like your stamping out a cigarette butt – as your foot turns your hips will turn with it, your hips should rotate to a point were you are almost side on to your opponent. Repeat this movement several times. Eventually, it should become a sharp and explosive movement but for now just concentrate on getting if fluid.

STEP FOUR I have left the ‘left arm’ to last as it is the least important aspect. As your hips turn in, your elbow will move up to a 90 degree angle, as your arm comes up and you continue to rotate, your fist will start to head toward your opponents chin. Follow throw where your opponents chin would be, but only by a couple of inches then stop it dead, sharply move back to the starting position.

Warning! Don’t be tempted to follow through by more than a few inches for two good reasons. You will massively compromise your balance by following through too much. Secondly you will expose your entire left-side to your opponent, if your opponent throws a counter right cross, you will go down.

Preview: Pacquiao Vs Mosley

This is a difficult fight to preview. By the time this magazine is released the hype machine will be in full swing as the promoters inflate Mosley’s chances of upsetting the odds which at last look were 10/1. So I have to decided, do I try and hype it up a bit too or just tell the truth. A few years ago a fight with Mosely was a bit too dangerous for team Pacquiao. As the years have gone by the dangers have subsided, now the fight hardly looks competitive. The questions flying about now are not will Pacquiao win, but will he be the first to KO Mosely.? Presently I feel Mosely is just too past his prime to mount a significant challenge to Pacquiao. He had two decent rounds against Mayweather before being completely shut out. Mosley had no answers to Mayweathers lightning fast and precision timed potshots; ok no one can pot shot like Mayweather but Paquiao’s lightning fast attacks will have the same effect.

What really struck me in the Mayweather fight was how gun shy Mosley became after the second round, he simply did not want to compromise his defence by throwing his own shots. Mosely couldn’t cope with Mayweathers speed and I think the same will happen against Pacquiao. Mosely’s last outing was a draw against the good but not great Sergio Mora. Mosely hardly redeemed himself in this fight . As Mora boxed in and out, side to side; Mosely struggled to pin Mora down, hardly bodes well for a fight with Pacquiao. Is there any hope for Mosely? I personally don’t think so. I must however cover all the bases here and outline why some boxing media people believe this fight to be competitive – including Larry Merchant - . Mosely’s chances in this fight revolve around the fact that Pacquiao can and does get hit. Cotto and Margarito both got to him. Pacquiao being a southpaw will be open to a counter right hand and this will be the main danger for him in this fight. If Mosely catches Pacquiao like he caught Mayweather, but then follows up with body shots you can see a scenario were Mosely could ask a few question of Pacquiao. If you think along these lines the fight actually starts to sound competitive and intriguing.

So why do I disregard this? It must be noted that Pacquiao took solid shots from Cotto and Maragrito and barley flinched as a result. Any big punch Mosely lands will have to be followed up with a brutal succession of punches to make a dent in Pacquiao iron chin. I think Freddie Roach will have Pacquiao fully prepared for Mosely’s right hand. With Pacquiao’s fast eel like movement I don’t see Mosely hitting the target too often. I have read a few pro Mosley articles and I think they are all just writers trying to show a different point of view, we can’t fool ourselves into believing that this is a real fight just because we want to see one. As sad as it is to say it, an old Mosely just doesn’t have the tools no more. Prediction Any game plan that Mosely takes to the ring will probably fall through in the first two rounds. Pacquiao’s speed will cause Mosely problems from the first bell. Against Mayweather it’s true that Mosely had a couple of moments and I believe at some point in this fight he will catch Pacquiao with a right hand. You can imagine the reaction from the crowd if Mosely lands, I can see Pacquiao being tempted into a crowd pleasing exchange during these times.

proud warrior taking a beating. Will Pacquiao be the first to KO Mosely? If Clottey, Magraito and Cotto can go the distance then you would expect Mosely to be able to go 12 rounds. Mosely was very close to being stopped by Mayweather with Pacquao’ added aggressiveness he just might get the KO but I will stick to my original opinion that Mosely will hang on and see the 12th round out. Chances of an upset I should start by saying that anything can happen in boxing. For the sake of boxing in general I hope I am proven wrong and Mosely does make this a competitive fight. Fight camp 360 will do its best to show that Pacquiao is taking the fight too lightly or is distracted by his political commitments; at the same time as showing Mosely train like Clubber Lang in Rocky 3. All this may excite interest among the fans for this match up.

I think Mosely’s work will be smothered by the speed of Pacquiao and when Pacquiao’s punchYes anything can happen in boxing, but I es start landing we will see the same gun shywouldn’t go betting on it. ness that we saw in the Mayweather fight. In the mid to late rounds I think we will see a

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seek a career as a professional boxer. age. Donaire entered amateur tournaments to great success as a youngster, Gamboa was one of the world’s best amateurs for a long time, having won including gaining silver medals in the gold medals at first the Pan-American Junior Olympics in 1999 and the US games in 2003 and than the 2004 national amateur tournament in 2000. Go back ten years or so and these de- Olympics before he decided to defect Gamboa turned pro to great media in 2006. Having just won the 2006 scriptions could be fitted to Floyd interest, having been known as one of boxing World Cup, Gamboa snuck out Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio reCuba’s great amateurs of his training spectively. As the two shining stars of As the two shining stars the press wanted to see camp and boxing start to fade out (and let’s not how he would fair as a of boxing start to fade somehow get into the debate of whether they will pro. With 8 stoppages found a way to fight each other) it seems two new in his first 10 fights, out it seems two new Germany, icons are coming through that could Gamboa proved his icons are coming where he apevery bit as good. speed, accuracy and plied for a visa through that could every skill could be transYuriokis Gamboa (the current IBF and to enter the ferred to the pro game WBA featherweight champion) and USA. Around with ease and in just his 10th bout Nonito Donaire (current WBC and this time Gamboa had to sell his gold Gamboa fought for a version of the WBO bantamweight champion) are medal to support his family. WBC title. Within his first 20 bouts coming of the most impressive perforDonaire was born in the Philippines Gamboa has currently stopped 16 opmances of their careers so far. They (where he went to the same school as ponents, fought two former world are now entering the premier part of their careers; for both fighters it is now Pacquaio) before he moved to Califor- champions and defended his WBA tinia with his family aged 11 in 1993. tle five times. The meteoric start to super fight time. His father was a former amateur boxer Gamboa’s career has seen fans and Gamboa has been heralded as a future in the Philippine army and had his two pundits alike rave about his talent. great ever since he decided to defect sons (Nonito has an older brother from Cuba’s communist regime to called Glenn) sparring from an early One is a black, athletic, Olympic medallist tearing through the featherweight division. The other is a Filipino known for his devastating left hand currently dominating the bantamweight division.

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All has not been plain sailing though, as already Gamboa has hit the canvas five times in his career. This has not really shown a weakness with his chin as Gamboa has not looked truly hurt or

Gamboa has not looked truly hurt or close to ge<ng knocked out

WBO Asian Pacific title. Having than gone on to win all his next bouts, including winning and defending the North American super-flyweight title, Donaire still had to wait six years for a shot at the world title, where he was fixed up as an easy opponent for the than dominant Vic Darchinyan.

Gamboa too has a whole plethora of quality opponents that he could face, including another prospective superstar in undefeated champion Juan Manuel Lopez, as well as the likes of Chris John, Celestino Cabellero and the legendary Rafael Marquez.

Donaire and Gamboa are exciting Donaire won the bout along with The fighters that are both right now looking to become superstars. The best fights Ring magazine’s knockout and upset in a boxer’s career normally come of the year when he stopped close to getting knocked out. The Darchinyan in five rounds. Since than when they are still looking to become problem is that Gamboa can someDonaire has fought in nine consecutive superstars, as all the trappings of suctimes fight arrogantly. His tremendous world title fights and stopped all but cess can often have a negative effect speed and reflexes means he can get on a fighter. one of those opponents. reckless, whilst he has also been going about his career like he is in a rush to Although comparisons to Mayweather and Pacquaio may be easy it is not cer- So before they achieve all they are camake up for lost time, when he was not allowed to become a pro boxer as a tain the two stars will ever get to that pable of and start to lose the hunger to elite status. Both fighters are in very native of Cuba. fight the very best (yes that is a dig at tough divisions. Donaire is set to fight Pacquaio and Mayweather) keep your WBA champion Anselmo Moreno eyes fixed on these two future legends. Donaire’s career started far less spec- next and than has the likes of Mexican Donaire and Gamboa your time is tacularly. After losing his second pro starlet Abner Mares, Japan’s Koki Ka- now. meda and Yohnny Perez that he could bout on points Donaire had to prove face if he is looking for more challenghimself. His first bit of redemption came when he became the best super- es in the bantamweight division. flyweight Asian boxer, winning the

Jasveer Singh Gill

By: Jasveer Singh Gill

Hopkins Vs Pascal 2: Preview

“I wanted to go to Montreal and kick his ass again. Right in his own backyard. I know what a move like this means for my legacy.” At the age of 46 years old, with the record for consecu vely defending the middleweight tle the most mes, a pantheon of some of the biggest names in boxing as his vic ms and a cer fied place in the boxing Hall of Fame, Bernard Hopkins is s ll figh ng for his legacy. Bernard Hopkins is a true tribute to the sport of boxing. Many fighters nowadays simply look to make as much money whilst taking the least amount of risks as possible. It is hard begrudge any fighter re rement from the rigors of what is probably the most demanding sport in the world. But the reason so many love boxing is because it shows, in the modern era, true gladiators. People love boxing because of people like Bernard Hopkins. Aesthe cally Hopkins does not have the most pleasing style; hardly a savage knockout fighter such as a young Mike Tyson and not as fluid or as honed in technique as a Floyd Mayweather. It is not his style that makes people love him though. People do not love him because he is the nicest person in boxing either, as he can be braggadocios and is also a convicted felon. The reason boxing fans love Bernard Hopkins is that he is a true modern day warrior. His desire to compete at the highest level has stayed the same for 20 years plus. Whenever someone looks like a threat in and around his weight class, Hopkins instantly wants to fight them. Already with a stellar career of 39 fights and just 2 losses (one on his debut fight and another to a prime Roy Jones Jr on points), including 13 defences of his middleweight tle, Hopkins jumped at the opportunity of figh ng Felix Trinidad in 2001. Puerto Rican Trinidad was 40-0 at the me and had just torn through the welterweight division before winning tles at light-middle and than middleweight. Whilst everyone avoided figh ng Trinidad, known for his devasta ng power, Hopkins took him on and stopped him a9er 12 rounds.

Other contenders have come and gone, Hopkins Hopkins is a true master of the science that is boxing. Never blessed with amazing speed or power, s ll remains. Oscar De La Hoya, Jermain Taylor, Hopkins has learnt how to neutralize an opponent Winky Wright, Joe Calzaghe, Antonio Tarver and whilst crea ng openings for his shots. Hopkins alKelly Pavlik. This list contains some of the best champions of the modern era and Hopkins went so knows how to keep his pace, so he can fight as hard in the first round as he does in out of his way to fight “I wanted to go to the last. Having lost his first ever them all. Although he has lost some of those bouts Montreal and kick bout it could be that Hopkins was afforded more me to develop. Hopkins has never been his ass again. However he did it, over the years even close to dominated Right in his own Hopkins has learned how to win let alone knocked out. He backyard. I know boxing matches. has pushed all of those what a move like fighters to their limits. Now plying his trade in the lightthis means for my Even in his losses Hopheavyweight division Hopkins took legacy.” kins has been impressive. me to gain revenge on Roy Jones Jr but was always looking for bigger Hopkins has been ques oned on his age for a very long me. He is meant fights. A bout for a cruiserweight tle did not come off and Hopkins unbelievably even wanted to lose and give up his thrown for someone younger but Hopkins refuses to relinquish it whilst to fight heavyweight champion David Haye. he s ll has the ability. And Hopkins most certainly has the ability.

When neither of these came off Hopkins decid- decision. ed to take on the new ‘man’ of the lightA9er the bout Hopkins called for an immeheavyweight division; Jean Pascal. diate rematch and he got one. De La Hoya’s Pascal had beaten two of the division’s best Golden Boy promo ons, of which Hopkins is a fighters in Adrian Diaconu and more poignantly minority shareholder, won the rights to showChad Dawson, holding the WBC tle. With box- case the fight. Head of Golden Boy Richard ing going through a renaissance period in Cana- Schaefer said Hopkins insisted the bout again take place in Canada, just to show that he da (thanks to the likes of Pascal, Lucian Bute and David Lemieux) Hopkins was happy to go could beat Pascal before his own fans. into the proverbial lions den and fight Pascal in In the lead up to the fight Pascal, usually his hometown of Quebec, Canada. very respecJul before bouts, has tried to get Pascal was always going to be a difficult opponent. A very athle c fighter, Pascal possesses great hand speed, good power and had been known to fight at an unmatchable pace. Pascal had only lost once at that point, against Carl Froch in a war which also paid tes mony to Pascal’s heart and chin.

into Hopkins head. He has accused Hopkins of using performance enhancing drugs and asked for extra tests to be carried out. This ploy shows that Pascal realizes he must try to get every possible advantage in this match up. Even at 46 years of age Hopkins is scaring opponents.

The fight itself was a great spectacle. Pascal started very aggressively and had Hopkins down in the first (with a controversial shot to the back of the head) and than third round. This however, only prompted Hopkins to kick into gear. From the 5th round to the 11th it was clear Hopkins won every round, taun ng Pascal throughout as the Canadian was simply not able to deal with the array of shots and ring cra9 that Hopkins was showing. The 12th round was closer as both fighters stood their ground and brawled. However, most thought Hopkins had clearly won.

Scheduled for the 21st of May this year in Montreal, Hopkins is clear as to why he has to con nue to prove himself by taking on the best possible opponents.

Controversy erupted as – not for the first me – Hopkins came off on the bad side of a close contest. The fight was called a draw but most boxing pundits voiced their opinion that Hopkins had been the vic m of a hometown

“I am asked why am I s ll ﬁgh ng, the ques on I am asked the most. It is who I am. All the money in the bank is not as important as who I am.”

Pascal possesses great hand speed, good power and had been known to fight at an unmatchable pace.

Froch V

Another potential Super Six final!

When he finally steps into the ring on the 4th of june Carl Froch might realise just how close he is to super-stardom. Winning the super six tournament would send him into the realms of superstardom that only Calzaghe and Hatton had reached in the last ten years. The path for Froch has been a long winded one seeing him go from Dagenham to Hollywood to Connecticut to Herning to Helsinki and now he finally heads for New Jersey. He will be taking on Glen Johnson, the 42 year old Jamaican, for a place in the final of the super six tournament against either Andre Ward or Arthur Abraham. With arguably the easier semi final Froch must feel he is one step closer to being Super Six champion.

If it becom then Glen J becomes a tougher pr for Froch

The super six was meant to revolutionise boxing. The idea was a great one in principal but so was communism. From the 6 original fighters, 3 are left standing. Injuries to Kessler + Dirrell really devalued what was looking like a promising last round. A flaw was also the structure of the tournament. Unlike the Bantamweight: Winner takes all tournament in which the finalists would both have won their last fight to reach the final whereas Arthur Abraham has lost twice on the bounce and looks a different fighter. The two semi finals on paper look quite uncompetitive and a final between Froch and Ward is the most likely and probably the most marketable. However before the final comes the two semi finals.

The first will take place in the middle of May between Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham and Andre Ward is favourite. Knowing who he will be fighting in the final, if he wins, could be a disadvantage for Carl Froch. His opponent Glen Johnson is not one to be taken lightly. Moving to America at 15, he was late bloomer who started boxing at 20. He would be 24 before he made his professional debut. He got through fights quickly, winning 32 fights in 52 months. He'd then lose to Bernard Hopkins before going on a bad run, winning 7 of the next 16 fights including the Hopkins fight. Despite this he got a shot at Clinton Woods' IBF title. He would go on to draw that fight, setting up a rematch for 2004. 2004 would be the year that will put Johnson in the hall of fame.

Vs Johnson

Cain Bradely: Fight Preview

l stumbling block to the He'd beat Clinton Woods, with a unanimous decision, and his reward would be a unification bout with Roy Jones Jr who had just lost to Tarver. The losing streak would continue as he was knocked out in the 9th round. He'd then take on the other man at the top of the light-heavyweight division, Antonio Tarver. This time he'd get a split decision. With victory over them two, Johnson would be name The Ring fighter of 2004. Since that year he has gone 9-5 with wins against Griffin, Mack and Green while he lost to Dawson (2), Cloud, Tarver and Woods. After losing to Tavoris Cloud and the withdrawals from the Super Six, Glen Johnson would be offered a fight with Allan Green as part of the super six. The winner would qualify for the semi final. Johnson would stop Green in the eighth.

mes a brawl Johnson a much roposition

his shot at a world title. It was against Jean Pascal and it would produce the one of the fights of 2008. Carl Froch would narrowly get a decision. The first defence of his title would be against Jermain Taylor. Despite Taylor dominating the fight, knocking Froch down for the first time in his career, Froch would knock him out in the final round. It was after these two performances that Froch received a place in the super six.

Cloud last August, will probably slightly edge Froch who threw 613 against Dirrell. Carl Froch will be unlikely to have the power to stop Johnson as only Hopkins stopped him and even then Johnson was still standing. However if Froch can provide another performance similar to what he did against Abraham then he will probably be too quick and outbox Johnson. Unfortunately for Johnson I don't see him having the power to knock out Froch but he could hurt him. If Froch lets it, the The super six tournament would give fight could end up a brawl reminisa real opportunity for Carl Froch to cent of Pascal - Froch. become a superstar. When he beat Dirrell with a hotly-debated decision, If it becomes a brawl then Glen you sensed that the stars might be Johnson becomes a much tougher aligning for Froch. A defeat against proposition for Froch and he could the Danish warrior, Kessler, however manage to out-brawl him to a surwould leave Froch teetering on the prise victory. To win Froch will need brink of not qualifying. However to box smart like he did against with withdrawals from Dirrell and Abraham. He should box behind the Kessler the fight became a fight jab and let the jab dominate early which would decide the semi final picking up the rounds on route to a matches rather than competitors. big unanimous decision! Carl Froch would win with a solid performance out boxing Abraham. Prediction: Froch Unanimous deciThis left him the 'easier' semi final sion 118-111 against Glen Johnson.

A distinguished amateur, Carl Froch Glen Johnson will surely be looking would turn professional in 2002. Af- to apply pressure to Froch. His admiter 23 unbeaten fights he finally got rable work rate, throwing 883 against

THE GOLD RUSH Medals, Milestones... and Arnold Schwarzenegger An Olympic preview by Jessica Sinyard when the team flourished at the Gee Bee tournament in Helsinki winning seven medals in all - three gold, two silver and two bronze, with highly promising GB bantamweight Luke Olympic boxing in 2012 will feature 10 Campbell named Boxer of the Tournamen’s weight categories, from Light ment. Flyweight (46-49kg) to Super Heavyweight (over 91kg) and will be joined The event roundby a women’s compe on for the first ed off an excep me in the sport’s 108 year Olympic onally successful history. Ironically for those who con- week for GB boxsider the decision a break in tradi on, ing, which had the Olympic Games has a strong tradi- also seen broth on and commitment to advancing ers Khalid and the par cipa on of women in events. Gamal Yafai winAs recently as the year 2000, for exam- ning the gold and ple, the Sydney Olympics welcomed bronze medals women into the weightli9ing compe - respec vely at on for the first me. In 1992, the the Felix Stamm Memorial Tournasame was true of judo, with ment in Poland. Khalid Yafai earlier landmarks s ll for the (flyweight) is a 2008 Beijing Olympian marathon, 800m track and and 2010 European Championships field, equestrian dressage, silver medallist, and his bantamweight showjumping, rowing, and a brother Gamal has also accumulated a number of others. To date, wealth of amateur experience and the Olympics has repeatedly medals. Poland saw a strong performance from Gamal but ul mately a been true to its word. tough break, as he lost out to Ireland’s Perhaps the most recent indi- John Joe Nevin by a single point in the ca on of the depth of talent semi finals. now present in the GB squad Luke Campbell:first Bri sh European Champion since was earlier in April this year, The compe on was fierce long before the Games have even begun. Vibrant would-be hosts in the in mida ng shape of New York, Paris, Moscow, and Madrid, all jostling for their chance to welcome the world and the grand spor ng spectacle that is the Olympic Games. Sorry, world, but this one’s got our name on it. London was elected to host the 2012 Olympic Games and will welcome elite athletes from all over the world. With the presence of the dedicated, dazzling amateurs of Team GB boxing, it is not mere op mism to expect our strong prospects to make a las ng impression, sending a global message that a3ests to the current quality and calibre of Bri sh amateur boxing. To qualify for an Olympic event in any disci-

1961

pline is a staggering accomplishment, but the added dimension of represen ng the host na on is truly a once in a life me opportunity.

The top ten ﬁg sion - meaning nalists and the top sixteen eli tual winner an qualify

The GB bantamweights can currently be considered a highly compe ve division with Yafai ﬂanked by Andrew Selby, gold medallist at the Bocskai Memorial Tournament in Hungary 2010, and 2008 European Champion Luke Campbell who hails from glorious, sunny, underrated Hull (alright, that is my neck of the woods), named in 2009 as the Ken Jones Amateur Boxer of the Year, largely in recogni on of his achievement of becoming the ﬁrst Bri sh European Champion since 1961. (Some readers may recall that a year earlier, the recipient of the same award was Olympic Gold medallist and currently hotly dis-

ghters in each divig the eight quarterﬁe two boxers of the iminated by the evennd runner up - will all

cussed pro, James DeGale.)

pete at three weights in 2012: Flyweight (48-51kg), Lightweight (5660kg), and middleweight (69-75kg). They will have just one chance to qualify in May 2012 at the Women’s World Championships, and flying the flag for the females in the squad are some remarkable athletes. Natasha Jonas, a four me ABA Champion and Gold medallist from the 2009 EU Championships in Bulgaria (where she notably beat her rival squad member Amanda Coulson in the quarter final stage) fights at lightweight with fellow squad members Ruth Raper and the aforemen oned Coulson, a three- me ABAE Na onal Champion who recently racked up the highest number of points at the GB training camp and boxing tournament in Crete, where fellow squad member Nicola Adams (flyweight) The achievements of the remaining also impressed and won a gold squad - Sco3 Cardle, Warren medal. Baister, Obed Mbwakongo, Tommy Stubbs, Fred Evans, and Danny Price - consis ng in total of a two me ABA champion, double EU Championship bronze medallist, EU Championship gold medallist, and 2010 Commonwealth Boxing Championship Gold medallist - all bolster what amounts to an impressive (and truly in mida ng) roster of Bri sh talent for 2012. the Year (BOA) and Amateur Boxer of the Year (Boxing Writers Club), established himself as perhaps the prime lightweight candidate in Britain when he won the Gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where fellow GB boxer Simon Vallily (heavyweight) also won a gold medal. Despite arguably being one of the most tumultuous in recent memory (corrup on scandals, squalid accommoda on, and dodgy scales, anyone?) the Commonwealth Games in Delhi was a remarkable triumph in the face of adversity for team GB, not only considering the success of Stalker and Vallily, but also with squad boxers Bradley Saunders, Callum Smith, and Anthony Ogogo all returning home with silver medals.

The achievements of the remaining GB squad divisions are no less numerous and impressive. Featherweights Mar n Ward (2009 European Youth Championships) and Iain Weaver (2010 European Championships) have Gold and Silver medals between them, while gi9ed The ranks are further enriched lightweight Tom Stalker, winner of by the presence of the womboth the 2010 Olympic Athlete of en’s prospects who will com-

Tom Stalker:winner of both the 2010 Olympic Athlete of the Year (BOA) and Amateur Boxer of the Year

Adams herself is a two-*me AIBA Women’s World Championship silver medallist (2008, 2010) and became the first English female boxer to earn a medal in a major tournament when she picked up the Silver medal in the 2007 European Championships in Denmark. Flyweights Nina Smith and Lynsey Holdaway, and the only female middleweight in the squad Savannah Marshal round off the staunch female prospects with Marshal having won a silver medal at the 2010 AIBA Women’s World Championships in Barbados. Considering that the acceptance and addi*on of women’s boxing is a rela*vely young one, the considerable success and array of accolades our athletes have already achieved seems all the more commendable. The first qualifying event for the Games is a mere five months from the *me of wri*ng in April, beginning in September of this year with the World Amateur Championships in Azerbaijan. There is everything to fight for with quarterfinalists automa*cally snagging their Olympic place. The top ten fighters in each division - meaning

the eight quarterfinalists and the two boxers of the to sixteen eliminated by the eventual winner and runner u - will all qualify. For heavyweight and super heavyweigh contenders, the process is slightly different with only th top six boxers qualifying for the Games. The second qua ifier is scheduled to take place in Istanbul in the spring o 2012.

It is worth no*ng that as hosts of the Games, Team GB also subject to some special condi*ons. We have, for ex ample, a reserve of ﬁve places for the men’s division should team GB qualify fewer than ﬁve boxers in Azerba jan. In which case, the team would then nominate its re served weight categories before the European tourna ment. Selec*on would normally have rested on the re spected, capable shoulders of Rob McCracken, but a re cent controversial decision handed down from on hig (AIBA) has meant McCracken has had his license revoke due to his links with the professional ranks. The full im pact is s*ll being felt by the squad in stages, with Khali Yafai recently commen*ng in his Boxing News blo

op up ht he alof

is xns aieaeegh ed mid og

fact, that the ever-colourful Arnold Schwarzenegger can be heard in his brief interview as rightly calling the Olympic Games the ‘ul*mate sports compe**on’, where athletes ‘do the impossible’ and set an inspiring example for the rest of the world ‘to par*cipate in sport and fitness’. Arnie adds that people can be tempted to become ‘couch potatoes... siHng around’, and presently comple*ng this ar*cle in bed with tea and toast, this writer can hardly differ. But perhaps even more persuasive is Mr Schwarzenegger’s belief that London has the opportunity to create a truly ‘historic Olympic Games’. With london2012.org currently running the sta*s*cs as 26 Olympic sports in 34 venues, 10,500 Olympic athletes, 20,000 press and media and more than 9 million *ckets - never With Britain’s big day drawing ever nearer (not that one; was a truer word spoken. the Royal Wedding will mercifully be but a distant memory by the *me of publica*on), enthusiasm and publicity for London 2012 are due to go into joyous overdrive. The internet, as ever, is saturated with useful (and useless) informa*on, with the intriguing addi*on of the Games’ own YouTube channel, London2012. It is here, in (BoxingNewsOnline.net, 15-04-11) that he and McCracken had a ‘good rela*onship’, and credi*ng McCracken with teaching him ‘how to be so professional in everything [he] does’. But should we fail to qualify further boxers in the second compe**on in Europe, the team would then be permiFed to allocate boxers into the previously selected weight categories. (The women from Team GB are also granted the reserve of one place.) Fortunately, the format of the Games themselves are significantly simpler, where the winners of two semi-finals in each weight category will fight for the Gold Medal, with the losing boxers of the two semi-finals each awarded a Bronze.

LOOK BACK

HISTORICAL ARTICLES ARMANDO PAZ

Look back at the life and career of Marcel Cerdan When it was all said and done few fighters can say they achieved what French fighter Marcel Cerdan achieved. Cerdan had the adulation of three countries, a well publicized social life, a laudatory military service during World War 2, and one of the most accomplished records in boxing history. Like many pugilists before him, Cerdan never really wanted to be a boxer it was either fate or perhaps an overzealous father who convinced him that being a prizefighter was the road to glory. Marcel Cerdan was born to French and Spanish parents in Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria in July 22, 1916. The country was known as French Algeria at the time and Cerdan would also spend a good portion of his early life in Casablanca, Morocco. The biggest sports passion for Cerdan was soccer, but his dad saw Cerdan winning a prize fight at the age of 8 and his association with French boxing Manager Lucien Roupp opened a window of opportunity for Cerdan. As a result, at the young age of 16 Cerdan was fully committed to a boxing career with his father as his manager.

Cerdan would fight mainly in Casablanca in the early part of his career. The most prominent fights were his battles with Omar Koudiri. When Cerdan arrived in France he would meet Koudiri again for the French Welterweight title in 1938. The fight was a labored struggle that saw Cerdan outwork Kuidiri in 12 strenuous rounds. The win gave Cerdan crossover appeal in his lineage homeland of France. Thousands called him the “Moroccan Bomber”; to boxing aficionados his style was classified swarmer or pressure fighter. Cerdan was one of the greatest examples of a fighter who can throw numerous punches and still retain stamina. Moreover, Cerdan was an accurate puncher that could lift an opponent off the ground with either hand. When you add a great chin and solid ring intelligence this creates a formidable fighter. These ingredients along with a never say die attitude helped Cerdan have an impressive 460 record to start his professional boxing career.

The first loss in Cerdan’s career occurred in the National Sporting Club, London, England. Cerdan was disqualified after 5 rounds due to a disputed low blow foul after most observers had him clearly winning the fight until the DQ. The loss didn’t discourage Cerdan it made him only hungrier and more determined. He would go on to win his next five consecutive matches to set up a shot for the European Welterweight title against Saverio Turiello in Italy on June 3, 1939. The two had fought in France in the past but this time it would be in Turiello’s homeland. Despite fighting under the fascist led Mussolini the poise Cerdan got the 15 round win. The crowd in frustration attacked Cerdan and even destroyed his trademark blue robe trunks which was given to him by his mother years ago, Cerdan escapes with his life, and it won’t be the last time that Cerdan fights in a fascist occupied country. The precision, footwork, and hunger were too much for Turiello. Cerdan would always credit his soccer skills that enabled him to develop his footwork in boxing. He

He would suffer his second loss in 70 professional fights, once again via disqualification to Victor Buttin in Algeria. Before avenging that loss, Cerdan would fight in Nazi occupied France and dismantle Jose Ferrer. Ferrer was a Nazi sympathizer and was from Francoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dictatorship in Spain that was officially a Fascist government. However, Ferrer was simply too inexperienced and his generic skills were no match for Cerdan. The fight ended via a first run knockout, and actually should have been stopped within the first minute of the fight.

The French middleweight title would be a prize possession that Cerdan had wanted for some time. He finally made the most of it when he knocked out Assiane Diouf out in three rounds. Robert Charron would give Cerdan a game challenge for 12 rounds for that very title. Both fighters would land hellacious shots that would send a lesser man out. Cerdan would still be able to elude most of the Charron jabs and made him pay when he missed. The two knockdowns that Cerdan scored against Charron would also help him get the victory in Paris. His next opponent would be the biggest step up in class for Cerdan. He would fight Ameri-

can Holman Williams who himself had scored wins against people like Archie Moore and Charles Burley. Williams after nearly 200 fights when his career ended had a KO percentage of less than 20%. What the made fight compelling was that Williams who had great speed and could have gone to his bike instead often traded with Cerdan. The fact that Cerdan had also injured his right hand early on and Williams had also injured his leg later in the late rounds. Cerdan would win the narrow decision and to some already certify himself as the greatest French fighter ever in eclipsing names as George Carpentier, Robert Cohen,

. Adams would take his corners advice and press the action and make things more interesting. The decision still would go to Cerdan Now Cerdan was a household name in both sides of the Atlantic and throughout Northern Africa. Cerdan would fight in France, Canada, UK, and US in his next few fights. After 110 fights, Cerdan had lost only twice, and both were due to disqualifications. This would change when he fought Cyrille Delannoit in Belgium in May 1948. The fight was a brutal display of courage as both fighters took a lot of punishment. Cerdan had fractured his leg two days before the fight, and still didn’t cancel. He felt he did enough to get the win but lost the decision to the hometown fighter. As expected any close fight will go the fighter’s home country, so they had a rematch and Cerdan this time beyond a shadow of the doubt carried the fight.

The dream for Cerdan was to get a crack of the World Middleweight title. The champion Tony Zale was past his prime but still managed to knockout Rocky Graziano in three rounds in his previous fight. In addition, the fight would take place in New Jersey giving the champion the home advantage. The fight had a lot of clinching in the middle of the ring and both fighters trading solid body shots. However, Cerdan was able to land with accurate combinations on the inside and slowly pick Zale apart. After 10 rounds, Zale had lost a lot of his will and legs were spaghetti. In round 11, there were many unanswered left hooks to the chin of Zale and he was dropped by a overhand right as the bell rung that made the Champion’s corner decide to stop the fight. Marcel Cerdan was now the middleweight champion of the world and the fight would win Ring magazine’s fight of the year for 1948. Cerdan would earn an impressive win against Dick Turpin in

England and fight against Jake Lamotta in Detroit in June 1949. The first round of the fight would have Lamotta appeared to throw Cerdan to the canvas that resulted in a separated left shoulder. In fairness, the shove was not as malicious as some made it out to be, it was more of the awkward landing that caused the problem. Fighters have pushed past, present, and surely will in the future. When asked by his corner about retiring, Cerdan responded “I am a fighter and not a dressmaker and can fight with one hand.” This courage allowed Cerdan to win some of the early rounds of the fight. However, it was apparent that with an injured left the ring savvy Lamotta realized that he only had to worry about the right hand. Finally Cerdan retired in the 10th round and suffered his only stoppage loss in over 100 fights. Due to the injury, there was great anticipation for the scheduled rematch. Unfortunately, Cerdan died on October 27, 1949 in flight

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Floyd Mayweather jr

Last fight: UD Shane Mosley

4 Juan Manuel Marquez Last fight: Michael Katsidis Next fight: TBA

The last four fights Marque failed to win were against M Floyd Mayweather is the best. Sure it's been 10 months and no ac- weather, a debatable decision tion with none being lined up with his upcoming court case. hometown loss in a boring f However if you look at his last four opponents; De La Hoya; Hat- and a draw after being knoc against Pacquiao. In between ton; Marquez; Mosley all were ranked pretty highly but Mayhave been wins over very goo weather destroyed them. De La Hoya was the only one getting relatively close. Mayweather is the next level ahead of any- should be applauded for tak a fight against Mayweather one else. but above his optimum weigh fight anyone and hopefully

Next fight: TBA

2 Manny Pacquiao Last fight: UD Antonio Margarito Next fight: 07/05/11 Shane Mosley Manny Pacquiao is an inspirations to not only Filipino's but people all over the world. Who would have thought in 1999 when Medgoen Singsurat beat him he would be an eight world weight world champion. While that is mightily impressive I've never been as impressed with Pacman as I have been with Mayweather recently. His last five opponents have been cherry picked in my opinion and I believe that Pacman has

3 Sergio Martinez Last fight: Serhiy Dzinziruk TKO8

5 Juan Manuel Lo

Next fight: TBA

Last fight: Rafael Marqu RTD8

Martinez has always been a dangerous fighter. 33 years would be his first real chance at a title with an eliminator. He won it and waited 18 months for a shot at interim title. His big break really begun when he got his fight with 'the most avoided man in boxing' Paul Williams. In one of the fights of the year Williams grabbed a debatable majority decision. It was his next three fights which have him at number 3. Dominating Pavlik to win Middleweight titles, destroying Williams and obliterating Dzinziruk means that Martinez is one of the best fighters around. The fight apparently being lined up is Manfre-

do and despite it being a drop in class he deserves an easier fight.

Next fight: 16/04/11 Orl

Since 2008 begun Juanma ha fights. 9 have had world t rounds a fight shows the Ponce De Leon and Penalo the super bantamweight d he took on at super bantam ity with Luevano one of th coming fight against Salid fight with Chris John or is the first under 30 on th

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ez Mayn against Pacquiao, a fight against Chris John cked down three times n this his last six fights od opposition. Marquez king on who he does with r not one that he needed ht took on. Marquez will a big fight will be

opez

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as had 10 titles on the line. 5.4 power the southpaw has. osa were big stoppages in division. The three fighters mweight were all top qualhe best in world. His updo is build up towards a Yuriorkis Gamboa. JuanMa he list

6 Nonito Donaire Last fight: Fernando Montiel TKO2 Next fight: TBA The love of the internet. If people on here tend to use forums only, then you'd be hard pushed to decide who was the best fighter in the world. Pacquiao or Donaire! He seems to me to be just a tad over-rated. His big fight wins are Darchinyan, Concecpion and Montiel. He is a good fighter to watch

and often will provide knockouts in big fights. His big wins aren't as big as any above him and for that reason he

7 Timothy Bradley Last fight: Devon Alexander TD Next fight: TBA Timothy Bradley is the possesor of possible the best abs in boxing. He is also possibly the best light welterweight around. A list of wins including Junior Witter, Nate Campbell, Devon Alexander is an impressive resume. He also shows a willingness to fight anyone with his unification bout against Alexander and a fight against Khan lined up. A win against Khan would edge him near my top three.

Bernard Hopkins

Last fight: Jean Pascal Draw Next fight: 21/05/11 Jean Pascal

The wily veteran is the oldest man on this list. His draw with the man who had beaten the man showed he is still competitive at 46. His last loss, and it was debatable, was against Joe Calzaghe one of the premier fighters of recent years. Hopkins also 4 fights ago took apart Kelly Pavlik and has been responsible I believe for his self destruction. B-Hop will remain on here until he can longer keep up with the best. He will be here for a long time at this rate!

9 Giovanni Segura Last Fight: Manuel Vargas RTD7 Next Fight: 02/04/11 Ivan Calderon A must watch fighter with pure, unrelenting aggression. It's been a whirlwind 24 months for Segura who in 2009 knocked out Canchilla to win a light-flyweight world title. He would defend it three times, none of the fights went over 6 rounds. Late 2010 he'd moved up to Flyweight and was given a fight against the unbeaten Calderon. Calderon was ranked highly on pound 4 pound lists but Segura pressurised him and eventually the swarming was too much and a body shot finished Calderon in the 8th. A win in the rematch will solidify Segura as a top quality fighter.

10 Andre Ward Last fight: Sakio Bika UD Next fight: 14/05/11 Arthur Abraham Andre Ward is one of 7 medallists at the 2004 summer Olympics who are all fighting at a high level. I have rated Ward the highest out of the lot of them. I wasn't sure he belongs this high and belive that from around 8th downwards it gets very competitive. Andre is in mainly for his dominance over Kessler and two solid wins since. Andre Ward is for me one of the most boring fighters on this list and his last four fights against opponents that are of a good quality have all ended in decisions. Winning the super six would probably cement Wards place in the top 10.

11 Jean Pascal Last fight: Bernard Hopkins Draw Next fight: 21/05/11 Jean Pascal Jean Pascal is one of my favourite boxers in the world and I feel he is much more comfortable at light heavyweight than he was at super middleweight. It shows just how good he is that he was able to go to Froch's backyard and brawl with the Cobra. Both showed incredible heart and good hands in of the best fights in 2008. He moved up to light heavyweight where he won the belt off Diaconu. He then beat the best the light heavyweight had to offer and a high ranked fighter in Chad Dawson. Pascal never receives credit he deserves for this and he battled Hopkins to a draw. Hopkins has barely aged as a fighter and a draw against him is brilliant. Pascal never backs down from a fight and will take on all-comers which is now a rarity and he is just edge out my top ten.

CAINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S P4P 12 Paul Williams Last fight: Sergio Martinez Loss KO2 Next fight: TBA Paul Williams is one of the most avoided men in boxing. Campaigning between welterweight and middleweight he is one of the tallest fighters in all of the weights he fights in. At welterweight he beat Margarito and exchanged wins over Quintana. Since then he has only campaigned at light-middle and middleweight. Wins over Wright and Phillips didn't set the world on fire, however his next fight against Martinez was special. He then defeated Cintron controversially before his knockout loss to Martinez. A loss to Martinez is not a huge negative and a ending to their trilogy would be well received.

13 Miguel Angel Cotto Last Fight: Ricardo Mayorga TKO12 Next fight: TBA Miguel Cotto has been a top boxer since 2004. The names on his record are some of the best around. Pinto, N'dou, Corley, Torres, Malignaggi, Quintana, Judah, Mosley, Margarito, Clottey, Pacquiao, Mayorga. The defeat against Margarito will remain etched on my mind and probably his for a long time. Who knows if Margarito was adding illegal substances to his hand wraps, if he was then not only has he endangered Cotto but deprived the fan of a star. Since the Margarito fight Cotto just hasn't been the same

14 Roman Gonzalez Last fight: Manuel Vargas UD Next fight: TBA Standing at 5'2 Roman is the shortest boxer on this list. He is also pretty unknown due mainly to the fact he has campaigned at straw-weight and light flyweight. The youngest man on this list at 23, first dominated at straw-weight he then moved up to light flyweight. He quickly won the WBA belt and is looking for the winner of Segura- Calderon. Either of these fights would be great for the viewers with Gonzalez able to fight as an aggressive swarmer but just as good technically. He will pose problems for the winner and if Gonzalez was a few weights higher he would be much more exposed.

15 Amir Khan Last fight: Marcos Maidana UD Next fight: Paul McCloskey 16/04/11 Amir Khan is a prime example of just how good Freddie Roach is. Watching pre-Roach and post-Roach is like a different fighter. Khan is establishing himself as one of the top fighters in the light -welterweight division. I was a critic of Khan however have really warmed to him with masterful performances. Malignaggi and Maidana both stick out in my mind. Khan will hopefully fight Bradley to unify the belts.

16 Chris John Last Fight: Fernando Saucedo UD Next fight: 17/04/11 Daud Yordan Chris John has been un-noticed for years but he has been a top featherweight for years. His first big win came against Marquez in 2006. It was by no means terrible judging in Indonesia but he never got the recognition. A big reason for the lack of recognition was that the first time he ventured into America was 2009. He got a draw in the first fight which he deserved to win and in the second fight dominated. He needs to keep in the mix fighting top Featherweights like Lopez and Gamboa.

17 David Haye Last fight: Audley Harrison KO3 Next fight: TBC David Haye is perhaps the loudest and cockiest on this list. A trash-talking Brit, David Haye made his name in the Cruiserweight division, first taking Mormeck titles away from him in Paris after he stopped him in the 7th round. He would then rip the WBO belt from Macrenelli knocking him out in round two. He moved up to Heavyweight stating his intentions of fighting the Klitchsko brothers. Negotiations could never be agreed on and Haye went out to win a title from Valuev. He won a decision and has defended his title twice. Negotiations with both Klitchsko brothers are ongoing.

CAINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S P4P 18 Yuriorkis Gamboa Last fight: Jorge Solis TKO4 Next fight: TBA The kid from Cuba is well and truly swimming in the shallower end of the pool. Some quality opposition would do this kid no harm. Solis, Salido, Mtawga are the most notable names, but I think with Gamboa's potential he belongs at the top of the division. Time for Gamboa to sink or swim.

19 Wladimir Klitcshko Last fight: Samuel Peter TKO10 Next fight: TBC Possibly the most boring fighter on here, Klitchsko is not an appealing heavyweight champion. He doesn't have knockout power in abundance or lightning fast hands. He has a massive jab that he wears his opponents down with. It's worked 55 times with his chin letting him down thrice. Assuming he does fight David Haye next he hopes it ends like the majority of his 58 fights.

20 Carl Froch Last fight: Arthur Abraham UD Next fight: Glen Johnson 04/06/11 Carl Froch will go some way to proving he deserves to be in here over the next year. With wins over Abraham, Dirrell, Pascal his loss against Kessler is often overlooked. I have put Froch in ahead of Kessler because his wins are slightly better and I feel he could beat Kessler. If he manages to win the Super six he will jump up the rankings.

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