MORE BAD PREDICTIONS

Any one who has ever read my blog knows about my terrible track record. I have a feeling this weekend is not going to improve that.

JAMES TONEY vs. SAM PETER

Bringing in Billy Blanks to help train James Toney seemed to be a big deal for everyone in the Toney camp. Then at the weigh in Toney was a pound heavier than his last fight. I don't think weight matters as long as he's in shape. Speaking of shape Sam Peter has come in to this fight lighter than the first. I see this fight as going similar to the first. If Toney shows up in good condition he should be able to fight circles around Peter. I think Peter is an extremely limited fighter. He's been getting a free pas because he's such a heavy hitter. On the other side of the ring James Toney is one of the most talented fighters in the game today. The harder you try to hit him the easier it is for you to miss. I have only 2 concerns.
1. Toney is 38 years old, and way over his best fighting weight against a young power puncher. Age has a habit of catching up to you over night.

2. Sam Peter has fought him once already. He knows what it's like to be in the ring with Toney. He may come in and really bully Toney and use his size to his advantage. So far no heavyweight has been able to do that.

I decided a long time ago to never bet against two guys. Bernard Hopkins and James Toney. I'm not gonna start now. James Toney will get the decision he should have gotten the first time around. PREDICTION: TONEY UD

JOSE ANTONIO RIVERA vs. TRAVIS SIMMS

This is going to be the fight of the night. I am a very big fan of Jose Rivera and am glad to see him getting some exposure on Showtime. This is a dangerous fight for "El Gallo". Simms is an undefeated southpaw with solid boxing skills. Simms and Rivera have one common opponent, Alajandro Garcia. "Terrible Travis" KO'D Garcia in round five on a punch when breaking. Garcia should have been protecting himself, but it was still a cheap shot in a close fight. Rivera knocked Garcia down five times in a absolute boxing clinic. Rivera has fought the much better opposition and Travis is coming off of a two year lay off. I'm still nervous of Simms being able to box and use his southpaw style to give Rivera trouble. In the end I think Rivera wants it more and should be able to pull out the victory. PREDICTION: RIVERA UD

THE BRYGUY'S 2007 WISHLIST

First off I would like to say I'm pretty happy with 2006. I got to see my first big fight, Hatton Collazo at the Banknorth Garden. I was able to see one of my favorite fighters keep progressing and have a great year himself.(Matt godfrey knocked out another undefeated cruiserweight in the first round. Then took a UD in 12 against a proven fighter in Danny Batchelder. I saw my main man B-hop put on a boxing clinic against Antonio Tarver. Last but not least I made some terrible predictions! I hope I can change that in 2007. Probably not, but here goes my wishlist and maybe a few predictions for '07.

Heavyweights:
Just keep plugging along I guess. I like some things about '06, Brewster - Liakhovich, Shannon Briggs mouth, and Klitschko's punch. I hated others, Shannon Briggs actual fight, mandatories, and too many fatties.

1. I would like to see the champions actually fight the champions. I'm sick of seeing bad mandatories get the chance to fight for titles they don't deserve. How many times can you watch valuev fight guys like Monte Barrett? Klitschko vs. Brock? Someone please help me! Am I the only one that can see this going on?!

2. How about more interviews with Shannon Briggs and James Toney. The most entertaining things about the division this year was thier giant mouths!

Cruiserweights:
Is it just me or could this be an exciting division if people would fight each other?

1. How many times do I have to ask? Chris Byrd vs. O'Neil Bell. This could be such a great fight. In a year when this division could've capitalizzed on having a unified champ, they did nothing! Pleas make this happen somebody, I'm begging you!

2. My boy Matt Godfrey should just keep doing what he's doing. I hope he isn't rushed into a title fight. I'd like to see him fight 3 or 4 more times in '07 and maybe get a title fight in early '08.

Light Heavies:
This division is getting some new blood finally.

1. I want to see more of everyone. Paul Briggs, even though he lost to Thomas Adamek twice. Both fights were exciting brawls. Thomas Adamek is set to fight new kid on the block Chad Dawson. I'm going out on a limb and saying Dawson good enough to win. Whoever does I want to see them both more than once this year.

2. I want to see Bernard hopkins get his rematch with Roy Jones Jr. As I said before, this could be a great fight now because both guys have aged. This is a win-win for everyone. Get it done!

3. I would also like to see Calzaghe step up in weight to take on Hopkins. I think Bernard should have the chance to keep Joe from breaking his 20 defense record. Maybe Hopkins could go down to 168 and try for another title.

Middles:
I'll put the super-middle and middle in one group to save time.

1. Let's see more of Joe Calzaghe. I am interested in seeing the Manfredo fight. I think Peter has gotten much better under the tutelage of Freddie Roach and could give Calzaghe a run for his money. Even if he doesn't it will make for a much better fight to watch than Calzaghe - Bika.

2. I would love to see Jermain Taylor move up in weight to fight Calzaghe. Could Calzghe put on a show against another 2000 olympian?

3. Winky and Taylor need to do it again. I thought Jermain pulled off the first fight and Winky is a big cry baby. Either way we need a descisive victory. I think just like in his second fight with Hopkins Jermain will fight better and pull off a UD victory.

4. Edison Miranda and Arthur Abraham need to fight again. This time it needs to be on HBO or Showtime. I've seen most of the fight on youtube and love to see them do it again in America.

Jr. Middles:
This could be one of the more exciting divisions in boxing. Lately they seem like the heavies with people avoiding each other for terrible mandatories.

1. Someone give Jose Antonio Rivera a chance. This guy has been an exciting fighter for quite some time. Every time he deserves a shot against a good fighter for good money some sabotages him. This time the WBC has told him he has to fight a guy who hasn't fought in 2 years(Travis Simms). After he mops the ring with Simms pleas give him another title shot.

2. Oscar and Floyd should fight each other. Oh wait that's already happening. Sweet! I say Floyd wins by UD, but it'll be much closer than people think. I was gonna go with Oscar, but he's on the cover of the new fight night game.

3. Just put fights togther. Mosely, Spinks, Karmazin, Rivera,Mayweather, DeLahoya. I'm not even mentioning the guys that could move up from 147.

Welterweight:
Same thing as the Jr. Middles. Just put good fights together. Ricky Hatton,Migueul Cotto, Kermit Cintron, Zab Judah, Antonio Margarito, Mayweather, the lsit goes on and on.

1. I would also like people to give louis Callazo a chance. He gave Ricky Hatton a run for his money, and was in a barn burner that no one saw against Rivera. He obviously puts on a good show and is willing to fight any of the fighters mentioned above. Perhaps Quintana vs. Callazo.

2. More Andre Berto. I like this kid and like the fact that I have been able to see him so often this early in his career.

Jr. Welterweights:
Now that both Castillo and Corrales have moved up in weight this could be a very good division as well.

1. I would like to see Vivian Harris and Junior Witter get it on.(Fight I mean, you perverts.)

Anything lighter than this should include The Pac-man! I wanna see pacman Barrera II and Jaun Manuel Marquez-Pacman II.

That's enough of that peace!

I'M BACK!

I haven't had a computer so I haven't been blogging. To all three of my faithful readers, I'm back! I will post soon!

THE BRYGUY'S WISHLIST

I decided that instead of complaining about the fact that James Toney got robbed I would make a wishlist. I am not going to harp about the two judges that had the fight 116-111 for Sam Peter. I won't point out how James Toney ducked dogged and slipped his way through Sam Peter's wild punches. What I will do is tell you fights I would like to see most in the heavyweight division.

1. JAMES TONEY vs. CHRIS BYRD
I have been saying this one for a while and I think now is a better time then ever. Both guys are coming off of loses and probably won't get another big fight or title fight. They are by far the slickest trickiest boxers of the big men. I would love to see these two similar heavies fighters square off. I'd give the edge to Toney, but wouldn't guarantee it.

2. SHANNON BRIGGS vs. WLAD KLITSCHKO
This one almost happened. I think the klitschko camp bocked. Wlad has a shaky chin and Briggs is not a wide puncher like Peter, so they wanted a big fight for no risk. That's why they are scheduled to fight "The Boxing Banker" instead. Briggs is now going to fight sergei Liakchovich. That is a tough fight. "The White Wolf" proved he had chin when he went 12 with hard hitting Lamon Brewster to get the WBO belt. Point is I would have liked to see two giants go for the knockout right away. This one wouldn't have gone past 6.

3. LAMON BREWSTER vs. NICOLI VALUEV
I would love to see the spectacle. To see the giant square off against the much smaller heavy hitting Brewster. We know the big man can take Owen Beck, but "what the heck" most heavies could.(get it?) We saw how Lamon hung on and overcame the much more skilled Wlad Klitschko. Could he do it again with a much lager opponent? If so what would Valuev look like going down? The fight would have many question marks and a ton of hype. I would just like to see Brewster in the ring again. He's one of the most exciting current heavies to watch. (unless he's fighting Kali Meehan of course).

4. DAVID TUA vs. SHANNON BRIGGS
This was rumored to be happening over the summer in my neck of the woods, but they never pulled it off. I had said a while ago I would like to see this go down. I don't care if Briggs wins or loses to "The White Wolf", I want this one to happen. Two guys strickly looking for the KO. Both needing the win badly. The two of them having names from long ago. I like it would be like wild west, a straight up shoot out till someone doesn't get up.

5. JOHN RUIZ vs. EVANDER HOLYFIELD IV
I'm just kidding! I don't want to see either of these guys in the ring ever again! I wish they would both retire. I will say though, Holyfield - Oquendo will be a barn burner compared to Ruiz - Oquendo!(The ref stopped the fight in the 11th out of boredom!)

PREDICTION

JAMES TONEY vs. SAM PETER

First of I have to apologize to the four people who read for not blogging in a while. I have moved and haven't gotten a computer yet.

Now let's get down to business. James Toney will be taking on Sam Peter tonight in what could be an interesting heavyweight showdown. As I noted in a previous blog my predictions have not been very good lately. I am hoping that will change from here on out. The reason tonight should be a fun fight to watch is because Sam Peter is a dangerous fighter. No matter how badly he is getting beaten you know he could always land that knock out blow. Unfortunately for him I don't see it happening. James Toney is probably the smartest slickest boxers in the game right now. Sam Peter hasn't impressed me all that much except for the fact he's knocked out a bunch of guys. Those guys aren't on the same level as Toney. The one thing that give sPeter a chance is the fact that Toney can't hurt him. In the Klitchsko fight Wlad was able to back Peter off. James Toney will never knock out Sam Peter, but he will embarrass him by slipping and countering all night long. I think sometimes people get lured in by fighters power. The sport is called boxing for a reason. The much better boxer is James Toney by far. I don't see Peter landing a lucky punch and even if he does Toney head seems to be like concrete. Peter couldn't put the lights out on Wlad Kitcschko, I can't see him doing it to James Toney.PREDICTION: TONEY UD

THE BRYGUY IS SO STUPID!

I have calculated my average of my predictions for the year and it's not good! I have been wrong 80% of the time. That is absolutely horrific. If I thought that was going to happen I never would have started this stupid blog. Enough people in my life know how dumb I am, I don't have to advertise it on the internet.(Like I just did.) I am going to examine my pics thus far in 2006 and explain myself. I'm in hopes that my fans(all three of them) won't lose faith. Right now I am 2 for 10.

The Good:

Coralles over Castillo
I know what you're thinking, the fight never happened. Well I predicted that forcing Castillo to make weight was going to be his downfall. I thought it would've happened in the ring, but I'll take the TKO at the scales.

Hopkins over Tarver
This one was pretty easy Hopkins is a much better fighter at any weight. I won't say I thought it would be a schooling, but I was pretty confident he would get the W.

The Bad:

Taylor over Wright
I say it's in between because I think Taylor won a razor thin decision. I know some saw it the other way butit's too close to call.

The Ugly:

Gatti over Baldomir
I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I thought Gatti would have more in the tank. From the get go he seemed flat and tired. I don't know if perhaps Baldomir was hurting him right away or he just grew old over night. Looking back I guess I liked Gatti too much too see he wasn't that great in his last fight. And maybe his thrashing to Mayweather wasn't just pretty boy but also Gatti losing a step or two.

Vargas over Mosley
This one I just got into the hype too much. When they announced the rematch I said there is no way Mosley would lose to Vargas. As the fight got closer I believed all the things about Shane not wanting to take the fight. I also thought Vargas would be so desperate he would pull it out.

Lacy over Calzaghe
Lacy's my boy and still is. I think he's a class act and a fun fighter to watch. I didn't pick against him then and won't in the future.

Malignaggi over Cotto
Let's just say I took a shot in the dark. I knew it wouldn't be easy but I had heard of Cotto's problems with weight, and firmly believed that Paulie had a style that fit. I'm ok with this one because it was a great fight and a lot closer than most expected. I'll also say, just as Gatti's out, is Paulie in?

Pemberton over Manfredo
This was tough for me because I had met both guys and they were very nice to me. I took Scottie because he had the heavier hands and Peter wasn't proven at 168. I never took into account Freddie Roach. My B.

Mormeck over Bell
Easy to explain. Mormeck destroyed Brathwaite and Bell squeaked by his last two fights. I didn't realize Bell's chin was so sturdy and that Mormeck was so susceptible to tiring.

Judah over Baldomir
If anyone picked Baldomir let me know. I want to shake your hand.

I hope that clears some things up. I want people to have faith in me and trust my judgment. So hears to hoping the rest of the year goes well.(gulp!)

GATTI - BALDOMIR PREDICTION

Let's see if I can make up for my despicable prediction last week. I completely embarrassed myself with the thinking that Vargas would beat Mosley. This week there is one prediction I can guarantee, Gatti-Baldomir will be much more entertaining fight. I've seen a few people predicting Baldomir to take this one. I have to disagree. Although I give Baldomir major respect, not just for beating Zab Judah in January, but also for not losing a fight since 1998. He is a tough opponent who has a solid chin and will keep coming forward. I just don't see a guy like this beating Gatti. Maybe the Gatti of old, but recently he has gone back to boxing rather than brawling.(Of course you need to excuse his appearance against Mayweather.) If Zab had been prepared and not such a head case he could have beaten Baldomir. I've never seen Gatti not prepared. Zab also thought he needed the knockout to lock down the Mayweather deal, going for it probably hurt him in the end. Gatti doesn't need to look fancy in this performance, he's proved everything he needed to over his career. All Gatti needs to do is leave the ring with the belt.
PREDICTION: GATTI UD