OTHER THAN THE OBVIOUS

Any good boxing fan knows that the best is yet to come. Even with a few fight of the year candidates in the bank(Vasquez-Marquez, Pavlick-Taylor, Cotto-Judah) there a still a few fights that have the potential to top even those. Yes, we know that the Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley fight will be great, and great hype will come with the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton showdown. We know that Mikkel Kessler and Joe Calzaghe will not disappoint and that Jaun Manuel Marquez and Rocky Jaurez will have my DVR working overtime that action packed Saturday night. What I am talking about is a few fights I am personally excited about, and may have fallen through the cracks due to the full schedule this fall. Some of these fights may not be fight of the year caliber or even have a title at stake, but I'm interested and you might be too. Have no fear friends I am hear to remind you of the intriguing undercards, shamefully non-televised fights, and maybe one or two showdowns you hadn't known were even happening.

1. LUCIAN BUTE(20-0, 26KO) vs. ALEJANDRO BERRIO(26-4, 25KO) OCTOBER 19

Bute is Ring Magazine's fourth ranked Super Middleweight in the world. He is undefeated and getting his first title shot against a very tough Berrio. Bute has fought on ESPN a couple of times and impressed me. He has good power, hand speed, and knows how to command the ring well. He has been slowly stepping up the competition and handily outpointed the always rugged Sakio Bika in his last fight. Berrio is another step up for the Romanian, Berrio has handed knockout loses to some pretty could fighters, including Syd Vanderpool and Yusef Mack. He has power and likes to bang, not to mention a belt I'm sure he doesn't want to leave in Montreal. If that's not enough to make you interested in the fight, then how about the fact that those Canucks sure know how to support a fighter. When Bute faced Bika the Bell Center was devoured by a thunder and lighting storm, and it seemed to only make the fans get louder. Now those are the fight I enjoy seeing. Unfortunately this one's not televised in the U.S. but will be on TSN in Canada(the Canadian version of ESPN) which means I can see this one later on youtube. If anyone is interested some of Lucian's fights are on youtube now.

2. JEAN MARC MORMECK(33-3, 22KO) vs. DAVID HAYE(19-1, 18KO) NOVEMBER 10

What a shame that this fight will not be seen in the states. Two talented heavy hitting athletes squaring off for the title, this is the stuff you can't find at heavyweight. I wish people would pay closer attention to this division, it could be the best of them all. Mormeck is coming off a huge win against former undisputed champion O'Niel Bell, and taking on the number one challenger as all champions should do. Haye is a power puncher out of England looking to add another KO to his list before moving up to collect paychecks at heavyweight. These are two guys coming for the knockout. If you want to watch a tactical boxing match you might want to look elsewhere. I don't think it could be possible this to go the distance. Youtube, I am asking you as a friend please have this fight on your site ASAP.

3. ANDRE WARD(13-0, 8KO) vs. ROGER CANTRELL(12-0, 8KO) NOVEMBER 16

People in the past have in my opinion, been very tough on the gold medalist Andre Ward. I have always been a Ward supporter, and don't mind that his handlers have been bringing him along slowly. I understand that he has more experiance than most because of his extensive amatuer background, I know he's won a gold medal. What I think most don't understand is that he's 23. What's the rush? This is not basketball, or baseball, or even football. In those sports if your in over your head or pushed too fast, you go practice some more, work on free-throws, study your play-book, and work on the mechanics of your swing. In boxing if you have an off night you could end up severely hurt, and maybe never fully mentally recover from it. Do I even have to mention the name David Reid? I'm looking forward to this one because on paper they seem fairly evenly matched and it should be a decent test for Ward. Of course that's on paper, this could also be a chance for Ward to show off.

4. MATT GODFREY(16-0, 9KO) vs. JEREMY WILIAMS(42-5, 35KO) NOVEMBER 24

This a huge step up for my man Too Smooth, and I think he can handle it. Jeremy Williams made a name for himself by being an undersized heavyweight with heavy hands. He took a few years off after being grossly knocked out by Sam Peter. Williams has decided to try and make a name for himself in the Cruiserweight division, where he is matched with guys his own size. This fight will be a co-headline to a small PPV event held at Mandalay Bay Thanksgiving weekend. This one is a test for both fighters, if Williams can get past the Smooth undefeated fighter out of Providence, he may indeed be ready to conquer the division. If Godfrey can get by the tough veteran, he may indeed be ready for a title shot. Only time will tell. I am actually hoping to be in attendance for this one, hoping to make Godfrey's first fight in Vegas my first fight in Vegas.

Late word has it that this fight will be moved to Hartford Conecticut, oh well I guess Vegas can wait. The date will stay the same and the opponent should still be Williams.

5. JEFF LACY(22-1, 17KO) vs. PETER MANFREDO JR.(28-4, 13KO) DECEMBER 8TH

Both Manfredo and Lacy are coming off of some down time due to surgery, Lacy for a rotator cuff and Manfredo for an elbow. Lacy's time as been almost a year while Manfredo's last fight was in June. I'm looking forward to this fight for a few reasons, first these are both crowd pleasing fighters. Neither guy is going to shy away from contact and neither guy is known for amazing defense. Second, Manfredo is a very good test for Lacy, who is still one of my favorite fighters. I don't mean for that to down play Manfredo's talents, but I think the Jeff Lacy from a few years ago would take Manfredo apart. The question is can Lacy get back to his old form after two very long physically grinding fights. If he is not in good form he'll have a tough time getting rid of Manfredo. Third, it's on the undercard of a PPV I was planning on ordering. I have come to terms with the fact that most PPV's have crappy undercards. Who was on the undercard of Mayweather-Delahoya again? At least now I have two fights to look forward to on December 8th.



There you have it. those are a few fights I am interested in seeing or reading about this fall that have been lost in the shuffle. Let me know if you agree or maybe I missed a couple.

PREDICTION

I know I haven't posted in a while and I'm sorry to the three people that read my blog. I promise I have stuff to write about I've just been busy. Before it's too late I wanted to get my prediction in.

Jermain Taylor vs. Kelly Pavlick

I'm sorry to say that this fight will not go the way Pavlick-Miranda went. I think that Jermain is a much better fighter than Miranda and he will control the action using his jab. The last couple of fights for Taylor may have been boring to watch, but the two guys he fought still had better resumes than Kelly Pavlick. I'm not taking anything away from "The Ghost" I think he's a tough fighter. He just hasn't fought anyone even close to as good as Bernard Hopkins or Winky Wright. I think Taylor will control the pace from the start and may get rocked a time or two in the middle trying to prove he's a champ, then reign it in a bit towards the end to pull out the decision. PREDICTION: Taylor UD

CONTENDER SEASON 3

Ok, so I went home last night after work completely pumped for the new season of the contender, I get excited about any new boxing on T.V. Well, I saw a few good things and a few bad things about this season already. We'll start with the good:

1. This seasons fighters seem to have the best credentials yet. I mean Sam Soliman gave Winky Wright all he could handle not to long ago, and Sakio Bika is not too shabby going twelve with Joe Calzaghe.

2. The fighters already have more personality than any of the fighters from last year. Last year took a step up in experience but a step down in personality.

3. The trainers are a step up, I mean Buddy Mcgirt, come on he's one of the best out there.

4. The music is still awesome. How can you not get pumped up when hear the Contender theme blaring over the opening credits?

5. The underdog has already been chosen. It seems that the K-9 award goes to David Banks, I'm already liking and feeling bad for the last guy picked. (In case you didn't know Cornelious K-9 Bundrage got picked last in season 2 and came in third.)

There you have it that's what I liked about last nights episode. Now here comes the bad stuff, I will however try to be optimistic about the upcoming season:

1. It was thoroughly unentertaining! Nothing really happened, it was just another look at the audition process. OPTIMISM: I'm in hopes that last nights episode was a way for us to get to know all the fighters better before two guys actually square off.

2. Listening to Sugar Ray for an hour straight makes me sea sick. He sounds like he's doing a bad impression of William Shatner! OPTIMISM: I hope he isn't in so much of the up coming shows.

3. The trainers may be a step up but they are no where near as entertaining as Tommy Gallagher. OPTIMISM: Maybe they'll open up as we get to know them better as we get to know them. Hey maybe they'll even become crabby old men, you never know.

4. I will be very upset if we are forced to see a guest celebrity every week. Especially c-list celebs like Adam Corolla! Come on man, who cares what Adam Corolla says about anything, much less boxing! I watch the show to get to know the fighters and watch some boxing, not hear the same regurgitated crap about how amazing it is to be in the presence of so-and-so. OPTIMISM: I don't really have any on this one I think we're stuck with the guests, I just hope the get better than Corolla.

5. When they show ed the previews for next week I realized they still have the same announcer. I would rather listen to Suger Ray read me a Charles Dickens novel than hear that guy gurgle through "ROUND NUMBER FIVE". OPTIMISM: He doesn't look like he keeps in the best shape, maybe he'll drop dead and they'll replace him.(Sorry I know that's a bit harsh).

Any thoughts about last nights show?

PREDICTIONS

I decided that I would get my predictions in a bit early this week because I'm leaving for Vegas Friday.(I just wanted to brag that I'm going to Vegas). A couple of good fights coming up this weekend. I will keep it brief so that I can go sit in my room and mentally prepare for Vegas. It just feels so good to say it.....I'm going to Vegas!

MATT GODFREY vs. DERRICK BROWN

Matt Godfrey is an up and coming Cruiserweight fighter out of Providence R.I. who just keeps trucking along, stepping up competition bit by bit, and beating everyone in his path. Matt is taking a risk with this fight. He is ranked pretty high by the WBC and could probably fight lesser guys until he gets his shot at a title. Instead he's fighting a bigger guy who campaigned most of his career at heavyweight. I will give Matt credit, instead of taking a keep busy fight he is taking a fight fight. That being said I think Matt will use his superior boxing skill and ring generalship to control the action. "Too Smooth" will indeed be....too smooth for Brown, thus derailing the "D-Train".(Sorry I know that was lame but it had to be done). Unfortunately I will not be in attendance for this fight, due to the fact that I am going to Vegas.(There it is again!) I have not missed many of Matt's fights and am disappointed to be missing this one, but hey, Vegas calls!(I gotta stop saying that).
PREDICTION: GODFREY UD


JHONNY GONZALEZ vs. GERRY PENALOSA

Not that the last boxing after dark was a bad fight, but this is what the shows should be. A young buck taking on a cagey vet. Both guys can pack a punch and Gonzalez may have questionable chin. Penalosa is coming off a bit of a robbery when he lost a UD to Ponce DeLeon last March. He is looking to rebound and let everyone know he's the true champ. Gonzalez lost by 10th round TKO to Israel Vasquez back in 2006. Due to the fact that Gonzalez is the younger guy, and Vasquez proved how good he is last weekend, I'll take Gonzalez with a late rally.
PREDICTION: GONZALEZ UD


DANIEL PONCE DELEON vs. REY BAUTISTA

These guys are stepping into the ring with a combined record of 54 wins 1 loss and 45 wins coming by way of knockout. This should be a shootout worth watching. As Everlast once said "I came to drop bombs". Both guys should enter the ring to House of Pain Saturday because they are both looking to bring it.(I know that's worse than derailing the D-Train comment, sorry it's been a long week). This fight is a toss up for me, I want to lean towards Ponce DeLeon, but I can't bet against Bautista in this one.(I sure as heck won't while I'm in Vegas!)
PREDICTION: BAUTISTA UD

OK, now that I know philippoussis picked Amanda(I would've taken Megan), The Bryguy needs a new show to obsess over. Thank god the Contender's coming back.(It's a little manlier than Age of Love). This time they are back at Super Middleweight, and have some pretty decent names.
Sakio Bika (22-3-2, 14 KOs)
Jaidon Codrington (16-1, 12 KOs)
Sam Soliman (33-9, 13 KOs)

Rubin Williams (29-2-1, 16 KOs)

Those are just a few of the notables. They have also been listening to the fight fans and have made a few changes to the show. The fights will still be cut down and edited for the show, but the fights will be shown in their entirety later on ESPN2. This should please both the hard core fight fans and fans of the show. Also they have gotten some new trainers, Buddy McGirt and Pepe Correa. I'm a little sad to see Tommy Gallagher go, he always made me laugh. I'm very glad I don't have to listen to Jeremy Williams cliches in the corner week after week! I for one am happy the show is coming back and will be paying extra close attention because the finale will be in my back yard(TD Banknorth Garden). Look out Contenders The Bryguy's coming for pictures! I had heard a rumor that the Contender people had wanted Jeff lacy on the show, but he wasn't fully rcovered from a torn rotator cuff.(That would've been too much for The Bryguy to handle anyway). So just as ESPN Fight Nights are coming to an end I'm getting Fridays replaced with Tuesdays. The DVR will be set, the keg will be full, and The Bryguy will be giddy.
HERE'S A FULL LIST OF THE PARTICIPANTS:

• Max Alexander (26, Camden, N.J., 14-1, 2 KOs).
• David Banks (24, Portland, Ore., 14-2-1, 2 KOs).
• Sakio Bika (28, Sydney, Australia, via Cameroon, 22-3-2, 14 KOs).
• Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan (28, Capital Heights, Md., 14-1, 11 KOs).
• La Farrell Bunting (27, Las Vegas, 16-3-1, 16 KOs).
• Jaidon Codrington (23, New York, 16-1, 12 KOs).
• Miguel Hernandez (32, Chicago, 20-5, 10 KOs).
• Wayne Johnson (29, Lyndhurst, N.J., 16-1, 9 KOs).
• Donny McCrary (24, St. Joseph, Mo., 23-5-2, 13 KOs).
• Les Ralston (25, Buffalo, N.Y., 16-2, 9 KOs).
• Danny Santiago (34, Ocala, Fla., 29-3-1, 19 KOs).
• Paul Smith (24, Liverpool, England, 20-0, 12 KOs).
• Sam Soliman (33, Melbourne, Australia, 33-9, 13 KOs).
• Brian Vera (26, Austin, Texas, 14-0, 9 KOs).
• Rhoshii Wells (30, Las Vegas, 18-2-2, 10 KOs).
• Rubin Williams (31, Detroit, 29-2-1, 16 KOs).

My early prediction(this could change once the show starts) David Banks.(I have no real reason for this, but I'm sticking with it.)
Gimme your early Prediction.

PREDICTIONS

OK, tonight is short and sweet because I gotta go drinkin':

Morales vs. Diaz

I think we are going to see a repeat of Gatti-Gomez here. Morales has been going down hill ever since the first Pacquiao fight. PREDICTION:Diaz TKO 9

Marquez vs. Vasquez

I think this fight is going to pick up right were it left off. I can see both fighters hitting the deck more than once. In the end I think Marquez will out box Vasquez in the late rounds. PREDICTION: Marquez UD

OK, predictions in...DVR set....time to go boozin!

Southern New England golden Gloves

Here's another video treat from "The Bryguy":

The Southern New England Golden Gloves located in Fall River, Massachusetts and is one of the precursors to the New England finals held in Lowell Mass. It has had it's share of names pass through including Matt Godfrey, Jason Estrada, Peter Manfredo Jr., and of course Marvin Hagler. Going to this event is like stepping through a time machine. The auditorium is dank and dirty, the paint is falling of the walls, lights are flickering and the only thing anyone cares about is the boxing. It was an absolute pleasure to witness the event and I would recommend going to anyone. I went and did a small story on the event for my show Out of Bounds, I hope you enjoy it.

Videographer/editor Bryan Brennan(The Bryguy) covers the sights and sounds of the history rich Southern New England Golden Gloves in Fall River, MA.