GET ER DONE!

It was announced recently that talks between pound-for-pound titlist Manny Paquiao and Light Welterweight conqueror Ricky Hatton were halted, allegedly because Pacquiao has insisted a 60-40 split of PPV profit. Now I don't want to go into detail about the money or circumstances that were reported. I will instead weep quietly, and eat a gallon of ice cream, or I could just write about the fights I feel need to get done in 2009, including the one being reported as dead in the water(Hatton-Pacquiao). Yeah, the writing would probably be better for my hips, so here you go:

1. Ricky Hatton(45-1, 38ko) VS. Manny Pacquiao(48-3, 36ko)

Light Welterweight(140lbs.)

This fight needs to get done, and needs to get done soon. Both fighters are coming off big-time wins, Pacman with his destruction of Oscar Delahoya (the most popular fighter in the world), and Hatton with his dominating showing over a tricky Paulie Malignaggi (which makes him the ruler of the division). Each fighter has always been immensely popular with their countrymen, but I think the two of them together would garner much attention in the states. Of course, most of all, it would be a great fight! Both are tough guys, both have aggressive nonstop, come forward styles, and both have loopholes in their defense. What more could you ask for?

PROGNOSIS:

I have a feeling this will get done, there is too much money involved. I read that Manny was guaranteed 12 million for the fight, he won't find that fighting anyone but Hatton. I have a feeling that Floyd Mayweather waiting in the wings and will have some influence, he seems poised to come out of retirement to challenge the winner, which would be another big money fight. This fight needs to happen first. So, GET ER DONE!

2. Lucian Bute(23-0, 18ko) VS. Librado Andrade(27-2, 21ko) II

Super Middleweights (168lbs)

Showtime aired the first fight on October 28th, 2008 from the Bell Centre in Montreal Canada. Bute, who was in front of his "home town" crowd of 16,000 was putting on quite the performance, when he faded down the stretch. He was knocked on his keester with just seconds left, and were it not for some shady referee maneuvers he would have been counted out! No joke, Bute probably thought he was Sylvester the cat and the end of the fight! That is no way to end one of the best fights of 2008. The only way to rectify the situation......rematch in 2009!

PROGNOSIS:

It could get done, but I'm not sure Bute's camp is going to go into it willingly. They still have that big shiny 0 on the end of his record, barely, but it's still there. His camp has a fight scheduled for March 13th against Fulgencio Zuniga(22-3, 19ko). One would think Bute would want to set the record straight, but I seem to doubt it. Their are many big names at Super Middleweight that could make for interesting fights and bigger money in 2009(Mikkel Kessler, Jermaine Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Andre Ward). So, I don't see this one getting done in 2009. NOT GETTIN DONE!

3. Miguel Cotto(32-1, 26ko) VS. Antonio Margarito(37-5, 26ko) II

Welterweight (147lbs)

The first fight was an instant classic. In the first six rounds Miguel Cotto was fighting the best fight of his life. He was dancing, hitting and moving, it was a splendid display of his boxing ability. The only problem? The bus that was in the ring with him didn't slow down, and didn't stop coming forward. Antonio Margarito wore down Cotto and eventually broke his will in the eleventh to give the Puerto Rican his first loss. This fight was runner up for the fight of the year in 2008, and I think a second fight could top it in 2009.

PROGNOSIS:

This one is in the bag! Bob Arum(promoter for both) has already said this fight is happening in June, as long as Cotto wins his tune-up against Michael Jennings. (That's as sure a thing as you're gonna get in boxing). So my message to Cotto? Take Jennings seriously, and GET ER DONE!

4. Tomasz Adamek(36-1, 24ko) VS. Steve Cunningham(21-2, 11ko) II

Cruiserweight (200lbs)

Another candidate for fight of the year in '08 was this knockdown drag out fight between these two top level Cruiserweights. Steve Cunningham outboxed Adamek for much of the fight, but he just couldn't overcome being sent to the canvas three times by the heavy-handed Polish fighter. Even with the three knockdowns it was a split decision, and I personally think demands a rematch.

PROGNOSIS:

I think this fight will get done. It may not happen right away, I think both fighters will need to win a bout or two, before facing off for a second time. Adamek is already defending his title on February 27th against undefeated, Emmanual Steward trained Jonathon Banks (20-0, 14ko). Cunningham is also fighting pretty quickly..........for a rematch. Check out this website he has started, asking fans to petition for another fight.

http://www.wewantarematch.com/

5. Chad Dawson(27-0, 17ko) VS. Antonio Tarver(27-5, 19ko) II

Light Heavyweight(175lbs)

Remember their first fight? Chad Dawson laid such a one-sided beating on Tarver we all thought "Magic Man" might retire! Yeah, Tarver, I want you to retire too! So why the hell is their a rematch?! I understand that there was a rematch clause in the contract for the first fight, but Antonio, you gotta know how badly you were beaten, just let it go! This is the type of fight that hurts boxing. I was really just kidding with this one!

PROGNOSIS:

Unfortunately this one is going to happen, GET ER OVER WITH!

The fight we should be seeing instead:

Chad Dawson(27-0, 17ko) VS. Glen Johnson(48-12, 33ko) II

Light Heavyweight(175lbs)

Johnson was a huge test for "Bad Chad", and he almost didn't pass, in fact some don't think he did. I had Dawson winning by a very slim margin, but I thought Johnson deserved a rematch in what was a barn burner of a fight. Chad being the slick lefty Matador, and Johnson the hard relentless bull wearing down the younger Dawson. This fight was similar in many ways to the Cotto-Margarito, except in that one, the bull stopped the Matador.

PROGNOSIS:

Even though the public demands this fight, I don't think Dawson's people, nor HBO want anything to do with it. They like Chad's undefeated status, and Johnson seems like the only guy right now who could snatch it. Maybe Johnson should start a website like Cunningham, then maybe we could GET ER DONE.

6. Floyd Mayweather(39-0, 29ko) VS. Manny Pacquiao(48-3, 36ko)

Light Welterweight(140lbs)

I don't think I need to say much about this fight. The Former pound-for-pound king taking on the current pound-for-pound king? It sounds like something right out of the WWE! Even though Mayweather did do a short wrestling stint, this is the real deal! Mayweather comes out of retirement to reclaim his thrown, that sounds like big money, and a true fight to get ordinary fans excited.

PROGNOSIS:

The only way this fight doesn't happen is if Pacman loses to Ricky Hatton. We should all pray that doesn't happen, (except Hatton fans of course), because this would be a truly great match-up. Now GET ER DONE!!

OUR OWN BACKYARD

New Englanders have true love for just a few things, four seasons(not always), sarcasm, Dunkin Donuts, the saying "it's not the heat, it's the
humidity", and of course sports. Everyone in the Northeast knows and loves the four majors(Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics). Some are even quite found of the assortment of minor league teams, and fringe sports, such as Soccer, and Lacrosse. I am here to tell you about a few people you should be looking out for, and supporting the same as you do your local teams. New England has a few up and coming fighters training in it's region, and they may be fighting in your neighborhood from time to time. So in the honor of the four seasons I am going to list 4 up and coming fighters you should keep and eye on.

Matt "Too Smooth" Godfrey 27,
Cruiserweight: 18-1, 10ko's
Providence, RI
PAST: Matt was a highly touted amateur fighter, and was a 2001 Pan-American Games bronze medalist. Matt won 6 New England Golden gloves , and went on to become the a Golden Gloves National champion in 2002. He was also a U.S. National Amateur champion in 2000, and 2004(Middleweight, then Heavyweight).


PRESENT: As a pro Matt has compiled an 18-1 record with 10ko's, his only loss taking place in Germany(a tough place for foreign boxers to win) to an Olympic silver medalist named Rudolf Kraj. Godfrey has saved his most memorable fights for national audiences, in his Friday Night Fight appearances he finished with early KO's of Shaun George, Felix Cora Jr., and Emmanual Nwodo. In the Nwodo fight, Godfrey rose from a knockdown in the 3rd to finish Nwodo in the 4th.


FUTURE: Godfrey is getting ready for the a title eliminator against former Heavyweight champion Herbie Hide. If he wins this fight he will land himself another title shot against the winner of the Krzysztof Wlodarczyk(41-2, 31ko) and Giacobbe Fragomeni(26-1, 10ko). I hate to be the guy calling that fight!!

Danny O'Connor 23
Welterweight, 2-0, 1ko
Framingham, MA
PAST: Danny has been a 4 time New England Golden Gloves champion, and went on to become a bronze medalist in the 2007 Olympic trials. 2008 was his biggest year as an amateur, he was not only an Olympic Alternate in Beijing, but was also the National Golden Gloves champion, and U.S. Future Stars National Champion. He was voted most outstanding boxer at the U.S. Future Stars tournament, and was featured in Sports Illustrated as a Face in the Crowd. Danny also holds a 23-3 victory in the amateurs over the eventual Olympic Gold medalist Felix Diaz.


PRESENT: O'Connor made his pro debut at the Verizon Wireless center September 17, 2008. He ended the fight against Jose Guerrido(0-2) at 1:55 in the second. Danny followed up his debut with a 4 round unanimous decision over Anthony Woods(5-10) at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL.


FUTURE: O'Connor was to fight on an under-card in New York city, but the fight card was scraped when the headliners pulled out. Look for Danny to keep very busy, while he moves up the ranks.


Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez, 23
Middleweight, 9-0, 5ko's
Worcester, MA
PAST: Edwin started amateur boxing career in 2001 and became USA Boxing National Champion at a 165 pounds in 2005. He followed that up in 2006 with a championship at the same weight in the National Golden Gloves tournament. In the end Edwin compiled an amateur record of 84 wins, with only 9 losses.


PRESENT: As a pro Edwin has been on the fast track, starting in January 2008, and finishing the year 8-0 with 5 knockouts. He may be the busiest fighter in the country, but at the very least he is the busiest fighter in New England. This past Saturday Edwin fought on the Andre Berto-Luis Collazo undercard in Biloxi MI. That was a good HBO card, and all the right people were there to see him stop Brad Austin(8-5) in the third round. His competition has slowly progressed over his first 9 fights, and he has done well, with a good mix of KO's and distance rounds under his belt.

FUTURE: After his fight Saturday night, hopefully a relationship with HBO will mainatain. Perhaps a few more undercards on big shows. He is now 9-0, he should start to get some exposure in the near future. He might wind up with on Friday Night Fights, or maybe even a Shobox(Showtime) at some point in 2009. Also, a move up to the Super Middleweight division is probably going to happen sooner than later. The Supers right now are stacked with bigger name fighters, so big fights could be on the horizon.

Demetrius "Boo-Boo" Andrade, 20
Light Middleweight, 2-0, 2ko's
Providence, RI
PAST: Boo-Boo has been boxing since he was six years old, and began to really impress in 2005 when he became a U.S National Champion. In 2006 he was a U.S. National champion, and a National Golden Gloves Champion in '06 &'07. Demetrius took home gold in the 2007 World Amateur Championships, and Silver in the Pan American Games that same year. Andrade also made it to the semi-finals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.


PRESENT: Boo-Boo made his pro debut in Washington with a second round stoppage of Patrick cape on October 23rd. He followed that up on November 29th with another knockout, this time in the fourth round, and in front of his home town crowd in Providence, RI.


FUTURE: Andrade looks set to make his ESPN Friday Night Fights debut on March 2nd at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Demetrius has a split contract with two promoters, which should keep him very busy and move him up the ranks at a quick pace.

NOT DEAD,

JUST DVR'D!

As a die hard boxing fan it saddens me to see the sport of boxing not doing well. (I know 2009 is off to a great start, but I'm talking in the grand scheme of things). I know the usual complaints of corruption, bad fights, and too many PPV's. I agree with all of them! The Bryguy is not here to convince you that the sport he loves is perfect. I am not here to talk about the reasons why you should overlook bad fights, or even forget about corruption. What I am here to do, is tell you the great secret about how I still enjoy boxing so much. THE DVR! It's not just great for the Office, and Always Sunny in Philidelphia, but boxing too. As much as I love the sport of boxing, I am not willing to lose out on a good Friday or Saturday night out. I can go to the bar and I am guaranteed not to see Jim Lampley and Emmanuel Steward on the TV, and I have even less of a chance catching a PPV or Showtime fight on. I don't have to worry about someone ruining the outcome of the fight and best of all, if the fight stinks, just fast forward past it! I am as big a fight fan as you'll find, and I actually watch most of my fights over coffee not beer. Pavlick - Taylor I, Lacy - Calzaghe, and Cotto - Malignaggi are just few of the brawls I watched over my morning caffeine. (there is the occasional fight I watch with one eye as the room spins, but I usually re-watch those in the morning too). Not a bad way to start the day if I do say so myself. (Of course I'm talking about the fight, not the hangover!) So next time you decide to say boxing is a dying sport, take a moment and ask yourself, "am I just watching it wrong?".

Jeff Lacy vs. Jermain Taylor

If you had told me 3 or 4 years ago that Jeff lacy was going to fight Jermain Taylor, I would have told you "the PPV is on me!". I would talked for months about how Lacy would overwhelm Taylor with combinations in the late rounds, but perhaps after he hit the deck once or twice from flush shots from Taylor. I would have preached how it had the potential to be a fight of the year candidate, and the winner might never lose a fight. (I may be exaggerating a little, but I do get pretty pumped up for big fights, and a few years ago this would have been considered a good fight.)

Fast forward to 2008 and this is a crossroads fight. My stomach churned as I watched Jeff lacy get absolutely destroyed by Joe Calzaghe. I caught up on sleep during Taylor's middleweight reign, and I cheered as Kelly Pavlick brought that reign to thudding close with his sledgehammer right hand. What the hell happened to these two rising stars? Both guys seemed to not only have the goods to be solid fighters for years to come, but they also had something that could have made them crossover stars, something boxing needs as "The Golden Boy" calls it quits. Lacy laid an egg against Calzaghe and if you ask me took a needless beating because his corner was too proud to halt the bout. When Lacy returned after his Calzaghe embarrassed Lacy, "Left Hook" was put in with another awkward lefty, where he tore his rotator cuff in the 3rd round, and again fight till the end needlessly. Since then it has seemed as if Jeff has been a shell of himself. He doesn't let his hands go with reckless abandon, and lightning fast combinations that had halted opponents, has all but disappeared. He doesn't even seem the same in his interviews, that guy with endless confidence who feared nobody, has turned into the guy who looks as if he is putting on a fake bravado to prove how tough he is in hopes the school bully won't pick on him.

Taylor just squeezed by Hopkins, and then cashed in on his title, while at the same time picking a trainer that didn't suit his style very well. Two lackluster performances against smaller opponents, in Cory Spinks and Kassim Ouma left the champ without to many fans. That lead Jermain to an undefeated highly touted middleweight named Kelly Pavlick. Even though he dropped Pavlick early, Taylor took too many rights to the head, and was finally stopped in the 7th. Taylor would reunite with his childhood trainer Ozell Nelson, and give Pavlick a better fight in the rematch, but still end up on the losing end. He has since moved to 168 and will square off against his former Olympic roommate tomorrow night.

It looks as iff this could be a WWE type match, winner moves on, and the loser goes home, for good! This will be a tough fight for me to watch because there wasn't a bigger Lacy fan on the planet that The Bryguy. I was such a big fan that my Mom even said she was sorry after the Calzaghe(that's the honest to god truth, momma Bryguy is the best). Even though Taylor seems to have had less wear & tear than Lacy has, I can't pick against my man. I head says a stoppage late for Taylor, somewhere around the 10th, my heart says the old "Left Hook" is going to show up and take a 10 round decision. It's not out of the question, Lacy has never shown up to a fight and given anything less than 110 percent. He has had lackluster performances, but the past few years can be seen as ring rust from injuries. Taylor however has been stopped once before and Will always have to apologize for his showing against Spinks and Ouma. I will never root against Lacy, so I'm going with a classic "Left Hook" to take this. PREDICTION: LACY UD

TOP RING ENTRY SONGS

TOP RING ENTRY SONGS II

I started Bryguy Boxing exactly three years ago to the day! Thank you, thank you. In that time I have written some good stuff(I predicted Hatton-Mayweather to the round), I have written some horrible stuff(I've gotten just about every other prediction dead wrong), and I have written one entry that appears at the top of Google if you are looking. Ring entry songs! Yes, my blog entry about my top five picks for great ring entry songs has been Googled more times than I can count on my hands and feet! Who knew the Bryguy would be the go to guy for such a thing? I guess I know my stuff, that or I could be the only human being strange enough to write about what songs should be played just before you get into a ring to bash someones face in. In honor of Bryguy Boxing's third anniversary I have decided to make another list, because more music has been released, I've been to a few more fights and......I sure would like a few more hits from Google.


I will just repeat what I feel a good entrance song should be all about.  It should be something to pump up fans, while at same time getting the fighter amped up.  The song should also be something that could intimidate the the other fighter, realistically if you get the fans going, that should be enough to intimidate the other fighter.  Also, I like something that has a solid beat, can get my head bobbing, and keep the fighter moving to the ring, something almost militaristic.  Well, there you have it, my criteria for which this list is based. Without further ado, here are my suggestions for some good ring entrance songs.

HONORABLE MENTION:

Believe it or not, I am a big fan of score music.  It is some of the best stuff on the planet, and some of it is downright tough.  Think about it, when you go to the movies, what makes you scared?  What makes you sad?  What fills you with pride for a character that you don't know?  What would Rocky's training scenes be without his theme?  Therefore I think some of this score music could be used for entering the ring.  Last of the Mohican's is filled with uplifting, tough, militaristic type music.  So is Backdraft, Gettysburg, Gladiator, and Braveheart.  Here are a few tracks that stand out to me:

PROMENTORY - Last of the Mohican's - Trever Jones


On the surface this is a nice beautiful song, but if you really listen to it, the strings and the light drum in the back ground keep quite a kick ass beat. It never looses it's rhythm and can get people feeling pretty good about their fighter. The NFL didn't put it in their TV adds because it was pretty!

THE BATTLE - Gladiator - Hans Zimmer



This music is from the same guy who brought you The Contender theme. I personally feel this one packs a bit more of a kick than the Contender stuff does. You just need to skip in about two minutes and you've got a great ring entrance. If that doesn't get your pulse going, I don't know what would.

5.   IT'S TIME FOR WAR - LL COOL J

Seeing as how my last ring entry song list was topped by LL's "Mama Said Knock You Out", I thought it was fitting that my new list would start off with an LL track. This one is off his latest album, Exit 13, in fact it's the 1st track, and gets his album off to a thumping start. The bells ring and choir sings right off, it sounds as if you are going to someones funeral. It would be a perfect song for Bernard Hopkins to enter the ring to, because LL is mostly rapping about being disrespected do to his age. The chorus just echoes over and over "It's time for war!", the beat stays heavy through out, and the choir never stops. This is no doubt the type of track that would get me amped up while my favorite boxer made his way to the ring.

4.   HELLS BELLS - AC/DC

You can hear it now, can't you? The bells slowly ringing, one at a time, a sign that something bad is going to happen, or perhaps someone bad ass is on his way? Sometimes, a good ring entry song will let you know it's time, but then let you wait, for a slow boil. Hells Bells is the perfect song for that. When the guitars kick in that's when the walk begins. It isn't the type of song to make you jump up and down uncontrollably, but it will make you turn to your friend a let him know, "someones getting knocked out tonight!".

3.   REMEMBER THE NAME - FORT MINOR

With a catchy hook, heavy beat, and a tough attitude this track is just begging to lead someone to the ring. It also obviously states that after this night you will, "remember the name". It's all about trying to make it big by having a big heart, and a will that won't quit.  Remind you of anything? I know that this song has been used for everything from NBA commercials to TV shows like Friday Night Lights, but that's because it's that good.  This is type of song that makes me drive faster when I hear on the radio, and I can guarantee you, it would make me stand up and bob my head at a boxers entrance.

2.  EYE OF A SOLDIER - YOUNG BUCK

As I said in the beginning I like as song that is somewhat militant.  Most every Young Buck track is Militant, but this has a little more to it.  I think it's due to the background of Trey Songz.  The chorus starts up first thing and boasts "I've got the heart of a soldier, got the soul of Tiger, if you ever said I'm scared, then you a mothef****** liar."  Thems fighting words if I've ever heard them!  The beat is tough throughout, the pace is not too fast, but not too slow either.  It could be just enough to let people know, your here for business.

1.   STAND UP (LET'S GET MURDERED) - P.O.S.

This is one of my favorite artists right now, and this track from his album Audition stands out above all the rest. The horns kick in right away, and soon after the chorus is yelling at you to "Stand Up". The beat keeps moving and P.O.S. raps with a frantic angry, yet somehow thoughtful pace that sounds like a combo of Eminem, and Common. Two minutes in to the track, the horns really pick up and you are told, "hands up if your broke, go find a way to stand up, give it up if you're hoping to never give it up, hands up so we know who's here, who wants to open up the machine and rage against the gears, STAND UP!". According to my Ipod, I have listened to that song 625 times, and I can tell you, yes, I still want to rage against the gears(whatever that means). This one gets an added bonus, because I'm sure not many people have heard it, and it could be the type you will try to find after the fight.

There you have it, my suggestions for some ring entrance songs.  Let me know what you think, or if you have a few suggestions, let me know.  

Big Weekend

It's a big weekend for fight fans, no matter if you're rich or poor. If your rich, you may be purchasing the Jaun Manuel Marquez vs. Joel Casamayor fight on HBO PPV, while at the same time, DVRing the Showtime double-header of Nate Campbell vs. Joan Guzman and Timothy Bradley vs. Edner Cherry. Those poor fight fans like me, will no doubt catch the Showtime card and patiently wait for the HBO replay a week later. I think both cards are strong, with the Showtime card being the more exciting of the two, and the HBO card while being an intriguing match up, not exactly PPV worthy. Well, I don't want to get into another blog entry about what is wrong with this sport, I just want to give a few predictions.

HBO

Jaun Manuel Marquez vs. Joel Casamayor

Ok, since I'm running late, I will make these short and sweet. I think JMM outpoints Casamayor fairly easily. When you are as talented as JMM, I don't think moving up in weight makes that big a deal. I also feel Casamayor has gotten away with his last two fights. He should have lost against Santa Cruz, and Katsidis got caught. Jaun Manuel Marquez UD

Vernon Forrest vs. Sergio Mora II

I don't really care about this fight, and I think it's really sad that it is kind of a co-main event. They should of had something better for a PPV show. That being said, I thought Vernon looked over the hill in his last fight, and the reason he lost was because he couldn't let his hands go. I don't see that changing, and I think he should consider retiring. Mora UD

SHOWTIME

Nate Campbell vs. Joan Guzman

This could be the toughest fight to call out of them all. Guzman is slick and undefeated, but Campbell is battle tested veteran. Guzman came in overweight, but does that mean he's out of shape, or just doesn't care about the belt. We remember what happened the first time Castillo came in overweight against Corrales! I still have to go with the seemingly tougher, grittier champion. Campbell seems like the type of guy who busted his butt to get the title, and isn't going to let some undefeated slickster take away from him. I think he'll pressure Guzman till the youngster crumbles. Campbell TKO 12

Edner Cherry vs. Timothy Bradley

I have really enjoyed watching Edner Cherry over the years, and for that reason, I'm giving him the win. I think he will surprise everybody and pull off the upset, just because I like him! Cherry SD

PREDICTION

MIGUEL COTTO vs. ANTONIO MARGARITTO

I have an idea, the winner of this should fight Manny Pacquiao for the number one pound for pound fighter in the world........I'm just kidding that would be as stupid as Pacman fighting Oscar Delahoya!!! Anyway, both of this weekends combatants are tough, talented, and getting ready for the toughest fight of their careers. Miguel Cotto is an undefeated fighter, who has been able to break down every opponent methodically like the Terminator searching for John Conner. Antonio Margarito has made a career of beating solid opponents and being avoided by the most solid of opponents. This will by far be the best fighter each has faced in their respective careers, and both seem to be ready for the task. How is gonna go down? I thought you would never ask!! I personally have never been all that impressed with Antonio Margarito. Although I do think he is a solid fighter with the guts to match any pro in the biz, I think his best quality is being awkward. Every punch he has seems to loop whether it's supposed to or not, and somehow it works for him. I suppose I should also mention that Antonio has a granite chin, too bad he's facing a fighter who loves to go to the body. I can see a few scary moments early on, kinda like the Cotto-Judah fight. Cotto does take some nice uppercuts and Margarito sure know how throw them! I think Cotto will weather the storm and break down Antonio the same way he has the rest, by ripping to the body. I think Margarito's corner or the ref will stop the fight late, say 11 or 12. PREDICTION COTTO TKO 12