The thing about boxing is
that even when nothing is really going on, something is still going
on. That’s the case this week as plans are being shored up for what looks to be
a strong run of fights in the fall and winter months. Here's a few things that
are happening...
- It's official: Guillermo Rigondeaux will not
be part of the September 15th undercard at the Thomas and Mack
Center in Las Vegas before Sergio Martinez faces Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in that
night’s main event. A judge in Miami denied a motion by the Cuban's attorney,
preventing him from facing Robert Marroquin. Basically, Gary Hyde, who manages
Rigondeaux, is charging that Top Rank made this bout without his consent and is
accusing them of dirty pool. Lem Satterfield of The Ring has more on this story: http://ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/174491-rigondeauxs-
But the show will go on. Top
Rank matchmakers are looking for a replacement to face Marroquin and it could
be Mexican Oscar Gonzalez who gets the call.
- The bout between super middleweights Adonis
Stevenson and Don George has been rescheduled for October 12 at the Bell Centre
in Montreal. Originally, that fight was supposed to be a co-feature to the bout
between IBF light heavyweight titlist Tavoris Cloud and Jean Pascal on Showtime,
scheduled for August 11th but then postponed as Pascal suffered a
training injury. According to promoter Yvon Michel, this contest will be
broadcast in the States by Wealth TV.
(OK, does anyone out there
actually have WealthTV?)
- The bout between Stevenson and George is an
IBF super middleweight eliminator. The champion, Carl Froch, announced on
Tuesday that he will be taking on Yusaf Mack in Nottingham, England. “The Mack
Attack” isn't a bad opponent in this circumstance. He's been a fringe contender
for much of his career and is best known for losing to the likes of Librado
Andrade, Glen Johnson and Cloud. Froch, who destroyed Lucian Bute in May, is
slated to face Bute in a rematch in 2013.
- Tickets for the inaugural boxing card at the
Barclays Center on October 20th, featuring the rematch between WBC
junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia and Erik Morales and the likes of
Paulie Malignaggi and Peter Quillin go on sale today at 10 a.m., Eastern time.
Here's the ticket info (from a Golden Boy press release): Tickets
start at $50 and go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, August 29 at
10:00 a.m. ET and will be available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, or at
800-745-3000.
- Word is that HBO is pushing for Adrien Broner
to face Robert Guerrero on November 3rd. Originally, “The Problem”
and his magical tweeting brush were supposed to appear on the network October 6th but that date was scrapped after a suitable foe could not be found. Last week,
Guerrero, who holds a version of the WBC 147-pound title, and Broner were
sparring back and forth on Twitter. And if there's ever an impetus for a fight
to happen nowadays, it's when two guys go at it 140 characters at a time.
Another option could be the
winner of the September 8th tangle in Oakland between WBC
lightweight titlist Antonio DeMarco and Johnny Molina.
HARD KNOCKS FLURRIES
It looks like Jorge Linares
will be making his return to the ring on Oct. 6th on a card
televised by Fox Deportes...Malik Scott faces Bowie Tupou in a heavyweight
match-up on the Andre Ward-Chad Dawson undercard...We'll have more on this
tomorrow but Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez has signed a deal with manager Frank
Espinoza...My dark horse in this year’s Heisman Trophy race is Geno Smith of
WVU...Yeah, I like USC but their lack of depth on the D-line concerns me...
...
