Klitschko Set To Unify Titles

IBF champ and current #1 ranked heavyweight on the planet Wladimir Klitschko is set to face WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov this Saturday in a much needed unification bout on HBO.


It is the first unification bout in the division in 9 years.

Thanks to the MMA, boxing promoters have been forced to give fight fans better fights recently.

These fights include showdowns between undefeated world champs like Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton, as well as fights for the blood lusters out there like the 2 great fights between Israel Vaszuez and Rafael Marquez.


But, this trend has been hard to continue in the heavyweight division because there are so few viable names out there. Evander Holyfied is 10 years past his prime. Lennox Lewis isn't coming out of retirement and Vitali Klitschko can't stay health enough to even train for a fight, much less actually fight one.

Nevertheless, what boxing needs is a unified, undisputed heavyweight king, and after tomorrw we will be one step closer.


Most experts agree that Wladimir Klitschko is the man for the job. The younger Klitschko brother has hooked up with legendary trainer Emmanuel Stewart to revitalize his career after being exposed as being a blown-up Glass Joe from Mike Tyson's Punchout.

Meanwhile, Sultan Ibragimov has used some nifty matchmaking recently, outpointing aging warriors Shannon Briggs and Evander Holyfield to earn his shot at a unification fight. Ibragimov is a steady southpaw with a nice jab, but he really is no match for the motivated Klitschko.


"Whoever wins this fight," Klitschko says, "I hope he will go on to another unification fight."

That's a good thing to hear from the man that's certain to win.


Klitschko is simply a better fighter than his Saturday night opponent. He's bigger, faster, stronger and a lock to win the fight.

Frankly, this couldn't come at a better time for me, too. This win should get me back to .500 for my predictions so I'll be able to sleep at night.


OFFICIAL FIGHT PREDICTION: Wladimir Klitschko wins by 7th round TKO.

Pavlik earns decision, McCarson reflects on prediction

From my column at enterto.com:

“I remember when Bernard Hopkins did it after our fight. He took some glory away. Let him be happy, the man is the middleweight champion of the world let him enjoy it,” said Taylor. “He did catch me, he hurt me with a body shot in the 11th round. I could have did things a lot different...but he had a great fight all the way around. I give it to him.”

With these words, former middleweight champ Jermain Taylor conceded 2 things. First, he admitted he had indeed lost his rematch with current champ Kelly Pavlik. Second, he reiterated that indeed, Kelsey McCarson must have been crazy picking him to win the fight in the first place.

Great.

The judges scorecards indicate that a close win was earned by Pavlik with the work he did in the championship rounds (10-12). Pavik won all 3 rounds on every scorecard except on 1, where one of the judges gave round 10 to Taylor.

Where these 2 fighters go from here could make or break their careers. Taylor, in particular, is in need of a move to a different weight division not to mention a win. Taylor is rumored to be headed to the supermiddelweight division (168 lbs) for a fight on HBO. One fighter mentioned already is Lucian Brute, but nothing is close to being confirmed as of yet.

Meanwhile, Kelly Pavlik is allegedly lining up a fight with Felix "Tito" Trinidad.

Yeah. Felix freakin' Trinidad.

Instead, Pavlik should be a real champ and give superstar Winky Wright a shot. That fight would be good for the sport and be a nice gesture toward the underappreciated Wright who always has trouble finding fighters willing to share the ring with him.

In any event, my official fight prediction score has gone down below .500 to 1-2. (bleh)

McCarson picks Taylor: Is he crazy?

Yes. I am picking Jermain Taylor to regain the middleweight championship of the world tonight from Kelly Pavlik, against what many would consider sound judgement.

Just for fun, here is a recap of things going against Taylor tonight:

1. He's looked terrible his last few fights.

2. He's fighting the fighter that knocked him out in this last fight.

3. He's fighting a very talented champion in his 1st defense.

Sure, most prognosticators are going with Pavlik tonight, and I can see why. Heck, after going over it again I almost want to change my pick.

Almost.

The fact is that Jermain Taylor was once considered a can't miss prospect to reign his division for years to come, and he looked darn close to doing it, too. I'm a big believer in there being reasons for everything. I'm an optimist and a half full kind of guy. I like ideas like fate and destiny. I believe in God.

Surley, the man who defeated Bernard Hopkins twice in close, controversial decisions and fought Winky Wright to a draw learned something. Surely, the man that stopped Hopkins defense streak has more in store than bowing out weakly. Surely, America's brightest hope from the 2000 Olympics career isn't finished.

No, there are reasons for everything. Taylor's victory tonight will re-solidify his status in boxing and give fight fans what they want: a great champion who will fight anyone.Truthfully, I look forward to seeing Taylor and Pavlik go at it tonight.

I think Taylor will come out swinging and use his jab more effectively this time to capture a win. Both fighters are big, tough punchers, but Taylor has something else to fight for tonight. If he loses tonight, Jermain Taylor is finished.

Teddy Atlas from ESPN has Pavlik tonight by a 5th round K.O. I'm calling for the complete opposite. Jermain Taylor will regain his title by a 5th round K.O. to set up the exciting rubber-match.

Why? Because its good for boxing (and God likes boxing).

UPDATE: In retrospect, the fight tonight is being fought at 166 lbs, 6 lbs over the middleweight limit. This is dumb and not good for boxing. Basically, Jermain Taylor can win tonight and NOT regain the title he lost to Pavlik. Bleh. That kinda blows my whole everything for a reason argument out of the water, but I'll stand by my pick.

Official Fight Picks: 1-1 (.500)

Roger Clemens or Rocky Balboa?

Roger Clemens is all over the news these days. His capitol hill meeting with a cogressional panel today earned it's very own headline on media sources everywhere.

You name it, they covered it. The Boxing Stop will be no different, but let's look at Clemens from a different perspective.

How would Clemens be as a boxer?

Clemens is listed at 6'4" 238 pounds which would make him a heavyweight. I don't see him being able to get down to anything other than cruiser, and since like most fighters Clemens would go where the money is I'll keep him at HW.

Roger's right arm strength is obvious so I'm sure he'd have a mean jab. His left would need some definite work, but a good jab can take a fighter a long way. Winky Wright anyone?

While he's not exaclty fleet of foot, we should keep in mind that, despite former Philadelphia 1st baseman John Kruk's famous quote, he is a professional athlete . He should be able to move around the ring pretty well.

Conditioning has never really been a problem for the guy in baseball so let's assume it would be the same in the ring. If anything, he'd need to trade the effort he put in learning pitches to use for getting up every morning to hit the pavement for some road work.

By far, the greatest asset Roger has is his bulldog mentality. Clemens' physical gifts gave him a chance to play professional baseball, but his mental toughness is what has taken him to the elite level.

In boxing, much of what happens to a fighter between the ropes is directly related to what goes on between his ears. This is where the great fighters stand out. Ali's grit and determination showed itself towards the end of his career when he had lost some of his physical gifts due to age and a forced long layoff. Bernard Hopkins has used his head to stay on top. Clemens would be no different.

Finally, Roger Clemens would be a great boxer because he refuses to give up. No matter what evidence is presented before him about his alleged steroid use, he doesn't even seem close to buckling under the pressure. He's smart, dedicated and agressive. He's the kind of guy who will always look for an edge.

If Roger Clemens was a boxer all of this media attention would have never occurred. Sure, we'd read about it in the papers one day. It'd probably be somewhere inbetween a story about Evan Fields orderings some performance enhancers for a fighter named Evander Holyfield and one about some overweight middleweight named James Toney who used steroids to help him compete as a heavyweight.

At least with those guys around him, Roger Clemens would feel right at home.

He's back.

No, Evander Holyfield hasn't announced another comeback fight. Nope. The Real Deal has nothing to do with this post despite his appearance here. But there is a comeback on the horizon.

I quit updating The Boxing Stop in an effort to gain more readers and by more I really mean any. Thanks to the fine folks at enterto.com and some nifty self-promotion, I've gained some actual readers.

But why the return of The Boxing Stop?

1. If I'm going to promote a blog, it might as well be one I completely control.

2. I already have adsense on this one and I'm lazy.

3. I'm comitted to writing 2 articles a week on enterto.com, but I'll update this as much as I want with much more freedom.

Basically, The Boxing Stop will by my personal weblog dedicated to the sweet science. Enterto.com will be more of a professional site while this one will cater more to personal freedom and expression.

For example, on this site I can do things I would NEVER do on the enterto.com site like write a haiku about Ricky Hatton's fanbase at his last fight.

Loud, drunk British folk

booing national anthem

see Hatton on floor.

I think you get the idea....