Castillo as a welterweight

I got home tonight just in time to see old Jose Luis Castillo on ESPN Wednesday Night Fights. Castillo, best known for his epic battles with the late Diego Corrales. He also gave a young Floyd Mayweather the toughest test of his career.

Now, he appears about finished.

Castillo was once a fine fighter, maybe even a hall of famer. But if Ricky Hatton was able to walk thru him in 2 rounds, what would the elite welters do to him? I know, let's put him in the ring with Antonio Margarito and see what happens!

I'd watch.

Still, it's nice of ESPN to put some decent cards on once in a while. Sometimes I wonder where they get the guys throw out there.

Fearsome Five

Five fighters in today's fight game stand out as the most feared men in the sport. These fighters are not only scary to face in the ring, but they are P4P elite fighters.

1. Antonio Margarito

Margarito destroyed the man who probably would have topped this list before last weekend, Miguel Cotto. "The Tijuana Tornado" is a fierce whirlwind of constant pressure leaves bloodied and beaten opponents on the canvas wondering what happened. And the scariest part is, he simply cannot be hurt. A granite chin and an unmistakable fury makes Margarito the fiercest fighter in the game.

2. Paul Williams

Only an upset loss (and subsequent revenge) keeps Williams from being considered one of the best fighters in the sport. "The Punisher" has a longer reach that Muhammed Ali, and throws a minimum of 100 punches a round. He long, lanky and ready for a firefight every bout. Williams power has been steadily improving so now he's the worst kind of fighter to face: a volume puncher with real power!

3. Manny Pacquiao

Don't let his #1 P4P rankng fool you. Pacman is not just a boxer. He's an unstoppable windmill of pain ready to wreck anyone in his way. Pacquiao is a smart, energetic and aggressive fighter that just seems to get better and better. He seems to be keeping his power as he moves up in weight (see David Diaz fight), but will be be strong enough to keep Oscar at bay?

4. Kelly Pavlik

Pavlik is a tough-nosed, hard-hitting fighter from Ohio that represents the state well. He's hardworking and likes to mix it up with the best of 'em. Pavlik's punches seem to wear down opponents over course of the fight until their left dazed and confused. Pavlik's next test is against the cagey veteran Bernard Hopkins, whom he should literally destroy (if he can get B-Hop to actually fight).

5. Sam Peter

The hardest hitting fighter in the sport is the Nigerian Nightmare Samuel Peter. Peter is scary because he really seem intent on knocking every opponent down and out. Peter has been working to step up his game, and we'll find out if he's ready for the big time when he faces off against Vitali Klitschko. A quick demolition of the older KO brother should help him get a much needed rematch with resident champion Wladimir.

Others that missed the cut:

Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, and Israel Vasquez (only in rematches, though)

Great Knockouts

In honor of The Conquistador's demolition of Miguel Cotto, The Boxing Stop brings you pretty sweet video of some other pretty sweet knockouts.

Enjoy.

Antonio Margarito: El Conquistador

Despite the best efforts of Miguel Cotto (and Jim Lampley for that matter), Antonio Margarito became the new king of the welterweight division. More on Lampley later.

Cotto did his best to outbox and outthink Margarito, but Margarito was just too strong and too big for the outmuscled Cotto. Margarito KO'd the once thought unstoppable Cotto in the 11th round, as a bloodied and beaten Cotto simply had nothing left.

Both fighters fought a great fight.

However, Jim Lampley wasn't exactly unbiased. It appears that ole Lamps has somewhat of a soft spot for the Puerto Rican Cotto. Frequently throughout the fight, Lampley would bellow out praise for Cotto while ignoring the oncoming onslaught of the eventual victor.

Oh, and then he cried when Cotto lost.

Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. Maybe Lampley should pick a less brutal sport, or maybe he should not get too attached to fighters. Shouldn't the announcer be fair and unbiased. Is that really too much to ask?

I don't think so.

Regardless, Margarito is the new kingpin of a solid welterweight division. De La Hoya said he'd face Cotto if he had won, but he was less certain about facing the Beast that is Margarito.

I don't blame him.

The best thing for boxing would be a fight with Paul "The Punisher" Williams. Williams defeated Margarito last year, but appeared to take the worse of the punishment in the fight. Margarito came on strong late, but started too slow to catch up on points.

The winner of that fight would be the true champion. Let's hope it happens.

Still, if it doesn't there are plenty of other good fights for Margarito assuming that someone would be crazy enough to step into the ring with him. Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, or an unretired Floyd Mayweather would make a lot of sense, but I'm not sure anyone of that group would be willing to get into the ring after what they witnessed on Saturday.

Still, it begs the question: would Mayweather be able to outbox Margarito? I'm not so sure......


Congratulations to Antonio Margarito, El Conquistador del boxeo.

Cotto-Margarito: The Battle

"The Battle", as it is being dubbed by promoters, is almost finally here. I'll be rounding up the folks, ordering pizza and settling in tomorrow night for a fabulous night of boxing.

This fight is what boxing is all about, and here is what you need to know about it.

1. This is the only kind of PPV you should buy.

Sure, the undercard isn't fantastic, the main event is truly PPV-worthy. There are far to many cards that simply aren't anymore, and it's time boxing fans said no to crappy PPVs. Of course, this is NOT one of them.

2. These fighters come to bring the pain.

Antonio Margarito is a high pressure warrior who packs a punch in both hands. His relentless style has given him the moniker of "The Tornado", and he'll hope to overwhelm his Cotto with fierce combinations and good lateral movement. Meanwhile, Cotto is a machine.

3. The winner has to fight Mayweather to be considered the best fighter on the planet.

Yeah, yeah. Mayweather is supposed to be retired, but he won't be able to stay out of the limelight for long. Both of these fighters represent serious challenges to Floyd, and it would be the biggest fight of the year, maybe the decade. Regardless, let's hope it happens soon.

4. This is what boxing is all about.

This fight is what boxing is all about. Two great fighters fighting each other in the best possible fight. These 2 guys are doing the sport a great service, and should be commended no matter the outcome. Too often, champions seem to duck dangerous opponents. Well, you can't say that about these guys. They're both dangerous!

Enjoy the fight!

While I was away

While I was away from the blogging world, Manny Pacquiauo solidified himself as the best boxer on the planet with a nine round demolition of David Diaz. Diaz, the naturally bigger fighter, found himself outgunned, outclassed and overmatched. Pacquiauo is now gunning for bigger (literally) and better things with a possible match up against Ricky Hatton.

Now that would be spectacular.

While Pacquiao is the best fighter in the world, Hatton is a great fighter himself. Hatton would clearly be Pacquiao's toughest test do date (by far). In fact, I'd give Hatton the edge in the fight simply because he's the bigger man.

But never cound Manny Pacquiauo out.

Another big fight recently was Wladimir Klitschko's destruction of Tony "the Tiger" Thompson. Thompson was grrrreeeattt for a few rounds, but he quickly found himself out of his league with the bigger foe. Still, Thomspson should be commended for pulling himself up from nowhere and into a title shot. Thompson fought a good fight, and I hope to see him get another title shot soon.

Hey, if there isn't going to be any real efforts at unification, why not?

Up next in the heavyweight ranks is the inevitable Vitali Klitschko-Samuel Peter clash. I love Vitali, but seeing him stand in the ring next too his brother this Saturday I noticed how old he looked. I'm not saying he should stay away from the sport, but I hope he's coming back for the right reasons.

So few fighters do.

Speaking of fighters fighting for the wrong reasons, James "Fat Tire" Tony will climb (slowly, mind you) into the ring with Hasim Rahmam soon. Inevitably, the winner of this fight will get a title shot for some reason. I hope for the sport's sake that Rahman pulls off the victory. I love James Toney, but he's an overweight middleweight that's been caught using steroids too many times.

Besides, Rahman is an actual heavyweight.

Speaking of great old middleweights, Roy Jones will get a shot at the Light Heavyweight or Super Middlweight championship of the world in his next fight, depending on the weight agreed upon, when he fights the undefeated wild man from Wales, Joe Calzaghe. Prime Jones would mow down Calzaghe, but the aged version might just get obliterated.

I'll still watch the fight, though. I'd love to see Jones back on top again.

Finally, whose ready for Cotto-Margarito?! I know I am. This one should be a war. I can't wait. I'm picking Margarito, but who knows? Both these fighters a tough, talented warriors, and that's what boxing is all about.

On Vacation

The Boxing Stop is going on hiatus until after July 4th! Happy Independance Day!!!