In honor of Lamont Peterson’s failed drug test and subsequent cancellation of his rematch against Amir Khan, I took it upon myself to research and compile a list of the sport’s most notorious drug cheats.

The following list is made up of boxers who received, tested positive or admitted to using performance enhancing drugs.

So let’s ditch the fluff introduction and get straight to the 10 Greatest Performance Enhancers of All-Time.

10. Frans Botha (48-7-3, 29 KOs)

Accomplishments: Former WBF Heavyweight Champion

Drug of choice: Nandrolone

Remarks: Botha defeated Axel Schulz for the IBF heavyweight title in 1995, but was stripped of the title after testing positive for steroids.

9. Tommy Morrison (48-3-1, 42 KOs)

Accomplishments: Former WBO Heavyweight Champion

Drug of choice: Steroids

Remarks: Officially, the only thing Morrison ever tested positive for was HIV. In 2006, Morrison claimed his 1996 HIV test was a false positive caused by steroid usage. Morrison may have watched too many Star Trek re-runs, as he also said he could teleport himself.

8. Ricardo Mayorga (29-8-1, 23 KOs)

Accomplishments: Former unified welterweight champion

Drug of choice: Furosemide

Remarks: Mayorga failed his post-fight drug test following his knockout loss to Oscar De La Hoya in 2006. Furosemide is a banned diuretic used to either lose weight in a short amount of time or mask steroid usage. In this case, I bet Mayorga was constipated.

7. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (45-0-1, 31 KOs)

Accomplishments: Arrested for DUI two weeks before a fight

Drug of choice: Furosemide

Remarks: JCC Jr. used the banned diuretic presumably to make weight for his fight against Troy Rowland in 2009. He easily beat the tomato can, but the result was later changed to a no-contest due to his failed drug test. After struggling to make weight against Marco Antonio Rubio in February, Chavez managed to escape the great state of Texas without taking a post-fight drug test.

6. Ivan Drago (53-1, 46 KOs)

Accomplishments: Killed Apollo Creed

Drug of choice: Anabolic Steroids

Remarks: We’ve all seen the tape of Vitali Klitschko’s half brother Drago shooting up ‘roids. I don’t know what’s worse losing the biggest fight of your life or losing your wife to Flavor Flav.

5. James Toney (74-7-3, 45 KOs)

Accomplishments: 4-division champion

Drug of choice: Nandrolone/Boldenone/Stanazolol

Remarks: The number of world titles he has won is just as long as the number of steroids he has taken. Toney is one of the toughest SOBs to ever enter the ring and yet he failed two post-fight drug tests. Toney tested positive for steroids after winning the WBA heavyweight title from John Ruiz in 2005. He failed another drug test in 2007 following his victory against fellow steroid juicer Danny Batchelder. Toney’s pudgy physique remained the same despite the use of steroids.

4. Roy Jones Jr. (54-8, 40 KOs)

Accomplishments: Avoided brain numbing knockouts through his first 50 professional fights

Drug of choice: Androstenedione

Remarks: Jones tested positive for PED’s after his 2000 win over Richard Hall. According to Jones, the over-the-counter product Ripped Fuel –which contains androstenedione– was responsible for his failed drug test. Androstenedione was on the IBF’s banned substance list.

3. Fernando Vargas (26-5, 22 KOs)

Accomplishments: Co-starred along side Justin Timberlake in Alpha Dog

Drug of choice: Stanozolol (Winstrol)

Remarks: The 2-time junior middleweight champion is a prime example of how steroids don’t stop you from getting knocked out. Thanks to his Winstrol fueled performance, Vargas was able to bully Oscar De La Hoya for much of their 2002 title unification fight. As Vargas repeatedly assaulted De La Hoya, HBO blow-by-blow announcer Jim Lampley remarked how Vargas had “seemingly super natural strength for a one-hundred-fifty-four pounder.” And as it turned out, he sure did.

2. Shane Mosley (46-8-1, 39 KOs)

Accomplishments: Passed every drug test during his 19-year career

Drug of choice: The Cream/The Clear/EPO

Remarks: Mosley was the second of three known opponents to use performance enhancers against Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley went on the Barry Bonds BALCO diet for his 2003 rematch against De La Hoya. And unlike Vargas and Mayorga, Mosley’s BALCO products carried him to a close controversial win.

1. Evander Holyfield (44-10-2, 29 KOs)

Accomplishments: Allegedly suffering from hypo-gonadism (shrunken balls) Holyfield somehow managed to father at least 11 children

Drug of choice: Testosterone/Saizen (HGH)/Glukor (treatment for impotence)

Remarks: Federal documents say Holyfield received packages containing human growth hormones in 2004. The packages were addressed to an “Evan Fields,” but Holyfield’s PED usage could have possibly started many years beforehand. According to Dr. Margaret Goodman, Holyfield was questioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission about HGH usage following his 1994 loss to Michael Moorer. After the fight Holyfield encountered heart problems that could have been caused by growth hormone usage.

*******************
Alphonso Costello is a member of The Sh-it List Makers Association of America (SMAA). You could also find his work at www.FightClubWriter.com

Send comments to theshitlist@fightclubwriter.com

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There’s an old saying that “you can’t go home again.” While that may be true in the literal sense, since my mom sold the house I grew up in and moved out of state when my brother and I got old enough not to eat her out of house and home anymore 15 years ago, it is certainly possible to live somewhere else for a fair while and get back to a place that is familiar, near and dear to your heart.

As this column goes live, your columnist is probably trying to catch up with a hundred people at once, on a vision quest of New England-style Chinese food and veal parmesan subs in the suburbs, or just trying to sleep off a Wednesday spent on an airplane from Reno to Boston. That’s right—in the coming weeks and months, The Boxing Tribune will find itself with a New England correspondent, no longer the only person in any given room with a Boston accent (wicked awesome, pahk the cah, and all that.)

Your columnist also had his fight taste defined by that very New England upbringing. Cheering for Marvin Hagler and Micky Ward and hearing the old guys tell stories about Marciano in his prime and Ali’s fight in a high school gym in Lewiston, Maine and paste Sonny Liston in 132 seconds, watching Ray Oliveira make the CompuBox computers spin around like a pinball machine with Tommy at the controls…where we are from so often defines us as fans.

The New England fight scene ain’t what it used to be. When the pride of Providence, a city that once gave the world Vinnie Paz, has been replaced by Vladine Biosse (who got beaten like a redheaded stepchild by Denis Grachev and made Ismayl Sillakh look like a stone wall by comparison) and Demetrius Andrade (your columnist’s favorite whipping boy), you know the old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be.

The city of Brockton sure ain’t what it used to be either. The only decent boxers to come out of Brockton these days are its high school sports teams, who have adopted the Boxers as their team name in honor of the city’s two most famous sporting native sons, Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler. While this does keep the city’s proud tradition of inflicting chronic traumatic encephalopathy on its working-class residents in the name of sporting competition intact, football and boxing are not the same thing beyond that particular brain injury.

Then again, there has been a revival of sorts elsewhere in the Greater Boston area, thanks to a couple of action-fighting palookas turned movie stars turned boxing trainers thirty miles to the north of the city proper, mashed up against the New Hampshire state line in Lowell. Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund, accomplished fighters in their own right, have begun to put fight cards on at the old industrial-building gyms that have become a hallmark of renewed interest in the sport in the birthplace of American industry. If America is to revive itself as a boxing nation on nights that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are not holding pay-per-view events and ducking each other, it will be in gyms like those in Lowell.

In addition, the Connecticut casinos, scarcely two hours’ drive outside of Boston, aren’t going anywhere—whatever one may say about the Providence fight scene (and your columnist’s disdain for those guys aside), ESPN is in Bristol about an hour and a half in the other direction in the Nutmeg State. With a major TV network preferring to tell its employees to get in their cars rather than paying to put them on a plane to Vegas if they can at all help it, that does bode well for the continued health of feeder-league boxing, the NBA D-League of the sweet science, in the southern reaches of America’s six-state northeastern corner.

Gods willing, your columnist will be there where boxing news is made. Look for more coverage of New England fights in the coming weeks and months as The Boxing Tribune continues to be your only true source of real, unbiased, un-paid-for by promoters, hardcore fight news. Personally, I’m just glad to be home.

Fox Doucette covers Friday Night Fights for The Boxing Tribune. His weekly column, The Southpaw, appears on Thursdays. Fan mail, hate mail, and a rousing chorus of “you suck” from that Triple-A minor league affiliate city of the greatest city on earth can be sent to beatcap@gmail.com. Say hi to the Farrelly Brothers and Seth MacFarlane for me, Providence. And keep telling yourself you’re something other than a half hour’s distraction between Massachusetts and Connecticut.

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Newsflash.

Canastota is closing its doors, forever, all the seats are full. Bar one. There is one seat left at the table for the greatest fighter currently plying his trade in a squared circle. And the suits guarding the doors have already given guidance that the only two they will consider are the two men currently sitting atop the P4P rankings of all but the bravest or most contrary pundits.

Obviously I’m theorising heavily, but hey, theorising is what we do right? Its how we form ideas, build arguments and reach conclusions. While we are waiting for the biggest fight to be made. So why not! Just for a few hundred words, lets pretend!

So.

To business.

How do we choose whether Mr Pacquiao or Mr Mayweather are immortalised through their induction into the great Hall?

And indeed who should we choose to look back on over time as the number one of his era, what factors should be included in that decision?

How would the men at Canastota do it?

Would they look at overall records and stats?

With 2 years and an inch and a half between them, the slightly older and taller Mayweather has 43 fights to his name and has not had to taste defeat once in his 16 year pro career. He has knocked out or stopped 60% of his opponents. Just one split decision against Oscar De La Hoya represents the only ‘close’ contest Mayweather has been involved in, particularly in the championship phase of his career.

Pacquiao on the other hand has been the busier with 59 fights to his name. Manny, though, has lost 3 and drawn 2 on paper and through the eyes of many fans at least one of those draws should have been a loss and one of his wins at best a draw. Those blemishes aside, particularly in the later phases of his championship career Manny has been pretty dominant. But a shut out is a shut out and a few extra fights aside, Mayweather has the pretty looking numbers.

1-0 Floyd.

Perhaps they would look at performances against common foes.

Mayweather and Pacquiao have shared 5 names across their resume. And all fights have occurred in the last 5 years as each has attempted to prove his place atop the P4P lists by demonstrating a more comprehensive performance over the other

First up, Oscar De La Hoya.

Mayweather fought first at a weight of 154lbs. While Oscar wasn’t in his prime he was certainly a year and a half nearer than when Manny fought him in December 2008. Manny also brought Oscar down to welterweight. Somewhere Oscar hadn’t been in a decade.

Floyd got a split in a hard slog. Manny peppered the Golden Boy until he retired on his stool at the start of the 9th.

Oscar was a stronger fighter in the Floyd fight and even though a close victory was won, it represents a stronger accomplishment than beating up on a guy who had struggled to regain weight after a boil down and clearly wasn’t on his B game, his A game having left for good sometime around the body shot KO at the hands of Bernard Hopkins.

Then Ricky Hatton.

Ricky had the lineal title at 140 after outgunning Kostya Tzyu in 2005 and was at his peak when Floyd faced him first.

It looked competitive on paper, it even looked competitive to the untrained eye and while Joe Cortez gave Floyd every advantage by stopping Ricky from using his inside game to rough Mayweather up, he slipped punches like Neo dodged bullets and gradually wore down and set Ricky up for a showreel ‘off the turnbuckle’ knockout finish.

The fight was at 147 lb. and Ricky hadn’t traveled north well previously but given Ricky’s propensity to embalm himself in Guiness and curry between training camps it certainly wouldn’t have been as much of a strain on his body to get down to weight as it had been at his usual number.

Pacquiao blitzed and then sparked Ricky out in the 2nd round of their contest a year and a half later and this caused quite a shock to those who were expecting the Filipino to meet his match in the bullish Brit. In the weeks, months and years since it has become evident that not only was Ricky poorly trained in the lead-up by Floyd Senior and was not mentally focused or bringing the right game plan but an admission of depression and drug use casts doubt on just how much his first defeat at the hands of Floyd Jr. had taken out of him.

Manny makes a better case than against Oscar because Ricky was at his favoured weight, but there are too many external factors at work casting doubt on whether Hatton was the man everyone thought he was on that May evening in 2009.

Shane Mosley has been the 3rd competitor that Floyd fought 1st before Manny taking on the former welterweight champion in May 2010. Other than a 2nd round wobble, Floyd cruised without ever really threatening to close the show early. Shane was coming off an extended absence following his demolition of Antonio Margarito at the beginning of 2009 and should have been fresh.
Manny faced Mosley a year later with Mosley having laboured to a bore-draw against Sergio Mora betwixt our two candidates.

Manny also routed Mosley and wasn’t troubled once. In fact by the end, and notwithstanding the 500 odd glove touches that seemed to suggest this was more of a testimonial parade for Mosley to pick up his pension, Manny seemed to be throttling back in the later rounds to avoid doing the old guy any permanent damage.

That creates a doubt for me over the credibility of Mosley by May 11. He was barely competitive against Floyd a year earlier, but by 2011 he seemed utterly shot. He has, in fact, pointed to a foot injury which he claims limited his movement, but I think that’s reaching a little far. His foot was fine against Alvarez and he got similarly dominated. Floyd finished the best of him.

4th is Miguel Cotto.

Now things start to get a little more interesting. Manny fought Cotto first. And stopped him before the end. So it’s a no-brainer right? Floyd ground out a 12 round decision just this past Cinco De Mayo so this one has got to go Pacman right?

Well hold on there just a second Mr!

Cotto was forced to weigh in below the welterweight limit when he fought Pacquiao. And Cotto’s endurance was never his strong point. Especially when he had had it beaten out of him by the plaster of paris hardened fists of Antonio Margarito just over a year earlier.

And while Cotto had no doubt managed to build back some self belief with wins over Jennings and Clottey, a first loss is bad enough to take for any fighter who had gone so long without posting a first reversal but to experience that loss to a man that you had discovered cheating must really bake ones noodle. The extent to which it affected Cotto was only really understood in the run up to and during the rematch when Cotto avenged himself.

Having laid that ghost to rest and meeting Mayweather at a weight in which he was more ‘comfortable,’ Cotto appeared reborn and pushed Grand Rapids’ favourite pugilist as far as anyone in recent history had.

And finally Juan Manuel Marquez.

This is the big one.

Lets deal with Floyd first.

Floyd fought ‘JuanMa’ just once coming off an almost 2 year hiatus back in late 2009. It was contracted at 145 but Money couldn’t quite make it. That was a big leap for Marquez who had risen 7 lbs. in 8 months and was clearly in hot pursuit of his arch enemy.

It proved too much, too quickly and Marquez was sluggish as Mayweather dominated him end to end. It was also a difficult clash of styles for Marquez, who found himself not against his favoured come forward all-action fighter, but against a similarly wily proposition with even greater defensive prowess than himself. Having to force the action put Marquez in territory he could not make work to his advantage.

Manny has had 3 fights with Marquez. And may well get a 4th. Marquez earned a draw after a 3 knockdown 1st round in 2004. That effectively means that Marquez took most of the rounds. The rematch didn’t happen until 2008 and resulted in a highly contentious split decision win for Pacman which many felt should have been a draw at worst for Marquez.

The trilogy fight, though, drew the greatest criticism. Only the Filipino’s most ardent fans could claim a win for their man and even the fighter had the look of a man that was expecting to see his opponent’s hand raised while he stood in the ring waiting for the announcement. The look of guilty surprise on his face was matched only by the look of resignation on his opponent’s face at the fact that he would perhaps be destined never to get a just result against Arum’s marquee fighter.

So in conclusion, Floyd dominated and questions can be asked of weight here (this time too much, rather than not enough) but counterbalancing that we must given consideration to Floyd’s lay-off before the fight. He entered the ring like a man that had barely had 20 minutes since his last engagement rather than 20 months.

So, all in all, against common opponents it’s hard to make a case that Pacquiao has fared better. In fact, given all of the variables I’d argue that Mayweather has beaten 4 out of 5 in better condition and the other one more easily in 1 fight than Pacquiao has in any of the 3 for the opponent.

2-0 Mayweather.

In the second part of this feature we’ll consider non common opponents and opponents not fought and critical ‘outside the ring’ attributes which may influence our judgement on who gets the final ticket into Canastota.

Don’t go anywhere – we haven’t entered the championship rounds yet!

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Saturday from Copenhagen, Denmark former super middleweight’s Mikkel Kessler and Allan Green look to get back on track after dropping key fights and spending extended time out of the ring.  They are stepping up in weight to meet in a twelve round light heavyweight bout after participating in the Showtime Super Six tournament.

Kessler (44-2, 33 KO) was once considered one of the two best super middleweights in the world, but has fallen on hard times over the last two years.  The Copenhagen native, who will be fighting at home Saturday, is now five years removed from being in one of Europe’s biggest fights of the last twenty years.  It was November 3, 2007 when Kessler met Joe Calzaghe in Wales for supremacy of the 168lb division in a unification bout of three major titles.  Kessler and Calzaghe had cleaned out the division to set the stage.  Kessler had wins over Eric Lucas, Markus Beyer, and Librado Andrade leading into the showdown.

Kessler had early success in the bout, but as the rounds moved on he simply could not keep up with Calzaghe’s activity and suffered his first loss as a professional.  Kessler would rebound with three straight wins over lesser competition and picked up the WBA 168lb strap along the way.

Then Showtime announced their groundbreaking tournament series to crown the 168lb king.  Kessler was two years removed from the Calzaghe fight and anxious to get back to the top.  Along with Arthur Abraham, Kessler was the clear favorite in the tournament and was favored to dispatch of his first round opponent ,Andre Ward.  The American, Ward was considered a top talent but far too green to handle Kessler at this point of his career.

If Kessler was outlasted by Calzaghe, he was severely outclassed by the young American, anxious to show he belonged in the tournament.  Ward dominated Kessler from the opening bell until the eleventh round when the fight was stopped due to several cuts on Kessler from head butts.  Ward took home a wide technical decision, Kessler’s WBA title, and an opening round victory in the tournament.

Kessler would again re-group.  In his second tournament bout he defeated Carl Froch for the WBC title in what may have been the most exciting and action-packed bout of the tournament.  Unfortunately for Kessler, that would be his one and only tournament achievement.

Kessler withdrew from the tournament several months after the Froch fight due to the worsening of an eye injury.  Kessler stated he was advised by doctors to take at least nine months off, which took away the opportunity to continue competing in the tournament.

Kessler has fought once since that time stopping Mehdi Bouadla in six rounds last June.  Now Kessler meets Allan Green as a light heavyweight.  Ironically, Green would have been Kessler’s next opponent had he remained in the Super Six tournament.

Allan Green (31-3, 21 KO), for his part, had high expectations early in his career, but has not been able to get over the hump and fulfill the promise many thought he had.  Green was turning heads when he won his first twenty-three pro fights and won sixteen of them by knockout.  Green was quickly becoming known as a feared puncher, showcased by his highlight reel KO of Jaidon Codrington in 2005, when he only needed eighteen seconds to stop his opponent on a Showbox event.

Green took on Edison Miranda in March of 2007 in what was considered a match-up of young heavy hitters.  Green was out-boxed and he dropped a unanimous decision to suffer his first loss.  From that point to 2010 Green would win six straight, including a win over the tough Tarvis Simms.  During that time, Green lobbied with no success for another opportunity at a big fight.

His opportunity came when Jermain Taylor dropped out of the Super Six tournament and Green got the call to fill in.  Feeling slighted he was not one of the original invites into the tournament, Green was anxious to prove he belonged.  He would square off with Andre Ward, who was fresh off beating Kessler.

It would be a night Allan Green would rather forget.  The emerging star, Ward, gave Green a lesson in boxing technique, dominating him to a shutout on all three cards.  Ward beat Green inside, outside, and in every facet of the sport.  It was clear early on that Green would have no answer and seemed to have little interest in doing anything other than surviving to the final bell.

Green would get one more opportunity to make his presence felt in the tournament, facing veteran Glen Johnson, another late addition to the tournament.  With fighters falling out of the tournament left and right Green still had a shot at getting to the semi-finals with a win over Johnson.  Again it was not meant to be as Johnson stopped Green in the eighth round of a close fight.

Since the tournament, Green has won two straight.  A second round knockout of Craig Gandy and decision over Sebastien Demers.  Green once again will have a chance against a big name Saturday against Kessler, but to win he will have to defeat the veteran on his home turf.

Both Green and Kessler have an opportunity to get on track Saturday night in a new division.  Kessler will be looking to show he is still relevant and make one last run at a title.  Green would badly like to prove he is more than a gate keeper that cannot get over the hump and defeat the elite of the sport.  With Bernard Hopkins on his way out and young talent including Chad Dawson, Tavoris Cloud, and Jean Pascal ready to take over the 175lb class, the opportunity is available for a veteran to make his mark.  Kessler and Green each want to be the one to do so starting Saturday night.

Question, comment, agree, disagree, or anything at all, send it to gboxing3@gmail.com

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Apparently, Manny Pacquiao, 8-division champ, pop culture icon, etc., gave an interview to the National Conservative Examiner where he quoted the following Bible passage from Leviticus regarding gay people:

If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

But don’t go back and try to find that actual interview. Examiner.com apparently pulled the piece and replaced it with another version. Who knows, maybe “citizen journalist,” Granville Ampong, the writer of the original article,  pulled and edited it, himself, after getting a taste of the heat quickly generated.

Those who read the original interview, however, definitely claim that some major editing work has been done. James King, of The Village Voice, says the current version of the Examiner article “wasn’t like that yesterday. It’s not the same story that was up there.”

In any case, the accounts of the original interview featured Pacquiao pontificating on President Obama’s pro-gay marriage stance and offering up Bible quotes to justify his opposition to Obama’s take on the issue.

It was all a very innocuous thing, until the quote in question surfaced.

Now, Pacquiao, the Bible expert and alleged future missionary for Christ, is denying that he ever quoted that Bible passage.

“I don’t even know that verse from Leviticus because I never read Leviticus,” Pacquiao told long-time cheerleader and Team Pacquiao hanger-on, Ronnie Nathanielsz.

So, Pacquiao is a Bible expert, except for the parts that could get him in trouble? Are we expected to believe that a guy being billed as a born again true believer– one who routinely ministers the gospel to friends, family, and the media– is unfamiliar with an entire book of the Bible?

Maybe he’s really not so born again. Maybe it’s an act. Maybe he’s back-peddling in the face of controversy. Maybe Ampong did put words in his mouth.

We’ll never know now because the spin cycle has begun and the truth is already being twisted and shaped to fit Manny’s hard-peddled image. There are articles already being posted about Manny liking gays and having gay family members. Hell, within 48 hours, Pacquiao may even BE gay.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Pacquiao promoter, Top Rank, had to work overtime to nullify statements made by the fighter and his close associates. There was the infamous “I’m afraid of needles” statement after the issue of random blood testing came up in negotiations with Floyd Mayweather. Then, there was the “I’m superstitious about giving blood” line. Most recently, there was the “I have agreed to all testing demands,” declaration that, to this day, will elicit ten different responses from ten different members of Team Pacquiao if one would try to clarify.

But that’s the job of a good promotional team– to smooth over the rough edges and spin things in a positive light.

If Manny’s religious awakening is true, though, the quote attributed to him is consistent with his beliefs. Unless, of course, his beliefs are just for show.

Again, we’ll never know because Manny Pacquiao never owns up to the unpleasantries in life. In his life as a pop culture icon, everything is always merry and bright. Those who question him are liars, those who challenge his domain are cowards. One website owner went so far as to personally tell me that he only prints favorable articles about Manny Pacquiao because Pacquiao is a “good role model for the youth of America.”

Whether Pacquiao actually feels that gays should be murdered for their “sins” or simply shunned until they burn for all eternity in a lake of fire, this shouldn’t be an indictment of a Hall of Fame boxing career, nor should it be a call to arms to diminish his in-ring legacy. This incident will likely fall on deaf ears in the rough, testosterone-heavy world of boxing fandom, anyway. And, maybe it should. Work is work, personal stupidity is between you and your conscience.

But, it does speak volumes about the fighter as a man.

Unlike Floyd Mayweather, who actually lives the vapid lifestyle he professes, Manny Pacquiao is a hypocrite– a perpetual man-boy who will never stand on the weight of his own words. He doesn’t have to. There’s big money in speaking for him.

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It was tournament boxing. It wasn’t the Golden Gloves or the Olympics, and it wasn’t today’s Prizefighter, though it was just the same. After a failed attempt by Don King to put together a mega-tournament between the world’s top heavyweight prizefighters had floundered, the plan went through, only in a different form.

What we ended up with was “The People’s Choice World Heavyweight Superfights”, a 16-man, one-night tournament of heavyweight boxing filled with past-their-prime names, up-and-comers, and complete rookies. It all went down at Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, December 3rd, 1993…on pay per view, of course.

The moniker “People’s Choice” came from the fact that seven of the 16 fighters were fan chosen via 900 number. Of course, turmoil and last minute replacements are common in boxing and that was the case here too. For starters, Leonsio Bueno, at the time a 1-0 pro out of Dominican Republic had visa issues. Not knowing until the last minute that Bueno was a no show, Shane Sutcliff was yanked from the stands as a replacement. Sutcliff hadn’t trained a lick. Before losing his first bout of the night, Smokin’ Bert Cooper was served process papers (related to promotional issues) that were erroneously served to Bert Sugar first. Only in boxing.

Despite being bashed by the media (Wallace Matthews headlined “Sport of Boxing Committing Suicide with a Smile”), the night of three rounders wasn’t too bad and the show lasted a bit over four hours, airing the round of 16, quarter, semi and final bouts with a short intermission at the half way point.

Despite being referred to as a glorified toughman contest, it was anything but. Most of the bouts were enjoyable and those that weren’t…well, they were only three rounds long anyway. Sports Illustrated called it “Attack of the Killer Tomato Cans”, but I’m sure the guy who thought up that headline never had to face the possibility of fighting four heavyweights in one night.

The People’s Choice World Heavyweight Superfights
December 3, 1993
Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
*fighters records reflect bouts before the tournament

Participants:
James Bonecrusher Smith (37-11-1, 29 KO’s) former WBA titlist
Lester Jackson (5-1-1, 2 KO’s)
Tony Tubbs 34-5-1 NC, 20 KO’s) former WBA titlist
Willie Jackson (10-1, 10 KO’s)
Marshall Tillman (13-9-1, 12 KO’s)
Jason Williams (pro debut) brother of Jeremy Williams, released from prison just two months prior, where he learned to box.
Jose Ribalta (32-10-1, 24 KO’s)
Derek Williams (19-6, 14 KO’s) former EBU & Commonwealth titlist
Dan Dancuta (8-1, 5 KO’s)
Derrick Roddy (13-0, 11 KO’s)
Shane Sutcliff (8-1, 5 KO’s)
Paul Rocky Ray Phillips (15-1, 14 KO’s)
Tyrell Biggs (25-6, 17 KO’s)
Evgeny Sudakov (3-0-1, 3 KO’s)
Craig Peterson (19-5-1, 7 KO’s) former Australian titlist
Bert Cooper (31-11-1 NC, 26 KO’s) former NABF cruiser & heavyweight titlist

Round of 16
Bonecrusher Smith W 3 Lester Jackson
Tony Tubbs KO 1 Willie Jackson
Marshall Tillman W 3 Jason Williams
Jose Ribalta W 3 Derek Williams
Dan Dancuta TKO 1 Derrick Roddy
Shane Sutcliff DQ 3 Paul “Rocky Ray” Phillips
Tyrell Biggs W 3 Evgeny Sudakov
Craig Peterson W 3 Bert Cooper

Quarter Finals
Dan Dancuta W/O Craig Peterson (Peterson removed from tourney by Dr. after being asked “where are you?” he answered, ”Australia”
Tyrell Biggs TKO 2 Shane Sutcliff
Tony Tubbs W 3 Jose Ribalta
Bonecrusher Smith W 3 Marshall Tillman

Semi Finals
Dan Dancuta W 3 Bonecrusher Smith
Tony Tubbs W 3 Tyrell Biggs

Finals
Tony Tubbs W 3 Dan Dancuta

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You say homebrewed, I say corrupt.

Reflecting on the one boxing match I did get to see this weekend, the European Cruiserweight championship between defending champion Aleksander Alekseev and German-Turk challenger Firat Arslan, it occurred to me that rather than describe the fight itself, which didn’t really set any records for excitement (paling into insignificance when compared to the cruiserweight contest earlier in the month which produced a 12th round that really ought to go into consideration for end of year honours), I should probably make comment on the fact that once again it appeared as though the more German of the two fighters did better out of the judges than they deserved.

I had Friday’s contest for the European 200lb belt (with accompanying WBO intercontiwhatsit strap) for the defending champion by 3 rounds. While Arslan looked competitive on occasion, flattered by the sometimes lazy Alekseev, he was nowhere near close enough to wresting the title from the Russian born, but now German resident, titlist.

But being the ‘more’ German of the two he was awarded a draw and now remains relevant, for the time being. They might fight again. Neither of them can touch Huck or Afolabi (esp. given Huck fights as a German resident now also).

It’d be easy to sit and point the finger at German judges per se as being the worst for generating ‘homers,’ but I think that would be missing the point to some extent. It’s possible that Germany gets a bad rep based on volume because, outside of the UK, it’s probably the busiest European venue for pro boxing, playing home to not only its native fighters, but also a whole host of former Soviet bloc nations all looking for greater exposure and, ultimately, opportunities to see the bright lights of Vegas.

The biggest beneficiary out of recent German homers has been the ‘great’ Felix Sturm, who has sat pretty at home (venturing out just once to Croatia) in the years since suffering a bad’un against Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas. One could argue that having suffered a steal to the Golden Boy in Vegas, he has been well within his rights to leash himself to the yard post and make his challengers come to him.

But when we dig a little deeper we find ‘odd’ decisions that don’t strictly tally with the theory of hometown favoritism. While Matt Macklin was surely taken to the cleaners by Sturm’s friendly panel in their bout in June last year, Macklin’s fellow Brit, Martin Murray did considerably better in Sturm’s next outing 6 months later, earning a draw despite the fact that I scored a win for Sturm.

Similarly, Huck wasn’t given the nod in his foray into the Heavyweights against Alexander Povetkin. When on home soil and with a rousing performance, one might have expected to have seen him cause an upset.

So, if it’s not purely based on nationality, what on Earth is going on here? It’s been suggested that judges based there decisions in part on favouring the fighter who is the promoter’s draw since it is the promoter who is making the fight and generating the revenue. Out of the revenue comes the wages. There is certainly some degree of correlation between the ‘name’ fighter being the champion and fighting at home, but the idea that a supposedly independent judge is influenced by the fact that if they annoy a promoter or TV network boss, or sanctioning body by returning a decision which doesn’t fit the ‘story’ then they might not find themselves as gainfully employed in the future simply does not sit right with this writer.

I’ve crossed tweets with some fairly well established ‘experts’ on UK boxing and have been told pointedly that corruption does not exist in boxing. Well I call that ‘bunk’. Whether you hand a guy an envelope full of money with instructions or simply let him or her know that not following the script will result in dropping down the pecking order with the consequential reduction in earnings and benefits, then it amounts to the same thing. When two gladiators step into the ring, both should expect to do so with the result unknown beforehand and only to be decided using a combination of their skill, hard work and heart.

Whatever external forces operate to reduce that strand of purity in the sport, they must be called out.
We can take a leaf out of ‘Twitter King’ and new Welterweight belt holder Paul ‘Magic Man’ Malignaggi who took to his favourite speaking box when he learned that one of the judges scoring his recent and complete domination of then- champion Senchenko had the Ukranian ahead on points by the time the stoppage came. “Jean Louise Legland should be banned from judging another fight in his life. #Corruptjudge #tk”

Fighters are speaking out. Fans are speaking out. If we keep doing that and stop accepting ‘homers’ as just part of the game then it stands a better chance of changing.

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33-year-old Filipino congressman, Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38KOs) has recently gone on record, admonishing American president, Barack Obama for his stance regarding gay marriage. “God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married, only if they so are in love with each other,” stated the 8-division champion, in stark contrast to President Obama’s position.

Manny Pacquiao was well known in his native country for living a life of debauchery and excess; owning nightclubs, gambling establishments, arenas dedicated to animal warfare and of course, pubs. Pacquiao, though, has recently shut down many of those institutions of ill-repute, citing his rekindled love for God as the reason. He has also reportedly grown closer than ever with his wife, Jinkee following rumors that she had filed divorce papers ahead of his 2011 rubber-match with Juan Manuel Marquez.

“Pacman”, now a devout Roman Catholic, has also listed God as his principal reason for wanting to give up boxing.

Clarification should be sought from the representative of the Sarangani Provence, however, because shortly after condemning all his Earthly vices, Chairman Pacquiao received 1 million dollars for starring in a commercial promoting popular liquor brand, Hennessy.

The idea of retiring from the sport of boxing is nothing new to Manny Pacquiao, having already stated that he plans on running for governor and eventually President of the Philippines. Seeing how most political races are based on popularity rather than substance, it seems quite likely that we will be seeing Pacquaio’s legendary run come to an end sooner rather than later.

Loose ends in the Philippines would need to be tied with a pretty ribbon for Pacquiao’s plan to come to fruition, though, as he is currently being scrutinized by the nation’s Bureau Of Internal Revenue (similar to the United States’ IRS) for non-compliance regarding filing his tax claims – Congressman Pacquiao claims that the BIR is guilty of “graft and corruption”.

This news shouldn’t be surprising to regular readers of this website, and given this years’ VisionQuest debacle that Pacquiao, adviser Mike Koncz and long-time promoter Bob Arum were associated with (conflicts of interests, financial inconsistencies and concealed agendas outlined in superb detail by The Boxing Tribune’s own Paul Magno, HERE ), one would assume that Pacquaio’s problems are perhaps a bit more deep-seated than anyone in his camp would care to admit.

In any case, President Barack Obama is the first leader from the United States to openly back gay marriage and Manny Pacquiao is the first boxer to openly oppose such a notion saying “…It should not be of the same sex so as to adulterate the altar of matrimony, like in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah…” To quote wikipedia for the unfamiliar, Sodom and Gomorrah have been used as metaphors for vice and homosexuality, viewed as a deviation (from God’s plan). Strong words from a man who has had enough immorality to last him several lifetimes – but hey, no one is perfect.

Manny Pacquiao takes on the unbeaten Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley on June 9 live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Another “0 Must Go” scenario unfolds on ESPN2′s Friday Night Fights series this Friday, May 18^th, as junior welterweight Karim Mayfield (15-0-1, 9 KOs) seeks to retain his unblemished record at the expense of Raymond Serrano (18-0, 8 KOs). In the co-feature, light heavyweight prospect Jason Escalera (13-0, 12 KOs), doubtless to be questioned by Teddy Atlas as “is it his power or his level of opposition?”, seeks to answer that question with the former option against once-stopped Nick Brinson (9-1-1, 5 KOs).

Mayfield and Serrano are both familiar names to regular viewers of boxing on the Worldwide Leader. Mayfield’s last appearance on the network was last June as he became the first (and so far, the only) man to deliver a knockout against Steve Forbes. Mayfield made a meal of that fight, looking lackluster for nine rounds and explosive in the tenth, although he was never in any real danger of losing the decision. It was purely a question of whether Mayfield would recognize that fighting on television as a highly-touted prospect tends to require a fighter to step up his game and deliver something that suggests to the viewer that he is worth tuning in for again in the future.

Meanwhile, Raymond Serrano has to his credit four appearances on basic cable’s flagship boxing show. His first appearance on ESPN2 came in a swing fight in 2009, winning an easy six-round decision over then 12-1 Jay Krupp in one-sided fashion. Elevated to co-featured attraction, Serrano has appeared twice, first defeating the questionably-named Ronnie Warrior Jr. as the appetizer for Jesse Brinkley in Reno, then delivering a forgettable performance in a win over Daniel Sostre that was all the more forgettable in light of the fact that the next fight on the card was Pawel Wolak and Delvin Rodriguez in the Fight of the Year. Most recently, Serrano delivered a “really, you couldn’t get rid of that guy?” decision over Kenny Abril three months ago fighting as the opening act for Demetrius Andrade.

Raymond Serrano has bigger problems in front of him than simply being forgotten in light of his following act this week. Karim Mayfield beat a guy who, while admittedly on the downside of his career, was once a world champion. Serrano has never fought anywhere close to that level of opposition, and against the minor leaguers Serrano has shown a level of power that suggests that he cannot punch hard enough to force his opponent to respect him. Steve Forbes found out the hard way what happens when you can’t make Karim Mayfield respect you, so unless Serrano is able to keep Mayfield at bay with a stiff jab and plenty of good counter-punching, he may find himself hoping for a lack of killer instinct rather than his own superior ability to keep Mayfield off him.

Meanwhile, Jason Escalera may not be in for the fight of his life in the co-feature. Twelve of his thirteen bouts have ended in a knockout victory, and the thirteenth was a four-rounder in which he may simply have run out of time. Nick Brinson, for his part, was knocked out in his only loss, a seventh-round stoppage at the hands of Guyana-born Lennox Allen. Brinson also has going against him that most of his fights have been at super middleweight, and he even had a fight at junior middleweight only two fights ago. Escalera has fought his entire career between super middleweight and light heavyweight and may very well be the bigger man when they step into the ring on television. On paper this looks like a showcase fight against a guy who is not as good as his record; Jason Escalera’s handlers hope this is the case and that their charge can advance his career in impressive fashion in front of a national audience.

Friday Night Fights airs on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes on Friday, May 18^th, at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific. The Boxing Tribune will have a full recap of the night’s action, including any swing fights that make air, shortly after the conclusion of the telecast.

Fox Doucette covers Friday Night Fights for The Boxing Tribune. His weekly column, The Southpaw, appears on Thursdays. One of the Tribune’s writers will be pinch-hitting on the Recap this week; tune in to this week’s Southpaw to learn why (hey, a teaser!) Fan mail, hate mail, and invitations to the Hobo Jamboree of Jason Escalera’s past opponents can be sent to beatcap@gmail.com.

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