Archive → February, 2011

Pound-for-Pound MMA Rankings for February 2011

11 February, 11:26, by Admin

The Spider goes back to the top of the class

1. Anderson Silva

Jeremy Botter: Can there be any doubt? Silva’s lightning-quick destruction of Vitor Belfort cements his place as the greatest fighter walking the planet today, and perhaps the greatest fighter of all time. A proposed dream match with Georges St. Pierre is nearly a reality, with only Jake Shields standing in the way.

Jeff Cain: With his UFC 126 knockout of Vitor Belfort, Anderson ends the debate over who is the pound for pound best in the world.  He’s on a 14 fight win streak, undefeated in the UFC and has cleared out the middleweight division.  We are witnessing the greatest fighter of all time in Silva.

Matt Brown: I’ll be the first to admit, I was on the Aldo bandwagon.  Take nothing away from the fast-rising prospect, but Anderson Silva is in a class by himself.  In my opinion, he’s three or four more wins away from going down as the greatest fighter that has ever lived – in any combat sport.

2. Georges St. Pierre

Jeremy Botter: St. Pierre is wise to not look past Shields, a competitor who always seems to find a way to beat the guys he’s not supposed to. But St. Pierre’s dominance over the past few years has been beautiful to watch, and as he nears what could be his final fight in the welterweight division, we need to realize that we’re watching the guy who may go down as the best welterweight of all time.

Jeff Cain: St. Pierre hasn’t lost a round in his last seven fights.  What he lacks in finishes, he makes up for with complete domination of his opponents.  He’s one fight away from clearing out he welterweight division.

Matt Brown: GSP certainly has a resume that could claim the top spot on this list.  Fortunately for all of us, if he beats Jake Shields at UFC 129, we’ll finally get to see who truly deserves the top spot as Dana White indicated that he’ll have the top two fighters in the world get it on.  A true student of the game, St. Pierre looks more impressive every time you see him in the Octagon.

3. Jose Aldo

Jeremy Botter: Aldo’s UFC debut will come in Toronto, and it’ll be quite the opportunity for the Brazilian to make a statement in front of the largest crowd in UFC history.

Jeff Cain: No champion in the sport is running through opponents like Aldo is, and he’s making it look easy.

Matt Brown: Perhaps the most exciting fighter in the entire sport of mixed martial arts, Jose Aldo will face one of the best strikers in MMA when he squares off with Mark Hominick in April.  Another highlight reel victory here would blur the line and stir debate as to whether or not he deserves the #1 spot on the list.

4. Jake Shields

Jeremy Botter: I’m not quite ready to go on the record with my pick, but I will say this: Shields will present a much tougher challenge for St. Pierre than most are giving him credit for.

Jeff Cain: Jake Shields simply doesn’t get enough recognition or what’s he’s accomplished.  He’s on a 15-fight win streak, a longer run than Anderson Silva or Georges St. Pierre.  He has wins over ranked middleweights.

Matt Brown: All the guys does is win.  People can talk about how boring he is and how one dimensional he is all they want.  Fact of the matter is, nobody has been able to stop the force that is Jake Shields since December of 2004.

5. Jon Fitch

Jeremy Botter: A welterweight dream fight with B.J. Penn in just a few weeks could determine not only Fitch’s fate in the welterweight division, but in the UFC as well.

Jeff Cain: Jon Fitch has one loss since 2003.  Simply put, he beats everyone at welterweight put in front of him except Georges St. Pierre.

Matt Brown: If it weren’t for Georges St. Pierre, Jon Fitch would be getting all the welterweight love right now.  He’s beaten everyone whose initials aren’t GSP and if he beats BJ Penn at the end of this month, he will probably gain the title of the best non-champion fighter in MMA.

6. Frankie Edgar

Jeremy Botter: Edgar’s guts and determination in surviving against Gray Maynard were something to behold. He’ll get a chance to redeem himself in May during the rubber match.

Jeff Cain: Edgar is a featherweight who holds the world lightweight title.  That says it all.

Matt Brown: Everyone continues to doubt Frankie Edgar and Frankie Edgar keeps giving them the finger.  His “defy the odds” attitude is quite endearing.  His toughness is that of a man twice his size.  Until he’s derailed, he deserves this spot, no questions asked.

7. Shogun Rua

Jeremy Botter: Rua went from being the top dog in the division to the underdog against a 23-year-old prospect. Instead of facing Rashad Evans, Rua will defend his title against Jon Jones, and the oddmakers have installed Jones as the favorite.

Jeff Cain: Shogun has accomplished more than any light heavyweight in the world.  The only thing that keeps him from being higher is that he’s been plagued with injuries over the last several years.

Matt Brown: How will the champ respond coming back from yet another major surgery?  That is the question.  When he’s on, the talent is phenomenal.  When it’s off (see Mark Coleman and Forrest Griffin fights), he’s merely average.  We’ll find out in March.

Jon Jones

8. Dominick Cruz

Jeremy Botter: Cruz’ next challenger will likely come in the form of Urijah Faber, providing Faber gets past Eddie Wineland next month. For now, he’ll continue to nurse his badly broken hands.

Jeff Cain: Cruz is undefeated as a bantamweight and no one is coming close to beating him.

Matt Brown: There’s something about Cruz.  You hear that from everyone that has faced the bantamweight champ.  His footwork and head movement have separated him from the competition at 135lbs so far.  We’re sure Urijah Faber will have something to say about that should he beat Eddie Wineland at UFC 128.

9. Jon Jones

Jeremy Botter: Jones’ breakthrough superstar moment came at UFC 126, when he walked right through Ryan Bader and then received a title shot in the cage after the fight. He’s the favorite going into the Rua bout, and for good reason.

Jeff Cain: Jones has run through the light heavyweight division leaving a mound of finished fighters in his wake.  The scary part? We don’t know how good he’s really going to be.

Matt Brown: Ryan Bader can attest that all the hype surrounding Jon Jones is warranted.  Easily the hottest prospect in MMA today, Jones will get his chance to add “champion” to his list of accolades on March 19 as he steps in for an injured Rashad Evans to face Shogun Rua.

10. Nick Diaz

Jeremy Botter: Diaz just keeps on finding ways to win. A submission win over Evangelista Santos kept the Strikeforce welterweight title around his waist, and bouts with Paul Daley and others don’t seem to present much of a challenge for the Stockton kid.

Jeff Cain: Nick Diaz just wins, and he’s done it in three different weight classes.  A difficult match up for anyone, Diaz has become the most notable fighter outside of the UFC with the exception of Alistair Overeem.

Matt Brown: Love him or hate him, the dude can flat out fight.  It’s not always flashy and it’s not always pretty, but Diaz just keeps getting it done.  He’s quietly put together a nine-fight win streak, last losing in November of 2007.

 

Consensus Rankings

11 February, 11:17, by Admin

Jump down:HeavyweightLight HeavyweightMiddleweightWelterweightLightweightFeatherweightBantamweight
Heavyweight MMA
Consensus Rankings posted January 27, 2011
Rank Fighter % Promotion Last Rank
1 Cain Velasquez 99 UFC 1
2 Brock Lesnar 91 UFC 2
3 Fedor Emelianenko 89 M-1 Global / Strikeforce 3
4 Fabricio Werdum 87 Strikeforce 4
5 Junior Dos Santos 85 UFC 5
6 Shane Carwin 82 UFC 6
7 Alistair Overeem 77 Strikeforce 8
8 Frank Mir 75 UFC 7
9 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 69 UFC 9
10 Antonio Silva 54 Strikeforce 10
11 Josh Barnett 46 Strikeforce 11
12 Brett Rogers 39 Strikeforce 12
13 Brendan Schaub 36 UFC 13
14 Roy Nelson 34 UFC 14
15 Cheick Kongo 29 UFC 15
16 Ben Rothwell 26 UFC 17
17 Andrei Arlovski 25 Strikeforce 16
18 Pedro Rizzo 25 Impact Fighting Championship 18
19 Cole Konrad 21 Bellator 21
20 Mirko Filipovic 21 UFC 19
21 Gabriel Gonzaga 20 UFC 19
22 Tim Sylvia 19 CageFX 23
23 Mike Russow 18 UFC 22
24 Stefan Struve 17 UFC 24
25 Jon Madsen 14 UFC 28
144
Analysis by Kid Nate
With #1 Cain Velasquez out for up to eight months with rotator cuff surgery, the UFC had to do something big in the heavyweight division.

Disagree? Read more & discuss at Bloody Elbow »

Light Heavyweight MMA
Consensus Rankings posted January 27, 2011
Rank Fighter % Promotion Last Rank
1 Mauricio Rua 100 UFC 1
2 Rashad Evans 94 UFC 2
3 Quinton Jackson 92 UFC 3
4 Lyoto Machida 89 UFC 4
5 Ryan Bader 79 UFC 6
6 Forrest Griffin 78 UFC 5
7 Jon Jones 69 UFC 7
8 Thiago Silva 63 UFC 8
9 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 53 UFC 9
10 Gegard Mousasi 51 Strikeforce 10
11 Rich Franklin 46 UFC 11
11 Rafael Cavalcante 46 Strikeforce 12
13 Muhammed Lawal 40 Strikeforce 14
14 Dan Henderson 39 Strikeforce 13
15 Randy Couture 38 UFC 15
16 Phil Davis 31 UFC 16
17 Matt Hamill 27 UFC 18
18 Anderson Silva 25 UFC 17
19 Renato Sobral 23 Strikeforce 19
20 Alexander Gustafsson 19 UFC 20
21 Jason Brilz 16 UFC 21
22 Trevor Prangley 15 Shark Fight 22
23 Cyrille Diabate 14 UFC 23
24 Stephan Bonnar 12 UFC 29
25 Vladimir Matyushenko 11 UFC 27
73
Analysis by Kid Nate
#1 Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is still on the shelf recovering from his third knee surgery in four years. But faithful #2 Rashad Evans is content to wait until UFC 128 for his title shot.

Disagree? Read more & discuss at Bloody Elbow »

Middleweight MMA

Consensus Rankings posted January 27, 2011

Rank Fighter % Promotion Last Rank
1 Anderson Silva 100 UFC 1
2 Yushin Okami 89 UFC 3
3 Chael Sonnen 88 UFC 2
4 Nate Marquardt 82 UFC 4
5 Demian Maia 80 UFC 5
6 Vitor Belfort 70 UFC 6
7 Jorge Santiago 61 WVR 8
8 Ronaldo Souza 58 Strikeforce 9
9 Michael Bisping 52 UFC 11
10 Dan Henderson 50 Strikeforce 7
11 Robbie Lawler 47 Strikeforce 12
12 Wanderlei Silva 45 UFC 13
13 Hector Lombard 43 Bellator 15
14 Alan Belcher 37 UFC 16
15 Jake Shields 35 UFC 10
16 Chris Leben 33 UFC 14
17 Brian Stann 29 UFC NR
18 Mamed Khalidov 26 WVR 18
19 Yoshihiro Akiyama 23 UFC 17
20 Alessio Sakara 22 UFC 19
21 Thales Leites 18 Superior Challenge 20
22 Rousimar Palhares 17 UFC 21
23 Tim Kennedy 16 Strikeforce 22
24 Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves 13 UFC 23
25 Jorge Rivera 10 UFC 24
25 Matt Horwich 10 Xtreme Fight Night 26
53

Analysis by Kid Nate

#1 Anderson Silva is set to face #6 Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. If Silva wins he may very well be rewarded with a mega-fight against welterweight champ Georges St Pierre.

Disagree? Read more & discuss at Bloody Elbow »

Welterweight MMA

Consensus Rankings posted January 27, 2011

Rank Fighter % Promotion Last Rank
1 Georges St. Pierre 100 UFC 1
2 Jon Fitch 96 UFC 2
3 Jake Shields 89 UFC 3
4 Josh Koscheck 86 UFC 4
5 Thiago Alves 85 UFC 5
6 Carlos Condit 75 UFC 6
7 Martin Kampmann 73 UFC 7
7 Nick Diaz 73 Strikeforce 8
9 B.J. Penn 62 UFC 9
10 Paul Daley 51 Strikeforce 10
11 Dan Hardy 46 UFC 12
12 Matt Hughes 42 UFC 11
13 Diego Sanchez 41 UFC 13
14 Chris Lytle 36 UFC 14
15 Paulo Thiago 32 UFC 15
16 Mike Pyle 31 UFC 16
17 Jay Hieron 30 Bellator 17
18 Ben Askren 27 Bellator 18
19 Mike Swick 23 UFC 19
20 John Hathaway 20 UFC 20
21 Dong Hyun Kim 20 UFC 26
22 Matt Serra 17 UFC 21
23 Jake Ellenberger 16 UFC 22
24 Rick Story 16 UFC 23
25 Anthony Johnson 13 UFC 25
1

Analysis by Kid Nate

#1 Georges St Pierre will face #3 Jake Shields at UFC 129. If he wins, Dana White may very well declare that GSP has cleaned out the division and go ahead and book the long awaited GSP vs Anderson Silva bout.

Disagree? Read more & discuss at Bloody Elbow »

NBA Scoreboard

11 February, 10:59, by Admin
Final 1 2 3 4 Tot
LA Lakers 20 25 27 20 92
Boston 27 26 15 18 86
Preview | Box | Head to Head | Recap 
 Leaders LA Lakers Boston
Points K. Bryant 23 R. Allen 20
Rebounds L. Odom 12 K. Garnett 11
Assists D. Fisher 5 R. Rondo 10
Final 1 2 3 4 Tot
Golden State 22 20 19 27 88
Phoenix 32 33 22 25 112
Preview | Box | Head to Head | Recap 
 Leaders Golden State Phoenix
Points 2 tied with 16 S. Nash 18
Rebounds E. Udoh 7 2 tied with 9
Assists R. Williams 6 S. Nash 11
Final 1 2 3 4 Tot
Dallas 19 39 34 28 120
Denver 33 26 29 33 121
Preview | Box | Head to Head | Recap 
 Leaders Dallas Denver
Points J. Terry 25 C. Anthony 42
Rebounds T. Chandler 11 2 tied with 7
Assists 2 tied with 6 C. Billups 9

Chargers to use the franchise tag on Vincent Jackson?

11 February, 10:52, by Admin Tags:

Fans hoping that their favorite team had a shot at acquiring free agent Vincent Jackson this offseason may have to wait another year. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Jackson expects the Chargers to use their franchise tag on him in 2011.

Jackson, according to someone familiar with the player’s thinking, expects the tag and plans to play for the more than $10 million it would guarantee him.

That is, if the franchise tag is part of a new CBA.

The NFL Players Association says teams have no right to a franchise tag since the current Collective Bargaining Agreement will expire March 3. The NFL says the franchise tag is included in the CBA under which the league is operating.

I have to side with the NFLPA on this one. If the current CBA deal is set to expire March 3, then how is it fair that teams can use their franchise tags for the 2011 season when the current contract applied to the 2010 season? I get that the NFL wants to keep things business as usual because it believes that a new deal will eventually be worked out. But how about the league just work on getting a new deal in place before worrying about whether or not teams can use their franchise tags. If the owners and NFLPA agree to a new CBA deal, then everything can go back to normal and all of this becomes a moot point.

Getting back to Jackson, his situation comes down to money. He sat out most of last season because the Chargers were only willing to pay him for one year at $3.2 million. If he’s tagged for the 2011 season, he’ll make roughly $10 million for one year and then the Chargers can let him walk in 2012 while accepting a future compensatory draft pick.

Browns start rebuilding process under Shurmur, release six veterans

11 February, 10:48, by Admin Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I started laughing when I wrote that title.

Start rebuilding process? Haven’t the Browns been rebuilding since 1999? Hahahaha…ahhhhh, their fans deserve better.

The Browns’ latest rebuilding project has started under new head coach Pat Shurmur, who on Wednesday night released veterans Shaun Rogers, Kenyon Coleman, John St. Clair, Robert Royal, David Bowens and Eric Barton. Most of those players were considered “Eric Mangini guys,” so it’s not surprising to see that they were let go.

By parting with those six players, the Browns will save roughly $16 million next year. The biggest name is obviously Rogers, who struggled with injuries last year and played in only a third of the team’s snaps. He was due a $5.5 million salary as well as a $500K roster bonus so even though he’s versatile enough to play in a 4-3 (which the Browns will switch to under Shurmur), he wasn’t worth the coin in the end. He turns 32 in March and it’s clear that the Browns want to get younger on defense, so parting with him makes sense on paper.

Under former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the Browns finished 22nd in total defense last year, 18th against the pass and 27th against the run. Considering they were on the field a lot thanks to a horrendous offense, those numbers could have been a lot worse. But at the end of the day, the Browns are changing schemes and weren’t going to keep players that Mangini had brought in to fit his defense.

Former High School Player of the Year winner Mustain arrested

11 February, 10:44, by Admin Tags: , , , , , ,

Former PARADE High School Player of the Year winner Mitch Mustain was arrested on Tuesday for selling prescription drugs. Kind of ironic that this news broke on National Signing Day.

From Arkansas Sports 360:

Sportscaster Roger Lodge of KLAA-AM 830 in Los Angeles is reporting today that former University of Southern California quarterback Mitch Mustain was arrested by Los Angeles police Tuesday evening on charges of selling prescription drugs online.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website confirms that a white male named Mitchell Mustain fitting the quarterback’s physical description and having the same birthday was booked at 10:44 p.m. PST on Tuesday. Charges for the arrest are not listed on the site. Bail was set at $30,000. It is not known at this time if Mustain is still being held.

What a shame. Mustain was the starting quarterback for the West team in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was named the 2005-06 Gatorade National Player of the Year and the USA Today National Player of the Year, which was awarded to the first player ever from the state of Arkansas. He went 8-0 as a true freshman at the University of Arkansas in 2006, but he later transferred to USC because Casey Dick eventually replaced him as a starter.

But his situation didn’t improve at USC. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he had to sit out the 2007 season and then watched Mark Sanchez play in ’08. He competed with Aaron Corp and Matt Barkley for the starting job in ’09, but he lost out to Barkley. He even tried out at punter in order to contribute to the team in some way.

Now, with his football career likely over, he becomes the second former USC player to be arrested in the last two days. The good news is that he wasn’t tased like former Trojan and current Viking Everson Griffen was on Monday. Yiiiiikes.

Newton’s media day workout “phenomenal”?

11 February, 10:38, by Admin Tags: , , , ,

At least one analyst enjoyed Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s media day workout.

From Bruce Feldman’s Twitter page:

Cam Newton session is done. Wow. Trent Dilfer: “That was phenomenal. If scouts saw this they’d have been slobbering.” More on ESPN.com later

The workout was done in a controlled environment, so it’s not surprising that Newton impressed. But considering he’s been working on his footwork and trying to get acclimated to taking snaps from under center, this is a positive report.

There’s no doubt that Newton has the physical tools to be a first round pick and maybe even a top-5 selection. He’s 6-6, 250 pounds, has tremendous athleticism and very good arm strength. You could make a case for being the best quarterback in this year’s draft class, which includes Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert (whom many pundits have listed as the top signal caller).

Of course, the one question that often gets overlooked at this time of year as it pertains to draft prospects is whether or not they have the work ethic. Is Newton willing to put in the work to become great? Not every prospect has Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers’ natural abilities but devotion has nothing to do with how accurate or far you can throw a pass. JaMarcus Russell could throw a ball 50 yards from the seat of his pants but the guy never studied or had the desire to be any better than he was. Simply put, his work ethic stunk.

Players find out rather quickly that their natural abilities will only take them so far in the NFL. It’ll be interesting to see if Newton has the work ethic to match his draft standing.

Broadway Boxing Results

11 February, 10:33, by Admin

Gabriel Bracero (14-0, 1 KO) was victorious again Wednesday night, taking an eight-round unanimous decision over Chris Fernandez (19-12-1, 11 KO’s) in the main event at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill. Official scores were 79-72, and 80-71 twice.

Bracero, 29, had difficulty with Fernandez’ constant pressure in round one. Fernandez pressed the action, and did not let Bracero get his punches off.

In round two, Fernandez’ punch output dropped, and Bracero started to find his groove, using superior lateral movement and unleashing quick combinations. From that point, Bracero took full control of the fight in front of a boisterous crowd cheering for him.

In round four, Bracero found his range and Fernandez began following him around the ring.

Although Bracero lacks knockout power, he is able to overwhelm his opponents with his swift hand speed and large volume punching. In round five, he hurt Fernandez with a rapid right cross – left hook combination to the head. Fernandez backed into the ropes, but Bracero could not finish him.

By round six, Fernandez lost the steam on his punches. However, Fernandez got a second-wind in rounds seven and eight, closing the distance between them. Yet, Bracero used his first-class boxing skills to move in and out smoothly en route to another win.

Mark Tucker (15-0, 7 KO’s) remained unbeaten, scoring a six-round unanimous decision over Ray Smith (9-5, 3 KO’s) in a light heavyweight bout. Official scores were 59-55 on all three judges’ scorecards, however, the bout was closer than the scores indicate.

Tucker, 23, dazed Smith with a right hook in the first round.

In round two, Smith pushed Tucker back, scoring with a right to the body.

Smith connected with a five-punch combination early in round three, as Tucker lay against the ropes.

Tucker, a southpaw, displayed a solid chin after taking a flush right hand from Smith in round four.

In the final two rounds, both fighters shared some dazzling moments, connecting with clean, but not overwhelmingly effective blows.

Light heavyweight Seanie Monaghan (5-0, 4 KO’s) scored a third-round stoppage versus Angel Gonzalez (2-4, 2 KO’s). The ringside doctor stopped the bout at the end of round three. Gonzalez vehemently protested the doctor’s ruling.

Gonzalez showed a ton of heart, but was getting nailed repeatedly with a series of clean left hooks and right hands to the head from Monaghan. He gave Gonzalez a bloody nose in the third round after striking him with a devastating right. Monaghan thoroughly assaulted Gonzalez’ body too, although he was tiring just before the stoppage was announced. Monaghan’s next appearance will be March 12th on the undercard of Martinez – Dzinziruk.

Junior middleweight Boyd Melson (2-0) improved his record with a controversial, four-round majority decision against Marquise Bruce (0-1-1). Official scores were 38-38, and 39-37 twice.

Bruce caught Melson with a sharp left uppercut in round two. Next, Bruce tagged Melson with a left hook that left him slightly dazed. Bruce’s steady pressure dictated the pace in the first two rounds.

Melson came on strong in round three, connecting with a punishing straight left to Bruce’s face.

Bruce got his punches off before Melson for most of round four. Melson exchanged blow-for-blow with him. In the final seconds, Bruce landed a big right hand.

Keisher McLeod-Wells (4-1, 1 KO) captured a six-round unanimous decision win over Melissa McMorrow (4-2-3) in a highly-contested flyweight battle. Official scores were 58-55, and 57-56 twice. McMorrow brought a tremendous amount of pressure in rounds one and two, hammering away at McLeod-Wells relentlessly. McLeod-Wells worked behind a steady left jab, but lacked the power to significantly hurt McMorrow. However, McLeod-Wells scored a knockdown in round six when she landed a right, resulting in McMorrow’s right glove touching the canvas.

Junior lightweight Ryan Kielczewski (9-0, 2 KO) won 60-54 on all scorecards versus Wilshaun Boxley (6-8-1). Kielczewski controlled the contest by utilizing a stinging left jab. As each round passed, Kielczewski increased his punch output, and inflicted damaging blows to Boxley’s head and body. In the closing seconds of the fight, Kielczewski attacked Boxley ferociously to the body with a series of left hooks, followed by a powerful right to the face that sent him staggering into the ropes. Kielczewski’s next bout will be on the undercard of Martinez – Dzinziruk on March 12th.

Sidell Blocker (1-3-1) upset Deano Burrell (1-1, 1 KO) in a four-round lightweight bout. Official scores were 37-36, and 38-37 twice.

In the first round, Burrell sustained a cut right eye, resulting from an accidental clash of heads. After that, Blocker landed a lighting-quick right that dropped Burrell.

Again, Blocker scored a knockdown in round two after peppering Burrell, a southpaw, with a barrage of punches. When Burrell got back up, he answered with some wide right hooks. Then, he started to land straight lefts to Blocker’s face.

In round three, Burrell was winging right hooks, but started to show fatigue.

Both guys battled in close quarters in the final round, although it was a little too late for Burrell to make an impact on the judges’ scorecards.

Steven Martinez (8-0, 7 KO’s) scored a sensational first-round stoppage at 1:11 against Ishwar Amador (11-9, 7 KO’s). Martinez, 20, stunned Amador with a fierce left hook to the head. From there, Martinez dropped him with a firm right to the face. Moments later, Martinez connected with a solid left hook to Amador’s body, and followed it with a sequence of right hand shots until referee Earl Brown halted the action.

Featherweight Joseliz Cepeda (3-1) scored a four-round unanimous decision victory over Allan Benitez, who was making his professional debut. Official scores were 40-36, and 39-37 twice.

Benitez gave up an enormous reach advantage to Cepeda, and had a great deal of trouble closing the distance the entire fight. As a result, Cepeda was able to swarm him with a large volume of punches en route to victory.

Big Fight – Terrible Ending

11 February, 10:30, by Admin
Timothy Bradley vs Devon Alexander – WBO , WBC Light Welterweight Titles

They say styles make fights ?? well that certainly was the case on Saturday night at the Silverdome in Michigan USA when Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander fought to an unsatisfactory ending ,  Alexander made all the right noises to quit in the 10th round therefore the fight going to the scorecards.

Thank god the judges scored this fight correctly as they gave Tim Bradley a unanimous technical decision after 10 rounds. I watched the fight originally on a stream and scored 98-92 to Bradley but when i got home i watched the fight again , this time scoring 97-93 Bradley. One round of a difference…. the 6th.

This fight was difficult to score as most of the rounds were very close. I went for the come forward fighter in Bradley as it seemed Alexander was always backing off and not throwing enough punches. Fight fans around the world mostly had Bradley winning but there were a few that had the fight a draw. One or two even had Alexander winning??

Punch stats for the fight actually had Alexander out landing Bradley so it goes to show how sometimes these stats can be so wrong when just about everyone had Bradley winning by 2-4 points.

Like always my scorecard is below with all the fans scores , written press scores , TV scores and boxing website scores etc etc etc

Round 1…..Bradley 10-9
Round 2…..Bradley 10-9
Round 3…..Bradley 10-9
Round 4…..Bradley 10-9
Round 5…..Alexander 10-9
Round 6…..Alexander 10-9
Round 7…..Alexander 10-9
Round 8…..Bradley 10-9
Round 9…..Bradley 10-9
Round 10…Bradley 10-9…..this round was only 1 min old due to the head clash.

TOTAL…..97-93 Timothy Bradley

Judges scores : Tom Miller……. 96-95 Bradley
Duane Ford…….97-93 Bradley
Omar Mintun…..98-93 Bradley

TIMOTHY BRADLEY WIND BY UNANIMOUS TECHNICAL DECISION AFTER 10

TV Boxing sites and Fans scores

HBO – Lederman 87-84 Bradley after 9 rounds
Merchant 96-94 Bradley

SKY – Jim Watt 86-85 Bradley after 9 rounds

ESPN – Dan Rafael 97-93 Bradley 

World Boxing News – 95-95 Draw

Ben Thompson (Fighthype) – 97-93 Bradley

Javier Rosas Jnr (boxingtalk) – 97-94 Bradley
Greg Leon (boxingtalk) had it a draw but with no card

George Elsmssar (bragging rights corner) – Bradley 98-92

Boxrec fans – 9-1 in favor of Bradley with most scores being 97-93

Boxingscene – 17-0-3 in favor of Bradley with most scores 97-93 or 96-94 , The draw was 95-95

Eastsideboxing – 12-1 in favor of Bradley with most scores 97-93 or 96-94

Budwieser forum fans – 3-0 in favor of Bradley with again most score 97-93

Bad Left Hook – 98-93 Bradley

WAR – Booth Beats Arthur

11 February, 10:27, by Admin

Jason Booth vs Jamie Arthur – British ,  Commonwealth Super Bantam Titles
In the hardest fight of the year to judge so far Jason Booth rebounded from his world title defeat last year to win Jamie Arthur’s Commonwealth Super Bantam title adding to Booths own British crown. This match was not covered as much as i expected on the fight forums for some reason but both guys must deserve huge credit as they took this fight at 3 weeks notice. 

Frank Maloney can also be pleased as his 2 boxing shows in the early part of the year have thrown up very good main events (the other being McDonnell vs Jamoye). Boxing fans can also look forward to a rematch as Maloney told Sky Sports that he had no problem for a return but just after Jason Booth challenges for the vacant European Title.

When the fight started it looked like Booths world title shot had taken too much out of him as on my card and on most boxing sites cards Arthur took 3 of the first 4 rounds. The middle rounds were the hardest to score in the fight before Booths experience and work rate began to tell as he dominated the latter stages. Booths late pressure is obvious what swung it on the judges scorecards although i dont think the 117-112 score by Marcus McDonnell by fair to Jamie Arthur. 

If Frank Maloney can update his website then i will be able to stick a link to the fight for those who missed it but as always my scorecard is below along with the boxing fans forums scores and Sky TV experts views.

Round 1…..Arthur 10-9
Round 2…..Arthur 10-9
Round 3…..Arthur 10-9
Round 4…..Booth 10-9
Round 5…..Arthur 10-9
Round 6…..Booth 10-9
Round 7…..Booth 10-9
Round 8…..Booth 10-9
Round 9…..Booth 10-9
Round 10…Booth 10-9
Round 11…Arthur 10-9
Round 12…Booth 10-9

TOTAL : 115-113 Jason Booth

Judges Scores : Ian John Lewis……….115-113 Booth
Richie Davies………….115-114 Arthur
Marcus McDonnell….117-112 Booth

JASON BOOTH WINS BY SPLIT DECISION

TV And Boxing Fans Scores

Sky TV – Jim Watt 116-113 Booth , Bob Mee and Richie Woodhall had Booth 3 up with 1 round left
Glen McCrory though Booth had won

Boxrec – 4-2 in favor of Booth , only card posted was 116-115 Arthur most had Booth by 1-2 points

Livefight – 2-0 in favor of Booth , only card posted was 115-114 Booth

Budweiser Forum – 1-0 Booth but fans said a very close fight

Boxingscene – 2-0 Booth , only card posted was 116-112 Booth