Killer Photos
The serial killer that has been terrorizing the Phoenix area since May of 2005, has been arrested and this situation has sent a chill through the boxing world. Dale Hausner, a photographer and journalist that worked for Fightnews.com, and has met some of the biggest names in boxing was nabbed along with his partner, Samuel L. Dieteman for the eighteen shootings all together, and six deaths. Not only was Hausner a boxing photographer, but he also offered his services for weddings and birthday parties. I have seen much of the work of his and it is good, but also very terrifying. He has a photograph of a group of ring card girls with the title: “Dale’s Girls,” and I wonder what they are thinking now? There is also a picture of him posing with the former Middleweight Champion, Bernard Hopkins. This situation really hit too close to home.
Hausner was covered on America’s Most Wanted last Friday and it is completely amazing that a man that was so involved in the fight game would actually do something so heinous, but it happened. According to the reports, Dieteman has already confessed to involvement in the shootings and there is staggering evidence against the duo. Hausner will not be taking any fight photos any time soon and the streets of Phoenix are now a lot safer without this killer looking for blood. This is a very scary situation and I will cover it as it develops.
Ike Quartey Robbed Again
Ike “Bazooka” Quartey has had the judges give his opponent the benefit of the doubt when the final bell rang. In bouts with Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas, Quartey received the short end of the stick on the cards, and they were close and perhaps questionable decisions, but not nearly as questionable as his recent loss to Vernon Forrest. In a bout where “The Viper” looked completely shot, Quartey dictated the fight and applied the pressure, constantly forcing his way in and landing some decent punches. There were moments for Forrest, but they were few and far between. This was the Quartey show and when you figure in the one point deduction for a low blow from Forrest, there was no question that this was going to be a moment of redemption for “Bazooka.”
The judges scored it: 96-93, 95-94 (twice), for the winner, Vernon Forrest. It was one of those boxing moments when your jaw just drops, and you realize why boxing doesn’t have as many fans as it should. The wrong guy advances to a bigger payday while Quartey will probably fade away when you consider his age, the loss, and his tendency of retiring after a defeat. This is a bout that he should have been awarded, but boxing never fails to surprise me.
Pacman’s Considerations
One of the biggest superstars in the game, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao has been talking about future plans that are rattling the boxing world. The first story is that he is going to retire in 2007, but with the people involved with him, I sincerely doubt it. If he gets beyond Erik Morales on November 18th, the money machine will go into overdrive and the promoters will step in with their bag of cash to woo him into another bout and trust me, he will not retire in 2007. He is way too popular and he is a star in a time when there aren’t that many. If he comes up big against the Mexican legend, which many expect, he will be at the peak of his popularity and if Marco Antonio Barrera pulls a rabbit out of his hat and scores a win over Rocky Juarez, that is another big bout for the Filipino boxer.
Juan Manuel Marquez had a big win on national television over the weekend and should he lay down the challenge to Pacman, that is yet another big bout, and Edwin Valero improved his record to, 20-0, 20 KO’s, and now has the WBA Super Featherweight Title around his waist, which is a great bargaining chip in negotiations. Also, the fact that Valero has 18 first round knockouts, 1 second round knockout, and won the title on an impressive 10th round stoppage over the highly regarded, Vicente Mosquera. He is a big player right now and a bout with the Pacman would be a big attraction.
There is also the possibility that Pacman could move up and challenge the WBA Lightweight Champion, Juan Diaz, WBC Lightweight Champion, Diego Corrales, or WBO Lightweight Champion, Acelino Freitas. There aren’t many other fighters that have this many options. I find it hard to believe that Pacman is just going to walk away from it.
Now, onto the second story…there is some talk of Pacman going into politics in the Philippines. Right now, there are many reports of dissatisfaction from the Filipinos with their current Government and this might just be an attempt to fix things, but boxers really need to stay away from the political arena. I have no doubt that Manny would get elected, but he belongs in the boxing ring, and I truly believe that is where he will remain, well past 2007.
