Pavlik to Face Sigmon After All?
After a proposed April bout between Kelly Pavlik and Virginia?s Scott Sigmon fell through, Sigmon used social media to say some very unflattering things about Pavlik. Among them, Sigmon alluded to Pavlik?s treatment for alcoholism, suggesting that perhaps Pavlik couldn?t fight on the proposed date due to an AA meeting.
Those personal insults may come back to haunt Sigmon as it now appears this fight will take place in Vegas on the eve of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley matchup. On the Maxboxing East Coast Boxing Report Internet Radio Show, Pavlik said that he?s happy this fight was made because Sigmon?s comments did bother him and has provided extra motivation preparing for the bout. Pavlik?s comments on the show can be heard here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aleckohut/2012/04/11/maxboxing-east-coast-boxing-report-with-alec-kohut
We plan to welcome Sigmon as a guest next Tuesday.
While no objective observer gives ?Cujo? Sigmon any chance against Pavlik, Sigmon is not approaching this fight with the mentality of an ?opponent.? He told me Wednesday night that he would not have taken the fight if he didn?t feel he could win. Sigmon is a very hard worker and will come to fight. He dismissed any possibility of being knocked out by Pavlik.
Having seen ?Cujo? fight on several occasions (and given the level of competition he?s faced), I also see no way that Sigmon can actually beat Pavlik. But for Sigmon, come fight night, all that will matter is that he believes he has a shot to win.
Adrien Broner ? The Most Feared Man in Boxing?
I spoke briefly with Adrien Broner?s trainer, Mike Stafford, and he said with a mix of frustration and humor that nobody wants to step in the ring with his guy. So it looks like we?ll be stuck with Broner against Pittsburgh?s Monty Meza Clay, 32-3 (21). Clay earned his shot by beating Carlos Rivera and Leon Bobo in his past two bouts. Both fighters were on six-bout losing streaks when facing Clay.
It?s very unlikely that we will see Broner in a truly meaningful fight until he?s ready- and the money is right- to move up to lightweight. It?s also doubtful we?ll see a super featherweight unification bout with Takashi Uchiyama since I doubt either man would be willing make the trip to the other?s backyard.
Seth Mitchell, Chazz Witherspoon Conference Call?
On Tuesday afternoon, Golden Boy Promotions hosted a conference call with heavyweights Seth Mitchell and Chazz Witherspoon, who will be fighting on April 28th. It was amusing to listen to the call host, Kelly Swanson, raving about how exciting it was to have two college graduates fighting each other. I can think of a lot of reasons to get excited about a fight but highest education level completed has never been one of them.
I won?t say this is a horrible fight but if that?s what they?re using to sell it, it?s hardly a vote of confidence for the match-up. At the end of the day, it?s a so-so match up that just happened to be sold to the boxing experts at HBO. I?ve spent some time with the Mitchell camp and will be doing a full feature about the upcoming bout.
The 2008 East Coast Olympians?
Was it that long ago when Olympians stormed into the professional ranks and quickly made their presence felt? It wasn?t unusual for a top prospect to fight eight or more times a year. Earning a title shot before the next Olympiad began was common. In the months following the games, the major TV networks would often televise, on a Saturday afternoon, the Olympians? debuts in front of large hometown crowds. But not anymore.
In today?s boxing world, controlled by a handful of self-serving profiteers, the hardcore boxing fan, let alone the average sports fan, has little opportunity to actually watch former Olympians develop as pros. And too often when we do see them, it?s complete garbage like Demetrius Andrade wildly celebrating with his team after knocking the old and worn-out Angel Hernandez senseless.
The 2008 East Coast US Olympians: Gary Russell Jr., Sadam Ali, Deontay Wilder and Demetrius Andrade are a combined 70-0 as pros but have had virtually no impact on the sport whatsoever. Russell has shown flashes of brilliance but has yet to face anyone who was likely to win a round, let alone a fight against Russell. He has yet to fight in 2012 and had to cancel his scheduled April 21st bout due to an ankle injury.
Andrade holds the most quality win of the bunch with a 10-round decision over Grady Brewer last year. It was a fight in which he rarely did anything more than jab and looked almost scared to be hit. Andrade quickly retreated in quality of competition to beat up on Saul Duran and Hernandez following that win. There is very little to show that Andrade is ready to move to the next level.
After an exhausting pace of three fights in 2011, Sadam Ali is scheduled to start his 2012 campaign in June, nearly nine months after his last bout against a 4-4-1 foe.
And Deontay Wilder, being the busiest of the 2008 Olympians at 21-0 with 21 knockouts, has fought a list of opponents that is downright embarrassing for an Olympic medalist. To top it off, he was nearly knocked out by one his handpicked foes.
It?s hard to say whether this more an indictment of the amateur system in America or the sad state of the pro game but one thing is sure: a spot on the US Olympic Boxing team is hardly great preparation for the pros as it once was.
Prospect Watch?
Philadelphia welterweight Ray Serrano, 18-0 (8), will make a huge step up on May 18th in Albany, NY as he faces undefeated Karim Mayfield, 15-0-1 (9) of San Francisco. This is the kind of fight between up-and-comers that real boxing fans love.
Bobby Bryant, junior middleweight, now living in Florida ,had already notched three wins in 2012 to improve to 15-0 (9). Still only 19 years old, expect Bryant to really start stepping up his competition in 2012.
Welterweight Ronald Cruz, 16-0 (12), will make his television debut on June 1st in his hometown of Bethlehem, PA against Cleveland?s Prenice Brewer. After seeing Brewer?s last fight, and how he faded after the opening rounds, Cruz should have little trouble scoring an impressive win on the NBC Sports Network?s ?Fight Night.?
DC?s 17-year old Dusty Harrison traveled to Mississippi last weekend and improved to 5-0 (2) by shutting out veteran Anthony Bowman. Harrison is scheduled to fight again in DC on May 12th. He turns 18 on May 21st.
From the Eastern part of Canada, 24-year-old Tony Luis is making a name for himself as he ran his record to 14-0 (6) with a third round TKO over Ferenc Szabo last Saturday.
If there is a fight or fighter you feel deserves mention in the Regional Report, please contact Alec at [email protected]. You can also follow Alec on Twitter at www.twitter.com/alecmaxboxing and tune in to his weekly online show every Tuesday at 9:00 PM EST at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/search/aleckohut.
