Title Fights Results (June 27)

June 27 (Saturday) - Berlin, Germany
Armenia's Arthur Abraham [30(24)-0(0)-0] vs. Germany's Mahir Oral [25(10)-2(1)-2]
Abraham retains his IBF Middleweight (160 lbs.) title via TKO in the 10th

Abraham was his usual self behind an impenetrable defense in the first three rounds. I believe Oral took at least 2 of the first 3 rounds because he was more aggressive not because he connected. Everything changed from round 4. Oral was still active but Abraham started throwing his bombs. He knocked Oral down in the 4th then also in the 6th. In the 10th Abraham displayed all his power as Oral was down 3 times until the German’s corner waved the towel. I sure hope that Kelly Pavlik unifies with Abraham first before Felix Sturm because if he doesn’t, Abraham will be moving up to super middleweight on his next bout. Since Abraham is due a mandatory soon then it’s almost unlikely for Pavlik and Abraham to meet unless it’s in the 168-lb. class. ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction outcome: If Oral didn’t beat the count in the 6th, I could’ve been right on target again. Anyway, Abraham still won and it’s another stoppage.

June 27 (Saturday) - Atlantic City, NJ
Puerto Rico's Juan Manuel Lopez [26(24)-0(0)-0] vs. Cameroon's Olivier Lontchi [18(8)-1(1)-2]
Lopez retains his WBO Junior Featherweight (122 lbs.) title via TKO in the 9th

In my opinion, except for a few series in the 5th round, Lontchi does not deserve to be in a headline bout of a PPV card. His only claim to fame is an undefeated record but the way he fought, rather ran, and engaged, rather embraced, is a disgrace. Lontchi was down in the 2nd and the 9th, and then his corner decided to call it off before the start of the 10th. I’m glad there were a lot of fights last night to take care of my boxing fix, otherwise I would’ve been in a bad mood and asked for my money back on that PPV purchase. Lopez was in his usual devastating self but seems to be frustrated all throughout the fight because he was chasing Lontchi all night. That’s probably the last time I see Lontchi on TV. Gerry Penalosa, who is more of a natural bantamweight, was more active and willing in spite of his age than Lontchi when he fought Lopez last April. Ok, I’ve had enough Lontchi bashing in my blog. Top Rank’s Bob Arum has been talking about eventually matching Lopez against another dynamo in Yuriorkis Gamboa sometime. That’s another fight I’m looking forward to aside from those that were already mentioned by the media in Israel Vazquez, Rafael Marquez and Celestino Caballero. ESPN: Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction outcome: If Lontchi quit running then he could’ve been down a lot earlier or like what I predicted somewhere mid-fight. Anyway, another Lopez stoppage.

June 27 (Saturday) - Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Venezuela's Jorge Linares [27(18)-0(0)-0] vs. Mexico's Josafat Perez [12(7)-2(1)-0]
Linares retains his WBA Super Featherweight (130 lbs.) title via TKO in the 8th

I did not see the fight but it was quite clear that Linares schooled Perez who, according to his records, has not faced any world class opposition in his career. Home crowd advantage did not help either. The Japan-based Linares, I believe, is due to fulfill his mandatory obligations next and the highest ranked WBA 130 pounder is Sergey Gulyakevich of Belarus. Fight News

Prediction outcome: Linares indeed by stoppage.

Another 3 notches to my win column as my record is now 41-5-3. No changes in the tally.

Title Fight Result (June 26)

June 26 (Friday) - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina's Omar Andres Narvaez [30(19)-0(0)-2] vs. Mexico's Omar Soto [17(11)-5(3)-1]
Narvaez retains his WBO Flyweight (112 lbs.) title via KO in the 11th

Narvaez was practically pitching a shutout and was in complete control of the fight. He totally outclassed Soto who was hitting air more than anything else. After a feeling out first round, Narvaez got Soto figured out that he even had his guard down quite often. He was sniping at will and was taking advantage of almost every Soto miss with shots to the head. Soto was deducted a point in the eight for head butting after repeated warnings starting from the fourth round. Finally, the defending champ knocked Soto down in the eleventh. Soto beat the count but the referee decided to correctly stop the fight. Narvaez was declared super champion by the WBO before the fight started. My Spanish is not that good but it’s safe to assume that it is because of successfully defending his title 15 times. Regardless, he’s still the lone belt holder in the WBO's 112-lb. class with no interims or whatever bogus title unlike the WBA. If that’s the WBA then they will have a so-called regular champion contending soon. I don’t think there will be any threats to Narvaez’s title as he is quite satisfied in defending his title at the comforts of his home country. Unification against Denkaosan Kaovichit or Daisuke Naito is highly improbable. Nonito Donaire is moving up so he’s definitely out and obviously even if he’s staying put in the flyweight division there’s no chance that they will meet. The only time Narvaez gets dethroned is when he retires or gets a formidable mandatory. WBO’s flyweight rankings do not look promising. The highest ranking fighter that can probably give Narvaez a run for his money is Panama’s Luis Concepcion. Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction outcome: Right on target, Narvaez indeed by late stoppage.

Another notch in my win column as my record is now 38-5-3. No changes in the tally.

Title Fights Scheduled (June 26-27)

A few weeks ago, this weekend was slated to be one of the heaviest stacked title fight weekends in boxing history. 8 title fights with 5 on US TV. I was pleasantly worried that I will not have enough space left in my DVR. Yet, hand infection, hand injury, tooth infection and blood ailment later, title fights scheduled were cut in half. Ironically, all injuries were endured by the title holders which cancels or postpones the championship bout.

Kelly Pavlik’s staph infection on his hand prevented him from defending his WBC, WBO and Ring magazine middleweight titles against Sergio Mora. There are of course conspiracy theories which are related to Pavlik’s contract extension with Top Rank. In the planned undercard of the Pavlik fight, Fernando Montiel was suppose to defend his WBO bantamweight title against Eric Morel until he injured his hand while on training. There are no new dates yet announced for both with Pavlik-Mora not very likely to be rescheduled. There have been reports that a unification bout against either Arthur Abraham or Felix Sturm is in the works.

Andreas Kotelnik had a reported tooth infection that postponed his WBA super lightweight title fight against Amir Khan to July 18. The postponement also moved the venue from London to Manchester. Then only a couple of days ago, Chris John fell ill to what was reported to be some kind of a blood-related ailment. His much anticipated WBA featherweight title rematch against Rocky Juarez is in limbo until they find out more about his condition.

So here are the remaining 4 title fights this weekend.

June 26 (Friday) - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina's Omar Andres Narvaez [29(18)-0(0)-2] vs. Mexico's Omar Soto [17(11)-4(2)-1]
Narvaez’s WBO Flyweight (112 lbs.) title

Narvaez, the longest reigning titleholder will defend for the 16th time since dethroning Adonis Rivas seven years ago. When healthy and home I don’t see any reason Narvaez will lose his title to Soto. Nevertheless, Narvaez is the least regarded flyweight titleholder because he rarely takes risk and is contented on defending at home. Add to that the quality of his opponents or lack thereof. This is Soto’s second try for a world title. Muhammad Rachman knocked him out three years ago for the IBF Mini Flyweight title. Prediction: Narvaez by late stoppage.

June 27 (Saturday) - Berlin, Germany
Armenia's Arthur Abraham [29(23)-0(0)-0] vs. Germany's Mahir Oral [25(10)-1(0)-2]
Abraham’s IBF Middleweight (160 lbs.) title
Showtime 9 pm ET

There are two possible reasons Oral will upset Abraham. One, Abraham’s struggles in meeting the 160-lb. limit will affect his conditioning in the fight where Oral will take advantage of as it gets to the later rounds. Two, having been a long-time sparring partner, Oral is very familiar with Abraham. These are possibilities where Abraham might end up losing the fight and eventually, missing the opportunity to fight Pavlik. Yet, the likelihood of it happening will still be, in my opinion, improbable. Abraham and his shell-like defense is still one of the best in the 160-lb. class. After Oral and hopefully Pavlik (win or loss), he will very likely move up to 168 lbs. Prediction: Abraham by mid-fight stoppage.

June 27 (Saturday) - Atlantic City, NJ
Puerto Rico's Juan Manuel Lopez [25(23)-0(0)-0] vs. Cameroon's Olivier Lontchi [18(8)-0(0)-2]
Lopez’s WBO Junior Featherweight (122 lbs.) title
Top Rank PPV 9 pm ET

JuanMa proved that he can maintain his power and speed after going past the 6th round in his last fight against the ageless Gerry Penalosa. That will come in handy against the undefeated Lontchi. The Montreal-based Lontchi was born and raised in Cameroon and fought for his homeland as an amateur until 2001. Together with fellow boxer Herman Ngoudjo, they migrated to Canada to pursue their pro careers. Lontchi is a tough challenge but I expect Lopez to continue his knock out streak. Lontchi will just be another stepping stone for big fights ahead possibly against Israel Vazquez, Rafael Marquez or Celestino Caballero. Prediction: Lopez by mid-fight stoppage.

June 27 (Saturday) - Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Venezuela's Jorge Linares [26(17)-0(0)-0] vs. Mexico's Josafat Perez [12(7)-1(0)-0]
Linares’ WBA Super Featherweight (130 lbs.) title

Linares’ last reported ring action got a lot of media exposure and was featured in Ring magazine yet it was just a sparring session. It was more intense than his last two fights against Gamaliel Diaz and Whyber Garcia. That is because it was against pound for pound champ Manny Pacquiao. If Linares can mix it up with the PacMan even at a weight disadvantage, can Perez stand a chance? He does however slim it may be. Perez is lucky to get this title shot having lost his last fight against an unheralded fighter. This will be an easy night for Linares inspite of the expected hostile crowd against him. Prediction: Linares by late stoppage.

Title Fight Results (June 20)

I figured out a way not to doze off a heavyweight title fight. Underestimate it and expect that it will be extremely boring that I will eventually doze off. That way the slightest action will still excite me. Ha! Reverse psychology. It worked. That’s it and it’s not because of the strong espresso that I chugged before the fight started. But seriously speaking, the fight wasn’t as lackluster as I thought it would be. In fact, I enjoyed the fight after all as Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko and his potent jab successfully defended his IBF Heavyweight and WBO Heavyweight titles and captured the vacant Ring Heavyweight title by stopping Ruslan Chagaev of Uzbekistan. The fight doctor and Chagaev’s corner decided to raise the white flag just before the 10th round after seeing enough of Klitschko’s jab and debilitating right straight to their fighter’s face, including one that sent Chagaev to the canvass in round 2. Chagaev whose only chance is to make it a phone booth fight but can’t get close enough as every try is met with a nasty jab. Klitschko may have been criticized for being too robotic but why should he care if it works. Up next is his IBF mandatory, Alexander Povetkin of Russia. Ring; ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

In Santa Fe, Argentina, Hugo Hernan Garay surprisingly lost his WBA Light Heavyweight title in front of his home crowd to WBA #15 ranked Gabriel Campillo of Spain via majority decision. I did not see the fight so don’t have any insights on it. A bummer because it’s another notch in my loss column. I don’t expect Campillo to aim for a unification bout against other title holders. He will most likely make his voluntary defenses at home until his mandatory who as of today’s WBA rankings is former Garay victim Juergen Braehmer. Fight News

As expected, it was an easy night for WBC Light Flyweight champ Edgar Sosa of Mexico as he stopped Panama’s Carlos Melo in the 5th. It’s obviously a mismatch as Melo does not only have soft hands but has a vulnerable torso too. A vicious left hook to the ribs took Melo down gasping for air. He beat the count but Sosa rained on him with at least 20 unanswered shots prompting the referee to stop the carnage. It was Sosa’s 9th defense after winning the vacant title over Brian Viloria. A rematch with Viloria, who’s now the current IBF titlist, to unify the belts will be interesting. Another possibility is also a unification against Ivan Calderon if he decides not to take the rematch with Rodel Mayol and stakes his WBO and Ring titles against Sosa’s WBC. Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction Results:
Got Klitschko right but thought it’ll be by decision.
Campillo’s upset over Garay adds a 5th setback to my record.
Easy pick in the easy Sosa win.

My record is now 37-5-3. Ukraine adds another title and remains in 4th place. Argentina is out of the log jam for 5th and drops to 8th tied with the Philippines. Spain is now in the list tied with 12 others with a title each.

Here’s the updated list.

As of June 21, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st (2 are tied)	Mexico	9	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Fernando Montiel - WBO118 Giovanni Segura - WBA108 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130
1st (2 are tied)	USA	9	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBO140 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160 Cory Spinks - IBF154 Brian Viloria - IBF108
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	6	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+;Ring200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (3 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (3 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (3 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
8th (2 are tied)	Argentina	3	Sergio Gabriel Martinez - WBC154 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
8th (2 are tied)	Philippines	3	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105 Manny Pacquiao - Ring140
10th (4 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
10th (4 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
10th (4 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
10th (4 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
14th (13 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
14th (13 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
14th (13 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
14th (13 are tied)	Ghana	1	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118
14th (13 are tied)	Haiti	1	Jean Pascal - WBC175
14th (13 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
14th (13 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
14th (13 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
14th (13 are tied)	Romania	1	Lucian Bute - IBF168
14th (13 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+
14th (13 are tied)	South Africa	1	Malcolm Klassen - IBF130
14th (13 are tied)	Spain	1	Gabriel Campillo - WBA175
14th (13 are tied)	UK	1	Carl Froch - WBC168

Title Fight Result (June 19)

If you’re a big boxing fan and you missed the fight then you better hope that somebody posted it in youtube or Versus re-airs it soon. A great bout between a boxer and a slugger with occasional street brawling. Best of all, for personal reasons, I went against the odds and predicted the fight winner and result on the dot. I really have to start waging big time soon. Haiti-born Jean Pascal who was a +140 day before the fight dethroned Romania-born Adrian Diaconu to win the WBC Light Heavyweight title via a unanimous decision. Pascal’s game plan worked to perfection as he kept his distance often and engaged only when he finds the opening. Diaconu’s brawling tactics didn’t work as he can’t seem to catch Pascal consistently. The fifth round, in my opinion, is one for the archives classic. Pascal knocked Diaconu down with a left while on his back foot. Diaconu took the 8-count but in the last 30 seconds, he got the upper hand with a right that wobbled Pascal grasping for dear life to finish the round. The rest of the fight kept me on my toes expecting brisk action that didn’t disappoint. I was just surprised that the Montreal crowd was booing whenever there’s a lull in the action. It was quite a tough crowd to please but I’m sure they ended up satisfied with the way both boxers fought. The win will open better opportunities for Pascal. My first and foremost wish is a slugfest against the winner between Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson, which can possibly be for the Ring title. A possibility if Bernard Hopkins is toppled from his top spot which, I believe should be likely having been inactive for 8 months now and more once Dawson and Johnson meets in the ring. Ring; ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction Results:
Like I said a Pascal upset by decision. Man! I’m good. Pardon me for I need to take modesty aside sometimes.

My record is now 35-4-3. Romania is down to 1 titleholder in Lucian Bute who was incidentally ring side supporting his compatriot. Haiti is back in the tally since Joachim Alcine was dethroned July last year. Here’s the updated list.

As of June 20, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st (2 are tied)	Mexico	9	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Fernando Montiel - WBO118 Giovanni Segura - WBA108 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130
1st (2 are tied)	USA	9	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBO140 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160 Cory Spinks - IBF154 Brian Viloria - IBF108
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	5	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (4 are tied)	Argentina	4	Hugo Hernan Garay - WBA175 Sergio Gabriel Martinez - WBC154 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
5th (4 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (4 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (4 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
9th	Philippines	3	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105 Manny Pacquiao - Ring140
10th (4 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
10th (4 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
10th (4 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
10th (4 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
14th (12 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
14th (12 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
14th (12 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
14th (12 are tied)	Ghana	1	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118
14th (12 are tied)	Haiti	1	Jean Pascal - WBC175
14th (12 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
14th (12 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
14th (12 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
14th (12 are tied)	Romania	1	Lucian Bute - IBF168
14th (12 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+
14th (12 are tied)	South Africa	1	Malcolm Klassen - IBF130
14th (12 are tied)	UK	1	Carl Froch - WBC168

Title Fights Scheduled (June 19-20)

A decent stack of title fights this weekend as 4 are on tap. This is the first of two weekends where there are at least four title fights, barring any other postponements or cancellations.

On June 19 in Montreal, Canada, two Canadian immigrants will be fighting for the WBC Light Heavyweight title. Romania-born Adrian Diaconu [26(15)-0(0)-0] will defend his title against Haiti-born Jean Pascal [22(15)-1(0)-0]. I am glad Versus stepped up and will show it live in the US at 9 pm ET. Pascal’s slugfest against Carl Froch late last year was a fight of the year finalist and thanks to Fox Sports, it was shown a few weeks later. This I hope will be another barnburner. Pascal of course lost that fight but it showed grit and tenacity that will come handy against Diaconu. This is Diaconu’s first defense of the title. He was the former interim titleholder but was elevated to the full title after Chad Dawson vacated middle of last year.

On June 20 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko [52(46)-3(3)-0] will defend his IBF Heavyweight and WBO Heavyweight titles against Ruslan Chagaev [25(17)-0(0)-1] of Uzbekistan. The vacant Ring Heavyweight title is also at stake in this fight with Klitschko ranked #1 and Chagaev #3 by Ring magazine. As every boxing fan knows, David Haye was supposed to be in the opposite corner of Klitschko but a reported back injury prevented the Brit from making the fight. Klitschko having to fulfill his mandatory around October did not buy into a request to move the date to July. Klitschko cannot afford to reschedule anymore. A week ago, Chagaev was suppose to settle the score against Nikolay Valuev for the WBA title in Finland but was cancelled due to controversial medical reasons. This definitely is not going to be as exciting as the Haye fight. In fact, I expect to doze off somewhere mid-fight, unless, a miracle happens and Chagaev becomes an action fighter. Nah… don’t think so. Nevertheless, being a hardcore boxing fan that I am I will still try to stay up for it. I hope. ESPN Classic will cover starting 5 pm ET.

Also on June 20 in Santa Fe, Argentina, Hugo Hernan Garay [32(17)-3(0)-0] of Argentina will defend his WBA Light Heavyweight title against Gabriel Campillo [17(6)-2(1)-0] of Spain. This looks like a stay busy defense for Garay. I don’t expect any upset happening here. Garay’s last two fights are against tough Europeans Juergen Braehmer and Yuri Barashian. Campillo does not have any notable opponents to speak of.

Also on June 20 in Mexico City, Mexico, the always busy Edgar Sosa [35(19)-5(1)-0] of Mexico will defend his WBC Light Flyweight title against Panama’s Carlos Melo [19(2)-8(0)-0]. This will be Sosa’s 9th defense of his title and will probably be the easiest. Melo lost 4 of his last 7 bouts and doesn’t have any power to take Sosa down.

My Predictions:
My upset pick of the week is Pascal over Diaconu by decision.
Klitschko will retain his titles and grab another by decision.
Easy win for Garay by decision.
Sosa by early stoppage.

Title Fight Results (June 13)

Ivan Calderon of Puerto Rico retained his WBO Mini Flyweight and Ring Strawweight titles via technical draw over Rodel Mayol of the Philippines. Multiple accidental headbutts prompted the ring doctor to call the bout at the 6th round which therefore went to the scorecards. I scored it a draw also with Mayol taking 1, 3 and 6 while Calderon gets the rest. I believe a rematch will settle the issue but Calderon and Top Rank has more lucrative plans against Brian Viloria before the end of the year. Mayol, at least, put a blemish in Calderon’s spotless record. This is the undefeated Calderon’s first draw of his professional career. ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

Puerto Rico’s Miguel Angel Cotto also retains his WBO Welterweight title against Joshua Clottey of Ghana via split decision. I believe Cotto did enough to win the fight and Clottey didn’t grab the opportunity when he had all the advantages to turn the fight in his favor. Cotto’s nasty cut over the left eye should have been a bull’s eye that Clottey aimed for but he was hesitant at times and let Cotto work specially in the last two rounds when the fight was still undecided. With Cotto winning, he is practically ahead of Mosley and Mayweather in the Pacquiao sweepstakes. If Mayweather stays firm to his purse share demands, then Cotto will very likely be in the opposite corner of Pacquiao come October or November. ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction Results:
A third draw in my slate from Calderon-Mayol.
Cotto by decision as predicted.

My record is now 34-4-3. With no changes in the tally.

Title Fights Scheduled (June 13)

On June 13 at the Madison Square Garden in New York, the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes is in full swing as Puerto Rico's Miguel Angel Cotto [33(27)-1(1)-0] will defend his WBO Welterweight title against former IBF champ Joshua Clottey [35(20)-2(0)-0] of Ghana. This could've been a unification fight if Clottey did not unintentionally relinquish his title. A blog entry on April 17 describes the circumstances behind the relinquishment as well as my 2 cents. Both boxers' last loss was against the controversial Antonio Margarito so if you ask me, Cotto's undefeated and Clottey only has one blemish in his record. Cotto is favored specially with the crowd behind him on Puerto Rican day. A win will also likely give him the inside track to secure the biggest purse of his career. Cotto and Pacquiao, as well as Clottey, are Top Rank stablemates which would make it easier for Bob Arum to finalize a fight between them than against Golden Boy fighters or Floyd Mayweather Jr. Clottey has been barely mentioned as a possible Pacquiao opponent but he can state his case if he upsets Cotto. Clottey has more than a legitimate chance of pulling it off. HBO will televise starting at 10:35 pm ET.

In the undercard, Ivan Calderon [32(6)-0(0)-0] also of Puerto Rico will defend his WBO Mini Flyweight and Ring Strawweight titles against Rodel Mayol [25(19)-3(2)-0] of the Philippines. Unfortunately, HBO is not picking this up in its TV coverage. That means I got to keep tabs with boards that normally have threads announcing streaming videos. The normally active Calderon has been out of the ring in more than nine months due to a badly lacerated forehead in his last fight against Hugo Fidel Cazares. He could either be fresh and revived or rusty and vulnerable. Mayol hopes for the latter as this is his best chance to finally capture a title after two tries. Having lost 3 of his last 6, Mayol is lucky to get another title shot. A Calderon-Brian Viloria unification bout is highly probable if Calderon survives this fight unscathed.

My Predictions:
Cotto only by decision because he'll be more active and it is difficult to knock Clottey out.
Calderon by decision because he's a technician not a KO artist.

Title Update - WBA Light Flyweight

With one taketh away, another giveth back. Mexico secures another title as interim title holder Giovanni Segura was elevated to the full WBA Light Flyweight (108 lbs.) title in the latest ratings released by the WBA on Friday, June 5. It was only last week when Israel Vazquez relinquished his Ring Junior Featherweight belt in his comeback announcement to move up to Featherweight. Mexico then dropped to second and gave the US its solo lead back in my tally. With Segura promoted, the US and Mexico is again tied for the lead.

The WBA Light Flyweight title has been vacant since WBA's ratings for June 2008. This was when full title holder Brahim Asloum of France was demoted to champion in recess. Asloum was suppose to defend his title against Segura in July 2008 but left training due to variously reported reasons. The most notable and the very like of which was the differences in the expected purse from the TV network. Cesar Canchilla replaced Asloum on a rescheduled fight but only for the interim title. Canchilla won until Segura took it back in their rematch 3 months ago. Asloum came back with a win against a nobody in April. I assumed that an Asloum-Segura fight will finally happen or at least the "in recess" tag will be dropped, but, the WBA surprised me with the lastest ratings. Segura was given the full title and Asloum remains "in recess". It might be debatable but I believe the WBA finally made the right decision here. I've always been critical of them because of their multiple titles just to collect more sanctioning fees but they sure got this one right, at least in my opinion. They gave the title to the deserving boxer. Asloum I thought should not have been given so much leeway since he walked out of training on his first title defense. He should have been stripped right there and declared the first Segura-Canchilla fight a full title fight. Anyway, it ended well and now Segura moves on to defend his title.

Segura has been scheduled to fight the Philippines' Sonny Boy Jaro on July 25. Imagine Jaro's amazement when he finds out that his originally signed contract for a measly interim title is now a challenge for a world title.

Here's the updated list.

As of June 7, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st (2 are tied)	Mexico	9	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Fernando Montiel - WBO118 Giovanni Segura - WBA108 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130
1st (2 are tied)	USA	9	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBO140 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160 Cory Spinks - IBF154 Brian Viloria - IBF108
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	5	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (4 are tied)	Argentina	4	Hugo Hernan Garay - WBA175 Sergio Gabriel Martinez - WBC154 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
5th (4 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (4 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (4 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
9th	Philippines	3	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105 Manny Pacquiao - Ring140
10th (5 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
10th (5 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
10th (5 are tied)	Romania	2	Lucian Bute - IBF168 Adrian Diaconu - WBC175
10th (5 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
10th (5 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
15th (10 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
15th (10 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
15th (10 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
15th (10 are tied)	Ghana	1	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118
15th (10 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
15th (10 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
15th (10 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
15th (10 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+
15th (10 are tied)	South Africa	1	Malcolm Klassen - IBF130
15th (10 are tied)	UK	1	Carl Froch - WBC168

Title Update - Ring Junior Featherweight

It was announced in the press teleconference on Thursday, May 28, by Mexico's Israel Vazquez and his team that Vazquez has been given the medical clearance by the California State Athletic Commission to return to the ring after 14 months of inactivity due to his detached retina. The injury happened in his 2008 "Fight of the Year" against Rafael Marquez.

They also announced that Vazquez is officially relinquishing the Ring Junior Featherweight (122 lbs.) title and will move up to Featherweight in his comeback fight. Subsequently, the Ring removed Vazquez from their ratings page last weekend.

Roughly 5 months ago, Vazquez was also stripped of his WBC belt and was given the "champion emeritus" title. This gives Vazquez a free shot on challenging a WBC title holder of his choice. The current WBC 126-lb. champ is Takahiro Aoh but is scheduled to defend his title on July 14. The widely sought after fight will be a continuation of his epic trilogy with Marquez. Juan Manuel Lopez, the WBO Junior Featherweight champ, was also mentioned as a possible opponent provided Lopez moves up to 126.

With one less title for Mexico, the US regains sole lead in the tally. Here's the updated list.

As of June 2, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st	USA	9	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBO140 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160 Cory Spinks - IBF154 Brian Viloria - IBF108
2nd	Mexico	8	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Fernando Montiel - WBO118 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	5	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (4 are tied)	Argentina	4	Hugo Hernan Garay - WBA175 Sergio Gabriel Martinez - WBC154 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
5th (4 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (4 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (4 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
9th	Philippines	3	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105 Manny Pacquiao - Ring140
10th (5 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
10th (5 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
10th (5 are tied)	Romania	2	Lucian Bute - IBF168 Adrian Diaconu - WBC175
10th (5 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
10th (5 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
15th (10 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
15th (10 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
15th (10 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
15th (10 are tied)	Ghana	1	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118
15th (10 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
15th (10 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
15th (10 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
15th (10 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+
15th (10 are tied)	South Africa	1	Malcolm Klassen - IBF130
15th (10 are tied)	UK	1	Carl Froch - WBC168