Juan Manuel Marquez Wins!!

In what turned out to be a great fight, Juan Manuel Marquez defeated Juan Diaz with a wicked upper cut. Premier boxing is one for one in predictions as we got our first one right with this fight. It was an tough fight for Marquez but he pulled it out with a ninth round knock out in the end. Marquez has now solidified himself as the best lightweight (assuming Nate Campbell will be moving up). He also kept the door open for a rematch with Manny Pacquiao and established himself as an exciting fighter. Interestingly enough, Marquez claimed to want to fight Floyd Mayweather after the fight indicating that he didn't think Pacquiao would fight him. It will be interesting to see where JMM goes next. His stock is definitely still high and potentially even growing. All in all, it was a great fight and nice start for our first prediction on premier boxing.

One of The Most Underrated Trainers in Boxing

Nazim Richardson has accomplished some incredible feats in recent years as a boxing trainer. So much so, that I think he is close to being considered in the same breath as Freddie Roach and Floyd Mayweather Sr. Nazim has helped take Bernard Hopkins to almost the pinnacle of the pound for pound list at the ripe old age of 44! If that isn't incredible enough he recently led 37 year old, supposedly fading, Shane Mosley past the top welterweight in the world in Antonio Margarito. He now has two of the top five pound for pound fighters in his stable. There is no other trainer that has such a big one-two punch in boxing today. Nazim is certainly a name to look out for in the future when it comes to top boxing trainers. His foresight in having Margarito's gloves checked and his skillful ability to manage a veteran 40-something Bernard Hopkins to phenomenal performances against Kelly Pavlik and Joe Calzaghe demonstrated his wisdom. Remember that Hopkins lost a close split decision to Calzaghe that many had him winning (including us at premier boxing). We're always glad to give recognition to those that don't always get as much as they should. Nazim Richardson certainly falls into that bucket as a brilliant boxing trainer with a bright future.

JMM versus Juan Diaz coming up in Houston

Premier boxing predicted on Feb 2nd that Juan Manuel Marquez would win this one and not let his opportunity for a potential mega fight with a Ricky Hatton or Manny Pacquiao slip away. He's just in another league when compared to Diaz. The fight is on tomorrow night so lets see if we are right with our first prediction here at Premier Boxing. Diaz is young and (hopefully) still learning while also fighting in his home town of Houston so there's definitely some things to make his camp confident. It will be interesting. Check back after the fight tomorrow for more commentary and (potentially) some gloating if I'm right on this one.

Prerediction: BJ Penn versus Floyd Mayweather

Okay, so this fight is never going to happen. But, lets say it did for the sake of ... oh fun! Lets assume both of them can do a little training to prepare. Lets assume it is an MMA fight. Obviously if Penn gets the fight to the ground he has a huge advantage and while they are standing Mayweather has a big advantage. So, what would happen? I have a hunch. Here's my prediction. Mayweather is a great boxer and brilliant defensively. Lets assume the layoff doesn't hurt him. That's a big if, especially given what happened to our friend Tiger Woods recently! I think he keeps the fight off the ground and wears down Penn getting a knockout in a later round or winning a decision. Penn is a great MMA fighter - potentially the best pound for pound as a lightweight (right up there with Georges St. Pierre at welter and Anderson Silva). This prediction is probably not the popular choice and I suspect it will upset many hard core MMA fans. Beating someone else at his own sport doesn't help that sport too much. I could easily be wrong but I still think the sport of MMA is advancing and needs some time before it can be at the level boxing is from a talent perspective. Once they are at the same level it would be hard for any boxer to beat an MMA pro in an MMA fight - duh! But, for now I don't think we're there yet. Getting closer though ...

Manny Pacquiao is a Once in a Generation Boxer

Manny Pacquiao is moving up to junior welterweight and not looking back for a second. The guy has come from the deepest regions of the lighter weight classes all the way to welterweight successfully. What he has done is remarkable. In fact, I would say comparable only to Roy Jones' move to heavyweight (against John Ruiz) when looking at the most recent generation of boxing achievements. However, if Manny beats Ricky Hatton and moves on to succeed at welterweight he will have surpassed even the greatness of Jones' achievement. Jones only had one fight at heavyweight and never really dominated the division. He dominated the light heavyweight division after moving up throughout his career but Manny can surpass that. If Manny can beat Hatton and then dethrone Mayweather his accomplishment will be unparalleled within the most recent generation of boxing achievements. He will have dominated each and every weight division he fought in. Even lightweight where he only had one fight - it was a clear destruction of David Diaz and he showed he was capable of being the class of that division. If he beats Hatton, he will have shown the same at the junior welterweight division. It's impossible to compare him with the old school guys like Sam Langford and Archie Moore but within this most recent generation of fighters he is proving to be a diamond in the rough. It will be exciting to see how many milestones he can break in the coming years!

Miguel Cotto and Kelly Pavlik Stick to the Script

Tonight both Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto took care of business and won convincingly against overmatched opponents they were expected to beat. So, what's next for these two? Cotto says he wants the winner of Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton. I wouldn't hold my breath if I was Cotto. Pacquiao will probably be looking to bring Floyd Mayweather out of retirement for a mega fight. Hatton may also be looking for Mayweather or Oscar De La Hoya if he wins and would be unlikely to step up in weight to face the dangerous Cotto. I think Cotto would have to consider a rematch with Shane Mosley as the biggest fight out there for him at the moment. If he beats Mosley a second time he should consider a rematch with Antonio Margarito to avenge his only loss. He'd have a better shot to beat Margarito especially if Margarito cheated in the first fight as some now suspect. He'd back on top of the welterweight world if he wins those two fights and could then seriously demand the attention of Pacquiao or Mayweather.

As for Kelly Pavlik, he pretty much has only one option as I see it. He needs to fight Arthur Abraham. Period. That guy is by far his most serious challenger in the middleweight division and he needs to clean out the division before he looks at light heavyweight or super middleweight.

That's it for now. But please check back for more "intelligent" commentary on boxing that you may not get from the major sports sights out there at the moment.

Oscar De La Hoya Has Lost His Focus on Boxing

Let me clarify the title - Oscar has lost his focus on boxing as a fighter. I think he is still highly motivated as a promoter. Oscar has done wonders within the sport of boxing. Not only has he been a great fighter he has been an extraordinary draw for a non-heavyweight. His box office appeal has been second to none in the sport for over a decade. Unfortunately, as much as he wants to continue fighting, I just don't think he is able to keep his focus on training or maintain the motivation to grind out tough battles in the ring. He is still the great Oscar but I think he needs to undergo a huge change in his current attitute towards preparation to continue to fight at a top level. Don't get me wrong he is still a solid fighter but the old Oscar would have made the Manny Pacquiao fight a lot more interesting. He probably would have still lost but at least put on a much better show for the fans. Sure, there are people that say he over trained not under trained but I say he simply over-lost weight by doing too much of the remedial type of training rather than truly crafting a game plan for victory and executing it. Doing a bunch of situps and running miles might be hard for the average Joe but that is just the price of admission for an elite boxer. You need to do a lot more to win at the top levels in the boxing ring. I just hope that Oscar picks his last fight well and decides to hang up the gloves sometime next year. He'll be in his late thirties by then and would have had a brilliant career.

The Recent British Boxing Invasion

Over the last 10 or so years, we've seen some solid British boxers make a name for themselves on a world stage. These are fighters that may or may not go down in the all time ranks but have certainly made their mark on recent history. The likes of Lennox Lewis (although he is pseudo Canadian), Naseem Hamed, Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe have done the English proud. I think more than anything these fighters have demonstrated great box office drawing power. Don't get me wrong they are all solid world ranked c0mpetitors and possibly even all time greats, however, they made their biggest impact by attracting fans. Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton, in particular, have been able to sell out live gates and generate phenomenal pay per view numbers. Part of the reason behind their popularity is the huge loyal audiences they have back in the UK. They have been able to generate lots of interest from US based promoters by bringing a large fan base to the negotiating table before each and every fight. Even future prospects like the super talented Amir Khan have large fan followings to back them up. I think this is great for boxing. As one of the few truly global sports, I think boxing needs more national iconic figures like the Ricky Hattons and Manny Pacquiaos of the world. If I were an Englishman or someone from the Philipines, I would no doubt be hugely interested in the Hatton-Pacquiao fight even if I were just a casual fan or observer of the sport. Here's to the great boxers and fans across the pond! Lets hope they keep producing solid talent.

What's next for Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather?

Hatton? Nope - he already knocked him out. De La Hoya? Not after what Pacquiao did to him. Mosley? Maybe if he can get revenge on Cotto with Margarito out of the picture. Pacquiao? Definitely. Mayweather will eventually be back for the Pacman. Especially if he beats Hatton, which I expect to happen. Floyd was the pound for pound king until he retired and Pacquiao has established himself as the dominant fighter in the sport ever since. Mayweather is enjoying his retirement after going out on top so why would he even consider coming back? Well, he didn't retire because he felt he was done with the sport, he retired because he didn't feel he had any big fights to challenge him and draw interest/money. If Pacquiao beats Hatton, and especially if he beats him convincingly, Mayweather will definitely come back. Pacquiao represents a significant challenge for Mayweather despite being a smaller man (an advantage that would be very enticing for Mayweather). Pacquiao also represents a massive pay day. The fight would represent a career defining win for whoever comes out on top. If Mayweather wins, he gets a victory against a guy who is considered the top pound for pound fighter in the world and could quite possibly be the favorite going into the fight. Never has Mayweather fought someone who is considered equal to him (maybe even better). For Pacquiao, he gets a shot against the welterweight king (not just a pseudo-washed up Oscar). Mayweather is also a smaller welterweight - which keeps the playing field a little more even for Pacman. So, assuming Pacquiao can take out Hatton I'm confident we can all expect Mayweather to be back in the ring after the summer. That would no doubt be amazing for boxing!

Margarito Suspended

This week we found out that Antonio Margarito has been banned from fighting in the US for one year. He was caught using a plaster-like substance in his gloves but claimed he didn't know anything about it. I find that hard to believe. I was a fan of Margarito for fighting Paul Williams when no one else wanted to and generally taking on all challengers. Now that he has been caught cheating I can't respect him as a fighter anymore. If he cheated against Cotto then he put a great fighter's career at risk for his own personal gain. He should not be allowed to fight anywhere for one year. I hope Cotto gives Mosley a rematch and fights Margarito again when his ban is over so that there is no doubt about the result next time. This kind of thing taints results and hurts the sport of boxing. I hope Margarito understands that and his punishment should make it clear to other fighters that this won't be tolerated.

Did Georges St. Pierre Cheat Against B.J. Penn?

I know most of the media has played down the fact that Georges St. Pierre's corner man might have used Vaseline. It is not certain how it was applied at the moment and there is a pending complaint from the B.J. Penn camp. I must say that if St. Pierre did use it, then he should give Penn a rematch (assuming Penn wants it). The reason is that Vaseline would have given St. Pierre a big advantage against Penn's defense and specifically his strong guard. St. Pierre was able to break Penn's guard after the first round which is when they say the Vaseline was applied. In fact, he broke it with somewhat ease. Assuming he did use the Vaseline, I'm not saying he wouldn't have won anyway. I'm just saying that against a guy like Penn that gives you a huge unfair advantage. St. Pierre is a great athlete and a top MMA fighter who I don't think would ever intentionally cheat. However, if it is determined that there was any unfair advantage in the fight with Penn they should do it all over again. I know I'd watch it. Stay tuned for more commentary on this as we get more news.

Joe Calzaghe Retires

Joe Calzaghe has finally made his decision to retire. I can't blame him as there aren't any viable opponents at the moment. Joe goes out with a sparkling 46-0 record but lacks that career defining fight with a top ten pound for pound opponent (Bernard Hopkins was the closest he had). I wish Joe would have taken more serious fights early in his career because now he is forced to retire at a time when he was ready to take on the best. His best option is Bernard Hopkins but he already has a split decision victory over Hopkins so there is little to gain. The biggest drawback to Joe's career is that he only ever fought one guy who was considered a top ten pound for pound fighter at the time of the fight. That was Bernard Hopkins. Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler were no where close. I can't see Joe being considered an all time great based soley on one, albeit significant, victory. Maybe he squeezes into the hall but it's a shame that he didn't fight the best available fighters earlier in his career. I can't argue with the retirement since Chad Dawson isn't a big enough name and he already beat Bernard. In a perfect world boxing would be like other sports where the best always go against the best. Joe Calzaghe is a perfect example of why boxing so desperately needs that.

Prediction: Amir Khan versus Marco Antonio Barrera

This is one fight I'm definitely waiting to see. The old warrior against the future prospect. This fight almost didn't happen because of a cut Barrera suffered in his last fight. I think this will be a very interesting fight and it's hard to predict a winner. I'll go out on a limb and say Khan by late TKO. I think that Freddie Roach will have Amir Khan ready for this one. I don't see Roach making a mistake at this point. I see Khan jabbing and focussing on defense. He will wear down the past his prime Barrera and eventually stop him late (10th or 11th round). I could be proven wrong if Barrera somehow brings back his old form which was legendary. His decision victory over Khan mentor Prince Naseem Hamed was magnificent. He virtually shunned Hamed's incredible power and controlled most of the fight. Amir Khan is a bit different from Hamed in that he has a better, smoother boxing style. Khan can jab and has a significant size, speed and reach advantage over Barrera. Can the veteran overcome the future prospect? I can't wait for the fight! Make sure to check back for my post fight analysis.

Prediction: Juan Manuel Marquez versus Juan Diaz

We're fast approaching a show down at the end of this month for light weight supremacy as Juan Manuel Marquez goes to Texas to take on Juan Diaz in his home town. This is a classic match between a younger fighter and an experienced ring veteran. I'm going with the wiley veteran Juan Manuel Marquez winning via late TKO. This is an extremely difficult fight for Juan Diaz because he is in a new league against a man who lost two very close decisions to pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao and soundly beat light weight king (at the time) Joel Cassamayor. I simply think Juan Manuel Marquez is too good and still hungry to get another shot at Pacquiao. I don't see him letting this one slip away as it would virtually eliminate any chance of a rematch with Pacquiao.

Next up for predictions on Premier Boxing is Amir Khan versus Marco Antonio Barrera!! I simply can not wait for this fight ... it is one of the most intriguing bouts on the horizon.