Anderson Silva versus Forrest Griffin at UFC 101

The UFC has announced that Anderson Silva will face Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 on August 8th in what represents another move up to 205 pounds for Silva. This should be more of a challenge for Silva after two matches with weak (for Silva) opposition. Dana White couldn't match him with any suitable talent at 185 pounds so had to move him up to the more competitive 205 pound division. Silva is not a 205 pound fighter but will do it to help the UFC as their really isn't any one else out there for him at 185. White has a problem on his hands because his top fighter doesn't really have any challengers at the moment and moving him up to 205 creates a little bit of excitement but that really isn't his weight class.

Griffin is a solid fighter and will make for an interesting match up with Silva because he moves forward. Hopefully, he isn't too intimidated by the smaller Silva and keeps things interesting.

The card also includes BJ Penn versus Kenny Florian as the headlining fight. Penn returns to light weight to rule over his rightful kingdom after getting "greased" by George St. Pierre at welter weight.

Carl Froch stops Jermain Taylor in the Final Round

Carl Froch came back and made history tonight. Jermain Taylor once again faded at the end of a fight losing by knock out in the 12th round. Taylor was on his way to winning a clear decision until Froch started to pound him in the 12th round finally getting the referee to stop the fight with 14 seconds left.

This is a huge set back for Taylor and a significant victory for Froch who now has a solid claim to a title shot against Mikkel Kessler. In fact, I could see the undefeated Froch potentially surpassing Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe wasted his early boxing career fighting stiffs until beating Jeff Lacy, Kessler and Bernard Hopkins via decisions albeit a close split decision against Hopkins. Froch can use this victory to get some top quality challengers on his resume. Who knows, if Froch can get a fight with Kessler and win, he may even get a chance to tackle with Hopkins or Pavlik at some point.

We predicted a decision victory for Taylor which seemed to be the route this fight was going until a huge surprise effort by Froch in the final round which changed history.

Floyd Mayweather versus Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18th

Boxrec.com has reported that Floyd Mayweather versus Juan Manuel Marquez is on for July 18th. That would be a huge fight if that does indeed happen. The weight would be the key factor here as Marquez is a lightweight and Mayweather has fought at welterweight and junior middleweight. If Marquez agreed to move all the way up to welterweight he would likely be a big underdog against Mayweather the former pound for pound king. The big question mark is Mayweather's rust as Marquez isn't exactly a tune up bout. He's a top three pound for pound fighter. Mayweather may be banking on his size advantage and Marquez's status in the ring to help ensure he gets a win against a notable guy. He'll show the world he's still at the top.

Regardless, lets hope this fight is on for sure as it will be very interesting to watch.

Prediction: Carl Froch versus Jermaine Taylor

Jermaine Taylor has never been the same since his two difficult losses to Kelly Pavlik. Pavlik has skyrocketed to the top of the middleweight division and is close to a showdown with Arthur Abraham for the ruler of the division while Jermaine hasn't been able to get a main event fight in a while. Carl Froch is a little known British fighter who is coming to the US to make a name for himself with the fight against Taylor. Obviously, Froch couldn't pass up such a big opportunity. Unfortunately for him, he will realize that Jermaine is in another other league entirely. I don't see Froch winning this one and predict he loses via decision to Taylor. Taylor doesn't have the same amount of power at super middleweight as he had at middleweight so I won't predict a KO and give Froch the benefit of the doubt on this one. There are a few British fighters that I believe are the real deal ... Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan. I don't think Froch is one of them and he will get exposed on Saturday.

Anderson Silva defeats Thales Leites in a Snoozefest

The UFC 97 main event was boredom inducing for Montreal fans who chanted bullsh*t throughout the late rounds. Anderson Silva was by far the superior fighter and took no chances against Thales Leites who was horrendously mismatched in this terrible fight. Take nothing away from Silva who is the best in the business and a genuine all time talent. However, Dana White made a huge mistake with Leites who was no where near ready for the prime time and ended up putting the crowd to sleep. In the future, White better be careful to put real challengers in the ring with Silva otherwise UFC fans will suffer a similar fate. I'd be upset if I paid for this card as much as I like Anderson Silva.

On the undercard, Chuck Lidell lost to Mauricio Rua via first round KO in what might have been his last fight. Chuck is struggling terribly over the last couple of years and indicated he would retire if he lost today. It might just be time for him to call it quits after this one.

Some Potential Fights Being Discussed

There is a lot of chatter about a potential fight negotiation between Floyd Mayweather's camp and Juan Manuel Marquez. These two may be fighting on July 18th as part of Mayweather's comeback bid. It seems that they are just negotiating the right weight at the moment. Obviously, Marquez (a lightweight at the moment) wanting to fight at a lower weight than Floyd who has recently fought at welterweight and even as high as super welter. At any weight above 140 I think it would be hard to imagine a scenario where Marquez wins. Unless Mayweather is well below form because of his layoff this would be a very difficult fight for Marquez. Of course, if he wins that almost guarantees a rematch with Manny Pacquiao. If this fight does happen, I'd expect Mayweather to win and then face Pacquiao if he beats Hatton (which I expect to happen as well).

Another fight being discussed is Breidis Prescott versus Edwin Valero on July 25th. That would be another very interesting fight since both of these guys have sparkling records with a lot of KOs! This fight probably wouldn't last too long given the previous history of these two. Valero recently had an early round KO of Antonio Pitalua and Prescott recently took out a very young Amir Khan by 1st round KO. These are two guys in their prime and a match-up between them would make for a great fight that would be really hard to predict!

Dan Rafael's Pound for Pound List

I noticed that Dan Rafael of ESPN has adjusted his pound for pound list to include Paul Williams at number 5. After Williams' big win against Winky Wright it seems all of these "main stream" boxing writers are finally catching on to the obvious. Paul Williams is a top 5 pound for pound fighter. At Premier Boxing we have had him in the top five for the last two months! In fact, Dan Rafael's new P4P list looks an awful lot like our list.

We've also predicted each fight this year correctly. That's a lot more than Dan Rafael and other main stream boxing writers can say. I'm hoping everyone reading this decides to come here more often for their news and opinion on boxing in the future. We're not saying don't read those other main stream writers' work - it's just that there are other places to get opinion on boxing. We're committed to continually showing you that you've made the right choice by coming here.

Oscar De La Hoya Retires

Oscar De La Hoya held a news conference today to announce his retirement from the sport of boxing. Oscar took a long time to make what seemed to be a very difficult decision for him. In the end, he decided he could no longer compete at the top level. De La Hoya won the Olympic gold medal in 1992 and burst on to the boxing scene as the "Golden Boy" going 31-0 in his first 31 fights before stepping up the level of competition to the likes of Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather. He lost to all of them and ended up 39-6 to close out his career. De La Hoya did manage spectacular victories against ring legends Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell Whitaker. He also had a big win against Ike Quartey. Ultimately, De La Hoya struggled greatly against pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao in losing his last fight and probably used that as a significant basis for his decision to retire.

Oscar will probably be most known for the phenomenal popularity and box office appeal he had in the ring. He was the biggest draw ever in the sport and changed the landscape for future fighters like Manny Pacquiao. His fight against Mayweather went down as the biggest PPV draw in history. De La Hoya is now hoping that his appeal helps translate to results for his promotional company "Golden Boy Promotions".

Only time will tell if Oscar can stay away from the ring and avoid one more farewell fight for his fans and for himself. For now, he is resolute about his decision to retire. There's no doubting that he's had a great career.

Paul Williams wins big against Winky Wright

Paul Williams proved he is the real deal by taking a big step up to middleweight and beating former pound for pound mainstay Winky Wright. In fact, he won a dominant decision by almost winning every round on each scorecard and throwing over 1000 punches in the fight. Wright says he wants to go back down to 147 but is also willing to fight the best at 160. I think he will have a hard time securing a fight at 147 but may have a shot at getting a Kelly Pavlik or Arthur Abraham at 160 assuming those two can't secure a fight with each other.

On the under card Chris Arreola knocked out Jameel Mccline setting the stage for a bigger fight later this year or soon thereafter. Arreola has demonstrated some crafty boxing talent despite looking like he is not in top shape. He might just be America's next big heavyweight contender.

Prediction: Winky Wright versus Paul Williams

Although we're 2 for 2 on predictions this year I see this one being very difficult to get right. Tomorrow night Winky Wright makes his return to the ring against Paul Williams. Wright has amassed an incredible career with close battles against some of the most fierce competitors in the sport. It's hard for me to pick against Wright but I see this one being very very close and I think Paul Williams will pull out the decision in the end. Wright is a smart veteran who will learn whatever he can from the Carlos Quintana fight that Paul Williams lost by decision. I still think Williams reach and speed will be enough to take a close decision from Wright. Winky will also be rusty after being out of the ring for over 20 months. I'm sure he's training hard and feels ready for this fight but he hasn't fought officially for so long that it will hurt him. Also, he's not getting any younger. That being said, Wright has shown he is still one of the best in the world in his last several fights and only inactivity has cost him. He will be ready and make this one a close fight but I see Paul Williams winning a close fight and moving on to greater things in the sport. Enjoy the fight tomorrow!

Edwin Valero looking at Edner Cherry or Breidis Prescott for next Challenge

Okay so Edner Cherry may not garner much attention but if Edwin Valero fights Breidis Prescott that would be a very interesting fight. I think Valero beats Cherry and probably knocks him out in a later round - he has the skill to do it eevn though Cherry has never been knocked out in his career. However, with Prescott the fight is harder to predict as Breidis has some of the most lethal power punch combinations around and Valero's defense is still somewhat un-tested.

Bob Arum, who promotes Edwin Valero, recently indicated on ESPN that he is looking at those two fighters as possible opponents. Nothing is set in stone yet but I don't see why Breidis Prescott wouldn't want the fight now that Valero's name has sky rocketed after the Antonio Pitalua victory. For Valero, Prescott is a solid fighter with decent recognition after his victory against the young Amir Khan last year. I'd would definitely line up to see that one.

Amir Khan to Challenge for Junior Welterweight Title

Amir Khan has secured a fight with top ranked junior welterweight fighter Andreas Kotelnik. Kotelnik holds a world title belt and will be putting it up for grabs against Khan who will be moving up from lightweight to junior welterweight. Khan will get his chance to win a title at 22 years old. This represents a big step up for Khan as he is moving up in weight and fighting a solid world class belt holder. Andreas Kotelnik has been in the ring with the likes of Junior Witter and other solid contenders. Frank Warren and Freddie Roach must be very confident in Khan's ability to snare a world title at this stage of his career. Kotelnik represents a new class for Khan not counting the old and cut Marco Antonio Barrera. Kotelnik owns the WBA title which will be on the line when he fights Khan in the United Kingdom. Kotelnik's management turned away a fight with Victor Ortiz to take the more lucrative fight with Khan in the UK.

Can't wait for this fight as it should be quite exciting to watch and I expect that it will go into the late rounds if not the distance. How will Khan where the extra weight? Will it slow him down or make him stronger while maintaining his speed? Will he be better able to take a punch with the extra weight? I suspect some of these questions will be answered on June 27th when the two meet in the ring.

Alexandar Povetkin and Edwin Valero Win Tonight

Tonight Edwin Valero faced his stiffest and most experienced challenger yet in Antonio Pitalua. He dismantled Pitalua with ease and demonstrated for the first time in America that he is here to stay, if not dominate. He was the aggressor in the fight and made Pitalua (another knockout artist) become the more defensive fighter. In the end, he eventually caught Pitalua with a solid right hook that floored him instantly. Pitalua got up but then went down again after a flurry of shots from Valero (although none of them connected well). Pitalua got up again and seemed to be gesturing that he was not hurt but Valero showed his intelligence and finishing strength by jumping all over him eventually forcing the referee to stop the fight. It was a dominant second round knockout and the 25th for Valero in 25 fights. There is now talk of him stepping up further to fight a Juan Manuel Marquez. I think Valero needs another serious fight with a contender before stepping in the ring with a guy who might test him beyond five rounds.

In other action, the best heavyweight not named Klitschko, Alexandar Povetkin, took a unanimous decision from Jason Estrada giving him another solid victory and maintaining his perfect record. He really needs to be the next challenger for Wladimir or Vitali. He is the best there is at the moment for any of them to fight, even though he would be an underdog in either situation. It would be interesting to see how Povetkin handles the size mismatch against any of the Klitschko brothers.

April Pound for Pound List

Here is the pound for pound list for April:

1. Manny Pacquiao

Still can't argue much with Manny being number one. Juan Manuel Marquez is making some noise but Manny is still the man. He soundly beat Oscar De La Hoya while moving up several weight divisions from only a year earlier. He has fairly recent wins over legends of the ring Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Eric Morales.

Up Next: Ricky Hatton. A win there would clear any debate on the matter of number one.

2. Bernard Hopkins

Bernard completed a recent destruction of Kelly Pavlik to go along a close split decision loss to Joe Calzaghe that many thought he won. B-Hop has fought an unbelievable number of figters that were top 10 pound for pounders when he fought them. By comparison, Joe Calzaghe had only ever done that once in his career - when he fought Bernard Hopkins. It looks like the B-Hop / Tomasz Adamek fight is off the table for now. Unfortunately, there aren't too many challengers out there for Bernard at the moment and he may lose his number 2 spot with Juan Manuel Marquez breathing down his neck if he stays inactive.

3. Juan Manuel Marquez

Two scintillating close fights with Manny Pacquiao, a solid victory over Joel Casamayor and an incredibly entertaining fight with Juan Diaz that he won via TKO. He's getting really really close to Manny and B-Hop.

4. Shane Mosley

Close fight with Miguel Cotto and destruction of Antonio Margarito makes him the top welterweight and puts him 4th on our list. He now needs to stay active and probably settle the score with Cotto otherwise he will slip on our list.

5. Paul Williams

Still underrated but clearly one of the top fighters today. His victories over Margarito, Verno Phillips and Carlos Quintana along with his versatility across weight divisions squeeze him into the top five. He can solidify his spot with a big win against Winky Wright in what should be an interesting fight.

Boxing News Tidbits

Here's some recent news tidbits in the world of boxing:

• Don King has appealed the late stoppage of Marco Antonio Barrera's fight with Amir Khan given the nature of the cut suffered by Barrera. King argued that the fight should have been stopped earlier and ruled a no contest instead of going to the cards which resulted in a loss for Barrera. Barrera felt his eyes were covered with blood impairing his ability to fight. I think Khan shouldn't rule out a rematch with Barrera regardless of the result. He will probably win a rematch and produce a more clear victory in the process.
• Rumor has it that Khan is considering fights with Edwin Valero and David Diaz. If he doesn't take on Barrera both of those guys are solid steps up for Khan.
• David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko have agreed to fight on June 20th. This should be a decent draw given Haye's popularity.
• The war of words has begun between Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao. Hatton recently called Pacquiao's win over Oscar Dela Hoya a fluke. He said Dela Hoya didn't look like himself during the fight. Pacquiao said it's easy to make excuses after the fight. Lets hope Hatton is ready when they enter the ring.
• The material in Antonio Margarito's hand wraps during his fight with Shane Mosley was finally determined to be something called plaster of Paris. This clearly isn't part of the short list of items allowed in a boxer's gloves.