British Scene Weekend Recap: McCloskey & Sexton Win in Northern Ireland

Matt Chudley recaps this past weekend's British boxing action.

Friday saw mixed fortunes for two of Northern Irelands most popular fighters as Paul McCloskey claimed the European Light-Welterweight title in Magherafelt, while Martin Rogan failed to regain the Commonwealth Heavyweight title less than 40 miles away in Belfast.

First to enter the ring on the night was McCloskey, who found himself in a favourable matchup against Daniel Rasilla for the European strap after champion Souleymane M'Baye withdrew less than two weeks before.

Giving away 3 inches in height to the Spaniard, McCloskey swept the first three rounds with the greater volume and accuracy as he bobbed and weaved from side to side in his customary style to avoid the oncoming. Renowned for his sharp reflexes, the local fighter’s quicker hands allowed him to fire out a more authoritative range finder, as he managed to out-jab the taller Spaniard in the early going, while showing more pop as well.

In the 4th, a slightly discouraged Rasilla started to open up, and McCloskey responded by bringing his right hook into play, briefly stunning Rasilla at the back end of the round.

Unable to cause any serious punishment with Rasilla pressed up against the ropes on a couple of occasions in the 5th and 6th rounds, the Dungiven southpaw became more patient in his approach and looked to pick Rasilla apart as opposed to pressuring him.

McCloskey's patience was rewarded in the 9th when he caught his wide open opponent with a short counter right on the inside that put the man from Santander down. With plenty of time left in the round, McCloskey missed with a few wild uppercuts before catching Rasilla coming in again, this time with a straight left. The second knockdown prompted Rasilla's handlers to enter the ring and save him from any further punishment.

Improving to 20(10)-0, McCloskey can now look forward to bigger fights against the likes of Junior Witter, Souleymane M'Baye and Andreas Kotelnik, who all occupy the upper echelons of the European rankings.

Another possibility for the Matchroom Sport fighter is a clash with the winner of Matchroom’s December 4th edition of the prizefighter tournament which features 140lb fighters, 3 of which are already ranked by the EBU.

Over in Belfast, Martin Rogan once again found himself at a packed out Odyssey arena despite a much less stellar supporting cast than his last visit. Spurred on by his massive support, he came out more aggressively than the previous fight and tried to throw a barrage of hooks to the body of Sexton, who had seemed to have some stamina issues last time out.

With Rogan wanting to work on the inside, the 25 year old champion did his best to hamper the action in close by holding, while trying to keep the fight at longer range where he could use his snappy jab and straighter punches.

The best punch of the early going was a solid right from Sexton in the 3rd which stunned Rogan, but Sexton noticeably slowed down in the next two rounds. An overhand right in close quarters shook him in the 5th, but Rogan smothered much of his follow up attack, and the 38 year old challenger was unable to capitalise.

After composing himself in the interval, Sexton settled back into the contest with his trusty jab and began to catch Rogan with right hands as the 6th wore on. The closing moments of the round saw a despondent Rogan with his hands low and his head bowed.

After returning to his corner with a look of resignation, trainer Paul McCullough was left with little choice but to pull his fighter after a distant Rogan offered nothing back, later citing an arm injury.

With the loss, it looks like Rogan's unlikely run in the heavyweight division may have come to an end. If that’s the case, it’s still fairly remarkable what he’s been able to accomplish after turning pro at 33 years of age.

With the contest doubling as a British title eliminator, Sexton can look forward to challenging an old and shop worn Danny Williams for the Lonsdale belt next.

On the under-cards...

On the undercard in Magherafelt, British featherweight champ Martin Lindsay improved to 15-0 with an 8 round shutout of Ghanian Alfred Tetteh, while the 22 year old Barry McGuigan managed 122lb prospect Carl Frampton advanced to 3-0 with a third round stoppage win over 1-6-2 Hungarian Ignac Kassai.

In Belfast, local favourite and former WBO welterweight challenger Neil Sinclair (33-7) dispatched 38 year old Hungarian Janos Petrovics (18-29) with a vicious body attack, eventually forcing the referee’s stoppage in the 4th round.

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British Scene: Rogan vs Sexton II & McCloskey vs Rasilla Previews

Matt Chudley previews tomorrow night's Sky double-header, featuring two shows from Northern Ireland.

Sky Sports continue their impressive autumn line up with a split location live double header from two big cards in Northern Ireland this Friday.

In Belfast at the Odyssey Arena, local favourite Martin Rogan will be looking to regain the Commonwealth Heavyweight title he lost in controversial circumstances to Sam Sexton at the same venue back in May.

Meanwhile, across Lough Neagh at the Meadowbank Arena in Magherafelt, Dungiven's unbeaten southpaw Paul McCloskey headlines another big card with a challenge for the vacant European Light Welterweight title against short notice opponent Daniel Rasilla.

Sam Sexton vs Martin Rogan II

At 38 years old and having parted ways with highly regarded trainer John Breen to work out at a local amateur gym, the short but exciting career of Martin Rogan could be under serious threat. His moniker 'The Entertainer' is undoubtedly well earned with 2 domestic fight of the year candidates already in the books and another thriller is likely on the cards.

Rogan was a huge favourite heading into the previous encounter in May, and was criticised by many for taking on a soft opponent ahead of a possible European title fight. However, Sexton proved a far tougher opponent than originally given credit for, and the bout turned into a back and forth battle, that ultimately saw Rogan pulled by the ring doctor with his left eye almost completely shut, while Sexton was on the brink of being finished.

Though he may have almost completely lost the use of his left eye, Rogan had turned the fight on its head in the 8th after a tough 7th and after appearing to hold back against a defenseless Sexton for a stoppage from Dave Paris, the defeat left a bitter taste.

Sexton will no doubt look to once again capitalise on his superior boxing skills and try to pick the brawling Rogan apart from the outside. While Sexton did seem to have a good game plan and the necessary skills last time out, his lack of conditioning was almost his downfaill. This could once again be a factor, as having yet to go beyond 8, the scheduled 12 still poses questions for Sexton whereas Rogan showed during the Matt Skelton fight in February that he can stay strong into the championship rounds.

The added confidence and experience from claiming the belt last time out can only benefit the once beaten fighter from Norwich, while the 13 year age gap also looks favourable after a six month layoff for the pair.

Paul McCloskey vs Daniel Rasilla

Barry Hearn brings his unbeaten charge Paul McCloskey back to his home county of Londonderry in a fight for the European title with a strong supporting cast. The 19-0 southpaw had been set to challenge European champion Soulymane M'Baye for the strap but the Frenchman withdrew and vacated after sustaining a bicep injury in training.

While almost all of the biggest names in Irish boxing including John Duddy, Any Lee, Bernard Dunne and Rogan have suffered tough setbacks in the last 18 months, McCloskey has continued to quietly gain momentum in the 140lb division posting solid wins over the likes of Cesar Bazan and Colin Lynes.

An accomplished amatuer, having represented Ireland on numerous occasions and winning a silver medal in the EU championships, McCloskey got a late start to the pro game at 26 and reliant upon his sharp reflexes may need to be moved quickly if he’s to fulfill his potential.

Unsurprisingly there wasn’t a que of fighters atop the EBU rankings eager to take on the tricky stylist a few miles from his home on less than two weeks notice. The unenviable task fell to unheralded 15-2 Spaniard Daniel Rasilla who enters as an opportunist with nothing to lose.

A career lightweight, Rasilla has ventured to Ireland before in dropping a 12 round decision to Andy Murray for the European Union lightweight title in March on the undercard to Dunne-Cordoba. Up from his natural weight and with only 4 KOs to his name thus far, Rasilla will likely play spoiler and see if he can cash in on the erratic and often questionable mainland European judges provided by the EBU.

Also on the card in Magherafelt is British featherweight champion Martin Lindsay (14-0) who looks to stay busy over 8 against teek tough Ghanian Alfred Tetteh (10-3-2) ahead of a fight with mandatory challenger Jamie Arthur in the new year.

In action as well is Barry McGuigan prodigy Carl Frampton (2-0) who appears in his homeland for the first time as a pro. A successful amateur, having boxed internationally Frampton will be taking on 1-5-2 Hungarian Ignac Kassai as he looks to make an impression on the domestic super bantamweight scene.

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British Scene Weekend Recap: Daws Defeats Morrison To Regain Title

Dave Oakes recaps this past weekend's British light-welterweight title fight between Lenny Daws and Barry Morrison.

Photo © Justin McKie

Lenny Daws (pictured right) captured the vacant British light-welterweight title on Friday night after gaining revenge over Barry Morrison at the York Hall, Bethnal Green. Morrison, the only fighter to have defeated Daws, was stopped in the tenth round after a bruising battle eventually took its toll on the hardened Scotsman.

Daws made an uncharacteristically fast start to the fight, pushing Morrison back with stiff jabs before flailing away with hooks. Morrison responded with hooks of his own but it was the higher work rate of the Londoner that secured the first round.

The frantic pace continued in the second round, though it was Morrison who was bossing the round this time. Both fighters were happy to take a punch to land one, with Daws walking onto a beautifully timed uppercut before retaliating with a classy straight right later in the round.

The pattern of the fight had been set in the first two rounds, with the next four rounds being close, hard fought and difficult to score. Neither man was prepared to surrender ground or slow the pace down, every time one landed a solid punch, the other would land something just as impressive in return.

I had the fight scored even going into the seventh round but felt that Daws was looking the physically stronger fighter. The seventh was another close round but it seemed to me that Morrison was starting to tire late in the session.

Daws won the eighth round comfortably and was starting to push Morrison back with ease. Again, it was noticeable late in the round that Morrison was starting to wilt under Daws’ relentless pressure. At one point Morrison dropped to his knees, even though the referee didn’t issue a count, it was a clear indication as to how tired Morrison was.

Morrison tried to buy himself time in the ninth by spitting his gum shield out twice but it was to no avail as Daws kept upping the pace. Despite the fact Morrison made a valiant effort late in the round, it was Daws who clearly took the round.

The end came midway through the tenth when the tiring Morrison was caught with a three punch combination that sent him sinking to the canvas. His head looked clear but he was visibly exhausted and he elected to stay down on one knee whilst the referee counted him out.

Daws now moves to 20-1 and will be looking to have a more successful reign this time than he had the first time he held the title.

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British Scene: Lenny Daws vs Barry Morrison Preview

Dave Oakes previews tomorrow night's Sky main-event between Lenny Daws and Barry Morrison.

Photo © Justin McKie

Barry Morrison takes on old foe Lenny Daws (pictured) this Friday when the two face off in a rematch for the vacant British light-welterweight title at the York Hall, Bethnal Green.

Morrison comes in at late notice after Ajose Olusegun chose to vacate the title last week rather than face Daws. Olusegun is now due to fight Romanian Ionut Dan Ion next month in a world title eliminator. His withdrawal has opened the door for Morrison to reclaim the title he lost to Colin Lynes just over two years ago.

Morrison became champion by beating Daws in what remains the only blip on Daws’ record. Their original meeting was an enthralling slugfest that could’ve gone either way, the judges favoured Morrison by split decision but a lot of ringsiders and viewers, myself included, had Daws winning.

Daws has struggled to find his form since losing the title to Morrison and will be hoping that a victory on Friday night will kick-start his career. Morrison has also struggled since their first meeting, losing to David Barnes as well as the aforementioned defeat to Colin Lynes.

It’s also worth noting that Morrison has been fairly inactive of late, having fought only once since his defeat to Barnes in July of last year. Daws has fought three times in that period, albeit against fairly limited opposition. It remains to be seen whether or not the lack of preparation and ring sharpness will influence Morrison’s performance but it doesn’t seem to be the ideal preparation for what will be the biggest fight of his career to date.

I can see this fight being very similar to their first, both fighters will be prepared to stand toe to toe and it could come down to fitness rather than finesse. Daws and Morrison are predictable in their style; they come forward, throw punches non-stop and try to grind their opponents down, they’re never going to box and move but they do what they do extremely well.

I believe the fight will be close early on but I expect Daws’ better preparation and fitness to help him win most of the late rounds. I think Daws will reclaim the title on the scorecards in what should be another entertaining fight for the fans.

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Tavoris Cloud Brings the Thunder, Juan Urango Brings the Pain

Michael Nelson gives his thoughts on last night's FNF show.

Tavoris Cloud and Juan Urango delivered career performances against game opposition last night in a very solid Friday Night Fights doubleheader. Cloud captured his first world title at 27 years old while Urango retained his IBF strap in the gripping main event.

Cloud's opponent didn't come from the UK to lay down. The grizzled Clinton Woods fought the Tallahassee, Florida native on even terms through the early going, which included a second round that had Woods snapping off a variety of hard uppercuts and straight right hands. It looked like the beginnings of a long night for young Tavoris.

But Cloud found a groove in the middle rounds, being more selective with his punches while landing sharp counters against his taller foe. His James Toneyesque shoulder-roll-right-hand was especially effective in snapping Clinton's head back. Once he began digging in with beautiful triple left hooks - one to the head, one to the midsection, and another one up top as Woods would pull back - he started doing damage. A series of hooks left Woods in serious trouble in the ninth round.

The heart and resiliency he displayed in his trilogy against Glen Johnson though was still evident at 37 years old. Woods refused to go down as Cloud rained blows on him, and came back to hold his own during the championship rounds. Surprisingly, all three scorecards at the end read 116-112, which meant the judges in Cloud's hometown gave Woods most, if not all, of the close rounds. After last week, it was nice to be reminded that hometown bias isn't a guarantee in boxing.

What is guaranteed is action whenever Tavoris steps inside the ring. A showdown with Glen Johnson would be breathtaking. Fights with Jean Pascal or Chad Dawson wouldn't be short of thrills either. Let's just hope he's more active as a titlist than he was as a contender.

Juan Urango had his own set of problems as a belt holder in the main event, getting put on his back for the first time in his career.

The fight went as expected through five rounds. The brute southpaw stalked Randall Bailey and tore into his body while mixing in clubbing right hooks and left hands. Randall tried to maintain distance, paw with his jab, and drop in the occasional right hand.

The script was flipped in the sixth. One of those right hands deposited Urango on the canvas, and for a moment it looked as if he wasn't going to get up. Using the same recovery skills he showed when Nasser Athumani badly staggered him two years ago, he managed to beat the count and make it out of the round without further issue. But he was now sporting a nasty cut and lump under his right eye.

Juan went back to work immediately. He continued chopping Bailey down, taking his older opponent's legs piece by piece with every thudding body punch landed. In the ninth round, Bailey's legs were completely gone as a left hand took him off his feet. He struggled up at the count of nine and suffered a sustained beating until trainer John David Jackson rightly called an end to the proceedings in the 11th.

Urango's flaws are what they are; he has cement feet, and even after seven years of fighters tying him up on the inside, he still refuses to work inside a clinch. He may always struggle against a quick, durable opponent. But match him correctly, and blood and drama will not be far behind.

A dry FNF season ended with a monsoon thanks to all four combatants. Hopefully, it sets the pace for the remainder of 2009.

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Juan Urango vs Randall Bailey Preview

Lee Payton breaks down tonights FNF junior-welterweight match-up between Juan Urango and Randall Bailey.

On tonight's edition of Friday Night Fights, 140 lb brute, Juan Urango defends his title belt against KO artist, Randall Bailey in what should be a hard-hitting affair. This is a must win fight for both men. As silly as the sanctioning organizations are these days, this fight is an example of their rare usefulness. You have two hungry veterans swapping heavy leather for a title that actually means something. Even if it's not for the real title, that strap is the world to these guys right now. I think they'll fight like never before.

Urango is solid. Solid in build, chin and punch. It's been enough to get him love from those who hand out these belts, but he has not get it done in the big show. Andre Berto and Ricky Hatton did enough to keep him out of the fight for the majority of 12 rounds, but it says something about the man's quality as a fighter that those are the only two losses in 24 fights.

At his best, the Colombian rolls forward like a tank. Steadily coming behind thick armor with blasts to the opponents heart, lungs and liver. No one has managed to tear through his own defenses so far, he has basically just run out of time. Does Bailey have enough ammunition left to shock Urango?

Well, he did score a devastating knockout over another left hander in his last fight. In fact, this will be his third consecutive contest against a southpaw, so his hands and feet should be ready for the looks coming his way. He knows what he has to do in there. Can he do it for 36 minutes at 34 years old, against a guy who doesn't take backwards steps? He may have to.

Many would argue that Bailey has improved in the last few years and I think there is something to that. The loss he suffered to Ngoudjo last year could have gone either way in the eyes of many fans, and he showed that he could operate some by using his legs to stay on the outside.

I think this one has the potential to be a lot of fun. The two fighters aren't exactly there to protect their hands...

In trying to pin down a winner, I recalled Diosbelys Hurtado chopping Bailey down with nasty body shots. Urango has big time power downstairs. I'll take those loud whacks to the ribs to decide this one.

Email Lee Payton

Check out Michael Nelson's Tavaris Cloud vs Clinton Woods Preview Read more!

Juan Diaz vs Paul Malignaggi Preview

Carlos Acevedo previews Saturday night's junior-welterweight match-up between Juan Diaz (pictured) and Paul Malignaggi.

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Juan “The Baby Bull” Diaz and Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi--two fighters looking to reestablish themselves after high-profile defeats--face off Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, in a match that practically personifies the hackneyed phrase “crossroads bout.”

Check out our live blog coverage of this event: Diaz vs Malignaggi

The winner of this match stays in the big money mix and the loser faces a murky future at best. In the end, perhaps, the pressure will weigh more heavily on Malignaggi. Although Malignaggi has won an alphabet title at junior welterweight, he has yet to beat a world-class opponent, and, at 28, with recurring hand injuries and losses in his two biggest fights, it seems possible that Malignaggi views his match with Diaz as a last stand for his career.

Diaz, the former unified lightweight champion, will not have that same sense of urgency. If he loses, he will still be a marketable commodity because of his rip-snorting style. Malignaggi, on the other hand, has no such mojo going for him. If Malignaggi loses, he will be looking at the proverbial Dead End sign; a career, perhaps, of narrowing options and diminishing returns. Not even the skillful legerdemain of Lou DiBella will be able to keep Malignaggi, with all of five knockouts in his career, on HBO.

Malignaggi is a solid underdog going into the bout: 3 ½ to 1 on most books and as high as 4 to 1 on others. To his disgust--and to his surprise--Malignaggi realizes that he is being brought in to face Diaz as an opponent. Malignaggi has agreed to a catchweight of 138 ½ pounds, and he has agreed to fight on enemy turf in Houston, concessions usually made by fighters in the blue corner. He is also keenly aware that Golden Boy Promotions is virtually an HBO subsidiary. Even the selection of the judges reeks of cloak and dagger to the cynical Brooklynite. “Basically,” Malignaggi told William Detloff of The Ring, “they put me in a position where I’m showing up for a loss unless I knock out Juan Diaz, and I’m sick of this shit, man. I’m really sick of the shit that goes on in boxing. Nobody fixes it because the people in power are the commissions and the commissions are the most responsible for fucking all this shit up.”

If indeed, the cards are stacked against him before the pre-fight instructions are read, then Malignaggi will have to be at his very best to win. Unfortunately for Malignaggi, 26-2 (5), he has not looked particularly sharp since losing a punishing decision to Miguel Cotto in 2006. He boxed circles around Edner Cherry and Lovemore N’dou, but looked stale against Herman Ngoudjo, where he was wobbled by his feather-fisted opponent and walked away with unanimous decision that might have been a little less unanimous for some. He also looked vulnerable against creaky warhorse N’dou in their rematch, a fight notable for the infamous fright wig debacle that led to Malignaggi getting an impromptu hair cut in his corner between rounds. Then came the grim thumping at the hands of Ricky Hatton last November in Las Vegas where Malignaggi won only a single round on each of the three scorecards. In addition, Malignaggi has been prone to cut over the last few years and his brittle hands have failed him as recently as the N’dou rematch.

For his part, Diaz, 34-2 (17), is looking to rebound from a devastating stoppage loss to Juan Manuel Marquez last February in a riveting shootout for the lightweight championship. Diaz stormed from his corner at the opening bell in an effort to overwhelm his smaller but more skilled opponent. The two traded blows in a frenzy and for a while it appeared that Diaz, not a serious puncher, might be able to get Marquez out of there. By the middle rounds, however, Marquez was connecting with precise counters and Diaz began to decelerate. In the ninth, Diaz was dropped twice, the second time by a vicious uppercut that practically knocked him head over heels. Referee Rafael Ramos stopped the fight without a count. Marquez is one of the best fighters in the world, no question, but getting flattened by a featherweight is not good news for Diaz. Perhaps this is why Golden Boy Promotions has brought him back against an opponent, Malignaggi, with a knockout ratio of just under 18 percent. Diaz, Houston, Texas, is a relentless pressure fighter who throws left hook after left hook to the body and has a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy. Diaz has lost two of his last three bouts, though, and the question of whether he has reached his peak is a legitimate one.

So the scene is set for a fast-paced bout between an aggressive banger sans power and a skilled counterpuncher sans power. Add to this the subplot of two fighters looking to remain in the Big Time and you should have the makings of an exciting fight.

Malignaggi, Brooklyn, New York, is faster and slicker, but he seems to have lost a defensive step or two recently. He blames that on his former trainer Buddy McGirt: “Buddy and I didn't blend well,” he told Nat Gottlieb at HBO.com. “A lot of the things I'd always done well he didn't want me to do. Me being the type who always wants to listen I went along with what he was teaching me. But it got me away from being the fighter I really was.” These are harsh words for a respected trainer, but Malignaggi was just getting started. “Buddy ruined my main asset by taking away my legs,” Malignaggi continued. “I like to go in and then move out, go in and move out. I call it creating space so I can utilize my jab and hand speed. He wanted me to go toe-to-toe with Hatton, which I'm not afraid to do, but it played into Hatton's strength. What Buddy had me do helped Hatton. I was a world champion fighter when I went to Buddy, and I left as a mediocre one."

Malignaggi has since replaced McGirt with Sherif Younan, a Brooklyn-based trainer best known for the “tough love” sessions he used to put his son, amateur wunderkind Sherif Younan, Jr., through at Gleason’s Gym. He now operates out of the Coney Island Boxing Club in Brooklyn.

In order for Malignaggi to win he will have to work like a tight rope artist—without the slightest margin for error. At 5’8 ½”, he has an edge in height over the 5’ 6” Diaz, and a slight pull in reach as well. But Diaz is determined to knock Malignaggi off the wire and send him plunging into the dark netherworld of undercard fights, ESPN2 main events, and syndicated telecasts on regional cable networks.

Diaz feels that Malignaggi will not be able to handle his onslaught. “I'm going in there and do what I do which is work,” Diaz told The Houston Chronicle. “I don't care what Malignaggi's going to do. He can move and be slick, but I think the pressure is going to be the key to the victory.”

Despite his flashy ring style, his fashionista leanings, and his frailty in the ring, Malignaggi is a real fighter inside. He showed tremendous grit coming back from a poor start and an early knockdown against Miguel Cotto to make a fight of it in the late rounds, and when Buddy McGirt threw in the towel during the Hatton massacre, Malignaggi was distraught at having a TKO loss posted on his record. Like Diaz against Nate Campbell, Malignaggi has also fought on in fights with a variety of cuts and ailments.

With that in mind, it should be a tough bout for both men, neither of whom want to take a wrong turn at this point in their careers and wind up on a detour to nowhere.

For more from Carlos Acevedo, check out his blog, The Cruelest Sport on the MVN network.

Check out our preview of Robert Guerrero vs Malcolm Klassen by Michael Nelson. Read more!

A Truncated Storm in the Desert

Michael Nelson gives his thoughts on last night's Showtime junior-welterweight doubleheader.

In a controversial TKO victory due to Nate Campbell's damaged left eye, Timothy Bradley kept his WBO belt and his undefeated record. Referee David Mendoza ruled that the cut above Campbell's eye resulted from a punch, but replays clearly show that Bradley's head was the culprit.

While the fight ended far too soon to definitively say that Bradley would have went on to win, for three rounds Bradley looked like the quicker, stronger, and craftier fighter. He used a persistent jab to go along with head movement on the outside, and surprisingly, more than held his own on the inside. Shooting combinations to Nate's midsection and largely keeping his elbow tucked around his own body, he landed more shots to the rib cage than the 37 year old veteran did, even though Campbell was thought to be the better body puncher.

Most tab Timothy's conditioning and determination as his best traits. But Saturday night was further proof that his more subtle versatility, preparation, and ring IQ are just as important in making him an elite talent. Those expecting the same aggressive Bradley that showed up against Kendall Holt instead saw the busy counter puncher that Edner Cherry had to deal with. Bradley is notorious for studying tapes, and the homework paid off as he whipped right hands and left hooks around Nate's elbows on the inside, counteracting Nate's shoulder roll defense.

With that said, Campbell had enough moments to make a legitimate case that he could still win a rematch. In the third round, he landed a few vicious shots to Timothy's sternum, the type that could easily change a fight if too many of them found a home. The question remains as to how fresh Bradley would be after several rounds of the punishing blows Nate was starting to slip in between Bradley's showy combinations.

Certainly, the TKO should be changed into a no decision, and I have a feeling it will be. Bradley seems more than willing to fight a rematch - saying in the postfight interview that Campbell was too slow and heavy-footed to bother him - but Lamont Peterson is his WBO mandatory and he may be forced to fight him instead. Regardless, Nate deserves an eventual return match. Unfortunately for him, he's not getting any younger.

There's a lot of buzz among fight fans about whether Campbell should have continued to fight and how significant the cut was. Campbell's a proven warrior, so the notion that he quit because he was in over his head should be put to bed until we have more information on the nature of his injury. He took a hard headbutt directly on his eye and he didn't mention anything about blood from the cut bothering him, only that he was seeing spots. As he was walking back to the corner at the end of the third, he looked into the ring lights with each eye, checking his vision before he declared that he couldn't see. I feel we should give the man the benefit of the doubt.

Hopefully we'll get a clear resolution to this saga, ideally by rematch. Until then, Bradley was impressive enough in three rounds to confirm his place as a top 10-15 pound-for-pound talent. And while it's unlikely he'll get ahold of a Manny Pacquiao or a Floyd Mayweather anytime soon, he has enough young talent around him - Lamont Peterson, Marcos Maidana, Devon Alexander, among others - to continue to build a resume that can catapult him into mainstream recognition.

On the undercard, Junior Witter called it quits after the 8th round against Devon Alexander, later claiming he had an elbow injury that he could no longer fight with. I suspect many fans were just happy to see an end to a sloppy fight with incessant clinching and only fleeting moments of clean contact.

While Witter had occasional success counter punching, Alexander, working behind a sharp jab, was in control for the majority of the rounds. Given Witter's penchant to fade in the late rounds, a comeback was unlikely.

Was Devon spectacular? Not exactly, but he was impressive in his own way. He showed he can handle a difficult, awkward style. He showed he was responsible defensively. And he showed that he had some rocks in his gloves by hurting Witter, who had never been previously stopped, on multiple occasions.

Alexander The Great clashing with the Desert Storm down the road seems inevitable.

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A Disappointing Saturday Night

By Lee Payton

Last night was a giant disappointment on every level. Junior Witter was injured in a pretty crappy fight with the solid Devon Alexander and decided to pull the plug after the 8th round of a fight he was losing. Then Nate Campbell calls it quits after Tim Bradley's skull collided with his eye. However, the lack of action was not the most frustrating part of the evening for me. It came when I logged onto some of my favourite boxing message boards and read hordes of unreasonable and disrespectful comments hurled at Campbell.

We're talking about a former World Champion and a stand-up guy in this case, but some supposed boxing fans can't give him the benefit of the doubt after watching that replay? Give me a break!

When the hardest part of the human body crashes into another person's eye socket there is going to be damage. Nate was left with a deep vertical cut, but that's not what he was complaining about. He was complaining about "spots" in his eye, which the doctor obviously thought was pretty serious because he stopped the fight. He also checked Campbell out further and ordered that he go to the hospital immediately.

The idea that a fan watching on TV can diagnose the issue is a complete joke. That was a nasty collision, which clearly had the potential to cause serious damage to a person's eye. We're not talking about blood from the cut impairing his vision, or even swelling. We're talking about actual damage done to the eye itself, which is a serious matter. If you can't admit that much, you are biased, plain and simple.

I've heard fans say the fact that Campbell motioned to the ref and fought back in the corner proves he could have gone on.

WHAT?!

He was obviously messed up from it and was hanging in LIKE A FIGHTER when Bradley pounced on him. That's a truly moronic point of view. I'm sorry.

Bradley was winning the fight, but there is no doubt that the unintentional butt caused the most damage. Did anyone honestly think Nate was going to be just as quick on the trigger as Tim? He's the heavier handed guy who sets his feet and digs on the inside. Of course a quicker guy with a good jab and active feet is going to do good work in the early going! Nate's fight was in the middle and late rounds where his body work may have shown up.

Tim Bradley is a good fighter. I think he would have won anyway, but how can anyone say for sure after just 3 rounds? They can't.

Let's pretend that Campbell goes on with one eye, and gets beat up. Does anyone care that his eye was messed up?

How many people recall the sickening thumb that Roberto Duran dug into poor Davey Moore's eye (or Duran's lacing the blind fighter repeatedly) in the first round of their fight in 1983? I've talked to many fans about that fight and they all think it was a masterpiece. I'm the only one who brings up the fact that Moore was fighting with one eye. Look what happened him after that. Was it worth it?

Fans would have moved on like they are now with "Bradley would have won anyway".

It's not right.

That referee was totally incompetent, and it showed even before he blew the call. He disgraced himself further during the post-fight interview.

Boxing needs instant replay for exactly this type of situation. Officials in this sport have not earned the benefit of the doubt.

Sadly, I guess neither have the fighters.

Let's hope that we get a rematch. At the very least Nate Campbell deserves another shot on TV.

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Live Blog: Timothy Bradley vs Nate Campbell & Junior Witter vs Devon Alexander

Welcome to The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage of Showtime's junior-welterweight double-header featuring Timothy Bradley vs Nate Campbell and Junior Witter vs Devon Alexander.

Updates will start at 9 PM EST.

If you've been with us before for a live blog, welcome back. If this is your first time, thanks for checking us out. Feel free to participate by giving your scores and comments.

Coverage starts at 9 PM EST Junior Witter 139 (24-0) vs Devon Alexander 138.5 (33-5) - 12 rounds Timothy Bradley 139 (37-2-2) vs Nate Campbell 138.5 (18-0) - 12 rounds We will be providing round by round updates of both featured bouts. If you are here early, check out Michael Nelson's previews for tonight's fights: Junior Witter vs Devon Alexander Preview Timothy Bradley vs Nate Campbell Preview

Refresh this page often as updates will be frequent 7:30 PM EST... Coverage will start in 90 minutes. 8:53... Thanks for joining us. We are less than 10 minutes away from the start of the show. 9:01... The Showtime broadcast is on the air. 9:02... Tonight's fights are taking place at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California. 9:04... Gus Johnson is hosting tonight's broadcast and is joined by Showtime boxing analyst Al Bernstein. 9:08... Showtime just aired a pictorial tribute to the late Vernon Forrest. Jimmy Lennon is asking the crowd to rise as the timekeeper tolls 10 in honor of Vernon. Tonight's fighters will be dedicating their efforts to his memory. 9:09... R.I.P Champ. If you haven't had a chance yet, please check out The Boxing Bulletin editor Lee Payton's tribute to Vernon: How I'll Remember Vernon Forrest 9:10... Junior Witter has made his way to the ring. We're awaiting Devon Alexander's ring walk. The Don King promoted fighter - Don's following behind him - is wearing a St.Louis Cardinals cap in honor of his hometown. 9:12... Alexander is in the ring. According to the tale of the tape, he has 4 inch reach advantage, 71 to 67. He's also 13 years younger. 9:14... Here's Jimmy Lennon Jr. with the formal introductions... "Ladies and Gentleman, a very good evening to you..." 9:15... The 3rd man in the ring is Dr. Lou Moret. 9:16... Fighting out of Sheffield England, Junior "The Hitter" Witter. Junior raises his glove to acknowledge his name being announced. 9:17... Devon Alexander "The Great" has his name called. Not much of a reception for either man. A bit of applause, but otherwise the crowd appears to be a quiet one... for now. 9:18... We're underway. 9:21... Witter comes out boxing in the conventional stance. Alexander is coming from the southpaw stance. Witter of course might switch it up at any time. So far, both men are keeping a distance, flicking out jabs. The occasional power shot thrown in, without too much commitment though. Witter just went to the body, and then tried to come over the top with a big right and found himself on the canvas, as he missed badly and slipped. Witter tries to jump in with a right, and is quickly smothered. Still not too much to report, as we enter the final minute of the round. Both guys tries to exchange and ended up getting tied up. Witter has now switched to southpaw. According to Al, Alexander has been preparing with the expectation Witter will stick to that. A couple of minor bursts from both men in the last 30 seconds, but nothing of note to report. There's the bell. 9:21... In Al's keys to victory, he feels that Witter should stick to righty. 9:25... Alexander is keeping his gloves the higher of the two. Witter's holding his left very low as he looks to counter. They get tied up again. The action has been quite awkward to start. Witter just took a wild swing, and they fell into a clinch. Alexander just got a jab in. Alexander's trying to get the stick working. Witter's a very awkard guy to press against though. Now they get tied up again. Witter is in the righty stance. Alexander just landed a jab, and Witter countered with a hard left hand that landed. Probably the best punch of the fight by either fighter. Another clinch. They aren't really looking to hold, but given the styles, it's happening. Another one. Lou Moret will have his work cut out tonight. With 15 seconds left, a very nice exchange - Alexander got the best of it, with a hard right hook, that seemed to momentarily stagger Witter. 9:25... We just got shot at that right hook on the replay. A nice short shot on the inside that landed flush. 9:28... Alexander just landed a nice hard right hand again. This one just 20 seconds into the round. Witter seems okay though. Alexander is sticking the jab out. Another clinch. It must be pointed out that they are looking to fight here... but the way they are jumping in, it's impossible for these tie ups not to occur. Alexander just landed a decent left to the body. 1:30 to go in round 3. Al comments that Alexander is the more consistent of the two. He's letting his hands go more. He's snapping the jab in. Witter just tried to counter it with a big right, but just missed. 45 seconds to go. Nice right hook by Alexander. Right on the button. That backed Witter off. He looks to have taken it well though. Now Witter tries to jump in with a right, and gets smothered. 10 seconds to go. More clinching and Moret yells for a break. There's the bell. 9:29... I expect we'll get some press row scores after the 4th, and I'll relay those. I think Alexander's clearly got the edge so far. 9:32... Witter is now boxing southpaw. Both are probing with the jabs. Both firing quick hard jabs, neither man pawing with it, although both at a distance where neither is really landing it frequently. Witter with a wild left that misses. Witter with a combo to the body. We're almost at the half-way mark of the round. Witter is back to righty. Now switches to southpaw. It must be tough for Alexander to get comfortable when Junior keeps flipping the switch like that. Witter just fired off a hard left that just missed. Might have glanced off Alexander's jaw. Alexander though came back with a clean right. Gus comments on Witter's wildness. Yeah, he's definitely not your conventional fighter. Switches back and forth, fires off wild counters. Now he lands a jab. There's the bell. 9:33... Jim Gray is with Cory Spinks at ringside. Cory's pleased with his friend Alexander's performance so far. "What would you like to see him do?" "Flick the jab a little bit more. A couple more feints here and there." 9:34... We're into round 5. Press row has it 39-37 twice for Alexander and 38-38 on the other card. 9:36... Al points out that a couple of these rounds have been tricky to score due to the messy action. Witter is trying to work the jab now. He's back to southpaw. Alexander with a left hand that lands. HUGE shot from Alexander. On the button. Witter almost went down. Witter's trying to hold on. He's got Alexander tied up. That was a big left hand. Alexander is moving in, but gets tied up. He's trying to capitalize, but again gets tied up. Now he lands a jab, and Witter holds again. Witter fires off a counter left, and now jumps in and ties Alexander up again. Witter seems to have his legs back. He had a few shaky moments though. We've got 20 seconds left in the round. Witter again gets a hold of Alexander. Alexander fires an uppercut and gets tied up again. Witter is backing away and circling, and then holding. There's the bell. 9:37... Let's see that shot. It was a big straight left hand, landed while Witter was throwing a wild left. Landed flush on the button and snapped Junior's head back. 9:40... Al comments that he's got a tough time saying a nice things about a guy that wears a Cardinals hat, as he's a long suffering Cubs fan, but has to give Aleander his props. Al says, "We presume Alexander is probably ahead in this fight." Witter is backing up, looking to counter. Alexander is working the jab. Neither guy landing much of note though this round. Witter has his hands hanging low. Both men throwing out the jab at the moment. Witter backing away, circling to his left. Now he jumps in with a decent right hand. But Alexander responded with a nice right hook. Alexander also had the better of the final exchange just before the bell. That's 6 rounds in the books. 9:41... Jim Gray is interviewing Nate. Nate's wearing a shirt in tribute to the late Arturo Gatti. 9:45... Witter is in the southpaw stance. Alexander trying to attack with his jab, as Witter edges backwards slowly and then tries to fire off a hard counter. Alexander always has to be careful not getting to aggressive, but he's steadily moving forward here this round. Al comments that Witter throws a better right jab - definitely true. He looks a lot more comfortable working the jab from the southpaw stance... but Al points out that Witter's power comes from when he's fighting out of the orthodox stance. Not too much of note happening so far this round. The crowd lets the fighters know with some scattered boos. Alexander edging forward. Witter flicking out the jab. Al comments that Witter has landed his share of jabs this round and can make a case for winning it based on just that. Alexander with a decent jab. Alexnder tries to attack as the round comes to a close. I think he might have got a shot in there as Witter tried to counter. 9:45... Jim Gray is now talking with Timothy Bradley. In complete contrast to Campbell, Bradley has a broad smile across his face. He said he was just kidding around with some remarks that Nate took exception too. Bradley looks very calm and relaxed. 9:49... Witter still in the southpaw stance. He just tried to land a wild counter early here in round 8, but it missed. Press row has it 68-65 twice and 67-66 all for Devon Alexander. Lou Moret warns both guys to not wrestle as they were in the clinch there mucking it up. Moret just warned Witter for holding... "No more!" He said sternly. Al likes Moret laying down the law. Always good to see holding being cracked down on. Gus comments that Witter is refusing to fight inside. That's not his strong suit, and he's looking to grab in close. Not too much other than that to report so far this round. Alexander is the one moving forward, while Witter is circling. Alexander more steady with the jab. He's definitely the one more eager to mix it up. Witter just tried to jump in with a right hand late in the round. Gus comments that this round has been more of a wrestling match than a boxing match. Unfortunately that's the case. Messy stuff. 9:49... Alexander's corner is telling their man that's he's walking towards Witter, and then posing. "You've got to perpetually moving." 9:50... Junior Witter just walked across the ring and told Devon Alexander he's had enough. That's it. No idea why, but he's called it a night. 9:51... Alexander is ecstatic. He puts on his Cardinals hat, and has the belt draped over his shoulder and has a big big smile. 9:52... According to Al, Witter's corner was responsible for stopping it. Let's have a look at what was going on. Lou Moret came to Witter's corner and said, "You can't throw one punch and grab all night." Witter's trainer then said, "He's finished." Witter then stood up and walked across the ring as Moret waved his hands. 9:53... Jimmy Lennon with the official announcement. "Dr. Lou Moret calls the contest on advisement of the corner." 9:56... Jim Gray is with the winner... Alexander is getting a little emotional as he mentions his late father. He credits those around him for never giving up on him. 9:59... Witter has gone to his dressing room and is being attended to by the doctor. Perhaps there's a hand injury or something. The official judges had it 79-73, 79-73 and 80-72. Press row had it 78-74, 77-75 and 78-74. 10:00... Coming up next will be the main-event. I'll keep you updated on when the fighters look like they'll be making their way in. 10:04... Not much to relay at the moment. Showtime is just advertising future programming, including the 168 pound tourney. 10:06... We just saw a clip of Nate in his dressing room. He's moving from side to side. Looks serious, but relaxed. 10:11... Jim Gray is with Junior Witter. "My elbow went in round 4. I couldn't keep him off with my left hand. I battled through for a few rounds, but couldn't do it anymore... I just decided it was time to let this one go. As much as I wanted to do it, I just wasn't able to... I don't think it's my last fight. I've got to decide where I'm going though. At the minute, I just want to get away for a bit, heal up, and go from there." 10:12... Gus Johnson doesn't sound convince as he refers to Witter's issues as mental. Not sure that's fair at all. Witter faced the music, gave an interview. He looked fairly subdued. If he was hurt, he was hurt. 10:14... Nate is making his way in. 10:15... Bradley's making his entrance. He's dressed in bright yellow gear, and he's bouncing around in his corner. 10:17... According to the tale of the tape, Nate has 2 1/2 inches reach advantage. 10:18... Jimmy Lennon Jr. with the official introductions. There's a buzz in the air for this one. You can tell the atmosphere is a little more intense. 10:18... After all the smiling he's been doing, Bradley now looks very intense. 10:19... David Mendoza is our 3rd man. 10:20... Nate's looking kind of mean as well. He does does the throat slash gesture as his name is announced. 10:21... The crowd is giving Bradley a nice reception. He's bouncing up and down with a scowl. 10:21... That was one of the more intense stare downs I've seen recently. 10:22... We are ready to go. 10:25... Nate comes out, edging forward. Bradley fires out the jab. Nate marching forward, and misses a hook. Now he tries to dig to the body. Bradley keeping his gloves up. He now digs to the body with a right, and the misses wildly. Nate is the one pressing a little more here. Bradley circling. But now Bradley stands his ground and flurries downstairs. Both guys shoulder to shoulder here banging on the inside. Campbell fires of a right hand that lands. Now he tries to go downstairs, but just missed and gets tied up. Bradley flicks the jab out. Bradley probing with the jab as Nate tries to press. Nate with a jab, and Bradley just misses with a counter right. Now Nate just misses over the top. Bradley looking comfy despite Nate's pressure. He's moving well. Now he digs a right to the body. Nate tries to pressure, but Tim ties him up. Bradley firing off the jab as Nate tries to press. Bradley with a combo. Nate fires off a right hand. There's the bell on a good first round. 10:26... In Al's keys to the fight, he mentions that the uppercut will be key for Nate. For Bradley... angles, keep working the body and keep working. 10:29... Nate edging forward. Bradley's countering him though when he comes inside. Bradley just fired off a right hand. Bradley with a nice combo. Nate tries to dig to the body, and their heads collided. No damage thankfully. That's going to happen though with these guys working on the inside. Bradley circling, using his jab, and then trying to counter. Nate edging forward, and trying to bang home power shots, especially the right hand. Both men now shoulder to shoulder on the inside. Bradley witha couple of hooks. Nate threw a right, and got tagged witha counter hook. Nate pressing forward, while Bradley flicking out this jab. Nate digs to the body with a heavy right hand. Al comments that Bradley is working very effectively on the inside. Now they clinch, and Nate tries to bang the body in close. Nice little exchange on the inside. Nate trying to work the uppercut in close. Bradley flurries with a multi-punch combo. Al comments that one of the stories so far is Campbell having a hard time landing the right. He does dig a right to the body though. There's the bell. It appears to me at least so far that Nate is having to work a little harder than Bradley to get similar results. Tim just looks a little more comfortable. 10:30... Just got a replay of the clash of heads. Both were throwing, while Bradley had his head down as he was digging downstairs. Thankfully no blood. 10:33... Nate pushes forward. He's suddenly in a little trouble. May have been a head clash and that's what Nate is indicating. He's not happy, but Bradley isn't showing any mercy and just goes after Nate hard. He's flurrying with both hands as he backs Nate into the corner and unloads. Nate again looks to plead that it was a butt, but Bradley keeps working and our ref isn't interested. Bradley banging away as Nate has his back against the ropes. Bradley really lettting his hands go. Nate trying to fight back though and he works his way off the ropes to center of the ring. Bradley now working the jab. Nate leaning in now and trying to work in close, but Bradley gets space with the jab. 1:00 to go in round 3. Nate digging hard with a right to the body again, but Bradley spins away and presses Nate against the ropes. Bradley flicking the jab out, and then banging his right hand home. Bradley really working his jab to set up other shots. Nate fires back though, but Bradley is just bombing away. Bradley backs Nate up against the ropes and is unloading. Heavy shots here. Lefts and right. To the body and upstairs. Nate tries to fight back, but he's getting banged around. Nate's got some blood around his left eye as he goes to the corner. 10:34... On the replay, we see that it was a clash of heads. Bradley was working away pressing Nate along the ropes, and his head caught Nate's eye. 10:34... We might have some controversy. The fight is over. Nate's not coming out for the 4th round, and he's claiming a head-butt. Mendoza isn't interested though. He said it's a punch. 10:35... Nate's corner didn't even try and work on the cut. They just stopped the fight at the end of the round, and tried to get this called a no-contest. Nate's eye was cut, but surely work on it? Did the doctor stop it, or the corner? We need some answers here. 10:36... Let's see the replay of what took place in Campbell's corner. "I can't see. I can't see." He said he couldn't see out of his left eye at all. The doctor then called a halt to it. 10:38... There was a clash of heads. Very clear on the replay. "To me that was as obvious as it gets." - Al 10:38... "This fight should be a no-contest." - Al 10:39... It's going to go down as a win for Timothy Bradley though. Nate's not happy. 10:41... David Mendoza is sticking to his story that it was a punch. He's being shown the replay though, and he's going to have a hard time defending that. He's saying that what he saw was a punch. Really you can't blame him. It's often tough to see things in real time. The only way a correct decision can be made in cases like this is with instant replay, and for some reason boxing refuses to join the 21st century and give officials that tool. 10:42... The other obvious question is what's wrong with Nate's eye. He's got a cut, but the corner never had a chance to work on it. Nate just said he couldn't see, which brings up the question of whether or not Nate suffered an internal eye injury there. The doctor wants to get him out of there and off to get some tests. Nate is saying he's seeing "spots". 10:45... Lots of controversy. Nate's mad. Don King is mad. Tim Bradley says he doesn't care. He'll fight Nate again. "His hometown, I don't care." 10:48... Gus and Al are discussing the situation. Rematch, etc. It was good while it lasted, and I certainly wouldn't mind a rematch. Given the styles of the two men, a clash of heads will always be a big danger though. 10:49... That's it for The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage of tonight's event. Not very satisfactory, but I hope you still enjoyed our coverage.

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Bradley vs Campbell & Witter vs Alexander Predictions

Showtime has a good looking night of boxing in store for us on Saturday with with a couple of intriguing junior-welterweight match-ups.

Leading off is veteran southpaw Junior Witter taking on talented youngster Devon Alexander, followed by what promises to be a terrific main-event featuring up and coming star Timothy Bradley going up punishing body puncher Nate Campbell.

The Boxing Bulletin writers give their thoughts after the jump...

Make sure to check back in with us at 9PM EST Saturday for our live blog round by round coverage of this event.

Timothy Bradley vs Nate Campbell

Very tough fight, should be an inside battle. Nate is a harder puncher. While Timmy is physically strong he really doesn't have anything to hurt Campbell with. Bradley does have a very strong will, but I think Nate takes a razor close decision that could go either way. - Mark Lyons

Great fight. I think Nate has the edge on the inside, while Bradley has a more definitive edge on the outside. Nate's more likely to hurt Bradley than the other way around, but I don't think that'll be a determining factor. I don't see a knockout or either man being in serious trouble. Timothy's jab and footwork is a little bit better and I see him using both to win the close rounds. In the end, I think he'll come away with a close, but clear victory. - Michael Nelson Check out Michael's preview: Timothy Bradley vs Junior Witter

I really like this fight. I hope it's as good on canvas as it is on paper. Tim Bradley is in great condition and has tremendous will, but Nate Campbell is also determined as he advances in age. If Campbell carries most of his power to his first (official) junior welterweight bout, Bradley is going to have problems. Not only is Campbell more experienced, he's also a flat-out better boxer. Bradley might have an advantage in speed, and he was able to quickly recuperate from a first-round flash knockdown against Kendall Holt. Bradley was also wobbled in the final round and received a standing eight in that fight, though he won nearly every other round. Campbell is a different beast than Holt. He's just better than Holt, and he'll probably be too much for Bradley at this point of the younger boxer's career. Nate by late-round stoppage. Campbell TKO10. - Joseph R. Holzer Check out Joseph's blog: Pugilism 101

I'm looking forward to what could be a great fight. For me it comes down to just how much damage Campbell will do with his bruising power. I'll take Nate to do more damage, while Tim grabs more rounds. 7-5 sounds right. - Lee Payton

I've been looking forward to this fight ever since it was rumored to be in the works. With Campbell's penchant for bringing the heat on the inside matched up against Bradley's tenacity, there's really no way this won't be a very good fight. As Lee mentioned, Nate's a bruising fighter, but I think he's in with a man this time that can take everything he dishes out without wilting. Bradley's quite a bit younger, naturally bigger, and quicker as well, and I think were going to see Nate struggling to impose his will in close and that's the only area he's got an edge in. I like Bradley by 8-4 type scores. - Andrew Fruman

I think Bradley will win quite comfortably. I’ve never rated Campbell that highly and believe Bradley should be able to outbox him on the outside and match him on the inside. I like Bradley by a wide decision around the 117-111 mark. - Dave Oakes

Junior Witter vs Devon Alexander

I'd be lying if I said I've seen Witter since the Bradley fight, so I'm not extremely comfortable in saying Alexander by 8-4ish decision. If Junior has slipped a bit, it will be wider. - Mark Lyons

While Devon may very well outwork Witter, I'm not sold on his defense. Corley showed that he's not a difficult man to counter, and it's very easy to land clean, hard body shots underneath his guard. If Witter doesn't knock Alexander out early, he'll likely fade late as he does against his best opponents. But I think he'll win most of the first eight rounds, and I have a hunch he'll get a knockdown or two in the process. I like Junior by close decision. - Michael Nelson Check out Michael's preview: Junior Witter vs Devon Alexander

While he's untested at the world class level, Alexander's overall skills are impressive, and Witter's getting on in years. Generally in these type of match-ups, when I think it could go either way... I side with youth, so I'll take Alexander in a close one in what should be an interesting fight. - Andrew Fruman

It’s hard for me to gauge just how good Alexander is, he’s looked a classy operator in the few fights I’ve seen of him but I haven’t seen enough of him to form a solid opinion of him. Witter has been looking great in sparring but he’ll be up against it fighting away from home against a young, undefeated prospect. I’ll take an educated guess and say Alexander will sneak a split decision. - Dave Oakes

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Junior Witter vs Devon Alexander Preview

Michael Nelson previews this Saturday night's junior-welterweight showdown between Junior Witter and Devon Alexander.

Photo © Justin McKie

Junior Witter has been here before. The crafty southpaw from Sheffield, England took on an undefeated, young prospect by the name of Timothy Bradley last year. Bradley was the underdog, as Witter represented the type of leap in competition that an untested fighter usually falls short in.

Bradley defied the odds by going to Nottingham and snatching Witter's WBC belt. On Saturday, Witter looks to regain his belt - which Bradley vacated earlier this year - against another relatively untested, undefeated fighter. This time, Junior's the underdog; nearly 2 to 1.

Make sure to check back in with us on Saturday night for our live blog coverage of this event

The dominance his opponent, St. Louis native Devon Alexander, has flashed during his path to a title shot is one of the reasons why the former champ isn't the betting favorite. Alexander has scarcely lost a round in his career. And he delivered a more consistent and even performance against DeMarcus Corley than Witter did, though it can be argued that Witter fought a younger and hungrier version of Corley. Their fights against Demarcus highlighted the contrast in styles - Witter was playful, often looking bored as he waited for Corley to give him counter opportunities; Devon was completely professional, always working out of a tight guard behind a persistent jab.

Nevertheless, besides the shopworn Corley, Alexander's competition has been completely nondescript. His last fight was against journeyman Jesus Rodriguez, who was a mild step up from Christopher Fernandez and Sun-Haeng Lee, a fighter with a 9-3-1 record. It makes you wonder what exactly he did to deserve a title shot. That is, until you remember his promoter's Don King.

But earned or not, Alexander has been looking forward to his title opportunity since his teenage years spent admiring fellow St. Louisan Cory Spinks.

"We would bring Devon to the title fights, and when Cory became world champion, Devon would walk out with the belt," said Kevin Cunningham, longtime trainer for Spinks and Alexander, in an interview with STLtoday.com.

It helped keep Devon motivated for a day Cunningham knew was coming. His volume punching, combined with a sharp jab and a deep reservoir of energy, looks to be the ingredients that could give Witter fits. Witter faded noticeably in his bouts with Lovemore Ndou, Andriy Kotelnik, and Bradley; a dip in energy against Devon's steady stream of punches can lead to him getting outworked down the final stretch.

What Witter can hang his hat on is that a high workrate equals a high number of openings for a counter. The accomplished sharpshooter will have plenty of spots to display his advantages in speed and power, especially to the midsection, an area that Alexander often leaves exposed while keeping his high guard. The durability of the 22 year old prospect is a question mark that will undoubtedly be answered by the withering uppercuts and slashing right hooks Witter throws from unorthodox angles. If Devon's ability to take a shot is anything less than world class, he won't be seeing 12 rounds.

At 35 years old, Witter is getting up there in age. This may be his last opportunity to gain a stronghold in the division. The victor is a natural candidate for a fight against the winner of the card's main event between Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell.

But standing in his way is a student who understands that history tends to repeat itself. If Witter wants to avoid another crushing defeat, he'll have to use his guile and power to teach the young man a lesson. Otherwise, he risks being relegated to a stepping stone for aspiring champions.

Make sure to check back in with us on Saturday night for our live blog coverage of this event

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Timothy Bradley vs Nate Campbell Preview

Michael Nelson previews the upcoming Timothy Bradley vs Nate Campbell junior-welterweight clash.

Photo © Justin McKie

Timothy Bradley (pictured landing a booming right hand to the chin of Junior Witter) had his sights on unifying all the major titles in the Jr. Welterweight division. WBC shenanigans have since soured him, and a man well familiar with the cynical politics of the boxing game tried to warn him a year ago.

"Timothy oughta be the maddest guy in the world," Nate Campbell said in a Leave It in the Ring podcast with Bradley three weeks ago. "Me and Timothy met after he got my main event when that boy Guzman wouldn't fight me... Timothy had the same WBC belt that Manny Pacquiao had. I remember Timothy said 'well, this is the big belt, this is the one everbody's after'. I looked at you Timothy and told you right in your face 'look here man, they're all the same when it's all said and done. You're gonna find out, they're all full of doo doo'. They were gonna stick it in him eventually."

Make sure to check back in with us on Saturday night for our live blog coverage of this event

Stick it in him they did. Prior to his WBC and WBO unification bout with Kendall Holt in April, the WBC announced that the winner would have to quickly relinquish one of the belts, making Bradley's goal of unifying every title a seemingly impossible one. Timothy chose to reject the mandatory fight with Devon Alexander - a promising, but untested Don King fighter - and drop the WBC strap in search for more significant bouts and paydays.

With the ambitious schedule he's been on, it's hard to doubt the undefeated Palm Springs native when he says he only wants to fight the best opponents. In addition to Holt, Bradley has defeated Miguel Vazquez (who soundly outboxed Breidis Prescott last weekend), Junior Witter, and Edner Cherry within the last two years. Now he's facing a tenacious veteran that he admittedly looked up to, a man who held three of the Lightweight titles before struggles to make weight forced him to move up a division.

A man who believes being undefeated is overrated and prides himself in proving it.

Nate Campbell's title winning effort against Juan Diaz in March 2008 was one of the more memorable upsets in recent years. Juan was 33-0, having just mowed down fellow titlists Acelino Freitas and Julio Diaz. The 37 year old Campbell was seen as more grass to be shredded.

But young Diaz quickly found out how unrelenting that foliage was. Campbell painted the 23 year old with right hands and left hooks to the midsection until Diaz' sides were shades of red and purple. Further, rough inside work mixed with pinpoint counter punching resulted in a nasty gash over Diaz' already swollen left eye. Throughout the second half of the bout, Diaz, now with compromised vision and a battered rib cage, got thrashed by a reinvigorated fighter who had finally gotten his title shot after years of faux eliminators and empty promises. Campbell took Diaz' belts and earned his long sought-after recognition as an elite pugilist.

His time at the mountain top, however, was a frustrating one. His efforts to goad Joel Casamayor into a rematch of their closely contested 2003 bout went unanswered. Then after finally locking down a bout with Joan Guzman last September, the fight was scrapped when Guzman couldn't make weight and decided against performing because of health issues. Ironically, Campbell himself would fail to make weight in his following encounter against the freakishly tall Ali Funeka. Stripped of his belts, he went on to battle through heavy fatigue in the middle rounds to gut out a close decision, fatigue that he claims resulted from a total of nine hours in the sauna the previous day.

Campbell can't afford to spend too much time struggling to make weight before August 1st, as fatigue would likely result in a loss against the energetic Bradley. Timothy fights the championship rounds as vivaciously as he does the beginning rounds, bouncing in and out with combinations and alertly countering lazily thrown punches from a weary opponent.

Unless age is finally catching up to him though, Campbell's stamina issues with Funeka was an aberration. He showed boundless energy in breaking down Diaz. And he is known for his relentless bell-to-bell beatings, including the frightening one in 2007 that overwhelmed Ricky Quiles. Teddy Atlas was heard screaming at referee Jorge Alonso to stop the fight during a 12th round that was hard to watch.

The bludgeonings revolve around his cruel dedication towards punishing his opponent's body. Launching uppercuts into the sternum and mixing in left hooks to the sweet spot, Campbell has hurt nearly all of his opponents with body shots. Sometimes they recover. Many times they don't. Bradley's going to have to deal with a body attack he hasn't come close to dealing with before.

Bradley's no slouch when it comes to body punching himself. It was his primary mode of attack against the length of Kendall Holt. But Campbell has the decided edge on the inside; it's where he's most comfortable, and even inside of a clinch, he's constantly hitting his opponent with his free hand and bumping him with his shoulder.

Timothy will have to do his most effective work on the outside. Although some think he doesn't have much more than a high work rate, his ring IQ may be his greatest strength. You rarely, if ever, see him get handled in all three minutes of a round because he makes adjustments on the fly. That awareness, combined with head movement and a constant, pesky jab, makes him a difficult man to corral. One moment, he's on his back foot looking to slip a jab and counter with a left hook to the liver; the next, he's pushing forward with jabs to the gut, looking to land an overhand right.

Nate's an astute counter puncher that loves to shoot right hands over his opponent's stick. But he's right hand happy from the outside, rarely throwing a lead left hook or a hook off a jab. The slippery Bradley is one of the best in the game at rolling away and underneath rights. He's far more susceptible to getting touched with his opponent's left hand - either being clipped with a left hook or knocked back by a stiff jab. Holt, a significantly bigger man than Nate, flashed a heavy, well-timed jab and a sharp counter hook that gave Bradley fits. While Campbell has a busy up-jab and a solid left hook thrown on the inside, Bradley won't have to worry about Nate's left hand as much.

What he will have to worry about is Nate matching his work rate, something that Holt didn't come close to doing. How Bradley will react to a skilled fighter who isn't easily discouraged is yet to be seen. Although the Desert Storm has been 12 rounds three times before, Nate can take the young man to unfamiliar waters and attempt to drown him if he sustains a punishing body attack, even if he loses rounds in the process.

It promises to be explosive, no matter who comes out on top. Both men have been jaded by high-jinks born from sanctioning bodies attempting to squeeze every last drop out of the cash cows while discarding those on the peripheral of stardom. The only option for the ignored is to continue to face the best possible fighters until they can no longer be denied. Ultimately, when hungry fighters seek recognition and respect, boxing fans are well fed. The collision course on August 1st was naturally set.

Somebody's getting wrecked. Hopefully the impact resonates beyond just the hardcore fanbase.

e-mail Michael Nelson Read more!

Amir Khan vs Andriy Kotelnik Predictions

Making his first start at 140lbs, Amir Khan headlines tomorrow night's Sky Box Office show at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester against veteran junior-welterweight Andriy Kotelnik. Can Khan build on the performance he gave last time out against Marco Antonio Barrera, or is the German based Urkanian fighter too big of a test for the youngster's questionable durability?

The Boxing Bulletin writer's give their thoughts after the jump...

Check back with us at 4PM EST (9 PM GMT) Saturday for our live blog coverage of this event.

Khan's talented, until he proves he can take a punch though, I'm picking him to be stopped by any good fighter around his size. No, Kotelnik's not a banger. But his punches are short and accurate, which I feel will be more than enough to hurt and ultimately stop Amir. If one needs to be reminded how easily Khan can be hurt, they can just review the Prescott fight and see how he got rocked by the first jab that landed. The same Prescott that couldn't hurt Humberto Toledo. Kotelnik by knockout. - Michael Nelson

I agree with Michael, Amir doesn't have the defense or the mentality to stink it out and Kotelnek has a granite chin. I think Khan will have a lot of success in the first two rds and then get ground down. Kotelnek by late stoppage. -Mark Lyons

I'm taking Khan to move a lot and land a little on his way to a boring UD. I don't think he'll let Kotelnik get close enough to land much. - Lee Payton

I think Khan will be too quick for Kotelnik to cope with. Freddie Roach's gameplan will be for Khan to be in and out of range before Kotelnik has a chance to catch him with anything substantial. Kotelnik is a good all-rounder but I can see him struggling to get into this fight early on, his best chance may come in the latter stages of the fight depending on how Khan's stamina holds up in his first major fight. I'm picking Khan by UD with all three cards around the 118-110 mark. - Dave Oakes Check out Dave's preview: Khan vs Kotelnik

It's a tough fight to call. Khan's overall skills are clearly superior, and he's got the hand and foot speed to beat Kotelnik to the punch while getting out of harm's way quickly. But Kotelnik throws straight accurate shots and unless Khan fights the perfect fight, you have to feel he's going to get hit clean a bit... and what happens when he does? If I was a gambler, I think I'd sit this one out. - Andrew Fruman

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Amir Khan vs Andriy Kotelnik Preview

Dave Oakes previews next Saturday's big Sky Box Office show from Manchester featuring Amir Khan and Andriy Kotelnik.

Amir Khan takes a step-up in weight and class on 18 July when he faces WBA light-welterweight champion Andreas Kotelnik in what is sure to be an intriguing match up at the M.E.N Arena, Manchester.

Khan is coming off a career best victory against a faded Marco Antonio Barrera and is brimming with confidence, whilst this will be Kotelnik’s first fight since winning on a split decision against Marcos Maidana in February.

The Maidana victory is looking far more impressive since Maidana went on to stop the much touted Victor Ortiz in the sixth round of an up and down tear up last month. Kotelnik had his hands full against Maidana and had to show courage, strength and stamina as well as his usual technical prowess and solid chin to get him through the fight.

Make sure to check out The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage of this event.

Kotelnik is a clever boxer who always takes the first few rounds of a fight to watch his opponent and work out a game plan to beat him. He’s very methodical in the way he goes about the job, he never throws desperate punches, always keeps his chin tucked in and is very astute when it comes to identifying and exploiting his opponents’ weaknesses. He doesn’t do anything exceptionally; he just keeps plugging away and adjusting to what his opponent does, he’s very much a textbook boxer.

Despite the fact that this will be Khan’s first fight at light-welterweight, I don’t think the added weight will have a negative effect on him. He’s tall enough to carry the extra weight well and looked much bigger than Kotelnik at the recent press conference for the fight.

A lot of people are wrongly viewing Kotelnik as a step down from Khan’s last fight against Barrera. Barrera may be a bigger name than Kotelnik but he’s well past his best and was much smaller than Khan. In other words, it was the perfect fight for Khan to look good in. That’s not to take anything away from Khan, who did a thorough job against him and looked much better defensively than he had done previously.

The move to Freddie Roach’s Wildcard Gym might be the best decision Khan has ever made. In the two fights under Roach’s tutelage, Khan has looked a much more rounded boxer; he now seems content to wait for his opportunity to attack rather than trying to force the knockout from the opening bell. There has also been a vast improvement in his footwork and defence; he’s stopped bouncing around as much as he used to and keeps his hands higher and tighter around his chin than before.

His chin remains the major worry for Khan. He still claims that his chin is solid but he’s been dropped and hurt that many times in a short career that it’s become obvious that he doesn’t take a punch well at all. The feather fisted Willie Limond, had him down and staggering around like a drunk, career super-feather Michael Gomez dropped him heavily and Breidis Prescott had him down and then out inside a round in Khan’s only defeat in the paid ranks.

The Prescott defeat may be a blessing in disguise for Khan, he seemed to think he was invincible before that fight and it must have been a real shock to him that he was blown away so easily by someone who was relatively unknown until then. That defeat brought about the change in trainer as well as a change in attitude for Khan. Out went the easy distractions and celebrity lifestyle in his hometown of Bolton; in came hard work, hard sparring and anonymity in Roach’s well run gym. Khan seems to be thriving in these new conditions and will be much better equipped to challenge for a world title now than he was twelve months ago.

Kotelnik might not be a big puncher, with only thirteen of his thirty-one victories coming inside the distance, but he’s very accurate and is capable of hurting Khan if he lands clean combinations like he did against Gavin Rees when winning the title in March of last year.

Kotelnik had an easy night against Rees, as the much smaller man struggled to penetrate Kotelnik’s defence and found himself getting caught more and more as the fight wore on. Rees’ face was bloody and swollen when he was stopped in the 12th round.

The victory over Rees was Kotelnik’s second attempt at the world title after a draw against Soulemayne M’Baye in his first effort. He’s also got a loss against M’Baye and a loss against former world champion Junior Witter in what are the only two defeats on his otherwise impressive record.

There’s a feeling in Kotelnik’s camp that their man will be too experienced and will break Khan down in the later rounds. It’s a point well worth making that Khan has only gone the championship distance on one occasion, a one-sided drubbing of Gairy St Clair, where as Kotelnik has gone the distance on nine occasions. Khan looked comfortable in doing twelve rounds against St Clair but there was very little for him to worry about in a fight that was barely more than a sparring session.

I believe Khan has the stamina be able to box the full twelve rounds but his concentration level has got to be spot on if he wants to avoid another defeat. Controlled aggression is what Roach will be looking for, if Khan can box to instructions and not get carried away by the atmosphere and occasion, he should be able to out-speed and outwork Kotelnik to take a points decision around the 117-111 mark.

A busy undercard sees Enzo Maccarinelli in a make or break fight against the undefeated Denis Lebedev. It will surely be the end of Maccarinelli’s career if he suffers another defeat after being knocked clean out in two of his past three fights.

Kell Brook, the hottest prospect in Britain, defends his British welterweight title for a third time against the light punching but always competitive Michael Lomax. Brook should get some much needed rounds under his belt before stopping Lomax in the mid to late rounds.

Matthew ‘El Torito’ Hall makes the first defence of his Commonwealth light-middleweight title against the big mouth from the south, Anthony Small. The slick, switch-hitting Small will be an awkward opponent for the short and aggressive Hall. That said, I believe Hall will knock Small out if he can get on the inside and land his trademark hooks.

The undercard also sees the further development of the Olympic stars of Beijing, with Frankie Gavin, James De Gale and Billy Joe Saunders all participating in four rounders.

e-mail Dave Oakes
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Maidana Forces Himself Into Forefront With Scintillating Upset

Micheal Nelson gives his thoughts on Marcos Rene Maidana's stirring come from behind upset win over Victor Ortiz.

Marcos Rene Maidana wore a discouraged look on his face, having just suffered his third knockdown within two rounds. His young opponent threw quicker, shorter punches to go along with jolting power Maidana had not yet encountered in his career.

He continued to fight on, looking to land the same right hand that deposited Victor Ortiz on the canvas in the opening round. But the speed and technique deficit became increasingly apparent in rounds three and four and the momentum was firmly in Ortiz' corner.

Still, the hard-hitting Argentinian confidently came forward. He had been here before, having engaged in a gut check four months earlier in Germany against WBA titlist Andriy Kotelnik. It went into the books as a split decision loss, but most who viewed the fight had a healthy respect for the grit Maidana displayed in the championship rounds as he tore into Kotelnik in hopes of taking the verdict out of the hands of the judges.

The 22 year old Victor Ortiz, while looking phenomenal in making short work of most of his victims, had never gone through anything close to that in a professional prize fight.

So perhaps it shouldn't have been a shock when Ortiz came away from a violent exchange in the middle of round 5 a changed man. While Maidana was becoming more comfortable with the young man's power, Ortiz was beginning to unravel. He had a gash over his eye from one of Maidana's slashing right hands. He got hammered with two more big right hands as the round ended and walked back to his corner on unsteady legs.

When his trainer threatened to stop the fight, Victor was silent. His fighting spirit had been broken by his aggressive opponent. He came out for the sixth, but Maidana ended the proceedings quickly as Ortiz crumpled under an onslaught of right hands. In conjunction with the fight doctor, he decided he had enough.

Having now been in two of the top ten fights of 2009, Maidana's future is promising. He makes for an excellent bout with any of the best that 140 has to offer. The winner of the July 18th matchup between Andriy Kotelnik and Amir Khan could be a natural fight to make... given that a Kotelnik win sets up an appealing rematch. I have my doubts that Khan's trainer Freddie Roach is ready to throw the explosive, but iffy-whiskered Brit into the lion's den.

A fight with fellow South American bangers Juan Urango or Ricardo Torres would be a treat as well. The jr. welterweight division has developed into a vibrant mix of young personalities within the last year, and with his scintillating victory over a highly touted knockout artist in a headlining HBO bout, Maidana has pushed himself out of obscurity and near the forefront.

Meanwhile, the way Victor Ortiz ended the fight and the subsequent comments made in his interview with Max Kellerman ("I'm young but I don't think I deserve to be getting beat up like this") can't be encouraging to fans hoping for an ascent to stardom for the Golden Boy Promotions (and by default, HBO) prodigy. But he's young and talented enough to bounce back. There's a good chance that the loss can make him a better, tougher fighter.

His time may still come. For now, Maidana has the spotlight. There's little doubt that he'll use it to make boxing a little brighter.

e-mail Michael Nelson Read more!