Live Blog: Berto vs Urango, Angulo vs Cintron

Welcome to The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage of tonight's HBO Bad double-header.

Coverage will start at 9:45 PM EST.

Up first: Alfredo Angulo (15-0) vs Kermit Cintron (30-2-1) ---- 12 rounds at 154 Main Event: Andre Berto (24-0) vs Juan Urango (21-1-1) ---- 12 rounds at 147 If you are here early, check out Michael Nelson's preview of tonight's fights: Berto vs Urango & Angulo vs Cintron Previews

Refresh this page often as updates will be frequent 9:30... 15 minutes until show time. Updates will start at 9:45. 9:47... Boxing After Dark is on the air. The venue is the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Bob Papa, Lennox Lewis and Max Kellerman will be calling the action. 9:49... Right now they are showing some highlights of Angulo from HBO's Ring Life. I assume the fighters will be making their way to the ring shortly. 9:51... Angulo didn't start fighting until he was 16. He preferred baseball as a kid. The switch in interests not surprisingly didn't please his mother. 9:56... Fight night weights according to HBO's unofficial scales -- Angulo is 159 and Cintron 169. 9:57... Cintron is making his way to the ring. 9:58... Angulo is on his way in. 9;59... According to Bob Papa and Lennox Lewis, there are rumors that Angulo was sick in the days leading up to the fight. He missed the press conference and was late getting into the event. 10:00... Jimmy Lennon Jr. with the intros. 10:01... Wearing gray trunks with red and white trim, with a record of 30-2-1 (27 KO)... Kermit Cintron. 10:02... Wearing black trunks with silver trim, with a record of 15-0 (12 KO)... Alfredo Angulo. 10:03... We are underway. 10:03... According to Bob Papa, Cintron claims to be in the best shape of his career. At 169 tonight, he's certainly bigger than he's ever been. Lennox says he likes the way Cintron is using his jab, but he'd like to see him step into it a little bit more. 10:05... "Measured approach from both." - Papa. Both using their jab. There was one exchange at the 1:30 mark, where they both threw hooks. Cintron landed a jab, and Angulo countered with a hard right hand. About 50 seconds to go in the round. 10:06... Angulo with a hard right hand that backs up Cintron. He's got Kermit retreating a little bit here as the round comes to a close. Cintron with a jab as he backs away. Round 1 is in the books. 10:06... Angulo's corner is telling him to throw the uppercut. Cintron's corner... "Stay busy with the jab, but feint him." 10:07... Harold's got it 1-0 for Cintron. I'd give it to Angulo. 10:07... Kellerman comments that boxing to Angulo is second nature, while Cintron seems to have to think for a second before he makes his move. 10:08... Cintron's doing well early in the 2nd. He also had a good start to the first. Angulo is steadily coming forward though. 10:10... Cintron is using his jab. Angulo with the guard up, follows, also flicking out his jab and trying to follow up with power shots. He lands a nice hook to the body. Angulo just landed a nice right hand over the top with about 20 seconds left. Cintron is standing his ground though, and he lands a nice hook. Angulo comes back and whacks the body as Cintron backs away. Good round. Good fight so far. 10:11... "jab, jab, straight right hand." - Angulo's corner. 10:12... Cintron is circling to his left, flicking the jab out. Angulo coming forward, misses with a hook. Cintron stops and fires off a combo, but Angulo blocks most of it. Angulo steadily keeps coming forward, but Cintron is landing the clean shots so far. 10:14... Lennox likes what he sees from Cintron. Cintron lands a nice left hook that got Angulo's attention with about 45 seconds left in the round. Cintron lands a nice right between the guard. Good stuff from Kermit here. Angulo keeps coming though. There's the bell. Very good round for Cintron. 10:14... Angulo's corner is telling him he's got to throw more punches and move his head. 10:15... Harold has it 3-0 for Kermit. 10:15... Kermit with a chopping right in close. Lennox comments that Cintron looks nice and relaxed. Kermit working the jab, moving backwards and to his left. Angulo's looking a bit slow in there. Makes you wonder if he really might be a little sick. 10:16... Angulo's hurt. Kermit catches him with a big right hand. Angulo's backing away. Kermit composed here as he goes after him. I think Angulo's got his legs though. 1:30 to go in the round. Nice combo by Cintron. 10:18... 1:00 left in round 4. Been a big round for Kermit so far. Angulo is following him around, throwing one shot at a time and eating counters. Angulo with a body shot on the belt line and is cautioned for it. Kermit with a nice right hand. Lennox wonders how many of those Angulo can take. There's the bell ending another good round for Cintron. 10:18... Cintron has a nick over his left eye just below the eyebrow. His corner tells him it's nothing and not to worry about it. 10:19... 4-0 on Harold's card. 10:20... Lennox comments that Angulo is just pawing with his left jab, which allows Cintron to counter with his right hand. Lennox says he needs to throw some double jabs on the way in. Cintron with a nice counter right, and Angulo takes it and keeps pressing. Nice jab from Cintron. Angulo with a chopping right and then missing with a right. 10:22... Angulo is moving forward all the time, but Cintron is looking very comfy. A good exchange there where they both threw power shots. Papa comments that Cintron's getting a little lazy with the jab. There's the bell. 10:23... 4-1 on Harold's card. He gave the 5th to Angulo. 10:23... The 5th was a better round for Angulo. Cintron didn't really use his jab as effectively as he had in the first few. 10:25... Angulo coming forward behind the jab. Cintron backing up, but he stops and throws a shot to the body before moving again. Kellerman again comments that Angulo didn't look good at the weigh-in. 10:25... Not too much happening other than Angulo following Cintron around, and getting tagged by counters. 10:26... Round 6 is done. Angulo really needs to do something big to turn this around. He's looking sluggish and well beaten so far. 10:27... 5-1 on Harold's card. "I love what Kermit's doing with that jab." 10:28... Full credit to Cintron for the disciplined job he's doing in there, but Angulo really does look poor. 10:30... Angulo keeps walking forward though. He lands a decent right hand with Kermit along the ropes with 1:20 left in the round. Cintron took it well though. Cintron backing up a bit and now he clinches. Angulo back on the attack. He switches southpaw as he comes forward. "He's trying everything." Lennox. He catches Cintron with a hook. Angulo showing a lot more urgency now and he's having more success. He catches Cintron with a right hand along the ropes, but Cintron roars back with a combo. There's the bell. 10:31... 6-1 on Harold's card. I think Angulo got that one though. 10:31... Kellerman says being generous Angulo may have won 3 rounds. 10:32.. Angulo pressing to start the round. He digs a hook to the body with Cintron along the ropes, and Kermit gets out of there. Not a good spot for him. Angulo pressing with the same kind of urgency he showed late in the last round, but eats a right hand as he comes forward. 10:34... 1:30 to go in round 8. Angulo with a right hand that lands. Cintron doing a good job though of standing his ground when he has to and countering effectively. Lennox comments that both fighters are a bit weary. Angulo pressing Cintron here along the ropes. The ref calls time with 11 seconds left in the round. A bit of loose tape on Angulo's glove. There's the bell. 10:35... Angulo's corner telling him he's losing the fight and needs to press. 10:35... Harold has it 6-2 now. 10:37... Angulo coming forward, Cintron circling to his left. Cintron with a combo, both were blocked though. Cintron now flicking the jab. Angulo coming forward, trying to work the body. Kellerman comments that he's now making a concerted effort to go downstairs. 10:38... 1 minute left in the 9th. Angulo with a left to the body and Cintron ties him up. Cintron flicking out the jab, now slips away to this right. Angulo not as active as he was in the previous round. There's the bell. We're done 9. 10:39... Round 10 delayed slightly due to the tape on Angulo's gloves. Harold has it 6-3. 10:40... Harold comments that Cintron's mouth is wide open and he's looking tired. 10:40... Angulo's corner told him between rounds that he needed a knockout to win. 10:41... Angulo is plugging away. Cintron throwing the jab. Both fighters are looking tired. 10:42... Lennox comments that Cintron's hands are coming down a bit. He's tired, but so is Angulo. Cintron with a little hook on the inside. Angulo fighting out of the southpaw stance again. He lands a hook to the body. Cintron flicking the jab and on the move. Angulo with a right hand over the top. He lands another decent right. Cintron backing away here. There's the bell. 10:43... This is the first time Angulo's gone past 10. 10:43... Harold now has it 6-4. 10:45... Cintron with a jab, and a right hand, and then ties Angulo up. Angulo with a long right hand over the top that lands. Cintron dances away to his left, and now to his right. Angulo comes forward and Cintron ties him up. Kellerman comments that even though Angulo's coming on a little over the last couple rounds, Cintron has remained focused and hasn't let the fight get away from him. 10:46... Cintron puts his shoulder into Angulo's chest and holds him. Angulo didn't appreciate it. Angulo pressing forward, Cintron flicking the jab out. Angulo with a right hand. Cintron backing away constantly now, but I don't know if Angulo has the energy to do anything about it. Angulo with a hook to the body. There's the bell. 10:47... "Forget the body, go for the top. This is the last round. Put everything into it." - Angulo's corner. 10:47... "This is the last round, keep your hands up." - Cintron's corner. 10:47... Now 6-5 on Harold's card. 10:48... A tired looking Alfredo Angulo going after a tired looking Kermit Cintron here. He lands a hook to the body. Cintron grabs a hold of him. Angulo pushing forward. Cintron fires a left and backs away. Angulo just misses with a right hand and Cintron holds him again. 10:49... Angulo with a couple short shots in close. 1:30 to go. Angulo with a hard right hand. That looked like it hurt a bit. Cintron backing away. He tries to hold again. Angulo tries to fight through Cintron's clinches. 10:50... 1 minute to go. Cintron is warned for holding. "1 more time and I'll take a point." Angulo trying to pour it on. Cintron is looking completely spent as he backs away. Angulo with a hard right hand. Cintron backing away, flicking out the jab and fires a right hand. Angulo comes back with his own right, and he digs the body. Gutsy stuff from both fighters here. Cintron backing away but firing still. Angulo keeps pressing. There's the bell. Really great finish. 10:52... Harold has it 115-113 for Cintron. He gave Kermit the last one. 10:53... Jimmy Lennon Jr. with the scores. All 3 judges have it 116-112 for Kermit Cintron. 10:56... Cintron is now with Max Kellerman. "This is my best performance to date in my career. We had 8 weeks in training camp... I tell you what, I give credit to my team." 10:57... "Is this redemption for the Margarito fights?" - Kellerman. "No, not at all, the past is the past." 10:58... Cintron says he feels he can still fight at 147. 11:03... Kellerman is going over the welterweight picture while we wait for the fighters. 11:05... Berto is 155 tonight, while Urango is 150. 11:06... Urango is getting ready to make his entrance. 11:08... Berto is on the way in now. There are stairs leading from the dressing rooms to the arena, and Berto's just got to the bottom of them. 11:11... Jimmy Lennon Jr. with the intros for the main event. 11:11... The ref is Tommy Kimmons. 11:13... "The challenger on my right in the blue corner, wearing black trunks with multi-colored trim... his record stands at 21-1-1 (16 KO), moving up in weight... known as Iron Twins, Juan Urango." 11:13... "Wearing white trunks with black trim, with a record of 24-0-0 (19 KO), the undefeated Andre Berto." 11:14... Final instructions have been given. We're ready to get this one underway. 11:14... Papa comments that Urango's a natural righty, but just felt more comfortable boxing as a southpaw. 11:16... Urnago moving forward, with his head going from side to side, gloves up. Berto flicking the jab out, as he circles to his left. He jumps in, lands and holds. Cautious stuff to start from both fighters. We're about half way through round 1. 11:17... A small clash of heads. That's going to be a worry with the southpaw Urango moving forward. They exchange again, and another clash of heads. Urango edging forward. Berto with a jab, and a right. Not sure either landed though. Berto flicking the jab out and they clinch. So far it's looking like the mesh of styles might not be so great. Several clinches and a couple head clashes. There's the bell. 11:18... Berto's corner telling him when he uses the jab, slide over, wait for Urango to reach in and then counter. 11:18... 1-0 Berto on Harold's card. 11:19... Berto jumps in with a right hand, and then clinches. He's looking to beat Urango to the punch and tie him up in close. That's not going to make for pleasing action. 11:20... Berto landed a right hand, and Urango caught him with a right hook, and Berto stumbled a bit, but it looked like he got his foot tangled with Urango's. Some more clinching. Berto with a counter right, and Urango with a shot on the inside in response. 1:00 to go in the round. 11:21... The ref warns Berto that when he tells them to break, to let Urango go. There's another clinch, this time Urango has his arm wrapped around Berto. Berto with a clean right hand, and they clinch again. Berto with a combo just before the bell. 11:22... Two in the books. This is kind of messy stuff so far. 11:22... They clinch immediately to start the 3rd round. 11:24... 2-0 on Harold's card. More clinching. Urango comes forward with a lunging left hand that misses. He misses another one. More clinching. Berto now circles to his right, and slips underneath a hook from Urango. Another clinch. Urango misses with a hook. 1:30 to go in round 3. 11:26... Urango misses, and they get tied up again. Urango comes in, and their feet get tangled and he goes down. It's not a knock-down and the action resumes immediately. That's the second time their legs have got tangled like that, with Berto almost going down in round 1. Messy stuff. 10 seconds left in the round. Urango lunges in with his left and Berto easily makes him miss as he backs away. There's the bell. 11:26... Urango's corner is telling him he needs to lets his hands go on the inside. Berto's corner tells him, "Only hold for a split second, so he won't call that." 11:27... Harold has it 3-0. 11:27... "Juan Urango just has to get busy and punch on the inside." - Harold 11:28... Berto catches Urango with a hook on the way in. He's landing the clean shots here, although clean shots are less common than the clinches so far. Urango lands a hard left, and Berto with a hard right hand. A real good exchange there. About time we've seen one. 11:29... Berto with a right hand. He makes Urango miss, and lands another one. Nice stuff there from Berto. The gap in hand speed is huge. 11:30... Lennox comments that he doesn't like the way Berto throws his combos and then looks to hold. Nobody does, Lennox, but it's working for him. There's the bell to end round 4. 11:31... Round 5 underway. Harold has it 4-0. Kellerman has it a shut-out as well. 11:32... Berto on the move, Urango catches up to him, and Berto grabs him. He releases and catches Urango with a left. He then lands a shot to the body and holds again. I got to say I absolutely can't stand the hit and hold tactics of Berto tonight. I'm a fan of his and usually enjoy his fights, but this isn't good to watch. The ref from the Collazo fight warned him about it early, and we got a much better fight because of it. 11:33... Berto flicking the jab, and then lands a combo. Urango tries to counter, but is a little slow to respond. Berto moving away to his left, and Urango follows, only to be held again. Berto times Urango with a nice uppercut. Lennox says Berto should be pushing Urango back in close, rather than holding. Berto with a jab, and then slips away. There's the bell. 11:34... Urango's corner telling him to use the uppercut in close. 11:35... 5-0 on Harold's card. 11:36... Berto circling away, as Urango follows. Berto tries to time Urango with an uppercut but misses. Urango misses a hook and Berto moves away to his left. Berto with a jab. Urango misses with a hook. 2:00 to go in round 6. 11:37... Urango with a decent uppercut in close. Berto with a right hand, and they clinch. Berto with a right hand, and slips Urango's counter hook. Urango following, trying to get in close, but Berto stays out of range and fires a combo. The ref tells Urango to work out of it, after Berto ties him up. A good exchange, as Urango lands a hook, and Berto lands a right. 11:39... Round 7 is underway. 6-0 on Harold's card. 11:39... Urango backs Berto into the corner and throws a couple of hooks. Berto ties him up, and gets out of trouble when they re-start. Harold says he doesn't know why Berto holds so much, but it's up to Urango to do more when Berto grabs him. 11:40... Harold also commented that Berto is almost back handing his jab. 11:41... This is not thrilling to watch. 11:42... "Urango continues to plod forward, while Berto dances around." - Bob Papa 11:43... Round 8 underway. 7-0 on Harold's card. 11:44... Urango tries to get inside and rough Berto up, but Berto ties him up. "Berto's holding and doing a very effective job of holding." Lennox. 11:45... There's really not much to say about the action. It's dull. Berto's too quick, and when Urango does get close, Berto grabs him. 11:45... "For Urango, it's basically you can't hit what you can't catch." - Papa 11:48... Berto on the move. He goes left. He goes right. Urango follows. Berto going left again. Right again. Bob Papa asks Lennox what Urango can do to make a fight of this. Lennox has no answers. In fairness, there's not much he can do. Berto's too quick, and if he can hold in close all the time, there's little Urango can do other than get a bit dirty. Perhaps getting a bit dirty is the answer though. 11:49... The crowd is starting to boo. 11:50... In between all Berto's dancing about, Urango landed a few shots. 11:50... Urango's corner tells him that when Berto holds, he needs to throw the uppercut. 11:51... Round 10 is underway. Thankfully, only 3 to go. Harold has it 9-0. 11:52... Harold said Tommy Kimmons should have taken a point away from Berto by now. That would be nice. Kellerman says that the ref might do Berto a favor by taking a point away for the holding, since it would make Berto fight more and he's the better fighter. 11:54... The 10th round of this ordeal is over. Only 2 more to go. 11:55... 10-0 on Harold's card. 11:57... Berto landing some jabs. Moving. Lands a right. Urango misses a hook. Some nice moves there from Berto. If he did more of that, and less of the hit and hold, we might have had a better spectacle. Berto with a nice combo. He can fight when he wants to. He's on the move again. Urango following. They hold. "Let him go." Tommy Kimmons. Urango lands a shot just before the bell. 11:58... "Don't change anything." - Berto's corner 11:58... Urango's corner tells him he needs a knockout. 11:59... 10-1 on Harold's card. 11:59... I'm struggling to pay attention here. I'm tempted to flip the channel and watch some basketball and hockey highlights. I'll hang in there though. 1 more round to go. 12:02... Urango pressing and trying to land something big. Not having any luck, although he's landed to the body a bit. Time is running out though. It's not going to happen for Juan tonight. There's the bell. 12:02... Lennox just said that Berto's getting better with every fight. This was not an improvement in my book. 12:03... 118-110 on Harold's card. Berto is pleased with his work. He's chatting away to the cameras. He got the job done. He won easily, but this was not a crowd pleasing performance. This was really not much fun to watch. 12:04... Jimmy Lennon Jr. with the scores. 117-111, 118-110, 118-110 for Andre Berto. 12:07... Berto tells Max Kellerman he was trying to stick to the game plan and not get into his fighting mode. 12:09... "Kermit Cintron was the story of the night." - Max Kellerman 12:10... That's it from The Boxing Bulletin for tonight. We'll be back in a couple of weeks for the next live blog event when Miguel Cotto and Josh Clottey go at it.

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HBO Bad Predictions: Andre Berto vs Juan Urango; Alfredo Angulo vs Kermit Cintron

HBO BAD has a good looking double header tomorrow night. Alfredo Angulo takes on Kermit Cintron at 154 pounds in the opener, while the main event features Andre Berto going against Juan Urango at 147.

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

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

Andre Berto vs Juan Urango

Berto is going to war with Urango, no doubt about it. Andre's speed should dominate the exchanges, but Juan will rock him a few times. Urango showed some nice body work in his last fight. I can't recall anyone really attacking Berto downstairs. I'm not going to lie, I was one of Berto's biggest detractors, but he won me over during that war against Collazo. I still don't think he is in a class with the very best in the sport and I honestly doubt he ever will be. He is one of the most exciting fighters in the world, and I expect another sizzling battle, with Andre winning an 8-4 type decision. - Mark Lyons

Urango is a 140 title holder, but he'll be right at home at 147. This is going to be some fight. I think it will go the full 12 rounds, and whoever wins the decision will have worked hard for it. Berto will use his speed to beat Urango to the punch with right hand explosions, but I do have some concern for Andre in exchanges, where I think he'll get caught and hurt. The Colombian is underrated when it comes to counter-punching skill. It's always hard to go against an undefeated fighter. You tend to think his management team knows what they're doing, but it's clear that Berto doesn't like southpaws or body punches. I'll pick the upset. Urango take's Berto's 0 by close, gutty decision. - Lee Payton

Berto vs Urango should be a good fight. I think Berto’s speed will give Urango problems early on and he’ll win the majority of the early rounds before surviving a late surge by Urango to take the fight by a comfortable points decision. - Dave Oakes

Berto/Urango is interesting, and I consider Urango a fairly live dog. His body attack will be a stern test for Berto. But that can be somewhat neutralized by clinching on the inside, which Berto had no problem doing against Collazo before the referee forced him to fight in close by taking a point away. And in previous fights, Urango hasn't worked inside of the clinch as often as he should. I think the hand and foot speed advantages Berto have will get him a competitive decision in a fight where he has to survive some rough moments. - Michael Nelson Check out Michael's preview of the fight: Berto vs Urango & Angulo vs Cintron Previews

Berto by 117-111 scores. The rounds will be competitive, but I think Berto's edge in hand speed will allow him to consistently do just a little bit more. - Andrew Fruman

Alfredo Angulo vs Kermit Cintron

I don't expect Angulo to have any trouble with Cintron. He will punish him from the jump and score a stoppage within six rounds. Lets say four. - Mark Lyons

Cinton doesn't have the stuff to hang with Angulo. He has no defense and absolutely nothing inside. He's going to get ripped to shreds. I'll be surprised if he goes 6. - Lee Payton

I think Angulo v Cintron could be a bit of a war depending on Cintron's frame of mind. Angulo is open to straight rights and I believe that Cintron could hurt Angulo early with that punch. My main worry is that Cintron gets caught and decides he doesn’t fancy getting involved after that. I think that is probably the most likely scenario and think Angulo will win via late stoppage. I wouldn’t rule out a shock Cintron win though. - Dave Oakes

I agree with Mark and Lee about Angulo/Cintron. Angulo's too big, too strong, and too much of a body puncher for Cintron. Cintron will get his licks in en route to getting taken out within 5 rounds. Should be a nice appetizer before the main dish. - Michael Nelson

It's not impossible that Angulo walks into a big right hand early in the fight, but I think once Cintron feels Angulo's power, his determination to stand in and land one of those fight changing punches will drop dramatically. Angulo by stoppage inside of 8 is my pick. - Andrew Fruman

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Berto vs Urango & Angulo vs Cintron Previews

Next Saturday, quick handed Andre Berto will be putting his undefeated mark on the line against junior welterweight strap holder Juan Urango, while up and coming junior-middleweight bruiser Alredo Angulo takes on big hitting Kermit Cintron.

Michael Nelson has the preview of the HBO double-header.

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Andre Berto's path to his WBC title was paved with scrupulous care. In 2009, starting with a fight of the year candidate against Luis Collazo in January, the paving had become rocky and the navigation system had long indicated that he was on his own.

He has reached uncharted territory; the section of a promising fighter's career where true champions emerge. He is now facing world class opposition that know his weaknesses and have the talent to exploit them.

Still, the physically gifted Berto will enter the ring May 30th as more than a 3-1 favorite over the hard-nosed Juan Urango.

It's easy to see why. Stepping up to the Welterweight division, Urango won't enjoy the same size and strength advantages he had over most of his opponents at 140 pounds. And while his sturdy punch has produced some spectacular knockouts, it hasn't resulted in stoppages over the best fighters he has faced. The most accomplished opponent in his career, Ricky Hatton, earned a lopsided decision over him. In fact, three other southpaws - Eamonn Magee, Luis Collazo, and of course Manny Pacquiao - had far better success in the ring against the British star.

But there's a devastating aspect to Urango's game that makes those odds a bit misleading. It's why Ricky Hatton felt threatened enough to invoke the punch-and-grab spirit of John Ruiz for much of the second half of their bout, and it's why Herman Ngoudjo (who was also favored over him) took several deep, pained breaths during their encounter earlier this year.

Juan Urango is a crushing body puncher. And, well, Berto isn't fond of receiving body punches.

Andre looked worn in the late rounds against Collazo, a side product of Collazo's dedicated body work throughout. He had to dig deep to gut out the last round in an effort that won him a host of converts. Moreover, while the final stretch against Cosme Rivera a year and a half earlier was kinder to Berto, he spent the closing minute of the fight with his arms at his waist, smarting from a left hook to the liver. A series of uppercuts landing solidly against Rivera's bloodied mask made sure his discomfort went unnoticed by many observers. But make no mistake, he was hurt.

Urango's a far more resolute body puncher than either of those men. You have to wonder how Berto's going to fare in rounds six, seven, and eight if Urango's still in his face slamming right hooks into his rib cage.

Juan will likely have to eat a healthy diet of uppercuts to get a taste of Berto's ribs though. Andre shoots punches from underneath quickly and violently, jolting an opponent that gets too comfortable on the inside. How Urango fares in the early rounds against those uppercuts and the significant hand and foot speed disadvantage he'll find himself with may tell the story of the fight. Barring an early KO or knockdowns, he'll have to drop rounds in the first half of the fight against his more explosive foe. Fatigue and body punishment should start to slow Berto in the middle rounds, and Urango will have his best opportunity to snatch a hold of the fight thereafter.

Regardless, Berto will no doubt have his fill of tough southpaws after May 30th.

On the undercard, rugged KO artist Alfredo Angulo - who sports a dog collar into the ring - appears to have an easier assignment. His opponent Kermit Cintron lacks the durability and the unwavering focus of a Juan Urango, having been blown out twice by Antonio Margarito (who many have deemed to be a smaller, more accomplished version of Angulo) and essentially knocked out by southpaw cutie Sergio Gabriel Martinez in his last outing. The beneficiary of a very charitable count, Cintron came away from the latter with a disputed draw.

Meanwhile, Angulo is much like Urango; slow, but strong, with staunch punching power and a tenacious body attack. His last 11 opponents have folded under the duress of his pressure within the distance.

Cintron can hang his hat on the fact that he's no slouch when it comes to punching power himself. Boasting a 90% KO ratio, Kermit had an explosive right hand as a Welterweight. Whether he carries enough of that that power to Jr. Middleweight to stop a bull like Angulo is questionable, but he'll have his opportunities to make his right hand felt.

Otherwise, you don't have to wear a dog collar to sniff out a early to mid-rounds knockout victory for Alfredo.

e-mail Michael Nelson
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Beltless Campbell Shows Championship Stuff

by Lee Payton

The main event of a seemingly jinxed triple header had former lightweight champion, Nate Campbell, facing off against a 135 lb monster by the name of Ali Funeka. As if trying to chop down the imposing challenger wasn't enough, Campbell had to deal with the emotional baggage of leaving his title belts on the scale when he came in 3 lbs over the limit.

There were other problems, too. Like not having fought for nearly a year. But Nate Campbell has never had it easy, and fighting for his boxing life, he did what he had to do in order to remain relevant as he makes the trip North to 140 lbs. While no longer the carrying a horde or title belts, he used all of his championship mettle to pull out a victory when it mattered most.

Unimpressed by the South African's size and physique, Campbell started off fast, going right after his man with thudding right hands to the body and head. Funeka showed some professionalism in keeping a cool head, while the more experienced fighter banged him around the ring for the first 3 minutes.

In the 2nd, Nate came out hard again, blocking most of the challenger's work while continuing to slam him with his heavy right. One of those shots caught Funeka on the temple and sent him wobbling backward. Thinking he had his man ready to go, Campbell worked his right like a sledgehammer to the ribs, in hopes that he could create an opening up top. He found it with a sweeping overhand bomb that flattened Funeka. To his credit, the hurt fighter kept his composure and survived the round. It was a violent welcome to the big time.

Obviously fatigued, Nate had to take his foot off the gas, and as a result, the fight tightened up. He wasn't busy enough to take the 4th or 5th, and he also lost a scrappy 6th when Funeka found his way around the guard with snappy left hooks. After 10 rounds, the fight was up for grabs, with both men weary from the action.

The proud "Galaxxy Warrior" turned it up to start the 11th round, and it was that extra gear that proved to be the difference. After coming out with a new determination, he floored Funeka with another roundhouse right to the side of the head. The game challenger somehow rose to his feet once again, and was able to finish a disastrous round.

Funeka giving every ounce of himself in the final stanza. The whipping power in his punches and the zest in his legs were long gone by his point, but he never stopped trying to win. Campbell could do little more than smother, line up the odd power shot, and just pray for the fight to end. The crowd rose in the final seconds, recognizing that neither man left anything in the tank on this night.

In the end, the former champ earned a career saving majority decision win, and the courageous contender from South Africa put forth an inspiring effort, that fight fans will not forget. So while we lost an exciting lightweight to the scale, we may not have to look very far for his replacement.

It seems like Nate Campbell still has the fire, so who will get burned next? The jr. welterweight division is packed with solid fighters, all trying to land dates with the two biggest stars in boxing, Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton. At 36 (soon to be 37), you wonder how much time he has, but he does have the important advantage of being backed by HBO, so it's not out of the question that he could land a fight with either one.

On paper, Hatton-Campbell is a nasty war, while Pacquiao-Campbell is a battle of passionate bangers. Who wouldn't want to see those?

On the undercard, Sergio Martinez and Kermit Cintron tangled to a 12 round draw. It wasn't easy to watch. Cintron seems clueless against southpaws, and Martinez probably needs the perfect style in front of him to be entertaining, so there was more posturing and missing, than pain over 36 minutes.

While the fight was a bore, it was made slightly interesting when Cintron took a knee in the 7th, after what he thought was a head butt. It turned out to be a left hand that hurt him, so the ref started to count. Cintron, complaining the whole way, started to get up at about 9 and 7/8. The referee reached 10, but I guess because of some confusion, allowed the fight to continue anyway. Martinez' busier hands probably should have won him the fight, but he keeps his title belt, so no real damage was done.

Boxing needs instant replay. It just does. Surely it's brought up among officials, but I'd like to know why it hasn't been implemented. What possible reason is there not to put it into action? It's not realistic to expect a ref to catch everything, and there is far too much at stake not to get it right. Not to mention that it leaves all kinds of room for people to assume the worst about boxing. We don't need the headache.

Alfredo Angulo started things off by dismantling late sub, Cosme Rivera, in 5 rounds. It really wasn't a fair fight, as Angulo was just way bigger and stronger. I know the fight was thrown together last minute, but what was the point in finding an out-sized opponent, who never had a chance? Is making your guy look great on TV more important than giving him a legitimate test? Let's hope that he's fighting someone his own size next time.

- Lee Payton e-mail Read more!

HBO Triple-Header Predictions

Here are some predictions from The Boxing Bulletin regarding the triple-header this Saturday night. Despite all the troubles this card has seen, it looks like all three fights will go on as planned.

Sergio Martinez is a bit one-dimensional, (he doesn't seem to have much else than a jab and a straight left hand), and he would likely get roughed up by a solid pressure fighter. I just don't think Kermit Cintron is the man to exploit Martinez' limitations. I look for Martinez to survive some rough patches and use a busy jab along with swift foot work to win a 116-112 type decision. Cosme Rivera is a normally durable fighter who, in my opinion, deserved a decision over Joel Julio. He further proved his status as a potential spoiler against prospects when he dropped and badly hurt Andre Berto in the following bout, so I'd be excited about this fight if he had a full camp geared towards Alfredo Angulo. Unfortunately, he had just five days worth of prep, and as it is, we have a career jr. welterweight/ welterweight being thrown in at the last minute against a strong, jr. middleweight knockout artist. I'm not sure of the particulars of what he was doing before he got the call to face Angulo, so he could be more prepared than I anticipate. But all signs point to Cosme being knocked out between rounds six and ten. Most of us haven't seen any footage of Ali Funeka beyond the Zahir Raheem fight. That fight alone, however, told us that Ali is a bad man. Showing considerable power in knocking down Raheem almost at will, he certainly has a chance at upsetting the lightweight champion Nate Campbell. A point of concern is that, at least on record, he has struggled every time he was involved in a fight that went 12 rounds. I expect Nate Campbell to thrash Funeka's body almost exclusively in the early rounds before moving up to the head. Funeka will keep it competitive in the first half of the bout, but I see Campbell sweeping the second half to win by scores of 117-111. -Michael Nelson

Cosme Rivera is a very tough gate keeper that usually falls a division down from where he is fighting Angulo, and we haven’t seen him step up since the Berto fight. Rivera will give Alfred some good rounds but the size, skill and power will be too much. Angulo TKO6 For my money, Sergio Martinez & Kermit Cintron is the most interesting fight on the card. I think people may be getting a bit caught up in a win over Bunema and Sergio is a new prospect, not a young one. I think the style aspect favors Cintron and I doubt the rise in weight will hurt him at all. It may help him. Expect Martinez to box well and Kermit to press the fight. It may be more tactical than people expect and I see Cintron pulling out a very close decision. Funeka can bang, but he hasn’t faced a chin like Nate’s. Look for the South African to come out early and set the pace behind his length and using his powerful right hand. It seems like Nate hasn’t had a fight in a decade, so some ring rust is to be expected. I wouldn’t be at all surprised with an upset here, but I’m guessing that lanky frame leaves too many openings for Campbell’s body attack, and as a result he stops Funeka in ten. - Mark Lyons

Nate's got to be hungry to get back in the ring. I don't expect him to be very polite to this guy, but I think he might be in trouble, here. Funeka is a very tall fighter, who looks to be educated and strong. And unlike Diaz, he's not just going to walk right to the older man all night. It should be a close fight, either way. I think I'll go with the underdog in this one. The style match here, is a terrific one. Cosme has been off since Summer, so you have to question his fitness going into this one such short notice. That will probably cause him to be stopped in about 10 rounds, but he'll land his share before he fizzles out. Angulo is very hittable. This fight is better than the one that was originally scheduled. Not really sure what's gonna happen here. Martinez should get off first all night. Cintron could catch him along the way and end things. I think that if Kerm wins, he does it while behind on the cards. I guess I'll go with Martinez by decision. He may have to get off the canvas. -Lee Payton

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HBO Triple-Header Preview

by Michael Nelson

This Saturday night from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, HBO will broadcast a very interesting triple-header, pitting 3 known commodities against dangerous opponents.

Lightweight champ, Nate Campbell takes on South African, Ali Funeka. Alfredo Angulo goes head to head with late sub, Danny Perez. And heavy handed welterweight, Kermit Cintron challenges Sergio Martinez. This fight card was patched together rather quickly, and that could make for some surprising results in the ring.

In an intriguing contrast of styles, Kermit Cintron moves up from welterweight to face jr. middleweight upstart Sergio Martinez. It may not be a fight that will produce fireworks, but we should see an intense chess match that can turn in the blink of an eye.

Martinez put forth a dazzling exhibition of foot and hand speed against journeyman, Alex Bunema in his last bout, stopping him in 8 rounds. The dominating performance may not have raised many eyebrows a year earlier when Bunema was considered fodder material for showcases. But in his two fights prior, however, he knocked out Roman Karmazin in a shocking upset, and obliterated Walter Matthysee (who, coincidentally, Cintron also obliterated). By the time he entered the ring to face Sergio, he was thought of as a solid test for the 33 year old southpaw from Argentina.

It was not to be. Martinez snapped his head back at will with a sharp right jab. He shot a straight left hand with surgical precision, placing it to the solar plexus as well as to the head with regularity. No longer an unknown, Sergio Martinez' effort made him a respected fighter at 154 lbs.

Kermit Cintron has been there before. It wasn't too long ago when his star was shining bright, using the explosive power in his right hand to go on a stunning knockout streak. He seemed to have improved under the tutelage of Manny Steward, perhaps on his way to the top spot in the hottest division in boxing.

But in 2008, he hit a ceiling made in Tijuana that abruptly stopped his ascent; the same ceiling he hit three years earlier, and the same ceiling Sergio Martinez himself hit eight years ago - Antonio Margarito. Margarito serves as the only blemish on both men's records - knocking out Cintron twice and Martinez once - as well as a gauge in understanding how this fight may go. Through Antonio, we know that neither Cintron or Martinez is particularly comfortable fighting on the inside. We know that the durability of both men may be in question, which favors Cintron, since he has the significant edge in power. And we also know that Cintron has some difficulty with adjusting in a tough situation.

Thus, whether or not Cintron can adjust to a slick southpaw with quick hands, or if Martinez can eat a flush right hand from Kermit without wavering, are questions that should make for a fascinating opening bout to Saturday's fight card.

In the evening's second bout, hard hitting Alfredo Angulo will take on rugged veteran Danny Perez. Perhaps having second thoughts about the prospect of facing the fourth knockout defeat in six fights, Ricardo Mayorga pulled out a week ago, putting Angulo's appearance on the card in jeopardy. After some shuffling, Danny Perez stepped up like the gladiator he is, in hopes of using the 26 year old opponent as a rudder to getting his career back on track.

The 14-0 Angulo is on a 10 fight KO steak, 9 of them within 5 rounds. He finally got taken into the 10th round by Andrey Tsurkan in his last bout, before Tsurkan started succumbing to his relentless body attack, which prompted the referee to rescue him with less than a minute to go in the fight. It's always promising to see a prospect look to wrap things up in memorable fashion and not be content with lopsided decisions against over-matched foes.

Danny Perez, for his part, is notoriously hard to hurt. While the men in the opening bout were stopped by Margarito, Perez went through two bouts with the Mexican star without ever being in any real trouble. Since then, Perez' career has been up and down, beating recognizable opponents in Julio Cesar Garcia, Jose Luis Zertuche, and Grady Brewer, but struggling with non-descript guys like Marcos Primera and David Lopez.

Whether Perez can be considered a serious threat to Alfredo Angulo is unknown, but he will most certainly give him rounds. It'll be interesting to see if Angulo can take him out. I do hope that Perez' corner has the insight and compassion to wave the fight off if it gets too ugly.

Finally, in the main event, Nate Campbell puts his IBF and WBO lightweight titles on the line against Ali Funeka, an astonishingly tall 135 pounder from South Africa.

In Funeka, Campbell will not only have to deal with a five inch height differential, but a man with considerable power. 25 of Funeka's 30 victories have come by the way of knockout, and if knocking out a host of obscure characters from South Africa doesn't impress you, his performance against American spoiler Zahir Raheem should have. Raheem met the canvas nearly every time he got touched by Funeka's short right hand. Controversially, he got nailed flush with it after the bell sounded to mark the end of round 4, and fell flat on his face. As a result, a seemingly confused referee halted the fight in Funeka's favor. Whether you agreed with the ref's call or not, Funeka showed a dangerous set of offensive tools: a stiff jab, accurate right hand, punishing uppercut, and keen sense of distance. He caught Raheem both as he was pulling out and leaping in.

We don't know a ton about this fighter, but I think we can make some assumptions looking at his record. He has gone 12 rounds three times in his career, and all three times he struggled: dropping a unaminous decision against Mzonke Fana, and squeeking by Gabriel Phakula and Yakubu Amidu with a split decision and a majority decision respectively. His strife in long bouts may suggest he has stamina or focus issues against opponents he can't overpower.

A tendency to fade in tough matches is not a weakness you want to have when in with the likes of Nate Campbell. Cementing his reputation as a torturous body puncher in his title winning effort against Juan Diaz last year, look for Campbell to dig malicious right hands and left hooks into Funeka's long midsection from the opening bell. If Funeka is made of anything short of stone, he will start to weaken as the bout progresses. The danger zone for Campbell is the first six rounds. If he gets too reckless, his time in the spotlight may end before it began.

Kudos to HBO for putting together what should be an entertaining night of boxing.

e-mail Michael Nelson Read more!