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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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.

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Early Thoughts on Bradley vs Campbell, Dawson vs Johnson 2, Marquez vs Mayweather, Klitschko-Haye...

By Lee Payton

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Some very intriguing and significant fights have been made recently so I thought I'd touch on the ones that stick out to me. Here's my best guess as to how they will go down once the bell rings.

Can Campbell turn back the clock? Is Dawson all that? Does Marquez have a chance? Can Haye take down Big Brother?

Timothy Bradley vs Nate Campbell

It seems pretty clear on paper, doesn't it? Bradley has advantages in age, size and quickness. He's also a very good fighter, so he should take this thing, right? Not so fast. While "Dessert Storm" obviously has a lot going for him, the fighting grandfather has some weapons of his own. His favourite of those is a nasty right hand, which can be devastating up top or to body. He's also been around the block a time or two. The man flat out knows how to fight, and coming right to him, as I believe Bradley will, has not always turned out well for the opponent.

I think the keys to this fight for Bradley are head movement and punches in bunches. He showed that he's not exactly easy to nail clean even while pressing the fight against Kendall Holt. He keeps a tight, high guard and throws nice short punches on the inside. You need to only look at him to get a sense of his strength. Marvin Hagler would be impressed.

Can he hurt Nate? Probably not. Can Nate hurt him? He has to.

If Campbell can't put a dent in this kid, it's going to be a long night for the former Lightweight Champion.

I'm one of those guys who thinks size is a little overrated in boxing. Punchers don't lose their ability to punch because they added weight, as long as they are in or close to their prime years. They may lose something because they are hitting bigger guys, but most of the time when it seems like a fighter fell off after moving up a weight class, it has much more to do with the opponent than anything else. At this point, 140 is his weight.

Will Nate be able to get the KO he may need to win this fight? Well, he's hurt just about every fighter he has ever faced, so I see no reason to believe he can't make Bradley wince with a solid shot. That said, he's never really been a knockout artist, and if Tim has any trouble absorbing punishment it hasn't surfaced yet.

All things considered, I'm going to take Tim Bradley to walk through Hell on his way to a painful decision win. It should be a great fight.


Chad Dawson vs Glen Johnson II

When these two light heavyweights did battle in April 2008 most expected "Bad" Chad's amazing physical gifts to be too much for the 40 year old war horse. I guess no one told Glen that he was supposed to be content with collecting his final decent paycheck. He pushed young Dawson to the brink, forcing out all the inside stuff the young man never really needed up to that point in his pro career. Dawson grabbed the close decision that not everyone agreed with so they will do it again.

We might be looking at a replay of the first fight. Glen is still going to march forward. He'll still be hard-headed. And he'll still have the same arsenal that was responsible for tearing Dawson out of his comfort zone n the first fight. It's up to the man many call the future of pound-for-pound to make the kind of adjustments great champions are capable of.

That could mean stinking it out a little. Chad has the legs to move for 12, but the way he delivers his offense (bursts of punches at full speed) seems to take something away from his stamina. When he slows down that little bit in the second half, Johnson is going to give him no choice but to fight his ass off again.

I'll take Chad by another hard-fought 8-4. He'll get the win. That's about the best anyone can hope for when they fight "The Road Warrior".


Floyd Mayweather vs Juan Manuel Marquez

Call me crazy, but I am really looking forward to this fight. Forget about the difference in size. These guys don't fight in a way that depends on being the bigger man. Truthfully, even though Mayweather is called a welterweight, there would be a bigger (and more significant) size advantage if he were to fight Shane Mosley.

This fight isn't about weight, it's about two of the most skilled fighters of the last 10+ years going at it. Floyd has the edge on defense, while Marquez' accurate hands give him the offensive advantage.

We've been waiting years now for the great Juan Manuel Marquez to get old. Some will tell you the proof of his decline can be found in the amount of punches he has taken over the last 5 years. I personally think the wars have more to do with the massive step up in class he has taken during that time. When ya fight quality opponents, yer gonna get hit. This guy lives clean and is always in shape. I don't expect to see him fall off at all.

Mayweather is also a gym rat. He was sighted working out throughout his retirement from boxing, but the fact remains that he hasn't been under the lights in a very long time. There's bound to be some ring rust. As gifted as he is, I'm not sure anyone can afford to be even a little off against JMM's lethal attack. Based on all the ingredients I get the feeling that he's going to get touched up more than we've ever seen before.

I think it's a distance fight with "Money" getting a close decision. He'll probably win, but way more people will start believing in Pacquiao's chances against him.


Vitali Klitschko vs David Haye

When Haye dropped out against little brother, I was gutted for a week. Finally, Wlad was fighting someone with a chance. Unfortunately it was not to be. So now "The Hayemaker" is set to take on the bigger, tougher, older brother, who many feel is the real #1 heavyweight out there.

It is my opinion that this Klitschko is the more difficult assignment given that he can actually take a good shot to the mouth. What made the fight with Wlad so appealing was the knowledge that it could end on one punch either way. This fight appears to be a more grueling affair.

Vitali has had it easy since during his two fight comeback, having taken out hopeless Sam Peter and a chubby Juan Carlos Gomez. They could just never reach him. Those two played right into his strengths by slowly plodding forward all night while offering virtually nothing for the 6'7 Klitschko to worry about.

In his current opponent "Dr Ironfist" will be facing an physical dynamo who goes out to put on a violent show. This will be no athletic contest. It's gonna be a fight.

I believe Haye has the tools to do the job, but does he have the discipline to stick to a fight plan for as long as it takes? And how will his chin hold up? I think he's got to stay all the way outside and use his gifts to explode into punching range to have any chance. Bang that body in the clinch until the ref breaks it up. Vit will have no defense for such a tactic other than to hold or grapple. He's going to need focus more than anything in order to resist a slugfest.

It's a tough call. Haye's physical advantages stand him in good stead, but perhaps his whiskers will let him down in the end. I probably have to take Klitschko to gut it out somehow after a monumental struggle. Of course, we don't know how much he is willing to take these days either...

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The Body Snatchers

Michael Nelson takes a look at the best in the business at working the body.

"Body shot!" screamed a gleeful Nate Campbell, immediately after catching Almazbek Raiymkulov with an uppercut to the solar plexus as Raiymkulov was lunging in.

Almazbek, otherwise known as Kid Diamond, draped his arms around Campbell. After referee Brian Garry separated the two combatants, Kid Diamond turned his back on Campbell as if looking for a way out the ring. Upon being told to turn around, the normally aggressive Raiymkulov was chased around the ring for several seconds before the HBO commentators started postulating on what was wrong with him.

Unnoticed by most of the observers watching the bout, the sneaky shot to the body in the 5th round silently turned a boxing clinic into a frightening beating. Kid Diamond was knocked down twice before the bell sounded to end the 5th, and was tormented throughout the remainder of the fight before it was finally stopped on another body shot with 45 seconds left in the final round.

It's a story familiar to the game's elite body punchers. To them, body punching isn't simply an investment for the later rounds that may or may not pay dividends. A well placed body punch can instantly change a fight, if not end it outright. Despite the numerous idioms, ('kill the body, the head will follow'), body punching is an understated art form, and describes one of the more difficult styles for an opponent to overcome.

In no particular order, here is a list of fighters who have mastered the ability to knock the air out of his challenger:

Nate Campbell (pictured left against Ali Funeka) – Among the most prolific body punchers in the game, Campbell's Valentine's Day bout against Funeka was slipping away from him going into the 10th round. The momentum was securely with Funeka and Nate looked as if he had nothing left in between rounds.

But, a rededicated body attack slowed down the surging Funeka enough to land a looping right hand to the temple in the 11th and drop him. Ultimately, Campbell's rally in the championship rounds saved him the fight, and perhaps his career.

Although a hook to the liver is generally the most effective body punch a fighter can possess, Campbell's slashing right hands to the left lumbar and right uppercuts to the sternum are just as jolting as his left hooks.

(photo © Scott Foster)

Antonio Margarito – Yes, there are those who believe speculation that Margarito has been loading his gloves throughout his career should preclude him from any 'best of' list. But until further evidence comes to light on what exactly was on those wraps, and what he used in previous bouts, I'm not subscribing to such theories. As it stands, Antonio is a phenomenal body puncher.

I've never seen a Margarito fight in which he wasn't consistent in his dedication towards breaking his opponent down to the body. That's something I can't say about any other fighter on this list. Expertly using his long arms to snap left hooks around his foe's elbows, he mixes in uppercuts to the middle of the abdomen to create a varied and devastating attack.

Miguel Cotto – Cotto has the most potent left hook to the liver in boxing today, bar none. The list of opponents he has effectively taken out with a single body shot is staggering. The amount he throws, however, has diminished as the level of his competition increased within the welterweight division. His neglect of body work proved to be a vital error in his TKO loss to Antonio Margarito last summer.

Shane Mosley – The vitriolic nature of Mosley's body work when he was a lightweight cannot be overstated. His bullheaded efforts towards destroying a man's midsection were notorious in both the ring and the gym. And he was powerful enough to not only end a fight with one punch, but hurt opponents with six inch punches to the ribs while inside a clinch.

Simply put, Mosley was the best body puncher I've ever seen.

But as he moved up in weight to fight bigger men, he became more easily discouraged from attacking the body. Before his bout with Ricardo Mayorga last year, many thought he would follow the blueprint that Felix Trinidad, who hurt Mayorga every time he went to the body, laid before him. Curiously, his body attack against Ricardo was nowhere to be found.

Mosley reinstated himself as perhaps the best in boxing with his 9 round destruction of Antonio Margarito last month. Using his quickness to sting Margarito with hard counter punches to the abdomen, and his strength to muscle Margarito to the ropes and blast him downstairs, Mosley showed that with a renewed confidence in his body attack, nobody his size should be a prohibitive favorite over him.

Ricky Hatton – Hatton's style is unique. Using underrated speed of foot, he darts in between his opponent's punches to get inside. He then grapples with him, using his strength to push him into a position that leaves his liver exposed for a left hook. Jose Luis Castillo caught wind of this maneuver the hard way, receiving a liver shot that put an end to his career as a six figure pugilist. Hatton remains the only person to put the iron-willed Castillo down for the ten count.

Hatton's thudding shots beneath the rib cage should make Manny Pacquiao nervous. It will be fascinating to see how Pacquiao deals with them.

Other body punch specialists include Israel Vasquez, Juan Urango, Juan Diaz, Alfredo Angulo, Chad Dawson, and Robert Guerrero.

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Topic Of The Week: Nate Campbell at 140

With his lightweight belts gone, and no real incentive left to keep draining his body down to 135, Nate Campbell has decided to move up to the junior welterweight division. Naturally, that begs the question of how he will do against the top fighters at 140, such as Manny Pacquaio, Ricky Hatton, Timothy Bradley, etc.

Here's what The Boxing Bulletin writers have to say on Nate's 140 pound prospects...

(Potential future Campbell opponents, Kendall Holt & Ricardo Torres - pictured right © Ray Kasprowicz)

Nate Campbell has a sturdy chin and is very good defensively, so I believe he can do well at 140. Off the bat, I'd make him a favorite over most of the top 10, particularly Ricardo Torres, Kendall Holt, Junior Witter, Paulie Malignaggi, and Andriy Kotelnik (who impressed me against Maidana, but still leaves his body too open). One opponent that I don't think bodes well for him is Juan Urango. It may be a natural fight to make since both men come out of Florida, but if I was Nate's matchmaker, I wouldn't make that his introduction into the division. The way to beat Urango is to take advantage of his heavy feet, and Campbell doesn't fight well backing up. In a war inside the trenches, I feel that Juan would be too strong and too difficult to hurt for Campbell to beat decisively. If there was a man Nate should "duck", at least initially, it would be Juan. The risk/reward doesn't add up. I consider bouts against Ricky Hatton and Timothy Bradley 50/50. I would especially want to see him against Bradley, and I think that's an easy fight to make. If somehow his name got dropped into the Pacquaio sweepstakes, I would solidly favor Manny to win a decision, but not before getting roughed up. Regardless, time is not on his side. He can make his mark at 140, but he needs to dive in right away. I'll be watching with interest. - Michael Nelson

Nate's a tough old pro. And even though age looks like it might be creeping up on him he won't be an easy out for anyone. Ricky Hatton is far from invincible. A Pacquiao fight is highly unlikely, so it's not worth discussing. Timothy Bradley looks solid, but he's still green and doesn't appear to have overwhelming talent. There's a few other notables at 140, but Nate is right in the mix even if I don't see him dominating due to age and having moved up two weight classes. - John Vaci

Nate's fighting attitude, chin and power will keep him in any fight, but at his age, I'm not sure he should be fighting too many contenders or title holders, in order to make the big score. There simply isn't time. Really, he just has to hope that either Pacquiao or Hatton gives him a call when they finish their business. His chances at snagging the winner or loser of that one may be better than anyone else at 140 because of the wins he has on HBO. As far as how he matches up with the other players in the division, I think he makes interesting fights with nearly all of them. A shootout with Ricardo Torres jumps out at me, in particular, but I'd watch him scrap it out with anyone in the top 10. Realistically, Campbell has about a year to make something big happen for himself. He's going to need a little luck. -Lee Payton

Nate is a good fighter, sound defense, excellent body puncher and I don't think carrying the weight will be a problem. He is also inconsistent and I would worry about him looking for bigger purses than will be available. It really comes down to activity and matchmaking. I don't see more than two years left for him, if that. He would have an excellent chance against Judah, Malignaggi, Holt and Torres. I see trouble for him against Bradley, Hatton, Pacquiao and Ortiz. If he goes through another long layoff my guess is it's a wrap. If they can't get a big fight, he needs to just remain active on ESPN & Versus and avoid ring rust. He didn't look good to me against Funeka, but ring rust and a less than stellar camp gets him another shot before I would point to declining skills. One thing is for sure, the time is not for talking, action and activity is the only way. My educated guess is Nate will come in focused and get a big win if matched properly. But the success will be short lived and he will squander his standing as quickly as he achieves it. - Mark Lyons

Due to Nate's physical style, I'd be much more confident in his chances at 140, if he was a little younger. Plus, I think he'll be a little undersized against the elite of the division, nearly all of whom are natural junior welters. Of the current Ring Top 10, I think Hatton, Bradley and Urango would beat him. Urango's not on the same level talent wise, but as mentioned already, that's just not a good style match-up. Against the rest of the top 10, I think Nate would win more than he'd lose. I'd love to see him against any of Kotelnik, Torres, Ngoudjo or Maidana. I think all of those match-ups would be terrific fights. - Andrew Fruman

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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.

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