My Thoughts On Last Night's BAD Card

By Lee Payton

I wish I could say that last night's Boxing After Dark, which featured Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi in a 12 round fight, was a hit. Many fans, myself included, had very low expectations for the 3 fights on tap, and while the ring action did surprise a little bit, 2 scorecards delivered by veteran judges Gale Van Hoy and David Sutherland ruined the evening for me.

I'll get the bitching and moaning out of the way quickly...

In my opinion, those gentlemen should be required to go back to school. Van Hoy scored the main event an inexcusable 10-2 for Diaz, and Sutherland scored a 10-0 shutout for Daniel Jacobs. Utter nonsense. I'm not going to sit here and say that both men are corrupt, but I will say that they are completely untrustworthy and therefore, essentially useless. This kind of thing happens far too often in boxing. It seems like there's at least one totally whacky card every week, doesn't it? That should not be happening.

Now for what went down in the ring...

First of all, I have to give props to Paulie Malignaggi for proving me wrong. He handled himseld like a real pro to give Diaz all he could handle. I was very impressed with his punch output, conditioning and discipline in particular. He came into the ring with a realistic plan and was physically prepared to make it happen for 12 rounds.

The brash New Yorker used his superior quickness to get off first with nice jabs and 1-2-3's that he sort of flicked out there. Turning to his left all night after doing his thing was an effective tactic that held Diaz' hands back for the most part. I find the fact that he threw about 200 more punches in the end to be astounding. Who saw that coming?

I don't think this was necessarily bad Juan Diaz, just that quick movers make his own lack of foot speed stand out. When he could get Paulie to sit still for a second he did some of the solid work to the body we're used to, but he just couldn't pin his man down with much consistency.

Another problem I saw from the get go was how left hand happy he was in this fight. It's true that his left is dominant, but when you have a guy moving to your right all night long... throw it!

There has been some passionate discussion over the somewhat wide verdict that went Diaz' way. From what I have read, most fans seem to think he got a hometown gift. I didn't score it on paper, but I didn't really have a problem with the winner. I could see it 7-5 either way. A draw would have been a fair call.

However, I think it's safe to say that there was no way Malignaggi was getting a decision in Houston, based on the official cards. That's wrong.

This is why I don't put a whole lot into decisions when assessing a fighter's career. Wins and losses are ink on paper. The fights tell the real story.

As of right now, perhaps Diaz walks away having lost a little bit more than the man he officially beat.


Quickly...

Guerrero's wind was impressive. The man obviously worked his ass of in training and it showed. He's got a brand new world title because of his commitment to the sport. Congratulations to "The Ghost".

Malcolm Klassen can fight. I think he'd be more fun against a guy who will stand a trade more.

Ishe Smith is easier on the eyes now that he's a seasoned vet. Coming right at a guy like Jacobs took guts. If he had just a little more pop...

I love listening to Eddie Mustapha Muhammad work a corner.

Even though things didn't exactly go the way Daniel Jacobs planned, I came away impressed. He's in damn good shape and seems to have a fighters brain. Looked very natural in there.

Email Lee Payton

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Guerrero Beats Klassen to Win Belt

By Lee Payton

Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero threw 100 punches a round on his way to a 12 round unanimous decision win over Malcolm Klassen. While he only landed about 1 in 5 all night long, the constant activity kept the former title holder's hands busy on defense most of the time.

Check out our live round by round blog coverage of the show, including the Jacobs/Smith and Malignaggi/Diaz bouts.

It was the best performance of Guerrero's career. He took advantage of his overall edge in quickness by getting off first with the most all night long. Once he was finished letting loose with a speedy combination, he turned to his right, making Klassen pick up his feet and start all over again.

It looked like things might get dicey in the middle rounds as the South African came on strong, but Guerrero was able to take back control late. His energy level was extremely impressive tonight. The time he spent in Big Bear obviously did him a lot of good. He owes his new belt to the thin air up there. Read more!

Live Round by Round Blog: Juan Diaz vs Paul Malignaggi, Robert Guerrero vs Malcolm Klassen, Daniel Jacobs vs Ishe Smith

Welcome to The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage of tonight's HBO Boxing After Dark triple-header. The show starts at 9:45 EST and we'll be providing round by round updates of all 3 bouts on the card.

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

Tonight's line-up:

Juan Diaz 34-2 (137.7) vs Paul Malignaggi 26-2 (138.2) - scheduled for 12

Robert Guerrero 24-1-1 (130) vs Malcolm Klassen 24-4-2 (129.5) - scheduled for 12

Daniel Jacobs 17-0 (159.7) vs Ishe Smith (159) 21-3 - scheduled for 10

If you are here early, check out our previews for tonight's fights: News & Notes: Roy Jones Reps Captain Hook, Nonito Donaire Reps Pinoy Power, and Chris Arreola Reps Free Willy --- by Carlos Acevedo Robert Guerrero vs Malcolm Klassen --- by Michael Nelson We've also got a two-part preview of the new British boxing season: British Scene Season Preview Part One; Simpson vs Truscott, O'Donnell vs Glover, Davis vs Napa, Fury vs McDermott & Olusegun vs Daws --- by Dave Oakes British Scene Season Preview Part Two: Macklin vs Asikainen, Thaxton vs Murray, Sexton vs Rogan & Booth vs Hunter --- by Dave Oakes

Refresh this page often as updates will be frequent 7:15 PM... Check back in with us in 2 1/2 hours for the start of the show. 9:15... 30 minutes until we are underway. 9:47... HBO's on the air. First up will be Daniel Jacobs vs Ishe Smith. 9:48... Bob Papa is the host. He'll be joined by Max Kellerman and Lennox Lewis. 9:50... Jacobs and Smith are in the ring. Looks like we'll be getting underway very soon. Jacobs has re-hydrated to 175. Ishe's at 166. 9:51... Michael Buffer with the formal introductions. 9:53... Laurence Cole is the third man in the ring. Buffer tells us this is in the middleweight division. It was yesterday. Today we've got a light-heavy vs a super-middle. I know, that's the way it is with just about everyone these days. 9:57... We're underway. Jacobs firing off some jabs into Ishe's guard. Smith has the mitts up, now he edges forward while Jacobs flicks out the jab and circles to his left. Jacobs now fires off a 1-2. Jacobs jabbing, and moving, while Ishe following, but not letting his hands go just yet. Ishe now fires off a hook that is short. He misses with another hook. 1:30 to go. Jacobs firing off a couple jabs, and then pops home an uppercut. He then slides away and Ishe follows. Ishe misses with a hook. Jacobs moving to his left. Lennox comments that Ishe hasn't done anything except follow Jacobs around the ring. Now Ishe tries to bang the body with Jacobs along the ropes. Ishe digs to the body with Jacobs along the ropes and Cole warns him to keep his shots up. The action moves to the center of the ring with both men flicking out jabs from a distance. There's the bell. 10:01... Harold has it 1-0 for Jacobs. No surprise there, as that was an easy round to score. Jacobs won it with his jab. Ishe now edges forward as Jacobs backs into the ropes, and fires off a 1-2, but doesn't connect. He's going to have some chances if Jacobs back straight up like that. Ishe landed a decent left hook. Kellerman comments that's the first real punch he's landed tonight. Ishe edging forward, and fires a 1-2 and Jacobs ties him up. Ishe just misses with a right hand. Action is in the middle of the ring. Ishe bangs the body with a right/left. Jacobs with a jab. Ishe fires off a solid hook. Ishe now planting his feet and ripping shots. He got another hook home. Jacobs took it well though. Jacobs jabbing the body, and now it's Jacobs coming forward and Smith backing into the ropes. ACtion moves back to the center of the ring. Jacobs now digs a left hook to the body. Jacobs flicking out his jab. Ishe now edging forward, with Jacobs circling again. Interesting round. Ishe had some good moments and has established himself in the fight after a slow opener. 10:01... Ishe's corner - "You got to go to work. Let your hands go!" 10:05... Harold has it 1-1 now. Ishe coming forward, Jacobs moving to his left. Jacobs with a flurry and then slips away. Ishe now comes forward and digs with a couple hooks and they exchange power shots in the corner. Jacobs quickly slips away. There's a nice exchange in the middle of the ring with both guys throwing power shots and landing. Jacobs not sticking around though, he's quickly on the move. Lennox comments that Jacobs should be holding his ground a little more, that he doesn't need to be walking back so much. He's moving to his left, and trying to work the jab and counter. Ishe's edging forward, trying to bang hooks home. Now Jacobs turns Ishe around and lands a couple decent shots upstairs. Jacobs again gets on the move and Ishe follows. Ishe gets Jacobs on the ropes and bangs home a left hook. Jacobs took it well though and slips away. Jacobs has been the busier man, but Ishe is throwing the punches with bad intentions. He's just not throwing enough of them. BIG exchange at the bell. Cole jumps in there, as there was some action a little late. 10:05... In Ishe's corner, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad really is letting his fighter have it, telling him to get busy. 10:08... Harold is giving his score 2-1 for Jacobs. Meanwhile some good action going on with both guys letting their hands go. Ishe landed a nice little left hook, and then came home and banged the body, before Jacobs responded. Ishe with a nice hook again. Lennox likes what he's seeing from Jacobs standing his ground, although he's the one getting tagged. Jacobs with a nice right hand to the body. Jacobs is now the one moving forward, firing his jab, and then working off it with an uppercut. Ishe fires back though with his hook. Lennox comments that Ishe's hook is more of a slapping hook and not all that effective. Jacobs sticks home a couple jabs. 1:00 to go in the round. Jacobs now edging forward. He flurries with Ishe on the ropes, but I don't think too much got home. Ishe with a right hand. A good exchange in the middle of the round, with both men landing shots. Jacobs might have got the better of that one. Jacobs fires off a right hand that just misses. 10 seconds left in the round. Ishe now coming forward and Jacobs jabbing and moving to close the round. 10:10... I just corrected our listing at the top of the page that had this as a 12 rounder. It's scheduled for 10. 10:12... Ishe comes out in the 5th putting the pressure on. Jacobs back into the ropes, which is where Lennox points out he shouldn't be. Ishe didn't get too much done though on the ropes before Jacobs slipped away. Jacobs with a left. Jacobs now fires off a combo. Ishe responds by coming forward and Jacobs slips away to his right. Bob Papa mentions that Ishe has a cut around his eye. He's following Jacobs around again, with Jacobs flicking off jabs and moving to his left. A solid exchange in the middle of the right, with Jacobs looking like he got the better of it. Jacobs now the man moving forward. He throws a 3 punch combo, although all looked like they were caught on the gloves. Jacobs working the jab again. That's been the big difference in the fight. The busy jab of Jacobs. Ishe lands a big combo, and Jacobs is buzzed. That happened with around 15 seconds left in the round. Jacobs quickly started moving, and got to the bell at which point there were several late shots thrown. 10:13... It was a big right hand that hurt Jacobs. 10:13... At the end of the round, Jacobs had thrown a shot a little bit late, prompting Smith to retaliated with several late shots. Cole warned him in the corner that he'd take a point if that happened again. He warns both fighters to keep it clean to start the round. 10:18... Ishe comes out moving forward. Jacobs using the jab, and then throws a right that is short, before he moves. Now Jacobs fires off a combo. Ishe with a jab. Some bad luck (or good luck from the perspective of Jacobs) that Ishe landed that hard right so late in the round. Ishe looking to land the big right again, but just misses. Jacobs jabbing and moving. Jacobs throwing double and triple jabs here. 1:30 to go in the round. Ishe now catches Jacobs along the ropes and lands a hard left hand. Lennox again comments that Jacobs shouldn't be hanging out on the ropes. Jacobs outworking Ishe this round for the most part with the jab, but Ishe comes forward and throws a flurry with Jacobs' back to the ropes. Big exchange with about 10 seconds to go in the round. I think Ishe may have got the better of it, with a solid hook. 10:21... Harold has it 4-2 for Jacobs. Cole is giving Ishe a warning for going low. Cole tells him that the last time he'll warn before taking a point. Kellerman comments that Ishe has succeeded in turning this fight into a bit of a sloppy brawl that Jacobs wasn't looking for. Ishe edges forward and Jacobs with a flurry into the gloves. Jacobs keeping the jab busy so Ishe can't really get set and try and rip. Ishe coming forward, Jacobs now slips to his right. Ishe with a couple jabs. ACtion in the center of the ring. Jacobs with a couple of jabs. Jacobs now moves forward and backs Ishe into the ropes and fires off a combo. Ishe trying to slip and look to counter, but Jacobs having much of the best of it. Jacobs letting his hands go here with combos. Now he backs off, and Ishe follows Jacobs to the other side of the ring. Ishe misses with a right. Jacobs flicks out a couple jabs. Jacobs with a few more jabs. 10:25... Harold has it 5-2 now. Ishe moving forward, Jacobs dancing to his left and now he backs into a corner, but slips out to his left and then moves to the other corner. Lennox comments how some fighters like to fight with their back to the ropes. Ishe coming forward, but getting outworked. Jacobs with a jab and a right, and then gets on the move again before Ishe can respond. Jacobs with a right hand and then slips away. Ishe pushes forward though, trying to jab his way in. Jacobs backing into the ropes. Ishe fires a hook that misses and then misses with a right and Jacobs ties him up. Ishe with a hook. Jacobs fires back. Ishe with a solid left hand. Jacobs flicks out the jabs and moves. Ishe pressing forward, and ripping his left. He's the smaller man tonight, but he's fighting like the bigger one. Ishe in pursuit, with Jacobs stopping and flurrying. 10:26... Jacobs' corner is telling him to say off the ropes. 10:29... 6-2 on Harold's card. These rounds are competitive though. Jacobs doing a little more, but he's not having an easy night and it's not really looking that much like a 6-2 fight. Ishe moving forward, but Jacobs letting his hands go, backing Ishe off. Ishe though fires off a combo that landed. Jacobs with a jab/right. Jacobs again on the move. Ishe trying to dig hard with a hook as Jacobs backs into the corner. Jacob with a little flurry. Kellerman comments that Ishe is trying to catch Jacobs in between punches with a big left hook. Jacobs with a nice flurry. Jacobs now digs downstairs. Jacobs planting his feet and bit and ripping shots. Now he gets back on the move and Ishe resumes his pursuit. Ishe landed a decent left hand with about 30 seconds left in the round. Jacobs responded though with his own right hand and pushes Ishe into the ropes. Kellerman comments that Jacobs might have been stunned a bit by the shot Ishe landed. As the round ended, Ishe fires off a shot... and he's going to lose a point for it. 10:30... You know what - that wasn't a great call. It looked like Ishe was in the middle of throwing a shot right at the bell. He's done worse tonight then that, but perhaps that was the final straw. 10:33... Harold has Jacobs up 7-2. Ishe comes forward hard to start the round, trying to dig home hooks. Jacobs on the move, jabs, flurries and movement from Jacobs. Jacobs with a hook downstairs. Jacobs now with a flurry downstairs before he slips away again. Ishe presses forward and tries to land a right, but no luck. Ishe is short with another right. Jacobs with the jab. Jacobs backs into the corner again and Ishe tries to unload but smothers himself. Jacobs flicking off jabs and moving. He's also mixing in the occasional right hand. 1:00 to go. Ishe now backs Jacobs onto the ropes and tries to dig home some hooks to the body. He fires upstairs, but can't catch Jacobs clean. Jacobs now gets out of there and the actions moves back to the middle of the ring. Now Jacobs letting his hands go. Firing off 1-2s. Ishe tries to bang home a right, but can't connect. Ishe fights hard until the final bell, but can't land anything of note. There's the bell. 10:35... Just waiting for the decision now. 10:36... 96-93, 96-93 and 100-89 for Daniel Jacobs. 10:37... Ishe gave a very game effort. Outweighed by 9 pounds, he took the fight to Jacobs all night. Maybe could have left his hands go a little more, but Jacobs was making it tough with a steady jab and a lot of movement. 10:38... Up next is Robert Guerrero vs Malcolm Klassen. 10:40... Right now, HBO is airing a tribute to Alexis Arguello, Arturo Gatti and Vernon Forrest. 10:45... This tribute is breaking me up a little. Hopefully someone will upload it to youtube later for those that aren't getting a chance to watch right now. 10:51... Michael Buffer asks the crowd for a moment of silence for the memorial 10 count to say farewell to the 3 fighters. 10:53... Guerrero is 144 tonight, while Klassen is at 142. 10:56... Klassen just popped through the ropes. Guerrero is already in the ring. Looks like we're almost ready to start. 10:57... The ref is John Shorle. 10:58... Michael Buffer with the intros. 10:58... Guerrero got a bit of applause. None for Klassen. They must be saving it for the Baby Bull. 11:02... We're underway. Guerrero fighting out of the southpaw stance. Both men firing jabs from long range. Klassen tries to fire a right to the body but is short. Guerrero working the jab. Both men just let their hands go, but neither landed. Kellerman comments on Guerrero's nice snappy jab. Klassen edges forward and fires a right hand. Guerrero responds by digging the body. Guerrero with a solid 1-2. Guerrero with a nice combo. Klassen has the guard up, and takes it all, but a couple shots definitely got through. Now Klassen comes forward, but misses with a right. Guerrero with a jab, and a right hand. 1:00 to go. Klassen with a jab. Action in the middle of the ring. NOw Guerrero edges forward, and fires off a 1-2. Klassen coming forward, but not really letting his hands go, while Guerrero firing off 1-2, and working the hook. Klassen now with a sright right. Klassen trying to turn it up as the round comes to a close, but it's a good one for Guerrero. 11:06... Guerrero edging forward behind the jab. Klassen with his gloves up. Now Klassen tries to flurry, but is short. Guerero presses forward, looking sharp, he bangs home a 1-2. Guerrero with a hook that is blocked. Klassen looking very cautious so far. Gloves up, and not really letting his hands go. Now he comes forward, and fires off his right hand. Guerrero responds with hiw own right. Klassen pressing a little now. He sticks the jab and fires a right. Guerrero responds with a flurry though, and they clinch. 1:20 to go. Guerrero with a 1-2 into the guard. Klassen witha big right hand. That landed flush, and he tried to jump on Guerrero, but Guerrero fires back. He took the show well and responded immediately. Klassen edging forward, but Guerrero sticking home the jab. Lennox comments that the fighters are stepping on each other's front foot. 11:06... We just a replay of the right hand Klassen landed. Bob Papa points out that Guerrero just got his glove up to cushion the blow a little. 11:09... Harold has it 2-0 for Guerrero. Guerrero coming forward behind the jab. Klassen responds with a right hand. Guerrero with a left, and Klassen responds with his own right. Guerrero witha flurry. Glassen gloves up trying to block and respond. Guerrero slips away though before Klassen can. Now Klassen comes forward and Guerrero slips away to the right, and then fires off a right hand. Now they clinch. 1:30 to go. Klassen bangs a right hand to the body. Guerrero is doing a nice job of turning out of trouble. He's throwing his jab, and his left, and then pivoting. Klassen is pushing forward, but having a hard time getting Guerrero where he wants him. Guerrero meanwhile picking his spots nicely. Using his jab well. We just had a clash of heads, and Klassen then landed a right. Now they clinch. Lennox comments that Klassen is getting a little anxious and jumping in with his shots. 11:13... Guerrero comes forward behind the jab to the start the round. 3-0 on Harold's card. Klassen trying to land his right hand, but Guerrero is managing to avoid it. Guerrero with a 1-2 into the guard, and Klassen comes back with a right. Now Klassen tries to flurry, and follows up with a right as Guerrero backs away. Klassen with a right to the body, and Guerrero responds with a left ot the body. Klassen looks a bit bothered by the body shot, and Guerrero tries to take advantage of it. Now Klassen looks to be okay again. Guerrero just ate a counter right, but no damage. Klassen pushing forward, just missing with a right. Now Guerrero with a 1-2. Klassen is having a tricky time getting into position to nail that right hand home. Guerrero flurries, and Klassen tries to dig to the body. Klassen with a right hand upstairs. Guerero with a 1-2. Klassen pushes forward and fires just after the bell with a combo. 11:18... Lennox comments on how nicely Guerrero is mixing it up tonight. He's 4-0 up on Harold's card. He starts the round working the jab. Now he fires a straight left. Klassen edging forward, but Guerrero turning away from that right hand. Klassen momentarily switched to southpaw, but he's back to conventional. Klassen with a jab. Guerrero lands a nice uppercut though. Guerrero staying the busier of the two fighters, even when Klassen is moving forward. Klassen tries to rip a couple hooks downstairs. Now he catches Guerrero with a couple rights, but Guerrero was moving away from both shots. 1:00 to go. Klassen having his best round and his best moments of the fight. He's pushing forward. Guerrero with a 1-2 and turns away. Guerrero digs to the body. Klassen edging forward, and and bangs the body. Klassen fires a right as Guerrero dances away. Klassen slips a left, and tries to land a right that misses. Lennox says that Guerrero needs to maintain his focus as he looked like he was falling apart a little that round. I wouldn't go that far, but it was certainly the South African's round. 11:22... Klassen has a rep of tiring late. Perhaps tonight he decided to take it easy early and conserve his energy. It's 4-1 now on Harold's card. Guerrero sticking the jab. Klassen firing a right. Guerrero with a 1-2 into the guard. Klassen edging forward, but misses a right. Klassen with a combo that's blocked. Guerrero with a left in the guard. Guerrero again moving nicely and avoiding getting tagged with the right. Klasen digs to the body though, and then lands a decent right hand over the top. Guerrero flurries into the gloves as Klassen puts his head down and tries to work forward. Klassen digs a shot to the body. Guerrero short with a left. Now Klassen backing up for a moment, but then goes on the attack again. Guerrero letting his hands go, keeping Klassen off him. But Klassen fires back with a flurry. Guerrero with a shot that knocks Klassen's mouth piece out. After 10 seconds or so, there's a break and the mouth piece is going back in. 10 seconds left in the round. Guerrero very busy that round, and flurries at the bell. Klassen's left eye is said to be bothering him. 11:23... Guerrero's corner, "He's getting frustrated, keeping turning him, keep jabbing." The shot that knocked Klassen's mouth guard out was an uppercut. 11:26... 5-1 on Harold's card. Klassen coming forward, but Guerrero sticking the jab in there to keep him from getting set. Harold comments on what a good job Guerrero's doing keeping Klassen on the end of the jab and moving. Guerrero with a 1-2 upstairs. Klassen fires off a right hand. Klassen again with a right hand. Now Klassen presses Guerrero up against the ropes, and fires off with a flurry. Guerrero gets out of trouble though. There's a convo going on with the crew about Guerrero using his elbow on the inside. Harold commented that it was illegal, but Max doesn't mind since he's using it to make space to punch. Guerrero staying busy. He's not really planting his feet, but he's putting punches together. Now Klassen digs downstairs hard with a body combo. Another nice shot downstairs from Klassen. Guerrero was just cut on the left eye from a butt. Max thinks Klassen's using his head intentionally the way he's jumping in. There's the bell. 11:27... It looks like a bad cut, but it's on the outside of the eye so it shouldn't bother Guerrero's vision or put the fight in jeopardy of being stopped. 11:31... 5-2 now on Harold's card. Kellerman again comments that Klassen jumps in dangerously with his head. I don't know if I agree that he's intentionally trying to use his head, but rather get himself within range of the longer armed Guerrero. "The use of his head would make Evander proud." - Max. One of Klassen's kids is named Evander, but they are talking about Holyfield. "My good buddy" Lennox says. Klassen just landed a decent right hand, and Guerrero ties him up. The blood is dripping down the side of Guerrero's face. Guerrero with a 1-2 in the gloves. The action is a little slower this round. Klassen trying to dig with downstairs with some heavy body shots. Guerrero not letting his hands go the way he has in previous rounds. Klassen though hasn't stepped it up too much, and you would think he has a real chance to now. Klassen with a right hand that partially gets through. The bell rings with Klassen the aggressor, but not really doing a whole lot of damage. 11:34... 6-2 on Harold's card. Guerrero comes out using the jab. Klassen fires off a right, but doesn't catch Guerrero clean with it. Now he lands a decent right with Guerrero's back to the ropes. Klassen trying to flurry here as Guerrero moves to his right and then gets a clinch. Guerrero trying to dig to the body. Klassen responds with a right hand. Both men now leaning forwared almost shoulder to shoulder on the inside. Klassen with a nice combo and presses Guerrero against the ropes. Klassen letting his hands go, with Guerrero on the ropes. Guerrero dipping and ducking, but some shots got through. Now Guerrero moves out of trouble, and Klassen a little arm weary backs into the ropes on the other side of the ring. Guerrero puts his head down and pushing forward with a hold of Klassen's arm. Klassen now coming forward and digs with a right hand downstairs. Guerrero looking a little ragged here. Klassen trying to flurry, and Guerrero fires back. There's the bell, and they touch gloves out of respect. 11:36... There's a delay to start the 10th as the ring is wet. Our ref grabs a towel to wipe down the logo in the center of the ring. 11:39... Klassen comes forward and fires a right hand. Guerrero with a 1-2 upstairs while backing away. 6-3 on Harold's card. Klassen edging inside, and Guerrero ties him up and slips away. Klassen with a right hand that is partially blocked. Now Klassenw itha flurry, and Guerrero responds with his own flurry. Klassen trying to step up the intensity a little now and fires off another flurry in close. Guerrero though staying busy, as he flurries and backs off before grabbing a hold of Klassen. Now Klassen presses forward and digs a right hand to the body. Guerrero is looking a little tired here. Not much steam on his shots and he's backing up. Klassen trying to press, and lands a right, and then gets tied up again. Klassen forces Guerrero into the ropes, but Guerrero slipping and ducking and then moves. Klassen now is the busier fighter. Klassen digs hard to the body, and Guerrero respons with a hard left that backs Klassen up. There's the bell. 11:40... In the corner, Guerrero says he thinks he hurt Klassen with the left. It definitely backed Klassen up, which is something we haven't seen tonight. 11:41... Guerrero has thrown 1000 punches through 10. 11:44... Harold has it 7-3. Klassen pushes forward to start the round. Klassen lands a decent left hook, but Guerrero fires back. Guerrero is in retreat, but jabbing and throwing 1-2s. Klassen meanwhile is moving forward trying to get in close and loading up. Lennox comments that Klassen is getting a bit frustrated. Klassen throws a left right combo, but doesn't connect. Guerrero with a flurry into the gloves and moves. Klassen fires to the body. Klasen trying to slip the jab and launches a hook that misses. Guerrero with an uppercut. Lennox comments that Guerrero's still doing a great job turning Klassen. Guerrero with a flurry and Klassen throws a counter right, but is a little late with it. Guerrrero now pushes forward and flurries with Klassen along the ropes. Lennox comments that Klassen has really slowed down. He's not having a good round. Getting outworked. There's the bell. 11:48... They touch gloves for the final round. 8-3 on Harold's card. Klassen comes out hard and manages to bull Guerrero into the ropes. Guerrero throwing back though. Guerrero now forces a clinch, and now walks Klassen back into the ropes. Klassen trying to fire the right hand, but he's just missing with it. 2:00 to go. Guerrero ont he move here, and holding when Klassen gets close. Klassen trying to let his hands go, but he's not really landing much of note, and then Guerrero flurries back. 1:30 to go. "We've seen guys running, this isn't exactly running, it's smart." Papa on Guerrero. Klassen now slips to the canvas. He's up, no knockdown there. 1:00 to go. Klassen suddenly looking a little tired. Guerrero flurries and Klassen now presses forward, but gets tagged. Klassen with his head down trying to work, but he's a very tired fighter. Both men look tired. Klassen trying to put some shots together, but it's Guerrero who's letting his hands go as he moves backwards. 10 seconds to go. Guerrero is going to win this one. There's the bell. A very happy Robert Guerrero jumps on the ropes in the corner with his hands up. 11:49... That was a really good performance from Guerrero. Klassen fought hard until the final bell, but he was just outboxed. 11:50... Harold has it 117-111. 11:50... The official cards are 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112 for Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero. 11:56... Floyd/Marquez preview on right now. I'll post an update when we have a sighting of Diaz and Malignaggi. 11:57... Diaz is 145 tonight and Malignaggi is 149. 11:59... Malignaggi is about to make his entrance. 12:02... Diaz is heading in. Crowd is making noise (about time). 12:05... Michael Buffer with the intros. 12:06... Max just mentioned before the intros started about some of what Malignaggi is up against including the small ring. The same problem faced Robert Guerrero, but he did a very good job of keeping Malcolm Klassen from getting inside. Of course, Diaz has quicker feet than Klassen, so Paulie's definitely got a much bigger challenge keeping the busy Diaz at a comfortable range. 12:07... Our ref is Laurence Cole. 12:08... We're ready to go. 12:11... Paulie shooting the stick out there, as Diaz moves forward. Paulie is moving to his left as he jabs. "he looks lightning fast right now." Max on Paulie. Diaz trying to bob and weave his way in under the jabs. Now Paulie ties him up. Diaz trying to jab as he comes forward. He's getting a couple home. Paulie tries to respond with a right. Diaz with the guard up high, pushing forward. He fires a combo in the gloves. Paulie backing up, circling, now stops and throws a 1-2. Paulie has the left hand hanging low. He throws a combo into the gloves. Diaz trying to jab his way in. Paulie's doing a very nice job though. Diaz with a nice jab. Paulie flicking out jabs and moving. Diaz just countered one of Paulie's jabs with a right hand that landed, but not with full force. Paulie jabbing and turning, and then ties Diaz up. Paulie on the move again. 12:12... Paule has a little cut over his left eye that was opened up by a punch. 12:12... Juan's corner telling him to keep punching when Paulie holds him. 12:15... 1-0 to Malignaggi on Harold's card. Diaz pressing forward, but Paulie keeping his hands busy. Flurrying and then moving. But Diaz with a nice combo, and lands a flush left hand. Action now in the center of the ring. Diaz having some good moments, but Paulie sticks his chin out at Juan to let him know he's not getting to him. Paulie still working with the jab. He's backing up, circling to his left. Now he flurries. Diaz flurries back. Diaz with a little hook on the inside. Action in the middle of the ring now. Diaz with another hook. Diaz with some good moments here, and backs Paulie up. Diaz with a right. Paulie sticks the jab and keeps moving. He goes left, now right. He's got the left hand dangling low, as he sticks it out into Juan's face as he comes forward. Diaz though landing his jab as he comes forward. Paulie with a combo, and then eats a counter right. The crowd roars when the Baby Bull does anything. Diaz comes forward, pressing Malignaggi on the ropes and digs to the body, but eats a left hand. Malignaggi with a jab. Now Diaz has a cut over his left eye. Both men cut and we're only through 2. 12:20... Diaz pressing forward and just landed a nice right hand. Paulie fires back though. Now he gets a hold of Diaz and turns him around. Diaz getting closer, and Paulie holding a little more on the inside. He fires a jab though and slips away to his left. Diaz on the march coming forward. "Real good fight so far." - Max. Paulie flicking the jab home. Diaz with a nice little hook in close. Paulie with a 1-2 upstairs. Diaz keeps coming through. He lands another little hook. Paulie seems able to take Juan's best though. He sticks home a jab and slips away. Juan bangs home a jab, and Paulie has hold of him in close. Juan trying to work with his free hand. Diaz pressing forward, landing the jab and gets tied up again. Paulie sticking the jab out, and Diaz tries to press forward and gets tied up again in close. There's the bell. This has been entertaining. 12:23... Harold has it 2-1 for Paulie. Diaz edging forward behind the jab. Paulie flurrying with jab, right and another jab. Diaz with his guard up, banging away. Paulie has a hold of Diaz' left in close. Paulie with a jab and then moves. Diaz just misses with a right hand. Diaz just misses with a left. Now Diaz lands a left. Diaz with a flurry in close that seemed to buzz Paulie for a sec. Action in the middle of the round. Diaz trying to bang home his hook in close. Paulie sticks him with a jab though and then turns away from trouble. 1:00 to go. Paulie sticking the jab home and moving. Diaz with the jab, and trying to follow it with hooks. Paulie now gets a hold of Juan in close. Paulie with a jab, and then moves... then holds and pushes Diaz back into the ropes which the crowd doesn't like. Paulie on the move to his right, now to his left. Diaz tries to chase him down as the bell rings. 12:24... We just a replay of a really nice left hook that Diaz landed. 12:27... Harold has it 2-2. Diaz trying to jab his way in. Paulie with a 1-2 as he circles away. Diaz digs with a hook to the body and upstairs. Malignaggi now with Juan's left tied up in close. Juan on the march forward. Paulie sticking the jab and moving. Paulie with another jab and ties Juan up. Diaz with a hook that lands. Diaz tries to flurry and lands a combo. Paulie responds with his own 1-2. Diaz with another flurry, trying to dig downstairs. Paulie keeps firing back though whenever it looks like Juan might be getting an upper hand. Diaz with a right over the top. Cole warns Malignaggi for using his elbow. Diaz keeps pressing, and Paulie is throwing 1-2 and moving. Diaz just ate a sharp jab that snapped his head back. Diaz coming forward and Paulie dancing away to his left. Paulie circling away and the crowd getting a little restless. There have been very few moments without action. Nobody can have any complaints so far with what we're seeing. There's the bell. 12:29... The cut over Juan's left eye is in a bad spot - right on the eyebrow - but I don't think it's deep. 12:32... Paulie with an uppercut as Juan comes forward. Paulie quickly dances away. Cole said at the start of the round that the second cut Diaz suffered was an accidental head-butt. The first was caused by a punch. Diaz coming forward trying to bang Paulie with hooks. Paulie ties Juan up on the inside. Diaz with a right and tries to bang the body with a hook. Paulie trying to work the jab and keep his distance. Diaz with a little uppercut in close, and tries to bang Paulie's body. Action in the middle of the ring with the fighters almost shoulder to shoulder. Paulie landed a flurry, and then ate a hard shot in return from Juan. 1:00 to go. Paulie is warned for pushing Juan's head down in close. Paulie circling to his right, and now to his left. Diaz with a hook as he presses forward. Paulie sticks the jab as he circles. Paulie keeps sticking the jab and keeps moving. Juan having a little trouble here getting close over the last 30 seconds or so. Paulie with a flurry and Juan tries to respond but misses. 12:32... Paulie's trainer tells him to stay off the inside. 12:33... The doctor is having a look at Diaz in the corner. Just checking the cut out. It's right on the eyebrow. Juan has another one on the eyelid, much smaller, that was caused by a punch. 12:34... Harold has it all even, 57-57. 12:37... Paulie is working the jab. Diaz trying to jump in there with a left. Paulie flurries, and Juan tries to fire back. Paulie circling away to his left. Juan gets inside and tries to dig hard to the body. Paulie responds with a right to the body and then dances away. Paulie flurries, and then hangs around on the inside as Diaz tries to bang to the body. Paulie now slides away. Diaz with a hard right hand over the top. Paulie takes it sticks a 1-2 into the guard as he backs up. Paulie flicking the jab out and dancing to his left. Diaz trying to dig to the body, but Paulie slips away. Paulie moving to his left. Diaz trying to get in close, but misses with a left/right. Paulie moves away, but eats a left as he does. Diaz with a left hook that lands with Paulie moving along the ropes. Diaz with a jab. Diaz chasing, but having a tough time getting close as the round closes. You have to wonder if Paulie's legs will get tired late. 12:37... Juan's corner is working on that cut. Looks to be under control. 12:41... 4-3 for Diaz on Harold's card. Diaz coming forward, Paulie on the move. Now Diaz works his way in behind the jab, but Paulie dances away to his left. Juan with a jab. Paulie flicking his jab out and moving away to his left, now he goes to his right as Juan chases. Juan trying to slip the jab as he gets close, but Paulie keeps dancing away. Paulie not stopping at all this round. Juan trying to land the hook when he gets close, but Paulie slips away to his right. 1:30 to go. Paulie slips a combo and then holds on. Diaz trying to bang a hook in there, but Paulie sticks a few jabs in and gets out of there. Bob Papa comments that Paulie's trunks are slowly coming down. "They are literally falling off, right now." Diaz with a right hand. Diaz comes forward and misses with a right. Diaz trying to work in close but Paulie staying away. Someone needs to pull Paulie's trunks up. 12:41... Diaz' corner is telling him that he has to cut the ring off and "when he jabs, jab with him." 12:44... 5-3 on Harold's card to Diaz. Paulie flicking the jab out and moving to his right. Now to his left. Diaz trying to bang downstairs when Paulie stopped for a second. Paulie always with the left hand low. Diaz with a nice right hand that landed. Paulie backing away, and now grabs a hold of Juan and there's a break. Paulie with a 1-2 into the guard as he bcks away. Juan with a jab, and a right hand that landed flush. Good shot from Juan there. Paulie took it well though and sticks his jab home and gets on the move again. 1:30 to go. Juan misses with a right and eats a jab. Juan slips a left. Juan with a right. Diaz edging forward, while Paulie slips away to his left. Diaz with a jab. Paulie sticking out the jab, and circling. Diaz trying to chase him down. He fires a right hadn that just misses. Lennox says that Diaz needs to come back with a hook after throwing the right. Diaz with a hook, but it's short as Paulie dances away. 10 seconds left. There's the bell. 12:45... According to Bob Papa, Guerrero probably broke his left hand against Klassen. Harold has it 5-4 for Paulie. I must have made a mistake last round, as I was sure it was 5-3 for Diaz on the graphics on screen. 12:49... Paulie working the jab, slipping to his right and now moving away to his left as Diaz tries to get close. Paulie now grabs a hold of Diaz in close. Now he slips away again. Juan trying to chase, but struggling at the moment to get going. Diaz with a jab, and tries to work the body. A good exchange, with Paulie firing off a 1-2 and Diaz responding with a combo. Now Paulie on the move again. Sticking the jab and moving left. 1:30 to go. Diaz trying to slip the jab as he moves forward, but Paulie won't keep still and Juan is just not able to set his feet and rip in close. Paulie now fires off a 1-2 and then gets out of there. 1:00 to go. Paulie with another jab and keeps moving. Juan just isn't getting close enough. Juan following, but not landing. Now Juan misses, and Paulie grabs him, and then moves out of trouble. Diaz fires a right hand that might have partially landed. There's the bell. 12:50... "This is easy work." - Malignaggi's corner. 12:53... Juan Diaz needs to cut the ring off. He's not doing it. Paulie's keeping him at the distance he needs to. 6-4 on Harold's card for Paulie. Paulie with a jab and moves. Diaz trying to jab his way in, but Paulie slips to the side. Paulie with a jab. Diaz tries to jump in with a hook. Diaz misses with a hook. Now he lands a jab. Paulie with a nice upjab. Juan backs Paulie into the ropes, but Pauile throws a combo and dances away. 1:30 to go. Juan tries to lunge in with a hook. Diaz with a right hand. Paulie flurries and moves. Diaz now digs a hook to the body. Diaz trying to flurry here. Paulie ties him up. Lennox comments that Diaz needs to punch with some real urgency. He's trying. He's just not able to catch Paulie. Laurence Cole just called time to pull Paulie's trunks up. 25 seconds left. Paulie with the jab, and gets out of there. Diaz keeps coming forward, but he's not getting close often enough. 12:55... Juan's corner is working on that cut. 12:58... Harold has it 7-4. Paulie sticking the jab. Diaz trying to flurry, but Paulie gets a hold of him. Diaz with some real urgency now. He's pressing forward and trying to rip hooks, but Paulie's staying out of trouble. Diaz now hooks to the body and comes upstairs. Paulie fires back with a combo. Diaz with a hard right hand that landed flush on the inside. Paulie now ties him up. 1:50 to go. Paulie sticking the jab out, and Diaz rips a hook downstairs. Paulie jabbing as Juan presses. 1:20 to go. Diaz with a little hook. Diaz has blood streaming down the left side of his face. He throws a hook, and follows up with a right that just misses. He's fighting with more urgency than he has in the previous few rounds. 50 seconds to go. The crowd is urging Diaz on. Paulie dancing away though. Diaz with a hook downstairs. Paulie dancing away. Diaz with a right, and tries to land his hook, but Paulie gets out of there. 15 seconds to go. Diaz bangs a hook downstairs. Paulie flurries and moves. Diaz comes forward throwing and Malignaggi fires back as the round ends. 12:59... These cards should be interesting. There were a couple rounds in the middle, where Paulie didn't stand his ground at all but was landing his jab. I think Harold gave those to Paulie. Will the judges in Houston have done the same? 1:00... Harold's card 115-113 for Paulie Malignaggi. 1:00... Here's Michael Buffer with the scores. 116-112, 115-113 and 118-110 all for Juan Diaz. 1:01... Wow. 118-110? Really? 1:02... "Inexplicable." - Bob Papa 1:04... I really don't know what to say. As a fan, you kind of lose heart when you see scorecards like that. 1:05... Diaz says he wants a rematch with Marquez. 1:06... Paulie is not pleased. "That was ridiculous." He's mad as hell, and you can't blame him. 1:07... "Boxing is full of shit." - Paulie Malignaggi 1:08... I'm guessing the post fight press conference should be interesting. Anyway, that's it for our coverage tonight. I hope you enjoyed it, and please check back with us for our next live round by round blog.

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Robert Guerrero vs Malcolm Klassen Preview

Michael Nelson previews Saturday night's super-featherweight match-up between Robert Guerrero and Malcolm Klassen.

Robert Guerrero will be the definitive favorite Saturday night. He has the impressive KO record (his last 16 wins have been by knockout), the significant size advantage, and most importantly, the name recognition.

Check out our live blog coverage of this event: Guerrero vs Klassen

But recently, South African fighters have shown that name recognition and glossy records mean little to them. Ali Funeka burst onto the scene by destroying Zahir Raheem and nearly upsetting Nate Campbell. And most believe that heavy underdog Jeffrey Mathebula deserved the nod against Celestino Caballero in April, five months after Moruti Mthalane made Nonito Donaire look ordinary until a cut inside of his eyelid forced the ring doctor to halt the fight.

The perpetual underdog role may be partially due to the memory of Mzonke Fana's embarrassing 2005 performance against Barrera, ghosts that linger whenever a relatively unknown South African fighter steps up to the big stage. Whatever the case, these guys will continue to exceed expectations as long as fight fans overlook them because of their anonymity outside of their home country.

It would be a mistake to overlook Malcom Klassen. The baby face 28 year old from Toekomsrus, Gauteng, South Africa is a punishing fighter with busy hands. In his surprise victory over Cassius Baloyi, Klassen thrashed his older opponent with a harrowing body attack until Baloyi finally crumbled under a cascade of punches.

The inside work between Guerrero and Klassen will be fun to watch. The tall southpaw is a rough customer in close and has one of the better body attacks in the game. Quite a few opponents have been brought to a knee from his digging left hands to the solar plex. But Klassen won't shy away from the combat; look for him to run off combinations to the midsection and mix in uppercuts and left hooks up top. As long as the fight is waged in the trenches, the smaller man with the busier hands may have the advantage.

Being three inches taller, Guerrero's advantages will lie on the outside. The Ghost has displayed refined boxing skills as of late, particularly in his victory over Spend Abazi, and in the quick dismantling of Martin Honorio. He'll have his opportunities to pick Malcolm off with counters; Klassen's jab is busy, but not stiff enough to deter Guerrero from shooting left hands over the top or timing uppercuts underneath.

Klassen's torrid pace will keep Guerrero from getting too comfortable though. Through the first 6-8 rounds, the man is a tornado. The amount of punches thrown behind a solid guard would give anyone fits. Down the stretch though, he tends to settle into more of a brisk breeze, electing to counter punch off the ropes instead of push the fight. He outworked Mzonke through the majority of their 2007 clash, only to falter late and lose a split decision (I scored it a draw when I recently watched video of it). He showed similar stamina issues in his decisive win over Gary St. Claire.

Malcolm's busy starts and shaky endurance in the late rounds births a quandary in picking a winner here. Guerrero has shown that he can be frustrated and outworked by relentless opponents in the past. Gamiel Diaz gave the 26 year old Californian his first loss (later avenged) by staying in his chest and keeping his hands moving. Likewise, Orlando Salido moved Guerrero around the ring and peppered him with shots to win a wide decision (later overtuned due to Salido failing a steroid test). While it's true that Robert has improved since these setbacks, it's also true that Klassen will probably be the best opponent he's faced in his professional career.

How many rounds will Guerrero win in the first two-thirds of the bout if the aggressive South African keeps his head buried in his chest? And can Klassen withstand a late Guerrero surge if he begins to wilt in the championship rounds? It has the makings of a rugged battle of attrition, one that may favor the slightly more battle-tested Klassen. If Klassen's tough enough to take Guerrero's heavier artillery, which I suspect he will be, I favor him to win a close decision.

e-mail Michael Nelson

Check out our preview of Juan Diaz vs Paul Malignaggi by Carlos Acevedo. Read more!

Young Stars Shine: TKO Wins for Ortiz & Kirkland

Michael Nelson recaps all the action from last night's HBO BAD triple-header.

Victor Ortiz and James Kirkland took one more step towards the top of their respective divisions Saturday night when Victor blew out Mike Arnaoutis in two rounds, and Kirkland broke down Joel Julio, stopping him in six. The opening bout ended in a disappointing No Decision when Robert Guerrero made it clear he couldn’t continue after suffering a gash over his right eye in the 2nd round due to a clash of heads with Daud Cino Yordan.

From the opening moments of the main event, it was clear that Joel Julio had his hands full with the suffocating pressure James Kirkland draped over him. Julio retreated as Kirkland swarmed, landing thudding blows to the body and a host of straight lefts off of Joel’s noggin. By the end of the round, a cut had developed over Julio’s right eye, further evidence that he was in for a rough night.

In the 2nd round, Julio started landing straight right hands, but still looked far out of his comfort zone. He was not used to moving; tensely bouncing around the ring, wasting a lot of energy. Kirkland continued to exert his will, shooting punches from a variety of angles and mixing in right hooks to the body.

The 3rd began with Kirkland remaining steadfastly on the prowl. If James’ voracious style is that of a school of piranhas, the water was now saturated with blood. Julio momentarily settled down and the two traded heavy blows midway through the round, with Julio appearing to finally get Kirkland’s attention, if not briefly stunning him.

The 4th and 5th saw Kirkland, now slightly more controlled and deliberate, continue to walk down his tiring foe. The success Joel had earlier was short lived; while he occasionally snapped Kirkland’s head back with a straight right hand, it did little to discourage Kirkland from consistently touching him with straight lefts, uppercuts, and right hooks. Missing the foot work necessary to smoothly circle an aggressive, stronger opponent, Julio continued to move around the ring in awkward bounds, looking as if he wanted the fight to end sooner than later. Moreover, his right eye was quickly closing.

The situation only got more grave in the 6th. James slammed lefts and rights into Joel’s rib cage, intent on making his faltering opponent quit. Julio soldiered on, but his eye was closing and his mouth was agape searching for a second wind. The fight had become a one-sided drubbing and it seemed just a matter of time before Kirkland ended the proceedings with a definitive blow.

With the writing on the wall, Julio’s corner indicated to referee Raul Caiz Jr. that they had seen enough shortly after the 6th ended. Raul waved the fight off, capping off Kirkland’s most impressive win to date.

James Kirkland improved to 25-0 with 22 knockouts with his dominant victory over Joel Julio, who fell to 34-3 with 31 knockouts.

The preceding bout between Victor Ortiz (pictured left with his NABO belt) and Mike Arnaoutis began far more slowly than the main event. The opening stanza was the definition of a feel-out round, with neither man landing anything of significance.

The 2nd began as the 1st ended, with the two combatants circling each other looking for an opening. But Ortiz was clearly the more comfortable fighter, so when Arnaoutis threw a lazy right jab midway through the round, Victor jumped on the opportunity, quickly slipping it and coming back with a powerful left hand that staggered Mighty Mike, driving him into the corner.

Arnaoutis covered up as Ortiz swarmed him with punches, one of them a crushing uppercut that briefly dropped Arnaoutis’ guard. Referee Ray Balewicz saw that as evidence of a man no longer capable of defending himself and stopped the bout. While the referee may have been a bit quick on the trigger, Arnaoutis was getting pounded and wasn’t offering anything in return.

With his impressive show of power, Victor Ortiz is now 24-1-1 with 19 KOs while Mike Arnaoutis dropped to 21-3-2 with 10 KOs.

Daud Cino Yordan surprised many in the opening bout when he was able to land eye-catching right hands and left hooks on the heavily favored Robert Guerrero in the first round. Despite Yordan’s skill level, the fight seemed destined to be an ugly one, at least as long as referee John Schorle allowed Yordan to grab Guerrero on the inside to avoid Guerrero’s withering body attack. The action was staccato, marred by constant clinching. Nevertheless, it was mainly controlled by the 21 year old from Indonesia, which at least added an element of drama early.

That drama was abruptly truncated in the 2nd round after Guerrero and Yordan clashed heads, resulting in a cut directly above Guerrero’s right eye. Guerrero looked at Schorle several times in the 40 seconds that followed, indicating that the gash was bothering him.

Schorle called time. While walking to the ropes for the ring doctor to take a look at it, Guerrero told Schorle that he couldn’t see. Schorle told the ring doctor that Guerrero indicated he couldn’t see, and Guerrero confirmed that the blood dripping in his eye impaired his vision. The doctor, seemingly going solely on Guerrero’s contention that the blood was blinding him, and not on his own diagnosis of how serious the cut was, told the Schorle to stop the fight, and the bout was summarily waved off.

Normally, a doctor wipes the blood off of a cut to take a better look at how deep it is and how likely it is to continue bleeding throughout a fight. Ideally, the same would have been done in this case; while the cut was in a bad spot, it’s within reason that the bleeding could have been halted in the corner, minimizing the significance of the gash and its location.

It's hard to second guess an injured fighter, but you have to wonder if Guerrero may have been more willing to continue if he was in with an opponent a little bit less elusive and less accurate with the right hand. Nevertheless, the fight was declared a No Decision, and both men will hopefully move on to a more fitting style of opponent for crown pleasing bouts.

With the ND, Robert Guerrero is now 23-1-1 with 2 No Decisions and 16 KOs while Daud Cino Yordan is 23-0 with 17 KOs and 1 No Decision.

e-mail Michael Nelson
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HBO BAD Predictions: Kirkland vs Julio, Ortiz vs Arnaoutis, Guerrero vs Yordan

Like just about every boxing fan out there, The Boxing Bulletin writers can't wait for tomorrow night's HBO Boxing After Dark main event between James Kirkland (pictured right) and Joel Julio. Neither fighter is shy about mixing it up, and both have the ability to end matters early. Don't miss a second of this one, because we're in for guaranteed fireworks.

Here are our predictions for the headline match-up, along with the two attractive under-card bouts on what should be a great night of boxing.

Photos © Ray Kasprowicz

James Kirland 153.5 vs Joel Julio 154 "I'm picking Julio by stoppage. Kirkland is just too wide open, and he'll eventually get caught. The two fighters that Julio's come up short against, Quintana and Dzinziruk presented him with finesse issues he won't have to worry about against Kirkland. I also don't think Kirkland is that big of a puncher, he's just really strong." - Lee Payton "Julio-Kirkland's a wild card in which both men are going to be hurt or down within the first three rounds. While Kirkland has more physical gifts, I favor Julio to pull off the upset for a couple of reasons: 1) He's far more seasoned, being in tough distance fights against a high level of opposition. He does fade in the later rounds, which favors Kirkland in a war of attrition, but I don't expect it to last that long. 2) Kirkland loves running head first into straight right hands. Julio has straightened his right as his career has progressed, and managed to catch the slippery Sergiy Dzinziruk with a number of them. I'm not sure how long Kirkland can catch right hands from Julio without falling for good. So I figure it's going to be Julio early or Kirkland late, and in this type of slug fest, early beats late. Julio by KO in rounds 4-6." - Michael Nelson "I have never been very impressed with Julio. His punches are telegraphed and he doesn't take a great shot. I think he will land and it should be explosive until Kirkland catches and finishes him. My guess is sooner, rather than later." - Mark Lyons "I'm picking Kirkland. I just have a feeling he's the stronger man, with the ability to take more, but I'm hardly confident about that assessment and surprised the odds are slanted so heavily in his favour." - Andrew Fruman

Victor Ortiz 140 vs Mike Arnaoutis 140 "Arnaoutis has some qualities to give Ortiz trouble. But he has never been active enough to close the show. I think this is the closest fight of the night. Ortiz takes an 8-4 type decision in a very valuable learning experience." - Mark Lyons "Victor Ortiz and Mike Arnaoutis are both physically talented, but Ortiz has more of a fighter's mentality. I think that mentality will carry him to a fairly close decision in a good fight. I expect him to get stunned at least once." - Michael Nelson "Ortiz has been blowing guys out, but none of them are close to being at Mighty Mike's level, and this should be a good barometer of just how good Vicious Victor is. I think Ortiz will pass this test convincingly, but be extended the full distance." - Andrew Fruman

Robert Guerrero 130 vs Daud Yordan 129.5 "From the ten minutes of footage I've seen of Daud Cino Yordan, he looks like he has enough offensive skills to touch up Robert Guerrero some. The kid's also aggressive, so it should be an entertaining fight. His defense falls a bit short for me to be confident that he'll last 10 rounds. If he's tough enough to overcome his defensive liabilities, Guerrero might be in for a rough night. I'll say Robert by late round KO or competitive decision in a fight where Yordan gains a lot of fans." - Michael Nelson

Check out Michael Nelson's full preview of tomorrow night's show. Read more!

HBO BAD Preview: James Kirkland vs Joel Julio, plus Ortiz-Arnaoutis & Guerrero-Yordan

Michael Nelson breaks down this Saturday's HBO BAD triple-header.

HBO is on a roll.

Coming off the unforgettable nine round war between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz, and the gutsy efforts of Chris John and Rocky Juarez in the preceding bout, HBO is treating boxing fans to a meaty triple-header on Boxing After Dark this Saturday Night when Robert Guerrero (23-1) takes on Indonesia’s Daud Cino Yordan (23-0), upstart Victor Ortiz (23-1) steps up against Mike Arnaoutis (21-2), and KO artist James Kirkland (pictured right, 24-0) looks to slug it out with Joel Julio (34-2).

Photos © Ray Kasprowicz

Robert Guerrero wants to properly introduce himself to the Jr. Lightweight division after spending the first seven years of his career at Featherweight. He dipped his toe in the water in January when he knocked out the over-matched Edel Ruiz within one round using his patented left hand to the solar plexus. Now, fighting more serious opposition, he’ll have to jump in the pool.

How deep the waters will be is a bit unknown, as footage of 21 year old Daud Cino Yordan is scarce. Recently signed to Golden Boy, Yordan is described by Indonesian press as an aggressive fighter with rocks in his gloves. Expect the young man to come fully prepared; he has been in camp for two months and he has already been in the US for a week to get acclimated to the unfamiliar environment.

Guerrero, for his part, has been chipping away at the perception that he’s an inconsistent fighter. Since his porous performance against Orlando Salido in late 2006, he has been utilizing his boxing skills more by keeping his opponents on the end of his punches. As a result, he’s on an impressive four fight knockout streak.

If Yordan is as hungry as he says he is, the opener should be a heated one.

Vivian Harris was originally penciled in to face Victor Ortiz (pictured left making short work of Jeffrey Resto) in the second bout of the evening. Vivian, now on the downturn of his career, wouldn’t have brought much to the card except the fading perception that he’s a dangerous puncher. Negotiations fell through and the more steady and talented southpaw Mike Arnaoutis stepped up in his place.

Arnaoutis’ physical talents should give Ortiz the stiffest test of his young career. He has some of the faster hands in the 140 pound division to go along with solid technique and a more than respectable punch. If Ortiz gets too eager, he can quickly find himself on his backside.

What Arnaoutis appears to lack is a mean streak. When he decked Ricardo Torres in a fight he lost controversially, instead of immediately ripping into him to finish the job, he touched his glove. Apparently, he wanted to congratulate him on getting up.

Then, against Kendall Holt, he froze, intimidated by the prospect of facing a man with more hand speed and an equal amount of power. Frustrated Mighty Mike fans watched as their man let round after round slip away attempting to outbox a superior boxer with an iffy set of whiskers. Instead of making a concerted effort in tapping Holt’s chin, he dropped a lopsided decision.

In stark contrast, 22 year old Victor Ortiz has never been mistaken as a tea-and-crumpets type of guy once the bell rings. He has knocked out his last seven opponents, often in brutal fashion. The durable Emmanuel Clottey was the only man to escape the 5th round in a fight where young Ortiz showed maturity and poise in breaking down his more experienced foe en route to a 10th round stoppage.

The questions that immediately stand out are whether or not Ortiz can hurt or knock out Arnaoutis, in addition to whether or not he can take Mike’s punch without wavering.

If he does waver, let’s hope that Arnaoutis doesn’t give him dap for not keeling over.

The main event of the night has had hardcore boxing fans buzzing since it was announced. Joel Julio is an aggressive heavy handed fighter with a leaky defense. James Kirkland (pictured below-right against Brian Vera) is an aggressive heavy handed fighter with a leaky defense. This fight will be very violent, and possibly very short.

Most would agree that Kirkland has the more dynamic offensive arsenal to go along with his advantage of being a southpaw. Mixing in a devastating right hook, as well as a strong short left hand and a nasty uppercut, he swarms his opponents and overwhelms them, knocking out 15 of the last 16.

What makes this fight so intriguing is that he’s also reckless and easy to hit flush. He has gotten away with it against fighters with less durability, experience, and power than Julio. But his propensity to run into straight right hands may teach him a hard lesson against a man who throws them with the velocity of the Columbian banger.

Joel Julio has vulnerabilities that Kirkland can expose as well. He has lost decisively to the two skilled southpaws he has faced in Carlos Quintana and Sergiy Dzinziruk. A key reason for his issues with lefties is that his footwork is lacking; he constantly finds himself off balance and open for a counter right hook. Against a right hook as strong as Kirkland’s, falling out of position is an error that can leave him face first on the canvas.

The critical difference between those two southpaws and James Kirkland is that Kirkland is nowhere near as slippery and hard to find. Make no mistake, blows with knockout intentions are going to be landed in every round, and the results are likely to be quick and conclusive.

Keep your bathroom breaks short.

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