On Friday night, "The Tuaman," David Tua, kicks off an explosive weekend of action when he takes on Abraham Okine at Roseland Ballroom in N.Y. Okine is the third replacement for Tua, who seems to be wading in the heavyweight pool.
Tua, who started his comeback early in 2005 seems to be working his way backward down the list of quality opponents. On Oct. 21, 2005, Tua fought Cisse Salif, who has a world ranking of 124/909. His next opponent, Edward Guttierez, was ranked lower than Saliff at 299/909 when he lost to Tua on July 26. For Friday's fight, Tua was going to fight Ross Purity, a man not even with a world ranking! I'm sitting here scratching my head wondering what could be his next move, a four-rounder against Butterbean?
The funny thing about boxing is that sometimes who you beat really doesn't matter. Can you sell tickets? Perfect, we'll get you a title shot. Seriously, what else could explain Shannon Briggs' unworthy shot at the title? It's rather ironic that both Tua and Briggs are managed by Cedric Kushner. I have nothing against Kushner, but is the heavyweight division so bad that we have to keep recycling old names like Holyfield, Tua, Briggs and even Bowe?
So Tua will do his thing Friday and hopefully stop him his opponent early enough for me to catch my train. What about Tua getting a title shot? Well, if he looks bad enough, long enough, I'm sure he'll be in the mix by 2007.
Interesting Fight, Not On TV
Elio "The Kid" Rojas vs. Luis Bolano: Undefeated Dominican featherweight sensation Rojas, considered by many to be the finest prospect in Don King's stable of fighters, will face the toughest challenge of his young career when he takes a strong step up in competition against former FECARBOX champion Bolano.
Bolano is a rugged journeyman who has troubled some of the finest featherweights around. But this kid Rojas is a fantastic boxer with KO power, having knocked out 13 of his 17 opponents. Rojas is trained by Lennox Blackmore, trainer of Vivian Harris, Asa Sandell and Wayne Braithwaite, who told me that this kid is already elite and by next year he will be a world champion. Look out for this kid.
Let Down
Joel Julio has to be the biggest disappointment in recent memory. On Telefutura's Solo Boxeo series, Julio pulled out a split decision victory over Cosme Rivera. Rivera was completely destroyed by a blown up junior . welterweight named Zab Judah. In this bout, Julio was knocked down in the final seconds of the 12th round and barely survived the bout.
Why is this important? For those of you betting on Carlos Quintana vs. Miguel Cotto, it diminishes Quintana's victory over Julio and now puts into question if Quintana can really beat Cotto. I'm jumping ship and now putting my money on Cotto.
Erik Morales Winning The Weight War
On Nov. 17, the "weight" is over. I know Erik "El Terrible" Morales is fighting Manny Pacquiao on the 18th, but the 17th is really the first battle. If Morales doesn't tip the scale at exactly 130 pounds, he could potentially lose, as Dr. Evil would put it, one million dollars!
The contract states if the Morales weighs from 130.1 to 131 pounds, he pays $500,000, and $1 million if he weighs in at 132 or more. Morales told the Mexican media that he ain't paying a penny:
"And I'm not going to do him any favors by paying him $1 million," Morales told Mexican newspapers.
The other interesting part of this battle is that if Morales comes in over 131, Pacquiao has the option of taking the money and walking away from the fight. But Morales sounds confident the fight will come off:
"Manny Pacquiao should not worry himself. I am going to fight him on the date indicated at the Thomas and Mack Center. And he should forget about the 132 pounds. I am going to register the limit of the 130 in which the contract was signed," Morales said.
Still not convinced? Reports indicate that Morales is weighing 137 with 17 days left before his fight. So book your flight, this is going to be a war!
WBC Approves Open Scoring
A new rule was approved by a majority vote of the Board of Governors to announce the scoring in WBC world title fights by microphone after the fourth and eight rounds of the fight, with the condition that any national commission can decide not to use it.
WBC President Jose Sulaiman said, "At this moment in time in boxing, one of the most important things is to do something for justice in scoring. We have been doing so many clinics, basic guidelines, booklets and videos, but we still have a problem. I believe that this is gigantic in sports, and will make the judges much more conscientious of their responsibility. It will make them be 100 percent concentrated, and it will also give them a sense of pride, because they have confidence in their scoring and themselves. A good judge should feel very proud. I believe that we have taken a major step in the history of boxing."
Feel free to post your opinion on open scoring. Is this a good move?
