Vernon Forrest's win over Baldomir

It seems that Forrest won himself a championship belt via a unanimous decision against Baldomir... I'm really neutral for this fight, and I say a good start for Vernon Forrest coming out of a long break from boxing. Now all he has to do is find a new opponent to defend the belt against. That's really all I can say about that as I'm not an avid follower of these guys. More info on Fightnews.com, though.

Vernon Forrest vs. Carlos Baldomir on HBO BAD...

Pic from HBO Boxing.

It's tonight and since it's not on pay-per-view, maybe it's worth watching. But to put it bluntly, these guys haven't been on the spotlight for a while and their performances have been disappointing lately. Still this can be a good watch for fans of both fighters, but I'm afraid to say that I'm not one of them... I haven't seen Forrest fight for a while and he lost to Mayorga which is a fighter that I consider to have the least skill in all of boxing (probably alongside Edwin Valero) and Baldomir's win over Gatti didn't really do it for me since Gatti has been on the decline. And him vs. Floyd Mayweather was the most boring fight and mismatch I have ever seen. Maybe I'm just too much of a fan of blood and gore in fights, but I don't think these guys has the potential to make an exciting fight. Either way, I predict a win by Carlos Baldomir due to the fact that he has been more active than Forrest. Both guys weighed in at 154 lbs, by the way.

UFC 74 website now available!

Yep, UFC 74 website is up and running if y'all want to check it out. It has all the information you need on the fight and then some. Tell the Boxing and MMA Rantings sent you.

The noise has died down for this week...

Not much going on in the world of boxing and MMA lately. Some news are appearing, but most of them are about the upcoming fights this August or about promotional companies' plans for the future. However, the coming months will be interesting with the World Cup of boxing coming up, Pacquiao vs. Barrera 2, Morales vs. Diaz, UFC 75 on Spike TV, and maybe Vargas vs. Mayorga as well. We'll see what happens...

Bernard Hopkins beats Winky Wright!

It seems that Winky brought the action to Bernard. But in the end, Bernard showed the judges who was the better boxer when he pulled off a unanimous decision over Winky. Bad night for me again, it seems that the boxers I'm going for keep losing! By the way, the scores were 116-112, 117-111, 117-111 all for Bernard Hopkins. But can't complain since in boxing...ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. Maybe after this, Hopkins will finally retire. I don't know about Winky, though, we'll have to see. As usual Fightnews.com provides the earliest fight results. Fight pics below...

Pics courtesy of HBO Championship Boxing. (More info there!)

Michael Katsidis decisions Czar Amonsot

In a fierce war between the two, Michael Katsidis drops Czar Amonsot on the second and tenth to finally earn a unanimous decision. Czar Amonsot gave it his all in a fight which should have a rematch, just so the fighter that I was going for can have another shot. But, really, the fight does deserve to have a rematch. I'm sure every Filipino out there is proud of Czar's performance and will want to watch him fight again. Congratulations to Katsidis, no hard feelings.

Michael Katsidis vs. Czar Amonsot tonight!

Tonight on the Bernard Hopkins - Winky Wright undercard, another one of my fellow Filipino fighters will again be faced with an undefeated Australian opponent (think Darchinyan-Donaire). Czar Amonsot (18-2-1 10 KO's) of the Philippines will be fighting Michael Katsidis (22-0 20 KO's) for the WBO Lightweight title. Both of Amonsot's loss were against Simson Butar Butar of Indonesia although I regret to say that Czar was unprepared for both fights. But now with the help of his team he is more than prepared and during the weigh-in was 133 lbs, 2 lbs under the 135 lb division while Katsidis was 135 lbs. Again this match may be compared to Darchinyan-Donaire, but I don't see any similarities in this fight since Katsidis is clearly not what you would call a Darchinyan kind of fighter, he is a good fighter. However, Czar Amonsot is also a good fighter that just needs a good mentor to bring out the best in him and I do think that he is in the best shape coming in to this fight. Although chances might go against Amonsot just looking at his and Katsidis' records, I will be going for him and I predict Czar Amonsot by either late round knockout or unanimous decision. Good luck to all the fighters tonight.

Hopkins vs. Wright, will it be worth watching?

July 21st will see Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright facing each other in an HBO Pay-per-view event. Both these guys have been great fighters and their records speak for itself. Bernard Hopkins looked great in demolishing Antonio Tarver, Felix Trinidad, and stopping Oscar De La Hoya. Winky Wright had two wins over Shane Mosley, a win over Felix Trinidad and Ike Quartey, and a draw with Jermain Taylor (which I thought he won). Lots of good fighters on their records and both of them fought the same guys in Felix Trinidad and Jermain Taylor. It's about time they fought each other, but I think they waited too long. These guys should've fought when they were both younger then it would have been more interesting. These guys are best known for their defense than their offense and for them to have an exciting fight, their opponents should be the one pushing the action to them. In other words, they do good when faced against offensive fighters like Felix Trinidad, for example. But what would happen when two defensive geniuses are faced against each other? I think they would just be defending against each other, but one of them has to push the action. Although this might be a good match-up, I don't think this will be an exciting fight (although it will be more exciting than Mayweather's fights). If you were a fan of both fighters in the past then you would watch it, but for casual fans looking for action, just watch the replay. I don't expect a knockout, but a decision and I think Winky will take the decision. He is the younger fighter and maybe faster considering that Hopkins is getting old. Nonetheless, expect a very technical fight much like playing chess. Winky Wright by unanimous decision.

Erik Morales vs. David Diaz, does Morales still have it?

First of all, I respect Erik Morales for his always exciting performance around the ring and his classic bouts with Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao. He is a great fighter who always gave his all inside the ring and is a very tough opponent to beat. His recent trilogy with Manny was one of the best. However, his loss has been accumulating lately and everyone seems to believe he is a washed-up fighter. His latest bout will be against WBC Lightweight champ David Diaz whom I should say that I haven't seen any of his fights, to be honest. But despite what the public thinks, I still think Morales still has it and I hope he wins this fight. It's true that he had a hard time making weight in superfeatherweight so lightweight should be good for him. If he boxes smart and don't brawl like he did with Manny Pacquiao then he will win this one (although Erik CAN brawl, it's best to be on the safe side). Don't get carried away Morales and Viva Mexico!

For more info, check out TopRank's website.

Cotto vs. Williams?

Photo courtesy of Eastsideboxing.com.

We all thought that Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto were destined to fight each other and both of their roads in boxing is bound to cross each other for sure. However, now that Antonio Margarito has been dethroned by Paul Williams, is that possible match-up no so far away? I don't think so. Paul Williams vs. Miguel Cotto might now be highly possible, but so is Margarito vs. Cotto. Everybody wants that fight and Margarito will be looking to redeem himself either with a rematch against Paul Williams or a new championship title shot with Miguel Cotto. I'll be expecting one of those match-ups to be announced...

UFC 75 will be on Spike TV!

UFC 75 entitled Champion vs. Champion is going to be shown on Spike TV this September 8 at 9 pm. As I mentioned on a previous article before, the venue is still in England and we might be getting a delayed telecast, but I don't think that's going to happen. I was expecting this to be a big pay-per-view material, but instead UFC gives all of its fans a treat by showing this on cable TV's Spike! I expect all UFC fans out there to be watching this since it's on Spike (and you better be) which has been the home network of the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Tons of info on Fighthype.com about the event (too much for me to summarize here) so feel free to check them out (tell them I sent you).

Paul Williams decisions Antonio Margarito!

Photo from Fightnews.com.
Antonio Margarito, the reigning WBO champ, has been dethroned! Paul Williams pulled of what I wasn't expecting, which was a win over Antonio Margarito. Both fighters were busy throughout the fight, but the judges saw Paul Williams being the better fighter and gave him the unanimous decision. Bad evening for me since all the fighters I was going for lost, but it is good to see that there is some very good competition on the lower weight classes. It turns out that Antonio Margarito won't be meeting Miguel Cotto, after all. Look forward for a highly possible match-up between Cotto and Williams.

Alfonso Gomez knocks out Gatti in the seventh, Kermit Cintron wins by knockout over Walter Matthysse on the second!

Photo from Fightnews.com.

It seems that Arturo Gatti should be considering retirement. After seven six rounds of fighting, Alfonso Gomez finally broke Gatti down and won by knockout on the seventh round! Considering that Gatti is way past his prime and have been having a very hardtime with his recent opponents, I don't think he should continue. Alfonso Gomez, on the other hand, has a lot in front of him after beating Arturo Gatti and he should be looking for bigger fights. Update: Fightnews.com says that Arturo Gatti is, in fact, hanging up his gloves as he told HBO after the fight.

In another fight this evening, Kermit Cintron demolishes Walter Matthysse in only two rounds! After knocking Matthysse out in the first round, he proceeded to knock him out on the second round eventually winning the fight.

Arturo Gatti vs. Alfonso Gomez and more! (Weigh-in and photo updates for the upcoming fights tonight)

Weigh-in and photo updates from HBO Boxing (Check them out for more photos):

• Gatti 146 lbs - Gomez 147 lbs

• Margarito 145 lbs - Williams 145 lbs

• Cintron 146 lbs - Matthysse 147 lbs

All fighters made weight, but what will really matter tonight, though, is how ready each fighter is and their weights when they go inside the ring.

On July 14 on HBO World Championship Boxing, long-time fan favorite and determined fighter, Arturo Gatti, will be facing The Contender's Alfonso Gomez. Gatti (40-8, 31 KO's) recently lost to Carlos Baldomir in their fight and is looking to bounce back against Alfonso Gomez, also a tough opponent. Alfonso Gomez (16-3-2, 7 KO's) recently fought in The Contender UK vs. USA and the way this guy fights is exciting. Both Gomez and Gatti are relentless fighters always on the offense and both of them also have good defense. Unfortunately, Gatti is past his prime and I don't think he has that same amazing footwork he had in his legendary trilogy with Micky Ward, while Alfonso Gomez is a hungry fighter looking to raise his status in the boxing world by defeating Gatti. I think it is safe to say that this fight will be an exciting one considering that Gatti is involved and Alfonso Gomez is also an offensive fighter. My prediction: because of more experience and more quality opponents, Gatti by a late round knockout, or unanimous decision if he runs out of gas.

Another fight on the same card will be Antonio Margarito (34-4, 24 KO's), current titleholder, against an undefeated Paul Williams (32-0, 24 KO's). I know that Antonio Margarito has been a very exciting fighter and has a lot of possible fights before him (Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto) he must face a difficult opposition in the form of Paul Williams first. Not much is known, in my case, for Paul Williams besides his undefeated record and his only good opponent has been Sharmba Mitchell whom he knocked out, this guy is untested and his true test will come when he fights Margarito. I tend to favor more experinced fighters than undefeated ones (except in their line-up and quality of past opponents) so my prediction is going to be Antonio Margarito by late round knockout or unanimous decision.

Kermit Cintron (27-1, 25 KO's) will also be fighting Walter Matthysse (26-1, 25 KO's). According to HBO, "these fighters are known for their impressive knockout power and heavy hitting styles" so look for an explosive fight and a knockout on this one. (Picture taken from BoxingScene.com)

Fernando Vargas vs. Ricardo Mayorga on Sept. 8

So both these guys dubbed "Boxing's Bad Boys" have agreed to fight each other on September 8 at the Staples Center in LA. Both fighters are going to be fighting at the 162 lb division and Don King is promoting it. This has got to be one of the most bizarre match-up I have ever seen so far. Both these guys have been showing a lot of sh*t-talking and no backing it up in the ring. Vargas lost to Shane Mosley twice and Ricardo Mayorga was famous for being defeated by Oscar De La Hoya when he wasn't in his prime. Sure they were good fighters once, but that was before they faced the best. There's going to be a lot of press conference brawls between these guys as we have seen in their history and maybe that's going to be the part that I will enjoy the most. Fightnews.com already has the latest about their first presscon (or brawl) which was a very big disaster. The trash talking was started by Mayorga and finished by Vargas via a right hand to the face. Nonetheless, I think it's going to be an interesting fight considering these guys are brawlers in the ring, but they never really back up all their talk. Either way, I still want to see the results and I see Vargas winning by an early round KO since he has the better defense (lasted longer against Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya). More on Boxinginsider.com. (Photo courtesy of Fightnews.com.)

Update: More info and more pics of the press conference brawl here.

Vic Darchinyan moving up to superflyweight?

Former flyweight champ Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan is now back on Australia after his loss, Fightnews.com says, and he says he might be moving up to superflyweight because he "weighs too much". I don't know if that's true or not, but Nonito Donaire moved down to Vic's division and then beat him, and now Vic is moving up? This is a risky move for him since he might lose his power and speed which helped him rule the flyweight division and now his moving up to Nonito's territory. Maybe they will make the rematch at superflyweight which might be an advantage for Nonito Donaire. If what Vic Darchinyan says is true, then it'll be interesting to see what his performance will be. (Photo from doghouseboxing.com.)

Savant Young loses to Ryan Schultz by decision!

I got home late yesterday and I only caught about 30 minutes of IFL Battlegrounds which airs every Monday here on my local channel. The show pits one MMA team against another and who ever wins move closer to the finals. Last night was Tokyo Sabers against the, I think it was the Portland Wolfpacks, and the last fight was Savant Young against Ryan Schultz. Both fighters were cautious and the crowd ended up booing them. Schultz got Young with a vicious hook before backing up and Savant answers with a punch of his own that missed. The second round found the two fighters on the ground, but neither of them could break each other's defenses and ended up standing again and being cautious which brought them more boos from the crowd. Third round brought an exciting turnaround as Schultz dominated Savant Young on the ground, but Savant wouldn't be submitted. The fight went to the judges with Schultz decisioning Young.

Klitschko TKO's Brewster out in the sixth!

Wladimir got his revenge on the rematch when Brewster's corner stopped the fight during the sixth round. This means that a trilogy is possible between both fighters. I don't follow the heavyweight division much these days and maybe the next rematch of this fight might be worth watching. More info on HBO Boxing...

Nonito Donaire knocks Vic Darchinyan out on the fifth!

It turns out that Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire (18-1, 11 KO's) really lives up to his ring name when he knocked out the heavily favored Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan now 28-1, with 22 KO's! I was really hoping for Nonito to win this fight since he is my countryman, but my prediction was for Vic and now he has exceeded expectations! Turns out that the Philippines now has a legitimate World Champion (Manny only has the International Super Featherweight title). Nonito Donaire avenged his brother's knock out at the hands of Darchinyan with a fifth round knockout of the now former champ and he also schooled him with his boxing skills. The knockout punch was a left hook. Good for Philippine boxing! More info at Philboxing.com.

Edit: Turns out that hours earlier before Nonito's win, Florante "The Little Pacquiao" Condes also won his match against Munammad Rachman becoming the new IBF Miniflyweight Champ.

UFC 73: Stacked Results!

Before the results, let me list my prediction of fighters to win on the main card (sorry, it doesn't include preliminary):

Antonio Nogueira by submission. (Antonio is a master of jiu-jitsu and he won't be submitted to either.)

Anderson Silva by unanimous decision. (No comments here, hard to predict the outcome.)

Sean Sherk by decision. (Hermes Franca is a very tough opponent and I don't think he'll be knocked out.)

Rashad Evans by split decision. (It takes a lot to knock Ortiz down.)

(Forgot about Kenny Florian, but I was going to pick him anyway.)

Now for the REAL results on tonights fights:

Noguiera wins by unanimous decision! (Good start, but his performance might not be good enough otherwise there would have been a submission.)

Sean Sherk wins by unanimous decision over Franca. (See? Franca is a tough opponent.)

Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans had a draw! (Not enough training for both of them or their scared of each other.)

Anderson Silva TKO's Nate Marquardt! (Better performance than expected!)

Kenny Florian TKO's Alvin Robinson. (Well, Kenny Florian is a good fighter.)

Now let's all look forward to UFC 74!

Fight results were taken at: OnlyUFC.com, check there for more detailed results including the preliminaries.

Vic Darchinyan vs. Nonito Donaire Jr., will Nonito get his revenge?

Vic Darchinyan defeated Glenn Donaire via a technical knockout due to a broken jaw which Glenn claims it was because Darchinyan elbowed him. Now little bro is out for revenge against Darchinyan! Does he have a chance? Judging by his record alone, I don't think so, but his brother Glenn's performance against Darchinyan wasn't all that good. Glenn was the one who told the referee to stop the fight because of his injury which means that he doesn't have heart. Glenn was clearly overcome by Vic's power. Now if Nonito has heart and boxing skills, I think he has a chance. Vic isn't very good when it comes to skills, but he is strong and fast. Although Nonito is my countryman, Vic Darchinyan has a higher percentage of winning, but I do hope Nonito wins and brings the Philippines its true first legitimate World Champion. More at Maxboxing.com. (Picture from Eastsideboxing.com)

Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao, Randy Couture, and Quniton Jackson, nominees for ESPY Best Fighter Award

You got that right, according to MMA-News.org, it's "best fighter" now and not "best boxer". ESPN's yearly award for the best athletes of the previous year has changed its category to include mixed martial arts fighters for the first time. Randy Couture and Quinton Rampage are the first MMA fighters nominated along with boxers Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Proof that MMA is mainstream and both Couture and Jackson have a chance at winning the award becoming the first MMA fighters to do so. Couture got nominated because of his victorious comeback fight with UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia. Jackson, as every UFC or MMA fan for that matter already know, got nominated because of his first round knockout of Chuck Liddell when nobody was able to do so. Mayweather because of his fight with Oscar, Pacquiao because all of his fights are exciting, as is the case with Cotto. It's going to be interesting if an MMA fighter wins the award. For more info and the ESPY awards ceremony schedule go to MMA-News.org.

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Lamon Brewster Rematch

Although I don't follow the heavyweight division all that much these days, I'm hoping that this match will be well worth watching. Brewster knocked out Klitschko on the fifth during their last fight which was on April 10, 2004 and now, Wladimir is looking for revenge. Since Wladimir's defeat he has been on a winning streak, but will he be able to keep it? If he trained well as his trainer, Emmanuel Steward, is saying, then he might or Brewster might win again although I don't see an early round knockout. The fight is scheduled on July 7 on HBO WCB.

Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale main bouts!

Sorry for forgeting, but this article was supposed to be here yesterday. On the Ultimate Fighter 5 finale, BJ Penn stops Jens Pulver at the second round via a rear-naked choke. BJ Penn dominated Pulver throughout the rounds, Pulver came out strong evading two attempts by Penn to submit him, but eventually gets choked out. Nate Diaz wins against Manvel Gambaryan due to Gambaryan not being able to continue because of a dislocated shoulder on round 2. For more on the fight, click here.

Felix "Tito" Trinidad is coming back!

It seems that after a long two years off from boxing, Felix "Tito" Trinidad is coming back! Fightnews.com says that his dad has confirmed his comeback and his prospective opponent will be Roy Jones Jr. who also expressed interest in fighting him (more here). Now, Tito during his prime, was a very tough and strong boxer with explosive punches, although lacking in boxing skills as shown by Bernard Hopkins. However, after a long layoff from boxing, does he still have it? I think he might still have punching power, but I also think it is not going to be what it used to be. What he might lack in power, I hope he makes up for with skills or with just harder training. This does not realy count as good news, but I think it will be good for boxing. It will generate some interest, but let's just leave it at that.