Tomato Cans: January 29, 2009
And it's finally done. It's finally done. The May 2 clash between junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is signed and completed. Hatton and Pacquiao will meet at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The 50/50 split is in place, though Pacquiao's guarantee is much bigger than Hatton's.
Says Golden Boy chief Oscar de la Hoya, "I think Hatton will dethrone Pacquiao and become boxing's pound-for-pound king."
Says I back to Oscar, "That ain't how it works, Golden Dude."
Pound-for-pound, you see, is mythical. It's not, like, real. It's an opinion. A consensus opinion, but an opinion. And it's not like anyone has Hatton in the top five. Do you? You do? You're bananas.
As for what Hatton's trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., is thinking, he says, "Manny's chances are slim and none. If he doesn't run, we'll get him in one."
It's pretty awesome that that rhymes, but fairly stupid.
Nonito Donaire's fight with Raul Martinez has been pushed to March 22 in Manila. It'll be Donaire's first fight since his November win over Moruti Mthalane, and he only fought once in 2008. Good thing he got away from Gary Shaw and that lazy matchmaking.
Friday Night Fights is going to have a hell of a show on February 20, with Breidis Prescott (20-0, 18 KO) facing Humberto Toledo (34-5-2, 20 KO), plus Yuriorkis Gamboa in action as well as Richar Gutierrez, who I'm hoping will be called Richar by more places than his promoter's office and this blog. He noted on HBO last year that his name is not Richard, it's Richar. Then he lost to Alfredo Angulo. Erislandy Lara will also be on the FNF card. Both Gamboa and Prescott are also tentatively scheduled for the April 3 Shobox card in Gamboa's U.S. "home arena" in Primm, Nevada.
You can forget the brief hope we had that Rafael Marquez and Daniel Ponce de Leon would hook up for a fight. The Marquez camp isn't interested. They have "other plans." I bet they do.
Just in case you've missed the finalized card for the February 21 split-site Top Rank PPV, here it is:
Middleweight Championship: Kelly Pavlik (34-1, 30 KO) v. Marco Antonio Rubio (43-4-1, 37 KO)
Vacant WBO Welterweight Title: Miguel Cotto (32-1, 26 KO) v. Michael Jennings (34-1, 16 KO)
John Duddy (25-0, 17 KO) v. Matt Vanda (39-8, 22 KO)
Anthony Peterson (28-0, 19 KO) v. Edner Cherry (24-6-2, 12 KO)
Four legitimate fights. Peterson-Cherry isn't going to turn anyone's boat motors on or anything, but Cherry's got skills. Duddy-Vanda will be a war. Cotto-Jennings is an acceptable return fight for Cotto. And the closer we get, the more I love Pavlik-Rubio. Pavlik will be out to make a statement, and for Rubio this is a huge opportunity. I'm genuinely OK with paying 35-40 bucks to see this card.
Another if you missed it: Jose Canseco and Danny Bonaduce drew in a "celebrity" boxing match. The fight consisted of three, one-minute rounds, so it was a three-minute "fight." Canseco stands about 6'4", while Bonaduce is 5'6". Said Canseco after the fight, "If he were my size, he probably would've knocked me out of the ring." Most of the crowd (about 1,500) started to leave before a decision was announced, and I don't get these things because Canseco generally admits he can't fight worth a damn. I know he needs the money, but couldn't he just get a job?
On the subject of "bad boys," Ricardo Mayorga no-showed the promotional event in Sunrise, Fla., for the February 14 HBO triple-header that he's headlining. Hey, whadda ya gonna do? You buys your ticket with Ricardo, you takes your chance.
On the subject of crazies, actor Mickey Rourke will be boxing WWE star Chris Jericho at WrestleMania this year. I've said before I was a huge pro wrestling fan growing up, and I still love watching the older stuff, but today I just can't watch. It's that loser John Cena what ruined wrestling for me. Anyway, Rourke's new movie The Wrestler is up for Oscars and Rourke just won the Golden Globe for Best Actor (Drama), so I'd imagine this is Vince McMahon capitalizing even though the movie doesn't exactly glorify the pro wrestling industry.
I saw the movie, and I think it works better if you don't already know all those things about pro wrestling. Like if it would shock you that a washed-up wrestler lives in a trailer and scrapes through life. It's good, though. I have to admit it does amuse me that Rourke gets some press again for acting, and immediately he's off trying to do other things again. Give it up, Mickey. You're an actor.
Larry Merchant will be with HBO through 2011.
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23 comments
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Comments
I just need to say for a 44 year old woman… Marisa Tomei is a damn hottie.
by Zocalo on Jan 29, 2009 1:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
she's smokin
"I was trying to rob him. And he took my gun from me. And the gun was full of blanks. And he shot a blank into my eye. And now I cannot see from this eye ever again, the doctors say."
"Well to be honest it sounds like it's all your fault."
by SC on Jan 29, 2009 1:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Just out of Curiousity
If he loses to Jericho will Boxrec.com show his record as 6-1?
And yes it’s a joke… honestly when has a celebrity ever lost at Wrestlemania. Well from what I can remember from what I use to watch several years ago.
Watching Manny Pacquiao fight live--great...
Watching Manny Pacquiao shadow boxing on the roof of an abandoned building--priceless
by CRAZEDANG1280 on Jan 29, 2009 1:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
where are the sites?
I was trying to get to Duddys last fight in NYC but something came up.
by ryanwk628 on Jan 29, 2009 1:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
MSG in New York, Chevy Center in Youngstown, OH for the Pavlik fight
"I was trying to rob him. And he took my gun from me. And the gun was full of blanks. And he shot a blank into my eye. And now I cannot see from this eye ever again, the doctors say."
"Well to be honest it sounds like it's all your fault."
by SC on Jan 29, 2009 1:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
500 bucks each
I can get 2 ringside row K in MSG haha.
Should have just seen duddy at roseland when I had the chance.
by ryanwk628 on Jan 29, 2009 1:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Cherry/Peterson
Is a good fight from the standpoint of developing Peterson. He’s progressing gradually, and this is a good next step. I assume the fight will be at lightweight, so Cherry’s fighting at the weight he belongs at (135). I think Peterson is just better than Cherry, but it could be a fun and interesting fight.
Also: FWAH! FWAH FWAH FWAH!
by schraubd on Jan 29, 2009 2:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
FWAH!
"I was trying to rob him. And he took my gun from me. And the gun was full of blanks. And he shot a blank into my eye. And now I cannot see from this eye ever again, the doctors say."
"Well to be honest it sounds like it's all your fault."
by SC on Jan 29, 2009 4:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Merchant
Do you mean he just signed to be on till 2011 or 2011 will be his last year with HBO?
I’m confused
by Option27 on Jan 29, 2009 2:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
HBO picked up his extension
So that’s how long his contract currently runs.
"I was trying to rob him. And he took my gun from me. And the gun was full of blanks. And he shot a blank into my eye. And now I cannot see from this eye ever again, the doctors say."
"Well to be honest it sounds like it's all your fault."
by SC on Jan 29, 2009 4:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
No way Hatton deserves the P4P title if he beats Pac. Pac’s a small fry fighting with the big boys, that’s why he gets so much credit. If Ricky wins, well, he’ll have beaten a guy that started out about the size of a fifth grader. If he wants the p4p title, he can go and try to fight at super middleweight and dominate a top fighter, cause that’s pretty much the equivalent of what Manny has done. Hatton’s overrated p4p as it is (but at least he’s fought tougher competition than certain fighters rated above him lol).
It's not the size of the dog... It's whats in the fight of Bernard Hopkins! -BHOP
by blackpage on Jan 29, 2009 2:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
But at least Hatton's statement
is not as bad as DLH claiming he was going to lift the p4p title from Manny. bwahahaha
It's not the size of the dog... It's whats in the fight of Bernard Hopkins! -BHOP
by blackpage on Jan 29, 2009 2:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I just had to say
The graphic that came with this piece had me rolling. Buster’s reign of terror over the HW division is getting a little fuzzy for me these days. Was this actual video game?
"I want to see ocean. I want to see black people. I want to see palms." - Wladimir Klitschko
by jrok on Jan 29, 2009 3:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
yep
Back in the days when video game developers were jumping through fire to put ANY sports celebrity’s name on a game, and Buster was briefly the thing in boxing. Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing was a superior game in every way though, even if I did break the rental copy of it that I had in frustration. I threw the cartridge, it split in two, and the chip was stuck edge first in my closet door. I was freaking out, but I glued it all back together and the Movie Zoo never figured it out. And the game still worked!
"I was trying to rob him. And he took my gun from me. And the gun was full of blanks. And he shot a blank into my eye. And now I cannot see from this eye ever again, the doctors say."
"Well to be honest it sounds like it's all your fault."
by SC on Jan 29, 2009 4:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If I recall correctly
There was a Julio Cesar Chavez game for the Super Nintendo that came around the same time as the Buster Douglas game. I think the game was in full Spanish and actually not bad at all. It’s surprising how good most boxing games turn out.
by keyz on Jan 29, 2009 5:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Punch out was still the best
And I always found Ring King to be the most difficult
-Brian
by bp on Jan 29, 2009 8:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
For readers who live in S. Florida
I hear the Campbell v Funeka/Angulo v Mayorga card is selling tickets 2 for 1.
Vogt early, Vogt often.
by Brickhaus on Jan 29, 2009 4:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I'll start calling him Richar
When he beats somebody.
Or when someone spells Nazim/Naazim/Nazzim/Nasim Richardon’s name definitively. Ambiguity in boxing name spellings is a PLAGUE.
by Tim Starks on Jan 29, 2009 5:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I've usually seen Nazim
But HBO used Naazim this week and then it was spelled like that in George Wills’ column. I’m going with Naazim now, I think. Goddamn names.
"I was trying to rob him. And he took my gun from me. And the gun was full of blanks. And he shot a blank into my eye. And now I cannot see from this eye ever again, the doctors say."
"Well to be honest it sounds like it's all your fault."
by SC on Jan 29, 2009 5:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Don't think anyone mentioned it...
But it appears Rourke vs. Jericho ain’t happenin
http://defamer.com/5141542/defamer-exclusive-mickey-rourke-tags-out-of-wrestlemania
by keyz on Jan 29, 2009 5:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
thank god
"I was trying to rob him. And he took my gun from me. And the gun was full of blanks. And he shot a blank into my eye. And now I cannot see from this eye ever again, the doctors say."
"Well to be honest it sounds like it's all your fault."
by SC on Jan 29, 2009 5:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Jericho/Rourke
Those in wrestling think that it’s just posturing so that the Academy doesn’t hold it against Rourke in his Best Actor journey. They think that once the Oscars are over, the match will be back on.
by roheblius on Feb 2, 2009 7:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

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