Cloud, Ramos vs Rigondeaux Off: Showtime's New Year's Eve Boxing Canceled

by Scott Christ on Dec 7, 2011 6:09 PM EST in Boxing News Analysis

Don King, Rico Ramos, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Dan Goossen are free on New Year's Eve after all, as Showtime has pulled the plug on their card. (Photo Courtesy Goossen Tutor Promotions)

Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com reports that the scheduled New Year's Eve boxing double-header on Showtime has been canceled, as Showtime has rejected Gabriel Campillo as a replacement opponent in the main event against Tavoris Cloud.

Cloud (23-0, 19 KO) was set to defend his IBF light heavyweight title against Zsolt Erdei (33-0, 18 KO), but Erdei pulled out of the fight after suffering a hand injury in training.

Campillo (21-3-1, 8 KO) was in California, in shape, and willing to take the fight, by all accounts. Apparently he was offered the fight, and was brought to the table for Showtime to approve, but the network turned it down.

I'll take a guess and figure that Campillo isn't a big enough name, but if Campillo's name value in the United States is a 0.2 out of ten, Erdei's is like, 0.5. If you're already set to go, why not just go? It's still a good fight, and Showtime has over the years prided themselves on giving deserving fighters a chance.

Also canceled is the 122-pound title fight between Rico Ramos (20-0, 11 KO) and Guillermo Rigondeaux (8-0, 6 KO), which has now been postponed twice, as it was originally going to take place on the Cotto vs Margarito card on December 3.

It's not like this was a huge show, and I'm sure the Ramos vs Rigondeaux fight will be rescheduled, and Cloud vs Erdei can still happen later, too, but damn it all, it was something for those of us who hate New Year's Eve to do. What a bummer.

Showtime's final boxing broadcast of 2011 will now be the December 30 ShoBox ShoCase for returning names Jermain Taylor (vs Jessie Nicklow) and Andre Dirrell (vs Darryl Cunningham) in California.

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Comments

What a strange decision. Where’s the logic in turning Campillo down? Surely in the basis of his Shumenov performances they know he’s not the most boring of fighters to watch and that he’s a top 10 LHW.

Still searching for an alive Dan Tucker.

by Dafs on Dec 7, 2011 7:08 PM EST reply actions

I wasn’t watching this card anyway (it would only get in the way of a night of heavy drinking and debaucheries to start the new year in a proper shameful haze), but this is one strange choice, assuming there isn’t anything more to the story. Campillo, diminished as he somewhat is, would have still qualified as a true test for Cloud, or at least his biggest since Glen Johnson.

by El Destruyo on Dec 7, 2011 8:18 PM EST reply actions

minor update!

The general feeling among everyone is Showtime wasn’t really that interested in even doing this card, so they just took Erdei pulling out as an excuse to kill the show.

Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."

by Scott Christ on Dec 7, 2011 8:26 PM EST reply actions

I love boxing more than I should, but I don’t think that Ramos vs Rigondeaux would be worth watching drunk, and who knows how many people would show up there. I mean you don’t want to have a fight in front of 200 people… oh wait… HBO did that with Bradley fights and Dawson fights…

"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."

by Zocalo on Dec 7, 2011 9:44 PM EST up reply actions