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Arthur Abraham Not Budging, Delays Trip to California
Sauerland Event sent out a press release yesterday stating that Arthur Abraham is still in Germany, delaying his arrival for a scheduled May 14 fight with Andre Ward in Carson, California. The bout is to be a semifinal for the Super Six World Boxing Classic. Here's what Wilifred Sauerland had to say:
"Contrary to what Dan Goossen said and contrary to what has been agreed upon by all parties, the Californian Commission still insists on appointing a Californian referee and a Californian judge. It is a shame that the completion of a high-profile global sporting event such as the Super Six tournament is being jeopardized by a promoter and his ridiculous attempts to protect his fighter. Goossen is using exactly the same tactics he did before the Kessler-Ward fight. He is playing dumb and he pretends to be in the dark about the Commission´s nominations. We have protested their decision to appoint a Californian referee because the contracts, which have been signed by Goossen and Ward, clearly state that he should be neither from the USA nor Europe. Most certainly the third man in the ring should not be one of Goossen´s neighbours from California!"
This doesn't look to be settling yet, but you have to hold on to the hope that this will be worked out. If the referee can't be from the United States or all of Europe, I guess you probably try to bring someone from Canada or Mexico on short notice. That is if it absolutely has to be done. My ultimate hope is that one way or another, the fight goes forward, even if the CSAC has to bend and change the referee. Frankly I don't think the referee matters. Abraham only does well with referees that don't allow body shots and opponents who aren't particularly good.
Bad Left Hook Radio
Hey there! I'll be recording the podcast in a few days and it will go up on Wednesday, so if there's anything you want me to talk about on there, shoot me an email with "BLH Radio" as the subject. The show will mostly cover previewing the Pacquiao-Mosley show, but we'll also talk about Prizefighter, Sylvester-Geale, the Friday shows, etc. We'll be hosting it through Podbean, so you'll be able to either stream it or download it, whatever you choose. Chances are the debut episode will be fairly long since there's a lot to talk about.
Today's Live Coverage
At 3pm EDT, we'll have live coverage of Darren Barker's bid to reclaim the European middleweight title against Domenico Spada. Dave Oakes gave us a preview of that one yesterday. Depending on availability, we'll cover one of the fight cards tomorrow night, too. Hopefully it will be the Luis Lazarte-Ulises Solis rematch from Argentina at 10pm, but we'll see.
Last Night's Results
- Friday Night Fights: Carlos Molina got Allen Conyers out in seven, and Hylon Williams Jr. won an uninspiring decision over Marcos Herrera. Next week's show is a Top Rank showcase for Diego Magdaleno, Bernabe Concepcion and Mike Lee. (Full Recap)
- Solo Boxeo Tecate: Peter Quillin was way too much for Jesse Brinkley, stopping him in the third round. Lonnie Smith beat David Rodela in an entertaining six-rounder. Next week's show has Librado Andrade v. Aaron Pryor Jr., and Enrique Ornelas v. Hector Hernandez. (Full Recap)
Link Parade!
- If you're a UFC guy (look, I know we have at least one female here, but it's not exactly our target demographic), make sure you check out Bloody Elbow, MMA Mania and SB Nation MMA today. UFC 129 is a huge show tonight in front of 55,000 in Toronto. I regretted last night that we didn't do a cross-posted article with one of the MMA sites about UFC 129 as compared to Pacquiao-Mosley, with each side arguing for "their sport." I think my argument would have been, "Well, we have Manny Pacquiao," but I'm stumped after that.
- Chris Cozzone's photos from Friday Night Fights.
- Nonito Donaire's photos from Friday Night Fights (yes).
- Frankie Gavin wants a fight with Amir Khan. I think Gavin is one of the best prospects in boxing, but eeeeease up there, "Funtime."
Song of the Day
In honor of Zab Judah's appearance on Friday Night Fights last night, Wu-Tang Clan's "Uzi (Pinky Ring)." Language is, as you would expect, definitely not safe for work.