Devon Alexander / Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

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Carlos Acevedo gives his thoughts on this past weekend's boxing action.  For more from Carlos, check out his blog, The Cruelest Sport.

Most observers thought that Devon Alexander would beat Juan Urango, but Alexander surprised nearly everyone at the Mohegan Sun by scoring a spectacular 8th round knockout over the durable Colombian. Urango had never been stopped before, and Alexander, until now, did not have a track record as a power puncher. Indeed, many of his combinations appear to fall into the pitty-pat category, but the uppercut he landed against Urango last night was like an RPG.

It was perfectly timed and executed. In fact, Urango was practically lifted into the air by the force of the blow. It is a testament to his will and conditioning that Urango was able to rise from the knockdown, but he was floored again seconds later by a right hook to the side of the head. A groggy Urango, now 22-3-1, again beat the count, but was in no condition to continue.

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In this edition of One More Round, Carlos Acevedo gives his thoughts on this past weekend's boxing action along with a couple stories of promoter misconduct.  For more from Carlos, check out his blog, The Cruelest Sport.

Edwin Valero vs Antonio DeMarco

Wild man Edwin Valero showed signs of being civilized after flogging Antonio DeMarco Saturday night into a TKO stupor at the Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico.  It took longer than his first nine fights combined, but Valero, now 27-0 (27), eventually chopped down a game DeMarco, whose corner wisely called a halt to the drubbing after the ninth round.  There were no knockdowns.

Valero, now 27-0 with 27 knockouts, overcame a gulch of a cut on his forehead (courtesy of a stiff DeMarco forearm shiver) in round two and a few sharp counter right hands to take DeMarco apart round by round.

Valero showed more control than he has on many of the grainy Youtube clips that first fostered an interest in him.  Usually Valero starts each fight like a man who has consumed a gallon of Red Bull in his locker room before the ring walk and more often than not lays low an opponent before his caffeine high wears off.  Last night, however, Valero fought with more calculation than usual after settling down in the middle rounds, realizing, perhaps, that DeMarco was no Whyber Garcia.

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Mark Lyons is back with his weekly look at upcoming and recent fights. In this instalment of One More Round, Mark gives his thoughts on last weekend's big fights, while looking at ahead to Pavlik/Espino and what's in store for 2010...

Last week had some significant fights and some Heavyweight fights. There really isn’t much of note to finish out the year, so I want to wish you all a Happy Holidays as we prepare for what should be an incredibly exciting 2010 for the sport.

My take on this past weekend's action...

-- Timothy Bradley looked spectacular in dominating Lamont Peterson in the fight I enjoyed most over the weekend. He hurt and floored Peterson early with his right hand and then switched to his underrated boxing skills to cruise to a wide, if not easy, victory.

-- After pegging Bradley to beat Witter, I have picked against him 3 fights in a row, and been proven wrong on each occasion. Bradley just keeps marching through the very deep 140 pound class. This was a P4P level performance and I can’t wait to see him back in there.

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Photo © Justin McKie - Tim Bradley headlines Saturday night's Showtime main-event against Lamont Peterson.

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Mark Lyons is back with his weekly look at upcoming and recent fights.  In this instalment of One More Round, Mark gives his thoughts on last weekend's HBO show, while looking at ahead to Diaz/Malignaggi and Bradley/Peterson.

Great fight last week in Atlantic City and a bunch of fights coming up this weekend. Forgive me for my brevity, but I’m battling an illness that has knocked me out.

My Take on this Past Weekend's Action...

-- Paul Williams & Sergio Martinez gave the fans all they could expect and then some. Paul showed off his grit and tremendous chin as he leaned into flush power shots and kept on coming. Martinez displayed more toughness than I think anyone thought he had along with his defensive skills and incredibly fast hands.

-- I think we saw the two best 154/160lb fighters in the world giving it all they had, and while I haven’t had a chance to re-watch the fight, on first viewing I had Williams taking the last round and the fight by a point.  Regardless of what that one pathetic scorecard added up to, it was extremely close, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to score it for Sergio the second time around.   Let's do it again!

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Photo © Ray Kaprowicz - Paul Williams highlights this Saturday night's HBO show.

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Mark Lyons is back with his weekly take on recent and upcoming fights.

This past Saturday night's card in Quebec City, appeared to to be on paper - at least to me - a fairly pedestrian card. The main event was a rematch of a fight that was close for about five minutes and the under-card fight was between a guy who hasn’t been exciting in years against a guy who I believed to be a level short of elite.

That’s why they don’t fight them on paper.

Joan Guzman with blood pouring down his face waving Ali Funeka in for more?

Lucian Bute not once but twice sending the iron chinned Librado Andrade sprawling to the canvas with single shots?

You just have to love this sport.

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Mark Lyons is back with his weekly take on recent and upcoming fights.

A coming out party for Andre Ward headlined last weeks action.  Coming up this weekend, we have a highly anticipated rematch between Lucien Bute and Librado Andrade, as well as a…..wait for it…..relevant fight involving Joan Guzman. Will wonders never cease?

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Mark Lyons is back with his take on some recent and upcoming fights.

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

Another bone breaking performance by Manny Pacquiao was the main course last week, although the appetizer was another hideous under-card from Top Rank. Coming up this week is the final, and in my opinion, the most evenly matched first round fight in Showtime's Super Six.

My Take on Saturday's Big Fight...

-- Manny Pacquiao put a vicious beating on Miguel Cotto in a fight that was exciting for a couple rounds and sad for a couple rounds. The only constant was the boss in the ring.

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Mark Lyons is back with his take on some recent and upcoming fights.

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

Another dominant, yet criticized performance from Chad Dawson (pictured right) and a farce of a PPV card on Friday night. There is a new alphabet title holder at Heavyweight and everyone is ready for the big one this weekend.

My Take on Last Weekend's Fights...

-- Chad Dawson may well be the best boxer in the world. While he remains unknown to the casual fan, he is becoming quite a polarizing figure in hard core boxing circles. He doesn’t hold and he doesn’t run, but most fans are always expecting and wanting more from him. Knocking out Glen Johnson is something that shouldn’t be expected of any fighter but that doesn’t stop people from complaining that he didn’t.

-- Dawson boxed beautifully from the outset, controlled the distance and peppered the Road Warrior with crisp jabs and body shots. Never once was he in any danger and I saw a resounding victory against a man that many thought beat him in their first fight. Color me impressed by not just his incredible skils, but his ability to adapt.

-- David Haye got the job done against the giant. But his bark was way louder than his bite in what was truly a dreadful fight. Hearing that he hurt his hand early makes his tactics more understandable, but it doesn’t give me back that thirty six minutes. With Ruiz on deck, Haye is in danger of another stinker and getting a reputation for engaging in boring fights. That wouldn’t really be fair after his thrilling Cruiserweight run, but like life, boxing is never really fair. Here is hoping he smashes Ruiz in style. But that is far easier said than done.

-- Yes, I watched the Judah/Casamayor card. The most entertaining moment was a ten minute interview with Erik Estrada by the way out of his element Michael Marley. Needless to say I didn’t agree with Marley about Judah’s low blow knockout being electrifying.

Looking Ahead To This Weekend...

-- Fight fans are buzzing for this Saturday night as Manny Pacquiao takes on Miguel Cotto at what I feel is a ridiculous catch weight. If the belt's on the line, the champ shouldn't have to weigh in 2 pounds under the division limit. That being said, it’s two of the best P4P fighters in the world and that is reason for excitement.

-- Cotto is a warrior and really is everything good about the sport. He seems to be stuck in a bizarre style transition where he isn’t sure if he is a boxer or a slugger. His only chance in this fight is to bore inside with almost reckless abandon and try to rough Manny up in close. I’m reading people talk about Miguel’s jab being a key and I don’t see him having any success with that punch. He needs to use it, but just as a means to get inside and not as a weapon. Body work is his key to victory.

-- Pacquiao, just has to be Pacquiao. Using his blazing speed of hand and foot to get there first and take advantage of Cotto’s shoddy footwork. Cotto is not capable of moving and punching at the same time, which is absolute hell against a guy like pacquiao who can change his angles in the blink of an eye. The only real question for me is how Manny will respond to a Welterweights punch, he hasn’t been hit by anybody since he left Jr. lightweight.

-- I see Pacquiao beating Cotto to the punch with his straight left hand from the opening bell. Cotto will score some here and there during some exciting exchanges but pacquaio will dominate this fight on the cards and bust up Miguel’s face en route to a mid to late round stoppage. I hope I’m wrong and the fight meets the world’s expectations. But I’m expecting another clinic from Mr. Pacquaio.

A Fight I’ve been Thinking About...

In lieu of Kelly Pavlik’s apparent desire to never stare across the ring at Paul Williams, lets look at a Middleweight that would relish the opportunity.The highly underrated and extremely rugged Mustapha Hamsho. While Paul has dealt with the pressure of a Margarito, Hamsho’s was of a different variety. His head was in your chest and he could smother Williams on the inside while Paul would enjoy a decided advantage at midrange and outside. In an exciting and bruising affair it will really come down to the judges preference. I’ll take two of three judges to reward Williams more aesthetically pleasing work and he gets a hard earned split nod in a fight that could go either way. One thing is for sure, it will go the distance and they both will almost certainly spill blood.

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