Andre Berto will be meeting Freddy Hernandez as part of HBO's November 27 Marquez/Diaz & Caballero/Litzau triple-header.

Boxing FanHouse - Andre Berto to Fight Freddy Hernandez on Nov. 27

WBC welterweight (147 pounds) champion Andre Berto of Winterhaven, Fla., will make the fifth defense of his crown against Mexico City's Freddy Hernandez on an HBO televised, Nov. 27 card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, his promoter, Lou DiBella, told FanHouse.

One of these days Berto will step up in competition, but this isn't the fight.  Hernandez has some power as evidenced by his one punch icing of DeMarcus Corley earlier this year, but the 31 year old Mexican doesn't bring much else to the table and given his total lack of hand and foot speed, it's hard to see him winning rounds in this one.

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Gary Shaw told me he's talking to HBO and Don King about a possible Tavoris Cloud-Chad Dawson fight for the Feb/March time frame.

With Pascal occupied, this would be as good a fight as either Dawson or Cloud can make right now.   In terms of the match-up, Cloud likely won't present Dawson with the same kind of issues Chad struggled with last time out against Pascal.  He can put his punches together and does have pop, but the movement and speed that the Montreal fighter troubled Dawson with aren't really part of Cloud's repertoire.  He'll have to bring pressure and fight at a steadier clip than he did against Johnson if he's to make Dawson uncomfortable.

It looks like Khan/Maidana might have company on December 4, with another interesting 140lb clash reportedly in the works...

Boxing Scene - Schaefer: Victor Ortiz Can Make a Statement With Kotelnik

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer has confirmed that former champion Andriy Kotelnik (34-4-1, 13KOs) is being considered as the opponent for Victor Ortiz (27-2-1, 27KOs) on December 4 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Ortiz-Kotelnik would be the HBO televised co-feature to Amir Khan's defense of the WBA title against mandatory challenger Marcos Maidana. The story was first reported by Ruslan Chikov of BoxingScene.com.

The big question surrounding Ortiz is the youngster's ability to hang in when the going gets tough.  Kotelnik isn't a big hitter, but as we saw against Alexander, he's an accurate steady fighter capable of pushing the pace of a bout and he should give Ortiz twelve tough rounds.  It will also be nice to see the tough Ukrainian junior-welterweight rewarded for his performance against Alexander with another HBO date.

Fightnews.com - Ndou, Alvarez clash December 4

"I gave Miguel Cotto a good fight and he’s a much tougher boxer than Jose Cotto. Alvarez win over Baldomir was predictable. I sparred Baldomir recently and I know he’s a shot fighter. I know Alvarez is looking for a win over a veteran but I want him to know he has picked on the wrong veteran. I am going to kick his ass." - Lovemore Ndou

We probably won't find out anything new about Alvarez from this match-up as Ndou's lack of size and power, plus his come forward style likely isn't going to be much of a test for the Mexican youngster.  Still, Ndou is easily better than Jose Cotto and isn't as far gone as Carlos Baldomir, so this is a small step up for the 20 year old.

With only one round of fights left in the opening stage, former 175lb top dog Glen Johnson has joined Showtime's Super Six fray...

ESPN - Glen Johnson replaces Mikkel Kessler (injury) in Super Six

He said he is not concerned about making the 168-pound weight limit because he has so often weighed in for his 175-pound light heavyweight bouts a few pounds under the limit.

"I typically weigh in at 172 pounds for my light heavyweight fights," he said. "I will have no trouble making the 168-pound limit as a super middleweight."

When the possibility of getting the spot in the tournament came up a few days ago, Johnson said he was going to start working on his weight immediately, even before his entrance was official.

We've seen several veteran fighters miss weight in recent years, but Johnson has always been the consummate pro and perhaps he knows his body well enough to confidently move down to 168.  But even if he makes the weight, will he still feel strong when he steps between the ropes?  Given the fact Johnson weighed in at 192 (according to HBO's unofficial scale) on fight night against Tavoris Cloud, this kind of dry-out has to be a concern for the 41 year old veteran.

Boxing Fanhouse - Tim Bradley: 'I Will Sign the Contract' to Fight Devon Alexander

WBO junior welterweight champion Tim Bradley of Palm Springs, Calif., told FanHouse moments ago that he will sign the fight contract "over the next couple of days" agreeing to terms for a Jan. 29 , HBO-televised unification bout with southpaw WBC and IBF counter part Devon Alexander of St. Louis, Mo.

"I've got the contract, and I'm going to be signing it over the next couple of days. Finally, now everything is pretty much ready. I'm happy about this fight. Even though I feel like I'm taking this fight on short money, I still want this fight," said Bradley, who is 26-0, with 11 knockouts.

Good news, but probably best to wait until it's actually official before getting too excited.

Boxing Scene - James Kirkland Could Face Raines, Sierra or Findlay Next

Among the three opponents being considered for Kirkland, who has not fought since March, 2009 when he stopped Joel Julio, are 24-year-old Delray Raines (18-8-1, 13 KOs) of Paris, Ark., 22-year-old Francisco Sierra (23-3, 21 KOs) of Mexico, or 26-year-old Derrick Findlay (17-3, 11 KOs) of Gary, Ind. Raines is the leading candidate.

Raines has been blown out twice in the last year, but obviously Kirkland isn't going to be matched tough in his first bout back from his law enforced break.  As Sierra has been campaigning at 168, one can assume he's likely not in the running.

Fightnews.com - Spina to face Echols now

Three-time world title challenger Antwun "Kid Dynamite" Echols has replaced "Sucra" Ray Oliveira as Joey "KO Kid" Spina’s opponent for Saturday night’s main event on the "Last Man Standing" card in Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

Once a worthy foe for Bernard Hopkins, Echols has nothing left but the willingness to step in and take punishment for a paycheck.  It's a sad situation.

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A rematch with Chad Dawson would have been nice. So would a showdown with Tavoris Cloud. Instead, it's starting to look like Jean Pascal will be putting his 175lb title on the line against boxing's grumpy old man, Bernard Hopkins...

AOL FanHouse - Lem Satterfield... "Actually, I had a very good conversation with Pascal's promoter, Ivan Michelle. And, you know, I have to say that things are looking pretty good," said Schaefer. "We actually talked and we'll talk again. One date that was mentioned because of the availability in Canada was Dec. 18."

After the Jones/Hopkins eyesore, does anyone really want to see Hopkins in there again?  He'll make Dawson's measured effort look downright reckless by comparison.  From Pascal's perspective, this is probably the best possible move.  The payday should be substantial and the risk not as great as that posed by some of the other names mentioned.

The new date for the 126lb clash between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez might be in early November...

Boxing Scene - Jhonny Gonzalez.... Featherweight challenger Rafael Marquez expects his fight with WBO champion Juan Manuel Lopez to receive a date in the month of November. Despite reports in Puerto Rico of a date in late October, Marquez is hearing the fight with Lopez is going to take place on November 6. Marquez injured his wrist and the thumb on his right hand. The fight was scheduled for September 18 in Las Vegas and was postponed due to the injuries.

Good to hear the delay won't be too long. The Mexican sharp shooter is reportedly still training despite the injury, but will not be able to use his injured right hand until late September.

ESPN New York - Michael Woods... At Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, New Jersey-based promoter Gary Shaw recently told ESPNNewYork.com that he was confident he would soon have a deal signed with Slice. After weeks of negotiations with Slice's advisor "Icy" Mike Imber, Shaw told ESPN that he'd inked a deal and that Slice would debut sometime between October and December, depending on how much progress he makes with trainer Clemente Medina, a California-based tutor.

Good luck to Kimbo, but he's going to have no more success in the boxing ring than he did in the octagon. Perhaps if he was in his early 20's, there would be a chance - albeit a very slim one - of molding Slice into a capable boxer. But at age 36, the chances are nil. That doesn't mean he won't rack up a few wins, as Shaw will likely dredge up a few hopeless opponents in order to create some noise.

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It's hard to get too excited just yet as the date is some ways off, but it looks like Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander will be meeting on January 29...

AOL FanHouse - Lem Satterfield.... The negotiations involving Shaw, who represents Bradley, and King, who handles Alexander, were conducted with HBO President of Sports, Ross Greenburg, and, the network's Senior Vice President of Sports, Kery Davis, "went great," according to Shaw.

"HBO made us an offer that I accepted and that Don King accepted. Now we have to go back to the fighters and see if they'll accept the offer. If they do, then the fight is on. If they don't, then there will be no fight," said Shaw. "The fight is absolutely, 100 percent a 50-50 split. I don't discuss money, and I won't discuss any of the other terms except to say that it's a 50-50 split. Both sides are equal partners."

Some of the appeal of this one might have been lost after Alexander's struggles with Andriy Kotelnik a couple weeks back, but it's still a very good match-up.  There's also the added significance of possibly determining a successor to Manny Pacquiao as the man at 140lbs - Bradley is currently ranked #1 and Alexander #3 by Ring Magazine.

Jorge Linares will be back in action on October 24 in Tokyo against Jesus Chavez...

BoxingScene - Hilmar Rojas... Venezuelan boxer Jorge "Golden Boy" Linares has set his return for October 24 in Tokyo, Japan against Mexican veteran Jesus "Matador" Chavez. It was announced by Teiken Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, the co-promoters of Linares.

It's probably time Jesus Chavez retired, but he still likely has enough to give the classy Venezuelan some solid (albeit fairly routine) rounds.  Expect The Boxing Bulletin's Japanese Scene to have more details on this one very soon.

The always entertaining Guillermo Jones is reportedly set to step back in the ring in October against Valery Brudov...

Fightnews.com - Gabriel F. Cordero... Today WBA executive Vice President Gilberto Jesus Mendonza announced that WBA cruiserweight world champion Guillermo Jones will be defending his crown against Valery Brudov from Russia, with the fight landing at the Roberto Duran Arena in Panama City on October 2.

As Jones is 38 years old and hasn't fought in nearly 2 years, one has to wonder what he has left at this stage.  If he's 75% of the fighter that stopped Firat Arslan back in 2008 (and that's obviously no given) he should still have enough to get by Brudov, who hasn't been all that active either.

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It appears talks are once again looking promising for a Sergio Martinez - Paul Williams rematch (and yes, we've heard that line many times before), though instead of taking place on October 2, the fight will be pushed to November if a deal gets done...

ESPN - Dan Rafael... "It's moving in the right direction," DiBella said of the negotiations. What's interesting are the reasons why the talks re-ignited this week. One reason was because discussion of Williams challenging junior middleweight titlist Sergei Dzinziruk didn't get very far because of a wide gap in the money available for Dzinziruk, who has a monster minimum from co-promoters Gary Shaw and Artie Pelullo if he headlines on HBO's "World Championship Boxing," a price of $750,000, I am told. So forget that.

If accurate, that's a real head shaker.  How's Dzinziruk going to make his name on this side of the Atlantic with such a prohibitive price tag?

On the subject of fighters pricing themselves out, Alfredo Angulo asking for more than $750,000 for a crack at Martinez has been another reason for the revival of the Martinez/Williams talks.  According to his promoter Gary Shaw, Angulo was reportedly offered a chance at the middleweight crown at a catch weight of 157lbs, only to ask for more money.  The deal offered to Anugulo is said to have also included a clause for a comeback fight on HBO should he have lost, along with the promise that he would keep his #1 rating at 154lbs. 

Angulo has since given his reasons for not accepting the deal...

Boxing Scene - Ryan Burton...  When I told him that it had been reported that he asked for $1 million dollars Angulo had this to say - "Look they offered me $750,000 for the fight and I told them to give me a little more. I told them I would take the fight for $900,000. It was basically take it or leave it. They didn't negotiate or anything. I heard from my managers one time and that was it."

Can we just get a good fight made for Sergio Martinez?  The man clearly wants to get back in the ring against top opposition... yet potential opponents keep dragging their feet.  With the option for a Dzinziruk fight apparently off the table, hopefully Paul Williams will finally step up.  As for Angulo - he's done little to deserve the opportunity, and given the no-lose nature of the deal, it's hard to see the merit in his stance.

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by Corey Erdman

While SHOWTIME's Super Six World Boxing Classic has not yet exploded onto the general sports scene the way everyone involved had hoped, it has sparked quite the trend within the world of boxing.

In May of this year, HBO went so far as to produce a vignette narrated by Max Kellerman promoting the idea of a tournament pitting the top junior welterweights against one another, before any number of promoters and fighters balked at the idea altogether.

However, it seems the network with recent experience in organizing these types of parties is getting the construction paper and glitter out for another set of invites.

Recent reports have suggested that SHOWTIME is attempting to organize a second six-man tourney at bantamweight, involving IBF champion Yohnny Perez, Joseph Agbeko, Vic Darchinyan, Abner Mares, Nonito Donaire and unified WBC and WBO champ Fernando Montiel.

"My understanding is that they're looking to put on another Super Six," said Frank Espinoza, who manages Mares and Perez, in speaking with The Boxing Bulletin. "It's a very hot division. As far as I've heard, that's the plan."

Continue reading this post »

HBO's always been on board and fans have been clamoring for it.  Thankfully it looks like both sides are too, and the much anticipated rematch between Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez is likely very close to being a done deal for October 2....

AOL FanHouse - Lem Satterfield... Sampson Lefkowicz, a business manager for Martinez, told FanHouse that their rematch "had some final details to be worked out" but it was almost done. It is a matchup that had been being pushed for by HBO President of Sports, Ross Greenburg.

It's very hard to come up with a good reason why Martinez and Williams shouldn't battle it out next.  It's a chance for Martinez to even the score after coming up short in a gruelling crowd pleasing brawl many observers felt he deserved to win.  For Williams it's a crack at the middleweight crown that eluded him when scheduled bouts with Kelly Pavlik fell through.  Given the way the fighters violently meshed so perfectly in last December's classic, you have to feel it's almost a certainty we'll get plenty of action once more from these two.

But should the rematch not happen - and it would be a REAL shame if it didn't - another option for Martinez, who has also been linked to a possible clash with Alfredo Angulo, might be a showdown with the break-out star of Saturday's big show, Dmitry Pirog...

Boxing Scene - Rick Reeno... Several ringside sources from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas advised BoxingScene.com that Artie Pelullo, promoter for WBO middleweight champion Dmitry Pirog (17-0, 14KOs), and Lou DiBella, promoter for WBC champion Sergio Martinez (45-2, 24KOs), were exchanging text messages about a potential unification fight.

It's easy to see why this one appeals to both camps, as it makes sense for Pirog to want to quickly cash in on his big splash, and Martinez might see the contest as a little safer than the Williams rematch.  It's also a nice looking fight from a fan perspective as the style match-up looks good with Pirog's pressure balanced against the craft of Martinez.  A nice fight - but Williams/Martinez has to be the preference at this stage.  Let's hope this one stays on the backburner for now and perhaps the winner can duel it out with the talented Russian early next year.

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It looks like there's some good news for fans that like a lot of leather exchanged as Yonnhy Perez and Joseph Agbeko appear ready to battle it out again.  The gruelling give and take encounter they engaged in last October was one of 2009's best fights and it's hard to see these two bantamweights not providing us with an outstanding second act.

FightNews.com... The bout was scheduled to go to purse bid today but Perez’ promoter Gary Shaw and Agbeko’s promoter Don King informed the IBF today that they reached an agreement.

In other news, middleweight Felix Sturm will be back in action facing Giovanni Lorenzo after more than a year on the sidelines due a promotional dispute...

ESPN - Dan Rafael... Lorenzo will get a second crack at a middleweight title when he faces Felix Sturm on Sept. 4 in Cologne, Germany. The deal with promoter Arena-Box was finalized Wednesday, Kurt Emhoff, Lorenzo's attorney and co-manager, told ESPN.com.

It's not the most thrilling match-up as Lorenzo has shown himself to be a level below the division's best, but Sturm has looked vulnerable and the New York based Dominican has enough pop to potentially make things interesting. More intriguing bouts for Sturm could lie in the non too distant future, with Gennady Golovkin (in action next week against Milton Nunez) and Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam waiting in the wings for their shot at the German's strap.

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