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Mosley Ready for a Sweet Time!

Pandorasboxing.com welcomes you to the May’s first featured super-fights. This really is a clash of the titans and as usual brought to you by Sal (writer/journalist), I will give my usual harsh but honest opinion and chance of both men.

This is much anticipated bout between WBA Welterweight King ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley and Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather Jnr. The bout has come about after each fighter had fights with Pacquiao and Berto fall through respectively. The title isn’t on the line as Mayweather refused to pay the title sanctioning fee, telling us it’s about the legacy not titles now, hmm less said about that the better! The fight is being broadcast on Sky Sports 1 here in the UK from MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The pre-fight has been the usual circus act and ultra inflated ego you expect from the boxer formally known as ‘Pretty Boy’. He has recently quoted us that he is better than Muhammad Ali and ‘Sugar’ Ray Robinson, funny he you would be hard pressed until this fight to name another live welterweight he has actually fought! Greatest? I will refrain to comment further otherwise I will never finish this article! Then he followed this up by questioning Manny Pacquiao being named as the fighter of the decade and again trying to question the Philippino’s integrity, truth is it is nothing short of jealousy and accusations are just a smokescreen to run away from the ‘Pacman’. He also followed that up by questioning Mosley’s legacy questioning if he is truly one of the best, well I’m sure Mosley will be happy to show him in the ring. As usual I could fill the page with the drivel and pointless rhetoric that Mayweather Jnr spewn before the fight so we’ll leave it at this.

The problem here is Mosley is useless at trash talk, but he has hinted he is out to end Mayweather Jnr’s record and knock him out, this is a theory other pros agree with, when asked about the fight De La Hoya stated there will be a knockout and it will be ‘sweet’.

Tale of the tape, Mosley tipped the scales bang on 147 lbs while Mayweather Jnr scaled in at 146.5 lbs, although it is almost equal expect Mosley to be a lot bigger on the night as he has a bigger frame. Mosley stands at 5’ 9” while Mayweather Jnr is an officially an inch shorter at 5’ 8”, Mosley when stood face to face does seem even taller. Mosley has a 2 inch reach advantage with his 74” reach over Mayweather Jnr’s 72”, this could be interesting if Mosley tries to box Mayweather Jnr at range and play him at his own game. Bicep, thighs, wrists, chest etc are all in favour of Mosley who is the bigger more powerful man.

Age favours Mayweather Jnr who is 33 while Mosley is the old warhorse at 38 years old, but has had somewhat of a renaissance with victories over Mayorga and Margarito in recent years. Mosley recently has turned back the clock but it has been 18 months since his last bout and that could be a factor, has he aged more over the past year? Mayweather Jnr is a young 33 as he has rarely ever got involved in tough boxing fights he prefers to run away to points victories.

Records, Mosley has a record of 46 wins with 39 by way of knockout with 5 losses against his name. A 75% KO ratio you know when you step in the ring with ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley he has the ability to stop the fight at any time with one punch.

Mayweather Jnr has an unbeaten record of 40 wins with 25 coming by way of knockout. His 62.5% knockout ratio hardly strikes fear into opponents unless they run into the punches like Hatton did! Even then most of the knockouts came years ago at lower weight, he even failed to knock out the blown up lightweight Juan Manuel Marquez.

Mosley has a few losses to his name coming against twice against Ronald Wright and twice against the departed Vernon Forrest, and recently against Miguel Cotto. He also should have lost against De La Hoya where he was taught a lesson. But he is the kind of fighter that has always come back from defeat and that is what will put him into history, he knows no fear and that can’t be said of his motor mouthed opponent.

As said Floyd Mayweather Jnr is unbeaten but this is largely deceptive as he should have suffered a loss to Jose Luis Castillo in the first fight, where experts has Castillo 5 rounds up! He also has a a questionable split decision victory over the ‘Golden Boy Oscar’ De La Hoya. Mayweather Jnr is largely undefeated due to ducking many opponents and cherry picking opponents, he doesn’t go out to face the best and face anyone out there, he looks for an angle, he may find he is mistaken come tonight when Mosley steps in front of him.

Mosley’s last performance was his exceptional demolition of Antonio Margarito, Margarito was found prior to the fight with illegal hand wraps but until Mosley demolished him he was feared and avoided especially with that chin which seemed to enjoy pain! Mosley unlike Cotto didn’t try to box and move but punch and move side to side and conserve energy, it was the perfect game plan against the Mexican and eventually even Margarito’s chin couldn’t take the punishment with the stoppage coming in the ninth round.

Mayweather Jnr’s last performance was his boxing lesson against Juan Manuel Marquez, but what did it prove? Exceptional as Marquez may be he was a blown up lightweight, Mayweather Jnr came in over the limit, and even then he could not stop the Mexican.

Mosley hold excellent victories over Golden Johnson, Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas, Luis Collazo, Ricardo Mayorga, and Antonio Margarito.
Mayweather Jnr’s best victories have come against Diego Corrales (weight drained), Jose Luis Castillo (second fight), Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Juan Manuel Marquez.

On fighting styles, Mosley is a powerful presence in the ring that seems massive for the weight. He has fast hands (just as quick as Mayweather Jnr), and knockout power in both hands, he likes to use boxing skill mixed with his destructive power to control fights and if he can finish it early. His footwork isn’t as quick as it used to be but his style, class and combination punching ability still warrants the famous ‘Sugar’ moniker. Mosley has the reach to nail you from distance but he is more than happy in close and has devastating uppercuts when he chooses to throw them. Mosley will however have to use his jab more then he usually does, he can sometimes use it sparingly and doesn’t always use it to full effect. He also can be lazy and produce low punch outputs in middle rounds, where it seems sometimes he can switch off like against Miguel Cotto.

May-run-away-weather Jnr style is survival, running, fear fighting. He is smart, defensive master, and supreme footwork and reflexes couple with lightening hand speed, but he rarely shows us if ever his ability as he is content to do what is needed and no more. He will never put it on the line, even if a fighter is wobbling as he fears any attack coming back. Mayweather Jnr is happiest when he can run away and box off the back foot using his jab to dissect his opponent until he has nothing left, only then will or maybe will step in. Unfortunately he is far more entertaining in his ring walks than he is in the ring.

Fight plans, Mosley’s key to victory is to control the fight, this is usually one of his strengths but he didn’t show this against Mayorga despite the brutal knockout at the end.
He will have to try to control the pace of the fight, if he allows Mayweather Jnr to dictate the pace he may find that he pace of the fight and chasing Mayweather Jnr may make him feel his age. He should try to use his jab and shots to the body to slow Mayweather Jnr down would be advised. Mayweather Jnr has the tendency go against the when he is in trouble or wants to sucker the other fighter in, if he does this Mosley should go for big power shots, as against the ropes he may slip some shots but he doesn’t have the space to run!

On to Mayweather Jnr he must stay on his toes, and constantly move laterally, if he backs up straight Mosley can hit you with a knockout punch, although do you expect Mayweather Jnr to do anything else? His game plan is the same against any opponent it involves, jabbing, running, conning the referee, ducking low to avoid power shots, tying the opponent up close not letting him work on the inside, and trying to tire his man out before usually working the last minute of the rounds and trying to steal rounds. Mayweather Jnr Will knock at any point of the fight come on the front front, he will be content trying to take this fight into the later rounds and trying to take Mosley on points, this is probably the best way as Mosley hasn’t done well against boxers who box for twelve rounds ala Forrest, Cotto or De La Hoya did.

What do I think will happen? Well I expect the first couple of rounds to actually be quite close to call. Mosley would be best served to play Mayweather Jnr at his own game, if Mosley chases Mayweather Jnr it will play into his hands. So a measured approach rather than the usual pressure way people fight could suit Mosley. Mayweather will have some success in parts boxing off the back foot, and I expect him to probably do better in the middle rounds where Mosley may try to take a breather. But unlike what people expect I can see Mosley coming on strong towards the end with Mayweather Jnr running for dear life to avoid the power shots coming his way. I expect Mosley to start to have success from mid-late rounds and I can see even with Mayweather Jnr up closely on the scorecards catching a couple of big shots and being rendered unconscious. I do dislike Mayweather Jnr’s style and personality and everything he represents but maybe this is affecting my prediction, it may be I am predicting with my heart over mind but let’s see.

Too Sweet for Mayweather Jnr!

Prediction: Shane Mosley wins KO Round 11

Kessler Finds Anti-Venom to the Cobra!


Welcome back to the boxing revolution that is Pandorasboxing.com! Journalist/editor Sal here to examine Pandorasboxing’s last featured fight!

Today’s article is the post fight report on the a second round bout from the much appreciated Super Six, this fight was for the super-middleweight WBC title belt held by Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch against Mikkel ‘Danish Viking’ Kessler,. Pandorasboxing is happy to have predicted another correct result, had it not been for Froch’s granite chin the stoppage and spot on prediction may well have come to fruition! The bout had been aired on Primetime TV here in the UK from Messecenter Area in Herne, Denmark, thankfully due to both being European and fight being held in Denmark we finally had a clash on at a decent time!

Kessler walked to the ring with a poise and steely look, a look of determination and destiny, while Froch came to the ring calm and very relaxed.


Round one, the round and match started with Kessler trying to establish his dominant jab and working off it getting through with a couple of left hooks and a right, Froch launched a few attacks but nothing really connecting and not enough to score the round. Kessler staked Froch while froch only stepped in when trying to throw punches.

Pandora’s scoring R1: 10-9 Kessler.


Round two, exchange of jabs at the start of the round but Kessler’s straight sharp jabs were connecting better than Froch’s low guarded slingy jab. Close round but again Froch largely wild and missing with most his shots and Kessler did connect a couple of times with his big right and also a leaping left hook with about 1:13 left on the clock. Good exchange at the end of the round but again leaning towards Kessler, more work and more accurate.

Pandora’s scoring R2: 10-9 Kessler.


Round three, straight away at the start of the round Kessler snapped Froch’s head back with a stiff jab. Kessler stalking Froch towards the ropes and anytime Froch backed up Kessler went with a left hook and big rights, not many connecting but showing the judges aggression. At 1:34 left on the clock worth watching the wildest and loosest shot I have ever seen as Froch missed with a left hook by about a foot and ended up pirouetting! But Froch did manage to finish strong and probably did just steal the round.

Pandora’s scoring R3: 10-9 Froch.


Round four, tame opening minute to the round but exploded into life when Kessler nailed Froch with a big one-two and Froch responded with a quick combo of his own. Again a close round and I would have to score it for Kessler just, even though Froch managed to stay more central Kessler probably got the better of the exchanges.

Pandora’s scoring R4: 10-9 Kessler.


Round five, Froch wild and loose again, but did get through with a left hand that did connect clean but Kessler took it well. With about 1:30 to the bell with Kessler still on the front foot Froch launched another attack none of the punches connecting but Kessler tripped going backwards. Froch did have to smile soon after as Kessler tagged him hard after Froch was mounting more offence. Big one-two at the end of the round from Froch nailed the round for him.

Pandora’s scoring R5: 10-9 Froch.


Round six- Round twelve- will be reviewed before the full article will follow.

To the scorecards, I predicted Kessler by late stoppage but fighting against the granite chin of Froch he failed to stop him inside the distance, partly also due to losing his rhythm after picking up a bad cut over his eye. I fancied Kessler and so it proved to be correct as he came to the fight focused and was the aggressor for most of the fight. Kessler won on the scorecards with scores of 115-113, 116-112, 117-111. Pandoras scorecard will be updated here once I have reviewed the last six rounds.

On to the analysis of the fight Kessler as I have mentioned before was focused maybe more than ever before, he showed fire and determination couple with a very good game plan perfectly executed. Kessler unlike often sustained his attack over twelve rounds showing heart and good stamina and he was always the man on the front foot. He was always in control and only showed lapse in concentration when he picked up the bad cut.

Froch did what he always does he was strong, solid, and powerful, tried his best to get the better of exchanges and relied on his granite chin to get him out of trouble. But as I said in the pre-fight article I fancied that this wouldn’t be enough this time and it proved not to be. This style gets you wins against top level fighters but at elite level it betrays you, and Kessler worked him out and outworked him and was the man on the attack. Having a wide open guard, pot-shoting, no combinations, being loose and wild and not to mention relying on your chin to keep you in the fight is not what any champion should be doing in a fight of this magnitude.

Kessler may be a little disappointed having not put Froch away but he put a lot of energy into the early half of the fight and begun to tire, if it wasn’t for Froch’s chin he would probably have got that knockout victory, as some of those shots would have knocked out any of the other top super-middleweights. Kessler did not always load up his shots, especially later in the fight as he was wearier of cut.

Kessler was most successful in the fight when he worked off that crunching jab and then brought into play his left hook to the body which he connected with all night long and also that danger punch the straight right, which he didn’t always throw or connect enough with.
I was extremely impressed with after the initial lapse in concentration how Kessler coped with a really bad cut, he could have capitulated but he reasserted himself and showed courage. Froch tried to open it up and pour on the pressure but Kessler showed enough class to cope with it.

Froch was overall poor, defensively, guard, game plan wise, and also the lack of ability to change style to combat what was in front of him, loose punching, wild and only throwing single shots. But Froch had success when he kept his guard up and worked off his jab when his hands were up, maybe he should think about that in his next fight. Froch did have success with his power catching Kessler at times in the fight but single shots aren’t enough at this level.

Compubox isn’t used by Showtime, but here’s some numbers for you Kessler threw 765 and
connecting with 147 (19%), Froch threw 546 connecting with 98 (18%). That shows Kessler was largely the busier man and also more accurate landing nearly 50 more punches.
Styles make fights, as the age old saying goes and that is what happened here. Froch’s open gladiator style works well against most fighters but against Kessler he was up against a man the same size, powerful and with a good chin. Once Froch couldn’t bully him or stop him coming forward the fight was Kessler’s. Froch’s wide open stance and guard was tailor made for Kessler’s ramrod jab and straight right.

Where does Mikkel Kessler go from here? Well he has reannounced himself as a top if not the top man in the super-middleweight division but he cannot afford to lose his title against Allan Green. Now he has the top belt (WBC) he needs to make sure he doesn’t produce another lacklustre performance like he did against Andre Ward, he must defend it!

As for Froch, it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire, I really don’t fancy his chances against the brutal Arthur Abraham. But Froch has heart, desire, and has done it before maybe he can prove me wrong? I just hope he doesn’t carry out his threat of quitting the super six if he doesn’t get home advantage.

Kessler finds Viking Power!

The Viking or The Cobra?

Pandorasboxing.com welcomes you to the second of April’s featured super-fights. Brought to you by Sal (writer/journalist), I will give my usual harsh but honest opinion and chance of both fighers.

This is a second round bout from the much appreciated Super Six which has brought together six of the best super-middleweight fighters in the world, albeit one in Jermaine Taylor has now has to excuse himself from the table replaced by a capable but inferior Danny Greene. This is the super-middleweight title fight for the WBC belt held by Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch against Mikkel ‘Viking Warrior’ Kessler, Froch won the vacant title after it was relinquished by the great Joe Calzaghe, since Froch has beaten Pascal (to win the title), Taylor, and Dirrell in distinguished victories boosting his reputation around the world. This clash is being broadcast on Primetime TV here in the UK from Messecenter Area in Herne, Denmark.

The pre-fight hasn’t been a war on words as you would expect from two men that prefer to do the talking in the ring. Kessler is the ice cool Dane and rarely gets entangled in a war of words. Froch is a bit more argumentative and likes to boast but can hardly be labelled as a trash-talker as is isn’t exactly the sharpest tongue around.

There is a mutual respect yet both have threatened to knock each other out and prove they are the best, with Froch stating that after he is done with Kessler the Dane will have to retire. Kessler didn’t look himself prior to the Ward fight but there seems cold and callous steel about him in the build up and that might not lead to good things for Froch. Froch as his circus personality has someone yet again managed to call out and mock Joe Calzaghe, his obsession is negative and if I was him I would be concentrating more on the focused Kessler.

Tale of the tape, there is almost no difference in physical, both fighters will come weighing in on the scales at 12 stones limit and being of similar height and build probably put on an equal amount come fight night. Froch is 6’ 1” while Kessler is 6’ 1”, this won’t make any difference, as Froch doesn’t stand tall and has a hunched languid style. Kessler has a reach of 73” to Froch’s 74.5”, Froch is a dominant fighter with his jab and you feel if Kessler unlike his fight against ward gets his trip hammer jab going it could be key. Both have similar measurements chest, wrist, thigh, and ankles but when you look at them side by side Kessler looks the stronger built, standing straight with that chiselled body, Froch is more rangy and taller hence not looking as strongly built.

Age favours Froch, but only by a couple of years with Froch aged 32 and Kessler the younger at 31. The fear for Froch is that is macho fighting style may have aged him more than the more methodical Kessler, Froch loves a tear up and war and rarely backs down but his open style may have given him punishment that will eventually catch up.

Records, Kessler has a record of 42 wins with 32 by way of knockout with 2 losses against his name. A 72.7% KO ratio suggests he has power to trouble most fighters out there but really a fighter with his quality and power should have even a higher KO ratio.
Froch has an unbeaten record consisting of 26 wins with 20 by knockout, although being a champion for sometime time now it was only over the last couple of years he has established himself as an elite level fighter. His KO ratio is an impressive 76.9 % which is due to his aggressive style and impressive power punching.

Kessler has the two losses on his record one against the brilliant Welshman Joe Calzaghe. It was a brilliant fight and Kessler can take pride in he was as close as anyone came to beating Calzaghe. In the first 6 rounds he gave Calzaghe a torrid time especially with his solid jab and ramrod straight right, in the end Calzaghe had the class and brilliant ability to switch game plan and box with quick combinations and step off.

His other loss was in his last fight losing his title to Andre Ward when the fight was stopped due to cuts and Ward won comfortably on the scorecards. While Ward implemented a similar style to box Kessler he was helped with questionable refereeing, use of elbows and head butts and most importantly a very under par Kessler.
While Froch doesn’t have the footwork of technical boxing ability to do what Calzaghe and Ward did he does have power which might be enough to knock Kessler out of his game plan and stop him taking control which he likes to do.

Froch being undefeated doesn’t know what is like to lose, although he probably should have lost his unbeaten record and title in his last fight against Andre Dirrell. The danger for Froch is being undefeated he may not know just how determined and full of desire Kessler is after losing to Ward and having to give up his WBO strap.

As mentioned Kessler last fight was his awful performance losing his title to Ward. Although Ward in parts boxed brilliantly when he wasn’t using his head and elbows the main reason Kessler lost wasn’t because of this but due to his performance not being anywhere near his best or even an average performance. It is unlikely that Kessler will put on another show this bad, but if he does that almost certainly will spell the end of his career.

Froch’s last performance was in part along similar lines although he had the benefit, good will or luck call it what you may to survive a torrid twelve round performance against Dirrell and still win a contentious decision. His positive and aggressive nature coupled with Dirrell insistence not to get involved in a boxing match swayed the judges to allow the WBC champion to keep his belt. Dirrell in parts boxed Froch’s ears off, not allowing Froch a clean or static target. Kessler has great boxing skills and ability but is not this type of boxer, but he will take note of how easy Froch was to be hit in the fight itself.

Kessler’s hold good victories over Julio Cesar Green , Anthony Mundine, Markus Beyer, Dimitri Sartison and Librado Andrade. There would probably be a few more names on this CV but this is in part due to Kessler being largely avoided particularly after his fight with Calzaghe when even as champion he found few opponents prepared to fight him.

Froch has had a string of very good victories recently and as I quoted earlier it is over the last few years he has come to the fore with wins against opponents such as Reaper, Jean Pascal, Jermian Taylor, and Andre Dirrell. You could say over the last few years Froch has actually fought better fighters than Kessler even though until his loss to Ward he was widely regarded as the best super-middleweight in the world.

On fighting styles, Kessler is an intimidating presence in the ring who gives you the impression you can’t hurt him. He has a dominating jab and a lethal ramrod right which he uses to great effect. Kessler also has that power which you can’t teach or eat too many punches if you are on the other side of the ring, and also has underestimated hand speed. Footwork although not very fancy is effective and he uses range to time his opponents onto his punches. Kessler tends to throw hard straight shots. As well as is renowned hard right he has an extremely dangerous uppercut in his arsenal. Kessler also has a solid guard and defence with a granite chin.

Froch similarly to Kessler has a physically intimidating presence in the ring, he tries to bully fighters with his strength and power. He has a languid and almost lazy style, with his jabbing hand held very low, this does leave him open but also an advantage when he wants to throw his own power shots. Froch isn’t blessed with great hand speed but his has natural power is definitely his equaliser, as he showed in the fight against Taylor winning a 12th KO. Froch boxes with almost a hunched back as he leans forward enticing his opponent to attack, it doesn’t always work for him as he doesn’t possess Roy Jones Jnr’s Neo-like Matrix reflexes, but this toughness and solid chin usually keep him upright (only being knocked down once in his career).

Fight plans, Kessler’s key to victory is to control the fight, this is usually one of his strengths but he didn’t show this against Ward, he will have to rediscover this. If he does manage to take control of the centre of the ring and the pace of the fight his next part of his plan has to be to try to dominate Froch, he should be planning on doing this by nailing him constantly with his penetrating jab and following it up with his big straight right, Froch because of his low hands and wide stance is almost always susceptible to straight shots. Kessler also has to be better on the inside then he was against Ward, he never worked on the inside and Froch does often look the man to the judges on the inside because he often works hard on breaking. If Kessler doesn’t work on the inside the fight could become messy and suit Froch.

On to Froch his points to victory must be also to control the fight, Froch doesn’t box very well on the back foot nor chasing a man as he often becomes inaccurate and wild, therefore he must try to slow the pace of the fight down and hold the centre of the ring. The only time it will be in Froch’s favour to speed up the action will be on the inside, as any work and big shots will be seen by the judges and I don’t expect that much coming back in that situation from Kessler. Froch doesn’t have Ward’s speed but he can more than match him for punch power and awkward style, this is key Kessler doesn’t always look good against odd fighters and sometimes takes him to long to get into his groove, Froch has to unsettle him and not let him find his groove. Froch can hurt Kessler if he catches him enough but he will have to be more measured and methodical as Kessler will aim to make this a boxing match not a brawl.

What do I think will happen? Well I expect the first couple of rounds to actually be quite slow with both fighters feeling each other out, Froch will be aware that Kessler will be more hungry and Kessler will want to start better than he did against Ward therefore not rushing in. I expect the action to be split fairly even until rounds five or six but then for Kessler to take control. Up till this point I would expect Froch to be getting through but the reason I expect Kessler to take over is Kessler’s hard straight counter punches might start to take an accumulated affect towards mid to later rounds. Once in command I can’t see Froch turning this one around. He has the power so he could still be a threat but I think his grit, fight and pride may mean that he could take an even greater beating then he should, maybe with the corner or ref having to step in the late rounds.

Viking slays the Cobra!

Prediction: Mikkel Kessler wins TKO Round 10

Haye Silences the Quiet Man!

Pandorasboxing.com welcomes you to the review the first of April’s featured super-fights. Brought to you by Sal (writer/journalist), I will give my usual clinical view of the fight, fighters and their respective performances.

Haye conquered Ruiz by technical knockout in the ninth.

I must apoligise for the delayed review but the full report will follow shortly.

Loudmouth vs Quiet Man

Pandorasboxing.com welcomes you to the first of April’s featured super-fights. Brought to you by Sal (writer/journalist), as usual expect my honest opinion of both fighters and the bout.

This is the Heavyweight bout for the WBA world title between David ‘Hayemaker’ Haye and John ‘The Quietman’ Ruiz, for Haye’s title which he won against Valuev, who won the title from Ruiz! The show has been named Lord of the Ring, less said about the marketing the better! This is a clash being broadcast on Sky Box Office from MEN Arena in Manchester, England.

The pre-fight hasn’t been that exciting, usually you expect more mind games and annoying publicity stunts from our brash Champion but he has been by his standards relatively quiet. He however has predicted that he will knockout the Quietman and move on to bigger things (meaning one of the Klitschko brothers).

Ruiz seems quietly confident pardon the pun, he has told us he will come to win and bring the fight to Haye. Saying he was happy to fight Haye even though he is a better fighter than Valuev it is a better fight for Ruiz, hmm remains to be seen, to me just sounds like a guy that got fed up fighting the big lump.

Tale of the tape, you would have expected more stats to favour the natural heavyweight Ruiz but bar weight Haye has the advantages, Ruiz weighed in at 16 stones 7 pounds while Haye weighed in at 15 stones 12 pounds, an significant amount if Ruiz can make the fight physical and messy. Ruiz stands at 6’ 2” tall while Haye stand at a mere 6’ 3”, only an inch difference but still an advantage and will mean Haye can sit down on his punches and be more explosive unlike in his last fight where he lost a lot of power punching upwards. Reach wise both measure up with a reach of 78”. With no real advantage for Ruiz you struggle to see where he will find a win from.

Age favours Haye, as Ruiz has been on the world boxing scene for years and now you can say is in the twilight years of his career at 38, whereas Haye introduced himself on the world scene in the cruiserweights at a young age and is still a fresh 29 years old, and now has a years experience in the heavies. Ruiz despite being a capable fighter his style may have aged him even more, but he looks in very good shape compared to his last number of fights.
Records, Ruiz has a record of 44 wins with 30 by way of knockout with 8 losses (1 by knockout) against his name. A 53% KO suggests he isn’t a big puncher but is more reliant on wearing opponents down. Saying that with Haye’s stamina and chin still questionable at the weight Ruiz is still capable of hurting him?

David Haye has an impressive record consisting of 23 wins with 21 inside the distance and only the one loss. With a devastating KO ratio of 86% Haye is power puncher with both hands and goes into this fight as the man more likely to score a KO victory.

Ruiz has lost 8 times, most notable in relation to this fight will be his devastating losses to Roy Jones Jnr and David Tua. Against Roy Jones Jnr he was exposed by Jones’s speed, footwork and technical ability, it was a bad loss as a solid heavyweight at world level to lose to a man moving up from middleweight. This fight would be a good blueprint for Haye, as he will carry those same advantages and skills Jones used to beat Ruiz.
Against Tua he was obliterated in one round, he came into the fight undefeated but he was taken apart as Tua backed him against the ropes and pinned him there connecting with massive power shots, also a sickening one on the way down too. While Haye may not have quite as destructive power as Tua he definitely has enough to hurt, stun or stop Ruiz if the fight goes his way. Haye should try work Ruiz in the ropes and corners as this would give him time to unload in a controlled position, much the way Tua got on top of him.

Haye only loss was a stoppage defeat at the hands of veteran Carl Thompson in the fifth round. It was a shock loss as many saw Thompson on the wane and past his best and thought it was perfect time for the young big punching Haye to win the title. Ruiz should take note as Haye caught Thompson a number of times with big shots and instead of picking his shots to finish the fight he punched himself out, stamina issues and a suspect chin remain a question although lasting the twelve rounds against Valuev has moved some way to suggest it may be in the past.

Ruiz has a impressive performance albeit against average opposition in Germany scoring a seventh round knockout against Adnan Serin. He dealt with what was in front of him, but on Saturday night he will find the challenge far tougher.
Haye’s last outing was his relatively easy and controlled win over Nikolai Valuev for the WBA strap, winning a twelve round unanimous decision. Haye was in control for the whole fight, and while he didn’t show the destructive power from previous fights he was still a comfortable winner, even rocking the giant in the final round. Claiming “I caned my hand in the second round!” if this is true as photos of his hand after suggest then the performance was even better.

Ruiz’s best victories were over Evander Holyfield, Kirk Johnson, Hasim Rahman, Andrew Golota.

Haye holds impressive victories over Carl Thompson, Giacobbe Fragomeni, Jean Marc Mormeck, Enzo Maccarinelli, Monte Barrett, and Nikolai Valuev.

On fighting styles, Ruiz has a very good punch output for a heavyweight and good stamina. I wouldn’t really call him a brawler as he is measured in his approach. He tries to get on of his opponents, not allowing them to control the pace of the fight, trying to make them fight at a higher pace then most heavyweights are either used to or like. He works better to the body then head using a slightly crouched style sometimes.

Haye is the loud mouthed, brash, confident, technical sharp shooter with knockout power in each hand. He has a great snapping jab and style is based around swaying and making opponents miss and then hitting him with powerful combinations and big shots. Haye is also one of the best finishers in the game. He now after watching the Valuev fight appears to have added discipline, sticking to a game plan and may have ended doubts about his stamina.

Fight plans? Ruiz must try to start fast, dominate Haye not allowing him to settle into a grove. If Ruiz can outpunch and outlast Haye as he claimed he is looking to do he may stand a chance of taking this fight into later rounds or to a decision which may suit him. He must as well as having a high output be weary of being caught on the way in, if he starts getting countered Haye’s power will take a fast affect. Trying to keep the fight at close quarters, and roughly Haye up, and tying him up when Haye threatens must be the plan for the night anything else will end in an evitable loss.

For Haye the plan is simple use his speed, power and superior boxing skill. Unlike the Valuev fight this is different, he will need to be more of a matador and try time Ruiz coming in onto his punches. Success will be dependent on if he can keep Ruiz off him, to do this he will need to establish his jab, and the best place to jab from is the centre of the ring. As I said before I would take note of the way Roy Jones Jnr and David Tua beat Ruiz, using Jones’s speed and fight plan and try to back Ruiz into the ropes of corner whenever he can will help Haye to victory.

What do I think will happen? I think Ruiz will have a decent opening three rounds or so, he is to durable to fall quickly as many believe. He will have some limited success but at the cost of taking punches coming in. Haye may find he has to by his time and work Ruiz during the fight, once he has the impetuous will change drastically to Haye’s favour. Once Ruiz feels some of Haye’s power and maybe starts slowing from counters the fight will be lost as his high output and aggression is key for him. Haye will then start to pick him off and end the fight late on, there is a chance of Haye winning on points but such a victory wouldn’t enhance his reputation and so he need an impressive knockout victory.
Haye silences the Quiet Man!

Prediction: David Haye wins KO Round 8

Pacman Devours Clottey!

Pandorasboxing.com welcomes you to the review to one of the first and biggest fights of the new year. Brought to you by Sal (writer/journalist), you will get the usual in depth review of both fighters and the fight.

I was happy to have provided you with another correct result although Clottey braving via negative tactics survived the onslaught.

Pacquaio bludgeoned Clottey over twelve one sided rounds to win an unanimous decision.

I must apoligise for the delayed review but the full report will follow shortly.

CAN CLOTTEY BE GRAND MASTERED?

Welcome boxing fans, to another edition of Pandorasboxing.com, journalist/editor Sal here. Pandora covers all the massive fights and there is no bigger catch in boxing then Manny Pacquiao! I will give my usual critical analysis of the mouth watering fight to come.

Today’s article is the pre fight report on Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao vs Joshua “The Grandmaster” Clottey, this is for WBO welterweight title which Manny Pacquiao won after his devastating victory over Miguel Cotto. The winner could be in line to face the winner from the “Sugar” Shane Mosley vs Floyd “Money” Mayweather bout, which would be very lucrative and possibly give the winner the undisputed Welterweight Champion.

The pre-fight has been has been quite relaxed and you can see the mutual respect between the two fighters. Clottey is assured us he will be the victor and has thanked Pacquiao for the opportunity, saying many have ducked him and that fighting and beating Pacquiao pound for pound champion will make everyone notice him. Pacquiao as usual has left his talking to his talented coach Freddie Roach, who has predicted Clottey will suffer his first ever knockout loss.

Tale of the tape,
At the weight in Pacquiao tabled 145.5lbs and Clottey bang on the limit 147, reports have suggested Clottey had difficulty getting to the limit but I’m unsure of this. Come fight night Pacquiao will table 150lbs approx and Clottey will be a heavy 160lbs. Is this an advantage or will it make him even slower? Funny though how Roach agreed to this fight taking place at the proper 147lbs welterweight limit but made Cotto limit 145lbs even for the title.

Pacquiao stands at 5’ 6.5” while Clottey stands an inch taller at 5’ 8”; it is a significant height advantage, also as Clottey stands tall and uses a solid jab and counter-punching style which will use the height advantage.

Clottey also has a three inch reach advantage of 70” over Pacquaio’s 67” reach. If Clottey can keep Pacquiao off balance and bouncing off his counter punches he may find some success, but Pacquiao will try to use lateral movement to negate Clottey’s reach and height advantage.

The fighters records read as Pacquiao won 50, 38 by KO, lost 3 (2 by KO) and 2 draws, Clottey has won 35, 20 by KO, with 3 losses.

Although Pacquiao has lost three fights the last was in 2005 a unanimous decision to Erik Morales, and since then he has established himself as a world-class fighter who has stepped up divisions with ease. Many experts and recently Mayweather himself pointed out his two losses by KO but they are dating back to 1999 and 1996 since then he is a completely different fighter. His three round KO loss to Medgoen Singsurat for his flyweight title was a hard fight to examine as he struggled and failed to make weight.

Clottey also has the three losses on his CV but he has never been stopped, although he suffered in first knockdown in his close loss to Miguel Cotto, in his last fight. Clottey’s losses have come against Cotto, Margarito, and Baldomir by Disqualification. This shows us he tough, determined, driven, warrior and with heart, these attributes are typical of his Ghanaian background.

Pacquiao may be currently the best boxer and the number one pound for pound champion but he is facing the man who at 147lbs is a teat tough beast of a man who rarely allows any opponent an easy fight. Will Pacquiao be able to add his third victory in the welterweight division?

Pacquiao has explosive power which even stepping up in weight seems to have enhanced, he has a 69.1% KO ratio; Clottey has a 51.3% KO ratio, not exactly frightening, for such a strong fighter you would expect better but he isn’t a big puncher and being a counter-puncher relies generally goes for 12 round decision victories. Pacquiao holds a big advantage in power as he throws his punches with lightening speed and from odd angles; Clottey has power but more thudding power which drains opponents rather then takes them out, he rarely commits to trying to KO his man, even when wounded like Cotto was in their fight.

Both fighters are of similar age, Pacquiao is 31 and Clottey is 32 years old. Both look like they could go on for years to come with their professional approach and dedication to the sport. Both coming from poor backgrounds and struggling on their way to the top have desire which has driven them not to do anything which would hinder their careers. Clottey defensive style means he has taken little beating, while Pacquiao for years has become a refined boxer/puncher which has extended his career.

Recent form also suggests Pacquiao is the cream of the crop, but Clottey over the last few years has finally been getting more prestigious fighters to face. Pacquiao is coming off destructive wins over Cotto, Hatton, De La Hoya, not forgetting his impressive points over Marquez. I wouldn’t not read too much into his win against the Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya as De La Hoya was weight drained and a shell of the fighter he once was!

Pacquiao’s victory over Marquez may be interesting as he was the last pure boxer and counter-puncher he fought, similar in style to Clottey although Marquez commits far more to attack then Clottey offers.

Clottey recent form has been a loss to Cotto, and a good win over Zab Judah.
Last fights, both of these fighters faced Miguel Cotto in their respective last fights. Clottey was in a close 12 round decision which Cotto edged, many and Clottey thought he won but I scored the fight in Cotto’s favour. Cotto also put Clottey down for the first time in his career and managed to really pick him apart until the cut caused by a head butt. Clottey struggled even when fully in control towards the end of the fight to see Cotto off.
Pacquiao was in arguably the fight of 2009 when he stopped Cotto in round twelve. Cotto did give Pacquiao some trouble in the first 5 or 6 rounds but the second knockdown sucked the life out of Cotto and from that point he was in survival mode trying to just land a big shot to change the fight. What was worrying is that Pacquiao managed to walk through massive shots and shots that would have knocked out most fighters.

Styles, expect Pacquiao to be like grease lightening, explosive, throwing punches from all angles. Pacquiao must try to box his fight and hit Clottey with all his artillery and circle and use lateral movement. He must stay weary of staying in the pocket as this is where Clottey and his size and weight advantage would tell, and he could rough him up with both his fists and head! Pacquiao will have success if he throws quick combinations and moves, even when badly cut and hurt Cotto was able to use his feet and catch Clottey and move, Clottey can be one-dimensional and his footwork isn’t the fastest.

Clottey will do what he usually does, I expect him to be cagey, counter-punch, and try rough up Pacquiao if he gets inside the pocket. Clottey doesn’t mind using his head if things happen and as we saw against Cotto, I don’t think Pacquiao will deal well if he gets badly hurt or Clottey can bully and shove him about. Clottey despite being a relatively methodical boxer may still be able to hurt Pacquiao due to his size and natural power especially as he hasn’t been made to fight under 147lbs. However Clottey will have to improve on his peek-a-boo defence and style as affording Pacquiao so much time and space to get off his shots will be fatal!

How will the fight go?

Clottey with be cagey at the start of the fight but Pacquiao will have to take his time and not rush it as Clottey is a tough and strong fighter and it’s unlikely Pacquiao can take him out in the first five rounds, so it’s best he doesn’t gas himself going for a quick knockout.

I expect Pacquiao to use a similar template to the way he beat Cotto, Cotto was dangerous when Pacquiao stood in front of him in the early rounds so I expect Pacquiao to use a lot of lateral movement and come in and out of range with quick flurries of punches.
Clottey may have a bit of success with counter-punching with Pacquiao coming in but I think he will struggle to win rounds as Pacquiao higher work rate and more eye catching power punching will rack up the rounds.
By the later rounds Clottey will realise he is behind on the scorecards and try to chase Pacquiao opening up, this will only serve into Pacquiao’s hands and Pacquiao will catch Clottey with some big shots and I can see his famous straight left doing the damage as he steps around as Clottey will start to lunge in.
Come rounds eight Pacquiao will be full in control and I expect him to end the fight either in this round or round nine.

The Pacman should be considered favourite due to his reputation and his recent devastating performances destroying bigger guys, but he will have to be careful as Clottey is a dangerous customer and his defensive style could cause him problems. It’s a fight Clottey could cause a massive upset.

Prediction, Pacquiao win by TKO Round 9.

Lopez vs Luevano – WBO Featherweight title

This weekend features the much anticipated battle of the southpaws between Juan Manuel 'JuanMa' Lopez and Steven Luevano for the WBO Featherweight championship of the world. Lopez currently holds the Super Bantamweight version of the title and is moving up in weight for his first foray into the Featherweight division.

Lopez is undefeated with 27 wins and 24 knockouts. He was the man to beat at Super Bantamweight and holds impressive victories over Penalosa, Lonchi and the Mtagwa in recent contests.

Luevano is the defending champion and is established at the weight. All of his last five bouts have gone the distance, aside from a recent victory via disqualification over Concepcion.

Lopez is clearly the bigger puncher but we have to factor in his moving up in weight class and whether or not he will carry the same power at Super Featherweight. Lopez would have learned a great deal from his fight with Mtagwa and will have matured as he overcame some tough times to score a points decision victory.

Luevano is more a patient and skilled operator. He will look to take the fight into the later rounds and frustrate Lopez into making mistakes and capitalising. Lopez will look to force the fight early and trade shots with Luevano.

Luevano is the more experienced fighter with a record of 31-1-1 and 15 knockouts. He is not a big puncher but what he lacks in this area he makes up for in defensive knowhow and the ability to survive when things aren’t going his way. Lopez will come out with all guns blazing and try and take Luevano out early, but i can see Luevano staying smart and avoiding Lopez’ biggest shots. I pick Luevano to pull off a decision by staying cool and boxing to his strengths.

Prediction : Luevano wins by Majority Decision

Needs to Re-Vitali-se?

Welcome back to the boxing revolution that is Pandorasboxing.com! Journalist/editor Sal here to examine Pandoras last featured fight!

Firstly Pandorasboxing.com would like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a good New Year as this was the last featured fight of the year! With Christmas fast approaching it seems Klitschko was in a festive mood sparing Johnson what seemed to be the inevitable fate of being knocked out!

Today’s article is the post fight report on the heavyweight clash between Vitali ‘Dr Ironfist’ Klitschko and Kevin ‘Kingpin’ Johnson for the WBC heavyweight title of the world, held by the Klitschko. The venue was PostFinance Area, Berne, Switzerland. Pandorasboxing is happy to have predicted another correct result, but feels a little annoyed as Kevin Johnson hung on for dear life to survive the predicted loss to Vitali Klitschko!

The fight was broadcast on SkySports live with interest from many fans expert and novice wanting to see Haye’s potential opponent in action. Many will know Klitschko is far better the result and performance suggested but against a opponent who had settled for just trying to last 12 rounds he looked below par and definitely wasn’t his best performance.

As for Johnson who sported a Michael Jackson t-shirt to the ring he would have done better if he ‘Beat It’ as Klitschko ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ but Johnson begged ‘Leave Me Alone’, it really was no ‘Thriller’ and Johnson was no ‘Speed Demon’ and after his pitiful and cowardice performance should look at the ‘Man In The Mirror’!

Round one, watch this round and you basically have seen the highlights of the whole fight! Klitschko immediately took the centre of the ring hit Johnson with a good left hook some good jabs and really failed to connect properly with the chopping right while Johnson back peddled and hung over the ropes and ducked everytime a punch was thrown. It was apparent from the opening 10 seconds that Johnson had no ambition to win this fight and that he had no courage to stand up straight!

Pandora’s scoring R1: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round two, pretty much more of the same. Klitschko continues to apply the pressure and Johnson strangely has more energy to trash talk instead of actually punching! Klitschko gets through a few times in the round but nothing of great note.

Pandora’s scoring R2: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round three, Klitschko as he connected more frequently with the jab but still the radar was off as he continued to try take Johnson out or hurt him with the chopping right hand. Johnson spent the entire round either running away or backing away into the ropes.

Pandora’s scoring R3: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round four, yes you guessed more of the same Klitschko stalking Johnson and Johnson doing his impression of a kid playing dodgeball! Johnson even had the cheek to gesture to the referee that Klitschko had clouted him behind the head, hmm nothing to do with the fact that Johnson was leaning forward like he was tying his shoelaces! With a minute left of the round Klitschko connect with the first meaningful power punch as he landed a good straight right. Last 30 seconds of the rounds were funny as Johnson threw a few a couple of light jabs and started shouting and mouthing off like he was in control and Klitschko was the one running away. Klitschko managed at this point to nail him a few times during this time, end of the round Johnson continued his verbal assault funny considering he offered no boxing assault and there was a bit staring at the end of the round. A small cut or mouse had formed above Klitschko’s eye but nothing that should be a problem.

Pandora’s scoring R4: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round five, Klitschko landed some good lead rights early in the round and a good 1-2 Johnson responded by doing a spaghetti leg dance to say he wasn’t hurt, but you can already tell by this point he is just trying to survive and not get caught.

Pandora’s scoring R5: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round six, tedium as Klitschko continues his assault against an opponent showing no ambition to win the fight or make this a spectacle. Another round chalked up for Klitschko. Klitschko did land one good uppercut, shame he didn’t throw more of them in the fight.

Pandora’s scoring R6: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round seven, probably Johnson’s best round beating Klitschko to the jab a few times but still lost the round as Klitschko landed the stiffer shots.

Pandora’s scoring R7: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round eight, Klitschko was more commanding in this round landing some good right hands and stiff jabs which had Johnson firmly on the back foot. Kenny Bayless can also consider himself to be an complete moron as he warned Klitschko for punching behind the head, by this point I would have considered handed Johnson a point deduction for constant ducking to a point where that is the only thing visible, afterall are you not warned protect yourself at all times?

Pandora’s scoring R8: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round nine, a good lead right hook followed by a clipping left landed early in the round for Klitschko. Klitschko was in control the whole round bar the odd counter shot coming back.

Pandora’s scoring R9: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round ten, Johnson had switched from his philly shell defence to a peek-a-boo guard and allowing Klitschko to tee off on him. Klitschko landed a couple of uppercuts up close and won the round comfortably.

Pandora’s scoring R10: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round eleven, you can see the frustration etched all over Klitschko’s face as he continued his assault, now he was finding the mark far more often. He was landing power punches and you could tell he was desperate to catch Johnson cleanly to try to continue his impressive knockout record.

Pandora’s scoring R11: 10-9 Klitschko.

Round twelve, desperate last attack from Klitschko but he just corner or catch Johnson cleanly, Johnson even gestured to Klitschko punch me on the chin, I wish Klitschko had landed flush so we never have to watch this sub standard excuse of a fighter fight again!

Pandora’s scoring R12: 10-9 Klitschko.

To the scorecards, I predicted Klitschko by stoppage but he faced a negative fighter with no ambition to try to win that fight, coupled with what was a disjointed performance left Klitschko a win against only the second fighter that has taken him the distance. In the last fight I covered I called Nikolay Valuev “possibly the worst one dimensional fighter in heavyweight history” I stand corrected, come forth Kevin Johnson and kneel as I knight you the worst heavyweight fighter I have ever seen involved in a title! Vitali Klitschko won on the cards with scores of 119-109, 120-108, and 120-108. Pandoras scorecard was also a complete shut out and 120-108, we struggled to understand how the first judge managed to give Johnson a round!

On to the analysis of the fight well it is hard to work out whether it was the style of Johnson and how negative and difficult he was to pin down and hit cleanly or have we finally seen the beginning of a decline in formidable Vitali Klitschko? Klitschko boxed well, he pressured his opponent, was always comfortable, always the aggressor, he hardly got caught and was intent to try to do damage. But the problem was we are used to seeing Vitali Klitschko take out his opponents, but in this fight he couldn’t systematically break down Johnson, who proved to be too hard to knock out in the end. A shut out would be good enough for any other heavyweight but for Vitali Klitschko I know he will be bitterly disappointed he didn’t knock out Johnson.

I was baffled by Klitschko’s plan of attack he used the jab well at times but seemed intent on throwing these powerful chopping right hands from high, but that shot never was going to do any damage on a man leaning forward and only made the fight messy as the referee always called it a shot behind the head even though it was Johnson’s position causing this.

Klitschko had success in the fight when he constantly used his jab and then turned it into a left hook. If he had continued this consistently instead of the right hand chopping down he would have had more success.

I was also completely surprised that a fighter of Vitali Klitschko’s calibre didn’t used the uppercut more often. Johnson was always leaning forward to escape that chopping right hand so if Klitschko had thrown uppercuts he would have made Johnson think twice before ducking low again, then that would have made Johnson more easy to hit if he was always upright.

Johnson deserves a mention in that he did pretty much what he wanted in that he survived, not really a mindset of any normal boxer but from the off in the fight his intention seemed only to survive and not get knocked out. He did show us a good jab at times, decent footwork, and good body and head movement (although at times probably illegal).

Compubox stats show just how one sided this fight was and just how negative Johnson was. Klitschko threw 1013 shots landing 298 compare that to Johnson who only threw 332 and landed 65! Johnson only threw 4 more shots then Klitschko landed! Klitschko landed 141 power shots in the fight, Johnson landed 5, Yes 5!

Styles make fights, as the age old saying goes and that is what happened here. I can’t fail to think Johnson would have been knocked out by Vitali’s younger brother Wladimir. The reason being because Wladimir albeit for the weaker chin is the technically better boxer of the two and the one with more shots in his artillery. Wladimir is brilliant if the opponent doesn’t carry KO power or stands off and tries to make you win the fight like Johnson did, Wladimir would have picked Johnson off. While Vitali struggles against more defensive fighters and is the tougher more rugged fighter of the two brothers with a cast iron jaw he prefers a fighter that will come to him and then his physical style and advantages show their worth.

Where does Vitali Klitschko go from here? The biggest and obvious choice is David ‘Hayemaker’ Haye who must first win his mandatory defence against John Ruiz, it’s a fight everyone wants to see so I hope Haye can overcome Ruiz. Another option which has been discussed is Vitali Klitschko vs Nikolay Valuev, Valuev has been kept away from the Klitschko brothers by Don King but since the Haye loss is stock is low and although it would be another one sided beating it would generate interest and economic sense.

As for the heavyweight Floyd May-run-away-weather Jnr I suggest he goes back to fighting boxers not in the top 20, and that is being nice I just hope I never have the displeasure of watching him fight again!

Vitali still on course for Haye!

Johnson Going to be Klitschk-over and Out?

Pandorasboxing.com welcomes you to the first of Decembers featured super-fights. Brought to you by Sal (writer/journalist), expect the usual damming assessment from me.

This is the Heavyweight clash for the WBC world title between Vitali Dr Ironfist Klitschko and Kevin Kingpin Johnson, for Klitschkos belt which he won by dismantling Corrie Sanders after the title was vacated by the retiring Lennox Lewis. This is a clash being broadcast on SkySports live from PostFinance Area, Berne, Switzerland.

The pre-fight hype has been non-existent and has been as much fun as watching paint dry, its been as if the promoters and broadcasters know Johnson sacrificial lamb to slaughter.

Tale of the tape, Klitschko in his last fight weighed in at 18 stones and still looked trim and strong usually he weighs in about 17 stones and 8 or 10 pounds, Johnson in his last fight weighed in at 17 stones and 8 and a quarter pounds he doesnt seem the most athletic or conditioned fighter and although the weight may be close on the night and weigh in I would expect the advantage for Klitschko as he would naturally weigh close to that weight whereas Johnson will be carrying excess weight. Klitschko stands at an imposing 6 7.5 and Johnson will be like most of Klitschkos victims the shorter man as he stands at 6 3. Strangely Johnson has a reach advantage according to official reports his reach is measured at 82 to Klitschkos 80 but I still expect Klitschko to dominate from distance and with his destructive jab. Klitschko also has the advantages of naturally bigger thigh, bicep and chest muscle. Physics definitely favours Klitschko in this fight.

Age favours Johnson in fact I think it is his only advantage, as Johnson is 30 years of age and Klitschko is 38 years old. Klitschko may be coming towards the end of his career at 38 years old but he always remains in excellent condition even if not fighting, and is a true professional and his experience and knowledge of fighting the best in division for nearly 10 years will be too much for Johnson. Johnson may be fresh and spritely in the opening exchanges but so was Arreola and Klitschko was more than a match for him and Arreola is a far better boxer then Johnson and a bigger puncher. Klitschko only danger is maybe one day father time will catch up with him? He could maybe age during a fight? I dont think there is anyone to rival him but time is an opponent he cant even beat!

Records, Klitschko has a record of 38 wins with 37 by way of knockout with 2 losses against his name. A 93% KO ratio shows devastating power and is even more impressive if you consider all of his victories bar one has been from a KO or TKO.
Johnson has a record of 22 victories and 9 by KO with 1 draw. Johnson in terms of power is in big trouble, against Klitshcko to win you must negate his jab by being a superior boxer JOHNSON ISNT, you must try to trouble him with your power punches to put him on the back foot JOHNSON CANT! How can he? With a meek KO ratio of 39%, only winning 9 victories out of 22 via KO. Johnsons KO ratio would be even lower had he not beaten his last three by TKO.

Klitschkos two defeats have been unfortunate against Chris Byrd he had to retire after the 9th due to an injured shoulder and the bout was stopped, later the injury was diagnosed as torn rotator cuff, many slated Klitschko for not carrying on in a world title fight he was winning easily but the seriousness and pain of such an injury would have been too much. His other loss was to great heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, the fight was stopped after round 6 due to a nasty cut sustained by Klitschko again at the time he was up on the scorecards. Dont read too much into these losses they were hard losses of which he could do nothing about and did not expose any punch resistance flaw, dodgy chin or boxing inability.
Johnson is undefeated but this is a bit of a smokescreen as he hasnt fought anyone remotely good yet or even a top 10 opponent! It really is a bit of a farce that he is getting a title shot, while some in America say he is a good boxer and will trouble Klitschko and even would be a good match for Haye I serverly doubt Klitschko will break a sweat on way to destroying him.

Kesslers last fight was his 10th round KO of Chris Arreola in a fight billed as No Mercy Klitschko did absolutely that, Arreola struggled to find a way past Klitschkos jab and his power had little or no effect on the Ukrainian man mountain. To further demonstrate just how good Klitschko was against a live and dangerous top ten fighter Arreola he landed a total of 301 shots in a fight only just less then Arreola managed to throw 331!
Johnsons last fight was an ESPN main event show against Devin Vargas after the gatekeeper of the heavyweight division Monte Barrett had to pull out due to a cut sustained in sparring. Vargas visited the canvas in rounds 3 and 5 and the corner threw in the towel in round 6, giving Johnson the TKO round 6 victory. Vargas complained about a hearing problem in the fight and had only taken the bout on a weeks notice.

Klitschko hold an impressive CV of victories, while none of these men are great enough to truly demonstrate how good Klitschko is and would have been in a better era they do show he is the MAN and the dominate force of the heavyweight division. He hold victories over Ross Purrity, Larry Donald, Kirk Johnson, Corrie Sanders, Danny Williams, Samuel Peter, Juan Carlos Gomez and Chris Arreola.

Johnson has not fought a single fighter even worth mentioning, most of the fighters he has fought have records of losses nearly the same as their victories! If I am scrapping the barrel his draw against Timur Ibragimov his good, then again he lost decisions to Tony Tiger Thompson and Calvin Brock!

On fighting styles, Klitschko isnt he most fluid of fighters he has a good technique, good guard and granite chin but uses range as defence, he footwork is effective and can cut off the ring and control fights from range, he uses his trip hammer jab and ramrod straight right hands to break opponents up before putting them out of their misery, and most importantly has real power.
Johnson doesnt really have any real weapons to speak of, an average jab, untested chin, not really light on his feet, decent enough technique and guard but not good enough for the man on Saturday night! Watching him he does have fast-ish hands if Im really clutching at straws but then they probably are no faster than Klitschkos or people he has beaten before!

Fight plans? From Klitschkos point of view and fight plan he can probably do pretty much as he pleases! I doubt anything Johnson will throw at him will have any effect and however Klitschko wants to fight should be enough for victory.
Johnson will need to try to negate Klitschkos jab, circling away from the dangerous right is also important if he is to have a remote chance, he will need to try and tag Klitschko to gain some respect otherwise I fear he will not last very long at all so I would suggest he fires fast and often in the opening few rounds and whenever he can tries to get out of range circling Klitschko to try keep him off balance and not have the base to knock him out would also be a good idea.

What do I think will happen? Well as I said with the fight plans it will be pretty much however Klitschko wants to play it, he could treat this as a glorified sparring session and drag it out or blow this guy out inside of 2 rounds! I expect Johnson to try come out and try not to get involved and land a few punches and get clear he might be successful in doing this for the first round or two, then I expect Klitschko to just take over and land raking jabs at will and those right hand bombs I think he will probably knock him down early but allow him to survive but by round 5 or 6 Klitschko would have had enough and will step in after a jab and 1-2 combo and probably send him crashing with a left hook or big straight right hand which Johnson will not get up for.

KlitschKOs Johnson!

Prediction: Vitali Klitschko KO round 6

Heads I Win!

Welcome back to the boxing revolution that is Pandorasboxing.com! Journalist/editor Sal here to examine the fight for you!

Firstly Pandorasboxing.com hopes everyone�s run up to Christmas is going well, although winter has finally kicked in full force!

Today�s article is the post fight report on the Super-middleweight, Super-six clash between Mikkel �Viking Warrior� Kessler and Andre �S.O.G� Ward for Kessler�s WBA Super-middleweight title of the world. The venue was Oracle Arena, Oakland, California, USA. Pandorasboxing is upset with the prediction but isn�t to impressed with the methods Ward used to gain victory!

Round one, much like Haye vs Valuev the first round of this fight set the tone for the rest of the fight. Ward started fast snapping out his quick left jab and hooks although nothing really landing. Kessler did connect with one good shot to the body midway through the round, Ward attempted to respond aggressively. Kessler did land a good jab towards the end of the round and just missed with a big left hook. Ward turned southpaw twice in the round. Ward edged the round on punches thrown really but already showing his negative tactics running backwards and must have circled the ring at least 5 times in the round.

Pandora�s scoring R1: 10-9 Ward.

Round two, Ward came out swinging a couple of wild hooks none really connecting but as soon as Kessler starting throwing his jab Ward was on his bike. Midway through the round Ward tried to push Kessler with an attack and Kessler responded with a excellent combination to body and head. Soon as Kessler has Ward in any kind of trouble you saw Ward tying up, hugging, running or worse which proved to be the fight talking point leaving his head in as they clinched. At the end of the round you saw Ward�s mindset as he caught Kessler and immediately tied up and then soon as the broke jabbed and tied him up again. Easy to score this round to Kessler.

Pandora�s scoring R2: 10-9 Kessler.

Round three, Ward caught Kessler often in the round with flashy fast combinations and lefts but none with any real venom, the big issue and problem is anytime Kessler mounts anything Ward either ducks low (illegal protect yourself at all times) or he clinches.

Pandora�s scoring R3: 10-9 Ward.

Round four, exciting round well once Ward stands still. Ward seems to be winning the round until he uses that touch your toes defence tactic and Kessler nails him with a couple or hooks and a left uppercut. Ward replies and catches Kessler with a good shot but only follows up with flashy shots with make no impression. Commentators were drooling over Ward in this round but I thought it was an even round which I just gave to Ward. Inflammation under Kessler right eye has formed due to Ward using his head when in close and also holding Kessler�s arms while throwing his left hooks.

Pandora�s scoring R4: 10-9 Ward.

Round five, Ward started well connecting with a few rights but Kessler settled and was more aggressive connecting with solid jabs and a few left hooks found the mark. Ward continues to duck low and grab at every occasion and for this reason Pandora nearly deducted a point at this point!

Pandora�s scoring R5: 10-9 Kessler.

Round six, good start to the round for Kessler has Ward tries a few wild shots and gets nailed with a left hook as Kessler slips it and moves at the same time. Not only at this point is Ward getting wild with his shots which Kessler slips but now leading with his head blatantly and contacting with that more this round then his hands! Ward at this point has won ever round by a mile according to the commentators but this round he was wild catching rarely and Kessler countered effectively. Pandora was also very close to deducting another point from Ward for head butting and ducking low.

Pandora�s scoring R6: 10-9 Kessler.

Round seven, Kessler didn�t continue with his success enough to make an impact. Ward nicked the round by popping shots and beating Kessler to the punch. Kessler so far has let himself down failing to establish his jab. With his eye basically closed now Kessler is just getting caught to easily, before going out for the next round complains to his trainer about not being able to see.

Pandora�s scoring R7: 10-9 Ward.

Round eight, Ward now starts to come forward as Kessler�s vision is impaired and Kessler has faded after chasing Ward for most the fight, big right landed mid round by Ward was the shot of the round. But again Ward making his biggest impression with the use of his head as another head butt and continuous leaving the head in when clinching caused a gash above Kessler�s left eye now. Kessler at the end of the round complaining he now can�t see anything coming, told by his trainer he could only win by KO now. Pandora had scored Ward this round but fed up with Ward�s tactics had deducted a further point for use of the head.

Pandora�s scoring R8: 9-9.

Round nine, ugly round as Ward basically after every punch clinched and grabbed Kessler everytime Kessler made a movement towards him, even with a wounded Kessler in front of him Ward continues to use tactics to mug Kessler for his title, Kessler however did land the best shot of the round a big left hook.

Pandora�s scoring R9: 10-9 Ward.

Round ten, yet another crude nasty headbutt as Ward ducks low and rises into Kessler as he leaps in to �attack�, only now the referee finally warns Ward for watching his head! Wow bit late don�t you think ref? Ward showed aggression finally after the warning catching Kessler often, but funny that it comes once Kessler has become somewhat of a sitting duck! Another round where you could easily deduct another point!

Pandora�s scoring R10: 10-9 Ward.

Round eleven, Referee calls for the doctor and the fight is stopped due to the cuts.


To the scorecards, due to the fight being stopped because of the head butts the fight went to the scorecards. I predicted Kessler by stoppage late on but Kessler never got out of 2nd gear and also Ward�s negative tactics coupled with his punch speed, deadly head and a few elbows thrown in the mix meant Kessler never got into the fight. Kessler was not himself on this night and it was plain to see to any true boxing expert but despite Ward dirty tactics and negative boxing he did show good skills and outboxed Kessler. Ward won on the cards with scores of 97-93, 98-92, and 98-92. Pandora�s scorecard was 96-93, and Ward was very lucky not in our view to have more point deductions.

On to the analysis of the fight well it�s very hard to judge. Ward looked sharp, quick, good jab, effective but all of this while most of the fight running away, those negative tactics really took away any chance of this fight being a spectacle. Another thing is a lot of people will say well Kessler should have dealt with it or wasn�t good enough yes to a certain degree but what if Kessler decided to use sprinter tactics and run away? You would have to guys running to opposite corners of the ring! This isn�t boxing! Ward mugged Kessler for his title, he edged it but he has a massive thanks to the referee, his boring tactics and dirty fighting. Kessler has himself to blame in that besides the head butts, running away and clinching by Ward that the person who really beat Kessler was himself as he never got going!

I have not seen hours of Ward but if this is what is on offer I hope he gets destroyed in the next fight.

Where does Kessler go from here? Firstly he must try and pick himself up and study what went wrong, namely never establishing the jab and being very one paced. He is a world class fighter who had an off night it does happen but now he needs to prove it was an off night and come up with the goods against Froch in the next fight. If Kessler and ward have a rematch depending on which Kessler turns up and if the referee can gain more control I think there would be a good chance he could win back his title, providing Athur Arbahams hasn�t knocked Ward out before then!

As for Ward he will box the same way. He will never win applause from me with a fight like that but he does have all the tools, so it depends does he was to do a mugging in very fight like May-run-away-weather or will he try to actually box as much as he runs?
Head Happy Ward makes Kessler look like Danish Pastry!

Is the American Scared of the Viking?

Pandorasboxing.com welcomes you to the third of November�s featured super-fights. Brought to you by Sal (writer/journalist), expect as always another stinging analysis of the fighters.

This is the Super-middleweight bout in the Super-six tournament for the WBA world title between Mikkel �Viking Warrior� Kessler and Andre �S.O.G� Ward, for Kessler�s belt which he won against the tough German Dimitri Sartison after the title was vacated by the retiring Joe Calzaghe. This is a clash being broadcast on Primetime live television from Oracle Arena, Oakland, California, USA.

The pre-fight hasn�t really thrown up to much controversy there is a mutual respect between the two fighters. But Ward has said in response to a comment from Kessler�s trainer �I don�t think anybody likes to get hit. Miranda hit me more than I would have liked in my last fight. But I responded and came right back. Who has hit Mikkel Kessler clean? Who has really caught him so we could see what his chin is really like? Joe Calzaghe isn�t a puncher.� Well Mr Ward, Calzaghe may not be a puncher was at the start of his career when he fought Kessler but for a guy with only 13 KO�s from 20 fights against not very notable opponents neither are you! Also he is taking the fight as personally as he feels the pressure after his two American colleague�s failures in the first two fights. Some American experts have even boldly predicted that Ward will give Kessler a boxing lesson and win a shut-out, well keep dreaming with that one! I won�t mention any names but you can read his fantasy land view of the fight on a quite popular boxing website.
Kessler on the other hand has been his true modest and gentleman self only stating �Ward is a real gentleman. He doesn�t talk trash. The best fighters I have fought are like him. It�s going to be a great fight on Saturday night.� And �He�s a great, young fighter. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age. I won my first world title at 24, but I�m more experienced in a lot of different ways. I can see that he is hungry, has good speed and good technique. He�s a good fighter. I think my strengths are also speed and my experience. I have double the fights he has and I have had a lot of big fights.� But like the Master and his pupil, Kessler likes Ward and even respects him but he clearly fancies himself to do a number on a young man who hasn�t had the experience or the kind of fights that have shaped this World Champion.

Tale of the tape, there is almost no difference in physical aspects, both fighters weighing in at 12 stones. Ward is an inch taller at 6� 2� while Kessler is 6� 1�, this won�t make any difference. Reach is identical 73�, so the fighter that establishes his jab will be the one quickest to the punch. Both have similar measurements chest, wrist, thigh, and ankles but when you look at them side by side Kessler looks the stronger built.

Age favours Ward, as Kessler has been a pro since 1998 Ward would have been a baby still at 14 years old. Kessler may be 30 years of age but excellent conditioning, living like a true professional and only a few wars in his career mean he still has a lot left in the tank. Ward is only 25 years old so will have the freshness and vigour of a young hungry fighter but will lack that experience which Kessler has.

Records, Kessler has a record of 42 wins with 32 by way of knockout with one loss against his name. A 74% KO ratio suggests he has power to trouble most fighters out there but really a fighter with his quality and power should have even a higher KO ratio.
Andre Ward has a decent record as you would expect of a classy amateur in the infantile stage of his career consisting of 20 wins with 13 inside the distance and still undefeated. With a KO ratio of 65% KO ratio suggests Ward isn�t a big puncher and tends to rely on boxing on 12 rounds.

Kessler has the sole loss on his record against the brilliant Welshman Joe Calzaghe. It was a brilliant fight and Kessler can take pride in he was as close as anyone came to beating Calzaghe. In the first 6 rounds he gave Calzaghe a torrid time especially with his solid jab and ramrod straight right, in the end Calzaghe had the class and brilliant ability to switch game plan and box with quick combinations and step off. While Ward much like Calzaghe relies on handspeed and footwork if he is under that same pressure and point of destruction does he have that same class and experience to change fight like Calzaghe?

Kessler�s last fight was his 4th round KO of Gusmyr Perdomo. Kessler wasn�t at his best against the awkward Venezuelan, but showed in flashes his handspeed and class when he gets into dominance of his opponent. He showed what a good jab he has and used his footwork in and out to time Perdomo onto his jab and those chopping right hands. A big 1-2 combo floored Perdomo in the 3rd round and in the 4th a vicious onslaught and big right hand had Perdomo on the way to sleep before the referee jumped in.

Ward�s last fight was is simple 3rd round KO of Shelby Pudwill. Ward looked good but then what was in front of him was a non entity, it�s easy to look good against something not hitting back! Pudwill was basically a human punchbag, but still caught Ward far too easily. The first knockdown was more of a hiptoss and the referee stopped the fight when Pudwill wasn�t responding and getting a pasting. Ward is an awkward customer with a unorthodox style and proved too much for Pudwill with his fast combinations.

Kessler�s holds good victories over Julio Cesar Green , Anthony Mundine, Markus Beyer, Dimitri Sartison and Librado Andrade.

Ward hasn�t really fought anyone decent so far but does hold one impressive victory over hard punching and quick to gas Edison Miranda.

On fighting styles, Kessler is an intimidating presence in the ring who gives you the impression you can�t hurt him. He has a dominating jab and a lethal ramrod right which he uses to great effect. Kessler also has that power which you can�t teach or eat too many punches if you are on the other side of the ring, and also has underestimated hand speed. Footwork although not very fancy is effective and he uses range to time his opponents onto his punches. Kessler tends to throw hard straight shots. Kessler also has a solid guard and defence with a granite chin.

Ward is your confident American who believes he is destined to be a World champion and maybe he is, but hasn�t had many challenges so far and Kessler is certainly a big challenge. Ward has a low guard or a semi Philli shell so he can fire his shots quickly, he has fast hand speed and loves to fire 3 or 4 shots and get out. Ward loves to lead with his left throwing left jabs followed with hooks to body and head. His shots are fast but don�t carry one punch KO power so you fear Kessler might be able to walk right through him. Also Ward likes to fight close and getting in close to Kessler may involve eating some of those massive straight shots.

Fight plans? Kessler must try to dominate the centre of the ring and force Ward to stay on the back foot. Ward although technically very good does get caught and during his fight with Miranda did take a few jabs and Kessler if he sets his jab will have done half the job. Kessler should stick to the jab and straight shots to unlock the Philli shell and to set Ward up the uppercut close in could be the key.

Ward�s plan will be simple hit and move, Ward can�t get too involved as power is on Kessler�s side. Ward lightening punching and lead combos could give Kessler problems, if Ward can side step Kessler�s jab he could attack the body. Ward needs to have good lateral movement because if he moves forward and back in straight lines he leaves himself open to getting KO�d by Kessler�s big straight shots. Ward would be best advised to adopt a higher guard, but he will stick with his current defence as he tries to get his fast combinations off.

What do I think will happen? Ward will have a good start and probably get off to a quick opening few rounds, stealing the eye with fast combinations to head and body. Kessler will try to pick Ward off with hard counters and intimidate Ward pushing him back towards the ropes and corners. Kessler will come on stronger in the second half of the fight when Ward starts to tire with the pace he has to fight at and the counters he will eat. By the 8th round he will be in command and expect a sucession of massive straight shots to have Ward in trouble in the later rounds. I fancy by the 11th Ward will be in serious trouble and get floored with something a bit special.

Vikings Rule America!

Prediction: Mikkel Kessler wins KO Round 11

Pacquiao dominates Cotto

My 100% prediction for fights in the last 18 months continues as Manny Pacquiao scores a TKO in the 12th against Cotto in their Welterweight clash at the weekend to become a seven weight world champion. Cotto looked ill at ease to handle the constant pressure of Pacquiao but the Filipino didn�t have things all his own way. Cotto managed to get to Pacquiao on occasion but lacked any kind of conviction to follow up his work.

It looked like Pacquiao had his work cut out for him in the first round as Cotto seemed to control matters behind his powerful jab. This continued into the second round, with Pacquiao seemingly weary of the Puerto Rican�s punch power. That said, rounds three and four turned the fight with Pacquiao scoring two knockdowns, one in each of the rounds. The same left hook that destroyed Ricky Hatton once again proved to be effective as Cotto was nailed from close range with the same punch which hurt him badly. Cotto managed to beat the count with 20 seconds left on the clock.

Rounds five and six saw Pacquiao growing in confidence and in contrast, Cotto started to slow down and catch more of the Pacman�s punches. Cotto tried to stage a mini-revival in rounds seven and eight but each time Pacquiao responded with his own combinations. Pacquiao showed great resilience in both of those rounds as Cotto got through with some of his own power punches. Pacquiao won the rounds however with the cleaner and more accurate shots.

Rounds nine to twelve showed Cotto in survival mode and suffering again with his lack of endurance. Pacquiao continued to overwhelm Cotto and the referee stopped the fight with just over two minutes remaining on the clock.

Cotto showed a lot of heart, as he always does, but he was too flat footed to trouble Pacquiao on any great level. This was truly a great fight and one which showed the undoubted class of Manny Pacquiao on a personal and professional level. Some of his critics will point to the fight being held at a catch-weight of 145lbs rather than 147lbs. Cotto however chose to accept the fight and obviously felt he could win. He also boxed Joshua Clottey at 146lbs so was not required to boil down to anything like the same degree as Oscar De La Hoya was. This of course was a more competitive fight, but Pacquiao looked to be a class above Cotto.

I can�t wait for the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight; I would still give a slight edge to Mayweather based on their styles but it promises to be one of the biggest, if not THE biggest fight in the history of boxing.h

Cotto's last marquee fight?

Manny Pacquiao makes his long awaited return to the ring after his two round demolition of Ricky Hatton in May. I actually believe that Cotto will suffer a similar fate as the Hitman in his attempt to dethrone the sports pound for pound number one fighter. The key to victory for Pacquiao as in so many of his previous contests will be his ability to move in and out of range. This will be even more evident than in the Hatton fight. The destruction of Cotto by Margarito will have taken a lot out of Cotto from a mental and physical standpoint. The lanky Mexican bludgeoning Cotto to defeat, albeit with illegal hand wraps.

Cotto will find it difficult to evade the blistering combinations that Pacquiao throws. I have always thought Cotto to be an elite fighter but he has never really dominated another top fighter. I think he was rather fortuitous to gain victories over Shane Mosley and Joshua Clottey.
Cotto does of course possess some power at 147lb but like Pacquiao is not really a knock out artist but his punches tend to wear his opponents down over the course of the fight. I don�t see Cotto having the speed of foot to go to the body enough, he will need to put in a monumental effort in the early rounds to take some of the play away from the Pacman with calculated body shots if he is to have any chance.

Pacquiao has really become somewhat of a master at keeping the fight in the centre of the ring where he can maximise his advantages. Cotto simply does not have the tools to compete with Pacquiao�s speed. Cotto tends to fade late in fights; his best chance is an early onslaught and try to knock the Pacman out in the first six rounds. If Pacquiao is allowed to get deep into the fight and establish his rhythm and his straight left hand, Cotto will be walking into it all night long.

Cotto will have some success early on when he is fresh but the longer the fight goes on and the more punishment he absorbs he will start to slow down and catch more of Pacquiao�s shots. With Cotto�s durability in question I think Manny has enough power to end Cotto�s night early.
I suggest an accumulator on this fight, tie it to the Kessler vs Ward (Kessler win) and Khan vs Salita (Khan win) fights for a nice return on your money.

Prediction: Pacquiao wins TKO r12.

David Sl-hayes Goliath!

Welcome back to the boxing revolution that is Pandorasboxing.com! Journalist/editor Sal here to examine the fight for you!

Firstly Pandorasboxing.com hopes everyone had a good Halloween and Guy Fawkes night, we expected more fireworks from Haye against the monster that looked like he belonged in Halloween but we were left a little disappointed!

Today�s article is the post fight report on the heavyweight clash between Nikolai �The Beast from the East� Valuev vs David �Hayemaker� Haye for the WBA heavyweight title of the world. The venue was Area Nurnberger Versicherung, Nuremberg, Germany. Pandorasboxing is happy to have predicted another correct result, but feels blue as knockout victory as predicted was well within Haye�s reach!

Round one, this round really set the tone for the rest of the fight. Haye was immediately on the move circling the edge of the ring as Valuev edged forward step as at a time. I didn�t manage to count one shot from Valuev that landed while Haye got home with a couple of one-twos to the head and a decent bodyshot, Haye just edging the round.

Pandora�s scoring R1: 10-9 Haye.

Round two, Valuev started the round continuing by plodding around Haye got though with a early left hook to the head. Another left and right combination with a particularly powerful right hit home on Valuev�s head, but Valuev shook his head, I suggest he felt Haye�s power but it is certainly a breeze block of a head he owns. Maybe missed by some I actually thought Haye felt one of Valuev�s only punches in the fight a stiff jab as Hay stepped into the corner and Haye�s legs seemed to widen as he did a little funny step.

Pandora�s scoring R2: 10-9 Haye.

Round three, Valuev starts the round a little quicker as he chases Haye a little, still not connecting but putting Haye under pressure. Haye sneaks another good right followed by a left uppercut. Haye started to suck Valuev in and making Valuev miss before he connected a big overhand right towards the end of the round.

Pandora�s scoring R3: 10-9 Haye.

Round four, at the start of the fourth Valuev thought he finally cornered Haye but Haye spun him out easily making the giant look quite cumbersome, a repeat of this happened at the end of the round and throughout the fight. Another good left and couple of eye-catching shots at the end of the round probably won Haye another round.

Pandora�s scoring R4: 10-9 Haye.

Round five, a couple of jabs landed from Valuev as Haye moved without throwing much, but a three punch combination maybe caught the judges eyes in the middle the round. A couple more Haye bursts happened but I felt Valuev finally scored a round.

Pandora�s scoring R5: 10-9 Valuev.

Round six, more of the cat mouse but Valuev did land with a left, Haye responded without another little combination. But Valuev did get a little success in the corner, but for the rest of the round Haye picked of good single shots, but towards the end of the round Valuev caught Haye with a couple of shots probably earning his second round.

Pandora�s scoring R6: 10-9 Valuev.

Round seven, more dancing from Haye but he did catch Valuev with a good left counter as Valuev attempted a shot, another good end to the round for Haye with two left hooks and a right to the head.

Pandora�s scoring R7: 10-9 Haye.

Round eight, more walking with dinosaur impressions coming from Valuev and Haye got a couple of jabs to the body and a couple of leaping shots, and another eye-catching finish to the round.

Pandora�s scoring R8: 10-9 Haye.

Round nine, nothing much happening in the round but one effective combination in the moddle of the round probably was the quality of the round, Valuev landed nothing in the round.

Pandora�s scoring R9: 10-9 Haye.

Round ten, same as previous round decent short left uppercut and a bodyshot were the shots of the round again coming from Haye, another one-two at the end of the round from Haye, for me edging the round.

Pandora�s scoring R10: 10-9 Haye.

Round eleven, little right in the only clinch of the fight and another one-two combination from Haye. Haye did get caught with a short counter hook from Valuev, Haye seemed annoyed and threw a couple of big rights in retaliation.

Pandora�s scoring R11: 10-9 Haye.

Round twelve, one big wild right from Valuev missing by two feet. Couple of one-two�s and then a big left had Valuev reeling as he stumbled away almost out of the ring, referee seemed to stop Haye�s momentum and Haye continued catching Valuev with some big rights winning the round easily.

Pandora�s scoring R12: 10-9 Haye.

To the scorecards, I predicted Haye by stoppage late on but Haye�s lack of ambition meant he settled for a win over the rounds, Valuev on the other hand proved he is possibly the worst one dimensional fighter in heavyweight history, aggressive but hardly ever catching Haye in the fight. Haye won on the cards with scores of 114-114, 116-112, and 116-112. God knows how Jim Watt scored the fight 115-113 to Valuev? I think it is time we all pitched in and helped Jim Watt to the retirement home. Pandora�s scorecard was 118-110.

On to the analysis of the fight well it�s very hard to judge. Haye boxed perfectly, executed a flawless game plan, and was comfortable hardly ever getting hit and hitting Valuev whenever he wanted. But the problem was did he do enough? He boasted he would knock Valuev out, he would be the first to floor him, he would destroy him but in the end he did none of this he settled for an easy points victory when if he really went for it he probably could and should have knocked him out.

When you think 46 year old Holyfield made Valuev look ordinary you really expected and hoped Haye would pull out all the stops and excite and dazzle us and send out a statement to the heavyweight world.

Despite showing us supreme boxing ability, technique and defence you felt Haye was negative and although deserving of winning to fight you feared the home judges would favour the man mountain Valuev, and one had it 114-114 strangely.

It was very strange to see Haye employ such tactics despite them being effective considering he has always be an exciting power punching knock out specialist, with 21 KOs from 22 wins. Haye was in total control the entire fight and it was frustrating viewing despite what was a good performance because you always felt he could have put an exclamation point on it and ended it at anytime if he stepped up the pace and intensity.

As for Valuev�s performance I think I overestimated him, he�s worse than I thought. He looked even more one dimensional then usual and really showed what little quality he has at world class level. His advantage is purely his size and unless the opponent is completely taken back by it he has not much more to offer in the fight.

After watching this performance I fear if Haye does step in the ring against either of the Klitschko brothers he will come up short, because if he feared Valuev�s �power� he will find Wladimir and Vitali are genuwine heavyweight punchers and with a lot better boxing skills and speed compared to the Valuev. I doubt the Klitschko would have been impressed or worried after watching Haye beat Valuev.

Where does Haye go from here? Firstly he must defend his title in a mandatory defence against �The Quiet Man� John Ruiz, who side stepped for this fight to happen with the clause he fought the winner. After Haye beats him which he surely must then I would suggest Haye fights some of the weights upcomers and ex champions, maybe Eddie Chambers would be a good fight with two fast big punching guys, or a battle or the former cruiserweights against Evander Holyfield, or against an ex champion like Hasim Rahman. All winnable fights but I would prefer if Haye stayed away from the Klitschko�s until he has more experience and is ready to fight fire with fire. A dust up on a domestic level against Audley Harrison although a easy victory would still generate a lot of interest.

As for Valuev he has now lost twice to two former cruiserweights showing himself to be too slow and lacking power for such a big man. I�m sure he will still beat most heavyweights who can�t handle his size, but in this fight he showed his limitations. He may yet win the world title again, but not while the Klitschko�s, Haye�s and Chagev�s of the world are still around.

David beats Goliath to win the World Heavyweight Title!

Will David Sla-haye the Beast?

Pandorasboxing.com welcomes you to the first of November�s featured super-fights. Brought to you by Sal (writer/journalist), as I�m sure you anticipate by now another vulture like article taking apart the fight and fighters.

This is the Heavyweight bout for the WBA world title between David �Hayemaker� Haye and Nikolai �The Beast from the East� Valuev, for Valuev�s title which he won against John Ruiz. The show has been named David vs Goliath, how original! This is a clash being broadcast on Sky Box Office from Arena Nurnberger Versicherung, Nuremberg, Germany.

The pre-fight circus has thrown up all kinds of mind tricks and over the top showmanship and that�s all from Britons very own Haye. Such stunts have included beating up a man dressed as a goblin in the conference (representing Valuev), smashing the head off of a life cardboard cut-out of Valuev, calling Valuev a �circus freak�, saying �I would love to bring a lawnmower into the ring with me before I fight this guy� Haye also said �Valuev�s known as �The Beast from the East� and there�s a reason he�s got that nickname. He�s a big, ugly, sweaty and hairy man from the Eastern bloc.� �David only needed a slingshot and a stone to flatten Goliath and I�m convinced my right hand generates more power than a stone. �I�m going to prove that size doesn�t matter. Mark my words: I will be the first man to knock Nikolai Valuev out.�
Valuev on the other hand has been quite quiet but when you�re the size he is you don�t have to try talk up ticket sales people just want to see you! Added I�m not sure if Valuev has the cranial faculties to argue or ridicule Haye, then again I�m not sure he is human and can talk!

Tale of the tape, as you can imagine every physical advantage is in Valuev�s favour, he is almost eight stones heavier, nearly a foot taller, almost a ten inch reach advantage (he could box Haye sitting from outside the ring!). Valuev stands at a reported 7� 2� tall although officially he is measured at 7� while Haye stand at a mere 6� 3�, this is a massive advantage and will mean Haye can�t sit down on his punches and can he transfer his explosive power whilst punching upwards? Reach wise Valuev measures at 85� compared to Haye�s reach of 78�, this is a massive advantage again but Valuev lacks sufficient technique and skill to really make this count, his languid and pouring jab will hardly keep Haye away. Weight is also a real issue as Valuev weighs in at a daunting 22st while Haye only weighs in at 14st that is almost 8st that means you could strap Prince Naseem Hamed to Haye and that would only just balance the weight! Add to this that Haye probably hasn�t even matured in a heavyweight yet, but he isn�t really a With all of these physical attributes weighing in Valuev�s favour you would back him wouldn�t you?

Age favours Haye, as Valuev despite his physical abnormality only came onto the world scene at an older age and now is 36 whereas Haye introduced himself on the world scene in the cruiserweights at a young age and is still a fresh 29 years old. Valuev although older wouldn�t have aged any further due to fights as he has only been in with a limited amount of top class operators and has never been in any serious scraps.

Records, Valuev has a record of 50 wins with 34 by way of knockout with one loss against his name. A 65% KO ratio beggars belief considering his sizable frame, a man of his size should have a far higher KO ratio but Valuev doesn�t carry KO power and against better opponents has only won on points.
David Haye has an impressive record consisting of 22 wins with 21 inside the distance and only the one loss. With a devastating KO ratio of 91% Haye is power puncher with both hands and goes into this fight the more explosive of the two fighters.

Both fighters have lost once. Valuev�s loss was a one sided boxing lesson handed to him by former cruiserweight Ruslan Chagev losing an unanimous points decision, surprising considering Chagev is pint size compared to Valuev. Chagev although despite losing to Wladimir Klitschko has proved he is a good ring operator and if Haye takes a leaf out of his book he could coast to a boxing victory but no doubt will chase a knockout.
Haye only loss was a stoppage defeat at the hands of veteran Carl Thompson in the fifth round. It was a shock loss as many saw Thompson on the wane and past his best and thought it was perfect time for the young big punching Haye to win the title. Valuev should take note as Haye caught Thompson a number of times with big shots and instead of picking his shots to finish the fight he punched himself out, stamina issues and a suspect chin remain and winning this fight might be down to if Valuev can exploit them and take Haye�s best shots.

Valuev�s last fight was his points victory over Evander Holyfield 116-112, 114-114, and 115-114. In his first defence of the title Valuev looked devoid of talent, speed, power and boxing talent he was so bad that he made the 46 year old Holyfield look like Muhammad Ali as he danced rings around the Russian giant and bounced jabs at will off Valuev�s head. Valuev did connect with some stiff if slow jabs and some solid shots but they were few and far between. If Haye wants to make this fight easy he will copy Holyfield to just boxing Valuev�s head off, the worry is Haye will become to hell bent in trying to knock him out. Anyone who watched the fight would have given the fight to Holyfield by three or four rounds.

Haye�s last outing was his brutal and quick destruction of gatekeeper of the heavyweight division Monte Barrett with a tko in the fifth round. Barrett didn�t have a chance from the point of falling over the ropes and it was all downhill from there. Haye controlled the fight superbly and was too fast and powerful for Barrett, truthfully Haye had too much class for Barrett who Haye had to beat if he had any designs in becoming a champion. However despite smashing Barrett Haye had difficult moments when it became messy and Barrett was shoving him around, Haye is massively powerful but he is not the strongest and is still not a natural heavyweight.

Valuev�s best victories were over John Ruiz, Owen Beck, Jameel McCline, Sergey Lyakhovich and Evander Holyfield (complete steal).

Haye holds impressive victories over Carl Thompson, Giacobbe Fragomeni, Jean Marc Mormeck, Enzo Maccarinelli, and Monte Barrett.

On fighting styles, Valuev is a large immovable mass that is essentially his style he commands the centre of the ring and works behind his slow yet surprisingly effective jab. Due to his size and height he is most effective keeping range but up close can lean on his opponents and outmuscle them.

Haye is the loud mouthed, brash, confident, technical sharp shooter with knockout power in each hand. He has a great snapping jab and style is based around swaying and making opponents miss and then hitting him with powerful combinations and big shots. Haye is also one of the best finishers in the game.

Fight plans? Valuev�s plan must be to try and command the centre of the ring and work behind the jab, if Valuev can get his jab working well he can stop Haye getting close enough to cause any real damage. With stamina issues still unanswered Valuev should try to make the fight a messy affair by leaning on Haye and pushing him around this may slow Haye down and sap his power. If Valuev can take Haye�s best shots it will be interesting to see how Haye will react.

For Haye the plan is simple use his speed, power and superior boxing skill. Haye needs to slip the jab and fire hooks to the body and head and fast combinations getting out before Valuev can tie him up. A lot of Haye�s success will depend on if he can transfer his punching power from usually where he sits down on his punches and downwards to punching upwards the entire time which will also affect his stamina.

What do I think will happen? I think Valuev will have a decent opening two or three rounds as I think he will have enough strength to take Haye�s big punches early on. Valuev may be afforded some time and space as I think maybe Haye won�t come out full force as everyone expects, but Haye will slowly start upping the speed and trying to push Valuev out of his comfort zone. I expect Valuev will start to feel Haye�s power by the sixth and once Haye smells blood he will have a big couple of rounds before dropping the giant for the first time. The worry is Haye will freeze in front of the giant or not have a plan B if his punches have no effect. I don�t think Valuev has sufficient power to test Haye or the skill to make contact but if he does land a big shot being his size he could cause a massive upset.

Haye falls the Giant with a slingshot ring hook!

Prediction: David Haye wins KO Round 8

Mo� Money Mo� Problems

Welcome back to the boxing revolution that is Pandorasboxing.com! Journalist/editor Sal here to examine the fight for you!

Firstly Pandorasboxing.com would like to apologise for being offline this past month and some of you would not have been able to access the website or post, but this server issue is now resolved and Pandorasboxing.com will be back to its fighting best!

Today�s article is the post fight report on the supposed welterweight clash between Floyd �Money� Mayweather Junior and Juan Manuel �Dinamta� Marquez, with no titles on the line this was the fight supposed to show who is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world today. The venue was MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Pandorasboxing.com is upset to have predicted incorrectly but as you will read on this fight was manipulated to only ever go one way!

Round one, with both fighters notorious for being slow starters there was a bit of seizing each other up. Mayweather Jr looked sharp though when he did jab or throw a punch, Marquez seemed intent on trying to find an opening before throwing a punch.

Pandora�s scoring R1: 10-9 Mayweather Jr.

Round two, Mayweather seems happier than usual trying to hold his ground and command the centre of the ring and trying control the fight rather than his usual Usain Bolt impression. He was already beating Marquez to the punch and Marquez can�t seem to mount any attack yet as he is waiting for a counter punching opportunity but Mayweather Jr is only punching in ones and twos. Marquez did however get through with a stinging right hand that shocked Mayweather Jr but moments later Marquez ducked into a left which sent him reeling to the floor, he got up quick smart and received the mandatory eight count, but got up and survived to the bell.

Pandora�s scoring R2: 10-8 Mayweather Jr.

Round three, Mayweather Jr as usual showed all the killer instinct of a soldier from Switzerland armed with only a spoon! Marquez had recovered but Mayweather Jr showed no interest in testing whether he was still feeling any affects of the previous round. He did however continue to outbox him and started to catch Marquez with the same lunging style left hook that put him down. Even against a naturally smaller guy who has just visited the canvas Mayweather Jr showed he has this fear that stops him ever

Pandora�s scoring R3: 10-9 Mayweather Jr.

Round four, Mayweather Jr continued to outbox Marquez hitting and making Marquez miss without committing himself to any combinations or a trade off. Marquez responded spurred on by the pro Mexican crowd and his warriors heart he dug deep and connected with a couple of telling blows. Especially with a good right towards the end of the round, Mayweather Jr faked a smile to try fool the judges and crowd, but he was caught good and proper. Mayweather Jr did however manage to open a small cut above Marquez�s right eye. This was the only round you could give to Marquez.

Pandora�s scoring R4: 10-9 Marquez.

Round five, Mayweather Jr basically continued beating Marquez to the punch and Marquez being an intelligent individual knew he was behind and continued trying to turn a boxing fight into a fight, which would have been his only chance. Mayweather Jr was at this stage beginning to connect all too frequently.

Pandora�s scoring R5: 10-9 Mayweather Jr.

Round six, this was the round where you felt the loss was inevitable! Mayweather Jr had so far dodged, run away and shoulder rolled every single Marquez attack bar a few shots here and there. This round Mayweather Jr just started coasting even catching Marquez with a lead right that made him wobble.

Pandora�s scoring R6: 10-9 Mayweather Jr.

Round seven, Mayweather Jr now had started pot-shooting as Marquez was coming in much the way he did in the second half of the Hatton fight. Marquez did corner him against the ropes at one point but managed to connect with nothing.

Pandora�s scoring R7: 10-9 Mayweather Jr.

Round eight, Mayweather Jr now started trying to play possum trying to tempt Marquez to walk into another shot as he almost lays against the ropes. Marquez at this point of the fight had abandoned any tactics and game plan as he wailed in with hooks. As the bell rang for the end of the round Mayweather Jr further provoked Marquez by smiling as he walked away, show that wonderful smile only a mother could love.

Pandora�s scoring R8: 10-9 Mayweather Jr.

Round nine, still trying Marquez connected with a few shots but being a counter puncher he just couldn�t mount any sort of sustained attack, his cautious attacks even when miles behind on the scorecard lead me to be suspicious about the fight which came true as after the fight we found out what a ridiculous weight advantage Mayweather Jr had. Marquez did okay in the round but again a big left hand at the end of the round was enough to score the round to Mayweather Jr.

Pandora�s scoring R9: 10-9 Mayweather Jr.

Round ten, awful round for Marquez as Mayweather Jr starting connecting at ease with lunging left hooks and ridiculous lead rights. Marquez continued to be game without making any impact.

Pandora�s scoring R10: 10-9 Mayweather Jr.
Round eleven, Marquez showed grit as he continued to eat hard single shots as he came in. He did connect with some of his wild hooks and shots but whenever Mayweather Jr could he counter punched and got on his bike.

Pandora�s scoring R11: 10-9 Mayweather Jr.

Round twelve, almost a carbon copy of round eleven as Marquez did connect with a few punches which caused that dear in the headlights look that Mayweather Jr has when punches come his way, but it was all too little too late. Mayweather Jr still edged the round as he boxed of the backfoot.

Pandora�s scoring R12: 10-9 Mayweather Jr.

To the scorecards, I predicted Marquez by stoppage late on but with all the advantages Mayweather Jr proved the winner, and as with Mayweather Jr against any top opponent he�ll only ever seek or win by points which if you read my pre-fight article was nearly my prediction. Mayweather Jr won on the cards with scores of 120-107, 119-108, and 118-109. Pandora�s scorecard was 119-108.

On to the analysis of the fight and well with everyday that has passed since the fight the performance has looked worse and worse. During and after the fight I took my hat off to Mayweather Jr, he isn�t my cup of tea but he boxed to a perfect game plan and negated Marquez�s power, counter punching prowess and technical ability. With everything stacked in Mayweather Jr�s favour speed, natural weight advantage, reach, jab, age and then to �fail� to make weight sinks of poor attitude and respect to Juan Manuel Marquez and the boxing world but worse it shows lack of professionalism which further gave him an unfair advantage in the fight. I don�t believe he ever intended to make the weight and he knew leaving this till late with the fight around the corner and everyone�s eyes watching that Juan Manuel Marquez even with such a massive weight disadvantage would still never refuse such a fight and opportunity, the money he was forced to pay ($600,000, $300,000 per pound) Marquez to fight was in my view too little with such a blatant foul play. This whole fiasco has been well covered up, according to the Nevada state commission Mayweather Jr was only two pounds over the weight limit of 144 lbs but many believe this to be closer to four pounds and on fight night the difference was probably close to twenty pounds.

Remember Juan Manuel Marquez has never fought over 135lbs so Mayweather Jr was already picking Marquez for the fight because he believed he would be far too big, and then to come in over the limit well I will let you make up your own minds of the �man�!

So with all these advantages and failing to make the weight was the performance that good? Remember Manny Pacquaio beat Juan Manuel Marquez over twelve rounds as well but he and Marquez both are naturally the same weight and frame size. Besides that Manny Pacquaio managed to put Juan Manuel Marquez down three, Mayweather Jr could only manage the one knock down and with such a massive weight and size advantage that shows you something about his lack of power and lack of killer instinct.

When Marquez and others are in trouble Mayweather Jr always stays cautious he lacks the killer instinct and showmanship to entertain, he shows fear even when he is in full control, he always seems content boxing he way to a dull victory and rarely throws more than a 1-2. The problem is even when he performs to his best like this night he holds all the advantages but doesn�t want to entertain, boxing is sport people pay to watch, this is why many people will never warm to him as he doesn�t care if we are enjoying the fight as long as he wins and wins with the little amount of trouble possible hence he runs away.

Mayweather Jr has all the tools and ability in the world but the truth is he isn�t interested in a legacy or becoming a legend he is about money and taking fights that he is 100% sure in himself that he can win. A true great and legend takes any fight and any challenge, they risk losses to provide the boxing fans with the best fights and entertainment and to try test themselves to the limit. To be the best you have to fight the best, which also means on an even keel. Will we ever see Mayweather Jr truly test himself? He rather retired then fight Oscar De La Hoya again, even with mega bucks on the table. He continues to dodge the likes of �Sugar� Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquaio, and Miguel Cotto and even Paul Williams. He talks about being one of the greatest how long would he have lasted against prime De La Hoya, Ray Robinson, Thomas Hearns, Ray Leonard?

As for Juan Manuel Marquez my admiration for the man remains intact, he just could not bridge the gap to go up to welterweight. I hope he goes back down to the lightweight division where even among new stars he can still rule and show us how great he is.

�Money� Mayweather Jr pays for failing to make weight, and gets a hollow victory!

Does Marquez Have �Money� Worries?

Pandorasboxing.com welcomes you to September�s featured super-fight. Brought to you by Sal (writer/journalist), expect my usual poisoned typing to dissect the fighters and fight.

This is the Welterweight clash between Juan �Dinamita� Marquez and Floyd �Money� Mayweather which was due to happen in July before Mayweather picked up a �suspect� ribs injury. Now just days away from the Numero Uno/Number One clash we all wait like impatient kids the night before Christmas. HBO has broadcast its usual 24/7 format which has thrown up a few odd training methods. The venue the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, US.

The pre-fight has thrown up a few odd things as you would expect once the Mayweather�s circus comes to town! We have seen Mayweather Snr return to his son�s side and join team Mayweather along with long term trainer and uncle Roger. Now with the three of them talking we�ll need an interpreter! Funnily Mayweather Jnr even though he has given it his usual mouth in the conferences has been reasonably respectful, is he mellowing after his layoff or is he worried by what Juan Manuel Marquez brings to the table.
Marquez has been his usual humble self, thanking Mayweather Jnr for the chance to fight him, I like fighters like Marquez they have all the skill, ability and power in the world but they leave the fighting for the ring, unlike Mayweather Jnr who is more entertaining outside the ring! While Mayweather Jnr�s pre-fight has been concentrated on the return of his father Marquez has gone old school and training at even higher altitude in the mountains and drinking raw quail eggs and his own URINE! Yes his own urine, so 24/7 exposed to the world, all the jokes have been made about this so I will say nothing.

Tale of the tape, Mayweather Jnr stands at 5� 8� so he doesn�t have much of a height advantage as Marquez is only one inch shorter at 5� 7�. Mayweather Jnr does however hold a significant reach advantage with his reach being 72� and Marquez only having a reach of 67�, although this is a good advantage Mayweather Jnr won�t take full advantage of this as he hardly ever doubles up on his jab or backs fighters up with the jab. Mayweather Jnr has fought at welterweight since 2006 while this will be Marquez�s first matchup at welterweight, giving Mayweather a distinct advantage in size and weight as he has grown into division. But since Mayweather Jnr started at lower weight expect the natural size difference and weight advantage not to be as great and important as people expect.

Age shouldn�t be a problem for either fighter as Mayweather Jnr is only 32 (and has only fought 8 times since 2004!) and Marquez is only three years older at 36. Mayweather Jnr should be fresh with only fighting once a year for nearly a decade, although he has had a series of very soft injuries. Marquez is more active and has been involved in some battles which maybe have aged him?

Records, Mayweather Jnr has 39 wins with 25 by way of knockout and is unbeaten. A KO ratio of 64% isn�t that impressive if you consider he has picked and chosen his opponents for many years now. He doesn�t really take many top rate opponents out rather he will run his way to victory over 12 rounds, although to the contrary he�d like you to believe he possesses power.
Juan Manuel Marquez holds a record of 50 wins with 37 by knockout, with 4 losses (one debatable loss to Manny Pacquaio) and 1 draw (Manny Pacquaio).
Disregard Marquez�s losses as losing to Pacquaio and Chris John both close decisions is no shame, and his other losses were early in his career, Marquez has to be judged over the last five to six years where he has become one of the best boxers in circulation. With a Knockout ratio of 67% just edging past Mayweather Jnr�s ratio Marquez has the edge in pure power, he hasn�t always used his power to great effect earlier in his career relying solely on his superb counter-punching ability, but if you watch his recent annihilations of Juan Diaz and Joel Casamayor you will see as his slowed slightly he now happy to show people exactly what he has in his locker, and moving up in weight seems to have helped.

Mayweather Jnr�s last fight was now over a year and a half ago, it was the much publicised bout with Manchester�s Ricky Hatton. Mayweather Jnr executed his plan perfectly while Hatton ran around the ring like a headless chicken. The 9th round KO was impressive in the form of he knocked someone out after years and he made Hatton look extremely ordinary. It must be said if someone wanted the perfect game plan to lose then they should watch and copy Hatton. He is a famed body puncher and he threw all of four or five body punches and spent the fight of the fight headhunting and jumping in, until he eventually ran into that checkhook.

Marquez�s last fight was his brutal win over Juan Diaz in which he brutally TKO�d Diaz in the ninth round. Diaz was fully in control for the first five or six rounds but Marquez was effectively counter punching and after the sixth the shots were beginning to take effect before he took control and took Diaz apart. Diaz showed in this fight both his best and worst attributes, but while he was the aggressor and threw volume punches Marquez showed how quality punching will always prevail. Marquez showed he can effectively now finish fighters within the distance is style whereas early in his career he would rely on counter-punching and technical boxing to gain victory.

Mayweather Jnr�s best victories are held over the likes of Jose Luis Castillo (second fight), Diego Corrales (although Corrales was drained), Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya (debatable victory).

Marquez best victories have been impressive victories over Manuel Medina, Marco Antonio Barrera, Rocky Juarez, Orlando Salido, and most recently brutal knockout victories over Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz.

On to the fighting styles, Mayweather Jnr has lightening hands which are impressive but shame that they are rarely thrown as usually we watch him constantly uses the entire ring to stay out of punching range. As I affectionately have renamed him Floyd May-runaway-weather Jnr, which aptly describes his fighting style. Mayweather Jnr is a counter puncher but predominantly a technical boxer.

Marquez doesn�t have the fastest hands but he is fantastic at picking punches and effectively dissecting opponents even when the opponent appears to be dominating or winning. He has an excellent boxing brain and uses brilliant short combinations to win rounds. Marquez is also a counter puncher and recently has displayed his knockout power.

How will the fight plan out? Mayweather Jnr will try to use his fast hands to win rounds without engaging and will use all his defensive skill to keep Marquez from effectively launching any sustained attacks. Mayweather Jnr�s main tactic regardless of fighter has always been to try tire the other fighter and bait him into chasing him around the ring for example what happened to Hatton, but he is maybe for the first time fighting a technical boxer with a fantastic boxing brain who won�t make those mistakes and Marquez isn�t a pressure fighter.

For Marquez the key to victory will be to try and unlock the Philly shell defence and slow Mayweather down, keeping him within punch range. Marquez has the tools to do this with his good jab and wide range of hooks and pulls to the body, if he can execute the hook to body and head followed by straight right as he has been practicing in sparring and training Mayweather won�t be able to shoulder roll through the fight. Marquez also has the tactical nouse not to rush in and choose his own moments to attack much like how Mayweather Jnr fights, being an accomplished counter puncher will mean Marquez can play Mayweather Jnr at his own game.

What do I think will happen? I expect a cagey opening four rounds possibly shared, neither fighter is famed for being quick starters and Marquez despite being World Class is probably one of the slowest starters in history! I expect Mayweather Jnr to try actually stand some ground while he thinks he will be stronger of the two, I expect Marquez to change this in middle rounds when he gets through with some big shots. Marquez won�t chase Mayweather around the ring in the first five/six rounds but maybe in the second half of the fight Marquez might try to take control and boss the fight. All the physicalities and advantages are Mayweather Jnr�s and my head picks him but I am going with my gut instinct that keeps whispering that Marquez is going to destroy Mayweather Jnr�s legacy! I feel unless Mayweather Jnr bosses the fight once we get towards the later half of the fight Marquez will take over and hurt Mayweather Jnr eventually dropping him. I very nearly went for Mayweather Jnr on decision but I have a feeling Marquez is going to shock the boxing world.

Expect �Money� to be worthless after Juan �Dinamita� Manuel Marquez KO�s him!

Prediction: Juan Manuel Marquez wins KO Round 9

Show's Over for the 'Magic Man'!

Welcome back to the boxing revolution that is Pandorasboxing.com! Journalist/editor Sal here to examine the fight for you!

Today's article is the post fight report on the catchweight fight between Juan �Baby Bull� Diaz and Pauline �Magic Man� Malignaggi for WBO NABO light-welterweight title (God knows what title that is!). The HBO Boxing After Dark show was broadcast on Saturaday. The venue Toyota Center, Houston, Texas. Pandorasboxing.com is happy to continue it's run in predictions with another correct winner picked.

After a good first round for Malignaggi and Diaz took over and dominated the fight. Although not at his best or sharpest Diaz did enough to catch the judges eye, his attacking style won him rounds .

Malignaggi will point to the compubox stats where he threw more punches, landed more, and threw more jabs and power punches.

Malignaggi failed as expected to show sufficient power, agression, and control in the fight and that ultimately cost him, as Diaz wasn't even at his best to win.

Result Diaz wins UD. Full fight report will follow soon.

Malignaggi Full of Baby Bull****?!

Pandorasboxing.com welcomes you to August�s only featured fight. Brought to you by Sal (writer/journalist), expect my usually damning expression.

This is the originally scheduled Lightweight clash between Juan �Baby Bull� Diaz and Pauline �Magic Man� Malignaggi now being held at catchweight just under the light-welterweight limit, the show will be yet another HBO Boxing After Dark show. The venue Toyota Center, Houston, Texas.

The pre-fight has been quite amusing the usually arrogant and cocky Paulie Malignaggi seems to be really ruffled and that is before he has even got to taste Juan Diaz�s roughhouse style. Malignaggi in the last press conference managed to complain and object to everything in the fight including the referee, judges, venue, and weight (although fighting at 138 might seem his only fair argument). The only thing that surprised me was he didn�t manage to include God and maybe the temperature as opponents too! Seems Malignaggi is concentrating on everything but his opponent. Although he was still bold enough to predict he would still win. Diaz on the other hand quoted ��You know me; I don�t do a lot of talking,� Diaz said, raising his fist to about eye level for everyone to see. �I let this do the talking.�

Tale of the tape, Malignaggi stands at 5' 8.5" so carries a 2 inch height advantage over Diaz who only stands at 5' 6"; this could be helpful if Malignaggi can successfully keep Diaz off him. Malignaggi has a reach of 70� compared to Diaz�s 67�. So Malignaggi has the natural physical advantages but can he make them count?

Age shouldn�t be a problem for either fighter as Malignaggi is only 28 while Diaz is his junior at 25. Although neither fighter is in the veteran stage of their careers this is an important fight for both as they come off big losses, this may well be last chance saloon for both of them.

Malignaggi�s record is 26 wins, but ONLY 5 by KO! and only 3 losses and 1 by knockout, he is famed for his powder puff punching power with only 17% wins coming by stoppage. Diaz has 35 wins with 17 coming by KO, with only 2 losses, with one of those being brutally knocked out in his last fight against Marquez; with 46% KO ratio he isn�t a big puncher but still holds a distinct power advantage over Malignaggi even with Malignaggi coming down and being the bigger man!

Malignaggi�s last fight was against Christopher Fernandez which was his comeback fight after his beating given to him by Hatton; as usual with Malignaggi the fight went the full scheduled eight rounds against a poor journeyman. He whole comfortably by UD but again demonstrating that he lacks power to ever succeed at the top.

Diaz�s last fight was his brutal loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in which he was brutally TKO�d in the ninth round. Diaz was fully in control for the first five or six rounds but Marquez was effectively counter punching and after the sixth the shots were beginning to take effect before he took control and took Diaz apart. Diaz showed in this fight both his best and worst attributes, best being his fast hands, punching volume, power and pressure. But the problem he showed although he has these great tools his worst attributes come in his technique and skill which were exposed by Marquez, Diaz unfortunately can only win if he is constantly punching and in control of the a fight.

Malignaggi�s best victory in name are over Lovemore N�dou and Herman Ngoudjo, these are modest to say at best but the reason Malignaggi gains coverage and has been recognized so highly is more due to his brash persona and losses to Cotto and Hatton.

As said above Malignaggi has two losses on his record his twelve round battering at the hands of Miguel Cotto and eleven round TKO loss to Ricky Hatton.

Diaz on the other hand has probably been in with a few more quality opponents and holds good wins over Julio Diaz, Acelino Freitas, and his best victory coming against hard hitting Michael Katsidis.

Diaz also has to losses a close shock loss when he was unbeaten against Nate Campbell and his brutal loss in the ninth to Juan Manuel Marquez.

On to the fighting styles, they are like chalk and cheese Malignaggi has fast hands which are only slower then his tongue! He also possesses good footwork and jab. Malignaggi is reliant on speed and likes to use the ring to stay out of trouble. His reflexes are not as good as they need to be for his style, he often drops his hands after fast combinations and tries to slip punches and eats the traffic coming his way.

Diaz is an all action power punching volume fighter much in the mould of Hatton who Malignaggi lost too, although Diaz has far better skills then Ricky Hatton. Diaz is a solid fighter who will wear his heart on his sleeve and is more then happy having a war in the ring. If he could improve his technique he still may have a career at the top.

What do they have to do to win? Malignaggi will need to use his speed and fast hands to keep Diaz out of any rhythm, his best chance is to counter punch on the back foot and try to time Diaz onto punches much the way Marquez did, he does have the tools but even at catchweight and being naturally bigger will he be able to make a dent on Diaz?

To win Diaz has to get in Malignaggi�s face, the tactics he used against Marquez worked for a while but Marquez was too good and worked him out, but they could be perfect against Malignaggi as he doesn�t like a tear up and neither does he have that knockout power Marquez demonstrated. Diaz needs to work the body and wear Malignaggi down, if he doesn�t do this Malignaggi could use his speed to dance circles around Diaz. The other thing Diaz has in his favour is his style is similar to Hatton and he can apply the same pressure Cotto did, so he needs to watch those fights and take Malignaggi�s heart the same way Hatton did.

What do I think will happen? I can see only one winner, with all Malignaggi�s whining it is like he I making excuses for the loss before the fight has happened, I don�t think he has been the same since his brutal loss to Hatton, that self confidence is now very see through and I expect Diaz will shatter what is left. Malignaggi will start of fast trying to gain a few quick rounds and try to unsettle Diaz and keep him from firing constant shots, but I expect Diaz to gain superiority by the third or fourth round and wear Malignaggi down by the ninth before stopping him. There is a chance the fight could go twelve rounds as Malignaggi took a beating from Cotto and survived all twelve rounds, and Diaz isn�t a known KO puncher.

Expect �Magic Man� Malignaggi to vanish like a cheap trick, this could be the end for him.

Prediction: Diaz wins KO Round 9