Jorge Arce Just Wants to Entertain You

Remember one thing: Jorge Arce, all 115-pounds of him, is all about entertainment value.

If he was an actor he’d be Tom Cruise. If he was a singer he’d be Elvis Presley.

But Jorge Arce is not an actor and he’s not a singer - he’s a fighter. And that’s the one thing that Jorge Arce always wants you to know and remember about him. That and the fact that he always wants to give you the biggest bang for your buck.

He’s a happy-go-lucky little man who speaks so quickly and with such a rapid fire delivery that after a while, it all just becomes one big steady stream of consciousness conversation. But that’s only because Jorge Arce, from the dusty streets of Los Mochis, Mexico, wants to let you know all about who he is and why he’s here.

He’s here, of course, because he wants to entertain you.

And come Saturday night, inside a ring at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, Jorge Arce, like all big-time entertainers is going to do his best to give the paying customers their money’s worth and put on a performance for the ages.

It is there that he will face the big punching and big talking southpaw Vic Darchinyan via Armenia via Australia, for the championship of the world at super flyweight. Both guys together don’t weigh as much as a good sized heavyweight, but if Reno, Nevada is the ’Biggest Little City in the World’ then this is the biggest little fight in the world.

And that’s precisely the reason why Jorge Arce wants to step out from behind the curtain and into the spotlight yet again. So he can make he crowd go “Wow!”

“You know, I see people paying for a ticket and they want to see something good and spectacular - fighters really fighting. No dancing, no nothing - they want to see fighters fight and that’s what I do - I fight,” said the quick talking Arce from his training camp in the high mountains of Temoaya, Mexico.

“People enjoy the way I fight. They love to see blood, I’ll give them blood. I don’t mind getting some blood in there. If I get blood on me I love that. It gets me more motivated and it gets me excited, it gets me to get more aggressive. The crowd enjoys it and I want them to enjoy it.”


The fans love Arce and he loves his fans. He is pictured here playing to the crowd while entering the ring on horseback.

And that’s the thing you notice when you talk to Jorge Arce. He’s all about the fans and he’s all about the crowds. How else do you explain that the last time he fought at the Honda Center that he came into the ring atop the back of a horse? Or the fact that he makes the walk to the ring with a smile as wide as a child’s and with a lollipop stuck in his mouth. And even though he wears a black cowboy hat - he’s definitely one of the good guys. His aggressive, all-action style in the ring seems designed to be all about knockouts and all about drama.

“I think every time they see a fight that I’m in they are always going to have a great fight,” said Arce of his entertainment philosophy toward the paying public. “That’s why I hope Darchinyan comes in great shape and that he comes to fight so we can give the fans a long fight with a lot of blood and a lot of hitting. If I go down I’m getting up and I hope he does, too.”

Promoter Bob Arum is expecting nothing less than a great fight and a night that will serve as just another reminder to the naysayer’s that the sport of boxing is not ready for the graveyard just yet.

“We expect a tremendous attendance for the fight,” barked the gravelly voiced Arum. “Everybody that follows boxing has been talking about this fight for years, and finally, a week from Saturday, it will happen.”

Arum, who is to boxing promoting what P.T. Barnum was to the world of circus acts, knows he has a hot ticket on his hands and he knows there is a silver lining in what promises to be a high flying cloud of a prizefight.


Bob Arum, Chairman of Top Rank Inc., says that hands down, fans can't afford to miss the fight that will go down Saturday night in Anaheim, California.

“I think we’ll have at least 10,000 people at the fight which is a big crowd at the Honda Center…it may go higher,” said Arum the optimist. “With these prices (and here Arum recited the denominations from ringside to the farthest reaches) I think we learned a lot that the economy is teaching us. And that is, keep your prices reasonable so people can see world class boxing, so they can be present, so they can touch it, so they can feel it. They don’t have to go to their lungs for tickets. It’s very, very affordable entertainment.”

The fight is being televised by the Showtime network and it comes a couple of years after Arce has spent rebuilding himself after his only loss in the past nine years. It was a defeat at the hands of Cristian Mijares, whom Vic Darchinyan just knocked out back in November.

“That fight came just as my career was taking off,” explains Arce of the April 2007 decision loss that happened at exactly the wrong time for him.

“When I lost to Mijares, it was like everyone decided I wasn’t as good a boxer as everyone thought I was - that I was just a good actor and a celebrity,” said Arce, a former reality show participant and current television celebrity in Mexico.

“They said I was just more of an actor and a singer and everything else, more than I was a boxer. But everyone has bad nights and I just had a bad night that day against Mijares. People, sometimes they don’t understand that. The media, the fans they don’t understand you can have a bad night. That’s all it was for me was just a bad night. And now I’m going to face the guy that knocked out Mijares and I’m going to knock him out. And then everyone‘s going to talk about me like where I was before I fought Mijares.”


Arce got a stranglehold on Cristian Mijares at the press conference, but he had a much more difficult time getting his hands on him when they were in the ring.

And to be fair, Jorge Arce is all fighter. His career record alone would tell you that with 51 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw and 39 knockouts that he must be a serious and going concern. He turned pro at age 17 and over the past 13 years as a professional he has won four titles in three weight divisions. The loss to Mijares is the only black mark on his record in the past nine years.

Some ask then, with that being the case, why isn’t Arce rated in the top-10 of the much discussed ‘Pound-for-Pound’ rankings? And does the fact that when he opens up The Ring magazine or looks on the many boxing websites that keep track of such things, does it bother him when he doesn’t see his name there?

“It doesn’t bother me, I just try to do the best that I can,” he explains. “But if I win this fight I know that I will have to be considered and people will talk about me as one of the best fighters in the world. I want to give the fans a great fight, something they will remember me by so they can think of me as one of the best fighters in the world.”

Arce is the type of fighter that is full of confidence and he says that with his long training camp at 9,000 feet altitude in the mountains about an hour from Mexico City, that the confidence he has always had in himself has only been strengthened.


Arce is the type of fighter that doesn't stop coming forward, even if it means he has to peer through a veil of his own blood.

“You know, I have never doubted myself. I’m very self assured of who I am and what I’m about. When I train for fights like this I feel invincible. This guy is not going to intimidate me, I know who I am and I’m very sure of myself. I knew I was good enough to get back in there and fight this guy. Back on November 1st when we both fought, I fought in Las Vegas and Mijares and Darchinyan were fighting in Los Angeles. All I was hoping was that I get the winner. I didn’t care who the winner of the fight was. I was just hoping that I would get the opportunity to fight the winner. I told my manager, Beltran, and I told everyone, ‘I hope whoever wins I get a chance to fight them.’ Now that the fight is here you don’t know how excited I am. You don’t know how hungry I am. I just cannot wait to fight this guy.”

Which is all good news - because Jorge Arce is here to entertain you.



January 2009

Window 7 beta testing..

Window 7 beta is here. Available today at microsoft site, i will give it try. Why not?
I have downloaded the trial version of this microsoft os.. First what is the PC requirement? Do this one memory hungrier than vista.. I made a research and found these requirements.

• 1GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)
• 1GB of main memory
• 16GB of available disk space
• Support for DX9 graphics with 128MB of memory (for the Aero interface

Well same as Vista, so you dont have to upgrade your pc if you met vista requirements.

Some says it will be the linux killer but i doubt it, it would br rather a Vista killer i think.


You can download beta version here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx



So tommorow i`m gonna start it`s use and would post my reviews. Gonna sleep na and be early tommorow in my work.

Godbless to all...

Khan vs. Barrera Tickets Are Red Hot

At the press conference to announce the fight, Amir Khan took a chance to get the first shot in against Marco Antonio Barrera.

Amir Khan and Marco Antonio Barrera will meet inside the ring at Manchester Evening News Arena in only 43 days - and tickets for the fight are on fire.

Over 15,000 of the 20,000 available tickets have already been sold and Frank Warren recently informed a group of reporters that he was shocked at the overwhelming response to the fight and the demand for tickets.

“This is one of the fastest-selling bouts that I’ve ever promoted,” said Warren. “I’m very happy with how the tickets are selling and the buzz about the fight is fantastic. In these tough economic times it tells you what kind of draw this fight is and I expect that we will have a sold-out arena soon.”

Warren is no stranger to marquee events having promoted some of the biggest names in boxing from Mike Tyson to Joe Calzaghe to Ricky Hatton. Even though he knew he had a solid attraction with Khan and Barrera the fan response to the fight surprised him.

“I've brought some major shows to Manchester over the years,” said Warren. “With Ricky Hatton coming from the city, Manchester has firmly established itself as one of the centers of boxing as far as I can tell. Most of the ticket-buyers are from Britain, but I’m expecting people to come in from the U.S. and Mexico. It’s a fight that’s grabbed the imagination of a lot of people.”


Barrera's promoter Don King and Warren haven't had to do much to sell a fight that has basically sold itself in only two weeks.

The 22 year-old Khan arrived at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California last week and the bookies have installed him as the betting favorite to overcome Barrera, who is 13 years his senior.

Many find it shocking that Khan is tipped as the favorite by various on-line sports books. 5dimes.com is solidly in Khan’s corner and is offering odds on him as a -135 favorite while they have Barrera as a +105 underdog.

Warren also thinks Khan has a good shot at winning and said he believes that Barrera has weaknesses that the youngster will be able to expose.

“One thing that he’s going to bring to the ring with him is his skills, he’s got a good boxing brain,” said Warren of Barrera whom he at one time promoted. “But I have always known a couple of flaws that he’s got and I think those flaws are still there.”

While the rest of the word continues to suffer with economic malaise, boxing seems to be making a strong beginning to 2009 and Warren spoke of that as well.

“This fight is a good start to the year,” he said. “Boxing is very much on a high and I’m sure that Amir Khan is going to take it to another level. I think he’ll come through in this fight and convince and show everybody what a great fighter he is going to become.”


January 2009

Macccarinelli Eager to Reclaim WBO Title

Enzo Maccarinelli is hoping that 2009 will be a better year for him and he's looking to regain his title and rule the Cruiserweight division.

He's been training since Christmas Day and he sounds like a fighter that has the 'Eye of the Tiger' back.

"I want all them belts and I've still got a lot of anger in me," proclaimed a no-nonsense Enzo Maccarinelli on a recent winter's day.

The former WBO Cruiserweight titlist will get his chance to at least get his old belt back when he faces Victor Ramirez on March 14th. The fight will be on the undercard of the Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Amir Khan match at the Manchester Evening News Arena and it will be fought for the vacant WBO 200-pound title.

Maccarinelli, 28, with a record of 29-2 (22)KO, is still attempting to rebound from last June's devastating blowout loss to David Haye. Maccarinelli took the first step back in that journey with a second round stoppage win over Mathew Ellis last month. The next step in his plan for Cruiserweight domination will come against Argentina's Ramirez.

"I lost to David Haye and I don't make any excuses about that," explained Enzo. "To be honest with you, I think I probably took my position and the fight against Haye a little bit for granted. Since that loss I've made a few changes with my training, with my diet. I'm just trying to do everything right this time."


Maccarinelli has a solid team behind him. He is trained by Enzo Calzaghe (left) and is promoted by Frank Warren.

Maccarinelli, who is trained by Enzo Calzaghe, says that he is attempting to become a bigger and stronger fighter and that he is incorporating some new strength and conditioning exercises into his routine in order to help him do that. Maccarinelli typically weighs in well below the 200-pound limit and his plan in the future is to come in heavier with a stronger and more solid body.

"I haven't always been the biggest Cruiserweight," he says. "I want to develop some extra punching power and I've been using weights to help me. I'm using weights in a way so that they don't slow me down or bulk me up too much. I've used weights in the past but they slowed me down a bit, but this time we're doing something a little different so I'm trying it out."

As for a prediction against the big punching Ramirez, Maccarinelli had only this to say:

"It should be a good one. He likes to come at you and he likes to swing punches. I like to swing punches, too - so it should be a really good scrap. After the year I had last year, I just want to put things behind me and get on with it.


January 2009

Barrera Rolling Full Steam Ahead Toward Khan

Veteran Marco Antonio Barrera is looking forward to facing the much younger Amir Khan on March 14th in Manchester, England.

He turned pro two decades ago in a dusty Mexico City ring and now, at age 35, he’s preparing to take on one of boxing’s youngest stars and newest sensations. The 'Marco Antonio Barrera Express’ is on its own set of tracks, its own time, and as usual its rolling along according to its own schedule.

Next weekend, Barrera will square off against ham-and-egger Johnny Nolasco in Guadalajara, Mexico. Once that expected pedestrian affair is over with it’s full steam ahead to Manchester, England for a March stop against the young British upstart - Amir Khan.

The fight with Khan was an unexpected surprise that came together hastily and was intriguing news to the entire industry when it was announced by Khan’s promoter Frank Warren and Don King, who is now guiding what will likely be the final chapter of the long and storied career of the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin.’

There are two schools of thought on the Khan vs. Barrera match-up.

The first school has criticized the fight in saying that Barrera is too experienced and too ring wise for the still green Khan - who only four months ago was brutally dispatched in 54 seconds at the hands of Breidis Prescott. This faction says that Barrera, a world champion in multiple weight classes and a wily veteran with 70 professional fights, has probably forgotten more about boxing than Khan will ever know and that the younger man is totally overmatched.

The other school of thought says that the 22 year-old Khan, a 2004 Olympic Silver Medal winner with only 20 professional fights, is catching the slower moving Barrera train at precisely the right moment. They are of the opinion that Khan is bigger, fresher and has long enough arms that will allow him to stay out of harm’s way. They tell you that Khan’s reflexes, quickness and speed will be enough to overcome what will surely be a stubborn challenge from one of Mexico’s greatest ring warriors.


In three fights against one another, Barrera and Erik Morales (pictured above) became legends and won the hearts and minds of their Mexican countrymen.

The two most ardent supporters of Khan (and the two that mattered the most in making the fight with Barrera) are his recently hired trainer Freddie Roach and his promoter Frank Warren who has been with him since he made the transition to the paid ranks in 2005.

Warren, who used to actually promote Barrera many years ago during his featherweight heyday, gave his thoughts on a match that many are questioning his judgment in making.

“This is a tough fight, it’s a gamble,” admitted the hard bargaining Warren. “It’s a tough fight for him, but I think that Amir, mentally, is prepared for this fight and I think he’s got the skills to win it. Barrera, we all know, is a quality fighter. I think this is a tough fight but I think this is a good move for Amir in his career and hopefully it will pay off.”

The fight came together quickly in a casual conversation between Warren and Don King. After a bit of back and forth rumination, Warren proposed the match and King presented the idea to Barrera. Warren said he watched a few DVDs of Barrera’s old fights and within a day King got back to him with the message that Barrera was on board and the next day the fight was announced.

“The thing about this fight is that we’re all taking about it,” said Warren. “Is it too soon for Amir? Has Barrera got too much? Is Khan too big for him? There’s all these different arguments as to who is going to win this fight and that’s what makes great fights.”


Frank Warren, a promotional powerhouse in Great Britain, has a hunch that he is putting Amir Khan in with Barrera at just the right time.

A key cog in the wheel of the entire process was Freddie Roach, who took over Khan’s training reigns after the Prescott disaster. Roach thought it over too, and he informed Warren he was comfortable with the fight and according to his calculations it was a fight he felt Khan was capable of winning. Roach has a great deal of familiarity with M.A.B. as he trained Manny Pacquiao and Johnny Tapia in fights against Barrera.

“I think Freddie Roach makes a big difference to Amir,” said Warren. “I think he really adds to Amir’s confidence level and I think he’ll rise to the challenge. I think this is a fight he can win and that it will bring him on.”

Roach obviously has a great deal of insight when it comes to breaking down how styles will mesh and how a fight between two guys will play out. It was Roach who told anybody that would listen that underdog Manny Pacquiao would be too much for Oscar De La Hoya and he was ‘crystal-ball like’ with how that fight eventually played itself out.

So when Warren told Roach he wanted to match Khan against Barrera, Roach got out his Tarot cards and he liked how the deck shuffled out.

“I thought about it a little bit and I came to the conclusion that it’s a good fight for us and I think it’s the right time,” said Roach from his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California. “I think it’s a great fight for Amir and it’s a one-hundred percent ‘go’ in my mind and I can’t wait to start getting ready for the fight.”

Roach is impressed with Khan’s work ethic and says that because of that and because Khan is willing and eager to learn, that he will be able to formulate a game plan for him that should lead him to the biggest win of his embryonic career.


When Freddie Roach talks - people listen. The trainer believes that Khan has what it takes to overcome the experience and skills that Barrera will bring to the table.

“We’ll have a perfect training camp and I know the type of sparring partners to get him to get ready for Barrera’s style,” said Roach. “ I know Barrera’s style and I know the types of fighters and the types of styles that he has troubles with. So what we’ll do is make Amir have one of those styles. We’ll have a couple of different plans available for him in case he tries to change something up on us.”

For his part, Barrera was all smiles when the news of the fight against Khan was announced.

Never short on confidence, Barrera, who took a 13-month break from the sport after losing for the second time to Pacquiao in October 2007, returned with a knockout win over Sammy Ventura in China last November. Barrera sees a victory over Khan as a springboard to more mega-fights in the future. If he manages to prove victorious, and more importantly, if he looks good in doing so, he will be right back in the mix in the lightweight division.

Barrera is the #1 ranked contender at 135-pounds by the World Boxing Organization, a ranking which he says “surprised me.” Barrera also claims the time remaining in boxing is short for him, “I want to fight for the title at 135 pounds and then maybe three or four more fights,” he says.

It’s an ambitious plan for a 35 year-old little engine that could. Barrera is a guy with a lot of miles on his fistic odometer and he knows that Frank Warren, Freddie Roach and Amir Khan are all trying to derail the last stop of the ‘Barrera Express’.


Amir Khan and his people feel that he is ready to take on the veteran challenger and future hall-of-famer Marco Antonio Barrera.

But Barrera is the type of special talent that only comes along once a generation. In his last fight against the limited Sammy Ventura in China, Barrera demonstrated very nice hand speed and deft foot movement and he crippled Ventura with a left hook to the body.

It says here that come March 14th in Manchester, England - that Barrera will keep rolling along - full steam ahead - and that Amir Khan better get off the tracks.



January 2009

World`s Most Expensive Animal

11. Bengal Cat for $800-$3000

10. Japanese Macaques for $3500

9. Squirrel Monkey for $4000

8. Chinese Crested Hairless Puppies for $4000-$5000

7. Savannah Cat for $4000-$10.000

6. Mona Guenon for $6000

5. DeBrazzas Monkey for $7000

4. Hyacinth Macaw for $6500-$12.000

3. Tiger Python for $15.000

2. Chimpanzee for $60.000-$65. 000

1. White Lion $138.000

Miguel Cotto Has Something to Prove

Miguel Cotto is looking forward to returning next month and getting back into the thick of things.

Miguel Cotto is only a month away from squaring off against big underdog Michael Jennings at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but the specter of Antonio Margarito is hanging over his return like the albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner.

Cotto is making his highly anticipated return to the ring after suffering his first professional loss to Margarito last July. Many are curious to see whether or not they will be treated to the same destructive fighter they all came to know before he ran headfirst into 'The Tijuana Tornado' and was stopped in eleven brutally exciting rounds.

Cotto, currently in the thick of his preparations, says the long lay-off since the Margarito loss has done him good and that he expects his return on Feb. 21st against the unknown Jennings, who hails from Great Britain, to be a successful one.

"I feel good," said Cotto, who claims making 147-pounds will be no problem. "You're going to see what I can do and physically I feel O.K. I'm anxious to see how I do…and answer the questions."

Cotto, who is refreshingly honest and candid about himself and his career, figures the reason that he lost to Margarito is relatively simple to understand.

"It wasn't about my conditioning, my conditioning is always good," said Cotto. "It was his night…it was Margarito's night is all it was. He was better than me that night and that's all there is to it. Simple as that, really."

As far as the fight against Jennings goes, Cotto says he will be prepared for whatever Jennings will bring to the table and he is looking forward to winning the vacant WBO welterweight title.


Michael Jennings (left) and Cotto, met for the first time at the press conference to announce their fight. Few give Jennings much of a chance, but Cotto says he is taking the challenge seriously.

"I don't know anything about him…nothing," says the plain-spoken Cotto. "But there is no such thing as an easy fight. No matter the fighter, they are never easy. The people said the same thing about Alfonso Gomez (whom Cotto stopped in five one-sided rounds) but they all come to win and they all come to fight hard. I know that Jennings is coming to win in the same way."

Cotto's future could be predicated on the outcome of this Saturday's WBA welterweight title fight between Margarito and Shane Mosley taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Cotto holds a close decision win over Mosley from Nov. 2007, so he is very familiar with both combatants. However, he seems to be sounding a cautionary note for Margarito.

"I don't know what to say about who will win that fight," said Cotto when asked for his opinion. "Both guys are top boxers, you know? But I think if Margarito doesn't come in the same shape as when he fought me, then he will probably lose this fight. Shane is a very good boxer."

According to Bob Arum, who promotes both Margarito and Cotto, even if Margarito somehow manages to lose to Mosley on Saturday night, he will move ahead with plans to match Margarito and Cotto on June 13th at Madison Square Garden.

But for that to happen, Cotto has to do his part and he has to get by the challenge of Jennings. And for now, he is not looking past that fight.

"I want to prove that Miguel Cotto has a lot of boxing left," he says of his return. "I want to prove that I'm still one of the top boxers in the world."


January 2009

Naz Says He Hasn’t Ruled Out a Comeback

Hamed faced Marco Antonio Barrera in 2001 and the Mexican handed the 'Prince' his first loss. A little over a year later, Hamed was gone from the sport.

On the ballot for the first time, ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed was recently shunned as an inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Absent from the ring since 2002, Hamed is now little more than a boxing afterthought as he watches fellow Brit Amir Khan ready himself to face the challenge of Marco Antonio Barrera - the man that handed Hamed the first loss of his pro career and likely hastened his exit from the sport.

Now only a few weeks shy of his 35th birthday and nearly 50 pounds over his best fighting weight of 126 pounds, Hamed told this scribe that he has not ruled out a return to the ring and that watching Khan has energized him.

“I wouldn’t say I’m completely retired,” said Hamed who sounded excited at the possibility of one day returning to the ring. “I don’t see why I couldn’t come back if that’s what I decide to do.”

An electrifying performer, Hamed was a sensation in the late 1990’s and in the first couple years of this decade. The former WBO, IBF and WBC Featherweight titlist sold out stadiums from London to Las Vegas, scored sensational one-punch knockouts and entertained crowds with his colorful personality and entertaining ring entrances.

“I’ll never rule out a comeback to the ring,” said Hamed. “What you have to remember is that boxing will always be in my heart. I love the sport and I will always love the sport. So because of that, I will never tell you that I am retired. I trained hard for 21 years of my life and I punished myself for a long time, so I think I deserved to take some time off.”

After the humiliating loss to Barrera in April 2001, Hamed returned to outpoint Spain’s Manuel Calvo over 12 uninspiring rounds in May 2002. However, after that night Hamed simply stopped fighting, he strangely avoided the boxing spotlight and his career quietly faded to black.

There were numerous rumors over the years that Hamed’s comeback was imminent but none of the fights ever came to fruition.

In 2005, he crashed his McLaren-Mercedes into another motorist at high speed in an incident that nearly killed the other driver and also injured the man’s wife. In May 2006, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for dangerous driving and was released after serving less than a quarter of his time.

“It’s been a nice break,” said Hamed of the extended vacation from the sport that made him into a millionaire several times over. “Sure, it’s been a bit long, but I’m not retired right now. I may very well come back. You have to admit, nobody has ever done what I did in the history of boxing. I miss it, I love it.”

Hamed seemed intrigued with the announcement that the young Amir Khan will now face off against the man that managed to tear down his aura of invincibility.

“We’ve got a pretty good breath of fresh air in Amir Khan,” said a hopeful sounding Hamed of the Khan-Barrera match. “It’s good to see a Muslim brother like Amir doing his thing - and I think he’ll do it.”


January 2009

Margarito Has Done it the Hard Way

Antonio Margarito is wrapping up his training camp ahead of next weekend's clash against Shane Mosley.

Nothing in life has come easy for Antonio Margarito.

He didn't arrive on the scene with a shiny Olympic medal dangling from his neck. He doesn't have the bright smile of an Oscar De La Hoya or a Ray Leonard. He doesn't speak English nor does he really care to. He could reside anywhere he wants, but he feels most comfortable living only a stone's throw away from the dusty, drug-infested streets of Tijuana, Mexico's 'El Norte' neighborhood, where he grew up poor - idolizing the great Julio Cesar Chavez.

In a day and age when prizefighters only appear under the bright lights of the squared circle a few times a year, he is considered a throwback fighter. He's a 'hard man' as they used to say. A man with shoveling, non-stop punches he possesses a scythe-like left hook and a rapier of a right uppercut that separates men from their senses. He's a perpetual, relentless, whirling, Mexican machine who's not afraid to take some to give some. He overwhelms opponents with his heart and devil-may-care style. Because of it all, they've nicknamed him the 'Tijuana Tornado'.

He began fighting for money at the age of 15 and faced grown men twice his age. And just because he knocked out Miguel Cotto, Puerto Rico's favorite son, in his last fight, Antonio Margarito (his friends call him 'Tony') is not going to stop coming forward. He's not going to stop doing the things he has always done because he has never really been the favorite. His has been a life spent as the underdog. So as Saturday night in downtown Los Angeles grows closer, he's not going to grow cautious and fight like a man that has something to keep - instead of a man that has everything to lose.


Right after he forced Cotto into the hands of defeat, Margarito dropped to his knees with the realization that he had finally made it to the top.

When the World Boxing Association's welterweight champ steps through the ropes and into the ring against 'Sugar' Shane Mosley, he will so to a full-house that will mostly have come to see him. Anybody that knows anything about this game they call boxing will tell you that Mosley has never been able to sell too many tickets on his own. He's always needed somebody in the other corner to really make the turnstiles churn.

"I started boxing at the age of eight," says Margarito. "My father loved boxing and he took me to the fights when I was a little boy. From then on, all I wanted to be was a fighter. When my father asked me if I would like to become a boxer, I said 'Yes' and that's how it all began for me."

Seven years later he was a professional prizefighter. A boy in a man's world. To this day, it's the only job he has ever had.

In the late '80s and early '90s, Mexico was a boxing-crazed nation with one man that served as a heroic idol and a near mythic figure to most of the population. That man was the great Julio Cesar Chavez. It's the man that Antonio Margarito says made him want to become a fighter.

"When I was nine years old, my father took my brother and I to a boxing event in Tijuana," says Margarito as he recalls that day over two decades later. "My brother and I had our picture taken with Julio and it was one of the happiest days of my life. I got to meet my idol and have my picture taken with him."

And Margarito, an angular, nearly six foot tall 147-pounder with long arms, coal dark eyes, inky black hair and a sneer that can scare crooked men straight - says it is a picture that he still carries with him to this day.


Margarito extends a greeting to a young admirer, much like Julio Cesar Chavez did with him over two decades ago.

At first glance, Antonio Margarito would seem to be the type that is short on sentiment. Short on feelings. But he has a big heart. He is quick to smile and he's engaging and happy when approached for autographs by curious fans. Since he beat Cotto he's much more recognized in the airports and hotels. The same people that have sold out the Staples Center naturally gravitate toward him.

Most kids who grow up in the El Norte neighborhood area of Tijuana where Margarito hails from, usually don't make it too far from cardboard shantys that serve as their homes. His brother didn't. Manuel, also a boxer, fell victim to the violence in 1999.

A mystery that still remains unsolved, his brother was murdered during an apparent burglary in their hometown of Tijuana. Obviously it's a sensitive matter for Margarito and when he talks about the haunting memory of his brother his mouth twists uncontrollably, tears well up and his eyelids flutter. The love he has for his brother helps to inspire him and drive him forward and it makes him want to do as much as he can with the life that he has been given.

"My brother was my best friend and we were always together," he says in a halting manner. "When we were kids we'd go to the gym together and train together. He was always there with me. He's still here with me now, but just in a different way. He's in my heart and I wish so much that he was still here. I wish he could see all that I have been able to achieve."

Margarito called the win over Cotto "my sanctification" and said that since that hot July night in Las Vegas when he upset the undefeated Puerto Rican destroyer, he now gets the respect that he feels was denied him for the past 15 years.

His former promoter once dubbed him 'the most avoided fighter in the world' because of the reluctance of other top tier fighters to step into a ring against him. But Margarito says that has only made the journey from zero to hero that much sweeter. Floyd Mayweather, Jr., once the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, reportedly turned down over $8 million to fight him. Oscar De La Hoya also avoided him as though he had a contagious disease.

"It took a long time, yes, but I'm here now," Margarito proudly says of finally making his way into the boxing spotlight. "They can't ignore me and they can't deny me my place anymore. You have to remember that when I became a professional fighter I was only a boy. I was 15 years old. I remember all of those struggles and all of those hardships that I've had to endure over all of those years to get to where I am now. "

The bookies and the odds makers say that Antonio Margarito will likely beat Shane Mosley on Saturday night. In fact, there aren't many takers who give Mosley much of a chance at all. And that says something about how good Antonio Margarito has become. Mosley, although a bit past it, is a fighter destined for the hall-of-fame and he remains a handful for any fighter on any given night.

But for Antonio Margarito, a man who has lived life the hard way and has overcome the longest of odds, he is finally the favorite.


January 2009

Margarito & Mosley Ready for L.A. Battle

Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley posed for a big crowd at the press conference to announce their fight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Both Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley declared in a conference call with boxing reporters on Thursday that they are both fully prepared to square off against one another on Jan. 24th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The two will battle for Margarito's World Boxing Association 147-pound title in a fight that promises fireworks. Even in a down economy, fight tickets for this one are red hot and it is an eagerly anticipated match by boxing fans.

Bob Arum was also on the call and declared there "wasn't much left for me to do" as the Staples Center was essentially sold out. Arum said that by the time next Saturday night rolls around all seats will be filled and that there will be plenty of Hollywood celebrities in attendance.

Each fighter spent about half an hour fielding a variety of questions.
Mosley's new trainer, Nazim Richardson, spoke first. Asked for his comments about what it has been like to train Mosley after working for years with his best known client, Bernard Hopkins, Richardson said there wasn't a lot of new tricks that he could teach Mosley. Richardson said that Mosley's knowledge of the game "was exceptional" and that Mosley already knows all of the ins and outs of the sport. Richardson said he was acting more as a guide to Mosley to point things out to him that he can do - or maybe do better.

Mosley, who had been trained for his entire life by his father Jack until parting with him recently, said that he still speaks to his father on a regular basis.

"I just spoke with my father yesterday," said Mosley, a titlist at 135, 147 and 154 pounds.

'Sugar' Shane claimed that he does talk strategy with his father and that he advises him to do many of the same things that he and Richardson have been working on throughout training camp.

Mosley said that he is fully prepared for everything that Margarito will bring to the table. He said that he has been fighting against Mexican-style fighters his entire life in the gyms of California. Mosley said that his style is much like that of the Mexicans and he referred to his own style as that of "a California fighter."

In a couple of surprising comments, Mosley said that he will not back away from the hard-charging Margarito and that he is going to attempt to control the pace of the fight with his experience, hand and foot speed. He said that he plans on testing Margarito's body and that he will be concentrating on getting his own shots in on Margarito and not what Margarito will be attempting to do.

Mosley also believes that he understands how to fight Margarito and negate his style better than Miguel Cotto did. Mosley said although Cotto did well early in that fight - he had a "mental breakdown" later on that led to his 11th round TKO loss.

Mosley told me that although he is going forward with his career "on a fight-by-fight basis" that his long range plan may be to fight another "four or five years" or until he is 41 or 42 years old. Mosley claims the reason he wants to continue is that he feels as though he is in exceptional physical condition and that as long as he continues to feel as strong and effective as he currently does, that he will forge on.

Margarito, for his part, was all business. Speaking in Spanish through his manager and interpreter Sergio Diaz, the 'Tijuana Tornado' said he is fully prepared for what will happen on the 24th and that he is sure of victory.


Before he fought Miguel Cotto, Margarito took a moment to soak up the atmosphere of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Margarito pointed out that he has been boxing since he was eight years old and that everything he has been working for throughout his life and boxing career has led him to meeting Mosley in a sold out Los Angeles arena.

"I'm just thinking about Shane Mosley," said Margarito. "He's a very experienced fighter and he's been a great champion and I'm not underestimating him. I put in the work in the gym and I have what it takes to win and. I'm ready to put on a good show for all the fans."


January 2009

Money Woes Pressing On Mayweather

Floyd 'Money' Mayweather, Jr. announced his retirement from the sport of boxing on June 6, 2008.

But since he washed his hands of the sport that was on the verge of turning him into a household name, Mayweather's fortunes have taken a dramatic turn.

The latest bit of information regarding Mayweather's finances came with a shocking price tag - $6.1 million in back taxes he owes the Internal Revenue service from fiscal year 2007. The IRS is now pursuing 'Money' Mayweather and has reportedly placed liens against him for that dollar amount.

Unless some sort of offer and compromise can be worked out with the IRS, and unless Mayweather pays quickly, the $6.1 million that he currently owes will skyrocket, with penalties and interest, by over $500,000 per year.

Perhaps Mayweather can call on old friend and Vegas neighbor Mike Tyson, who likely knows very well the various calculations the IRS uses to add insult to injury.

It's been a tough road for Mayweather over the past several months.

In July, he threw himself and the citizens of Grand Rapids, Michigan (his hometown) a bash fit for a king. Mayweather used the Independence Day weekend as his own personal platform to send himself off into what he hoped would be a permanent retirement from the sport of which he said at the time, "I'm bored with."

However, since that hot July weekend when he "made it rain" by throwing $30,000 in one hundred dollar bills into a crowd of people, 'Money' Mayweather has encountered some very pricey situations.

An August incident, in a story that made headlines on newscasts around the world, one of Mayweather's Las Vegas homes was robbed of what was reported to have been $7.1million worth of jewelry. He later offered a $100,000 reward for information in the case that would lead to an arrest or conviction, but the crime has yet to be solved.


Once the pound-for-pound king of the sport, Mayweather hasn't been seen in the ring since he knocked out Ricky Hatton in December 2007.

In September, the former pound-for-pound champ was sued by a Florida real estate developer for backing out of a deal to purchase an $8.5 million dollar home in the state. Mayweather reneged on the initial agreement to pay the developer $1.7 million that resulted in the lawsuit.

October brought a worldwide meltdown in stock markets as well as continued plunging home values in the United States. The markets crashed between 30% and 40%. Few investors escaped the bloodletting. For Mayweather, who in 2008 claimed that he was on his way to becoming a billionaire, it would certainly seem the crisis would have significantly altered his grandiose business plans.

Mayweather also owns several properties in the state of Nevada. The Las Vegas area in which he resides has been what some have called "ground zero" in the U.S. foreclosure quagmire. The situation has caused Las Vegas home values to plummet more than 30% and homeowners who once had millions of dollars worth of equity in their homes have watched it blow away like dust in the desert wind.

Mayweather told many of us boxing writers in 2007 that he paid "$11 million" for his most recent home in Las Vegas. But even using conservative figures, that same pad would now be worth about $7.5 million.

Mayweather is also known to win (and lose) thousands of dollars at a time wagering on sporting events as was well documented in the 24/7 Countdown series produced by HBO. He also has a certain affinity for luxury automobiles (he reportedly had a fleet of nearly 20) which have not always proven to be the most sound of investments.


Mayweather training in Las Vegas prior to his May 2007 fight against Oscar De La Hoya which was the highest grossing prizefight in boxing history.

It all adds credence to Oscar De La Hoya's comment back in October. While on the press tour for his then upcoming fight against Manny Pacquiao, the 'Golden Boy' quipped, "I heard he needs the money" when asked if he thought Mayweather would return to boxing.

Then of course, there was the interesting quote given by his outspoken father, Floyd, Sr., to the Grand Rapids Press newspaper: "How can he tell all the people in Grand Rapids he's a billionaire? He won't be a billionaire in a billion years. Mark my words, someday he'll be running through the streets of Grand Rapids broke."


January 2009

For Luis Collazo, It's Now Or Never

Luis Collazo is hoping for a change in luck on Saturday night in Biloxi, Mississippi.

You won't find his name on any of boxing's pound-for-pound lists. When the big fights are hashed out and put together by the big promoters in the back rooms at the television networks, his name is rarely mentioned.

Many are of the opinion that he beat Ricky Hatton but got robbed of the decision by three blind mice in Boston. Others are of the mind that had he not broken the thumb on his left hand in the second round against Shane Mosley, that he may very well have pulled off a major upset.

So as he prepares to meet up with World Boxing Council welterweight king Andre Berto on Saturday night at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, there is a certain belief that for Luis Collazo to continue on as a 'going concern' in this business they call boxing - that it's now or never for him.

It's not that Luis Collazo hasn't had the chances to do big things. He did, after all, enjoy a 13-month run as the World Boxing Association welterweight champion before losing the belt to Hatton by a close decision.

After he was floored in the first round by 'The Hitman' he arose from the deck and went tooth and nail with Ricky on a night in Boston that seemed as though it may have been a good idea to begin building another version of Noah's Ark.

There was some success on that night. Collazo won nearly as many rounds as he lost and in the last frame he drilled Hatton in such a manner that Ricky was hanging on, teetering on wobbly legs and peering through an eye that was mostly black and closed. Things were so uncertain that Ray and Carol and Matthew all looked very concerned for their son and brother before he was finally announced as the winner.


Collazo gave as good as he got against England's Ricky Hatton, but the judges called him the loser.

There was of course, too, the fight against Mosley. The punch that Collazo landed in the second round broke his thumb and damaged the tendons so severely that he was laid up for nearly a year. But even with the intense pain, Luis hung in there for another half- an- hour with Mosley, a hall of fame fighter if there ever was one, who was trying to take his head off. Rendered a one-handed gimp, Collazo remained semi-competitive but ceded a lopsided decision.

And it's not as though Luis Collazo has been fighting in the dark as his fights have been televised by both HBO and Showtime. He is hyped by 'the world's greatest promoter' the high-haired Don King and he is rated highly by most of the alphabet soup organizations. The esteemed Ring magazine has him occupying their # 8 slot at 147-pounds.

But Luis Collazo's story has mostly been one long stretch of bad luck and bad breaks that make you think that Saturday night could be his lucky night, the night that things finally turn around and the night that the dice which have come up snake eyes for so long, will finally roll his way.

"This will be a great fight for me," said the polite and clear-spoken Collazo who was born 27 years ago in Brooklyn, New York, of Saturday's meeting with Berto.

"I think it's a fan friendly fight and a fight that I think the fans will enjoy. This is a fight that I have really wanted and I'm the number-one contender in the WBC, so I think I deserve this fight."

Deserving or not, the bookies and those that like to put money on such sporting events of chance are beginning to scratch their heads at the long odds against Collazo. He has been installed as an overwhelming underdog against an undefeated titlist in Berto who is largely untested and unproven.

The long and the short of it is that Luis Collazo has only ever lost three fights in a nine-year professional career that saw him make his debut on a card at Yonkers Raceway way back in 2000.

His first 'loss' came against Edwin Cassiani in 2002, but that was mostly Jay Nady's fault. Nady, a Nevada referee of ill-repute with a quick trigger finger, has stopped many a fight too soon. When he stepped in on Collazo's dance against Cassiani on that hot April afternoon on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, it was a travesty that would forever mar Collazo's fight record. To be sure, the then novice Collazo was buzzed, but only for a split-second and he was not down or in any danger of going down before Nady, a nervous ninny when he dons a blue shirt and bow-tie, decided that Collazo's afternoon was over.

There are some New York City fans of Collazo's that will vociferously argue with you that their man has really ever only lost one fight - the one against Mosley - fought in front of a half-empty arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on a chilly and blustery February evening in 2007.

They call him Luis (pronounced Loo-ee) and on the wet and foggy night the judges said he lost to Hatton at the TD Banknorth Garden, they crowed in disapproval with their heavy Puerto Rican accents, "Luis was robbed, man! Ain't no way that English boy beat him! That sucks! Luis deserves a rematch!"

Whatever the case, their pleas fell on deaf ears and the Hatton rematch never materialized. Ricky Hatton's career later blasted into boxing's stratosphere - while Collazo's was one that mostly stagnated.

But now the 5'9" tall Collazo, a slick southpaw spattered with so many tattoos that even he doesn't know the number, has a wonderful opportunity in front of him on Saturday night down on the 'Redneck Riviera' in Biloxi.


A broken thumb - and Shane Mosley - proved too much to overcome in February 2007.

An unlikely place for a prizefight involving a New York City fighter, Biloxi is located in the middle of Hurricane alley, literally built on the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. The casino where the fight will take place is normally home to entertainers such as country music stars like Clint Black and LeAnn Rimes who will appear there after boxing's traveling road show packs up its tent and the carnival finds another home.

But no matter the locale, Luis Collazo seems to know that if he is to make his move, if this career he has dedicated this much of his life to is going to move forward, if he is going to be ranked alongside the very top welterweights on the planet - he has to put it all together and win on Saturday night.

"Andre Berto hasn't fought nobody - except maybe Stevie Forbes," says Collazo when asked for his thoughts on what will happen on the beach when he and Berto throw down.

"And when you think about it, Stevie Forbes was the smaller fighter. Andre Berto is considering himself the best, but he really hasn't even fought no one yet. Berto is telling everyone he's the best so I say let's go then, let's fight."

Collazo, who has been around this game they call boxing long enough to know that Berto brings some relatively serious credentials to the table, knows, too, that he is not a fighter to be taken lightly. While he is slightly larger than Berto, there is no question that with 19 knockouts in 23 fights, Berto packs a bigger wallop and that he always shows up in supreme physical condition.

"He brings a lot," admits Collazo. "He's young, he's fast, he's got punchin' power. But he don't bring nuthin' that I ain't never seen before. I've experienced everything there is. I went through this game the hard way. They say I lost to Ricky Hatton, but they gave him the fight. In the fight with Shane - I lost - I broke my thumb in the second round. I'm gonna' come out a winner on Saturday night, you wait and see. I'm gonna' get a belt back and just take it from there."

And one thing is for sure, Luis Collazo knows it's now or never.


January 2009

Alfredo Angulo Lets His Fists Do the Talking

Upstart contender Alfredo Angulo is ready to make a statement in the world of boxing.

He's one of boxing's most promising young stars and he's the strong silent type.

Alfredo Angulo is preparing to fight tough-talking Nicaraguan Ricardo Mayorga on Feb. 14th at a site to be determined and unlike Mayorga - Angulo says he'll let his fists do the talking.

"My job is not promoting and talking - it's fighting," says the straight-talking, ruggedly built and hard punching native of Mexicali, Mexico. "I'll fight anybody that my promoter Gary Shaw puts in front of me. I don't normally speak about other fighters because I don't have to, I do my talking in the ring."

Angulo is only 26 years-old and with an undefeated record of 14-0 (11)KO's he's looking forward to having a breakout year in 2009. Angulo is on a stretch where he has scored 10 straight stoppages and no fighter has been able to last the distance with him in the past three years.

Managed by Mike Criscio, who also manages IBF 175-pound titlist Chad Dawson, Angulo seems to be on the fast track in his career so far. He is rated highly by all four alphabet organizations and actually occupies the #1 slot in the WBC and the #2 position in the WBO at 154-pounds.

Angulo is a dangerous fighter in the ring and he is all business when he steps between the ropes. As a result he has had somewhat of a difficult time finding other contenders that are willing to step into the squared circle with him.


In his most recent fight this past October, Angulo laid a fleecing on Andrey Tsurkan and stopped him in the 10th round.

"I know that we have made offers to several fighters," says Angulo, whose mastery of the English language continues to improve. "Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and Sergio Mora are a couple of names that I know, but neither of them accepted a fight with me. People can say what they want about Ricardo Mayorga, but I've got to say that he is one of the only ones that would take the fight with me."

Angulo is a serious fighter and has literally fought his way out of poverty. It hasn't been an easy journey and he nearly quit boxing altogether before his career got turned around with the help of Criscio and Shaw. Many see him as an inexperienced novice with only 14 pro fights and less than 50 rounds boxed as a pro, but Angulo sees things differently.

"The fighters that I have fought so far have been good fighters," he says. "I am and I will be ready for Mayorga even though it seems to some that I don't have a lot of experience. The other thing is that I know Mayorga is going to try and bother me by talking about me and my family but I'm not going to let him get to me. Like I said before, it's all fine, Mayorga can do all the talking he wants, but we'll see what he has to say after Valentine's Day."


January 2009

Focke-Wulf Fw 190

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger, was a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft of Germany's Luftwaffe. Used extensively during the Second World War, over 20,000 were manufactured, including around 6,000 fighter-bomber models.

The Fw 190 was well-liked by its pilots, and was quickly proven to be superior to the RAF's main front line fighter, the Spitfire Mk. V, on its combat debut in 1941.

General characteristics

Crew: One

Performance
Maximum speed: 656 km/h at 4,800 m, 685 km/h with boost (383 mph at 19,420 ft (5,920 m), 408 mph (657 km/h) with boost)

Armament
2× 13 mm MG 131 machine guns with 475 rounds/gun
4× 20 mm MG 151/20 E cannons with 250 rounds/gun in the wing root and 140 rounds/gun outboard.

Kawasaki Ki-100

The Kawasaki Ki-100 was a fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. The Japanese Army designation was "Type 5 Fighter" .

The emergency measure of adapting a Ki-61-II-KAI fighter to carry a Mitsubishi radial engine resulted in an excellent interceptor fighter, one of the best used by the Army during the entire war. Missions began in March 1945; from the first engagements the Ki-100 showed its good qualities against the USAAF B-29 heavy bombers at high altitudes, and showed itself equally effective against U.S. Navy carrier fighters. A new variant, the Ki-100-Ib, was constructed during the last weeks of the conflict to equip five sentai for home defense.

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Performance
Maximum speed: 580 km/h (360 mph)

Armament
2 × 20 mm wing-mounted Ho-5 cannons, 250 20x94 mm rounds/gun
2 × 12.7 mm fuselage-mounted Ho-103 machine guns, 250 12.7x81 mm rounds/gun