Punishment Inc.

[daedalus]

How much training do you do? Like how many different types? And how long do you keep it running?

[PilotMan]

When a fighter is signed for a fight technically, he starts training. There is no cost to the normal training for fight prep. There is additional training that can be done, but you pay a price for it based on the value of the fighter.

I have been using a number of different strategies with this training. Initially, when I had less money, I trained the more physical aspects as high as I could before the match. Once you reach 100% there is no point to train just to keep 100% so I adjust it each week depending on how close the next fight is. If the fight is a long way away, above 80% is a goal, until the fight gets closer, and then get as high as I can.

Initially I tried to keep spending around 10k per week/per fighter, but as things have progressed and the opponents get harder, and the fights more meaningful as in Lawrence McFarlane's case, I have had it go as high as 33k/per week for him.

I think a lot depends on personal preference. There is no feedback at all concerning the training, but you see the results in the ring. Pretty much you get what you pay for. I ususally don't worry about ringcraft, general or sparring until my physical areas get taken care of, but that is totally personal preference. I could easily make an argument that general should be what you train at first as I think that is covers a little bit of everything.

The whole lack of training feedback is a double edged sword. On one hand, you want to see what effect it is really having, but on the other, in a real situation you wouldn't see it until fight day, in the acutal fight.


To answer your other questions. I start training as soon as I can. Fitness has to be above 50, so I guess I am training all the time. It is costly, but I see it as more of an investment. It is costlier to lose fights.

Ultimately, I want my fighter to be in the best shape for every fight. Ideally you would have him maxed out before every fight, but that may not be possible until much later on. And you really may not need it until much later on as well.

Hope that answers your questions, daed.

[daedalus]

Definitely helps.

Any idea on how ringcraft, general or sparring helps? I mean, I understand speed bag helping improve accuracy and heavy bag helping with power. So that much I can follow.

[PilotMan]

As far as general, I think that it is a little bit of everything.

Ringcraft, is the ability to move well in the ring, control the fight, have the style to pull it off.

Sparring likely will help with chin, resistance to punishment and off the canvas. Having a fighter stay in ring, fighting condition is important. If he doesn't get hit at all between fights how is he going to resist that first hard punch.

My ideas, not perfect, but should help.

PS there is a game manual in the files, but it doesn't have everything, but does give good insight.

[PilotMan]

Third week of April, 2006.

It has been a quiet few weeks at the gym. I still have not scheduled a fighter to face my newest weapon, Ismael Gutierrez. I should have a match made for him in a couple of weeks.

It is getting costly to train all five of these fighters as much as I am each week. They don’t really need to do the extra work, they could do it on their own, but I think that it helps them for their fights.

There is one interesting fight that I will mention and it is in the Flyweight divison. Former Champ Gerardo Ramirez, 25-1-0(12) is facing 6^th ranked Lito Mataganas, 19-1-0(9). Ramirez was stopped in the 3^rd round against Adam Napier, while Mataganas was a winner over Zosimo Diaz via a 7^th round KO.

Mataganas is as in shape and pumped for this fight as anyone that I have seen. I am sure that he would have liked to fight Ramirez for the title. Right now, Ramirez is ranked #2 and to beat him would further his career a great deal. Lito started last year ranked #40 in the world, so now to be fighting the #2 in the world is a big deal.

Both fighters are young and posses good skills. The oddsmakers are aware that Mataganas hasn’t fought the world class quality opponents that Ramirez has, and it shows. Ramirez is the heavy favorite as he is favored to win with1/4 odds. The odds on Mataganas are 10/3. Personally, I think that Ramirez has been through to many wars to let this one get by him.

[PilotMan]

Gerardo Ramirez won his match over Lito Mataganas by a 10 round unanimous points decision. I didn’t feel all that comfortable betting on this match so I didn’t bet that much. I did win though and it paid a whopping 5k.

While I was sitting there, watching the fights, I got a call from the management group of Lionel Ogbourne. Ogbourne won his last fight. He is a talented fighter, but his heart has been brought into question.

His current record is 2-4-0(1), and he is ranked #160. That is a little bit lower than Niall. Unfortunately for Niall, he isn’t quite ready to sign for the fight, so I pass. It would have paid me a little over 86k. That would have paid for training for the group of guys for a week.

I think that I may need to scale back the extra training that the fighters currently get. It is costing an arm and a leg, and I am not sure that it is going to pay off the way that I want it to.

I also talked to the managers for Juan Aranda. Aranda is 1-1-0(0) in the light heavyweight divison. He has an average punch, but his chin is good and he has good defense as well. I told them that I wanted a fight with Gutierrez scheduled for 8 weeks away. They were not interested in that fight so I guess I will be paitent and wait for the best fight for my hot prospect.

There is one good fight of note this week and that is The Golden Boy, Oscar de la Hoya. De la Hoya is still undefeated and looking for a title shot. His match is against #2 ranked Jose Victor Lopez. Lopez is 21-0-0(14), while de la Hoya is 35-0-0(26). Both fighters are putting a lot on the line in this fight and are putting their standing in the divison at risk. De la Hoya is the favorite with the odds on him at 8/15, while the odds on Lopez are 5/3. The fighters are pracically mirror images of one another. They both hit hard, have good defense and have good chins. I will be watching it with a great deal of interest.

[PilotMan]

A quiet week has ended and I couldn’t bear to lay any money down on the fights this week. I failed to arrange any fights for my fighters and had no fighters fighting.

The results of the big welterweight dual were that one fighter stayed undefeated while the other lost.

The winner was Oscar de la Hoya, as he ran his record to 36-0 with a unanimous decision win over Jose Victor Lopez.

[PilotMan]

Rankings as of the First week of May, 2006

Heavyweight

CHAMP Joe Louis 72-3-0(58)

#1 Peter O’ Connell 35-4-0(20)

#2 Muhammad Ali 59-5-0(38)

#3 Evander Holyfield 38-4-1(25)

#4 Michael Moorer 43-2-1(33)

#5 Max Watt 15-0-3(9)

#6 Anthony Wood 16-0-1(6)

#7 Tom Elvy 31-0-0(9)

#8 Colin Dibble 24-3-0(13)

#9 Bob Fitzsimmons 51-8-0(42)

#10 Joe Frazier 34-5-2(28)

Light Heayweight

CHAMP Virgil Hill 49-3-1(25)

#1 Julio Perez 17-1-0(6)

#2 Bob Foster 61-8-1(49)

#3 Carl Wilks 21-0-0(17)

#4 Martin Kinnear 26-13-0(18)

#5 James Singleton 13-8-0(12)

#6 Cliff Harris 21-6-0(10)

#7 Jeff Ellery 20-10-1(12)

#8 Roger Stewart 31-6-0(17)

#9 Raul Puga 26-9-0(18)

#10 Roy Jones 41-1-1(34)

Middleweight

CHAMP Leavander Nolan 19-0-0(6)

#1 Mike McCallum 51-6-2(36)

#2 Carlos Monzon 96-7-11(65)

#3 Jeff Larkin 20-3-0(20)

#4 Edwin Veal 38-0-0(26)

#5 Anthony Hardy 45-3-0(15)

#6 Harry Mann 32-3-2(11)

#7 Ad Webster 28-4-3(8)

#8 Les Darcy 50-12-0(29)

#9 Jose Antonio Mendez 17-1-0(6)

#10 Calvin Lewsey 16-0-0(13)





Welterweight

CHAMP Manuel Castillo 25-1-1(8)

#1 Jose Victor Lopez 21-1-0(14)

#2 Sugar Ray Leonard 37-3-1(25)

#3 Oscar de la Hoya 36-0-0(26)

#4 Wilfredo Benitez 57-8-1(32)

#5 Derrell Guyver 25-1-0(12)

#6 Jose Napoles 81-8-0(58)

#7 Luis Rodriguez 108-14-1(50)

#8 Javier Quirino 39-4-0(31)

#9 Andrey Romero 38-1-0(31)

#10 Ike Quartey 37-2-1(32)

Lightweight

CHAMP Damien Essett 22-1-0(22)

#1 Jorge Reynoso 21-4-1(14)

#2 Pernell Whitaker 42-1-1(17)

#3 Melvin Horne 9-7-0(8)

#4 Luis Valdez 35-3-0(15)

#5 Julio Cesar Chavez 102-4-2(82)

#6 Jose Luis Ramirez 105-10-0(85)

#7 Victor Marquez 41-1-1(21)

#8 Paul Kench 40-0-0(8)

#9 Raul Jimenez 22-0-0(10)

#10 Pedro Carrasco 109-4-2(67)

Featherweight

CHAMP Peter Badillo 24-5-0(17)

#1 Calvin Calvert 19-3-0(16)

#2 Rico Fernandez 18-1-0(13)

#3 Armando Medina 17-1-1(5)

#4 Arnulfo Guerrero 18-9-1(11)

#5 Juan Zamora 22-0-1(13)

#6 Manuel Garcia 43-8-0(12)

#7 Gary Jakeman 17-6-1(8)

#8 Terry McGovern 68-4-4(49)

#9 Kevin Kelley 52-3-2(35)

#10 Jorge Paez 63-13-4(42)





Bantamweight

CHAMP Xavier Firth 21-6-0(9)

#1 Job Reyes 18-0-2(11)

#2 Carlos Zarate 64-4-1(59)

#3 Jun Orais 23-3-0(13)

#4 Joselito Pana 32-1-1(120

#5 Fernando Ramirez 13-6-1(10)

#6 Enrique Grimaldo 40-0-0(29)

#7 Esteban Lopez 13-10-1(5)

#8 Jimmy Barry 61-0-10(40)

#9 Victor Luna 19-1-1(11)

#10 Valente Luna 17-2-0(8)

Flyweight

CHAMP Adam Napier 27-1-0(25)

#1 Gerardo Ramirez 26-1-0(12)

#2 Mauro Martinez 30-0-0(19)

#3 Buddy Bionas 20-1-0(5)

#4 Rocky Cubilllas 17-1-0(13)

#5 Randy Mercado 14-2-1(11)

#6 Jimmy Wilde 134-4-2(99)

#7 Hideki Nishizawa 20-1-1(10)

#8 Lito Jamili 15-7-0(14)

#9 Edel Gomez 24-0-0(13)

#10 Pancho Villa 79-7-5(25)

[PilotMan]

A fight has been arranged for Ismael Gutierrez. His pro debut is going to be against Hugh Wates. Wates currently has a record of 0-7-0. Needless to say thet Gutierrez is going to be favored to win the match.

Wates has been active. He has already fought twice this year and is ranked #136. Wates has not been knocked down in any of his seven losses and is known as a fighter who has a big hear, and a rock solid chin.

I won’t make much as Wates isn’t that prestigious of an opponent, but I really just want to get that first win under his belt. He has big promise, now if I can just mold it the right way.

Omar is scheduled to fight next week. He has been focusing on the general aspects of boxing, you know a little of this and a little of that. Also he has been hitting the heavy bag hard to try and build that punch up that has bailed him out of trouble before.

[PilotMan]

I will have some more updates coming today, but I just wanted to say thanks again, to those who voted this thread a 5-star rating. Thanks for reading.

PM

[nfg22]

thanks you for writing....now get mcfarland the titile

[PilotMan]

Second Week of May, 2006

Fight Night-

Omar Acevedo, 4-1-0(0), who is coming off of the biggest upset of his life, is fighting again. His opponent tonight is David Amos. Amos is 7-7-1(0). Amos has a good chin, and has no power at all. Omar, hopefully, will land effective combinations. Omar isn’t looking to press the fight as he prefers to sit back.

Amos will pressure, his best attribute besides his chin is his resitance to punishment. He can absorb lots of damage. I don’t see Omar getting the KO, but I feel good about him coming away with the win. I will have him counterpunch, and use his jab. I don’t know if I want him to load up, or try and out point him.

I need to respect him though. His last match was a 4 round split decision win over Tim Wates. He is currently ranked #105.

The oddsmakers have Amos as the favorite however, as the odds on him are ½. The odds on Omar are 7/4. There is not a lot of available cash for betting, but I am going to try and make as much as I can with a win here.

There are no other major fights of importance this week.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

Round one was very close. Both fighters took turns landing and missing. The fight was fought more on the inside. Omar didn’t move quite the way that I had wanted him too, but he landed the uppercut very effectively throughout. I think it was a draw, but I tell Omar that he gave it away. Omar came back to the corner saying that his hand was bothering him. I told him not to think about it right now, this fight is too important.

Round two was a great round for Omar. He did everything right in that one. I think that Amos only landed four punches the whole 3 minutes. Omar dodged and weaved, and slipped almost everything. He was accurate and his timing appeared to be much better. He dominated that round. If he puts two more rounds together like that it will be a very good result.

Omar took more punishment that round than either of the other two, but he was still able to land as much as he did in round two. I feel like even though the round was closer that he still should have won it. I would like to open him up a little more for the last round, but I have a feeling that I should continue to play it conservatively. I think that he has a lead, and the way he is fighting right now he should be able to close the match out. His hand hasn’t been hurting any more than it did at the end of round one. I am not concerned about it.

Wow, that was a close round. Omar was getting a beating early on and I was getting nervous. I would really hate to see him piss this one away. I have way more money on this fight than I ever had business betting. Omar did manage to come back, but he did pay the price. His jaw might be broken. I will have it looked at tonight. The last round was as close as the first, but it was more damaging for both fighters. Please, God, let him have won this one.

[Tellistto]

At least we know your a gambler at heart, betting the farm on a close fight. Maybe Omar pull it off as he did in the last match!


Tell

[TonyR]

Sounds like a very close fight...hope Omar got it.

[PilotMan]

J1: 39-38 Acevedo

J2: 39-38 Acevedo

J3: 40-39 Acevedo

Holy Shit! He paid! And he Won! A unanimous decision win. Looks like I was right that the first was not his, and that he won at least 2 rounds, except judge 3 who thought that most of the rounds were too close to call, except for that brilliant round two.

Omar does not have a broken jaw, but he will need to take a rest for a bit. His hand is ok too.

Omar moves his record to 5-1-0(0). I had bet 250k, the max on Omar to win this fight, and he paid big dividends. The payout was $437,500! That ought to pay for some training! Omar again now has two fights remaining on his contract, and he has made me some nice dough. How long can Punishment Inc continue to afford to resign him?

[PilotMan]

I have been looking for a suitable opponent for Lee Drydon. I have approached Kid Ari about a fight two months from now, but they say that Drydon is not good enough and is ranked too low to make it a worthwhile fight.

I really don’t see anyone that I think would make a good opponent at this time.

I am getting excited for Lawrence McFarlane’s upcoming fight against Michael Nunn. McFarlane is training well and should be in very good shape for the fight. What would a win against the #20 ranked Nunn mean for McFarlane’s career? What would it mean for Punishment Inc?

[PilotMan]

Last week of May, 2006

Fight Night-

This is a very important week for Punishment Inc. Lawrence McFarlane will be fighting a real, top flight boxer. We will see if all the blood sweat and tears from the last 14 months will come toghether to produce something.

Nunn, has not been active, he has not had a fight in the last 14 months. Who knows what kind of condition he is going to be in. Nunn has a very good punch, is accurate and has good defense. The only knock that you could really have against him is that his chin is a little pedestrian. I wouldn’t mind if Lawrence tested it.

McFarlane is in the best shape of his life and his confidence has never been higher. He has been doing extra training in just about every area. Speed and heavy bags, stamina, sparring, ringcraft, you name it he has been working on it.

The plan for tonight is going to be conservative initally, and see what Nunn is going to do. If we need to make changes as the fight goes along, but we need to be ready to either go for the kill, or run for our lives.

The oddsmakers are favoring Nunn, but not by much. The odds on him are 3/5, while the odds on McFarlane are 6/5.

---

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This is not the only big fight this week here are the others:

1) The Welterweight title is on the line. The champ, Manuel Castillo 25-1-1(8), fresh off of his defeat of Sugar Ray Leonard is defending the title for the first time. His opponent is one of the best of all time in the Welterweight division, Wilfredo Benitez. Benitez is 57-8-1(32), and his last victory was against Felipe Andrade. Benitez is a heavier hitter and has a tough chin. Castillo has very good defense. The odds are with Benitez, the odds on him are 1/4, while Castillo is again the underdog at 11/4.

2) Bantamweight FOY Job Reyes 18-0-2(11) will be fighting Fernando Ramirez 13-6-1(10). Reyes has drawn in his last two fights while Ramirez drew with German Tiznado. Ramirez is a bigger puncher, while Reyes is the more accurate of the two. Bookies seem to be leaning toward Reyes at 8/15, while Ramirez is 8/5.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for 10 rounds.

Well, from the looks of the first round there is no way that this fight is going to go the distance. I told Lawrence to be aggressive and to work behind the jab and move forward. He was successful at doing that. He did get tagged a couple of times, and hit on the chin at least once, but he has a good chin. Nunn took a lot of damage, I could see either fighter ending this one early. Round one to Lawrence.

Another round in which Nunn was on the receiving end of a barrage of punches. I am really looking at this fight through rose colored glasses. Nunn is working well behind the jab and getting some good shots in, but I really don’t see them having the effect that Lawrence’s are on him. McFarlane went for the kill with a minute to go, but came up short.

Nunn took round three with good jabbing and good follow up on his punching. McFarlane seemed tight. Like the gravity of the moment was getting him. I told him to relax and let the next round flow. This is only the 4^th round, there is a long way to go.

Round 4 stared off with McFarlane jumping out to the center of the ring to try and seize the flow of this fight. He landed some good punches but after a minute he was getting hit too often. I yelled that he needed more head and shoulder movment and that was all it took. Lawrence took control and controlled the next minute. Nunn was reeling and rocking back against the ropes. The ref looked on as Lawrence continued to hammer away combo after combo with Nunn trying desperately to fight back. At 2:50 he had seen enough and stepped between the fighters.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Lawrence McFarlane has just TKOed Micheal Nunn in the 4^th round. The judges had McFarlane ahead by one on two cards and the other had Nunn ahead by one. It was a close fight. I just knew there was no way that this was going anywhere near the distance.

What a great win for the stable and for McFarlane. His confidence is soaring and so it mine. This might get him into the top 25 in the Middleweight rankings! We will have to wait for three or four weeks to see.

The results from the other big fights were as follows:

Job Reyes scored a 4^th round TKO over Fernando Ramirez.

Wilfredo Benitez is the new Welterweight Champ with a split decision win over Manuel Castillo in 12 rounds.

I was approached by another fighter for a fight with Drydon. He is really talented and would be too much for Lee right now. I am holding out for a more favorable fight. Even if it doesn’t pay me that much. We are going to celebrate right NOW!!!!!!

[Tellistto]

Woot! Lawrence for a title shot! Go go go!


Tell

[TonyR]

Awesome win for Omar and Lawrence.
Besides Lawrence, any other of your fighters have a decent shot at top 10-20?

[hoopsguy]

Congrats on the big win for Lawrence. You've been having a very nice run with your fighters lately.

[Swaggs]

Wow. Great match by Lawrence.

Neat to see him beat a fighter that I am familar with, too.

[PilotMan]

Yeah, I have to admit that win was special. A huge step up for Lawrence and PI overall. Glad to see everyone appreciate the moment like that.

Tony, to answer your question, for the most part I think that it is too early in thier careers to really tell much. The way Omar has been fighting, he could, but I never have thought of him as a title contender. The rest are really green. A few fights and some grooming and they might make it. Also, depending on where my reputation stands it is possible that we could entice a top level contender into the stable straight away.

[PilotMan]

Second week of June, 2006

Things have been quiet for a couple of weeks at the gym. The place is still buzzing from Lawrence’s win over Michael Nunn. The new rankings are coming out on a few weeks and I am waiting to see where he might be placed. For now, he is back in training. It is important that he keep his skills in top condition. He is going to have some important fights coming up and he needs to be ready to go.

I am still looking for a match for Lee Drydon. He is seems to be more committed to training again, and it shows. I won’t schedule a match for anything shy of 8 weeks though.

Omar and Niall both are ready to be booked as well. I offered a fight to a seasoned lightweight named Mando Ramos. Ramos is 40-13-1(24), and is in reasonable shape. He is currently ranked #87, but lost his last fight in 6 rounds. He hits hard, but has no defense and isn’t particularly accurate. He is aggressive and dangerous. His record is mixed with wins, losses, and early KO’s for and against him. He is a reasonable opponent, who should be a good test for Omar. The fight will be the first week of August. Ramos has a weak chin, but Omar still has yet to win via KO or TKO, so that isn’t a big deal either. He could be a real handful.

I also offered a fight to a heavyweight who is ranked #118. John Black is 3-3-1(0) and could have been a nice fight for Niall. His manager didn’t like the terms however and the fight wasn’t signed. I kept looking and called Mark Nattage’s manager. I told him about my fighter and talked about the possibility of a fight the same week as Omar’s. Nattage is a middlin’ fighter with a record of 3-4-0(0). He isn’t ranked as high as Black was, but is a similar fighter. He has little power and is average all around. Seems like a fairly easy fight for Niall, with a reasonable payout. The thing that he does have over Beaumont is that he is a more accurate puncher. That could cause problems if he doesn’t want to mix it up.

The time is again approaching where we will need to make some decisions about who should be kept, let go, or signed for Punishment Inc.

Here is the fight of the week:

1) Lightweight FOY, Pernell Whitaker 42-1-1(17) #3 v. Former Lightweight Champ Melvin Horne 9-7-0(8), #4. Whitaker is a very heavy favorite as Horne is getting no respect even though he did win his last fight against a top ranked opponent. Whitaker goes at 2/5, while Horne is 11/5. Whitaker should win handily. Strange things happen in this business though.

[daedalus]

Nice. Congrats.

[PilotMan]

As predicted Pernell Whitaker won easily over Melvin Horne, and that is probably the last you will here from Horne in the Lightweight division. Whitaker won with a TKO in the 6^th round, and put 40k into my pocket.

Lee Drydon is showing the look of a much different fighter than the one that started here a few months ago. He is training harder and smiling more, but I still need to be careful with him. He is just not ready to take the next step in competition.

I called the manager of Adrian Jammet. Jammet is a winless fighter in the flyweight division and is ranked lower than Drydon. You would think this to be a slam dunk, however you find that it is in these matches that your fighters sometimes seem to struggle. Jammet has a good chin and an accurate punch. He has never been knocked down and carries a 0-4-1(0) record. The fight will be in August.

[PilotMan]

The new rankings came out and there was some movement and others that didn’t move that much. I was hoping that McFarlane would have found his way into the top 25 in the middleweight division, and give Punishment Inc, its first legit title contender. I was a little shocked to see what I found there.

#14 Lawrence McFarlane (M) 16-7-0(15)

Never had I thought that he would be ranked so high. He has 3 fights left with Punishment Inc, and I hope that he feels that we can get him the chance at the top that he has been working toward. If not we may bid him farewell, but I can assure you that it will not be without a fight. He has won his last 6 fights and is poised to place himself among the class of the middleweight division.

#102 Omar Acevedo (L) 5-1-0(0)

#142 Lee Drydon (F) 2-2-1(1)

#144 Niall Beaumont (H) 2-1-0(1)

#147 Ismael Gutierrez (LH) 0-0-0(0)

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The fight of the week comes to us from the Featherweight division here is a preview:

Featherweight FOY Calvin Calvert 19-3-0(16) #3 v. Eric Doughty 16-3-4(5) #12

Calvert is taking a chance with a tough fighter like Doughty. Doughty hasn’t won a fight in his last 5 fights but has only lost once, a 2^nd round KO against Rico Fernandez. His other fights were all draws. Calvert is a hard hitter and Doughty is one of the toughest, grittiest fighters in boxing. Calvert won his last fight over Willie Pep. Oddsmakers favor Calvert, but not by much 4/5 vs. 11/10. Almost a pick’em. I like Calvert as he is very well rounded and complete. But I won’t bet the bank on him.

[PilotMan]

Calvert came though with a 10 round unanimous decision over Doughty. He also helped to put an additional 40k into my pocket. Calvert is certainly due a title shot soon.

First week of July, 2006

Fight Night-

This week marks the debut of the most anticipated new fighter to join the ranks of Punishment Inc. Ismael Rodriguez has been training for weeks now, and this week he will fight professionally for the first time. His opponent is Hugh Wates. Wates is a loser, so it should be expected that Rodriguez will win the fight. I am careful not to jinx it though as I still remember how Niall was upset by that Kippax fellow.

Gutierrez is an aggressive, mauling, brawler who will want to control the fight with his fists and dance very little. He hits like a freight train and can take a lot of punches. One of the concerns that I have though is that if he were to face a really good puncher that his chin might not be strong enough to withstand the punishment. In golden gloves he was a tough fighter, and never got knocked down, so if he does he may remind me of Tyson looking stunned after getting creamed by Buster Douglas.

Wates has never been on the canvas, but I intend to let Ismael try all night long. The oddsmakers on this fight have Gutierrez at 1/3, while the odds on Wates are 11/4.

There is a big title fight this week as well. Bantamweight title holder Xavier Firth is putting his title on the line again. This will be his fourth defense of the Bantamweight title. His opponent will be Joselito Pana. Pana is best known for his battles with Bantamweight FOY Job Reyes. He had lost to Reyes in thier first fight and grabbed a draw in a match that he surely felt that he had won. He could have that made up for with a win over Firth.

To his credit, Firth has been a tough champion. Winning his last fight in a split decision win over Esteban Lopez. This is the first fight for Firth in 9 months so he should be thoroughly prepared for the fight.

Both fighters are similar in style. Boxers with good chin’s and light, quick fists. Firth is probably the better fighter but the oddsmakers like the challenger in this one. Pana is 4/6 while Firth is 5/4. I like Firth but again won’t bet the bank on it.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

Round one was everything that it was billed to be. Ismael did his best imitation of Mike Tyson and screamed across the ring and lauched his attack. Wates to his credit did not back down and landed a number of good punches. At time the fight was a stalemate of holding and pushing, but Ismael landed more, better punches. His defense was acceptable and even though he did get hit, what he got his with was not allowed to double up into damaging combinations.

Round two was more of the same. Early on it was about even, and it looked like Wates might steal the round. About the 1:30 mark Ismael took control and did not relent. He landed a barrage of punches and still Wates stood. Unmoved by the damage he was taking, and the ref didn’t seem concerned for his health either. Ismael should have won this round going away.

The pace seemed to slow in the 3^rd round, and again, the early part of the round was close. Wates managed to land a few jabs and crosses, but nothing that looked like it was going to end the fight. Ismael seemed to charge ahead midway, but the ref was obviously getting mad at the holding and pushing inside. No bobbing and weaving in this fight. It seems like Rodriguez is going to get a decision, and that as long as he can stay on his feel that he should be able to pull the win off.

Lots of clinching and holding and pushing in the 4^th. The fourth also saw the least amount of action, and Wates may have stolen the round although it appeard that Ismael was going to do better early. No knockdowns, no injuries and it is all in the hands of the judges, where anything can happen.

[PilotMan]

J1: 39-38 Gutierrez

J2: 39-38 Gutierrez

J3: 40-36 Gutierrez

Well, I think that J1 and J2 are smoking crack. I like J3 and think that he should work my stable’s fights more often. A unanimous decision is a good way to start a career, but the one point margin of victory is a little unnerving. What should I care though. It is not like if he does get to be champion that they are going to say, "well he only won on the judges scorecards by one point in his first pro fight." So I guess that I will drop it. He deserves to celebrate his first pro win. I am worried that all of this winning is going to my head. I am starting to think rather highly of myself these days.

Xavier Firth has defied the oddsmakers and successfully defended his title for the fourth time with a 12 round split decision win over Joselito Pana. I was rather profitable in betting this week as I won over 83k on Gutierrez, and over 62k on the Firth-Pana fight. Xavier Firth has to be one of the most underrated champions around.

[PilotMan]

Some might say that I am overmatched and that I don’t know what I am doing with a fighter with a legit shot at contending for a title. Those people are probably right. McFarlane is healthy and ready to fight, he is nearing top condition and you would think that right now would be the best time to get him ready for another fight. I really don’t know what to do honestly. I could go either way. I just like the idea that I might be able to make a name for myself in this business.

The quality of fighters at this level is certainly impressive. He is ready and so am I. It is time to go for the top 10. To bad, I don’t like any of my prospective opponents right now. No fights are going to be made this week.

Still another month before anyone from Punishment Inc, will fight. Don’t worry there are plenty of worthwhile fights on the horizon.

[PilotMan]

Third week of July, 2006

None from my camp have any fights this week, and the scene of available fights for Lawrence doesn’t look better either. Here is a look at important fights happening this week:

1) Welterweight FOY Oscar de la Hoya 36-0-0(26) #3 v. Former Welterweight Champ Sugar Ray Leonard 37-3-1(25) #4

This is a dream match. Both fighters are of considerable quality and are likely to have quite a showdown. A loss for either of these men is going to have a considerable impact of whether either of them gets a title fight anytime soon. A win, one would hope would lead to a title fight with new champ Wilfredo Benitez. Oddsmakers like Sugar Ray at 4/7, while de la Hoya is at 6/4. Personally, I like de la Hoya.

2) WCBM and Flyweight FOY Mauro Martinez 30-0-0(19) #3 v. Buddy Bionas 20-1-0(5) #4

I think that this should be an easy call. Martinez beat Rocky Cubillas while Bionas only loss was to Cubillas. Martinez should win, right? Martinez is hot, hot, hot. Bionas stock has been on the rise, but looking at the fighters he doesn’t appear to be in the same class. Bionas is not a heavy puncher, Martinez is. Both fighters are well rounded. The fight should be entertaining. Bookies like Martinez a lot. He is 1/4 while Bionas is 3/1. I like Martinez too.

[PilotMan]

Mauro Martinez ran kept his undefeated record intact with a unanimous decision win over Buddy Bionas.

In the welterweight match, it was a beauty. Oscar de la Hoya scored a 10 round split decision win over Sugar Ray.

I took in 70k from bets on these two fights. Whooohoo!

The slap in the face came when a challenger for the Welterweight Title was announced to be Jose Napoles, the fighter who lost in his first chance against Sugar Ray Leonard. Not the fight that I was hoping to see.

A number of big dealings this week. I received a phone call from a management group claiming to represent middleweight fighter Gene Melvin. Melvin is currently ranked #15 and has a record of 31-4-0(18), ahead of McFarlane who has fallen to #17 with inactivity. Anyway, they want a fight, and are willing to pay 180k for it. The shocker is that the fight is in two weeks! Holy Crap! Melvin certainly appears to be a fighter that could be another stepping stone to the top, but two weeks. I talked with Lawrence and he said that he felt cool, and let me tell you he looks cool too. I told them to get the paperwork ready because we were going to box. That sets up the 3^rd fight for my stable set for the first week of August. Melvin has a strong body and good defense, but his offense is lacking. No power punch and an average chin could hurt him against an offensive minded fighter like McFarlane. That is going to be one busy week.

Later, I talked with Ismael, and he gave me the impression that he was ready to go, and this time with someone a little bit harder. I told him that I would pick his fights not him and not to worry about who he was fighting because he was probably a better fighter.

I called Chris Nickels trainier. Nickels is ranked #119, and has a record of 2-4-3(0). Not very impressive, but the payout should be a little bit better than his last fight. Not the challenge that I think that he wants, but considering his last fight, this should do nicely. The fight is going to be the third week of September. Nickels has good defense and a quick punch. He does not have a good chin or a strong punch.

Former Light Heavyweight World Champion Jeff Ellery is fighting this week. He is ranked #7 and has a record of 20-10-1(12). He has lost his last couple of fights and is fighting Cliff Harris. Harris is 22-6-0(11) and is ranked #8 in the light heavyweight division. Harris has been hanging around the top ten among light heavies, and has won his last 3 fights. Odds are favoring Harris at 4/7 while Ellery is at 6/4. I like Harris as well.

[PilotMan]

The light heavyweight fight that never materialized. Cliff Harris came out and made a stand for himself. Round 1 was quick and painless for one fighter. Ellery tasted the canvas and never got back up. Harris by KO, round 1. I had this one called right and it made me a little over 22k. Fight betting has been very good for me lately. I would like to be able to keep it up for a couple of more weeks. At least until I can bet on my own fights.

There is a big heavyweight fight this week. Former Champ Peter O’Connell 35-4-0(20) #2 is fighting against an up and coming heavyweight named James Jeffries. Jeffries is 21-1-2(17). As of last year he was ranked #76 and now has moved up to #12 in the world. Jeffries has loads of power but the big knock against him is his defense. O’Connell is favored to win. The odds are 4/9, while the odds on Jeffries are 15/8. I don’t know about this, O’Connell is a tough customer, Jeffries might be biting off more than he can chew.

[PilotMan]

Jeffries and O’Connell fought to a 10 round draw. The good news is that I didn’t bet any, I just felt the odds weren’t good enough for either fighter.

This is a big week, it will take me a while to digest it.

[PilotMan]

The first week of August, 2006

Fight Night -

I did not sleep at all last night. I was up thinking about how I was going to manage to get these three fighters past their respective opponents. My guys have been understanding. Each of them has a tough fight, and they know that I am on a short fuse. McFarlane is in really good shape, and is primed I think. He has never been more ready for a fight of this caliber than ever. Omar will probably get a 6 round fight for the first time in his career, and I would like to see some of the power that he has been saying that he has. Niall has another growing fight ahead. It will be tough, and I am sure it will be ugly too.

Here is a rundown of each fight:

1) Lawrence McFarlane 16-7-0(15) #17 v. Gene Melvin 31-4-0(18) #15

You know about Lawrence. He hits hard, and has surprisingly good defense. He is aggressive and is the cream of the Punishment Inc crop. He has won all 6 of his fights under my guidance. Melvin is aggressive, but has good defense. He is not an attacking boxer and struggles with his power and accuracy. He hasn’t fought in over a year, but his last win was a 2^nd round KO of Matt Emberton. He can withstand a lot of punishment, but his chin is very pedestrian. Look for McFarlane to work behind the jab, and aim for the noggin. This fight is going to take place on the inside. I hope that Lawrence is ready. Oddsmakers favor Melvin, 4/7 while Lawrence is 6/4. I will put my money where my mouth is here.

2) Omar Acevedo 5-1-0(0) #100 v. Mando Ramos 40-13-1(24) #84

Mando represents the next step up in challenger for Omar. Omar is on a roll, and feeling very confident. His training hasn’t put him quite where he could be so who knows. Mando is another power puncher, and he will charge forward. Omar will need to be very careful. The upside is that he is also very wild, and lacks good defense. The ref had better watch out too. Omar could end this one early, but I would prefer it if he just won. He has been Koed before. Oddsmakers are split and this one is a pick’em. My strategy for Omar is to fight a similar fight as he did against Vargas. Lots of movement, and a healthy respect for Ramos’ fists.

3) Niall Beaumont 2-1-0(1) #147 v. Mark Nattage 3-4-0(0) #141

A lot was expected from Niall, but he doesn’t feel like he is living up to my expectations. Nattage should be another easy win, but I still don’t have a handle on how he likes to fight. This fight could be on the inside too, both fighters like to attack. Beaumont is a much stronger man, and his chin is better too. Nattage should lose and the oddsmakers agree. They have Beaumont as a narrow favorite. Odds are 4/6 for Niall and 5/4 for Nattage. I want to see how Niall would like to fight. I also want to see how he works from behind the jab. I need to get a better handle on him. He could be a much better fighter.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

Niall Beaumont v. Mark Nattage

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

I told Niall to use the jab, not to press too hard, and to look to attack where he could.

Round one was a horrible display of boxing ability. Niall did not control the round. He failed miserably with the jab and he got hit to much. He seems to like to move, so for round two he is going to take a more defensive posture. I hope that gets him more comfortable in the ring.

Round two was better for about half the round and then it slipped away. Niall was slipping and moving and landing good counters then I don’t know what. He is frustrating the hell out of me. I chewed him a good one in the corner and told him that he needed to take this fight to the next level he was going to stay with us. He needs to become the fighter that he was born to be.

Round three was the way the first two should have gone. Niall came out hard and dominated the early part of the round. He regained control of the match, but he never seemed to hurt Nattage. Nattage did manage some punches, but Niall clearly was the winner here. I told him that he needed at least a knockdown to win. No idea if he can do it or not.

Round four was the most action for the whole fight. Beaumont landed a series of punches that seemed to really stun Nattage, but he wouldn’t go down. In fact, Nattage was able to answer with some good punches and did more damage than he had in any other round. Niall finished the round with a flurry and Nattage looked dazed again. The ref did not stop it and let it go the the cards. Here is the result:

[PilotMan]

J1: 40-37 Beaumont

J2: 39-38 Beaumont

J3: 39-38 Beaumont

A wonderful, wonderful win for Niall. Round one was obviously good enough to grab a draw on two cards and the last two went for Niall, and that was good enough to win the fight. Thank God! I had 150k riding on this fight and the payout is not to shabby. Niall is now 3-1-0(1). I am a little concerned that he hasn’t shown more killer instinct. He is a power puncher, but so far not to many are falling from his punches. A win is a win, and win number one for the day is under our belt.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

Omar Acevedo v. Mando Ramos

This fight is scheduled for six rounds.

Round one went to Omar. He did a very nice job of avoiding a lot of punches. He did well with the jab, but his defense was his strength. His punches seemed to be having a substantial effect on Ramos. I would be very happy if Omar fought the whole fight like this. He would win easy.

Round two was ugly. Lots of holding, misses, and pushing. Omar shouldn’t be on the inside. It seemed to me that Ramos went to a more defensive style of fighting. That could force Omar to move forward more. I think he could KO Ramos, but it might open him up a bit more than I want.

Round three was similar to two. Neither fighter did much. There was a lot of missed punches and not much action. Acevedo needs to push the pace a little harder. I was expecting a much more aggressive fight from Ramos. So far that hasn’t materialized.

The end of last round Omar became so frustrated that he just tore after Ramos. He started round four the same way. He came out on the attack, sadly Ramos landed a good series of punches and was again controlling the round. At 1:28 Omar launched an uppercut so vicious that Ramos layed out flat on the canvas. He managed to get to his knees, but by the time the ref got to 10 he was still there and Omar had climed the ropes to celebrate his first career win by KO!

I got a peak at the judges scorecards. They were divided with Omar winning 2 of 3 on 2 cards and Ramos winning 2 of 3 on the other. I am very happy with the result. He was certainly due for a big KO. A win so convincing over a higher ranked opponent will greatly help his ranking.

That makes two fights that we won, and I had another 150k riding here too. Whew! I am going to be tired after this one.

[TonyR]

Nice win by Niall, and awesome job by Omar!
Hopefully the "bigger name" fighters will start looking at Punishment Inc. to manage them.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

Lawrence McFarlane v. Gene Melvin

This fight is scheduled for 10 rounds.

Round one was a back and forth duel. Melvin was much better defensively than I had imagined. He was able to land some punches but couldn’t land any damaging combinations. McFarlane did well behind the jab, and I thought, won the round. It was close though.

Round two was quiet for the most part. Melvin moved well and kept Lawrence from really getting established with the jab. McFarlane moved well too, and neither fighter did much damage. Until......toward the end of the round, Lawrence came out of nowhere with an overhand right that connected on the left side of Melvin’s chin. You could tell that he was hurt right away. Melvin went down and the announcers were heard to say that Melvin was in BIG trouble. The ref counted to 8 and Melvin found his way to his feet, but he was really shaky. The ref finished his count and looked at Melvin and decided that was enough. And to the shock of everyone in attendance none more than me. Lawrence McFarlane knocked out his opponent in the second round, 2:28 into the round.

WOW! How did that happen? I never would have predicted that. The second round? I am impressed. That may just be enough to get McFarlane into the top 10 in the middleweight division.

And this fight has put the perfect cap on the perfect evening for Punishment Inc. All the fighters won, and all my bets paid. I had bet 450k on 3 fights and they all paid! Now that is a nice cashout!

Pardon me, but I have some partying to do. For what it’s worth, the judges had given the first round to Lawrence as well. Impressive.

Lee Drydon fights next week, but for at least the next 48 hours I will be the happiest man on the planet. Time to party!

[PilotMan]

Here is a look at our current financial situation:

Cash on Hand: 4,702,756

Contracts:

Lawrence McFarlane 435,305 x 2 = 870,610

Omar Acevedo 558,556 x 1 = 558,556

Ismael Gutierrez 355,000 x 6 = 2,130,000

Lee Drydon 146,208 x 7 = 1,023,456

Niall Beaumont 400,932 x 2 = 801,864

Total Value 5,384,486

Total Assets 10,087,242

I have added almost 4 million in value since February. That is fantastic.

Now that we have some more cash it is time to make some decisions on some contract extentions.

Omar and Lawrence have been the backbone since the beginning, but both are very high priced. Niall is also very high priced, but he does have two fights remaining. I have about had it with him. He is not where he should be, and even though he has held his value he isn’t winning in the style that he should be. I won’t sell him, but I will think long and hard about these last two fights. Look for his next match to be hard.

[PilotMan]

Punishment Inc today announced the extension of the contracts of Omar Acevedo and Lawrence McFarlane. The extensions are valued at around 2.3 million dollars. Acevedo was resigned for two fights and McFarlane was extended for four fights.

Bucky Mason also mentioned that he was searching for a new fighter to add to his stable of young up and coming fighters.

[PilotMan]

Punishment Inc has added a new fighter to their stable. This one is sure to make some waves. Bucky Mason known for his ability to develop young fighters and take others who were on the downward spiral and return them back on their way up has added another "project" fighter to the club.

Lightweight Melvin Horne, who you may remember lost a title match against Jorge Reynoso has been signed to Punishment Inc for a total of 5 fights. Horne is currently ranked #11 in the lightweight division and lost his last fight against Pernell Whitaker in dramatic fashion. Horne has a record of 9-8-0(8). He is known for his great natural ability, but many fear that his head is not in the game any longer.

Will the Bull be able to restore this title challenger back to the top of the division?

[PilotMan]

Well, that was an investment. Horne isn’t the best fighter around but he is good. Much better than his record will lead you to believe. I was just excited that he was willing to consider coming to train with my stable.

He knows that things are not going well for him. He did not show well against Whitaker, I don’t know that there is much that I could do about that, but maybe he will never need to face Whitaker ever again.

Horne is young, that is one thing that he has going for him. With his current record he shouldn’t even be ranked as high as he is. My first order of business is going to be to try and get him some easier fights. A few wins under his belt will get his attitude back where it needs to be.

Horne has a strong punch, and rock for a chin. He fits the mold of fighters that I train here very well. The only knock against him is his defense. He gets hit more than he should.

I was trying to decide who I should sign. The choice was between Horne, an already established fighter with a good track record, and a bigger name. Or a young featherweight by the name id Roland Nugent. Nugent has yet to fight in his debut, but I am guessing that he is going to make a significant impact on the Featherweight division.

I went with Horne because I felt that he could make the most immediate impact.

We now have six fighters in Punishment Inc, but unless Niall Beaumont starts to kick it into gear, he likely will not be resigned.

[TonyR]

Hope Melvin has a good showing for Punishment Inc. After what you did for Lawrence, he should do well for you.
Glad to see that Omar and Lawrence are sticking around too.

[PilotMan]

Me too Tony. I like the potential, and he isn't old. He could be around for a while, and I think that he could cause a whole bunch of trouble for a whole lot of people. Who do you think would win in an Omar v. Melvin fight? It could happen. Omar needs to move up the rankings a long way first.

[PilotMan]

Second week of August, 2006

Fight Night -

I am having a hard time taking this fight seriously after the windfall of last week. Still, Drydon deserves my support and he deserves to be allowed to continue his comback. Adrian Jammet, is still looking for his first win. Three of his four losses have been by TKO. Drydon still has the potential to be one of the best fighters in the stable, but that is a different road from where he is at right now.

For the match tonight, I want to see a more convincing four rounds of action, and a full fight. Not one round here and one round there. A loss for Drydon could signal the end to his days at Punishment Inc, as his contract may be seen as to valuable to keep around toiling in the bottom of the flyweight division, when I could be representing a fighter with a bright future in the featherweight division. The oddsmakers don’t know who to pick in this one. It is a pick’em.

This week also finds one of the fighters of the year in action. Pernell Whitaker, in the lightweight division is facing off against Luis Valdez. Here is a tale of the tape:

Pernell Whitaker 43-1-1(18) #3 v. Luis Valdez 35-3-0(15) #4

Valdez has been hanging around the top of the lightweight division for over a year, but has only fought twice. Both of those fights were wins, with the last coming at the expense of Joe Gans. Whitaker is coming off the 6^th round TKO of Melvin Horne.

Whitaker is at the top of his game right now, and if he was going to want a shot at the title, now is when he would want it. A matchup between him and Damien Essett would be tantalizing. For now he must dispatch Valdez. The oddsmakers have full faith that he can do it to. Despite being ranked together, the bookies feel that Whitaker is a class above Valdez. He is too. Odds on Whitaker are a lopsided 1/10, while the odds on Valdez getting the win are 20/1. I may throw a bone at that longshot, because the odds on the favorite are crazy, even if he is going to win.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for 4 rounds.



Lee did not have a good round at all. Jammett looked more experienced in the ring and was able to land punches seemingly at will. Lee took about as much punishment as he could stand and did not feel well coming back to the corner. He needs a new strategy for round two.

Round two was more of the same although Lee did look better he still took more damage than I anticipated. I don’t know what more I can do to encourage him. I feel like he has lost the first two rounds, this round could have been close, but he needs to do more.

Drydon has done it again. In a time when things are looking grim, Drydon stepped it up. Early on he took control, then a flurry of punches put Jammett down. Jammett looked pissed and climbed back up by the count of 5. He took the 8 count and came right back. Drydon had the answer though kept on him. I was yelling for the ref to stop it but he ignored me and let it go. Drydon couldn’t finish but he has just made round four really interesting.

Round four was too close to call. Drydon didn’t seal the deal like I would have liked, but he did manage some good shots. I guess I was looking for another knockdown but it never materialized. Jammet landed too many good shots and Drydon just didn’t do what I was expecting him too.