Punishment Inc.

[TonyR]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Thanks Tony, as far as the speed goes, with all the new fighters it slows down the progress a little.

Easily Understandable, but you do tend to leave a lot of cliffhangers.
Just waiting to post after the results.
Great job with Omar btw.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

Ismael Gutierrez 2-0-0(1) #119 v. Artemio Hinojosa 5-2-3(1) #101

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

The round started with Ismael dictating the pace of the fight. He landed a great set of punches early and tailed off through the round. Both fighters were coming forward and there was some holding and puching inside. I felt that the round ended very close. Both fighters jabbed well, Hinojosa crept back in and made the round very even.

Round two did not go well at all. Hinojosa was accurate, and landed a number of combinations. Ismael stopped coming forward so much and looked to counter the attacking Hinojosa. The last :30 of the round were Ismael’s, but that was all. He lost that round in my eyes.

Round three was as hard a round as you will see anywhere. Both men took turns laying it out and getting his. The fight was back and forth and I still think that Ismael didn’t do enough to get the round. He just got hit by too many punches. Even the announcers ringside noticed that both men look worse for the wear after that round. Who knows what will happen in round four?

Hinojosa did a number on Ismael in this round. Punch after punch seemed to rain down upon Gutierrez. Now, Ismael did get some good punches in, and his punches hurt, but I would say that Artemio Hinojosa’s chin is highly underrated. He was quick and fluid, and really took this fight to the finish. Gutierrez looked winded at the end. He could have stolen the round with some offensive flurries, after I yelled that he was losing and that he needed the big punch now! I think I just heard them say that Hinojosa’s nose is broken. Well, if he won he deserves it. He fought a nice fight.

[PilotMan]

Here is the scoring.

J1: 39-38 Hinojosa

J2: 40-37 Hinojosa

J3: 39-39

So Ismael is no longer undefeated. I lost a quarter of a million betting. And the money that I was going to use to resign Omar to an extension is gone.

Time to get drunk. I am calling it a night.

[PilotMan]

Antonio Reyes still wants that fight with Drydon. I told you no once now FUCK OFF! I guess I am still a little pissy about last week’s fight. I feel like a fuckin’ retard. I don’t feel like I can get anything right. Now I have the Melvin Horne fight to worry about, and his fight is going to be tough as well.

Anthony Hardy had a tougher time that I expected, but still managed a win over Quincy Taylor. It was in 10 rounds and he won by a split decision.

Lawrence still is not healthy enough to train. Do you believe that?

My attitude is pretty sour right now. No fights to schedule, and none to prep for this week.

Here is what is on tap in the rest of the boxing world:

1) Former Lightweight Champion Jorge Reynoso 22-4-1(14) #2 v. Shaun Kilburn 22-9-0(13) #7

Reynoso is still one tough customer. He is not the champ, but he is not that far off. Kilburn has been very active over the last 2 years. He has only recently broken into the top 10 for the first time. He is in top shape and can match skills with Reynoso. One thing that Reynoso has going for him is that he has beaten the one man to beat Kilburn in the last 2 years, Takayuki Takayama. That alone makes him the favorite. The bookies really like Reynoso though. The odds on him are 1/4 while Kilburn is 10/3. A small wager on Kilburn might be worth the risk of losing it. The odds on Reynoso certainly are not good enough to warrant a bet there.

[PilotMan]

I was approached by Antonio Reyes people again! They want a fight in 2 weeks! Are they insane. This is the third time that I have told them to get bent.

Lawrence is finally cleared for training. Let’s see how fat he has gotten with all his time off.

The results aren’t as bad as they could have been, but it isn’t good. He has resumed his very expensive, very rigorous workout in preparation for his next fight. It probably won’t be determined for a while.

Lee Drydon is ready to get back into the ring. I think it has been really impressive what he has been able to do. Considering where his career was going when he signed on. He is going up and he has potential, but I don’t think that he has what it takes to get to the top. I am looking at a couple of prospective opponents for him. Neither would pay very much, but both should be beatable. Drydon currently has five fights remaining, so he isn’t at a critical stage yet.

The fighter that looks the most interesting is Toshihiro Nagai. Nagai, is 6-9-3(4), and is ranked #91. He is a power puncher to the max, but has also tasted the canvas just about as much. This is the highest that he has been ranked. His last fight he was knocked out in the fourth round. He has good skills, but appears to be down on himself. He struggles defensively and his resitance to punches low, and up high is questionable. He hits hard, but Drydon has a very good chin. The fight is booked for two months from now, Lee ought to be in good shape by then.

[Tellistto]

Bummer on the loss for Ishmael and the loss of all that money. Hopefully Horne can turn things around for you when he fights again, and for himself.


Tell

[TonyR]

Tough batch of losses, but you'll turn 'em around.

[PilotMan]

Third week of December, 2006

Merry Chrismas.

Fight Night-

All of my skills and abilities are going to be put to the test this week. Melvin Horne is making his debut. He needs a little work, and could be better, but he represents the single greatest challenge. He has chosen to work with me. A former title holder, and he thinks that I may be able to guide him back to the top. I hope that I am up to the challenge. He hasn’t fought since the whipping by Pernell Whitaker. This fight will be different.

His opponent is Edwin Rosario, a top-20 fighter who drew with Barney Ross in his last fight. He is best known for being an aggressive power puncher, many believe his biggest weakness to be his accuracy and defense. He is not weak in any area, but is less strong in some. I would like to see a defensive fight plan in play, until I get a feeling of where Horne is going to take this fight. His power may overwhelm Rosario, but I would hate to really see his bell get rung. His chin is not the best in the business. I think that he can be more accurate, and perhaps counter punching is the soup de jour. Round one will have more answers.

This is going to be the most important of his fights. If he doesn’t win here, I am really going to have my hands full.

Oddsmakers are leaning heavily in Horne’s favor. They like him as a fighter and like him better under my tutelage. He is the favorite at 1/4, while Rosario is 7/2. Personally, those are not bad odds for Rosario, and if I wasn’t totally convinced in my fighter I would bet that way. The odds on Horne are terrible. No big payday looming here.

---

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There is one fight of note. Jeff Ellery, a former light-heavyweight champion, is trying to break his 3 loss steak with a fight against Martin Kinnear. Ellery, 20-11-1(12) #13, lost his last fight in a first round KO to Cliff Harris. His chin is his weakness, look for Kinnear to push the action and force his way inside. Kinnear, 26-14-0(18) #10, lost his last fight by getting TKOed in the 8^th round against Bob Foster. He had won three fights in a row prior to that loss, and was ranked as high as 6^th in the world. The big news here is that a loss would pretty much kill any hope that Jeff Ellery had of returning to the world stage. Oddsmakers like Kinnear in this one. Odds on him are 8/11, while Ellery is 7/6. Personally, I think that Ellery is in for another big fall.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

Melvin Horne 9-8-0(8) #6 v. Edwin Rosario 39-7-1(33) #20

This fight is scheduled for 10 rounds.

Round one was good for feeling out the opposition. Rosario pushed forward and tied up Horne a number of times. Both fighters appeared content to jab and move from the outside, with Horne doing a nice job of counterpunching. It was an even round on the scoring.

Horne seemed more winded than he should have been after that round. I told him to lay back a little more and wait for the counter. Rosario started off by charging from his corner, his openness to attack did exactly what I was hoping for. Horne started a barrage of counterpunches and pressured Rosario with defense and accurate punching. Toward the middle of the round Rosario got hurt with a combination and an overhead right put him on the canvas. Not to happy about that he was up at three and took the eight count. Horne maintained his composure and kept to the gameplan, instead of going in for the kill. A good round for Horne, that he won by two.

Round three was marked by a more defensive Rosario. Both fighters jabbed a lot and neither wanted to be the aggressor. It was back and forth and toward the end of the round Horne looked to make another mark, a good combination and Rosario was sent back to the corner looking winded.

Round four went well for Horne and it is clear that he is outclassing his opponent. Rosario cannot seem to do anything right. If he lays back it is an even round, and if he comes forward he gets destroyed. Rosario tried to attack in this round and ate a lot of punches. Horne put together another good flurry at the end of the round and almost got the TKO. The ref let it continue and Melvin came back to the corner feeling more pumped up. I think he can sense the prospective TKO, KO or just the win.

With Melvin chomping at the bit, he started the round a bit more aggressive than any of the previous rounds. Still maintaining his move first philosophy he openness to attack opened the door more for Rosario. The first minute was one of the busiest that you will ever see, and Melvin was on the delivering end for it. Rosario came back a little, but was stunned with a series that started with a jab and hook combo. Horne pursued the dazed fighter across the ring and shoved him in the corner. The round was winding down, and this ref had already shown that he likes the guys to fight, but this was too much for even him. With only a few seconds left he called off Melvin and awarded him the TKO!

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Martin Kinnear continued to make Jeff Ellery’s life horrible by winning a 10-round majority decision.

Betting went respectable as I won 75k on the two fights. Nice when 75k is respectable.

[PilotMan]

Final week of 2006

No fights for us this week, in fact, no fights for the next few weeks. A time for training and getting healthy. Also a time to decide if a couple of fighters are going to stay in the folds of my trust.

Lawrence McFarlane is not healing well at all. His health is still questionable, I am beginning to wonder if/when he will be fit again. At this rate it is going to be at least 6 months. The rest of the group is in a tweener time. Besides the two scheduled fights, the rest of the guys should be getting ready to fight in a few weeks time.

One big fight this week and that is a rematch for the former Welterweight champion Manuel Castillo. Castillo, 25-2-1(8), #3 is fighting Charles Norris. The two fought at the end of last year, with the fight ending in a draw. Norris is 37-2-1(19), and is ranked #11. Following his fight with Castillo he lost to De la Hoya, and won a TKO over Donovan Order. For Castillo, this fight was the springboard that he used to defeat Sugar Ray Leonard, only to lose the title to Wilfredo Benitez four months later. The bookies are favoring Castillo in the rematch. Odds on him to win are 4/6, while odds on Norris are 5/4. Castillo is in better shape and should get the win.

[Tellistto]

Woo, now that's the way to dominate that fight. Great job by Melvin and by his management!


Tell

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Tellistto

Woo, now that's the way to dominate that fight. Great job by Melvin and by his management!


Tell

Thanks! I was pleasantly surprised.

[PilotMan]

Manuel Castillo did get his revenge with a 10 round unanimous decision over Charles Norris, to keep his hopes of another title shot alive.

Coming up...

Fighter of the Year Awards

End of the year rankings

Stable Finances

[PilotMan]

Fighter of the Year Awards, 2006

Flyweight - Rocky Cubillas 20-1-1(15)

Cubillas has made sure that last year’s FOY does not repeat in getting the award. Not that Mauro Martinez did anything wrong, he finished the year undefeated, but Cubillas had a good year too. Cubillas was undefeated with victories over Pancho Villa, a knockout of Hironobu Horiguchi, and a TKO over Yul-Woo Lee. He fought to a draw with Randy Mercado early in the year. He currently is not scheduled to fight again.

Bantamweight - Job Reyes 21-0-2(13)

Reyes repeats as the fighter of the year for good reason. He went on to beat Xavier Firth to grab the Bantamweight Title. He fought four times winning two of them by TKO. He is at the top of his game. His first title defense is a rematch from last year. He will face Fernando Ramirez, a fighter that he beat with a 4^th round TKO.

Featherweight - Calvin Calvert 21-3-0(16)

Calvert repeats as the Featherweight FOY. We won three fights, all on points, and still waits for a title shot. His wins were over Willie Pep, Eric Doughty, and Juan Zamora. He is currently ranked #2 in his division, and would love to get a fight with Peter Badillo for the title. His first fight of the new year is going to be against youngster Armando Medina, a man who is undefeated since getting knocked out by Badillo in his title shot.

Lightweight - Pernell Whitaker 45-1-1(19)

Whitaker is the one of the best lightweights in the business, and besides the champ, Damien Essett, he may be the best. He was a very busy fighter this year, winning five fights. His victories were against Yasushi Nitta, Julio Cesar Chavez, Melvin Horne, Luis Valdez, and Raul Jimenez. He has a rematch with Julio Cesar Chavez in two weeks.

Welterweight - Derrell Guyver 28-1-0(14)

Guyver did have a good year, and had one huge fight that put him toward the top of short list for the welterweight division. He won three fights, two by TKO. Ike Quartey lost, but still took him the distance. He TKOed Dennis Duran, and grabbed the biggest win of the year with a win over Oscar de la Hoya. He is ranked #4, and has no fight scheduled.

Middleweight - Leavander Nolan 20-0-0(6)

Nolan has been the Middlweight title holder now for over a year. He successfully defended his title against last years FOY Anthony Hardy and an all-time great in Carlos Monzon. Both fights were close, but Nolan was the winner both times. He is scheduled to defend his title against Ewan Veal this week.

[PilotMan]

Light Heavyweight - James Singleton 15-8-0(14)

Singleton came out of nowhere in the light-heavyweight division. In fact, he finished last year ranked #30 in the world, and how did it end you ask? It ended in the 12^th round, when his hands of stone finally put an end to the reign of last years FOY as champ, Virgil Hill. Singlton fought three times, with two wins coming by way of KO. A cinderella story, who knows how long he will reign as the Champ? He has no fight scheduled.

Heavyweight - Joe Louis 72-3-0(58)

I am not really sure that Louis should be the fighter of the year, except that he took advantage of the opportunity given to him. He fought one time, for the title, and won with an 8^th round TKO over Peter O’ Connell. He has no fights scheduled, who knows when he will even fight again?



And.....

The overall WCBM Fighter of the Year is.......



Derrell Guyver!



Guyver had a good run, but you have to believe that win against an undefeated Oscar De la Hoya was a thing of beauty. That was a real surprise, as I had thought that Oscar would keep killing guys until he took the title. But maybe now, time is running our for him.

[PilotMan]

End of the Year, 2006 Rankings

Heavyweight

CHAMP Joe Louis 72-3-0(58)

#1 Peter O’Connell 36-4-1(20)

#2 Evander Holyfield 40-4-1(25)

#3 Max Watt 17-0-4(10)

#4 Anthony Wood 17-0-2(6)

#5 Muhammad Ali 60-6-0(38)

#6 Michael Moorer 44-3-1(34)

#7 Ralph Weymouth 18-7-1(14)

#8 Scott Jarrold 19-0-0(12)

#9 Larry Holmes 70-8-0(43)

#10 Colin Dibble 25-4-0(13)

Light Heavyweight

CHAMP James Singleton 15-8-0(14)

#1 Virgil Hill 49-4-1(25)

#2 Will Cripps 18-3-2(11)

#3 Bob Foster 63-8-1(50)

#4 Julio Perez 17-2-0(6)

#5 Roy Jones 43-1-1(35)

#6 Les Grant 40-4-0(16)

#7 Carl Wilks 23-1-0(18)

#8 Roger Stewart 32-7-0(17)

#9 Cliff Harris 23-7-0(12)

#10 Martin Kinnear 27-14-0(18)

Middleweight

CHAMP Leavander Nolan 20-0-0(6)

#1 Wayne Wells 30-1-0(21)

#2 Ewan Veal 39-0-1(27)

#3 Anthony Hardy 47-3-0(15)

#4 Bill Neville 28-0-0(21)

#5 George Kings 23-2-0(9)

#6 Carlos Monzon 97-8-11(66)

#7 Mike McCallum 51-7-3(36)

#8 Jeff Larkin 21-4-0(21)

#9 Sandy McGrath 30-1-1(19)

#10 Guy Usher 37-6-0(6)

[PilotMan]

Welterweight

CHAMP Jose Napoles 83-8-0(58)

#1 Wilfredo Benitez 58-9-1(32)

#2 Manuel Castillo 26-2-1(8)

#3 Derrell Guyver 28-1-0(14)

#4 Oscar De la Hoya 37-1-0(26)

#5 Jose Victor Lopez 22-1-0(15)

#6 Sugar Ray Leonard 37-4-1(25)

#7 Javier Quirino 42-4-0(32)

#8 Shawn McKeag 21-1-0(1)

#9 Ed Roper 31-1-2(13)

#10 Tommy Ryan 89-5-9(50)

Lightweight

CHAMP Damien Essett 22-1-0(22)

#1 Pernell Whitaker 45-1-1(19)

#2 Jorge Reynoso 22-4-2(14)

#3 Julio Cesar Chavez 103-4-2(82)

#4 Paul Kench 41-0-1(8)

#5 Melvin Horne 10-8-0(9)

#6 Shaun Kilburn 22-9-1(13)

#7 Benny Leonard 86-7-1(69)

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

#9 Augustin Garza 23-6-0(13)

#10 Makoto Yahara 19-6-0(7)

Featherweight

CHAMP Peter Badillo 24-5-0(17)

#1 Calvin Calvert 21-3-0(16)

#2 Armando Medina 20-1-1(5)

#3 Wilfredo Gomez 47-4-2(43)

#4 Juan Zamora 23-1-1(14)

#5 Gary Jakeman 18-6-1(8)

#6 Azumah Nelson 45-5-3(29)

#7 Eusebio Pedroza 50-7-1(29)

#8 Kevin Kelley 53-4-2(35)

#9 Manuel Garcia 45-9-0(12)

#10 Nolito Filisilda 37-2-0(12)

[PilotMan]

Bantamweight

CHAMP Job Reyes 21-0-2(13)

#1 Xavier Firth 22-7-0(9)

#2 Sandro Macias 20-5-2(14)

#3 Joselito Pana 33-2-1(13)

#4 Estaban Lopez 15-10-1(5)

#5 Carlos Zarate 66-5-1(60)

#6 Fernando Ramirez 15-7-1(12)

#7 Edel Milanes 21-5-2(12)

#8 Enrique Grimaldo 41-1-0(30)

#9 Bimbo Melchor 20-1-1(12)

#10 Claudio Ojeda 28-2-1(10)

Flyweight

CHAMP Gerardo Ramirez 27-1-0(12)

#1 Adam Napier 27-2-0(25)

#2 Mauro Martinez 32-0-0(20)

#3 Ernesto Bantillan 15-5-0(11)

#4 Masayuki Kabayashi 27-4-1(12)

#5 Rocky Cubillas 20-1-1(15)

#6 Lito Jamili 18-7-0(16)

#7 Zosimo Diaz 21-2-0(12)

#8 Buddy Bionas 20-2-0(5)

#9 Randy Mercado 14-3-2(11)

#10 Geronimo Solorio 31-2-0(21)

[PilotMan]

Stable Finances

Cash on Hand 3,428,039

Assets

Melvin Horne 290,688 x 4 = 1,162,752

Lawrence McFarlane 392,453 = 1,962,265

Omar Acevedo 600,389 x 2 = 1,200,778

Lee Drydon 234,385 x 5 = 1,171,925

Niall Beaumont 468,552 x 1 = 468,552

Ismael Gutierrez 361,000 x 4 = 1,444,024

Total Contract Value 7,410,296

Total Assets 10,838,335

I am up about 800k since August, but the recent losses have taken their toll. It is expensive to train the fighters who have a shot at the title. That means that I need to find some good value fighters who can make me some money, at the same time won’t break the bank. I am still quite frustrated with Niall Beaumont. He has one fight left, and I am not sure if it is worth it to pay that much for him. I will need to decide how to proceed with Omar soon too. He has a fight in a few weeks that could place him toward the top of the lightweight division. He is very expensive to resign right now too.

Here is where they are currently ranked.

Melvin Horne (L) #6

Lawrence McFarlane (M) #25

Omar Acevedo (L) #53

Lee Drydon (FY) #106

Niall Beaumont (H) #120

Ismael Gutierrez (LH) #125

[PilotMan]

What to do? What to do? Niall has one fight left. I could try and sign him after the fight, but he would have no obligation to do so. It is time to for him to test his meddle against another up and coming, young heavyweight. This will give me a good benchmark for where he is at and where he is going. There is another fighter, who is ranked just a bit lower than he is, but who is fighting as well as Niall is. Hideyuki Ito is currently ranked #127, but has a record of 3-0-1(0). A win would give me a nice payday too. A loss would show me just where Niall is, and either situation would probably lead me not to resign him for Punishment Inc. I am ok with that. It is time to bring some new blood in anyway.

It is going to be a few weeks before there are any new fights for the fighters of Punishment Inc. We are going to be focusing on training quite a bit until then.

Speaking of bringing in some new blood into Punishment Inc, that is what I intend to do. I have talked about getting some good value fighters. Guys who may never fight for the title, but who can put together a good run, and bring some money into the stable. Journeymen. Now I am not one to use these guys. Each fighter that I bring in, I have their best interests at heart. I want them to do well. I am not, I repeat not, intentionally going to tank on these guys.

The signings of these fighters pretty much signal to Niall that he is training for his last fight for Punishment Inc. He can’t be happy, but I always want to leave the door open for him to return, should the right set of circumstance arise.

Andreas Ruelas is a middleweight fighter who reminds me a lot of Lawrence McFarlane. He fits the profile for fighters in Punishment Inc. He is ranked #107 and has a record of 10-9-3-(8). It has been almost a year since he won a fight. He was very active in 2006 fighting 6 times, winning once, losing three times and drawing twice. He, like Lawrence when he started is not feeling very confident and could be in better shape. He was signed for a six fight contract.

Punishment Inc has added two welterweight fights for its ever growing stable. The first is Glenn Leeds. Leeds, 3-8-1(1), is currently ranked #140. His most recent fight was last week where he got his draw. His opponent was Tomoaki Watanabe. Watanabe was also signed by Punishment Inc. Both men are heavy puncher and fight in a similar style. Watanabe is 0-1-2(0), and is ranked #142. Lees was signed to a six fight contract and Watanabe a nine fight contract.

The middleweight title is on the line to start the new year. Current champ, Leavander Nolan, 20-0-0(6), will defend his title for the third time during his reign that so far, has lasted just over a year. His opponent is #3 ranked Ewan Veal. Veal, 39-0-1(27), is I believe, the winningest fighter without a loss in all of boxing. His one draw was against Mike McCallum last year. Nolan, has a lot at stake since he is considered the best middleweight fighter, cham, and fighter of the year. Veal could give Nolan the toughest fight yet. He has good stamina, a good punch, and a great chin. I can almost guarentee you that this fight will go the distance. Odds are favoring Nolan at 4/6, while Veal is 5/4. I can see betting on Veal. Forty fights without a loss is good for something, right?

[PilotMan]

Leavander Nolan is still the undefeated, middleweight champion of the world. He won with a unanimous decision over Ewan Veal. Veal suffers his first loss ever. I lost 30k, but I could afford to make a bet like that.

No fighters are healthy to sign for fights so here is a look at this weeks featured fights:

Lightweight FOY Pernell Whitaker 45-1-1(19) #2 v. Julio Cesar Chavez 103-4-2(82) #4

An exciting rematch. Whitaker won the first go round, and Chavez has not lost since the loss. Bettors are favoring Whitaker, naturally, at 2/5, while Chavez is 11/5. Pernell did it once, he should be able to do it again. Still, the odds are worth laying some money on Chavez, just in case.

[PilotMan]

The improbable has happened. Like Oscar De la Hoya last year, now Pernell Whitaker has been knocked off in dramatic fashion. Julio Cesar Chavez came up big in the 9^th round and knocked out Whitaker. He paid for some training, but what this will do for Whitaker’s chances for a fight against Damien Essett. Chavez now is in the drivers seat for a title fight in the lightweight division.

Watanbe, just fought but is in fighting condition again. He is struggling mentally the same way that Drydon did when he got here. I am also having the same problem getting fights for him. Two fighters turned him down for fights. I have a feeling that I will need to wait for someone else to offer him a fight. And hope that he is up to the challenge.

Rueles, Gutierrez, and Leeds all should be healthy enough to schedule soon. Gutierrez is doing well with his training. He is focused on being in good physical shape. I am not going to let him lose again. What a waste that would be.

Here is the featured fight of the week:

Bantamweight Champ and FOY Job Reyes 21-0-2(13) #1 v. Fernando Ramirez 15-7-1(12) #7

A rematch and a lucky fight for Ramirez. I would rather have seen a Reyes-Firth rematch, but this will have to do. Reyes is still undefeated and is a top draw. Ramirez won two fights in a row since his TKO loss to Reyes. I gotta think that Reyes is the favorite. It will be hard repeating his first showing. Reyes is the heavy favorite at 2/5, while Ramirez is at 11/5. I would never bet against Reyes. He is way too tough right now.

[PilotMan]

Job Reyes has defended his title for the first time. He destroyed Ramirez with a 3^rd round KO. Ramirez should have seen his last title fight for a while. I won a little, like 40k. Funny when 40k is a little.

Former Welterweight Champion Sugar Ray Leonard, 37-4-1(25) #7 v. Ed Roper 31-1-2(13) #10

Leonard has lost two fights in a row and is looking for a win to move back up the ladder to the top. Roper has been moving up the rankings and was ranked as low as 35^th last year. His only loss was in 2005 to Jose Victor Lopez. Odds favor Leonard at 1/4, and Roper is 15/4. Leonard has to win this fight, otherwise he will find it impossible to go for a title fight anytime soon.

Zosimo Diaz is the challenger for the flyweight title. Gerardo Ramirez is making his first defense since winning the title back from Adam Napier that he lost. Diaz, 21-2-0(12), is ranked #12, and has been on the margins of a legit title contender. Ramirez, 27-1-0(12) is the real deal. He is the favored fighter.

[PilotMan]

Gerardo Ramirez defended his flyweight title with a 12 round majority decision over Zosimo Diaz.

Ed Roper stunned Sugar Ray Leonard with a 10 round unanimous decision win. That should move him up in the world.

Most of my fighters will be ready to fight or are already ready. I am still looking for opponents for my newest fighters in the stable. I am having the same problem that noone is interested in fighting a guy who his ranked near the bottom of the list in his weight class.

I am looking for an opponent for Andreas. He is responding to the training, but his progress is slow. He has some really good ability, but picking fights for him in the early going is going to be critical. The first fighter that I am looking at is Job Ruelas. I don’t think that there is any relation, but it should make the announcers job a little bit harder. Job is ranked #116, has a good chin and is a pretty accurate puncher. Andreas is aggressive, but has good defense, and hits very hard. Job’s record is 1-7-1(0), and his only win was almost two years ago. Andreas just needs a win, and he should get it here.

Glenn Leeds is going to get his first shot at the road back to respectability against Kenny Malone. Malone is ranked #136 and has a record of 3-6-3(0). He has a good chin so he will likely take the fight the distance. The highest that he has ever been ranked is #117. The fight will be in a little under two months.

Ismael Gutierrez is going to fight Leslie Downey. Downey is 2-3-1(1), and has won his last two fights. Still, he should be no match for Gutierrez. Downey is ranked #113, which is just above where Ismael is ranked. He has so-so power, but he is a hard charging fighter with a great chin. He has yet to be knocked down. I would like to see Ismael win this one easy.

[PilotMan]

Second week of February, 2007

There are some really good fights in the world of boxing coming up. I am getting ready as two of my fighters are getting ready to go next week. Omar and Lee are both up for fights. And as I continue after that it is going to be a steady stream of fights for Punishment Inc. Wins are going to be very important in order to try and sustain the needs of my upper echelon fighters.

Featherweight FOY Calvin Calvert 21-3-0(16) #2 v. Armando Medina 20-1-1(5) #3

Here is one good fight. Both men are in their prime, and both men would like a crack at Peter Badillo for the crown. Well, in Medina’s case, another crack. You see, Medina’s only loss was a second round KO loss to Badillo. Though you may remember. Since he has rattled off five straight wins. His chin, and defense are going to be tested by Calvert. He has been dominant and has stayed ranked in the top 5 for over two years. Bettors are actually favoring Medina in this match, and it is wider than you would think. Odds on Medina are 2/5, while the odds on Calvert are 2/1. I am betting on Calvert all the way, and why not at 2/1 a good bit of money is there to be made.

Former Heavyweight Champion Peter O’Connell 36-4-1(20) #2 v. Evander Holyfield 40-4-1(25) #3

Another good fight between the top ranked fighters in the heavyweight division. Both men have beaten some tough opponents with O’Connell beating Lennox Lewis recently and Holyfield beating Muhammad Ali, and Michael Moorer. If not for Louis holding the title, Holyfield should have been the FOY last year. O’Connell is the favorite at 3/5, while Holyfield is 11/8. If Holyfield can beat "The Greatest", he can beat anyone.

Former Flyweight Champion Adam Napier 27-2-0(25) #2 v. Mauro Martinez 32-0-0(20) #3

Martinez should still be the FOY, but he lost that distinction this year. He also would like it if Napier was still the champ. But he lost his title in his rematch with Gerardo Ramirez. These two make an impressive pair, with almost 60 wins and two losses. Their skills mirror each other with the exception being that Martinez is in better fighting shape and has much higher confidence than Napier. Martinez is the favorite at 4/7 and he should be, Napier could steal this, but at 6/4, the odds aren’t good enough and I don’t think that he is either.

[PilotMan]

This week marks a big losing week in the world of betting and Punishment Inc. I lost in the range of 125k [shiver].

Peter O’Connell scored a split decision win over Evander Holyfield to remain the top contender to the title.

Armando Medina shocked me senseless by winning in style over Calvin Calvert. A unanimous decision win for him. I have a feeling now that Calvert won’t be the Featherweight FOY this year.

Mauro Martinez stayed undefeated by winning a split decision over Adam Napier. Martinez has to be at the top of the list now for a title fight.

[PilotMan]

Third week of February, 2007

Fight Night-

I am starting to scout for opponents for Melvin Horne’s next fight. My only concern is that he is ranked so much higher than he really should be right now, and there are a lot of fighters at this level that will be more difficult for him than I would like.

Lawrence McFarlane is still recovering although I do expect that in 2-3 weeks he will be back up to full steam and ready for his next fight. He is back in the top 25 and itching to move back up the list.

There are two challenging fights this week for us. I told Lee that I intend for him to test the chin of his opponent and take advantage of his weak defense. It will also give me the opportunity to see how he holds up against a figher who will hit hard, and press the action. Drydon has had some easy fights since he signed and he as done very well. Tonight will be the biggest challenge yet, and a chance to move a number of spots up in the rankings. My strategy for the fight is to have Drydon work behind the jab. I want him to win the rounds but not look for the KO. If he gets hit too much I may need to switch up, but so far, he has been very successful doing what I tell him too. Nagai is the favorite, but it is very close. 4/5 v. 11/10. Cash is dwindling at Punishment Inc, so I am not sure that maxing out the bet is good, but I do have a good feeling about this fight.

Omar. What can I say? He has developed into a very nice fighter. It seems like so long ago that he was knocked clean off his ass, and out. He has sure come a long way. The fighter he faces tonight has faced the best. He has lost, but he has faced them. Two years ago he was the #3 ranked lightweight. Now he has fallen to #38. He has lost two straight fights and seems ripe for the picking. Omar demolished two fighters who seemed like they were on their way down too. I think that he can do it again, but he will need to be careful. Milanes is an accurate, heavy puncher and has very good defense. His chin is much better than Omar’s and his punch is stronger. I wonder sometimes if this was the right match to make, since Omar has a weak chin. He will need to be very elusive, and fight the kind of fight that he did against Vargas. I don’t think that he will knock out Milanes, but I think that he can win. The bookies like Omar in this fight. The odds are 8/11 in his favor, while Milanes is 7/6.

Both fights can be good for Punishment Inc. A win for Omar would move him up a long way, and I think that he could get a fight with just about anyone. A win for Lee would also move him up, but also put him into a position where he could be a real, legit, pain in the ass for a lot of other fighters.

Fight of the week:

Lightweight Champ Damien Essett 22-1-0(22) v. Shaun Kilburn 22-9-1(13) #7

Essett is the heavy favorite as he has destroyed all others in his reign. Kilburn’s last fight was a draw with a fighter who Essett Koed in the first round. Kilburn has been pretty active, and is in good physical shape. At this point though I would say that he is far outclassed in this fight. It is almost 10 months since Essett’s last fight. Odds are 1/5 for Essett, and 4/1 for Kilburn. I think Essett should win easy.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for six rounds.

Lee Drydon 4-2-1(1) v. Toshihiro Nagai 6-9-3(4)

Round one was exciting! Both men started off throwing punch after punch with Drydon doing a nice job with the jab and moving well behind it. Nagai unloaded a couple of combinations and the fight was even, but Drydon was doing well. 1:43 into the round Lee cracked him over the head with a hard right that sent Nagai sprawling on the canvas. Nagai got up by the five count, and took the mandatory eight. Lee decided that now was the time to go in for the kill, but he got sloppy and left himself wide open, and was unable to land any clean punches. Settling back into his Jab and Move strategy he again made Nagai pay for standing still. Drydon’s punches were effective. A wicked left to the body dropped Nagai to the canvas for a second time at 2:39 and this time he did not get back up.

Lee Drydon has come up big with a round one KO!

And here I was settled in for a long fight. Nagai didn’t stand a chance. Drydon looked freakin’ awesome. I have a feeling that there is a whole other world out there for him now. He is very, very excited, and we are both pleasantly surprised with the ease of this win.

[PilotMan]

Here we go again!

This fight is scheduled for eight rounds.

Omar Acevedo 7-1-0(2) v. Urbano Milanes 15-15-0(15)

Round one started off with a very sharp looking Milanes landing a number of combinations that had Omar moving back and trying to hold on through the first minute. The rate that he was landing punches the fight would never have made it through the first round. Omar stuck to his guns and tried to get back in to it, but he was just hit way to much. Milanes looks better than I thought that he would. I hope Omar can get his gameplan going.

Round two wasn’t any better. Omar, still trying to outbox Milanes is getting peppered with four and five punch combinations. He cannot seem to get out of the way fast enough. He only landed a handful of punches and didn’t do nearly enough to win this round.

Omar came out for round three looking to go on the offensive. He did well landing punches with equal fervor as Milanes. Milanes managed a couple of combinations and then slipped in an uppercut while Omar was coming forward. It caught Omar square on the chin, and I knew he was in trouble. Down he went. He struggled to get up by the nine count, the ref finished counting and looked at him. Omar was in a bad way and he didn’t like it. So ends the winning streak of Omar Acevedo.

I should have known better. Milanes was a fighter on the way down, but still packed way too much punch for Omar. Now he will need to regain some more momentum to get going again.

Overall I just about broke even on bets. I should have told Omar to be more patient and let his gameplan unfold. Milanes was a formidable opponent, and I underestimated him. Well, I may be able to resign Omar for a little bit longer, as his value should have come down a little from it’s high point.

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Damien Essett kept his streak going with an 11^th round TKO over Shaun Kilburn. The man is a machine. That is all I need to say.

[PilotMan]

First week of March, 2007

Fight Night-

The swan song for Niall Beaumont and Punishment Inc. He will not be resigned, but we will continue to follow his progress afterward.

Hideyuki Ito is his opponent. He has no power, and he has a marginal chin. He is a pretty accurate puncher and good defensive fighter. Beaumont will need to be an offensive monster and really take the fight to Ito. Look for him to press forward and throw hard on the inside. Ito is a good fighter and has yet to lose a fight. Niall will definately have his work cut out for him. Ito is a 3/5 favorite and the odds on Beaumont are 6/5. Those odds suck compared to how low the odds on Ito are. Beaumont has been very streaky. Watch, he is going to come out tonight and smoke Ito, give him his first loss, and generally kick his ass all over the ring. Like I have been expecting him to do all along. That would figure.

Look for Beaumont to jab. I don’t know if he will, but look for it all the same. He still seems to fight from a defensive stance so that me be the way that he ends up going. He will come forward and try and tie Ito up inside. Ito should be boxing him and trying to stay on the outside. He should be counterpunching and want to move to keep Niall from tagging him with a big punch.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

Niall Beaumont 4-1-0(1) v. Hideyuki Ito 3-0-1(0)

Good round for Niall. He did very well behind the jab and it showed as Ito moved to tie Niall up a lot. Niall landed better combinations but was unable to press the action the way that the announcers would have liked. Defensively he did a nice job, and moved more than I though him capable.

What an offensive showing by both fighters in this round. I don’t think that there was much defense at all. Jab after jab, hooks, croses and uppercuts. They flew from both men. That was the mistake made by Ito. He tried to stand toe to toe with Niall. With both men in the center of the ring, Niall found his spot and siezed the moment. Punches flew and Ito backed into the corner. He tried to fight back but the round was winding down. In the midst of the battle it wasn’t looking good for Ito and the ref didn’t like it. He put an end to the fight and gave Niall his 5^th straight win, and second win by knockout.

Round one was scored evenly split between the judges, but it didn’t matter.

I have mixed feelings about this fight. I am happy to see Niall go out in style and happy of the progress that he has made since he has been here. I wonder what is in store for this young man. He could have a very bright future. He was obviously the better fighter here. Anytime you hand a fighter his first loss it is good. Congrats to him, and maybe the door will open for him sometime down the road with Punishment Inc.

[PilotMan]

Melvin has been scheduled to fight in two months. He is in pretty good shape, but needs some more wins in order to get back to a possible title fight. In the past I had tried to get a fight with Benny Leonard, and it looked like that may happen again. Leonard has won his last two fights and is now ranked #7, one below Melvin. However, I am just not sure that he should go after him now.

Looking at some lower ranked fighters I see Fidel Garcia. Garcia is ranked #17, but his abilities are closer to Melvin’s. The thing that I really like is that his chin is in question. He was TKOed in his last fight and has only fought two times in over two years. This will be a challenge for him. I really hope that Melvin feels up to the task. His record is 33-1-0(21). Pretty darn good.

Lee’s last fight was so quick that he is still in good fighting form. I strike out in search of an opponent. I am looking for someone that is closer to his equal in the ring and someone who will payout nicely if Lee should snag a win. I find Roman Stokes. Stokes is 5-4-2(0), he is ranked a little lower than Lee at #101. He has good power, accuracy and defense. Three things that would normally make me back away from a fight, however, his chin is a big weak spot. The way that Lee has been hitting I am curious to see if he can keep it up. Stokes hasn’t won in his last 3 fights, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t going to be the favorite.

[Tellistto]

Nice win for Niall, good to see him go out on the high spot. Hopefully whoever picks him up can continue his devolopment.

Tell

[PilotMan]

Omar was offered a chance to fight Hilmer Kenty. I like the name and they want the fight for 8 weeks from now. I have no idea if he will even be healthy by then so it is really out of the question. Sorry.



Third week of March, 2007

Fight Night -

Ismael Gutierrez is back in the ring. How will he perform after losing his first pro fight? I don’t know but I do know that he is in pretty good shape. The only thing that he hasn’t been doing extra of in the gym is sparring. I want to see him in good shape and work on his ring skills first.

His opponent tonight is Leslie Downey. Downey was chosen because Ismael really needed a good win. Downey is 2-3-1(1), but he has won two in a row. He is aggressive and has a good chin. He is going to need it because Gutierrez hits like a freight train. Look for both men to go forward and do a lot of banging inside. It will probably get dirty and messy inside, but hopefully Ismael will use his power advantage and take this guy out. He needs too. Two losses would be very hard for both of us to handle.

Oddsmakers are favoring Ismael at 1/4, while Downey is 11/4.

The world is watching this week as Joe Louis, two time heavyweight FOY, and current heavyweight champion defends his title agianst #2 contender Max Watt. Watt is a boxer with not a lot of power, although he can take a good punch and has beaten the likes of Larry Holmes and Bob Fitzsimmons. He is undefeated in 21 pro fights and has been ranked in the top ten for almost two years. Louis has not been very active. This is his first defense since taking the title from O’Connell over a year ago. Not only is Louis strong, he is a very accurate puncher. His chin may be in question at times, but Watt is not likely to test it. The oddsmakers are favoring Louis all the way. Odds on him are 1/4, while Watt is 10/3. I don’t think that Louis will lose.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

Ismael Gutierrez 2-1-0(1) v. Leslie Downey 2-3-1(1)

Ismael did what he needed to do in round one. Like an angry tiger that had been kept in a cage he came out swinging. Intent on getting revenge for his loss. Downey was going to pay. Charging forward with a big X on Downey’s chin to aim at Gutierrez rained blow after blow on him. Downey could only manage a jab here and there, and his aggressiveness was his downfall. He came forward and paid the price. At one minute into the round it was clear the Ismael was going to win the round. He was able to keep up the pace and as the round wound down a hurt and big hearted Downey reeled. Gutierrez pressed the action until the ref stepped between them and called the fight off. Ismael owned Downey all over the ring tonight. It was no contest.

At 2:26 of round one, Ismael Gutierrez wins by TKO.

That is just what the doctor ordered. Now get back in the gym.

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The heavyweight title fight was just what it was billed to be. Unfortunately for Max Watt is ended way too soon. Louis killed him with a second round TKO, and still remains the premiere heavyweight in the world. Peter O’Connell has put some good fights together and is knocking on the door again, though.

[PilotMan]

Ismael is drawing the attention of other managers as he was offered a fight for 3 weeks from now. What are they thinking. No way. I don’t even care who it is. This is not some kind of organization where we do that sort of thing to our fighters. End of story.

Last week of March, 2007

Fight Night -

Tonight marks the debut for Glenn Leeds in Punishment Inc. Leeds is trying to turn his career around and in him, I see the makings of another Lee Drydon. Drydon has been extremely profitable for our organization and I am hoping that Leeds will do the same thing. He needs to start with a win. His opponent is in the same position that he is. Kenny Malone is 3-6-3(0), and could easily grab a win. Leeds is going to jab, jab, and jab some more. I would also like to see him fight the style that he feels most comfortable fighting.

It may not seem like it, but this is a very important fight. I hope that Leeds feels up to it.

Former Bantamweight Champ Xavier Firth 22-7-0(9) #2 v. Sandro Macias 20-5-2(14) #3

A great matchup between a very underrated fighter and another who has moved up the ranks in the last year. Macias has won four fights in a row most recently over a talented Carlos Zarate. Firth is fighting for the first time since narrowly losing his title to #1 Bantamweight Job Reyes. Both men are near equals in the ring, Firth might be a better puncher, and if the fight goes a long time it might favor him as well. Macias seems to fade in the late rounds. Firth is the heavy favorite at 2/5, while Macias is 11/5. Firth doesn’t look like much but he is a damn good fighter. I like him.

[PilotMan]

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

Glenn Leeds 3-8-1(1) v. Kenny Malone 3-6-3(0)

Tough, gritty, ugly inside fighting. Lots of pushing and clinching here. Leeds did quite well and controlled the action for most of the round. He did get hit some but his combinations were better and more effective. I think that the round is his.

More of the same in round two. This round was closer, but I still feel that the advantage was with Leeds. His punches seem to have more snap and his movement is forcing a lot of missed punches from Malone. I like his style. Even with the limited training I think that Leeds could be a very good fighter.

Very good round from Malone, but I think that the best that he did was make it a draw. Still lots of pushing inside and holding. Right now, this fight could go either way. Leeds has done well with the jab but has gotten hit more each successive round. He will need to be very convincing in the last round.

I think that Leeds did enough. He went out more defensive, but still looking to move forward. I don’t think that he liked that very much and he didn’t execute it very well. Malone was doing well and landing often before Leeds went back to his jab. He was able to land some heavy punches and may have hurt Malone. Malone has a good chin though as was able to finish the round. I think that he came up on the short end of the stick though.

[PilotMan]

Here is what the judges think:

J1: 38-38

J2: 39-37 Malone

J3: 39-38 Leeds

Over two years and there is a first. A draw. Noone is happy with one of those. I thought that Leeds had clearly won the fight, but I guess that I was wrong. This is not going to go over well at the gym. It certainly won’t go to improving Leeds standing or his confidence. He thought that he had won it as well.

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Xavier Firth and Sandro Macias also battled to a draw. I blame it all on the judges. Can’t win any money on a draw. What a shitty week.

[PilotMan]

Last week of March, 2007

A note of exciting news this week. Lawrence McFarlane is closing in on his return to the ring. He is almost back to full strength and may have a fight scheduled in the next few weeks.

Fight Night -

Middleweight journeyman Andreas Ruelas makes his Punishment Inc debut. His opponent this week is Job Ruelas (no relation). Andreas is a fighter with a significant amount of potential. He has big power and can put down an opponent with one punch. He has not been successful on his own and hopefully with some better guidance can turn into another Lawrence McFarlane. He has been doing a lot of physical conditioning for the fight, and I hope that it shows. Job is an accurate puncher with a solid chin. He has lost 6 straight fights 3 of those by KO or TKO. However, that does not mean that Andreas is in the clear. I intend to work inside, and work the body. If Andreas can sufficiently slow Job down then he should be a sitting duck for Andreas’ hard punches upstairs. Four rounds probably isn’t sufficient to really work this strategy, so I hope that rounds one and two are big for Andreas. Andreas is the favorite at 8/11, while Job is 7/6.

Tomoyaki Wantanabe is not getting any lovin’ from any boxers anywhere. Noone wants to fight him. It is really a case of his value being so low that no boxer sees any benefit from beating him.

All of the guys are back in the gym. Lee Drydon, who has a fight in 5 weeks looks very good. His next fight will likely decide how he will fit in, long term, in the flyweight division. A win would be very good for him.

Omar is still training well, but is having difficulty dealing with the loss. It is going to be some time before he is ready to fight again.

Ismael Gutierrez is already chomping at the bit. His devastating win fired him up. He wants more.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

Andreas Ruelas 10-9-3(8) #105 v. Job Reulas 1-7-1(0) #115

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

A busy round for both fighters and it is evident that Job is a very effective with his jab. He landed a lot. He landed a lot of combos and kept Andreas at bay and off balance with it. Andreas changed up his style many times and it is clear that he is going to have to be wary of Job’s accuracy. Round to Job.

With more movement and a better stance Andreas was able to control more of this round. He didn’t get nearly as many times and his punches are certainly having an effect on Job. Job was still solid with the jab, and his defense was better than advertised as well. Andreas took the round. He needs to be solid the last two to keep it going.

Round three was as even as they come with both men landing often. Andreas became frustrated in the middle of the round and really went after Job. He landed a good flurry or two, but was still peppered with jabs, and hooks. I really think that Job took round three.

I sent Andreas out with one mission - to win the fight. No matter what he had to do, he had to win the fight. Rarely do I tell a man that, because it is usually the words of a desperate man. I was concerned with Job’s jab, but once the bell sounded I knew it was going to be all right. Andreas went ballistic. One minute into the round he had inflicted almost as much damage as he did the entire last round. At the end of the second minute it was almost all over. He was destroying Job. Hooks and crosses were landing with laser like accuracy and Job was reeling. The ref saw the way this was going to end and halted it at 2:13 seconds of the fourth round.

It should never have been that close. I am happy to see that it didn’t turn out bad. Too many bad things have been happening lately.

[PilotMan]

Omar and Melvin have fights coming up in about a months time. Both of them are in very good shape and should be ready go for fight time.

World FOY Derrell Guyver 28-1-0(14) #4 v. Former Welterweight Champion Manuel Castillo 26-2-1(8) #3

Classic boxer/puncher matchup. Guyver, who is best known for ending the perfect record of Oscar De la Hoya takes on a former champ in Castillo. Castillo ended the reign of Sugar Ray Leonard and then lost in his first defense against Wilfredo Benitez. Castillo will need to use his superior defense and rely on a good chin to beat Guyver. Guyver has very high confidence and will press the action. He needs to be careful not to punch himself out though, as his style could lead to that. Bettors like Guyver at 1/4, while Castillo is 7/2.

A fight has been arranged between Ismael Gutierrez, 3-1-0(2), and Benny Wilson, 4-6-2(0). The fight is going to be in a couple of months and is not really going to be a test for the young Gutierrez. He should be the heavy favorite and should tear Wilson in two. Wilson is aggressive and possesses good accuracy and good defense. His chin is his weakness and should be exploited. I look forward to the fight. I really don’t need Ismael to lose anymore fights that he should win. And win easy.

[PilotMan]

I got a call today from the management team of Hilmer Kenty. They want to fight Omar in six weeks time. Kenty is a good fighter who has never been a top contender, but has made a living at the next level down. His record is a respectable 33-6-0(20), but the best that he has been ranked is #47. He has good skills and is a well rounded fighter, however, I don’t think that this is the fight for Omar, nor is he ready to be scheduled for a fight. I tell them no.



Manuel Castillo put some good money in my pocket and proved that World FOY doesn’t mean unbeatable. He forced the fight to go the distance and grabbed a spit decision win over Derrell Guyver. I guess he won’t repeat as the FOY this year.

Niall Beaumont 5-1-0(2) #115 v. Mike Ferdinand 1-5-3(0) #122

Niall is continuing his career with a fight against a tomato can. He should win this with ease. 4/11 Beaumont - 12/5 Ferdinand

Former Welterweight Champion Wilfredo Benitez 58-9-1(32) #2 v. Ed Roper 32-1-2(13) #7

Benitez is fighting for the first time since losing the title. He is fighting a man who just beat Sugar Ray Leonard, and is trying to make a big move up the welterweight rankings. Benitez is the much better fighter on paper and should make easy work of Roper. But with Roper, an upset could be possible. This will be Roper’s first fight since making it into the top 10 in the division. Bookies are favoring Benitez at 3/5, while Roper is 11/8. Close odds but the better money might be on Roper, just for the better potential payout.

[PilotMan]

Niall Beaumont won a four round unanimous decision over Mike Ferdinand.

Wilfredo Benitez scored a 7^th round KO of Ed Roper, dashing his hopes of a dark horse title shot

[PilotMan]

And the man is back.....And the man is in demand. Lawrence McFarlane, who has been our for over six months is back in fighting form and ready to fight. I was approached for a fight between him and Paul Dickens, on two weeks notice. Dickens, 20-1-0(14) is a solid, young fighter who is on his way up. He has good fighting technique and good confidence. Winning his last four fights. I am going to pass on this because Lawrence is not in fighting shape, and could use some more fine tuning before trying his hand at a fight like this.

Glenn Leeds is going to fight again. I had really considered a fight that would be a rematch of the last fight, that I thought that he had won, however, it is not to be. I now have my eye on Gato Zamuido, 2-7-3(0), who is ranked #147. Leeds has to win if he is to start the road back to the top. This could be the place. Zamuido is aggressive with a good chin, a gamer is what you would call him. His punch is weak, and his defense is poor, but he should make the fight go the distance.

[PilotMan]

First week of May, 2007

Fight Night -

I turned down Enoch Nelson’s team. The young power punching Lightweight would have had a fight with Omar in eight weeks, but I just couldn’t send him to certain slaughter like that. He will just train.



Two important fights for Punishment Inc this week and two more that are important to boxing the world over. The first is Lee Drydon, who is now ranked #83 in the world, taking on his most difficult challenger yet. Roman Stokes is a good fighter who has to be favored over what some would have called the worst fighter in the flyweight division. Stokes is still quite young, and he doesn’t have a perfect record, and he probably will never be a world champion, but he does have some talent. He is ranked lower than Drydon now, and the highest that he has ever been ranked is #99. He has power, a good chin, and he has never been knocked down. He is very aggressive so look for Drydon to be a counterpuncher, and get him while he is coming in. Either figher has the power to end fights early, but both are very resilient. Lee is going to need to be patient, and stay focused in what may be the longest fight of his career. He hasn’t had a real tough fight for over a year now, I hope that mentally he is up for the fight. Physically, he is in the best shape of his life. Mucho dollars have been spent on his behalf, and I want to see the finished product perform in the ring. Stokes is a narrow favorite at 4/5, while the odds on Drydon are 11/10. Write it down, this is going to be a close fight.

The other, more important fight for the stable is lightweight contender, Melvin Horne, fighting Fidel Garcia. Garcia has not fought in almost a year and lost his last fight to Takayuki Takayama, via a 3^rd round TKO. It has been the only loss in his 34 fight career. The men that he has faced have not been top caliber fighters though, as you can tell by his #17 ranking. Horne stands to lose some immediate credibility if he makes this fight look easy. He is still ranked #6. It will be the second time that he has fought with me in his corner. I see so much potential in him, he will need a win here, to keep his climb back to the top going. Garcia is a resilient fighter, with good power, defense, and an ok chin. Horne will be the aggressor so he needs to get off first and do his damage before getting tagged with any counterpunches. If he can do that he should be able to win. If he gets sloppy, it could be a tough ten rounds. Garcia is actually the favorite here. Horne is not getting any respect, and like I have said all along, I think that he is overrated for being a top 10 contender right now. The odds are 3/5 for Garcia and 11/8 for Horne.

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The other big fights that are happening this week are:

Flyweight FOY #5 Rocky Cubillas 20-1-1(15) v. # 9 Pancho Villa 80-8-5(25)

This is a rematch from a fight between these two almost a year ago when Cubillas won in a unanimous decision over Villa. Villa has lost two of his last three fights and is getting on in age. He is still a great fighter, but it appears that he won’t regain his old glory, unless he wins here. For Cubillas, Mauro Martinez is the only fighter that he has ever lost too, and he has been handily winning his most recent fights. He should pull off another win against Villa. Obviously, the fans wanted this one, they love rematches. Cubillas is the heavy favorite at 4/9, while Villa is at 15/8. Age and determination should see Cubillas to another win over the ageing legend.

Former Lightweight Champion #3 Jorge Reynoso 22-4-2(14) v. #2 Julio Cesar Chavez 104-4-2(83)

Chavez is left at the door to the lightweight title after his stunning KO over Pernell Whitaker. Reynoso is the next best thing as he hasn’t lost since his beating against Damien Essett. Whitaker has to be salivating at the prospects here, unless it is a draw he will undoubtedly move up in the rankings. Even though Chavez is getting old, he appears to be in better shape, and looks motivated to get his title shot. Reynoso is no slouch, and could be more than the old man can handle. However, I don’t think that Reynoso is as good as Whitaker. But if Chavez is off his game, he won’t need to be. Chavez is the favorite at 8/11, while Reynoso is 7/6. Very close.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

Lee Drydon 5-2-1(2) v. Roman Stokes 5-4-2(0)

This fight is scheduled for six rounds.

Round one did not go so well. Stokes came out very aggressively and landed a big series of combinations and Lee did not look well prepared. He stayed on his feet but was never able to get any momentum in the round. A dissapointing start to the fight. He will need to be much better defensively in order to be more effective. One thing that I did notice was that his puches were strong and crisp. That could be important later on.

Stokes still grabbed the round with a pressing attack and laser quick punches. The first half of the round was a non event as both fighters were very defensive. Stokes got the first flurry, but Drydon landed some good shots as well, just not many of them. Now that he is down two, he is going to have to be much more aggressive, and really test his ability to withstand punishment.

Round three should be Lee’s round. He launched an all out attack and seemed to grab control of the round. He landed more than the other rounds, but still got his a fair amount. He needs another big round to stay in this fight.

Round four was even as they come, neither fighter seemed to gain an advantage and both men showed good defense. Overall, Drydon had the best overall performance, he was better defensively, but he still needs to be better on the frontside. Two more rounds to go as Drydon goes where he has never gone before. Round 5.

Another round that was to close to call. Both men are looking very tired, and both are getting really sloppy. Not to much damage doled out be either man. I still feel like Lee is behind, but with both guys tiring maybe he needs to go back to a more counterpunching approach. One more to go.

Well round six didn’t go the way that I expected. Stokes took advantage early and took an early lead. That forced Lee into the attacking postition again, where he did land some good shots, but was on the receiving end of the biggest blows of the fight. He fought for all he was worth, but the toll showed as he staggered back to the corner at the end of the fight. I wish that I felt better about the outcome of this fight. Here are the judges scores.

[Tellistto]

Mmm, the suspense of the moment stretches...

Doesn't sound too good for Lee, but then again, you've hoodwinked us before on such things. Hoping this is one of those times!

Tell

[PilotMan]

You know the funny thing is that I write as I am going through each round. So that is truly how I see the fight. I am as suprised by the ending as you are each time. I think that it would be too hard to write in this style otherwise. The writing would get drab.

[PilotMan]

J1: 58-58

J2: 58-56 Drydon

J3: 59-56 Drydon

F**K N A! I really don’t believe it! What an upset. I thought for sure that he was going to be on the short end here. This is going to be good for the pocketbook I can tell you that. With this win Lee is going to move up another step in the rankings. Granted Roman isn’t top quality, and Lee may never be top quality, but he is already way better than I ever imagined him being.

[Tellistto]

Woot! Glad my wish came true in this case. While Lee might not be the greatest flyweight ever to live, he's still one who can make the stable money.


Tell