Punishment Inc.

[PilotMan]

Here is the decision:

J1: 40-36 Drydon

J2: 40-35 Drydon

J3: 39-36 Drydon

Well I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised with the result. I guess the bottles of Crown that I had sent made it to them.

I don’t know what to say, I mean, to me, Drydon didn’t come off that good, but I guess that he earned it. He has a few fights left on his contract, I hope that he improves a little better than this.

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Pernell Whitaker won by unanimous decision over Luis Valdez. I lost 10k, oh well, made 100k on the Drydon fight.

[PilotMan]

I was approached for a fight for Lawrence McFarland, but it was going to be in three weeks and I said no immediately. He needs more time than that.

Here are how the Punichsment Inc. boxers are ranked as of right now.

Melvin Horne (L) #9

Lawrence McFarlane (M) #10

Omar Acevedo (L) #77

Ismael Gutierrez (LH) #133

Lee Drydon (FY) #135

Niall Beaumont (H) #135

My guys are moving up in the world and so is my reputation. I am starting to draw some attention from some of the bigger name boxers. That is good. Soon it will be time to focus on gaining a world title for the stable.

[PilotMan]

Third week of August, 2006

A week off for me! No fights this week and none to schedule. My education in the world of top ranked fighters is about to begin. It is time to begin to lay the groundwork for what it will take to get to the top of the world of boxing management.

Ismael Gutierrez is doing well with his training program. He will be in prime condition for his fight in a months time. In all of my fighters are on a nice roll. We have not lost since Niall lost his debut fight. That is a record for me.

Lawrence and Omar are the back of this group of fighters right now. They are both in good shape and their self confidence is very high.

There are two world titles on the line this week. Here is a rundown:

Flyweight World Champion Adam Napier 27-1-0(25) #1 v. Gerardo Ramirez 26-1-0(12) #2

A rematch for the title. In their first fight Napier stopped Ramirez in the 3^rd to take the title and not only give the former champ his first loss, but TKOed him as well. Napier is a power puncher and Ramirez is more of a crafty boxer. Ramirez is good defensively and an accurate puncher. Napier hasn’t fought since the title fight while Ramirez grabbed a win over top ranked Lito Mataganas. Odds are favoring Napier 4/9, while the odds on Ramirez are 15/8. I think it will be closer than that.



Middleweight World Champion Leavander Nolan 19-0-0(6) #1 v. Carlos Monzon 97-7-11(66) #2

Nolan is defending his title for second time and he is taking on a legend in the middleweight division. This is not the first time that these two have fought. The first was just about a year ago, Nolan won that fight my majority decision. Monzon is getting on in age, but he is good enough to be ranked #2. His last fight was a 10^th round KO of Jeff Larkin. Nolan in the meantime defended his title against Anthony Hardy. Monzon is a heavy hitter. If Nolan wants the win he will need to take it the distance. Oddsmakers are really strong on Monzon to take the title. He is a 1/4 favorite, while the Champ is the underdog at 7/2. I like Nolan with those odds.

Bantamweight FOY Job Reyes 19-0-2(12) #2 v. Edward Luna 44-9-2(36) #4

Reyes is coming off of a 4^th round TKO win over Fernando Ramirez, and is still undefeated. He has been able to hold onto his #2 ranking this year and hopes to do so to get the title fight that he wants. Luna is an experienced fighter who has seen his ranking rise from #56 a year and a half ago to #4. His last win was a majority decision over Enrique Grimaldo earlier this year. Both fighters are a similar style, with offense being more important than defense. Both are aggressive and have good chin’s. Oddsmakers like the known quantity that is Reyes. He is favored 4/11, while Luna is 12/5.

[PilotMan]

Betting certainly paid for me this week. Here are the results of this week’s fights.

Job Reyes stayed undefeated with a 2^nd round TKO over Edward Luna.

Leavander Nolan defended his middleweight crown with a 12 round split decision win over Carlos Monzon.

Gerardo Ramirez got his revenge by winning the Flyweight title back with a 12 round majority decision over Adam Napier.

I lost 60k on the Napier and Luna fight’s but it was the Nolan fight that really paid. I bet 100k that Nolan would beat Monzon and at those odds, he paid 350k. A very nice haul indeed. It more than paid for training as well as covering my losses on the other fights.

Niall Beaumont was offered a fight against Edwin Mullins. Mullins 0-5-1(0), #136, has offered to pay me 34k for the fight. This fight would do nothing to move Niall along in his career, and besides the fight would be in 3 weeks and that is way too soon. No.

[PilotMan]

Another quiet week for Punishment Inc. No fights and none to schedule so we move on to fights of significance.

Middleweight FOY - Anthony Hardy 45-3-0(15) #6 v. Kid McCoy 83-6-7(58) #12

Hardy is coming off of his loss in against Levander Nolan for the title, his opponent is a fighter who has moved up from #53 by only winning 2 fights. McCoy is beat Charles Kaplan by a KO in the 8^th round , but has been inactive for almost a year. McCoy is a big, aggressive slugger. Hardy is craftier and has solid skills. Odds are favoring Hardy at 2/7 while McCoy is 13/5. I don’t think that McCoy has any chance.

[PilotMan]

Anthony Hardy won his fight against Kid McCoy by a unanimous decision. I made a little over 14k on this match. I thought that Hardy would win fairly easy.

I was approached by the management of Al Hardway for a fight with Melvin Horne in two months. Hardway is 21-1-0(11), and is ranked #12. They have offered a payment of 176k to make the match.

Horne is not ready for the ring yet. He still has a long way to go before he will. So I am not interested.

Lawrence McFarlane is ready to resume his rise to the top. Things get interesting at the top as the pool of prospective opponents get smaller and smaller. There is only one fighter in the top ten who is available to fight. That fighter is Mike McCallum. McCallum is 51-6-3(36), and is ranked #3. His last fight was a draw with undefeated Ewan Veal, who is ranked #4. I cringe at the thought of fighting McCallum right now. I just don’t think it is the right fight. Not right now anyway.

The Light Heavyweight title is on the line this week. The Champ Virgil Hill 49-3-1(25), is defending the title for the first time. His opponent is James Singleton. Singleton is 14-8-0(14). Singleton is a fighter that is big, powerful and has a good chin. His record is not that great, but his last year has been good for him.. His last fight was a KO of Roger Stewart in the 10^th. Odds on this are even.

[TonyR]

Can't wait to read the next round of bouts. Keep up the great dynasty!

[PilotMan]

Thanks Tony! I am very happy that you are enjoying it. There is much more to come.

[PilotMan]

The light heavyweight division must be cursed. James Singleton has become the 4^th champ in a year and a half. He defeated Virgil Hill when he knocked him out in the 12^th round. I wish I knew how the fight had gone up to that point, to see if that was a surprise. Singleton reminds me a bunch of Lawrence McFarlane. I hope that he will be able to continue along the same vein. The middleweight division is a little more solid with Levander Nolan comfortably holding onto the title for almost a year now.

I am still thinking about prospective fighters for McFarlane in the Middleweight division. Lawrence has six fights on his contract so I really shouldn’t feel the need to rush him to the top. Also I shouldn’t feel the need to fight guys who are ranked higher than he is.

There are some good fighters at the top and I am beginning to feel that McCallum may not be that bad of a choice. Sure, he is the #2 contender, but a win would vault McFarlane into a spot where he could get a title shot. He is one of the best all around fighters in the middleweight division, but he is aging. I am still not sure about this one, but I need to get him a fight before his training sucks all of my available resources. What I mean is that every week that he trains to maintain his tip top shape, is costing me in the money that a fight would generate. There is only so much waiting that I can do.

George Kings is another possibility. He is currently ranked #13. He hasn’t fought in over a year but still has a respectable 22-2-0(9) record. A win would keep Lawrence heading in the upward direction. He is probably a better choice than to fight McCallum. I will make up my mind next week.

[Tellistto]

I'm still following along as well, finally back up and going after my move. Great job with all the fighters, and hopefully Lawrence will continue his climb to the top.


Tell

[PilotMan]

Thanks Tellisto. Things are moving along, and it is going to get more interesting as we go along, and the career gets developed.

[PilotMan]

Lawrence McFarlane has been booked to fight George Kings in the 4^th week of October. The fight was earlier than originally planned due to the insistence by Bucky the Bull, manager for McFarlane, that his fighter was ready to go right now. Kings, who had been pursuing McFarlane for a fight for the better part of a month was excited about the prospect of finally getting the match that he had been waiting for.

Lee Drydon has been booked to face flyweight Takeo Morooka. Morooka, 3-5-1(0), is currently ranked #119 and has been very active as a fighter. This will be his 5^th fight of the year. After his career started with a bang by winning his first 3 fights, he hasn’t won a fight in his last 6. Certainly Drydon, could give him that opportunity. Morooka, is an accurate puncher with a lot of hear who can absorb a lot of punches. His chin is susceptible to the knockdown, although he has only been knocked out one time. The fight will take place the second week of November.

There is one fight of interest this week and it takes place in the lightweight division.

Former World Champ Jorge Reynoso, who has not fought since his first round KO loss to Damien Essett, is fighting against 7^th ranked Takayuki Takayama. Takayama is 22-4-0(15), and won his last fight by KO over Vinny Pazienza, in the 4^th round. Reynoso is 21-4-1(14). The fighters are very similar in style and mirror each other in skills. Takayama has risen having been ranked #42 a year and a half ago, before Reynoso won the title. Although he did lose in a first round KO against Joe Gans at the beginning of the year. Oddsmakers are favoring Reynoso in this as he is 4/9, while Takayama is 15/8. Reynoso has not impressed me yet, so I may take a stab at Takayama at those odds. I don’t think that this fight will go the distance

[PilotMan]

Fight Night-

This week also sees the return to the ring of the youngest member of Punishment Inc. Ismael Gutierrez is returning to fight Chris Nickels.

Ismael Gutierrez 1-0-0(0) #129, v. Chris Nickels 2-4-3(0) #117

Nickels is an aggressive puncher with surprising defense. This is his 5^th fight this year so he stays very busy. He shows flashes of power at times, but will be most successful if he stays outside where he can land, and make the best use of his defense. Gutierrez is a power puncher who is also very aggressive. He will want to take this fight to the inside and get down and dirty. I would like to see lots of uppercuts. Gutierrez may need to end the fight to get the most benefit from it. Oddsmakers like Ismael as well. He is the favorite at 4/9, while Nickels is 15/8.

I like my man here. Four round fights can be fluky and they are unpredictable, but I made the fight, he needs to come through.

For me this is still hard to get a handle on how Ismael likes to fight. My only concern about the head down, arms flailing approach is that he may get his a lot. He needs to be aware that even though Nickels may not have lots of power, he does have enough to take advantage of Ismael not having a world class chin.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

Round one was a good start for Ismael. He started quick by head hunting and trying to end the fight quick. At times the round was ugly, but Ismael did well to get inside and I did see a good amount of uppercuts. Also as I feared Nickels landed a few punches but most were harmless jabs. With :34 remaining in round one Nickels went down from a left hook to the kidney. He was stunned and hurt. He was up at 7 and took the mandatory 8 count. The round ended with Gutierrez landing some more good shots and finishing strong.

Round two was more good offense from Gutierrez and better defense. After the first round I told him to be more careful and focus and making him miss. That worked well, and even though Ismael didn’t do as much damage he didn’t take as much either and handily won the round.

In between rounds I told him that it looked like Ismael had him where he wanted him. I told him to go out there and be aggressive. Like the first round he was strong in the early part of the round and by the first minute had leveled Nickels with some intense punching. Nickels hung on and still found room to land. By the 2:00 mark Ismael turned on the heat again with a flurry of power punches that ended with the ref jumping between the fighters at the 2:40 mark.

Personally I think the ref wanted to stop it all along. Ismael was killing him. The judges agreed as they had him up by 2 or 3 points after the second round.

A strong win for Gutierrez who is continuing to show that he is a fighter with some serious potential. He should go home and think about how he can improve. If he can do that he can make big waves in a division that is still searching for that dominant leader and champion.

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In other action, Jorge Reynoso grabbed some of his ego back with a 10 round majority decision over Takayama.

I made about 50k in bets on the week, that paid for almost 3 fighters to train.

Overall another good week for Punishment Inc, as I continue to show that I can manage, and produce quality boxers.

Al Hardway wants a fight with Melvin Horne. No way - Hardway. He is just not ready to have a fight set yet. I will be looking for opponents for Horne in a few weeks. Until then, lay off.

[PilotMan]

I am still fighting these feelings that Niall needs to be let go. I just don’t feel like he is measuring up to the standards that other fighters are setting. Other than that, things are great. It is time to see what he is made of, and whether or not it is in my best interest to keep him around. He is going to fight John Weir. Wier is a middlin’ heavyweight who has a record of 4-4-1(1). He is coming off of a 4^th round TKO win over Ad Heron. Weir is currently ranked #132 in the heavyweight division. He has a good chin and is a dirty fighter. He likes to brawl inside which is where you would think a bruiser like Beaumont would like, but he favors the outside and he likes to dance. I think there is a good possibility that this won’t go the distance. Weir could really make things difficult for Niall, that is good. I want to see what kind of fighter he really is.

The welterweight title is on the line. Here are the principles.

Welterweight World Champion Wilfredo Benitez 58-8-1(32) #1 v. Jose Napoles 82-8-0(58) #8

Napoles is best known for his loss to Sugar Ray Leonard in his first attempt to grab the welterweight title. Since then he has been a busy fighter. He has won 3 fights this year including the last a majority points decision over Paddy Duffy. Benitez is defending his title for the first time since he took it from Manuel Castillo back in May. Both men are in good shape and are feeling good about their boxing right now. Napoles is looks to have forgotten all about the loss in his previous title shot, and in fact, looks better now than he did then. I give Benitez the edge physically as Napoles falls a little short defensively. Benitez has a good chin and Napoles can hit. The oddsmakers like Benitez in this one. He is the favorite at 4/9, while Napoles is again the underdog at 15/8. I think that Napoles has a better shot than some give him credit for.

[PilotMan]

There is a new welterweight champ. Jose Napoles has usurped Wilfredo Benitez with a 12 round unanimous decision. Napoles has now made up for his loss against Ray Leonard. Still the welterweight division will never be settled until someone steps up and faces Oscar de la Hoya. De la Hoya is still the hottest fighter in all of boxing, and he is being tiptoed around like a pack of wild dogs. Napoles is now the 4^th different champion in over a year and a half.

I laid a small bet the paid over 55k on Napoles winning. My bets are just getting better and better. I really feel like I have a feel for how these guys are going to do.

Melvin Horne was approached again by Al Hardway. They are offering over 176k for the fight, and now that Horne is in proper condition I may take a look at it. I called the management of the fighter that I would really like to face and that is Benny Leonard. Leonard is ranked lower, but is aging quick. Horne could really get a boost with a win against an older fighter who is still considered to be just past his prime. They told me no. That does not make me happy, and it is back to the drawing board.

I make the same offer to Barney Ross, hoping to rekindle the rivalry with rematch of a fight that Ross lost in 10. They say no too. My options are dwindling. Horne is ranked too high. Noone so far down wants a go with him, and I really don’t want him to go with anyone ranked near where he is. Suck in a catch-22.

The thing about the Hardway fight is that they want it is 3 weeks. I cannot do that at all. If I am to consider this fight it is going to be further down the road than that. It may cost me the money, but maybe Melvin will stand a better chance.

I call Hardway’s mangament and tell them I want a fight, but not until the end of the year. They laugh. I give them 3 other options and they don’t care for those either. We cannot come to an agreement so the fight goes unsigned. No rush, there will be fights to choose from.

Ismael did such a nice job that he is already to go again. There are no fights that appeal to me that involve him just yet so he stays were he is.

Omar is also ready to continue his unlikely rise in the lightweight division. He has been booked to face off against #65 ranked Paddy de Marco. De Marco is 63-14-2(32) and is in pretty good shape. Omar is really outgunned in the experience department, but what he has going for him is that despite his good record de Marco just isn’t a very talented fighter. Now he thinks he is and that makes him dangerous, and his last fight was a 6^th round KO of Carlos Artista. De Marco is basically average all the way around, but he has a glass jaw. Omar can hit hard, so he would really like to capitalize on that.

Just announced a huge title fight next week. More details to come.

[PilotMan]

Second week of October, 2006.

Still no luck trying to get fights going for Ismael or Melvin. I tried the same fighers again to see if there was any interest there, and their really wasn’t. Oh well, I just need to be patient. But these are two boxers that I love to see in action.

I said last week that there was a big announcement concerning a title fight. That fight is going to be this week. This fight is so big that it is the only real fight to worry about this week.

Bantamweight World Champion Xavier Firth 22-6-0(9) #1 v. Bantamweight FOY Job Reyes 20-0-2(13) #2

Need I say more? Firth has defended the title 3 times since winning it over Manny Bionas. The last two were by split decision in fights where he was the underdog. He is the underdog again. His opponent is a different story this time around though. Job Reyes has been mowing his opponents down with his last 2 wins coming by way of TKO. Reyes is a strong, accurate puncher who has a good chin, while Firth is not that strong, is considered one of the best defensive fighters around. He is accurate and hoping to take advantage of Reyes weak defense. Firth’s chin is second to none. Reyes is the favorite at 8/15, while Firth is 5/3. It is close I tell you, close. Firth is solid, but so is Reyes. I am not going to bet on this one, just sit back and relax.

[PilotMan]

Job Reyes is the new Bantamweight champ. He won in a 12 round split decision over Xavier Firth. I want to see the rematch. Reyes stays undfeated and puts himself at the top of the list for FOY candidate along with Joe Louis. The other FOY who went on to claim the title.

Ismael Gutierrez has been booked for his 3^rd pro fight. His opponent is ranked #100 in the light heavyweight division and goes by the name Artemio Hinojosa. Hinojosa is 5-2-3(1) and will make a challenging opponent for Ismael. He doesn’t hit hard but is a very good defensive fighter. His chin is average. His last fight was a draw with David Adan, a fighter who he lost to in his debut. Hinojosa is a confident fighter and Ismael will need to be on his game to win this fight.

I have been harrassing Benny Leonard’s people about a fight but they are not swayed. They still don’t want to do the fight. In fact noone wants to fight Horne. I guess they are all afraid of what he will be able to do under my astute tutelage. HAHA.

Featherweight FOY Calvin Calvert, 20-3-0(16) #3, is fighting #2 ranked Juan Zamora. Zamora 23-0-1(14). Both fighters are very good defensive fighters. Calvert is a much harder puncher, is more aggressive and has a better chin. Zamora is the favorite though, as he is 8/15, and Calvert is 8/5. I think that Calvert would be a good bet at those odds.

[PilotMan]

Rankings as of the third week of October, 2006

Heavyweight

CHAMP Joe Louis 72-3-0(58)

#1 Peter O’Connell 35-4-1(20)

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

#3 Evander Holyfield 39-4-1(25)

#4 Max Watt 16-0-4(10)

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

#6 Larry Holmes 70-7-0(43)

#7 Lennox Lewis 35-2-1(270

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

#9 Paddy Sexton 23-11-0(16)

#10 Richard Giles 20-5-0(16)



Light Heavyweight

CHAMP James Singleton 15-8-0(14)

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

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

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

#4 Carl Wilks 23-0-0(18)

#5 Roy Jones 42-1-1(34)

#6 Will Cripps 17-3-2(11)

#7 Kelly Schofield 34-2-1(14)

#8 Billy Conn 66-13-1(15)

#9 Martin Kinnear 26-14-0(18)

#10 Norris Hunter 32-7-1(18)

Middleweight

CHAMP Leavander Nolan 20-0-0(6)

#1 Mike McCallum 51-6-3(36)

#2 Wayne Wells 29-1-0(20)

#3 Ewan Veal 38-0-1(26)

#4 Anthony Hardy 46-3-0(15)

#5 Calvin Lewsey 18-0-0(14)

#6 Les Darcy 51-12-0(29)

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

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

#9 Lawrence McFarlane 17-7-0(16)

#10 George Kings 22-2-0(9)

[PilotMan]

Welterweight

CHAMP Jose Napoles 83-8-0(58)

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

#2 Manuel Castillo 25-2-1(8)

#3 Oscar de la Hoya 37-0-0(26)

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

#5 Derrell Guyver 27-1-0(13)

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

#7 Javier Quierino 40-4-0(31)

#8 Shawn McKeag 20-1-0(1)

#9 Carlos Palomino 30-4-4(14)

#10 Mucio Santos 21-0-1(11)

Lightweight

CHAMP Damien Essett 22-1-0(22)

#1 Jorge Reynoso 22-4-1(14)

#2 Pernell Whitaker 44-1-1(14)

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

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

#5 Raul Jimenez 23-0-0(11)

#6 Shaun Kilburn 22-9-0(13)

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

#8 Al Hardway 21-1-0(11)

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

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

Featherweight

CHAMP Peter Badillo 24-5-0(17)

#1 Juan Zamora 23-1-0(14)

#2 Calvin Calvert 20-3-0(16)

#3 Armando Medina 19-1-1(5)

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

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

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

#7 Azumah Nelson 44-5-3(29)

#8 Eusebio Pedroza 49-7-1(29)

#9 Juan Maciel 20-3-0(5)

#10 Nolito Fillisilda 36-2-0(12)

[PilotMan]

Bantamweight

CHAMP Job Reyes 21-0-2(13)

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

#2 Carlos Zarate 66-4-1(60)

#3 Esteban Lopez 14-10-1(5)

#4 Sandro Macias 18-5-2(13)

#5 Fernando Ramirez 14-7-1(11)

#6 Edel Milanes 20-5-2(12)

#7 Jimmy Barry 61-0-11(40)

#8 Jun Orais 23-4-0(13)

#9 Joselito Pana 32-2-1(12)

#10 Jesus Caclayo 37-1-0(23)

Flyweight

CHAMP Gerardo Ramirez 27-1-0(12)

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

#2 Mauro Martinez 31-0-0(19)

#3 Rocky Cubillas 18-1-1(13)

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

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

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

#7 Masayuki Kabayashi 26-4-1(12)

#8 Zosimo Diaz 20-2-0(11)

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

#10 Dave McAuley 21-4-4(9)

[PilotMan]

Fourth week of October, 2006

Fight Night -

Calvin Calvert paid off for me to the tune of 80k. He managed a 10 round split decision win over Zamora, handing Zamora his first career loss. That money will be a nice help, especially when McFarlane is costing me over 33k per week in training to get ready for his big fight.

Tonight is the biggest fight in the history in Punishment Inc history. Lawrence McFarlane has never been in better shape, and it is possible that a win here could vault him into the realm of title contender. When I first signed Lawrence last year, I had no idea that it would get this far this fast. I knew that he was a good fighter but wow, he is the #9 contender to the title in the middleweight divison. His opponent tonight is George Kings. Kings has only lost 2 times in his career. He has not had a fight in over a year, and you could say that Lawrence has not fought the crem de la crem, but you know what, it is my job to make sure that he doesn’t need to. It is my job to make sure that he is ready for each fight, and that each fight is run properly and professionally.

Kings won his last fight with a first round KO of Stanley Ketchel. Kings was ranked #41 at the time. His ranking might be a bit bloated, but that is not going matter. McFarlane is in such good shape that I would feel confident with him against Mike McCallum. We are going to win this fight with power, aggression and a dominating control of the fight. Kings is not a power puncherm but he can land a bunch. McFarlane likes to come forward with a lot of movement and land his punches in groups rather than load up for the big punch. That has worked for him in the past and I hope that it continues to serve him well throughout tonight. Kings has a good chin, but his body is questionable. In any case, I want the fight brought to him. Lawrence is in amazing shape. One or two more wins and he could be fighting for the title.

Lawrence McFarlane 17-7-0(16) #10 v. George Kings 22-2-0(9) #11

Kings is the favorite at 2/5, while McFarlane is 11/5. Lawrence is going to win, mark my words, and the bookies will pay for those odds. Literally.

[Tellistto]

Lawrence!
Lawrence!
Lawrence!


Tell

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for 10 rounds.

Round one saw just how accurate Kings can be. He was able to deliver pinpoint jabs and hooks with great effect, and after the initial flurry took control of the round and moved well. Kings had to have taken that round, McFarlane will need to be more careful coming forward.

I told Lawrence to be more careful going forward and it paid off for him. He slipped a lot of punches and did well working behind the jab. He took far less damage that he did in round one, that alone made me happy. Keep it up!

Lawrence kept it up in the third and surprised my by landing a clean right uppercut that sent Kings to a knee. Stunned, he was up and 3 and angry that he had to take the 8 count. He came roaring back and tried to steal the round but McFarlane stuck to the gameplan and landed good punches. In the end it was Kings who took too much punishment, it was Kings who went down, and it was Lawrence who won the round.

Round four was a good comeback round for Kings. He continues to try and force the pace and is taking a lot of damage in order to do so. He landed well, but mostly a lot of jabs. Lawrence did more damage with his punches, although I would probably call the round even. It could have gone either way.

Round 5 was to be more of the same defense before offense strategy as I was comfortable watching Lawrence protect his lead. Until, that is, he got caught with a sneaky right hook that sent him reeling. Another right followed and Lawrence was forced to a knee. He got up at 3 but didn’t fare well for the round. Kings did a good job and took it, and changed the course of the fight.

Kings is very good defensively and he stole round 6. Too many good combinations, that were started with the jab. McFarlane had this fight and over the last 6 minutes has let it slip back from him. He needs to bear down and go back to the basics. This is a very close fight. Twelve minutes left, what is he going to do?

Lawrence did what he needed to there. Round seven was his as he landed more power punches than in any other round. Both fighters are still landing loads of jabs. If Lawrence can keep doing that in the last 3 he should win the fight. Question is...can he? He fights with lots of movement, if he could score one more knockdown that would seal the match. I wish that he handn’t gotten clobbered in round 5. This is closer than I want it.

Round 8 was sloppy from both men. They both look tired and neither could mount a serious offensive charge. Many times misses were answered with misses. Punches did not land, and the men held each other. I can’t say that anyone won this round. That makes round 9 even more important.

Round 9 belonged to George Kings. He looked the fresher of the two men and landed more punches. I told Lawrence that he had to leave it all in the ring. I don’t want any in the lockeroom. It all has to be here. Don’t regret what might have been after today. You need this round, right now.

The last round was a nothing round. I did not like it. McFarlane looked gassed. He hung in there for 10 rounds. He struggled with his accuracy, he took more blows. I don’t think that he won round 10 and I don’t think he won the fight. This is going to cost me. Let’s here what the judges think.

[TonyR]

Sounds like it's going to be a close one.

[PilotMan]

J1: 96-93 Kings

J2: 97-95 Kings

J3: 96-94 McFarlane

I knew it. Fuck if I didn’t know it. It is not like it is back to square one, but that is what it feels like. Maybe they were right, maybe I don’t know what I am doing at this level. Maybe I need to do something else.

McFarlane should have won the fight. Not only did it cost me the win, I had a quarter a mil riding on it. Of course, I have made way, way more than that this year with bets, but still, to lose it now.

I am here to tell you that right now it is not that fun.

If Lawrence cannot grab a win against a fighter who hasn’t fought in over a year, who is he going to beat at this level?

We are a couple of weeks from Lee’s next fight. Let’s see if we can get this ball rolling along again.

[PilotMan]

Lawrence came out of that fight in terrible shape. He is beat up pretty badly and he did indeed leave all he had in the ring. It will likely be a few weeks before he can even begin to train again. That means it is going to be a while before he will be able to fight again. It was a tough loss, but with 5 more fights on his contract I don’t think that it will be the start of a downward slide. If he wouldn’t have been knocked down, he probably would have held on to win the fight, or at least manage a draw. As it is, I will just need to sit and see how far he falls in the rankings.

Melvin Horne is going to make his debut for Punishment Inc, at the end of this December. His opponent is going to be Edwin Rosario. Rosario was ranked as high as #11, and is coming off of a draw with Barney Ross. He is currently 39-7-1(33), and is ranked #20.

I am trying to find opponents that I think Melvin can handle. His confidence is down and the trouble is that he is ranked way higher than I feel he should be. Even if he wins this fight, he would probably slide down the rankings. It is going to take some time for him to get back to where he needs to be, in order to go for the title again.

Lee Drydon is fighting in two weeks, and we have 4 fights in 5 weeks coming up. It is going to be a busy time for me, and each fight is going to be an important one.

Two good fights for viewing this week. They are:

1) World FOY - Mauro Martinez 31-0-0(19) #3 v. Kenichi Komaki 35-4-0(11) #12

Martinez is still waiting for his chance at the title. He is not taking any chances here, although, Komaki could be better. Martinez is one of the best, and he is in his prime. I can say that there are few who could even slow him down. To his credit, Komaki is a solid fighter. Ranked in the top 10 early this year he dropped a fight to Jimmy Wilde. He is an accurate puncher and can take a fair amount of punishment. The bettors are favoring Martinez at 1/4 while Komaki is 3/1. I don’t think that Martinez will be troubled in this one.

2) Lightweight FOY - Pernell Whitaker 44-1-1(18) #3 v. Raul Jimenez 23-0-0(11) #6

Whitaker is the heavy favorite, but Jimenez is a quality opponent. Whitaker has been unstoppable and along with Oscar de la Hoya, and Mauro Martinez, they have been active and unbeatable. Whitaker beat Luis Valdez less than 3 months ago and Jimenez Koed former title hopeful Pedro Carrasco in the 3^rd. Look for both fighters to box from the outside and rely on accuracy, speed, and solid chin’s to stay in the fight. Odds favor Whitaker 1/4, while Jimenez is 11/4. Again, with the way that Pernell is fighing it is hard to see him losing anything.

[PilotMan]

First week of November, 2006.

Pernell Whitaker scored a 6^th round KO over Raul Jimenez. That was Jimenez first professional loss. For Whitaker, he continues to leave carnage in his wake.

Mauro Martinez won his fight with a 9^th round TKO over Kenichi Komaki. Martinez is still waiting for his title shot.

McFarlane has not improved his condition at all. He is going to be really out of shape when he does start training. At least now he is not draining the coffers.

It was an easier week for us. I am still trying to get over the shock of Lawrence’s loss. On the upside, Lee Drydon is already in the best shape of his career, and looks ready for his fight next week.

One good match to follow this week is in the Heavyweight division.

Former Champion Peter O’Connell 35-4-1(20) #2 v. Lennox Lewis 35-2-1(27) #8

On paper this looks like a no-brainer. O’Connell is a more accurate puncher, better defensively, and has a better chin than Lewis. Lewis has his power going for him. O’Connell is still ranked #2 even after his draw with James Jefferies. Lewis has not been overly active, having fought twice in almost two years. He lost against lightly regarded Paddy Sexton and won earlier this year against James Stubbe. Odds favor O’Connell at 1/4, while Lewis is at 15/4. I don’t like this fight. Lewis has a good chance to steal this one, and the odds on O’Connell stink.

[PilotMan]

Second week of November, 2006

Peter O’Connell won a 10 round unanimous decision over Lennox Lewis. I am still happy that I didn’t bet any money on this fight.

Lawrence McFarlane dropped what seems like a long way after his split decision loss. He went from being ranked #10 all the way down to #28. That is ok though. He still has a long way to go. His health improved somewhat, but he still is not able to train.

Here are the current rankings of other Punishment Inc fighters:

Melvin Horne #6

Lawrence McFarlane #28

Omar Acevedo #68

Ismael Gutierrez #120

Niall Beaumont #123

Lee Drydon #129

[PilotMan]

Fight Night-

Lee Drydon, 3-2-1(1), is looking to get his 4^th win since hiring me as a manager. He has been a little money making machine since he started with me. His opponent tonight is going to be the toughest opponent that I have scheduled his against. Takeo Morooka, 3-5-1(0), is fairly accurate, but is struggling with some self confidence issues. He has not won in any of his last 6 fights. He has no power and a weak chin. I am hoping that Drydon will be able to capitalize on that weakness. Drydon won 3 months ago, in a 4 round unanimous decision over Adrian Jammet. He has risen 50 spots in the rankings since he signed with me.

Tonight, he is going to need to be slippery. Morooka is a challenging fighter who will throw from angles and slide around the ring. Drydon is not an overly aggressive fighter, but he shoule be ready to move forward. He has been doing a lot of sparring and extra training. The oddsmakers think that Lee is a decided underdog and have him at 15/8. They have Morooka the favorite at 4/9. I like the odds, and I have faith in my man. He will win. I think.

---

---

One other fight to watch, and it will feature another of the best in the business.

Welterweight FOY Oscar de la Hoya 37-0-0(26) #4 v. Derrell Guyver 27-1-0(13) #6

The welterweight division is a tough one. That can be the explanation with fighters like these. Guyver’s only loss was to Jose Victor Lopez, a fighter that de la Hoya beat earlier this year. Guyver has been a top ranked welterweight for almost two years, the same time that de la Hoya has been dominant. This is an eagerly anticipated fight. The only thing that may tip the scales it that Guyver’s chin is an area of debate. Some say it is soft, and others say it will be good enough. Either way, de la Hoya is a hitter. He will land heavy enough blows to test that chin and give a definitive answer once and for all. Oddsmakers are calling this fight a pick’em. Even money. O gotta stay with de la Hoya here.

[Tellistto]

Hopefully Lee didn't have a last minute injury to cancel the show. Hope you find time soon, PM, I know you've been busy.


Tell

[PilotMan]

Thanks man. Between having a memory problem on my main system (but not knowing it until I formated my HD thinking it was a virus), thank God for partitions. And the time to reinstall all of the programs to get them back into the registry. To house hunting, and having a house stolen out from underneath me. To the first two weeks of begining to homeschool my 5th grader. To Ean, my two year-old's birthday today. To work. Things have been a little hectic. That is not to mention, hattrick, dynasty football, punishment inc. Does anyone know how long it takes to redownload:

FOF 2004
FOF:TCY
OOTP 6
OOTP 6.5
ITP
Title Bout 1
Title Bout 2
and the
Beta of FM 2006

with a 56k?

[PilotMan]

answer....

about 15 hours. Nonstop.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

I told Drydon to go out, be relaxed and not to force the pace. Fight the fight that he felt comfortable with. It paid dividends for sure. Early on he landed well, and was winning the fight easily. A right hook that scored at 1:27 put Morooka on the canvas. He was able to get up at 6 and took the 8 count. Drydon moved in for the kill, but was sloppy and Morooka was able to land a number of clean punches that kept him in the round. Either way, Drydon won this round.

Round two was a messy back and forth affair that kept Morooka in the round. Drydon was missing a fair share of punches and unable to really get anything big started on Morooka. As the round wound down and it looked like Lee was going to give this away he landed a hard laft hook on the liver and sent Morooka to the canvas for the second time in as many rounds. He got up at 5 and contiued the round, but it is going to be very difficult for him to win the fight now.

Round three was a tale of two fighters. One needing to score a KO and the other looking to finish a fighter off. Drydon started off with another right hook and Morooka went down for the 3^rd time ni the fight. He managed to get up at 5 and regained enough to command the remaining round. Drydon was covering up toward the end of the round and did not look well. He came back to the corner complaining of pain in his left hand. Not too serious. A good thing that there is only one round to go.

Round four was the best round for Morooka for two reasons. One, he didn’t get knocked down and two he dominated the round. Lee was on his bicycle and tried to run, but Morooka is an accurate puncher and landed a lot of punches. Lee was never in any real danger, but offensively, he didn’t show up for the last round.

I feel confident about a win here, and if I do get the win, it will mean a nice payoff.

[PilotMan]

J1: 39-33 Drydon

J2: 40-33 Drydon

J3: 40-33 Drydon

A dominating win for a 4 round fight. That is a bigger spread than the fight that Lawrence lost, and his was a 10 round fight. Lee has to be happy with the way that this one unfolded. He should be riding a nice confidence boost, too. Morooka was ranked quite a way higher, that should have a positive impact his ranking as well as his value.

Internally, I am still wondering when the right time might be to release him from his contract. There is a limit to how high he can go, and he isn’t contender quality. Just a moneymaker. He has done very well in that category for sure.

[PilotMan]

Lee was offered a fight a short six weeks away against a fighter that drew with Takeo Morooka. The fight could be good, but Lee is not ready to fight that fast. No.

Betting could have been better, but I still came out on the plus side. Lee’s fight paid me 281k, but I lost 150k on the other one.

Oscar de la Hoya’s winning streak has come to an end. He lost via a 10^th round TKO to Derrell Guyver. That will no doubt raise Guyver’s value. De la Hoya had been the class of the welterweight division. I wonder now if his time has passed, or if he will ever get that title shot that he has been after?

[PilotMan]

Third week of November, 2006

Fight Night -

Tonight will be a test. A test for Niall Beaumont and a test for me. Niall has not been my favorite fighter. He has been inconsistent, slow, weak, and generally not fun to have in the ring. He has the record that he has primarily because he has not fought anyone of great regard. That will change this week. He is fighting a man who is a modest 4-4-1(1), in John Weir. A man who will charge forward and who won his last fight by TKO.

It will be a challenge for me to lead my fighter into a match that he could win, but not without some good planning on my part. There is only four rounds, so it will go fast.

Niall is in very good physical condition. His confidence is improving, and I can see him winning this fight. However, he really needs to prove himself in the ring. He has one fight left after this fight. His performance here will likely determine if his contract is extended.

Weir is the slight favorite at 4/5, while Beaumont is 11/10.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for rounds.

Niall Beaumont 3-1-0(1) #123 v. John Weir 4-4-1(1) #131

Niall has to be more mobile in this fight. He seems to prefer to box, even though he is built like a slugger. That could be part of the problem that we are having. Round one was as even as they come. Both men used lots of movement and there were a lot of missed punches. Weir was effective with the jab, but seldom landed more than two punch combos. Beaumont moved well, and was effective with the jab. He was able to get one good flurry in. This round was even, near as I can tell.

Niall grabbed round two with better use of combinations and thought that he had hurt Weir halfway through the round. Weir landed more effective punches, but Beaumont had at least two good combinations. Niall started moving forward on the attack and finished the round with a flurry. Keep that up!

This fight is getting dirty and ugly. Both men continue to push forward and it frequently resulted in knocked heads, holding and pushing inside. Each man missed lots of punches as defense was at a premium. The round was very even until the last minute when it seemed that Niall may have taken advantage of some openings to pull ahead slightly. Round four will be very important.

John Weir must have been fighting from a position of panic. It seemed that he abandon all defense for an all out assault. Fortunately for Niall, he was good enough to take advantage of the openings. The first 90 seconds was an assault that should have resulted in a knockdown, but instead of getting greedy, and knowing that the fight was in hand, he stayed back. Picking off Weir like fish in a barrel. His measured attack would have resulted in stoppage if the fight was going to go any longer. Weir was soundly beaten.

I hope the judges agree.

[PilotMan]

FYI, I just finished update page 202, while the current update is around page 150. So this dynasty isn't going to die anytime soon.

[PilotMan]

J1: 39-37 Beaumont

J2: 39-38 Weir

J3: 39-38 Beaumont

Well, I would have scored it 40-37 so I guess that noone saw it my way. I was a bit surprised with J2, but at least it didn’t cost us the fight. I wonder if he had some money laying down on the side? Either way, this was a good, solid win for Niall, and the most complete fight that he has fought for me. The kid may have some potential after all.

This fight made me a little richer as well. It would have cost me to lose as I laid down 200k on Beaumont for the win, and he paid out 220k. That will go nicely with the payout from the victory.

[PilotMan]

Niall Beaumont has already been offered another fight. They want it to be in five weeks! I could not believe it. What the hell do they think I do here? Having been successful at betting has been a nice bonus. They have offered me 238k to fight Ameth Garces. Garces is 4-2-0(0), but is a big puncher. He is in good shape, and looks to be headed for stardom. He is currently ranked #124. This fight isn’t going to happen.

Lawrence is still recovering from his last fight. He may be able to begin training next week, but there are no promises. It is still going to be a few weeks before he is ready to be scheduled for his next fight. That fight took more out of him than I had anticipated.

[PilotMan]

Last week of November, 2006

Fight Night -

I have been anxiously awaiting this fight. Omar is in reasonable shape for the fight, and he is starting to really gain confidence. I don’t want to get all worked up about what a win here might do. I made that mistake all ready. Omar is still a long way from the top 25 of the lightweight division. This would help, but it isn’t going to vault him all the way to the top. I never thought that he was good enough to be title material anyway. However, he has done some amazing things in the past.

His opponent tonight is Paddy de Marco. De Marco won his last fight with a 6^th round KO over Carlos Artista. He has been ranked as high as #61, and is ranked #62 right now. His chin is a major question mark. He has tons of experience. His skills are average, which is probably why he has never moved up very far in the world of boxing. Omar needs to be careful. Neither will want to go toe to toe, but if they do Omar should have the advantage.

The oddsmakers are favoring De Marco in this one, but it is very close. De Marco is 4/5, while Acevedo is 11/10. The same odds that Niall had last week. Look for a similar bet from me this week.

I want Omar to come forward and I am going to start by letting him fight in his style. If things start to turn south I may need to let him loose earlier. His stamina is much higher than De Marco’s, but I would rather it didn’t come to that.

[hoopsguy]

Still reading along and enjoying the ride.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

Still reading along and enjoying the ride.

Thanks for reading. Things seem to have gotten a little quiet, however I know you are out there. I watch that hit total climb with every update. Glad to know that you are enjoying it.

[PilotMan]

Here we go!

This fight is scheduled for six rounds.

Omar Acevedo 6-1-0(1) #68 v. Paddy De Marco 63-14-2(32) #62

Early on in round one De Marco was moving well, and landing punches that were not powerful, but were annoying. He spent the first minute avoiding Omar like the plague, but I noticed that when Omar did land a punch it was damaging. Just after a minute into the round Omar caught De Marco with an overhand right on the chin, and De Marco went splat onto the canvas. My jaw dropped. I was not expecting this at all. De Marco struggled to get up by 7 and the ref looked hard at him. The fight was allowed to continue, but Omar saw his opening. De Marco fought back well, and landed some good combo’s. It didn’t matter, because no matter what he landed it couldn’t move Omar back. Omar continued his onslaught and with a few seconds to go in the first the ref felt that De Marco had enough. Omar wins in shocking fashion with a first round TKO!

Well, I was looking for a good fight, and I feel sorta jipped. No matter. A win is a win. And another win for Omar, and his value screams upward some more. I may not be able to keep extending his contract if he keeps this up. That is good and bad.

I bet the max on Omar to win this one. That is 250k. He paid in grand fashion and I won 275k. Two good payouts in two weeks. I feel richer that is for sure.

[PilotMan]

First week of December, 2006

No fights this week and I can breathe a little easier. Lawrence still is not ready to begin training. It has been six weeks since the fight, I am not concerned for his long term health, it seems incredible that he was so beat up during the fight. It really helps to explain why he ran out of steam and seemed like he wasn’t doing anything at all at the end.

No new fights to schedule, the phone has been quiet. Ismael is gearing up for his third pro fight. It is going to be next week. I think that he is ready.

Former Light-heavyweight World Champion Julio Perez, 17-1-0(6), and currently ranked #3, is fighting Will Cripps, 17-3-2(11), ranked #7. Perez is fighting for the first time since losing the title to the now ex champ Virgil Hill. It was his first loss so he has to be ready to go for this one. Cripps has not had a good year. He is 1-1-1(1). His loss was to Martin Kinnear, although he is coming off of a 5^th round KO of Will Wiffen. Cripps has a lot of potential and is stepping up in quality of opponents. He could be better than Perez, but will he? He has more power, faster hands, and better accuracy. It is just that he has never won a world title. Oddsmakers like Perez in the betting. He is the favorite at 8/15, while Cripps is 8/5. Cripps has a shot, but Perez has to think that this will be nothing but a win for him.

[TonyR]

Still here, just wating for the big updates.
Awesome Dynasty.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by TonyR

Still here, just wating for the big updates.
Awesome Dynasty.

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

[PilotMan]

I got a call the next day for a fight involving my flyweight, Lee Drydon. They are looking for a fight in four weeks. He would fight Antonio Reyes. Reyes is ranked #108, and has an 8-2-0(2) record. He is a very good fighter and would be a tough opponent. They are willing to pay almost 300k for the fight. I want Lee to fight some good fighters, but I am not ready for him to face a fighter like Reyes, yet. I decline the offer.

Lawrence still is not ready to train. Something must be wrong. He is going to be out of shape and need a long training session if he is to maintain his standing at the top of the Middleweight division.

I decided that the odds were better if I laid a little money on Cripps. Less front money for a similar payout if he did steal the fight. And steal it he did. He won a 10 round split decision over Perez. That bet added 44k to the pocketbook.

A new set of rankings also came out. Here is where the Punishment Inc guys stand:
Melvin Horne #6 (L)

Lawrence McFarlane #28 (M)
Omar Acevedo #58 (L)


Lee Drydon #109 (FY)

Ismael Gutierrez #119 (LH)

Niall Beaumont #119 (H)

Omar has had a large jump this year. His next fight could be a doozy. Omar has two fights remaining on his contract and his contract is getting rather pricey. I am not sure if I will be able to keep him around. I think that he developing into a good fighter, and that he has some potential. As long as he keeps winning we can afford to keep him around. I talked with two managment teams about Omar. The first was Yoshinori Tanigawa. Tanigawa is 17-2-0(7) and recently lost to a top ranked fighter. He is very good and has a strong chin. I talked with them about a fight that would take place three months from now. They seemed keen to the idea, and I told them I would get back with them.



The next was Urbano Milanes. Milanes is 15-15-0(15), and hits like a freight train. However, he is not in good shape, nor does he have much self confidence. This would be an easier fight for Omar. The drawback is the money from the fight would be about 130k less if Omar did manage the win. Omar is young. He still has less than 10 pro fights. Being ranked at #58 has to be good. Much higher and he will outpace himself. I would like to keep his win streak going, and keep him motivated. The fight was Milanes fight would be two weeks sooner, and I think that Omar could do without the extra training for him.

I called the Milanes people back and told them I would take the fight.

[PilotMan]

Fight Night –

Ismael Gutierrez is fighting tonight. He is in a physically imposing state. I don’t think that he has ever been as strong as he is right now. His opponent, is a wiley one. Artemio Hinojosa actually beat Chris Nickels by a split decision. That was the fighter that Gutierrez dominated for the win in his last fight. Hinojosa doesn’t look like much, but he is rated much better than that. He is in good shape, and although he lacks a big punch, his defense is very good, and his punches are fairly accurate. I am hoping that Ismael can take advantage of his chin, which is only rated average. Hinojosa is currently ranked #101, while Ismael is #119.

Tonight, I want to see Gutierrez work behind the jab. I also want him to fight the style that he feels comfortable with. I think that he matches up very favorably, and I would love to see him get his 3^rd pro win. He is moving up the rankings quick. I need to be careful that he not move too fast. If he manages to win this fight, I may need some easier fights to help him gain the experience that he will need later on.

I expect Hinojosa to counter punch and fight a very defensive fight. I am glad that this is a short fight as Hinojosa could really wear Ismael out chasing all over the ring.

The odds makers like Hinojosa in this fight. He is 1/3, a surprisingly heavy favorite. Gutierrez is 5/2. I feel very confident in Ismael, and if he wins I could win lots of money. I may max the

betting out for this one.

---

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Here is one to watch this week:

Middleweight FOY - Anthony Hardy 46-3-0(15) #4 v. Quincy Taylor 31-5-0(24) #10

Hardy is still trying to get back to the top after losing his shot against champ Leavander Nolan. His first fight back saw him easily handle Kid McCoy. Taylor has been moving up the ranks quick and may be biting off more than he can chew here. His last fight saw him KO Tiger Flowers in the first. His last fight against a top ranked opponent he lost on a 6^th round KO to Jeff Larkin. At the worst Hardy should outpoint Taylor. Taylor has a big punch, but he just isn’t the same caliber fighter that Hardy is. Odds are Hardy 2/9, and Taylor 4/1. I think Hardy all the way on this. Odds are so bad for him though I think it would be too much to risk for such a small payout. I am tired of sure thing bets. They never pay off for me.