Showtime Championship Boxing is going back to Cali. Anaheim, to be exact, for the rematch between bantamweights Abner Mares and Joseph Agbeko. Before we get to that, we'll see Anselmo Moreno defend his belt in that same division against always outspoken Vic Darchinyan.
Steve Albert, Al Bernstein and Antonio Tarver are the announce team for this broadcast, and they break down Mares-Agebko II. Then they turn their attention to the co-feature, saying Moreno is looking for a signature win.
Darchinyan comes to the ring first, still hoping to get back on top at age 35. The Raging Bull is 37-3-1, with his last two losses coming at the hands of Agbeko and Mares.
WBA bantamweight titleholder Moreno makes his ring walk second. Making his U.S. debut, he hopes to add to his 32-1-1 professional mark. Moreno hasn't tasted defeat since 2002, which was his first year as a pro.
The tale of the tape shows that Moreno has an inch on Darchinyan in height but an eye-popping five inches in reach. However, Bernstein feels he doesn't always use his length to his full advantage.
Jimmy Lennon Jr. does the formal introductions for both boxers, so it's showtime: 12 scheduled rounds of boxing for Moreno's WBA belt.
Round 1
Vic comes charging out of his corner, hoping to intimidate Moreno. They leap at each other to land jabs. Moreno is quick to back away, true to his reputation as a defensive fighter. Moreno is able to touch Darchinyan with light punches to the body and head before backing out of danger. Vic gets the left hand going for a second. Moreno lands two jabs and a quick left before ducking Vic's left. Darchinyan is really coming up empty with his wild swings.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Darchinyan
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We've had some decent if not spectacular action on the televised undercard, and we're almost ready for the rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. Cotto boxed beautifully for more than half the fight when they first met three years ago, but Margarito eventually broke him down en route to an 11th-round TKO. Of course, the story of these two fighters has taken numerous twists and turns since then, and tonight's fight has become the nastiest of grudge matches.
Jim Lampley, Emanuel Steward and Max Kellerman are on hand in New York's Madison Square Garden to call the action. The crowd should be very pro-Cotto, as Miguel has a huge Puerto Rican following in the Big Apple and has never lost in NYC.
Michael Buffer points out some of the famous retired boxers in the crowd, as well as Evander Holyfield. The Mexican national anthem is first, performed by Erasmo Catarino. That's followed by the Puerto Rican anthem by Christian Nieves and the American anthem by Andrea Rosario.
The tale of the tape shows that Margarito is three inches taller, though he does not have a reach advantage. Cotto is two years younger at age 31.
Margarito makes his ring walk first in a shiny red, green and white robe. Tony is 38-7 as a professional, but he is just 1-2 since his first meeting with Cotto.
The fans explode as Cotto slowly walks out, a look of determination on his face. Sporting a 36-2 record, Cotto has won four of five since his loss to Margarito.
As you'd expect, Michael Buffer handles the official introductions. Steve Smoger is the referee, and he is very experienced in big fights. The formalities are out of the way, so we're ready for 12 scheduled rounds of boxing for Cotto's WBA light middleweight belt on the line.
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One fight to go before we get to the rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. Exciting American Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios collides with John Murray in what should be a great action fight.
The tale of the tape shows that Rios is an inch taller and has half an inch of reach over Murray. The thing to watch is Rios' conditioning, as he failed to make weight and is not eligible for the vacant WBA lightweight belt. As a result, only Murray can win the title.
Michael Buffer is in the ring to do the official fighter intros. Murray enters the fight with a 31-1 record as a pro, while Rios is undefeated at 28-0-1. We're all set for a scheduled 12 rounds of boxing, so let's get to it.
Round 1
Jabs quickly land for both boxers. Rios flashes the right hand as well, and Murray looks like he will stand and bang. Murray goes to the body before Rios throws hooks with both hands. No subtlety here as they trade from close range. Very low shot by Murray that looks like it hurt Rios for a second. Bam Bam triples his left hook. They lean their heads together and keep throwing. Fun to watch, no doubt.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Rios
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We're two fights into the televised portion of the Cotto-Margarito II undercard at Madison Square Garden. This one is also a rematch and should be a good one, as Pawel Wolak and Delvin Rodriguez meet for the second time this year.
The tale of the tape shows that Rodriguez has a three-inch height advantage but just a small edge in reach. Wolak cuts easily and was badly swollen in the first fight but battled through it to earn a draw.
Michael Buffer is in the ring to introduce both fighters. Rodriguez is 25-5-3, while Wolak is 29-1-1. And we're ready for 10 scheduled rounds of boxing in the junior middleweight division.
Round 1
Wolak comes forward and is quickly greeted by Rodriguez's fists. They both jab before Delvin fires two left hooks. Wolak punches through another hook to land his own. Wolak is blocking a lot of punches with his forearms. Wolak lands nasty rights to the body and head. Both fighters try to get untracked on the inside. Wolak tries clubbing overhand rights.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Wolak
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Big time boxing returns to the Big Apple with the ultimate grudge match between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. Before we get to that, though, we have what looks like an excellent three-fight televised undercard, beginning with a welterweight clash between Mike Jones and Sebastian Lujan.
The tale of the tape shows that Jones is taller and slightly rangier. He's also three years younger than the 31-year old Lujan.
Lujan comes in with a 38-5-2 pro record with 24 KOs. Jones is perfect thus far as a pro at 25-0 with 19 KOs. Michael Buffer does the official introductions, and we are set for 12 scheduled rounds of boxing.
Round 1
Lujan is doing the early advancing, but both men seem to be feeling each other out. Both men try some hooks to the head. Jones keeps his shoulder forward to roll with punches as he tries to come underneath. Lujan does some body work but ends up eating body and head punches along the ropes. Jones sticks in a few jabs as he circles, then wobbles Lujan for a moment with a right hand. Another Jones right hand comes around Lujan's guard.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Jones
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Yes, we boxing fans eagerly look forward to big fights. But how about the boxers themselves? Think they anticipate fight night the same way?
If the boxers in question are Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, and the fight we're talking about pits them against each other, the answer is an emphatic yes. The issues between these two men have been well documented, and tonight in Madison Square Garden, they are going to settle them with their fists.
That should be reason enough to order the pay-per-view if you are a fan of the sweet science, but there's more. Mike Jones and Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios are both on the card, plus there's a terrific-looking fight between Pawel Wolak and Delvin Rodriguez. Good stuff, all.
Gathering some friends around the flat screen is definitely the way to go, but if that's not an option for you, don't fret. We'll have live round by round posts right here on this very blog so you'll always know what's going on as it happens.
Click on that big old logo at the top of the screen and head out to our home page. We'll have a new post for each of the four fights starting shortly after 9 pm Eastern time tonight. Can't wait!
Miguel Cotto
Birthplace: Caguas, Puerto Rico
Resides: Caguas, Puerto Rico
Age: 31
Height: 5' 7"
Reach: 67"
Current World Titles Held: WBA Light Middleweight (154 lbs.)
Former World Titles Held: WBO Junior Welterweight (140 lbs.), WBA, WBO Welterweight (147 lbs.)
Professional Record: 36-2, 29 KOs
Record in World Title Fights: 16-2, 13 KOs
Record in Fights Going 12 Rounds: 5-1
Record at Light Middleweight: 2-0, 2 KOs
Notable Wins: TKO12 Ricardo Mayorga, UD12 Shane Mosley, TKO11 Zab Judah
Notable Losses: Manny Pacquiao TKO12, Antonio Margarito TKO11
Antonio Margarito
Birthplace: Torrance, California
Resides: Tijuana, Mexico
Age: 33
Height: 5' 11"
Reach: 73"
Current World Titles Held: None
Former World Titles Held: WBA, IBF, WBO Welterweight
Professional Record: 38-7, 27 KOs
Record in World Title Fights: 10-4, 8 KOs (1 NC)
Record in Fights Going 12 Rounds: 2-2
Record at Light Middleweight: 7-2, 5 KOs
Notable Wins: TKO11 Miguel Cotto, UD12 Joshua Clottey, TKO7 Sergio Martinez
Notable Losses: Manny Pacquiao UD12, Shane Mosley TKO9, Paul Williams UD12
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Well, here we are, at the end of another year. Actually, that's not quite true in the great sport of boxing, because there are unusually good fights still to come over the next three weeks. Also, there's Wladimir Klitschko versus Jean Marc Mormeck. Zing!
But I kid Big Wlad. Since our power rankings come out at the beginning of every month, this is the last set of them for 2011. And there's a new man atop the mountain in the form of super middleweight co-king Lucian Bute. His relatively easy victory over Glen Johnson and Nonito Donaire losing one win from the rolling three-month ranking period was enough to boost The Charmer (hate that nickname, by the way) to the number one spot.
I suspect he may have some trouble staying there in 2012, because he's almost guaranteed to face some tougher competition. That's good for us, the fight fans of the world, as it means some quality bouts ahead at 168 pounds.
That's next year, though. For now, go grab a refresher on how these scores work if you need one, and enjoy the last list for 2011:
Boxing After Dark heads south of the border to see Saul "Canelo" Alvarez fight in front of his own fans in Mexico as he faces off with Kermit Cintron in a junior middleweight showdown. Bob Papa, Roy Jones Jr. and Max Kellerman are all set to call the action.
The tale of the tape shows that Cintron has a three-inch height advantage and a small edge in reach as well. Both men weighed in right at the 154-pound junior middleweight limit. Alvarez is 11 years younger than the 32-year old Cintron, though he's fought an amazing number of pro fights for someone so young and is already a seasoned ring veteran. He is making his third defense of his WBC junior middleweight belt, while Cintron is a former titleholder at 147 pounds.
After a very long set of ring walks and songs for Canelo, we get down to the official introductions. Cintron is 33-4-1 with 28 KOs, though he is only 4-3-1 over the past three years. On the other side, Canelo sports a record of 38-0-1 with 28 knockout victories.
With that out of the way, we're ready to watch 12 scheduled rounds of boxing with Alvarez's title on the line.
Round 1
Cintron is the early jabber, cautiously coming forward. Alvarez is staying calm, looking to counter. Canelo just misses a big left hook. The second one does land. Two-punch combo by Alvarez used as a counter. Both men jab, but Alvarez comes up swinging with two to the head. Cintron tries the right hand off the jab. Alvarez blocks a two-punch combo.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Alvarez
On the first episode of 24/7: Cotto/Margarito, we delved into the history between the two fighters and what is driving them to be the best they can be when they meet for a second time on December 3. The second and final episode looks at their final preparations and details the scare that Margarito got when it appeared he may not be licensed to fight in New York. Let's get to it.
The health of Margarito's right eye, badly damaged in his loss to Manny Pacquiao last year, is an issue with the New York State Athletic Commission as it meets on November 18. Though already examined by doctors and declared healthy, the commission wants Tony to fly to New York and submit to an examination by a doctor of its own choosing, something Margarito's promoters and attorney thinks will be challenging.
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