Nick says...

Selling a fight like the Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson light heavyweight title bout that will take place tonight at the Staples Center in L.A. as a pay-per-view-worthy attraction isn't easy. Despite the amazing accomplishments of the former and the unrealized potential of the latter, neither man is anything close to guaranteed excitement. Their approach to the sweet science is heavy on the science (Hopkins especially), light on the blood and guts.

At least Hopkins has been doing something about rectifying that issue in his recent appearances, fighting a more aggressive style while acknowledging it opens him up to greater risk. Of course greater is relative for B-Hop, the seemingly ageless 47-year old champ who will go down as the craftiest boxer of his era.

Dawson has the raw tools to give Hopkins serious problems, including fast hands, a southpaw stance and a naturally bigger frame. His talent seems to have been held back by what's inside his skull, as he's proven to be short on killer instinct and perhaps desire as well. no comments

Well David Haye, it's been... interesting. Fun sometimes too, but always interesting.

This being boxing, we must take all retirement announcements with a healthy serving of salt. But it sure looks like Haye meant it when he said he was going to retire at age 31, calling it quits yesterday right when he celebrated that exact birthday.

Along with his cruiserweight and heavyweight world titles, the Hayemaker takes with him the well-deserved reputation of being one of the sport's great modern talkers. He was certainly quotable, and his t-shirt that featured both Klitschkos literally losing their heads will go down in boxing history as one of the top ballsy/stupid/questionable gimmicks ever.

Sadly, anyone who sat through his actual fight with Wladimir Klitschko knows he couldn't back his words up with action. It wasn't for lack of trying, exactly, and he did make it the distance. He just wasn't any better equipped to deal with Wlad's unique combination of size and skills than any of the smaller challengers that came before him.

As far as his in-ring work, I was a bigger fan of Haye during his cruiserweight days. He always seemed to be walking the razor's edge between triumph and tragedy, as in his clash with Jean Marc Mormeck (who coincidentally will be the next man to fight Wlad) when he shook off a fourth-round knockdown to win by stoppage in the seventh. The Hayemaker was more than just hype at that weight - Haye could really bring the right hand.

Haye has said on more than one occasion that he wants to get out of boxing with his health and finances intact. He also reportedly has designs on going into acting, and you get the feeling his gift of gab means he may have a shot at succeeding.

The ironic part is that while it's doubtful Haye would have been hanging up the gloves if he had beaten Wlad (since Vitali would have been chomping at the bit to avenge the family honor), he'd always talked about winning that fight and retiring on top of the sport. Instead, it's the brothers that he'll always be linked with who have the chance to walk away without ever surrendering their belts.

But hey, at least he was responsible for this, and he never even had to suffer the dreaded "pizza face:"

If you head on over to Nike's online shop right now, you'll find that the selection of Manny Pacquiao products is just about empty. If I was a betting man (and I am!), I'd wager quite a bit of money that with Pac-Man's next fight just a month away, that will soon change.

In fact, what you see pictured here is definitely headed your way in time for Pacquiao-Marquez III. This baby is the Manny Pacquiao Nike Trainer 1.3 Max Breathe, and it can be yours on October 28 for the price of $170.

Nike has done multiple Pac-Man trainers in the past, but this is the first one to show off the company's technology du jour, Hyperfuse. Manny's logo appears on the heel, and lest there be any doubt that these shoes are intended to commemorate his final meeting with JMM, the date of the fight is printed on the toebox.

Definitely not cheap, but the good stuff rarely is. Expect these kicks to be joined by more Pacquiao merchandise at store.nike.com before the end of the month.

Props as always to Sole Collector for the heads up on these.

I'm sure I wasn't the only person to be a little skeptical when I heard about the premise of Real Steel. In fact, go ahead and insert your Rock'em Sock'em Robots joke right here.

Still, I was fairly optimistic because I knew Sugar Ray Leonard was helping with the actual robot boxing movements. And star Hugh Jackman spent months talking the movie up. Sure, that's part of his job, but Jackman appeared to be genuinely enthusiastic, and when actors think their movies are going to bomb, they generally just don't talk about them at all.

Then reviews started coming in, and even critics who are pretty hard on movies thought Real Steel was pretty good. The premise obviously didn't bother too many people, as the flick opened at number one in the U.S. last weekend (against pretty weak competition, but still), bringing in $27.3 million in its debut. no comments

Maravilla! Canelo! It's like an all Spanish nickname edition of the BoxingWatchers power rankings.

Okay, not quite. But Sergio Martinez rejoins our top 10 following his knockout of Darren Barker, and Saul Alvarez enters for the first time as he continues... well, being Saul Alvarez.

Also making a charge up the list is Amir Khan, who didn't fight this past month. However, his loss to Breidis Prescott moved outside of the rolling three-year period (though it doesn't seem that long ago) we use for the rankings, and with that albatross now in his past, his score improves by quite a bit.

This is as good a time as any to make the obligatory mention that this is not a pound-for-pound list, but rather our own patent pending method of ranking how impressive top boxers have been during the past three years. Activity and wins are most important, plus the wins are modified by the decisiveness of the victories (KOs are best, followed by UD with SD bringing up the rear). The recent winning percentages of your beaten opponents is also a big factor. Losses, obviously, are not so good. If your favorite top pound-for-pound boxer isn't in the top 10 (most notably Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins), it's usually because he hasn't been active enough during the past three years.

With the pseudo-technical stuff out of the way, here's the list for this month: no comments

It's depressing being a boxing fan sometimes. No, scratch that. It's frustrating.

On one hand, there's the smug knowledge that you follow and enjoy what for my money is the most exciting sport in the world. So what if the majority of sports fan, especially here in the United States, don't follow boxing any more? When the sport is at its best, they simply don't know what they're missing.

Unfortunately, it seems that we can barely go a week without reminders of why the general public can't fall back in love with the sweet science. Boxing (and the people involved with it) can just drive you crazy with its near total lack of logic and common sense. I don't even have to go back further than this past Saturday for some examples.

(Note: There's a 99 percent chance this post will break absolutely no new ground and will simply come off as a long rant. You've been warned if you continue on.) no comments

Before we get to the third fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, or even the 24/7 series leading up to the bout, we've got Max Kellerman sitting down with both men and their trainers. Time for Face Off.

Kellerman freezes highlights of Pacquiao-Marquez I after the first knockdown. JMM says he had confidence at the beginning of the round and was surprised to hit the canvas. Pac-Man admits he was hurt by the first left hook from Marquez but not enough to lose faith in himself.

After the third knockdown, Kellerman points out that Pacquiao hit Marquez after the third knockdown. JMM thought the referee was going to warn him but doesn't think it was dirty on Pacquiao's part, just the passion in the fight. Manny says Marquez was not on the mat yet. Kellerman wonders if this was the most heroic moment of Marquez's career, but Juan Manuel says he felt good.

Asked if he was frustrated that his pinpoint right hands did not stop Pacquiao, JMM thinks Manny has a strong chin. Freddie Roach shows why Pacquiao was able to be hit with those right hands and mostly chalks it up to incorrect footwork. Kellerman amusingly uses both fighters to demonstrate positioning.

Pacquaio says that both he and JMM give people exactly what they want to see and fight like fighters. We move on to the second fight.

Kellerman asks about the knockdown by Pacquiao, which came from a left hand thrown at a very unusual angle. Marquez felt that only made him more motivated in a "I'm not letting this happen again" sort of way. Roach thinks the accuracy made it such a strong shot.

Both fighters are up off their stools again to show why JMM was able to land right hands late in the second fight. Roach thinks proper footwork and positioning can nullify those shots and allow Manny to land left hands.

Not surprisingly, both boxers think they won the second fight. Kellerman asks JMM is he feels he is an appetizer for a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather bout. He laughs a bit and feels bad because Manny has to think only about fighting him. Pacquiao thinks Marquez has a right to feel he was wronged by the first two decisions, so he wants to erase any doubt with a victory in the third meeting.

Marquez agrees that his legacy will be cemented if he wins this fight. Roach jokingly says Pacquiao can only be president of his country if he wins. JMM tells the people they can expect another great fight because he is preparing for one. Pac-man closes out by calling JMM his greatest rival, eclipsing even Erik Morales. 

We're closing in on the main event from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City as Sergio Martinez gets set to take on undefeated Darren Barker. Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant are joined in the booth by Emanuel Steward, who just guided Andy Lee to victory over Brian Vera in the co-feature.

Lampley narrates a video package that delves into some of the good that Martinez has been doing in the U.S. to aid kids who have been the victims of bullying. Martinez had some bad experiences if a similar nature growing up in Argentina, making him the perfect person to talk about the benefits of self-esteem.

Steward discusses Martinez's lack of a traditional boxing background and his ability to create his own style that works for him. It helps that he is a ridiculous natural athlete, so his techniques wouldn't work for most fighters. Merchant calls Barker the longest shot in a title fight since Buster Douglas but notes that he has some boxing skills.

The tale of the tape shows that the two fighters are roughly even in height, weight and reach. Barker is seven years younger, but Martinez is always in phenomenal shape.

Barker comes to the ring first as the prohibitive underdog. He is 23-0 with 14 KOs and is making his first appearance in the U.S.

Martinez makes his ring walk to "Smooth" by Rob Thomas and Carlos Santana, which seems fitting. Maravilla is 47-2-2 and is on a three-match winning streak against very tough competition.

Michael Buffer calls for a memorial ten-count for George Benton, then turns his attention to the formal fighter introductions. And we're ready to go for a scheduled 12 rounds of boxing.


Round 1

Barker tries to establish the jab. Martinez attempts a right hook upstairs. Sergio tries a flurry that forces Barker back. Barker tries a hard right hook that gets blocked. Barker has to cover up as left hands are coming in. Martinez keeps his hands low as Barker stalks with a left hook. Solid left by Martinez get Barker's attention. Mostly feints down the stretch.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Martinez


Round 2

Martinez didn't throw tons of punches in that first frame as he felt his way out. Barker covers up to block shots upstairs. Martinez looks to counter but Barker isn't throwing much. Barker tries to reach around with some left hooks. Martinez ducks very low as he tries to figure a way past the guard. Barker lands some short punches but stays very cautious. There's a straight right by Barker. He tries the body and head. Good left by Martinez knocks Barker just a bit off balance.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Martinez


Round 3

Martinez tries to get the left hand untracked. Both men jab as they move toward the corner. Barker gets in a straight right. He's just a hair off as Martinez is too quick. Barker gets the best of a quick short-range exchange. Barker lands a solid right as they fall into a clinch. Martinez tries to flurry with his quicker hands. Martinez sticks jabs in Barker's face again. Barker fires off more rights, and I liked him by just a hair there.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Barker


Round 4

Harold Lederman has it 3-0 for Martinez right now because Barker isn't busy enough. Barker lands a left hook and Martinez is bleeding just a bit. Right by Barker as Martinez looks to counter. Larry Merchant thinks Sergio is bleeding from the nose. Martinez lands good shots to the head and body, but Barker responds with a right hand. Left hand just misses for Martinez. He tries some more body work too. Several left hands crash home as Barker is forced to cover up. Barker backs up and tries some jabs. Martinez goes to the body again. Both men let their hands go before the bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Martinez


Round 5

Marvailla scrambles and that works to his favor. Barker is able to respond with a right hand. They pick and pop in the center of the ring. Barker keeps his jab pumping and his gloves high. Both men feint and look for openings. Martinez punches while moving and stays busy. His hand speed and activity take over during an otherwise uneventful final minute.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Martinez


Round 6

Martinez tries to unleash a combo that ends to the body. Barker goes back to the jab. Emanuel Steward laughs as he wonders how Andy Lee could fight Martinez. Both fighters land quick shots in the center of the ring. Martinez is still throwing a lot more punches, which should serve him well in these rounds when neither man is landing huge flush shots. Martinez lands two to the body and punches his way out of a jam in the corner. Nice exchange with a solid left for Sergio right at the bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Martinez


Round 7

Jabs both ways to open things up. Lederman questions whether Martinez trained his hardest for this fight, but Merchant thinks Barker deserves credit. Barker keeps his guard tight as he stalks. He tries a counter right that just misses. Maravilla keeps touching him with quick shots to the body and occasionally to the head. Barker has the jab but not much else to go with it right now. Both men land to the head though Martinez flurries to the body too. He lets combinations go that look flashy but are mostly blocked.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Martinez


Round 8

Barker opens with some hooks and lunges for a right hand. Martinez goes down, but it's correctly ruled a slip. He returns to body shots because that's what is available. Barker tries two punches to the head. Both men reach with jabs. Barker bears down with several right hands. Martinez goes back to trying quick shots from the outside. Barker counters but Martinez responds quickly with two of his own.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Barker


Round 9

The ref stops things early on for a head butt. Martinez tries an uppercut but just misses. Barker lands a right and a left. He blocks four straight Martinez punches upstairs. Sergio keeps trying to get through the guard. Barker tries to measure some shots along the ropes. Left by Martinez but a right hand back from Barker. Another left gets the crowd vocal for Sergio. Barker tries to jump on him but the ref breaks it up. Close round.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Martinez


Round 10

Lederman has it 8-1 in rounds for Martinez, mostly because he hasn't been busy enough. Martinez keeps his jab flowing. Nice right hook by Sergio gets both men off balance. Martinez dazes Barker with a left hand that forces a clinch. Barker has some swelling by both eyes. A right hook stuns Barker, and Martinez tries to pour it on. Barker covers up for dear life before trying two right hands. Big round for Martinez.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Martinez


Round 11

Martinez's speed and timing are carrying the day right now. He goes to the body and head with nothing coming back. Barker misses a few hooks as Martinez slides away. Barker holds and pushes Martinez's head down. Right hand by Barker but Martinez scores right back with a right hook that sends Barker down. He can't beat the count, and it's a KO victory for Maravilla!

Replay showed that a right hook got Barker to open up just a tad, then a second hook put Barker down even though it was partially blocked. Hard work but a stellar finish for Martinez.

The winner by KO at 1:29 of Round 11, Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez.

Merchant congratulates Martinez and asks if the fight was frustrating at any time. Sergio says no but also admits it was a good job by Barker. Martinez thinks he had to work to break Barker down more than most opponents.

Mentioning that Bernard Hopkins would fight Martinez at 170 if he beats Chad Dawson, Maravilla suggests he was only 165 before the fight, so that would be a lot of weight. He says he'll fight anyone as long as there is an agreement that is fair for both fighters. He's not opposed to fighting Andy Lee because of the difficulty in finding a rival. 

The crowd is sparse at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, which is unfortunate because middleweight champion Sergio Martinez is in action, and he is one of the sport's most compelling stars. First, though, we've got Andy Lee attempting to avenge his lone career loss against Brian Vera.

Jim Lampley narrates the highlights from the first Lee-Vera fight, where Lee faded late and ended up getting stopped. Larry Merchant is also on hand, fresh off his much-publicized post-fight discussion/argument with Floyd Mayweather the last time he was on the air.

The tale of the tape shows that Lee is two years younger, taller and rangier. Both fighters weighed in at 163 pounds, but Vera is a few pounds heavier tonight. Emanuel Steward is Lee's trainer, so he'll join Lampley and Merchant for tonight's main event.

Lee is 26-1 with 19 KOs, and he's won 11 in a row since losing to Vera in 2008. Vera is 19-5 with 12 KOs but is only 3-4 in his last seven fights.

Michael Buffer handles the fighter introductions, and we are all set for a scheduled 10 rounds of middleweight action.


Round 1

Lee lands the first nice punch, a left to the head. Vera is having to lunge in with his jabs. Lee uses a right hook and some jabs to keep Vera off of him. Lee goes to the body with a left uppercut. There's a nice right hand by Vera that knocks Lee off balance for a second. Lee looks pretty sharp with right hooks, and he also connects with a straight left. Another left lands right on Vera's face.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Lee


Round 2

Vera is trying to force the issue but keeps walking into right hooks. He feints his way in to land a right. His corner wants more of that. Lee lands three shots in a row upstairs. A counter left also scores for Lee. Lampley says Vera absolutely needs to get inside. Vera gets in a right hand from very close range. Lee gets hit with another right. Vera grins as Lee touches him three times. Lee uses an uppercut to knock Vera to the side. A counter left puts Vera down right before the bell. He's up smiling, but he got caught there.

Tylwalk: 10-8 Lee


Round 3

Lost amidst the knockdown was the fact that Vera had a much better second round. He's out pressuring again. Lee goes downstairs with a mean left hand. Lee lands an uppercut but gets caught right back with a solid right hand. One-two by Lee wobbles Vera just a bit. Vera is forced to hold to catch a breather. Vera keeps stalking but is wide open for the right hook. Lee smokes a left to the body, then follows with an uppercut.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Lee


Round 4

Vera chases Lee around, but he has no answers to close the range right now. Lee's left hand has been very accurate. Both men land right hooks as they circle around. Vera tries to gain some confidence from his right hand. Vera has blood flowing from somewhere close to his left eye. Lee uses right hooks to keep the spacing to his liking. He also clinches when he needs it. Lee lands two two-punch combos on the inside in the closing seconds.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Lee


Round 5

Vera walks through some shots to throw his right hand. Lee uses the counter left effectively again. Vera keeps throwing but eats an uppercut. Lee connects with a left, and Vera spins all the way around while missing. Vera tries to make it a brawl along the ropes. Quick right hand on the inside by Lee. The right-left combination is available to Lee at almost any time.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Lee


Round 6

Does Vera have anything to offer except for scrambling to get inside? He does find a home for the right hand but can't follow up. Lee is staying very mobile and is able to land and move away. Vera takes three more shots before a clinch. Lee uses a sneaky right hook that almost knocks Vera down. Lee ducks and bobs along the ropes. Vera busts out some rare jabs. Lee just misses a big left as Vera keeps trying to advance.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Lee


Round 7

Harold Lederman also has it a shutout through six rounds. Replays show he could have been awarded a knockdown last round as Vera's glove touched the canvas. Straight left and counter right by Lee. Vera takes another flush left hand. He's very tough, no doubt about that. Vera lands a right hand upstairs. Lee lands a right hook but has to cover up as Vera swings away with both hands. Left hand by Lee and a clinch. Lee steps forward and scores with two more lefts. Better round for Vera, but not good enough.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Lee


Round 8

Lee goes back to his right hook, which has been money all night. Vera tries to rough Lee up on the inside. Lee hasn't thrown a ton of body punches, but he's landed some nice ones. One-two by Lee as a counter. Vera has some success with an uppercut and body shots in the corner. Lee moves the fight back into the middle of the ring. Left by Lee; right by Vera. Lee's punches are just that much sharper. Now they stand and trade along the ropes. Lee got the better of that.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Lee


Round 9

Lederman gave Round 8 to Vera. He's still very much forcing the issue. Neither man has as much starch on their punches at this point. Vera is flurryng but still taking flush single shots. Both men connect, and Vera grins. Vera takes an uppercut and tries to flurry again. Lee circles around in both directions. Right hooks land both ways. Vera takes a vicious left hand right before the bell but stays up.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Lee


Round 10

Lee peppers the right hooks and follows with a short left. Vera is chasing while Lee keeps moving. Here comes Vera with a flurr yot the body. Wild swings by Vera earn him a left to the face. Both men throw uppercuts in tight. They look tired with 90 seconds to go. The ref stays busy breaking up clinches. The crowd likes it when Lee lands the left uppercut. Both men swing to the final bell, but this should be a super wide decision for Lee.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Lee

Tylwalk: 100-89 Lee

The judges score it 98-91 and 99-90 twice, all to the winner by unanimous decision, "Irish" Andy Lee. 

Let's have a quick show of hands: Does anyone who is not Darren Barker, Barker's promoter or a member of Barker's family think that he is going to upset middleweight champ Sergio Martinez tonight in Atlantic City?

I didn't think so. But remember, this is boxing, and strange things can happen. It was just a few years ago that Martinez was relatively unknown, plying his trade mostly in Europe and building an impressive record against guys you've never heard of.

Now he's widely acknowledged as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Yes, Barker might not be the first choice we fans would pick for Martinez to fight (assuming, of course, there really is a first choice for him to fight), but you don't know what's going to happen until the punches start flying.

That's why we watch. That's why you should tune in to HBO at 10 pm Eastern time tonight and see if there's an incredible upset in the making or if Maravilla continues his recent run of dazzling performances.

And, as always, if you can't watch, you can always come back here and catch our live round by round updates. Hit our home page, look for the round by round post and refresh every few minutes for the latest.

If feasible, we'll also do a round by round post for the Andy Lee-Brian Vera undercard bout. Only because we love you though.

See you later tonight!