Billy’s Boxing Blog

By William Trillo

Okay, so fight night in Mexico this past Saturday night didn’t go exactly as planned, that goes without saying. But in all honesty the rest of the week went beautifully.

The resort town of Cozumel was ready for the show and with a fight card a dozen bouts deep there was no doubt the island was in store for more boxing here than ever before. But even those with a keen sense of boxing betting insight could not have predicted how the Main Event battle would eventually turn out.

We arrived onto the island on Monday afternoon, the people were friendly and the sunset was like a painting without flaw.

Not wanting to get caught up in the resort atmosphere Librado Andrade and Enrique Ornelas put in a good hard day of work on Tuesday in a steamy gym that was the perfect place to cut the last few pounds.

Wednesday was a bit more relaxed and after the fighters worked out it was time for a little casual dining followed by the most spectacular sunset of the entire week.

Things started hopping on Thursday as the fighters met in town with promoter Pepe Gomez for the final press conference to announce the festivities to come.

Later that evening the fighters met again in town, this time it was to perform in an open workout for the islanders. Nothing like watching the principals at work to get the fans to gobble up some tickets.

Friday was weigh-in day back in town and everyone seemed pretty relaxed.

Ornelas and Andrade posed for the cameras before they hit the scales.

Donovan George hooked up with some of his hometown folks for some photos as well.

After that Andrade and George exchanged some kind thoughts as they prepared for the final photo shoot.

Meanwhile Team George and Andrade’s trainer Danny Zamora sat down with the officials to go over the rules one more time.

With ring girls present Jimmy Zeek Hartofilis did not pass on a photo opp of his own.

Back at the hotel George sat poolside and collected his thoughts for what was in store in 24 hours.

Saturday…fight day! Nothing like collecting your thoughts while swinging at the bar on the Caribbean coast.

Only a couple hours before the fight one can only wonder what Donovan Goerge was thinking as he checked out the ring…that was the closest he got to it all night.

Yes, the ring girls were present and under the clouds and rain they seemed to be having a splendid time.

Golden Boy’s Abner Mares was ringside in Cozumel and was taking a breather after his spectacular win over Joseph Agbeko. Moments after I took this shot I was informed George had been advised to pull out of the fight.

Back at the hotel Team Andrade sat down for a good meal and took what happened only hours before in stride. It was a difficult situation to handle but we made the best of a tough situation.

On Sunday as we prepared to leave Hartofilis tossed me his camera and asked me to take a photo of he and Leon Margules. After I shot the photo Zeek asked me what I was going to title it. All things considered I could not come up with anything suitable but Hartofilis came up with a good one…
”A Greek and a Jew walk into a bar…”

Badda Boom Badda Bing!

In all honesty Sunday was an awkward day, even more awkward was that both teams shared the same flight back to the States.

While awaiting our flight at the airport Hartofilis looked at me and said, “Hey did you drop that?” I looked down and saw a crumpled twenty dollar bill. I looked at Jimmy and shook my head no. He pointed to the bill again so I bent over to pick it up. As it turned out the bill was attached to a string and another member of Team George pulled the bill out from under me right as I was going to grab it.

We all had a good laugh.

This past week Leon Margules put Donovan George in front of the boxing community and said he was the man to beat Librado Andrade. But like that twenty dollar bill, moments before the fans were set to cash in on a very good fight, Margules pulled his fighter out from under everyone.

No one was laughing.

By William Trillo

Hello William,

Dale

————————————————————————————————————-

Hey Dale,

Thanks for the email!

First of all I agree it was a huge disservice to Donovan but the responsibility is not on his management team. That disservice lies firmly on the shoulders of his promoter Leon Margules.

Neon Leon was barking to everyone within earshot that fighting in Mexico was not to his liking and he knew something like this would happen. If he really had that kind of foresight he would have had either himself or someone on his staff in place to see to it everything went according to plan. Instead he and his assistant were in Las Vegas pandering to Jose Sulaiman and the WBC.

Like you, I believed George was more of a slugger than a mover but subtle hints and innuendo suggested maybe his game plan was to move during this fight. It’s hard to say how that plan would have worked as we all know that once a battle ensues and you get busted in the mouth a lot of the pre-fight strategy gets tossed out the window and reflexes and old habits take over. It’s hard to say what might have happened in any size ring and it’s even harder to say that we will ever find out.

Sorry you got stuck watching that Super Six finale, I hear it was a real let down…what a surprise. :/

Now that Ward has won that disaster of a tournament and apparently is going to abandon Lucian Bute, maybe Margules can get his fighter a shot at Andre. If he does Leon can expect to fight in Wards hometown of Oakland, California. We know how unhappy Margules was about bringing his fighter to Andrade’s home of Mexico, I can’t imagine he would be any more thrilled about beautiful downtown Oakland. I also assume that 15 x 15 foot ring will start looking pretty enticing this time, the last thing he will want to do is give Ward any kind of room to move.

I have Pepe Gomez’s contact info and would be glad to supply it to Margules for a small fee and a better ranking with the WBC. If he gives Pepe more than a 45 minute notice I am sure he will be able to get that ring to Northern California in time for the fight.

Dale, you know Andrade and I am sure you read the interview he did this week on Boxingscene where he said that he would rather get beat up than pull out of a fight. That’s the fighter his fans have come to know and love.

Librado is going to land on his feet and whether he fights George or gets a direct path to Lucian Bute no one will question his willingness to fight and give everything he has no matter if he is fighting in a phone booth or an airport hangar.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news

By William Trillo

A teary eyed Donovan George walked into Librado Andrade’s side of the dressing room to apologize for the fight falling out, he told Andrade he wanted to fight but on the advice of his team the fight would not go on. The two embraced in a tearful hug and then went their separate ways into a rainy Cozumel, Mexico night.

There was no reason for Donovan to apologize, he wanted to fight and cancelling the show was not his agenda.

The reason for their tears was simple, they are fighters who wanted to prove they belonged at the top of the Super Middleweight division and the only way to get there was to settle it in the ring.

If only it were that easy.

On the advice of his promoter Leon Margules (Executive Director of Seminole Warriors Boxing Promotions), Donovan George was left no choice but to pull out of the fight because of an issue with the size of the ring.

I should have known something was going to go wrong when after a beautiful week on the island of Cozumel in Mexico, the clouds began to roll in on fight night and before the canvas could be stretched over the ring in question, Mother Nature let out with a thunderous cry and a tropical rain ensued. (Contrary to rumors Golden Boy was not responsible for in weather).

From that moment on things would only get worse.

With the doors not officially opened yet we made our way into the baseball field dugout that had become a makeshift dressing room for the principals. I wished Andrade and his brother Enrique Ornelas my best and I left the muggy dugout to go find a spot on the apron mat to shoot my photos.

As I sat in my marked territory I saw members of Team George hit the field for the first time. They came to the side of the ring I was on and they were more than displeased with the fact that George’s corner was on the dirt side of the baseball diamond infield. That issue paled in comparison when they realized the size of the ring was not to their liking.

The ring construction crew was still on hand so it wasn’t long before Team George had a tape measure in their hands and were checking the numbers on the ring size. They came up with a ring size of 15 x 15 feet.

That fact was indisputable.

According to Margules, the contract stipulated that the ring be 20 x 20 feet and he immediately told Golden Boy representatives the fight would not take place in that particular squared circle.

After reviewing the contract it was noted that it also had a stipulation saying that if a ring 20 x 20 could not be provided that the promoter would use their best efforts to secure a ring of a comparable size. Margules was well aware of that and told me so himself during a heated exchange we had at the hotel only hours after the fight was cancelled.

During the war of words back at the Hotel, which members of both teams told me they thought it was going to get physical, I told Margules that in my opinion his decision screwed both fighters and someone needed to be held accountable. Taking offense Margules shouted, “My fighter is not getting screwed, I will pay him the $20,000 myself.” I told Margules that wasn’t the point at all, “I know Librado worked his ass off for this fight and I am sure Donovan did too, they came here to fight, not bicker about the size of the ring,” I said, “ Now tell me who is responsible? Someone needs to be held accountable!”

Margules answered, “I don’t know, I asked Golden Boy and they said it was on the local promoter, you would have to ask them.”

I did inquire with Golden Boy and they chose not to respond at the present time.

I also spoke to the local promoter Pepe Gomez about that ring his company supplied. My question was simple, “Was the ring the fighters were in at the open workout 2 days before the fight the same ring used on Saturday night?’

“Of course,” said Gomez. “We don’t have rings at our disposal like on the mainland. This is a small island and this is what we have to work with.”

No one complained about the ring at the open workout and no one raised an eyebrow when they stepped in the ring on Thursday. Maybe Margules would have been aware of the ring size that night but since he was busy hobnobbing with the WBC Presidente in Las Vegas he came in late for the fight in Cozumel.

If you are questioning where his priorities are, so am I and so should everyone on Team George. This was the most important fight of Donovan’s career, if I am his promoter I am there with the team days early.

Ask yourself, what is more important, scoring points with the WBC or being there early to represent your fighter to see to it he gets a fair shake at a world title, the most important fight of his career?

Showing up with just enough time to pull the plug is inexcusable.

Another fact that is indisputable in my opinion.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news.

By William Trillo

It’s travel day in Mexico and I will soon be on my way home. As you know by now the fight between Donovan George and Librado Andrade was cancelled at the last minute at the behest of George’s promoter Leon Margules because of the size of the ring. I have spoken to ALL parties concerned in regard to the matter and will be posting the only comprehensive and complete report on the matter soon.

I will also have coverage of the 3 fights I photographed before the night was brought to a halt.

I am sorry for the delay but I am 100% certain you will find what I have to say very interesting. Now excuse me while I get back to my talons.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news

Special Blog By Tim Donaldson

I was supposed to be in Washington DC for the fight, but due to a conflict of interest, I was home instead. The thought of missing the fight didn’t seem too upsetting at first. I figured I knew the outcome already. Khan, in my mind, seemed to be the easy favorite. But that was not the case. The fight was much tougher than Khan expected, as was referee Joe Cooper.

When the scores were read at the end, Peterson won by split decision. However, if you add the two points deducted from Khan back into those scores, Khan would have won by unanimous decision. That seems to be the point Khan was making at the end of the fight when he said he was fighting two people in the ring. If not for the referee, Khan implies that he would have won. But what about the first round? If you add the point back to Peterson for the knock down in that round because you believe it was a push, then you have a majority draw.

Does Khan have reason to complain? If you look at it from his perspective, maybe he does. I don’t recall Khan ever being penalized a point for pushing. In fact, Khan has always received good treatment from the referees. How many remember when Khan fought Maidana? As the fight neared the end, Khan found himself in trouble many times. It seemed, from the perspective of this observer, that referee Joe Cortez came to his rescue on several occasions in that fight, separating the two fighters when neither was holding. So obviously, the actions of Joe Cooper must have come as quite a surprise.

Part of the problem is that there is very little consistency in boxing. Most referees do little more than warn and some ignore all together. This past year I have watched boxers lose fights due to KO or TKO even though the shot that put them on the canvas was blatantly landed to the back of the head, fighters being pushed into television cameras, and fighters being tripped and then having it called a knock down. I do not envy the referee. I am sure that there are plenty of people blaming Joe Cooper for Amir Khan’s loss. But in reality, shouldn’t Khan have learned his lesson when the first point was deducted.

As for Lamont Peterson, he might appear happy with this win, but he will be haunted with the knowledge that it came about only because of those points being deducted. He will have to prove to everyone that he earned that title. And the only way to really prove that is to fight Amir Khan again.

And that is my two cents, for what it’s worth.

By William Trillo

While going through my daily press release email’s on Thursday morning I came across one with the subject reading: JOE HANKS SCORES CLEAN KNOCKOUT. Before I could open the email the Stink-O-Meter was screaming. As I cautiously opened the email and began to read it became clear to me why the meter was in full Red Alert. The press release started by reading: Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing undefeated Heavyweight Joe Hanks (18-0 12KO ) scored an impressive 2nd round knockout win over Franklyn Edmondson this past Saturday night at The Greensoboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.

Having already been privy to the stiffs they have been feeding Hanks I became very wary about one glaring omission in that sentence.

The omission you ask?

Well, although Hank’s blown up record was available, his foe Franklyn Edmondson was not extended the same courtesy…and neither were we.

Doing a little research it was gravely apparent why.

The 40 year old Edmondson sports a record only a Mother could love. Franklyn has won 13 fights with a paltry 5 by KO. He has lost 34 fights and been KO’d 13 times, throw in 1 draw and …well you get the picture. Furthermore, Edmondson has lost his last 13 in a row and you have to go back to 2003 to find a W on his record. http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=7845&cat=boxer

Props to Star Boxing’s Matchmaker for finding this palooka…good work.

I gotta be honest with you here, if Hanks is my fighter I do everything I can to sweep this padded win under the rug as quickly as possible. Blowing a trumpet to bring attention to this win by a fighter who calls himself “The Future” may get you posted on websites starved for content, but if you are looking for someone to tell the truth…you need look no further.

Being a Southern California reporter I have seen Joe Hanks live a number of times. Hank’s was part of a heavyweight boxing project on the west coast that to date has produced exactly ZERO contenders, Hank’s included. Before his move to the east coast Hank’s was buried on a number of local cards I covered, always against less than formidable competition.

Hanks is next scheduled to appear on ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” on February 10, 2012, from the Mohegan Sun Arena and the opponent penciled in is Tony Grano. Considering Grano is supposed to fight Brian Minto in January, I suggest you keep an eraser ready and look for Hanks to either fall off the card or end up fighting Ham-n-Egger # 19.

The sad fact to all this is that his alias, “The Future” may be more of a statement on boxing than anything. As long as promoters keep pushing fighters to take on a string of bums and shoving them down our throats until they get an undeserved shot at the title, then “The Future” of boxing,especially in the heavyweight ranks, is looking very grim.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing truth.

By William Trillo

This weekends Cotto/Margarito fight opened the door to a lot of different opinions as to who was actually in control of the fight at the time of the stoppage. Obviously if you were a Cotto fan you saw things just as the Doctor did and are happy with the decision to stop the fight. If you sided with Margarito you may feel he was coming on stronger and Cotto was ready to fade like he did in the first meeting. One fan took the time to write to us and gave his well thought out argument:

Hello Bill

Regards, David Chalfy

David,

You make some valid points, some I agree with and others I do not. Margarito’s eye was a huge problem that was not going to get better. If he was allowed to fight rounds 10-12 I fear he would have ended up much the same way he did against Pacquiao…or worse. Cotto’s face was showing wear and tear but in this fight I think the pure determination he had to exact revenge would have carried him through. I still believe the right call was made.

Of course I can think of times when the fighter who lost after 12 would have won the fight if it were scheduled for 15. Librado Andrade would have stopped Lucian Bute in their first fight…no question about it.

But in the “Thrilla in Manila” the boxer Ali outworked the slugger Joe Frazier forcing him to quit on his stool before the bell for 15 rang.

If I am not mistaken the reason title fights went from 15 to 12 was for the safety of the fighters and in the Cotto/Margarito case it seems to me that thinking Tony could go 3 more rounds, never mind 5, saved the boxing community a lot of grief.

What if the fight went on and Margarito got his orbital bone crushed again? What if he lost his sight? What if he lost his life? The uproar would have been deafening and the New York Commission would have been crucified.

I know Tony said before that fight that he was ready to die in the ring, but ask yourself…is that what you really wanted?

Thanks for the letter David, we appreciate your continued support.

William Trillo www.Pound4Pound.com

By William Trillo
Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank

As defined by americanidioms.net
Made in the shade: One has an easy time in life or in a given situation. Finding things working to one’s benefit.

A few weeks ago someone very close to Antonio Margarito’s inner circle admitted to me that Tony had to kick Cotto’s ass in their rematch or he would always have to live with the speculation & scrutiny surrounding of those tainted hand wraps. Margarito did not come close to delivering on Saturday night and the majority of the articles written after the fight are bringing into question the validity of Margarito’s entire career.

There was a time when everything was going Tony’s way and the world was his oyster. By the time he defeated Cotto in their first fight Margarito was the king of the welterweights, he was seen as one of the most feared fighters in boxing. But soon thereafter came the Shane Mosley pre-fight debacle and outside of a pedestrian unanimous decision over Robert Garcia (the fighter not the trainer), Margarito has been beaten down pretty convincingly three times. Regardless of what you to believe, there has been a marked decrease in his domination, no one can deny that.

On Saturday night Margarito displayed the same ferocious tenacity we have come to know. He is a fierce warrior who does not know the word retreat. He kept coming forward all night even though he was fighting with virtually one eye from the third round on.

In fact, he may have been fighting with one eye from the opening bell.

I understand that he was given a clean bill of health by the Doctors in New York but I couldn’t help but wonder how confident Margarito really felt about that eye. Pictures of him at the open work out days before the fight with his sunglasses on didn’t help. When is the last time you have seen anyone work the speed bag with his glasses on?

You have to wonder…don’t you?

Look, Team Margarito has always been very good to Pound4Pound.com and we have always had an open door policy with them. I have no reason either personally or professionally to want to see Tony take a beating like he did in the ring or the beating he will be taking from the media. I felt the same about Israel Vazquez for the very same reason. To me it seems there comes a time when Machismo needs to be put on the shelf.

I do not know where their heads are at right now but because they were pleading to fight on Saturday night before the fight was stopped I have to assume Team Margarito has no intentions of hanging up the gloves anytime soon. The fact that he is already called out Cotto for a trilogy pretty much confirms that thought.

Miguel Cotto got what he wanted on Saturday night and I just don’t see a third installment coming, and whether he likes it or not, that may be the best thing for Margarito.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news.