Dawson - Tarver on the horizon?
It's not a mere coincidence that Chad Dawson and Antonio Tarver are on the same card this weekend. A showdown between the two could be on the horizon, says Dan Rafael.
It is not merely a coincidence that light heavyweight titlist Chad Dawson is making his first defense on the same card that features the return of former champion -- and more well-known -- Antonio Tarver in the main event.
Ideally, the June 9 doubleheader (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET/PT) in Hartford, Conn., just 45 minutes from Dawson's hometown of New Haven, will lead to a fall meeting between Dawson and Tarver.
"Assuming they both get by, everybody will get together and see if there is something we can make for the fall," Tarver promoter Joe De Guardia said. "That is when Tarver is expected to fight next, and I imagine that is when Dawson is expected to fight next, as well. But both of these guys have their work cut out for them on June 9. So nothing will be done on that until after June 9."
Dawson and Tarver are both substantial favorites, and the possibility of a fight with Tarver is enticing to Dawson.
"I do not look past anyone. I am looking forward to a great fight, and hopefully everything will go according to plan and we can get hooked up with a fight with Tarver," said Dawson, 24, who won his belt in February by surviving a late knockdown to take a lopsided decision against Tomasz Adamek.
Tarver has had his ups and downs in recent years. He beat Roy Jones twice and gained even more fame with a starring role in "Rocky Balboa" opposite Sylvester Stallone. Then came the humiliating loss to Hopkins. Now, Tarver, 38, is back, with younger fighters like Muriqi and Dawson nipping at his heals.
He's not necessarily in a hurry to face Dawson, a young star on the upswing, especially because his team has accused Tarver of ducking Dawson.
"I respect Chad because he seems like a very sophisticated and intelligent young brother coming up that obviously knows the business," Tarver said. "But he needs to slap his manager [Mike Criscio] and his promoter [Gary Shaw] in the mouth because every time they open their mouth, the line gets longer. The man just won the fight with his last opponent and got knocked down winning the fight. Everybody is talking trash but Chad. It is no competition with me and Chad. I have never ducked anyone. I beat them all. They all got to come through me if they want to get paid and if they want to get rich and famous. So they can have all the belts, but I got the tickets. It is just like poker. If you got bad cards, fold. Do not keep trying to bluff because you are not bluffing anybody. We are not going to fight unless I want to fight because they do not have enough money to pay me to fight the guy. So if they keep their mouth shut, I might give them a break after June 9.
"If I choose to fight Chad, it will be because I feel like it is a great fight and that when I beat Chad, it will give me something, it is going to add to my ledger, and it is going to add to my legend. I do not think right now that he is in a position to command a fight with me."
Middleweight brawler Edison Miranda, who was knocked out by Kelly Pavlik in the seventh round of a sensational brawl May 19, is blaming his defeat in the title eliminator on weight loss.
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| Miranda |
"For the first time in my life, as I made my way to the ring, I did not have that killer instinct that I have had in my previous 29 professional fights," the notorious trash-talker said. "I went through very difficult times making the 160-pound weight limit and had broken into a fever the night of the fight. My energy was depleted. I did not want to let down my fans, as well as HBO, and I thought I still had enough in me to prove I was the best middleweight in the world. Unfortunately, I found myself against a very strong and aggressive opponent. I did not possess what it took to keep him away, and he was able to take advantage of my obvious weakness that night."
Miranda was overweight on his first attempt at the weigh-in the day before the fight, but eventually he made weight. He said he didn't eat or drink anything on Thursday or Friday before the Saturday bout. Pavlik has also struggled to make 160 pounds, but no one heard him making excuses.
"Congratulations to Kelly on a great win," Miranda said. "There is still no doubt in my mind that when I am at 100 percent there is no fighter who can handle what I bring into the ring. I will most likely return at 168 pounds [super middleweight] and be ready to face the best in that division."
Golden Boy's plans for a second installment of its World Cup event -- this one pitting Mexican titleholders against top contenders from the Philippines -- have changed again. Instead of putting on the event in August in the Philippines with its Filipino partners, the show is instead headed for the United States, probably on Aug. 11 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. Golden Boy's partner in the Philippines was having problems securing a television deal for the card, and at the same time a date became available on HBO.
Golden Boy and HBO canceled a May 26 "Boxing After Dark" card when main event fighter Joan Guzman suffered a hand injury. That allowed HBO to move Golden Boy's date to August to accommodate the World Cup card.
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| De Leon |
The plan is to feature a pair of world title bouts on the broadcast and to fill the undercard with other Mexico vs. Philippines matches.
If Golden Boy can finalize the fights, the card would feature junior featherweight titlist Daniel Ponce De Leon making his mandatory defense against 20-year-old dynamo Rey Bautista and bantamweight titlist Jhonny Gonzalez defending against former junior bantamweight champ Gerry Penalosa.
"HBO is interested in doing it, and we're trying to finalize the fights and the venue, but nothing is confirmed yet," Golden Boy vice president Eric Gomez told ESPN.com.
A third title bout, a rematch between junior bantamweight titlist Fernando Montiel and Z Gorres, will not be part of the card, Gomez said. The fight had been discussed, but both fighters have decided to move on, he said.
Golden Boy's first World Cup card came in Tucson, Ariz., in October 2005. It featured Mexico vs. Thailand in four title bouts, all won by the Mexicans.
"This is boxing, homey. This ain't ballet." 
