Updated: June 25, 2007, 4:03 PM ET
Scorecard: Packed MSG got a thriller
Two fighters. Two knockdowns. At the end of the fight, it was too much for Zab Judah. Miguel Cotto triumphs in a wild slugfest that might have been the fight of the year, writes Dan Rafael.
A roundup of last week's notable boxing results from around the world:
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Miguel Cotto TKO11 Zab Judah Retains WBA welterweight title. |
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Records: Cotto, 30-0, 25 KOs; Judah, 34-5, 25 KOs |
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Rafael's remark: As of now, Cotto's thrilling brawl with Judah is the 2007 fight of the year. It had everything you want to see in a prize fight: great two-way action, drama, knockdowns, blood, high skill level, both fighters showing heart and an awesome atmosphere second to none inside historic Madison Square Garden. It was a truly special night as a record 20,658 packed every nook and cranny of the grand old building on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day parade. Most were there to root for Puerto Rican star Cotto, but many were also there to root for Brooklyn's Judah, the former undisputed champion. What they all got was a terrific overall card and an unforgettable action fight in the main event, one in which Cotto proved just too strong for Judah, who performed bravely in defeat. Judah's brave performance at least helped to erase some of the bad taste left by his lackadaisical upset loss to Carlos Baldomir in January 2006 and his outburst during an April 2006 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr., which cost him a year's suspension. Judah, 29, acted like a grown-up and we credit him for showing immense heart. Even though he lost, he gave us a reason to want to see him again.
For Cotto's part, the young champion won the biggest fight of his career in grand style, fighting through assorted cuts and bruises, scoring a knockdown in the ninth round and another in the 11th round, before polishing off the bleeding and dazed Judah 49 seconds into the 11th. Cotto, who made his second title defense, has emerged as the most exciting fighter in the sport along with Manny Pacquiao. When Cotto fights, you must watch because there figure to be drama and excitement. The win sets up Cotto, 26 and entering his prime, for astronomical future business. There is a fall fight on the books against Antonio Margarito, if Margarito can turn back formidable Paul Williams on July 14. If Margarito loses, there are still other possible fights: maybe a rematch with Judah, Shane Mosley, Joshua Clottey, Kermit Cintron, the Ricky Hatton-Jose Luis Castillo winner and, hopefully, down the road a monster showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Whatever fight Cotto takes next, let's all hope it matches the fight with Judah for sheer excitement. This was one we will long remember. |
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Humberto Soto KO7 Bobby Pacquiao |
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Records: Soto, 42-5-2, 26 KOs; Pacquiao, 27-13-3 |
| Rafael's remark: Soto is one of the most underappreciated top fighters in the sport, but he continues to win and continues to put on exciting performances like this one. After his brutal demolition of the brave, but outclassed Pacquiao, the younger brother of superstar Manny Pacquiao, Soto moved to 19-0 with a no contest in his last 20 bouts going back to 2002. The win against Bobby could very well set up an Oct. 6 showdown with Manny. We'd love to see it happen, especially because deals for Manny to face champion Juan Manuel Marquez or former champ Marco Antonio Barrera in rematches are unlikely for the fall. That leaves Soto as the most obvious choice of opponent. After the way he beat down the brother, Soto deserves it. With Manny Pacquiao at ringside, Soto put on quite a display, dropping Bobby in the first round. Although Pacquiao hurt Soto a couple of times, Soto, 27, never stopped bashing away at him until finally ending it in the seventh with a right hand-body shot combination. Soto could be the best 130-pounder in the world. Now, he just needs a chance to prove it against the elite. |
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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. KO3 Grover Wiley |
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Records: Chavez Jr., 32-0-1, 25 KOs; Wiley, 30-10-1, 14 KOs |
| Rafael's remark: This one had blowout written all over it before they even stepped in the ring, but it was a fight too irresistible for promoter Top Rank not to make. A good story line in boxing is hard to resist and this one had it: The young, rising Chavez Jr. seeking revenge against the man who sent his father, the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez, into retirement.Wiley made the icon quit on his stool Sept. 17, 2005, in what turned out to be a not-so-happy farewell fight for the fighter considered by many as the greatest in Mexican history. His son exacted the revenge by crushing Wiley with left hooks to the body almost at will. Chavez dropped Wiley with a liver shot in the first round and twice more in the third to finish him off in an exciting destruction. Chavez, 21, is steamrolling toward a possible fall pay-per-view showdown with former two-division titlist Arturo Gatti. Gatti needs to defeat Alfonso Gomez on July 14 and Chavez needs to win a fight on the undercard of the David Diaz-Erik Morales fight on Aug. 5. If they both win, they'll hook up in what will surely be an exciting fight. |
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Yuri Foreman W10 Anthony Thompson Scores: 97-93, 96-94 Foreman; 96-94 Thompson |
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Records: Foreman, 23-0; Thompson, 23-2 |
| Rafael's remark: This one was a big disappointment -- the fight itself and the questionable split decision. Foreman, a native of Belarus based in New York, and Thompson, of Philadelphia, didn't exactly get the pay-per-view portion of the card off to a rousing start. Foreman boxed, moved and clinched way too much. Thompson stalked, but couldn't land many clean punches. It made for a difficult fight to watch. That said, we felt like the wrong man got the decision. Thompson deserved to win the fight and we'd like to see him back in the ring with an opponent more willing to engage him. Foreman is a talented boxer -- the way he holds his hands and moves around the ring reminds us of Oscar De La Hoya -- and the victory may have earned him a shot at 154-pound WBO titlist Sergei Dzindziruk. His representatives came to New York to watch the fight and to offer the winner a title shot in Germany. |
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Argenis Mendez TKO1 Bobby Campbell |
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Records: Mendez, 5-0, 4 KOs; Campbell, 2-3-2 |
| Rafael's remark: Mendez opened the untelevised portion of the undercard with a quick win against Campbell, dropping him three times in the first half of the round to make it a quick night. It was the third consecutive first-round knockout for Mendez. The 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic is one of Top Rank's prospects to watch even if nobody learned much from this performance. |
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Antonio Tarver W12 Elvir Muriqi Wins a light heavyweight title. Scores: 116-112, 115-113, 114-114 |
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Records: Tarver, 25-4; Muriqi, 34-4 |
| Rafael's remark: Tarver was returning to the ring after a year off following his one-sided decision loss to Bernard Hopkins. Although Tarver won the majority decision -- it should have been unanimous -- in an entertaining bout against club fighter Muriqi, he didn't look so hot. It could have been the rust from a year off or perhaps, at age 38, Father Time is catching up with the former champ best known for his two victories in his trilogy with Roy Jones Jr. Tarver, in his first fight on Showtime after so many higher-profile HBO appearances, should have dispatched Muriqi with ease, but no such luck. Muriqi was game and pressed the action, but he also walked into many Tarver left hands and right jabs. Tarver opened a cut over his right eye in the fifth round, and staggered him in the eighth and 10th rounds. Tarver's victory combined with WBC titlist Chad Dawson's win in the co-feature could set the stage for them to meet in the fall. Tarver said he intends to fight again as soon as September, and Dawson should be ready by then too after an easy win. It would be a little surprising if Tarver takes the fight with Dawson, however. It's not a big-money fight and it's awfully dangerous. Maybe we will all be pleasantly surprised and it will come off. |
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Chad Dawson TKO6 Jesus "Chuy" Ruiz Retains WBC light heavyweight title. |
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Records: Dawson, 24-0, 16 KOs; Ruiz, 19-5 |
| Rafael's remark: Like so many titleholders, Dawson was given a gimme for his defense and took care of business in easy fashion. Dawson, 24, claimed his world title in February with a strong performance against Tomasz Adamek and made his first defense 45 minutes from his hometown of New Haven, Conn. In 33-year-old Ruiz, Dawson faced a game challenger, but a guy who had always lost when he stepped up his level of opposition. Among his previous defeats were losses to former titleholders Julio Gonzalez and Montell Griffin and top contender Paul Briggs. Dawson controlled the fight from the outset with a snappy right jab and was never in danger. He bloodied Ruiz's nose in the fourth and hurt him with a body shot. In the sixth, he trapped Ruiz along the ropes and was firing punch after punch, rocking Ruiz's head back and hurting him until referee John Callas eventually had no choice but to intervene. Dawson's performance was even more impressive considering that he said he injured his left hand in the second round. Dawson hopes the victory will set up a title defense against main event winner, former champion Antonio Tarver. |
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Tomasz Adamek TKO7 Luis Pineda |
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Records: Adamek, 32-1, 22 KOs; Pineda, 21-6 |
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Rafael's remark: In February, Adamek, of Poland, was outboxed by slick Chad Dawson and lost his light heavyweight title. Bulking up from the 175-pound light heavyweight division to the 200-pound cruiserweight division, Adamek made a successful return, scoring an exciting knockout to punctuate an entertaining scrap. He looked good at his new weight and can probably be a factor in the title hunt. His promoter, Don King, also promotes other top cruiserweights, including world champion Jean-Marc Mormeck, belt holder Steve Cunningham and former titlist Wayne Braithwaite, so there are fights to be made. Matches with Mormeck or Braithwaite would certainly be exciting. Pineda, who lost his second in a row, has been knocked out in all of his losses, including twice in world title bouts -- by Valery Brudov in seven rounds in December for the WBA title and by Braithwaite, who knocked him out in one round in 2003 for the WBC title.
Let's all give a round of applause to King and New York regional sports network MSG for teaming up to bring this card to American television. It was the third show from Europe the network has aired live in the U.S. so far this year. Keep it coming. True boxing fans sincerely appreciate the effort. |
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Andrew Golota TKO2 Jeremy Bates |
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Records: Golota, 39-6-1, 31 KOs; Bates, 21-14-1 |
| Rafael's remark: The last time Golota, 39, was seen in the ring it was nothing more than a cameo as then-WBO heavyweight titlist Lamon Brewster slaughtered him in 52 seconds of a disastrous title challenge in May 2005. Making his return just over two years later, Golota returned home to Poland and whacked out journeyman Bates, an insurance salesman who lost his fifth in a row (fourth inside two rounds). It is doubtful that Golota's comeback goes anywhere serious because whenever he is placed into a pressure situation he usually falls apart. Beating a guy like Bates on an undercard he can handle. The spotlight of a big fight and main event, that's another story for the man who is 0-3-1 in world title fights, not to mention being disqualified twice against Riddick Bowe and being knocked out by Mike Tyson (the result of which was later made a no contest because Tyson flunked a postfight drug test). |
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Herman Ngoudjo W12 Randall Bailey Title eliminator. Scores: 115-112, 114-112 Ngoudjo; 115-112 Bailey |
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Records: Ngoudjo, 16-1; Bailey, 35-6 |
| Rafael's remark: In one of the most attractive ESPN2 "Friday Night Fights" main events of the year, Ngoudjo, the Canadian-based Cameroon native, rebounded from his split decision loss to Jose Luis Castillo in January to eke out a split victory of his own against former titleholder Bailey. The victory, which came at an outdoor stadium during a pouring rain storm, sets Ngoudjo up for an IBF title shot. The bout was an eliminator and made him the mandatory challenger for the winner of Saturday's fight between titlist Lovemore N'dou and Paulie Malignaggi. The fight began in exciting fashion with Ngoudjo and Bailey exchanging knockdowns in the excellent first round. The fight was moving along at a fast pace when the storm caused the power to go out at the end of the fourth round. It came back quickly and the fight resumed. Bailey, a tremendous puncher, tried to pressure Ngoudjo late in the fight and it appeared there would be a close outcome if there was no knockout. Sure enough, the judges were split in a fight that could have gone either way. While Ngoudjo presumably will go on to a title bout, Bailey, who had won seven in a row since a TKO loss to Miguel Cotto in 2004, will get back in line. |
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Jean Pascal TKO10 Christian Cruz |
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Records: Pascal, 17-0, 13 KOs; Cruz, 12-8-1 |
| Rafael's remark: Pascal, 24, born in Haiti and based in Canada, is a prospect to keep your eye on. He took late substitute Cruz apart, torturing him with right hands almost at will until Cruz's corner finally threw in the towel. Cruz, who lost his fourth in a row and sixth in seven bouts, did the best he could after taking the match on short notice when Rubin Williams pulled out a few days before the show after being involved in a minor auto accident. Pascal is an aggressive puncher and fights in a talented division, so it's probably just a matter of time until he's involved in a meaningful fight. |
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Giovanni Segura KO1 Daniel Reyes |
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Records: Segura, 18-0-1, 14 KOs; Reyes, 38-5-1 |
| Rafael's remark: Segura, of Bell, Calif., is not exactly a household name, but the little guy is as fun as anyone to watch. In the Telefutura main event, Segura scored a surprising early knockout against Reyes, of Colombia, a former IBF strawweight titlist. Reyes had never been stopped before. But Segura changed that quickly, trapping him on the ropes and hitting him with a flush left hook and a window dressing right to the body. Reyes collapsed and couldn't beat the count. The fight was supposed to be a title eliminator, but ultimately the WBA didn't sanction the fight because of the possibility of a lawsuit from another top contender who claims he was skipped over and not given a chance to participate in an elimination bout. |
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Mike Alvarado KO2 Francisco Campos |
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Records: Alvarado, 17-0, 11 KOs; Campos, 21-10-1 |
| Rafael's remark: Sure Campos has now lost eight of his last 10 bouts, including being stopped in six of them, but at least prospect Alvarado did what he was supposed to do: score a spectacular knockout. Alvarado took it right to Campos. He was landing excellent combinations in the second round and was firing punches with Campos trapped along the ropes. Finally, Alvarado uncorked a sweet left hook to the chin. Good night. |
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
