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Victor Ortiz (24-2-1, 19KOs) failed miserably in proving to the boxing community that he is worthy of the superstar status when he was stopped by Marcos Rene Maidana (26-1, 25KOs) in the sixth round. That night, was supposed to be Ortiz’z coming out party, instead he had gotten the other way around.

Argentina’s Marcos Maidana stopped Victor Ortiz in the sixth round to claim the World Boxing Association interim light welterweight championship. Ortiz made the Argentine Marcos Maidana kiss the canvas three times in the first two action-filled rounds. But by the sixth round, Ortiz was unable to defend himself against the unpredictable and powerful right hand of Maidana.

By the end of round five Ortiz was bleeding from the right eye. The Argentine was throwing powerful right hand bombs and landed some of them on Ortiz, this gave Maidana some boost in his confidence. The momentum then shifted in favor of Marcos Maidana.

In round six, Maidana came out aggressively, throwing overhand rights, underhand rights and sideways rights. Maidana didn’t stop until Ortiz was laying on the canvas.

The fight was stopped because of the cut in his eye, but anyone who saw the fight would agree that Ortiz had quit. Ortiz looked very sore, battered, bloodied and bruised, and he was looking for a way out. He was not interested in continuing the fight. Ortiz may have talent and skills for the sport, but he lacked the determination and heart to win such fights.

Ortiz is a young talented fighter. Many people had kept an eye on him, hoping he becomes something really special.Tonight Ortiz had his first real test in the ring and failed not only during the fight but also after the fight.

On the other hand, this was sweet redemption for Maidana, who lost four month’s ago via a razor-thin decision to the current junior welterweight title holder Andreas Kotelnik.

“My desire allowed me to continue,” said Maidana regarding his come-back performance. “I knew I could get him but I had to be careful. He was making mistakes and I had to take advantage.”

Right now, his next fight depends upon the outcome of Kotelnik versus Khan fight. Whoever it is, Maidana has some more winning on his mind.

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Lightweight Amir Khan (20-1, 15KOs) responds to Andreas Kotelnik’s trash talk and promises to give him a “boxing lesson” in the ring, this coming July 18 at the M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, England. The supposed fight’s original date was pushed back to a later date (July 18), when Kotelnik was reported to have had a tooth problem. Albeit, some have claimed that Andreas was hammered in sparring.

Amir Khan is clearly upset about the comments that Kotelnik has been throwing at him. Kotelnik apparently referred to Khan’s inexperience and young age, calling Khan a “boy.” Khan responded by saying that he will be Kotelnik’s teacher inside the boxing ring. Khan is hoping to show Kotelnik, on the night of their fight, that he has mentally and physically matured as a boxer, and that he should not be taken too lightly. He clearly aims to rearrange Kotelnik’s face when their paths will cross in the ring.

However, Kotelnik says that he will knock Khan out in the same way that Breidis Prescott did, something that had really affected Khan immensely. Khan then responded that he was, during his fight with Prescott, still flawed and that he had improved his defensive skills since then. Khan added that Kotelnik would have to hit him hard on the chin if he wants to knock him out. However, Khan believes that Kotelnik will not be able to land any of his shots at him. Khan looked a completely different fighter in the five rounds of his bout with Marco Antonio Barrera in March. Khan is expected to be moving a lot in their fight to prevent Kotelnik from landing his shots.

Amir Khan is convinced that the fight will be exciting, but is adamant that he will see off the experienced Ukranian, because of his steady improvement under coach Freddie Roach.

Khan has youth on his side at 22 compared to the 31 yr. old Kotelnik. However, Kotelnik is in the prime of his career whereas Khan is still developing as a fighter. Khan has the physical tools to win, but he needs to avoid the mistakes that he made in the Prescott fight if he has a chance of winning.

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Manny Pacquiao being on top of the boxing world today, is in the position to chose who is going to be his opponent and impose his conditions upon them. But a lot of skeptics would ask if he really deserves to be in the driver’s seat.

Among Pacquiao’s list of contenders, Miguel Cotto is the leading candidate. Manny Pacquiao demands that Miguel Cotto should come in at a catch weight between 144lbs to 145lbs and that he gets the 65% of the purse split. Would that be a reasonable offer in Cotto’s part?

If we take a look at the credentials of both fighters, we could say that Miguel Cotto has a more stellar career compared to Pacquiao’s. Miguel Cotto had beaten Zab Judah and Shane Mosley in 2007, Alfonso Gomez and just recently Joshua Clottey. Manny Pacquiao on the other hand, skeptics would say, that he had beaten a weight drained Oscar De La Hoya and just recently a soft-chinned Ricky Hatton. And even before those fights, Manny had a hard time against the Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez.

Many people would say, that Cotto has better credentials than Pacquiao. But every fight of Pacquiao is full of excitement and drama. In his previous fights, he was always considered the underdog. Critics had predicted that he would lose against Barrera, Morales, Marquez (which was really a controversial split decision), De La Hoya and Hatton, but he was still able to pull through. He gives the fans exactly what they come to see in each of his fights.

If we would look at Pacquiao’s credentials without making any biased excuses that may underrate his performance, then we would be able to see what he really had accomplished in his career.

Pacquiao deserves to be in the driver’s seat because everyone is calling out for him. They want to fight him because of the massive earnings that he attracts. It is safe to say that the sport of boxing is not always about the credentials, but it is also about the pay day. If a fighter fights Pacquiao, a 65/35 or a 60/40 purse split is worth more than a 50/50 purse split with somebody that nobody really knows.

But if Pacquiao really wants to silence his critics and prove himself to them, then this fight should have to happen at 147lbs. If he fights Cotto at a catch weight, he would not be fighting the real Cotto and prove nothing. A fight at 147lbs with Cotto would cement his place as one of the greatest boxers of all time.

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Wladimir Klitschko (53-4, 47KOs) retained his IBF and WBO heavyweight titles with a ninth round technical knockout victory over previously unbeaten Ruslan Chagaev (25-1-1, 17KOs) on Saturday in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The victory was criticized by many boxing writers and analysts as efficient but unimpressive. Many might argue that it was a magnificent performance by Klitschko, but heavyweight boxing should be about adrenalin, excitement and taking risks.

Wladimir was supposed to show a little more aggression to impress his critics and HBO (an American cable company), who decided that they did not want to waste their money showing the Wladimir vs. Chagaev bout. But what the audience saw from that fight was the usual Wladimir throwing jabs every round with only a few right hands. Klitschko just fought away with his usual safety first style of fighting with only very few spurts of aggression. Klitschko snuck a right hand late in the second round that had caught Chagaev, dropping him to the canvas.

Wladimir should have showed more aggression on the following rounds, instead he spent most of it throwing nothing but jabs. He should not have held back, because he already had established control over the fight. Klitschko never took a single risk, even when Chagaev retreated to the ropes. This could have been a fight where he could easily take the spotlight, instead he became very cautious as if Chagaev were the hardest puncher in the heavyweight division. He could have impressed everyone with a more solid performance.

Chagaev just couldn’t land his punches. When he would try to charge forward, Klitschko would just skip backwards or clinch to keep Chagaev from getting his shots off. After the ninth round Chagaev’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel, surrendering before the start of Round ten.

Wladimir Klitschko was hit just once in nine complete rounds. There was not one messy moment, not one moment of drama and the only punch that landed on Klitschko’s whiskers was thrown after the bell sounded and was therefore considered as null and void.

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The potential match between Cotto and Manny is not far from happening. Manny’s promoter Bob Arum has informed the media on Wednesday that he had met with Cotto’s management representatives just recently, and is looking forward to get things ironed out. He is hoping to have the two fighters be paired on November 28 for a fight.

However, there would only be a few setbacks that might get in the way of arranging the fight. Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao wants the bout to take place at a catch weight. Cotto would also have to bring back his former self, because he does not seem to be the same fighter that he was, before his loss against Antonio Margarito. Besides that, Cotto is still nursing a bad cut over his left eye. Cotto’s cut would have to heal before the fight, and it would probably take a miracle for it to hold up in training camp for a bout against Manny Pacquiao in just five months.

Cotto will be in great trouble if his cut reopens in a fight against Pacquiao. He might as well surrender, because the blood might cover fifty percent of his vision. If Cotto will not give up, he might only take a beating from the quicker Filipino fighter. This will probably be Pacquiao’s greatest advantage against Cotto.

Right now, the weight could be the biggest issue. But the hero of the Philippines has not been intimidated by size lately, since he fought Oscar de la Hoya at 147 and Ricky Hatton at 140. He simply used his superior speed and punching ability to overcome any size advantages those two might have had. Roach believes that Pacquiao is unbeatable at 140 lb, and dragging the bigger boxers down should be to the advantage of the Filipino pound-for-pound champion.

Some critics are saying that Pacquiao’s sudden interest in Cotto is due to the fact that Manny can get a good payday fighting Cotto without the high risk of being beaten as he would against Mosley or Mayweather. They are saying that Pacquiao vs Cotto, because he is fresh from a fight and is still nursing some battle scars that he had acquired from Clottey and even from Margarito.

For sure this fight will still be a memorable one if it will come to reality. But for now, we will just have to wait for the decision of both camps.

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Lennox Lewis, a British World heavyweight champion was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. He was good enough to earn the induction alongside 13 other men into the Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday. Lewis is one of the youngest members of the Hall of Fame, at age 43.

One wouldn’t think a 14-year-old boy who did shadow boxing in front of the mirror imitating the Muhammad Ali shuffle would actually be on this stage,” said Lewis. “I am really humbled. This is a great honor.” Lennox Lewis tipped his hat to the “World’s Greatest”, Muhammad Ali, giving honor to one of his most admired prime fighters.

Lewis is 195cm (6 ft 5 in) in height and has an 84-in reach, much longer than average for his height. During his boxing prime, he weighed 113 kg (250lb). Lewis often referred to himself as “the pugilist specialist”.

Lennox was beaten by Klitschko who had fought so well against him. Because of this, boxing fans soon began calling for a rematch. The WBC agreed, and kept the Ukrainian as its number one contender. Lewis decided to pursue other interests, including sports management and music promotion. Lewis said he would not return to the ring. At his retirement, Lewis’ record was 41 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, with 32 wins by knockout. Along with Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Vitali Klitschko, Lewis is one of four boxers in history to have won the heavyweight championship three times.

Lewis moved to Miami Beach with his wife, Violet Chang, a former Miss Jamaica runner-up, upon retiring from boxing. The couple have a daughter named Ling, and a son, Landon.

He has plenty of time ahead to pursue other interests. Aside from finishing fourth on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2008, Mr. Lewis twice competed in the World Series of Poker and appeared in a feature film, “Johnny Was.” Currently an analyst for HBO Boxing, Mr. Lewis has been able to stay close to the sport that in his induction speech he called both “a sweet science” and “a magical dance.”

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Floyd Mayweahter, Jr. (39-0, 25KOs) was getting ready to fight Juan Manuel Marquez (50-4-1, 37KOs) on July 18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, when suddenly the supposed fight was reported to have been postponed, due to a damaged cartilage in his ribs. The injury is not much of a surprise, since Mayweather has not seen action for almost two years since he had beaten Ricky Hatton by a 10th round technical knockout, December 2007. He will stop training for his comeback fight until the doctor says he can resume.

Meanwhile, Marquez will be continuing his training for the anticipated bout. He is very focused on his future fights and on his boxing career as well.

The fans have been looking forward to the Mayweather-Marquez fight. The postponement of the said fight, will surely disappoint many boxing fans. They definitely wanted to see, if Mayweather is still who he claims to be, the pound-for-pound king.

However, the said fight is part of Mayweather’s comeback strategy. Considering that Mayweather has the size and speed advantage. And, putting into mind that Pacquiao had fought Marquez twice and had some serious problems against him both times. If Mayweather beats Marquez, it would in a sense be showing that he is superior to Manny, since Pacquiao was dominated by Marquez much of the time in their two fights.

Mayweather didn’t want to go right after Pacquiao for some reason, saying that he decided to fight Marquez because he called him out. It doesn’t sound like a very good reason, though, because pretty much every fighter in boxing would like to get a shot at fighting Mayweather, including Pacquiao, yet Mayweather opted to fight Marquez instead of any of them.

Many critics and boxing writers, are hinting that the postponement may be associated with poor ticket sales rather than Mayweahter’s supposed rib injury. In addition to the alleged rib injury, Mayweather has been experiencing an unusual skin condition that has caused a very prominent yellow streak to form down his spine. Doctors have confirmed that it is in fact this yellowing that has caused his decision to withdraw and not the rib.

Now that Mayweahter has been temporarily cancelled, Pacquiao will probably move on to a fight with Miguel Cotto, who looked worn out after defeating Joshua Clottey on Saturday night.

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Floyd Mayweather, Jr.’s reappearance has initiated a debate regarding the world’s number one pound-for-pound fighter. In his absence, the Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao has climbed to the top of the rankings. Following closely behind is the Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez climbing up the pound-for-pound rankings and is widely regarded as the number 2.

You can say that the Mayweather-Marquez fight would make sense, since Mayweather has been out of the ring for about 18 months. He would, rather fight the current number two instead of rushing himself straight into a mega fight with Manny Pacquiao. This will give him the boost in terms of progression. Taking down Marquez out of the list will bring him closer to regaining his most craved status: the world’s number one pound-for-pound fighter.

Mayweather obviously has the size advantage over Marquez for being the naturally bigger man. Marquez, on the other hand, has his career based between the 125-lbs and 130-lbs. His last fight at 135-lbs was only the second time that Marquez has fought above his 130-lb weight bound. Marquez has to step up two more weight divisions to meet Mayweather for the fight on July 18, which will take place at the 147-lb welterweight limit. Something that Marquez will be doing for the first time in his career.

Moreover, Mayweather will be having a speed, size and a major reach advantage over Marquez, something that might become a problem for Marquez, because of Mayweather’s defensive style of fighting. You could assume that Mayweather would be faster than his opponent, based on his past performances, not taking into consideration of his absence from the ring.

Marquez is definitely at the disadvantage against Mayweather’s speed, reach and size. However, Marquez is still a talented, brave, skilled and strong fighter, hopefully that will be enough to upset the odds of Mayweather dominating him. The best chance Marquez has is to go after Floyd in the early rounds, and hope that he can tag him while he is still trying to get back the feel of being in the ring. The other option for Marquez is to force Mayweather to make the first move, and try and draw him out of his comfort zone. Marquez hits hard, and is also an excellent counter puncher, so this may be his best outlet for victory.

This may be the last chance for the 36 year old, Juan Manuel Marquez, to cement his legacy, and with a win, he may get what he really deserves. A rematch with the Pac Man, Manny Pacquiao.

For Floyd, this is the perfect opportunity to dive straight back into the big time.

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Manny Pacquiao’s career has been so superb that he has become a target even amongst celebrity boxers. Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Sugar Shane Mosley, and Miguel Cotto had already expressed their intentions of fighting the pound-for-pound king. Aside from these four boxing superstars, there are also others who are battling for the opportunity of fighting Manny Pacquiao. It seems that the list of Manny Pacquiao’s challengers goes longer and longer.

Former IBF and WBO welterweight champion Antonio Maragarito (37-6, 27KOs) is wishing that his suspension from boxing be nullified by the California State Athletic Commission. Apparently, even after being banned for allegedly inserting a substance in his gloves before his fight with Mosley, he has been staying in shape all this time. He definitely wants to avenge his defeat against Mosley or get a breakthrough match against Pacquiao.

Edwin Valero, from Venezuela, is an undefeated southpaw boxer in his 25 professional fights. He started boxing at the age of 12, reportedly compiling an amateur record of 86-6 with 57 knockouts.He has an awesome punching power and a perfect knockout ratio. He defeated Antonio Pitalua via technical knockout in round 2 on April 4, 2009 to capture the WBC Lightweight Champion belt which was vacated by pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

Former WBO interim lightweight title holder and the current WBO Asia Pacific lightweight champion Michael Alan Katsidis, recently sought for Pacquiao for a possible match. The Australian professional Boxer of Greek descent, has a very promising boxing career, especially in his amateur years. He had recently won against Jesús Chávez in the lightweight eliminator tournament (entitled Lightweight Lightning). Katsidis is best known for his brutal 12-round slugfest against Filipino Augusto Caesar Amonsot two years ago in Las Vegas where both fighters ended up in the hospital. He had currently fought 27 fights, winning 25 of them with 2 losses and 21 knockouts.

All these boxing champs are looking forward to face Manny Pacquiao, in order to either claim or reclaim the spot of the worlds number one pound-for-pound king. They are attracted to the fame and glory that Manny is experiencing now. Pacquiao has expressed his readiness to take on anyone in the roster of challengers but reiterated they all have to go through the process of negotiations with his promoter and training team.

Pacquiao is said to be waiting to see the June 13 bout of Cotto with Joshua Clottey and the July 18 match between Mayweather and Marquez before making his choice and starting the ball rolling on pre-fight talks.

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A gigantic clash between two of the best welterweights in the world, Cotto and Clottey, is bound to happen on Saturday, June 13, 2009.

Miguel Cotto (33-1, 27KOs) the WBO Welterweight champion defends his title against an equally skilled one time IBF titlist Jushua Clottey (35-2, 20KOs) at Madison Square Gardens in New York.

These fighters have something in common, they both lost to the brutal Antonio Maragarito and they both won impressive victories against the former unified welterweight champion Zab Judah. But even with the obvious similarities in their careers, determining the result of this fight is still very difficult to affirm. Cotto has higher knockout percentages than Clottey. However, Clottey, who is undefeated since 2006, has already proven his defensive abilities against aggressive opponents.

Joshua Clottey, a Ghana native, has the capabilities to establish himself as an elite welterweight with a victory in this fight. He had achieved eminence after emerging victorious in his first twenty fights and coveted his first welterweight title by defeating former undisputed cham Zab Judah last year. He is often a feared competitor in the division and is often avoided, as he brings up his A-game in every bout. Honored to be able to fight for the first time at the Garden, Clottey is sure to bring heat in this highly anticipated clash of powerhouse welterweights.

On the other hand, Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico, returns to the Garden expecting to win another victory at the world’s most famous arena. His career as a boxer has been very superb, as he had experienced impressive victories against Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Paul Malignaggi, Mohamad Abdulaev and recently against top-rated boxer Michael Jennings.

“Clottey is a defensive boxer and a tough fighter,” said Cotto. “His record proves he belongs at the elite level of the welterweight division. But I will be ready to give everything I have against him and to do all that is necessary to defeat him. On June 13th, the world will witness a great fight between Clottey and me. It’s going to be a war inside the ring at The Garden.”

“I have always wanted to fight Miguel Cotto. It’s been a goal of mine for a long, long time. I can’t believe the opportunity is finally here,” said Clottey. “A victory over Cotto will give me the break in boxing I have been searching for. My time has finally arrived.”

“This is the fight that fight fans have been waiting for,” said Bob Arum, Chairman of Top Rank and the promoter of the match. “Two great champions – Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey – will face off in the ring at historic Madison Square Garden. What a night this will be.”

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