Joining him are NABO Jr. Welterweight Champion Karim Mayfield, challenger Tito Serrano, Jason Escalera, and Nick Brinson.

Story filed with the Knick Ledger; will post when available.

Other links:

• Live play by play from earlier tonight (Mixed Marshall Arts)
• Will King’s insights
• Mayfield stops Serrano in fifth to retain NABO title (Associated Press)

Hey, quit harping on fights that won’t happen like the one between Josh Koscheck and BJ Penn (he already told you he was retired! Leave BJ alone!). There’s plenty of interesting stuff that IS going down this weekend, even if many of the fighters involved face more uncertainty once their evenings are over.

Read more: http://www.spike.com/articles/fxjx89/uncertain-proving-grounds-barnett-vs-cormier-and-bellator-69

————

Also, as a reminder, I’ll be live-blogging tonight’s Star Boxing card at the Times Union Center, part of which will broadcast live on ESPN as part of Friday Night Fights. You can check that out right here on the Mixed Marshall Arts blog. The live blog will kick off at 7:30pm EST.

Tonight is Star Boxing’s second foray into promoting boxing at the Times Union Center in Albany. As an added bonus, they’ll be broadcasting live on ESPN2 for Friday Night Fights. I’ll be providing live, round by round coverage of it over on the Mixed Marshall Arts blog, pending technological cooperation from the Times Union Center’s wi-fi and so forth.

Is that it for now? I think that’s it for now. My ribs still hurt but they’ve gotten noticeably better over the last twenty-four hours.

“When talking to him on the phone, his speech was becoming slurred,” said Mike Mobbs, who’s counted Goodridge as his best friend since the two were nine years old, growing up in Barrie, Ontario together. “It got to the point where, when having phone conversations with him, I found myself constantly saying, ‘What did you say? Pardon?’ That, to me, was the tip-off.”

He’d forget appointments, forget whole conversations. He’d call a friend on the phone, talk to them for a while, then hang up and call them back ten minutes later. ‘How’s it going?’ he’d ask. And what were you supposed to say? That it was going exactly the same as it was ten minutes ago? That his brain was broken, and that there was nothing anybody could do about it?

…

“I had no idea about CTE,” Goodridge said. “I didn’t know anything.”

read more: The Fighter Who Stayed Too Long at MMAFighting.com

The story of Goodridge, as conveyed by Fowlkes, is heartbreaking. Particularly what it’s done to his friends and family.

People will write this off because Goodridge is at the extreme end of the spectrum of fighters who hang on too long. Goodridge is first and foremost associated with MMA, but he’s also fought in boxing, he has an even more extensive kickboxing resume. I worry people will see that and write it off as isolated, but it’s a very real problem in all of sports, not just MMA or boxing or combat sports in general. One need look only to what we’re finding out about former NFL players, in particular that their average life expectancy is hitting the low to mid 50s, mostly due to CTE-induced trauma, depression, etcetera. Sports fans are going to have to start asking themselves and their favorite leagues/promoters some very hard questions sooner rather than later.

================================

And from The Boxing Tribune’s Paul Magno: a much younger fighter at the very top of the game, Manny Pacquaio, is essentially broke due to the (potentially illegal) interference in his finances coming from Top Rank promotions and Bob Arum:

Manny Pacquiao’s grasp and control of an empire that has generated well over half a billion dollars is contained within six cardboard boxes filled to the brim with random receipts and hand written notes. Forbes’ 24th Richest Athlete in the World also has no idea where to find basic documents such as fight contracts, bank statements, endorsement contracts, promoter contracts, property ownership records, etc.

…

According to statements made by VisionQwest CEO, Michael Lodge, Pacquiao’s entire operation was in disarray with Manny’s advisor, Michael Koncz, assuming control of all money dealings in the absence of a full-time accountant or trained financial consultant. Little care was paid to accuracy as numbers, supplied by Koncz, were simply “plugged” into generic taxation forms and sent off to the IRS.

But disorder and sloppy record-keeping would be the least troublesome facts uncovered by VisionQwest.

According to the company, they also found out that Pacquiao’s advisor, Koncz, not only worked for Pacquiao, but was also working for Pacquiao’s promoter, Top Rank.

read more: Where in the World is Manny’s Money? at The Boxing Tribune

What more can I say? Boxing’s always been manipulative and haunted by less than reputable characters that have forever tainted and stained its image and integrity, but Bob Arum and company are among the lowest of the low. It’s nigh impossible to even imagine a guy like Pacquaio, who has generated so much money that most of us can’t even comprehend it, being cash poor. Yet here we are.

From Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports:

Gamboa, 30, will be jumping two weight classes to meet Rios, who had been expected to jump from lightweight to super lightweight after his last fight. Rios, 25, lost his WBA title on the scales on Dec. 2 in New York when he failed to make the 135-pound limit for a Dec. 3 title defense against John Murray.

His weight-cut problems were documented in the debut of a new feature done by HBO Sports that aired first on Feb. 4, “2 Days: Portrait of a Fighter.” HBO had behind-the-scenes footage of Rios’ struggles to attempt to make the weight, which he ultimately failed to do three times. The fight went on, with Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) winning by 11th-round stoppage, though he had to surrender his belt because he did not make weight.

Only in boxing…

It made noise a year ago, no doubt about it. But not enough, if you ask me. Troy heavyweight Shannon Miller (17-5, 9 KOs ), husband and father of two young children, and a local star already cemented in people’s minds as a tough dude with nothing to prove and everything to live for, decided to risk that life by donating half of his liver to save his Uncle Ray.

Despite Miller’s heroism, Uncle Ray died last Thursday. The cancer had spread to his lungs. “I only wish I could have done more,” said Miller.

More? More than give away a piece of your body? “Well, what if I had moved on it sooner, maybe the cancer wouldn’t have spread,”  he said.

read more over at the Troy Record

My condolences to Shannon, Shawn, and the entire Miller family. Both Miller brothers will compete at the March 10th Ares Promotions fight card at the Egg.

I’ll be covering the event for the Knick Ledger, so keep an eye there and follow @KevinMarshall for live tweets.

From the official site:

Event Details

Boxing returns to the Times Union Center for the 1st time in nearly 15 years!

 

IBA WORLD TITLE BOUT

Heavyweights—Ten Rounds

Joe “The Future” Hanks, 18-0 (12KO’s) vs. Rafael Pedro, 21-9-1 (15KO’s)

WBO INTERCONTINENTAL WORLD TITLE BOUT    

Bantamweights—Ten Rounds

Sahib Usarov, 17-0 (6KO’s) vs. Yan Barthelemy, 12-2 (4KO’s)

Super Middleweights—Eight Rounds

Jason Escalera, 12-0 (11KO’s) vs. Marcus Brooks, 7-8 (3KO’s)

Junior Welterweights—Six Rounds

Darnell Jiles, 8-2-1 (3KO’s) vs. Bryan Abraham, 5-10-2 (5KO’s)

Junior Middleweights—Four Rounds

Kevin Rooney Jr, 2-1 (1KO) vs. Stanley Harvey, 1-1 (1KO)

Other matches are still being determined. Card subject to change.

The 2012 Games in London will be the introduction of women’s boxing to the Olympics, but they’ll likely have to wear skirts. The BBC reports that the AIBA will meet this July in Thailand to discuss the controversial policy, which is  so backwards I’m embarrassed that we’re even having the conversation let alone forcing women like Ireland’s Katie Taylor to don the attire:

At the European Championship, Ireland’s three-time world champion Katie Taylor told BBC Sport: “I won’t be wearing a mini-skirt. I don’t even wear mini-skirts on a night out, so I definitely won’t be wearing one in the ring.”

But there has been support from some boxers, such as MC Mary Kom of India: ”The tennis players wear skirts and the badminton players are wearing skirts so why don’t the boxers wear skirts?”

Comparing boxing with tennis and badminton? Really? That defense isn’t just Kom’s, but the line held by proponents of the skirts. If the idea is to create sex appeal, well, there’s not going to be much of that when they’re donning headgear while bruising and bloodying each other up in the ring.

Boxing writer and advocate Michael Rivest shared his thoughts this morning on his Boxing in the Capital Region blog for the Times Union.  It’s not not the first time he’s brought attention to the subject. A little over a year ago he interviewed AIBA President Dr. C.K. Wu of the AIBA about the policy of forcing women to wear skirts in the ring.

“I have heard many times, people say, ‘We can’t tell the difference between the men and the women,’ especially on TV, since they’re in the same uniforms and are wearing headgear,” Dr. Wu said. But couldn’t AIBA have listened to the women’s concerns made clear months earlier, that such a uniform would be unacceptable? And if a different uniform is necessary, couldn’t it be, say, longer shorts?

I don’t know where to even begin with this one. If Wu needs help identifying men from women, I can have a sit-down talk with him and a picture book. In all seriousness, though, body types go a long way. So does the ring announcer and television commentators. Beyond that stupidity, though, if I’m watching two women fighting and they’re at a level where because of the gear and skill level I can’t differentiate them from men of equal size? Great! That means they’re doing it right.

What an absurd policy.

The Miller Brothers were triumphant and Javi Martinez improved the 3-0 on Friday night as Ares Promotions presented “Ares Fight Night VII: The Return” at The Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, New York.

The card featured the most exciting fight I’ve ever witnessed in person and a vast improvement in judging over the previous card, though there was still some head-scratching over a split decision in the main event.

Brothers Shawn and Shannon Miller were both victorious in their respective bouts, marking the second time both brothers have appeared on a fight card together and the first time locally. The brothers participated in the event to raise awareness of KOLD (Knock Out Liver Disease), an organization they started to assist those suffering from liver disease and help offset the costs of liver transplants.

Earlier this year, older brother Shannon gave approximately sixty percent of his liver to his Uncle Ray, who was in attendance at the event. His return from retirement also marks the first time a professional boxer has come back to fight after donating a liver. He not only battled a long and difficult lay-off but also uncertainty as to who his opponent would be. Montreal fighter Taffo Assongwed (2-9-6)  was Miller’s fourth proposed bout, given on just forty-eight hours notice. Three previous fights were made but unexpectedly cancelled for a variety of reasons. Complicating matters was the fact that despite his poor record, Assongwed has never been stopped in his entire fighting career, including amateur bouts. That spelled trouble for Miller, a power puncher who prefers an early finish. That didn’t happen, but his jab was enough to get him the win.

Asked in the post-fight interview fight how he felt, he replied forthrightly with a smile: “awful.” Many, including myself, thought he actually said “old,” though he did talk about age and his lay-off in follow-up comments.

Earlier in the night, Shannon’s younger brother Shawn took the ring in the second bout of the evening and easily avenged his controversial draw last month with opponent Mark Anderson. His shoulder, which had kept him out of a fight earlier this year and actually gave out on him during their last fight, held up this go around, with Miller showing no hesitation or signs of damage. More than one spectator noted that he looked improved overall; he certainly came across as crisp, fast, and strong in his unanimous decision win.

But the unquestioned fight of the night was a war betweem two young undefeated fighters, Colonie’s Javier Martinez and Troy’s own Ray Velez. It’s rare to see two undefeated and highly touted prospects at any level agree to a fight, but both were game (see previously: Albany boxer Ray Velez represents changing notions in the sport).  Being a tried and true Trojan, I did what I could to cheer for my local favorite, and I thought Velez put up a Hell of a fight and could have won a split decision. But as I was overwhelmed by the noise of a particularly pro-Javi crowd late in the fourth round, so Ray was at times taken aback by the energy of his opponent, succumbing to a knockdown that made the crowd erupt in one of the loudest pops I’ve ever heard at any sport event I’ve ever attended, and I’m including 20,000 seat arenas. In a fight that I think was much closer than the judges scored it (if not for that knockdown I would have had it a draw), Javi went home with a unanimous decision win and easily the most impressive notch on his resume yet.

That fight was followed by another quality fight, even if not as exciting or vested in local interest. Dominican fighter Eudy Bernardo used his reach and superior jab to take a split decision win over Rochester’s Darnell Jiles, Jr., who fought not only his opponent but also a faulty pair of shorts that slipped a handful of times during the fight. Even with properly functioning elastic, though, Jiles was simply outreached. On any other night the fight would have rightfully captivated everyone in the building, as both are genuine world class fighters. But following the sentiment of the Miller brothers’ victories and the excitement of the prior bout, it didn’t stand a chance. Still, it was a pleasure to see fighters at that level competing on a local card.

I haven’t been a fan of boxing for a long, long time, owing to the abscesses of promotional corruption and poor judging that have mired the sport and violently shoved competition and fairness out of the way of money and politics. In that sense, I’m thankful that we are getting these cards featuring hungry fighters from in, around, and well outside the Capital Region who are untarnished by the treacherous upper echelons of the sport.

Ring Magazine‘s Michael Rivest has a more in-depth review over on his Boxing in the Capital Region blog.

FULL RESULTS:
Lightweights: Bryan Acava def Jamell Tyson via Majority Decision (38-38; 37-35 and 37-35)
Light Heavyweights: Shawn Miller def. Mark Anderson via Unanimous Decision (59-52, 60-53, 60-53)
Super Middleweights: Andy Mejias def. Marcus Brooks via Unanimous Decision (60-54, 59-55, 59-55)
Heavyweights: Shannon Miller def. Taffo Assongwed by Unanimous Decision (59-55; 58-56, 58-56)
Welterweights: Javi Martinez def. Ray Velez via Unanimous Decision (39-36; 39-36, 39-36)
Junior Welterweights: Eudy Bernardo def. Darnell Jiles, Jr. via Split Decision (57-56 Jiles; 58-55 Bernardo x 2) Only outright terrible score of the night. There’s no way Jiles won that fight.

Last Saturday, Dewey Bozella made his professional pro boxing debut and won.

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