Bernard Hopkins hasn’t scored a knockout in six years. But that didn’t stop the Executioner from boldly declaring today (November 30) that he’ll stop Jean Pascal when they meet for the light-heavyweight title on December 18.
Hopkins will be heading into hostile territory when he faces Pascal in the champion’s hometown of Montreal, Canada. He faced similar conditions nine years ago when he dismantled Felix Trinidad in Madison Square Garden for his signature win. What most would consider a disadvantage, Hopkins sees a situation that may negatively affect his opponent.
“There is added pressure for him when you fight in your home. You get nervous because you don’t want to disappoint,” Hopkins said. “I am doing something out of character. I am fighting in Canada. The stakes are raised more than normal when you walk into another guy’s territory. I have no problem fighting in Canada. I am at my best when I walk into another guy’s home. If he is good, I have to be super good.”
Hopkins’ stoppage prediction is one that most people won’t take seriously. His last one was a single, liver shot KO over Oscar De La Hoya, who was competing well out of his natural division at middleweight. With Pascal, he sees the TKO coming after the Canadian is broken down from rounds of punishment.
“There is no magic trick to this. December 18 you are going to see me win this fight,” Hopkins vowed. “Not just go the distance, but win by TKO or stoppage…Pascal challenged me. Pascal called me out. He is risking his belt, and I am going to make him wish he hadn’t…I am going to dissect this guy. I am going to take him apart. Take him out of his comfort zone.”
Pascal vs. Hopkins will be broadcast live on Showtime.
We all know Hopkins saying “take him out of his comfort zone” translates to “I’m going to hit him with headbutts and low blows.” Indeed, we shall see how Pascal handles getting roughed up in close by a boxing master.
After completing his charity show last week in LA, Talib Kweli gave an insightful interview on the new emcees in the game. He gives cosigns to Joell Ortiz, Wiz Khalifa, Nicki Minaj, U-N-I, Blu, and Exile. He surprisingly reveals that he’s a mentor to Bow Wow. He also talks about how he momentarily lost his “Chain Heavy” verse for Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Fridays series. Other important developments include his beginning work with Madlib for Liberation 2. Kweli’s Gutter Rainbows album drops on January 25. Shout out to M-Boogie and www.lastereo.tv for the interview.
As everyone as heard by now, former lightweight champion Nate Campbell announced his retirement yesterday (November 29) following an upset loss to Walter Estrada this past Saturday (November 27). Campbell, who started boxing professionally very late at 28 years old, defied the odds and made it to the top of the boxing world by his mid-30′s. Beats, Boxing & Mayhem takes a look back at five important fights from the Galaxxy Warrior’s career.
5. Nate Campbell vs. Joel Casamayor (January 25, 2003)
They were close in age (Campbell’s 30 to Casamayor’s 31), but the experience gap when these two fought was huge. Casamayor had been a celebrated amateur with gold medal wins going back to 1989. Campbell had just five years boxing experience and three years as a professional. The battle was close, with many hard rounds to score. In the end, Casamayor took a unanimous decision win. But in defeat, Campbell had learned he could compete with the very best.
4. Nate Campbell vs. Robbie Peden I (March 14, 2004)
The Casamayor loss yielded a positive assessment of Nate Campbell’s skills. This one served as an embarrassing wake-up to take his craft serious. Campbell was dominating Robbie Peden in this fight. In this final sequence, Campbell arrogantly mocked Peden by dropping his hands and allowing for a free shot. The foolish move resulted in Campbell not only being knocked out, but losing a shot at the IBF super-featherweight title. A few years ago, Campbell had this to say when I asked him what he learned from this fight.
“It was a great but grave defeat. If it wasn’t for that fight, I wouldn’t be world champion,” he explained. “I learned from the fight. And with boxing, it is what it is.”
A focused Nate Campbell showed no mercy when he abused Kid Diamond for 10 rounds. Unlike the Peden fight, where arrogance momentarily took over, Campbell was all business in this beatdown. The fight served as a big statement on a PPV undercard that put him right back in title contention.
2. Nate Campbell vs. Ali Funeka (February 14, 2009)
Campell had just won the lightweight title in his previous bout, and was hoping to have a long championship reign. Unfortunately, his body had other plans. Campbell couldn’t shed enough weight to make the 135 pound limit, and he lost the titles he worked so hard for. Ironically, it was on the scales and not in the ring. He moved forward with this fight against an imposing 6’1 fighter in Ali Funeka. Campbell struggled to neutralize the height advantage, and usually young fighters like Funeka are able to take out aging vets. But Campbell escaped a probable loss with two key knockdowns to take a disputed majority decision. A bittersweet end to his days as a lightweight.
1. Nate Campbell vs. Juan Diaz (March 8, 2008)
No one gave Campbell much of a chance when he entered the ring against unified lightweight champion Juan Diaz. Diaz was undefeated, and had started being listed on the bottom half of pound for pound lists courtesy of his eight title defenses. Campbell wasn’t impressed, and turned Diaz’s signature swarming style against him with sharp, in-close counterpunching. Diaz suffered a bad, dripping cut over his left eye, and was compromised for most of the bout. This decision win would be the crowning achievement of Campbell’s career. It defines a career that survived for 10 years in boxing with unwavering self-belief.
Nate Campbell’s final career record is 33-7-1, with 25 KOs. All the best to the Galaxxy Warrior in retirement!
Publishing house Simon & Schuster has reached an agreement with Hip-Hop political activist Kevin Powell for the first authorized biography on Tupac Shakur.
Since his death 14 years ago, every book on Tupac Shakur’s life and music have been made without the consent his mother Afeni Shakur, who controls the rapper’s estate. Because of Powell’s track record in documenting Hip-Hop culture as a 90′s journalist with Vibe, and recent political work in New York, Afeni Shakur felt confident giving the project her blessing.
“Kevin Powell is doing this Tupac Shakur biography with my full blessings,” she stated in a prepared statement. “I trust him and his history of documenting my son’s life, and I know he will do the book from his heart.”
Powell has written 10 books on the topics of race, politics, Hip-Hop and poetry. The Shakur project will be his first biography, and he believes it will become the most important book written on the slain legend.
“It is an honor to write what will be the definitive biography on the life and times of Tupac Shakur, one of the greatest icons in hip-hop and pop culture history,” Powell told XXL Magazine.
At press time, a release date has not been finalized for the project.
Christy Martin is recovering safely at a Apopka, Florida hospital following a knife and gun attack from her husband.
Martin has been hospitalized since last Wednesday. She identified her husband, 66-year-old James Martin, as the individual who attacked her. Martin received knife and gunshot wounds to her left leg and torso. According to police, the crime was preceded by an intense argument between the couple earlier that day.
James Martin remains at large, and is also a suspected of returning to the home to retrieve belongings. A family friend notified the police of a burglary after visiting the property to pick up supplies for Christy Martin.
The LA Times has listed Crimeline (800-423-8477) as the number to call for any information on James Martin.
The sooner this man is off the streets, the better. Knowing Christy’s fighting spirit, I’m sure she got in a few licks before barely escaping with her life. I hope they throw the maximum charges at him. This incident definitely constitutes attempted murder, and makes you wonder how long this relationship has been violent.
No time for rest in this business. Even with her latest album (Let Freedom Reign) dropping tomorrow (November 30), Chrisette Michele has confirmed that she’s begun recording tracks for her fourth LP.
Tentatively titled Satire of a Pop Star, Michele is looking to record an uptempo project.
“I already started recorded it last night,” Michele told ABC News’s What’s the Buzz. “It’s uptempo…it’s just laughing at famous stuff and very comical.”
On her current album, Michele explained that Let Freedom Reign is a mixture of the soul of her debut, and the upbeat sounds of her sophomore release Epiphany. The singer also reveals her biggest singing influences, moving away from Hip-Hop collaborations, and artists she’s looking to work with.
Let Freedom Reign features appearances from Black Thought, Rick Ross, and Talib Kweli. Production credits include Ne-Yo and Chuck Harmony. This album will also be Michele’s first executive producer with nine personally written songs.
The entire ABC News interview can be viewed below.
Here’s the last video release for AZ’s 15th Anniversary edition of Doe or Die, which hits stores tomorrow (November 30). The first “Gimme Yours” was one of myfavorite tracks off Doe or Die, so I was skeptical about AZ being able to improve on the Minnie Riperton-assisted original. The new beat isn’t as smooth; Statik Selektah adds much more thump than the lush, R&B sounds Pete Rock sampled. But the feel is still captured, and the chorus is handled by an adequate singer in Josh Xantus rather than an off-key Nas. Peep AZ going back to 2006 and having a fight party to watch Mayweather-Judah. The video is directed by Chase Million.
When Michael Katsidis dropped and dazed Juan Manuel Marquez last night, he had two minutes remaining in round three to realize his goal of honoring his late brother’s memory with a championship win. But Katsidis’ amazing will would not be enough to overcome a resilient Marquez, who rebounded with precision counter-punching to score a ninth-round stoppage.
The third round opening happened because Katsidis had finally abandoned a foolhardy attempt to box with Marquez. The Australian was peppered with laser-like lefts to the body and uppercuts in route to landing 46 power shots. Katsidis began to pressure Marquez up-close, and shot home a whipping, short left hook. Marquez fell flat on his back, and rose into a barrage of hooks from Katsidis. Marquez had experienced this danger many times, and maintained his cool in rolling with the blows and firing back with 3-4 punch combinations capped with left and right uppercuts.
Michael Katsidis’ window for victory was effectively closed in the next round. Marquez, now wary of the left hook, kept his right high whenever he worked on offense. With Katsidis’ best weapon now taken away, much of his attacks were stifled and awkward compared to Marquez’s short and quick shots on the inside. In round five, Marquez was excellent off the backfoot with hooks to the body. The last 20 seconds featured the Mexican champion scoring accurately with a flurry of punches to close out.
The pattern of Michael Katsidis bullying through Marquez’s best continued until the deciding round nine. A jarring Marquez left uppercut and hook finally hurt Katsidis, who finally went into retreat. Marquez offered no reprieve, and followed up with two combinations punctuated by a right hook and uppercut. Katsidis’ attempts to clinch only gave him more punishment courtesy of more Marquez uppercuts from both hands. With :46 seconds remaining, referee Kenny Bayless halted the bout following another clean Marquez right hand to the head.
Juan Manuel Marquez retained his lightweight crown, but made it clear his intention is to still get Manny Pacquiao in the ring for a third fight.
“Katsidis is a great fighter, but we know that Pacquiao has been avoiding us,” Marquez said afterward. “We’ve put a lot of work into it, and it’s the fight the public wants to see…We always come in looking for a third fight with Pacquiao.”
Michael Katsidis fell short of the title, but he succeeded in paying tribute to his brother Stahi, who died suddenly of an overdose a little over a month ago. When asked if his brother would have been proud of his effort tonight, an emotional Michael Katsidis sent a message to his departed sibling.
“Stahi, I love you very much, and I’m going to miss you mate,” Katsidis stated while holding back tears. “It was the hardest thing just making it to the fight.”
Undercard Results
WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto made an easy defense of his title with a first round KO. Freddy Hernandez tried in the first minute to use his height and establish distance with his jab. But Berto was much too fast, and dropped Hernandez with a looping right hook around his guard. The punch was the fight’s first and only significant blow, causing a stoppage when Hernandez rose on unsteady legs.
In speaking with Larry Merchant, Andre Berto verified that he has ready to face either Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, or Miguel Cotto in his next bout.
Celestino’s Caballero suffered a devastating upset loss to Jason Litzau. Caballero was a 13-1 favorite going into a bout that was supposed to be a showcase fight. Caballero was constantly off-balance and sloppy with his offense. In turn, Jason Litzau remained consistent whenever he threw with landing solid, eye-catching shots. Litzau’s reputation of having a soft chin proved to have no bearing on this bout, as he walked through all of Caballero’s shots. The win is the biggest of Litzau’s career, and ends all hopes Caballero had of getting a featherweight title shot against any of the titleholders (Lopez, Gamboa, John, Rojas).
The watercooler discussion now will be who Manny Pacquiao faces if he can’t get Floyd Mayweather in early 2011. The short list is now Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, and Andre Berto. While Pacquiao would get the most money with Marquez due to their unfinished rivalry, the bout that offers the biggest challenge would likely be Andre Berto.
Marquez was impressive last night, but it doesn’t take away the fact the bout was at 135 pounds. Marquez has still not shown he can still be his sharp counter-punching self above that weight. We saw him look slow and lethargic when he came in at 142 against Floyd Mayweather last year.
Shane Mosley looked bad in his last fight with Mora, and was shut out against Mayweather in May. Fighting Mosley now comes off like Pacquiao feasting on Mayweather leftovers. Mosley should at least get a solid showing under his belt to make this fight feasible.
That leaves Andre Berto, who is unproven but represents several things we haven’t seen in recent Pacquiao opponents. He is young, athletic, has power, and doesn’t have any mileage from a recent brutal loss.
Unfortunately for Berto, unlike Pacquiao’s recent opponents, he doesn’t have much of a drawing name. So, the likelihood is that Pacquiao will face either Marquez or Mosley if Mayweather fails to come to the table.
“You have to go out like Mayweather…Mayweather will go out and then jump back in…”
This Tuesday (November 30) is the release date of AZ’s 15th anniversary edition of Doe or Die. In this interview with Mikey T, AZ talks about how he’s been able to remain in the game, and even hints at retirement after the release of Doe or Die 2 next year. He also clears up where he stands with former Firm band-mate Cormega.
Doe or Die: 15th Anniversary tracklist can be viewed after the interview.
1.Tribute (Intro) (produced by Nascent & QB)
2.Feel my pain (produced by Frank Dukes)
3.Gimme Your’s (2010 Remix) (produced by Statik Selektah)
4.Nothing Move f. June Summers (produced by Roctimus Prime, co-produced by Riggs Morales)
5.Rather Unique (2010 Remix) (produced by Lil Fame from M.O.P)
6.The Calm (produced by Statik Selektah)
7.Your World Dont Stop 2010-remix (produced by Statik Selektah)
8.I’m ILL (produced by MoSS)
9.I Feel 4 U (2010 Remix) (produced by Baby Paul)
10.Bonus
Andre Ward used his skill, toughness, and own foul tactics to overcome any equally rough Sakio Bika to take a clear, but grueling unanimous decision.
Ward, who bullied his two previous Super Six opponents in Mikkel Kessler and Allan Green, appeared flustered in the beginning by Bika’s rough-house tactics. Ward complained of headclashes up close, and found himself getting thrown around in clinches. Whenever there was space, Ward was able to work the jab on the slower Bika. In the third round, Bika has very nice moment where he raked Ward with five hooks to the body while in a clinch.
Ward settled down by the fourth, and began working his offense from mid-range. A Ward left hook stunned Bika, and the South African mauler responded with a hard right hook. The two men briefly brawled, with both refusing to retreat. In the fifth round, Ward tried to gain further respect by timing a clean right hook. Bika simply walked through it, and crashed home a left hook. The infighting continued to be punishing, with neither fighter gaining a significant advantage. However, Ward nicked the round with a clean 1-2 in the closing 30 seconds.
The sixth went to Bika, who was way more active in the clinches with body shots. The seventh stanza proved to be pivotal for the champion. Andre Ward, cut over both eyes and bruised, began to maul Bika with short elbows and butts. Bika, notorious throughout his career for fouls, began complaining to the ref in vain. While nearly all of Ward’s shots were glancing blows, he controlled the round and prevented Bika from mounting any serious offense.
The ninth round signaled that Andre Ward had complete control. The referee warned Bika for an elbow. Ward showed his savvy by responding with a blatant elbow of his own against the ropes that the referee missed. The foul stunned Bika, and Ward pressed his infighting to take the round.
Sakio Bika was desperate in the championship rounds, but simply didn’t have the offensive arsenal or defense to turn the tide. Andre Ward mixed up his attack with infighting and boxing, leaving Bika tentative and unsure of what was coming next. Each fighter’s face wore the damage of a ugly, foul-filled fight going into the 12th. Both were warned for fouls, a humorous development considering the referee’s stance came too late to have much bearing. Bika was more active in the clinches, but his strong finish came too late to alter the inevitable decision.
Fighting his third consecutive fight in his Oakland hometown, Andre Ward got wider scores than the fight would imply (120-108 , and 118-110 twice for Ward).
Ward acknowledged the bout wasn’t aesthetically pleasing. At the same time, the Oakland native explained what he went through was essential to his development as a fighter.
“Personally, I love to win and look good doing it. But these kind of fights are necessary, fighting a tough, rugged guy like Bika and finding a way to get the job done,” Ward said. “We knew he was going to bring it. But you have to get through this if you’re going to be great. I’m far from it, but I’m trying to get there.”
Next, Andre Ward will defend his WBA super-middleweight title against Arthur Abraham in the Super Six semi-finals. Ward remains the tournament leader with six points, and believes Abraham, who lost badly last night to Carl Froch, has hit a wall regarding his potential to improve this late in his career.
“I think it’s definitely a downside for him, and it may be too late to change that,” Ward explained. “How can you if you’ve done that all these years, and been a champion and been successful? How can you change now? I think he’ll be the same old Abraham.”
Somewhere, Bernard Hopkins was smiling last night. Ward-Bika was the type of fight the Executioner made his name on. When the contest was announced, I wrote a piece talking about how Ward would be tested, and he sure was. Ward was cut over both eyes, and you could see the pain on his face in some of those clinches.
Andre Ward’s style isn’t for everyone. But no one will argue his talent, and now he’s proven he can take the rough-housing as well as give it.
