The KO Digest 2011 Boxing Awards!

Ortiz kicks off a great 2011 with Berto

Simply put, 2011 was a great year for the sport of boxing. 

There were great fights, great upsets, great rounds, and one totally unforgettable knockout. It was a year that saw the return of Floyd Mayweather to boxing, the third fight in the epic Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez trilogy, and not one but two defenses of the World Middleweight Championship by Sergio Martinez. Stars like Nonito Donaire, Miguel Cotto, and Andre Ward shined bright. Future stars like James Kirkland and Gary Russell Jr made impressive statements. The year was not without it's share of controversies and bad decisions but this is boxing we're talking about. It comes with the territory and keeps things interesting. As boxing years go, 2011 was truly stellar. So as the year draws to a close, we look back at the very best the sport had to offer and present the KO Digest 2011 Boxing Year End Awards. 

KO of the Year: Floyd Mayweather KO4 Victor Ortiz

2011 KO of the Year: Hands Down!

Say what you will about the strange circumstances surrounding this infamous knockout, but the fact of the matter is that no other knockout in 2011 resonated with the general public and with boxing fans the way that Floyd Mayweather's fourth round demolition of Victor Ortiz did.

After surviving a flagrant headbutt from a frustrated Victor Ortiz in the fourth round, Floyd Mayweather waited for just the right moment when Victor Ortiz was done hugging and kissing to KO Ortiz with a truly vicious left hook, right hand combination.

Mayweather's KO got the entire sporting world talking about boxing and on top of that, it sent Victor Ortiz sprawling to the canvas where he stayed for the ten count, knocked out! The knockout of Ortiz also represented the return of Floyd Mayweather to boxing and whetted the appetites of boxing fans who still hunger for a Mayweather-Pacquiao dream fight. And sure, Nonito Donaire landed arguably the best single punch of 2011 when he leveled Fernando Montiel with a devastating left hand last February but the fact of the matter is that Montiel beat the count and resumed the fight, albeit briefly until the referee stopped it with Montiel very much on his feet. At best, call that the TKO of the Year. The KO Digest 2011 KO of the Year belongs to Mayweather KO4 Ortiz. Mayweather's knockout of Ortiz created a huge buzz and it reminded boxers all over the world to protect yourself at all times!

The KO was legal, it was brutal, and it was just what Ortiz was asking for, the 2011 KO of the Year! 

Honorable mention: Nonito Donaire TKO2 Fernando Montiel

Fight of the Year: Victor Ortiz W12 Andre Berto

Fight of the Year

If Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns taught us anything back in 1985, it's that boxing fans like fights that forgo the feeling out process and feature the kind of early fireworks that really grab your attention and then keep it. Victor Ortiz vs Andre Berto was just such a fight. The first round set the stage for what was to come as Ortiz dropped Berto with a vicious uppercut in the corner to kickstart the early fistic festivities. Berto survived the first round assault and then came back with a knockdown of his own in the second round by dropping Ortiz with a big right hand as Ortiz was coming forward punching.


With only two rounds in the bank, both fighters had already been down and the crowd at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Connecticut was on their feet to stay! The third, fourth, and fifth rounds were a slugfest with Ortiz owning the advantage on the ropes. In the unforgettable sixth, the fight truly earned it's Fight of the Year credentials. Andre Berto looked determined to follow the instructions of his corner to stay off the ropes and hit Ortiz in the middle of the ring, and he did just that - landing a booming right hand that sent Ortiz slamming to the canvas! Ortiz was up at "three" - but he was definitely dazed and at a critical crossroads. Would he quit like he did against Marcos Maidana or grit it out and find a way to win? Berto swarmed all over his hurt young challenger and landed another huge right hand. With only seconds left in the round and the referee apparently getting in a position to stop the fight, a sneaky right-left-left combo to the head from Ortiz sent Berto tumbling backwards and down!

Both fighters somehow survived the sixth round and despite the fact that the second half of the fight was fought at a markedly slower pace than the first half, it still featured enough great toe-to-toe action to keep the attention of boxing fans as the best overall fight in 2011. At the post fight press conference following the fight, Ortiz's manager Rolando Arellano joked, "If anyone wants to know why Victor Ortiz performed the way he did tonight, it's because Charlie Sheen is here and he gave Victor some of his tiger blood!" Performance enhancing blood? Winning! For going to war early and often in their unforgettable fight last April, Victor Ortiz W12 Andre Berto earns recognition as the KO Digest 2011 Fight of the Year.

Honorable mention: Pawel Wolak D10 Delvin Rodriguez

Round of the Year: James Kirkland-Alfredo Angulo Round 1 

1st round fireworks!

Were it not for the thrilling first round fought between James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo, Ortiz and Berto might have taken the honors in this category for their outstanding sixth round. Instead, it was Kirkland and Angulo who put on the Round of the Year in 2011 with arguably one of the best opening rounds in boxing history. Coming into this highly anticipated junior middleweight fight, James Kirkland was thought by many to be at best overrated and at worst damaged goods after suffering an embarrassing 1st round TKO loss to Nobuhiro Ishida in April. As the fight favorite, Alfredo Angulo was seen as a just the kind of durable fighter who could further expose Kirkland as a powerful but chinny puncher.

When the opening bell rang, these two warriors wasted no time going to war and they immediately grabbed the attention of everyone lucky enough to be watching the fight live in Mexico or at home on HBO. Thirty seconds into the round and only moments after HBO's Max Kellerman warned viewers not to blink, Angulo delighted his Mexican fans by dropping Kirkland with a straight right hand to the face that sent the Mandingo Warrior tumbling backwards onto the seat of his pants. It looked like it was going to be Kirkland-Ishida all over again and you could almost feel the air being sucked out of the sails of Kirkland's supporters.

Kirkland crashes in the Round of the Year

Kirkland beat the count though and with Angulo swarming all over him - and with his career in dire jeopardy - James Kirkland somehow survived the onslaught and he found the resolve to come back and drop the now punched out Perro Angulo with a powerful combination on the ropes with less than fifteen seconds left in the first round! Angulo somehow beat the count and the fight continued until the sixth round with Kirkland scoring a huge TKO win. But boxing fans will not soon forget this epic first round. It had it all. Action? Check. Drama? Check. Multiple knockdowns? Check. For three minutes during the epic opening round of Kirkland-Angulo, the boxing world held it's collective breath and enjoyed the KO Digest 2011 Round of the Year!

Honorable Mention: Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto Round 6

Upset of the Year: Orlando Salido TKO8 Juan Manuel Lopez

Salido stuns JuanMa in Puerto Rico

In 2011, the year of the upset, there was no surprise bigger than Orlando Salido's stunning 8th round TKO of Puerto Rican Pound-for-Pound star Juan Manuel Lopez. It wasn't supposed to be like this for the undefeated Lopez in 2011. Orlando Salido was supposed to be just another stepping stone for JuanMa on the road towards a fight against Yuriorkis Gamboa in a featherweight unification dream fight reminiscent of Sugar Ray Leonard against Thomas Hearns in 1981.

Instead what he got was an April shocker in Puerto Rico as the unheralded underdog Salido defeated the P4P favorite Lopez in front of his shocked hometown fans. Salido's upset win over Lopez was a competitive fight through the first four rounds, but then Salido turned the tables in his favor late in the fifth round with a brutal knockdown, courtesy of a sweet right hand shot to the chin. Lopez beat the count but he was badly hurt and he spent the sixth round on the defensive as Salido tried for the finish. In the seventh, Lopez came back and had a good round but in the eighth Salido closed the show by battering Lopez into a corner where referee Robert Ramirez waved the fight off with JuanMa badly hurt but still instinctively punching back.

Upset of the Year

It was seen as a controversial stoppage by Ramirez and some critics called it premature and some even called it unjust. But it was clear to most that Orlando Salido had done enough to earn the TKO win over JuanMa and his stunning upset win is the obvious choice as the KO Digest 2011 Upset of the Year. 

Honorable Mention: Brian Viloria TKO8 Giovani Segura 

Fighter of the Year: Andre Ward

2011 Fighter of the Year: Andre Ward

The self-proclaimed Son of God did everything in 2011 that a boxing messiah should do except for walk on water and then turn that water into wine. So instead, the supernatural super middleweight from San Francisco did the next best thing. He forgave his harshest critics and then proved them wrong with pious punching performances sure to inspire faith among even the most hardened of boxing's disbelievers.

Ward defeated the Biblically named King Arthur Abraham last May in the semifinals of the ungodly long Super 6 tournament and then wrapped up the prestigious Showtime World Boxing Classic by defeating Carl "The Cobra" Froch in December.

With the victory over Froch, Andre Ward unified the WBC and WBA versions of the super middleweight title and earned recognition as the Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Champion of the World. Ward also established himself as a rising Pound-for-Pound star in the sport of boxing and now occupies the #4 spot on the KO Digest P4P rating after having began the year at #7.

No boxer climbed higher in stature in 2011 than Andre the Giant. More than any other fighter, 2011 belonged to the Son of God and Andre Ward is the righteous choice as the KO Digest 2011 Fighter of the Year. "I've always set that out to be one of my goals to be the Fighter of the Year. Over fifteen years of grinding and toiling when nobody's around, when nobody's patting you on the back, and when are there are no light-camera-action. It's been a time long coming."

Amen Andre!

Honorable Mention: Sergio Martinez

Controversy of the Year: The Hopkins-Dawson "TKO" Debacle

What the heck just happened?

When challenger Chad Dawson tossed champion Bernard Hopkins to the canvas with a flagrant foul in the second round of their light heavyweight title "fight" last October, the controversy was only just starting. It would take months to sort itself out into something resembling a fair conclusion. While Dawson waved his glove in disgust, Hopkins grimaced on the canvas in apparent agony and never got back up. The referee ruled the fight a TKO win for Dawson and Bad Chad was declared the new WBC & RING Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Boxing fans screamed BS! Hopkins cried foul and Dawson acted like he had just emphatically beaten Hopkins fair & square. The WBC quickly overruled the referee's decision and declared Hopkins to still be "their" light heavyweight champion. RING Magazine waffled at a time when they should have led the way, declaring they would wait for the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to rule on their review of the fight before deciding what to do with their belt. In December, the CSAC declared the fight to be a No Decision. This meant that Dawson had not won by TKO over Hopkins and was not the Light Heavyweight Champion according to anyone, anymore. For involving so many different parties with such varied agendas, the Hopkins-Dawson TKO Debacle is the KO Digest 2011 Controversy of the Year. 

Honorable Mention: Referee Russell Mora's performance in the Abner Mares-Joseph Agbeko lowblow fiasco.   

Robbery of the Year: Paul Williams W12 Erislandy Lara

In a year that featured some pretty bad judge's scorecards, the Williams-Lara robbery rises above all the rest and is the gold standard for robberies in 2011. Erislandy Lara beat the hell out of Paul Williams for twelve rounds on HBO and even a blind man could see that he won the fight with little more than an overhand left which seemed to never miss Paul Williams' face.

Judges Bennett, Whitaker, and Givens ROB Erislandy Lara!

When the judge's scores were announced, a majority decision for Paul Williams, everybody knew that the Cuban born Lara had been robbed and jobbed. It was a shameful disgrace even by boxing standards and its the obvious choice for KO Digest 2011 Robbery of the Year.  

Honorable mention: Robert Helenius W12 Dereck Chisora

Prospect of the Year: Gary Russell Jr
 

Prospect of the Year

Six fights, six wins.

That's how southpaw super featherweight prospect Gary Russell Jr spent 2011. The highly decorated American Olympian is off to a great start as a pro and now stands undefeated at 19-0 w/ 11 KOs.

His first round KO of Heriberto Ruiz on HBO in November was impressive and eye-opening. Russell is widely regarded as one of the best prospects in boxing and he is the 2011 KO Digest Prospect of the Year. 
 
Honorable Mention: Edwin La Bomba Rodriguez


Comeback of the Year: Floyd Mayweather

When 2011 began, Floyd Mayweather had not fought in eight months. He was beginning to drop low or disappear all together from Pound-for-Pound lists, his rating at welterweight was in jeopardy due to inactivity, and the lasting memory of Shane Mosley rocking him in 2010 was still fresh on the minds of many. Floyd changed all that with one single fight in September 2011, a 4th round demolition of Victor Ortiz to win the WBC welterweight title. With the win, Floyd returned to the spotlight with a water-cooler KO, and he re-staked his claim to being the best Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world. At the beginning of the year, few gave Mayweather a chance against Manny Pacquiao. By year's end, few gave Pacquiao a chance against Floyd Mayweather. There was no more impressive a comeback in all of boxing in 2011.  

Honorable Mention: Erik Morales

Quote of the Year: Larry Merchant

"I wish I was 50 years younger and I'd kick your ass!" ~ Larry Merchant to Floyd Mayweather in response to Mayweather's disgraceful verbal assault against Merchant on HBO - immediately after beating Victor Ortiz. The 80 year old Merchant returned fire with fire, good for him. Mayweather wins the very unofficial Ugliest Moment of 2011.



Hit play to hear the exchange and the KO Digest 2011 Quote of the Year!

KO Digest Pound-For-Pound (P4P) Ratings Update

Andre Ward: #4 P4P

KO Digest Top 12 Pound-For-Pound

1. Floyd Mayweather (1)
2. Manny Pacquiao (2)
3. Sergio Martinez (3)
4. Andre Ward (6)
5. Juan Manuel Marquez (4)
6. Nonito Donaire (5)
7. Yuriorkis Gamboa (7)
8. Timothy Bradley (8)
9. Lucian Bute (9)
10. Miguel Cotto (11)
11. Wladimir Klitschko (12)
12. Vitali Klitschko (-)



Andre Ward is the big P4P mover following his incredibly impressive showing against Carl Froch to win the Super 6 and establish himself as the best super middleweight in the world. Ward shoots up like the rising P4P star he is from #6 to #4. The best way to climb the KO Digest P4P rankings is by beating others fighters rated P4P and that is just what Ward did, beating a fighter (Froch) that we had rated #10 P4P at the time of the Ward-Froch fight. Ward's dominating defeat of Froch moves him up two notches while Froch exits the KO Digest P4P rankings, falling just off the list from #10 and making room for Vitali Klitschko, new at #12, just below his brother Wladimir.

Vitali has been absolutely untouchable since his return to boxing in 2008 after a four year layoff. What the elder Klitschko has been able to accomplish in his comeback warrants his current P4P rating and may ultimately earn him a place in history alongside the best heavyweights of all time. Not all fans appreciate the Klitschko Brothers but their talent, longevity, and success can no longer be denied.

Vitali & Wladimir: The Brothers Klitschko

Andre Ward defrocks Carl Froch, wins The Super 6!

The Son of God Andre Ward

By Jeffrey Freeman -- In the end it was all Andre Ward as the Son of God soundly defeated Carl "The Cobra" Froch by unanimous decision Saturday night to win the Super 6 World Boxing Classic and unify the WBC & WBA versions of the super middleweight title. The 4-1 favorite Ward looked downright supernatural at times as he skillfully outboxed and out-punched the surprisingly slower-than-slow Carl Froch over twelve exciting rounds in Atlantic City. The left hook was there all night for Ward and he controlled the early part of the fight with it before mixing in his other punches including big right hands that found Froch's chin later in the contest. From the beginning, Froch looked uncharacteristically timid and it was obvious very early on that it would be a long night in the ring for him.

Despite the closer than expected scoring on two of the judge's cards, this was not a close fight in the ring or on paper. KO Digest scored the fight 118-110 in favor of Andre Ward. The three official judges returned scores of 115-113, 115-113, and a more ironically realistic 118-110 from the British judge John Keane.

After easily winning the first five rounds with quick boxing and that great left hook, Ward turned up the heat considerably in the sixth stunning Froch with you guessed it - the left hook. In the eighth round, Froch's frustration began to show as he took a backhand swipe at Andre Ward that fortunately missed. Referee Steve Smoger warned him for it and then continued doing an outstanding job of officiating the match by simply letting the combatants fight. The backhand seemed to irritate Ward though and he drilled Froch with a fierce right hand to the head just moments later.

Froch's frustration continued to show as he hit Ward after the bell to end the eighth round.

Never one to say die, Froch surprisingly had his best round of the fight in the ninth, trading on even terms with Ward to avoid what up until that point had been an apparent shutout. By winning the ninth round, Froch may have convinced Andre Ward that he wouldn't be able to finish him - so from this point on it looked less and less likely that Ward would.

Ward slays The Cobra

The fight slowed in the tenth and then got a little roughhouse in the eleventh but as he was all night - Ward was faster, busier, and more accurate than the Cobra in front of him. In the twelfth, Froch rallied with a nice combination to open the round and he won it on the KO Digest scorecard but by this point it was too little too late.

With the win, Andre Ward stays undefeated, improves to 25-0 w/ 13 KOs, and stakes his claim to the Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship of the World as well as the upper echelon of the current Pound for Pound ratings.

For Carl Froch, it was a disappointing though not entirely unexpected defeat and he falls to 28-2 w/ 20 KOs, defrocked for all the World to see. ~ "Ward is very slippery but that's boxing and he's very good at it."

Indeed, Andre Ward is very good at boxing.

You might even call him supernatural.

Redemption & Revenge: Cotto & Mares win without controversy!

Revenge for Cotto (Image Chris Farina)

By Jeffrey Freeman -- On a big weekend of boxing that featured highly anticipated rematches running simultaneously on HBO PPV and Showtime, it was sweet revenge for Miguel Cotto against Antonio Margarito and some much needed redemption for Abner Mares against Joseph Agbeko.

Defending WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto defeated Antonio Margarito by 10th round TKO when it was determined by ringside physicians that Margarito's badly cut and swollen right eye was too bad of an injury for him to continue getting beaten up by Miguel Cotto after nine rounds had been completed.

Could Antonio Margarito have continued the fight and gone the distance? Probably, but cooler heads prevailed and somebody finally stepped in to protect Margarito not merely from Miguel Cotto but from himself. With the win, Cotto now has his revenge over the man many suspect used illegal hand wraps to defeat him by brutal 11th round TKO in 2008.

The rematch was a good fight, not a great one and forgive me if I suggest that something was missing this time around. For Margacheato, that something might have been the plaster in his gloves while for Cotto it might have been the satisfaction of laying Margarito out on his shield once and for all. For boxing fans, that something might have been the high drama and ensuing controversy stirred up the first time these two met. If their first fight was a modern boxing classic as was suggested at the time by HBO's Max Kellerman, the rematch was more of a modern boxing clinic. With no controversy to be found anywhere at Madison Square Garden on this night, what we were left with was a very business-like Miguel Cotto outboxing and outpunching Antonio Margarito for most of the nine rounds while Margarito did his best impression of a smirking punching bag with cornrows.

A defiant villain to the very end, the defeated Margarito never broke kayfabe as he again insulted Cotto during his post-fight interview saying through a translator, "He punches like a girl." Cotto, more stoic and obviously savoring his victory, took the high road by saying simply, "Margarito means nothing to me."

With the win, Cotto improved to 37-2 w 30 KOs while Margarito falls to 38-8 w/ 27 KOs.

On Showtime, IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares gained a measure of much needed redemption in defeating Joseph Agbeko by a wide unanimous decision in a fight that featured no significant fouls, no bad calls by referee Lou Moret, and no drama on the scorecards. In other words, it was nothing like their foul-filled first fight. Mares kept his punches up for the majority of the night and in doing so he out-hustled Joseph Agbeko over twelve rounds despite suffering a very nasty gash over his right eye early in the fight, the result of a sharp Agbeko left jab. With blood flowing freely all night from Mares' eye, both fighters fought well throughout the contest and there were some fierce exchanges in the final two rounds of the fight.

Redemption for Mares (Image Tom Casino)

When it was over, both fighters were still standing and it was clear that Mares had done more than enough to win the fight though the unanimous scores of 118-110 from all three judges seemed a bit overgenerous to Mares. No matter the official scores, the right man had won and had done so in as uncontroversial a fashion as could possibly be expected given what took place the first time they fought under the incompetence of Russell Mora.

Mares retains his IBF bantamweight title successfully for the first time and he improved to 23-0 w/ 13 KOs while Agbeko falls to 28-4 w/ 22 KO's.

For the vanquished King Kong Agbeko, it's back to the drawing board. For IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares, a unification fight with WBA bantamweight champion Anselmo Moreno now looms. "Chemito" Moreno, making his United States coming out party a successful one, looked very sharp on the Showtime undercard in defeating Vic Darchinyan by unanimous decision in defense of his WBA "Super" title. The winner of a potential Mares-Anselmo fight would then have to be recognized as the best bantamweight in the world, particularly with the impending departure of P4P star Nonito Doniare from that division.

Officially, the Showtime Bantamweight tournament is now complete but it cannot truly be considered finished until tournament winner Abner Mares faces the highly talented Anselmo Moreno in a much needed bantamweight unification fight!

KO Digest exclusive Q&A with Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez!‏

La Bomba!

If boxing can be seen as a game of human chess, then super middleweight contender Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez can be seen as a Knight both in the ring and on the chess board. That's because like a Knight in the game of chess, Edwin Rodriguez likes to make unpredictable moves in the ring and he uses that unpredictability to set up his opponents for checkmate. With an undefeated record of 20-0 w/ 14 KOs, Rodriguez has checkmated all twenty of his opponents.

Rodriguez knows that boxing is a thinking man's sport, and by all accounts, he is a thinking man's fighter. Don't believe me? Then challenge him to a fight or to a game of chess and chances are that he'll beat you in both! In this exclusive one-on-one interview with KO Digest, Edwin Rodriguez discusses his recent SHOBOX fight with Will Rosinsky, the scoring controversy that followed it, and his love of chess, as well as other topics including his thoughts on the possibility of a rematch as well as the friendly rivalry that has now developed between himself and Rosinsky. 

KO Digest: Hi Edwin, on behalf of KO Digest, let me thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.

Edwin Rodriguez: Thank you for having me buddy, I really appreciate it.

KO Digest: I've heard that you're an avid chess player. Is that true, and if so, can you talk about your love for the game of chess?

Rodriguez: Yes, it is. I started playing chess in middle school. I learned how to play in the seventh grade. By the next year I was already the champion of my high school and we'd play against other schools. I did very well. I used to do tournaments but I haven't been very active lately.

KO Digest: Some people have called boxing human chess. Are there similarities between boxing and chess?

Rodriguez: A lot. They're very similar other than in chess, you don't get hurt. It's a thinking game. With every move you're making on a chess board you're trying to set up your opponent for the knockout and in chess it's basically the same, you're trying to set your opponent up for checkmate. It's the same mentality, there are times when you want to let your opponents think that they have something, and then you come back with a counterattack. Same thing in chess, you let your opponent take a piece but you have to be careful because it might be a trap.

KO Digest: When you fight in the ring, which chess piece is Edwin Rodriguez?

Rodriguez: I'm the Knight. That's because I make a lot of unpredictable moves and in chess, the Knight is very unpredictable. Like the Knight in chess, I can do a lot of things that my opponent is not expecting.

Knight takes King, checkmate!

KO Digest: Congratulations on the recent win over Will Rosinsky on SHOBOX. Can you talk a little about what it was like to be in there fighting so hard against a fighter you considered to be a friend?

Rodriguez: It was extremely hard and not just because he was a friend but because he was a very good fighter. A lot of people before the fight, they didn't give him enough credit but I knew how good he was five years ago. That's because we were on the same amateur team, I knew how hard he worked, and I knew how much he wanted it. So I knew more than anybody how good of a fighter he was and I knew the kind of shape that I would need to get into and how hard I would have to train to be able to beat such a good opponent like Will Rosinsky. The Showtime commentators in our fight, they didn't give him enough credit because they didn't know who he was. He was never on TV before, he got dropped by a guy who was 11-11, it happens but they didn't give him enough credit for being the good fighter that he is. But I knew, and I was prepared for that.

Rodriguez ready for anything against Rosinsky

KO Digest: Is that from sparring with Rosinsky in the past or is that from seeing him fight?

Rodriguez: We were roommates at one point in the amateurs. We trained together. We only sparred once and I don't really remember it so it wasn't because of sparring, it was because of all the time that we spent together. We were in camp for 4-5 weeks at a time together so I knew him better than anybody else.

KO Digest: Was Will Rosinsky your toughest opponent to date?

Rodriguez: Yes, for sure! He just kept coming forward. It was an entertaining fight and it was very intense!

KO Digest: It was a very entertaining fight to watch for boxing fans but let's talk about the controversial scoring. All three judges scored the fight 100-90, giving you every round. Was that an accurate reflection of what happened in the ring?

Rodriguez: No, not at all. I don't think so. The way I look at it, the judges had the right winner. I felt I won by 2 or 3 points. I'd say 98-92 or 97-93 would be OK but 100-90? That was definitely a slap in the face because the fight was much closer than that.

KO Digest: Have you watched the fight on TV since?

Rodriguez: Yes I have and let me tell you it's a whole different fight when you see it on TV and hear the commentators than when you don't hear the commentators. The Showtime commentators didn't give him a enough credit, therefore everything that he was doing that they weren't expecting him to do - they gave him more credit for it because they weren't expecting it from him. They all scored it a draw 95-95, but I didn't feel it was 95-95. I beat him by 2 or 3 points and I think that's what created even more controversy - the judges scores and the commentators having the fight a draw. It was a close fight, very entertaining every round but because it was so entertaining and because I was supposed to win easy - which I don't think was fair to him or to me - because we had the same level of amateur accomplishment. I just think because they didn't know him, he wasn't on the national scene on TV before, that's why they weren't giving him enough credit. So every time he did something they weren't expecting him to do, they were giving him more credit than they should have because to them, he wasn't supposed to do that, when in fact it was two very good fighters with good amateur backgrounds fighting eachother. It should have just been seen as a good close fight that I won instead of it being so dramatic with the controversial scoring. It's upsetting that such a good fight will only be remembered because of the judges who gave me every round. It shouldn't be like that.

KO Digest: Do you feel that the controversial scoring took something away from you and your victory?

Rodriguez: Of course. It took a lot away. It was a war, a fight that fans liked watching. I threw about 800 punches, Will threw like 600 and he kept coming forward with the pressure. So I do think that the controversy took something away from my win but it also took something away from a good fight.

KO Digest: Rosinsky has said since the fight that he thinks he won the fight. What do you think about his recent comments and is there anything to what he's saying?

Rodriguez: (sounding anguished) He can say whatever he wants. I think he went home, watched the fight on TV and saw that the commentators were giving him a lot of credit and that they scored it a draw. And so Will was like, 'Oh shoot, I could get away with this, I could actually make something out of it.' So I think that's what he's doing. I think that because the commentators scored it so close, a draw - he and everybody he knows now think they have something to say because of that. And definitely the judges giving me every round didn't help the situation either. After the fight, Will said that whether it's 96-94 or 100-90, he still lost the fight. Maybe I'm crazy if I'm making that up but that was his comment, I remember him saying that. Also, even his own trainer said on Facebook that he thought Will lost the fight 96-94 and his comment was that the fight should have been scored closer but his fighter still lost. That's coming from his own trainer! And now they want to backtrack because of the commentators scoring it so close, now they have an argument. I don't agree with the judges or the commentators.

He said what?

KO Digest: You were quoted in an interview that recently ran on Boxing Scene as saying in response to Will's recent comments to "stop being a punk." Did you say that? And as a pretty humble guy, can you talk about the frustration that would lead you to say something like that about a person you consider to be a friend?

Rodriguez: Honestly, I'm not going to sit here and say I didn't say that because I don't remember saying that but if the reporter quoted it, it's because I said it. I'm not going to be like Will and come back later and say that I didn't lose the fight when he said in the interview after the fight that he lost. I do apologize for my actions, but I let the emotions about the scoring of the fight and about him coming out in interviews and saying that DiBella or whoever - that the fight was already given to me before the fight even started. He got the better of me and I do have to apologize for that.

KO Digest: How would you describe your relationship with Will Rosinsky now? It's interesting that two fighters can be friends before and throughout a fight and then that friendship can be threatened by just a few words.

Rodriguez: Enemies in boxing fight and sometimes they become friends. Sometimes friends fight in boxing and they become enemies. It's different now. I'm not his friend. I'm not his enemy. Let's just say we've become rivals now.

KO Digest: Is a rematch with Rosinsky something you would consider or is Edwin Rodriguez moving on to bigger and better things?

Rodriguez: I am moving on to bigger and better things but I do feel that Will is a very good fighter and he's gonna do good for himself, and I hope that he does because I'd love to fight him again.

KO Digest: You've sparred with some real good fighters. Who are some of the guys you've sparred with and what did you learn from those experiences?

Rodriguez: I've sparred with Jean Pascal, Carl Froch, Daniel Geale, and Chad Dawson. I went into those experiences with a real learning mentality. I paid close attention to everything they did in terms of nutrition and strength conditioning. I really learned how a world champion boxer runs their camp.

KO Digest: As a body puncher, some people have compared you to guys like Micky Ward - that's very high praise. How did you become such a proficient body puncher and is that something that came naturally to you or did you have to learn that?

Rodriguez: I think it was a little bit of both. I had a couple KO's in the amateurs from body punches and in the gym I put a lot of guys down with body shots, so I think that's how it started sticking with me. I liked the way it felt after I put a couple guys down in the gym with body punches, so I brought it into the fights.

KO Digest: Were you surprised at how well Will Rosinsky stood up to your body attack?

Rodriguez: If I tell you I was surprised, I'd be lying. Will has a huge heart, I knew that coming in. My game-plan was to box, to stay on the outside, to stay busy and I think I did all of that.

KO Digest: Critics of Edwin Rodriguez would say that you sometimes brawl when you should box and that you're in a constant struggle between being boxer and a brawler. Is there any truth to that and what is that struggle like for you when you're in the ring and getting hit?

Rodriguez: 100% that's true! But I'm a fighter, and fighters fight. I do have a new trainer now in Ronnie Shields and we're working on fixing my mistakes and being more defensive minded but at the end of the day I'm a boxer-puncher-brawler. I try to do a little of everything and stay away from the brawling and getting hit with silly punches.

KO Digest: You mentioned your trainer, Ronnie Shields. What makes Ronnie such a good fit for you?

Rodriguez: Ronnie is a great trainer but it's not just that, he's also a great person. It's so easy to trust him because he's such a good person. When you're in the ring and somebody is trying to take your head off and you go back to that corner, it's so easy to be able to relate to and listen to somebody that you have such a good relationship with and that's the biggest strength of Ronnie- he's such a good person and he really cares about his fighters. Now with that said, he's also one of the few real teachers left in the boxing game. Boxing used to have a lot of great trainers, now we don't have that many so I'm glad to have Ronnie in my corner.

Teacher and student, Shields and Rodriguez

KO Digest: Can you talk about your relationship with your manager Larry Army? As a boxing manager, he's relatively inexperienced but he seems to be doing a very job of guiding your career along. Is this a typical boxer/manager relationship or is it something more special between you two?

Rodriguez: Larry is my best friend. Whenever I'm feeling down, I'm calling him, and whenever he's feeling down, he's calling me. He's my best friend, that really explains it all and he's really good at what he does.

KO Digest: Moving forward, there have a been a few names mentioned as future big name opponents for you. Kelly Pavlik and Allan Green. Now in terms of fighting a big name, who would you personally prefer to fight if your were your own manager and your own matchmaker?

Rodriguez: One of those two guys. There are a ton of guys in my weight class, super middlweight. It's a talented weight class. I just threw those names out there because they're top ten and I want to fight somebody in the top ten, somebody that will get me to that world championship level.

KO Digest: Who will win the Super 6 Finals between Ward and Froch and of the elite fighters in your weight class, guys like Ward, Froch, Bute, and Kessler - who do you think you match up best with?

Rodriguez: I think me and Kessler would be a great fight. I'm friends with Carl Froch and I was in camp with him. I learned a lot from him in sparring. Froch is a very strong, very powerful super middlweight and I think it's gonna be a great fight between him and Andre Ward because Ward has a very good style and Froch knows how to adapt. But my money is on Carl Froch.

Froch battles Kessler

KO Digest: As one of the top young contenders in boxing, what did you learn from the Rosinsky fight and the controversy that followed it?

Rodriguez: To think positive and to just keep moving forward.

KO Digest: Thank you Edwin, and good luck.

Rodriguez: Thank you for the interview and thanks to all the fans for keeping up. I just hope 2012 is gonna be a big year for me! 

KO Digest exclusive Q&A with Will "Power" Rosinsky!‏

Will Power!

Super middlweight prospect Will Rosinsky knows a thing or two about hurting people and helping people, and he's very good at both. That's because in addition to being an up and coming professional prizefighter, Rosinsky is also a certified EMT with the NYC Fire Department.

In this exclusive one-on-one interview with KO Digest, Rosinsky discusses both of his careers, his recent fight with Edwin Rodriguez on SHOBOX, the controversial scoring of that fight, as well as several other topics including his thoughts on CompuBox, judge Glen Feldman, and where he hopes to go from here.

At 26 years of age and with a record of 14-1 w/ 8 KOs, Rosinsky is poised to make a run at the top after putting his name squarely on the map following his outstanding performance against Edwin Rodriguez last month on Showtime.

KO Digest caught up with Will Rosinsky two weeks after his SHOBOX war with friend & rival Edwin Rodriguez. Here is what "Power" had to say:

KO Digest: Many fight fans might not realize that fighting is not your only job. Can you talk about your career as an EMT in New York and how you first got involved with that?

Will Rosinsky: I work for the NY Fire Department as an EMT and I love my job. It's a totally different way of living in terms of boxing. As an EMT, I'm trying to help people. As a boxer, I'm trying to hurt them. I got into it by seeing some promos for it at a local B&B and I took it one step at a time and ended up doing what I'm doing now.

KOD: How long have you been an EMT?

Rosinsky: I got my certification about a year and a half ago, but I've been working for the fire department since February of this year.

KOD: Are there any similarities between your career as a boxer and your career as an EMT?

Rosinsky: I think they are two jobs on different ends of the spectrum. In fighting, you are trying to hurt people, as an EMT you're trying to help people. Both jobs definitely take patience and just being calm in situations. That's a similarity they both have.

All in a day's work: Saving lives and kicking ass!

KOD: As an EMT, what has been your most memorable on the job experience?

Rosinsky: Actually, the day before I had my little vacation, my days off to get ready for the fight - we had a lady, a call came over for respiratory distress. She had a problem breathing, we got there and she was already in cardiac arrest. Myself, my partner, my Captain, and the paramedics who got on scene after us helped to bring her back and we got a pulse. We got her to the hospital in more of a lively state, she was still unconscious, but her body was functioning again.

KOD: It sounds like you saved her life.

Rosinsky: Ya, well, not just me. I had help from other people.

KOD: Let's shift to boxing. How did you get "Power" as your nickname?

Rosinsky: When I was an amateur, I actually had that name already, not because of any type of punching power but rather because somebody in the gym once told me while I was working out hard, "You just keep going, you have a lot of willpower." So from there, it just kind of caught on with the name and just in terms of having the will to just keep going and keep moving forward. So, it stuck.

KOD: You mentioned your amateur career, what was your amateur record?

Rosinsky: I don't know exactly, but I usually tell people it was around about 85 wins and 12 losses.

KOD: Can you talk about your amateur accomplishments?

Rosinsky: I won the Golden Gloves from 2005 to 2008. I was US National Champion in 2005. I won the "Outstanding Boxer" award in the tournament in 2005 for the Golden Gloves. I won the New York Metros twice. I won the Northeastern Regional once. I participated in the PAL a couple of times, the National Golden Gloves, got to the semi-finals and fought twice, unfortunately I lost there. And I was the captain on the USA team in 2005-2006 when we went to Russia, for the world championships and in Hungary for a duel. I was able to be the captain for that which us a good experience.

KOD: In the amateurs, did you fight anybody who went on to have any notable success as a professional?

Rosinsky: A lot of guys are still making that success. I fought only 3 or 4 years ago in the amateurs so guys like Brandon Gonzales who just fought the week after me against Ossie Duran, I fought him. I fought Marcus Oliveira. Guys that are undefeated now I fought and beat in the amateurs. Guys like Romell Rene, he beat me in the amateurs, he's had success. He's undefeated, 12-0. I had some good experiences.

KOD: Can you describe your friendship with Edwin Rodriguez and how that originated?

Rosinsky: They used to room the 165's and 178's together, so he was fighting at 165, I was fighting at 178. So he was one of the guys I got along with on the team because we were roommates, but not always. He'd always want to room with Demetrius Andrade who was from Rhode Island so they knew eachother much better. It was me, Edwin and a couple other guys and we just clicked being on the team together. We were in China together, we were in Hungary together, so I guess when you're with somebody often or when you go elsewhere, away from home and you're with the same people, you just start getting comfortable with them. And so we became friends that way. He's a real good guy and we just clicked.

KOD: Your recent SHOBOX fight against Rodriguez was very entertaining to watch. What was it really like from your perspective to be in there fighting so violently against a friend?

Rosinsky: You know what, you put all that stuff aside. It was actually a lot of fun. I enjoyed it. I knew it was gonna be a tough fight from the get-go. I knew the kind of heart that Edwin came with. So everything that happened, I expected which doesn't always work out like that. I expected him to be tough, and I expected him to throw good body shots. I knew that he wasn't gonna give in to anything, so a lot of it I expected and that helped me with the fight.

Rosinsky having fun in there! (Photo: Pattee Mak)

KOD: Have you had a chance to sit down and actually watch the fight on TV?

Rosinsky: I would say I've watched the fight 20 to 30 times!

KOD: That must be a very surreal experience for you. What did you think about the Showtime announcers, they all scored the fight a draw, 95-95.

Rosinsky: I don't want to say they were against me but they were underestimating me from the get-go. If you listen to them talk in the beginning, it's very negative, "Will hasn't fought anybody yet. Will has been brought up very lightly. Will has not been tested at all yet. Will got dropped in his last fight against a guy that was 11-11." And then when they spoke about Edwin, it was, "Oh Edwin has been brought up perfect. Edwin has great body shots. Edwin has a great trainer in his corner." For the announcers to actually round-by-round, switch to the other guy which was me and say, "Rosinsky is showing a lot more than we expected. Rosinsky is staying in there and being aggressive, I actually had him winning this round!" - that was a good feeling and I think I deserved it the way I performed.

KOD: By the way you fought, it sounded like you earned their respect, do you think that's true?

Rosinsky: Absolutely. I did earn their respect and I don't think they expected a lot from me so when I came with that kind of fight, which I told them I was coming with, I think they started to open their eyes and say, "This kid has absolutely come to fight." As a fighter, you always talk confident, no fighter is gonna go to an interview and say he's not ready for a fight. Fighters always talk confident but it takes action to actually prove yourself and I think once they realized I was talking confident but that was because I was being honest - they saw that I was really there to fight.

KOD: Let's talk about the controversial scoring. All three judges scored the fight 100-90. You called that a "mockery" at the post fight press conference. You also said that you were not busy enough in the ring and it seemed like you accepted that you'd lost the fight even though you were not happy with the wide marginal of victory for Rodriguez. Talk about your initial reaction to all of that and how, if at all, your feelings have changed about it since.

Rosinsky: First of all, people have been putting words in my mouth about that, that I thought I lost. I just felt I could have been busier. As a fighter when you go into a fight, you have a picture in your head on what you want to do. My goal was to be busier than I was. To say that I wasn't busy enough doesn't necessarily make me say that I thought I lost the fight because I wasn't busy enough. I also mentioned something about the scores at the post fight press conference. I said whether it's 100-90, 99-91, or 98-92 - it's still a loss. The point there I'm trying to make is that everyone is making a big deal about the 100-90 loss, but for me I don't even care about what the score is. The fight is over, I already lost the fight so even if it's scored 96-94 and I lost the fight, I still lost the fight! I didn't want to even accept the fact that I lost. People are making a bigger deal about the scoring rather than the fact of if it's a loss or a win.

KOD: Do you think you won the fight against Rodriguez?

Rosinsky: I think I won the fight, yes. If you asked me that the day of the fight, or right after the fight, I would have said that I'd have accepted a draw. The reason why I say that is because you don't sit there and count the rounds that I feel I won or lost right when you're done with a fight. I mean, you don't know! It's really something you have to watch first. I felt I put up a good fight. I felt I won a good amount of rounds but I can't say I definitely won the fight because each round was close. But then when I go home and watch it closely and I can see how much more aggressive I was and how he was backing up and how he was on the defensive; it's like how did these judges see that round as even close? He's backing up the whole time and he landed one big punch in the last 15 seconds  and they're gonna give him the round? Meanwhile, I'm aggressive and landing the harder shots, it's just crazy. But when you're in a fight you don't sit there and count the rounds. The fight was close, I would accepted a draw but when I got home ans watched it, I say I won the fight 5-4 with one round even or 6-4.

KOD: You were recently quoted in an interview by the Boxing Tribune and you made a comment about knowing "the fix was in" when you first heard the 100-90 scores. Can you elaborate, what did you mean by that?

Rosinsky: Edwin is the guy that they're promoting. Edwin is the guy that they're putting money into. I'm not the guy that they're putting money into. As soon as I heard 100, I didn't even need to hear the rest, I knew the decision was for him. I knew the decision was not gonna go 100-90 for me. Obviously, if the fight is halfway close and I hear 100 as the first score, it's like, "this fight is fixed" and when I say fixed, look I'm not gonna say the DiBella people paid the judges off because I don't know what goes on behind the scenes but that's gonna raise eyebrows to anybody who watched that fight even if it's ten years from now. Even people who have nothing to do with boxing are gonna say that something was going on there. That's evident. For that one judge, Glen Feldman - for him to say that he tried to give me a round but that he couldn't find one, it's just ridiculous because the performance that both me and Edwin put on, to make that comment that he was looking for a round to score for me shows me that he came to the fight biased. Nobody is asking you to look for a round to score for me. Score the fight as it is, you don't have to look for anything. You go round by round and score for who you think won the round, but looking for a round to score for me, that's ridiculous.

KOD: The CompuBox stats for the fight seemed to statistically justify the wide margin of victory for Rodriguez. Have you seen the CompuBox report?

Rosinsky: Yes, I have. I looked at it. It shows him landing some more punches percentage-wise. One thing that CompuBox doesn't show is ring generalship. It doesn't show how much a guy is on the defensive. A guy can still be a boxer and move and box, and still win a fight. I'm not saying that a guy coming forward getting blasted with shots is always gonna be the aggressor, or the guy who should always wins the round but I think those CompuBox numbers are a little deceiving.

How did CompuBox score this punch?

KOD: In the 8th round, he hit you with a monster left hook that seemed to stun you. Were you hurt by that punch and if so, how did you manage to take the punch so well and hide the fact that it hurt you by coming right back with shots of your own?

Rosinsky: I wasn't hurt. It was a good punch. I really wasn't  hurt and I think that mainly that is because I was in great shape. When you're in great shape like that I guess your body can do a lot more and it was only one punch. He didn't come back with anything. Maybe if he'd come back with something it would have hurt a bit but it was almost like he was satisfied with that one punch. It looked a lot worse than it really was because my head came back. I wasn't hurt. And if I was, I wouldn't have been able to come back. I tried to come back quick, just to show him that I wasn't hurt because I know that sometimes by the way your head goes back it almost looks like it had to hurt, but really - I wasn't hurt with that punch at all.

KOD: Rodriguez is known as a body puncher. You stood up extremely well to his body attack. What do you attribute that to and what is it like to be hit in the body by Edwin Rodriguez?

Rosinsky: It's all about being in shape. I was ready for that. I know that's his signature, going to the body, so we were doing a million crunches a day. He caught me with some good body shots, nothing that hurt me though but it was stuff that I felt. But it was nothing that took me off my game and made me stop what I was doing.

KOD: Promoter Lou DiBella said after the fight that he was interested in continuing to work with you moving forward. Have there been any developments between Lou and yourself in terms of what's next for Will Rosinsky?

Let's make a deal?

Rosinsky: I believe Lou wants to do more of a long term thing. There was something in the contract for the Rodriguez fight that he would have a three fight option on me. I think he wants to throw that out and do something long term. If the offer is right and the deal is right, I'm willing to do that. I do have a job, so it depends if it's worth it for me to leave my job as an EMT and do boxing one hundred percent. There a lot of advantages that my job has that boxing can't offer. I'm gonna cross that bridge when I get to it.  

KOD: What can your job as an EMT offer you that boxing can't?

Rosinsky:  A pension, health benefits, things like that. Things that people look past. Nothing is guaranteed in boxing. The money is great but I'm thinking long-term like what I'm gonna being doing in 20 or 30 years. But if the price is right, we can work something out and then I'll have no problem signing something. That's something that will need to be worked out and I'm in the midst of doing that right now.

KOD: How much was your purse for the Rodriguez fight?

Rosinsky: Fifteen thousand dollars.

KOD: The Rodriguez fight was your first scheduled ten round fight, only your second fight outside of New York, and your first fight on a major cable network. A huge step up and a big risk. In the end, was it worth it?

Rosinsky: It was worth it. I wish I had come back with the win but it was worth it. The main reason I took this fight, I knew it was a big risk against Rodriguez, but I knew that if anything, if I were to put on a great performance - and this is the honest truth- and I said this to my trainer, I said if anything funny goes on, like a funny decision or something ridiculous, the whole boxing world will be able to see it and that's the only reason I took the fight. Because it was on Showtime, and unfortunately funny things did go on but a lot of people saw my performance and a lot of people got to see what I'm all about. Now, if I would have fought him in the middle of Brooklyn or in the middle of Worcester, MA on a card where the place fits a thousand people and only a thousand people saw that fight, all that's gonna be is a sweep win for Edwin that nobody got to see and it would be me crying robbery and nobody would be able to say, "You know, I saw that fight." I have people I don't even know coming up to me at work and they say, "Oh, you're that kid who fought on Showtime and got robbed!" It feels good because people got to see it but it still doesn't take away from the fact that I actually lost, but at least people got to see it.    

KOD:  Rodriguez said after the fight that sometimes friends put on the best fights. Guys like Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward are an excellent example of that. Do you agree with that?

Friendly Pride!

Rosinsky: Yes, because you know eachother from a different level. I guess that makes a difference. I don't know why that's the case but I definitely agree with that. It's more of a pride thing, you have more pride when it comes to fighting a friend and I guess you have more to prove to eachother.

KOD: As a young up and coming fighter, what did you learn from the Rodriguez fight and from the controversy that followed it?

Rosinsky: Don't leave it in the hands of the judges! If I could knock out everyone in the first thirty seconds, I would but it's not that easy. The main thing I learned is maybe to look for the KO a little more rather than scoring points and I never do that because I'm not a huge puncher. I don't look for the knockout ever but maybe I should start.

KOD: Thank you Will. In conclusion is there anything you would like to add?

Rosinsky: Thank you to everyone watching, listening, and writing about the fight. I appreciate the support and look out for my next fight. I'm not sure when that will be but I can guarantee I will put on an even better performance than I did in the Rodriguez fight.

Q&A with Timothy Bradley: Khan ducked me first!

Undefeated WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley addressed the media today via international conference call in promotion of his upcoming WBO title defense against former lightweight champion Joel Casamayor on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight, scheduled for November 12th on Pay Per View. Bradley recently signed with Top Rank and was joined on the call by his promoter Bob Arum as well as by his trainer Joel Diaz and manager Cameron Dunkin. Bradley sounded upbeat about his new career direction and about his upcoming fight against Casamayor - whom Bradley says he must "destroy" before he can think about any other opponents. "I respect every fighter but nothing about Casamayor concerns me and he's not gonna beat me. No way."

Bradley discussed his future at junior welterweight by reminding the boxing media that he's still the champion at 140, but says he would love to move up to welterweight. "140 is getting tight to make the weight, I'll be more comfortable at 147 and based on the opportunities available. But if there's a big fight at 140, I'll squeeze down. Everybody knows I want face the pound for pound best out there and that's Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao."

KO Digest then asked Timothy Bradley for his thoughts on the roughhouse tactics of Joel Casamayor, performance based bonuses in boxing, critics who say he ducked Amir Khan, his ranking in RING Magazine and finally about his thoughts on the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez fight which Bradley fights on the undercard of, in what promoter Bob Arum called the "semi-wind up fight."



Bradley on the roughhouse tactics of Joel Casamayor: "I'm rough in there too! He can get rough all he wants, I've got my tricks of the trade as well and we're gonna talk to the referee before the fight about his dirty tactics. I'm prepared for all that, we trained for it. He's not gonna sneak me with anything."

Bradley on critics who say he ducked or avoided fellow 140 pound champion Amir Khan in order to take a safer path to a fight with Manny Pacquiao: "It doesn't bother me. Criticism doesn't pay the bills. One day, me and Khan will get it on in the ring and we can settle it then but I was supposed to fight Khan way before - in fact I was supposed to fight him after I fought Lamont Peterson but then Khan went on to sign with Golden Boy and Golden Boy didn't want no part of it. He ducked me first! We tried to make the deal, we kept calling but they never picked up. When the time is right, me and Khan will settle our differences, and we're gonna get it on."

Criticism doesn't pay the bills! Big fights do!

Bradley on being rated #8 P4P by RING but below Amir Khan in their divisional rankings at junior welterweight: "Doesn't bother me at all. I'm #8 pound for pound, he's not even in the pound for pound ratings. Amir Khan, at 140, he can't move without me. He needs me, I don't need him. I'm just gonna fight my fight - fight by fight- and that's it."

Bradley's prediction on who wins the main event on November 12th, Pacquiao or Marquez: "Manny. I say he's gonna stop Marquez in the late rounds, say 8 or 9, he's gonna take him out."

Bradley on 'performance bonuses' in boxing: "Heck ya! It's beneficial, fans want to see a good fight, a good show, so why not? I'm definitely on board with that."

Promoter Bob Arum then chimed in to add his thoughts on the idea of performance based bonuses in boxing, "Sometimes we see some fighters too anxious to quit the fight. We saw that with Josh Clottey against Manny. We saw that with Mosley against Manny and we saw it with an undefeated Argentinian, Omar Narvaez, against Donaire. This is prizefighting, that's what it's called, prizefighting. To induce fighters where the cause doesn't look so promising to get in there and try to pull it out by becoming aggressive - we feel this gives them an incentive to do that, and that we would get better performances and better fights. Top Rank President Todd deBoef announced this to Kevin Iole and I agree with it."

Hit play below to here the whole conference call.

10/21 SHOBOX Octoberfist Results: Rodriguez W10 Rosinsky

Edwin Rodriquez W10 Will Rosinsky 
(super middleweights) In a fight that was better and somewhat more competitive than the scoring would indicate, Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriquez won a ten round unanimous decision over the never-say-die Will "Power" Rosinsky in this SHOBOX main event. Boxing behind an effective jab and going to the body with regularity, Rodriquez won on all three judge's cards by scores of 100-90. Rosinsky was pesky to say the least and he occasionally exploited the still porous defense of Rodriguez with good shots of his own. Easily the best and most entertaining fight of the night. KO Digest scored the fight 98-93, giving Rosinsky the 3rd and 9th with the 7th even. Rodriquez stays undefeated and improves to 20-0 w/ 14 KOs while Rosinsky goes to 14-1 w/ 8 KOs.

A melee broke out in the crowd after the fight between drunken fans unhappy about the decision.
Hit play below to hear what both fighters had to say about the fight and the scoring at the post-fight presser.



Gabriel Bracero W10  Daniel Sostre (junior welterweights) In what at times looked more like a glorified sparring session than a co-main event, Gabriel Bracero stayed busier and more accurate than Daniel Sostre over ten rounds to win the vacant NABF junior welterweight title by unanimous decision. No knockdowns in the fight, and neither fighter was ever really hurt. Bracero stays undefeated and goes to 18-0 w/ 3 KO's while Sostre's record goes to 11-5-1 w/ 4 KOs. Scores: 100-90, 100-90, and 99-91.    

Ryan Kielczewski W6 Willie Villanueva (junior lightweights) The popular Quincy, MA native Ryan "The Polish Price" Kielczewski won an easy six round unanimous decision over Willie Villanueva. Despite the strong crowd support and a particularly strong 4th round, Kielczewski could not seriously hurt his durable but outclassed opponent. The Prince stays undefeated and goes to 12-0 w/ 2 KOs while Villanueva goes to 10-4 w/ 2 KOs. Score in favor of Kielczewski: 60-54 on all three judge's cards.

The Polish Prince batters his opponent in the corner.

Dyah "Ali" Davis W6 Darnell Boone (super middleweights) In a sloppy slugfest, Dyah "Ali" Davis did enough to outpoint and outwork Darnell Boone over six. When it wasn't a slugfest, it was a hugfest. Davis improves to 20-2-1 w/ 9 KOs while Boone falls to 19-18-3 w/ 8 KOs. Scores in favor of Davis: 59-56, 59-55, and 58-56.   

Danny O'Connor W6 Bryan Abraham (junior welterweights) Crowd favorite Danny O'Connor used his southpaw jab and straight lefts to control the pace against opponent Byran Abraham, winning a unanimous six round decision. O'Connor, from Framingham, MA and trained by Ronnie Shields improves to 16-1 w/ 4 KOs while Abraham goes to 5-8-2 w/ 5 KOs. Abraham was down in the first, O'Connor was down in the fifth but in the case of O'Connor, it really looked more like a slip as their legs tangled. O'Connor finished strong, rocking his opponent with a flush left to the face in the closing minute of the final round. Scores in favor of O'Connor: 60-54, 59-54, and 58-54

Danny O'Connor lands his money punch!

Frank Galarza W4 Daniel Lugo (junior middleweights)  In a competitive and entertaining scrap, Frank Galarza won a unanimous four round decision over Daniel Lugo. Galarza improves to 4-0 w/ 1 KO while Lugo slips to 1-2. Scores: 39-37 across the board.

Badou Jack KO6 Eddie Caminero (super middleweights)  Vegas native Badou "The Ripper" Jack used his superior power and boxing skills to defeat Eddie Caminero by TKO in the 6th round. A well placed body blow sent  Caminero down and though he beat the count, he was ruled unfit to continue by the referee. Jack improves to 8-0 w/ 7 KOs while Caminero falls to 7-6 w/ 7 KOs. Time of the KO: 1:47.

Luis Rosa W6 Harvey Murray (bantamweights) This fight was fought after the main event in front a nearly empty crowd, only the die-hards sticking around to watch these two fight it out. Rosa wins to stay undefeated and he goes to 9-0 w/ 5 KOs while his opponent falls to 4-3-2 w/ 1 KO. Score in favor of Rosa: 60-54 on all three cards.

Delen Parsley W6 Jevon Boisseau (junior middleweights) In the evening opener, Brooklyn native Delen "Sniper" Parsley pounded out a unanimous decision over the game but outgunned Jevon Boisseau. Parsley improved to 6-0 w/ 2 KOs while Boisseau goes to 3-6-1. Scores: 60-54 across the board.