Manfredo-Jones? - Boxing News, Tips And Picks

Manfredo-Jones?
By Carlos Guzman
Posted: 7:00 am PDT 2006-10-19

As predicted last week, the "Pride of Providence" Peter Manfredo destroyed Joey Spina in brutal fashion. If you didn't see it, try to catch an ESPN replay of this massacre. Spina got in a few good shots in the first round, buzzed Manfredo a bit, but then Manfredo used Spina's head for target practice.

Part of the improvement of Manfredo's game is due to veteran trainer Freddie Roach and his conditioning coach, Justin Fortune. Roach and Fortune have worked with some of the best fighters around, including James Toney, Vic Darchinyan and Manny Pacquiao. They are honing Manfredo's boxing ability for a potential bout with former pound-for-pound champion Roy Jones.

In Manfredo's post-fight conference, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Manfredo's promoter, advised that a fight with Jones is in the works, but so are a few other bouts. What's holding a bout with Jones up? Boxing expert Jake "Jack of All Trades" Donovan breaks it down perfectly:

"Manfredo's been wanting this fight for a minute. The problem is ultimately going to come down to HBO vs. 'The Contender'. They don't want to promote 'The Contender's' agenda while they have a deal with ESPN. That's a big reason why they passed on airing this on HBO PPV.

"It's up to Showtime or ESPN to foot the bill. Showtime's budget is thin as it is, plus you figure they'll have the same issue. Maybe they're desperate enough to get into the Jones business -- they have expressed previous interest in a Jones-[Clinton] Woods rematch. The question then becomes if this fight is worth the investment -- and will they be willing to promote 'The Contender' for a rival network in the process (several FNF shows overlap ShoBox cards)?"

On that same card, Allan Green crushed my pick, Jerson Ravelo, in a savage beating. Media and fans had this closer than I did, almost even until the 12th-round TKO, but when I'm wrong I'm wrong. Talking to some friends, they pointed out something that many of us missed. Ravelo is a great fighter, but in the last two years he only had three rounds of work. I felt his work with Bernard Hopkins and Antonio Tarver had him sharp, hence the one-punch destruction of Donnell Wiggins. But after suffering a broken hand and a concussion, I guess I was wrong about Ravelo.

I visited Ravelo in the hospital, and his final words were "I'LL BE BACK!"

Potential And Upcoming Bouts

Allan Green-Rubin Williams
Rubin "Hollywood" Williams may be next up for Allan "Sweetness" Green, sources told me.

Since stopping Ravelo last Saturday, Green has been fielding a bevy of calls from fighters eager to try their luck against the undefeated 168-pounder. Former title contender Williams may be the front-runner; his Silverhawk promotional outfit is currently negotiating with Green to set up a super middleweight showdown early next year in Las Vegas. Green, of course, will have the final say as to whom he fights. Stay tuned for further details.

Jeff Lacy Vs. Yusaf Mack
A source close to the situation has informed me that Philadelphia super middleweight Yusaf Mack (22-1-2, 14 KOs) is close to striking a deal with Jeff Lacy for a possible Dec. 2 showdown at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.

The deal was initiated last week, and Mack's people are supposed to come to an official decision by the end of the week. In spite of both fighters coming off crushing losses -- Lacy to Joe Calzaghe last March and Mack to Colombian slugger Alejandro Berrio in May -- this is a compelling matchup between a former champ and a prospect-contender. A couple of big wins will put either of them right back into the super middleweight mix, which may soon become one of the hottest divisions around.

David Tua Vs. Kelvin Davis
The New York City Marathon will be on the horizon just days later, but boxing fans will be sprinting to the Roseland Ballroom in New York City on Nov. 3 when heavyweight contender David Tua clashes with Kelvin Davis in Cedric Kushner's Gotham Boxing and DRL Promotions' "Marathon Extravaganza" fight card. When this bout was announced, I shared the news with some boxing fans and colleagues, and the response wasn't so welcome:

"This is a joke and very disappointing that a veteran fighter like Tua would be involved in a fight like this. Tua should either retire or be a pro, but this is ridiculous." -- David Tua fan "It's a good test in that Tua should retire on the spot if this goes any sort of rounds." -- Jake Donovan, sports writer.

Why are they complaining, you ask? After all, Davis went 11 rounds with O'Neil Bell and 12 rounds with Steve Cunningham. Not bad. He had one bad loss against Guillermo Jones, where he was bombed out in four, but that's it. The problem is Davis is basically a cruiserweight, so this really shouldn't be a challenge. Tua by KO

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