Edgar Sosa Will Protest TKO Loss To Rodel Mayol

Former champion Edgar Sosa has spoken to the press in Mexico and disclosed his plans to file a full protest with Mexican Commission and the WBC to overturn Saturday's two-round TKO loss to Filipino Rodel Mayol in Chiapas, Mexico. Sosa won the WBC junior flyweight title in April 2007 with a decision over Brian Viloria. He made ten defenses of that title until Mayol shocked the world on Saturday.

The sticking point of the protest has to do with the bad clash of heads that took place in the second round of the fight. The head clash sent Sosa down and opened up a cut on his face. The referee Roberto Ramirez ruled it as an "intentional" foul and took away a point from Rodel. After a ringside physician ruled that Sosa could continue, Mayol jumped on Sosa and battered him until the ref stopped the contest.

"I did not recover from the headbutt. It was hard to fight because I was very hurt and could not focus. What happened was intentional," Sosa said. "There should have been a disqualification but they let it continue."

Mayol's camp will shoot back and ask why Sosa did not disclose any of this to the ringside doctor or the referee. Sosa's camp will shoot back and tell officials to take a look at Mayol's history. In Mayol's last two fights, both against Ivan Calderon, there were clashes of heads that forced an early end in both contests. In both fights Calderon was cut badly from clashing with Mayol's head.

Sosa suffered a fractured cheekbone from the head clash and wants the fight's result changed to a no-contest. It's already being reported that the WBC will order an immediate rematch but Sosa's injury will keep him away from the ring for several months.

Ward Owns Kessler, Puts U.S. Back in The Super Six

In 2004, Super Middleweight Andre Ward unselfishly moved up in weight to make room for more talent on the U.S. Olympic team. He went home from Athens with the Gold Medal in the Light Heavyweight division.

On Saturday night, the 25-year old Ward (21-0, 13 KO) added professional gold in front of a rabid hometown crowd at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, to close the first round of the “Super Six World Boxing Classic” tournament. Fighting with poise and a bag of tricks as varied as any seasoned veteran, Ward used his hands, arms, feet, and head to dominate the man who entered the tournament as the de facto number one seed, 30-year old WBA titlist Mikkel Kessler of Denmark (42-2, 32 KO), winning a decisive technical decision after the contest was stopped due to cuts in the eleventh round.

Both men came into the bout in fighting trim, Kessler a pound beneath the division limit at 167 and Ward weighing in at 166 ½.

After an intense staredown where both men rocked back and forth, their eyes never off the other man, Ward stepped forward with a hard lead left hook at the opening bell. The blow missed but Ward made contact with some snapping jabs and a counter left over a lazy Kessler right. Switching to southpaw, Ward popped in a lead left to the body and he stayed at distance. Ward would continue to vary his stance while Kessler stalked, throwing little until attempting to unspool his jab in the final minute of round one.

Both men fired jabs to start the second, Ward also finding another blinding left hook. A pair of Kessler rights sailed over the shoulders of a ducking Ward, later joined by another missing right and a blocked left hook as Ward circled the ring. Kessler found contact with a pair of rights to the body, followed by a jab to the chest, as Ward skated near the ropes. In the closing thirty seconds, both men grappled in clinches, Ward bursting out with two left jabs and landing a measured right just before the bell. Ward missed with a big right seconds in the third then, after briefly clinching, opened up and landed to the body then with a right and left upstairs. As the round wore on, Ward continued to land with both hands, his speed overwhelming the aggressive but ineffective Kessler. Kessler headed to the corner with the beginnings of a swelling beneath his right eye.

The action heated up considerably in the fourth round of an already fast paced fight. Near the midway mark, Kessler landed a big left hook, stunning Ward who slipped the following right and clinched. Seconds later, Ward landed his own big right hand and forced a backwards step from Kessler. Ward, who was clinching often, was able to land in explosive bursts between holds.

Round five opened with another slashing Ward right hand but as the round wore on Kessler slipped more shots. Halfway through the round, Kessler landed a hard left hook and Ward a right almost simultaneously and in the final minute the titlist’s offense emerged as a factor. A hard right near the ropes slowed Ward’s output and the Californian appeared to lose a bit of steam as the closing bell approached.

Both men were at center ring well before the clang which initiated round six, both landing hard jabs before a hard Kessler left hook brought a motion of acknowledgement from Ward. It was a brief respite from frustration as Kessler continued to struggle with the speed of Ward’s clinch-throw-clinch approach. In the final minute, Kessler landed a right but found the left hook blocked only to be slowed again by rapid holding from Ward. Ward closed the sixth with two right hands to the face of Kessler as the Dane searched for answers.

Clearly behind at the bout’s middle, Kessler found the scoring hole only getting deeper, able to land a token left hook while being raked with right hands. By round eight, it was Kessler initiating clinches as he tried to catch his breath and stem the tide of leather raining onto his face. A short right early in the round and an early return of his jab were his only notable offense before a sneaky left in the final minute. Ward rocked his head back with rights to avenge the latter slight and Kessler trudged to the corner, blood streaming from a cut opened over his left eye during a late clash of heads.

For the second round in a row, Kessler complained to his corner that he couldn’t see but Kessler said no when asked if he wanted to stop. Told by his corner he needed a knockout to win, Kessler walked into a right and left to start the ninth. Attempting to measure Ward coming in while back pedaling for most of the round, Kessler would take steady punishment until landing a flurry of blows in the closing seconds. It was his most spirited, sustained punching effort of the fight to then.

Following a clash of head which brought an audible yelp from Kessler in round ten, and a fresh cut over the right eye, Kessler and Ward engaged in a heated exchange and Kessler took punches in multiple while hoping for a turn-around bomb. He ended the round slammed with a left hand to the mouth.

The championship rounds reached, Ward needed only to stay afoot for six minutes to claim his first major title as a professional…in theory. Just shy of two minutes into the eleventh, the cut over Kessler’s right eye worsened after another clash of heads and the ring doctor ruled the fight closed. The cuts having come via referee Jack Reiss’s ruling of accidental headbutt, the bout went to the cards where scoring was academic, judges Stanley Christodoulou and Steve Morrow favoring Ward in eight rounds at 98-92 and judge Mikael Hook giving Kessler the benefit in a single frame more at 97-93.

All of the scores appeared closer than the fight itself.

Ward was jubilant in celebrating the biggest victory of his career so far. Before commenting on the action in the ring, Ward reflected with faith. “I have to thank God for this because he constantly puts me up against giants. He puts me in situations where naturally I’m not supposed to overcome but, I’m telling you, that God…there’s nothing impossible with Jesus Christ in your life.”

Turning to the victory, Ward stated, “I just felt like it was my time. I wasn’t intimidated by Kessler’s record…I was surprised he didn’t make the adjustments. He kinda’ kept doing the same thing over and over. Taking nothing away from (Kessler), I know he’s a super champion and I know why he’s been champion for so long.”

A dejected Kessler remained frustrated after the bout with the holding tactics and head work of Ward. “I’m not used to that the referee don’t stop the fight when you’re holding. And he was using his headbutt all the time. Every time he got in, he head butted me. And every time I (attempted to break) he let him punch me. I’m not used to that…I think it was unfair with the headbutts, the holding, and the home judge referee.”

Kessler sounded unsure about his future in the immediate aftermath of his loss. “I have to look at how the fight went on, see what I can do better, and see if I still got it.” Kessler’s only other defeat came in November 2007 when, while holding the WBA and WBC belts, he lost a unification battle with future Hall of Famer Joe Calzaghe of Wales.

The much anticipated “Super Six World Boxing Classic” tournament completes its first round with Ward joining Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch in the winner’s circle. The previous two bouts of the opening round occurred last month, on October 17th.

Based in Germany, the 29-year old Armenian Abraham (31-0, 25 KO), a former IBF Middleweight titlist, knocked out 31-year old former World Middleweight champion Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KO) of Little Rock, Arkansas, in the twelfth round in Germany.

The 32-year old WBC Super Middleweight titlist Froch (26-0, 20 KO), of England, won a narrow and debated split decision verdict against 26-year old 2004 U.S. Olympic Middleweight Bronze Medalist Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO) in his hometown of Nottingham.

Under the points system utilized in the three preliminary rounds of the “Super Six,” Abraham leads the field with three points (two for the victory over Taylor, one for knocking him out), while Froch and Ward each trail Abraham with two points.

The second round matches, set to begin in early 2010, are currently slated as Kessler-Froch, Ward-Taylor, and Abraham-Dirrell.

Taylor has been a source of speculation as to whether he would continue in the tournament. The Abraham loss was his third suffered knockout in his last five contests; including stoppage defeats in the first of two fights with current Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in September 2007 and to Froch in a fight prior to the Super Six in April 2009.

Asked if he expected to see Taylor in the next round, Ward said, “That’s up to him. I read a Twitter where he answered his fans and said he was training and preparing, so that’s who we’re getting ready for. We fought the best in the world tonight…people though I got a bad draw but we told everybody, ‘no, this is the right draw.’ So, we beat the top guy, we’re gonna’ rest a little bit.”

Saturday’s contest was broadcast on United States premium cable outlet Showtime, promoted by Sauerland Events and Goosen Tutor Boxing. ....source

PACQUIAO HAD SOME INJURIES TOO

Las Vegas, NV: Manny Pacquiao won his 7th division world title fight with a magnificent TKO over a very strong and tough Miguel Cotto.

But he did not escape unscratched.

“Cotto’s punches hurt but I just pretended they did not so as to discourage him” Pacquiao was quoted as saying.

After the 12-round fight, Cotto was taken to the hospital upon advice of the Nevada Athletic Commission as a pre-cautionary measure for routine full body scan. Thankfully, it was announced later that his is fine and will box again another day.

Pacquiao did not have to go but he stayed at the dressing room for several minutes to be attended by a plastic surgeon. Bob Arum indicated that they had to “drain some blood from his right ear to prevent the so called “cauliflower” effect that is prevalent on boxers and wrestlers.

At the post fight press conference the ever smiling world champion came in sporting a huge bandage on his right ear.

But he did not seem affected as he answered questions from the media.

He even sang a few bars of the same song he sung at the Jimmy Kimmel Show a week ago and invited everyone to witness his concert. “Of course you will have to pay $40.00”, he said.

Cotto's Grand Arrival at the MGM Grand

Cotto was greeted by his countrymen about an hour after Pacquiao's arrival. The Boricua Bomber is looking lean and mean and ready to inflict as much pain he can on the Pacman this Saturday. Also present were his team members such as cutman Joe Chavez, strength and conditioning coach Phil Landman and best friend Brian Perez.

Funny Clip: Pacquiao talks smack about Marquez

"That's why he (Marquez) was not strong enough in the fight because he only drank urine, he has to eat his sh!t too" - Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao Arrives in Las Vegas

1/10/09, Las Vegas, Nevada -- Six-time world champion pound-for-pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, General Santos, Philippines is surrounded by hundreds of fans and media as he makes his 'Grand' arrival at the MGM Grand Tuesday for his upcoming "FIREPOWER" World Welterweight championship fight against three-time world champion and the pride of Puerto Rico Miguel Cotto, Caguas, Puerto Rico. Pacquiao vs Cotto is promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions,Cotto Promotions,MGM Grand and Tecate, will take place, Saturday, November 14 at the sold out MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be available live on HBO Pay Per View.

Cotto's punching power against Pacquaio's speed

We are now days away before these two fearless fighters,Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto finally meet in the ring. Is there really anyone who believes this fight will go to decision? The probability of this fight resulting in a stoppage seems extremely high. This mega fight card was properly named,"Firepower" which both Pacquiao and Cotto possess.

Miguel Cotto is a true welterweight,many of Pacquaio's previous opponents have lacked the power he has. Cotto's impressive record speaks for itself 34-1. That one questionable loss coming from Antonio Margarito. Although he is not the same fighter,since suffering from that devastating loss. Miguel Cotto should not be underestimated.

Cotto has many strengths he is a smart,skilled fighter who is a very heavy handed puncher. He is also very weak in many areas. In Cotto's last fight with Joshua Clottey,he showed he can be easily hit and lacks speed. Pacquiao will not hesitate to capitalize on every weakness Cotto has.

Miguel Cotto must be ready to take punishment from Manny Pacquiao,who will use his overwhelming speed,and dish out relentless attacks. The same can be said for Pacquiao,who will get hit with forceful punches from a strong Cotto.

Pacquaio has many advantages over Cotto,with his ability to cut off the ring and apply pressure. This will prove to be a problem for Cotto,who has difficulty when under pressure. Cotto must be ready to defend,against Pacquiao's power and blinding combinations. Miguel Cotto's defense has been dismal of late.

Pacquaio seems to get better with every fight,in his last 5 fights he is 5-0. His stamina is ridiculous. This also is a huge advantage,because Cotto seems to look fatigued in later rounds..
Pacquaio's speed and exceptional footwork also has to be carefully looked at. Pacquaio will unleash solid strikes on Cotto,and get away before Cotto has an opportunity to retaliate.

Pacquaio is much smaller which gives Cotto a huge advantage.. Cotto is an excellent counter puncher and Pacquaio's defense must be solid. Cotto's powerful punches if landed can inflict damage on Pacquiao. Can Cotto surprise the world,and upset the Filipino sensation,with the odds clearly stacked against him?

Both fighters have a tremendous amount of heart. Cotto must man up to have a chance against Pacquaio. As seen in Cotto's previous fights he tends to run when under pressure. Pacquiao will not give him any breathing room,and will chase him. It is highly unlikely neither fighter will give up and quit. This will be a battle of who can outbox each other.

If Cotto can neutralize Pacquiao's lightning speed and land key punches it is a strong possibility he could win.

If Pacquiao can survive those tough punches from Cotto and land some ruthless combinations it is a strong possibility he could win.

In my 8CountNews exclusive interviews with Joshua Clottey and Alfonso Gomez last month. The two opponents who faced Miguel Cotto gave me their predictions on this upcoming fight.

Joshua Clottey: If Pacquaio can take all of Cotto's punches he will win.

Alfonso Gomez: This fight is for Pacquiao to win. He is fast and strong. Pacquiao should win.

No one can really predict what may happen in this fight. All we can do is continue to analyze the weakness and strengths of both fighters. It has to be said that the advantage is for Pacquaio speed,accuracy,stamina,and strength is a winning combination,but as i stated Cotto should never be underestimated.

This is the most anticipated fight of 2009. We will soon have a clear winner and the speculating will be over. November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas,the pride of the Philippines and the pride of Puerto Rico will meet and only one will emerge victorious.

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COTTO: "I'm Completely Recovered From The Margarito Fight"

After so many press conferences, there‘s not much left to say. All the good questions have been asked and answered. And asked again and answered again. So what else is there? It’s late - just over a week until fight night - and if there’s a good question out there that still needs to be asked, no one has heard it. And it might be too late for second chances. Besides, it’s not like Miguel Cotto is running for office, trying to sway undecided voters to his side just before the midnight hour. You have to figure by now, all the important questions have been asked and sides picked. Most have been asked a dozen times or more, stuff like, “How are you going to deal with Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao’s speed,?” Or, “What have you been working on in the gym?” Or, “How is your weight situation?” Good questions, but tired questions. Cotto is not going to convince anyone to come over to his side, not now, not when it’s this close to the Big Night. He must be tired of repeating himself. But that’s part of the fight game and Cotto will play his role in it, quietly and politely answering even the most foolish questions, the ones that have been asked a dozen times already. So on a conference call Thursday night, just nine days before his fight, Cotto went through the drill one more time, if not to win voters, maybe to get more pay-per-view viewers. “I plan on going home to Puerto Rico as the winner,” he said, again. “We wouldn’t have taken this fight (with a 145-pound catch weight) if we didn‘t think I‘d be at my best.” To the many Manny supporters out there, I can promise you this: Cotto is a very confident fighter. And he seems to easily ignore the wild predictions of Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, who says his fighter will win by an early knockout.. Maybe round one. . A great trainer, Freddie is a heck of a psychologist. Asked what he thought about Freddie’s prediction, Cotto didn’t miss a step. “Forget about what Freddie Roach says. He’s not going to be (fighting). All he can do is train Manny the best he can. No matter what Freddie says, I have a very strong mind, but I’m not going to (play mind games) with Freddie.” Might have been fun. The facts of the fight are this: Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) , of Caguas, Puerto Rico, will put his WBO welterweight title on the line when he faces Pacquiao (49-3-2, 27 KOs) of the Philippines at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Nov. 14 (HBO, pay-per-view). Cotto is expected to make $10 million and Pacquiao will take home about $20 million before taxes. But the guaranteed winner in this fight is promoter Bob Arum, who handles both fighters. “My job as a promoter is to put my fighters into those fights where they can make the most money,” he said on the conference call. “In that regard, I’ve done my job.” In spades. It doesn’t seem right to call this just a fight. It deserves something bigger, something better. But then you think back to other great fights - Ali and Frazier, Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti, Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo - and you realize some fights don’t need any help. They don’t need nicknames, or gimmicks, though they are calling this fight, “Firepower,” which doesn’t have the same ring to it as the “Thrilla in Manila,” or the “Rumble in the Jungle.” While Cotto is defending his WBO belt, Pacquiao is going for his seventh title. Asked what he thought about that, Cotto again didn’t hesitate. “If he thinks he’s going to win a seventh title, he picked the wrong fighter to do it against.” As for Pacquiao’s legendary hand speed, Cotto wasn’t giving out any secrets, but he did say “his speed is not going to be the factor everyone thinks it’s going to be.” Asked if he’s a better fighter since his close win over Joshua Clottey in June, Cotto said he fought nine rounds with a huge gash over his eye against a worthy opponent. How can that not make you a better fighter? “And I won,” he said. “I learned how to deal with huge problems during a fight.” He’ll have to deal with another huge problem on the night of the 14th. Finally, he was asked - again - if he is the same fighter today that he was before he was stopped in a brutal, controversial fight against Antonio Margarito in July 2008. It’s his only loss. “I’m completely recovered from the Margarito fight,“ he said. He’d better be.
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The Meaning of Manny

By Howard Chua-Eoan and Ishaan Tharoor

Manny Pacquiao is going through his throwing motion at Yankee Stadium. With easy deliberation, he shows off the form he says he perfected playing elementary school baseball in the dirt-poor southern Philippines before boxing took him over completely. His shoulder slips back, his torso pitches smoothly forward, left hand and arm torquing an imaginary ball into the depths of the air-conditioned players' cafeteria, where he is waiting to take the field for an announcement. The diamond stud in his ear catches the light. The baseball pose has a balletic grace at odds with the savage power that the best pound-for-pound professional boxer on earth exhibits in the ring. "Best pound-for-pound" is the mantra intoned with every story about Pacquiao. It sounds strange because he has never been bound by the laws of physics. In the past eight years, he has risen through six weight divisions to win just as many world championships. At the stadium, his promoters have arranged for the Filipino to make official his plan to fight Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto for a seventh title, the welterweight, which has a maximum limit of 147 lb. (67 kg). That is a 40-lb. swing up from the 106 lb. Pacquiao weighed at the start of his career. He carried increased poundage through his past two jaw-droppingly awesome victories: demolishing Oscar De La Hoya in December 2008 and knocking out Ricky Hatton in two rounds in May. This is how Pacquiao's coach Freddie Roach describes his skill: "He'll throw a combination at you. You'll think he's done, but then he'll keep pounding you. And there's not a dense hardness to his punch. It just jumps on you. It explodes." Roach, who has worked with boxing luminaries such as De La Hoya and Mike Tyson, offers a little poetry when he recalls the time in 2001 when Pacquiao first came into his gym. "I just did one round with mitts with him, and I thought, 'Man, can this motherf______ fight.'" At Yankee Stadium on this September day, the Puerto Ricans who have come out to cheer Cotto are jeering Pacquiao, but for all that physics matters, the Filipino is the favorite for the Nov. 14 Las Vegas bout. His payday, it is said, will be about $18 million. Back in the Philippines, you can pun on Pacquiao with pakyaw — a verb, pronounced the same way, that means "to monopolize, to corner the market, to take everything at wholesale in order to maximize profit." Pacquiao knows he wants more than he has, more than boxing can give. At the stadium, he retails anecdotes from his life to a couple of Filipinos and repeats what seems to be both an assertion and a lesson learned. "'Di ako bobo," he says in Tagalog. "'Di ako bobo." "I'm not stupid." A Face for the Selfless Manny Pacquiao, now 30, is the latest savior of boxing, a fighter with enough charisma, intelligence and backstory to help rescue a sport lost in the labyrinth of pay-per-view. Global brands like Nike want him in their ads. He made the TIME 100 list this year. West Coast baseball teams invite him to throw out the first pitch in order to attract the Filipino-American community. He has even become an object of desire: ESPN the Magazine has his naked torso in its Body Issue, which explores the engineering of several athletic physiques. In the Philippines, Pacquiao is a demigod. The claim goes that when his fights are broadcast live, the crime rate plummets because everyone in the country is glued to a screen. His private life as well as the ins and outs and ups and downs of his training regimen are tabloid fodder; his much brooded political ambitions are a dilemma many Filipinos feel as existentially as Hamlet's soliloquy: To be or not to be ... a Congressman?
....read more

Roach bets on Pacquiao victory by KO

HOLLYWOOD — The joke among journalists huddled around trainer Freddie Roach Tuesday afternoon at the Wild Card gym was that they were betting on Manny Pacquiao stopping Miguel Cotto either in the first, ninth or 10th round.

Anybody hoping to make a little money on the side knows that Roach has been spot on with his predictions concerning the Filipino champion lately.

And “I put a thousand on the first, ninth and 10th rounds,” said Roach.

Pacquiao hunts for Cotto’s WBO welterweight belt on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the cerebral Roach believes his ward will snatch the crown from an opponent pasted to the canvas.

“Cotto gets hit early and once we hit him early, we’ll take him down,” Roach said.

Pacquiao, who is tapering off as fight night approaches, fought eight more rounds of sparring with Raul Beltran and Urbano Atillano and Roach hopes to have just 10 more rounds—six on Thursday and four on Saturday—of simulated matches before Team Pacquiao heads for Las Vegas.

After the session, Pacquiao went off to his first nationally televised appearance in the United States via the Jimmy Kimmel show where, according to Top Rank in its official website, the reigning pound-for-pound champ even belted out a ballad.

Pacquiao is slated to hold his media workout Wednesday afternoon at the Wild Card gym.

“I’m happy with everything and he’s where I want him to be,” said Roach, who has been on target with his predictions in Pacquiao’s last two fights.

Against Oscar De La Hoya in December 2008, Roach predicted a knockout by Pacquiao in the ninth round. After helplessly staying on the receiving end of a relentless barrage, De La Hoya did not answer the ninth-round bell.

Five months later, Roach predicted a second-round KO victory by his ward over British sensation Ricky Hatton. True enough, Pacquiao ended Hatton’s night—and possibly the Briton’s career—in the second round with a powerful left which his current foe, Cotto, described as a punch that could have brought down even Mike Tyson.

Roach said the only way Cotto is going to escape the fury of Pacquiao is to fight dirty, but the multiawarded mentor said he is counting on Kenny Bayless to keep things clean on fight night.

Roach said the game plan is to stay off the ropes and to keep the fight in the middle of the ring. The American has also tipped off Pacquiao on a Cotto mannerism that may help in fulfilling his predictions.

“Cotto cocks the left hook before he throws it,” Roach said of the Puerto Rican champ’s pet punch. “He basically tells you it’s coming.”

Behind the Scenes at David Haye's Training Camp

David Haye's trainer and manager, Adam Booth, claims only minor adjustments were made to the training regimen in preparation for Saturday's WBA heavyweight title fight against Nikolai Valuev, who stands over seven feet tall and weighs north of 300 pounds.

“Well, we hung the bags a bit higher, we had him punch upward at an angle,” Booth told BoxingScene.com during a brief telephone interview on Tuesday after an open workout in Nuremberg, Germany. “I wore what I call 'wedge boots' when we worked on the pads. We had some life-sized photos of Valuev in our gym which put his height into perspective and helped to remind David of the enormous task in front of him. But to tell you the truth, besides that, there was nothing major that we have done differently.”

Haye trained at a specially constructed private gym in South London just around the corner from the Park Plaza Hotel, which served as his home base. Most visitors were kept at a distance and locked out of training sessions. Haye often trained late at night and into the early morning hours to mimic the time the fight between he and Valuev is set to begin.

Booth admitted that part of their strategy revolved around making Valuev angry by insulting him and calling him names. The hope is that Valuev will be more aggressive than he has been in recent fights which they feel will play right into their hands.

“There has been a lot of talk, back and forth, and yes, some of it has been done by me,” said Booth who chuckled a bit. “David wound him up because he wants a fight, not a boxing match. We want the knockout. The hope is that Valuev won't jab and grab as he has been doing in the recent past.

“After 23 fights, to have this fight and for David to be in a position where he could choose which champion he could challenge, is definitely a testament to how exciting he is,” said Booth.

The primary sparring partner for Haye was 6'7” tall Danny Watts, 36, who retired in 2002 with a 10-2, 7 KOs record as a pro. Watts was the 1994 and 1996 English ABA super heavyweight champion when he boxed for the British army. His fighting weight was in the vicinity of 250 pounds but he now tips the scales at close to 300. Watts, who hails from Aldershot, about an hour's drive from London, has been in camp for the past three months. He also worked with Haye prior to the aborted Wladimir Klitschko fight.

Those who witnessed the sparring between Haye (who is weighing around 225 pounds) and Watts noted that the sessions were very productive. Watts watched many hours of fight tape on Valuev and he was able to closely emulate the Russian's moves. He also proved invaluable with the pad work and wearing the body armor as Haye was able to punch the big man with full force – something that was not possible to do with the smaller Booth.