Geale set to take Middleweight division by "Sturm"



In the World of Boxing there are two distinct ways to climb to the top- the easy way and the hard way.

The easy way involves hand picking opponents and manipulating the divisional rankings to generate a title shot and then hopefully if everything goes your way you land yourself a world title. Sometimes if you’re lucky enough it is the real thing, but more often than not it’s either vacant or an interim belt.

Without naming names, such belts have blotted the scene of Australian Boxing in recent years and left the boxing public scratching their heads at just what the sport had become. The easy way may line your waist with gold, but it doesn’t necessarily win you respect. The hard way involves lining up the biggest and baddest in the division and blasting through all of them until you are top of the pile and holding all the gold, along with the respect of the boxing world.

Daniel Geale does not do things the easy way.

There is no denying that Sunday Morning’s clash between Australia’s IBF Middleweight World Champion, Daniel Geale and Germany’s WBA “Super” Middleweight Champion, Sebastian Sylvester is anything but a genuine world title super fight. Both men will put their world titles on the line, in a division that if the cards fall correctly could give either figher a chance to sit atop its pile.

With the Middleweight division’s top two fighters, Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr clashing on September 15 in Las Vegas for the WBC Middleweight Title, and WBO Champion, Dmitry Pirog waiting in the wings, the contenders to the undisputed Middleweight Crown are falling into place.

In a division that once brought us the names Leonard, Hearns, Hagler and Duran, the Middleweight division is shaping up to similar proportions once again, with Geale in with a real shot of scooping the pool. With victory on Sunday morning, Geale would move towards potentially one of the biggest fights Australian Boxing has ever seen.

The fact that Daniel Geale isn’t a household name in Australia is a crying shame. After years of the circus involving Mr Mundine and Green and promises by both to “take on the world”, we are still waiting for both to truly take on genuine heavyweight of their divisions.

 Whilst Mundine has stated he is rolling the dice in America in the twilight of his career in an attempt to lure the likes of Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather into the ring, all that sojourn has offered so far is a showing against Bronco “Superman” McKart which didn’t exactly set the boxing world on fire either in the ring or at the box office.

Danny Green on the other hand has been a mixed bag, showing early promise and his own sojourn to Germany, before Light-Heavyweight gold and a sudden retirement, before an epiphany, a comeback and a dining out on a washed up Roy Jones, before suffering consecutive knockout defeats to Antonio Tarver and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, and recent events give you the sense that Green is in semi-retirement and only staying active for a potential Mundine rematch if the “Thunder from Downunder” misfires in the US.

Geale has been Australian Boxings' best kept secret for years, and only now is he starting to get the respect he deserves. A Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and Two-Time World Champion, who could walk down the street and hardly, get recognised. Some of Australia’s best, Vic Darchinyan, Michael Katsidis and Paul Briggs, have been in absolute wars, yet never received the adulation they deserved.

Geale started his ascension to the upper echelon of World Boxing, capturing the lesser fancied, IBO Middleweight Title against fellow Australian, Daniel Dawson in Australia’s Fight of the Year in 2007. Two routine defences were followed by a controversial split-decision loss to Anthony “The Man” Mundine, and such was the controversy the IBO sanctioned an immediate rematch on review. Mundine promptly denied Geale a rematch by vacating the title.

From there, Geale knocked out the then world rated and Contender Australia Runner-Up, Kariz Kariuki before knocking out the tough Roman Karmazin to win his shot at then IBF Middleweight Champion, Sebastian Sylvester.

Geale showed the world he belonged with an impressive performance, pulling off seemingly the impossible, winning a world title in Germany, against a German hero and by split decision no less. Anyone who remembers the Danny Green-Markus Beyer fiasco understands the type of controversy that plagues such encounters. The fact that two judges scored the fight 118-110 and 118-112 to Geale and the other 118-110 to Sylvester shows that everything not everything it as it seems when in the land of Beer and Pretzels.

Despite the unwritten rule in boxing that the challenger must defeat the champion convincingly to claim his title, perhaps it was justice done, given the controversial defeat to Mundine in similar circumstances.

Geale has followed up his win over Sylvester with two routine mandatory defences against tough Africans,Erosele Albert and Ousamanu Adama. A unification clash with tough WBO Champion, Dmitry Pirog was aborted after the WBO refused to sanction the fight, however Geale’s drive has not been dented, and promptly diving head first into unification fight with Sturm.

Whilst many feel Geale has bitten off a little more than he can chew this time in tempting fate and returning to Germany to try and pull of the impossible a second time, I feel Sturm is ripe for the picking. Gary Shaw, Geale’s promoter and The Grange Old School Boxing team are no mugs, and certainly know what they are getting themselves into, and I’m sure they agree that Sturm has certainly seen better days.

Controversy has plagued Sturm’s recent fights against British fighters, Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray, with Macklin scoring a close points defeat whilst the British press cried “Bloody Murder” after the Murray-Sturm fight was called a draw.

Thirty six of Sturm’s forty one fights have taken place in Germany, with three in Hungary and one in Croatia. Sturm has only fought on one occasion in America, in which he suffered defeat at the hands of the great, Oscar De La Hoya by unanimous decision in a tight encounter for the WBO Middleweight Title.

Twenty seven of Geale’s fights have taken place at home in Australia, with the only fight away from home being the world title win in Germany against Sylvester, ensuring Sturm is by far the more comfortable on Sunday.

There is no denying the talents of Sturm. He is coming off a fourteen fight undefeated streak, which has included names such as Macklin,Zbik, Murray, Castillejo, Pittman and the man Geale wrestled the title from, fellow German, Sebastian Sylvester.

But Sturm’s career has never been considered truly great, given his desire not to fight outside Germany. There were reports that Anthony Mundine had offered great sums to lure Sturm to Australia some years ago, but the Mundine Camp was promptly told a fight would only take place on German soil.

Geale has been criticised for not having the knockout power of the likes of Sergio Martinez and Chavez Junior, but Geale’s knockout percentage of 53.57% far outweighs that of Sturm, who at 39.02%, is the one with the inability to spark out his opponents. Geale has the crushing knockout of Roman Karmazin fresh in the mind, and I feel only his fractured hand has prevented him from adding to his knockout record in his past two fights.

Whilst Geale may need a knockout in Germany on Sunday, he is more than equipped to get the job done on decision. Geale has a solid jab and moves well, but he can have a tendency to rush forward in an attempt to start at a fast tempo. Geale has been to the canvas on four occasions in his career, with the last against Mundine, and will need to remain composed under the bright lights in Germany.

Australian Boxing legend, Jeff Fenech is on record as saying Geale is a better fighter than both Mundine and Green, and victory on Sunday morning will certainly eradicate both of the formers resume’s to the periphery.

Victory on Sunday in Germany will finally launch Geale into the Boxing stratosphere that his talents deserve and the Australian Boxing public will finally see that he is in fact, “The Real Deal”.

 



Khan King Amir rise again?

It starts with a flash and you’re on the canvas. Everything is blurry and you’re body is screaming at you to stay down. You push your legs and they struggle to cooperate but somehow you find yourself back on your feet. 

Your ears are ringing ,your legs aren’t there and you're still in la-la land, but you do your best to stop the man in the blue shirt from stopping the fight. He asks you “Are you ok?”, and you nod your head unconvincingly,wipe your gloves, and he somehow lets you continue, it is a World Title fight after all; they don’t stop these things easily.

You stagger to centre ring and eye off the man that has sent you crushing to the edges of defeat. He is like a caged lion, stalking his prey with a devilish look on his face. He is salivating like a lion hunting his wounded prey, he has struck a mighty blow and can see, and taste the blood which pours out of you,showing signs of your mortality. The young lion can taste the title he craves, the very one you have stained with your blood, sweat and tears over the last few years.

The referee brings the fight back to life, and you summon all you’re strength to punch your way back into the contest, throwing shots with all that is left in your body. You throw shots with the same ferocity as all those great nights where they lauded you the next best thing, but tonight your punches do nothing, your body is not responding as it once did and this caged lion is rocking your head back with unparalleled ferocity.

One shot, and the flash is back. 


You are down on the canvas, and it’s all over.

The world title dreams, potential super fights with the best fighters on the planet, and the title of “Next Big Thing” all wash away amidst the sounds of the referee signaling, “fight over”.

It looks familiar, it’s because you have seen it all before.

In 2008 at the hands of Breidis Prescott, Amir Khan is destroyed inside 35 seconds, by an opponent, who despite his 19-0 record many viewed as a mere stepping stone.

This wasn’t meant to be, you are an Olympic Silver Medalist, a British Icon and a poster boy for the next generation of Boxing.

The next day the papers say you were “hype” and good marketing, but lacked the gumption to match the potential, and you’re simply someone that had a lot of promise but was clearly too big for his boots.

This is around about the time; you throw the paper down, hit the gym and destroy every doomsday proclamation levied at the career of Amir “King” Khan.

You go on to link with one of the World’s Best trainers in Freddie Roach and promptly blast your way to wins over Marco Antonio Barrera, Paul Malignaggi, Marcos Maidana and Zab Judah, as well as the WBA and IBF Light-Welterweight World title’s.

You hit a bump in the shape of Lamont Peterson, who wins a disputed majority decision to take your world titles and a slice of your marketability along with it, however most is restored when in the ensuing months comes news that Peterson tests positive to a banned substance, and the titles are duly returned.

That turn of events puts you in the path of the caged lion, Danny Garcia, who is quickly ushered in as a new opponent, in a fight to unify the division, his WBC title with your IBF/WBA belts.

Garcia talks a big talk, but you are a heavy favorite and expected to win comfortably. It’s the perfect time to strike too, given the recent controversy following the Pacquiao-Bradley fight it looks like those two will rematch and could leave the door open for you to get a shot at Mayweather.

For the first three rounds, it all goes to plan as you dazzle Garcia with your fists, showing an uncanny hand speed that the Brit’s had once enjoyed from The Prince called Naseem.

But then there is that flash…and all those dreams go down the gutter.

The papers the next day look awfully similar to those from four years ago and this time you have the one of the best trainers in the world guiding you, and your backed by one of the top promotions in the world, Golden Boy.

How do you come back from this?

When you were KO’d by Prescott they said you were “Chinny”, yet you seemingly dispelled that myth with your win over Maidana, but now Garcia’s knockout has got you marked as “chinny” once more.

They say you have major technical flaws, but you are trained by one of the best trainers of all time, so is there more to the story.

Is it time for Amir Khan to cast aside his Hall of Fame trainer, to someone that spends all his time with Team Khan, rather than spread his services across a number of fighters, including Pacquiao and Chavez, among others.

Do you reconsider your plan to mix it with the plethora of Welterweight’s such as Mayweather, Pacquaio,  Cotto, Margarito, or do you try to recapture your glory in the light-welterweights where you are coming off two consecutive losses.

In the world of boxing, three consecutive losses on the trot seemingly make you irrelevant and Amir Khan is now walking that tightrope.

Losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia, both who are solid fighters, but not on the elite level that the pound for pound kings stand on, severely hurts Khan’s marketability and Golden Boy will be trying to protect their investment.

Do they steer Khan back into calmer waters with a fight against Malignaggi or perhaps Devon Alexander, or do they make the bold step to Welterweight and try and pull off a coup of Tim Bradley proportions.

I have not given up on Amir Khan as returning to the top level of the sport just yet, but it is clear that many within the industry now have their doubts.

I don’t think he is chinny, and he has great heart, and his knockout to Garcia was through his arrogance/carelessness and should not result in a pen being drawn through his name just yet.

Many people did the same thing four years ago and Khan quickly gave them a dose of humble pie.

The next step in Khan’s career will define it.

Does he take a major risk and roll the dice on a marquee name in which victory provides him with a quick return to marquee status, or does he pick the carcass of opponents past their prime to prepare his confidence and box office appeal?

Khan’s long rival Tim Bradley has shown how quickly it can be done and sometimes it can only take one fight.

Khan’s journey to become king once more may well be a long one, but having seen his resurrection once before, who’s to say he cannot rise again.

Follow Adam Santarossa on Twitter - @adamsantarossa

The Bob Arum Circus rolls on as Pacquiao-Bradley collide

For a sport that thrives in the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas, Boxing is known for displaying the odd card trick or two, but for Top Rank Boss, Bob Arum he has made it into an art form.

Arum possesses an arsenal of tricks that would make a Las Vegas dealer blush. It’s the ability to waive one hand in front of everyone and hit them over the head with the other, and he has shown it again with the scheduling of the Pacquiao-Bradley fight this weekend. On the face of it, the fight looks like a blockbuster, The Mega Power that is Pacquiao against the undefeated, Tim Bradley.

But if you look beneath the surface a few cracks appear.

Bob Arum is the head of the promotional company, Top Rank, which promotes Manny Pacquiao along with a plethora of big names in the sport. Arum has become a master at keeping his fights in house and almost refusing to do business with rival promotional company, Golden Boy Promotions headed by Oscar De La Hoya.

Golden Boy house perhaps the biggest fish in Boxing, Floyd Mayweather and two fighters touted as the next generation, Saul Alvarez and Amir Khan. Floyd Mayweather points the blame squarely at Bob Arum for why a fight between he and Manny Pacquiao continues to elude fight fans, given Arum’s hesitance to risk his cash cow, despite it no doubt being the biggest earning fight of all time.

There are many in Boxing who see Pacquiao as a protected species, who Arum closely matches up with Top Rank fighters. It’s smart business in one way, as Arum takes a cut of both fighters purse and see’s his future earnings rise no matter what the result. Four of Pacquiao’s last six opponents have been Top Rank fighters with Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and Tim Bradley all under Arum, with Pacquiao venturing away from the stable against the over the hill, “Sugar” Shane Mosley, formerly managed by Arum, and Juan Manuel Marquez, who many considered to be in a similar state to Mosley at the time.

The Marquez fight was a war, with the ageing Mexican turning back the clock to shatter the “Superman” image that Pacquiao has created, only for Pacquiao to be awarded a dubious points decision victory, which I liken to daylight robbery.  Pacquiao then looked at his next conquest and hype began to build towards a mega-fight with Mayweather.

Once again, the talk from both camps amounted to nothing and both looked at other opponents. Mayweather went after the next best thing and lined up a Super fight with Miguel Cotto. Most assumed Pacquiao would welcome Marquez again for a historic fourth fight, but instead he turned to Tim Bradley.

Bradley will walk into the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday with a chance to pull off one of the biggest upsets of all time. Whilst it wont be as surprising as that win by James “Buster” Douglas, most people expect Pacquiao to make light work of the young American.

Sure Bradley is undefeated, but he has spent the last twelve months ducking the biggest name in the Light-Welterweight division, Amir Khan. Before that it took him an age to have him meet Devon Alexander.

On Sunday he moves up to Welterweight to meet Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight Title. Whilst it’s a weight Bradley has fought at previously, he has spent his career campaigning in lighter weight classes. Bradley is unproven at the elite level and has shown a genuine lack of desire to meet the biggest names until now.

Sure he has been in the ring with opponents like Junior Witter, Nate Campbell, Lamont Petersen, Devon Alexander and Joel Casamayor, but none are anywhere near the level of Pacquiao.

His last fight was on the Pacquiao-Marquez undercard and Bradley promptly dispatched Casamayor in eight rounds. An impressive performance no doubt, but Casamayor has always done his best work at Lightweight, not Welterweight.

Bradley could luck out on Sunday and find himself winning the jackpot. Not only does he claim his highest ever pay day in meeting Pacquiao (touted as $7.5 million), but would most probably find himself walking into a fight with Floyd Mayweather that would command him almost triple the earnings.

But I can’t see Bradley getting the job done.

Whilst Pacquiao is heavy favorite and until now I am yet to hear anyone of note predict otherwise, debate is starting to stir around Arum and his prized fighter. The fight with Marquez showed Pacquiao might not be the star he has been hyped to be. An inability to offer a rematch to Marquez, or Cotto and a refusal by Arum to do business with Golden Boy at times, means questions are being asked off Team Pacquiao. For so long Mayweather has been cast as the man responsible for a delay in the mega-fight being made, but Mayweather won a substantial public relations hold in taking the dangerous fight with Miguel Cotto, shining a large spotlight now on Pacquiao.

Come Sunday Pacquiao will take home his substantial pay and look good in the process when he hands Bradley his first loss, but like everything in Vegas, the bright lights will again mask a dark undertow….

And another Bob Arum card trick that pays full dividends.

Follow Adam on Twitter - @adamsantarossa

Cotto's last chance to become a legend

What made Michael Jordan truly great was that his career defining moments were performances on the biggest stage, when pressure was at its highest point and the eyes of the world were on him.

As good as Jordan was, it was his ability to perform on the big stage that made him a legend, and it's from similar feats that Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao share similar stature in Boxing.

Miguel Cotto walks into the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, with numerous question marks next to his name, and the eyes of the world watching, and a chance to finally cement his name alongside the greats having missed the opportunity when previously afforded.

He steps in the ring against the No.1 ranked fighter in the world, a man that is the most outspoken and most charismatic fighter on the planet, Floyd Mayweather, who in 42 fights is yet to taste defeat.

As good as Miguel Cotto has been, he has never truly made the leap to that elite level that Mayweather and Pacquiao exist on. There is no denying Cotto is destined for the Hall of Fame, but questions still linger over the Puerto Rican.

Whenever the hype starts to build about Cotto, he falls short.

It first happened in 2008 with Cotto undefeated on the back of a 32-0 record. Boxing pundits had Cotto ready as the sports next big star, ready to join Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in a Hagler-Hearns-Leonard-Duran type rivalry.

What followed was a stunning knockout loss to Antonio Margarito, who battered Cotto from pillar to post in a way never seen before. It was eventually revealed that Margarito fought with “loaded gloves” with plaster apparel found in his hand wraps in a later fight, which was justification for some for Cotto’s loss, but many believe Cotto has never been the same since. His beating at the hands of Margarito changed him, as if he left a piece of him with the blood, sweat and tears he shed that night.

From the loss to Margarito, Cotto bounced back with back to back victories over Michael Jennings and the tough, Joshua Clottey. Hype began rising again. Hype that the Margarito loss was merely a blip on the radar and Cotto was back to take his place amongst the elite.

Up next was a clash with Manny Pacquiao and a chance for Cotto to finally prove his capabilities. What followed was a crushing 12^th round TKO defeat after being sent to the canvas on four occasions in the fight.

The one sided result showed the world that Cotto was not yet elite, and for all the hype truly lacked what it took to compete with the best in the world, which confined him to no man’s land between Mayweather and Pacquiao and the rest.

Cotto did not give up however and quickly moved to Super Welterweight in which he promptly disposed of Yuri Foreman and Ricardo Mayorga. Tongues began to wag again.

Cotto looked revitalized at his new weight and a change in trainer showed the one dimensional brawler of the past had more than the odd trick up his sleeve.

In December of 2011, Cotto jumped back in the ring with the man that took his undefeated streak away, Antonio Margarito. The Mexican had served his suspension for the loaded wraps and returned to the ring against Manny Pacquiao. Margarito was no match for Pacquiao, with Margarito taking so much punishment that he suffered a detached retina which took Margarito out of the ring for almost one year.

Miguel Cotto enacted his revenge as he impressed all with his boxing ability with a ninth round stoppage after doctors refused to let Margarito continue due to further damage to his eye.

The performance was so emphatic that the whispers started once more. A Pacquiao rematch was touted before talk of a Mayweather- Pacquiao fight gained momentum, only to be delayed again.

This led to Floyd Mayweather signing a fight with the next best fighter in Cotto, which gives Cotto his final chance to prove to the world just how good he can be.

Mayweather however, is no ordinary man. He is the best fighter on the planet with 42 wins from 42 fights. He has beaten the who’s who of boxing with a roll call of legends holding place on his resume.

Names such as Hatton, Mosley, Marquez, De La Hoya, Judah, Gatti, Ortiz, Castillo and Corrales to name a few, all of which that will be instilled in the Hall of Fame at some point in time.

What is equally impressive is Mayweather’s ability to move between weight classes and still have success. He will do so again, by moving to Super Welterweight to meet for Cotto’s WBA World Title.

Fans of the HBO Boxing Series “24/7 Mayweather-Cotto” would have witnessed the bizarre training techniques of “Money” Mayweather. Whether it is trips to Burger King or El Pollo Loco both before and after training, to shopping for $11,000 shoes or completing his bag work whilst talking on a mobile phone, Floyd Mayweather just does things differently.

But despite his shenanigans on camera, he has met ever challenge ever presented to it and crushed it. As the great man says “42 men have come with a plan and they have all come up short”.

Many, including myself expect Mayweather to add Cotto to the list of names vanquished and move onto 43-0, before taking a short vacation to serve a jail sentence before trying once more to make a fight with Pacquiao for late 2012.

The experts point to Cotto’s loss to Margarito and Cotto’s loss to Pacquaio as justification as to why Cotto just doesn’t have what it takes to stop a legend  this Sunday.

But Cotto is desperate. Sunday’s  fight with Mayweather is a must win for Cotto for many reasons.

A victory will finally see him make the leap to the true elite standing in boxing , and it will also allow him to generate massive pay days with fights with Pacquiao and Mayweather.

A loss will see him lose relevance, as Cotto has beaten almost every fighter relevant below him but would have come up short against the top two in Mayweather and Pacquiao, leaving him further stricken in a promotional no-man’s land.

A loss for Cotto on Sunday confines him to the realm of sportsmen who had a Hall of Fame career, who won championships and found fame in the process. But when the pressure was on and the blowtorch applied simply came up short. A win for Cotto however will see the questions that have plagued experts for years finally answered.

But just how to beat Floyd “Money” Mayweather  is the biggest question of them all, and so far no man has found the secret.

Cotto must find it on Sunday otherwise he will be confined to the history books as another What If?

PREDICTION – MAYWEATHER BY DECISION

****

An interesting aside from the main event is the main support fight which sees’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez take on “Sugar” Shane Mosley for the WBC Light-Middleweight title.

Alvarez is considered the man that will step into the void left by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao once they both call it a day, and is even touted to meet Mayweather in the ring should both be successful in their respective fights this weekend, and the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight continues to fall through.

Mosley has a lot of doubters and many feel his gloves should have been hung up quite some time ago.  He looked promising early against Mayweather before fading  and was miserable in his fight with Pacquiao.

Juan Manuel Marquez and Eric Morales have shown that you should write off a warrior too soon, but it would be hard to see Mosley’s career continuing if he is beaten comprehensively again against the rising star.

Time for Billy "The Kid" to show he is "The Man"

His following is growing by the day, yet there remains a significant number of detractors.

Billy “The Kid” Dib rubbed many a boxing fan early on in his career, much of it was not even his own doing.

The silky skills were awash with a sense of arrogance and a plethora of hangers on and then there was what some considered an armchair ride to the big time, riding the coattails of Golden Boy Promotions, “Sugar” Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya.

At least that was the perception from the outside looking in.

But when you meet the man, you understand the perception paints a very different picture.

I had the opportunity to work with Billy “The Kid” in the lead up to his fight for the vacant IBF Featherweight World Title against Jorge Lacierva last year, and the perception couldn’t be further from the truth.

What I encountered was a down to earth and humble young man, who is tremendously respectful and a credit to his family.

I remember a time when I had completed some MC work for Billy at a shopping centre appearance promoting the Lacierva fight. Upon completing my work, Billy came up to me, shook my hand, thanked me and then gave me a Billy “The Kid” T-shirt for my troubles.

He remains the only “celebrity” to personally thank me after any such event.

If only more people knew that Billy Dib.

In days past, Dib was riding in style with Mosley, De La Hoya and other big names fighting on undercards on some of the biggest fights of the year at places like the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and Madison Square Garden.

He was moving in the right circles and opportunities arose. An IBO Super-Featherweight Title came as well and Dib had it made, all at the age of 23.

What followed was a fight with Steven Leuvano for the WBO Featherweight Title, in the bright lights of Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and a crushing defeat.

It was a crushing defeat not on the scorecards, but due to the events which followed the fight.

Dib was panned mercifully by US commentators for being outclassed and in some eyes out willed by the classy Leuvano. Leuvano won the fight comfortably yet the margins of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111 show it was by no means a cakewalk.

Yet following the fight Dib’s cards were stamped and he was sent back home labelled “NOT GOOD ENOUGH”.

Golden Boy Promotions dropped him like a bad habit and “Sugar” Shane Mosley suddenly stopped coming around for visits.

But Dib kept believing. He didn’t fold when the experts were saying he didn’t have what it took to mix it with the best and that he had had a good run.

Dib talks honestly when questioned about getting ahead of himself in the past, and says that mistakes made then make him more determined to make the most of opportunities now.

“The biggest lesson I have learnt is I was so caught up in the hype before; I was caught up in the hype of being with the superstars and everything like that. Now I have settled down and realised at the end of the day, no one in the sport of boxing is going to be able to help you unless you help yourself.”

Dib certainly has helped himself.

In early 2009 he aligned himself with Billy Hussein and has not looked back.

He has swapped the superstar mates for a stable of boxers reliant on hard work, dedication and a belief to be the best.

He has swapped the casinos of Las Vegas and Atlantic City for venues such as Sydney’s Croatian Club and Le Montage Events Centre.

He has even had to do it all away from the spotlight and eyes of his fans.

Not one Australian Television stations was interested in showing his IBF Featherweight Title shot against Jorge Lacierva, although it was eventually shown a week later on tape delay. The late finish of the fight meant Dib didn’t even grace the following day’s paper.

His following fight and first World title defence against Alberto Servidei was shown live on Foxsports, and many witnessed Dib destroy his previously undefeated opponent inside the first minute of the fight.

But even this result was met with pessimism.

Most saw Servidei as handpicked, and pointed to his undefeated record that included a victory over the same fighter on six different occasions.

Most said it was Team Dib making the most of the opportunity whilst they could, knowing eventually there man would be found out against tougher opposition.

A call was put out to WBA Super Featherweight Champion, Chris John only for nothing to arise, which did nothing to silence the voices.

Yet on Wednesday night, Dib shares the marquee with another Australian World Champion, Daniel Geale when he defends his IBF Featherweight World Title against mandatory challenger, Eduardo Escobedo.

With a record of 32-3, Escobedo is certainly no mug and is coming off an eleven fight winning streak. If Team Dib wanted to hand pick their opponents than Escobedo would not even appear on such a list.

He is a dangerous fighter who has an impressive resume. He has knockout power and can find nice angles from the outside.

This fight is the biggest of Dib’s career.

Win and he may finally get the credit he deserves. Lose and those voices will rise again saying “I told you so”.

It’s a shame amid all the mismatches that Australian Boxing has thrown up in the past few years that a fight such as this isn’t on the lips of every Australian sportsfan.

As a punter, I went looking for the odds on this fight and at Sportingbet, Sportsbet and TAB Sportsbet they were nowhere to be seen.

Is this a sign that the betting agencies aren’t prepared to take the hit, given the expected closeness of the fight, or is it more that they feel given the way Dib polarizes opinion that no one would seem to care.

Come Wednesday evening, Billy “The Kid” Dib has the chance to silence the critics once and for all.

No longer will he be sharing the bill with other fighters, or fighting in local RSL clubs.

He will return to the stage he was told he was never good enough for after losing to Leuvano in 2008.

It’s hard to believe that Dib is still only 26. Anthony Mundine only began his boxing career around the same age.

To see what Mundine has achieved in the time since highlights the possibilities that exist for Billy Dib.

At 26, he is no longer “The Kid” with all the promise, but a fighter with the skills and desire to show the world he is indeed “The Main Man”.

It's time for Mayweather and Pacquiao to shutup and fight!

Well Mayweather v Pacquiao is back on the wish list yet again, if only I had $1 for every time I have written that opening line.

You are probably wondering like many of us why the biggest fight ever held and one that is set to break all financial records is so hard to make.

The Mayweather v Pacquiao fight is the easiest sell known to man, well at least to everyone but the two men that will do battle in centre ring.

It has taken five years, yet we are still locked in a firestorm of political and egotistical struggle between the two, in which somewhere along the line the good of the sport that made both men millionaires was lost.

Both camps look at the potential millions on offer to them, but with only the winner taking the spoils, for some reason for both Mayweather and Pacquiao that isn’t quite enough.

Never mind the fact that each man is set to take away $100 million dollars minimum for just lacing up his gloves, what concerns both parties is what will happen to the loser.

There is an old adage used in the world of sports marketing, ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’, and it’s the reason why New York Giants jerseys are the hardest to find right now.

The winner of the biggest fight ever will take home millions through endorsements and media coverage generated from their victory alone, and the loser will see a sizeable chunk come out of their future box office revenue.

For so long the narrative of Mayweather-Pacquiao has had us all tuned in to witness the next twist in the tale, with millions of us paying for the privilege and thus lining the pockets of both men from our pay per view buys. When the final chapter is written, and we finally have a winner, one man will see those pay per view buys skyrocket, whilst the loser becomes second best.

Despite the chance for both men to be validated as No.1 pound for pound and hold multiple world titles, and finally "officially" have the ability to call themselves the best fighter in the world, to Mayweather and Pacquiao that just isn’t enough, and that sadly epitomises what Boxing has become.

Since the dawn of time, two men have been able to settle their differences with their fists, devoid of colour, creed, science or societies labels, where a man's heart mattered more than training, income, education or opportunity.

It's a sport where a black man who couldn't get service at his local restaurant became the most loved fighter of all time.

It's a sport where a street kid lost to society fought his way to a heavyweight title and the millions that came along the way.

The Boxing ring is the ultimate proving ground and one that takes no prisoners, some leave with less than they arrived and others leave with much more than their wildest dreams, and it all started with two men lacing up their gloves with a desire to see who the better man was.

It's ironic for a sport that has lived and breathed out of the gambling capital of the world, under the bright lights of Las Vegas; both men are not willing to take the gamble.

What is even more ironic and harder to comprehend is that it's a gamble were strangely everybody wins.

Follow me on Twitter at @adamsantarossa

Aussie Boxing: 2012 Preview

In 2011, Australian Boxing witnessed somewhat of a changing of the guard.

For a sport which recently has relied so heavily on the likes of Anthony Mundine and Danny Green for media exposure and box office appeal, 2011 saw those fighters who had been confined to the peripheral make some giant strides to centre stage.

2011 saw the crowning of new World Champions in Daniel Geale, Billy Dib and Will Tomlinson, along with many others springing into World Title contention.

Anthony Mundine, Danny Green, Vic Darchinyan, Michael Katsidis and Lenny Zappavinga also flew the flag high for Australia in some high profile bouts, but it was the young brigade who shone brightest.

So it’s time to take a look at what is in store for some of the country’s biggest fighters in 2012.

2012 is a big year for:

IBF Middleweight Champion, Daniel Geale- After defeating Sebastian Sylvester for the IBF Middleweight Title in May, 2011 and defending his title against Eromosele Albert in August, a broken hand prevented Geale from any further fights in 2011. He is scheduled to defend his title for the second time against a yet to be announced opponent on March 7 in Hobart, on an impressive card featuring Billy Dib and Kali Meehan. The opponent is likely to be IBF Middleweight No.1 contender, Osumanu Adama, who won the right to be Geale’s mandatory challenger following his defeat of Roman Karmazin last October.

Geale has shown his desire to tackle the other Middleweight World champions in Sergio Martinez, Felix Sturm and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, however with Geale not being the biggest name in the overseas markets; he may find the going tough in securing a big name fight.

Don’t be surprised to see him in the ring with Anthony “The Man” Mundine at some point in 2012. After their highly controversial first fight there will be a lot of money made in a rematch. With Geale and Mundine struggling to secure big name overseas fights, both may be eager to step in the ring against each other once more. The Geale camp had pitched the concept to the Mundine camp following Geale’s World Title win back in July of last year, and the fight would certainly do good business for Geale, instead of a lesser known fighter like the rumoured fight with WBO Champion, Dmitry Pirog.

IBF Featherweight Champion, Billy Dib-  After winning the vacant IBF Featherweight Title against Jorge Lacierva last July, he defended his title against the very unimpressive, Alberto Servidei, who Dib destroyed inside one round. Despite his impressive recent form there still seems to be many who doubt Dib’s World Title credentials and there is no better chance for Dib to dispel those doubts once and for all then in his next fight.

Dib meets the tough; Eduardo Escobedo in Hobart on March 7, in a fight which I believe will be the toughest of his career. Escobedo is undefeated since 2007 and has put away some impressive names in the Featherweight division.  Dib has big plans going forward and is looking to return to the USA and re-link with Golden Boy Promotions. A Fight with Indonesian Superstar, Chris John still remains an option, and it seems so much is starting to happen for the young featherweight. It is amazing to believe he is still only 26.

Anthony Mundine- It seems like finally the penny has dropped for “The Man”. For so long he has been derided for fighting lesser known opponents rather than cashing in on his enormous talent and potential and fighting the biggest names in the World. Whilst Mundine has spoken of his wish to do this for a while, it seems now though that he is finally putting those plans into action. He has developed a relationship with once sworn enemy, Jeff Fenech who is acting on Mundine’s behalf in the United States and looking to secure fights against the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto. Whilst it seems not a lot has come from initial negotiations, Mundine still has a shot at interim WBA Junior-Middleweight Champion; Austin Trout guaranteed, which if victorious could springboard him into a shot at the big names that he seeks. If unsuccessful in his plans, he still has some big fights to fall back on back home. Fights with Daniel Geale and Danny Green are still available for a rainy day should his American plans come unstuck.

Danny Green- The big question going into 2012 is whether or not we will see Danny Green back in the boxing ring. Although Green did say he would not retire following his recent knockout loss to Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, he did not indicate any firm ideas as to his next step. Green will have to put a number of wins together following back to back knockout defeats to Tarver and Wlodarczyk it would seem before securing another World Title shot. A fight with New Zealand cruiserweight Shane Cameron was all but signed before his crushing defeat to Tarver and that fight may be the ideal tune-up to a bigger fish later down the line. Rematches against Wlodarczyk and Tarver could be possible, and there was even some talk on social media recently about a rematch with BJ Flores, despite Green's comfortable victory over the American in their 2010 fight. I wouldn’t rule out a drop to Light-Heavyweight, given Green is considered a small cruiserweight and has suffered against the bigger hitting bodies of late. A fight with Anthony Mundine can also not be discounted if Mundine’s US plans come unstuck. I have always felt that fight has been left for a rainy day and with Mundine talking in the press last week about moving to Cruiserweight in the future to tackle Wlodarczyk himself, maybe that offers a little glimpse of a Green-Mundine rematch in the future to send both into retirement with a nice substantial payday.

Vic Darchinyan- Looked as though age was catching up to him in his one sides defeat to Anselmo Moreno in December and is really stuck in no man’s land in terms of the world title picture. Darchinyan is still within the top ten in the division, but has shown an inability to get the job done against the division’s elite. He has touted a move into Mixed Martial Arts, given his wrestling background in Armenia as a youth and with the UFC debuting a new Flyweight division we may yet see the “Raging Bull” enter the Octagon in 2011.

Michael Katsidis- After a disappointing 2011, Katsidis will be looking to rebuild in 2012 and work his way towards another world title shot. Having tasted defeat in three of his last four fights he needs to get back into the winners circle soon. He has made the decision to move to the US and has recruited the legendary Jeff Fenech and former Kostya Tzsyu manager, Vlad Warton after parting ways with long time trainer, Brendan Smith.  With Katsidis game plan focussing heavily on his ability to cut off the ring and being an all action fighter, Jeff Fenech is a great choice given he was the best exponent of that very game plan. A make or break year for “The Great” Katsidis.

Sam Soliman- Very much in the twilight of his career, Sam “King” Soliman takes on Garth Wood in Sydney on February 19 to determine the No.2 ranked challenger in the IBF Middleweight Rankings, with the winner looking to secure a world title shot against fellow Aussie, Daniel Geale. Solimon has been largely inactive in recent years and is running out of time to win that elusive world title.

Garth Wood- Fights against Sam Soliman on February 19 for the IBF No.2 ranking, which could lead to a shot at Daniel Geale. Wood was largely inactive for 2011, with Wood only chalking up a highly competitive loss against Anthony Mundine in April. A fight with Johannes Mwetupunga in August had to be cancelled after Wood received a cut following a head clash in sparring, as cuts seem to continually prove problematic for the Contender Australia winner.  Wood has built a sizeable following after his reality show win and surprise knockout of Mundine, but a defeat against Soliman may see him fall back into the pack and lose his relevance.

IBO Super-Featherweight Champion, Will Tomlinson- “Wild” Will Tomlinson is in line for a huge 2012. After rounding out an exciting 2011 by capturing the IBO Super-Featherweight Title in Perth on the Wlodarczyk- Green undercard, bigger things await the impressive youngster. An exciting fighter, who shirks no challenge, has even called out fellow Aussie, Michael Katsidis. With the Australian public  at odds with the Mundine-Green sideshow, Tomlinson no nonsense approach and all action style may yet usher in the new era of Australian boxing.

Lenny Zappavinga- Much is unknown of Zappavinga’s future plan and there are some doubts over the youngsters continued interest in the sport. After a disappointing 2011, which saw him defeated by Miguel Vasquez in their IBF Lightweight World Title fight, before being knocked out by journeyman, Ameth Diaz, who going into the fight had only won ten of his twenty nine fights. Last reports were that Zappavinga was training to enter the MMA scene. Zappavinga does not possess the background other than Boxing and would have to cut his teeth in local promotions such as CFC, before trying his luck overseas.

Keep an eye on -

Paul Fleming- With a 13-0 record and already under contract to Bob Arum’s promotional company Top Rank, big things are expected of the former Olympian. He is one of the most exciting prospects to come out of Australia in some time, and his exciting style is sure to catch fans attention. He made his US debut last July with a Round One knockout of Juan Jose Beltran in California, and with Billy Hussein and Mike Altamura working their magic behind the scenes he is in good hands. The excitement surrounding Fleming reminds me of “Cool” Willy Kickett whose early career was met with similar excitement, but never seemed to hit the heights projected. But from what he has shown us so far, I don’t think that will be an issue. A fight with fellow Super-Featherweight, Will Tomlinson would be simply mouth watering.

Barry Hall- After retiring from the AFL, Hall announced that he would enter the boxing ring and attempt to cash in on the potential that saw him win the Victorian Bantamweight Title as a youth. After almost making the move three years ago after falling out with the Sydney Swans and seeing Danny Green’s promotional company, “Green Machine Promotions” offer Hall an alleged half a million dollar contract, Hall feels 2012 is now the right time. At age 34, it is unlikely that a World Title is in Hall’s future but there are several domestic fights that can make some good business for “Big Bad” Barry Hall. We can only hope he makes a better fist of things than other footballers who have made the move such as Carl Webb, John Hopoate, Solomon Haumono, Les Mason and Monty Betham.

Follow me on Twitter at - @adamsantarossa