Round by Round – Weekly Boxing Notes

The Great White Hopes↵
↵The word is that Joe Calzaghe’s next bout may well be against Kelly Pavlik, and I’m sure that is a welcome word for most red-blooded fight fans. Pavlik has a walkover fight on June 7th against Welsh middleweight, Gary Lockett, who (like all Welsh boxers evidently) is trained by Enzo Calzaghe (Joe’s dad) and promoted by Frank Warren. Bob Arum recently said that if Pavlik beats Lockett (and if the earth does not suddenly collide with the sun – equal odds on those two) he’ll have a sit-down with Enzo and Warren and get the deal done for the fall. Of course Roy Jones is still out there squawking about how he wants Calzaghe, but you know if Roy fights Joe he’s going to want ALL that money. Kelly the Ghost gives Calzag a much better split, not to mention an infinitely more interesting fight. Have to imagine that Joe will be at Pavlik’s fight against Lockett in A.C. – maybe they’ll meet up in the casino and get into a Bernard-styled shout-down. I can see it now – “I’ll never let a white boy beat me!” “No no no I’ll never let a white boy beat ME!”↵
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Light as a Byrd↵
↵Chris Byrd, a former heavyweight titlist, is a light heavyweight now. He lost about 40 pounds in a month and now he wants to get into the big money sweepstakes at 175. In a recent ESPN profile he said that he lost the weight by going on the highly scientific “paper-plate” diet – eating all his meals off of paper plates. “That keeps me on track,” he says, “because you can’t get a lot of food on those little plates.” Does Dr. Atkins know about this? Anyway, if you want to check out the paper-plate edition of the Byrd Man, he fights his first bout at 175 on the deuce tonight in an FNF-showdown with Shaun George. (Below are some highlights from Byrd getting a beating from Wlad Klitschko in 2006, ample evidence as to why he is making the move down in weight – it’s like a bear fighting a mountain lion in there.)↵

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↵↵The Next Generation↵
↵Nice little card on HBO’s Boxing After Dark tomorrow night featuring three up-and-comers who are all exciting fighters to watch. 2004 Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa is an active little hot-dog speed-demon from Cuba who defected with two of his teammates in December of 2006. He fights fast and furious at 130 and yet he’s still got a lot to learn – the Brazilian hard-head Adailton de Jesus put him on the canvas in a six-rounder last October. Gamboa faces four-time NY Golden Gloves champion Darling Jimenez tomorrow night. Mexican Alfredo Angulo is a big-punching 154 who’s been on everyone’s radar screen for the past couple years, and he’ll be making a step up in talent in facing Colombian Richard Gutierrez. And Austin’s James Kirkland is another highly-regarded junior middleweight known for his knockout power fighting a decorated veteran, Eromosele Albert.↵