The Square Ring
By Howie Reed - April 26, 2003

Stop the press: Hugo Dianzo (29-8) will be the one
challenging WBC bantam champ Veeraphol Nakhonluang (40-1)in Bangkok May 1. Dianzo lost a very controversial decision to then-118lb champ Paulie
Ayala two years ago in Ft. Worth, Texas and since has gone 3-2. The native of Mexico is computer ranked #31 while Veeraphol is #2. “Just another payday.” We now return you to our regular column.

Trust that everyone has survived Songkran with a
“sigh” and a thought. The thought? “Thank goodness we made it through another Songkran.” Surviving Songkran is something, as it killed more than SARS and The War in Iraq. Gosh what a great holiday.

The fight between Joe Calzaghe (35-0) against William
Joppy (34-1-2) scheduled for May 24th in Newcastle is
probably “deader than Kelsey’s reproductive organ”.
Promoter Frank Warren just “couldn’t get it done”.
Funny how Warren always has trouble “getting it done.”  The champion Weasel of the Week award this week goes to the Honorable Dr. Jose’ Sulaiman of the WBC. Lennox Lewis is going to fight Kirk Johnson on June 21 but the WBC says Lewis must fight Vitali Klitschko, well kinda. “The WBC does not want to strip Lennox of his title. He is the pride of the WBC,” said Sulaiman. “If Lennox fights Kirk Johnson without an agreement with Vitali, perhaps we wouldn’t sanction the fight, but we wouldn’t strip him.” You not sanction a fight and collect say $100,000 USDs? Dr. Sulaiman I was born in the morning but it didn’t happen to be this one.

Brentford, West London will be the site tomorrow of
Scottish Dave Stewart’s next fight. That ought to make
the lads at Scots Corner on 2nd Road happy.

Dave’s in against Nigel Senior for the British Masters
title in his first 10 rounder. Initially Stewart was
to box Chill John over 8 rounds, but he pulled out.
Then a quality fighter called Darren Melville for the
vacant British Masters lightweight title (10 rounds).
He pulled out too. Nigel Senior, the current Masters
Champion, was vacating the title to fight a Yank who
also pulled out. Stewart writes, “Thus Senior is
defending against me. Should have no problems. Then
it’ll be back to Pattaya Beach to celebrate with my
comrades at Scot’s Corner!” I’ll drink to that.

Tomorrow from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Channel 11, there
is a Muay Thai event of “gigantic proportions”. Fans
of Muay Thai and those knowledgeable will recognize
the names that fill out the 5-bout card. This event,
called Million Tournament M-150, will be held in the
temple (Wat Laemtai) during the funeral of Promoter
Songchai Ratanasuban’s father. Chachoengsao is his
hometown. Now if I had any idea where Wat Laemtai or
Chachoengsao was I might write, “Mosey on by,” but
alas I don’t and won’t.

WBC superfeatherweight champion Sirimongkol Singwancha was named the best Thai professional athlete of 2002 at the Sports Day function. This award was organized by the Sportswriters Association of Thailand. No, of course I’m not a member, being a farang and all. “And all” covers a lot of ground. A little background on Sirimongkol. He captured the vacant WBC 130-lb title in 2002 by destroying Kengo Nagashima in 2 in the Land of the Rising Sun and Falling Yen. His first defense was against former WBA champ Yong-Soo Choi in Tokyo where he got the decision. “Now, he’s planning a title defense against WBC#1 Jesus Chavez (39-2) within 6 months.” Planning and getting it done are two different things. From a financial standpoint the fight would probably have to be in the USA. That’s where the money for Chavez would be. Chavez got the #1 spot in the WBC ranking after he KO’d Carlos Gerena
(38-4) in 6.

WBC bantamweight champion Veerapol Sahaprom (40-1) will change the challenger in his 10th title defense bout on May 1. Nicaraguan Julio Gamboa was denied by the WBC because he was defeated by Jose Luis Valbuena in his last bout. “Veerapol’s new opponent could be the WBC Latin American bantamweight champ Hugo Dianzo of Mexico.” That is maybe true but patently silly as most of Veerapol’s defenses have been. Dianzo is the #14 ranked by the WBC. Being called credible would be
a stretch of gigantic proportions.

If Veerapol is ever going to gain the standing of a
great champion or heck even a good one, and the money that follows, he’s going to have to fight someone that’s still breathing. Who? How about WBC #1 Toshiaki Nishioka (23-3) or WBA Champion Johnny Bredahl (53-2) of Denmark?

“As a boxer, Mohammed Yusif Mohammed (5-2, 4 KO’s) is nothing special. His boxing skill is average, similar any other boxer on his level, with a hit and run
strategy. What makes ‘The Basra Boy’ so unusual is
that his homeland is war-torn Saddamless Iraq.
Mohammed, 24, was born in Basra City, Iraq and trained in Al-Basra Gymnasium.” Like many Iraqis he hauled “A”  before the war started and uses a hit and run strategy. The latter didn’t work for him or his
country. He’s been in Bangkok for 6 months living and
training.

Guess six months isn’t long enough to learn that Thai
fighters should not go to Indonesia to fight. He lost
a UD (95-92, 96-93, 95-93) over 10.

Worst joke to come out of the war. This is what as is
known as a “groaner”. Saddam sends his son out for
groceries. The son returns with a box of goods. “Why
the box,” asks Saddam. “No Bagdad ... Dad.”

Handlers for Olympic super heavyweight Gold Medallist
“Fraudley” Harrison seem desperate to get their meal
ticket back in favor. They claim, in a press release
that they “are open to accepting a challenge from
former WBC heavyweight champion Frank Bruno and await a firm written proposal. The fight would have mass appeal with the British public and Audley is ready to accept the challenge,” said Harrison’s business manager. Now would that be the same Frank Bruno with the body by Adonis and the chin by Waterford? The same Frank Bruno that seven years ago was KO’d in 3 rounds by Mike Tyson? The same Frank Bruno that lost his bottle? If so and the “the fight would have mass appeal with the British public” then there is something rotten in British sport. “You’ve got to be joking.” How about them apples?

(Opinions and editorials of HotBoxingNews.com is the opinion of those writers and may not be the opinion of HotBoxingNews.com)

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