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Standing Eight Count, May 22

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I went to the Marco Antonio Barrera-Rocky Juarez fight with some friends and had a great time.  It's always great to go to a fight live and not only see the event, but the people it brings.  When I was in line for a beverage between under card fights, Diego Corrales walked by with a baby strapped to his chest.  Go figure.

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Speaking of that night, a fight that I did not mention in the fight review was between super bantamweights Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and Roberto Bonilla.  I usually don't watch much boxing under 130 pounds, but I was flat-out impressed by Bautista, who knocked out Bonilla with a great uppercut in the third round.  Bautista is only 19 years old and displays serious power — with both hands, too — rarely seen in that division.  The Filipino boxer is trained by the great Freddie Roach and moved his record to 20-0 (15 KOs) with the impressive win.  I'll definitely keep my eye on Bautista as he rises through the division ranks in the next few years.

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Fellow Filipino Manny Pacquiao was in attendance for the Bautista fight but he was also in Los Angeles for another reason.  At a press conference on Thursday, it was announced that Pacquiao will face Oscar Larios in a title match in July.  The featherweight championship fight will take place at the historic Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines, the same venue that hosted "The Thrilla in Manila."  Pacquiao will be defending his WBC International super featherweight belt.  Pacquiao is also scheduled to face Erik Morales for a third time in October in Las Vegas.

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As part of a "legends" card, former middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. will return to the ring for the first time in ten months when he faces "Prince" Badi Ajamu in Boise, Idaho on July 29.  The NABO's light heavyweight title will be on the line.

Originally Evander Holyfield was going to appear in a fight on the card, but negotiaions fell through.  Former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champ Virgil Hill will also be on the "legends" card.

Jones fell from boxing grace quickly, going from the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world to a boxer who lost his last three fights, two by way of knockout.  I doubt this is a serious comeback for the 37-year old, but instead a chance to return to the spotlight one last time and finish his career with a win.

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In another recently announced fight, former undisputed welterweight champion Cory Spink will fight in his hometown of St. Louis when he faces IBF junior middleweight champion Roman Karmazin on Showtime.  The fight is scheduled on July 8 at the Savvis Center.  Neither fighter has been active, with Karmazin's last fight coming in July 2005 when he beat champion Kassim Ouma for the IBF junior middleweight title in a 12-round decision.  Spinks hasn't fought since February 2005, a knockout loss to Zab Judah that cost Spinks the undisputed title.

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For those of you waiting to hear the results of the Scott Harrison fight against Gairy St. Clair on Saturday, you'll be waiting for a while.  Last Tuesday Harrison withdrew from his WBO featherweight title defense due to legal matters.

Last month Harrison was arrested and charged with breach of the peace and police assault stemming from a fight he was involved in at a pub in Glasgow.  Then on last Sunday, Harrison was arrested after an incident at a bar in Balloch, Scotland.  No charges were filed but British news believe he was questioned about an alleged drug possession.

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For those of you that caught the Hatton-Collazo fight, what were your thoughts on Hatton?  Overmatched by moving up in class?  Nervous with a new HBO contract and fighting on U.S. soil?  All I know is the Hatton who fought two weeks ago was not the same Hatton that practically destroyed Kostya Tszyu last summer.  East Side Boxing's James Anthony takes a quick look at whether Hatton is overrated or just had a bad night against Collazo.

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Did anyone catch Ray Mancini on Friday Night Fights?  If so, please tell me what he was wearing because I have no idea.  He looked more like "Bum Bum" than "Boom Boom."



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