Boxing Capsules: Golden Boy, Affliction put boxing, MMA on cards

LAS VEGAS - Golden Boy Promotions will put boxing matches and mixed martial arts fights side-by-side in a new partnership with Affliction, the fledgling MMA promoter run by an apparel company.

Golden Boy and Affliction will be equal partners in a venture that will put on at least four multisport events starting in 2009, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said Saturday. Many smaller attempts have been made to pair the two combat sports on the same cards, but Golden Boy and Affliction hope to be the first to do it on a major scale.

"I think the two worlds have finally merged, and this is a perfect example," Affliction vice president Tom Atencio said.

MMA exploded in popularity earlier in the decade with the rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which dominates the sport. Affliction, a 3-year-old creator of Gothic-inflected men's T-shirts and apparel, edged into combat sports by sponsoring both MMA fighters and boxers, such as middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik.

Affliction then decided to try MMA promotion after its shirts were banned at UFC events, staging a successful debut show in Anaheim, Calif., on July 19. But Affliction then postponed an event scheduled for October in Las Vegas, leading industry watchers to wonder whether the promoter already was in trouble.

Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya's burgeoning promotions company, has long been intrigued by the idea of getting into MMA, with Schaefer driving the interest in its riches and loyal fan base.

"I think there's a tremendous opportunity for crossover promotions, and to team up with such an iconic brand like Affliction is a big step for us," Schaefer said.

Fedor Emelianenko, the vaunted MMA heavyweight who starred in the defunct Pride Fighting Championships, is expected to headline Affliction's next show in January, which could be the start of its partnership with Golden Boy. The card's postponement from October allowed time for Emelianenko's injured hand to heal.

Affliction Clothing will produce a new line of boxing T-shirts tied to Golden Boy's upcoming bouts, including De La Hoya's fight against Manny Pacquiao, to sell in its retail outlets and at fight venues. Affliction also will make shirts featuring old covers of Ring Magazine, the once-powerful boxing journal now owned by Golden Boy.

Hatton too sick to promote bout with Malignaggi

LAS VEGAS - Ricky Hatton has been knocked out at the MGM Grand for the second time in a year.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. did it last December, and an illness flattened the English star Saturday.

Paulie Malignaggi, who will meet Hatton in a 140-pound fight on Nov. 22, was forced to pose for menacing photos with Hatton's nameplate after Hatton missed a promotional news conference with what might have been a bout of food poisoning.

"No matter how sick he feels right now, he's going to feel a lot sicker on Nov. 23," said Lou DiBella, Malignaggi's promoter.

Hatton (44-1, 31 KOs) is well known for high living and weight gain between his fights. But he drank nothing but lemonade in a hotel bar Friday night after his lengthy flight from his native Manchester, where he'll train with Floyd Mayweather Sr. for his first American bout since his first career loss to Mayweather.

Hatton finally felt well enough to attend Juan Manuel Marquez's victory over Joel Casamayor on Saturday night, sitting next to co-promoter Oscar De La Hoya in a light blue suit.

"That's the last time I drink lemonade, I can tell you that," Hatton said.

Malignaggi (25-1) has just five knockouts in his career, so the Brooklyn native is unlikely to do what the illness did. He's still confident of victory in his first fight as a Vegas headliner, already cautioning Hatton's legions of British fans not to expect a typical Hatton brawl.

"Holding and hitting is not allowed in boxing," said Malignaggi, whose only loss was to Miguel Cotto. "I expect everybody to understand that. I understand Ricky has the bigger name, and when a guy has a bigger name, he sometimes gets away with more."

The MGM Grand Garden already has sold about 12,000 seats for the fight to thousands of the same fans who followed Hatton from England to Nevada for each of his three recent bouts in boxing's capital city.

Bradley outpoints Cherry

BILOXI, Miss. - Undefeated Timothy Bradley successfully defended his WBC super lightweight title Saturday night, outpointing Edner Cherry in a decisive unanimous decision in a Showtime card at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino.

Bradley (23-0) had winning scores of 119-109, 118-109 and 117-110.

The 25-year-old Bradley, from, Palm Springs, Calif., was making the first defense of the title he took from Junior Witter on May 10.

"I listened to my corner and got behind my jab," Bradley said. "That set up my big punches and enabled me to take control."

Midway through the eighth round, Bradley floored Cherry with a flush overhand right to the face. Cherry regrouped, but could not gain any momentum against the champion.

"That's my James Toney right hand," Bradley said. "He rolls with the shoulder and comes back with the right. It was just a good punch."

The 26-year-old Cherry, from the Bahamas, dropped to 24-6-2.

"Bradley is a tough fighter," Cherry said. "He is slick and has good head movement. He's a true champion and he came to fight."

Earlier, unified world lightweight champion Nate Campbell's scheduled bout with Joan Guzman was called off in an unusual chain of events.

Guzman went to his promoters about four hours before the bout and said he wasn't feeling well enough to fight.

Guzman weighed in at 138½ pounds Friday, more than three pounds heavier the 135-pound benchmark. Guzman was given a two-hour grace period to re-weigh in, but he never returned to the scale.

"I did all that I could to make it happen," Campbell said. "I said that I'd fight him no matter what he'd weigh in at. At the end of the day, I thought it was important to me to make the fight stay together."

Campbell's IBF, WBA and WBO championship belts would not have been on the line if he had fought. Guzman (28-0) vacated his WBO junior lightweight crown for the opportunity to fight Campbell (32-5-1).  

Guzman backs out lightweight championship bout

BILOXI, Miss. - Unified world lightweight champion Nate Campbell walked away from the Beau Rivage Casino still the champ and untouched when his bout with Joan Guzman was called off Saturday night in an unusual chain of events.

Guzman went to his promoters about four hours before the bout and said he wasn't feeling well enough to fight. The fight was already on the ropes following Friday's weigh-in.

Guzman weighed in at 138½ pounds Friday, more than three pounds heavier the 135-pound benchmark. Guzman was given a two-hour grace period to re-weigh in, but he never returned to the scale.

"I did all that I could to make it happen," Campbell said. "I said that I'd fight him no matter what he'd weigh in at. At the end of the day, I thought it was important to me to make the fight stay together."

Campbell's IBF, WBA and WBO championship belts would not have been on the line if he had fought. Guzman (28-0, 17 knockouts) vacated his WBO junior lightweight crown for the opportunity to fight Campbell (32-5-1, 25 knockouts).