| Hamed Hurt; Old Timers Keep on Coming Back | |
| Boxing News & Notes: March 12, 2002 | |
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Naseem Hamed injured his back while doing sit-ups so his March 23 date with Manuel Calvo has been pushed back, perhaps until May. The longer Hamed remains out of the ring, the harder it will be for the fighter formerly known as Prince to erase the memory of the beating Marco Antonio Barrera put on him 11 months ago.
Several entries from the "I thought he was retired department": Larry Holmes, demonstrating yet again that he does not know the meaning of the word embarassment, will be taking on Eric "Butterbean" Esch on June 8 in Norfolk, Virginia. The 52-year-old Holmes, YES 52!, insisted that this will "really, truly" be the final fight of his nearly 30-year professional career. Whatever you say Larry. We're sure that this time you "really, truly" mean it. Tim Witherspoon, 44, recently won his third straight by stopping Darroll Wilson with his signature overhand right at the start of the second round. "Terrible Tim" is searching for that ever-elusive final big payday. That payday certainly won't come with the widely discussed but not eagerly anticpated rematch with Tony Tubbs, also comebacking and also 44. Former featherweight champ Kevin Kelley returns on April 27 in Las Vegas against the ever popular TBA. The "Flushing Flash", 4-4 in his last eight bouts, was last seen in September 2000 looking overmatched against Erik Morales. It's unlikely that 19-months out of the ring combined with a move up in weight is going to be the answer. Kelley, 34, shows great promise as a fight commentator and should stick to it. Former lightweight champ Livingstone Bramble, yes the same Livingstone Bramble that twice defeated Ray Mancini in the mid-1980s, has his first fight in nearly two-and-a-half years when he takes on Juan Rodriguez on March 29. Once an exciting, non-stop action fighter with an iron chin, Bramble is on a 10-18-1 slide after starting his career 30-3-2. C'mon Livingstone, even Boom Boom knew when it was time to hang 'em up. On second thought, Mancini actually had two embarassing comeback efforts of his own after his losses to Bramble. But at least he's finally retired for good at the tender age of 41. At least as of right now . . . Upcoming schedule: This Saturday night, Wladimir Klistchko defends his WBO heavyweight title against Frans Botha. How meaningful is this bout? The fact that it's not being televised in the U.S. should tell you all you need to know. Showtime instead offers Daniel Santos vs. Ramon "Yori Boy" Campas in a WBO junior middleweight title bout. On Sunday night, FOX has heavyweights Oleg Maskaev vs. Corey Sanders, Talmadge Griffis vs. Taurus Sykes, and Davarryl Williamson vs. Mario Cawley. CLICK HERE FOR LATEST BOXING NEWS & NOTES
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