B.A.D. Looks to the Future By Steve Kim (May 12, 2008) Photo © German Villasenor Send this page to friend Give us your feedback After a stretch that has been highlighted by big names, exorbitant license fees and mediocre ratings, this weekend HBO showcases a triple-header at the Terrible's Primm Valley Casino on the state line of Nevada that has highly touted Cuban jr. lightweight Yuriorkis Gamboa facing Darling Jimenez, hard-hitting jr. middleweight Alfredo Angulo facing Richard Gutierrez, and exciting James Kirkland taking on the active Eromosele Albert in another competitive bout in the 154-pound class. In short, it's a vintage 'Boxing After Dark' telecast - young, relatively unknown commodities looking to break through to the next echelon in stern tests. "This, to me, is what 'Boxing After Dark' should be, young fighters in wars, in real fights, testing them," said Gary Shaw, who's promoting this event. Unlike many shows that rely on big, recognizable names to carry them, this telecast focuses on the future of the sport. There was a time when this acclaimed series was the greatest springboard to stardom in boxing. "Look, I don't program for any of these networks, and we all have our own ideas of what should be on," said Shaw. "I believe fans want real fights. I don't think it's the name that attracts them; you build an audience by having the right types of fights, like when Barrera first came on, and I think on May 17th the world will be introduced to Kirkland, Angulo and Gamboa in real fights and I think that's what it's all about. I know when I created Shobox, that was the template - put on real fights. It doesn't make a difference if the fans know the names or not. "I think that sometimes the ratings prove it's about the fights and not about the names." In recent weeks, telecasts featuring old standbys such as Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe and Oscar De La Hoya, have failed to garner big ratings, despite license fees that totaled more than $15 million and a couple more millions in marketing and advertising campaigns. What the results have shown is that perhaps it's time to usher in the new, and jettison the old. "Yeah, of course," agreed Shaw. "They (the networks) get enamored with the names and think that's what it's all about and what they forget is if you don't bring up new talent constantly, then you're in trouble. That's what makes the NFL great. Look, there are people that watch the NFL Draft like it's the Academy Awards. It's because it's all new young guys coming up, new names. The NBA has it and we need to do a much better job, otherwise boxing will die on the vine." While NFL fans are already quite familiar with the likes of Jake Long, Matt Ryan, Darren McFadden and Glen Dorsey, most casual boxing fans most likely don't know Gamboa - a flashy, hard-hitting Cuban who has created a buzz among the hardcore aficionados – or Kirkland, who's built his reputation on a series of exciting outings on ShoBox. Both Gamboa and Kirkland are facing the sternest tests of their professional careers. Darling Jimenez, is a steep upgrade from the protected Marcos Ramirez (the original opponent for Gamboa) and Albert is a sturdy and active fighter that will grind with Kirkland all night long. And Angulo-Gutierrez is a battle between two bangers that won’t have any difficulty in finding each other. "If there is a sleeper fight, I think it'll be Angulo because I think he's overlooked," said Shaw. "There's a lot of talk about Kirkland and certainly a lot of hype on Gamboa, but I know Angulo has a real pedigree and they don't call him 'Perro' for no reason. And I think he may be the shocker of the night." As famed football coach George Allen once said, "The future is now." CANCELLED I have to agree with my old friend Jin Mosley in not wanting to even entertain a rescheduling of her husband’s bout with Zab Judah. His excuse for why his arm got all shanked up is another version of 'my dog ate my homework.' I can't blame them for not wanting to risk another 'accident' that would postpone another date. Mosley is at the very tail end of his career; when fights are postponed, precious time and money is squandered that is never regained. While Judah’s newest group of sycophants will make every excuse in the book for him, I think it's wise that Mosley just go in another direction. But I do think it's telling that this fight isn't being rescheduled. The reality is that it wasn't going to do very well on pay-per-view (in fact, most fans seemed to be relieved that they don't even have to make the decision of whether to purchase this fight for $49.95 on May 31st) and when it comes to ticket sales, well, I get the strong feeling that if it was doing well at the box office (like the bout between Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga), this bout would've been placed on another date. Instead, Mosley now looks for a new (and more reliable) opponent. PPV This Saturday night is a busy one for boxing fans. In addition to the show on HBO, there are a pair of pay-per-view shows from Mexico. One is another edition of 'Latin Fury' featuring Jorge Arce in Aguascalientes that Top Rank is promoting, and the other one features a 'Boxing After Dark'-worthy main event from Durango with Cristian Mijares defending his WBC jr. bantamweight crown against the hard-punching Alexander Munoz. Just on the main event alone, I give the edge to the show in Durango. DESERT STORM Congratulations to Timothy Bradley, who took the WBC 140-pound title from Junior Witter this past weekend in Nottingham, England. Quite simply, he fought like the guy who wanted it that much more. He landed the large majority of the clean, hard punches - and he scored a knockdown in the sixth with an overhand right - and finished the fight strong in the championship rounds, while Witter looked like a fighter who was just content to survive and hold on till the very last bell. Bradley is a fresh, new face with a crowd-pleasing style that will make for some interesting matchups in a division badly in need of some fresh faces. As for Witter, he went out in front of the American audience, just as he was introduced to them versus Zab Judah eight years ago, as an awkward stinker who made for some hideous fights. He won’t be missed. Once again, in with the new, out with the old. FINAL FLURRIES I don't know how far Mike Alvarado will go, but he'll always be a TV-friendly prizefighter. He and Jesus Soto-Karass would be a pretty good scrap....As of yet, Vitali Klitschko has not injured himself, so he is still slated to face Sam Peter sometime in October....Carl Froch is a decent fighter, but he's certainly no threat to Joe Calzaghe or Mikkel Kessler from what I saw on Saturday night....Seriously, why didn't Lamar Odom get the ball at all in OT on Sunday? I thought Kobe trusted his teammates now?.....Mike Arnaoutis looks like a guy who can beat a lot of fighters except the very elite....Not that he was cheering or anything, but Showtime's Gordon Hall (the executive producer of ShoBox) had to be ecstatic over the result of Bradley-Witter, as he helped develop Bradley with a series of fights the past few years on his program..... For Questions or Comments E-Mail Steve Kim at k9kim@maxboxing.com Today's Boxing Press Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums