Man Utd dropped points…..again!

Everton took out Liverpool in the Mersey side derby, Chelsea and Villa came head to head a drew a blank but both teams had vital chances go begging especially Nigel Reo-Coker.

Arsenal manages to come through against a tough Birmingham side. In all honesty the expectancy was on Arsenal to win this game but it wasn’t easy and with Wilshere getting sent off near the end added a weird sense of irony considering how verbal Arsene Wenger has been about dangerous challenges.

Tottenham scraped the win against Fulham away and then pf course they is Man Sour’s Manchester City. I think they are slipping under the radar slightly now just two points off the top after a win against Blackpool who put up a fight but were undone by the brilliance of Silva and Carlos Tevez.

I watched the Liverpool-Everton game today and I have to say while I was impressed with the way Everton went about their business, I felt Liverpool just look so hopeless right now it’s must be really depressing if you are a Liverpool fan. They don’t seem to have an identity or specific style of play, aside from Gerrad trying his best to make something happen and half chances by Torres Liverpool were utterly useless. I don’t know why Babel wasn’t brought on earlier or Jovanovic because Maxi Rodriguez and Joe Cole weren’t in the game at all and Meriles was just as bad taking 30 punts at goal it reeked of desperation from the minute they went a goal down.

I don’t know why Manchester United can’t seemed to win their matches at the moment I think Fergie was within his rights to bench Wayne Rooney in hindsight it may not have been the smartest move but surely if they win the game after being 2 goals up then no one says anything and it doesn’t become an issue. I think Berbatov and Hernandez need more time together anyway so resting Rooney here and there and starting with those two in a game they are always favourites to win against West Brom.

Glad Arsenal were able to find a win as a casual fan you have to love watching how they play and if anything it would sure make the league more exciting if they were able to stay in there with Chelsea, Utd, City and Tottenham so they all have a shot at winning it.

Fergie Fergie sign him up!!

I think City are becoming somewhat like your classic Italian team in that they aren’t conceding many goals and seem to win games even if they are playing amazingly well. Grinding out results is what it’s all about it’s not pretty but it gets the job done and people off your back then when you gain abit of momentum and the team is playing as a unit then you can try to play dazzling football. For now winning is the only way forward for the club by any means necessary.

As always there are interesting fixtures happening next week.

Tottenham at home to Everton should be a great match both teams are evenly matched I think depending on what happens in the week should any players pick up any injuries playing in Europe. I think I’ll go with a home team win for Spurs. Everton still lack that fire power up front and Tottenham’s defense are pretty stable as is Gomes when he wants to be.

And down the other end of the table West Ham vs Newcastle should be interesting aswell I think West Ham could win but who knows what team will turn up. Newcastle are a decent side who can move the ball around quite well sometimes they’re lacking abit of quality in the final third but with West Ham’s poor run of form they might really fancy nicking that.

Birmingham against Blackpool will be a real vital fixture and you have love Ian Holloway’s approach to life in the Premier League his team play more attractive football then Stoke, Blackburn, Wolves or Birmingham. Sometimes the word naive springs to mind when you see some their play but you have to love the positive approach to the game setting a great example for kids watching that playing attacking football is the only real way to play. I’m not saying it works for every team but it seems to for Blackpool and as long as they beat some of the teams around them they might be ok.

Low and behold Floyd Mayweather posts this up on his twitter yesterday http://twitter.com/FloydMayweather/status/19876195185 so is it possible that Mayweather and “Fuzzy Wuzzy” could be talking business?

Here’s a comment from the big man himself

“Arum and I could work together well; we could work hand-in-glove. We can make things happen. I know that and Bob has said it as well, I know what Floyd can do in the ring and he knows what I can do to bring the most money.”

Don King has promoted some of the biggest fights in history. “The Rumble in the Jungle” in 1976 between Foreman and Ali, “The Thrilla in Manilla” between Ali and Frazier, Tyson v Holyfield, Lewis vs Holyfield, Lewis vs Tyson, Chavez vs Whitaker and so on. King’s status as a promoter is as infamous as his shady dealings, a former numbers runner and convicted killer King has been one of boxing’s most controversial and colourful figures in the history of the sport. Not to mention the countless lawsuits boxers have taken out against him for not being paid what they are owed.

But with all that said he knew how to get a fight made and promoted correctly.

Lewis vs Tyson was the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history, with $106.9 million from 1.95 million buys in the U.S untill being surpassed by Mayweather and De La Hoya in 2007.

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather should they choose to fight could potentially be literally the biggest PPV event in history let’s hope that Don King can persuade them to do it as Ross Greenburg and Al Haymon seem to be making a pig’s ear of it as of right now.

Let me make this very clear due to the recent negotiations (or lack of them) which fell through again between Pacquiao and Mayweather I have to put Mayweather down from the top spot because I know we won’t see him in the ring untill at least May next year. Pacman meanwhile will fight again this year on the November 13th date that was allocated for him and Floyd Jr against either Cotto or Margarito so based off that I have to put Manny as number one because he is still intent on proving his worth.

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr (41-0, 25 KOs)

Despite him being the most hated man in the sport right now (from a fan’s perspective that is) Mayweather’s talents cannot go unnoticed.

In his last fight he systematically dismantled Shane Mosley after being hurt badly in the second round. And they say he doesn’t like adversity.

Mayweather showed his class and if he and Manny were ever to fight I wouldn’t bet against him to remain unbeaten. Mayweather’s ability to adjust in the fight itself is incredible he truly is a master of the sweet science unfortunately he doesn’t fight for legacy he fights for money and even then if he doesn’t feel like it he doesn’t fight sounds like a good position to be in if you ask me. However should a fight between him and Pacquiao never materialize then his legacy in the sport should rightly come under some scrutiny.

3. Paul “The Punisher” Williams (39-1, 27 KOs)

I must admit I’m not the biggest Williams fan before I even saw him fight I was hearing talk that he is the most feared boxer and I even heard comparisons to Tommy Hearns all of which turned out to be bullshit but that being said I cannot see another fighter worthy of the number three slot than “The Punisher”.

Margarito, Quintana, “Winky” Wright, Martinez and Cintron have all fallen victim to Williams and that is a great list of names to have on the resume that’s for sure. However on further examination of those fights only two were convincing. Quintana was knocked out in the rematch and pretty badly I might add and Wright was swamped with activity and was slapped upside his head probably more times than he can even remember. He was coming off a layoff and maybe Williams’ style wasn’t best suited for him but I have never seen anyone beat Winky up like that before and probably won’t again so credit where it’s due.

The Cintron fight though was comical and quite frankly a disgrace but we can’t blame Paul for that I think had Cintron got his bitch ass up and got back in the ring Williams would’ve eventually broken him down maybe even stopped him.

A rematch with Martinez is on the horizon if Williams beats him this time more comfortably then his stock will go up some more and maybe he can lure Pacquiao or Mayweather to take up his offer although the likeliness of that is virtually zero.

4. Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley 26-0, 11 KOs)

Bradley has proved his worth at 140 and now he has a win at 147 also against Carlos Abregu whom he comfortably out pointed on Saturday night. Going undefeated is not easy especially when you have been in there against some top-notch opponents like Bradley has.

Witter, Holt & Peterson were great wins and for beating Witter in the UK he gets extra bonus points for, question is can he beat the likes of Maidana, Alexander or the Amir “The King of ducking himself” Khan?

I think he is more than capable and if he keeps beating world-class opposition some kind of big money fight is surely not far away.

5. Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs)

This one was tricky as I could’ve easily placed Chad Dawson, Andre Berto, Andre Ward or Lucian Bute here instead but when looking at who they have fought Martinez has certainly had the tougher opposition and if we look at his fight with Cintron he should have been awarded with the victory as was the case with his fight with Williams although that is more debatable as it was a really close fight.

His win over Pavlik though solidified at least in my mind that Martinez may be the best fighter from 154 up to 160 including Paul Williams.

6. Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KOs)

Ward is riding high right now as the only guy in the super six to win both his fights which puts him not only at the top of the leader board but he is certified a place in the semi-finals.

Fresh off his wins against newcomer to the tournament Allan Green and Mikkel Kessler Ward will face Andre Dirrell next and I’d tip him to win that somehow. I think Dirrell’s height and speed will give him problems but Ward is quick aswell and definitely mentally tougher than Dirrell so it should be a great fight.

Ward’s dominant performances in both his Super 6 fights leads me to place him above Lopez, Dawson, Berto and Bute as he pitched a shut out against two great fighters who incidentally both face each other next with Green needing a knockout win to secure his place in the semi’s.

7. “Bad” Chad Dawson (29-0, 17 KOs)

Dawson has remained unbeaten in a division filled with journey men and old fighters. But that being said with every win Adamek (who now fights at heavyweight) racks up Dawson’s stock grows bigger and Glen Johnson knocked out Yusuf Mack after losing to Dawson and should he beat Tarvis Cloud on August 7th then Dawson providing he beats Pascal on the 14th will be sitting on top of the light heavyweight as the crown ruler and certified best light heavyweight in the world if he isn’t that already.

8. Lucian Bute (26-0, 21 KOs)

Another undefeated fighter but we won’t know until the winner of the Super 6 emerges who is trully the best 168 lb fighter in the world.

In his last fight Bute disposed of Edison Miranda like he was throwing out the trash. A uppercut thrown into Miranda as he was leaning in put him out in just the second round.

His next fight is against the underwhelming Jesse Brinkley who has lost two of his five fights by knockout expected that number to go to three after he steps in with Bute.

Possible future opponents could be Pavlik or maybe even Bernard Hopkins either way the hard punching southpaw will be very hard to beat.

9. Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs)

Marquez I still believe is a pound for pound fighter yes he was beaten decisively by Mayweather but not at his regular weight. The jump in weight and against an opponent as clever as Mayweather (who came in two pounds over the limit at 146) was too great a task for the Mexican boxer but I expect him to knock out Juan Diaz again if not that then win a unanimous decision and prove he is still a force at 135 lbs.

Amir Khan hopes to fight the winner of that fight but I hope Marquez declines the offer yes it’s another big payday but it will no doubt take place at Khan’s weight and with the speed deferential and height advantage Khan would have a field day against Marquez.

He should stay at 135 and fight the best that division has to offer which right now looks like Australian Michael Katsidas.

10. Andre Berto (26-0, 20 KOs)

For the last slot I had to go with Andre Berto I was flirting with the idea of fitting Juan Manuel Lopez into the picture somewhere but he simply hasn’t faced stiff enough opposition.

Berto has beaten Collazo, Urango and Quintana in his last three fights more than respectable opponents and has gotten better I think each time.

Against Collazo he got dragged into a fight he didn’t want but when he needed to he pulled out the championship rounds big and deserved to win. Against Urango he controlled the fight from the outside and while it wasn’t the greatest fight to watch once again he did what was necessary to get the job done. Quintana has in my mind never quite been the same since Cotto beat him and getting knocked out by Paul Williams surely didn’t help either however he is a tricky southpaw but Berto sensed he was vulnerable and ended up with the stoppage.

His fight with Shane Mosley had to be called off due to the personal tragedy he suffered in the aftermath of the hurricane in Haiti, where he lost several family members and couldn’t possibly be ready to fight for the against the veteran Shane Mosley.

His future at 147 however looks bright as he is still only 26 and hasn’t quite peaked yet as a fighter.

Fighters that missed out:

Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs),

Despite his win over Foreman to claim one of the 154 lb titles I really don’t see Cotto as a pound for pound fighter anymore if he has any sense he doesn’t take a rematch with Pacquiao and fights a lesser known opponent but one still credible enough to secure a decent purse. Alfredo Angulo may fit that bill.

Shane Mosley (46-6, 39 KOs)

Mosley’s resume reads like a who’s who of boxing in the last twenty years.

Oscar De La Hoya (Wx2), Fernando Vargas (Wx2), Ronald “Winky” Wright (Lx2), Vernon Forrest (Lx2), Antonio Margarito (W), Miguel Angel Cotto (L), Floyd Mayweather (L).

There’s no shame in losing to those caliber of fighter but I feel Shane’s time is over now.

He is scheduled to fight Sergio Mora at 154 pounds which he will probably win but even so not the caliber of opponent Shane is used to fighting and other than a rematch with Cotto for the WBA title I see no other winnable or worthwhile fights for “Sugar” Shane.

Bernard Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KOs)

Like Mosley, Hopkins is a hall of fame candidate whenever he chooses to retire and I think he should be considering it very soon if not now. His win over an ultra faded Roy Jones  in their rematch of 17 years in the making turned out to be one of the biggest disgraces in boxing. Both fighters looking like they need to put away the gloves and put on some slippers.

But Hopkins is a guy you can never count out he may have one big win left in him. Since defeating Roy Jones Jr he has expressed interest in fighting David Haye for a world title although those plans must be long gone by now. Bute or retirement is the only option for Hopkins who really doesn’t want it with Chad Dawson.

Now tell me what’s more exciting to watch that or UFC?

Round 1 of Lopez vs Concepcion = round of the year so far

you know you dream of fights like this but very seldom to they live up to the expectation this is even more than you could’ve dreamed of.

Those are the words of hall of fame trainer and HBO analyst Emmanuel Stewart during round nine of Arturo Gatti’s first bloody war with Micky Ward which still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when watching it now.

Gatti prepares to fight Jesse James Leija (Jan 25th 2005)

While outside the ring the circumstances surrounding Arturo Gatti’s death on July 11th 2009 remain unclear inside the ring the facts about who Arturo was as a fighter were there for all to see. Arturo “Thunder” Gatti was a warrior that left it all in the ring every time he stepped foot in it. It was fitting that Gatti would often come down to “The Eye of the Tiger” he was indeed the real living and breathing Rocky Balboa.

His heart and will were constantly on display and his trilogy with “Irish”  Mickey Ward is cemented as one of the greatest in history. Arturo was the kind of fighter that fight fans dream of, a guy willing to literally risk his life for that sweet taste of victory.

If you are familiar with Arturo Gatti then you already know all of this. And perhaps the most disturbing and puzzling thing about Arturo’s supposed suicide is that it begged the question: how can a man so brave, so determined, so courageous take his own life in what is often seen as an easy way or the cowards’ way out of this life?

It has left many a fight fan baffled as it has his familiar members who simply can’t conceive, as we find it hard to, that Arturo would choose to take his own life.

In HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Gatti’s death, along with two other boxers that passed away within months of each other Vernon Forrest and Alexis Aguello, was examined but left way more questions than answers.

It was said that Gatti hung himself by using a purse strap however the bruises that Gatti had over his body suggested maybe that something else had happened. Arturo’s wife Amanda Rodrigues was arrested and initially thought to have killed Gatti but she was later released and now has control of Gatti’s estate.

But let’s leave the murky details of the death alone for a minute and remember one of the most courageous fighters to ever lace them up.

Among Gatti’s many memorable fights for me the night the legend of Gatti was born was in 1996 against Wilson Rodriguez. In what turned out to be almost a blueprint of how Arturo would go on to fight many epic battles. Gatti with eyes swelling and blood streaming was being out boxed by Rodriguez but then went on to provide one of the greatest comebacks in the recent times and knocked him out with a monstrous left hook in the sixth round to retain the IBF super featherweight title he had won from Tracy Harris Patterson one fight before in Madison Square Garden, New York City.

His fight with Gabriel Ruelas was an unofficial fight of the year in 1996 and his first fight with Ivan Robinson won him Ring Magazine’s fight of the year in 1997.

Despite three back to back losses this did little to reduce Gatti’s stock as by this stage he was a television networks dream anything could and usually did happen in a Gatti fight.

In what was almost a reward for all the great fights he had already given us HBO provided Gatti with his biggest purse yet a reported $1.8 million to face the “Golden Boy” and face of the sport Oscar De La Hoya. It was a mismatch that wound up a TKO victory for Oscar, Gatti was meant to disappear into the sunset with his million and say thank you very much but that wasn’t who Arturo was.

Determined to show the world he had more to offer he teamed up with trainer and former boxer Buddy McGirt who transformed Gatti (or maybe just brought him back to what he was in the beginning) into a boxer puncher. His defense became the focus, how to hit and not be hit and after three epic fights with Mickey Ward, whom he would later become great friends with, earned his shot at a title once more and defeated Gianluca Branco for the vacant WBC light welterweight title.

On the 25th June 2005 he lost the title to Floyd Mayweather Jr and would never regain it. After defeating Thomas Damgaard for the vacant IBA welterweight title he challenged Carlos Baldomir who had just won the WBC welterweight title from Zab Judah in one of the sports biggest upsets. Gatti lost that fight and then lost to Alfonso Gomez, a sign that Gatti’s best days were far behind him and he bowed out gracefully.

Arturo’s brother Fabrizo remains adamant that his death was not a suicide

“For his kids, growing up, I don’t want them to think, ‘My father is a coward who left me to grow up all alone,’” an anguished Fabrizio Gatti told the Daily News. “I’m going to find a way to prove it, that he didn’t kill himself.”

Free as a bird: Arturo's wife walks free after being suspected of his death.

In a second autopsy it was revealed that Gatti had his adam’s apple broken which is more common in cases of strangulation rather than hanging. Also the marks on the neck don’t match up with what the Brazilian authorities said was used to kill Gatti, the bloody purse strap. The wounds to the back of Gatti’s head were said to have been caused by rocks which were thrown at him while he was fighting with his wife at a Pizzeria near their hotel. It was said that Gatti was drunk and being physically abusive.

Assuming there is more to the story whether it will ever come to light remains to be seen. What we know about Arturo was provided inside the ring not out. As a man we saw his darkest moments, times when we thought for sure he was down and out. But every time you thought this you were instantly reminded of his courage, his will and his heart that he will fight to the death if need be and never ever would he lay down for anyone.

God bless you Arturo for all that you gave us and may you rest in peace

We will never forget “Thunder” Gatti as long as we live.

Well this is what it all boils down to, the final of the world cup the most prized possession in all of world football. Raising it places you among an elite set of individuals that will forever be part of history. For Holland they hope not to repeat their loss in 1974 while Spain had never made it to a semi final until they beat Paraguay 1-0 before disposing of the Germans who have been nothing short of a revelation in these finals.

On paper Spain have by far the more superior team Villa, Xavi, Iniesta, Xavi Alonso, Ramos and of course Torres but Holland have some of the world’s best also in Sniejder, Van Persie and Robben.

But it’s been players like Van Bommel who have served Holland the best in this world cup he’s been muscling the midfield (quite literally) and has escaped the referee’s wrath in the process, while so many players have been sent off in this world cup the dirtiest player of them all has escaped unscathed and providing he doesn’t get booked early on in the game tonight expect him to make the middle of the park a very ugly affair alongside fellow defensive midfielder a man who also doesn’t shy away from the physical nature of the game, Nigel De Jong.

We all know about Spain’s passing ability but can they win a world cup by winning 1-0? They have been sparse on goals in this tournament the usual dynamic Torres has looked a shadow of the player he was and it’s been left to David Villa the greatest Spanish striker since Raul to carry them forward. Xavi and Iniesta as usual have been sensational and alongside Alonso and Busquettes their midfield has been incredible to watch if you enjoy “the beautiful game” I expect them to beat Holland today and I think it will be by more than one. The passing and movement of guys like Iniesta and Xavi should pick holes in Holland’s defense without a problem.

I predict Spain winning by two goals to nil.

A quick reflection on the tournament as a whole.

This world cup has not quite lived up to the hype considering the players that were on show. It’s been more practical than exciting, more strategic then flair, more pragmatic than expansive but has had some great moments and some great individual goals.

The players we expected to be great weren’t. Rooney, Ronaldo, Kaka, Torres only Messi really lived up to the hype but still left the tournament goal less.

But players like Forlan (Uruguay), Villa (Spain), Muller (Germany), Uzil (Germany) and Sneijder (Holland) have been a credit to their teams and stole the show from the big stars in this tournament.

Who would’ve thought also that the most exciting offensive football would come from Germany. Not only that the average age of the squad is 25 and if their performance this year is anything to go by the future looks bright for German football at the national level and guys like Uzil and Muller have great potential to be a serious force four more years from now when the tournament travels to Brazil.

Speaking of Brazil what happened to them? Cruised thorough to the quarter finals no problem but then seemed to implode the minute they were facing adversity Felipe Melo becoming the villain of the piece after playing so well alongside Silva for the majority of the tournament.

Argentina also looked great until they met Germany they were outclassed from start to finish and Maradonna’s insistence of bringing six strikers in a twenty-three man squad ultimately burnt him. They could have done with some of the guys that were left out Cambiasso from Inter Milan springs to mind immediately as a player they could have really used to break things up in the midfield. Their defensive frailties were there for everyone to see and the Germans exploited it to the best of their ability.

And speaking of defensive frailties could England have had a worst world cup? Everything went wrong from the very beginning King got injured in the first game a had to be replaced (go figure), Green showed us all why he will never be a world-class keeper (despite other goalies inability to control the Jahbulani) Rooney looked like absolute shit and probably gave the ball away more times than I have ever seen him do in a whole Premier league season and then there is Mr Capello himself who made bad decision after bad decision and we’re stuck with this ogre until at least Euro 2012.

England’s performance was so poor that our finest moment in the tournament was a barely scraped through 1-0 win against SLOVENIA yes that’s right not Germany or Brazil fucking Slovenia if that didn’t tell us that are comparisons to the world’s best are laughable then I don’t know what else will. Shambolic, disgraceful, embarrassing and in the end revealing.

And then there was France dear me what else can you say.

Bofana Bofana couldn’t make it out of the group stage but showed alot of heart and did themselves proud with a win over France in their last game.

Watching the whole tournament from start to finish I come away with a deeper respect for teams that gave it they’re all Mexico, Ghana, Uruguay, USA and Paraguay showed what can be achieved when you play as a team and the pride they showed playing for their country is what the world cup is really all about just ask North Korea.

Italy vs Slovakia was a classic and the drama that transpired in the Ghana v Uruguay game was for me the highlight of the tournament so far as tragic as it was.

Let’s hope today’s game tops it off nicely yesterday we saw a great open game of football with Germany and Uruguay and although today we will likely see a much more tense cagey affair there is enough class out there to make this a final to remember.

Only another four years to wait till the next one in Brazil I’m already planning my trip!

Still England have a great chance at beating Germany if we keep the ball better and look to exploit their lack of pace at the back.

James Milner put in a great shift and a great cross that met with Defoe’s boot to put us a goal up easing the tension ever so slightly Defoe had a shot palmed out and Rooney hit the post later on. Aside from Terry and Upson getting us out of the shit and calm moments from David James we were never really threaten by Slovenia. That’s a huge positive for us we have only shipped one goal so far and that was down to a goalkeeping error so we should take confidence going into the next game as we have had two back to back clean sheets.

Germany are a very good passing side though typical Germans they are very efficient we will have to be just as organized and maybe just that little bit more skilled to beat them.

Let just hope it doesn’t go to penalties

By them being there sat just in front of the back four, they enable Brazil’s full backs Maicon and Bastos to push forward and the join the attack. They provide sufficient cover and are also very adept at keeping the ball and picking people out with 30 yard pin point passes.

With Kaka not at his best and now surely facing a ban also Elano’s unfortunate injury Brazil are going to need these two to be solid and provide Brazil with the stability needed in the midfield to help them proceed in this world cup.

the team england must play if they are to win against Slovenia

http://teamselector.telegraph.co.uk/teams/71d4e4a498c5