UFC TKO'd in BC

Looks like the UFC's Vancouver debut, originally scheduled for June 12, has been TKO'd and the show will now take place in Cincinnati.

As always happens when blockbuster events fail to take place, two divergent stories have emerged to explain why the UFC won't go ahead with its Vancouver show.

If you believe the story the city's licensing office, the UFC failed to comply with a simple request to provide a security deposit and proof of insurance, delaying the entire process and jeopardizing the largest combat sports event in British Columbia's history.

Wait, no. That's all wrong. According to the Vancouver Sun's sources, the city council and the athletic commission bogged down the process with unreasonable demands, leaving the UFC with no choice but to cancel the largest combat sports event in British Columbia's history.

Either way UFC 115 now seems headed for Ohio, and no matter which side is right one truth is emerging from this whole mess:

Changing laws and perceptions around mixed martial arts is tougher than it looks.

 

We know that first hand from the UFC's experience in Toronto. President Dana White appeared at the Eaton Centre last week to greet fans and rally support for the UFC's effort to legalize the sport in Ontario, but as premier Dalton McGuinty told reporters seeking his reaction, MMA still isn't a priority of the provincial government. So despite the media hype White's visit generated, Ontario remains one of a handful of major North American jurisdictions (along with New York and now, it seems, B.C.) that refuse to sanction MMA.

When another longtime holdout, Massachusetts, decided last December to sanction MMA events most folks figured that New York would topple next, followed by Ontario in a perfect, peer-pressured world.

And two weeks later the case for legalized MMA across the continent seemed to receive a boost when Vancouver's city council and athletic commission announced they settled legal issues with the UFC and agreed on a June show at GM Place.

MMA advocates hailed the move as milestone, but now it seems changing the law in Vancouver was easier than changing the minds of the people who ultimately decide whether or not UFC is welcome there. If you believe the Sun story, the same folks who opened the city's doors to the UFC second-guessed their own decision and set up bureaucratic obstacles to force the UFC to cancel the show.

At issue for the city is the matter of liability, should a fighter sue the city for allowing them to compete in an event in which they became injured -- a situation that, to date, hasn't occurred anywhere else.

Former Vancouver Athletic Commission member Dr. Raj Sandhu said the city is embroiled in a battle between departments, city staff and council, with problems that go beyond simple regulation.

"The liability issue is garbage. They wanted $12 million in liability put up by the promoters," said Sandhu. "We had WWE wrestling here, nobody asked them for $12 million. When Trevor Berbick boxed here, no $12 million liability for him. So all of a sudden they come up with this figure; It's as if [Mayor] Gregor Robertson wants to come out squeaky clean. He doesn't want the event."

A disappointment for sure, especially when you consider that along with UFC 113 (May 8 in Montreal), an a card in Vancouver would have meant two Canadian events in five weeks from an organization that typically visits Canada once a year.

But I can't say the development is a huge setback, either for the UFC or for local MMA fans.

The UFC generated more than $240 million (U.S.) in pay-per-view revenue in 2008. In the past year they have hosted shows in Montreal, Germany, Australia and England, with an event planned for Abu Dhabi on April 10. Clearly the company's cash flow is strong and international following widespread, even without events in two of Canada's three biggest cities.

And I doubt any ripple effect caused by the BC reversal will affect MMA's legal status in Ontario simply because the athletic commission here seems immune to decisions made elsewhere, whether or not they favour MMA. Otherwise, Ontario would have followed Massachusetts and legalized the sport over the winter, or followed Quebec and sanctioned it years ago.

The folks who regulate combat sports in Ontario will make a final decision on MMA when only they're ready, regardless of what happens elsewhere. So while the collapse of UFC 115 in Vancouver doesn't help the case for legal MMA in Ontario, it doesn't damage it either.

On Twitter? Then follow The Star's Morgan Campbell: http://twitter.com/morganPcampbell

Photo Essay: Rumble at Rama XI

By now I'm sure all of you know just what went down at Casino Rama Saturday night. 

Mississauga's Steve Molitor regained the vacant IBF junior featherweight title with a decision over South Africa's Takalani Ndlovu, while Orion Sports' latest Filipino phenom, Ana Julaton, received a 10-round boxing lesson from Scarborough's Lisa (Bad News) Brown.

What you might not know is that the Star's National Newspaper Award-Nominated photographer, Steve Russell, was there with me, snapping about 1,000 frames a minute. 

 

Of course, the newspaper only has room to run one shot, two if you're lucky and it's a slow news day.

So what happens to the rest?

The best of the best that don't make the paper wind up on the Star's photo blog, where Steve has posted some incredible shots from Saturday night's card.

To view his photo essay from Rumble XI, click here.

Rumblings from Rama...

Tales of the tape and more...

First of all, big shout out to Durell Wambolt of the Boxing Examiner. 

I tried to snap a few photos of Saturday's weigh-ins with my company-issued Blackberry Curve, and when Durell noticed they were way to blurry to inflict on my readers, he volunteered to send me a few jpgs. All the photos you see below come courtesy of his camera and kindness.

With the first of tonight' three title fights set to start in roughly 12 hours, here are the tales of the tape for tonight's main bout plus some highlights from this morning's weigh-in.

STEVE MOLITOR vs. TAKALANI NDOLVU

12 Rounds

Vacant IBF junior featherweight title

STEVE MOLITOR

Hometown: Sarnia, Ont.          

Residence: Mississauga

Nickname: The Canadian Kid

Age: 29

Height: 5-foot-7

Record: 31-1, 12 KO

Official Weight: 121.6 pounds

Stance: Southpaw

Notable wins: KO5 Michael Hunter, Nov 10, 2006 (wins IBF title); KO9 Takalani Ndlovu, July 14, 2007 (defends belt); W12 Fernando Beltran, April 5, 2008 (defends IBF belt)

Notable losses: KO4 by Celestino Caballero, Nov. 21, 2008 (loses IBF belt)

TAKALANI NDLOVU

Hometown: Soweto, South Africa

Residence: Johannesburg, South Africa

Nickname: Panther

Age: 32

Height: 5-foot-8

Record: 30-5, 18KO

Official Weight: 121.2 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Notable wins: W12 Ricardo Castillo, Dec. 1, 2006 (IBF title eliminator); W12 Oscar Chauke, March 20, 2009 (WBF featherweight title); W12 Kiko Martinez, Sept. 25, 2009 (IBF title eliminator)

Notable losses: KO9 by Molitor, July 14, 2007 (IBF title fight); L12 Fernando Beltran Jr, Aug 22, 2008

WEIGH-IN HIGHLIGHT: The Staredown

As the fighters squared off for this photo Molitor inched closer and closer to Ndlovu, who stood still and stony faced, staring down his nose at the shorter man.

Then he jumped

"Boo!"

Molitor didn't flinch, but Ndlovu swore he saw fear.

"No fear," Molitor said.

"I saw it," Ndlovu said.

"No fear."

"I'll see you tonight, my friend," Ndlovu said as the fighters turned to leave the stage.

As Molitor pulled on his sweatpants he fired one final verbal jab.

"Brush your teeth next time!"

Main event starts just after 11 p.m.

LISA BROWN vs ANA JULATON

10 Rounds

Vacant WBA women's Junior Featherweight title

LISA BROWN

Birthplace: Trinidad        

Residence: Scarborough

Nickname: Bad News

Age: 39

Height: 5-foot-2

Record: 16-4-3,  5KO

Official Weight: 122 pounds

Stance: Orthodox

Biggest Win: W10 Jackie Chavez, May 22, 2007 (Wins IFBA women's 122-pound title)

Notable loss: L10 Melissa Hernandez, Nov. 4, 2006 (WIBA women's title)

ANA JULATON

Hometown: San Francisco

Residence: Daly City, Calif.

Nickname: The Hurricane

Age: 29

Height: 5-foot-5

Official Weight: 120.8 pounds

Record: 6-1-1, 1KO

Stance: Orthodox

Biggest win:W10 Donna Biggers, Dec. 4, 2009 (IBA, WBO titles)

Notable loss: L8 Dominga Olivo, Aug. 21 2008 (WBC International title)

WEIGH-IN HIGHLIGHT:Fashionably Late

When Promoter Allan Tremblay called the fighters to the scale Brown strutted to the stage quickly, eager to weigh in and stare down.

But where was Julaton?

Minutes earlier she had stepped on the scale while her coach watched, then ducked out a side door, prompting speculation that she had disappeared to sweat away a few final pounds. Brown, pacing near the back of the room, had her own idea about what had happened.

"Maybe she got knocked out already."

No and no.

No confirmation on the third theory -- that Julaton went to apply an extra layer of makeup -- but it seemed the most feasible.Five minutes after Brown weighed in Julaton's entourage gathered at the door and swept into the room followed by Julaton herself, wearing fresh lipstick and a wider smile than anyone has a right to this early in the morning.

She couldn't even stop smiling for the staredown.

If you're outside the Canada you can view the entire card at gofightlive.tv.

Here in Canada TSN's broadcast, which includes Molitor-Ndlovu and a Canadian heavyweight title bout, begins at 10:30 p.m.

And of course, I'll be at ringside keeping you guys updated via twitter -- so if you're not already following me, add me and I'll keep you informed.

IBF orders Ross title fight

Brampton's Troy Ross took a gigantic step closer to a long-awaited world title shot Wednesday when the IBF ordered him to face former champ Steve Cunningham for their vacant cruiserweight crown.

In a career defined by layoffs and false starts, Ross appears to finally have a green light to pursue something big.

The decree gives Ross, a two-time Olympian and former Commonwealth champ, the title shot he has been chasing since turning pro nine years ago, and ends weeks of confusion over what exactly would happen with the IBF belt.

 

Originally Cunningham had been slated to fight Matt Godfrey for the belt, with the victor facing the winner of an eliminator between Ross and another contender. When I spoke to Ross' promoter last month the opponent looked like it would be Russia's Grigory Drozd but since then Drozd has slipped in the rankings, ceding his spot in the queue to Cuban defector Yoan Pablo Hernandez.

Meanwhile, the agreement between Cunningham and Godfrey began to crumble. The bout, originially scheduled as part of a world title doubleheader on ESPN's Friday Night Fights, was jeopardized when the other title bout, a a 154-pound showdown between Cory Spinks and Cornelius Bundrage fell through. The network stuck with Cunningham-Godfrey until this week, when that bout collapsed too.

With Godfrey backing out of the fight the IBF ordered a Cunningham and Ross to fight for the vacant title, fulfilling Ross' career-long ambition and saving him a trip to Germany for an eliminator bout against Gonzales. 

"It's a big relief" Ross said Wednesday night. "Cunningham is a good fighter but at the end of the day we're fighting for one belt and it's going to bring the best out of both of us."

Neither a date nor a site has been set yet, though Ross believes the fight should take place in early July.

Cunningham remains under contract to promoter Don King and Ross says negotiations for the fight can't begin until next week, when Cunningham's pact with King expires.

Pacquiao's performance put in perspective

If you're looking for evidence that Manny Pacquiao isn't just the world's hottest fighter, but a legitimate welterweight capable of taking down full-grown 147-pounders, the Pac-Man provided it Saturday night with his 12-round domination of Ghana's Josh Clottey.

 

Pacquiao looked great against Oscar De La Hoya but at 36 Oscar had little left in the tank, especially after drying out to make the welterweight limit.

In pulverizing Miguel Cotto, Pacuiao opened even more eyes to his blinding speed and surprising power, but we can't ignore the lingering effects of Cotto's disheartening loss to Antonio Margarito, nor the 145-pound weight limit imposed by Pacquiao's camp. It was a welterweight fight, but with an asterisk.

So here comes Clottey, the guy who nearly conquered Cotto last June, a legitimate 147-pound welterweight and one of the strongest fighters in the division

And Pacquiao made him look like a sparring partner.

Clottey fought like a poor man's Arthur Abraham, covering up while Pacquiao punched in bunches, responding with single shots when Pacquiao paused to breathe.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, fought like Pacquiao, a buzzsaw boring in from all angles, moving in every direction but backwards and always, always, always punching.

The result? About the most lopsided numbers you'll ever see in a high-level fight.

Two of the three judges had Pacquiao winning 11 of 12 rounds, while the third had Pacquiao in a shutout.

Clottey threw only 399 punches and landed just 108. Pacquiao, meanwhile landed 246 of 1231 punches, a 20-percent connect rate.

Granted, Pacquiao's punches didn't have much effect on Clottey, who was never wobbled and who left the ring looking the same as when he had entered it. But the shots he threw clearly rattled the brain of HBO announcer Jim Lampley, temporarily knocking from his vocabulary every word but "bang."

Still, we can't let the crooked numbers and Lampley's hyperbole obscure a very important point about Saturday's bout.

Pacquiao took a beating.

He may have landed more than twice as many shots, but every time Clottey snapped Pacquiao's head back with a thunderous uppercut or stiff jab it was clear which man was delivering the more damaging blows. About three rounds in Lampley and Max Kellerman tried to shout down fellow HBO analyst and legendary trainer Emanuel Steward when he made the same point, but after the fight the fighters' faces bore Steward out and revealed what the stats overshadowed.

While Clottey finished with his face unmarked, Pacquiao looked a haggard and sported a large welt beneath his right eye.

 Certainly Clottey received the result he deserved. Unless you're fighting a mannequin you'll never win a decision throwing 33 punches a round, no matter how much damage you're doing. Clottey was grateful for the payday (a reported $1.25 million plus a pay-per-view percentage) and he fought like it, easing off whenever he had Pacquiao stunned, and touching gloves after every bell like a $20-a-round sparring partner.

"Thanks for the work, Champ."

 If his string of spectacular stoppages didn't inspire outright fear in Clottey, it at least engendered an unhealthy respect -- the kind that makes challengers back off when they should press forward, and settle for the honour of surviving Pacquiao instead chasing of the glory of beating him.  

That's not Pacquiao's fault. As we've discussed before fear is an effective weapon for big punchers, and it worked against Clottey whether or not Pacquaio even meant to deploy it.

But even an overly cautious Clottey showed Pacquiao lacks some key skills. 

Like a tight defense. 

You have to wonder how much more punishment Pacquiao would have absorbed against a busier, more accurate, less star struck fighter.

And what happens when Pacquiao meets that committed counterpuncher? A guy who won't allow him to get off 105 shots per round? Who will make him pay for missing 80 percent of his shots? And who offers a puzzle he can't solve by simply throwing more punches?

A 20-percent connect rate might propel you past Clottey, but it's just enough to get you beat against Mayweather or Mosley.

And isn't that what all of this is about?

Did any of us every view Pacquiao-Clottey on its own merits, or did we just take it for what it is -- a chance to see how Pacquiao stacks up against a real welterweight before he meets the winner of Mayweather-Mosley?

The truth is he measures up very, very well, and right now deserves the pound-for-pound crown.

But the truth is also that Mayweather and Mosley each offer Pacquiao a skill set he has never seen. 

If Pacquiao struggled to land shots against Clottey how will he reach Mayweather, the best defensive fighter of this generation?

And if Clottey raised welts with his sporadic punching, what damage will a power boxer like Mosley inflict?

This is not to say that a victory against Pacquiao is guaranteed for either of these men. Again, it's no accident that Pacquiao is the world's top fighter, pound for pound.

But if he wants to retain that crown when the inevitable showdown takes place he'll need to show more than he did against Clottey.

Follow the Morgan Campbell on Twitter

Empire State ready to step into the Octagon

Just a quick note to let the fight fans know that we haven't forgotten about you. 

I'm in Dunedin, Fla. these days, trying to stay warm by setting the internet ablaze with my chronicles of Blue Jays training camp. Haven't seen outfield prospect Joey Gathright vault over any parked cars yet...

...but as he explained to the Star this week, he really, really REALLY wants to be known for something else.

ANYWAY after a few days to overcome the baseball intertia we're ready again to keep the blog ball rolling, so here's a link to get you started this Tuesday morning.

As of right now mixed martial arts is still illegal in New York, but MMA fans in the Empire State should be encouraged. Melvina Lathan, the woman atop the state boxing commission, supports the sport -- and the men in her family love it. Not sure how the pay-per-view habits of her husband and kids will affect legislation but as the story points out, the state budget comes down April 1 and it includes legislation to end the state's ban on MMA.

The reason?

The money. 

Really, what other reason is there?:

A study for the state said that one mixed martial arts show in Buffalo and one in Manhattan would generate $1.2 million in state and local taxes. Lathan said the study underestimated the economic impact of legalization, which would almost certainly lure New York fans who are attending combat cards held in states where the sport is legal.

“Those are our revenues going outside the state,” she said.

 If it makes dollars it makes sense for New York State. 

No word on how the coming legislation in New York will affect MMA's status here. I'm guessing it won't. The people running combat sports in Ontario seem determined to make -- or not make -- a decision on MMA on their own, without regard to legal barriers that tumble in other jurisdictions. 

But as the UFC's Canadian legal reps told us last month, the campaign will continue.

Follow the Star's Morgan Campbell on Twitter: http://twitter.com/morganpcampbell

Body shot topples Sonsona's big plans

On a frigid evening in February 2007 I leaned on the apron of a blood-spattered ring at Chris Johnson's Fighting Alliance and stood alongside Johnson as he supervised a sparring session between two of his teenage proteges. 

One of the guys in the ring that night, a 19-year-old bantamweight named Francis Pastolero, had Johnson excited. Daytimes he worked loading luggage onto planes at Pearson Airport, and evenings he trekked to central Mississauga to train with Johnson. He had been boxing less than a year and made up for a lack of polish with hunger and raw power.

 A few weeks earlier he had won his amateur debut with a spectacular knockout, but tonight he was struggling. Those percussive punches didn't thud quite so heavily against a larger sparring partner, and the shots Pastolero received in return carried more impact than he had felt before. 

About three rounds into the session the sparring partner dipped to his left as Pastolero covered up, then ripped a left hook to Pastolero's ribcage. A second later Pastolero's knees buckled and he hit the canvas. Sparring session over.

Johnson lost it, launching into a long soliloquy about winning and losing, courage and cowardice.

He could understand going down from a head shot. Sometimes the other guy hits the button and the lights go out for a second. It happens to just about everyone. No shame in it. Just a lesson about staying alert and keeping your hands up.

But dropping from body shot? 

That was treason. A punk's way out. 

Johnson's logic dictated that while a head shot could scramble the signal between the brain and the body a punch to the gut simply dealt a jolt of pain, something a true fighter can deal with if he chooses to react like a man. Going down is like calling timeout because the pain is too great, except that there are no timeouts in boxing. Only warriors who overcome pain and cowards who succumb to it.

I spent eight months with Johnson and his camp while working on this opus about amateur boxing, and I honestly think he possesses one of the sharpest boxing minds on the planet. A lot of what I know about the craft I learned in his gym, and picking his brain has changed the way I watched fights.

 

But after watching Puerto Rico's Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.destroy rising filipino star (and Rumble at Rama regular) Marvin Sonsona in a junior featherweight title fight Saturday night I'm second-guessing Johnson's theory about body shots. Sometimes it's not a simple matter of choice. Sometimes the right body shot at the right spot and at the right time can sever the body-brain connection as quickly and completely as a left hook to the chin can.

If going down or staying up was a simple decision, then Sonsona, who is co-promoted by Brampton-based Orion Sports management, had plenty of reasons to choose to keep fighting Saturday night in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

There's his nation's pride. Boxing is a big deal in the Phillipines, and Manny Pacquiao heads into the final fights of his career a lot of Pinoy fight fans are looking for the country's next superstar. Sonsona, hard-hitting southpaw and a world champ at just 19, seemed ready to step up.

And there's the franchise the folks at Orion have spent the year trying to build around him. Sonsona won his first world title -- the WBO 115-pound belt -- at Rama in September. A second title for Sonsona would have boosted his profile back home and in Canada, and solidified Orion's plans to keep world championship bouts coming to Ontario.

And then there's his undefeated record. Twice that record has been jeopardized, and twice Sonsona has rallied to salvage it -- first in winning the title against Jose "Carita" Lopez, and then again at Rama against Alejandro Hernandez. 

But while all of those factors might have fed into Sonsona's desire to persevere on Saturday night, none of them kept him on his feet.

Midway through round four Vazquez, the son of former 122-pound champ Wilfredo Vazquez Sr., maneuvered Sonsona to the ropes and fired an overhand right that split Sonosona's gloves and crashed into his forehead, snapping his head skyward. Vazquez paused, as if awaiting a response from Sonsona, and when none came he dipped and ripped a hook to Sonsona's ribs. 

Sonsona tried to fire back, but instead he crumpled to the canvas, fully conscious but motionless and helpless as referee Luis Pabon counted him out.

As the count reached 10 I thought of the tirade Johnson directed at that teenager three years ago, and how this knockout didn't fit the profile Johnson had laid out. Sonsona clearly wanted to keep fighting. In the split section between the body shot landing and its effects registering Sonsona tried to fire back at Vazquez.

But then his body abandoned him. Didn't appear to me to be a choice he made in the face of pain. More like a reflexive response to massive and unexpected trauma. The brain ready to keep fighting but the body unable to carry out the orders, the connection between them ruptured by a well-placed, well-timed shot.

 

Is there any shame in that, or just a lesson?

Will his handlers, for example, learn anything about how to match Sonsona in the future? 

Specifically, will they build him back up with tuneup bouts or will they send him to war yet again?

Sonsona may be just 19, but he has had three brutal fights in a five month span. Lopez wobbled him in their September bout, while Hernandez applied steady pressure for twelve rounds last November. 

Two bouts into his North American career Sonsona looked less like the next Pacquiao and more like a filipino Arturo Gatti. That's great for fans who like action but horrible for Sonsona's long-term health.

Either way both Sonsona and Orion will need to regroup after Saturday's loss.

Orion's plan was for Sonsona to scoop the WBO's 122-pound title, watch Steve Molitor win the IBF title next month, then control the junior featherweight division with two champions under their banner. Now it's up to Molitor, who faces a rematch with Takalani Ndlovu March 27, to give Orion a foothold in a division that remains dynamic, even after the migrations of Juan Manuel Lopez and Celestino Caballero to featherweight.

And it might be time for Sonsona to take a step back.

As we've discussed here before, one loss doesn't have to derail a fighter's career, especially when that fighter is as young and talented as Sonsona is.

But let's remember how he wound up in the ring with Vazquez: 

In November he vacated the WBO's 115 pound title when he couldn't make weight for his defence against Hernandez. Unable to make junior bantamweight, he was granted to the opportunity to jump two weight classes and face Vazquez for the vacant 122-pound crown.

An admirable show of courage, but in retrospect a sketchy choice. Nobody knew how well Sonsona's power would transfer to a new weight class, nor how he would respond to blows from a bigger opponent than he had ever faced.

We all found out on Saturday.