Kirsten Taylor

The show started when Rampage brought in former training partner and previous TUF winner Michael “the count” Bisping, to talk to his fighters, give them some inspiration and train with them. He gave them the advice to not get into trouble at the house, don’t drink, get all your sleep in and train hard. Will the fighters listen to this advice?? Nah I don’t think so!

During the fight selection Team Forrest retains control of the pick and they chose Dante Rivera (Team Forrest) Vs Brandon Sene (Team Rampage)  Rampage is extremely frustrated with his teams losing streak so far, but has faith that this fighter will pull through for the team. However, Brandon is a definite underdog in this fight and the question of whether he can pull off a win for his team can’t be answered with confidence. As much as I really enjoy Rampage as a fighter, I personally believe that his lack of coaching experience is coming into play. The coaching he yells from the corner during a fight is just a bit ridiculous. In the first fight of this season, for example, Rampage yelled continuously to his fighter to stand up, well rampage HOW WOULD YOU LIKE HIM TO DO THAT? Forrest yells specific directions to his fighters, telling them step by step how to do each move.

Team Forrest used a really smart tactic of looking at forests notes from the qualifying fights in an attempt to know what Brandon will be doing in the fight. In previous seasons the coaches haven’t had the opportunity to do this, but during the qualifying fights of this season the coaches had the opportunity to make notes on each individual fighter, not knowing at this point who would be on their team. Unfortunately I don’t think that Rampage made very detailed notes if any about most of the fighters, as he joked in the first few episodes saying “oh I might actually write notes on this guy”.

The Fight:

The first round of the fight was really close and could’ve gone either way. Dante had a big take down and a submission attempt, but Brandon was throwing a lot of knees to the legs and body as well as landing a number of punches. At the end of the round both coaches were telling their fighter that they had won that round. If it were up to me to decide I would have to give that round to Team Rampage. He appeared to do more damage.

The second round I would definitely give to Team Rampage. He clearly landed the most punches, had a nice sweep and ended the round strongly on top, landing short elbows and punches to the head.

The judges must have given the first round to team Forrest as the fight went to a third and final round to decide the winner. At the end of the fight I was absolutely SHOCKED that team Forrest won this fight. There is absolutely NO WAY that he won that fight. He barely even threw a punch. Extremely bad judging in my  opinion and Dana White agreed. Although Dana did say something that I’d have to agree with, neither of these fighters had an impressive performance, you definitely didn’t watch this fight and say “thank god we have these two in the UFC” haha

After the fight Quinton went on a Rampage (haha) and honestly I don’t blame him at all. He said that he has had his anger under control, but  now it’s starting to come back. I guess losing 3-0 so far will do that to a guy!

The best quote of the night however was when Rampage stated “I used to go to anger management classes, but they made me angry” LOL

Brandon Campbell

Hello Sportstalkbuzz Nation,

It’s been an interesting week across the boxing world, so let’s waste no time….

THE FURIOUS FIVE

1) There are a couple of different intriguing fights this week, with the first one taking place tonight on ESPN 2 between Joel Julio and Ishe Smith. This match up should be extremely entertaining for a Wednesday night bout, with two high caliber fighters both hoping to use this fight to ensure a future title shot. The former Contender contestant Ishe Smith (19-2, 9 KOs) is a slick boxer with knockout power, who possesses the raw athletic ability to give opposing fighters fits when he’s on his game. Although I like Ishe and his abilities a lot, I think he will be in tough tonight against the 23 year old Julio (31-1, 29 KOs), who has stopped 21 of his opponents within the first three rounds. The odds makers in Vegas seem confident in the young prospects power, with the betting line on Julio currently sitting at -256. I’m not going to make a prediction on this fight, I could honestly see it going either way. I think if Ishe fights a disciplined fight and stays to the outside, he has the potential for the upset. However, if he tries to mix it up with Julio it could be over very early. Either way, should be a highly entertaining fight tonight.

2 ) The other highly anticipated fight of the week also features another former contender contestant, with Steve Forbes (33-5, 9 KOs) attempting to pull off a major upset against Oscar De La Hoya (38-5, 30 KOs) this Saturday night on HBO. Despite the similar records, the quality of opposition faced by De La Hoya and his superior boxing skills have made him a heavy favorite entering the fight. With this fight unanimously considered a tune up for De La Hoya before his fall rematch with Mayweather, is there a possibility De La Hoya overlooks the bout against Forbes like he did with Felix Sturm a few years ago? Probably not, considering how much potential money is on the line and that De La Hoya has stated this is the beginning of his “farewell tour” in the sport. I don’t think De La Hoya will knock Forbes out, but I’m pretty confident predicting Oscar will score a comfortable unanimous decision on Saturday.

3) I’ve recently read a couple of negative articles criticizing the quality of opposition faced by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the 22 year old son of the legendary fighter who has so far complied an impressive record of 36-0-1, 29 KOs while avoiding the premier fighters in his weight class. I think the criticism against Chavez Jr. for avoiding the best in his weight class is absolutely ridiculous, as he’s still a very young fighter who had no previous amateur experience before beginning his pro career. Why is it perceived as a negative when a young fighter builds his confidence and skills before taking on the elite level of fighters in his weight class? The boxer Chavez Jr. defeated last weekend was Tobia Giuseppe Loriga, who has a solid professional record of 24-1-1, 6 KOs. It’s not like Chavez is fighting career amateurs while building his skills, these are solid professional fighters who present a legitimate challenge for a young fighter. You can’t blame the kids handlers for taking their time and making sure he’s ready for the next level, especially when you look around the sport and see the success of fighters who were handled in a similar manner during the early stages of their career (Miguel Cotto, anyone?). The time for Chavez to fight for a belt will come within a couple of years, until then stop criticizing the young man for progressing at a realistic pace.

4) I found the post fight interview with Bernard Hopkins following his match against Joe Calzaghe both amusing and regrettable. Without question, Bernard Hopkins has been one of the most dominant fighters of our generation. However, his refusal to acknowledge his defeat to Calzaghe and his subsequent comments were completely classless. It’s one thing to engage in trash talk during the weeks preceding the fight, but for Hopkins to publicly question the masculinity of Calzaghe and the integrity of the judges for ruling against him is ridiculous. I’ve enjoyed watching Bernard fight throughout his career, but for the good of the sport and his own sanity I think it’s time he hangs up the gloves.
5) We all love watching major bouts in Las Vegas or the Staples Center, as these are premiere venues that enhance the fight experience. That being said, it’s extremely nice to see the recent string of quality fights being held outside of these traditional locations. The fight tonight between Joel Julio and Ishe Smith will be held in Richmond, British Columbia, with a fight of this caliber being a rarity in the Canadian pacific northwest. The same can be said for the recent UFC 83 card, which was held in Montreal, Canada. Although these markets certainly don’t have the tradition of Las Vegas or the Staples Center, it’s worthwhile to occasionally stage quality fights in non traditional markets because it’s integral to gaining exposure for the sport. We all know the majority of future title fights will be held in Las Vegas (and rightfully so), but it’s nice to see the recent efforts by everyone involved to expose non traditional markets to high caliber fights.

That’s it everyone, I hope you enjoy the fights this week. I will see you for the next edition of the Furious Five!

Nich Hall

After the NFL Draft and the signing of undrafted free agents comes the CFL draft. Here are today’s first round picks in the CFL College Draft.

Round 1

1. Hamilton- Dylan Barker- DB Saskatchewan

2. Calgary (via Edm)- Dimitri Tsoumpas- OL Weber State

3. Calgary- Jesse Newman- OL Louisiana-Lafayette

4. Saskatchewan (via Tor)- Keith Shologan- DT Central Florida

5. BC- Justin Sorensen- OL South Carolina

6. Winnipeg- Brendon LaBatte- OL Regina

7. Montreal (via Ssk)- Shea Emry- LB British Columbia

8. Hamilton (forfeit Mtl)- Samuel Giguere- WR Sherbrooke

For the rest of the picks during the six rounds of the CFL draft go to: http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=page&id=303&year=2008

This summer I’ll be covering the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for STB. Obviously with their 3-13 season last year, Hamilton had the first pick in this years draft. First year Ti-Cats GM Bob O’Billovich has made his presence felt in free agency this Spring remolding this ball club. With three of the top nine picks in this draft Hamilton obviously had further opportunity to build this club in the draft. Their first move was actually made yesterday trading the 9th pick overall (1st of the 2nd round) to the BC Lions for import DB Markeith Knowlton and non-import kicker Ara Tchobanian. O’Billovich noted to the media that they will look for Knowlton to strengthen their strong-side linebacker position. With the emergence of Nick Setta last season Tchobanian will likely have a backup role if he makes the cut out of training camp.

Going back to the draft as expected the Tabbies made Saskatchewan DB Dylan Barker the first overall pick. At 6-4 200 lbs. Barker was outstanding last season with the Huskies recording 53 tackles and 3 interceptions. He was first team All- Canadian in 2006 and 2007. As you probably noticed if you turned your TV on last year the Ti-Cats had by far the worst pass defense in the league last season, Barker should be able to come in and make an immediate impact for Hamilton. With the eighth pick overall Hamilton took Sherbrooke wide-receiver Samuel Giguere. The 6-0 225 lbs receiver had 45 receptions for 871 yards and 7 TD’s last season for the Green and Gold. Obviously with production like that especially from a non-import the Ti-Cats have a lot to look forward to. The minor problem is the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts signed Giguere as an undrafted free agent on Monday. But if the Giguere doesn’t make the cut in Indy, you can expect to see Casey Printers throwing the ball his way.