Herschel Walker Wins MMA Debut

Former NFL star Herschel Walker stopped Hungarian fighter Greg Nagy in the third round Saturday night to win his mixed-martial arts debut.

First Person: Former Football Star to Fight in MMA

Former NFL Pro Bowler and Heisman Trophy Winner Herschel Walker will make his mixed martial arts debut January 30. The 47-year-old is training with five-time UFC champion Frank Shamrock at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California.

Pacquiao-Mayweather Clash in the Making

An adviser to Manny Pacquiao says the Filipino boxer met with promoter Bob Arum on Friday and a showdown with fellow champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is in the works for early next year.

Mayweather Back, Fights Marquez in July

Six-time world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. will meet lightweight champ Juan Manual Marquez July 18th in Las Vegas. Mayweather last fought in December of 2007.

Amputee Loses First MMA Fight

Congenital amputee Kyle Maynard lost his first mixed martial arts fight to Bryan Fry on a 30-27 judges' decision Saturday night.

Mosley stuns Margarito to win welterweight crown

By JOHN NADEL
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shane Mosley dominated from start to finish, knocking out Antonio Margarito for the first time in his career in the ninth round Saturday night to win the WBA welterweight title in a stunning upset.

Margarito was coming off an impressive victory over previously unbeaten Miguel Cotto six months ago, and boxing experts had tabbed the 30-year-old slugger one of the top pound-for-pound fighters.

But Mosley must not have been paying attention.

Despite his advancing age, the 37-year-old Mosley used his superior quickness from the beginning, and Margarito never was able to display the power and fortitude he showed against Cotto.

"It was my strategy, my focus, my game plan," Mosley said when asked what won the fight. "It was a tough fight, but it was a great plan. It was my left hook. I caught (Fernando) Vargas with it, I caught (Ricardo) Mayorga with it.

Mosley stuns Margarito to win welterweight crown....

Mixed martial arts fighter, wife found dead

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. -- A mixed martial arts fighter and his wife were found shot to death in a Laguna Niguel condominium in what authorities said was an apparent murder-suicide.

The bodies of Justin Levens and his 25-year-old wife, Sarah McLean-Levens, were found Wednesday afternoon, Orange County sheriff's officials said.

Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said the bodies were discovered by Sarah McLean-Levens' mother, who went to the condo after not hearing from her daughter for several days.

According to the Los Angeles Times, autopsies -- as well as ballistics and residue testing -- were being conducted Thurday morning. Police did not find a suicide note, but did find a gun; the bodies had been in the house for several days prior to discovery, the Times reported.

"Nothing has been ruled out," Amormino said, according to the Times.

Mixed martial arts fighter, wife found dead....

De La Hoya is Golden Boy no more

BY TIM SMITH

LAS VEGAS - Oscar De La Hoya picked on the wrong little man when he chose Manny Pacquiao, a lightweight champion, as his opponent to make a return to the welterweight division after a seven-year absence.

Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) administered the worst beating that the Golden Boy has ever suffered in his 16-year career. De La Hoya's corner asked referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight after the eighth round, giving Pacquiao an eighth-round TKO victory before a packed house at the MGM Grand Saturday night.

"Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter and he put on a great fight. He was the better man tonight," De La Hoya said. "I just couldn't figure out his style. I'm not shocked because at this stage when you face someone like Pacquiao, it's going to be a hard fight.

"My style is to go forward and boxing on my toes. He was waiting for me. My body seemed not to be able to respond. I didn't have the strength to stop him when he was coming forward."

De La Hoya is Golden Boy no more....

Sports Friday: Mussina Retires, Steelers Roll

After 18 major-league seasons, Mike Mussina announced his retirement Thursday. A 270-game winner with the Yankees and Orioles, the 40-year old right hander ranks 32nd on baseball's career win list.

Lesnar wrestles UFC title from Couture

By Jim Hoban

Youth - and size - won out over experience in a ring called the Octagon.

Brock Lesnar, a 31-year-old former NCAA wrestling champ, pummeled Randy Couture, 45, to the mat at 3:07 of the second round to win Ultimate Fighting's ultimate championship, the heavyweight title, last night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Aside from the disparity in size - Lesnar is a hulk at 6 feet 3 inches, 275 pounds compared with Couture, 6-1 and a lean 220 - Couture hadn't fought in 15 months, disdaining contract squabbles as he awaited the big fight he craved.

And big is what he got.

Lesnar, who lost the 1999 NCAA wrestling title to the Patriots' Stephen Neal, then won the title the next season, had the upper hand throughout the fight. He landed a standing elbow that stunned Couture to open Round 2 and had the defending champion backpedaling.

Lesnar landed a right hand to Couture's temple, then engulfed him with hammer punches with Couture (16-9) on the mat. The referee had to step in and stop the fight.

Lesnar wrestles UFC title from Couture....

Roy Jones, Jr. on CenterStage

The legendary boxer plays Hit and Run with Michael Kay.

Calzaghe Dominates Jones in Unanimous Decision

Joe Calzaghe overcame a first-round knockdown to beat Roy Jones Jr. in a unanimous decision Saturday night. The Welshman said this would be his final bout.

Calzaghe ready for showdown with Jones

By DAVE SKRETTA

NEW YORK (AP) — Roy Jones Jr. claims he's been seeing Joe Calzaghe punching in his sleep.

It wouldn't surprise anybody, either. The undefeated champion from Wales is known for his tremendous work rate, often throwing more than 100 blows in a round. He's always moving forward, always pressuring his opponent.

It's the reason Calzaghe is a fan favorite. And the reason he's one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world.

"He started punching yesterday," Jones joked earlier this week. "I've been ducking and dodging in my sleep. I know he's punching already. I ain't tripping about that, because that's what he does. But we'll have to see Saturday night what we're going to do about that."

Their light heavyweight fight at Madison Square Garden may be coming 10 years too late, but the 36-year-old Calzaghe — one of the longest-reigning champions in boxing history — and the 39-year-old Jones, himself an eight-time world champion, both insist their skills haven't dulled.

Calzaghe ready for showdown with Jones....

Reports: EliteXC tells employees, fighters it's out of business

ESPN.com news services

The parent company of the EliteXC mixed martial arts circuit is closing its doors for good, according to multiple reports.

Sherdog.com reported that according to T.J. Thompson, an executive at ProElite Inc., he was informed that the company would close for good this week and would file for bankruptcy protection. And Sports Illustrated, on its Web site, reported that ProElite told its employees and fighters on Monday that it was shutting down, effective immediately, according to multiple sources.

Sherdog also reported that according to numerous sources, an EliteXC card scheduled for Nov. 8 in Reno, Nev., has been canceled. According to the report, Joey Villasenor, who was scheduled to fight Robbie Lawler for the circuit's middleweight title on the card, was informed Monday it had been scrubbed.

ProElite did not return calls seeking comment, according to the reports.

Reports: EliteXC tells employees, fighters it's out of business....

Hopkins dominates Pavlik in middleweight bout

By TOM CANAVAN

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Bernard Hopkins gave Kelly Pavlik a boxing lesson and a first loss that he will never forget.

The 43-year-old Hopkins used lightning quick combinations and a cagey, near-perfect defense to embarrass and confuse Pavlik in a 12-round non-title bout Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall.

Hopkins, who dominated the middleweight class for a decade, made the 26-year-old Pavlik — the WBC and WBO middleweight champion — look slow and powerless in fighting at 170 pounds, 10 pounds over his weight class.

"I think this was my best performance, better than (Antonio) Tarver, better than (Felix) Trinidad, better than Oscar (De La Hoya), better than my 21 defenses," Hopkins said. "I am extremely happy."

Hopkins received winning scores of 119-106 from judge Alan Rubenstein, 117-109 from Barbara Perez and 118-108 from Steve Weisfeld.

Hopkins dominates Pavlik in middleweight bout....

Questions persist about Kimbo Slice-Seth Petruzelli fight

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

The mixed martial arts world is abuzz by post-fight comments made by Seth Petruzelli, the little-known, last-minute replacement on CBS' national broadcast of Elite XC fights Saturday who needed only 14 seconds to knock out popular heavyweight Kimbo Slice.

On Monday, while speaking to a Florida radio station about his stunning victory over Elite XC's biggest star, Petruzelli said he was approached by promoters before the bout and encouraged to fight Slice standing up, rather than wrestling him to the mat. That would have played to the strength of Slice, a former street fighter famous for his fights shown on YouTube.

Questions persist about Kimbo Slice-Seth Petruzelli fight....

Petruzelli cuts through Slice in less than a round

By Franklin McNeil

SUNRISE, Fla. -- For the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career, heavyweight Kimbo Slice tasted defeat. The loss, however, did not come against the man he was originally scheduled to face.


Ken Shamrock was unable to fight due to a cut over his left eye sustained during a workout earlier in the day. When Shamrock was deemed unfit to fight, Seth Petruzelli stepped in to replace him.

The decision turned out to be the right one for Petruzelli, who needed just 14 seconds to put a blemish on Slice's record. Petruzelli was scheduled to fight light heavyweight Aaron Rosa, but quickly accepted the shot at Slice.

Petruzelli cuts through Slice in less than a round....

Shamrock won't fight against Kimbo

by John Pollock, The Fight Network

Ken Shamrock will not be fighting on Saturday after being scheduled to face off against Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson in the Heavyweight main event in Sunrise, Fla.

Instead, Ferguson will fight Seth Petruzelli.

Shamrock won't fight against Kimbo....

Shane Mosley's hook is a sinker as he knocks out Ricardo Mayorga

By Lance Pugmire

"Sugar" Shane Mosley says he's saved the best for the last years of his career, and he applied the same formula on Ricardo Mayorga Saturday night.

Mosley knocked out Mayorga with one second remaining in their 12-round non-title super-welterweight fight at Home Depot Center in Carson, landing a devastating left hook on Mayorga's jaw that came only seconds after he had sent Mayorga to the canvas with a three-punch combination highlighted by a stiff left hook.

"I wanted a knockout," Pomona's Mosley said. "I wanted to give the fans what they deserve."

The crowd-roaring ending punctuated a lethargic second half that allowed Mayorga to enter the 12th round leading Mosley by one point on judge Pat Russell's scorecard and trailing Mosley by one on judge Nelson Vasquez's. Judge Tony Crebs had Mosley leading Mayorga, 107-102.

"I will tell you one thing," Mayorga said after spending several seconds flat-backed on the canvas after the knockout punch, "he hit harder than I thought he would."

Shane Mosley's hook is a sinker as he knocks out....

Marquez floors Casamayor in big lightweight debut

By GREG BEACHAM

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Juan Manuel Marquez needed about three rounds to get used to his new weight class. After that, he was nothing but bad news for Joel Casamayor.

Marquez won his lightweight debut Saturday night, stopping linear champion Casamayor for the first time in the Cuban's career with a dynamic flurry late in the 11th round.

Marquez (49-4-1, 36 KOs) moved up to lightweight in hopes of landing a third bout with Manny Pacquiao after going 0-1-1 against the Filipino pound-for-pound king. Marquez proved the extra five pounds didn't bother him in a comprehensive win over Casamayor (36-4-1), the 37-year-old Cuban champion who has unofficially ruled the division since beating Diego Corrales two years ago.

Marquez floors Casamayor in big lightweight debut....