Refunds may be obtained beginning tomorrow at point of purchase. Pensacola Civic Center Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. Credit card purchases made through Ticketmaster on line or by phone are automatically refunded. Tickets purchased at a Ticketmaster outlet must be refunded at that outlet.

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Tickets priced at $750, $500, $300, $200 and $100 go on sale TOMORROW, Friday, February 5 at 10:00 am PT and will be available for purchase at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs) and Jones (54-6, 40 KOs), heated rivals and two of boxing’s most decorated and recognizable fighters, will put it all on the line and leave no doubt as to who gets to take bragging rights as the best. Both men have given fans more than two decades worth of brilliant ring memories and will each look to add another victory under their belts on April 3.

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- Antonio Margarito will have more pressure than usual in his fight Saturday night in Los Angeles against Paul Williams. If victorious, Margarito is set to take on WBA Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto later this year. More than likely to take place in New York, Margarito will certainly earn the biggest payday of his career.
- Evander Holyfield may be one step closer to unifying the heavyweight championship titles. Word is spreading that Holyfield, who is coming off an impressive victory over Lou Savarese, is expected to earn a title shot against IBF Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. Klitschko, who defeated Lamon Brewster Saturday night, is far from getting the unification fight he’s been hoping for. With a lack of talent left in the division, Holyfield may be the only big name left for Klistchko to fight.
- Roy Jones Jr. returns to the ring this Saturday night when he takes on Anthony Hanshaw live from the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, MS. Jones is listed as a 3-1 favorite to defeat the dangerous Hanshaw. A Jones victory could set up an intriguing match-up, pitting Jones against former Welterweight Champion Felix ‘Tito’ Trinidad. The two would meet in early 2008.

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Tony Soprano, George Foreman before the grill, Evander Holyfield still, Willie Mays as a Met, Michael Jordan as a Wizard, Hulk Hogan as a bad guy, Andrew Dice Clay, Johnny Unitas as a Charger, Don Imus, Sylvester Stallone in Rocky Balboa, Steven Seagal, season 6 Jack Bauer, the Rolling Stones, Joe Namath as a Ram, and Emmitt Smith as a Cardinal before his dancing career took off. There are a countless number of athletes, celebrities, politicians, personalities, or anyone else in the public eye that should have hung it up well before they did. I was thinking about this; how do you tell an athlete or anyone in the spotlight that their time is up? The number of guys in boxing who have stuck around longer than they should include Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Fernando Vargas and many others, but now after last Saturday night maybe Diego Corrales can be added to that list.
Roy Jones, Jr. obviously had a long and distinguished career and for many years was considered the best pound for pound fighter on the planet. In an interview with FOX in 1999, Bob Arum of Top Rank proclaimed, “Roy Jones Jr. is the best fighter or warrior on the planet, no one is even close.” Fairly high esteem for a man whose words carry weight with such a topic. Jones had success at all levels including Golden Gloves, Olympics and Professional. Jones has notable career wins against Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, John Ruiz and Antonio Tarver. In 2003, Jones became the first ever middleweight champion to win a heavyweight title. In 2004, against Antonio Tarver, Jones should have seen the writing on the wall. He should have seen that he had lost a step and had lost the punching speed he once possessed. He was sent to the canvas by Tarver for the first time in his career, and could not get up. Jones went onto a stunning loss to Glen Johnson followed by another loss to Tarver, it was over. Even Jones must have known at that point. Although enduring a three fight losing streak, Jones entered the ring again this time he defeated Prince Badi. If Jones had not had a fallout with HBO maybe we as fans would not have to endure Lennox Lewis on commentary, instead Jones is probably looking somewhere for another fight.
Another former champion looking for another fight is Evander Holyfield. Everyone knows the story about Evander Holyfield. No matter how much physical damage he endures he keeps looking for another fight. No matter how slow his footwork is or his punching prowess has become he keeps looking for another fight. No matter how many states wisely refuse to grant a license to one of the great champions of all time he keeps looking for another fight. Risk or permanent injury be damned. Risk of tarnishing a great legacy be damned. Holyfield will fight anyone anywhere, as long as the state will grant him a license, which does not leave the Real Deal with many other options. Holyfield’s career accomplishments cannot be called into question. His decision making in the last few years can be. Holyfield’s desire to be the oldest heavyweight champion of all time is admirable. I am no doctor but his return to the ring can not be a smart move. As impressive as beating Vinny Madalone is, (sarcasm), Holyfield was a great champion. But, unfortunately his time in the sun has passed, probably a long time ago.
“Ferocious” Fernando Vargas encompasses everything that represents a traditional Mexican boxer; Heart, Courage, and a never quit attitude. He is one of the few to have recorded a victory over Winky Wright. At age 29, Vargas has been in some of the most memorable bouts in recent memory. His war inside and outside of the ring with Oscar De la Hoya will be remembered and written about forever in boxing history books. Unfortunately, he has been the victim of four of the most devastating losses in recent boxing history. His bouts with Oscar, Felix “Tito” Trinidad, and Shane Mosley all ended with spectacular Knockouts. There is no doubt that his in-ring wars have done a severe amount of damage to him physically.
There is no way to tell a champion with the heart and courage of a Roy Jones, Jr. or an Evander Holyfield or Fernando Vargas or any of my many examples above when it is time to retire. A champion has to believe they can always compete. There has to be a time when it is unsafe for some to continue, especially in a sport as dangerous as boxing. As an outsider it is easier for me to comment on when another man should retire. It would obviously be much tougher for them to walk away from something they love. Maybe Tiki Barber, Barry Sanders and Rocky Marciano had the right idea.
touchgloves.com Honorable Mentions:
Erik ‘El Terrible’ Morales – He has thrilled fans for years with his blood and guts style. He has been involved in two of the greatest boxing trilogies of all time. He has established himself as one the greatest Mexican boxers of our generation. It is time for Erik to enjoy the rest of his days with his family.

Diego ‘Chico’ Corrales – Much like Vargas, Diego is a true warrior. Round 10 of his fight with Jose Luis Castillo is the greatest round in Boxing History. However, the battles in the ring have caught up with him, as was clearly evident against Joshua Clottey. We cannot stand to see him spit another mouth piece.
Anyone else have anyone that they would like to see retire before it is too late? Post below.
Jeff Soklin is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara and is currently involved in the field of sport management. Email him at jeff@touchgloves.com

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2004′s Fighter of The Year, the rise of Glen Johnson (44-11-2, 29 KOs) to the top of the light heavyweight division has been nothing short of inspiring. Robbed of countless decisions over the years, the Jamaica native finally started to see daylight after a 2003 decision win over Eric Harding. Two fights later, Glen won his first world title by decisioning Clinton Woods, and in his first defense he stunned the boxing world with a devastating knockout of Roy Jones Jr. If that wasn’t enough, Johnson decisioned Antonio Tarver less than three months later to cap off an amazing 12 months. Tarver regained his title from Johnson via a hard fought decision in June of 2005, but the 38-year-old ‘Road Warrior’ is primed for a return to the title race, as evidenced by impressive wins over George Khalid Jones and Richard Hall, and a razor-thin loss to the man he hopes to face for a fourth time, Clinton Woods.
A 1992 US Olympian and the first man to defeat Roy Jones Jr., Montell Griffin (48-6, 30 KOs) has been one of the most underrated fighters of the last 25 years. A slick boxer who learned the finer points of the game under the legendary Eddie Futch, Griffin parlayed two wins over James Toney into a light heavyweight title shot in 1997, and he frustrated Jones throughout their fight before Jones was disqualified in the ninth round, giving the Chicago native the title. Griffin would lose their rematch, but he would stay in the mix at 175 pounds, fighting the best the division has to offer. Winner of two of his last three bouts, with the only loss a controversial technical decision defeat to Julio Gonzalez, the 36-year old Griffin is ready to claim a world title once again.
A high-impact undercard will be announced at a later date.
For more information on Seminole Warrior’s Boxing, please visit our website at www.warriorsboxing.com

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- The undercard for the Jermain Taylor/Cory Spinks fight on May 19th is beginning to take shape. Heavy hitter Edison “Pantara” Miranda (28-1, 24KO’s) will take on Undefeated American Kelly “the ghost” Pavilk (30-0, 27KO’s) in a WBC title eliminator. Both of these young fighters have there eyes set on the winner of the main event. Also on the card, Vernon Forrest (38-2, 28KO’s) will be in action as well as son of legendary boxer Thomas “the Hitman’ Hearn, Ronald Hearns (13-0, 11KO’s)
- Happy Birthday to Dr. Wladimir Kltischko who turned 31 over the weekend. The entire touchgloves.com staff would like to wish you the best in the coming year.

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