Amir Sadollah is one of 16 middleweights to fight their way into the house for a chance to win a contract with the UFC on Spike TV’s reality series “The Ultimate Fighter 7.”

Sadollah is writing a weekly blog to give ocregister.com readers a behind-the-scenes look at everything that goes down in the house, during training and in the fights.

TUF 7 airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Spike TV, and Sadollah’s blog posts immediately following each episode.

EPISODE 6

Riding in the van was the only time of day we got to see the outside world. Our days usually consisted of waking up, going to the gym, coming back and eating, going back to the gym, coming back and eating again.

Other than that, we had nothing to do but sit in the house and look at each other. So twice a day, like excited dogs going to the park, we got in the van and got a little view of the outside world and cracked jokes.

Read the rest of this entry »

DREAM’s Lightweight Grand Prix heats up with quarterfinal action at DREAM 3 early Sunday morning on HDNet from Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

HDNet, which aired taped coverage of DREAM 1 and DREAM 2 last weekend, has blocked off midnight-5 a.m. to air the event live and in its entirety. HDNet will air a replay of DREAM 3 on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The quarterfinal matchups look very interesting. Norway’s Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen (17-6-1) takes on Philadelphia’s Eddie Alvarez (13-1).

Japanese icon Caol Uno (24-10-4) battles wrestling specialist Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1), who is coming off a unanimous decision over Gilbert Melendez.

Luiz “Buscape” Firmino (12-3) gets a chance to avenge a hotly disputed split decision loss when he takes on Tatsuya Kawajiri (21-4-2).

The final tournament matchup pits Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2) against tournament favorite Shinya Aoki (15-2), who is coming off a unanimous decision over Gesias “JZ” Calvancante on April 29 at DREAM 2.

Read the rest of this entry »

ShoBox: The New Generation returns to the United Kingdom this Saturday, May 10, with an outstanding world title showdown and a promising undercard bout featuring two undefeated prospects.

On a special Saturday night edition of the popular SHOWTIME boxing series, World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Lightweight Champion Junior Witter will defend his crown for the third time when he takes on WBC No. 1 contender Timothy Bradley at the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham, England (same day tape delay at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME).

If triumphant, Bradley will become the 25th ShoBox alum to capture a world title.

In a spectacular co-feature pitting two young, unbeaten Brits, hard-hitting John Murray will take on the slick John Fewkes in a 10-round lightweight bout.  The event will be promoted by Hennessy Sports.

Question: Junior, can we have opening comments on you?  How is training going?  What are your thoughts on defending your championship on “ShoBox” on SHOWTIME, and your thoughts on the challenger, Timothy Bradley.

Witter: It’s great to be getting back in the ring.  It feels like a while since I’ve been here.  Training’s gone very well.  It’s been a long hard slog, and I’m just raring to go.  Timothy Bradley is obviously accomplished in his own right.  He’s done quite well for himself, and he’s going to find out on Saturday night that he is in with the champ.

Read the rest of this entry »

YAHOO! SPORTS POUND-FOR-POUND TOP 10

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (WBC/The Ring welterweight champion) 177 (16 of 18 first-place votes)

2. Manny Pacquiao (WBC/The Ring super-featherweight champion) 151.5

3. Joe Calzaghe (WBA/WBC/WBO/The Ring middleweight and The Ring light-heavyweight champion) 142 (2 first-place votes)

4. Miguel Cotto (WBA welterweight champion) 127

5. Juan Manuel Marquez (super-featherweight) 107.5

Read the rest of this entry »

The Ring lightweight champion Joel Casamayor will take on Juan Diaz on Sept. 13 in Houston, Tex., on HBO and WBA/IBF/WBO lightweight champion Nate Campbell will defend his titles against Juan Manuel Marquez on Oct. 25 in Las Vegas on HBO PPV, Golden Boy Promotions publicist Ramiro Gonzalez confirmed.

If Marquez is victorious over Campbell, Golden Boy Promotions will try to negotiate with Top Rank for a third fight against Manny Pacquiao. If a third fight with Pacquiao can’t be made the Casamayor-Diaz winner will take on the Campbell-Marquez winner.

Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t you wish your water was cold like mine?

Someone took my water and I think I know who. It’s not a big deal, but it’s a little strange since he’s sitting next to me as I type this. Before leaving the media dining room I grabbed two bottles of Dasani. I left them both next to my computer, as I caught up with a friend sitting one row ahead of me. But when I returned to my seat one of my bottles was open. And the suspect isn’t even here anymore. He’s in line buying beer.

Later I find out he’s sitting in the wrong seat. Of course he is.

Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls just performed the National Anthem. It took two minutes, which is OK I guess. For a moment people were booing as she sang, “By the dawn’s early light,” but that was because they were showing Steve Forbes on one of the TV screens stationed above the ring. No one’s ever booed Nicole. Ever.

This is the first fight I’ve attended and I forgot to mention I’m sitting in the 11th row. Forget HD, brother, see how my clear my view is.

Read the rest of this entry »

To check post-fight audio interviews with Oscar De La Hoya, Stevie Forbes, Victor Ortiz and Bernard Hopkins, click here.

CARSON - Oscar De La Hoya couldn’t have had a better dance partner than Stevie Forbes for his “Homecoming” on Saturday night in front of 27,000 at Home Depot Center.

Forbes is a top-notch professional with a durable chin and many of the same characteristics as Floyd Mayweather Jr., whom De La Hoya could face in a rematch this fall.

De La Hoya showed excellent hand speed, combination punching and plenty off stamina, which had been in short supply down the stretch for him in recent years, to win nearly every round and walk away with an easy 12-round unanimous decision victory.

“This is how I envisioned the fight,” De La Hoya said. “This was my plan to be more straight up, use my jab and be more aggressive.”

Read the rest of this entry »

CARSON - Lightweight prospect Vicente Escobedo has a lot of talent and natural skill, but the 2004 U.S. Olympian also has some things to work on before he can reach the next level.

Escobedo showed why his trainer Nacho Beristain and Golden Boy Promotions think so highly of him with a 10-round unanimous decision over rugged veteran Roberto Arrieta in the main event of Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” card on Friday night at the Home Depot Center.

Arrieta had his moments early in the fight when he landed some damaging left hooks to the body, but Escobedo turned the fight around when dropped Arrieta with a right hand in the sixth round.

It was all Escobedo from the seventh round on as he used his left jab to bloody Arrieta’s nose and damage his right eye.

Read the rest of this entry »

Oscar De La Hoya held an international conference call on April 23 to discuss his fight against Stevie Forbes on Saturday at 7 p.m. on HBO at the Home Depot Center soccer stadium.

Here is what the “Golden Boy” had to say:

Oscar De La Hoya: Thank you, thank you very much Richard. Well I’ll tell you a bit about my training. Just before I start about my training I just want to say that I don’t know what I would have done without Mayweather Sr. back on my team. I really thought it was over. I really thought I was, you know, getting close to hanging up the gloves but Mayweather Sr. just brings out the best in me and, you know, this training camp has been no exception.

Stevie Forbes mentioned that, you know, I’m probably looking past him because a showdown with Mayweather in September but that’s not the case. I’ve been training since January for this fight and, you know, we’ve been taking the necessary steps to be ready and ready I am. I’m - Mayweather has just taken it to another level, the way he always does in all my fights.

Read the rest of this entry »