Last night in Hollywood EA SPORTS rolled out the red carpet at the House of Blues with the launch event of the year dubbed the Showdown on Sunset.  The event featured some of the game's biggest names, musical guests, and other Hollywood notables in an evening where fight fans were invited to not only get a look at but to also get their hands on the most anticipated game of the year.

The evening began when the stars arrived and walked the carpet posing for pics, talking about the game with the media, and getting a little time on the sticks at the end of the line.  The crowd on hand not only got a chance to see boxing greats in Iron Mike Tyson, Sergio "The Latin Snake" Mora, and "Sugar" Shane Mosley, MMA fighters were also in the house including Dan "Punkass" Caldwell from Tapout.

The Showdown on Sunset began with our ring announcer introducing the first two combatants to take the stage:  Mosley vs Mora in what proved to be a good opening fight of the evening.  After what was deemed a warm-up fight where Mora got knocked down early and was unable to get up, both fighters agreed to a rematch, caught their bearings and went at it in the second "official" fight.  

The fight was fast paced and fierce as both fighters slugged it out.  Mora looked to have the upper hand at one point even knocking down the virtual Mosley.  But with the crowd behind the Welterweight champ, Mosley shook off the knockdown and in the third round knocked Mora down twice.  The second time, Mora could not get on his feet before the 10-count.

In between fights gamers in the packed venue got a chance to play the full version of the game on one of the dozen stations set up all around the House of Blues.  From the awesome graphics to the feel of the punching power, fans had nothing but good things to say about Round 4. 

Next up was the main event between Snoop Dogg and in my personal opinion, the greatest knockout king of the ring, Iron Mike Tyson.

The fight between Tyson and Snoop's specially created character for the game, Malice, lived up to all the hype.  Tyson came out bobbing and weaving and looking to get inside reminiscent of the Champ in his prime.  Malice, not to be outdone, dished out plenty of punches to the roar of the crowd in his corner and caught Tyson walking in a few times with big hooks and uppercuts of his own in the early rounds.

Tyson's aggressiveness however would seem to be his downfall as Malice would counter the Champ's own signature uppercuts with pounding body shots dizzying Tyson late in the fourth and put the Champ on the mat with only a couple of seconds left in the fight.

The Showdown on Sunset Champ would be decided in the hands of the judges.  All four scorecards had Snoop on top.  Following the fight, Tyson proudly presented Snoop with a check for $5000 to go towards Snoop's charity, the Snoop Youth Football League.

Music and EA SPORTS games go hand-in-hand and the night was highlighted with an appearance from Snoop's nephew Young Dre who performed a tight set on stage including one of the title songs from the game, Cheah Beah.  Also performing was Pete Rock who closed the evening with some slick hip-hop beats to the delight of the fans in the house.  I'll have more pics to come so stay tuned for that!

After a few years in hiatus, the FIGHT NIGHT series makes its return in grand fashion.  Will you be one of the many going FTW and challenging for a shot at the Online World Championship?  More details on that to come, but for now, get your copy when it hits the stores this week and meet me, sk88z, online on XBL if you're up for the challenge!

With just over two weeks left before the release of FIGHT NIGHT Round 4, the game got the once over by the fans and things are shaping out to look pretty good come launch.  Most recently, the game was played by many at E3 and received the nod for the Best Sports Game at E3 by G4 TV.

Check out more of the early reviews for the game here: FIGHT NIGHT Round 4 Hands-On Reviews

With less than three weeks before one of the most anticipated games hits the streets, Fight Night Round 4 fans everywhere have been counting down the days and working the demo to get ready for the ship.  For those lucky enough to be at E3 this week, not only were they able to get their hands on the game, they also got a chance to meet one of the legends of the sport, "Sugar" Ray Leonard.

Our man on the ground, Carlos Navarro, had a chance to speak with the Champ after he demoed the game with Producer Mike Mahar.

By Jason Thompson

(Ring the Bell)  Ding! Ding! Ding!  Ladies and gentlemen.  For the thousands in attendance here at the EA SPORTS Studios and the millions in attendance around the world. Leeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttttttsssssss GET READY TO TALK ABOUT THE NEWEST ROSTER REVEAL FOR FIGHT NIGHT ROUND FOUR!

Manny Pacquiao – Also known as “Pac-Man” and, if you cannot pronounce his name, just remember that it’s Man-ee Pac-EEEEEE-OWWWWW! Widely considered the best pound for pound boxer in the world he destroyed Oscar De La Hoya and encouraged the Golden Boy to call it quits.  I am just guessing but I predict more guys will fight with Pacquiao than any other boxer. Quick, powerful, mean… he really is the total package.

Miguel Cotto – Last July Cotto suffered his first professional loss, an 11-round brawl with Antonio Margarito.  (Did Margarito have illegal hand wraps in that one?)  Cotto bounced back last February destroying Michael Jennings.  I know there are some who are not impressed by Cotto.  I am definitely not one of them.  He is the best welterweight in the world.

Winky Wright – Ronald “Winky” Wright is one of the toughest draws in all of boxing.  He is a south paw with a knack for making fighters fight ugly.  He is a south paw that likes to work inside and really understands how to frustrate his opponents.  His wins over “Sugar” Shane Mosley were brilliant.  Same goes for his win over Felix “Tito” Trinidad.  At 51-5-1 he has come out on the short end of a couple of “controversial” score cards – he dominated Jermaine Taylor despite the “Draw” and should have had a draw against Bernard Hopkins which was scored a loss.

Emmanuel Augustus – No one could ever say Augustus did leave it all in the ring.  Of all of the boxers in FNR4 Augustus is the one who has a style that could truly be called “unconventional”.  “The Drunken Master” boxed like he had an iPod on during the fight- punching and literally while throwing jabs, rights, hooks and WILD uppercuts.  Trust me.  You will load up Augustus more than a few times in FNR4. 

Nate Campbell – If Campbell would have made weight against Ali Funeka, he would be the holder of the IBF, WBA, and WBO belts.  If there is a knock (besides not making weight) it’s his lapses of judgment in the ring.  If the user could control “The Gallaxxy Warrior”, which we will all be able to do in FNR4, his record would be perfect at Lightweight.

Corey Spinks – “The Next Generation” has fighting in his blood (his father is Leon) and just won the IBF junior Middleweight belt.  If his win over Deandre Lattimore is any indication, Spinks can now couple his speed with impressive stamina working the clinch and tasking his opponents with “chasing him” for rounds striking when the legs of the opposition wear out.  Spinks may be a better brawler than I thought.

Vivian Harris – “Vicious” is 29-3-1 as a junior welterweight he is a stand and shoot kind of fighter.  His style appears to be maturing.  How tough is Vivian Harris?  Many think Floyd Mayweather dodged Harris because he wanted no part of him.

Kermit Cintron – “The Killer” is 30-2-1 with his two losses coming against Antonio Margarito (who has been banned) so you could say, non one currently in boxing has ever beat Cintron.  There is nothing to criticize about Cintron’s style but he may be one that you may need to keep clean – in his last fight he suffered a 5th round cut that was not the result of a head butt which is how it was called.  He also barely beat a 10 count against Sergio Gabriel Martinez in the same fight.  The fight was called a draw with a rematch that is almost mandatory given their last fight.

Ricky Hatton – So many of us FNR4 demanded Hatton and, here he is… the newest in the FNR4 roster.  “The Hitman” has an incredible 45-1-0 record and is a Rock Star in England.  This Saturday, May 2nd, Hatton will enter the ring against Pacquiao in what will be THE defining moment in both boxers’ careers.  If only FNR4 were available now! It is not a stretch to predict this will be the fight of the year.

So what do you think of the latest roster reveal?

Clash of two titans

When Smokin’ Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali first squared off, in 1971, they were fast friends and undefeated fighters. By the time of their third fight, in the Philippines in 1975, they’d been humbled and hardened, and had turned into bitter enemies.

Ali warmed up for the bout by calling Frazier “gorilla” and “Uncle Tom.” Frazier bit his tongue and fumed. The fight was brutal; the aftermath, ugly: Today, Ali is a shadow of his former self, and just last year, Frazier was living in the back of a Philadelphia gym. The documentary Thrilla in Manila is fiercely partisan on Frazier’s behalf. It’s also disturbing (Frazier claims responsibility for, and revels in, Ali’s physical decline), surprising (Imelda Marcos pops up as one of the interviewees), and riveting. Don’t miss the HBO premiere, on April 11.

By Brian Hayes, Producer

I was just 6 months old when Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met for the third time at the Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines on October 1, 1975. As I became enamored with boxing many, many years ago and began purchasing classic fight tapes and DVDs, I purchased an Ali VHS box-set that included, “The Thrilla In Manila”. I have seen several great fights over the years, but Ali-Frazier III will always stand out for me because of the punishment both men exacted upon each other, their tumultuous relationship outside the ropes, the way Ali slumped back on his stool after briefly celebrating the stoppage and, most importantly, the look in Joe Frazier’s eyes when Eddie Futch stopped the fight.

The first time I watched this fight, it was just another chapter in the legend of Muhammad Ali. When your experience starts with the ring walk and ends with Frazier’s corner throwing in the towel, all you are left with is one of the most brutal back and forth heavyweight contests in history. It’s when you start to learn about the men involved that this fight takes on special meaning. Ali is undoubtedly one of the greatest in boxing history and over the years has become a symbol for sportsmanship. It’s very interesting because unquestionably, on that day, the “bad guy” won. Prior to the fight, Ali belittled and insulted Joe Frazier repeatedly. The same Joe Frazier who financially supported him during his exile and publicly lobbied for the reinstatement of his boxing license. You would be hard-pressed to find a bigger villain or a more venomous heel in today’s professional wrestling than Muhammad Ali before his third fight with Joe Frazier. I’m sorry, but it’s true.

The first time I watched this fight, Ali was just the aging, but flashy champion who survived a mid-round onslaught by the rough-and-tumble challenger. It was another historic victory for the Greatest Of All Time. The last time I watched this fight, a small part of me wishes Futch would let Frazier go out for the 15th and (maybe) let Ali be the one to quit on his stool. Or maybe, just maybe Joe would get lucky and drop Ali with one last left hook. It’s a very small part of me, because the remainder is always happy that the fight was stopped before either man suffered any more permanent damage.

This fight was not supposed to go 14 rounds. People thought Frazier was washed-up,  having already lost to Ali in their 2nd fight and having been shockingly stopped by a young George Foreman (“Down Goes Frazier!”) years before. Ali was resurgent, having defeated the same young Foreman only one year earlier.

It begins with Ali disdainfully firing fast combinations at the bobbing and ducking Frazier in the early rounds, buzzing him more than a few times. But Frazier never stops moving forward. In the 5th and 6th, Ali begins to tire in the heat of the Philippines and Frazier keeps coming forward, raking his body with power punches. Ali tries to rope-a-dope Frazier, to lure him into punching himself out like Foreman did in Zaire, but Joe doesn’t fall for it. He maintains steady pressure. In the 6th rounds he corners Ali and practically folds him in half with a left hook to the body. In the later rounds, Frazier begins to tire himself and Ali begins to find him with punishing combinations that bounce repeatedly of his head. Frazier continues to press forward. In the 13th round, Ali sends Frazier’s mouthguard flying somewhere into downtown Metro Manila. In the 14th round, Frazier is absorbing 5 punches for each one he even throws. After the fight, we will learn that Frazier had a cataract in one eye and with his other eye swelling shut, he was essentially fighting blind.

After the 14th round, trainer Eddie Futch had seen enough and signaled that he was throwing in the towel. Frazier protested, shouting, “I want him boss.” Meanwhile, in Ali’s corner, Muhammad pleads with trainer Angelo Dundee to cut off his gloves and stop the fight. It’s hard to imagine a more heart-wrenching set of circumstances for Frazier. Spitting blood, blind, battered and broken, but bent on beating his rival; his trainer stopping the fight while the opponent is seconds away from quitting himself. It’s not a happy ending, which is why it had to be altered to serve (in part) as the inspiration for the first meeting between Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa. That’s how big this was.

After the fight, Ali sits on a stool, wincing in pain and talking with reporters from around the world. He says it’s the closest to death he’s ever been. Gone is the trash-talk and bravado. It’s been pounded and sweated out in the heat of the Araneta Coliseum. Well, almost, “Joe Frazier is the greatest fighter of all time… next to me.”