I could lie to
you and tell you I was getting down like Charlie Sheen with a couple of
(cough) “Goddesses” for my birthday last week but it wouldn’t be manly.
Closer to the truth, a brotha got sick and ended up laying in bed for 3
days whining until his Mama called to make it alright. Lucky for you
(that’s right, you) I wasn’t just whining; I was watching the fight game
and scribbling the king's speech on a notepad. My so-called “week off”
lasted all of 15 minutes when I saw Bernard Hopkins on the mothership
(ESPN) promoting his rematch with Jean Pascal. And the retarded three year
deal he signed with HBO. Excuse me, did I say retarded? I would apologize
for being insensitive but since I’m broke I prefer to keep it right there.
I also have a few thoughts about newly minted champions Brandon Rios and
Canelo Alvarez and what it means to have young action fighters prominently
featured on the two flagship networks. So hurry up and put the tape over
the laces, hell naw I ain't re-wrapping! Yo man was up in here; you know,
wus his name, ain't my fault he had to go to the bathroom!
Rios, Alvarez
and “Stardom”
In consecutive
weeks we’ve witnessed three young fighters with exciting styles get the
label “STAR." Donaire is a known quantity to fight fans and his future
isn’t littered with the kind of names that lend to awareness. Rios and
Alvarez however are different because of their relative youth. Rios, a
talented young slugger from Oxnard, finally distanced himself from the
identity of “young scumbag” in Margarito’s preparation for Pacquiao. In a
spirited, high action slugfest TKO vs. Miguel Acosta, he fulfilled what
those of us sitting on the couches want to see: two way action and
definitive endings. Like any young Mexican at lightweight he wants to
“make bones” with the “Notorious JMM;” but this is little more than a pipe
dream. Marquez’s GBP bit as almost up but the only way he pulls a “Mosley”
move is for the same reward Mosley got. The Pacman. His whole beef with
GBP is the idea that he is being served up to build up a young lion, if
he’ll turn down a young star in Amir Kahn he certainly won't entertain the
likes of Rios. Marquez did his time beating up Juan Diaz twice and his
resolve to get at Pacquiao again is taking precedent over all else.
Alvarez may be the closest thing to a real star out of the three; and
frankly I’m not sure what this means.
First of all his
fight against “the other Hatton” was for a made up WBC Jr. Middleweight
belt. Cheap ornaments in boxing; we’re just so used to having them around
Top Rank and GBP can make up Divisions and we wouldn’t object. In Reality
it was a welterweight fight without the stress of the weigh in. Alvarez
and Hatton were essentially free to have a good breakfast-which still
didn’t make either guy a Jr. Middleweight. Alvarez is young but I see
limitations he won’t ever be able to overcome. He’s a thick “tweener,” too
slow for elite Welterweights and too short for elite Jr. Middleweights...
but man can he crack. To make matters more interesting at 20 years of age
he’s more of a draw than Roy Jones Jr. was at 30. He put 16,674 asses in
the seats at Anaheim’s Honda Center and he wasn’t fighting anybody. To me
“stardom” is when a fighter reaches beyond his ethnic fan base because
Boxing is mostly marketed on racial terms. I knew Pacquiao was big when
brothas started talking about him, Mayweather when his personality on
“24/7 De La Hoya” lit up the message boards. The Mexican fan base is to
Boxing what 13 year old girls are to music, an economic block all parties
want a piece of. Alvarez is the new Justin Beiber, young talented and on
fire-what happens every five years will be proclaimed a “once in a
lifetime phenomenon.” All I know is the road is littered with Panchito
Bojados and the next Chavez is always around the corner to Mexican fight
fans. I consider Alvarez a baby champ like Berto, so don’t feed him too
many solids and watch closely. I’d keep him away from Mike Jones and
anyone in that mold because he looks like a sitting duck for a tall welter
with a good stiff jab.
And speaking of
Solid
Hey Kids; Eat
Sergio Cookies!
I gotta admit the media tour was what you would expect
from a group of men intent on making
a heist. You had the usual suspects, King, Arum and a foul
mouthed Mayorga ready and willing to insult the manhood of the latest name
fighter to play tee ball with his head. A faded Cotto inspired by the
carcass of a guy (Margarito) who may have cold cocked him with a cast
three years ago. What more could you ask for? Well, for one, an elite
champion facing prime opposition whether you know him or not. Cotto
fought a clown and Sergio Martinez KO’d a junior middleweight champion (Serhiy
Dzinziruk) that nobody looks good against. What is ironic is that
the “PPV” featured two men who wouldn’t want to be in the same area code
(as Sergio), two shining examples for his move to middleweight in the
first damned place.
As predicted,
Mayorga tried to club Cotto like Fred Flintstone and Miguel (as all elite
fighters have) kept his head and put a beating on the Nicaraguan. What
“drama” was there in all of that? Was it the thrill to see if two old dogs
could put one over on you, yet again? And to add insult to injury Mayorga
told assembled media post-fight that he may need to find a job. Really?
You don’t say. He may have even broken his hand while participating in the
predetermined exhibition of greed. Think he’ll be ready in time for
Pacquiao? King and Arum have formed a concerted front to create opponents
for Pacquiao and thusly pry Marquez and Mayweather from Golden Boy.
Remember the race towards monopolistic practices is on in boxing and both
parties want the Dana White prize at the finish line. The only problem is
monopolies have to assume more responsibility for long-term interest as
opposed to short term gain; neither power broker in boxing has the
integrity for the job.
Martinez …. for
merely your cable subscription did what you’ve come to expect GREAT
fighters to do... make tough opponents look inept. With his hands at his
waist he out jabbed the longer Dzinziruk and then finished him off with
clean power shots in round 5. Roy Jones was the perfect analyst to break
down what Martinez was doing in there; he had to feel ancient hearing a 36
yr. old looked up to him as an idol. Out of fairness and the fact that
NOBODY but crazy James Kirkland wants a crack at him, Sergio deserves a
fraudulent PPV spectacle to pad his bank account. He’s not getting any
younger and everybody else is doing it. If Floyd Mayweather can float a
fight with Paul Spadafora based on a 1999 sparring myth, why can’t
Martinez conjure up some phantom beef with Fernando Vargas?
Haye and
Klitschko Agree
