That's was the sound of Boxing's latest installment of the "fight we all need so much to be a good one." Bradley vs. Alexander started off brisk enough and it was refreshing to see the blur of young studs picking and poking for openings but it didn’t take long to implode. Damnit if I didn’t prophetically (I'm just saying that cus I'm referring to myself) Facebook post early in the week that this bout looked like a head butt waiting to happen. I drew this from looking at Bradley’s history, the ample domes both guys were sporting in presser pics and the eagerness (and nerves) of youth. After round 4 it was all Bradley, and though I thought he won the altercation with cleaner blows he wasn’t all that effective. Alexander made it easy for him because he seemed putt off by the light feet of Bradley who was too good an athlete to be reduced to a plodding follower. Alexander wasn’t committed enough with a stiff jab to make the shorter man pay for cutting distance. Bradley was slicker than “Cussing Cunningham” planned for, I counted three different looks from him that included an (Arthur) Abraham “earmuff” to a Joe Frazier styled crouch. 

Add to the fact that like Holyfield Tim Bradley seems so eager to get off his head falls forward simultaneously with his combinations. Alexander wasn’t up for the roughness of Bradley and honestly only a big welterweight (or a now mentally tough Amir Kahn) will be able to stand in there and keep the Californian honest. The fight drew over 6,000 “asses” roughly half of what St. Louis would do and I'm sure some of it was of the “paper” variety. What’s up with Larry Merchant? its like he’s got this big old dusty old testament of boxing clichés and he’s still on the same page. “One man is daring to be good and the other is daring to be great; blah blah blah. The Twitter world was blowing up on his tired commentary and I would love to ask him how Gatti (RIP) and Ward (his holy trinity) are on any planet considered “great.” Both men were hittable; no style to speak of which gives the illusion that they are somehow “going for it” when they fight anyone. The last butt of heads (round 10) reduced Alexander to a blinking mess and the Dr. who feared nerve damage stopped the bout. I’m glad Bradley post fight pulled up short from calling it a Jay Cutler moment. Alexander looked like someone who had no command over his face and at this point Bradley had made his case; any further deliberation would have involved more foreheads from the “Desert Storm.” Whispers of Bradley being a dirty fighter are now on the loudspeaker, and you know what they say about perception-especially in boxing.

What Now? 

RA Tha Rugged Man of Floyd Mayweather unraveling fame told me (per twitter) he really liked Bradley and asked me what I thought of him. Like a new column author of course I saved it for this forum because I’m a shameless name dropper. Bradley’s position as “the man” in the 140lb division is dependant on his contractual situation with Gary Shaw. On May 11^th he’ll be like a high schooler choosing between the Top Rank and Golden Boy baseball hats but Gary Shaw is making it clear he’s in the hunt. De La Hoya is giving off conflicting vibes daily, does he want Bradley or is he so unimpressed he’ll match him against Kahn straight up with no strings? Top Rank will hint at Pacquiao and GBP will hint at Mayweather, but more than likely he’ll get Lamont Peterson or Marcos Maidana. Oscar “Monopoly” De La Hoya is holding the most cards in the division and can keep Bradley busy while dreaming of a Mayweather payday. Bradley is also committed to the rematch clause that I’m sure will include a St. Louis crowd with a ref that jumps in the minute Tim makes his NFL styled plunges into Devon’s chest. HBO is just not that into two from Devon and Tim, I just hope they keep both men on the fast track with tough bouts. I believe Bradley is a rough guy with no real future at 147, but hey that’s what they said about Evander Holyfield moving up. Andre Berto and Joshua Clottey could be real bang ups if the kid wants to show he’s capable of wearing the big boy britches a division above. Didn’t he spat with Hasim Rahman or something like that? Anyways, Bradley wants us to tweet our suggestions for his next opponent to HBOBoxing/Twitter and I’m going with Maidana because neither deserves to sit on the shelf and both guys are tough as nails.

Strikeforce

I hate to say this but turning from the HBO card to Ron Johnson and Showtime’s MMA card was like going from a morgue to a party. Herschel Walker took his man out with an improved stand up game and Nick Diaz proved it’s really hard to kick a guy who is repeatedly punching you in the face. Diaz pummeled Evangelista Cyborg but the fight was exciting to the very end, especially when Diaz thought he’d make it interesting by taking the conflict to the mat. HBO in all of its current awkward transition from Merchant to Kellerman should take notes every time Ron Johnson blesses the mic. Right now, my favorite announcers are all on Showtime and I would rank Antonio Tarver as a breakout star in the ex-fighter category. I also love Strikeforce MMA because as a fight fan trying to ease my way into the sport I like watching without several annoyances. UFC is all PPV and marketing, I have a few Afflictions but I’m grown which means under a mesh at the gym but never in public. I also like watching fights without agenda being fed to me; I’m not leaving boxing and boxing (despite boxing) ain't dying. Diaz should stick to MMA if he can because his striking is crude by boxing standards, besides I like watching him do his thing with Ron Johnson yelling like a madman.

Arreola and “The Kiss” 

Let me be clear, I am not a buyer of Chris Arreola stock but I like his passion and his honesty. When I say I'm not a buyer I’m basing it on his lack of fitness (I don’t buy any of his rationalizations) and the whole “first Mexican heavyweight champ” packaging he comes in. He’s been in tough spots with guys like Jameel McCline when he’s expected to outclass and whenever he’s near a microphone he wets himself. He reminds me of a playful, slightly destructive toddler that thinks he’s cute enough to get away with stuff; when honestly only his parent (Goossen) finds him cute. But hey HBO produced the “Bad Boy” and most people continue to do stupid stuff because somehow it’s working for them. Somehow he’s being reinforced for this kind of stuff, he’ll be getting a shot back on HBO real soon and he knows it. 

Last Friday night on ESPN after stopping club fighter Joey Abell Arreola thought it would be real tough to kiss his dazed opponent just before the ref stepped in. First of all, that’s a punk move and it was an attempt to emasculate an opponent who deserves equal respect for stepping into the ring. Secondly, how dare this so called “contender” act a fool on ESPN, a place that he (if he was all that) wasn’t supposed to be in the first place. ESPN was his demotion, you go there humbled! Hat in hand and try to rebuild your reputation with soft touches not to do some juvenile shit that only your dumbest homeboys would appreciate. Wasn’t this the kid who was reduced to tears after Vitali Klitschko (a conditioned champion) beat him like he stole something? If he’s such a tough guy Evander Holyfield is begging to get carried out on a stretcher, let’s see if he’s tough enough to do it. 

Or maybe vs. David Haye for the right to annoy fight fans any further.

Mayweather speaks coherently  

Boxings “Great Gatsby” Floyd Mayweather just chose his new sounding board fighthype.com. Mayweather likes to keep his access limited (a smart move) as in the past boxingtalk usually gave us that latest on the pound for pound great. Legal issues pending it was refreshing as a reader to hear Floyd; a well spoken guy when he wants to be, lay out his case regarding any comparison to fellow great Manny Pacquiao. Floyd points out the double standard when it comes to Pacquiao’s choice of opponents and how each fighter is perceived after Floyd defeats the same men. What he refuses to understand is the “right time, right weight” model for boxing's aristocrats is as old as he is. Sugar Ray Leonard is the godfather of this way of doing business and Manny Pacquiao is no different than any other elite fighter of the last 20 plus yrs.-Including Mayweather. He also wants an end to all of the jealousy in the media; you know those who really have a problem with him being so great at what he does. It is our obligation to form and support opinions like it is Floyds to show up in shape at 147 pounds. If we can be provocative or stimulate debate then good, but if we all wrote the obvious (all time great, top 5 defensive fighter all time) how does it distinguish us from message boards? Floyd Mayweather wants long-term credit in a sports and media climate fueled on immediacy, and with this I wish him luck. It is only natural to move on and ask different challenges of our champions, on February 7^th they will already start talking about the odds for next year's Super Bowl Champion. And trust me more people care about that than whether Manny Pacquiao is or isn’t Floyd's superior. Knowing how well he can articulate himself I would advise him to answer no questions when surrounded by homies. Most men regress 20 plus yrs when surrounded by male associates so it isn’t wise to go to Ustream when “pooky an nem” are in your home.  

As usual Floyd draws correlation between the vilification of fellow black athletes (specifically Lebron James) and what he has to “endure.” I find this peculiar as football and basketball athletes are simply on a higher plane, people who matter engender strong opinions no matter how awful. He also blames fans and boxing on the condition of Muhammad Ali and draws another peculiar correlation regarding the venom Ali faced early in his career. I’m not sure Floyd knows this but Ali wanted to fight on once the adulation and paydays reached a certain stratosphere. Plenty of “fans” wanted the Greatest to get out so we can enjoy him in his Sr. years; but that wasn’t on Ali’s agenda and most of the people that had his ear were employees. Floyd is misguided if he thinks the response to his Ustream rant and frustration over the Pacquiao negotiations is equal to Ali’s predicament. Ali wasn’t hated because he bragged;  those who hated him for his social stances and protest against Vietnam might have cited it but it was merely peripheral. Floyd isn’t being watched by the FBI because he wants Olympic styled blood testing and he isn’t saying anything particularly threatening to the government nor status quo. If anything, Floyd's conduct is favorable to the powerful elite because he reinforces a value system that keeps people in the dark. Ali’s trails were political/religious and should not ever be minimized in the context of twitter, money and jealousy that a lot of rappers and athletes regurgitate today.

Great piece on “Boxing's First Family” by Percy Crawford 

On the same site our own Jeff Mayweather gives an amazing interview about the groundwork of Boxing's first family. I read part one and it is great to get a historical perspective on the family and the dynamics that led to their current success. The story about Floyd Sr. beating down a teacher in High School is priceless. For those who aren’t aware of how Roger “The Black Mamba” Mayweather came into the trainer position of a young Floyd Jr. this interview gives you the nuts and bolts. We all have families, and we ALL have some dysfunctional drama going down in families & reading a first hand account really humanizes the players and later conflicts that emerged. My personal favorite is hearing stories of Roger the “mini Don King” profiting off of organizing gym wars with golden Glovers who had “beef.” I would Love, Love, Love to see Roger as a promoter today. Can you hear it? “Basically, you got two muthafucka’s who don’t like each other so some shit is bout to go down, understand?!! Yes Roger I do. Sign me up for Mamba Promotions PR, cuz I can write the kind of shit his promotions is talking bout!  Reading about Roger reminds me of my older cousins, they were thuggish but I followed them around like a little mascot. I totally understand how Jeff Mayweather just followed his big brothers into the family business.

Newsflash, Pacquiao can be hit So buy the PPV 

Shane Mosley wants you to know that Manny Pacquiao was hit by Antonio Margarito so therefore he can hit him too. And? I hate when boxers use the selective fighter a beat so and so therefore rationale, because they hate when we do it. Here’s a cliché for you, styles make fights and just because Margarito was able to touch him there’s no guarantee Mosley will. Mosley was touching Mayweather early, but once Floyd imposed himself physically on Shane he started doing this nervous twitchy “I’m not sure I want to throw a jab” thing. Remember? What Shane wont tell you (which you already know) is when Manny is hit, he bangs his gloves together and hits his opponent 5 times-real hard. He can do that all night while Shane has about a minute and a half to land something big. Floyd hit the gas just a little and was merciful (I mean measured) with Shane and it allowed him to finish. Manny starts with his foot on the gas; if Shane catches him early he’s in a long night of trouble. Shane won’t catch him late because by then he’ll be as beat up as Margarito and his punches will have little steam. The hype machines for this fight is already starting up and just wait until Showtime and the evil eye network get in on the act. Imagine this kind of support and hype for the fight we really want to see, this level of exposure deserves so much more than the storyline they’re selling.

Stealing the last round. 

Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker is finally an official part of Zab Judah’s camp. Too little too late? According to Thomas Hauser HBO is scheming to get brotha’s back as viewers of their boxing programming. Don’t play us cheap we like good fights like any other viewer; dangerous fights attract me, not black fighters. Leave it to the little guys, Nonito Donaire vs. Fernando Montiel will probably give us what we want on February 19^th but like most Americans we don’t really want quality-we want it from big people. Hopefully Arum can see at Bantamweight there’s no crime in getting his fighters involved with the fighters over at Showtime. Saul Alvarez vs. Julio Caesar Chavez jr. is a natural, both are over hyped, limited and will get exposed by more gifted fighters. Anybody notice the usually outspoken Carl Froch is mute about his upcoming clash with “Road Warrior” Glenn Johnson? Wonder why? K-9 Bundrage was just lingering around the ring before Bradley vs. Alexander looking like an unemployed pimp with that big assed derby on his head. Get out of the ring maaaaan! Wouldn’t a Boxing Wives Reality show be good TV? Mrs. Antonio Tarver, Fernando Vargas, Antonio Margarito, and Johnny Tapia, with Josie Harris and Jin Mosley to keep everything “zesty.” Speaking of women, HBO should get in the Ogleidis Suarez business. Her weigh ins ALONE should be televised, and I guarantee she’d outdraw your average Andre Berto title “defense”. Sergio Mora vs. Brian Vera should be a retro FNF bout tonight, remember back in 98’ when you could see good matches every week? Now let me get out of here I could have swore I heard Nazim Richardson coming down the hall, hurry up and cut 'em off!.