Fight Fans,
holla if ya miss your Boy! (Crickets). I’ve been on hiatus due to becoming a
proud grandpa for the third time. As my second grandchild Imia was born last
year while I was in Vegas witnessing the Margarito/ Cotto mugging. I thought it
in my best interest (and health) to have my ass present for #3. What was a month
in boxing time seemed like a lifetime to a fight scribe/wanna be promoter, so
I’ve decided to make amends with a vigorous pad work. Ok, chilluns we are going
to take it backwards from the Wladimir Klitschko defense to the collapse of
Victor Ortiz and then some. We’ll also get my take on the rest of the summer and
upcoming bouts, aiiight? Good, now let's rock.
Baby Brother
is rocking the Ring Magazine Belt
Teddy Atlas
thought tough guy/ titlist Ruslan Chagaev would be able to hang with Wladimir
Klitschko and he couldn’t have been more wrong. I haven’t read anything on the
defense yet but I’m sure most reports have it going something like this;
“Klitschko, too big, jab, etc”. Wrong!! From my vantage point the former WBA (it
was on the line in my eyes) champ had a great distance from minute one, what the
hell he was looking for was anybody’s guess. Klitschko is like a slow moving
utility vehicle creeping downhill with great breaks, it was Chagaev's
responsibility to jump on him early -while he still had his face intact. If he
was going to establish a good distance with no head movement or combination
punching I would have preferred he run, he would have been a hell of a lot
safer. The brothers Klitschko are more than just class out of the ring, but
class in the pressure cooker as well.
Shall I be
the first American writer to say the obvious? You know the thing we secretly
wish for at the risk of feeling dirty afterwards? Shall I sully our great
“sport” further by the mere crassness of my next utterance? - as if Boxing will
ever be a gentleman’s game. OK then I’ll say it, don’t you wish the brothers
Klitschko were as classless as the Mayweathers and not the least bit above
fighting one another. Hell, I’m sure we all know a couple of sets of brothers
who have damn near killed one another for much less than the undisputed
heavyweight championship of the world. Many of you reading this have knocked
your baby brothers out cold over a cheeseburger, admit it!
I think they
should duke it out over the right to shut David Haye up because it looks like
the loudmouth Brit will represent the last chicken wing on the Heavyweight
platter. I know some of you think I’m leaving out Chris Arreola; and uhhm...
that would be correct. Both Klitschko jabs can force an opponent into
sluggishness and Chris comes to the party with extra padding, therefore he’s
already in neutral. The Heavyweight division is sorely in need of good, heated
scraps more than a dominant champ- I just believe the only two people capable of
giving us either are related.
The Final Word on
Cotto vs. Clottey
I could have
scored it one or two points either way but the gaps in two (116-111, 115-112
Cotto) of the scorecards in NYC illustrated what is wrong with boxing. Not only
would it be hard to believe at any point that Cotto was dominating but it would
be easier to believe the kid was blowing it. I don’t think he’s the same fighter
that entered that Vegas ring last July against Margarito but his heart is the
one thing that remains. With Business being “Bidnez” Manny Pacquiao sat ringside
where Bob Arum sat with his PDA set to send a bout agreement to Cotto’s people
even before the verdict was announced. Arum will play “keep away” from
Mayweather in regards to Pacquiao and Cotto and who can blame him? Clottey
for his gallant effort may be stuck with Paul Williams as I don’t see Mosley
looking for that kind of resistance for short money. Clottey can be frustrating
as hell, he articulated knowing what he was up against in Cotto's backyard and
still kept the door open for the bogus “championship rounds” cliché to unfold.
Kudos to the Boricua warrior for keeping his cool while cut; remember Juan
Diaz’s response to a less severe gash in the JMM fight? Cotto remained stoic and
resolute and kept himself competitive against a motivated guy who was clearly on
his “A game." I’ll tell you this much, if Arum gets Cotto to come in under 147
against Manny Pacquiao I’ll consider it a calculated attempt to cash Cotto out.
You don’t have to be a nutritionist to know Cotto will be dead at anything under
the welterweight limit.
Something
tells me Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi go together like peanut butter and
jelly.
Floyd in September
An “injury”
to the ribs will keep Floyd from winning the ring magazine lightweight belt in
July. That’s right I said it, and what! Rumors had Floyd not “on point” and the
live gate suffering due to Mexican fans not wanting to see their boy Marquez
“set up”. There’s been so much said about the tickets for this bout, from UFC
“H.M.I.C. (Head Mouth in Charge) was trashing the bout as a box office loser to
“the Swiss Banker” claiming $5.5 million in sales. Add to that, Floyd's public
insistence on a 60/40 split against a bonafide ticket seller like Pacquiao is
backing him into a corner; a corner where tough guys like Shane Mosley reside.
You and I may never know the inside scoop on the ticket/PPV sales, but I’ll bet
Bob Arum does. I believe in “windows”, and although Mayweather got his “money”
late and in buckets (at 32) he lost the chance to have a window of excellence
(like Leonard’s 1979-1981) that will sustain him at 50. Mosley’s destruction of
Margarito should be viewed as a gift to Mayweather, a chance to truly fatten
that résumé - especially at a time when he is hurting for leverage. September 19th
may have a bigger marketing push than the July 19th date
considering what just happened to Victor Ortiz.
The “Pugilist
Specialist” becomes an immortal
Congratulations to Lennox Lewis, the big fella is enshrined at the International
Hall of Fame. Lewis was a can't miss inductee in a class that included the likes
of Orlando Canizales, Brian Mitchell, and the great Larry Merchant. Both men,
Merchant and Lewis were staples of HBO boxing in the 90’s and early 00’s. Both
men, when I was much younger, were guys I couldn’t fully appreciate until I grew
into middle age. Lewis, whether you like him or not did it the right way and
experienced all of the highs and lows that render American Heavyweight
Champions compelling. He was decked twice by single shots and proved that when
focused he’s the wrong heavyweight you want to see in a rematch. I consider him
the premier “modern” heavyweight due to Riddick Bowe being afraid to face him
and he made more money off Tyson (to step aside) than most guys did actually
fighting him. To me the Lennox Lewis that destroyed Hasim Rahman would have been
trouble for any heavyweight ever to draw breath, including Ali.
The current
big men on campus (Klitschko brothers) can take a tip from the legendary
Canadian Brit; and the tip is not to outsmart yourself. Lennox was a tactical
guy and just as much of a “chess player” (literally) than the PhD’s from Ukraine
but when the opportunity presented itself he got you out of there. Ask Andre
Golota and Francois Botha if Lennox had the killer instinct to finish a foe;
both men are still searching for mouth pieces. I also respect that the cat
always marched to his own drum, as we speak there’s money being thrown at him
for the cause of legitimizing the current champions and he won't bite. Anybody
can profess to have a certain degree of dignity but few can practice it in the
face of $30 million dollars.
World's Greatest
ever Boxer?
Nobody (that
was for my critics who like to bring me down a peg) asked me anything about
this. Apparently this guy Paul Nicholson does this kind of polling in Australia
and the UK with great success. Well, here you go Paul a little promotion from
your boy “Marty Mar” and you better get at me with a “comp” for the October 2-4
shindig at the Las Vegas Paris Hilton. I like the idea of the original 8
divisions being represented but I’m unclear if any premier American historian
(like Bert Sugar) was consulted. Before I make my picks, you know I gotta get my
digs in. I can live with the Heavyweights but at Light Heavyweight Jimmy Bivens
has a right to be mentioned. I would also ask Mr. Nicholson if he ever heard of
the great Sam Langford. Did Carmen Basillio do anything at middleweight? Other
than beat Robinson, I thought he did most of his damage as a welter. Oscar de la
Hoya is not an all time great Welterweight and yes, Kid Gavilan should be there.
Floyd Mayweather, if his time at 130 is considered “lightweight” I can deal with
it but if not he must go. Did Manny Pacquiao do a lot at featherweight or is it
sexy to throw his name into an All-Time list at this time. And where the hell is
Pancho Villa?
Ron Borges
wants our participation so allow me to give you my take on the original 8
divisions and who the G.O.A.T truly is.
Heavyweight-
Muhammad Ali
Light
Heavyweight- Ezzard Charles
Middleweight-
Harry Greb
Welterweight-
Ray Robinson
Lightweight-
Roberto Duran
Featherweight- Willie Pep
Bantamweight-
Wilfredo Gomez
Flyweight-
Ricardo Lopez
The Greatest
Boxer Ever: Walker Smith Jr. AKA Sugar Ray Robinson
EA Sports
Fight Night Round 4
OK, let me
gather myself. This game? This game here? This game's motto should be “Fight
Night Round 4, it got Crack in it. I’m only one day in and I’m blown away by
everything the game has to offer, even to the biggest boxing snob like me. So
far, I’ve been knocked out by George Foreman (as Roy Jones) with the cards 95-95
in round 11. I gutted out a tough decision with Ray Robinson over Pernell
Whitaker who countered the hell out of me, I benefited from a late knockdown. I
haven’t really gotten into Legacy Mode or the new “Photo Game Face” but you can
be sure Martin Wade AKA “The Lord's Prayer” will be making his debut soon.
Congrats to Vivian Harris, Miguel Cotto and Victor Ortiz for recognizing the
tremendous marketing strength of appearing in a Video Game. No thanks to Floyd
Mayweather who would rather throw money in the air and price himself out of an
opportunity that required little legwork. Mike Tyson is great in the game,
powerful and vulnerable just like he was in the physical.
Will Jorge
Linares ever be seen again on American TV?.
Facebook
friends: Much love to Bragging Rights Corner, Edner Cherry, Stevie Forbes and
Paulie Malignaggi for not playing me like a stalker.
“Baby Mama Drama”
at Latin Fury 9
Demetrius
Hopkins was inexplicably arrested prior to the weigh in for his undercard bout
on the Latin Fury card. Now, don’t get me wrong, I proudly stayed broke
for years for my kids, but the timing of the arrest makes no sense. The guy owed
about 28 “large” (that’s $1,000 to the non urban) and the fight was paying the
brotha 25. Now, humiliating the guy at a weigh in may have been satisfying to
some, but it doesn’t put any food in his baby’s mouth. Why couldn’t they wait
until the fight was over and then seize his earnings Joe Louis style? Oh,
and by the way JuanMa took care of business.
What the Hell
Happened to Victor Ortiz?
The feature
on Victor Ortiz was gripping, and made it easy to root for the kid with no
resentments about the systematic way he’s being pushed. I was also encouraged
for the “business” of our sport to see the Staples Center packed with patrons
even after the Juarez vs. John cancellation. And then, by way of Marcos Maidana
reality set in, and Victor Ortiz with all of that HBO/Golden Boy clout behind
him learned that you don’t play boxing. In what was a scintillating back and
fourth action bout that boasted back to back knockdowns in round one Victor
Ortiz folded shop. Only Max Kellerman was wise enough to point out that the
nature in which Ortiz quit may have exposed something impossible to overcome.
I try to be
careful with all of this, exercise a touch of empathy when talking about someone
so young asked to perform at such a vicious occupation. But I can’t, and you and
I shouldn’t be able to, because we know that what we require of fighters is far
and above from what we would in other athletes. It is OK for you or I to venture
into a gym, learn some skills and then bite off more than we can chew in
sparring; it is natural for you or I to think better when getting pummeled- but
not a professional. I am sure there will be a few soft touches and an attempt by
GBP to salvage an asset but the difference with Golden Boy and other companies
is its leadership. I am pretty sure Shane Mosley and Oscar de la Hoya know what
they saw up there Saturday night and they are at a loss. For better or worse
let’s hope that both men (Mosley and De la Hoya) who had paternal love and
structure put an arm around the kid - it can make all the difference in the
world.
