Enjoy
Keep writing and I will keep reading.
God grinds the axes he intends to use.’
John
John-
Thank you, man. First someone sent me this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeNGpSIUni0
Then you hit me with RA the Rugged Man’s destruction of Floyd’s thinly disguised justifications for fighting guys progressively smaller than him. It was a beautiful thing. What can I say? I’m more than a little jealous. RA hit the nail on the head from the word go. He asked the question most of us thought, some of us wrote, but few of us came right out and said to Floyd’s face. When you going to fight someone your own size? Shame on us. Not just writers but fans, too. You know, man, if we want to change the sport then we all have to do it. We all have to demand more from our sport. From the people who govern it on down. Because Floyd isn’t the only self serving blowhard in the sport.
This past week the WBC held its annual Backroom Random Decision Festival where it was decided that in order for Shane Mosley and Andre Berto to fight, Mosley has to “publicly apologize to the WBC for abandoning the WBC title to challenge Antonio Margarito for the WBA title in January, 2009.” Are you f#cking kidding me? Apologize? For not paying some ridiculous several hundred dollar sanctioning fee for a shot at a belt made insignificant by both decisions like this and its three brother belts IBF, WBA, and WBO. Oh yeah, and IBO and Jack.
What’s worse is that the WBC wants to block another potentially great fight in Berto vs. Mosley over this need for an apology. What? Are the belt’s feelings hurt? Shane Mosley should be applauded for fighting the guy everyone felt was the biggest threat at 147 not named Paul Williams or Floyd Mayweather. Antonio Margarito had knocked out Miguel Cotto for Buddha’s sake. Shane did what he had to do to prove he could conquer his conqueror. Now he sits (for the entire year which was a bad move) on the precipice of a very big fight with either the winner of Cotto-Pacquiao or Andre Berto. I don’t need a belt to tell me any of those match-ups are awesome. If Shane dumps the Berto fight for Floyd, Cotto or Pacquiao, I have zero problems with that move. Those are big money fights that bring what big money fights should: high risk. Maybe Shane should apologize for having to fight for this belt again.
You know that movie 2012 where the world is falling into the ocean and the ground is turning over into the fiery sky? That’s kind of what I wish would happen to the organizations and their belts. They’re crap. They bring no dignity to our sport. They honestly seem to do the bare minimum to even further our sport. Sure fighters get more money with these belts because title fights is all the networks want but does that really work in the sport’s ultimate best interests? I’m not sold on that idea anymore. I barely was to begin with.
I say dump the whole system and reorganize as a world league. Give us someone impartial who can bring clarity and focus to the proceedings. A commissioner. Something. Please. Enough of the Wild West.
The WBC was not done being dumb with that one, however. The good people congregated at the ZBRDF came up with this gem. “Defeated WBC world heavyweight title contender Chris Arreola has been banned for six months for swearing after his loss to Vitali Klitschko in September.” That’s time served, by the way, so Arreola will be eligible to fight for the WBC in March. No apology necessary. I guess this is one case where it’s a good thing that there are 4 belts. Unfortunately they belong to the Klitschkos and Nicolay Valuev. Unless, of course, David Haye beats him this weekend (I don’t think he does but more on that fight later).
Suspending a fighter losing for the first time in his life in the biggest fight of his life? Really? I’m Mexican so I can say this. Suspending a Mexican for swearing when shit goes horribly wrong is like suspending A Mexican for being brown. In my experience (both the Mexican and Human ones), these things go hand in hand. Did I think it was a particular high point for Cris? Not at all. But it was raw and honest. Cris has always reminded me of my cousin Vince. Big, funny, tatted up, hard drinkin’, fast livin’, tough as hell but a softie at heart. When shit went wrong for Vince he swore a lot and maybe on a rare occassion cried a bit. Then he manned up and took care of business.
Cris has had his cry and damn sure has had his swear. Now the WBC wants to make him wait to man up and fight again. Something tells me that Cris could give a crap what they think and will most assuredly be fighting on the December 5 undercard of the Paul Williams/ Sergio Martinez fight.
When you put on a fight in your home, you have to accept that you may see hear some objectionable things. Was Arreola’s bloody face or the flush shots he took that made him that way somehow more palatable than the F word? Only in the WBC’s “mind” can physical violence be more civil than a cussword.
Which brings me back to Floyd. The WBC and Floyd have been in business together for a long time. Meaning he has fought for their designer belts for the entirety of his career. The lone exception being the IBF belt he won by beating Zab Judah. Floyd openly says he loves the green belt. And he should. He’s currently the Champion Emeritus for the WBC 154 lb junior middleweight belt and the retired WBC welterweight champion. And yet he is never forced to take a mandatory. Never stripped or given a deadline. The WBC treats him well and he in kind gives them a nice sanctioning fee when he decides to fight for one of their belts. Funny. They don’t strip anyone for fighting Floyd when they should be fighting a mandatory.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr is the boy who cried “pound for pound.” The WBC is walking, talking boxing version of “We’re from the government. We’re here to help.” Both are willing accomplices in the fleecing of fight fans. Two frauds skipping hand in hand through a field of suckers who buy the title fight pay per views and/or argues that on paper “MoneyMay” beats everyone so he should be allowed to prove it never.
Now I’m not saying that the WBC and Floyd are so in cahoots that this is some vast co-conspiracy. To quote Mike Tyson, that would be “vastly silly.” What I am saying is that these are two of the biggest rogue agents running amok in boxing. They each don’t care about the fans any more than the other, which, for those keeping score appears to be not at all.
I loved hearing RA’s take on Mayweather not only because Floyd’s funny when he’s flustered but because RA isn’t a reporter. It isn’t his job to ask a question with just the right amount of toughness and respect so you can get another interview down the road or see a sparring session. RA is exactly who should be telling Floyd he’s full of shit. He’s a fan. I can write about it in every column and spar as many rounds as I want. As long as I am a media member Floyd won’t give a damn what I think because (according to him) he doesn’t read any articles on himself. He may not know hat I write about him. So if you want him to try and be great you’re going to have to force him to. Stop talking about him. Stop buying his fights if they don’t meet your standards of a great fight or real challenge. If the fans don’t care about you what are you but a man who needs to take a risk for once in a very long time? Floyd’s approach to the sport and its fans probably won’t change. It doesn’t have to if all he wants is money. I wouldn’t be shocked to hear him announce a Hatton rematch in England.
But if he wants greatness then there is this: Shane Mosley. Andre Berto. Paul Williams. Miguel Cotto. Manny Pacquiao (should he beat Cotto and prove he can hang with a true prime welter). These are the only names I want to see next to Floyd’s. Not just in his next fight. In his next four. THAT would be great. If he signs with just one of them I won’t take it all back but I will praise the match-up and look forward to the night.
The funniest thing about the RA vs. Floyd interview is that it proves Steve Kim knows everyone. While you and several other fans sent it to me, Kim got his copy from RA himself and then had him as a guest on his own “The Main Event” internet radio show. Pimpin’ ain’t easy but The K-Hammer sure makes it look that way.
HOW LOW WILL COTTO BLOW?
Hi Gabe:
Enjoyed your Monday bag and all your bags.
So who "ya got?" bro. Road Warrior or Dawson. By the way you are the first writer who doesn’t feel that Dawson is as fast as hyped. Fast, yes. Jones/Calzaghe fast. Uh, no. Says here Johnson wins by a round but loses the decision.
I’m sure you heard the link Steve Kim included where Rugged Man (DJ) ambushed Floyd Mayweather who assumed Rugged wanted to praise him. But he didn’t come to praise Floyd, he came to bury him. I felt a little sorry for Floyd because not all of Rugged’s facts checked out but for the most part it was fuc____ hilarious and Floyd had it coming (for years).
When I hear that name Holyfield ... grrrrr! A guy that headbutt from the Olympics forward and was, (is?) on steroids since 1996. Now true, in the 80s I used to stake out ’my’ piece of the famous Santa Clara Club, One Step Beyond, for purposes of impressing women with my moves, but I swear I didn’t head butt anyone invading my ’space,’ LOL.
I truly hope that if Miguel Cotto, speaking of another fighter with questionable tactics goes low or body slams, OR headbutts poor Pacquiao he is docked points, docked points again ... and if he persists. DQed the ’f’ outta there. Please join with my wife and I in speaking out against these tactics.
Take care,
Allan from Albany
Whatsup Allan-
That last sentence sounds like I’m being recruited by Fight Against Low Blows. Look, no one wants to see a fight marred by low blows or fouls of any kind. A good fight should have ebb and flow with little to no clinching and consistent action. In a perfect world they all would be like that. But fouls are part of the game as anything. Look at some of your best fights. HaglerHearns for example. Hagler was dropping low blows like he had to meet a quota. But few people ever think of that when they recall that first round. All they remember is the savagery of “a fifteen round fight packed into one.” But then again, in that fight no low blow in particular turned the fight. They were as much a part of Hagler’s arsenal as pounding hooks to the head and body.
In Miguel Cotto’s case, low blows have turned the tide not so much of fights but of rounds where he was hurt and “bailed out” by a “random” low blow. It would be one thing if it happened in the heat of battle of one fight but it’s been several now. There is a pattern here. Low blows or fouls in general are insidious because they have an affect on the fight that can’t be taken back. While scoring can always be adjusted after the fact (and sometimes before it) a foul takes a toll on one guy that can’t be taken from the other without the risk of getting penalized for retribution.
So what is the solution? Well according to Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach the answer is simple. If Cotto gets hurt and then immediately hits Manny low, then a point should be taken immediately. Harsh? Sure. Is there precedent for Cotto doing this? There sure as hell is. Will the local commission agree? Not so much I don’t think. But what we will get is a referee more informed on the situation and possibly more focused on it. It’s smart gamesmanship by Roach that is reminiscent of Pat Riley or Phil Jackson’s ability to mention something in the press and get it in the ref’s consciousness.
My guess is that Pacquiao-Cotto is going to be war of attrition in any case. I see a grueling war between two tough as nails and evenly matched fighters who each bring something special to the fight. Cotto is the predictable but versatile bull to Pacquiao’s liquid chaos on a caffeine high matador. I can’t wait to see this one. I don’t care what the odds or PacManiacs say. It’s a total pick ‘em fight.
Right now I’m picking Cotto. I think he has more ways to win in that he can counter, lead, fight going backwards, trade blows or pick his spots on the run. Manny is still going to be coming forward with speed looking for a knockout behind his seemingly endless combinations. It’s what he does. But what happens if that option doesn’t work? What happens when Cotto is not only still around after six but is still dangerous? Can he out box Cotto or make him fight his fight? I wonder. This may be the first time that we have seen Manny pushed past his normal comfort zone in quite some time. Since the second Marquez fight. I thought Manny slowed a little late against Marquez and again he dipped in output late against David Diaz. I wonder how Manny will be at welterweight late in a tough fight. Will the extra weight tire him out even more down the stretch?
Alex Ariza, Manny’s strength and conditioning coach says this is the best camp they’ve had so far. The times are faster, Manny is pushing himself physically farther. Rashad Holloway, a regular sparring partner for Pacman says Manny’s right hand is better than ever. It’s all coming together. But at the same time I wonder if the last three opponents Manny has faced, Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, and David Diaz weren’t contributors to a mirage being that their styles played fairly well into Pacquiao’s hands. Will Cotto’s? His style changes up quite a bit. Though he’s slow enough and open enough for the uppercut that it’s possible Manny blows him out early through an opening unaccounted for or gets him down the stretch through accumulation of damage.
But I doubt it somehow.
As for Dawson/Johnson, I like Dawson. When I think of a rematch I think about the attributes of each fighter and based on that I ask who can improve the most. I think Dawson can improve more. He’s younger, he’s more athletic and has a solid technical foundation to build on.
I think Dawson gets ignored and criticized a bit much. The Tarver fights were solid wins. I really didn’t need the rematch but at the same time, some credit has to be given. Tarver may not be close to prime but I felt he gave a solid accounting (at least early on) of himself in that first fight. And in the second fight he made it hard on Tarver in a different way. We can’t just throw out the window that Tarver went the whole way with Johnson twice. Tarver beat up Roy Jones in their first fight and knocked him out in their second. He ain’t too bad a fighter and against a younger guy with less experience, he can make it ugly. That’s kind of what old vets do. Those fights would be a strike against Dawson if he lost them but he didn’t.
I like Dawson. I don’t know him personally but I like his presence in the sport. I admire that he honored Tarver’s rematch clause and that he has given Glen Johnson a chance to right what he feels is a wrong decision in their first fight. It’s Dawson’s way of saying “Yeah I am that good” and I like it. Every young champ should be like that.
I think Dawson s going to have to pick his spots in terms of fighting and boxing with Johnson. He must stay off the ropes and out of the corners. Most importantly of all, Dawson has to keep turning Johnson and walking him into punches. The knockout isn’t coming to the show this weekend but that’s ok. I think like middleweight prospect Danny Jacobs, Dawson is realizing that he doesn’t have one punch stop knockout power and now must learn new ways to win. Dawson is still growing in my opinion. He has the time improve and apparently the willingness to take on top challengers. I don’t know why more people aren’t excited about him and this fight.
The best thing about this fight is that I could be wrong. Chad Dawson could make all the same mistakes as the first fight and end up on the ropes and in the corners trying to figure out why Glen won’t stop hitting him. He could easily lose his title on Saturday.
Is there anything more you can ask from a fight?
The Way we Like “em
Gabe-
What do you think of Haye vs. Valuev?
Ken
Stop beating around the bush, Ken. I’m a busy man. There’s sleep to be had.
The Beast From the East Nicolay Valuev vs. David Haye “Wanna Fight? Me, too. Not really.”
A seven footer who weighs in at 350 easy who possess two solid punches in his arsenal (a long, heavy jab and a whipping or thudding right cross). Haye is all power and speed but lacks a solid defense or infighting game. I see a lot David Haye moving away, moving away, and moving away from the plodding Valuev. We’ll get some Haye leaping in with a hook or right cross off a pawing half-jab. Maybe some flurries, too. Valuev will attempt to counter or time him and will or won’t. Clinch. Add water and repeat.
If Valuev can either time Haye with the jab or pump it constant and hard enough to keep Haye at bay, he has a shot to win this one in very boring fashion.
Haye has to stay low, dart in and out and side to side. A body attack is the safest way to score on Valuev in my opinion. If Haye can stay low and slip a right or jab, he can get to Valuev’s body with a shoe shine or single shot and get out before The Beast readjusts his feet.
I can see either scenario playing out. Valuev scoring and laying on Haye just enough to tire him en route to a decision win. I can see Haye pecking and pawing at Valuev, nibbling if you will, en route to a decision win.
I don’t see a knockout at all. Maybe If Valuev gets lucky. Maybe if Haye gets once in a lifetime leather landed lucky. I think I have as much chance of winning the lotto this weekend.
Maybe if we followed the money we could tell but I think either fighter is a solid money fight for the title holders at heavy.
This is a weird pick ‘em. Give me a second.
MONTOYA’S WEEKEND FIGHT PICKS
At The Palms Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Zab Judah (37-6) vs. Adailton De Jesus (22-4): Judah by TKO
Joel Casamayor (36-4-1) vs. Jason Davis (11-4-1): Casamayor by UD
At The XL Center, Hartford, CT
(HBO) Chad Dawson (28-0) vs. Glen Johnson (49-12-2): Dawson by UD
(HBO) Alfredo Angulo (16-1) vs. Harry Yorgey (22-0-1): Angulo by UD
At Nürnberger Versicherung Arena, Nürnberg, Germany
Nikolai Valuev (50-1) vs. David Haye (22-1): Valuev by UD
John Ruiz (43-8-1) vs. Adnan Serin (19-10-1): Ruiz by UD
Sergey Lyakhovich (23-3) vs.Jeremy Bates (22-16-1) : Lyakhovich by TKO
Questions/comments? Contact Gabriel at maxgmontoya@gmail.com or twitter.com/Gabriel_Montoya
