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Dougie’s Friday mailbag

Fighters Network
06
Nov
Photo by Naoki Fukuda

Photo by Naoki Fukuda

HOPING FOR A BARNBURNER

Hey Doug,

I’m really looking forward to Saturday’s clash between Bam Bam and Desert Storm. Not really rooting for one guy over the other, just hoping they can combine to spark an inferno of a fight.

Personally, Bradley vs Provodnikov was the best fight I’ve seen since the first Corrales-Castillo fight. I’m trying to temper my expectations but I’m also really hoping a hungry, motivated Brandon Rios can cut off the ring and bring out the beast in Tim Bradley. I agree with you that a lot of fans put too much emphasis on trainers; at this level, these guy all know how to prepare themselves and do battle. Boxing is ultimately a lonely sport; once you’re in there you are completely alone and there’s really nothing your trainer or anyone else can do for you. That being said, in the case of Bradley, I think his main issue in recent years has been a lack of focus. I’m not at all questioning his fighting spirit (which I think is on the level of a William Wallace or Che Guevara) I just don’t think anyone wants to get in a Bradley-Provodnikov type of fight. I also think the reason he got badly hurt by Jessie Vargas was due to a loss of focus which might have driven a wedge between him and Diaz. (Not liking where your fighter’s at mentally, suggesting retirement.)



It’s a shame those two parted ways, they seemed to have a very tight bond.

For the sake of Bradley I hope Teddy Atlas can inspire in him that focus which lead to his virtuoso performance over Juan Manuel Marquez. However, the blood thirsty ghoul in me hopes Rios can drag Bradley into his world (the phone booth.) If that happens, I favor Bam Bam to grind out a late tko.

Also on a side note, I know you actually got to witness the Corrales-Castillo fight in the flesh. Although it would have made for a much less dramatic ending, do you think Tony Weekes should have disqualified Corrales after his mouth piece came out the third time? It bought him a lot of time and it’s hard to see how he would have survived if he’d gotten right up at the count of 9. Not that I’m complaining, it was truly an amazing fight. – Jack

I don’t think Weeks should have DQ’d Corrales (which would have been the biggest buzzkill in the history of boxing after the breathtakingly brutal nine rounds those two lightweight bombers combined to produce). Corrales only “lost” his mouthpiece twice in Round 10 and I truly believe the first time it came out (after he was dropped by a hook) was because Castillo’s punch dislodged it from his mouth. Corrales calmly removed it from his mouth after the second knockdown and Weeks penalized him a point for the infraction. I thought that was fair at the time. I also thought it was academic at that point in the fight because I figured it was all but over. Not quite!

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Regarding Bradley-Rios, I view fight in much the same way that you do. I’m looking forward to watching it, I’m expecting a good scrap and I don’t really have a favorite or rooting interest in either combatant.

I agree that lack of focus has been the cause of Bradley’s tougher outings in the ring and I’m also curious to see if Atlas can command steely attention from Desert Storm during a physically demanding fight.

I also agree that if Rios can pull Bradley into his kind of fight, the slugger can wear the former pound-for-pound player down to a late stoppage. However, my hunch is that Atlas will have Bradley sharp and focused enough to avoid being pulled into an all-out battle of attrition. I’m picking Bradley by close decision in a good fight (but not an “inferno”).

 

 

SATURDAY & RIGO

Hey Dougie how you doing?

Any thoughts on Bradley-Rios? At first I thought this would be an easy UD win for Timmy. Then I thought, ‘Hey Bradley is pretty easy to hit and his chin isn’t the best.’ This has been shown in his fights with Holt, Cherry, Peterson, Vargas, etc. Plus he is the King of Close Decisions (well maybe that title goes to Roman Martinez). Anyways call me crazy but I think Tim gets clipped down the line and stays down this time, tooo much wear and tear…..

BTW – what’s your take on Guillermo Rigowhatever? I feel that he’s been shooting himself in the foot this whole time. Why do Rigo, his people, and his fans criticize Bob Arum and Gary Hyde? Hey they got him a title belt, HBO appearances, and a fight with Nonito Donaire and still Rigo complains, moans, and feels cheated. I’m totally done with him and I hope Rey Vargas knocks him outta the boxing world. Hey that Japanese guy almost did it right? Hope all is well, keep up the good work! – Dave, LA

Thanks, I’ll try.

My take on Rigo is the same as it’s always been, I’ll take an interest in him when he faces a notable junior featherweight or an opponent with the kind of style that would make for an entertaining fight. If he’s facing an opponent with a style or skillset that will make for a stinkfest, I’ll pass. If Rigo is inactive – for whatever reason – he’s not on my mind.

I think the sanctioning bodies (the WBO and WBA) have been kind of harsh with him given the leeway they afford boxers with bigger names/money-earning powers, but I also believe (as you do) that he has played a part in his inactivity (by not taking certain promotional/managerial deals offered to him, putting too much trust in Caribe Promotions, refusing to go up or down in weight in order to make significant fight, not giving a f__k about boring the fans, etc.).

Regarding Rey Vargas, just because the WBC says it will sanction a title-elimination bout (not a final elimination bout, mind you) between him and Rigo doesn’t mean that the Cuban southpaw (or Caribe) will make that fight. But if Rigo did take the fight, I’d be interested in watching because Vargas is an aggressive but competent up-and-comer. I wouldn’t pick the 24-year-old Mexican to win that fight because he’s still unproven despite his glossy record (25-0, 20 KOs). However, I wouldn’t count him out, either. Vargas is tall and rangy like the unrated Japanese featherweight who dropped Rigo twice last December, but he’s got better technique and fundamentals than Amagasa. Vargas also has pretty quick hands and he goes to the body well for a tall dude. (He also occasionally rocks a “Mexi-Fro,” which earns him extra points in my book.) And the bottom line on Rigo is that he’s 35 years old and inactive. He’s going to be a bit rusty whenever he steps back into the ring.

Good points about Bradley in regard to tomorrow night’s showdown with Rios. I think he pulls out another close one.

 

 

BRADLEY-RIOS, LOMA & CRAWFORD

Last I wrote to you, we talked about how Brandon Rios overwhelmed Mike Alvarado and mused about how Brandon and Tim would make a great fight. Thanks for including that in the mailbag, it was pleasant to read your response.

Since then, looks like someone had the same idea and delivered on this fight! It doesn’t need much build-up, both guys are old school fighters with a few fights of the years on their belts already. I wanted to see this back when Brandon and Tim stood atop the lightweight division and super lightweight division respectively, but I don’t think the quality of the fight would be much diminished now than if the fight took place a few years ago. What do you think? I think Brandon stands better shot now than before as Bradley has grown more comfortable exchanging with punchers (I mean, even I didn’t think he was gonna go swinging at Diego Chaves after the Pacquiao and Provodnikov fight, but that’s Desert Storm for you.) Even if he boxes, Brandon may land enough shots to cause cumulative punishment build-up over 12 rounds.

I think Terence Crawford could earn himself a “Hitman” moniker. The way he coolly executes his finishing attacks and that mean glare is the best in the business today. Few fighters can so effortlessly win rounds and effectively finish their weakened opponents. I consider him to be the next American boxing star.

Who do you think will stand out in the next few years of boxing? I think Lomachenko will eventually move out to higher weights, and if successful would make some big welterweight fights. Fights between Lomachenko, Crawford, and hopefully Mikey Garcia and Felix Verdejo could be exciting fights of the highest boxing caliber

Thanks for reading this far. Enjoy the week’s fights! – Harrison from NY

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Harrison.

I think Lomachenko will be one of boxing’s standouts over the next few years but I don’t envision the current featherweight beltholder fighting any heavier than lightweight, so you can forget about showdowns with Crawford and Verdejo (I won’t even mention the semi-retired Garcia). Lomachenko vs. Nicholas Walters, the Miura-Vargas winner, Takashi Uchiyama (all at 130 pounds) and maybe Jorge Linares at 135 one day will be fights that can earn him more fans and universal P4P recognition (if he wins them).

Crawford doesn’t ice his opponents quickly enough or conclusively enough for me to sign-off on his adopting the “Hitman” moniker but I think he’s definitely earned his “Hunter” nickname and I agree that he’s an excellent finisher. I think he has the potential to become the next American star but I think he needs the right dance partners and the proper promotion and activity. He can’t have another year like 2015 and hope to advance his status within the sport and beyond. He needs to be pushed right (because he has a subdued personality) and he needs big fights. If he can get Pacquiao he’ll have the perfect launch pad, but until that happens I think Deontay Wilder and Keith Thurman might have more “American star” potential at this point of their careers.

I wanted to see (Bradley-Rios) back when Brandon and Tim stood atop the lightweight division and super lightweight division respectively, but I don’t think the quality of the fight would be much diminished now than if the fight took place a few years ago. What do you think? I agree. Like you, I think it’s more of a fight now than it would have been four years ago. The 2011 junior welter version of Bradley was too fast, mobile and tough for the 135-pound version of Rios to trap and wear down. The current welterweight version of Bradley might be a different story for a motivated 147-pound Bam Bam. We’ll find out tomorrow night.

 

KHAN VS. PACQUIAO/FRAMPTON-QUIGG

Hi Dougie,

Good day Doug, I just heard some news that Amir Khan agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao in April and then Bob Arum denied it. If the fight does happen what are your thoughts? Other than JMM I think there’s no other opponent that makes high reward for Pacman.

What also are your thoughts about Carl Frampton vs Scott Quigg? I think Frampton is more talented of the two but I wouldn’t be surprised if Quigg comes out the victor. I favor Frampton by close UD.

Some mythical matchups: GGG vs Sergio Martinez (prime version)

Canelo vs Margarito

Lomachenko vs Morales/Marquez/Barrera @ 126

Thank you Doug, sorry for my English. More power. – Ray, Davao, Philippines

Your English is just fine, Ray (I have to do more grammar editing on some of the articles I get from RingTV.com’s contributors).

Regarding the Khan-Pacquiao “news,” I have to drop this analogy in honor of the new Peanuts Movie that was released today: Khan is Charlie Brown. Floyd Mayweather/Al Haymon and Pacquiao/Arum are Lucy. Khan wants that mega fight as much as Charlie wanted to kick that damn football that Lucy always teased him with, but it just ain’t in the cards. Still, Khan’s going to try no matter how many times they yank it away and cause him to slip and fall flat on his backside. (Here’s a nice clip from a 1973 Thanksgiving TV special to illustrate what I’m talking about in case you’re not a Peanuts fan.)

[springboard type=”video” id=”1578805″ player=”ring003″ width=”648″ height=”511″ ]

I like Khan so I feel bad for him when he gets his hopes up for these mega-fight teases.

However, if the fight did happen I think it would be very entertaining. I would favor a focused Pacquiao as long as he entered the fight healthy. However, I don’t know if Pac’s ever going to be 100-percent focused and healthy for boxing at this stage of his career/life. I think Khan can stop the version of Pac that “fought” Mayweather.

I think Frampton-Quigg is the best matchup that has been made so far for 2016. I think it’s a 50-50 contest that will deliver action and drama for UK fans. I favor Quigg by close decision. If Frampton struggles to make weight, a late stoppage victory for Quigg would not surprise me, but he’d still have to work hard for it.

Some mythical matchups: GGG vs Sergio Martinez (prime version) – Golovkin by late TKO in a very good fight

Canelo vs Margarito – Margarito by decision or late TKO in a very good fight

Lomachenko vs Morales/Marquez/Barrera @ 126 – Loma by close UD over El Terrible; JMM by close (maybe controversial) UD; Barrera by competitive but clear UD

 

 

NIGERIAN NIGHTMARES IN RUSSIA

Hey Dougie,

My second time of attempting to make the cut for the mailbag playoffs. I was disappointed not to make it last time but it’s a testament of my respect and enjoyment of it that I care if I get in or not. As always keep up the good work man.

Anyway to the points at hand, wow….. a night of upsets in Russia. Honestly when I heard of the card, being a Nigerian that grew up there, I thought “Damn, they’re taking my brothers out there to get feasted upon by those dynamite fisted Russians”. I was definitely expecting a knockout loss for Durodola but man he turned the tide around in devastating fashion, Kudryashov had NO defense what so ever, literally every punch was landing and you’d think if your opponents nickname is “God’s Power” that they’d have worked on a bit of defense. That Bertoroll, sorry I meant Shoulder roll, was terrible. Where does Kudryashov go from here? He was definitely EXPOSED lol, I know you hate that term but it’s fitting in this case.

Afolabi’s victory was less of an upset because he is proven at world level. I wondered if he might be “past it” but he showed he has plenty left, he is a rock solid dude. Chakhiev looks like a frontrunner with no plan B. I can’t see him ever reaching his potential and becoming champ. Well in other news Kayode still fulfilled his role as sacrificial lamb on the night and honestly he was due a loss anyway. So the question I have you for you now is how long till big name promoters start investing in African fighters the same way they have begun to do so with Eastern Europeans and South Americans? …..

Africa is always last to get a piece of the pie in pretty much everything it seems. Kind Regards. – Darren, a NOW proud Nigerian living in London

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the kind words about the mailbag column.

I think American promoters are willing to invest in African talent provided those boxers are entertaining, consistent and in marketable weight classes. (Sadly, U.S. promoters and TV have often been stand-offish with the cruiserweight division, although I should point out that Afolabi is promoted by K2, which has recently emerged as a force in the U.S.) Ike Quartey is the best example I can give you. He was skilled and consistent (a winner), plus he fought in a deep-and-talented weight class (welterweight) and was willing and able to face the best of his division. It made sense for Main Events (and HBO) to back him during the late 90s/early 2000s. In more recent years, Samuel Peter, Joshua Clottey and Joseph Agbeko have done alright in the U.S. (although not nearly as well as Bazooka).

Chakhiev is definitely a frontrunner. He loaded up way too much in the early rounds vs. Afolabi, which is just plain silly given Ola’s track record. Nobody takes that guy out early. Despite the bad cut to Afolabi’s left eye in Round 3, you got the sense that the Russian would burn out soon and by Round 4 he was indeed huffing and puffing (and Ola knew it!). Chakhiev literally lunged into the right cross-left hook that put him face down on the canvas.

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Nothing against Chakhiev, but I loved every second of the end to that fight. Afolabi has been a mainstay in the Southern California gym scene for more than 10 years and he’s always been a lot of fun to talk to. He’s also one of the best gym fighters I’ve ever seen. I don’t know if he makes my top five, but he’s definitely top 10. He learned a lot from all those sparring sessions with James Toney at the Wild Card Boxing Club back in the day. And he looked good on Wednesday. He kept the fight in the center of the ring (he often had the bad habit of languishing on the ropes), worked his jab and blocked punches well. It was great to see one of my favorite trainers, Jesse Reid, in Afolabi’s corner (along with young cornerman Daisuke Okabe) and it will be interesting to see what Tom Loeffler (who was there) does with Afolabi going forward.

Regarding the Durodola-Kudryashov fight, I thought it was an enjoyable shootout while it lasted. Kudryashov would have been better served fighting actively and aggressively as Durodola. The Russian’s power is real. He hurt Durodola and had the Nigerian on the ropes twice in Round 1, but as you noted, the Russian’s awful Mayweather imitation didn’t do him any favors. Kudryashov hampered his own offense with all the shoulder rolling and he had no clue as to how to finish a hurt opponent, squaring up right in front of Durodola whenever he had the Nigerian puncher on the ropes.

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I love the way Durodola raged back in Round 2. He’s a very entertaining fighter. I have to wonder how far he can go at age 35 but I’ll be watching him from now on. (It was also great to see Reid in his corner, along with promoter Greg Cohen.) There were a lot of boxing folks I know and like celebrating with your countrymen!

 

 

 

 

NOT-SO PREMIER OPPONENTS

Dougie,

First time, long time. After reading a release regarding Lubin being added to the 11/28 PBC card and seeing the rest of the NBC card, I was left wondering once again – who the hell are these so-called top fighters tangling with and where did Uncle Al pluck them from?

With the other promotional companies, when they bring in opponents to lose for their top guys, I feel like I at least know who these fighters are and what kind of test they may bring to the ring with them. But Alejandro Barrera, Alexis Camacho, and Silky Wilky Campfort? SILKY WILKY?!! It sounds like 1 of the drug dealers that lived in the ol neighborhood growing up. Their records are 28-2 (18 KOs), 21-5 (19 KOs), and 21-1 (12 KOs). I get the PBC mentality – get guys that sound good by the numbers, so we can feed s__t to the newcomer fan watching our shows. “Wow! Charlo just destroyed Silky Wilky. He’s gotta be one of the best fighters on the planet!”

My question is, where are these guys “padding” their records (somewhat)? Guam? I looked on BoxRec, and I’ve barely heard of 1 of their opponents. Is the PBC ever going to prepare their top fighters for real fights or plan to go on mostly selling s__t as long as they last? When PBC started, even when the crap fights started to infiltrate, I said to myself – Oh well, at least there’s more boxing on TV. Now there’s 20 PBC cards a week and they’re all terrible. Worst of all, my dumb ass keeps watching. I would trade 1,000 PBC telecasts in to even get 1 of the recent Monday night Golden Boy shows back and 1 more ESPN Friday Night Fights (which I actually miss dearly). That’s how bad 99% of their product has been. – Chris

How the hell are you able to watch all of the PBC shows? I haven’t been able to do it in recent weeks. There’s just too much going in on boxing. Seriously, there are still shows that aired the week of GGG-Lemieux that I haven’t gotten around to watching (the controversial Gerald Washington-Amir Mansour heavyweight bout is one of them). I make sure to DVR most of them them (except for the shows on Bounce TV, because it’s not on my cable system) but I haven’t had the time to sit down and watch it all. (I know that the last show on Bounce TV can be watched on its website and I do plan to at least watch the Thompson-Scott fight – maybe this weekend. Maybe. The Peanuts Movie and Bradley-Rios comes first.)

Anyway, if I can’t keep up with all the PBC shows I’m pretty sure there are a lot of other hardcore fans who have also lost track of the PBC schedule. Maybe they’re just hoping to hook in casual fans. I wish them luck with that.

Regarding the opponents for the PBC “A-sides,” what can I say? Al Haymon is padding the records of his clients with unknown boxers who have totally built-up records. I’m not familiar with Barrera and your boy “Silky.” I am familiar with Camacho. He was a second-tier prospect seven or eight years ago. Now he’s cannon fodder for Erickson Lubin. I think Lubin, Errol Spence Jr. and Jermall Charlo all score mid-rounds stoppages in one-sided fights.

 

 

MAILBAGGERS

Hello Doug,

I hope you’re doing great. My Mondays and Fridays have been sweeter and my boxing knowledge grander ever since I read your mailbag.

I’ll keep it short: you have quite a large amount of followers of your work. I’ve seen students, professionals, athletes, musicians from all around the world trying to get a reply from you regarding the sport we love. However, what I’ve never seen is a professional boxer in the mailbag. Has that ever happened in the past?

MM:

Kostya vs Manny

Canelo vs Margarito

Rigo vs Frampton

Hope to make it to Friday’s mailbag (today Nov. 5th is my birthday btw). – Abraham

Happy Birthday, Abe! Thanks for the kind words and for keeping it brief.

I’ve never really thought about it but I can’t recall any pro boxers – active or retired – who have submitted emails for the mailbag column. I’ve had quite a few amateur boxers write in, as well as some industry folks (it was always a treat when the late Jay Larkin, the head of Showtime’s boxing programming for many years, wrote in), but I can’t think of any pro fighters. I’ll do some research over the weekend just to make sure (right after I watch the Thompson-Scott fight on the Bounce TV website, LOL).

But seriously, I don’t think the mailbag appeals much to boxers or industry people or even to members of the boxing media. I’ve always considered it a shared column with fellow hardcore followers of the sport and I think it’s mostly fans who read it, contribute to it and comment on it.

Your mythical matchups:

Kostya vs Manny – Kostya by late stoppage

Canelo vs Margarito – See above

Rigo vs Frampton – Rigo by UD

 

 

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @dougiefischer

 

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