Dougie’s Friday mailbag

Apr

by Doug Fischer |

Weigh in Recap from Golden Boy Digital on Vimeo.

THREE QUESTIONS

Hey Doug,

Hope you & your family are well. Just thought I’d drop a couple of points to get your thoughts:

Do you think Tim Bradley showed Manny Pacquiao too much respect last weekend? I can’t help but thinking he did, especially with his comments after the fight. You could tell Bradley was disheartened by the middle rounds as well just by his body language but I guess credit to Pacquiao for that. Atlas was trying to get Tim to do more but he just wouldn’t/couldn’t.

Has there been as much hype around any other heavyweight in recent history than there is around Anthony Joshua? I believe AJ will remain heavyweight champion and there are definitely some good fights out there for him. But he’s already becoming a massive star in the UK and is pretty much a household name. Have any other heavyweights been built up like this? – and failed to live up to it?

Errol Spence Jr vs Chris Algieri this weekend, I noticed that some bookmakers have Spence as a 1/20 favourite. I haven’t seen enough of him but is he that good to have such short odds? I’m not even sure Pacquiao’s odds were that short before the Algieri fight.

Some mythical match ups to throw at you:

Pacquiao vs Crawford

Haye vs AJ

Haye vs Fury

Chisora vs Whyte

Hopkins vs Froch

Billy Joe Saunders vs Lemieux

Let’s say all the fights took place today… Cheers. – David, Glasgow, Scotland

Good ones, David. I’ll respond to your questions in order:

Do you think Tim Bradley showed Manny Pacquiao too much respect last weekend? No. He made his moves, took some risks without being stupid or reckless, and he had his moments. He just wasn’t able to sustain effective aggression when he needed to. And, yes, we gotta credit Pacquiao for that.

Has there been as much hype around any other heavyweight in recent history than there is around Anthony Joshua? Have you ever heard of an American heavyweight named Michael Grant?

I believe AJ will remain heavyweight champion and there are definitely some good fights out there for him. But he’s already becoming a massive star in the UK and is pretty much a household name. That’s a good thing – for him, Eddie Hearn, the UK sports scene and boxing in general. I think the IBF title is safe in Joshua’s hands for now. The only guys I would favor to beat him (or give a reasonable shot to do so) are the champ (Fury), the dudes rated in the top three or four (Klitschko, Povetkin, Wilder and Ortiz), and maybe David Haye.

Have any other heavyweights been built up like this? – and failed to live up to it? Come on, man, this is boxing. And you’re talking about the heavyweights, the glamor division, the MONEY weight class. Of course! That guy, Grant, that I mentioned. He was supposed to be the next “big thing” in boxing when I started covering the sport in the late 1990s. And, like Joshua, the Chicago native looked the part. He was a sculpted 6-foot-7, an athletic 245 solid pounds, with a ridiculous 86-inch wingspan. He not only looked the part, he had the personality, the style, and he even proved to have the heart (to an extent) that could capture the imagination of not only casual boxing/sports fans but the general public. He could have been a super star if he had a world-class chin. Lennox Lewis exposed his lack of whiskers (and confidence when in with a real world-beater) by crushing him in two rounds in 2000 (I was there at Madison Square Garden, repping my first website HouseofBoxing.com, to witness the execution). Lewis wasn’t known for his chin, either, but unlike Grant the Canadian-raised Englishman of Jamaican descent had an elite amateur background to fall back on. Grant was a high-school sports standout who found the sport while playing JUCO basketball and only had 12 amateur bouts before turning pro. But man, he was expertly developed by his management (headed by Craig Hamilton), trainer (Don Turner) and promoters (Main Events), and he was hyped and showcased by HBO (as only they can). They got him to 31-0, with 22 knockouts, before the Lewis drubbing. Even I was a believer after Grant manhandled the tough-as-granite David Izon and overwhelmed gutsy Obed Sullivan in 1998. (I jumped off the bandwagon when he barely survived the division’s favorite head case, Andrew Golota, prior to the Lewis title shot.)

Errol Spence Jr vs Chris Algieri this weekend, I noticed that some bookmakers have Spence as a 1/20 favourite. Those odds are going overboard for Spence, in my opinion. Maybe the talented 2012 U.S. Olympian will prove me wrong by blowing out Algieri or dominating the former 140-pound beltholder en route to a mid-to-late rounds TKO, but I think the pride of Huntington, New York, will have his moments and test Spence in ways the Texan’s previous opponents haven’t. Spence is a technical boxer-hunter with speed, power, patience and a brutally beautiful body attack, but he’s very methodical, maybe even a bit flat-footed. I think a smart, mobile and athletic boxer with speed like Algieri can outmaneuver him and maybe tag him on the fly. We’ll see what happen. I’m looking forward to this matchup and I wish them luck because I’m a fan of both welterweights. If Algieri could punch, I’d give him a real shot at pulling off the upset, but I gotta favor Spence (on points).

I haven’t seen enough of him but is he that good to have such short odds? We’ll see. Spence does look like the truth.

Your mythical matchups:

Pacquiao vs Crawford – Bud by late TKO in a competitive and entertaining fight (Crawford might be behind on the scorecards at the time of the stoppage)

Haye vs AJ – Haye by close and controversial decision (the talented veteran survives early knockdown and wobbly moments, takes the Adonis into deep water and pot-shots him silly down the stretch)

Haye vs Fury – Fury by close decision in a let-down super fight (the big man plays awkward keep away as only he can for 12 frustrating rounds)

Chisora vs Whyte – Dillian by competitive but unanimous decision in an entertaining pressure fighter vs boxer matchup

Hopkins vs Froch – Froch by close decision in a master class of rough-and-tumble tactics from two rugged boxer-fighters

Billy Joe Saunders vs Lemieux – BJS survives Lemmy’s onslaught for five rounds and takes over the rest of the fight with smart and effective boxing

NO MORE PACQUIAO-BRADLEY

Hey Douglass,

Now that Pacquiao’s done smacking around that Mayweather-wannabe Tim Bradley, I just hope that closes the book on this chapter no matter how many more times Pacquiao would rather b__ch-slap Timmy as opposed to fighting Terrance Crawford. I’m obviously not fully convinced yet that Pacquiao’s retiring for good. Since Pac likes to beat on the Mayweather clones maybe we can have Pacquiao-Broner. Just messing with you. I don’t really want to see that.

What I want to know is this. If the judges had it right the first time would we even had Pacquiao-Bradley 2 in the first place let alone the so-called rubbermatch? – Dave

Maybe. The Pacquiao-Bradley series was, in part, a product of the Cold Ward war between Top Rank/Bob Arum/HBO (which had Pac and Timmy) and Golden Boy/Richard Schaefer/Al Haymon/Showtime (which had Mayweather and all those Haymon-advised welterweights/junior welterweights, such as Victor Ortiz, Danny Garcia, Lucas Matthysse, Andre Berto, Lamont Peterson, Devon Alexander, Adrien Broner, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana). The only big-name fighters Pacquiao was able to face from 2011-2014 jumped ship from GBP to Top Rank (Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez).

Now that Pacquiao’s done smacking around that Mayweather-wannabe Tim Bradley, I just hope that closes the book on this chapter no matter how many more times Pacquiao would rather b__ch-slap Timmy as opposed to fighting Terrance Crawford. How is Bradley a Mayweather-wannbe? I don’t think he fights anything like Mayweather. And he certainly doesn’t act like Floyd. Why the attitude toward Bradley? And what makes you think Pacquiao is afraid of Crawford?

I’m obviously not fully convinced yet that Pacquiao’s retiring for good. That doesn’t exactly make you a clairvoyant.

Since Pac likes to beat on the Mayweather clones maybe we can have Pacquiao-Broner. Just messing with you. I don’t really want to see that. I would like to see that fight. Maybe Haymon would be willing to give up AB after the wayward Ohioan does some time. I honestly think it would be a fun promotion and an entertaining fight.

THE REAL FIGHT OF THE WEEKEND

Hey Doug,

I’ll keep it short. The best fight this weekend will be Yoshihiro Kamegai vs. Jesus Soto Karass. I have Kamegai winning a UD as I think he has more left in the tank.

How do you see this fireworks fight playing out? Thanks. – Robert from Ashton, MD

Thanks for keeping it short Robert. I’ll try do the same.

I agree that the best fight this weekend – in terms of toe-to-toe action – is tonight’s Soto Karass-Kamegai “LA Fight Club” main event. Both 33-year-old gatekeepers are as tough and game as fighters can be. I favor Soto Karass because I think the Los Angeles-based Mexican has more experience, more quality opponents on his resume, and a little more versatility to his game. But who knows? JSK could be on the downside after 15 years in the sport, and Kamegai could beat him on conditioning, pressure and activity. Anyway, I love ’em both. I don’t have a favorite in this fight. I just can’t wait to call the action with my RingTVLive buddies Beto Duran and Steve Kim tonight at Belasco Theater.

Workout recap 4-13-2016 from Golden Boy Digital on Vimeo.

AJ’S PHYSIQUE & CONOR BENN

Hi Dougie,

Great work as always, just a quick one from me. I thought AJ looked a little less muscle bound than normal on Saturday night (obviously he still looked like a million bucks/pounds) did you notice that or is just me?

Obviously after the Dillian Whyte fight people were questioning his ability to last into the championship rounds, I think he may just of taken notice and realised he still punches as hard as a car crash without the need for so much muscle.

Just wanted to get your thoughts on Conor Benn, I know it was his pro debut and there were many, many flaws on show, but if he doesn’t tighten his defence, get better at shot selection, footwork, etc., I can’t see him getting anywhere near his dad’s achievements.

Anyway that’s it from me keep up the great work. – Steve, Oxford, UK

Thanks Steve. I thought Conor Benn looked a lot like his old man. He fought like he was double parked, and “the Dark Destroyer” was always in a hurry to whack his opponent out of there. I think Conor’s got a decent foundation. He’s got balance, a nice jab, good head- and upper-body movement, solid power. He doesn’t have to be a complete package in his pro debut. Obviously there are things to be worked on. That’s true even for Olympic gold medalists like Joshua. If you watch this YouTube vid of Nigel Benn’s 10^th pro bout, you’ll that he had many of the same flaws you seen in Conor. The father was obviously more advanced in terms of technique, he had better speed and power (of course), and he was a better inside fighter than his son is now, but he was there to be hit, he was often off-balance, and he was definitely impetuous. But you know what? That’s what I liked about Benn (and I was a fan from the first time I saw him fight on U.S. television in the late 1980s). That’s why I followed his entire career. I wasn’t looking for perfection. I wanted passion, and he delivered. Maybe his son will too.

I thought AJ looked a little less muscle bound than normal on Saturday night (obviously he still looked like a million bucks/pounds) did you notice that or is just me? I think it’s just you, Steve. AJ looks like he’s packing as much dense muscle as humanly possible on a 6-foot-6 frame and still be under 250 pounds (he weighed 244 for Charles Martin, who barely looked like an athlete in comparison to “Black Colossus.”) But I agree that he was quick, nimble and fluid for such a big man when he lifted the IBF title from the American southpaw. He definitely doesn’t need to add any more muscle (if that’s even humanly possible).

SOTO KARASS VS KAMEGAI

Man, I feel like this fight just crept up on me from out of nowhere! If I didn’t check the RingTV.com website today I would not have seen this one coming! I think we could potentially have a fight of the year candidate on our hands. I have always enjoyed watching Jesus fight, win or lose, he always brings it. Who do you see winning this one? I think Kamegai is going to take it. From what it sounds like, he is not looking to get into a brawl and Jesus I think might get old overnight in this one.

Heard Gary Russell is calling out Lomachenko also, saying he will knock him out! I don’t see that happening. His punches are fast, but he has a real cute amateur style. Do you know if he has been training different? Maybe learning to sit down on his punches more? If not, I see more of the same. I feel like he is one of those fighters who will talk a big game, about going in for the knockout and instead, just box cautiously to the distance, lose and afterwards say he should have pressed more.

My opinion on the Showtime 154-pound triple header is that it might end up being a snoozefest! Hopefully not, but we shall see. I if the Charlo brothers both win, you think they would ever have a go at it against each other? Or do you think they would pull a Klitschko and try and hold all the titles?

Thanks as always Doug, keep up the good work! – Josh

I’ll try Josh.

I’m not expecting as much action from the May 21 Showtime tripleheader (featuring the Lara-Martirosyan rematch, Jermall Charlo-Austin Trout and Jermell Charlo-John Jackson) as I am from tonight’s Estrella TV/RingTVLive card, but ya never know. The Charlo-Jackson fight might have moments (JJ is a puncher like his father) and Charlo-Trout could get interesting if Trout isn’t too rusty to get into his groove.

I don’t have any expectations for Lara-Martirosyan. That way if anything happens it will be a pleasant surprise.

Heard Gary Russell is calling out Lomachenko also, saying he will knock him out! I don’t see that happening. I don’t see Haymon allowing that rematch to happen.

His punches are fast, but he has a real cute amateur style. Do you know if he has been training different? How would I know about that? I live in Inglewood, California. Russell trains Washington D.C.

Maybe learning to sit down on his punches more? Russell knows how to sit down on his punches.

If not, I see more of the same. I feel like he is one of those fighters who will talk a big game, about going in for the knockout and instead, just box cautiously to the distance, lose and afterwards say he should have pressed more. I don’t know, bro, he did knock Jhonny Gonzalez the f__k out. It was 13 months ago (and he hasn’t fought since) but it wasn’t that long ago. He’s got 15 knockouts to go with his 26 victories, so there’s some pop to go with his blinding speed. If he really wants to knock his opponent out, he can do it. Let’s see what he does with Hyland tomorrow. Personally, I don’t think Russell needs to sit down on his punches more or score more knockouts, I think the main thing he needs to do is be more active. If he got back to fighting three or four times a year I think everything would take care of itself – he’d have his reflexes, timing and speed on point, the KO power would come naturally.

I feel like this fight just crept up on me from out of nowhere! Really? This week’s LA Fight Club is all the buzz here in Southern California. I’ve seen local hardcore heads offer as much as $200 for standing-floor tickets on social media. Hey, speaking of overlooked potential barnburners, what about the Glowacki-Cunningham WBC cruiserweight title bout in the NBC co-feature (to Spence-Algieri). I think that has the potential to be a memorable scrap.

I think we could potentially have a fight of the year candidate on our hands. We’ll see. I think the hardnosed veterans will try to box early and gradually fall into old habits and then duke it out over the second half of the fight. It’ll be fun.

I have always enjoyed watching Jesus fight, win or lose, he always brings it. That he does. So does Kamegai. And both guys are very cool people. Kamegai is humble and soft spoken (like most Japanese fighters). Soto Karass is a character, a very funny guy who likes to go to the fights and hang out and party with fellow boxing fans. (But he’s put the parting aside for the last two months and he’s in very good condition for tonight’s scrap.)

Who do you see winning this one? JSK by hard-fought decision. I think he’ll land the harder punches over the distance and wobble Kamegai a few times.

I think Kamegai is going to take it. Damn, another one for Yoshihiro. The homeboy from Tokyo gets respect here in the U.S. Hey, he’s earned it.

From what it sounds like, he is not looking to get into a brawl and Jesus I think might get old overnight in this one. That’s definitely a possibility. Kamegai will try to avoid getting into a firefight right away, and though the Japanese fighter has been in some wars, Soto Karass has been in WAY more. At some point being battle tested becomes being battle worn. JSK is the more experienced and harder puncher, but Kamegai is physically stronger and more active. It’s a winnable fight for Kamegai. It’s really an even fight, which part of the reason most of us are looking forward to it.

MAYWEATHER VS PACQUIAO II

Doug,

There seems to be a push for a Manny v Floyd sequel. I know for sure that the 2010 version of Manny would have destroyed Floyd, but not the new version that has gone from a brawler to a boxer and that version will not beat Floyd today. You, like myself are over them, but I stay curious. What are your thoughts? – Jeff, Australia

I’m not curious at all. I really don’t care. I understand why the power brokers involved would want to make the rematch but I’m just not interested in the revenue the return bout would make.

If the fight is made, I would have to favor Mayweather based on the first bout, but I wouldn’t watch it. And I wouldn’t care if Pacquiao defeated Mayweather. The first bout holds less significance for me that it would have had it taken place when both fighters were at or near their peaks at welterweight (2010-2011). A rematch that takes place after both have been off for a year or two, when Mayweather is 41 and Pacquiao is 38, has little meaning in my view.

Super Fights need to happen during a certain time frame to have historical significance beyond the pride (or need for cash) of the boxers, the bragging rights of their loyal fans and the business side of the sport. The rematch between Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins needed to happen sometimes from late 2001 (after B-Hop unified the middleweight titles) and early 2003 (before Jones bulked up to heavyweight to challenge John Ruiz). It had no meaning in 2010 after Jones had been stopped in one round by Danny Green and was a shell of his former self.

FOUR QUESTIONS

Quick questions / observations:

2 England is the new boxing Mecca. Passionate crowds, great fighters at almost all weight classes. Why can’t a bigger country like Germany not produce even half as many fighters?

Cheers. – Erik from France

Thanks for sharing your questions and observations Erik. I’ll respond to them in order:

1 AJ looks like the real deal, but I am worried about something I observed in his fight with Martin: He circled around Martin the wrong way, potentially against the southpaw’s left hand. Could cost him against a southpaw or switch hitter who is not afraid to pull the trigger. Mistake by AJ or part of his game plan? I think it was part of his game plan, and it obviously worked perfectly. He was able to maneuver Martin backwards and into his crisp, powerful and accurate straight rights. Would the same game plan cost him against a southpaw who isn’t afraid to pull the trigger? Maybe, but I don’t think he would fight the same way against a southpaw with a different style.

2 England is the new boxing Mecca. Passionate crowds, great fighters at almost all weight classes. Why can’t a bigger country like Germany not produce even half as many fighters? I don’t know if the UK is the “Mecca of Boxing” right now (maybe it is) but it’s definitely an international hotbed for the sport thanks to some underrated trainers, a strong amateur program, savvy promoters, and (of course) the many home-grown world-class boxers and the lively, loyal fans who support them. Germany does alright, too. The fan and TV support is there; the nation just doesn’t seem to develop as much German talent. However, in recent decades, the big promoters there have done well outsourcing the boxing talent from eastern Europe countries like Poland (Dariusz Michalczewski), Ukraine (the Klitschko Brothers, Sergei Dzinziruk) and Hungary (Istvan Kovacs), as well as Central and West Asia nations such as Kazakhstan (Gennady Golovkin), Uzbekistan (Artur Grigorian) and Armenia (Arthur Abraham). But there have been plenty of German-born boxing standouts over the years, including popular light heavyweight champ Henry Maske, former super middleweight titleholder Sven Ottke, and former middleweight beltholders Felix Sturm (whose parents were from Bosnia and Herzegovina), Sebastian Sylvester and Sebastian Zbik.

3 Fans like me living in countries where boxing is a niche sport and is often absent from TV desperately need access to legal means watching fights. Please tell the promoters to consider more web based channels… Will do, Erik. Oscar De La Hoya is listening. I think other promoters will soon follow suit.

4 Duhaupas walked through Helenius like he was a hologram and ate Helenius’ hooks and uppercuts like they were cotton candy. Do you think this makes Wilder all that more impressive or is Helenius simply not that good? Helenius was good, but he died on the vine, as the old timers say. And I do think Duhaupas’ victory retroactively makes Wilder’s performance look better. Eric Molina’s upset stoppage of Tomasz Adamek also adds a little credibility to Wilder’s WBC title reign. I’m starting to think the lanky American puncher has a shot against Povetkin.

IMO If Duhaupas were 3 inches taller, he would be a force to reckon withÔÇª Um, no he wouldn’t.

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