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Dougie’s Monday mailbag

Crolla (left) covers up from a Linares attack.
Fighters Network
26
Sep

LINARES AND THE LIGHTWEIGHTS

Hi Dougie,

Hope all is well.

Pulled for my man Jorge Linares before the fight and it was a great performance by the Venezuelan. I really liked the poise of Linares, mixing shots and combos to the body and head. Very measured fight and not going greedy when he buzzed Anthony Crolla. Classy fighter and always enjoyable to watch him fight.



I think him having the Cuban trainer Ismail Salas has really helped over the past few years. You can see Jorge is better defensively than he once was and pacing himself better in the fight.

Great scoring too, Dougie, by the judges, around the 8-4, 7-5 range.

What a great division lightweight is. I would love to see Linares against Terry Flanagan, Dejan Zlaticanin-Mikey Garcia winner, Robert Easter Jr., etc.

Linares v Mikey Garcia would be the dream match-up for me, two classy counterpunches with great boxing knowledge.

Glad to see the lightweight division is full of great match-ups. Who would you favour in the above match-ups, Doug?

Great work as always, Dougie. Keep hitting the haters and trolls to the body with boxing knowledge šŸ™‚ Yours. ā€“ Abdul-Qadir, Dublin, Ireland

Hey brother, the beatings will continue until morale improves.

But, honestly, if a wonderful lightweight championship like Linares-Crolla ā€“ where two classy combatants treated each other with respect before and after the fight but gave 100% during the 12-round bout (and even the judges got it right) ā€“ doesnā€™t improve morale among boxingā€™s doom-and-gloom set I donā€™t think anything will.

I believe youā€™re right about Salas adding something to Linaresā€™ already world-class game. He always had the speed, fluidity, agility, balance and coordination to back up excellent punching technique and footwork, but I think heā€™s pacing himself better now. Like you noted, heā€™s not being ā€œgreedyā€ when he has the upper hand, but heā€™s also not taking his foot off the gas pedal for too long during fights. Although he was comfortably ahead on my scorecard, I knew he had to go out and win the final round to make sure he got the nod on the official scorecards, and he did (the first Round 12 of his career), which tells me he was able to conserve his energy during the fight but also knows when to step on the gas pedal.

What a great division lightweight is. Itā€™s just as deep as the welterweight division, if not more so, and there are more potential world-class matchups that would likely produce entertaining fight.

I would love to see Linares against Terry Flanagan, Dejan Zlaticanin-Mikey Garcia winner, Robert Easter Jr., etc.Ā What boxing fan wouldnā€™t want to see these matchups? I view them all as even-money bouts, except for maybe the Easter fight. I would favor Linares to beat the young Ohioan due to Easterā€™s relative lack of experience (heā€™s only got 18 bouts and one title bout under his belt). However, given Easterā€™s uncommon height, reach, speed, boxing style and solid chin (that was proven in the Commey fight), one could argue that heā€™s the most dangerous potential rival for Linares.

Linares v Mikey Garcia would be the dream match-up for me, two classy counterpunches with great boxing knowledge. No doubt about it. Garciaā€™s rock-solid chin and accurate power-counterpunching make him a threat to Linares, while THE RING champā€™s speed and lateral movement make him a very difficult opponent for the two-division titleholder.

 

BEST COMMENTATORS

Hey Dougie,
Great fight on Saturday night here in the UK.

I had it 7-5 in rounds to Linares. Carl Froch and Paulie Malinaggi were commentating and they had it by 3Ā rounds and 5 rounds respectively (I think ā€“ I’ve had a few). How did you see it?

Onto the main point of this email: which commentators do you find the best? For me, Froch and Malinaggi are excellent at breaking down the fight and what each fighter needs to do.

Lastly, how good would Malinaggi have been if he had a decent right hand? Jab and footwork were elite standard. ā€“ Matt, UK

I think Malignaggi, who was very durable in his prime, would have had a much longer reign at 140 pounds had his hands been healthier and had he been able to crack harder with his right.

Which commentators do I find the best? I like a variety of perspectives and approaches. I think Malignaggi and Froch do a great job of analyzing the action/boxer strategies during a fight and I usually enjoy their commentary. (However, I do believe that both former titleholders tend to ā€“ like most fighter-commentators ā€“ favor the boxer whose style is similar to theirs. In other words, if thereā€™s an even round between a stick-and-move boxer and a pressure fighter, nine out of 10 times Malignaggi is going to think the hit-and-move stylist won it; while Froch will usually favor the more aggressive/busier fighter.) I enjoy the commentary of other former champs and active boxers, such as Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver, Kevin Kelley and BJ Flores. Iā€™m probably in the minority (among Twitter boxing fans) but I like both HBOā€™s and Showtimeā€™s current broadcast booths (and yes, that includes Max Kellerman and Mauro Renallo, folks, sue me if you donā€™t like ā€˜em). The Colonel Bob Sheridan, who was recently (and rightfully) inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, is a favorite of mine. It was great hearing his commentary with fellow Hall of Famer Larry Merchant on the ā€œfree-viewā€ bouts and online version of the Canelo-Smith PPV. Industry veterans Rich Marotta, Alan Massengale and Dave Bontempo are always a joy to listen to because of their experience, professionalism and continued enthusiasm for the sport (and Iā€™ve also learned a lot about commentating by working with them).

Iā€™ve also enjoyed the fairly recent commentary of two new-comers to boxing, pro wrestling legend Jim Ross (on those ā€œKnockout Night at the Dā€ shows on CBS Sports Net) and Jimmy Smith, whose background is in MMA (on the PBC on Spike broadcasts).

I had it 7-5 in rounds to Linares. Carl Froch and Paulie Malinaggi were commentating and they had it by 3Ā rounds and 5 rounds respectively (I think ā€“ I’ve had a few). How did you see it? I scored it eight rounds to four or 116-112 for Linares, so Iā€™m right between Frochā€™s and Malignaggiā€™s cards. Rounds 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 12 all went to the marvelously talented Tokyo-based Venezuelan on my card. I thought Crolla, won Rounds 4 and 5 in my view, was on his way to taking over the fight in Round 6 before he got wobbled by the right hand. Even though he clearly lost in my view, I thought Crolla fought a very good fight. I was impressed with his ability to split Linaresā€™ guard with his jab and the work he did with sneaky uppercuts and lefts to the body when he was in close.

 

LINARES VS. CROLLA

Hi Doug:

I was about to start watching the fight online when I heard the ring announcer say that they were broadcasting in the USA on the AWE network (never heard of it). I immediately looked up the channel on my provider and I was lucky enough to get that channel and watch in HD.

I’ve always enjoyed watching Linares. I think he’s one of the most talented boxers to come around in the last 15 years. If it wasn’t for those two phantom losses besides Antonio DeMarco, he’d probably be viewed differently today.Ā I’ll give him a bit of a pass on DeMarco because in my opinion, DeMarco proved to be on world class level being a world champion himself. Also, Linares at times just flat out beat the s__t out of DeMarco in their fight. Unfortunately for “el NiƱo de Oro”, his face betrayed him as well as DeMarco having giant cojones himself and bringing the fight to Linares all night long.

Linares looked good tonight, but not great in my opinion. I think time and possibly age might be catching up to him. I think he should try to make as much as possible with what he has left and then get out. I would hate to see my Venezuelan brother become some type of gatekeeper for an up and comer. He’s way too talented and accomplished for that.Ā I would hope he follows in the steps of another great Venezuelan fighter by the name of Antonio Esparragoza. He went out on his terms after his last loss to a Thai boxer whose name I don’t know. He was never a stepping stone for anybody else. If I’m not mistaken, at one point in time Esparragoza trained Linares.

Wow this is the longest rant I’ve ever sent the mail bag. Hopefully I’ll get some extra points for being heavily interested in and watching the Crolla/Linares fight towards making the mail bag.

MM

Linares (in his prime) v. Valero (in his prime) at 130lbs. ā€“ Juan A., Santa Clara, CA formerly of Miami, FL

That was quite a rant, Juan. Youā€™re not in yet in the long-winded leagues of Juan Valverde or Droeks Malan, but not a bad effort.

Of course, thereā€™s nothing wrong with keeping it short. Just sayinā€™.

I’ve always enjoyed watching Linares. Me too. You should have seen him in the gym seven-to-10 years ago. Hereā€™s a link to an old Gym Notes article I wrote on Linares sparring with a prime 140-pound Manny Pacquiao at Wild Card Boxing Club prior to the Filipino iconā€™s showdown with Ricky Hatton in 2009. Enjoy!

I think he’s one of the most talented boxers to come around in the last 15 years. I agree. Props to Mr. Hondaā€™s Teiken Promotions for developing him from a skinny teenager to his first world title victory (against Oscar Larios for the WBC featherweight belt in 2007) and to Golden Boy Promotionsā€™ Robert Diaz, who never gave up on him when he suffered setbacks.

If it wasn’t for those two phantom losses besides DeMarco, he’d probably be viewed differently today.Ā What was ā€œphantomā€ about Linaresā€™ TKO losses to Juan Carlos Salgado and Yeyo Thompson? They nailed him, hurt him, dropped him and the referees saw fit to stop the fights. (The Thompson fight was stopped because of the lacerations around his left eye, but those cuts were caused by Yeyoā€™s punches and Linares was also scrambled.)

I’ll give him a bit of a pass on DeMarco because in my opinion, DeMarco proved to be on world class level being a world champion himself. Also, Linares at times just flat out beat the s__t out of DeMarco in their fight. I recall Linares outclassing DeMarco over the first half of the fight, not punishing him too badly, but maybe I need to watch it again.

Unfortunately for “el NiƱo de Oro”, his face betrayed him as well as DeMarco having giant cojones himself and bringing the fight to Linares all night long. Linares was also wobbled a few times, though he was never dropped. It wasnā€™t just the awful cuts that caused that fight to be stopped, DeMarco had begun to overwhelm him.

Linares looked good tonight, but not great in my opinion. Youā€™ve got very high standards, Juan.

I think time and possibly age might be catching up to him. Maybe, but I think heā€™s got another two years of being a world-class operator.

I think he should try to make as much as possible with what he has left and then get out. I think thatā€™s the plan. Iā€™m sure he made good money vs. Crolla and will make even better money in a rematch or a showdown with WBO beltholder Terry Flanagan.

I would hate to see my Venezuelan brother become some type of gatekeeper for an up and comer. That wonā€™t happen. Trust me. He hasnā€™t blown the money heā€™s made and heā€™s got a lot of good people around him, including Diaz and Mr. Honda.

I would hope he follows in the steps of another great Venezuelan fighter by the name of Antonio Esparragoza. Wow. That name is a blast from the past. I remember watching him beatdown and embarrass Stevie Cruz in the WBA featherweight titleholderā€™s hometown of Ft. Worth, Texas on national television. Esparragoza isnā€™t just one of the best boxers to come out of Venezuela, heā€™s one of the most underrated world titleholders of the late 1980s (and thatā€™s saying something).

He went out on his terms after his last loss to a Thai boxer whose name I don’t know. It was Korean boxer and he lost by unanimous decision in South Korea in ā€™91.

He was never a stepping stone for anybody else. True.

If I’m not mistaken, at one point in time Esparragoza trained Linares. Yes, thatā€™s true, early in Linaresā€™ career. Esparragoza, who was trained by the late great Amilcar Brusa, and Sendai Tanaka did an excellent job building Linaresā€™ professional boxing foundation.

Your mythical matchup:

Linares (in his prime) v. Valero (in his prime) at 130lbs ā€“ Valero by early or mid-rounds stoppage.

 

GLASS CANNONS

Hi Doug,

Hope you’re having a good one. I know there are people who see Jorge Linares as a glass cannon (superior firepower, no chin) but his combinations are beautiful to watch. I still remember the show he put on against Demarco before the wheels fell off late in the fight. Who would be your top 10 glass cannons in recent memory? (Aside from poster boy Amir Khan of course.)

Cheers! ā€“ Neru from LA

Man, thatā€™s a good question, Neru. Iā€™ll consider ā€œrecent memoryā€ the 1990s to the present, so Iā€™ll leave off two world-famous ā€œglass cannonsā€ ā€“ Tommy Hearns and Mark Breland ā€“ and, per your request, my man Amir Khan. So here ya go, my top 10:

Tommy Morrison ā€“ Win, lose or draw (and regardless of the caliber of opposition), The Duke usually suffered at least one wobbly moment or a knockdown during what were usually very entertaining scraps. His first knockout loss (to Ray Mercer, who had one of the best chins of his era) was so brutal and devastating, I always wondered if Tommyā€™s shaky chin was (in part) due to a psychological backlash from that traumatic event.

Julian Jackson ā€“ The most dominant pure puncher of the late ā€˜80s/early ā€˜90s could pitch like no other of his era, but he simply could not catch.

Terry Norris ā€“ My favorite fighter of the early ā€˜90s and one of the reasons I became a diehard boxing junkie was pure kryptonite against boxers but so damn vulnerable to punchers that could survive his early heat.

Lennox Lewis ā€“ If Double L had a world-class chin to match his elite-level boxing IQ/ring generalship, punching technique and athleticism, he would have been a perfect modern-era heavyweight.

Wladimir Klitschko ā€“ Ditto.

Roy Jones Jr. (after 2003) ā€“ Prior to getting KTFO by Tarver in 2004, RJJ was highlight-reel phenomenon thanks to otherworldly speed, power and timing. Since the Tarver rematch heā€™s been on the s__t-end of several highlight-reel KOs.

Michael Moorer ā€“ Double M brought his punch and his excellent boxing skills up from light heavyweight to heavyweight but not his chin. Iā€™ll never forget running into Prentiss Byrd (a Kronk Gym trainer that was involved in Moorerā€™s career) with Steve Kim at either Mandalay Bay or MGM Grand while covering a fight in Vegas in the summer of 2002. Byrd was excited. He told Steve that they had just made an HBO fight between Moorer and David Tua. ā€œWe gonna box all night,ā€ he jubilantly said as he moved on. When he was out of earshot, Kim and I looked at each other and said: ā€œThatā€™s a one-round fight.ā€ It didnā€™t even last one minute.

Bruce Seldon ā€“ Remember The Atlantic City Express? No? Donā€™t blame ya. He was an early-to-mid-ā€˜90s heavyweight contender/beltholder built like Tarzan but with Cheetahā€™s chin. He actually had a nice, crisp jab and decent skills but his brittle whiskers were exposed when a shopworn Joe Ribalta nearly had him out in the first round of a three-round KO victory, then Oliver McCall and Riddick Bowe proved he couldnā€™t take world-class heavyweight power with back-to-back stoppages five years before he would lay down against Mike Tyson.

Jorge Linares ā€“ El Nino De Oro couldā€™ve been a pound-for-pound ranked boxer if his chin and skin were able to take more punishment.

Ismayl Sillah ā€“ ā€œThe Black Russian,ā€ who is actually from Ukraine (and what goof ball decided to name him after a damn cocktail?), never won a world title unlike the previous nine glass cannons on this list (he was absolutely obliterated in his one title shot against Sergey Kovalev in 2013), but the light heavyweight prospect was an amazing boxing talent. In sparring, he was unstoppable. He looked like Bob Foster! The stories I could tell, man, you wouldnā€™t even believe me. But take off the headgear and big gloves and put him in with a puncher and he became an accident waiting to happen.

 

NO LOVE IN THE USA

What’s good Dougie,

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods. As a boxing fan that tends to follow fighters outside of the glamour divisions, I’ve always wondered why the fighters at/below 118 lbs and cruiserweight don’t get the same level of attention in the US. Fighters in those divisions more often than not face top level competition and generally put on entertaining fights. Is it a case of promoters not looking to market the fights in the US, American fan apathy towards those divisions, better money in other parts of the world or something else?

And with Gonzalez now getting a bigger buzz outside of hardcore fans, do you think that will change? I hope so. And have you seen Nicholas Walters? Is he getting career advice from Rigondeaux because his buzz has come to a halt. ā€“ D.W. from Boston

Out of sight, out of mind. Somebody close to Walters should remind The Axe-Man about that old proverb.

I think the shine Chocolatito is currently getting from HBO and diehards in New York City and the Los Angeles area will help kindle more general fan interest in the sub-bantamweight divisions provided more excellent fights like the recent 12-rounder with Carlos Cuadras can be made (and showcased) on a regular basis. The dance partners are present for a flyweight/junior bantamweight Golden Age: Gonzalez, Cuadras, Naoya Inoue, Juan Estrada, Donnie Nietes, the Arroyo Twins, Luis Concepcion, Jerwin Ancajas and Khalid Yafai.

I’ve always wondered why the fighters at/below 118 lbs and cruiserweight don’t get the same level of attention in the US. I donā€™t get it, either. Whenever world-class cruiserweights are featured on U.S. TV they deliver unforgettable Fight-of-the-Year candidates (James Toney-Vassiliy Jirov, Oā€™Neil Bell-Jean-Marc Mormeck I, Adamek-Cunningham I, Krzysztof Glowacki-Marco Huck, and thatā€™s just off the top of my head). Same deal, for the most part, with the banties/jr. banties (Johnny Tapia-Danny Romero, Paulie Ayala-Tapia I, Rafael Marquez-Tim Austin, Abner Mares vs. Yonnhy Perez and Vic Darchinyan, Perez-Joseph Agbeko, Gonzalez-Cuadras, and again, this is just off the top of my head).

Fighters in those divisions more often than not face top level competition and generally put on entertaining fights. Yo, the proof is in those fights I listed above, and Iā€™m sure I left out a lot of worthy bouts.

Is it a case of promoters not looking to market the fights in the US, American fan apathy towards those divisions, better money in other parts of the world or something else? I think itā€™s American fan apathy towards those divisions and I believe itā€™s due to the lack of U.S.-born talent in those weight classes. The only American boxer that THE RING ranks in the sub-featherweight (under 122 pounds) divisions is WBA bantamweight beltholder Rauā€™shee Warren and former two-division titleholder Brian Viloria (currently ranked No. 4 at flyweight).

 

REMATCHES

Hey Dougie,

Still love the mailbag, thanks for always turning around so much good content so quickly!

I was just thinking over the outcome of recent fights and in particular the GGG/Canelo saga, together with the Crolla/Linares rematch plan.

I was cheering Crolla on because he’s pretty local to me and seems a real good guy determined to make the most of his talent. To be honest though, I never thought he’d win and it only took one round for me to feel even more certain of that. Linares was just too fast and too good for him, and to my eyes showed none of the signs of age/low stamina that were perhaps Crolla’s best hope of beating him down the stretch.

Nonetheless both camps said immediately after the fight that a rematch is planned already and, yeah, I’d watch it even though I’d expect the same result.

Which brings me back to a thought I’d been having about the GGG/Canelo match up. I totally get the apparently valid theory that Canelo is waiting for the right moment before taking this fight (which appears to be about waiting till Golovkin is a little more of a veteran than a boxer in his prime, or am I being unfair?!). Either way I’m not a hater and there’s nothing unusual about two boxers both trying to land a big fight at the right moment in their career, or the fact that moment is unlikely to be the same for both of them.

However what perplexes me a little is that this is THE fight boxing fans want to see, it’ll make both men a fortune, and it would surely do so again if they fought once or twice more after that. So why not make the match sooner rather than later, but build in a rematch clause and another that says ‘if it’s a tie after two fights well do it again’. I for one would love this!

After all, in most sports watching the best against the best is what it’s all about; in fact most are organised in such a way that this happens as frequently as possible, which is good for the sports’ profile as well as making money. And after three GGG v Canelo fights, at least one of them and quite possibly both would be even bigger superstars wouldn’t they?

Anyway with your expertise you’ll know more than I do about why it’s not as easy as I make it sound and how rematches have or haven’t worked well for the top fighters down the years. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. ā€“ Tim, Ormskirk, England

My man, itā€™s difficult enough to get top middleweights to sign contracts to fight Golovkin ONCE. Who the hell is going to sign to face GGG two or potentially THREE times? NOBODY. These guys will all talk s__t about how ordinary Golovkin looks or how he was ā€œexposedā€ by a welterweight in his last fight, but never mind their mouths. They have eyes, and they saw how he surgically took apart a dangerous puncher like David Lemieux and gradually broke down a big, strong legit contender like Martin Murray. They donā€™t want to deal with that unless the absolutely HAVE TO and only if theyā€™re going to make CAREER HIGH paydays. Nobody is going to sign to face GGG multiple times for the sake of the sport. They donā€™t give a s__t about what fans say or think. They see how most of you regard Lemieux, Murray, Curtis Stevens, Willie Monroe Jr., Mathew Macklin and other Golovkin opponents. Itā€™s not with a whole lot of respect, so they figure what do they owe you? Iā€™m just being real, here, so donā€™t get mad. Iā€™m not jumping down your throat. Iā€™m just reminding you that boxing is not ā€œother sportsā€ and itā€™s never been that ā€œorganized.ā€

I totally get the apparently valid theory that Canelo is waiting for the right moment before taking this fight (which appears to be about waiting till Golovkin is a little more of a veteran than a boxer in his prime, or am I being unfair?!). Are you being unfair? Iā€™d say youā€™re being unrealistic. Do you really think GGG is going to be ā€œwashed upā€ by next September?

I was cheering Crolla on because he’s pretty local to me and seems a real good guy determined to make the most of his talent. If you canā€™t cheer for Crolla, youā€™re dead inside.

To be honest though, I never thought he’d win and it only took one round for me to feel even more certain of that. I thought he had a great shot at winning, especially in his hometown, and I picked him to win on points. It would have been wrong had this happened but if Linares didnā€™t win Round 12 the fight would have been a split draw.

Linares was just too fast and too good for him, and to my eyes showed none of the signs of age/low stamina that were perhaps Crolla’s best hope of beating him down the stretch. Agreed.

Nonetheless both camps said immediately after the fight that a rematch is planned already and, yeah, I’d watch it even though I’d expect the same result. I would too, but my guess is that a rematch with Crolla is the biggest money bout that is currently available to Linares. Iā€™m OK with it as long as the winner seeks to unify belts.

 

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

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