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Dougie's FAT Friday mailbag

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:07:46 PST

2010 WISH LIST Hey Doug, I know Andre Ward has a very tough challenge ahead against Mikkel Kessler, but I believe he's the real deal. Ward is my guy in the Super 6 all the way. Manny Pacquiao TKO's Floyd Mayweather inside of 9 rounds. The relentless pressure and body attack will be to much for the Prima Donna reality star. To all Erik Morales fans, imagine how much sweeter his victory over Pacquiao would have been today had he hung up the gloves after what I feel was his last hoorah. That would of been sweet. Is it too early to ask for your Dream Fight wish list for 2010? Thanks for your time Doug, keep up the great work. -- Jorge, San Diego Off the top of my head, Pacquiao is in three of my top 10 dream fights for 2010: Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, the Mosley-Berto winner, and �my son�. David Haye vs. Tomasz Adamek and Chris Arreola. Kelly Pavlik vs. Paul Williams and Bute-Andrade winner (at 168 pounds) Valero vs. the Bradley-Peterson winner and JM Marquez (at 140 pounds). Chris John vs. Hozumi Hasegawa (at 126 pounds -- this one is really just an excuse to travel to Japan, although it�s an interesting scrap that could happen). I don�t think Morales� decision to continue fighting after his win over Pacquiao diminishes his legacy. Besides, their three-fight series was good for boxing and it developed Pacquiao�s technique and popularity considerably. Dare I say that without El Terrible the Pac-monster wouldn�t exist as we know and love him today. If Pacquiao makes good on your prediction in the Mayweather fight it�s because he was humbled enough after the Morales loss to allow Freddie Roach to be the boss in the gym and begin to mold him into a more-complete fighter. I�m picking Kessler by competitive but unanimous decision tomorrow night but I won�t mind being wrong on this one as Ward is one of my favorite fighters. Regardless of the outcome, I think we�re going to be treated to a high-level boxing match. KESSLER-WARD WEIGH-IN Dougie, Do you know where and when the weigh-in for Saturday's fight will be, and if it will be open to the public? You're doing great work and I love The Ring�s website. Thanks. -- J.F. Mercado Thanks for the kind words about the website, J.F. The weigh-in will be held at the Oakland Hilton Airport Hotel and it starts at 2 p.m. PT. Kessler and Ward will step onto the scales a little after 3 p.m. I�m not sure if it�s open to the public but if you live in the Bay Area and you can get away from work or school it probably won�t hurt to come by and find out. I�ll be there. WELTER-SKELTER Dougie, I just looked at the rankings and literally said "WHAT?!" like the fat lady from Bruno when she found out he traded his iPod for a baby. I thought it was bad enough having Mayweather ranked number two after the Marquez fight, but how did Pacquiao leap-frog Mayweather and Mosley with wins over De La Hoya and Cotto? In a P4P argument, that's fine but divisional rankings mean something. Mosley has been doing his thing at this weight for almost ten years, and although Mayweather was ranked too high in my opinion, he still has had more fights at this weight, fighting the former champ one fight after he was upset (Judah) then going on to fight the real champion (Baldomir). This is really upsetting, and I'm sure it is to some other fans. The fans and ESPN turn to this magazine and website for our official rankings. The RING Champions are held to the highest standard to win this belt, and it makes things so much better when someone asks "Who's the champion?" and we can point to one guy with no "ifs, ands, or buts." The worst part is that The Ring will probably let Mayweather-Pacquiao be for it's welterweight title. It's not fair to the Sugarman to be overlooked like that. PS- Andre Ward wins the upset. -- Homer, Oxford, OH We�ll see about that upset special, Homer. I like Kessler but I won�t count Ward out. He might be one of those special boxers who can make a quantum leap when he steps up his level of competition. Regarding THE RING Editorial Board�s decision to install Pacquiao as the No. 1 welterweight, I agree that two fights above 140 isn�t enough to merit that top spot no matter how impressive his domination of Cotto was. I agree with Dan Rafael�s welterweight rankings on ESPN.com, which has Mosley No. 1 and Pacquiao No. 2. However, I can see where the Editorial Board and the members of the Ratings Panel who wanted Pac at No. 1 were coming from. They probably weren�t factoring Mosley�s welterweight title run from 2000-2002 because that�s going back too far, and I�m fine with that reasoning, personally. I�ve always taken a �what-have-you-done-for-me-lately?� stance on divisional rankings. And Pac dominated a guy who beat Mosley in 2007. I have some issue with this line of thinking because I think Mosley faced a stronger, fresher version of Cotto than Pacquiao did. When THE RING made Mayweather the No. 2 welterweight after the Marquez fight I had a big problem with that move. Not because Mayweather was No. 2 but because he was placed ahead of Cotto without A) beating the man, or B) having equaled his accomplishments at welterweight. I have less of a problem with Pacquiao�s placement because he dominated his two welterweight opponents, and I�m more impressed with his TKOs of De La Hoya and Cotto than Mayweather�s decisions over Judah and Baldomir. (I could care less if Judah was the former RING champ and Baldomir was the reigning RING champ, the New Yorker is a head case and Baldomir just plain sucked.) I think it�s debatable if Mosley�s recent welterweight fights (The Antonio Margarito KO, the decision over Luis Collazo, and the competitive Cotto loss) are better than Pac�s welter-wins. I think Mosley has the edge but an argument can be made to the contrary. Anyway, for all you nitwits out there who say THE RING is biased for Golden Boy fighters, please note who promotes Mosley and who promotes Pacquiao. RING TITLE QUESTION Quick question: Have you asked the higher-ups at Ring if the potential Mayweather-Pacquiao bout would be for The Ring welterweight championship? Or would Mosley be in the way? Would they wait until after Mosley's fight with Berto to decide? Thanks. -- Will, Raleigh, NC I think it�s a safe bet that they�ll wait to see what happens with Mosley-Berto. That�s not a �gimme� fight for Sugar Shane. DREAM FIGHT SPLIT Dougie, I'm not gonna waste my time with explanations about the split between Pacquiao and Mayweather. One camp believes they're the best thing since sliced bread; the other thinks they're all that and a bag of chips. 45-45 split, with the winner getting the remaining 10. -- Patrick DeCarlo, Miami, FL That makes sense to me. Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports proposed the same thing in a recent column. I don�t think we�ll ever see elite fighters agree to a winner-take-all type split, especially when they have the ego of Mayweather or the mentality of Pacquiao�s promoter. But who knows? Maybe there�s a big enough pot for this matchup that both sides won�t mind parity. I certainly hope so. Even if they can agree on the money split there are other major points of contention, such as the weight, which will not be settled easily. RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE BIG FIGHT Ello Doug, Found myself writing to you again while caught up in the aftermath of Pacman Fever and Pacquiao-Mayweather mania. I think no matter what happens, the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will push through because of the pressure on both sides and ultimately because of the money involved. Here are my random thoughts on Mayweather-Pacquiao or Pacquiao-Mayweather: 1. Fight Name: DOMINANCE or POUND FOR POUND 2. Fight Purse: 60%-40% of the total Boxers' Guaranteed Purse. 60% for the winner 3. Fight Weight: 146 lbs catch weight and 1 mil. per pound in excess. Expect Mayweather to be at 147 at weight-in though. Or what the heck, make it 147 and give Mayweather the advantage just to make it more entertaining. 4. Fight Clause: Excessive penalty if bout is postponed for ANY reason. Mayweather might do it on purpose to disturb the training of the other fighter. 5. Fight Belt: The Ring Welterweight Belt. (I would rather ignore all the other belts, it's just one of those things that is killing boxing today.) 6. Fight Location: it won't matter for as long as its huge and in the US. MGM is not big enough though. New York Stadium is okay, how about for you Doug? 7. Fight Contract: Contract signing should be made as soon as possible to keep the people buzzing and interested and to further build up the fight anticipation. 8. Fight Schedule: March or July 2010. Pacquiao most probably can't fight on May or June because election in the Phil is May 10, 2010. Factor in the two months training period then we are left with July 2010 or August 2010. This one can turn up to be the fight of the decade or the marathon of the decade, just the same I'm interested. -- Junx You�re not alone. Some thoughts on your random thoughts: 1. I�m sure �Pound-for-pound� will be somewhere in the title for this fight. 2. I think there would need to be at least $50 million the table for either side to agree to this kind of setup. Fans love the winner-bonus incentive, fighters � mmmm, not so much. 3. I think the contracted weight is going to be a major stumbling block to this fight. Roach might call for a 145-pound catchweight and Mayweather won�t go along with that. 4. I LIKE that idea! There�s nothing worse than big-fight postponements. 5. Thanks for the support but there are many fight fans who would be pissed off if THE RING belt was on the line for this fight because Mosley is the No. 2 contender and Mayweather is No. 3. 6. Do you mean Yankee Stadium? To be honest, I prefer the fight to be in an indoor arena. 7. I agree. 8. Manny should be ready to go as early as May, he needs to put his political ambitions away until he�s done with boxing. RING RATINGS My #1 problem with your ranking Pacquiao at #1 for welterweights is that he has never had a welterweight fight! The welterweight limit is 147 lbs. How can you be #1 at the 147 lb division if you have never had a 147 lb fight? It doesn't make any sense to me. I think people are overblowing Pacquiao's accomplishments. If he fights a true fight at 147 and beats anybody in the top 5 then I will say go ahead and rank him. If you want to put him #1 pound for pound that is fine but the #1 welterweight has to be Shane Mosley. -- Marlon I wont� argue with your opinion that Mosley should be the No. 1 welterweight, however, you�re dead wrong about Pacquiao not having any fights at welterweight. The welterweight LIMIT is 147 pounds, but the division starts at 141 pounds. Every time Pacquiao has weighed over 140 pounds he�s been a welterweight. He was 142 pounds for De La Hoya and 144 for Cotto. It�s impossible over-blow PacMan�s accomplishments. The man won the lineal flyweight title, currently holds the lineal and RING 140-pound championship, and just won a welterweight belt. That�s mind-boggling s__t, pal. NO COMPARISON Hey Doug, I know you like them short and sweet, so all I will say is this: I have seen both Floyd Mayweather (vs. De La Hoya) and Manny Pacquiao (vs. Cotto) live, each in their biggest, richest, most-viewed competitive showcases. And I'll let you guess who impressed me more. While Floyd tapdanced and dully played it safety-first against the same old and past-his-prime De La Hoya that Pacquiao annihilated only a year-and-a-half later, Manny outfought and beat-up the same prime Cotto that everybody knows Floyd retired rather than fight in 2008. Floyd may be the better schooled, but Manny is now every bit as intelligent, athletic, and fast as he is. Only he has two times the set of cajones, is five times as explosive, and has ten times the heart. Plus, competition tells. Compare Manny and Floyd's resumes the last decade. That will make the difference when they fight. Mark my words. All the best. -- CM I agree. Despite his fame and wealth, Pacquiao hasn�t forgot his roots and still fights with the passion of hungry kid from the Third World, only he�s added a lot of technique to that fire in recent years. Bad news for Floyd, who�s been on a self-imposed vacation since getting stressed out by a slow-as-molasses Jose Luis Castillo. LATEST RING RANKINGS Hey Dougie, Quick note on the updated rankings: I find it odd and unsettling that Manny Pacquiao is installed as the #1 welterweight after his fight with Cotto, overtaking Shane Mosley. While his performance against Cotto was superb, let us not forget that Cotto was damaged goods post-Margarito, though that is meant to take nothing away from a great accomplishment, it's still reality. More importantly, Antonio Margarito destroyed a undefeated and sharp Cotto in brutally impressive fashion (loaded wraps or not, no one knows) to become the #1 welterweight. Mosley went on to have the most impressive performance of all three fighters against Margarito to gain the # 1 contender status, yet somehow he is jumped by Pacquiao. To reference Cotto's hotly debated victory over Mosley is extremely flawed as the Cotto of 2007 was a much better fighter and hadn't gone through the tough fights with Mosley, Margarito and Clottey. The hyperbole for Pacquiao after this fight has reached Roy Jones Jr. levels after his dominant victory over John Ruiz. Remember many were calling RJJ to be a top-5 to 10 all-time great after that victory.... Pacquiao is a great fighter and has accomplished amazing feats as did Roy Jones Jr, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley, etc..., but none of them were ever considered the top dogs at a weight class without beating the top dog, so you can't make Pacquiao numero uno at welterweight for beating Cotto, it doesn't compute and conflicts with The Ring's typical ranking policies. Just some thoughts. -- Zak Hey man, I can�t argue with your points (well, I could argue with some, but I don�t feel like dragging this reply out forever). The Ring�s ranking policies come from the best of intentions but the good folks who put them together are human beings with human fallacies. They aren�t perfect and neither are the magazine�s rankings. If they were, Nonito Donaire and Celestino Caballero wouldn�t be in the pound-for-pound top 10. (Again, for all the dingleberries who say The Ring is biased for Golden Boy fighters, ask yourself if either Donaire or Caballero fight under the GBP banner.) Antonio Margarito would have been dropped from the welterweight rankings until he can get his license back and beat a decent opponent. I can go on and on. I thought the late Arturo Gatti was overrated in the 140- and 147-pound rankings when he was still active. I thought Hopkins was underrated for many years at middleweight. As much as I love Mosley I didn�t think he deserved to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound player after beating De La Hoya in 2000, even though you could make an argument for him (and I didn�t think he fought the level of competition to maintain that placement after his breakthrough victory). I thought both Jones and Mayweather were overrated in their divisional rankings when they were atop the pound for pound list. Rankings are subjective, just like fights. Here�s an example. You say Cotto was �damaged goods� when Pacquiao got to him. OK, I don�t think he was as sharp as he was when Mosley fought him but to what degree had he regressed? Do you really know? You write like he had one foot in the grave after the Margarito fight but I disagree with that. If he were truly wasted, he wouldn�t have got past a badass like Clottey. Some say his struggle with Clottey proves he wasn�t the same but others were impressed by his performance against the Ghanaian. The thought was that if he can hold off a guy as big and strong as Clottey with one eye, Pac doesn�t have a chance. Now, of course, there�s the usual revisionist history that comes with boxing but prior to Saturday�s fight the boxing world was not in agreement that Cotto was �damaged goods�� MANY fans, fighters, trainers and members of the media thought he had enough left to beat Pacquiao. Now most of those folks are giving Pacquiao his credit, and yeah, some of them are probably giving him too much credit. But you know what, he�s probably earned the right to be overrated. HOW LUCKY ARE WE? Hi Dougie, I'm still trying to get over Pacquiao last weekend. I had bet �5 on Cotto to win it so found the final view rounds pretty unpleasant to watch but looking at it now from the other perspective I've gotta feel lucky to see an all time great like Pacquiao at the peak of his powers. I was wondering though, most of us were surprised that Pacquaio was getting the better of Cotto in the close exchanges when the fight became more of a slug fest. Do you think the result would have been different if Cotto had got on his bike and boxed defensive from the start, rather than only when he'd bee badly hurt in the 4th? Also, the British coverage was pretty dire, with commercial breaks in-between rounds and no translator in the Cotto corner. I've head rumours both that Cotto's corner wanted to stop the fight only for Cotto to say he'd continue and also that Cotto wanted the towel thrown in after the 11th only to be convinced by his corner to carry on (appalling advice if it's true), what was said in there? Keep up the good work. -- Tom, Southampton I can�t comment on what was said in the corners, Tom. I was on press row during the fight and I haven�t seen the broadcast yet. I don�t think it would have made much of a difference in the eventual outcome of the fight if Cotto was on his toes from the start of the bout. The only difference would be that the fight wouldn�t have been as entertaining and Cotto probably would have made to the final bell. P4P RATINGS REQUEST Hi Dougie, Very much enjoying your and Michaels articles on the website, very informative for a UK fan to get an idea of how you see it, and yours are now the opinions I trust and follow. Having read your brief article on the Pound for Pound update following the weekend, was interested to see that Oscar held the Pound for Pound crown in the 90's. Do you have an article where it shows who has held this title in the past 30 years? I have tried Googling to no avail! Would just be interesting to see as a 29 year old fan who has followed boxing my whole life, but only have really got an American perspective from the internet in more recent years. Would be interested if Lennox Lewis ever held the title (presumably clashed somewhat with Roy Jones, who I presume held the title in that period). Any info would be brilliant. Thanks. -- Tom De La Hoya and Jones traded the P4P No. 1 spot in the late 1990s. Off the top of my head, the 1990s started with Julio Cesar Chavez in the top spot, which went to Pernell Whitaker when he �drew� with the Mexican great in 1993 and then I think Jones grabbed it after he schooled James Toney in �94. I can�t recall if Whitaker grabbed the mythical title back during his welterweight reign before De La Hoya out-pointed him for the spot. Anyways, this is something I could check. I�ve got all The Ring magazines from when the pound-for-pound list began (the late 1980s, I think), so that�s certainly something that I could do in the near future. I think a chart of the P4P lineage would be the perfect pre-fight feature for the proposed Pacquiao-Mayweather bout. PAC'S THE MAN, BUT NOT THE CHAMP Hi Doug, Let me assure you I agree that Manny Pacquiao's win over Miguel Cotto is everything that it is being made out to be. It was epic. I rank it as one of the top 3 most impressive performances I have ever seen. However, I have a big problem with it being for the welterweight championship. This was a catchweight fight. I don't care if the weight limit was 146lbs and 15oz, it wasn't fought under welterweight rules. I don't believe the outcome would have been any different, but what good are weight limits unless they are enforced. Does this happen often and I just don't notice? The only time I can remember a title fight that was fought at a catchweight was Terry Norris-Meldrick Taylor. Since a title didn't change hands, it didn't matter (in fact, if I remember right, Norris came in even lower than agreed upon). My question is, where does the stretching end? Would it be possible for a jr middle to agree to come down to 149 and fight for a welter title? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Please let me know if I don't have the facts straight. Also, congrats on your semi-new gig. I would imagine its every boxing writer's dream to be a leading columnist for the bible of boxing. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving. -- Drew, Boston An early Happy Thanksgiving goes out to you too, Drew. You DON�T have your facts straight. It�s a welterweight fight as long as the fighters weigh between 141 and 147 pounds. A world title can be on the line even if they agree to come in under the division limit. It all depends if the champ and his team want it to be on the line. Norris� WBC 154-pound title was on the line when he fought Taylor even though they agreed to come in at 151 pounds and change. (Both weighed in around 149 pounds if memory serves me.) Norris often fought at or a bit under 152 pounds during his lengthy three-part junior middleweight title reign. He didn�t have to weigh-in at 154 pounds just because that was the limit. Bernard Hopkins� RING light heavyweight title was on the line when he fought Winky Wright, even though both agreed to come in at 170 pounds. Why? Because both were still over 168 pounds (the super middleweight limit), so both were technically light heavyweights. To answer your question, a junior middleweight could not fight for a welterweight title if he only came down to 149 pounds. At 149 pounds, he�s still a junior middleweight (although a small one). He would have to weigh-in at 147 pounds to fight for a welterweight title. If he over did it and came in at 145 pounds he would still be a welterweight and could still fight for the welter title. IT'S PAC-TIME! Hi Doug, Pac Man is a beast. Ran into you at LB 4 LB Presser for Cotto. I think Pac-Man is a modern day version of Aaron Pryor without the coke problem. When or if Mayweather and Pac Man go at it; it will be interesting to see Pac attack that Peek a Boo Defense of Floyd's. Peace. -- Dana Pac�s not as fluid as Pryor was but I see where you�re coming from. Both were tireless, unpredictable and explosive. Manny is probably more explosive than the Hawk was. It will be interesting to see if Pac�s offense can override Mayweather�s defense. Maybe he can, maybe he can�t. That�s why fans want to see this fight. FLOYD WON'T LOSE A ROUND What up big Doug? Hey, I really can't understand a word that Freddie says in the corner. I don't understand why HBO doesn't hire Muhammad Ali as an interpreter for Freddie's fights? Floyd is a douche. However, he wont lose a round vs Pac. You said, "I don�t want to see that fight because I don�t want to see JMM get brutally knocked out." Et tu Dougie? -- Kirk It's no disrespect to Marquez, but I don't think he's effective over 135 pounds. And I wouldn't put it past Roach and Arum to insist that the third match takes place above 140 pounds (in fact, I think I read somewhere that Roach wanted that fight at 145), and I wouldn't put it past Marquez, warrior that he is, to accept such a bout. I think Fraud has the style and skill to pick and poke at Pac, but he simply lacks the balls to hold the "little" booger off him for 12 rounds. If Money can't hurt Pac (and I don't think he can) he'll be in a world of s__t. That's just my opinion. I've been wrong before. (And speaking of wrong, man, why�d you have to go and diss Freddie AND Ali!?)

10: Reasons Pacquiao and Mayweather should fight

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:54:53 PST
A weekly boxing list compiled by Michael Rosenthal. This week: 10 reasons Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. should fight. 1. It would settle the debate over who is the pound-for-pound king. 2. It would settle the debate over who is the best fighter of the decade. 3. It would generate a tremendous amount of money for all involved. 4. Pacquiao would cement his place among the all-time greats with a victory. 5. Mayweather would prove he�s as great as he says he is with a victory. 6. The event would be a tremendous boost for boxing. 7. How often do the Nos. 1 and 2 fighters in the world have an opportunity to meet? 8. We want to see Mayweather in a competitive fight. 9. We want to see Pacquiao in a competitive fight. 10. We want to see how high pay-per-view numbers can get. Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

5 burning boxing questions

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:09:53 PST
Andre Ward (pictured), of Oakland, Calif., shadowboxes during a media workout to publicize his showdown with 168-pound titleholder Mikkel Kessler at the Oracle Arena in Oakland this Saturday. Columnist Eric Raskin asks which trend of Showtime's Super Six tournament will hold up, the European guy (Kessler) winning or the hometown guy (Ward) winning? Photo / Jan Sanders-Goossen Tutor Promotions It was German poet and novelist Johann Wolfgang van Goethe who famously said, �If you want a wise answer, ask a reasonable question.� And it was American boxing writer Eric Raskin who less-famously said, �If you�re writing a column about asking questions and you can�t figure out an interesting way to introduce it, Google search for famous quotations about questions.� As the boxing year nears the winding-down stage, several questions are rattling around in this boxing writer�s mind, so here are five worth exploring: 1. Which trend will hold up in Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward: the European guys sweeping, or the hometown fighters sweeping? As we head into this Saturday�s showdown that concludes Stage One of Showtime�s Super Six tournament, the natural thing to note is that all three fights have paired Americans against Europeans, and the Europeans are two for two. But what distinguishes Kessler-Ward is that the European fighter doesn�t have the hometown advantage this time. Location probably made no difference in Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor. But many observers will argue that it made a significant difference in Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell. As we saw on the first episode of Fight Camp 360, promoter Dan Goossen was on a mission to land this fight in Ward�s hometown of Oakland, and let�s face it, if it�s a close fight that goes the distance, Ward has a much better chance of winning at home than he would in Denmark. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist isn�t a big knockout puncher, and Kessler has never been stopped. If Ward is planning on winning, his best bet is to use his speed and timing, keep Kessler off-balance and pile up points. It won�t be easy, but it�s do-able, as long as Ward believes that winning the majority of the rounds is enough. At home, he should believe that. When you�re the visiting fighter, the difference between winning rounds and dominating rounds often becomes pronounced, and the pressure to get away from your ideal fight plan and pursue the knockout can sometimes alter your approach. In the build-up to the fight, much of the talk has been about the Europe vs. U.S.A. angle. �He�s a typical European fighter, with a little flair,� Ward said of Kessler. �He has a few more special effects than most European fighters.� �He�s a typical American fighter,� Kessler responded. �I know how they fight, I know how they try to move their head.� Both boxers might be �typical� of pugilists from their local regions, but Ward having the hometown advantage makes this fight atypical of the Super Six so far. So which trend will hold up? The guess here is that Kessler makes it 3-0 for the Europeans. He certainly doesn�t seem to mind fighting on the road. �You come in, and they hate you. And if 20,000 people hate me, that�s just better for me,� Kessler said on the latest installment of Fight Camp 360. It�s not better for Kessler, however, if the crowd noise influences the judges. He�s the favorite to win, but he�d better prevail more decisively than Froch did against Dirrell if he wants to earn Super Six points. 2. Is it fair for a replacement fighter in the Super Six to enter the tournament with zero points? Commendable as this Super Six effort has been from the promoters and Showtime, particularly Ken Hershman, we all feared before it began that the integrity of the competition would be compromised by an injury. Keeping six fighters healthy for a year-and-a-half is about as easy as keeping Cris Arreola on an Atkins diet. So naturally, in the very first fight of the tournament, Jermain Taylor got knocked out in brutal fashion � his third KO loss in two years � and plans for a smoothly executed tournament were foiled. If Taylor remains in the competition, it�s unfair to the two guys who don�t get to fight him in the qualifying rounds. If he exits the competition, then there could be unfairness based on whether or not his replacement is on a level comparable to the other fighters in the tourney. But the most interesting point to ponder is how unfair it is that someone will be entering the tournament with 33.3 percent fewer opportunities to accrue points. Taylor is scheduled to go up against Kessler and Ward. Those are tough fighters to tally points against. Say a fighter comes in and scores a decision win over Kessler but loses to Ward, or vice-versa. Two points likely won�t be enough to advance to the semifinals. A fighter who went 1-2 with a knockout win will advance over a fighter who went 1-1 with a decision win. How fair is that? There�s no simple solution, but I think whoever replaces Taylor should get an �average� score of one point heading into Stage Two. Or, at the very least, he should get a half-point so that he wins a tiebreaker against another fighter who scored the same number of points he did in more bouts. Again, you have to love the ambition and the energy behind the Super Six. But it has already become imperfect, and if a second fighter falls out, it will turn into an outright mess. 3. Is it more depressing to have Kelly Pavlik fighting a tuneup on Dec. 19 than if he wasn�t fighting at all? By far the most anticipated fight on the boxing calendar beyond Pacquiao-Cotto was Pavlik vs. Paul Williams, which was scheduled for Dec. 5 until Pavlik came to the conclusion that an inability to make a fist would be detrimental to someone in his line of work. That sucked for fight fans, obviously, but Williams found a top-notch replacement opponent, Sergio Martinez, and the show forged ahead. More recently, we received the news that Pavlik�s hand is improving and he�ll be ready to fight on Dec. 19 against Miguel Espino. You can�t blame Williams for not wanting to wait around; this was the second time Pavlik had pulled out on him, after all. But how frustrating is it that Pavlik will be ready to go two lousy weeks later? Instead of a filet mignon from a world-class steakhouse, we get a sampler platter of chicken nuggets and mozzarella sticks. Sure, the bite-sized appetizers provide a small dose of deep-fried goodness. But we just had a filet sitting in front of us. And with the fights just two weeks apart, the mouth-watering smell of the filet lingers in the room. Ultimately, it�s good for boxing that Pavlik, who hasn�t fought since February, will be staying active and defending the middleweight championship of the world. And we get why he�d rather face Espino with a questionable hand than a pound-for-pounder like Williams. But there�s just something about the scenario that makes you angry, because as a fan, you want both Williams and Pavlik to ditch their new dates and dance with each other. In the end, if Williams and Pavlik both win and we get to see them fight each other next, then this depression will pass. But for now, the bummer feels bigger than if Pavlik was taking the rest of the year off. 4. Is a one-year layoff going to be an issue for Shane Mosley heading into his fight with Andre Berto? It�s hard to believe, but after scoring possibly the greatest win of his Hall of Fame career over Antonio Margarito on Jan. 24, 2009, Mosley will go 371 days before capitalizing with another pugilistic payday. Margarito tried to use loaded handwraps, got busted and got served a one-year license suspension. And somehow Mosley, the hero who knocked out the cheater, has served the suspension right along with him. Mosley wanted to follow up with a superfight, against someone like Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather or Miguel Cotto. But Pacquiao and Cotto chose each other and Mayweather chose a fight he knew he couldn�t lose. �The reason they won�t fight me is because I�m the most difficult. I�m the best,� Mosley said last weekend at the press conference to announce his fight with Berto. Whether he is or is not the best at 147 pounds, Mosley certainly provides a worse risk/reward ratio than the other superstars do. So he held out for a full year and ended up signing for a fight with a worse risk/reward ratio than he might have preferred, against the young, unbeaten Berto. Berto is a fighter who�s shown plenty of potential but hasn�t yet put it all together against a world-class opponent. The general feeling is that if Sugar Shane is still Sugar Shane at age 38, he should be able to get the better of the 26-year-old. But what if he grows old overnight? Or in this case, over 371 nights? Or � what if he grows younger over 371 nights? Long layoffs sometimes prevent a fighter from growing old. Mosley�s had a long career loaded with tough 12-round fights. For some older fighters (see �Hopkins, Bernard�), extended vacations do no harm at all and can even serve to rejuvenate. Mosley seems to be a young 38, based on both the performance he gave against Margarito and his prolificacy on Twitter. (Old men don�t Tweet.) It�s unfortunate for fight fans that Sugar Shane fought only once in 2009. But I suspect it won�t adversely affect him when he steps into the ring against Berto. 5. Is there anything Manny Pacquiao can�t do? While only a fool wouldn�t have given Pacquiao a realistic chance at defeating Cotto, quite a few level-headed fans and media members opined that they couldn�t envision Pac-Man hurting Cotto. Those who expressed that opinion were proven dead wrong. At 140 and 147 pounds, Pacquiao is every bit the knockout threat he was in the lower weight classes. In fact, that�s an understatement. He�s more of a knockout threat against the bigger, slower guys, as counterintuitive as that may seem. They said he�d get crushed against Oscar De La Hoya, he�d have his hands full with Ricky Hatton and he wouldn�t be able to hurt Cotto. Wrong, wrong and wrong. By now, we should stop thinking anything is beyond this living legend�s grasp. Many will opine that he can�t outbox Mayweather. I�ll believe that when I see it. For now, I leave open the possibility that he�ll not only outpunch the best defensive boxer on the planet, but that he�ll out-skill him also. With Pacquiao, anything is possible. Outside the ring, the Filipino has limitations. He isn�t good at assembling a harmonious team. His singing, while endearing, isn�t going to make anybody forget Jeff Buckley. It doesn�t appear as if Wapakman will bump The Dark Knight down a notch on the superhero movie rankings. But in the ring, Pacquiao can do it all, he can do it against any level of opposition and he can entertain while he does it. He�ll soon win his third Fighter of the Year award this decade and he�s the only choice for Fighter of the Decade. If there�s anything Pacquiao can�t do, the onus is on Floyd Mayweather to demonstrate that to us. RASKIN�S RANTS � As someone who has attended many great fights live and seen many greats on TV, I know full well that being ringside sometimes distorts the reality of how good a fight is. You get caught up in the moment, in the energy of the crowd, and you go a little overboard. And that�s the excuse I�m going to offer up on behalf of Brian Kenny for saying on ESPNews shortly after Pacquiao-Cotto, �Rounds two, three, and four, I put up against Hagler-Hearns rounds one, two, and three � it was that good.� Eeeeaaasy, big fella. � What a terrible stoppage by Kenny Bayless � he should have let it go another two minutes and five seconds so that I could have advanced to a perfect 10-for-10 on points in the Ring Theory �Quick Picks� competition. How dare he value a fighter�s health over my perfect record? � It�s bad enough that so many of these boxing wives insist on torturing themselves by sitting ringside, but there�s truly no excuse for bringing a fighter�s kids along. This is real life, not The Contender, and Miguel Cotto Jr. didn�t need to be there. � Text message sent to me Saturday morning by my brother Fred: �I think the fourth ep of 24/7 is the strongest argument against plastic surgery I could imagine. Who looks the worst: [Sylvester] Stallone, [Mickey] Rourke or [Wayne] Newton?� Excellent question, but Carrot Top is deeply offended to have been left out of the discussion. � How much do you want to bet that before they let the cameras roll for Stallone�s scene, he insisted they set the shot up so that the camera was low to the ground, angled up, with Freddie Roach in the foreground and Sly behind, to create the illusion that the 5�7�-ish Stallone was several inches taller than Roach? � Thank goodness for that shot of Cotto�s bare butt on the final episode of 24/7. Way to know your audience, HBO. � Upset of the year: Yuri Foreman-Daniel Santos didn�t totally suck. � Speaking of Santos, as long as he�s decided to go tattoo-crazy, maybe he should have tattooed a six-pack onto his stomach, so he could have tricked the public into thinking he�d trained hard. � I thought David Haye beating Nikolai Valuev was a good thing for heavyweight boxing. But if it has inspired Audley Harrison to try to make another run, then I might have to reconsider. Eric Raskin can be reached at RaskinBoxing@yahoo.com.

Pacquiao-Mayweather undoubtedly will get done

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:15:52 PST
Manny Pacquiao didn�t really want to talk about it after he knocked out Miguel Cotto on Saturday night in Las Vegas, saying only that he wanted to take some time off and enjoy his family. He�d leave his future to promoter Bob Arum. However, everyone else even remotely interested in boxing is saying it for him: They want to see Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in what could turn to be the biggest fight in history. Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Mayweather, said he has begun working on the fight but prefers to speak in generalities at the moment. �It could definitely break any and all records,� said Schaefer, referring primarily to the 2.45 million pay-per-view buys Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya did. �The reason I�m saying that is I�ve never seen this type of anticipation for a fight from the general public, not just boxing fans or sports fans. �The world is talking about this fight. Everyone wants to see it. I�ve never seen anything like it.� The reasons for that are obvious. Pacquiao is on a run like no other in recent years, as he has knocked off one big-name opponent after another and drawn comparisons to the greatest fighters of all time. No athlete in the world, regardless of sport, is any hotter than the Filipino marvel at the moment. Meanwhile, the supremely gifted Mayweather, undefeated and back from a hiatus, is considered by many to be even better than Pacquiao and is the biggest attraction in the United States. Thus, the anticipation is easy to understand �- the two best boxers on the planet fighting for supremacy, at their peaks, in a pick-�em fight, with a great melodramatic storyline -- good (the humble Pacquaio) vs. evil (the brash Mayweather). Schaefer�s job is to hype the fight but no one would dare suggest that he�s wrong in this case. The fight would be enormous. �You have No. 1 and No. 1A,� Schaefer said. �Even in other sports, how often do you see that? It would be something like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan going at it at the top of their games. You just don�t see that. �It�s rare that you see two true stars, the two most-gifted athletes at the top of their games going head to head.� Assuming Pacquiao and Mayweather want to fight each other, the next question is: Can it be made? Pacquiao�s promoter, Bob Arum, who could not be reached Monday, has said he doesn�t believe the two sides would be able to reach a deal. �I don�t think (Pacquiao-Mayweather) will happen within the next year because of all of Mayweather�s posturing, the trash talk. That impedes any realistic negotiations. It would just be too difficult,� he told RingTV.com last month. Negotiations undoubtedly would be contentious, the problem being that both sides �- each claiming it has a bigger fan base �- will demand the lion�s share of the profits. However, the profits, however they�re divided, will be too big to pass up. The fight probably would generate at least 2 million pay-per-view buys in the U.S. and Canada. At $55, that�s $110,000,000 before television distributors and others take their share. The fighters could both walk away with $30 million, $40 million or more. �Hopefully it will get done,� Schaefer said. �Bob Arum and I have a good track record working together. We�ve done well getting big fights done. Pacquiao has said that Floyd doesn�t want to fight him. And Freddie (Roach) has been outspoken. There�s one thing I know: Floyd Mayweather has never backed down from a challenge. �I�m sure he�s thinking about his next steps. When the time is right, I�m sure he�s going to give me my marching orders.� Mayweather once before took a significant risk because of the money he knew he would make, which is the De La Hoya fight. Even if he is reluctant to fight Pacquiao -� and I�m not saying he is -� the money is a powerful incentive. Expect the fight to be made. Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

Marquez, Hatton in talks

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:44:47 PST
Juan Manuel Marquez and Ricky Hatton have begun talks to fight in Manchester, England, promoter Richard Schaefer said. No date has been discussed. �That�s one of things we have to discuss,� Schaefer said. �I�m going to be talking to the Hattons. And Marquez wants to do it. We�ll see if we can get it done.� Marquez is coming off a one-sided decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September, for which he went up two weight classes. Hatton�s last fight was a one-punch, second-round knockout loss against Manny Pacquiao in May, after which the popular Briton hinted at retirement. Marquez and Hatton would likely meet at 140 pounds.

Dougie's MASSIVE MANNY Monday Mailbag

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:32:49 PST
SUPER-MANNY Hey Dougie, Wow! I never would have thought Manny Pacquio would be the bigger puncher and that he could take everything Miguel Cotto had. Un-freakin-believable. He's Superman! Now Floyd Mayweather has an easy way to shut up all of his critics and make some money: beat Manny. If he KO's Manny will you cut off your ponytail? Barring a Floyd fight Manny could take on Yuri Foreman for another weight division belt. That would be nuts... -- Stephen, Montreal There�s no interest in Pacquiao fighting Foreman. The fight to be made is Pacquiao-Mayweather. People who don�t even follow boxing know that. I saw Pacquiao-Mayweather as an even fight before Manny dominated Cotto, now I slightly favor the Filipino Superman (or maybe we should just call him �Wapakman� the character and title of his super hero movie). Why? Because Pacquiao proved against he could take a real welterweight�s punch. He also showed patience in walking down the ever-moving Cotto, which is what he�ll have to do against Mayweather. It�s still a very close fight. Mayweather will be much harder for Pac to nail clean and he�ll frustrate the southpaw warrior. Floyd has the ability to outbox Pacquiao, but knock him out? No way. I�ll shave my head if Mayweather KOs the Pac-monster. STILL IN AWE Hey Dougie, Wow... That's all I can think to say right off. I'm sitting here the morning after the fight, which I had to stay up til 6 a.m. to watch here in Helsinki (I'm Irish, but here for a woman) and thinking of a better description but what else is there to say? So I'll keep it short and sweet. I had Cotto to win that fight because of his power but when Manny just shook off that huge uppercut early in the fight (not sure which round) I knew it was gonna be his night. Manny, for me, is now an all-time great and let�s just pray to the boxing gods that Floyd will get down from his high horse and give us the fight every fight fan wants to see. All the best. Keep up the good work. -- Sean Doyle �Wow� is what every boxing writer sitting in press row either said or thought midway through Saturday�s big fight. Pacquiao has now proven himself above 130 pounds to the degree that any further analysis or skepticism is just a waste of time. Now is the time to simply shrug our shoulders and say �Manny is the man.� Anyone who still thinks Mayweather is the man is kidding themselves. If Mayweather wants to be the man he has to beat the man. It�s as simple as that. I think the uppercut you referenced was the left uppercut Cotto landed late in the third round after he got up from the earlier knockdown with guns blazing. I thought Pacquiao would beat Cotto, but I figured it would be a much tougher fight than it turned out. Like you, I know Pacquiao would outclass Cotto after he absorbed those big shots in the second and third round without ever being rocked. MANNY CROSSES OVER Hello, I am a big fight fan & can't say I've been more impressed with a fighter then I am with Pac-Man right now. I honestly thought Cotto had the size and skill to make it very tough to the point where I even bet on Cotto (odds seemed too lopsided) but never again will I doubt him & Freddie Roach. Also, working in the sports industry that I do I have already gotten tons of e-mails and tweets about the fight from hundreds of non-hardcore people who have Manny fever. He has crossed over to at LEAST PBF's level here in America & I will never forgive Floyd & Bob Arum if they don't make that fight next. I could show u dozen of e-mails already beating the drum for this fight. I don't want to see Floyd in with Mosley, I don't want to see Manny in with JMM. I want to see Floyd v Pac Man this May no matter what. It is a huge event for boxing and the fighters could make $50 million each if promoted properly. Anything less from these guys is robbing the fans of a type event that could spring boxing back onto network TV. -- Tyrone I agree with everything you stated, Tyrone. It�s foolish to doubt Coach Freddie (when Pacquiao is concerned), the PacMan has indeed crossed over, and three years after the so-called �Fight to Save Boxing� (De La Hoya-Mayweather) turned out to be a dud once the bell rang the sport could host a real fight that might rival the Super Bowl. Let�s hope Richard Schaefer and the good folks at HBO can talk some sense into Mayweather and Arum and the biggest fight that should happen gets done. NO MORE EXCUSES Whaddap Doug! Maybe now the wins over Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya will garner a little more respect. While DLH wasn't in his prime, he repeatedly stated during his training that he felt great at the lower weight. As for Hatton, he's been the last man standing in numerous wars, and only lost to the two P4P champs. Saying he was overrated was a bit much. Manny Pacquiao broke down a prime Miguel Cotto. I wonder what excuses some bloggers will come up with now. I respect Cotto to the fullest as a fighter. For Manny to take all his best shots like that and still hunt him down is just plain SICK! Against his opponents, the trend is there. He attacks to the point that his opponents no longer know what to do or how to run away. Cotto and DLH decided to survive. David Diaz and Hatton decided to go down throwing and we all know what happened there. Manny is on another level. Like he said in the post-fight conference, he wanted to prove his strength to Cotto mano y mano. Laying on the ropes, he basically told Cotto forget strategy, I'll go toe to toe with you right here right now so give me your best shot. It goes back to the most basic aspect of fighting: Standing your ground. What surprises the hell outta me though is how Pacquiao not only stood his ground against the hard hitting Cotto, he walked through a lot of his shots! Btw, that undercard was whack! It almost killed the party I was hosting. I do see what Bob Arum is doing though. Another site stated that if Floyd dodges Manny, Arum could have Manny fight the feather-fisted Yuri Foreman for an 8th weight-class title! It's definitely not the fight I want to watch, but I'll see it! -- Chris from Austin, TX I care nothing for Pacquiao-Foreman. And I cared close to nothing for Arum�s doo-doo PPV undercard on Saturday. Ironically, the most interesting fight on the undercard, in my opinion, was Santos-Foreman. Gomez-Soto-Karass was an ugly, bloody foul-filled mess. Chavez-Rowland was the mind-numbingly boring bout most thought Santos-Foreman would be. However, I liked what I saw from Yuri against Santos. I�d like to see him in against the better 154 pounders, not the P4P King. If Mayweather doesn�t want a piece of Pacquiao I want to see Manny take on the Mosley-Berto winner. He proved vs. Cotto that he�s a beast at welterweight. I don�t want to see him fight JM Marquez at 140 or Foreman at 154 pounds. I want to see him in with the best 147 pounders. There will always be fans and members of the media who make excuses for the loser of a fight or downplay the significance of a victory, and there certainly was a lot of that after Pac�s De La Hoya and Hatton beatdowns -- and I don�t think that skepticism was out of line, either -- but I�m not hearing too much of that following the Cotto stoppage. I think Pacquiao has made believers out of most boxing fans (and writers and bloggers). WOW Now I know what Larry Merchant meant when he said he was humbled during Gatti-Ward; last night's fight was beautiful and truly awe inspiring; I can't pinpoint it, but that fight leaves no doubt why I LOVE boxing. -- Eric V. I know the feeling. I had it after Corrales-Castillo I and Vazquez-Marquez III. I wasn�t left with it after Saturday�s fight because it evolved into a rout after the fifth round but I was definitely feelin� it during the first four rounds. BEAUTIFUL COTTO ARTICLE This is one of those fights I wished could have two winners. I have tons of respect for both men and love to watch both fight. Mayweather, massively talented though he is, isn't half the mensch either of these guys are. You're article caught what makes Cotto a fan favorite. Thanks. -- C Cotto has long been one of my favorite fighters, not just for the skill and will he exhibits in the ring, but also because of the dignified manner in which he�s always carried himself outside of the ring and immediately after his fights. Because of this admiration the final rounds of Saturday�s fight were hard for me to witness. The post-fight column on his professionalism was easy. All I did was tell the truth. Thanks for the kind words on the article. PACTACULAR Hi Dougie, Tremendous fight, my brain was with Pacquiao and my heart with Cotto. Being from PR, I can tell you that PR fans reacted with pride and respect towards Cotto's effort, warrior mentality, and professionalism. He's a great champion! I think Pacquiao has completely peaked and I feel honored to have watched his career development and all his major fights after the first Barrera fight. It's the feeling you get watching an athlete make history, like watching Michael Jordan play basketball in the 90's. In any case, I think Manny made the Floyd vs Pacquiao too huge for Floyd to duck him. The fans are demanding it and the money will be too huge for Floyd to pass up. Unfortunately, I think Floyd has the perfect style to beat Pacquiao, even if he stinks out the joint, he will find a way to beat the Filipino Monster. In that fight, my heart will be with Manny, but my brain with Floyd. I hope it does not end like it ended last night for Cotto. By the way, I think Cotto is still game and has 2-3 fights left in him. -- Formby I know Cotto is still game but I wonder how much is left physically. There are big fights out there for him, the Mosley-Berto winner in particular, but I hope he takes his time coming back. He needs some time to heal and one or two �gimme� fights before taking on a top welterweight. Jordan in the �90s is a good comparison to late-decade version of Pacquiao. Fans and trainers once said that of Mayweather, who might find a way to outpoint Pacquiao if they fight but there�s no way Money �beats� the PacMan or does what the southpaw buzzsaw did to Cotto. WHAT'S NEXT FOR COTO? Hey Doug, Hope I make the mailbag. Just writing to make a few points on the big fight. Pacquiao-Cotto was an extremely competitive fight early on, but the mistakes Roach knew Cotto would make with such an inexperienced trainer meant it was only a matter of time before the sensational whirlwind Pac-man ground Cotto down. Really, Cotto should not have been allowed to fight the tenth round and the referee and Cotto's corner should be questioned about this as it was a very dangerous thing to do to a fighter who was taking such a beating. Looking forward, the Pac-man Mayweather fight will not just decide the best fighter of this decade and will also define both fighter's legacies. If the fight doesn't get made, it could be devastating for boxing as a mainstream sport. I wanted to ask you where does Cotto go from here? like Ricky Hatton and Jermain Taylor, when you lose so devastatingly, it takes something out of you but is it too premature for him to consider his future in the fight game? P.S., I saw this happen on Friday - simultaneous knockdowns - have you ever seen anything like it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omHPMZAga0k -- Thanks, Simon, Hull, UK I heard about this double knockdown on the Ndou-Hatton undercard. Thanks for the link. Yes, I have seen it before at club shows with preliminary ham-and-eggers and on TV once with the Sechew Powell-Cornelius Bundrage fight in 2005. I think it is premature for Cotto to consider his future but he told his trainer that he wanted to continue fighting not long after Saturday�s fight. Part of me would like to see him walk away from the sport because I don�t want to see go on a downward slide, but if he continues I hope he takes steps getting back to the top of the sport. I think he needs at least six months of rest -- not even training unless it�s just roadwork and really light floor work in the gym. Before he returns to the gym in earnest, I think he needs to bring in a more experienced trainer to his team to help him regain his form. I�m not saying he�s got to dump Joe Santiago but I think a veteran coach can help sharpen up his technique. When he comes back I think he should definitely fight a second-tier guy. I�d say Top Rank should find him a third-tier guy but I know Cotto is too proud to accept a really inferior opponent. I think Jesus Soto-Karass or even old foe Ricardo Torres fit the bill. There are story lines in those fights (Karass being part of Margarito�s old team and the threat of Torres� power) that will create some interest among fans. Then I�d have him fight a bigger name, like Ricky Hatton or Carlos Baldomir, before I�d let him loose on the 147-pound elite like the Mosley-Berto winner. I agree that Saturday�s fight could have been and probably should have been stopped earlier than it was. I think after the ninth round, which could have been scored a 10-8 round for Pacquiao, was the perfect time to end it. MANNY WALKS THE WALK Hey Doug, What an event! I envy you being there. The atmosphere must have been electric to say the least. Manny did what was expected. He turned in a performance that made it impossible for Mayweather to ignore, although he was probably making excuses why not to fight Manny before the first bell rang. I loved Dan Rafael's comments on ESPN afterward that while other fighters TALK about why they are the greatest, Manny proves it by going out and beating the best fighters. My wife was saying as the fight progressed, "Poor guy!" as Cotto continued to take more and more punishment. I like Cotto, but I think he is damaged goods now and should retire and spend time with his family and enjoy his money. My only negative was the undercard. It was dreadful to say the least. A total waste of time. I would just as soon pay the PPV price and see the main event than sit through 2 hours of BS fights trying to stay awake. $65 for the HD broadcast IS pretty steep and is why I don't do many PPVs (I just couldn't miss this one though.) Boxing could take a cue from MMA as they are successful in the PPV arena because the cards are stacked with good matchups. Finally, I can see that dream match with Manny & Floyd on the horizon (as Rugged Man's rant plays over and over in my head... DAMN that was good BTW). I just want to be there when Manny stuffs a 12 oz. Everlast gloves in PBF's face. End of rant. Take care Bro'. -- David, Nashville If Pacquiao-Mayweather happens, and it should, I�m also going to look forward to that moment in the fight when Floyd can no longer avoid PacMan�s patient pressure and dynamic offense. As for the Saturday�s undercard, I agree that it was waste of time for most fight fans who ordered the PPV. I think Bob Arum is the best active promoter in the game but he�s got a few flaws to go with his strengths and one of them is the inability to resist taking advantage of a dedicated audience. Cotto might be damaged goods but if he wants to continue fighting I wish him luck. He�s earned the right to give it one more shot and I think he�s smart enough to get out of the game if he finds out that he can no longer compete at the world-class level. MORE M&Ms (MANNY, MIGUEL & MAYWEATHER) Hey Doug, Pacman proved me wrong and answered all the questions I had about him fighting a real welterweight. He can take a punch and he can damn sure punch like a welterweight or should I say jr middleweight. I thought Cotto looked good early on till he got caught with that second knockdown. Manny to me at this point is an official Legend! I personally would like to see him fight Mayweather. How big would that fight be? I�m not trying to be funny here but I have a vision of 3 million PPV buy's LOL. The funny thing is now it seems Manny does not really have to fight Floyd (he should of course). It seems like Floyd NEEDS to fight Manny. Think about it. Who is Mayweather going to fight next? (I am still trying to figure that out myself.) Anybody got a problem seeing Manny fight Marquez again. Not me! I think Floyd is a phenomenal fighter but if he does not try to make this fight and tries to fight these other names I don�t even want to mention (Salita, Alvarez) I think he tarnishes his legacy forever. By the way how big of a factor will Arum and Haymon play in this fight not getting made? Thanks. -- Rio If it was only up to Arum and Haymon to make the fight Pacquiao-Mayweather wouldn�t happen, but they (thankfully) aren�t the only people involved in making the showdown a reality, there�s Richard Schaefer, Todd duBoef, Ross Greenburg and company at HBO, and others. If Pacquiao-Cotto does the numbers that are being projected for that PPV and the mainstream media continues to write-up and talk-up Manny I think there�s going to be too much potential money to be made for the fight not to happen. I don�t think 3 million PPV buys for Pacquiao-Mayweather is unrealistic. I think Mayweather needs Pacquiao if he wants to be considered the best in the sport and if he wishes to be remembered as a �great� fighter. If not, he doesn�t need Pacquiao, and as far as I�m concerned he can fight any non-contender he wants as long as I�m not forced to cover those bouts. However, I think Pacquiao needs Mayweather to a degree. He�s grown too big (and formidable) for a third fight with Marquez to prove anything. I don�t want to see that fight because I don�t want to see JMM get brutally knocked out. If he doesn�t fight Mayweather, he�s got to take on the Mosley-Berto winner, which would be a damn good fight but not as big an event as the Mayweather showdown (especially if it�s against Berto). Who else is out there for Manny? At 140 pounds there�s Timothy Bradley but the junior welterweight standout is hardly known among hardcore fans. Unless Pacquiao wants to take an easy bout next spring his next bout should be Mayweather. PRETTY BOY-COTT Dear Dougie, The PPV public should boycott Mayweather's next fight if it is anyone other than Pacquaio. What say you to this? -- Rob, UK I think Floyd has the right to fight whoever he wants but if the powers that be try to make Mayweather vs. Saul Alvarez or Dmitriy Salita into a �PPV event� I think fans should definitely do the right thing and ignore it. THE GREAT PACMAN & EL TERRIBLE Doug, We know Erik Morales is a surefire Hall of Famer, but I just wonder if Pacman's performances after his loss to El terrible would have sort of contribute to Morales' legacy since he was the "only" fighter to officially beat a Prime Manny Pacquiao, not a dehydrated greenhorn version beaten by Rustico Torrecampo and Medgeon Singsurat. I'm just curious, has there been any fighter in his prime in any era whose legacy was already talked about even though he's still light years away from retirement? If there are, are their legacy talks comparable to the same degree being attributed to Pacquiao? Thank you and God Bless. -- Adrian the Ace, Philippines I recall the same things being said now about Pacquiao were said about Julio Cesar Chavez and Roy Jones Jr. when those two former P4P kings were still in their primed. Henry Armstrong and Sugar Ray Robinson were considered great when they were still in their prime. There have been others, but it doesn�t happen often. Of course El Terrible�s unanimous decision over Pacquiao enhances his legacy. It was his last great victory and Pacquiao�s done nothing but kick ass ever since. However, while I agree the version of the PacMan that Morales beat was not the �dehydrated greenhorn version beaten by Rustico Torrecampo and Medgeon Singsurat� I don�t believe Pacquiao was as complete a fighter that he evolved to this year and last. PAC DON'T NEED MONEY Hi Doug, You've probably got about a million Pac-related emails by now, so I'll keep this short. Manny Pacquiao doesn't need Floyd Mayweather, he's already a Great. Mayweather needs him. And if Mayweather won't fight him, he's an even bigger little b_tch than many of us thought. Stay good. -- Tom, Oxford, England OK. I think the fans have spoken.

When does a knock down not result in a 10-8 round?

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:54:53 PST
Former Nevada boxing judge Chuck Giampa, now a consultant who advises fighters, provides occasional analyses of officials and scorecards when he's not directly involved in an event. Here is his take on two rounds in the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight on Saturday in Las Vegas. As one-sided as the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight was, there were two interesting rounds that call for an analysis. Pacquiao scored a knock down in the third round. The HBO commentators and Harold Lederman scored that round 10-8 for Pacquiao because "Pacquiao knocked down Cotto." Most fans and TV commentators automatically score a round 10-8 in favor of the fighter who scores the knockdown. However, Judges Dave Moretti and Adalaide Byrd scored that round 10-9 for Pacquiao while Duane Ford scored it 10-8 for Pacquiao. Each of the judges' explanation of their score is what is important. Bear in mind that judging is very subjective and each judge's scores are based on that judge's philosophy. Although two judges differed with the third judge in that third round, each was correct based on their philosophy and judgment. The criteria for scoring a knock down is not based on the premise that the fighter who scores the knockdown automatically is awarded a 10-8. The correct criteria that is taught by Duane Ford in his ABC certification classes for boxing judges is: If Fighter A is winning the round and scores a knockdown and continues to win the round after the knockdown, then Fighter A is awarded the round 10-8. However, if Fighter A is winning the round and gets knocked down by Fighter B, then Fighter B is awarded the round 10-9. The key is: Which fighter won the round without the knockdown? Thus, most fans and TV commentators are incorrect in automatically scoring a 10-8 round for a fighter who scores a knock down without taking into consideration who won the round without the knock down. It may seem like a contradiction but all three official judges were correct in their scores for that round based on their philosophy. Moretti and Byrd felt that Cotto won the round without the knock down; hence their 10-9 score for Pacquiao. Ford stated that he thought that Pacquiao won the round without the knock down; hence his score of 10-8 for Pacquiao. It's important to understand that Ford's score was not 10-8 automatically because of the knock down. Each of these experienced judges scored that round based on which fighter won the round and then took into account the knock down. The 10th round was also interesting. Moretti and Ford scored it 10-9 in favor of Cotto even though Cotto was losing 89-81 twice and 89-80 after nine rounds. Experienced judges are careful not to be lulled into scoring automatically. Moretti and Ford felt that Cotto out boxed Pacquiao in the 10th round and awarded Cotto the round. The official scores after 11 rounds were: Byrd 109-99, Ford 108-99 and Moretti 108-100, all in favor of Pacquiao. Just as each baseball umpire has his own "strike zone," Class A judges have their philosophy based on training, education and experience. Chuck Giampa can be contacted at chuckgiampa@aol.com

Weekend Review: Pacquiao's big night

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:17:27 PST
Miguel Cotto landed on all fours when he was knocked down by Manny Pacquiao in the fourth round, which was the beginning of the end for the Puerto Rican. Photo / Chris Cozzone-FightWireImages.com BIGGEST WINNER Manny Pacquiao: The Filipino marvel has drawn more comparisons to the greatest fighters who ever lived after another spectacular performance against Miguel Cotto on Saturday in Las Vegas. And deservedly so. He is dominating his era as few fighters ever have. The fact he has been a force in seven divisions is ridiculous. I still have trouble comparing him to the likes of Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Leonard or Muhammad Ali. That�s probably because he remains active, which doesn�t provide us with the proper perspective on his career. I also believe he must meet a monumental challenge before we sign off on his all-time status: He must meet and beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. Then it would be very difficult to say he�s not on the level of an Armstrong, Leonard or Ali. BIGGEST LOSER Miguel Cotto: Cotto looked fantastic for two-plus rounds but it was all downhill after Pacquiao put him down in the third and fourth rounds, the second time hurting him badly. He didn�t absorb the kind of beating he took from Antonio Margarito because he backpedaled for most of the fight but his face looked much as it did post-Margarito in the end, bruised, swollen and bloodied. He has nothing to be ashamed of, particularly after showing the courage to continue fighting even when his cornermen � including his father � suggested he call it quits. Cotto is nothing if he�s not a warrior. I say the Cotto who stood toe to toe with Pacquiao in an amazing second round can still beat almost any fighter in or near his weight class. The question is whether he can still be that fighter after a second beating. MOST-OBVIOUS MATCHUP Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: The fight probably will happen for one reason: The enormous amount of money both fighters would make. And the fight should be made. This is an unusual opportunity to pit the two best fighters in the world against one another, which would leave no doubt as to whom is No. 1. It would be Leonard-Hearns or De La Hoya-Trinidad, a fight that would generate tremendous interest even among casual fans. The downside is that it might be a boring fight. Mayweather will try to do to Pacquiao what he did to Juan Manuel Marquez, outbox him without taking many risks. The result could be a dud, which would be bad for the sport after monumental hype. BEST-POSSIBLE MATCHUP Pacquiao-Shane Mosley: This matchup wouldn�t generate the kind of money Pacquiao-Mayweather would but it probably would be a much more-entertaining fight. Mosley would match Pacquiao�s speed, power and energy, which could make for unbelievable drama. Of course, the timing isn�t perfect now because Mosley is scheduled to fight Andre Berto on Jan. 30. Pacquiao will fight either in March or May, depending on how his political aspirations play out. March probably would be too early for Mosley; May would be doable. I think Pacquiao will opt for Mayweather if they can come to terms. Mosley would be a nice backup option. WORST-POSSIBLE MATCHUP Pacquiao-Marquez: �Worst� might not be the most-appropriate word here; we all would be pleased to see a third fight between the little warriors. Promoter Bob Arum is talking about staging Pacquiao-Marquez at the new Cowboys stadium, which is a reasonably exciting prospect. At the same time, Marquez is the least intriguing of Pacquiao�s three best options � Mayweather, Mosley and Marquez. The drubbing Marquez took against Mayweather put an end to the Mexican�s considerable momentum entering the fight, even with the size difference in mind. I, for one, am not quite as interested in seeing him fight as I was before he met Mayweather. BIGGEST LOSER II Puerto Rico: I always call the proud Caribbean nation the pound-for-pound king of boxing because of the inordinate number of quality fighters it produces. Things haven�t gone well lately, though. Some background, as related by reader Enrique Fernandez Roberts: The country has it�s share of problems, from devastating hurricanes to economic woes to rampant corruption. It depends on its boxers to uplift the people. Thus, when its top fighter is beaten down like Cotto was, it hurts. And another Puerto Rican, Daniel Santos, once deemed a can�t-miss, also lost his title on the card. Even up-and-comer Juan Manuel Lopez struggled in his most-recent bout. To be sure, though, the island fighters will bounce back. They always do. MOST HISTORIC Yuri Foreman: Pacquiao wasn�t the only fighter to make history on Saturday night. Foreman became the first Israeli to win a major title when he took Daniel Santos� junior middleweight belt by a one-sided decision. Israel, a country of only about 7.5 million, is focused primarily on survival in a hostile region but does love its sports. Soccer and basketball are huge there. So something like this, one of its own winning a world title and then wrapping himself in the Israeli flag, must�ve been a source of tremendous pride there. And this might just be the start for Foreman. He�s a very good boxer and tougher than people realize. He doesn�t have an exciting style but it�s one that might allow him to remain a titleholder for some time. BIGGEST LOSER III Daniel Santos: Some observers once believed that the 1996 Olympic bronze medalist from Puerto Rico would turn out to be better than countryman Felix Trinidad. It didn�t turn out that way. Santos had a fine professional career, winning three major titles. However, the once blazing-quick, explosive puncher never quite realized his vast potential because he apparently wasn�t as dedicated to the sport as he should�ve been. RingTV.com co-editor Doug Fischer pointed out that Santos was never the same after Kofi Jantuah scored an upset by stopping him in five rounds in 1999. He remained good enough to win his titles but never approached stardom. He�ll probably be remembered as an underachiever. MOST BORING Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: Chavez�s coming out party in front of a large international audience fell flat. He easily outpointed Troy Rowland but the fight was painfully dull and he probably should�ve been able to put a fighter as mediocre as Rowland away. No one was impressed. Arum wants Chavez to fight John Duddy next, possibly on the undercard of Pacquiao�s next fight. I think he�d lose to the Irishman, which could mean he would go back to being an attraction only among Mexicans. That�s probably where Chavez belongs. BEST QUOTE Freddie Roach: �You�re not ordinary,� Roach said after profoundly modest Pacquiao used that word to describe himself. Amen, Freddie. Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

Enjoy Pacquiao while you can

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:15:22 PST
Manny Pacquiao acknowledges the crowd after his spectacular knockout victory over Miguel Cotton on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Photo / Chris Farina-Top Rank LAS VEGAS -- Manny Pacquiao might or might not be among the greatest fighters who ever lived. That judgment will be best made years after he retires. One thing is certain, though: The roll he is on at the moment is as gripping as any in recent history. And the little Filipino might�ve proved more in his knockout victory over Miguel Cotto on Saturday night than in any other fight in his remarkable career. Some people might try to diminish his accomplishment at the MGM Grand, suggesting that Cotto was damaged goods after the beating he took from Antonio Margarito last year. Don�t listen to them; it�s not true. Cotto demonstrated clearly that he remains one of the best fighters in the world. Pacquiao is simply at a different level from everyone else, the only possible exception being Floyd Mayweather Jr. Two rounds went by before that became clear in front of a buzzing crowd of 16,200. That includes a second round that was as scintillating as any you�ll ever see, the fighters standing toe to toe exchanging hard, fast punches much of the three minutes. For a moment, Cotto was Pacquiao�s equal. And then Pacquiao put the Puerto Rican star down in the both third and fourth rounds, the second time with a short, vicious left that sent him to all fours and hurt him badly toward the end of the round. Pacquiao�s greatness had taken hold. From then on, he landed the fastest combinations I�ve seen in 20 years of covering boxing. They were hard, punishing shots meant to end the fight instantly. And, typically, they came from so many unpredictable angles that Cotto was as much baffled as beaten. Pacquiao dished out so much punishment that Cotto � supposedly the bigger, stronger man � had no choice but to backpedal away the remainder of the fight to survive. Still, Pacquaio was able to chase down his helpless prey and stop him in the end. Referee Kenny Bayless� decision to stop the fight 55 seconds into the 12th round was questionable because Cotto was defending himself. But what was the point of continuing? Cotto, his face bloodied and beaten, had no chance at that point. Pacquiao had won nearly every round. And remember: This was Miguel Cotto, one of the best fighters of his time, who was reduced to nothing more than a mobile punching bag with savage efficiency rarely seen in the history of a savage sport. It was breathtaking to watch. How do we put this in perspective? Pacquiao took Cotto�s welterweight belt, giving him major titles in seven weight divisions. No one else in the history of boxing has done that, making it a remarkable achievement. And even if we dismiss this because of the proliferation of titles, the fact he has been dominating in seven divisions is worthy of awe. This was his 12th victory over a major titleholder. Again, remarkable. Over the past few years, he has beaten Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and now Miguel Cotto � all but one by knockout. They all are likely future hall of famers. Simply mind-boggling. That evidence would seem to suggest that, yes, Pacquiao might be the best of his time and one of the best ever. Is he in the class of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, as trainer Freddie Roach suggested? I have difficulty saying that, at least now. Again, that might change in a few years. And some will suggest with justification that he must beat Mayweather before he can be considered even the best of his era. Howevever, while it�s fun to speculate where Pacquiao will land on the all-time list, I choose to think of him from a different perspective. I�ve learned over about 40 years of following sports that greatness is fleeting. It comes ever so rarely and then is gone before we know it. We should recognize it when we see it, revel in it while it�s happening and then cherish the memory of it when it fades away. Pacquiao is truly great. We should enjoy this while it lasts because one day soon he will be gone. Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

Cotto classy in defeat

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:30:20 PST
Ever gracious in defeat, Miguel Cotto congratulates Manny Pacquiao while the Filipino icon prays in a corner following his dominant victory Saturday night. Cotto lost his welterweight title to Pacquiao but remains the consummate boxing professional. Photo / Chris Cozzone-Fightwireimages.com LAS VEGAS -- Miguel Cotto is no longer a welterweight titleholder. Following the dominant fashion in which he was beaten by Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night, he may have also lost his status as one of the best fighters, pound for pound, in the sport. However, the classy boxer-slugger from Caguas, Puerto Rico remains one of the true professionals of the sport. Cotto�s professionalism was evident during the thrilling early rounds of the fight when he out-jabbed and counter punched Pacquiao better than any fighter since Juan Manuel Marquez. It showed during the middle portion of the fight when Cotto switched to stick-and-move tactics in order to survive Pacquiao�s power after being dropped and badly hurt in the fourth round. His professionalism was in his desire to continue fighting when it was clear, particularly after he barely made it out of a brutally one-sided ninth round, that he could not beat his stalking antagonist. But it was never more evident than immediately after the fight, when Cotto respectfully acknowledged that he had been beaten by the better fighter. �Miguel Cotto always fights the world�s best fighters and Manny is one of the world�s best,� Cotto told HBO�s Larry Merchant during his in-the-ring post-fight interview. That�s Cotto. He�s as gracious in defeat as he was humble after his 34 pro victories. In the time he compiled what is arguably a hall-of-fame resume, Cotto proved to be the best Puerto Rican fighter of the decade. He defeated 11 fighters who held world titles, including future hall of famer Shane Mosley, on his way to developing into one of the best welterweights in recent years. He was the underdog in Saturday�s fight, but many trainers and elite fighters believed that Cotto had the ability to score the upset. And why not? Cotto, the naturally bigger man, is a heavy handed, versatile boxer with underrated technique and counter-punching ability. People who know boxing know that Cotto is a very good fighter. On Saturday night he lost to a great one, but only after electrifying the sellout crowd in the MGM Grand�s Garden Arena with his aggressively effective boxing in the early rounds. Cotto had a brilliant first round, one of accurate jabs and body-head combinations that kept Pacquiao honest. The second round is arguably the round of the year. The two welterweights traded hard, pin-point combinations for three blistering minutes. Round three was another thrilling round. Cotto was dropped but two of the official judges scored it 10-9 for Pacquiao because the proud Puerto Rican dominated the rest of the round. Three rounds into the fight, members of the ringside press wondered if they were witnessing a �great� fight. After the fourth, when Cotto was floored by a monstrous left cross after working Pacquiao over for much of the round, members of the media were sure they were watching one for the ages. However, Pacquiao took his foot off the gas pedal in the fifth round, stemming the momentum of the bout. And when the Filipino icon resumed his attack in the sixth, walking Cotto down and buckling the bigger man�s legs before the bell, the �fight� basically ended. It became a rout as Pacquiao, confident in his ability to take Cotto�s best shots, found a home for his right hook and continued to rock the game titleholder, who got on his toes to avoid getting knocked out. Cotto didn�t run. He was still able to score sporadically with his jab and with occasional single counter punches, but there was an ironic role reversal as Cotto assumed Pacquiao�s early rounds gameplan of moving to his left and avoiding getting caught along the ropes. It wasn�t the most entertaining choice of tactics. Many fans and more than a few in the media would have liked to see Cotto make an all-or-nothing rush in the middle rounds of the fight and either blast out Pacquiao or go out on his shield trying. But Cotto made the most-professional choice. He tried to create distance with his footwork, clear his head and hope that a frustrated Pacquiao would get sloppy in pursuit. The same tactics worked against Mosley when the dangerous veteran pressed him in the final rounds of their bout. It didn�t work against Pacquiao, who kept his head and continued to punish Cotto. By the ninth round Cotto�s face looked almost as battered as it did at the same point of his fight with Antonio Margarito. Cotto boxed as well as he could in the 10th and 11th rounds, losing those stanzas as referee Kenny Bayless watched closely. Bayless stepped in and ended the fight 55 seconds into the 12th round, making for an anti-climatic ending to what started out as the fight of the year, but the referee did what Cotto�s corner probably should have done after the ninth round. �Miguel looked good early on,� Cotto�s trainer Joe Santiago said after the fight. �Pacquiao took some good shots, which was a surprise. �He hit a lot harder than we expected and he was a lot stronger than we thought.� Cotto didn�t make any excuses. �I always try to bring all I can to my fights,� he said. �It didn�t go my way tonight. The jabs I threw landed, but I didn�t not protect myself.� The truth is that he couldn�t protect himself. After two brutally late-round stoppage losses and a series of tough fights against the likes of Mosley, Joshua Clottey and Zab Judah, many question whether Cotto should continue to risk his health in this punishing sport. Fans aren�t asking what�s next with Cotto; they�re asking what�s left. They won�t find out the answer to that question any time soon. Cotto, who was admitted to the trauma unit of UMC hospital for a complete body scan immediately after the fight, will be taking a long and well deserved break from the sport. He told Santiago that he wanted to �continue fighting.� If Cotto returns, it�s doubtful he will be able to recapture the form he exhibited in his victories over Carlos Quintana, Judah and Mosley -- or in the early rounds of his losses to Margarito and Pacquiao -- but fans can be certain of two things when he steps into the ring: He will give his all and he will conduct himself as a professional. Doug Fischer can be reached at dougiefischer@yahoo.com

Mosley and Berto meet the media

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:02:21 PST
LAS VEGAS -- It�s been so difficult for Shane Mosley to land a significant fight following his one-sided stoppage of Antonio Margarito in January the welterweight titleholder says he often felt as though he was on the same one-year suspension the Mexican mauler is currently serving for attempting to load his gloves before their fight. However, with the announcement of his title-unification bout with Andre Berto, a fight that�s been on the backburner all year as Mosley aggressively -- and futilely -- pursued mega-matches with Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., the 38-year-old veteran will finally return to the ring on January 30. Although Berto (25-0, 19 KOs) lacks the recognition and accomplishment of Mayweather and Pacquiao the 26-year-old fireplug possesses the kind of talent and style that could trouble Mosley. When the two fighters met each other and the media at their kick-off press conference on Saturday, which took place at the fight site Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, the prevailing comment was that Berto is like a young version of Mosley. The similarities are obvious: blazing hand speed, explosive offense, and a fierce competitive spirit. Berto says the obvious difference, their age disparity (12 years), is why he will prevail on Jan. 30. �Mosley is not used to fighting guys who are fast as he is,� Berto told writers after the press conference. �Mosley is not as quick as he looked against Margarito, a guy who stood in front of him and was extremely slow. I think he�s slowed down a bit with age. �My speed, movement and explosiveness will give him trouble.� Berto also questioned Mosley�s focus. �He�s got his mind on bigger fights down the road,� Berto said. �He�s not thinking about me. He�s thinking about tonight�s winner (of the Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight) and Mayweather. I think this fight means more to me than it does to him. I believe I�m more focused than he is.� Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) begged to differ. �The only focus I have is on fighting,� the former three-division champ told the media. �It�s never about names. I�m never focused on any one fighter. Nothing is on my mind but boxing. I love to fight and I want to fight the best fighters. Berto is the best fighter who was willing to fight me, so now he�s my focus. �I�ve said what I had to say about Mayweather and Pacquiao earlier this year. I called them out and that�s that. I�m done with that. I�m not going to chase these guys any more. I gave my peace.� Mosley admitted that he once told Berto�s promoter, Lou DiBella, that the young man from Miami, Fla., reminded him of himself, however, he said that he made other observations on the up-and-coming boxer-puncher. �I know Berto�s style,� Mosley said, �he�s a very talented boxer but he has flaws. He makes some mistakes that I will definitely take advantage of if he makes them against me.�

Haye sets sights on Klitschkos

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:44:42 PST
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya helps David Haye show off his new heavyweight title belt and his injured hand. Photo / Chris Cozzone-FightWireImages.com LAS VEGAS � David Haye overcame a very big obstacle to win his first heavyweight title last Saturday. Now he wants the very big money. Haye conquered 7-footer Nikolai Valuev in Nuremberg, Germany, winning a majority decision and one of the four major belts. Next, he must fight mandatory challenger John Ruiz. After that, he wants one of the two biggest prizes in heavyweight boxing � the Klitschko brothers. �That�s the biggest fight, the biggest payday, the biggest everything,� Haye said during an informal meeting with the media. �That�s a fight a lot of people want to see, not only in the UK but all over the world.� Haye (23-1, 21 knockouts) was a slight favorite to beat Valuev but won easily, at least on two cards. The brash Briton didn�t land a lot of punches, which made a dull fight, but scored with enough clean blows while avoiding meaningful shots to win 116-112, 116-112 and 114-114. And he says he did it largely one handed beginning in second round, when he injured his right hand. With the victory, the former cruiserweight champion becomes a major player in the sport�s most-important division. �It was very difficult,� Haye said of fighting a man so big. �I said before the fight that even if he were 8 feet, though, I�d find a way to win. I was destined to be heavyweight champ of the world.� Haye�s first defense will come against Ruiz, probably in the spring. The new titleholder undoubtedly will be favored but insists he won�t overlook the two-time titleholder from New England. Haye said he looked past veteran Carl Thompson when they met in 2004, not having trained properly, and was stopped in five rounds. After that, he said, he trains as if each of his opponents is the toughest of his career. Ruiz, he said, presents a challenge. �He�s very effective,� Haye said. �He�s not brilliant in any one thing but he�s good at everything. He has a good chin, he punches a bit, he takes a punch, he has very good stamina, he�s awkward, he�s used to being the little man so he has plenty of heart. But I think he�s used to fighting big, modern-day heavyweights. I�m not a big heavyweight. I�m a smallish heavyweight who punches like a big heavyweight. �With my combination of speed, athleticism and punching power, I plan to render him unconscious.� Assuming that happens, Haye would seek a lucrative fight against either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko. Haye alienated the brothers by pulling out of a fight with Wladimir at the last minute, claiming an injury, and backing out of a subsequent fight against Vitali when they appeared to have an agreement in place. He also wore a T-shirt at a news conference emblazoned with an image of him holding the severed heads of the Klitschkos before the scheduled fight with Wladimir. Still, he believes the potential for an enormous payday will lure at least one of them into the ring with him. Vitali is scheduled to fight Kevin Johnson on Dec. 12 in Switzerland. Wladimir was scheduled to fight Eddie Chambers next month but pulled out because of an injury. �When they check their bank accounts after the guys the fight next, they�ll realize how much more they could�ve gotten in a fight against me. They�ll see my pay-per-view numbers (against Valuev) and realize that maybe they should make the right business decision.� Haye doesn�t care which Klitschko he fights. �Which one is hard to beat? I think they�re about the same, to be honest,� he said. �They both have their own assets. Wladimir is a little looser, a little faster and a lot more vulnerable to punches. � Vitali punches up a lot more, he takes a better shot. He�s older, though. He has well-documented knee problems; he�s not as mobile as Wladimir. �They�re different fighters but I�ll train to beat either one of them.� Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

Dougie's FAT Friday mailbag

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:29:12 PST
COTTO BY KO After seeing the kind of shape Miguel Cotto is in at the weigh in, I change my pick to Cotto. I have never seen him look so good at a weigh in. I know I was predicting that Manny Pacquiao�s speed would be too much, and I thought he would be elusive enough not to get hit, but he will have 36 LONG minutes in the ring with Cotto. I now pick Cotto, possibly by stoppage. -- JB Something tells me you're not the only person who is changing his or her mind after seeing how good Cotto looked at today's weigh-in. His abs looked great, his face wasn't sucked in, his eyes weren't glazed over, his mouth didn't look dry, and his skin tone was normal. That tells me he didn't dry out, which means he's going to put on some serious weight and not be sluggish Saturday night. However, Pacquiao looked great, too (when is he not shredded at a weigh-in?), and bigger than I've ever seen him. We definitely have a fight on our hands, folks. THREE OUTCOMES Doug, Great article on the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto showdown, and I have to agree on all points, even though anybody who knows their boxing should be saying the same so I think technically you have slightly �wimped out� even though your verdict is still to come. I see three outcomes: 1) Pacman goes through the gears early, lands a bomb and swarms all over Cotto to force a stoppage inside 4 rounds. 2) Pacman too quick/fast, boxes smart, mainly stays out of serious harm and takes the decision. 3) Cotto slowly catches up, wears him down and tags him very late or takes the decision. My heart says No. 1 in a thriller, my head says No. 3, equally in a thriller. How's that for sitting on the fence! If Pacquiao wins, he definitely sits on the top table as Cotto is fighting at his preferred weight. I'm based in the UK, follow all boxing and thoroughly enjoy RingTV.com and your articles. As an aside, and being British, I think David Haye is incredibly marketable but I think Vitali will eat him for breakfast, unfortunately. Keep up the good work! -- Andy in Hampshire Thanks Andy. Vitali eats everyone for breakfast. I�m going with your No. 2 outcome. I like Pacquiao by decision. SPEED BEATS POWER Whatup Dougie! I'm a big follower and this is my 3rd message for you. I hope I make it this time... First off, props to you for the 50/50 chance article. I feel exactly the same way being Pacman is my first and Cotto is my 2nd favorite boxer. Believe me I was crushed when I saw Cotto fold against Margacheato. But I will have to go with the Pac-monster on this one. Seems like everyone believes that Pac will pull an Oscar on his stool or Freddie will throw in the towel. I say Pac will surprise everyone again and will win by TKO within 10 rounds. The key will be his speed, not to mention his KO power on both hands. Not just handspeed but also his footwork speed and agility. I also believe that Cotto will KO the Pac if he catches him on the ropes. But that will only happen if Pac allows it to happen. Pac is quick on his feet and gets away nicely when backed up. Although it only lasted 2 rounds, it showed against the fight with Ricky. Cotto's previous opponents were pretty slow and pretty much forward kind of guys. Clottey pretty much stood in front of Cotto. I feel the same way about Shane. Not much lateral movement that�s why they got mauled by Cotto. I like the Zab fight but he just ran out of gas. My take is it will be like the Pac/Oscar fight where Pac displayed excellent footwork turning his opponent and going in and out doing good enough damage. Also much like the David Diaz fight. Somebody will wear down and fold and I think it will be Cotto. I'm almost 100% sure that your pick is Pac as well, IMO. LOL. What do you think? Thanks! -- Joks, Bay Area, CA I agree with your pick but I think Cotto will be a lot tougher than you think. I think Cotto has fought plenty of fighters with excellent hand speed (though not as fast as Pacquiao). True most of them stood in front of him, but Judah didn�t. Zab employed a hit-and-run strategy. Judah didn�t run out of gas. Cotto pressured him the entire fight and broke him down. Don�t think the same thing can�t happen to Pacquiao. Although Pacquiao is a more complete fighter than Judah, I�m not sure that the Filipino icon hits harder than Zab does at 147 pounds. PICKING PACQUIAO Mr. Fischer, Since you asked in your last mailbag: I'm picking Pacquiao! Here's why: Some say that Cotto is better at handling speedy boxers like Mosley, while he has only been in a difficult situation when fighting strong, pressure fighters like Margarito and Clottey--and that Pacquiao is not that kind of fighter. Yes, if you place Pacquiao in the speedy-boxer category and follow that argument, then I can see a Cotto prediction. However, here is what I think most people are forgetting: not only is Pacquiao supremely fast and quick, he is also supremely adaptable. Freddie Roach is able to train him to fight any kind of fight necessary to win against any specific opponent. Pacquiao is extremely trainable and has shown improvement every time he has stepped into the ring. If someone thinks this or that is Pacquiao's weakness in the Cotto fight, then chances are Roach has also caught it and formulated a plan. Pacquiao can successfully be any kind of fighter Roach trains him to be, and will be "the fighter who beat Cotto by doing ______ when we didn't think he could" in this fight. Cotto will lose this fight and while it might go to a decision, I am picking Pacquiao by a late round stoppage TKO. -- Brian, Washington, DC Good point, Brian. Pacquaio has been a very �coachable� athlete in recent years and has shown an increased ability to adapt to various styles in recent fights. However, he hasn�t had to deal with any adversity since his rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez. I wonder what will happen if he doesn�t catch Cotto early. If he can�t outmaneuver the natural welterweight. What happens if he starts catching more punches than he wants to? Will he be able to follow Roach�s instructions then? Will he be able to adapt to Cotto when the going gets tough? Or will he revert to his instincts and simply attack in spurts? We�ll see. FIRST RINGTV SHOW Mr. Fischer, THANK YOU!!! That was an excellent pre-fight show, and now boxing fans like myself will be able to watch a regular boxing show. Americans need this. Again, thank you. I'm predicting Pacquiao winning by TKO over Cotto. No matter what happens, Pacquiao is an ATG, and Cotto, while he may not be an ATG, will be inducted in the Hall of Fame whenever he chooses to retire. -- Vasili Thaks for the nice words about our first studio pre-show of a major fight, Vasili. It was good for a first effort -- Michael and I had never worked together in front of the camera and we did that show without any rehearsals -- but I see a lot of room for improvement, which I hope we�ll be able to make with future episodes. Pacquiao is a first-ballot hall of famer. I think he�s arguably a great fighter. I�m on the fence as to whether Pacquiao is an all-time great. If he beats Cotto I�m sold. He�s an ATG. If Cotto beats Pacquiao he�s punched his ticket to Canastota. COTTO IS TOAST! Dougie, Hope you are having fun in Vegas. Let me start by saying I'm not really a fan of either guy. I'm just a big boxing fan. But I don't see how anybody thinks this is an even matchup. Everything here just like the past year goes Pacquiao's way. Cotto has so many disadvantages. His lack of trainer, lack of defense, the punches he has been taking, etc. It is sad the Margarito fight happened to him. Even the catch weight sucks for Cotto. How a title is on the line in a catch-weight fight blows my mind. The bottom line is everybody at Top Rank knows Pacquiao wins this fight. I'm so tried of Arum's BS. Most likely it is a blowout. I doubt Cotto goes past six or seven. He won't get off the hook this time. Thanks man. -- Chris, Michigan Tell us how you really feel about this matchup, Chris. I agree Pacquiao has a lot of advantages in this fight, but I also think you are over-playing Cotto�s perceived weaknesses. You talk like Cotto is a freakin� sponge, like he has absolutely ZERO defense. That�s almost as much BS as Arum spews when he�s talking about Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. It�s not like Pacquiao is Mayweatheresque in terms of defense, dude. As for the catchweight, if both guys weighed in at 140� pounds Cotto�s belt could be on the line. Welterweight is anything over 140 pounds to 147 pounds. Pacquiao weighed-in at 144 pounds and he�ll probably put on around four or five pounds by fight time (Roach doesn�t want him to come in any heavier than 149). Cotto weighed-in at 145 on the dot and he will likely put on anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds by fight time. You tell me who has the advantage. I favor Pacquiao to win, but by no means do I think it will be a blowout. Many veteran trainers that I respect -- men I�ve learned from -- are picking Cotto. In fact, every fighter that I�ve talked to about this fight favors Cotto. Maybe they know something we don�t. PREPARE FOR GREATNESS I'll keep it short. Pacquiao by a very close UD. It could go either way but I can see Pacman overwhelming and TKOing Cotto but it won�t happen until the championship rounds. Pac's gonna get his chin checked but I don�t EVER see Manny staying down -- hard to do that when you have a ENTIRE NATION behind you. Cotto is great at timing but he isn�t the technical master and counter puncher like JMM and it�s hard to time a guy who blitzes in and out from weird angles. It�s easy to say �Ahh Pacman does this so I can do this to counter� but the hand and foot speed is so insane and the Pac is so unpredictable that you know what to do but all of a sudden its half a moment too late. Also Freddie �the no-joke coach� Roach has done his homework a little too well and you know that. Ricky Hatton prepared for this "right hook duck under" all camp and got dropped by that 2 minutes into the fight- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDZFQCgsVw8 These are proud warriors who love fighting as much as Leonard Ellerbe loves muscles. This weekend is boxing at its finest. Let�s hope for greatness Dougie, I see potential for that on Saturday. -- Asim We�re going to get a hell of fight. It might be a great one. We�ll see. I wouldn�t be surprised if it turns out to be the fight of the year and one of the best of the decade. While it�s true Cotto isn�t the as good a technician and counter puncher as JMM, as Joe Goossen pointed out in my trainer poll, he�s the best boxer/counter-puncher that Pacquiao has faced at this weight. Pacquiao had the weight advantage in his fights with Marquez, he put on five to six pounds more than the Mexican master did after the weigh in. Cotto will have as much as 10 pounds on Pacquiao come fight time. Keep that in mind. SPEED KILLS I can envision Pac getting wobbled per his 2nd fight with Marquez, but I think Pac�s speed -- and I mean his foot speed -- will trouble Cotto all night long. Pacman TKO 7, Kenny Bayless stepping in. -- Christian Pacquiao�s fast feet may very well be the difference in a very close fight. I think it�s a fair bet that both men get buzzed or rocked during the fight. TOO BAD SOMEONE HAS TO LOSE Doug, How are you? I just want to thank you for the all your wonderful articles and the new RingTV show (I loved the first episode by the way). I truly mean that because as a senior in college it is hard to for me to go check all these fights out and get a chance to go to the "open to the public" workouts. I live in Orange County so I was dying to go to the Wild Card and check Manny out but I wasn't aware of when it was open to the public, plus I had a lot of midterms during the two weeks he trained in Los Angeles. Well, I just wanted to thank you for all your work and tell you to keep doing a great job. How sad is it to see one of these two great fighters lose this weekend? Maybe even knocked out?! We will see what happens... Thanks Doug. -- Ronnie Lopez I hear ya. I�ll be sad to see one of these guys lose, especially because I know there�s always a pack of a__hole message board vultures who love to swoop in and take a greasy dump on a fighter whenever he loses, and neither Cotto nor Pacquiao deserve that kind of treatment. Thanks for the kind words about me, the site and our first RingTV show, Ronnie. Focus on your studies for now, boxing isn�t going anywhere. There will be plenty of time to visit boxing gyms after you graduate. Pacquiao�s media workout wasn�t open to the public, anyway. Heck, it was barley open to the media. PICKIN THE PACMONSTER Whatup Doug - My head tells me that Cotto is going to beat the Pacman on points in a close fight. Cotto is too big, knows how to cut off the ring, has heavy hands, and has defeated speed before (Judah, Mosley). I also don't think that Pacquiao can stop him after seeing him stand up to a possibly loaded-gloved Margarito for 11 rounds (even though he got stopped), but feel that Cotto can definitely stop Manny. But every time I'm about to make a pick I think that Pacquiao is possibly an all-time great fighter and can't pick against him. I think Pacuiao wins a hard fought, close decision. This undercard sucks man, I'm embarrassed to have my friends over for it. -- Dave, San Jose The Soto-Karass-Gomez fight will be a good one (even though it probably should be the main event of an Azteca America show). Your friends will enjoy that one, but they�ll have to get in early to catch it because it�s the first fight of the PPV broadcast. I like Soto-Karass in that one, by the way (I think it will be a poor man�s version of Margarito-Cotto; Gomez has the unfortunate role of Cotto). The other fights on the PPV broadcast, well, the less said the better. Bob Arum is a great promoter -- the main event is another example of that -- but he�s certainly not above milking the buying public. I see the fight the same way you do. PACMAN BY EARLY KO Hi Dougie, In my opinion, The Pacman will KO Cotto in early rounds because of his speed and strategies. They always say that Cotto is bigger and stronger, but they said this before the De la Hoya and Hatton fights and what happened? Actually, even with David Diaz, lots of so-called "experts" leaning towards Diaz because he was stronger and bigger, but again what happened? So to people who are still not convinced with Pacman's ability and Roach strategies, you still have time to change. It's destiny that Manny will be one the top 5 greatest boxers all-time! -- Jonathan A Pac-Fan are we? That�s all good. If your hero blitzes Cotto, I�ll consider him to be a great fighter, but not one of the top five of all time. However, he�s only 30, and there are some very worthy challenges out there for him with Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather. PACQUIAO WILL WIN, BARELY Hi Doug, In response to your mid-week mailbag where everyone seemed to think Cotto is heading for a KO win, here is an argument for Pacquiao just like you asked (and from a Brit - proving that not all of us are still p_ssed off at him for knocking Our Ricky half way into next week) I think Pacman will land more shots, but Cotto will land the heavier, more meaningful punches. Every judge is impressed by different things, and you very rarely get 3 judges who look for exactly the same attributes in a fighter's performance (e.g. some favour the more aggressive fighter, others might favour the counter-puncher). So I think the Filipino will take a decision - and it will be close, possibly split, definitely controversial - and the calls for a rematch will be immediate. But either way, I can't bloody wait for this one. Cheers. -- Tom, Oxford, England Interesting take on the fight, Tom, and you might be right. We�ll see. By the way, I was just joking with that quip about British fans being mad at Pacquiao for blasting the Mad Hatter. I know that UK fans back their own but still appreciate the sport and its history, and obviously have respect for accomplished warriors like Pacquiao. PAC BY TKO 10 I say Pacquiao by 10th round stoppage or sooner part of that "continuing to learn" of how to make the fight a sweeter science, and what I think will be the centerpiece for this coming Saturday (the 14th in Las Vegas) is the quick lateral movement (to evade the jab or right lead of Cotto) combined with flawlessly timing a specific angle achieved thru that said lateral movement, whereby either Pacman's right hook and/or left-straight lead will land AHEAD of a-n-y, repeat, any punch Cotto may so choose to launch -- simply because of the arithmetic of that said angle -- properly timed. And once the first punch lands, it automatically converts to a three-or-four punch combination, then on-to another lateral movement/angle. This is also the same reason why Pac's previous opponents suddenly looked s-l-o-w or looked "suddenly old" :) Thing is, that crazy guy with the shakin'-n-bakin' has been making Pacquiao master the mathematics of it all, even more so! And with the proper choice of quality sparring partners to boot. This, I believe, is a major part of why they call boxing the Sweet Science. -- Junied V. True, Freddie �Shake-n-Bake� Roach has instilled some serious science into Pacquiao�s natural ability, but Cotto�s got some sweet moves in his game, too. Pacquiao did have the tougher sparring partners but maybe it was good for Cotto not to go to war every other day in the gym, given the tough nature of his recent fights. Cotto looked very good at the weigh in. He didn�t appear to drain himself to make 145 pounds and maybe it�s best for him to be as fresh as possible. COTTO-PAC PREDICTION In my heart I think Cotto wins but I have never been so unsure of who will win going into a fight. My one 100% stone cold lock is that Cotto will not go out on his back, he may get stopped because of cuts or he may just of had enough like in the Margarito fight but he will not go out like Ricky Flatton .... I had the Valuev-Haye fight at 6 rounds to 6, which is why I was shocked Haye got the decision. I thought Haye clearly won the first, second and twelfth ... all the other rounds were toss ups. That was a scary beating Angulo put on Yorgey .... the whole time I kept thinking "man Harry Jo's kid is there too" ... I hate seeing kids before the fight. -- Mike in Louisville I also get squeamish when I see a beaten fighter�s family ringside. Yorgey impressed me with his guts, but the fight was over way before he got cold cocked in front of his kid. He didn�t deserve that. I agree that there were a lot of toss-up rounds in the Valuev-Haye fight, but I�m tired of talking about that boring heavyweight bout. I agree with your take on Cotto-Pacquiao. The only thing that would shock me (and disappoint me) is if the bout ended early. THROWIN' IT IN Great work on the article about the Cotto-Pac megafight.... I now feel so much better on my wagers and am looking forward to collecting come Saturday night..... Cotto by late stoppage preferably Roach throwing in the towel to stop the beating from the Joe Santiago-trained fighter.... just had to throw that in! Thanks Doug. -- Mario Stick it to �em, Mario. We�ll see what happens. Cotto looked good at the weigh-in. PAC BY KO Doug, You asked for predictions for Pac so her you go. I am 'guessing' the Pac-monster to win by KO/TKO before the end of the 7th round. My reasoning is that even though Cotto is bigger, Pac's quick & accurate shots will wear down Cotto fast. On another note, do you know if there is a way to find out if anyone from Cotto's camp watched Margarito's hands being wrapped? Because if someone was watching (like they are supposed to do, like Mosley's camp did) then there should not be any controversy about whether his hand wraps were loaded for that fight. Just seems like an easy way to end the controversy. Thanks for all you do for boxing! -- Anthony, San Diego Cotto says his former trainer and uncle, Evangelista, was not in Margarito�s dressing room when the Mexican mauler�s hands were being wrapped. Arum says Evangelista was working the corner of one of his other fighters who was on the undercard at that time. However, there were plenty of Nevada boxing commissioners in Margarito�s dressing room at the time, and it�s an inspector�s job to watch the hand wrapping and sign off on them as being kosher, so it�s not like Javier Capetillo wrapped Tony�s hands in seclusion. Margarito�s here in Vegas, by the way. He�s grown a weird-looking stoner goatee. If Pacquiao does what you think he�ll do, I�ll be very, very, very impressed. AN OBSERVATION What's up Dougie? I've been reading your work for years now but this is my first time writing to your mailbag. I just want to make one quick observation, and see if you agree of disagree. I've noticed that Cotto doesn't commit himself to the body as extensively against elite (or at least very good) opposition. For whatever reason(s), against Mosley, Margarito, Clottey, even Judah in the early going, Miguel didn't exhibit that relentless body attack that we rave about. I'm not saying he didn't land good body shots at all, or even great combinations. He definitely had his moments in each of those fights. But even though he managed to win all but one of those fights, he still wasn't that relentless pitbull, mauling his opponents with body work. I'm sure I'll read your prediction Friday, but do you think this could be a factor Saturday? Manny seems quicker, more precise, and probably will punch as hard as any of those fighters I listed, so its hard for me to envision a Cotto victory unless Manny is just unable to deal with Miguel's power at 147. I guess we'll all find out together this Saturday. Can't wait for it. -- Ruben That�s a good point about Cotto, and I agree to an extent. I thought he worked over Judah�s body pretty damn hard. He didn�t do it against Mosley because Shane tied him up in close (and the veteran was as strong or stronger than Cotto). Cotto couldn�t do it vs. Margarito because whenever he planted his feet, Tony sliced him up the middle with that evil left uppercut of his. I think Cotto would have worked Clottey�s body more if his cut eye hadn�t become such a factor in that fight. One thing I�ve noticed about Cotto is that he often able to work the body of opponents who try to stick and move on him, such as Gianluca Branco and Oktay Urkal. MORE M&M (MANNY & MIGUEL) Hey Doug, Just watched the show online with you and Michael. Very good work they should give you guys a slot on ESPN Friday night fights, keep up the good work. I am going for Miguel on this one and I will explain. This run which Manny is on (a great one I might add that is why he deserves to be #1 pfp) it sort of reminds me of Trinidad right before he fought Hopkins. The press had him almost unstoppable at that time and he had the great fights to go along with that press after the De La Hoya fight. Now I know Manny has become a way more complete boxer than Felix but I feel he is not going to have the power to hurt Miguel and will be overpowered. One thing that sticks in my mind to this very day after the Trinidad-Hopkins match is when Larry Merchant said "As soon as you label someone a genius they are bound to disappoint you." Nevertheless I am anxious for Sat. -- Rio As well you should be, Rio. That�s a good analogy with Pac and Tito. You are absolutely correct in that the media often becomes enamored with a fighter who wins back-to-back-to-back big fights. It could be that the boxing press is suffering from a very severe case of PacMan Fever. We�ll find out if that�s the case very soon. Thanks for the props on the RingTV show. I think Michael and I need just a weeeeeeeeee bit of work before we�re ESPN-worthy but I appreciate your encouragement. PACQUIAO STOPS COTTO What's up Dougie, are you excited yet for the fight? I've read all the pre-fight predictions on Ringtv.com and on various web sites. One thing that got me thinking was George Foreman's prediction that Cotto will fight defensive because of the Clottey fight. I think that's Cotto's best chance of winning, because he's a very underrated counter-puncher. If he picks his spots when to be aggressive and when to be defensive, he's got a good chance at stopping Manny. De La Hoya and Hatton both thought they needed to use their size to their advantage and got hit repeatedly while stepping forward. That said, I'm picking Pacquiao to win by KO, 10th round. Everyone keeps talking about his improved right hand, but what I noticed is his improved balance and footwork. I've never seen a fighter move so quickly, in and out, side to side while throwing punches. Also, what's going on with the V-nom? Does he still have visa issues? -- Dave, Detroit �My son� does have visa issue, which is why nothing is really going on with his career. He�s supposed to make a title defense in December, so at least he�ll get two fights in this year, but for the most part his career has stagnated. It sucks because I think he could make for so much excitement in the lightweight and 140-pound divisions. Excellent observations and analysis, Dave. I always thought Detroit boxing fans were among the most astute. More than a few trainers have given the exact same breakdown that you did, but they were split on who would win. GUTEN TAG Guten Tag, Mr. Fischer... it's an unusual spelling for an American name isn't it... in German �Fischer� is usually spelled like that, with a �c� and in American it�s usually �Fisher�... but well, let's get to business... Cotto vs. Pacquiao... man I love both of these dudes... I hope Cotto can make it competitive... yeah, you heard right. I have a bad feeling that Cotto will suffer a lot and take a bad beating. The problem is that if Cotto boxes and waits for Pacquiao... Pacquiao will pick him apart with his speed and unpredictable punches. If Cotto presses (which I think is his only chance) he will still have to take a lot. He will come forward smarter then Hatton but still he will get some leather and Pacquiao is a bad dude. The only way like I stated would be to make it physical BUT I simply can't see how he can reach that. He will take too many punches that will slow him down... and Cotto would need to absorb hell to make it to the final bell... because Pacquiao doesn't slow down or tires. As much as I love Cotto I can't see him winning. -- Jesse K., Germany I guess I�ve talked to enough trainers and fighters who favor Cotto that I�ve been convinced that he has a very good shot. The fact that he didn�t drain himself to make 145 pounds tells me that he might come in as a middleweight Saturday night, and those extra pounds will be �functional� weight, which makes me think that the man from Puerto Rico might manhandle Manny if given a chance (should Pacquiao stand his ground). We�ll see, but as it stands now, I�m a guy who�s picking Pacquiao but not feeling terribly confident about it. As for my last name, guilty as charged, my father�s side of the family is of German ancestry. One of these days, I�ll have to make the trip to Germany to cover a big fight. Perhaps I�ll try to wing it next year for one of the Klitschko brothers� title defenses.

Chavez excited about being on card

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:12:52 PST
LAS VEGAS � Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who has slowly developed his skills against mediocre opponents for the past six years, has been itchy to get a taste of the big time. That might finally be happening for the son of a legend. Junior fights another journeyman, Troy Rowland, on Saturday at the MGM Grand but he will receive the greatest international exposure of his career on the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto undercard on pay-per-view television. After that, promoter Bob Arum said, Chavez could fight John Duddy in what would be the toughest fight of his career. And Chavez�s goal is to fight for his first world title sometime in 2010. �I�m happy to be on this fight card with these big fighters,� Chavez said through an interpreter. �I�m happy to have this great opportunity. All the fighters on the undercard have extra pressure because we haven�t been on this big stage. I hope to shine on Saturday.� Chavez (40-0-1, 30 knockouts) doesn�t appear to be nervous at all, which isn�t surprising. He was at his famous father�s side for many big fights as a child. To him, this is normal. That would also apply to Rowland, another limited opponent for Chavez. The 34-year-old product of Grand Rapids, Mich., Floyd Mayweather Jr.�s hometown, has a good record (25-2, 7 KOs) but has fought primarily other journeymen. And the seven knockouts would seem to indicate he has little power. Obviously, he's another carefully selected opponent. Chavez said the right things about him but couldn�t resist looking into the future. �I respect Troy Rowland,� he said. �I think he�s a really good fighter. I think after this fight I�ll look for big fights but I�m trying not to look past him.� In other undercard fights: Daniel Santos (32-3-1, 23 KOs) of Puerto Rico defends his junior middleweight title against Yuri Foreman (27-0, 8 KOs) of Israel; and Jesus Soto Karass (24-3-3, 16 KOs) of Mexico faces Alfonso Gomez (20-4-2, 10 KOs) of Tustin, Calif., in a 10-round welterweight fight.

Yuri Foreman's long road to his title shot

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:04:01 PST
LAS VEGAS � To say that Foreman was born to be a boxer is not a stretch: Yuri is the Russian version of George. So, yes, his actual name is George Foreman. The path the Belarus-born Foreman took to big-time boxing is nothing like that of his famous predecessor, though. This Foreman�s story is unusual even by boxing's unusual standards, playing out on three continents and seeing him become so devoted to his religion that he wants to become a rabbi. And now he�s realizing a life-long dream: He fights Daniel Santos for Santos� junior middleweight title on the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto undercard Saturday at the MGM Grand. �I remember when I was a kid in Israel,� he said. �A trainer asked me, �Why do you want to box? I said, �because I want to be a world champion.� That always stuck in my head. It was, for me, just something I had to do.� Foreman�s journey began in Belarus, where he was born into a Jewish family when the Eastern European country was part of the Soviet Union. The Russian-speaking boy took up boxing after he was beaten up by a bully when he was 7 years old and all of 60 pounds. Immediately, he said, he fell in love with the sights, sounds and smell of the gym and vowed to become a champion. The dream seemed to be dashed about three years later when his family immigrated to Israel and settled in the northern coastal town of Haifa, which has no boxing gyms. The closest one was in the Arab village of Kfar Yasif about an hour away, which was prohibitive on more than one level. His parents could provide neither the transportation nor the money to make the trip and there were obvious concerns about a young Jew traveling to an Arab town. The only fighting Foreman did was in the streets, where he encountered discrimination because of his Russian background. Still, he never gave up on his boxing career and finally took matters into his own hands when he turned 16. �A friend of mine had a car,� he said. �So we went to the gym and trained. The traffic was horrible but I wanted to do it. I was 16. What could my parents do?� At first, the Arabs were leery of the Jewish boxer. Foreman felt dozens of glaring eyes on him as he hit the heavy bag. However, he was always respectful, introducing himself to his Muslim gym mates and shaking their hands. And when it came time to spar with him, the cold atmosphere turned warmer. �Once they see you can fight, they respect you,� he said. �I think sports transcends all the differences people have. Walls come down when people like to do similar things. You forget about the Jewish-Muslim-Arab thing. �They eventually welcomed me into their homes. They were good hosts. They always put me at the head of the table. They do everything for a guest.� Foreman made regular trips to the gym and ultimately thrived there. He ultimately won three national amateur championships in Israel, which is the most-significant accomplishment possible in a country with bigger concerns than boxing. At that point, in 1999, he had two choices: quit or move to the United States to take the next step in his career. He chose the latter. A trainer he knew from Israel, who had moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., set him up with a place to live and a job in the garment district cleaning up and making deliveries. Foreman worked all day and trained all night, which ultimately led to a Golden Gloves title in 2001. However, it wasn�t an easy time for him. He knew few people and spoke only limited English, which he learned largely by watching American films in Israel. And he missed Israel, a longing that exists even today. �I was already 19,� he said. �It was a big thing, it was very interesting. It was also challenging. I had difficult moments. I worked from like 9 to 6 and then went to the gym. I did this almost every day. It was physically draining, you know, but it was good. I was on my own and I wanted to prove that I could survive without my father nearby. �I was lonely, very lonely. I came close a few times to just buying a ticket and going back home. I wanted to succeed in boxing, though. That's what kept me here.� Foreman turned professional in 2002 and slowly built a reputation as an extremely slick boxer who would be difficult for anyone to beat. He appeared to be on his way to realizing his dream of becoming a big-time boxer. Along the way, he picked up two things: A wife and religion. Foreman met amateur fighter Leyla Leidecker of Hungary at Gleason�s Gym and the two were married seven years ago. And, with her encouragement, he began to explore the religion into which he was born but about which he knew little. �I was overwhelmed both physically and mentally,� he said. �I needed some kind of spiritual support. This is when I found my rabbi and started to explore Judaism. I lived in Israel 8, almost 9 years but didn�t really learn much about it. Even the basic things, like shabbos [the Sabbath], what it is eating kosher, the holidays. �That�s how I got into this mode. It has been really meaningful to me.� So meaningful that Foreman plans to become a rabbi, not to preside over a congregation but to return to Israel and introduce the religion to immigrant children like himself who have had limited or no exposure to their religious heritage. This might be a first � a boxing rabbi-to-be. As Jewish promoter Bob Arum said, �Never in my wildest dreams when I started promoting Muhammad Ali did I believe I would put on a card featuring a future rabbi.� For Foreman, though, it makes perfect sense. �A lot of immigrants in Israel aren�t educated about being Jewish,� he said. �I think there�s almost a rabbi-phobia. They go to the other side of the street when they see a rabbi. This is how I grew up. Nobody gives you an education. �I think I can go back and affect many young Russian Jews from the former Soviet Union. That�s something I wish I had.� First things first, though. There�s that dream of winning a world title. Santos, a three-time titleholder from Puerto Rico, is a formidable obstacle but not insurmountable. Most experts give Foreman a decent chance of winning. If he does, he would become the first Israeli to win a major title. And it wouldn�t be for him alone. �In the beginning, this was a selfish goal,� he said. �I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I started to be more aware of the bigger picture the more I studied with the rabbi, though. There are many people who have helped get to where I am, my wife, my family, my father, my manager. It�s not just me. And I want to do this for the Jewish people and Israel. Hopefully, my victory will make boxing more popular there. �I hope to inspire people. In the yeshiva [school of religious studies], for example, they study 10 to 15 hours a day. They also must develop their bodies, though: Strong body, strong mind.� Foreman would seem to have both. Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

Adamek to fight on Feb. 6

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:04:10 PST
Tomasz Adamek is scheduled to fight next on Feb. 6 in Newark, N.J., Kathy Duva of Main Events said. The fight will be Adamek's second as a full-fledged heavyweight. His opponent has not been selected. Adamek, a New Jersey-based Pole, is coming off a sensational fifth-round knockout of countrymen Andrew Golota last month in Lodz, Poland. Adamek is THE RING cruiserweight champion and has held titles at cruiserweight and light heavyweight.

Pacquiao plays role of hero perfectly

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:56:03 PST
The reception Manny Pacquiao received at the MGM Grand upon his arrival provides an idea of how he's revered by his fans. Photo / Chris Farina-Top Rank Note: The image of Manny Pacquiao on the homepage was painted by artist Tyler Streeter, whose unique painting style is matched with his reverence for the sweet science. "I try and give the viewer a glimpse into the sacrifice endured by these great fighters in pursuit of glory as we can all relate to sacrifice and struggle on some level." View more of Streeter's work at www.tylerstreeter.com LAS VEGAS -- The United States has its superstars, athletes who capture the imagination with their unusual achievements and bigger-than-life personas, athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Not even Jordan and Woods could ascend to the level of Manny Pacquiao among Filipinos, though. Pacquiao has dominated his sport as the Americans have theirs but might mean as much to his country as any athlete in history. He�s not only admired but revered, a national hero rivaled by few Filipinos in their recent history. So why has Pacquiao become god-like in his homeland? The overriding reason seems to be simple: His perpetually struggling country needed a hero. And he couldn�t be more perfect for the role: A dirt-poor waif who built himself into a world champion while remaining humble and dedicated to his people. �The Philippines is always looking for a hero,� said Dyan Castillejo, a Filipina broadcaster covering the Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight Saturday at the MGM Grand. �That�s something we�ve always lacked in the Philippines. Unfortunately, we get a lot of calamities and tragedies. A lot of bad news comes out of the Philippines. Manny is one of the few things that is a source of national pride. �The U.S. has so many world achievers. Who else do we have? Maybe (singer) Lea Salonga or (late president) Cory Aquino. That�s it.� The calamities Castillejo mentioned would include the recent typhoons, in which about 1,000 people were killed. Natural disasters are the norm there. The Philippines also is riddled with political corruption. And it is a developing country, with about a third of its population living in poverty. Some Americans have learned during the current recession what it�s like to watch their money. In the Philippines, Castillejo said, scrapping by has been a way of life for generations. �It�s a hard life there for a lot of people,� she said, �a very hard life.� Pacquiao knows that as well as anyone, having grown up in abject poverty on the island of Mindanao. And he has never forgotten it, which is probably why he has given away millions of dollars and much of his time to help the poor. For example, he interrupted his training regimen last month to help in the recovery effort after the typhoons. Thus, his people can relate to him because he understands their plight and admire him for his generosity. And the fact he is humble in spite of his remarkable success endears him to everyone, not just Filipinos. He seems to have a warm smile for all those he meets and never, ever has anything negative to say, not even about an opponent. He leaves the obligatory trash talk to his trainer, Freddie Roach. An example would be the final news conference on Wednesday. Said Pacquiao: �I don�t know what will happen in the fight but I will do my best to give a good fight. � I want to give the people enjoyment on that night and also the people who are watching in their homes. I respect Miguel Cotto�s team. They�re nice guys; they�re friendly. On Saturday, may the best man win.� That is humility. �A lot of people who become successful then become highfalutin,� said Bob Arum, Pacquiao�s promoter. �They lose touch with the people when they begin to read their own press clippings. Manny has stayed the same, humble, decent person he�s always been. �And they appreciate that. That�s definitely part of it.� Obviously, the fact Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 knockouts) has won his fights consistently also plays a role in his popularity. He won his first major title in 1998 and, if he beats Cotto, will have won belts in a record seven weight classes. Other Filipino fighters, such Flash Elorde, have reached the pinnacle of the sport but no one has approached Pacquiao�s prolonged success in spite of ever-increasing distractions that go with fame. �Longevity is part of this,� said Washington Post reporter Bill Branigin, who worked in the Philippines for five years and married a Filipina. �� So far he�s been able to focus on boxing even though he�s been pulled in so many directions. That�s impressive.� And with each victory, it seems, the reverence grows exponentially. This was particularly so when he stopped the sport�s biggest star -- Oscar De La Hoya � last December. He followed that with a spectacular one-punch knockout of Ricky Hatton that May, which removed any doubt as to whether he's a superstar. So what if he loses on Saturday? A country might go into mourning. �It's like the Philippines fighting a war against some foreign land (when Pacquiao fights),� said Migi Soriano, a university student in the Philippines. �Everybody is united and seems to fight with Manny. Manny's punch feels like every Filipino throwing a punch. Everytime Manny is cornered, Filipinos feel they are cornered. Every win brings a sense of hope, pride, and faith in our country. When Manny lost to (Erik) Morales, it felt like we had lost a great battle as a country. �It would feel like losing a war, as I have said. That's how big it is. He symbolizes all our strength as a country.� The people would still love him, though. He'll always be a hero. Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

Mosley-Berto set for Jan. 30

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:30:23 PST
Shane Mosley will fight Andre Berto in a welterweight title unification fight on Jan. 30 in Las Vegas on HBO, it will be formally announced on Saturday. Mosley, THE RING's No. 1-rated welterweight, had hoped to lure either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. into the ring but must settle for the undefeated, but lesser-known Berto. Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts) is coming off a spectacular ninth-round knockout of Antonio Margarito last January but has been unable to make a big fight. This is an important opportunity for Berto, whose reputation would receive a serious boost if he beats Mosley. Berto (25-0, 19 KOs) is coming off a one-sided decision over Juan Urango in May.

Dougie's mid-week mailbag

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:19:47 PST
CLUELESS Dougie, Nice article on both fighters and what each brings to the table. I'm completely clueless as to who is going to win. They say a good big man beats a good little man, but what about when the big guy is really good and the little guy is great? I'll throw a few bucks on Miguel Cotto since he's the underdog but I have a feeling that the Pacman's combination punching and his feet will win the night in a very entertaining and intense bout. Thanks for all the hard work Doug; you keep us hardcore boxing fans going through the slow weeks and help us get hyped for the big ones. -- Rob Thanks for the props and for your 2 cents, Rob. A good big man beats a good little man, but a great little man beats a good -- even a very good -- big man. Is Pacquiao great? I don�t know. If he beats Cotto -- particularly in impressive fashion -- he certainly is. I KNOW YOUR PICK Your pick is Miguel Cotto. It was so clear in your article! And I pick him, too. -- Christoy Don�t be too sure of that, Christoy. I really see this as an even fight, so when I was writing up why Cotto would win I convinced myself that he had it in the bag, but the same thing happened when I went over Pacquiao�s advantages. If you really want to know my advanced pick, check out the first edition of the RingTV show. At the end of that video feature RingTV.com co-editor Michael Rosenthal and I give our predictions. EQUAL CHANCE Dougie, Great article for what should be a great fight. As I see it, the man going backwards in the fight will lose (by knockout). Neither fighter fights well going backwards, although Cotto can do it better than Pacquiao. So will Pacquiao's speed drive Cotto backwards or will Cotto's welterweight size and strength force Pacquiao to the ropes? I don't know. Every fight after the David Diaz I have felt Pacquiao is going to hit a wall against a bigger opponent and every time I have been wrong. At some point that has to happen right? Whoever wins I am just excited it is finally happening... nothing better than an equal fight between two fighters in their prime. Take care. -- Paul Good points. I agree that the fighter who gives ground is at a disadvantage, although Cotto has proven to be able to do it against quality opposition (however, not against anyone as fast and unpredictable as Pacquiao). I think Cotto can use his greater strength to back Pacquiao up only if he gets his underrated jab going. I don�t think Pacquiao�s speed will back Cotto up, but I believe the southpaw can use it to catch the Boricua with blind shots that will rock and even drop the bigger man. Pacquiao didn�t hit a wall against De La Hoya because on top of being faded, Oscar took away his size advantage by following a ridiculous diet during camp and coming in way too light for that fight. Hatton couldn�t impose his size on Pacquiao because� well, he�s Ricky Hatton, he�s a hyper-active spaz who likes to throw punches from 10-feet out. Cotto�s a different story. He�s not faded, he�s not going to be weight drained (in fact, he�ll probably put on at 10 solid pounds after the weigh-in), and he certainly isn�t a spaz. PREDICTION TIME! Doug, Since you asked for predictions, I felt I should oblige. I think Pacman will control the early going with his speed and movement, troubling and turning Cotto. Cotto will keep coming forward and eventually begin to get his timing down. Cotto's body punching will stun and slow down Pacquiao, maybe even dropping him with a left hook to the body. Pacquiao will have his moments unloading with "umpteen ruddy punches" (I love that phrase). In the late rounds Cotto will take over, using his pressure, strength and combination punching to drive Pacquiao back to the ropes where he can unload, hurting (and if he lands some clean shots, dropping) Mighty Mouse. Cotto by UD in a Barn burner! -- Matthew Damn, what a fight! I got up from my desk chair and started cheering midway through your email, Matt. PACQUIAO MAY QUIT Dougie, I agree with what you wrote about the three fights in which the going got tough and Pacquiao looked like he wanted to get going. As much as I'm looking forward to this fight I totally can see a scenario in which Pacquiao either quits or Freddie pulls the plug. The last time Pac-man had to deal with real adversity in a fight he looked to me like he wanted out and Roach wouldn't let him. He's been beating talented, but hand picked guys for a while now and Cotto is a different beast. So I'm making the call. Cotto by TKO (Pac quitting or Roach throwing in the towel). One more thing - as much as it pains me to write this - David Haye beating John Ruiz is not a given. That's actually a tough first defense. -- J in FLA David Tua caught Ruiz cold in 1996 when both heavyweights were still prospects. Since then just about everyone else who stepped into the ring with the Quietman, save for Roy Jones and maybe James Toney, has had to go through hell. We�ll see how Haye handles a 37-year-old version of the New England vet. I�d be surprised if Roach had to throw in the towel and shocked if Pacquiao quit, but if the Filipino icon gets cut I do expect him to be taken out of his game from anywhere to a minute to a couple of rounds. All fighters, even the elite, handle cuts differently. Some can fight through the blood, but most are bothered by it. Pacquiao falls into the majority. PICKIN' THE PACMAN I'm picking Pac because I look @ Cotto the same way I think team Pac and Top Rank see him, DAMAGED goods. I thought I was looking at post-traumatic stress disorder in the Clottey fight and think Cheatorito robbed us of a young superstar who's being put out to Pasteur in-house style. Here in Atlanta the fight has the buzz of a preliminary to Pacman vs Mayweather, and truthfully I'd rather see Pac v Valero Saturday night. Peace Doug. -- Kemet the JedI I think Cotto has lost a step, perhaps even regressed a bit, technically speaking, since the Margarito fight, but do not believe that fight ruined him. If Cotto were really ruined he wouldn�t have dominated second- (maybe third-)tier opponent like Michael Jennings or survived card-carrying badass like Clottey. Cotto�s got something left, I don�t know how much, but whatever he has, he�s going to throw it at Pacquiao Saturday night. I would never view Saturday�s showdown as a preliminary to a bout with Mayweather because for as long as Cotto-Pacquiao lasts it will be a FIGHT. Mayweather bouts are never fights and I doubt Mayweather will ever fight the PacMan. If Pacquiao-Valero ever happens that will be a dog fight. COTTO WINS WITH BODY ATTACK Doug, Great breakdown of the Cotto-Pac fight. I'm going with Cotto, I just think his body work will break Pac down. Pacquiao has improved his upper body movement with Roach, but he is still there to be hit to the body and I just don't like the way he jumps off-balance in with his shots. I picked Pac to beat both De La Hoya (who I've never been high on) and Hatton, but not for this one. It will be interesting to see what happens to Pac's popularity if he is soundly beaten. I think Roach will throw in the towel on this one. Peace. -- Steve Wow. Another prediction of Roach tossing in the towel. If that happens I�ll definitely have to credit you and J in Fla. I just don�t see it, though, but I can envision Cotto�s body attack breaking down the Pac-Monster. Cotto doesn�t just bust up the bodies of his opponents, he injures their arms and shoulders, too. And we all know that when Pacquiao is backed up to the ropes he goes into that high-guard defense that exposes his body and also presents his arms to his antagonist. We�ll see what happens. If Cotto is able to get to Pacquiao�s body there are going to be a lot of nervous Filipino fans in the MGM Grand�s Garden Arena. NICE NEUTRAL ANALYSIS Great neutral analysis if there is one. Two or was it three years ago Bob Arum said that there is only one fighter he would not put in front of Pacquiao and that was Cotto. I agreed with him. And yet two or three years later I also feel this is an even fight. I would like PacMan to win but I don�t think he is a favourite at all. It will be tough and might be a fight of the year. I was happy Haye won Saturday, that Valuev guy just doesn�t do enough for such a big guy. I thought he lost to Holyfield but no one seemed to care about that controversy at all. Haye-Arreola could be interesting and entertaining. -- Joe K. �Could be� entertaining? Man, that heavyweight fight has Foreman-Lyle (or perhaps Moorer-Cooper) written all over it. Let�s hope it happens sometime next year. I agree that Pacquiao-Cotto will be a tough night for both combatants and might be the fight of the year. WRONG ABOUT COTTO AND CUTS Hey Doug, I think you�re missing a point on the "what if he gets cut" issue on the Pacquiao-Cotto fight. Cotto had his worst cuts in the Clottey fight and I thought I saw him have seconnd thoughts when Clottey was jabbing his face. Cotto�s been cut before, but that last cut was the worst one, it was streaming into his vision. And I commend him for fighting through it. I thought Cotto won the Clottey fight not because of him being himself, he won that fight because Clottey didn't take advantage of Cotto's problem that time. Pacquiao's cut was always at its worse when it happened, but not once did quit. Take note on the first Morales fight, the referee asked him if he wanted to quit the fight. Pacquiao shook his head heavily, though that cut was grotesque. His cut against Marquez the second time around was a cut inside his eyelid, and we all know what happened in that fight. He still fought, he may not have beaten Marquez convincingly (I thought Marquez won that fight) but he won. Your assessment on "Why Cotto would win" is much more comprehensive including the "What ifs,� so I'm thinking your pick is Cotto. My pick is Pacquiao, solely on the look of their sparring partners. I'm not sure Cotto's getting a serious work from his sparring partners compared to the Pacman's. I hope this email makes it into your mailbag. Thanks! -- Richard Lopez-Pozas, Manila, Philippines You made it, Richard, and I�m glad to have ya. Don�t be so sure that I�m picking Cotto just because I presented a sound argument on why/how he can win the fight in my Monday column. I�m good at playing the Devil�s Advocate. Let�s be very clear on something: I did not write that Pacquiao is a "quitter" or that he considered quitting in the fights that he sustained cuts. I said he looked like he didn�t want to be there, and I�ll stand by that observation. Pacquiao�s a warrior and he ultimately behaved like a fighter in those three very tough fights versus Sanchez, Morales and Marquez. However, there were moments in each of those bouts -- and I recall them as clear as day -- when Pacquiao was frustrated and out of sorts. Each time he was cut, he became hyper-emotional. He reacted one of two ways, he either lashed out in reckless fashion (and got countered by his veteran antagonists) or he backed up in a defensive shell. I don�t think it�s a coincidence that Pacquiao went 1-1-1 (with his one victory a controversial split decision) in the fights where he suffered nasty cuts. I agree that Cotto was bothered by the blood that poured into his left eye for nine rounds versus Clottey (he repeatedly wiped face with his gloves during the fight and switched from an aggressive fight to a stick-and-move game), but the difference between the Puerto Rican star and Pacquiao is that Cotto kept his head. HAYE AND THE HARD PICK Hi Dougie, This is a bit late because I don't have the internet at home right now since I've just moved (had to wait until I got to the office!) So I've missed Monday's Mailbag, hopefully I'll make the midweek bag. I've been a huge fan of Haye since I first saw him fight at York Hall when I was younger and he was actually one of the reasons I got into boxing. I went along to the fight with family, knowing nothing about fighting and enjoyed his demolition so much I started following him and with that came a following of boxing in general. Anyway, I was incredibly happy when I he finally lifted the title. I think he is a fantastic and exciting fighter, although it was a close fight (I had it 115-113 for Haye). The problem was that Valuev didn't really land anything. Haye was too quick for him, although Haye didn't seem to throw enough punches. I think if he let his hands go a bit he could've got a shutout. He was just so fast. And to see him rock Valuev at the end just shows he has the power that so many people have doubted he'd carry up to heavyweight. That wasn't even a clean shot! Anyway, have you changed your opinion on him now? I know that you didn't rate Haye much. He didn't fight enough top fighters at cruiserweight, he jumped the queue to get his shot at heavyweight, he's brash, his technique is flawed, so many reasons I've seen you list. I mean Haye really struggled to make cruiserweight and did what he intended to do, unify the division then move up to heavyweight. Haye's a smart guy with a smart plan, he's an exciting fighter who isn't hanging around. He's said he wants to retire at 31, he doesn't want to keep going. Obviously he has a plan and his own promotion company to make a big enough name for himself, give it momentum and go from there. Basically he's doing what Mayweather is trying to do, but he's doing it the right way, i.e. gaining fans through fighting the best. I can't knock the guy. Also his technique is massively underrated, he's got a good amateur pedigree and I think the reason he gets away with his style of fighting is because he is so talented. Regardless, the man can absolutely bang so I don't think it matters. Honestly, I don't think there's a heavyweight out there aside from Vitali that would survive a flush Haye shot on the chin! Anyway, I'm waffling... Pacquiao-Cotto... MAN IS THIS HARD TO PREDICT! My head is saying Cotto will be too big, too strong and have too much savvy for Pac-Man. I can just imagine Cotto walking Pacquiao to the ropes and if he gets him there it is game over. Cotto will smash him to bits and Pacquiao just can't fight off the ropes... But then my heart says look how good Pacquiao has been in his last few fights. This man has no limits! Still, I think I'm gonna go with Cotto via a late stoppage. I just think eventually Cotto will get him against the ropes and when he does those body shots are gonna kill the Pinoy King! Hope to hear back from you, my man! Always a pleasure to read your articles and mailbags. Kind Regards. -- Marcus B., London, I also scored the Valuev-Haye fight 115-113 for the former cruiserweight king for the reasons you pointed out -- Haye could land the few shots he launched while the giant was pretty much rendered impudent by the smaller man�s speed and movement. The Valuev victory has changed my opinion on Haye. I consider him to be a legit heavyweight contender now and I have more confidence in his boxing ability and stamina than I did before he took on the giant. I don�t consider him to be the world-beater at heavyweight that you do, but I�ll at least give him a shot against other top big men now (though not the Klitschkos). Man, I can�t believe how many fans are picking Cotto by KO or TKO (or by Pacquiao quitting). Where are you Pac-Fans!? I think it�s time to make some noise. The hardcore heads are doubting your hero. OUR MAN HAYE Hi Dougie, Quick point about our man David Haye, regardless of what you think of his promotional activities there was defiantly a buzz here in the UK around fight week. For the first time in a long time Joe public was interested in boxing. It has a carry on effect though, I�m a boxing freak and I�ll watch pretty much anything, but it was interesting to have people who I know aren�t boxing fans telling me that there is �another� fight on this week with that �Pacquiao lad� and asking my opinion. The simple equation is that good fights bring new fans and it�s great to see. On the Pacquio Cotto fight, I can see a late stoppage win for Cotto, I think Manny may be in over his head on this one. Keep up the great work. -- David, Liverpool, UK If your man Haye is making new boxing fans I�m more than happy to get behind him. If he takes on fellow exciting big men like Chris Arreola and Tomasz Adamek I�ll become a Haye fan (whether he wins or loses those scraps). Here we go again with the late TKO prediction for Cotto. (And from another Brit� hey you guys aren�t still mad the Pac-Monster decapitated Ricky, are you?) OK, seriously. If you�re picking Pacquiao you need to let me know before the FAT Friday Mailbag. Dougie can be reached at dougiefischer@yahoo.com

Dougie's MASSIVE Monday mailbag

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:28:15 PST
DAWSON IMPRESSIVE BUT LACKLUSTER Hello Dougie, I thought Chad Dawson looked impressive in his one-sided win over Glen Johnson, which was what I expected. The sad thing is I wasn't surprised that it was so boring. While Dawson is an amazing talent he sold himself short against Johnson in front of his home crowd. Dawson could have stopped Johnson had he let his hands go more. Johnson couldn't even find him. He looked flatout old, but Dawson instead decided to put on a boxing clinic. While he was able to demonstrate his skill in a boxing match he isn't going to gain the kind of following he thinks he deserves. I would have expected him to want to put on a hell of a fight in his backyard but I doubt his win Saturday will help him sell tickets in the future. I'm glad David Haye beat Nikolai Valuev. At least no one will need to see Ruiz vs Valuev III. Hopefully, if Haye KO's him in a title defense we'll never hear from him again. I know this fight probably won't happen, but I�d love to watch Haye and Adamek go at it at heavyweight. I would have liked to see it happen at cruiserweight, but now that they�re back in the same division I don't see why not. Maybe the winner of that fight can face one of the Klitschkos. Your thoughts? -- Michael I guarantee you that Haye-Adamek would be a fight of the year candidate (and when was the last time a heavyweight bout was one of the top scraps of the year?). I think it�s a showdown that very well could take place next year -- in NYC, New Jersey or London -- because both fighters will bring in fans, there�s decent money they can split up, and the media will likely get behind the winner as a legit challenge to either Klitschko. Of course, before Haye can look forward to future high-profile challenges, he first has to defend his shiny new WBA belt vs. the Quietman, which is never easy. But who knows? Maybe Haye will look spectacular against Ruiz. The fighters who have spanked the New Englander in recent years were talented dudes who came up in weight (Roy Jones and James Toney). I can envision Haye boxing Ruiz in much the same fashion that Jones did, but with more power and aggression. If Haye KOs Ruiz, he�ll win a lot of fans in the U.S. I was also both impressed and bored to tears by the boxing clinic Dawson put on Johnson, but I never expected the young gun to go for the knockout against the 40-year-old vet. Why? Because I know that Johnson has one of the best chins in the business. The man hadn�t been dropped in 63 pro fights going into Saturday�s rematch. I�ve never seen Johnson so much as wobbled, not even during his one stoppage loss to Bernard Hopkins back in 1997. If Dawson had visibly stunned or dropped Johnson at some point during their rematch I would agree with you that he should have gunned for a stoppage, but boxing in a more aggressive manner Saturday night would have just given the old man his one opportunity to turn the fight. No, Saturday�s win probably didn�t increase Dawson�s marketability but fights with fellow young guns Tavoris Cloud and Jean Pascal will. NO WAY HAYE Wassup Doug, I watched the Haye-Valuev fight in a packed pub last night. There were probably the best part of 100 people in there (it wasn't a big pub), and not a single one of us had Haye winning the fight. Of course we were delighted, and cheered when he got the decision, because we wanted him to win, but we all felt a sense of annoyance at the decision and a bit of guilt for Valuev. The man must have been seriously p_ssed off at losing his world title like that. The general consensus, over several subsequent pints of lager, was that it was a Don King decision. This p_ssed me off the most, because as a boxing fan I thought (maybe naively) that the sport was past that. I was a tiny bit inebriated by the time the first bell rung so maybe I'll see it differently if I watch it again, and the fight report on this website doesn't make any mention of the result being controversial, but if I was Valuev I'd tell John Ruiz to get lost (and we'd all agree) and demand a rematch as soon as possible. One last thing - if Carl Froch wins the Super-Six I think you should cut off your pony tail. I wouldn't worry too much though. All the best. -- Tom, Oxford, England I think my pony tail is safe, Tom. Mikkel Kessler will see to that. As for the Valuev-Haye fight, I have to point that while I'm all for drinking beer -- especially while watching boxing -- I don't think mixing alcohol and trying to score a fight is a good idea. I don't think the decision rendered Saturday was a robbery, and I seriously doubt it was a "Don King" decision since his Hairness co-promotes Valuev and doesn't have a piece of Haye. I thought it was a close fight. I scored it 115-113 (or seven round to five) for Haye, but I thought a draw would have been fair. Valuev wasn�t effective enough to win the fight but Haye didn�t do enough to take the title. If Haye hadn�t caught the giant with that hook in the final round the fight would have been absolutely uneventful. However, I�ve got to give Haye a little bit of props. I didn�t think he could box a disciplined stick-and-move fight, and he did. I didn�t think he had the stamina to avoid Valuev�s pressure for 12 rounds. I was wrong. He out-pointed (narrowly in my opinion) a fighter I thought would gradually grind him down to a late stoppage. So while I was under-whelmed by his overall performance, I was impressed with his ability. He�s got a cooler head under fire than I though he did. Well done, Mr. Haye, maybe you�re not Jeremy Williams with a British accent. FEEDBACK ON DAWSON-JOHNSON What's crackin' Dougie? Just read Dan Rafael's piece on ESPN and I really think that Dawson deserves more credit for his showing Saturday night rather than criticism. He did what he needed to do to get the �W,� and did so in rather convincing fashion, in my opinion. You can't fault a guy for not going for the kill when it's obvious that he's putting himself at (unnecessary) risk in doing so. Johnson is one of the most rugged fighters out there and he surely packs a wallop. Dawson and his team knew this and fought accordingly. I'm getting a little tired of people just clamoring for the KO. Yes, it's great when it happens, but a guy like Rafael should know better than to fault Chad for not trying to KO or be KO'd. -- Vinod I don�t think The Notorious D.A.N. disrespected Dawson. Rafael clearly respects Dawson�s skill and talent, he even suggested that the light heavyweight is pound-for-pound material, but he wanted to state in his post-bout article what most fans watching live and on TV were thinking during the fight: that it was a boring contest. There�s nothing wrong with what Rafael wrote. That�s called keepin� it real. And he didn�t blast Dawson for not scoring, or going for, the KO. He just wanted the faster and younger man (by 13 years) to press the issue a little more. Dawson would have these occasional offensive flare ups that forced Johnson into a defensive shell and even backed the hardnosed veteran up a few times, but then the young gun would back off and move and pose for the rest of the round. What are fans and boxing writers supposed to do during those moments of inaction? Stand up and applaud? IS HAYE GOOD FOR THE HEAVYWEIGHTS? Hey Dougie, I wanted to get your thoughts on David Haye and what kind of attraction and excitement he could now bring to the heavyweight marketplace now that he has a piece of the heavyweight titles. I viewed the dull, but necessary strategy he employed against Valuev as exactly what the heavyweight division needed. We all can appreciate the dominance of the two Klitchkos, but let�s face it they're style isn't the most exciting thing in the world to watch. With that said I believe Haye will come into his defense against Ruiz in terrific shape, much like he was on Saturday, but hopefully taking more risks to land big shots, thus generating the exciting heavyweight fight we've been overdue for. Anyway, I�d love to hear what you think about all this and the impact Haye will make as a heavyweight titlist, take it easy and keep up the amazing work! � Blake Catanzano, Union City, CA If Haye can recapture his normally offensive-minded style vs. the Quietman and win in exciting fashion, he will not only further his claim as a legit beltholder and heavyweight contender (because Ruiz is still dangerous), he will become the straw that mixes the drink of the sport�s former glamour division. Haye�s title defenses against Chris Arreola and Tomasz Adamek would generate major interest in the U.S. and Europe, and there�s no way those fights wouldn�t be shootouts. If Haye were to come out on top in those slugfests he would probably emerge as a brighter star than the Klitschkos and a showdown with either brother would be the biggest heavyweight fight since Lewis-Tyson. Dougie can be reached at dougiefischer@yahoo.com

Martinez follows in proud tradition

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:39:27 PST
It�s hard not to be happy for Sergio Martinez at the news that he will step in for the intractably infected Kelly Pavlik and face Paul Williams in December. If anyone deserves a big fight and a chance at boxing stardom it is Martinez, who seemed to appear out of nowhere when he dazzled against Alex Bunema and then Kermit Cintron. If you haven�t seen Martinez in action, don�t be fooled by the perfect orthodontia and a smile that suggests long hours spent on tranquil beaches populated with admiring, thong-wearing super models. He may look like a pretty boy, but he can fight. It�s in his blood, after all. Though he lives in Spain, he was born in Argentina, which boasts a rich history of excellent prizefighters whose ranks Martinez aims to join. There haven�t been a lot of legitimately great Argentine fighters; the rule seems to be when they are good, they are very good. But there have been many memorable ones. Here�s a rundown. Carlos Monzon, World Middleweight Champion We Remember Him: He went unbeaten over the last 13 years of his career, made 14 title defenses and retired world champion. What else do you want? High Point: When he starched Italian hero Nino Benvenuti in 1970 to win the title. Low Point: When Argentine courts convicted him of killing his common-law wife in 1989. Postscript: Killed in car crash in 1995. Victor Galindez, WBA Light Heavyweight Titleholder Why We Remember Him: He was a bull-strong and clever belt holder whose globe-trotting title reign ended right before the division�s Golden Age. High Point: When he stopped Len Hutchins in 13 rounds to win the vacant title in 1974. Low Point: When the criminally under-talented Mike Rossman knocked him out and dethroned him in 1978. Postscript: Killed in car crash in 1980. Luis Angel Firpo, Heavyweight Contender Why We Remember Him: He knocked Jack Dempsey out of the ring. High Point: When he knocked Jack Dempsey out of the ring. Duh. Low Point: When Dempsey climbed back into the ring and knocked him down like 117 times. Postscript: Did you know he stopped Jess Willard in Willard�s last fight? Pasqual Perez, World Flyweight Champion Why We Remember Him: He�s one of the best flyweights ever and was the first Argentine to win a world title. High Point: When he dethroned durable champ Yoshio Shirai in Shirai�s own backyard in 1954. Low Point: When he realized he was 4-11 and was as big as he was ever going to get. Postscript: Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995. Niccolino Locche, World Junior Welterweight Champion Why We Remember Him: He was known alternately by his nickname "El Intocable" ("The Untouchable"), or the Argentine Willie Pep. Enough said. High Point: When he so frustrated Takeshi Fuji in their title bout in 1968 that Fuji refused to come out for the 10th round. Low Point: Losing the title to the ordinary Alfonso Frazier. Postscript: Smoked cigarettes throughout his career and still lived until the age of 70. That�s called winning. Juan Roldan, Middleweight Contender Why We Remember Him: Because he tripped Marvin Hagler and almost knocked out Thomas Hearns. High Point: When he stopped Frank �The Animal� Fletcher in the sixth round. Low Point: When powder-puff puncher Michael Nunn stopped him in 1988. Postscript: Was a middleweight Firpo. Juan Coggi, WBA Junior Welterweight Titleholder Why We Remember Him: Because the worst memories are often the hardest to forget. High Point: Beating Patrizio Oliva for the title in 1987. Low Point: When he was dethroned by the utterly forgettable Loreto Garza. Postscript: Whatever he�s doing right now, you can bet it looks awkward. Jorge Castro, WBA Middleweight Titleholder Why We Remember Him: He has more wins -- 130 -- than Gary Shaw has chins. High Point: His 1994 KO of John David Jackson, which was The Ring�s Fight of the Year. Low Point: 2001 loss to Imamu Mayfield, possibly the worst cruiserweight in the history of 190-pound men. Postscript: Is a huge star in Argentina, but, inexplicably, couldn�t get arrested in the U.S. if he tried. Hugo Corro, Middleweight World Champion Why We Remember Him: Because Vito Antuofermo beat him for the title and we all loved Vito. High Point: When he managed somehow to twice beat the very good Rodrigo Valdez. Low Point: When he decided to become a fighter. Postscript: Died in 2007 of undisclosed causes. Carlos Baldomir, Welterweight World Champion Why We Remember Him: Because Emanuel Steward always calls him �Carlos Baltimore.� High Point: When he upset Zab Judah for the title. Low Point: When he didn�t land a punch on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 12 rounds and wouldn�t have if they fought 100 more. Postscript: Of course he�s fighting again. What did you expect? Gregorio Peralta Why We Remember Him: He was a very serviceable light heavyweight and heavyweight contender in the late 1960s and early �70s. High Point: Giving a scare to up-and-coming heavyweight George Foreman in 1970. Low Point: Getting stopped in the 10th round by Foreman in their rematch. Postscript: Is probably the only fighter in history to have lost to both Foreman and Willie Pastrano, who stopped Peralta on cuts in a 1964 light heavyweight title bout. Pedro Lovell Why We Remember Him: He was �Spider Rico� in the first �Rocky� movie in 1976. High Point: When he passed the audition. Low Point: When Ken Norton destroyed him in 1976. Postscript: Reprized his role as Rico in �Rocky Balboa,� released in 2006. Oscar Bonavena, Heavyweight contender Why We Remember Him: He was Ringo! High Point: When he gave a young Joe Frazier hell in 1966. Low Point: When he made it into the 15th round with Muhammad Ali only to get stopped. Postscript: Was shot and killed outside a whorehouse near Reno, Nevada in 1976. Some random observations from last week: Now that he's squeaked by Nikolai Valuev, it will be interesting to see whether David Haye agrees to meet John Ruiz, who, in reward for all the really wonderful work he's done in the ring over the last year, is Haye's alphabet mandatory. ... Dullest 24/7. Ever. ... How come Chad Dawson moves like a cat in the ring, but when he's doing roadwork, it looks like he has polio? ... Call me crazy, but I've gotten to the point where I actually look forward to Emanuel Steward saying one fighter's punches are "crispier" than the other's. ... Harry Yorgey's fighting spirit dwarfs his skill set, which is not a good thing. For starters, someone has to teach him how to move his head. He was a sitting duck for Alfredo Angulo's haymakers. ... In case you missed it, the WBC has decreed that Chris Arreloa is not permitted to �compete� for a period of six months. His crime? Using a certain four-letter word (rhymes with buck) on camera after his loss to Vitali Klitschko. Coincidentally, it�s the same term all WBC titleholders are known to utter when they see how much Jose Sulaiman has extracted from their purses in �sanctioning fees.� You have to sit back in awe at the cojones on these guys. Arreola will fight as scheduled in December regardless, reportedly against either Brian Minto or Derric Rossy. I�m hoping for Minto, as I�ve seen enough of Rossy to know he fights about as well as Ricky Hatton tans. Minto might at least make it fun while it lasts. � Fighters in general should avoid singing whenever possible, and if they must, it must never be �Sometimes When We Touch,� quite possibly the sappiest and crappiest love song ever written. Shame on Manny Pacquiao for reminding us of that regrettable dirge during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Is that what passes for music in the Philippines? And what�s next, Miguel Cotto on Letterman singing �Don�t Give Up On Us Baby�? David Soul would be mortified, and so would we. � Back to the WBC: Have you heard? Oleg Maskaev and Ray Austin will meet to decide who will become Vitali Klitschko�s mandatory, assuming Klitschko beats Kevin Johnson. I haven�t smelled anything so foul since my days as a Roto-Rooter man. Bill Dettloff can be reached at dettloff@ptd.net

Pacquiao and Cotto have an equal chance to win Saturday's showdown

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:36:23 PST
Being a fulltime boxing writer is, for the most part, a great gig. The athletes I write about for RingTV.com are fascinating -- often inspirational -- personalities, and some of the events I get to cover are right out of a hardcore fight fan�s dream. The welterweight showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, which takes place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this Saturday, is a prime example. I�m going to be ringside to witness the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter take on one of the best welterweights in an atmosphere that will be akin to a World Cup final. So what�s the drawback of being a fight scribe? There really aren�t any, but a slight pain in my butt is the expectation from fans and fellow journalists to pick the winner before every major fight. Usually it�s no big deal, but every now and then we�re lucky enough to get a match between world-class fighters that�s too close to make a clear call. That�s what we have with Cotto vs. Pacquiao. Folks, this is an even matchup between classy fighters I admire so much that trying to predict the outcome actually takes away from the enjoyment of the fight. Sadly, if I just call the fight a �pick-�em� contest and leave it at that the message board freaks will say I�m �hedging� or �waffling.� Whatever. The truth is that both Pacquiao and Cotto have an equal chance to win Saturday�s fight and I�m going to tell you why, starting with the Filipino icon. WHY PACQUIAO WILL WIN Pacquiao�s keys to victory are obvious ones -- his speed and style. Cotto has many impressive physical tools, but quickness isn�t one of them. While it�s true the two-division titleholder has proven his ability to cope with faster fighters. I don�t know whether he�s ever dealt with a speed demon of Pacquiao�s caliber. Cotto has faced two fighters possessing hand speed that is comparable to Pacquiao�s -- Zab Judah and Shane Mosley, both of whom he beat in 2007. What doesn�t bode well for Cotto is that Judah, who isn�t in Pacquiao�s league, repeatedly nailed and rocked him during the first half of their entertaining scrap. Many ringsiders believed that Mosley, who is in Pacquiao�s league, competed well enough with Cotto to deserve a draw. Some fans and members of the press thought Mosley did enough to win the fight by a point or two. So while it�s true that Cotto has the skills to compete with faster fighters, it�s clear that he struggles when faced with ultra-talented speed merchants. Unfortunately for Cotto, Pacquiao is a far more complete fighter than Judah and, unlike Mosley, he�s also in his prime. However, it�s not just the velocity of Pacquiao�s punches that will cause Cotto all kinds of trouble; it�s the various angles from which the pound-for-pound king will deliver his blistering combinations. Under Freddie Roach�s guidance, Pacquiao has developed into a complete boxer with a full arsenal at his disposal, and the dynamic southpaw can reach into his bag of veteran tricks to unleash jabs, right hooks, lead lefts, uppercuts, body shots or head and foot feints at the speed of thought. Adding defense and additional angles to Pacquiao�s upper-body offense is his frenetic footwork. The Pac-Man�s feet are just as fast as his fists and his fluid in-and-out movement have made him one of the most devastating stick-and-move specialists of the decade. Bottom line: Pacquiao is very hard to time and almost impossible to predict. Can the same be said of Cotto? I think not. However, Cotto has a lot going for him in this fight. WHY COTTO WILL WIN Like Pacquiao, Cotto�s advantages are obvious ones: his size, physical strength, savvy and versatility. Cotto is no more than an inch and a half taller than Pacquiao and his reach is equal to or even shorter than the naturally smaller man. However, the Puerto Rican star is a real welterweight; Pacquiao isn�t. While it�s true Pacquiao has fought at welterweight once before and looked spectacular taking apart Oscar De La Hoya last December, we all know that he faced a faded, weight-drained veteran, and he had to train on protein shakes just to tip the scales at 142 pounds. Roach is the first to admit that junior welterweight, where Pacquiao holds THE RING world title, is the best division for his fighter. �He had two full meals before the (Ricky) Hatton weigh-in and he still only weighed in at 138 pounds,� Roach said recently. Cotto competed in the 139-pound division during the final years of his amateur career, when he was still a teen-ager. He struggled mightily to make the 140-pound limit as a young pro before he finally stepped up to the welterweight division in December of 2006. I don�t have to tell RingTV.com readers that Cotto has looked much sturdier at 147 pounds than he did at junior welterweight. Cotto is used to banging with much bigger men than Pacquiao and he has exhibited the physical strength to muscle junior middleweight-sized fighters to the ropes. If Cotto can back Pacquiao to the ropes, he has the power and accuracy to seriously hurt the 140-pound champ. I�ve witnessed more than a few sparring sessions in which rugged fighters who were lighter than Cotto backed Pacquiao to the ropes and put heavy hands on the Pinoy hero. Former lightweight contender Jose Armando Santa Cruz did it more than once prior to Pacquiao�s fight with Jorge Solis in 2007. Once-beaten lightweight Urbano Antillon did it in a number of gym sessions during Pacquiao�s camp for Hatton. Cruz and Antillon are tough hombres but they don�t punch as accurately or as hard as Cotto does. Pacquiao�s fans can make the argument that their man often holds back in sparring sessions, and I agree with this point, but there�s evidence in his fights that he�s vulnerable along the ropes. Erik Morales landed his best shots when Pacquiao�s back was to the ropes. I recall a natural junior featherweight, Oscar Larios, putting Pacquiao on Queer Street for a scary split second or two during their 130-pound bout in 2006. Larios landed his near-history-changing left hook while Pacquiao was playing around on the ropes. If Cotto gets Pacquiao in the same position and lands his hook in the same spot, forget about it, the fight�s over. But Cotto has more than a puncher�s chance in Saturday�s contest. He has the kind of guile, savvy and versatility that only comes from quality experience. No, Cotto is not as seasoned as Pacquiao, nor has he faced as many elite fighters as the six-division titleholder has, but he�s as experienced against top fighters as a 29-year-old boxer can be. In less than 10 years in the pro game, Cotto has faced 11 titleholders, five of whom were undefeated and three of whom were Top-5 RING-ranked contenders at the time he fought them. Cotto�s one-sided stoppages of Carlos Quintana and Carlos Massua, his slugfests with Ricardo Torres and Judah, and his 12-round battles with Mosley and Joshua Clottey have shown us the kind of fighter and man he is. He�s a formidable boxer-puncher with clean technique, accurate combinations, underrated counter-punching ability and a devastating body attack. He�s doesn�t have the best set of whiskers but his heart is truly world-class. Cotto will not wilt in the face of adversity. Some fools have had the gall to say Cotto quit in his lone loss to Antonio Margarito last July. That�s absolute garbage. Cotto, who boxed brilliantly for five rounds and fought valiantly for the next five, was literally beaten into submission by the iron-chinned Margarito, whose gloves might have been loaded. Cotto does not quit when the going gets tough. Even when he�s partially blinded by a gruesome cut over one of his eyes, as he was in his tough fight with Clottey in June, the man finds a way to win. Can the same be said about Pacquiao? I�m not 100 percent sure. The hardest fights I�ve covered of Pacquiao�s was his technical draw with the late Agapito Sanchez in 2001, his points loss to Morales in 2005 and his split-decision over Juan Manuel Marquez last March. In each of those bouts, Pacquiao suffered nasty gashes over one of his eyes and -- I know I�m going to piss off his legion of fans with what I�m about to suggest next, but so be it -- there were moments after he was cut in all three of those bouts when it looked like he didn�t want to be in the ring. What if Pacquiao suffers a cut against a fighter as big and confident as Cotto? It may very well happen, folks. Pacquiao is a southpaw who jumps in with his punches and Cotto is an orthodox fighter who often leans his head forward when he lets his hands go. If Pacquiao gets cut during Saturday�s fight, will he regress into the emotional one-armed bandit he used to be? Can he afford to have a round, or even half a round, when he seems lost or confused because of the flow of blood obstructing his vision? Food for thought. PREDICTION: I�ve got one but I�m not letting it out of the bag yet. I want to enjoy the anticipation of an excellent matchup without picking a winner for a few days. Don�t worry, I�ll give my prediction by Friday�s mailbag, or maybe even after the weigh-in, but I want to hear what you think first. Doug Fischer can be reached at dougiefischer@yahoo.com

Weekend Review: Haye's big night

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:02:42 PST
BIGGEST WINNER David Haye: The Londoner is one bright guy if he planned all this out. He garnered valuable publicity by agreeing to fight both Klitschko brothers and then pulled out each time, landed a fight with the only non-Klitschko titleholder and walked away with a belt on Saturday night. I wasn�t overly impressed with his performance against Nikolai Valuev on Saturday in Germany. I didn�t think he threw enough punches for the belt to change hands, although he claims to have injured his right hand early in the fight. That said, he won the decision and is now in position to make a lot of money. He might have to fight mandatory challenger John Ruiz, which would be a disaster for the sport. He could again pursue the Klitschkos, which would earn him a ridiculous amount of money for a title-unification bout. I don�t think he could beat either Klitschko, though. The opponent I like best for Haye is Tomasz Adamek, who would make for a thrilling fight. Bottom line: Haye has many options. BIGGEST LOSER Nikolai Valuev: The Russian giant couldn�t do much more than he did on Saturday, stalking Haye from beginning to end and throwing enough punches to give himself a chance to win. This time, it didn�t work. Now, I wonder whether we�ll ever see him wearing a title belt again. I don�t see Haye fighting him again but he would be a marketable opponent for one of the Klitschkos, particularly in their common base of Germany. Valuev, 36, was never more than a decent heavyweight -� in spite of only two losses -- but he did extremely well for his size and limited athleticism. He has good boxing fundamentals and comes prepared to fight each time out. He should be proud of his accomplishments. WORST MANDATORY Haye vs. Ruiz: This is just one of myriad of examples of how sanctioning bodies hurt boxing. Haye�s mandatory challenger after taking Valuev�s WBA belt is Ruiz, who is capable but not by any stretch the top heavyweight contender in the world and a boring fighter to boot. Who wants to see that fight? No one outside Ruiz�s family and camp. Haye on Saturday pumped some life into the heavyweight division that will be sucked right back out if he fights Ruiz. Instead, Haye should be allowed to build on his momentum by facing one of the Klitschko brothers or Adamek in fights the fans would fully embrace. I could think of many others I�d rather see Haye fight than Ruiz. Why torture fans when the sport is struggling to build its fan base? BIGGEST WINNER II Chad Dawson: Many of us considered Chad Dawson the best light heavyweight in the world going into his fight against Glen Johnson on Saturday in Hartford, Conn. He strengthened his case by beating a very good, well-conditioned opponent for the second time in convincing fashion. He probably will never be a thrilling fighter because he�s a boxer first and a slugger somewhere down the list. However, he did show at various times in the fight the damage he can inflict when he is aggressive. Maybe he�ll become more of a crowd pleaser as his confidence continues to grow, as his trainer suggested. His problem will be finding an opponent who will stir interest. Tavoris Cloud and Jean Pascal might be his best options. Beyond that, it might take a current 168-pounder to move in weight to create some excitement at 175 pounds. BIGGEST LOSER II Glen Johnson: Johnson is no way a loser. The man has always handled himself with grace outside the ring and like a champion in it. He had only one great stretch in his career �- when he beat Clinton Woods, Roy Jones Jr. and Antonio Tarver in succession in 2004 -� but has been very difficult to beat regardless of opponent for most of the past 15 years. On Saturday, the Jamaican-born Floridian was beaten convincingly but still gave one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world a decent fight at 40 years old. He talked about retirement immediately afterward but could remain a contender for years if he wants to. I suspect he�s not finished. MOST-UNUSUAL REMATCH Diaz vs. Malignaggi: I don�t think the Juan Diaz-Paulie Malignaggi rematch on Dec. 12 in Chicago would�ve taken place if it weren�t for two things �- Malignaggi�s mouth and Gale Van Hoy�s ridiculous score of 118-110 in Diaz�s favor in their first meeting. Malignaggi said beforehand that he wouldn�t get a fair decision in Diaz�s hometown of Houston and then served up a gripping diatribe in the ring after it appeared he was right, particularly in reference to Van Hoy�s scoring in an obviously close fight. I don�t think many people were clamoring to see the first fight but the rematch appears to be more compelling. It�s amazing how far a little controversy can go. WORST IDEA The WBC has decided in its great wisdom and moral clarity that it wants to ban the fathers of fighters from working their corners because of a study that suggests it could lead to fatalities. The last time I checked, both Mexico, where the sanctioning body is based, and the United States were free countries. It is up to the father and son to weigh the risks of sharing a corner and then make a decision. It should not be up to anyone else, particularly a sleazy organization that extorts money from fighters and their handlers for dubious services rendered on a regular basis. I have a better idea: Ban the WBC. That undoubtedly would benefit the sport as a whole. MOST-INTRIGUING PROSPECT A fight at Cowboys Stadium: Promoter Bob Arum and stadium officials have discussed staging a fight at the new football facility in Dallas. He said over lunch last week that he envisions Manny Pacquiao facing Juan Manuel Marquez there in the spring if the Filipino beats Miguel Cotto on Saturday in Las Vegas. He said a co-feature might be Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. John Duddy. Two Mexicans undoubtedly would attract many of the sport�s fiercest fans to the event. I�d rather see Pacquiao face Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Shane Mosley, though. Arum reportedly said that Maywather could be Pacquiao�s opponent in Dallas but also has said repeatedly that he doesn�t believe Pacquiao and Mayweather can come to terms, at least not in the near future. BEST QUOTE Haye: "It was like punching a brick wall," said Haye, referring to a punch to the head of Valuev in the early rounds that apparently injured his hand.

Dawson makes a statement against Johnson

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:29:30 PST
Glen Johnson (left) seems to get the worst of this exchange with Chad Dawson on Saturday night in Hartford, Conn. Photo / Naoki Fukuda HARTFORD, Conn. � Chad Dawson was looking for the chance to show what he is truly capable of, the chance to show he�s indeed the No. 1 light heavyweight in the world. While Glen Johnson had fans crying on his shoulder in airports, lamenting his controversial loss to �Bad Chad� in April of last year, Dawson was stuck with an Antonio Tarver rematch that no one wanted to see and would prove very little. And Bernard Hopkins didn�t show any interest in Dawson (�Who�s Chad Dawson, why would I want to fight him, he�s not a name,� Hopkins once said). Maybe it�s time �The Executioner� reconsider. Maybe it�s time boxing take a closer look at Dawson. Dawson (29-0, 17 knockouts) came closer to delivering a more robust side of himself before 5,230 Saturday night at Hartford�s XL Center. He pelted the 40-year-old Johnson with a variety of rights and lefts, from all kinds of angles. He tripled-up, sometimes quadrupled-up his jab. He was emphatic, accurate and even sporadically exciting in dismantling a wily veteran who suddenly looked his age. The southpaw�s dominating performance was enough to win on all three judge�s scorecards, getting a 117-111 verdict from Glenn Feldman, while somehow Duane Ford and Michael Pernick saw a closer fight, each giving Dawson a 115-113 decision. THE RING was more in line with Feldman, scoring it 118-110 for Dawson. Entering the night, Hopkins carried THE RING�s 175-pound No. 1 ranking. By the end, that�s an arguable distinction. This rematch was nowhere near as close as the first fight. Dawson was never in any trouble against Johnson (49-13-2, 33 KOs), controlling the fight from start to finish. It could�ve been a case of Johnson aging rapidly because he seemed terribly slow at times, unable to hit Dawson with punches that connected in their first meeting 19 months ago. It also could�ve been a case of a more-confident Dawson wanting to make a statement. Johnson picked up the pace in the sixth round, his best to that point, but Dawson was still more effective throughout. There were times when Dawson fell into his comfort zone, flicking his jab instead putting his weight behind his punches. The pro-Dawson crowd even booed in the seventh. But Dawson quickly changed the pace, strafing Johnson once again in the eighth with a machine-run jab and heavy punches to the body. All Johnson was able to do was paw at the 27 year old. There was a little one-upmanship between the ninth and 10th rounds, when Dawson refused to give ground to Johnson after the bell ended the round, allowing Johnson back into his corner. Dawson can still be a maddening tease, jarring opponents, rocking them back -- then letting up. There were still some cases of that against Johnson Saturday night, especially in the 10th, when he had Johnson on the defensive and then walked away. Think a poor-man�s Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a larger package. Afterward, Johnson left his future in boxing open. He didn�t dispute the decision, as he did so vehemently the first time he met Dawson. �I�m not sure I won the fight, but I thought I did enough, especially in the late runs,� Johnson said afterwards �He started running and I wanted to slow him down with body shots. I don�t know whether I�ll retire or not. I�ll see what phone calls I get and what makes sense. If nothing comes up worthwhile, I�ll retire. My whole game was to put pressure on him from the start. I thought I could run him out of gas, which I thought he was at the end.� Dawson, fighting his home state, has the ability to be a much more pleasing fighter. He showed signs of that Saturday night. �I tried to use all of the tools to my advantage tonight,� Dawson said. �I tried to land the big punches when I had to. It was important for me to put on a show for my hometown fans. I knew I couldn�t stay in there and get hit.� But can Dawson ever change? Can he break that dominating, but not-pleasing tag? �I think that�s who Chad Dawson is, I compare him to Mayweather, and I think he�s in the Top 5 pound for pound,� said Gary Shaw, Dawson�s promoter. �He has lightning-fast hands, I just don�t understand why he doesn�t walk someone down. I still don�t think he has the confidence to take people out.� In the other televised bout, Alfredo Angulo stopped the game, but clearly overmatched Harry Joe Yorgey at 1:03 of the third round for some bogus junior middleweight alphabet interim title. Yorgey (22-1-1, 10 KOs) did a nice job in the opening round, showing good movement early. He struck Angulo with a few jabs and, after striking, boxed well enough to got out of the way. By the second round, the stalking Angulo (17-1, 14 KOs) found a comfortable distance. He trapped Yorgey against the ropes and clubbed him on the side of the head with a big right hand that got Yorgey in serious trouble. Yorgey finally fell under a barrage of rights. As the round continued, Yorgey was clearly out on his feet, stumbling behind referee John Callas, who didn�t see the trouble he was in. Angulo landed 52 of 81 power shots in the second round alone, and had connected on 58 of 108 through the first two rounds. Smelling blood and a fighter on wobbly legs, Angulo went in for the kill in the third, bashing Yorgey with a left hook to the chin and right to the head that dropped Yorgey for good. Callas finally waved it off, looking down at the unconscious Yorgey. �Once I started hurting him to the body, I knew the fight was going to be over,� Angulo said through a translator. �That�s when he put his hands down. That�s when I hurt him the most. That�s what started and finished this fight.� �I felt I won the first round, and I was beating him to the punch, but he kept coming,� a rather groggy Yorgey said afterward. �It was a shot to the back of the head that hurt me in the second round.� Yorgey�s camp felt Angulo should have been disqualified when their fighter was hit twice while he was on the ground. Joseph Santoliquito is the managing editor of THE RING magazine.

Haye outpoints Valuev by majority decision

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:53:32 PST
David Haye (right) connects with a hard right cross en route to his majority decision victory over Nikolai Valuev in Nuremberg, Germany on Saturday. Haye, who gave away nearly 100 pounds, wasn't as aggressive or active as he normally is, but he landed the cleaner punches and was generally the more effective fighter over 12 rounds. Photo / Chris Royle - Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions David Haye finally lived up to his heavyweight expectations by out-pointing 7-foot Nikolai Valuev, seizing a major title in a largely tactical 12-round fight in Nuremberg, Germany on Saturday. Haye, who was 9-inches shorter than Valuev and outweighed by almost 100 pounds, won a majority decision by scores of 114-114 and 116-112 (twice). Haye, a dynamic former cruiserweight champ who stepped up to the heavyweight division with much fanfare last year, was a slight favorite to beat Valuev but many insiders believed the giant�s iron chin, experience and sound fundamentals would be too much for the smaller man. As fast and explosive as Haye was at cruiserweight, the London native was still a bit of question mark at heavyweight, where he had only one fight of note -- a fifth-round stoppage of a shopworn Monte Barrett last November. Prior to Valuev, Haye had only gone 12 rounds once, and had run out of gas in his lone loss, a fifth-round TKO to Carl Thompson. Haye had also suffered four knockdowns in his 23 pro fights. Valuev had never been stopped or dropped in 51 pro outings. However, Haye (23-1, 22 knockouts) answered the questions about his chin, stamina and boxing ability by taking the few flush shots Valuev landed and by sticking to an effective game plan against the 36-year-old veteran. Haye dominated the early rounds by pot shotting the forward marching Valuev and then stepping to either side. The 29-year-old boxer-puncher landed single power punches at will as Valuev jabbed at air. However, beginning with the fifth round, Haye�s punch output took a noticeable dip and Valuev finally began to land his long jab to the former cruiserweight�s chest. Valuev (50-2, 34 KOs) walked his elusive challenger down during the middle portion of the fight as Haye seemed content to lob three or four wild punches, most of which caught the giant�s arms or shoulders, in each round. After the fight, Haye explained the drop in his activity by revealing that he had hurt his right hand in second or third round. The late rounds of the fight were difficult to score. Haye didn�t punch much but the few shots he threw in retreat landed cleanly. Valuev was ineffective for the most part but he was the aggressor for every minute of every round. With the fight seemingly up for grabs in the final round, Haye made the only statement of the fight by staggering Valuev into the ropes with a smashing left hook. He didn�t need to take the 12th round to win the fight, but he needed to remind fans that he has the potential to be just as exciting at heavyweight as he was at cruiserweight. For Haye, the victory was a forgone conclusion; even destiny. �When I was a little baby I said I would be the heavyweight champ of the world,� he said during his post fight interview. �(Valuev�s) a very, very strong man. I hit him with my best shots and didn�t hurt him until the final round.� Haye believes his power will be more evident against heavyweights who aren�t so big and heavy and tough as the Russian veteran. Haye will get a chance to prove his theory against former two-time titleholder John Ruiz, who is the mandatory challenger for the belt he won. If Haye can take care of the always-difficult Ruiz, who looked sharp in dispatching journeyman Adnan Srin on Saturday�s undercard, the sky is the limit for the British bomber. He�s clearly not the best heavyweight in the world, taking a back seat -- like the rest of the division -- to the Klitschko brothers, but he can be developed into a worldwide attraction if he�s matched against the more aggressive big men in the sport, such as Californian slugger Chris Arreola, current cruiserweight champ Tomasz Adamek, who recently won his first heavyweight bout by destroying Andrew Golota, and undefeated 2004 Olympic champ Alexander Povetkin.

Pacquiao on cover of TIME

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:26:52 PST
More than ever, Manny Pacquiao is the face of boxing. The Filipino idol and pound-for-pound king is on the cover of this week�s Asian edition of TIME magazine, which hits newsstands this weekend. It includes a five-page story on him that appears in all editions. (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1935091,00.html) �Manny Pacquiao is the most exciting fighter on earth at this moment," Howard Chua-Eoan, TIME's news director and co-author of the Pacquiao feature, said in a prepared statement. "But not just because of his skills in the ring. When he fights, he is carrying the hopes and dreams of an entire nation. He fights for his people. It is one of the most inspiring stories in sports today." Pacquiao, a humble sort, seems to be overwhelmed. �I absolutely had no idea that when I started my career in boxing, to provide a better life for myself and my family, that I would now be where I am today and on the cover of TIME Magazine,� Pacquiao said in the statement. �A fighter�s dream is to win a world title and gain financial stability. But what is happening to me now is the most humbling experience of my life. It is a great honor for me to be the face of my people and to let everyone know we are a small but mighty country. �I have great pride for all of the Filipinos living throughout the world and it is these people that I fight for each and every time I step into the ring.� Other boxers who have appeared on the cover of TIME: Jack Dempsey (1923), Gene Tunney (1926), Max Schmeling (1929), Primo Carnera (1931), Joe Louis (1941), Sugar Ray Robinson (1951), Cassius Clay (1963), Muhammad Ali/Joe Frazier (1971), Muhammad Ali (1978) and Mike Tyson (1988). Pacquiao faces Miguel Cotto next Saturday (Nov. 14) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on pay-per-view television.

Judah, Casamayor notch wins

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:41:21 PST
Former welterweight champ Zab Judah (38-6, 26 KOs) blasted journeyman Ubaldo Hernandez (22-20-2, 10 KOs) in two rounds in the main event of stacked card at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas on Friday. After dropping Hernandez with a body shot in round one Judah overwhelmed the Mexican veteran at the start of the second round. In the co-featured bout, former lightweight champ Joel Casamayor (37-4-1, 22 KOs) outboxed Jason Davis (11-5-1, 3 KOs) to an eight-round unanimous decision in a welterweight bout. Casamayor, who was a sluggish 146 pounds, won by unanimous scores of 79-73. The 38-year-old vet had not fought since losing his RING lightweight title to Juan Manuel Marquez last September.

Valuev, 314.6; Haye, 216.7

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:36:03 PST
Heavyweight beltholder Nikolai Valuev outweighed challenger David Haye by 97.9 pounds at Friday's weigh-in for their showdown that takes place at the Versischerung Arena in Nuremberg, Germany on Saturday. Valuev (50-1, 34 KOs), of St. Petersburg, Russia, weighed in at 314.6 pounds, while Haye (22-1, 21 KOs), of London, England, tipped the scales at a much-lighter 216.7 pounds. Valuev, who is at least 9 inches taller than the 6-foot-3 Haye, is a slight betting underdog to the former cruiserweight champ, but late money has come in for the Russian giant, who is the far more experienced boxer. A broadcast of Valuev-Haye is being distributed in the United States and Canada by Integrated Sports beginning at 3 p.m ET / 12 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, TVN, DISH Network, Viewer�s Choice, Shaw PPV and Bell TV. A replay will be shown that same night at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Arum: De La Hoya blog "outrageous"

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:10:59 PST
Oscar De La Hoya suggested in his latest blog that promoter Bob Arum arranged to have a relatively big ring for the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas because it would favor Pacquiao, his top fighter. The fact is, Arum pointed out, that ring size is standard in Nevada: 20 feet by 20 feet. Thus, he couldn�t show favoritism even if he wanted to. Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, confirmed that the ring will be 20 by 20, according to Yahoo! Sports. �The idea that I�m bringing in a big ring to favor Pacquiao, who he said I want to win, is absolutely outrageous,� Arum said. �� Everybody who has fought in Nevada the last 10 years has fought in the same-sized ring, including Oscar.� Arum said the standard ring size evolved from the Riddick Bowe-Larry Donald fight in 1994, in which the size of the ring became a point of contention. Not long after that, to avoid that situation, Nevada officials decided to go with a standard ring. The portion of De La Hoya's blog in question was removed in light of the standard ring size. Arum promotes both Pacquiao and Cotto.

Dougie's FAT Friday Mailbag

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:24:57 PST
STICKS & STONES� Hey Dougie, So here's the deal... if Nikolai Valuev lets Daivd Haye get under his skin then more fool him. I don't know Haye personally, but I can tell you now that 90% of stuff that comes out of his mouth is more bravado then his true personality. I don't think anything Haye has done, or said, has been particularly personal, or offensive. Maybe it's a London thing, but that Lord of the Rings comment is the kind of comment my friends and I would throw at each other on a night out down the pub, all in the name of a bit of banter, to get a laugh. Maybe the Eastern Europeans don't have a sense of humor and, okay, that infamous T-Shirt may have been taking things a step to far, but come on guys lighten the f___ up. Haye wears a T-shirt with two decapitated Klitschkos, get over yourselves, Mike Tyson wanted to eat babies. Speaking of Tyson I'm so glad he seems to be getting himself straight. I grew up watching Iron Mike and he is no question a legend and a true mark of what heavyweight boxing is all about. With this in mind, what's your opinion on having a super heavyweight division? Because, lets be fair, this fight really should be a no contest. Haye would win this fight hands down, if they were on a level, because lets be honest we all know why Valuev is champion, (would he even be a contender if he weren't a giant of a man?) but there is a very good chance Haye could get KTFO, or may not be able to come to terms with the vast difference with regards to their physical attributes. David Haye is giving away 100 pounds. There needs to be a big shout for a super heavyweight division, I think you should start banging the drums for it so these giants can go fight each other in Germany. If a super heavyweight division were to happen then maybe the heavyweight division could become exciting, once, again with some great match ups between the likes of Haye, Arreola, Chambers, Johnson and even Adamek if he decides to move up. Now doesn't that list of fighters and possible match ups get you a little excited. Loved the R.A.-Mayweather interview. I feel really embarrassed to say this, especially if I'm lucky enough to make your mailbag with the possibility of other people reading this, but after the interview had finished I look down and noticed a tiny pee stain on my jeans! Take care and if possible give us a shout back. -- Cheers, Chris, East London Wow. That last bit was a little too much info, my man, but thanks for the email. Regarding a super heavyweight division, I�m not going to beat the drum for that yet. If there were four or five heavyweight giants as talented and technically sharp as the Klitschkos I would probably be in favor of the creation of a new division for big men who weigh more than 240-250. But the fact is, apart from the Klitschkos, all the other guys who are taller than 6-foot-6 are ordinary. They can be beat by heavyweights who are under 6-foot-2 and under 230 pounds. Exhibit A) Eddie Chambers W12 Alexander Dimitrenko. Exhibit B) Most of Valuev�s fights. The giant lost to Ruslan Chagaev, went life and death with John Ruiz twice, and struggled with a 45-year-old Evander Holyfield. These heavyweights that troubled Valuev are not very big guys. In fact, they�re smaller than the pumped-up heavyweight version of Haye. However, I don�t think Haye will do as well as they did. I favor Valuev in tomorrow�s contest, and it�s not because the big man has 100 pounds on Haye (although that is a factor). I like Valuev by late stoppage or unanimous decision because he�s got better fundamentals than Haye and he�s used to going the 12 round distance. I don�t think Haye can box a disciplined stick-and-move fight the way Chagaev and Holyfield did, and I don�t think he�s got the stamina of the Quietman. Regarding Haye�s sometimes boorish behavior, I�m fine with most of it. I thought the decapitation T-shirt was in poor taste, but if he takes out the giant and then actually gets in the ring with the Klitschkos and knocks them out, I�ll give him a pass. If loudmouth fighters can back their big talk up in the ring -- and actually do what they say they will -- I don�t have a problem with them. VALERO VS. DEMARCO Hello Dougie, How's it going, hope the family is doing great. I just have to say the Rugged Man interview with Fraud Mayweather is the best damn thing I've herd on the Internet all year. Rugged Man deserves to get some kind of award for that awesome interview. Now I just need to figure out which is the best 60 seconds of that interview so I can make it my new ring tone, haha! How bout that Antonio DeMarco? I been driving his wagon since the Kid Diamond fight. Unfortunately, he has to challenge your son Edwin Valero and in his hometown. If there's any fighter I wouldn't mind him seeing him lose to, it�s Valero. Still man I'm gonna call an early Upset Special, DeMarco via late-round TKO or decision. One thing is certain, it will be a candidate for fight of the year. It may even match the Corrales/Castillo, Marquez/Vazquez and Morales/Barrera fights, I mean action, blood and guts-wise. Every time Manny Pacquiao trains in the Philippines his performance isn't up to its usual standards. Against a bigger and hungrier man in Miguel Cotto it may backfire. Nobody has ever dominated Cotto so I will be impressed if Manny is the first. I have a hunch Cotto will upset Pacquiao but I been wrong before to pick against Manny, so this time I'm going with Manny. Man I don't know, I cant wait. Yours truly -- Jorge, San Diego Pacquiao looks like he�s 100 percent, Jorge. I think his performance will be to his usual standards but I still see a tough fight. I don�t think Valero-DeMarco would be a fight of the year candidate. If DeMarco is going to beat �my son� he needs to box from a distance and make it as uneventful a fight as possible. I don�t believe the kid is durable enough to exchange punches with Valero. I could be wrong, but that�s my thinking. DeMarco is a very good young fighter, a bona fide lightweight contender, but I think he lacks the power and starts too slow to take Valero out of his game. And as nice as his technique is, it�s not like DeMarco is hard to find. ROACH SAYS HAYE WILL KO VALUEV http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/6487535/David-Haye-will-flatten-Nikolai-Valuev-says-Freddie-Roach.html Freddie seems confident in the pick....I'm not so sure....I have never seen the giant buzzed....Haye is going to have to fight 12 disciplined rounds......I don't think he can knock that big lug over...... -- JP Roach is a genius when it comes to Manny Pacquiao and his other fighters. But fighters he doesn�t train? Mmmmm, not so much. Here�s the deal: Haye is aptly nicknamed because he lobs quick haymakers without setting them up with a jab. He rarely makes use of lateral movement and he keeps his hands down. Now, add his questionable chin and stamina to the fact that he�s got shoddy technique and a porous defense. That doesn�t look like a guy who�s gonna topple the giant. To be honest, I�m not so sure Haye�s a puncher at heavyweight. He dropped Monte Barrett four times and the shot vet got up after each knockdown. This is a guy who got blasted out in two rounds by Cliff Couser. I think Barrett would have got up from even the final knockdown if the ref had allowed it. Another thing I noticed about Haye was that many of his cruiserweight knockdowns and knockouts were produced by looping right hands to the back of the his opponents' heads. He got away with that mess in England, but now he�s fighting in Germany against a guy whose head is too high up for him to reach around. FLOYD'S VERBAL ASS WHIPPING Dougie, THANK YOU!!! I had never heard of R.A., but that was epic. The fact that Mayweather was shrieking was hilarious. I'm a very happy boxing fan right now. -- Matthew R.A. doesn�t mess around. Check him out. He�s a good rapper and really funny columnist (especially when it comes to the film industry). I can�t believe I�m still getting emails commenting about R.A. checking Mayweather on the radio, but I guess more fans are fed up with Floyd�s bulls___ than I thought. Good. Maybe R.A. should get an award from THE RING or the BWAA. IN FLOYD'S DEFENSE (SORT OF) Hi Doug, Just read your mailbag and all the response to Floyd's "interview" with the Rugged Man and though I agreed with the Rugged Man's points of contention (you can't really argue them) I did not like the manner in which he went about them. I know it was on a hip-hop radio show with little restrictions but it was childish with the insults and what not. Also although I would like to see Mayweather take a chance and fight Manny, Mosley, Cotto, even any top 10 welterweight who isn't coming of a loss (Judah) or a guy who got his position by beating a guy who had a bad night (Baldomir), I don't think someone like Rugged is in any position to bad mouth Floyd or any other boxer for that matter. Will he be paying their bills when they are in the dementia ward in 20 years? Floyd takes the least risk for the most money we all know that, but to channel Chris Rock I don't like it but I understand. If he can make boatloads of money and still talk well 20 years from now more power to him. I do understand as well however that Floyd makes it easy to act in the manner that Rugged Man did but I did not like it. Dougie, like it or not Floyd will continue to make millions not fighting the best. Floyd "Easy Money" Mayweather that's who he is. I don't like it but I understand. Thank you and all the best. -- David Green (Warner Robins, Georgia) I think you�re right. I think Mayweather will continue to fight guys he knows he can beat and he will continue to make the biggest purses in the sport, at least for another two or three bouts. At some point everyone will get a little tired of his act, but he�ll be ready to retire by then anyway. So we can all expect him to fight Ricky Hatton again (hopefully) in Manchester (Lord knows, I don�t want cover that crap), and then maybe that freckle-faced teenager that Golden Boy Promotions is so high on, Saul Alverez, in Mexico. We can forget about Floyd fighting the Cotto-Pacquiao winner, Mosley, or even guys like Josh Clottey. Hey, if he doesn�t want to fight a real threat, we can�t make him. However, he -- and the people around him (which includes HBO, Al Haymon and Golden Boy Promotions) -- need to understand that fans and media (who don�t jock-ride) are not going to give him credit for smacking around non-threats. If he doesn�t want to live up to his potential and prove his talent he can�t expect the boxing press not to criticize him or drop him in the ratings. As beloved as Joe Louis was in America (particularly post-WWII) the boxing media of his day referred to the majority of the guys he smashed in title defenses as the �bum of the month club.� Hey, those grumpy old white guys who wrote that were just keeping it real, and to Joe�s credit he never cried about it. I totally understand if Mayweather wants to play it safe, but he loses his right to bitch about not being respected when he chooses to only face no-hopers. VITO ANTUOFERMO Hey Mr. Fischer, Big fan of your blogs on RingTV.com! Question: my dad and I were wondering whatever happened to Vito Antuofermo? Is he still active in the boxing world? Thanks tons! -- SD The former middleweight champ is alive and well in New York City. He�s at least �well� enough to have participated in a rap video produced by our good friend R.A. the Rugged Man a few years ago. Check it out, the name of the song is �Lessons�. That�s Vito and Mitch �Blood� Green playing the doormen of a club at the start of the video. R.A., BOOK AND COLUMBUS Doug, Isn't the truth a powerful thing? The Rugged Man spoke the truth and completely shut down a douchebag. I've been reading your stuff for years and I know you write the truth, so when I wiki'd RA and saw mention that you two were collaborating on a book, I was intrigued. First, is it true, and if so, do you have an anticipated publication date? Hey you've written that you lived in Columbus for a few years, do you remember Nancy's at the corner of High & California? Greatest little diner I've ever been in. I went to OSU (and U. of Dayton too) and lived in UA and German Village for 20 years before the cold drove me out here to LA.....take care and keep up the good work! -- DJA My childhood was spent in Columbus, on the campus of OSU, where my parents were grad students. I do remember Nancy�s, and I occasionally ate there during my college days (at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio) whenever I visited the High Street area with friends for concerts and the like. My wife (who I met at Antioch) grew up in Dayton, and even attended U. of Dayton, where her father taught, one semester, so Ohio is definitely in the house. Regarding the book with R.A., it was something we worked on for a few years, and we probably completed 50- or 60-percent of it, but it�s on the shelf for now. Hopefully, it�s a project that can be revisited one day. Dougie can be reach at AFROhio@antioch-college.edu

Diaz-Malignaggi II set

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:30:53 PST
The Juan Diaz-Paulie Malignaggi rematch is set for Dec. 12 in Chicago on HBO, Golden Boy Promotions has announced. The two met on Aug. 22 in Diaz�s hometown of Houston. Malignaggi, from Brooklyn, N.Y., had said going into the fight that he wouldn�t get a fair shake in Texas. And while the fact Diaz won a unanimous decision isn�t outrageous, judge Gale Van Hoy�s score of 118-110 for Diaz was. Almost everyone thought it was a close fight, although most experts apparently thought Malignaggi won. THE RING magazine polled 21 boxing writers. Thirteen scored it for Malignaggi, three had Diaz winning and five believed it was a draw. Diaz welcomes the rematch, a 12-round junior welterweight matchup. �I enjoyed beat Malignaggi the first time and I�m more than willing to do it again,� he said. �This time, though, I�m looking for the knockout so I don�t have to hear his mouth anymore.� Malignaggi, whose eloquent post-fight diatribe about corruption in boxing played a role in the controversy, won�t have to worry as much about biased judges in the neutral location.. �The public demanded this rematch and I am looking forward to fighting Diaz for the second time,� he said. �This time I�m going to get the win on my record not just from the boxing community and the fans.� In the co-main event, Victor Ortiz, coming off a knockout loss to Marcos Maidana in June and surgery on his wrist, faces veteran Juan Diaz in a 10-round junior welterweight fight.

Williams to fight Martinez

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:12:19 PST
Paul Williams will fight Sergio Martinez in a 12-round middleweight bout on Dec. 5 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., on HBO, ESPN.com reported. Williams, rated No. 1 at junior welterweight and No. 3 at middleweight by THE RING, had been scheduled to fight Kelly Pavlik but Pavlik pulled out because of a persistent staph infection in his hand. Heavyweight Chris Arreola also will fight on the card, although an opponent has yet to be selected. He is coming off a knockout loss to Vitali Klitschko last month in Los Angeles. Williams (37-1, 27 knockouts) hasn�t fought since he dominated Winky Wright en route to a 12-round decision in a middleweight bout in April. Martinez (4-1-2, 24 KOs) is coming off a controversial draw against Kermit Cintron in February, a fight most observers believed the Spain-based Argentine won. Martinez is THE RING�s No. 4 junior middleweight. Among those being considered for Arreola are Derrick Rossy and Brian Minto.

Pacquiao's fame continues to grow as he readies for Cotto

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:11:09 PST
If you�re an American fight fan who questions Manny Pacquiao�s ability to become a crossover star in the United States, consider this: � He was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this week. � This Monday, he will be on the cover of Time magazine�s Asia edition (as a finalist of the �2009 Time 100,� the publication�s list of the world�s most influential people). � His mug, partially covered by Nike�s new AW77 Hoodie, is on one of the bigger billboards in downtown San Francisco (as part of the sportswear company�s advertising campaign that includes such celebrity-athletes as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Maria Sharapova). Still not convinced that the Filipino icon, who challenges Miguel Cotto for the Puerto Rican�s welterweight title on Nov. 14, can become a household name in America? Allow me to give you one more example of his ever-growing popularity. As I walked to my car following Cotto�s media workout in L.A. on Tuesday, I was stopped by two elderly African-American women in an SUV. They were curious about all the commotion outside of the Pound4Pound Gym. I told them that "the boxer Miguel Cotto had just held an open workout for the media." The lady in the passenger seat replied: �Miguel who?� �Cotto,� I told her. �He fights Manny Pacquiao next Saturday.� Her eyes lit up with the mention of Pacquiao�s name. �Oh!� she said as she turned to the driver, �he�s the one who�s fighting Manny Pacquiao!� Folks, the crossover has already begun. That begs the question of how big can Pacquiao get? �Every time he beats the odds, he gets a little bigger,� said Pacquiao�s trainer, Freddie Roach, who has witnessed his star fighter�s rapid evolution from a hero in the Philippines to one of the best known boxers worldwide following one-sided victories over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. Roach isn�t surprised that the two women I encountered, and scores of other folks who don�t fit the profile of the typical fight fan, are familiar with Pacquiao. �It�s because of the popularity of the fighters he�s just beat (De La Hoya and Hatton) and because of HBO�s 24/7 shows that led into those fights,� Roach said before Pacquiao�s media workout at the Wild Card Boxing Club on Wednesday. �The exposure of 24/7 brings Manny outside of the boxing world. It�s brought me out, too. The other day the manager for KISS and Bon Jovi called the gym. He asked if some of the members from both groups could drop by this week. I told him that Manny needs to focus on the fight and that it�s important that we wind up the camp without distractions. �He told me �They don�t want to meet Pacquiao, they want to meet you.�� If Jon Bon Jovi or Gene Simmons happened to drop by the Wild Card during Wednesday�s media workout, it wouldn�t have been that strange of an occurrence. Roach�s gym is every bit as famous as its owner. Notables from the entertainment industry pop in as often as hardcore fans from around the globe do. During Wednesday�s open workout, the Wild Card seemed almost like a popular nightclub, complete with its own doormen, chief of security Rob Peters and gym photographer Miguel Salazar, screening fans from the working media. �We try to control it as much as we can and we accommodate it as much as we can,� Roach said of the constant flow of fans to his gym. �Manny signs autographs for 2� hours every day after his workouts. I�ll take pictures with people all day if I have the time. �It�s a fine line we�re walking right now. We don�t want to turn away fans. They�re the ones who buy the tickets and buy the pay per views, but I admit that it�s getting harder and harder to run the gym.� Has the daily presence of HBO�s 24/7 film crew and the endless interview and appearance requests become detrimental to Pacquiao�s preparation? Not yet, Roach maintained. �Manny�s always got a lot of things going on but once he�s in the gym he�s all business,� Roach said. �Despite having to be in the Philippines for four and half weeks and all the distractions, from the typhoon to having to move from Baguio to Manila, he never missed a day of training. �Even those four days in Manila when he was being pulled in every direction by the politicians, he still worked his ass off. �Yesterday we worked 16 rounds on the mitts with no rest. I think he�s in better shape for Cotto than he was for Hatton.� Urbano Antillon, one of Pacquiao�s main sparring partners in this camp and for the Hatton fight, backs Roach�s claim. �In the middle of his camp for Hatton I remember him getting winded when we sparred,� said Antillon, who spent four weeks in the Philippines and continues to work with Pacquiao at the Wild Card. �That hasn�t happened in this camp, not even during our first week of sparring. He was in fighting shape before he left the Philippines. Right now, I think he�s in the best shape I�ve ever seen him in. �I was in the gym when he worked 16 or 17 rounds with Freddie. Manny wanted to go more rounds, but Freddie held him back. I did my entire workout while they were doing mitts with no breaks. I can honestly say I�ve never seen anyone work as hard as Manny does.� Pacquiao�s Spartan work ethic is obviously one of the keys to his success, but his ability to chill out and have a good time once he leaves the gym is part of what makes him special. He�s as easy going in public as he is intense in the gym. Nothing seems to stress him out. Between fights he�ll shoot two movies and cut an album. During camp, he�ll sing on a nationally televised talk show and think nothing of it. Pacquiao enjoys these outside endeavors. �I�m having fun,� Pacquiao told a dressing room full of boxing writers before his Wednesday workout. �I had fun on Jimmy Kimmel�s show. He�s a funny guy. I sang on the show and I thought I did alright.� Maybe Pacquiao has the kind of personality that enables one to endure or even rise above the many pitfalls that accompany fame and success. No matter how busy or complicated his life becomes, he remains a simple man, happy-go-lucky by nature. His spiritual beliefs also keep him grounded. Pacquiao, a devout Catholic, says he handles his success because he accepts everything that happens in his life as God�s will. �Everything that has happened to me in boxing has been a gift from God,� he said. �The fame and the wealth is all from Him.� If Pacquiao is victorious once again on Nov. 14, his profile will continue to increase in the U.S. and elsewhere, but he appears to have the right mentality to deal with it. If he defeats Cotto in the spectacular fashion that Roach predicts, his star might rival that of the best known American boxer, Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- which would, of course, set up the inevitable showdown between the two pound-for-pound kings. However, Pacquiao refuses to count his chickens before they�ve hatched. He wouldn�t comment on Mayweather when asked about the potential matchup. �I�m not thinking about that fight,� Pacquiao said. �I have to concentrate on this fight. This is not an easy fight for me. Cotto will be tough.� Those who believe that De La Hoya was ripe for the taking and that Hatton was overrated view Puerto Rico�s two-time welterweight titleholder as Pacquiao�s most formidable foe since he left the junior lightweight division. Roach concedes that Cotto�s size will be a challenge. �Manny�s best weight is 140 pounds,� he said. �We put on weight because the biggest fights are at welterweight. If there were big fights at junior welterweight, that�s where we would be. He�s on protein shakes to be at 149 pounds now. As we take him off the protein, the weight comes off. �He�ll have two meals before the weigh-in and come in at 145 on the dot. There�s no doubt that Cotto is the naturally bigger man. He�s bigger and he�s physically stronger, but that doesn�t win fights.� Strategy wins fights, and Roach believes he has the right game plan to enable Pacquiao to dissect Cotto. �Cotto�s got a good left hook,� Roach said. �That�s the danger punch. He�s a converted southpaw like Oscar, so we have to take that out of the fight.� Roach said he�s happy with the work that Shawn Porter, a stout junior middleweight prospect with a powerful hook, has given Pacquiao. �Manny and Shawn going at in the 12-by-12-foot ring we had in Manila was exciting stuff,� Roach said. Porter, a 2008 U.S. Olympic alternate from Akron, Ohio, said Pacquiao is ready for Cotto�s money punch. �He�s aware of the hook,� said Porter, who holds a 10-0 (8) record. �He always kept his right hand up no matter what he did in the ring.� Porter said Pacquiao�s a lot harder to hit than he appears. �It�s not just his speed and footwork that makes him elusive, he�s also hard to predict,� the 22-year-old prospect said. �You never know what he�s going to do next because he�s kind of unorthodox and he throws a lot of off-angle punches.� Porter interrupted a busy fight schedule to travel to the Philippines with Team Pacquiao. He�s fought 10 times since he turned pro last October and it was his goal to fight 12 times in his first 12 months in the pro ranks, but said the opportunity to spar with Pacquiao was too good to pass up. �It was an honor to be a part of Pacquiao�s training camp and I think it�s paid off in exposure,� he said. �I think some of his fame rubbed off on me. I just started boxing but I�m already getting e-mails from Filipino fans.� Doug Fischer�s column appears every Thursday. He can be reached at dougiefischer@yahoo.com

Oscar De La Hoya blog: Pacquiao-Cotto

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:37:01 PST
Oscar De La Hoya knows what it�s like being in a mega-fight like Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, having been in more than anyone since the early 1990s. And he knows what Pacquiao is capable of first hand after being stopped by the Filipino icon last December. He has also closely followed the career of Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto. Here is his take on the fight: Now that the fight is getting closer, I�ve changed my mind about who I think will win. At first, I had Manny Pacquiao. I was a firm believer that Pacquiao�s speed was going to neutralize Miguel Cotto, especially after Cotto�s performance against Joshua Clottey in June. Then, as the fight was getting closer and closer and I thought more about it, I�m now convinced Cotto will win. The reason is, first, nobody looks good against Clottey. He�s a difficult, strong, in-your-face type of fighter. And Cotto had that gash over his eye the whole fight. I thought he did an excellent job in light of that. Cotto has a good chin and a big heart. He�s a natural welterweight who hits hard and is also smart and fast. Pacquiao doesn�t hit hard enough to knock anyone out in the welterweight division. I�m basing that on my fight against Pacquiao. I could�ve stood there and put my face in front of him and he couldn�t have hurt me. I think Pacquiao will come out strong and try to surprise Cotto. If that doesn�t work, I believe (trainer) Freddie Roach will tell Pacquiao to wait for Cotto to come in and then counter, to stay on his toes. I think Cotto is a smart fighter. I think he�ll get through those first few rounds and in a smart way he�ll walk down Pacquaio and possibly stop him in the later rounds. I know that would surprise a lot of people. A lot of people are counting him out after his last performance. I think he�s the real deal, though. I�ve seen his skills and I�ve seen his power. He�s proved himself against tough, rugged guys. He�s proved himself against slick boxers. Cotto is one of those fighters who can surprise anyone.

RING Theory: Raskin-Dettloff audio show

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:30:05 PST
RING Theory, a new feature at RingTV.com, is an audio boxing talk show featuring columnists Eric Raskin and Bill Dettloff. They will review recent events, look forward to coming fights and discuss the quirky side of the sport. The show will appear twice a month. This is the second installment.

Here is alternate player in case the one above does not work:

Cotto confident only three fights after Margarito beating

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:34:58 PST
Miguel Cotto got in some serious mitt work with trainer Joe Santiago at a workout for the media on Tuesday at Pound4Pound Gym in West Los Angeles. Photo / Chris Farina-Top Rank LOS ANGELES � Miguel Cotto sat on the edge of the ring at a sweltering Pound4Pound Gym on Tuesday, surrounded on one side by dozens of reporters and photographers, and answered questions as sweat trickled down his shirtless torso after a workout. He was largely expressionless. Cotto is 10 days away from the biggest fight of his life �- against Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas �- but exuded a calm confidence, as if Pacquiao�s amazing run the past year and a half means nothing. One reporter suggested that Pacquiao would be the toughest opponent in his eight-plus-year career and Cotto politely but firmly took exception. �I don�t see it that way,� he said in his increasingly good English. �I know the fight is the most-important fight in my career but I don�t know if Manny Pacquiao is the toughest opponent I�ve ever had. We�ll find out in the ring. The guy who is better prepared to win that night is going to win.� Cotto�s confidence shouldn�t be surprising in one sense. The Puerto Rican, who is 29, is one of the most-accomplished fighters in the world over the past five years, with victories over a long list of top-flight opponents on his resume. He�s been through this many times, albeit not quite on the scale of this fight. However, his demeanor is intriguing in light of the mauling he took against Antonio Margarito only three fights and 15 months ago. The imposing Mexican delivered the kind of beating for 10-plus rounds that can cause permanent damage, both physically and psychologically. Six months later, Margarito was found to have plaster in his hand wraps before his fight against Shane Mosley, for which he was later suspended, and everyone immediately wondered whether Cotto was the victim of foul play. Regardless, a beating is a beating. Cotto bounced back with a fifth-round knockout of overmatched Michael Jennings in February and a split-decision victory over durable Joshua Clottey even though he fought with a ghastly cut over his eye for eight-plus rounds in June. Still, many wonder whether Cotto has fully recovered from the beating. Cotto doesn�t really want to go there, almost to the point where he seems to get irritated when it�s brought up. Someone asked him whether his psyche was damaged. His response: �Ask Manny that question. He�s lost three times; I�ve lost once.� Cotto�s handlers dismiss the notion that he�s damaged goods. Phil Landman, his physical trainer, said Cotto�s performance in the Clottey fight proved that he is perfectly fine even if some doubters suggested afterward that he didn�t look like the fighter of old in that fight. �Clottey is a big, strong welterweight,� Landman said. �People don�t want to fight him for a reason. For Miguel to get cut in the third round and then fight eight, nine rounds like that pretty much right after the Margarito fight says a lot about his courage. �Miguel has no ill effects after Margarito. He�s ready for this fight.� Cotto still won�t directly accuse Margarito of having used illegal wraps when they fought. He prefers to leave that up to the fans, who he called �the judges in this case.� He won�t make any excuses; a loss, he said, is a loss. He does acknowledge, though, that the speculation has eased the pain of the setback to some degree. At the same time, he learned something from the setback: He doesn�t want to go through anything like that again. Cotto said his greatest strength has always been his commitment to succeed, which he said he demonstrated against Clottey. He said he could have quit at any time after he received the cut �- and many fighters would have -� but fought on against one of toughest customers in the sport. And the commitment, he said, only got stronger after the Margarito fight. He has never had more resolve. �Sometimes when you lose you won,� he said. �Since the loss to Margarito, great things have come to my career, including this fight. I�m grateful for that. I�m approaching this camp with all the responsibility of what this fight means, not just for me but also to my team, the fans, the press, all the public. �� The loss gave me more focus in my mind and my body. Maybe (such a loss) isn�t the best way to do that but it put me in the right place.� So the loss to Margarito was actually a positive? �You can answer that yourself,� Cotto said. �Where is Margarito now and where is Miguel Cotto?� NOTES Respect but �: Cotto gives Pacquiao credit for his success the past several years, saying the Filipino has earned everything he�s received. At the same time, he said clever matchmaking has played a positive role in Pacquiao�s life. �He beat Ricky Hatton and he beat Oscar De La Hoya,� Cotto said, �but now he�s going to face Miguel Cotto. You can�t compare me with the last two fighters. � Oscar De La Hoya was a great boxer but Manny chose the right time to face him, in the last part of his career. And everybody knows Hatton doesn�t have good defense. Manny proved that the night of the fight.� In other words, maybe we should keep those victories in perspective. Cotto is kosher: A small tattoo on Cotto�s right shoulder caught my eye. It�s a U inside a circle, which would be familiar to all observant Jews in the U.S. The symbol means a rabbi has determined that a food item is kosher, or within Jewish dietary laws. Cotto was asked about it. �I have a Jewish friend in New York,� he said with a smile. �It�s in honor of him.� Must be a close friend. Ironically, tattoos aren�t allowed in the Jewish religion. Wishful thinking? Promoter Bob Arum believes Pacquiao-Cotto could approach the record 2.2 million pay-per-view buys that Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. did in 2007. The Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez fight in September did a little over 1 million. �This will far exceed Mayweather-Marquez,� he said as Cotto was finishing up his workout. �We�re hoping it approaches the 2.2 million De La Hoya-Mayweather did. The interest is so great and it�s a competitive fight. C�mon, 2.2 million? �That�s what the cable systems and DirecTV and Dish Network are predicting,� Arum said. �There�s no tracking yet. We can tell by the amount of money and resources that have been thrown into this. We�re anticipating those kind of numbers.� Arum said Cotto brings in about 400,000-500,000 buys mostly from hardcore boxing fans, Puerto Ricans and other Latinos. The rest, he said, will be the result of Pacquiao�s growing popularity. �Manny Pacquiao is bigger than life,� he said, �They�re intrigued by Pacquiao. He�s unlike any boxer they�ve ever seen. The guy keeps getting better as he goes up in weight. The guy has so many talents outside of boxing �- politics, music, everything. People just can�t get enough of him. He�s really crossed over into the mainstream. �What fighter in recent years ever dreamed of getting his picture on the cover of Time magazine? His picture will be on the Asian edition of Time. That never happened with De La Hoya or Mayweather.� Arum said the sports editor of the New York Times told him he�ll be covering the fight himself. �And the New York Times,� he said, �hasn�t covered a fight in five years.� Must be a big fight. Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

Ring Ratings Update

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:45:11 PST
Glen Johnson (right) cracks Chad Dawson with a right in their first fight last April. Johnson, who lost the first bout, is an underdog in their rematch this Saturday but the veteran remains a threat because of his considerable experience. Johnson, who has 334 consecutive weeks in THE RING's light heavyweight rankings, is one of the magazine's longest-ranking contenders. Photo / Fightwireimages.com. Two major fights involving four RING-ranked contenders take place this Saturday. Former cruiserweight champ David Haye challenges 7-foot-tall heavyweight beltholder Nikolai Valuev in Nuremberg, Germany, while light heavyweights Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson meet up for their rematch in Hartford, Conn. Odds makers have made the lesser-experienced fighters the favorites in both matches. Haye (22-1, 21 knockouts), THE RING�s No. 8-rated heavyweight, is a 2-to-1 favorite over Valuev (50-1, 34 KOs), the magazine�s No. 5-rated heavyweight. Dawson (28-0, 17 KOs), THE RING�s No. 2-rated light heavyweight, is a 3-to-1 favorite over Johnson (49-12-2, 33 KOs), the magazine�s No. 3-rated 175 pounder. Valuev and Johnson aren�t just more experienced than their younger opponents, they�ve both been RING-rated fighters for a lot longer. Valuev, 36, has been in the THE RING�s heavyweight rankings for 203 consecutive weeks (170 more than Haye). The Russian behemoth is one of 28 RING-rated fighters with 200 or more consecutive weeks in the magazine�s rankings. Among the 200-plus-week fighters are heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko (232), No. 1-rated cruiserweight Steve Cunningham (281), No. 1-rated super middleweight Mikkel Kessler (257), No. 1-rated featherweight Chris John (275), No. 1 rated-junior featherweight Celestino Caballero (243) and No. 1-rated bantamweight Hozumi Hasegawa (236). Johnson, 40, has been in THE RING�s light heavyweight rankings for 334 consecutive weeks (155 more than Dawson). The former light heavyweight champ is one of 10 RING-rated contenders with 300 or more weeks in the magazine�s rankings. Among the contenders with more than 300 weeks in THE RING's rankings are No. 5-rated light heavyweight Antonio Tarver (581), No. 1-rated middleweight Felix Strum (320), No. 2-rated junior welterweight Ricky Hatton (342), No. 2-rated flyweight Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (451) and No. 3-rated junior middleweight Verno Phillips (377). It�s no accident that these fighters have remained in THE RING�s ratings for as long as they have. They are among the best active boxers. This Saturday, fight fans will find out whether youth will be served or whether Valuev and Johnson can utilize their experience to score minor upsets. THE RING RATINGS UPDATE CRUISERWEIGHT: Guillermo Jones (No. 3 last week) has been dropped because of inactivity. Jones� last fight was on Sept. 29, 2008. Everybody rated No. 4 or below last week moves up one spot each, while BJ Flores returns at No. 10. LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS: �Providing there is a definitive winner, look for a major shakeup at 175 (pounds) next week following the Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson rematch,� said Nigel Collins, editor of THE RING magazine. �By signing for a light heavyweight fight against Enrique Ornelas, Bernard Hopkins (No. 1) will not be dropped for inactivity, even though he last fought on October 18, 2008.� BANTAMWEIGHTS: Joseph Agbeko (No. 4 last week) and Yonnhy Perez (No. 5 last week) switch positions following Perez�s 12-round decision victory over Agbeko.

Haye's biggest test -- in more ways than one

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:03:18 PST
The promoters played up the size difference between Nikolai Valuev and David Haye in the official fight poster. It was April 2008 and one of those Friday nights on the Las Vegas Strip for which the time-honored catch phrase was invented: What went on here this evening, would most certainly stick around. A mini-community of those who make their living from the fight game and those who follow it had congregated at their adopted watering hole, the Heart Bar at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. The following day, Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins would square off down the road at the Thomas and Mack Center. For now, though, another challenge was afoot for the primarily British band of travelling boxing followers, namely finding out if the two scantily clad females were, as suspected, ladies of the night. Suddenly, into this raucous mix strode David Haye, the world cruiserweight champion. �What�s everyone talking about, a bit of brass?� said Haye, using London slang for a woman of dubious reputation. �How much is it?� When the assembled group expressed surprise that the boxer who once boasted of bedding more than 500 women should need to pay for company, he responded with a cheeky grin. �I love a bit of a haggle,� he said. �I�ll talk her down to nothing, then tell her to (expletive) off.� When Haye left the group an hour or so later, a consensus of opinion was reached that the most remarkable aspect of the scene wasn�t his outlandish comments. Instead, it was that for the first time in recent memory, every word that left Haye�s mouth hadn�t been about how he was destined to take the heavyweight division by storm. *** It didn�t take Haye long to start talking trash to the world�s best heavyweights again, and 18 months later he is finally ready to embark upon what he feels is the path to superstardom. Ever since unifying the cruiserweight belts with a victory over Enzo Maccarinelli in March of last year, Haye has targeted the biggest names in the heavyweight division and on Nov. 7 he takes on the biggest of the lot. Nikolai Valuev stands 7 feet and while the Russian behemoth is far from having the skills of the Klitschko brothers, Vitali and Wladimir, he does hold one of the four belts and poses a mighty challenge for Haye. Some have been surprised by Haye�s decision to thrust himself straight into the heavyweight mix, taking only one tune-up fight, a fifth-round stoppage of Monte Barrett last November. Yet Haye argues that the weakened state of today�s heavyweight class has spurred him to move quickly. A bout with Vitali Klitchko scheduled for the summer was scrapped when a deal between the parties proved elusive. Instead, he takes on Valuev in the German city of Nuremberg. The 28-year-old, with a record of 22-1 (21 knockouts), wastes no opportunity to extol his own virtues and he has already angered Valuev with some of his comments. �Valuev is the ugliest thing I have ever seen,� said Haye. �I have watched Lord of the Rings and films with strange looking people but for a human being to look like he does is pretty shocking. �I knew he was going to be big and he was exactly what I was anticipating when we stood next to each other. But he is beatable, he can be knocked down. He is a heavy guy and if he goes down, it will be hard to get his huge frame off the floor.� Part of the reason Haye has so often crossed into sensationalist waters with his pre-fight comments has been an attempt to beef up the pay-per-view ratings, which will be his primary source of income from a contract that favors Valuev. Occasionally, just occasionally, Haye has broken off from his hyperbolic pattern to offer some real boxing insight. �This is an obstacle I've never come close to facing before,� he said. �Valuev can take a shot better than anyone that I've fought. He can punch harder than anyone that I've fought. He's got a better record. He's superior in every way to anyone I've ever fought. �I'm going to have to fight better than I've fought before. I'm going to have to take a shot better than I've ever done before. I'm going to have to hit harder. My reflexes have got to be faster. I've got to be able to cover more distance, be quicker on my feet than I've ever been. �I've got to change the whole biomechanics of how I throw a punch. But I don't think this guy will have seen anything like what I'm looking to dish out on him. Once Valuev is out of the way, I can move on to bigger and better things.� *** Haye may have taken some spirit from Evander Holyfield�s narrow points defeat to Valuev in Zurich last December. Holyfield, himself a former cruiserweight star, hung tough with the Russian at the age of 46 before losing a contentious decision. While Haye has more speed than the veteran, his ability to take a shot has been questioned and Holyfield himself feels Valuev may be able to exploit Haye�s low left hand. �Haye's a very skilful fighter but he's fighting against a giant, a guy who's heavier and has a huge reach advantage,� said Holyfield. �He has hardly boxed as a heavyweight and it will only tell you how good he is by how well he does in the fight against Valuev.� *** With Ricky Hatton fading and Joe Calzaghe retired, Haye is seen as something of a poster boy for British boxing. His brash nature is not to the liking of all, but his good looks � he turned down a lucrative career in modeling � has attracted a reasonably broad fan base. Victory over Valuev would further open the window of opportunity, with a showdown with a Klitschko then surely inevitable. Haye generally keeps himself tucked away at his home on the island of Cyprus, claiming the warm Mediterranean weather and lack of distractions offer a more suitable training environment. However, promotional commitments for the Valuev bout have largely kept him in wintry London, and speculation is rife that his preparation has been less than ideal. While such a move may make financial sense, it is a big risk to take. Defeat to Valuev leaves him in limbo, just another one of myriad unconvincing heavyweight hopefuls. Such an outcome would be the antithesis of his ambitiously stated claim to become the best boxer in the world. His path through cruiserweight was solid, a bizarre defeat to Carl Thompson in 2004 notwithstanding, when he pummeled Thompson mercilessly before running out of gas and being knocked out himself. In winning three of the four major belts he toppled a fading Enzo Maccarinelli and Jean-Marc Mormeck but did not clash with O�Neil Bell, Steve Cunningham or Thomas Adamek, and despite boasting knockout power, is still untested in deep rounds. His success in Germany may depend on having the strength to repeatedly hold off Valuev, and the nous to get inside his jab and pound away. On Saturday, Haye will truly find out if size matters, as he faces what is in every way the biggest test of his career. Martin Rogers is a columnist with Yahoo! Sports

10: 7-footers

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:55:28 PST
Gogea Mitu of Romania, who was 7-4, boxed professionally three times in 1935. A weekly boxing list compiled by Michael Rosenthal. This week: In honor of Nikolai Valuev, here�s a list of 7-footers who boxed professionally. Valuev fights David Haye on Saturday in Nuremberg, Germany. 7-4 (224cm): Gogea Mitu, Romania (2-1, 1935) -- Lost to highly regarded African-American heavyweight George Godfrey. One Web site listed him at 7-9. 7-4 (224cm): John Rankin, New Orleans (1-0, 1967) � Fought only once, in his hometown, and won a four-round decision. 7-2 (218cm): Jim Cully, Ireland (1-2, 1942 and 1948) � It�s long man from Tipperary. 7-2 (218cm): Ewart Potgieter, South Africa (11-2-1, 1954-57) -- Fought only journeymen in southern Africa, the UK and the U.S. 7-1 (216cm): Carl Chancellor, El Paso, Texas (4-6-2, 1988-90) -- Once fought at 430 pounds. 7-1 (216cm): Julius Long, Detroit (15-12, 2001-present) � Has lost to some big names, including Ray Austin, Sam Peter and Audley Harrison. 7-1 (216cm): Tom Payne, Napa, Calif. (2-2, 1984-85) � Former NBA player went to prison for multiple rape convictions. 7-0 (213cm): Nikolai Valuev, Russia (50-1, 1993-present) � The greatest 7-foot boxer in history. 7-0 (213cm): Marcellus Brown, Louisville, Ky (26-17-1, 1989-2008) � Has lost to Trevor Berbick, Tommy Morrison and Lamon Brewster. 7-0 (213cm): Luis Alberto Gonzalez, Colombia (NA) � Reportedly fought out of Miami in the mid-1980s. 7-0 (213cm): Gil Anderson, Richmond, Calif. (2-0, 1954) � Fought only his hometown. Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

Dougie's MASSIVE Monday Mailbag

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:30:54 PST
AGBEKO-PEREZ Doug, Congrats on your prediction of the fight. You were right on. I was wondering, however, what you thought of the scoring. The fight seemed closer. I really wish Showtime would use CompuBox like HBO does, because I think the numbers would have been off the charts. I would have like to seen who threw more punches and power punches, as well as the connect percentages. I have no problem with Perez getting the decision, but Agbeko fought like a champion throughout the fight, and he certainly did not seem to "bank" any points for being the champion, like a lot of champions seem to do in close fights -- Froch against Dirrell, for example. I will say another thing about Agbeko, though, he certainly won the battle of who had the toughest face. Because after the fight, who looked like they won the fight? I know that one could say that Perez's cuts were due to head butts, but Agbeko was butted as well, with no cuts. Maybe that is why he calls himself King Kong. Great fight. Great pre-fight analysis. I hope we see a rematch. Good candidate for Fight of the Year, I think. Neither fighter could break the other fighter down. They both had indomitable wills. -- Robert R. I knew the Agbeko-Perez fight wouldn�t disappoint. We had two seasoned, aggressive boxer-punchers who are always in 100-percent condition and have sacrificed a lot to get to where they were Saturday night. I knew that neither man was going to back down and that both would give everything they had. I favored Perez because of his better technique and combination punching, but he surprised me by matching Agbeko�s punch output. I thought Perez clearly won seven rounds, but I agree that the official scorecards were too wide in favor of the Colombian, especially the 117-110 tallies. I can live with the 116-111 scorecard, but I think 115-112 would have been more realistic. I don�t know if I needed CompuBox to tell me that they both threw and landed a butt load of punches. Regarding Perez�s face, you should get used to him looking like the loser after extended, tough fights. Unlike Agbeko, who is blessed with a round-shaped skull, Perez has an oval-shaped head with protruding orbital ridges and cheek bones that predispose him to facial cuts and lacerations. Anyway, my hat�s off to both Perez and Agbeko, and to their teams (promoters, managers, trainer, etc.) for not being afraid to seek out the toughest challenges in the bantamweight division. The great thing about this fight is that the fighters have no fear of doing it again. Before the fight, both Perez and Agbeko spoke to the media about their desire to unify the 118-pound division. Agbeko specifically called out Hozumi Hasegawa, who I believe will step up to the 122-pound division after his next title defense. If Perez can�t get a fight with fellow belt holders Anselmo Moreno or Fernando Montiel, I�m sure he�d welcome a rematch with Agbeko and I�m certain Showtime would welcome the return bout on their network. If Agbeko can�t get an immediate shot at Perez, I�d love to see him butt heads with undefeated young guns like Neomar Cermeno, Abner Mares, and Sasha Bakhtin. There�s also veterans like Eric Morel and Wladimir Sidorenko (who I�m sure King Kong would like another crack at), who would give both Agbeko and Perez a good fight. I love the bantamweight division. HALLOWEEN NIGHT OF BOXING Hi Doug, With Saturday being Halloween and also the night of World Series Game 3, I don�t know how many people actually got a chance to see Agbeko-Perez, but whoever didn�t missed a good one. While the scorecards may have been a bit wide, I do think the right guy got the decision. I definitely wouldn�t mind seeing a rematch. It was also nice to see Mike Tyson with a smile on his face (I liked the �fat and out of shape� line). Overall, he seemed to be in a really good state of mind and I hope that he stays that way in the years to come. After watching the latest 24/7 episode, I think it�s quite clear that rift between Alex Ariza and Michael Koncz isn�t simply an internet creation, as Koncz had labeled it. Speaking of Koncz, is he officially in the running against Leonard Ellerbe for the award for Most Annoying Entourage Member? Thanks. -- Jesse, New Jersey Are you kidding? Koncz isn�t just in the running, he might be leading Ellerbe as this year�s M.A.E.M. I�ve dealt with both Ellerbe and �Mullet Mike� before and I can tell you right now that Koncz gets my vote. Just like Manny and Floyd are No. 1 and No. 2 pound for pound, Mikey and Leonard are No. 1 and No. 2 M.A.E.M. I don�t think most fight fans realize how hard Tyson has worked over the past four or five years to deal with his inner demons and conquer his various vices/addictions. He�s checked himself spiritually and he�s put the work in with rehab and probably a dozen different 12-step groups since his last fight, and the result is the grounded, at-peace version of the man interviewed on Showtime. I think Tyson is going to upset the many �burn-out�/ �tragic-ending� predictions that were made of him over the past two decades and wind up living a long, happy life. Anyway, anyone who missed Agbeko-Perez should make a point to catch Wednesday�s replay on Showtime 2 (11 p.m. ET/PT) or view it once it becomes available On Demand, Tuesday through Nov. 30. Perez and Agbeko, and the fight they put on Saturday, epitomize all that's good about the sport of boxing. ONLY IN AMERICA Doug, Pretty solid Saturday double hitter on Showtime... It seems like every time I watch a fight on the cable network Antonio Demarco is fighting. He's got solid skillz and always puts on a good enough show (no pun intended) but the only way the 'interim' will get removed from his WBC championship is if the sanctioning body strips Edwin Valero for failure to defend. If they were to get in the ring together �your son� stops him inside of three rounds. As for the main event, it was a dandy, though I thought Albert and Bernstein oversold it slightly. I don't think it matched the drama of Gatti-Ward, Marquez-Vasquez or Corrales-Castillo, the fights they seemed to be comparing it to, only because in all of those contests you got the distinct impression any punch could end those fights. I never felt either guy was ever on the verge of stopping the other guy Saturday night. Still, it was a hell of a fight... Kudos for picking Perez. King Kong is strong as a bull and has an impressive work rate, but despite his fearsome reputation, he's not an exceptional puncher. If he was Perez would have lasted about two rounds trying to stand in the pocket with a volume puncher like Agbeko. Saturday night he ran into a guy with better technique, who threw even more combinations than he did and was just as resilient. I know he screwed over A LOT of fighters and was as crooked as they come, but I'm not a fighter I'm a fan, so I fully support Don King not fading away yet. I'm pretty critical of Golden Boy Promotions for a litany of things, so I want to go on the record by first saying Oscar and Co. are the perfect business model, morally and figuratively, compared to King. Yet for all of the bad he did (and don't get me wrong, the bad will eternally outweigh the good) I thought he usually put together the best fight cards for your PPV buck. Sure you might have been paying $60 for Tyson-Seldon, but you usually got three solid fights underneath it. One last question Doug, the WWE just ran a �bragging rights� PPV, where wrestlers from both their shows competed in a tag team match. Do you think we could ever see the day where HBO and Showtime could run A cross-promotional tournament, you know, make it he Elite Eight or something with fighters from both networks competing against themselves and each other? The fighters selected would sign contracts giving both networks their rights with each channel telecasting half of the tourneys fights. Obviously HBO would never allow Pacquiao or Mayweather to appear on Showtime, but I was thinking along the lines of Danny Jacobs, Paul Malignaggi, Juan Diaz, Kermit Cintron or even Chad Dawson; those types of guys. The finals could be a dual PPV provided by HBO/SHOWTIME... Am I smoking crack? -- Tom G. The only time I recall Showtime and HBO coming together to produce/distribute a PPV show was for Lewis-Tyson (HBO had Lennox; Showtime had Not-So Mighty Mike). They did it, I think, because both networks knew how big of a promotion it would be and both realized that Tyson�s days were numbered (at the time it looked like Mike was going to completely self-destruct before the end of 2002). Just like when your boy Don King and Bob Arum would get together during the height of their rivalry (the 1990s), I think HBO and Showtime would do it, but there would have to be A LOT of money to be made for them to work together again. Here�s a scenario: Let�s say Mikkel Kessler wins Showtime�s Super Six, becoming �the man� at 168 pounds and then signs an exclusive deal with network. Meanwhile, let�s suppose HBO decides to invest in more than just Chad Dawson, let�s say they run their own mini- four-man single-elimination tournament for the 175-pound division that pits Dawson (assuming he wins his rematch with Glen Johnson), Tavoris Cloud, Jean Pascal and Adrian Diaconu (or the winner of Hopkins-Jones II, ugh!) against each other, and Bad Chad comes out on top. Then let�s say Kessler wants to challenge Dawson at light heavyweight, and this potential matchup is something that boxing writers and fight fans worldwide get behind. Maybe, juuuuust maybe, HBO and Showtime could come together with some kind of deal. (It would probably help if Joe Calzaghe agreed to un-retire and fight the winner.) There�s no doubt about it, Don King is the undisputed king of quality pay-per-view shows. �The Don� hasn�t had a good one in years, but I�ll never forget those early-to-mid-�90s Julio Cesar Chavez-headlined PPV shows that featured the likes of Felix Trinidad, Terry Norris, Azumah Nelson, Julian Jackson, and Gerald McClellan among others (once he even had Lennox Lewis defending his WBC title against Tony Tucker on one of those cards) in the co-featured bouts. I agree that Agbeko-Perez didn�t quite match the drama of the wars you brought up, but it�s still one of the best 12-round fights of the year. I wouldn�t assume that Agbeko is an overrated puncher. Maybe Perez has an underrated chin. It does seem like DeMarco is on Showtime every other month. That means Gary Shaw is doing a good job with his lightweight contender. I think DeMarco can go more than two rounds with �my son�, he might even be competitive, but I believe �the V-nom� would eventually wear the Los Mochis, Mexico native down to a mid-to-late rounds stoppage. FMJ TAKEN TO TASK Doug, This is the way Brian Kenny should have destroyed Floyd and I wish more people could hear this interview. http://www.zshare.net/audio/676796581a1c2a9e/ I knew that Floyd's fake "I want to be more positive and respectful" shtick the day after the Marquez fight was rehearsed. This is the real FMJ... Disclaimer: There is a bit of profanity in the interview. -- Jeff Thanks Jeff. The guy who smacked Floyd silly with the truth is R.A. the Rugged Man, a talented rapper/columnist/filmmaker who happens to love boxing and its rich history. Kenny does a fine job interviewing Mayweather. He brings up all the things that R.A. brought up, but in a good-natured manner (and without the f-word, of course). I enjoyed R.A.�s �interview� more than Kenny�s sessions with �Money� because 'the Rugged Man' did away with all the usual pleasantries (I think mainstream media guys go out of their way to kiss Floyd�s ass) and got right into truth about Mayweather�s carefully matched fight schedule over the second part the decade. I'm not surprised that Floyd got defensive and resorted to insults. The truth hurts sometimes, and R.A. let him know that more members of the Hip-Hop world know the truth about him than he allowed himself to believe. MAYWEATHER VS. R.A. THE RUGGED MAN What's happening Doug? I know you're just as tired about hearing about Floyd as I am, so I fully expect this email not to make your mailbag, but you had to have been laughing when you heard your boy R.A. get all up in Fraud's ass. I always loved RA for keeping it real in his music, but this took my level of respect for him to another level. Brian Kenney always kept it real but being on ESPN, he understandably has to keep it on the PG level. God bless satellite radio... and RA for saying to Floyd what everyone was already thinking. -- Reggie, Vancouver I was laughing when I listened to the MP3 of the interview because I don�t think Mayweather ever expected to run into a hardcore boxing fan on a Hip-Hop radio show. It was also extremely satisfying listening to someone dissect all of Floyd�s usual bulls__t excuses and hit him with the kind of real boxing logic that many of my fight scribe peers either lack or are simply afraid to write. When Mayweather tried to compare his performance against Marquez with Pacquiao�s two fights with the Mexican master, R.A. reminded him that the PacMan fought JMM two and three divisions below welterweight, where the natural featherweight was quicker and stronger. When Mayweather started whining about beginning his career at junior lightweight, R.A. basically said (and I�m paraphrasing here): �Yeah, you started out in the lighter weight classes like most fighters do, and over the years you�ve grown into a welterweight; it�s not like you jumped from junior lightweight to welterweight in two or three months�� When Mayweather said he�s been calling Mosley out for years, R.A. replied: �Yeah, you wanted to fight him after he lost twice to Vernon Forrest, when he was looking like s__t�� When Mayweather tried to sneak Ricky Hatton�s name in a list of potential opponents, R.A. sneered, �Hatton, of course you'll fight Hatton again, that seems like a Floyd move...� R.A. told Mayweather the truth. He told him that he used to be special at 130 and 135 pounds, but he�s been milkin� it in recent years. He told him that he didn�t give a s__t about business decisions or whatever beef he may have with Bob Arum. He told him that he ducked Antonio Margarito and that Carlos Baldomir sucked. He told Mayweather that he was lying when the fighters said he made $8 million to fight Sharmba Mitchell and $12 million for Baldomir. He told Mayweather that he�s been fighting old guys (Marquez, De La Hoya and Baldomir), guys coming up in weight (Hatton, Marquez) and guys coming off of losses (Judah). Beautiful stuff. I wish more of my colleagues had R.A.�s knowledge and guts. FLOYD GETS HIS FIRST LOSS Doug, all I have to say is wow! I haven't seen someone get in Floyd's narrow behind like this before! Yikes� and I am a Floyd fan! Ha ha, but the truth is the truth... This is a must listen. Warning: Contains explicit language... http://hiphopgame.ihiphop.com/index2.php3?page=ra -- Jerome, Hartford, CT The only reason I posted this is to give my readers an idea of how many emails with various links to R.A.�s verbal sparring session with Mayweather I�ve received over the weekend (probably 20, with four or five different links to the audio file). You�re are absolutely right, Jerome, �the truth is the truth�. If R.A.�s interview made Floyd�s fans finally see it, then I owe him one. BOOK COMING OUT? Hey--I read somewhere that you were co-writing or editing (or something) a book with a rapper and huge boxing enthusiast, RA the Rugged Man out of Long Island...if so--man superb! One of my favorite boxing writers and favorite rappers together is a can't miss! Tell me it's true! -- David Well, it was true. R.A. and I started working on a boxing book a few years ago but fatherhood and my MaxBoxing duties got in the way, while the debut of R.A.�s album (�Die, Rugged Man, Die�) and his various other projects (I think he shot and directed a movie during that time) slowed him down on his end (although, he managed to finish more chapters than I did). I try to keep in touch with him (we exchanged emails after his undressing of Mayweather this past weekend) and I think it�s still possible that we can collaborate on a book at a later date, but as of right now the project is still on the shelf. WHAT BOXER WOULD YOU... Doug, hope all is well... Most of your Monday mail bag will be covering 24/7 and some post fight analysis on the Agbeko vs. Perez fight, so I thought I would mix things up... From the current boxers around which would you rather: - 1. Have a discussion with about the current economic crisis? 2. Punch in the face? 3. Give a hug to? 4. Box? 5. Match them up with any other boxer of your choice? 6. Sit them on your knee and give them a father to son discussion on why they should stop boxing? 7. Take out for dinner in the hope their missus comes along... 8. Play golf with? (which gives you around about a 3 - 4 hour long walk to discuss whatever you want) 9. Go down the pub with to get 2 parts pissed? 10. Work their corner? Add any you feel necessary... Thomas - Croydon, England Hmmm� I don�t know what I could add� I must admit these are things I haven�t given much thought to, but I�ll try to answer the 10 you�ve given me. 1. Vitali Klitschko 2. Edwin Valero 3. Edwin Valero 4. James Toney or Bernard Hopkins (because I think they could teach me the most) 5. Floyd Mayweather (he ain�t gonna fight anyone decent on his own) 6. Jermain Taylor or Israel Vazquez (without the knee sitting); Mia St. John (definitely with the knee sitting, and maybe a light spanking�) 7. Carl Froch 8. David Haye (he can be boorish but he definitely has a personality worth exploring and it might be interesting to get to know him outside of the boxing world) 9. Wladimir Kitschko (he�s always seemed like a fun guy to me) 10. Once again, �my son� (I�m not qualified to work anyone�s corner and I�m also really lazy, so I figure I won�t have to do much with Edwin) ELLERBE - PART 2 Dougie, I agree that the video Asim sent is just... wrong. So is this: http://cheezburger.com/View.aspx?aid=2601425152 Okay, it's juvenile... but dammit it's funny! -- John, Irvine, CA Shame on you, John. Dougie can be reached at D.F.@theruggedwriter.com

Weekend Review: Perez's big night

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:40:55 PST
Joseph Agbeko went down largely because of a head butt but the night belonged to Yonnhy Perez. Photo / Chris Cozzone-FightWireImages.com BIGGEST WINNER Yonnhy Perez: Everyone knew Perez was good � just not this good. The California-based Colombian turned in a break-through performance against an extremely tough opponent in Joseph Agbeko on Saturday in Las Vegas. Perez outboxed and outslugged the fierce Ghanian in a brutal fight to win a comfortable decision, his second straight victory over a Top 10-rated African opponent. (He stopped Silence Mabuza in the 12th round in May.) Thus, Perez takes Agbeko�s alphabet title and moves up the list of best bantamweights in the world. Perez�s success must be particularly gratifying for him. He turned pro late, at 26, because of military service and won his first title at 30. He�s just getting started. BIGGEST LOSER Joseph Agbeko: This is a case in which it�s inappropriate to call the loser a loser. �King Kong� proved again that he�s one of the fiercest, best-conditioned, fun-to-watch warriors in the sport. He simply ran into a better boxer who also is as tough and fit as he is. He seemed to be devastated immediately after the fight, which was understandable. He had considerable momentum after dominating Vic Darchinyan in his previous fight and had his sights set on the pound-for-pound list. Agbeko is the type to bounce back, though. He works extremely hard and believes in himself. Whether he gets a rematch with Perez or ends up fighting someone else, I don�t envy his next opponent. MOST LOGICAL A rematch: The judges got the Agbeko-Perez fight right in terms of the winner but I think it was closer than the official scores of 116-111, 117-110 and 117-110. That means that one judge had it eight rounds to four and the other two nine to three. I had it 115-112, or seven to five. Keith Kaiser, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, has pointed out that a close fight can look one-sided on the cards because one fighter can win many close rounds. That appears to be the case on Saturday. The point here is that Agbeko probably deserves another shot at Perez in spite of the lopsided decision. BIGGEST OVERSTATEMENT Don King: King claims that his international broadcast team sold the Agbeko-Perez fight to more than 200 countries, according to Yahoo! Sports. And, in effect, he used that figure as evidence that he remains a force in the boxing business. One problem, though: There are fewer than 200 countries in the world. The actual number of countries apparently is 192 to 196, depending on the source. So it appears that King lied, exaggerated a bit or was misinformed. It wouldn�t be the first time a promoter played around with the facts. King also said that the promoters of Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto would be happy to reach 100 countries. How could Agbeko-Perez do better than Pacquiao-Cotto? Maybe it�s that crack international broadcast team that sells fights to countries that don�t exist. WORST CONCEPT Tyson comeback: Interviewer Jim Gray asked Mike Tyson before the Agbeko-Perez fight whether he would consider a comeback at 43. Tyson had the right instincts, indicating that he had no intention of fighting again, but he did say that nothing is out of the question. Gray then asked Don King whether he would play a role in the comeback and the old promoter � dollar signs glistening in his eyes � said it was possible. Terrible idea. Tyson was 38 when he was beaten up by journeyman Kevin McBride in his last fight, in 2005. He couldn�t fight then; what makes anyone think he can fight now? Tyson at this point would be more circus act that athlete, which is the last thing he needs at a time when he seems to be getting his life in order. BEST NEWS, WORST NEWS Antonio DeMarco: DeMarco outclassed Jose Alfaro on the Agbeko-Perez undercard, continuing a nice run of quality performances. The Mexican southpaw is both skilled and tough. That�s the good news. The bad news is that he might travel to Venezuela to challenge lightweight titleholder Edwin Valero. DeMarco will tell you that any title shot is good, which is hard to dispute. However, he probably has neither the speed nor brute strength to hang with a monster as quick and hard-punching as the unbeaten Valero. And, of course, his task would be doubly challenging if he goes to Valero�s native land. Valero can�t fight in the U.S. at the moment because of visa problems. WORSE CONCEPT II Vargas comeback: Fighter-turned-promoter Fernando Vargas reportedly challenged Hector Camacho Jr. after Camacho�s split-decision victory over Yory Campas on Saturday night. Vargas had a fine career but his decline was pronounced. The fighter who was outpointed by Ricardo Mayorga in his last fight, two years ago, wasn�t half as good as the fighter who won titles at junior middleweight. Plus, Vargas, who predicted during his prime that he�d be a hefty guy because he loves food, would drain himself trying to make weight for a middleweight or super middleweight fight. I�ve always said that Vargas is one of the brightest fighters I�ve ever known. I'd be surprised if he fought again. MOST TRANSPARENT Manny Pacquiao: Pacquiao knows Floyd Mayweather Jr. isn�t afraid to fight him even though that�s what he told the Associated Press. Pacquiao undoubtedly was doing some early goading in an attempt to lure Mayweather into the ring for what would be the most-lucractive matchup possible, assuming Pacquiao beats Cotto on Nov. 14. Rest assured that Mayweather has no doubt that he would beat Pacquaio. Indeed, fear will not stand in the way of this fight taking place but intransigence during negotiations might as both fighters are going to demand the lion�s share of the profits. They�ll probably reach an agreement because of the money at stake but negotiations won�t be pretty. CLASSIEST MOVE Chad Dawson: The resident of New Haven, Conn., who faces Glen Johnson on Saturday in Hartford, plans to honor slain UConn football player Jasper Howard on fight night by wearing his No. 6 on his trunks and wearing his jersey during his ring walk if he can get permission from the university. �It was a horrible tragedy for his family and his football team, and we definitely want to pay our respects to him and the whole UConn football team,� Dawson told the Associated Press. Dawson doesn�t have the charisma of some of his rivals � in or out of the ring � but he has always been a class act. BEST QUOTE Manny Pacquiao, about Floyd Mayweather Jr. (from the Associated Press): �Boxing for him is like a business. He doesn�t care about the people around him watching. He doesn�t care if the fight is boring, as long as the fight is finished and he gets (plenty of) money. � I want people to be happy. You have a big responsibility as a boxer.� Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

Valuev just latest in infamous line of giants

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:12:26 PST
Contrary to both evidence and popular belief, Nikolai Valuev, who fights David Haye in Germany on Saturday, holds as his rightful lineage not a mostly extinct tribe of mysterious, giant, hirsute half-humans. In truth, the 7-foot St. Petersburg, Russia native is, like many European prizefighters, cerebral, philosophical and well read, and as such a poor target for the juvenile barbs and insults thrown at him with such glee by smarmy, shallow American boxing writers. The men with whom Valuev shares a sort of over-sized lineage are the lumbering heavyweight giants who dwarfed opponents in bygone eras, and who, merely by virtue of their great size, were the villains in any good-guy, bad-bad guy promotion. Frankenstein monsters in short pants. The first giant-sized fighter of note in the modern era was Jess Willard, who is remembered still mostly as the recipient of one of the great beatings ever taken by a heavyweight champion in futile defense of his title. Whether or not Jack Dempsey was aided by plaster in his gloves is another question entirely and isn�t explored here. Willard, at 6 feet, 6 inches, would be considered a big heavyweight even today, but in 1911, which is when he turned pro at an improbable 29 years old, he was a freak of Biblical proportions. Most historians consider his size his only real asset, as it permitted him a psychological advantage over his much smaller opponents. Those who fought him took a different view. �He looked like a big stiff. I�ll knock him out in a round,� Gunboat Smith, who decisioned Willard in 1912, recalled to author Peter Heller. �But the dirty bum could take it. And how he could take it, and how he could hit. I found that out. �I threw my best punch at him and his hair wiggled a little bit. That�s all. I said, �Holy Jesus, that was my best punch � no detours, right from the floor, right on the chin.� I says, �Wait a minute, I�ll have to try that again.� I tried it again. Nothing happened. And he hit me with a right-hand uppercut, by God, he cracked a couple of ribs in me.� The great Jack Johnson�s claim that he threw his fight with Willard, which netted Willard the heavyweight title in 1915, is generally regarded as hogwash, the thinking being that if one is going to throw a fight, he isn�t likely to wait until the 26th round to do so � especially in 103 degree heat. Primo Carnera was the next giant to capture the attention of fight fans, not to mention the heavyweight title, which �The Ambling Alp� held for just under a year. At 6-5 and 260 pounds, he was slightly shorter than Willard but much thicker, and, as it tuned out, far better connected. It is no secret that Carnera�s early career was controlled almost entirely by the mob. He was discovered working as a circus strongman and turned pro in 1928 under the guidance of manager Leon See. When he was brought to America in 1930, the mafia found him an irresistible commodity and fixed virtually all of his fights, a circumstance of which history suggests Carnera was not entirely aware. This was known in the fight community but more or less danced around by the boxing press. On the eve of Carnera�s fight with Jack Sharkey for the heavyweight title, The New York Times� James P. Dawson reported, �The (other) matches in which Carnera has participated can be disregarded in the main because nobody has ever taken them seriously. �So it is that Carnera tomorrow will be on trial, and, alive to skepticism and disquieting rumors which have attached to the impending match, the state athletic commission realizes that boxing as a sport will be, to a great extent, on trial along with Carnera.� Carnera stopped Sharkey in the sixth round with a single uppercut, which came as something of a surprise considering Sharkey�s well-earned reputation as a rugged, if inconsistent, fighter. Not to mention the easy decision win Sharkey scored over Carnera in their first match, which appeared up to the point of the knockout to be repeating itself. Not everyone judged the outcome arranged. Writing for The Ring, columnist Jack Kofoed opined, �The Italian�s rise to the heavyweight championship of the world was due not to size alone � but to his vast improvement in boxing and hitting.� We all know what happened soon after. Max Baer destroyed Carnera in a manner not unlike the way Dempsey tortured Willard. Carnera toiled on in service to the mob, who got one last payday out of him when a young Joe Louis tore him to pieces in June 1935. Cue �The Harder They Fall,� the Budd Schulberg-authored screenplay based on Carnera�s hapless story. Carnera was not the only giant heavyweight Louis chopped down. Buddy Baer, Max�s younger brother, stood 6-6 and weighed 237� pounds and towered over Louis when they met in Washington, D.C, in 1941. In the first round Baer knocked Louis out of the ring with a left hook. Louis climbed back in and beat Baer around the ring, flooring him twice in the sixth. A right hand that landed right after the bell dropped Baer again and Baer�s manager, Ancil Hoffman, refused to let Baer answer the bell for the seventh, demanding that Louis be disqualified. Referee Arthur Donavan disqualified Baer instead. The rematch, held eight months later in New York, ended in the first round with Baer, this time at 250 pounds, out cold. He never fought again. Abe Simon, though a bit smaller than Baer at 6-4, outweighed Louis 254� to 202 when he met Louis in Detroit in 1941. After getting floored in the first round, Simon, according to the Times� Joseph C. Nichols, �� weathered the first round, survived several stormy exchanges in subsequent sessions and proceeded to give The Brown Bomber a slashing, all-out battle that went 13 rounds.� �(Simon) bothered Louis no end with his long, pole-like left, which he stuck into the champion�s face steadily. So effective was the fire that it puffed up the area around Louis� left eye as early as the seventh round,� wrote Nichols. In the 13th, a volley of punches from Louis finally ended it. It was the highlight of Simon�s career. He�d lost to most of the better heavyweights of the day, including Buddy Baer and Lou Nova, but did sport a knockout win over future champion Jersey Joe Walcott. Like Baer before him, Simon got a rematch with Louis and was stopped in the fifth. And, like Baer, he never fought again, succumbing to several disturbing medical reports and the pleas of his long-suffering wife. According to his manager, Jimmy Johnston, Simon had about $50,000 in fights lined up when he retired at just 27 years old. Other ring giants, most more sizzle than steak, have come and gone. Lee Canolito, Ed �Too Tall� Jones, Mike �The Giant� White, and, from the old days, Vittorio Campolo and Al Palzer, are a few. Journeyman Julius Long, who is wonderfully named given that he stands 7-1, gets about as much business as he wants. In a different era, fighters such as Jameel McCline and Tye Fields certainly would have qualified as giants. Among today�s fighters only the Klitschko brothers can be considered both giant and talented � hence their success Valuev, for all his flaws, would like to be named among them. Alas, he is almost certainly more Carnera than Klitschko. Some random observations from last week: Arthur Abraham visited Valuev�s training camp recently, which occasioned a publicity shot of the two sitting together on the ring apron. Or, rather, Valuev sitting on the ring apron and Abraham sitting in Valuev�s lap. If you haven�t seen it, it looks a lot like this: http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-947824-man-with-his-puppet.php Kudos to Yonnhy Perez and Joseph Agbeko for the excellent scrap they put on Saturday night, and to Showtime for bringing it to us. One complaint: With Barry Tompkins still drawing breath, why are we stuck with Gus Johnson or Steve Albert? � Antonio DeMarco is the goods, but he should hope Edwin Valero stays in Venezuela or crashes his motorcycle again. Valero is too fast for him. � Good news: The winner of the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight will be the obvious choice to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Mayweather�s next fight. Bad News: To face either of them, Mayweather will demand $100 million in cash and controlling interest in a third of the planet�s oil reserves. � Bad News: Hector Camacho Jr. beat Yory Boy Campas Friday night. Worse News: Fernando Vargas, resembling a bald, tanned Peter Griffin, was hoisted into the ring afterward, where he challenged Camacho to a bout. And he was serious. ... In case you missed it, a second autopsy conducted in late September on the body of Arturo Gatti concluded that Gatti was indeed hanged, which effectively cleared his wife of any wrong doing. That shut us all up, didn�t it? � Hey, where were all you �size matters� guys when Tomasz Adamek beat the bejesus out of Andrew Golota? Golota had 2� inches and 42 pounds on Adamek. � It�s good to hear Chris Arreola is getting back in the ring so soon after his abysmal showing against Vitali Klitschko. The question is, will anyone fear him after the way he bawled when Klitschko beat him? I thought I was seeing George Costanza watching the end of �Home Alone.� � I want to say Kevin Johnson has the tools and the confidence to make things difficult for Klitschko when they meet in December, but I�m getting tired of Vitali making me look dumber than a lobotomized Ashton Kutcher. Bill Dettloff can be reached at Dettloff@ptd.net

10 questions going into the Pacquiao-Cotto fight

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:51:20 PST
1. Can Pacquiao take a punch from a prime 147-pounder? Yes, Pacquiao fought Oscar De La Hoya at welterweight. However, many observers believe that De La Hoya was both depleted and in decline; he had next to nothing on the few punches he landed. Cotto is a relatively young (29), strong, full-fledged welterweight with a high knockout percentage (77 percent). He very likely will land some hard punches unless he�s taken out early. And how Pacquiao reacts could play a central role in the fight. Remember, Pacquiao fought at 130 pounds as recently as last year. The thought of Pacquiao going down seems to be unthinkable in light of his recent success but it is possible. 2. Have Pacquaio�s recent victories been blown out of proportion? Pacquiao has established himself as a superstar based largely on his last three fights, knockouts of David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. However, we can find serious flaws in all three opponents: Diaz is solid but limited, De La Hoya was in decline and depleted and Hatton was probably a combination of Diaz and De La Hoya. In other words, it can be argued that Pacquiao beat three very vulnerable fighters. This is probably one reason many observers are picking Cotto to win. The only question mark hovering over him is the beating he took from Margarito. Other than that, he�s in his prime and coming off a solid victory over a tough opponent in Joshua Clottey. Bottom line: This fight will tell us much more about Pacquiao than the past three. 3. Is Cotto fully recovered from the beating he took from Antonio Margarito last year? Some fighters never come back from a beat down like that, both physically and mentally. Cotto's situation is different from that of someone like Amir Khan, who was caught by a big punch and stopped quickly. The Puerto Rican was systematically broken down until he could no longer fight, undoubtedly leaving his body and confidence damaged. He seems to have bounced back reasonably well. He handled an overmatched opponent in Michael Jennings in his comeback fight and then outlasted Joshua Clottey in spite of a bad cut above his eye, a gutsy performance. Pacquiao is a step up from Clottey, though. It will be interesting to see how Cotto reacts when Pacquiao�s punches rain down him from all directions. 4. How will the 145-pound catch weight affect Cotto? Cotto has pointed out that he weighed in at 146 pounds and had no trouble getting there before his split-decision victory over Clottey in June, in which he fought 12 hard rounds. He doesn�t expect one more pound to make or break him this time. He might be right; no one knows his body like he does. Then again, fighters often say that every pound they must lose � sometimes even fractions of pounds � take a toll on their energy level. And Cotto hasn�t weighed in for a fight below 146 since he was 138� for Paulie Malignaggi in June of 2006, more than three years ago. We probably won�t know how the catch weight will affect Cotto until the late rounds � if the fight gets there. 5. Is Cotto�s new trainer, Joe Santiago, equipped to guide him in a fight of this magnitude? Cotto said he selected young Joe Santiago to replace his longtime coach, his uncle Evangelista, before the Clottey fight because he believes in his ability, Santiago had been with the team for some time and they communicate well. However, the fact remains Santiago went directly from Cotto�s nutritionist to his trainer. And he�s going to go head to head with one of the top trainers in the world in Freddie Roach. Rarely do you see in a fight this big with such a disparity in the corners. This isn�t to suggest that Santiago won�t do a good job on fight night. His credentials can legitimately be questioned, though. 6. Will a variety of distractions have affected Pacquiao in any way? Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach say that the distractions he experienced during his one-month training camp in the Phillipines � in-fighting on his team, typhoons and moving camp from Baguio to Manila, for example � didn�t have an impact on his preparation. He ran in the rain or swam in a pool, whatever it took to get in prime fighting shape. However, Roach admitted that conditions during the five days spent in Manila were not ideal, which prompted him to move the camp back to Los Angeles a day early. One wonders whether all this set him back at all and, if so, whether three weeks is enough time for him to be 100 percent ready. 7. Will Cotto be able to cope with Pacquaio�s speed? Cotto proved against Shane Mosley and Zab Judah that he can handle a very quick opponent. Roach has said as much. Cotto is very clever and probably a lot quicker than we give him credit for, meaning he might also be able to deal with Pacquiao�s speed. That said, Pacquiao might be quicker than both Mosley and Judah when both hand and foot speed are considered. Pacquiao�s hand speed probably rivals that of Mayweather; De La Hoya couldn�t see his punches coming let alone react to them. And his foot speed might be even more impressive, particularly when it�s combined with improving skills. He has become adept at moving in and out of harm�s way before his opponent even has a chance to react. This could prove to be the difference in the fight. 8. Will the cut Cotto suffered against Clottey resurface? Cotto was cut badly above his left eye by an accidental head butt against Clottey and he fought that way for eight-plus rounds. Santiago said on a conference call a few weeks ago that the cut had healed well and played no role in training camp. He credited two plastic surgeons on hand the night of the fight. However, we know that fighters who have been cut badly are more likely to be cut badly again, particularly as they get older. It�s not difficult to imagine Pacquiao peppering the eye with his right jab until it opens again. Let�s hope it doesn�t happen. And if it does, at least Cotto has proved that he�ll fight under those circumstances. 9. What if Pacquiao loses? The landscape of boxing would change to a good degree if Cotto beats Pacquiao. Now, Pacquiao is the hottest thing going in the world. He�s a charismatic, exciting fighter who has destroyed his recent opponents and seems to be getting better with age. And he hasn�t lost since Erik Morales outpointed him in 2005. If he loses, he comes back to earth to join the rest of the mortals. The superfight everyone is talking about � Pacquiao-Mayweather � would go out the window and promoter Bob Arum would have to go back to the drawing board to determine how best to move forward. Of course, how he loses would affect the impact. If he�s blown out, that hurts. If he loses a close, entertaining fight, the damage wouldn�t be so bad. Perhaps a rematch would be bigger than the first fight. 10. What if Cotto wins? Cotto would be a far bigger star than he ever was if he upsets Pacquiao, particularly among his Puerto Rican brethren. He might never be as big as Wilfredo Gomez and Felix Trinidad on the island but a victory over the top pound-for-pound fighter would undoubtedly make him an idol. And he would be in a tremendous position in terms of earning power and leverage. He could either fight Pacquiao again for the most money he�s ever made or take on Mayweather himself for a similar payday. Another option would be a rematch with Shane Mosley. Whichever direction he went, he�d make huge money in front of a huge audience. That�s what fighters dream of when they take up the sport.

Dougie's FAT Friday Mailbag

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:43:15 PST
AGBEKO-PEREZ, MY 2nd BET OF 2009 Alright big D, After my 'bet of the year' going wrong by backing the one-geared Jermain Taylor over Arthur Abraham, it's now Yonnhy Perez�s turn to be cursed by me putting some � on him.... Joseph Agbeko beat, for me, a poor version of Vic Darchinyan. The guy didn't look particularly great at bantamweight, or it could have just been an off-night for him. On the other hand, I'm more impressed, from what I've seen of Perez rather than Agbeko. He's the technically better, quicker fighter and I reckon could be destined for pretty big things. Agbeko, on the other hand, I reckon is going to be relieved of his belt and then probably fade into relative obscurity. With Miguel Cotto v Manny Pacquiao only a couple of weeks away I may as well throw my hat into the ring regarding this one. Cotto is proven against the likes of Mosley, Clottey, Judah & Quintana. Who has Manny fought above 140? Hasty Hatton & Hungry de la Hoya (I'm not even going to bother mentioning David Diaz @ 135 lbs, he should fight Andres Kotelnik to decide who really was the s____st belt holder from 2009). Hatton had the tools to really give Manny hell, but much like the Mayweather fight went charging round like a bull with no game plan. Cotto on the other hand doesn't get huge rushes to the head and is a bit more measured in his approach; that and he's a beast @ 147 (I think starting training early shouldn't hinder him getting down to 145 either) and has a severely underrated jab - and for me that's the key to beating Pacman, the jab. Knock him off balance when he starts coming in and his balance goes AWOL as he's trying to throw umpteen ruddy punches in 0.24 seconds. I really do think Manny is going to walk onto something big, and I really do hope so, as well, as Cotto is now my official '3rd best bet of the year'... and the little nuthuggers get their comeuppance!!! One last thing, what's this I've heard about Bradley fighting/challenging Hatton? Assuming he gets past Peterson, etc. If that does happen I just hope to God that Hatton gets with a decent trainer, sorry but Lee Beard has to go. Still, I could have a go - tell him to stop cocking his hand before throwing, hold his gloves up somewhere near his chin rather than down by his ankles and that when an opponent isn't within range it doesn't mean he has to do his Usain Bolt impression in hunting him down. Ta. -- Geoff, London Sounds like your advice for the Mad Hatter is worth more than 100 of Floyd Mayweather Sr.�s speed drills on the mitts, Geoff. I haven�t heard anything about a potential Hatton-Bradley showdown. It would be great for Timmy, should he get past Lamont Peterson (and I think he will), but I don�t think Ricky wants to go out against a dangerous but low-profile fighter. I believe a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. is much more likely. It�s a rematch that no hardcore fan asked for, and personally, I could care less about it, but it would likely do huge numbers (live and PPV) in your neck of the woods. I have the utmost respect for Cotto (in fact, I�ve never picked against the Puerto Rican star) but I�m still on the fence concerning my prediction for the Nov. 14 showdown. I agree with you, that Cotto is the most proven opponent Pacquiao has faced since leaving the 130-pound division. I also agree that Cotto�s key to victory is his jab, but I�m not certain that he will be able to get off with it against Pacquiao, who will be the quickest (of both hand and foot) fighter the Puerto Rican has ever faced and probably the most mobile. I know Cotto�s handled fast guys before (Mosley and Judah) but they possess orthodox offense. Manny�s offense is very unpredictable these days. He comes at his opponents, lightning fast, at odd angles, and I can see him catching and hurting Cotto with that shot a fighter just doesn�t see. I think your second big bet of the year will pay off, Geoff. I also like Perez to outbox Agbeko over 12 heated rounds and score a minor upset. I agree the 30-year-old Colombian is the far better technician (although I believe Agbeko has the quicker hands), and I think Perez�s tighter form, defense and punch-accuracy is what will win the fight. Agbeko is hell on wheels but the gutsy Ghanaian gets a little wild with his offense. He got away with it vs. Darchinyan, a smaller guy who was looking for a one-punch KO, but I don�t think he will vs. Perez. RANDOM THOUGHTS Dougie-Fresh, What do you think about the �welterweight� fight between Pacman and Cotto being at a catch weight? If Freddie Roach was so impressed w/ the way Pacquiao destroyed De La Hoya at welterweight, why not make 147 to fight Cotto? Do you think the weight will effect Cotto if the fight goes into the later rounds? What�s the best way for one to describe the career of Yory Boy Campas? The guy just doesn�t go away and he�s fought a lot of good fighters. Thanks. -- MikeSam I think the best way to describe Campas is �popular Mexican fighter; second-tier former titleholder.� Campas had an amazing ability to pack fans in small arenas in Mexico, Southern California, Arizona and Texas throughout the various stages of his lengthy career (undefeated prospect/contender, the rebuilding stage after the Trinidad fight, his title days, and post-title days), but he�s definitely a second-tier guy because he never beat a world-class opponent, beginning with Tito. I used to watch him (as a fight fan, not a boxing writer) in the mid-1990s at the Olympic and the Forum and even when he was in with Midwest journeymen, he delivered fun and excitement. I think Roach noted that Pacquiao was able to eat a big breakfast the day of his weigh-in for the De La Hoya fight and still only weighed 142 pounds. Likewise before the Hatton bout, and this time he came in at 138 pounds for the junior welterweight title bout. So I think Freddie looks at Pacquiao as a natural junior welterweight at this stage of his career. I don�t believe Raoch views Manny as a welterweight, but he knows against the right-sized welterweight opponent that his star can hang. The 145-pound catchweight doesn�t bother me because I know Cotto can make it without draining himself. If it was 143 or even 144, I wouldn�t be as into this fight as I am, but knowing that Cotto often weighs in at 146 pounds for his welterweight bouts and knowing that he started his camp early and is on track, I�m OK with it. In fact, I�m wondering if the catchweight was a bad idea for Roach & Co., because it forced Cotto to work even harder and be even more focused than he normally is. COTTO/MORALES SIMILARITIES Hi Dougie, Considering the build up to Pacman/Cotto so far, is it possible that Pacman may be making the same mistake that he did against Erik Morales for their first fight (i.e. letting his 'outside' distractions effect his preparation)? Even Roach himself admitted that the Morales camp did not go particularly well due to Manny being distracted and perhaps underestimating Morales (Like Cotto, Erik was perceived to be 'damaged goods' by many fans and media before the fight) And let�s be honest, Cotto never comes underprepared, always looks ready come fight night. Plus he proved that he is still a badass against Clottey, gotta respect how he handled that cut (be interesting to see how Manny would cope if similar thing happened to him on the night). Don�t get me wrong, I love Pacman but I think he may have bitten off too much with Cotto. Close fight but I see a late TKO (Round 10/11) from Cotto. No way will Cotto get blasted out early... even Margarito, plaster or not, had to beat Cotto down with consistent pressure not single shots (and no way in hell does Pac have Margarito�s iron chin in order to stand and trade all night like he did with Cotto) Final thought. In the past Manny used to get more erratic/hittable as a fight goes into later stages... particularly if he has not significantly hurt his opponent beforehand. (Particularly true in his early days as a one arm bandit) Could this happen again? Keep up the good work. -- Si, Bristol, UK I don�t think Pacquiao will lose his head with Cotto if the fight goes into the late rounds the way he used to when he struggled with hardasses (like the late Agapito Sanchez and El Terrible in their first bout). Pacquiao has matured and advanced technically since those fights, which took place in 2001 and 2005. Regarding your comparison of the Cotto fight with PacMan�s first bout with Morales, it never helps when a training camp is interrupted with site changes and outside distractions, but I think the situation is different. The distractions that Pacquiao had to deal with before the first Morales fight included a bad promotional situation (with Murad Muhammad) and a training camp that was 100 percent open to the public. The Wild Card gym was literally packed, wall to wall, with Filipino fans every single day of that camp. It was insane. It�s nothing like that now. Even media big shots like myself (I hope you pick up my sarcasm) are kept out of Manny�s training sessions these days. And as far as I know, Pacquiao is very happy with promoter Bob Arum, so I think he�s in a much better place going into the Cotto bout than he was the Morales fight. NO MORE WEIGHT HOPPING! Hey Doug, First let me say that I love reading your work. You are a young fresh voice that doesn't drive me to drink the way Max Kellerman used to, and sometimes still does. I pose a question, am I the only one who is tired of the weight-class jumping? I want to see champions win titles and stick around to defend them. I love watching Tomasz Adamek fight, but would rather see him finish his business with Steve Cunningham, then take on some other guns like Marco Huck and Troy Ross. I want to see Paul Williams fight at 154, which I think is his best weight (although I am dying to see the Pavlik fight if it ever happens). I want to see Mosley stay at 147 and fight Mayweather (I think he is the man to beat him). I want Pacquiao to fight at 140 and clean out a very talented division (which I think he can). And I want to see Marquez vs. Valero more than anything else at 135 (except Valero vs. Katsidis, that would be awesome while it lasted). Your thoughts? � Dan Marvin, Dothan, AL I�m with you. I know why fighters jump up in weight (and sometimes down) in weight (for money) but the best fights and the most worthy challengers are often in their natural weight classes. Adamek can become the most entertaining and dominant cruiserweight champ since Evander Holyfield if he stays at 200 pounds. Williams can be the star that 154-pound division has lacked for the last few years. Pacquiao vs. Bradley or Marcos Maidana (or eventually Victor Ortiz) would be excellent fights, and if Roach would allow it, Pacquiao vs. Khan would be a monster event in the UK. Mosley vs. Mayweather would attract more attention to the welterweight division than De La Hoya-Trinidad did, and it would crown a universally recognized 147-pound champion (and cause many to remember the glory days of the weight class when Ray Leonard was its king). Valero vs. any top 135 pounder is must-see TV. THE �IT� FIGHTER Dougie, I feel like I am the only person who remembers what Cotto represented before the Margarito fight. Everyone is only talking about Mayweather-Pacquiao, and HBO already has a date for it in March! That's ridiculous. A little over a year ago, Skip Bayless on ESPN was saying De La Hoya and Mayweather were afraid of Cotto. And Pacquiao wasn't Oscar's first choice of an opponent anyway, he said he wanted Cotto for his Dec. 2008 fight. As a fan of Cotto, I think the Pacamaniacs are underestimating Miguel, or maybe over estimating the PacMan. Imagine if Margacheato hadn't been hitting Cotto with bricks and Miguel won? He would've done the same or worse to the Golden Boy and everyone would be crazy over him. I'm not lecturing you at all, you know how it is. I'm just venting. But in my opinion, the fight to be made is the same one it was two years ago, Mayweather-Cotto. � Homer (Oxford, OH) I�d love to see that fight, Homer. Maybe it can still take place. All Cotto has to do is �upset� the Pac-Monster. It�s certainly within his ability. Of course, the Pacmaniacs are underestimating Cotto. That�s why they�re PACMANIACS! They�re nuts, and they�re all gonna cry of Cotto gets the job done on Nov. 14. I wouldn�t worry about them if I were you. I�d worry about Arum and Little Floyd�s crappy relationship preventing that showdown from taking place if Cotto does regain his pre-Margarito form in two weeks. LEONARD ELLERBE Hey Dougie, you gotta see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeNGpSIUni0&feature=player_embedded Enjoy! -- Asim I did not enjoy that, Asim. That�s� just� wrong. Dougie can be reached at dougiefischer@yahoo.com

Head to head: Agbeko vs. Perez

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:53:21 PST
JOSEPH AGBEKO vs. YONNHY PEREZ When: Saturday, Oct. 31 Where: Treasure Island, Las Vegas, Nev. TV: Showtime, 9 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT (delayed) Weight: Bantamweight (118 pounds) Title(s) at stake: Agbeko�s bantamweight title Also on the card: Antonio DeMarco vs. Jose Alfaro, 12 rounds, for vacant WBC interim lightweight title; Ray Austin vs. DaVarryl Williamson, 12 rounds, heavyweights. AGBEKO The essentials Age: 29 Height / Reach: 5-5� (166 cm) / 65� (166cm) Hometown: Bronx, New York (from Accra, Ghana) Turned pro: 1998 Record: 27-1 (22 knockouts) Trainer: Adama Eddy Fight-by-fight: http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=22761&cat=boxer The Ring rating: No. 4 bantamweight Titles: Bantamweight (2007-present) Biggest victories: Luis Alberto Perez, Sept. 29, 2007, TKO 7 (wins title); William Gonzalez, Dec. 11, 2008, MD 12 (retains title); Vic Darchinyan, July 11, 2009, UD 12 (retains title). Only loss: Wladimir Sidorenko, May 18, 2004, MD 12 PEREZ The essentials Age: 30 Height / reach: 5-7 (170 cm) / 68 (173 cm) Hometown: Santa Fe Springs, Calif. (from Cartagena, Colombia) Turned pro: 2005 Record: 19-0, 14 KOs Trainer: Danny Zamora Fight-by-fight: http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=324300&cat=boxer The Ring rating: No. 5 bantamweight Titles: None. Biggest victory: Silence Mabuza, May 29, 2009, TKO 12 (title eliminator). Losses: None. HEAD-TO-HEAD Skills: Despite their high knockout percentages, both Agbeko and Perez are essentially boxers who look to set up their power punches. Perez does so with better technique and fundamentals than Agbeko, who relies more on timing and athleticism to land his shots. All of Perez�s punches are delivered with textbook form. The Colombian also defends well with his high guard. Edge: Perez Power: Both fighters possess heavy hands. Perez�s power comes from his physical strength and technique. Agbeko�s power is more the result of his quick-twitch muscles. The Ghanaian is the more explosive of the two. Edge: Agbeko Speed and athletic ability: If Perez has a weakness, it�s his lack of speed and mobility. Agbeko, on the other hand, is very strong in this category. His energetic style is complimented by quick reflexes, very good hand speed and excellent hand-eye coordination. Edge: Agbeko Defense: One of the drawbacks of Agbeko�s aggressive style and athleticism is that he tends to get carried away with his offense, and in doing so, he often leaves himself open to counter punches. When boxing from a distance, Agbeko is able to avoid punches with his upper-body movement. Once he commits to launching his own attack, though, he often lunges forward and into his opponent�s shots. Perez is a more reserved boxer-puncher. He keeps his hands up and seldom over-commits with his offense. He�s also a very economical puncher, which reduces the opportunity to counter him. Edge: Perez Experience: Agbeko, a 10-year pro, has nine more pro bouts than Perez, a pro for only four years. However, their experience level is very close due to the titleholder�s inactivity (he didn�t fight at all in 2005 and 2006) and the Colombian challenger�s extensive amateur career. However, Agbeko has fought at least three world-class contenders (Wladimir Sidorenko, Luis Perez and Vic Darchinyan), while Perez has only faced one (Silence Mabuza). Edge: Agbeko Chin: Both fighters sport solid whiskers as neither has ever been down in the pro ranks. Agbeko�s chin, which survived the best shots of southpaw sluggers Luis Perez and Darchinyan, is slightly more battle tested. Edge: Agbeko Conditioning: Both bantamweights are ultra-dedicated gym rats who literally have to be held back by their trainers in order to prevent them from overtraining. Both have proven the ability to fight hard, fast-paced 12-round bouts, and both have come on strongly in the final rounds of such fights. Edge: Even Wear and tear: Neither fighter has ever taken a beating in the ring, but both push their bodies very hard in training and have absorbed a degree of punishment in their bouts against veterans (Oscar Andrade for Perez; William Gonzalez for Agbeko) and world-class fighters (Mabuza for Perez; Darchinyan for Agbeko). Agbeko, however, has more years as a pro, more pro rounds and more pro fights under his belt than Perez. Edge: Perez Corner: Both fighters have young, underrated trainers guiding them into Saturday�s fight. Both Agbeko�s trainer, Adama Eddy, and Perez�s coach, Danny Zamora, make sure their fighters always show up in tip-top shape (but never over-trained) and are equipped with a solid game plan. Edge: Even Outcome: Although Agbeko was impressive in his last fight, against Darchinyan, fans haven�t seen the best of the Ghanaian in recent months because his last three opponents have been southpaws. Agbeko should start fast with blazing combinations that we didn�t see in his recent bouts. The titleholder�s hand speed, upper-body movement and in-and-out movement will enable him to out-hustle Perez in the early rounds. However, Perez�s tight defense and counter-punching ability will keep the fight competitive and spare him serious damage. By the middle rounds, the challenger will begin to time Agbeko�s aggressive (sometimes wild) lunges with textbook straight rights followed by compact left hooks. Don�t be surprised if Perez stuns or wobbles Agbeko during one of their mid-to-late rounds exchanges. Agbeko�s heart and conditioning will enable him to survive any scare and the final rounds of the bout will be fought toe-to-toe, either in the center of the ring or with Perez�s back to the ropes. Even if Perez does back up, he will do so intelligently and effectively. The Colombian knows how to box in retreat and how to fight off the ropes with economical efficiency. Perez will land the cleaner punches down the stretch of a terrific 12-round fight. Prediction: Perez wins a close (perhaps majority or split) decision in a minor upset.

Agbeko and Perez have a lot in common

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:52:27 PST
Judging by their personalities, Joseph Agbeko and Yonnhy Perez are as different as night and day. Agbeko, the bantamweight titleholder from Ghana who burst into fan consciousness with his upset victory over Vic Darchinyan in April, is a brash and gregarious sort who isn�t afraid to predict a KO victory. Perez, a former Colombian amateur standout who quickly developed into a pro contender, is a quiet and humble man who prefers to do his �talking� in the ring. But don�t let their demeanor at press conferences and media workouts fool you. The two bantamweights, who will clash in a 12-round bout for Agbeko�s 118-pound belt at the Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas this Saturday, have much in common, which is why their Showtime-televised fight is must-see TV. Agbeko and Perez are strong-willed, battle-tested boxer-punchers who left loved ones in their native countries to pursue their boxing careers in the United States. Agbeko, a free-swinging stalker with an iron chin, leaves behind his wife and two girls -- 5-year-old Beyonce and 3-year-old Keira -- whenever he travels from Accra, Ghana to John�s Gym in the Bronx, where he�s trained for the last three years. Perez, an aggressive-but-versatile technician, leaves behind his wife and two boys -- 9-year-old Yonnhy and 2-year-old Mateo -- whenever he travels from Cartagena, Colombia to Santa Fe Springs, Calif., where he has trained since he turned pro in 2005. Both fighters spend more time training in the U.S. than they do with their families, which is why they are always in superb condition and hell-bent on winning. Agbeko (27-1, 22 knockouts) took the best shots Darchinyan could launch en route to out-boxing, out-working and out-punching the junior bantamweight bomber over 12 rounds in July. Perez (19-0, 14 KOs) went toe-to-toe with top contender Silence Mabuza for 11 intense rounds before stopping the two-time title challenger in the 12th round of their slugfest in May. Perez, 30, believes he�s in the same position Agbeko was prior to the Darchinyan fight, that of the unheralded challenger. Although it was Agbeko�s title that was on the line when he fought Darchinyan, the media spotlight was on the favorite who had earned pound-for-pound status with his consecutive knockouts of Dmitri Kirillov, Cristian Mijares and Jorge Arce. Now it�s Agbeko, still sky high from his unanimous decision over Darchinyan, who is garnering most of the media attention with his bold predictions of a knockout victory. Despite his impressive stoppage of Mabuza in the South African�s native Johannesburg (a fight that wasn�t televised in the U.S.), Perez is still an unknown to most American fans and boxing media. �Nobody expects the guys who are climbing up the ladder to win,� Perez said at a media workout at his Santa Fe Springs gym last Thursday. �People always expect it to be the guys at the top. I really don�t care what people think about my chances in this fight. I�m going up the ladder and I�m going to win.� Perez, isn�t without his believers. Alex Camponovo, matchmaker for Thompson Boxing Promotions, the 30-year-old Colombian�s co-promoter along with Gary Shaw, says Perez proved his world-class potential when he scored a first-round knockout of Samuel Lopez in May of 2007. �That fight told me that Perez had the goods to go all the way,� Camponovo said. �Lopez is a rugged southpaw with a very good punch. He was 17-4 when Yonnhy fought him. �I expected a tough fight because we had brought Lopez to California two months before the fight, so we knew Lopez was ready.� Perez was 5-0 when he signed with Thompson Boxing. The Southern California-based promotional company kept him busy on their monthly club shows in Ontario and Corona, Calif., fighting him three times in 2006 and six times in 2007. Shaw was brought in mid-way though 2007 and the co-promoter immediately added Perez to his cards that were televised on Showtime�s ShoBox: the Next Generation series. Perez�s quick rise to world-title contention mirrors the path of 140-pound beltholder Timothy Bradley, who jumped straight from the Southern California club circuit to a title fight that he won in England last year. Bradley, who is also co-promoted by Thompson Boxing and Shaw, has a lot in common with Perez, according to Camponovo. �They are similar in that they both work their asses off in the gym,� he said. �The don�t take any shortcuts in their training and because of their work ethic they aren�t afraid to challenge themselves. �We were aggressive with how they were developed in the beginning of their careers. They fought often and they weren�t built up with �walk-throughs,� at least not on paper. If they blew through an opponent, it was because they earned it, not because the opponent laid down. It helped that they were already confident fighters, but I think the way they were developed built that confidence up even more and they were ready to win the world title when they fought for it.� We will see whether Perez has what it takes to dethrone a titleholder who is as hungry and dedicated as he is. Agbeko appears to relish Perez�s challenge. �I enjoy fighting the best boxers,� he said at last Thursday�s workout. �Perez is a very dedicated boxer. He is strong, skilled, and undefeated in 19 fights. I bring out everything for fighters like him. �I�m going to enjoy this fight, and after I knock him out, he will congratulate me. He will thank me for helping him see the light that I am the best bantamweight in the world. I�m the only one who can beat him. I�ll tell him to keep training hard so he can beat the other bantamweight champions.� Regardless of who prevails on Saturday, fight fans are going to be treated to a fight worth watching. GYM SCENE Thursday�s media workout was my first visit to Perez�s gym in the Santa Fe Springs Activity Center. I wish I had taken the time to check it out years ago. I�m told Perez has engaged in many memorable sparring sessions with good friend and amateur rival Abner Mares before his fellow bantamweight contender moved to Mexico City to train with Nacho Beristain for a few years. In recent years, Perez�s main sparring partner has been featherweight prospect Ronny Rios. Perez beat Mares, who represented Mexico at the 2004 Olympics, at a tournament in Venezuela before the two met at the 2003 Pan American Games, where Mares out-pointed the older Colombian. Perez is co-managed by Mares� father. Perez isn�t the only fighter who trains at the small two-room gym. Bantamweight prospect Efrain Esquivias (6-0, 4 KOs) of Carson, Calif., and junior featherweight prospect Walter Sarnoi (4-0, 2 KOs) of Monterey Park, Calif., also train there. WILD CARD WITHOUT MANNY AND FREDDY I dropped by the Wild Card the day before the Agbeko-Perez media workout and the famous boxing club was eerily quiet without the presence of owner Freddy Roach and his star fighter, Manny Pacquiao. Roach�s brother Pepper and assistant trainers Jesse Reid, Eric Brown and Paul Mayorquin appeared to be holding the fort quite well. Mayorquin has been working the mitts with 140-pound beltholder Amir Khan, who just began camp for his Dec. 5 defense against Dmitriy Salita, while Reid has looked after undefeated junior middleweight Vane Martirosyan and former Cuban amateur star Guillermo Rigondeaux, who was there Wednesday. Cruiserweight contender Ola Afolabi also popped in while I was there. For years Afolabi�s only claim to fame was that he was one of the best gym fighters in Southern California. That changed when he cold-cocked Enzo Macarinelli in the ninth round of their fight on the Khan-Marco Antonio Barrera undercard in March. If the Afolabi wins his Dec. 5 bout with Marco Huck in Germany, the London native will become a major player in a division that may have lost yet another champ to the heavyweights. (By the way, Afolabi thought Andrew Golota was too big for Tomasz Adamek. Reid, who trained Lamon Brewster for the former heavyweight contender�s one-round destruction of the Foul Pole in 2005, correctly assumed that Adamek�s speed would bewilder the bigger man.) I love talking boxing with fighters and trainers. I had a really good time chatting with Reid�s super middleweight prospect Jason Douglas, a former Canadian amateur standout who is scheduled to fight Aaron Pryor Jr. on Dec. 12 at The Orleans Casino in Las Vegas. AZTECA BOXING CLUB I missed the sparring at the Wild Card gym but made up for it by stopping by the Azteca Boxing Club in Bell, Calif., last week and this week. Welterweight fringe contender Jesus Soto Karass and junior flyweight titleholder Giovanni Segura are throwing down in their sparring sessions. Karass, who takes on The Contender grad Alfonzo Gomez in the opening bout of the Cotto-Pacquiao pay-per-view broadcast, has been putting it on Jose Armando Santa Cruz, the former lightweight contender now campaigning at welterweight. Segura, who defends his 108-pound title against Sony Boy Jaro in Mexico on Nov. 21, has been getting excellent work from former bantamweight title challenger Nestor Rocha and Japanese flyweight prospect Takashi Okada. Despite having only one pro bout under his belt, Okada hung tough with Segura, who relentlessly pressed forward and ruthlessly attacked his body. However, the former national amateur champ (I�m told he finished with a 85-15 record) displayed good balance, nimble feet and a fast one-two combination that he put to good use whenever he was able to establish some distance. Okada, who is being trained by Rudy Hernandez during his Southern California stay, has potential. I�m glad I got to witness the start of his pro education. Doug Fischer�s column appears every Thursday. He can be reached at dougiefischer@yahoo.com

Grand Opening of De La Hoya school Thursday

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:25:31 PST
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official grand opening of the permanent Oscar De La Hoya Animo Charter High school is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday. The school was established at a temporary location in 2003 with a $1 million donation by De La Hoya with another $3.8 million donated to Green Dot Public Schools, which operates public schools in L.A. After five years of construction and $26 million state bond funds, De La Hoya will cut the ribbon to officially open his namesake school. The school, at 1114 South Lorena St. in Los Angeles, has graduated 332 students with 72 percent going on to four-year universities. It also is a California Distinguished school, ranked No. 53 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, and has been recognized by Newsweek. De La Hoya has twice delivered the commencement speech at the school.

Pacquiao seeking title in record seventh division

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:04:00 PST
Manny Pacquiao has a chance to win a major title in a record seventh weight class when he faces welterweight titleholder Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, or 41 percent of the 17 weight divisions. That probably doesn�t rival Henry Armstrong�s feat of holding the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight titles simultaneously but it certainly is remarkable. Pacquiao has won titles as a flyweight (1998), junior featherweight (2001), featherweight (2003, THE RING), junior lightweight (2008), lightweight (2008) and junior welterweight (2009, THE RING), which equals Oscar De La Hoya�s six-division record. And boxing historian Cliff Rold pointed out that Pacquiao is the only fighter in history to win four lineal titles (112 pounds, 126, 130 and 140), which descend directly from the original champions. �It would be unbelievable,� Pacquiao�s trainer, Freddie Roach, said on a conference call Wednesday. �Manny is a throwback, like a Henry Armstrong type of guy. You don�t have guys moving up to win championships in all these different weight divisions. He�s carried his punch, power and speed up with him. He�s getting better and better. �This is one of the greatest achievements ever. � He�s in the elite category. He�s in the Top Five best fighters of all time of any era.� Pacquiao was typically understated when asked about the prospect of a title in a seventh weight division. �It�s a good honor for me and to my country, bringing history to my country,� he said. Could he make it eight divisions one day? Probably not. �I don�t think so,� Roach said when asked whether Pacquiao could fight above the welterweight division. �We�re close to our limit at 147. We have to feed him five times a day to keep weight on him. I think this will be his final stop. �You never know, though. The right guy might come along at 154 and maybe we�ll go there.� Revisionist history? A reporter suggested that Cotto might be the first true welterweight Pacquiao will have faced. That includs Oscar De La Hoya, who many believe was a shell of what he had been. Roach bristled at that perception because of how it reflects on Pacquiao�s victory over De La Hoya. �Before the fight, they said he�d kill Manny,� he said. �Manny would�ve beat him on his best day. Why do people say Oscar had a bad night? Why not look at it as Manny having a good night? That begged the question: If Pacquiao destroys Cotto, who most observers believe is a legitimate threat to the Filipino icon, will the critics then say, �Well, he was damaged goods because of the beating he took from Antonio Margarito?� �Of course you will,� said Roach, referring to the media. �� That�s the way the world is. I look at it in a different way. I look at Manny as the greatest fighter in the world today and I think he�s going to prove it again.� Pacquiao wouldn�t get into the fray, saying simply, �It�s their right to think what they want.� KO coming? Roach stuck by his prediction that Pacquiao will knock out Cotto. �Working the mitts with Manny this week � he�s punching much harder than he has,� Roach said. �He�s getting used to the weight; he�s very used to it now. He�s just punching fast and hard. I think Miguel Cotto�s defense is not good enough; he�s hittable. And people Manny can hit he knocks out. Roach said he believes Cotto has bounced back nicely from his knockout loss to Antonio Margarito in July of last year, building confidence in victories over Michael Jennings and Joshua Clottey in his subsequent two fights. He doesn�t want to allow Cotto to build any more confidence against Pacquiao. �The fight with Margarito, he did take a beating in that fight,� he said. �In his first comeback fight, he fought an average guy and didn�t look great. Being knocked out for the first time takes confidence away, though. He looked better in the Clottey fight. � That gave him more confidence back. �We want to take that away from him right away. That�s why we�re going to start quick.� That might also be why Roach has boldly predicted a first-round knockout, although he didn�t state a round in the conference call. Pleasantly surprised: Roach had been leery of training in the Philippines because of distractions but was satisfied with the work he and Pacquiao did over a month in Baguio in spite of typhoons. That wasn�t the case when they moved camp to Manila, where distractions abounded. However, Roach liked what he saw from Pacquiao in his first sparring sesson in the U.S. on Tuesday. �There�s still a little bit of jet lag,� he said. �I didn�t expect a great day (from Pacquiao) with the jet lag. He gave me 10 great rounds yesterday, though. He�s back on track. He�s very close to being ready for the fight.� Pacquiao agreed. �I feel I�m in 100 percent condition,� he said. �I can�t wait until Nov. 14.� Roach has dismissed sparring partners Jose Luis Castillo and Urbano Antillion but will continue to use Shawn Porter. He also brought in once-beaten welterweight Rashad Hollway and junior middleweight Ray Beltran. �I think Manny was getting a little bit too used to the sparring partners he had, Castillo and Antillon,� Roach said. �They went home. We got some fresh guys to liven it up a bit, to keep Manny focused.� Pacquiao vs. Ali and De La Hoya: Arum was asked how Pacquiao�s popularity compares to that of Muhammad Ali and Oscar De La Hoya, both of whom he also promoted. �Ali was a proponent of a political position and also � became a spokesman for the civil rights movement at a time when it was really emerging into everyone�s vision,� he said. �So Ali had tremendous political impact, particularly his stance on the Vietnam War. He was able to come back and fight. People idolized him. �Manny Pacquaio doesn�t have that major political statement; he�s not controversial. But he�s engaged in politics in the Philippines. And everything that he does is very pro-humanity. So he�s really loved by the people of the Philippines and the U.S. and all over the world. To that extent, he�s really crossed over into the American public. People know who Manny Pacquiao is and he�s genuinely admired. I�ve never, ever seen anything like the adulation, the way he�s treated by Filipinos in the Phillipines and all over the world. That�s something Ali never really had, that type of frenzy, with 90 million people in the Philippines and 11 million Filipino people around the world. �As far as Oscar goes, he was popular in the U.S. He was good looking, charismatic, a good fighter. His popularity was pretty much limited to the U.S. That made him an awful lot of money. But he around the world, he didn�t� have the recognition of either Ali or Pacquiao.� Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com

More boxing songs

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:28:52 PST
The 10 list on songs about boxers seemed to strike a chord with many readers (pun intended). Here are more of the seemingly endless number of such songs submitted by you. Song for Sonny Liston: Mark Knopfler � http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to6wwNAqznc&feature=related The World�s Greatest: R. Kelly -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfgHdHfgVyE Kaliphz (featuring Prince Naseem Hamed) -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuhY4EyJJgY Second Round KO: Canibus -- http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=second+round+ko&search_type=&aq=1&oq=second+round+ Sun Kil Moon: Salvador Sanchez -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW3_8Q45xM8 Sun Kil Moon: Pancho Villa � http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxBRqhIHsw0&feature=related Sun Kil Moon: Duk Koo Kim -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMA2gRClDI8 The Warrior�s Cod: Dropkick Murphy -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebHIxQ_zhNY The MGM: Wu-Tang Clan (Raekwon and Ghostface Killah) --http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbY7sHooryA Rally Round the Drum: Paul Kelly -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXBGr-U5PIs No Mercy: Nils Lofgren -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOPiOhb1fDw I. Roy: Don�t Get Weary Joe Frazier -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-FEcvNXkmY The Pugilist at 59: Tom Russell -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkMtNiiRPGI Eyes of Roberto Duran: Tom Russell and Chris Gaffney -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gfzk047ImU For Sonny Liston: RP Verlaine -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLhsLvXX3MA In Zaire: Johnny Wakelin -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbYwBy7BbXE

Jewish fighters Foreman and Salita revive an old tradition

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:58:48 PST
Jewish boxers are nothing new. They succeeded in the sport as much as any ethnic group before World War II, Benny Leonard and Barney Ross being only two of many truly great champions who had strong Jewish identities. Since the war, though, when Jews began to drift away from boxing and into safer professions, you could count significant Jewish fighters on one hand. That�s why two upcoming fights only three weeks apart are so remarkable: Two orthodox Jews will be fighting for major world titles, Yuri Foreman against junior middleweight titleholder Daniel Santos on Nov. 14 and Dmitriy Salita against junior welterweight beltholder Amir Khan on Dec. 5. And they share more than that. They�re both natives of Eastern Europe, both now live in Brooklyn, N.Y., both became orthodox during their boxing careers, they once won U.S. national amateur titles on consecutive nights, they turned pro the same year (2002) and they�re both unbeaten. �It�s been a long road to make it to this level and we end up fighting for titles at the same time. It�s pretty amazing,� Salita said over the phone from his training camp in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. The best boxers have always emerged from low-income backgrounds, from places like London�s rough East End (which produced pioneer Daniel Mendoza in the 18th century) to the tenements of Manhattan�s Lower East Side (which produced Leonard and many others) in the 20th century. And, very often, they were the children of poor immigrants from Europe. However, after the war, many returning soldiers used help from the government to go to college and better their lives. Thus, a long Jewish boxing tradition came to an end. Allen Bodner, author of �When Boxing Was A Jewish Sport,� is pleased to see that Foreman and Salita will be fighting for major titles -� for nostalgia�s sake, perhaps �- but he believes it�s an aberration. �Jews generally aren�t going into boxing anymore,� he said. �It ended with the (GI) Bill of Rights. Many, many people took advantage of it, a very high percentage of Jews. They found another way to get out (of poverty).� Indeed, Foreman and Salita don�t exactly fit the mold of their Jewish predecessors in boxing. However, there are similarities. Foreman was born in Belarus, then part of the Soviet Union, and immigrated to Israel with his family when he was 10. The Foremans weren�t poor but they had to watch their Shekels. They immigrated, Foreman said, �for a better life.� Meanwhile, Salita was born into an educated, middle class family in Ukraine that sought greater opportunity in the U.S. They are immigrants, though. Foreman went from Belarus to Israel and finally to Brooklyn, N.Y., for his boxing career in 1999. Salita immigrated with his family to New York when he was 9. That might explain, at least somewhat, why Foreman and Salita have emerged as championship contenders while it would never occur to most American Jews to pursue boxing as a profession. Salita said boxing is their �American dream.� �Boxing is a very tough business,� Salita said. �Usually, it�s the sport of the struggling, a way for people to make it, the sport of the hungry. Many Jews were in that position at the beginning of the century. It was the most-dominant ethnic group. � It�s a very hard way to making a living, though, a hard life. Jewish people have always been into education. That�s the way to go. �But for me, this is my way to make it here. I�m like any immigrant in that way.� Or as Foreman put it: �As soon as you stop being immigrants, a little bit of the toughness fades. We�re immigrants.� Foreman and Salita, both of whom are familiar with great Jewish fighters of the past, appreciate the unusual nature of their sudden and simultaneous emergence as contenders. First, there�s their strict observance of Jewish law. They cannot engage in any boxing activity on the Jewish Sabbath �- sundown Friday to sundown Saturday �- and they observe kosher dietary laws. And when they�re not fighting, they wear Jewish skull caps, another tradition rarely seen in boxing circles. An Associated Press photo of Salita wearing a yarmulke during his stare down with Khan last week was striking because it was so unusual. Salita doesn�t believe we should make too big a deal out of it. After all, he pointed out, Muhammad Ali is a devout Muslim and George Foreman is a minister and no one seems to blink an eye at that. �I�m just a religious Jew doing my job,� Salita said. At the same time, he sees his success in boxing as an opportunity to help change the perception of religious Jews and Jews in general. �I think the Jewish culture, Jewish values are underrepresented in pop culture,� Salita said. �I think people just know stereotypes, like Rabbis on the holidays or when something bad happens. I feel there�s a lot of good in playing a role in pop culture; it helps break down barriers. That�s why I think Matisyahu [the orthodox Jewish reggae singer] is the greatest outreach figure today. He�s on MTV. He does concerts throughout the country. He wears a yarmulke, has a beard. �I think he provides a certain sense of pride. It�s very important for Jewish people to have a presence. And maybe it�ll have a ripple effect. Socially, we still have work to do.� Foreman and Salita, who are friends, last saw each other recently while training at Gleason�s Gym in Brooklyn but don�t socialize much. They�re both very busy with their careers, particularly now, and young marriages. However, they do keep in touch by phone. They spoke to wish each other happy holidays this past Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. �I think I called Yuri,� Salita said. �We talked for a while, wished each other happy holidays. And then in passing I said, �We won Golden Gloves together. Now we could win world titles together.' �That would be pretty incredible.� Just like old times. Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com