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Dougie’s FAT Friday Mailbag

Fighters Network
07
Aug

A FEW THINGS

Hi Dougie, a few thoughts:
1. The worst part about being a Shane Mosley fan is the part right after he fights, where you know there will be a long excruciating wait while he tries to catch a break in landing the fights he wants. Good to hear him mentioning Andre Berto's name in the interview with you from Fight Night Club, just wish it was sooner than December. I really hope that fight gets made.

2. Klitschko vs. Arreola – I can't believe people think this fight will be competitive. I just don't see Arreola coming even close to anything other than Vitali's gloves. I'm not even vaguely tempted to watch this.

3. I like Cotto over Pac and I'll definitely be taking advantage of the skewed odds. Put Cotto in against those versions of Hoya and Hatton, and he'd hurt them. Put Pac in with Clottey and I think he gets bullied around the ring. I know styles make fights, but their recent performances/opponents are clouding everyone's judgement.



Cheers. — Ponch

I don’t fault Mosley for trying to get Pacquiao. He wants the scalp of a great fighter on his resume. Mosley is at the stage of his career where he’s fighting for his legacy. He’s already fought the contenders, the titleholders and the undefeated studs, and the sad thing about that is that he doesn’t get enough credit for getting in there with guys like Luis Collazo, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. Although the PacMan is much smaller than Mosley, he would get more credit for beating the Filipino icon than he would anyone else he’s fought save for that first bout with De La Hoya.

I knew he wasn’t going to get Pacquiao. Freddie Roach knows his fighter too well to take that kind of a risk. But you can’t tell Mosley to give up on anything without a fight. So he gave it a shot and now he’s looking at the many worthy challenges in the 147-pound division. The Berto fight looks like the bout that's closest to being made (Richard Schaefer is in NYC as you read this to discuss it with Berto's promoter Lou DiBella). I think it will get done but it doesn't, there's always Kermit Cintron or Josh Clottey. And what real fan wouldn’t want to see those fights?

If you skip Klitschko-Arreola you’re going to miss a crazy fight. Arreola does have a shot and he’s going to force some drama on the old man.

Good point about Cotto. If I were a betting man, I’d put a C-note or two on him. I agree that the Caguas Crusher would have punished the version of De La Hoya Pac fought and dismissed Hatton almost as quickly. I also agree that Pac wouldn’t look so devastating against a real welterweight contender in his prime like Clottey. Win, lose or draw, I don’t think Pacquiao is going to have one of his one-sided nights vs. Cotto.

KLITSCHKO-ARREOLA

I hear this fight is close to a done deal? Do you know was network will be broadcasting the fight? — Dan K.

It is a done deal according to our own Michael Rosenthal. The bout will take place at Staples Center and it will be televised on HBO. I can’t wait.

MOSLEY'S NEXT FIGHT

Are you hearing anything regarding negotiations between Mosley and Berto? I cant believe Mosley is looking at Kermit Cintron instead. What is the point of that? And is it purely money that’s holding this fight up? Or is Mosley afraid of Berto? This would be a great fight to watch… makes sense in that two belts are up for grabs… Anyhew… any idea??? — Corey

All I know is that negotiations are continuing for Mosley-Berto. Schaefer's in NYC to talk face-to-face with DiBella and HBO execs. Let's see what happens. Is money an issue? Um, yeah, isn’t it always? Mosley has a lot of respect for Berto’s accomplishments and natural ability, but I doubt he’s scared of the young man. (Come on, dude, were you even half-serious with that question?)

Like I said in my previous response, Mosley has been there and done that when it comes to title belts. (He’s won five major titles in three divisions if memory serves me.) I don’t think the fact that he’s got the WBA title and Berto’s got the WBC belt excites him any more about the potential matchup. Title belts don’t add to Mosley’s challenge, which is what drives him. I think Berto’s speed and athleticism are what intrigues Mosley. And I think he’s just as intrigued about how he would deal with Cintron’s height, reach and power. If Cintron had a titlebelt, I doubt it would make him want that matchup any more or less.

BERNARD'S FOLLY

Doug,
Is B-Hop serious about fighting the Dawson-Johnson winner or is this a ploy to force Adamek's hand? I'm of the opinion that if he is matched against plodders like Johnson, Pavlik or Adamek for that
matter, Nard could continue to win impressively for an indefinite period. But I think Dawson will edge Johnson again and while B-Hop could definitely school Chad, I think Dawson's size, movement and work rate really present significant problems for him. Ask yourself when was the last time he looked really good against someone with world-class speed? Winky, Pavlik & Tarver didn't have it. Calzaghe and Taylor (at the time) did, though you could argue the outcomes of those fights. I am almost hoping Johnson, pulls the upset to see what kind of insulting offer Hopkins and Golden Boy throw at his feet. Think about it, if they only offered Adamek, who is a bigger East Coast draw than Hopkins could ever dream of being 500k, what will they offer the lesser known Johnson, a fighter Bernard has already stopped? — Tom G.

Maybe they won’t offer him any money at all. Maybe they’ll promise to make him president of Golden Boy-Jamaica.

All kidding aside, the amount of money Golden Boy is able to offer Hopkins or his next opponent depends on whether or not HBO is interested in airing the fight. If it’s Dawson, I think the network will come out of the pocket to make it happen. (The fact that they paid around $3.2 million for Dawson-Tarver II let’s you know that.) They have been in the Hopkins business for the past few years and they want to be in the Dawson business. I don’t think HBO is very interested in Johnson or Adamek or the cruiserweight division. The network turned down Adamek-Johnson, which would have been a hell of a fight.

However, HBO is coming around on Adamek. They see he’s exciting (the network televised his rematch with Paul Briggs at light heavyweight a few years back) and they realize that he’s a draw in New Jersey, where his Prudential Center fights take on a soccer match-like atmosphere with the Polish fans in attendance. Michael Rosenthal reported that Richard Schaefer is trying to sell HBO on the idea of televising Hopkins-Adamek in January, on B-Hop’s 45th birthday, and from working with the “old man” as a Fight Night Club commentator on Versus I can tell you that he wants to fight the cruiserweight champ. (He talks about it all the time.)

So that’s the fight I think will get done. If Dawson beats Johnson, that bout could happen depending on how negotiations go with Adamek’s promoter (Kathy Duva) and with Chad’s promoter (Gary Shaw). But I get the feeling that a showdown with Adamek excites Hopkins more than a fight with Dawson. With Adamek he gets the opportunity to win a title in a third weight class and he’ll get a great East Coast live atmosphere (heck, he might even attract some fans to the Prudential Center; Philly’s not that far away).

However, I don’t think he’s afraid of Dawson. Yes, the young man’s speed and lateral movement would prove troublesome, but B-Hop also knows that the Connecticut native gets a little overanxious at times and fights more than he should. He’s watched Dawson’s bouts with Adamek, Johnson and especially the rematch with Tarver very closely and I don’t think he sees an invincible foe.

NO LOVE FOR ALEXANDER?

Hey Dougie how’s been these days??? I don't wanna sound like I'm bitching, lol, and I know your gonna say something about 'mythical' rankings and I shouldn't take them to heart. But since I love this sport so much I want to argue the fact the Devon Alexander was placed behind (#4) Amir Khan (#3) in The Ring’s 140-pound rankings.

Last week Junior Witter was #3 as I recall and Khan #4. Alexander stopped Witter and therefore I think he should of taken Witter’s spot. Alexander put up a good PRO performance and made his man quit, while on the other hand Khan put up what looked like an amateur-like performance against Kotelnik. I know its not much of a difference but damn it makes Alexander look bad that he is behind Khan. I mean Alexander does not have a 1st Round TKO-loss on his record, he has the better chin, and is a far more disciplined boxer then Khan. It’s just not right, lol. I hope one day they battle it out (like Warren is going to allow that) and Alexander makes me proud and stops this hypejob. Take care. — Victor

I think you can make a valid argument for Alexander being ranked above Khan, but you can also easily defend the British boxer’s higher placement.

They are side-by-side in both The Ring’s and ESPN.com’s 140-pound rankings (where Dan Rafael, a big Alexander booster, placed Khan at No. 6, one spot ahead of the St. Louis native) , so I really don’t care to argue the point. They are both young and still have a lot of fighting to do, which will help us determine if they are “hype jobs” (as you claim Khan is) or destined to be real champs. Only time will tell.

But for now, I guess The Ring’s editorial board was more impressed with Khan’s performance against Kotelnik than they were of Alexander’s showing vs. Witter. I can see where they are coming from. Khan dominated Kotelnik for at least 10 of 12 rounds. Alexander, despite the official judges scorecards and Witter’s between-rounds retirement, didn’t own the veteran. They went tit for tat (in very awkward and boring fashion) for most of the rounds of their bout. Of course, Witter’s freaky style had a lot to do with that and most fighters aren’t that unorthodox.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Whats up Dougie? Long time reader first time writer on your mail bags. I was at the second Fight Night Club, great show. I happened to see Francisco “Panchito” Bojado there; MAN that dude looks like a butterball. What happend to that kat? I heard he's been partying hard now a days. You think if he tried to make a comeback he could crack the top 10 140lb. div.? I doubt it.

Also whats up with my “cousin” your “son” Edwin Valero” I heard he might fight on the undercard of Cotto vs Pacman some of the names thrown out there were Joel Casamayor and Humberto Soto. I think that would be a slugfest. But the one I want to see is Valero against the Baby Bull Juan Diaz If he could Knock him the F#*@ out faster then Marquez did That would get him the big matches he's been looking for. So anyways keep up the good work. — JR, South Central L.A.

I’m glad you enjoyed the second Fight Night Club. I think it’s going to continue to attract L.A.-area fans. Immediately after the show, as most of the standing room crowd filed outside, I could hear the buzz and excitement among the fans, especially the casual ones.

I didn’t see Bojado there, but I probably wouldn’t have recognized him even if I did. Panchito is one of the most naturally talented boxers I’ve ever observed but I don’t think he’s coming back, and I don’t think he can deal with the young guns who have recently emerged in the 140-pound division like Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander. Despite his amateur background and natural gifts, he never had the two Ds — discipline and desire.

Valero has both, plus bone-breaking power. I don’t know if he’s going to make it on the Pacquiao-Cotto undercard because he isn’t licensed yet in the state of Nevada, but I’d love to see him fight either Casamayor or Soto before the year is out. If he can’t get his license in Sin City maybe he can fight one of those vets in Texas. A showdown between Valero and Juan Diaz in Houston would be huge, 15,000-20,000 at the Toyota Center if it was promoted right, but the Baby Bull has to look impressive vs. Paul Malignaggi for that scrap to even be talked about.

To be truthful, I just want to see Valero in the ring again before the year is out and I want him to get the hell out of Venezuela (where in the past two months his wife has been shot by thugs who were trying to shoot him and he’s done jail time for packing a gun) before something tragic happens.

Dougie can be reached at [email protected]. You can also follow him on Twitter at www.twitter/dougiefischer

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