Dougie’s Friday mailbag

Aug

175 POUNDS

I think Tavoris Cloud-Glen Johnson will be a great fight. Actually, I'm really looking forward to both Cloud-Johnson and Jean Pascal-Chad Dawson. I honestly don't know who will win either fight.

Chad is a very good fighter, but he always lacks something. He is not extremely active or aggressive by nature. Long story short, he doesn't have the dog in him that Cloud and Johnson have. Chad can fall behind and lose fights based on activity. I haven't seen much of Pascal, but I saw him fight once and he was very athletically gifted from what I remember. I think Dawson would have to be active and on top of his game to win. He won’t be able to fight on cruise control like he did against Johnson and Tarver in the rematches.

Cloud-Johnson is going to be a fight and I don't know which way it will go, but I'm looking forward to finding out. I've only seen Cloud once and that was beating Woods. I remember him being pretty aggressive, but beating Woods was no monumental feet at that point. So will it be Johnson's experience or Cloud’s youth and aggressiveness? If Cloud has a chin I think he wins on youth.

Lastly, I actually am a little disappointed that the Cory Spinks fight won’t be shown on TV this weekend. As he has gotten older and slower Spinks has been a little more fan friendly. He has also been talking trash about kicking this dude’s a$$, which Spinks never spoke before. He claims he's coming to fight… — JB

I hope he is, and I hope he keeps his 154-pound belt. If he does, he can get back on TV by offering Alfredo Angulo a shot at it. I’ve written this before but I’ll repeat it. If Don King wants to do a show that will pack any arena in St. Louis, he’ll get a deal done with Gary Shaw that brings Tim Bradley in to fight Devon Alexander and Angulo vs. Spinks in the co-featured bout.

I don’t have a favorite in the Cloud-Johnson matchup, which is OK. I’m just stoked to watch a really good light heavyweight match. If I have to make a pick, I’ll go with youth. (And I’ll be the first to admit that part of that pick is wishful thinking. No disrespect meant toward Johnson, who I think fans would consider a borderline hall of famer if he won all of the controversial decisions that went against him, but I want new blood in the 175-pound division. I’ve seen Johnson vs. Dawson. I want to see Cloud vs. Dawson — or Pascal, for that matter.

I don’t count out the Canadian, either. He’s not only fast and athletic, but he’s unorthodox — which can throw off a boxer like Dawson — and he can crack. Also, Pascal’s chin appears to be a little sturdier than Dawson’s. I’d seriously consider picking him in a minor upset if I didn’t think his right shoulder (which required surgery following his rematch victory over Adrian Diaconu in December) was a question mark. Whatever the deal is with Pascal’s right arm, I’m expecting a good fight because both fighters have as much heart as they do talent.

140-POUND TOURNAMENT

Yo Doug,
Loving the new article on the site with a 140-lb tourney, but it does remind me of one thing… no Valero. It sucks. Just imagine throwing him into this tournament instead of Kotelnik. His fights with Bradley, Alexander and Maidana would of been awesome. I think he would of made short work of Khan, Judah and Ortiz but we'll never know… and it sucks. Anyway, I think Judah would of done better then expected against Khan. Maybe not win but a close, competitive fight that could go either way. And I think Maidana beats Ortiz again. He has the mental edge, chin and power to force him into a war again. My pick for a winner would be Devon “The Great.” I think this kid is a star and future pound for pounder. — Brendan, Philly

We will see.

I was thinking the same thing about Michael Rosenthal’s fun 140-pound tournament feature. He needed an eighth man for it and we both proposed a few fighters, including Kotelnik, Lamont Peterson (who I thought was more interesting than the former beltholder from Ukraine), and Mike Alvarado, but the whole time I was thinking how much better Edwin Valero would be for such a tournament (real or imagined).

I tell you what, that sick bastard would be my favorite to win it all.

With the field Rosenthal has, Bradley is my choice. The Palm Springs native doesn’t always impress, but he finds a way to win. Alexander may one day live up to his nickname, but for now he’s Devon “the really good,” or maybe Devon “the very promising.”

I also think Judah would give Khan hell. I like Ortiz over Maidana in a rematch. I think the young man has more resolve than people think and he’d box his way to a decision victory, or even a late stoppage, if they did it again.

BANTAMWEIGHT TOURNEY?

Doug,
Great article posted by Mike Rosenthal on the fantasy 140 lb tourney but I think top to bottom a 118 lb tourney (with Fernando Montiel, Joseph Agbeko, Yonnhy Perez, Abner Mares, Hozumi Hasegawa, Nonito Donaire, Vic Darchinyan, and Eric Morel) is more stacked and offer better action fights. Also, there are more pound-4-pound players in the mix. Of the eight listed here I can easily see 5-6 combatants winning the tournament and the story lines run deeper than the 140 lbers. Revenge matches, undefeated records, ethnic rivalries, etc. The only pitfall for the masses is the lack of “American” fighters (you know what I mean, Mares/Donaire/Morel are more likely to be considered Mexican/Filipino/Puerto Rican respectively). Replacement fighters could be Hugo Cazares, Nobuo Nashiro, Anselmo Moreno, or Nehomar Cermeno.

I would probably rank them as so:

1. Montiel
2. Donaire
3. Perez
4. Mares
5. Darchinyan
6. Hasegawa
7. Agbeko
8. Morel

In your standard tourney format of 1v8, 2v7, etc. I would see through Montiel (UD), Donaire (late TKO), Hasegawa (upset SD), Mares (late KO). I’m interested to see your take and who you may consider the winner of the tourney. My heart pick is Mares but my head tells me that Montiel does enough to win. — Dion, San Jose, CA.

I agree that a 118-pound tournament would be off the hook, probably better than a 140-pound tourney, and I would favor Donaire to win it all. He’s got the physical tools, the talent, the skill and the style to beat ’em all, and that’s a hell of a field.

Come on Ken Hershman, you can make it happen! If you have to get Bob Arum in a headlock and force him to enter Donaire and Montiel, do it. Let it be Showtime in the overlooked bantamweight division!

PAC-MARGZ 24/7

Whatup Dougie,
Hope you don’t mind if I do a little long overdue venting and get your expert thoughts on a couple of things?

First off the questions. Do you think HBO will decide to run a 24/7 for the Pac-Margs massacre? Some people would inevitably get upset but the storylines would be endless. Insight into the infamous night at Staples Center, how his life has changed as a result, an interview with the former trainer, good vs. evil, etc, etc. I for one think it would make for some damn good reality TV. Also, your boy Raskin believes JMM has the best uppercut in the business and while I agree it is nice Miranda, Andrade, and Zuniga would have something to say about that proclamation!

Second off the venting, top jr. welters please quit talking the talk then letting your promoters walk your walk. Amir Khan if you want to shut Lil Timmy's mouth then tell Mr. Schaffer to make it happen! You are not their employee… Likewise for the other three, the quickest route to a Pac or May payday is to make this semifinal happen. Enough already. And to the JuanMa Lopez bashers saying he's scared of Celestino Caballero, it may be true Arum's avoiding him but JuanMa would cut down that wide looping punchin’ beanstalk in violent fashion. Lastly, Flomos please get off the Pretty Boy's nutsack. Why do you give 2 s__ts about how much money he makes and how long a vacation between fights he deserves? He still doesn’t know your name no matter how many times you declare that “all roads lead to Floyd Mayweather”!! Go take a long walk off a short Atlantic City pier, losers.

Sorry for the rambling but just sayin… — Dustin in Nashville

You’re a hater, Dustin. LOL. I guess that’s why you emailed me.

Personally, I’m glad Floyd’s decided (hopefully) to take a year or two off. His fans have taken a vacation from emailing me and I couldn’t be happier.

I don’t think Lopez is scared of anyone. I definitely believe Arum is reluctant to put the budding Puerto Rican star in the ring with the Panamanian. Hopefully, the winner of the eventual Lopez-Gamboa clash will take on Caballero. Of course, the lanky volume puncher needs to stay active and looking good to get that shot. I think he should step up to 130 and see who wants some and then drop back down to 126 when an attractive match is available.

I’m also sick of the young 140-pound contenders calling each other out but not fighting each other. I’m hoping that Bradley and Alexander can break the cycle of s__t talk and square off in January, as Timmy’s promoter Gary Shaw has talked about, and that clash (which would be for the RING title) sparks action between the other standouts (such as Khan, Maidana and Ortiz). Perhaps if Zab Judah keeps busy he can entice one of the young guns into the ring. We’ll see. My gut tells me something will break in the 140-pound division next year and fans will finally get the showdowns they want. I hope it’s right.

I think HBO will do a 24/7 for Pacquiao-Margarito because of the story lines you pointed out and I believe that it will not only be the best one the network produces, I think these shows will be the most watched of the series.

CLOUD, BANTAMS & GYM WARS

What's up Doug,
You asked me yesterday who do I think wins, Cloud or Johnson? I'm a fan of Cloud and I pick him to deliver an exciting win over the rugged Glenn Johnson. I think Cloud is going to get those invaluable rounds banked in for his future because The Road Warrior is as durable as they come. One question: When it's all said and done, do you have Johnson as a first ballot Hall of Famer? I think he's an old-school fighter who would fight every week like they did in old days if he could, and he is the poster child for the slogan “anywhere, anytime”.

I heard the news that Bob Arum is going to once again deprive his (IMO) most talented fighter besides Pacman a spotlight on premium TV! Has he done a more horrible job with any one fighter? Donaire has all the tools to be loved by millions. All he needs is a couple of dance partners and there they all are waiting in the bantamweight division. The division is stacked with talent and if you take Mares, Montiel, and Donaire is there any trio more talented and versatile in any division including welterweights!? I don't think so. For years in boxing history the general public has ignored the little man and here Showtime offers a golden opportunity for this great division and the supposed genius promoter has passed. Are you kidding me?

Finally, looking forward to Gym Wars. When's it going to be posted? Take care bud. — Sam Garcia

The Gym Wars video feature on RingTV will hopefully begin next week. If not, definitely by the end of the month.

I’m just another schmuck in Arum’s eye, so I can only guess as to what his motives are, but I think the Big Bob Man figures he’s got the two most talented 118 pounders in the sport (Donaire and Montiel), so why share? He’ll put them in the ring together when he (and Fernando Beltran) are ready and the winner will be viewed by most as THE MAN of the bantamweight division and a bona fide top 5 P4P player. If he risks putting them in the 118-pound tournament that Showtime is reportedly considering, a little versatile badass like Abner Mares or a card carrying tough guy like Yonnhy Perez might upset one or both of his fighters. Then he would no longer control the fighter who is potentially the best bantie and an elite boxer.

In my opinion, keeping Donaire and Montiel out of any high-profile tournament is not fair to his fighters — because let’s face it, despite their talent and accomplishments, neither boxer is very popular in the States — or to the fans or the sport, but I guess it makes business sense for Arum.

I also think Cloud will get it done against the “old man,” but I certainly won’t be shocked if Johnson is victorious. I consider Johnson to be a borderline hall of famer, in part because I think he won more than a few of the losses that are on his record. Perhaps a decisive victory over Cloud will be enough to convince me and most of my peers to give him some real consideration whenever his name appears on the ballot (which I think it will).