Dougie’s Monday mailbag

Sep

MOSLEY-MORA ON PPV?

Hi Dougie,
One question, where do they come off making the Shane Mosley- Sergio Mora a pay-per-view fight? At best it’s a regular HBO or Showtime fight. In a bad boxing year they are helping to make it worse. Anybody who buys this is boxing starved, I guess. Long time reader and mailbager. Keep up the good mailbags. Thanks. — Harry B., Stratford, Conn.

Thanks for email, Harry. You pose a good question and make a good point – at best the Mosley-Mora makes an HBO or Showtime “Championship Boxing” main event. The reason the fight is on pay-per-view (HBO produced and distributed) is that Golden Boy Promotions had a veteran “partner” who wanted to stay busy and a young former beltholder who was begging for a significant fight. They paired the two up but just like most fans, neither HBO nor Showtime asked for this matchup and neither subscription cable network was willing to shell out the necessary dough to bring the fight to their regular boxing programming.

Still, Golden Boy needs to keep its fighters busy and satisfied (in fact, in most cases they have contractual obligations to do so). Mosley wanted this fight and it was Mora’s dream to fight Sugar Shane, so the L.A.-based promotional company decided to put up the money, make it a PPV headliner and take a gamble on fans like you buying the show in order to cover expenses and make a profit.

The good folks at GBP know Mosley-Mora isn’t one of those fights that has everyone giddy with anticipation (which isn’t to say that it’s a bad matchup, I think it will entertaining) so they did the right thing by stacking the PPV card with solid bouts. Will Victor Ortiz-Vivian Harris, Saul Alvarez-Carlos Baldomir and Daniel Ponce-DeLeon-Antonio Escalante be enough to entice a significant number fans to part with $50-$60 to watch the show? I don’t know. We’ll find out.

I’ll say this for GBP, I’m glad they are sticking with their promise to put decent fights under their PPV main events and I think Saturday’s card is a good one on paper. I'm pretty sure that Staples Center will be packed with at least 15,000 fans but I won’t be surprised if 20,000 show up on Saturday. I think the combination of this week’s Mexican Independence Day celebrations, the excellent DeLeon-Escalante fight and “Canelo” curiosity will bring in the Mexican fans, while Mosley, Mora and Ortiz attract hardcore and even some casual fans from the greater L.A. area.

RIOS TURNS THE CORNER

What’s up Doug,
The HBO pre-fight feature curse is alive and well. Seems like whenever they do this heart-string feature on a cat he loses. It’s clear that Anthony Peterson was the favorite, but Brandon Rios turned the corner towards becoming a star. This is what I like to see in boxing, two undefeated fighters in their primes. And it was a great fight, it stole the show in my book.

I guess Peterson's character was not as deep as he thought. I saw the doubts creep into his mind from the 2nd round on. He could never hurt Rios (who blew up after the weigh-in and came in 10 pounds heavier by the way, something that should be stopped in boxing), and once the knock-down happened Peterson went all Andrew Golata on Rios and found a way out the fight without going out on his back. Anthony was definitely on the way to being stopped, Rios had the stronger will, the better chin and the harder punches. Great fight, and good win for Rios. I picked Peterson to win, but the better cat won. Looking forward to seeing Rios take on the top in the lightweight division. Peace. — Steve

Good to hear from you Steve. It’s been awhile. I also picked Peterson to win. I thought he’d establish his jab from the get-go and side step the on-rushing Rios to a competitive unanimous decision. I figured if 130-pound prospect Eloy Perez could check Rios with his jab, lateral movement, and well-timed combinations in sparring, the taller, rangier, and perhaps faster Peterson could certainly do so come fight time.

However, sparring and fighting are not the same thing and Rios is definitely a fighter who ups his game during the heat of battle, which he relishes. Also, maybe Perez is a smarter boxer than Peterson. Lamont and Anthony, both of whom can be rather flat footed at times, might be too willing to trade for their own good. Lamont tried to fight too much with Tim Bradley and got outboxed. Anthony tried to stand and trade with Rios and got outfought.

Good point about Rios’ weight. Having that many pounds on one’s opponent is not fair at all. However, I have to admit that I thought coming in at 151 was a bad sign for Rios when HBO announced it. I know that he got married a couple weeks ago and I thought he indulged in some wedding cake (probably) and post-ceremony nookie with the new wife (definitely). I never know when a fighter putting on more than 10 pounds after a weighin is going to be an advantage for him or hamper his performance. To my knowledge Rios doesn’t have a habit of doing this, but I think it’s worth keeping an eye on. If he continues to come in over 145 pounds for lightweight bouts I think a commission needs to step in and fine Rios or even prevent him from fighting.

Having said that, I’m not convinced that it was Rios’ extra pounds that quickly wore Peterson down and had him looking for a way out after he was floored in the fifth round. I think it was Bam Bam’s jab and underrated offensive technique. Peterson wasn’t expecting to get repeatedly stuck in the face by a hard, accurate, well-timed jab.

I interviewed Peterson for a story before the fight and he described Rios as a “typical Mexican fighter.” Peterson continued:

“He’s not jab oriented and he gives you no lateral movement. He likes to come forward and bring the heat with the hook, the uppercut and the overhand right. He’s real strong. He’ll try to go my body, but I’ll go to his body before he gets to mine.”

Peterson was wrong about his foe’s style. Rios is not a “typical” Mexican fighter. He’s obviously got a very good jab and better footwork (in closing the distance) than he’s given credit for. Peterson was right about Rios’ best power punches but he was still unable to defend against the uppercut and counter hook. And though he kept his word about going to Rios’ body — unfortunately half of his body shots were below the beltline.

Anyway, I hope Peterson doesn’t let this loss and the poor manner in which he’s been moved in recent years (the result of bad blood between his promoter Bob Arum and his manager Shelly Finkel, as well as typical B.S. boxing politics) get him down to the point that he gives up on the sport. He’s got too much talent to hang up his gloves at 25. I’m hoping his first loss makes him a better fighter.

RIOS MAKES A FAN

Dear Doug,
Wow, I'm a Rios fan now! What's the bad blood the broadcasters were referring to between him and Victor Ortiz?

Thought the DQ was proper, though I don't know why Peterson was being evasive about the low blows.

As for Yuriorkis Gamboa, I wasn't that impressed. Juan Manuel Marquez was much more dominant over a younger Salido, though it does have to be pointed out that Orlando's a known drug cheat. (See the Robert Guerrero fight.) That stunt in the twelfth was just plain dumb, and Gamboa could've gotten himself DQ'd. I'd favor JuanMa over him in a FOTY candidate.

There's one more thing I have to mention, though I'd had no plans on writing on the subject before last night. Max Kellerman brought up Mayweather's video and stated that he isn't interested in what Floyd says/does until he fights Pacquiao.

Now, if the video had been the usual run-of-the-mill trash talk, I'd agree. It wasn't. Had an athlete in another sport done that, the media would condemn him/her universally. The same should apply here. Racism shouldn't be treated with a “I don't care” attitude. If Kellerman wants to say that about Floyd's other dumb comments, fine, and I agree, but that video crossed the line. Take care. — Patrick

I don’t think Saturday’s Boxing After Dark broadcast was the proper forum for Kellerman (or anyone) to provide commentary (or condemnation) on Mayweather’s Ustream tirade. That sort of thing belongs on a general sports analysis news program like Real Sports or a program that is more directly related to Mayweather, such as the upcoming Pacquiao-Margarito 24/7.

The focus of Saturday’s broadcast should have been on Gamboa-Salido and Rios-Peterson, which it was for the most part. Bob Papa mentioned the video in passing and Kellerman just gave a few words on it. I thought Kellerman was basically saying the same thing Pacquiao said about Mayweather, that it was “uneducated” drivel to be ignored by higher-minded people.

The funny thing about the building Lopez-Gamboa rivalry is that about 90-percent of my emails sway towards one fighter after one of them fights. Lopez gets dropped by Bernabe Concepcion and everyone likes Gamboa; Gamby suffers yet another flash knockdown and struggles a bit with Oldman Salido and everyone is feeling Lopez in the eventual (we hope) featherweight showdown.

Regarding Rios-Peterson, it was fun while it lasted wasn’t it? It was so much fun I hated to see Peterson DQ’d. I wanted to see them continue to slug it out to a decisive conclusion. Rios was getting the better of Peterson and definitely wearing the favorite down, but I wondered how well Bam Bam would have carried that extra weight in the late rounds of the bout. We’ll never know because Peterson couldn’t keep his composure, which is why — as you stated — the ref did the right thing.

I’ve been a Rios fan since he was getting up from knockdowns to whack out tough journeyman on Maywood, Calif. Club cards as a teenager. I’m glad he finally got to show his mettle in front of a wide English-language TV audience. Most of his televised fight have been on Telefutura, Azteca America, Fox Sports en Espanol, or Latin Fury PPVs (I called one of his typical blood-and-guts efforts on a Jorge Arce undercard in Mexico back in August of 2008) before Saturday. I’m looking forward to more Bam Bam appearances on HBO. Rios versus any of the top lightweights (Marquez, Katsidis, Acosta, Funeka, Antillon) would be must-see TV.

The grudge against Ortiz stems from Victor leaving Robert Garcia (as well as manager Cameron Dunkin and Top Rank) to train with Robert’s older brother Danny (and sign with managers Shelly Finkel and Rolando Arellano and GBP). What pisses Rios off are comments that Ortiz reportedly made about Robert in court when he was trying to get out of his promotional contract with Top Rank. I guess the comments weren’t nice. Robert won’t tell me what Victor said but he said that the words “hurt” him deeply. I guess Brandon, being a fiercely loyal dude, wants to score one of his team in a grudge match with his old amateur pal (both grew up in Garden City, Kansas) and stablemate.

EASIER SAID THAN DONE?

Mr. Fischer,
I hope all is well. Several points on the Peterson fight.

Damn, it was tough seeing Anthony Peterson get knocked down and disqualified. I have been rooting for him and his brother since I saw them develop on FNF. And you what, I'm not ready to jump ship. Do you think he was looking for a way out? I really do not know if he was looking for a way out or a breather with the low blows or he sense of distance was off from the knocked down.

He was receiving the proper advice from his corner, “Get yours and move to the side,” and “The jab is what's happening.” The latter is my new favorite line. I would be interested to learn what was going through Peterson's mind and why he didn't respond to his trainer's questions and advice.

What is your take? Did Rios' pressure get to Peterson and prevent him from sticking and moving, or did Peterson decide to fight the wrong fight, or a combination of the two.

Wladamir is to methodical for my liking, but at least there is the always the likelihood of a KO. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the connection speed and picture quality of espn3, I look forward to watching more fights online. Best. — Jaime, South City

My ESPN3.com connection and resolution was also excellent. Too bad the fight was so one-sided. Peter just isn’t in the class of the Klitschkos. He had his one shot to beat Wladdy when the champ was still recovering mentally from the Sanders and Brewster stoppages but he still couldn’t take the big man out. He had no shot against this current version of the younger Klitschko. Hey, at least Peter has the balls to get into the ring with the Ukrainian giants. Haye just talks a good game and both Adamek and Povetkin admit that they are not ready yet.

Regarding Peterson, yes, his trainer Barry Hunter gave him the proper advice between rounds and, yes, as your email headline suggested, those instructions were “easier said than done.” I think a combination of Rios’ unexpected jab, usual pressure and Peterson fighting the wrong fight combined to bring the 30-0 contender down.

Do I think Peterson was looking for a way out? I’m not a 100 percent certain but it certainly appeared that way.

Regardless, like you, I’m not going to jump off Peterson’s bandwagon after his first loss. Fighters can grow from their losses if they are smart and dedicated, just ask the heavyweight champion of the world, who is currently regarded as unbeatable.

A COUPLE OF SURPRISES

Hey Dougie,
Pretty busy Saturday night, huh?

I caught everything except for Klitschko-Peter but I probably wouldn’t have watched that even if it was the only thing on anyway…

What happened to Anthony Peterson? I have seen a few of his fights but not enough to be very familiar with his style. Something tells me he didn’t fight his fight against Rios. I think he needed to just box more and slug less. Rios seemed to have trouble when Peterson was jabbing him. I felt bad for his trainer who seemed really frustrated and what is up with the low blows?? Come on man, I thought he would get the idea after the 1st point was taken off but geez he was asking for it big time. (By the way the WAP WAP noise he makes is the most annoying thing in the world. Is he a big fan of the old batman series? What’s next? KERPLUNK AND ZAWEEE?)

Right now I take Gamboa over JuanMa Lopez. They both have power and both are chinny but Gamboa seems to have the foot/hand speed and lateral movement to outpoint the plodding Lopez. Maybe late rounds stoppage. What do you think? I don’t like when he holds his hands down but I guess he felt he could get away with that against Salido.

I think Morales can make some decent money fighting those types of guys in Mexico but I doubt he will be an important factor again. He seems to be getting by on guts right now. Still, those body shots he took Limond out with were nicely placed. The undercard fight on that show was really insane. I've heard of Edgar Sosa before but that Bito guy showed a ton of courage in the tenth round.

One more thing, I was reading the latest issue of THE RING and there is an article in there about the Klitchkos and the writer criticizes Ross Greenburg for saying that HBO dumped the Klitshkos because people couldn’t tell them apart. Now that might be a weird thing to say and I don’t give a rat’s ass about Greenburg, I know he is one of these TV execs that we are all supposed to hate but I gotta be honest here. For a while I had a hard time telling them apart too and I don’t miss their fights at all. — Steve, Montreal

You don’t have to hate Greenburg just because he’s a TV executive. He said the same thing a lot of fans have said about the Klitschkos. It’s just his opinion. I don’t agree completely with his stance on the Brothers K. because I think they can make for compelling fights if they are matched right. However, looking at the current heavyweight landscape there doesn’t appear to be many quality matchups (and the few fighters who could make for an event don’t seem that eager to get into the ring with the Klitschkos), so maybe Ross made the right call. And for the record I’ve never had a hard time telling the brothers apart.

I think Morales should have one more tune-up bout, try to get down to 135 pounds, and go for a showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez. I think Marquez-Morales is a matchup of Mexican legends that can be sold to hardcore fans in Mexico and elsewhere. And you know what? Although I would heavily favor JMM, I think it would be a good fight.

Edgar Sosa can fight. He didn’t beat Brian Viloria and make 10 title defenses by accident (and the title bout KO loss Rodel Mayol was controversial).

I see Gamboa-Lopez as an even matchup (I wonder how many times I’m going to have to state this before those two actually get into the ring and fight?). Gamby has the edge in speed and athleticism; JuanMa has superior technique and pro seasoning. I don’t have a strong opinion on who will win the fight, I just want to see it.

What happened to Anthony Peterson? He got beat by the better man on Saturday night. Rios imposed his gameplan, style and strengths on Peterson, who was not able to do the same. Simple as that.

FOUR TOP FIVES

Hello, I have a few top 5s for you.

1. Top 5 Canadian boxers of all time.
2. Top 5 boxers who started in prison.
3. Top 5 boxers who should of been champion but one reason or another never had the chance.
4. Top 5 boxers who fought in their 40s.

Thank you! — Mark

Thanks Mark. Aren’t these fun?

1. Sam Langford, George Dixon, Lennox Lewis, Jimmy McLarnin and Jack Delaney. (If you don’t want to include fighters who weren’t born in Canada replace Lewis, born in England, and McLarnin, born in Ireland, with Tommy Burns and Mysterious Billy Smith.)

2. Sony Liston, Bernard Hopkins, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Ron Lyle, and James Scott.

3. Sam Langford, Lloyd Marshall, Charley Burley, Peter Jackson and Harry Wills.

4. Archie Moore, Bernard Hopkins, George Foreman, Bob Fitzsimmons and Sugar Ray Robinson.

Doug Fischer can be contacted at [email protected]