PEREZ & THE COLOMBIANS

Hi Douglas,
For a long time been reading your blog, it’s in my P4P, definitely.

I’m from Colombia and I’m interested to know your opinion about the fight between Darley Perez and Yuriorkis Gamboa. I think it has possibilities, Darley against the Cuban great athlete. At the same event another Colombian, Eleider Alvarez, will be facing veteran Allan Green, do you see Alvarez as strong in their division?

And speaking of future battles as you see Momo Romero for his first defense of the IBF title?

Sorry about so many questions, but still I have more for your next blogs … LOL

Congratulations for your work. I am daily follower of your activity on Twitter. – Paolo, from Barranquilla, Colombia

Thank for the Twitter follow and the kind words, Paolo.

I’m also interested in the Gamboa-Perez fight, as I’m sure other hardcore fans are. Gamboa is the more battle-tested and the far better talent but there are factors, which make the Colombian a live underdog. Firstly, Perez has a good foundation and a winner’s mentality. Second, Gamboa has been inactive and he didn’t look like an elite fighter in his last bout against Michael Farenas. Third, this is his first major bout at lightweight, who knows how the added weight will affect him.

I still favor Gamboa to win but I think Perez can extend him and maybe hurt him at some point during the fight (which is something we’ve gotten used to seeing, isn’t it?). I can’t give Perez more than a remote shot to win after the way he looked against Bahodir Mamadjonov last year. “Baha” gave Perez problems with lateral movement and quick offensive bursts, which is pretty much Gamby’s bread and butter. (I know Baha’s no joke – as he proved by beating Angelo Santana in April – but he was just 11-0 when Perez fought him.)

Gamboa’s speed, power, footwork and ability to “punch on the fly” should carry him to a victory, but I don’t think Perez will embarrass himself during his HBO debut.

Regarding the Alvarez-Green fight, I think it’s been removed from tomorrow’s card, but to answer your question – yes, I think Eleider is very strong in the 175-pound division. He doesn’t have much professional experience (12-0) but he has an extensive amateur background and he’s a strong, aggressive and powerful fighter – who kind of reminds me of Adonis Stevenson in that he’s a little raw, too.

Green, who I consider a reliable gatekeeper for the light heavyweight division, would have given us a good indication of how promising Alvarez truly is. As it is, the Colombian-Canadian is rated No. 4 in the WBA and will probably get a shot at that belt whether he’s tested or not. That’s OK with me. I’d love to see Beibut Shumenov (remember him? He’s holds the WBA title thanks to a gift decision over Gabriel Campillo) vs. Alvarez.

I like Jhonatan Romero. I think he’s the best Colombian boxer that you mentioned in your email. The IBF 122-pound beltholder has a mandatory defense against South African veteran Jeffrey Mathebula (which won’t be a walk in the park but he should prevail given the former titleholder’s age) and then he can look forward to a high-profile showdown with UK sensation Carl Frampton, who is the IBF’s No. 3-rated contender. That will be a hell of a fight.

COUPLE OF PONDERS

Alright Doug,

If the boxing gods were to grant you one mythical match up, what would it be? The reason I ask this, is because I think I have decided what I would have: Carl Froch vs Nigel Benn! How do you see that going? I need some sort of clearance on it.

Also since we’re in the realms of fantasy, if you were in a world title fight, what would be your ring walk music? – Benny

I’d want to enter the ring to something high energy and aggressive but not a song or genre that is often heard during boxing walk-ins, so I’d probably sway towardhard rock, metal or thrash, rather than rap (which is overused in my opinion). Still, I wouldn’t rule out Hip-Hop classics. Or maybe I’d be an O.G. (Original Geek) and nerd out to some 1970s electronic jams by Kraftwerk or Gary Numan/Tubeway Army. Bottom line is I’d just want to be different.

Much of my music choice would depend on who my opponent would be. If I was fighting a self-centered, attention-grubbing “Generation Swag” boxer, I’d probably go with GangStar’s “Mass Appeal” (if you needed an example of a Hip-Hop classic, there ya go). If was fighting a pushy religious type/Super Christian, I’d probably go with tongue-in-cheek “devil music” from stoner metal bands like Orange Goblin or Electric Wizard (whose “Black Mass” would do the trick). I’d want to get the crowd involved with the matchup with the walk-in music while pissing off my opponent.

If the boxing gods granted me one mythical matchup I would probably go with Manny Pacquiao vs. Edwin Valero because it was almost a reality and there’s no way it wouldn’t be explosive. Froch-Benn wouldn’t be for the purists, my man! I don’t know who wins that one but I know it would a battle of attrition that featured some boxing, lots of slugging and even more heart. The Dark Destroyer is a favorite of mine, but a world-class chin usually outlasts world-class power. I’ll go with The Cobra by late stoppage.

HELLO FROM SHEFFIELD

Hey Doug, been a while since I’ve written in (been insanely busy with work and exams!) so got a few points to talk about from the last few weeks.

I’m gonna start by saying that Froch-Kessler II was epic! One of the first fights that got my non-boxing friends interested, and it definitely didn’t disappoint! I scored it 117-111 for Froch, but I think that 2 rounds that I gave to Froch (4&9) could have gone either way. I think people who scored it a draw were giving too much credit to Kessler, but fair play to both for hanging in and continuing to trade hard shots throughout! That’s how a superfight should be.

It’s quite ironic that after beating Froch so convincingly Andre Ward seems to need the rematch much more. Froch has potential fights against Kessler again (which everyone in Europe seems to want because of how good and competitive the first two were, while I just don’t see the interest in Ward-Kessler II as the first was so one sided), B-Hop (who said he wouldn’t fight Ward), Nathan Cleverly (which is a far bigger fight for Froch than Ward due to both coming from the UK), and George Groves (another fight that would do well because of the domestic rivalry and bad blood that seems to be building). I looked through the 160-to-175-pound rankings on boxrec and the only fight that interests me for Ward is against GGG, although at the same time I’d much rather see GGG fight Froch (Eddie Hearn said last week he’d love to make that fight in the future so fingers crossed!) How can that not be an all out war? Any idea/better suggestions on who Ward’s gonna fight if Froch goes elsewhere?

I see Floyd getting a little bit of stick for fighting Canelo “at the right time” which I think is a bit unfair. Would Canelo have a better chance against Floyd in 2 or 3 fights time? Probably. But he’s been calling Floyd out for a year and I don’t see a better, more competitive fight for Floyd from 147-152 right now. Canelo has impressed me every time I’ve watched him since the Jose Cotto fight (where he nearly got KOd), and beating Austin Trout (who for me was the man to beat at 154) was enough to make him worthy of this shot. Saying that, I think Floyd will win in similar fashion to the Cotto fight. I think he’ll get backed up with jabs and tagged to the body at points, but at the end of the day he’ll box well enough in the majority of rounds to get the win, and I think his underrated power will be enough to wobble Canelo at points. While Matthysse is a beast at 140, I just don’t see a fight between him and Floyd at 147 being as competitive as Floyd-Canelo at 152. I know he has underrated boxing ability, but I just can’t see that right hand landing.

I might be in the minority but I’m psyched for David Haye’s return to the heavyweight division. He’s always in shape, he’s charismatic and he’s a huge puncher – that’s more than I can say for anyone else in the heavyweight division. IMO he get’s too much grief for the Klitschko fight and not enough credit for his campaign at cruiserweight. I don’t remember any other undisputed champion moving up in weight and getting slated so much for calling out the champion. I understand that he talked the talk, and when it mattered he didn’t perform, but I think he is leagues above the other potential challengers (Povetkin included) and deserves a second chance. I ran into this video on YouTube the other week, and I think it paints a much more accurate picture of the fight with Klitschko than the majority of the press (and Haye himself) did https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj0-Lxn-DTw Not much more I can say before he gets a few fights under his belt, but I think he’ll prove a lot of people wrong!

What do you make of the Pacquiao-Rios fight? I think Rios is tailor made for Pacquiao (come forward fighter with poor defence) who’ll look great and convince everyone he’s back, but I still think he can’t deal with elite defensive fighters. However, most of the fighters from 140-154 aren’t defensive wizards, so provided he avoid Mayweather, Trout and Marquez like the plague, I think he’ll have a few more successful years in him.

I’ve been watching a lot of Chris Eubank fights (which were well before my time tbf!) but can’t work out why he’s not in the Hall of Fame? He seemed to have pretty much everything in his career!

I know that P4P ratings are subjective, but getting someone who’s fundamental view of how to decide them doesn’t differ from 99% of the fans and media might avoid a lot of the aggravation The Ring’s P4P is currently getting, just saying.

Anyway, sorry for rambling, and thanks again for taking the time to read. I look forward to the mailbag as always, take it easy! – Callum, Sheffield, UK

Ramble away Callum, for some reason I didn’t get any emails on tomorrow night’s main events (Marcos Maidana-Josesito Lopez and Chad Dawson-Adonis Stevenson).

THE RING’s Pound-for-Pound rankings are out of my hands, as it has been since joined the magazine in late 2008. My opinions on the mythical ratings weren’t considered when Nigel Collins was running the mag and the rankings and it isn’t considered now that Chuckie G. is the Ratings Chairman. It is what it is.

Eubank’s got my vote. I wasn’t a fan of his style when he was fighting but he always intrigued me and he’s certainly got hall-of-fame worthy credentials.

I think Pacquiao-Rios will be a terrific action fight. I’m not sure that I agree that Pacquiao has “a few more successful years in him.” I think the Rios fight will let us know if he still has the stomach and the desire for boxing.

You’ve sold me on Haye’s heavyweight comeback. Where can I buy tickets to his next fight? Seriously, bring on Haye vs. Tyson Fury. How could that promotion not be a ton of fun?

I think Mayweather is getting Canelo before the young champ has reached his peak, but I don’t think he should be criticized for granting the Mexican star the fight now because – as you pointed out – this is what Alvarez wanted. Alvarez pushed for this fight to happen this year. I think he would have had a much better chance to beat Mayweather in late 2013, but I’m not going to fault him for believing in himself. I agree with your take on the fight. I think it will be a lot like the Cotto fight – but closer on the scorecards, Canelo’s got a lot more in his tank than the Puerto Rican veteran did when he fought Mayweather.

I agree that Froch has more big-fight options than Ward does, but I don’t think Golovkin can be considered a realistic opponent for either super middleweight until he proves that he’s the best at 160 pounds. This month’s title defense against Matthew Macklin is step in doing so, but it’s just one step.

SUPER SIX

Hi Dougie how’s it goin’?
After all the talk about Carl Froch and the “murderers row” tough competition that he has fought, I was wondering, if there were to be another “Super Six” in any weight division now, which would you choose, and who would you choose to be in it? I myself am stuck between the light welter and welterweight divisions. And also if you could pick a “Super Six” from any era in any weight class which era would you choose?

I think this would be a great fantasy Super Six at light welterweight:
Garcia
Matthyse
Khan
Broner
Peterson
Marquez

Keep up the great mail bag. – Greg, Nottingham

If I could pick a Super Six from any era in any weight class, my first choice would be the welterweight division of the late 1970s/early ’80s with Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, Pipino Cuevas and Carlos Palomino; followed by the awesome heavyweight lineup of the ’70s that starred Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes and the No. 6 spot could go to the Ron Lyle or Earnie Shavers or Jimmy Young (you really can’t go wrong with the contenders of that era). The light heavyweight division of the late ’70s/early ’80s is a close third for my fantasy Super Six because of the ultimate action fighter Matthew Franklin (AKA Saad Muhammad), Marvin Johnson, Eddie Gregory (AKA Mustafa Muhammad), Victor Galindez, Dwight Braxton (AKA Muhammad Qawi) and, of course, “The Jinx” – Michael Spinks.

I gotta agree with you, Greg, if there was to be a Super Six now, the 140-pound division would give us the best round robin tournament.