411's Boxing Roundtable 05.13.08
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 05.13.2008
We're back with another edition of the Boxing Roundtable. This month we tackle various topics including Oscar De La Hoya's recent bout and future rematch with Mayweather Jr. as well as the Chavez clan, Cotto vs. Margarito and things to look forward to and avoid in 2008.
Hello again fight fans and welcome to another edition of the Boxing Roundtable where we tackle some of the hot topics in the sport of boxing. This month, we are joined by fellow 411 Boxing writer Matt Knowles, Raymundo Dioses, producer of Fight Net Radio and recent addition to the 411 Boxing family, Florida boxing correspondent Anthony Ivey who also writes for FloridaBoxingBeatdown.com and 411 boxing newest writer, Alan Berg, straight out of Las Vegas, Nevada.. As always, I'm your host, 411 Boxing Editor Ramon Aranda. Ok guys let's get right into it…
1. After seeing De La Hoya beat Steve Forbes, do you think he stands a chance in a rematch against Mayweather?
Matt Knowles: Oscar's chances against Floyd this time around are marginally better, mainly due to Mayweather's inactivity and indifference towards the sport during the 2008 year. We must remember that on the worst night of his pro career, Floyd was still able beat Oscar (who was on his A-game). If Floyd trains properly, he'll win an easy decision. If he takes any short-cuts, which very well could happen, Oscar could eek out a victory.
That being said, for the record, I feel that Oscar's chances of winning are REDUCED considerably with Floyd Sr. in the corner. You know that the spite in Junior's heart will be a motivating factor in this bout, considering how badly he wants to humiliate his dad on a grand stage. I also feel that Senior's mediocre-at-best work in Oscar's corner over the past 3-4 years will once again be exposed. He is bar-none the most over-rated trainer of this generation. (Was I the only one who appreciated Oscar's aggressive style in the first bout vs. Floyd, with Freddie Roach as trainer? Just wondering….)
Anthony Ivey: I think he stands a descent chance, but the key is he can't fight tense like he did in their first encounter. When Oscar fights tight, he wears himself down in the last few rounds. However I don't think the Forbes win was exactly vintage De La Hoya. Five years ago, Forbes wouldn't have seen round seven.
Alan Berg: I don't see him giving Mayweather a hard time. He beat up a guy he was supposed to beat, I think he might fight a little better with Floyd Sr. in his corner, with that said, Floyd Jr. can turn it on at anytime and he can bring more to the table in the rematch. I don't think Money really fought as good as he's capable of and I expect him to look sensational in September.
Raymundo Dioses: HBO commentator and trainer Emmanuel Steward described Steve Forbes as having a "punchers chance" against Oscar De La Hoya last weekend. I deem the same to be true of Oscar's rematch against the best boxer in the world, Floyd Mayweather Jr. He has eclipsed all goals a boxer could imagine; an Olympic Gold Medal, a title belt in multiple divisions and enough income from fighting to spawn a family of boxers. It is commendable that Oscar is setting out on a quest to beat Mayweather, relying on his victory over Forbes along with four more months of training time with Floyd Mayweather Sr. to change the outcome of the first fight.
But it won't.
Floyd Mayweather is the best boxer that steps into the squared circle right now. In most cases, he's better than three or four boxers combined. He has it all: speed, power, defense, and agility. De La Hoya should not be disappointed he cannot beat that. Who can? This self inflicted challenge is a mountain too high to scale. Oscar stands a chance in this fight- yet only a punchers chance. If it is Oscar's desire to retire a champion, he should seek to fight the winner of the Vernon Forrest/Sergio Mora fight for the WBC super welterweight title.
Ramon Aranda: Well, Oscar certainly didn't help his cause by going the full 12-rounds with Forbes and even though it may help shake off the ring rust, Forbes is no Mayweather, I can tell you that much. Now let's talk about Oscar's third fight this year…
2. Oscar has mentioned Miguel Cotto as a possibility for his final match. What do you think of such a prospect and how would you see this fight going? Alan, let's start with you.
Alan Berg: I believe Oscar is just throwing his name out there. There is no guarantee that Cotto gets by Margarito, if he does it might happen, but the only way that fight is made is if the Golden Boy gets past the Pretty Boy, which as I said above isn't going to happen.
Matt Knowles: Can't happen, won't happen. Miguel Cotto is Top Rank's brightest star, and there's no way that Bob Arum will split the pie with Oscar in order to make that fight happen. Money and pride are the biggest barriers in this bout ever being made. I hope I'm wrong, because stylistically it's a sensational match-up!
Raymundo Dioses: In my latest "Ringside with Raymundo" report, I tackle the prospect of Oscar choosing Miguel Cotto as his final opponent. For Oscar to be competitive in this fight, he would have to have had a solid outing against Mayweather in September, win or lose. Floyd Sr.'s training would have to be superb, and De La Hoya would need to display more power than he did against Steve Forbes.
I would still pick Cotto should this fight evolve, for I believe he has been hands down best welterweight in the last 18 months. Heading into 2007, he stopped Carlos Quintana in 5 rounds and won the vacant WBA welterweight title. To begin 2007, he beat Oktay Urkal by TKO, stopped Zab Judah in the 11th, and won a UD over Shane Mosely in November of that year. Thus far, he annihilated Alfonso Gomez on April 12, and will continue on his winning gravy train should De La Hoya challenge him.
Anthony Ivey: I'd actually like to see that fight over a Mayweather rematch. Oscar wouldn't have to chase Cotto, he'd be right there banging away at him. That's a great youth vs. experience action fight. I see Cotto grinding out a close victory De La Hoya like he did against Mosley a few months back.
Ramon Aranda: I have to agree with you Anthony, I think stylistically a fight with Cotto would be much more fun to watch than a rematch with Floyd but as you mention Matt, I don't see Top Rank looking to make that fight with Cotto being the big money man in their promotional banner. And speaking of Top Rank, let's talk about one of their younger stars in Julio Cesar Chavez….
3. Is Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. the goods? Does he stand a chance of equaling or eclipsing Chavez Sr. before his career is over? Give your overall impressions of him. Anthony, you go first.
Anthony Ivey: Junior is still a project at this point. I realize I haven't seen a lot him, but I feel confident in saying. His father was such a great fighter in his prime, so Jr. has some big shoes to fill. Right now he's got power, good fundamentals, and very strong for his weight. If he builds on those things in the next couple of years, he'll be a player in the sport.
Raymundo Dioses: JCC Jr. is definitely talented, no question. His height and arm span make him a formidable presence in the ring. However, the tremendous scrutiny applied to his opponent caliber has been unanswered. Thus far, Junior is 36-0 with 29 KO's. That has not silenced critics.
What would help is if he stepped up to the super middleweight division and faced Anthony Mundine or Lucien Bute. Both would be title fights (WBA and IBF, respectively). He would run into a world of hurt if he fought at 160, with Kelly Pavlik holding the reins at middleweight. As far as him surpassing his father in terms of ring success, it will never happen. Mexico's finest boxer ever has a legacy that can only be equaled, but never eclipsed.
Matt KnowlesEven though he has 30+ victories; I can't make a solid judgment of his future until I see him trade bombs with a legitimate welterweight bomber. As talented as his fists are, can he stand up to the fury of a Margarito body shot? Can he eat a straight right from Cintron and keep firing? If the answer is "yes" to either of those questions, we have a future legend on our hands. If not, he'll simply be the son-of-a-legend who was able to make a decent career out of walking in daddy's shadow. Not that there's anything wrong with that; I'd love to live in the shadow of a legend like Chavez!
Alan Berg: Still too early. Until Chavez mixes it up with someone in the Top 10, I can't really hate on him or say that he's going to be great. Right now he headlines PPV cards that actually make money and he's going to do that for awhile longer before they get someone in there that can test him. I don't think he'll ever eclipse his father's Hall of Fame resume, but I'm sure he will win alphabet title.
Ramon Aranda: You know, I grew up on watching Chavez Sr. – he was the one guy that got me into boxing in the first place. My family would gather for a Chavez fight party and it was always an event. Chavez Jr. has a lot riding on his shoulders and Lord knows it's some heavy weight but he's handling it pretty good. I think he has the physical tools to have an excellent career but in my humble opinion, no one, children included will surpass the legend left behind by THE Julio Cesar Chavez.
You know, there's also another Chavez learning his craft in the ring; one Omar Chavez….
4. Who will ultimately have the better career, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. or Omar Chavez?
Raymundo Dioses: JCC's youngest son, Omar Chavez, is said to have one-punch knockout power. It is evident in his record, currently 9-0 with 7 KO's. With time and training, as well as the marketing train that is his name and which is neatly packaged by Top Rank, Omar could prove to be a contender for a title in the light-welterweights, which is currently the least competitive welterweight division.
Alan Berg: Again too early to tell. It goes back to seeing these two young fighters in a fight where they have to deal with adversity.
Anthony Ivey: I have never seen Omar in action so I can't really answer that, so I guess I'll go with Jr. by default.
Matt Knowles: As much as I enjoy gazing into my crystal ball to make lofty predictions, I can't call this one. Both guys have up-sides, both guys have question marks. From a promotional standpoint, JCC Jr. will be given a number of opportunities at world titles and big-$ match-ups due to his name recognition alone, so in that sense his career should be more profitable.
Ramon Aranda: I agree that it's kind of tough to say at this moment especially with Omar having so many fewer fights than Julio so we'll have to wait and see. On the other hand, Omar's last bout on the Latin Fury 3 PPV left a lot to be desired as he had a ton of issues not to mention a look of desperation and uncertainty of what to do in there. Nothing wrong with a little sibling competition though in my eyes and perhaps these two will push each other to one-upmanship.
5. Judah vs. Mosley was to come about on May 31st before Judah's injury forced a postponement. Regardless they'll likely reschedule it so what are your thoughts on the importance of this fight and what are your predictions and why?
Matt Knowles: Don't get me started! From day 1, I have felt that this bout was made in order for Golden Boy Promotions to cash in on their "favor" to the fans for Hopkins-Calzaghe and Oscar-Forbes being on HBO rather than PPV. So business-wise, in terms of importance, this one is all about the PPV dollar bill ya'll. In terms of the fight, is anyone really excited? Two counter-punchers, past their prime, with nobody else to face but each other, due to the rising stars having already risen above the two of them (mainly Cotto). Anyhow, sorry to be the Negative Nancy on this topic; Mosley by close UD 12 in a snoozer, he tends to do well against southpaws not named Winky.
Alan Berg: Now that it's cancelled, I still think Judah is a live dog if they fight. Zab has the one thing that serves Mosley well in all of his fights -- speed. Judah can offset Mosley's hand speed with his own, which makes it an intriguing scrap.
Raymundo Dioses: The Judah/Mosely clash is a match between two fighters in the second leg of their careers, striving to remain relevant in their division. Both are putting up their still-marketable names in hopes of scoring a title match.
There is a complex involved here. All the welterweight titles are currently being feverishly competed for, and most would likely lead to lucrative rematches. Here's my case:
WBC title: This title is being held onto stronger than the Republication nomination of John McCain, with Mayweather holding onto the belt by taking opponents of the ‘less risk, higher reward' nature. He plans to fight De La Hoya in the fall, and there are talks of a rematch with Hatton in 2009. By the time either fighter had a crack at the WBC belt, both would be in their late 30's. At that time, the younger influx of welterweights will be sought above Judah or Mosely.
WBA & IBF titles: The summer showdown of Miguel Cotto against Antonio "Tijuana Tornado" Margarito could definitely spawn a trilogy, if not a quadoligy (if that's even a word.) If this fight is going to be as competitive as it's hyped to be, expect rematches to the second, third, and fourth power.
WBO title: The only title in sights for either fighter. Paul Williams is my pick to regain his title over the smaller Quintana, (train hard in Puerto Rico, Mr. Punisher.) The winner of their May 31 fight should vie, lie, cheat and steal in attempts to get an WBO title shot. (Only half-kidding.)
Anthony Ivey: Well, now we got a few more weeks to think about it since Judah's tumble out of the shower. I feel like this is the Cotto losers' bracket tournament finals. I think a win will secure a payday for either guy, but I don't think the victor will be a force in the division. Mosley will win, mainly on size and strength difference.
Ramon Aranda: I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with the postponement of the fight, due in large part because I was going to attend and because I actually think this fight will be extremely entertainment as both guys have a lot to prove regarding their stance in the welterweight division. I actually have my doubts as to whether this one will get rescheduled at some point with some of the rumors I've heard about Mosley not wanting to wait and so forth. But let's talk about a fight that is still on the marquee for this summer…
6. Cotto vs. Margarito - Is this a fight-of-the-year waiting to happen?
Raymundo Dioses: Cotto/Margarito is definitely going to be a summer smash, but of epic proportions? Maybe, and maybe not. Cotto is almost invincible in the ring, racking up an extraordinary and impressive fight history thus far. He has successfully defended his WBA title four-times, all with enough action and body punches that one boxing fan can muster. Antonio Margarito was also once regarded as invincible, and has since regained some of that with his trouncing of Kermit Cintron for the IBF title. He is on his way up, and Cotto is standing in his way.
As far as me straying from my un-biased journalistic standpoint, Vasquez/Marquez III is the fight of the year for 2008. Heck, it was the fight of the decade in my eyes, and I was privileged to witness it ringside. The summer bout will be entertaining and hard hitting, but will not eclipse the Vasquez/Marquez bout in this boxer's eyes.
Anthony Ivey: I am really looking forward to this one. Margarito just battered Cintron again and Cotto toyed with Gomez in each fighter's last outings. As far as I am concerned the winner of this fight is the undisputed welterweight champ. Sorry Floyd.
Alan Berg: As I said in my 4 Rounds column, this has FOY all over it. I think this can be our generations Hagler-Hearns, two guys that don't wanna back up, that want to make a statement by knocking each other out. Can't wait for this one!
Matt Knowles: Do you guys remember the old Gallagher comedy concerts from the 80's, where the audience in the first 4-5 rows had to hold up plastic to avoid getting splattered by stuff? Well that plastic-action needs to be brought back for Cotto-Margarito, because there will be blood, teeth, mouthpieces, eyebrows, shreds of leather, and all kinds of other things flying from the ring that night! This is, on paper, the absolute best match-up that we could ever hope for in boxing for 2008. The last time I was this excited about a brawl of this nature was when I heard that ESPN superstar Mickey Ward was getting an HBO date against former champ Arturo Gatti, and we all know how that trilogy went down! So to answer the question, this is not only a FOTY candidate; it may turn out to be the best fight of the new millennium!
Ramon Aranda: I was pretty stoked myself, when I heard that these two would be locking horns this July and if I attend the fight, I'll make sure and bring a plastic sheet to avoid blood splatters Matt. Will it be Hagler-Hearns all over again? Well if any fight has a chance of being just that, it's this fight. Ok moving on gentleman, looking at the rest of 2008…
7. Name three things that have got you excited about boxing this year and three things that you could do without / have you frustrated / you'd like to change.
Alan Berg:
My positives:
1. Mayweather-De La Hoya II
- Because it puts boxing in the spotlight.
2. Cotto-Margarito
- See above
3. David Haye moving to heavyweight
- Someone with a pulse at heavyweight, here's hoping he ignites the division.
My negatives:
1. Heavyweight mess
- So tired of hearing how bad the heavyweights are. Hopefully Peter runs over Vitali so we get to see Wlad-Peter II next year.
2. Way too much holding
- I'm sick and tired of fighters being allowed to hold, watch ESPN Classic and you'll see how fights are meant to be fought. I don't blame the fighters; I blame the commissions for not making it an issue.
3. HBO and Showtime not constantly recognizing the Ring Magazine title
- Awhile back it seemed that HBO was finally getting on board, but this needs to be a priority because without legitimately having a champion at each weight class, the networks are selling their sport short and it makes for confusion among the casual fans. Sell the sport - name the legitimate champs.
Matt Knowles:
Three positives:
1. Cotto-Margarito
2. Possibility of Calzaghe-Jones
3. No more B-Hop snooze-fests
Three negatives:
1. Zero significant heavyweight bouts
2. Pavlik's steps-backward (Lockett? Rubio?)
3. Pacquiao can only fight 3 times/year; I gotta have more Pac-Man!!!!
Anthony Ivey:
Excited about:
1. Ring-card Girls
2. Better quality fights like Taylor-Pavlik 2, Cinton-Cotto, Marquez vs. Pacquio 2, etc
3. Ring-card Girls
Frustrated about:
1. Ringcard girls who should retire
2. Upcoming fighters exposure being pushed aside for Jones Jr, De La Hoya, Trinidad, Hopkins, etc. coverage
3. Haven't been able to get ring-card girl's phone number yet.
Raymundo Dioses:
The year in boxing thus far has had some great moments. This first five months felt like 2007, with drama, excitement and down right great fights. Here are three things that got me excited.
1. Vasquez/Marquez III. Enough said.
2. The shocking upset of Juan Diaz was really something to watch. It was exciting to see challenger Nate Campbell competitive from the outset, talking to Diaz from the time of instruction, and the end of every round. He successfully got into the head of Diaz, talked and backed it up and had one objective in mind: win. Midway through the fight, I mistook Campbell's approach as arrogance, but later came to the conclusion that it was competitiveness. He fought every round with fervor as well as purpose, and rightfully became a champion that night.
3. Sitting next to Ramiro Gonzales of Golden Boy Promotions at the Katsidis/Casamayor fight. Yes, this is a name drop. It was just very humbling to be sitting next to and chatting with someone who has been to so many great fights. If you watch replays of fights from 1990 to now, 80 percent of the time, you'll see him in the background. He recalled some fights while sitting ringside, and treated the bout we were watching as if it was a mega fight in Las Vegas. I used the little spanglish I attain to ask him who like liked in the fight, pretty much asking him who he thought was going to win. Like I have noticed most people in the boxing game respond, he said, "a good fight". I thought to myself, me too. And that's exactly what we got that night.
Three things I didn't like are as follows:
1. Billy Dib. This promising young boxer was on the under-card of the Katsidis/Casmayor fight. He was un-necessarily showboating throughout the fight, taunting the other fighter, dropping his hands on purpose, and prancing around the ring as if he paid for the canvas and ropes himself. It was thoroughly disgusting, and an embarrassment to the great sport of boxing. I felt like telling people in the crowd, (who were booing, by the way) that this isn't what boxing is all about, and that most all boxers exhibit great character and respect in the ring. Dib could have won easily had he spent time actually fighting as opposed to showboating. He was to be on the undercard of the De La Hoya fight last weekend, a supposed title shot. The fight fell through. They call that Karma, right?
2. The disappointment every boxing journalist, every boxing enthusiast and everyone in boxing has that a Cotto/Mayweather fight may never evolve. It would be a fight of epic proportions, two of the best of our decade putting on the gloves and battling it out for 12 rounds. The talks increased after Cotto demolished Alfonso Gomez, and the quiet Puerto Rican said leading up to the fight and after that he leaves all the match-making to his camp. That's fine, and I can respect that. He does his talking in the ring, which is where I think every fighter should talk. However… trash talk is a part of boxing, for better or for worse. Sometimes the trash talk can lead to the setting up of a great fight, (i.e. Hopkins/Calzaghe). It's no doubt that money talks, and is Mayweather's first language, even above English. But if Cotto gave him some verbal jabs, maybe ‘Money Mayweather' would be content with just filling one pocket on his jeans as opposed to all four. Sadly, Cotto/Mayweather may go down as the greatest fight that never happened.
3. The ignorance Bernard Hopkins displayed when he told Joe Calzaghe "I'll never let a white boy beat me". True, I just referenced the bout on #2 of what I didn't like this year, yet I personally liked that it led to Calzaghe getting a chance to punch the ignorance away. Race in sports is a touchy subject, but this writer isn't scared a bit. Hopkins spit an openly racial slur. In front of reporters, to boot. (Not exactly the best place to say something like that) We all need to remind ourselves that just 50 years ago, we all didn't just ‘get along'. It took hard work that lasted decades to get to the point where we are now, and making comments like that only bring us back to the ignorance that previous generations saw as a way of life.
Ramon Aranda:
Well I'll keep it somewhat short for my list and here it goes:
Three things I'm excited about:
1. Cotto vs. Margarito: Barring any injuries this should make for a hell of a fight. Not to mention they'll be using 8oz gloves instead of 10oz. Unless someone gets wiped out with a single punch early on, this could be the best fight of the year and a much needed welterweight slugfest.
2. De La Hoya's farewell tour: Not because he's leaving the sport but because having him in three fights in a single year will give boxing plenty of media attention which is always good. I wish Oscar was doing this for the past 4 years.
3. Manny Pacquiao's ascension into the lightweight division: Manny will bring some much needed star power to the 130-pound class and he looks ready and willing to take all the top guys on. Should make for a fun year and it starts with David Diaz.
Three things I could do without:
1. John Ruiz: This guy just won't go away and you can't blame him – he keeps winning important fights. This guy makes me want to watch an episode of Cheers. Will someone please call David Tua to knock him out again.
2. Trainers who claim their fighters are the next coming of : The latest victim was Emanuel Steward's Andy Lee whom he claimed would become one of the greatest middleweights of all-time. He recently was kayoed by a former member of The Contender series. John Duddy is another guy who's falling into that category as his last win was a gift after being battered all over the ring in what was supposed to be a tune-up fight before taking on Kelly Pavlik. In hindsight, Pavlik would have ate him alive.
3. Talks about boxing dying: It's not dying, it's here to stay and it hasn't gone anywhere in over a century. UFC isn't taking over, boxing DOES have stars and boxing will continue to thrive.
---------------------------------
Well that'll do it for this month's edition of the Boxing Roundtable. I wanna thank Anthony, Raymundo, Matt and Alan for joining us and a special thank you to all the fans for tuning it.
Good article, It was an interesting and entertaining read.
One error that i saw was here:"2. Trainers who claim their fighters are the next coming of : The latest victim was Emanuel Steward's John Duddy whom he claimed would become one of the greatest middleweights of all-time. He recently was kayoed by a former member of The Contender series."
That was Andy Lee. John Duddy is a different Irish boxer who also recently had a disappointing performance against Canadian Walid Smichet.
Posted By: BadSpectator (Guest) on May 13, 2008 at 01:53 AM
Good point Bad Spectator. I'm sorta glad Duddy didn't look good against Schimet, because if he fought that way against Pavlick (who he was rumoured to fight if he won convincegly) he would have been terribly beaten.
Posted By: Craig (Guest) on May 13, 2008 at 12:25 PM
Yes, thanks for the correction, I was thinking one fighter and wrote down a completely different one. But they both suffered bad outings though Duddy still won his fight. Fixed!
Posted By: Ramon Aranda (Registered) on May 13, 2008 at 01:20 PM
I agree Craig. I'm a fan of Duddy because of his class attitude, and that war with Yory Boy Campas, but after watching him struggle with the likes of Furlan and Eastman...
Well, it sounded like a plain dumb idea to throw him in against Pavlik. I was shocked to hear his camp talking about that fight as though it were a good idea.
Duddy is, putting it politely, not hard to hit. Pavlik hits Hard. Even if Duddy stood up to the punches, no responsible ref would have let him continue to take the punishment that Pavlik would have given him.
He should have been stopped by tko in the Smichet fight. He looked like he had been trying to shave with a lawn mower.
Maybe now that he is searching for a new trainer he will start to learn some more effective defense than grin and bear the punches.
Posted By: BadSpectator (Guest) on May 13, 2008 at 01:49 PM
Once again good points Bad Spectator. I really hope Duddy works on his defense, much like i hope Katsidis works on his.
Also i want to add a point about Chavez Jr. --- The guy is still only 23 years old + he had NO amateur experience. As far as i am concerned they should keep bringing him up slowly - i don't want to see him fight for a title this year, in the latter half of next year might be more acceptable. He still needs a fair bit of work.
Posted By: Craig (Guest) on May 13, 2008 at 02:13 PM
Thanks Craig. :-)
It's interesting that you bring up Katsidis and Chavez jr. because they share some things with Duddy and Lee imo.
All of them are exciting high action prospects with some glaring defensive faults. Katsidis vs Earl was one of the best fights that i can remember in recent years for sheer excitement and drama in terms of the ebb and flow of the action. Katsidis vs Casamayor was pretty good too considering that the style of Casamayor is so cautious. Again the momentum swung back and forth several times and made for an edge of the seat viewing.
Regarding Chavez jr. i'm of two minds. On the one hand, he definitely needs to be brought up with caution because of his tendency to neglect defense and pause to admire his own punches. On the other hand, he won't improve without challenge. Perhaps a middle of the road approach that slowly but steadily increases his opposition is the best way to bring out what he is capable of achieving.
Time will tell i guess.
Posted By: BadSpectator (Guest) on May 13, 2008 at 03:02 PM
Yeah that's what i'm trying to convey with Chavez Jr Bad Spectator. A middle of the road approach is a great idea - he hasn't really fought a big puncher yet and i'd like to see him face a middle of the road fighter with above average punching power next.
And yes -- I loved the Katsidis/Earl fight - as much drama as a Marquez/Vazquez fight hehe. Cheers for reminding me of that fight.
Posted By: Craig (Guest) on May 13, 2008 at 03:12 PM
Great points guys. I too think as I mentioned that Chavez Jr. needs to step it up but we all have to keep in mind that he had zero amateur experience so he's still learning on the fly. We have to be patient even though it's frustrating at time.
As for Duddy, I was apalled that he was going to fight Pavlik. Duddy has been a fun fighter to see but nowhere near in the class as the middleweight champion. You guys are right that he is easy to hit and would get KO'd by a punishing Pavlik.
Another fighter who I thought was getting more hype than he deserved was Joe Mesi.
Posted By: Ramon Aranda (Registered) on May 13, 2008 at 03:19 PM
Joe Mesi does deserve some hype - but coming up this weekend on HBO is the hottest prospect IMO - that being Yuriorkis Gamboa from Cuba. This kid has major talent, great punching power and an extensive amateur career (including a gold at the 2004 olympics), and could easily be as great a convert as Casayamor was.
Posted By: Craig (Guest) on May 13, 2008 at 03:30 PM
Jeez i didn't read that right Ramon. Yes Mesi was waay overhyped, i am just thankful Tye Fields doesn't get the same praise and hype he did.
Posted By: Craig (Guest) on May 13, 2008 at 03:33 PM
Ramon, about Joe Mesi, do you mean the hype that Mesi was getting before his brain injury, or the hype he is getting now?
To me Mesi is another one of those fighters that has a fan friendly personal nature. He comes across very well in interviews and his fights are usually enjoyable to watch.
I like the guy but he isn't really a contender even in the excruciatingly dull heavyweight division imo.
About Tye Fields... i can't think of anything positive to say. :-P
This weekend is going to be something special between the HBO card with Gamboa-Jimenez and the two ppv cards with Mijares-Munoz and Arce-Lookmahanak.
I can't wait!
Posted By: BadSpectator (Guest) on May 13, 2008 at 04:09 PM
Yeah the HBO card this weekend is something to watch. As for Mesi, I meant the hype he was receiving prior to his injury.
"The Great White Hype" imo.
Posted By: Ramon Aranda (Registered) on May 13, 2008 at 05:29 PM
That being said, for the record, I feel that Oscar's chances of winning are REDUCED considerably with Floyd Sr. in the corner. You know that the spite in Junior's heart will be a motivating factor in this bout, considering how badly he wants to humiliate his dad on a grand stage. I also feel that Senior's mediocre-at-best work in Oscar's corner over the past 3-4 years will once again be exposed. He is bar-none the most over-rated trainer of this generation. (Was I the only one who appreciated Oscar's aggressive style in the first bout vs. Floyd, with Freddie Roach as trainer? Just wondering….)
Matt KnowlesEven though he has 30+ victories; I can't make a solid judgment of his future until I see him trade bombs with a legitimate welterweight bomber. As talented as his fists are, can he stand up to the fury of a Margarito body shot? Can he eat a straight right from Cintron and keep firing? If the answer is "yes" to either of those questions, we have a future legend on our hands. If not, he'll simply be the son-of-a-legend who was able to make a decent career out of walking in daddy's shadow. Not that there's anything wrong with that; I'd love to live in the shadow of a legend like Chavez!
Raymundo Dioses: The Judah/Mosely clash is a match between two fighters in the second leg of their careers, striving to remain relevant in their division. Both are putting up their still-marketable names in hopes of scoring a title match. 
Raymundo Dioses: Cotto/Margarito is definitely going to be a summer smash, but of epic proportions? Maybe, and maybe not. Cotto is almost invincible in the ring, racking up an extraordinary and impressive fight history thus far. He has successfully defended his WBA title four-times, all with enough action and body punches that one boxing fan can muster. Antonio Margarito was also once regarded as invincible, and has since regained some of that with his trouncing of Kermit Cintron for the IBF title. He is on his way up, and Cotto is standing in his way. 
