Get Well Soon Michael Buffer

Best wishes go out to Michael Buffer who is having throat and neck surgery to remove small tumors. Along with Jimmy Lennon, Jr., Buffer is the best in the business. Watching the ring announcer to the Nate Campbell-Juan Diaz fight shows how a good ring announcer can add to the drama of hearing the decision. Friday Night Fights which has had a slew of local announcers through the years has had many who don't have a clue on how to properly announce a decision.

I must point out that Buffer's lead in to his signature line at the Pac-JMM fight this past week was uncharacteristic and beyond self-serving. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That said, nothing but the best to Buffer and here is to a speedy recovery and a quick return to the ring.

Vegas Observation

I was at the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight this past weekend. The crowd was unbelievable in their intensity. I was sitting in the lower 200s which isn't the best place to score a fight, but from there I had JMM up a few points. After the decision was read the Pacquiao fans seemed to be more relieved than ecstatic. The fight was close and could have gone either way, but they knew they dodged a bullet.

This was my second trip to Vegas for a major fight, with Mayweather-Judah having been the other one. It was my first time taking in the full experience however, and I truly understand why Vegas casinos spend the money they do on site fees. All weekend the casino was crawling with fight fans at the tables and in the sports book. You seemingly couldn't see a table without at least one Pacquiao fan. The overpriced ($13 for a tuna sandwich) restaurants in the Mandalay Bay were packed, and after the fight you had 11,000 people pour into the casino. This doesn't even include the increased room rates for a fight weekend. When all is said and done, the casino has to be making out handsomely on a successful fight such as Pac-JMM II. While I would love to see more fights in cities other than Vegas, one trip is all it takes to realize that Vegas is going nowhere, and would be stupid to do so. As Money May likes to say, if it makes dollars, it makes sense.

Cuba

I wrote a little bit about this a few weeks ago when Yuri Gamboa fought on ESPN2, but today William Detloff has an excellent piece on Cuban boxers and the possibility for some change now that Fidel has retired. I personally don't think things will change much as Raul is just as barbaric as Fidel.

Vazquez-Marquez III

I will have some more thoughts later in the day hopefully, but for now all I can say is WOW!

Make Them Fight

Yesterday I read Joe Koizumi's article entitled "Referee's Role In Big Fights" and couldn't disagree more. It is not the refs job to make sure that fans are satisfied by the fight. The fans know going in that there is the possibility that one or both of the fighters will stink the joint out. Koizumi starts out by saying that he was greatly disappointed in the lack of exchanges in the fight. I was too, but that doesn't mean that the ref should have stepped in. Next, he argues that in Japan Klitschko's safety first style and Ibragimov's counter punching style would never have been tolerated. They don't allow counter punching in Japan? I wasn't aware. I know that Edwin Valero now makes his home there, but that doesn't mean all fighters are like him.

The fighter risks his life by entering the ring, and it is his prerogative he he chooses to box safety first. The argument that the rules should be different in "big" fights is absurd and holds no water. What is a big fight anyway? Was Pavlik-Taylor II a big fight? There was no title at stake and the event did not do gangbusters at the box office. It was a big fight, but who can really defined one or do you just follow Justice Stewart's definition of porn.

My advice to Koizumi is to only attend fights where Vic Drakulich or Arthur Mercante Jr. are the refs. Those two won't hesitate to issue ridiculous commands like "throw punches, defense and safety be damned."

The fight was not entertaining. Not every fight is going to be. The remedy is to not pay money to see the fighters again, not to order them to fight in a way they have chosen not to. The long term effect of forcing guys to fight is that while there will be more entertaining fights, there will be more injuries and possibly fatalities.

Comments on Joe Louis Doc

Just finished watching the HBO documentary on Joe Louis. Like all of HBO's documentary work, it was expertly done if not entirely groundbreaking for those familiar with Louis. What was if not inaccurate, but skewed, was the portrayal of Max Schmeling. While there was a brief segment showing Schmeling sent to the front lines after being KO'd by Louis, the documentary didn't do enough to distance Schmeling from the Nazi regime. Schmeling was not a Nazi and did not support the Nazis. In fact Schmeling risked his life to save Jews. When the documentary mentions that Schmeling was given Coca Cola distribution rights in Germany and became a millionaire, it links him to Nazis, which is inappropriate. Schmeling was a great man who was a pallbearer at Louis' funeral and helped Louis financially.

After the documentary in an interview by Max Kellerman with Wladimir Klitschko, Klitschko mentions that Schmeling was a hero of his and that he had goosebumps when he met him.

Friday Night Fights Tugs At The Heart Strings

Last nights Friday Night Fights was the TV debut of Cuban gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa. Gamboa looked sensational in a quick first round KO of Johnny Edwards. Gamboa defected from Fidel Castro's Communist hell and is now based in Miami. His story is a great one, as few fighters over the years have been able to escape the Communist regime and have a pro career (Joel Casamayor among the few exceptions).

What struck me yesterday however was the brief piece ESPN did featuring Edwards. Edwards, whose brother drowned when he was 8 and Edwards 11, blames himself for the death. The interview with Edwards was one of the most heart-wrenching interviews I have ever seen. You can see the pain that he lives with. After that interview you couldn't help but cheer for Edwards. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Vivian Harris

Vivian Harris is moving up to 147 pounds. Before he fought and got stopped by Carlos Maussa, Harris was a highly regarded fighter, and for a while you heard some people say that Mayweather and particularly Ricky Hatton were ducking him. We all know what has happened since then as Harris was brutally KO'd by Junior Witter. A move up to welterweight came too late for Harris who decided to stay at 140 and chase paper titles as opposed to fight at a weight where he was more comfortable. In his lackluster effort against Juan Lazcano, Harris was drained. At this point I believe Harris is just cannon fodder and will be at best a gatekeeper, at worst he will get hurt. Let's hope that if Harris gets KO'd again he decides to hang them up.

JT vs RJJ

Boxingtalk reported today that Jermain Taylor and Roy Jones, Jr. might fight as early as June. Jones is bigger than Taylor, but my initial reaction is that Taylor beats Jones on youth and punch output, not to mention that Jones is shaky in the chin department. It is an interesting fight, but one that I am not anxious to see because Jones isn't what he once was and Taylor is coming off of two losses.

All that said, this is one I'll believe when the two are in the ring.

Pavlik Wins Again

The Pavlik-Taylor fight on Saturday was entertaining and an overall good fight, but not a fight of the year contender, unless 2008 turns out to be a terrible year for boxing. Off TV, I scored the fight for Pavlik 118-110 giving Kelly virtually every close round. I gave Pavlik Rounds 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12, and Taylor only 2 and 10. I acknowledge that this card might be a round or two wide in favor of Pavlik, but I was not impressed by Taylor's bursts that came all too infrequently. To his credit, Taylor fought a more strategic fight and would have done better had be pumped the jab the entire fight like Pavlik did. Most of the writers cards I have seen had Pavlik winning by two to four points, with Steve Kim, Dan Rafael and Tom Hauser scoring it even. I will watch the fight a second time and see if I give Taylor more rounds.

One thing that struck me in the post fight write ups is that the coverage seems to be focused on Taylor as opposed to the winner Pavlik. Jermain fought a solid fight and didn't get knocked out like in the first fight, but he did not do enough to win and his lack of lateral movement, steady consistent jab and occasional looping punches are what cost him the fight. As I noted in a question posted in Doug Fisher's Monday Mail Bag, Pavlik was predictable, throwing a double jab and straight right throughout the entire fight. Before the second Erik Morales fight, this is what Manny Pacquiao did and won not because he was consistent, but because he has blazing speed and KO power. Pavlik only has the power. Doug agreed that Kelly needs to expand his game against tougher opposition. If Taylor isn't that tougher opposition, then why all the praise in a losing effort?

There was talk about a third fight between the two down the road, but I see no reason. Kelly has been there, done that and unless Jermain can beat top opposition at 168 (not Jeff Lacy, Sakio Bika, Librado Andrade) I see no reason to do it again. After a long rest and a tune up type of fight, I want to see Taylor in with Kessler, whose jab will be even tougher for him to overcome than Pavlik's, but who is susceptible to speed, which Taylor has.

Notes on the Weekend

Pavlik v. Taylor II is finally upon us. I fully expect this fight to be no different than the first, with the exception that I don't think Kelly will get knocked down and almost out. No matter how many times they fight, Jermain will always be the quicker fighter and better overall athlete, but this is boxing, not track and field. Pavlik is a better technician, more skilled overall fighter who doesn't have Taylor's flaws, namely the tendency to drop his left hand the entire fight, to go against the ropes and to loop his punches.

This fight is a huge fight for Lou DiBella, Taylor's promoter, as Taylor is his only real money maker at the moment. Andre Berto is not quite there yet, despite having an HBO contract. Mr. DiBella also promotes title holders Carlos Quintana and Paulie Malignaggi.

Another angle to this fight, albeit one that only interests me because I am an attorney, is that both Bob Arum and Lou DiBella are Harvard Law grads, obviously years apart. Mr. Arum I believe graduated and then went to work at the Department of Justice under Robert F. Kennedy, while DiBella worked at the elite firm of Sullivan & Cromwell (#3 ranked firm according to Vault).

Switching gears to the other "major" fight this weekend if you can call it that, Sergey Liakhovich faces Nikolai Valuev. I don't expect this fight to be entertaining in the slightest. Liakovich had a great night when he beat then WBO titlest Lamon Brewster. Since then neither fighter has won a fight. Before the Brewster fight Liakhovich wasn't much of a prospect either. The most interesting thing about this fight is that Liakhovich weighed in at over 250 pounds (about 10 lbs. heavier than he has ever fought at) and doesn't look like a fighter, but rather a whale. I'll go with Valuev just because he is so damn big and can be hard to hit.

Ding-A-Ling Man Defeated

After the Ding-A-Ling Man lost on Friday, don't expect to see the hype slow down much. My guess is that this loss will be chalked up to Wilson fighting a stinker in Flores who came to box and run, not fight. For ESPN, they will still bring Wilson back because he can punch and when engaged, the fight is entertaining. As for Flores, I don't think anyone is going to want to see him again. Bottom line is that fights should be entertaining. While I won't criticize ESPN for putting Wilson on their cards, please stop with the claims that he is a top cruiserweight. He is what he is, a one dimensional slugger.

Quintana Upsets Williams

Last week provided boxing fans with the first upset of the year with Carlos Quintana easily outboxing Paul Williams. Easily, not because it was easy, but because the fight wasn't that close. Harold Lederman of HBO had a terrible night scoring the fight, but that happens sometimes. The 11th round was dominated by Quintana, yet Lederman scored it for Williams who didn't land one significant punch. I dont' think Quintana is going to be a world beater, but he is a tough out for anyone not named Cotto.

Ding-A-Ling Man

Get ready this Friday for the return of Darnell "Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. Wilson is facing young, undefeated BJ Flores. Becoming a regular on ESPN has done wonders for Wilson. He, along with another ESPN regular, Allen Green, have become excessively hyped by the network, including announcer and ESPN.com contributor Joe Tessitore and ESPN.com writer Dan Rafael. Rafael named Wilson's KO of Nwodo last year the knockout of the year. Wilson is a solid fighter, but he is no world beater and has beaten suspect opposition of late, not the top dogs. I am picking Flores to win, if for nothing else but to see the Wilson hype slow down.

Goosen Ignores Reality

Add Dan Goosen to the list of promoters who will avoid reality when making statements to prop up their fighters. In an interview Goosen said the following:

"Miguel, not having that really one defining fight against a De La Hoya, or a Mayweather, but certainly raising his profile out there with victories, and a fan base."

A win over Shane Mosley, who twice beat Oscar apparently doesn't count. In terms of money Oscar is obviously a bigger fight, but the win over Mosley goes further to cementing Cotto's status as the top challenger to Mayweather. Goosen's comment is his thinly veiled attempt to get fights for Paul Williams.

Same Old Story

On Saturday heavyweight Corrie Sanders was KOd in the first round of his fight against Osborne Machimana. Sanders had previously retired, but like so many fighters, decided to come back. He had won his first few fights before losing to Machimana. The reason for the comback is no surprise to anyone. Sanders made good money fighting both Klitschko brothers. At some point I believe Sanders was involved in litigation against his former manager, but I do not know the result.

Back

It has been nearly a year since I last posted. I have been busy needless to say, but I thought that it was time to give it a go once more. I will try to post regularly, if even just a link or two, so the updates are frequent. I'll see how long I can stick to that. If you actually stumble across the site and find it a bit cynical, don't worry. It is supposed to be cynical. I am interested in asking questions rather than being a fanboy who just declares X to be the greatest. Feel free to post a comment on anything.

Check out the earlier post today on Monte Barrett.

No Guns

This weekend Monte Barrett scored a second round KO over Damon Reed. That is great for Barrett. There are sites declaring Barrett to be a heavyweight contender. I was not aware that getting KOd by Cliff Couser, getting revenge on Couser and then beating Reed made one a contender. Barrett has had several opportunities in the division and has been beaten almost every time. He may be game, but he is not a contender. Websites that declare Barrett a contender whether they be editorial comments or just through a press release only marginalize their sites. The headline of an interview with Barrett was titled "MONTE "TWO GUNS" BARRETT IN SUPER FIGHT ON SUPERBOWL WEEKEND". If this was a super fight then it is the first one that I can remember that had zero publicity, zero interest among die hards. The real answer to this question is that the charge is led by Boxingtalk whose head is Barrett's adviser/manager.