The year was 1973, the place was Tokyo, Japan. In the fight after George Foreman blew out Joe Frazier in under two rounds, and the fight before he blew out Ken Norton in under two rounds, he made his first defense of the heavyweight championship of the world against 44-7-1 Jose "King" Roman. Joe wasn't a heralded contender, but he was game and he seemed incredibly psyched up for the test. In his fiery locking of eyes with Big George during the referee's instructions, he made a strange barking noise as he popped his head forward, as if to try intimidating the significantly bigger champion.
A prime George Foreman does not accept being punked and easily annihilated Roman in one round, bashing him controversially while he was down. Roman's corner snapped to it, in an uproar, and were met with the passive acceptance of Referee Jay Edson. Edson declared afterward that it was not illegal, only accidental, also reminding that he did not call a knockdown (which incidentally appeared to be from a couple rabbit punches during Roman's defensively turning away). That night, George Foreman flirted with a disqualification loss to Joe Roman and Joe Roman nearly won an early grave from George Foreman. A few seconds after the incident, he was legally crushed, glassy-eyed on the floor. George Foreman KO1 Joe Roman.
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From 2000-2015, Wladimir Klitschko has had 35 official weigh-ins. Only twice has
he not weighed between 240 and 249 pounds. Both times, he weighed
less, not more. That is fifteen years of active boxing where a 6'6 man's weight never fluctuated above a range of nine pounds, even nearing forty years of age. In that time, perhaps many of his opponents missed this potentially crucial element of a winning strategy. Regardless, Wladimir is one of the most consistently prepared athletes of his day, in any weight class. He soon matches the always interesting but far less consistently prepared Tyson Fury. One of few contenders who could weigh more than Mr. Klitschko while still being fit, is Mr Fury. #professionalism
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Tyson Fury has outdone himself. Here, he plays the role of Batman a few days ago, to Wlad's chagrin (I think). Notice, he and Hughie Fury (The Joker) dump one or two of Klitschko's belts on the floor in their tussle. I can't remember a time when anyone's starred in a Tyson Fury presser who wasn't Tyson Fury himself. Undefeated in more ways than one, is the Gypsy Warrior.
"By dismantling Quarry in five rounds (Referee Joe
Louis—belatedly—stopped it) Frazier only underlined what many had sensed
and now know: the heavyweight division is desperately impoverished."
Yes, oddly, even in the very heat of what is now looked upon as the golden era for the heavyweight division, the write-ups were often of a lackluster, uninteresting, uninspired bunch. This is what I would personally call the greatest era the division has ever known, and what I have observed to be the majority consensus opinion, by a wide margin. People still couldn't appreciate it in real time. To the absolute best of eras, a barrage of complaints and detraction, nitpicking its way across each champion and his contenders, it blindly barrels through, undeterred by anything positive. It is an incredible and repetitive folly committed by commentators and journalists in every stretch of time that can call itself a distinct era. Whether you consider the era to be one championship reign or one decade, or however you like to mark them.
Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton, all Hall of Fame fighters, battling it out and passing around world titles with a now-celebrated contender everywhere you could turn. You couldn't get away from strong contenders in this time period. But that's in retrospect. Earnie Shavers, Ron Lyle, Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Young, Oscar Bonavena and more, all there, as the supporting roles, and most of them undervalued through the better part of their careers. While The Greatest fought with the greatest pool of talent, it carried little weight with those watching history unfold, even in between the classic battles and culture wars of the time that would inspire decades of controversy and dramatization.
This statement from Mark Kram, if you can imagine, is sandwiched between the "Fight of the Century" and the "Rumble in the Jungle." Right in the thick of the golden era and totally oblivious to it, that is to say. If you can get such statements from such publications during an era like that, it's no wonder solid enough current contenders like Tyson Fury, Bryant Jennings and Kubrat Pulev, are treated like garbage beyond the fences of their backyards, with the best of their attributes and action ignored and the worst of their flaws and lessons learned on the job are exaggerated beyond reason.
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The above is Paul Hogan in one of his non-Croc roles, in a small film called Almost an Angel (1990). He demonstrates to impressionable youths that you should always keep the elbow up when throwing a left hook, so you can smash your opponent's face with your elbow. Dirty bugger.
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From the Johnny Carson Official Youtube Channel,
and an unsure year (he appeared several times) on The Tonight Show, Joe
Frazier sees how clever Johnny Carson can be with the feints and the ole made-ya-look. Carson lets Joe off the hook...this time.
Full Video here:
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From the Johnny Carson Official Youtube Channel,
and an unsure year (he appeared several times) on The Tonight Show, Joe
Frazier receives a vengeful counterattack after mercilessly hurting Johnny Carson. The odds are against him, but Johnny's got moxie.
Full Video here:
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From the Johnny Carson Official Youtube Channel, and an unsure year (he appeared several times) on The Tonight Show, Joe Frazier gets a lesson in fancy speed bag maneuvers from Johnny Carson.
Full Video here:
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Despite the negatively Klitschkolean effort that Adrien Broner put in on Saturday night, Mr. Shawn Porter does have the bulldog mentality that most fans appreciate and tried to make it the best it could be. Danny Jacobs resumed his side-gig as one of the cluster of voices on the PBC commentator list, and dropped my quote of the night, in his appreciation of the tenacity.
In text: After Marv Albert mentioned Danny Jacobs fought Shawn Porter in the amateurs SEVEN times, and won six of seven, Jacobs didn't gloat. He simply said:
"Well, every time I fought Porter, as an amateur, I always dreaded it. He was always a rough and tough fighter. He would always be in my chest and he hit me with some of the best shots that I've (been) hit, as an amateur."
Jacobs seems to have the kind of respect for Porter from his amateur days that Andre Ward still has for Timothy Bradley. It's good to hear.
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Recently, I realised something that I can only call humourously depressing. It relates to a joining of two quotes across space and time that sheds light on the utter farce that is the middleweight division and its dealings with Gennady Golovkin, the universally regarded number one contender, to Miguel Cotto, the true, lineal middleweight champion. Abel Sanchez and Freddie Roach seem to suggest an incredibly close natural weight to their fighters, as does Golovkin's own Tale of the Tape. Why Freddie even made his mention, God only would know. Here's what I mean, points A-D:
Point A:
Abel Sanchez, to Hustle Boss, issued the third of July, 2013, after Golovkin's match with Matthew Macklin:
"We had a great camp. He didn't have to lose that much weight. He came at 167, when he first came in, two months before the fight."
Conceivably in fluctuation, but odd in being slightly heavier, Golovkin was unofficially weighed by HBO on fight night at 170, the same as Macklin.
Point B:
Gennady, in May of 2015, nearly two years later, against Willie Monroe Junior had another unofficial weight taken by HBO. 170, to Monroe Junior's 172. Same. No lower than 170 pounds in the ring. A very standard ten-pound rehydration.
Point C:
Here is where it gets amusing. What exactly did Freddie Roach say about Miguel Cotto's weight ahead of fighting Daniel Geale, just a month after the Golovkin/Monroe Junior match?
"It was a calculated weight. . .Miguel will climb to 166 pounds. He had a fabulous preparation. Geale showed that it cost a lot to make the agreed upon weight."
Point D:
What was Miguel Cotto's *official* weigh-in weight for Daniel
Geale? Considering that his own trainer estimated he'd be coming in at 166 pounds when hydrated, and considering that his own negotiated catch-weight was 157 pounds, did he come in just at or just under 157, like
Geale? No,
instead, he came in just under the Light Middleweight division limit instead, at 153.6. And, for some reason, like normal, HBO did
not get an unofficial rehydration weight for him, even though they got it for Geale. What is the point of points A-D?
Cotto's dehydrating himself supposedly by coincidence more than he actually needed. Why would any fighter do that? What
did Cotto say after the contest with Geale? Max Kellerman decided to ask the Middleweight champion of the world if he was a Middleweight. What Cotto said makes it almost certain that the weigh-in wasn't just a comfortable coincidence, in my view. He cites his offical weigh-in, 153.6, then asks Kellerman if he thinks he's really a Middleweight. Kellerman says it doesn't sound like it. Then Cotto says "I'm not." Does it strike anyone else as a coy weigh-in strategy for show? I know from the forum comments that it certainly isn't just me.
He's obscuring the fact that he's almost the same fighting weight as his number one contender and he didn't want to fight his number one contender. He fought one of that contender's victims as a voluntary, and after sitting on the title for a year. Then, he claimed he wasn't a member of his own weight class. His team are now, after making Golovkin wait and watch this act, supposed to fight Saul Alvarez, who is apparently, by his technical weigh-in weights, not a member of any official weight class, actively, either. Apparently, these guys and their teams would like a weight class that is between where Golovkin does and does not fight. How confusing for them!
Miguel, your trainer is claiming you were assumed to come in four pounds lighter than the definitive number one contender last weighed in. You are suspected by fans around the world to have come in lighter than you needed, to look like you didn't belong at the weight in which you are the champion, by choice. Champion, by choice, dehydrating extra, by choice. You have people accusing your number one contender of an unfair size advantage, astoundingly. As if it's not his business to call out the champion of his own division. So, if this is as deliberate as it seemed, it worked on some, I guess. But Golovkin is not Chavez Junior-sized and you are not a bloated or musclebound little man, nor are you not within reasonable Middleweight range on fight night with your non-bloated, non-musclebound physique. You are coming in to the weight class as naturally as Floyd Mayweather Junior comes in to Welterweight, it would seem.
If you'd have us believe as some of the fans now believe, that Golovkin is unfairly large for you to fight at your own chosen and full weight class, and much larger in the way a Chavez Junior would be, again, as for instance, then I would say this: Rehydrating to no more than 165 pounds, Sebastian Zbik fought the notorious weight-cutter, Chavez Junior, at a 15-pound weight disadvantage, which was somewhat predictable as a rehydration weight. A definitive non-puncher dealt with that disadvantage at your current weight class. Golovkin's whole history shows him to be a natural, unforced Middleweight fighter, you'll find. Everything corroborates this, that I am aware. You were likely as your own trainer claimed: Within four pounds of your number one contender's fight-night weight. If you have an issue with your own weight class and not who wants your belt, it's an issue Sebastian Zbik apparently didn't have. Please, stop this charade.
You're hurting your division. You're hurting your great reputation. You're hurting boxing. You say you have paid your dues to fight who you want. Without a title to defend, this is as true as it could ever be. You can fight whoever you want without that title, but you're blocking a man who has paid his dues in your division from fighting who he wants-whoever it takes to establish him as the real champion of his own division. He is openly a Middleweight and out of the closet as such. If it's about weight, we know it's negligible. If it's about height, it's nothing you haven't seen before. If it's about money, we know you'll make a star PPV payday with Alvarez as easy at any weight class with or without a title. If it's about legacy, you would not have opted for Geale instead of his former conqueror. This just looks like it's about grandstanding when you never wanted anything to do with the general consensus best man you can fight in this division so you don't have to vacate a title you earned. It also looks like a hysterical proximity.
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Full Hustle Boss interview with Abel Sanchez for quote source:
(This
was quoting an interview with El Vocero de Puerto Rico, but we're using Boxing
Scene for assumed English readers, to follow to the Spanish language
directly, click here: http://elvocero.com/miguel-va-a-noquear-a-geale-roach/)
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Brandon Rios, before he'd reached the major world title fight scene, back in 2010, was working alongside Antonio Margarito in Robert Garcia's gym. Margarito's match with Manny Pacquiao was coming up HBO's 24/7 lead-up documentary was being filmed, which, perhaps surprisingly, was a four-part series. When the two gym buddies were interviewed in the second episode of the four, with Margarito's arm slung around Brandon's shoulder, Brandon made his opinion on the outcome clear.
Brandon Rios on Pacquiao VS Margarito, 2010:
"Pacquiao's making excuses that he's not training, he's missing the election, all that. But, you know what? To me, I think he's scared, and Freddie Roach is scared, 'cause he's not gonna be the superstar no more. He's just going to be a-maybe-uh, super, maybe. But the star that's coming up is going to be Margarito. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to cancel the fight, saying that 'I hurt my hand.' or something, just 'cause he's scared."
To think that a few years down the line, Pacquiao would've dominated and beat up both of these fellows after this comment is sort of funny. I don't believe either won a single round out of twelve a piece against the littler tornado. I guess we all need a serving of crow in our diet, at some point. Incidentally, there is talk of Tony Margarito coming back to boxing, against all odds.
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On the seventh of March, 2015, NBC aired the debut Premiere Boxing Champions card. The first match was Adrien Broner VS John Molina Junior. When John had just entered the ring, Marv Albert, commentator for the event, began to talk of a pre-fight discussion they'd had.
Marv Albert, for PBC:
"John "The Gladiator" Molina. He told us yesterday that he ran into Adrien Broner at a press conference, in New York, recently. Molina said 'I gave him a hug!' but he made sure it was a *strong* hug. He said that was the psychological reasons, in effect, it was an *insincere* hug. He wanted Broner to *feel* him. He wanted Broner to know he was going to knock him out tonight, when they meet in the ring. A most unusual approach by John Molina."
The calculated hug, for the purposes of psychological warfare, is a dangerous risk for a competitor. If done improperly, it could certainly backfire. John Molina took the risk. He did not receive the reward. But that's why they call it 'gambling'.
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In the lead-up to Mayweather VS Pacquiao, Bob Arum did an interview with ESPN's Joe Tessitore, on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights, the 27th of February, 2015. He discussed the projected 300 million dollars the two superstars would share at a 60-40 split to Mayweather. This was Bob's musing about how each would spend their cut:
"Buys a lot, a lot of stuff. I mean, Floyd is-loves cars-will probably buy cars that satisfy every motor vehicle dealer in Las Vegas, and I know a great part of the money that Manny earns will go to support charities in the Philippines. Because, like I said, the Social Welfare System in the Philippines is called 'Manny Pacquiao'."
You know, Floyd does a little charity work too, Bob. Manny also has some very nice rides. I'm only saying!
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Jim Lampley, HBO commentator, at the beginning of the twelfth round between Tim Bradley and Diego Chaves:
"I've seen a lot of implements used to treat swelling in the corner. I don't know if I've seen the bean dip can before. But, Joel Diaz, extremely respected trainer, using that bean dip can. Maybe next week we'll see a lot of fighters with them. "
This fight is currently available on HBO's site, for subscribers. It was a scrappy affair that disfigured Tim Bradley's face and
probably led to an unjust draw where he should've taken a victory. Trying to find a still from the corner with the bean dip can proved interesting, because the only other upload of the full match, broadcasted in a language I could not identify, edited the footage so that there was a plain, blue lid with no label on the can. Tim Bradley, a worker if ever there was one, works hard in fights you might think he wouldn't and did so in the Chaves match, in December of 2014. He'll be back for the first time this year at the end of this month. I suspect it's going to be another night of hard work. That's the way Timbo likes it. Physical and difficult, necessary or not.
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Working as commentator, during a Top Rank broadcast of Miguel Cotto VS Paulie Malignaggi, in the seventh round, George Foreman says:
"Those body punches - sounds like a heavyweight throwing shots. Cotto can punch."
That quote came from a major world title match at light welterweight, almost exactly nine years ago. Thanks to the catch-weight agreement between the fighters and Geale's enormous unofficial weight from HBO, there is some controversy over last night's display of power from Miguel Cotto. Many fans find it hard-telling if a healthy Daniel Geale got a taste of Cotto's heavyweight-sounding punches and couldn't take them any better than he could take Gennady Golovkin's, or if a badly weight-drained Geale got to where he couldn't take hard shots off of anybody. With that said, Cotto looks to still be a true puncher at middleweight, just like he was at light welterweight. A true puncher is dangerous no matter who he's punching.
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Although Chris Arreola looked as close to the end of his career as I've ever seen him, in his last match with relative unknown Curtis Harper; he has been a mainstay of the heavyweight division for several years and still plies his trade for the television audience. As the durable, jiggly, heavy-handed contender with fun interviews and fun brawls, he's picked up many fans who figured he'd probably never be at the top, but appreciated him anyway. Here he is forcing a first-round stoppage on ESPN2 over southpaw slugger Joey Abell, in 2011.
Arreola must have been pumped knowing he was going to get the kind of fight he loves with Abell and pounded him out, stayed in his face, refused to let Referee Tony Crebs usher him aside and planted a smackeroo right on his cheek for good measure! In typical Arreola fashion, if he gets the slightest hint you can't take his punches, he's on you like Jim Inhofe on a snowball. Ask the bizarre choice for Deontay Wilder's first title defense, Eric Molina, who was also stopped in the first by Chris. Now, I don't recall Molina getting kissed, but he's apparently got some kind of luck from somewhere to get a world title shot at random. Maybe Arreola kissed him for good luck when I wasn't looking. Either way, I'd like to predict a Wilder KO1 outcome. Shannon Briggs might even get salty.
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Through the interpreter, in interview with HBO's Larry Merchant, the seventh of July, 1996, right after he lost to Oscar De La Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez Senior rated Oscar's punching power this way:
"But, really, that Oscar De La Hoya has a big punch - really doesn't. I didn't even feel his punches. I just couldn't see because of the blood."
This was at Light Welterweight, for Chavez's title.
After an unsatisfactory cut stoppage, the two rematched, this time for Oscar's Welterweight title, on the eighteenth of September, 1998. Through interpreter Ray Torres, and in interview with Larry Merchant again, Chavez was asked about Oscar's power again (glad Larry didn't forget):
Merchant: "You said after the first fight that he never was able to hurt you. Is he a good puncher or not?" Chavez: "He's a hard puncher, but not a real knockout artist. As you can see, he never knocked me out." Merchant: "We can-" Chavez: "-He deserves my respect."
File under: Take it for what it's worth.
Ray Torres had an interesting night here too, getting yelled at by JCC after Larry Merchant asked him about quitting. In clear English, Chavez did mention some bodily function byproduct from a bull.
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"He jumped in with the right hand. He was in the air, as a matter of fact."
~Sugar Ray Leonard, commentating for the match.
On the seventh day of the seventh month of 1985, Julio Cesar Chavez quickly took care of Roger Mayweather, defending his major Super Featherweight title. Largely responsible for the victory was this flying right hand knockdown, which somehow managed to be both clumsy and graceful (and unofficial). This is going for it. Not long after, Referee Richard Steele would choose not to count another knockdown as well, but by the end of this round, he'd choose to call the fight regardless. Uncle Roger just didn't have his legs under him. And there wasn't a lot of leg there at the beginning!
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A fighter with one of the toughest opponent rosters in boxing, Abner Mares, did a TV spot for Showtime leading up to his 2013 match with Jhonny Gonzalez. He said of reaching success: "My parents never owned a home and it was just, you know, apartment to apartment. And, like a two-bedroom, for eleven brothers and sisters. And, you know, that's a lot. People know me now. You tend to forget, like,. . . where you come from. You know? It's just like, oh, this is the life. I've been missing out. You know, I'm throwing money away. And then you just have that moment where, like, oh, 'Hold on, Abner. This is not you. You know? You started from nothing, eating out of trashcans, having nothing. This is not you. Go back to you.' And that's why I have my beautiful family."
How many fighters do we see come from little or nothing, use fighting to get somewhere stable in life, then hit it big and live so extravagantly they go broke for no good reason? It looks like Abner Mares is planning on avoiding that bizarre pattern we probably all have seen. Good luck to him on keeping his life in perspective and on coming back to the championship level. He's been a major world titlist in three different weight classes after only 31 fights. He has just one loss.
The full spot from their official Youtube channel:
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Kevin Johnson is no stranger to the awkward weigh-in, as he had one with Vitali Klitschko (click here), and he's done it again. This was from Michelle Joy Phelps' video of the weigh-in with Anthony Joshua, for Behind The Gloves. He gently places his hand on Anthony Joshua's chest and gives a satisfactory nod. The mysteries of Kevin Johnson, they never get less mysterious.
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Full Video:
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In interview with iFL TV, published on the 29th of May, major super middleweight titlist Carl Froch discusses his wanting to have it out with Joe Calzaghe. Froch says Calzaghe has been essentially two-faced with him, nice when they're face-to-face and then simply will not shut up about him afterward. Froch even alludes to Calzaghe's son sending him messages about his wife. God knows what's going on there. It's one of boxing's odder little rivalries between men who've never fought. But as tired as Carl is with it, it has still yielded a handy pugilistic reaction GIF for when someone will simply not shut it:
With true caption:
Without:
Don't just keep going on and on and on, forumites. The Cobra doesn't like it. He'll knock you out at Wembley, in front of 80,000 people, if you don't stop. He's done that before, yeah?
Full interview here:
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On the ninth of January, 2015, during the Roc Nation Sports Card on FS1, Andre Ward was interviewed by Michael Woods. Woods asked the following straightforward question and got the following straightforward answer:
Woods:"Last question, putting you on the spot: Are you the top pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, or is that Floyd Mayweather?"
Ward: "That's Floyd Mayweather. Floyd Mayweather has done it longer than me. He's been at this level for a very, very long time, and I'm a young guy who always pays homage to the guys who go before me. But, as a competitor, and as somebody who's in this sport, I always shoot for the top spot and that's the spot I'm coming for, with all due respect to Floyd, but the top spot is what you should always want."
In boxing history, a fighter's greatness is often more easily digestible when looking at how how their contemporaries rated them during their careers than when looking at accomplishments on paper, or even reviewing available fight films or revised opinions being given upon reflection, years after the dust settles. You'll find numerous glowing appraisals of Harry Greb and Joe Gans in their days, from the men plying the trade alongside him, as well as appraisals of Julio Cesar Chavez Senior and Pernell Whitaker in their day.
Floyd Mayweather Junior, aged 37, in January, was rated by one of the standout, dominant champions in the sport as the actual pound-for-pound best, without any hesitation. We will be able to look back and see how Floyd was rated as essentially an old fighter who still stood on top in his day, according to most of the other top fighters. Not just on top as a celebrity or money-maker. But on top in a pure, most-difficult-to-beat sense. The purest sense, really. It will be easier to separate his personal history or his often villainous, arrogant persona from his boxing. It will be seen by those looking back in future generations that when it comes to boxing, most of his peers knew he was the most consistently special in the world, even while closer to forty than thirty. It's quite a rarity, and can only be appreciated when it's separate from all things non-boxing.
Respect to Andre Ward for stating his position with that kind of clarity and candor for the history books.
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In an interview with Behind The Gloves, for his upcoming bout with Anthony Joshua, Kevin Johnson was asked about several of today's heavyweights and dropped an interesting piece of history with a current major heavyweight titlist in Deontay Wilder: "Can't say nothing bad about Deontay, can't say nothing good. Because, uh...Well, I can't even say nothing bad like that, because, that guy, back when he live in Alabama, and I lived in Georgia, back when both of us couldn't get no work, that guy come right up to Georgia, on Saturday and Sunday, me and him sparred thirteen rounds a day."
That did not sound like your usual Kevin Johnson hustle talk. It sounds like a respect for Wilder's dedication that was not on display during his "rip" on Wilder's skills, which was almost certainly Kevin Johnson's usual hustle talk. It's hard to disregard that kind of dedication, traveling like that every week to get good, consistent sparring in. That sounds like championship work ethic and hunger to hone your craft. Amusingly, it seemed that Johnson talked himself out of going on some kind of rant against Wilder or whatever he could do against Wilder, for the camera, and went ahead and said this instead. It shows a little respect for a guy he'd probably rather try to talk himself into a payday against, I'd say.
During the Post-Fight PBC broadcast on NBC Sports (a slightly confusing programming matter), cruiserweight boxer and regular NBC Sports commentator B. J. Flores made a nice reference to Gennady Golovkin. It was during the Jonathan Guzman VS Christian Esquivel match. It is mentioned by his co-commentator during the second round that Guzman was being more of a boxer than he'd expected and he thought with all his knockouts that he'd come out swinging. B. J. responds by saying:
"He kinda takes his time, and I like that. You know, but you look at a guy like Gennady Golovkin. You look at his knockout percentage. He doesn't come out and rush the knockout. He systematically breaks his opponents down and does it through technical boxing and relentless pressure. So, I'm not saying Guzman is in any form a Gennady Golovkin, but, you know, it doesn't always have to be a free-swinging guy from the bar."
It's clear that while many would like to put Golovkin in the category of a brawler with wide-open defense, and no patience to do anything but lay his power on the opponent, most in the know understand that he is really a much more professional and subtle operator by nature. B. J. was spot-on in this one.
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In a Boxeo Mundial Interview, posted the 25th of October, 2009: "I know for a fact, out of the guys I fought, Miguel's the hardest puncher I've fought. I know for a fact. Nobody came close. Not even Ricky Hatton."
It doesn't get much plainer than "Nobody came close."
Full interview:
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In December of 2005, the HBO crew called Israel Vazquez VS Oscar Larios III. During the broadcast, commentator Jim Lampley dropped a great quote from Vazquez's trainer at the time. "How's this for a quote from Freddie Roach-and we've seen him with so many great fighters, including, of course, Manny Pacquiao-Roach says of Israel Vazquez:
'He's the greatest champion I've ever worked with. Nobody comes to the gym with a better attitude. Nobody works harder and more honestly. I've never known a nicer boxer.' "
Magnifico made one heck of an impression. On all of us. Trainers, opponents, and fans.
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In the 1997 film Cyberflic (aka Virtual Weapon), Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Terence Hill are having an adventurous ride. This is a true caption of the dialogue. Happy 61st birthday, to the great champion and emotive actor.
(Screenplay by Antonio Margheriti and Ferdie Pacheco. I kid you not.)
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In the lead-up to Alexander Povetkin VS Mike Perez, Mike said this mouthful about religion, as it pertains to the sport, airing on ESPN2 & 3:
"It doesn't matter what you believe in. I believe in God. But if I don't throw a punch, God won't win the fight for me."
As poignant as three sentences can be, when discussing the combination of religion and boxing, I would say of this quote. You could easily broaden it to any sport, or any pursuit in life, for that matter, and it would translate. The trying is up to you, whether you believe in God or the the man in the moon. It didn't go well for Mike today, but at least he knows it was up to him to try, win or lose, and he did try.
Work that bag,
Basement Gym Boxing
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The same Mike Perez that seemed to have as solid a beard as anyone has against 220+ pound fighters, took his shot against what I assume is the second best and most accomplished contender in the division, Alexander Povetkin, who is now the hottest looking fighter, including the champion himself at the moment. Shockingly, to me, and many others, Povetkin found Perez hard enough to wobble him almost immediately, with a sharp right hand, and then about the second half of the very first round, he'd planted Perez with two big right hands, hard enough to stiffen Mike like he'd been shot before falling to the canvas. I was surprised that after this knockdown:
Italian referee and judge Massimo Barrovecchio, (an aged Nintendo game icon, is my suspicion) perhaps taken aback by the early trouble Perez was in, sees Perez stand up, doesn't ask him to walk forward, doesn't wipe his gloves off, sees his hands still down, absolutely no indication that he can defend himself, and calls for the fight to continue. It's no wonder the Irish(ish) Perez goes down almost immediately afterward. A very surprising handling of that knockdown, here:
As I said, maybe he was just frazzled by the surprise of Mike unable to take Sasha's punches. Devastating. Will we ever see Perez as a serious contender again? A worrisome performance from Mike and a bit from Barrovecchio, I consider this. Povetkin, however, shined. He's the only one of Klitschko's opponents in the last ten years to take a loss to the champ and maintain a clear look as the number one contender again, that I remember, in the last ten straight years. Congratulations, Mr. Povetkin. You're as useful to heavyweight boxing as any other man.
Work that bag,
Basement Gym Boxing
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On the sixteenth of July, 2011, one of the finest products of this era, Roman Gonzalez, defended his major Light Flyweight title against against battle-tested veteran Omar Salado. In the typical spirit of sportsmanship from Gonzalez, it occurs to him to hold the towel to his bleeding foe's eye, when all was said and done. What a guy is Chocolatito. At the tale end of the GIF, you can see him turn away, shaking his head, as if to say "What did I do to this poor guy?" He recently made his HBO debut after years of being one of the best fighters in boxing, by crushing the excellent former champion Edgar Sosa. Congratulations to him on that.
In the pre-fight discussion of Mike Tyson VS Quick Tillis, on ABC's Wide World of Sports, Jim Lampley and Alex Wallau talked about Iron Mike's future. It was the third of May, 1986, and Mike would be extended ten rounds for the very first time. At this point, his career was moving so fast it was almost impossible not to appreciate the momentum and sense destiny unfolding, as Lampley reminded us that instead of being compared to other prospects in the division, or even contenders, Mike was being compared instead to Frazier and Marciano. Jim and Alex had the following exchange, so typical throughout the majority of the heavyweight division's history when summing up an era, as a whole:
Jim Lampley, about Tyson's fast rise as a prospect:"Is he being rushed to stardom?"
Alex Wallau, as the expert analyst for ABC:"Well, I think it's difficult, Jim, to be sure about the ability of a nineteen-year-old fighter who's never met a world class opponent. But, in my opinion, Mike Tyson will be ready to fight for, and win the heavyweight championship of the world, by the end of this year. That may be more of a comment on the lack of talent in the heavyweight division than on Mike's ability."
The more things change, the more they stay the same. There's nearly always a perceived lack of talent in the division until people have to remember it as history, at which point it becomes significantly better and more easy to appreciate than whatever is going on in the present. It's always people wandering around, going "Look at all these interesting trees. I wonder where the forest is. Hey, there's a nice one. That could be part of a forest, one day."
Mike, having turned professional in 1985, would astoundingly win a major heavyweight title (first of many) by the end 1986, just as Wallau suspected. In addition to doing it as quickly as anyone, he would do it about as easily as anyone ever did. And he would clean out the division about as dominantly and quickly as anyone ever did, as well. But I don't think it was for lack of talent in the era. Rather, I think it was for a surplus of talent within Tyson. It's easy enough to confuse the two concepts when you're looking at them in real time.
Work that bag,
Basement Gym Boxing
This pre-fight spot on ABC has a current upload on Youtube here:
In the English translation version of the 2011 Klitschko documentary, Wladimir and Vitali touched on the many aspects of growing up in the Soviet Union, as military brats. One segment quoted them this way:
Wladimir: "Of course, Vitali was the one who was always getting into trouble. He messed around with lots of things. One time, on a military base, we found some grenades and live ammunition. We threw them into a fire. It made a lot of noise. It was fun. "
Vitali: "One time we found an anti-tank mine. It was a huge disc. I took it home with me and the only place I could find to hide it was under my father's bed. I went to bed and then I heard my father shouting. He came to me and grabbed me by the ear. "He said, "What is that?" I said, "It's a mine." "Did you bring it in here?" I said, "Yes."
Wladimir: "Our parents were strict, so he ended up paying for that with a belt on his bottom."
In fairness to Mr. & Mrs. Klitschko, I think a lot of parents would've taken the belt out for sleeping above an anti-tank mine. You've got to find a way to discourage that!
Work that bag,
Basement Gym Boxing
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