Mark Kriegel On Mazatlan, Child Abuse & Gilberto Ramirez: Quote Spotlight

On last night's Top Rank card on ESPN, commentator Mark Kriegel did a somewhat awkward segment with Gilberto Ramirez where he made a human interest point of going through a list of Gilberto's childhood friends who've mostly been killed. Joe Tessitore complimented the segment and asked him a question for the audience's benefit. They had this exchange:


Joe Tessitore: What did his father give him as a present, when he turned fourteen?

Mark Kriegel: A loaded revolver. I guess by most standards that would constitutes a form of child abuse. In his neighborhood, in Mazatlan, it may indicate a concerned parent.

Joe Tessitore: Kill or be killed is the way he grew up and he has turned out to be a lovely guy, a gentleman, a sportsman, and now a world champion, and is providing for his family. 

Child abuse, he says. The NRA has yet to comment on this message.  


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Why Do They Call Him The Miracle Man? (Quote Spotlight)

In HBO's My Fight spotlight, they featured Danny Jacobs for his bout with Luis Arias in late 2017. As many fans know, Jacobs went from a hot prospect to a cancer survivor to the unlikely position of becoming one of the clear best middleweights in the world currently. Jacobs was told he'd never fight again after a successful surgery to remove a large tumor wrapped around his spine. Jacobs' trainer, Andre Rozier, had this to say about the immediate aftermath and Jacobs' nickname:

In text:

Trainer Andre Rozier on Danny Jacobs' nickname: 

"When he first came back to the gym, he had the full body brace on. He said "I'm ready to hit the bag." and he hit the bag maybe four or five times and he says "I'll see you tomorrow." Through it all, he just kept smiling, and I think his experience- his bout with cancer- formed a new strength and confidence in him, and that's why he's the Miracle Man."


Jacobs went on to defeat undefeated Luis Arias by a dominant unanimous decision and is scheduled to fight in April.


Here is the full feature from HBO:

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Quick Tillis Got Iron Mike's Respect: Quote Spotlight

In August of 2014, Mike Tyson sat in on FS1's broadcast of Sammy Vazquez VS James Stevenson, as commentator and Vazquez representative. During the fourth round, Mike had an interesting exchange where he gave his old opponent, James Tillis, some props for damage done.

In text: 

Raul Marquez:
"Mike, were you ever hurt by body shots in your career?"


Mike Tyson:


"Absolutely- James Tillis. When I fought James Tillis-When I fought James Tillis, oh, man, I couldn't even move. I went straight from the fight right to the bedroom."

This was the twentieth fight of Mike's career, and Tillis was the very first to take him the distance. It was scheduled for 10. 


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BGB Quote Spotlight: Play it to the Bone

"Church music? It's too good for the church. Jesus was too good for the church, you ask me."

 ~Woody Harrelson as Vince Boudreau, in the rarely revisited boxing comedy Play it to the Bone (1999).


Putting together a long list of big names and a longer list of lines falling flat, it wasn't all bad. Subjectively speaking.


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Jose Ribalta Believes The Sun Can Cure EVERYTHING?

I like to keep an eye on any seemingly legitimate account of boxers on Facebook, Twitter, etc. As best as I can tell, a man who fought a who's who of the heavyweight division for many years, Jose "El Nino" Ribalta, has been very vocal on Facebook, making sure to give the skinny on his personal experiences, on many occasions. Well, this one's a doozy, and strays a bit beyond ring talk. He says recently:

In plain text: "My .facebook friends, for those of you who have cancer or aids or any other body sickness. I tell you that being under the sun for three six hour streight. I guarantee that you will have a great chance of being heald by the sun. So please before you do this action just read about how powerful the sun is and how many sickness it will cure. Becauase is great for all kind of deseas that are body experience. So plesse remain under the sun for about at least three hours. Because I stay for about seven hours at least seven hours long,but I tell three hours for at least a month and five days a week you will feel great and your sickness gone."

https://www.facebook.com/jose.ribalta/posts/1315064441856895

As you can see, he goes on to defend this opinion when questioned by saying:

"David Bates,so then God is not who I thought he was. Because if you believe that foolishness,well then all African slaves had cancer. Men make things up. Even other nationalities that became slaves did not have cancer,maybe they died because of the hard work that was given to them,but never cancer was mention,all these sickness begin because the love of money. Because aids was intended for Afrcans from what I know."

"During slavery days,masters were dying but not the slaves,only when they werr being killed." 
 

I'm sure he means well, although I might take that with a salt shaker. A few grains may not cover you as well as sunscreen. File under "Social Media Spotlight."


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The Perpetually Poor Heavyweight Era: BGB Throwback Article Spotlight

Our spotlighted quote, in text: 

"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."



Original Sports Illustrated article: Hard Sell For Some Hard Knocks, by Mark Kram


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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Danny Jacobs On Shawn Porter Amateur Encounters: Quote Spotlight

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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Brandon Rios' Retrospectively Cringeworthy Quote On Pacquiao VS Margarito

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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Bob Arum On How Pacquiao & Mayweather Will Spend Their Giant Payday

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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Tim Bradley Gets Comfort Food In Corner Against Chaves: Quote Spotlight

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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George Foreman Impressed By Miguel Cotto's Punching Power: Quote Spotlight

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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Julio Cesar Chavez Rates Oscar De La Hoya: Quotes About Power

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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Abner Mares On The Culture Shock Of Success: Quote Spotlight

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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Andre Ward On Floyd Mayweather Being The Best, P4P: Quote Spotlight

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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Kevin Johnson On Deontay Wilder: Quote Spotlight

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.



Full interview here: 

Direct page address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Gi6i4aQIQ

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B. J. Flores Pays His Respects To Gennady Golovkin: Quote Spotlight

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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Quotes About Power: Paulie Malignaggi On Miguel Cotto

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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Freddie Roach On Working With Israel Vazquez: Quote Spotlight

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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Supernatural Pugilism: Mike Perez's Religious Quote Spotlight

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.



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Alex Wallau On Young Mike Tyson & His Era: Quote Spotlight

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. 


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This pre-fight spot on ABC has a current upload on Youtube here: 

Direct page address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPD9OCDEQ5o




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