Floyd Mayweather Junior's Straight Right To The Body: GIF Spotlight

In Floyd Mayweather Junior's first welterweight campaign match, he deconstructed one of his several talented southpaw opponents in former major world titlist Sharmba Mitchell. Sharmba was nailed multiple times by one major orthodox-VS-southpaw weapon: The straight right to the body. It ended the fight.

During this HBO broadcast, Roger Mayweather, to Floyd, in the corner before the fifth round: "Keep walking him down. When you get close to him, then you let your hands go. . .And keep trying to throw the right hand to the body."

HBO commentator Roy Jones Junior, during the post-fight replays:
"Straight right hand to the body-the best punch against a southpaw."

HBO commentator Larry Merchant in the final round: "That was a hard right hand to the body. You don't often see that. Mayweather has great discipline and great *intuition* in the ring. That's where that right hand to the body comes from."

All night long, with this punch:

Floyd Mayweather Junior TKO6 Sharma Mitchell, 19th of November, 2005. Notice, he even threw it twice in a row to end the contest.



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The Cringeworthy Commentating Exchange Following Lamon Brewster TKO5 Wladimir Klitschko: Quote Spotlight

From the tenth of April, 2004, quite an exchange from HBO's commentating team at the time, let alone in retrospect:

Larry Merchant: A combination of fatigue, and now, we have to say it, a weak chin, for a heavyweight.

Jim Lampley: Very.

Larry Merchant: You know, we've had some heavyweights, a lot of heavyweights, with great chins, a few of them with good chins, but you can't fight in this weight class, unless you have at least a good chin.

Jim Lampley: Wladimir's chin makes Lennox Lewis' look like granite. I didn't think I'd ever see that.

Roy Jones Junior: It's not so much of his chin as it is his heart though. He's like a dog that can't fight from the bottom.

Jim Lampley: This is a guy who won an Olympic Super Heavyweight Gold Medal. Who was as good as any amateur boxer in the world. Who rose rapidly in the pros. Did he succeed too much too soon to have heart?

Roy Jones Junior: Nope, he did not. He just never had it. It's just that he was so big you never got a chance to see him fight from the down side.

Jim Lampley: Do you think his older brother Vitali has a markedly different personality?

Roy Jones Junior: He has to now, to uphold the family image, or else he'll be disgraced.






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Merqui Sosa Attacks Referee While Roy Jones Junior Celebrates: GIF Spotlight

Back in 1996, Roy Jones Junior stopped Merqui Sosa in two rounds and referee Ken Zimmer's decision to stop the fight angered Sosa, who looked to be very close to punching Zimmer when he stumbled, and likely had just enough time to think better of it. The contrast between Sosa's outburst, his corner's anger and Jones celebrating is etched into my memory.









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Boxing Quote Spotlight: Jim Lampley & Roy Jones Junior Agree On Pacquiao's Spite

Hilariously, before talking up Manny Pacquiao's kindness of character, the HBO crew, only moments before, had chimed in during the final round of Manny Pacquiao's showdown with Brandon Rios with:


Jim Lampley: "I think Pacquiao is enjoying looking at Rios's swollen, bloodied face."

Roy Jones Junior: "He is."

You've got to love it. Boxing commentary and coverage is politics. You can play up two completely contradictory angles to get people's attention and have it work on the same people like magic. Kind, compassionate Manny Pacquiao never wants to hurt his opponent much. Hey, nothing personal.  He doesn't buy into all of this adversarial bad blood. He just wants to make people happy.



. . .But he really enjoys staring at the damage his fists do! He holds a grudge! He will make you pay for your insolence and enjoy it! Bang! Bang! Bang!


. . .But, maybe he's just too nice about it. Maybe he holds himself back because of his religious nature. It's funny whether it's on purpose or not.




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Fight Preparation Stories: Quote From Jim Lampley About Adonis Stevenson

As we get ready for Adonis Stevenson, current Light Heavyweight Champion of the world, to make his third title defence against Poland's 26-year-old contender Andrzej Fonfara in May, I wanted to spotlight a quote. It's Jim Lampley during Stevenson's walk to the ring, in his last defence, against Tony Bellew, during the live HBO fight broadcast and about Stevenson's supposed fight-day preparation, quirky as it might be.





Jim Lampley:



"Earlier this afternoon, Adonis Stevenson ordered from room service at his hotel enough ice to fill a bathtub to the brim and he emerced himself up to the neck in ice, taking a full-body ice bath, he says, to wake himself up for the fight. Roy, he could've accomplished the same thing, simply by stepping outside here, where the temperature is minus eleven centigrade but I've never heard of a fighter taking a full ice bath on the day of a fight."

Roy Jones Junior: 

"Well, different fighters do different things to get themselves loose, and get themselves to where they can go perform. For him, he probably felt like he was a little sluggish, I mean, he gained fourteen and a half pounds. So, that could be a little sluggishness on him. More than likely, he used the ice to shock him, to get his muscles ready, and to wake himself up because he knows what he's up against."  


Stevenson defeated Bellew by a dominant sixth round TKO. I hope his next hotel has enough ice.


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Strange Boxing Quote Spotlight: Roy Jones Junior Talks Organic Chemistry

During the ninth round of the terrific bout between Ruslan Provodnikov and Mike Alvarado in 2013, Roy Jones Junior's commentary took a turn for the "Huh?" when he acknowledged the strength of Ruslan Provodnikov with this explanation:

"He's an organic puncher, Jim. He been eating deer hearts, raw fish all his life. And it's showing in his punching power right now. No GMO's and all the hormones they put in the meat."


Jim Lampley moved right along without any acknowledgement of the subject matter whatsoever.

Mike Perez VS Carlos Takam: Takam Enters An Opponent, Finishes A Contender?

Mike Perez, having become one of the heavyweight division's hottest prospects after one of its best fights late last year (and most tragic outcomes) with Magomed Abdusalamov had his first fight in the aftermath Saturday night. He reportedly said he'd donate part of his purse to the Abdusalamov family. What happened? He was set up with a man sold as "an opponent" with a nice record on paper without much substance to it. That man entered the ring and started the match seemingly as just that. A safe, lackluster opponent for what might be a mentally damaged Mike Perez is every bit what Takam seemed to me in the first part of the fight.

The first half played out with Perez controlling and stalking slowly from the outside, with wide right hooks and straight lefts. The second half of this ten-rounder is Takam waging an inside fighting war the likes of which the heavyweight division virtually never sees anymore in the upper levels and getting the better of it with strength, volume and surprisingly good skill, for what he was advertised to be. This fight ended in a draw and while I actually narrowly scored it for Takam, there was nothing controversial here, beyond your typical outcry for the underdog in a close fight from underdog blind fans.

What does this mean for the division? 

For Takam: While Perez hopefuls have calmed down, wondering if Perez is the same fighter and probably forgotten that he blows hot and cold anyway, Takam is now a player in the division, having waged this war on the glory boxing network. While not much taller than Perez, he's got the weight of a true super heavyweight and this man can fight. If not a rematch? Takam and Dereck Chisora could enter into the best inside fighting heavyweight match of 2014! Takam made a fan out of me. I would not have predicted it after the first five rounds but he did. Congratulations to him for an HBO coming out party. Getting an opportunity to shine can be a matter of luck, but actually shining is most often a matter of will. Takam willfully forced himself into the real name heavyweight ranks against the odds.

For Perez: With all the letting go of Perez's chances in the division, I'm not at all convinced that he's got anything wrong with him and think he actually put on a good fight. For the time being, I am going to rate Takam higher more than Perez lower. But I am in the minority. Many are unwilling to consider him a standout contender after Saturday night. The favourite doesn't always perform like the favourite, but it doesn't mean they aren't performing. Perez and Takam both showed an awful lot of grit in the second half of the fight. For ten-rounders, that's two very grueling matches in a row for Perez, and in only a few months' time. I say we should give the man a break and let him regroup. That said, what this means for Perez is that he goes into the category of likely Klitschko domination opponents until further notice with the fan majority. Again, I am not personally convinced that there's been a great change in him stemming from the Abdusalamov fight, and that fight alone, but I am convinced that there are contenders a plenty who have unexpectedly difficult nights after looking spectacular and many of them have gone on to become champions, some of which get there immediately afterward. Perez could be in that group.



Broadcast Quotes:

During the 6th round:

Jim Lampley: I don't see any sign whatsoever that Perez is in some way affected by the mental hangover from the Abdusalamov thing. He's got a whole different problem in front of him and that's Carlos Takam.
Roy Jones Junior: None! A Whole different problem and a whole different type of a problem because he's fighting the same fight that they want Mike Perez to fight.

Other Broadcast Notes:

*Harold Lederman's card had Takam winning it, 96-94, broken down as:
Perez Rounds: 1,2,4 &5
Takam Rounds: 3 & 6-10

*Max Kellerman saw it as many fans and two of the three judges, five rounds to five. 

*Light Heavyweight Champion Adonis Stevenson was in attendance.

*HBO gives a link to donate to Magomed Abdusalamov and his family in their very difficult struggle, in the aftermath of his medical trauma, and all the expenses and uncertainty that have followed. That link is: http://ring10ny.com/

*Mike Perez's ring walk/entrance music is I'm Shipping Up To Boston, by Dropkick Murphys



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Jean Pascal VS Lucian Bute: Pascal Mostly Plays With Bute...Mostly

Defending a well regarded North American Light Heavyweight title, former Light Heavyweight Champion Jean Pascal uses his speed and his Roy Jones Junior inspired tricks to play with his fellow big time Canadian draw and former Super Middleweight Titlist Lucian Bute at the Bell Centre, in Montreal. Bute started well in the first round, ended well with a lot of action and guts, but simply couldn't pull the trigger on the lightning fast Pascal in a meaningful way through the majority of the fight. He was passionately urged by his trainer during the breaks but couldn't seem to figure out his former sparring partner. In some ways it reminded a lot of the rounds Chad Dawson dropped against Pascal. Jean can bamboozle with his style, as what's becoming known to many, as an "ambush style". Spurts and outbursts, in and out, speed of hand and foot, ambush, retreat, ambush retreat, lather, rinse and repeat, it goes. Only Bernard Hopkins seems to understand Pascal completely.

Whenever Bute started to get at all comfortable and land, Pascal would initiate a violent flurry to take the round, essentially. Some found his activity level lacking and losing more than a few rounds but I am not one of them. He displayed excellent ring generalship for most of the fight, though he was decidedly careless at times, showing little respect for Bute's known power. I think Bute's want to counter-punch was consistently nullified by Pascal turning the tables and waiting on him and beating him at his own game when he came forward. What I liked from Pascal tonight is that aside from the ambush flurries when they were needed, he had great success with right hand pot shots throughout as well.

Bute says he is disappointed and that it wasn't really him until the final round where there was great speculation as to whether Pascal was playing possum or seriously stunned, as he was almost without offense, being assaulted in the corner. Bute insists that he could come through in a rematch that he wants, but I think he knows he was soundly beaten, despite some very strange calls to the contrary, by the likes of Jim Watt.

In closing, Bute has heart but a sketchy future after his excellent career and Jean Pascal is definitely still a player at light heavyweight. It was a good night of boxing and a good choice of matches by HBO.

Broadcast notes: 

*HBO's TOTT listed an unofficial weigh-in weight/rehydrated weight as:
Pascal: 185 pounds
Bute: 184 pounds

*Bute's entrance/ring walk music is U2's Where The Streets Have No Name.

*Pascal's entrance/ring walk music is Roy Jones Junior's Ya'll Must've Forgot.

*Commentator Roy Jones Junior takes a break from his regular gig to coach in Jean Pascal's trainer, which Pascal thanks him for in the post-fight interview, calling Roy the best pound-for-pound.

*Light Heavyweight Champion Adonis Stevenson is interviewed before the match by Jim Lampley. Max Kellerman says Sergey Kovalev is the real number one contender in the division to Adonis' throne.

*Jim Lampley says of the attendance: "We got an announced crowd of 20, 479 in the Bell Centre, which means that both Jean Pascal and Lucian Bute will be fighting before the largest crowd ever to have seen them fight, here in Montreal, and both have sold a lot of tickets, prior to tonight."





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Danny Jacobs VS Giovanni Lorenzo: The Golden Child IS The Miracle Man!

Perhaps we should switch over to "The Miracle Man" which I think is his preferred moniker now. Danny Jacobs has a nice preamble piece on this FS1 broadcast leading into the fight which begins "I was born in New York City. This is the mecca of boxing-the capital of the world."  He says his heroes in boxing were the likes of Roy Jones Junior, Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali. He also says "You can play basketball. You can play volleyball. You can play soccer. But you can't play boxing. You have to fight." and touches on his nightmarish cancer battle with, specifically, osteosarcoma, where he received 25 counts of radiation and was told he'd never box again. He says his biggest motivation to beat it was his drive to become a world champion.

The stare-down during referee instructions is humourous. Lorenzo is exaggeratedly licking his lips like a German Shepherd staring at a baked turkey that's been carelessly set down at his eye level and Danny is looking at him with a polite smirk. He might as well be looking at an annoying bank teller, let alone a guy ready to take his head off. Dave Bontempo muses "Danny Jacobs, not buying into the stare-down there. I guess when you've been fighting cancer, what's a stare-down in the ring? He smiled at him."


In round one, the first serious and arguably most meaningful punch landed in the round is about a minute in, a banging overhand right that lands flush to Lorenzo's face. Jacobs, is thoroughly in control and maintaining any distance he wants. He's throwing a hungry Lorenzo off completely with his movement and also the jab. Jacobs is putting distracting jabs out to the head and body and keeping Lorenzo from setting himself to throw. Jacobs is too quick and too smart through round one. He's coming off slick against Lorenzo, a former Olympian and former world title challenger. This is very good stuff from Jacobs.


In round two, Jacobs' athleticism and ring IQ are in a different league to Lorenzo. Lorenzo is very frustrated here, I think. Jacobs is just preventing Lorenzo from getting into the fight in any way. Jacobs has the head movement, the footwork, everything on Lorenzo. Lorenzo gets warned for a blatant rabbit punch, which is likely a result of pure frustration. As in, if you can't get them clean, get them dirty. He's certainly not getting Jacobs clean. Lorenzo is trying to take Danny's head off, but Danny's head isn't there, to his chagrin. Jacobs didn't throw too much in this round but he still won it, as much as he nullified Lorenzo. I can almost feel Lorenzo's anger at his inability to pin Jacobs down.

In round three, Lorenzo looks to stray low on Jacobs and is called for it. The ref is on the ball here and lets Danny take a moment. It could be further sign of a frustration from Lorenzo, wanting to get Jacobs any way he can, and slow him down, but to me it doesn't really look intentional there. Who knows? Lorenzo, by punch or shove or stumble, I cannot tell, finds himself between the top and second rope. The ref interrupts to make sure he's out before action continues.

Jacobs seems to be offering apology for whatever maneuver put Lorenzo there, so it must not have been clean punching. I think Lorenzo commits another intentional rabbit punch on Jacobs who is tying him up and turning away at the same time. They start brawling as commentator Bernard Hopkins is mentioning a cut under Jacobs' left eye. Jacobs switches from boxing craftily with superb defense to forcefully slugging Lorenzo back to the ropes. It's the first time Lorenzo's been more than fleetingly forced back in the fight, I think. He was stalking up to this point.

Jacobs is all over Lorenzo and his edge in hand speed and his sharp shot selection sees him finish with a face-distorting left and right hook to demolish Lorenzo, falling face first to the canvas. Lorenzo goes down, tries to get up, but he's out of it and the ref knows. It's over. What a finish! Lorenzo gets stopped for the first time in his career. As Jacobs connects with the crowd, Hopkins adds "When Danny realised he was cut, he went into another mindset, and that's the way you do it." The punch stats are very deceptively close. They were actually a perfect example of why punch stats are often awful indicators of what has happened in a match, as counter-intuitively as this may strike some fans.


I am so pleased that Jacobs is a hot prospect again. A great story, a guy with personality who can box with real skill and put your lights out? Terrific. I'm very impressed with this man and think he's a definite player in a rich division. The division he's in is absolutely overflowing with challenges for a young, hungry lion like Jacobs. Good luck to him. This shows me he's ready to jump in with the other top ten men whenever he likes and if we're lucky it'll all be getting appropriate airtime. 



PS: This match aired on the nineteenth of August, 2013-I've just received my DVR back to post about this match recently.


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