Harsh Comments On Kenny Bayless' Performance During Mayweather/Maidana: James Ali Bashir Quote Spotlight

                    (image of discussion involving James Ali Bashir insulting Kenny Bayless on Facebook)

I've been through hours of reading about the big Mayweather/Maidana rematch last night. A rematch of what was a very good contest, with both the lineal Light Middleweight and Welterweight title on the line. It was a match of monetary and historical value that turned into a messy, unfriendly-to-fans clash between not just fighting styles but referee styles, it seems. Now, I've always maintained that Kenny Bayless was a great referee and a man of integrity in an occupation where somehow Laurence Cole is an oft-used referee. But it can't be ignored that Kenny is being badly slated over the perception that he helped make the match a stinker, and in strong favour of Floyd Mayweather Junior. I am highly reluctant to pick on Bayless, considering, as stated, that I've always rated him very highly, both personally and professionally. But I do want to spotlight one surprising catch during my reading of the feedback on his officiating.

While browsing the popular Facebook boxing group/forum called "Boxologist" James Ali Bashir, a man known to have worked closely with the late Emanuel Steward for a long time, and top trainer in his own right, serving on the current Wladimir Klitschko/Johnathon Banks team, apparently making his public disdain for Bayless as clear as possible.


If you can't view the image, Bashir says in one comment: "When they chose this geek to ref, I knew that this would happen! Special$$$interest Groups saw that he would be the ref."

Then comments immediately afterward: "Steve Smoger is probably the best Ref out there at this time! He allows the fighters to fight inside and out. You can't have a good and honest contest unless you allow some inside fighting. Baylis(sic) never allows it!"


I'm sure I don't need to point out the humour in a man on Wladimir Klitschko's team talking about a good, honest contest needing to allow inside fighting. No disrespect intended, to any gentleman mentioned. But it is funny that Klitschko is one of the most highly criticised champions in boxing for getting away with spoiling on the inside with clinching and leaning on his opponents' backs and no inside fighting taking place for the rangy outside fighter. Why James Ali Bashir would make a public statement like that without worry that Bayless wouldn't take it out on one of his fighters, if he figures him so bad, I wouldn't know. But it's worth a quote spotlight, no matter what your opinion of it is, no?


Work that bag,
Basement Gym Boxing



Link to the Boxologist Facebook group/forum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Boxologist/
Link to James Ali Bashir's page: https://www.facebook.com/JALIBAS
Link to the specific post/comment thread in question: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=317458301768154&set=gm.828927877138251&type=1&theater



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Teddy Atlas Quotes, With Predictions: BGB Selected Reference For What Teddy Said About it All

Unless otherwise listed, these are all quotes taken from Teddy acting as expert commentator for ESPN's Friday Night Fights and will be updated as new quotes are chosen and arranged in chronological order:


2015: 

May:

Teddy was asked by Todd Grisham to predict Gennady Golovkin VS FNF tournament winner Willie Monroe Junior on Friday Night Fights, the fifteenth of May.

Todd asks Teddy about Monroe's chances. Teddy says: 

"I don't wanna be sounding like I'm in any way not respecting the fighters that I respect in that ring. But the answer probably is slim or none."

Teddy says, that Monroe is a gentleman and he likes him. He says Monroe is accurate and a good boxer, but not a puncher and he needs another dimension to hold Golovkin off.

2014:

December: 

11th:

On Antonio Tarver: 

"Tarver was one of the great amateur fighters in U. S. history."

(quoted in the post-fight coverage of Tarver's match with Johnathon Banks)

August:

15th:

On Al Haymon:

". . . Al Haymon, who's a tremendous manager/advisor, you know, whatever you want to call him, he's got those fighters, those three fighters that fought last week, Garcia, Peterson and Jacobs, and he did his job. He got 'em the most money for the least amount of risk."

Predicting Kell Brook VS Shawn Porter: 

"I'm picking Porter in that fight, but, again, a fight that I'm looking forward to."

On Referee Jack Reiss, before the officiating of Rustam Nugaev VS Denis Shafikov:

"You've got the right-one of the right referees in there, Jack Reiss, who does a great job. He won't interrupt the action. He'll watch it. He'll control it, but he won't mess it up, like some referees nowadays will."

On Rustam Nugaev:

"Nugaev happens to be one of my favourite fighters on this air, because he brings it."

On toughness and Cus D'Amato:

"I'm going to tell you what the late, great Cus D'Amato said to me, my mentor, what he said about being tough. When both guys are tough, the guy who's smarter, he's tougher."

July:

25th:

During the ESPN2 broadcast of Roberto Garcia VS Breidis Prescott, round eight:

Teddy: "Trainers are liars. They lie to you and I'm not knocking 'em. It's a good way. . . to try to keep his confidence up.

Todd Grisham "So, you lied as a trainer, back in the day?"

Teddy: "I fibbed."

January:

31st:

On Gennady Golovkin, shortly before Golovkin's match with Osumanu Adama:

"I see what I always see, Todd, with Mikey Garcia. That he's a master. A master at controlling range, controlling distance. He knows exactly where he's got to be, to be out of range, and exactly where he's got to go to be in range. And, how does he do it? Well, simply put, it's all about the feet when it comes to Mike Garcia. He's got the best feet and the best judge of distance in the whole boxing world." 

On Mikey Garcia, after being asked about his match with Juan Carlos Burgos:

"I see what I always see, Todd, with Mikey Garcia. That he's a master. A master at controlling range, controlling distance. He knows exactly where he's got to be, to be out of range, and exactly where he's got to go to be in range. And, how does he do it? Well, simply put, it's all about the feet when it comes to Mike Garcia. He's got the best feet and the best judge of distance in the whole boxing world."
 

2013:

September:

On Floyd Mayweather VS Saul "Canelo" Alvarez decision and Judge C. J. Ross, ICE SPORTS:

"And Another dubious situation and another black eye for boxing and guess what? Boxing is like the cyclops. There's no more eyes left to blacken. This is really destroying the boxing industry and it takes us away from the marvelous performance of Floyd Mayweather. Look, we're in the betting capital of the world. They put a betting line on anything. You can bet on the coin toss in the super bowl. You can bet on the under/over for how long the national anthem's going to go in the super bowl. But I can guarantee you, one line that will not be up in this town tomorrow. And that will be the line of whether or not C. J. Ross, that criminal, that-that corrupt or incompetent, whatever you want to call her, I don't know what she is, but this is the second time she's done this just- as you just finished saying. There will be no line up tomorrow whether or not she will be reprimanded by this commission, or any commission. Because she won't be. Because it doesn't happen in boxing. Boxing is unregulated. It has no national commission like the other sports and it's destroying itself."



Work that bag,
Basement Gym Boxing



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Oleksandr Usyk's Hair, His Weakness? GIF Spotlight

Oleksandr Usyk debuts in 2013 against Felipe Romero and lets Romero know he's too pretty to be mussed. Daniel Bruwer can use this as part of his strategy, somehow. I'm sure of it.





Work that bag,
Basement Gym Boxing


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Quotes about power: Emanuel Steward on Miguel Cotto VS Antonio Margarito

''As I said earlier, Margarito has no respect for Miguel, even though Miguel is one of the best punchers I have ever trained. For whatever reason, Margarito has no respect for his punching power. At all."

~Emanuel Steward, as HBO commentator, during the Miguel Cotto VS Antonio Margarito rematch, December of 2011.



Work that bag,
Basement Gym Boxing


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Hard Time Corner Blues: Volume 1: Shadeed Suluki VS Andrey Klimov

There's nothing quite like the intensity of a boxing corner between rounds when the fight is going badly for that side. One of the most negative moments I can remember happened in October of 2013 when a blunt Shadeed Suluki laid a verbal assault on an out-of-his-depth Andrey Klimov as Klimov struggled to find openings or get into his fight with Terence Crawford at all. Suluki spoke to his fighter through a translator (always something I find worrisome with these trainer/fighter teams) and he wanted to make certain this didn't get sugarcoated. 

Shadeed Suluki, the break before round nine of ten:

"Tell him I said he's acting like a f***ing coward."

Shadeed Suluki, the break before round ten of ten:

"Either you go get knocked out or you knock him out, in order to win. Go out fighting. Don't go out like a coward. Tell him exactly what I said."


There's a good reason you will rarely ever hear a trainer imply his fighter is a coward on international television. Probably several good reasons.




Work that bag,
Basement Gym Boxing


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