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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Steve Bunce on Marcos Maidana's chances with Floyd Mayweather Junior: Quote Spotlight

Alfonso Gomez VS Ed Paredes: Gomez is the real crafty veteran here.

The setup: 

Alfonso Gomez comes into this fight having been a name fighter for about a decade. He has a rare distinction in that when I look at his record, I see more of his fights taking place against names I know than names I don't. Even for the sport's biggest fans, most records have far more "padding" full of people you won't remember than Gomez's. He may have entered with just over thirty professional fights. But those fights are jam-packed with names like Arturo Gatti, Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez. His first recognisable opponent as a professional, then-future world titlist Ishe Smith in his second fight. His career may not be legendary but it has been notable. Make no mistake about that. As it has been a full career, his body has taken a full career's worth of wear and tear. He's taken a few days shy of two years off to heal himself of injuries. He is not a young 33, Gomez. He comes off not only the layoff but two straight losses.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Ed Paredes, coming off a win streak, rather than a loss streak, has more professional fights, less losses and more recent activity. But very little of note happening in this history. It is implied by Gomez that the experience will be the key. Paredes doesn't thinks so, citing his impressive sparring experience against Erislandy Lara, Luis Collazo and Zab Judah.

The action:


It was not one punch that Paredes was open to or one tactic that Gomez employed against him. It was everything. Maybe not just everything that he did but everything he's done as a pro. While one of the best referees of my lifetime (Kenny Bayless) made not one but two official knockdown calls that were, upon instant replay review, very weak knockdowns that I feel he would not have called if he'd seen them clearly, Gomez stayed cool through it all. Both of those KD's were likely as much follow-through on his own punches pulling him down as anything you could credit to Paredes. Paredes was not without his moments and found a lot of nice left hooks with Gomez coming in but overall he was in over his head with the far savvier Gomez. Paulie Malignaggi, working as Fox commentator, said that Paredes was using a lazy approach to this fight. Was he right? Well, Paredes was so outsmarted that perhaps it is questionable whether he was being lazy in being outworked or too baffled to do much more than he did. It did look to me that it very well was a bit of both. When all is said and done, I think Gomez was right about the experience being a major factor. Gomez earned a very just UD10 over Paredes.

What it means: 

I think this demonstrates that Paredes simply isn't world class, or ready to prove he is by a long shot, and Gomez is still proving only one cut below that kind of recognition for now. Oddly, he can look to former opponent Ishe Smith. Because he could end up doing exactly as Smith did and coming up just shy until very late in the game and snatching a major world title for a brief time. It's very, very possible. Gomez is just that kind of fighter to keep working and taking risks until finally he gets that special payoff so many are working for. FS1 put on, overall, an excellent fight card, this ninth of July. That's what it means for each fighter and the broadcasting channel, as far as I can tell. But what it means to boxing might just be yet another embarrassing couple of instances that demonstrate the stupidity of not taking full advantage of instant replay, just like other major sports would. Kenny Bayless, again, arguably the best single referee in the sport right now, even he can miss calls like this. But it doesn't have to be that way. It could've been easily corrected.




Work that bag,
Basement Gym Boxing