Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Why Mayweather can look Pretty Against Pacquiao

By Paul Williams: I want “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs “Pacman” Manny Pacquiao! With certain reservations, Floyd wins. First and foremost, lets get a huge point out the way. I am a Pacman fan and I want this to argue both sides. I don’t believe for a second the whole drug taunts are true, I believe it less than Floyd does. He is simply getting in Manny’s head, plain and simple. Floyd is a highly intelligent fighter who believes fights can be won before you enter the ring. He proved this against Hatton. its the exact same strategy he used get under Ricky Hatton’s skin, something no-one had done before.


Pre-fight we all saw him steaming around looking very tense and emotional-playing into Floyd hands. It was genius. Yes, I think the whole blood issue is silly but I also think if we both men sat down together they could easily just say lets make this happen. But I think the promotion companies are more to blame! They are the main issue here, as usual in boxing. what a shame.

As for the fight, I believe the the reason Floyd is a true great is he does what all time greats do, he finds a way to win! i get the whole he doesn’t please. it gripes me sometimes but he always adjusts to what is in-front of him, this is his main advantage over Pacman. If Manny has success then Floyd will change his style to neutralize this where as Manny does not possess that ability, if he’s having trouble he will carry on doing the same things until he goes back to Roach. Manny is very repetitive, ok knowing whats gonna happen and stopping it is so different I agree on that. I believe Roach will change Mannys tactics, he jumps in and out. This against one of the greatest counter punches of all time will be a big mistake, Manny jumping onto a punch with his speed will create more power. Team Roach will work to the body like De La Hoya did and they will use the jab that Roach believes is the punch Mayweather is weak to.

Pacman is open to uppercuts and also hooks. Joshua Clottey showed this and his head movement is poor. Shane Mosley showed against Antonio Margarito than even if you are an iron chinned fighter that doesn’t move his head, against quality can get you taken out. Pacquiao will come looking and I believe if Floyd can handle Pacquiao all over him he can win this fight. Mayweather always rises to the plate, so no one really knows how good he can be when he needs to be. For a few rounds, Miguel Cotto really troubled Pacquiao until he failed to realize they were gassing him. I don’t think either boxer will go out to try stop the other unless the chance comes up, just because there is too much respect and fear of what the other can do.

From Pacquiao’s point of view he needs to treat it like any other fight because if he comes in cagey because its Floyd that just plays into his hands. I think one point people are missing is, Floyd always throws back even if only ones and twos, so if Manny is constantly coming at him then that is still a lot of ones and twos. Mayweather wont just sit there and he does double up his combos more than people think!. The fighter who manages to neutralize their opponents strengths to maximum effect wins this fight.

I want Mayweather to win. because I think he has to win. Pacquiao has his legacy. This maybe puts Floyd in the top 5 all time bracket if he adds Mosley to the list. He needs this to get the credit he deserves, if he loses he will not go down as a great because people dislike him but this settles the argument. Personally, I fear Pacman will just out work Mayweather and win that way. My main argument is this. boxing is: not getting hit and hitting your opponent. That is the true essence of it. so do you separate for example Pacman who will do a Joe Calzaghe and throw over 1000 punches or Mayweather who in the de le hoya fight, threw 100 less punches but twice as many, 47 per cent, Oscars was in the 20’s..So pre-fight when the judges mentally decide if they will score for aggression or precision ….has this fight decided by three men before it stars?

 

[heyzel]

Margarito: Mosley Has The Power To Beat Mayweather

By Mark Vester

Former three time welterweight champion Antonio Margarito says WBA champion Shane Mosley has the power to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Margarito wants to fight some of the big names at 147-pounds. He makes his ring return on May 8 against Carson Jones in Mexico.

Margarito is unsure if Mosley will be the actual winner because he doesn't know which version will show up against Mayweather. Margarito doesn't know if the Mosley who knocked him out will show up, or the Mosley who struggled with Ricardo Mayorga will enter the ring.

"I feel that Mosley has the power to beat Floyd, but since Mosley has looked good in some fights and not too good in others, I'm not sure which Mosley is going to show up," Margarito told AOL's FanHouse.

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather Will Never Fight Pacquiao, Says Ariza/Salud

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

The consensus among respected boxing aficionados led by WBC founding secretary general and former PBA Commissioner Rudy Salud is that Floyd Mayweather Jr will never fight pound-for-pound king and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao.

Also sharing the views of Salud was conditioning expert Alex Ariza.

Salud told us that Mayweather, after watching the masterful performance of Pacquiao against the defensive rock Joshua Clottey, would be convinced more than ever that to face Pacquiao would be to court disaster.

Salud said “I feel that all the more Mayweather is going farther away” from a fight with Pacquiao, adding “how can we expect Mayweather to ever say ‘yes’? They will think of all the reasons not to make it happen.”

He said Clottey with his stance was a better defensive fighter than Mayweather who merely rolls his shoulder, leans back and runs. Salud said that Mayweather was sure to have been struck by the relentless punching machine that Pacquiao proved he was, at the same lightning pace from round one to twelve which combined with his lateral and rapid in and out movement would trouble Mayweather. He said he was confident that if Mayweather accepted the challenge he would almost surely be knocked out.

Ariza said that Pacquiao’s performance showed the Filipino southpaw was “faster than Floyd” and “if he hits Mayweather the way he hit Clottey there is no he can take that kind of power.”

The conditioning expert who proved that they didn’t take the Clottey fight for granted by training hard when Pacquiao went at the same incredible pace for all twelve rounds said “when he saw what Manny did to Clottey. He hit Clottey so hard that he was afraid to throw punches. The body shots were devastating.”

Ariza also agreed with the observations of internationally well-known architect Jun Palafox and undersecretary of Health Elmer Punzalan who were guests on the popular dzMM Teleradyo show of Vic Jose hours before the fight and pointed out a crucial fact about the texture of Clottey’s skin. Both boxing fans said the texture of the skin of Africans was different, resilient and capable of standing much more pain than others, very much like the water buffalo.

Ariza said “of course its because of the climate. Its like the hide of a buffalo. If you looked at Clottey’s face after the fight you could see there was some swelling but very minimal.”

Both Ariza and Koncz revealed there had been some talk about a fight for Pacquiao in October or November which would be after the May 10 elections where he is seeking the lone congressional seat in Sarangani.

However, Ariza who sat down with Pacquiao and spoke to him alone for some 20 minutes after they got home from the Los Angeles airport told us “he’s gonna rest. He doesn’t want to push it. I told him to rest for a while because this was the second twelve round fight in a row (the first being against Miguel Cotto last November.) Give your body a few months, six months rest.”

Ariza said they “went over what he did (against Clottey) and we are really proud of him. He is not just big, he is such a good great role model who inspires these other young guys.”

TV analyst and original Team Pacquiao member Moy Lainez disagreed. He said the bottom line is money and he doubts whether both Mayweather and Pacquiao would turn their back on the possibility of earning $40 to $50 million.

Lainez said Mayweather knows that should he beat him Pacquiao will retire unless Mosley beats Mayweather paving the way for a Pacquiao-Mosley showdown which would be much easier to make..

At the same time Lainez indicated that much will depend on the outcome of the elections. Lainez noted that Pacquiao had bought a house in Los Angeles and he feels that should Pacquiao lose, “he might stay there and just come here once in a while.”

 

[heyzel]

Mike Tyson Lands a New Show, On Animal Planet

New York, New York) – Building on the success of the network’s rebrand and content transformation, Animal Planet has announced a new show with Mike Tyson, currently known as TAKING ON TYSON, where the former heavyweight champion of the world will take audiences inside the intensely competitive and bizarrely fascinating world of pigeon racing. Slated to film this spring in New York City and debut in early 2011, the show will give audiences an insider’s look at pigeon rearing and racing, a sport that is far from the mainstream. The novice pigeon racer Tyson goes toe-to-toe against several individuals in hopes of being crowned a champ all over again. Tyson has a deep passion for the birds and raised pigeons all his life. In fact his first-ever fight as a child was in defense of his birds. But this show will follow his first foray into racing them competitively. So for the first time in years, Tyson enters a sport as an underdog.

“Tyson’s passion for his pigeons takes my breath away,” marvels Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet Media. “For years, he has been inspired by these birds that he feels have the ‘biggest heart’ in the animal kingdom. TAKING ON TYSON peels back new layers of the remarkable persona and deep humanity of Mike Tyson while also showing us a whole world we never knew existed right on the rooftops of New York City.”

“I’m honored to be a part of this monumental show on Animal Planet,” said Tyson. “I feel a great pride acting as an official representative for all the pigeon fancier’s out there. I want people to see why we love these birds. It feels good returning to the rooftops of the city where it all started for me – New York.”

To rear, train and race pigeons – or “homers” – requires dedication, discipline, patience and tenderness. For many pigeon racers, these avian athletes are the kings of the bird world. Their intelligence, spirit, titanic bonds of loyalty and astounding homing ability sets them apart from other birds. Pigeon fliers treat the birds like fine thoroughbred horses to dominate the racetrack. Such a feat could not be accomplished alone, especially for a rookie like Tyson, but he has a colorful team of pigeon experts by his side, including his trainer Vinnie Torre, caretakers the Roman Brothers and promoter/manager Mario Costa, each providing deep insights into the rich and colorful sport of pigeon racing. With the gritty and scenic backdrop of New York City rooftops, TAKING ON TYSON takes flight with its view of weekly pigeon auctions and dynamic competitions.

TAKING ON TYSON was created and produced by Touch Productions in association with Tyrannic Productions for Animal Planet. Malcolm Brinkworth is the executive producer for Touch Productions, Mike Tyson is the executive producer with Tyrannic Productions, and Jason Carey is the executive producer for Animal Planet. Charlie Foley is vice president of development for Animal Planet.

 

[heyzel]

Andre Ward Sidelined, Allan Green Fight Pushed Back

By Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com has been informed that WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward has suffered a knee injury in training and is unable to move forward with his scheduled defense against Allan Green on April 24 on Showtime. The fight was going to be part of a Super Six doubleheader with Carl Froch defending his WBC title against Mikkel Kessler in the other featured bout.

Ward's promoter Dan Goossen told BoxingScene his fighter hurt his knee during training camp, but should be ready to fight by the end of May/early June.

"He was getting ready for the fight and hurt the knee that he had surgery on last year and it got inflamed, swollen. It's prohibited him from running. The doctor told him that he need to get back to his strenght excercises on his knee and told him not to push it for at least four weeks. Andre thinks he will be ready to fight by end of May, early June at the latest," Goossen said.

Ward is upset over the postponement. He tried to work through the injury but it wouldn't go away. He doesn't want there to be any excuses in the fight. He wants Green to get an Andre Ward who is 100%.

“I want this fight in the worst way, and am very excited about it. I have been having reoccurring problems with my right knee. I went to camp and tried for a week and half to two weeks, and I can’t run like I’m supposed to. I want Allan Green to get an Andre Ward that’s 100% just like I want an Allan Green that is 100%," Ward said.

"The issue is that I came out of the blocks too fast in training camp with my running. I was supposed to gradually build up and I went beyond what my trainer, Virgil Hunter, wanted me to do. I believe that’s where all of the problems started. This has been a good lesson for me to listen to my coach in the future because he always warns me not to come out of the blocks of training camp too fast but because I’m so motivated about this fight; I came out too fast, too early."

"My physician, Dr. Warren King, who is also the orthopedic surgeon for the Oakland Raiders, is recommending 4-6 weeks of rehab and rest. Dr. King doesn’t see anything that should hinder me beyond this point or in future fights. I look forward to getting back in the ring at 100% and defending my WBA title in the Showtime Super Six World Boxing Classic. I apologize to Ken Hershman, Showtime and all of the participants in the Super Six for any inconvenience this may cause.”

 

[heyzel]

Arum says he thought the Pacquiao-Clottey undercard was “very good”

By Chris Williams: In an interview of Top Rank promoter Bob Arum by Greg Leon of Boxing Talk Arum says when asked about the undercard of last Saturday’s Pacquiao-Clottey fight at the Cowboy Stadium “I thought the undercard fights were very good. I thought the Soto-Diaz fight was a very good fight. I thought the crowd was into it and I thought it was closer than the scorecards had it. I thought Duddy performed very well against a tough Mexican. Unfortunately Castillo came up empty and retired, but I think it was a strong undercard.”


What Arum says runs counter to what a lot of boxing fans are saying about Saturday’s undercard fights? I myself thought it was one of the weakest cards I’ve seen for a major pay-per-view bill. Ignoring the little known prospects that Arum had on the very bottom of the card, we had John Duddy defeating Michael Medina by a 10 round decision, Humberto Soto winning a 12 round decision over David Diaz, and Alfonso Gomez stopping former WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo after the 5th round of a one-sided fight.

Of all the fights on the entire card, only the Duddy-Medina fight seemed interesting and the excitement of that fight was taken away, at least for me, because I felt like I was watching two second tier fighters going at it rather than top level guys. Oddly enough, both Duddy and Medina are ranked in the top 15. Overall, the undercard lacked depth and any real exciting fights.

Soto fought carefully against Diaz and boxed his way to a decision. It was a dull fight from the start and only got worse in the last four rounds when Soto went into cruise control and seemed to not even fight hard. He didn’t need, because Diaz was below his level. And the Castillo-Gomez fight was really sad to watch, because Castillo couldn’t let his punches go during the fight and looked like a shell of his former self. It was really one-sided fight and it many people thought it was going to be that as soon as the fight was announced.

On another topic, Arum reveals that Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t be able to count having Manny Pacquiao take the random blood tests if he plans on fighting him in the near future. Arum says “If Mayweather wins, we certainly want to fight Mayweather, but he’s got to come to the table looking to make a regular boxing contract. We’re not going to entertain any extra issues regarding drug testing.”

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather: Pacquiao was “exposed” and looked “one-dimensional” against Clottey

By Esteban Garduno: Unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. saw last Saturday night’s match between Joshua Clottey and Manny Pacquiao and he was not impressed in the least, saying in an article at Cagereport.net, “Personally, I think Pacquiao got exposed in that fight for being one-dimensional. You can have all [the] offence ability in the world but with no defense you’re not going to last long against a good counter puncher such as myself. Look at the way Clottey was getting through, each time he threw something it landed. Then at the end Pacquiao’s was all busted up, when’s the last time you’ve seen my face all messed up like that? That’s the difference between an amateur and a true pound for pound boxer.”


Ouch! That must have hurt. But I think I agree with what Mayweather says about Pacquiao looking one-dimensional and showing little ability to block punches. Clottey pretty much was able to hit Pacquiao without almost every punch he threw on Saturday night. I can’t remember seeing a fighter having the same kind of accuracy that Clottey had in landing punches against Pacquiao.

And Pacquiao’s face was all messed up at the end. If you were to look at Pacquiao and Clottey’s faces, I’d be willing to bet that most people would assume that Pacquiao was the loser if they hadn’t seen the fight. Pacquiao’s face was red and swollen afterwards, and he looked totally exhausted. He looked tired even early in the fight. Maybe it’s the weight that Pacquiao has been packing on his small frame. He looked sluggish, slow and was gasping for breath even after the 3rd round.

Mayweather continues, “I think Pacquiao gave the fans a boring fight, he was punching his arms for all 12 rounds. At least when you watch Floyd Mayweather you know you’ll be seeing non-stop action for 30 minutes straight and that’s what you’ll see on May 1st.“

Mayweather is very accurate with his punches and would be finding a way through Clottey’s guard had that been him in the ring with Clottey instead of Pacquiao. What Pacquiao seemed to make a mistake with was just throwing punches without really placing them? He seemed like his total focus was just to throw a lot of punches, but not trying to get them in the correct places all the time.

Mayweather would be more like a surgeon compared to Pacquiao, who obviously used the shotgun approach to the fight by throwing massive amounts of punches hoping some of them would get through Clottey’s guard. All total, Pacquiao threw over 1200 punches during the fight. That’s an incredible number but when you’re missing a lot of those shots, what good is it?

Mayweather then chimes in about the attendance numbers for the Pacquiao fight, saying “The attendance numbers ain’t nothing compared to what I have drawn in the past or what I would have drawn if that was me in the ring that night, everybody knows that. Half those seats were empty in the back and people say Pacquiao is a draw? Let’s not forget who generated a revenue of 2.5 million dollars in one fight alone. The only reason why he’s popular is because he’s an ethnic minority and from the Philippines so it’s something special. If he was from Africa he would be just another boxer.”

Pacquiao has a huge following among Filipino fans in the United States and can count on many of them to come see his fights or purchase them on PPV. With the huge amount of Filipino fans living in the U.S. and interesting in watching all of Pacquiao’s fights, he has a huge fan base built in for every fight that takes place in the United States. Mayweather obviously can’t count on that same kind of support among African Americans. Many of them know who he is, but he doesn’t have the same kind of following that Pacquiao has.

 

[heyzel]

Malignaggi: Ariza, Get Your Head Out of Pacquiao's Ass

By Rick Reeno

Former junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi shot back at Manny Pacquiao's strength and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza. In an earlier report on BoxingScene.com, Ariza told Ronnie Nathanielsz that he wants WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan to destroy Malignaggi on May 15 at New York's Madison Square Garden. Ariza is steaming over some of Malignaggi's past comments regarding alleged steroid use by Pacquiao and other fighters who train at Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California.

“I want him to destroy Malignaggi for what he’s said,” Ariza said.

Khan is also trained by Roach and Ariza. Malignaggi read BoxingScene's report before heading out to a New York press conference to announce the May fight with Khan, and he wanted to send a message.

"I do got a message for Alex Ariza. I saw the headline this morning that he wants Khan to destroy me for Manny. I don't want to get x-rated. Just tell him to get his head out of Manny's ass. Tell him to get his head out of Manny's ass. He needs to worry about Paulie Malignaggi and Amir Khan and forget about Manny Pacquiao," Malignaggi said.

 

[heyzel]

Team Mayweather: Floyd Did Not Watch Pacquiao's Fight

By Rick Reeno

Earlier today, two members of Team Mayweather reached out to BoxingScene.com to set the record straight regarding an alleged interview circulating all over the internet with Floyd Mayweather Jr. From what I was told, the interview, which calls Pacquiao a one-dimensional fighter and downplays his performance against Joshua Clottey - is 100% fabricated. The interview first originated on a website called Cage Report. Numerous websites and overseas newspapers have used quotes from the interview.

One member of Team Mayweather told BoxingScene - "Floyd did not do any interviews. Floyd has not watched the fight yet."

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach told BoxingScene - "I don't believe that" - when he was advised Mayweather did not watch last Saturday's fight.

 

[heyzel]

Mackie Shilstone Knows Hopkins-Jones Jr. Better Than Anyone

LAS VEGAS (March 16, 2010) – Legendary sports performance management specialist Mackie Shilstone (www.mackieshilstone.com) has a unique perspective into the April 3 Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones, Jr. rematch at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Shilstone has worked closely with both boxers and knows better than anyone what makes each man tick..

“I know them better than anyone,” Shilstone said. “I know what’s inside them because when you see the entourages go and it’s just me and them training, I’m left with the human strengths, the human frailties. Whether it be Roy or Bernard, I know what their psyche is, I monitor their heart rate, I’m the only person in the world that’s seen six weeks of beat by beat by beat of every beat of the heart, I’ve seen it go up, I’ve seen it go down. I know what makes it go up emotionally, I know what makes it go down, and the world has never seen this.”

Shilstone, who has most recently been an integral member of the team that assisted 25-time Grand Slam-winner Serena Williams back to her No. 1 form, helped Hopkins surprise Antonio Tarver at the age of 41 and assisted Jones, Jr. in his unanimous 2003 win over John Ruiz. But Jones and Hopkins weren’t Shilstone’s first foray into boxing. In 1985, he helped Michael Spinks move from light heavyweight up to heavyweight and beat Larry Holmes, an unprecedented feat – no light heavyweight had ever moved up and beaten the heavyweight champion. His participation in this historical moment earned Shilstone a spot among “Ring Magazine’s” 50 most influential people in the history of boxing.

Shilstone’s MO is to use an all-encompassing approach of fitness, health and lifestyle to not only extend athletes’ careers, but their lives as well. Shilstone teamed up with a 30-year-old Ozzie Smith, and the partnership not only helped Smith improve his numbers, it helped earn him another 11 years in the league and the Hall of Fame – Smith even wrote Shilstone into his induction speech.

“He gets in your head, he runs with you, he trains with you – he pushes you,” said a 41-year-old Hopkins a day after stunning Tarver by unanimous decision. “A lot of fighters don’t know the benefits of his (regimen) because we are told that the traditional way is the only way – anything else is taboo. Can you imagine how dangerous I would have been had I had Mackie five years ago?”

“I’ve got to be honest, when I looked at the tapes, I said, ‘How am I gonna beat him [Ruiz]? How am I going to do this?’” said Jones, Jr. “Then I met Mackie Shilstone ... he motivated me to train at another level.”

“As the only person who has worked one on one with both Bernard and Roy, I truly appreciate the talents and dedication that each boxer brings to this event,” Shilstone said. “It is almost as if Superman and Batman were to decide to fight each other to see who is truly the greatest super hero.

“I finally understand, having two sons and also working with Serena (Serena versus Venus), what is must be like to have two ‘siblings’ (Hopkins and Jones) play or fight each other. Since both boxers are like family to me, I cannot watch the fight. I know both men inside out and know what each is capable of doing, especially after working with me.



“The world will tremble under the force of these two great champions. Age and won/loss records will be meaningless gauges of the intensity of this encounter. The ring may not be big enough.”

 

[heyzel]

Dreadful PPV Undercards and the future of Boxing

Brian Landry - At what point will boxing promoters understand what they are missing?

After another expectedly underwhelming undercard prior to Clottey- Pacquiao, it is becoming increasingly frustrating having to dish out the $49.95 to watch PPVs that incorporate such awful preliminary matches.

Let's take a look at this weekend's undercard, shall we?

John Duddy vs. Michael Medina - a non-prospect, brawler turned uninspiring boxer vs. a non-prospect, raw free-swinger.

Alfonso Gomez vs. Jose Luis Castillo - a non-prospect with mediocre boxing skills, average power/speed vs. a washed up former champion who posed no real competitive threat.

Humberto Soto vs. David Diaz - a talented, usually crowd-pleasing fighter moving up in weight vs. a solid 135 pounder who is hard to look impressive against.

What's wrong with this picture? It was painfully obvious to the average boxing fan that all three matches lacked genuine significance and did not include any promising prospects. Obviously, the main event is what draws people to buy PPVs, but this is not the point of my inquiry.

Regardless of the main event, what do boxing fans hope for in their undercards? I can not speak for all fans, yet I think most would like to see a combination of fights including either:

a.) a prospect vs. another prospect
b.) a prospect vs. someone who will present a certain challenge to be overcome (size, speed, experience, boxing ability, heart, etc...)
c.) a competitive, 'must-win' type fight, in which the winner goes on to more significant fights and the loser goes back to the drawing board.
d.) a contender vs. another evenly-matched contender
e.) a contender vs. a prospect making a step up in class

I may be missing a few scenarios, but what is common to each of these types of fights is that they are all competitive and have significance. Duddy-Medina? Competitive, but far from significant. Gomez-Castillo? Slightly competitive, also far from significant. Soto-Diaz? Moderately competitive, slightly significant. (I actually did not have as much gripe about this fight as I did the previous two. At least got to see how Soto handled 135 pounds against a physically strong opponent)

I for one would much rather have fights like those featured on the Fight Night Club Nokia series, put together by Golden Boy Promotions. Imagine having competitive, significant fights on the undercards of PPVs! No need to imagine, as UFC is a prime example such a practice. MMA's popularity would not be where it is at today if the UFC PPVs had not included competitive, seemingly-significant fights, as they have. I say seemingly because it seems that each fight on the undercard of a UFC event involve title fights with fighters who have a decent fan base. Although many undercards involve 'title fights' in boxing, the litany of titles present in the sport diminishes the importance of being called a 'titleholder', yet that is another issue worthy of a separate article.

How much money is designated to the undercard is obviously a secondary priority to promoters who must first take care of the financial wishes of those participating in the main event. This can not be an excuse for poor undercards, however, as I'm sure there was more money available for the undercard of Clottey-Pacquiao, for example, when compared with shows at Club Nokia. Put on decent fights, and everyone will benefit.

Although I am admittedly frustrated with the lack of important, competitive fights on the undercards of PPVs, I am equally frustrated at the opportunity wasted by boxing promoters of the day. Why not showcase fighters that have a future in the sport? If promoters wish to make their clients the most money, it would make sense to showcase their talent to a wide audience, which would immediately lay a foundation for a fighter's fan base. Before the Clottey-Pacquiao fight, Bob Arum argued that the undercard was very good and worthy of being on a PPV. It's Arum's job to promote the event, yet his belief
that the undercard was top-notch was disingenuous. Prior to the fights, it was evident that the undercard was awful. Now, after the fight, the theory is irrefutable.

The largest consequence of this whole issue, however, is the effect that such poor undercards have on boxing as a whole. What casual fan gets hooked on the sport after watching Duddy-Medina, Gomez-Castillo, or Soto-Diaz? None. Such poor exhibitions of boxing only give fuel to those ignorant sports fans who claim that boxing is dead, or at least dying. Obviously anyone who actually watches boxing would never make such claims but can you really blame those who say such things? Other than those who seek out fights involving relevant contenders and prospects on a regular basis, like those of you reading this article, the casual sports fan, whose only boxing viewing occurs while watching the major PPV events, are subjected to boring fights that lack intrigue.

Now that boxing is scarcely found on regular T.V., boxing promoters have the unique responsibility of showcasing our great sport to the general public. They do a disservice to the sport and its fans to put on such unappealing shows that give the impression of an uninspiring sport. The general sports public rarely focuses on boxing, which is all the more reason to display the best our sport has to offer at every opportunity.

 

[heyzel]

Clottey partly blames his loss on backside problem

By Esteban Garduno: Joshua Clottey says he was suffering from another type of bout the night he fought Manny Pacquiao last Saturday night, this one involving his backside. Clottey apparently had a bout of diarrhea, a bad case where after eating a stew consisting of Banku and Okra, it caused Clottey to fly to the toilet 10 times between the night before the fight and the day of the fight. Going with your backside that many times had to have depleted water from Clottey’s system, making him weaker than he might have been otherwise.


In an article at Myjoyonline, Clottey says “When I ate after the weigh in, I was running [he was going with his back side]. The midnight I went to the toilet almost like four times, in the morning I went to the toilet like three times, and when I went to the dressing room I went to the toilet like three times.” As you can see, Clottey was hardly fit to fight the night of the fight.

It’s too bad the fight couldn’t have been called off, because there’s no way a fighter can go with their backsides that many times and still be in good enough condition to put in a grueling 12 round fight. I noticed that Clottey looked horrible the night of the fight. He had this withdraw, drained look about him. Now that I realize that he had emptied almost entire body of liquid because of his backside problem, it explains why Clottey didn’t throw more punches.

You can count on Clottey to normally fight like a demon for 12 rounds. But not on Saturday night. He only threw a few punches and spent most of the fight looking sick covering up on the ropes. I don’t know about you, but this taints Pacquiao’s win over Clottey in my view.

 

[heyzel]

Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: Why Can’t Fighters Just Fight?

By Rod Bautista: I remember when fighters were fighters. Remember that? Guys would call each other out and rag on each other because in the end they were going to put their money and their fists behind all the words they were saying.

Sure Muhammad Ali would wax poetic about how pretty he was and how ugly his opponents were. He even punched out a stuffed gorilla pretending it was Joe Frazier. Regardless of what he did or said at the end of the day Ali was a fighter and he went into the ring and took care of his business. Whether he floated like a butterfly or stung like a bee Ali was always up for a fight.


To be the champ you had to fight the champ. Would Sugar Ray Leonard be the best if he didn’t fight Hagler, Hearns or Duran. He ducked no one and fought the best of the best. So did Ali. To be great you have to be opposed by greatness. You have to put up or shut up.

Today we are blessed with two of the greatest fighters of our generation. Hell it could be said that with the wealth of talent fighting around the Welterweight division that we could have the quality of fights that were abundant in the 80’s. With the likes of Berto, Valero, Marquez, Cotto, Williams, Clottey, Mosley and of course Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, we could have a plethora of quality fights culminating in the crowning of the true Pound For Pound Champion of The World.

This sadly is not the case.

Boxers are business men first, more interested in the path of least resistance for maximum pay rather than paying dues and working through the ranks and earning your shot.

Boxing unfortunately has as much relevance in today’s society as the Biathlon, and Australian Rules Football. Okay maybe not to that extreme. The average sports fan on the street can probably name more NASCAR drivers than relevant boxers. It’s sad, but it’s true. MMA and the UFC have pretty much filled the void that Boxing left, while Boxing continually shoots itself in the foot.

Why? Is MMA better? Is MMA more exciting? It’s because no matter whom you are and where you’ve been, in MMA you have to face the best to be considered the best. That is the bottom line, and the youth and that ever so coveted demographic of the 18 to 35 year old male have taken notice. Hell even women find MMA fighters sexy, with their cauliflower ears and their broken crooked noses. MMA and the UFC is very much main stream and boxing sadly is a foot note.

In comes Manny Pacquiao, a fighter from a modest past and a modest third world country known more for Karaoke lovers and bad singers. He represents what boxing used to be, a fighter who not only comes in to the ring to win, but to destroy his opponent. He is a throw back to the olden days where boxers spoke with their fists. Hell he can barely speak English, yet he has captured the world’s imagination. He has graced the cover of Time magazine and been on late night network TV, even Good Morning America.

Saturday night Manny Pacquiao sold out Cowboys Stadium. That’s by himself folks. It is estimated that PPV numbers will be around the 700,000 mark.

Boxing is at a point where it might be able to become relevant again. Can it get over itself to take advantage of it? We have the current Pound For Pound Champ and the current #2 ranked fighter and former Pound For Pound Champ. One keeps talking and won’t shut up and the other one is running for congress in his home country.

They need to just shut up and fight. Then the winner needs to fight Sugar Shane and then Andre Berto, and then Paul Williams, and then Edwin Valero and so on and so on. Boxing can be great again. Boxing can be more relevant than two half naked guys rolling over each other in a cage. Boxing is and always has been the Sweet Science, it just needs to find its way again. The fighters just need to fight and quit being what their not.

Floyd you aren’t the second coming of Ali, and Manny you aren’t Obama or Michael Buble. You’re the greatest fighters of this generation, and you need each other to be considered one of the best of all timet. So for boxing and all the boxing fans around the world: JUST SHUT UP AND FIGHT!

 

[heyzel]

Green upset with Ward fight postponement

By Jim Dower: Super middleweight contender Allan Green (29-1, 20 KO’s) is less than pleased with the latest postponement by World Boxing Association super middleweight champion Andre Ward for his stage 2 Super Six bout, which was supposed to take place on April 24th in Oakland, California. Ward had to pull out of the fight due to swelling of his right leg. Ward’s doctor said that he will need four to six weeks to rehabilitate and rest his leg.


In the meantime, Green, 30, isn’t happy about it, saying “I fight through bumps, bruises and injuries, and we go through that. I fought Tarvis Simms with a bad right shoulder. If your knee keeps getting hurt, it could be something chronic and you’re probably not going to be ready in six weeks. If your knee is swollen, just take a cortisone shot.” Ward reportedly wants to take the fight with Green, but is hesitant to fight unless he’s 100%.

Ward won his first fight of the tournament with an 11 round technical decision over Mikkel Kessler last year. Ward, a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist for the United States, showed remarkable skills in that fight, not only beating Kessler but dominating for the full 11 rounds of the fight. The win was so impressive that some boxing experts immediately made Ward the favorite to win the entire Super Six tournament.

Based on how good that Ward looked in beating Kessler and how easily he defeated knockout artist Edison Miranda last year, it’s doubtful that Ward is trying to avoid Green because he’s afraid of him. Green is a good fighter, but he’s not unbeatable. As we saw in his 10 round decision loss to Miranda in 2007, Green can be hurt in a fight if he gets hit with something big.

He also looked timid in the Miranda fight, and spent much of the bout fighting as if he was walking on egg shells. It’s somewhat understandable Green being cautious against Miranda, because Edison is after all a big puncher. However, Green wasted the entire fight playing it safe and not letting his hands go. In the 10th round, Miranda hurt Green and knocked him down twice before the time ran out.

For Green, it might be a good thing that Ward has taken time to rest and rehabilitate his right knee, because this will also give Green more time to prepare for Ward. That’s a good thing. Green is coming into the Ward fight with zero points and he needs to win this fight if he has any prayer of getting to the semi finals in the Super Six tournament.

 

[heyzel]

Roach: Khan has faster hands than Pacquiao

By Chris Williams: At the recent Paulie Malignaggi and Amir Khan press conference, trainer Freddie Roach made a startling revelation when he said that his fighter WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan has better hand speed and foot speed than World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao. Roach was quick to point out that he didn’t believe that Khan could hit as hard as Pacquiao, only that Khan was faster. For a lot of boxing fans of the sport, they believe that Pacquiao is the faster fighter in boxing.


And to have Roach say that he believes that Khan is faster than Pacquiao, it’s interesting to learn. Roach would obviously know who the faster fighter is because he trains both Pacquiao and Khan and has seen them in action in the ring. Pacquiao recently defeated Joshua Clottey last weekend at the Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.

Pacquiao won almost every round in a lopsided 12 round decision over Clottey. However, Pacquiao looked slower than he normally is and seemed to look heavier than usual. I can’t ever remember seeing Pacquiao look so sluggish before in a fight. He looked like someone who was carrying around too much weight and it was slowing him down. And in between rounds, Pacquiao looked old to me, laboring for breath and looking all beaten up.

And the tired look to his face seemed beyond just fatigue. He just looked like an elderly, aging person to me. I think Pacquiao needs to lose some weight, because he’s starting to look kind of slow now. Maybe he should retire. I don’t want to see Pacquiao keep fighting and end up getting badly beaten up by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley. I think Pacquiao loses to both of those fighters right now.

Those guys are fast, energetic and natural welterweights. They move well for the weight and are able to get around the ring remarkably well. Pacquiao looked like a mini tank on Saturday. He wasn’t moving well at all. I think this is about as high a weight that Pacquiao can go before he starts getting beaten up regularly.

I hope they don’t throw him in weight light welterweight, because I think Pacquiao will look like a blister bag if he gains any more weight. When short fighter’s bulk up like Pacquiao is doing, they look like little tanks. I don’t mean that in a good way either. They’re okay when they don’t move a lot, but if they get put in with a fighter that uses a lot of lateral movement, the short fighter generally has a lot of problems because they have to carry that extra weight around with their small frames.

Pacquiao should move back down to lightweight, lose some that useless muscle he’s put on recently, stop eating so much and focus on fighting guys like Edwin Valero. That’s a great fight. Pacquiao doesn’t need Mayweather or Mosley to define his career and he also doesn’t need the money from those fights. I think he’ll lose to both of those guys, so why even bother.

Pacquiao should just move back down, fight a couple of fights and then retire before he sticks around too long and starts getting beaten up. Clottey pounded Pacquiao a little last Saturday, especially with his big uppercuts. During the replay, it was sad to see Pacquiao’s head getting snapped back again and again by Clottey’s uppercuts. I thought for a second there that Pacquiao was going to snap off during one of them because his head whip lashed violently, lifting upwards towards the rough. It was a good thing for Pacquiao that Clottey didn’t throw a lot of punches during the fight, because I don’t know that Pacquiao would have made it to the final bell.

 

[heyzel]

Andre Dirrell looking to become the next super star in boxing

By Scott Gilfoid: Blessed with amazing hand speed, size and power, the talented Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO’s) is on the cusp of becoming the next huge star in the boxing world. Dirrell, only 26, takes part in his second fight in the Super Six tournament against knockout artist Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KO’s) on March 27th, at the Joe Louis Arena, in Detroit, Michigan. Dirrell is ready for anything that Abraham will be bringing in that fight, and expects the Armenian German based fighter to be trying to take him apart from the opening bell. In an article at the Las Vegas Sun, Dirrell says “This fight right here is a trademark fight. It will be marked down as one of the biggest fights Michigan has had, and I’m happy to be a part of that.”


Dirrell is right. The Joe Louis arena is likely to sellout for this fight with over 20,000 Dirrell fans streaming in to see him take Abraham apart and show his skills to the Showtime audience. Dirrell’s opponent, the 30-year-old Abraham, defeated Jermain Taylor by a 12th round knockout last October in the first bout of the Super Six tournament. Abraham looked nothing special through most of the fight until hurting Taylor with a forearm and right hand combination that staggered him in the 9th.

Taylor never seemed to recover from those two blows and was later taken out in the 12th round from a straight right hand from Abraham. The win over Taylor has given Abraham three points in the Super Six tournament and put him, at least for now, alone at the top of the Super Six tourney scoring. However, Abraham won’t likely stay at the top for long if Dirrell has anything to say about it.

The beauty of the Super Six tournament is that whoever emerges as the winner of the tournament will very likely be a huge star in the sport given all of the visibility that the fighter will get on Showtime. Dirrell says “A superstar will definitely emerge at the end of this tournament. And I think that will be me. I’m looking forward to making history.” If Dirrell beats everyone in the tourney, which won’t be easy, he’ll clearly be one of the biggest names in boxing.

I think he can do it. The only real problems I see for Dirrell is a fight against fellow American Andre Ward that Dirrell has coming up next. As of now, Ward is rehabilitating an injured right knee which caused him to postpone his April 24th fight against Allan Green. Beyond Ward, the opposition is thinner, arguably much less talented with the slow Abraham and the equally slow Carl Froch as two of the European fighters.

Both Froch and Abraham are sluggers by nature, slow of hand and slow of foot, and who generally plod their way to victory. Allan Green has great hand speed, excellent power, but has faced mostly limited opposition during his career. This is a big step up for Green, and it’s doubtful he’ll be able to take successfully take that step without falling on his face completely and getting beaten by his next two opponents.

Dirrell lost his first fight of the Super Six tourney to Carl Froch, losing a 12 round split decision last October. Dirrell, speaking about that loss says, “I believe I won that fight. Overall, the fans felt I won that fight.” I believe Dirrell won the fight as well, I saw him winning eight rounds to three with one even. However, fans from the UK, for the most part, believe that Froch won the fight. It could be that they’re sticking up for their fellow Brit but it also could be that they see boxing in a different light than fans from other parts of the world. I know for me, I thought it was a landslide win for Dirrell, and thought it was one of the best performances I’d seen in the ring since watching Floyd Mayweather Jr., work his magic against Arturo Gatti in 2005

 

[heyzel]

Haye vs. Ruiz: Will John end the Haye hype machine?

By William Mackay: On April 3rd, boxing fans will get to see whether WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (23-1, 21 KO’s) is for real or not when he steps it up and fights former two time heavyweight champion John Ruiz (44-8-1, 30 KO’s) when the two fighters meet at the M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, Lancashire. Haye, 29, has failed to live up to expectations that some people had about him when he moved up to the heavyweight division.


Although Haye did capture the World Boxing Association heavyweight title last November with s dreadfully lackluster 12 round majority decision over WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev, it wasn’t even remotely an impressive performance by Haye. In comparing it to Valuev’s last fight before that against 46-year-old Evander Holyfield, Haye looked the poorer, and it’s odd that Haye was given a narrow decision and yet Holyfield came off losing.

Haye averaged only 10 punches thrown per round against Valuev, and had a poor punch connect total in that fight. Haye’s fight before that, he defeated Monte Barrett by a 5th round knockout and looked very basic in that fight, even though he did eventually stop Barrett. What we’ve seen in Haye’s fights against Valuev and Barrett is that Haye hasn’t shown the same ability that he possessed as a much smaller cruiserweight.

It could be that Haye has lost his speed and power in moving up in weight against the bigger fighters or it could be that Haye is trying to protect his glass jaw from getting tagged and causing him to get stopped again. Before anyone says that the 38-year-old Ruiz is too old to stop Haye, let me remind you that Carl Thompson was 40-years-old when he stopped Haye in the 5th round in 2004.

Haye has since won 13 straight fights, stopping 11 of his opponents in the past six years. However, Haye’s opposition during that time has been spotty, to say the least. The best fighters that Haye has defeated during those years are as follows: Enzo Maccarinelli, Jean Marc Mormeck, Valuev, Alexander Gurov, Glen Kelly and Barrett. Those are decent fighters, but not great ones. Those are fighters that you need to beat in order to get to the really good guys.

Unfortunately, Haye never fought top cruiserweight Tomas Adamek, Ola Afolabi or Marco Huck while he was in the cruiserweight division. That’s too bad, because I would pick anyone of those three to defeat every one of Haye’s opponents during the past six years, and I also think Huck, Adamek and Afolabi would beat every one of Haye’s opponents, even Thompson, if they were matched against them during their careers.

I think Ruiz has an excellent chance of beating Haye in this fight, and stopping him. I see it that way because of Haye’s weak chin, which puts him in danger against any heavyweight that can punch a little, and because Haye is probably going to be trying to slug it out against Ruiz. Haye might think that he has a chance to score an impressive knockout against an old and weak foe.

If Haye does this, I see Ruiz wasting little time in knocking Haye out and ending the Haye hype once and for all. A knockout by Ruiz would be a crushing blow to Haye’s career and he would likely have little choice but to go back down to the cruiserweight division where he would have a better chance of being a contender.

 

[heyzel]

Duddy to fight on Cotto-Foreman undercard on June 5th – News

By Jason Kim: Middleweight contender John Duddy (29-1, 18 KO’s) will be fighting on the undercard of the June 5th bout between World Boxing Association light middleweight champion Yuri Foreman and challenger Miguel Cotto at the Yankee Stadium, in New York. It was hoped that Duddy, 30, could be fighting unbeaten Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on that card, with the winner facing fellow Top Rank fighter WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik later in 2010, but Chavez recently tested positive for the banned drug Furosemide before his recent bout against Troy Rowland and was subsequently suspended for seven months by the Nevada Athletic Commission.


Duddy still plans on fighting Chavez, only not on June 5th. Duddy will instead be facing a still to be determined opponent on the 5th of June. However, the winner of the Chavez-Duddy fight, which will be taking place later in 2010, will likely be fighting Pavlik in late 2010, that is, if Pavlik is still the WBC/WBO middleweight champion by then. Pavlik has a fight coming up next month on April 17th against Sergio Martinez and there’s no guarantee that Pavlik will win that fight.

Duddy struggled to beat light middleweight contender Michael Medina on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey fight on March 13th at the Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. Duddy ended up winning by a 10 round split decision, but took a lot of shots by the weak-punching Medina. Duddy was even staggered at the end of the 7th, and was saved by the bell. It’s extremely fortunate that Medina didn’t hurt Duddy earlier in the round because he would have had a good chance of taking Duddy out.

Medina had little power to speak of during the fight, and it was good bit of match-making having him fight Duddy rather than a middleweight contender with power like Daniel Jacobs or Gennady Golovkin. Those fighters would be very formidable opponents for Duddy, and I’m not sure that Duddy would escape a fight against either of those guys on his feet.

Duddy has won three straight fights since losing a 10 round split decision to Billy Lyell last year in April. Duddy’s wins since that fight have come against Michi Munoz, Juan Astorga and Medina. Hopefully, Duddy is pitted against a 1st tier middleweight – rather than a light middleweight like Medina – in his fight on June 5th.

I’m not counting on it happening, but it would be nice for a change to have Duddy facing a top contender in the middleweight division. I’d settle for Duddy being put in with the likes Matthew Macklin, Roman Karmazin or Daniel Geale. I don’t see that happening. Most likely, it will be more 2nd tier fodder put in with Duddy. Gee, I can’t wait.

 

[heyzel]

Pavlik vs. Martinez: Kelly may need a knockout to win

Jim Dower: WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (36-1, 32 KO’s) doesn’t have the fastest hands or the best boxing skills in the division. There’s probably a ton of faster and better skilled fighters in the top 10 compared to Pavlik, but none of them have his power. It’s Pavlik’s power which enables him to beat guys that have been overall tools than him and have kept him as the WBC/WBO middleweight champion for the past three years since Pavlik defeated Jermain Taylor in 2007 to win the titles.


Of course, it hasn’t hurt Pavlik any that the middleweight division has been horrible during the past three years in terms of talent. It also hasn’t hurt Pavlik any that his promoter has wisely pitted him against the likes of Gary Lockett, Marco Antonio Rubio and Miguel Espino rather than more arguably dangerous foes like Paul Williams, Gennady Golovkin, Arthur Abraham, Felix Sturm, and Daniel Jacobs.

Had Pavlik’s promoter put Pavlik in with those fighters, there’s a good chance that Pavlik wouldn’t be the middleweight champion anymore. As it is, Pavlik was beaten by 45-year-old Bernard Hopkins in October 2008, but the fight was at a catch weight of 170 rather than at 160, the middleweight limit.
Pavlik will be facing his best opponent since Hopkins when he fights Sergio Martinez on April 17th, at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Martinez lost his last fight to Paul Williams by a 12 round majority decision in December. Williams had huge problems with the movement and pot shots from Martinez, and was never really able to get his offense untracked because of the constant movement from the Argentinean fighter.

Having seen the fight a couple of times, I felt that Martinez should have been given the decision because I thought he won the fight by at least a two round margin. Martinez didn’t let Williams set offense the way he likes to do by standing directly in front of his opponent and literally raining punches down on them.

Pavlik is the same kind of fighter at least in terms of needing to be directly in front of his opponent to do his best work. Pavlik has poor lateral movement, and isn’t good at reacting well when his opponent moves laterally. Pavlik is a fighter that does well against opponents that fight in straight lines and who stay in one place pretty much.

If you look at who Pavlik has been matched against by his promoter, you’ll see that in almost every case it’s been a fighter that is stationary and who can’t move around the ring. The once exception was Hopkins, who even at 45, was able to have Pavlik tied in knots every time he would move a little. Martinez will be moving a lot, jabbing and pot shotting Pavlik continuously.

Unless the judges are feeling especially generous to Pavlik on April 17th, I can’t see him beating Martinez by a decision. It will likely take a knockout win for Pavlik to defeat Martinez unless the judges mess Martinez over by giving Pavlik the win, even if he’s out-boxed by Martinez all night long.

Share and Enjoy:

 

[heyzel]

Dirrell is ready to hand Abraham his first loss on March 27th

By Scott Gilfoid: Once beaten Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO’s) has been busy preparing for his March 27th bout against Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KO’s) and has been sparring with Victor Oganov, a fighter built a lot like Abraham and who has similar hand speed. Dirrell, 26, will have the home field advantage in the bout against Abraham, as the fight will be taking place at the Joe Louis Arena, in Detroit, Michigan, which isn’t far from Dirrell’s home of Flint, Michigan.


Dirrell is looking for great things in the super middleweight division and Abraham is standing in his path. Some of the boxing experts have been picking Abraham to beat Dirrell. For them, they saw Abraham’s 12th round knockout win over Jermain Taylor in his first fight in the Super Six tournament last October as evidence that Abraham will have too much power for Dirrell.

Instead of seeing the whole picture of Abraham, seeing him as a crude slugger with good but not great power, some of the experts are now picking Abraham to beat Dirrell and eventually win the Super Six tournament. I have to say that I don’t see Abraham getting anywhere close to beating Dirrell on the 27th. In fact, I don’t see Abraham being able to lay so much as a glove on Dirrell.

For that to happen, it would require for Abraham to have some hand speed, something that he’s severely lacking in. You don’t hit Dirrell unless you have hand speed, and that’s just the way it is. Carl Froch was only able to land any punches on Dirrell when he had a hold of him in a clinch.

Hopefully, Abraham won’t be looking to hold and hit, because I think it will be bad for him if he does. In the United States, the referees are very strict about holding and hitting, throwing rabbit punches and body slamming opponents on the canvas. I can’t see Dirrell having any problems whatsoever with any of those issues happening against Abraham, but if they do, I expect the referee to penalize the infraction as soon as it takes place.

Abraham is fighting for one of the few times out of Germany, and this is going to be a very new experience for him. Abraham hasn’t had to really fight in front of a hostile crowd before because the handful of times that he has fought out of Germany, it’s been in locations where the crowd was docile for the most part and not booing him a great deal. I expect the huge Joe Louis will make things very unpleasant for Abraham, and I think it’s going to mess with him mentally.

Abraham says it won’t bother him, but he can’t know how he’ll react because he hasn’t ever had to face an angry crowd before. At the same time, Dirrell will be fighting with even more motivation because the fans will be cheering his every move and giving him a ton of support. Abraham is basically going to be entering the lion’s den and I don’t see him being ready for it.