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Going Toe-To-Toe With Tyson: Five Heavyweights Recall The Day They Faced “Iron” Mike
By James Slater: As fight fans know, “Iron” Mike Tyson, the youngest ever claimant of a world heavyweight title, gets enshrined in The Hall of Fame in Canastota this week. Fully deserving of his place in history, Tyson lit up the sport like precious few fighters, either before or since.
Back in the 1980s, before he became an out of control, walking car crash of a public figure, Tyson was seen as an invincible wrecking machine. Serious, experienced writers were debating just how great Tyson actually was; with publications such as Boxing Illustrated and others putting out a number of articles that imagined “Tyson Vs. The All Time Greats.” Some seasoned followers of the sport even suggested Tyson was the finest heavyweight fighter in history next to the peak Muhammad Ali.
Today, fans the world over agree Tyson was both special and ultra-exciting. But what was it like to actually lock horns with the man and fight him in the ring?
In this article, by way of a piece to coincide with Tyson’s enshrinement in The Hall of Fame, five men who faced Tyson at varying stages of his amateur and pro career recall their experiences for Eastside Boxing.
Let’s start with “Son of a Legend,” Marvis Frazier, who met Tyson in July of 1986 - being stopped in a blistering 30-seconds!
“The fans remember me most for my fight with Mike Tyson,” Frazier told this writer over the phone.
“People said at the time that my dad had moved me too fast, putting me in with Tyson and Larry Holmes. But I had a torn retina back then, which nobody but my dad knew about. He knew it was not going to get any better, and that I had to make my move. Tyson was so fast. Most of my fights, I would hear the crowd going “whooo, yeaahhh, oooohh,” but with Tyson it went dead-silent really quickly (laughs). I never had a chance to get into the fight. But I have no regrets about my pro career at all.”
Tall Cuban Jose Ribalta met Tyson next; in August of ‘86 - finally being TKO’d in the 10th of a memorable tussle.
“I thought my punches would get to Tyson late in in the fight,” Ribalta told me earlier this year.
“I knew I was behind [on points] but what happened was, my manager at that time, Luis De Cubas, he wanted to pull me out beforehand as I had a virus. I weighed just 211-pounds for the Tyson fight, and in my next fight, a month later, I was 221. I was sick and too weak against Tyson, so I wasn’t at full power. I was disappointed when a (much-talked of) return never took place, I felt I would do much better at my full strength, and I had also figured out his style from the first fight.”
“I have to say, though, that Bonecrusher Smith hit me the hardest, not Tyson. His [Bonecrusher’s] right hand was really hard; the hardest I’ve ever been hit with.”
This brings us neatly to James “Bonecrusher” Smith. The then WBA ruler met Tyson in a unification battle in March of 1987 - Smith lasted the full 12-rounds.
“Tyson was very quick,” Smith told me from his home.
“He was very difficult for me to fight. He was short and small, ducking down under my punches. I couldn‘t get off like I needed to, punching down. Looking back, I could’ve beaten Tyson; I was bigger and stronger and just as fast as he was. But I was kind of mentally out-psyched in that fight. There were a lot of things going on at that time.”
James Tillis met Tyson in May of 1986 and like Smith he took him the distance. “The Fighting Cowboy” even feels to this day that he beat “Kid Dynamite.”
“I won that fight with Tyson,” Tillis told me over the phone from his home in late spring.
“That sissy wasn’t nothin’ anyway! The thing with me was, I was getting tired in fights and I never knew why. Thank the Lord I went to see this woman doctor friend of mine. She cleared that mystery right up. I was allergic to milk and wheat and orange juice and stuff. That stuff was clogging my system up real bad and my wind was messed up because of it. Against Tyson, I never once got tired. The boy was in trouble and he knew it. He won two rounds; I won the other eight. No doubt about it. Watch the tape and see for yourself.”
“I did everything I could to get a rematch, but Tyson wanted nothing further to do with me. I did get to box him in an exhibition (in 1987), but that wasn’t the same. I always was a better fighter than him. They robbed me of my win in’86.”
Henry Tillman has the distinction of having fought Tyson three times: twice in the amateurs and once in the pro ranks. What’s more, Tillman actually won two of his three encounters. Tillman first met Tyson in the 1984 Olympic trials.
“Oh, Tyson was knocking everyone out back then!,” Tillman told me from his gym recently.
“He was a super-heavy and he came down to my weight class. He figured I wouldn’t have the experience, but I surprised him. I boxed him, I stayed moving. The first fight, I was a little sore - a lot sore actually (laughs); because I’d just fought James Pritchard and he hit me with a body shot that hurt my ribs. So I was still sore for the first Tyson fight.”
Tillman wasn’t as fortunate when he crossed paths with a pro Mike Tyson in June of 1990 - being taken out inside a round.
“Tyson caught me with a great shot to the temple in the 1st-round, and that was it,” he said.
“I should’ve moved more, and jabbed more, but I caught him with a couple of shots - a right hand to the chin - and I thought then that maybe I could knock him out. I guess I got a little excited. Instead, I should’ve taken some steam out of him before I sat down on my shots. But Tyson was a pure puncher, he really was.”
By James Slater: As fight fans know, “Iron” Mike Tyson, the youngest ever claimant of a world heavyweight title, gets enshrined in The Hall of Fame in Canastota this week. Fully deserving of his place in history, Tyson lit up the sport like precious few fighters, either before or since.
Back in the 1980s, before he became an out of control, walking car crash of a public figure, Tyson was seen as an invincible wrecking machine. Serious, experienced writers were debating just how great Tyson actually was; with publications such as Boxing Illustrated and others putting out a number of articles that imagined “Tyson Vs. The All Time Greats.” Some seasoned followers of the sport even suggested Tyson was the finest heavyweight fighter in history next to the peak Muhammad Ali.
Today, fans the world over agree Tyson was both special and ultra-exciting. But what was it like to actually lock horns with the man and fight him in the ring?
In this article, by way of a piece to coincide with Tyson’s enshrinement in The Hall of Fame, five men who faced Tyson at varying stages of his amateur and pro career recall their experiences for Eastside Boxing.
Let’s start with “Son of a Legend,” Marvis Frazier, who met Tyson in July of 1986 - being stopped in a blistering 30-seconds!
“The fans remember me most for my fight with Mike Tyson,” Frazier told this writer over the phone.
“People said at the time that my dad had moved me too fast, putting me in with Tyson and Larry Holmes. But I had a torn retina back then, which nobody but my dad knew about. He knew it was not going to get any better, and that I had to make my move. Tyson was so fast. Most of my fights, I would hear the crowd going “whooo, yeaahhh, oooohh,” but with Tyson it went dead-silent really quickly (laughs). I never had a chance to get into the fight. But I have no regrets about my pro career at all.”
Tall Cuban Jose Ribalta met Tyson next; in August of ‘86 - finally being TKO’d in the 10th of a memorable tussle.
“I thought my punches would get to Tyson late in in the fight,” Ribalta told me earlier this year.
“I knew I was behind [on points] but what happened was, my manager at that time, Luis De Cubas, he wanted to pull me out beforehand as I had a virus. I weighed just 211-pounds for the Tyson fight, and in my next fight, a month later, I was 221. I was sick and too weak against Tyson, so I wasn’t at full power. I was disappointed when a (much-talked of) return never took place, I felt I would do much better at my full strength, and I had also figured out his style from the first fight.”
“I have to say, though, that Bonecrusher Smith hit me the hardest, not Tyson. His [Bonecrusher’s] right hand was really hard; the hardest I’ve ever been hit with.”
This brings us neatly to James “Bonecrusher” Smith. The then WBA ruler met Tyson in a unification battle in March of 1987 - Smith lasted the full 12-rounds.
“Tyson was very quick,” Smith told me from his home.
“He was very difficult for me to fight. He was short and small, ducking down under my punches. I couldn‘t get off like I needed to, punching down. Looking back, I could’ve beaten Tyson; I was bigger and stronger and just as fast as he was. But I was kind of mentally out-psyched in that fight. There were a lot of things going on at that time.”
James Tillis met Tyson in May of 1986 and like Smith he took him the distance. “The Fighting Cowboy” even feels to this day that he beat “Kid Dynamite.”
“I won that fight with Tyson,” Tillis told me over the phone from his home in late spring.
“That sissy wasn’t nothin’ anyway! The thing with me was, I was getting tired in fights and I never knew why. Thank the Lord I went to see this woman doctor friend of mine. She cleared that mystery right up. I was allergic to milk and wheat and orange juice and stuff. That stuff was clogging my system up real bad and my wind was messed up because of it. Against Tyson, I never once got tired. The boy was in trouble and he knew it. He won two rounds; I won the other eight. No doubt about it. Watch the tape and see for yourself.”
“I did everything I could to get a rematch, but Tyson wanted nothing further to do with me. I did get to box him in an exhibition (in 1987), but that wasn’t the same. I always was a better fighter than him. They robbed me of my win in’86.”
Henry Tillman has the distinction of having fought Tyson three times: twice in the amateurs and once in the pro ranks. What’s more, Tillman actually won two of his three encounters. Tillman first met Tyson in the 1984 Olympic trials.
“Oh, Tyson was knocking everyone out back then!,” Tillman told me from his gym recently.
“He was a super-heavy and he came down to my weight class. He figured I wouldn’t have the experience, but I surprised him. I boxed him, I stayed moving. The first fight, I was a little sore - a lot sore actually (laughs); because I’d just fought James Pritchard and he hit me with a body shot that hurt my ribs. So I was still sore for the first Tyson fight.”
Tillman wasn’t as fortunate when he crossed paths with a pro Mike Tyson in June of 1990 - being taken out inside a round.
“Tyson caught me with a great shot to the temple in the 1st-round, and that was it,” he said.
“I should’ve moved more, and jabbed more, but I caught him with a couple of shots - a right hand to the chin - and I thought then that maybe I could knock him out. I guess I got a little excited. Instead, I should’ve taken some steam out of him before I sat down on my shots. But Tyson was a pure puncher, he really was.”
39-year-old Mosley now a promotional free agent
By Dan Ambrose: Soon to be 40-year-old Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KO’s) is now a promotional free agent after Top Rank opted not to exercise their contractual option on him after Mosley was easily beaten in a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision to Manny Pacquiao in May. Mosley fought poorly against Pacquiao, as he did as well in his recent fights against Sergio Mora and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
According to ESPN, Bob Arum of Top Rank says he doesn’t have anything for Mosley at this time, which is why he’s decided not to keep him. It’s not surprising, really, because Mosley has looked almost paralyzed in the ring in his last three fights and Arum might not want to take a chance that Mosley would put in another bad performance if he were to match him against some of his up and coming welterweight contenders like Mike Jones.
Thus far, Mosley isn’t saying anything about whether he’ll retire or keep fighting on. However, if Mosley does decide to keep fighting it’s likely that he’ll take a much smaller payday than what he’s been getting. Mosley hasn’t won a fight in over two years since his victory over Antonio Margarito in January 2009. That’s a long time for a boxer to go without a victory, especially one like Mosley who has always been one of the best fighters in the world. If he does decide to continue fighting, Mosley’s chances of getting another title shot would seem to be remote unless someone like WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan showed interest in fighting Mosley. I don’t think it would be possible for Mosley to take off enough weight to get down to the 140 pound light welterweight limit, though
By Dan Ambrose: Soon to be 40-year-old Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KO’s) is now a promotional free agent after Top Rank opted not to exercise their contractual option on him after Mosley was easily beaten in a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision to Manny Pacquiao in May. Mosley fought poorly against Pacquiao, as he did as well in his recent fights against Sergio Mora and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
According to ESPN, Bob Arum of Top Rank says he doesn’t have anything for Mosley at this time, which is why he’s decided not to keep him. It’s not surprising, really, because Mosley has looked almost paralyzed in the ring in his last three fights and Arum might not want to take a chance that Mosley would put in another bad performance if he were to match him against some of his up and coming welterweight contenders like Mike Jones.
Thus far, Mosley isn’t saying anything about whether he’ll retire or keep fighting on. However, if Mosley does decide to keep fighting it’s likely that he’ll take a much smaller payday than what he’s been getting. Mosley hasn’t won a fight in over two years since his victory over Antonio Margarito in January 2009. That’s a long time for a boxer to go without a victory, especially one like Mosley who has always been one of the best fighters in the world. If he does decide to continue fighting, Mosley’s chances of getting another title shot would seem to be remote unless someone like WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan showed interest in fighting Mosley. I don’t think it would be possible for Mosley to take off enough weight to get down to the 140 pound light welterweight limit, though
Kessler now the mandatory challenger for Stieglitz
By Dan Ambrose: Mikkel Kessler (44-2, 33 KO’s) has been made the mandatory challenger for WBO super middleweight champion Roberto Stiegltiz (40-2, 23 KO’s) by the World Boxing Organization yesterday, thus paving the way for Kessler to face Stieglitz next to try and capture an easy title.
Kessler, of course, has the option of facing Stieglitz or a much tougher fight against IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (29-0, 23 KO’s) for his belt. Bute is ready to fight Kessler right now. No doubt that Bute would like to face Kessler while the Dane is still rusty from having fought only once in the past year. Bute’s management already made an offer to Kessler for a fight, but it looks as if Kessler is going to decline that offer and go for the much safer route against Stieglitz to win an easy belt.
However, you can expect to see Kessler to be facing Bute at some point in the near future unless Bute is knocked off by someone. That’s not likely to happen anytime soon with the 31-year-old Bute facing largely soft opposition each time out. Bute has yet to face a serious threat to him in the entire four years that he’s held the IBF belt. He’ll be facing Jean Paul Mendy on July 9th in what looks to be another easy defense for Bute against an over-matched foe.
Kessler looked great last weekend in stopping Mehdi Bouadla in the 6th round in Denmark. It was the first fight for Kessler since he pulled out of the Super Six tournament with an eye injury. His last fight before leaving the tourney, Kessler defeated Carl Froch by a 12 round decision in an impressive performance.
Kessler really doesn’t need Bute that badly, as if he can win the IBF belt, Kessler has a number of interesting opponents he can face such as a rematch with Froch, and guys like Kelly Pavlik, and Andre Dirrell. The Bute fight might be better off happening a little later rather than immediately. If Kessler can get some nice wins over some of the big names in the division then a fight with Bute could be a lot bigger. Of course, Bute could help himself too by taking on a better class of fighter instead of the obscure guys that he’s been facing for the past four years.
By Dan Ambrose: Mikkel Kessler (44-2, 33 KO’s) has been made the mandatory challenger for WBO super middleweight champion Roberto Stiegltiz (40-2, 23 KO’s) by the World Boxing Organization yesterday, thus paving the way for Kessler to face Stieglitz next to try and capture an easy title.
Kessler, of course, has the option of facing Stieglitz or a much tougher fight against IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (29-0, 23 KO’s) for his belt. Bute is ready to fight Kessler right now. No doubt that Bute would like to face Kessler while the Dane is still rusty from having fought only once in the past year. Bute’s management already made an offer to Kessler for a fight, but it looks as if Kessler is going to decline that offer and go for the much safer route against Stieglitz to win an easy belt.
However, you can expect to see Kessler to be facing Bute at some point in the near future unless Bute is knocked off by someone. That’s not likely to happen anytime soon with the 31-year-old Bute facing largely soft opposition each time out. Bute has yet to face a serious threat to him in the entire four years that he’s held the IBF belt. He’ll be facing Jean Paul Mendy on July 9th in what looks to be another easy defense for Bute against an over-matched foe.
Kessler looked great last weekend in stopping Mehdi Bouadla in the 6th round in Denmark. It was the first fight for Kessler since he pulled out of the Super Six tournament with an eye injury. His last fight before leaving the tourney, Kessler defeated Carl Froch by a 12 round decision in an impressive performance.
Kessler really doesn’t need Bute that badly, as if he can win the IBF belt, Kessler has a number of interesting opponents he can face such as a rematch with Froch, and guys like Kelly Pavlik, and Andre Dirrell. The Bute fight might be better off happening a little later rather than immediately. If Kessler can get some nice wins over some of the big names in the division then a fight with Bute could be a lot bigger. Of course, Bute could help himself too by taking on a better class of fighter instead of the obscure guys that he’s been facing for the past four years.
The Other 147 Contender You Don’t Know About
By Lee Courtney: Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are a class apart. We all accept that, yes? Victor Ortiz has his fans, Juan Manuel Marquez has his. I don’t accept that Victor has a chance against Floyd. Neither does Juan Manuel against Manny. There is however, another contender out there who, in my humble opinion, would beat, with style, every other fighter at 147.
He has a style not seen since Naseem Hamed and a perfect 23-0 (16ko) record. He has limited domestic/European experience yes, I accept that but only because no-one wants to fight him. His name is Kell Brook. He is young, fast, stylish, with dynamite in his gloves and hails from the same stable that produced champions Naseem Hamed and Johnny Nelson among others. He is under the tutelage of Brendan Ingle, a Ring top ten trainer and the grand old man of British boxing. Please don’t let the fact that Naseem was taken to school and ultimately destroyed by the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera, in his prime, taint Kell.
Kell, I’m sure, will be unknown to most of you but if you get the chance to watch him on the 25th June, he is fighting Lovemore N’dou, do it and behold a fighter that will light up boxing and make people sit up and take notice. People in America have been taken in by Amir Khan, believing him to be the most stylish fighter we have to offer. He most certainly is not. Amir has run away from a domestic showdown with Kell in the past and his talent is the very reason he hasn’t made it to the big time yet but they cannot prevent him from taking his rightful place in the upper echelons of boxing forever. At 25 he is young enough to be here for a while and replace Floyd and Manny as the biggest draw in the division, when they retire (after their trilogy). I believe he will be the biggest, brightest star in an already twinkling British boxing sky. That may be seem an over optimistic assessment to some of you, being that a lot of our boxers remain mostly unknown outside our shores other than Carl Froch and David Haye (who will be dispatched to retirement by Wladimir Klitschko).
I would urge you to tune in to the fight on the 25th or have a look at him on the myriad sites which cover boxing and then make a judgement, it would be easy for other fans out there to dismiss this fighter without seeing him in action and claim that your guy, whoever he may be, would beat him. I have seen all the top contenders in this division and for me he beats them all bar the Golden Duo.
By Lee Courtney: Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are a class apart. We all accept that, yes? Victor Ortiz has his fans, Juan Manuel Marquez has his. I don’t accept that Victor has a chance against Floyd. Neither does Juan Manuel against Manny. There is however, another contender out there who, in my humble opinion, would beat, with style, every other fighter at 147.
He has a style not seen since Naseem Hamed and a perfect 23-0 (16ko) record. He has limited domestic/European experience yes, I accept that but only because no-one wants to fight him. His name is Kell Brook. He is young, fast, stylish, with dynamite in his gloves and hails from the same stable that produced champions Naseem Hamed and Johnny Nelson among others. He is under the tutelage of Brendan Ingle, a Ring top ten trainer and the grand old man of British boxing. Please don’t let the fact that Naseem was taken to school and ultimately destroyed by the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera, in his prime, taint Kell.
Kell, I’m sure, will be unknown to most of you but if you get the chance to watch him on the 25th June, he is fighting Lovemore N’dou, do it and behold a fighter that will light up boxing and make people sit up and take notice. People in America have been taken in by Amir Khan, believing him to be the most stylish fighter we have to offer. He most certainly is not. Amir has run away from a domestic showdown with Kell in the past and his talent is the very reason he hasn’t made it to the big time yet but they cannot prevent him from taking his rightful place in the upper echelons of boxing forever. At 25 he is young enough to be here for a while and replace Floyd and Manny as the biggest draw in the division, when they retire (after their trilogy). I believe he will be the biggest, brightest star in an already twinkling British boxing sky. That may be seem an over optimistic assessment to some of you, being that a lot of our boxers remain mostly unknown outside our shores other than Carl Froch and David Haye (who will be dispatched to retirement by Wladimir Klitschko).
I would urge you to tune in to the fight on the 25th or have a look at him on the myriad sites which cover boxing and then make a judgement, it would be easy for other fans out there to dismiss this fighter without seeing him in action and claim that your guy, whoever he may be, would beat him. I have seen all the top contenders in this division and for me he beats them all bar the Golden Duo.
Saul Alvarez: I think I’ll be ready for Pacquiao in a year – but first Rhodes
By William Mackay: WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (36-0-1, 26 KO’s) battles Britain’s Ryan Rhodes (45-4, 31 KO’s) on June 18th at the Arena VFG, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, in Jalisco, Mexico. The 34-year-old Rhodes will be Alvarez’s first title defense for the young 20-year-old Alvarez.
This could be a tough fight for Alvarez if he’s not smart and doesn’t take the fight to the slick southpaw Rhodes. Alvarez sees himself almost ready for a big payday against Manny Pacquiao within a year.
In today’s media day, Alvarez said “My goal is to be the best fighter. To be the best, you have to challenge the best, and I think I could be ready for Pacquiao in a year.”
Alvarez is going to have to look really good against Rhodes and for his next fight if he’s going to be seriously considered as a future opponent for Pacquiao. But then again, Alvarez may get a shot even if he doesn’t look great. He’s got to establish himself as a popular fighter in the United States and not just Mexico for him to get a shot against Pacquiao, though. There is talk that Alvarez will be fighting next on September 17th in a fight that will be shown on HBO on the same night as Floyd Mayeather Jr’s bout against Victor Ortiz. Alvarez’s fight won’t be taking place in the same venue as the Mayweather fight, and instead will be in Mexico where Alvarez commands huge crowds for his fights.
But first Alvarez has to get by the slick Rhodes and make sure he wins impressively in order to get that big money fights in the future. Rhodes can punch a little but he doesn’t have the kind of power that Alvarez possesses and he’s also mostly fought at the Euro and domestic level his entire career
By William Mackay: WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (36-0-1, 26 KO’s) battles Britain’s Ryan Rhodes (45-4, 31 KO’s) on June 18th at the Arena VFG, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, in Jalisco, Mexico. The 34-year-old Rhodes will be Alvarez’s first title defense for the young 20-year-old Alvarez.
This could be a tough fight for Alvarez if he’s not smart and doesn’t take the fight to the slick southpaw Rhodes. Alvarez sees himself almost ready for a big payday against Manny Pacquiao within a year.
In today’s media day, Alvarez said “My goal is to be the best fighter. To be the best, you have to challenge the best, and I think I could be ready for Pacquiao in a year.”
Alvarez is going to have to look really good against Rhodes and for his next fight if he’s going to be seriously considered as a future opponent for Pacquiao. But then again, Alvarez may get a shot even if he doesn’t look great. He’s got to establish himself as a popular fighter in the United States and not just Mexico for him to get a shot against Pacquiao, though. There is talk that Alvarez will be fighting next on September 17th in a fight that will be shown on HBO on the same night as Floyd Mayeather Jr’s bout against Victor Ortiz. Alvarez’s fight won’t be taking place in the same venue as the Mayweather fight, and instead will be in Mexico where Alvarez commands huge crowds for his fights.
But first Alvarez has to get by the slick Rhodes and make sure he wins impressively in order to get that big money fights in the future. Rhodes can punch a little but he doesn’t have the kind of power that Alvarez possesses and he’s also mostly fought at the Euro and domestic level his entire career
Roger Mayweather: “It would be crazy for Floyd to go in the ring with Pacquiao after
by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview with Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - Last week’s 128th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) featured an exclusive interview with boxing trainer Roger Mayweather who is best known for training his nephew, Floyd Mayweather Junior (41-0, 25 KOs). Roger discussed the upcoming September 17 bout between his nephew and WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) and also touched on various other topics, including Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, and more! Here is what he had to say:
His views on Floyd Mayweather Junior’s upcoming September 17 matchup against Victor Ortiz:
“My nephew can fight pretty much anybody out there and go in and beat them. My nephew’s got too much skill for these mother f*ckers! That’s why they can’t win. Boxing is about what you learn. Boxing ain’t about because you throw punches. You got to throw the punches in the right place at the right time. Anybody can lucky, but as far as skill-wise there ain’t nobody out there who can match him, period! Remember, my nephew has more skills than Sugar Ray Leonard, too.”
His views on Victor Ortiz as an opponent for his nephew:
“Ah, he’s an opponent just like all the rest of them. De La Hoya was an opponent. Shane Mosley was an opponent. That’s what he is. He’s an opponent, too.”
On whether he played part in the decision making process to choose Ortiz as Floyd’s next opponent:
“Listen, I don’t debate as to who my nephew will fight and who he won’t fight because number one, my nephew has pretty much fought all the best fighters out there. Pretty much as far as in his weight division, he fought the best fighters out there, anyway! If you talk about Ricky Hatton, he already beat Ricky Hatton. If you talk about Shane Mosley, he already beat Shane Mosley. If you talk about Marquez, he already, so any guy you talk about that, that was still fighting and was good, my nephew already beat him. So this is another challenge. That’s all. You just prepare differently for the guy that you’re fighting because all guys have a little difference in styles.”
Regarding the differences in training techniques to prepare Floyd for a southpaw:
“It’s easy! I can train any fighter so it doesn’t matter. I just trained a southpaw fighter that’s going to fight a minute ago. The number one contender I train is a southpaw. That’s Said Ouali. So training a southpaw ain’t nothing, so fighting a southpaw ain’t nothing.”
On how soon he expects to be in camp to train Floyd for Victor Ortiz:
“You ain’t have to worry about it this early because we’re a ways from the fight. You can’t be four or five months out talking about training for a fighter. It don’t take that long to get prepared for a fighter. So you start talking about fighting about two months. It don’t take no more than that to prepare for a fighter, otherwise if you do more than that you over train, anyway.”
On whether he believes Victor Ortiz is a more talented fighter than Manny Pacquiao:
“I think the guy’s got better talent. This guy Victor Ortiz has better talent than Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t nothing but wild, anyway! Pacquiao ain’t got no skills, period! That ain’t why he’s winning. That ain’t why he’s winning! He ain’t winning on no skills, that’s for sure.”
On the fact Victor Ortiz has agreed to take the drug test for this particular fight:
“Well that’s the thing. Like I said, this guy is more skilled than Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t skilled! Pacquiao’s just wild. He ain’t no skilled fighter. He ain’t got no head movement either, Pacquiao. They’re going to see how much skills he has.”
His views on Pacquiao’s last victory against Shane Mosley:
“Well like I said, he could get away with that with other fighter because, number one Mosley wanted the money. That’s why he couldn’t force him to take the test. He couldn’t force Pacquiao to take the test, but if he fights my nephew he’s going to take the test. Then you will find out what he really can do. There ain’t no way in the world a guy that’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds is going to beat up someone like Shane Mosley at 157 pounds. There ain’t no way. The only reason why he does win with all of those guys, anybody can tell you what he does because he wouldn’t fight my nephew the first time. He wouldn’t even take the test. ‘Oh I can’t take a test! I got to take the test four days before the fight’. That already tells you. You got to take a test four days before the fight? Why? You take a test the day before the fight. That’s generally when you take a test, blood test, HIV test, all of that. You take that a day or two days before the fight. He said oh I can’t take it, I got to take it four days before the fight. That’s why the fight never happened. Hopefully it happens and when it happens everybody is going to say the same thing that they were going to say already. Floyd had too much skill for his mother f*cking ass, and if he ain’t got that sh*t in him he’s going to get knocked out! He ain’t going to get whooped, he’s going to get knocked out because he can’t fight anyway! Pacquiao can’t fight! All that wild sh*t he’s doing, he can’t fight! He does that because he’s got that sh*t in him. That’s all there is to it. How a guy who’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds going to beat a guy at 150 pounds? Ain’t nobody no f*cking fool! And remember, when he was fighting at 105 pounds, do you think those guys at 105 pounds are better than the guys he’s fighting now—De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton—at a higher God damned weight? If you believe that something has got to be wrong with you!”
Regarding speculation that Floyd will face Pacquiao next since Ortiz is a southpaw volume puncher like Pacquiao:
“Hey, you know what? To be the best you don’t debate as pretty much who you’re going to fight. You’re getting paid to fight so that’s what it’s about. You’re getting paid to fight. Right? Okay, then. So if you getting paid enough money to fight then you’re going to fight the guy that they’re going to put you in the ring with. It would be no different with Pacquiao or any other fighter. So I don’t know if they’re talking about preparing for Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t no big issue, anyway. Pacquiao is a big issue to the public. He ain’t no big issue in boxing to me, because I know how he fights with all that wild ass sh*t he throws. All Pacquiao’s got to do is take that Olympic style test and Pacquiao’s going to get his ass knocked out, too. I’m going to tell you this before it ever happens. When he gets his ass whooped you know what you’re going to say to me? ‘Oh Mayweather! I didn’t think your nephew would do this to Pacquiao!’ Why? He’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds anyway, and the only reason he can ever compete against a guy at this kind of weight is because he got that sh*t in him. That’s all there is to it! Otherwise there ain’t no way in the world a guy who’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds is going to beat a guy at 150 pounds, not a guy with skills he ain’t!”
His views on Bernard Hopkins’ historic victory when he became the oldest man to win a major championship at age 46 against Jean Pascal:
“Oh he fought a good fight! The first fight was very close. I mean that fight could have gone either way that first fight. But this fight that he fought, he fought an amazing fight for a guy his age. But you got to understand, fighters get more conditioning today than they did back then. They got more things to get themselves in condition. Fighters got more things to do to get themselves in better condition than they did back in the early days. In the early days they didn’t have all this stuff that they have now, but Hopkins fought a great fight. I can’t say nothing about it. He fought a great fight. If the fighters back then had the same things they have in these days and times they would do the same thing, the good ones would. The ones that are good would do it. I’m not saying any fighter but fighters who had great ability would be able to do it. Remember, the fighters back then fought way more than the fighters fight now. Back then they had 100 and something fights, or damn near 200 fights. These days today they barely have 50 or 60 fights. You see? That’s the difference.”
His views on his Floyd Junior’s long layoffs and at what point he thinks these layoffs will begin having a negative impact on his nephew’s performances:
“They will affect him. You can’t keep taking layoffs with guys that are active. You can’t keep doing it. That’s what gets fighters beat, and you can’t say oh he beat me because of this or he beat me because of that. The bottom line is layoffs hurt fighters. If you’re going to be a fighter you have to be actively fighting. If you’re going to make this your career and you’re going to be a fighter, then you have to be actively fighting. I mean that’s your job. If you want to commit to your job you have to stay on point. That means you have to be training, you have to be preparing, and you have to stay in that gym because the gym is what makes you money.”
Regarding the last time he saw Floyd training in the gym:
“Floyd ain’t been in the gym. He ain’t been in the gym. He’ll get in the gym but he ain’t been in the gym. I mean he’s going to train and get ready for the fight, he ain’t gonna slack from that but the whole thing of it is, no matter how much of a great fighter he is, when you keep taking time off, and taking time off, and you ain’t going to the gym, it diminishes your skills. That was just the boxing. It ain’t just diminishing Floyd’s skills. It would diminish any other fighter’s skills. You have seen when Ray Leonard came back and beat Marvin Hagler, right? Then he came back after another long layoff and he came back and Camacho whipped his ass. He came back and Terry Norris whipped his ass. What’s that tell you? That diminishes skills. You cannot keep taking layoffs, and layoffs, and layoffs, and think your skills are going to be the same. It ain’t going to happen.”
On whether he believes Floyd would be ready to fight Pacquiao in his next fight if he beats Victor Ortiz:
“Well I wouldn’t think he would fight Pacquiao right after fighting Victor Ortiz. I mean it would be crazy for Floyd to go in the ring with Pacquiao after fighting Victor Ortiz! Floyd needs fights. He needs to be active. Don’t get me wrong, Floyd is the greatest fighter out there, period. Right now in today’s boxing Floyd is the greatest fighter out there. But at the same time I don’t think that Floyd can do this. Floyd needs tune-ups like anybody else. It ain’t no different than any other fighter if you are going to compete with a guy who has been active all the time.”
On whether he believes Floyd would need more tune-ups after Ortiz before being ready to face Pacquiao:
“He’ll need more. It ain’t so much for Pacquiao, anyway. It’s more tune-ups to perform up to his level of performance. It ain’t so much Pacquiao as do you want to perform up to your expectations. You have to be active to do that. When you ain’t active you can’t do that. Just like what I told you about Sugar Ray Leonard. Yeah he got up for the fight for Marvin Hagler. That was the biggest fight that was out there. But what happened after that? What I’m saying is he prepared for Marvin Hagler because that was the biggest fight for him out there so he prepared for it. Remember, he fought a guy way smaller than Marvin Hagler and he got stopped. The thing of it is when you ain’t actually fighting, he looked at Camacho’s size and said this is going to be an easy fight. You know why I know that? You know why I know how he prepared for Camacho? Because he asked me! Before they ever fought he said you boxed Camacho didn’t you? I said, yeah. He said how was he? I said he wasn’t sh*t to me. I handled him easy. We never fought in the real ring because he already knew what time it was. I used to bake that ass every day. Boom! He asked me right before that fight. I ain’t had no problems with all of that but boom! But I guess he thought he would just maybe walk in there without training. That’s where he was at.”
On whether he saw Victor Ortiz’s most recent victory against Andre Berto::
“Yeah I’ve seen it. They both got dropped. I’ve seen that fight. I generally don’t watch boxing today but I just happened to come home, turned the TV on, and I had seen boxing on. I watched the last fight.”
On whether he saw any weaknesses in Ortiz’s game that he believes Floyd can exploit in the ring:
“Well I don’t know what weaknesses he has, but whatever weaknesses he has my nephew will exploit, anyway! He’s way more skilled than Andre Berto, so it don’t matter what skills he got. Whatever skills he’s got and whatever he lacks in skills he’s going to find out on that night. Remember, like I’m telling you, my nephew really ain’t an active fighter. In these days and times he’s not really an active fighter. In order to bring the best out of Floyd he has to be active. Being active makes you sharper. Being active keeps your skills up, but he’s got enough time to prepare for the guy and he’s going to his best. He may not have his best performance, but I think he’ll have enough skills to win.”
His views on the upcoming junior welterweight unification bout between Amir Khan and Zab Judah:
“Amir Khan would have gotten knocked out by Floyd, period. I know Amir Khan. He’s been in the gym before. He would have gotten knocked out by Floyd. His head is straight up and he can’t take no punch, anyway. He’s going to have problems trouble with Zab. It’s going to be a tough fight. It’s going to be a tough fight but I favor Zab more than I favor him. It’s going to be a tough fight but I look for Zab to win. Zab fought the better fighters of the two, anyway. Zab knocked out Corey Spinks and Zab he fought the better quality fighters. So I look more for Zab to win, and based on experience. Experience plays a difference in title fights and skill-wise, that’s why I lean towards Zab.”
Regarding how he sees the September 17 fight between Floyd Mayweather Junior and Victor Ortiz playing out:
“It’s always skills that pay the bills. He’s the most skilled fighter out there. Skills pay the bills and like I said Floyd is the most skilled fighter out there in the world of boxing. So all Floyd has got to do is prepare and do the work that he does. He’s going to be a little diminished because he’s been laid off from boxing for a little bit, but he’s still got enough skills to overcome the other fighter. He’ll be alright once he gets the rust off him.”
On what he has to say to all the fans out there who believe that Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter in boxing today:
“Well if they say Pacquiao’s the best fighter, that tells you the people that don’t know sh*t about boxing. How is he the best fighter when he’s been knocked out twice? Does that make him the best fighter? Get them to answer that question. Tell the people who say he’s the best fighter that he’s been knocked out twice. So how can he be the best fighter? Floyd never lost, period. So how can he be the best fighter when he’s been knocked out twice? But he’s the best fighter? I ain’t never seen a guy be the best fighter when he’s been knocked out twice. So the next time they ask you that, then you say how can he be. That’s all you have to say. How can he be? He’s been knocked out twice.”
by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview with Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - Last week’s 128th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) featured an exclusive interview with boxing trainer Roger Mayweather who is best known for training his nephew, Floyd Mayweather Junior (41-0, 25 KOs). Roger discussed the upcoming September 17 bout between his nephew and WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) and also touched on various other topics, including Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, and more! Here is what he had to say:
His views on Floyd Mayweather Junior’s upcoming September 17 matchup against Victor Ortiz:
“My nephew can fight pretty much anybody out there and go in and beat them. My nephew’s got too much skill for these mother f*ckers! That’s why they can’t win. Boxing is about what you learn. Boxing ain’t about because you throw punches. You got to throw the punches in the right place at the right time. Anybody can lucky, but as far as skill-wise there ain’t nobody out there who can match him, period! Remember, my nephew has more skills than Sugar Ray Leonard, too.”
His views on Victor Ortiz as an opponent for his nephew:
“Ah, he’s an opponent just like all the rest of them. De La Hoya was an opponent. Shane Mosley was an opponent. That’s what he is. He’s an opponent, too.”
On whether he played part in the decision making process to choose Ortiz as Floyd’s next opponent:
“Listen, I don’t debate as to who my nephew will fight and who he won’t fight because number one, my nephew has pretty much fought all the best fighters out there. Pretty much as far as in his weight division, he fought the best fighters out there, anyway! If you talk about Ricky Hatton, he already beat Ricky Hatton. If you talk about Shane Mosley, he already beat Shane Mosley. If you talk about Marquez, he already, so any guy you talk about that, that was still fighting and was good, my nephew already beat him. So this is another challenge. That’s all. You just prepare differently for the guy that you’re fighting because all guys have a little difference in styles.”
Regarding the differences in training techniques to prepare Floyd for a southpaw:
“It’s easy! I can train any fighter so it doesn’t matter. I just trained a southpaw fighter that’s going to fight a minute ago. The number one contender I train is a southpaw. That’s Said Ouali. So training a southpaw ain’t nothing, so fighting a southpaw ain’t nothing.”
On how soon he expects to be in camp to train Floyd for Victor Ortiz:
“You ain’t have to worry about it this early because we’re a ways from the fight. You can’t be four or five months out talking about training for a fighter. It don’t take that long to get prepared for a fighter. So you start talking about fighting about two months. It don’t take no more than that to prepare for a fighter, otherwise if you do more than that you over train, anyway.”
On whether he believes Victor Ortiz is a more talented fighter than Manny Pacquiao:
“I think the guy’s got better talent. This guy Victor Ortiz has better talent than Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t nothing but wild, anyway! Pacquiao ain’t got no skills, period! That ain’t why he’s winning. That ain’t why he’s winning! He ain’t winning on no skills, that’s for sure.”
On the fact Victor Ortiz has agreed to take the drug test for this particular fight:
“Well that’s the thing. Like I said, this guy is more skilled than Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t skilled! Pacquiao’s just wild. He ain’t no skilled fighter. He ain’t got no head movement either, Pacquiao. They’re going to see how much skills he has.”
His views on Pacquiao’s last victory against Shane Mosley:
“Well like I said, he could get away with that with other fighter because, number one Mosley wanted the money. That’s why he couldn’t force him to take the test. He couldn’t force Pacquiao to take the test, but if he fights my nephew he’s going to take the test. Then you will find out what he really can do. There ain’t no way in the world a guy that’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds is going to beat up someone like Shane Mosley at 157 pounds. There ain’t no way. The only reason why he does win with all of those guys, anybody can tell you what he does because he wouldn’t fight my nephew the first time. He wouldn’t even take the test. ‘Oh I can’t take a test! I got to take the test four days before the fight’. That already tells you. You got to take a test four days before the fight? Why? You take a test the day before the fight. That’s generally when you take a test, blood test, HIV test, all of that. You take that a day or two days before the fight. He said oh I can’t take it, I got to take it four days before the fight. That’s why the fight never happened. Hopefully it happens and when it happens everybody is going to say the same thing that they were going to say already. Floyd had too much skill for his mother f*cking ass, and if he ain’t got that sh*t in him he’s going to get knocked out! He ain’t going to get whooped, he’s going to get knocked out because he can’t fight anyway! Pacquiao can’t fight! All that wild sh*t he’s doing, he can’t fight! He does that because he’s got that sh*t in him. That’s all there is to it. How a guy who’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds going to beat a guy at 150 pounds? Ain’t nobody no f*cking fool! And remember, when he was fighting at 105 pounds, do you think those guys at 105 pounds are better than the guys he’s fighting now—De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton—at a higher God damned weight? If you believe that something has got to be wrong with you!”
Regarding speculation that Floyd will face Pacquiao next since Ortiz is a southpaw volume puncher like Pacquiao:
“Hey, you know what? To be the best you don’t debate as pretty much who you’re going to fight. You’re getting paid to fight so that’s what it’s about. You’re getting paid to fight. Right? Okay, then. So if you getting paid enough money to fight then you’re going to fight the guy that they’re going to put you in the ring with. It would be no different with Pacquiao or any other fighter. So I don’t know if they’re talking about preparing for Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t no big issue, anyway. Pacquiao is a big issue to the public. He ain’t no big issue in boxing to me, because I know how he fights with all that wild ass sh*t he throws. All Pacquiao’s got to do is take that Olympic style test and Pacquiao’s going to get his ass knocked out, too. I’m going to tell you this before it ever happens. When he gets his ass whooped you know what you’re going to say to me? ‘Oh Mayweather! I didn’t think your nephew would do this to Pacquiao!’ Why? He’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds anyway, and the only reason he can ever compete against a guy at this kind of weight is because he got that sh*t in him. That’s all there is to it! Otherwise there ain’t no way in the world a guy who’s been knocked out twice at 105 pounds is going to beat a guy at 150 pounds, not a guy with skills he ain’t!”
His views on Bernard Hopkins’ historic victory when he became the oldest man to win a major championship at age 46 against Jean Pascal:
“Oh he fought a good fight! The first fight was very close. I mean that fight could have gone either way that first fight. But this fight that he fought, he fought an amazing fight for a guy his age. But you got to understand, fighters get more conditioning today than they did back then. They got more things to get themselves in condition. Fighters got more things to do to get themselves in better condition than they did back in the early days. In the early days they didn’t have all this stuff that they have now, but Hopkins fought a great fight. I can’t say nothing about it. He fought a great fight. If the fighters back then had the same things they have in these days and times they would do the same thing, the good ones would. The ones that are good would do it. I’m not saying any fighter but fighters who had great ability would be able to do it. Remember, the fighters back then fought way more than the fighters fight now. Back then they had 100 and something fights, or damn near 200 fights. These days today they barely have 50 or 60 fights. You see? That’s the difference.”
His views on his Floyd Junior’s long layoffs and at what point he thinks these layoffs will begin having a negative impact on his nephew’s performances:
“They will affect him. You can’t keep taking layoffs with guys that are active. You can’t keep doing it. That’s what gets fighters beat, and you can’t say oh he beat me because of this or he beat me because of that. The bottom line is layoffs hurt fighters. If you’re going to be a fighter you have to be actively fighting. If you’re going to make this your career and you’re going to be a fighter, then you have to be actively fighting. I mean that’s your job. If you want to commit to your job you have to stay on point. That means you have to be training, you have to be preparing, and you have to stay in that gym because the gym is what makes you money.”
Regarding the last time he saw Floyd training in the gym:
“Floyd ain’t been in the gym. He ain’t been in the gym. He’ll get in the gym but he ain’t been in the gym. I mean he’s going to train and get ready for the fight, he ain’t gonna slack from that but the whole thing of it is, no matter how much of a great fighter he is, when you keep taking time off, and taking time off, and you ain’t going to the gym, it diminishes your skills. That was just the boxing. It ain’t just diminishing Floyd’s skills. It would diminish any other fighter’s skills. You have seen when Ray Leonard came back and beat Marvin Hagler, right? Then he came back after another long layoff and he came back and Camacho whipped his ass. He came back and Terry Norris whipped his ass. What’s that tell you? That diminishes skills. You cannot keep taking layoffs, and layoffs, and layoffs, and think your skills are going to be the same. It ain’t going to happen.”
On whether he believes Floyd would be ready to fight Pacquiao in his next fight if he beats Victor Ortiz:
“Well I wouldn’t think he would fight Pacquiao right after fighting Victor Ortiz. I mean it would be crazy for Floyd to go in the ring with Pacquiao after fighting Victor Ortiz! Floyd needs fights. He needs to be active. Don’t get me wrong, Floyd is the greatest fighter out there, period. Right now in today’s boxing Floyd is the greatest fighter out there. But at the same time I don’t think that Floyd can do this. Floyd needs tune-ups like anybody else. It ain’t no different than any other fighter if you are going to compete with a guy who has been active all the time.”
On whether he believes Floyd would need more tune-ups after Ortiz before being ready to face Pacquiao:
“He’ll need more. It ain’t so much for Pacquiao, anyway. It’s more tune-ups to perform up to his level of performance. It ain’t so much Pacquiao as do you want to perform up to your expectations. You have to be active to do that. When you ain’t active you can’t do that. Just like what I told you about Sugar Ray Leonard. Yeah he got up for the fight for Marvin Hagler. That was the biggest fight that was out there. But what happened after that? What I’m saying is he prepared for Marvin Hagler because that was the biggest fight for him out there so he prepared for it. Remember, he fought a guy way smaller than Marvin Hagler and he got stopped. The thing of it is when you ain’t actually fighting, he looked at Camacho’s size and said this is going to be an easy fight. You know why I know that? You know why I know how he prepared for Camacho? Because he asked me! Before they ever fought he said you boxed Camacho didn’t you? I said, yeah. He said how was he? I said he wasn’t sh*t to me. I handled him easy. We never fought in the real ring because he already knew what time it was. I used to bake that ass every day. Boom! He asked me right before that fight. I ain’t had no problems with all of that but boom! But I guess he thought he would just maybe walk in there without training. That’s where he was at.”
On whether he saw Victor Ortiz’s most recent victory against Andre Berto::
“Yeah I’ve seen it. They both got dropped. I’ve seen that fight. I generally don’t watch boxing today but I just happened to come home, turned the TV on, and I had seen boxing on. I watched the last fight.”
On whether he saw any weaknesses in Ortiz’s game that he believes Floyd can exploit in the ring:
“Well I don’t know what weaknesses he has, but whatever weaknesses he has my nephew will exploit, anyway! He’s way more skilled than Andre Berto, so it don’t matter what skills he got. Whatever skills he’s got and whatever he lacks in skills he’s going to find out on that night. Remember, like I’m telling you, my nephew really ain’t an active fighter. In these days and times he’s not really an active fighter. In order to bring the best out of Floyd he has to be active. Being active makes you sharper. Being active keeps your skills up, but he’s got enough time to prepare for the guy and he’s going to his best. He may not have his best performance, but I think he’ll have enough skills to win.”
His views on the upcoming junior welterweight unification bout between Amir Khan and Zab Judah:
“Amir Khan would have gotten knocked out by Floyd, period. I know Amir Khan. He’s been in the gym before. He would have gotten knocked out by Floyd. His head is straight up and he can’t take no punch, anyway. He’s going to have problems trouble with Zab. It’s going to be a tough fight. It’s going to be a tough fight but I favor Zab more than I favor him. It’s going to be a tough fight but I look for Zab to win. Zab fought the better fighters of the two, anyway. Zab knocked out Corey Spinks and Zab he fought the better quality fighters. So I look more for Zab to win, and based on experience. Experience plays a difference in title fights and skill-wise, that’s why I lean towards Zab.”
Regarding how he sees the September 17 fight between Floyd Mayweather Junior and Victor Ortiz playing out:
“It’s always skills that pay the bills. He’s the most skilled fighter out there. Skills pay the bills and like I said Floyd is the most skilled fighter out there in the world of boxing. So all Floyd has got to do is prepare and do the work that he does. He’s going to be a little diminished because he’s been laid off from boxing for a little bit, but he’s still got enough skills to overcome the other fighter. He’ll be alright once he gets the rust off him.”
On what he has to say to all the fans out there who believe that Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter in boxing today:
“Well if they say Pacquiao’s the best fighter, that tells you the people that don’t know sh*t about boxing. How is he the best fighter when he’s been knocked out twice? Does that make him the best fighter? Get them to answer that question. Tell the people who say he’s the best fighter that he’s been knocked out twice. So how can he be the best fighter? Floyd never lost, period. So how can he be the best fighter when he’s been knocked out twice? But he’s the best fighter? I ain’t never seen a guy be the best fighter when he’s been knocked out twice. So the next time they ask you that, then you say how can he be. That’s all you have to say. How can he be? He’s been knocked out twice.”
Floyd Mayweather Junior and “Ring Rust”
By Ted Sares:
I’m not in this sport to see how hard I can get hit or to see how many big punches I can take. I am in this game to fight as long as I can. I am trying to dish a lot of punishment.
-- Floyd Mayweather Junior
In 1997, the great Carlos Palomino decided to launch a boxing comeback at the age of 48. Amazingly, his last fight had been in 1979. His comeback was a solid one and included a one round KO over Mexican bomber and former world light welterweight champion Rene Arredondo. After losing to top contender Wilfredo Rivera on May 30 of 1998, he retired for good. The amazing thing about Palomino’s return after some 18 years is that he showed little ring rust and was an able fighter, a rare feat in boxing. Henry Maske did it as well. However, after a relatively long layoff or inactivity, most fighters need tune-ups and have an uphill battle to shake off ring rust.
Floyd Mayweather (41-0) does his fighting at lengthy time intervals—some might even call it cherry picking, but the flip side to that notion is that theoretically he should suffer from lack of tune-ups and resultant ring rust. But he doesn’t. He stays in top shape while inactive. Indeed, most active fighters would be thrown off their game with Junior’s array of out-of-the ring troubles.
Mayweather was active in 2005, but fought just once in 2004. He fought twice in 2006 against two former champions, Carlos Baldomir and Zab Judah. In his two fights in 2007, he decisioned Oscar De La Hoya and then KO’d Rickey Hatton in a masterful and dominating performance. Then, after an almost two-year layoff, he took the measure of the great Juan Manuel Marquez winning every round in Floyd’s one fight in 2009. In his lone fight in 2010, he beat Sugar Shane Mosley. Again and except for being rocked in the 2nd stanza, he dominated Mosley almost at will. Floyd is now scheduled to fight Vicious Victor Ortiz in September 2011 in what undoubtedly will be his sole bout this year and perhaps his only in the next 18 months. Look for him to get into cruise control early, start peppering Victor with leads and counters, and win another in dominant fashion.
The Arsenal
Mayweather’s arsenal of skills may well be the best in boxing. It includes one of the highest ring IQ’s, laser-like intense focus, an uncanny ability to adjust, great defense (featuring many Old School moves), superb ring movement, stamina (he is always fit and ready), crisp and sharp counter punching, superb straight leads, solid body work, and the rare ability to take calculated risks. Floyd is a thinking man’s fighter. Said another way, Junior’s use of shoulder rolls, feints, parrying, upward jabbing, giving angles, crossover defense, strategic lateral movement, slipping and deflecting punches is all part of the mix. Look, if a purist is one who appreciates boxing as a Sweet Science, then Floyd Mayweather Junior is a purist’s delight. His fight with Phillip N'dou (in 2003) showcased these attributes to a tee. And his fights with Hatton, Corrales, Augustus, and Gatti suggest he also may have a violent and malefic dimension as well.
Another Positive
A “new” attribute can be added to the list, one that is so obvious it almost escapes our attention or appreciation, or maybe we knew it all along and just take it for granted. But the fact is, an inactive PBF always shows up with all cylinders working and with absolutely no sign of ring rust.
By Ted Sares:
I’m not in this sport to see how hard I can get hit or to see how many big punches I can take. I am in this game to fight as long as I can. I am trying to dish a lot of punishment.
-- Floyd Mayweather Junior
In 1997, the great Carlos Palomino decided to launch a boxing comeback at the age of 48. Amazingly, his last fight had been in 1979. His comeback was a solid one and included a one round KO over Mexican bomber and former world light welterweight champion Rene Arredondo. After losing to top contender Wilfredo Rivera on May 30 of 1998, he retired for good. The amazing thing about Palomino’s return after some 18 years is that he showed little ring rust and was an able fighter, a rare feat in boxing. Henry Maske did it as well. However, after a relatively long layoff or inactivity, most fighters need tune-ups and have an uphill battle to shake off ring rust.
Floyd Mayweather (41-0) does his fighting at lengthy time intervals—some might even call it cherry picking, but the flip side to that notion is that theoretically he should suffer from lack of tune-ups and resultant ring rust. But he doesn’t. He stays in top shape while inactive. Indeed, most active fighters would be thrown off their game with Junior’s array of out-of-the ring troubles.
Mayweather was active in 2005, but fought just once in 2004. He fought twice in 2006 against two former champions, Carlos Baldomir and Zab Judah. In his two fights in 2007, he decisioned Oscar De La Hoya and then KO’d Rickey Hatton in a masterful and dominating performance. Then, after an almost two-year layoff, he took the measure of the great Juan Manuel Marquez winning every round in Floyd’s one fight in 2009. In his lone fight in 2010, he beat Sugar Shane Mosley. Again and except for being rocked in the 2nd stanza, he dominated Mosley almost at will. Floyd is now scheduled to fight Vicious Victor Ortiz in September 2011 in what undoubtedly will be his sole bout this year and perhaps his only in the next 18 months. Look for him to get into cruise control early, start peppering Victor with leads and counters, and win another in dominant fashion.
The Arsenal
Mayweather’s arsenal of skills may well be the best in boxing. It includes one of the highest ring IQ’s, laser-like intense focus, an uncanny ability to adjust, great defense (featuring many Old School moves), superb ring movement, stamina (he is always fit and ready), crisp and sharp counter punching, superb straight leads, solid body work, and the rare ability to take calculated risks. Floyd is a thinking man’s fighter. Said another way, Junior’s use of shoulder rolls, feints, parrying, upward jabbing, giving angles, crossover defense, strategic lateral movement, slipping and deflecting punches is all part of the mix. Look, if a purist is one who appreciates boxing as a Sweet Science, then Floyd Mayweather Junior is a purist’s delight. His fight with Phillip N'dou (in 2003) showcased these attributes to a tee. And his fights with Hatton, Corrales, Augustus, and Gatti suggest he also may have a violent and malefic dimension as well.
Another Positive
A “new” attribute can be added to the list, one that is so obvious it almost escapes our attention or appreciation, or maybe we knew it all along and just take it for granted. But the fact is, an inactive PBF always shows up with all cylinders working and with absolutely no sign of ring rust.
Lewis thinks Holyfield, Rahman and Briggs should retire
By Dan Ambrose: Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis believes it’s time that the aging heavyweights Hasim Rahman, Evander Holyfield and Shannon Briggs all should hang up their gloves and retire from boxing.
Lewis isn’t the only one that thinks these guys should retire. There are many fans out there that wonder why those guys are still fighting.
Speaking with Sky Sports Ringside, Lewis said “Holyfield should call it a day, he thinks he can do what he did at 23, at 46 or 47 years-old and he has no chance. The likes of Holyfield, Shannon Briggs and Hasim Rahman should retire. When they fight, I think I could still beat them now and I don’t train as much, they should get out of there.”
Holyfield, 48, hasn’t a fight against a top tier fighter since beating Hasim Rahman in 2002. Holyfield has beaten some fringe contenders since them like Vinny Maddalone and Fres Oquendo but no one that I would consider a top tier fighter.
Briggs, 39, had his last big win against Siarhei Liakhovich in 2006. Since then, Briggs has mostly dined on 2nd tier opposition to get his wins, while losing to Sultan Ibragimov and Vitali Klitschko. Recently, Briggs took a bad beating in a failed attempt to capture the World Boxing Council title against Vitali. It’s doubtful that Briggs would have any luck against Vitali’s brother IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko or against WBA heavyweight champ David Haye.
The 38-year-old Rahman’s last big win was seven years ago in 2004 when he beat Kali Meehan. I don’t really consider Meehan as a big win. You have to go back all the way to 2001 when Rahman pulled off a huge upset of Lennox Lewis to find Rahman’s last big win. He’s fought a lot of B level fighters since then. When he’s stepped it up against fighters like Oleg Maskaev, Wladimir Klitschko, David Tua and James Toney, Rahman has lost in many occasions, fought to a draw and a no contest in the past 10 years. He’s had bad luck and it seem as if Rahman will be getting another title shot any time soon.
By Dan Ambrose: Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis believes it’s time that the aging heavyweights Hasim Rahman, Evander Holyfield and Shannon Briggs all should hang up their gloves and retire from boxing.
Lewis isn’t the only one that thinks these guys should retire. There are many fans out there that wonder why those guys are still fighting.
Speaking with Sky Sports Ringside, Lewis said “Holyfield should call it a day, he thinks he can do what he did at 23, at 46 or 47 years-old and he has no chance. The likes of Holyfield, Shannon Briggs and Hasim Rahman should retire. When they fight, I think I could still beat them now and I don’t train as much, they should get out of there.”
Holyfield, 48, hasn’t a fight against a top tier fighter since beating Hasim Rahman in 2002. Holyfield has beaten some fringe contenders since them like Vinny Maddalone and Fres Oquendo but no one that I would consider a top tier fighter.
Briggs, 39, had his last big win against Siarhei Liakhovich in 2006. Since then, Briggs has mostly dined on 2nd tier opposition to get his wins, while losing to Sultan Ibragimov and Vitali Klitschko. Recently, Briggs took a bad beating in a failed attempt to capture the World Boxing Council title against Vitali. It’s doubtful that Briggs would have any luck against Vitali’s brother IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko or against WBA heavyweight champ David Haye.
The 38-year-old Rahman’s last big win was seven years ago in 2004 when he beat Kali Meehan. I don’t really consider Meehan as a big win. You have to go back all the way to 2001 when Rahman pulled off a huge upset of Lennox Lewis to find Rahman’s last big win. He’s fought a lot of B level fighters since then. When he’s stepped it up against fighters like Oleg Maskaev, Wladimir Klitschko, David Tua and James Toney, Rahman has lost in many occasions, fought to a draw and a no contest in the past 10 years. He’s had bad luck and it seem as if Rahman will be getting another title shot any time soon.
Cintron the backup plan for Cotto on December 3rd if Margarito can’t make it
By Dan Ambrose: If Antonio Margarito can’t make it for WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto’s next fight on December 3rd at the Madison Square Garden in New York, former IBF welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KO’s) is the backup plan for Top Rank, and will be positioned in the place of Margarito for a good payday bout for both fighters.
This is actually a better fight than the Margarito one because Margarito doesn’t look like the same fighter that whipped Cotto in an 11th round TKO in 2008. Physically, Margarito looks the same but his power appears to have dropped off dramatically and his work rate has also taken a huge hit as well. Margarito doesn’t average into the 100s anymore in punches thrown per round or anything close to that. In truth, Margarito looks like a mere shadow of what he once was.
Cintron is arguably a much tougher fight if he’s got his head screwed straight and we don’t see any weird stuff in the ring. A dialed in Cintron is hard to beat, especially when he’s letting his hands go and throwing hard power shots. If he can take Cotto’s power shots without going down for the count like he did in his two losses to Margarito then Cintron has the talent to beat Cotto and expose him as being a vulnerable fighter. Cotto still hasn’t really beaten anyone since losing to Margarito in 2008. Cotto’s wins since then have come against beatable Top Rank fighters Joshua Clottey, who Cotto barely beat, and Yuri Foreman, a fighter considered a paper champion in the minds of a lot of boxing fans.
Cotto’s other two wins in the past three years has come against Michael Jennings from the UK and 38-year-old Ricardo Mayorga. Neither of those guys are truly top rung guys and it was basically like lobbing a softball to Cotto. Cintron is a lot better than those fighters and we could see the Cotto gravy train derailed if Margarito can’t make the fight and Cintron is the one that gets the call. I can’t believe that Arum would be willing to put Cotto in a dangerous fight against someone like Cintron. I can see bad things happening to Cotto in a fight like this.
By Dan Ambrose: If Antonio Margarito can’t make it for WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto’s next fight on December 3rd at the Madison Square Garden in New York, former IBF welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KO’s) is the backup plan for Top Rank, and will be positioned in the place of Margarito for a good payday bout for both fighters.
This is actually a better fight than the Margarito one because Margarito doesn’t look like the same fighter that whipped Cotto in an 11th round TKO in 2008. Physically, Margarito looks the same but his power appears to have dropped off dramatically and his work rate has also taken a huge hit as well. Margarito doesn’t average into the 100s anymore in punches thrown per round or anything close to that. In truth, Margarito looks like a mere shadow of what he once was.
Cintron is arguably a much tougher fight if he’s got his head screwed straight and we don’t see any weird stuff in the ring. A dialed in Cintron is hard to beat, especially when he’s letting his hands go and throwing hard power shots. If he can take Cotto’s power shots without going down for the count like he did in his two losses to Margarito then Cintron has the talent to beat Cotto and expose him as being a vulnerable fighter. Cotto still hasn’t really beaten anyone since losing to Margarito in 2008. Cotto’s wins since then have come against beatable Top Rank fighters Joshua Clottey, who Cotto barely beat, and Yuri Foreman, a fighter considered a paper champion in the minds of a lot of boxing fans.
Cotto’s other two wins in the past three years has come against Michael Jennings from the UK and 38-year-old Ricardo Mayorga. Neither of those guys are truly top rung guys and it was basically like lobbing a softball to Cotto. Cintron is a lot better than those fighters and we could see the Cotto gravy train derailed if Margarito can’t make the fight and Cintron is the one that gets the call. I can’t believe that Arum would be willing to put Cotto in a dangerous fight against someone like Cintron. I can see bad things happening to Cotto in a fight like this.
What most people don’t realize about Floyd Mayweather Jr
By Babatis Banda: Floyd Mayweather Jr. as hated as he may be in some quarters, there is a lot more that people may really have missed about this gentleman. This may sound unbelievable, but he is as normal and as compassionate as most privileged people could be, not to mention his charity work to help, especially the homeless. Floyd has deliberately taken the villain role in the sport for a purpose and it has worked for him. Floyd has generated so much controversy and has also managed to hype his bouts that way.
Other than just the talk, Floyd has however never failed to deliver in the ring. If Manny and Floyd ever get in the ring, the bout will be the biggest boxing contest in the history of the sport both financially and in pay-per-view (PPV) sales. This will have been boosted largely by the controversy Floyd brought in the picture and also in the fact that these accusations could actually be true considering the reaction that emerged from the Manny camp. If the bout never happens, I see Floyd emerging the winner in the controversy simply by choosing competitive opponents and raising the stakes for Manny, worse still, the doping questions will never disappear just by themselves. It is easy to see how public opinion easily shifts, when the right cards are played, and clearly Manny is poor in this area.
What most people don’t realize about Floyd is not just in the area of character, it is also his ability in the ring. When most people talk about Floyd’s abilities, they miss the point that Floyd has really never been stretched in the ring and has been operating below his optimum ability. This is so not because he has faced poor competition, rather, it indicates the level at which he belongs….way, way above the ordinary boxer. He is like a piece of machinery that is underutilized. He has almost turned boxing into a science and it may require somebody like Manny to make him bring out the best in him. Floyd can deliver much more than we have already witnessed, it is like he utilizes 75 percent of his capability. Anybody that has watched Bolt sprint, gets the feeling he can give much more when pushed harder, he always seems to hold back some ability. Bolt gives you the feeling like he can switch into another gear only when it is necessary. My dear boxing lovers, this is clearly the position with one Floyd Mayweather junior. One day, before he loses his reflexes and speed through age, we may be privileged to watch the amazing talent deliver at near 100 per cent of his ability.
What most people don’t realize about Floyd is that, he has little competition at his full potential, and he may only be beaten on a very, very bad day. In summary, I will list the reasons…He has belief in his natural abilities, he has speed and accuracy, he is agile and has a great foot work, he has a strong defence and one of the most underrated offense in the sport, he has poise, and strikes as fast as a vexed viper even from his defensive position, he has the lightning fast left ’check’ hook, a sharp crisp educated jab, he has super ring brains and is always able to control the fight…..and has decent power too. This can go on and on, and even when you don’t like him, at least you will agree deep down your heart that these qualities are incontestable, and irrefutable.
By Babatis Banda: Floyd Mayweather Jr. as hated as he may be in some quarters, there is a lot more that people may really have missed about this gentleman. This may sound unbelievable, but he is as normal and as compassionate as most privileged people could be, not to mention his charity work to help, especially the homeless. Floyd has deliberately taken the villain role in the sport for a purpose and it has worked for him. Floyd has generated so much controversy and has also managed to hype his bouts that way.
Other than just the talk, Floyd has however never failed to deliver in the ring. If Manny and Floyd ever get in the ring, the bout will be the biggest boxing contest in the history of the sport both financially and in pay-per-view (PPV) sales. This will have been boosted largely by the controversy Floyd brought in the picture and also in the fact that these accusations could actually be true considering the reaction that emerged from the Manny camp. If the bout never happens, I see Floyd emerging the winner in the controversy simply by choosing competitive opponents and raising the stakes for Manny, worse still, the doping questions will never disappear just by themselves. It is easy to see how public opinion easily shifts, when the right cards are played, and clearly Manny is poor in this area.
What most people don’t realize about Floyd is not just in the area of character, it is also his ability in the ring. When most people talk about Floyd’s abilities, they miss the point that Floyd has really never been stretched in the ring and has been operating below his optimum ability. This is so not because he has faced poor competition, rather, it indicates the level at which he belongs….way, way above the ordinary boxer. He is like a piece of machinery that is underutilized. He has almost turned boxing into a science and it may require somebody like Manny to make him bring out the best in him. Floyd can deliver much more than we have already witnessed, it is like he utilizes 75 percent of his capability. Anybody that has watched Bolt sprint, gets the feeling he can give much more when pushed harder, he always seems to hold back some ability. Bolt gives you the feeling like he can switch into another gear only when it is necessary. My dear boxing lovers, this is clearly the position with one Floyd Mayweather junior. One day, before he loses his reflexes and speed through age, we may be privileged to watch the amazing talent deliver at near 100 per cent of his ability.
What most people don’t realize about Floyd is that, he has little competition at his full potential, and he may only be beaten on a very, very bad day. In summary, I will list the reasons…He has belief in his natural abilities, he has speed and accuracy, he is agile and has a great foot work, he has a strong defence and one of the most underrated offense in the sport, he has poise, and strikes as fast as a vexed viper even from his defensive position, he has the lightning fast left ’check’ hook, a sharp crisp educated jab, he has super ring brains and is always able to control the fight…..and has decent power too. This can go on and on, and even when you don’t like him, at least you will agree deep down your heart that these qualities are incontestable, and irrefutable.
An Exclusive Interview with IBF Light Heavyweight Champion Tavoris Cloud
By Armando Aguilera
BRC: Hey Champ, How is it going?
Cloud: Training for my next fight on June 25 against Yusaf Mack.
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BRC: Yusaf Mack just decisioned Otis Griffin to get a title shot against you. What do you think about him as a fighter?
Cloud: I look at Yusaf Mack as a serious treat. He's the #1 contender. You know I'm not taking anybody lightly. He's coming to take my title and I take all threats personal.
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BRC: Everybody is expecting you to knock him out. Does that add any extra pressure on you?
Cloud: No. I never go out looking for the knockout but if the knockout comes, it comes, you know. I don't feel any pressure to knock him out. I just feel pressure to win the fight and get out there and do my thing and get out and continue fighting.
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BRC: What did you think of the Hopkins vs Pascal rematch?
Cloud: It was a good fight. Bernard Hopkins won hands down!
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BRC: Did that surprise you?
Cloud: The fashion that he won in... yes, it surprised me a little bit but i believe it was because Pascal let Hopkins get inside his head.
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BRC: You think most fights are won mentally, even before getting into the ring with somebody?
Cloud: Psychological warfare is a tool that you can use to guide your fight in around you. If you can use it, it's a great weapon you can use outside and inside of the ring. Bernard Hopkins was able to use that against Pascal.
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BRC: Hopkins and Dawson is in the works right now. How would you feel fighting Pascal on the undercard to set up a fight against the winner?
Cloud: I mean i have to handle Yusaf Mack first. I'm not looking past Yusaf Mack. I just want to say that for the record. I'm taking Yusaf Mack very seriously. Pascal would make a good fight. Whomever is next. If it's Pascal let's get the win with Pascal. If it's Dawson, let's get the win with Dawson. If it's Hopkins, lets get the win against Hopkins! I just want to keep winning fights and take things one step at a time.
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BRC: Right now are you looking for the best money fights out there within your division or would you entertain a fight with let's say Bute at 168 or a possible move to cruiserweight?
Cloud: I'm looking to be in the Light Heavyweight division for now. I love the Light Heavyweight Division. Lots of great champions have come through the Light Heavyweight division. This is where I want to make my mark at as a Light Heavyweight and I see myself staying here for a good little while.
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BRC: What do you think about the Klitschko vs Haye fight? Does Haye have a chance?
Cloud: Yeah Haye has a chance. He just has to go in there and do what he is able to do. Whoever does on to the other before the other does on to him will be the winner of that fight. It's always good to see young blood coming up into the heavyweight division.
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BRC: Do you feel that the Heavyweight division is so weak right now that you have light heavies and cruiserweights moving up into that division and beating a Heavyweight champion?
Cloud: I can't say that 'cause the heavyweight division has always been in the same place. You've had fighters that have come from the lower weights and fought with the heavyweights all the time. You never know what guys are going to be the next great thing so you can't say really that the division is weak. But as far as someone standing out I feel that's an opportunity still waiting to be taken. I don't feel that spot is being held by anybody except the Klitschkos.
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BRC: How you like working with Don King?
Cloud: Don King is good. He's a good promoter and he is a man of his word. He gives me fights on a regular. No problem.
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BRC: Everything good in camp with your trainer?
Cloud: Oh yeah! Everything good with my trainer Al Bonanni. We got good chemistry going on. We've been together for six or seven years. Pretty much my whole professional career and I'm looking forward to some more years with him.
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BRC: How do you like working with HBO?
Cloud: HBO is good, man. Fighting on this network will hopefully lead me to bigger and better things.
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BRC: What do you think about the competition between HBO and Showtime going after fighters to display on their networks. How difficult can it be to make a Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight with both fighters being represented by different networks?
Cloud: A fight of that magnitude somebody has to get together and make that fight. I mean one person can't have all the money. There's enough money in there to be split up between many. Compromise and make the fight and give the people what they want to see 'cause the people are who really matters. If the networks didn't have anyone to watch the boxing matches then the network wouldn't matter. Give the people what they want to see. Put your heads together and make the fight.
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BRC: With so much money involved why do you think that fight has been so hard to make. Both Pacquiao and Mayweather are looking to make 40 or 50 million a piece?
Cloud: Man, if it was me, I would have fought Pacquiao and Mayweather three times by now. I don't know why these guys can't make the fight but there are no losers in a fight like that!
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BRC: What are your feelings about steroid use in boxing right now?
Cloud: I'm definitely against steroids. I'm an all natural type of guy myself. I think we just have to come out with better ways to test and detect steroid use. Where i have fought at I've been tested before and after the fights. If anybody wants to test Tavoris Cloud for steroids, go right ahead. Everything about me is all natural. I think the Commission is doing a very good job but i don't think they have the funding to do those type of things. Until something is created to police steroids stronger I think they're doing the best thing they can do. I think these promoters and top officials in boxing have to create an organization to police steroid use better.
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BRC: What do you want to tell the fans out there following your career?
Cloud: I want to tell my fans June 25, St. Charles, Missouri tune in to that HBO fight. It's going to be a great fight. I always come to please the fans. I'm in great shape. So I would love to see you there but if you can't make it definitely tune in June 25 on HBO.
By Armando Aguilera
BRC: Hey Champ, How is it going?
Cloud: Training for my next fight on June 25 against Yusaf Mack.
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BRC: Yusaf Mack just decisioned Otis Griffin to get a title shot against you. What do you think about him as a fighter?
Cloud: I look at Yusaf Mack as a serious treat. He's the #1 contender. You know I'm not taking anybody lightly. He's coming to take my title and I take all threats personal.
----
BRC: Everybody is expecting you to knock him out. Does that add any extra pressure on you?
Cloud: No. I never go out looking for the knockout but if the knockout comes, it comes, you know. I don't feel any pressure to knock him out. I just feel pressure to win the fight and get out there and do my thing and get out and continue fighting.
----
BRC: What did you think of the Hopkins vs Pascal rematch?
Cloud: It was a good fight. Bernard Hopkins won hands down!
----
BRC: Did that surprise you?
Cloud: The fashion that he won in... yes, it surprised me a little bit but i believe it was because Pascal let Hopkins get inside his head.
----
BRC: You think most fights are won mentally, even before getting into the ring with somebody?
Cloud: Psychological warfare is a tool that you can use to guide your fight in around you. If you can use it, it's a great weapon you can use outside and inside of the ring. Bernard Hopkins was able to use that against Pascal.
----
BRC: Hopkins and Dawson is in the works right now. How would you feel fighting Pascal on the undercard to set up a fight against the winner?
Cloud: I mean i have to handle Yusaf Mack first. I'm not looking past Yusaf Mack. I just want to say that for the record. I'm taking Yusaf Mack very seriously. Pascal would make a good fight. Whomever is next. If it's Pascal let's get the win with Pascal. If it's Dawson, let's get the win with Dawson. If it's Hopkins, lets get the win against Hopkins! I just want to keep winning fights and take things one step at a time.
----
BRC: Right now are you looking for the best money fights out there within your division or would you entertain a fight with let's say Bute at 168 or a possible move to cruiserweight?
Cloud: I'm looking to be in the Light Heavyweight division for now. I love the Light Heavyweight Division. Lots of great champions have come through the Light Heavyweight division. This is where I want to make my mark at as a Light Heavyweight and I see myself staying here for a good little while.
----
BRC: What do you think about the Klitschko vs Haye fight? Does Haye have a chance?
Cloud: Yeah Haye has a chance. He just has to go in there and do what he is able to do. Whoever does on to the other before the other does on to him will be the winner of that fight. It's always good to see young blood coming up into the heavyweight division.
----
BRC: Do you feel that the Heavyweight division is so weak right now that you have light heavies and cruiserweights moving up into that division and beating a Heavyweight champion?
Cloud: I can't say that 'cause the heavyweight division has always been in the same place. You've had fighters that have come from the lower weights and fought with the heavyweights all the time. You never know what guys are going to be the next great thing so you can't say really that the division is weak. But as far as someone standing out I feel that's an opportunity still waiting to be taken. I don't feel that spot is being held by anybody except the Klitschkos.
----
BRC: How you like working with Don King?
Cloud: Don King is good. He's a good promoter and he is a man of his word. He gives me fights on a regular. No problem.
----
BRC: Everything good in camp with your trainer?
Cloud: Oh yeah! Everything good with my trainer Al Bonanni. We got good chemistry going on. We've been together for six or seven years. Pretty much my whole professional career and I'm looking forward to some more years with him.
----
BRC: How do you like working with HBO?
Cloud: HBO is good, man. Fighting on this network will hopefully lead me to bigger and better things.
----
BRC: What do you think about the competition between HBO and Showtime going after fighters to display on their networks. How difficult can it be to make a Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight with both fighters being represented by different networks?
Cloud: A fight of that magnitude somebody has to get together and make that fight. I mean one person can't have all the money. There's enough money in there to be split up between many. Compromise and make the fight and give the people what they want to see 'cause the people are who really matters. If the networks didn't have anyone to watch the boxing matches then the network wouldn't matter. Give the people what they want to see. Put your heads together and make the fight.
----
BRC: With so much money involved why do you think that fight has been so hard to make. Both Pacquiao and Mayweather are looking to make 40 or 50 million a piece?
Cloud: Man, if it was me, I would have fought Pacquiao and Mayweather three times by now. I don't know why these guys can't make the fight but there are no losers in a fight like that!
----
BRC: What are your feelings about steroid use in boxing right now?
Cloud: I'm definitely against steroids. I'm an all natural type of guy myself. I think we just have to come out with better ways to test and detect steroid use. Where i have fought at I've been tested before and after the fights. If anybody wants to test Tavoris Cloud for steroids, go right ahead. Everything about me is all natural. I think the Commission is doing a very good job but i don't think they have the funding to do those type of things. Until something is created to police steroids stronger I think they're doing the best thing they can do. I think these promoters and top officials in boxing have to create an organization to police steroid use better.
----
BRC: What do you want to tell the fans out there following your career?
Cloud: I want to tell my fans June 25, St. Charles, Missouri tune in to that HBO fight. It's going to be a great fight. I always come to please the fans. I'm in great shape. So I would love to see you there but if you can't make it definitely tune in June 25 on HBO.
Roger Mayweather Vs Alex Ariza
By Marcos Nunez,
What the Hell is this dude Roger Mayweather smoking? He makes about as much sense as … well I guess his loopy brother.
I really have to wonder “How much Crack does this dude smoke? I mean look at him all shot out- no teefths- Looking like he just crawled out of a crack alley.
All of that is fine, and it is none of my business what he does in is life, but when you start making accusations that are so far out in left field I mean come on- enough is enough.
Let’s start with Roger Crackweathers statements when asked,
On whether he believes Victor Ortiz is a more talented fighter than Manny Pacquiao:
“I think the guy’s got better talent. This guy Victor Ortiz has better talent than Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t nothing but wild, anyway! Pacquiao ain’t got no skills, period! That ain’t why he’s winning. That ain’t why he’s winning! He ain’t winning on no skills, that’s for sure.
Then following that statement Roger Mayweather is asked,
On whether he believes Floyd would be ready to fight Pacquiao in his next fight if he beats Victor Ortiz:
“Well I wouldn’t think he would fight Pacquiao right after fighting Victor Ortiz. I mean it would be crazy for Floyd to go in the ring with Pacquiao after fighting Victor Ortiz! Floyd needs fights. He needs to be active. Don’t get me wrong, Floyd is the greatest fighter out there, period. Right now in today’s boxing Floyd is the greatest fighter out there. But at the same time I don’t think that Floyd can do this.
Roger Mayweather states that Ortiz is more skilled than the Pacman and Floyd is ready to fight Ortiz right now, but Floyd is not ready for the Pacman, because he needs more tune ups, but I thought Roger said Ortiz was better skilled than the Pacman. I am so confused, HOW THE HELL DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
The man’s statements are ass backwards.
This just makes no sense. Just like his allegations that Pacquiao cheats. He is just a stupid ignorant man, who doesn’t know anything about nutrition or doing things the correct way. HIs job is to hold the Mitts and in between crack hits I guess he accomplishes this.
Roger later states in his interview that Manny Pacquiao has been knockout out twice while weighing 105lbs.
These again are completely incorrect facts. Manny Pacquiao did get knocked out his 12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo when Manny Pacquiao could not make the weight of 106lbs. Manny Pacquiao later in his career got dropped with a body shot. This happened in his 28th bout at the weigh limit of 112lbs. However it should be noted that Pacquiao was overweight at weigh-in and was consequently stripped of the WBC Flyweight World Title. However the fight went on. Pacquiao was so severely dehydrated that he had little to offer.
Both Fights Manny Pacquiao lost he entered them completely dehydrated. Pacquiao was so big for that weight class that after the fight Manny Pacquiao jumped not one, but two weight divisions. Just think if the Pacman did not jump two divisions he would be a 10 time world champion in different weight classes. Amazing.
So we know that both fights had one thing in common. Manny Pacquiao could not make weight.
Can you imagine how poor Mann Pacquiao was back in the day and with no food and not the proper training and having to cut weight by dehydrating yourself how week he must have been entering those fights?
I hear he was barely strong enough to even enter the fights. It is no wonder he got knocked out- his body was already in a weakened state.
Of course that would happen. It would happen to anyone who enters a fight in that condition.
Now Manny Pacquiao eats correctly, he trains correctly, he has the best coaches in the business. Manny Pacquiao knocks out the people the Crackweathers train and they are jealous.
Manny Paccquiao has never tested positive for anything- He never will because he is clean as a whistle.
You have already heard Floyd say Manny Pacquiao agreed to the tests. Now you hear his Uncle saying Floyd is not ready for Pacquiao now or pretty much ever.
Just give props where props are due. Floyd Mayweather is scared. Roger Crackweather needs to go back to the corner hustle up another $10 rock and go back to his corner of the room and smoke it, because he sure does not have a place in the corner of the Ring.
I have become a fan of Ariza’s nutritional articles, diet, and training on www.mp8.ph. If the Mayweathers want to learn why the Pacman is so good all they have to do is learn how to read.
7 Comments
By Marcos Nunez,
What the Hell is this dude Roger Mayweather smoking? He makes about as much sense as … well I guess his loopy brother.
I really have to wonder “How much Crack does this dude smoke? I mean look at him all shot out- no teefths- Looking like he just crawled out of a crack alley.
All of that is fine, and it is none of my business what he does in is life, but when you start making accusations that are so far out in left field I mean come on- enough is enough.
Let’s start with Roger Crackweathers statements when asked,
On whether he believes Victor Ortiz is a more talented fighter than Manny Pacquiao:
“I think the guy’s got better talent. This guy Victor Ortiz has better talent than Pacquiao. Pacquiao ain’t nothing but wild, anyway! Pacquiao ain’t got no skills, period! That ain’t why he’s winning. That ain’t why he’s winning! He ain’t winning on no skills, that’s for sure.
Then following that statement Roger Mayweather is asked,
On whether he believes Floyd would be ready to fight Pacquiao in his next fight if he beats Victor Ortiz:
“Well I wouldn’t think he would fight Pacquiao right after fighting Victor Ortiz. I mean it would be crazy for Floyd to go in the ring with Pacquiao after fighting Victor Ortiz! Floyd needs fights. He needs to be active. Don’t get me wrong, Floyd is the greatest fighter out there, period. Right now in today’s boxing Floyd is the greatest fighter out there. But at the same time I don’t think that Floyd can do this.
Roger Mayweather states that Ortiz is more skilled than the Pacman and Floyd is ready to fight Ortiz right now, but Floyd is not ready for the Pacman, because he needs more tune ups, but I thought Roger said Ortiz was better skilled than the Pacman. I am so confused, HOW THE HELL DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
The man’s statements are ass backwards.
This just makes no sense. Just like his allegations that Pacquiao cheats. He is just a stupid ignorant man, who doesn’t know anything about nutrition or doing things the correct way. HIs job is to hold the Mitts and in between crack hits I guess he accomplishes this.
Roger later states in his interview that Manny Pacquiao has been knockout out twice while weighing 105lbs.
These again are completely incorrect facts. Manny Pacquiao did get knocked out his 12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo when Manny Pacquiao could not make the weight of 106lbs. Manny Pacquiao later in his career got dropped with a body shot. This happened in his 28th bout at the weigh limit of 112lbs. However it should be noted that Pacquiao was overweight at weigh-in and was consequently stripped of the WBC Flyweight World Title. However the fight went on. Pacquiao was so severely dehydrated that he had little to offer.
Both Fights Manny Pacquiao lost he entered them completely dehydrated. Pacquiao was so big for that weight class that after the fight Manny Pacquiao jumped not one, but two weight divisions. Just think if the Pacman did not jump two divisions he would be a 10 time world champion in different weight classes. Amazing.
So we know that both fights had one thing in common. Manny Pacquiao could not make weight.
Can you imagine how poor Mann Pacquiao was back in the day and with no food and not the proper training and having to cut weight by dehydrating yourself how week he must have been entering those fights?
I hear he was barely strong enough to even enter the fights. It is no wonder he got knocked out- his body was already in a weakened state.
Of course that would happen. It would happen to anyone who enters a fight in that condition.
Now Manny Pacquiao eats correctly, he trains correctly, he has the best coaches in the business. Manny Pacquiao knocks out the people the Crackweathers train and they are jealous.
Manny Paccquiao has never tested positive for anything- He never will because he is clean as a whistle.
You have already heard Floyd say Manny Pacquiao agreed to the tests. Now you hear his Uncle saying Floyd is not ready for Pacquiao now or pretty much ever.
Just give props where props are due. Floyd Mayweather is scared. Roger Crackweather needs to go back to the corner hustle up another $10 rock and go back to his corner of the room and smoke it, because he sure does not have a place in the corner of the Ring.
I have become a fan of Ariza’s nutritional articles, diet, and training on www.mp8.ph. If the Mayweathers want to learn why the Pacman is so good all they have to do is learn how to read.
7 Comments
So Sergio Martinez accepted a fight with..............................Darren Barker.
Do you know who Barker is? Nope, none of you have seem him fight nor even heard the name (with exception to naner of course who's seen everyone).
Yeah, great fight!
Martinez & DiBella said "Who is Dmitry Pirog? Fuck Pirog!" and then sign a fight with someone no one in the world has heard of except a few people in the UK? smh
Yes, I understand Chavez jr. is a hoe and he's going to fight some low level guy next but that doesn't mean the pound 4 pound #2 guy in the sport has to do the same. Pirog is a title holder and highly ranked at MW and has been calling him out.
Do you know who Barker is? Nope, none of you have seem him fight nor even heard the name (with exception to naner of course who's seen everyone).
Yeah, great fight!
Martinez & DiBella said "Who is Dmitry Pirog? Fuck Pirog!" and then sign a fight with someone no one in the world has heard of except a few people in the UK? smh
Eddie Hearn(promoter)
@maravillabox @darrenbarker82 @loudibella Terms agreed..will await contract. Look forward to working with you again Lou. Barker fans on tour
@maravillabox @darrenbarker82 @loudibella Terms agreed..will await contract. Look forward to working with you again Lou. Barker fans on tour
Yes, I understand Chavez jr. is a hoe and he's going to fight some low level guy next but that doesn't mean the pound 4 pound #2 guy in the sport has to do the same. Pirog is a title holder and highly ranked at MW and has been calling him out.
probably did. 23-0. Best wins on his resume: Affif Belghecham, Domenico Spada. yeeeeeeeeeeeee
someone asked lou dibella on twitter if martinez was going to fight pirog about a month ago his repsonse:
loudibella
No, normal people don't even know who Pirog is. fuckin boxing NERDS (and I am one) don't pay the fuckin bills!
someone asked lou dibella on twitter if martinez was going to fight pirog about a month ago his repsonse:
loudibella
No, normal people don't even know who Pirog is. fuckin boxing NERDS (and I am one) don't pay the fuckin bills!