chop
05-08-2007, 06:59 AM
By Jake Donovan
The world awaited, the world watched, now we find out if the world will return.
That was the question or should I say suggestion offered for this past weekend's mega-event between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar de la Hoya. The truth is that this was never going to be the fight to "save" boxing, just the one to get the mainstream press to once again talk about the sport for a change.
So, to those who believed otherwise: Made ya look!
In order to save the sport, you need to do more than offer a stand-alone event (especially one with a thin undercard as was offered this weekend). Otherwise, you're offering the perception that this was boxing's last call.
From a mainstream standpoint, perhaps it was. When presented with the question, what major events are on the horizon after this one, very few were able to come up with an answer.
For boxing itself, it's back to business as usual. Despite the perception that boxing will now pack up its belongings and fly a "Going out of Business" banner, fights will still take place on basic and premium cable networks every weekend.
No, there's nothing in the immediate future as big as the mega event that was this past weekend's fight. But then, not every NFL game is the Super Bowl. Baseball championships are won in October, but all of the records that are made to be broken still run from April through the end of September.
With the biggest event in years now history (and perhaps making history as well), boxing can now return to its regularly scheduled programming, already in progress.
Ask enough true boxing fans, and they'll tell you from an action and even significance standpoint a lot of what lies ahead will be even better than Mayweather-de la Hoya. That's good news for those who are willing to look beyond "The Super Bowl of boxing" type events and give the sport itself another chance, and even better news for those of us who will still tune in, regardless.
For those in search of a tour guide, the following is a little taste to hopefully help pique your interest through the summer and perhaps beyond:
MAY 19 - KELLY PAVLIK VS. EDISON MIRANDA (HBO - MEMPHIS, TN)
Is it non-stop offense, you seek? The threat of a knockout at any given moment? Defense as a rumor? Suspect chins? Yes, yes, yes and yes again. For those who didn't appreciate the artistry of the sweet science that came with last week's event, this bout is the perfect remedy. Boasting a combined total of 51 wins in 59 bouts, you can't ask for a more ideal middleweight title elimination bout.
Even better, the card provides the perfect stage for an audition, as the winner will likely go on to challenge for THE world middleweight title, with its present owner, undefeated 2000 Bronze medalist Jermain Taylor, defending in the main event against slick southpaw Cory Spinks.
That's not even mentioning the ambiance that comes with this event, which is staged in the center of the "Memphis in May" festivities, complete with the World Championship Barbecue Contest ( a.k.a. The Super Bowl of Swine) and this year in particular, River City celebrating the 50 years of Soul.
MAY 26 - JOAN GUZMAN VS. MICHAEL KATSIDIS (HBO - ANAHEIM, CA)
This one might as well be titled "Have Balls, Will Face Anyone." That very little is at stake here says all you need to know about the desire and courage these two undefeated warriors possess. Guzman is fighting in his fourth weight class in just over two years, with the likes of Oscar Larios, Israel Vazquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez and Scott Harrison showing little interest in facing the undefeated mean-streaked Dominican along the way. Katsidis is coming off of a knockout victory in his multiple knockdown, five-round war with Graham Earl in what many regard as 2007's leading candidate for Fight of the Year.
The winner isn't guaranteed a title shot at lightweight king Joel Casamayor or any other significant player at or near the lightweight division. He just gets to take comfort in knowing he snatched the other's "0", and hope for the best in the future.
The loser gets to take solace in the fact that he lost to one of the few guys willing to face him.
Hopefully both get the long overdue respect of the boxing world when all is said and done.
JUNE 9 DUELING LOCATIONS (HBOPPV and SHOWTIME)
This year will mark the 50th Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. For the past three years, Miguel Cotto headlining a boxing card at Madison Square Garden has preceded the event. A new boxing tradition seems to be developing on the second weekend in June: Cotto and Antonio Tarver going head to head in different parts of the Northeast.
Cotto headlines his second PPV from "Da Garden" as he takes on former undisputed welterweight king Zab Judah, who hails from nearby Brooklyn. The winner becomes a major player in the welterweight division, and perhaps looks forward to a November showdown with the winner of another bout to be later mentioned in this article.
If Judah were a cat, he'd be looking at the last of nine lives heading into this bout. His lightning-fast hand speed and legitimate one-punch power makes him a threat to anyone at or near the welterweight division. His notorious mid-fight mental lapses and suspect chin makes him his own worst enemy, precisely why so many are picking Cotto to not only win, but do so well within the distance.
If parting with $45 is not in your plans, Showtime offers a card on that same night about 100 miles Northeast of The Garden. While it's Tarver once again going head to head with Cotto on the airwaves, the story is not his fight itself (he takes on the brave but weak-chinned Elvir Muriqi), but that he debuts on America's #1 Fight Network, and returns to the loss almost one year to the day following his lopsided loss to Bernard Hopkins last June in Atlantic City.
The real story of the night, however, may be undefeated light heavyweight Chad Dawson. With names like Hopkins, Tarver, Roy Jones and Glen Johnson dominating conversation among American-based networks, Dawson provides proof that both the division's future is bright and that some of the talent is actually less than 30 years old, two points that should be further emphasized when he takes on hard-hitting journeyman Jesus Ruiz. Best of all, Dawson gets to do so in front of his hometown crowd at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
JUNE 23 RICKY HATTON VS. JOSE LUIS CASTILLO (HBO LAS VEGAS, NV)
OK HBO, admit it; the January doubleheader showcase was not only pointless, but a complete buzzkill in terms of maintaining anticipation of a once-perceived can't-miss matchup. That said, an old clichι that often proves true in the sport; styles make fights.
When matched right, the best comes out of Castillo, who is in desperate need of positive ink. After failing to make weight in the rematch and the eventually scrapped rubber match against Diego "Chico" Corrales, Castillo was suspended for the rest of the year and forbidden to ever again fight in the lightweight division. His return to the ring this past January was hardly a tune-up, as he barely outlasted determined then-undefeated Canadian Herman Ngoudjo.
Hatton had a much easier go in the main event, turning back the challenge of Juan Urango in a battle of unbeaten junior welterweights. Hatton reaffirmed his status as junior welterweight champion, a designation he earned with a career-defining win over Kostya Tszyu two years ago. However he detracted from the perception that he lives and fights at 100MPH, offering more clinching than punching in a bout that started strong and ended wrong.
Call this one a second chance at a lasting impression. For HBO, for Hatton, Castillo and the junior welterweight division, once the deepest weight class in the sport, now in dire need of a rebirth. This pick-'em fight figures to provide all of that, and then some.
JULY 14 WELTERWEIGHTS, PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE (HBO-DUAL LOCATIONS)
Charles Dickens couldn't have penned a better classic. Longtime HBO favorite Arturo Gatti returns and perhaps exits, as some believe this to be a farewell party. The Human Highlight Film intends to go out with a bang, one way or another. Come July, he gets Season One Contender Semi-Finalist Alfonso Gomez. The next Contender alum to win a bout on HBO in fact any bout outside of The Contender umbrella will be the first. Peter Manfredo, Ishe Smith, and Norberto Bravo all fell short in recent appearances. Gomez barely survived familiar foe Jesse Feliciano last year on ESPN. But still, this is 2007 version of Arturo Gatti the one barely held together by duct tape and chewing gum. If you have two hands and a decent chin, you have a chance. Alfonso Gomez has a chance. But more germane to the purpose of the show, the bout takes place in Arturo's home away from home at Atlantic City's Convention Center, an arena which Gatti figures to be sell out for the ninth straight time. And once again, the fans have a great chance at getting an all-action war.
Kermit Cintron and Walter Matthysse rarely, if ever, disappoint in the entertainment department, even if their skills leave a lot to be desired. Kermit still has yet to meet the punch he didn't want to block with his face, as his overwhelming desire to knock you out leaves him wide open for as long as he or his opponent will last. Very few were lasting very long against Matthysse, until the Argentinean ran into undefeated southpaw Paul Williams last May. However long this one lasts, count on a lot of leather landing.
Fittingly enough, the bout resembles something of a bronze medal round, as their respective conquerors Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams duke it out 3,000 miles away in Carson, CA. The fans win, as HBO has opted to offer a dual-site tripleheader telecast. How they got here is all thanks to the fighters.
Williams is well-connected advisor Al Haymon enjoys a cozy relationship with HBO, and promoter Dan Goossen was willing to spend any amount to secure this matchup. Connections don't get you everywhere, however; as a 6'1" hard-hitting southpaw welterweight, Williams has had a rough time securing opposition.
Enter Margarito, who passed on a career-high payday against Miguel Cotto in order to make this fight happen, though of course it comes with an even bigger paycheck, as well as the promise of a possible November showdown against the winner of Cotto-Judah.
In a battle of two fighters who believe have been snubbed by the industry for far too long, the winner receives instant gratification as well as the promise of a lucrative payday in the near future. Chances are, he also proves to be the best welterweight on a night chuck full of 'em.
AUGUST 4 DUELING LOCATIONS (TOP RANK PPV AND SHOWTIME)
One day, the rest of the boxing industry will respect the fact that the first Saturday of the month is already taken by Showtime. Perhaps they will have it beaten into them on this night. That is, of course, providing the world junior featherweight title rematch between Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez is anywhere as near as their first bout this past March.
Marquez, moving up in weight, came right at then-champion Vazquez from the opening bell. The plan worked wonders, as Raffy's punching power shattered Vazquez' nose in the second round. A bail-out third round knockdown from Vazquez was the difference between a close fight and a whitewash. Marquez came back strong in the 4 th and 5th, at which point Vazquez could no longer breathe through his nose. Trainer Freddie Roach told his charge he had two more rounds to turn the tide. Student obliged, taking the 6th and fighting no worse than on even terms in the 7 th before being forced to retire at rounds end. The anti-climactic ending pre-empted what was well on its way to easily becoming the best fight of the year. They get (at least) one more chance this August.
It will take a Fight of the Year effort to make people forget that future Hall-of-Famer returns on the same night, even if perhaps only one last time. Whether or not it takes place on HBO or independent PPV remains to be seen. But such spurious details hardly matter when it comes to a living legend like Morales, who hopes to go out on a high note. A win over David Diaz provides the Mexican such an exit, rather his present run of having lost four of his last five bouts. A Diaz win would provide the 1996 Olympian with a big win over a notable, albeit faded, opponent. A success story ten years in the making, even if already matched two years ago by Olympic teammate Zahir Raheem.
***************
The aforementioned highlights what figures to be a very busy summer for boxing. Also included in the mix is a July 7 rematch between present top heavyweight Wladimir Kllitschko, and former conqueror Lamon Brewster, who will end a 15-month hiatus come fight night. Two weeks later, pound-for-pound entrants Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright collide (July 21, HBO PPV), with Hopkins' light heavyweight crown at stake.
So whether or not much of the audience from last weekend's banquet-style boxing event elects to stick around and give the sport a chance, always remember this: just because you're not watching, it doesn't mean we're not working.
The world awaited, the world watched, now we find out if the world will return.
That was the question or should I say suggestion offered for this past weekend's mega-event between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar de la Hoya. The truth is that this was never going to be the fight to "save" boxing, just the one to get the mainstream press to once again talk about the sport for a change.
So, to those who believed otherwise: Made ya look!
In order to save the sport, you need to do more than offer a stand-alone event (especially one with a thin undercard as was offered this weekend). Otherwise, you're offering the perception that this was boxing's last call.
From a mainstream standpoint, perhaps it was. When presented with the question, what major events are on the horizon after this one, very few were able to come up with an answer.
For boxing itself, it's back to business as usual. Despite the perception that boxing will now pack up its belongings and fly a "Going out of Business" banner, fights will still take place on basic and premium cable networks every weekend.
No, there's nothing in the immediate future as big as the mega event that was this past weekend's fight. But then, not every NFL game is the Super Bowl. Baseball championships are won in October, but all of the records that are made to be broken still run from April through the end of September.
With the biggest event in years now history (and perhaps making history as well), boxing can now return to its regularly scheduled programming, already in progress.
Ask enough true boxing fans, and they'll tell you from an action and even significance standpoint a lot of what lies ahead will be even better than Mayweather-de la Hoya. That's good news for those who are willing to look beyond "The Super Bowl of boxing" type events and give the sport itself another chance, and even better news for those of us who will still tune in, regardless.
For those in search of a tour guide, the following is a little taste to hopefully help pique your interest through the summer and perhaps beyond:
MAY 19 - KELLY PAVLIK VS. EDISON MIRANDA (HBO - MEMPHIS, TN)
Is it non-stop offense, you seek? The threat of a knockout at any given moment? Defense as a rumor? Suspect chins? Yes, yes, yes and yes again. For those who didn't appreciate the artistry of the sweet science that came with last week's event, this bout is the perfect remedy. Boasting a combined total of 51 wins in 59 bouts, you can't ask for a more ideal middleweight title elimination bout.
Even better, the card provides the perfect stage for an audition, as the winner will likely go on to challenge for THE world middleweight title, with its present owner, undefeated 2000 Bronze medalist Jermain Taylor, defending in the main event against slick southpaw Cory Spinks.
That's not even mentioning the ambiance that comes with this event, which is staged in the center of the "Memphis in May" festivities, complete with the World Championship Barbecue Contest ( a.k.a. The Super Bowl of Swine) and this year in particular, River City celebrating the 50 years of Soul.
MAY 26 - JOAN GUZMAN VS. MICHAEL KATSIDIS (HBO - ANAHEIM, CA)
This one might as well be titled "Have Balls, Will Face Anyone." That very little is at stake here says all you need to know about the desire and courage these two undefeated warriors possess. Guzman is fighting in his fourth weight class in just over two years, with the likes of Oscar Larios, Israel Vazquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez and Scott Harrison showing little interest in facing the undefeated mean-streaked Dominican along the way. Katsidis is coming off of a knockout victory in his multiple knockdown, five-round war with Graham Earl in what many regard as 2007's leading candidate for Fight of the Year.
The winner isn't guaranteed a title shot at lightweight king Joel Casamayor or any other significant player at or near the lightweight division. He just gets to take comfort in knowing he snatched the other's "0", and hope for the best in the future.
The loser gets to take solace in the fact that he lost to one of the few guys willing to face him.
Hopefully both get the long overdue respect of the boxing world when all is said and done.
JUNE 9 DUELING LOCATIONS (HBOPPV and SHOWTIME)
This year will mark the 50th Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. For the past three years, Miguel Cotto headlining a boxing card at Madison Square Garden has preceded the event. A new boxing tradition seems to be developing on the second weekend in June: Cotto and Antonio Tarver going head to head in different parts of the Northeast.
Cotto headlines his second PPV from "Da Garden" as he takes on former undisputed welterweight king Zab Judah, who hails from nearby Brooklyn. The winner becomes a major player in the welterweight division, and perhaps looks forward to a November showdown with the winner of another bout to be later mentioned in this article.
If Judah were a cat, he'd be looking at the last of nine lives heading into this bout. His lightning-fast hand speed and legitimate one-punch power makes him a threat to anyone at or near the welterweight division. His notorious mid-fight mental lapses and suspect chin makes him his own worst enemy, precisely why so many are picking Cotto to not only win, but do so well within the distance.
If parting with $45 is not in your plans, Showtime offers a card on that same night about 100 miles Northeast of The Garden. While it's Tarver once again going head to head with Cotto on the airwaves, the story is not his fight itself (he takes on the brave but weak-chinned Elvir Muriqi), but that he debuts on America's #1 Fight Network, and returns to the loss almost one year to the day following his lopsided loss to Bernard Hopkins last June in Atlantic City.
The real story of the night, however, may be undefeated light heavyweight Chad Dawson. With names like Hopkins, Tarver, Roy Jones and Glen Johnson dominating conversation among American-based networks, Dawson provides proof that both the division's future is bright and that some of the talent is actually less than 30 years old, two points that should be further emphasized when he takes on hard-hitting journeyman Jesus Ruiz. Best of all, Dawson gets to do so in front of his hometown crowd at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
JUNE 23 RICKY HATTON VS. JOSE LUIS CASTILLO (HBO LAS VEGAS, NV)
OK HBO, admit it; the January doubleheader showcase was not only pointless, but a complete buzzkill in terms of maintaining anticipation of a once-perceived can't-miss matchup. That said, an old clichι that often proves true in the sport; styles make fights.
When matched right, the best comes out of Castillo, who is in desperate need of positive ink. After failing to make weight in the rematch and the eventually scrapped rubber match against Diego "Chico" Corrales, Castillo was suspended for the rest of the year and forbidden to ever again fight in the lightweight division. His return to the ring this past January was hardly a tune-up, as he barely outlasted determined then-undefeated Canadian Herman Ngoudjo.
Hatton had a much easier go in the main event, turning back the challenge of Juan Urango in a battle of unbeaten junior welterweights. Hatton reaffirmed his status as junior welterweight champion, a designation he earned with a career-defining win over Kostya Tszyu two years ago. However he detracted from the perception that he lives and fights at 100MPH, offering more clinching than punching in a bout that started strong and ended wrong.
Call this one a second chance at a lasting impression. For HBO, for Hatton, Castillo and the junior welterweight division, once the deepest weight class in the sport, now in dire need of a rebirth. This pick-'em fight figures to provide all of that, and then some.
JULY 14 WELTERWEIGHTS, PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE (HBO-DUAL LOCATIONS)
Charles Dickens couldn't have penned a better classic. Longtime HBO favorite Arturo Gatti returns and perhaps exits, as some believe this to be a farewell party. The Human Highlight Film intends to go out with a bang, one way or another. Come July, he gets Season One Contender Semi-Finalist Alfonso Gomez. The next Contender alum to win a bout on HBO in fact any bout outside of The Contender umbrella will be the first. Peter Manfredo, Ishe Smith, and Norberto Bravo all fell short in recent appearances. Gomez barely survived familiar foe Jesse Feliciano last year on ESPN. But still, this is 2007 version of Arturo Gatti the one barely held together by duct tape and chewing gum. If you have two hands and a decent chin, you have a chance. Alfonso Gomez has a chance. But more germane to the purpose of the show, the bout takes place in Arturo's home away from home at Atlantic City's Convention Center, an arena which Gatti figures to be sell out for the ninth straight time. And once again, the fans have a great chance at getting an all-action war.
Kermit Cintron and Walter Matthysse rarely, if ever, disappoint in the entertainment department, even if their skills leave a lot to be desired. Kermit still has yet to meet the punch he didn't want to block with his face, as his overwhelming desire to knock you out leaves him wide open for as long as he or his opponent will last. Very few were lasting very long against Matthysse, until the Argentinean ran into undefeated southpaw Paul Williams last May. However long this one lasts, count on a lot of leather landing.
Fittingly enough, the bout resembles something of a bronze medal round, as their respective conquerors Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams duke it out 3,000 miles away in Carson, CA. The fans win, as HBO has opted to offer a dual-site tripleheader telecast. How they got here is all thanks to the fighters.
Williams is well-connected advisor Al Haymon enjoys a cozy relationship with HBO, and promoter Dan Goossen was willing to spend any amount to secure this matchup. Connections don't get you everywhere, however; as a 6'1" hard-hitting southpaw welterweight, Williams has had a rough time securing opposition.
Enter Margarito, who passed on a career-high payday against Miguel Cotto in order to make this fight happen, though of course it comes with an even bigger paycheck, as well as the promise of a possible November showdown against the winner of Cotto-Judah.
In a battle of two fighters who believe have been snubbed by the industry for far too long, the winner receives instant gratification as well as the promise of a lucrative payday in the near future. Chances are, he also proves to be the best welterweight on a night chuck full of 'em.
AUGUST 4 DUELING LOCATIONS (TOP RANK PPV AND SHOWTIME)
One day, the rest of the boxing industry will respect the fact that the first Saturday of the month is already taken by Showtime. Perhaps they will have it beaten into them on this night. That is, of course, providing the world junior featherweight title rematch between Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez is anywhere as near as their first bout this past March.
Marquez, moving up in weight, came right at then-champion Vazquez from the opening bell. The plan worked wonders, as Raffy's punching power shattered Vazquez' nose in the second round. A bail-out third round knockdown from Vazquez was the difference between a close fight and a whitewash. Marquez came back strong in the 4 th and 5th, at which point Vazquez could no longer breathe through his nose. Trainer Freddie Roach told his charge he had two more rounds to turn the tide. Student obliged, taking the 6th and fighting no worse than on even terms in the 7 th before being forced to retire at rounds end. The anti-climactic ending pre-empted what was well on its way to easily becoming the best fight of the year. They get (at least) one more chance this August.
It will take a Fight of the Year effort to make people forget that future Hall-of-Famer returns on the same night, even if perhaps only one last time. Whether or not it takes place on HBO or independent PPV remains to be seen. But such spurious details hardly matter when it comes to a living legend like Morales, who hopes to go out on a high note. A win over David Diaz provides the Mexican such an exit, rather his present run of having lost four of his last five bouts. A Diaz win would provide the 1996 Olympian with a big win over a notable, albeit faded, opponent. A success story ten years in the making, even if already matched two years ago by Olympic teammate Zahir Raheem.
***************
The aforementioned highlights what figures to be a very busy summer for boxing. Also included in the mix is a July 7 rematch between present top heavyweight Wladimir Kllitschko, and former conqueror Lamon Brewster, who will end a 15-month hiatus come fight night. Two weeks later, pound-for-pound entrants Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright collide (July 21, HBO PPV), with Hopkins' light heavyweight crown at stake.
So whether or not much of the audience from last weekend's banquet-style boxing event elects to stick around and give the sport a chance, always remember this: just because you're not watching, it doesn't mean we're not working.