chop
05-22-2007, 05:12 PM
By Jake Donovan
It works out well in every other sport. You stage a bracket system where the Final Four becomes the Final two. The winners of the semi-finals face off in the Finals, with the last team standing crowned champion of its sport. Furthermore, those who tuned in to the semifinals now await with anticipation the grand finale.
You would like to believe that such a formula is in place when a televised boxing doubleheader consists of a champion in one bout, and his top two contestants fighting a title eliminator in the co-feature. It also makes perfect sense to follow through while people are still buzzing about the challenger who prevailed in an incredible co-feature, and how he would prove to be the perfect foil to a champion in dire need of a watchable and controversy-free fight.
This being boxing, post-fight talks amongst the powers that be have naturally become about anything other than a Jermain Taylor-Kelly Pavlik bout happening any time soon.
The one positive thing everyone in boxing seems to agree on after this weekend is that Kelly Pavlik is the top threat to the middleweight throne. He literally beat it into Edison Miranda in their seven-round war of a co-feature, thus permanently putting to rest the perception that he was just another chinny Midwestern slugger.
He even had Lou DiBella, Taylor's promoter, admitting at the post-fight press conference that he deserves a title shot. Pavlik may very well receive a shot at a middleweight title. His promoter, Bob Arum, made it very clear at the post-fight presser that he's willing to go full guns blazing outside the ring to ensure that his kid is next in line for a title shot.
There's just no guarantee that it will be for the middleweight title.
Taylor is still regarded as the man who beat the man, even though he's rapidly becoming the most disputed undisputed champion in boxing history. He extended that dubious legacy Saturday night with a highly disputed split decision over Cory Spinks in a bout where the scorecards were the only matter warranting discussion in a disappointing main event. Even more disappointing was the sparse crowd at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN (more on that later in the article), which has often been sold as Taylor country.
Taking both factors into consideration, you can only scratch your head in puzzlement when Taylor proclaimed after the fight that his next fight will be against "the man that brings me the most money. If Kelly Pavlik is considered the best and brings the most money, then I would love to fight him."
Pavlik could be that man, with the right backing. He has the right team, beginning with dedicated no-nonsense trainer Jack Loew, a straight shooter who always tells it like it is, rather than whispering what you want to hear. The latter would be a waste of time on Pavlik anyway, as he is not the "yes men" type. He'd rather know what he's doing wrong while he and his competition level progresses, rather than coasting against hand picked opponents.
That mentality makes life that much easier for his manager Cameron Dunkin, who is one of the best in the sport at what he does. So too is Bob Arum, whose Top Rank promotional company proudly represents the pride of Youngstown, OH.
All that is missing is a major network to further wave the banner.
HBO had that chance, as Pavlik was making his second straight appearance on the self-proclaimed "network of champions." Instead, they opted to sell a pick-'em fight as a coming out party for his opponent Edison Miranda, who was the recipient of a ten-minute pre-fight segment prior to the bout.
As usual, the joke was on HBO. Not only did Miranda lose, but also Pavlik possibly ruined him for all middleweights. That, along with the stinker of a main event, destroyed HBO's hopes of a possible Taylor-Miranda showdown later in the year, most likely an autumn PPV event.
Instead, Pavlik's performance becomes the proverbial falling tree in a vacant forest. One upset in this tournament results in the possible cancellation of the Finals.
The joke at ringside moments after Pavlik's win was that he may have punched himself out of a shot against Jermain Taylor. The joke quickly became a rumor, one that now has legs. Talks have turned to a possible showdown between Taylor and undefeated super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe, to take place either later this year or early 2008.
The bout makes sense financially – if Taylor is willing to update his passport and fight abroad. With his last three fights – all fought in either Memphis or Little Rock – falling short of expectations at the box office, Taylor is no longer by default able to call the shots at the negotiating table. Especially not when he is talking about a fight with Calzaghe, whose last bout, an anti-climactic third round stoppage of Peter Manfredo, Jr., drew 10,000 more fans than the combined total of Taylor's last three bouts.
Taylor is struggling to bring people to arenas; Calzaghe is filling up soccer stadiums.
How boxing suffers from such a fight is that it kills the biggest fights the middleweight and super middleweight divisions would otherwise have to offer. Along with Taylor-Pavlik being tossed in the scrap, so too would the only fight at super middleweight that matters – Calzaghe versus Mikkel Kessler.
At the very least, Kessler is the second best super middleweight on the planet. Like Pavlik, all that stands in the way from the Dane's road to the top is the opportunity to fight the number one guy. It's no coincidence that both Taylor and Calzaghe are under contract with HBO, while Pavlik and Kessler receive airtime, but not the network's undivided attention.
Kessler and his team learned that lesson the hard way last October. His bout with Markus Beyer was previously scheduled as part of a doubleheader with Joe Calzaghe's bout against Sakio Bika, a card that would've marked the network debut for both undefeated super middleweights. Instead, the night became a full-blown Calzaghe love fest, with Kessler's third-round knockout win only offered in clips.
The undefeated Dane finally made the prime-time edition this past March, with his unanimous decision win over then-undefeated Librado Andrade headlining a Boxing After Dark telecast via tape-delay from Denmark. The bout confirmed that Kessler was a force to be reckoned with in the ring, dominating Andrade throughout, and still gunning for the knockout even though it was clear he was taking a decision.
What was also revealed that night was, in other parts of the world, people still attend boxing matches in large quantities – 18,000 of them for this particular bout in Copenhagen, Denmark.
That bout aired came two weeks before Calzaghe's aforementioned bout with Manfredo. Afterwards, boxing fans began clamoring for a Calzaghe-Kessler showdown, much as the demand has now begun for a Taylor-Pavlik fight.
Instead, we may get stuck with more mixing and matching.
Should Calzaghe-Taylor materialize, fans would naturally hope for a Kessler-Pavlik fight to come along with it. While such a fight would be a classic battle between boxer-puncher (Kessler) and puncher-boxer (Pavlik), it's an unnecessary risk for two fighters willing to fight the best, and an unnecessary reward for "the best" to not grant them the opportunity.
Not to mention that it's destined to result in another Final Four, hold the finals.
IF YOU BUILD IT – THEY STILL WON'T COME
If an old saying were to be assigned to this past weekend, it would be, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink."
Promoter Lou DiBella did his job in bringing a quality card to the people, many of who were already in town for the annual Memphis in May festival. The upper decks sold well, with most of those tickets set at $45 and under. But upper deck seating is hardly showcased on network television, which wound up featuring a sea of empty chairs in the sections immediately off of the floor whenever they went to wide angle shots.
The only supporting argument to this weekend's poorly attended fight was that fans didn't believe Taylor-Spinks would be a competitive fight. That argument loses steam when you take into account the can't-miss co-feature added to the show in Pavlik-Miranda.
True boxing fans also had to respect the full line-up for the non-televised portion, which featured a slew of undefeated fighters, including potential future superstar Andre Berto, multi-talented Ronald Hearns, son of the legendary Tommy "The Hitman" Hearns, and local favorite Ira "Mr. Showtime" Terry.
The belief surrounding last year's disappointing turnout for the Jermain Taylor-Winky Wright fight was that local promotional outfit Prize Fight Promotions outpriced the public ticket base. Ringside seats and several rows behind were set at $1,250, many of which went unsold. There were many factors that went into the prices being set so high. None matter as much as the fact that this year's turnout in the same arena with the same headlining fighter proved most in the media, myself included, to be very, very wrong.
Ticket prices could've been set at 10% of the price. In the end, those who regularly frequent Beale Street obviously prefer barbecue over boxing, blues to black-and-blues and hookers over left hooks.
IT'S UP TO YOU, NEW YORK
Hopefully, next month's welterweight showdown between Miguel Cotto and Zab Judah at Madison Square Garden will reveal that boxing isn't on its last legs in all areas not dependent on casino revenue. Promoter Bob Arum revealed during a pre-fight press conference in Memphis that ticket sales already exceeded the $2 million mark, surpassing the take for last year's pre-Puerto Rican Day Parade event between Cotto and Paul Malignaggi.
Arum expects a sold-out crowd by fight night, if not before. He plans to pull out all of the stops for this event, and it began this Saturday, which was held at the Rendezvous Restaurant in Memphis. Complete with gumbo, cheese and sausage platters and Cajun-styled ribs, Top Rank and Prize Fight Promotions (who presently co-promotes Judah) offered a spread that would make former site contributor Dave Selwyn proud.
Revealed at the press conference were full details for the weigh-in. Plans call for a public weigh-in outside of the Garden, with traffic blocked off at 33 rd between 7th and 8th Avenue.
PAC-MAN TO RETURN IN OCTOBER, EH
Saturday afternoon's presser was not limited to the June 9 fight. Arum also informed those within earshot that 2006 Fighter of the Year Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring in October. His latest victory, an 8 th round stoppage of Jorge Solis this past April, was followed by despair as Pacquiao's bid for a seat in the Philippine House of Senate fell short earlier this month.
Pacquiao now embarks on new adventures, as the show appears to be heading for heavily Filipino-populated Vancouver, Canada. No opponent has been finalized, though speculation around the water cooler is that Humberto Soto is emerging as the leading candidate. Described by Arum as "quite possibly the best 130 lb. fighter on the planet," Soto must first get past Manny's younger brother, Bobby Pacquiao, in their June 9 co-feature to the aforementioned Cotto-Judah bout. Should Soto emerge victorious, "My Brother's Keeper" wouldn't be a bad choice for the October 6 event.
NOT MISSING MERCHANT YET
If you're wondering why last weekend's broadcast didn't come with a tribute to the long and meritorious broadcasting career of Larry Merchant, it's because he's not going anywhere – yet.
The rumor heading into the weekend was that the May 19 broadcast would be Merchant's last, with Max Kellerman set to be brought in as lead commentator Jim Lampley's new anchor. A slew of new rumors came abound this weekend. Some insiders insist that he and HBO agreed to terms for an extended stay. Others are suggesting a 50-50 split between Merchant and Kellerman on future World Championship Boxing broadcasts for the time being.
The only constant among the rumors is that May 19 was not Merchant's last call on HBO.
It works out well in every other sport. You stage a bracket system where the Final Four becomes the Final two. The winners of the semi-finals face off in the Finals, with the last team standing crowned champion of its sport. Furthermore, those who tuned in to the semifinals now await with anticipation the grand finale.
You would like to believe that such a formula is in place when a televised boxing doubleheader consists of a champion in one bout, and his top two contestants fighting a title eliminator in the co-feature. It also makes perfect sense to follow through while people are still buzzing about the challenger who prevailed in an incredible co-feature, and how he would prove to be the perfect foil to a champion in dire need of a watchable and controversy-free fight.
This being boxing, post-fight talks amongst the powers that be have naturally become about anything other than a Jermain Taylor-Kelly Pavlik bout happening any time soon.
The one positive thing everyone in boxing seems to agree on after this weekend is that Kelly Pavlik is the top threat to the middleweight throne. He literally beat it into Edison Miranda in their seven-round war of a co-feature, thus permanently putting to rest the perception that he was just another chinny Midwestern slugger.
He even had Lou DiBella, Taylor's promoter, admitting at the post-fight press conference that he deserves a title shot. Pavlik may very well receive a shot at a middleweight title. His promoter, Bob Arum, made it very clear at the post-fight presser that he's willing to go full guns blazing outside the ring to ensure that his kid is next in line for a title shot.
There's just no guarantee that it will be for the middleweight title.
Taylor is still regarded as the man who beat the man, even though he's rapidly becoming the most disputed undisputed champion in boxing history. He extended that dubious legacy Saturday night with a highly disputed split decision over Cory Spinks in a bout where the scorecards were the only matter warranting discussion in a disappointing main event. Even more disappointing was the sparse crowd at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN (more on that later in the article), which has often been sold as Taylor country.
Taking both factors into consideration, you can only scratch your head in puzzlement when Taylor proclaimed after the fight that his next fight will be against "the man that brings me the most money. If Kelly Pavlik is considered the best and brings the most money, then I would love to fight him."
Pavlik could be that man, with the right backing. He has the right team, beginning with dedicated no-nonsense trainer Jack Loew, a straight shooter who always tells it like it is, rather than whispering what you want to hear. The latter would be a waste of time on Pavlik anyway, as he is not the "yes men" type. He'd rather know what he's doing wrong while he and his competition level progresses, rather than coasting against hand picked opponents.
That mentality makes life that much easier for his manager Cameron Dunkin, who is one of the best in the sport at what he does. So too is Bob Arum, whose Top Rank promotional company proudly represents the pride of Youngstown, OH.
All that is missing is a major network to further wave the banner.
HBO had that chance, as Pavlik was making his second straight appearance on the self-proclaimed "network of champions." Instead, they opted to sell a pick-'em fight as a coming out party for his opponent Edison Miranda, who was the recipient of a ten-minute pre-fight segment prior to the bout.
As usual, the joke was on HBO. Not only did Miranda lose, but also Pavlik possibly ruined him for all middleweights. That, along with the stinker of a main event, destroyed HBO's hopes of a possible Taylor-Miranda showdown later in the year, most likely an autumn PPV event.
Instead, Pavlik's performance becomes the proverbial falling tree in a vacant forest. One upset in this tournament results in the possible cancellation of the Finals.
The joke at ringside moments after Pavlik's win was that he may have punched himself out of a shot against Jermain Taylor. The joke quickly became a rumor, one that now has legs. Talks have turned to a possible showdown between Taylor and undefeated super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe, to take place either later this year or early 2008.
The bout makes sense financially – if Taylor is willing to update his passport and fight abroad. With his last three fights – all fought in either Memphis or Little Rock – falling short of expectations at the box office, Taylor is no longer by default able to call the shots at the negotiating table. Especially not when he is talking about a fight with Calzaghe, whose last bout, an anti-climactic third round stoppage of Peter Manfredo, Jr., drew 10,000 more fans than the combined total of Taylor's last three bouts.
Taylor is struggling to bring people to arenas; Calzaghe is filling up soccer stadiums.
How boxing suffers from such a fight is that it kills the biggest fights the middleweight and super middleweight divisions would otherwise have to offer. Along with Taylor-Pavlik being tossed in the scrap, so too would the only fight at super middleweight that matters – Calzaghe versus Mikkel Kessler.
At the very least, Kessler is the second best super middleweight on the planet. Like Pavlik, all that stands in the way from the Dane's road to the top is the opportunity to fight the number one guy. It's no coincidence that both Taylor and Calzaghe are under contract with HBO, while Pavlik and Kessler receive airtime, but not the network's undivided attention.
Kessler and his team learned that lesson the hard way last October. His bout with Markus Beyer was previously scheduled as part of a doubleheader with Joe Calzaghe's bout against Sakio Bika, a card that would've marked the network debut for both undefeated super middleweights. Instead, the night became a full-blown Calzaghe love fest, with Kessler's third-round knockout win only offered in clips.
The undefeated Dane finally made the prime-time edition this past March, with his unanimous decision win over then-undefeated Librado Andrade headlining a Boxing After Dark telecast via tape-delay from Denmark. The bout confirmed that Kessler was a force to be reckoned with in the ring, dominating Andrade throughout, and still gunning for the knockout even though it was clear he was taking a decision.
What was also revealed that night was, in other parts of the world, people still attend boxing matches in large quantities – 18,000 of them for this particular bout in Copenhagen, Denmark.
That bout aired came two weeks before Calzaghe's aforementioned bout with Manfredo. Afterwards, boxing fans began clamoring for a Calzaghe-Kessler showdown, much as the demand has now begun for a Taylor-Pavlik fight.
Instead, we may get stuck with more mixing and matching.
Should Calzaghe-Taylor materialize, fans would naturally hope for a Kessler-Pavlik fight to come along with it. While such a fight would be a classic battle between boxer-puncher (Kessler) and puncher-boxer (Pavlik), it's an unnecessary risk for two fighters willing to fight the best, and an unnecessary reward for "the best" to not grant them the opportunity.
Not to mention that it's destined to result in another Final Four, hold the finals.
IF YOU BUILD IT – THEY STILL WON'T COME
If an old saying were to be assigned to this past weekend, it would be, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink."
Promoter Lou DiBella did his job in bringing a quality card to the people, many of who were already in town for the annual Memphis in May festival. The upper decks sold well, with most of those tickets set at $45 and under. But upper deck seating is hardly showcased on network television, which wound up featuring a sea of empty chairs in the sections immediately off of the floor whenever they went to wide angle shots.
The only supporting argument to this weekend's poorly attended fight was that fans didn't believe Taylor-Spinks would be a competitive fight. That argument loses steam when you take into account the can't-miss co-feature added to the show in Pavlik-Miranda.
True boxing fans also had to respect the full line-up for the non-televised portion, which featured a slew of undefeated fighters, including potential future superstar Andre Berto, multi-talented Ronald Hearns, son of the legendary Tommy "The Hitman" Hearns, and local favorite Ira "Mr. Showtime" Terry.
The belief surrounding last year's disappointing turnout for the Jermain Taylor-Winky Wright fight was that local promotional outfit Prize Fight Promotions outpriced the public ticket base. Ringside seats and several rows behind were set at $1,250, many of which went unsold. There were many factors that went into the prices being set so high. None matter as much as the fact that this year's turnout in the same arena with the same headlining fighter proved most in the media, myself included, to be very, very wrong.
Ticket prices could've been set at 10% of the price. In the end, those who regularly frequent Beale Street obviously prefer barbecue over boxing, blues to black-and-blues and hookers over left hooks.
IT'S UP TO YOU, NEW YORK
Hopefully, next month's welterweight showdown between Miguel Cotto and Zab Judah at Madison Square Garden will reveal that boxing isn't on its last legs in all areas not dependent on casino revenue. Promoter Bob Arum revealed during a pre-fight press conference in Memphis that ticket sales already exceeded the $2 million mark, surpassing the take for last year's pre-Puerto Rican Day Parade event between Cotto and Paul Malignaggi.
Arum expects a sold-out crowd by fight night, if not before. He plans to pull out all of the stops for this event, and it began this Saturday, which was held at the Rendezvous Restaurant in Memphis. Complete with gumbo, cheese and sausage platters and Cajun-styled ribs, Top Rank and Prize Fight Promotions (who presently co-promotes Judah) offered a spread that would make former site contributor Dave Selwyn proud.
Revealed at the press conference were full details for the weigh-in. Plans call for a public weigh-in outside of the Garden, with traffic blocked off at 33 rd between 7th and 8th Avenue.
PAC-MAN TO RETURN IN OCTOBER, EH
Saturday afternoon's presser was not limited to the June 9 fight. Arum also informed those within earshot that 2006 Fighter of the Year Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring in October. His latest victory, an 8 th round stoppage of Jorge Solis this past April, was followed by despair as Pacquiao's bid for a seat in the Philippine House of Senate fell short earlier this month.
Pacquiao now embarks on new adventures, as the show appears to be heading for heavily Filipino-populated Vancouver, Canada. No opponent has been finalized, though speculation around the water cooler is that Humberto Soto is emerging as the leading candidate. Described by Arum as "quite possibly the best 130 lb. fighter on the planet," Soto must first get past Manny's younger brother, Bobby Pacquiao, in their June 9 co-feature to the aforementioned Cotto-Judah bout. Should Soto emerge victorious, "My Brother's Keeper" wouldn't be a bad choice for the October 6 event.
NOT MISSING MERCHANT YET
If you're wondering why last weekend's broadcast didn't come with a tribute to the long and meritorious broadcasting career of Larry Merchant, it's because he's not going anywhere – yet.
The rumor heading into the weekend was that the May 19 broadcast would be Merchant's last, with Max Kellerman set to be brought in as lead commentator Jim Lampley's new anchor. A slew of new rumors came abound this weekend. Some insiders insist that he and HBO agreed to terms for an extended stay. Others are suggesting a 50-50 split between Merchant and Kellerman on future World Championship Boxing broadcasts for the time being.
The only constant among the rumors is that May 19 was not Merchant's last call on HBO.
