Hello, and welcome to “Brian’s Boxing Mailbag,” where all your questions are answered and hopefully, you will enjoy my responses.
Press Conference Fights
At the Ricardo Mayorga-Fernando Vargas presser there was of course a brawl. Was it hard to see that on coming? Couldn’t these fighters figure out something original to do at a press conference? Seeing two guys throw punches that never land and then a bunch of fat body guards and tough entourages start shoving like a couple of 8 year-olds fighting over who gets to play on the swing set next isn’t my idea of entertaining. Plus it is dangerous in there. One of these fools is going to break a hand or get goosed by a 400-pound bodyguard named Jorge and they are really going to be sorry when the fight gets canceled. Who knows what goes on inside of those scrums? Sweaty and steamy bodies thrusting and pulling in every direction while Don King stands in the background with dollar signs in his eyes waving the American flag. There are no rules in a brew-ha like that, it only takes one wrong move at the bottom of the pile and some poor business manager named Skip could come out no longer a virgin courtesy of Jorge and his slightly smaller 350-pound friend Brutus. When are these fake fights going to stop before someone gets hurt?
-Patrick Duffy
Patrick,
Your name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. Anyway, I actually agree with some of what you are saying. Not the part about Jorge and Brutus, but that press conference brawls are played out. I am not offended by them or think boxers who fight should be fined, but rather I think that the fighters should think of something original to sell a fight. Vargas and Mayorga are both hotheads who instigate brawls so more often than not, if you put both in the same room they will try to fight each other. If they have another press conference together before September 8th, they will probably brawl again. I doubt that this stunt will either help or hurt the PPV.
A Hat On May
Would it be advisable for Hatton to swamp Mayweather? Being swamped would mean that there would be little room for a skilled boxer to execute some tactics or well placed punches. Mayweather would have to resort to countering Hatton as he comes in and would be forced to brawl at times, stirring him to Hatton’s kind of fight. But Hatton should be able to cut off the ring in order to impose his will on a running Mayweather which is easier said than done. What should be the better fight plan for a fighter in order to beat Mayweather?
-Odinar
Odinar,
Hatton needs to make this a rough fight because he cannot win a boxing match against Mayweather. So yes, it would be advisable for Hatton to swamp Mayweather as you say. Other quality boxers have tried this before with little success though (see Jesus Chavez). It is essential that Hatton successfully cuts off the ring and traps Mayweather against the ropes in some spots or else he will get picked off to death in the center of the ring. And I hate to say it, but some clinching and wrestling would work in Hatton’s favor as well. Some things have to fall in place for Hatton to be competitive, but if they do then this will be one hell of a fight.
Fight Judges
Great article Brian. How does Laurence Cole still get assignments? Can GBP, Top Rank or HBO disallow some judges to score a fight or does the state commission have full autonomy in this decision?
-Richie Ledesma
Richie,
Laurence Cole is an active referee who gets assigned many high profile assignments. Cole does not stick out to me as a bad referee from what I recall. The only major screw up that I can remember him doing was disqualifying Emanuel Augustus against Tomas Barrientes for trying to spin himself out of a clinch. But that seemed to be more like a one-off than a trend. What fights in particular did you object to Cole’s refereeing?
I have never heard of HBO denying referees or judges, but promoters and boxers can protest. The promoters will appeal if they think that the judges were picked unfairly, and can threaten to pull out of the fight if they feel passionate enough. Sometimes new judges are appointed and other times the commissions ignore the appeal. Sometimes the sanctioning bodies will assign officials if the commission does not for whatever reason.
Chinks In Mayweather’s Armor
Hi Brian. What do you think are the weaknesses of Floyd Mayweather? It seems that no one can ever beat him with the way I look at it.
Jan Cristan
Jan,
Floyd’s defense is so stellar that we do not know how good his chin really is as it is barely ever touched. He has been rocked a couple times before though so his whiskers do not exactly rival Marvin Hagler’s. Since Floyd has moved above 140 pounds his power has not been nearly as effective. He is not physically as strong as the average welterweight either. Of course he makes up for this with speed, precision, and uncanny boxing ability.
Vargas
Do you see Vargas having any chance against Mayorga? Where do you see the winner going? Did you see how big Fernando was in Alpha Dog?
-Tony Ramierz
Tony,
I did not see Fernando in Alpha Dog. I was unaware that he had done major acting work so I will have to check that out. Thanks for the heads up.
Vargas has a very good chance to defeat Mayorga because he has better boxing skills. Mayorga is tough and hits hard, but his list of assets end there. Fernando is more diverse and a better all around athlete so if he is not completely shot he should be able to out maneuver Mayorga. The winner is not going far. This is pretty much the last hurrah for both men. The winner may get one more big payday down the road but don’t count on it. Vargas has said that this is his last fight, win or lose, if you want to believe him. One fight that would be interesting if Mayorga comes out victorious is a rubber match with Vernon Forrest.
Boxing World Cup
Brian, thanks for answering all the questions you get, we really appreciate that our questions are read, answered and don’t go directly to trash. I read somewhere that Argentina and Japan want to challenge The Philippines for the world cup. Why not go for a knockout system with The Philippines vs. Japan and Mexico vs. Argentina then the winners fight for the world cup. It’s east vs. west or south or whatever you call it on the finals. It will be great for boxing and there will be more countries involved. What is your take?
-Emmett Young
Emmett,
That is not a bad idea but I do not know how feasible it is. Golden Boy, who is the promotional mastermind behind the World Cup, will probably just have The Philippines defend their title one country after the other. If they have too many elimination tournaments The Philippines might run out of countries to beat!
My Mug On a T-Shirt?
Wow! Brian, it seems that you are becoming very popular with Filipino fight fans. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw somebody walking down the mall wearing a t-shirt with a big Brian Wilbur written in the front. Or is there another Brian Wilbur that I should be hearing about? Anyway, here’s my question: In an MMA match, who do you think has the advantage between an MMA ground fighter learning to box and a pro boxer learning the ground game? Putting into consideration that the bout starts with both fighters standing.
P.S. I’d be wearing a Gerry Penalosa t-shirt rather than a Manny Pacquiao shirt. Gerry deserves more respect on and off the ring.
-Bobby Q.
Bobby,
I am surprised as you are about the Brian Wilbur t-shirt! I assure you that I did not create that t-shirt and it was probably not in honor of me. The only other Brian Wilbur that I know of with any kind of fame is a classical musical composer (Brian Wilbur Grundstrom who owns the website www.brianwilbur.com).
As for your question, I know I am supposed to be biased towards boxer’s because I am a boxing writer, but for the situation that you describe, I think that a MMA fighter would have an easier time taking up boxing than vice-versa. An MMA fighter already has to learn some striking skills so the basic fundamentals would be easy to pick up. Most boxers don’t know anything about grappling and wrestling (except John Ruiz).
A Stylish Mythical Matchup
If Rupaul were to have fought Liberace, who do you think would have won the belt?
-Tessy Tuna
Tessy,
I don’t know, probably Rupaul.
Reader Has An Obese Spouse
My fat wife wears a nightshirt that looks like that shirt you’re wearing. I like you better. I live in Ohio. My wife is away at that fat march reality show thing, talk to me. If that doesn’t interest you, perhaps a boxing question about David “Tuaman” Tua. One, is he going to win the title, and two, is he gong to be on fat march too?
-Billy Bob
Billy Bob,
I’m sorry about your wife sir. I hope she gets to her desired weight because of her appearance on the show. And my answer to your questions are no and no. The likelihood that Tua even gets another shot at a world title is slim. I completely gave up on David about two or three years ago when it was clear that he had devolved to a slow, plodding headhunter who cannot keep his weight down with any consistency. It pains me to say this because Tua was one of my favorites. He was in good shape when he blew out Saul Montana, but typical Tua behavior is to be in top shape for a tune up and then balloon up for an important fight.
Pacquiao At A Weight Disadvantage?
Brian, this is my last comment about Pacman and Juan Diaz. There have been other Filipino boxers who have moved up to lightweight and were competitive. My best example would be the Randy Suico and Czar Amonsot, both are 130 before they became lightweight. Just imagine these two Filipinos fighting Pacman. Having said that, I would go for pacman if he fights Diaz. Who would be your pick? Also, who’s your pick between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez? You already know who I will pick…..thanks anyway and more power!!!!
-Benjie M. Tiu
Benjie,
I’m not sure that I follow your logic when comparing Manny Pacquiao to Amonsot and Suico in order to make an argument for Manny to defeat Juan Diaz. I like Diaz in that fight because he would be able to match Manny punch for punch and is more proven at his weight class. I am likely going to pick Juan Manuel Marquez to beat Pacquiao too because Marquez will have 100% focus going into a rematch. If you take away the first two rounds of their first fight, Marquez dominated. I can obviously guess that you like Pacquiao against both Diaz and Marquez. I hope that you don’t take offense to me picking against your man in both match ups but do know that Diaz and Marquez are the only two fighters at or around Manny’s weight class that I would pick to beat him.
Boxing Commentators of the Past
Brian,
Enjoying the bag very much. I would like to get your thoughts on some of the commentators in boxing over the years if you would.
Don Dunphy Howard Cosell Tim Ryan Gil Clancy Dr. Ferdio Pachaeo
-Tom Jenson
Tom,
I’m not familiar with Ferdie Pacheco, but I can give you my opinions on the others.
Don Dunphy did a great job in the 1970’s covering many of the major close circuit fights. He may not have been able to capture the excitement of the moment like some others, but he was knowledgable, unbiased, and a pleasure to listen to.
Howard Cosell could be an arrogant prick one moment and then call a fight better than anyone else in history could have the next minute. People describe him as a “love him or hate him” personality. I loved him and hated him! Cosell was good at ad-libbing with Ali and post fight interviews but I preferred others in the play-by-play role.
The Tim Ryan and Gil Clancy tandem in the 1980’s was a good team because they could blend into the fight so well that you felt like you were listening to a couple buddies sitting in your living room watching the fight with you. Clancy was, of course, very knowledgable and offered insight while Ryan was the consistent presence in the broadcast.
Lee Canalito
Brian, what ever happened to Lee Canalito who was a heavyweight boxer in the 70’s and early 80’s?
-Joe T. Joe,
Canalito was a decent looking prospect but he inexplicably retired undefeated before taking a step up in class. The only semi-notable win on his record is a 7th round TKO over journeyman Steve Zouski in 1985. His last fight was in 1987. I am unsure why he decided to hang up the gloves so early. Lee is now running a boxing gym in Houston, TX and is available for one on one training sessions. The gym is more for people trying to train for boxing as a way to get in shape more than for serious professional fighters.
Thank you very much for the comments and questions, and I look forward to your emails for next week’s “Brian’s Boxing Mailbag.”
