Everytime I somehow find my way back home after a weekend trip to Sin City, I feel the lasting repercussions of an entertaining but physically damaging excursion. You know that something is wrong when Crown Royal seeps out of fingertips as you board the short flight home. You also know that something is wrong when drops of gin seem to be trickling out of the pores at the tip of your nose.
In any case? here it goes.
First and foremost, Lou DiBella should be caged and institutionalized or better yet? both. He?s a menace to society and how he ever worked for the ?Heart and Soul of Boxing? is beyond me as he exudes characteristics usually reserved for the primates of the world. There isn?t a liquor that the man doesn?t consume and there isn?t a vulgarity that doesn?t spew from his mouth.
If this is what it takes to become a boxing promoter? somebody sign me up A.S.A.P.
Human fetuses anyone?
On Friday, the weigh-in for this past weekend?s double-header main event drew a surprisingly decent turnout. I expected somewhere in the region between eight and seventeen spectators but it?d be safe to say that several hundred fight fans attended the boxing ritual of cheering as half-naked combatants step on a scale.
As we all know by now, both Marquez and Casamayor looked about as physically fit as any 135 pound fighters of their age bracket? the senior citizens of boxing. Unfortunately? the co-main event didn?t mirror the lightweights as Sergio Mora missed the junior middleweight limit by two pounds. I think this is a testament to what most people believed going into the first fight which is the fact that making 154 pounds is a bit too much of a stretch for ?The Latin Snake?.
Some might ask, ?Well then why did he make the weight the first time around and why did he look so good in doing so??
Perhaps all the stars aligned coupled with carrying a four-leaf clover and wearing a ?luck? necklace of human ears around his neck?
Just because a fighter is able to suck down once in order to make an artificially low weight, it doesn?t always mean that he or she will be able to do so in the future. In any case, Mora took an hour to take off the two extra pounds so unlike Biloxi, Missippi? the fight was still on.
In taking a stroll throughout the MGM Grand, it was evident that the economic turmoil surrounding the country has taken its effects on Sin City. While it?s been several years since having been to Vegas when there hasn?t been some sort of violent entertainment involved, I had never seen it like this.
It?s somewhere after the weigh-in that my mind turns foggy and recollections between then and let?s say? an hour ago are less clear than I?d like to remember.
Stories of the legendary Michael Marley circulate around the casino as apparently the jolly old man has quite the reputation for partaking in feats of debauchery as well as other unmentionables here on BoxingConfidential.
Another nasty rumor circulating the boxing circles that night was that Luis De Cubas and Fernando Vargas engaged each other in a street fight leaving the former junior middleweight champion of the world with stitches on his lip. I don?t know who started that one but I?m sure it was contrived by some no good scumbag.
Both Ricky Hatton and Paulie Malignaggi made an appearance on Friday Night at the ?Cirle Bar? at the MGM. It was a bit saddening to see a drinker with no drink as Hatton was on his best behavior apparently refusing to binge out. Unfortunately it didn?t help as his ?lemonade? seemed to have an adverse affect on his body causing him to miss the Saturday morning presser for his bout with ?The Magic Man?.
It is the opinion of most boxing insiders that ?The Hitman?s? body rejected foreign objects such as water and sugar when coupled with no booze.
Ricky? my advice to you is to never let that happen again. When in Rome? be Roman!
As most of you know by now, it seems as though Golden Boy Promotions has partnered up with Affliction. I have yet to carefully use my superior business acumen in order to decipher the potential positive and negative effects of this joint venture.
The one question or questions that I must ask are? is it easier to convert mixed martial arts fans into boxing fans? or is it easier to convert boxing fans into mixed martial arts fans? or is it akin to selling someone a baseball bat when they are indeed in the market for a tennis racquet?
While some will state that fans of violence are just that? fans of violence, not everyone enjoys their coffee in the same cup. Some like it in a ring, some like it in a cage, some like it when it involves wild animals deciding they don?t enjoy riding the miniature tricycle anymore. Either way? it?ll definitely be interesting to see how it all pans out.
Apparently ticket sales have been quite brisk for the Hatton-Malignaggi showdown as the Manchester contingent have once again decided to make the trek to Sin City and bleed the place dry. Seriously speaking, I?ve spoken with numerous employees of the MGM Grand and they?ve all verified that the Hattonites did in fact deplete the entire casino of beer this past December.
There?s only one Ricky Hatton and there?s also only one kind of Ricky Hatton fan? drunks, all tens of thousands of them.
The official fight card began at 3 o?clock with Carolos Velazquez starting off the action stopping his opponent in the fifth round. The Puerto Rican prospect threw and landed an uppercut that left me grabbing my teeth to make sure they were still intact. It was a great display of patient boxing and turning the heat up when necessary.
Both prospects Danny Garcia and Danny Jacobs decided that they didn?t have the patience to share the ring with their opponents for more than a few moments. They both scored brutal first round stoppages and promptly enjoyed the festivities in the stands.
It?s at this point when my stomach grabs me by the throat and begs me to eat something… anything.
Unfortunately for my gut, I run into none other than ?Sweet, Diabolical, and Disastrous? Lou DiBella and Jay Wartski in the media center so once again eating is put on the back-burner as other forms of consumption are now at the forefront of the brain.
I stumble err? walk back into the arena to notice that the boxing fans are finally making their presence felt. For an instance it felt as though you could hear a pin drop as the stands were about as empty as Michael Marley?s pockets after a three day binge.
According to veteran, hall-of-fame promoters? yes notice the plural, Don ?War-a-week? Chargin and Lorraine ?The Cambria Cobra? Chargin, the fight of the night was that of Daud Yordan and Antonio Meza.
The Chargins stated, ?Those guys went at it for the entire time. They were punching each other really hard throughout the bout rarely taking a step back. What a performance!?
I guess it?s just too bad that this featherweight bout couldn?t have switched with that of the snoozer that was Perez-Garcia as the fans grew restless booing throughout the bout.
At one point I hear some idiotic fan yell? ?Somebody throw a grenade into the ring!!!?
Oops? was that me?
Finally the 168 pound fight is over and ?Vicious? Victor Ortiz enters the ring looking to remind people as to why he is touted as the future of the 140 pound and potentially even the welterweight division. The Oxnard-native performed magnificently as he broke down Roberto Arrieta in five one-sided rounds. Hopefully we?ll be able to engage with the likes of Ricardo Torres or a Juan Urango-type character in the near future.
With all of the appetizer bouts out of the way, now is the time for the main course in the form of the double-header.
Sergio Mora enters the ring while drawing a solid ovation from the crowd. It?s obvious that the ?City of Angels? is in the house as plenty of Mexicans and Mexican Americans made the trek to support their favorite and beloved sport of boxing.
As the junior middleweight prize fight transpired, it was quite obvious that this wasn?t the same Vernon Forrest that we saw this past June and it?s also quite obvious that it wasn?t quite the same Sergio Mora from their initial match. ?The Viper? fought a very disciplined bout coupled with a great game plan that kept the Contender champion confused and befuddled.
Jab-jab-right hand to the body was a consistent combination that the Atlanta-based champion threw throughout the night.
When Mora attempted to lure the veteran fighter on the inside hoping to counter effectively, the cagey ?Viper? would merely take a slight step back and let Mora eat his way back up to the 160 pound division with a steady serving of deep fried, poached, grilled, roasted, boiled, baked, and basted jabs.
A truly great and tactically proficient performance by Mr. Forrest.
Hopefully boxing fans won?t be forced witness a trilogy bout between the two as Forrest should tangle with the likes of either Verno Phillips or maybe even make his way into the 160 pound division.
Now I take a slight break from the action as I step outside for a quick grasp of ?fresh? Las Vegas air.
Yeah right? I think I caught cancer in the three minutes I spent outside the arena. Doesn?t anyone feel bad for the birds, lizards, and other life forms that are exposed to all this damaging cigarette smoke?
Luckily through my extensive formal and informal education, I remember as a bartender being informed by a regular drunk that unfiltered beer has cancer fighting qualities such as antioxidants. In order to effectively counter the effects of the cancerous poison I was unfortunately exposed to outside the arena, I proceed to indulge myself in a beautiful pint of Hefeweizen.
As I re-enter the arena I hear the name of Oscar De la Hoya being announced to the crowd. In a surprising display of defiance, the fans start to boo loudly while chanting the name of none other than? Antonio Margarito.
Margarito! Margarito! Margarito!
Why would the fans do such a thing?
I have no idea why.
Don?t people understand and know by now that Oscar will be fighting Manny Pacquiao on December 6?
In what was a major surprise to most, the lightweight battle between Joel Casamayor and Juan Manuel Marquez provided a great deal of entertainment. While it obviously was no Cotto-Margarito in terms of brutal, sustained action? it was a fight for the purists of the sport.
It involved two future hall-of-fame fighters that exuded an extremely high level of craft coupled with a burning desire to stay among the elite in this sport.
Each and every round of the prize fight was competitive as both men looked to pick and choose their spots carefully. Marquez utilized an effective jab and right hand while Casamayor placed his left hand carefully on the face of the Mexico City fighter from time to time.
Magnificent stuff I tell you. Absolutely, positively magnificent stuff!
Worth the $50 dollar price tag?
That is for you to decide.
Leading up to the eleventh round, I had the fight extremely close giving the slightest of edges to the Mexican. In transforming from an extremely disciplined counter puncher to a boxer/puncher/slugger-when-need-be? Juan Manuel Marquez showed why he is one of the most well rounded as well as entertaining fighters today.
Instead of playing it safe and attempting to eek out a decision victory, ?Dinamita? went for glory and got it in the form of a stoppage victory.
In fact, from what I heard, Casamayor entered the eleventh with the same intentions as he heeded his corner?s instructions and opened himself up in the process. There?s no shame in getting knocked out when going for the knockout yourself and ?The Comb? should be commended for giving one of his most aesthetically pleasing performances in recent times.
The stock of both men rose significantly following this bout and up until an ?old? by age fighter shows significant signs of consistent slippage, it?s unfair to count out these old-timers.
It was a very good night for boxing as the main event delivered on all cylinders and those in attendance knew what to expect.
It all comes down to the education of the fans as not every fight can be a reenactment of Izrael Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez.
After the fight? drinks with the Chargins, drinks with DiBella, drinks with Wartski, drinks with ?Two Pound? Forbes (who by the way is looking like a full-fledged welterweight these days), and more hazy events until the sun peaks it?s head out.
Las Vegas takes years off your life.
My projected current lifespan is somewhere between 32 and 37 years old.
Either way? it was fun while it lasted.
PS. In what is a strange game of Boxing Jeopardy? Who is boxing?s human fetus?
