“These are the challenges I look for”…”I saw nothing that impressed me or caught my attention”…all recent comments made by some of the biggest names in the sport. Looking back at this week’s key quotes of note, Boxing Scribe Vivek Wallace offers his own unique perspective, giving fight fans “a little something to think about”. Check it out!
“My fans have been waiting long enough. I am ready to return to the ring and give [them] a fantastic night of action. At this stage of my career, these are the challenges I look for – a young, strong, rising star looking to make his mark in boxing by beating me.” – Floyd Mayweather on his ring return
Perspective: At long last….after what will equate to a 16-month hiatus, seems many fight fans and media will finally get what they’ve wanted: another shot at Floyd Mayweather! For the Mayweather-faithful, this will be a glorious occasion, but for several others, this will be little more than another opportunity to take a shot at a man that most love to hate. For months, Mayweather was criticized for being an “inactive” fighter. After the breaking news, seems many have changed that tune, more eager to attack his opposition, despite the fact that this opponent is coming off arguably the most gutsy performance witnessed in the sport this year.
For most, the name Mayweather has become synonymous with the name Pacquiao. So in a quick analysis, lets play that game and simply take a look at how the choice of opponents have stacked up recently between the two. In the case of Pacquiao, his last 6 opponents were Mosley, Margarito, Clottey, Cotto, Hatton, and Oscar. In contrast, Mayweather has faced Mosley, Marquez, Hatton, Oscar, Baldomir, and Judah. Between the two, there were four common opponents, but multiple major distinctions between the status of those opponents when they faced one another.
With Mayweather, Hatton was a division above his norm, yet he was undefeated and a P4P contender. Against Pacquiao, Hatton had been devastated at the hands of Mayweather in his first pro loss and hadn’t truly looked the same since. In Marquez, Mayweather faced a perennial top 2 P4P contender coming off very strong performances. With Pacquiao, Marquez took him toe-to-toe in two past efforts, yet now will get the nod a mere three years later, two weight classes above his norm and at the ripe age of 38.
Against Mosley, Mayweather faced a man considered to be legendary and very dangerous, coming off one of his career milestone moments against Margarito; Pacquiao faced him coming off a loss and a very pathetic effort against Mora that ended in a draw. The final common opponent was Oscar, whom both men faced well beyond his prime, yet Pacquiao also did so in a weight class the aging veteran hadn’t performed at in roughly 9 years.
When you move beyond those common foes, Pacquiao faced Cotto for a title below the welterweight limit, Margarito for a title below the jr. middleweight limit (which some may reasonably excuse), and Clottey; Mayweather’s other opponents over this stretch were Judah (coming off a loss), and Baldomir (lineal champion). Due to the fact that, in my opinion, he faced his opponents while closer to their prime and in their natural habitats with no weight stipulations, (Hatton and Oscar aside), better logic says Mayweather probably faced the better level of competition.
As these two men prepare for the road ahead, the same holds true as Mayweather has chosen a young lion coming off his best career performance, while Pacquiao has gone to the oldies-but-goodies drawer once again. Seems no matter what the scenario, these two men will be forever measured against one another. There’s only way to decide who’s better and there’s only one thing separating them. Anybody out there want to take a guess at what that issue is? Just a little something to think about…
“Chavez fought well, but I saw nothing that impressed me or caught my attention.” – Miguel Cotto speaking to BoxingScene.com about Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Perspective: At first glance, considering that Cotto is potentially the next man in line for Chavez, the initial impression could be that his words are little more than ‘hate’, or typical negative feedback from a man who isn’t interested in giving a potential foe any respect. Or is it? Last Saturday night, many of you watched, like me and the rest of HBO’s viewers, and most would respectfully agree that Cotto probably got it right. Generally, when we analyze a fight, we see things from one of two angles: the fistic and the statistics.
When we look at the statistical angle, certainly the numbers support Cotto’s statement. Most visible were the jab statistics. Seems the young Amir Khan is about the only one from Freddie Roach’s top-tier level of fighters who actually has a jab worth praising. Chavez landed a very weak 19%, only connecting on 14 of 72. One would expect the power punch ratio to be better, considering the limited connection rate on the fundamental jab. Not so fast….Chavez was outdone in that statistical category as well, 54% to 32%. Completing the onslaught of non-competitive statistics was the fact that Chavez only managed to out-land Zbik in 2 of the 12 rounds boxed (7 & 11).
Analysis of those stats basically removes the need to even look at the visual fistics involved. Numbers don’t lie, and here, they clearly tell it all. When you consider the fact that Chavez received what many consider a “gift decision”, you have to really ask yourself how good are his chances against the likes of an Emanuel Steward-led Miguel Cotto?
In the eyes of many, Cotto has never been the same beyond the wrath of Margarito, but even in his current state, conventional wisdom says Cotto is the better man. The operative question here: Can the rugged style of Chavez serve as a painful reminder for Cotto? Or is a revamped Cotto, on his worst day, good enough to defeat Chavez on his best? Just something to think about…
(Vivek “Vito” Wallace can also be reached at [email protected], Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEKWALLACE747), Skype (VITO-BOXING), Facbook, and Myspace)
