We?re going to discuss a few topics in this column, in particular Wlad Klitschko?s take on beating the pumped up Mormeck, Bernard Hopkins, Salido-Juan Ma, my free consulting tips to HBO, but first let?s answer some mail messages?
Scoop what about Manny Pacquiao vs Selcuk Aydin? is this gonna be a good fight. If Floyd bitch out again this november,i think Manny should fight this guy,what do u think buddy? Jomel
SCOOP REPLY: Jomel: I think it?s a tough fight for Pac. Aydin is a very very dangerous, he?s been ducked by Berto twice and Ortiz and Floyd have both been allowed by the WBC to dodge him. He?s very exciting, aggressive, relentless, powerful, explosive and my favorite quality is he has an emotional adrenaline. Very scary fighter, one of the best kept secrets in boxing. I don?t know how the WBC and Sulaiman have been able to skip over Aydin getting his earned WBC title shot at 147, he won his eliminator over two years ago. *** Hello Scoop! wHats up? who do u think will have a higher draw in ppv between pacman & Mayweather? Dan McBerns
SCOOP REPLY: Not sure, it?s going to be very close. If Floyd?s win the PPV # battle you can be sure he?ll use that to duck Pac in Nov. If Pac?s #s are bigger, God knows how Ellerbe, Schaefer and Floyd will try to spin it. Maybe they?ll have HBO conceal the true numbers again to save face, like they did after the Ortiz debacle. *** If floyd wins against Cotto, i already know what the audiences would shout? ?fight manny??he would be boooed? Voltaire Amogues
SCOOP REPLY: After Cotto beat Alfonso Gomez in AC, Cotto fans were chanting and had banner declaring: ?WE WANT FLOYD!? If Floyd beats Cotto, the pressure on Floyd to fight Manny is going to be absolutely MASSIVE. Not that it will persuade the lil fella to finally drop his excuses and duck tactics but it?s going to be very interesting.
*** Boxing is indeed not real anymore and hbo is part of this mess! they hire hauser to shut him up! american boxing is all drama and choreograph. hbo is commercializing this Cotto-Floyd ?fight? and wants an american boxer like the manufactured floyd mayweather jr to be their main product and they will protect at all cost because losing nowadays in boxing is marketing suicide like what happen to paul williams, and all of haymon fighters. americans are fooled by this system in the sport of boxing and the sweet science became the sour science nowadays because of hbo, haymon, golden boy and ellerbe. i call it the sport of sour science now! Ryan
SCOOP REPLY: I can?t argue your opinion and point Ryan. The sport does seem to be turning into an entertainment business controlled by certain suits, agents, advisors, shot callers. The spirit of matching the best vs. the best is not the #1 priority of TPTB, it?s more about protecting and maximizing their self interests ahead of creating the most spectacular events that the fans want to see most of all. We?ll see how long boxing fans tolerate this.
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I asked Wladimir Klitschko for his exclusive summary of the near perfect KO win over Jean Marc Mormeck: ?The dude was so pumped up before the fight, but as soon as the fight started he just crumbled ?? said the reigning Heavyweight champ who has not lost a bout in over eight years, that?s about comparable to Joe Louis and Larry Holmes. ?
??????? I watched the old 1937 version of ?A Star Is Born? with Fredric March and Janet Gaynor. March is the matinee idol and Gaynor is the wanne be star and before their career trajectories reverse, they attend a live boxing match which is a short scene in the movie. It?s amazing to me how frequently the old movies utilize and inject boxing into the storylines, it?s almost about every other old movie I see has some kind of boxing reference. Boxing?s place in American cultures sure has changed hasn?t it? Of course we can bring it back to the way it was, but some work needs to be done. ??????
Bernard Hopkins always was the man who fought the system, the man who beat the establishment at their own game and did it his own way. He didn?t have a big name, connected manager, and he used different promoters (they didn?t use him) but still managed to defy the politricks to become the undisputed unified Middleweight champ for several years. He conquered all the sanctioning bodies who weren?t always in his corner, forcing him to make mandatory defenses against unsellable names like Morrade Hakkar. We may never see another outsider type fighter like Bernard Hopkins come up and reach the top and stay at the top for several years. American fighters nowadays have to have a guy like Haymon, Goossen, Shaw, DiBella or Golden Boy guiding their careers, if they don?t, you probably won?t make it big. Hopkins was the ultimate symbol of a fighter who defied and defeated the establishment and did it HIS WAY. But in recent years, Hopkins seems to have JOINED the establishment, he is a fixture appearing at Golden Boy events representing the company he is a partner of. Did Hopkins sell out? Just a little bit? No biggie, that?s the way game is played these days. You gotta do what you gotta do. Hopkins still will always be a special champion, a rare breed, a rebel and non-conformist who came up the hard way and overcame all the politics. It would be a big surprise if we see again a lone wolf warrior like Hopkins in American boxing, which is now practically becoming a star manufacturing business.
Hopkins will take on Chad Dawson in a rematch in April in Atlantic City. Hopkins at 47 taking on a young gun like Dawson, is simply miraculous, considering all the great champions who began to fade in their early 30s. Hopkins should be an inspiration to all people and if they don?t make a movie about this man, it will be a big mistake.
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How about that incredible rematch of Salido and Juan Ma? This reminded of the Featherweight Super fight Wilfredo Gomez vs. Salvador Sanchez in Las Vegas about 30 years ago. Great action fight, Mexico vs. Puerto Rico. But Salido went down to Puerto Rico and took care of business. I?m trying hard but can?t remember the last time a Mexican traveled to Puerto Rico and beat the hometown hero there. Anyone help me out?
Scoop [email protected]
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Hey HBO do you want some free consulting? I?ll give you some.
I first wrote this over two years ago and it was since parroted, bring in Hollywood and entertainment stars to guest commentate on the big PPV shows. I know John McEnroe is interested to try it because he told me he would seriously consider if asked. John McEnroe is still a huge figure in tennis and the media buzz McEnroe doing boxing commentating would generate in the tennis media would be substantial and this would boost interest in boxing by a different audience (the tennis demographic). Ken Hershman would be making a very smart move by hiring ?the voice of tennis? John McEnroe for a couple of shows, his busy schedule permitting. And by the way, I?ve talked boxing with McEnroe and he really knows and loves the sport.
Also, HBO should film all the stars they can at the next big Vegas shows and get them to say ?I love Boxing!? Get Brad Pitt, Stallone, Hilton, Lebron, Di Caprio, Hoffman, any and all major stars. They?ll all say it too, because that?s why they are sitting at ringside. Then HBO can edit and run that 20 second video in their rotation all year long. How cool would that make boxing look?
One other thing. Please quiet the commentators down when the fighters walk to the ring. It?s an awesome moment, which doesn?t need to be interrupted by chatter. The commentators should just be quiet and let the moment speak for itself. They?ll have plenty of time to yakk it up once the fight starts. There is no more exciting moment in all of sports than seeing the champion and challenger emerge out of their dressing rooms about to engage in a battle they?ve prepared their whole lives for. Please, let the magnitude and wonder of what we are watching, speak for itself.
