IT?S always wonderful to see a top-tier fighter get back to his winning ways. Last Sunday, Kelly Pavlik sent notice that he still had the pop in his gloves as he stopped the serviceable Aaron Jaco (15-3, 5KOs) in two rounds.
To recall, aside from engaging in ring wars with the best in his division, Pavlik (38-2, 33KOs) had to overcome a severe infection in his hands that was potentially ruinous to his career.
However, the Jaco knockout was clearly a confidence-building fight and it remains to be seen if ?The Ghost? can come back and be the dominant fighter he was prior to the Bernard Hopkins loss in 2008.
FEEDBACK. Our column on the Banal-Hidalgo fight elicited praise from no less than to the dapper GM of Golden Peak Hotel and Suites, Xavier Casturas who touched base with us:
?I thought, your review and provocative comments are way better than those guys from Yahoo and ESPN, who considers themselves as experts yet, their commentaries are void of objectivity. You were absolutely right to point out the timely intervention and decision of your companero to stop what seems to be a futile fight on the part of El Bule. Fans pay good money to enjoy and have fun but, the refs are paid to ensure fair play and protect the boxers?
Gee ?Boi,? I guess the guys at Yahoo and ESPN would probably dispute your gushing assessment but I agree with you that the net is currently inhabited by self-styled experts who love to pontificate and can be a bit overbearing at times.
We try to keep it real here and stay true to our mantra that this column is a boxing fan?s column for the fans. Thanks again for your erudite observations.
UPSET? Speaking of experts, I?m baffled about the ruckus generated by Jorge Linares? loss to Sergio Thompson last Sunday in a WBC Lightweight elimination bout.
The talented Linares (31-3, 20KOs) was shellacked inside two rounds by underdog Sergio Thompson.
Nothing really surprising there if you ask me, but the way some reports are labeling it, it was purportedly a shocker of seismic proportions.
I would beg to digress though. It?s not like this kind of thing hasn?t happened to Linares before.
In 2009, top prospect Linares was being touted as one of the next generation of lightweight heroes when he walked into Juan Carlos Salgado?s left hook and got eviscerated in just one minute and thirteen seconds of the very first round.
Ergo, this kind of a ?shocker? has happened to this kid before and I would presume that that would have been sufficient notice to all.
What?s curious about the so-called brouhaha over the Thompson loss was that the Mexican came into the fight with a record of 21 wins, 20 by knockout and two losses.
Sure, most of those wins came against nondescript opponents, but if there?s something that functions as the greatest equalizer in boxing, it?s power.
And that raw, unfettered power, Thompson apparently had plenty in abundance of.
Consider finally that prior to the Thompson fight, Linares actually lost his last fight to Antonio deMarco in 11 rounds.
Was it an upset? Yes, considering that Linares was the more accomplished fighter.
A shocker? Naah? Every time a guy with a brittle jaw like Linares meets a prodigious puncher, anything can happen.
Of course, the experts out there might have something else to say about it.
HE SAID IT. ?Training with Pacquiao helps him prepare mentally, because if he can do it with Pacquiao, then he can with Lamont Peterson.? Freddie Roach on Amir Khan who is currently training in the Philippines (www.lvrj.com)
LAST ROUND. It?s on a dear friend Nini Gonzales. Happy birthday and Cheers!
