Another week, another mailbag for the RSR readers. There is a lot on the minds of boxing fans right now. The subject matter this week was very diverse. I attract many intelligent and thoughtful fans to my mailbag; and a few weirdos too as you will see. But before I get the questions, some random thoughts:
As apart of a four man IBF Heavyweight Elimination tournament, top prospect Alexander Povetkin is rumored to be lined up to fight former champion Chris Byrd. If Povetkin is able to defeat Byrd in just his fourteenth fight, I will officially be on the bandwagon.
I am not sure what to think of Vernon Forrest’s win over Carlos Baldomir on Saturday. Is Forrest really back to his old self? Or was Baldomir never that good to begin with? Baldomir rose to prominence with a surprising win over Zab Judah, but that fight may have had more to do with Judah’s over confidence, and his Achilles heal, his gross inconsistency. Baldomir’s win over Gatti does not seem as impressive as it used to ever since Alfonso Gomez was able to do the same thing to Gatti a couple weeks ago.
In baseball, they sing the national anthem before the 1st inning and sing God Bless America in the 7th inning. I am considering writing a new song called God Bless the National Anthem, which is to be sung in the 4th inning.
So now that Vernon Forrest is a notable once again, what is he going to do now? There are not many options in the super welterweight division now that Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather are gone. Fights with Cory Spinks and Joachim Alcine just don’t excite me very much. Even unification would receive a ho hum response from fans because the fighters make the titles, not the other way around.
Anyone else see Andre Berto get tagged on Friday? That was shades of Allan Green vs. Donny McCray, which was also shown on Friday Night Fights. Maybe the network is trying to steal SHOBOX’s mission statement of “matching prospects tough.”
The topic of prospects leads us to our first question.
A New Jorge Linares Fan
Hey Mr. Wilbur,
I have read your column and you seem like a very intelligent writer. I was wondering what you thought of that kid Linares from the Hopkins/Wright undercard. He looked pretty impressive and ready to take over his division. I would like your expert insight. Cool picture too… I’m scared.
-Rudy from Vallejo
Rudy,
You should be scared. I am a very intimidating person.
Jorge Linares is a promising young fighter. He is technically sound and fights with the poise of a much more experience boxer. His dismantling of Oscar Larios made a huge first impression on the world stage. He was able to beat Larios more convincingly than Manny Pacquiao did, and that is really saying something. I am sure that Jorge is going to be a major force in the lower weight classes over the next decade or so. I look forward to watching his progress because he has a crowd-pleasing style, not afraid to stand in the pocket and bang out a win. Even though he looked great against Larios, he is only 21 years old and is still developing. I could not pick him with confidence to defeat top featherweights like Rocky Juarez and Chris John just yet, but in a couple years that could change.
Drunken Wrestling Fan Strikes Back
My response to your rudeness: Easter Bunny? I got your Easter Bunny right here (use your imagination). I am sick of you guys talking all this smack. You would never get into the ring and face my bionic elbow. Since this is a boxing bag, what about Ray Mercer, is he gonna win the title again?
-SD Special Delivery Jones
SD Jones,
Let me tell you something Mean Gene, Jones had better stop with the trash talk unless he wants me to perform a super Wilbur flip from the top rope and shatter his bionic elbow. No one has ever gotten up from a Wilbur flip…
Ray Mercer has less of a chance at winning a world title again than Special Delivery Jones has of getting up from my Wilbur flip from the top rope. Mercer is completely done for. He was recently knocked out in a mixed martial arts fight, but the only reason that he was fighting in mixed martial arts in the first place was because his boxing career was going nowhere. I like Mercer. In the 1990’s he was a solid heavyweight contender and very fun to watch, but his best days are a decade behind him.
Gatti Should Have Retired Sooner
Thanks for answering my last question – I’m now a fan. Why in the world did Gatti take that last fight? He hasn’t looked good in the ring for way too long. I know he is a great warrior, but why take that much punishment?
-Linda
Linda,
Gatti’s handlers have known for a while that their fighter was on his last leg. He stuck around because he still had a huge fan following and had the ability to make tons of money no matter who the opponent was. Knowing that, they were hoping to match Arturo soft so that he could finish off his career on a high note. You would not have known it from watching the fight, but Alfonso Gomez was supposed to be an easy mark for Gatti. This just shows how far that “Thunder” had slipped. If he had made it past Gomez there was already a match set up against Julio Cesar Chavez, JR., in what would have been a huge money making crossroads fight. This was a harsh reminder that, in boxing, you don’t retire from the ring, the ring retires you. You cannot always retire on your own terms with a storybook ending, as much as Gatti and his fans would have liked. Luckily Arturo announced his retirement after the KO loss and will never fight again (hopefully).
Super Featherweight Round Robin
Brian, I’m here again for the second time. Before I ask you a question, I would like to thank you for your reply last week. Being apart of your mailbag made me feel great, so here is my second mail to you.
This August 20th, South African IBF Champion Mzonke Fana will defend his crown against Javier Osvaldo Alvarez.
On September 15th, Juan Manuel Marquez will defend his WBC crown against Jorge Rodrigo Barrios.
On October 6th, Manny Pacquiao will defend his belt against Marco Antonio Barrera.
On September 8th, Joan Guzman will meet Humberto Soto.
So with these bouts, I made some interesting match-ups:
The winner of Fana-Alvarez takes on another undefeated WBA King Edwin Valero. The winner of Marquez-Barrios will take on Pacquiao. (I didn’t include Marco because I know this could be the last fight). The winner of Soto-Guzman will take on the winner of Valero-(Fana/Alvarez).
And lastly, the final match-up, the winner of Pacquiao-(Marquez/Barrios) will take on the winner of (Valero/Fana/Alvarez)-(Soto/Guzman) for the undisputed Super Featherweight Title.
What can you say about this Brian?
-Seven
Seven,
That would be superb if promoters and fighters were to put aside their hang ups in order to settle the division like this. Fans love tournaments so a round robin similar to the one that you suggest would be great for the sport. Super featherweight is such a talent rich division that we would almost need to stage an elimination tournament just to make sense of it all. There is a deep, deep pool of talent here. I am crossing my fingers that the next year plays out like you detail.
A Random Village People Reference
I like that song, “Sex Over the Phone” by the Village People. I heard that they were friends with Muhammad Ali. Is that true? Is the Village People complete without a boxer?
-The Cowboy
Cowboy,
I am happy to say that I am not familiar with that song and that I have no idea if The Village People were friends with Muhammad Ali. Boxing and disco do not mix.
Should Pacquiao Go To Lightweight?
I’m a big fan of Pacman. Is it time for him to move up to the lightweight division so that he can encounter more of a barrage of punches from the bigger guys? Will his punching prowess still be effective enough to KO his opponents at the higher weight?
-Jeff R.
Jeff,
I have been asked this a few times and I always answer with an emphatic no. Manny has already moved above his natural weight chasing after the big names of Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. He is a small to average sized super featherweight. That is one reason that he should not move up in weight. The second is that he is in perhaps the best weight class in boxing. Pacquiao is surrounded by a plethora of excellent potential opponents. It would be foolish for him for move up in weight yet again. Would he be effective if he did? Yes. He would lose a bit of speed and power but would still be one of the better lightweights. But at 130 pounds he is the best.
Lennox Lewis vs. Wladimir Klitschko
Brian, with all those sub-par contenders from the heavyweight division, it seems that there is no one out there who can beat Wladimir Klitschko. I think Lennox Lewis can beat Wladimir if Lewis comes out of retirement. Your thoughts about this?
-Eric
Eric,
I hope that Lewis stays in his retirement. It has been four long years since Lewis fought and he is over 40 years old now. If Lennox fought again he would not be the same fighter that we remember. Klitschko would win because he is an active top heavyweight. I think Lewis would have destroyed Klitschko if they had fought five years ago, but Lewis would be a shell of his former self if he returned. Let’s let this great former champion have fun in his retirement.
There is some hope in the heavyweight division without convincing former greats to revitalize their careers. Contenders like Sam Peter and up and comer Alexander Povetkin could challenge Wladimir for the top spot in the coming years.
A Few Mythical Matchups
Brian,
I am enjoying your mailbag for sure. Who do you think would have won between Salvador Sanchez and Manny Pacquiao at featherweight?
How would you see Pernell “Sweat Pea” Whitaker vs. Roberto Duran at lightweight?
How would you see Marvin Hagler vs. Jake Lamotta at middleweight?
How would you see Larry Holmes in his prime against Mike Tyson?
Thanks, Trini
Trini,
I’ll jump right into it:
Pacquiao vs. Sanchez – I have to go with Sanchez here because I think Sanchez was the best featherweight of the last thirty years, and possibly of all time. Salvador could box or punch, and do just about anything in between. Pacquiao is a dynamic offensive fighter who has improved his game over the last couple years, but in the all time great sense, he is a bit one-dimensional. Sanchez would have to be cautious, but I see him winning by decision.
Whitaker vs. Duran – Whitaker would make it interesting by boxing from a distance, but Duran’s legendary power would wear Pernell down enough to take some late rounds. Roberto with a razor thin decision takes it.
Lamotta vs. Hagler – This would be quite a battle. Here you have two of the best chins in the history of boxing; so you know this one would go the distance. I know most would favor Hagler here, but I feel that Lamotta would use his very underrated boxing skills to time Marvin’s attack and beat him to the punch more often than not. Lamotta by close decision in an excellent action fight.
Holmes vs. Tyson – If they fought five times I would say that Tyson wins two by knockout and Larry wins three, either by decision or late round TKO. Larry would have to figure out how to fight Tyson, and if he got caught in the process, he would be in serious trouble.
Interesting Take On Fight Judging
Hey sweet cheeks, this is my first time with my hands on your bag and let me tell you, it is nice. The reason I am writing is because I, being a judge myself, am curious to know what you think about the boxing judges out there. I have been to many fights at ringside because I am such a celebrity and I have noticed they all seem old and probably have a much more wrinkly mailbag than you do…if you catch my meaning. So I was wondering, is there a boxing judge as sexy as me?
Always ready to make the save, David “The Hoff”
Hoff,
I am really honored that such a celebrity would write into my mailbag, but I would prefer not to be called sweet cheeks. That name brings back old memories that I would rather not revisit, thank you.
I evaluate boxing judges on their scores, not their sexiness. Judging is a major problem in boxing in my opinion. If questionable decisions happened a couple times a year I would be okay. But it seems like bad decisions happened about a quarter of the time that fights goes the distance, and that is just ridiculous. I would be 100% for scoring reform in boxing.
Darchinyan Exposed and Overrated?
Hi Brian. First, I want you to know that I’m a huge fan of your column because you give readers insights about boxers in and out of the ring. My question is, after Nonito Donaire KO’d Darchinyan, and the latter claimed that it was a lucky punch and said Donaire was afraid of him to give him rematch, do you think Vic Darchinyan was exposed as an overrated fighter? Because personally, I think his fighting style is too awkward. I’ve read that he fights like a crawling cat on the canvas and when I saw his bouts, indeed true! What do you think about Darchinyan and who should he fight next to regain his old glory?
-Elijah
Elijah,
Darchinyan was not overrated. He was overconfident and one dimensional. He is very strong and an extremely big puncher. What he did well was firepower punches, and you can see by his notable title reign that he did this quite effectively. His downfall was that he did not change up or diversify his attack. It was a matter of time before a fundamentally sound fighter studied tape and came up with a plan to take him apart. If Vic can find a way to stop telegraphing his punches and throw more than a straight left from the hip, he can regain his former luster. A fight with Jorge Arce or a rematch with Nonito Donaire would be ideal for him right now. If he is willing to travel to Asia, fights against Takefumi Sakata, Daisuke Naito, or Koki Kameda would be interesting too for Darchinyan.
Indecent Proposal
Bonjour mon sexy! I’m your biggest admirer. I don’t care about boxing unless you are talking about it. Don’t listen to the other (censored) who wrote in last week who said you looked nerdy. Tell her I said (censored) that (censored), she don’t know you. I can’t wait to lose my 200 extra pounds so that I can be on your level, I just like french fries a lot but if I can have you, I’ll give up the french fries!!!! So what you say?
-Yasmina
Yasmina,
I wouldn’t want to deprive you of your French fries…really. I actually liked the description that Tina gave me last week. “Sexy, nerdy” pretty much describes me to a tee!
I tried to figure out how your question was related to boxing but came up with nothing. So, I’ll pretend that you asked me who I thought the winner of the stellar rematch between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez should fight next.
Excellent question Yasmina. My pick would be Celestino Caballero, the WBA belt holder. Caballero has really come into his own over the last two years. He is a force to be reckoned with and the clear number one contender who deserves a shot.
The Gentleman vs. The Rock
Brian, championship lore and pedestals aside, how do you feel a Gerry Cooney vs. Rocky Marciano bout would have gone? A fifteen round match-up between a 225lb, 6’6 giant and a 5’10, 185lb cast iron warrior?
Some would dismiss Cooney in this match-up, out of hand, but Gerry had serious power and he loved to come up with his hooks. I think that there is a distinct possibility of a Cooney win.
What do you think?
-Rubber Warrior
Rubber Warrior,
At first glance I think everyone would go with Marciano because he is an all time great and Cooney is just a notable also-ran. However you have a good point with the hefty size advantage for Cooney. Quality, coordinated heavyweights were just not that big when Rocky fought. It would be a brutal affair with lots of leather. In the end, I feel that Marciano’s greatness, the intangibles that cannot be measured in inches or pounds, would allow The Rock to land a come from behind KO blow in the championship rounds.
Karate Kid???
In case you are wondering no I didn’t marry Alli with an I. After I kicked Johnny’s ass the ladies were all over me. Granted I only weighed about 80 lbs. soaking wet, but they knew where 10 of it comes from if you know what I mean…the D man is packing heat. I am a 4th degree black belt in landing hot tail. So anyways my question for Brian is could any pro boxer in my weight class (minimum weight) stand up to my crane kicks?
Wax on wax off, Daniel-son Daniel-son,
Wow, it looks like we have a reader who actually makes “Drunken Wrestling Fan” look intelligent. I never thought that would happen. Your question is like asking if a baseball player would do okay at rugby. I’m not sure; they are different sports. Why don’t you pick a fight with a pro boxer and let me know how it goes?
Pacquiao’s Prospects
I read some article that enumerated the fighters for future Pacquiao fights. I just wanted to know if there is a possibility for those fights to happen, except for Barrera, which is already scheduled this October. These are the names listed:
Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Edwin Valero, Humberto Soto, Joan Guzman, Mzonke Fana, Chris John, Joel Casamayor, Alex Arthur.
-Jhed
Jhed,
Out of the names that you mention, I will tell you the ones who I think are very unlikely that Pacquiao will fight any time soon: Mzonke Fana because he offers nothing to Pacquiao. Fana is neither a respected name nor a big money attraction. He was already blasted out by Barrera so this match does not make sense.
Joel Casamayor is one division higher and I doubt that Manny would want to move up in weight when he has so many attractive options in his current weight class.
Chris John’s handlers have no intention of matching John tough now that he has a title belt.
A match with Alex Arthur is also unlikely simply because I have heard of no rumors or negotiations about this fight.
After the Barrera fight, the most logical fight is one with Juan Manuel Marquez. Since Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, has patched up his relationship with Golden Boy, this fight is a probable reality. Let’s hope that it can get done. Joan Guzman and Humberto Soto are fighting each other, so the winner is an extremely attractive opponent for Pacquiao as well. Edwin Valero’s name has been tossed around before. Once he wins a few more fights he will become a better opponent for Manny.
Have a great week everyone and keep sending in those questions!
