Greetings fight fans and welcome to my mailbag. 2007 has been a big year for boxing, showcasing an impressive amount of major championship fights and marquee match ups. We are in for another treat on December 8th with Floyd Mayweather vs. Ricky Hatton. What a great way to finish off the year, with perhaps the best fight that can be made in boxing right now. The 24/7 reality series on HBO is an excellent way to get casual or non-boxing fans hyped about the fight. I am not usually into reality television, but these documentaries are very well done.
Most of the notable fights that happened over the weekend involved up and coming prospects. Olympic Gold Medalist Andre Ward is still undefeated and is still developing after his TKO5 win over fellow prospect Roger Cantrell. Ward is a ways away from fighting for a world title but he has a ton of raw talent and a championship spirit. Time will tell if he will be able to mold that talent into an elite pro fighter.
Abner Mares had a tough time with the durable Damian Marchiano. That fight should not have been scheduled for 12 rounds although going that full championship distance will be good experience to draw from in the future. Mares did not look as good in this performance as some of his peers, but he got the best work without a doubt.
Ukrainian heavyweight Alexander Dimitrenko was able to pick himself off of the canvas to defeat Timo Hoffman. Hoffman acts as a gatekeeper for the European heavyweight scene. Guys like Luan Krasniqi and Cengiz Koc were unable to get past the big man, but others like Vitali Klitschko, Paolo Vidoz, and now Dimitrenko were able to beat him. Even though Dimitrenko had some scary moments, he is the first person to ever stop Hoffman. This win shows that Dimitrenko is a young heavyweight to watch.
I hope everyone enjoyed watching the replay of Cotto vs. Mosley during the broadcast of Joan Guzman vs. Humberto Soto. What a great fight that was. Guzman vs. Soto was a pretty decent scrap too. That fight essentially acted as an elimination fight in the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes. I was impressed with the way that Guzman handled such a tough, renowned opponent. Guzman used to be boxing?s best kept secret, but with his wins Soto and Jorge Barrios, Guzman is not a secret anymore.
The topic of Joan Guzman brings us to our first mailbag question of the week.
Pacquiao vs. Guzman?
Hi Brian, how did you find Guzman-Soto fight? Are you impressed with Guzman’s performance? In my opinion, all I saw from Guzman is little Floyd – slick, running and defensive. I’m not impressed with Guzman’s style. I think he concentrates too much on his defense and didn’t hurt Soto.
In case there will be Pacquiao vs. Guzman in the near future, what are your thoughts on this fight? Do you think it is still effective for Guzman to run and counterpunch? We know that you can’t beat Pacman by out-boxing, you need also to establish your offense like Morales did in their first fight.
Hope to hear you soon. More power.
-Sac
Sac,
You call Guzman a small version of Floyd Mayweather and then say that you are not impressed? Saying that a fighter is like Floyd Mayweather is a huge compliment in my opinion. Joan Guzman is not a pure runner though. He stood and threw combinations in spots against Soto, usually in the form of counter punches. I was very impressed with the way that Guzman was able to dismantle a top tier opponent. I didn?t like the way that he coasted the last couple rounds because he knew he was winning, but other than that I thought he fought brilliantly. Those are the kind of skills that I would pay to watch.
I have a hard time picking a winner between Pacquiao and Guzman. I will need to think about that one for a while. I also disagree with your take that you cannot beat Pacquiao by out-boxing him. That is your best bet because trading punches with Pacquiao is not wise. Yes, Barrera was not able to out box Pacquiao in the rematch, but that does not mean that nobody will be able to outbox Manny. Floyd Mayweather, for example, would box Pacquiao?s ears off.
Thoughts On Little Floyd (Not Tyson)
Hey Brian, did you watch the Soto-Guzman bout? What are your thoughts on Guzman, should he have the right to fight Pacquiao? If they ever fight btw, I think it would be at 135 since both are now having struggles making weight. A lot of people are saying that Pacquiao should avoid Guzman because he’s fast and we did witness that, he’s a clone of Pretty Boy Floyd, but why I think Pacquiao should take this fight is because a lot of people are having arguments in a dream fight with Mayweather and Pacquiao because they are both on top of the P4P list to determine who’s the best. A lot of people are wondering what if Pacquiao was at 130 at the time when PBF was in the super featherweight division.
So here is Manny?s chance in Guzman. Definitely PBF is better than Guzman, but what I’m giving point about here is the style. Can someone beat the Floyd technique? Both Guzman and PBF are undefeated at this point and have faced good opposition. However if Pacquiao doesn’t take this fight, I’m looking forward for a Marquez and Guzman fight. Everybody is matching up everyone with Pacman, but a Marquez vs. Guzman unification also makes sense, and I would rather see that kind of fight to see whose style is the best.
-Cian
Cian,
Floyd throws straighter punches than Guzman and is more of a classically trained fighter with better technique. But I can see your comparison since both create openings with their hand speed and use that and stellar defense to befuddle their opponents. I think that Joan Guzman is as good of an opponent for Pacquiao as Juan Manuel Marquez is. I also like your idea of a match between Guzman and Marquez. All three are excellent fighters in their own right so if you matched two of the three you can?t go wrong.
Oscar De La Hoya Update
Hey man, I haven’t heard anything about Oscar except about those photos where he dressed up like a woman. Did he retire or is he still going to fight?
-Junior
Junior,
First off, those pictures were obviously fake. So don?t worry, Oscar did not quit boxing to become a professional drag queen. De La Hoya stated that he wants to fight two more times before he retires and go out with a bang. So the plan right now is to fight twice in 2008, on Cinco De Mayo in May and the Mexican Independence Day in September. As for who his opponents are going to be, your guess is as good as mine. If Ricky Hatton defeats Floyd Mayweather in December then I am sure De La Hoya will be gunning for Hatton. A fight with Miguel Cotto would be huge too.
Hall Of Fame By Weight Class
Brian, just a couple of quick questions for you. What weight division has produced more hall of famers? Is it the lower weight classes, the higher weight classes or the middle divisions (130lbs to 147lbs)? Also, which has given us the most classic fights? I?m just really wondering. Thanks in advance for your answers.
-Ace Espiritu
Ace,
I have not properly assessed the numbers, but at first glance it looks like from featherweight to light heavyweight there is a pretty even distribution of hall of famers. The lower weight classes are only sparsely represented. The little guys have to really prove themselves in order to get noticed and make the hall of fame.
The heavyweight division has the most hall of fame entrants by far. Heavyweight is the glamour division and the head of the sport. If you are a good heavyweight the boxing world knows who you are and that may not be the case in the lower weight classes. A fighter?s popularity plays a role in whether they make the hall so heavyweight fighters have a definite advantage. Guys like Ingemar Johansson, Tom Sharkey, Max Schmeling, and Jim Braddock would not be in the Hall of Fame if they were not heavyweights.
And for the most classic fights, I am going to say the middleweight division. You had Hagler vs. Hearns, Sugar Ray Robinson vs. many different foes, Zale vs. Graziano, among many others. Also, guys like Harry Greb, Mickey Walker, and Stanley Ketchel were never in a dull fight. There are so many classic middleweight fights and I believe the reason being is that the boxers are at the perfect weight for fighting. They are big enough to have knockout power like the heavyweights but small enough to have the speed and fluid technique that is prevalent in the lower weight classes. Fans like heavyweights because of the power, but sometimes they are big, lumbering, and boring.
Ali vs. Norton
If my memory serves me right, I don’t think Norton has beaten Ali three times as you said in your last mailbag. Please check because I think Ali has beaten Norton in their rematch. Thanks
-RSS
RSS,
Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton fought three times and, officially, Ali lost the first and won the second and third by decision. But the two decisions that Ali won are widely considered to be gift decisions. The third fight is one of the most controversial decisions of all time with everyone except the judges thinking that Norton won. The second fight was not as bad but an argument can certainly be made that Norton won all three fights.
Hence I say that “arguably” Norton beat Ali three times out of three, even though not officially.
Corrales and Castillo In Mythical Matches
Hi Brian, this is my first time to make an email and ask question but I’ve been a boxing fan for years. I would like to ask your take on some matches regarding great lightweights Jose Luis Castillo and the late Diego Corrales, kindly give us your take on these matches.
Juan Diaz vs. Jose Luis Castillo (possible to happen) Manny Pacquiao ? Jose Luis Castillo at 135 Juan Diaz ? Diego Corrales at 135 Joan Guzman – Juan Diaz (possible since Guzman was moving up to fight Katsidis before)
Thanks -Cian
Cian,
Diaz vs. Castillo – This would be an all out brawl. Castillo is an excellent technician when it comes to inside fighting. He is adept at breaking down fighters who try to stick and move. However when he faced Herman Ngoudjo, Jose Luis seemed to be out of his comfort zone against a volume puncher and was unable to make Ngoudjo pay for being aggressive. For that reason I think that Juan Diaz would edge out a decision with his greater activity.
Pacquiao vs. Castillo – I don?t think that Pacquiao would be able to hurt Castillo?s iron chin at lightweight, although Manny may have been able to score an early flash knockdown on the traditionally slow starting Castillo. But towards the middle and late stages of the fight, Jose Luis takes over. Even though Pacquiao has become a better boxer than he was in the past, I don?t think that it would be enough against a big aggressive bruiser like Castillo. The size difference would be very apparent because Castillo was not your average sized lightweight, he was one of the biggest lightweights that I have ever seen. He was really a welterweight. I?m not sure how he made the 135 pound limit for all those years. Castillo by decision only because Pacquiao is game enough and tough enough to stick in there until the final bell.
Diaz vs. Corrales – Diaz? aggressive creates problems for any lightweight so this would not be easy at all for Corrales. However, nobody throws caution to the wind, even for a second, against Corrales and gets away with it. Diego had incredible one punch KO power at lightweight. His punches were short, accurate, and difficult to see coming. This made Corrales an extremely dangerous fighter. If Corrales did not strike home with a KO punch then Diaz would win a decision, but more likely Juan comes forward like he always does and gets caught. Corrales wins this one by a highlight reel KO, probably while behind on points.
Guzman vs. Diaz ? This is a very intriguing match and one that I would not mind seeing. Call me crazy but I think that Guzman has the skills to take control of this one and win a decision similar to the way he defeated Jorge Barrios.
Santa Cruz Robbed Against Casamayor
Good day Brian! I just want to ask if there is an investigation right now to check the judge?s scorecards in the Joel Casamayor-Jose Armando Santa Cruz bout? I don?t see how Casamayor could win with the way he fought. I even scored 117-111 in favor of Santa Cruz, but the judges still gave the win to Casamayor. How could this be? It?s clear cheating. Is it really true that two of the judges are Casamayor’s friends or relatives that’s why he won? Even ESPN.com scored victory for Santa Cruz, and even the Madison Garden fans believed it was Santa Cruz who won. Thanks for the time and more power!!!
-Jelloatad
Jelloatad,
To answer your questions directly, there is an investigation ongoing for this fight. The judges are going to sit down with the commissioners and try to explain why they gave the scores that they did. No, the judges were not relatives of Casamayor and, to my knowledge, are not friends of his either.
The public opinion on this fight is overwhelming. Just about every friend, fan, or colleages who I have talked to scored the fight as lopsided as 118-110 for Santa Cruz and were shocked when Casamayor?s hand was raised. There were a few close rounds so I could see a score of 116-112 in favor of Santa Cruz at the most, but no way could I see Casamayor winning. I think it is safe to say that Casamayor got an early Christmas present.
Fighter of the year?
The end of the year is nearing with only a month to go and there are only a few big fights left out there (especially referring to Hatton-Mayweather).
I want to know who you think is the fighter of the year? It?s a hard take with all the good fights that took place this year. I’m still waiting though for the winner of Hatton-Floyd. But I have pretty good contenders on who gets fighter of the year.
Miguel Cotto with 3 successful defense this year against solid class opposition, meaning Urkal(TKO11), Judah(TKO11), and Mosley(UD)
Juan Diaz took the other belt holders one by one this year, Acelino Freitas and Julio Diaz.
Floyd Mayweather – if he gets past Hatton, though I’m not impressed with the split decision win against Oscar.
Ricky Hatton if he gets past Floyd after an impressive win against Castillo and par performance against Urango.
Kelly Pavlik for KO wins against Zertuche, Miranda, and his potential Fight of the Year with Jermain Taylor.
Well I guess that wraps up my Fighter of the Year candidates with Pavlik and Cotto tied for first. What?s your opinion and take?
-Cian
Cian
As of right now I agree with your take that it is a two man race between Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto. If I had to pick between the two I would probably go with Cotto. Even if Mayweather defeats Hatton I don?t think he would beat out either of those guys because he is supposed to beat Hatton and he will have only fought twice in the year. And like you said, his win over Oscar was not that impressive even if it was a huge event for boxing. Now if Hatton beat Mayweather I think he wins fighter of the year hands down.
A Calzaghe Fan
Man, you were so right in picking Joe to win a decision over Mikkel. I think Calzaghe is such a puzzle, Kessler appeared baffled in the ring.
I?m not an expert and I haven?t been at ringside for a marquee fight in a boxing arena, but if I were asked to name at least four things that enable Joe to succeed in defeating dangerous opponents like Kessler or Lacy, I would have to say that Joe?s ?ring smarts,? overall speed, strength, and creativity (especially during the actual fight) are too much for most of his opponents to handle.
I think he?s very smart in such a way that he often outsmarts his equally ?thinking? opponents. I have read that Joe doesn?t have the patience to meticulously examine the previous fights of an upcoming foe just to come up with a good game plan; nonetheless, Calzaghe seems to accurately anticipate the ways in which his opponents might have thought about how they could beat him; and Joe himself said that what he always does is to take that away from them during the fight in a creative way so that time and time again the Pride of Wales would emerge triumphant and unbeaten in 44 bouts. There is also something about the almost obsessive desire of Joe to remain undefeated at all costs, thus he is quoted as saying, ?that?s why I always fight like a [hungry] challenger . . . .?
Joe?s punches were coming faster than Mikkel?s ability to either blunt or dodge them. Mikkel also lacked sufficient head movement and when he intensely retaliated, Joe was too quick with his overall body movement to avoid serious trouble. But even when he?s cleanly caught in certain occasions, say, with those hard right uppercuts to the chin and solid left hooks to the side of the head from the Viking Warrior, Calzaghe took them very well and fought right back?amazing!
He knew that Mikkel would be predictable and stiff. So Joe varied his style all night, almost using each round to test new approaches to upset and frustrate the Danish boxer who was accused of being unable to adapt if need be during a fight. Mikkel, who seems to have the temperament to adhere strictly to a method or to a single plan, could not establish a pattern from Joe?s style in which a sustainable attack could be made with favorable rhythm. I saw Joe tried to deprive Kessler with needed distance but was caught anyhow in some instances while coming in. But Joe was so intuitive with his boxing style, he used a variety of approaches to ruin the range stylistically favored by Mikkel. And what?s more, Calzaghe?s jabs were expectedly faster but surprisingly more abundant than Kessler?s. I?m aching to hear more from you regarding Joe?s recent success, especially that you got it right in predicting a win for him. Thanks buddy.
-PinoyGlad
PinoyGlad,
I agree. Calzaghe has incredible ring smarts. His ability to adjust in the middle of a fight is impressive and the reason why you often see him become more effective as the fight goes on. His style is unorthodox the way he dives right in to his opponents and slaps with his punches, sacrificing power for speed. He makes it work because he has a slippery defense, making him hard to hit cleanly. I was surprised at the way that Calzaghe nullified Kessler?s jab. Kessler has one of the best jabs in boxing but Calzaghe was slipping it all night and even out-jabbed Kessler in spots using his faster hands.
An attribute of Calzaghe?s that you did not mention but was absolutely instrumental in his win over Kessler is his chin. Kessler is a good puncher and he tagged Calzaghe a handful of times with perfect power punches right on the chin. In particular he landed two hellacious uppercuts that would have dropped most super middleweights. Calzaghe was hardly stunned by those punches. If Calzaghe had a bad chin, or even an average chin, Kessler would have scored a couple 10-8 rounds and the fight would have been much closer.
Calzaghe has a solid chin so it is difficult to hurt him. He has tremendous stamina so he will keep throwing from bell to bell. With that combination he is tough to beat. Kessler did make some uncharacteristic mistakes that Calzaghe took advantage of too. In the middle rounds Mikkel starting throwing wide punches, probably because he felt like he was behind in the fight. Kessler is known for his straight, accurate shots so he must have been flustered to abandon his game plan. Loading up and throwing haymakers is the worst thing you can do against Calzaghe so when Kessler started doing that, Calzaghe took over and put the fight out of reach.
A Calzaghe Hater
How does this Calzaghe guy win fights? All he does is slap. What kind of pussy fighter fights like that? I know he landed more punches in that fight, but there is no way Kessler was going down from any of those weak punches. Kessler was definitely more aggressive and entertaining in that fight so it was sad to see him lose.
-Spider Man
Spider Man,
Wow, I must be the favorite boxing writer among super heroes. Superman regularly emails me, and now Spider Man! I?m the luckiest boy in the world.
I admire Joe Calzaghe?s boxing skills tremendously, but will concede that he is not the most exciting fighter in the world. When he slaps his punches he is sacrificing power for speed, so in many cases he will be able to land his punches first and hit openings that he otherwise would not be able to hit. Calzaghe is a volume puncher who boxes more than he slugs and uses his legs a lot, a rare combination indeed.
But to answer your question, he wins fights because he is better at hitting without getting hit, and in boxing, that is the name of the game. In golf, the person who drives the ball the farthest is not always the best golfer. That is similar to boxing in that the strongest or the most aggressive fighter is not always better.
Pacquiao Fan Issues A Bet
You say that Juan Manuel Marquez will beat Manny Pacquiao, and you always stand on that opinion, when people ask you who would you pick to win. We, as a Pacmaniacs don?t agree with you.
I am offering you a bet on who will win if JMM and MP meet. Here are the terms:
1st: If Pacquiao loses, we, Pacmaniacs will hail you and will agree to all of your opinions about boxing.
2nd: But if Marquez loses, you will retire in this mailbag, because if Marquez loses you will be not credible to do such opinion’s about boxing.
I hope you will accept our challenge.
-Devilake
Devilake,
Absolutely not! Why would I agree to this? I have made hundreds of fight predictions over the years and even though I am quite proud of my track record, I have been wrong many times. No boxing pundit is correct 100% of the time. Yet you want me to stake my job on a fight that I essentially consider a pick?em fight? That is like me flipping a coin and saying heads I keep my job and tails I quit. Even if I win I am not really getting anything in return. How would you force every Pacquiao fan to agree with everything that I say? Besides, I wouldn?t want to have that kind of brainwashing power anyway. I would rather that fans challenged my opinions and disagree with me on occasion. Half the fun of being a boxing fan is debating and arguing your points.
So I enthusiastically decline your ridiculous offer, but thank you for the email anyway. It made me laugh.
A Great Night Ruined
Did you agree with that decision Casamayor got? I’m just wondering because when you responded to a question about that Casamayor win, you didn’t say anything about the scoring of the fight. I personally could not get over it for the rest of the night and into the next morning, that was very shameful, another big blow for boxing, first picking judges that didn’t have much experience and worse, they were all blind, including the one that gave Santa Cruz a 1 point edge. I really felt for Santa Cruz when the decision was announced, all his hard work preparing for the fight, his future placed in the hands of those incompetent judges, the worst part is, the fans paid a lot of money to see that, I forgot who said it at ringside, but it really is the #1 reason why fans lose their interest in this corrupt sport we call boxing.
-Richie Ledesma
Richie,
No I don?t agree with it. That was a bad decision, flat out. Santa Cruz was robbed. He out-worked and out-fought Casamayor. But what can you do? Bad decisions are part of the sport and I agree, they are a big reason why fans get turned off to the sport. I wrote an article a while back about the 10 worst judges in boxing and go into much more detail on this subject. Here is the link to that article: http://ringsidereport.com/rsr/news.php?readmore=1420
Why Is Pacquiao Picked On?
Hi Brian, this is my first letter to you. I hope you do consider it posting in your mailbag.
My question is why are people, especially the writers, are pitting Pacman against the likes of De La Hoya, The Diaz? at lightweight, Mayweather, etc., where on the other hand the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez, Guzman, Soto, and Valero are not mentioned in fights vs. the big guys in the higher weights? Is it because they think that Pacman is at a higher level compared to them? Or do they recognized Pacman as a super athlete that can topple every man close to his own size that is put in front of him. Even Mayweather Sr. stated that standing in front of Pacman is a suicide. More power to you Brian!
-Rouge
Rouge,
Simply put, Manny Pacquiao is a big name so they like to match him up with other superstars to make super fights. The others that you mentioned like Guzman and Marquez are close to Pacquiao in terms of boxing skills and talent but to not match him in terms of popularity. Boxing is a business and Pacquiao is an attractive opponent because he brings money and drawing power.
The Bolo Punch
In what fight did Ceferino Garcia first throw his “bolo punch” and who coined that word? Hehehe…..not so fast Brian! I really didn’t write you to give you a headache but to stir you a little bit on a lighter side. You know, it?s amazing how you deal with your mailbag questions, even with the downright stupid ones. But the way you give justice to your answers with no-nonsense attitude, sensible remarks and encyclopedic but authoritative knowledge. I have to hand it to you man! However, I may rest Pacman for today but you’re not yet off the hook!
In your personal experience, what type of boxing questions do you find it hard to deal with? Say, Jack Johnson, Jimmy Wilde, Sugar Ray Robinson era? You’re in your early thirties, there has gotta be something. What questions that annoy you most and what revs up your hormones? Have you encountered a question that you didn’t publish because of unclear sources or too sensitive that it might spark a racial or whatever debate? What sort of questions that challenges you most—-historical reference, forums, hypothetical match ups or biased tirades on your own opinions? And lastly, do you also panic on your mailbag deadline and tell us some difficulties you usually encounter in your wonderful job that we don’t know? Well…it’s your day, man!!!!
-Helven
Helven,
Funny how you ask about me stressing about my deadline, because as I am writing this response my deadline has already passed a couple hours ago. Thankfully my editor, Geno McGahee, doesn?t bust my balls too hard for being late. Putting together a mailbag takes a long time but I enjoy it.
The questions that really get me going are when writers call me an idiot and say I know nothing when I state something that is obviously true. For example, someone wrote in pissed off because I ranked Wladimir Klitschko as the number one heavyweight when Wlad obviously is the number one heavyweight. I am okay with people writing in with disagreements as long as they have some kind of an argument or basis for their opinion.
Pacquiao fans tend to ask a lot of the same questions from week to week but I still don?t mind fielding them. I really admire the passion and enthusiasm of the Filipino fans and just Pacquiao fans in general.
I actually like the oddball questions that people send in. You can?t be serious all of the time so the professional wrestling fans and other outrageous emails I get are a good change of pace. I?ve never shied away from questions that people send in. I may edit and censor them a bit, but that is all. I will literally post any question that people send in no matter what the subject or topic.
If I had a weakness on my boxing knowledge I would say that it is the history of the lighter weight classes. My history on the heavyweight division is my strength. But from the 1970?s and before that, I am not very good with trivia about divisions below middleweight.
Unfortunately I don?t know the answers to your questions about Ceferino Garcia. I am curious to hear the answers to those trivia questions if you know them I will publish them next week.
That is all for this week. Please send in your questions if you would like to be included in the next edition of Brian?s Boxing Mailbag. Take care everyone!
