Greetings boxing fanatics, and welcome to my mailbag. Published this week are some excellent emails from fans in a mixed bag of topics including Edwin Valero, Floyd Mayweather, Juan Diaz, Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton. Before we get to the questions, I have some thoughts on the world of boxing.
First off, was anyone else surprised to see Edwin Valero?s face on the front page of Yahoo News on Saturday night after his fight? They were labeling him as the next Mike Tyson because of his KO streak. I don?t even think that Floyd Mayweather made the front page after beating Ricky Hatton. For being a largely unproven commodity, Valero is getting the kind of publicity that boxers just do not get in this era where boxing is a fringe sport. Compare Valero to someone like Joan Guzman, who is also undefeated. Guzman has fought the better level of opposition, is more proven, and is probably better. Yet Guzman barely gets any mention on boxing media outlets, let alone front page mainstream news. Valero?s knockout streak is sweeping the world off of their feet, although if you ask me it is more of a circus act than substance.
I can see the appeal to the story though. Mike Tyson was the last boxer to gain mainstream appeal and bring boxing back to the forefront. One of the reasons was his fighting style. Tyson would not mess around; he would go for the knockout with ferocious intensity. If you remember, Tyson had a knockout streak of his own when he first came onto the scene. Tyson was 19-0 with 19 KO?s at one point, although one of those knockouts was really a disqualification that was later ruled a KO so that Tyson could keep his KO streak intact. The media sees a lot of Tyson in Edwin Valero and I tend to agree. Can Valero be the golden child who brings boxing back to the forefront? Maybe if he were a heavyweight, but every little bit of exposure that boxing gets is nice.
Another part of the Valero story that Yahoo touched on was the fact that the young knockout artist is banned from fighting in the US. For those who don?t know, Valero was in a motorcycle accident about seven years ago and suffered a fractured skull. Because of that injury he failed an MRI and was put on medical suspension by the athletic commissions in the USA. He possibly could have been able to make a case to become reinstated but Valero become impatient and decided to leave the United States and fight out of the country. It is an unwritten but known code in the United States that they look very unfavorably upon you if you ignore a medical suspension from the US commissions and continue fighting outside of the country. That is exactly what Valero did so his chances of being reinstated as a boxer in the United States are not great.
The Venezuelan born Valero is currently fighting for the Japanese promoter TEIKEN and living in Tokyo. Valero appears healthy and his success so far suggests that he is perfectly fit to compete in boxing matches. I think that the US commissions are in err here and time will tell if they will do the right thing and allow Valero back in the country. Being banned in the United States is a good public interest story though and probably a major reason why Valero was featured on Yahoo News, so maybe this ban from the United States helped more than it hurt Valero. He seems to be doing just fine without the cooperation of the United States.
With all of the interest surrounding Valero on Saturday, I feel that his stablemate, Jorge Linares, has just as much or more potential to be a future pound for pound candidate. Linares knocked out the awkward and crafty boxer Gamaliel Diaz in eight rounds. Linares is 25-0, and although he does not have a perfect KO record like Valero, he starched former 122 pound champ Oscar Larios to win the WBC Featherweight belt last July. Linares and Valero, both born in Venezuela and now fighting out of Japan are a formidable duo are perhaps the two best up and coming boxers today. To quote my good friend Jeremiah, 22 year old Jorge Linares is a ?rugged bastard.?
I know that I have a lot of Manny Pacquiao fans who frequent this mailbag so I know that this week?s edition could be to controversial to that audience. In response to an email this week I reveal that Manny Pacquiao has fallen from #1 to #2 on my top 10 pound for pound list. We will get to that in a bit, but we start off with a question regarding the phenomenon that is Edwin Valero.
The Emergence of Edwin Valero
Hi Brian, first of all I want to wish you and RSR a Happy Holidays!
I want to share with you my opinion from the recent Valero fight this weekend. I was not shocked from Valero’s performance where he dominated again another “tuktuk driver”. I mean, yes Valero can bang but his real boxing skills is not yet tested with a real “A” class fighter. For me, before he calls out Pacquiao, why doesn?t he fight first Guzman, Soto or even Bobby Pacquiao. If Valero already turned down Guzman, I love to see Valero taking Bobby Pacquiao for an audition fight. I’m not overrating Bobby, but I think he will give problems and a very good fight for Valero. In case Valero overwhelms the brother, Pacquiao may consider him for a “brother revenge” scenario.
We know that Pacquiao is a super fighter right now and everybody wants a piece of him. Even Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton were considered to be his possible opponents. And I don’t think Valero can have that opportunity easily when he is banned from fighting in the US.
How about you Brian, what are your thoughts should be Valero’s next step? More power to you! Again, Happy Holidays!
-SAC
Sac,
True, Edwin Valero has not faced a high level of opposition so far in his career. The only outcome of his that really surprised me and impressed me was his title winning effort against Vicente Mosquera. Mosquera had won the belt from a very worthy champion in Yodsanan ?3K Battery? Nanthachai. Nanthachai had been champion for three years and had beaten some pretty quality fighters including Lakva Sim and Steve Forbes. Mosquera was a real fighter and should have been ranked in the top 5, or at least the top 10 at super featherweight at the time that Valero knocked him out. Prior to the fight I did not think that Valero was experienced enough to take on a top ranked like Mosquera. He proved me wrong, and although he has not stepped up to that level of opposition again, his performances are still noteworthy.
For example, his last opponent, Zaid Zavaleta, was not considered a world-beater or a top contender. However, Zavaleta had never been knocked out before in his career and Valero demolished him. Before that, Hobuhito Honmo was pretty decent fighter. Honmo had a win over Jimrex Jaca, the same Jaca that gave Juan Manuel Marquez a pretty good fight last year. Honmo had pretty much bested all of the super featherweight contenders in Asia before fighting Valero.
So with that said, I both agree and disagree with your sentiments. Yes, I agree that Valero is inexperienced against an elite level of opposition and we cannot know how he would do against top-notch fighters like Manny Pacquiao. However, you could have said that same thing about Pacquiao before he fought Barrera, or Kelly Pavlik before he fought Jermain Taylor. Valero has not exactly fought truck drivers and his punching power is painfully evident. That alone makes him a worthy opponent for anyone in the 130 pound division for the intrigue factor alone. Like I said in the beginning of the column, there is enough intrigue in Valero for him to be featured on the front page of Yahoo News, so why not let him fight Pacquiao?
In a perfect world I would like to see Valero fight Joan Guzman and have the winner fight the winner of Pacquiao vs. Marquez. But if Valero refuses to fight Guzman, then he should fight someone like Jorge Barrios, Rocky Juarez, or Alex Arthur in the interim. Those are all tough fights but winnable for Valero. Perhaps the reason that team Valero does not want to fight Guzman, and Rocky Juarez for that matter, is that those two are very durable and have great chins. Even though he might win those fights, winning by knockout would be very unlikely even for a murderous puncher like Valero. To use a word coined by Roy Jones, Juarez and Guzman are pretty close to being ?un-knockoutable?. If Valero lost his KO streak, even if he remained undefeated, his marketability would take a serious hit. So avoiding Guzman and Juarez is really smart match-making on the part of team Valero.
Another fight that would be interesting option for Valero is Mzonke Fana. That is a bout that I am almost positive that Valero would be able to keep his KO streak alive, and in the process he would unify the WBA and IBF belts. Unifying the belts while another fighter (Pacquiao) is considered the champion would be very Mike Tyson-esque.
Valero?s Chances Against Pacquiao
Valero has a really nice record of 22 wins and 22 knockouts. He looks like he might be the next boxing superstar of the low weight classes in the same mold as Naseem Hamed and Manny Pacquiao. Who do you think would win if Valero and Pacquiao fought right now?
-Ron from Washington
Ron,
We?ll see if Valero pans out as far as him becoming the next big ?thing? in boxing. I will say that fans certainly love undefeated knockout artists. As I said in the email above, predicting how Valero would do against an elite fighter like Pacquiao is very difficult because Valero has not been in that setting yet. Valero?s power and his punching accuracy are stunning though and intrigue is the main factor driving this fight. We want to see if Valero can keep his KO streak alive against a pound for pound level boxer.
Would Valero be able to land his punches against Pacquiao? If he is, will they have the same affect on Pacquiao as they did his previous opponents? Will Pacquiao knock Valero out before Valero has a chance ala Jerry Quarry vs. Earnie Shavers? These are all questions that I do not have the answers to. Pacquiao has to be considered the favorite because he is the proven commodity, but with so much apparent physical talent, Valero is worthy to be in the same ring with him. I would not be opposed to an immediate fight between Pacquiao and Valero.
Fighter of the Year
Hi Brian, since that the biggest fight of the month is over. I’d like to hear from you on who is your take on fighter of the year and fight of the year? And since Mayweather won decisively, does that change your p4p standings or is Pacquiao still on top?
-Cian
Cian,
I am compiling the ?RSR End of the Year Awards? right now and will be posted before the end of the year. The RSR writers voted on fight of the year, fighter of the year, among many others so look out for that in the near future. But to give you a sneak preview, the only three possible candidates for fight of the year in my opinion are Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, and Kelly Pavlik. Before the Mayweather vs. Hatton fight I said that even if Floyd won I would hesitate to vote him in for fighter of the year because he was supposed to beat Hatton. I am going to go back on that statement because of the way that Mayweather won. He took on the best version of Ricky Hatton and won in very impressive fashion.
As for fight of the year, there are a few good candidates. Either fight between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez is a good choice. Also, Kelly Pavlik vs. Jermain Taylor was a classic. And to a lesser degree, Miguel Cotto?s skirmishes with both Shane Mosley and Zab Judah were very fun to watch. I would be okay with any of those fights winning fight of the year and all of them have received votes so far.
My pound for pound list does change with Mayweather?s win over Hatton. I have him retaking the number one spot from Pacquiao. Mayweather only dropped out of the top position in the first place because his level of opposition was not stellar in the last couple of years. But Hatton was in my top 10 before the fight and Mayweather destroyed him. That is the kind of performance that legends are made of. The ball is now in Pacquiao?s court for him to try to outdo Floyd?s brilliance.
My Favorite Fighters
Of all the boxers you have known & seen (in fights), to date, who do you consider is your most favorite, to be in your list as the number one of all time (active boxers included) regardless of weight categories? Every boxing fan has their own pick and I was just curious who’s yours. What are the criterion and qualities you have considered for that boxer to be your favorite?
Just a comment on the just concluded Mayweather & Hatton fight. Even before the fight, though I want Hatton to win, I concluded that Hatton didn’t stand a chance against Mayweather because of the big disparity in almost every area. Pretty Floyd is generally bigger than Hatton & it was very visible during fight night. I don’t know the exact weight of Mayweather & Hatton at fight time though they were almost the same during the weigh-in.
Thank you for answering my question, I really love reading your answers and comments on numerous queries. More power to you.
-RSS
RSS,
Who I think is the best and who are my favorites are two different categories, but I will give you my picks for both categories. First, the best fighter that I have ever seen in person comes down to three candidates.
The first is Roy Jones, JR., because RJJ was unbelievable when he was in his prime. However in the back of my head I think that Jones may have look so untouchable because he was not able to challenge himself against grade A opposition on a consistent basis.
The second is Evander Holyfield, in a pound for pound sense and not as a heavyweight. Holyfield cleaned out cruiserweight with ease, defeating some tough cookies like Dwight Qawi, before moving up to heavyweight. Then at heavyweight he was able to establish himself as an all time great heavyweight despite being grossly outweighed. Cruiserweight was Evander?s natural weight class but fighting guys his own size was unfair for a monster like Holyfield.
The last of the three candidates is Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather is almost untouchable defensively and as we saw against Ricky Hatton, Floyd?s offense can come out when he wants it or needs it to. Mayweather is scary good. He has Roy Jones type talent only unlike Jones he is technically sound. Some like to say that Pernell Whitaker was a full step above Mayweather in his form and defensive prowess, but the more I watch Mayweather the more I disagree. Floyd is every bit the pugilistic genius that Whitaker was, only with some power.
If you made me pick one out of the three I would go with Evander Holyfield. ?The Real Deal? was a special fighter and one of the greatest to ever lace up the gloves. And Evander did not shake his butt and dance against the big boys, he went right after guys who were a lot bigger than him and out slugged them.
Now listing my favorite fighters is much different than who I think is the best because how good a fighter is has little to do with how much I like them. For example, one of my favorite fighters is David Tua, probably because he is so flawed. Tua is short, stocky, has cement blocks for feet, and can?t cut off the ring to save his life. He is basically a walking chin with a left hook. Yet that left hook is so powerful that he can get away with all of his shortcomings. I love watching boxers overcome obstacles on their way to success. Tua won me over with all of his come from behind late round KO?s after getting his ears boxed off for most of the fight.
Another of my favorites was the late Diego Corrales for obvious reasons. The guy was a fearless warrior and a joy to watch. When watching Corrales you were almost guaranteed to see a knockout because he had great punching power, but was equally vulnerable in the chin department. I enjoy flawed fighters and naturally root for them. Having been lucky enough to speak with Diego before he passed I can tell you that he was a genuinely nice person; the kind of person that I would want to support. Another reason that Corrales was one of my favorites was that he was really tall, skinny, and lanky much like myself. I lived out my failed dreams of becoming a pro boxer vicariously through Diego because since we had a similar build I figured that if I were a boxer I would have been a lot like Diego Corrales?without the power.
Matador Floyd vs. Baby Bull
How about Juan Diaz vs. Pretty Boy Floyd? This would be plausible since Diaz is a big lightweight (I think he?s even bigger than Hatton and Hatton is a natural light welter). What?s your take on this? And what?s your prediction if Donaire vs. Mijares fights? Thanks dude.
-Don Vinjo
Don,
I don?t know if this one makes sense. Floyd looked really big in there against Ricky Hatton. He has finally grown into a full welterweight and I don?t think that was the case a year or two ago. Juan Diaz would be at a significant weight disadvantage. Even if Juan was able to fill out enough, he is unproven and uncomfortable fighting at a higher weight.
But to entertain your mythical match up, I would see Floyd taking this one pretty handily. I see it playing out very much like Floyd Mayweather vs. Jesus Chavez. Chavez at the point that he fought Floyd was a very good volume puncher and a relentless attacker similar to Juan Diaz. Mayweather, in what is one of his most impressive career performances in my eyes, used sharp counterpunches and stunning defense to make Chavez pay for his aggression. For lack of a better phrase, Mayweather beat the crap out of him.
We have seen in his matches against Jesus Chavez, Phillip N?Dou, and Ricky Hatton that Mayweather can handle aggressive volume punchers with no problems at all. Juan Diaz? style is a difficult one for most fighters to handle, but Mayweather has mastered it. The style that I think is needed to beat Mayweather is an extremely skilled inside fighter who is also quick on his feet and able to cut off the ring. The closest boxer to that description that Mayweather has fought would be Jose Luis Castillo, and no surprise Castillo gave Floyd his closest fight in their first go around. I don?t know if there is anyone at or around who fits that description currently though.
As for my prediction for a fight between Nonito Donaire and Cristian Mijares, I think this one likely goes the distance. Both are good boxers with the edge in technical skills going to Mijares but the edge in speed and power going to Donaire. If they fought two times I think Mijares wins the first one but it becomes a great learning experience for Donaire. Donaire is still young and learning his craft even though he is a champion. After the first loss, Donaire would use the first fight as a learning experience, adjust, and be able to avenge his defeat in the rematch.
Hatton Really Beat Mayweather
That fight was rigged. Hatton would have beat Mayweather if the fight happened in Manchester. Mayweather got the crooked hometown officials so his win is tainted. Hatton did not lose as far as I am concerned.
-Ronald
Ronald,
Congratulations! You win the Brian?s Boxing Mailbag award for ?Most Delusional Fan? and ?Most Inaccurate Email Submission!? Winning two awards with one email is a huge accomplishment an unprecedented in the history of my mailbag. You should be very proud, as I am sure that your mother and your family are. Please come up with an acceptance speech for next time.
Ricky Hatton vs. Oscar De La Hoya Anyone?
As both guys tasted defeat from Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather, who do you think will win between the two? Thanks and more power.
-Shenanigan
Shenanigan,
That would be a pretty good matchup, but probably one that is not likely to happen. If it were to happen I think that De La Hoya would be able to use his jab and boxing ability to keep Hatton at bay. When Hatton got inside to do his damage, De La Hoya?s weight advantage would allow him to stand up to any attacks that Hatton might land. I see De La Hoya winning a unanimous decision. Hatton will need to win a fight or two in the interim before he becomes a viable candidate to fight Oscar though. De La Hoya said the he is only interested in fighting the best for his last couple matches before he retires.
Unfair but Firm Joe Cortez
Brian, I thought that Joe Cortez did a terrible job of the Mayweather Hatton fight.
He did not let Hatton fight his fight on the inside, and was very quick to separate the fighters forcing Hatton to take more and more risks as the fight progressed.
The point deduction was the last straw to break the camels back and meant that Hatton really had to put a supreme effort forward to win the title.
I saw enough dirty tactics coming from Mayweather, but as the fight progressed it seemed to me that Joe was really looking to penalize Hatton more than Mayweather for these infractions. I had predicted Mayweather to win, but was sorely disappointed in how the fight was refereed. What did you think about Joe’s job on the night?
Thanks and keep up the great writing
-Simon
Simon,
You are not the first person to complain about the job that Joe Cortez did that night. Cortez is usually a pretty decent ref, but the sign of a good ref is one who you barely notice during the course of the fight. Perhaps Cortez wanted more face time on the camera and wanted his name printed in the papers the next day because you definitely felt his presence during Hatton vs. Mayweather.
Cortez was not so bad that I think he was favoring one fighter over the other or was paid off. That wasn?t the case. He just had a bad night and was too controlling. His job is to make sure that the fight is in line and he overdid it by becoming too involved in breaking up every clinch and deducting unnecessary points. However the questionable reffing performance did not tarnish Mayweather?s win at all like the goober above suggested it did.
Come back next week for more of Brian?s Boxing Mailbag. Submit your questions, about boxing or whatever else is on your mind, to me and I will feature them in next week?s edition! See you next time everyone.
