Bravo Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez for putting on another great show. I would not object to these two little warriors fighting again. Why not a best out of seven series just like in baseball? On second thought, for the safety and well being of both men perhaps I do not want to see them fight each other again. Marquez and Vazquez are two of the most talented boxers in the world today, but just by looking at their fights you would think that they never learned how to defend a punch. All night long they were landing clean, hard punches and did so with speed, accuracy, and perfect technique.
The trilogy ended with a razor thin split decision. One judge had it for Marquez by three points, one for Vazquez by three points, and one for Vazquez by the score of 113-112. What a great way to end a classic trilogy between two evenly matched fighters. The scorecards in this third fight mirror the final results of all three fights. Marquez won the first one, Vazquez the second, and Vazquez wins the third by the closest possible of margins. There is no controversy here either. Vazquez closed the show in the twelfth round by having his most dominant round, taking the round 10-8 and sealing his victory. If he had not won that final round so emphatically he would not have won the fight or the trilogy.
Without that exclamation point in the last round, fans would have walked away in disagreement on who should have really won the fight, or even worse, the verdict would have been a draw and everyone would have walked away unsatisfied. Congratulations to the World Super Bantamweight Champion Israel Vazquez.
Changing topics, I would like to give my endorsement to the HBO documentary about Joe Louis called ?America?s Hero?Betrayed.? Joe Louis is such a huge part of both boxing history and American history that I think everyone should take the time to learn about this legendary figure. The documentary is well done and definitely worth the watch.
On Friday, the stocks of heavyweight prospect Travis Walker and IBF Featherweight Champion Robert Guerrero rose. They headlined one of the better SHOBOX cards that have been put together. Guerrero dominated Jason Litzau and ended the fight with an unbelievable uppercut, right hook, left hand combination that left Litzau flat on his back. If boxing was still a sport that was backed by the general media, that knockout would have made the highlight reel on Sportscenter that night.
Travis Walker scored a nice knockout of his own, avenging his 1st round TKO loss to TJ Wilson. That was exactly the kind of win that Walker needed to salvage his once promising career. His reputation is fully restored and he is once again regarded as one of the better American Heavyweight prospects.
To lead into the first questions this week I will reference you to an article I wrote that was published last week on RSR. The article was called, ?Boxing?s Best Years: Appreciating the Special Time in a Career? and it listed the top 15 calendar years that boxers have recorded over the years. Henry Armstrong?s year in 1938 came in first, which was the year that he simultaneously held the Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight titles. A few readers had some feedback on that piece, which I encourage you to read if you have not already done so. Here is the link to that story:
Boxing?s Best Years: Appreciating the Special Time in a Career?
Aside from feedback on that historical column, we have some questions on Manny Pacquiao, the big cruiserweight title fight next week, Vazquez vs. Marquez, and Sergio Mora among other topics. I hope you enjoy!
Pancho Villa?s Great Title Reign
Nice article Brian about the best years ever seen in boxing. How about Pancho Villa’s (Francisco Guilledo) reign as flyweight of his time? I think this should also be included. Thanks.
-Dan
Dan,
Pancho Villa, the first Filipino World Champion, had an excellent year in 1923. That year he defeated many contenders, and recorded his signature victory, a 7th round KO over Jimmy Wilde to claim the Flyweight belt. Since he did lose twice, going 18-2 overall, I left him off of the list. However he made up for those losses to Bobby Wolgast and Frankie Genaro with the other 18 wins in the year. I could have easily included his name in the honorable mention list. Thank you for the suggestion.
Best Years Feedback
Hi Brian. I wanted to write in and tell you that I really enjoyed your article about the best years. I have no complaints about your selections. You were spot on, keep up the good work.
Rich Vartanian
-Rich
Thank you sir, I did my research on that one so I appreciate the comments.
Manny Pacquiao Snubbed?
I read your ?Boxing?s Best Years? and did not like to see Manny Pacquiao left out of the top 15 list. Manny knocked out the legend Erik Morales two times and he knocked out the legend Marco Antonio Barrera in a different year. I think he should have been in the top 15 years at least once because he dominated hall of fame fighters. Manny is an amazing and dynamic fighter. He has had years that have inspired people across the world so I think that you were wrong for leaving him out.
-PhilWarrior
PhilWarrior,
Manny Pacquiao made the honorable mention list at the bottom for his great year in 2006 where he twice defeated Erik Morales and also beat Oscar Larios by decision. But to be honest, putting Pacquiao in the honorable mention list was generous on my part. True, Pacquiao?s work in 2006 helped Manny climb to the top of the pound for pound list and all but secured his place in boxing?s hall of fame. 2006 was his best year, however, it was not nearly enough to break the top 15.
Let me give you an idea of what Manny would have to do to this year to equal what Henry Armstrong did in 1938 (#1 on my list). After beating Juan Manuel Marquez later this month, Pacquiao would have to go down to Featherweight to beat Chris John, move up to junior lightweight and beat Edwin Valero, move up to lightweight and defeat Juan Diaz, move up to welterweight and defeat Miguel Cotto, move back down to lightweight and defeat Joel Casamayor, then move back up to welterweight to beat Antonio Margarito and a couple other contenders. If Manny did all of that in one year he would only equal what Armstrong did in 1938, not surpass it. Pacquiao had a good year in 2006, but what Armstrong did in 1938 is truly remarkable. The other fighters in the top 15 also had extraordinary years that most certainly surpass what Pacquiao did in 2006.
Klitschko is No Larry Holmes
Hi Brian, I agree with pretty much everything you said about the Wladimir Klitschko victory last week except the reference to Larry Holmes because Larry was a really exciting fighter and had his fair share of exciting KO victories.
I was bored with Larry at the time but that was, I later realized, because he wasn’t Muhammad Ali. I don’t think he ever went into a fight intending to just win with the jab though, even though it was possibly the best jab in heavyweight history. Sorry to split hairs Brian, just wanted to make the point.
-Peter Stitt
Peter,
Last week I said that Klitschko won his fight ?Larry Holmes style? by dominating with the jab in a dull fight. Perhaps that was a bit unfair to Holmes. Every time there is a boring fight in the heavyweight division I should not cite Larry Holmes, but in this instance I could not resist.
To defend my take a bit more, Wladimir is not a boring fighter, he just had a boring performance. The same can be said for Holmes. He had some electrifying moments and classics fights. But Larry also had more than his share of boring performances. He did not take many chances in the ring on a typical night. For that reason he racked up an unbelievable number of title defenses, but at the same time he garnered a great deal of criticism. In conclusion, I do agree that Larry had some thrilling moments. His fights with Gerry Cooney, Ken Norton, and Earnie Shavers speak for themselves.
Scoring Vazquez vs. Marquez III
What did you think of the judges scoring of Vazquez vs. Marquez III? I thought that it was a close fight but Vazquez won. I don?t agree with the judge who had Marquez winning by three points. How did you score it? Also, do you agree with the point deduction for low blows when the referee penalized Rafael Marquez?
-Victor
Victor,
I had Marquez vs. Vazquez even going into the 11th round. In the 11th, both men did such good work, Marquez in the first minute and in the last thirty seconds, Vazquez in the middle, that I could not pick a winner. So I scored the 11th round even at 10-10 making the fight even on my scorecard going into the 12th and final round. Vazquez seemingly came out of nowhere to dominate the 12th round, scoring that knockdown and battering Marquez from pillar to post and almost stopping him. With the 10-8 round for Vazquez in the 12th round he won the fight on my scorecard by the final tally of 114-112.
The judges and the officials all did a fine job in the fight. The fight was close enough that I don?t really have beef with the 114-111 scorecard for Marquez, nor do I have a problem with the knockdown call in the 12th. The point deduction for the low blow was a little iffy but the referee did give many warnings so he had justification for the point deduction.
Busted Prediction
Hi Brian, I noticed that you picked Rafael Marquez to beat Israel Vazquez in all three fights. The third fight was really close so I can?t bust on you too hard. Well, my boy Vazquez won two out of three so what went differently than you thought would happen?
-Felipe
Felipe,
Two things surprised me about Vazquez in his trilogy with Marquez. One was his ability to take punishment. He took some massive beatings but kept getting up, kept moving forward, and kept throwing punches. His heart and determination under fire will never be held in question ever again. He is extremely durable in the true mold of a Mexican brawler.
The other facet of Vazquez?s game that impressed me was his technique and punching accuracy. I had seen Israel many times in the past, against guys like Oscar Larios and Jhonny Gonzalez, where he looked very average. Vazquez looked like an amateur who was only able to win fights because of his strong left hook. I thought that Vazquez was susceptible to being out-boxed by a well schooled fighter; someone like Rafael Marquez.
Well Israel Vazquez wins the most improved fighter award in my eyes after his trilogy with Marquez because he did not win the series by simply winging hard shots and coming forward like he had done in the past. He matched Marquez in skill and threw well timed, well placed counterpunches throughout the series. Vazquez has developed into a better, well-rounded fighter as a result of his battles with Rafael Marquez. I have nothing but good things to say about Israel Vazquez right now when in the past I have been highly critical of him. I guess you could say that he shut me up!
Manny Pacquiao?s Weight
Hi Brian, I have some questions for you. During the 30 day pre-fight weigh-in of Manny Pacquiao, he weighed 139lbs. Would losing the 9 pounds in 4 weeks be a problem? If not, would losing 9 pounds in 3 weeks be a problem? How much should he be during the last week?
I read he was still weighing the same a couple of days ago. I noticed that he was slower in his last fight with Marco Antonio Barrera and breathing heavily right after the first round when he reportedly had weight problems.
Also do you think Floyd Mayweather could beat Winky Wright at 154? And what’s your call on Calzaghe versus Hopkins?
Thanks,
-Cruzer
Cruzer,
That is a good weight for Pacquiao to be. A well conditioned boxer can lose 7-10 pounds of water the day before the fight without a great deal of strain. Arturo Gatti would often lose 15+ pounds the day before the weigh in and gain it all back by fight time. Gatti was a bit of a freak though. I would be worried if Pacquiao weighed significantly more than 140 pounds three weeks out.
Floyd Mayweather would have a good chance to beat anyone at 154 or lower. However, Winky Wright might be one of those guys at 154 that is able to beat ?Money? Mayweather. Wright is a very defensive fighter and I think Mayweather would have a hard time landing cleanly. I think that the way to beat Winky Wright is to power through his guard with aggression and utilizing an advantage of strength and power. Mayweather would not have the edge in strength or power against Wright. If I had to make a prediction I would say Wright wins a majority decision in a very technical fight with no knockdowns. I doubt that Mayweather wants any part of Winky.
My take on Joe Calzaghe vs. Bernard Hopkins is that Calzaghe is going to win big. Hopkins in his prime would have been a handful, but he is in his mid 40?s now. It is amazing how Hopkins has been able to keep on winning despite his age, but he would not be able to pull the same tricks against a workhorse like Calzaghe.
Jermain Taylor was able to go even up with Hopkins through 24 rounds with nothing more than aggression and determination. Calzaghe brings the same aggression and determination that Taylor did, but Joe is much more dynamic of a fighter. Calzaghe has better stamina and overall boxing skills compared to Jermain Taylor so he is going to do that much better against Hopkins than Taylor did. I see a wide unanimous decision along the lines of 118-110 for Joe Calzaghe.
The Contender Finally Stepping Up?
I heard a rumor that winner of ?The Contender? Sergio Mora is going to fight Vernon Forrest in a couple months. It is about time that Mora fought somebody worth fighting. Mora is going to get shook up by Forrest. Even though Forrest is not what he used to be, he is still the best at 154. He can out fight or out box Mora, whatever Mora wants to do Forrest is better at it. I think Mora gets beaten up badly.
-Chris
Chris,
Vernon Forrest vs. Sergio Mora is tentatively being scheduled for May 10th with Forrest?s WBC title at stake. This is a fight that makes sense for both guys; I like it. Mora was kicking himself for turning down the Middleweight Championship fight against Jermain Taylor a while back, and for good reason. There was no reason to turn down that fight. He realized that he needed to step up and take on big fights or else he was going to fizzle out and be a nobody just like he was before he won ?The Contender?. He has already lost a ton of momentum by being inactive and taking minor fights since the show ended.
This fight makes sense for Vernon Forrest because he is at the tail end of his career looking for the biggest name to fight so he can cash out and retire. None of the really big names like Miguel Cotto, Oscar De La Hoya, or Floyd Mayweather are interested in fighting Forrest because the money is not there. Alas, Forrest has to settle for the second tier guys like Mora. Mora is a much more winnable fight for Forrest than any of the other above mentioned names however. Forrest is 37 years old and his shoulder is damaged goods, but he still knows how to box and use the jab effectively. I like Forrest in this one but Mora?s aggression and punch output could make for some interesting moments.
Haye vs. Maccarinelli For Cruiserweight Title
What do you think Enzo Maccarinelli?s chances are against David Haye? Also, do you think that Maccarinelli being trained by Enzo Calzaghe will help him?
-Wesley Baker
Wesley,
This bout for the undisputed Cruiserweight Championship of the world is an interesting one and will surely be a wildly popular event in the UK. Haye is from England and Maccarinelli is from Wales and both have large followings over there. No matter that a major heavyweight fight between Oleg Maskaev and Samuel Peter will be taking place on the same day (March 8th), the only fight that will matter overseas is David Haye vs. Enzo Maccarinelli.
Both cruiserweights are still maturing and are young into their championship careers so it is hard to say exactly what both men are made up yet. Haye has been more impressive so far in his career scoring KO wins over top contenders Alexander Gurov and Arthur Williams and, more importantly, defeating Jean-Marc Mormeck by 7th round TKO to steal the Cruiserweight Championship. In contrast, the best fighter that Enzo has faced was a faded Wayne Braithwaite, and that was by decision.
We know that both men can punch, and with both men having been knocked out before in their careers, so you have to suspect their chins. This one could be a very exciting slugfest that ends in knockout. Haye particularly is a massive power puncher, perhaps the hardest pound for pound hitter in boxing today. I like Haye in this fight because he is more of a proven commodity but I would not be shocked if Maccarinelli pulls off the upset. This will be a big test for both men.
About Enzo Calzaghe being the trainer, he could play a role in this fight if he comes up with a good game plan for Maccarinelli. Enzo Calzaghe is a pretty good trainer, most well known for training his son Joe Calzaghe of course, but he has some other Welsh fighters that are grabbing attention as well.
That concludes my mailbag for now. Thanks to the readers for sending some great questions with a wide variety topics. I enjoy having a mixed bag of questions but I could also talk all day about Manny Pacquiao or Joe Calzaghe, so if you have any boxing questions, or any questions for that matter, that you would like to ask I will include them in next week?s mailbag. See you next time everyone!
