Welcome to my mailbag ladies and gentlemen. The readers supplied some quality questions for you this week. There were a couple of submissions regarding the fights over the weekend as well as some questions previewing the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday. That is right, Marquez vs. Pacquiao II is only one week away so the wait is almost over. I expect a tremendous battle.
This past Saturday was a very busy day in boxing with three major title fights taking place. I was front and center watching each fight but overall I was just a tad disappointed with what I saw. Perhaps I am spoiled since Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez is still fresh in my memory. I could dedicate another whole column to the 122-pound mighty warriors, but for the sake of my readers I will move on to more current affairs.
The big upset of the night was Juan Diaz losing his lightweight title to Nate Campbell. Diaz seemed to be seriously hampered by the cut and swelling on his left eye. However, Campbell would have won with the cut or not. Campbell is a complete enigma. He reminds me of a heavyweight on the same card, Oleg Maskaev, and the heavyweight that Maskaev will forever be linked with, Hasim Rahman. Rahman and Maskaev are both talented boxers who tend to lose fights that they are supposed to win but at the same time pull off some amazing and surprising upsets. The Nate Campbell that we saw against Juan Diaz was the same version that we saw against Kid Diamond. But alas, we have only seen that version of Campbell two times.
There is no doubt that Campbell has tremendous physical talents. His athletic prowess and physical gifts are not in question. Yet if Campbell was as good as he showed against Juan Diaz, he would have starched the pedestrian Robbie Peden. He would not have allowed Francisco Lorenzo or Isaac Hlatswayo to go the distance. My guess is that Campbell has the physical tools to become a great world champion but lacks the mental toughness. My reasoning for this bold claim is that anyone can get ?up? for a fight if they are a significant underdog. It seems like Nate can only get into championship form is when his back is against the wall.
There is nothing more motivating to a proud prizefighter than telling them that they cannot win. That is why Nate?s best performances were against Joel Casamayor, Kid Diamond, and Juan Diaz; all opponents who were supposed to handle him with ease. Where Campbell falters is when he is the favorite. Overconfidence and complacency nearly ruined Campbell?s career. He fought down to the level of his opposition. Now he is back in the saddle, but what are the chances that he loses his nice new belt in his first title defense? If Nate reads any press clippings about how he is supposed to win, I?d say the odds of him losing his title are pretty good.
I mentioned Oleg Maskaev earlier, and on Saturday he finally lost a fight that he was supposed to lose. Oleg showed his age, looking stiff and throwing slow punches. He did catch Peter on the chin a couple times though. Even with Maskaev throwing lazy lumbering punches he was able to successfully counter punch Peter. Peter was obviously the better, fresher fighter that night but Maskaev did some good work by being a cagey veteran. Oleg lost the WBC title and at 39 years old, another Maskaev comeback is very unlikely. With that being Oleg?s last significant fight I would like to salute him for giving boxing fans some exciting moments over the years.
I will speak more on Sam Peter and his performance with my response to a reader question to start off this week?s mailbag:
Finally A Knockout
Finally a heavyweight won a fight with a KO. After watching Klitschko sleepwalk against Ibragimov I wanted to see a knockout or I was going to get mad. Sam Peter is the best heavyweight because he wins fight with power punches and is not a bore to watch. His knockout of Oleg Maskaev was impressive.
-Rodney
Rodney,
Really? You were impressed by Peter in that fight? Peter looked pretty mediocre to me. For most of the first five rounds Peter hardly did any work at all. He has improved slightly in the past couple years by throwing straighter punches and employing some primitive form of defense. However he still has a poor work rate, throws one punch at a time, and is wide open for counter punches. Maskaev really tagged and stunned Peter a couple of times. If Peter is as good as some people say he is, he should have steamrolled a guy like Maskaev without issue.
Peter got the job done with a 6th round TKO even with the shaky moments so I can?t complain too much. Samuel now has the WBC Heavyweight belt but I disagree with the HBO announcing team when they say that Peter is now the clear number one contender to Wladimir Klitschko. If that rematch happens expect a carbon copy of the first match, if not a more decisive victory for Klitschko. The winner of WBA Champion Ruslan Chagaev and Nikolay Valuev is a more worthy contender. Although a Chagaev vs. Klitschko fight would probably turn out to be just as boring as Klitschko vs. Ibragimov.
On To Klitschko vs. Peter
Hey Brian, I just watched Sam Peter KO Oleg Maskaev. I knew that Peter would win because Maskaev was not that good he just got lucky against Hasim Rahman. We need an undisputed, unified Heavyweight Champion so now that Peter has the WBC he needs to go out there and fight the other champions. The fight that everybody wants to see is Samuel Peter and Wladimir Klitschko again. They are the two best in the world so why not have this one?
I think that Peter has improved since the first fight because he was able to out box a master boxer James Toney and he was able to win a tough fight against Jameel McCline. Peter will be able to land a few more punches against Klitschko in the rematch and that will be all this is takes against the glass chin of Wlad. Peter would win by 7th round KO.
-T-bone
T-bone,
I do not have a great desire to see a rematch but if they did fight each other next I would go with Wladimir Klitschko by unanimous decision again, only he does not get dropped three times. Klitschko is still several levels above Peter in terms of boxing skill.
I think that the rematch between Wladimir Klitschko and Samuel Peter needs to marinate longer. If they fought next I don?t think that it would be a huge event with the cross over appeal and mainstream media attention that a major Heavyweight Championship fight should have, especially after the uninspiring performances that the two fighters have had recently. Peter got the job done against Maskaev but at no point in the fight was I enthralled with the action and after the fight was done I did not have a desire to see more.
My perfect heavyweight scenario is that Peter and Klitschko continue to campaign against each other as the best heavyweight by fighting different opponents. Peter should fight guys like Vitali Klitschko, Ruslan Chagaev, Vladimir Virchis, or heck, even John Ruiz who beat Jameel McCline on the undercard. Samuel still needs experience and he still needs to earn his stripes because his resume is lacking for someone who is supposed to be the savior of the division.
Wladimir should handle his mandatory challenges against Alexander Povetkin and Tony Thompson. If both Klitschko and Peter come out of those fights unscathed and needing an opponent (which I think they will), then by all means have the rematch. By that time the general public will be clamoring for the fight, not just boxing fans.
Sam Peter?s Punching Power
Do you think that Sam Peter is the hardest pound for pound puncher in boxing? He just added another KO to his record.
-Emmy Rivera
I am not so sure that he is anymore. I think his punching power prowess may have been a bit of a myth. Sure he is still an above average hitter, but his highlight reel knockouts against guys like Jeremy Williams probably inflated his reputation.
Sam Peter is supposed to be a really big puncher and Oleg Maskaev is supposed to have a really weak chin. Well Peter landed some clean punches right on the money in the early rounds of their fight and Maskaev took them pretty well. In the 6th round it was an accumulation of several flush punches that caused the stoppage, not one big punch as is the trademark of a knockout artist.
If you look closely, Peter was not able to knockout the best fighters that he has fought. James Toney and Jameel McCline went the distance with Peter and were never in any serious trouble. Name a true contender that Peter has knocked out. You can?t because he has not done so. Peter looked like a power punching freak because he was matched up with second-rate challengers.
I still say that Sam Peter is a poor man?s version of David Tua. Tua had the edge in power and chin although Peter may have a better jab.
David Haye at Heavyweight
Hayemaker really put a smashing on Enzo Maccarinelli. Did you see the way Maccarinelli was wobbling around the ring in a daze after Haye dropped him in the corner? That was a right cracking punch!
Now Haye is moving to heavyweight to become England?s next Heavyweight Champ picking up where Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno left off. He is going to do really well at heavyweight, mark my words. He has the body and the big punch to handle anyone. For his first fight I think he should fight either Danny Williams or an American like Hasim Rahman. How do you think Haye will do at heavyweight?
-Dale from London
Dale,
I don?t think that Haye will dominate heavyweight but he will do okay. He has a shot to pick up one of the belts, and down the line he could possibly upset the likes of Wladimir Klitschko. Remember Wlad struggled against the undersized but hard hitting DaVarryl Williamson. In no way do I think that Haye is a better heavyweight than Klitschko; he just has a style that could present problems for the current heavyweight champ.
Your selection of opponents sounds about right for a first fight at heavyweight. I was not overly impressed with Haye?s win on Saturday, mostly because I did not think all that much of Maccarinelli. Haye is not a very good technical fighter but he gets away with it at cruiserweight with raw power. That power will be muffled against the bigger men at heavyweight. Someone like Sultan Ibragimov, Ruslan Chagaev, or Alexander Povetkin would make Haye look silly.
El Matador Nate Campbell
Nate Campbell really impressed me tonight with his dismantling of the Baby Bull. Nobody gave him a chance. It is funny because he said before the fight that he was sure that he was going to win but everyone thought that he was crazy and just talking like all fighters do. I never thought that I would see the day that Juan Diaz was outworked. I thought Diaz was supposed to be the one that throws punches all day? Campbell looked really strong like he could have gone 15 rounds if he had to but Diaz was struggling just to last the distance.
-Terry
Terry,
Good point that Nate Campbell beat Juan Diaz at his own game. He went out there and started throwing non-stop. He beat Diaz with a volume of punches and never let up for twelve rounds. That shows amazing stamina on the part of Campbell to be able to meet Juan Diaz punch for punch and then some.
The loss will be a good learning experience for Juan Diaz in the long run. I have a feeling that the Baby Bull will be back soon. Diaz had the worst performance of his career but it was still within a few points on everyone?s scorecard and close enough that one of the judges had Diaz winning.
The remaining players at lightweight are Nate Campbell, David Diaz (WBC), Joel Casamayor (Ring), and Casamayor?s opponent later this month, Michael Katsidis. Once that mess is sorted out, Juan Diaz will be an outstanding challenger to the fighter who comes out one top. Also, Manny Pacquiao is planning to move to lightweight after his match with Juan Manuel Marquez so we have that to look forward to as well. Lightweight is becoming a pretty stacked division.
Blueprint to Beat Juan Manuel Marquez
Dear Brian,
I believe the great fight between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez can provide an idea on what it takes to beat Juan Manuel Marquez.
I say so because the Mexican boxing brothers approximate each other in terms of style and talent. Perhaps, Manny Pacquiao can learn a lot from watching said fight in order to solve the Marquez puzzle. I also believe that the Pacman can equal if not surpass the fighting style of Israel Vazquez. There is no question regarding the heart and determination to win of Pacquiao, which Vazquez also showed in his fight with Rafael Marquez. Do you agree with me? Does that fight change your view on who will win between Pacman and JMM? Thank you.
-Nuj
Nuj,
Rafael and Juan Manuel Marquez are somewhat similar but are different fighters. Rafael is more of an offensive minded fighter who sharp shoots with power punches. Juan Manuel is a counter puncher who lets his opponent lead while he lays back and explodes at openings with combinations. Both brothers have very good jabs though and can control a fight with their jabs if they need to.
Still, I agree with you in a general way. Pacquiao would do well to put the pressure on Marquez similar to the way that Vazquez did.
However Pacquiao would have wanted to do that regardless of what happened in Vazquez vs. Marquez. Looking at the Vazquez vs. Marquez fight will not really help him come up with a strategy although it might give him inspiration. Since Pacquiao is a southpaw he will have to throw different punches and come from a different angle than Vazquez did. Besides, Vazquez absorbed some serious punishment against Rafael so maybe Pacquiao does not want to emulate Israel! I am sure that Freddie Roach and Pacquiao already have a good fight plan set up.
How Popular is Manny Pacquiao In the US
Hi Brian! Thanks for this wonderful mailbag! Forgive me for this question, I’m just curious.
Although, I’m a huge boxing fan and avid Pacman fan, I still don’t know how “BIG” Manny Pacquiao is in America (boxing’s capital). So I want to know how popular Manny is and how is he perceived by boxing enthusiasts in the United States. Is he really a legend in the making like Tito Trinidad of Puerto Rico and Chavez Senior of Mexico? I am totally aware and I personally experienced Pacmania here in the Philippines. That whenever, Manny fights, crime rate turns to zero. Ads (with Manny) everywhere, etc. And if you noticed, the one who carries his belt whenever he fights is a town Mayor here in the Philippines! There’s really no “Bigger” man than Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines.
Since you?re an American and in the sport for a very long time, I just want to ask how popular he is there in the US. Thanks and more power.
-Ronchimata
Ronchimata,
I would say that Pacquiao is almost as popular as Felix Trinidad and Julio Cesar Chavez were at the peaks of their careers. He is a legend in the making and will probably make the hall of fame like the above mentioned fighters. They all have a large fan base among American boxing fans, but their massive following among their countrymen is what make them legendary fighters. Manny?s love and support from his Filipino and Filipino-American fans is overwhelming.
Pacquiao has been a sensation in the United States ever since he defeated Marco Antonio Barrera and maybe HBO?s Larry Merchant?s obsession with the fighter has something to do with it. Manny is one of the five most popular boxers in America today. Boxing enthusiasts love him and make sure that they do not miss his fights.
However, boxing is not as popular in America as it has been in the past. Companies do not use boxers for commercials or advertisements in the USA so their exposure to the general public is very minimal.
Among boxing fans Manny is very popular and well known. Among the general public in America, I would say that 7 out of 10 people have not heard of Manny Pacquiao; or any other boxer not named Oscar De La Hoya or Floyd Mayweather for that matter. If boxing had anywhere near the exposure and popularity now as it did in the 1980?s and prior, Manny Pacquiao would be a much bigger celebrity over here.
Countdown to the Battle
Hello Brian. I am a big Pacman fan and cannot contain my excitement for the March 15th fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. I think that Pacquiao is going to box in the first three rounds like he did against Barrera and when he is up on the scorecards Marquez will have to fight because JMM will not be happy with a decision loss like Barrera was. When Marquez starts to fight then Pacquiao will unleash his strength and win by KO in the 4th round!
-Ivo Camer
Ivo,
This is going to be a great fight. I understand you excitement because I feel the same way. These are two of the best fighters of their generation and they have a score to settle. I hope you enjoy the fight and may the best man win!
That concludes this edition of my mailbag. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed putting the mailbag together. Please send in your questions and I will be sure to include them in next week?s mailbag. Take care everyone!
