Greetings RSR readers, welcome to another edition of my mailbag. This was not a super busy weekend for the boxing world. The two most significant events were the presumed end of a once superb champion in Kassim Ouma and big wrestling match involving Floyd Mayweather. Ouma looked terrible in his shocking upset loss to a for ?The Contender? contestant Cornelius Bundrage. Mayweather, with the help of a foreign object, pinned The Big Show, but more importantly successfully marketed himself to a brand new audience.
Even with that excitement, my mailbag is still jam packed with questions about the now legendary fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. Fans are still split down the middle on who they thought won. Fans will probably be split down the middle for years to come just as the case with Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard.
In addition to the healthy dose of Manny Pacquiao questions, I field great questions about Cintron vs. Margarito, Ponce de Leon vs. Juanma Lopez, and Amir Khan. This week?s mailbag is jam packed, so without further ado I will get to the first question.
Poor Decisions By Team Marquez
Dear Brian,
Good day! This is my first time to email you but I’ve been reading your column for quite some time. First congrats to Pacman, it was a close fight but I think the knockdown and his aggression made the difference, otherwise it might have been a boring fight. Congrats to JMM as well, he won my respect aside from him and his team reacting too much to the decision.
But at this point in time, they should have plan A and B. After the 1st match, Marquez and team turned down the rematch, fought and lost to Chris John and got smaller pay, poor decision. Now, what will be the next step, what do you think will be their option since Pacquiao will be moving up to 135 lbs against David Diaz.
Also, what do you think will be the outcome of Pacman vs. Valero if this will happen?
Thanks a lot. God Bless.
-Jason Calara
Jason,
Thank you for your support of my column.
Marquez and Nacho Beristain made one of the worst managerial decisions in boxing history when they turned down 1+ million dollars for a Pacquiao rematch and then got stuck with a fight against Chris John for chump change. If given the same scenario this time I do not think that Team Marquez would make the same decision again. They have to have learned from their mistakes.
The problem is that I do not think that Team Marquez will be given the same options. Pacquiao already has a fight lined up against David Diaz and after that who knows who the opponent is going to be but most likely it will be a prominent lightweight and not Juan Manuel Marquez. Marquez has already started calling Pacquiao out saying that he would move up to any weight class in order to get a third match. Bob Arum, for whatever reason, does not want to see Pacquiao vs. Marquez III.
With Pacquiao fighting David Diaz next and no Pacquiao fight in near sight, Juan Manuel should stay at 130 pounds and fend off some of the very good contenders in that division. There are many excellent fighters at 130 even without Pacquiao, whether that is Joan Guzman, Edwin Valero, Humberto Soto, or Alex Arthur. If Marquez chases Pacquiao up to lightweight like he suggested that he might I don’t think that he will be able to handle the bigger guys very well.
As for Pacquiao vs. Valero, you have to favor Pacquiao in that one because he is the proven commodity. We know that Pacquiao is elite. We can only estimate the world-class talent of Valero because he has yet to match up with the other top 130-pound boxers.
Pacquiao Declining or Improving?
Dear Brian, based on his last two fights with Barrera and Marquez respectively, some boxing experts were of the opinion that Pacquiao’s performance has been declining due to his inability to knock them out. They say that gone was the buzz saw, devil may care style that made him famous to most boxing fans. He was also not able to employ against Marquez the moves he employed to evade Erik Morales’ stinging left jabs and power rights by moving forward to the opponent’s left side while throwing a counter right hook. The critics also said that Pacquiao has become too cautious for his own good saying his offense should still be his best defense.
My opinion is to the contrary. I think Pacquiao has somehow improved in terms of defensive skills while at the same time significantly hurting Marquez, not with his signature power straight lefts but with counterpunching left hooks in their recent fight (Rounds 3 and 10). Being a little cautious also has an upside. Look what happened to Katsidis with his all offense style against Casamayor. Maybe the reason Marquez was not knocked out s because Marquez is a technically superior fighter and more physically conditioned than the other fighters that Pacquiao faced before. What is your opinion on this?
-Nuj
Nuj,
Any “expert” who thinks that Pacquiao is in decline after his amazing performance against Marquez is not really an expert. Manny was at his absolute best that day. He was not able to score a knockout because Juan Manuel Marquez was also in the best form that I have ever seen him in.
Opponents become more difficult to KO as a fighter steps up in class. Ring Magazine ranked Juan Manuel Marquez as the 3rd best pound-for-pound boxer in the world when he fought Pacquiao. JMM showed that he deserved that ranking. Marquez is an elite prizefighter still in his prime who has never been knocked out in his entire career. With those facts, anyone who expected Manny to score a KO was a victim of wishful thinking.
Pacquiao was able to get away with his all out brawling style early on because nobody had ever seen him before. Now the top ranked fighters have seen him and are able to study tape. They know what is coming now and are able to adapt. The lack of knockouts for Manny has more to do with people adjusting to his style rather than a decline of skill.
Hope For Katsidis and Juan Diaz
Hi Brian, I always read your articles and this is my first email to you. I believe that at most 97 percent of your assessments of every fight are correct and I like the way you response on every email sent to you.
I believe that Juan Diaz is the best in his division and I could not believe that he was defeated by the old and fading Campbell. Is there any chance that he can reclaim of that what he had lost?
For Katsidis, he is a young, promising and entertaining fighter, and I love to see the way he fights and though he lost his fight with Casamayor, I believe he?s still on his way to the top.
These two young fighters have very different fighting styles. What are your thoughts if Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis were to collide?
-Junrie Matias
Junrie,
Thank you for your longtime support of my column. Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis suffered setbacks in their careers but they have more fighting left to do before their careers are over. I especially think that Juan Diaz will rebound and become champion once again. Katsidis may or may not become champion. He is an exciting fighter who is fun to watch but he has not yet proven that his skills can match his entertainment value.
If these two fought I would favor Juan Diaz to win with his work rate. Diaz has an uncanny ability to throw his flurries with speed and accuracy, and most of the time avoids danger despite non-stop punching. Juan’s track record says that he can stand up to a big puncher for twelve rounds so I go with Diaz by decision.
More Thoughts On Pacquiao vs. Marquez II
I read your answers to lots of questions by avid Pacman fans and you answered intelligently. I think, in my opinion too the Pacman won the fight closely and you don’t argue with it ’cause you saw it very close. By your answer I know that you are more inclined to favor Marquez as the winner not just because of the scorecard you gave to Marquez. People have views and opinions and we also play favorites. This makes us swing our choices just like you did that is why when you put in your scorecard that Marquez won the fight.
I respect that because we have the same opinion too and we play favorites and this makes my scorecard in favor of Pacquiao. But I know it in my heart not as convincing the way in his previous fights.
-Mcemman
Mcemman,
I scored the fight for Marquez because I thought he won more rounds, not because he is my favorite. I don’t agree with you that I tend to favor Marquez. As a journalist I am supposed to be impartial to the boxers and objective when scoring fights.
But between you and me, if I had to pick a favorite fighter between Marquez and Pacquiao it would be Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao is an exciting fighter and a classy individual so when he fights I root for him. However when I write my column, any emotions of support that I have for Pacquiao (or Marquez) have to be discarded.
Still A Nuthugger
Brian you are a true JMM nuthugger. Last week I was pointing out what you were writing about for the last couple of month about how Marquez came back on the first fight to school Pacman. You didn’t have a scorecard for the first fight so that was obvious and it’s a fact. This time you have a scorecard, and again, that’s a fact.
I gave Marquez round 1, the least you could have said is “thank you for the gift”.
-Sal
Sal,
I don?t care how you scored the fight. You proved beyond a shadow of a doubt in your email last week that you do not know how to properly score a boxing match.
I don?t have my scorecard for the first fight because it happened four years ago. However I vividly remember thinking that a draw was a fair score. I don?t keep my scorecards scribbled on scratch paper for every fight that I have ever watched in a file somewhere. Sorry. That is like me asking you to show me your answers to your 8th grade multiple choice science mid term.
Knockdowns Win the Fight
I read your response to one of the comments in your columns. It went something like “Pacquiao never really proved his superiority over Marquez even with the win.”
I beg to disagree. Knocking Marquez down 4 times (5 times, counting that end of 3rd round where Marquez held on to the ropes) in two fights proves Pacman’s superiority over Marquez. KD ratio = 4:0 for Pacman. Nobody else was able to do that to Marquez. Anyway, I still enjoy reading your columns. More Power!
-Jonzki
Neither fighter dominated each other. Pacquiao can’t KO Juan Manuel Marquez with his power and all Marquez can do is show his great counter punching skills. So neither fighter showed dominance in both fight. Pacman hurts JMM, JMM hurts Pacman. Now who is the better fighter? To me it’s the Pacman. Why? Because Pacquiao knocked down Marquez 5 times. One thing that JMM couldn’t do, cannot do and never will do to Pacman. Thanks!
-Ron
Jonzki and Ron,
Unfortunately for Pacquiao fans, the winner of a fight is the fighter who scores the most points, not the one who scored the most knockdowns. Of course you get one point for a knockdown, but you also get one point for winning a round. Marquez won more rounds and Pacquiao scored more knockdowns. The fact that Manny was able to knockdown Marquez and Marquez could not return the favor is good for bragging rights but not for determining who the better fighter is.
Knockdowns are the not the be all and end all of proving dominance. Ring generalship, clean punching, effective punching, defense, etc. all are major factors and Marquez was in control of many of those categories.
Pacquiao’s game is blitzing his opponent and trying to score knockdowns and knockouts. Marquez’ game is to intelligently box, counterpunch, and control the pace with superior skill. Both men found success in their fights.
Thrilling Fights of 2008
It is definitely a year for all us boxing fans. I thank all these great fighters who gave their all and give us thrills and chills so far. Three strong fight of the year candidates already and there is more to come.
Win or lose we must salute them for their effort and sacrifices. Indeed this will be a great year in boxing. Thanks and more power.
-Rscabeza
Rscabeza,
We are very lucky that we are able to witness this renaissance in boxing at the lower weight classes. Now let?s hope the heavyweight division follows suit!
Pacquiao At Lightweight
Hi, Brian, Manny is planning to move up in weight. I think he can beat the two Diaz? (David and Juan) because they are stationary boxers and they want to trade punches which favors Pacman, but Manny will have a hard time against Casamayor and Campbell in the early rounds because these two boxers move well, and have power too. But at 36, Manny will catch these two old men, by late knockout. I don?t think both boxers have enough gas left in their tanks.
And about the speculation that its going to be tough for Manny at 135 because of size, that is a no no. Campbell, Casamayor, and the two Diaz? are not taller than Erik Morales, Solis and Larios. For Marquez, please wait and just look for other lucrative fights like fighting both Joan Guzman and Edwin Valero first then the part III with Manny will be next. What do you think Brian? Agree with me?
-Robert Naparate
Robert,
I think that Manny has a hard time with the four lightweights you mentioned above except maybe the limited David Diaz. Joel Casamayor and Nate Campbell look like they have more left in the tank than I originally thought after watching the brilliant performances in their last fights. Campbell is 36 years old but he got into boxing late so his ring age is less than his actual age. You never know what version of Nate Campbell is going to show up for a fight though.
Joel Casamayor is probably closer to retirement than Campbell. Joel has been boxing his whole life, with many fights as an amateur. Even though he won his match against Katsidis by KO, Casamayor looking like he was getting out worked and worn down in the middle rounds. I would favor Manny Pacquiao over Joel Casamayor.
As for plans for Marquez, personally I would rather see an immediate rubber match with Manny but I know that is not happening. I good consolation prize would be fight with Valero and Guzman, so yes I agree with you on that count.
Close Rounds of Marquez vs. Pacquiao II
What is your opinion on this Brian? I just copied it from Pacland:
?The only round debatable here is round 7,11,12 cause they are so close we all know pac owned round 1,3,4,9,10 and jmm owned round 2,8 and 5,6 which still close but I think jmm edge it. I watched the fight several times and 2 of them is in 2x Slow Motion in every round. This What happened in Round 11. The time I use is the official time of this round. I put the time so you wouldn’t tell me I’m stupid and liar!
jmm landed 1 left hook and strait right (2:51-2:50), pac landed right hook and jab (2:49), rest miss by both until jmm low blow pac at 2:11, jmm miss at 2:01-1:56, pac miss at 1:52, pac lands a jab. pac landed strait at 1:48 as jmm throw counters right but landed at pacs glove. jmm miss right and pac counter him with right hook at 1:38, pac landed soft left 1:35, jmm miss(1:32), pac block jmm 1-2combo as pac backing off(1:30), jmm landed clean right and follow up with left uppercut and right strait(1:27-25) while pac landed 2 jab at 1:24, pac miss with his left but land with his right (1:23), pac landed good left (1:19), jmm landed his jab but pac countered right hook(1:14), jmm miss with his left and right, pac block them at 1:11-9 jmm land 1 right body shot (:56), jmm landed strait right while pac landed right hook at (:54-:53), pac miss with his jab while jmm land one(:52) pac landed 3 left as jmm counter with his right but miss again(:47), pac land double right hand and miss with his left but landed again 1 right strait(:44-43) jmm landed right hook and left uppercut but miss with his 2nd right hook(:36-35) pac block jmm shot jmm landed left hook at:20 jmm landing right strait(:14) pac landed solid right and miss with another left-right combo but landed another left uppercut(:13-12) jmm miss(:11) pac miss with his right-left and also jmm miss his countered left(:05) jmm land left hook and pac countered a good right hook!! Who do you think won?!!! I think pac clearly won it because almost jmm punch landed in pac glove. G.iving round 1 to jmm is really stupid. Pac clearly won round 1 but I see lots of unofficial scoring that round 1 belongs to jmm. Jmm only land one hard right and 2 body shot and he won?! WTF! Pac landed more clean shot and jab.?
-Benjie M. Tiu
Benjie,
I don’t have a strong opinion on that post one way or the other (nor do I have a strong desire to edit it as you can probably tell!). I also gave round one to Pacquiao which is what his main argument is. My final scorecard does not match his exactly so I obviously do not fully agree with him. He has a right to his opinion and I am not about to discredit his opinion because he appears to have a reasonable looking scorecard.
The author may be overanalyzing the fight though. Looking at every round in slow motion is really too much. A score should be obtained from looking at the fight once in real time. If you want to re-score the fight then watch it again in real time, do not look at the fight with a magnifying glass in slow motion. I mean come on!
Kermit Cintron vs. Antonio Margarito
Are you a little concerned that Kermit keeps predicting a KO? Clottey hit Margie with some huge shots, and he kept coming. He has a much better chin than Feliciano, although Kermit doesn’t agree. Unlike Feliciano, Margarito has never been KO’d in the first round by junior-welterweights!
Kermit might punch himself out physically and mentally trying for the KO even before we get to the championship rounds 9-12 where Margarito’s superb conditioning always shines. I’d much rather see Kermit pace himself to go 12 rounds right from the opening round rather than banking everything on an early KO. Agree?
-David
David,
Absolutely. Knockouts are like homeruns. You should not try for them. Just fight your fight and they will come naturally. So, yes, if Cintron is going to be gunning for a knockout then I think that is a mistake, especially against a really tough hombre like Margarito. Margarito is freakishly resilient.
But to be honest, I don’t think that Kermit is going to go out there and blow his load early on. This is too important of a fight for him to fight so recklessly. I am sure he has a good game plan and is just saying that he will knock Margarito out to sell the fight.
Weighing Prospects
Thanks for answering my questions dude. I enjoy reading your mailbag. My question would be about jr. lightweight prospects Yuriorkis Gamboa and Amir Khan. Who do you think would win when they fight? Khan has a very weak chin but he?s taller and has a longer reach than Gamboa.
Also, I heard Juanma Lopez has signed on to fight Daniel Ponce de Leon, what do you think of that fight also?
Reacting to your answer to my last email about the wailing Marquez sisters, I can see that they fought great fights inside the ring against Pacman and Izzy Vazquez but it is their behavior outside the ring that makes them “sisters”. Maybe credit should be given to Nacho who not only taught them what to do inside but also outside the ring (wail, whine). He should have taught them on how to have granite chins (as if its possible) so they wont be knocked down when they face class A+ opponents.
-Vinjo
Vinjo,
Yuriorkis Gamboa should almost be considered a veteran and a long time pro because of his amateur background. The Cuban boxing team produces top notch fighters but they have to defect in order to fight pro. Gamboa won the Flyweight Olympic Gold Medal in 2004 now who knows how much success he will find in the pro game.
Khan won a silver medal in that same Olympic Games and is also an immensely skilled boxer. Khan is being hyped to extremes in the UK by Frank Warren. I am having a hard time picking a winner for Khan vs. Gamboa because I have not seen a whole lot of either. Even if I had seen every single Amir Khan fight I still would not have seen enough of him because he has not fought the level of opposition that would be able to test him.
On a limb, I will go with Gamboa because of his tremendous punching power.
Juan Manuel Lopez might be the best prospect in all of boxing so I am excited about the proposed but not announced fight with Ponce de Leon. That is an interesting fight but we have already seen what the Mexican WBO Champion can do to prospects (see Rey Bautista). Should be a very good fight, I am looking forward to it.
Juanma Lopez Scared?
I read in an article maybe a month ago that Juanma Lopez was supposed to fight Bernabe Concepcion but Juanma backed out. Has Juanma seen something in Concepcion that gave him cold feet? What?s your take on this fight if this happens?
Changing subjects, a writer from the UK wrote that pacman is ripe for the picking for Amir Khan because Pacman, he said, is slipping as what he noticed in his previous fights. Whats your opinion on this? I disagree. Amir Khan has been spoon fed opponents that have almost no KO power and close to no KO wins but still he was knocked down by one of them. How much more if he stepped up in opposition and fought class B fighters with good KO power? It appears that he can?t take what he can give. I think he?s a hype job and it shows with the combined record of his opponents. But on the flipside, he has got good boxing skills, decent power and amateur pedigree. It is just his chin that is questionable and you can?t go far with a weak chin in a division laden with power punchers.
-Vinjo
Vinjo,
Juan Manuel Lopez likely backed out of that fight because he had bigger fish to fry. All signs point to Lopez getting a shot at Daniel Ponce De Leon and the WBO Super Bantamweight belt, which is a much bigger fighter against a more notable opponent. Bernabe Concepcion is a good-looking prospect but needs more time to develop. Lopez looks to be more polished and ready for a major fight at this point in his career.
I’m not so sure about Amir Khan vs. Manny Pacquiao. Khan is a huge question mark. He has immense talent as I said earlier. I don?t think that he is just another UK hype job like many of the prospects overseas are. His amateur pedigree is proof of that. The fact that he was able to defeat the Cuban legend Mario Kindelan in a Gold medal rematch displays his championship intangibles. But is he ready for someone like Pacquiao? Probably not but I don’t know for sure. He probably won’t get the opportunity any time soon. Khan needs to prove himself on the championship level before any major opponents like Pacquiao give him the time of day.
Then again, Khan could have a glass chin like you say and fall flat on his face. Prospects are sometimes hard to judge. The very best ones may never pan out.
That concludes my mailbag for this week faithful readers. Come back next time for more Brian?s Boxing Mailbag action. As always, I answer every question that comes in so I welcome each and every one of you to let me know what is on your mind. Take care all!
