Before we get to business this week I would like to commend my fellow RSR Feature Writer Kermit Cintron on his brave performance against Antonio Margarito last Saturday. Kermit is one of the hardest hitters that the welterweight division has ever seen and he cracked Margarito several times with clean power punches. It just so happens that Margarito has a freakishly sturdy chin. Even in defeat, I am happy and honored to be associated with a gallant warrior like Kermit Cintron.
Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto are now set for their much delayed but much anticipated showdown. That terrific welterweight unification match is set for July 26th at Madison Square Garden in New York. You have to love the activity of Cotto. He is the only superstar boxer who routinely fights more than two times per year, and all of his opponents are quality fighters too.
The light heavyweight doubleheader on Showtime turned out to be the better card in terms of action. Antonio Tarver returned to form, looking the best that he has in a long time. Tarver fended off a gutsy effort by Clinton Woods and won a clear, decisive decision. Tarver is not washed up like I thought he was and he still has the heart to compete because Woods made him work in the last few rounds.
You have to feel sympathy for Glen Johnson after losing another close decision that could have gone either way. This one is a crusher because Johnson put together a brilliant performance and thoroughly entertained the fans by coming forward and looking to trade punches. Glen almost knocked Dawson out on a couple of occasions too. I hope that Johnson gets another big time opportunity because he deserves it. Glen is the epitome of what is good in boxing. He will fight anyone, anytime, anywhere without excuses. Plus he is an exciting fighter who never backs down and is often in epic, exciting bouts. Yes he lost, but he gave boxing fans everything that they could have ever wanted or hoped for in his bout with Dawson. We need to see him again if he chooses to continue fighting. Are you listening HBO and Showtime?
Dawson and Tarver are supposed to meet each other to complete the 175 pound Showtime tournament. The stage is set for them to fight but who knows if they will reach a deal. I would slightly favor Dawson in that fight because he is younger and has the edge in athleticism, but Tarver has puncher?s chance plus more. I suspect that Tarver vs. Dawson would be a sloppy and somewhat subdued fight so I am not jumping out of my seat looking forward to it. Dawson vs. Tarver is necessary to move along the light heavyweight division even though it does not look like an awesome action fight on paper.
I received a couple questions concerning the aftermath of all of the major fights last weekend. Among the other questions I received this week is an email looking ahead to next week?s match between Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins, a few emails praising up and coming prospect AJ Banal, and of course my mailbag would not be complete without a Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao question. Please enjoy.
Fans Were Booing Chad Dawson
Hey Brian, I thought that the fight between Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson was a good one but Dawson won hands down. I noticed that the crowd was booing Dawson and booing at the decision very heavily at the end. I can understand cheering Johnson, he fought a good fight, but how can you boo that decision? Dawson clearly won.
-Joseph
Joseph,
Out of the four fights on Saturday Dawson vs. Johnson turned out to be the best fight by far. Dawson was tested more than he ever had been before and, depending on who you ask, passed the test.
But there was a reason that the crowd overwhelmingly supported Glen Johnson and booed Chad Dawson. There was a reason that boos showered the stadium when the decision was announced. And there was a reason that a vast majority of the Showtime viewers voted for Johnson as the most impressive fighter of the night.
The reason is that fans pay money to watch a fight and the only fighter who was looking to fight was Glen Johnson. He walked down Dawson every second of those twelve rounds looking to trade punches. In response, Dawson got on his bicycle and fought backing up. That is not what the fans wanted to see. Chad fought smart and fought exactly how his trainer wanted him to but he did not win any fans by doing so.
Dawson may have won more rounds and thus he deserved the decision but if that had been a street fight instead of an officially sanctioned boxing match, all of the spectators would have said that Johnson had won. Why? Because Glen caused more damage. Two times during the match Glen Johnson hand Dawson badly hurt and on the verge of a knockout. At no point in the twelve rounds was Johnson hurt. Glen was doing all the damage because his punches had more effect than Dawson?s.
Dawson won the fight under the 10-point must system. However if there was a different scoring system in place then perhaps Johnson would have won. For example, if boxing matches were scored based on who dealt the most damage then Johnson would have won. If boxing matches were scored by giving only dominant rounds to a fighter and scoring the rest a draw then Johnson would have won.
I can completely understand the frustration of the fans who booed because the fighter who gave them what they wanted and was effective in his aggressiveness lost the fight. I would have been more satisfied if the judges had scored the fight a draw but this was not a robbery.
The Philippines vs. The World
Hi Brian, what can you say about the performance of the Filipino fighters from the recent fight card “Invasion: Philippines vs. the world”? Who is the most impressive of them all? Who do you think the next world champion? Also, what are your thoughts on Marquez visiting the Philippines and crying out for a rematch with Pacquiao? How do you find his attitude?
Thank you and Regards,
-Sac
Sac,
Every Filipino fighter on that fighter card came out victorious. However I should note that the fights were not as competitively matched as the fights from the Boxing World Cup aside from the main event featuring Gerry Penalosa. The major results of the fights were as follows:
Gerry Penalosa TKO8 Ratanachai Sor Vorapin Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista KO2 Genaro Camargo AJ Banal TKO4 Caril Herrera Bert Batawang KO7 Heri Amol Ciso Morales TKO5 Yoo-Shin Kim Michael Domingo TKO2 Thepnimit Sor Chitpattana
I think Gerry Penalosa had the best performance because he had by far the toughest opponent but was still able to win by a dominant knockout. The guy from that card to watch in the future is AJ Banal. I am amazed that he is only 19 years old. Banal is a future world champion. I just hope that he is not rushed along too quickly as it may ruin his potential.
As for Marquez, you can hardly blame him for making the visit. The best career move for him would be to have an immediate rematch with Manny Pacquiao. A third fight with Pacquiao represents the most possible glory and most possible money for him. He should be trying his hardest to campaign for the rubber match and getting the public to support his right to another fight with Pacquiao. If I were in his position I would also chase Manny across the world asking him for a rematch!
The Bazooka
Hi Brian, thanks a lot for reading my email. I love all your thoughts about boxing. I just want to ask what your thoughts about AJ “Bazooka” Banal. I?m a great fan of him. His skills reminded me of Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. He has great power and his counter punching skills are just started to develop. I predict he will become a legend. Thanks a lot Brian and more power.
-Joshua Regor
Joshua,
You are welcome. I always enjoy reading boxing emails from fans like you. I think that Banal is a future star in the sport. He has tremendous natural power but has boxing skills as well. He knows how to counter and how to set up his power shots.
He still needs more time to develop though. We need to see how he reacts to a slick boxer, a fighter with a good chin who will stick around for the distance, and see how he reacts when a big puncher cracks him on the jaw. There are many questions with AJ just like there are with all prospects. He does look very promising though.
Mythical Matchups: Gerry Penalosa vs. 122 Pound Elite
What do you think of Gerry Penalosa vs. Israel Vazquez and Penalosa vs. Rafael Marquez? Vazquez is hittable and always comes forward which suits Gerry?s counter punching style (and granite chin). Marquez can give Gerry fits with his movement but he has a tendency to brawl, his chin is questionable, and he fades in the later rounds.
-Vinjo
Vinjo,
Penalosa would have a tough time with either of these two great 122 pound fighters. Penalosa?s ideal weight is probably bantamweight so he would be at a size disadvantage, especially against Israel Vazquez. Vazquez is incredibly strong and powerful; so much that he can bull through more talented fighters. I predict that would be the case in a fight with Gerry Penalosa. Gerry would land some excellent counter punches and block the majority of the punches from Vazquez, but eventually the constant pressure of Vazquez will start to pay off. Penalosa would get tired and the huge punches of Vazquez would start to land leading to a stoppage from an accumulation of punches.
Rafael Marquez is every bit as technically skilled as Gerry Penalosa. Penalosa would have the edge in chin while Marquez would have the edge in power. I expect a very close fight here with Marquez eventually taking a decision win with an educated jab and a higher work rate from Rafael being the difference in the fight.
Margarito or Cotto
So Miguel and Antonio Margarito both won their fights and are going to fight each other. Who do you think wins that one? Margarito looked unstoppable against Kermit Cintron but Cotto looked as good as ever against Alfonso Gomez. Should be a good scrap.
-Carlos
Carlos,
I am going to pick Miguel Cotto to defeat Antonio Margarito but man this one is going to be interesting. Cotto is the better boxer and is more versatile. Margarito is incredibly resilient though and never stops punching. Cotto relies on his power so it will be interesting to see how he will react when his power has no effect.
I am going to say that Margarito will be tougher on Cotto than either Mosley or Judah was. Miguel has never encountered a fighter quite like Antonio Margarito before so I am not very confident in my prediction and would not be very surprised by an upset.
Banal Being Rushed?
Hi Brian. AJ Banal’s last fight against that undefeated Argentinean guy was an IBF super flyweight title eliminator. Do you think he can handle the winner of Dimitri Kirilov vs. Vic Darchinyan championship match? He is just 19 years old with only 18 fights. I mean, why is his team rushing him? Do you think his management (the ALA team) is steering him in the right direction? Thanks man. More power!!
-Ace Espiritu
Ace,
No, I don’t think that he is ready for that fight. I feel the same way bout the heavyweight Alexander Povetkin. Povetkin won the IBF eliminator and now is the #1 contender for Wladimir Klitschko but he is not ready for that fight yet. Klitschko would probably destroy Povetkin and ruin his future.
That could be the same fate for AJ Banal because Kirilov and Darchinyan are both dangerous fighters. Darchinyan is a huge puncher and Kirilov is an excellent boxer with decent power. I think that Banal should fight three or four top ranked contenders before fighting either Kirilov or Darchinyan for the title. Banal’s best opponent to date was his last opponent, Caril Herrera, and Herrera was not even on the radar as a ranked contender. Fighting for the title would be a HUGE step up and class. Stepping up in class should be gradual, so yes, I am worried that Banal is being rushed.
I hate to make another comparison but Rey Bautista was also poised to be a great future champion. He was rushed along very fast and Daniel Ponce de Leon may have ruined him.
The other side of the argument is that a fighter will have to step up eventually and will shine under the pressure if he is really the goods. Evander Holyfield was rushed along as fast as any prospect I have ever seen and he did just fine.
Pacquiao Tells Marquez To Stop Crying
Hi Brian, I like the way that Pacman is responding to Marquez? whining about the decision and demanding a rematch. Pacquiao told Marquez to stop being a cry baby. I agree with Manny because the decision was a good one and Marquez needs to move on.
-Borc365
Borc365,
The decision was a close one that could have gone either way but Marquez should not dwell on that forever. Everyone (Pacquiao fans, Marquez fans, whoever) wants to see a third match between Pacquiao and Marquez. Both of their fights were great to watch and very entertaining.
I like what Pacquiao is saying though. He is defending his performance and not letting Marquez take away from his victory. Perhaps for now Marquez should move on and start focusing on his next fight because Pacquiao?s dance card is full. Once Pacquiao is done with David Diaz and the lightweights then Marquez should start making a stink about a third fight again.
Hopkins vs. Calzaghe
I watched the Countdown to Hopkins vs. Calzaghe on HBO after the fights on Saturday and it got me pretty hyped. I can?t believe that Hopkins has four different trainers to help him get ready for Calzaghe. He looks like he is taking this fight very seriously and is going to come into the ring in great shape. Bernard has a really good chance to beat Calzaghe in my opinion.
-Stan Guidry
Stan,
My initial reaction when this fight was announced was disdain for Calzaghe. Joe said that he wanted to silence his critics by fighting the best in America. His idea of fighting the best in America is taking on a 43 year old man? In a sport where the majority of the participants are washed up by the age of 36, making a big deal about ?stepping up? to fight a 43 year old is pretty pathetic. Calzaghe should win this fight easily; without breaking a sweat.
That was my initial reaction. However, as the fight draws closer I have warmed up to this match up. There is something about Bernard Hopkins that gives me a funny feeling that he could make this bout competitive. Bernard?s track record is impeccable. Mackie Shilstone also has a great track record of getting his athletes into pristine shape. With Shilstone?s help, Hopkins just might have the quick reflexes and stamina that usually leave a boxer as he ages.
But more importantly, I think that Hopkins has a chance because he is a tough bastard. Nobody has ever had an easy time with Bernard and if you have ever studied the way he fights you can imagine that he would be a difficult opponent for most middleweights even if he were 60 years old. Hopkins is incredibly skilled, knows ever trick in the book, and uses all of his technical expertise to expose the weaknesses of his opponents. Talk about being well-schooled, Hopkins could start his own university.
In the end I still think that Calzaghe is going to win convincingly. Perhaps I am guilty of age discrimination but I can?t get over the fact that Bernard is in his mid 40?s. Though the fight will probably be more competitive than I originally envisioned.
I am psyched that this fight is going to be on regular HBO instead of PPV. One year ago HBO would have put this on PPV but luckily they are trying to improve the quality of fights on regular HBO.
That?s all for this week ladies and gents. Enjoy the fight this weekend and send me your comments and questions to be featured next week. Take care!
