Greetings mailbag readers, I am happy to be back. For those who don?t know, I have been absent for the past month busy getting married, celebrating a birthday, and sightseeing on my honeymoon vacation in Italy. I am very happy to be married to my sweetheart so I appreciate all of the congratulations that I have received in my email box.
Visiting Italy was a new experience for me since I had never been outside of America before. I was expecting to be immersed in a radically different culture which was both my biggest fear and my biggest hope. I was afraid that I would not be able to communicate because I did not speak Italian at all. However when I got there just about everyone spoke English, and strangely I was disappointed by that. I realized that I was not experiencing the Italian culture in its entirety like I had expected.
Italy, or at least the most popular destinations like Florence, Pisa, and Milan, had traded in their historical culture in favor of schemes to siphon Euros out of the wallets of tourists. Most of the restaurants that my wife and I ate at were 90% filled with English speaking Americans, which made me wonder about the authenticity of food being served.
Italy was incredibly expensive because of the Euro/Dollar exchange rate. The ruthless overpricing of necessary items such as bottled water and food started to wear on me towards the end of the trip. As did the scammers that were around every corner either trying to rob me or trick me out of money somehow. True, there were sights that I could not have seen but I couldn?t help but think that if I wanted to hang around with Americans I could have saved myself the cost of airfare and stayed in the USA. The highlight of the trip was spending so much time with my lovely bride.
Let?s say that I was happy to be home, not only because I missed sleeping in my own bed, but because there was a great night of fights waiting for me upon my return. Paul Williams? knockout of Carlos Quintana shocked the pants off of me. I had picked Williams to win the rematch, but the way he did it, convincingly knocking Quintana out in the first round, my goodness, that was the last thing that I expected. Williams has upped his stock to even higher than it was before he lost to Quintana.
But The Punisher?s awesome KO was not even the best knockout of the night. And no I am not talking about Kelly Pavlik?s TKO of Gary Lockett, which was very impressive but very expected as Pavlik was a 25-1 favorite. The knockout I am talking about is Juan Manuel Lopez?s right hook blast of Daniel Ponce De Leon. Ponce De Leon had the reputation as a nearly invincible prospect killer and Lopez destroyed him in the first round. If Juanma is as good as he looked against Ponce De Leon then the top of the pound for pound list is in his future.
Sergio Mora vs. Vernon Forrest, the main event of Showtime?s card, was dull to watch but you have to give Mora credit for proving his critics wrong. Forrest got out to an early points lead but could not keep up his momentum for the duration. Ironically, the inexperienced rookie challenger took over the in the championship rounds instead of the seasoned veteran champion. The Contender alumni have not been doing well since the end of the reality TV show, but perhaps Mora is the exception. He showed against Forrest that there was a reason that he won the show. Mora is starting to grow on me. He made the most of his opportunity as an underdog challenger, but more importantly, he doesn?t seem like the arrogant guy that he used to be.
Those four fights were great to watch after being away for so long. I am glad to be back writing to all of the loyal readers of RSR. Now my weekly mailbag returns, although I am typing a bit slower now that I have a chunk of metal weighing down my left ring finger. Enjoy the questions this week and be sure to send me your queries and comments for next week.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthday Brian! Best wishes to your new married life, we miss your regular mailbag and assessments on each fight. More power and good health to you.
-Richard Lopez-Pozas
Richard,
I appreciate the kind words and well wishes. But you have to wait no longer because the mailbag is back in full force!
First Time Writer
Hi Brian,
It’s my first time to write in your mailbag. I’m an avid reader, and like the way you deliver your analysis on fights and fighters.
First up, what is you’re prediction for the upcoming Cotto-Margarito fight? IMO, I think Margarito will win by KO, due to his punch output and sturdy chin. What do you think of Margarito fighting Floyd or Cotto fighting Floyd? I think Margarito will have a hard time with Mayweather’s great defense. It won’t be easy for him to land those solid body punches as he did with Kermit. But since he’s got a great chin and impressive punch output, he maybe has a chance to win (but I still tend to think he’ll be schooled, and probably look bad). I think Cotto has a lesser chance of beating Floyd – chin-wise, he has been suspect. I think Floyd will catch him in later rounds.
Let’s talk about Manny. I notice a lot of boxers have been calling out for him [money and recognition, of course]. Marquez, Guzman, Valero, Campbell, Juan Diaz, Katsidis, Casamayor the list goes on. Marquez should be on the top list of Manny’s next opponent (should he win against David Diaz), I mean the two previous bouts were superb classics but were very close to call, so I think Manny would definitely solidify his P4P standing should he beat Marquez convincingly in a 3rd fight. Guzman and Valero, IMO, hasn’t proven themselves worthy yet – Guzman’s yet to prove himself against an elite fighter and Valero has been fighting opponents with questionable records. So I think there’s really no gain for Manny in fighting either Valero or Guzman (though there was some buzz of Manny probably fighting Valero in Macau, to me the Valero bout would make the least sense – Valero’s just trying to cash in on Manny’s popularity).
Bouts with Katsidis and Juan Diaz can be considered great tests for Manny since he’s already trying to invade the lightweight division. Defeating Casamayor and Campbell will be the pinnacle of his stint in the Lightweight division since these two have already solidified their names in the division. What do you think?
Another topic, I want Pavlik to fight Calzaghe. That would be a real great fight to watch. But honestly, should the fight materialize, I see Pavlik winning by a KO (some favoritism there, hehe).
More power to you and congratulations! Hope you had a great honeymoon.
-Joopabs
Joopabs,
Thank you for the congrats. Even with all of the complaining I did in the intro to this mailbag I did have a good time on my honeymoon in Italy with my wife.
I agree with you in that I think that Margarito has a better shot than Cotto to defeat Floyd Mayweather. His high punch output, sturdy chin, and relentless attack could trouble Mayweather whereas Cotto does not have the tools to break down a superb boxer like Mayweather.
However this is where our opinions differ. I actually am picking Cotto over Margarito because styles make fights. Cotto is the harder puncher and has the hand speed and punching accuracy to counter punch Margarito’s wide punches. Cotto has the type of heavy hands that not even the super durable Margarito can stand up to for 12 rounds. I expect an all out slugfest with Cotto coming out on top.
My pick for Manny’s opponents after he is done with David Diaz is Juan Manuel Marquez. Both fights have been very fun and attracted many viewers so why not do it again?
Guzman has proven himself much more than Valero has but Valero is the more popular and fun to watch fighter. But I agree that there are more lucrative opponents out there for Pacquiao. If Marquez is not available then the winner of Campbell vs. Casamayor is the man to beat in the lightweight division and probably represents the most money.
Pavlik vs. Calzaghe would absolutely be a great fight and probably the biggest test for Calzaghe out of his many different options for his next opponent. I would favor Calzaghe over Pavlik but it would be worth the price of admission to find out.
This Weekend?s Great Fights
I think Paul Williams made a great statement in his last fight – he’s one of the top champions in the welterweight division. He destroyed Quintana in a very dominant fashion. Wow. After their 1st bout, I almost gave Williams’ no chance of avenging his defeat, but he proved me otherwise. He definitely should be in the mix of the next welterweight championship matches. I’d love to see him mixing it up again with Antonio Margarito (should he win) or Miguel Cotto. Those are very interesting matches because of Williams’ height/reach advantage and punch output. It also excites me that the welterweight division is already being started to be unified by these boxers wanting to fight the best.
Too bad Floyd won’t be in the mix right now. I guess he doesn’t want to be in any part of it especially with the deep talent of the division right now. It’s just dangerous for him, IMO, though this is also the best time to cement his legacy in the division and boxing in particular. He’s leaving far too early (I guess for safety and practical reasons which is fine, if you really don’t care about boxing legacy that much). Don’t you just miss boxing’s old days? If any of welterweight champs become successful in unifying the division, I’d consider that boxer way much better than Floyd Jr. – not only because of his skill, it’s because of his HEART and COURAGE.
After winning, I hated hearing Pavlik say that he’ll leave his next bouts to his promoters (though I think a Calzaghe fight is near the horizon). It’s starting to become stereotypical to elite fighters (Pacman, to name another) nowadays. IMO, they should at have some idea as to who are the potential fighters they’d be fighting next (though for Pavlik’s case there aren’t many options to choose from). It’s not really trying to call them out (because as champions, the contenders should be calling them out). It’s just laying out ideas for potential good matches that they could be fighting next. I believe champs can choose who they fight next, not just their promoters.
Sergio Mora’s calling out Oscar Dela Hoya after soundly defeating Vernon Forrest. What d’you think of that? Does he have the skill to beat an Oscar De La Hoya? Or is it asking too much?
Daniel Ponce De Leon got a taste of his own medicine and it was delivered right on the money. JuanMa Lopez was also a hard-hitting prospect and definitely the better boxer. De Leon, clearly lacking the experience of coming off a dangerous situation didn’t know what to do. Very much like the same situation he put Boom-Boom Bautista in their last fight (Boom-Boom might be celebrating upon knowing the fight’s outcome haha). Too bad for Gerry Penalosa though. Do you think Penalosa can fight JuanMa? What are his chances given his superb boxing skills?
-Joopabs
Joopabs,
Well said concerning Williams over Quintana. It is too bad that Floyd is not around to fight Margarito, Cotto, and Williams, who have all proven to be exceptional welterweights. Most potentially great boxers are just hoping to have the type of opposition to prove themselves as all time great boxers, but most do not have the opportunity. Now Mayweather finds himself in the best welterweight division in years with many terrific opponents and what does he do? He retires. However if Williams fights the winner of Cotto/Margarito, I think it will be very hard for Floyd to stay away from fighting the winner.
Oscar De La Hoya vs. Sergio Mora is an interesting match. I am not sure if it would sell even though Mora is well known for winning The Contender. I think all of the momentum that Mora gained from his exposure on the show was lost because of his inactivity following the show. But sure, Mora has a chance to win that fight. De La Hoya is shot. Oscar isn?t the fighter that he used to be and I question whether or not he would have the motivation to get in good shape for Mora (who is a big letdown compared to Floyd Mayweather).
Gerry Penalosa vs. Daniel Ponce De Leon II was tentatively scheduled but now that Daniel was KO?d in the first this rematch is dead in the water. I would love to see Penalosa get one more really big fight before he retires, whether that is against Juan Manuel Lopez or somebody else. If they were to fight, Gerry would not be KO?d against Juan Manuel Lopez like Ponce De Leon was, but I think he would lose to Lopez. They are equally skilled but Lopez is a bigger puncher than Penalosa and that would make the difference with the judges.
Welterweight Topics
Thanks for answering my previous questions! Let’s talk about Floyd Jr: IMO, he’s just now cashing in on his rematch with Oscar De La Hoya (which I can’t blame him for). The fact he’s marketing himself as this generation’s greatest fighter (or is it all-time?) for me is just way overboard. If and when he unifies the belts (by fighting the real welterweights) then that’s the time I will consider him the top welterweight of his generation (not all time). It’s a given that he’s the best lightweight champ during his reign there. But as far as the welterweight division is concerned, I think he still needs to prove himself more.
What do you think of the up-and-coming welterweight, Andre Berto? I see some potential with this guy. Do you see him making it big time? How do you think he’d fare in a fight against Zab Judah/Paulie Malignaggi/Kermit Cintron?
Can you give me your assessment of Kermit Cintron’s campaign to unify the welterweight division? Is it still possible as long as Margarito is campaigning as a welter?
More power and God Bless!
-Joopabs
Joopabs,
That is a loaded question! Well, Floyd is probably the best boxer in the post Roy Jones Jr. era now that he is retired but I 100% agree that he is not making the most of his opportunities. If Floyd really wanted to establish himself as one of the elite all time great boxers he should have been making a concerted effort to fight all of the top contenders in a very deep and very rich welterweight division (Cotto, Clottey, Williams, Margarito, Berto, etc.). There is plenty of talent out there for him to prove himself but instead he is wasted his time fighting Oscar De La Hoya and partaking in wrestling matches. When talking about the best pound for pound fighters of all time, Floyd might make the top 100 as it is now. But if he really asserted himself he could have made top 20 and had a much greatest impact on the sport.
Berto looks really talented but only time will tell if he is the next Evander Holyfield or if he will be a good-looking bust like Jeff Lacy. I won’t make any predictions about Berto vs. established contenders just yet because he has yet to step up his game and show his true colors. He is, however, on my short list of blue chip prospects to watch.
I admire Kermit’s ambition in wanting to unify the belts. That should be the goal of all aspiring contenders. He happens to fight in the best division in boxing with guys like Margarito, Cotto, and Mayweather, all of whom I would favor over Cintron so he has an uphill climb to accomplish his goal.
Pound for Pound Debate
I had read the latest p4p ranking a writer of a different boxing website and he had put Manny Pacman at 1 tied with Mayweather. His explanation for doing so was that Pacquiao had beaten Marquez and he?s the only fighter in history to win the World title at 112, 126, and 130. He also said that Pacquiao could easily have this spot to himself by the end of the 2008 if he beats David Diaz and the recognized lightweight champion after that. How valid is his explanation? Do you agree?
-Sam
Sam,
That is a fair enough explanation. Some people like the fact that a fighter has won titles in multiple weight classes and is fighting men who are “naturally” bigger. What Pacquiao has accomplished is certainly impressive, although I would use ?multiple weight class? argument more as an argument for Manny Pacquiao into the hall of fame rather than his placement on a pound for pound list.
I can agree with Manny being tied for the top spot with Mayweather mostly because Mayweather has been inactive. I felt that Juan Manuel Marquez actually edged Manny out in their rematch but I respect the judge?s verdict because it was a very close fight that could have gone either way. With Pacquiao?s recent body of work and his continued pursuit of dangerous opponents, I have no problem with Manny sharing the top spot with Mayweather.
This Just In, Mayweather Retires!
Hey Brian, Floyd retires! So this means Manny will takeover the #1 Pound for Pound spot??
-Sam
Sam,
Yes, for the time being. But I seriously doubt that Mayweather will stay retired. He has already announced retirement before only to come back less than a year later. After Floyd ?retired? he was out of the ring for less time that many boxers who have no intention of hanging up the gloves.
So in short I don?t believe for a second that Floyd Mayweather is done with boxing, but if he wants us to consider him retired then I will take him out of the pound for pound rankings.
Knockout The Pacman
Hello Brian. Good day. I am a Filipino I idolized Manny Pacquiao of course every single Filipino idolizes our “pambansang kamao”. Anyway, my question is which boxer in his division do you think that can KO Pacquiao and why?
-Erick
Erick,
Pacquiao is a very tough fighter. I don’t think that anyone can KO him unless they get lucky. Edwin Valero has the punching power to do so but he would have to land a one in a million punch. Perhaps David Diaz could KO Manny if he lands a haymaker at the right time and place, but that is unlikely in my opinion. Nate Campbell might be able to score a late round TKO if the very best version of him showed up. For Pacquiao to get KO’d I think he would have to move up in weight more and face someone like Ricky Hatton.
Pacquiao Fight Wishlist
Hi Brian,
This is my Pacman fights wish list:
1. Pacman vs. Marquez 3 2. Pacman vs. Hatton 3. Pacman vs. Mayweather
Think this will happen? Hope it will before Manny’s career ends. I think Manny vs. Oscar De La Hoya is BS and will just insult the real boxing fans. What’s your wish list and why?
Congratulations on being married. It?s a new chapter in life filled with joys and trials but its great having someone with you. Hoping for the best to you and your wife. Thanks.
-Caloy
Caloy,
Thank you for the congrats on my wedding. I am very lucky that I found my wife. Married life has been good to me so far!
Your wish list is very ambitious. I don?t think that all three of those will happen because Pacquiao would have to move up quite a few weight classes to fight Mayweather. Floyd only has a couple fights left in him before he completely gets bored of boxing and walks away (for good, not just announcing his retirement). I doubt that Pacquiao would be one of Floyd?s final opponents. All three of those fights would be very difficult with each one being tougher than the one before it.
This is my wish list, which is a little fairer for Pacquiao since he won?t be giving up nearly as much weight to his opponents:
1. Pacquiao vs. Marquez III. Their first two were classics. The fans deserve to see this one more time.
2. Pacquiao vs. whoever comes out as the recognized lightweight champion after Joel Casamayor vs. Nate Campbell fight and Juan Diaz fights the winner.
3. Pacquiao vs. Edwin Valero. Valero is a punching phenomenon, and although he has done little to deserve a major fight against Pacquiao, I can?t help but think how fun this one would be.
The Big Names
First, congrats for your wedding!!! Let me continue to raise some questions: I do believe that the outcome of Oscar vs. Floyd will just be the same like in the first match but what do you think Oscar needs improve on or do to win? On the other hand, can Floyd knockdown or knockout Oscar? Winning via decision is not a question but can Floyd or Oscar make the outcome more exciting?
Based on the survey and on what I’ve read, 75% of Pacquiao’s fans are expectant that he is going to KO David Diaz because of the result of Diaz vs. Morales. Do you think that Diaz improved since his last fight against Morales? I believe that Manny will and can win this one against Diaz but my prediction is that this is not an easy one, I think Pacman should fight intelligently by using his speed and should test the waters first before trading toe to toe. What would be your advise to him if Pacman is going to ask you.
Again, Congrats and God Bless.
-Jason Calara
Jason,
Thank you for the wedding congrats, I appreciate it.
I also think that De La Hoya vs. Mayweather II would have ended up the same way that the first one did. To improve on his first performance Oscar would have had to stick to his jab. He had the most success in the first fight with the jab but then he abandoned it because Mayweather was frustrating him.
And no, I don?t think that Mayweather can KO Oscar. Mayweather does not have the punch to dent Oscar?s granite chin. He does have the ability to make the fight more exciting though if he stands up to Oscar instead of running away as much as he did in the first fight.
As for Pacman, Pacquiao is a much better technical and skilled fighter compared to David Diaz. However, just like Juan Manuel Marquez is more skilled than Pacquiao but still lost, Pacquiao can lose this fight despite his superior talent. The reason being is that Diaz is the biggest and strongest opponent that Manny has ever faced. Lightweight is unknown territory for Pacquiao and Diaz is powerful for a lightweight. You have to favor Pacquiao to win but Diaz could make things interesting with his big punching power.
If I was to give Manny advice on fighting Diaz I would tell him to box more than usual, taking advantage of his speed advantage and using angles to confuse Diaz. The knockout will come if the opportunity arises but do not push for it because he might be sorry if he eats a big counter punch because of his recklessness.
Kermit Cintron
Regarding Kermit Cintron, I do think he had courage by taking on the same fighter that beat him handily before. Even though there were excuses when he 1st fought Margarito. I think Kermit?s problem is he relies purely on his power and when it?s not working then he?s lost in the ring and doesn?t know what else to do. You can see it in his eyes (Margarito 1st and 2nd fight and Feliciano before he went down). You can see his eyes were blank and clueless on what to do, it was a good thing that Feliciano went down, that saved his day.
-Vinjo
Vinjo,
I think you are correct in that Kermit tends to rely on his punching power. He is a slugger by nature and whenever a fighter is in a tough spot he reverts to his instincts, and for Kermit that means trying to slug away and knock his opponent out. That has got him far in this sport because he is one of the biggest welterweight punchers that I have ever seen. He reminds me of Julian Jackson in that he will always be dangerous because of his power but is not consistent enough with his jab or his boxing skills to dominate at the highest level.
Marquez vs. Guzman
Hi Brian. Would you mind if I asked you who think will win if ever Joan Guzman and Juan Manuel Marquez fought?
Well, considering a playoff between Casamayor, Campbell, Katsidis, D. Diaz, J.Diaz, Khan, Peterson, Valero, Pacquaio and Marquez, what will be the best match up? Who will be in the semi final? Then to the final? I?m looking forward to your response.
-Sam
Sam,
Your question concerning a potential match between Marquez and Guzman is tough. It would be a very close fight. I would actually favor Joan Guzman to defeat Juan Manuel Marquez (although if you asked me next week I may change my mind). The reason being is that Marquez has problems with boxers and movers and Guzman is one of the best in the business. Marquez actually performs better when someone comes at him and attacks.
Out of the playoff scenario that you mentioned, I think that the final four would look like this: Campbell vs. Valero and Juan Diaz vs. Pacquiao. Then the final would be a rematch between Campbell and Juan Diaz. I am very curious to see if Campbell can repeat the magic and beat Diaz again.
Okay ladies and gentlemen, that is all for this week. I will be back next week with a brand new mailbag. Send me your boxing related emails (or non-boxing related emails, whatever) so that I can feature them in the most fan-friendly boxing mailbag on the internet. Until then, have a great week!
