The UFC has enjoyed a huge explosion in popularity over the last few years. A major reason why the UFC has enjoyed this success is that they have avoided many of the alleged “black eyes” that boxing suffers from. Dana White and company learned from boxing, identified why boxing was declining, and used that information to make a superior business model.
For example, boxing has many champions per weight class causing confusion amongst fans. UFC has one champion per weight class.
Boxing promoters protect their fighters and demand ridiculous paydays for them to take any kind of chance. This means that good, evenly matched fights are rare in boxing. The UFC puts together the best possible fights on a regular basis.
Corruption runs rampant in boxing with greedy sanctioning bodies and promoters. The UFC does not deal with independent sanctioning bodies and is run like a corporation as opposed to the pure chaos that is the business of boxing.
Boxing’s scoring method has evolved into a system that favors defensive boxers. As a result, many fights are uninteresting to the average fan. The UFC fires fighters who put on boring fights and gives bonuses to those who make entertaining fights.
What many fans, and former fans, of the sweet science claim is the worst aspect of boxing is the frequent controversial decisions and poor judging that plagues the sport. Up until Saturday, the UFC has mostly avoided this pitfall that boxing suffers from. That completely changed when Lyoto Machida was awarded the win in his title defense against Mauricio Rua at UFC 104.
Rua came in as a huge underdog against champion Machida. Lyoto had never lost a round, never mind losing a fight. Mauricio had a strategy that worked well, making Machida lead instead of countering. By the end of five competitive rounds, most people felt like Rua had clearly won the fight. Machida won, three rounds to two on all three scorecards.
Congratulations UFC, you have your first serious controversial decision and fans are pissed. There have been questionable decisions in the past, but none of them were with this kind of audience and none were this bad.
We’ll see how the UFC deals with this issue and, like they have in the past, learn from boxing and come up with a better way of coping with poor judging. Boxing does nothing about controversial decisions. The judges with inept scoring ability continue to get assigned to high profile fights and receive no repercussions whatsoever. If the UFC was smart, like I think they are, they will reprimand the judges with bad scorecards just like the NFL does with bad referees. In other words, they will do something about the injustice to give fans reassurance that their company and league is legitimate.
If you would like to talk about the UFC, or the upcoming Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight, or any other pro fighting topic I would be more than happy to do that with you. Send in your emails and I will use them for next week’s mailbag. This week we have a mixed bag of boxing topics, including some killer mythical match ups. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy.
Cotto’s Sparring vs. Pacquiao’s Sparring
Hi Brian,
I’ve read last week that one of Cotto’s sparring partner, Gato Figueroa, was fired after only a week in camp for unknown reasons. What do you think may be the reason behind his sacking? Mine is maybe he was giving Cotto a hard time in sparring that he was not helping Cotto bring his confidence back.
And Cotto’s two remaining sparring partners just have a combined record of 16-4,10ko’s. They would look like bums compared to Manny Pacquiao’s partners. Manny has got two undefeated prospects (Shawn Porter and Raymond Serrano,154-147 lb’er respectively), a former champion (Jose Luis Castillo) and 2 others, Rodela and Antillon (combined rec 40-2-2, 25ko’s) who worked with him before.
I think Castillo is a good addition to the team. I think he will give Pacquiao good sparring due to his experience, can emulate Cotto’s moves and since he is big he may be able to absorb Manny’s big punches.
Would you agree with me that Pacquiao’s sparring partner will help him go to war while Cotto’s only help build his confidence back.
Thanks, God bless and more power to your column Brian….
-Ace
Ace,
Pacquiao always works his ass off in training camp, pushing himself to the limits and going to war with sparring partners (or should I say gobbling them up?). That is why he always brings in tough, skilled boxers to spar with. Jose Luis Castillo is a perfect sparring mate for Manny because he has a very similar fighting style to Miguel. Cotto and Castillo are both extremely skilled, strong inside fighters.
That fact that Cotto does not have the big name sparring partners is not a red flag for me. Camps bring in sparring partners who fulfill a certain need. In Cotto’s case he probably does not want a grinder to go to war with. He wants to test out moves and be comfortable employing his strategy. I don’t know why they sent Figueroa home so early but it could have been that he was not similar enough to Pacquiao and therefore he was not helping Cotto. Miguel knows exactly what he needs to do in camp. I expect him to be fully prepared and ready to execute his game plan against Pacquiao.
Mayweather Stole From Toney?
Hi Brian,
Thanks to one of my favorite boxing writers, not for siding with me on some issues about Pacman vs. Mayweather, but by making good and rightful analysis on the subject. I recently read a column featuring James Toney talking about his patented shoulder roll known as “Turtle defense” as being copied by Mayweather, Jr. In my opinion, James Toney was right as I’ve observed that he was doing this kind of defense in his early years when Floyd, Jr. was not even yet in professional boxing.
Also, James Toney made a bold prediction that Floyd, Jr. would lose to Pacquiao and, he stated further that Floyd Jr. would also lose to Sugar Shane by K.O. I totally agree with Toney that Floyd Jr. will have a hard time with these two guys. However, Shane wouldn’t have a chance to KO Floyd. I may (IMHO) implore that Pacman has a good chance if ever he breaks Floyd’s defense to KO him. What’s your take on this?
-Erniepep
Erniepep,
Toney stole his moves from the old school guys like Archie Moore and Ezzard Charles. So with that said, he can’t get too mad that the Mayweather clan stole off of him. I think Toney doesn’t like Mayweather because of the way he fights. Mayweather took certain elements from Toney’s style but James is much more willing to get into a dogfight/slugfest. I can imagine that Toney would say something along the lines of “quit shaking your ass like a p**** and fight!” Toney also likes to say that guys who run around and slap are athletes who were taught to fight, whereas guys like him and Pacquiao were born fighters. And James would have a point. Floyd avoids exchanges too much to consistently make for exciting, crowd-pleasing fights. Toney has never respected this kind of fighter, and is probably a factor in many of the losses in his career.
Toney was a terrific boxer and perhaps an even better personality in boxing history, however, I wouldn’t trust him to correctly predict a fight. Pacquiao and Mosley have a chance to defeat Mayweather but I would favor Floyd in both matches, especially against Mosley. Sure Pacquiao would have a good chance to KO Mayweather IF he broke Floyd’s defense. However that is such a huge, extremely unlikely if. Mayweather has the best defense since Pernell Whitaker. Pacquiao’s best bet to beat Mayweather would be to trap him against he ropes and outwork him, not try to knock him out.
Nonito’s Smooth Sailings
I couldn’t help but laugh at what you said last week in your mailbag. That is, “Donaire has had smooth sailing so far and could very well wilt under duress. We will have to wait and see.”
No offense though. I wasn’t laughing AT you. It’s just that the bloated and disfigured face of Jorge Arce suddenly popped in my mind. Of course, it was due to the punishment he received from Vic Darchinyan in a bout after the fight where Nonito knocked out Darchinyan.
If fighting Darchinyan was considered “smooth sailing”, I pictured Arce saying he had a smooth sailing with Darchinyan and I laughed out loud.
-Eric Santiago
Eric,
I think you misunderstood my statement. Saying that Nonito has had smooth sailings was not a knock on his quality of opposition. What it meant was that Nonito has not been tested to his limits in his fights. Darchinyan was an excellent opponent and someone who perhaps could have pushed Donaire to his limits if he had stuck around, but Donaire knocked him out early and barely broke a sweat. Arce didn’t have that kind of luck against Vic.
Some fighters can look great, perform well against good opponents, but for some reason when the going gets tough, they wilt (see Mike Tyson). So again, Nonito has had smooth sailings so far because he has won his fights handily, even against top notch opponents. Rafael Concepcion gave him his toughest bout to date and that really wasn’t a brutal affair, he just had trouble scoring.
At some point in Donaire’s career he will run into a fighter who will hurt him and give him an extremely tough fight. It may be against a fellow pound for pound fighter or it could be against an upset minded mid-level contender who sneaks under the radar. Donaire’s reaction to that test will determine whether he is a good boxer or a great one.
Response: Nonito Donaire vs. Rafael Marquez’
This is with regards to the comment Mr. Reagan had about my statement with regards to Nonito Donaire last week. As much as I respect Donaires’ blazing hand speed and accuracy, Rafael Marquez is in a different situation. Why is it that some fans always think weight classes do not matter? Yes, the “Filipino Flash” has advantages in height and reach and ring technicality, but toughness? Unless he based it without considering the weight class, but still, regardless of weight class, Marquez had been tested in his previous battles unlike Donaire.
By the way Brian, since we touched with this argument about Donaire, I recently found an updated “The Ring” P4P ranking. Donaire is in top 6? How do they rank these fighters? I presumed they’ve noticed something about him that I haven’t. Though, still number 6 is too high. That was the most controversial rank I encountered so far in my life. LOL. He has not even landed an elite fight lately. Ring gives too much credit to young fighters.
-Sam
Sam,
I agree with you that Nonito has not had an elite fight since he defeated Vic Darchinyan. Thus, Donaire at #6 sounds high at first, but if you take a look at it deeper I think there is a valid argument. Aside from the top few guys (basically Mayweather and Pacquiao) there is not a very strong pool of candidates to choose from. Shane Mosley is old and looks past his prime. Chad Dawson and Paul Williams are just as young and unproven as Donaire. Juan Manual Marquez just got shut out. Hopkins is in semi retirement. Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez have been inactive on the championship level for too long. Give me names of boxers who you think should be ranked higher than Nonito and, playing devil’s advocate, I can make an argument why they shouldn’t.
In almost any other era or time period that I can think of, Donaire doesn’t even make the top 15. Even one or two years ago I don’t think Donaire would have made the top 15 based on his current resume. His body of work to date is underwhelming for a pound for pound candidate.
However at this point in time there are not very many who are making strong cases as pound for pound top notch boxers. The argument is there for Donaire to be at number six. Funny, because I don’t think of this era as weak. There just are not many “dominant” guys out there. For this reason I could also see someone putting Chris John in the top 10 despite only having one or two notable victories.
Some Questions for Dr. Pugilist
Dr. Pugilist (that is my new nickname for you),
Every few weeks I like to toss a few fast ones at you given your level of knowledge, keen insight and love of the sport.
Brian, if you could have just one past fighter and one present fighter join you for dinner, drinks and an after-meal Cuban in your chambers to discuss the sport and answer any questions you may have, who would you pick?
How would a fantasy match between a squared-up pair such as Juan Domingo Roldan and Kelly Pavlik have turned-out?
Given the fine Super Six Tournament we currently have going, and the combatants as they stand today, how would a prime Roy Jones Junior and Chong Pal Park have fit in?
Keep up the excellent work, Doc.
-Rubber Warrior
Rubber Warrior,
I like the nickname. I’m going to have my wife call me that at home from now on.
For my dinner I would probably invite David Tua, because he seems like a cool genuine nice guy and I am a fan. For the old timer I would ask for Sam Langford just so I could see what he was all about. He is one of the best pound for pound boxers of all time and there really is not a whole lot written about him.
Roldan vs. Pavlik – You know if you had asked me this a year ago I would have gone with Pavlik hands down. But after seeing what Hopkins did to him and then seeing Jermain Taylor struggle I don’t think as much of Pavlik as I used to. Not that Hopkins’s style is anything like Roldan’s, but Kelly simply isn’t as good as I thought. Today, I say flip a coin for Roldan vs. Pavlik. You have two aggressive sluggers who would go to war and give the fans a show. Who cares who wins because we would all entertained by the fight of the year!
A prime Roy Jones Junior would have cleaned house; with Park and all of today’s participants. Mikkel Kessler would give him the most trouble because of his jab and chin, but he still loses a pretty wide decision. Pal Park was a pioneer of the super middleweight division but I don’t think he was that great of a fighter. Park may have been able to squeeze out a win over someone like Carl Froch or Andre Ward but I don’t see him making it to the final four.
Mythical Match Up Laundry List
Howdy Brian-
I have some more mailbag fights for you:
1) Dan Rafael vs. Kevin Iole 2) Lucian Bute vs. Carl Froch 3) David Tua vs. Eddie Chambers (in present day) 4) David Tua circa 1998 vs. Wladimir Klitschko circa 2009 5) Prime Arthur Abraham vs. Prime Joe Calzaghe 6) Prime Sakio Bika (Present?) vs. Prime Robin Reid) 7) Alex Povetkin vs. Eddie Chambers in a Rematch 8) Alexander Dimitrenko vs. James Toney 9) Victor Oganov vs. David Banks 10) Adrian Diaconu vs. Sakio Bika 11) Audley Harrison vs. Brian Minto 12) Malik Scott vs. Andrew Golota 13) Lamon Brewster vs. Dominick Guinn 14) Lamon Brewster vs. Sergei Lyakhovich 15) Dominick Guinn vs. Sergei Lyakhovich 16) Jameel McCline vs. Dominick Guinn
Gracias,
-Tex
Tex,
1 – I don’t think Dan Rafael can fight worth a lick so I go with Yahoo!’s guy by default. 2 – Bute by mid round TKO or Froch. 3 – Chambers by decision. As much as I like Tua, facing good boxers is his Achilles heel. 4 – Klitschko by decision because I don’t think Tua would be able to overcome the jab and reach. 5 – Calzaghe by split decision over Abraham. His punch output would see him through. 6 – Reid by competitive unanimous decision over Bika. 7 – Povetkin is getting better with age just like Chambers. I see another Povetkin win. 8 – Right now Dimitrenko outboxes him. Toney is a mess. 9 – Banks by decision over Oganov. 10 – Diaconu over Bika in a rough fight that goes the distance. 11 – Minto knocks him out. Fraudley is a chump. 12 – Golota by KO. Malik Scott has to suck or they would not have been protecting him for this long. 13 – Guinn has the right style to handle Brewster I think. Guinn by close decision although he would win by more if he just let his hands go. 14 – Same as last time I guess. Neither has done much since then so hard to tell. 15 – Lyakhovich by decision in a boring fight over Guinn. 16 – McCline by decision over Guinn because he actually fights for a while. McCline builds an early lead and encounters rough spots late because of his weak stamina but ultimately hangs on to win.
Pound for Pound What If?
(2009 – 2011) Hypothetical, Paul Williams defeats Kelly Pavlik, Bernard Hopkins, the winner of super six tournament, and Chad Dawson. During the same time Manny Pacquiao defeats Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley and Cory Spinks. Who would you have as the number one pound for pound king given this scenario?
I compared these two guys because they love to leap weight classes.
Thank you and more power to your mailbag.
-Bertz
Bertz,
This would be a very compelling situation and both would cement their legacy as two of the greatest boxers of their generation, and of all time. After much consideration and going back and forth I would have Pacquiao as the number one pound for pound. The reason being is that I have Manny ranked higher currently so he has a head start, and defeating Floyd Mayweather would be a monstrously huge accomplishment. Williams moving up to light heavyweight to beat Chad Dawson would be almost as huge though. Still, I’ll go with Pacman for cleaning out the welterweight division, the highest profile division in boxing right now.
Okay folks, I will end here. Get in those emails and have a great week!
