Jermain Taylor out of the Super Six
Former Middleweight Champion, Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor, had no intentions of continuing with the Showtime Super Six tournament after the brutal final round stoppage at the hands of Arthur Abraham. I thought that the bait, a shot at the WBA Super Middleweight title against Andre Ward would be enough to keep him in, and realistically, the hard part was over. He fought the toughest guy, Abraham, and he still has great skills and ability. He may have been able to beat Ward, but now he is out and the scramble is on. Who will replace him?
Three names have been brought up at this point. One, and the most likely, Allan Green, 29-1, 20 KO’s. He is a strong puncher that has never had his shot at a world title. He has fought good competition and has won mostly by devastating knockout. His defensive flaws and big punch make him a fun addition to the tournament and his one defeat, a decision loss to Edison Miranda, can be forgiven when you consider his medical problems at the time. I think that most would heavily favor Green to avenge that defeat should they ever tangle again.
At the present time, Green is set to face off against Sakio Bika in February, but that may be scrapped in the days to come if the specifics can be agreed to.
The power-puncher, Edison Miranda, 33-4, 29 KO’s, and his team have made their interests known and are also being heavily considered for the spot. The problem is that Miranda hasn’t looked good in recent outings. He was stopped in four rounds by Arthur Abraham and then dominated by Andre Ward, two men in the tournament, and should he fight them again, we should get the same result or perhaps a worse one for Miranda. Although they are pitching the “big puncher” angle, I believe that he will be passed on by.
The third and most intriguing consideration is Lucian Bute, 25-0, 20 KO’s. He holds the IBF Super Middleweight Title and has expressed interest in facing off against the winner of the Showtime Super Six Tournament. Now he has the chance to jump right in and take on the best at the 168 pound level. His last fight was very impressive as he pummeled and stopped Librado Andrade in four rounds. He is a tricky southpaw with crunching power. He would be my selection to replace Taylor.
One of these three men will most likely be taking on Ward for the WBA Title in April. This is another reason why Miranda will lose out. Who wants to see Ward-Miranda II? This tournament was about doing things the right way, pleasing the fans, and having the best fight the best. Miranda, at this stage of his career, is no longer in that group, leaving Green and Bute. Either is a good and competitive match for Ward and it adds more excitement to an already exciting tournament.
Mike Tyson back in the Ring
I know that Iron Mike likes professional wrestling and he has been involved with the WWE or WWF before. He was involved in one Wrestlemania where he guest refereed a bout between Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin, and I don’t see a problem with athletes taking part in this sort of thing. I put it up there with hosting Saturday Night Live…it’s a show to promote themselves.
I am one of the biggest Tyson fans in the world. I will be right there front row when he returns to the ring. I don’t care who he is fighting. Tyson is the biggest name in boxing since Muhammad Ali and has gotten more people of my generation into the sport than any other. Had he been right mentally and took care of himself physically, he would have retired undefeated.
The skit he did on SNL recently was funny and his movie “TYSON,” wasn’t bad. His time on Oprah where he made up with Evander Holyfield was a little much, but whatever…he’s trying to do things the right way. Now, we have Monday Night RAW.
As I am a fan of Tyson, I have been an on again/off again fan of pro wrestling. I enjoy the spectacle and the over the top nature of it, but in recent years it has been very poor and unwatchable. I haven’t watched a full episode in years of RAW but with Mike Tyson on the show, I had to give it…5 minutes and then I changed it. I kept flipping back and forth between that and some wild police chase videos. In the end, I forced myself to watch the main event which has Tyson “fighting” in the ring with his partner, Chris Jericho, as they took on D-X, Shawn Michaels and HHH. Sorry boxing fans, I’m getting through this wrestling stuff as fast as possible.
Tyson looked small compared to the juiced up HHH, and even looked tiny compared to Jericho. He wore a tee shirt to hide his gut and threw Michaels around the ring a little…or Michaels threw himself actually, but Tyson isn’t a pro wrestler. He’s a boxer. In the end, Tyson turned on his partner and then rejoiced with D-X, and I can honestly say for the first time, I didn’t enjoy a Tyson fight. What garbage, but Mike seemed to enjoy it, RAW probably got huge ratings for it, and everyone is happy…except the boxing fans.
John Ruiz Signs with Golden Boy Promotions
The 2-Time Heavyweight Champion, John “Quietman” Ruiz signed with Golden Boy Promotions going into his title opportunity against David “Hayemaker” Haye with the WBA crown on the line. Ruiz has been written off by most but GBP see something and so do I. Ruiz is a very live dog in this fight with Haye.
For years, Ruiz fought under Don King Promotions and was brought in as the lamb to slaughter against Evander Holyfield in his first title opportunity. Ruiz clearly won, got robbed, got a rematch and righted the wrong. Ruiz never got the chance to fight Lennox Lewis, the recognized champion at the time, and has failed to gain the respect of the American public, even with wins over Kirk Johnson, Andrew Golota, Hasim Rahman, Fres Oquendo, and Evander Holyfield.
Make no mistake, his style isn’t pretty. He is a clumsy brawler that clutches more than we would like him too, but he is also a very good fighter with underrated skills and power and after David Haye’s close shave victory over Nikolay Valuev to capture the title, I’m not sold completely that he is a definite to beat Ruiz.
Ruiz has only been stopped on one occasion and that was in 1996 against a prime David Tua. His recent defeats have been questionable. He lost twice to Nikolay Valuev, the first a majority decision and the second was a split decision. Most observers say that Ruiz won both. The same thing with his split decision loss to Ruslan Chagaev. In the defense of the judges, Ruiz fights aren’t the easiest things to judge.
Haye will be faced with a durable, experienced, and tricky fighter, but when you look at the opponents that had given Ruiz trouble: James Toney and Roy Jones, JR., they are guys that have moved up and kept the speed, using a jab and skill to outthink and outpoint Ruiz. Haye has that ability, but can he hide his chin from that Ruiz right hand? GBP are gambling that he can’t.
Floyd Mayweather Still Fighting on March 13th
Floyd Mayweather, JR., will not fight Manny Pacquiao on March 13th but will still find an opponent to beat up in the meantime. As Manny prepares now for the tough challenge of Joshua Clottey, “Money Mayweather” is looking at several opponents to fill the spot. The name that keeps coming up is Matthew Hatton, the brother of Ricky Hatton. It would be a horrible mismatch and for that reason, I doubt that HBO will bite and buy the fight.
Contender star, Alfonso Gomez, has also been named as a potential foe for the upcoming bout and although this fight seems like a more likable bout for the network and fans, it is still a mismatch of epic proportions.
The other name that I’m getting is Luis Collazo, an experienced and tricky southpaw that has taken on fighters like Ricky Hatton, Andre Berto, and Shane Mosley. He has lost every big challenge but has arguably beaten Hatton and Berto, losing only cleanly to Mosley.
One other possibility for Mayweather is a name that has come up before, Timothy Bradley, the undefeated light welterweight champ. He is getting progressively better in every fight and has made a name for himself with the boxing fans. He could be the opponent on the 13th.
