Today we’ve got letters commenting on the Castillo Vs Corrales II bout to incredible feedback, some James “Lights Out” Toney fans expressing their longing for heavyweight supremacy to progress, with questions from the smaller weights to the nostalgic fighters of yesteryear and finally, a few Pacman questions to close it. I think that James Toney deserves to fight Chris Byrd.
Who do you think wins? Thanks.
Vince
Vince, you’ve got to ask Toney on whether or not he does want to fight him though. Judging on performance alone James Toney’s stock has been on an upward spiral, and Chris Byrd’s has hit a snag. I’ll pick these closer by fight time.
Now that Jose Luis Castillo beat Chico Corrales what does Diego do if Jose Luis doesn’t want to fight him as a lightweight anymore?
Lewis B.
Lewis,
Should Castillo not fight in the rubber match it may cost some money. It already cost him some before coming in overweight and having his match against Diego a non-title affair. I don’t see where that’ll land him to benefit anything by passing this up. Castillo had expressed some problems at lightweight true, but what I think is that they might make this third rematch clause stretch by the Gary Shaw time frame in not rushing the bout to the brink so abruptly like they did last Saturday night.
My guess is that for one more tryst at Diego Corrales that Castillo will trim himself down to the lightweight limit to make his point across in attempting to regain the WBC title. If he doesn’t, anything less would be a major disappointment. What can you tell me about a fighter named Victor Cordoba? Victor gave a real scare to champion Michael Nunn in their first fight. Thanks.
Pedro
Pedro, yes it was quite a cliffhanger that September 1992 in which Nunn came within a whisker of being defeated. I hadn’t seen a closer fight since I saw Bernard Hopkins fight Segundo Mercado in Quito, Ecuador their first time for the IBF Middleweight Championship vacancy. Nunn won his WBA Super Middleweight belt against Toby Cordoba in the record books just barely. Two of the night’s judges had their scores identically in reversed order. Cordoba never recaptured his ways after, and the end of the road for him was when the Mexican Heavyweight Champion Leonardo Aguilar kayoed him in four rounds June 1996 in California on Spanish network television. That broke Victor up because he realized it was over for him.
Now that Tarver has beaten Roy twice, and Glenn once, who is out there that poses a threat to him? Do you think he moves up to heavy? I would love to see him fight James Toney. What do you think about that match?
Ben Gonkin
Ben,
You would think that there’s a difference in weight for Tarver to override fighting Toney, although that would have to be at a catch-weight to find out. I think to make this fight if the money is right, would benefit James Toney, especially with him not having to lose so much weight as his speed and counterpunches would curtail and negate Tarver’s aggression a bit.
I’d give the slight edge to Tarver from the outside, with James Lights Out Toney working much better on the inside. You’d make a damned good matchmaker if you could pull it off.
I think Mabuza is one of the most underrated boxers in the Bantamweight division.
He is a very skillful boxer, and I think he will give a good account of himself against Marquez and win the title unlike recent South African who were outclassed (to say the least) in their attempts to becoming world champions e.g.: Monke Fana and Mzukisi Sikali. He himself is also a big puncher make no mistake about that. Mnqobi Simelane Mnqobi, the Bantamweight South African you mentioned fought during pre-Apartheid era in the ‘70’s in Mzukisi Skweyiya who ran an undefeated 21-0-1 record. One thing that Silence Mabuza must do is to restart everything all over again before meeting Marquez for his November 5th match. I don’t believe that’s the part that should bother him as much as having to get over some jetlag. I think should this fight get underway, that The African Spice’s stock would rise even more for taking Rafael Marquez on competitively. To win he would have to be equally balanced fighting from the outside, and perhaps even outthink smartly from time to time on the inside from the onrushes RM may undergo coming at him in angles. That is not easy to do. Marquez is strong, patient, and a sinister body puncher. If Mabuza has the correct fight plan on executing, he’d need to mix things up intelligently, without getting caught up in Rafael Marquez’s zone.
George, what did Ossie “Jaws” Ocasio do to earn his bid against Larry Holmes? From what I knew about him he wasn’t buffed enough to be a heavyweight anyway.
Ryan
Ryan, I thought he was a Calvin Brock sized rendition heavyweight in transition between two weights (the other at Cruiser).
Osvaldo “Jaws” Ocasio earned that unique position by upsetting Jimmy Young to fight Larry Holmes. Jaws also went on to beat another well-known fighter, HOF great Dwight Braxton (A.K.A. Dwight Muhammad Qawi), and a great prospect in Young Joe Louis as WBA Cruiserweight Champion; having therefore made three defenses of his title. He really wanted to be first and foremost the very first Hispanic Heavyweight Champion back then.
George, after watching the way Jose Luis Castillo destroyed Diego Corrales that way, I think Chico took way too much punishment. What’s your view?
Pete Franco
Pete,
I thought the fight was too soon, but hey everyone got each ones monies worth.
I think that Corrales needed more weight on his bones to fight Castillo.
And that doctor there sticking his foot in on the scale for Castillo must have been on drugs. My question is do you think the weight made a difference in the fight?
Jimmy
Jimmy, not even if the doctor played footsies in a friendly game of gin rummy with Tracy Lords would I think that it made the slightest significance at all.
What Castillo did was not weigh at the 135 LBS., and so they prearranged the Welterweight said limit. Smart move if you know he didn’t want to give strength up losing it in a Turkish bath. At that point it was up to Corrales to add his weight within proximity to Castillo’s.
I think it’s a lesson for all fighters out there should know that some of these guys are naturally bigger and stronger to be ready.
George, it seems like James Toney is just waiting for the winner of Vitali Klitschko and Hasim Rahman to happen. Which do you think would give him more competition? Benny
Benny, I think both would. But I think that James would probably say Rahman because of his style of fighting.
However, though it is true that you never know until you’re actually in there for the sound of the bell, Vitali would be more of an explosive chance from my vantage point risking landing the bomb; therefore making the fight. To beat Toney you have to do some considerable damage to get him off track, getting his attention in another direction. I just don’t see Hasim Rahman doing that to James Toney.
George,
I don’t understand why they aren’t giving James “Lights Out” Toney his props. He beats Chris Byrd with one hand tied behind his back.
Mary
Mary, he used that exact vernacular after the NYSAC revoked his win against WBA Heavyweight Champion John Ruiz, so I should hope he uses both of them out in front.
George,
I think Bobby Pacquiao is not good as his brother Manny, but he won that fight with Hernandez Saturday night.
Pacman Rules
Pacman Rules,
I thought the fight was close, but Hernandez probably should have gotten the edge. Bobby is a decent fighter, but not even close to his brother in the skills department.
George,
When Manny fights Erik Morales again, he will stop him in the fifth round.
Pakiny
Pakiny,
That’s a huge assumption on your part that Manny will beat Erik this time around. I think Erik wants to prove he just had a bad night against Raheem and will be very up for that fight should it come. He needs to make a big statement in the boxing world and beating Manny again, would do that. I think Pacman actually goes after Barerra again.
