This week to start the2006 New Year off to a fresh start we’ve got enough fans sounding-off to help cure any hangover. One fan voices his displeasure for a wronged relentless Sam Soliman loss to Winky; another takes his mallet out to take a potshot at boxing promoter Frank Warren; along with the many nostalgic questions that always find a way inside of the Ringside Report pages you the boxing fan knows so well. We’ve got questions from Vargas Vs Mosley to Pacquiao Vs Morales to wet your appetites too.
The bag is a little old because of the holidays, but I wanted to get back with everyone who sent in questions. I hope you have a great 2006.
Do you think Floyd can knock out Judah like Kostya did?
Lenny
Lenny,
That’s the question for the week! I would be lying if I didn’t think so.
George, Pacquiao’s fight this coming 21 is his first rematch on his entire career, which is NOT obviously for EM. Tell me George how would you see PacMan fighting this time in his first rematch bout?
Sims
Sims,
I am sure that Manny has prepared for this in the eventuality that it’s happened long ago. I don’t think it’ll have anything to do with either his mental or physical preparations.
I actually see him fighting fully charged and ready to go. One of the things that will make him that way was watching Erik fight Z-Man Raheem, although I feel Manny will incorporate sooner or later a kamikaze approach for the final finish. Meaning either you go or I go.
Freddie Roach was so sure about the gloves somewhat making a difference with the way Manny Pacquiao fights, the issue he raised right after the fight with Morales. With many boxing experts disagreeing, Roach somewhat placed his credibility on the line with his claim.
Ultimate Boxing Fan
UBF,
I believe those were Cleto Reyes gloves if I’m not mistaken.
On the punchers gloves it isn’t like they can convert you into a punching menace over night or anything, it’s basically favoring the puncher more for freedom and coarse hair inside the set of boxing gloves.
I’m not so sure on the rep that causes the stir with him when he was speaking about what his fighter wanted all along, so maybe he learned something as much as Roach did or didn’t learn. Anyway every fighter knows what gloves feel better on them; for an example; bleeders weren’t taken very nicely about fighters wearing Castanet gloves that were banned in the pre ’80’s because they were prone to be used similar as a pair of mitts you’d wear nailing the speed bags. There’d hardly be any cushioning in the glove, and what you’d normally see would be compounded busted up cuts on both fighters as early as the third round.
Erik Morales is going to knockout Manny in their rematch. Erik has what Manny does not… pure talent. Talent tells in these types of return fights. Erik has the edge in that his superior skill will allow him to adapt a better game plan from the first fight, driving Pac’s fury backward in defeat…KO by Erik 5 – 8rds if pacman does not go backwards when hit…if he does then Erik by an even bigger margin on the cards.
Raul Fernandez
Raul,
Spoken like a true El Terrible fan. I have to tell you that Pacquiao has an abundance of talent and the heart of a lion though.
If anything Erik’s under the scrutiny right now for taking heat on his last fight with Z-Man Raheem; which Zahir carried some talents of his own accords in beating him. If Pac Man Pacquiao doesn’t get driven back as you affirmed, what makes you so convinced those Morales rounds would be in the bank? Sooner or later they’ll have to stand toe-to-toe winging seeing what you’re saying comes about as an afterthought. One thing we can all be sure of, someone is going to be on their backside. The one question is which one? Don’t make the mistake into thinking Manny hasn’t got Super Featherweight power carried from the featherweights because he does.
Those powerful onrushes coming at Erik would be cause for concern.
George is it true that Ali’s current wife (Lonnie Williams) knew him before any of his other wives? If that was the case when? Thanks.
Bob
Bob,
After his divorce from Veronica Porche in ’86 he did know Lonnie who he married as wife number four. Lonnie had not only married him for being his health care overseer, she also utilized business skills in finances of the Ali household.
They’ve actually known one another since 1962, when Lonnie’s parents moved right across the street from Ali’s parents home. Lonnie was five then, with Muhammad Ali age twenty. Mrs. Ali had a premonition at age seventeen that she would marry The Greatest someday. She’s moved to Los Angeles in ’82 to look after him, while attending UCLA business school. They were married November 1986, just four months after divorcing Veronica.
I heard some guy popping off some reasons here why Manny Pacquiao should be in the hall of fame and so on. He also had a lot to say on Flash Elorde who almost did not make it.
I agree with you about Pacquiao needing more focus to challenge Canastota, especially if he doesn’t get to beat Morales and then happens to come up with a loss against Barrera in a rematch.
Dillon
Dillon,
You’re absolutely right. Nothing is etched in stone when it comes to being in that elite group. Just to show something on those criteria’s mentioned; on November 28th 1966 Carlos Ortiz had not only kayoed Elorde (14th round); but also insured another record of holding the distinction to drop The Flash for the first time in his career to retain his lightweight title. And regardless of what anyone wants to say about it, sizable differences from featherweight to super featherweight and thru the lightweights has always mattered. As a rule the lightweights punch much more heavier duty. Also that someone was making it a case out of Manny beating undefeated fighters on the way up, when in reality that would be the least thing to look for whether or not making it into the Boxing Halls in that even up and coming contenders have been known to get a ‘W’ against someone with zero defeats. Obviously he didn’t want to hear all that. It just looks good inside the portfolio. Don’t get this wrong, I like Manny, and I wish him a lot of luck, but certain elements remain up in the air to rush him into that legendary sphere yet.
Although I am a huge Winky fan, I watched that entire fight. Solomon although ugly beyond belief in style, landed more punches that Winky every round with the exception of the 7th.
To give Wright a win in that fight is the true travesty of boxing officiating. Hey, I’m not saying I want to ever see Solomon fight again, but to say that Wright won that fight is like saying Tyson still has a chance against a top 10 heavy. Style isn’t what is supposed to win fights; it is who lands more punches, and effective punches. If that where true, Winky Wright would be with a loss to Solomon.
Dave
Dave,
You’ve made a good point on effective aggression, although even if Solomon managed to pull the upset I doubt it’d make his life a bed of roses. In all fairness it’s hard to judge a fight with lofty soft punches and not standing your ground long enough to impress the judges. Wright had to be beaten a little more convincingly to lose that fight, even with the Octopus Sam swarming all over him like white on rice.
Hey George, if you’ve been reading, “Have your say”, before they changed it and made it impossible to get your point across, you may remember me as “Danny from New Jersey USA”. I was the one who couldn’t help but to put down a fighter that seemed too impress many a good fan, but to me was (like most of Warrens Warriors) just a fighter built up on a career of nobodies but Welsh taxi drivers, Leeds bartenders, and a bunch of unpronounceable stiffs from Luxembourg and, Andorra. He did take on some guy from the states that everyone went crazy over named Someone Mitchell that nobody on this side of the pond seems to know (except mama Mitchell).
Now don’t get me wrong I’d love to see Joe do well and be near the scrapper some brits seem to think he is, But the one problem he has is his Manager, The all-time stiff trainer Frankie “the con artist” Warren who’s made a nice living building up guys with a little talent by pitting them with guys with no talent only to see them get killed when they meet the real deal. I truly hope I’m wrong about Joe, But I’m unimpressed watching him K.O. nobodies.
Dan Salimbene
Dan,
First and foremost you don’t have to worry about having your say here on RSR. No I don’t remember the mumble jumbo in association with the put down stuff, but I will say something on what you just touched on about.
You couldn’t be more wrong about Frank pitting small fries up against the competition since I personally know a friend who was under contract with Warren himself who’d swear on a stack of Bibles that was not the case, and Frank couldn’t wait for that fighter to lose just so he could release him from the contract. Trouble was he kept knocking out the welterweight competition, and that fighter was Daniel Santos in 2000.
I won’t even address that other comment you made about Joe for the sheer respect I have, win or lose. Perhaps you’d prefer to redirect on whether or not the compie was up to snuff to former IBF Super Middleweight Champion of the world yourself to our RSR writer Charles Brewer to answer?
He isn’t by any means, a soft touch.
Mr. Smith
My name is Rene Ramirez and I was very impressed with your list of fights that you posted on the forum. I have been recording fights since 1990 and have amassed a collection of mainly championship fights (I only keep the fights I like). I also have traded with collectors from around the world and received some beautiful “mint ” fights that I would not have been able to obtain on my own, and was hoping to maybe trade a few fights with you? Everything I own is in real time speed and mint or near mint condition. There are fights that I have that were not on your list, and there were fights on your list that you rated “Excellent” that I would love trade for. I’m willing to send you a DVD demo of fight clips so you can see the quality for yourself .I really hope we can do some trading…Thanks!
Sincerely
Rene Ramirez
Rene,
Thanks for the kind words. That was a while ago and has since been updated. My old man owns the lot, and I have a little better than half of those fights copied. Getting to all of them I’d have to make a ton of trips. I do know what its like to get fights near mint condition (they’re so rare these days), because I started my first fight in ’85 with Lupe Pintor fighting Juan Meza on CBS.
Thanks to the good collectors of old who had conversions, and revolutionized from Beta to VHS and so forth it’s become now a DVD transition today, but, the quality of a tape can only be as good as the picture you got on the picture tube, and that speaks volumes to me. Something’s never change.
If you would be so kind as to drop me back a line again I would be happy to introduce you to some really nifty guys who take their trade seriously in selling what they do for boxing. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them and I’d highly recommend it.
Hi George,
First and foremost, happy holidays to you and yours. Secondly, I think the Vargas/Mosley fight is about style more than anything else — and that’s what makes the outcome of the fight hard to predict. You have Mosley who is fast (although not as he used to be) and is a smart boxer.
Then you have Vargas, who is a slugger who McGirt wants to make into a smart boxer. In the power department, Vargas wins (talk about your no-brainers!). In the speed department, Mosley wins (but not by much, if you judge his last fights). In the activity department, both have had a considerable amount of inactivity. In the physiological department, it’s a toss-up. Both have been successful in their return bouts, with Vargas fighting stronger competition than Mosley. I pick Mosley by split decision, only because I think he is more slick than Vargas, who received more punishment in his fight than did Mosley in his. Who do you see winning the fight and how?
Nelson
Nelson,
Happy holidays to you too. Couldn’t agree with you more on the analogy department, although Mosley’s fights with Oscar weren’t chopped liver for exercises sakes, I mean that alone could say more than anything.
I do believe that Buddy McGirt uses what Vargas already has, and that’s the intelligence factor to fight a smart fight. Having watched Fernando earlier in his career he used to make himself into a thinking man’s fighter instinctively.
You couldn’t really give Shane the edge in speed and power, but the experience factors for carrying the fight might be his strengths to derail any plans to taking him out. I think Mosley uses speed well enough to get out of that dangerous predicament of exchanges that would lead to a knockout. Vargas would have to chiefly become a body-punching machine to curtail it. It would be imperative.
However, Sugar Shane knows how to fight fire with fire, and that just might make the difference in this fight. Mosley presents one other problem. If he is on he can make Vargas commit himself more because of his leg movement. Sugar Shane has fervently gotten that down to an art form. This may create for Vargas to lean and throw wider punches that could possibly knock him down. As the rounds continue to take form, Mosley would like nothing better than to be the matador boxer. For Vargas he has to show resilience and poise with lateral boxing to win. Which means he has to answer every punch that Mosley throws. You can’t beat Sugar Shane without it. I’m just hoping that they’ll have a good strong showing for the both of them.
I know what made Tito so victorious against Vargas was that lateral movement that snuck beneath him. Now Shane represents the legs balanced of a thoroughbred. You have to back Mosley up with pressure, but meeting his lateral boxing equal has not been easy to do. Vernon Forrest was one of the best at it. I don’t think Vargas will experiment with changing his style of boxing against Mosley.
Why is that Morales is using the cleto reyes gloves rather than his all time favorite gloves is winning glove? its because he wants to prove something else that he can beat manny to his choices of gloves?
Randy
Randy,
It’s a question of semantics. Regardless of whether you use sixteen-ounce gloves or some YMCA brand, it makes no difference at all with what glove you hit ’em. Once you’re a puncher you’re a puncher. A teenaged Wilfredo Gomez knocked them out of the box with those huge babies on each hand…and they were wearing cushioned pillows on those meat hooks.
What’s more, they had headgear on and Gomez kayoed all five world champs at the World games in Cuba, cold cocking them on the chin that they had to give him his own precession fully after witnessing it for a going away party. I think they make too much out of gloves anyway.
