This week’s boxing conversation was mostly dominated by the New York State Athletic Commission’s decision to grant Antonio Margarito a license to fight Miguel Cotto for a second time on December 3rd, and the various spin-offs and branch-offs of that entire issue, like culpability in the saga, whether or not Margarito should be in the ring again period, and the HBO 24/7 for Margarito vs. Cotto II (more on that later). There were other tidbits worth mentioning though, and with the captain of the TQBR ship on shore leave for a spell, our readers shall be treated to a post-Thanksgiving lecturing from the resident overly-wordy history guy.
As it is the time of year to be gluttonous, I’ve applied that thought process to this edition of Quick Jabs, which may contain an extra serving or two.
Although the pitchfork-wielding mob has dispersed a bit to denigrate other folks, there still exist a few errant ripples from the unsavory aftermath of the third Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez battle. However, this past Wednesday Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach did some debunking of his own regarding accusations that Marquez is a foot-stomping cheater, saying, “The thing is, it’s part of the sport. I teach guys to do it myself.” Anyone up for turning the tables on the mob?…
The last week or so also saw two Showtime Super Six 168 lb. tournament drop outs confirm upcoming fight dates. In an of itself, that’s not anything ludicrous. But considering both bowed out due to injury, or at least the threat thereof, the timing now appears less-than-coincidental. The tournament’s final between Andre Ward, 24-0 (13 KO), and Carl Froch, 28-1 (20 KO) will take place on Showtime December 17th, essentially meaning the other competitors are no longer bound to tag along. Jermain Taylor, 28-4-1 (17 KO), who dropped out of the Super Six in early January 2010 amid calls for him to retire and find a day job following back-to-back 12th round knockout losses, and three knockout losses in five fights, is scheduled to face relatively harmless looking and unheralded Jessie Nicklow, 22-2-3 (8 KO) on the December 30th airing of Showtime’s ShoBox — a program generally geared towards prospects. Fighting in the opening bout of the same broadcast is Andre Dirrell, 19-1 (13 KO), who withdrew from the Super Six in October of 2010, citing “neurological problems” (resulting from his win by disqualification over Arthur Abraham that saw him take a sweeping right hand to the jaw while on the canvas courtesy of a slip) that could potentially be career-ending. Dirrell’s opponent will be Darryl Cunningham, 24-2 (10 KO), who was screwed out of his opportunity to face Kelly Pavlik on ShoBox this past August when Kelly threw a conniption fit over his lack of pay for the bout.
