KUDOS to Sean Gibbons, an American member of Johnreil Casimero?s team who tried to shield the fighter from the heinous riot that occurred after Casimero defeated local hero Luis Lazarte in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
As a reward for his efforts, Gibbons suffered two broken ribs courtesy of the stomping he received and some wayward chair swinging that would have made Hunder Hearst Helmsley proud.
SANCTIONS. Argentinean officials should definitely file charges against the erring fans. If they do not, they can say goodbye to matches featuring foreign fighters pitted against local talent.
If that happened here, local boxing would severely suffer. Admittedly, we have become dependent on foreign talent to hype up a card and make it more enticing to fight fans.
Through the years, we have nurtured and developed a talented local pool of boxers that can stack up a venue anytime, but nothing seems to whet the appetite of fight fans more than the prospect of a foreign invader in a donnybrook against a local pug.
A few years ago during the Z Gorres-Vic Darchinyan fight, some fans started throwing water bottles on top of the ring to protest the ref?s call on knockdowns. Luckily, that was the worst of it.
It predictably summoned some serious degree of chastisement from fans who wanted sobriety to permeate and prevail over our local boxing culture.
IT?S BRADLEY. After months of speculation, it turned to be Timothy Bradley after all.
An indication of how huge Manny Pacquiao has become to the sport is the fact that Bradley?s name was already being trumpeted as his next opponent while apparently the latter?s written consent still had to be obtained.
But why bother, right? Who in his right mind would refuse to fight the sport?s biggest draw, earn truckloads of money and covet fistic glory?
Hmmmmm. Sorry, I take it back. I did not realize both Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto might be reading this column.
BACKGROUND. As accomplished a fighter as Bradley is, he is still not on the radar of the casual boxing fan and I am often asked about his background.
Well, he might not be an A-lister when it comes to packing in the crowds, but he definitely is a top-tier fighter, one worthy of challenging the reigning pound for pound king.
He came out of nowhere to upset British sensation Junior Witter in 2008 and win the WBC junior welterweight belt. As a champion, he repulsed the challenge of Edner Cherry and Kendall Holt before figuring in a no-contest against Nate Campbell.
He then defeated Lamont Peterson to win the WBO diadem and defeated Luis Abregu in 2010.
He figured in a closely fought battle with Devon Alexander and earned a technical draw in January 2011. In his last fight, he stopped the faded Joel Casamayor in eight rounds.
MY TAKE. Next to the ?reluctant boy?, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Bradley is the next best choice and I?m glad this fight is being made. As the apex fighter in the sport, it behooves Manny to test his skills against only the best and Bradley fits the bill.
In his prime, Roy Jones Jr. made the occasional challenge against the Rick Fraziers of the boxing world, which did not sit well with fans. Even Oscar dela Hoya took a breather against the likes of Patrick Charpentier and a worn-out Yori Boy Campas.
Manny has made references to an impending retirement and this might be his spectacular way of bowing out of the sport by taking on a string of elite opponents before he hangs up the gloves.
Bradley brings a lot to the table. He?s aggressive and has decent power in both hands. He is undefeated in 28 outings and has 12 KOs. He?s fast and crafty and might bring a style conundrum to the Pacman.
He leads a lot with his head too and this might potentially cause problems to Manny who often gets affected when he is cut.
HE SAID IT. ?We?ll fight in Argentina again but never in Mar del Plata.. when I was attacked, I could?ve fought back but thought it would create a more heated situation.
It reminded me of the riot in Cebu when the fight between Dodie Boy Pe?alosa and Julius Tarona was declared a no-contest in 1995?Promoter Sammy Gelloani
