Mornings at Dave?s Barbershop in Glendale, talking boxing and being made fun off has become my favorite past time in recent years. If you share my passion for raw boxing talk and enjoy the corky characters like Dave the Barber and Downtown Ronnie Brown etc? here are the topics we chewed over in March. If you have an issue for me to bring up at the Barbershop, please put it in your comments or send me an email directly at [email protected].
?Did you see that problem Child, Broner in the ring on Saturday,? cried out Dave the Barber:? I thought I turned the wrong channel and was watching a replay of Mayweather fighting Marquez; the shoulder roll, the movement, the jab.? We all had to concede that young Broner is just as cocky and just as skilled as Floyd Mayweather and only twenty two years old. In words of Muhammad Ali ? It ain?t bragging if you can back it up. Is Adrien Broner destined to be the next super star?Do you think Floyd is going to have problems with Cotto? I brought that question from the Barbershop directly to the source, Floyd?s uncle and long trainer, Roger Mayweather.
?Let’s just see, Pacquiao beat his ass,? said Roger:? Pacquiao started at 105 pounds. Do you think Floyd is going to have problem with him??
?I am asking you,? I replied, tireless reporter on the job.
?I am just saying do you think Floyd is going to have problems with him?? came back Roger.
?No I don?t,? I admitted.
?Ok you are on the right page then,? said Uncle Roger:? It’s about being prepared. So he’ll do anything that he needs to do, plus we have two months before the fight actually happens. Floyd is going to do what he do best and that’s get prepared to win and that’s what the key about boxing is.?
The folks at the Barbershop were divided comparing popularity of pound for pound king, Manny Pacquiao and undefeated American star, Floyd Mayweather.
?I would like to see violence in the ring and a lot of action and that is Manny Pacquiao,? pronounced Al the Barber:?That boy inspires me and fills my heart with passion every time he enters the ring. It will be a long time before you ever see a guy like that again. He is all fire and that is why he amassed a cult like following. Manny is their God in Philippines.?
?I am a great fan of Pacquiao myself,? exclaimed Downtown Ronnie Brown:? But I prefer Mr. Money Mayweather and his artistry of defense. He is a true master of sweet science- hit and don?t get hit. He doesn?t make a wasted move in the ring and the moves he makes; that boy is like a cobra, coiled to spring to action any time, yet poised and confident. He is breathtaking to watch.
Dave the Barber decided that comparing PPV buys between Mayweather?s May 5th bout with Cotto and Pacquiao?s June 9th scrap with Bradley would be like comparing apples to pears, but he is going to do it anyways.
Folks at the Barbershop were in an agreement, calling featherweight showdown between Orlando Salido and Juan Manuel Lopez a fight of the month and possibly a fight of the year.
” That was one hell of a fight,? described Dave the Barber:? My blood pressure still jumps every time I think about those boys going at it like a pair of junk yard dogs fighting for a bone. This was a real old school fight worth of long standing rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico. Both warriors, Salido and Lopez left their hearts and souls in the ring that Saturday. This one was an instant classic. Put it right next to Wilfredo Gomez knocking out Carlos Zarate in 1978 or Salvador Sanchez knocking out Wilfredo Gomez in 1982. Those boys reminded me why I feel so passionate about boxing. They fought with honor and pride.”
Barbershop?s matchmaker, Downtown Ronnie Brown immediately called for Salido to defend his title against Mikey Garcia.?I like that boy Mikey, ?exclaimed Ronnie Brown:? He is from a boxing family. The boy can box. He has heavy hands, but he does not forget to keep his hands up. The boy needs to leave the pool and go swim with sharks in rough ocean waters. And Orlando Salido is a great white Shark.?
HBO?s color commentator Jim Lampley brought a god question to the Barbershop: ?Martinez desperately wants a fight with Mayweather. Could he win it?? The opinions were divided once again.
?In my humble opinion Sergio Martinez is a very special fighter,? exclaimed Dave the Barber:? At thirty seven he is a very fresh fighter who is not broken down by years of taking punches as an amateur. His movement in the ring is exquisite. His punches are blinding fast with pop and the man is acutely aware of everything that is going on in the ring. Perfect blend of athletic ability and skill, Sergio is a real middleweight champion.?
?A champion he might be, but he ain?t no Roy Jones,? cried out Downtown Ronnie Brown:? Keeping his hands down on his knees like that! He wants to fight Mayweather. Floyd will take his lunch money.?
One thing we did agree on is that we all would like to see Floyd and Martinez in the ring soon.
The latest Kirkland Molina controversy in Texas did not go unnoticed at the Barbershop. ?There is no mystery about this fight. Carlos Molina manhandled Kirkland every round,?shouted Ronnie Brown:? Skills pay the bills. That DQ was a very, very bad call. If you watch the fight, the ref pushes Molina?s corner man out of the ring while he is counting, in other words he prevents the foul from happening, right? So we got no harm, no foul. But then he finishes the count and disqualifies that man. That was wrong. DQ, the ref should have disqualified himself for incompetence.”
?In my humble opinion, justice was served,” shouted Al the Barber:”If you call grabbing and holding manhandling than Molina did manhandle Kirkland. Carlos Molina should have been disqualified long before??
How about Kirkland Molina II?
Just in case you haven?t noticed this is the very first story in a series of Month in review, Talking Boxing at the Barbershop. The success or failure of this series depends solely on you the reader. As an added bonus I have included a two years old video interview of Al the Barber. Click on the link to your left to view it.
