I was driving home from work at 1 A.M., and I saw the strangest thing. On the side of the road there was this very attractive young lady hitchhiking. This is very strange. In the city that I live right next to, we have a lot of crack heads…tons, and we have prostitutes by the bushel, but this girl was different. She was neither a crack head nor a prostitute, I don’t think. She was a babe and she needed a ride. Now, I know that you’re saying that the right thing to do would be to pick her up and drive her home, but when you’re married, the right thing isn’t always the right thing. At a stoplight, I sat and in my rearview mirror, I could see her standing, but I ended up driving away. Perhaps that was a test if you are the religious type, and I failed. Maybe it was a gift and I looked the gift horse in the mouth. Whatever the case, my wife has no reason to get mad at me. I’m not saying that she won’t, but I’m guessing that I’m in the clear.
Do you know what I’ve noticed? No fighter comes out to the Village People’s tune: Macho Man. Boxing is about being macho and being a man, right? What’s the problem? Perhaps no boxer feels worthy to come out to this song, or they are waiting for the right fight to blast it from the speakers. I could picture it now: “Ladies and gentlemen, making his way to the ring, accompanied by the original line up of the Village People, a real macho man, Lance ”Mount” Whitaker.” I don’t know why he came to my mind first, but it would be a smart career move for “Goofi.”
Well, this is the week people that I reveal the winner of the Geno Bambino Question of the Month Award and give away an autographed copy of: “The Great White Hopes” by Graeme Kent. So, tune in and maybe it is your question/comment that won me over. For now, I will do my weekly movie review. I just watched: The Benchwarmers with David Spade, Rob Schneider, and Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite fame. When you have these three guys in a film, you are almost guaranteed a good comedy, and it was. This is one of the funniest and most absurd movies that I have seen in quite some time. Schneider has been criticized for putting out bad movies, but those critics need a kick in the grapes. He’s a funny little dude and I loved both Deuce Bigalow films. Anyway, this film concerns three adult losers that take on a kid’s baseball team, which inspires a rich guy that used to be picked on to create a league. Anyway, the ridiculousness of this movie will have you in stitches. I really recommend this flick.
Alright, onto the mailbag…
FAMILY FEUD
Hi Geno!
I was just wondering. What caused the rift between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Sr? Because I am just appalled by the fact that Floyd Sr is willing to train the Golden Boy in order to beat the living hell out of his son. I would really love to hear from you regarding this matter. I hope that I’d get an answer soon. By the way, wouldn’t that be a great fight considering that it would also involve Roger Mayweather? Now that would be the ultimate family affair in boxing, wouldn’t it?
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Have a nice day Geno and God bless!
CARL
Carl,
Are you ready to play the feud? I hate Family Feud…although I am a fan of Richard Dawson. He was great in the movie: “The Running Man,” and he was a hit with the ladies…unlike that tool time idiot that they have doing it now. Louie Anderson used to host it and he was unbearable. He used to always show up on Hollywood Squares and you know that if you appear on that show that you are a @#$#@head, more or less. Look at the people that they put up there. They are D celebrities and the horrible pre-written jokes make me want to vomit, but perhaps that’s my problem. Maybe some people enjoy the show, but I am not one of them. Where were we? Okay, you wanted to know what caused the problems with Floyd and his dad. Well, I am not entirely sure, but I do know of an episode where Floyd kicked his dad out of a house that he had purchased and repossessed a van that his dad was driving. I can relate to Floyd…my dad and I don’t get along. He’s a jerk off. I wish that I could take his car away…maybe I can just smash in the windows…
Roger Mayweather is a complete idiot. His behavior in the Zab Judah bout he displayed could have cost his nephew the fight. Roger was a great fighter, but he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Now, De La Hoya being trained by PBF’s dad would be interesting. They would need Richard Dawson in there to keep the peace, and to flirt with the ring card girls and/or the fighters.
THE TRUTH ABOUT CHOLOLO
How are you boxing Guru!!
I’m really a great fan of yours and I really enjoy reading your intelligent answers to all questions even to those silly ones. Keep it up because you got a lot of fans from here..
Anyway, Geno, since Chololo lasted 12 rounds with Pacman, is the mananger of Oscar Larios, Reafael Mendoza, correct when he said that Chololo is better than Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barera?
Because Geno, for me, I think that based on his performance against Manny Pacman Pacqiuao, Oscar Larios is capable of beating anybody in the Jr. Lightweight division including Jorge Barrios, Vicente Mosquera, Rocky Juarez, Edwin Valero, and even MAB and EM…What do you think Mr. Boxing Guru?
Thanks a lot, more power, and wish you good health always!
Leonard
Leonard,
How am I doing? Oh, not too bad. You know, I have this other job thing that is a bummer. It’s the same thing every single day…crawl out of bed, drive to work, make coffee, deal with @#$#heads all day, go home, and it all starts again the next day. One day I will be able to take my boss aside and tell him right to his face to @#@#$ off! Unfortunately, if I were to do it now, I wouldn’t be in a great financial position. One day though, Leonard…one day.
I think that Larios might be better than EM and MAB right now, but there is no comparison if you are talking about their primes. Larios is a good fighter. EM and MAB are all time greats and just because Larios lasted 12 rounds and Pacman KO’d the other two doesn’t mean a whole lot at this point in time. Larios would stand a chance against any of the fighters that you mentioned, but I would pick them all to beat him. I have respect for Chololo, but he’s not one of the elite fighters in the game.
RUBBER MATCH
Pacquiao – Morales III
Hi there Geno!
This is my first time to send a letter to you but I always read your boxing mail bag.
I have a copy of pacqiao-morales II bout and I viewed it many times. I observed that morales goes down because he is not in good condition and very exhausted.
My question is, do you think manny have a chance to win if ever the fight goes to distance? I also want to ask if manny can knock out morales if morales is in good condition?
Thank you! Godbless!
Angelo
Angelo,
I think that Erik Morales going into that rematch with Manny Pac had everything going against him. He had just lost a one-sided bout to Zahir Raheem and he wanted to erase that and the best way to do so was with a KO over the Pacman. So, you have a more aggressive Morales going against Manny, but another thing to think about is the lack of confidence that EM had going into it. So, that fight was all wrong for Morales, and this rubber match might prove to be all right. You mentioned exhaustion and EM was, but I think that it was a mental thing with him. He was coming off a loss and now had Manny in his face and I don’t think that EM’s heart was in it. Now, for the rubber match, Morales will be ready and if Pacquiao takes him lightly and thinks that he is going to steam roll over the tough Mexican warrior, he will be the one with a 1-2 record when it’s all over.
I do think that Freddie Roach and Pacman are smarter than that and we will see him prepared for EM at his best. We are going to be in for a great and memorable war. To answer your final question: Yes, Pacman can KO a well-conditioned Morales. He can KO anyone should he land correctly.
FIGHT OF THE YEAR
Geno
hey boxing guru wattup? i just wanna ask an early question. after the first half of the year 2006, which fight do you preffer the fight of the first half of the year 2006? and which fight do you anticipate to break your preffered fight of the year? chill, god bless, bounce.
EM
EM,
How are you doing my friend? Okay, fight of the year… I like O’Neil Bell’s surprise win over Jean Marc Mormeck in their cruiserweight title fight. I like Ricky Hatton’s bout with Luis Collazo as well. The fight of the year though that wasn’t televised…I was just fortunate to be there. Lenord Pierre battled Willie Gibbs for 12 hard rounds in a close bout where both men were hurt time and time again. In the 12th and final round, Gibbs won with a huge knockout in a bout that he could have lost had it gone to the cards. I was shocked to hear that the fighters only earned 15,000 before expenses for a fight where they fought their hearts out, but this is what you get when you don’t air these great fights. Where the hell was ESPN or Showtime? I know that HBO wouldn’t want a part of it. What a fight and I was honored to speak with both fighters after it was over. That fight lives on in my memory and it will be hard for another fight to replace it as fight of the year.
Now, as for fights that I am looking forward too: I really want to see James Toney vs. Sam Peter. That promises to be an interesting battle. Sechew Powell vs. Kassim Ouma is going to be a war and it will be a great bout for boxing. Nobody knows who will win this thing…and neither do I! How about Jose Antonio Rivera against Oscar De La Hoya or Shane Mosley? I would love to see these big names give “El Gallo” the shot.
PAC VS. MORALES 3
Geno,
I have read your site and it seems you have a wide knowledge in boxing. what do you think our boxing hero (pacman) should do in order to have a sure win come Nov. 18 fight?
Comment 1:You have mentioned that EM might just announced he is not fighting because of his weight problem. I think Bob Arum should make sure that his ward will be ready on fight with the much improved, quicker, stronger fighter Manny Pacquiao!
Comment 2:
Manny should not repeat his introductory fight with Larios, I mean he was fighting like easy..he was almost downed in the 3rd you know! Every boxer is dangerous. Manny should treat all his opponents as if he is fighting with Floyd M. Because his fans will cry beyond expectations if he will be defeated. Thanks GENO and God bless you
Roy M. De Leon
Roy,
What Pacman should do to have a sure win is to go after EM’s body and attack early to try to remind him what happened in the last bout. Nothing he will do will create a sure win, but his best chance is to work that body and hurt EM early. Take his confidence away and be consistent.
I think that EM will come into the bout at the correct weight. With the Jose Luis Castillo situation, I think that Team Morales and Bob Arum will make sure that EM comes in at the correct weight. Have you heard that at Weight Watchers, when they scale you in, they cheer if you are down in weight? I always wanted to know if they booed if you gained weight…perhaps even going so far as to throw Twinkies at you and kick you out of the “fat club” as I call it.
You said it. Manny has to take this bout very seriously as he does every other match that he’s involved in at this point in his career. He is a huge draw, but most fans are fickle and one loss could take away all of the attention from a fighter. So, to maintain his position, he must continue winning.
PAC VS. PBF
Geno,
I heard recently that Floyd mayweather is showing interest on fighting Pacquiao. What are the chances of pacquiao and when can it happen?
Archie
Archie,
At this point, I make it possible, but not likely. I think that Pac will fight Morales, and probably fight the winner of MAB-Juarez next. PBF, the best fighter in the game, has to be frustrated. He wanted to fight De La Hoya, but “The Golden Boy” has put that fight on hold, and after Shane Mosley’s win over Fernando Vargas, that was another possible bout for Floyd, but “Sugar” has no immediate plans to take that bout. If the bout did come off, and was at a reasonable weight of 130-135, I give Manny a shot, but I would still pick PBF.
MOSLEY-VARGAS OBSERVATIONS
yo Geno the honorary filipino!
I’m not even filipino, i just like that nickname because it rhymes. I’m actually an aspiring gangsta rapper but im not sure if its gonna work out, considering im not in a gang. actually i’ve never even been in a fight. Maybe thats why i love boxing. Maybe I enjoy watching it because i can only dream about participating in it. Thats probably why i watch alot of internet por…er i mean sports too. anyway, hows it going my friend? Did you happen to watch Mosley-Vargas2? I hope so because i have a few observations and questions about the event that im hoping you can shed a little light on.
The juan diaz fight was interesting. His opponent. randy suico, was really outclassed. But i feel joe cortez stopped the fight a little bit prematurely. Sure, suico was getting hit alot but he didnt looked dazed at all and the punches didn’t seem to be taking a serious toll on him. joe cortez was exaggerating, he even wanted to stop the fight as early as the 4th round. Suico looked like he had alot of spirit left and his face was practically unmarked. Actually, diaz’s face looked more bruised than his. Although i do feel he wouldve have still loss decisively on points, he looked like the kind of fighter that could unexpectedly turn the tide with a lucky shot. Some of those uppercuts were finding their way through diaz’s seemingly impenetrable guard. Do you think my point is valid or am i just being an unkind blood thirsty fan?
Ponce deleon’s knockout of that thailander was sensational. I’ve heard rumors that he could face boom boom bautista later this year. However, they are both under GBP so i’m thinking that those rumors will never materialize. What are the chances of these two pugs going to war?
Also, Mosley looked sharp, fast and powerful this time around. What a difference from the seesaw battle we saw last time. What factors to you think contributed to such a dominant performance by mosley this time around? was vargas just having a bad night? or did jin mosley back in the corner make the difference? just wondering what your expert analysis is.
True Thug
True Thug,
What does a gang and fighting have to do with gangsta rapping? Hell, you should go for it man. Most rappers are full of it. It’s a gimmick, but what’s sad are these people that are apparently living in a video. I can’t tell you how many people say ridiculous things like: “You don’t know me!” and “Baby’s Daddy.” I think that it is a combination of the music and videos nowadays and the horrible talk shows like Jerry Springer. He needs a kick in the grapes and that would be my final thought. Who the hell watches this crap? I can’t stomach two minutes of it, let alone one hour every day, five days a week… I think that the average IQ has gone down since Springer began his talk show. I also can’t stand Maury Povich…when he has those idiots on that need to test ten guys or so to find out just who the dad is. Why would you go on that show and make a complete idiot out of yourself? Then again, there are many idiots out there.
So, keep “thuggin and buggin” man. There is nothing wrong with living vicariously through people, and you can always lie about boxing and fighting. You could say something like: I was going to be a boxer and did have some amateur fights, but an injury forced me to stop. Or you could say that you seriously injured somebody in the ring and vowed never to fight again. I was the Backyard Boxing Champion of the World and was going to turn pro, but when one of my opponents was taken away in an ambulance, I made the promise to myself that I would never lace up the gloves again. See how easy it is?
I did watch the replay of Mosley-Vargas II and it was what it was. Many people are being misled by this performance of Shane’s. This was a case of what Vargas wasn’t more than what Mosley was. I knew that Shane would win, and I wasn’t surprised when I heard that he stopped him in 6. When I saw the bout, it was quite obvious that Vargas had nothing left at all. A Mosley-PBF bout is a mismatch at this point in time. This is why 8 million dollars won’t be enough to get “Sugar” into the ring.
It took some time for me to warm up to Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, but I am a believer now. He is a consistent fighter that is seasoned at only 22 years old. The sky is the limit with this kid and I would love to see him take on Diego Corrales or Manny Pacquiao. As for Joe Cortez: I have never really considered him one of the better referees, but I didn’t hear any protest from Suico’s team, and there hasn’t been a huge uproar from the public, so I’m assuming that the stoppage wasn’t that bad. I didn’t see the fight. I just couldn’t justify shelling out 50 bucks for a BS pay per screw.
The factors that mattered were Fernando Vargas coming into the bout unprepared, being completely shot, and Mosley fighting a smarter fight. Vargas looked fat in the ring and couldn’t pull the trigger in the ring. He needs to retire. The truth of the matter is that he really never recovered from Felix Trinidad. Tito has destroyed many a career. It’s no wonder why De La Hoya got on his bicycle. Look at what happened to David Reid. Reid was never the same after the beating that Trinidad administered. Vargas is the same story… Good career, but it is over.
THE WILL’O THE WISP
Hi Geno:
Glad to be writing you again and again enjoy your mailbag and comments.
My question is about Willy Pep who I consider the greatest boxer who ever laced a set of gloves on of all time. My question is you probably know he won a round without throwing a punch I forget who the fighter was but slipping and sliding fancy footwork which Willy was the best the other fighter had to have thrown some punches so wouldn’t you think he would win the round by being more aggressive. Would like your comment on this
Ponko pivovar
Ponko,
How are you doing my friend? What can you say about a fighter that retired with a record of 230-11-1, 65 KO’s? He is truly one of the greatest fighters of all time. It is mind boggling to think that he had 242 professional bouts. Times have changed. Now, the name of the boxer that he won the round from without throwing a punch was Jackie Graves. He won the third round on all three cards without throwing a punch. You would think that the man that threw the punches would have won the round, but Pep was so great that he wooed the judges with his boxing moves. It truly was an amazing feat.
THREE QUESTIONS
Hey, what’s up Mr. G-Mac!!!
I’ve been reading your mailbag for the longest time and I really love it so I decided to step up and throw in a few questions of my own…
1. Did Mike Tyson ever make it at least within the Top 10 of the Pound-For-Pond ranking during his prime?
2. Should a fight between PBF and Hatton materialize, who do you think will win?
3. What are the odds of Pacman beating the WBA Lightweight Champion Juan Diaz?
Alrighty then, thanks and Rock On!!!
HBK
HBK,
Thanks for the support and I am glad that you enjoy the bag and thanks for the new nickname. Now, Mike Tyson was definitely in the top 10 pound 4 pound, but with guys like Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez around, I don’t think that he ever made it to the number one slot. Should PBF take on Hatton, it would be a long and painful night for the Englishman. Luis Collazo showed the flaws in Hatton’s style and with those defensive holes, PBF would have a field day and TKO Hatton within 8 rounds. The odds of Pacman beating Juan Diaz are very good. I would pick him to win that bout by knockout.
Rock on you mother @#$#@@#$!!!
GATTI’S LOSS
hello Geno
i just watch the last fight between Baldomir ang Gatti, and i was kinda shocked at the result.
is Gatti really that old to be knocked out by Baldomir? or maybe Baldomir just had a good game plan.
As i heard from the fight Baldomir had only 12 knockouts or less not much of a knockout puncher than Gatti, but as i watch the fight it seems like Baldomir never got hurt, for every punch Gatti throw Baldomir answer it with two or more.
Baldomir also wants to fight Mayweather, What are his chances?, Baldomir really has a good focus in his fight with Gatti, does Baldomir got something in his arsenal to knockout Mayweather?
your opinion, tnx, more power!
Ed
Ed,
First, I want to congratulate myself and my boss, “Bad” Brad Berkwitt for not only picking the winner, but also the round that it would end. Baldomir is not a joke and did not defeat Zab Judah because he was lucky. Judah was out of shape, but Baldomir is very strong and does not quit. Gatti is overrated and always has been and when I heard of this bout, I listened as most of the experts picked “Thunder” to win this thing. I wish that I placed a bet. The odds were 8-5, and I would have made some serious cashola. Why didn’t I let it ride? This reminds me of the time when Mike Tyson faced Evander Holyfield and “The Real Deal” was a 22-1 odds, and I had this feeling that there was an upset on the way. Well, my ex-girlfriend told me to hold onto my 100 smackers, and against my better judgment, I did. Well, we all remember how that fight turned out and when it was all over, all I had was my 100 bucks, when I could have had 2200. I could have purchased all sorts of neat things, but remember, it was 1996, and a lot of the things that we have now, were not around. So, I would have to purchase things like the Nintendo 64, but that’s not a bad buy. I still own one and I love the original Perfect Dark and Wrestlemania 2000.
So people, if you have access to a time machine, look me up and tell me to bet on Holyfield. That 2200 bucks should have been mine! Anyway, Baldomir did only have 12 KO’s, but he is a strong guy and Gatti was moving up. The strength alone was enough to stop Gatti, and as far as Baldomir facing PBF…I think that he would make a fight of it, but I would pick Floyd buy UD in the 116-112 range. I think that there would be the chance of a KO win for Baldomir if he could find PBF, but that’s the puzzle right there.
FAST HANDS
Hi Geno-
Great site and excellent articles-keep up the good work. My question is this-who do you think was the fastest heavyweight post M Ali? M Dokes, T Tubbs, M Tyson? I loved Dokes speed and thought he was one of the fastest when he was on.
Cheers
Abid Ali
Abid,
What is going on my friend? Thanks for the props. The fastest heavyweight…hmm. I think that Floyd Patterson was pretty quick for a heavyweight and Ali should certainly be mentioned. I guess Floyd Patterson is my selection. Now, when you talk about speed, Michael Dokes and Tony Tubbs need to be mentioned. They were unbelievable! It’s too bad that they became so discouraged and had those drug problems. I am a big fan of both fighters and they have to be on the list. Somebody not making the list: Bonecrusher Smith.
LIGHTS OUT?
James will be in the ring at 215. I predict that he will knock out Sam Peter in the first three rounds.
Larry Janetta
Larry,
If James Toney comes in at 215 pounds, he has a great chance to win this thing, but I suspect that he will enter the ring in his 230’s, and that will give the brawling Peter a great chance to win. I can’t see Toney at any weight stopping Peter in 3 rounds…can’t see it. I will say that I am a huge Toney fan and he is good for the division, but if he played his cards right, he’d be the WBA/WBC Heavyweight Champion right now, but through his own doing, he is not.
SUGAR RAY, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!!!
Geno,
Always love reading your stuff as I am a huge Pac fan. But I just wanted your opinion on Sugar Ray Leonard’s comments on Mora defeating Jermain Taylor….is he out of his mind? I know anything can happen but it’s like pitting a foot soldier against a tank!!! Your thoughts.
JR from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
P.S. You a Patriot fan Geno? Steelers rock!!!
JR,
There is NO way that Sergio Mora defeats Jermain Taylor. Taylor gets rid of him in 3 rounds, but Leonard has an obligation to the show and is friends with Mora…so, he’s not being totally objective. I don’t think that he really believes that Mora will win. It is sort of like my cousin Neil. There was this guy that wanted to beat him to a pulp. Well, I went up to this guy and told him that he didn’t really want to go through with the fight because Neil was a tough guy and would really hurt him. Well, had he known that Neil couldn’t beat up a 4 year old girl, he would have totaled him. My point is that you have to BS once in a while and that’s what Sugar was doing. That’s why they call him: “Sweet Sweet Sweet Sugar Buns.” They don’t call him that? Oh snap, I must have come up with it. I think that it’s time to end this mailbag….
By the way, I am not a Patriots fan. The only sport that I follow is boxing. I will watch the Superbowl, but I’m not a fan of the game. My cousin Scott is a walking advertisement for the Patriots. From head to toe, he wears Patriots gear. He looks like a complete idiot.
Okay, people, get your questions in and keep checking in. The winner of the autographed copy of: “The Great White Hopes” by Graeme Kent is going to be given away. Don’t forget to go to www.xposse.com and pick up the DVD: Evil Awakening. If you like the way that I write, check out what I put on video! It’s only 10 bucks…that’s it! Well, take care people and check out the message board. You know that it rocks!
