I’m not a fan of the mafia…you know…all the bad stuff. I don’t think that it’s right to kill people, but I wouldn’t mind having a buddy in the mob to help out when a kick in the grapes wasn’t enough. I’m not talking about killing the guy, but a crowbar to the grapes and/or kneecaps and a message: “Don’t @$@#$ with Geno,” taped to his forehead, would be the cat’s pajamas. For instance, there is this guy that walks up and down my street with his dog and his dog craps on my lawn. I have talked with him, but it fell on deaf ears. This is a guy that needs to be taken care of by the mob. My big-eared area boss at my chemical plant job showed up and told me to shave. No deal…not on my watch, but just my refusal isn’t enough…I want more. I want to see a bunch of thugs dragging him to my house and then forcing him to apologize to me, and then…a crowbar to the grapes. That would be great, and don’t forget the note posted to his forehead.
I recently watched “The Godfather” for the first time, and I loved it. I love when that guy wakes up with the horse head in his bed. Now that is how you take care of business. I would do the same thing to the guy and his dog that walks up and down my street, but I like dogs too much. The dog doesn’t know any better. It’s the owner’s fault and I understand that, so there will be no dog head in his bed when he wakes up. I am definitely starting to get into Mafia movies and I think that on one of days off, I might have a movie marathon. I hate the heat of the summer…so I am usually indoors with the air conditioning on. I’m a fall type of guy. I am not the “Fall Guy.” That would be the ultra talented Lee Majors.
Well, RSRTV is a hit, and I thank everyone for that. The Jose Antonio Rivera interview has gone over very well and I encourage people to check it out and to also keep watching because there is plenty more RSRTV where that came from. So keep tuning in and keep giving me a shout in the mailbag. You know there is the Geno Bambino Question of the Month Award for August that is going to go to some lucky RSR Reader. So, with no further delay, let’s get to the mailbag…
MATCHMAKING
Sensei Geno! =)
It’s me again! i just finished reading your column for July 28, 2006 and it was such a great experience! hehehe thumbs up! i love the assortment and the simplicity of your mailbag… readers can easily relate to it… you’re Branstalkers (for the horror flicks), Shakespeare (for the Dr. Love part… heheheh), Rockstar SuperNova, and of course the Boxing Guru. it’s really fun reading your stuff and you certainly know how you do your thing! kudos and more power!
Back to boxing… who would do you think will win:
prime dela hoya vs prime pbf? prime roy jones vs prime pbf? pbf vs corrales? in a rematch roy jones vs lewis or iron mike? daniel ponce deleon vs the super battamweight pacman? daniel ponce deleon vs israel vasquez? and israel vasquez vs the super battamweight pacman?
thanks Geno,
Bototoy
Bototoy,
What is going on my friend? Thank you very much for the compliments and I’m glad that you are enjoying the mailbag. I aim to please. Anyway, you have some boxing match ups for me…
De La Hoya vs. PBF (prime time)
I would lean toward De La Hoya by close decision in this one. I think that he would be able to press in spots and use his strength to convince the judges that he had won at least 7 of the 12 rounds. It would be a tough fight for him, but I would lean toward the Golden Boy by close UD or SD win.
RJJ vs PBF
PBF gets launched into the 10th row by the much larger Jones, JR. This is really a mismatch. RJJ is just too big for PBF and would easily get the win. Not a match that PBF would take, I don’t think.
PBF vs. Corrales 2
Diego has learned a lot since his first encounter with Floyd, but he still has that blind spot on his right side and is always having issues with his opponent’s left hooks. Floyd knows the secret and would stop Diego in eight or nine rounds.
RJJ vs. Lennox Lewis or Mike Tyson
Unless we are taking about the Tyson that faced McBride, RJJ would not stand a chance. Lennox Lewis would have a field day with Jones. He would have a little guy running for dear life and would eventually find him and put him out of his misery. Both are bad fights for RJJ.
Ponce De Leon vs. Pacman
This is an all out war with two of the biggest punching little guys going head to heat, but I still think that Pacman would win because of his superior ring intelligence. Leon showed that he really couldn’t adjust in his bout with Celestino Caballero, and if he can’t beat Pacman down, what can he do? Pacman by late KO.
Ponce De Leon vs. Israel Vazquez
De Leon by KO in the mid rounds. Vazquez is good, but he has been stopped before and by lesser punchers. What happens when Leon lands? I think that this will be a big night for the knockout specialist.
Israel Vazquez vs. Pacman
Pacman for sure. As much respect that I have for Vazquez, I consider him a notch or two below the big players and suspect that this would be a quick fight. Pacman by early KO.
SOME METAL TALK
Geno the man!
well youre right about metallica they are greedy b@#!$&^% after all!after suing napster their albums are now available for downloads at I tunes! and nice to know that you like iron maiden! i like their early songs like hollowed be thy name, wasted years, be quick or be dead! is it true that Bruce Dickinson is now a commercial pilot? and what can you say about Dave Mustaine? i think hes a good songwriter but his voice is not that pleasant.tnx for answering my post by the way!it almost made me cry hehe more power!
Kulantro
Kulantro,
Metallica really turned into a fluff band and completely sold out, and when their movie failed, I was pleased. You don’t crap on the fans that put you into the position that you are in without having a backlash. They were going after the 13 year old kid that was just becoming a fan of theirs and trying to lock them up. The fact of the matter is that they have not been good in years and I know that they have money and lots of it, but it’s not everything. Reputation is more important than money and they sold theirs. I will say that their early stuff was the bomb, but that’s about as far as I will go.
Iron Maiden is one of the best bands of all time… Bruce Dickinson is a commercial pilot right now. He flies from Great Britain to several holiday locations and he loves it. Dave Mustaine…I’m a fan of his as well. Megadeth’s “Peace Sells” and “Hanger 18” are sweet tunes. You have to have respect for a band that sings about aliens and the evil United States government. I am against the U.S.A. taking aliens and messing with their junk. If aliens are visiting, they need not fall victim to the sick desires of the cruel scientists. Remember, probing goes both ways people.
I’m glad that you were touched by my response. It’s better than being probed.
Take care
HEY, REWIND THAT!
Hello “Bay” Geno,
What do you think is the best solution in eliminating erroneous calls by referees? In the first PACMAN/MORALES fight, Joe Cortez ruled that the cut suffered by Manny was by a punch. Later by video replay, it was clear the cut was caused by a head butt. In a case like this, shouldn’t the declaration be put on hold until it can be determined thru video replay? Just my penny worth of opinion.
Gary H.S.
Gary,
Boxing is a flawed sport and there is not a real solution to the problem outside of closer scrutiny put upon the referees. It’s a thankless job, really, and there is always going to be human error. A referee getting second-guessed takes away all of his authority and if he’s the man in charge, why would you want to do that? If video replays are allowed, it will ruin the sport. When you allow that, you are going to open a whole can of worms and then there will be time outs in boxing when there is a dispute and pretty soon, the action will be constantly interrupted. Unfortunately, there is always going to be mistakes because we are all human. The last thing that the sport needs is a video replay put into affect.
MR. ED
Hello Geno
i just took a break from writing my book report and decided to write you a question. My question is this Why does some champions or belt holders doesnt have the aura of being unbeatable. Many people say that all the sanctioning bodies are all crap why is it huh?. I think theres some thing wrong in the way the champion is being made or achieve. Why is it most belt holders dont make it in the list of the P4p list? its just ironic i mean they should be there because they are champions right?. I think champions should compulsary fight the top 1 boxer in their division always so the wont be like fraud champions. is there a system like that? or how does that work? im just puzzled or i just want to know how that thing in boxing works.
Ed
Ed,
All right…why don’t some champions seem unbeatable? It is that rare fighter that has the aura of invincibility like Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez. Most champions aren’t in that category. Sanctioning bodies for the most part are crap for the most part. They are more interested in lining their pockets than bettering the sport. The constant creation of new titles and new divisions to bring in more money has crippled the sport. Why the @#$@ do we need Super Champions and Champions of the same division? What are they thinking? Then we have 4 world heavyweight champions and there is no unification in sight. The crooks are running the game and they only have the quick fix in mind, which is why we are seeing these garbage PPVs. They just want to milk these guys and the public for all they’re worth and are not setting up the building blocks to a great PPV that will make tons of money and the public will be very pleased with the show. Imagine if network television picked up some big fights? The advertisers would bring in the money to appease these jack offs. If Wladimir Klitschko were facing Nikolay Valuev in a WBA/IBF Championship unification bout on ABC, it would be huge. All they need to do is to hype the thing right and it will bring boxing back to network television with a bang.
Do you know what the problem with forcing the champion to face the #1 contender? The sanctioning bodies determine the ranking system! The promoters slip them some money and they put their guys in the rankings. If John Ruiz never signed with Don King, he would have been left out in the cold, probably never fighting for a title and not getting the benefit of the doubt on the scorecards as he has in the past. Boxing is corrupt man. Right now there is no real system in place to rank fighters that I’m satisfied with.
Most belt holders don’t make it on the P4P list because we have some champions that are good, but not great. You have to be great to make the list and defeat good competition.
TALK DIRTY TO ME
Gud Day Mr. Geno,
I’ve been reading from ur website for the last 3 months and its really a very entertaining site, this is my first time to write u. I think if Morales will use some of dirty tactics fight, he might win against the Pacman. Remember when Pacman fights Nedal Hussein, Pacman almost lost the fight. Hussein use some low blows and headbutting, and he even knockdown the Pacman in that fight thats why I think that Pacman struggled in a dirty fighting. Dirty fighting is Pacman’s weakness.
Ryann del Rosario
Ryan,
I think that Pacman has the experience now to deal with the nonsense that comes along with boxing. MAB was being really dirty in there with Pacman and it didn’t stop Pac from doing his job. I don’t think that Morales pulling some dirty tactics will prevent him from doing his job as a professional prize fighter. He has the experience that helps him a great deal. He doesn’t sweat it any more. Then again, a few hard shots in the grapes will certainly shake you in the ring. So, Pac is not perfect a might be slightly jarred by something like that, but he’s going to deal with it and do his job for sure.
LET’S GO TO THE MOVIES
Geno,
What are your favorite boxing movies prior to 1965?
Terry
Terry,
One of my favorite boxing movies of all time is: The Harder They Fall with Humphrey Bogart. It’s based on the great book with the same title by Budd Schulberg, and by the way, that is my favorite book. In this story, there is a huge boxer that the mafia wants to make the world champion, but there is one small problem: he can’t fight. So, they fix a bunch of fights and hire Bogart as the journalist to cover and hype their enormous boxer. This movie came out in 1956 and I have seen it about a thousand times. Love it!
In 1962, Requiem for a Heavyweight with Jackie Gleason came out and that is another one of my favorite boxing movies that came out prior to 1965. A large heavyweight at the end of his career has to take a job as a professional wrestler and humiliate himself to save his manager, Gleason. It is a great flick.
Other than those two flicks, I can’t really think of any more from that time period. Keep in mind that I was born in 1974, and the very first movie that I saw that was boxing related was Rocky 3. I am now on this classic movie kick. Of course, the best movie of all time, bar none, would be: 12 Angry Men (1957). They made a remake…avoid it.
PACMAN AND THE GOVERNMENT
hi geno!
Why do you want the 15 round bouts to be reinstated in boxing? Don’t you think that its a little too much for the boxers? I mean they would be absorbing too many blows on their heads that could prove to be debilitating or even fatal later on. Don’t get me wrong but i just graduated from nursing school and i am currently reviewing for the upcoming board exam this December. So you know that i am biased and concerned about the health of the boxers. Therefore, in my opinion, 12 rounds is enough. But this is just mine. So I would like to hear yours.
But before I go, I would just like to say something about all the Filipino Politicians that are riding on the popularity of our great hero/warrior Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao: @!@#$!# THEM ALL FOR BEING SUCH JERKS AND FOR MAKING OUR LIVES MISERABLE!!! (Im saying this with much hatred in my heart) I wish that Manny would viciously knock them all out… vicious enough for them to become disabled so that they would stop functioning as lousy and corrupt leaders. Im sorry for my comments geno but I just can’t stand all these politicians that are starting to corrupt Pacquiao, the one and only Filipino that can bring happiness to the entire nation. I hope that they would leave him alone.
Based on what I had just written, I hope that I’ve given you an idea of the kind of crap that we are dealing with from our government EVERY SINGLE DAY. Its not a surprise why so many Filipino PacFans are bombarding your mailbag every day to ask you questions about our great champion. Every single one of us have had enough of our government. So we turn to sports icons to divert our attention and give us inspiration and happiness. And the Pacman has certainly delivered. So I hope you understand why I am fuming at the people I had just mentioned. Thanks for reading. Until then, take good care of yourself my friend.
By the way, TRAPO means Traditional Politician. But it also literally means a piece of cloth that is used to clean things. Thus, these become very2 dirty. So why the association between the 2? I think I don’t have to explain this to you. Right? Now I’ve read that you are planning to visit our country one day. If this ever happens, would you do me a favor? If you encounter a corrupt TRAPO, kindly kick him in the grapes for me. That would be awesome although you can’t possibly do that to our president since she’s a female. So you can start with her cabinet members instead.
OK this is getting pretty long. Thanks for taking the time man. I appreciate it.
CARL
Carl,
I just think that the 15 round limit is a true championship bout. Some of the greatest and most historic moments in boxing took place in fifteen round bouts. I don’t think that there is much of a difference between 12 rounds and 15 rounds as far as health concerns. The entire reduction in rounds due to health reasons was nonsense. The networks wanted shorter fights and the industry complied. The networks wanted championship belts and all of a sudden, we have more divisions and more sanctioning bodies. I think that as we change the sport, we lose it and if we went back to the old school: 1 champion, 15 rounds, network T.V. or HBO, we’d get boxing off the ropes. There was a time when the heavyweight champion was the most well known person on the planet. Walk up to a random person and mention any of the four champs that we have now, and throw in Evander Holyfield’s name for ha-has. I guarantee you that 90% of the people will say that “The Real Deal” is still the champion. People don’t care anymore, and the sport isn’t giving them a reason to care.
I don’t think that there is a government out there that actually cares about their people to be honest. It is very easy for the people in control to look at the citizens as numbers and ignore the problems. The city right next to the city that I live in keeps on rising in crime rates, and especially murders. The educational system sucks and who do they lay off? They lay off cops and teachers. The government is adding to the problem. There are no jobs and the gas prices are through the roof. So, screw the government. Now, I’m not saying that the U.S.A is as bad as the Philippines because I’m not that aware, but from what you have said, and the other Filipino RSR readers have said, I would like to go over there and start kicking away.
So hang in there my good friend. I believe in Karma and what goes around comes around. These mother @#$@#$ that run the show will eventually pay for the things that they have pulled. Hopefully we will be there to see it.
WEIGHT PROBLEM
Hey Geno, hows it hanging?
Eric says he lost his last fight because he got tired early due to his difficulty in making the 130lbs weight limit.
Eric looked like he weighed between 142-145lbs. maybe more during the fight That’s over 12lbs. of water he had to loose for the weigh-in, or more than 1 1/2 gallons of water. That certainly is a lot of water to loose and gain in a relatively short period of time.
I’ve heard that fighters loose some of their physical abilities from gaining then looseing too much weight. Roy Jones Jr. was never the same after he came down from having one fight in the heavyweight division. I think it was because he had to loose muscle mass in order to go back down to light heavyweight. RJJ just got a lot slower and his timing just isn’t the same.
Do you think EM will have the same problem when he faces Manny in their rubber match?
Primo
Primo,
There is a possibility that Morales could come into the fight spent if he struggles to make the weight. We have seen Antonio Tarver and RJJ both lose a lot when they dropped that much weight, but I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of this talk about weight is just that, talk. Do you remember when George Foreman was set to fight Evander Holyfield and he kept on saying that he didn’t train enough and that he ate too much food and whatnot. Well, it was part of the plan to make Holyfield underestimate him. It didn’t work, but for Morales it just may. I think that EM will comfortably make the weight and be more than prepared for this one with the hope that Manny is also taking him for granted. Every edge that the veteran Morales can get, he will take and I think that that is the case here.
TO MY DEFENSE
Ponko Pivovar,
have ur back man this loser talking @#%#@ about the great Geno. This guy should @#$@# off. Don’t mind that loser dude he don’t know anything about boxing. More power Geno
Rjay
Rjay,
Thank you very much for coming to my defense. For those of you that don’t know, this dude “Ponko” called me an “idiot” and a “dip$%^%^.” Well, I have had time to think about it and I have forgiven Ponko for not thinking before writing. I don’t mind criticism, but name-calling? Thanks again Rjay for telling this dude exactly where to go.
THEY CALL HIM THE RAPPER
yo Geno’
what’s up my friend? I took your advice, i am going to pursue my gasngsta rap career! As a token of my appreciation, i will share my first rap with you. Tell all your readers not to bite these phenomenal lyrics though, ok? here it goes: “I’ll spray the A-K until i reach my heyday im a true thug no matter what they say stickin up grandmothers for a payday when it comes to thuggin you know im a mainstay causing chaos and making a melee the world is soft and for that i blame the haze” Its still a work in progress but i have a feeling that people will be convinced that im just oozing with thuggish ruggishness! And i give you all the credit for the unveiling of these incredible raps!
Anyway, let me get to the question. I watched ESPN Wednesday night and was excited to see david tua in action! Of course, he knocked out an unspectacular old man, but none the less it seems that tua is still the notorious power puncher with newly developed boxing skills that are really beginning to show. He’s utilizing his jab, displaying good footwork and moving his head. I remember when tua was rising in the ranks, knocking out a plethora of great heavyweights including moorer, ruiz and rahman. A few decision losses and a court battle with his former manager took him out of the boxing spotlight. But i think he has what it takes to get back in the limelight and create a little shine for the heavyweight division. I’m still a tuaman fan! What do you think geno? Can tua still become the heavyweight champion of the world?
True Thug
True Thug,
Chase your dream man!!! I told you that you could do it! You don’t need to be in a gang to rap, and you have inspired me to do the same: Grapes Kicka G has just recorded his first CD: I’m Married and I Don’t Get Any. Here are some of my lyrics: I’m married I don’t get any I’m going to the strip club With my week’s pay
Okay, enough about my new CD…what boxing stuff were we talking about? David “Tua Man” Tua…okay, he was at his best in 1998, and he was about 225 pounds or so. Now, he’s usually around 250 pounds and at 33, time is running out. If he remains active, sheds some weight, and gradually moves up in competition, he could very well win a title under the right conditions.
I would advise him to challenge a guy like Brian Minto. Minto is a name in the division and both men would have something to prove. I would make Minto the long shot to win, but if Tua doesn’t have anything left, it would be a great moment in his career, just as it was when Kevin McBride stopped the great Mike Tyson. No matter who Tua faces, he will have that puncher’s chance, but to give him the best chance to acquire a title, he must get into shape (other than round) and fight on a regular basis. We all know that the heavyweight division is there for the taking and Tua has that name and that punch…so who knows?
LIKE ZEST!
Geno,
I would just like to thank you for the very informative posts regarding boxing and the humour you put behind it.
Very refreshing…like Zest!
Stevensly
Stevensly,
I don’t know if I can compete with that refreshing soap: Zest, but to even be compared is a wonderful thing. I’m Zestfully clean mother @#$@#!
FIGHTS BY FITZY
Geno
good job guys on the figthts. way better than HBO or Showtime. Your boy Jerry or Jeremy was really funny. That fat guy is gonna win the world title one day. LOL keep up the good wokrk dude
Ponce
Ponce,
His name is “Jeremy” and I’m glad that you appreciated his commentary and I did. It would be nice to one day step in for Lampley and Merchant if they called in sick or something. Let’s say that they go to one of those hot dog eating contests and they are both very competitive. Lampley eats 211 hot dogs, and Merchant eats 231, and they are both winners of course, but in the morning, they are crapping hot dogs and cannot come to work. So, HBO calls me and says: “Geno, my main Bambino, I need you ASAP and your buddy there to cover the fights.” We would rule! They would tell those two to keep on eating hot dogs and we would have new jobs. That “fat guy” is Joe Siciliano and he is the most popular 49 year old, 300 pound, active heavyweight that lost to Peter McNeeley, and has the name “Joe Siciliano” in New England.
Okay, that’s about it people, but I will see you on the hump. Get the questions in because there is the Geno Bambino Question of the Month Award. I also want to encourage everyone to check out our message board RSR Message Board , and our videos on RSRTV. So, take care everyone and I will see you on the hump!
