It’s Monday. Welcome back for another edition of Observe and Fight, The Boxing Observer’s compilation of observations and random thoughts from the week that was in boxing. Get caught up on some of the most recent events you may have missed out on, including a potential candidate for Upset of the Year in boxing, where Adrien Broner goes from here, a failed drug test by Brandon Rios, Manny Pacquiao’s IRS problems, the continued rise of Keith Thurman, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from the Boxing Observer, David Kassel.
Congratulations to Marcos Maidana for pulling off what some believe is the Upset of the Year in 2013! First off, I would like to apologize to Maidana for completely dismissing him in his fight with Adrien Broner on Saturday. Maidana made me eat my words. I thought Broner would be much too skilled and would learn how to use his power to his advantage. However, it was Maidana who brought his usual determination and will, along with a brand new skill set, one which he honed, but had yet to unleash 100%, to dominate Broner from the opening bell. Give credit where credit is due, folks. Don’t focus on the fact that Broner lost. Focus on the fact that Maidana won, and won convincingly. In my mind, Marcos Maidana has now earned the right to face Floyd Mayweather instead of the rumored bout between Mayweather and Amir Khan. Yes, it’s true, Khan beat Maidana almost 3 years ago to the day Maidana beat Broner, but look at where each fighter’s career currently stands. Since that fight, Maidana is 6-1 (4 KO’s), has successfully jumped all the way up to 147lbs, and is now a full-fledged welterweight. Khan, on the other hand, is 4-2 (1 KO) and has not yet fought at a weight higher than 143lbs. In Khan’s last fight, he struggled against journeyman Julio Diaz in a fight where Khan was almost knocked out. Right now, the speed advantage clearly goes to Khan, and that might give Mayweather an issue early in the fight, but once Mayweather lands a shot or two (and he will because he is Floyd Mayweather), it will only be a matter of time before Mayweather knocks Khan out. Conversely, Maidana may not have a speed advantage, but he will be able to take Mayweather’s shots for 12 rounds, and Maidana will force Mayweather to work for a full 3 minutes in every round. I don’t believe Khan has the one-punch knockout power to knock Mayweather out. Maidana has the power to put just about any middleweight on the deck. If he lands a flush shot on Mayweather, we could be looking at the upset of the century. For those saying Khan will sell more pay-per-views, after Maidana’s performance against Broner, I don’t think any fan will look at Maidana as a cakewalk for Mayweather. Fans will more likely purchase Mayweather vs. Maidana than Mayweather vs. Khan.
Another kudo goes out to Robert Garcia and is his team for getting Maidana ready to fight. He came in with a great game plan and Maidana executed perfectly. Maidana has become a much better fighter since joining the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy and should continue to progress even further.
Referee Laurence Cole did an awful job of officiating Saturday night. Yes, the point deduction for Maidana’s headbutt was completely warranted, but the numerous elbows by both men should have resulted in some sort of warning. Also, both men continuously grabbed the back of the other’s head and kept punching. The worst of it was that Cole must have warned Broner at least 10 times about pushing Maidana off of him (the same penalty that cost Amir Khan 2 points in his fight with Lamont Peterson). Only in the 12th, and final, round did Cole finally tell Broner he would take away a point. What’s the point of that? That would be like telling a toddler that if he keeps throwing his poop at the other kids in daycare, Santa Claus is going to give him a lump of coal in his stocking. If there is no intention of follow through by the referee, there should be no instructions given in the dressing room and no warnings issued. The biggest travesty of the night was Cole allowing both Broner and Maidana to pretend to publicly violate each others backsides during the fight. I know it’s not against the rules, but shouldn’t there be some sort of standard that dry-humping someone like you’re at the club during a fight is illegal? It’s definitely frowned upon.
I cannot remember a time when so many fans rejoiced because one fighter lost to another. Every single Twitter and Facebook post I saw was about Broner being humbled and so happy Maidana put him in his place. Even Brian Kenny, who is supposed to be unbiased, gave his personal opinion about Broner after the fight. Don’t get me wrong, Broner has said, and done, plenty of things to show that he is a very immature 24-year-old. His poor acting job when Maidana headbutted him and trying to get the referee to disqualify Maidana (that was one good thing Cole did Saturday night), his unwillingness to do an interview in the ring after the fight, or the aforementioned violation of Maidana’s rear end in the 1st round were all ridiculous. Let’s stop for a minute though and give a bit of credit to Broner because he did hang tough for 12 rounds against a fighter whom he did not seriously hurt, and whom he got rocked by several times. Many fighters would not have gotten up, but Broner did. For that, he deserves a load of credit. Remember folks, whether or not you like a fighter outside the ring, he (or she) is still the one putting their lives on the line in the ring for your entertainment. Nobody is going to stop watching Broner fight because he lost. As a matter of fact, whenever he fights next, just as many people will be watching and wondering exactly how he’ll look. Broner’s interview in the locker room after the fight with Showtime’s Barry Tompkins (which was not on TV) still shows that Broner has a lot of growing up to do if he wants to be at the top of the sports world. I’m sure Uncle Al (Haymon) and company are going to speak with Broner about his antics and let him know exactly what needs to change in order to be successful. At the end of the day, it’s up to Broner to decide how badly he really wants to be one the best. All the tools and talent are there. Now, Broner needs to take advantage of his 2nd chance.
What is the deal with these failed drug tests? Lost in the hype of Maidana’s upset of Broner was the news that Brandon Rios failed his post-fight drug test after his loss to Manny Pacquiao. First off, I don’t care what anyone says about the handling of the urine samples. If Rios’ urine showed traces of a dietary supplement, he was more than likely struggling to make weight. Maybe the B-sample will come up clean, but it’s not likely. The fact that Rios didn’t test positive before the post-fight sample is irrelevant. When was his previous test given? If it wasn’t right before the fight, then it is irrelevant. There are supplements out there that can force people to have repeated bowel movements over a 24-hour period, which all but remove any unnecessary liquids from your body. Ask anyone who has ever had a colonoscopy. Doctors give patients pills that, for lack of a better term, flush out your system the night before. Patients spend the entire night running to the bathroom. If Rios would have taken something like this the night before the weigh-in, while not eating at all that day, he could easily have lost 10lbs in water weight alone. I’m willing to give Rios the benefit of the doubt until all the facts are in, but if he couldn’t make weight for his debut at welterweight, Rios is not dedicating himself to his craft full time, and it’s clear he only takes training seriously when he is preparing for a fight. Let’s just hope that all the drug tests come back clean for the Broner vs. Maidana card. A video surfaced on Sunday showing what looks like Alex Ariza giving Maidana some sort of pill in between rounds. I’m not calling anyone out because our society is innocent until proven guilty, but the video is pretty tough to ignore. I just hope it was a figment of someone’s imagination [Editor’s note: Upon closer inspection of a full HD video depicting what happened in the corner, as opposed to the edited low quality video created by a fan, it appears that Ariza is simply holding gauze and wrapping it around the cotton swab end of a q-tip that he uses to wipe Maidana nose, mouth, and eye].
What else is there to really say about Manny Pacquiao’s tax issues? He owes $18 million in unpaid taxes to the IRS and he clearly cannot trust whoever is handling his money (Michael…cough…cough…Koncz). I’m afraid to say it, but Pacquiao is going to end up like Roy Jones Jr. and Evander Holyfield. He will be fighting until he is 50 years old because he is not going to have any money to his name. Both Bob Arum and Koncz are denying these reports, saying it is some sort of mistake, but does anyone else think it’s a coincidence that Arum seems much more willing to bring up a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight at every possible moment? A lot of people believe there is no such thing as a coincidence. In this case, I would tend to agree.
Keith Thurman is a beast at welterweight! Jesus Soto Karass is no walk in the park. Thurman, while taking a few shots of his own, made Soto Karass look like a shop-worn fighter. Thurman is not ready for the likes of Floyd Mayweather, but he is ready for a world title shot (he currently holds an interim title). I feel Thurman is going to be matched up with newly-crowned IBF Champion Shawn Porter in his next fight (possibly on the Canelo undercard in March, or on the card marking Danny Garcia’s return, also probably in March). Thurman has the tools, and he seems to have the right attitude. At welterweight, he has the power to stop anybody inside the distance and has the skills to adjust to most fighting styles. I love watching his development before our very eyes. Keith Thurman could be very special when all is said and done.
Beibut Shumenov might have put himself at the front of the line to fight Bernard Hopkins. To be honest, I’m not so sure this isn’t a fight Shumenov can’t win. The WBA light heavyweight champion may only be 14-1, but his relentless style may end up being Hopkins’ downfall. Shumenov is a lot like Marcos Maidana. He never stops coming. Shumenov avenged the only loss of his career (to Gabriel Campillo), and he routinely throws over 1,000 punches in a 12-round contest. He does not have one-punch knockout power, but Hopkins has never been a fighter to be knocked down from one punch. I’m not buying stock in Beibut Shumenov just yet, nor am I saying that he is better than Hopkins, but I’m not so sure Hopkins can withstand that kind of assault. Hopkins doesn’t exactly have one-punch knockout power that will keep Shumenov out of his grill either.
Leo Santa Cruz continues to roll through opponents, but for how long? I am one of Santa Cruz’s biggest fans, but I don’t like the punishment he is willing to endure for the “entertainment” of the fans. Santa Cruz is willing to take way too many risks to out-will his opponents. I don’t see Santa Cruz continuing to win these types of fights for another 10 years. The way Santa Cruz currently fights, I’d be surprised if he made it through 2014 and 2015 unscathed. I think Santa Cruz is outstanding, but if he doesn’t tweak his approach a bit to include some defense, he will suffer serious brain damage before he is 50 years old.
Amir Mansour showed why he is a very dangerous fighter in the heavyweight division. The 41-year-old scored a spectacular knockout over the previously once-beaten Kelvin Price (KO loss to Deontay Wilder) Saturday night on NBC Sports Network Fight Night. At 41, Mansour may be too little too late, but it would be great to see if this undefeated heavyweight slugger could really make some noise. Because of his long stint in prison, Mansour has not taken the punishment of most 41-year-old fighters, and he looked extremely fresh against Price.
Lots of other fighters scored big wins over the weekend. Lionell Thompson thoroughly defeated Ryan Coyne by unanimous decision while Steve Cunningham bounced back to earn a unanimous decision over Manuel Quezada. Juergen Braehmer outpointed the previously unbeaten Marcus Oliveira in Germany to win an alphabet light heavyweight crown. Christian Mijares and Daniel Estrada both scored knockout victories. Ricardo Alvarez squeaked by Rod Salka in a very controversial decision. Robert Easter Jr. scored his 4th career 1st-round knockout in 8 fights. Jermain Taylor knocked out J.C. Candelo. Josesito Lopez struggled, but survived, against Mike Arnaoutis. Jermall Charlo defeated Joseph De Los Santos. Sergio Thompson scored a 1st-round KO over Cesar Chavez. Frankie Gomez improved to 16-0 by scoring a 1st-round KO over Prince Doku Jr. Undefeated heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev scored another knockout win, this time over Joey Abell. Leonard Bundu stayed undefeated with a 12th-round TKO of Lee Purdy. Felix Lora shocked Serhiy Fedchenko in the Ukraine by winning a split-decision. Kassim Ouma returned for the 1st time in 2 1/2 years to earn a 6-round decision, and Hassan N’Dam bounced back from his loss to Peter Quillin to earn a 10-round unanimous decision over Anthony Fitzgerald in Spain.
Kelly Pavlik was once again accused of driving under the influence. Oy vey! It’s only a matter of time before we see Pavlik seriously hurt (or kill) himself, or someone else, the way things are headed.
With all the boxing, I didn’t get a chance to watch the NBC Sports Network special on Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini which aired immediately after its Fight Night card. I hope it lives up to the hype. Mancini was a special fighter and a great personality. If you didn’t know it was coming on, check your local listings, or your On-Demand feature, to see if you have access to it. Most boxing documentaries are worth watching. I would be surprised if this one was not.
There are no big televised fights remaining in 2013, but some solid fights, and well-known fighters, are still in action in 2013. Former Fighter of the Year Glen Johnson returns on Wednesday facing Bobby Gunn, filling the spot vacated by Roy Jones Jr. Jones Jr. has opted to fight in Russia on Saturday instead. Also, fighting on Saturday, is IBF junior featherweight champion Kiko Martinez, who defends against Jeffrey Mathebula in what should be an excellent contest in Spain. The mystery that is Said Ouali is in action on Thursday in Abu Dhabi. Omar Narvaez also defends his junior bantamweight title in Argentina on Saturday (Narvaez is the new Chris John because he never leaves his home country for a fight). Vusi Malinga faces Stuart Hall for the vacant IBF bantamweight title on Saturday as well. On New Year’s Eve, a pair of excellent tilts take place in Japan. In Tokyo, Takashi Uchiyama puts his WBA junior lightweight title on the line against Daiki Kaneko, and Takashi Muira puts his WBC junior lightweight title on the line against Dante Jardon. On the same day, from Osaka, Kazuto Ioka defends his WBA junior flyweight title against Felix Alvarado, and Ryo Miyazaki puts his WBA strawweight title on the line in the co-feature. We could see an early candidate for 2014 Fight of the Year in one of those bouts.
Each week, I feature an email from a fan on Observe and Fight. This week’s email comes to us from Louis T. concerning a rematch between Maidana and Broner…
“I’ve just watched the fight between Maidana and Broner. Ww, what a fight!! Maidana just took Broner to hell like he never been before and that is a great lesson for this lill’ talented dude that needs badly to grow up. I think it was time for Broner to shut his mouth and watch his ass on the canvas to realize he’s still very far to reach Floyd’s level, and he might never be able to do so. He takes too many shots. Maidana’s huge hands hitting Broner’s face was just worryingto watch, although Broner had his moments. I thought It was not a close fight at all. Maidana took the lill’ AB to the mirror and forced him to watch the real Adrien. Dave, do you think it is really fair that Broner demands a rematch whereas he took such a beating, and that he left the ring without saying anything like a spoiled child, not being able to face his loss? If it is, then Rosado should get his revenge immediately signed against Quillin. And Malignaggi should get his revenge immediately signed against Broner. What do you think about a potential Porter vs Maidana? Thanks!”
It’s hard to argue that a rematch is justified right away between Maidana and Broner. Broner did not do anything in the fight to show that a rematch would have a different outcome. He did not hold up well against Maidana’s power, and even though Maidana said he felt Broner’s shots, Amir Khan, Victor Ortiz, and Devon Alexander clearly hit harder than Broner because they did far more damage and were able to put Maidana on the canvas. There was no rematch clause for the fight. If a rematch happens, I don’t think it will take place for quite awhile…maybe the end of 2014 at the earliest.
As for Broner, if I were Golden Boy Promotions and Al Haymon, I would not put him in the ring with someone dangerous in his first fight back. I think Broner will ultimately stay at welterweight, so I wouldn’t be surprised if his comeback fight is against someone like Julio Diaz. Diaz is solid, as he proved against Shawn Porter, but if he gives Broner trouble, then it looks like Broner was all hype after all. That should be a comeback fight for Broner, which he should dominate and look very impressive. I’m not sure of the extent of Broner’s injuries from the Maidana fight, but the longer he stays out of the ring, the worse off he’ll be. I think he needs a confidence building fight as soon as he is physically able.
As for Porter vs. Maidana, that’s not necessarily a fight I’m itching to see. I’d like to see Porter in against someone like Keith Thurman first. Maidana vs. Porter would not be a pretty fight to watch. There would be a lot of fouling going on, and I don’t think very many shots would be landing flush, but that’s just my opinion. One other thing to consider is where Lucas Matthysse’s name falls into the mix. Since his loss to Danny Garcia, he seems like a forgotten man, but is anyone calling him out for a fight? Nope!
Don’t forget to check out next week’s edition of Observe and Fight when I give Santa Clause my boxing wish list for 2014!
