Famous USS Steve Cunningham vs. Tomasz Adamek Robbery Case

Black guys, white guys, Arabs, Jews, and Asians…. the entire alphabet soup that is the world…  none of it matters in boxing.  There is only one truth, and it is in the ring, even if the truth doesn’t repose with the judges.

The truth didn’t repose with the judges in the case of USS Steve Cunningham in a long awaited 2^nd fight with Tomasz Adamek.  Stipulate that I like Adamek.  He’s a machine of a man, as tough and determined as they come.  In a sense, he looks invincible.

That’s what trainer Nazim Richardson thought,  as he and Cunningham worked out a fight plan that should have put them in the win column.  Stipulate also that Adamek can knock you out, and that that’s something to be avoided.

Take a long look at boxing.  Everyone loves a puncher, a KO artist, especially the squares.  Pour blood in the ring and the mob will think it’s a great fight—even when it isn’t.

Cunningham vs. Adamek was a great fight because it pitted a tough boxer against a tough boxer-puncher with a shorter reach.  What’s a guy like Cunningham to do?   Is he supposed to put himself in harm’s way, in a place that says, ‘Hey, Tomasz, here I am and come and knock me out?” 

Ridiculous.   Imagine yourself in a fight.   You know the other guy is stronger, can knock you out.  The crowd behind you is exhorting you to g’head, fight!... slug it out!... Mix it up…get in close and punch.   You’re going to do it, but only if you’re an effing idiot.

Cunningham boxed and Adamek pressed, and eventually two of the three judges decided they liked a guy who “came forward.”  How many points do you give a guy who “comes forward” when he’s catching more shots  than the net at a Knicks game? 

So two of the judges read the boxing claims manual and woodenly decidedly to give Adamek every round he managed to walk forward in, which was most of them.  But Adamek was beaten, and beaten while standing up.  The third judge saw that, and awarded the fight to Cunningham.

OK, I had it Cunningham won, but even if I were wrong, the best that could be said of it was a draw.   

Some guys won’t go down, not in 12 rounds, and Adamek is one of them.  You think that maybe he would have gone down in 15, or maybe Cunningham would have slacked off and got knocked out.

I’m okay with the 12 round limit. I used to like the 15 round limit but I don't like to see fighters die or become brain-dead. 

There is another solution:  five judges instead of three.  With five judges, it would remove some of the suspicions that the fights are “fixed.”   It would be very difficult to sway three of five judges, when it is challenging to, by questionable means, to sway only the two needed for a win.

Just my thought on the Cunningham Robbery.  Oh, and by the way, you got to see a fantastic boxer in Steve Cunningham.  The real deal.  Try fighting Adamek yourself sometime.  

G’head…. Put your head out there.  Think about it.

Leo Santa Cruz Outlasts Alberto Guerrero

Love the bantamweights.  They don't rest;  they don't quit;  it's non-stop action.  That's the way it was in LA when CBS broadcast a free championship fight. It was the build-up to the CBS and Showtime broadcast of the Amir Khan comeback. 

A pure case of the prelim IBF championsip bouts topping the 'main event.'   The short of it is that  Leo Santa Cruz won a unanimous decision, but struggled in the early rounds, as Alberto Guerrero showed he knew what boxing was about.

Guerrero knew he couldn't slug it out with tough guy Santa Cruz so he boxed, and boxed,and boxed.  He did it well enough so that you couldn't accuse him of running.

 What Guerrero did was smart, and he had fast hands, fast enough to land deft combinations often enough to have Pauli Malignaggi, suddenly a boxing commentator)  praising him profusely. 

Malignaggi  had a bad case of wishful thinking, though.

Malinaggi obviously favored the hit and run style of Guerrero and was sort of praising himself by default.  I wasn't so much impressed with Malignaggi ever but I have grown to appreciate him.

he did a fair job of  providing commentary for the match, so...whatever.

Meanwhile, back in the ring, Santa Cruz has sustained some damage at Guerrero's sharp punching but the issue was always this: 

What would happen when Guerrero tired?

 He had never gone 12 and he began to slow in the middle rounds, and toward the end was getting tagged pretty much when trying to leave the engagement.   Santa Cruz seemed to have good luck firing the last punch, a left hook, as Guerrero ended his cobinations. 

Santa Cruz eventually broke him down and that was that. But both guys showed heart and neither had any intention of quitting.  Mexican fighters don't seem to have the word "quit" in their vocabulary. 

A cynical promotor might have called this IBF title fight "Class Warfare" or something similarly lame because the two fighters had vastly different backgrounds.

 Guerrero is a college boy, a middle class college kid who is also studying to be a lawyer.  But if his performance last night was any indication of future success, I'd say he'd be a bang-up shylocks.  He was strong, determined, and a "pretty fighter" with decent pop in his punches (though not a KO artist.)

Leo Santa Cruz had an interesting background story, too.  His was a narrative of crushing poverty and disappointment, the large family living in a small apartment until Leo's boxing proceeds allowed them to buy a small bungalow that was still crowded.

Leo's brother was supposed to be the fighter in the family but was diagnosed with Lupus.  So Leo Santa Cruz took up the family leadership, fighting for the family honor, for his brother's medical treatment, for better living conditions.

  I know a little bit of poverty myself, currently not so much, but early on I could go toe to toe with the best of them (and the worst).

So I'm glad for Santa Cruz who should go on to get bigger fights.  But Guerrero wasn't the type of guy you could pad your record with.  The funny thing was that, at the end, Santa Cruz felt he had to apologize for not knocking out Guerrero.

Maybe  he had metal fatigue.  The kid's a fighter.  This was his fifth fight in the 2012 year and he was looking like a champion.

Oh, and did I mention that Amir Khan KOd Carlos Molina in Round 10?  The boxing writers say Molina was overmatched. In other words, they gave Khan an easy fight to give him confidence.

Khan boasted to Danny Garcia, present at ringside, that he would have beaten him if they'd fought tonight.  But the night he did fight Garcia wasn't his night, as they put it in "On the Waterfront." 

"It wasn't your night, Kid.," Rod Steiger tells Marlon Brando.  So Khan's next fight will be the one that tells if he's on the "one way street to Palookaville," as the dialogue has it in the movie.

So I end with this terribly literary analogy.  I'm doing it on purpose.  I've lived it both ways.  And now I'm doing it "my way."  LOL.  Peace out.

Amir Khan Takes on Carlos Molina After CBS Free TV Boxing Card

Some good news in boxing is that it is returning to free TV today at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon.  Since we're nearing Christmas, I guess I could have titled this one "Santa Cruz Is Coming to Town" because Leo Santa Cruz is one of the earlier fights on the card.

He's from California and will be facing bantamweight Alberto Guerrero of Mexico.    The smaller they are the harder they fight, in my opinion.  I'm exagerrating but but a little bit if you consider teh dullness in the heavyweight ranks. 

I think it's all very hard in the weight classes up to middle and light-heavy, because that's where the largest number of fighters are.  To even have your name mentioned in boxing at these weights, you've got to have gone through the boxing equivalent of the Battle of the Bulge. 

Anyway, I'm prejudiced.  I've been beaten up pretty good by guys much smaller than myself--in the gym, I mean.  I'm not a boxer, not really;  I just like the sport and I've put in a little time in the amateurs.  Don't write me off, however, I know a little something.

The same fight card has one of my favorite fighters on it -- Alfredo Angulo (21-2, 18 KOs) vs.Jorge Silva (19-2-2, 15 KOs)..  I love Angulo--he's just tough, durable, serious.  I don't know exactly why I love the guy so much but I guess it's because he takes some hard fights--witness the one he lost against James Kirland.  For that matter check the whole record at BoxRec.

Anyway, the top billed fight will be Amir Khan vs. Carlos Molina.  I'm for Molina but I'm trying to get over my prejudices against Khan.  Paying more attention to him lately, I've begun to like him at least on the personal side if not on the boxing side.

Khan has fired Freddie Roach and hired Virgil Hunter (who trains Andre Ward).  The object, of course, was to get better at boxing.  Khan is very fast and has great reach, punches hard, etc but he seems to fight in a single plane.   Front, back, mostly frontal---coming at you in a straight line.

That didn't work against Philly Homeboy Danny Garcia, a bit slower, but a never-say-die type of ebullient, nice, pleasant street kid who embodies streets of Philadelphia in the way that Bernard Hopkins,  Hank Lundy, and an entire history of other Philly fighters have.

So to make a long story short, will Khan learn to adjust to different conditions?  Is his jaw still fragile?  Molina's likely to test that and take advantage of Khan's losses to Danny Garcia and to Lamont Peterson before that. 

If Khan loses tonight, he'll do well as a matinee idol.  He's handsome, well-spoken, and perhaps can find solid career elsewhere in the entertainment business.   Anyway, his last two losses have put him back to scale--now we'll see if strike three means he's down for the count or whether he really has the heart for a comeback and the fighting skills to achieve it.

Andre Ward KOs Chad Dawson in 10th round - Home » Other Sections » Breaking News

Andre Ward KOs Chad Dawson in 10th round - Home » Other Sections » Breaking News



Before seeing Andre Ward knocking out "Bad" Chad Dawson in the 10th round Saturday night, I had read a "Ringside Report" story covering the pre-fight interviews. What Andre Ward had to say about the upcoming fight resonated with me, though it had little to do with Chad Dawson:

"The biggest talk comes from individuals who have never laced on a pair
of gloves in their life."

So far as I'm concerned, that statement can't be uttered often enough. I've been in the ring as an amateur and my "career" rating would range from "not much" to "maybe never." G'head, laugh if you want to, but if you've ever climbed into the ropes to face some guy you never met or maybe one you did, you know it ain't all that easy even at the lowest rungs of the boxing ladder.

Well, I'm a boxing loser alright, but not so much a loser as those people Andre Ward was talking about--"individuals who have never laced on pair of gloves in their life." I hear those people going on and on fo-evah about how so-and-so's a "bum" and how he "laid down" or wasn't in the top tier or wha'evah!... Fact is such people don't know what it feels like in there to be out on your feet and trying to fight back.

Usually, they are the same people who think a fight is boring if it goes to a decision, as if all those punches were pitty-pats that they could easily have stood up to. Yeah, well those pitty-pats could launch such people out into the 17th row, especially if they came from a fighter with some much ring smarts, poise, and talent as Andre Ward.

So the rap on Ward was that he had no KO punch--which is a joke on many levels. There are guys who just don't go down. You can hit them with a .45 cal and they'll still be standing there winging punches at you. Ask Jake LaMotta. You can even find them in amateur gyms. I knew one Manny Diaz who could take such a beating from name pros without ever going down and with no chance of winning.

Anyway, Andre Ward is great. Chad Dawson was no chump, a terrific fighter with a solid chin, and he goes down in the 10th. Jes' sayin' ..... have a little respect for the sport. I do. At least I proved I can take a beating. That's important in life, you know, that you can take a beating and keep on ticking.

Andre Ward KOs Chad Dawson in 10th round - Home » Other Sections » Breaking News


All praise to Andre Ward. Much respect to Chad Dawson.

Ethanol Monster Devouring America - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

Click Here: Ethanol Monster Devouring America - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

COMMENTARY | The Wall Street Journal today criticized Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for claiming, on the basis of faulty research, that ethanol lowers gas prices. It does not lower my fuel prices.

My vendetta against corn ethanol began last year with one destroyed lawn mower and two destroyed chain saws. I had to replace all three because I was ignorant about the ethanol additive that, over time, becomes a sticky, engine-killing varnish.

I Won a Dollar on Danny Garcia Beating Amir Khan

Last night, Danny “Swift” Garcia shocked Amir Khan and his more than 1 million Twitter fans with a KO Victory.

Alright, it wasn’t big money but I was one of only six percent of boxing fans who bet Danny “Swift” Garcia would knock out Amir Khan in last night’s fight at the Mandalay Bay Casino. 

I won a dollar from fellow fight fan David L. at whose home I watched the match. 

The risk was greater to my reputation than to my wallet.  One reason for that was that I’d never seen Khan fight live and had only seen YouTube snippets of the Pakistani boxer.

But I’d seen Danny Garcia.  I met him when he was a scrawny kid boxing in the Pennsylvania amateurs.  He was “nice,” as they say, but not in the way a parent applies the word to a son’s new girlfriend.   

Danny was “nice,” as in tough, convincing fighter, the type you often find in streets of Philadelphia.  He wasn’t the best boxer in the world, and Khan boxed better, but Danny was the kind of stick-around kid that would overcome your fancy footwork, long reach and straight power punches, and then he’d roll right over you.

Danny wasn’t even looking when he launched a swooping left banger that floored Khan for the first of three times before ref Kenny Bayliss stopped it.

The reason Danny wasn’t looking was because he was eating a Khan right hand that pushed he head down and blew out his cheeks. 

But that’s why I bet a dollar on Danny.  I knew he would be there, outclassed but not outfought.  If you landed an effective three-punch combination, you could count on it that something would be coming back at you.

It was coming.  You might slip it, you might let it slide off, but it was coming.  Danny would take two or three to give one but it was coming.

For Khan, it came in fits and starts until it came with concentrated power in the third round, which left Khan rattled and reeling into his corner between rounds.

When guys like Danny Garcia get you going, they don’t stop.  The killer instinct comes natural to Philly fighter’s going back to B-hop, to Hank Lundy, to  Joe Frasier, Witherspoon and a host of others. 

If you’re reeling you’re going to go, and Danny Garcia went at Khan with singular purpose and the memory chips of victory stamped into his fists, brain, and body. 

I have a great affinity for Philly fighters, if you don’t know, and I thank Danny Garcia and his dad and crew for bringing it home.  At the end, he thanked the people who believed in him, and knew what it was that drove him.

As for Khan, I didn’t like him much at first, but he was gracious in losing and had great athletic style.  I wouldn’t go so far as saying I’m one of his million ardent admirers but I have new respect for him.

Sergio Martinez: I will beat Julio junior so bad that he will become unrecognisable – Boxing News | bettor.com

Sergio Martinez: I will beat Julio junior so bad that he will become unrecognisable – Boxing News | bettor.com

This will be one to watch in September, and the Latino Macho championship is up for grabs.  It's a hard one to pick with the unorthodox Martinez being 37 years old.  He deserves a shot at Julio fer sure and I enjoy trash talk (James Toney being my favorite champion of trash talk) but I kinda' wished he hadn't said that thing about Julio's dad.

Something like "You better take a picture of your son b/c when I beat him up he's going to be unrecognizable." 

That's going to ignite the Chavez camp as it's intended to do, hoping they'll waste energy on the psycho war, but it's not safe to strike a match while standing on stacks of dynamite.  There are the Mexican fans in the Chavez crew who are likely to take the remark personally.

I hope I'm wrong.  Muhammad Ali had the right idea with his style of trash talk, directed at the fighter, not his family.   I heard Great Ali myself, and it was pretty good stuff, designed to wind up the opponent and get him to fight harder. 

"Is that all you got punk?  Shoot your load, punk.  Is that it?..."

And so forth.  Anyway, the moral lesson is over and Martinez is forgiven and I am looking forward to watching this fight.  Chavez was underestimated before, and it's likely he'll be underestimated again. 

But as with the Mayweather clan, boxing's historical imperative runs in the Chavez DNA, and a smart, strong kid like Chavez Jr., if not taken care of early, could punish Martinez severely in late rounds.

Canelo Alvarez FIGHTING WORDS – MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY SHOCKER – Boxing News | Ringside Report

Canelo Alvarez FIGHTING WORDS – MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY SHOCKER – Boxing News | Ringside Report

Bryant Jennings vs. Maurice Byram: The Battle of Philadelphia Heavyweights

Pennsylvania Heavyweight Championship Belt held in Philadelphia in January 2012, and the fact I’m writing about it now should give you some idea of my own state of affairs.

Both Jennings and Byarm are from Philadelphia so that made the matchup sort of a neighborhood thing for me. So many great fighters have come out of Philadelphia, a fight town if ever there was one.

In the small world of amateur boxing, it’s a wonder that the two heavyweights never never met in the ring but that made it more interesting.

Both men took the fight on a week’s notice, with Byarm being the heavier of the two. The heavier Byarm was not markedly inferior in boxing skills but the overburdened mid-section gave the edge to opponent Jennings.

I thought both these guys could ascend to the higher levels of the sport but Jennings seemed to have a better grip on the body discipline.

Jennings is a heavyweight with fast hands, a tight left hook, a great sense of balance, and an awareness of ring space. I liked Byarm, a guy who knew what he was doing but wasn’t often allowed to do it.

The athletic Jennings looked like he’d been training for months. He controlled Byarm with the jab, mixed up his punches very well, and kept going hard in the paint for the whole ten.

Jennings got the UD. The takeaway is that Byarm could be a better heavyweight than this night showed, but needs desire and discipline. I liked him and wish he’d make a commitment to stay in shape.

Bryant Jennings looked like a guy who would do what he had to do to get to the top. He’s an impressive heavyweight prospect.

From Byarm, Jennings, having once been turned down for a fight with Liakhovich finally got what he wanted and pulled the big upset by stopping the big guy on March 24.

Bad Left Hook covered that fight and join the ranks of boxing watchers who think Bryant Jennings is a real future prospect.