#Boxing: How to Buy a Heavy Bag

This is the story of the punching bag you see on the left. It is made of leather and is soft-filled, about two inches worth.  It has chains at the top rather than textile straps.  All these attributes are necessary for a successful boxing workout.

Before buying it from Amazon, I drove far and wide to find a bag of similar quality and size. And came up with zilch.  I've had considerable experience in boxing gyms although I was never a professional boxer.  I went into Dick's Sporting Goods, Sears, and K-Marts and even a Play It Again Sports shop.  Play it Again had a real heavy bag at least, though it wasn't exactly what I wanted. It was sort of a brick, but not as bad of a brick as the red, vinyl, skinny, short concrete cylinder that the local Y shamelessly installed and called a Heavy Bag.

A really professional heavy bag should be heavy, 100 to 150 lbs at least.  The one pictured above is about 75 lbs, soft-filled about two inches on the outer circumference and solid on the inside. It is well-packed and well-balanced. It has a chain and swivel at the top rather than textile loops and cheap wrapping where you can see the stitches.  There are bags heavier than 150 lbs too but they're for the really big guys,  people like Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury.

The bag pictured above is the right one to buy if you're like me--familiar with the sport, but of declining prospects due to old age and because you were never good enough to function in boxing at the highest levels anyway not even on your best day.  My hands are kind of shot so I need the extra padding, in addition to Mexican wraps, and IMF packed leather gloves.  It's not the cheapest bag by any means but neither is it the most expensive. I've looked at heavy bags that cost in the $700 dollar range. Yes, you heard that right.

You can go to Walmart or K-Mart or Dicks' and any one of the number of mass market retail stores that have no clue about the products they're selling. The main criteria for them is cheap.   Your body is not cheap.  Your hands and teeth and nerves are not cheap.  You can buy one of the chintzy bags for cheap and hit it with pitty-pat punches and pretend you're having a real boxing workout but you're not.  The heavy bag serves a lot of purposes but one chief purpose is to engage in and improve your hard punching.

Okay, so the bottom line is here:  $149.99 at Amazon.  You get free shipping but the tax in New York State is eight percent.  It comes to about $161 and some change.  It comes with the chain and swivel.  Made of nice black leather.  You can really lay into it.  You can give it angles and pivot.

Here's the link to the bag on Amazon in case you're interested. Oh, and I've got no dog in the hunt, no investment in Ringside, or any other compulsion to sell you this bag. If I were profit minded, I wouldn't be donating it and hanging it at my local YMCA here in upstate New York.

Russians Are Coming: Gennady GGG Golovkin Destroys Rubio

Last night’s boxing matches at Carson’s StubHub Center provided some sobering moments. For me, the sobering moment occurred when Donito Donaire went down on his face under the thunder of young Jamaican Nicholas Walters. I had “misoverestimated” (Yogi Berra word) Donaire, who make no excuses for himself  for having the “*# beat out of me” in  a higher weight class than he was meant for. That is not to ignore the power and skill of Walters.

Also sobering to fight promoters who have been studiously avoiding Team Golovkin was the devastating 2^nd round KO of Marco Rubio (not the American politician) in front of an overfilled stadium in Carson.  The outcome was going to be the outcome, but I didn’t expect it to come so early, even though most of Golovkin’s opponents have been very sent home in time to do some night clubbing. 

Boxing promoters like to hear themselves talking and what they have for too long been talking about is how Golovkin was somehow not up to American boxing standards.  The reason for this canard (that means “lie) is because they want so badly to keep their golden boys, their money machines, their fighting ATMs from being lowered in rank by a guy who is a devastating and intuitive puncher. Aiding promoter delusion is the trope (like politician-speak) is that Golovkin came from some weird country (Kazakhstan) “over there” that they can’t pronounce. 

Now, these promoters have become laughing stocks, as no one believes in their fighters, not while happy-go-lucky Golovkin goes around like a wrecking ball, demolishing the fortress minded boxing establishment.

The only established guy who has any balls in all this is Andre Ward, a superior middleweight by any definition.  Everyone else HBO interviewed about a possible Golovkin fight tried to change the conversation to a discussion of the weather. Ward and his people stepped up and said, yeah, they’d fight Golovkin which shows that they are both smart and brave. Ward is the ONLY guy out there who could beat Golovkin and that is because he is the right combination of punching, ring smarts, and technique. He’s like a B-hop without the age bracket around his neck. 

Donaire's the Betting Underdog?

Donaire's the underdog against the Jamaican Walters tonight. I was surprised at seeing that headline on a site that covers boxing.  I don't have it handy to show you, but you could find it if you care.  That's like saying history is the hardest thing to predict.  You're supposed to laugh now.

The odds makers in Reno and Vegas are thinking of Donaire's recent fight against Guillermo Rigondeaux. You can catch that on YouTube if you didn't see it.  I had picked Donaire to win and was disappointed that he appeared sluggish throughout the fight, and was frankly outfoxed by the smooth and methodical boxing skills (and power shots) of Rigondeaux.

So the betting line is based on that fight, and on the premise that the same guy who fought Rigondeaux will show up tonight, and that his skills have deteriorated with age.  I don't see that happening.

Walters doesn't have the experience, even with his impressive record, and I'm looking for the old Donaire to reappear tonight, the hungry Donaire who wants his rep back.  Agree?  Disagree?

Meanwhile, the top of the bill features GGG versus Marco Rubio and that should be a banger.  Two missiles colliding in flight.  A KO extravaganza.  I can't see that one going past the 5th round, or in extenuating circumstances, the 6th. Who ends up on the floor is open to debate but my guess is that Rubio gets stopped.  I don't say he hits the deck and, frankly, I think GGG is more likely to go down than Rubio is.  But it's the finish that counts, and there I see GGG taking the win.

GGG Golovkin and the Devil in Marco Antonio Rubio

This will be about GG Golovkin, Marc Antonio Rubio, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

I just wanted a headline that rhymes because I was just reading about 50 Cent trying to rehabilitate his relationship with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.  I'm in one of those moods when I love everyone.

I'm kind of infatuated with 50 and I'm glad he's putting out signals to Mayweather Jr.  I hope Mayweather Jr. will take the hint b/c this little flap, all because 50 allegedly said something about Floyd's one-time gf Shantel Jackson, is lame.   I can't stand all that drama, anyway, and what's it got to do with my favorite sport?  Get over yourselves.

Here's the deal.  I'm not longer much interested in Mayweather v. Pacquiao even though, like millions of others, I will get caught up in the hype when/if they start promoting it.  And I agree-- it will be an exciting fight, no matter how old and battered the principals are.

I think Floyd Mayweather Jr. is  the greatest fighter of  the last two generations and that he has skills beyond those of the energetic and eminently likable/capable Pacquiao.  When my peeps hear me say that, and I have said it often enough to irritate everyone, they think I am dissing Pacquiao when I'm not.  Manny's a great fighter with a great heart that is, at this point, not altogether in it.  On the other side, and in regard to the man everyone except me loves to hate, I've always said that the only way Floyd Jr. could be beaten by someone in the weight class is by old age.

And he's getting there.  If these two had fought, say, eight years ago, Pacquiao would not be so high in the minds of those people who like him more for his decency than his skills.  Floyd would have beaten him, pure and simple.  It would have taken more than heart, footwork, and energy to deal with a Mayweather in his prime.  A Mayweather in decline is still the best of the class, and that will be clear if we do get a matchup in 2015.

Whew!  WTF? Why did I have to say all that when this is about one of the most exciting fights in the recent decade to be broadcast for free if you get HBO. I'm talking about Golovkin and Marco Antonio Rubio.   It doesn't get any better than this.  You have two of the biggest KO fighters in HISTORY!  Golovkin has 27 KOs out of 30 fights and Rubio has 51 KOs out of 59 fights.

Do you see what I'm talking about?  This is like two nuclear warheads crashing together in the sky!  It gives me agita already.  This will be dangerous to watch.  I'm keeping a sedative handy just in case, so my brains don't blow out my ear from the blood pressure rising.

I want to say my bit about the undercard _-- Donaire v. Walters.  I've been a big fan of Donaire and was disappointed in one of his recent setbacks.  Walters is hoping he's in the same lackluster frame of mind as when he lost to Guggliermo Rigondeaux in April of 2013.  I saw that fight and Donaire was flagging while Rigondeaux was at the top of his game and fought a smart fight.  Rigondeaux was the clear winner. It was a bad night for Donaire, but if Walters thinks the guy that lost to Rigondeaux is the one he's coming to meet, he's going to be handed his ass on a shield.

Walters had 24 wins and no losses and also a big KO record but he's about to step up to something he perhaps can't handle in veteran Donaire.  If Walters survives and does a creditable job, it'll be a big boost to his career.  As things stand now with Walters' prediction of knocking out Donaire,  nobody outside of Jamaica is listening.

Provodnikov Loses Split Decision to Dancing Man Chris Altieri

First things first.  Yes, I give underdog and former martial arts competitor Chris Altieri credit for surviving 12 rounds with the Siberian Tiger (aka Siberian Rocky).  I think he showed some heart after being stomped in the first round and I think he danced well.

The funny thing about Altieri's victory is that almost noone, not even Provodnikov, seems very angry about it.  Most of the boxing sites either crow about what a great triumph it was for the 20-0 Altieri  or they point to the score cards showing how one judge had Provodnikov the winner by a wide margin and two judges had Altieri outscoring Provodnikov. 

The best of the articles I read was on Bad Left Hook , where hardcore boxing fans hang out, and where 53 percent thought Provodnikov won compared to 38 percent who gave the fight to Altieri.   Okay, so what am I getting to?

First of all, Altieri was entirely too impressed with himself in comments after the fight, telling Max Kellerman he "told you so."  That's while standing there with his face looking like he'd taken a long fall from a high place and Provodnikov being unmarked.

Secondly, those judges who gave the fight to Altieri had applied the rules of amateur boxing.  Not to disparage amateur boxing, a sport I hold in high regard for a variety of reasons, I have to say that you should not judge professional sports by amateur rules.

Under the rules of amateur boxing, every punch counts, the pitty-pat punches as well as the KO shots, and you get points for anything that looks like aggression even if it's not. 

Ultimately, Provodnikov had this guy dancing around him for most of the fight, and Altieri danced very well, showing dandy angles, and with great kick-boxing style footwork.   I am not against dancing in professional boxing so much as I am against dancing throughout an entire fight. 

Remember long ago when boxing judges understood the dancing rules?  When Oscar De La Hoya danced the last two rounds vs. Felix Trinidad?  The verdict there was that Oscar danced too much, and yet he had danced through only two rounds at best.

Altieri danced so much he should have been at a card with the Lincoln Center Ballet.

And then there was the frustrated Provodnikov, who was making no excuses, saying simply and truthfully that he didn't like to fight people who ran.  This was probably the first time he'd experienced a fight where the other guy danced for 11 rounds. 

And then there was the local New York titles-belong-to-us-because-we-are-stereotyped-in-the-movies-and-talk-funny like we are Brooklynites even though we are from Long Island.   Did this parochial crowd influence the judges?   

I propose a solution--- a rematch in a 10 x 10 ring.  That should give Altieri enough room to dance and has the added benefit of seeing if he can fight. 

Meanwhile, the Russian kid  is the far better fighter.  I like dancing but we don't play dat in boxing.

Luis Collazo : The Sensational Knockout of Victor Ortiz

I guess I could call this  piece  VICTOR ORTIZ MEETS BROOKLYN.  The former champion had been having a fine time on Dancing with the Stars and other enjoyments of civilian life.   No one should begrudge him that but after meeting Luis Collazo in Brooklyn, it was clear that he'd made the wrong choice of opponents for a comeback fight and wasn't all that prepared.



In this, I'm not referring to his physical conditoning which was adequate.  But there was something missing from the start as he flailed away in what he hoped would be an early stoppage.  That's not to say Victor Ortiz took Luis Collazo for granted.  It was more a matter of not being where he should be mentally for a fight that meant so much for his career.



Where Luis Collazzo was concerned, this piece could also have been called the boxing version of THE HUNGER GAMES.  Luis Collazzo is one of those guys boxing fans love, even while others like Ortiz get the spotlight.  He's a solid fighter with the proper mentality and he fights naturally.  There's nothing amateur about his mentality nor his activity in the ring.  His style is smooth, economical, and seasoned.  



He mentioned in the post fight interview that people thought of him as not having the big punch.  This is not exactly the same thing as saying he has a pitty-pat punch. You can ask Ortiz about that.  Ortiz had fired a wide hook that careened off Collazzo's chest harmlessly and put in in the wrong position:  in range, no defense, exposed. 



Collazzo being the natural fighter was right there, his own hook coming automatically, with neither thinking nor strenuous exertion.    Bulls Eye.  Ortiz took it on the chin right where you're not supposed to take it and he went right over like an overenthusiastic amateur in his first fight.



The long layoff , during which Ortiz recovered from a broken jaw, and the extracurricular activities, had combined to weaken Ortiz' will to do the time.  On the other hand, Luis Collazzo has been doing nothing but time, nothing but the hard work.



It was touching, too, to hear him speak of how boxing saved him from the fate of his brothers, one of whom is in the joint for a murder stretch, the other doing a seven year sentence.   Collazzo couldn't save them from themselves, nor from the savagery of the streets, but he's turned his attention to helping the young kids in the gym. 



As for Ortiz, he needs to make up his mind and not kid himself about boxing.  He's been to the top of his world so if he wants to quit, that's okay.  But he should be straight with himself. If he wants to do boxing, he needs to pick himself up from the floor and do it the way it's always been done, the way few people (myself included)  can do.



Hard work and sacrifice--the way Luis Collazzo does it.

2014 Boxing Preview: Erislandy Lara, not Pacquiao, is the real potential threat to Mayweather - Bad Left Hook

2014 Boxing Preview: Erislandy Lara, not Pacquiao, is the real potential threat to Mayweather - Bad Left Hook

I don't agree with much in this article except that Erislandy Lara vs. Floyd Jr. would be a more interesting matchup than either Pacquiao (which won't happen and I don't care) or Amir Khan who will, at least, be entertaining --mainly due to his boxing style.

Boxing Manny Pacuiao: The Tax Angle

Even though the Golf Channel and the Tennis Crowd would like to depict boxing fans as a horde of knuckle-dragging troglodytes, some of the smartest people in the world are involved in boxing.

In a sport that can bring in $25-$40 million dollars from a single matchup, it's only natural that smart people would follow the boxing fans into the arena. One such smart guy is Bob Arum, who promotes Manny Pacquiao's fights. 

Arum was asked recently why Manny Paquiao, who has fought fourteen professional fights in Nevada or Texas, bringing in tons of revenue to those states, suddenly decides to fight Brandon Rios in Macau?  The question is particularly relevant when you consider that the overall purse was smaller in Macau than it would have been in the U.S.

Bob Arum has the answer: 

"Manny can go back to Las Vegas and make $25 million but how much will he end up with-- $15 million?" 

If you never think of these things when you're watching boxing, consider that the tax rate in Macau tops off at 12 percent.  Compare that with the U.S. at 39.5 percent and if you come up with the right answer, you may be a contender.  Another factor Pacquiao's people consider:  Texas and Nevada have no state income taxes.

The Arum quote, by the way, is from the Wall Street Journal today.  

Pacquiao v. Rios was a 'Deja Vu All Over Again'

The major reason I didn't buy last night's Rios v. Pacquiao fight was the sense it might turn out the way it did, with Rios being the showcase punching bag for a guy with superior boxing talent.

So it was what it was, and I still stand behind my blog yesterday in worrying about permanent damage to both fighters, but especially to Brandon Rios who uses his head as something like a third fist.

What amazes me most about the fight, though, is that Bob Arum managed to sell it and managed to sell it with a degree of genius.  What was the promotional strategy?

• You enlarge what's there already, which was the Paquiao was so sensationally KOd by Juan Marquez that fight fans might think PacMan was still out there in the regions of space.  Expounding on this scenario, and magnifying it by comments to the sports press, incites the general boxing fan to believe they will  see Brandon Rios 'shock the world.'    In fact, the only shock fight fans will get will come when they see they 60 dollar cable bill.
• The second embellishment is that you portray a Manny Pacquiao who is distracted by the typhoon in his country, by his political life, and by a long layoff.  That anyone would consider this any more than a fleeting thought astounds me.  Professional fighters may get sick, injure themselves, do foolish things as Mike Tyson did in his first loss to Buster Douglas, but they are not any more distracted when they step into the ring than a football player who does a tap dance in the end zone.  This scenario would only have credibility if Manny Pacquiao had his legs tied together.   You have to remember, even with the hard partying that Mike Tyson did in Japan, he still put Buster Douglas on his butt with a big uppercut that almost ended that fight.
• Of course, the enlargement of Brandon Rios as an opponent is necessary to a good fight promotion.  Today, most sportswriters and fans speak of his slowness last night compared to Pacquiao's speed.  Perhaps some people, with the exception of the ENTIRE WORLD, had not noticed that before.  But Arum's crew, and Paquiao's crew, stitched together through comments, hints, suggestions, and various innuendo the idea that Rios was a force to be reckoned with rather than a symbol of courage in the public mind. 
• HBO boxing commentators are fairly decent people, but even decent people are swept up into the sweepstakes of big money, big celebrity, and a sense of self-importance.  It's all part of promotion, and they work for HBO so they will contribute to drama even when drama is lacking.  When you heard Jim Lampley and Max Kellerman talk about Rios last week, you'd think they were talking about Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Okay, so the one thing I haven't mentioned is that most boxing fans enjoyed the fight. I got that impression, at least, from reading the commentaries beneath the fight coverage.  With regard to PacMan, some of the big questions were answered, one being that he can still take a punch (perhaps not punches in bunches but still) and that he has a great deal of personal courage and determination.

We knew that before though, didn't we?  Call this fight the way Yogi Berra might have, that is, a 'Deja vu all over again."

Brandon Rios Versus Manny Pacquiao

Gordon Marino writes a sports column in the Wall Street Journal and covers boxing.  He may not be your go-to guy for the hardcore boxing fan but he's very professional and writes in a way that offers boxing knowledge in a broad, easily digested human interest fashion.

I like the hardcore boxing stuff, okay?  But I'm up to here with its repetitive conventions.  You already know this much:

Brandon Rios is the hard-punching, straight forward marching, punishment taker that he always has been.   It's hard not to like a guy in the tradition of Mickey Ward, Carmen Basilio, Jake LaMotta -- and I like him.  

I like him so much that I hope he takes big earnings from this fight and goes home to take care of his wife and family-- like forever.  Not only does Rios take punishment well, he prides himself on putting his head right in the lion's jaw.

He does this for the crowd's pleasure, not for mine.  Even if he enjoys it, and many people say he does, he shouldn't be allowed to pursue his masochism beyond ordinary, acceptable limits.

Which means yeah, I get it.  I appreciate that Brandon Rios can take a beating and keep on fighting.  I can take a beating too, but I know that's not exactly the best recommendation for a career in the ring.

However,  when a beating becomes a primary motive, more primary than winning, I vote the other way.   A beating is not the point of the exercise is what I'm saying.

On the other hand you have Pacquiao.  Let me confess that, in most of Pacquiao's fights, I leaned the other way.  I cheered Marquez' KO victory that would have allowed the referee to have "counted to 600," as Marino says in his column.

Most of Marino's column is aimed at the toll knockouts take on its victims.  Some fighters are capable of rising from the ashes;  others seem locked into the limbo of an eternal ten count.

Unless Rios steps in early with KO power (and I don't think Pacquiao will let that happen), he's in for a rough night.  A merciful ref would stop it in the 7th as the fight settles into a sustained beating. 

I give Pacquiao credit for foregoing the easy tuneup and taking his chances with a guy like Rios.  There is always the puncher's chance, especially with a game fighter like Brandon Rios.

I wish there were some middle ground between "with your shield or on it," as the Spartans used to say.  For fighters like Brandon Rios, there isn't.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Amir Khan: Business is Boxing

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Amir Khan: Business is Boxing

The jist of this article by boxing news is that Amir Khan doesn't belong in the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr.  Who knew? 

It's a little arch, the way it's written, but good, a little on the intellectual side.  I only partly agree with the "boxing is business" first opinion.  The real fight fans appreciate real talent. 

It's not that Khan is without. It's just that he was EXPOSED -- which is what boxing does.  So he'll go down in four, I think.  But that doesn't mean I wouldn't go down myself in four, or three, or two, or really (why not tell the truth) the first shot?

I love Mayweather Jr. . I do.  I always did.  I don't know why exactly but I always knew the guy was history.  History in the same way that Ali is history, and Joe Louis, and well, there are many. 

But right now Mayweather is living history and it's just great to watch the ring savvy, the intelligence, the capturing of the other guy's spirits, and the breaking down.

I never did understand those Mayweather haters, but I suppose it all good b/c they made Mayweather rise to his destiny as one of the all-time greats.

More bad news for boxing? The weight is over with Chavez Jr.

More bad news for boxing? The weight is over with Chavez Jr.

Meanwhile, an angry Ronnie Shields — Vera’s trainer — told BoxingScene.com late Wednesday night that an agreement for the fight to be contested at 173 had been reached, and that Vera was going to be financially compensated for putting up with this garbage.
 
That’s fine. But to jerk Vera around like this just because you are Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and you can get away with it because there is no way Vera is going to back out of a fight with the mighty “Son of the Legend,” is just rotten.

Boxing: So Simple A Child Could Do It.... - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com

Boxing: So Simple A Child Could Do It.... - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com

That's my former boxing coach, Jesse Harris, working with little Joey D., aged 5 going on the big 6 at the time this clip was taken.  Worth watching.  Give it up, y'all.... :)

Nevada boxing boss defends judge in Mayweather fight

Nevada boxing boss defends judge in Mayweather fight

The link above connects to the comments and opinion of a Nevada Boxing Commission chief who defended the scoring of judge C.J Ross in the Mayweather vs. Alvarez fight this past weekend. Ross had is scored an even match, a draw.

Everyone now is asking the obvious question. How could anyone score the fight a draw?

In the early rounds, Canelo kept the fight competitive and had some scoring flurries so you might have given him a couple of rounds there if you were generous and liked the style, the red hair, the appearance of aggression.

Some judges and spectators simply like a guy who appears to trudge forward in a menacing fashion. It wouldn't be fair to say that was all Alvarez was capable of doing because he's an excellent boxer, too, with quick hands, serious power, and as much savoir as a 23 year old could have against an accomplished veteran like Mayweather.

But there is aggression and the appearance of agression. To me, Mayweather was the more effective aggressor because the idea of aggression is to break your opponent down and get him under control. If that involves taking a step back or sideways before delivering your combinations, then you do that.

And Mayweather did exactly that, again and again, at will, and if you think Canelo's big punches that didn't land or ever freeze Mayweather were a reason to award scoring points, then you don't belong as a judge on the Nevada SAC.

After 4 or five rounds, Mayweather had the measure of his man and drilled him repeatedly with punches that would have dropped a lesser man than the young Alvarez.

In short, the "draw" judge was b.s. and should be removed. As for the idiotic justifications by the Nevada Athletic Commission bureaucrat, he should be removed too for insulting the intelligence of the fan-in-the-street.

  No way was the fight a draw.    And no way was C.J. Ross a judge of boxing.

Adonis Stevenson Scores 1st Round KO of Chad Dawson.

HBO's Boxing after Dark this past weekend put Canadian Adonis Stevenson against Chad Dawson in the Super Middleweight division and the result was explosive.  Dawson got knocked out cold in the first round, as everyone knows, and everyone should also remember the old John Dunne rumination: 

"Never send to know for whom the bell tolls;  It tolls for thee."

Okay, that's not the entire quote but it's the part most remembered.  People in the fight game may not be steeped in Olde English, but they know what it means anyway.  If you have never been KOd, then you've never been hit hard enough. 

In boxing, everyone knows how to punch, and all it takes is one.  Adonis Stevenson is a particularly heavy puncher but the task could have been accomplished by any decent puncher trained in the 'sweet science."   And if Dawson caught Stevenson cold, the KO might have gone the other way.

I've got two points to make here.  I like it that a 35 year old ex-con Stevenson made it back into a redemptive space.  He seems an interesting, colorful boxer with a long half-life ahead of him in the sport of boxing.   I hope he doesn't turn into a one-hit wonder like Buster Douglas b/c I'd like to see more of him--in a regular boxing match where his opponent sticks around for a little while.

The other thing, and most importantly, is that there will be a tendency for boxing fans to write off Chad Dawson.  Agreed, he might be finished.  Having been taken apart by the great Andre  Ward, and being dropped three times during that fight,  Dawson could easily have a confidence problem, as anyone of sound mind would.

And the Stevenson KO only adds to the mental burden, coming out of nowhere as it did.  Being dropped, KOd, or even hit hard does something to you and, if you're anything like me, makes you realize you might not be ready for prime time boxing. 

If Dawson wants to continue in the game, he's going to have to look down into himself and find the pieces of his soul, say 'screw them all' and put his pieces back together again.    He's got to ignore the boxing writers and the blood-hungry fans who will now say he wasn't much to begin with.

Boxing writers are always welcome to get in the ring with even a has-been fighter, but their theories never hold when faced with such invitations.  It's all bullshit, anyway.

Andre Ward is a boxing genius, a safe-cracker.  He's beaten everyone so should all his previous opponents just give up their dreams and fade away? 

  And anyone who's been caught cold knows what can happen to you.  Boom, hello-goodbye!   After all, it's boxing, and the amazing reality of it, the courage, the painful drive hidden deep down in the fighter is what makes us love it.

Be kind to Dawson in his struggles.  The bell tolls for thee, brother.

Rigondeaux Outpoints Donaire in Game, Set, Match

Okay, I like Rigondeaux. I like Donaire.  I agree with the decision, though I thought the HBO announcers did indulge themselves too much in their overly enthusastic account of the match--crediting Rigondeaux with more than he displayed.

Roy Jones was the best of the three, providing an honest account.  Max Kellerman used to be better when he was new to the sports announcing game.   Lampley was just OK.  They had it right.  Rigondeaux did jump out to an early lead.  Donaire appeared listless, unfocused, and his body looked a little soft if you ask me.

Rigo displayed a lot of really great stuff, a sense of timing that Donaire couldn't counter, power in the straight left, and power in the right hook (he's a southpaw).  His punches were unpredictable and truly explosive, as he described himself.  But what Rigo didn't display was a determination to get Donaire out of there.

Getting Donaire "out of there" is a boxing fan decision, and it was in contrast to what Rigo wanted to do--which is to win.  To win against Donaire, what do you do?  You avoid getting knocked out, for one thing. You use your legs to control the distance between the fighters.  Rigo's great at that, moving like a shadow, and interrupting Donaire's rhythms.  Rigo's own rhythms set the pattern of the fight the whole night long.

Donaire expected more fighting, so did the fans, but Rigo blasted powerful shots and then ghosted away.  Donaire was following him all night, and walking into blasts as he tried to score the kill shot.

There was a look of great satisfaction on Donaires' face during the later round when he put Rigo on his ass.  But a moment of private satisfaction did not lead to victory for the Filipino champion.

True Confession:  I'm one of those guys who appreciates a technical fight.  If I had such skills, I'd do it the same way as Rigondeaux did.  You get the belt and the money that comes with the title matchups.  It's a business.  Rigondeaux worked too hard in his life to be a fool now at the moment of his greatest opportunity.

Donaire?  He spent too much time figuring out what to do about Rigo's style.  The clock ticked.  The punches hurt.  His corner might have been a little meaner with him and told him he lost too many rounds early.

It's a pussy thing to say but I like it that he was waxing so large about his pretty wife and expected baby.  You couldn't say that Rigondeaux took the fight to him--he didn't.  You couldn't say he lost so much as you could say he didn't win.

Rigondeaux, what I know of him, is good.  Good to have him in America.  He's gifted with skills you can't pick up from training, no matter how hard you train.  He looks like a guy with good work habits, great focus, a winner. 

Down the road, I see exciting fights, more exciting than last night.

Floyd Mayweather Predicts Bob Arum Screwing Manny Pacquiao To Lose In An Old Interview - YouTube

Floyd Mayweather Predicts Bob Arum Screwing Manny Pacquiao To Lose In An Old Interview - YouTube

Ha, I love this guy....  He tells the truth.... Not to mention he's right up there with the gods of boxing...

50-year-old fighter stopped in 1st round - Yahoo! Sports

50-year-old fighter stopped in 1st round -

At least the bout was more entertaining than watching Obama's Coronation. Where's the film?

Guerrero is a tougher fight than Pacman would have been for Mayweather. Still, I pick Mayweather to beat anyone out there--until he's 50.

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.