By Mike Samuels
19.09 - Wow! What a weekend in boxing. De la Hoya – Vargas proved to live past the hype and, if you weren’t a fan of boxing before this fight, I’d be willing to bet my earnings for the week that you’re diggin’ everything about the sport now. This week (besides me gloating because once again I was correct in my prediction!) this forum for YOUR opinions is a bit crazy. Everyone cracks down on the mega fight of the weekend and gives their opinions as to WHY Vargas lost, as well as giving De la Hoya his props for an amazing boxing performance. Eh, enough gabbin’ from yours truly, lets get the show on the road!
I said I'd be back the day after win or lose and here I am! I kind of feel like Oscar did about having a stalker!!! Someone has been hanging on my every word. I love it. I'll be the first to say that I had Fernando winning by ko within 7 or a unanimous decision. Hey I defied logic and stood behind the fighter I thought would win and he didn't. So here goes: There isn't anything to say except that Oscar found his way and put on a masterful performance. I think it was Hopkins after the Trinidad fight saying "you take away power with speed". He did just that. He took Fernandos power away with speed and perfect left hooks. When I saw that little bounce that Oscar is so famous for (the one he didn't have for Mosley or Trinidad) I knew it was over. When I saw Fernando breathing heavy after the second round (before the third round) I knew this was going to turn out the way it did. Fernando is so vulnerable to the left hook. I don't entirely know if it's a glass chin (and it may well be that or a combination of things), I have to be honest and say I question his stamina conditioning. You can lift all the weights in the world but jogging and jump roping are key in stamina training. I think his camp needs to seriously look at that. I don't know how or why Fernandos camp stressed on his strength so much; I was sure they were going to work on speed. Speed and stamina were key and it was severely overlooked. The strength was there, but speed and stamina diminished as the fight went on.I have to give DLH his props for doing what the masters in this sport are famous for and that is adjusting, being patient and finding a way to wear down strong opposition and win with a KO. I said before that if Vargas would have won, I would have been happy for him but sad for DLH. I also said that if DLH would win I would be happy for him and sad for Vargas. Now it's on to see DLH avenge his loss to Mosley. I gained even more respect for DLH when he showed respect for Trinidad’s decision to retire and further said what Trinidad has accomplished. That is a true champion. NO bad mouthing anyone to come out of retirement but respecting it. I am sad to say that I think Trinidad started a new trend in boxing and that it looks like Golden boy DLH is headed toward that route after avenging his loss to Mosley and attempting the impossible and going up again in weight to face Hopkins. This is what he meant about his place in history. I wish him well!
I have a feeling this isn’t the only mail I’ll receive because a lot of the Internet boxing gurus were cheering for El Feroz, and not De La Soula. You show a lot of class for having the guts to come back to the forum and take your defeat like a man. You wouldn’t believe at how many people (pro Vargas of course) are going out on a limb to say that if De la Hoya’s cup hadn’t been so high Vargas would have knocked him out cold within three rounds. They must have been watching a different body attack than the rest of us. Perhaps they were watching the same fight Patricia Manning was? I’m not sure.
De la Hoya has always had class, bro. Glad that you realized it tonight. I personally don’t think Tito is comin’ back to fight. He’s done. PUT A FORK IN TRINIDAD! I said it, and why not? I was correct in my prediction of Oscar and Nando’, so I’m going to continue to live the high life this week. Now if Tito does come back, I’ll expect to get blitzed by mad people, but I don’t see it happening.
Let’s hope, man, that Tito hasn’t started the trend. I don’t think Oscar is going to retire just yet, and maybe not as soon as most people think. The guy is hungry and a warrior. Boxing is in his blood. If it wasn’t he would have stayed in the studios, and not gotten back into the ring, especially against a bad mofo like the Ferocious one.
I have a question. Who are you and why does your opinion matter? I see you are trying to bite of Fishers's mailbag idea, but he is a respected boxing writer for that website and wrote for the old HOB and for Ring. Who are you? Do you have boxing experience, been a trainer, an experienced writer? Exactly why should we care what Mike Samuels thinks?? Just wonder??
Why is it that all you cheap ass wanna-bees keep throwing heat at good ol’ Mike Samuels? I’m going to explain this one time and one time only. So everyone who thinks I’m jocking Douglas Malcom Fischer’s Mailbag at MaxBoxing.com, listen up cuz’ you are about to get schooled with thought.
Doug Fischer is a great writer. He’s the single
most influential person in my world, and one of the
main reasons I decided to become a boxing scribe.
He isn’t, however, the FIRST person to ever bring
the world a "Letters To The Editor" feature.
They’ve been doing this in magazines for hundreds
of years. I’ve been reading Dougie’s mailbag
for the longest time and I enjoy him. He has read
a lot of my work, especially my feature with fan-to-editor
contact, and he has given me the utmost respect and
praise in recent months. I’m cool with Dougie
and he’s cool with me. We have a respect for
one another that is very high on the charts. I am
not rippin’ his style, rather I’m just doing
my own thing. Do you see this feature called "Mikes
Fat Freakin’ Mail Bag?" Of course not, because
that’s Dougie’s deal. I’ve given my
own work a creative and ORIGINAL name. So where you
were going with your little rant and rave, kid, I’m
not sure. But you struck out.
To answer your question on whom the hell I am and why my opinion matters? To be honest, my opinion doesn’t matter. But if mine doesn’t matter then neither does ANYONE else’s in the business of sports journalism, as well as journalism as a whole. If you’re going to be so close-minded to ONLY respect your opinion then you’re never going to make advancements at this sport. I’m not right every time, and you may disagree with me, but that’s the beauty of this shit. It’s an outlet for a group of boxing people to let their thoughts out. But if you want to question my reasoning or thought, there are respectable ways of doing so. Being a little bitch and marking up some smart-ass remarks on a message board (and then hiding your where about) is the way of a lame-ass hater, not a true man.
In the future I hope you don’t read my work. Because the less jack-offs I have to deal with, the better. I’d much rather put my hard work in writing responses for those who GIVE A DAMN about the sport, and aren’t out to try to tear everything down. There’s my explanation and if you ain’t down with it, TOO BAD.
Full credit to DLH, I had Vargas to win and a great fighter in a great fight beat him. DLH can be considered a true 154 pounder after this but I would say that a fight with Hopkins would be suicidal. I still give my respect to Vargas because he gave an honest effort and on the day it just wasn't enough. He is young, and he will be back. Make no mistake about that. George Martin
Let’s hope a fight with Hopkins never happens. I agree totally that it’d be FN CRAZY, my man. Take care.
What the hell was that female judge watching? She had the fight 97-94 for Vargas before De la hoya finished him off. Wasn't it another female who had Holyfield winning big over Lewis in their first fight? Please!! I mean there is nothing wrong with female judges as long as they have devoted there life to boxing in some shape or form, but to pick some female who can't score clear cut rounds is inexcusable. Delahoya was winning the fight by 2 rounds going into the 11th. End of story! Dan V.
You’re really going to hit the ceiling when I tell you that Patricia Manning was the SAME female judge who had Holyfield winning his first fight with Lewis, thus resulting in a BS draw. I’m not out to hate on females, but she is giving them a bad name. I can’t see the fight being 97-94. There is no way Oscar is even up by three points. MaxBoxing had it even at 95 and that I could see, because it’s only a difference of one round. I had it 96-94, Dan. But, hey, De la Hoya knows how crooked the judges can be (remember the Tito fight?) so I’m glad to see he finished it off by KO. Hell, I guess when Larry Holmes said "You have to knock out a fighter to beat him" back in 86 he wasn’t lying.
Mike Samuels can be reached at Tyson180@aol.com
