Robert Jackson

Malignaggi vs. Broner: A bad Matchup for Paulie

malignaggi231With the back and forth banter between WBA 147lb champ Paulie Malignaggi and WBC 135lb champ Adrien Broner set aside, it looks like this could be one hell of a scrap. Malignaggi is the bigger man and Broner is moving up 2 weight classes to face him. But…when you look a little closer at this matchup there are red flags all around that will make it a very hard fight for Malignaggi to win, in terms of style matchup, ring generalship, punching power and skills in-general.

In boxing and amateur wrestling it is common practice to train down to your figting weight shedding pounds and water to make weight and thereafter rehydrating the body regaining some of that lost weight. With this in mind Broner has been adding weight to his 5’7″ frame so he can train down to the 147lb limit, prompting Malignaggi to say “The only training that Broner is doing is at the buffet”.

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Mayweather defeats Guerrero: Boring is a matter of Opinion, Winning is a matter of Fact!

04(Photo credit: Naoki Fakuda) My pre-fight ‘just the facts’ article made reference to a quicker, sharper, Money Mayweather with the return of good legs which were rested and not overtrained. Rest and pace were the recipe of success for the 36 year old. Following the Rigondeaux and Canelo fights where both men won using ‘boxing skill’, Mayweather had to put on a show to rival or exceed both men’s performances and that he did. Floyd Sr. working ‘Lil’ Floyd’s corner as chief 2nd for the 1st time in 13 years, did his part strategizing and giving good corner instructions between rounds.

Floyd fought toe-to-toe for spells and then used his legs for better ring generalship, lateral movement and advantage when needed. He beat Guerrero to the punch throughout the fight and made the Gilroy Ca., native MISS 80% of his punches. Defense that was ‘so so’ for the Cotto fight was ‘great’ for the ‘May Day’ main event. Floyd’s offensive output was conservative but most dominant and effective in rounds 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11; especially rounds 8 and 11.

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Mayweather vs. Guerrero: Just the Facts!

Floyd Mayweather Sr arguing with Ruben(Photo credit: Esther Lin) By Robert Jackson: As the long awaited return to the ring of Floyd “Money” Mayweather is upon us it’s once again time to discuss the pros and cons that each fighter brings to the ring. For this edition of ‘just the facts’, training, trainers, conditioning, mental and physical make up are some of the topics that will be discussed so keep reading.

In one corner we have the reigning and defending WBC Welterweight Champion 43-0, Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr, in the other corner we have the Interim WBC 147lb Champion 31-1-1, Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero.

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It Doesn’t Matter

Every fighter wants to be their own man in and out of the ring. They develop a fighting style honed by an amateur career that is the foundation or pedigree if you will for professional fighting. 140lb contender Amir Khan a silver medal Olympic boxer, first trained in the US by Freddie Roach and now trained by Virgil Hunter is struggling to synchronize his amateur pedigree with his professional fight style and is suffering mightily for it.

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Rigo the Great!!

rigondeaux55Not actually…Guillermo Rigodeaux 2-time Olympic gold medalist and now unified WBA/WBO Super Bantamweight champion has a lot more fish to fry to be considered great in the professional ranks. Having out-skilled and outclassed P4P fighter Nonito Donaire is just the beginning.

Prior to this fight Rigondeaux was considered by many just another decorated Cuban amateur fighter. Hosting an 11-0, 8-KO record, Rigondeaux had done nothing significant that would indicate he was any threat to the #3 or #4 P4P rated Donaire whose scalps on his boxing resume included names like Montiel, Arce and Darchinyan.

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Rigondeaux CAN beat Donaire!

rigondeaux22Note: The “Road to Donaire-Rigondeaux” special replays today (Apr. 4) on HBO2 at 6:15 p.m. ET/PT.

With close to 400 fights in the mighty Cuban amateur boxing program Guillermo Rigondeaux is one of the most decorated amateur boxers in that program and the history of amateur boxing. The 12 losses that he accrued during his amateur run that saw him win 2 Olympic gold medals (2000, 2004) is short of amazing for such a long amateur career. After defecting from Cuba, the Cuban standout entered the professional ranks.

As a professional Rigondeaux’s 11-0 record and fight resume is nothing to brag about, because his amateur pedigree thus far has prevented him from getting the competitive fights…until now. In 10 days Rigondeaux will face his toughest test as a professional when he takes on P4P fighter Nonito Donaire for Donaire’s 122lb title. Many scribes, boxing analysts and insiders are predicting a Donaire win based on professional experience and size alone, discounting Rigondeaux deep participation in the amateurs. Some are even questioning Rigondeaux’s skills and heart. Donaire himself has said he sees a ‘flaw’ in Rigondeaux’s fight style that he will exploit on fight night.

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Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. to Blame for the HBO GBP split?

floyd8 Whether it’s Floyd Mayweather Jr. – the guy that everyone loves to hate, just signing a big money deal with the Showtime Network for whom he bolted from HBO for, or other reasons, HBO has now struck back, severing it’s boxing relationship with Golden Boy promotions (GBP) whom Mayweather has collaborated with for his last few fights.

HBO’s claims of Mayweather’s defection having no affect on their boxing program couldn’t be farther from the truth. Truth is they wanted Mayweather and his move was an unexpected shock to HBO who stands to lose millions of dollars and its #1 status from Mayweather PPV’s. So HBO had to do something, cutting their losses they went after the group who reportedly brokered the Mayweather/Showtime deal; Golden Boy Promotions.

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