Vivek Wallace

Left-Hook Lounge: Mayweather/Canelo “ALL ACCESS”, Mares/Gonzalez, Guerrero/Thurman, & Russell Jr.

Mayweather and Canelo faceoffMartin N. (Philadelphia, PA): You have been consistent from day one about Canelo’s better-than-average chances against Floyd Mayweather in September. Did you see anything on All-Access to sway your opinion one way or the other?

Vivek W. (ESB): I wouldn’t say that I saw anything in the “All Access” episode one to really give me a reason to adjust my position. What I will say is that I saw a few things that did in fact solidify the position I’ve held from day one, though. One of the most intriguing highlights of this episode was when Floyd openly acknowledged something I’ve talked about for quite some time. That was the fact that to a degree, Canelo has been an “understudy” of him, who actually employs many of his same ring strategies, and will inevitably attempt to use them on him. Years ago, I said the fighter I see having a real shot at Floyd will be a guy like Floyd. Hard to hit, a thinking fighter, a strategy swapper (mid-fight when necessary), and a tough S.O.B. who can take a lickin’ and keep tickin’!

Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Vivek Wallace Speaks on Stevens vs GGG, Canelo’s Weight (Reason for Concern?), & Zab Judah!

stevens22Mark C. (Hollywood, FL): Looks like Curtis Stevens has talked his way into a showdown with GGG. I like Steven’s power and his heart. Do you think he can pull off the upset?

Vivek W.: When you have two heavy punchers like this, anything is possible. But I wouldn’t advise anyone to drop any ducats in the bucket! Sometimes in life we have to be careful what we wish for! I won’t go out on a limb and say, unequivocally, that Stevens loses. But when you examine things a bit closer, I really don’t know that his chances are as great as he may think. I love his confidence, and I think you have to respect a young lion in the sport who feels strong enough about his talent to not only call out the biggest star in his realm, but actually go forward with the plans to take him out. That being said, GGG has been in beast mode lately, and there’s really nothing major for Stevens to get out of this fight.

Left- Hook Lounge: Deontay Wilder, Garcia/Matthysse, & Mayweather/Canelo!!!

wilder44Art N. (Los Angeles, CA): On your Facebook page you spoke about Deontay Wilder and how KO artist should perhaps not get so much early praise. Do you think he has a shot to be the next best American Heavyweight?

Vivek W. (ESB): Deontay Wilder has become a hot topic! How hot? On Yahoo! this weekend he was ranked #7 on the global trending report. As interesting as that may be, my point in the FaceBook post was that I approach him like I do any other heavy handed puncher in the sport. I enjoy the KO’s and the process of seeing the fighter rack them up! But when the rubber hits the road, it all comes down to whether or not that puncher has the ability to deal with an opponent who has the power to hurt them, the stamina to outwork them, and chin to outlast them. That’s when it all gets “real” inside the ring! Many of you who followed the fight game before Tyson went wild and Pacquiao brought “good guy” back in style know full well that power without those other elements mean very little.

Keith “One Time” Thurman: Tale of the “Light-Skinned” Dark Horse

thurman4Only a few weeks ago, welterweight Keith Thurman stepped into the ring against a contender who few had heard of, and even fewer had actually seen. Those hardcore fight fans in the game knew that it could be an interesting night, as the scouting report on underdog Diego Gabriel Chaves was that he’s under the radar, but above the rim. Although Chaves entered the night as the relative unknown commodity, to some, Thurman wasn’t exactly popular, himself. Sitting in front of a flat screen TV in a house filled with fight fans ready for some action, I can recall hearing one young lady ask “who’s the light-skinned guy with the long hair”?

A few rounds, several power shots, and a bloody nose later, she made a conscious effort to remember his name, as Thurman gutted his way to an effort she would make a conscious effort to remember. Stepping in the shoes of that young lady for a moment, we ponder the question out loud: “WHO IS KEITH THURMAN”? In the world of Boxing you have pretenders and contenders. In many ways he has shown enough ability to escape the “pretender” tag. But has he truly established himself as a “contender” in one of the sports deeper divisions? What makes the Thurman project such an interesting one is that he appears to have all the tools to do so. 19KO’s in 21 fights is an indelible print left in the minds of both fans and future opponents. Trouble is, practically all of those KO’s came against unproven talents.

Left-Hook Lounge: Mayweather/Pacquiao Demands, Khan/Alexander Riff, & Adrien Broner!!!

mayweather2256Byron M. (Tacoma, WA): Please tell me that Mayweather is joking about Pacquiao having to sign with Mayweather Promotions in order to secure a fight with him in the future! What is that about?

Vivek W. (ESB): I think the comments as printed were blown out of context. I’d be the first to say that Mayweather absolutely meant what he said. But the actual purpose behind the statement was never defined through the media source that initially reported, which made it appear that Mayweather was just doing what some feel Mayweather always does (talk). There appears to be a major disconnect relative to what he meant by this statement, so I think it can only help to add clarity.

In a nutshell, what it all comes down to is the fact that Mayweather, without question stands as the bigger draw. Once upon a time there may have been a debate. But right now, unequivocally, there are no questions. Without needing to elaborate much further, ask yourself this: why would Floyd – (who clearly feels he should get the lions share of the entire promotion) – take the bigger portion of the fight purse, yet concede the lions share of the promotional element of the purse (which isn’t small)?

Left-Hook Lounge: Duran/Mayweather, Andre Berto & Keith Thurman!!!

001 Berto vs Soto Karass IMG_1079Kevin O. (Aventura, FL): Is it safe to say that Andre Berto is now done as a fighter? He has changed trainers and I don’t know of a way that any one out there can rebuild him at this stage to make him a top contender. What are your thoughts?

Vivek W. (ESB): I’ve been asked this question by almost every fight fan that I know and to be very truthful, it’s a very easy question to answer. For starters, when people ask me should he retire? I can address that one very easily in saying “NO”. There are several fighters around the sport who one can argue should, but the reason that I argue he should not is because he has a ton of heart, which means win, lose, or draw, he will make for competitive fights. Fight fans want to see competitive fights. You may enter that competitive fight knowing what the outcome is when he’s facing a perennial contender, but you know that he has just enough ability to land his shots and make it interesting before he ultimately gets bust up in the face and takes an “L”.

Left-Hook Lounge: Mayweather’s legacy, Pacquiao’s future, and a Trinidad vs GGG fantasy!!!

06MayweatherandCaneloatDaisIMG_3770Jeremy H. (Orlando, FL): How do you compare the legacy of Floyd Mayweather to other athletes in history? In other words, what are your thoughts about him as a man, an athlete, and overall as a person, when he look at his legacy compared to great athletes of the past?

Vivek W. (ESB): This is a very broad question to tackle in just a few paragraphs. I think to best answer it, we have to look at things from day one. When we look at the entire history of Mayweather, we see a man who has had a very storied career that has seen him dominate from a very early stage. Even prior to the professional ranks, you have to consider that there was an Olympic Bronze that would have been a Gold had it not been for a poor decision. From day one, this has been a fighter who has proven himself at every level.

Left-Hook Lounge: Rigondeaux/HBO, Matthysse/Garcia, & Ward/Golovkin!

rigondeaux55Mario R. (Atlanta, GA): HBO put pressure on Arum to make the Donaire/Rigondeaux fight, but have somewhat distanced themselves from Rigondeaux after he defeated the fighter they strongly supported? I know this is a sensitive issue, but would you attribute this to race, considering how difficult it has been to promote certain fighters?

Vivek W. (ESB): Looking at this issue from 10,000ft, I think some would say it’s probably a mere coincidence. When we dig beneath the surface of this situation and get to the core, without doubt we have to acknowledge that this is a business, and investments have to be made in any business. When these networks have to shell out big dollars to put on a show, they’re going to make sure that investment is well spent.