Danny “Swift” Garcia: Number 46…paging number 46!!

09/15/2013 Joseph Herron

Before last night’s impressive victory over hard punching Argentine Lucas Matthysse, universally recognized Junior Welterweight Champion Danny “Swift” Garcia felt like the “Rodney Dangerfield” of the sports world.

Although Danny had garnered an undefeated résumé of 26 victories, no losses, and 16 knock-outs leading into last night’s co-main event, most “knowledgeable” boxing scribes and ringside experts discounted the 25 year old’s chances of beating the highly touted knock-out artist from South America.

Even with big victories over former champions Amir Khan, Erik Morales, Kendall Holt, and Zab Judah, it seemed the Philly native was still fighting for the long overdue respect of the boxing community.

Now that Garcia has finally acquired the appropriate accolades that an undisputed champion justly deserves, has he earned a prime spot atop the long waiting list of possible opponents for Floyd Mayweather Jr. as well?

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

07/22/201307/22/2013 Vivek Wallace

Jeremy 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 Mailbag: Mayweather/Silva, Canelo, Matthysse vs Garcia, & Cotto/Roach!!!!

07/08/2013 Vivek Wallace

(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) Carlos H. (San Francisco, CA): On your FaceBook account you stated that Mayweather should “closely analyze” the defeat of Anderson Silva as he prepares for his bout with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. Explain that statement, as I don’t agree.

Vivek W. (ESB): I think too much has been made of my response to this question. My point was that you don’t just wake up one day and receive the consensus vote as one of, if not thee best of all-time in your craft.

Floyd Mayweather Bids to Become Cinco De Mayo King

05/01/2013 ESB

(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) By Adam J Webb: The Cinco De Mayo weekend has become synonymous with boxing superfights and this weekend proves no exception as Floyd Mayweather Jnr takes on Roberto Guerrero at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The modern day Las Vegas tradition began in 2003 when Oscar De La Hoya stopped Luis Raman Campas in seven rounds. De La Hoya with his large Hispanic fanbase was the original anchor to this boxing mega fixture. Bringing an army of fans to Las Vegas De La Hoya fought four times on this date in total, but in 2007 the balance of power shifted.

Robert Uzzell and Chip Mitchell Interview Trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr.

04/30/2013 ESB

We recently had the opportunity to interview one of the best trainers in boxing, Mr. Floyd Joy Mayweather, Sr. As we know, the senior Mayweather will be back in his son’s corner for the May 4, 2013 fight with Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero. Floyd wanted to set the record straight for fans and media alike. Here’s what he had to say…

Chip Mitchell: Floyd let’s jump right into it. I was going through some old CDs the other day and I came across a song by Peaches and Herb titled “Reunited”. I started singing along and I (jokingly) dedicated the chorus to you while I was singing, which leads to my question. How does it feel to be reunited with your son as his trainer?

Mayweather doesn’t see the point in facing Pacquiao now

02/24/201302/23/2013 ESB

By Rob Smith: Floyd Mayweather Jr. doesn’t see a mega fight between him and Manny Pacquiao as being worth it now after Pacquiao’s recent losses to Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez. Those losses have taken a lot of the air out of a Pacquiao-Mayweather mega fight according to Mayweather.

He’s not ruling out a fight with the Filipino fighter, but he says for that to happen Pacquiao is going to have to get back in the ring with Marquez and Bradley and beat them to avenge his defeats.

Mayweather told ESPN: “I don’t think the fight holds very much weight anymore. At one possible time, I wanted the fight to happen. I wanted to fight Manny Pacquiao…I don’t know if it will ever happen, but if my legacy was defined off of one fight, then I feel I didn’t have to fight 43 fights. If that’s the case, I could have came into the sport of boxing, fought one fight and gone down as the best fighter that ever lived.”

Sergio Martinez wants Mayweather in 2013

09/14/201609/29/2012 ESB

By Rob Smith: WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez isn’t just content with getting a rematch against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. next year; Martinez also wants a fight against undefeated WBO junior middleweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. Martinez seems to believe that he can get Mayweather in the ring to face him, but the signs aren’t there. Mayweather Jr. is totally silent about a fight against Martinez.

Martinez said to Punto Pelota on Spanish tv, “[Mayweather] be ready because I’m going to find you in 2013.”

The odds are probably very, very low that Mayweather decides on taking the dangerous punching Martinez because Martinez hits too hard and there’s less dangerous options out there for Mayweather to make big money against rather than risking his neck against a bigger and stronger fighter like Martinez.

The Best Match-Ups That Can Be Made Today: From Heavyweight To Bantamweight!

09/29/201209/28/2012 ESB

By James Slater: Wanna see a good fight? We’ve seen some great, dramatic fights this year (think Martinez-Chavez, Maidana-Karass, Brook-Jones, Garcia-Khan to name but a few) and 2012 has more promising action still in store. But next year, 2013, could be even better – in fact a whole lot better.

How? By making these fights become a reality.

This is the way I see it, anyway: from heavyweight on down, the best match-ups that can be made next year……..

Golovkin says he’s ready for anyone from Mayweather to Ward?

09/14/201609/02/2012 ESB

By Paul Strauss: Gennady G.G.G. Golovkin did a pretty good job Saturday night at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. trying to establish his worthiness for all comers. Quite often when a fighter boasts he’s ready for the best (in several divisions), his words are dismissed as just so much talk. Fans realize that often a fighter is trying hard to convince himself as much as anyone else.

In Golovkin’s case, Fans might dismiss the apparent bragging as a problem in translation. Maybe English translated to his native Kazakh (or possibly Russian) language back to English got mixed up with the effort. One thing for sure, Golovkin did a number on the previously once defeated Polish southpaw fighter named Grzegorz “Super G” Proksa, who sported twenty-one knockouts of his own to surpass Golovkin’s twenty. Going into Saturday night’s bout, he was viewed as no slouch, but despite that fact, Golovkin managed to knock him stiff.

Just cruising along in the first round, Golovkin still managed to drop Proksa. There was thought by some he might have slipped or stumbled over Golovkin’s feet. Doubt diminished In the second round, when G.G.G. fired off several particularly nice left hooks to the body, which changed the expression on the Polish fighter’s face to something resembling a silent scream.

Pacquiao and Mayweather Should Learn from Dawson and Ward

09/14/201608/29/2012 ESB

By Emilio Camacho, Esq: On Saturday September 8th, two of the top fighters in the sport will meet in the ring. This will be a great day for boxing fans. Both, Andre Ward and Chad Dawson, are in their prime, highly skilled, and tend to bring their best with them to the ring. What is interesting to me, and the main argument of this article, is that Pacquiao and Mayweather can learn something from Dawson and Ward. Let me elaborate on this point.

First, after Dawson fought Hopkins and he was asked what was next in his career, he clearly and unambiguously stated that he wanted Ward for his next fight and was willing to compromise to make the fight happen (regarding weight). He did not say, “…whatever my promoter wants…,” “…I need some rest and will think about it after a deserved vacation…,” “…I need to talk to my team…,” etc. Essentially, Dawson knew the type of match up that the public expects to see, and he delivered just that.

In comparison, Manny Pacquiao has often been asked what he wants next in his career and, most of the time, he defers to his promoter, Bob Arum. Many would argue that this is exactly the problem; the fact that Manny will not stand up for himself and tell Arum to make the best fight available—Pacquiao v. Mayweather. It would seem to some that this is Manny’s way to avoid the fight because the blame is shifted away from him and onto other people around him, such as Bob Arum. This is tragic when we are facing a fight of such a magnitude. In short, Manny could learn something from Chad Dawson and stand up for himself if he really wants the fight. His legacy will be deficient without Mayweather.