The Sweet Sucker Punch

09/04/201409/03/2014 Xavier Biggs

Tyrell’s final opponent was Francesco Damiani from Italy. Damiani was about 225 pounds of brutal, awkward mayhem. He was an extremely determined brawler who earlier defeated the giant Cuban, Teofilo Stevenson. Stevenson had defeated Tyrell several tomes in international competitions. This obviously wasn’t going to be a walk in the park for Tyrell.

Tyrell was coming off an impressive victory over Lennox Lewis earlier in the box-offs….

…Suddenly I was popped out of my reflective trance by Bobby Dance’s voice, “Hey, your brother’s getting ready to go next.” I was paralyzed with anxiety as I sat on the sofa peering at the TV as Howard Cosell broke down their bios while the fighters were escorted to the ring by their trainers. This was the most anticipated bout of the evening.

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Mayweather vs. Maidana II: Fight Preview and Analysis

09/04/201409/02/2014 Bill Barner

On May 3, 2014, Marcos Maidana lost a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather. Although falling short on the judges’ scorecards, the Argentine hit Floyd Mayweather more times than any Mayweather opponent in history (221 times according to CompuBox). On September 13, 2014, Maidana will get another bite at the apple as he becomes the second person ever to earn a rematch against Floyd Mayweather. What follows is a look at the key factors going into their second bout.

RING REAL ESTATE

Three words describe each fighters’ key to success: location, location, location. During their first bout, Marcos Maidana dominated the match when he pinned Mayweather to the ropes. Any time Maidana smothered Mayweather against the ropes, the Argentine would opened up with wild power punches at every angle. With no space between him and his opponent, Mayweather’s sharpshooter accuracy and unmatched quickness were not enough to land good punches effectively. During these moments Mayweather looked human, even beatable.

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Joseph Parker: Going back to the future

09/03/201409/02/2014 Bryce Wilson

New Zealand, made up of two small islands, the shaky isles as it is sometimes referred to, isolated and diminutive in population, can be both a forward thinking yet deeply conservative country. Paradoxically everyone loves a winner in New Zealand so long as the winner in question remains both humble and unassuming.

When placing its winning bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup, a foundation of the countries’ successful tender was a pledge that the tournament would be played in ‘a stadium of 4 million’ and so it proved to be. The comparatively small size of New Zealand, where almost everyone knows someone, means that when their sports stars excel they often do so carrying the weight of a nation on their shoulders.

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Countdown to Mayweather vs Maidana II: Why Maidana’s Mission Could Be Mayweather’s Downfall

08/31/2014 Vivek Wallace

(Note: Countdown to Mayweather vs Maidana II is an EastSideBoxing exclusive by resident scribe Vivek “Vito” Wallace who will take provide a glimpse into the epic showdown each week on Sunday, with a final prediction/analysis piece to be published on the day of the fight)

Floyd Mayweather’s resume boast a laundry list of formidable talent, yet each of those men carried one very flawed trait; one which Maidana has never owned or known. That one trait? Fear. The UK’s, Ricky Hatton also lacked fear, yet inadequate size blunted his best chance at achieving an upset. Oscar De la Hoya and Miguel Cotto were arguably the only fighters in Mayweather’s recent history with adequate size who didn’t enter the ring afraid, yet both made the mistake of trying to box, failing to realize that you can’t try to beat a master at his own game. Going into their initial showdown, fans and media alike viewed the Maidana matchup as a “classic case of Mayweather targeting a tailor-made opponent”, who had “no shot”. Less than a minute into the bout, that perception was far from the reality.

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Pacquiao vs. Algieri: SF Scoop

08/30/2014 Vitali Shaposhnikov

Yesterday, the AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants welcomed team Pacquiao and team Algieri for their the press conference. Both teams were in good spirits, and while neither Pacquiao nor Algieri had anything crowd thrilling to say, there was enough appealing information to make the event worth attending.

Of course the question of Pacquiao vs. Mayweather came up numerous times as expected, but the response from Pacquiao was as default expected. Manny said that he is willing to fight Floyd whenever, and that any great fighter needs to fight other great fighters. Algieri grabbed the microphone and defended Pacquiao, suggesting that fights do not get signed and opponents don’t get picked as easy as the media believes it to be. Chris stated that fighters don’t just get to pick their rivals and fight them, instead claiming that there is a lot more that goes into this process.

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Bob Arum on Mayweather Jr. vs. Pacquiao: “All signs seem to point to the fight happening early next year”

08/29/201408/29/2014 Vitali Shaposhnikov

While the majority of the boxing community has never accepted the idea that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will ever face Manny Pacquiao, some people held on to their belief and their undying hope. I happen to be one of those people, but not because of hope, instead I am convinced that money has a hold on everyone, including both Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao.

Like it or not, but this fight is already in the bank, and always has been if you ask me. This is a guaranteed paycheck, no matter when they decide to cash it. Be it tomorrow, or in 5 years, the fight would sell out the same.

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Golovkin-Rubio “Mexican Style” Kick Off

09/15/201608/28/2014 Michael Montero

On October 18th at the StubHub Center in Carson California, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin makes his west coast debut against rugged veteran Marco Antonio Rubio. The Mexican is a serious underdog, yet he rides the momentum of a six fight winning streak and should draw love from the southern California crowd. While Golovkin, the German based Kazakhstan native, is yet to taste defeat as a professional prize fighter. This afternoon the two fighters and their teams met in downtown Los Angeles to officially announce their promotion, which is being dubbed “Mexican Style”.

Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions emceed the event and was clearly excited to be bringing his star middleweight to the LA area. “We’ve had a great response for bringing Gennady Golovkin here”, said Loeffler, “the presale at the StubHub Center has been the biggest we’ve ever had.” Sampson Lewkowicz, who represents Rubio, was very complimentary of K2 and their ability to make the negotiation process drama free. “K2 is A to Z one of the best promoters and easy to work with”, said Lewkowicz. He also promised Golovkin that he’d have his hands full ‘Mexican style’ and that this would be his toughest fight to date.

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The Mayweather-Pacquiao Business Paradox

08/27/201408/26/2014 Bill Barner

In 1964 Walter Neale presented the Louis-Schmeling paradox. Named after two World War II-era heavyweight champions, the Louis-Schmeling paradox describes sports business as different from any other business when it comes to the potential benefit of a monopoly.

Generally speaking, monopoly is the ideal market position of any given business. Under a monopoly, competition is either comparatively weak or non-existent. This position allows the dominant business to absorb the lion’s share of potential customers. However, the same position is detrimental to a prize fighter. As the old adage “it takes two to tango” implies, Joe Louis could not sell out a big fight venue without formidable competition such as Max Schmeling.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Mayweather/50 Cent Beef, Kell Brook, & More!!!!

08/25/2014 Vivek Wallace

Kalvin N. (Washington, DC): I’ve watched this whole Mayweather/50 beef and as an African American man who has sacrificed a great deal, I think it’s absolutely sad to witness. I’d like to know, what are your thoughts, culturally, and personally, on this topic?

Vivek W. (ESB): I think the term “sad” is a major, understatement. It’s a very troubling sight to watch unfold, and although some don’t want to hear this, I’m gonna be very pointed in my assessment that it’s not only distasteful, but it’s a kryptonite that’s only present in one cultural demographic, and it speaks for why that demographic continues to fall apart. This may not be a popular position to some, but I’d rather be hated for being honest than loved for lying. These words need to spoken, and today, I’ve volunteered to be the messenger.

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Kell Brook: Patience is a Virtue

08/24/201408/23/2014 Ryan Forde-Kelly

Flash back to mid-April 2013, when Kell Brook was cruelly forced to withdraw from his IBF World Welterweight title clash with then ruler Devon Alexander in Atlantic City with a stress fracture to the foot, you couldn’t help but think that sadly that might have been it for the unbeaten Sheffield stylist. At that stage 29-0, Brook was forced to watch on from home as Golden Boy looked elsewhere, with no room for further postponements, with the fight being rescheduled twice already due to injuries on both sides. The game but ultimately outclassed Lee Purdy stepped in to fill the void, while Brook found himself seemingly at the back of the queue in what is widely understood as boxing’s hottest division.

Only Brook and those close to him will know just how dark it got over those next couple of months, as everything he had worked so hard to achieve began to crumble around him. Not long after in a candid interview with former stable mate Johnny Nelson, Brook confided that at one stage he consider his future in the game. Thankfully, this never materialised, due to a mixture of family, friend and promotional support, but most of all due to a personal fortitude that would serve him so well in the future.

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