Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag – Pacquiao, Mayweather, Khan, Thurman, & More!

11/26/2014 Vivek Wallace

Laney G. (Oakland, CA): For the first time in a few years, I feel very strongly about Manny Pacquiao. I thought he looked strong and as good as we’ve seen since the knockout. How did you rate his performance and do you think he’s a threat to Mayweather?

Vivek W. (ESB): I like to look at the big picture when making my assessments. In this situation, like any other, I think it’s another one of those times when you have to also see the good, the bad, and the “ugly”, each for what they truly are. On the “good” side, I would agree, totally, that this is the best I’ve seen Pacquiao since prior to the Marquez stoppage. He threw nearly 700 punches, he was fast, and his power proved to be very much a threat to anyone facing him. There’s a reason why I’ve rated him as my personal favorite offensive fighter in the game for nearly a decade now.

What Did We Learn in Macau This Weekend?

09/15/201611/25/2014 Michael Montero

Manny Pacquiao’s shutout victory over Chris Algieri in Macau was the most one-sided 12 round affairs we’ve seen in years. Although several of the knockdowns should have been ruled as slips, Pac absolutely dominated his opponent throughout the fight, badly hurting Algieri several times. Does this mean the “old” Pacman is back, or was it all smoke and mirrors? Other than a handsome payday, what can be taken from this experience for team Algieri? What lies ahead for both fighters next year? And how does Pacquiao’s 2014 compare to that of Floyd “Money” Mayweather?

For Chris Algieri, there were indeed positives to take away from his first professional loss. Against Pacquiao he displayed the same heart, resilience and toughness that he showed against Ruslan Provodnikov in June. There was solid footwork for the most part, as well as a few nicely timed right hands that caught Manny as he lunged in. But the inexperience of Algieri and his team was obvious throughout; from coming in heavy on the scales at the weigh in, to the strategy of the fight itself. The game plan of starting with “four first rounds” was all wrong; Algieri averaged just 5 punches landed in those first four rounds. There was no “Plan B”. No adjustments were made. His corner gave the wrong advice between just about every round. On top of all that, the New York native was stripped of his WBO 140 pound title that same day for absolutely no reason (but since when do sanctioning bodies do anything logical, right?)

Manny Pacquiao: The Final Chapter

11/25/2014 Adam McMeeking

A flicking right jab immediately followed by a thunderous, booming left cross, detonated on the chin of Chris Algieri, sending him crashing to the canvas midway through round nine. Rising unsteadily at the count of nine, or possibly ten seconds, Algieri turned away from the referee in a desperate attempt to conceal his scrambled senses. During the first fifteen seconds after the New Yorker hit the floor it can be argued that he was in no position to continue. Nevertheless, all questions about the Filipino superstar’s dwindling punch power had been silenced. It appeared Manny Pacquiao was back to his best.

Joseph Parker moves into WBA Heavyweight Top 10

11/24/2014 Bryce Wilson

Young up and coming heavyweight Joseph Parker has been rewarded for his busy schedule in 2014 by being moved into the WBA’s top 10 ranked heavyweights.

Parker has already fought 4 times this year with a 5th and final bout being announced to take place on December 6th in Hamilton, New Zealand against WBO 15th ranked heavyweight, Brazilian knockout artist Irineu Beato Costa Junior.

Beato Costa Junior has ended 13 of his 15 victories by KO and this fight presents an element of risk for Parker, especially when considering the limited time available that Parker and Coach Kevin Barry have had to study tape on their opponent.

Manny Pacquiao Scores 6 Knockdowns in a One-sided UD Win Over Chris Algieri

11/24/201411/23/2014 Ivan Ivanov

The main event at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort in Macao, China looked like an amicable sparring session. The challenger Chris Algieri climbed the ring with the sole purpose of going the distance at any cost. Pacquiao was the predator in this bout but he did not appear too focused on his foe and fought as if with Mayweather on his mind.

Chris Algieri knew he was way out of his depth although he was two divisions bigger than the champ and reportedly weighed close to the middleweight limit on fight night. His stance was awkward and uncomfortable and he moved as if he was jumping rope in the ring. Apparently he was in great shape because he was able to survive his own footwork and stance for 12 rounds under enormous pressure. He clearly didn’t belong in the same ring with his star opponent and brought a look of amusement to Pacquiao’s face.

Pacquiao – Algieri: Roach Was Wrong About One Thing

11/25/201411/23/2014 Paul Strauss

Freddie Roach, hall of fame trainer, promised a first round knock out. He was wrong about that, but that’s about the only thing he was wrong about. He was right about everything else. He said Chris Algieri doesn’t box, he runs. Check that box correct, as Algieri wore out a pair of shoes running Saturday night at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, Macao, Macao S.A.R. China. Freddie also promised Manny would easily take Algieri’s jab away from him. Check that off as well. Finally, he said Algieri was in over his head. Put a big check in that box.

Cleverly v Bellew II – Undercard Review

11/24/201411/23/2014 Ryan Forde-Kelly

On a night where the main event failed to deliver on the fireworks promised Cleverly v Bellew II was ably propped up by an undercard featuring some of Britain’s brightest talents. Both current and future world champions sharpened their tools ahead of bigger nights to come.

Anthony Joshua KO1 Michael Sprott (10 x 3 mins British Heavyweight title eliminator)

When Anthony Joshua arrived in the ring at 11pm he did so with menace sporting a Tyson like get-up of solid black and like the erstwhile baddest man on the planet, the 2012 Olympian wasn’t in the mood to hang around.

Cleverly v Bellew II – Main Event Review

11/24/201411/23/2014 Ryan Forde-Kelly

Tony Bellew gained sweet revenge this evening with a split decision victory over bitter rival Nathan Cleverly in his hometown of Liverpool. In doing so, Bellew (who moves on to 23-2) established himself as mandatory challenger to the WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Marco ‘Captain’ Huck.

It’s often the case that rematches just fail to deliver on their promise of a repeat of what had gone before. Tonight the Liverpool Echo Arena bore witness to one such occasion, when Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew met for the second time to settle their long-standing bitter feud, in the full view of the PPV cameras.

Pacquiao vs Algieri – Keys to Victory, Four to Explore, Official Prediction!

11/23/201411/22/2014 Vivek Wallace

Tonight, Filipino phenom, Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38KOs) will return to the ring as he squares off against New York native, Chris Algieri (20-0, 8KOs). At age 36 and facing the proverbial ‘westside’ of his sun-setting career, one of the biggest subplots surrounding this showdown sheds light on one major question: How much does Pacquiao have left? There’s no better way to answer that question than to place him in the ring across from a young, talented lion like Algieri. As we prepare for this clash, we now take a look at “Keys to Victory”, “Four to Explore”, and an “Official Prediction”.

How Quickly We Forget

11/22/201411/22/2014 Niko Tricarico

Memories can produce untrustworthy flashes of the past and the memories of sports fans often exist as disjointed strands of pain and joy forcing us to remember and forget merely out of service to our own emotions. Unlike other sports, boxing does not rely upon the same meticulous examination of statistics. It’s not a numbers games the same that way baseball, basketball and football are.

What happens inside the ring is more anecdotal, a bloody story retold over and over again until the memory becomes a fragmented version of its original narrative.

Since and including his fight with Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao has knocked exactly one of his opponents out cold. Each and every other win, save for his clash with Miguel Cotto in 2009, has gone the distance. His beat-down of Antonio Margarito, his one-sided battering of Joshua Clottey, and his fights with Mosley, Rios and Bradley all went 12 rounds.