By Vivek Wallace: This weeks ‘Left-Hook Lounge’ touches on a number of hot topics around the world of boxing. Making the mailbag this time around is of course the usual suspects…..Oscar De la Hoya, Joe Calzaghe, and Antonio Margarito. Also on the slate is ‘Tito’ Trinidad, Andre Berto, and in a first, Colombian IBF Champ, Juan Urango. So, with so many topics to touch and so little time, we jump right in the mix with our first question which comes to us from the Three-0-Five….
Jonathan Rodriguez (Miami Lakes, FL): Trinidad and Oscar are the biggest latin names in the sport over the last decade or so and there’s still a lot of fans who would love to see them fight again. What are the odds of us getting a rematch between the two of them?
Vivek W. (ESB): None! Absolutely none! Trinidad can barely make 170lbs and Oscar won’t be fighting anyone above 154lbs, because if he was, in this era of catch-weight fights, he would have tried to chase Pavlik in a fight that’s only 6 pounds north of where he now resides in a showdown that would have been a mega mega fight with enough pie to go around. That being said, I think at this point there are far too many obstacles. Aside from the weight dilemma, the egos involved would never allow them to amicably sit at the negotiating table and comprise a deal that would work from a purse splitting standpoint. What really sucks is that both of them are practically out of the sport already, yet they both lack that showdown that would help put a stamp on such a move in a farewell swansong type fight which would make for a great subplot to market a rematch. Facing each other is probably the ONLY fight that fans will be eager to watch either one of them in, considering how miserable they’ve looked lately. Oscar credited his nutritionist for getting him down in weight to face Pacquiao, so who knows? Maybe if enough money is thrown on the table, he can get this guy to work with Trinidad! My money says don’t hold your breath on it, though!
Trellon W. (Orlando, Florida): What do you make of Andre Berto/Lou DiBella stating that they would step in for Margarito and face Miguel Cotto if the rematch can’t be made?
Vivek W. (ESB): I have mixed emotions on the statement, I really do. I like Andre Berto. I think he’s a classy young dude with great potential and a great upside, but certain things that take place in and around his camp often make me wonder what’s really going on? In other words, I don’t totally question him for many of the ‘head- scratchers’ that come from his camp, I question many of those around him. Think about it….He just came off of a very controversial fight that left 3 of every 5 people who saw it saying that he lost it. There have been a number of press statements released from his opponent in that fight (Luis Collazo) where a rematch is requested, yet the first thing we hear from him and his camp is his interest in substituting Antonio Margarito in a potential Cotto showdown if he (Margarito) can’t fight due to the possible glove-padding drama. My problem with that is that it makes the average fight fan on the sidelines lookin’ in ask “what’s really goin’ on”? When Floyd Mayweather Jr. received what some viewed as a gift decision against Jose Luis Castillo, he immediately took the rematch to prove to EVERYONE that there was no gift, and when healthy, the better man would win; He went on to not only do it, but do it decisively. I think Berto has heart – he showed it – but when his promoter comes out and puts his red scope on the ‘money bag’, it tells us all what the true target is. Even if Berto is cool with the Collazo rematch, the man who steers his career is openly pushing for the ‘Benjamins’. I don’t know who’s making the calls from the Berto camp, but as much as I like the guy and support him, I’d have to align my thoughts with anyone who thinks he’s being a fraud for not only side-stepping the rematch, but not even publicly addressing it in response to the various statements Collazo has made, one in which I personally released. Whether DiBella knows it or not, his pupil, Andre Berto is a young and rising star in the sport and his future reception from the fight public is on the line. If ticket sales and promotion for the young stud fall off, just like he (DiBella) cuts his piece of the pie first, he can blame himself first as well. It’s only fair!
Hector Oronez (Coral Gables, FL): If the alleged “glove padding” with Margarito is true, how long do you think it’s been going on and how much damage do you think this incident actually does to the sport?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think we all need to wait, rather than rush to judgment because nothing has been proven and although it looks like it may be real soon, it all remains speculation. To his defense, Antonio Margarito was recently on television giving his account of what happened and has not run away from the controversy at all – which takes a lot of guts, if nothing else – particularly considering the fact that he knows the public finds him to be guilty. All that being said, if he were actually found guilty today, my notion would be that it wasn’t something that he’s done all along. My intuition would tell me that if at all, it started after the loss to Paul Williams. When you consider the damage that his opponents took after that point – (Johnson, Cintron, and Cotto) – it paled in comparison to what his opponents suffered before, (Clottey, Santos, etc), with Sabastian Lujan being the lone exception. So if any time makes sense, I would think that any alleged glove padding would have started at that point – (after the Williams fight). As far as how it affects the sport? I think the sport will recover, but what I do think happened is that it took the spotlight off of a brilliant performance from Mosley that few thought he had in him in light of his own alleged substance use. We don’t know the specifics with Mosley’s alleged banned substance use, but what we do know is that he was clean the night of the Margarito fight and he looked better than he’s looked at any point in his career. I don’t condone cheating at any level, but I do hope the image of both men are restored and cleaned if in fact they were honest in statments given.
Erik Martinez (Hollywood, FL.): What are your thoughts on new IBF Champion Juan Urango, and how successful do you think he can be in the 140lb division?
Vivek W. (ESB): The name Juan Urango brings a smile to my face because watching him finally get his just due is something that I’ve wanted to see for a while. We share a past history in which we once attended the same church in Hollywood, Florida. I always thought he was a solid fighter who had never truly learned the fundamentals of being in the ring to go along with his brute strength, good chin, and pressuring style. The recent progress he’s made under Evangelista Cotto highlights that statement and there’s probably no better trainer out there for him, as his style has definitely began the preliminary molding stages of a Miguel Cotto. Over time, I expect him to adopt the consistent jab as well, and learn how to box or pressure appropriately, depending on whichever is necessary. You can definitely see the maturation process taking place in him and as long as he continues to evolve, I think the sky is the limit for him at 140 because as Friday nights showcase showed, few people can handle those vicious body shots and uppercuts. I wish Juan the best and hope to see him take it all the way to the top one day!
Marty L. (Chicago, IL): Is there any recent indication that Joe Calzaghe is done or should we look for him to fight again at some point this year?
Vivek W. (ESB): Personally, I don’t think anyone knows that but Joe Calzaghe and those closest to him. No doubt at this point he’s at that mental stage where he just wants to relax a little and unwind, but the right scenario changes everything. I’d love to see him face a salty vet like Glen Johnson, and I think that fight would be far better than many think, but Calzaghe isn’t gonna go there for the same reason I don’t see him barking up that Chad Dawson tree; too much risk, and not enough reward. The fight I’d like to see most before he does walk away is another Bernard Hopkins showdown. The first fight was good, and the fact that some actually saw Hopkins winning the fight was enough to make for a great subplot. Speaking of subplots, the biggest one I could think of that I’ve yet to hear is the fact that missing from Bernard Hopkins’ corner the first time around was the true ‘X-Factor’, Nasim Richardson. I said it before the fight, I said it after the fight, and I’ll say it one more time for those that missed; Had Nasim Richardson been healthy enough to work the corner of Hopkins in that fight, I think things would have gone totally differently. The Margarito glove padding controversy proved that Richardson’s eyes don’t miss much around the ring, let alone between two fighters in it. I think the aggression that Hopkins showed against Pavlik proved that a different gameplan could change things considerably for him. I don’t know if the rematch happens, but I’d love to see it, especially considering that Hopkins has vowed to cross the pond to make it happen! Is there enough “O”‘s in a rematch for Joe? That’s the million dollar question.
(Got questions or feedback?: Contact ESB’s Vivek Wallace at vivexemail@yahoo.com and 954-292-7346, follow more of his work at 8CountNews and The Examiner, or show some love at Myspace).