This weeks ‘Left-Hook Lounge’ touches the core of some very key issues that remain in the buzz around the world of boxing. Everyone from Wladimir Klitschko, to Pacquiao, to Cotto, to JuanMa, and a host of others made the role call. Hard-pressed to pick the top 5 questions like I always do, I decided to throw in a bonus question this week to spark a flame in a sport that could use a little heat in what now appears to be a dead summer – thanks to a slew of cancellations and withdrawals. So with no further ado, we jump right into it with a question from the Charlotte, NC, where a fight fan wanted to know the following:
Landis W. (Charlotte, NC): Boxing has now seen every major fight of the summer postponed. I’m an old-school fight fan from the 70’s and 80’s, and I want to get back into watching the sport, but it’s getting worst and worst. Being a younger fight fan, can you relate to what I see?
Vivek W. (ESB): At 33, I don’t know how young I am, and it sure as hell doesn’t feel that way when I’m chasing a four year old on the football field, (smiles), but that being said, there are many things I hate about the sport and politics is the biggest.. What’s worst is that fight fans aren’t stupid, so alot of what happens is actually worst than it even looks, and they know it! Example…..Boxing is the only sport on the globe where a contender can LITERALLY pick and choose his way to supremacy. Think about that logic and ask yourself….How much would we really respect Michael Jordan if he could have said “Hey, I don’t wanna face Magic Johnson and the L.A. Lakers in the NBA Finals, so get me the L.A. Clippers or I won’t play”? Or how much would we really respect Tiger Woods if he said “Look, I’m not playing against Phil Mickelson unless he contractually agrees to use a miniature golf stick instead of some real iron”! Yeah…get my point, huh!?!? You pair that madness with all of the recent excuses to back out of fights without any obvious proof or remorse, and that total lack of transparency makes a painful sport a laughing matter! Truth is, I don’t know what it’ll take to turn the sport around. I love it so I’m here for the long haul, but I learn more and more everyday that the corrupt aspects surrounding this sport only push you and those other fence-straddlers further and further away. Like I said, I’ve learned that, but apparently, those who can bring about a change apparently haven’t. I would ask you to “stay tuned”, but I don’t wanna be deceptive like others around the sport. Truth is, there simply isn’t always a reason to do that anymore. Sad but true.
Skuli E. (Manhattan, NY): How did you rate Wladimir Klitschko’s performance against Ruslan Chagaev?
Vivek W. (ESB): Personally, I want to get on the Wladi-K hype train, but after that performance, I just cram to understand whether my eyes deceived me, or did I just witness a very uneventful fight fight where the bigger, more talented guy was far too tentative….again. With those kind of assets, Mike Tyson would still be dominating! Current age and all. I don’t want to think his chin is as weak as many have stated, but he seems to be giving us a reason to think that way because he literally fights scared. Perfect example is his jab. Fundamentally, that’s the best weapon a fighter can have, but when you analyze him, his is almost illegal, in the sense that he doesn’t always shoot it; he holds it out to measure an opponent and literally stops the opponents forward progress for a split second, long enough to shoot his right hand over the top or avoid contact. I think this is where the frustration comes with a lot of fight fans and Wladimir. It just reaches a point where you want to see what he would do in a ‘bar fight’. One of those wild, ‘throw-your-shots-blink-and-duck’ type fights where he knows he has to either get his back off the wall or get KO’d. I just see no killer instinct. No level of commitment to that ‘conquer and devour’ mentality. Until we see him react under that kind of pressure over 12rds and survive, I think speaking on behalf of the avid fight aficionado out there, the questions surrounding him will resemble drinks at “happy hour”, because whether he wants them or not, they’ll keep on comin! I don’t know everything and I’m open to learning, so if there’s any Wladi-K fans out there that have a better understanding for why I should feel he’s truly something special, use my email address and educate me. I sincerely mean that!
Jeremy P. (Dallas, TX): I read a recent article of yours talking about the issues facing Goldenboy Promotions. What gives you the reason to think there are problems there?
Vivek W. (ESB): Well, for starters, lets just say that no one over there is missing any meals, so I wouldn’t define that term ‘problems’, for them the way I would for you or I, but Clearly, I think Goldenboy Promotions has a tough road ahead. Bernard Hopkins is the oldest horse in the stable yet he’s the sole stallion in the race – as it relates to being in the thick of things in the sport. When you take Hopkins away from the equation, what do you really have? Mosley is coming off of his biggest victory and arguably best performance ever, yet his phone is dead silent. Marquez’s fight has been scrapped, Haye backed out of his, Hatton is on a hiatus, Kirkland is on ice for a minute, Juarez’s fight has been scrapped….should I continue? Yes, Goldenboy Promotions, as great as they’ve been for the sport, is currently in a very rough patch that I hope changes soon. Oscar is said to be doing great in retirement mode. We wouldn’t want him to have to come back to save his company, now would we? (Ahem – Let me clear my throat)
Erik L. (South Miami, FL): Rumor has it that Miguel Cotto is open to bringing in Emanuel Steward. Do you think such an addition would get him over the hump?
Vivek W. (ESB): From a technical, fundamental standpoint, Steward is probably one of the best in the business. Granted, the recent accomplishments of Klitschko and a few others who once sat in his stables haven’t quite looked pretty, but at the same time, I don’t think Cotto is the same fighter as many of those guys. With a potential Pacquiao fight looming, the addition of Emanuel could go bang or bust. It’s literally a 50/50. It really all comes down to the level of comfort and chemistry, which ultimately would have to be in place considering the relative short time they would have to work together. Any new relationship takes time….time that these two may not have. Cotto may love his guidance, but may not ‘feel’ him personally. That in and of itself could kill the tandem no matter how successful it appears in the gym. And as Mayweather Sr. and Hatton just proved to us, even when you get beyond the gym aspect, you still have the question of whether or not the fighter can actually apply these skills when the bell rings. No one in the Cotto camp would admit it now, but the worst thing that could have happened was the development of the bulging ego’s that caused the separation between Cotto and uncle Evangelista. That’s all he [Miguel] ever knew, and right about now, he needs that familiarity more than ever. In his last fight, Clottey’s attack never changed throughout the entire fight, yet there was no scheme or adjustments made by Cotto’s corner the whole fight to help him better deal with his opponent. The only thing that seemed to work was when Cotto was told to force Clottey to use his hurt legs, knowing that his knee was bothering him after the infamous ‘throwdown’. Had that incident not taken place, I wonder would that advice have even been given? No doubt Cotto needs better experience in his corner, but will Steward get beyond the preliminaries? That question has yet to be answered and hopefully for Cotto’s sake, it happens before he enters the ring.
Mario S. (Riverside, CA): I love Manny Pacquiao, and have followed him through his career, but I’m beginning to see acts from his people that I don’t care for. Do you think this will actually haunt his reputation in the sport?
Vivek W. (ESB): Absolutely! You have various members of his camp calling Cotto out, with a few going on record stating that “Cotto won’t last 5 rounds”, or that he’s “afraid of a cut” and all of this bravado. Then, a few days later you have his trainer come out publicly and state “the lower we get him [in weight] the better”. I mean, either you can smash the guy or you can’t. If you can’t or you’re not sure you can, why let people in your camp cross that line to begin with? Why? Well, I can tell you why….For the same reason I said in previous articles….Pacquiao has a number of people around him (many with personal agendas), and has apparently lost total control in his camp. I used to call Mayweather out for the antics that would come out of his camp, but to their credit, at least everyone was on the same sheet of music at all times! In the Pacquiao camp you have one guy saying one thing, another saying something totally separate, the fighter himself sort of mum standing between them all….I mean c’mon, what’s the real deal fellas? I really think it’s all unfortunate because Pacquiao is much bigger than he and his camp are looking right now after all the shenanigans. Both literally and figurative. It just makes them all look very bad, in my observation and your question shows me that I’m not the only one currently observing.
Hector O. (Miami Lakes, FL): Do you think that Juan Manuel Lopez is as good as many around the sport seem to think?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think it’s still a bit early to truly say, but all indications seem to point to the fact that he’s one helluva fighter and I don’t see him being the type to let his gaurds down. Lopez’s fight against Penalosa was (in my opinion) a very good gauge of where he stands. He showed his natural speed and power, but also a resilience to handle a fighter who wasn’t gonna come to lie down. Contrary to popular belief, that fight wasn’t exactly an easy one for JuanMa, and I think we’ll see a better fighter in the future as a result. There’s a lot of up and coming talent around the world and there’s no telling which weight division he may decide to camp out in, so it’s hard to say if he’ll actually dominate. You can see that he’s pretty young and he hasn’t really filled out, but when you look at his bodily definition, it appears he could tack on a solid 20lbs and still be as dangerous as ever. I can’t think of anything I’ve seen in him that I necessarily dislike. Besides, the last guy who was strong, determined, fast, and had a wicked left-hand who’s birthday fell on June 30th remains the biggest name surrounding the sport today. I’m not sayin’ JuanMa’s the next Mike Tyson, but that’s a helluva foundation to start on, be it luck, or fate!
(Vivek Wallace can be contacted at: vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Facebook, and Myspace).