Erick S. (Charlotte, NC): I didn’t find anything spectacular about the performance of Vitali Klitschko, but I continue to hear you defend him. Do you really think that performance was impressive?
Vivek W. (ESB): Funny…..after his last fight, I was told that I’m too critical of him. But, to answer your question, I think clearly we did see a few areas of concern for Vitali. That being said, I think we also have to be really careful how we assess him. The way he handles himself in the ring draws ire from fans, but it gets results. I remember getting major flack for saying that tactically, I view Vitali to be a bit Mayweather-esque. Fundamentally, his defense isn’t anywhere near that of Mayweather, but both men are masters at controlling the pace of fights. The best indicator of this can be realized by viewing the compubox statistics spanning over the past few years that document punches thrown (connected) versus punches taken (connected). Following the Marquez showdown, Mayweather led the pack at +32 and Vitali was a close second at +26. The reason for that?……Here, you have two fighters who use aggression only when opportunity permits, and retreats or disrupts engagement when it doesn’t. Some find it boring, others find it tactical. Personally, no matter what any of us see it as, it gets results. In these two men, you have two of the most dominating figures in the sport over the past few years, so the results account for something.. I’ve come to accept that Vitali isn’t gonna be what many out there think he should, but if 37KO’s in 39 fights doesn’t earn respect, I’m a bit at odds at what should. Sorry to break the bad news, ladies and gents, but “Mike Tyson isn’t walking through those doors”! Everyone out there looking for the old-school ferocity of “Iron” Mike can officially be at ease. Sorry, but it is what it is. Vitali is as good as it’ll get for now, and he’s as dominant as it will get until someone changes that.
Greg R. (Denver, CO): Two questions: First, I think Floyd Mayweather is a naturally bigger fighter than Manny Pacquiao. Do you think the weight will be a factor at all in the fight? And second, what are your thoughts about Team Mayweather demanding random extensive drug test for the Pacquiao fight?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think we all need to see this whole thing relative to the steroids issue for what it is. What Pacquiao has done recently isn’t something that any of us have seen with any ounce of regularity in boxing, so, naturally some would feel there’s more involved than meets the eye. In all fairness, as much as I would like to say Pacquiao isn’t juicing, I don’t know. I don’t spend every hour with him, and neither does anyone else out there. I would like to believe that he’s clean, but I can’t say with 100% accuracy that he isn’t. Just like no one can say with 100% accuracy that he is. For that reason, the request was implemented, and to be honest, if he isn’t taking steroids, (which I suspect is the case), there should be no problem taking the test. Simple. Personally, I think many of the issues surrounding this fight have become quite trivial. People talk about one fighter being bigger than the other, or the other various mind games being played back and forth, but of all the subplots out there, this is the one that holds the most weight. Now, speaking of weight, I don’t consider this topic of size to be a very worthy one, at all. Some seem to think that Mayweather being able to weigh in at 147lbs rather than the same 145lbs that Cotto had to meet is an issue. I don’t think so, for two reasons.
One….Mayweather has 5 career fights as a welterweight, and of those five, he has only tipped the scale at the welterweight limit of 147lbs twice. Against Judah, not only did he weigh in at 146, but he also entered the ring unofficially the night of the fight at 146lbs, which tells me that totally hydrated he barely made the limit. Yes, that was three years ago, but that’s the same 146lbs he tipped the scale at to face Marquez. What he weighed unofficially that night, we don’t know, but if he got down to 146 at the weigh in, I would venture to say it was somewhere around his normal average, which is 149/150 tops. Roughly the same weight Pacquiao brings to the ring on fight night. Secondly, we can’t say that the extra two pounds are a disadvantage for Pacquiao to go up when Cotto had to lose the same two pounds to go down. If we’re conceding that Pacquiao having to go up those two pounds are a disadvantage, we have to concede that Cotto having to go down was a disadvantage, which ultimately tampers with the legacy of Pacquiao. So, lets not contradict ourselves, guys. Pacquiao and Mayweather will weigh in at 147 and both men are more than adequate to be there at this point in their respective careers. PERIOD.
Michael S. (Sunny Isles, FL): I think Timothy Bradley looks better now than I’ve ever seen him. Do you think his future should involve a trip to the 147lb division where the big money fights are?
Vivek W. (ESB): I would agree, whole-heartedly, that Bradley showed more growth in this fight than at any other point thus far in his still developing career. That being said, the operative term in my last statement is without doubt the part that referenced his “still developing career”, because no question, there are still aspects of Bradley’s game that I think need to evolve before he heads to that neck of the woods. I often speak of the fact that fight fans are very quick to assess a fighter IMMEDIATELY following a fight, which I think is a cardinal sin, for lack of better words. A perfect example of this flaw-filled tendency was how immediately following Mayweather’s dissection of Marquez, several Pacquiao fans contacted me directly saying that “Mayweather is too big for Pacquiao and that he [Mayweather] needs to complete his legacy against men his size, like Mosley”. Fast-forward a few months after Pacquiao destroys a man bigger than Floyd, (Cotto), and those same Pacquiao fans immediately felt that Mayweather has no chance. Similarly, it’s all relative. In the case of Bradley, I personally think he needs a bit more ‘seasoning’ before his people toss him into that ‘frying pan’. While I thought his victory was very well performed, I also took into consideration that he faced a man who had never faced anyone on his level, and had never even been beyond the 10th round. Bradley did what he was supposed to do. He defeated a fighter with far less experience, (despite having more fights on his official record). Is Bradley ready for 147lbs? Well, Andre Berto is probably the least tested champ in that division as we speak. As amateur’s, Berto defeated him on two separate occasions, and if they were to meet now, personally, I like Berto, again. The waters are pretty deep at ’47. Another year or so, maybe, but there’s plenty ways to test his mettle at the jr. welterweight division until then. Let’s see him conquer that terrain before he attempts to climb a bigger mountain.
James E. (Norfolk, VA): I think the jr. welterweight division is the deepest in the sport. If you could choose, which two fights do you think are the biggest to be made?
Vivek W. (ESB): The jr. welterweight division is at an all-time high right now. The level of competition is absolutely incredible and to be honest, there are so many great contenders that I find it a bit hard to capsulize 4 men as the top two fights to make; although there’s one in particular that I think we need to see sooner than later. That would be a showdown between Khan and Bradley. There’s no bigger fight to make in this division. The two styles would be amazing together, because Khan has great speed, and under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, quite a bit of spirit as well, to parallel his power. Bradley, on the other hand, has great speed, a rapidly developing skillset, and deceptive power, as well. I think that would be an amazing fight, and truthfully, I’m not sure I know who walks away with the “W” when it’s all said and done. But, aside from that showdown, I think Maidana/Bradley would be great, or Maidana/Khan. I think stylistically, Devon Alexander would be great against either Bradley or Khan as well. There are just so many different fights that would make sense. In an ideal world, someone will decide to adopt the Super-6 tournament strategy and give us fight fans and media a last man standing eliminator. That would be awesome!
Samuel M. (Queens, NYC): How would you rate Paul Malignaggi’s performance against Juan Diaz?
Vivek W. (ESB): I have said for quite a while that when on top of his game, I find Malignaggi to be one of the more talented fighters of the sport. His lack of KO power leaves some searching for more, but even in that case I think he’s a bit deceptive, as Diaz looked to be stunned quite a few times. I think Malignaggi has his head in the game and his talent has followed. It’ll be interesting to see what he does now that he’s focused. If he remains that way, I think he could make for quite an interesting future in the division because although most other competitors there have great power, he isn’t too easy to hit and he has a wicked jab. I’ll definitely be watching him moving forward and I think that he’ll make a very good level of progress. What we saw against Diaz was just the beginning. I expect to see him evolve more, which is great news in a division full of men on that same page.
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, YouTube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook, and Myspace).