Marc B. (Dallas, TX): What are your thoughts on the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight being hosted in Las Vegas as opposed to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium?
Vivek W. (ESB): I’ve gone back and forth about the location of this fight for quite some time, now. Las Vegas is to fights what the New York Yankees are to baseball. Without one, the other just isn’t quite the same. That being said, this particular generation of boxing is totally deprived in the sense that many fight fans today have never witnessed the euphoria behind a stadium fight. It’s a totally different arena (pun intended). I can remember as a child some of the fights that took place at the Orange Bowl, in my hometown of Miami, Florida, and those were amazing. Today, you have a ‘new millennium’ location like the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and in a way, I’d love for the sport of boxing to announce to the world that “hey, we’re baaaack”!, by doing a venue like this. It’s tough to say. I’m a Vegas dweller to heart, but Jerry Jones made a point of contention that solidified my option – as it relates to the location of this fight. He said “for those that don’t think they’ll have a good seat to see the action, the fighters will be 72ft. tall, in high definition….You’ll be able to see the sweat beads fly off of ’em from anywhere in the house”! OK, some of the old-schoolers have seen stadium fights, but NONE OF US HAVE SEEN IT WITH THIS MODERN TWIST! 3-D is the only thing that could ever compare. It truly is an amazing spectacle. Not only that, but at 100,000 plus in capacity, I think it’s safe to say the asking price for the seats would have been far less, allowing a contingent that’s typically priced out to take in on the festivities. Now that Vegas has been decided, a good amount of people will be forced to watch at home because at an estimated $25M plus/per fighter, there’s no way in hell that ANY SEAT in the house will go for less than probably $2G’s, or more. I could be wrong, but clearly, the hardcore fans will be priced out, while the ‘Hollywood’ crowd will be ushered in. So, long story short, Vegas gets the dollars, but Dallas clearly makes (the most) sense..
Alex O. (London): Is there any truth to the rumors of Amir Khan facing Nate Campbell?
Vivek W. (ESB): No, to my knowledge, that’s the remnants of a probably not-so-well-thought-out statement made by boxing personality Steve Bunce. Recently, Bunce was quoted as saying that he thinks Khan should face someone “stepping up with a faded name, like Marquez or Campbell”. A very intriguing statement, because despite being older, I think both men could present a very dangerous challenge for the evolving, but yet to arrive Amir Khan. Few sang the praises of Amir Khan like have lately, and when I had a chance to pull him aside at the Mosley/Berto press conference November, I told him precisely how great I think he looks. That being said, neither Marquez or Campbell are Salita, or a washed up Barrera. Neither man will go away so easily, and when you have a fighter who is still being put together (for lack of better terms), clearly, the last thing you want to do is test him against someone like these guys. Many have found a reason to look down on Campbell based on the results of the Bradley fight, but I would respond two ways to that perspective. First…..RARELY do we ever see decisions over-turned in the sport, yet this one was, which speaks of how obvious it truly was. Secondly, at the point of the stoppage, yes, Campbell may have been down in the fight, but if you review the Funeka and Diaz fights, you’ll know that’s fairly normal. Campbell is a grind ’em out type fighter who wears an opponent down over the longhaul and it takes a saavy veteran to handle one like this. I’m just not so sure that Khan is there yet. Roach is doing a helluva job, but I just don’t see Khan there yet. Time will tell.
Jerry L. (Atlanta, GA): I ready your article about Kelly Pavlik last Friday, and I’d like to know how would you rate his performance, (if you were able to actually see the fight), and what do you see for him next?
Vivek W. (ESB): I did see the fight, and what I saw left me somewhere at the warm center. I didn’t think the performance was too hot, but in stopping his opponent in the mid-rounds, I guess I can’t be too cold, either. I don’t know if Pavlik was just anxious to show the crowd that he can mix it up or what, but I thought he made the fight far more difficult than it should have been by fighting the other mans fight, (inside), rather than imposing his own strength, (outside), and subsequently took entirely too many punches as a result. Unfortunately, I don’t think he has a “next gear” to switch too. Pavlik is one of those “rock ’em – sock ’em robots” that lives by the mantra “take a lickin’ and keep tickin”. I hate to sound cliche-ish, but truthfully, there are no special effects there. He comes forward, he punches and he gets punched. Some view that as a slight, but I can assure there’s no condescending tone, there. The reality is that we can identify fighters like Mayweather, or Hopkins, who use a certain level of defensive skill to mount their offense. With Pavlik, his offense is his defense. He literally relies on being able to stop the guy before the guy can stop him. Good thing he has a chin, or he would have never gotten up against Taylor to subsequently stop him in that first fight.
The trouble with a guy like Pavlik is that when he can’t hit his man as much as his man can get to him, it can present MAJOR issues. That’s precisely why an older Hopkins was able to get a lop-sided victory. There’s no way that a fighter with a low punch output like Hopkins should be able to outpoint a guy with a high punch output like Pavlik. The only way that happens is because Pavlik is far too easy to hit. His eye was busted within the first 2 rounds or so Saturday. Imagine if the guy could punch. Bottom line, his handlers need to implement defense soon, or the ‘Ghost’ could find himself fading away even quicker. As far as where he goes from here? I’m not so sure Williams is the right destination. Some saw Williams struggle against a slippery Martinez, but Martinez contained two things that Pavlik never will…..he’s very good on defense, and he’s a southpaw. Two things that will give any fighter troubles. Pavlik is orthodox and non-defensive. Against a guy like Williams, he’ll be a sitting duck, and if Williams can withstand his power, (which he does have a solid chin and the heart to get up when it abandons him), Williams wins this fight on points, I’m inclined to say maybe even EASILY.
Cedrick S. (Houston, TX): Zab Judah recently said that he would like to face Juan Urango. Who would you like if that fight were to happen?
Vivek W. (ESB): As odd as it may sound, I think that fight would be a great one to see, and it would test certain elements of both men. Judah has shown a certain weakness to the body during a grueling fight, and Urango is as committed to the body as anyone aside from the pre-Margarito Miguel Cotto. The thing with Judah is that he truly is a supremely talented fighter, despite the critical view of him out there. I have said in the past and I maintain that the only thing to separate Judah and Mayweather is discipline and defense. If Judah had those two things, he would be the Floyd Mayweather jr. we see today. He’s an incredible talent. I haven’t seen him at the 140lb level, but similarly to Floyd as well, I really think he could make it home, as neither man is known to walk around too far from this weight. I think Judah’s southpaw stance and speed would present problems for Urango, but it would all come down to how well Judah slips those body punches. Urango has a beard, so he probably won’t be hurt or KO’d in the fight. If Judah holds up, he can win on points; if the fight is stopped early, I have a pocket full of change that says Urango wins. (And I’m not even a betting man).
Leonard W. (Pompano, FL): What do you think of the possible Bernard Hopkin/Danny Green matchup?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think this is a huge miscalculation for Bernard Hopkins. Not to say that he’ll lose, but there’s literally very little upside in this fight, yet there’s a ton to lose. Yes, Green just KO’d Roy, but I’m not so sure that says a lot now days. I don’t think he’ll KO Hopkins, but a not-so-good performance for Hopkins could signal the end at age 44 (soon to be 45). Green has power in both hands, and he comes to bring pressure with a pretty active workrate. The one thing that does look positive for him in this fight is that the few men Green hasn’t KO’d were the ones he had a hard time hitting, and two of them etched out victories over him as a result. Hopkins is as hard as it gets to hit, but we haven’t seen him at the cruiserweight level either. I just think that there’s far too little upside in this fight to gamble on for a man 45. 35, even 38, I could see. 45….man, that’s one and done territory. And that one and done scenario doesn’t have to be a loss. If he bores the crowd to death being defensive like he can be, he’ll never land on a PPV card as a headliner again. If I were his advisor, I’d lock my sights on Haye and/or Dawson. Those are the ONLY two fights out there that could add to his legacy. Both young stallions….One (Dawson) that has P4P implications, and the other (Haye) that treads uncharted territory, allowing Hopkins to do what Jones did, by moving up to the heavyweight division and winning a strap. That would be a nice cherry to place on top a masterful career.
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, YouTube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook, and Myspace).