By Ted Sares: Welcome to the latest edition of the Club (20th overall). I’m delighted to resume the session on ESB where it first started and to do it on Super Bowl Weekend-2011.
Tonight, we’re simply going to have available the very best of everything. I won’t name them; they’ll just be there. Each table is lined up with just about every fine single malt scotch imaginable and the cigar humidor is overflowing with premium Cubans and Dominicans. Shipments of fresh main Lobsters and Oysters are on the way. Anyone with more exotic propensities may want to sample the abalone and sushi that just arrived from San Francisco. Maryland crabs are here too. Steaks from Ruth Christ and Morton are available for the beef eaters along with juicy racks of Memphis or St. Louis ribs oozing with your favorite tangy sauces. As a surprise, we have Kobe Beef for those who prefer the very best in meat. We even have some black pudding and raw beef sliced paper thin and dressed with olive oil and capers (or mayonnaise) for the mates and blokes. No political correctness in this party. Enjoy.
In a nod to the Windy City, the music tonight features the great Chess Records performers including Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Etta James, Willie Dixon, and Howlin’ Wolf. This was the embodiment of Chicago’s South and West Side “juke-joint” music that I grew up on. You can add anyone you wish, but remember, New Age and Fusion are verboten.
Now, let’s get to it and please– feel free to inject your own ideas on boxing topics, opinions, disagreement, or agreement. And you certainly can comment on the Super Bowl if you wish. Let’s have some serious fun here.
First, my top ten Pound for Pound
Again, this is simply a snapshot in time as of February, 2011 and is different from my last listing.
1. Manny Pacquiao
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
3. Sergio Martinez
4. Andre Ward
5. Lucien Bute
6. Juan Manuel Marquez
7. Fernando Montiel
8. Nonito Donaire
9. Timothy Bradley
10. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam,
Others closing in include Giovani Segura, Juan Manuel Lopez, Amir Khan, Carl Froch, Abner Mares, Chad Dawson, Bernard Hopkins, Jean Pascal, Nonito Donaire, Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko, and Marcos Maidana.
2) Boxing Event of the Month Bradley vs. Alexander: Disappointing ending to an over-hyped fight that built unrealistic expectations. But it did show that Bradley is someone who comes to win and leaves nothing in the ring. At the end of the day, it was up to Alexander to continue or quit. When he said the magic words, “I can’t see,” he made a decision that he will have to live with.
3) Prospects to watch
Jose Benavides has charisma and star quality written all over him. Benavidez (10-0 with 9 KO’s), now fights out of Las Angeles and is just 18 years old. He has duked in Texas, Nevada (several times), Illinois, and Mexico, getting great exposure. He is trained by Freddie Roach. Jose, also somewhat of a stylist, may just be the next big Mexican American fighter in a long line of such great boxer. Oh yes, Jose, a decorated amateur, started boxing at the age of six and has a boxing in his blood
Ran Nakash (25-0 with 18 KO’s). Ran, an Israeli-born cruiserweight, has become the latest Blue Horizon regular and his style will do nothing to taint that legendary arena’s great reputation. Nakash is teak tough and has a sound grasp of fundamental.
Raul Hirales Jr. (12-0-1) is another I like.
4) Prospect to forget
Lateef Kayode (16-0 with 14 KOs) who is trained by Freddie Roach. Arm punching his way to 14 consecutive knockouts against poor opposition, I have been less than impressed by this well built Nigerian-born cruiserweight. Steve Farhood said, “We found a hole in Kayode’s armor that we hadn’t previously seen on Shobox which is his inability to hit a mover.The fact that Lateef was so ineffective in a small ring punches holes in the idea that he is ready for a world title fight.”
5) Latest Delusional Klit call-outs:
The last one was from none other than the unknown “Hillyard Hammer,” Chauncy Welliver (45-5-5 and an anemic KO percentage of 27.27). This time Tyson Fury steps up with the challenge and asserts that one day he will be able to fight and defeat both Klitschko brothers. Not to be outdone, Ronnie Shields says that “he thinks Chris Arreola can beat Wlad. James Toney is already on record with his delusional call-outs. Who next, Sherman “The Tank” Williams?
6) Margarito and Briggs get hammered in plain sight. Is it Chisora’s turn?
Both losers showed great heart and grit. Clearly, there was no quit in their DNA. That said, will Derek “Del-Boy” Chisora suffer the same fate when he goes up against Wlad Klitschko in April? I think so. Chisora likes to bite, butt, and kiss his opponents, but I doubt he will try that with Wlad.
This is a stay-busy fight for Wlad if you will and a terrible mismatch. As he does with most opponents, he will set up the affable Del-Boy with the stiff jab before coming on with the heavier stuff. He will then close the show with his signature right. The big Doctor is not Sam Sexton or a shot Danny Williams. Chisora, though he gets props for taking the fight, will also take a bad beating. By the way, who do you think Wlad could have fought who is better or more worthy than Chisora?
8) Here are some quick boxing predictions for 2011:
Carl Froch will beat Glen Johnson but he will know he was in a fight.
Saul Alvarez will assert himself as the next big star in boxing.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Sugar Shane Mosley will be a successful Pay-Per-View promotion.
Floyd Mayweather will not fight in 2011. The one fight needs to be had won’t be had.
Manny will fight Juan Manuel Marquez or Andre Berto or both (but not at the same time) during 2011.
Vitali Klitschko will decision Tomasz Adamek.
David Haye will not fight Wladimir Klitschko.
Miguel Cotto will lose again to Antonio Margarito in a great fight between two guys on the downward track. The winner will be the one who is able to absorb the most punishment.
Jean Pascal won’t beat Chad Dawson again.
Bernard Hopkins will retire, but Roy Jones Jr. won’t.
As Victor Ortiz fades, Brandon Rios will assert himself.
Paul Williams will never be the same.
The Hall of Fame will have great attendance this year because of (and only because of) Mike Tyson’s induction.
Lucien Bute will fight outside of Quebec.
9) The Day of Departure should occur in 2011 for:
Tommy Morrison
Evander Holyfield
Brian Nielsen
Ray Mercer
Frans Botha
Kevin McBride
James Toney
But no one has the right to force that except a commission. Agree or disagree?
9) Excerpt from Planet Boxing:
The Sad Tale of Rustico Torrecampo
Oh my God, it’s over, it’s over, oh my God. It’s over. His eyes are crossed. Oh my gosh!
–TV Announcer
When he went down, I knew he wouldn’t get up. The referee could’ve counted to 100 and he wouldn’t have been able to recover. I prepared for him. I knew after throwing a jab, he would follow up with a straight or an uppercut. I waited for him to jab, then I countered.
— Rustico Torrecampo
This relatively unknown Filipino light flyweight fought from 1993-1997 and finished with an unremarkable 14-8-5 mark, though 5 draws in 27 fights is a bit unusual. He was 1-4-1 in his last six outings with his sole win (and arguably his career second best) coming against solid Noel Tunacao (28-4-2 at the time). But it was on February 9, 1996 in Mandaluyong City, Manila, where he would win his biggest fight, though he would not know it at the time. His opponent, 11-0 and being touted as a comer, failed to make weight and according to reliable sources was—as a penalty for weighing over the limit, and to ostensibly level the playing field– mandated to wear eight-ounce gloves, compared to Torrecampo’s six-ouncers.
During the fight, Rustico controlled the action through the first two rounds against his poorly prepared and overconfident foe and then stepped things up in the third. As both parried, Torrecampo nailed a perfectly timed hook to the body of his heavier opponent who starting to come in. Many claim it was a head shot that ended up striking the body as well, others say it was, others say it was a fully torqued, incoming shot to the right side of the body, and a few contend it was a low blow. After maybe 200 reviews of the video, I am still not certain, but it did appear to be a head shot, though a case can be made for each argument. At any rate, head, body, or low, it was academic, because the Kibawe native who was struck went down in a heap and was not only counted out but the referee had to pick up his body like he was picking up a rag doll. Torrecampo’s opponent no longer was undefeated, though to his great credit and determination, he shook off the loss as a learning experience and immediately launched a streak of 15 wins, 13 ending by stoppage.
As for Torrecampo, he failed to capitalize on the upset victory. A month after winning another fight, this one against Ricky Sales, he suffered a wrist injury for which he inexplicitly failed to get medical treatment. The memory of his boxing career is immortalized by the grisly sight of a small bone sticking out of his left wrist, the ugly result of that fracture not healing properly.
More recently (and after his retirement from the ring), he was involved in a vehicular dispute in Tondo that, after a heated argument, resulted in a killing. As a result, Rustico remains a fugitive from the law. Yet, wherever he is, he will forever be able to tell his children and grandchildren that, “I knocked out one of the greatest featherweights to ever step into the ring.”
The featherweight’s name was Manny Pacquiao.
10) Trash Talk
I’ll moider the bum
–Tony Galento
Trash talking is for some scared ass (brothers). I do my talking with my fists…—
–Winky Wright.
“I’m a baaaadd man!” exclaimed Muhammad Ali after the first Liston fight. Did it all start then? Did Ali leave behind the legacy of trash-talking? Clearly, he was the first athlete to verbally assault an opponent consistently, often referring to them as “chumps” or “bums.“ And he strengthened the legitimacy and acceptance of this noxious behavior by connecting it to his successes in the ring, including the accurate predictions of when he would knock out opponents.
For all the good things he is perceived to have done, this is something that has created a line of demarcation between old school and new school. In fact, some think the dignity of the sport has suffered mightily as a result. Joe Frazier, Floyd Patterson and Ernie Terrell were among his many victims. Curiously, Ali was named “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated in 1999.
Since then, “trash talking” has become an art, or so it seems. The ballsy trash-talking Nicaraguan, Ricardo Mayorga has seen it backfire, James Toney is a consistent practioner, but his act has worn thin, and so was Brooklyn born Mike Tyson who once vowed to eat the children of one of his opponents. And mention of Tyson brings us to that beautiful borough of Brooklyn, NY which seems to produce trash talkers at a reasonably consistent rate.
Staged and phony press conference brawls (including kisses) and trash talking hyperbole to stoke up interest and gate figures are now a part of boxing. In my view, they are not in any immediate danger of wearing out their welcome. Nevertheless, can you imagine Jerry Quarry, Thomas Hearns, Bob Foster, Michael Watson, Salvador Sanchez, Irish Mickey Ward, or Floyd Patterson engaging in this behavior?
I can live with well rehearsed trash-talking for its entertainment value. But I like explosive non-rehearsed stuff even better.
What do you think?
For an interesting boxing tour, visit the author’s website featuring new articles, music, and ever-changing photos galleries at www.tedsares.com. Also, please sign the guest book so I know you dropped by.