‘Left-Hook Lounge’: Vivek Wallace’s Mailbag feat. Gamboa, Pacquiao, Mosley, & Mayweather!

Erick L. (Kendall, FL): I know that you’ve been pretty big on Gamboa for a while, based on past articles/conversations. How did you rate his performance and what were your thoughts on Solis saying he “hits harder than Pacquiao”?

Vivek W. (ESB): As I always state, everything should be taken into proper perspective. Regarding Gamboa’s effort last Saturday night, I thought he did an excellent job. I’ve always maintained that if he took his craft more seriously and stopped certain trends he developed as an amateur, this kid has the goods and can potentially be the creme of the crop, as it relates to the sports young stars on the rise.. I can remember watching him years in the past and saying things to myself like, “wow, if he just complete his combinations, rather than landing something nasty and sitting back to admire his work”, or “wow, if he just work on landing his shots with a strong base, so that he doesn’t lose balance when receiving return fire”!

Little things like that which caused the casual fan to view him as a fluke always remained in the back of my mind, because I knew that given his speed and power, if he ever truly put together his talent, this kid could be the truth! This recent effort was the closest so far to a complete effort, but even then, there were a few things I saw that he could work on.

What’s scary is how great he looks, despite not being at that point. Offensively, his fundamentals are amazing. How he, as a fighter with very limited reach, can use speed and timing to land powershots on a very live target is quite impressive. And while I would like to see his defense improve, a 65 inch reach on a fighter who only stands 5’5″ leaves a lot to be desired, and you have to ask yourself is it possible to penetrate the zone of a lanky fighter without taking a few shots? All in all, I saw much to be impressed about, and as stated during the telecast, this isn’t a fighter who comes from a country or island where the masses can watch him develop. Cuba is a very private scenario, so all the ‘hype’ you see is self-generated, and it’s been done in the ring, not by promoters outside of it.

Regarding Solis’ comment about Gamboa hitting harder than Pacquiao, I found that very intriguing. Pacquiao’s power is a bit mystifying to say the least. Joe Calzaghe was called “feather-fist”, yet his KO ratio (69%) stands higher than the man most view to be one of the most powerful punchers in the history of the sport (Pacquiao – 66%). That’s what media hype will do for you! When you consider the difference between the two KO ratio’s, I think you really have to identify Pac-Man for what he truly is, because if you don’t, it leads to other, more legacy tainting questions about him. For the record, Pacquiao is NOT a power puncher.

Tyson also had great speed and velocity which caused great destruction on impact, but a slower puncher like Lewis or Vitali Klitschko arguably had/has equally destructive power with a flush shot landed! It’s important to identify this truth, because without it, some will say, “how is it that Pacquiao was barely hurting these guys at 126, but now he’s breaking orbital bones of men who walk around at 175lbs between fights”? That’s a valid question, but the only thing that makes sense is that in going up in weight, Pacquiao’s intensity and speed apparently followed. This is still VERY rare, but more likely the case, given the fact that we know a power puncher doesn’t see an increase in power as he moves up 20+ lbs in weight. Not legally, anyhow!

Roberto Duran, “Hands of Stone” himself, had a 100% KO ratio as a lightweight. He finished his career at 58% after going up only a fraction of the distance Pacquiao did. That’s important to note, because although his reach was one inch shorter, he was an inch taller, yet his speed and intensity still failed to go up with his weight like Pacquiao’s has, which is quite interesting. So, it’s feasible to say that perhaps Gamboa does have more natural power, but what he doesn’t have (in comparison) is the sustained rapid fire which adds the cumulative effect we see in Pacquiao’s recent victims.

Jaime O. (Brooklyn, NYC): On a radio show the other night you spoke about Mayweather’s demand for $100M being possible, and in another phase, you spoke about Pacquiao’s “irregular” camp, thus far. I would like you to speak on how you think the $100M demand would be possible, and what is so “irregular” about Pacquiao’s fight camp?

Vivek W. (ESB): For starters, I just want to point out how funny I think it is that we’re spending so much time entertaining a statement that we still have yet to actually hear from a person who has NEVER been shy talking about his money, (of all things); yet we believe the source who said he said it, despite that same source saying only a week prior that “no negotiations had been taking place”! What’s even more comical is that I don’t even have to attach names here because although most would opt not to say it publicly themselves, they know full well who’s who in this mess, and the big mouth who’s always talking has actually been the silent one.

Personally, I see no reason to breath life into this equation, because one thing for certain, Mosley will get first crack at Pacquiao, and that’s an X-factor that no one seems to be thinking of. If Pacquiao doesn’t do as great as Mayweather did against Mosley in the ring or in the numbers, it’s all a moot point, because Mayweather’s demand for the higher purse will be well justified, as he has already led in PPV count, fight night purses, and so forth. Pacquiao would legitimately have no claim to fame, yet expect one at the persistence of his team, drawing more of a wedge in these plans.

At this point, I have no interest in furthering this dead debate, but what I will say to briefly answer your question is that if Floyd and Oscar can walk away with $90M plus between the two, a fight of this magnitude can really do big numbers. You have the network money and PPV buys, you have the movie theaters (potentially), you have the live gates, you have closed-circuits, and you have a ton of other promotional legs which will branch out to make it even bigger. If these entities want the fight so badly, rather than asking these men not to fully profit from an event they’re putting on, perhaps these entities should divy up some of their ‘pie’. I mean, hey, how much do they really want it? Right?

And with regards to Pacquiao’s fight camp, I don’t recall stating that anything has been “irregular”. The only point similar in nature that I tried to make was the fact that I do find it a bit “ominous” that for the first time in recent memory, Pacquiao’s camp has actually gone smooth. Drama that’s typically reserved as a subplot in case the unthinkable happens is no longer there. If he does somehow take a loss, there’s no cushion this time. No “he wasn’t focused because he was playing basketball with the local cadets”, or “he had too many distractions from the political gig” type stuff. Just seems very strange to me.

Roach spoke of how sharp he was looking, and Arum spoke of how he was already semi-peaked after only 2 weeks, and this is a far cry from typical camps. Lets not forget, Pacquiao’s camp is usually drama central. Koncz and Ariza in constant riffs, Roach unhappy with Pacquiao’s attention to detail, etc. This is the first time in a long time that there has literally been no drama, and Roach even mentioned at one point how Pacquiao was pushing himself beyond the brink, rather than being pushed.

In one breath, I want to view this as a testament to how serious Pacquiao is taking Mosley, but then again, Margarito at 154 was nothing to play with either, yet Pacquiao didn’t really appear serious until 3 weeks before the fight when they returned to Los Angeles. So, I don’t know what the deal is, but I do find this a bit ominous that all is going so smoothly. I think Pacquiao has thrived quite well under a certain level of drama and adversity, like many out there. Could this new found comfort zone make him too relaxed prior to a fight he will definitely need to be amped up and on edge for? Guess we’ll know when it ends! Stay tuned!

Robert G. (Long Beach, CA): I think the lower divisions are gaining major steam and actually have better action than the higher weight classes. What are some of the fights you’d like to see between Featherweight and Lightweight?

Vivek W. (ESB): To be honest, there’s so much developing talent at the lower weights, there’s a ton of fights I think would be worth seeing. People only talk Gamboa and JuanMa, but Donaire is close enough in that pack to wanna see in a some type of catchweight, providing all parties remain hot and on the rise. Then you have a personal favorite of mine in Japan’s Takashi Uchiyama with that explosive jab and deceptive power, among others. Right now, the sky is the limit down there in the lower weight classes. Chris John is still making noise, Celestino Caballero is down there, too!

I think America is finally becoming privy to international fighters, which has opened the door to a budding interest in the lower weight classes which are ruled by other countries for the most part. Guys like that now deceased Edwin Valero (RIP) certainly paved the way. Could you imagine what it would be like to see him in the hunt against today’s jr. welterweight mix of guys like the Timothy Bradley’s and Amir Khan’s of the world? In his absence, you have smaller guys from other countries who continue to develop and force fight fans to look ‘south’, because for one reason or the other, seems the bigger the fighters get, the more prone they are to refusing to face one another.

Ideally, at some point within the next 12 months I’d like to see Gamboa face Uchiyama at 130 since we know Chris John won’t happen, primarily for fiscal reasons. I’d like to see Gamboa and JuanMa finally square off. Caballero/John wouldn’t be a bad scrap! At the Featherweight division alone, there’s about 3 to 4 matches I’d love to see with Rigondeaux, Nishioka, Vasquez and company holding it down! I mean, it’s a surplus of talent down south on the weight scales. What’s great is that most of these guys are totally comfy facing off, so I’m fairly confident that we’ll see it happen soon.

(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEKWALLACE747), Skype (VITO-BOXING), and Facebook).