Well, after and extended layoff (new job) I am back and have a lot to talk about.  I am going to cover a few things right off the bat:
1)  Prayers go out to Paul Williams, always came to fight and seemed like one of the good guys in the sport.
2) Sergio Martinez is the best boxer in the world that no one knows about.
3) Duane Ford is an idiot.
4) Ortiz deserved that "cheapshot" Mayweather hit him with.
5) Cotto came to fight, but was just outgunned.
6) Timothy Bradley is the luckiest boxer this year so far.
7) Heavies are still boring
8) Good to see Kelly Pavlik making the best of his comeback
9) JCC Jr. is still a joke
10) Lebron won his title in a shortened season so it does not count. 

So whats the good word?  Well we have a potential action packed bout coming up between Canelo Alvarez(WBC Champ) and Victor Ortiz.  Alvarez is my pick for a winner here.  We have all seen Ortiz quit before when he is in there with a real banger, so I dont see why he wouldn't do it again.  Canelo all the way in this one. 

Wlad Klitschko is fighting Tony Thompson...again...(crickets)

Julio Ceasar Chavez Jr. will be tangling with Sergio Martinez September 15th for JCC Jr's WBC Middleweight Ttitle.  This one is going to be good.  Martinez has wanted Junior for a while, and Junior is still untested at the elite level.  Either Junior channels his old mans grit and ability, or Martinez slices and dices him like he did with Pavlik.  I say we will see a fine display of slicing and dicing. 

In another VERY intriguing matchup in September (which is packed with great fights, Ortiz v. Canelo, Martinez v. JCC Jr) Andre Ward, reigning Super Middleweight Champion(WBA, WBC), will be putting his title on the line as current Light Heavy Weight Champion Chad Dawson will be coming down in weight.  I feel that Ward being at his natural weight and his speed will be the ultimate factor here.

The Curious Case of Wladimir Klitschko

This weekend, July 2nd, we will finally have a Heaveyweight bout of serious significance and hype surrounding it. Universally recognized #1 IBF, WBO, IBO, Ring Magazine Heavyweight Champion, Wladimir Klitschko, will take on WBA Champion David Haye in a major unification bout. This fight has ALL of the ingredients to be an explosive affair. There is a genuine dislike between these 2 men, ever since Haye showed up to a press conference wearing a t-shirt depicting him holding the severed heads of both Wladimir and Vitali Klitshcko. This act rubbed the Brothers Klitschko in all the wrong ways, and they have made it a mission to shut up the big mouthed Brit once and for all.
Wladimir himself is a curious case though, some hold him in high regard with the greatest of all time, others say he would be nothing but a journeyman in boxing's glory days. Granted, the heavyweight landscape is not full of Ali's, Foreman's, Holmes's, or Marciano's right now, but the way in which Wlad and his older brother have dominated the division cannot be looked past. Wlad himself even admits that he is not the cold blooded pugilist his brother is. In a statement to Freddie Roach, when Roach told him "You are an amazing athlete", Wlad responded with "Yes, but I wish I was an amazing fighter." But for not being an "amazing fighter" he has been able to compile a record of 53-3 during his career.
This statement by Klitschko was never more evident to me than during his KO loss to Corrie Sanders back in 2003, and his loss to Lamon Brewster in 2004. The going got tough, and early, for the 6'6'' Ukrainian against Sanders. Sanders knew his best shot to beat, the then more robotic Olympic Champion, was to come out firing, and come out quick. Which is exactly what he did. Down once in the 1st round, and twice in the 2nd, Klitschko had an unforgettable look of confusion on his face during this aggressive onslaught, that put major doubt into the minds of many about him. He then rattled off a pair of confidence boosters and lost again to the hard punching Lamon Brewster. This fight was an oddity in itself, with speculations of food poisoning prior to the fight. Wlad came out in the 5th round mouth open, hands down, totally exhausted already, which made no sense for a fighter of such good fitness. He was then labeled a glass jawed fraud by the public and media.
Since the defeat to Brewster Wlad has revenged that loss and rattled off 13 straight victories(including wins over Chris Byrd, undefeated Calvin Brock, Ruslan Chagaev, and former champ Hasim Rahman), under the tutelage of world renowned and Hall of Fame trainer Emmanuel Steward. The mos impressive in my opinion was when he erased all of those previous demons against big punching Samuel Peter in historic Boardwalk Hall. The Nigerian Nightmare had Wlad in some serious trouble, dropping him 3 times in the fight, but Wlad pulled himself off the canvas to put on a boxing clinic and rocked Peter a few times on his own, and walk away with a decision.
I believe that fight spoke volumes about his desire to be champion again, and also was a testament to what an amazing coach Steward is (who excels with coaching long rangy fighters such as Lennox Lewis, and Tommy Hearns). Now Wlad systematically takes his opponents apart, dissecting them with his jab, and once they close the gap, he pops them with straight rights and "45" rights. It is a formula that works, and works well, of his 53 wins 49 of them are by KO or TKO.
It is a curious case that a man, who admittedly says he is not a fighter, has had 2 crushing KO losses to lesser competition, is somehow still labeled glass jawed, overrated, too safe, and boring; all the while became the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

David Haye has the power, he the has speed, he has the youth, and the attitude to make it interesting. But in my opinion when the smoke has cleared Saturday, David Haye will have a new name, "#50".

Haters Gonna Hate

People love to hate a winner. It is why people hate the Dallas Cowboys, or the L.A. Lakers, or New York Yankees. They are perpetual winners who, chances are, beat your favorite team more than once. This happens a lot in boxing as well. People currently hate on Mayweather, The Klitschko Brothers, Manny Pacquiao, and Sergio Martinez. I just find it hard to hate on these fighters like most try to do. Mayweather is the only one of the mentioned fighters who you could say brings the hate upon himself. He is very brash, and quite a bit of a showoff outside of the ring. He flaunts money, yet owes millions in back taxes...if i did that I'd be in jail.
It it inexplicable to me why people would not like the Klitchsko Brothers. They are excellent fighters, who would have held their own against any era of heavyweights, they are athletic, both doctors, great punchers and boxers, fluent in multiple languages, and respectful towards opponents. Not to mention a combined KO ratio of 86.56%, which is ridiculous. They have dominated the division and avenged all losses they have suffered in rematches. Truly great champions.
Manny Pacquiao I do not have to explain why should not hate on him, EXCEPT that the fight between him and Mayweather is yet to be made. I blame both parties.

This brings me to Sergio Martinez. A lot of folks have really been hating on Maravilla lately and I think it is unjustified. Sergio was over looked for years and finally got recognition when Lou DiBella signed to promote him. His skills and power are up there with anyone the game today. Fighting mostly in Argentina to start his career and on smaller cards in the U.S., he was not being taken seriously by the big names. Two years ago he fought to a highly controversial draw against Kermit Cintron. I watched this fight only, even though my girlfriend at the time greatly protested at the time, and Sergio actually won the fight by KO, but the referee made and awful error. He then stepped in to fight Paul Williams in the Fight of the Year in A.C. and really showed he could bang. Flooring Williams in the 1st and lacing him numerous other times in the fight. Sergio also was knocked down and took some shots, but I had him winning the fight. The judges on the other hand ruled a majority decision toward Williams. Sergio then stepped in against big punching Middleweight Kelly Pavlik. This fight I attended and must say Martinez was fabulous. They credited Pavlik with a KD that was more of a "tap and trip" that hurt Sergio on points. Still Martinez came out the victor.
Following his title win against Pavlik, he laced them up again with Williams, but this time the judges were not even needed. Martinez caught "The Punisher" with a ferocious straight left that sent Williams crashing, unconscious, to the canvas.
I also forgot to mention that every one of these opponents was the bigger, harder puncher going into the fight.
Moral of the story is don't hate on guys for being good.

Review

Post fight weekend reactions have been mixed, and my predictions were 50/50, but here is a review of how I saw this weekend unfold.

The Hang Em Up Award: This goes to Shane Mosley. He came in in a great shape, talked constantly about how well he does with "come forward type fighters", and even was quoted saying "I love a good scrap"...well Shane you fooled me. Pacquiao came forward as expected, Shane ran away as unexpected, and certainly wanted no part of the "good scrap" that could have taken place. After Pac-Man rung his bell in the 3rd Round Sugar was anything but sweet. It seemed as though all he wanted to do was run, and touch gloves for 12 rounds as if it were a sparring session. Even the normally respectful Pacquiao had enough of the antics come the 10th round, when the boo's came from the crowd due to lack of action. He implored Mosley to fight by waving him in with his gloves, and giving him a "let's entertain them" type look. Mosley wanted no part of the Filipino dynamo, who fought past the 4th round with and injured left leg, and decide to survive instead of fight. To grade the performance from Manny I would give it a B at the best, but some of that has to do with his opponents decision to not fight, even though he was in a fight.

Fight of the Night: Easily Jorge Arce's upset KO of Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. was the fight of the night. Both men were hurt, both men were down, and both men fought like true warriors in the ring. This was an entertaining battle from start to finish, with Arce pulling off the upset and reclaiming a stake of the title. Excellent fight that had me on the edge of my seat.

Sobriety Award: Kelly Pavlik made his return to the ring Saturday night. Though he did not take out Lopez they way I expected him too, I can understand why. After a year of no fighting, and a few months with Betty Ford, it is totally understandable that "The Ghost" would be showing a great deal of ring rust. In the first few rounds it was quite obvious. His timing was off, and seemed to be getting hit a little too much. After that though, he started to find his range and connect of constant left hooks, rocking Lopez on many occasions. In the final rounds he closed the show by pressuring Lopez, and hurting him multiple times with left hooks, and straight rights. The only thing that bothered me was that when Kelly would back Lopez into a corner with the jab, he would not attack. This was the only major sign I saw that I'd be worried about if I were his trainer. If the Kelly Pavlik of 2.5 years ago had Lopez stuck in a corner the amount of times he had him Saturday, there is no way that fight would have made the final bell.

Fight Weekend

The Manny Pacquiao vs Shane Mosley fight is now upon us, and roughly 36 hours away, so we will be going over final predictions for the main event and undercard brawls. The under card features, whats looks to be on paper, some action packed fights. Overall I think it would be a very good card to purchase.

The card is filled with knockout artists. Bob Arum did a good job of matching up fighters who bring the fireworks to each fight and are exciting. In the first undercard bout we have Mike Alvarado (29-0 21ko) taking on Ray Narh (25-1 21ko). This fight will provide some fireworks early and often. Alvarado is a highly thought of contender trying to put a face with a name tomorrow night in Vegas and on PPV. Narh, out of Ghana, is also a very tough customer. He possesses power in both hands, and is no push over. Expect this one to not go the distance.

In the second undercard we have GUARANTEED fireworks, why? Because Jorge Arce is in the fight. This guy would fight a heavyweight if they let him. A no fear, traditional Mexican brawler who will take 2 to give 1. His opponent is the up and coming Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (Son of the fighter of the same name) who brings a undefeated record, and excellent KO ratio, into the ring against the veteran. I see Vazquez taking this one, but not without getting his bell rung once or twice by Arce.

In the 3rd undercard bout, we have the long awaited (at least by me) return of Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik. Pavlik will be taking on the undefeated, hard hitting, Alphonso Lopez. Lopez, out of Cut and Shoot, Texas, will be a tough customer for Kelly for a return bout. I see "The Ghost" looking rusty for the first, maybe second round, and finding an opening toward the end of the second/third round. Once he sees Lopez's mistakes, the killer instinct will be brought right back to the surface, and we can look for a KO around rounds 4 or 5.

In the main event of the evening we obviously have Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao vs "Sugar" Shane Mosley fighting for the WBO Welterwight Title. I truly believe this fight will be competitive, if only for a few rounds. Mosley thrives on aggressive fighters, he loves when people attack him, and can still punch. As much as I would like to see a 12 round back and forth battle though, I see this fight being tough for the first 4-5 rounds with Pacquiao taking control, using his superior speed around the midway point, leading to a late TKO or wide decision victory for Pacman.

Simply the Best

Totally unrelated to Boxing, but still awesome....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGuhZvO1DKg

2:20 The Hulkster shows how he felt about Gaddafi in the late 80's....only if we would have let Hulkamania run wild on Libya....only if...

Upset City

The month of April has brought forth numerous upsets, and shake ups in the boxing rankings. Just this past weekend Andre Berto, and Juan Manuel Lopez both fell to opposition. Berto lost his "0" to Vicious Victor Ortiz, who answered a lot of questions fans had about him, and that he had for himself. Ortiz's most career defining moment up to this point was a 6th round surrender to the hands of Marcos Maidana in 2009. Many people doubted his heart, along with his skills, after such a display. Saturday night though Ortiz looked like a man possessed. He, if you'll excuse my cheesiness, had the Eye of the Tiger, a different look than I had ever seen him have. I am sure Berto will bounce back from the loss, maybe dropping his old P.A.L. trainer would be a good start. He has gotten him this far but can only teach him so much.

Amir Khan was bailed out by a ridiculous stoppage over Paul McCloskey. An accidental headbutt caused a cut over McCloskey's eye and the ref immediately stopped the fight without even giving his corner a chance to work on it. Khan was in control but McCloskey was any but finished. Something fishy.

Former rising star, and federal inmate, James Kirkland was starched inside one round against former champ, and light hitting Nobuhiro Ishida.

Highly touted Middleweight prospect, David Lemieux, was KO'd by tough veteran Marco Antonio Rubio last week. This fight was supposed to be a nice B-List name to add to Lemieux's resume, instead it turned into a nightmare.

Lastly, in the possible upset of the year that fell just short, Erik Morales tried to turn back the hands of father time against the young, hard hitting, Marcos Maidana and almost did. Morales found himself dealing with a nasty mouse just under his right eyelid after 2 rounds, which had him fight cautious the next few. When he let his hands go in the following rounds he did a great job of boxing and brawling, such a good job in a few peoples minds that he should have gotten the decision.

The two upcoming fights I am very excited to see play out are Carl Froch vs. Glen Johnson and (though some may not agree) Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley.

The Cobra vs. The Road Warrior
Froch is a hard hitting dude, no doubts about that, but he showed fantastic boxing skills against Arthur Abraham to basically shut him out in his last fight as well. The Cobra refuses to back down and lay off the gas, as he showed in his last second KO win against Jermain Taylor.
On the other hand you have "The Road Warrior" this guy continues to turn back the clock and take care of business. Some his KO wins being Allan Green and Roy Jones Jr. Johnson has had his fair share of losses in his career but always brings it in big fights. This should be a good one. Box Rec and ESPN have confirmed that the fight will take place in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall so I will try to be on site for that one. Froch KO Rd 10-12

Pac-Man Vs. Sugar
Manny Pacqiuao has had a meteoric rise to the top pf boxing, politics, and fame over the past 5-6 years. He has blazed through weight classes, won titles in all of them, defeated larger men, and has done it all with a smile and charm.
Shane Mosley has struggled recently, which is expected when you are 39 years old and still holding onto boxing. In Shane's last 2 fights he was taken to school by Floyd Mayweather (outisde of a good right hand in the 2nd round), and fought to a dismal draw against former Contender star, Sergio Mora.
In this fight I can see a freak knockout though. Mosley's best fights were against straight forward guys, who bring the action toward him. He is a great counter puncher against brawlers. If you think for a second that Manny is not going to come at him and bring the fight to him, you are out of your mind. This is what gives Shane a chance. If Mosley pops him real good, Manny will go down...BUT as we saw in the Mayweather fight, Shane is old, and his conditioning can only be getting worse. Mosley is a threat inside the first 4 rounds, after that it will be Pac-Man darting in and out landing his 5-6 punch combos and putting the finishing touches on Mosley's career. Pacquiao UD or KO 11-12

What's Happenin'?

Well since last time we met up, Sergio Martinez was a KO winner, Saul Alvarez dominated Hatton, and Miguel Cotto took care of his work with Mayorga. So what's happening now?

Sam Peter is getting back at it, if anyone cared. Kelly Pavlik has been added to the Pacquiao/Mosley undercard, to fight a undefeated fighter with a padded record, so he can boost up some confidence. Zab Judah has made it public via Twitter that himself, and Juan Manuel Marquez will be mixing it up in the near future as well. Boxing seems to be putting some good cards together so far in the early going of 2011, and I hope the promoters keep up the good work for the fans.

Pacquiao and Mosley will be lacing them up soon. Some see it as a terrible matchup, some as a dangerous one for Pac-Man. I see it as both. This match will be dangerous for Pac-Man from the start of the fight toward the 4th/5th rd. From this point on Pacquiaos speed, fitness, punching accuracy, and age will carry him to a lopsided decision or TKO.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhwuzc_hangover-2-movie-trailer_shortfilms#from=embed

All Sorts of Happenings

This Saturday night I tuned in to HBO Boxing After Dark to check out the Jones vs. Soto-Karass and Donaire vs. Montiel bouts. Both lived up to expectations and were very entertaining scraps. Mike Jones, from the Fighting City of Philadelphia, boxed his was to a lopsided decision over the very game, and gutsy, Soto-Karass. Leaving Soto-Karass with a bloodied and battered face but unable to put him away. Good showing by Jones, though I do not think he has the top level speed he will need to compete for greatness.
In the main event "The Filipino Flash" Nonito Donaire scored a sensational, high-light reel, knockout of Fernando Montiel to claim the WBC and WBO Bantamweight straps. The shot Donaire caught Montiel with was vicious, actually made me exclaim "OH SHIT!" when in landed. The only wrong doing here was the referee letting Montiel continue. I understand that you should give the current champion the benefit of the doubt, but he was obviously out on his feet even though me managed to get up. His legs were flailing about when he hit the canvas and had not chance of surviving.

The spring schedule in Boxing is shaping up to be a really good one, at least on paper. We have Alverez vs. Hatton, Cotto vs. Mayorga, Martinez vs. Dzinziruk, Marquez vs. Morales, Wright vs. Macklin, Khan making his return since the sensational win over Maidana, Adamek vs. McBride, Klitschko vs. Chisora, Froch vs. Johnson, the return of Kelly Pavlik, and Pacquiao vs. Mosley. Plenty of action in the upcoming months.

The Greatest

Many of those who follow boxing always put together All Time Great lists. I've seen people with a top 10 all the way through a top 100. What I am going to do is make an ATG list of the boxers who have fought while I have been alive. The careers did not have to start after I was born, just fighters who fought between 1985 and the present. Based on talent, legacy, and overall accomplishments in the ring.

1)Sugar Ray Leonard

2)Marvin Hagler

3)Manny Pacqiuao

4)Roberto Duran

5)Floyd Mayweather Jr.

6)Roy Jones Jr.

7)Mike Tyson

8)Evander Holyfield

9)Bernard Hopkins/Larry Holmes

10) Oscar De La Hoya

Greatest Boxing Debate Ever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWvDao-MpOk

Dover Downs Card and Sonny Liston

ESPN's Friday Night Fights will be making its return to Dover Downs for a card on Feb. 25th with hometown veteran, and former world title challenger, Michael "No Joke" Stewart headlining the card against tough David Torres. Stewart, undoubtedly, in the twilight of his career has enough time to make one last run at it. This run will start with a decisive win over Torres, which could propel him into Top 10 status with one of the alphabet organizations.

Also on the card are many local products such as Rockin' Ryan Belasco sporting his 14-4-3 record into the ring. Dan 'Bada Bing' Biddle will be back in action at 5-1, also Anthony 'Caputo' Smith of Kennett Square will be stepping in the ring with his 8-0 record still intact.

The two fighters I will be paying most attention to, other than Stewart, will be 'Mighty; Mike Tiberi, and Amir “Hardcore” Mansour. Tiberi is an extremely promising fighter, who has spent time at Middleweight and as high as Light Heavy, is coming in at 15-1 so far in his career and is starting to catch more attention on the East Coast. Mansour is an interesting story, he was starting off a great career before he was incarcerated years back, and is now on the comeback trail and supposedly picking up right where he left off. Known for having devastating KO power Monsour is a very fun fighter to watch.



I recently have been reading more about Sonny Liston, former heavyweight champion. Basically his entire life is a mystery, no one knows when he was born, and no one knows when he died. We knew every time he stepped into the ring that where he came from must not have been nice. Liston had numerous large scars on his back from what looked like to be a whip. In between those two moments of time (life and death) he was a human wrecking machine, one of the most feared punchers of all time. His supposed link to the mafia almost discredits the man, but in that time, how many boxers of relevance weren't owned by someone? He worked just as hard as anyone else, no one can say he did not. Liston was renowned for his jump roping ability(appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show to demonstrate), and would stand on his head 2 hours a day to strengthen his neck and back.
He ran with the wrong crowd some say, the hustlers and gangsters, but that is who he liked to be with, they were his friends. The public was never on Sonny's side, he came in at a bad time, just like Larry Holmes. He knocked out the lovable Floyd Patterson in the first round to win the title, and again in the rematch, and then the charismatic Cassius Clay came along yelling and rhyming. People feared the quiet spoken man, who's badness transcended race and put fear into blacks and whites alike.
But I believe the man was misunderstood, a product of where he came from, doing what he had to do to provide and survive. Not the villain most made him out to be.
Sonny Liston was a great champion who, unfortunately, for the most part is still under recognized for his abilities. From what I gathered and have watched and read about the man, Sonny can best be described like this...'A quiet man, with sadness in his eyes, and dynamite in his fists.'

The Fighter, Pavlik, Heavies, AC.

On Christmas Day I went to see the new movie about the rise of Micky Ward, The Fighter. For boxing fans, such as myself, this movie was amazing. Fight scenes were shot very and well Wahlberg did a wonderful job as Micky. I think what stole the show in this film was the performance of Christian Bale as Dickey Eklund. He was simply stunning, from his mannerism, speech, attitude, everything was Dickey. The movie as a whole was very good, I would recommend it to any non-boxing fan as well.

Kelly Pavlik left the Betty Ford Clinic yesterday and is said to be chomping at the bit to get back into the ring. Hopefully Kelly can keep his deamons at bay now and concentrate on the sport that made him so famous, and can continue to do so. I feel like he should stay at 160lb. for now, without the excess drinking and partying, keeping the weight off should be much easier for him. Many are calling for the head of his trainer Jack Loew. Jack has done a great job bringing Kelly up and I dont think Jack should leave the camp, but I think a different point of view is needed by maybe adding someone new to the camp. Only time will tell, but I wish the Ghost the best.

There are articles popping up suggesting that Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye will finally be mixing it up come late spring, early summer, most likely in a German soccer stadium. This will be good for boxing, to have 2 heavies, who genuinely do not like each other, that possess legitimate one punch KO power square off. Hope this one finally gets made.

For my new years wish I would like for Atlantic City to get some bigger fights. I know Vegas, and now Dallas are better for the box office, but Boardwalk Hall cannot be forgotten. It is a great venue and a lot of fun.

Pac-Man Vs. Sugar...thanks.

Well, Manny Pacquiao's next opponent has been determined, in a May 7th bout PacMan will be fighting the faded Shane Mosley. This is definitely not a good choice for a number of reasons and only a good choice for one. What we are looking at here is an aged Shane Mosley who in his last 3 fights, demolished Margarito, got taken to school by Mayweather, and had a draw with Sergio Mora. Not that good of an argument to validate him getting a crack at CongressManny. Mosley has shown in his last few fights that he is having a harder time "pulling the trigger", which means he is hesitant in throwing his punches, and is a sign of age.
The only rewarding aspect of the fight for Manny is that it is another great name on his resume. It also can sort of debunk the theory that Manny does not fight black fighters.
Main problem here is that we have a faded great fighter , fighting a fighter in the prime of their career.
Bottom line is that Pacquiao has to fight Mayweather before it is all said and done to cement both fighters legacies.

Sergio Martinez, Paul Williams, and Bernard Hopkins comments.

Well I knew Sergio Martinez was going to win, but I had no idea he would win like that! The straight left hand he landed on Paul Williams chin was vicious! Sending "The Punisher" to the canvas out cold and totally limp! Martinez has continued to impress and improve over the past 3 years, he is hitting his stride right now, and no one is going to want to fight this man. He is fast, he is powerful, he can box, he can slug it out, I was sold on him after I saw him tear apart Pavlik in person. If Pac vs Mayweather can not happen, I'd pay good money to see Marivilla take on Money May.

What next for Paul Williams? Well if you ask me, and I am sure no one will, the best fight possible is Kelly Pavlik. Think about it, Williams is coming of a 2nd round KO to Martinez, Pavlik a UD loss, AND they were supposed to fight each other multiple times before. I think this is perfect for both fighters. Career defining match up for both of them, and still could draw good attendance and PPV numbers. I'd probably go to this one.

Bernard Hopkins, never at a loss for words, decided to stir the old racial pot last week saying that Manny Pacqiuao would lose to a black American fighter from the inner city (i.e. Floyd Mayweather) because the black style of fighting is a bad match up for him. Also went on to say that Manny has never fought and top black American fighters. I read it, digested it, and researched for about 5 minutes to find the truth to it and the why?

Here is the breakdown. Of the 9 possible weight classes for Manny to have fought in (he skipped 1 of the 9), when you take the top 10 fighters from Flyweight to Light Middleweight(9 weight classes) there are a total of 5 black American fighters in the top 10 combined, 4 being in Light Middleweight (1 being Mayweather) and 1 Nate Campbell (over the hill, not an option). Manny has fought at those 2 weight classes for 3 fights.

Now someone will throw in that he only fights at catchweights and drains his opponents, Sugar Ray Leonard did the same thing and no one is calling him out, so zip it!

Also something else to consider is that there aren't too many black Americans living in Asia, that's where the first 34 fights of Manny's 55 were held. That's like saying Floyd is scared of Filipino fighters...well there aren't too many of those in Detroit is there? Lastly, there is only one black American worth Pacquiao's time and effort, Floyd Mayweather. Why on earth would Manny Pacquiao fight Devon Alexander? Timothy Bradley? or Andre Berto? Neither bring big crowds, neither is proven enough against top competition to earn a fight against PacMan.

All of that brings me to why Bernard Hopkins said this stuff. He may come off as some delusional old man from Philly, but, with everything he does he has a purpose. Bernard Hopkins is partner in Golden Boy Promotions, which is handling Mayweather now. So basically what he is doing is calling Floyd out to be the "Great Black Hope", so he can sit back and watch the millions of dollars pour in for, what is guaranteed to be, the highest grossing fight in the history of Boxing.

He's smarter than he looks.

Sergio Martinez vs Paul Williams 2. The War Wages On

Saturday night there will be another "War on the Shore" at historical Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Myself, and fans alike, are expecting them to pick right up where they left off from the first battle. Williams has been a little more inactive than Martinez, last action was a match with Kermit Cintron that ended in Cintron "falling" out of the ring. Martinez on the other hand went a full 12 with Kelly Pavlik, winning the Middleweight Championship of the World. In the second fight I like Martinez to take the W. If his weight is under control, was 175 only 2.5 weeks ago for a fight to be held at 156lbs, then I think with his skill and confidence from the Pavlik win, he will be hard to stop. Williams would be better severed to use his jab and reach and drop the overhand right when the timing is right, and not make it a brawl.

"His power can't hurt me"-Antonio Margarito after the 2nd round.

You sure about that?

Good Lord

I should be punched for even letting doubt creep in my skull for this one. After the 2nd round, barring a huge lucky punch, I knew this one was over. The second was the only round I gave to Margo on my scorecard, 119-109. Pacquiao's blinding speed was on full display as he picked apart the lumbering slugger. Margarito looked "ok" in the first 2 rounds, jabbing with great accuracy, but the "in and out" style and "angle punching" was too much. He just did not have the tools.
Pacquiao further cements himself as an ATG, conquering larger opponents in dominating fashion. He even broke into a rendition of the "Ali Shuffle" in Round 7, which I found to be awesome. The Filipino brawler even showed his human side in the ring, looking to Referee Laurence Cole in the 11th round to stop the beating he was putting on Tony. Pacquiao though, in good form, carried Marg for the last round and a half, and allowed him to finish on his feet. Margarito deserved everyone of the 401 punches that landed on his face. He cheated, he was caught, he lied, he made fun of a man with a disease beyond his control, and in general showed his true colors.

The question and answer that we all have after a Manny Pacquiao fight is "if and when will he fight Mayweather?" At this point I would not hold my breath, there is about 30,000,000 on the table for each guy to get in the ring, it will break PPV records, attendance records (if held at Cowboys Stadium, gate receipts, etc. It's Hagler/Hearns, Ali/Frazier of the new century. It will be a great shame for the fighters, and for the fans if this fight never happens. For the fighters because it will always be the missing link in their resumes, and for the fans because, in a dying sport, we deserve something for loyalty.

Will the 2 best P4P of the same generation ever mix it up? I have no idea. But for now we can only hope.

Weigh In Numbers

Manny Pacquiao weighed in at, what I would call dangerous, a low 144.5lbs. While Antonio Margarito weighed in at the limit of 150lbs. The height advantage was very clear during the staredown, a good 5 inches in Marg's favor. The thing that struck me as odd was Manny not looking as "shredded" as normal in the stomach. Have a weird feeling about this one, but am going to hold to my original prediction. Manny with a decision victory.

Right When You Think You Know Someone...

Antonio Margarito is still hated by most in the boxing community, but was doing his best to revive his image lately. Welp The Tijuana Tornado just undid all of that image building by mocking Freddie Roach's battle with Parkinson's disease. As if Camp Pacquiao needed anymore motivation, Margarito and his little buddy, Brandon Rios, did this (just before the 2 min mark) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPNkNHo7OwM&feature=player_embedded . Totally uncalled for and classless on their part. I know Roach runs his mouth about the fights, BUT has he been wrong lately? No. Either way what is he supposed to say? His fighter will lose? He gave his opinion on the handwraps, something Margarito can control, Freddie cannot control Parkinson's. Prediction now changes to a Manny KO Rounds 9-10.

Rios should keep in mind also that he is still a nobody in Boxing and with one loss could wipe away any sort of relevance he created for himself.