Fast jabs...

It has been a long while since I’ve posted here on the blog so I’ll journey down memory lane for the past two months.

“The World Awaits” stunk. Plain and simple. The best part of this fight was HBO’s documentaries 24/7 which chronicled the daily workouts and lives of Mayweather and Delahoya. I thought it was draw. Clearly Delahoya could have won if not for his usual late round fade. What is up with that guy? He’s wound up soooo tight, its no surprise he fades in the latter rounds and has throughout his career. As for Mayweather Jr., no one really cares about who he fights or when he fights. Poor guy has no personality and seeks to piggy back on other celebrities’ notoriety (example, hanging out with “Fiddy” and some other rap stars I’ve never heard of.)

Delahoya needs to retire even though he won’t. My prediction? He’ll fight *Contender* star Sergio Mora if the "Snake" wins a title anytime soon (although the rumor is that he’ll be fighting Shane Mosley again…Ugh..)

Mayweather? I don’t buy the crap that he’s retiring (and neither does anyone else.) My take is that he’ll fight another Golden Boy alum Mosley…But for the record and if he’s as smart as he claims I do think he’d outbox the robotic Jermain Taylor rather easily.

Speaking of Taylor, I cannot recall ever seeing a fighter regress so badly during his prime athletic years. Other *web writers* state that he has suffered a decrease in confidence from back to back nail biters versus Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright. I think it is *guilt* from firing Pat Burns.

Burns was the jockey behind Taylor for his wins against Hopkins and it didn’t seem like he was regressing until the reins were turned over to Emanuel Steward. I think the Burns trained Taylor could have handled Wright (albeit barely) and would have knocked out Ouma and Cory Spinks.

Taylor was simply awful against Spinks. What was more appalling than the decision was the blatant cheerleading by HBO company man Lampley. I mean, come on…Spinks WON that fight handily. He made Taylor fight his fight, limited the exchanges and did what a little man was a supposed to do. They say he ran but, what the hell else did they expect??? Did they expect a guy who began his career at 140 lbs to stand and slug with the 6’1”, 160 pound Taylor!!!?? Spinks executed his game plan and Taylor couldn’t do anything with him. Taylor LOST even though two of the judges saw otherwise. After the decision was announced Lampley defamed Judge Flaherty who had his scorecard misread by the ring announcer, calling it 111-07 which in fact should have read 117-111 Spinks. Lampley stated to both Lewis and Merchant that “Flaherty should not be allowed to judge a major fight on that basis”. Yeah, right, why don’t you try calling a fight squarely, Jim?

Not to berate the talent of Lampley, he is the best color man in the business and he knows how to bring excitement with his call…But, last night’s effort was bad.

The word is that HBO is replacing Larry Merchant with (shudder) Max Kellerman. I am assuming they are no doubt trying to bring in a younger demographic or at least trying to make boxing appear more hip by having a young guy like Kellerman in the booth. I think Merchant’s reference to the Southern hip-hop phrase “crunk” or is it “krunk” during the broadcast was his way of saying he can use new and hip references to his commentary. He really does not need to do that.

Merchant is an institution to boxing and should be allowed to stay in that job for as long as he wants.

Kellerman has his merits when it comes to his unmatched enthusiasm for the sport but he talks in non-sequiturs and often leaves me scratching my head. I don’t think he’d be the right guy to replace Merchant.

Kelly Pavlik? The next middleweight champion of the world…Maybe…Taylor would be *up* to fight him…Maybe…Obviously it would be a completely different bout than Taylor-Cory Spinks. I do favor Pavlik. I do not think the current version of Taylor could have handled Miranda the way Pavlik did. Look for Taylor to avoid Pavlik and go up to fight Calzaghe. His reign will be short-lived from here on in.

The REAL fight of the year

Larry Merchant said it best when he described the Marquez-Barrera bout as being transported back to the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium in the 70s…Memories of Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate, Danny Lopez and Bobby Chacon were like ghostly apparitions smiling down at the performances of both Barrera and Marquez.

I did think Marquez slightly edged out Barrera. Barrera looked gassed out in the final round and Marquez pressed the issue. The final round was the clincher for me. But you can make a very strong argument that the bout could have been scored a draw. I never pay too much attention to punch stat numbers but I have never seen the punches landed/punches thrown numbers so close.

Marquez came damn close to downing Barrera in the 7th round. Definitely the best round of the year thus far. Barrera didn’t cop out and hold on though. He threw this perfect right hand which felled Marquez. Marquez pitched forward and outstretched his arms to break his fall. His head still propped up, Barrera stood above him and clobbered him again while he was down.

To Marquez’ credit, he fought on without complaint. This is what separates a great fighter from the mediocre. How many fighters have you seen being the victim of a blatant foul (Luis Santana, MMA’s Renzo Gracie) only to use that as an excuse not to continue. Marquez didn’t even complain. He got up and went at his opponent with savage zeal in the next round.

Emanuel Steward was the only one of the commentators to pick up on the foul but it was after the fight, stating that it was adrenaline that kept Barrera punching. Lampley only made a perfunctory comment when watching the foul on a replay. It brought to mind a fight between Nigel Benn and Iran Barkley in the early 90s where Benn hit Barkley in much the same way Barrera hit Marquez and Alex Wallau of ABC went self righteously berserk. No such response from the HBO team.

Nady noticed the foul and took a point away. But he inexplicably did not count the knockdown which would presumably have given Barrera an extra point.

This is all academic, however, because the scores were lopsided in favor of Marquez. I don’t know what fight they were watching, one judge had it 118-110 which means he only gave two rounds to Barrera (huh?)

All things aside, this was an incredible fight with shifts in momentum and the ending was always in doubt. It was a throwback fight and it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Mexican boxers are without peer in this sport.

The Fight Of The Year until...

The scorecards were read during the OPEN SCORING.

Mormeck and Bell went at it just as advertised. But after the scorecards were read the fight seemed to take a different turn. Mormeck was almost stopped in the sixth but had done enough to have an early lead. After the scorecards were read after the eighth round I believe, Mormeck decided it was time to play the Dean Smith four corner offense.

So the final four rounds were dreadful and totally offset the first eight. Mormeck ran away from Bell. I do not believe he won the fight. This was like a smaller scale version of Oliver McCall-Frank Bruno if you remember (I'm still trying to forget) that heavyweight title tiff...

The announcing team of Col. Bob Sheridan and "Jean Phillipe" were comical. Sheridan would scream and yell every time Mormeck so much as passed gas. "Jean Phillipe" called Sheridan "Arthur Mercante" at the start of their broadcast. At least I think he did. I didn't understand a word this dude said. French people should not be allowed to speak English because it still sounds like a foreign language.

On the bright side though were those first eight rounds. I noted that today's Cruiserweight is probably akin to the Heavyweights of yesteryear before the Super Heavyweights took over around the early 90s. Mormeck's physique reminded me of former WBA titlist Mike Weaver who weighed around 202 in his prime. Joe Frazier weighed only 205 lbs. Ali and Holmes weighed in at 215 during their primes. So these guys fighting around 200 lbs should be called Heavyweights and the Klitschkos and Valuevs should be termed the Super Heavyweights...Time for a new weight designation like they have in the amateurs.

Predictions for "FEARLESS"

Well if the Rafa Marquez-Izzy Vasquez tiff merits a wow this match up deserves a standing ovation from every true fight fan in America. What I love about Latin fighters is that they don't duck anyone. The fact that these two champions are fighting each other, particularly Barrera, is commendable.

I have no pick in this one. You have to be clairvoyant to pick a winner here. Barrera is a Mexican version of Bernard Hopkins. His brain is a calculator and he is arguably the smartest boxer in the sport when it comes to adjusting to certain styles. Marquez has come into his own in recent years and I have found him to be a highly exciting boxer to watch. He has more to gain than Barrera here and I suspect he will be fighting the best fight of his life. So I have no pick here, if you put a gun to my head I'll call it a draw.

Undercard picks:

I think Ponce De Leon will smash Gerry Penalosa. Older fighters cannot deal with powerful wrecking balls like De Leon anymore than they can deal with speed. Penalosa is not exactly spent but he would have to be at his prime best to deal with De Leon.

Demetrius Hopkins over Steve Forbes. Forbes went life and death with John Brown who is a junior lightweight. 'Nuff said. Hopkins is a young junior welter/welter coming into his own. I wouldn't be surprised if he scored a stoppage here.

O'Neil Bell versus Jean Marc Mormeck Part Deux

Excited about this one! This was a barn burner last year. Bell evidently has had some "issues" as it was reported he chased down his sparring partner with a hatchet. Yes, a real hatchet. Maybe he was watching too many episodes of Friday the 13th?

My pick? Its just a slight hunch Mormeck will pace himself a little better this time. The last go around he was beating Bell from pillar to post before the gas tank ran out. I'm like 55/45 Mormeck, probably by decision.

The feeble challenge of Ray Austin

Pathetic.

That’s the first word that came to mind if I had to describe Ray Austin’s challenge of Wladmir Klitschko this past weekend.

Ray Austin was Klitschko’s mandatory. Apparently, as the premier heavyweight champion he has no clout as being able to pick his opponents. I don’t blame him for taking the fight. The guy had an arena full of Germans screaming for him and he made at least a million for less than two rounds of work. Nice work if you can get it.

But how in the hell did Austin qualify as a mandatory? The fact that Don King led him into the ring Saturday night provides the first and only clue we’ll need.

Austin is a non-descript thirty-six year old heavyweight whose high water mark in boxing was appearing on Cedric Kushner’s “Thunderbox” series a few years ago. He did some prison time, ended up working in a manufacturing factory for twelve hours a day then achieved some marginal success in boxing. He does not possess the talent to be on HBO. His ring walk lasted longer than his time in the ring, being blasted into unconsciousness by Klitschko's first serious punch.

I know this has been said before but…What in the world has happened to the American heavyweight? Bert Randolph Sugar frequently comments that the best American heavyweight in the world is “the linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, Ray Lewis.”

Implicit in his statement is an assertion that the majority of today’s big men go into football not boxing. He may be right. But the biggest hit to American boxers in general is the depletion of our amateur boxing program. It needs a major overhaul and has to be promoted similarly to the way it was in the 1970s. Amateur boxing still thrives in other countries (the former Soviet Union, Cuba). Yes, I know this is a viewpoint that has been pointed out endlessly but watching Ray Austin’s feeble attempt it really made me think how pathetic Americans have become in boxing, particularly in the heavyweight division. Who do we have? James Toney? Hasim Rahman? Calvin Brock? Ugh!

So what we are seeing is the logical conclusion to the negligence of our amateur boxing programs. What is happening in the heavyweight division will eventually have a spill over effect to the rest of boxing’s divisions. The lower weight classifications are dominated by Mexicans and Pan-Asians. The heavier weight classifications are dominated by Europeans (ugh..) That leaves the middle divisions, middleweight through welterweight. We still have notable Americans in these divisions but it will be interesting to see how long that even lasts. They are starting to grow them bigger in Mexico.

Marquez versus Vasquez and the Lord of the Flyweights

I won’t call myself a prophet even though I went four for four on last night’s predictions. There were only two bouts that were competitive match-ups.

I like the competitive spirit and tenacity of Miranda. Aside from that 8th round knockdown he beat the crap out of Green. He would have had a stoppage had this been a 12 rounder. He’s being hyped as a power puncher but he’s more of a grinder. His aggression and pressure are what leads to his knockouts. I do think he would be highly competitive against Jermain Taylor and that is a bout I would pay to see.

Cotto’s bout against Urkal was a snooze-fest. Cotto felt no threat from Urkal and pretty much fought the bout on half speed. The intensity he had against Quintana wasn’t there simply because it wasn’t needed. Urkal wasn’t a threat. I do agree with Jim Lampley in that the open scoring was certainly a factor in the corner’s decision to throw in the towel.

Which was needed in the Vic Darchinyan-Victor Burgos fight on Showtime. This was sick, Darchinyan was literally cranking up a monster left cross and Burgos simply couldn’t avoid it to save his life (literally). I have never seen such a size disparity in a flyweight bout. This fight should have been stopped as early as the third and no later than the tenth. The referee, and the ringside physician never made the slightest move to stop this bout. The normally excellent announcing team of Steve Albert and Al Bernstein made no mention that this was a complete mismatch. You wonder sometimes if these announcers try to make the fight sound more competitive than it really is as they don't want to upset the company that they work for. This was sick.

All I can say is "Wow" regarding the Marquez-Vasquez bout. This bout was a throwback to the great Mexican rivalries of yesteryear. Admittedly, I didn’t think it would be as competitive as it became. For two rounds, I felt like a genius as Marquez was surgically chopping down Vasquez. In the third, Vasquez showed the same grit and firepower that bailed him out against Jhonny Gonzalez as he nailed Marquez with a left hook that he never saw coming. Marquez was seriously hurt and short-circuited. From there on, it became a damn good slugfest. Vasquez ended up quitting in the 8th because of the broken nose but it was a valiant effort. His nose looked broken in multiple places and simply looked grotesque. An early candidate for fight of the year but I doubt it will stand as the ending was too anti-climactic.

Tonight's fights, the March 3rd Quadruple header

Real quick my picks for all of tonight’s fights.

Edison Miranda versus Allan Green: This is one fight where you really have to be clairvoyant. Green is the bigger guy and better boxer. Miranda is the slugger with what seems to be a never say die attitude. Word is that he did beat Arthur Abraham in German. I’m going with Miranda only by the slimmest of margins.

Miguel Cotto versus Oktay Urkel. HBO needs to fire its webmaster and ad man. They describe Oktay Urkel as a "knockout artest", you read it right, "artest". Easy win for Cotto as he already has Judah lined up.

Vic Darchinyan versus Victor Burgos: Darchinyan by knockout even though I haven’t seen Burgos fight. "They", meaning his promoters obviously want to build Vicious Vic up for a payday versus one of the other belt holders.

Rafael Marquez versus Israel Vasquez: Ahhhh…This is what we’ve been waiting for. A fight of the year candidate to die hard fans. That being said, I’m predicting a surprisingly one sided victory for Rafa. Vasquez was being out-boxed by Jhonny Gonzallez in what I thought was the fight of the year candidate last year. Marquez is more hardy than Gonzalez, more technically sound and definitely punches harder. I predict he finishes the job Gonzalez started and becomes a two division champ.

A short note, on any other night I would splurge and pay to watch UFC 68 with Sylvia taking on Couture. There has to be a cross-over fan base in boxing and mixed martial arts so I don’t know why they would compete head on with two boxing shows. C’est la vie, I won’t be watching the UFC tonight.

Mosley w12 Collazo

Mosley has slipped obviously but he still has enough to beat the likes of Collazo. Mosley is the veteran now, he can no longer overwhelm his opponents with athleticism but now has gone the Bernard Hopkins route of beating his opponents with guile and occasional flashes of his old self.


I thought Mosley would knock out Collazo. Collazo was blasted out by Edwin Cassiani earlier in his career and I figured it was a matter of time before his chin was exposed again. But, defensively he has improved and he is a world class fighter.


Their styles didn’t mesh well. Put in Kermit Cintron against Mosley and you’ll have a much better bout.


Again, this was one of those fights that settled into a rhythm and I lost interest around the sixth round or so. No drama with these two, just a workman-like performance by “Sugar” Shane.


C+

Yet Another Heavyweight Champion

A heavyweight bout this past weekend between Sergei Liakhovich and Lamon Brewster was good enough to keep me watching. There were quite a few bruising exchanges and a knockdown. Definitely one of the better heavyweight fights of the decade which really isn't saying much.

Brewster is a throwback. To the 80's heavyweight. The guys with tons of potential but for whatever reason do not have the mental toughness to not only win, but be dominant. Brewster had a dead man in front of him by the sixth round and couldn't put him away, simply content to fire haymakers and go passive whenever return fire came. There was much talk about how Brewster changed temperamentally after hiring on Jesse Reid as his trainer. Reid, one of boxing's best motivators was able to channel Brewster into throwing a lot of power punches per round that enabled him to demolish Andrew Golota in one and come from behind to knockout German Luan Krasniqi. Problem is, why does he need to inspired in the first place. Brewster replaced Reid with Buddy McGirt and in this fight at least, showed how a fighter cannot truly change who he is.

All great fighters are self-motivated.

And that is why Brewster will never reach his potential.

Liakhovich, on the other hand, has raw technical skills but is mentally focused. He was severely hurt in the sixth round and rallied through it. The true hard knock life of his Eastern European upbringing upstaged Brewster's own indecisive history. Liakhovich won the fight simply because he was willing to work harder.

These days in the heavyweight division, apparently, that is enough.

A Fat Tub Of Guts

The heavyweight showdown this past Saturday brought back the sorry nostalgia of the 80s, the decade of the fat heavyweight. It started with Greg Page, the erstwhile Ali imitator who proceeded to eat himself out of heavyweight contention. Then there was Tony Tubbs, whose last name befitted his blubbery physique. Lower down the food chain, there was James Broad, again someone whose last name perfectly described his stomach.


But perhaps the above heavyweights couldn't help themselves. They were big guys. Toney, on the other hand, is old for a fighter (37), short for a heavyweight (5'9") and weighed in at a grossly out of shape 237 pounds. This lack of professionalism is astounding, people pay to see the bout live, they pay for their HBO subscriptions and to see this kind of non-effort is insulting. This wasn't a fight he was taking on short notice, he had ample opportunity to get in shape and win the HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP. Hell, the oddsmakers even declared him a 2 1/2 to 1 favorite.

His lack of passion was match by Rahman's lack of fire. Rahman was content to fire a jab at the lazy Toney and seem to win the fight simply by throwing more punches. Rahman's post-fight reaction was puzzling. After a fight he had appeared to easily win was declared a draw he took it with a shrug of the shoulder. He then stated in the interview with Larry Merchant that "Toney will come in shape next time. The rematch will be different". This is the first time I've ever heard a fighter become an apologist for his opponent. If he had any fire or desire he would have been angry at the decision and nixed the need for a rematch. If this had been Ali, you would have seen ranting and raving. Hell, even Larry Holmes had the temerity to tell the judges to kiss his "big black behind" after being robbed in the rematch with Michael Spinks.

So the commentators made a point throughout the broadcast that the fans are seemingly uninterested in the heavyweight division. The reason was made clear Saturday night. These are fighters without passion, with no desire to put forth the effort to make people interested.

When is Pacquiao versus Barrera II?

"Fuck all!" - The power of positive profanity

Time to eat some crow.

I had no idea Calzaghe was that good.

Granted he had made 17 title defenses so I knew he was an exceptional fighter. But I truly thought that he would not be able to hold up against the wrecking ball from Florida, Jeff Lacy.

I'm glad I didn't put any money on this one :)

Calzaghe easily outmaneuvered and outpunched the highly touted American in what was probably the most masterful performance by a British boxer ever, if not certainly in recent memory.

Lacy, whose hammering fists nearly decapitated fellow Americans like Scott Pemberton and Rubin Williams, had no answer for Calzaghe. By the middle of the second round, his facial expression said it all. The fight was, for all purposes, over. Calzaghe was too much and Lacy could only swing for the fences.

Most boxing pundits will cite Calzaghe's superior ring generalship as the primary reason for him winning this bout. I think this is only partially true.

His determination and will power were simply greater than Lacy's. After the first round, Calzaghe returned to his corner and the conversation between himself and his father, Enzo, went something like this.

Joe "His power is shit. Fuck his power".
Enzo "Fuck all..."
Joe "Fuck all! He's shit!"

Ah, the power of positive profanity. There was very little in the way of ring instruction in Calzaghe's corner. Just a few "fuck him!" and a lot of "fuck all!!"...I guess that "fuck all" is the British equivalent of our Ebonic "Fuck dat!"...Point is, Lacy was highly touted in all circles with tons of hype that I still, quite frankly, feel was deserving despite the defeat. But it mattered little to Calzaghe. Refusing to believe in the hype, he pumped himself up in the corner, using the power of forceful language to psych himself up. His punches weren't textbook but he never tired, threw tons of shots and just pummeled Lacy from pillar to post. His determination to impose his will was simply greater than Lacy's.

Whether or not the fight should have been stopped is point for debate. Some pundits may say the fight should have been stopped sometime after the eighth round when Lacy was hopelessly behind on points. I take my hat off to Lacy and his corner as they never stopped trying. The damage will be more psychological than physical, however. I'm not certain if Lacy will recover psychologically from the beating he took.

There is now talk of Calzaghe taking on Jones, Tarver or Glen Johnson.

He would destroy the shell of Jones within five rounds. Tarver would be a more difficult fight than Lacy because of his height but, again, I think Calzaghe would outwill the passive "Magic Man". A fight with Johnson would be a barnburner as they both have similar "Fuck all" mindsets. I'd favor Calzaghe because of his superior speed.

Its hard to explain why Calzaghe has been underrated for all these years. Sometimes its those guys out of the spotlight whose star shines brightest of all, we just don't notice it...

Lacy versus Calzaghe

It has been awhile since I have posted so I apologize to my millions of fans who have been eagerly anticipating the next article chronicling my thoughts.

In all seriousness folks, Lacy against Calzaghe this weekend is what all of us fight fans have been clamoring for.

Lacy looks to be as good as they come. A former Olympian he punches with Tysonesque power. The right hand bomb he launched against Scott Pemberton was downright scary. Pemberton dropped as if he had been shot. What I like most about Lacy is his technique of repeatedly hitting his opponent with the same shot once he lands. During his bout against the capable Syd Vanderpool, Lacy chased after his opponent like a cheetah after a wildebeest. He would land a monstrous right cross, Vanderpool would retreat and than Lacy would chase after him repeatedly throwing the right hand. His superior will and firepower has enabled him to defeat all 21 of his professional opponents. Considering he has one of the best young trainers (Dan Birmingham) in the sport, Lacy is a fearsome wrecking machine who will be very tough to beat.

Calzaghe, on the other hand, is a fighter with the experience. 40 wins and no defeats. His wins have come against only a handful of the division's notables, I give him full credit for defeating Charles Brewer and Omar Sheika. I do think, however, that Chris Eubank was a bit long in the tooth before Calzaghe added his scalp to his resume. Calzaghe has a busy, swarming style and will have the hometown crowd in his favor (the bout is taking place in Manchester, England). The crowd will cheer even if he farts in Lacy's direction and this will help should the bout go to the scorecards.

Their primary common opponent aside from Omar Sheika is Robin Reid. Calzaghe took a split decision victory over Reid in '99. Lacy pummeled Reid to the canvas numerous times in '05. Clearly the '99 version of Reid had more in the tank than the one that faced Lacy but nontheless I think it shows that Lacy is a class above Calzaghe.

My pick is Lacy. I most often go for the smarter fighter in close contests like this. At first glance, Calzaghe appears to be the smarter fighter simply because of his vast edge in experience. But upon further inspection, I have to go with Lacy as not just being the smarter fighter but having a greater ability to execute a game plan. He'll use his superior strength to outmuscle Calzaghe on the inside and force him to the ropes. I think Calzaghe will absorb a shellacking as early as the third round and be too proud to quit. Lacy will slam the Welshman from pillar to post by the late rounds and force the referee to intervene.

Farewell to John Ruiz

Over the past weekend the heavyweight "champion" everyone loves to hate, John Ruiz, had been dethroned yet once again. This time it is courtesy of a "Russian Giant", one Nicolai Valuev.

From the news reports it was a close fight and it has been erroneously reported that the German fans booed the decision. Evidently they were booing because the fight was so bad (hey, you're watching John Ruiz, what did you dumbass Krauts expect?)

A few thoughts on John Ruiz. There has never been a fighter people wanted to see less of than John Ruiz. If Arturo Gatti is the poster boy for heart and courage John Ruiz is the poster boy for the amnesiac. Yet because of his connection to Don King he was foisted on the viewing public time after time. He had a forgettable trilogy against a faded Evander Holyfield, got shut out by Roy Jones, thoroughly outboxed by James Toney yet he has come back time after time. His nickname is the "Quiet Man" yet I think he should be re-named "The Cockaroach". He is like the cockaroach you stomp on with both feet. You think its dead but then it gets up and scurries away waiting for the right time to reappear. That's John Ruiz.

His trainer is another story. I found Norman Stone to be entertaining. He became the only reason to tune into Ruiz's fights. His most memorable moment came when referee Randy Neumann ordered him to re-tape Ruiz's glove. Stone already incensed by what he believed to be Neumann's favoritism toward Ruiz' opponent Andrew Golota, calls the referee a "fuckin' jerk off". He is then promptly kicked out of the ring (I've never heard of a trainer being banished before, it was something out of pro wrestling). A few minutes later the cameras are on Stone in the dressing room and he states "I didn't say nuttin' to that guy..." Hilarious stuff.

On to Valuev. Arguably a fresh face is needed in the division but it could do without this 21st century Primo Carnera. Valuev is the physically weakest 7-feet, 330 pound giant I've ever seen. He's physically imposing but is slow as all hell and has the punching power of a light hitting welterweight. He may even be more boring than Ruiz. Don King plans on bringing him to America. There are no legitimate heavyweight titlists that can capture the public's imagination with their skill or charisma, so King has to go the route of selling a circus freak.

There wasn't so much a changing of the guard Saturday night as much as it was one turd on a silver platter being exchanged for a bigger turd on a gold plate.

Stinky Wright

So I turned off HBO's telecast after four rounds of this debacle. Two weeks in a row of lousy fights. First, there was Jermaine Taylor's bore-a-thon against Bernard Hopkins. Now Winky Wright's stinkeroo against Australia's Sam Soliman.

Admittedly, I did not watch this entire broadcast.
Soliman stunk. Plain and simple. A fighter of this low technique and schooling should not be on television. Even Emanuel Stewart commented "This guy doesn't look he's had five pro or AMATEUR fights."

Please don't tell me he should be admired for his "determination". A fighter must have both will and skill. Even Gatti, who has made his entire reputation on his guts, has some semblance of boxing skill when up against "C-level fighters" in the words of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Wright, on the other hand, is the opposite side of the coin. He has never attained popularity because he is dreadful bore. A skilled fighter. But damn boring. Mosley and Trinidad can't beat him. But I'd rather watch either of those two against Joe Nobody than Winky Wright against anybody.

Wright versus Soliman did not belong on HBO if the network is advertising itself as the premier boxing network.

Showtime is really kicking HBO's ass when it comes to boxing. And for anyone who has been watching their new series "Sleeper Cell" they are kicking their ass when it comes to original programming as well.