It looks to me like Mayweather has nobody that he really listens to, respects enough to listen to.
--Bob Arum

In the United States, a person is presumed innocent until proven otherwise and until he or she is granted due process (Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat) . That said, I firmly submit that five- division world champion Floyd Mayweather Junior (41-0) falls within these presumptions. More to the point, I am not ready to join those who have rushed to judgment in their sanctimonious “rage.”

However, though clearly unlike the nature of Edwin Valero’s cascading and horrific issues, the recent headlines surrounding Floyd’s out-of-the ring activities have been hardly encouraging and have flashed warning signs like a broken traffic street light. Floyd needs better, mentoring and counseling from his closest advisers and he needs it now while the issuess are out there. His path continues to rapidly move in the wrong direction. Where there is smoke, there are usually smoldering cinders, but hopefully Floyd will get through his legal issues and be exonerated of the growing list of charges alleged against him (which now include several felony charges and several misdemeanor chargers as well as civil claims). The latest is a misdemeanor battery charge after he allegedly poked a security officer in the face late last year. Now, Floyd reportedly is being sued by his Home Owner's Association, which alleges that the boxer's temper issues have become a threat to his gated Las Vegas community and the people who work there.

But meanwhile and whatever the case, he owes it to himself and to his fans to get back in the ring and do what he does best, because that will be the only way to change his direction. And doing what he does best is repeatedly engaging in “uncivil, hostile, harassing, and threatening behavior, and participating in battery and violence”—IN THE RING-and only in the ring.

Floyd is still at the absolute peak of his earning power though not popularity and hecertainly has mega fights out there which the  fans will gladly pay to watch.

 Hopefully, it’s not too late. We will soon find out.

Are you ready over here? Are you ready here/ Ok, let’s get it on.

-- Mills Lane

Excitement in the ring means different things to different people. There is no one right definition. For me it means a lack of predictability in which a fighter can chill or be chilled at any give time. To that end, Bob Satterfield was the most exciting fighter I have witnessed bar none. To others, it might mean someone systematically breaking down and then closing out an opponent in brutal and relentless fashion. A ‘stalk, stun and kill” style is an exciting one to be sure.

Michael Katsidis excitement factor is high, and I define this by dividing the total number of stoppage losses by the total number of fights. Kat’s disdain for defense combined with his aggresive  and savage incoming style makes him a compelling fighter to watch.

Let’s look at some other fighters with a high excitement factor and see whether they really were or are exciting.

Oganov

Russian middleweight Victor “The Destroyer” Oganov once had a record of 28 (KO28-1(KO1) which translates to a perfect excitement factor of 100%, but against Fulgencia Zuniga, he was badly exposed as having minimal defensive skills and was destroyed by Zuniga over 9 rounds. If KOs are your thing, Oganov might be just what the doctor ordered, but the ecxitement that comes with them may not be all that compelling..

Valero

The late Edwin “Dinamita” Valero had  a perfect excitement factor and KO percentage. He won his first 18 fights as a professional by first-round knockout, a record that has since been broken by Tyrone “Young Gun” Brunson. While Valero’s EARLY level of opposition might have been bette, rBrunson’s has been downright awful. Icing fodder is not exciting.

Berrio

Former IBF super middleweight title holder Alejandro Berrio once had  96.97% factor and he was indeed very exciting. This Colombian bomber was  a classic chill-or-be-chilled type guaranteed to provide chills down your spine. He is now mounting a comeback'

“Big Tuna”

Marcus “Big Tuna” Rhode usually chills when he steps down and get canned when he steps up. His mark is 34 (KO 29)-39 (KO 34)-2. A review of opponents he has beaten reveals dreadful opposition. Perhaps the highlight of his career was when he beat Ron Johnson (21-22 coming in) in 2007in Arkansas. In 2000, he was beating Butterbean handily over 3 rounds until he made the mistake of trading punches and was quickly starched. Bean (aka Eric Essch) was 59-1-2 at the time. Would I go out of my way to watch Rhode fight? I’d rather eat a dry tuna sandwich.

“The Beast” and Earl

Earl Hargrove fought Australian (by way of Uganda) John “the Beast” Mugabi on March 17, 1985, in Tampa. Hargrove, out of Philadelphia, came into the fight with a stellar 26-1 record—his first twenty-four fights being won by way of stoppage. Mugabi’s record was even more impressive. Right out of the professional gate, the unbeaten “Beast” entered the fight with twenty-four straight, often spectacular, KOs and had built a big reputation as a bomber.

This promised to be a battle between two bangers, and someone was sure to go early. This just might be a repeat of the Meza-Garza shoot out. Mugabi had beaten James “Hard Rock”Green, Frank “the Animal” Fletcher (whose nickname rivaled that of Mugabi’s), and Curtis Parker all by stoppage. Mugabi would enter the ring to chants of “Beast, Beast, Beast!” Hargrove’s opposition was far inferior. When he did step up to fight tough Mark Medal, he lost by TKO.

When the fighters finally touched gloves and the bell rang, just like that and before I had time to cut and light up my Griffin Corona, it was over. Hargrove was dispatched by the Beast in 1:33 of the first round. Hargrove had been exposed.

Yes, sometimes there is a record behind the record

 

The much-maligned Texas referee Laurence Cole more often than not is everybody’s dart board. Well known writers (who have never been in a ring) seemingly love to crucify him citing everything from conflicts of interest to incompetence in the ring. They cite the bad stoppage in the Ward-Leija fight in 2002 and the issues arising from the Jimrex Jaca –Juan Manuel Marquez bout in 2006 as examples.

 

Probably they are justified in their criticisms, but in 2010, Cole made somewhat of a comeback culminating in a rock solid effort in the high-profile Pacquiao-Margarito fight in which, being savvy to the Mexican warrior culture, he gave Margarito two chances for a dignified exit by holding his fingers up. He also was virtually invisible throughout the fight. What I particularly liked was that he correctly sensed Pacquiao was beginning to carry Margarito late in the fight and allowed Tony to finish.

 

In 2009, Al “The Quiet Storm” Seeger stopped Benjamin “El Michoacano” Flores in the 8th round in a regional title bout in Dallas. Cole wisely sensed something was wrong with Flores and stopped the fight to loud jeers and raucous catcalls. Most thought Cole had intervened prematurely, given Flores had not been decked. After the "bad" stoppage, Cole again astutely noticed that something was terribly wrong and held Benjamin Flores up until a stool was gathered. Flores later lapsed into unconsciousness. Sadly, he passed away 5 days later.

Now Cole won’t win any awards, nor am I necessarily touting him, but he does deserve his due. There needs to be at least some balance, however small, to the over-the-top criticism he normally gets.

How do you feel about this?

Many people argue that Catch-Weights are not a good thing for boxing. They ask: are fighters legitimately winning titles in multiple weight classes when these weight stipulations are put on the title fights? Some even go so far as saying  such fights makes a mockery of some of the world titles Manny Pacquiao fought for. I choose to disagree. Oh yes, I know they might give a somewhat tarnished impression of a pure divisional title, but as long as great fights can be made via this method, I like it. Pac Man has given me a lot of thrills as he has moved up through the divisions. Maybe what Manny is doing is using the catch-weight to hinder larger men, but since when does a bigger man coming down become hindered fighting a smaller man coming up? James Goyder states in a July 26, 2010 piece in bleacher report, "By making these diva-like weight demands Pacquiao is seriously detracting from his historic achievement of winning world titles in multiple weight classes. Pacquiao's place in boxing history is assured without him needing to bend the rules to exaggerate the extent of his own achievements. If Pacquiao wants credit for winning a world title at a certain weight his opponent must be allowed to step onto the scales at that weight."

Sergio Martinez seems inclined to use catch-weights as well.

Now then, in a sport that may be in trouble (at least in the U.S.), anything within reason that can be done to turbo-charge the interest should be a welcome addition. The Super Six Tourney, though not a new concept, has done this globally. Mega catch-weight fights, also not a new phenomena ( Julio Cesar Chavez, Henry Armstrong, and Emile Griffith have done it) are something to which I look forward--like Roy Jones fighting Tito at 171 or Manny moving up or down (but mostly up) to fight bigger guys like Margarito. Of course, one must be careful when talking about Armstrong because he had only 7 weight classes--not 17 like we have today.

And then there is Floyd who has all kinds of options but seems reluctant to get off the dime. Heck, what about Floyd fighting  Martinez in the middle of a range of 147> 154 <160?

So for me, I am more interest in the fight than who lays claim to a title. How about you? How do you feel about this?

 

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.

Mention of Tyson brings us to that beautiful borough of Brooklyn, NY which seems to produce trash talkers at a reasonably consistent rate.

Riddick Bowe, before he became unintelligible, was a true practioner dumping his Belt in a garbage can while insulting Lennox Lewis...a feat that still haunts him. Of course, a pre-reformed Zab Judah carried on the tradition with his behavior against Referee Jay Nady and Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather (no shrinking violet himself when it comes to this noxious behavior), and his continual bad mouthing of opponents. Though in all fairness, he did show grace in victory against Cory Spinks, calling him a great fighter.

Then there is Paulie Malignaggi, blessed with uncanny boxing ability and cursed with no power. This brash product of Brooklyn seems to have followed in the footsteps of Hector "Macho" Camacho when it comes to showmanship. He even had to be carried out of the ring as a spectator at Foxwoods because of his heckling and behavior targeted at another fighter. Perhaps this makes up for the fact his fights are dreadfully and predictably boring with the exception of his strong effort against Juan Diaz and Miguel Cotto.

Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs, another Brooklyn native, sat ringside as IBF champ Wladimir Klitchko iced Calvin Brock on November 11, 2006 at the Garden. This is what he had to say about Brock's effort:

"I told everyone that Brock-oli was green as grass," Briggs said. "He looked like a rank amateur. The guy was a total flop on the US Olympic team and he was a total flop in the Garden. Is he animal, vegetable or mineral? After this showing, I think he can be stored in the vegetable section with the rest of the Brock-oli. I knew he was a pretender contender from Jump Street. That was an embarrassment to our whole country. You can stick a fork in Brock. Hush, hush, Sweet Charlotte and like that. No heavyweight from Brooklyn would perform like that in the Garden, that is for sure........go with the best and forget the rest....I am the real world heavyweight champ,. Not Klitchko, not the robotic Valuev and not Oleg Maskaev. I am the whole enchilada. These other guys are, well to use a Brooklyn expression, they are chopped liver."(Evans, Ant. “Ringsider Briggs not impressed at Garden,” [Available Online].

That was the first times I ever heard one boxer go after a losing fighter in another fight. What possibly could be accomplished by pouring salt into the wounds of a fighter who had just been knocked out? Briggs mentions his Brooklyn heritage, but my close knowledge of Brooklyn tells me “The Cannon” may have been away too long and has lost touch with the gritty reality of that turf.  That or he has confused trash-talk with Brooklyn swagger.

These days, David Haye does a fair job, and I rather like his approach (I also thing he is a very fine heavyweight).

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?

Three years ago, Tony was my favorite fighter. No one could stalk, stun and close like the Tornado. The Cotto fight was electrifying. My God, he literally ran after his opponent once he had him ready. I have rarely seen that in a fighter. He was also known on the streets of Southern Cali and in Northern Mexico as one very “BAMF.” In street parlance vis-à-vis boxing, that is a great compliment.

This aura was shattered away by the hand- wrap scandal and so was my admiration, though I didn’t quite share the level of white hot rage and hatred that was out there.

This past Saturday he was asked between the 11th and 12th  rounds whether he wanted to continue, His response was something to the effect: “No, no” ‘I’m ok, don’t stop it?”  At that point, the man gained a degree of redemption in my eyes. Once again, he had earned the street accolade of being a “BAMF,”and that has got to count for something.

 

 

Back in the day, ethnic rivalries were big in the U.S., and I suspect in certain other countries as well. I recall Italians, Irish, Blacks, Polish, and Jews fighting one another in fierce and intense battles. The Jews began to exit boxing in the 50’s but while they were there, they were awesome. The Italians vs. Irish vs. Black fights brought out hugh representative crowds to cheer on their favorite sons.  My dad would take me to many a fight where I generally but not always would cheer for the Italian and he would cheer for the other guy (my dad not being Italian and all). The Blacks and Irish are still out there, and the Polish are having somewhat of a renaissance, but the old ethnic rivalries are pretty much a thing of the past. But in the U.S. they represented a certain stage in Boxing.

The last really fierce ethnic rivalry I recall attending was in the Northeast when Dana Rosenblatt and Vinny Paz split a pair. The crowds were representative and the atmosphere was Old School. The thing here was not only the ethnic difference but also a socioeconomic one. Dana was an articulate college boy while Vinny was a gritty Providence guy. Yet both could rumble at the time. It was a watered down version of the old Chico Vejar-Chuck Davey fights of the 50’s, but the two may have put on the last solid ethnic-rivalry type fights in America.

Can you think of any in the U.S. or anywhere else for that matter?

 

I recently started a thread on another site (a European one) about being Old School and one of the posts read:

Continue reading this post »

I am not even certain there is a set of firm criteria for boxers or “non-participants.” If there are, I have never seen them. But the boxer category aside, I have an issue with the following category: .

 Observer (Print and media journalists, publishers, writers, historians, photographers and artists

Dave Anderson

Lester Bromberg

Jimmy Cannon

Ralph Citro

Howard Cosell

TAD Dorgan

Jack Fiske

Paul Gallico

Bill Gallo

Reg Gutteridge

W.C. Heinz

Jersey Jones

Hank Kaplan

Joe Koizumi

Hugh McIlvanney

Larry Merchant

Harry Mullan

Barney Nagler

LeRoy Neiman

Damon Runyon

Budd Schulberg

Ed Schuyler

Bert Sugar

 

Now then, each of the above was great and/or notable in his own field of endeavor, but each field of endeavor probably has its own Hall of Fame or other way to preserve a legacy. Heck, even my High School has one. Let that be their reward--not to mention the compensation they made off of boxing.

These are people who made their living off the blood and sweat of the boxers, trainers, managers, referees and others who had a DIRECT impact on what happens in the ring and on the OUTCOME of what happens in the ring. When boxers like, for example, Davey Moore, Pone Kingpetch,  Masamori Tokuyama , and Tony DeMarco, are ignored, while non-participants and observers get close attention, I for one will continue to view this process (and category) with skepticism.  Maybe I'm being too petty, but I do think the validity of inluding this category at least warrants some discussion

What really got to me and triggered this post were the recent bile-inducing comments of Colin Hart, the veteran and respected scribe in Britain; who said he would not vote for Mike Tyson. How despicable is that? How arrogant? Good God. Jimmy Jacobs and Cus D'Amato are in, but he says "no" to Mike Tyson. Hart, who acknowledges Iron” Mike’s fistic talents is apparently of the opinion that Tyson’s indiscretions rule him out as far as a Hall of Famer.

How do you feel about thsees observations? About the "Observer" Category? About the lack of known criteria? About Colin Hart's eelings about Tyson?

Some fighters were or are rarely in an exicting bout. You just knew that once the bell rang, the action would be slow and tedious and might well drive you to another channel. Bernard Hopkins, though higly skilled, comes to mind.  Joun Ruiz certainly was a guy who came to win during his long carrer, but not in a particularly fan-favorite manner. These days, Corey Spinks fills the snore-fest bill quite nicely.

Can you name some others--past and/or present?

 

Some fighters were or are rarely in a dull bout. You just knew that once the bell rang, the action would be fast and furious. Irish Mickey Ward personified this type during his career. Before him, Matthew Saad Mohammad aka Matthew Franklin  was certainly a guy who came to please in each and every effort during his great career. These days, Michael Katsidis fills the bill quite nicely.

Can you name some others--past and/or present?

...if we compare either the fight itself or each of the two men [PBF and De La Hoya] involved with the glory days of pugilist masters like Ray Robinson and the almost unbelievable fights he had, we are going way too far with the hype… Look at the facts, Robinson had over two

hundred fights as a pro - over twice as many as both Oscar and Floyd combined. And Ray was never once legitimately KO’d. Fighters were just tougher back in Robbie’s day. It’s that simple

--James Slater

I believe, in my prime, I could have fought with anybody alive.

--Rocky Marciano

Let’s use Rocky as the subject example, though any number of other great old school fighters could be used.

Gosh I loved Rocky Marciano for any number of reasons not the least of which is that he was from my era and my generation. He was pure old school and so am I—but not to the point of naivety. Now some fighters just plain entered the ring with bad intentions; their very appearance evoking fear. The Rock was one of them. He took away his opponent’s heart and soul little by little, piece by piece. Like Joe Frazier (and like what someone else recently called him), the Rock was a "truth telling machine." That he was an Italian didn’t hurt much either. I also thought his skills were greatly underestimated. He was savvy fighter who did what he had to do against everyone they put in from of him. After all, 49-0 is a perfect record.

Nostalgia

Sure, looking through the prism of nostalgia makes everything seem better and I like to play out old school memories just like other old timers. However, and this is the rub, I also try to be thoughtful and objective when making comparisons between the past and the present–and that’s where the issue of old school prejudice comes in (some call it "era" or "generational" prejudice). That’s why comparisons between The Rock and modern fighters are a tricky endeavor.

Comparisons

Should Marciano be compared to more recent heavyweights in the mold of Ali, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Lennox Lewis, or Wladimir Klitschko? Maybe even a prime Riddick Bowe? In my opinion, the answer is manifestly no. He simply was not big enough, though he likely would have beaten his fair share of big fighters. Instead of comparing him against fighters who stood 6"--9" taller and outweighed him by 40-70 pounds, how about comparing him to cruiserweights on a relative basis? After all, Rocky fought at a disciplined 183-188 for the most part which places him in the middle of the cruiserweight limit. In fact, many of today’s cruiserweights would outweigh the Brockton Blockbuster since the original top limit was raised from 190 lbs to 200 lbs in 2003.

Thus, looking back, how would he have done against guys like Marvin Camel, Lee Roy Murphy, Carlos Deleon, Dwight Braxton, Michael Moorer, Ralf Rocchigiani, Bobby Czyz, Orlin Norris, Fabrice Tiozzo, Johnny Nelson, Ricky Parkey, Vassily Jirov, Virgil Hill, and James Toney? Perhaps the best matches would have been against Evander Holyfield (when he was a cruiserweight champion) and a prime Dariuz Michalczewski.

More recently, how would he compare to the following who fight (or fought) at Cruiserweight (175-200 lb (90.72 kg)?

Tomasz Adamek, David Haye, Firat Arsian, Vadim Tokarev, Jean Marc Mormeck, Marco Huck, Denis Ledbedev, Steve Cunningham, Zsolt Erdei, Alexander Frenkel, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, Johnathon Banks, Ola Alafoabi, BJ Flores, Valery Brudov, Wayne Braithwaite, Guillermo Jones, Giacobbe Fragomeni...

Variables

Yes, he did starch Archie Moore when both weighed 188. And he did beat his share of guys over 200 pounds, including Don Cockell, Lee Savold,  Joe Louis, Bill Wilson, James Patrick Connolly, and Humphrey Jackson. The fact is, however, Rocky was a small heavyweight, and when I compare him to the top cruiserweights, I am comparing apples to apples except for the difference in era. The task is to engage facts before nostalgia. The lesson is to take into account all essential variables when making comparisons between old and modern. Variable such as number of fights, era (for example, the 70‘s were a great time for heavyweights and the 80‘s for mid-weights), stamina, training techniques and methodology, records, style, chin, KO percentages, skill-sets, entire body of work, quality of opposition, management, punch output, etc. When this is done, myth is stripped away from facts. When this is done, you are not engaging in old school or generational prejudice bias.

Of course, I must confess that when I do this; Rocky Marciano quickly becomes the greatest cruiserweight in history.

Kermit Cintron seems to fit this bill. From KO losses that weren't KO losses to weeping after beating a game Jesse Feliciano to winding up outside the ring against Paul Williams, Kermit seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time more often than not. Slaughtered twice by Antonio Margarito, Kermit has been able to bounce back. His best so far has been the May 30, 2009 defeat of highly regarded and then undefeated prospect Alfredo Angulo (15-0) by a unanimous decision. It was a case of the "frog" beating the "dog." This was followed by the strange Williams debacle.

 

Yes, Cintron might well qualify as a "drama queen," diva,  head case, or what I would call, an incident-prone kind of fighter.  Know of any others? I sure do..

 

I think the concept was and is a super one. It's creative and just what boxing needs. However, if you are going to set up a business model, then set it up correctly. This means it must have a contingency plan. A "what if plan," if you will.

I'm sure those who conduct Prize Fighter tournaments have a back-up plan in place in case one of the fighters is badly injured and cannot continue. Surely. someone must have thought about this beforehand regarding the Super Six and had a list of fighters who could step in as replacements. Sure, Green is in. But what now? Bika and Bute would have added spice to the mix. In fact, Bute might well have won it.

 But that's not my point. If boxing is going to be bold, it must act smartly up front and be proactive; not reactive.

What are your views on this?

 While I have been observing for some time now that Shane (46-6-1) is not quite the same guy he was a few years back, I still acknowledge that how many fighters are? Yes, he has slipped considerably and his stamina seem to be a major issue now--one I first noticed against Cotto. Also, his fight against Mayorga was not all that great until the last savage round when he sent Ricardo to Peck's Bad Boy Heaven. By then, I began to notice a nasal ever-so-slight slurring to his speech. I didn't like what I heard and saw.

However, he then he turned in a super performance against the possibly discombobulated real Bad Boy, Margarito, and was never really hit in that one.  But this was followed by less than compelling work against Floyd Jr and The Latin Snake.

Shane always looks to be ripped and ready to go, but the interior may be shot. Kind of like Riddick Bowe against Golata or Roy Jones against Tarver in their first fight.  Still, given his great career, I for one think he deserves to go out with a win. The problem is that HE probably thinks he needs to go out with a win over someone like Berto, and that is just not going to happen. Pick your last opponent wisely, Sugar Shane.

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

A few weeks ago I wrote an article titled, "That Ninth Round: A Boxing Historian Struggles to Maintain His Interest." In it, I expressed my growing concern with the sport (and business) of Boxing. I mentioned the upcoming Toney MMA fiasco and sure enough, it turned out to be just that.

Since then, Margo has been licensed to fight in Texas, and Mayweather launched foul racist and homophobic insults at Manny Pacquiao and then compounded matters with a lame apology. Then, to make a bad situation worse, Mayweather was arrested for allegedly committing grand larceny and was held on $ 3,000 bail (huh?). He also was wanted for questioning in a domestic battery case. Where was his PR team in all of this? My guess is that he doesn't even have such a team.

Meanwhile,  former world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik will be on the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard on November 13 and face Haitian journeyman Daniel Edouard at a catchweight of 164 pounds. A blow-out fight that everyone expected and predicted.

To top off the number things that have happened since my malaise set in, Sugar Shane Mosley will fight Sergio Mora in a PPV. PPV, Huh? And there are even worse PPV's on the horizon.

As Mayweather's image plummets, and as other things occur in the world of boxing, anyone who thinks the sport is healthy needs to revisit his or her thinking in my view.

Yes Peter-Klit is interesting (but will the winner fight Evander?) and so is the streaking Canelo--Saul Alvarez, but it's going to take more than that to re-ignite my interest and passion.

 But wait, maybe I need to go to a good club venue, smell the cigars, drink the warm and slushy beer, eat the heavily mustarded  and oniony hot dogs, munch on some roasted peanuts. Yeah, maybe I need the smell of perfume and cheap after shave and look at all the bling. Maybe this is really all I need and I just might have it in my sights next week.

How about you? Are you having a problem, too? If so, what is your remedy?

He [Billy Conn] can run, but he can't hide

                                                                       --Joe Louis

This is the last guy on earth I want to fight

                                                                     --Rocky Marciano

 Yes, Joe Louis is a credit to his race—the human race

                                                                                    --Jimmy Cannon

... he did so much to bolster the spirit of the American people during one of the most crucial times in American history and which have endured throughout the years as a symbol of strength for the nation.

                              --U.S. Congress in awarding Joe  posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award given to civilians by the U.S. legislative branch.

Joe Louis was more than a sports legend -- his career was an indictment of racial bigotry and a source of pride and inspiration to millions of white and black people around the world

                                                                                                               --President Ronald Regan

I'll start it with Joe Louis whose most remarkable record may have been that that he knocked out 23 opponents in 27 title fights, including 5 world champions.

My God, when Joe beat Max Schmeling in 1938, people flooded the street and cheered. When he lost to Marciano in 1951, they openly wept. When fans saw what the IRS did to him, the were shocked. Joe was the real McCoy. He transcended boxing and even the sporting world. Look, I was born in 1937 and remember Joe's astounding impact in the 1940's..

Regarding the IRS issues (which triggered the need for him too fight Rocky Mariano), people did not push back in those days like they began to do in the 60's. You pretty much did as you were told. The guys coming back from WW 2 and Korea were different but for the most part, they just wanted to be left alone and to live in peace. Everyone sensed Joe was getting a bad deal, but the propaganda machine (aka the IRS and the Government) made it appear otherwise. It wasn't until his son exposed what had happened that the true tragedy emerged.

In 1993, he became the first boxer to be honored on a postage stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service. On February 27, 2010, an 8-foot bronze statue of Louis was unveiled in his Alabama hometown. The statue sits on a base of red granite outside the Chambers County Courthouse. An indoor sports venue is named after him in Detroit, the "Joe Louis Arena." The list goes on and on.

Yeah, Joe  was my most beloved fighter.

Last week, we got into some interesting exchanges about Meldrick Taylor. Some might say he qualifies as one of Boxing's most tragic figures. But for me, I'd go with Riddick Bowe as someone who reflects the dark side of our collective passion. Certainly, boxing has left him in bad  mental shape though he does seem to  have some money left over. Bowe is tragic for many different reasons not the least of which is that he never fulfilled his great potential. Hell, no big man could ever fight as well as he could on the inside. He had it all, but then, after the two Golata DQ 's, it went south fast. Maybe his grueling  trilogy with Holyfield ruined him. Whatever the case, Bowe was never all that he could have been.

Do you know of any others?

Mine would be why did Teddy Atlas go into the crowd in Las Vegas many years ago and start a ruckus with some guy (I think it might have been a writer or reporter)? I believe Teddy may have been addressing the crowd at the time. What triggered this explosion? I know he got into a number of other potential fights, but this one involved him doing a bit of beat down on the victim--or at least I believe it did. Anyone know the facts.?

These losses might have occured even though the victim continued on with hsi career, but for all practical purposes, it was over. I can recall when Jimmy Thunder: got brutally waxed by Maurice Harris. He was 32-7 at the time, but then went 3-6 in his last 9 losing4 by stoppage. Mo ended Jimmy's career in New Jersy on May 20, 1997, even though immy retired in 2002.

Can you think of any others?

Assemblyman Harvey Munford of Nevada has proposed a bill that would help down-and-out fighters with medical expenses. Michael Dokes, who is indigent, has suffered greatly in recent times and Z "The Dream" Gorres suffered career ending brain injuries in a November fight in Las Vegas. His medical bills topped $ 600,000 but state law requires promoters to carry only$ 50,000 in medical assistance for fighters. That sparked Munford of Las Vegas to propose abill that would create a tax and afund to cover medical expenses of retired and destitute boxers and mixed martial arts fighters.

As for pensions, there have been many discussions over the years, but only California has a plan, albeit a parsimonious one. There are many issues and questions that obviously would have to be addressed--like number of rounds, qualifications, number of years, etc.. Still, with California as a straw starting point, I believe i could come up with a definitive and acceptable plan provided I had the assistance of a benefits attorney and a benefits expert. And I further believe I could do this in one day. After all, how difficult is it to spell "deferred annuity."

I realize the absence of a union plays a role here. but a union in boxing is just not going to happen--like it did in baseball, football, basketball, and hockey-- so whatever can be done must be done without the help of a union.

What do you think about Harvey Munford's move and/or the issues involved.

 

Each snowflake is different and so are human beings. Boxers are no exception, but some stand out as being truly unique. Others tend to fall into a kind of cluster. Heck, even if Willie Pep were put in a pea pod, he would have Nicolino Locche and Pernell Whittaker for company.

 

But for pure uniqueness, I submit Randall "Tex' Cobb fits this bill. He was a lot brighter than most people gave him credit for; he received a BA with Honors from Temple University (no mean trick); he was a good all-around athlete; he finished his boxing career with a fine record of 43-7-1 (though his final long undefeated streak was against dreadful opposition); he became a solid character actor; and finally, he is well is known for his many amusing quotes three of which follow:

During the referee's instructions prior to his bout with Shavers, the ref asked the customary Any questions? Cobb replied Can I bite him?

They called me a fat, cowardly, cocaine-snorting, fight-fixing cheat, Who they calling fat!--Cobb

When asked about how he [Cobb] was going to fight Holmes by Howard Cosell Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him

Yes, Tex Cobb is a “one in a million.” Can you name any others?

 

Mention of David Clay Bey in a recent fan post brought up memories of guys who had or currently have fast hands as in hand speed. I'll start it off by not mentioning a few onvious ones and cite David Haye as one, though he doesn't use it in multiple-combos as much as I would like. Still, the speed with which he delivers a punch accounts for much of his great power.

Can you name a few others?

One per each post would be nice, but you can post as many times as you like--or you can tell me to stick it and do as you like.

To the dismay of his loyal fans, Roy Jones Jr. seems to be a poster boy for this fanpost. He was 48-1 after beating John Ruiz in 2003 and had he retired right there and then, his immortality would have been a slam dunk. But no, Roy had to fight on and lost 3 of his next 4. Two losses were by concussive knockouts and were frightening to witness. He then came back to win 3 in a row including a decisive win over Felix Trinidad in 2008. He could have exited at that point with most of his dignity intact, but no, he had to fight on losing 3 of his last 5, one an astonishing and surprising first round stoppage at the hands of Danny Green. His last fight against Bernard Hopkins was an ugly UD loss.

If Roy wants to fighht guys like Lacy , Sheika and maybe even Hecttor Camacho, that's fine and dandy becuase it will add wins to his record. The sad thing, however. is that it will not add any lustre to his legacy which has taken a big hit since 2003.

The last person I  would  ever imagine to be the poster boy here would be Roy Jones, Jr. How mistaken I was.

Can you think of some others who seem (ed) determined to do the same thing?