For a champion as dignified as Lucien Bute to leave home, cross the pond and battle in the hostlie territory of his opponent's hometown, to have not simply lost but to have been decimated in front of a huge audience, must be, and I understate the maginitude, utterly devastating. Unimaginably so.

Not only was Bute seeking to maintain both his undefeated record and title, he was widely considered the favorite to win against a man most boxing fans had already determined was a known quantity; a gamer but not a world beater. The only problem for Bute and those who doubted Froch, was Froch. The man came possessed; prepared to exexcute with extreme prejudice.

And did he ever.

The fight was electrifying and not easily forgotten. Froch will now move on with options galore. Bute on the other hand has other considerations. Career defining ones.

Once, not that long ago, Bute found himself on queer street, up a full eleven rounds on the cards with nearly three minutes left on the clock. He stumbled semi-conscious, avoiding blessedly another punch that would have taken him not to his corner at the bell but to the nearest hospital. But miraculously, he survived. And won.

This time he didn't. There was no where to stumble, run, or hide. So today he must look in the mirror and ask himself first..... he can tell us later....who am I. How did I get here. What do I want. How much do I want it.

Great fighters lose; often in devastating fashion. Tommy Hearns comes to mind. So does Joe Louis, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ray Leonard, Alexis Arguello, Miguel Cotto, to name but a few. Some return. Some never do.

It's boxing. Gut check time. It's Man up..... or step aside.

I don't know Lucien Bute. I don't know this morning if those closest to him do either. In fact, I'm not sure Lucien knows.

But all the metaphors aside, now we will find out.

Here's wishing him all the best.

Everything comes to an end.

We all know that in boxing, the end usually comes before one or the other participiant hopes and expects. Very few get to write their own endings.

That may or not be the case with the two most dynamic fighters of this past decade, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, as both of these men have achieved so much in the ring and earned such extraordinary sums both within and in Pacquiao's case, without. Either and/or both, should they desire, can certainly dictate the terms of their respective retirements, assuming they do so soon.

Neither is in their absolute prime. I think we saw that in both men's last fight.

Despite winning rounds and claiming to have chosen the complexion of his fight last weekend, we all know that Floyd doesn't fight to get hit and not hit. It has never been the case and, clear victory notwithstanding, it was Miguel Cotto, not Floyd, who dictated the nature of that recent battle. And it was not for lack of trying. Floyd clearly wanted to hit and hurt the game and ready Cotto as he whacked him with extreme prejudice with punches with bad intent early and often. But it was not to be.

The same and more can be said about Manny Pacquiao's last fight; a fight many believe he actually lost despite the UD in his favor. Not only would Manny have liked to dictate the terms of engagement, he himself said that he was dissatified with his performance. Nor for that matter were his fans or detractors.

Personally, I think Floyd and Manny are still performing but their ends are certainly much closer.

Manny is despite any claims to the contrary a different person than the kid that literally came from and eat off the streets in his native Philippines. He is not as hungry. Moreover, his ambitions are clearly stated and known to everyone who knows him best; he wants to be Governor and then, with hard work and some good fortune, Vice President of his country. His political ambitions are his future.

Moreover, he is truly now far more religious. I am reminded of the Muslim Mike Tyson; a hard man softened inside after not just ring battles but belief in something other than himself. This is not a direct comparison but the Manny Pacquaio that enters the ring the next time or the next is far clsoer to being a political figure in a highly religious and very poor country than he is to the young fighter who was an underdog when he first fought the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera and Oscar de la Hoya, to name but two.

Call it what you will but I call it a kinder and gentler Manny Pacquiao.

I will say the same for Floyd; a marketing genius who entered the ring with the trending king, Justin Beiber, and was clearly prepared before the fight to apologize to Larry Merchant publicly....and then...like a guest on SNL.... come out for a second interview.

That...was not the Floyd Mayweather wh fought and punished a a metaphoric badly behaved child in Victor Ortiz. This was the now 35 year old kindler gentler...."I want puplic approval"...Floyd Money Mayweather; a man preparing his good name for his future. Outside of Boxing.

I know what I think we all know; this passage and these men will soon leave the scene.

Or am I alone. What say you?

Do the fires still burn and if so how soon will they soon extinguish themselves?

I am half serious but I am very curious.

What if all fights were Catchweights. That's right. Catchweights contracted between two game fighters and no compulsion to fight in any division.

As it is, we have so many calibrated weight classes and even more sanctioning bodies charging fees for progressively more meaningless titles than ever before. On top of that we have big guys draining themselves to squeeze themselves into small men's divisions (Ortiz, Chavez, Rios), little guys with balls (Gamboa, JMM, Pacquiao) fighting bigger guys ...and everyone again trying to pretend they are welterweights all of a sudden because that is where the money is today.

So what if for the sake of arguement we did away with with divisions and just made fights?

The early response to Gamboa Rios is very positive and Gamboa has never fought at 130 let alone 135. Rios on the other hand has'nt made 135 in almost a year. Ortiz (and Margarito) fight at middleweight and higher on fight night. Chavez fights at Cruiserweight. And Sergio Martinez, the middleweight champion of the world, is so desperate for a big name he would shrink himself to 150 to fight the top welters.

Personally, I am excited to see Gamboa try his hand against Rios. And I don't give a hoot what belt if any are fighting for. I would love to see Mayweather take on Martinez around 154/155...as I more than Floyd apparently believe he would win.

You get my drift. Many a fantasy and/or dream fight could be made.

If Catchweights were the norm, who would you like to see meet whom?

With time working against him and his May date, Floyd Mayweather has finally selected his opponent; the illustrious and ever humble Miguel Cotto. These two men are two of the three biggest names and thus attractions in Boxing and their meeting will undoubtedly be watched by many. Both will achieve great paydays. For Cotto, maybe his largest to date.

So there is much to look forward to.

Clearly, despite their star power, neither men are in their absolute primes but no matter. They will arrive in the ring as the professionals they are, prepared as always for giving their best efforts.

As with all such high profile later stage fights, we should expect their respective constuencies to be out in force with Miguel wearing the white hat and Floyd being Floyd. If we are fortunate, we will see much and learn all the more exactly where both men are in the arc of their careers.

But what exactly will we see. When we last saw Cotto he was avenging one of his two defeats; a bad one at the hands of Antonio Margarito. Cotto won that fight with aplomb but there are some, arguably the minority, who believed that had the fight gone on longer, the result may have been different. Personally, credit due where credit is due. Miguel Cotto took the fight that haunted him and he won. Period.

Floyd was last seen dominating a mentally 'challenged' but otherwise game Victor Ortiz in his second fight at welterweight. The bigger Ortiz was game until the screws in his head loosened and he used it's housing to try to change the trajectory of a fight he was going to lose no matter.

The problem, given how absurdly that fight ended, is that we saw too little. Certainly we saw a shutout being pitched against a top prospect but we never saw the complete game. And given Floyd's age and the rarity of his appearances, we would have been better served watching him go longer and deep.

I cannot speak for you gentlemen and ladies but I cannot see how a Cotto who struggled with Clottey and was absolutely destroyed within twelve by Pacquaio (over two years ago, no less) will fare any better. I can say I hope so but that and a few Benjamins aren't getting me to Vegas to see the fight.

I am both a critic and a great admirer of Cotto so I wish him well. But the realist in me says not bloody likely.

Lastly, the all mighty dollars aside (and there will be many), I cannot see exactly what Floyd can accomplish fighting this version of Cotto as compared to say ... a prime Cotto four or so years ago. Beating Miguel is beating Miguel but as Floyd likes to say, why should he fight someone else's leftovers. Cotto can be called many things....but no one can call him fresh. Or prime.

What say you?

Once he leaves his stainless steel cell in a couple of months and returns home to the comfort of he Big Boy Mansion, Floyd will IMO begin plotting his return to the ring, if he has not already done so.

And being the mega-star that he is, he will have unlimited options; a fact that will allow him the luxury of choosing the opponent, the terms, the time and the place as is his want.

Now I am assuming that he does indeed fight again. There are some concerns that he may just decide he's had enough but I am not one to subscribe to that notion.

When he does fight I am convinced that Floyd, despite not having the proper diet and execise while in county that he might otherwise have prepared for him at home/camp, will return in good form. After all, he is without question a exqusitely tooled and professional athlete dedicated to keeping in shape at all times. He has proven ready and capaple of stellar performances after long layoffs time and time again.

I anticipate him taking a few months to getting settled after being released. By that time, he should have met his other constitutional requirement to the IRS in mid-April and then be ready to start cashing new deposits by June.

The question is who do you think he will fight and more importantly who would you like to see him fight?

Being a boxing fan has become hard work. And expensive.

Every two or three weeks, we are given the opportunity to place a bet with our money on a PPV fight, the majority of which rarely live up to their expectations. And I'm being nice. As boxing purists, we may see something that makes watching...and paying...worthwhile. too often that is not the case.

Some of the best fights in the last decades have not been PPV. Many happen a bit like great art; by surprise. Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo was free...and no one who was there to watch it will ever forget it. Pr where we were when it happened. I was alone with the wife and kids asleep, going out of my mind watching two men warring in center ring. No attempt was made by the taller and more diverse Corrales to shift to strategies and box from outside. Not Diego. He was going to dies before he budged. Only thing was ...so was Joe Luis Castillo.

These guys came to win and they ended up entertaining. Big time. And it was free.

When I watch, I hope to see not just two well matched fighters, I hope to see a chess match fought like a war. Hearns Hagler. Duran Leonard. Gatti Ward. Cotto Margarito.

Sure I want skills...but I want to see balls to the wall. Punches with bad intentions. Two men ready to all but die. Two professionals that know, beyond the paycheck, that they are there to entertain. Us. the fans

That may not be the stuff of the soft hearted or the politically correct but then again boxing ain't beanball.

So tell me, what is it you look for and what will you pay for in boxers and Boxing.

Am I the only one thinking it odd that neither HBO nor GBP have released the numbers of PPV buys for the Mayweather Ortiz battle? 

Although these kinds of numbers are normally released within a week or two of the event, there is always the possibility, like hanging chads, that the count has not been finalized. I say possibility because I have my doubts.

There is no greater way to promote your success than to have real numbers, even the usual inflated versions so common in boxing, to boast about. In the past, not only were numbers speculated and bantered about, they were exaggerated upon as early release as possible.

I say past because that administration at HBO has changed and I am wondering if the new administration is as willing as the last to allow the promoters, all of them, to fudge their numbers as we almost assuredly know the have.

I'm curious to know your thoughts....and/or any information you all may have...on the subject.

Two years ago, after losing very controversially to a then-feared welterweight turned junior welter, Paul Williams, Sergio Martinez made the ballsiest bet of his life and challenged Kelly Pavlik for his middleweight title. And won. Big.

After coming down from a walking around weight in the 170's, the talented Argentinian weighed in a half pound less that the 160 limit, met  and then thoroughly defeated and possibly forever deflated the once undisputed Middleweight King, Pavlik.

In his next fight, he was forced by the networks to accept a catch weight of 157 from a man who, controversially or not, had actually just defeated him. William's calculus was transparent. Martinez was a bigger man and in asking him to shave an extra pound or two from the standard 160, PW might sap either his punching power or his stamina, were it to into the later rounds. 

Well, Williams was wrong. Dead wrong. Sergio was plenty powerful and had no reason to go long that night. In one of the KOTY, Martinez dispatches yet another foe; possibly for good.

Martinez took that fight but he wasn't happy. In fact, here is what he said about PW's pre-fight demands and conditions:

"Personally, I'd be ashamed to ask for a catch weight. I would never do it. If you want to challenge someone for their title, be a man and fight at the right weight."

Since then. opponents have been scarce. sergio is in another league for those who share his optimal weight. But that is simply how it goes sometimes. Ask Larry Holmes. Fortunately for Sergio however, we live in a world of too many sanctioning bodies with too many weight divisions, and thus we have catch weights. That wrinkle is Sergio's opportunity.

 ut farnkly I don't think he's done a very good job exploiting it. In fact, I think he and his promoter are squandreing it...and along with it, some of Sergio's good will.

Sergio moaned about losing a few extra pounds to fight Williams for his title. A big man between fights, he knows he's middleweight. Full fledged at this point in his life. So what does he do. He look down. A bit like a bullies that he claims to hate. He seeks fights at 150 lbs against Pacquiao, a man who has never even weighed 150 on fight night. Occasionally but not too frequently, he allows his minions to use Floyd's name; a fighter who I believe could meet him at his former weight, 154, but won't. And doesn't have to.

Rarely if ever do you hear the name Bute. Or Ward. Less that two eeks ago, bute said and I quote: "It would be an honor to fight Sergio Martinez. He's a great fighter. We could fight at 166lbs"

Now that is a catch weight Sergio...and we already know that you never meant what you initially said. You are happy to fight smaller men at catchweights. It will soon be time to fight again. Do yourself and your stellar image a favor. Pick an opponent and fight...but fight somebody your own size.

Well, love him or hate him, the Michael Milken of professional sports, Victor Conte of BALCO infamy, claims that the testing done by Floyd Mayweather for himself and his opponents is NOT Olympic Style.

Now last I checked, Conte is a a convicted felon but hey, this is America, land of many chances. Myself, I have personally recommended on threads such as these that fighters steer clear of Conte; not because I think he will try to help them cheat but because of the perception that he might. And perception is almost a meaningful as reality.

But the one thing I know about Conte is that like Michael Milken of Wall Street infamy, the man knows his shit. And he can smell it. 

Today he announced that the testing protocol that Floyd Mayweather so proudly triumphs and demands for all of his fights (coincidently since Pacquiao's emegence), for himseld and for his opponents, is NOT after all Oylmpic style testing after all.

Well, who'da thunk it?

Floyd begins his 'random' testing once the training period for his fights officially begins. So far, so good. The problem however is that Conte say that allows any fighter to benifit from potential drug use...before and after...the fight, when the bulk of their conditioning and training takes place. As in all year round. In other words, it is entirely possible to use PEDS for mnths between fights and then only submit to testing during the few that you are training for the fight in question.

Well, that says Mr. Conte...is not Olympic style testing . Olympic style testing is indeed random...but it is all years round.

Now this may dismay some and surprise others but for me it confirms one thing. Mayweather was never serious about cleaning up anything...except wallets. And his vocal attempts to accuse and use this issue is nothing more than ruse to do what 'retirement' hasn't fully allowed him. To avoid fighting the man he deems most trhreatening to his most prescious possession. His Zero.

In a fall season with two of boxing's biggest stars set to fight, Boxing was poised for its highest ratings and biggest audiences. Specualtion surrounded the numbers expected at the gate as well as in PPV sales at home. Some with their usual hyperbole were even anticipating records. 

Network executives and sponsors were on call. Shakeups at HBO and elsewhere pointed to the possible reuniting of boxing and terrestial TV. Boxers and Boxing were once again candidates for sponsors and endorsements. The light was geeting pretty bright and the game was getting its chance to shine.

And then came last night.

What transpired last night in Vegas sadly didn't just stay in Vegas. Everyone saw it. Why? Because one of two of boxings biggest stars was fighting. The game had eyeballs. And then it didn't.

One butt, one lapse of attention and two blows later, Boxing had its Golata moment. Another Ear for the vitrine. Another mark keeping the game once seen on TV every Friday night in homes across this country from doing so again.

Blame everyone. Ortiz for sure. Only a fool could fight and stay fairly even against a great fighter under the brightest lights and use his head, not to adjust, but as a battering ram. Think Ortiz. Think Butthead. Blame Cortez. Damn, he even tried. Not letting Floyd use his customary tricks to dissuade his opponent or breaking them too soon, Cortez actually was doing pretty well. Until he wasn't. Then he lost control by failing at one of his principal duties, watching the fight and policing the fighters. He policed but he did not watch. Not well enough to stop the act that will do more to hurt Boxing more than all the words spouted by the very same fighter in his attempts to help boxing. I am speaking here of Floyd, the very same.

Floyd always knows what he is doing. At least that is what he tells us. He is not accusing any one fighter of anything. He is simply trying to clean up the game. Problem is...the only person he is trying to clean up the game against is himself. Bravo the game's second biggest star (Pacquiao is far bigger name globally). Nicely played.

By cold-cocking the imbecilic Victor Ortiz, Floyd made no fans for Boxing. He won the fight. And pleased his fans. But from the moment the fight ended to the minute his arm was raised (by his own team), I have not heard anyone, from the audience there and/or casual boxing fan who saw what they watched and watched what they saw......who liked it. 

And I suppose and suspect that is precisely what the people most capable and responsible for bringing Boxing back in front of mass audiences believed as well. 

Fortunately, Boxing is bigger that any one fight. For if it was not, last night was not a good night for others to judge.

Every sixteen or so moons, we are gifted with another glimpse of the second wonder of the boxing universe, a Floyd Mayweather Junior fight. Second not because Floyd is second to any other, because he is not, but second because the other wonder, Manny Pacquiao, boxes more frequently in a style that many if not most have determined is far more entertaining. But this is not about just about Floyd and/or Manny. This is about legacy; something earned not given.

Floyd Mayweather owns something few other boxers in history have been able to boast; an undefeated record. And he treasures it with his life. He places immeasurable value and weight on maintaining it.  He is obsessed with it as he is obsessed with his place in history. No one can be certain of how history will regard them but Floyd, it appears, is certain of one thing. If he can fight when he wants and who he wants, his chances of losing are far diminished. And thus his chances of retiring undefeated are substantially increased.

Now boxing is a hard business and Floyd, having been born into it, knows it. He fights as or more intelligently as any boxer before him. When he fights. I am not talkng about just the frequency of fights but the frequency of his fighting, within the ring, between the bells.

Fans come to see fights. More often than not, not merely to see a fight, but to see a fight break out. To see men challenge themselves. Taking risks. Seeking them in fact. We like to see the stuff of which men are made, not when they choose but when their moment has been chosen. By design or by fate. It is in those moments that we see into the character and soul of a fighter. 

Before Floyd the terrific Joe Calzaghe retired undefeated. The achievement is undeniable and far be it for me to say that he was not indeed the most talented man in his division. But he and Floyd, for very different reasons, share a similar problems; heir visibility and their competition. Joe Calzaghe would have benifited by having been seen more often outside of his native UK and Europe. Floyd would have and still could benefit merely by being seen more often. Both would have benefited by seeing out competition no matter where. Or when.

History looks for ways to define its characters. Boxers who look for characters to define themselves become history. Ali did not need to fight Joe Frazier three times. He chose to. Leonard did not need to choose to fight Roberto Duran toe to toe in Montreal. He chose to. Holyfield, with an arrythmic but huge heart did not need to seek every challenge. He chose to. These men did not wait for history. They sought it. And history will not forget them.

If you don't think history is brutal, ask Larry Holmes. He beat every heavyweight in his division when the heavyweight division was still the place to be. His not having beat the names we wished he could habve fought had nothing to do with Larry. He fought frequently and he fought them all. And he beat all but a few. He was a great heavyweight (at one time 48-0) and yet history has yet to fully define him. Talk about leaving the decision up to the judges!

Floyd wants us to remember him. True boxing fans want to remember him. The task is made difficult if either party is unwilling. Floyd needs to stay visible. He needs to fight. One time every sixteen months as a welterweight is not the stuff of legend. Nor, in this fan's mind is it the stuff of legacy.

Well, let's leave Juanma off this list. After numerous near calamities, Juan Manuel Lopez finally met his Waterloo last fall before a much desired battle of undefeateds could be made between him and the much vaunted Yuri Gamboa. Say what you will but Juanma was not protected. 

Then there is the obvious candidate for the lifetime achievement award for protective custody, the son of the Mexican legend, Julio Cesr Chavez. No one is more protected that Junior and no one should argue otherwise.

His younger and arguably far more talented countryman, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is by comparison merely being 'guided' through the ranks. His minted belt notwithstanding, this kid has talent. How far he can go remains to be seen but with the proper protection (eg.careful match-making), he will be an attraction for quite some time.

And what about the others. Guys like Andre Ward have fought at or near home often enough to raise questions about an insidious form of protection; home town favoritism.

And now we have Lucian Bute, the talented Romanian who left home for Montreal, the place where he is rarely and/or barely challenged. Many believe him to be the goods. Most would like to see him step out and up and prove it.

That's my thumbnail list. Who do you think needs more challenges to avoid being added?

Enough has been written about Pavlik this past week not to warrant much further attention but I am interested to hear, what, when, and where you all believe that Kelly Pavlik was, if not truly dangerous, then still a viable, serious contender.

No one will ever be certain of how his decline began outside of the ring or should I say no one can be absolutely certain. His friend and trainer Jack Loew, often criticized for his limited advice in the ring, has said that Kelly does not handle th difficulties of life outside the ring very well. Well, knock us down with a feather. Who'da guessed.

His record since repeating his dominance over the short time middleweight belt holder, Jermaine Taylor, is filled with names, few of them of any consequence. Taylor was followed by Lockett and then disastrously by Bernard Hopkins, the fight commonly cited as the beginning of Pavlik's travails. The came Rubio folowed by Espino, teh former now looking better but the latter of no real consequence.

The name that never followed was Paul Williams, although it was he who twice was left before getting to the alter as Kelly, clearly not in good health, was nursing what we were told and shown whenever necessary, a staph infection. I don't doubt the staff infection. What I do doubt is how it was used in delays of scheduled bouts. And what I am all  but certain is that an infection hosted in a poorly maintained body is not one that has any incentive of leaving anytime soon. In other words, kelly was not taking care of himself.

The rest is history. Pavlik faced his best competition since Hopkins and once again he came up short. He was not exposed. In fact he was competitive until he was cut and ran out of juice. He was however beaten far earlier. Passobly even before the fight.

Whispering in his corner between early rounds to his trainer, we never heard his words but we did hear Loew's. He was clear. He did not like or want want to hear what Kelly was saying. I'm guessing he had lost his confidence early. No confidence. No mojo. No mo'.

Lopez was a match merely to see what was left and to keep him in the mix. Cunningham the same. But Pavlik balked. Simply packed up and walked.

The question is when was the last time Pavlik was a serious meaningfiul threat to someone other than himself.

Floyd Mayweather is back. Whether or not it is the Floyd Mayweather we know, the boxer nonpareil, or some new version remains to be seen. But we will see him. And he will be fighting a live opponent. The newly crowned Welterweight Victor Ortiz will be defending a belt at his new weight for the first time. A bit green, the eager, once-written-off kid from Oxnard, will have a second chance to show us whether his 'no mas' moment was an anomaly or a pattern. And man does he have the right opponent in the saaviest veteran possible, FMJ. It should be a good one while it lasts.

Then we have the fight some think should have happened some time ago, Manny Pacquaio vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, two extraordinary fighters and performers meeting for the third time. Yes, they are older and their optimal weight quite different but no one can deny or doubt that bothe men will bring it in November. Anticipate a battle. Both men want to put an 'controversy' over their past two fights to rest.

And then there is Carl Froch, the unoorthodox battler from Nottingham, fighting for the SuperSix title against the Son of God (well, not really) Andre Ward, the former Olympic Gold medal winner and undefeated pro from the Bay Area USA. No one expects a ballet when these two meet and it could get downright uglybut no one doubts either man's desire to win.

My question: Which will be the best of the three....and which has the greatest potential to dissappoint?

If you talk the talk, you need to walk the walk.

Boxing is full of self promoters and who can blame them. After all, they are both entertainers and prizefighters. So the bigger the audience, the bigger the purse.

And no fighter with the ability to do so should forsake his own ability to put asses into seats.

David Haye is a master. He took four forgettable fights as a heavyweight fighter and parlayed it into a masterful promotion. I don't know how bog it was but without his mouth it would certainly have been a helluva a lot smaller.

But this is boxing at the highest level. Not fronting. And when a man talks shit he way David Haye can and does, he better deliver. Sadly for us, he didn't. To be blunt, he flopped. Instead of laying everything on the line, he stuck one toe in the door. I couldn't figure out what he planned to say after such a dismal performance but Haye didn't disappoint. He had his alibi ready.  In fact, he pointed right to it. His toe.     

Muhammed Ali, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, and Mike Tyson let it be known they were coming to take feast on your heart and then remove you from your body. Ali more than the others often went to extremes in disparaging his opposition. Duran just insulted them. Tyson threatened them and occasionally even suggested he might enjoy dining on their heart. Hagler just glared.

Edition Miranda and Ricardo Mayorga always talked shit but always left the ring victorious or on their shields. They may not be smart men but they are real fighters.

David Haye, in my mind, committed two cardinal sins in boxing in one fight. He tales the talk.......but failed to walk the walk.

Can you remember others that failed as publicly as Haye after blowing hot air before their fight?

Tomorrow, Floyd Mayweather will finally meet Manny Pacquiao in the presence of a real judge.

It seems that his attempts to postpone the match-up are no longer an option. The referee who will presumably judge the two pugilists has ordered Floyd to show up to in public.....not his pound for pound status.....but his claim that Pacquiao is otherwise.

Floyd is apprently being forced to do what he seems to do so effortlessly and so well; Talk. He is being his first chance to back up his claim that Manny is a fake; not the man we think we've been paying to watch, enjoy and often celebrate. A user...or should I say abuser of Performance Enhancing Drugs.

Now personally I prefer my fights in the ring, not in court. But this one intriques me. You see, in a game of brinksmanship and showmanship, I think floyd is being forced to blink. And oftyen the man forced to blink first is the man who, when he enters the ring later, dinks.

Boxing is a head game. Ask Bernard Hopkins. Floyd had and has tried to place demands on Manny because IMO he is not comfortable seeing what he sees when Manny fights. Round One Manny. Now Floyd complaints to the referee has led to a reprimand, not of Manny but of Floyd. Round Two Manny.

One day they may meet in the ring. But unless and until they do, lile Ray Leonard (Hagler) before him, Floys has tried to gain the advantage. Problem is....Manny hasn't bit. Or blinked. Unlike Hagler, he's not jumping when Floyd shoots. In fact, he has shot back.

That is not how Floyd and his family thought the game was going to get played. They thought Manny, like Hagler would capitulate. I don't think so.

Tomorrow we begin to find out.

In this era of the internet and YouTube in particular, it has become commonplace to not simply share opinions good and bad about the merits of a particular fighter and his record but to actually go back and effectively attempt to and/or revise history by evaluating the tapes of past fights. That is not a value judgement. It is a fact.

Many if not most of us do it. Or have at some time. 

The Pacquaio fights with Marquez, the Mayweather fights with Castillo have all been analysed, criticized and exorcised ad infinitum; possibly for edification and thus in good faith but arguably not. In most cases these observations have become cudgels to bludgeon the reputations of what were previously deemed to be impressive records accomplishments.

Now sometimes there is indeed merit to legitimately question a record of what would otherwise be an exceptional career. But most often we see posts which do more. The use them to demean.

I have always believed Oscar de la Hoya has not been given the respect he deserved for having fought every prime opponent put in front of his path already paved in gold. He could have chosen otherwise..but he didn't. And thus Oscar gets my props.

Manny and Floyd have both been accused of reaching the pinnicle of the game but having done so with a fair amout of 'cherry-picking' or, more accurately, choosing their matches carefully. I think these critiques are not totally unfair.

I'm not offering any other examples. I think you get my drift. My question to you all is who do you think has the most distinguished records of having fought the best when they were at their best?

Antonio Margarito may, after the horrific beating he took last fall in Dallas at the hands of Manny Pacquiao, not be coming back.

Word is the broken orbital he sustained was only the half of it. He may have detached his retina; a career ending injury.

Now I know this satisfies many and excites a few. Well, maybe more than a few. Antonio certainly gave boxing lovers plenty to hate after getting caught old wrap-handed before his loss to Mosely.

But he also gave some, or should I guess lots of us, more than our share of thrills as he put everything on the line with his (Bossman, you'll excuse me) 'stalk, stun and kill' approach to every round of every fight.

Many will say good riddance. Others, karma. Some like me will say Laurence Cole and Robert Garcia did their jobs poorly that night in Texas. When Garcia heard the bone crushing in the 4th, he was right to let his fighter continue. After eight rounds of further punishment, he may have reconsidered. He didn't and I suspect he and Antonio had an understanding. They trained for war and knew the only way to win was to go through hell and hope to catch Manny late.

Cole, on the other hand, a guy who gives nepotism an even worse name, used his fingers and Margarito's ability to count them as his primary tool in determining his decision to let the beating continue. That, I will argue, was poor judgement.

It is ironic that it was Texas, the one place before all others, that re-licensed Margarito when no one else was prepared to do so. And it was a Cole (Dickie) that allowed his career to continue and for him to fight. It is also ironic that Cole the Younger was the man who may have best been able to stop the fight that night... and for him to fight another day.

Personally, I already miss Margarito and wish him well. I can't say I want to see him back because I don't want anyone fighting with a detached retina, fixed or not.

Say what you will ... and I know you will but Antonio Margarito went out on his shield. And I will always love fighters like that.

"Winning Isn't Everything; It's The Only Thing" ..... Henry Russell "Red" Sanders (UCLA circa 1950)

No it isn't.  At least, not in boxing!

The well known quotation often attributed to Vince Lombardi isn't wrong, it's just not complete. In boxing, how you win ius just as important to the fans, both hardcore and casual, as if you win. Fans come to be entertained. Often the style of a given fighter will attract and sustain a following and an audience. More often than not, however, it is the style in which a fighter wins that  matters most.  

Let me be very clear. Andre Ward is a winner. He prepares to win and he comes to win. He is very talented and he has a record to back it up. He has an unbroken string of victories stretching back through his amateur career that extends to and through his win last night over Arthur Abraham last night.  He does everything Virgil hunter has trained him to do and he he does it very well. He meets virtually every qualification of a true champion. 

Except for One. He does not dispatch his opponents with extreme prejudice. In fact, he does not dispatch them with prejudice at all. He just wins.

Boxing is already dominated at it's top by a great champion, Vladimir Klitcschko; another vanquisher of all whom dare to claim his title. The younger Klitschko wins methodically but not spectacularly. We should all have such problems.

But it is a problem. His own trainer, Emanuel Steward, has been his most vocal supporter and his most vocal critic; literally yelling at him to knock his man out.

Tim Bradley and Andre Ward are the two best young American born fighters of their generation holding titles. They may hold them for some time.  But the problem is not very many care. Not many at home, not many afar.

Outscoring one's opponent is great.  Tattooing and battering them is better. But what most boxing fans and almost all fight fans come and pay to watch is real power. In other words, knockouts.

Ward and Bradley may gain power. Or not. The price for not doing so however will determine their price in the fair market for boxing. In other words, their purses. And purses are based on eyeballs. Ours.

Personally, I'm watching but still waiting.

What about you?

For a while, Mike Tyson's Maori warrior mask tattoo was big news. But like everything else, today becomes yesterday.

Edwin Valero has a big Mao like Hugo Chavez tat dead center on his chest, just south of what became the ugliest cut on a boxer's head in recent memory. The cut was definitely worse than the tattoo but the tattoo was pretty bad. Especially for a demented fighter tried to get a US visa.

Diego Corrales wore some of my personal favorites, not because they were great in themselves but because I loved Diego. The tattoo reminded us that the mild manner exuded in his interviews was emanating from a former gang banger and a killer in the ring.

Now Kelly Pavlik has re-appeared with a body full of some of the most absurd if not the ugliest panoply of tattoos since Popeye was taken off the air.

I am a believer that there is a correlation between fighters who have tattos and those who, after career changing losses, begin to tattoo themselves. Cotto was beaten badly by Margarito and came back to meet Josh Clottey with, yep, a body covered in tattoos. Margarito was beaten by Mosely and sure enough, new tattoos. Now Mosely post Floyd has his own shoulder set with new ink.

It is almost as if these warriors have chosen to create a shield of sorts. Whether it is to project or to protect them or both, I do not think massive ink is a coincidence. Freud may have  a better explanation but I see a correlation.....and a pattern. But that's just me.

But I ask you: Who do you think has the worst tattoos?

Or for the matter who do you think has the best?

Next week the thirty two year old, active P4P king of boxing takes on an aged but still considered by some to be capable, Shane Mosely. Although there are those who belive that the fight can be more than competitive, most don't. Pacquiao has simply been to fast, too powerful and just flat out too dominant since he began his historic run of victories.

But even the most ardent Pacman enthusiast knows that all things must come to an end. Time waits for no one. And for boxers, time and timing are everything.

Training alone is taxing on the body. Sparring is somewhat simulated but very real boxing. Fighting no matter what means imminent wear and tear. Sooner or later, the body is just not the same.

Pacquaio is so many things but one of the things that has made him a unique star is the one thing that makes him most vulnerable. He is human.

The day will come. He knows it. His trainers know it. His managers know it. Even his fans know it.So I ask, is it next week or the weeks and months after. Or years to come.

Is it one oppenent...or the aggregate that eventually catches and beats him. Is it one shot...or is it a a stylistic barrier that makes him look, in the center of the ring, like all the rest of us. Human.

It has always been my contention that Floyd Mayweather was a great boxer but a very small man. Not in size but in realized potential. For while he has laid grandiose claims to greatness, his actions have belied a lesser stature.

I am not speaking here of the numerous opportunities since 2005, the year he became a welterweight, to prove himself in the ring. I speak of his inability to recognize and understand that his behavior and disposition outside of the ring, in the world at large, are myopic at best and self defeating at worst.

When it as announced today his arch-rival, the man he has found infinite reasons not to fight, Manny Pacquiao, has been signed to endorse numerous global brands, garnering untold millions, NOT for fighting, but for being a mensch, Floyd will still have his precious O but will have taken his first major loss.

The little man from an island far away has beat the man who laughingly once called himself 'Money' ... by countless zeros. 

Business, like life itself, is about choice and consequences. Floyd had it all. Now Manny has it all. The difference: Behavior ... and the ability to see beyond one's navel.

Floyd was smiling the other night at Foxwoods. He won't be when he reads the news.

Manny Pacquiao is now the undisputed Money man in the sport of kings. 

Ca-ching. Ca-ching.

What a night

What a week.

What a month.

Night after night, fight after fight, upset after upset. The skies of the boxing universe have shifted.  We We saw O's go. Stars fall. New ones rise.

Victor Ortiz, IMO, was the biggest winner these past weeks. His victory was gutsy, exciting and unexpected. His plavce on the scene restored.

Recommendation: Buy. Add to portfolio slowly. 

Andre Berto, the biggest loser. He looked like crap. His legs were shot after his head got rocked. His desperate attempts to lure a gme fighter into a trap on the ropes a lame (and very misguided) attempt to channel the great Ali. He was, IMO, finally exp[osed. And deposed.

Recommendation: Sell.

Morales: Upgraded from Sell to a Hold. 

Maidana: Downgraded from buy to Hold.

Khan: Hold

Who do you think went up. And who do you think went down. And why.

Waking. Making. And Shaking. That's what El Terrible did in one one glorious night.

By extending and almost beating one of the games biggest young guns, Erik Morales woke all but a few of us up to the dual realities that skills still rule .... and that Erik is still here. He made his old fans and his too many to count doubters into believers. And shook up the mix that no had long since been part of.

So now what? Or should I ask who next ...for the remarkable Erik Morales.

Some say Marquez. Others Pacquiao. What say you?

Down Goes Frazier !!!! Down Goes Frazier !!!!

And just like that, the world, your world, changes. One day you may be Champion. Before that, a contender. The next  .... I'm not sure what.

Boxing is simply like no other game. Period.

You enter the ring all but naked. Alone. Under bright lights. In front of an audience assembled to watch you. Not your team. But you. You are confronted directly, without protection or gear ...unless you consider a mouthpiece and a cup of consequence... by your opponent. Armed with your God-given talent, your skills and your training....and hopefully the right plan. Your seconds are outside the ring, supportive but unable to subtitute, blow a whistle, or otherwise help....lest they throw the towel in mercy and hope for another day.

In the end, it is you and you alone who will dictate whether you move on, move up or simply move out of the way. 

This weekend we saw...at what can only be considered the speed of fight ... two promising careers shift.... in a flash.  What these men do, how they adjust, what they learn, we will wait to see.

What we do know is that whether you are Mike Tyson, Vladimir Klitschko, Roy Jones Junior ....or David Lemieux and James Kirkland, you can and will be hit. And yes, you can.... and will be dropped. 

The question for all who dare to enter the squared circle is what do you do when that happens. How you answer that question will be the sole determinant between those that could..and those who will.

James. David. You guys are not the first ...or the last.  But rest assured, we will be watching very very closely to see who you are or who we thought you were.

It's been a great weekend. I am interested to hear from you all about other fighters, past and present, who went from Wow....... to I don't Know How.

Not too long ago, we were all subjected to a media spectacle in which one of the most entertaining althletes in all of sport, Lebron James, used his celebrity power to garner and manipulate a huge audience, many of whom were loyal fans, into watching him announce his decision on where he 'would be taking his talents". 

We have grown used to our local heros, our team's franchise, our stars showing their deep appreciation for our support by doing exactly what they feel they personally need to do when and where they feel the need to do it.

This is no longer a question of what is right or wrong, it is a reality.

In many cases we blame ownership and/or management...and in many cases we may be right. They make business decisions that often do not comport with fan appreciation.

But so do players.

In boxing we have seen exciting, promising fighters demand purses that make matches inmpossible. Alfredo Angulo turned down 750,000 dollar to fights to fight a then lesser reknowned Sergo Martinez. Anselmo Moreno turned down 300k to fight Nonito Donaire after Montiel just received $250,00 to defend and lose his title. And now no one including his father has denied that Floyd Mayweather asked for and thus consciously priced himself out of a fight with Pacquiao for a clean 100 million dollars.

My point here is that we really don't know what goes on in negotiations between their fighters and their managers. Or their promoters. Or the networks for that matter.

What we know is what we see. And what we see is not always what we want. And, like in most cases, we tend to shoot the messengers. It's just easier. Or more human.

But I will contend that in today's business environment, stars have power. And they make choices. They demand them in fact. And thus it is not always the promoters who are at fault.

Boxing has many issues distinct to it's nature. Entitled stars is not merely one of them. It is endemic of all sport. But it is an issue.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

In the much anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather(s), the Filipino Dynamo has been given the first round over the Grand Rapids Grandee by the referee, or in this case, the presiding judge.

Sadly, this battle will not be settled in the ring by the fighters. In fact, there appears little doubt that what might have been a true spectacle and a fight for the ages is now headed to a decision.

Too bad for boxing hardore and casual fans. 

The ring is a unforgiving place. It provides no place to hide, no substitutions, and but one minute's rest between each three minute round. It is Man vs Man, naked before all, in the most tranparent of forums; the squared circle.

Floyd Mayweather is considered by many to be a genius in the ring. The problem is when he's not. Whether it be at home, in his car, or just left to his own devices, Floyd is an incorrigible flirt. Disaster is his mistress.

Three times in the next month, this brilliant boxer will find himseld suited up prepared for three seperate battles. Each in courts with different names. In each case, Floyd will be at a disadvantage. In no case will he be able to do what he does best to win; Box.

No vaunted defense or patented shoulder roll will prevent open shots from connecting with the lip that flaps. Or should I say the lips that flap.

A fascinating turn of events. The once Pretty Boy now known as Money had the opportinity to fight for unfathomable fortunes. Now, by his own hands, he has found himself in a no win battle that will do nothing by cost him the very same.

Congratulations Floyd. And may God Bless America

Assume....for a moment....you were an supremely skilled boxer. An elite professional. Trained to perform at the highest levels of your chosen game. A true fighter, operating with the confidence earned from years of preparation and result.

You know that you are capable of beating virtually everyone at your given weight, possibly even higher. But 'almost everyone' is not Everyone.

Somewhere, someone in your division just flat out unnerves you. Maybe unnerve is the wrong word. He Scares you. Your trainers, managers, promoters and matchmakers recognize his existence but don't talk about it. But you know.... they know. And they know...you know.

You try to suppress it. Yet no matter how hard you try, you still find yourself waking up with nightmares thinking about him. Thinking about entering the ring and looking across from that one man that might just do what you have been able to do to so many before him.

Hurt you. No....Not hurt. Possibly...Destroy you.

We all have at least one. That thing that strikes fear in our heart. That one man that...even as a professional.... even you would never want to step inside the ring to face.

Someone whose style, whose character, whose demeanor, whose determination....in fact whose very existence....simply unnerves you.

Ask yourself.   Who would that One Man be?

The days when top journalists had direct and frequent access to both fighters and managers is long gone. That kind of access gave the fighters and the game an accessibility. One might even say a personality.

Today we get much of our information through multiple sources, often secondhand or worse, most of it about the business, not the boxers. Very few are afforded and/or lend themselves to investigating their subject and/or their story with any degree of exclusivity. The result is a lot of information but little of which allows the personal insights into a fighter's character and thoughts....and feelings.

Mark Kram's Ghost of Manila is an example of a story based on tremendous access to both it's key subjects;  Ali and Frazier. Ali considerably more. The book is arguably the most honest and revealing portrait of the man behind the myth. 

It got me to thinking. Who would I want to sit down with today and what questions would I hope to elicit honest answers.

Certainly, Ray Leonard would be one. What was going through his mind watching tapes of the Hitman. Upon entering the ring and seeing the Murder Capital Detroit's number one assassin loosening the arsenal in his long arms.

Cotto would be another. What was he thinking after three rounds with Margarito.....still smiling and running toward him? In fact, what about Brian, his rotund pal who watched it unfold from Miguel's corner.  What was going through his mind?

I could think of countless others. Questions and fighters to ask.

What about you?

Ok. Xmas is over.

Now just because we no longer have to act nice and be generous to everyone doesn't mean there isn't still time for one more gift. I want to give you all one that keeps on giving. A safe place to "air your grievances", to bitch, moan, vent and yes, hate. ... but not just about anything; about a fighter and/or fighters that you just love ...  to hate.

I know. It's not a nice thing to hate. It's not PC. In fact, there isn't much good to recommend it. But damn, it feels so good sometimes. so ...right.

We all have our favorites. I know I do.

Here's my short list:

Arthur Abraham. I just truly hate this guy. Not just for what he did at the end of the Dirrell fight ... but always.Something about him, his arrogance, his smugness, he tranny outfits, his entrances, his bichig about low blows....all of it. I just hate the guy.

So let me ask you, who do you love.......to hate?