Argentina

The Hauser Report: Manny Pacquiao vs. Lucas Matthysse

Published

6 years ago

July 15, 2018

The more time goes by, the less Manny Pacquiao feels like a feel-good story. On July 14 in Kuala Lumpur, “Pacman” knocked out Lucas Matthysse to claim one more in a long line of sanctioning body belts. But the narrative has changed.

Ten years ago, Pacquiao was on the verge of launching a three-fight knockout streak against Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto that would establish him as a great fighter. He had risen from the streets and was about to become a global icon. He planned on running for public office and someday becoming president of the Philippines. He was a standard bearer for oppressed people around the world and had a kind word for everyone who came into his orbit.

Times change.

Pacquiao will turn forty years old on December 17. He has won some elections, first for a seat in the Filipino House of Representatives and then in the Senate. But he has been largely ineffective as a congressman, made virulently homophobic statements, and cast his lot with the repressive regime of Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte.

He has also fought too long. As Pacquiao entered his confrontation with Matthysse, his once vaunted power seemed a distant memory. He had lost four of his last nine fights and hadn’t knocked out an opponent since fighting Miguel Cotto nine years, thirteen fights, and 150 rounds ago. Conversations regarding his boxing skills lingered on the past.

The end of Manny’s relationship with trainer Freddie Roach also chipped away at Pacquiao’s good-guy image. That relationship was part of the feel-good story. They were together for 34 fights over 16 years.

Earlier this year, Roach learned via a press release issued by Team Pacquaio that he had been dismissed as Manny’s trainer. This came five months after Freddie told an interviewer, “I think it’s a good time for him to retire. He’s doing a good job as a senator right now, but not as a boxer.”

“Manny and I had a great run,” Roach said when advised of his termination. “Longer than most marriages and certainly a rarity for boxing. I would be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t hurt that he didn’t contact me personally about his decision. If Manny would have called me and told me what he wanted to do, it would have been a perfect ending. But I learned a long time ago, life is not perfect. I’m disappointed that I had to read it in the newspaper and I didn’t hear it from Manny first. That stings a little, but there are no hard feelings. I have no complaints because my life is so much better in so many ways because of Manny Pacquiao. I wouldn’t trade any of it. Inside the boxing ring and the political ring, I wish Manny nothing but the best.”

Pacquiao-Matthysse was viewed as an intriguing fight with Pacquiao installed as a 2-to-1 betting favorite.

Five years ago, Matthysse (now 39-and-5 with 36 KOs) was a significant player on the boxing scene. His only losses were split-decision verdicts at the hands of Zab Judah and Devon Alexander. Then he devastated Lamont Peterson in three rounds, which set the stage for Matthysse vs. Danny Garcia on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez. Matthysse came up short that night, losing a unanimous decision. Two years after that, he was stopped in ten rounds by Viktor Postol.

The knock on Matthysse is that he has trouble with quick opponents and tends to fall apart when faced with adversity. Also, at age 35, he’s past his prime.

In the weeks leading up to Pacquiao-Matthysse, there were questions regarding how solid the financial backing for the fight really was and whether the bout would proceed as planned. By the time the necessary financial components (i.e. money in the bank) were in place, it was too late to undertake a pay-per-view promotional campaign in the United States, so the card was televised on ESPN+. Joe Tessitore, Tim Bradley, and Mark Kriegel called the action off a TV monitor in New Orleans where they were on site for an ESPN fight between Regis Prograis and Juan Jose Velasco.

Pacquiao weighed in at 146 pounds; Matthysse at 146.7. Kenny Bayless was brought in to Kuala Lumpur from Las Vegas to referee the fight.

Pacquiao was the aggressor throughout. As his foot-speed has decreased in recent years, his ability to reset quickly at sharp angles and punch effectively has diminished. But Matthysse’s own footwork was so plodding on Saturday night that Lucas was unable to set his own feet and punch with power. And when in range, he was unable or unwilling to pull the trigger. To say that Matthysse looked one-dimensional would be giving him credit for one more dimension than he showed.

Pacquiao dominated the action. In round three, he scored a knockdown with a sharp left uppercut. Toward the end of round five, Matthysse took a knee after being on the receiving end of what appeared to be a glancing right hand up top. In round seven, a left uppercut dropped him again, at which point Lucas spat out his mouthpiece and Kenny Bayless stopped the fight.

Speaking from an ESPN studio, Teddy Atlas put the bout in perspective.

“You hit a heavy bag, you look good,” Atlas noted. “All you Pacquiao maniac fans out there, no disrespect. Give him a lot of credit. Thirty-nine years old, he got the job done. He looked good, yes. Against a 35-year-old who, in the end, quit, a diminished Matthysse. Matthysse did not fight. He did not try, For the most part, he was a passive guy who looked like he was just getting paid. He took a knee. He quit. He looked like he was going to quit in the fifth round when he got hit [with] that punch that barely touched him. It didn’t look like a consequential punch. I’m not in his brain; I know that. But I’ve been in this business forty-five years. He was thinking, ‘Do I continue? All right, I’ll continue.’ Then he got convinced not to continue with that really good left uppercut in the seventh round. Marvelous performance for a 39-year-old with 69 fights; no doubt about it. But no effort on the other side. No resistance on the other side.”

Pacquiao’s record now stands at 60-7-2 with 39 knockouts. The nagging fear is that, after making tens of millions of dollars in the ring, someday he’ll wind up broke. He’ll never be a great fighter again. The question is, “Can he be very good?”

* * *

There was a lot of boxing on ESPN and ESPN+ on Saturday. The early undercard bouts prior to Regis Prograis vs. Juan Jose Velasco began on ESPN+ at 4:30 PM. At seven o’clock, the telecast moved to ESPN for Teofimo Lopez vs. Michael Silva and Prograis-Velasco. Then, at 9:00 PM, the scene returned to ESPN+ for two Pacquiao-Matthysse undercard fights followed by Pacquiao-Matthysse.

Several months ago, Freddie Roach was asked, “How good is Prograis?”

“Regis wouldn’t be my first choice for one of my guys to fight,” Roach answered.

“Who would be?”

“Somebody other than Regis.”

The 140-pound Prograis showed flashes of brilliance in beating Velasco down with a brutal body attack that included three knockdowns occasioned by pulverizing body shots. Velasco took a horrible beating. He fought courageously and as well as he could. But by the end of round seven, he was a thoroughly beaten fighter.

After round seven, Velasco told his trainer, Herman Caicedo, that he no longer wanted to continue. Caicedo ignored him and bullied his fighter out for round eight.

As translated from Spanish by ESPN’s Bernard Osuna, Caicedo told his charge, “What do you mean, you don’t want to go anymore? What’s wrong with you? Come on. You can’t give up on me now.”

Meanwhile, from the vantage point of watching the fight on television, it appeared as though there was no between-rounds examination of Velasco by a commission ring doctor.

Forty-five seconds into round eight, Velasco was knocked down for the third time and spat out his mouthpiece. He then stood up, shook his head, and walked away with his back to Prograis, indicating to referee Laurence Cole that he no longer wanted to fight. But instead of stopping the carnage, Cole instructed Caicedo to rinse the mouthpiece and ordered that the beating continue. Less than ten seconds later, Velasco sank to the canvas after a glancing blow to the temple. Cole ruled it a slip, wiped Velasco’s gloves, and instructed that the beating resume. Finally, after another 35 seconds of unnecessary punishment, Caicedo threw in the towel and the fight ended.

Someone should explain to Herman Caicedo, Laurence Cole, and the people who run the Louisiana State Boxing and Wrestling Commission that conduct of this nature is life-threatening and unacceptable in boxing.

Thomas Hauser can be reached by email at thauser@rcn.com. His most recent book – There Will Always Be Boxing – was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism.

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Thomas Hauser

Thomas Hauser is the author of 52 books. In 2005, he was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America, which bestowed the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism upon him. He was the first Internet writer ever to receive that award. In 2019, Hauser was chosen for boxing's highest honor: induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Lennox Lewis has observed, “A hundred years from now, if people want to learn about boxing in this era, they’ll read Thomas Hauser.”

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The BWAA Shames Veteran Referee Laurence Cole and Two Nebraska Judges

Published

6 years ago

August 2, 2018

Arne K. Lang

In an unprecedented development, the Boxing Writers Association of America has started a “watch list” to lift the curtain on ring officials who have “screwed up.” Veteran Texas referee Laurence Cole and Nebraska judges Mike Contreras and Jeff Sinnett have the unwelcome distinction of being the first “honorees.”

“Boxing is a sport where judges and referees are rarely held accountable for poor performances that unfairly change the course of a fighter’s career and, in some instances, endanger lives,” says the BWAA in a preamble to the new feature. Hence the watch list, which is designed to “call attention to ‘egregious’ errors in scoring by judges and unacceptable conduct by referees.”

Contreras and Sinnett, residents of Omaha, were singled out for their scorecards in the match between lightweights Thomas Mattice and Zhora Hamazaryan, an eight round contest staged at the WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa on July 20. They both scored the fight 76-75 for Mattice, enabling the Ohio fighter to keep his undefeated record intact via a split decision.

Although Mattice vs. Hamazaryan was a supporting bout, it aired live on ShoBox. Analyst Steve Farhood, who was been with ShoBox since the inception of the series in 2001, called it one of the worst decisions he had ever seen. Lead announcer Barry Tompkins went further, calling it the worst decision he has seen in his 40 years of covering the sport.

Laurence Cole (pictured alongside his father) was singled out for his behavior as the third man in the ring for the fight between Regis Prograis and Juan Jose Velasco at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans on July 14. The bout was televised live on ESPN.

In his rationale for calling out Cole, BWAA prexy Joseph Santoliquito leaned heavily on Thomas Hauser’s critique of Cole’s performance in The Sweet Science. “Velasco fought courageously and as well as he could,” noted Hauser. “But at the end of round seven he was a thoroughly beaten fighter.”

His chief second bullied him into coming out for another round. Forty-five seconds into round eight, after being knocked down for a third time, Velasco spit out his mouthpiece and indicated to Cole that he was finished. But Cole insisted that the match continue and then, after another knockdown that he ruled a slip, let it continue for another 35 seconds before Velasco’s corner mercifully threw in the towel.

Controversy has dogged Laurence Cole for well over a decade.

Cole was the third man in the ring for the Nov. 25, 2006 bout in Hildalgo, Texas, between Juan Manuel Marquez and Jimrex Jaca. In the fifth round, Marquez sustained a cut on his forehead from an accidental head butt. In round eight, another accidental head butt widened and deepened the gash. As Marquez was being examined by the ring doctor, Cole informed Marquez that he was ahead on the scorecards, volunteering this information while holding his hand over his HBO wireless mike. The inference was that Marquez was free to quit right then without tarnishing his record. (Marquez elected to continue and stopped Jaca in the next round.)

This was improper. For this indiscretion, Cole was prohibited from working a significant fight in Texas for the next six months.

More recently, Cole worked the 2014 fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Orlando Salido at the San Antonio Alamodome. During the fight, Salido made a mockery of the Queensberry rules for which he received no point deductions and only one warning. Cole’s performance, said Matt McGrain, was “astonishingly bad,” an opinion echoed by many other boxing writers. And one could site numerous other incidents where Cole’s performance came under scrutiny.

Laurence Cole is the son of Richard “Dickie” Cole. The elder Cole, now 87 years old, served 21 years as head of the Texas Department of Combat Sports Regulation before stepping down on April 30, 2014. At various times during his tenure, Dickie Cole held high executive posts with the World Boxing Council and North American Boxing Federation. He was the first and only inductee into the inaugural class of the Texas Boxing Hall of Fame, an organization founded by El Paso promoter Lester Bedford in 2015.

From an administrative standpoint, boxing in Texas during the reign of Dickie Cole was frequently described in terms befitting a banana republic. Whenever there was a big fight in the Lone Star State, his son was the favorite to draw the coveted refereeing assignment.

Boxing is a sideline for Laurence Cole who runs an independent insurance agency in Dallas. By law in Texas (and in most other states), a boxing promoter must purchase insurance to cover medical costs in the event that one or more of the fighters on his show is seriously injured. Cole’s agency is purportedly in the top two nationally in writing these policies. Make of that what you will.

Complaints of ineptitude, says the WBAA, will be evaluated by a “rotating committee of select BWAA members and respected boxing experts.” In subsequent years, says the press release, the watch list will be published quarterly in the months of April, August, and December (must be the new math).

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Popo vs. “La Hiena”: Blast From the Past – Episode Two

Published

6 years ago

July 30, 2018

Ted Sares

When WBA/WBO super featherweight champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas met Jorge Rodrigo “Il Hiena” Barrios in Miami on August 8, 2003, there was more on the line than just the titles. This was a roughhousing 39-1-1 Argentinian fighting an equally tough 33-0 Brazilian. The crowd was divided between Brazilian fans and those from Argentina. To them this was a Mega-Fight; this was BIG.

When Acelino Freitas turned professional in 1995, he streaked from the gate with 29 straight KOs, one of the longest knockout win streaks in boxing history. He was fan-friendly and idolized in Brazil. Barrios turned professional in 1996 and went 14-0 before a DQ loss after which he went 25-0-1 with 1 no decision.

The Fight

The wild swinging “Hyena” literally turned into one as he attacked from the beginning and did not let up until the last second of the eleventh round. Barrios wanted to turn the fight into a street fight and was reasonably successful with that strategy. It became a case of brawler vs. boxer/puncher and when the brawler caught the more athletic Popo—who could slip and duck skillfully—and decked him with a straight left in the eighth, the title suddenly was up for grabs.

The Brazilian fans urged their hero on but to no avail as Barrios rendered a pure beat down on Popo during virtually the entirety of the 11th round—one of the most exciting in boxing history. Freitas went down early from a straight right. He was hurt, and at this point it looked like it might be over. Barrios was like a madman pounding Popo with a variety of wild shots, but with exactly one half of one second to go before the bell ending the round, Freitas caught La Hiena with a monster right hand that caused the Hyena to do the South American version of the chicken dance before he went down with his face horribly bloodied. When he got up, he had no idea where he was but his corner worked furiously to get him ready for the final round. All he had to do was hang in there and the title would change hands on points.

The anonymous architect of “In Boxing We Trust,” a web site that went dormant in 2010, wrote this description:

“Near the end of round 11, about a milli-second before the bell rang, Freitas landed a ROCK HARD right hand shot flush on Barrios’ chin. Barrios stood dazed for a moment, frozen in time, and then down he went, WOW WOW WOW!!!! Barrios got up at the count of 4, he didn’t know where he was as he looked around towards the crowd like a kid separated from his family at a theme park, but Barrios turned to the ref at the count of 8 and signaled that he was okay, SAVED BY THE BELL. It was panic time in the Barrios corner, as the blood continued to flow like lava, and he was bleeding from his ear (due to a ruptured ear drum). In the beginning of round 12, Freitas was able to score an early knockdown, and as Barrios stood up on wobbly legs and Freitas went straight at him and with a couple more shots, Barrios was clearly in bad shape and badly discombobulated and the fight was stopped. Freitas had won a TKO victory in round 12, amazing!!!!”

Later, Freitas tarnished his image with a “No Mas” against Diego Corrales, but he had gone down three times and knew there was no way out. He went on to claim the WBO world lightweight title with a split decision over Zahir Raheem, but that fight was a snoozefest and he lost the title in his first defense against Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz.

Freitas looked out of shape coming in to the Diaz fight and that proved to be the case as he was so gassed at the end of the eighth round that he quit on his stool. This was yet another shocker, but others (including Kostya Tszyu, Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya and even Ali) had done so and the criticism this time seemed disproportionate.

Popo had grown old. It happens. Yet, against Barrios, he had proven without a doubt that he possessed the heart of a warrior.

The Brazilian boxing hero retired in 2007, but came back in 2012 and schooled and KOd the cocky Michael “The Brazilian Rocky” Oliveira. He won another fight in 2015 and though by now he was visibly paunchy, he still managed to go 10 rounds to beat Gabriel Martinez in 2017 with occasional flashes of his old explosive volleys. These later wins, though against lower level opposition, somewhat softened the memories of the Corrales and Diaz fights, both of which this writer attended at the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut. They would be his only defeats in 43 pro bouts.

Like Manny Pacquiao, Freitas had a difficult childhood but was determined to make a better life for himself and his family. And, like Manny, he did and he also pursued a career in politics. Whether he makes it into the Hall will depend on how much a ‘No Mas’ can count against one, but he warrants serious consideration when he becomes eligible.

As for the Hyena, on April 8, 2005, he won the WBO junior lightweight title with a fourth round stoppage of undefeated but overweight Mike Anchondo. In January 2010 he was involved in a hit and run accident in which a 20-year-old pregnant woman was killed. On April 4, 2012 Barrios was declared guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to four years in prison. He served 27 months and never fought again, retiring with a record of 50-4-1.

Ted Sares is one of the oldest active full power lifters in the world. A member of Ring 10, and Ring 4’s Boxing Hall of Fame, he was recently cited by Hannibal Boxing as one of three “Must-Read” boxing writers.

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The Avila Perspective Chapter 6: Munguia, Cruiserweights and Pacman

Published

6 years ago

July 18, 2018

David A. Avila

Adjoining states in the west host a number of boxing cards including a world title contest that features a newcomer who, before knocking out a world champion, was erroneously categorized by a Nevada official as unworthy of a title challenge.

Welcome to the world of Mexico’s Jaime Munguia (29-0, 25 KOs) the WBO super welterweight world titlist who meets England’s Liam Smith (26-1-1, 14 KOs) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 21. HBO will televise

Back in April when middleweight titan Gennady “GGG” Golovkin was seeking an opponent to replace Saul “Canelo” Alvarez who was facing suspension for performance enhancement drug use, it was the 21-year-old from Tijuana who volunteered his services for a May 5^th date in Las Vegas.

Bob Bennett, the Executive Director for Nevada State Athletic Commission, denied allowing Munguia an opportunity to fight Golovkin for the middleweight titles. Bennett claimed that the slender Mexican fighter had not proven worthy of contesting for the championship though the tall Mexican wielded an undefeated record of 28 wins with 24 coming by knockout.

To be fair, Bennett has seen many fighters in the past with undefeated records who were not up to challenges, especially against the likes of Golovkin. But on the other hand, how can an official involved in prizefighting deny any fighter the right to make a million dollar payday if both parties are willing?

That is the bigger question.

Munguia stopped by Los Angeles to meet with the media last week and spoke about Bennett and his upcoming first world title defense. He admitted to being in the middle of a whirlwind that is spinning beyond his expectations. But he likes it.

“I’ve never won any kind of award before in my life,” said Munguia at the Westside Boxing Club in the western portion of Los Angeles. “I’ve always wanted to be a world champion since I was old enough to fight.”

When asked how he felt about Nevada’s denying him an attempt to fight Golovkin, a wide grin appeared on the Mexican youngster.

“I would like to thank him,” said Munguia about Bennett’s refusal to allow him to fight Golovkin. “Everything happens for a reason.”

That reason is clear now.

Two months ago Munguia put on a frightening display of raw power in knocking down then WBO super welterweight titlist Sadam Ali numerous times in front of New York fans. It reminded me of George Foreman’s obliteration of Joe Frazier back in the 1970s. World champions are not supposed get battered like that but when someone packs that kind of power those can be the terrifying results.

Still beaming over his newfound recognition, Munguia has grand plans for his future including challenging all of the other champions in his weight category and the next weight division.

“I want to be a great champion,” said Munguia. “I want to make history.”

The first step toward history begins on Saturday when he faces former world champion Smith who was dethroned by another Mexican named Canelo.

Cruiserweight championship

It’s not getting a large amount of attention in my neighborhood but this unification clash between WBA and IBF cruiserweight titlist Murat Gassiev (26-0, 19 KOs) and WBC and WBO cruiserweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk (14-0, 11 KOs) has historic ramifications tagged all over it.

The first time I ever saw Russia’s 24-year-old Gassiev was three years ago when he made his American debut at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello. It’s a small venue near East L.A. and the fight was attended by numerous boxing celebrities such as James “Lights Out” Toney, Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. One entire section was filled by Russian supporters and Gassiev did not disappoint in winning by stoppage that night. His opponent hung on for dear life.

Ukraine’s Usyk, 31, made his American debut in late 2016 on a Golden Boy Promotions card that staged boxing great Bernard Hopkins’ final prizefight. That night the cruiserweight southpaw Usyk bored audiences with his slap happy style until lowering the boom on South Africa’s Thabiso Mchunu in round nine at the Inglewood Forum. The sudden result stunned the audience.

Now it’s Gassiev versus Usyk and four world titles are at stake. The unification fight takes place in Moscow, Russia and will be streamed via Klowd TV at 12 p.m. PT/ 3 p.m. ET.

Seldom are cruiserweight matchups as enticing to watch as this one.

Another Look

A couple of significant fights took place last weekend, but Manny Pacquiao’s knockout win over Lucas Matthysse for the WBO welterweight world title heads the list.

Neither fighter looked good in their fight in Malaysia but when Pacquiao floored Matthysse several times during the fight, it raised some red flags.

The last time Pacquiao knocked out a welterweight was in 2009 against Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. Since then he had not stopped an opponent. What changed?

In this age of PEDs there was no mention of testing for the Pacquiao/Matthysse fight. For the curiosity of the media and the fans, someone should come forward with proof of testing. Otherwise any future fights for the Philippine great will not be forthcoming.

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