Countdown To Mayweather-Pacquiao: Why It’s A Dead-End Super Fight

Published

9 years ago

April 17, 2015

What does the upcoming Mayweather-Pacquiao Super Fight mean for boxing’s future landscape?

In the past, “Super Fights” there often were residual effects from the outcome which set up the next highly anticipated bout. When “Smokin” Joe Frazier clipped the wings of “The Butterfly” Muhammad Ali on March 8, 1971, it set forth a four year period in which Ali fought George Foreman and Frazier two more times as they exchanged the undisputed heavyweight title between the three of them. That period is considered one of the best eras in heavyweight history. And it all started with the super fight in which all super fights are measured, Frazier vs. Ali in 1971, the most widely anticipated and comprehensively covered boxing match ever.

In June of 1980 Roberto Duran 71-1 (55) beat Sugar Ray Leonard 27-0 (18) in the “Brawl In Montreal.” Duran’s win as a 9-5 underdog set up a rematch with Leonard five months later. Leonard won the rematch and within a year met undefeated destroyer and WBA welterweight title holder Thomas Hearns 32-0 (30) in a bout that was billed as “The Showdown.” Leonard stopped Hearns in the 14th round of a tremendous give and take bout to become the undisputed welterweight champion. Five months later he was forced to retire due to suffering a detached retina in his left eye. During Leonard’s absence after setting the stage fighting both Duran and Hearns, “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler emerged as the baddest middleweight in the world. And between the three of them (Hagler, Hearns & Duran) there were some really big super fights which captivated the boxing public circa 1983-85. A few years after Hagler stopped Hearns in three rounds, Leonard fought Hagler in his initial come back bout and won the WBC middleweight title in April of 1987. As you can see as a result of the first Leonard-Duran bout, a series between four all-time greats encompassing nine fights was set in motion, taking place in between 1980-89.

The 1988 undisputed heavyweight championship bout between Mike Tyson 34-0 (30) and former undisputed light heavyweight champ Michael Spinks 31-0 (21) was a monumental bout because it would clear up the confusion as to who the undisputed champ was. After Tyson dispatched Spinks in the first round the consensus was Mike would hold the title as long as he wanted to. With Olympians Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis both turning pro in early 1989 the table was set for them to eventually meet Tyson for the title in future super fights in the early nineties. Then the unexpected happened and Tyson lost the title in his third defense against James “Buster” Douglas 29-4-1 (19) in what many consider to be the biggest upset in boxing history. So it can’t be said Tyson-Spinks was a dead end super fight because there were dream fights out there for Tyson had he been able to hold onto the undisputed title a couple of more years as expected.

However, there have been many dead end super fights since the “Fight Of The Century” between Ali and Frazier 44 years ago. Hagler-Leonard, Tyson-Holyfield and Lewis-Tyson come to mind, just to name a few. A dead end super fight is like a match race; its single purpose is to determine the winner between two superstar fighters who have been on a collision course that haven’t yet clashed. There are usually no residual effects from them and the result doesn’t set up other big fights down the road other than perhaps a rematch.

Hagler-Leonard was huge because Marvin and Ray, along with being all-time greats, were two of the most dominant fighters of the eighties and were close in weight and physical stature. Everyone who even casually followed boxing wanted to find out who was better between them. And after losing a split decision to Leonard in a bout he was certain that he won, Hagler retired from boxing and never flirted with returning to the ring again. Leonard, after scoring the most gratifying victory of his career, milked the public for a few more years, fighting a rematch with Hearns and a rubber match with Duran. Two years after beating Duran in their third bout he was taken apart by Terry Norris in 1991 and that was pretty much it for Sugar Ray Leonard as a superstar fighter. His ill-fated comeback against Hector Camacho in 1996 was virtually ignored by the boxing world, and rightly so.

Tyson-Holyfield I, like Mayweather-Pacquiao, also happened five years after its original sell-by date. And the only reason why it was so big was because everyone wanted to find out after all those years of anticipating–as is the case with Mayweather-Pacquiao–who’d win between career rivals Mike and Evander. The same applied to the Lewis-Tyson and De La Hoya-Mayweather mega bouts. They were nothing more than match races between superstar fighters with one of them on a severe decline (Tyson & De La Hoya). There was no discernible fallout from either bout in regards to being the springboard for another big fight.

When examining Mayweather-Pacquiao under a microscope, it doesn’t matter whether or not you believe it will be a terrific fight from an action point of view. But there can be no conclusion other than it really is a dead-end super fight. And that’s not because it’s happening five years too late….Actually, like the third fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, more commonly known as the “Thrilla In Manila,” Mayweather-Pacquiao can still be an exciting/great bout.

When Ali 48-2 (35) and Frazier 32-2 (27) fought their rubber match during the fall of 1975, Muhammad was four months shy of turning 34 and Joe was four months shy of turning 32. Much to the surprise of many boxing observers, Ali-Frazier III turned out to be a real war and great fight, despite neither being close to the great fighters they were the first time they met four years earlier in 1971. And the reason for that was neither Joe nor Muhammad had much left defensively and couldn’t get out of the others’ way. The older and slower versions of them landed almost everything they threw at each other, resulting in a back and forth bout in which ruined both of them as all-time greats. But the fight was very relevant because it was the culmination and final chapter of what is truly the greatest sports rivalry in history. So Ali-Frazier III certainly cannot be considered a dead end super fight.

The same cannot be said for Mayweather and Pacquiao, who have never faced each other. They’ve both defeated practically every big name fighter currently campaigning at welterweight. The biggest reason why the fight between them has finally been made is simply because neither Floyd nor Manny have anyone left to fight that boxing fans really care about seeing them in the ring against. Once they finally fight and the result is history, then what? Where does Pacquiao turn? It’s not like the world is waiting with baited breath for him to fight Amir Khan or Keith Thurman. Manny has nothing left to prove to anyone or himself. He’s already established himself as one of the all-time great pound-for-pound fighters in boxing history having won a world title in eight different weight divisions. If Pacquiao loses to Mayweather his legacy won’t be the least bit diminished, and if he beats him his legend grows in leaps and bounds almost to Roberto Duran-esque stature. Manny Pacquiao is pretty much done as a professional fighter aside from fighting Mayweather again in a rematch.

As for Mayweather…..it all depends on what happens against Pacquiao. If he wins and controls the fight most of the way, I would venture to say we’ll never see them fight again. Why? Because it’s not like Pacquiao can change his stripes and beat Floyd by fighting a different style in a rematch, and most boxing fans understand that, and if they don’t they should. If Mayweather wins a close fight, say 115-113, and the decision is seen as being disputed or controversial, he’ll probably have to fight Manny again to erase any lingering doubt. And if the worst possible for Mayweather is realized and he loses to Manny, then he has no choice but to exercise the rematch clause in their contract (which stipulates Pacquiao must give Mayweather a rematch if he wins). Let’s say for argument sake Mayweather beats Pacquiao, which I have no doubt he will. What’s next if he doesn’t fight him again? Nobody can convince me that there’s interest in Mayweather fighting Keith Thurman or Amir Khan after finally beating Pacquiao. Add Canelo Alvarez and Timothy Bradley to the list. Nobody wants to see Mayweather-Alvarez II, and Mayweather-Bradley is something I’d use as a threat to make prisoners watch if they didn’t snitch on their partners in crime, that’s how terrible that would be to have to sit through. So who or what’s left for Mayweather?

Gennady Golovkin for the middleweight title without a catch-weight stipulation? Perhaps, that would certainly be something, but it wouldn’t be as big as Mayweather-Pacquiao to quasi boxing fans because they don’t know who Golovkin is yet. In the boxing world Golovkin-Mayweather is huge, but not outside of it.

As you can see Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is really just a match race between two world renowned thoroughbreds that have been on a collision course for almost six years. Once it’s over only one of two things will happen. Either Floyd and Manny touch gloves once more or, they will fight a swan song bout affording their fans one last chance to celebrate their hall of fame careers before they move onto the next stage of their lives. What does the fight really mean for boxing’s landscape? It’s a super fight because of the money it will generate.

But it’s one of the only recent super fights along with Hagler-Leonard (1987), Lewis-Tyson (2002) and De La Hoya-Mayweather (2007) that has nearly a dead end, other than a rematch and that’s about it.

But that doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t be a terrific fight on the night of May 2nd 2015 regardless of who wins.

Frank Lotierzo can be reached at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Frank Lotierzo

Philadelphia’s K & A Boxing Club plus the return of Carto & Boots

Published

11 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Luis A. Cortes III

Philadelphia's-K-&-A-Boxing-Club-and-the-return-of-Carto-and-Boots

Boxing with its ever-changing business landscape tests the commitment of its fans like no other sport. It doesn’t help that so many fighters create more drama outside the ring than inside it. This being the case, it’s always refreshing to learn about the people, places, and associations that are working for the betterment of the sport and the communities that they serve.

K & A Boxing Club at 3017 F Street in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood and its head trainer Timmy Sinese (pictured below with one of his students) is an example of one of these refreshing cases. While it is important to note that, yes, the gym is right across the street from McPhearson Square (unofficially known as “Needle Park”) in one of the worst open air drug neighborhoods in the country, what Sinese and the Philadelphia Pugilistic Association are doing for the youth in that area goes beyond the familiar story of a gym being a haven for at-risk boys and an alternative to a life on the street.

This Saturday (May 1), Sinese and company are putting on their first amateur show at Our Lady of Port Richmond (3233 E. Thompson St.). “All the proceeds from this event are going to kids that are talented but lack the resources to be seen. These kids can fight and without the kids there would be no pros,” states Sinese. A Kensington lifer, he would know about that neighborhood and the talent that it harbors.

Sinese is a veteran of the U.S. Navy where he spent four years learning how to box. Upon his return to the city, he spent years learning how to train fighters at famed gyms like Harrowgate and Rock Ministries. (Harrowgate was the childhood home gym of heavyweight Joey Dawejko and Danny Garcia.) As for his own boxing career, that was cut short when he was stabbed multiple times during a run-in with a motorcycle gang.

After the pandemic he was approached by a friend, John Goodwin, about becoming the head trainer at a new gym that Goodwin was planning on opening. Once the old after-hours club was transformed into the gym bearing the name K & A (an iconic local abbreviation for the Kensington and Allegheny intersection), Sinese went to work on transforming lives. Except one thing has gotten in the way at times.

“It’s hard to water the seeds that we have planted at the gym with the youth,” says Sinise. “We’re trying to help build better citizens at the end of the day. It’s a shame cause we’ve seen friendships and support systems being forged organically between these kids. It’s tough when they can’t afford to see their aspirations of a better life through boxing come true cause of not having money to jump-start [the process]. That’s why Saturday is important.”

One look at the USA Amateur Boxing rankings highlights his point. For the first time in generations, there are hardly any fighters ranked in the top ten of any weight class, both male and female, from the Philadelphia region.

“It’s absolutely a shame that this great fighting city isn’t represented on all levels of the sport anymore, but ultimately, we’re about building better and stronger youth for our community. If these kids can deal with the ring, they can deal with life.”

$35 and $50 tickets will be available at the door for Saturday’s show with the opening bell scheduled for 1:00 PM.

King’s Promotions returns this Friday night at Live Casino in South Philadelphia. Bantamweight contender and the always popular Christian Carto (21-1, 14 KO’s) fights for the second time this year in the main event of a seven-fight card. He takes on the durable Jesus Martinez (35-20-1, 16 KOs) in an eight-round bout. Carto, who is trained by Bozy Ennis, looks to stay sharp by staying active as he looks to get into top form before challenging for a world title.

Also on the card is light heavyweight Atif Oberlton. A former amateur standout and Philly native, Oberlton (9-0, 7 KOs) meets Mexico’s Juan Francisco Lopez (8-1, 4 KOs). As I’ve stated before, King’s Promotions always puts on entertaining shows with well-matched fights and this card looks to be no different. Tickets are available through Axs.com and at the door.

Matchroom sent out a press release announcing that Jaron “Boots” Ennis will make his return to the ring at the Wells Fargo Center (home to the Sixers and Flyers) on July 13. Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) will defend his IBF welterweight title against his mandatory challenger Cody Crowley (22-0, 9 KOs) in a bout geared towards accomplishing two things: shaking off any ring rust that might have accumulated after a 12-month layoff while providing proof that Ennis can sell tickets, which will benefit both Matchroom and Ennis in future negotiations.

Ennis signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Matchroom on April 10. Eddie Hearn isn’t wasting any time getting his new young star back into the limelight.

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Lipinets Upends Davies in a Wednesday Night Firefight in Florida

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Lipinets-Upends-Davies-in-a-Wednesday-Night-Firefight-in-Florida

The latest installment of the ProBox Wednesday Night Fights played out tonight at its permanent home in the Tampa suburb of Plant City. The main event, contested at a catchweight of 142 pounds, was an international affair pitting Sergey Lipinets, an LA-based Kazkh, briefly the IBF 140-pound world title-holder, against Liverpool, England’s Robbie Davies Jr, a former British, European, and Commonwealth champion who was making his U.S. debut.

The fight went the full “10” and Lipinets, who scored three knockdowns, won by a wide margin (98-89, 96-91, 95-92), but this was yet a fan-friendly fight between two aging warriors who left nothing in the ring.

Lipinets (pictured on the right) was controlling the fight before he was wobbled in round three. Davies hurt him again in the next frame, but Lipinets wasn’t deterred from pressing the action and quickly regained control of the fight. In round five, he knocked the Englishman to the canvas with a succession of right hands, one of which appeared to break Davies’ nose.

In round eight, he put Davies on the canvas twice, the first with a left to the liver and the second with an overhand right. But remarkably, the teak-tough Davies, who appeared to be just about finished, rocked Lipinets before the round was over.

Davies, who declined to 24-4, showed no signs of the broken ankle that he suffered against Irish southpaw Darragh Foley 14 months ago. However, at age 34, this may have been his farewell fight. Lipinets, aged 35 or 37 depending on one’s source, ate punches that he would not have eaten in his younger days. Although he improved his ledger to 18-3-1 (13), he too ought to consider hanging up his gloves.

Other Bouts

In an entertaining 8-round heavyweight bout, Fernely Felix Jr (8-0, 6 KOs) had too much class for Cesar Navarro (11-2), a rugged Mexican bodybuilder who had been campaigning in Phoenix. Feliz Jr, a Dominican born and raised in Connecticut, landed the crisper punches and was returned the winner by scores of 78-74 and 79-73 twice.

Feliz Jr, whose future may be at cruiserweight, comes from a boxing family. His father fought the likes of John Ruiz and Oleg Maskaev before leaving the sport with a record of 23-9. His younger brother Ali Feliz recently signed a multi-fight deal with Top Rank. Junior’s next fight has already been booked. He fights TBA next month in Buenos Aires.

Tsendbaatar Erdenebat, a 27-year-old Mongolian southpaw and two-time Olympian, scored a third-round stoppage of Puerto Rico’s Alberto Mercado in a lightweight match slated for “8.” The bout was stopped at the 2:39 mark by the ring physician after Mercado suffered a bad cut on his left eyelid.

Erdenebat (10-0, 5 KOs) dominated the fight for as long as it lasted. It was the sixth loss in the last eight starts for Mercado (17-7-1), a 15-year pro who has routinely been matched tough.

The TV opener was a 6-round battle of 19-year-old lightweights. Robert Meriwether III, a Louisville native who trains at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, improved to 6-0 (2) at the expense of Mexico’s Victor Manuel Lopez (5-1). Meriwether gave up about six inches in height, but won every round against his defensive-oriented opponent.

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TSS News Wire: Jarmall Charlo Defrocked; Ryan Garcia Partially Vindicated

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2024

Arne K. Lang

TSS-News-Wire-Jermall-Charlo-Defrocked-Ryan-Garcia-Partially-Vindicated

Jermall Charlo is in hot water again and this time it has cost him his middleweight title.

In a story first reported by TMZ Sports, Charlo, 33 was arrested shortly after 6 pm on Monday, May 6, in Pearland, Texas, after crashing his Lamborghini into another vehicle. After a verbal altercation with the driver of the other car, Charlo left the scene, ignoring police sirens to pull over, until he was boxed in at a red light. Charlo was arrested, failed a sobriety test at the police station, and was charged with three misdemeanors including Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).

This wasn’t the first time that Charlo was in trouble with the law.

In August of 2021, he was arrested on the allegation that he stole from a waitress (he absconded with her tips) following a 2 am dispute at a private martini bar and social club in San Antonio. The case was dismissed on grounds of insufficient evidence. In February of 2022, he was arrested for the alleged assault of a family member during a family gathering the previous September in Fort Bend County, Texas.

A two-weight world title-holder with an undefeated record (33-0, 24 KOs), Charlo last defended his belt in on June 19, 2021, at the Toyota Center in Houston, winning a unanimous decision over Juan Macias Montiel. His last outing came in November of his last year in Las Vegas where he won a 10-round decision over Jose Benavidez Jr, the older brother of David Benavidez. For that match, his first ring appearance in 29 months, he carried 166 ½ pounds.

In February of this year, it was announced that Charlo would fight Canelo Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo weekend, but the promoter, PBC, had second thoughts and the assignment went to Jaime Munguia. The presumption was that a second straight fight between Canelo and a Charlo would be a tough sell after the lackluster performance of Jermall’s twin brother Jermell Charlo vs. Canelo in September of 2023.

Jermell has also been in trouble with the law. This past December, he was accused of assaulting a family member. The alleged victim wasn’t identified, but after Jermell was released on bond, his wife, the former Chayne Westwood, filed for a restraining order. Jermell, reports Jake Donovan, has a May 20 court appearance.

Upon learning of Jermall’s latest arrest, the WBC took swift action, stripping him of his title.

“The WBC Board of Governors has decided to confirm Carlos Adames as the WBC reigning middleweight champion…The WBC will closely work with PBC in securing the best course of action to attend to Jermall’s needs at this moment in time. After a thorough evaluation of the situation and understanding of the facts and times the WBC may rank Jermall at Super Middle weight,” said the organization in a press release.

A 30-year-old Dominican with a 23-1 (18 KOs) record, Adames last fought in June of last year, scoring a ninth-round stoppage of Julian Williams in a bout framed as a WBC interim world middleweight title fight.

Ryan Garcia

It’s old news that Ryan Garcia tested positive for the banned steroid Ostarine prior to his stunning upset of Devin Haney in Brooklyn on April 20. Moreover, there was evidence of another banned substance, 19-Norandrosterone, but the trace of it in his urine specimen was so small that the testing agency, VADA, needed more evidence to ascertain whether it should be included in its report.

Yesterday (May 7) VADA clarified that the steroid was not present in a second test. As Dan Rafael noted, some banned substances have a threshold whereas others, such as Ostarine, do not, which means that any amount, no matter how minute, is grounds for some sort of punishment.

Talking with ESPN.com, Garcia’s attorney Darin Chavez said the Ostarine was “in the billionth of a gram range that provided Ryan Garcia with no performance enhancing benefit whatsoever.” Chavez reported that the “B” sample, at Garcia’s request, would be opened and analyzed on May 22 with Garcia in attendance. The “B” sample, notes ESPN boxing writer Mike Coppinger, is a safeguard to ensure there was no lab contamination or other error involved in the test that produced the original finding.

Garcia has subsequently claimed that he drank alcohol and smoked marijuana in the days leading up to and including the very day of the fight. “I got in there high as f*** and I beat his ass,” he told podcaster Bob Menery.

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