Articles of 2009
Santiago Lacks Big Fight Experience—Will It Matter?
LAS VEGAS – No one has to tell 32-year-old Joe Santiago that he is sorely lacking in Big Fight Experience but someone seems to be yelling it in his direction every few days anyway, just in case he hasn’t heard. While the young trainer of welterweight champion Miguel Cotto says he is unmoved by the constant speculation about what he is lacking, frankly he could do without it.
Chief among those speculators has been one of the craftiest trainers in boxing, the one Santiago must try to outwit Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena while much of the boxing world is waiting for him to waver under the weight of a type of pressure he has never felt before.
Freddie Roach, three-time winner of BWAA Trainer of the Year honors and the man who has prepared Manny Pacquiao for all of his recent Big Fights, including this weekend’s confrontation with Cotto, has regularly pointed out the Grand Canyon sized hole in Santiago’s resume, surely hoping these reminders will create in Cotto the most dangerous thing in boxing – doubt.
They have been the opening rounds of the game within the game, one that will continue at the final press conference and the rules meeting and the weigh-in and into the locker rooms on fight night when hands are being wrapped and reminders of what that may have once meant to Cotto may be hinted at.
Both the champion and the man he chose to replace his dismissed uncle, Evangelista, as his chief second insist this is all merely gamesmanship on the part of Roach. They say it does not affect them, that they are unwavering in their faith in each other. Perhaps this is so, yet still Santiago has had to answer the questions about his fitness for the task he is undertaking again and again and that can wear on a guy.
For seven years an assistant to Evangelista Cotto, who handled his nephew’s boxing career until he was replaced after making the ill-advised business decision to throw a punch at the champion during a disagreement in a San Juan gymnasium, Santiago believes he has served his apprenticeship and thus looks upon his elevation not as a trial but as an opportunity.
One man’s misfortune is another’s chance and that is how Santiago sees the chance he’s been given but where he sees an opportunity to prove his mastery of the dark art of boxing, many, including his chief rival, see a bigger likelihood that he is more overmatched than his fighter, who is facing the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world according to anyone who opines on such matters.
Certainly there seemed to be some confusion in Cotto’s corner in his last fight, Santiago’s first as chief second, when potential disaster loomed. Although Cotto ultimately outputted Joshua Clottey to position himself for the biggest payday of his career, the fight was more difficult than some expected and was punctuated with high drama and unexpected disorder in his corner after he was seriously cut by Clottey.
Santiago acknowledges those problems but insists they had nothing to do with his inexperienced or, worse, any sense of panic in his mind. They were, he says, logistical problems caused by outside forces.
“Sometimes in the corner we were a little late getting in and getting out and where we should be in between rounds,’’ Santiago acknowledged recently. “We had different people going in there and at times it was difficult to work. The way the New York Commission set things up was a problem.
“Overall it was just a question of how (cut man Joe) Chavez would get in there and how we want to use him and how we want to work. I think that having Joe Chavez here for most of the training camp was important. We are going to know him and he is getting to know us and he knows how we work. That is going to be beneficial.
“There were really no mistakes about the way we wanted to do the fight. I think the strategy was fine.’’
It was at least fine enough that the bloodied Cotto survived, fighting well enough in the end to move on to this opportunity. Frankly, he looked better than he had in his first fight following the terrible beating he took from Antonio Margarito last year, a defeat many of his doubters believe he has been unable to shake.
No one will ever know if the fists that beat him that night were loaded with the same hardening substances later found on Margarito’s hand wraps before he fought Shane Mosley but he was suspended for at least a year for that and it not only disgraced him but left a schism of doubt between Cotto and his uncle because it was his cornerman’s responsibility to examine those wraps before the fight, as Nazim Richardson had done for Mosley. That he did not* and that an hour later Cotto was forced to quit on one knee, his face beaten to a swollen and bloody pulp for the only time in his career, may be unrelated but then again this is boxing and who knows?
As Cotto has said, only Margarito knows for sure just as only Santiago knows for sure what he is feeling on the inside as the biggest fight of Cotto’s life nears. What everyone knows is that Cotto could have picked from a wide assortment of the world’s best trainers, all anxious to work with someone who only three fights ago was considered to be the best welterweight in the world.
He still may be but to regain that place he must put Pacquiao in his place, which is why so many in boxing were surprised that he chose the inexperienced Santiago in the end to prepare him. The young trainer was not however, believing he held an edge over all of them that will benefit his fighter come Saturday night.
“I’ve known him for seven years and I know they talked about bringing in well-known trainers but I think the fact that I have known him a long time and he feels comfortable with me gave me an advantage over all those guys,’’ Santiago said. “I think it’s just a question of getting everybody on the same page. I think we’ve done that.
“I had been around camp for seven years so I know how he prepares himself. I know him very well. The confidence that the Cotto family had in me made me feel good. I know I was well prepared and I know I have the capacity to do this job.’’
In a few days he will have the opportunity to prove that although, in the end, Roach has always said the fighter makes the trainer and not the other way around. Santiago could be eminently qualified to train a boxer and simply have the wrong fighter this night. But in a fight of such magnitude the trainer’s actions and reactions in the corner as problems arise will have much to do with the outcome.
If it goes as Roach has predicted, an early knockout, then trainers will have had little to do with it. But if it is the kind of pitched battle fans hope for, with the ebbs and flows of blood and sweat that come with it, then the trainer’s work will be of pivotal importance.
Joe Santiago understands this, just as he understands the world is full of skeptics and doubters. When it came to him, Miguel Cotto was not one of them. Soon the world will see if it is rewarded or if the wise old trainer across the ring knew what he was talking about all along.
“A lot of people are picking Pacquiao to beat him and he is motivated by that,’’ Santiago said of his fighter. “Without question all the fighters want to be great and all the fighters want to be the best. Miguel has that little extra because the people don’t think he can win this fight. We know he can win and he knows he can win but he’ll have to show everyone what he’s capable of doing against this type of opponent.’’
Joe Santiago was talking about Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao when he said that but he could have been talking about himself and Freddie Roach. On the night they will, in a way, be one and the same. Fighter and trainer melded together, their fates and their future intertwined.
“I don’t see this as me fighting Freddie Roach,’’ Santiago said. “I know he has a done a lot in boxing. I have a lot of respect for what Freddie Roach has done but it has nothing to do with us. It’s the fighters that are going to do the fighting.
“They are going to do the work and we have our work to do. As long as our guy wins we are going to get recognized for it. Once Miguel wins, they are going to recognize that we have a great corner, a great team. That’s the way I look at it. It has nothing to do with me and Freddie Roach. I am preparing Miguel Cotto to fight Pacquiao. That’s my job.’’
Indeed it is and soon we will learn how well that job was done.
*ED NOTE—It has been reported by Robert Morales that Evangelista was in fact in the room, watching Margarito get his hands wrapped. This according to Keith Kizer, Nevada commissioner, and NVAC employee Jack Lazzarotto. Promoter Bob Arum still insists Evangelista was not present.
Articles of 2009
UFC 108 Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva
Former champion Rashad Evans meets Brazil’s venerable Thiago Silva in a non-title belt that can lead to a return match with the current champ, but first things first.
Evans (15-1-1) and Silva (14-1) meet in Ultimate Fighting Championship 108 in a light heavyweight bout on Saturday Jan. 2, at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. A win by either fighter could result in a world title bid. The fight card is being shown on pay-per-view television.
Events can change quickly in the Octagon and anybody can beat anybody in the 205-pound weight division. Just ask Silva or Evans.
Silva and Evans are both experienced and can vouch firsthand about the capriciousness of fighting in MMA and especially as a light heavyweight. On one day this man can beat that man and on another day, that man can beat this man. It can make you absolutely daffy.
Evans, 30, is the former UFC light heavyweight world champion who only defended his title on one occasion and lost by vicious knockout to current champion Lyoto Machida of Brazil. It’s the only defeat on his record.
Silva, 27, is a well-rounded MMA fighter from Sao Paolo, Brazil who is versed in jujitsu, Muy Thai and boxing. He can end a fight quickly in a choke hold just as easily as with a kick or a punch. His only loss came to who else: Machida.
Evans and Silva know a win can push open the door to a rematch with current UFC light heavyweight champion Machida.
“A win against Rashad would put me in the track against Lyoto,” said Silva, in a telephone conference call. “That's what – what I want to do.”
When Silva fought Machida the two Brazilians were both undefeated and feared in the MMA world. The fight took place in Las Vegas and with one second remaining in the first round a perfectly timed punch knocked Silva unconscious.
“I was humbled big time, man,” says Silva who fought Machida in January 2009. “I learned a lot from that fight. I think I can correct the mistakes from that fight, not overlooking anything else right now, but just I want to get the chance to fight him again.”
For Evans it was a different circumstance. The upstate New Yorker held the UFC title and was defending it after stopping then champion Forrest Griffin by knockout. Still, many felt Machida was far too technically versed. Evans was stopped brutally in the second round.
“I've made it a point to not – to not get distracted on what I want to do, because you know Thiago (Silva) is a very hungry fighter,” said Evans who has not fought since losing the title to Machida last May. “My focus is just on Thiago so much. You know I don't want to overlook him, you know, not even a little bit.”
Dana White, president of UFC, says the winner of this fight could conceivably fight Machida in the near future. Evans and especially Silva are motivated by the open window.
“I learned a lot from that fight. I think I can correct the mistakes from that fight,” says Silva. “Not overlooking anything else right now, but I just want to get the chance to fight him again.”
What a prize. The winner gets to face the man who beat him: Machida.
Articles of 2009
Ten Boxing Wishes For 2010
As 2009 comes to a close, one reflects on what went well and what went wrong during the year in boxing. There were many highlights. Pacquiao vs. Cotto and Showtime’s Super Six tournament were part of the best that boxing had to offer. But there were some low points too therefore the industry has some work to do in order to keep generating fans. Here are some suggestions for 2010:
10. Better pay per view cards
Paying 40 to 50 bucks to watch the main event gets old real quick. Why do we have to sit through a horrible under-card to get to the main course? It’s like being fed spam appetizers before the Thanksgiving turkey. It seems that the pay per view promoters just don’t get it. Are they watching what they put on or do they only watch the “big fight” as everyone else is slowly being conditioned to do so?
9. Time to make Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight
Okay, I understand he’s the son of one of the greatest fighters that ever lived. But he’s had 42 fights against low to mid level competition and has never managed to look spectacular. It’s time to throw the 23 year old out of the nest to see if he can fly. My suggestion is a fight against Sergio Mora or maybe even Yuri Foreman. Neither of these guys can punch. They may outbox Junior but they won’t totally humiliate him.
8. No more ridiculous Pay Per View mismatches
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez should’ve never been made. It was a ridiculous fight when it was announced and it was more ridiculous when it took place. Unable to bring Manny Pacquiao to the bargaining table for a third match against Juan Manuel Marquez, someone figured that pairing up the 135 pound champion against a natural 147 pounder like Mayweather would be a great idea. The pay per view generated over a million buys but the fact that millions of people were treated to an incredibly boring mismatch is what’s truly worrisome. I can guarantee you one thing about this card. The sport of boxing lost fans once the show was over and done with. Talk about short term thinking.
7. Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola shows up for a fight in amazing shape
It was painful to see Chris Arreola take a beating from the Ukrainian giant, Vitali Klitscho. The champion certainly earned his “Dr. Ironfist” moniker as he plowed his powerful shots into the former #1 WBC heavyweight contender’s face. He reddened and bloodied the young Mexican American with an assortment of weapons and foot movement seldom seen on a six foot seven inch heavyweight. Arreola was brave and unrelenting in battle. He never stopped coming forward and took chances when he could. His work in the ring at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles wasn’t the problem. Where Arreola let himself down was outside the ring. His unwillingness to condition himself into a finely tuned athlete cost him certain immortality as the first ever heavyweight champion of Mexican descent. Arreola has the heart and skills but it was his mental fortitude that broke down. Anyone who’s followed the Riverside fighter knows that his best weight is somewhere in the 230 pound range. It certainly isn’t at the 252 pounds he registered on the scale at the Staples Center. Those fifteen to twenty extra pounds might have made all the difference in the world. Maybe he would’ve been a little quicker, maybe he could’ve sustained a faster pace in order to tire out the champion. In his most recent fight against Brian Minto, Arreola weighed in at a career high 263. It looks like “The Nightmare” isn’t willing to change for anyone. At this pace, the only nightmares he’ll be providing will be to the management of Hometown Buffets all across Riverside. Just kidding “Nightmare”!
6. More respect for the lighter weights
Real boxing fans know that the most exciting fighters in the sport are usually found toiling in weight divisions south of 154 pounds. Pacquiao, Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Edwin Valero, Israel Vazquez, Juan Ma Lopez, Vic Darchinyan, Rafael Marquez and countless others have been the real driving force behind this sport. It’s those great fighters that have made boxing fanatics out of casual fans. The heavyweights may get all the money and glory but it’s the little guys who make the sport shine and it’s time they received greater compensation. It’s dismaying to think that a mediocre heavyweight can make three or four times as much as the great Rafael Marquez.
5. An American Heavyweight champion
Speaking of heavyweights, two Americans tried and failed at dethroning Vitali Klitschko this year. Both Kevin Johnson and Chris Arreola did their best to wrestle the belt away from “Dr. Klitschko” but came up short since they were easily outclassed. What happened to the great American Heavyweight? Where’s our new Joe Frazier or Ali? Even a new Gerry Cooney or a Ken Norton would do at this point. I’ve got a feeling that the only way we’re going to see an American champion is if Klitschko retires. My money is on Arreola. Although undisciplined and rough outside the ring, he’s got tons (no pun intended) of natural talent. He’s without a doubt the most talented American heavyweight on the scene.
4. More ShoBox
The Showtime Cable network gave us the best boxing on TV for the price of a cable television subscription. Their ShoBox series has been a proven hit for Senior VP of Sports Programming Ken Hershman. The concept is simple yet brilliant. Match up two up and comers with great records and let’s see what happens. Sometimes the results are surprising. Many have passed the ShoBox test and went on to bigger and better things. Others have been exposed as having padded records and eventually their careers stall and take a dive.
3. More safety in Mexico so I can attend a show without a gun battle breaking out
Having lived near the Tijuana border all my life I’m dismayed at the war zone that the city has evolved into. Every day there are reports of shootings fueled by the drug war trade. Believe it or not, there was a time when Tijuana was safe and most wouldn’t have thought twice about crossing the border for some seafood and nightlife. No more. Having covered several boxing cards on Revolucion Avenue many years ago, I got a taste of just how important the sport is to Mexican fans. It’s also important to me but not that important. For now I’ll stick to covering shows at the Pechanga Casino and in the less dangerous city of L.A. I never thought I’d say that.
2. Pac Man vs. Mayweather
This is the fight everyone wants to see. Seeing how Mayweather dominated Pac Man’s arch enemy, Juan Manuel Marquez, you have to wonder if the Filipino can handle Lil’ Floyd’s speed and size. One thing is for sure, betting against Pacquiao doesn’t usually work out for me. It never has. There’s no future in it. So if the fight gets done it’s Pacquiao by TKO in ten.
1. And finally
One final wish is reserved for all the readers of TheSweetScience.com I wish you all a healthy and happy 2010. Thank you for your continued loyalty to the site. It’s very much appreciated.
Articles of 2009
A Very Special New Year's Day Column
It has been just over four months since Nick Charles, the play-by-play announcer for Shobox: The New Generation, was diagnosed with stage IV bladder cancer and forced to take a medical hiatus from the monthly show that has aired since 2001.
Since then he has undergone grueling chemotherapy treatments that have resulted in him losing all of his hair as he forces himself to live as normal of a life as possible. Through sheer force of will, as well as the strength and support that he receives from his wonderfully loving family and his strong Christian faith, the 63-year-old Charles has managed to keep his weight up while not falling prey to the always lingering threats of depression, cynicism and negativity.
If one was unaware that he was battling such an insidious disease, you’d never know from talking on the phone to him that he has been to hell and back. He has lost none of the inspiring energy that has endeared him to members of the boxing community and legions of worldwide viewers.
“I’m doing great,” Charles said during a telephone conversation on December 30th. “I’ve been off the chemo for a month, and the doctors have told me that I’m 80 percent in remission. I’m going to see them again in three months. It may come back, but if it takes one year, or two years, or however long, I’m going to make the most of the good time.”
As physically and emotionally wrenching as the grim diagnosis and subsequent treatment has been, even for someone as perpetually positive as Charles, the longtime announcer said a lot of good things have come from it.
Having been married three times, Charles is the father of four children: Jason, 38, Melissa, 34, Charlotte, 22, and Giovanna, 3 ½.
While Charles is not big on regrets, he is the first to admit that he wasn’t always there for his older children. For many years he traveled the world as a CNN correspondent, often putting the demands of his career above all else, including those closest to him. Nowhere was the strain more evident than in his relationship with Melissa.
Having been divorced from Melissa’s mother since 1977, Charles said his relationship with that daughter has been especially “hot and cold, all of our lives.”
His illness has enabled them to forge a relationship that has been “based on a massive amount of forgiveness and understanding.”
“This has had a tremendous healing effect on both of us,” said Charles. “My illness has had a fortifying effect on a lot of things, the most important of which is my relationships with my family.”
That also includes his first wife, with whom he has had an often acrimonious relationship over the past three decades.
“It took a long time for the scab to become a scar, but we had lunch one day and it was so great to once again see the gentle, soft sides of each other,” he explained. “The whole divorce process creates a hardness that doesn’t always go away.”
Charles is also the grandfather to three children, some of whom are about the same age as his youngest daughter. He jokes that he has a “nuclear 21st century family” because of the similar ages of two generations of children. One of the hardest things for him has been the realization that he can’t always play with them in manner in which he would like.
“The hemoglobin is the fuel in your tank, so when it’s low you can’t will yourself to do things no matter how much you want to,” said Charles. “You can’t just sleep it off or work through it. I don’t want the kids to wonder why I can’t play in the backyard with them, or kick a soccer ball, or throw them in the air.”
Particularly difficult is when Giovanna reminds her father of how handsome he is, but then innocently asks him what happened to his hair, eyebrows and lashes.
“You try to keep things on a need to know basis, which is not easy when dealing with curious kids,” said Charles.
While Charles might look like the kind of guy that things have often come easy to, the reality is that his beginnings were far from auspicious. But, he says, his often challenging Chicago childhood blessed him with the steely resolve that has helped him so much during the arduous journey he is now on.
“I had it pretty rough growing up,” he explained. “I remember the lights and the heat being shut off and eating mustard sandwiches. I went to work at 13 and always had insecurities about the future. But I always expected and saw the best in people, so when I got sick, never once did I say 'Why me?”
Since taking a leave of absence from Shobox, the outpouring of support from the boxing community has warmed Charles’s heart. For a guy that is battling for his life, he actually considers himself fortunate to be surrounded by so much goodness in both his personal and professional lives.
“I always hear that boxing people are ruthless, but I couldn’t disagree more,” said Charles. “I’ve probably received about 1,000 e-mails, and people are always following in sending their best wishes. From the relatively unknown people in boxing to many of the more famous people, there has been an outpouring of true affection.”
Charles said that the Top Rank organization has been exceedingly kind and gracious. He was touched beyond description when he learned that officials in Oklahoma got special permission to have a seamstress sew “Keep Fighting Nick” onto their sleeves. He chokes up when talking about cut man Stitch Duran giving up an endorsement opportunity so he could put Charles’s name on his outfit. He never tires of hearing shout-outs from fighters on television.
Charles has always been a people person with an inordinate faith in the goodness of his fellow man. Battling this illness has only made his already strong faith in humanity even stronger.
“Adversity is a great teacher, and it really teaches you who your genuine friends are,” said Charles. “I have a lot of friends.”
He also has a remarkable wife, Cory, a CNN producer to whom he has been married for 11 years. She is the daughter of an electrician, a self-made woman who exudes all of the warmth of her native Brooklyn. She has reinforced her husband’s spiritual base by her love, optimism and strength of character.
“If I get down, she reminds me to not get too caught up,” said Charles. “I believe in eternity, and that has put me pretty much at peace.”
More than anything else, Charles wants to get himself back behind a microphone sooner rather than later, and hopefully on Shobox. He is the first to admit that viewers “don’t watch the series to see Nick Charles,” but he is proud of the fact that he was “part of the identity” of such a popular show.
“And people love comeback stories,” added Charles. “That’s the message I’m getting from the people out there.”
In boxing the word “champion” is often overused because it pertains only to winning belts and receiving worldwide recognition for being the best at your craft. The reality is that life’s real champions have other qualities, such as the innate ability to treat people well and always make them feel better about themselves, especially when the recipients of the goodwill are in no position to give them anything back.
By that standard of measure, Charles is as much, if not more of a champion than all of the boxers he has covered during the nine years that Shobox has been on the air.
I know I speak for scores of others when I say, “Happy New Year, Champ. We hope that you are the comeback story of the year in 2010.”
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