Connect with us

Articles

RASKIN’S RANTS: Rios, Ricky & One Ridiculous Rip-Off

Published

on

williams-lara2It was a busy, entertaining, but ultimately unfulfilling weekend in the world of punch swapping, and I’ll cover it all in this week’s Rants. But first, a quick dip into the mailbag for a final word (for now) on Wladimir Klitschko:

Hi Eric,

Do you think that Wlad suffers from the same fate as Gene Tunney did, viewed as an enigma and not what the heavyweight champion should be, a smart champion who reads books about history and poetry and was interested in the arts and in cultivating his intellect as much as prize fighting?

I wonder if when Wlad starts to fade we will see a different fighter similar to what we have seen with Juan Manuel Marquez in the last few years. He might be a physical challenge, but I think that the biggest challenge for fighters against Wlad is trying to overcome his amazing mental strength and discipline inside and outside the ring.

By the way, really liked the Grantland piece.
Cheers,
Nicholas

Nicholas,

I honestly don’t think any of the Wlad “haters” hold his intelligence or personality against him at all. If anything, those things make it hard to be a 100-percent hater. I know I respect the hell out of him as a person. He’s about the same age as me, and watching his hilarious YouTube video where he silently reacted to a series of photos after the David Haye fight, I felt strongly that he’s the sort of guy I’d probably be friends with if our paths crossed outside the professional setting. Certainly, I’d expect to get on better with him than I would with someone like Haye. But no matter how much I respect him on a personal level and even admire the resolve he’s shown bouncing back from two knockout defeats that seemed poised to end his career, it doesn’t change the fact that his fights bore me to pieces. That’s why he “suffers” whatever fate of public opinion he suffers; not because he doesn’t act enough like an uneducated thug.

As for whether he’ll become more exciting, a la Marquez, when his age starts to show, I tend to doubt it. The Haye fight was an uncommonly high-profile heavyweight event; I thought that if ever Klitschko was going to put a premium on entertainment, this was the time. And he didn’t. So I’m now convinced he’s content to keep doing whatever gives him the best chance to win for as long as he’s around. I think he’ll continue to fight in a safety-first manner for as long as it’s working, and if a time comes when it stops working and he gets blasted out again, I doubt we’ll see another reinvention and comeback. Klitschko has so much money in the bank at this point that his next loss could easily be his final fight.

Okay, on to the Rants, starting with a smooth transition from the mailbag topic to the topic du jour:

• When I watch Paul Williams fight, I see the test case in what would have become of Wladimir Klitschko’s career if he hadn’t used his height to box cautiously. If Wlad fought with the same aggression as Williams, he wouldn’t be the heavyweight champ at age 35. He probably wouldn’t be boxing anymore, period.

• Let’s all pinkie shake on this right now: We will ignore what the judges said and view Saturday night’s HBO main event as “Erislandy Lara W 12 Paul Williams.” Lara won, he’s in the mix now to fight any star around 154 pounds. Williams lost, he should be considering retirement a lot more seriously than a third fight with Sergio Martinez.

• This was probably the worst decision boxing has seen in a few years (Joel Casamayor over Jose Armando Santa Cruz is the last one I can think of that was more mind-boggling), and of course, anyone who scored for Williams (or even thought it was close) will tell you he “outworked” Lara. Screw that. I’ve had it with judges who think punches that miss have positive value. Scoring for the guy who throws more is like saying whichever basketball team gets off more shots deserves to win, regardless of whether the balls went through the little orange circle.

• I’m not buying into the “Williams is a different fighter than he was a couple of years ago” bit. Okay, maybe he’s slipped a little. But basically, the guy Lara beat the crap out of was the same guy who ate left hands from Carlos Quintana all night in February 2008. Against the right opponents, Williams looks great, but against certain guys—particularly clever and quick southpaws—he’s disturbingly easy to hit.

• Not only does Lara deserve a win on his record, but his cutman deserves some serious recognition for the job he did with that Enswell. If that guy had been in Floyd Mayweather’s entourage for the last 15 years, he probably could have kept Floyd’s ego from rising above normal levels.

• Credit to Harold Lederman for getting off his best line in recent memory, with “We ain’t getting no 3,000 hits in this fight.” Larry Merchant, the network’s resident joke-cracking cynic, had to have been proud of Harold when he heard that one.

• And as Rico Ramos showed, you don’t need 3,000 hits in boxing. You can sometimes get it done with 2,999 fewer than that.

• Over on Showtime, we got the one outcome in the Brandon Rios-Urbano Antillon fight that could prevent it from being a classic—Rios rolling to a quick win—but I don’t think anyone’s complaining. I tweeted that the opening round offered hints of Hagler-Hearns, and it was interesting that this bout ended violently in the third as well. Obviously, this was no Hagler-Hearns in the final analysis. Not even close. But Rios did continue his march toward becoming one of the biggest stars in boxing, a position I expect him to hold for the next five years or so.

• You know what I love about Rios? He doesn’t stop and complain to the ref when he gets hit low. He just keeps going. He has no interest in buying time for his opponent.

• Excellent call by Al Bernstein, saying he’d like to see Carlos Molina vs. Pawel Wolak. If Wolak beats Delvin Rodriguez this weekend, that’s a fight that should absolutely be made.

• My new favorite boxing name: Creed Fountain, the cutman for Kermit Cintron. (However, if hearing that name starts getting songs by the band Creed stuck in my head, then it will quickly become my least favorite name in boxing.)

• Here’s another fun name for you: Janks Trotter. I can’t tell yet if Trotter is actually going anywhere, but he’s a young fighter I definitely want to see more of.

• On the other side of the spectrum: That’ll do, Emmanuel Lucero. That’ll do.

• Did everyone catch ring announcer Ralph Velez breaking all sorts of rules of impartiality by calling Jesus Gonzales a “future champion” as he introduced him? As long as we’re predicting the future, I hereby declare Velez a future caller of Bingo numbers at nursing homes in the greater Phoenix region.

• So, Ricky Hatton retired. In other news, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

• Is Hatton a Hall of Famer? I’m about as on the fence as I can be. Give me three more years to see how his legacy has aged; there’s no need for any Hall voters to make up their minds right now.

• Huge congratulations to Showtime on celebrating the 10th anniversary of ShoBox. Without a doubt, my favorite ShoBox moment is the incredible 22-second fight between Sechew Powell and Cornelius Bundrage, in which a total of three punches landed and they (unofficially) produced five knockdowns. I’m really looking forward to seeing the video packages the show uses to celebrate its anniversary this Friday night.

• And speaking of things I’m looking forward to, Breaking Bad returns this Sunday! I jumped on this bandwagon a little late, plowing through the first three seasons when AMC replayed them several months ago, but I’m along for the ride now. Along with Mad Men, this is one of the two best shows on television. I hereby declare this it is your duty as a reader of my column to get the first three seasons on DVD, lock yourself in your house this weekend, and plow through it all in time for the season premiere.

• Thanks again to the aforementioned Al Bernstein for appearing on last week’s episode of Ring Theory (http://ringtheory.podbean.com). If you don’t know what Al has in common with David Haye, well, skip to the 29-minute mark and prepare to be amazed.

Eric Raskin can be contacted at RaskinBoxing@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @EricRaskin and listen to new episodes of his podcast, Ring Theory, at http://ringtheory.podbean.com.

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

on

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

WATCH RELATED VIDEOS ON BOXINGCHANNEL.TV

 

Share The Sweet Science experience!
Continue Reading

Articles

Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

on

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

WATCH RELATED VIDEOS ON BOXINGCHANNEL.TV

Share The Sweet Science experience!
Continue Reading

Articles

2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

on

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

WATCH RELATED VIDEOS ON BOXINGCHANNEL.TV

Share The Sweet Science experience!
Continue Reading
Advertisement
A-Shocker-in-Tijuana-Bruno-Sarace-KOs-Jaime-Munguia
Featured Articles1 week ago

A Shocker in Tijuana: Bruno Surace KOs Jaime Munguia !!

RIP-Israel-Vazquez-who-has-Passed-Away-at-age-46
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46

Fighting-on-His-Home-Turf-Galal-Yafai-Pulverizes-Sunny-Edwards
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

Fighting on His Home Turf, Galal Yafai Pulverizes Sunny Edwards

The-Noted-Trainer-Kevin-Henry-Lucky-to-be-Alive-Reflects-on-Devin-Haney-and-More
Featured Articles4 weeks ago

The Noted Trainer Kevin Henry, Lucky to Be Alive, Reflects on Devin Haney and More

Introducing-Jaylan-Phillips-Boxing's-Palindrome-Man
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Introducing Jaylan Phillips, Boxing’s Palindrome Man

Avila-Perspective-Chap-306-Flyweight-Rumble-in-England-Ryan-Garcia-in-SoCal
Featured Articles4 weeks ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 306: Flyweight Rumble in England, Ryan Garcia in SoCal

Cardoso-Nunez-and-Agitsuki-Bring-Home-the-Bacon-in-Plant-City
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City

Results-from-the-Chumash-Casino-where-Akhmedov-Gave-a-GGG-like-Performance
Featured Articles1 week ago

Results from the Chumash Casino where Akhmedov Gave a GGG-like Performance

Usyk-Outpoints-Fury-and-Itauma-has-the-Wow-Factor-in-Riyadh
Featured Articles2 days ago

Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh

Emanuel-Navarrete-and-Rafael-Espinoza-Shine-in-Phoenix
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix

LA's-Rudy-Hernandez-is-the-2024-TSS-Trainer-of-the-Year
Featured Articles1 week ago

L.A.’s Rudy Hernandez is the 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year

Avila-Perspective-Chap-307-Destination-Puerto-Rico-Israel-Vazquez-and-More
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 307: Destination Puerto Rico, Israel Vazquez and More

Avila-Perspective-Chap-308-So_cal-Rivals-Rocha-and-Curiel-Rumble-and-More
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 308: SoCal Rivals Rocha and Curiel Rumble and More

The-IBHOF-Unveils-its-Newest-Inductees-Manny-Pacquiao-is-the-Icing-on-the-Cake
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake

Brooklyn's-Richardson-Hitchins-Wins-IBF-140-Pound-Title-in-Puerto-Rico
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico

Steven-Navarro-is-the-TSS-2024-Prospect-of-the-Year
Featured Articles5 days ago

Steven Navarro is the TSS 2024 Prospect of the Year

Natasha-Jonas-and-Lauren-Price-win-in-Liverpool-Cutler-Upsets-McKenna
Featured Articles1 week ago

Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price Win in Liverpool; Cutler Upsets McKenna

The-Challenge-of-Playing-Muhammad-Ali
Featured Articles6 days ago

The Challenge of Playing Muhammad Ali

A-six-pack-of-undercard-action-from-the-Top-Rank-card-in-Phoenix
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix

Fury-Usyk-Reignated-Can-the-Gypsy-King-Avenge-His-Londe-Defeat?
Featured Articles4 days ago

Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?

Lucas-Bahdi-Forged-he-RSS-2024-Knockout-of-the-Year
Featured Articles14 hours ago

Lucas Bahdi Forged the TSS 2024 Knockout of the Year

Usyk-Outpoints-Fury-and-Itauma-has-the-Wow-Factor-in-Riyadh
Featured Articles2 days ago

Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh

Fury-Usyk-Reignated-Can-the-Gypsy-King-Avenge-His-Londe-Defeat?
Featured Articles4 days ago

Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?

Unheralded-Bruno-Sarace-went-to-Tijuana-and-Forged-the TSS-2024-Upset-of-the-Year
Featured Articles5 days ago

Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year

Steven-Navarro-is-the-TSS-2024-Prospect-of-the-Year
Featured Articles5 days ago

Steven Navarro is the TSS 2024 Prospect of the Year

The-Challenge-of-Playing-Muhammad-Ali
Featured Articles6 days ago

The Challenge of Playing Muhammad Ali

LA's-Rudy-Hernandez-is-the-2024-TSS-Trainer-of-the-Year
Featured Articles1 week ago

L.A.’s Rudy Hernandez is the 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year

A-Shocker-in-Tijuana-Bruno-Sarace-KOs-Jaime-Munguia
Featured Articles1 week ago

A Shocker in Tijuana: Bruno Surace KOs Jaime Munguia !!

Ringside-in-Ontario-where-Alexis-Rocha-and-Raul-Curiel-Battled-to-a-Spirited-Draw
Featured Articles1 week ago

Ringside in Ontario where Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel Battled to a Spirited Draw

Natasha-Jonas-and-Lauren-Price-win-in-Liverpool-Cutler-Upsets-McKenna
Featured Articles1 week ago

Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price Win in Liverpool; Cutler Upsets McKenna

Results-from-the-Chumash-Casino-where-Akhmedov-Gave-a-GGG-like-Performance
Featured Articles1 week ago

Results from the Chumash Casino where Akhmedov Gave a GGG-like Performance

Avila-Perspective-Chap-308-So_cal-Rivals-Rocha-and-Curiel-Rumble-and-More
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 308: SoCal Rivals Rocha and Curiel Rumble and More

Cardoso-Nunez-and-Agitsuki-Bring-Home-the-Bacon-in-Plant-City
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City

Introducing-Jaylan-Phillips-Boxing's-Palindrome-Man
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Introducing Jaylan Phillips, Boxing’s Palindrome Man

Emanuel-Navarrete-and-Rafael-Espinoza-Shine-in-Phoenix
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix

Brooklyn's-Richardson-Hitchins-Wins-IBF-140-Pound-Title-in-Puerto-Rico
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico

A-six-pack-of-undercard-action-from-the-Top-Rank-card-in-Phoenix
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix

Recaps-from-London-where-Bentley-Noakes-and-Okolie-Emerged-Victorious
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Recaps from London where Bentley, Noakes, and Okolie Emerged Victorious

Avila-Perspective-Chap-307-Destination-Puerto-Rico-Israel-Vazquez-and-More
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 307: Destination Puerto Rico, Israel Vazquez and More

The-IBHOF-Unveils-its-Newest-Inductees-Manny-Pacquiao-is-the-Icing-on-the-Cake
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending

Advertisement