The Irony Of One Punch…LOTIERZO

Published

13 years ago

October 3, 2011

Recently former junior welterweight title holder Ricky Hatton was quoted saying that he went into a depression and considered suicide while trying to come to grips with his loss to Manny Pacquiao in May of 2009. Since being devastated by Pacquiao in the second round Hatton hasn’t fought.

Sports writers, broadcasters and coaches repeat how the NFL is a game of inches and how one or two plays usually determine the outcome of the game. In boxing one punch can not only be the difference between winning and losing, but it can also make one fighters’ career and ruin the others,’ and that’s not even considering if one fighter sustains a serious injury or in the worst case scenario is killed. When Manny Pacquiao caught Ricky Hatton with an over-hand left on the chin that was heard around the boxing world, it launched one career and ended another.

Prior to fighting Pacquiao, Hatton was thought of as being one of boxing’s most popular and exciting fighters. If you remember, Hatton and Pacquiao shared equal billing and purse parity for their marquee match up two years ago. At that time, despite his popularity, no one was predicting Pacquiao would go onto claim titles at 140,147 and 154. Until Pacquiao crushed Hatton, Floyd Mayweather was considered boxing’s top fighter and draw. As a matter of fact the attention Pacquiao garnered for fighting Hatton actually provoked a jealous Mayweather to announce he was ending his retirement on the day of Pacquiao-Hatton. So with one herculean punch, Pacquiao went from being one of boxing’s most exciting fighters to the most talked about and comprehensively covered fighter in all of combat sports.

As for Hatton, who was on the receiving end of the punch heard around the boxing world, he’s been inactive and went through a period of gorging himself with food, alcohol and drugs. Hatton told BBC radio the loss brought on thoughts of retirement and said, “I didn’t cope with it very well … I was so down, I was crying and breaking out and contemplating suicide.”

I doubt many if any boxing fans thought the loss would be so traumatic and difficult for Hatton to deal with. After all, he seemed OK after the fight and publicly gave Pacquiao his due for his performance that night. The problem is that once he was by himself and thought about how fighters that get beat in such a devastating fashion are mocked, it must have cut at him inside and messed with him psychologically.

Obviously Hatton’s over-indulgence was part of his way of coping with the result of the fight. And the fact that he got so far out of shape made it easier for him to forget about getting back in the ring. Once he was done drowning his depression he lost the weight and is reportedly in pretty good shape. However, when he thinks about all the time and work he put into boxing for him to be part of a big event like his fight with Pacquiao was, it’s hard to put yourself through the rigors again that it takes mentally and physically to get back there. But when you get destroyed the way Ricky did, it makes you question yourself and your ability like you never have before. It causes you to remember everything negative that was said about or to you on the way up and how you didn’t have what it takes. You forget about all the beatings you gave out and asses you kicked to make it to the top of the profession. All you can think about is how embarrassed you were on the big stage in your last fight, not to mention how hard it will be to get back to where you were and of course there are no guarantees that you will.

Fans never see how a loss effects a fighter afterwards. Losing a close fight is tough enough, but when you’re embarrassed it really takes a lot to put it behind you and move on. Hatton was stopped by Mayweather before he fought Pacquiao. But it was in the tenth round and he was competitive and actually led early in the fight. Then he got caught, something that’s happened to almost every fighter who has ever laced ’em up. Hatton had no trouble putting the Mayweather defeat behind him because he wasn’t embarrassed and for a while looked as though he belonged in the same ring with Mayweather.

Had Ricky Hatton been competitive with Pacquiao before getting drilled by him, he’d probably still be an active fighter instead of a promoter. Sometimes a one-punch knockout defeat will take the will out of a fighter and he’ll decide he gave it his all and will move onto the next phase of his life the way Hatton has done. And then there are some fighters like Paul Williams who despite suffering a devastating one punch knockout defeat to Sergio Martinez, can just brush it off as being a fluke and press on as if it never happened.

In our current marketing era, a fighter’s entire worth as a man can be changed by one loss, let alone a one shot kayo loss. During previous eras, when fighters had much longer careers, nearly every fighter–the all-timers included–had an uncharacteristic kayo loss on their records. Yet, they rebounded and achieved greatness in many cases.

Some will call Hatton a quitter for not continuing to fight, yet those are the same people who consider Williams a dope for wanting to continue. However, fighting is not something that anyone can be forced to do and why hopefully 99% of all fighters do it for themselves because nobody said it would be easy. Every fighter is one punch away from being a bum or the next all-time great.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Frank Lotierzo

Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

Published

22 hours ago

January 25, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

LAS VEGAS, NV – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions was at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas tonight for the second half of a DAZN doubleheader that began in Nottingham, England. In the main event, Diego Pacheco, ranked #1 by the WBO at super middleweight, continued his ascent toward a world title with a unanimous decision over Steven Nelson.

Pacheco glides round the ring smoothly whereas Nelson wastes a lot energy with something of a herky-jerky style. However, although Nelson figured to slow down as the fight progressed, he did some of his best work in rounds 11 and 12. Fighting with a cut over his left eye from round four, a cut that periodically reopened, the gritty Nelson fulfilled his promise that he would a fight as if he had everything to lose if he failed to win, but it just wasn’t enough, even after his Omaha homie Terence “Bud” Crawford entered his corner before the last round to give him a pep talk (back home in North Omaha, Nelson runs the B&B (Bud and Bomac) Sports Academy.

All three judges had it 117-111 for Pacheco who mostly fought off his back foot but landed the cleaner punches throughout. A stablemate of David Benavidez and trained by David’s father Jose Benevidez Sr, Pacheco improved to 23-0 (18). It was the first pro loss for the 36-year-old Nelson (20-1).

Semi wind-up

Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, who as a pro has never fought a match slated for fewer than 10 rounds, had too much class for Hermosillo, Mexico’s rugged Omar Salcido who returned to his corner with a puffy face after the fourth stanza, but won the next round and never stopped trying. The outcome was inevitable even before the final round when Salcido barely made it to the final gun, but the Mexican was far more competitive than many expected.

The Cuban, who was 4-0 vs. Keyshawn Davis in closely-contested bouts as an amateur, advanced his pro record to 5-0 (2), winning by scores by 99-91 and 98-92 twice. Salido, coming off his career-best win, a 9^th-round stoppage of former WBA super featherweight title-holder Chris Colbert, falls to 20-2.

Other TV bouts

Ernesto “Tito” Mercado, a 23-year-old super lightweight, aims to become the next world champion from Pomona, California, following in the footsteps of the late Richie Sandoval and Sugar Shane Mosely, and based on his showing tonight against former Beijing Olympian and former two-division title-holder Jose Pedraza, he is well on his way.

After three rounds after what had been a technical fight, Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) knocked Pedraza off his pins with an overhand right followed by short left hand. Pedraza bounced back and fell on his backside. When he arose on unsteady legs, the bout was waived off. The official time was 2:08 of round four and the fading, 35-year-old Pedraza (29-7-1) was saddled with his third loss in his last four outings.

The 8-round super lightweight clash between Israel Mercado (no relation to “Tito”) and Leonardo Rubalcava was fan-friendly skirmish with many robust exchanges. When the smoke cleared, the verdict was a majority draw. Mercado got the nod on one card (76-74), but was overruled by a pair of 75-75 scores.

Mercado came out strong in the opening round, but suffered a flash knockdown before the round ended. The referee ruled it a slip but was overruled by replay operator Jay Nady and what would have been a 10-9 round for Mercado became a 10-8 round for Rubalcava. Mercado lost another point in round seven when he was penalized for low blows.

The scores were 76-74 for Mercado (11-1-2) and 75-75 twice. The verdict was mildly unpopular with most thinking that Mercado deserved the nod. Reportedly a four-time Mexican amateur champion, Rubalcava (9-0-1) is trained by Robert Garcia.

Also

New Matchroom signee Nishant Dev, a 24-year-old southpaw from India, had an auspicious pro debut (pardon the cliché). Before a beaming Eddie Hearn, Dev stopped Oakland’s Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) in the opening round. The referee waived it off after the second knockdown.

Boxers from India have made large gains at the amateur level in recent years and Matchroom honcho Eddie Hearn anticipates that Dev, a Paris Olympian, will be the first fighter from India to make his mark as a pro.

Undefeated Brooklyn lightweight Harley Mederos, managed by the influential Keith Connolly, scored his seventh knockout in eight tries with a brutal third-round KO of Mexico’s Arturo de Isla.

A left-right combination knocked de Isla (5-3-1) flat on his back. Referee Raul Caiz did not bother to count and several minutes elapsed before the stricken fighter was fit to leave the ring. The official time was 1:27 of round three.

In the opener, Newark junior lightweight Zaquin Moses, a cousin of Shakur Stevenson, improved to 2-0 when his opponent retired on his stool after the opening round.

Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

2 days ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Najee-Lopez-Steps-Up-in-Class-and-Wins-Impressively-at-Plant-City

Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

2 days ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Japanese-Superstar-Naoya-Inoue-is-Headed-to-Vegas-after-KOing-Y-Joon-Kim

Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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