The Cookbook Illustrates How Marquez Can Beat Pacquiao…It Always Does…LOTIERZO

Published

13 years ago

November 11, 2011

With Joe Frazier’s recent passing having him in the news, I can’t help but think about how styles and fight plans will play a role in this weekend’s Pacquiao-Marquez III clash. Fight plans and strategies will be discussed along with what each fighter has to do to win right up until the bell for round one. And on paper, if Fighter A does what the cookbook calls for he’ll come out on top. In other words, if Fighter A does this and doesn’t do that, then Fighter B can’t do that, which will surely result in victory for Fighter A. Now all we need to know is, who’s Fighter A and who’s Fighter B?

Writers and commentators always write and talk about the way to beat a particular fighter is to apply a specific tactic or style, and more often than not, their strategy is plausible. But what often gets lost in the translation is fight plans are only as good as the fighter trying to carry them out, and they’re no secret to the other fighter/opponent.

During the Ali-Frazier trilogy, it was no secret to Joe or anyone else that Muhammad was gonna try to wage the fight from the outside and circle to his left. Conversely, it was also no secret that Frazier was going to try and cut the ring off and force Ali to fight with his back to the ropes or from one of the four corners of the ring. Most figured that whoever had the most success forcing the other guy to fight from his weakness would win. No doubt before all three of their epic fights Ali sought sparring partners who could best emulate Frazier, and Joe looked to work with fighters who used their legs and relied on their left jab both offensively and defensively. Sure, try finding a replica of Ali or Frazier to help you prepare for either one of them. They didn’t, nor did they ever exist.

Both Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena wanted to try and force Ali to fight on the inside and with his back to the ropes, but they weren’t good enough to get him there. On the flip side, Jimmy Ellis and Bob Foster wanted to box Frazier but weren’t strong enough or durable enough to hold him off, and once he got inside and scored, they were slowed to a walk and cut down. So you see where the ideal fight plan only applies when the fighter trying to implement it is physically capable of doing so. What made the Ali-Frazier trilogy so compelling was, both fighters had equal success fighting their fight and as it turned out they were near equals.

It’s no secret that Marquez is going to try and catch Pacquiao with lead right hands and counters, which of course Pacquiao has been preparing for. On the other hand, Marquez knows that Manny is gonna try and get him to fight and trade with him. Again, nothing that Marquez doesn’t know and has no doubt tried to prepare for. So just as it is the case with all fights, it’ll come down to which fighter is more capable, physically, of imposing himself on their opponent.

If Marquez’s lead right hands and counters don’t faze Pacquiao or disrupt his attacks, then what? And if Marquez can’t disrupt Pacquiao’s attacks that come in waves, he’ll then be forced to fight Manny off which is exactly what he wants. Isn’t it much easier to picture Floyd Mayweather blunting and disrupting Pacquiao’s spurts than it is Marquez? Why is that? Mayweather, when he finally fights Pacquiao, will no doubt glean his fight plan from the same cookbook Marquez has been studying.

Obviously neither Marquez or Mayweather want to fight and trade with Pacquiao on his terms. So they both must be first and look to impede Manny’s assault before he gets a head of steam. But one of them has a much greater chance of physically nullifying Pacquiao’s unconventional attack, and that’s Mayweather. And that’s because Mayweather is physically stronger and more durable than Marquez at 144-146. It’s not that Floyd’s a better technician than Marquez, he just has physics on his side and that will make a big difference. Sure, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito had the physics but they lacked in the skill department and were overwhelmed by Pacquiao’s skill and physicality.

Recently there have been articles written where the perfect fight plan is mapped out on what a particular fighter must do in order to beat Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and even Vitali Klitschko. However, they are written as if any pug who’s won a big fight or title belt can carry the plan out as the recipe states. But that’s not how boxing works in the real world. Boxing is a physical sport. Strength and durability play a big roll. Punching power is sometimes overrated, but strength and durability aren’t.

Juan Manuel Marquez knows what Manny Pacquiao’s vulnerabilities are and vice-versa. Marquez needs to disrupt Pacquiao’s rushes and attacks, but that’s not gonna be enough. In order for him to be successful doing what the cookbook calls for, he’ll need to make Manny uncomfortable when he touches him, not hurt him, just enough to the point that he makes him hesitate and think ever so slightly. And to do that Marquez will need to gain Pacquio’s respect when he connects, but is that realistic?

Manny has been hit by Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito recently and they couldn’t slow him down. On the other hand, Marquez could barely get Mayweather’s attention when he managed to get through, so what are the chances Marquez can un-nerve Pacquiao? And we saw how Cotto and Margarito looked to break off most of the exchanges when Manny cut loose. How’s Marquez going to hold Manny off? From here it looks like he probably won’t.

When all is said and done, Marquez and trainer Nacho Beristain no doubt have a great battle plan that the cookbook illustrates how it’ll lead to victory for them. And you know what, if you can find the right fighter who is physically gifted enough to implement it during the accelerated pace of combat, we’ll see Pacquiao get beat. Now all you have to do is ask yourself whether or not Marquez is physically equipped enough to follow Nacho’s stellar recipe?

For Marquez to beat Pacquiao, he has to outsmart him and constantly be a step off of him. It’s just that Manny will probably be too much for him physically. Therefore, the ideal recipe/fight plan stated in the cookbook will go out the window.

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Frank Lotierzo

Avila Perspective, Chap. 317: Callum Walsh, Dana White and More

Published

1 day ago

March 14, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-317-Callum-Walsh-Dana-White-and-More

As Callum Walsh stood on the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building with fists clenched, it harked back to actor Jimmy Cagney, an actor of Irish descent, yelling “Top of the world, ma,” in the 1949 motion picture White Heat.

The Irish-born Walsh brings that kind of attitude.

Once again Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) returns to New York City and this time faces Scottish warrior Dean Sutherland (19-1, 7 KOs) in a super welterweight match set for 10 rounds on Sunday, March 16, at Madison Garden Theater.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions event.

Flanked by master trainer Freddie Roach and managed by Dana White it brings questions as to the direction that Walsh will be steered. It was just revealed that White will head a new boxing promotion outfit with big plans to make a more UFC type of organization.

Is Walsh part of the plans?

It’s a lot to digest as the hot prospect from Cork, Ireland proceeds toward world championship dreams. Can he cleanse his mind of this major distraction?

Walsh and Sutherland are both southpaws who are meeting at the crossroads in the heart of New York City. At this point of their careers a loss can mean rebooting and taking a few steps backward. The winner moves on to the next crucial step.

Sutherland, 26, hails from Aberdeen and has never fought outside of his native Scotland. It’s a lot to ask of someone whose country’s population of 5 million is dwarfed by New York City’s 8.2 million inhabitants all packed together.

Ireland’s population is also 5 million. So basically, both Walsh and Sutherland are on even terms when they enter the prize ring on Sunday.

Who knows what kind of competition Sutherland faced in Scotland. He beat two undefeated fighters and also conquered two foes who each had more than 100 losses on their resumes.

Meanwhile, Walsh has faced only one undefeated fighter but handled veterans like Benjamin Whitaker, Ismael Villareal and Carlos Ortiz Cervantes. But you never know until they meet face to face. Anything can happen in a prize ring.

Walsh has a three-fight knockout streak. Sutherland has slept two out of his last three foes. They will be joined by several Irish fighters on the card plus Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.

Dana, Turk and TKO

The announcement earlier in the week that Turki Alalshikh together with TKO Group Holdings that include Dana White and Nick Khan formed a new boxing promotion company.

White, who does not own UFC but guides the MMA ship, works for Endeavor, the parent company of UFC and WWE. Their events are all shown on ESPN, the powerful sports network (albeit WWE’s flagship weekly show “Raw” recently moved to Netflix). It seems Endeavor has decided to allow White to guide its boxing program too.

Where does that leave Top Rank?

It seems the partnership plans to rid boxing of the many sanctioning organizations and have only one champion per division. The champion will be given a Ring Magazine belt. Recently, Turki Alalshikh purchased The Ring magazine from Golden Boy Promotions. This seems to have been the plan all along.

Is this good for boxing?

Mark Shapiro, the president of TKO Group Holdings, said:

“This is a strategic opportunity to re-imagine the sport of boxing globally. TKO has the deep expertise, promotional prowess, and longstanding relationships. HE Turki Alalshikh and Sela share our passion and vision for evolving the current model. Together, we can bring the sweet science back to its rightful place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem.”

DAZN all day

Three boxing cards take place on Saturday beginning with WBA featherweight titlist Nick Ball (21-0-1) the human cannonball, defending against former champion TJ Doheny from Liverpool, England. The first bout begins around 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Coast Time). Ball likes to charge forward and punch. Doheny is no slouch and has experience.

Later, Matchroom Boxing presents a show from Florida that features Edgar Berlanga (22-1) fresh off a solid contest against Canelo Alvarez. He fights undefeated Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) in a super middleweight match. Also, Ammo Williams (17-1) returns to face dangerous Patrice Volny (19-1) in a middleweight clash. The card starts at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time.

Saturday evening MarvNation presents Amado Vargas (11-0) meeting Eduardo Hernandez (8-2) in a super lightweight contest at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. Start time is set for 8 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time). The son of the great Fernando Vargas remains undefeated.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 11:30 a.m. Nick Ball (21-0-1) vs TJ Doheny (26-5).

Sat. DAZN 3:30 p.m. Edgar Berlanga (22-1) vs Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) ; Ammo Williams (17-1) vs Patrice Volny (19-1).

Sat. DAZN 8 p.m. Amado Vargas (11-0) vs Eduardo Hernandez (8-2).

Sun. UFC Fight Pass 3 p.m. Callum Walsh (12-0) vs Dean Sutherland (19-1).

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A Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday

Published

2 days ago

March 13, 2025

Luis A. Cortes III

A-Fresh-Face-on-the-Boxing-Scene-Bryce-Mills-Faces-His-Toughest-Test-on-Friday

“He wants to test himself and find out just how good he really is,” said International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz regarding super lightweight Bryce Mills. Peltz, who has dealt with a wide range of fighters throughout his lifetime in boxing, recognized the fire that burned inside Mills at a local show in Philadelphia in early 2022. At the time Mills had less than ten professional fights under his belt.

Mills hails from Liverpool in upstate New York and trains in nearby Syracuse. Currently 17-1 (6 KOs), he’s undefeated in his last 11 since losing a split decision to a Puerto Rican fighter from the Bronx who had fought much stiffer competition.

The fight in question that caught Peltz’s eye was arranged by the well-known and respected matchmaker Nick Tiberi who paired Mills in an intriguing fight against Daiyaan Butt, a tough and skilled fighter from the Philadelphia area. They fought at LIVE Casino in South Philadelphia on Feb. 24, 2022.

Although the crowd on hand that night favored Butt, Mills, although then only 20 years old, wasn’t intimidated and was the clear-cut winner at the end of their exciting, back-and-forth battle. This showed Peltz that Mills was serious about seeing just how far his ability could take him.

That’s why Peltz decided to join forces with Mills. Despite being semi-retired, Peltz is still active enough to help guide fighters through the ever-changing wild west landscape that is boxing. Since their union after Mill’s victory over Butt, Mills has been on a nine-fight winning streak heading into what Peltz believes is the toughest test of his career this Friday against Alex Martin 18-6 (6 KOs) of Chicago.

“I didn’t want him to take this fight, it’s a dangerous fight for him. Martin is a southpaw and is tricky, he’s a veteran and is experienced. His father (Mills’s father) called me and said that Bryce wanted the fight, to his credit,” says Peltz. One look at Martin’s resume and it confirms what Peltz stated. All six of Martin’s losses came against fighters with outstanding records including a former world title challenger. Martin also holds some quality wins over undefeated prospects that were at similar points in their careers to where Mills currently is in his development.

Bryce Mills looks like a fighter (he’s always in shape), acts like a fighter (testing his craft against all comers), walks the walk of a fighter, and fights with a fan-friendly pedal-to-the-metal style. That is a winning combination that could be the breath of fresh air the boxing world could surely use and on Friday night at the Wind Creek Events Center in Bethlehem, PA, live on DAZN, Mills is going to have the opportunity to put the boxing world on notice.

***

DAZN will televise the Mills-Martin fight along with a main event that features undefeated middleweight Euri Cedeno (10-0-1, 9 KO’s) against Ulices Rivera (11-1, 7 KO’s). Knockout artist Joseph Adorno (20-4-1, 17 KOs) and undefeated Reading, PA super featherweight Julian Gonzalez (15-0-1, 11 KOs) appear in separate bouts on the undercard. Tickets for the Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotion show are still available through Ticketmaster. Lobby doors open at 5:00 pm. First bell is at 7:00.

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High Drama in Japan as ‘Amazing Boy’ Kenshiro Teraji Overcomes Seigo Yuri Akui

Published

2 days ago

March 13, 2025

Arne K. Lang

High-Drama-in-Japan-as-'Amazing-Boy'Kenshiro-Teraji-Overcomes-Seigo-Yuri-Akui

Overshadowed by countrymen Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani, Kenshiro Teraji embossed his Hall of Fame credentials in Tokyo tonight with a dramatic 12^th-round stoppage of Seigo Yuri Akui. At stake were two pieces of the world flyweight title. A two-time world title-holder a division below (108), Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs) was appearing in his 16^th world title fight.

This Japan vs. Japan matchup will go down in Japanese boxing lore as one of the best title fights ever on Japanese soil. Through the 11 completed rounds, Akui was up 105-104 on two of the cards with Teraji up 106-103 on the third. However, judging by his appearance, Akui was more damaged. The stoppage by Japanese referee Katsuhiko Nakamura, which came at the 1:31 mark of the final round with Akui still standing, struck some as premature but the gallant Akui was well-beaten.

A second-generation prizefighter, Kenshiro Teraji, 33, came bearing the WBC 112-pound belt which he acquired this past October with an 11^th round TKO of Nicaraguan veteran Cristofer Rosales. The 29-year-old Akui (21-3-1) was making the second defense of the WBA strap he won with a wide decision over previously undefeated Artem Dalakian.

Although Teraji keeps on rolling – this was his seventh straight win which began with a third-round blast-out of Masamichi Yabuki, avenging his lone defeat – things aren’t getting any easier for the so-called “Amazing Boy.” In his last three fights, which include a hard-earned majority decision over Carlos Canizales, he answered the bell for 35 rounds.

By and large, fighters in his weight class don’t age well. While Teraji is starting to slip, he has no intention of retiring any time soon. His goal, he says is to unify the title and eventually move up a notch to pursue a world title in a third weight class. The other pieces of the 112-pound title are currently the property of Mexico’s Angel Ayala who defends his IBF diadem against Yabuki later this month and LA’s Anthony Olascuaga who was in action on tonight’s undercard.

Other Bouts of Note

Olascuaga, a stablemate of Junto Nakatani, trained by 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year Rudy Hernandez, advanced to 9-1 (6) with a hard-earned unanimous decision over Hiroto Kyoguchi. The judges had it 118-110 and 117-111 (scores condemned as too wide) with the third judge having it 6-6 in rounds but scoring it 114-113 in acknowledgement of the knockdown credited to Olascuaga in round 11, the result of a short left that produced a delayed reaction.

Olascuaga was making the second defense of his WBO belt in his fifth straight trip to Japan. In his lone defeat, he was thrust against the formidable Teraji as a late sub, acquitting himself well in defeat (L TKO 9) despite having only five pro fights under his belt and having only 10 days to prepare. Kyoguchi (19-3) had previously held titles in the sport’s two smallest weight classes.

In a big upset, Puerto Rico’s Rene Santiago, thought to be well past his prime at age 32, wrested the WBO light flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Shokichi Iwata who was making the first defense of the title he won with a third-round stoppage of Spain’s previously undefeated Jairo Noriega. Tokyo’s Iwata was a consensus 9/1 favorite.

Santiago, who advanced to 14-4 (9), won by scores of 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112. It was the second loss for Iwata who had knocked out 11 of his first 15 opponents.

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