Avila’s Las Vegas Journey: Marquez-Pacquiao

Published

12 years ago

December 13, 2012

An historic prizefight weekend began on a Thursday afternoon as we roared through the high deserts of Victorville-Barstow, then the low desert that passes through Baker at an estimated speed that could be a smidge faster than a thrown ball. Temperatures ranged from 70 to 75.

Three days of boxing cards were being staged in various parts of Las Vegas beginning with the Mirage Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip. We had just enough time to make the opening of the arena doors around 4 p.m.

Whenever there’s a big fight weekend you can bet that the boxing journalists are going to descend on the glitzy strip from all over the world. Even on Thursday evening several dozen reporters from Asia, South America and Europe were already checked into their hotels. Sitting in the arena were the Las Vegas regulars and a number of celebrities.

Over the years I’ve made a number of friends in Las Vegas such as journalist Chuck Giampa and his wife Lisa who is currently a boxing judge in Nevada. Other recognizable faces are Richie Sandoval the former bantamweight world champion who now works for Top Rank. And, also Bob Arum, the head man at Top Rank. And then there are the numerous match makers such as Brad Goodman, Bruce Trampler and Sean Gibbons who were waiting to observe the various boxing matches. Those are just a few of those in attendance. Matchmakers catch as many fights as possible. Their job depends on it.

A crowd began to form midway through the second fight as both Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns walked into the arena. After all these years they still carry an air of royalty from the boxing crowd that saw them fight in person or on television. Even those born after their last mega fight know that they’re the elite of the elite. People can thank ESPN, HBO and Fox for airing many of their old fights.

Also in the second row was Oxnard’s Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios who has suddenly streaked like a meteor especially after his big knockout win over Colorado’s Mike Alvarado a few months back in California. The hard-hitting Rios is scouting possible opponents. One is Manny Pacquiao. In two nights that dream fight will burst like a water bubble.

It’s a very long night as several of the match ups go the entire route. One of the most exciting is the lightweight clash pitting Raymundo Beltran against Ji-Hoon Kim of South Korea. In the first round they blast each other down via the left hook. But the two warriors fought the entire 12 rounds with Beltran, who is trained by Freddie Roach, going the distance and winning the unanimous decision. Both fighters belted each other.

The other interesting fight was Las Vegas boxer Jessie Magdaleno fighting Ontario’s Jonathan Arellano in a junior lightweight bout. Magdaleno erupted looking for the early knockout but Arellano’s speed and defense allowed him to escape the big blows. He would get knocked down a few times but finished the fight on his feet. Magdaleno is looking tougher and tougher.

After the final match my photographer Al Applerose and I headed toward the casino area to look for a place to eat. The National Rodeo tournament is being held at the Thomas & Mack Center and cowboys from all over the country are roaming inside the Mirage and every spot on the Strip. It reminds me of the late 60s and early 70s when cowboys were a common sight in Las Vegas. Now it’s merely nostalgia. I remember when anything west of the Strip was vast desert sands. No buildings and no homes. Only sand.

Where the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino currently is perched used to be the old Hacienda Hotel and Casino. They had sawdust on their floors among the slot machines. Visitors used to come in trucks, campers and trailers and all wore cowboy hats. A few blocks north were the Aladdin Hotel where guys with New York and Chicago accents were plentiful. In those days there we no sports books inside the casinos. One of the few sports books was next door to the Aladdin and Tropicana Hotel. Inside the room was filled thick with cigar smoke and deli sandwiches were the meal of choice. Chalk boards had numbers written on them representing racetracks and sporting events throughout the country. It was loud and crazy with mostly men inside hooting and hollering. Boxing was also a favorite pastime to put a wager on. I remember wanting to put a bet on the Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman fight. But I had already bet at my work with a dozen people. Everyone at my plant wanted to take Foreman who they felt surely would massacre Ali. They all were certain I was a fool for taking Ali. I didn’t have any more money to bet in Las Vegas in 1974. But later I’d clean up and return to Las Vegas with my Ali winnings. It was a good year.

After munching on some $12 hamburgers in the Mirage we headed back to the hotel. I was groggy from the long fight card and wanted to get an early start on Friday.

Friday

I have this habit of getting up at 7 a.m. no matter what time I go to sleep at night. Downstairs I grab a coffee and open up my laptop to see if I missed any important messages. Nothing going on. The coffee at the Orleans is not very good. Plus, I won’t drink that toilet coffee they leave in the rooms. Who knows what they do to those coffee makers.

Applerose meets me downstairs and we grab something to eat for breakfast. While eating an omelet we plan out the day. After a few hours we head to the MGM Grand to the press room set up next to the MGM Garden Arena. It’s already crowded with journalists, fighters and promoters.

I found an open spot to plug in the computer and while doing it someone tells me that there is no food. Journalists love free food, especially photographers. If you ever look at a boxing photographer notice that they’re mostly all beefy guys. They all know each other and if you ever want to know when the food is going to arrive, just ask a photographer.

A commotion stirs toward the back with dozens of people following a bald guy who I can’t distinguish at first. So I walked toward the back of the large convention room and see that it’s Iron Mike Tyson about to give a radio interview. Nobody is more popular than Tyson, well, perhaps Muhammad Ali, but that’s it. Whenever Tyson appears at an event of any kind the focus goes to him. Recently he has agreed to do a nationwide tour of a one-man show where he talks to the audience and answers any questions. He seems very happy about the tour and patiently answers the questions of the radio jock. When he leaves an entourage of 30 people leave with him. Suddenly it’s quiet again.

As Tyson leaves another boxer enters the press room: middleweight world champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez. He’s wearing a t-shirt and looks fit and ready to go. He had just endured a knee surgery but says everything is ok. One journalist after another questions the Argentine who is extremely honest.

Finally the weigh-in begins and crowds can be heard shuffling toward the arena. I stay in the press room and watch the proceedings on a large television screen. I’m surprised that Manny Pacquiao weighs 147 and Juan Manuel Marquez only 143. Usually Pacquiao comes in much lighter. The crowd is mostly pro-Marquez which is another surprise. Pacman’s fans are usually rabid and come in droves. I guess they’re expecting another ho-hum victory. After all, it is the fourth fight. Not many people want to see the fourth encounter.

A friend based in Las Vegas, who is quite a boxing historian, says that any fight between Marquez and Pacquiao is worth seeing. “These are two of the elite fighting each other,” he says. “They’re possibly the greatest fighters of their generation. Who would not want to see them fight each other?”

It’s a very good point.

After the weigh-ins we head through the crazy Vegas after work traffic. I zigzag through various streets to get to the Texas Station Casino north of downtown Las Vegas. We make it but the fights have already started. Luckily, the fight I want to see is up next. It’s the heavyweights.

Usually I don’t like heavyweight fights. They’re too ponderous and don’t throw as many punches as the smaller guys. But on this night undefeated Andy Ruiz, a Mexican heavyweight, is going to face Elijah McCall, the son of former heavyweight champion Oliver McCall.

Ruiz does what I expected especially with those fast hands and surprising footwork for a heavy guy. He opens up with some strong counters that force McCall to unload with bigger bombs. It only leaves him open for Ruiz’s fast counters. The Mexican heavyweight plows through McCall with some big shots and knocks down the other prospect. Eventually, the referee stops the fight when it gets too one-sided. Ruiz is a heavyweight to keep an eye on. I saw his first two fights in Mexico and also saw him spar Riverside’s Chris Arreola and Lateef Kayode. Ruiz can fight.

I receive a telephone call and have to leave the arena. I head toward one of the ritzy hotels where I meet a few business partners to discuss some issues. Later, I head back to the MGM where we run into a few boxing trainers, cut men and journalists near the hotel reservation area. We spend two hours talking about the big fight and one of the trainers asks who we’re all picking. I tell him for the first time I’m picking Marquez. I tell him that Pacman didn’t look good against Timothy Bradley and could not fight the entire three minutes of a round. He opted to fight in the last 30 seconds and do what is called “stealing a round.” Against Marquez, that’s a bad idea.

As we’re talking, Marquez’s conditioning coach stops by and shares some insight on the recent debates. One of the other journalists, Lem Satterfield, recently interviewed him and he just wants to thank him for the fair journalism. While we talk about boxing several cowboys see the Marquez coach and ask to take a photo with him. He obliges and spends the next hour doing it. Poor guy.

Me and Applerose break off and I hear someone calling my name. It’s Tony Rivera, one of the great cut men in boxing and a veritable historian as well. In his career he worked the corner of Alexis Arguello, Roberto Duran and Marco Antonio Barrera. As we talk a bit another guy comes up to shake my hand and say hello. It’s 50 Cent, but I didn’t recognize him without his hat and gear at first. I wish him luck. His fighter is Cuba’s Yuri Gamboa who fights Filipino southpaw Michael Farenas.

We spend another three hours in the bar where we sit and talk with ace flack Mario Serrano who handles the “Ghost” Robert Guerrero among many others. But Guerrero is his main guy. They came up together in the boxing world. A few other journalists stop by and before you know it, its 4 a.m.

Saturday

I get three hours of sleep and get up at 7 a.m. I can’t seem to fool my internal alarm clock. I head to Starbucks and make some calls to start the busy day. It’s a big fight and we have to pick up credentials, find parking and get something to eat.

After setting up my computer in the press room, I look for a place to eat inside the MGM. We were supposed to meet a boxer but she can’t make it. So we decide to get something to eat at a pizza place. While we’re eating I spot IBF lightweight titlist Miguel Vazquez waiting in line to grab a Nathan’s hot dog. He downs the hot dog then later I see him with an ice cream cone munching like a contented kid. I ask Applerose if that’s a good thing to do? We’ll find out later that night.

Inside the press room reporters are scurrying around the tables and preparing for the fight card to begin. It’s around 4 p.m. and I head toward the arena. Top Rank’s Lee Samuels is walking toward the arena at the same time. We walk in as one fight has already commenced.

Unlike mixed martial arts, boxing fans do not begin arriving until 6 p.m. or later. Most only want to see the main event. They’re nuts, especially those who spend $500 and up.

A few fights have passed when Bob Arum shouts to Satterfield and I that Republican governor Mitt Romney will be in the audience today. Some mutter a few things upon hearing the news. I begin thinking Romney is going to be smack in the middle of a boiling ethnic melting pot filled with mostly Mexicans and Filipinos. It makes me chuckle. It would have been better served if he had experienced it before the election. Romney attends with his wife.

Several fights pit Mexicans or Latinos versus Filipinos. On this night, only one Filipino Dodie Boy Penalosa emerges victorious. All three of the other Filipinos including Pacquiao will go down in defeat.

When the Marquez-Pacquiao fight begins I look at their stares. Both have done this three times before so there should be no changes or surprises technically. At this stage of their career they are what they are. The big surprise however, is when Marquez decks Pacman with a long overhand right from seemingly across the ring. Pacquiao hits the deck hard with his black hair flopping wildly. The fight resumes but the Filipino southpaw doesn’t seem hurt, just upset.

Marquez looks confident until Pacquiao catches him walking into a short left cross. Down goes the Mexican boxer extraordinaire. When he gets up Pacman attacks as if his life depends on it. In some ways it does.

In the sixth round Pacquiao tries to knock Marquez out but the Mexican knows all of the tricks. After about one minute I noticed that Pacquiao’s legs are quivering as if he’s tiring rapidly. He shakily begins to move toward Marquez who stands in front and receives a volley of punches. Marquez suddenly moves backwards, but almost as if he’s setting a trap. Pacquiao moves in and feints once and Marquez reads the feint and holds back his counter, then Pacman attempts to fire the left and is met with a short right cross to the chin that catches Pacman walking into the punch. Boom. Down he goes. An entire arena jumps in surprise, including Jim Lampley who is sitting in front of me. Fans along ringside can be seen with their mouths opened wide and some with hands to their face. Even Romney has a look of shock. Pacquiao is down for the count.

But after that savage knockout, many of the fans are somewhat quiet. Pacquiao is still on the floor, not moving. Minutes pass and still no movement. Then, he slowly is raised to his feet and the pro-Marquez fans can finally cheer in earnest.

I’ve been following Pacquiao since the Lehlo Ledwaba fight and Marquez since his days at the Inglewood Forum. Now here they are at the top of the pyramid. Temporarily, Pacquiao has been toppled like all other kings have been toppled in the past. It’s another era gone. Not just for the Filipino slugger but for Marquez too. Both should end their careers on this note.

After the fights, its pandemonium in the MGM Grand. We leave the arena and meet friends including Melinda Cooper, the beautiful and talented boxer from Las Vegas. About 10 of us spend four hours at a sushi bar until 3:30 a.m. I head to the hotel and sleep at 4 a.m. and get up at 7 a.m. Then I head back to California all the while talking to Applerose about the tiring but exciting journey.

Oh yeah. And about the lightweight champ Vazquez who we saw eating hot dogs and ice cream. He won by unanimous decision. I guess that stuff is good for you.

Next stop is California.

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David A. Avila

Boxing Odds and Ends: Oscar Collazo, Reimagining ‘The Ring’ Magazine and More

Published

13 hours ago

November 19, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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With little boxing activity over the next two weekends, there’s no reason to hold off anointing Oscar Collazo the Fighter of the Month for November. In his eleventh pro fight, Collazo turned heads with a masterful performance against previously undefeated Thammanoon Niyamtrong, grabbing a second piece of the title in boxing’s smallest weight class while ending the reign of the sport’s longest-reigning world title-holder. The match was on the undercard of the Nov. 16 “Latino Night” show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia headlined by the cruiserweight tiff between Mexico’s Zurdo Ramirez and England’s Chris Billam-Smith.

Collazo was a solid favorite, but no one expected the fight would be as one-sided. Collazo put on a clinic, as the saying goes. He took the starch out of Niyamtrong with wicked body punches before ending matters in the seventh. A left uppercut sent the Thai to the canvas for the third time and the referee immediately stepped in and stopped it.

Collazo, wrote Tris Dixon, “dissected and destroyed a very good fighter.” Indeed. A former Muay Thai champion, Niyamtrong (aka Knockout CP Freshmart) brought a 25-0 record and was making the thirteenth defense of his WBA strap.

A Puerto Rican born in Newark, Jersey, Oscar Collazo turned pro after winning a gold medal in the 2019 Pan American games in Lima, Peru. He was reportedly named after Oscar De La Hoya (we will take that info with a grain of salt), names Hall of Famer Ivan Calderon as a mentor and is co-promoted by Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto.

Collazo, 27, won the WBO version of the 105-pound title in his seventh pro fight with a seven-round beatdown of Melvin Jerusalem. He won a world title faster than any Puerto Rican boxer before him.

His goal now, he says, is to become a unified champion. He would be the first from the island in the modern era. Although Puerto Rico has a distinguished boxing history – twelve Boricua are enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame — there hasn’t been a fully unified champion from Puerto Rico since the WBO came along in 1988.

The other belt-holders at 105 are the aforementioned Jerusalem (WBC) and his Filipino countryman Melvin Taduran (IBF). Both won their belts in Japan with upsets of the Shigeoka brothers, respectively Yudai (Jerusalem) and Ginjiro (Taduran). Collazo would be a massive favorite over either.

A far more attractive fight would pit Collazo against two-time Olympic gold medalist Hasanboy Dusmatov. In theory, this would be an easy fight to make as the undefeated Uzbek trains in Indio, California, a frequent stomping ground of Collazo’s co-promoter Oscar De La Hoya who had a piece of the action when Dusmatov made his pro debut in Mexico. However, it’s doubtful that Dusmatov’s influential advisor Vadim Kornilov would let him take such a treacherous fight until the match-up had been properly “marinated,” by which time they both may be competing in a higher weight class. The Puerto Rican, who began his pro career at 110, is big for the 105-pound division notes the noted boxing historian Matt McGrain who is partial to the little guys.

—

Outside the ropes, the big news in boxing in November was the news that The Ring magazine had been sold to Turki Alalshikh. The self-acclaimed Bible of Boxing, which celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2022, was previously owned by a subsidiary of Oscar De La Hoya’s company, Golden Boy Enterprises, which acquired the venerable publication in 2007. Alalshikh purportedly paid $10 million dollars.

Alalshikh, the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, confirmed the sale on social media on Monday, Nov. 11.

“Earlier this week, I finalized a deal to acquire 100% of The Ring Magazine, and I want to make a few things clear,” he said. “The print version of the magazine will return immediately after a two year hiatus and it will be available in the US and UK markets. The magazine will be fully independent, with brilliant writers and focusing on every aspect in the sport of boxing. We will continue to raise the prestige of The Ring Titles, and plans are already underway to have a yearly extravagant awards ceremony to celebrate the very best in the boxing industry.”

Alalshikh, blessed with an apparently unlimited budget, is already the most powerful man in the sport and more than a few concerns have been raised about his latest venture, especially in light of an incident involving prominent British scribe Oliver Brown.

Brown, the chief sports writer for the Telegraph who had previously covered three of Tyson Fury’s fights in Saudi Arabia, had his credential pulled for the Joshua-Dubois show at Wembley Stadium after calling the event “a grisly conduit for glorifying the Saudi regime.”

“I frankly do not trust Alalshikh to keep his personal aims from influencing the publication’s content,” says boxing writer Patrick Stumberg. One thing is certain: So long as the publication remains in the hands of the Saudis, the word “sportswashing” will never appear in the pages of The Ring magazine.

The Ring is the second major online boxing magazine to change hands this year. In February, Boxing Scene, one of the most heavily-trafficked sites in the ecosystem, was sold to Canadian-American entrepreneur Garry Jonas, best known as the founder of ProBox, a promotional entity headquartered in Plant City, Florida.

—

Mike Tyson’s showing against Jake Paul was mindful of something that Jimmy Cannon once wrote: “…“the flesh was corrupted by time. The mind operated as if it was in another man’s head…the talent has been contaminated by age.”

Cannon was describing Joe Louis in Louis’s farewell fight against Rocky Marciano.

True, Jake Paul is no Rocky Marciano. To include their names in the same sentence borders on sacrilege. But the fabled Brown Bomber was 37 years old when he was rucked into retirement by Marciano on that October night at Madison Square Garden. At age 58, Mike Tyson was old enough to be Joe Louis’s father and yet human lemmings by the thousands couldn’t resist betting on him.

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The Hauser Report: Some Thoughts on Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul

Published

3 days ago

November 17, 2024

Thomas Hauser

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Jake Paul boxed his way to a unanimous decision over Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday night. The bout, streamed live on Netflix, was one of the most-watched fights of all time and, in terms of the level of competition, boxing’s least-consequential mega-fight ever.

We’re living in a golden age for spectator sports. Sports generate massive amounts of money from engaged fan bases and are more popular now than ever before. Today’s athletes are more physically gifted, better conditioned, and more skilled than their predecessors. Their prowess is appreciated and understood by tens of millions of fans.

Not so for boxing. For the sweet science, this is an era of “fools’ gold.” Yes, fighters like Oleksandr Usyk, Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, and Naoya Inoue bring honor to the sport. But boxing’s fan base has dwindled to the point where most people have no idea who the heavyweight champion of the world is. The sport’s dominant promoter has a business model that runs hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the red. And most fights of note are contested behind a paywall that shrinks the fan base even more. Few sports fans understand what good boxing is.

Mike Tyson is 58 years old. Once upon a time, he was the most destructive boxer in the world and “the baddest man on the planet.” Prior to last Friday night, he hadn’t fought in nineteen years and hadn’t won a fight since 2003.

Jake Paul is a 27-year-old social media personality who wasn’t born when Tyson lost his aura of invincibility at the hands of Buster Douglas. Paul began boxing professionally three years ago and, before fighting Tyson, had compiled a 10-1 (7 KOs) record against carefully chosen opponents.

Netflix has roughly 283 million subscribers globally, 84 million of them in North America. Recently, it made the decision to move into live sports. On December 25, it will stream the National Football League’s two Christmas games on an exclusive basis.

Netflix took note of the fact that Tyson’s 2020 exhibition against Roy Jones drew 1.6 million pay-per-view buys and concluded that Tyson-Paul had the potential to be the most-viewed fight of all time. It purchased rights to the fight as an attention grabber and subscription seller for (a best-estimate) $40 million.

Tyson-Paul was originally scheduled for July 20. A compliant Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations sanctioned the bout as an official fight, not an exhibition. In deference to Tyson’s age, the fighters agreed that the match would be contested over eight two-minute rounds (women’s rules) with 14-ounce gloves (heavyweight gloves normally weigh ten ounces).

But on May 26, Tyson became nauseous and dizzy while on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles and needed medical assistance for what was later described as a bleeding ulcer. The fight was rescheduled for November 15. Later, Tyson described the incident on the plane as follows: “I was in the bathroom throwing up blood. I had, like, eight blood transfusions. The doctor said I lost half my blood. I almost died. I lost 25 pounds in eleven days. Couldn’t eat. Only liquids. Every time I went to the bathroom, it smelled like tar. Didn’t even smell like shit anymore. It was disgusting.”

Does that sound like a 58-year-old man who should be fighting?

As Eliot Worsell noted, Tyson-Paul contained all the elements of a successful reality show. “There are for a start,” he wrote, “celebrities involved, two of them. One is ‘old famous’ and the other ‘new famous’ and both bring large audiences with them. They need only tap something on their phone to guarantee the entire world pays attention. And that, in this day and age, is all you really need to green light a project like this.”

But Worsell added a word of caution, observing, “This has been the story of Jake Paul’s pro boxing career to date; one of smoke and mirrors, one of sycophants telling him only what he wants to hear. He has been fed a lie just as Mike Tyson is now being fed a lie, and on November 15 they will both play dress-up and be watched by millions. They will wear gloves like boxers and they will move like boxers – one hampered in this quest by old age and the other by sheer incompetence – and they will together make ungodly sums of money.”

There was early talk that 90,000 fans would jam AT&T Stadium on fight night. Initially, ticket prices ranged from $381 to $7,956. And those prices were dwarfed by four tiers of VIP packages topped by a two-million-dollar “MVP Owner’s Experience” that included special ringside seating at the fight for six people, luxury hotel accommodations, weigh-in and locker room photo ops, boxing gloves signed by Tyson and Paul, and other amenities.

But by Monday of fight week, ticket prices had dropped to as little as $36. Ringside seats were available for $900. And the press release announcing the eventual MVP Owner’s Experience sale backtracked a bit, saying the package was “valued at $2 million” – not that the actual sale price was $2 million. It also appeared that the purchase price included advertising for the law firm that purchased the package since the release proclaimed, “Just as every fighter in the ring stands to represent resilience, grit, and the pursuit of victory, TorkLaw stands in the corner of the people, fighting for justice and empowering those who need it most.”

That said, the fight drew 72,300 fans (inclusive of giveaway tickets) to AT&T Stadium. And the live gate surpassed $18 million making it the largest onsite gate ever in the United States for a fight card outside of Las Vegas. More than 60 million households watched the event live around the world.

The undercard featured a spirited fight between Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos that ended in a draw. Then came the second dramatic showdown between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.

Taylor-Serrano II was for all four major sanctioning body 140-pound belts. Two years ago, Katie and Amanda did battle at Madison Square Garden on a historic night that saw Taylor emerge with a controversial split-decision win. Katie is now 38 years old and her age is showing. Amanda is 36. Taylor was an early 6-to-5 betting favorite in the rematch but the odds flipped late in Serrano’s favor.

Amanda began Taylor-Serrano II in dominating fashion and wobbled Katie just before the bell ending round one. That set the pattern for the early rounds. Serrano looked like she could hurt Taylor, and Taylor didn’t look like she could hurt Serrano.

Then in round four, Serrano got hurt. A headbutt opened a gruesome gash on her right eyelid. As the bout progressed, the cut became more dangerous. From an armchair perspective, it looked as though the fight should have been stopped and the result determined by the judges’ abbreviated scorecards. But the ring doctor who examined Serrano allowed it to continue even though the flow of blood seemed to handicap Amanda more and more with each passing round.

In round eight, referee Jon Schorle took a point away from Taylor after the fourth clash of heads that he thought Katie had initiated. By then, Serrano’s face resembled a gory Halloween mask and the bout had turned into a non-stop firefight. Each woman pushed herself as far as it seemed possible to go.

In the eyes of most observers, Serrano clearly won the fight. This writer scored the bout 96-93 in Amanda’s favor. Then the judges had their say. Each one favored Taylor by a 95-94 margin.

“My God!” blow-by-blow commentator Mauro Ranallo exclaimed after the verdict was announced. “How does one rob Amanda Serrano after a performance like that?”

In keeping with the hyperbole of the promotion, one might say that it was the most-watched ring robbery (although not the worst) in boxing history.

CompuBox is an inexact tabulation. But there’s a point at which the numbers can’t be ignored. According to CompuBox, Serrano outlanded Taylor in nine of ten rounds with an overall 324-to-217 advantage in punches landed.

From a boxing standpoint, Taylor-Serrano II made the evening special. Casual fans who don’t know much about the sweet science saw a very good fight. But they also saw how bad judging undermines boxing.

Meanwhile, as good as Taylor-Serrano II was, that’s not what Netflix was selling to the public. Jake Paul’s most recent events had engendered disappointing viewer numbers. This one was a cultural touchstone because of Tyson.

Paul has worked hard to become a boxer. In terms of skills, he’s now a club fighter (which is more than 99.9 percent of the population could realistically dream of being). So, what happens when a club fighter fights a 58-year-old man who used to be great?

Jack Johnson fought until the age of 53, losing four of his last six bouts. And the two he won were against opponents named Rough House Wilson (who was disqualified in what would be his only recorded professional fight) and Brad Simmons (who was barred from fighting again in Kansas because he was believed to have thrown the fight against Johnson).

Larry Holmes fought until age 52, knocking out 49-year-old Mike Weaver at age 51 and winning a unanimous decision over Eric Esch (aka Butterbean) in his final bout.

Paul was a 2-to-1 betting favorite. Serious PED testing for the fight was a murky issue but seems to have been minimal. Taylor and Serrano underwent VADA testing in advance of their bout. Tyson and Paul didn’t.

Tyson weighed in for the contest at 228.4 pounds; Paul at 227.2 (well over his previous high of 200). Following the weigh-in, Mike and Jake came face to face for the ritual staredown and Mike slapped Jake. But the incident was self-contained with no ripple effect and had the feel of a WWE confrontation.

That raised a question that was fogging the promotion: “Would Tyson vs. Paul be a ‘real’ fight or a pre-arranged sparring session (which was what Tyson vs. Roy Jones appeared to be)?”

That question was of particular note because sports betting is legal in 38 states and 31 of them were allowing wagers on the fight.

Nakisa Bidarian (co-founder of Paul’s promotional company) sought to lay that issue to rest, telling ESPN, “There’s no reason for us to create a federal fraud, a federal crime. These are pro fights that consumers are making legal bets on. We have never and we’ll never do anything that’s other than above board and one hundred percent a pro fight unless we come out clearly and say, ‘Hey, this is an exhibition fight that is a show.'”

Tyson looked old and worried during his ring walk and wore a sleeve on his right knee. The crowd was overwhelmingly in his favor. But it’s an often-repeated truism that the crowd can’t fight. And neither could Mike.

Once upon a time, Tyson scored nine first-minute knockouts in professional fights. Not first-round. First-minute.

Against Paul, “Iron Mike” came out for round one as hard as he could (which wasn’t very hard) while Jake kept a safe distance between them. Then Tyson tired and took all the air out of the fight. By round three, he was in survival mode with his head tucked safely behind his 14-ounce gloves. And Jake didn’t have the skills to hurt him.

The CompuBox numbers favored Paul by a 78-to-18 margin in punches landed. In other words, Tyson landed an average of two punches per round. The judges’ scores were 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 in Jake’s favor. It was a “real” fight but a bad one.

“I love Mike Tyson,” Terence Crawford posted on X afterward. “But they giving him too much credit. He looked like trash.”

Prior to the bout, Tris Dixon wrote, “Tyson-Paul is a weird event, and I can’t think of anything even remotely like it in terms of the level of fighters, celebrity, and their ages. The event is unique, and morally and ethically it is questionable. It is a cynical cash grab. I can’t see it being particularly entertaining as a high-level sporting event. But I’m sure once it starts you won’t be able to take your eyes off it.”

All true. But let’s remember that there was a time when Mike Tyson was universally recognized as the best fighter in the world. Not many people in history have been able to say that.

—

Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – MY MOTHER and me – is a personal memoir available at www.amazon.com/My-Mother-Me-Thomas-Hauser/dp/1955836191/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5C0TEN4M9ZAH&keywords=thomas+hauser&qid=1707662513&sprefix=thomas+hauser%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1

In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

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Golden Boy in Riyadh Results: Zurdo Ramirez Unifies Cruiserweight Titles

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4 days ago

November 16, 2024

David A. Avila

Golden-Boy-in-Royadh-Results-Zurdo-Ramirez-Unifies-Cruiserweight-Titles

Mexico’s Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez endured the grinding style of England’s Chris Billam-Smith to become the unified WBO and WBA cruiserweight champion by unanimous decision after a bruising battle in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

“I’m a true champion,” said Ramirez.

Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) used angles and experience to out-maneuver the very strong Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs) in Golden Boy Promotion’s first joint adventure with “Riyadh Season” in Riyadh, Saud Arabia.

Footwork by Ramirez seemed to surprise Billiam-Smith whose relentless approach could not corral the Mexican fighter who was fighting only for the second time at cruiserweight.

The former super middleweight champion used his experience and ability to create punching angles to optimum success against Billam-Smith. The movement confused the British fighter who never could find a solution.

“He has consistent shots,” said Billam-Smith. “I had trouble tracking him.”

But Billam-Smith used his relentless attacking style for all 12 rounds despite suffering a cut near his eye in the sixth round. He never quit and pounded away at Ramirez who simply out-punched the incredibly strong British cruiserweight.

No knockdowns were scored. Billam-Smith did have success in the 10^th round but couldn’t overcome the overall success Ramirez had tallied with body shots and straight lefts throughout the contest.

“It meant a lot for me to try and stop him,” said Ramirez. “But he’s pretty tough.”

After 12 rounds of bruising action all three judges saw Ramirez the winner 116-112 twice and 116-113.

Barboza’s Quest

After 11 years Arnold Barboza (31-0, 11 KOs) finally got his wish and met former super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) in the boxing ring and handed him only his second defeat.

“It was a long time coming,” Barboza said.

Barboza started slowly against the pressure style of Ramirez but soon gathered enough information to determine his own attack. Accuracy with jabs and body shots opened things up for the Southern California fighter from El Monte.

Ramirez seemed to lose that fire in his legs and usually attacking style. Though he occasionally showed the old fire it was only in spurts. Barboza took advantage of the lulls and pierced the former champion’s guards with accurate jabs and quick body shots.

He was sharp.

After 10 rounds all three judges favored Barboza 96-94 twice and 97-93.

“This was my championship fight,” said the undefeated Barboza. “I respect everything about him (Ramirez) and his team.” Ramirez’s only previous loss came in a bout with Josh Taylor for the undisputed world title at 140 pounds.

Lightweight clash

William Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) survived a knockdown to out-punch former champion Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) and walk away with a split decision victory in their lightweight confrontation.

“I knew it was going to be a tough fight,” said Zepeda. “He surprised me a little bit.”

Zepeda opened up with his usual flood of punches from every angle and soon found himself looking up from the floor after Farmer floored him with a perfect counter-left in the third round.

It took the Mexican fighter a few rounds to find a way to avoid Farmer’s counter lefts and then the deluge of blows resumed. Though Farmer continued to battle he couldn’t match the number of blows coming from Zepeda.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Farmer 95-94 but the two other judges saw Zepeda by 95-94 scores.

“I just brought it to him,” said Farmer who knew it was a close fight.

Puerto Rico’s New Unified Champ

In a battle between minimumweight world titlists Puerto Rico’s Oscar Collazo (11-0, 8 KOs) knocked out Thailand’s KO CP Freshmart (25-1, 9 KOs) to become the WBO and WBA champion.

Freshmart, also known as Thammanoon Niyomtrong, was the longest reigning champion in the 105-division weight class for a total of eight years. That was quickly ended as Collazo’s floored the strong Thai fighter three times during their clash of champions.

Body shots proved beneficial to Collazo as both exchanged blows to the abdomen but the Puerto Rican added flashy combinations to control the fight for six rounds.

“I saw him breathing hard,” said Collazo.

Possibly understanding he was falling behind, Freshmart began to advance more aggressively and forced exchanges with the fast Boricua. Bad idea.

During a furious exchange in the sixth Collazo connected with a counter right hook on the chin and down went Freshmart. He recovered and finished the round.

Collazo opened the seventh searching for an opening and immediately connected with another right hook during an exchange of blows with the Thai fighter. Down went Freshmart again but he got up to fight again. Collazo moved in cautiously again and this time fired a left uppercut that finished Freshmart at 1:29 if the seventh round.

“We got the stoppage,” said Collazo the unified WBO and WBA minimumweight champion.

Puerto Rico has another unified world champion in Collazo.

“I want all the belts,” Collazo said.

Duarte edges Akhmedov

Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (28-2-1, 22 KOs) scrapped past Botirzhon Akhmedov (10-4, 9 KOs) in a rugged super lightweight battle to win by unanimous decision. But it was a close one.

“He’s a great fighter, a warrior,” said Duarte of Akhmedov.

Akhmedov started faster using angles and bursts of punches as Duarte looked to counter. In the second half of the 10-round fight the extra energy expended by the fighter from Uzbekistan seemed to tire him. Mexico’s Duarte took advantage and looked stronger in the second half of the match.

All three judges saw Duarte the winner 98-92, 97-93, 96-94.

Welterweights

Saudi Arabia’s Ziyad Almaayouf (6-0-1) and Mexico’s Juan Garcia (5-6-1) fought to a majority draw after six rounds of action.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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