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WOODS: Greenburg “Mayweather” Doc Recap
Ross Greenburg, the ace documentarian who ran HBO's boxing program from 2000-2011, and was with that network for 33 years, put together a doc for CBS-Showtime called “Mayweather,” which ran on Saturday night on CBS, in primetime.
Much of the material wasn't breaking news for boxing fans, but nevertheless, as a fan of the sport who seeks the sweet science to be accepted and revered by the masses as it should be, it was good to see the sport on in primetime, on a network.
LL Cool J narrated, as Floyd kicked things off by talking about how his mom told him he was special. “You're different from the other kids,” the fighter recalls his mom saying. “I never knew what she meant,” he said, until he finally did.
The program, written by Steven Stern, featured some superb stills, and interviews with top drawer pugilists and non-fighters like Oscar De La Hoya and Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.
We see video of Floyd dancing and grinning, and also buying jewelry and throwing money.
“No other athlete on the planet was better at cashing in on his talent and his personality,” LL says as we see highlights from Money in recent years. NY Daily News writer Tim Smith admits he finds elements of the Mayweather persona distasteful and realizes that he acts up usually around PPV time.
Kobe talks about Floyd's drive, and we see the boxer in action against Miguel Cotto, and the fighter talking about how he's happy if you buy his fights, love or hate him.
LL then talks about the upbringing, about growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Floyd's cousin says that Floyd used to go rollerskating, and that he was “obnoxious” to the other kids. Another cousin recalls that Floyd used to win her cash shooting dice, when he was 11.
Floyd Sr. says Floyd used to throw a pro type hook and uppercut as a toddler. Dad was called “Joe Jackson,” because he pushed the boy so hard, we're told.
Mom did drugs, though, and dad was also prone to misdeeds, so Floyd didn't have it easy emotionally. Floyd Sr was shot when Floyd was a year old, and was holding the boy. Floyd said he saw his dad sell his mom drugs, too. When Floyd was 16, Sr. got nailed for dealing; he did 3 1/2 years in prison. Floyd says he had to become a man at 16. “I had to provide for myself,” he says. He kept going to the gym, however.
We see home video of pre-teen Floyd, being playful on his block. His grandma Bernice raised him, he says, so he happily bought her a big house when he got some pro cash.
He went to the Olympics in 1996 but he lost in the semis. We see him debuting as a pro, with Roger in his corner, in October 1996. He tells Al Bernstein after an early bout that he showboats to entertain, to sell tix.
We skip to 2006 and his skills, what makes him special, is discussed. Floyd talks about the Top Rank years, and how Oscar was the focus. Smith says Floyd always chafed at his second tier status. He left Arum, and his publicist Kelly Swanson says he recast his image. No more “Pretty Boy,” now he was “Money.”
We see him fondling stacks, kissing wads, which of course I don't care for at all. The glorification of money sends a horrid message and reinforces maybe the worst element of our culture every day. Leonard Ellerbe insists Floyd is playing a character when he fixates on money.
We see Floyd needling Oscar before their 2007 fight. Smith recalls that his oldest daughter, not a fight fan, was interested in that tussle. That fight was the most lucrative in boxing history of course, so she wasn't alone. Oscar says that Floyd got inside his head, and that made him want to KO Floyd. “That took me out of my gameplan,” Oscar says. Floyd took a split decision and Oscar says that it was a bittersweet memory, because the event was so huge, but he lost and that stings.
Next, we see footage of the Ricky Hatton beating. The Manny Pacquiao non-fight is referenced, interestingly. LL says that the drug testing issue derailed The Fight, which is a simplistic reduction, many would say. Oscar says that the non-fight isn't Floyd's fault, which is also up for vociferous debate, if you're not bored of the topic, and most are. Floyd says peoples' minds are made up and Smith says it was an opportunity missed.
Floyd then handles Juan Manuel Marquez. Next, we see Shane Mosley buckling Floyd but the unbeaten man collects himself and cruises to a win. The Victor Ortiz victory is touched upon. The “two-piece” payback is seen and Oscar concedes some bad sportsmanship was on display. Michigan based writer David Mayo fully defends Floydf and blames Ortiz for not protecting himself at all times.
Footage of Floyd in handcuffs plays next. His jail stint, for a domestic assault charge against his ex, is touched on. Ellerbe says Floyd sucked it up and did his time, while Floyd says there “is nothing cool about losing your freedom.” He says he doesn't want to repeat that pattern.
Floyd says that his dad being back in the fold is a good thing. Dad helps him tighten his D, and “only wants the best” for him. We then pivot to Robert Guerrero, and his back story. His wife Casey's battle with cancer is discussed. He says they learned from each other, from boxing and from fighting cancer.
Guerrero says that Floyd doesn't scare or intimidate him.
LL wraps up with a synopsis of Floyd's reign. “When you come into my domain, it's a different world,” Mayweather says. “Don't make no mistakes, and always bring your A game,” he says, as a warning to Guerrero.
Note: I am told that Greenburg was able to use footage of Mayweather fighting on HBO because rights were negotiated for footage to revert to the fighter and promoter Golden Boy after a span of exclusivity for HBO. That practice has occurred more in recent years and is not an automatic. Rights can revert from between 12 to 18 or so months, I'm told.
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Canelo vs Berlanga Battles the UFC: Hopefully No Repeat of the 2019 Fiasco
If one happens to be fan of both traditional boxing and MMA, then one has a choice to make this Saturday. Canelo Alvarez will be in action at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas defending his lineal 168-pound world title against Edgar Berlanga and two miles away in a competing Pay-Per-View card, the first-ever sporting event will be staged inside The Sphere, a UFC card bearing the title Riyadh Season Noche 306.
This won’t be the first time that a boxing card featuring the red-headed Mexican superstar went head-to-head with a UFC event. On Nov. 2, 2019, Canelo Alvarez fought Sergey Kovalev at the T-Mobile and 2,500 miles away, MMA stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal locked horns at Madison Square Garden. Both cards were PPV. Alvarez vs Kovalev was live-streamed on DAZN; Diaz vs Masvidal on ESPN+.
We don’t know which event generated the most profit, but the way things played out, this was a symbolic win for the UFC. On this night, the venerable sport of boxing and its adherents were reduced to a second-class citizen.
The fault lay with the nitwits at DAZN. They thought it prudent to postpone the start of Alvarez-Kovalev until the Diaz-Masdival fight was finished. What resulted was an interlude that dragged on for a good 90 minutes after Ryan Garcia knocked out Romero Duno in 98 seconds in the semi-wind-up. Then came the ring walks, the National Anthems (there were three), and the long-winded introduction of the combatants. When the bell finally sounded to signify the start of the bout, it was 10:18 inside the arena and 1:18 am for the bleary-eyed folks tuning in back in the Eastern Time Zone. The backlash was fierce.
The competing shows this coming Saturday coincide with Mexican Independence Day Weekend. One might assume that this will give the PBC promotion at the T-Mobile a leg up as Canelo Alvarez is a must-see attraction within the Mexican and Mexican-American communities. However, the UFC card has something going for it that T-Mobile lacks. The venue is itself an allurement. The newest addition to the Las Vegas skyline, The Sphere has the WOW factor. Even long-time Las Vegas locals, supposedly jaded by a surfeit of architectural wonders, are mesmerized by the constantly changing light show on the exterior of the big globe. Inside, visitors will find the world’s highest resolution LED display.
Customizing the interior for UFC 306 was an expensive proposition. UFC honcho Dana White has pegged the cost at $20 million and concedes that without Saudi money it would not have been feasible. He says that Saturday’s show will be “one-off,” not merely the first combat sports event at The Sphere, but also the last because it would be too expensive to replicate. If that be true, attendees are advised to keep their ticket stubs. Years from now, they might command a nice price in the sports memorabilia marketplace.
The T-Mobile has Canelo, but The Sphere has Alexa Grasso who, akin to Canelo, hails from Guadalajara. Ms. Grasso, 31, just may be the second-most-well-known fighter in Mexico. In addition to holding the UFC flyweight title, she is an analyst for the UFC’s Spanish-language broadcasts.
Grasso will be defending her belts against Russia’s Valentina Shevshenko in the co-main. In the featured bout, bantamweight belt-holder Sean O’Malley will defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili.
The T-Mobile card on Prime Video comes with a suggested list price of $89.99 for U.S. buyers without a Prime Video account. That tab has been widely assailed as a rip-off. “It’s gouging fight fans, plain and simple,” says Kevin Iole who covered both boxing and MMA for Yahoo. (For the record, the UFC show on ESPN+ comes with a list price of $79.99, $10 cheaper if bundled with an ESPN+ subscription. The UFC folks are holding their breath that the event can be translated to the small screen without compromising the clarity of the picture. The logistics are daunting.)
The main bouts on the UFC card will be far more competitive based on the prevailing odds, but when it comes to combat sports, this reporter is a traditionalist. Agreed, that can be interpreted as an old fuddy-duddy stuck in his ways, but in my eyes boxing, a sport that rests on a far more arresting historic foundation, trumps the Johnny-come-lately that is the UFC.
Check back later this week as TSS West Coast Bureau Chief David A. Avila offers up a closer look at Alvarez vs Berlanga and some of the supporting bouts.
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Niyomtrong Proves a Bridge Too Far for Alex Winwood in Australia
Today in Perth, Australia, Alex Winwood stepped up in class in his fifth pro fight with the aim of becoming the fastest world title-holder in Australian boxing history. But Winwood (4-0, 2 KOs heading in) wasn’t ready for WBA strawweight champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong, aka Knockout CP Freshmart, who by some accounts is the longest reigning champion in the sport.
Niyomtrong (25-0, 9 KOs) prevailed by a slim margin to retain his title. “At least the right guy won,” said prominent Australian boxing writer Anthony Cocks who thought the scores (114-112, 114-112, 113-113) gave the hometown fighter all the best of it.
Winwood, who represented Australia in the Tokyo Olympics, trained for the match in Thailand (as do many foreign boxers in his weight class). He is trained by Angelo Hyder who also worked with Danny Green and the Moloney twins. Had he prevailed, he would have broken the record of Australian boxing icon Jeff Fenech who won a world title in his seventh pro fight. A member of the Noongar tribe, Winwood, 27, also hoped to etch on his name on the list of notable Australian aboriginal boxers alongside Dave Sands, Lionel Rose and the Mundines, Tony and Anthony, father and son.
What Winwood, 27, hoped to capitalize on was Niyomtrong’s theoretical ring rust. The Thai was making his first start since July 20 of 2022 when he won a comfortable decision over Wanheng Menayothin in one of the most ballyhooed domestic showdowns in Thai boxing history. But the Noongar needed more edges than that to overcome the Thai who won his first major title in his ninth pro fight with a hard-fought decision over Nicaragua’s Carlos Buitrago who was 27-0-1 heading in.
A former Muai Thai champion, Niyomtrong/Freshmart turns 34 later this month, an advanced age for a boxer in the sport’s smallest weight class. Although he remains undefeated, he may have passed his prime. How good was he in his heyday? Prominent boxing historian Matt McGrain has written that he was the most accomplished strawweight in the world in the decade 2010-2019: “It is not close, it is not debatable, there is no argument.”
Against the intrepid Winwood, Niyomtrong started slowly. In round seven, he cranked up the juice, putting the local fighter down hard with a left hook. He added another knockdown in round nine. The game Winwood stayed the course, but was well-beaten at the finish, no matter that the scorecards suggested otherwise, creating the impression of a very close fight.
P.S. – Because boxrec refused to name this a title fight, it fell under the radar screen until the result was made known. In case you hadn’t noticed, boxrec is at loggerheads with the World Boxing Association and has decided to “de-certify” the oldest of the world sanctioning bodies. While this reporter would be happy to see the WBA disappear – it is clearly the most corrupt of the four major organizations – the view from here is that boxrec is being petty. Moreover, if this practice continues, it will be much harder for boxing historians of future generations to sort through the rubble.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 295: Callum Walsh, Pechanga Casino Fights and More
Super welterweight contender Callum Walsh worked out for reporters and videographers at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif. on Thursday,
The native of Ireland Walsh (11-0, 9 KOs) has a fight date against Poland’s Przemyslaw Runowski (22-2-1, 6 KOs) on Friday, Sept. 20 at the city of Dublin. It’s a homecoming for the undefeated southpaw from Cork. UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card.
Mark down the date.
Walsh is the latest prodigy of promoter Tom Loeffler who has a history of developing European boxers in America and propelling them forward on the global boxing scene. Think Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin and you know what I mean.
Golovkin was a middleweight monster for years.
From Kevin Kelley to Oba Carr to Vitaly Klitschko to Serhii Bohachuk and many more in-between, the trail of elite boxers promoted by Loeffler continues to grow. Will Walsh be the newest success?
Add to the mix Dana White, the maestro of UFC, who is also involved with Walsh and you get a clearer picture of what the Irish lad brings to the table.
Walsh has speed, power and a glint of meanness that champions need to navigate the prizefighting world. He also has one of the best trainers in the world in Freddie Roach who needs no further introduction.
Perhaps the final measure of Walsh will be when he’s been tested with the most important challenge of all:
Can he take a punch from a big hitter?
That’s the final challenge
It always comes down to the chin. It’s what separates the Golovkins from the rest of the pack. At the top of the food chain they all can hit, have incredible speed and skill, but the fighters with the rock hard chins are those that prevail.
So far, the chin test is the only examination remaining for Walsh.
“King’ Callum Walsh is ready for his Irish homecoming and promises some fireworks for the Irish fans. This will be an entertaining show for the fans and we are excited to bring world class boxing back to the 3Arena in Dublin,” said Loeffler.
Pechanga Fights
MarvNation Promotions presents a battle between welterweight contenders Jose “Chon” Zepeda (37-5, 28 KOs) and Ivan Redkach (24-7-1, 19 KOs) on Friday, Sept. 6, at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula. DAZN will stream the fight card.
Both have fought many of the best welterweights in the world and now face each other. It should be an interesting clash between the veterans.
Also on the card, featherweights Nathan Rodriguez (15-0) and Bryan Mercado (11-5-1) meet in an eight-round fight.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. First bout at 7 p.m.
Monster Inoue
Once again Japan’s Naoya Inoue dispatched another super bantamweight contender with ease as TJ Doheny was unable to continue in the seventh round after battered by a combination on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Inoue continues to brush away whoever is placed in front of him like a glint of dust.
Is the “Monster” the best fighter pound-for-pound on the planet or is it Terence Crawford? Both are dynamic punchers with skill, speed, power and great chins.
Munguia in Big Bear
Super middleweight contender Jaime Munguia is two weeks away from his match with Erik Bazinyan at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. ESPN will show the Top Rank card.
“Erik Bazinyan is a good fighter. He’s undefeated. He switches stances. We need to be careful with that. He’s taller and has a longer reach than me. He has a good jab. He can punch well on the inside. He’s a fighter who comes with all the desire to excel,” said Munguia.
Bazinyan has victories over Ronald Ellis and Alantez Fox.
In case you didn’t know, Munguia moved over to Top Rank but still has ties with Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Bazinyan is promoted by Eye of the Tiger.
This is the Tijuana fighter’s first match with Top Rank since losing to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez last May in Las Vegas. He is back with trainer Erik Morales.
Callum Walsh photo credit: Lina Baker
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