Mayweather’s Reading Ability Belies How Smart He Is

Published

9 years ago

September 2, 2014

Fighting, whether it’s boxing, wrestling or mixed martial arts, is the toughest sport known to man. Yes, all the other major sports require some form of skill, strength, toughness, stamina, speed, mental concentration and athleticism, but not to the degree that fighting or one-on- one combat does. You show me a great fighter in any combat sport and I’ll show you someone who is very smart and who is also quick to analyze and process things pertaining to situations that change in milliseconds.

No two fighters in the world fight or move alike. They are all built differently and every part of their body is different. There are other one-on-one sports, but no one is physically trying to prevent you from accomplishing what you’re trying to do with the intent to hurt or disarm. In addition to that, in most fighting confrontations, each combatant knows what the other is trying to do and vice-versa. And that makes fighting that much tougher.

Recently, rapper 50 Cent challenged Floyd Mayweather to read a page of Harry Potter, which was later downgraded to reading The Cat in the Hat on Jimmy Kimmel Live. This escalated when an audio recording of Mayweather surfaced with him reading a transcript…..”I’m Floyd Mayweather, and I’ve joined IHeartRadio for the Show Your Stripes movement to support the hiring of vets. Go to ShowYourStripes.org, a website that connects veterans with employees and helps businesses find candidates with the best training.” Mayweather’s reading didn’t flow smoothly and he certainly didn’t sound like a national news anchor reading copy.

Once the audio went viral over the internet, the venom really spewed in Floyd’s direction. He was called dumb, stupid and illiterate. Mayweather responded by posting photos of two pay checks totaling over 71 million dollars on the internet and mocked those who delighted in calling him dumb.

Only, Floyd isn’t dumb. You can’t be a great fighter and be dumb; in fact you have to be very smart and quick on your feet to be a great fighter/boxer. It requires much more than just athleticism and skill.

Muhammad Ali, the most widely known athlete, not just fighter in history, graduated at the bottom of his high school class. Yet in 1968 and only 26 years old, he went on Firing Line and held his own with conservative icon William F. Buckley, and boxing wasn’t discussed once during the 90 minute program. Buckley mentioned during one of his last interviews that Ali was one of the smartest and quickest on his feet thinkers that he ever interviewed or debated. For not being highly educated, Ali sure knew how to control the emerging new media and transform himself from a fighter who wasn’t taken all that seriously when he turned pro after winning a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics, into one of the most recognizable faces on the planet.

Ali was a great communicator and understood people. He also understood psychology and worked his big name opponents to death before their in-ring confrontations. He also grasped that the quickest way to reduce great fighters to their lowest common denominator was to get them mad. This is evidenced by how many boxers have looked anything like professional fighters when getting into it at a press conference. Or how MMA fighters Jon Jones and future opponent Daniel Cormier looked flailing away at each other during their recent confrontation at a press conference. Isn’t it amazing how much better a fighter’s technique and skill come out when they aren’t mad? In all of Ali’s 61 fights, it’s safe to say that his antics had the least effect on Ken Norton and Jimmy Young as far as name opponents go. He tried everything in his book but never unraveled them once. Maybe he realized they were a tough style match-up for him, but they added to his degree of difficulty by not getting mad and keeping their cool during their bouts with him.

Everyone knows that Ali wasn’t book smart or very educated, but he was a very smart man and more than held his own in and out of the ring with all those he crossed paths with. He barely got out of high school yet was asked to give lectures not pertaining to boxing at Oxford and some of the highest learning institutions in the world.

How about Bernard Hopkins. He spent almost five years in prison and didn’t graduate high school. Has there ever been a better self-managed athlete in any sport? If so, I don’t know of them. Hopkins wasn’t a gold medalist, doesn’t necessarily have a fan friendly style, he’s not the kid next door, and he didn’t have any corporate or establishment money working behind the scenes trying to advance his career. In fact, once he captured the middleweight title, the establishment was trying to knock him off, and he was smart enough to see it. That’s why he never got out of shape and kept his eye on every fighter who he knew he’d one day most likely have to defend the title against. Hopkins was also smart enough to learn the business of boxing, insuring that he wouldn’t get ripped off and taken advantage of like many other past great fighters were.

And when it comes to ring combat, Hopkins is as smart as they come. He’s great at understanding his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses and usually takes away their strengths and forces them to fight from their weakness. On top of that he’s earning some of his biggest pay days and enhancing his legacy at the end of his career. How many athletes can that be said about? No, Bernard will not be getting calls to read radio spots once he finally retires, but he’s every bit as smart and intellectual as the guy writing them.

What about Floyd Mayweather? In Floyd you have a fighter who isn’t a former gold medalist, he doesn’t have natural charisma, he’s not the best boxer you’ve ever seen, nor is he the fastest or the hardest puncher. If that weren’t enough, he has a reputation of not fighting the toughest and most worthy opposition when they are at their most dangerous. His managerial skills as far as picking opponents are every bit as good as his ring skill. Actually, they are better because he’s one of the top three fighter-managers ever.

Floyd realized around the time that he fought Oscar De La Hoya, in mid 2007, that he couldn’t be promoted as the kid next door like Oscar. He also didn’t possess flashy and blow you away skill like Sugar Ray Leonard or Roy Jones, and he wasn’t a destroyer like Thomas Hearns. So what did he do? He transformed himself into the ultimate cocky bad guy who, in the style of a WWE wrestler, relishes playing the villain. And all that has done has made him the highest paid athlete in the world the last two years, and that’s without making one cent from endorsements like Peyton Manning, LeBron James and Tiger Woods.

Mayweather has never taken a beating in any fight, so he’ll retire with his health and wealth. This leads me to conclude that for a guy who some say isn’t too smart because he may be moderately illiterate, he’s done really well for himself. Remember, he can be taught to read like everyone reading this was… However, we could never be taught or learn to fight like he can. And there’s no such thing as a great fighter who isn’t a very smart and shrewd person.

Fighting is the hardest thing to do athletically. To be a great one you must be a very quick thinker and not only process information quickly, but you also must have the capacity to apply what’s needed and throw away what doesn’t apply, all in a moment’s notice. Floyd Mayweather may not be the guy you want to read advertising copy, but he sure is one smart man.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Frank Lotierzo

Broner UD 10 Hutchinson in Miami; Izmailov UD 10 Foster at Turning Stone

Published

10 hours ago

June 9, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Broner UD 10 Hutchinson in Miami; Izmailov UD 10 Foster at Turning Stone

Boxing cards in Miami and in Verona, New York, competed for eyeballs on Friday night. Neither card produced much in the way of fireworks.

The main go of the Miami event, a Don King promotion, was dismal. Perpetual under-achiever Adrien Broner delivered another clinker while pitching a near-shutout over gallant but overmatched Bill Hutchinson.

Yes, that sounds like a contradiction in terms, but Broner was matched very soft and it did not reflect well of him that Hutchinson was never off his feet and still standing at the final bell. The judges had it 100-90 and 99-91 twice.

Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) seemed content to get in 10 rounds of sparring in his return to the ring after a 27-month absence. The intrepid Hutchinson, a 34-year-old attorney from Pittsburgh who hadn’t previously fought beyond eight rounds, fell to 20-3-4 and will be able to boast that he stayed the limit against an opponent who was a title-holder in four weight classes.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 10-round light heavyweight affair with a pair of regional belts at stake, Ahmed Elbiali won a unanimous but paper-thin decision over Laredo, Texas campaigner Rodolfo Gomez Jr. All three judges awarded Elbiali six of the 10 rounds which translated to 95-94 scores factoring in a point deduction for low blows.

A local Miami man but born in Egypt, Elbiali won his seventh straight to improve his record to 23-1 (18). However, this was a messy fight marred by excessive clinching and Elbiali, 32, did nothing to suggest that he could hold his own with the top dogs in his weight class. Gomez declined to 14-7-3 but maintained his distinction of having never been stopped.

In a bantamweight contest slated for “10,” Guillermo Rigondeaux (22-3, 15 KOs) scored his second straight knockout, knocking defensive-oriented Charlie Clemente-Andino down for the count with a straight left to the belly in the seventh round. The 42-year-old southpaw, a former two division world title-holder and one of the most decorated amateurs of his generation, had the best of every round before bringing the bout to its sudden conclusion. Puerto Rico’s Clemente-Andino came in undefeated (12-0), but had been out of the ring for seven years. He filled the breach when Argentine veteran Julian Aristule pulled out, purportedly because of visa problems.

TURNING STONE

“ShoBox: The New Generation” was at the Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona, New York, with a show held in conjunction with Induction Weekend at the nearby International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum. The lead promoter, Dmitry Salita, left a happy man when his fighter, light heavyweight Ali Izmailov, won the featured bout. Izmailov, who improved to 11-0 (7) won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Charles Foster (22-1). Foster was fighting an uphill battle after hitting the deck near the end of round five. The judges had it 95-94 and 96-93 twice.

A 30-year-old Russian who trains in Michigan and Florida, Izmailov came in ranked number 11 by the WBO. He will need some help to move up a notch, however, as his showing wasn’t particularly impressive.

The other TV bouts were also light heavyweight affairs.

Co-Feature

In a battle of southpaws in which the competitors traded knockdowns, Colombia’s Juan Carrillo advanced to 11-0 (8) with a majority decision over Washington’s Richard Vansiclen (13-1-1). Carrillo put Vansiclen on the canvas early in round three with a right hook. Vansiclen wasn’t badly hurt and he returned the favor in the next round just when it seemed that the Colombian was on the verge of scoring a TKO. It was a good back-and-forth fight from that point on. Two of the judges favored Carrillo by 95-93 scores with the other scoring it a draw (94-94).

Also

In the TV opener, Australian import Clay Waterman, making his U.S. debut, advanced to 11-0 (8) with a unanimous 8-round decision over Kenmon Evans (10-1-1). The judges had it 77-75 and 78-74 twice. Evans, a 31-year-old Floridian promoted by 2020 IBHOF inductee Christy Martin, had won eight straight heading in.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 239: Mexican Boxing Stars in SoCal’s Inland Empire

Published

24 hours ago

June 9, 2023

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-230-Mexican-Boxing-Stars-in-SoCal's-Inland-Empire

Mexican style prizefighting arrives in the Inland Empire with undefeated burgeoning middleweight star Jaime Munguia and female boxing legend Mariana “Barbie” Juarez this weekend.

Both have their legion of fans. Both are in dangerous fights.

Munguia (41-0, 33 KOs) faces a tough test in Ukraine’s Sergiy Derevyanchenko (14-4, 10 KOs) and former three-division world champion Juarez (55-12-4, 19 KOs) has an equally tough match in tiny but powerful Mayeli Flores (9-1-1). Both will be fighting at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA on Saturday, June 10. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card.

And to add local luster Pomona’s Shane Mosley Jr. (19-4) has been added. The super middleweight has been impressive in his rise to contention. He also has a rough foe in D’Mitrius Ballard (21-1-1).

It’s an interesting card mostly because the two Mexican stars are not guaranteed wins on Saturday. Munguia faces a very tough and experienced fighter who has traded blows with several of the best fighters today.

“He has a lot of experience,” says Munguia about his next foe. “Without a doubt the hardest fight of my career.”

While Derevyanchenko has fought Gennady Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs and Jermall Charlo, the Mexican fighter has only faced Gabe Rosado, Dennis Hogan and Liam Smith. All are worthy opponents but not as dangerous as the Ukrainian.

“I think he has the experience with 41 fights,” said Derevyanchenko. “We will see.”

One way or the other Munguia expects people to sit up and notice both fighters after they clash on Saturday.

“There’s going to be a lot of punches thrown and a lot of emotion,” Munguia predicts.

Hall of Fame boxer Bernard Hopkins (pictured between the two gladiators) predicts big things for the winner.

“I know from my experience these are champions brewing and these are legends coming,” Hopkins said.

Five years ago, Munguia almost fought Golovkin but it was nixed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission because of the Mexican fighter’s young age and lack of experience. Instead, Munguia was matched against Sadam Ali in New York and promptly knocked out the WBO super welterweight titlist.

Munguia has out-grown the super welterweight division and now fights at or above 160 pounds.

“Everyone wanted to see Jaime in a battle like this one,” said Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions.

Barbie

Mariana “Barbie” Juarez, 43, has been fighting since the 1990s and was largely helpful in making women’s boxing legal in Mexico.

You read that correctly.

Before the early 2000s women’s boxing was illegal in Mexico so fighters like Juarez and Ana Maria Torres fought underground and mostly against each other. Early on Mexican-style fighting was established by women like Juarez, Torres and others.

Juarez made boxing history when she fought in front of the largest recorded crowd of more than 500,000 people at the Zocalo in Mexico City in April 2017. No fighter, man or woman, has ever reached or exceeded that number.

Barbie

Unknown to many, Juarez moved to Southern California in the early 2000s and trained under South El Monte’s boxing wizard Ben Lira. For several years she learned the finer points of boxing and emerged one of the greatest female fighters of her generation.

Juarez also spearheaded the women’s boxing movement in Mexico which gained popularity and was often televised in that country when it was ignored in the USA and other countries.

Now women’s boxing has gained traction due to fighters like Juarez who willingly spoke to the media whenever asked. She advised other female fighters to never turn down media requests.

The queen has returned.

Boxing Addicts Weekend

If you love boxing, today and tomorrow will be crunched with boxing cards all over the world. Many will be televised.

Don King Productions brings Adrien Broner back to the limelight. Guillermo Rigondeaux is also competing on the same card. It begins in the late afternoon for West Coast fans. It can be seen on FITE.tv.

360 Promotions has a boxing event tonight (Friday June 9), at Commerce Casino with Callum Walsh versus Carson Jones.

PBC also has a Showtime Boxing card featuring undefeated light heavyweights Charles Foster and Ali Izmailov clashing in upstate New York.

Then on Saturday morning Matchroom Boxing has flyweights Sunny Edwards and Andres Campos vying for the IBF flyweight title and also female fighters Cherneka Johnson defending against Ellie Scotney for the IBF super bantamweight title. All on DAZN.

That is followed by the Golden Boy Promotions card at 5.p.m

In New York, a showdown between pound for pound fighters Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez takes place at Madison Square Garden. ESPN will televise. It should be very revealing.

Fights to Watch (Pacific Coast Time)

Fri. www.donking.com 3:50 p.m. Adrien Broner (34-4-1) vs Bill Hutchinson (20-2-4).

Fri. UFC Fight Pass 7 p.m. Callum Walsh (6-0) vs Carson Jones (43-15-3).

Fri. Showtime 7 p.m. Ali Izmailov (10-0) vs Charles Foster (22-0).

Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Sunny Edwards (19-0) vs Andres Campos (15-0).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Jaime Munguia (41-0) vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko (14-4); Shane Mosley Jr. (19-4) vs Demetrius Ballard (21-1-1); Mariana Juarez (55-12-4) vs Mayeli Flores (9-1-1).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Josh Taylor (19-0) vs Teofimo Lopez (18-1).

Munguia / Derevyanchenko photo credit: Al Applerose

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Adrien Broner Returns to the Ring with an Attorney in the Opposite Corner

Published

2 days ago

June 8, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Adrien-Broner-Returns-to-the-Ring-with-an-Attorney-in-the-Opposite-Corner

Adrien Broner returns to the ring tomorrow (Friday, June 9) after a 27-month absence. He meets Bill Hutchinson at Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida, in a fight slated for “10.” It’s a Don King promotion for sale at $24.99 on FITE TV and several other pay-per-view platforms.

Hutchinson – his friends call him Hutch — is a practicing attorney with offices in his native Pittsburgh and in Naples, Florida. Reading about him reminded me of Leach Cross. A very good lightweight during the early years of the twentieth-century, Cross was a dentist. His disparate occupations, as one would imagine, gave rise to many jokes. It was said of Leach that he drummed up business for his dental practice by rearranging the bridgework of his opponents. He could knock out a man’s tooth and replace it with a facsimile the next morning.

Adrien Broner, aptly nicknamed “The Problem,” is frequently in need of a good attorney. The same goes for Don King, a litigious sort who has sued and been sued many times. Even if Hutchinson never fights again, it wouldn’t be surprising if he crosses paths with Broner and/or King at some point again down the road. The principals made light of this in Tuesday’s press conference. “Dealing with lawyers is Broner’s forte,” wisecracked Don King. “After I mess you up, I’m going to hire you,” said Broner, looking sternly at Hutchinson.

On his web site, Hutchinson comes across as less of an attorney than a man who makes his living as a motivational speaker. “Currently,” it reads, “Hutch is a partner and leader in multiple businesses across divergent market categories. These businesses range from the automobile industry to event promotions, high end construction to hospitality, real estate to medical marijuana, and biologics/pharmaceuticals…Hutch has earned a reputation in each industry as an innovative problem solver who discovers new opportunities for growth.”

Okay, but can he fight?

Hutchinson’s current record (20-2-4, 9 KOs) is decent, but only nine of his 20 wins have come against opponents with winning records. None of his previous fights were slated for more than eight rounds.

There are levels to this sport as Mike Lee can ruefully attest. A finance major at Notre Dame, Lee was a successful businessman with a 21-0 record (against limited opposition) when he wangled a match with IBF super-middleweight title-holder Caleb Plant. That bout turned ugly in a hurry. Plant put him on the deck in the opening round and scored three more knockdowns before the butchery was halted at the midway point of the third round.

The guess is that Broner-Hutchinson won’t be quite as lopsided. Owing to legal problems, management issues, personal problems, and training injuries incurred by would-be opponents, Adrien Broner has been relatively inactive, missing all of 2020 and 2022. He’s 1-2-1 in his last four fights going back to July of 2017 with the lone triumph coming against unheralded Jovanie Santiago who took the fight on short notice. Broner won a 12-round unanimous decision, but was actually out-landed. His post-fight interview was more exciting than the fight, said CBS reporter Brian Campbell.

In truth, Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) hasn’t been the same fighter since his bout with Marcos Maidana in December of 2013. Broner was still standing at the final bell, but Maidana roughed him up en route to winning a lopsided decision. Entering that contest, Broner was 27-0 and had never been knocked down. After that bout, he became far less willing to initiate contact, relying more on his sublime defensive skills.

Broner vs. Maidana drew a reported 1.3 million pay-per-view buys, an impressive figure. Broner vs. Hutchinson won’t come anywhere close to matching those numbers (75,000 may be a stretch) and no matter his showing, Broner won’t repair his tattered image. A prizefighter cannot regain what he has lost against the Bill Hutchinson’s of the world.

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