How Big Would Ali Be Today? He’d DWARF Mayweather

Published

10 years ago

September 23, 2014

Well, the numbers are in and the Mayweather-Maidana rematch on September 13th did 925,000 pay per view buys.

No, that’s not great but it’s better than any other active fighter could bring if they were fighting a quasi-known entity like Marcos Maidana. Again proof that like him or loathe him, regardless of how many stupid things he does and says out of the ring, Mayweather is by far the biggest star and draw in combat sports. And Mayweather was able to produce those numbers fighting an opponent who he clearly defeated four months ago, one who was nearly an 8-1 underdog on the day of the fight. In fact nobody, at least anybody who has clue-one as to what they’re watching in the ring, gave Maidana a realistic shot to win the fight, yet it was still a successful promotion from start to finish.

The fact that Floyd Mayweather is such a huge star and draw led me to start thinking about how huge of a superstar Muhammad Ali would be today if he were in his prime and fighting the well-known and dangerous contemporaries of his era. Mayweather is a manufactured superstar who had to re-invent himself and needed to fight an empty package named Oscar De La Hoys before anyone really took notice of him and his career. Ali, conversely, was a dynamic personality with incredible magnetism.

Floyd has no natural charisma, none whatsoever. He had to adopt a villain persona a la a WWE heel. Mayweather has been a genius in how he has used social media to highlight his wealth and garish possessions to keep himself in the news. He also is not above commenting, usually stupidly, on things like domestic violence and other things that high profile athletes and celebrities find themselves in the news for.

Floyd’s fights usually aren’t the most thrilling or exciting. Part of that is because he’s so good and the other reason is because Mayweather is selective of who and when he fights certain opponents. Not to mention that he sometimes picks the venue, the referee and the judges along with the gloves the opponent wears. And because of the era that he blossomed during, he’s never once fought in a bout that was scheduled for 15-rounds.

Think about Ali. He was the biggest star in sports history, yet the only access to him for the fans were the newspaper and the wide world of sports and a few late night talk shows. Muhammad didn’t have the benefit of 24 hour cable TV sports stations the likes of ESPN and Fox Sports 1. And there has to be at least two or three 24 hour all-sports talk radio stations in every city in America today, something that wouldn’t emerge until 15 years after Ali’s last title bout. There was no Facebook or Twitter either. The only thing Ali had going for him back then was the coming age of television. He espoused natural charisma and was extremely telegenic. It was also known that Ali’s boastfulness was merely schtick, and even when he said derogatory things about his opponents, with the exception of Ernie Terrell, it was said with a twinkle in his eye.

Muhammad Ali inspired constructive debate on issues and topics such as race, religion, politics, war, sports and salaries among a plethora of other things. Ali stood by his convictions in and out of the ring. And he was also blessed to come along at a time when the heavyweight division was loaded with dangerous foes that were well known and viewed as a serious threat to his dominance, and he fought and defeated every one of them before he turned 36.

Ali was even stripped of his undisputed title for refusing military induction and at one time was viewed as a draft dodger and a bad guy.

However, after a 43 month exile he came back and changed hearts and minds while totally cleaning out the heavyweight division without really experiencing a physical prime. When Ali faced “Smokin” Joe Frazier in 1971 in his first attempt to regain the undisputed title he was stripped of, it was the most anticipated sporting event in history, something that still holds true in 2014. And when Ali went into the ring to confront Frazier, who was at his absolute peak, he also knew that the U.S. supreme court was about to rule on his draft conviction. If he lost the decision to the government, which he did win by an 8-0 vote, he would’ve gone to jail to serve out the five year jail sentence that was handed down to him in 1967. Ali lost a unanimous decision to Frazier that night, and it paved the way for him to solidify his all-time stature and greatness over the next five years.

The first Frazier vs. Ali fight was called “The Fight Of The Century.” It grossed nearly 30 million dollars in 1971 via the live gate of nearly 20,000 in attendance at Madison Square Garden and closed circuit revenues. At that time there were only three venues per state where you could go to see the fight on closed circuit TV. There was no HBO 24/7 or Showtime All-Access to promote and hype the fight. There wasn’t ESPN, who would’ve loved Ali because he was so accessible and willing to give a quote worthy of stirring the pot and providing SportsCenter with non-stop coverage and dialogue. If you think ESPN went over the top with their continuous coverage of Tim Tebow and LeBron James at one time, that would’ve looked like a cavity filling compared to way Ali and his upcoming bouts would’ve been covered by them.

Imagine what kind of coverage sports-talk radio and TMZ would’ve given Muhammad Ali before and after all of his fights? How funny would Ali’s tweets be? And his Facebook page would’ve been a scream… Ali went toe-to-toe with conservative icon William F. Buckley for 90 minutes straight when he was 26 years old, and boxing wasn’t discussed at all. If Ali could hang with Buckley, he would’ve eaten up political commentators like Bill O’Reilly of Fox News, Wolf Blitzer of CNN and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC……..talking about the Vietnam war, Watergate, civil rights, abortion, and whatever else was going on during the years 1965-1975. Ali would be the most sought-after guest in the world in 2014 by all the big sports-talk show hosts in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami – and that’s when he wasn’t doing a publicity tour promoting an upcoming bout.

What about Ali the fighter?

Muhammad Ali never ducked a single fighter; he actually sought out the toughest contenders before they were his mandatory because they were a perceived threat. Not only that, he fought them when he had nothing to gain and on many occasions fought them more than once. Ali never made his opponents wear certain gloves or insisted on who worked the fight regarding the referee and judges.

Could you imagine Mayweather as a heavyweight fighting the undefeated George Foreman 40-0 (37), who Ali regained the title from, without making him submit to getting blood tested for performance enhancing drugs twice a day for six months before the fight? What about Mayweather as a heavyweight having to deal with Frazier’s unrelenting aggression and unending stamina for 15 rounds? Floyd would’ve made Joe run a marathon on the morning of the fight.

Not Muhammad Ali. He offered to let Frazier’s and Foreman’s relatives judge their fights against him. And if there were rumors out there that Foreman was using HGH or steroids, Ali would’ve said, “George, you better get extra shoot up on the day we fight – because I’m going to kick you’re a– and the a– of the guy who injects you!” And when Ali fought Foreman, he fought him in a phone booth disguised as a 16 foot ring. This as opposed to Mayweather, who would’ve demanded that the ring be as big as a shopping mall parking lot.

Muhammad Ali always delivered. He didn’t always participate in great fights but many of his high profile bouts were. He always fought the best of the best when the heavyweight division was littered with greats and near greats. And Muhammad never complained about how his opponents stretched the rules during their bout. With the exception of Chuck Wepner’s continuous rabbit punching, Ali never looked to the referee to bail him out of a difficult situation. Ali’s big bouts were also scheduled for 15-rounds and often it was during the final rounds that he pulled out a lot of tough and close fights because of his iron will and stamina.

Ali always had something substantive to say. He was funny and his quick wit had no equal. He never dictated the terms of his bouts and was a real fighter who was gracious in victory and defeat. If Muhammad Ali was around today his nickname wouldn’t be “Money,” it would be “TFR,” standing for “The Federal Reserve,” because only they could’ve cashed his checks after his bouts. If Ali was heavyweight champion in 2014, Floyd Mayweather would be an HBO fighter, fighting at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City in front of a viewing audience of a million plus households, like he was before he re-invented himself during the build up to his fight with Oscar De La Hoya.

Mayweather can probably gross $50 million for fighting Manny Pacquiao in 2015 or 2016, and that might be a conservative estimate. And if Floyd can get that much for fighting Pacquiao, how much would Ali gross if he were fighting Frazier or Foreman with everything being the same? In actuality, $100 million is probably low balling it.

It’s hard to comprehend just how huge of a star and personality Muhammad Ali would be today if he were heavyweight champion.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com.

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Frank Lotierzo

Skylar Lacy Blocked for Lamar Jackson before Making his Mark in Boxing

Published

3 days ago

January 19, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Skylar-Lacy-Blocked-for-Lamar-Jackson-Before-Making-his-Mark-in-Boxing

Skylar Lacy, a six-foot-seven heavyweight, returns to the ring on Sunday, Feb. 2, opposing Brandon Moore on a card in Flint, Michigan, airing worldwide on DAZN.

As this is being written, the bookmakers hadn’t yet posted a line on the bout, but one couldn’t be accused of false coloring by calling the 10-round contest a 50/50 fight. And if his frustrating history is any guide, Lacy will have another draw appended to his record or come out on the wrong side of a split decision.

This should not be construed as a tip to wager on Moore. “Close fights just don’t seem to go my way,” says the boxer who played alongside future multi-year NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at the University of Louisville.

A 2021 National Golden Gloves champion, Skylar Lacy came up short in his final amateur bout, losing a split decision to future U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards. His last Team Combat League assignment resulted in another loss by split decision and he was held to a draw in both instances when stepping up in class as a pro. “In my mind, I’m still undefeated,” says Lacy (8-0-2, 6 KOs). “No one has ever kicked my ass.”

Lacy was the B-side in both of those draws, the first coming in a 6-rounder against Top Rank fighter Antonio Mireles on a Top Rank show in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and the second in an 8-rounder against George Arias, a Lou DiBella fighter on a DiBella-promoted card in Philadelphia.

Lacy had the Mireles fight in hand when he faded in the homestretch. The altitude was a factor. Lake Tahoe, Nevada (officially Stateline) sits 6,225 feet above sea level. The fight with Arias took an opposite tack. Lacy came on strong after a slow start to stave off defeat.

Skylar will be the B-side once again in Michigan. The card’s promoter, former world title challenger Dmitriy Salita, inked Brandon Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) in January. “A capable American heavyweight with charisma, athleticism and skills is rare in today’s day and age. Brandon has got all these ingredients…”, said Salita in the press release announcing the signing. (Salita has an option on Skylar Lacy’s next pro fight in the event that Skylar should win, but the promoter has a larger investment in Moore who was previously signed to Top Rank, a multi-fight deal that evaporated after only one fight.)

Both Lacy and Moore excelled in other sports. The six-foot-six Moore was an outstanding basketball player in high school in Fort Lauderdale and at the NAIA level in college. Lacy was an all-state football lineman in Indiana before going on to the University of Louisville where he started as an offensive guard as a redshirt sophomore, blocking for freshman phenom Lamar Jackson. “Lamar was hard-working and humble,” says Lacy about the player who is now one of the world’s highest-paid professional athletes.

When Lacy committed to Louisville, the head coach was Charlie Strong who went on to become the head coach at the University of Texas. Lacy was never comfortable with Strong’s successor Bobby Petrino and transferred to San Jose State. Having earned his degree in only three years (a BA in communications) he was eligible immediately but never played a down because of injuries.

Returning to Indianapolis where he was raised by his truck dispatcher father, a single parent, Lacy gravitated to Pat McPherson’s IBG (Indy Boxing and Grappling) Gym on the city’s east side where he was the rare college graduate pounding the bags alongside at-risk kids from the city’s poorer neighborhoods.

Lacy built a 12-6 record across his two seasons in Team Combat League while representing the Las Vegas Hustle (2023) and the Boston Butchers (2024).

For the uninitiated, a Team Combat League (TCL) event typically consists of 24 fights, each consisting of one three-minute round. The concept finds no favor with traditionalists, but Lacy is a fan. It’s an incentive for professional boxers to keep in shape between bouts without disturbing their professional record and, notes Lacy, it’s useful in exposing a competitor to different styles.

“It paid the bills and kept me from just sitting around the house,” says Lacy whose 12-6 record was forged against 13 different opponents.

As a sparring partner, Lacy has shared the ring with some of the top heavyweights of his generation, e.g., Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He was one of Fury’s regular sparring partners during the Gypsy King’s trilogy with Deontay Wilder. He worked with Joshua at Derrick James’ gym in Dallas and at Ben Davison’s gym in England, helping Joshua prepare for his date in Saudi Arabia with Francis Ngannou and had previously sparred with Ngannou at the UFC Performance Center in Las Vegas. Skylar names traveling to new places as one of his hobbies and he got to scratch that itch when he joined Whyte’s camp in Portugal.

As to the hardest puncher he ever faced, he has no hesitation: “Ngannou,” he says. “I negotiated a nice price to spend a week in his camp and the first time he hit me I knew I should have asked for more.”

Lacy is confident that having shared the ring with some of the sport’s elite heavyweights will get him over the hump in what will be his first 10-rounder (Brandon Moore has never had to fight beyond eight rounds, having won his three 10-rounders inside the distance). Lacy vs. Moore is the co-feature to Claressa Shields’ homecoming fight with Danielle Perkins. Shields, basking in the favorable reviews accorded the big-screen biopic based on her first Olympic journey (“The Fire Inside”) will attempt to capture a title in yet another weight class at the expense of the 42-year-old Perkins, a former professional basketball player.

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Mizuki Hiruta Dominates in her U.S. Debut and Omar Trinidad Wins Too at Commerce

Published

5 days ago

January 18, 2025

David A. Avila

Mizuki-Hiruta-Dominates-in-her-U.S.-Debut-and-Trinidad-Wins-Too-at-Commerce

Japan’s Mizuki Hiruta smashed through Mexico’s Maribel Ramirez with ease in winning by technical decision and local hero Omar Trinidad continued his assault on the featherweight division on Friday.

Hiruta (7-0, 2 KOs), who prefers to be called “Mimi,” made her American debut with an impressive performance against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez (15-11-4) and retained the WBO super flyweight world title by unanimous decision at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.

The pink-haired Japanese southpaw champion quickly proved to be quicker, stronger and even better than advertised. In the opening round Ramirez landed on the floor twice after throwing errant blows. On one instance, it could have been ruled a knockdown but it was not a convincing blow.

In the second round, Ramirez again attacked and again was met with a Hiruta check right hook and down went the Mexican. This time referee Ray Corona gave the eight-count and the fight resumed.

It was Hiruta’s third title defense but this time it was on American soil. She seemed nervous by the prospect of getting a favorable review from the more than 700 fans inside the casino tent.

For more than a year Hiruta has been training off and on with Manny Robles in the L.A. area. Now that she has a visa, she has spent considerable time this year learning the tricks of the trade. They proved explosively effective.

Though Mexico City’s Ramirez has considerable experience against world champions, she discovered that Hiruta was not easy to hit. Often, the Japanese champion would slip and counter with precision.

It was an impressive American debut, though the fight was stopped in the eighth round after a collision of heads. The scores were tallied and all three saw Hiruta the winner by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72.

“I’m so happy. I could have done much more,” said Hiruta through interpreter Yuriko Miyata. “I wanted to do more things that Manny Robles taught me.”

Trinidad Wins Too

Omar Trinidad (18-0-1, 13 KOs) discovered that challenger Mike Plania (31-5, 18 KOs) has a very good chin and staying power. But over 10 rounds Trinidad proved to be too fast and too busy for the Filipino challenger.

Immediately it was evident that the East L.A. featherweight was too quick and too busy for Plania who preferred a counter-puncher attack that never worked.

“He was strong,” said Trinidad. “He took everything.”

After 10 redundant rounds all three judges scored for Trinidad 100-90 twice and 99-91. He retains the WBC Continental Americas title.

Other Bouts

Ali Akhmedov (23-1, 17 KOs) blasted out Malcolm Jones (17-5-1) in less than two rounds. A dozen punches by Akhmedov forced referee Thomas Taylor to stop the super middleweight fight.

Iyana “Roxy” Verduzco (3-0) bloodied Lindsey Ellis in the first round and continued the speedy assault in the next two rounds. Referee Ray Corona saw enough and stopped the fight in favor of Verduzco at 1:34 of the third round.

Gloria Munguilla (7-1) and Brook Sibrian (5-2) lit up the boxing ring with a nonstop clash for eight rounds in their light flyweight fight. Munguilla proved effective with a slip-and-counter attack. Sibrian adjusted and made the fight closer in the last four rounds but all three judges favored Munguilla.

More Winners

Joshua Anton, Tayden Beltran, Adan Palma, and Alexander Gueche all won their bouts.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More

Published

6 days ago

January 16, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More

Best wishes to the survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires that took place last week and are still ongoing in small locales.

Most of the heavy damage took place in the western part of L.A. near the ocean due to Santa Ana winds. Another very hot spot was in Altadena just north of the Rose Bowl. It was a horrific tragedy.

Hopefully the worst is over.

Pro boxing returns with 360 Boxing Promotions spotlighting East L.A.’s Omar Trinidad (17-0-1, 13 KOs) defending a regional featherweight title against Mike Plania (31-4, 18 KOs) on Friday, Jan. 17, at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.

“I’m the king of L.A. boxing and I’ll be ready to put on a show headlining again in the main event. This is my year, I’m ready to challenge and defeat any of the featherweight world champions,” said Trinidad.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the Hollywood Night fight card that includes a female world championship fight and other intriguing match-ups.

Tom Loeffler heads 360 Promotions and once again comes full force with a hot prospect in Trinidad. If you’re not familiar with Loeffler’s history of success, he introduced America to Oleksandr Usyk, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and the brothers Wladimir and Vitaly Kltischko.

“We’ve got a wealth of international talent and local favorites to kick off our 2025 in grand style,” said Loeffler.

He knows talent.

Trinidad hails from the Boyle Heights area of East L.A. near the Los Angeles riverbed. Several fighters from the past came from that exact area including the first Golden Boy, Art Aragon.

Aragon was a huge gate attraction during the late 1940s until 1960. He was known as a lady’s man and dated several Hollywood starlets in his time. Though he never won a world title he did fight world champions Carmen Basilio, Jimmy Carter and Lauro Salas. He was more or less the king of the Olympic Auditorium and Los Angeles boxing during his career.

Other famous boxers from the Boyle Heights area were notorious gangster Mickey Cohen and former world champion Joey Olivo.

Can Trinidad reach world title status?

Facing Trinidad will be Filipino fighter Plania who’s knocked off a couple of prospects during his career including Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer and Giovanni Gutierrez. The fighter from General Santos in the Philippines can crack and hold his own in the boxing ring.

It’s a very strong fight card and includes WBO world titlist Mizuki Hiruta of Japan who defends the super flyweight title against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez. It’s a tough matchup for Hiruta who makes her American debut. You can’t miss her with that pink hair and she has all the physical tools to make a splash in this country.

Mizukii Hiruta

Two other female bouts are also planned, including light flyweight banger L.A.’s Gloria Munguilla (6-1) against Coachella’s Brook Sibrian (5-1) in a match set for six rounds. Both are talented fighters. Another female fight includes super featherweights Iyana “Right Hook Roxy” Verduzco (2-0) versus Lindsey Ellis (2-1) in another six-rounder. Ellis can crack with all her wins coming via knockout. Verduzco is a multi-national titlist as an amateur.

Others scheduled to perform are Ali Akhmedov, Joshua Anton, Adan Palma and more.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

Boxing and the Media

The sport of professional boxing is currently in flux. It’s always in flux but no matter what people may say or write, boxing will survive.

Whether you like Jake Paul or not, he proved boxing has worldwide appeal with monstrous success in his last show. He has media companies looking at the numbers and imagining what they can do with the sport.

Sure, UFC is negotiating a massive billion dollar deal with media companies, as is WWE, both are very similar in that they provide combat entertainment. You don’t need to know the champions because they really don’t matter. Its about the attractions.

Boxing is different. The good champions last and build a following that endures even beyond their careers a la Mike Tyson.

MMA can’t provide that longevity, but it does provide entertainment.

Currently, there is talk of establishing a boxing league again. It’s been done over and over but we shall see if it sticks this time.

Pro boxing is the true warrior’s path and that means a solo adventure. It’s a one-on-one sport and that appeals to people everywhere. It’s the oldest sport that can be traced to prehistoric times. You don’t need classes in Brazilian Jiujitsu, judo, kick boxing or wrestling. Just show up in a boxing gym and they can put you to work.

It’s a poor person’s path that can lead to better things and most importantly discipline.

Photos credit: Lina Baker

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