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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Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO

Published

2 days ago

November 3, 2024

David A. Avila

Floyd-Schofield-Wins-a-Banger-and Gabriella-Fundora-Wins-by-KO

Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO

LAS VEGAS-Shades of Henry Armstrong and Baby Arizmendi. If you don’t know those names, look them up.

Floyd Schofield battled his way past Mexico’s super tough Rene Tellez Giron who walked through every blow the Texan could fire but lost by decision on Saturday.

It was a severe test and perfect matchmaking for Schofield who yearns for the big bouts against the lightweight giants roaming the world.

Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) remains undefeated and won the war over thick-necked Mexican Tellez Giron (20-4, 13 KOs) who has never been knocked out and proved to be immune to big punches.

In the opening rounds, the Texas fighter came out firing rapid combinations from the southpaw and orthodox stances. Meanwhile the shorter Tellez Giron studied and fired back an occasional counter for two rounds.

Tellez Giron had seen enough and took his stand in the third stanza. Both unleashed blazing bombs with Schofield turning his back to the Mexican. At that moment referee Tom Taylor could have waved the fight over.

You never turn your back.

The fight resumed and Schofield was damaged. He tried to open up with even more deadly fire but was rebuked by the strong chin of Tellez Giron who fired back in the mad frenzy.

For the remainder of the fight Schofield tried every trick in his arsenal to inflict damage on the thick-necked Mexican. He could not be wobbled. In the 11^th round both opened up with serious swing-from-the-heels combinations and suddenly Schofield was looking up. He beat the count easily and the two remained slugging it out.

“He hit me with a good shot,” Schofield said of the knockdown. “I just had to get up. I’m not going to quit.”

In the final round Schofield moved around looking for the proper moment to engage. The Mexican looked like a cat ready to pounce and the two fired furious blows. Neither was hit with the big bombs in the last seconds.

There was Tellez Giron standing defiantly like Baby Arizmendi must have stood in those five ferocious meetings against the incomparable Henry Armstrong. Three of their wars took place in Los Angeles, two at the Olympic Auditorium in the late 1930s as the U.S. was emerging from the Great Depression.

In this fight, Schofield took the win by unanimous decision by scores 118-109 twice and 116-111. It was well-deserved.

“I tried to bang it out,” said Schofield. “Today I learned you can’t always get the knockout.”

Fundora

IBF flyweight titlist Gabriela Fundora needed seven rounds to figure out the darting style of Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz before firing a laser left cross down the middle to end the battle and become the undisputed flyweight world champion.

Fundora now holds all four titles including the WBO, WBA and WBC titles that Alaniz brought in the ring.

Fundora knocked down Alaniz midway through the seventh round. She complained it was due to a tangle of the legs. Several seconds later Fundora blasted the Argentine to the floor again with a single left blast. This time there was no doubt. Her corner wisely waved a white towel to stop the fight at 1:40 of the seventh round.

No one argued the stoppage.

Other Bouts

Bektemir Melikuziev (15-1, 10 KOs) didn’t make weight in a title bout but managed to out-fight David Stevens (14-2, 10 KOs) in a super middleweight fight held at 12 rounds.

Melikuziev used his movement and southpaw stance to keep Pennsylvania’s Stevens from being able to connect with combinations. But Stevens did show he could handle “The Bully’s” punching power over the 12-round fight.

After 12 rounds one judge favored Stevens 116-112, while two others saw Melikuziev the winner by split decision 118-110 and 117-111.

Super middleweight WBA titlist Darius Fulghum (13-0, 11 KOs) pummeled his way to a technical knockout win over southpaw veteran Chris Pearson (17-5-1, 12 KOs) who attempted the rope-a-dope strategy to no avail.

Fulghum floored Pearson in the first round with a four-punch combination and after that just belted Pearson who covered up and fired an occasional blow. Referee Mike Perez stopped the fight at 1:02 of the third round when Pearson did not fire back after a blazing combination.

Young welterweight prospect Joel Iriarte (5-0, 5 KOs) blasted away at the three-inch shorter Xavier Madrid (5-6, 2 KOs) who hung tough for as long as possible. At 2:50 of the first round a one-two delivered Madrid to the floor and referee Thomas Taylor called off the beating.

Iriarte, from Bakersfield, Calif., could not miss with left uppercuts and short rights as New Mexico’s Madrid absorbed every blow but would not quit. It was just too much firepower from Iriarte that forced the stoppage.

Photos credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Results and Recaps from Turning Stone where O’Shaquie Foster Nipped Robson Conceicao

Published

2 days ago

November 2, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Results-and-Recaps-from-Turning-Stone-where-O'Shaquie-Foster-Nipped-Robson-Conceicao

Top Rank was at the Turning Stone casino-resort in Verona, New York, tonight with an 8-bout card topped by a rematch between Robson Conceicao and O’Shaquie Foster with the victor retaining or recapturing his IBF world junior lightweight title. When the smoke cleared, the operative word was “recapturing” as Foster became a two-time title-holder, avenging his controversial setback to the Brazilian in Newark on July 6.

This was a somewhat better fight than their initial encounter and once again the verdict was split. Foster prevailed by 115-113 on two of the cards with the dissenting judge favoring Conceicao by the same margin. Conceicao seemingly had the edge after nine frames, but Foster, a 4/1 favorite, landed the harder shots in the championship rounds.

It was the thirteenth victory in the last 14 starts for Foster who fights out of Houston. A two-time Olympian and 2016 gold medalist, the 36-year-old Conceicao is 19-3-1 overall and 1-3-1 in world title fights.

Semi-wind-up

SoCal lightweight Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) made a big jump in public esteem and moved one step closer to a world title fight with a second-round blast-out of Jose Antonio Perez who was on the canvas twice but on his feet when the fight was stopped at the 1:24 mark of round two. Muratalla, a product of Robert Garcia’s boxing academy, is ranked #2 by the WBC and WBO. A Tijuana native, Perez (25-6) earned this assignment with an upset of former Olympian and former 130-pound world titlist Jojo Diaz,

Other Bouts

Syracuse junior welterweight Bryce Mills, a high-pressure fighter with a strong local following, stopped scrawny Mike O’Han Jr whose trainer Mark DeLuca pulled him out after five one-sided rounds. Mills improved to 17-1 (6 KOs). It was another rough day at the office for Massachusetts house painting contractor O’’Han (19-4) who had the misfortune of meeting Abdullah Mason in his previous bout.

In a junior lightweight fight that didn’t heat up until late in the final round, Albany’s Abraham Nova (23-3-1) and Tijuana native Humberto Galindo (14-3-3) fought to a 10-round draw. It was another close-but-no- cigar for the likeable Nova who at least stemmed a two-fight losing streak. The judges had it 97-93 (Galindo), 96-94 (Nova) and 95-95.

Twenty-one-year-old Long Island middleweight Jahi Tucker advanced to 13-1-1 (6 KOs) with an eighth-round stoppage of Stockton’s teak-tough but outclassed Quilisto Madera (14-6). Madera was on a short leash after five rounds, but almost took it to the final bell with the referee intervening with barely a minute remaining in the contest. Madera was on his feet when the match was halted. Earlier in the round, Tucker had a point deducted for hitting on the break.

Danbury, Connecticut heavyweight Ali Feliz, one of two fighting sons of journeyman heavyweight Fernely Feliz, improved to 4-0 (3) with a second-round stoppage of beefy Rashad Coulter (5-5). Feliz had Coulter pinned against the ropes and was flailing away when the bout was halted at the 1:34 mark. The 42-year-old Coulter, a competitor in all manner of combat sports, hadn’t previously been stopped when competing as a boxer.

Featherweight Yan Santana dominated and stopped Mexico’s Eduardo Baez who was rescued by referee Charlie Fitch at the 1:57 mark of round four. It was the 12^th knockout in 13 starts for Santana, a 24-year-old Dominican father of three A former world title challenger, Mexicali’s Baez declines to 23-7-2 but has lost six of his last eight.

In his most impressive showing to date, Damian Knyba, a six-foot-seven Pole, knocked out paunchy Richard Lartey at the 2:10 mark of round three. A right-left combination knocked Lartey into dreamland, but it was the right did the damage and this was of the nature of a one-punch knockout. Referee Ricky Gonzalez waived the fight off without starting a count.

Knyba, 28, improved to 14-0 (8 KOs). A native of Ghana coming off his career-best win, a fourth-round stoppage of Polish veteran Andrzej Wawrzyk, Lartey declined to 16-7 with his sixth loss inside the distance.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 303: Spotlights on Lightweights and More

Published

3 days ago

November 1, 2024

David A. Avila

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Those lightweights.

Whether junior lights, super lights or lightweights, it’s the 130-140 divisions where most of boxing’s young stars are found now or in the past.

Think Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather.

Floyd Schofield (17-0, 12 KOs) a Texas product, hungers to be a star and takes on Mexico’s Rene Tellez Giron (20-3, 13 KOs) in a 12-round lightweight bout on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotion card that includes a female undisputed flyweight championship match pitting Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz and Gabriela Fundora.

Like a young lion looking to flex, Schofield (pictured on the left) is eager to meet all the other young lions and prove they’re not equal.

“I’ve been in the room with Shakur, Tank. I want to give everyone a good fight. I feel like my preparation is getting better, I work hard, I’ve dedicated my whole life to this sport,” said Schofield naming fellow lightweights Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Now he meets Mexico’s Tellez who has never been stopped.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” said Tellez.

Even in Las Vegas.

Verona, New York

Meanwhile, in upstate New York, a WBC junior lightweight title rematch finds Robson Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) looking to prove superior to former titlist O’Shaquie Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank fight card.

Last July, Conceicao and Foster clashed and after 12 rounds the title changed hands from Foster to the Brazilian by split decision.

“I feel that a champion is a fighter who goes out there and doesn’t run around, who looks for the fight, who tries to win, and doesn’t just throw one or two punches and then moves away,” said Conceicao.

Foster disagrees.

“I hope he knows the name of the game is to hit and not get hit. That’s the name of the game,” said Foster.

Also on the same card is lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (21-0, 16 KOs) who fights Mexico’s Jesus Perez Campos (25-5, 18 KOs).

Perez recently defeated former world champion Jojo Diaz last February in California.

“We’re made for challenges. I like challenges,” said Perez.

Muratalla likes challenges too.

“I think these fights are the types of fights I need to show my skills and to prove I deserve those title fights,” said Fontana’s Muratalla.

Female Undisputed Flyweight Championship

WBA, WBC and WBO flyweight titlist Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz (15-1, 6 KOs meets IBF titlist Gabriela Fundora (14-0, 6 KOs) on Saturday Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. DAZN will stream the clash for the undisputed flyweight championship.

Argentina’s Alaniz clashed twice against former WBA, WBC champ Marlen Esparza with their first encounter ending in a dubious win for the Texas fighter. In fact, three of Esparza’s last title fights were scored controversially.

But against Alaniz, though they fought on equal terms, Esparza was given a 99-91 score by one of the judges though the world saw a much closer contest. So, they fought again, but the rematch took place in California. Two judges deemed Alaniz the winner and one Esparza for a split-decision win.

“I’m really happy to be here representing Argentina. We are ready to fight. Nothing about this fight has to do with Marlen. So, I hope she (Fundora) is ready. I am ready to prepare myself for the great fight of my life,” said Alaniz.

In the case of Fundora, the extremely tall American fighter at 5’9” in height defeated decent competition including Maria Santizo. She was awarded a match with IBF flyweight titlist Arely Mucino who opted for the tall youngster over the dangerous Kenia Enriquez of Mexico.

Bad choice for Mucino.

Fundora pummeled the champion incessantly for five rounds at the Inglewood Forum a year ago. Twice she battered her down and the fight was mercifully stopped. Fundora’s arm was raised as the new champion.

Since that win Fundora has defeated Christina Cruz and Chile’s Daniela Asenjo in defense of the IBF title. In an interesting side bit: Asenjo was ranked as a flyweight contender though she had not fought in that weight class for seven years.

Still, Fundora used her reach and power to easily handle the rugged fighter from Chile.

Immediately after the fight she clamored for a chance to become undisputed.

“It doesn’t get better than this, especially being in Las Vegas. This is the greatest opportunity that we can have,” said Fundora.

It should be exciting.

Fights to Watch

Sat. ESPN+ 2:50 p.m. Robson Conceicao (19-2-1) vs O’Shaquie Foster (22-3).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Floyd Schofield (17-0) vs Rene Tellez Giron (20-3); Gabriela Alaniz (15-1) vs Gabriela Fundora (14-0).

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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