Countdown To Mayweather-Pacquiao: Why Bother Asking Star Fighters For Their Pick

Published

10 years ago

March 30, 2015

There used to be a time when star fighters had no qualms about giving their true thoughts as to who they felt would win in an upcoming super fight. Before the super fight by which all are measured, “Frazier vs. Ali,” back in 1971, Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena were the two most recent opponents of both “Smokin” Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, and neither hesitated as to who they were picking to win the much ballyhooed clash?

Quarry, who lost to Frazier in seven rounds in 1969 and Ali in three rounds in 1970, was adamant that Joe was too tough and rugged for Ali and would most likely stop him inside of 10 rounds.

Bonavena, who went the distance twice with Frazier in 1966 and 1968, and was stopped by Ali in the 15th round in 1970 saw it differently. Oscar said Ali was the true champion and the better fighter and picked him to beat Frazier without any reservation. Since Joe beat Muhammad the first time out, chalk one up for Quarry for picking the correct winner.

Today both Oscar and Jerry would hedge their pick for reasons that didn’t exist for big time fighters during the sixties, seventies, eighties and even the nineties. In 2015 they’d phrase their pick something like this, “if it ends inside of eight rounds, Frazier will be the winner – but if it goes the distance, than Ali will be the victor.” And the reason for that is, a lot of ex-star fighters make a lot of their post-fight money doing commentary, personal appearances and all sorts of different media work for what to them has to be considered easy money. So there are business reasons for them to circumspect. That’s why it’s so hard to gauge their true feelings about how a particular big fight might go between two of their colleagues. They’re not likely to let their real opinion get in the way of friendships and business dealings that go on indefinitely. Celebrity fighters all know each other and swim in the same waters year after year. They’re professionals.

The ‘hedge your pick’ practice is not limited to just fighters, it also applies to commentators and analyst too. I remember when Mr. “Tell It Like It Is” Teddy Atlas was asked who was going to win between heavyweight contenders David Tua and Michael Moore back in 2002, he essentially said he didn’t know, and that it could go either way (Tua knocked Moorer out 30 seconds into the first round in what was a very easy fight to handicap before the fact). After the fight, Atlas said he knew all along that Tua was going to destroy Moorer, but that, because Moorer was his friend, he lied to his entire listening audience so that he wouldn’t upset Michael.

Of course, for “Mr Ethics” “I Never Pull My Punches” Atlas, what he did was inexcusable. But for guys whose bread and butter are maintaining good diplomatic relationships, their caution isn’t surprising. And if the press is too stupid not to catch on, that’s their problem.

When it comes to asking fighters who will win a certain fight between two superstars, don’t ask other superstar fighters or fighters who fought both guys. Because most of the time they have an agenda and something to protect, they’ll seldom if ever convey their true feelings.

The below fighters are all former title holders and in Cotto’s case a current title holder. They’re well known and have fought both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in high profile PPV bouts. Here are some of the things they’ve said when asked for a prediction on the upcoming fight.

Ricky Hatton: …..”Either side could win as well as lose in the bout deemed as the “Fight of the Century.” That’s certainly not a pick. Hatton was stopped by both Pacquiao and Mayweather. If you’re Hatton, it makes you look better if Mayweather wins because you can say you were in the fight with him, and justify that you just got caught by Pacquiao. If Mayweather retires undefeated Hatton looks better.

Miguel Cotto: …..Says having Freddie Roach in his corner is a big plus and will ultimately result in a Pacquiao win. Cotto was stopped by Pacquiao and lost a decision to Mayweather, and is trained by Roach. If you’re Cotto, it makes you look better if Pacquiao wins because he beat you worse than Mayweather did. And there’s no way Cotto is going against his trainer’s fighter.

Shane Mosley: …..Has been all over the place picking the winner. Depending on the day, you’ll get a different answer. Mosley lost a decision to both Mayweather and Pacquiao. However, Shane is in a tough spot. He probably hurt Mayweather more than any other fighter ever did to date, but he basically mailed it in when he fought Pacquiao. Shane can finagle whoever wins into somehow making himself look better. If Mayweather retires undefeated, it will always be remembered that Mosley landed the best punch any fighter ever did on Floyd.

Oscar De La Hoya: …..Has picked Pacquiao, but when it comes to Mayweather, Oscar is about as objective as ESPN’s Skip Bayless. In other words objectivity is a foreign word to both of them regarding Floyd. De La Hoya lost a decision to Mayweather and was stopped by Pacquiao. Oscar really gave Floyd a close fight, but was taken apart by Pacquiao. However, he can claim he was drained from dropping too much weight when he fought Pacquiao, which is somewhat plausible. However, Oscar is less of a rival to Pacquiao than he is Mayweather, so there’s less bad blood between them. I don’t think De La Hoya, inside, has any love for either, but I doubt he wants to see Floyd retire undefeated.

Juan Manuel Marquez: …..Like his trainer Nacho Beristain, he is all over the place too, and depending on the day you get a different answer. Marquez is 1-2-1 against Pacquiao and lost a lopsided decision to Mayweather. If you’re Marquez, you want Pacquiao to win because of the four fights you’ve had against him. And it also makes you look better if your career rival, who you knocked dead the last time you fought, wins the biggest fight in the last 25 years. That, and you can justify losing the decision to Mayweather since he beat you at the weigh-in by coming in over the contracted weight.

The above illustrates just how common opponents, at least during this era, cannot be objective when it comes to them saying what they really think will happen between Mayweather and Pacquiao on May 2nd.

Then there are the star fighters who seem to hedge almost as much.

Sugar Ray Leonard: …..Said he gives the edge to Mayweather because he’s undefeated. I’m guessing that’s a hedge pick in favor of Mayweather. Some insight from arguably the best p4p fighter since 1980: I’m certain Leonard appreciates Mayweather’s style more than he does Pacquiao’s. But there are some dynamics in play between Leonard and the Mayweather’s, being that Ray knocked out Floyd’s father in 1978 when Jr. was a year old, and Leonard is often asked how he’d do against Floyd Jr.

Thomas Hearns:…..Said people are crazy if they believe Mayweather or Pacquiao could’ve competed with Ray, Marvin and myself during our era. Well, he didn’t make a pick on the fight, but you can’t dispute what he said. Is there any doubt that when Hearns watches Mayweather and Pacquiao fight, he believes that he would’ve beaten them both on the same night one after the other.

Marvin Hagler:…..Said Mayweather-Pacquiao is the biggest fight in boxing history. Again, no pick, but from a money generating standpoint, he’s right. Also, Hagler probably sees a lot of Sugar Ray Leonard in Mayweather and some of himself in Pacquiao. I believe deep down inside Marvin is rooting for Pacquiao to win.

Mike Tyson:….Thinks Manny’s aggression will test Floyd’s toughness like it’s never been tested before. And recently has said Manny’s perpetual motion will be too much for Mayweather. Sounds like a hedge towards Pacquiao? You know deep down inside Tyson likes Pacquiao’s style and approach to fighting more than he does Mayweather’s. I don’t think Tyson really cares who wins because he likes and respects all fighters.

Evander Holyfield:….Thinks Pacquiao will win because boxing doesn’t want Mayweather to retire undefeated. Well, at least he made a pick; I have to give him that. His reasoning is a little twisted, but I’ll take it. I guess boxing didn’t want him to lose the first time he fought Lennox Lewis. Just ask Eugenia Williams.

Bernard Hopkins:…..Mr. Inconsistent said Pacquiao’s KO at the hands of Marquez in 2012 has residual effects for the next 10 fights. A week later he said burn the tape it means nothing, Manny had a momentary lapse and got caught. No big deal. Oh, he also said if Mayweather survives the first three rounds, he’ll dominate Pacquiao the last six rounds. Not sure who Bernard picked, but I believe he sees more of himself in Mayweather than he does Pacquiao. I believe if pushed I think he’d pick Mayweather.

Roy Jones:…..Has said Floyd is smarter and better now in his advanced age because of all his experience. Is that a pick for Mayweather? Like Hopkins, I believe Roy sees more of himself in Mayweather than he does Pacquiao, but maybe like some others, Roy would like to see Mayweather lose once and not retire undefeated. If push comes to shove I believe Jones favors Mayweather to win.

As far as I’m concerned, you can keep all of their picks and shove ’em where the sun doesn’t shine, because not one of them is worth a damn. They weren’t the least bit forth-coming. And the reason for that is because they all have skin in the game for various reasons already mentioned.

If you want to hear from fighters who know what they’re talking about and who will give you an informed and honest opinion as to who will win the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, I suggest you go into any good boxing gym, and ask veteran fighters with no horse in the race, and you’ll get solid predictions. Forget the stars above; I want to hear who Paulie Malinaggi thinks is going to win. Actually, I believe he’s on record picking Mayweather without hedging a bit, which isn’t the least bit surprising. I bet ex-fighters/title holders like Joe Calzaghe and Charles Brewer could provide well thought-out and honest opinions as to whom and why they favor a particular side in the upcoming Mayweather-Pacquiao bout.

I say why bother asking star fighters, past opponents or celebrities from the acting and music industries for their pick as to who will on May 2nd. The star fighters are judicious in their words because of friendships and business relationships, so they won’t be honest. The ex-opponents have a rooting interest so they won’t be forth coming, and the celebrities will pick their friends. I mean really, does Justin Bieber picking Mayweather or Tim Tebow picking Pacquiao really matter to you? It sure doesn’t to me!

Perhaps by the time this runs the above may have made a more authentic pick, but you can believe they’re not really giving you their true thoughts, for the reasons stated above and some that I didn’t even touch on.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Nick Ball Wears Down and Stops TJ Doheny Before the Home Folks in Liverpool

Published

5 hours ago

March 15, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Fighting in his hometown, Liverpool’s five-foot-two fireplug Nick “The Wrecking” Ball stopped TJ Doheny after 10 progressively more one-sided rounds to retain his WBA belt in the second defense of the featherweight title he won with a hard-earned decision over Raymond Ford in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Referee Michael Alexander, with the assent of Doheny’s corner, waived it off following the bell ending Round 10, much to the chagrin of the brave but mildewed Doheny who burst into tears. But then, Doheny’s right eye was closed shut and he was plainly exhausted. This may be the end of the line for the 38-year-old campaigner from Perth, Australia via Portlaois, Ireland who was 26-5 heading in following his first loss inside the distance which came against pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue.

There were no knockdowns, but Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs) was docked a point in round nine for throwing Doheny to the canvas after having previously been warned for this infraction. Earlier, both he and Doheny were warned for an incident that could have ended the bout prematurely. At the end of the first round, Ball extricated himself from a headlock by kicking Doheny in the back of his knee. The challenger’s leg appeared to buckle as he returned to his stool.

Going forward, Ball has many options. The 28-year-old Liverpudlian purportedly relishes a unification fight with WBC belt-holder Stephen Fulton, but the decision ultimately rests with Ball’s promoter Frank Warren.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 12-round bantamweight contest that was close on the scorecards but yet a monotonous affair, Liverpool’s Andrew Cain won a split decision over former WBC flyweight title-holder Charlie Edwards. The scores were 116-112 and 115-114 favoring Cain with judge Steve Gray submitting a disreputable 115-113 tally for Edwards. At stake were a trio of regional titles.

The science of boxing, they say, is about hitting without getting hit. Charlie Edwards is adept at the latter but the hitting part is not in his DNA. He was on his bicycle from the get-go, a style that periodically brought forth a cascade of boos. Cain, who trains in the same gym with Nick Ball, was never able to corner him – Edwards was too elusive – but Cain, to his credit, never lost his composure.

In improving to 14-1 (12), Cain achieved a measure of revenge, in a sense. In his last documented amateur bout, in 2014, Cain was defeated by Charlie’s brother Sunny Edwards, also a former world title-holder at the professional level. Heading in, Charlie Edwards (20-2, 1 NC) was unbeaten in his last 13 which included a comfortable decision over Cristofer Rosales in his flyweight title fight. Charlie relinquished that belt when he could no longer make the weight.

Showboating Cuban lightweight Jadier Herrera, who fought 13 of his first 14 pro fights in his adopted home of Dubai, advanced to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of spunky but outclassed Mexican import Jose Macias (21-4-2). The official time was 2:31 of round seven.

An all-Liverpool affair between super flyweights Jack Turner (11-0, 10 KOs) and Ryan Farrag (23-6) was over in a jiff. The match, which went next-to-last in the bout order, ended at the 42-second mark of round two. A barrage of punches climaxed by a left hook sent Farrag down hard and the referee waived it off.

The noted spoiler Ionut Baluta, whose former victims include Andrew Cain, forged another upset with a 10-round split decision over local fan favorite Brad Strand. The judges favored Baluta 98-91 and 96-94, out-voting the Italian judge whose 97-93 tally for Strand was deemed the most accurate by the TV pundits.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 317: Callum Walsh, Dana White and More

Published

1 day ago

March 14, 2025

David A. Avila

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As Callum Walsh stood on the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building with fists clenched, it harked back to actor Jimmy Cagney, an actor of Irish descent, yelling “Top of the world, ma,” in the 1949 motion picture White Heat.

The Irish-born Walsh brings that kind of attitude.

Once again Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) returns to New York City and this time faces Scottish warrior Dean Sutherland (19-1, 7 KOs) in a super welterweight match set for 10 rounds on Sunday, March 16, at Madison Garden Theater.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions event.

Flanked by master trainer Freddie Roach and managed by Dana White it brings questions as to the direction that Walsh will be steered. It was just revealed that White will head a new boxing promotion outfit with big plans to make a more UFC type of organization.

Is Walsh part of the plans?

It’s a lot to digest as the hot prospect from Cork, Ireland proceeds toward world championship dreams. Can he cleanse his mind of this major distraction?

Walsh and Sutherland are both southpaws who are meeting at the crossroads in the heart of New York City. At this point of their careers a loss can mean rebooting and taking a few steps backward. The winner moves on to the next crucial step.

Sutherland, 26, hails from Aberdeen and has never fought outside of his native Scotland. It’s a lot to ask of someone whose country’s population of 5 million is dwarfed by New York City’s 8.2 million inhabitants all packed together.

Ireland’s population is also 5 million. So basically, both Walsh and Sutherland are on even terms when they enter the prize ring on Sunday.

Who knows what kind of competition Sutherland faced in Scotland. He beat two undefeated fighters and also conquered two foes who each had more than 100 losses on their resumes.

Meanwhile, Walsh has faced only one undefeated fighter but handled veterans like Benjamin Whitaker, Ismael Villareal and Carlos Ortiz Cervantes. But you never know until they meet face to face. Anything can happen in a prize ring.

Walsh has a three-fight knockout streak. Sutherland has slept two out of his last three foes. They will be joined by several Irish fighters on the card plus Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.

Dana, Turk and TKO

The announcement earlier in the week that Turki Alalshikh together with TKO Group Holdings that include Dana White and Nick Khan formed a new boxing promotion company.

White, who does not own UFC but guides the MMA ship, works for Endeavor, the parent company of UFC and WWE. Their events are all shown on ESPN, the powerful sports network (albeit WWE’s flagship weekly show “Raw” recently moved to Netflix). It seems Endeavor has decided to allow White to guide its boxing program too.

Where does that leave Top Rank?

It seems the partnership plans to rid boxing of the many sanctioning organizations and have only one champion per division. The champion will be given a Ring Magazine belt. Recently, Turki Alalshikh purchased The Ring magazine from Golden Boy Promotions. This seems to have been the plan all along.

Is this good for boxing?

Mark Shapiro, the president of TKO Group Holdings, said:

“This is a strategic opportunity to re-imagine the sport of boxing globally. TKO has the deep expertise, promotional prowess, and longstanding relationships. HE Turki Alalshikh and Sela share our passion and vision for evolving the current model. Together, we can bring the sweet science back to its rightful place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem.”

DAZN all day

Three boxing cards take place on Saturday beginning with WBA featherweight titlist Nick Ball (21-0-1) the human cannonball, defending against former champion TJ Doheny from Liverpool, England. The first bout begins around 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Coast Time). Ball likes to charge forward and punch. Doheny is no slouch and has experience.

Later, Matchroom Boxing presents a show from Florida that features Edgar Berlanga (22-1) fresh off a solid contest against Canelo Alvarez. He fights undefeated Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) in a super middleweight match. Also, Ammo Williams (17-1) returns to face dangerous Patrice Volny (19-1) in a middleweight clash. The card starts at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time.

Saturday evening MarvNation presents Amado Vargas (11-0) meeting Eduardo Hernandez (8-2) in a super lightweight contest at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. Start time is set for 8 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time). The son of the great Fernando Vargas remains undefeated.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 11:30 a.m. Nick Ball (21-0-1) vs TJ Doheny (26-5).

Sat. DAZN 3:30 p.m. Edgar Berlanga (22-1) vs Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) ; Ammo Williams (17-1) vs Patrice Volny (19-1).

Sat. DAZN 8 p.m. Amado Vargas (11-0) vs Eduardo Hernandez (8-2).

Sun. UFC Fight Pass 3 p.m. Callum Walsh (12-0) vs Dean Sutherland (19-1).

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A Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday

Published

2 days ago

March 13, 2025

Luis A. Cortes III

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“He wants to test himself and find out just how good he really is,” said International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz regarding super lightweight Bryce Mills. Peltz, who has dealt with a wide range of fighters throughout his lifetime in boxing, recognized the fire that burned inside Mills at a local show in Philadelphia in early 2022. At the time Mills had less than ten professional fights under his belt.

Mills hails from Liverpool in upstate New York and trains in nearby Syracuse. Currently 17-1 (6 KOs), he’s undefeated in his last 11 since losing a split decision to a Puerto Rican fighter from the Bronx who had fought much stiffer competition.

The fight in question that caught Peltz’s eye was arranged by the well-known and respected matchmaker Nick Tiberi who paired Mills in an intriguing fight against Daiyaan Butt, a tough and skilled fighter from the Philadelphia area. They fought at LIVE Casino in South Philadelphia on Feb. 24, 2022.

Although the crowd on hand that night favored Butt, Mills, although then only 20 years old, wasn’t intimidated and was the clear-cut winner at the end of their exciting, back-and-forth battle. This showed Peltz that Mills was serious about seeing just how far his ability could take him.

That’s why Peltz decided to join forces with Mills. Despite being semi-retired, Peltz is still active enough to help guide fighters through the ever-changing wild west landscape that is boxing. Since their union after Mill’s victory over Butt, Mills has been on a nine-fight winning streak heading into what Peltz believes is the toughest test of his career this Friday against Alex Martin 18-6 (6 KOs) of Chicago.

“I didn’t want him to take this fight, it’s a dangerous fight for him. Martin is a southpaw and is tricky, he’s a veteran and is experienced. His father (Mills’s father) called me and said that Bryce wanted the fight, to his credit,” says Peltz. One look at Martin’s resume and it confirms what Peltz stated. All six of Martin’s losses came against fighters with outstanding records including a former world title challenger. Martin also holds some quality wins over undefeated prospects that were at similar points in their careers to where Mills currently is in his development.

Bryce Mills looks like a fighter (he’s always in shape), acts like a fighter (testing his craft against all comers), walks the walk of a fighter, and fights with a fan-friendly pedal-to-the-metal style. That is a winning combination that could be the breath of fresh air the boxing world could surely use and on Friday night at the Wind Creek Events Center in Bethlehem, PA, live on DAZN, Mills is going to have the opportunity to put the boxing world on notice.

***

DAZN will televise the Mills-Martin fight along with a main event that features undefeated middleweight Euri Cedeno (10-0-1, 9 KO’s) against Ulices Rivera (11-1, 7 KO’s). Knockout artist Joseph Adorno (20-4-1, 17 KOs) and undefeated Reading, PA super featherweight Julian Gonzalez (15-0-1, 11 KOs) appear in separate bouts on the undercard. Tickets for the Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotion show are still available through Ticketmaster. Lobby doors open at 5:00 pm. First bell is at 7:00.

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