A Boxing-Themed Discussion with Versatile Sports Journalist Greg Bishop

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2021

Rick Assad

A-Boxing-Themed-Discussion-with-Versatile-Sports-Journalist-Greg-Bishop

Hand Greg Bishop an assignment and he’s going to be equally comfortable writing about the NFL, MLB, college basketball, the Olympics or boxing.

Bishop began covering the sweet science while at the New York Times when he penned a feature on Manny Pacquiao in 2009 prior to his fight with Miguel Cotto.

Bishop, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated since 2014, has spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport, including Floyd Mayweather Jr.

What’s Bishop’s take on the state of boxing as it’s presently constituted?

“I don’t buy the usual arguments that boxing is dying, that it won’t continue, that all these exhibition-type fights are ruining the sport (although, Evander Holyfield, woof),” he said. “I believe there is a lot of solid boxing right now. I believe there are a ton of champions who deserve more attention than they’re getting.”

Somehow, boxing has a way of messing up its own progress. “And I believe that the sport continues to get in its own way, for myriad reasons: too many belts, not enough marquee fights, too many Pay-Per-View cards that should be on network TV or streaming,” said Bishop, a graduate of Syracuse University in 2002 with a journalism and finance degree. “Boxing’s problems continue to stem from the sports infrastructure. They have long needed fixing. The question is whether they will ever be addressed.”

In the old days, boxing had eight world champions based on weight. Today that number has multiplied because of all the sanctioning bodies.

In a way, this is beneficial for the boxer because he’s able to make more money and get recognition, but it also muddies the product.

Bishop, a sports staff writer at The Seattle Times from 2002 through 2007 and The New York Times for seven years, thinks this is a problem.

“When I write I usually leave the belts out of it. Often, my editors will ask to put them in,” he said. “I always say: to what point? The general reader will for sure be confused, and if you add in which belts, you have to explain which ones are significant. It’s too many wasted words.”

Pacquiao holds a special place for Bishop. “It will be tough to argue – in my opinion – that Manny Pacquiao didn’t have an unprecedented career. We haven’t seen anything like it,” he noted. “I doubt we will again. In an era where protecting a record from losses came to matter much more than in earlier eras, Pacquiao fought everybody. He didn’t always win, but that’s besides the point.”

Bishop continued: “Think of how many incredible fights he had: the trilogies, the four times versus Juan Manuel Marquez, Cotto, [Ricky] Hatton, [Antonio] Margarito,” he said. “I always tell people I’ve covered sports all over the world, from the Tour De France to the Olympics to every tennis grand slam, and there’s nothing in sports like when Pacquiao is coming into Thunderstruck.”

Pacquiao wasn’t perfect by any measure. “Now, that doesn’t mean I have always agreed with some of his stances, or some of his choices. But from a purely boxing standpoint, Pacquiao represents one of the most fascinating careers ever embarked upon,” Bishop said. “It was truly fun to watch, and that was part of his appeal, the way he fought, how he fought everyone, how he danced and moved and darted and dipped. I believe we will appreciate Manny and his career more over time.”

In so many ways, the undefeated Mayweather was bigger than life. “We’ve had our run-ins over the years, but whenever I went to Floyd’s gym, I knew there would be some sort of event,” Bishop said. “I saw a boxer chasing another boxer down the street with a knife one time. I also always found it interesting that Floyd could pretty much do anything he wanted, buy anything he wanted, fight anyone he wanted, and yet the one thing he wanted most – unadulterated respect – he always had trouble landing. I wrote about that a lot.”

Another boxer stood out for Bishop. “Andre Ward was a hell of a fighter who took on tough opponents and consistently performed,” he said. “He had power. He had technical skill. He won some big fights. It was a pleasure to watch him up close, too.”

Even those not in the ring are interesting characters in their own right. “I’d put Bob Arum in that category. Always funny, great stories,” Bishop said of the founder and CEO of Top Rank. “Bruce Trampler, too. I’ve never talked to Bruce and not learned something. People like those are the reason I keep coming back to cover boxing. There’s no shortage of amazing material.”

The sport’s biggest money-making bout involved Mayweather and Pacquiao. Bishop was there in May 2015 for that clash at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, but feels the best fight he covered was Pacquiao-Cotto, which was held at the same venue.

“To me that was Pacquiao’s peak, from style to just pure brutality. The best of Manny was there that night, and Cotto didn’t fight badly at all,” he said. “I remember the energy, the way the crowd seemed drunk on adrenaline, the trading of blows and then, finally, the mood changing. Like I started to worry that Cotto might get hurt. That maybe this wasn’t a good idea. As I covered more and more fights, I kept coming back to that one. The way it felt. It was sort of like I was chasing that feeling when I kept coming back.”

Though boxing can be full of drama, it’s also not for the faint of heart, because it demands so much physical and mental strength from its participants.

“Boxing is not for everyone. It’s a tough sport, and sometimes I’m not sure whether I should be covering it,” Bishop admitted. “I’ve written about that before, too. I wonder sometimes if we’re glorifying what should not be glorified, or if we’re all part of this machine that leaves these fighters bloodied, beaten, and broken.”

Still, Bishop, like so many other insightful writers across the decades can’t escape the bravery these men produce.

“And yet, I’m drawn to boxing, too,” he declared. “For the science and the artistry and, yes, the violence. I’m conflicted about it and that conflict only grows over time.”

Some have suggested that boxing needs to be recalibrated in order to clear the air and make it better. “For one, I think it would be great if there was a boxing commissioner. The sport desperately needs a national commissioner,” Bishop said. “No more moving a bout to Florida so that it will be licensed when it shouldn’t be. No more allowing someone who’s not a boxer, fight someone else who’s not a boxer and calling it a pro fight. I’d fix the whole situation with the belts. One main one per division. That’s it. That’s the one that matters.”

Bishop then added: “I’d add pensions and healthcare plans to the careers of fighters,” he said. “I wouldn’t allow managers to also promote fighters – which technically, is against the law, but happens all the time. I wouldn’t even mind these spectacle fights, as long as they’re clearly delineated – as that, spectacle, something different, to catch a different audience. There’s room for all of it, in my opinion. But the sport needs to address its credibility above all. That starts with the best fighters fighting the best fighters, with mandated drug testing, with belts that mean something and can be easily understood.”

Having covered every major sport, there’s nothing quite like fight week leading up to a colossal main event like Deontay Wilder versus Tyson Fury.

“Even though I cover the NFL primarily, I want to stay involved in boxing, whether I should or my editors want me to or not,” Bishop said. “Part of it is they’re selling a product, for sure. Part of it is the great tradition that has been passed down with so many champions and many writers who are much better at this craft than I am.”

Bishop likes the preparation that goes into writing about the sport. “I go back and study all of them, how they ingratiated in those camps, how well they knew the fighters that they covered,” he said. “Boxing is one of the last places in sports where you can still find that. It’s not like before, but nothing ever is. You can still get deep into a camp, which helps get deep into the mind of a fighter, their preparations, what it means. There’s truly nothing like it.”

Maybe boxing has lost some of its shine, but it’s still special when two high-level fighters step into the ring.

“People always ask: why do you cover boxing? One of my go-to lines is that boxers would let you stay over if you wanted, while most NFL athletes I profile would prefer to limit our conversations to 10 minutes,” Bishop explained.

That’s just one way in which boxers stand tall compared to some athletes in other sports.

Check out more boxing news on video at the Boxing Channel

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Rick Assad

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Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

Published

2 days ago

March 19, 2023

David A. Avila

Mercito-Gesta-Victorious-Over-Jojo-Diaz-at-the-Long-Beach-Pyramid

LONG BEACH, CA.-Those in the know knew Mercito Gesta and Jojo Diaz would be a fight to watch and they delivered.

Gesta emerged the winner in a super lightweight clash between southpaws that saw the judges favor his busier style over Diaz’s body attack and bigger shots and win by split decision on Saturday.

Despite losing the main event because the star was overweight, Gesta (34-3-3, 17 KOs) used an outside method of tactic to edge past former world champion Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Pyramid.

The speedy Gesta opened up the fight with combination punching up and down against the peek-a-boo style of Diaz. For the first two rounds the San Diego fighter overwhelmed Diaz though none of the blows were impactful.

In the third round Diaz finally began unloading his own combinations and displaying the fast hands that helped him win world titles in two divisions. Gesta seemed stunned by the blows, but his chin held up. The counter right hook was Diaz’s best weapon and snapped Gesta’s head back several times.

Gesta regained control in the fifth round after absorbing big blows from Diaz. He seemed to get angry that he was hurt and opened up with even more blows to send Diaz backpedaling.

Diaz targeted his attack to Gesta’s body and that seemed to slow down Gesta. But only for a round.

From the seventh until the 10^th each fighter tried to impose their style with Gesta opening up with fast flurries and Diaz using right hooks to connect with solid shots. They continued their method of attack until the final bell. All that mattered was what the judges preferred.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Diaz the winner 97-93 but two others saw Gesta the winner 99-91, 98-92. It was a close and interesting fight.

“I was expecting nothing. I was the victor in this fight and we gave a good fight,” said Gesta. “It’s not an easy fight and Jojo gave his best.”

Diaz was surprised by the outcome but accepted the verdict.

Everything was going good. I thought I was landing good body shots,” said Diaz. “I was pretty comfortable.”

Other Bouts

Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (25-1-1, 20 KOs) knocked out Chicago’s Alex Martin (18-5, 6 KOs) with a counter right hand after dropping him earlier in the fourth round. The super lightweight fight was stopped at 1:14 of the round.

A battle between undefeated super welterweights saw Florida’s Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain.

The taller Tudor showed polished skill and was not bothered by a large cut on his forehead caused by an accidental clash of heads. He used his jab and lead rights to defuse the attacks of the quick-fisted southpaw Cato-Cain. The judges scored the fight 80-72 and 78-74 twice for Tudor.

San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (5-0, 4 KOs) needed less than one round to figure out Nicaragua’s Bryan Perez (12-17-1, 11 KOs) and send him into dreamland with a three-punch combination. No need to count as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over. Perez shot a vicious right followed by another right and then a see-you-later left hook at 3.00 of the first round of the super featherweight match.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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Jojo Diaz’s Slump Continues; Mercito Gesta Prevails on a Split Decision

Published

3 days ago

March 18, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Jojo-Diaz's-Slump-Continues-Mercito-Gestra-Prevails-on-a-Split-Decision

At age 30, Jojo Diaz’s career is on the skids. The 2012 U.S. Olympian, a former world title holder at 126 and 130 pounds and an interim title holder at 135, Diaz suffered his third straight loss tonight, upset by Mercito Gesta who won a split decision at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.. The scoring was strange with Gesta winning nine of the 10 rounds on one of the cards and only three rounds on another. The tie-breaker, as it were, was a 98-92 tally for Gesta and even that didn’t capture the flavor of what was a closely-contested fight.

Originally listed as a 12-rounder, the match was reduced to 10 and that, it turned out, did Diaz no favors. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for the former Olympian as he came in overweight once again, having lost his 130-pound title on the scales in February of 2021.

Diaz also has issues outside the ropes. Best elucidated by prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, they include a cluster of legal problems stemming from an arrest for drunk driving on Feb. 27 in the LA suburb of Claremont.

With the defeat, Diaz’s ledger declined to 32-4-1. His prior losses came at the hands of Gary Russell Jr, Devin Haney, and William Zepeda, boxers who are collectively 83-2. Mercito Gesta, a 35-year-old San Diego-based Filipino, improved to 34-3-3.

Co-Feature

Chihuahua, Mexico super lightweight Oscar Duarte has now won nine straight inside the distance after stopping 33-year-old Chicago southpaw Alex Martin in the eighth frame. Duarte, the busier fighter, had Martin on the deck twice in round eight before the fight was waived off.

Duarte improved to 25-1-1 (20). Martin, who reportedly won six national titles as an amateur and was once looked upon as a promising prospect, declined to 18-5.

Other Bouts of Note

New Golden Boy signee Eric Tudor, a 21-year-old super welterweight from Fort Lauderdale, overcame a bad laceration over his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads in round four, to stay unbeaten, advancing to 8-0 (6) with a hard-fought unanimous 8-round decision over Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain. The judges had it 80-72 and 78-74 twice. It was the first pro loss for Cato-Cain (7-1-1) who had his first five fights in Tijuana.

In the DAZN opener, lanky Hawaian lightweight Dalis Kaleiopu went the distance for the first time in his young career, improving to 4-0 (3) with a unanimous decision over 36-year-old Colombian trial horse Jonathan Perez (40-35). The scores were 60-52 across the board. There were no knockdowns, but Perez, who gave up almost six inches in height, had a point deducted for a rabbit punch and another point for deducted for holding.

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‘Big Baby’ Wins the Battle of Behemoths; TKOs ‘Big Daddy’ in 6

Published

3 days ago

March 18, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Big-Baby-Wins-the-Battle-of-Behemoths-TKOs-Big-Daddy-in-6

Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne weighed in at a career-high 277 pounds for today’s battle in Dubai with Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, but he was the lighter man by 56 pounds. It figured that one or both would gas out if the bout lasted more than a few stanzas.

It was a war of attrition with both men looking exhausted at times, and when the end came it was Miller, at age 34 the younger man by nine years, who had his hand raised.

Browne was the busier man, but Miller, whose physique invites comparison with a rhinoceros, hardly blinked as he was tattooed with an assortment of punches. He hurt ‘Bid Daddy’ in round four, but the Aussie held his own in the next frame, perhaps even forging ahead on the cards, but only postponing the inevitable.

In round six, a succession of right hands knocked Browne on the seat of his pants. He beat the count, but another barrage from Miller impelled the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:33. It was the 21^st straight win for Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Browne declined to 31-4 and, for his own sake, ought not fight again. All four of his losses have come inside the distance, some brutally.

The consensus of those that caught the livestream was that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s commentary was an annoying distraction that marred what was otherwise an entertaining show.

As for what’s next for “Big Baby” Miller, that’s hard to decipher as he has burned his bridges with the sport’s most powerful promoters. One possibility is Mahmoud Charr who, like Miller, has a big gap in his boxing timeline. Now 38 years old, Charr – who has a tenuous claim on a WBA world title (don’t we all?) — has reportedly taken up residence in Dubai.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 10-round cruiserweight affair, Suslan Asbarov, a 30-year-old Russian, advanced to 4-0 (1) with a hard-fought majority decision over Brandon Glanton. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93, and a more reasonable 95-95.

Asbarov was 12-9 in documented amateur fights and 1-0 in a sanctioned bare-knuckle fight, all in Moscow, entering this match. He bears watching, however, as Glanton (18-2) would be a tough out for almost anyone in his weight class. In his previous fight, at Plant City, Florida, Glanton lost a controversial decision to David Light, an undefeated Australian who challenges WBO world title-holder Lawrence Okolie at Manchester, England next week.

A 10-round super featherweight match between former world title challengers Jono Carroll and Miguel Marriaga preceded the semi-windup. Carroll, a 30-year-old Dublin southpaw, overcame a cut over his left eye suffered in the second round to win a wide unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining fight.

It was the sixth straight win for Carroll (24-2-1, 7 KOs) who elevated his game after serving as a sparring partner for Devin Haney. Marriaga, a 36-year-old Colombian, lost for the fourth time in his last five outings, declining to 30-7.

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