The Finito Q & A – October edition

While Juan Manuel Lopez may look confidently victorious here, he was anything but in the final round of his fight Saturday with Rogers Mtagwa. Whether the aura of invincibility will be gone from Juanma remains to be seen.

This month’s bevy of burning fistic questions, from Juanma’s weekend walk on Queer Street to a UFC-boxing dinner date:

Q: Wow, now that was some high drama at the end of the Juan Manuel Lopez-Rogers Mtagwa fight! Did you see this one coming?

A: No way, and neither did anyone else, for that matter. Juanma was absolutely a punch or two away from losing the fight in round twelve, but Mtagwa, who had been throwing bombs all fight, finally ran out of steam. If the fight had gone 30 seconds longer, it’s likely the Ghanaian would have won. Lopez got absolutely rocked about ten times between round seven and the final bell, and it was a testament to his fighter’s heart that he gutted out the fight until the end. All credit to him.

Q: OK, so is Mtagwa that good, or are there now some chinks in Juanma the Terminator’s armor?

A: This one is really hard to tell. Mtagwa had 13 losses coming into the fight, but most were a result of early mismanagement. You have to believe that living and fighting out of Philly has made him the real deal, and that he’d be a handful for anyone at 122 pounds. However, I’m not sure if this was Juanma just taking Mtagwa too lightly, or if this is a roadmap to beating Lopez. I’ll tell you this: Lopez got hit with a ton of wide, looping shots that someone on the P4P list has no business getting hit with. If he can’t get avoid those shots from Mtagwa, imagine what Celestino Caballero or Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym would do to him.

Q: After the fight, Top Rank chief Bob Arum spewed forth his usual invectives, saying how bad referee Eddie Cotton was, as well as the judges. Any credence to his complaints?

A: A little, but Arum is so full of crap most of the time, I can’t believe he doesn’t attract flies. First off, Cotton wasn’t very good as usual, and looked like he did miss a couple of possible knockdowns that were ruled slips. He also allowed Mtagwa punches after the bell repeatedly, and a few headbutts. However, he gave Juanma TONS of leeway when it appeared he was out on his feet at the end of the fight, so I don’t know how Arum could be too upset. As far as the scores go, he was way off base. I keep reading about how Lopez’ early lead carried him to the decision; sorry, but if your “early lead” is only six rounds, and the other guy beats your rear end for the other six, that’s a draw. Yeah, Lopez had a knockdown, but the last round could easily be scored 10-8 for Mtagwa. I have no real issue with the scoring (116-111, 115-111, 114-113), but the idea that 114-113 is a bad score is totally ridiculous.

Q: Was it as ridiculous as play-by-play man Al Bernstein calling Juanma Juan “Manual” Lopez the whole fight?

A: Not quite, but it’s up there. You’d think a guy who’s covered boxing since the ‘70s would know how to pronounce a Latino name or two. I can’t believe color man Raul Marquez didn’t correct him at some point; it was getting annoying. I like Bernstein a lot, but he really needs to consult his Spanish pronunciation “Manuel”!

Q: In other news of the shocking sort, Jorge Linares got knocked out this weekend by unheralded Juan Carlos Salgado. Does this mean Linares was just a bunch of hype?

A: First off, it’s amazing how everyone has flown into full panic now that boxing’s Next Great Thing has a stunning loss. Yes, it was a shocking result, but for anyone who watched the fight, this was not Marcos Maidana beating down Victor Ortiz for three rounds en route to a stoppage. Basically, Linares got caught with a flush left he never saw coming, and couldn’t recover quickly enough. Salgado never beat him up, nor really did anything but land that one punch. Things like this happen to the best of fighters (remember Wladamir Klitschko losing in two rounds to Corrie Sanders?), so it’s better to wait and see how Linares does in a rematch. We’ll know more then.

Q: Speaking of rematches, are we going to see Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez 4, or is Izzy a spent fighter at this point?

A: Judging from Vazquez’ comeback fight against Angel Priolo Saturday, it doesn’t look good right now. Although Vazquez finally got the KO in the ninth round, he took far too many punches, got cut and generally looked very rusty. Priolo had lost six fights in a row (yes, you read that right), and the Vazquez that beat Marquez and Jhonny Gonzalez would have wiped the mat with this guy. It may just be ring rust which will improve with time, but if he can’t avoid any punches, he should call it a career. Izzy is too good of a guy and respected ring warrior to sound like Meldrick Taylor in ten years.

Q: All right, on to the event everyone’s talking about: the Super Six kicks off this weekend. Who ya got?

A: Regardless which fighter I pick, the fun part of this is that anyone could win any of these fights; it’s really difficult to pick a winner. But since you put my feet to the fire, I like Arthur Abraham over Jermain Taylor by KO, Carl Froch to knockout Andre Dirrell, and in November, Andre Ward over Mikkel Kessler via upset decision. Honestly, I think Ward will be the best of the lot in five years. One thing is for certain: Whoever wins this tournament is going to end up on the P4P list, with a whole lot of cash in his pocket.

Q: What about Allan Green’s constant assertion that he belongs in the Super Six? Should he be in?

A: Well, Green had a chance to make a statement against Tarvis Simms 10 days or so ago on Shobox, and the only statement he made was that he complains a lot. To make his case, he should have steamrolled Simms, but instead, he ended up getting hit a lot en route to a lackluster victory. And for those Green supporters who say he nearly shut out Simms, ask yourself this: Could you see Abraham or Froch letting Simms hang around for ten rounds? Besides, with that performance, here’s betting that Lucien Bute’ just got a bit more interested in defending his title against Green. Green should just be happy if he gets that fight.

Q: Is there really going to be anyone paying actual money for a Hector Camacho, Jr. – Yori Boy Campas PPV?

A: Maybe the same people who bought Camacho’s old man fighting Campas earlier this year, or members of their families. Campas is so over the hill, he gets calls from Evander Holyfield telling him to hang up the gloves. Really, who in their right mind would pay for this? They should give us money to sit through this crap. What’s the venue? Camacho’s back yard? The best part of the promotion though, was Junior saying emphatically that Campas is not on his level. Hey, guess what? I’ll go on the record right now as saying that Campas is nowhere near as good at the biathlon as I am! Yeesh.

Q: Apparently Floyd Mayweather has offered the olive branch to UFC head Dana White, inviting him to dinner to bury the hatchet after their harsh words regarding each other’s sports recently. Good idea?

A. I don’t even know where to start with this one. I guess it would be amazing on some level to see two of the biggest horse’s rear ends in all of sports at one table, but that’s about it. Actually, the person I would feel sorry for the most is the waiter at the restaurant. Not only do you have to decipher what White ordered in between his constant f-words, then you have to put up with “Money” Mayweather’s tip being taken back by the IRS before you can even get your hands on it!

Time for British boxing to climb out of the Stone Age

British heavweight John McDermott tries in vain to explain how referee Terry O'Conner awarded the decision to Tyson Fury in their September fight. His promoter Frank Maloney (left) probably thinks explaining quantum physics would be easier.

Imagine this scenario: It’s a prime-time matchup in the NBA, with a Los Angeles Lakers-Cleveland Cavaliers tilt in Staples Center (the Lakers’ home arena) that has everyone buzzing. It’s a nip-and-tuck affair with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James trading highlight reel moves. At the buzzer, Daniel Gibson of the Cavs hits a 3-pointer, tying the score at 103-103 at the end of regulation. Time to go to the judges to render a decision on which team has won the game. With a groan from the crowd, the head referee raises James’ hand, signifying a Cavaliers’ victory.

Later, all three officials are talking about the game. “Well, I hope I got that one right,” says the head referee. “I seemed to be working baseline most of the night, so I didn’t see how the guards played all that much.” The second referee chimes in. “Wow, that’s what surprised me, then, because Derek Fisher was excellent. He must have had 20 tonight.”

“Really?” the head referee says. “I was too busy looking at Shaq dominating the paint to notice all that, I guess.”

“Yes, and did you see Kobe hit a bunch of shots over Lebron James, too?” says the third official. “I was totally surprised it was so one-sided.”

The head referee looks at the other two. “Boy, I wish all three of us could have had votes. Looks like the Lakers would have won the game otherwise. I don’t know how I’m supposed to pay attention to everything on the court when my job requires me to officiate only certain pieces of it. This is ridiculous.”

Sound silly? Well, in Britain, this scenario plays itself out in hundreds of fights every year. In the case of September 11th’s John McDermott fight with rising British heavyweight Tyson Fury, it’s clear to see why that needs to change.

As nearest that can be determined, the British Boxing Board Of Control (BBBofC) is the only commission in the world that allows referees to be the sole arbiters of fights (if the fight is governed by another sanctioning body, however, the traditional three-judge system is used). This has been going on since the formation of the BBBofC in 1919, and with it has come numerous controversies and questionable decisions.

In the case of the McDermott-Fury fight, the veteran McDermott battered the much-hyped Fury around the ring for ten rounds, out landing the young heavyweight 114-104. McDermott’s 34% connect rate overshadowed the mere 18% displayed by Fury. The majority of Fury’s connects, however, were in the first four rounds, when the bout was much more competitive. From round five on, McDermott was landing the far more telling blows, and Fury’s face looked like it had been blown up with helium by fight’s end. Nearly everyone in Essex’ Brentwood Centre figured that McDermott finally got the big victory he had been starving for in his somewhat underachieving career.

Then, only a second after the final bell rang, referee Terry O’Connor raised Fury’s hand, as if it had been obvious all along who the winner was. Furthermore, O’Conner had inexplicably turned in a 98-92 scorecard for Fury, when the closest press row score had been a draw. Expectedly, McDermott’s camp went nuts, with his promoter Frank Maloney calling for an investigation (he even had a heart attack during the fight!). As of this writing, the BBBofC has granted McDermott a rematch due to the controversy.

The problem with all this is that if there had been three judges, the result likely wouldn’t have happened. The reason the three-judge system evolved in the first place was in case there was a hometown judge or a bad scorecard was submitted. The two judges would overrule the third. To further the objectivity, the judges were then seated on different sides of the ring. Although bad decisions happen in boxing all the time, it’s much harder to have two or three judges screw it all up than a single referee.

The logic of having a referee score a fight is spurious at best, anyway. There are many referees who also judge in the United States, but they either do one or the other. This is ostensibly because it’s too difficult to do both at the same time. As in the NBA scenario, think of the numerous things a referee has to think about during a fight; health of the fighter, low blows, holding, cuts, equipment and canvas conditions, etc. All this, and the referee is supposed to keep track of landed punches? How many times has a referee missed a knockdown call or low blow because he or she was out of position? Extrapolating that out, how many punches might a referee miss? A boxing referee has too much to worry about without having that extra duty.

One must also take into account if a corner or referee has a grudge or is angered by a fighter during a fight, such as when a corner argues with a referee. In this case, O’Conner had lost to McDermott’s dad as a professional. While no one thinks there was any impropriety for that reason, if O’Conner had decided to stick it to his conqueror’s son, there would be no other judges to overrule that decision. If O’Conner had given Fury those rounds because he didn’t particularly like the color of McDermott’s trunks, there would be nothing to stop him.

Let’s put it this way: The reason wooden tennis racquets are no longer used is because they’re obsolete; composite racquets are much better now. The BBBofC needs get with the times and start using a three-judge system like everyone else; it may not be a perfect system, but it’s the best there is right now. Bad decisions are too frequent in the fight game already; there’s no reason to heighten that chance by having a single referee with tons of other duties also determine the winner.

The Finito Five 9/25/09

Floyd Mayweather had all the right moves against former 135-pounder Juan Manuel Marquez, but will he take those moves and fight Shane Mosley, who is a natural 147-pounder?

Back like Pretty Boy Floyd, it’s the Finito Five!

1. Mayweather is money while Mosley looks to cash in

Floyd Mayweather grates on a lot of boxing fans. The trash talk, the false bravado, the legal and IRS troubles, the ducking of fighters his own weight. Well, likable or not, Pretty Boy Floyd is one of the greatest talents of a generation, perhaps second only to Roy Jones (who also has known to frustrate a boxing fan a time or two himself). As great as Juan Manuel Marquez is, and he will have a plaque in Canestota, he was reduced to a no-hoper just a few rounds in by the superb fistic acumen of Mayweather during their welterweight clash Saturday night. Marquez likely has never seen hands that fast at 130 pounds, let alone at 147. Mayweather just moved out of the way of the Mexican’s punches, then countered with a couple of his own; this dance went on for all twelve rounds, interrupted only when Mayweather scored a knockdown in round two. Marquez was out landed by almost 200 punches, scoring only 69 of his own. Although most expected Floyd to win, the sheer dominance and lack of ring rust was astonishing nonetheless. Give it to Marquez for going the distance, but this was a squash from the word go.

As a matter of fact, the most intriguing part of the fight might well have been the post-fight interview, where Ring Magazine welterweight champion Shane Mosley stormed the ring, calling out Mayweather with a little help from HBO’s Max Kellerman. Mayweather, who shook hands with Mosley, then proceeded with the standard line of my promoter makes my fights, I just fight – as if Floyd had no say in the matter. While Mosley is obviously just looking for a dance partner, as he has had none for some months now, it is doubtful that the fight would ever happen. Say what you will, but Mayweather doesn’t like to fight true 147-pounders, and Mosley has been there for quite some time. The size difference between Mayweather and Marquez was stark, and Mayweather’s prima donna move of coming in two pounds heavy disadvantaged Marquez even more. Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and Mosley will not have just moved up from 130 pounds, so it will be interesting to see what “Money” does from here.

2. HBO needs to invent a Mayweather-to-English dictionary

HBO’s 24/7 series is always a welcome addition to any superfight, giving fans unmatched insight into each fighter’s camps prior to the main event. Mayweather-Marquez 24/7 was no different, complete with Marquez drinking his own urine and eating raw quail eggs as his preparation and training regimen. Yes, before you ask, we’ll never look at Marquez kissing his wife the same way again. The big gripe was, though, all the Spanish speakers on the program had English subtitles; where were the subtitles for Roger and Floyd Mayweather, Sr.? Seriously, has anyone understood a complete sentence either guy has said in the last ten years? These two make Ozzy Osbourne sound like William F. Buckley! Listening to Roger pontificate about Sugar Ray Robinson, it was unclear whether he thought Robinson was the greatest fighter of all time or an egg salad sandwich. Was it too many headshots for both guys during their careers? Hard to say, but if they showed up at a rehab clinic and merely opened their mouths, they’d likely get admitted right away.

3. Undercard musings

It’s always welcomed when a PPV event such as Mayweather-Marquez has quality undercard fights making it worth the $50 price tag (OK, maybe not worth that much!). In this case, there were two good ones. First, Michael Katsidis, huge tattoo on his back and all, tattooed fellow lightweight Vincente Escobido in a fight that surprised a fair number of people. Although the fight was more competitive than many Internet and newspaper reports have said, Katsidis was still too tough and determined for the overwhelmed Escobido. Look, Katsidis fights the same way every fight; to hang with him, you have to match his work rate and intensity for twelve rounds, and land the more telling shots. Escobido didn’t, and he lost. Also on the card, featherweight Chris John finally got the unanimous decision he deserved over Rocky Juarez after that gift draw in February. Not sure how one judge had it 119-109 for John after Juarez, like he always does, came on after his one millionth slow start and had John holding on for dear life in the final minute of the fight. Man, imagine what Rocky could do if he could manage to win an early round or two! We might be saying, “Manny who?”

4. Shobox rules the roost once again

Does anyone remember HBO’s KO Nation show? Yeah, that was HBO’s answer to Showtime’s new Shobox program, both meant to showcase up-and-coming talent facing off against each other. While KO Nation was complete with dancing girls, fireworks, and hip-hop music, Shobox simply focused on putting together great fights. Well, we know how that turned out (KO Nation didn’t last a year), and last Friday’s Shobox continued to remind fight fans why it’s always worth tuning in. Bantamweight Chris Avalos will soon be must-see TV because this guy is never in a bad fight. His fourth-round KO of Giovanni Caro was a real smoker from the first bell, as both fighters traded so much leather, you would have thought they were breaking in their gloves on a new heavybag. Avalos’ final right hand looked like it was going to remove Caro’s head from his shoulders. That fight was followed by heavyweight Tony Grano’s upset KO of Travis Kauffmann, also in round four. Kauffmann hadn’t yet fought any real competition, but he soon had Grano taking a left on Queer Street at the start of round four. Grano then smartly hit him low and spit out his mouthpiece, giving himself valuable time to recover, then pressed the attack on Kauffmann, taking him out after a furious assault. Kauffmann certainly didn’t see it coming, and neither did the audience. But that’s Shobox; they understand that good matchmaking likely makes for a good result, even if the fighters aren’t top-shelf. Here’s hoping the show lasts another ten years, with Nick Charles back and cancer-free.

5. Bad boxing decisions are evidently not good for one’s health

Teddy Atlas famously once said about his heavyweight pupil Michael Moorer that if he ever had a heart attack, he would blame it on having to train the former champion. While that might seem a little farfetched, try telling that to British boxing promoter Frank Maloney, who apparently did have a heart attack during the heavyweight fight between John McDermott and Tyson Fury on Sept. 11. It’s not known when the actual heart attack occurred, but if it was anytime around when clueless referee Terry O’Connor raised Fury’s hand after Fury got his rear end handed to him by McDermott over ten rounds, it would be understandable. It’s another argument completely why British boxing lets the referee decide the fight (which will be discussed in an upcoming Finito), but at least Maloney braved the possible Big One for a classic postfight quote. “He didn’t even have a mask on,” Maloney said of O’Conner. “Dick Turpin (famous English highway robber of the 1700’s) at least wears a mask when he robs you.”

The Finito Q & A – September edition

Roy Jones may have dressed like a pirate prior to his fight with Jeff Lacy, but he at least lived up to his Captain Hook moniker during their the twelve round fight. Lacy looked more like Black (and blue) Bart after the bout.

Tackling the most pressing questions the fight game has to offer:

Q: Three blogs since the start of July? Just what the hell were you doing all summer?

A: Sorry about that. Truth is, I spent most of my summer moving, which was longer and more arduous than expected. Let me tell you, after not having moved for eight years, I can’t believe how much worthless crap I’ve acquired in that time. Just boxing magazines alone (I still really miss Bert Sugar’s Fight Game, by the way) made me realize my back isn’t what it used to be in my 20’s. Besides, with the dearth of good fights this summer, I guess I don’t feel bad taking the summer off - the promoters apparently took it off, as well.

Q: OK, back to boxing, you slacker. Whatever happened to Roy Jones not fighting past 35?

A: Well, apparently Roy is not Lennox Lewis. Remember, Bernard Hopkins said he’d retire at 40, as well. The lure of the money and accolades are too much for most fighters, and judging from Roy’s dismantling of Jeff Lacy, he’s still pretty good for 40 years old.

Q: So Roy Jones is back to being the old Roy Jones, then? He said as much in the postfight interview.

A: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Jeff Lacy is completely shot, even though he looks like a greek god. Although Roy still has good hand speed, Lacy has zero power at 175, as evidenced by the flush headshots he landed on Roy that Jones barely noticed. If that was Chad Dawson or Carl Froch landing those shots, Jones would likely be in a heap on the canvas. As long as Roy takes on this sort of opposition (like Danny Green, his next reported fight), he can fight for a few more years yet.

Q: Going back a few weeks, just how bad a screw job did Paulie Malignaggi get against Juan Diaz?

A: Not the worst I’ve ever seen, but pretty bad nonetheless. Unfortunately, the way Malignaggi fights, he’ll always go the distance, and the law of averages will say he’ll be on the business end of a broomsticking a few times. Still, when he basically explained prior to the fight exactly how he’d get screwed, and it happened exactly that way, that’s not good for boxing. What this does is seriously hurt Diaz’ ability to bring big fights back to Texas, because no one outside of the state will trust that commission.

Q: You’ve been all over Julio Ceasar Chavez, Jr. in previous blogs. Does his smoking of Jason LeHoullier finally convince you Junior is for real?

A: Look, I never said JC Jr. wasn’t talented; I just need to see him in a real fight. His supporters claim that flattening LeHoullier, who has a sturdy chin, inside of a round shows how good Chavez has become. While all of that is fine, let’s now get in the ring with Felix Sturm or Anthony Mundine. It’s time we see what Chavez can do against top ten guys – we already know what he can do with mid-level opposition. Otherwise, if all he’s going to do are these PPV fights, who cares how good he is or isn’t? Unless it’s against real competition eventually, it’s a moot point.

Q: So how lucky was Fernando Montiel to escape his fight against Alex Valdez with a technical draw Saturday night on the Chavez undercard?

A: Let’s put it this way, he must have made a quick trip to Ireland on Friday to kiss the Blarney stone. How “Cochulito” managed to escape the beating he was taking from Valdez without losing would make Harry Houdini proud. Of course Montiel got help from some incompetent officiating by referee Jesus Salcedo, who decided that after Montiel got cut in the first round by an obvious punch, he just didn’t need to inform anyone whether it was caused by a punch or not. It was an interesting scene after the fight ended in round three due to the cut, because no one had any idea what Salcedo had actually ruled. It was first called a technical draw, then changed to a KO win for Valdez, then back to a draw after the commission said they made a mistake. Valdez and his team were understandably ticked off; Montiel was just lucky he looked so terrible and got away with it.

Q: And what about Ivan Calderon and Rodel Mayol going to a second straight technical draw due to another cut on Calderon’s forehead? Weird, huh?

A: If styles make fights, the styles between these two 108-pounders make for a busted Calderon forehead. The only difference was the first fight was stopped in round six, this one in round seven. This time around, though, I thought that Calderon was headed towards putting this one away, had it gone the distance. Still, if you had gone to Vegas and bet this result, you’d be able to buy the arena for the third fight between these two!

Q: Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler took care of business in their tune-ups, and are ready to face each other in November. So, are you excited for the Super Six tournament?

A: Are you kidding? This is the coolest thing to happen to boxing since Compubox! Man, think about it; Arthur Abraham-Jermain Taylor and Carl Froch-Andre Dirrell next month, followed by Ward-Kessler a month later. That’s some serious talent on display. Showtime really hit the jackpot with this one, which they routinely seem to do. They may not have the budget HBO does, but quick, name the bad fights you’ve seen in the last two years on Showtime Championship Boxing – it’s a short list. The network has really done boxing fans a favor here.

Q: After watching the Mayweather-Marquez 24/7 series so far, what do you find harder to fathom - that Marquez drinks his own urine, or that Roger Mayweather wants “to be good people”?

A: Well, these are two different things. We have video evidence of Marquez drinking his own urine; as for the other, Mayweather can desire to be the Eiffel Tower, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Sorry (and maybe I sound like everybody’s grandfather here), but you can’t have gone to jail for assault on your son’s grandmother and be up for yet another assault and be on the good person list. The whole Mayweather clan is about as likeable as swine flu.

Q: You know this would have to be asked sooner or later – do you buy Marquez’ assertion that he drinks his urine to recover his lost vitamins and proteins?

A: That’s like picking through the garbage in case you left some edible food in the trash bag, isn’t it? You certainly can do it, but it’s much easier to go to the store and get new food. Urine is a waste product for a reason; if there are vitamins and proteins lost, then get take some Centrum and eat a freakin’ turkey sandwich! It’s much easier and tastier. Unfortunately, as much as I have loved Marquez for years, whenever I see him now, the pee drinking will be the first thing I think of. Hope he gets an endorsement deal out of this from Scope or something. Yeesh.

Antonio Margarito and Top Rank just don’t get it

You would think this scene between Antonio Margarito and his trainer Javier Capetillo would never be seen again; to this point, however, Margarito has not fired the trainer who supposedly put plaster in his gloves without his knowledge.

Two weeks ago this Saturday, with more than a few last-minute rearrangements, Top Rank’s Latin Fury 10 Pay-Per-View event commenced. The scheduled main event featuring Julio Ceasar Chavez, Jr. against Jason LeHoullier had to be scrapped due to a rib injury to Chavez (although there were reports rib and everything else was way over the 154-pound limit). In its place, Miguel Acosta’s upset of Urbano Antillon at lightweight took the top spot, a rather unexpected and exciting scrap that ended up with Antillion losing via TKO in the ninth round.

However, it was the fight prior to the main event that had everyone talking.

Up and coming 108-pounder Giovani Segura pounded out a solid defense of his jr. flyweight title against Juanito Rubillar, which was expected. Perhaps unexpected was not only the appearance of disgraced trainer Javier Capetillo in Segura’s corner, but also of the fighter supposedly so greatly wronged by Capetillo, one Antonio Margarito.

And it wasn’t as if Margarito accidentally tripped over a tanning Capetillo by the hotel pool in Puerto Vallarta, either. Not only was Margarito in Segura’s dressing room and in his corner, he actually appeared to be with Capetillo, talking with fighter and trainer both, acting as if he was part of the entourage.

How could Margarito show up with Capetillo on an internationally televised Top Rank telecast, you ask? Wasn’t Margarito claiming up, down and sideways that he had no knowledge of the plaster put in his gloves by Capetillo during his fight with Sugar Shane Mosley earlier this year? Now that Margarito is banned from boxing in the United States for a year and likely more, shouldn’t he want to punch his trainer out for ruining his career and reputation?

Guess not.

The whole production stunk so badly, it was a wonder the fight didn’t take place in a port-a-john. There was so much brain fade going on, you almost have to break down the stupidity piece-by-piece:

1. Antonio Margarito

Let’s just ignore the obvious questions above, and assume for a minute that Margarito is actually still friends with Capetillo, and is not mad with him because they were both in on the plaster wraps against Mosley. If Margarito wanted everyone to believe his lie about being innocent, why in the hell would he be anywhere near Capetillo, especially on TV? It makes his story look like a complete sham! Just for appearances, if nothing else, he should be miles away from Capetillo so he could get his boxing license back. Sure, Capetillo would take the fall, but at least Margarito would have a boxing future. Does he think the California Athletic Commission doesn’t watch Pay-per-view boxing or something? How is Margarito going to explain his chumminess with his trainer, who he hasn’t yet even fired? If Margarito were smart, he’d be off TV and off anyone’s radar until his hearing next year.

2. Javier Capetillo

Apparently, Capetillo couldn’t care less whether his fighters box in the States or not, especially since he won’t be there. Instead of taking his medicine and hoping not to end up like Panama Lewis (unable to work another fighter’s corner ever again), Capetillo continues to work fights as if nothing has happened. Since he can work in Mexico (which is a whole other ridiculous subject), his doing so is essentially thumbing his nose at California’s ruling, making it almost a certainty that he will never be reinstated north of the border. If he wants to decide to do that himself, that’s fine, but it’s asinine to think this won’t affect his fighters and their paydays, which are likely bigger in the U.S. If he really cared for Margarito, he’d tell his fighter to stay the heck away from him. He’s either not smart enough to figure that out, or he really doesn’t care what happens to his fighter’s career.

3. Top Rank

The worst part of this whole debacle is that Top Rank actually gave the go ahead for Margarito and Capetillo to be on the telecast together! Seriously, did they think no one would notice, or did they just not care? It was awful enough listening to Bernard Osuna (who’s becoming this generation’s Col. Bob Sheridan) and Raul Marquez (who I expect better from) heap platitudes and compliments on Capetillo as he worked the corner, making almost no mention of how disgraced the man is in boxing circles. The fact Margarito was there didn’t seem at all strange to anyone, either. Maybe since Bob Arum and Top Rank was paying their salaries, that was to be expected; Arum, however, should know better. If Capetillo and Margarito aren’t bright enough to stay away from each other, Arum, who is a smart businessman, should have told them to make like John and Kate (without the 8). You would think Arum would do everything possible to make sure Margarito gets reinstated, therefore making more money for Top Rank. Instead, they televise the ill-advised reunion for the entire world to see.

If nothing else, it will be interesting to see all three parties standing before the California Athletic Commission next year. Watching Margarito explain how he’s still close the man who essentially ruined his boxing career, a fact he cannot deny thanks to his promoter putting it on TV, should be captivating. It sure looks like not only that Antonio Margarito won’t save himself from himself, neither his trainer nor his promoter will, either.

The Finito Five 7/15/09

Bantamweight Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko celebrates a hard-fought victory over Vic Darchinyan Saturday. Despite what Agbeko and promoter Don King intimated after the fight, referee Tommy Kimmons is not a member of Darchinyan's family nor does he get a monthly stipend from the Armenian.

This week’s mid-summer thoughts from a strawweight brain…

1. King Darchinyan gets Konged

Even the most hardcore boxing fans were unsure of what was coming from Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko prior to his first headlining fight against former flyweight ruler Vic Darchinyan Saturday night. Although his only loss was a disputed one to Wladamir Sidorenko five years ago, half of his fights had been against fighters with less than five total bouts, most in Africa. And this was Vic Darchinyan, who has demolished everyone he’s stepped into the ring with not named Nonito Donaire. While Doniare is a top ten pound-for-pound fighter, Darchinyan was at least top twenty; with all the hype surrounding Agbeko, how would he look? The answer was nothing short of superb, as he took apart the Armenian over twelve tough rounds; Agbeko actually beat up Darchinyan worse than even Donaire, and had Vic looking like he met a plate glass window at 90 m.p.h. by fight’s end. While Darchinyan landed some good shots, they never seemed to hurt the Ghanaian at all. Considering how Darchinyan recently picked apart the excellent Christian Mijares, Agbeko clearly beat a very dangerous fighter. Agbeko will soon find his way into the pound-for-pound rankings with another win like this one.

While the greatest of all apes has shown to be clearly on the upswing, what to make of Darchinyan now? Although Vic is usually a ridiculous loudmouth prior to any fight he’s in, he did own up to his performance afterward and admit that he had not done enough to win. Most boxing people think coming up in weight hurt him, as Agbeko has been a natural bantamweight his whole career, and Darchinyan’s flyweight power didn’t translate so well at the heavier weight. That may be, but Darchinyan has never shown any ability to adjust within a fight; he just tries to get in and eventually land the huge left. While that has worked in the past, bigger, better fighters won’t fall for that so easily. Darchinyan will need a more complete game if he wants to continue to be a factor at bantamweight or above.

2. Don King lives in a reality different from the rest of us

As tough and foul-filled as the fight between Agbeko and Darchinyan was, only Don King could somehow find a conspiracy against his winning fighter. Oh yes, before the scorecards were even so much as tabulated (and they were a little too close), Captain Hairdo was in the corner telling Agbeko how he had to fight two opponents that night: Darchinyan and referee Tommy Kimmons. Now, granted, Kimmons made a horrible knockdown call in the seventh round after Darchinyan pushed Agbeko to the canvas and grazed the back of his head on the way down, but these things happen in boxing, as well as in all sports. To hear King tell it, Kimmons had $100 large on Darchinyan, and was dead set on a vacation in St. Croix after the fight. Agbeko may be King Kong, but it was monkey-see, monkey-do afterwards, too, as Agbeko kept carping about Kimmons to the press until everyone was sick of hearing it. Sure, Don, like all those fifty cuts on Darchinyan’s face were caused only by punches! One thing we learned from the fight is that both guys like to use their heads, so enough of that talk. Besides, Agbeko’s biggest opponent upcoming might well be King’s ability to bury fighters with inactivity. We’ll see who ultimately wins that battle.

3. The heavyweight division gets interesting? Really?

Just when I start groaning and moaning about the lack of anything exciting in the heavyweight division (oh, like in the last Finito Five, perhaps), Eddie Chambers rises up from the ashes and gives us something to talk about! After the entirely too-heavy Chambers showed up in the 220’s against equally fat Sam Peter in March, a slim, trim 208-pound version stepped into a German ring 10 days ago to face the formidable Alexander Dimitrenko. And this lighter version was entirely too fast for the Klitschko-clone Dimitrenko, who at 6’7”, figured to do to Chambers what we’ve seen in so many Klitschko fights, where the bigger man pummels the smaller one. Chambers, however, has hand speed that many middleweights would kill for, and he thoroughly flummoxed his larger opponent, so much so that Dimitrenko was just trying not to get popped by punches he never saw coming. Now, Chambers had has weight and focus problems before, but if he can get his act together, this could be a preview of what he might do to either Klitschko brother (yes, I said it!). Now, no one’s saying Dimitrenko is a Klitschko, but wouldn’t it be interesting to see what Chambers would do against them? My guess is at the very least, it would be no easy night for Wlad or Vitali.

4. Winning is just for losers

During any fight, fighters are often criticized for not doing enough to win. Some criticisms are realistic, some are not, but most fighters give it their best to try and win. Then there was Antonio DeMarco’s lightweight victory over Benin’s (that’s in Africa, for those who failed geography) Anges Adjaho, where both fighters decided that winning was secondary to looking like a total idiot. DeMarco, who had previously talked about bringing the fight, punishment, Mexican warrior, this and that, had Adjaho seriously hurt at least twice in the fight (after the Mexican did almost nothing in giving away the early rounds) and inexplicably took his foot off the gas each time. This allowed Adjaho to subsequently win rounds, and actually pull ahead in the fight. If that wasn’t bad enough, the African then decided to throw all of that into the trash; as he was rocked a third time and knocked down by DeMarco in round nine, Adjaho decided he’d been hit illegally while he was on the canvas. I guess it didn’t matter to him that referee Tellis Assemenios correctly ruled the punch was prior to Adjaho’s knee touching and started to count the knockdown, Adjaho then turned face down on the canvas and acted like he’d just come down with botchulism. Umm, Anges, the referee was still counting… So when the confused Assemenios reached ten and the fight was over, Adjaho jumped up (he’s healed – praise the Lord!) in protest. What in the world did he think Assemenios was counting for? The number of ring-card girls he’d like to go home with? If the referee is counting, you better get up, whether you agree with it or not; it’s not like he’ll restart the fight for you after some coffee and discussion. So DeMarco got a win he probably didn’t deserve, but Adjaho certainly deserved it less. Yeesh!

5. Two that were taken from us far too early

While the time in and around July 4th is a great time of celebration here in the States, the two weeks since the beginning of the month have not been very celebratory for boxing fans. On the 1st we lost perhaps the greatest featherweight of a generation, Alexis Arguello, apparently by suicide. As if that wasn’t hard enough to deal with, there was Friday’s tragic death of Arturo Gatti, perhaps the greatest warrior of this or any other generation. It has come out since then that Gatti was perhaps murdered by his Brazilian wife while on vacation in the country, adding even more sting to an already grieving boxing public. The hardest part of all this is that all we want to do is remember the great thrills these two gave us. Arguello fought before my time, but his videos of his legendary fights with Aaron Pryor and Alfredo Escalera still show the greatness of “The Explosive Thin Man”, a man who would dominate so many in the division even today. And Gatti, of course, with a warrior’s heart, was almost never in a bad fight; packed with last-minute power and a desire to win despite the odds, he thrilled any fan that was lucky enough to see him fight. His trilogy with Mickey Ward will forever be part of boxing history. Even though these two fighters had retired, they were both great ambassadors to the sport, albeit with demons that they tried so hard to overcome. That may be what made them so dear to boxing fans. They will be sorely, sorely missed.

What to do when Victor isn’t the victor

While junior welterweight Victor Ortiz has the looks and the style of a champion, does he have the heart? As his fight against Marcos Maidana showed, he's definitely not in Kansas anymore.

Ten days ago, Golden Boy Promotions sent their can’t-miss prospect, junior welterweight Victor Ortiz, into a Los Angeles ring to face Marcos Maidana. Although Maidana is a skilled fighter that gave Andreas Kotelnik all he could handle recently, his tendency to brawl made him the perfect candidate for the first main-event level fight featuring Ortiz. He would get some tough rounds from Maidana for sure, but Ortiz’ boxing skill would tell in the end. HBO cameras were there, complete with Ortiz’ riveting story about overcoming abandonment by both parents and lavish network hype prior to fight time. This would be the fight to showcase the Kansan’s step up to the big time, to possibly make Ortiz the name that carries the PPV torch for Golden Boy into the future. Shane Mosley’s not get any younger, you know.

Just one problem. Ortiz didn’t win.

Not only did he not win, Ortiz somehow got knocked out by the rugged Argentinean after sending him to the deck three times. Worse then that, when faced with Maidana’s unrelenting pressure in the sixth round, Ortiz appeared to quit, shaking his head and walking away from referee Raul Caiz, who, for some reason, didn’t stop the fight then. As Ortiz was cut from a punch, Caiz had the ringside doctor look at the cut, and upon his recommending the fight be stopped, nary a word of protest was heard from Ortiz. While this had to have Golden Boy’s Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins already disappointed, the postfight interview with Max Kellerman had to make both ex-champions wince.

One of Ortiz’ great charms is his candor, but in speaking to Kellerman, he said things that no one wants to hear from their upcoming fistic stars. While Ortiz started with the usual “it wasn’t my night” and “I just quit while I was ahead”, he then added the curious “I want to be able to speak well when I’m older”. As much as boxing fans berate fighters who sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher due to hanging on too long (Evander Holyfield, anyone?), that statement sounds like a guy who isn’t willing to get hit. Ortiz then shocked everyone by saying, “We’ll see what happens from here on out. I’m young, but I don’t think I deserve to get beat up like this. I have a lot of thinking to do.”

Does that sound like the next Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler or Tommy Hearns? It sounds like someone who is destined for a college classroom, not boxing superstardom.

And here Golden Boy’s situation becomes very tricky. As with Alfredo Angulo a few weeks back, young fighters often hit a bump in the road. The greatest fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao, took a couple of humbling losses (one a knockout) earlier in his career before hitting superstardom. In most cases, fighters will show a desire to learn from the mistakes, get better, and hunger to get a crack at the next opponent. This is not the realm of journeymen, who often will quit in fights knowing they’ll have to get in the ring several more times that year to make a living. For rising stars like Ortiz, the hunger should be constant. When it’s not, then the huge investment Golden Boy has made in the young man’s career has everyone on high alert.

So going forward, does Golden Boy cut bait with a guy who may not have the desire to become world champion? They can’t run him out there again when there’s a chance he could take a few punches and lose the will to tough it out. Boxing is a rough business, and outings like Miguel Cotto’s nip-and-tuck battle with Joshua Clottey recently are more the usual way a fighter has to win fights at the top level. Without that willingness to sacrifice, fighters who take the easy way out become remembered infamously by the boxing public. De La Hoya knows this, so he’s got to gauge Ortiz and his desire to continue his career. There’s too much six-figure money being doled out to be unsure of anything when fighters walk out to the ring on fight night.

So while Ortiz has a big decision to make, so does Golden Boy.