The Cyber Boxing Zone Newswire

HBO'S INAUGURAL CARD WAS "JUNK"

So says Larry Merchant, yours truly, and any body else who knows anything about boxing.

SORRY FITS IT

After the Roy Jones boredom factory let out, HBO's Larry Merchant apologized to    millions of HBO subscribers by saying, "In this fight anyway, we brought you junk." Classic words from a stoic man.

WATCHING ROY FEAST ON A NOBODY

For those who were lucky enough not to see Roy Jones playing with his food Saturday night, I will now rain on your parade. I knew this fight would be one for the books when HBO tried to act like Rick Frazier was a worthy challenger. Showing some video clips of him on the beat, and all the while acting like he wasn't about to get beat.

REALITY CHECK

As the off duty Jake slowly walked toward the ring, one could see reality hitting him in the face. For here was a trained policeman walking into an ambush, and without his gun!

SAY CHEESE

Frazier, who fought nothing like his namesake Joe, or even his son Marvin, just ran like a little bitch for the opening three minutes. Meanwhile, Roy was doing the things that mean most to him. There was the light heavyweight champion of the world posing for promotional pictures, while winking at the blond in the second row.

MORE CHEESE

In round two Frazier just ran for another 180 seconds while Roy posed for yet more pictures. At the end of the round Rick tried to throw his first real punch and in return caught a "soft" Jones left counter.

NEEDED FLAK JACKET

This punch stunned Frazier who started to fall. Jones then landed a "softer" right that hit Frazier on his elbow. The fierceness of the punch, coupled with the agony of his elbow then put Frazier down, in a fetal position.

JAILHOUSE ROCK

He looked more like the bottom participant in a prison rape scene than an actual fighter. Even though he got up, referee Armando Garcia saved us all from watching any more JUNK by counting the NY cop out.

COPS CLAIM, "WE WAS DENIED"

The New York police force in Frazier's corner then got irate at Garcia for the early stoppage. They must have thought Frazier was going to come back in the next round and knock Roy dead.

PENSACOLA PUSS' SHOWING COLORS

The post fight interview however was where the real action took place. Roy Jones seems to have mastered the art of ducking an interviewer's questions just like he mastered ducking qualified fighters.

When asked by Merchant, why doesn't he tell the WBC and WBA to stuff it, and fight whomever he wants, Roy said that he doesn't have the authority to make them, he just fights them.

DO YOU SMELL IT?

If that's the case, how would Roy Jones Jr. explain the crap we watched with him and Otis Grant. Oh yeah I forgot, middleweight Otis Grant was the WBC & WBA #1 light heavyweight contender, right?

CANNUCK WAS A BUM

Eric Lucas, he was another mandatory, wasn't he? And how about an over the hill and down the slope Virgil Hill. Here was a one armed bandit, a guy that Tommy Hearns beat in 1991, and that Roy actually avoided until Virgil lost that one arm.

WHAT'S THE BELT ABOUT?

Roy Jones is now at such an advanced stage in the fight game that titles don't mean dirt. What will it matter how many titles he has. He's blaming this Ricky Frazier crap on the WBC and he'll probably blame his next fight on the WBA.

WBC TO ME

Every body has their take on what WBC stands for, in my book it will be the World of Bull Crap. That's because I and every other boxing fan was served and force fed a healthy dose of it this past Saturday.

ROY DOESN'T LIKE TO BE CALLED BOY

Then Roy Jones, fight somebody who is worthy of fighting you. A fighter who has proved that he deserves a shot at a pugilist of your stature. Like another champion, or God forbid an unbeaten German. The point being Roy Jones, you have to make these fights happen.

MOSLEY, DITTO

At least the first fight on the card was entertaining, although it was a re-run. How many times have we seen it now, lightweight king Shane Mosley comes out flashing a smile, beats some guy up for seven or eight rounds and scores a KO? It is getting old now isn't it?

1999 will be Mosley's last year at 135 and the year 2000 couldn't come a moment too soon for me.

IVAN LOOKING FOR LICKING

For some reason Ivan Robinson thinks he can take Shane Mosley. Mighty Ivan has some strange notion that he can outbox "Sugar" Shane for 12 rounds. The truth is that Ivan may turn out to be one of Shane's easiest opponents yet.

NOT FASTER THAN SHANE

The Philly fighter's claim to fame is his speed and boxing skill. And yet, these two assets don't even win for him all of his fights as proven by his losing to Pito Cardona and Phillip Holiday. Now what will happen when both of his pluses are null and void?

CHIN LIKE "CHINA"

Then you throw in a thing called chin, and Robinson has none. Change some spelling and it comes out to Robinson has no chance in this one! Looking at his fights with Arturo "Cat Scan" Gatti, Ivan can't endure a lot of body punishment. And Gatti is no Mosley when it comes to body and fender work.

HOW TO?

Shane's key to success? "Sugar" Shane isn't the hardest puncher at lightweight, but he is the fastest and most accurate. Every knockout I have seen from Mosley has been an accumulation of punches that overwhelm his opposition and eventually crumple them.

MOVING UP, WHAT ABOUT POP?

His lack of single shot power may give him trouble when he steps up to 140 and 147. His great equalizer are those round body shots that have made him famous. It will be very interesting to see him in the ring against someone the likes of Kostya Tszyu, or even a Vince Phillips.

GODS ARE WATCHING

Historians are looking at Shane Mosley even after 31 pro fights. However if, and when he conquers the junior welterweights, his place in the annuls of the all time greats will be certain.

HEY LOU DI BELLA!

Hopefully HBO can cure their ills and never put on a terrible card like that again. This was not the way to start the year off. You see, even though I expected little from the two fights, I got less than little.

TYSON MANIA IN '99

The phrase "The Tyson Fight" has been a marker of boxing since the mid 1980's, as viewers from all walks of life will throw down $40 just to watch
"The Tyson Fight."

It doesn't matter who he's fighting, or where. Anytime we hear "The Tyson Fight," we know we have a party to go to. This Saturday will be no different as Tyson-Botha will be the weekend's main course of fistic cuisine.

HYPE, HYPE, AND THEN BUFFALO POO

As expected, the Frans Botha camp is spewing the same oral garbage every Tyson foe does when he is drawn into the limelight. Phrases like, "He's in the best shape of his life," or "Tyson sounds like he lacks confidence," is the same stuff they all have bellowed.

FIGHT A ROUT, THUS ANOTHER ANGLE NEEDED

The story that's killing me is how big a deal they're making out of Botha beating up Orlin Norris in sparring. WOW! Botha's handlers say the reason they are pleased is that Norris and Tyson are a lot alike. Yeah, they are both Black males.

WHERE'S PETER WHEN YOU NEED HIM?

And from the looks of it, Frans "The Chunky White Buffalo" Botha and friends are very confidant they will win, and by knockout even! If I remember correctly, that's the same thing I heard coming from Peter McNeely's training camp. All except for the extra ordinary feat of swelling up Orlin Norris' eye.

DAY BEFORE ON DEUCE

This Friday, ESPN 2 will spotlight highly touted featherweight prospect Angel Vasquez. The undefeated Puerto Rican is taking a huge step up in class in his meeting former title challenger Carlos Rios (43-2-1) this Friday at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas.

ICE "T" ON TOP

Red hot at 168 lbs., Thomas "Ice T" Tate defends the NABF title against shopworn Merqui Sosa. If Sosa doesn't win, he should learn how to wash dishes. Why am I saying that? I hear Merqui has problems reading the fortune cookie after dinner at Ming's.


Rodney Verges

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